Posted: 2/19/03

Yoga is catching on in FL area

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

While all the fitness rage on the east and west coasts is striptease aerobics, more and more folks in the midwest are discoveringóand sticking withóyoga.

Yoga, simply defined, is a system of exercises practiced as a discipline to promote control of the body and mind.

Thia Casanova teaches yoga and other fitness classes in the Twin Cities and surrounding area.

Yoga has been a part of her life since before it became fashionable to be.

Casanova discovered yoga after a damaging car wreck. Doctors recommended the fitness routine as a form of rehabilitation.

The Lino Lakes woman found yoga so beneficial she underwent training at the YMCA to become an instructor to share the knowledge, and the exercise, with others who could benefit.

ìYoga helps to lower blood pressure, it helps with asthma, with weight loss,î she said. ìThere isnít anything I can think of that wouldnít help, including MS, which I have, including fibromyalgia, which I have.î

The foundation of yoga, Casanova said, is the yoga breath.

ìWithout the breath itís just another stretch,î she said. ìItís the breath, the stretch, that makes it effective.î

For all

Yoga, Casanova said, is for anybody. From toddlers to the elderly, from the active to the inactive, yoga will help.

When imagining yoga, images of beautiful, gravity defying positions comes to mind.

Start with the Deadman, work up to the Dancer.

While advancements can be made, benefits can begin by learning the yoga breath, and getting in touch with oneís body, Casanova said.

ìItís not a matter of flexibility,î she said. ìYou gain flexibility from yoga. When I started, I couldnít even touch my knees.î

Over the years, Casanova has seen incredible improvements in herself and those she teaches.

ìI see these people with MS that are struggling to walk, and we focus on walking, making the best contact possible with the floor. Before you know it theyíre walking better,î she said.

ìI like to help people feel better,î she said. ìIt makes a big difference.î

In time, with yoga, Casanova said people will realize less pain, alignment of the spine and better overall health.

ìPeople have to start listening to their bodies,î she said. ìThis body has to last you awhile.î

The thanks, in forms of visible improvement and cards and letters of thanks, Casanova said are among her greatest rewards.

ìThatís what makes it all worth while,î she said of hearing from her students. ìI feel so good or Iíve lost that last five poundsóanything that makes them feel better.î

Starting out

Casanova said she is stumped when asked to recommend a good beginnerís video on yoga.

ìStart with a beginnerís class,î she said.

And a class taught by a qualified instructor who understands the principle of breath. ìIf they donít teach the breath itís just a stretching class,î Casanova said.

Casanova has been teaching yoga through Forest Lake Community Education for several years.

She also teaches through Centerville Community Education and the City of Lino Lakes Department of Parks and Recreation.

Too, Casanova heads a business, Image Attitudes, which offers fitness classes and demonstrations, and consulting on a wide range of subjects such as image consulting.

ìYou can teach an awful lot in the first hour,î Casanova said. ìSometimes people catch on enough they can just do it on their own.î

More information

For more information, visit www.imageattitudes.com on the World Wide Web, send an email to thia@imageattitudes.com or call 651-429-4494.

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