Stress and Yoga part 2

I am constantly amazed at Yoga's ability to relieve stress. Being an owner of a Yoga and Pilates studio seems like a stress free job.  But you still have all the distractions of any other small business - H.S.T. , Pay roll, marketing, admin, etc, etc. But one Yoga class and all is well again. You reset your stress levels back to zero. Deepak Chopra writes about the mind being non local.  Meaning our thoughts and memories are not stored just in our brains, they are stored throughout our bodies. Think about working all day, and you start feeling pain and stress in your neck and shoulders. This is stored thoughts and memories.  Come out to a yoga class and you will release the muscles and energy blockages in your neck and shoulders. As you release the muscles so will you release the stress. The stress releases out of the muscles and releases out of the mind.

Why practicing Hatha Yoga is a great stress reliever.

Chronic headaches, Stiff neck and shoulders, stomach problems, high blood pressure, irritability?  All consequences of STRESS! 
The term Hatha has been translated as Ha = sun and tha = moon,  meaning the balancing of opposites, or as it relates to us - balancing of body, mind, and spirit.
Hatha Yoga consists of stretching and twisting the body in combination with deep synchronized breathing to help the body loosen up tight strained muscles, stretch the spinal column and relieving stress on the discs and joints. The muscles are stretched out releasing the toxins in the body.
On a physical level, yoga will increase strength, flexibility, improve posture, and enhance circulation. But it will also reduce stress levels by the process of healing and cleansing the mind along with healing the body. Yoga views the body as having a physical and also an energetic layer, and the various postures and breathing exercises were designed to open up the energy flow throughout the mind and body by opening of blockages and bringing the body back to its natural state.
In our busy lives, we are all subject to a lot of physical and mental stress. Yoga can reduce stress and tension through asanas (postures), Pranayama (breathing exercises) and through meditation.  Yoga will help bring your body and mind back to ease.

Detoxification Through Hot Yoga

Why is everyone doing hot yoga these days?  Well, hot yoga has lots of benefits.  One of the main ones is detoxification. Your skin is one of the best waste disposal systems in your body. The kidneys and liver always get the credit but your skin is an equally effective organ for removing waste, especially toxic wastes. It does this through sweat. Doing Yoga in a hot room promotes sweating. The internal heat generated by doing yoga combined with a heat of between 41 and 43 degrees C. will bring on a lots of sweating.  Sweating is a great way for the body to release toxins through the pores of the skin. The skin converts toxins from fats into water soluble compounds, that are excreted through your sweat.
While all forms of exercise help the body to eliminate toxins, yoga is perfectly suited to this process. Yoga postures all focus on stretching and compressing the body, encouraging the flow and good function of the waste removal departments in the body. The fact that the body is being pushed, pulled, and turned in every which way aids the body in the removal of harmful toxins found deep in the body’s tissues, that other forms of exercise simply do not penetrate.