{"id":1296,"date":"2018-10-15T22:25:11","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T22:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.petersfield-physio-clinic.co.uk\/?p=1296"},"modified":"2021-07-28T16:35:37","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T16:35:37","slug":"yoga-for-flexibility-strength-and-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersfield-physio-clinic.co.uk\/home-page\/2018\/10\/15\/yoga-for-flexibility-strength-and-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga for flexibility, strength and balance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.11″ src=”http:\/\/www.petersfield-physio-clinic.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/shutterstock_yoga.jpg” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.11″]\r\n\r\nPeople often used to think of yoga as a middle class, mainly female pastime done in village halls and community centres. In fact the practice is an ancient one developed to train the mind and body of priests and warriors.\r\n\r\nIn recent years, the value of yoga as a therapeutic method to help people to recover from injury and to stay fit, strong and healthy is being revealed. That’s why, at Petersfield Physio, we often recommend yoga and refer patients to a local yoga instuctor.\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Origins header” _builder_version=”3.11″ text_text_color=”#7d78b9″ text_font_size=”18px” custom_padding=”30px|||”]\r\n\r\nOrigins of yoga\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.11″]\r\n\r\nIt’s believed that yoga first developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization of Northern India around 5,000 years ago. The word yoga was first mentioned in ancient sacred texts called the Rig Veda. Vedas are collections of songs, mantras and rituals to be used by a priest class, the Brahmans.\r\n\r\nYoga was designed for spiritual development, to observe oneself and become aware of one’s own nature, cultivating self-regulation and higher consciousness.\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Yoga header” _builder_version=”3.11″ text_text_color=”#7d78b9″ text_font_size=”18px” custom_padding=”30px|||”]\r\n\r\nYoga today\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.11″]\r\n\r\nAt Petersfield Physio, I use yoga with my clients to improve flexibility and balance to improve the range of motion of muscles and joints. This means they are less prone to injuries because their musculo-skeletal structure is better able to withstand physical stress. This is particularly useful for sportspeople.\r\n\r\nI also find that gentle yoga stretching can help patients recover from joint and muscle damage more effectively. The balancing aspect of yoga, improving core strength, is particularly beneficial for more elderly or vulnerable clients. It allows them to do everyday things better, such as sitting, bending and picking things up. It can also help to prevent falls.\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Positions header” _builder_version=”3.11″ text_text_color=”#7d78b9″ text_font_size=”18px” custom_padding=”30px|||”]\r\n\r\nYoga\u00a0positions\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.11″]\r\n\r\nPeople can be bemused, or even a little put off, by the strange and exotic names used for some yoga positions. However, they are just shorthand terms for particular body stretches or balances. These are some poses I recommend to help people improve balance and flexibility:\r\n