Yoga has become a trendy fad all around the world. Everyone from famous movie stars to your next door neighbor is starting to practice yoga. In case you have never tried it and are curious, I would like to explain how yoga might be of benefit to you.

Before I get into the most important reasons for practicing yoga, it would be good to have a basic overview of yoga itself. Yoga was developed in India several thousand years ago and it is a system of physical, mental and spiritual development. It consists of physical postures, deep relaxation techniques and meditation exercises. These days the physical postures (called “asanas”) are the most widely practiced form of yoga and you can learn them in studios and clubs around the world.

Now if you are interested to know “what’s in it for me” then here is a brief list of some of the most important benefits that the practice of yoga can bring to you.

1. Yoga is a key to improved physical well being. Usually this is what most people want when they sign up for a yoga course, and yoga is indeed efficient in helping people on the physical level. The various yoga postures, when combined with a proper diet and other exercise, can help you to reach high level of health, fitness and vitality. The key to this is in the digestive system where yoga postures can help you to overcome acidity, constipation and indigestion, thus preventing the many illnesses that have their root in the digestive tract. Furthermore, when yoga postures are combined with deep relaxation and meditation they help to lower blood pressure, and this becomes especially important as you grow older and become more susceptible to heart disease.

2. Yoga will make you look better. A lot of people begin yoga in order to lose weight and look better. Can yoga be of help in this area? If you are healthy then you will look better! In fact that is the evolutionary, biological basis of beauty. Biologists tell us that living beings choose partners who appear to give them the best chance of spreading their genes successfully. We don’t think about this when we see a handsome man or beautiful woman, but a glowing skin and attractive appearance is the outer sign of health and vitality. So, the practice of yoga, with its previously mentioned health benefits will help you to look your best.

3. Yoga is a great way to manage stress

As our civilization gets more complex, it also becomes a more stressful place to live. The reason for this goes back to our primitive ancestors. When they were threatened by the dangers of the environment, their bodies started to pump blood and hormones started to work so that they would be ready to either fight with all their might or run as fast as they could. We have inherited the same biological system but this is often very troublesome for us. If you are fighting or running it doesn’t matter if you turn red or sweat profusely. This kind of “fight or flight” response is not so useful when the danger that confronts you is a hostile boss at work! If you practice yoga postures and supplement them with deep relaxation and meditation you can attain a state of inner mental balance and peace that will enable you to remain calm even in the face of extreme provocations and stress.

There’s a lot more that can be said about yoga, but the three aspects that I have described are probably enticing enough for you to at least inquire more and possibly to begin your own personal practice of yoga as soon as possible.

It seems that everywhere you look these days, someone is doing yoga. They range from famous celebrities right down to the person who works with you. If you have never practiced yoga and want to find out what all the fuss is about and how yoga might be of benefit to you then read on and I will explain some of the main benefits of yoga.

Before I get into the most important reasons for practicing yoga, it would be good to have a basic overview of yoga itself. Yoga was developed in India several thousand years ago and it is a system of physical, mental and spiritual development. It consists of physical postures, deep relaxation techniques and meditation exercises. These days the physical postures (called “asanas”) are the most widely practiced form of yoga and you can learn them in studios and clubs around the world.

Now that you have a basic overview of yoga, let’s look at why you should think about beginning the practice of yoga.

1. Yoga will help you to become very healthy. This is what people are generally looking for when they begin the practice of yoga, and yoga does the job of improving physical health. If you combine a practice of yoga postures along with a sensible diet and other physical exercise then you can reach very high levels of health and fitness. One of the reasons for this is that yoga can help you to improve the functioning of your digestive system, and prevent acidity, indigestion, constipation and other more serious problems that have their root in the digestive system. Yoga postures (when combined with relaxation and meditation) have the additional benefit of helping to control blood pressure, and this is a great asset as you grow older and become more susceptible to heart disease.

