• What to Bring to Class: mat, two small towels, water bottle, a desire to exercise, stretch and your sense of humor

• What to Wear: loose but not baggy clothing, comfortable workout wear

• What Not to Wear: Long necklaces, belts, dangling bracelets and such as they could not only be distracting, but could be dangerous if they impede your movements. Similarly, hair needs to be out of the face and tied back if it is long.

• One Other Note: Many people are sensitive to perfumes and strongly scented deodorants, please refrain from wearing strong scents in the wellness center.

Yoga and Pilates Benefits

Strength

Practicing Yoga and Pilates will help you improve muscle tone. Some forms and styles of yoga and pilates are more vigorous than others. With focus on less movement and more precise alignment in poses and movements you can provide your body with strength and endurance benefits. Poses and exercises on your hands and knees or feet build upper-body strength. While standing poses, especially if you hold them for several long breaths, build strength in hamstrings, quadriceps and abdominal muscles. When practiced correctly, nearly all poses and exercises build core strength in deep abdominal muscles.

Posture

With increased flexibility and strength comes better posture. Most standing and sitting poses and exercises develop core strength. That’s because you’re counting on your deep abdominals to support and maintain each pose. With a stronger core, you’re more likely to sit and stand “tall.” Another benefit of yoga and pilates is the increased body awareness. This heightened awareness tells you more quickly when you’re slouching or slumping so you can adjust your posture.

Breathing

Because of the deep, mindful breathing that yoga and pilates involves, lung capacity often improves. This in turn can improve sports performance and endurance. Most forms of yoga and pilates emphasize deepening and lengthening your breath. This stimulates the relaxation response -- the opposite of the fight-or-flight adrenaline boost of the stress response.

Less stress, more calm

Even beginners tend to feel less stressed and more relaxed after their first class. Among yoga’s anti-stress benefits are a host of biochemical responses. For example, there is a decrease in catecholamines, the hormones produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Lowering levels of hormone neurotransmitters -- dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine -- creates a feeling of calm. Some research points to a boost in the hormone oxytocin. This is the so-called “trust” and “bonding” hormone that’s associated with feeling relaxed and connected to others. That may be why so many romances start in the yoga studio.

Concentration and mood

Nearly every yoga and pilates student will tell you they feel happier and more contented after class. Recently, researchers have begun exploring the effects of these forms of exercise on depression, a benefit that may result from boosting oxygen levels to the brain. Yoga and pilates are even being studied as an adjunct therapy to relieve symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Heart benefits

Perhaps one of the most studied areas of the health benefits of yoga is its effect on heart disease. Yoga and pilates have long been known to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. A slower heart rate can benefit people with hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. On a biochemical level, studies point to a possible anti-oxidant effect of yoga and pilates. And they have been associated with decreased cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as a boost in immune system function.

The only way to be certain of all that yoga and pilates can do for you is to try it for yourself and see.

Benefits for Teens

During puberty and later teen years, immense changes take place in the body’s chemistry and physiology. Imbalances of body chemistry and physiology often show up in rebellion and mood swings. Yoga and pilates promote unification of body and mind, and with practice, it will increase awareness and your ability to look within, think for yourself, and trust yourself. The result is that you will feel more peaceful and self-confident during a period of rapid change and be able to engage the world with a more positive outlook.

Benefits for Adults

Yoga and pilates are fabulous forms of exercise for men and woman of all ages. Many of the poses are terrific for the health of the female reproductive organs. A relaxing menstruation practice can focus on resting the abdominal area and emphasizes supported seated forward bends to help alleviate backache, cramping, fatigue and excessive bleeding. In general, men have dense, bulky and tight muscles. Stretching can go a long way toward loosening and lengthening those knotty muscles.

Benefits for Seniors

As we grow older we typically become more susceptible to ailments that are linked to aging, and, as a result, we tend to move less. The less we move, the more susceptible we become to a variety of ailments, and so it becomes a truly vicious cycle. Extended periods of sitting lead to muscular shortening, tightening and weakening. Lack of weight-bearing activity contributes to osteoporosis. Lack of movement and stretching leads to joint deterioration and loss of flexibility. Yoga and pilates are considered by many to be a tremendous tool for combating the concerns of an aging society.