Health/Wellness
Working out at workSure yoga is a form of exercise, but it is also much more. More than cultivating a lean body and defined muscles, yoga is a mental and spiritual union as well. Ivana Tavernese |
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 [ 2007-01-25 ] |
Yoga can act as an escape from the daily grind of the corporate world.
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Lanterns lined the pale brown stairs leading up a narrow hallway. As I turn the corner, several lengthy ropes of beads hang from the entranceway. I lift my hand to push the beads to one side and I hear the tiny chimes of the beads’ bells ring. A sense of serenity clothes me. I walk through the entranceway, the dim light shows only a row of shoes at the doorway. I am definitely not inside a gym or an aerobics class. I am inside a Yoga sanctuary.
More than a lean body and defined muscles, healthy living is a mental and spiritual union as well. Such is the sentiment of two yoga instructors. For our fourth and final story in the series of getting fit this year, we take a closer look at Yoga.
“Yoga is a form of exercise, but it is also so much more,” says Mara Sohal, Director/Founder of OM Yoga Shala & Holistic Centre. Sohal is quite familiar with traditional fitness classes, she teaches them. However, she says that Yoga allows her to escape the noise and stress of everyday life. Before becoming a Yoga instructor and Founder of her own Yoga studio, Sohal worked in a corporate atmosphere. That is until fate took an unexpected turn.
“For me, Yoga was a way to escape the daily grind of the corporate world and routine. I worked in a corporate environment but I always had my foot inside the fitness door.” Sohal would take and teach classes when she wasn’t in the office. “Yoga was an outlet to de-stress and give back to myself. I felt like I was giving and giving but not to myself.” When the tech industry suffered, many companies began to downsize. Sohal saw this as an opportunity to start something new and different in her life.
Today she has been at her Vaughan location for more than two years. She says that although one does benefit from Yoga’s serenity and calmness one can also get quite a workout as well. “You will gain flexibility and strength in your muscles.” Depending on the type of Yoga, one can also build a cardio workout. Especially with Ashtanga Yoga where the level of intensity is raised and exercises are quicker and more vigorious.
Sohal says there are two misconceptions she often wants to dispel about Yoga. The first is that Yoga is not for everyone. “This is not the case. Yoga can be done by people of all ages and fitness levels. There are modifications for every posture, even if you have hip, knee, or shoulder injuries you can still do Yoga.” Sohal says that her husband in fact has had three spinal surgeries and one would think he should not be doing Yoga, but he does and he can do quite a few exercises. “We teach in old age homes, to those in wheelchairs. It really is for everyone.”
Even pregnant women are finding the benefits to Yoga. Sohal says one benefit is to learn to focus on one’s breathing. Proper breathing gives one more energy. Also, specific exercises help to open the pelvis and hips, while others just find the exercises a great way to relax. “Often women do not have the time to just relax and enjoy this time that they are pregnant.”
The second misconception is that you must be flexible to do Yoga. “Not at all, in fact this is where you would gain flexibility.” She says that we must be patient with our progress. If we have developed our posture a certain way over years and years of hunching at our desks, it will not be corrected after one or two classes.
There are exercises Sohal recommends that can be performed while sitting at your desk that would help align the spine and relax tense muscles.
The first is the Spinal Twist. For this exercise, sit up straight in your chair. Then slowly move both your shoulders and arms towards the left side of your body, but do not move your hips. Hold for a few seconds and then do the same on the right hand side. “This helps to strengthen the spine and remove any blockages in the spine that may be affecting your central nervous system,” says Sohal.
The second desk exercise is Shoulder Rotations. Simply roll your shoulders forward and then back, this helps to release tension in our shoulders. “Sitting at our desks for so long, gravity starts to take over and pushes our shoulders forward and forward until we are hunched over.” This causes stress to our shoulders and neck. Sohal says to be mindful of your posture. Ears should be over the shoulders and shoulders over the hips.
The last desk exercise is a Wrist Stretch. Extend your left arm forward, palms facing up. With your right hand, push the fingers of your left hand down slowly. You should feel a stretch from your wrist to your elbow. “We see a lot of weak wrists because of typing and holding onto a mouse for so long,” says Sohal.
Yoga studios are quite popular now and are not just springing up in the trendy downtown core. Studios can be found in suburban neighborhoods where students are both young and …not so young.
Sohal believes this isn’t just a flash in the pan, more than just a trendy movement. “Yoga is here to stay. We’ve just touched the surface; it’s only going to get bigger. People are just realizing what they can do and that they can do it forever, not just until the age of 60, but until their last breath. With Yoga we become better people. We are better to ourselves and better to others.” More than an exercise routine, Yoga is a lifestyle.
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