Many residents are turning to yoga studios in an attempt to round out their current exercise routines. Many studios are offering varying types of yoga, from power yoga to restorative yoga. Yoga offers the perfect escape from the stressors of everyday life, and offers a perfect opportunity to reclaim your calm. For those who are seeking to bring more balance to their current regimes, yoga offers the perfect balance of engaging the body while relaxing the mind. This can yield many health benefits as well.

Bikram yoga is rapidly gaining popularity in the East Bay, especially for those who like more of a challenging style of yoga. Bikram yoga is practiced in a heated room. Practicing in a heated room increases detoxification, and substantially increases flexibility. The heat relaxes the muscles so one can go deeper within a pose without injuring the muscles, tendons and ligaments. Going deeper into the poses also allows the body to open so that one is less susceptible to injury both while in the pose and in every day activity as well.

A few of the benefits of a consistent yoga practice include improved circulation, increased flexibility and stress reduction. Many people sit behind a computer all day and find they have chronic tension in the neck, shoulders and back. Chronic tension can set the stage for injury, as well as chronic pain in the muscles and joints. Yoga classes, particularly Yin Yoga, or Restorative Yoga can help ease the effects of chronic tension almost immediately.

Yoga increases the body’s ability to detoxify by massaging the internal organs. In addition to keeping the body in balance, yoga also helps to increase the blood supply to various parts of the body. Consequently, yoga also works our glands, such as the thyroid and prostate, which is crucial to keeping balance in the body. Creating balance within the body’s various systems also helps strengthen the immune system while simultaneously keeping illness at bay.

Yoga poses serve many purposes. Not only do yoga routines increase flexibility by engaging the muscles and connective tissues simultaneously, they also increase strength by using your body weight as resistance. This offers incredibly toned muscles if practiced regularly. Since most of us sit hunched over a computer all day, our posture can become compromised. Practicing yoga can also ensure good posture because the poses help strengthen the muscles of the neck, back and shoulders.

Several yoga studios are now offering drop-in classes to allow folks to experiment with different styles. Many local yoga studios offer many different yoga styles, so you can find one that works best for your body. In addition, drop-in rates are usually fairly cheap, so you don’t have to spend a fortune while enjoying the many benefits of yoga. Source