September is National Yoga Month

Yoga is a mind-body exercise that combines both active (moving) and passive (held) poses and stretches with specific breathing and relaxation techniques. Yoga exercises can be done individually or as a class.

Yoga originated in India in the 6th or 5th centuries BCE as a meditative spiritual practice and philosophical discipline. Many styles or schools of yoga exist: hatha, iyengar, kundalini, bikram, etc. You will want to try different styles to see which one best meets your needs.

Simple yoga exercises are a great way to calm your nerves from daily stress.
Calm your nerves with relaxation exercises: http://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/mini-relaxations.aspx?pos=1&xid=nl_EverydayHealthWomensHealth_20160810.

Yoga can stretch and strengthen muscles, and may be used as part of recreational therapy following hospitalizations.
Pain rehabilitation: http://www.mayoclinic.org/pain-rehabilitation/art-20208636?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pain-management.

Yoga can be part of an integrated therapeutic approach to chronic pain. It allows you to have more control over your response to pain, because it is an active therapy that you can use whenever it is needed.
Integrative Approaches to Pain: http://www.mayoclinic.org/integrative-approaches-to-treating-pain/art-20208637?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pain-management.
Beyond Opioids: Other options for treating chronic pain - http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/health-answers/beyond-opioids-other-options-treating-chronic-pain/?xid=nl_EverydayHealthLivingWithChronicPain_20160908.

Yoga can even help you sleep better! It is an effective relaxation exercise to try before bedtime.
Remedies for sleep problems due to aging: http://www.everydayhealth.com/sleep/insomnia/tips/seniors-dont-take-sleep-woes-lying-down.aspx?pos=1&xid=nl_EverydayHealthWomensHealth_20160821.

Yoga has been recommended in the treatment of health conditions as disparate as:

• the symptoms of multiple sclerosis
  How yoga helps multiple sclerosis: http://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple-sclerosis/living-with/how-yoga-helps-multiple-sclerosis/?xid=nl_EverydayHealthLivingWithMultipleSclerosis_20160806,
• chronic kidney disease
  Exercise training for adults with chronic kidney disease: http://www.cochrane.org/CD003236/RENAL_exercise-training-for-adults-with-chronic-kidney-disease,
• the stress and anxiety caused by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? http://www.everydayhealth.com/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/guide/,
• lowering cholesterol (if you work at an aerobic level)
  Top exercises to lower your cholesterol: http://www.everydayhealth.com/high-cholesterol/top-exercises-to-lower-your-cholesterol.aspx,
• urinary incontinence
  A group-based yoga therapy intervention for urinary incontinence in women: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24763156,
• constipation
  For suggested helpful poses: http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/everyday-fitness/exercises-to-ease-constipation/?xid=nl_EverydayHealthLivingWithMultipleSclerosis_20160326,
• depression
  Effects of yoga versus walking on mood, anxiety, and brain GABA levels http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2010.0007, and
• osteopenia and osteoporosis
  Twelve-minute daily yoga regimen reverses osteoporotic bone loss: http://journals.lww.com/topicsingeriatricrehabilitation/Citation/2016/04000/Twelve_Minute_Daily_Yoga_Regimen_Reverses.3.aspx

Your local library may have books or DVDs about yoga. You can find many articles and videos describing various yoga exercises online. Here are a few to get you started.

• Yoga Poses for Beginners
• Seated Yoga

For more potential benefits of yoga, please see:
11 Unexpected Health-Promoting Benefits of Yoga

As with all physical activities, please check with your healthcare professional to be sure you are ready to begin doing yoga.