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Published July 09, 2008 07:17 pm - Robes, chanting and religion. Those things could be associated with practicing the ancient exercise of yoga. But one local yoga instructor is trying to show that lean muscle, flexibility and overall well-being are just as connected to the discipline. Yoga: Think of it as the everyday exercise By Melissa Dunson
mdunson@joplinglobe.com Robes, chanting and religion. Those things could be associated with practicing the ancient exercise of yoga. But one local yoga instructor is trying to show that lean muscle, flexibility and overall well-being are just as connected to the discipline. “I think that has always been my calling, to take the weird out of it,” said J.L. Badgley, owner of and instructor at Yoga In Motion studio at Fourth Street and Virginia Avenue in Joplin, above the Red Onion Cafe. It’s the same location Badgley had 10 years ago before leaving the area to teach in Northwest Arkansas. He is back to tout the benefits of yoga and to teach a new technique, which he calls, “Lighten Up yoga.” Rather than super-spiritualizing the exercise and throwing in long words in the dead language of Sanskrit, Badgley speaks in English, using words like “breathing” and “realigning.” He said the technique is people-friendly. “If the mind and body are well, the spirit will thrive,” he said. “I’m not trying to convert anyone to anything except wellness.” Physical yoga Badgley teaches Hatha Yoga, the type of yoga that focuses on the physical body. According to the American Yoga Association, there are more than 100 different schools of yoga. Besides Hatha Yoga, there is also the intensely spiritual practice of Bhakti Yoga, the meditation of Raja Yoga and the everyday work and movement of Karma Yoga. Badgley said the practice of Hatha Yoga can benefit people of any age. It is neither intimidating, nor pansy. He said he’s worked with every one from high school athletes to the elderly. His students have ranged in age from 5 to 92. “I can kick a 15-year-old dancer’s butt with yoga, or I can make it gentle enough for someone who hasn’t exercised in years,” he said. The American Yoga Association reports that yoga can have positive effects on anything from addiction and depression to arthritis and incontinence. Badgley said yoga can give people long, lean muscle and core strength, but the discipline’s greatest benefit is in reducing stress. Stress ages the body, raises blood pressure and can cause insomnia as well as numerous other complications. Badgley said yoga and the breathing and stretching exercises taught with it can actually cut off stress in the middle of a hectic day and then relieve any left over stress once the day is done. He is often asked if yoga will cause people to lose weight. Badgley said muscle does burn more fat, but more importantly, he said yoga makes people feel better which leads them to take better care of themselves. “It can lead to all sorts of things, like eating right, because once you realize what your body is capable of with the right things, you want to do it,” he said. Badgley said the practice of yoga has become trendier, and companies are producing all sorts of yoga pants, mats and gloves. But the practice is portable, he said, and doesn’t require all that special equipment. 
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