Yoga, Special Populations, and Other Topics: 

​Aging and yoga: As I and many of my fellow yoga teachers believe, yoga is for everyone, including all body types, shapes, ages, cultures and religions.  This article in the NY Times offers a positive take on aging and yoga and how appropriate (of course!) an asana practice can be in growing wiser mentally and physically through the years.

Exercise and how it can support brain function as we age: This article in the New York Times highlights studies which demonstrate the importance of exercise in maintaining a functioning brain specific to memory and staving off dementia.

• Questioning whether to do yoga or Pilates? Here's an article in the New York Times describing the benefits of each: Pilates will help strengthen your abdominal wall, but yoga may offer more whole-body strengthening.
• Darren Rhoades offers his Yoga Resource Practice Manual for purchase on many e-reading platforms. 
• Is yoga dangerous? Read this New York Times' author's discussion of the ways in which improper practice can cause serious and lasting damage. 
• Mindful eating can be a meaningful meditation practice. This New York Times author shares his experiences and a few tips to get the most from your meals.
• Can meditation help athletic performance?  This study of football players points to "yes."
  
• The New York Times reviews a study published in Heart and Circulatory Physiology, which finds that a more flexible body may contribute to more flexibility in the arteries, which can help prevent heart attacks and other vascular issues.
• Yoga teacher training can be a nuanced and expensive experience. If you are someone interested in taking a teacher training course, do your research and ask questions to make sure the program you are purchasing meets your needs. An example of some of the challenges one might face is documented in this NY Times article.
• This should go without saying, but yoga students always - always - have the right to govern their bodies and determine who touches them and why, including in a yoga asana class. This NY Times article describes some of the challenges students find with their teachers who do not ask for consent before physical adjustments. You always have a right to refuse physical adjustments in a yoga class, including those at Foster Wellness, where physical adjustments are the last choice in assisting you achieve a pose and are always preceded with your clear confirmation that the adjustment is acceptable to you.
  
• This NPR article isn't yoga-specific but fits into the yogic goal of balanced health. Water intake is a common consideration not just for exercise but for general well-being. The article discusses the five myths regarding water intake and, very much like the practice of yoga, one of the conclusions is that we should listen to our bodies for guidance: drink when you're thirsty.
  

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