Yes, three of the girls and I do Yoga 4 or 5 nights each week.  We are trying to do it consistently during the month of February as we will be travling for almost 2 weeks in March.  The cost for up to 5 times a week is 800 rupees a month  which is about $15 dollars.  The site is just up the busy road and we go at 6pm instead of the morning classes.  It does mean crossing both ways to get there and back to the hostel.  I must admit, this is far from my favorite experience in India. . . . . cars, rickshaws, bikes, motor bikes. . . .coming in all directions.  Sigh ,. . . .so far no one has been hit.

When I goggled Yoga there were 554 million sites to show you how popular Yoga is world wide.  There are training centers, classes, and retreats available for the “clicking!”  I learned that Yoga began long ago, but there is not a definitive knowledge of exactly when. I read  anywhere from 3000 -6000 BC.

The original focus was to apply the exercises to understanding the world.  The idea of self-enlightenment became the ultimate teaching.  The poses and meditation became critical elements  of Buddhist teaching. The Yoga was to prepare the body for long and disciplined meditation sessions.

The Yoga studio where we having been going is focused on Yoga as exercise and discipline.  There has not been any discussion of mediation.  The teacher has limited English, and we have no Hindi or Gujarati.   There are Indian women in the class and they are instructed in their language, so there could be some instructions we are not getting.   As you see from the picture, the Indian women  always modest, exercise in their clothes and not in exercise things.  This is not a picture of our class and instructor , but it could be !

We do this exercise after we have done breathing and exercises for clearing our nasal passages.  I was thrilled to know these t  because I suffer with stuffy sinuses!   The Yoga exercises not only focus on joints, but on the whole body, including an exercise to help in digestion.

There are many exercises to stretch, work on mobility and posture.  All of which I need !

Some of you may wonder what I do when some of the more extreme exercises are done. I just do what I can, modify if I can, and stop if something hurts and do less of many things.  There is an Indian  woman about my age and size and she does the same thing.

From htp://cncahealth.com

Here are the benefits of Yoga and are the reason , I am going, and plan to continue when I return home.  I am not there for mediation or  spiritual purposes  and if that was part of the process, I could meditate or pray in my Christian faith.

From the site above:

1.  Natural pain relief

2. Relief from anxiety and depression

3.  Increased flexibility and balance

4.  Better breathing and lung capacity

5.  Improves heart health

My goal is improved posture and  emphasize   balance.  I  feel as if I have gotten a  good start and do feel better and more energetic.  One of my former six-grade students, Belinda,  has a class already waiting for me to join!

Images are from the Public Domain from Google

Do any of you do Yoga?  How do you exercise?  I have to tell you  I have always detested exercise , and even in the Yoga class I am checking my watch, but it is necessary to stay as fit and well as possible !

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25006926

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall05/levy/history.html