Best Yoga Classes in Overland Park, KS

Many. There are four paths of Yoga: 1) Jnana, the path of knowledge or wisdom; 2)Bhakti, the path of devotion; 3) Karma, the path of action; and 4) Raja, the path of self control. Hatha Yoga, which includes postures and breathing, and is the form most popular in the West, is actually part of Raja Yoga, the path of self control. The path most followed in India is thought to be Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion. Within Hatha Yoga there are many styles, such as Iyengar, Astanga, Integral, Kripalu and Jiva Mukti, to name a few. These Yogas all share a common lineage back to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, a text outlining the basic philosophy and practices of Classical Yoga. It was written sometime between the second century B.C. and the first century A.D.

Yes. Western science has been studying Yoga for nearly 50 years, and the evidence shows numerous physical and psychological benefits from Yoga. Interestingly, there seems to be something about Yoga -- vs. exercise and controlled breathing -- that is beneficial. For example, a recent study with heart patients showed that those who followed a stress reduction program that included many Yoga practices did better than patients who exercised or did nothing. Further, preliminary studies in the United States and India suggest that Yoga maybe helpful for specific conditions, such as asthma, epilepsy, anxiety, stress and others.

I'm going to do 10 more crunches today than I did yesterday. Yoga, by contrast, is a process. The idea is to focus your awareness on what you are doing now and how you feel as you perform the postures. In exercise, you fail if you miss your goal. In Yoga, you succeed by trying. There's also a difference on the physical level. Weight training, for example, makes you stronger by breaking down and rebuilding muscle tissue. It's this breaking down and rebuilding that results in the bulky muscle look. Yoga increases strength by toning the muscles.

Your certified Yoga instructor can help you decide what type of Yoga is best for your body type, current life situation, age, and health history and life goals.

Rest and relaxation are the best treatments. If you can make slow gentle movements without causing pain, do those to help prevent the wrist from becoming stiff. During the episode, relaxation, meditation and visualization may help ease the pain. It is important to breathe diaphragmatically, i.e. belly breathing, to trigger the relaxation response. Set aside some time to practice. During the session, use the breath to help soothe inflamed area. As you breathe direct the cool incoming breath to the tender spot and then exhale away the inflammation. Spend at least 5 minutes a day doing the exercise, and try to extend it to 10 or 15 minutes. As the episode recedes, search the Yoga Journals website for articles and exercises for carpal tunnel. They may help prevent a recurrence. Like carpal tunnel, tendinitis is caused by repetitive stress. Examine your work habits and see if there is a more ergonomic way to function.