Yoga and Health and Well Being

Yoga was first practised in India about 4000 years ago. Since then, not only has it survived, but it has also become much more widespread and popular.

One of the reasons for the success of yoga is because it has beneficial effects on the body, mind and spirit. Thus yoga can improve both our physical health and our mental well being.

This term, our theme will be the effects of yoga on health and well being. Each class will take an aspect of physical or mental functioning and say something about how yoga affects that system.

The aspects that we will consider are:

1. Skeleton – bones of spine, girdles and limbs
   
2. Joints – between bones
   
3. Respiration – external and internal
   
4. Muscles – contraction and relaxation
   
5. Senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste
   
6. Glands and hormones
   
7. Circulation and the heart
   
8. Digestion
   
9. Brain and central nervous system
   
10. Mental health and emotions