Our students have reported that Moksha Yoga has helped them to:

• De-stress
• Lose weight
• Improve their immune systems
• Increase their cardiovascular abilities
• Feel more energized

• Healed them emotionally and physically from the challenge of chemotherapy
• Improved their relationships with family members
• Increased their ability to focus
• Helped them heal from brain injury
• Improved their golf game... just to name a few!

Health Benefits:

Stress
Do you ever notice how much you can de-stress just by taking one big breath in and letting a sigh come out. Just imagine 90 minutes of deep, conscious breathing.

Back/knee pain
The heat in a Moksha class relaxes the joints - much like a full body heating pad or hot water bottle. Also Moksha focuses on opening the hips where knee and back pain often originate.

Headaches
Many postures in the Moksha sequence relieve tension and tightness in the neck and shoulder area. As this area relaxes, blood flow increases and headaches often decrease or go away entirely. Jessica, one of the Moksha directors, hasn't had a migraine in over four years and migraines used to be a monthly event!

Insomnia
Several postures focus on increasing blood flow through the pineal gland where melatonin, the hormone released to induce deep sleep, is released.

Depression
In addition to melatonin, the pineal gland also controls the release of serotonin, the "mood" hormone. As certain postures flush the pineal gland with oxygenated blood its function improves and emotional highs and low begin to even out.

Scoliosis
The work on stretching and strengthening the spine has a dramatic effect on those working with a spinal curvature. Pain is eased and the strength in the internal muscle structure of the back starts to allow for great ease in movement and better posture.

Poor digestion
With regular practice many students find that they don't crave junk food as much. This inclination towards a healthier diet, coupled with calming the nervous system, helps with long-term digestive issues.

Arthritis
The 'hot' element of the hot yoga class is what has the most dramatic affect on arthritis sufferers. The effects are so dramatic that the Arthritis and Autoimmunity Research Centre chooses Moksha hot yoga to be their selected activity for their largest annual fundraising event. (In 2006, the 200 person Moksha class raised over $50,000.)

Poor posture
With regular Moksha classes the spine gets stronger and students notice that it is actually more comfortable to sit and stand straight.

Constipation
Relaxing the central nervous system by focusing on breath increases a process called peristalsis. Peristalsis moves processed food through the digestive system and out of the body. Certain postures increase blood flow to the colon, further aiding the digestive process.

Benefits for Specific Sports:

Athletes have been practicing yoga for decades. The benefits of yoga hot started to become popular when the Miami Dolphins began practicing hot yoga as part of their training regime. Since then many athletes have been rounding out their training with hot yoga.

Here are some examples of how Moksha hot yoga has been helping athletes in their chosen sport:

Hockey
Increased heat tolerance has helped Toronto Maple Leaf players that come to our classes in Toronto better deal with the sustained heightened body temperature that is required during a game. Better body awareness is also essential for precision in passes and shots. Goalies also report an increased focus on the ice because of the heightened attention required in class.

Running/Triathlons/Ironmans
Both running and cycling take a toll on the hips, which can over time tighten the musculature and limit movement. Endurance athletes have come to the month-long teacher training as part of their training regime, and have reported increased running stride, better mental focus for endurance, and fewer aches and pains after runs.

Golf
The mechanics of a golf swing can lead to lower back problems for many golfers. A regular Moksha Yoga practice can help golfers strengthen their abdominals in order to reduce lower back pain while opening their hips, shoulders, and intercostals to improve the range of motion in their swing. Some of the additional benefits of yoga for golfers include improved body awareness, improved breathing patterns and tempo, and balancing out the side dominant imbalances created by the swing. Perhaps most important for many golfers is the way that yoga can help prevent losing one's temper on the course!

Boxing
A Canadian Gold Medalist in boxing regularly attends Moksha classes and recommends Moksha hot yoga to the teams and individuals she trains. With regular practice, the breath work required for boxing can be greatly improved - increasing both endurance and strength.

Cyclists
Many cyclists come to the studio with chronic knee pain. With time, however, hips, calves and hamstrings start to open up, knee pain diminishes and can eventually disappear entirely. Cyclists also report an improvement in low back and shoulder pain.

Desk Jockeys
Who said sitting at a desk for half the day isn't an endurance sport? We have countless individuals who excel in their respective professional fields, but suffer on a physical level with headaches, lower back pain, poor digestion, depression and more. Opening the spine up on a regular basis can help even the most dedicated desk jockey.

Rowing
Since Olympic rowers began practicing Moksha a few years ago, teammates and amateur rowers have started to notice the great link between high performance rowing and hot yoga. Athletes report more mobility, endurance and greater overall strength. Improved performance in competition can also come from the focus required for the 60-90 minutes of a Moksha class.