{"id":6180,"date":"2026-09-14T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/live-whole-health-334-september-is-national-yoga-awareness-month-yoga-for-everybody-and-all-bodies\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T18:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T18:30:00","slug":"live-whole-health-334-september-is-national-yoga-awareness-month-yoga-for-everybody-and-all-bodies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=6180","title":{"rendered":"Live Whole Health #334: September is National Yoga Awareness Month: Yoga for everybody and all bodies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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September is National Yoga Awareness Month, a fitting time to highlight how this practice can be beneficial for physical, mental, and emotional health.<\/p>\n

I used to think yoga was \u00e2\u0080\u009cjust stretching,\u00e2\u0080\u009d and as a non-flexible athlete I wasn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t sure it was for me. Initially I started trying it out as a complement to my sport, knowing that I needed to stretch more.<\/p>\n

What I learned is that there is so much more to yoga than the movement or stretching. In fact, there are 8 different \u00e2\u0080\u009climbs\u00e2\u0080\u009d or components that make up the system of yoga. These include social\/moral disciplines (yamas), personal\/ethical disciplines (niyamas), postures and movement (asana), breathing practices (pranayama), withdrawal of senses (pratyahara), focused concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and self-study (samadhi). Yoga classes may incorporate one or many of these components.<\/p>\n

The more I learned through classes and training, I also began to understand the yoga can be for everybody and all bodies. It is adaptable and can be done standing, seated, or lying down.<\/p>\n

When I first started practicing yoga, I was drawn to the movement and postures. What has kept me are the more restorative practices and the meditation, breathwork, and the ways that the mindfulness principles support self-care, relationships, and connecting to what is important to me throughout my daily life. I have frequently relied on these practices to get me through tough times.<\/p>\n

If you are ready to give it a try, consider checking out this chair yoga session with Mary Ann Douglas, Whole Health<\/a> Recreation Assistant at Grand Island, Nebraska VA. This 34-minute gentle and relaxing yoga series demonstrates how yoga can be practiced and adapted at any age for all bodies. Use this basic practice into your own routine.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Want to learn more? Visit the Whole Health yoga website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Curated practices for the month of September:<\/h2>\n