2. Yoga can help you to look better. It is common knowledge that a lot of people practice yoga in order to lose weight and look more attractive. Can yoga really be of help in this? Simply put, outer beauty is but an indication of inner health. If you take steps to improve your health, you will look better. The biological explanation of “beauty” is useful here. According to modern biology, animals (and humans) choose partners who appear to be able to produce offspring and successfully spread their genes. A beautiful appearance here means an appearance that is a sign of inner health and vitality. You may not be thinking about spreading genes when you see a beautiful man or woman but this is where our conceptions of beauty originate according to the biologists. Thus, the ability of yoga to make you feel better and have better overall health, will also give you an outer appearance that is more pleasing to everyone around you.

3. Yoga can help you to deal with stress. Living in the 21st Century is stressful. There is a biological cause to our predicament. When primitive humans were threatened, their bodies started pumping hormones and blood and got them ready to either fight for their lives or run away from danger. We have inherited this same kind of body and this is problematic for us. If you are running or fighting for your life it may be OK to sweat and turn red, but it doesn’t look so good when you are in a stressful meeting at work with your colleagues.

By practicing yoga postures and augmenting them with some relaxation and meditation you can attain a state of inner mental peace that will keep you calm in even the most challenging situations.

There are many more things that I can say about the benefits of yoga, but these three should be incentive enough for you to check it out and maybe to start practicing today.

Yoga has become fairly popular with people of all ages. Not only does it provide them with physiological health, it also helps in relieving stress that comes with everyday work. There’s no doubt about the fact that as our society advances, our stresses also increase in number. Technological stress being one of the most common problems. But thankfully, the ancient Hindu practice of yoga provides us all with a release.

Yoga is even being used in retirement homes and communities. It is also being used as a treatment for various vices such as alcoholism and even drug addictions. Some facilities are using it to help calm down hyperactive children as well as kids with various learning disabilities.

There is a wide variety of different types of yoga. It’s up to the person to make the decision of which one to study and practice. After all, we all learn and work better if we are studying something that we enjoy. In fact, there are some kinds of yoga that would take years for a student to learn and as such, would require desire and diligence to finish. But what are the various benefits of practicing yoga when it comes to stress relief? Here are a few:

For those who work at a desk day in and day out yoga has proven to be excellent for unwinding the tension. It differs from the usual exercises that you do because yoga doesn’t use motions that put strain on the body. Instead, it helps take out the tension build up and makes your muscles more relaxed.

Enhanced concentration and a clear mind are a couple of the benefits of yoga. This is because the deep breathing a person does when practicing yoga actually helps increase the amount of oxygen in the brain thus making you relax and think clearly. Basically, you are purifying your thoughts and experiencing a kind of internal calm.

Depression and anxiety can be effectively treated with yoga. Basically, many people say that practicing yoga can actually alter your brain chemistry. There are several yoga positions that are very effective when it comes to the stimulation of the pituitary gland that releases endorphins, which subsequently lowers cortisol levels (the hormone related to stress).

Learning yoga on your own at home is an option but can be somewhat difficult because in the beginning you aren’t sure if you are performing the moves correctly . This is why it’s helpful to attend classes first before you try it at home. Once you get yourself acquainted with all the positions and everything you need to know and understand when it comes to the practice of yoga, then you can try doing it by yourself. After all, it is an art that must be learned from someone who knows.

If you are like most people these days, with the economy weighing heavily on your daily life causing a large amount of stress you should give yoga a try. It would not only benefit you psychologically but also physically. A stronger and more flexible body can be achieved through its practice and who wouldn’t want that? So go ahead and give it a try to experience the benefits for yourself.

You’ve been to quite a few yoga classes and possibly also have done a couple of workshops, and now you want to get more serious about your yoga development. The decision is made, for your next vacation, you are going away on a yoga class. Here are some answers to common questions you might ask yourself.

Yoga retreat or yoga holiday?

While the distinction between yoga holidays and yoga retreats is not always obvious, now and then, even the organizers have not thought enough about how to perfectly name their course), there is quite a diversity in terms of focal point and general ambiance or environment.

Generally speaking, a yoga vacation is primarily an activity holiday. The time devoted daily to yoga usually will not go beyond four hours, in one, or possibly two daily classes, and you will have a lot of time for other activities or just to loosen up and chill out.

