If you google 'yoga' there are over 111,000,000 entries. Yoga has gone from an esoteric practice of old yogis and 70s hippies to a lifestyle that fits almost everyone. There are numerous websites and books available on yoga, but few successfully discuss the deeper issues of yogic practice. Yoga Hale intends to be a vestibule for the yogis of the world. You can find the latest information regarding yoga study from many traditions including information on chakras, pranayama, and meditation. To begin your yogic journey, peruse More About Yoga. If you would like to post an article here, please email me.
Yoga is the time honored tradition of joining the mind and body in order to achieve greater harmony of the entire being. The great Patanjali organized many branches of yoga into a cohesive structure which has been practiced for thousands of years.
Whether you are aiming to relieve stress, tone your body, calm your mind, or reach enlightenment, Christina Sarich can help you to reach these goals. Christina offers classes for beginners and more advanced yoga students. Please check Current Classes for more information about classes in the Dallas Metroplex and Rockwall, Texas.
Christina's training in Yoga was derived from Yoga Vidya Dham in Trimbek and Nasik, India, under the Guru Swami Satyananda Saraswati lineage of the Bihar School of Yoga. She also has many years of personal practice in Hawaii. Her combined experience serves to enrich beginning and more advanced yoga students alike.
YOGA HALE
Bringing You Yoga From the Source
Yoga: Sanskrit Word Meaning, to Yoke Oneself to God Hale: Hawaiian Word for House
Although many forms of exercise can leave you feeling happier, healthier and fitting into that tiny swimsuit this spring and summer, yoga has unique qualities which other forms of exercises do not provide.
In random studies conducted by cognitive therapists and medical doctors to the 5000 year old wisdom of yogis in Rishikesh, India, yoga has proven to:
- reduce stress significantly
- increase sound sleep
- reduce cortisol levels
- improve medical conditions from hypertension to diabetes
- lower blood pressure
- help people quite smoking and other addictive behaviors
- reduce anxiety and muscle tension
- slow the aging process
- increase strength as well as flexibility
In fact, Herbert Benson, M.D. Created an entire program at Harvard University's Mind-Body Institute dedicated to studying the effects of practices like yoga and meditation. What Benson and other researchers have found is that these practices lead to what he calls the “relaxation response.” Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to identify certain regions of the brain which are active during practices such as yoga and meditation. The results were amazing. Areas of the brain (dorsolateral, prefrontal and parietal cortices, hippocampus/parahippocampus, temporal lobe, pregenual anterior, and cingular cortex, striatum, and pre and post central gyri) that are responsible for our feelings of well-being, happiness and relaxation lit up like a Christmas tree on the fMRI during meditation and yoga!
Christina's yoga classes aim to teach beginner and more advanced students how to get in touch with this relaxation response. In times of economic turmoil and general stress there is not a better way to stay energized and peaceful. Email me today for a private session at divachristina@gmail.com.
The Numerous
Benefits of Yoga:
- Clinical tests have shown that consistent yoga practice can raise our IQ and increase our memory
- Yoga improves circulation
- Normalizes body weight and provides great conditioning for weight loss
- Increases energy levels
- Relieves muscle tension and improves flexibility
- It strengthens and tones the nervous system
- Yoga increases physical strength and stamina
- Yoga benefits spinal health and improves posture
- It strengthens, lubricates and rehabilitates the joints, improving range of motion and function
- Many yoga postures provide massage to the internal organs, stimulate the glands and enhance endocrine functions
- Yoga boosts the immune system
- Yoga helps normalize blood pressure and improves our cardiovascular efficiency
- It improves skin tone and complexion, maintaining a youthful appearance
- Yoga increases lung capacity and improves breathing efficiency
- Yoga improves digestion and excretory functions
- Yoga stimulates the 'relaxation response' within the parasympathetic nervous system, thus ridding the body of the energetic stimulation for hundreds of diseases
- The practice of yoga improves sleep
- Yoga combats anxiety and lessens depression
- The practice of yoga has been shown to decrease excess glucose as well as sodium levels (which when left high can lead to hypoglocemia, hperglocemia and diabetes)
- It decreases LDL and VLDL (bad) cholesterol, while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol
- Yoga also has been shown to increase hemoglobin production, thyroxine and lymphocyte count
- Yoga causes several other biochemical advantages
- Yoga is cheaper than traditional medicine when used as a preventative therapy for overall health
