It started off as a way to get a drug-free high in the 1960s, but now it’s a stress-reducing technique for everyone from teens to baby boomers.

People looking for a gentler form of exercise are turning to yoga — a roughly 5,000-year-old technique for spiritual development that originated in India.

"Yoga" is a Sanskrit word meaning "union," with the goal of unifying the body, the mind and the spirit through breathing, postures, meditation and chanting.

Although practiced throughout Asia for hundreds of years, yoga didn’t land in the Western world until the mid-1800s, when groups of writers discovered it through the teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

At one time, yoga studios could only be found in trendy sections of big cities such as New York and Los Angeles, but now they dot the horizons of even the smallest communities.

Today the practice has about 20 million followers, according to the Yoga Research and Education Center based in Santa Rosa, Calif.

That’s more than triple the number of yoga enthusiasts in 1994.

There are yoga classes for everyone from toddlers to teens to senior citizens, and you don’t have to be a perfect physical specimen to do it.

Women still dominate most classes, instructors say, but men are finding their way.

While yoga has been taught for many years in the area through parks and recreation departments and in churches, Downriver has its first yoga studio with the opening of Rising Sun Yoga in Southgate.

Husband-and-wife team Jim and Kathy Pero of Allen Park run the studio and teach classes.

"This is only the third week we’ve been open and it’s been steady," Jim Pero said.

"There have been a lot of people calling, coming in for information and joining the classes. They hear about the benefits and want to try it."

Pero himself got hooked on yoga more than eight years ago as part of a class in Southgate.

"I just loved the peace of mind it brought after I practiced," he said.

"I liked the stretching and the connection between your breathing, body and spirit."

Why do yoga? Simply because it makes you feel better, say both students and teachers.

"Everyone leads hectic lives today and doing 90 minutes of yoga can de-stress you and bring you in touch with your body, mind and spirit," Pero said.

Yoga does that by combining postures or asanas, breathing exercises and meditation.

And the benefits are both physical and mental, according to Pero.

"Everyone’s different depending on body type, but the benefits are incredible," he said. "It improves your posture, increases relaxation and relieves stress.

"And there are a lot of health benefits to your muscles, joints and especially your spine."

The great thing about yoga, according to Pero, is that it’s not limited to certain ages or those in top physical condition.

"All ages are coming in," he said. "We get teens and people in their 20s to 40s and on up. Anyone can start."

But it’s imperative to go slowly when first practicing yoga and listen to your body, Pero says.

"It’s self-paced," he added. "You find your edge in stretching and work with it. Some can do a full forward bend and some can only go half way down."

Incorporating a little yoga into your daily routine is ideal, he added, but some people only have time once or twice a week.

"Doing it for an hour or two a day will get you the most out of it," he said.

Beginners should know that yoga isn’t high impact or aerobic and most classes at the studio are at the novice or intermediate levels.

"The beginner classes offer an introduction and basic postures," he said. "In an intermediate class, not as much time is spent on breathing techniques. You go deeper into the poses and hold them longer."

And, he stressed, yoga is not a religion.

"It’s a supplement to any faith," Pero said. "You start to feel a connected oneness with a higher power."

Some doctors recommend yoga for patients with chronic back or neck pain or anxiety disorders.

For pregnant women, it can help with varicose veins and back pain.

Coming up in May, Pero’s studio will offer both children’s and prenatal yoga workshops.

"We currently have five instructors, but we’re adding more in May, along with more classes, including one from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. for those on their lunch break," he said.

Hatha yoga — the most widely practiced form — unites the body, the mind and the spirit though a balanced practice of astanga, the eight limbs of yoga, which are:

Breathing correctly is essential to the practice of yoga, as is starting each session with meditation.

Wearing loose, comfortable clothing is a must, as studios are kept warm to relax the muscles.

"The key is experimentation to find out what the right one is for you," he said.

One of the questions he answers most frequently is if yoga can help with weight loss.

"It does help you regulate weight and balance your metabolism by stretching the muscles and reducing cellulite," he said.

And practice isn’t limited to the studio or the class.

"You can use some of the postures sitting at your desk in the office to strengthen your spine," he said.

Jane Gibson of Lincoln Park has practiced yoga for about nine years.

"It’s taught me everything in moderation," she said. "You learn to listen to your body throughout your daily life and you learn not to push yourself."

Gibson, who works at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, had a patient talk her into joining her first class.

"She asked if I wanted to go and I had no idea what yoga was," she said.

She said that the physical and mental awareness it brought, along with the relaxation, hooked her.

"After my first class, I thought, ‘I’ve got to teach this to everybody I know,’" she said.

And now, as a certified yoga therapist, she does — by instructing classes at Unity Chapel in Southgate and Lapham Community Center in Allen Park, as well as other places.

"It’s just been flourishing the past few years with all the movie stars doing it," she said.

However, she still very much remains a student.

"You get better as far as your attitude," she said. "It’s about life and about people, not just about your postures."

And she’s taking her yoga studies even further by signing up for a Bikram yoga class.

"They take 24 postures and repeat them in a studio heated to 100 or 110 degrees," she said.

"They tell you to wear a bathing suit and take a towel. I’m eager to try it. Sweating is detoxification and cleansing. It’s always good to sweat."

The heat also helps keep muscles loose, making them release easier and reducing the chance of injury.

But yoga is best when done outside, Gibson added.

"You’re surrounded by nature — the birds and the wind and the trees — and the sounds of nature are always better to go by," she said.

Rising Sun Yoga, 13550 Dix-Toledo Road, offers 90-minute drop-in classes and provides mats, studio props and bottled water. The first class is free and each class thereafter costs $12, or $10 for students and senior citizens. Package deals also are available.

Proud Supporters of:

   

 

 

Send  email to: Studio Director  for questions or comments about our services.
 Rising Sun Yoga  13550 Dix-Toledo Rd.  Southgate, MI 48195  734-282-9642
Copyright © 2002                                                    Last modified: June 24, 2008