Oxygen rocks!

Everyone I talk to is on a bloody diet!
You see, I told you January is a depressing month! We all seem to be obsessed with becoming healthy and thin in January, then probably again in June when we realise that we have put all the weight back on since dropping off the diet in early Feb but there is less than a month until we have to squeeze ourselves into some kind of swimwear and brave the beach! I must say I hate the word diet. I am constantly on one but like to think that the phrase "living a healthier lifestyle" is so much more user friendly, so much happier and embracing of all things good. "Diet" is a horrible spiky word with connotations of deprivation and misery.
And of course yoga practice features heavily in my new healthy lifestyle. Shocker!
The thing with yoga is that it can be whatever you want it to be. It can be powering through a hot flow class and sweating your little butt off, it can be a rejuvenating half hour meditation session to calm your mind, it can even be sitting at your desk, taking a few good deep breaths to wake up after a long business lunch.
Yoga encompasses so many things and there is something for everyone.
Yoga can help with weight loss and  not only because you are up off the couch, the ice cream tub is in the freezer and you are doing something physical! Certain poses actually aid in the the melting away of hip and abdomen fat... which some of us struggle with more than others! And every yoga pose works the core so you have to tone up your middle from a regular practice if nothing else.
Yoga can also help to boost your immune system. With good breathing techniques and regular asana practice, your nervous system gets a chance to relax and in turn allows your immune system to work more efficiently. And the better our bodies are at fighting off infection, the happier and more able we are to keep up with our fitness regime. Its a win, win!
I saved the best until last!
Yoga can actually help with slowing down the ageing process! I know I sound like one of those infomercials for dodgy cream made from the placenta of the female gibbon that will not only make you look younger, but also get you a higher paying job and a sexy new boyfriend! Believe me when I tell you, it is all in the breath! We can live for a while without water and even longer without food but a few moments without oxygen can mean death. Oxygen is the most vital nutrient for our bodies and critical to our well being. It nourishes the blood flowing through us and one of the major secrets of vitality and rejuvenation is a purified blood stream. Oxygen burns up toxins in our bodies and recharges the bodies batteries. Great breathing technique, where we are bringing in maximum amounts of oxygen can benefit all parts of our body and mind. It can help to clear up our complexion, reduce wrinkles, increase efficiency of digestion, lung capacity, heart health.
It really is a miracle worker!
So come on arm chair yogis, get up and get to a yoga class. Learn how to nourish your body, to make it more efficient and to keep you looking and feeling amazing well into your old age!