Looking for enlightenment, inner peace and all-around bliss? What about tighter buns and a hotter sex life? If you’re saying yes to any or all of this, take off your shoes, grab a mat and try yoga, an ancient practice dating back 5,000 years that’s the exercise craze of the moment.

Yoga, from the Sanskrit word "yuj" means to join or link so the practice of yoga or hatha yoga literally means to link to body. There are no age restrictions to practising yoga, but it is wise to think about your own level of physical fitness and make adjustments to suit. You need to discuss your fitness and any weak areas with your yoga teacher so that you are not engaging in any exercises which would harm you.

A typical class generally begins with five minutes of relaxation so the mind can focus and the body can become relaxed. The rest of the session generally consists of a combination of standing, sitting, twisting, supine and prone poses, inverted poses such as shoulder and headstands and balanced postures. Each of the poses will work on different parts of the body and have varied benefits. The result of a complete session is a total body-mind workout. After a yoga session most people feel a sense of wellbeing, are more able to concentrate and are generally more relaxed and energised.
Lets look at some of the benefits of yoga in more depth:

Increased Balance, Strength and Flexibility Our bodies tend to stiffen and tighten as we get older. Regular yoga practice can dramatically retard, even reverse, the tendency to stiffen with age, and bring back the suppleness of youth. In fact, dedicated yogis often become more flexible, durable and stronger than they were as children.

Fountain of Youth Let’s face it, we’re not as young as we used to be. Are face lifts and liposuction the answer? Forget it. Yoga philosophy says that the flexibility of the spine, not the number of years, determines a person’s age. Yoga is known to slow down the aging process by increasing the elasticity of the spine, firming up the skin, strengthening the abdominal muscles, improving muscle tone, correcting poor posture and more. In addition, yoga can help rid the body of stress and tension, which accumulates over the years and can make you look old, fragile and hunched over.

Antidote to Depression? Everyone feels down now and then, but when depression deepens or persists for a long time, it can suppress your energy and make you more vulnerable to disease by dampening the immune system. Frequently, the first thing a depressed person stops doing is moving - working out becomes intolerable. But starting with some basic yoga moves two or three times a day for just a few minutes, along with correct breathing patterns, you can experience such a pleasant feeling that the heaviness of depression can start to lift. While your depression may also require professional treatment, yoga can certainly complement traditional therapies.

Helping with Stress Yoga is quickly gaining ground as an important complementary therapy in the management of HIV/AIDS because it can effectively alleviate stress. The meditative aspects of yoga can calm the mind down and that enables us to focus on the things we want to do, like healing ourselves.

Yoga teachers believe that there are four poses that everyone should do each day, especially individuals affected by HIV. These are the headstand, shoulder-stand, the bridge and the plough. This group of poses promotes strength, flexibility, relief from pressure on the abdominal organs, and enhancement of circulation.
Better Sex? We’re all stressed out to one degree or another in our lives, which can adversely affect our activity in the bedroom. Yoga can not only help release built up tension, but will also result in extra flexible muscles, increased vitality and energy that can markedly improve our sex lives.

And who knows who you might meet at while you’re stretched out in all your glory. The gym has always been a singles mecca, but a yoga class could be the best kept singles secret of ‘em all. Love can happen anytime, anywhere, so why not with that sexy yogi on the mat next to you?

by Greg Millan