September is National Yoga Month

Yoga is a 5,000-year-old spiritual tradition that began in India. Yogic practice involves stretching and holding physical poses, but it also integrates breathing and meditation techniques and ethical practices.

If you've never tried yoga before, September is a great time to start. In honor of National Yoga Month, many practice centers are offering free classes to help raise awareness of this ancient spiritual practice. The health benefits of yoga are many: decreased stress, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and deeper peace of mind are just a few of the results you'll see after you begin to practice.

 Fun Facts About Yoga:

• Yoga can be practiced at any age. BKS Iyengar is a renowned Indian yogi who began practicing yoga as a teenager to overcome tuberculosis and malaria. Today he is 91 years old and still practices every day.

• Yoga has antidepressant effects on the brain. MRIs on yoga practitioners have shown that the neurochemical effects of yoga are similar to the brain's response to antidepressants.


• Animals did yoga first. The downward dog pose, turtle pose, and cat pose were all inspired by the animals they are named after. Animals were admired for their adaptability, strength, and good health, so many of the stretches that involve the back, muscles, thighs, and arms were derived from simple animal behaviors that ancient Yogis observed.