Kathy Neely knows how to combat flu season.

Neely, owner of One O One Yoga Center, said practicing yoga helps boost the body’s immune system and fight off flu-like symptoms.

September is Yoga month and the One O One Yoga Center, as well as the Recreation Center, is scheduled to host a variety of different yoga classes

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One O One Yoga is scheduled to offer free class every Sunday in September from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. The Recreation Center is scheduled to begin its fall yoga classes on Sept. 8.

‘ ‘Yoga month invites all styles of yoga to participate in an awareness campaign designed to draw attention to the many benefits of yoga and inspire our fellow citizens to live healthier, happier lives,’ according to Yogamonth.org, a Web site designed to promote and spread yoga.

Neely said Yoga month is a great way for different instructors to get together and teach each other as well as communities.

‘Yoga month is a month where studios get together and offer special things to the community.’ Neely said. ‘I want to offer the newly trained teachers an opportunity to teach in front of community.’

She said the amount of yoga instructors has roughly doubled in the past five years.

She said yoga is a great form of exercise because it is designed to stretch and work every muscle in the body. Yoga is different from other forms of physical activities because of its balance, she said.

‘Unlike a lot of other forms of exercise, yoga addresses balance and flexibility throughout the body,’ she said. ‘Other forms may do some of those things, but do not address the entire body like yoga does.’

Yoga has helped Shawna Pope, a resident of Carbondale, overcome injuries she sustained in a car accident.

‘I was in a car accident as a teenager and have rods in my back and always had decreased flexibility,’ she said.

She said once she started doing yoga she gained back her flexibility and it has helped her reach her full potential in day-to-day activities.

She said she loves yoga because it has great physical and mental benefits.

She participates in power yoga and vinyasa yoga, which have different benefits, she said.

‘Power yoga encourages the muscles to relax and be as flexible as possible by warming the muscles up,’ she said.

She said many people don’t understand the power of yoga’s mental and emotional benefits.

‘It is good for the body, mind and spirit because it addresses the body in such a holistic fashion,’ she said.

Yoga teaches people over time to control their attention and be able to control responses in their body, she said.

‘ She said she would recommend yoga to anyone who is looking to relieve stress and start a healthier lifestyle.

‘Yoga is good for combating a lot of stress related health problems,’ she said. ‘It is starting to be used as a treatment for managing stress.’

For more information on Yoga month visit www.yogamonth.org.