Part 1: Yoga

Welcome to the first installment of our new four-part series on health and wellness. Here, we will delve into the basics of one of the fastest-growing avocations in the world: yoga.

Renown as an outdoor playground for active enthusiasts of all types, Ruidoso is blanketed with snow and ice at this time of year, which provides even more incentive for the non-skiers among us to seek out ways to stay fit and keep our bodies happy during the cold winter months.

What follows is a primer for those of you who may not have tried yoga before. (For those of you who are experienced yogis, well, you’re likely already hooked.) Join us as we take a look behind the yoga curtain and explore some easily achieved benefits of this popular physical, spiritual, and mental practice.

Yoga’s origins can be traced back to India, more than 5,000 years ago. The term “yoga” has evolved to mean many different things, encompassing many different schools of thought and practice. The most popular types of modern yoga include Hatha (best for beginners), Bikram (often referred to as “hot yoga” since the studio is kept very warm), Vinayasa (for the active set looking for a workout), and Ashtanga (also known as “power yoga,” with increasing levels of difficulty).

The primary goal of yoga, however, is to open up your body and clear your mind. Focusing on the immediate and physical aspects of your yoga practice — breathing, stretching, your current pose — is the only thing you really need to get started. After that you may choose to let yoga take you in any number of different directions, depending on your goals and preferences.

Seems simple, right? Well, mostly, yes. But let’s keep going.

Like any activity that can reap great results over time, the first step is to put yourself out there and give it a try. If you enjoy the experience, sign up for another class. Heck, try it when you wake up one morning. After a while, maybe twice a week may seem appropriate… and so on and so on.

Over time, yoga can result in a surprising number of benefits. Here are five reasons yoga might be right for you:

Relieve Stress

In today’s chaotic world, stress isn’t just an annoyance of daily life. Stress can have a dramatic impact on your health and emotional state, affecting not just you but those around you, as well. Setting aside the psychological risks, studies have also shown that stress takes a significant physical toll on our bodies.

While exercise and flexibility are obvious perks of yoga, one of the biggest benefits is stress relief. Practicing yoga on a regular basis can steadily lower your overall anxiety level, particularly if you incorporate meditation and breathing exercises into your routine. Try it for a few weeks and you may be surprised how things that used to be upsetting suddenly roll off your back and seem trivial.

Build Muscle

Even if exercise and strength-building is your primary goal, yoga is a highly beneficial addition to your workout routine. Yoga can be as effortless or difficult as you’d like it to be, with more challenging poses working muscles you may not even know you had. Once you get a better feel for yoga and how your body responds to different kinds of practice, you will be able to tailor your routine to focus on and build specific muscle groups.

Focus, Focus, Focus

If you’ve ever attended a yoga class, chances are you’ve heard the words “focus on your breath.” Learning to center yourself, be present in the moment, and control your breathing doesn’t mean you’re going to turn into a vegan who suddenly wears tie-dye shirts and buys patchouli oil in bulk.

Using your diaphragm to practice deep breathing exercises and control the amount of oxygen getting to your brain is an essential part of the yogi regiment and comes with – surprise! – plenty of benefits. After all, breathing is the first thing we do when we come into the world and the last thing we do when we leave it. So why not perfect your breathing, in between?

Increase Flexibility

In an age when trendy diets, infomercials peddling new-fangled exercise equipment, and questionable nutritional supplements can be found everywhere you look, stretching remains one of the unequivocally best and proven ways to keep your body in tune and healthy.

Yoga has many basic principles and potentially positive outcomes, including balance and focus, but flexibility is at its heart. Even for those of us who can’t touch our toes, it’s never too late to start improving flexibility and minimizing the potential for injury, particularly as your body ages and you may be less active than you once were.

In addition to making you more limber, flexibility can also cause you to feel calmer and sleep better. Heck, it can also improve your sex life (and yes, we’re talking to the ladies as well as the gentlemen, out there). What’s not to like?

And Finally… Yoga Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult

The first thing any yoga instructor worth his or her salt should tell you is “if it hurts, then stop.” Now that just makes sense, right? Yoga can be challenging and gives you the opportunity to push your limits, but it shouldn’t ever be something that causes pain or gives you anxiety (see above). It is relatively easy to find a series of poses that are both gratifying and gentle on your body.

Another unsung hero of the yoga world is cost. Or lack of, rather. Sure, depending on the yoga studio, classes can be expensive, but they are generally around $12-$15 per session. Of course, you can also practice yoga at home with the help of videos, books, online tutorials, podcasts, and mobile apps tat can help you set a routine and stick to your schedule.

Need yet another reason to give it a try? You don’t need an entirely new wardrobe to practice yoga, nor do you need a bunch of expensive equipment. Comfortable clothing is, in fact, required, and most studios will provide you with all the equipment you need. If you do get serious about yoga, however, it might be worth purchasing your own mat, as those provided in studios can wear down faster and may not be as clean as your own.

Perhaps the most wonderful aspect of yoga is that is it infinitely unique and can be tailor-made to fit anyone’s lifestyle, whether you are old or young, male or female, active or laid-back. Your instructor, your poses, your routine, your personal goals, and your body are all factors that come into play when figuring out a plan that works best for you.

So when you step into the studio for the first time, don’t be intimidated by the thought of being critiqued or judged. Just remember, if you’re more comfortable sitting in the back of class and taking periodic breaks, that’s just fine. Because when you really boil it down, yoga is only about one thing, and that is you.

Ruidoso yoga studios:

Blue Lotus: schedule and website

Buddha Yoga: schedule and website

—Leroy Smith