Thursday, September 30, 2010
Yoga for Health
Yoga has three main techniques:
Asanas or poses
The various yogic poses give your body flexibility and strengthen the muscles. Many asanas are aimed at improving blood circulation and functioning of specific organs in the body.
Pranayama or breathing
Pranayama is actually the most important aspect of yoga as they cleanse the subtle energies flowing through the body. These breathing techniques are an effective way to energize, harmonize and tranquillize the body, spirit and mind.
Meditation
Mediation is an important way in managing stress and anxiety. Regular meditation trains the mind to be calm and relaxed; it curtails overreaction, emotional outbursts and temper tantrums.
When these three techniques are done together in sync the health benefits to the mind, soul and body are tremendous.
Benefits
Yoga has many health benefits, the main are:
Yoga asanas massages all organs of the body. It works on the internal organs in a systematic manner. This stimulation of the organs benefits us by keeping away disease.
Yoga increases the lubrication of joints, ligament and tendons. Yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.
Yoga offers a complete detoxification of the body. It ensures the maximum blood supply to various parts of the body, which helps in the flushing out of toxins from all over the body.
Yoga exercises strengthen the nervous system through its non-tiring physiological asanas.
Yoga breathing exercises and meditations develop parts of the brain that are normally dormant.
Conditions Benefited By Yoga
Though yoga has a beneficiary effect on all ailments, the ailments mentioned below have specially been helped by yogic practices,
Acid Stomach
Addictions
Asthma
Backache
Bronchitis
Cold
Constipation
Depression
Diabetes
Emphysema
Eyestrain
Flatulence
Headache
Heart Disorders,
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Indigestion
Insomnia
Menstrual disorders
Migraines
Neurasthenia
Obesity
Premenstrual Tension
Prostate troubles
Pain Management
Rheumatism
Sciatica
Sexual debility
Sinus
Skin diseases
Sore throat
Stress And Tension
Wrinkles
Yoga helps to makes the body more flexible and helps you relax even at times of great stress. Practicing yoga makes you feel fitter, more energetic, happier and peaceful.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Powerful Yoga for Health
Meditating involves sitting still for a period of time maybe 10 minutes, or maybe 100 minutes. The increased flexibility that yoga brings helps the body to remain comfortable during this physical inactivity. I remember very well being on retreat, and noticing that I had more energy available to me in my meditation practice after doing yoga. Maybe it's something as simple as endorphin release, or maybe it's something more mysterious I don't know and don't really need to know. What I found in my experience was that in the meditation, in which normally I would be struggling to keep my body upright and in which my brain would tend to "go on standby" I was suddenly wide awake if I did yoga just beforehand.
More than that, I noticed that I felt full of life, as if I was plugged into the mains electricity. Those late afternoon meditations were certainly more productive than they used to be. Awareness of the body is said to be the first "foundation" of mindfulness. Mindfulness can't exist in the abstract we have to have something to be mindful of. And it's hard to be aware of what the more subtle elements of our experience are doing if we aren't aware of what relatively substantial parts of our experience are doing. Yoga helps us to be more aware of the body, which helps with the overall process of developing mindfulness. That brings me onto the fourth benefit that I noticed.
Yoga helps to promote a deeper awareness of the body and of its muscles and joints. This has a grounding effect, helping to calm the mind, which in turn slows down our emotions so that we feel more relaxed. At the end of a session of yoga, I'd notice a definite emotional buoyancy accompanied by mental clarity and calmness.
All this makes me think I should get to yoga classes more often. And I want to encourage you to do the same, so I asked my friend and colleague if he'd contribute some basic instruction in yoga. You'll find his advice on the following pages, and you might be interested also in his Body Wisdom CD, which leads you through the asanas that are illustrated here. For more details visit http://www.soundbodytrainer.com/
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Enjoy Yoga For Health As You Age
The Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is a valued practice for many people worldwide. Yoga incorporates fitness, health, gymnastics, and training in a set of rules. Yoga helps you to maintain or lose weight along with strengthening and toning to the muscular system. Yoga is a stress reducing machine. Yoga will train your mind, as you learn to control your thoughts through meditation and breathing. Breathing correctly is essential to mastering yoga. When you practice this form of exercise, you are connected with your inner self. You learn to balance your mind and body, which leads to good health.
Through practicing yoga, your emotions are also controlled, meaning that fears, doubts, and other negative influences will not take control of your life. Rather you will have control. As you practice yoga, you will feel comfortable with both yourself and others around you. The world will become yours, as you learn to communicate effectively and stop sweating the small stuff.
