The practice of yoga is designed to unite mind, body, and spirit, and is based on the yogic premise that the mind and body are one, and that by the correct practice of yoga it is possible for the body to reach a place of harmony and heal itself.

There are now almost 6 million Americans who are believed to have experienced the benefits of yoga firsthand. Awareness of the body is assisted through the practice of yoga, improving a person's posture, their movement, and their alignment. Through the regular practice of yoga, people become centered and relaxed, less stressed, have more energy, and feel more peaceful, healthier and happier.

At the beginning of a class there are usually mild stretching exercises and breathing, which assists mental as well as physical preparation. In general sessions are conducted by performing the yoga poses (or asanas) either individually or in vinyasana (which means they are linked in flows). The class concludes with meditation and relaxation in a pose known as the corpse pose, or shavasana.

There are several forms of which can be practiced. Generally different forms of yoga produce different benefits. For example, Iyengar is for correct bodily alignment, and often utilizes props (including blocks, straps, or cushions). Bikram is also known as hot yoga, as it's performed in a heated room. It generally consists of a set of 26 poses done in a particular order. These are both forms of Hatha yoga and are commonly practiced in the US, as they focus on the use of strengthening and breathing exercises.

What can yoga do for you? Firstly, it is extremely beneficial in the promotion of excellent flexibility, and is also excellent for circulation and development of muscle strength. However, the benefits extend beyond the physical, by promoting relaxation and calm. One of the basic tenets is that it helps to balance all areas of a person's life by improving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

While it has been practiced for thousands of years, more recently it's also been the subject of scientific studies. Through these studies, modern medicine has demonstrated the practice of yoga to be beneficial. The health benefits of yoga have been studied, through both the asanas and pranayama (breathing). The result is that it benefits the body in three ways, physiological, psychological, and also biochemical.

As far as physiology is concerned, yoga is able to reduce the respiratory rate and pulse, it can lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular activity, assist in the body's excretory systems, aid in weight control, and effect a decrease in pain. Psychologically, yoga has been demonstrated to improve overall mood and feelings of well-being, it can decrease both anxiety and depression, improve the concentration, assist in learning, and even improve social skills and depth perception, as well as an overall increase in self acceptance. Biochemically, yoga has been shown to decrease blood glucose, sodium, both LDL and VLDL cholesterol, and increases HDL cholesterol and hemoglobin, and also creates a decrease in overall white blood cell count.

Yoga is a simple and profound practice which does more for people than other forms of exercise, and just a few yoga sessions a week are all a person needs to greatly increase their overall health and well-being.

Yoga is more than a passion for Ana Paula Hernandez, as she has made it her entire career. She has been instructing new yoga devotees in the correct yoga poses and yoga postures for over twenty years.