If I'm not flexible, can I still do yoga?Absolutely! Yoga is NOT about how flexible or inflexible you are. If that’s a goal of yours, you can use the asana (posture) limb of the practice to attain that. But that is not—and should not be—the sole reason for coming to your mat. Among many ‘things,’ Yoga is about connecting with your body, controlling the monkey mind, and knowing your essence (who you are at your core).

What are some health benefits of doing yoga?

I could spend hours on this one but I’ll try to keep it short and sweet. When we commit to a regular yoga practice (and I don’t just mean the posture limb of the practice), we cultivate awareness of how we breathe (the quality of it or lack thereof), how we move our body, misalignments or issues in the body before they become disease, and we learn to soothe and tame the monkey mind. All of this translates to lower BP, increased heart and cardiovascular health, reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, increased strength and flexibility, and also reduces the risk of injuries in everyday activities.

Is there any kind of special diet I should be on while doing yoga regularly?

Nope! What you eat is no one’s business but your own. But I will say this, as we develop a regular practice, we value and appreciate our health so much more. And when you respect your body temple, you’re much more careful about what you put in it.

What other exercises compliment yoga?

Anything and everything! We just need to move our bodies! But if I had to narrow down a ‘something’ to complement our asana practice I would say strengthening. Some general weight lifting and maybe some plyometrics (more explosive movements). Truthfully, we just need to move our bodies every day, so do what you enjoy. But just MOVE!

Joy Arnold, 500 RYT, 200 E-RYT, Reiki Master & Holistic Health Coach

3430 Robin Lane, Building 7B, Cameron Park, 916-380-2599, joyarnold.com