The Enduring Lure of Yoga

For thousands of years the various paths of Yoga have been taught orally from teacher to student, right up to today. Under the scrupulous eye of a good teacher the individual is gradually guided into optimum alignment through verbal instruction, touch corrections and good sequences that enable the student to flow from one posture to the next. Modifications and therapy should be offered for the elderly beginners and those recovering from an injury. Those with a detached retina or high blood pressure should tell the teacher at the start of class. It may take a little time to become familiar with a new practice; however, most of it feels great right away.

Everyone has some favorite postures. You come to love practice because it’s a massage that you give yourself from the inside out, using the breath to maximize expansion and contraction in the postures. Sometimes you can work deep into an area that is tight or in need of healing. Penetrating the gross external layers of the body, lengthening, evening out the muscles and redefining them in order to maximize support of the skeletal structure in addition the low impact work out makes it ideal.

The upstairs white room at Refresh, where Yoga classes are held. Photograph courtesy of Jen Compton

Yoga starts on the mat and seeps into your life, quietly changing things for the better, and is a great way to take charge of your own health. Stress management and stretching are examples of most people’s motivations for getting on the mat. Stress relief has multiple advantages. Studies prove that reduced stress levels normalize cortisol levels, which is good because high levels of cortisol convert calories to fat, which have a tendency to deposit around the abdomen. Increased fat around the abdomen is linked with insulin resistance, which is a precursor to adult-onset Type II diabetes and heart disease.

Two children in a Yoga class. Photograph courtesy of Jen Compton

With the practice of Yoga, the endocrine system is stimulated, regulating hormone production, and circulation is improved. The skin and internal organs are washed with prana.

Styles of Yoga are diverse and specific unto themselves. Someone seeking a practice should try different teachers and schools of Yoga in order to see what suits them. Do not despair if your practice does not take off from the start. It gradually unfolds and will continue to replenish you. All you have to do is show up.

A lifelong practitioner of Yoga, Jen Compton has studied with some of the world’s most distinguished teachers. She attended Integral Yoga and Iyengar classes in New York City, and received her certification at Bliss Yoga in Woodstock, NY and completed advanced teacher training in 2006. Jen offers regular classes at Refresh in Windham, and is also available for private instruction. Her class is a mixture of Ana Forest, Anusara, Jivamukti and Iyengar styles, and she plans to build up classes in Vinyasa Flow and Astanga for intermediate to advanced students. Whether you want intensity or gentle flow, physical therapy, meditation, to restart your practice or break it down for beginners, contact her at jcomptonyoga@yahoo.com, call 518 734 4490.