As there are many forms of yoga, be aware that some types of yoga training may not be right for you. Sometimes you may have to modify the workouts to benefit your body type and to withhold the workout suited for your strengths. You have to determine the beginners level in whatever yoga form you participate in, and allow to progress naturally. Your instructor will provide you with the necessary steps to receive the utmost benefit to you and your body.
How To Get Started With Yoga
The first thing you should do is seek medical approval from your practitioner. Make sure you are able to enjoy the type of yoga you choose. Start out slowly and progress only when your body is comfortable. Guide your way into mediate exercising. Yoga will put you in connection with your spiritual side, so prepare to find a new you.
When you first begin yoga, perhaps you would benefit from joining groups that practice yoga at the appropriate level. The group sessions will inspire you to continue your journey to healthy ageing. Having support is essential for all of us, and these yoga groups can become your support team on your journey. If you cannot find a group in your area, visit your local library. You can also purchase books, videos and dvds that provide instruction on how you can both enjoy and benefit with yoga.
Where do I go after learning yoga?
After you have taken the steps to get started and learn and discover the correct methods to perform the yoga exercises, you will need to find a quiet area where you feel comfortable. You want to avoid interruptions while practicing yoga to receive the most benefit from your workout. As yoga involves both physical and mental connection and balance, the benefits from the meditation and breathing will be tantamount to your results, stimulation and healing.
When will I notice the change in me?
Be patient. As with almost everything in life, you may not notice a change right away. It takes time to notice or feel the changes. If you practice yoga on a regular basis changes will occur gradually and soon you will be amazed how your emotional and spiritual connections will begin changing your life in leaps and bounds. Keep in mind that yoga is teaching you how to control your mind, body and emotions.
Work with yoga and yoga will work with you. Yes, promote healthy ageing with the benefits of yoga.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Easy And Simple Ways to Yoga Routines To Increase Height With Heightgainlover
Forty or Fifty years before, a many of people still didn't know the difference between Yoga and Yogurt. These days, Yoga is so widespread that it's basically a household word. Although it's very well established these days, it doesn't mean that public in fact understands what Yoga is. There are many myths about Yoga that are told by people that do not have a nice belief about it. Yoga is so complex that it offers something for every person that chooses to embrace it. It doesn't matter if you are young, old, plump, slim, flexible or inflexible, every person can gain from some form of Yoga. Yoga was originally formed in India, but people worldwide enjoy the payback each day.
Yoga is a chain of exercises that look like gymnastics. It's true, Yoga can help you stay fit and slim, keep your weight under control and reduce the amount of stress that you have. There are types of Yoga that too offer a cycle of meditation exercises, which include breathing techniques that will help exercise your lungs and calm your full body. Many believe that when you meditate and breathe deeply that it will charge your body with energy, helping you get more done without being as tired.
Many people try to classify Yoga as one specific thing, but that just simply isn't real. Its many distinctive things, depending on what you are doing. Yoga is not just gymnastics, or fitness training or even a way to control your weight. It's also not just a way to reduce your stress, meditate or be more spiritual. Yoga is all of these things and a good amount more that you are not aware of.
Yoga has also been used as a type of health care. People with injuries have used Yoga to restore their bodies and take care of their fitness. It's quite amazing that more and more doctors around the country are prescribing Yoga as a way to reduce stress and as a type of physical therapy for different parts of the body, such as the back and knees. Yoga doesn't merely help you restore your body, but it also helps you keep your mind healthy.
The word Yoga is derived from an ancient Sanskrit language in India and it means "union" or "integration" and "discipline". Thousands of years before when Yoga was practiced by Indian religious elite, they used forms of Yoga to unite the body and the mind. They said that being aware of your body and your mind will help you deal with the daily stresses of life. Often people will not be aware of their bodies at all and hover around day to day without being in tune with their body. This leads to an overall unhealthy lifestyle.
Yoga is often used to rationalize people's minds and their emotions. Many people keep their emotions bottled up inside and do no express their real feelings. Suppressing feelings and emotions and lead to serious health penalty. Yoga seeks to unite people's minds and their feelings, so that they can stop the emotions from consuming them and help them live a healthier life.
Yoga is so wonderful for so many different reasons. Look at different types of Yoga and get one that sounds like it will work for you. You will feel more relaxed and in tune with your body, like never before.
Friday, July 9, 2010
How To Yoga At Home
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1. You can practice at a time that is most convenient to you.
For early risers, twenty minutes of yoga or meditation is all that is required to energize and be able to prepare yourself for the day. On the other hand, doing yoga at night will allow you to gently unwind and release the stress and tension in your body so you get a good night's sleep.
