There are many physical reasons to begin practicing yoga. Yoga will increase your flexibility, strengthen and condition your muscles, and give you better balance and posture. That's the good news but the good news gets even better for those just starting this artful discipline: yoga does not begin and end in the physical realm. Yoga can also welcome deeper personal growth, in both the emotional and spiritual realms. As you become aware of your breathing, body movements, and thoughts, you can work on the issues inside you.


 In many ways, yoga takes on the form of meditation, and during these times of silence and introspection, you can reconnect with who you are. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up listening to the negative language of the scripted news media. Sometimes it's easy to let wounded people bring us down in their pain, pity, and blame. In yoga, all this negative chatter goes out the window as you create your own space. All the external voices dissipate, allowing you to communicate with your inner, most honest self. Yoga allows you to face fears, quell frustrations, and overcome worries - to welcome emotional self healing.