The Good and Bad of Yoga

I have never really been into yoga. It just seemed boring and strange. This past summer I was a leader for my ward at girls' camp. The stake knew that I had an Exercise Science degree, assumed I must know all about yoga, and asked me to teach it at girls' camp. I laughed to myself as I accepted the assignment, and I spent the next 3 months teaching myself yoga. I read articles online about yoga, I checked out books from the library, I even rented a few yoga videos. I discovered that on Saturdays at the same time that I go to the gym, there is a yoga class. As I did my resistance training, I could see right into the classroom. I picked up a few moves by watching the yoga class.

Needless to say, after learning and then teaching yoga, my opinions about it have changed. While it still can sometimes be boring, and many of the moves really are strange, I also learned how beneficial it can be. Yoga greatly improves balance and core strength. It also improves flexibility and the body's circulation, both of which make the body healthier overall. However, I would caution everyone to be careful when doing yoga. Some of the moves can cause more harm than good. These are moves that place strain on the neck or knees. You don't want to stretch your ligaments in your knees by placing too much strain on them, or you will be prone to further injury. Strain on the neck is much more serious, as too much strain can potentially cause a stroke. This is the reason I would never do the famous "plow" position (on your back, kicking your legs up and over your head so your toes touch the ground behind your head).