2. Be able to explore on certain poses further.
Learning how to yoga at home will enable you to spend more time practicing a certain pose and go deeper into new or existing poses on your own phase. This cannot be possible if you are in a class setting.
3. Yoga allows you to experiment with poses.
You will be able to feel more relaxed deeply in a pose especially if you are practicing this exercise at home, when there's nobody else that is looking at you. This way you will be able to explore and become more aware of your body.
4. Set a good example for other family members.
You'll be able to inspire your partner as well as your kids
and other members of the family to join you. Knowing how to yoga at home and doing it consistently will educate your family and be able to get a better insight about this beneficial exercise.
Yoga Exercises for Beginners
1. Research which style you'd like to do. Styles of Yoga vary from Ashtanga to kundalini to Hatha yoga. Each style has different overall objectives. Hatha is more of a relaxing yoga, and less strenuous. However, Ashtanga, often called "power" yoga, works at building strength. In my opinion, Ashtanga gives the best overall workout and provides great yoga exercises for beginners. There's also Bikram Yoga which is fairly similar to Ashtanga and also provides great yoga exercises for beginners. A good place to research the different styles is about.com.
2. After finding what style suits you best, I would look into yoga dvds or classes that teach that style. Gaiam offers great dvds, particularly with Rodney Yee. There are other great yoga programs offered online and great classes are offered at gyms or yoga studios. Google should provide all the information one would need there.
One program that I recently discovered is great for beginners. That program is Runner's Yoga. It has short workouts, about 30 minutes. It also provides audio-visual learning which allows one to learn the poses on one's own. It's a great compliment to other workouts, and as a workout in and of itself. Runner's Yoga also provides great yoga exercises for beginners, as it is a fairly tame yoga program.
3. Try Yoga forums. Yoga forums are a great way to get quality advice from yogis all across the nation.
Hopefully this advice helps. Yoga is a great way to reduce stress, improve flexibility, among other health benefits. Good luck on your journey into yoga!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Yoga Intro
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years and consists of ancient theories, observations and principles regarding the connection of the mind with the body. The ancient Indian sage systemized yoga philosophy into eight paths or limbs: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. These limbs each express a different aspect of yoga and combined make up the path or yoga practice that unites the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels of our being.
Yama - Yama are ethical disciplines that relate to how we can live in a shared world with peace and integrity. Niyama - These disciplines relate to the individual and focus on living a healthy, fulfilled and masterful life. Asana - The word asana means ‘to be’, in the sense of being in a posture. The asanas were developed for the maintenance of a healthy mind and body, with each posture affecting the body, mind and emotions in a unique way and working as a pathway to balance and wellbeing. Pranayama - In the practice of pranayama, we develop breathing techniques that increase oxygen intake and strengthen lung capacity while also increasing the absorption of prana, or life force. In its simplest form, pranayama involves deep, full breathing. Dharana - Following on from pratyahara, dharana is the ability to be completely internally absorbed and focused. This practice of single-pointed concentration stills the mind and leads to profound quietness within. Dhyana - Following on from dharana is dhyana, or meditation – sitting where there is no focus, just stillness; no thoughts, only emptiness. Samadhi - In this state of absolute personal freedom there is union of the individual soul with the universal soul. It is the practice of living at one with all that is.
With regular yoga practice of yoga, you will get strength, flexibility and good health, the benefits of which flow into all aspects of life. Increased energy levels bring a new perspective on life, the increased feelings of self-love and inspiration lead us to discover talents and interests we never knew existed and problems that once seemed overwhelming become more manageable.
Starting yoga
Yoga Bolsters for back support
Bolsters are firm long and narrow pillows normally filled with a dense cotton and designed specifically to help support you tummy and back during your yoga practice. Bolsters can really come in handy for poses that require a lot of core strength. Another great use for them is to put them under your knees for support as you rest
Select the right mat
Selecting a mat can be overwhelming. They come in thin, thick, cotton, short, long, and wide. For starters I'd recommend getting a skidless thick and long yoga mat. This will provide the comfort and stability for getting the hang of the traditional poses you'll learn right away.
Yoga Blocks
Yoga blocks come in all shapes and sizes, and are mostly used to modify a pose or to provide support for your hands and feet for those poses where you can't quite stretch to the extent you want. Blocks can bring the stretch destination closer to you until you reach your flexibility goals.
These are just a few of the yoga props you can use when starting out, and can even serve you in your yoga practice over the years to come. Just remember that yoga is a very personal exercise, you set your own limits, and you set your own boundaries. You will only improve at the rate to which you push yourself.