yoga = better sleep, stress reduction, better posture

I got the opportunity to attend my first yoga session last week. I had been talking with a friend for several weeks about whether yoga could be used to help de-stress at night to allow for a better night's sleep. Given my walking thigh pains I am keen to strengthen my thighs and to generally improve my lower body flexibility. Finally, poor posture at the keyboard adds up and so I was looking for some exercises to do before and after to not only to relieve the pain but to encourage my body to adopt better posture all the time.

As a first timer, I was given a position next to the leader. The session began with a concentration on listening to your breathing. From there the introduction of moves and positions were adopted along with mental thoughts. An hour and a half melted into time. I describe yoga as a smooth transition from one exercise to the next. I am less won over by the mental side, but open minded enough to listen to the guidance. How does a visionary focus on the here on now?

I look forward to going back but I will find it hard to find the time to attend many sessions. I am looking for lifestyle yoga, that is I am looking to find a set of disciplines to address the key health priorities and that I am self motivated to improve on.