HATHA YOGA

Hatha focuses on static poses and is great for beginners. It is a non-heated traditional style, but can still be physically and mentally challenging.

Classes typically start with a gentle warm-up and advance to more physical poses, ending with a short period of guided meditation or rest.

Classes include:

• Breathing: Most Hatha yoga classes start with a period of focus on your breath or pranayama. As you go through the poses, your teacher will continue to remind you to focus on your breath and may offer different breathing exercising to try.
• Poses: Yoga poses, also called postures or asanas, are a series of movements that help improve balance, flexibility, and strength. Poses range in difficulty from laying flat on the floor to physically challenging positions. Your instructor can provide you with a modified posture.
• Meditation: Most classes end with a short period of rest or meditation. During this period of quiet reflection, you may choose to lie on your back or remain seated and be led through a guided meditation.

Evidence suggests yoga may be beneficial for the following conditions:

Anxiety and depression: 

Yoga can help relieve everyday anxiety and depressive symptoms, 

Arthritis and fibromyalgia: 

Yoga benefits for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia.

Back pain: 

Yoga improves low-back pain and function and its effects are similar to  types of exercise.

Balance: 

Yoga helps to improve balance with regular practice.

Emotional health: 

Yoga has a positive impact on mental
health and was shown to have benefits of improving resilience or general

Menopause: 

Yoga can relieve physical and psychological symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes.

Mindfulness: 

In a 2018 survey of 1,820 young adults, participants attributed greater mindfulness, motivation to participate in other forms of activity and eating healthier to practicing yoga regularly.

Multiple sclerosis: ]

Yoga has been shown to have short-term benefits on mood and fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis.

Neck pain: 

A 2019 study found that yoga can reduce the neck pain intensity and disability from pain while also improving range of motion in the neck.

Sleep: 

Several studies found yoga can improve sleep quality and duration for participants, including cancer patients, older adults, people with arthritis, pregnant women, and women with menopause symptoms.

Stress management: 

Yoga was shown to improve physical or psychological measures related to stress.