Yoga and Circulation

With winter approaching, people are digging throughwell. If the body is void of a proper amount of oxygen,
their closets to find wool sweaters, taking in their patiocells can not metabolize correctly, wasting the
furniture, and tuning up their cars, preparing to drive anutrients, vitamins and minerals on which the human
mile an hour at the first sight of snow. Because winterbody feeds, and disease and destruction are ultimately
is a time when weather gets colder, having goodfacilitated.
circulation can mean the difference between freezingYoga, because it teaches people to live in the moment
extremities, and extremities surrounded by warmth.and focus on conscious relaxation, also decreases
And, along these lines, it can mean the differencestress levels, stress levels that can cause the body to
between a ridiculous heating bill, and one you don'ttense, restricting circulation in the process. It frees the
have to take out a second mortgage to pay.mind, allowing the body to follow.
But, going beyond warm feet and hands, goodYoga also frees the mind and body through
circulation is essential to good health and Yoga is aMindfulness. A practice where a person focuses on his
great way to enhance your circulatory system,or her thoughts in the present moment, Mindfulness is
improving the flow of blood and nutrients to yourbased on conscious breathing and consciousness of
organs, your limbs, and your mind.the present, rather than worries of the past or future. In
The human circulatory system is sort of like a subwaysum, Mindfulness is a specific method of paying
system for the body, transporting substances to andattention, teaching people to look deeply inside
from cells. Because so many things can cause thisthemselves to achieve self-understanding and
system to derail - stress, high blood pressure, illness -self-healing. It provides the body with a spiritual form of
yoga plays an important role in keeping it on track.circulation.
Involving a great amount of learning about theYoga won't prevent all disease, or guarantee that
importance of every breath a person takes, yogaeach system of the body functions properly forever.
goes beyond the simple process of inhaling andBut, by maintaining proper circulation, physically,
exhaling. It teaches people how to breathe properly,spiritually, and emotionally, Yoga makes it harder for
making sure their bodies get the most out of everyillness and destruction to get your body off track:
breath taken. This type of proper breathing relaxes thewhen a system is going full speed ahead, it's harder to
skeletal muscles, allowing blood to reach itsderail.
destinations of the reproductive, glandular, immune, andTWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for
digestive systems, providing each system withOsteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted
nutrients in the process.integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and
From a more biological perspective, the propermindfulness practices to teach optimal balance
breathing taught during yoga supplies the body with thebetween physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims
right amount of oxygen, making sure every cell in theto educate and help people to live a healthy life - from
body is armed with the ability to function properly. This,the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a
in turn, also allows the body to rid itself of harmfulcomprehensive treatment regime for the whole being.
gasses, particularly carbon dioxide. And, becauseEmpowering each person, one breath at a time, to
disease has a hard time surviving in a body that is wellstimulate the body's natural healing potential.
oxygenated, breathing helps keep people physically