By Jennifer Elizabeth Masters
I started doing yoga thirty-five years ago while living in England. I had a delightful teacher who did a deep meditative practice at the end which I loved. Since that time, I found many teachers, but the meditation part was often skipped or glossed over for fear of offending someone.
Today, my meditation practice happens daily no matter what. Yoga is something I do in the desert and sometimes in a studio. Yoga can be done in your living room, your backyard or at the beach. All you need is you.
The deep breathing in yoga can help children and adults in many ways. Deep breathing can help with pain management, stress relief, asthma, autism and so many others. Most people don't breathe deeply enough. Yoga gives you so many opportunities to change old patterns with something as simple as breathing deeply. Just check in right now. Notice how you are breathing. Maybe you are holding your breath. Most people breathe shallowly which causes many issues later in life, COPD is one of them. Our lungs need to expand fully with our breath so that they fill up completely.
Yoga tones will lift and will give you a great butt at any age. Stretching is good for the body. Take it slow. You don't have to begin doing shoulder stands or handstands.
I do yoga for all of the above reasons and a few others I haven't mentioned because I plan to live a very long life. I want to be healthy when I am in my late nineties and beyond. I don't want to carry an oxygen tank around with me or be hunched over as I age. Yoga keeps us young, vital and healthy. Love yourself enough to take care of your body so that you are fit, youthful when you reach 70, 100 or beyond!
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| Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. |
Gurus do it. Tantrikas do it. Famous movie stars do it. But what is yoga good for? Almost everything! From depression to anxiety, sleep disorders to PTSD, yoga not only gets you fit but relaxes you, relieving stress.
Today, my meditation practice happens daily no matter what. Yoga is something I do in the desert and sometimes in a studio. Yoga can be done in your living room, your backyard or at the beach. All you need is you.
For those of you that think yoga is for sissies, think again. Even Robert Downey Jr., Russell Brand, Bon Jovi and Sting do yoga.
Yesterday, I did a particularly difficult hot yoga class. But also not only did I sweat my ass off, all the up and down dogs in the flow class moved my emotions. At the end of the class when asked to give ourselves a hug, I cried. As I held myself in a loving embrace emotions within me came out and up. My tears surprised me. Crying relieves stress and releases hormones that make us feel good. Moving our bodies allows us to release whatever needs to be released. Whatever issues come up in our work day yoga helps us process.
Deep Breathing
The deep breathing in yoga can help children and adults in many ways. Deep breathing can help with pain management, stress relief, asthma, autism and so many others. Most people don't breathe deeply enough. Yoga gives you so many opportunities to change old patterns with something as simple as breathing deeply. Just check in right now. Notice how you are breathing. Maybe you are holding your breath. Most people breathe shallowly which causes many issues later in life, COPD is one of them. Our lungs need to expand fully with our breath so that they fill up completely.
One of my clients has advanced COPD. She is on oxygen 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She is unable to travel without oxygen or even go for a walk without dragging that tank behind her like a ball and chain. Think about living a life like that. Breathing deeply is one of the biggest benefits of yoga. Deep breathing helps all our organs function better. Oxygen is needed for vibrant health, rich blood that feeds our muscle tissues all the way down to our cells.
Yoga and Sex
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| Madonna back bend |
Deep breathing and yoga improve your sex life, oxygenating your body and lengthening and strengthening orgasms. Yoga helps you move into deep stretches while breathing which allow more flexibility and less pain during sex. You might not like Madonna, but you have to admire her ability to do back bends and have an amazingly toned body. How does she do it? Yoga!
Want A Great Butt?
Yoga tones will lift and will give you a great butt at any age. Stretching is good for the body. Take it slow. You don't have to begin doing shoulder stands or handstands.
Just Some Benefits of Yoga
- improves muscle strength
- improves flexibility
- protects us from arthritis, back pain later in life
- improves balance which prevents falls
- perfects your posture
- opens your heart
- oxygenates the blood improving cardiovascular health
- protects the spine
- improves bone health (helping calcium to stay in the bones)
- drains lymphatic system and improves immune function
- regulates adrenal glands - keeping us sexually able
- lowers blood sugar
- helps you focus
- makes you happier
- releases tension in the limbs
- helps you sleep more deeply
- prevents IBS and other digestive issues
- gives you peace of mind
- helps you stay in your body
- keeps you present in the moment
- helps you release emotions
- helps you evolve spiritually
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| Mom turning 95 in 2017 |
I love you!
Jennifer
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insightful newsletter. Reach out to Jennifer for a private session to heal, move forward lovingly from trauma, divorce or a life challenge. Jennifer is a Certified Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner, Love and Intimacy coach, a Master Energy Healer and a mystic. Working with Jennifer gives you more than her certifications, it gives you the wisdom she has attained healing her own trauma, low self-esteem, and serious health issues. She has done her inner work which shows in her outer life. Jennifer can help you get what she's having - a happy outlook and love of life's journey every day!
