ISTANBUL — Living in a fast-paced society makes it difficult to find the time to accomplish all the things on our todo list, let alone find the time to relax. The Eastern practice of yoga has become a modern-day symbol of peace, serenity and wellbeing in the West. More and more centers are offering yoga classes in Istanbul for those who want to incorporate exercise with relaxation and stress release.

Though yoga is a relatively new practice in the West, there are proven health benefits to this new trend of exercise.

- Flexibility The first thing you are likely to notice with yoga is how much it improves your flexibility. While a back bend is not likely to be achieved after the first class, touching your toes will seem like a great success after a few classes. A bit of endurance and a great deal of patience will have those muscles loosened after the initial aches and pains disappear.

- Increase muscle density Muscles serve a purpose beyond eye candy; they protect you from conditions such as arthritis and back pain, and strengthen bone density. Building muscle, as well as flexibility, not only gives you a leaner body but a healthier one too. Having a strong core will enable you to carry your own weight and improve your posture. Poor posture can cause back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems. As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

- Blood Flow The relaxation exercises practiced in yoga can help circulation, especially in hands and feet, and get the blood flowing. It also delivers more oxygen to your cells, boosting levels of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. This helps with swelling in your arms and legs. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released.

- Joint Account Each yoga session takes your joints through their full range of motions. Cartilage in the joints is like a sponge: When its fluid is squeezed out, it receives fresh nutrients. This can prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by "squeezing and soaking" areas of cartilage that normally aren't used. Neglected areas will eventually wear out and expose the underlying bone.

- Clarity A clear mind allows you to think and feel clearly. Yoga and meditation allow you to calm the mind and soul and break free from destructive emotions like anger, frustration and even hate. Chronic anger, hostility and frustration are strongly linked to heart attack, as are smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol. A calm mind allows you to connect with your inner feelings and increase emotions of compassion.

- Connective Tissue In yoga everything is connected: your posture with your breathing, your breathing with your mental state and your mental state with your emotional wellbeing. This connection is vital to understanding yoga. This holistic system simultaneously taps into many mechanisms that have additive and even multiplicative effects. This synergy may be the most important way that yoga heals.

Yoga with Yogi Adnan Çabuk in Nişantaşı

Istanbul Ashram Yoga instructor Adnan Çabuk and Madam Lourdes run a yoga center in Nişantaşı, Istanbul, which has classes available for yoga beginners and the more dedicated and advanced yogi. With a variety of styles such as beauty yoga, spiritual yoga, pregnancy yoga, yoga for children and numerous others to choose from, you are likely to find a class that suits you. Classes often run for one-and-a-half hours but for those who are a little more dedicated Istanbul Ashram Yoga offers summer programs that take place in the serene mountains of Alanya in the midst of surrounding natural spring waters.