meditation
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Yoga Classes

and

Personal Yoga Instruction

Vision:

Optimal Health

Strength, Clarity, Relaxation

 

 
 

Benefits of Yoga

The practice of Yoga
is an extraordinary means
to achieve physical
and mental well being.

The word “yoga” means union. It’s an ancient holistic tradition that unites body, mind, and spirit - bringing them into harmony and balance. Hatha yoga focuses on physical strengthening and detoxification of the body.

Some of the many benefits of practicing Hatha yoga are:

- reduction of stress and anxiety
- lower back pain relief
- improved flexibility
- increased stamina and energy
- toned and strengthened muscles
- better posture
- improved circulation
- better digestion
- weight loss
- a stronger immune system

In addition, research has shown that yoga helps manage or improve a wide range of conditions including:· arthritis· asthma· high blood pressure· carpal tunnel syndrome· chronic fatigue· depression · diabetes· headaches· heart disease.

Yoga is also the perfect partner to your existing exercise program or favorite sports activities. Whether you love playing golf or tennis, jogging, weight lifting, biking, or skiing, yoga will enhance your performance! And, it doesn’t require expensive equipment. Yoga is appropriate for all ages and can be modified according to your age, physique, and health profile.

Call Diane to register: 508-428-8635

 

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Top 10 reasons to try "Yoga for Life!
www.yogadayusa.org

The health and fitness benefits of yoga have long been reported by practitioners and are now being confirmed by scientific research.  Give yoga a try and discover what it can do for your body, your mind, and your soul.

1.   YOGA FOR … STRESS RELIEF:  Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia.

2.   YOGA FOR … PAIN RELIEF:  Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a combination of the two, reduced pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases and hypertension as well as arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic conditions. Some practitioners report that even emotional pain can be eased through the practice of yoga.

3.   YOGA FOR … BETTER BREATHING: Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths. This helps to improve lung function, trigger the body’s relaxation response and increase the amount of oxygen available to the body.


4.   YOGA FOR … FLEXIBILITY: Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains. Many people can’t touch their toes during their first yoga class. Gradually they begin to use the correct muscles. Over time, the ligaments, tendons and muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity, making more poses possible.  Yoga also helps to improve body alignment resulting in better posture and helping to relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.


5.   YOGA FOR … INCREASED STRENGTH: Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in the body, helping to increase strength literally from head to toe. And, while these postures strengthen the body, they also provide an additional benefit of helping to relieve muscular tension.


6.   YOGA FOR … WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid weight control efforts by reducing cortisol levels as well as by burning excess calories and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits and provides a heightened sense of well being and self esteem.


7.   YOGA FOR … IMPROVED CIRCULATION: Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result of various poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the body’s cells.

8.   YOGA FOR … CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING:  Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardio-vascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.

9.   YOGA FOR… FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become more aware and to help create mind body health. It opens the way to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory.


10.   YOGA FOR… INNER PEACE: The meditative aspects of yoga help many to reach a deeper, more spiritual and more satisfying place in their lives. Many who begin to practice for other reasons have reported this to be a key reason that yoga has become an essential part of their daily lives.

For more information on the benefits cited here, and on studies about the health benefits of yoga, visit our website at www.yogadayusa.org or the Yoga Alliance site at www.yogaalliance.org.

Thank you to Yoga Alliance website:
http://www.yogadayusa.org/TryYoga.html
 


Relax - Recharge - Renew


diane&megha

Diane Kovanda, M. Ed.,

a holistic health practitioner and educator, has been practicing  hatha yoga for over 25 years. She is certified in Kripalu Yoga and assists with yoga teacher certification at Kripalu. Diane is part of faculty at Finding Inner Peace Yoga School. Diane has an extensive background in body/mind approaches to wellness including training in mind/body medicine with Herbert Benson, MD at Harvard Medical School, a license in therapeutic bodywork, certification and training in Reiki, Polarity, and stress management. She continues to deepen her understanding of yoga through ongoing practice and study. . Diane has a relaxed, informal style that puts students at ease, her classes are informative, safe, fun, and relaxing.
Diane is a registered yoga teacher with the National Yoga Alliance -
E-RYT 500
Diane speaks fluent Czech (and English)

 

 
diane warrior

 

Kripalu Yoga is a practical, accessible, and contemporary approach to yoga—with more than 5,000 trained teachers worldwide and nearly 40 affiliated studios. Like most yoga styles and traditions, Kripalu Yoga uses classic asanas (though not a particular set or routine), pranayama (breathwork), development of a quiet mind, and the practice of relaxation. What defines Kripalu Yoga is its emphasis: following the flow of prana (life-force energy), practicing compassionate self-acceptance, developing witness consciousness (observing the activity of the mind without judgment), and taking what is learned “off the mat” into daily life.
One reason Kripalu Yoga has been embraced by so many people is that it is designed to adapt to all body types, ages, fitness levels, and interests. And like with other styles of yoga, students notice the effects of practice from the first time they step onto their mats.
“Kripalu Yoga begins to bear fruit from the very beginning,” says Stephen Cope, Director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living and author of The Wisdom of Yoga. “You don’t have to master asanas to feel the peaceful connection to your inner self….And because Kripalu Yoga helps each person get in touch with their own inner knowing, everyone’s yoga is going to look different.”
Each class includes centering, pranayama, postures, and meditation, and ends with a period of deep relaxation to revitalize the respiratory, nervous, endocrine, digestive, and other major systems of the body.
Taking Yoga off the Mat
Regular yoga practice is designed to increase sensitivity to the body’s needs, which naturally leads to healthier choices about diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits. Observation of the mind’s activity—without judgment—helps to deepen the ability to express oneself, to truly listen to others, and to be authentic in relationships. With Kripalu Yoga, students are invited to bring the fruits of practice-concentration, focus, awareness, compassion, intention, clarity, and inner peace-into all aspects of everyday life. Consistent practice creates thriving and the opportunity for extraordinary living.

Excerpted from article about Kripalu Yoga by Lori J. Batcheller and Grace Welker

 
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© 2003-2007 Diane Kovanda