Welcome to Yoga with Carol, offering yoga classes in the Taunton area Anyone can practice yoga! No special equipment or clothes are required, just a small amount of space and a strong desire for a healthier fulfilled life. What is yoga? Yoga teaches us to bring all aspects of ourselves and our lives into balance and harmony. Body and mind work together. Different aspect of 'body' - movement and breathing - work together. Different aspects of 'mind' - concentration and relaxation - work together. We soon begin to notice the difference when we have slipped out of this harmonious way of being. Luckily, wherever we are, no matter what has thrown us off balance, a few discreet yoga breaths or stretches will restore us. People who enjoy yoga recognize each other by their sunny unflappability. It is a good trait to be known by! What are the benefits of practising yoga? There are countless benefits to having a regular yoga practice, physical, mental and emotional. Each person experiences yoga in a different way. Practising yoga improves the flexibility of your body, tones and shapes helping to create longer, leaner muscles. Regular practice helps you to recognise your own stress triggers and enables you to develop your own toolkit of practices to help reduce stress and anxiety in your day to day life. Yoga is unique in the way is redresses imbalances. It makes us focus on how we feel inside ourselves, rather than on what is happening around us. It combines physical activity with mental attention. It teaches us how to live in a state of exertion rather than in bursts of red alert followed by periods of depressed exhaustion.