The benefits of yoga have been the subject of countless studies now, over a period of several decades. Most obviously, a regular yoga practice will increase strength and flexibility and improve your balance. For us middle- and older-agers, it can keep us in the game climbing stairs, lifting heavy pots and twisting over our shoulders while driving. If you are losing these capacities, yoga can help you regain them.

Yoga promotes pain relief in numerous conditions including cancer, MS, hypertension and arthritis and can help heal conditions such as back/neck pain, sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome. Now exercise in general produces some of these benefits, but yoga is designed to address the entire body not just muscles, but also organs, bones, joints and all the bodys systems (nervous, endocrine, etc.). And yoga cultivates slow, full breathing that oxygenates the blood, improves circulation and induces relaxation. Even a gentle yoga practice has been shown to promote weight management, reduce cortisol in the blood (decreasing stress), condition the heart, and improve endurance and immunity. For all these reasons, I describe yoga as physical therapy for the whole body at a fraction of the cost.

At the end of yoga class, practitioners report feelings of calm relaxation, openness and balance. Because it so reliably produces a sense of well-being, it is an important tool for people suffering with symptoms of imbalance and dysregulation such as anxiety, depression, and eating and substance abuse disorders, to name a few. Yoga is now a centerpiece in treatment programs for these disorders.

We in Southern Illinois are fortunate to have a thriving yoga community with more than 20 trained and certified teachers. Despite this robust, local presence, and the broad range of benefits that yoga offers, there are still misconceptions held by those who have never tried it. The one I hear most often: Im not _____ enough to do yoga. (Fill in the blank with flexible, thin, fit, just not good enough.)

Know this: You will practice beside another imperfect human who may not be able to see her or his toes much less touch them. We know its fine to move more slowly than others I do, or skip poses to rest. Your teacher may even suggest it. (Thats an exercise program you can get behind.)

If you ever feel like trying it, you will be welcomed into a non-competitive, non-judgmental space. Because students vary so greatly, teachers are trained to offer modifications, or ways of simplifying poses to make them accessible to everyone. If you cant sit onto the floor, for example, your teacher may show you how to practice from a chair.

So, if you are afraid of looking foolish, dont worry, nobody is even watching you, except maybe the teacher, who is there to help.

KATHRYN NEELY is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice and a contributor to the Southern Illinoisan Behavioral Health Action Team. She also is the owner of Center@101 and one | o | one yoga in Carbondale.

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Yoga breathes movement and energy into every nook and cranny