The curtains are partially drawn and the room is large, cool and quiet. A tape machine is playing very, very soft, soothing music. Deb Joseph's yoga class is beginning. Her firm, calm voice gives instructions for the breathing exercises which begin every class. Her students sit crosslegged on mats, some legs up in the air like grasshoppers, others like Deb~s are flat like frogs.
The class continues with postures which stretch various opposing muscles. If we bend forward, then this is followed by a backward bend. These poses are held for at least 15 seconds. The class reminds me of a game we played as children called statues.
Standing postures include the resting posture, the Tree pose, the Triangle pose, with one hand sliding down the outside of the thigh while the other stretches overhead, the Proud Warrior pose, legs wide apart, with one knee bent while hands are lifted overhead. Some postures require that the student balance on one foot while using the wall to support the body with the tips of the fingers at first. It is very important to perform the postures correctly so that the muscles receive the greatest benefit. Yoga classes are a continuous challenge because all of the students watch Deb and try to improve their level of flexibility and perform the postures to the best of their ability.
Other postures are performed lying down. We use men's ties to stabilize our legs as we lift them toward our head and then slowly lower them to the opposite side. On our stomachs in the C~bra pose, our hands are by our shoulders while our chest and head are slowly lifted from the mat. This increases flexibility of the spine and strengthens it.
We are also learning to relax in the inverted pose, the Shoulder Stand. It is an important principle of yoga that the participant relax while holding the pose. In my opinion, many yoga poses help prevent back and knee problems and increase energy levels and feelings of well being. This increase of energy is due to increasing ability to relax our muscles when they are not working. We also become much more aware of the feeling of our bodies when they are in good alignment
Hatha Yoga has been practiced in India for thousands of years. The word yoga means union. In Sanskuit "ha" means Sun and "tha" means moon. Conjuncti~n of the two terms refers to the positive and negative life forces which are brought together and unified through yoga practice.
Yoga is not competitive and is beneficial to all ages and fitness levels. The satisfication of gradually being able to do the p~stures more completely comes from within. Each student does only what is comfortable at his or her level of flexibility and fitness.
It is not unusual for students who practice yoga faithfully to experience weight loss as they become more conscious of their body~s feelings of well-being.
Deb Joseph studied for three years with Darlene Uhipple in Bowling Green. She also participates in other yoga classes when she travels. She finds out about these classes on the Internet. She particularly likes the Iyengar school of yoga. A book, "Yoga The Iyengar Way" by Silva,Mira and Shyam Mehta is available at the library.
According to Deb,"If you want to relax, yoga can teach you how to relax every muscle, if you want to stretch, yoga can limber your joints and stretch your muscles, if you want to learn to be less uyary or tense yoga can teach you how to slow down. Yoga can help you improve your posture, improve your health, and lead you to a new understanding of who you are and show you where the power to be yourself lies."
The yoga philosophy also includes principles about diet. Deb and her family eat natural, organic foods and tend toward being vegetauians. She uses two food cooperatives in town to buy fresh produce and organically grown foods. Yoga classes are taught at the Tiffin Community YMCA on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:30.
-- Mary