Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/819918
M y father-In-law is a hand- some man. At age 77, he is 6' 3", whittled down just a bit by age. A life-long athlete, he's had a hip replaced and a quadruple bypass. He plays golf four times a week and suffers through stiffness. But, when he arrived in Carmel recently for a visit, I couldn't help but notice how tall he stood and how healthy he looked. "Don't tell anyone," he said in mock seriousness, "but I've been doing yoga for about a month. I swear, I'm an inch taller and hitting my drives 40 yards further." Mr. Fisher practices a 30-minute beginners' class he found online in his home a few days a week. As for me, I attend in person at Om Oasis studios in Monterey and Carmel. Yoga can be found just about every- where, and it offers something wonderful for every body. That's being said by a person who doesn't believe in absolutes. It was amid a 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2013 that I abruptly dropped out of the lessons and, basically, out of soci- ety. It took a few years to restructure my life, and during that time, exercise was not part of the routine—a deci- sion I regret. My body became weak. I developed a joint malady. I dealt with back spasms, pinched nerves and all the other annoying conditions an unworked body seems to attract. Last fall, I noticed that my favorite local studio was again offering teacher training and I dove back in. What a difference it's made—all for the better. Any Internet search of "health benefits of yoga" will turn up a few million results: Lowers blood sugars, revitalizes cardio health, increases mindfulness, flexibility, strength… Yoga reduces stress—period. Cortisol levels plunge while muscle tone surges. You may even lose weight. But it's what this ancient practice does to the mind that is so astounding: You move during classes, but you become calm. At times, thoughts almost cease as a certified teacher guides your practice. It's enough to make you say, "Namaste right here in class all day." In the expanded world of yoga, there is something for every body type, age group and energy level. Hatha, Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga focus on movement and breath. Practitioners move their bodies gracefully, hence the word "flow" in some class titles. Stretching, isometrics and breath work all play in to these classes. Yin yoga focusses on very few poses, each held for several minutes at a time, with the aim of releasing the body's connec- tive tissue, which feels both intense and pleasurable. Restorative yoga is relaxing as hell; the body is supported in its shapes with props such as bolsters and blocks. It is slow, gentle and poses are few. For those who love to sweat, Bikram yoga, or what is common- ly advertised as heated yoga, focuses on a series of specific pos- tures done concurrently in a very warm room. You will sweat, flushing water and toxins with an adrenaline rush fit for an athlete. No matter the discipline, all classes include the sacred Savasana, or corpse pose, where students recline in a blissful state, allowing all they've done over the last hour to sink in. One of yoga's other plusses is its non-competitiveness. I've never attended a class where the teacher did not cater to the least experienced practitioner. And this is the norm. Yoga is not a competition, except with oneself, if so chosen. It's a community builder where the person with wet-noodle flexibility is treated no differently than the peanut-brittle body type. Like golf, it is never perfected: it's a moving target and the target is you. I'm pretty flexible. Years ago, when I took a large public class, the teacher called out to me, "Hey, Gumby-in-the-shower," when sweetly (yet embarrassingly) noting my hyper-flexibility. Fifteen years later, and a certification for teaching under my belt, my own personal struggle is the opposite of what you might think: I dare my body to not go as deeply into shapes as I know I can. I do this to protect my weakened joints and to remind myself, constantly, that no kudos are given to whomev- er can "go the furthest" in a shape. And this, my friends, is another of the greatnesses of this art form. Where else can you leave somewhere, elated, after doing something halfway? Dina Eastwood is a former news anchor at KSBW TV, past host of "Candid Camera" and has starred on a reality show on the E! Network. She is a writer, editor and yogini. She resides on the Monterey Peninsula with her daughter, Morgan. BEHIND THE SPOTLIGHT D I N A E A S T W O O D M 6' 3", whittled down just a bit by age. A life-long athlete, he's had a hip replaced and a quadruple bypass. He plays golf four times a week and suffers through stiffness. But, when he arrived in Carmel recently for a visit, I couldn't In the expanded world of yoga, there is something for every body type, age group and energy level. M y father-In-law is a hand- body type, age group and energy level. Hatha, Vinyasa and M Yoga for Everyone 42 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 7