Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 20, 2013

11

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Mountain Views News Saturday, July 20, 2013 


HOW CAN YOGA HELP 

YOGA FOR WOMEN


by Lori Koop, Right Brain Business Coach 


The business of life can draw us into its whirlwind: work pressures often 
push us away from our TRU selves, and perfection may keep us reaching 
for the impossible. The methods we’ve learned for exercising our 
freedoms may not be helpful. Thankfully, we are still free! Free to choose 
the way we want to live. 

“Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can 
retreat at any time and be 
yourself.” - Hermann Hesse

Just 3 minutes with focus can 
get you there. Free of charge. 24/7. Without special 
equipment or drugs. To choose it, try this…

Find a quiet spot and close your eyes. Allow the 
world to become smaller and smaller as you listen 
to your breath. Breathe in to fill your belly, 
wide and full. Then breathe out -- all the way 
out, pulling your belly button towards your 
spine. Continue to notice the movement of 
your body. Feel the sensations. Feel yourself filling 
with peace. Hold your breath at the top for 
3 counts if you want. Then release… releasing 
stress and tension as you exhale. Hold for the 
same number of counts on the bottom. Repeat 
until calm returns.

Find your spirit, free of toxins and fear. It clears 
the air and brings new insights. Retreat to your 
sanctuary. Refill and refresh. You don’t have 
to be caught up in life’s whirlwind -- you can 
choose a calmer path.

- - - - - - - - - -
Lori Koop, The Right Brain Business Coach

Get clear about The Real You and what’s TRU, for you and your business. Schedule a complimentary 
coaching session at The Center for Wellbeing, 626-355-2443. www.LORiKOOP.
com

By Hope Rayman Friedman

Yoga and women go together like chocolate and 
raspberries. Maybe your doctor has mentioned 
how practicing yoga can lower your blood 
pressure. Maybe you’ve read in a women’s 
magazine how it can help with menstrual 
discomfort or menopausal symptoms. Maybe 
you’ve tried a class once and found it to be a 
delicious tonic for stress. So why not make it a 
bigger part of your life? 

Yoga provides the physical and emotional 
balancing women need to be our best selves for 
our families and ourselves. You don’t need to 
be uber-flexible or stand on your head to have a 
strong practice. The journey of learning how to 
finesse the postures while honoring your body’s 
own idiosyncrasies is empowering. 

You may already have activities that you enjoy. If 
you enjoy the meditative component of running 
you’ll also like yoga, which is useful in keeping the 
hamstrings supple and helps to reduce injuries. If 
you swim to reduce joint stiffness, you might find 
a more gentle oriented yoga class to be kind to the 
joints while also building bone density. Walking 
is good for your heart. A yoga class is also good 

exercise for the heart and teaches you how to 
slow your breath, which can fill you with a deep 
sense of peace.

My point is not to choose yoga over other physical 
activities, but to find a good instructor or classes 
you love and add it to the mix. It will increase 
your energy. Your muscles will get leaner and 
stronger, and you’ll optimize your respiratory, 
circulatory and digestive systems. You’ll also 
improve reproductive health, which can help 
relieve PMS, cramps, hot flashes, and other fun 
(!) menopausal symptoms. 

Practicing yoga is especially important to 
women because of the varied demands on 
our time that leave us drained. A gentle or 
restorative class, or a class specifically designed 
for women, will incorporate poses that stimulate 
the parasympathetic nervous system, which 
encourages a deeper relaxation response and is 
rejuvenating.

Make yoga a bigger part of your life, or better yet, 
practice yoga and then treat yourself to chocolate 
and raspberries. 


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