It is valuable for all parts of the community to have access to yoga, particularly in populations with limited resources, and whom experience significantly more stress.  Yoga can ease some of the symptoms associated with stress, anxiety, and pain through its combination of breath, movement, and mindfulness.  Along with improving cardiovascular health and muscular strength, yoga can also strengthen mental focus.  Due to the combination of mindfulness, meditation, and mental focus, many whom practice yoga regularly also become accustomed to living more presently and with intention in their everyday lives.

Yoga may help calm down the effects of stress on the nervous system.  As chronic stress may cause the nervous system to experience uncontrollable effects such as irregular breathing patterns, rapid heart rate, and tensed muscles, yoga provides a practice of controlling the breath; breathing slower and deeper, which can then slow down the heart rate, and release tension in the muscles.  Thus, yoga can serve as a great resource for those dealing with average to significant amounts of stress in their daily lives. By identifying this need, we can better serve our community helping individuals in a variety of settings with the access to yoga to help manage their stress and to better their well-being.