CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan -- Over the past years yoga has become more popular in western culture, with its spiritual element, flexibility and physical fitness being the participant's inspiration.
Some may even use yoga as rehabilitation from injuries or sustainment while healing.
"After I injured my lower back I went through years of chiropractic treatment and tons of Motrin and muscle relaxers. Nothing seemed to work," said Walter Meier, yoga student.
"I started practicing yoga about 10 years ago. I found the benefits of yoga outweighed all the other treatments,"said Meier.
As Meier continued doing yoga he began to find the spiritual and relaxing element in yoga and began attending classes two and three times a week.
"When you get into life's frustrating situations, yoga gives you tools to use," said Alexandra McLaurin, a yoga instructor at Gunner's Gym here. "It's been shown that the yoga breath helps lower blood pressure. It helps releases the endorphins that help you relax."
In yoga, proper breathing is essential and part of the practice.
According to healthandyoga.com the full yogic breath is the basic building block of powerful yoga breathing techniques.
It is designed to dramatically reduce emotional and nervous anxiety, calm the mind and integrate mental and physical balance. It is also used to count how long positions are held, according to the website.
"I use it daily in ways I'm not aware of to calm myself down if there's a stressful situation," said McLaurin.
"During yoga my mind just goes, it can be the most relaxing time of the week for me," said Meier.
Although yoga does not involve as much kinetic motion as other physical activities, it still involves risks that can cause serious injuries.
"You really need to watch your alignment. Just like with any other exercise program, if you do a movement incorrectly, you can really do some damage to your body.
"When I'm teaching the classes, I make sure I focus on one posture a month so the class can explore and learn that posture correctly," said McLaurin.
"Yoga takes a lot of strength to do. It's something you need to start with slowly and build your strength up," said McLaurin.
"The classes are challenging," said Meier. "If you're not in shape, yoga isn't the sport you want to start with."
McLaurin teaches five of the six classes weekly at Gunner's Gym.
Classes are also available on Camp Kinser, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Camp Lester and Camp Courtney.
The available classes are Beginners Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Intermediate Yoga and Yoga Flow for advanced yogis.
To view the schedule for yoga classes and other fitness classes available through Marine Corps Community Services Semper Fit visit the website http://www.mccsokinawa.com, click on the Semper Fit link and the Fitness Class Schedule.