The atmosphere should show this, with a beach or other extraordinary attractions in the neighborhood.

The feel is often stress-free, and it is usually a grand to come across other like-minded people. On a retreat, on the other hand, the yoga plan is likely to be more concentrated, possibly together with some meditation, times of silence, etc.

The primary focus is no longer to enjoy yourself on holiday, but to deepen your yoga practice. Again, the choice of location should reflect this, with a quiet, possibly remote location. Retreats should be fully residential, the food vegetarian, and meal times carefully thought out to fit well within the daily yoga schedule. You will find more ‘hard core’ yogis and yoginis on retreats, and the overall feel can be quite serious, with much less ‘free’ time.

Unless you are quite positive that yoga is your thing, and want to move your practice to the next level, a yoga holiday rather than a yoga retreat may be the best choice for your first time doing yoga away from home.

Go on your own, or bring a buddy?

Going alone is not a problem. In reality, most people going on yoga course go unaccompanied. The downside to going alone is that you might have to share a room with one or more complete strangers, but at least, you will know that, like you, they have a keen interest in yoga, and great friendships are often formed on yoga vacations.

If you decide not to go on your own, pick your companion(s) with care. A few yoga centres will welcome guests who don’t do yoga, but in most cases, and absolutely in the case of a retreat, yoga should be a shared interest with your prospective travel companion, so if you don’t want to go alone, a yoga buddy is a far better choice than your new boyfriend (unless, of course, you met him on a yoga weekend!)

Where and when to go?

The yoga escape market is now becoming increasingly competitive, and main stream travel agents are moving in, sometimes with disastrous results. Unlike yoga teachers and dedicated venues, they do not always understand the particular requirements of what is still very much a niche market.

Complaints about such new comers to the yoga holiday market, who often have operated successfully in other branches of the tourist trade such as the organization of seminars or other types of package holidays, are their lack of understanding of the specificity of the yoga market, particularly in relation to diet (vegetarian and vegan options are not always available) and the unsuitability of the venues chosen, which are often large, soulless resorts, sometimes shared with a crowd of rowdy drunks (as happened to me in Goa a few years ago).

All this is not very conducive to peace of mind, so it is best to avoid large operators and stick with small, dedicated venues. There are a lot of them to choose from all over the world, and new ones are sprouting up everywhere so there’s a large choice of destinations at any time of the year!

Sun destinations such as Greece, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, and the south of France tend to be most popular in the European summer while in the winter; India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mexico and the Caribbean tend to be favorites. There are also a number of other locations which don’t emphasize the ‘sun’ part including Scotland, various parts of England, Ireland, Finland, Canada, Austria to name just a few.

See for example the Yoga Centres listing of the Yogaholidays.net site. Even thought they might not be right up on the beach, these venues are chosen for their quietness and are far more suited to the practice of yoga than large tourist resorts.

What style, what teacher?

Perhaps more important than the location is the teacher and the style of yoga. Remember you will be stuck with your choice for the duration of the course, so a bit of thinking may be in order.

The best, of course, is to choose a teacher you have already studied with, perhaps in the context of weekly classes or a short workshop. Second best, is to get an opinion from someone who has been on a holiday/retreat with a particular teacher before. If this is not possible, you might find some useful information on the Internet, as most established teachers now have websites.

This should at least give you an idea of who they are and of whether their style of teaching (and style of yoga) will suit you. If nothing else, don’t be afraid to ask the teacher such questions as who they studied with, how long they have been practicing and how long they have been teaching yoga. Try to ring rather than email, as you’ll get a far better idea over the phone.

Tell the teacher about your yoga knowledge, how fit you are and what you expect to gain from the retreat so they can advise you properly on suitability. Usually they don’t want to be stuck with the wrong student any more that you want to be stuck with the wrong teacher, so they will advise you honestly. It is also recommended to try the style of yoga that will be taught as part of the holiday/retreat by taking a few classes in your area, just to be sure that it will suit you, before booking.

What to bring?

Check whether you’ll need a yoga mat (if you have your own, it best to bring it anyway). Bring some reading, yogic or not, and don’t forget your practice clothes!

Enjoy yourself!