I asked her if she had ever seen any negatives from yoga practices. She thinks that only hypermobile people might have issues, and only if they don’t stay in control and lose mindfulness with their technique. When practicing yoga, you become more flexible, but you don’t have to start out that way.
Sigita mostly practices Hatha or Vinyasa yoga, where poses flow into one another. She first got started by taking a free class and watching videos on youtube to learn more about it. Now she has books and goes to different classes closer to her home. You can find free classes around Chiswick, or most studios will give a reduced price on introductory packages as an incentive to get new students to try them out.
Yoga goes hand in hand with massage therapy. If you suffer from muscle tightness, sometimes gentle stretching, like those done in yoga, can help loosen you up. Sometimes a massage is better at getting to the heart of the tightness, and both combined can then help retrain muscles to remain in a relaxed state. Even joint pain can be alleviated by both practices.
Mayoclinic.org states that “yoga – a mind-body practice – is considered one of many types of complementary integrative health approaches. It brings together physical and mental disciplines that may help you relax and manage to achieve peacefulness of body and mind. This can help you relax and manage stress and anxiety.”
Sigita suggests trying a local beginners class to try yoga out. She loves how balanced she feels in both mind and body. If she notices tightness or stress creeping in, she can use her yoga practice to relax and bring about a calmer attitude. And if you find yourself needing a massage and some inspiration, come and see Sigita for a sincere and caring start to feeling well.
The NHS has a guide to yoga at www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/yoga.aspx