What Are The Benefits Of Yoga To Better Your Health

November 23, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

There are many reasons why a person should start practicing yoga. These are the main reasons to discuss the benefits of yoga; relieves stress and pain, promotes better breathing, improves flexibility and blood circulation, increases strength, helps control weight and provides cardiovascular benefits.

Yoga encourages relaxation. A powerful antidote to stress is our body’s natural relaxation response. Yoga helps to activate this relaxation response through deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation. These activities can reduce your stress levels if practiced regularly. They also boost your feelings of joy and serenity.

Research indicates that the pain associated with conditions such as arthritis, back and neck pain, hypertension and cancer subsides with regular Yoga sessions. Yoga postures promote the stretching and strengthening of muscles. The solution to long term healing is a strong body. The deep, gentle stretches that Yoga provides bring our bodies into balance. This allows the mind to focus on positive outlooks instead of pain. This ancient practice can be very therapeutic when suffering from a chronic condition.

Yoga teaches students to take slow, deep breaths. This helps to improve lung condition and blood oxygenation. Breathing properly allows blood to reach the essential body systems faster, providing each system with necessary nutrients to help them work at their fullest capacity. Proper breathing supplies the body with the right amount of oxygen making sure every cell is capable of functioning properly. This allows our body to rid itself of harmful gasses, like carbon dioxide. Well-oxygenated bodies prevent disease from surviving in them.

Performing Yoga poses will increase the range of motion in the joints over time. Stretching the muscles, ligaments, tendons and the supporting tissue that surrounds the muscles happens when you practice the Yoga poses. As you begin to use the correct muscles, they will lengthen; increasing elasticity and you will be able to get into the poses deeper. Yoga helps to eliminate muscle soreness and promotes faster recovery.

As you further your practice, you will notice more flexibility throughout your body. The stretching exercises associated with Yoga help develop a sense of harmony and balance. After your class, you will feel energized and ready to take on whatever your day has to offer. Yoga creates a balance between the mind and body, giving you better coordination, concentration, memory and reaction time.

Your body will become stronger because Yoga postures and stretching utilize every muscle. This form of exercise will also reduce muscular tension. Yoga fights flab. With a healthy diet, Yoga can help you lose weight but more importantly tone muscles, proportioning your weight to your height. Deep breathing exercises that promote oxygen through the body will burn fat. Our fat cells when exposed to oxygen will burn up.

Yoga will help you to connect with your inner self. We need a way to release the stress in our lives and to strengthen our body to combat illnesses. Yoga can do that without having to subject your body to strenuous aerobic exercises. To discuss the benefits of Yoga properly, one needs to have a general understanding of how their bodies work.

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Swiss Ball Exercises

November 19, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

Gym ball workouts also known as Swiss Ball Ab workouts are workouts that target the ab muscles. These exercises use the stability ball or better known as the swiss ball, that are available in a variety of sizes and are made from different materials. There are small ones can be used for ordinary exercises and the larger ones for more advanced or focused workouts.

Beginners can practice using the swiss ball by just getting to know to sit on it and can get a trainer to help them maximize the use of the ball. The workouts are fun and easy to do with the gym ball and is the best equipment that for training your core. But before you embarking on doing these gym ball exercises it is imperative you get assistance from professional trainers to avoid being hurt, or exposing yourself to injuries like back pain.

Some of the ball exercises and how to do them are;

Sit backs. This requires you to sit and use your hands to balance the ball. Then lean backwards gently while stretching your legs out one at a time. Each leg should complete a cycle of five.

Do the leg extension with the back still in the middle of the ball. Start while the legs are bent or folded, take turns in straightening each leg, holding it for 5 to 8 seconds.

The back arch is another example of  gym ball exercises. The swiss ball is placed in the middle of the back while holding your arms by your side. Keep your knees bent and then reach out using your arms to touch the ground above your head. Keep this position for about 20 seconds.

Leg raises exercises. The stomach should be over the ball then lift your right leg and hold it straight for five seconds alternate the legs one after the other per cycle.

Back raises – You can perform back raises while lying on the gym ball facing down and your hands are on the ground. Arch the shoulders and raise the hands off the floor. As a last step, arch your back to a comfortable position. Do this 30 times.

Can Yoga therapy can counteract stress and depression?

October 23, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

Yoga therapy is a new way of healing rising out of the recent popularity of yoga practices. It is the fusion of yoga and modern medcine What else are the benefits of yoga?  How can it heal and what are the ways in achieving it? Read on this article to know the answer to these oftentimes asked questions.

 Yoga therapy can be applied to a vast range of conditions concerning physical, mental and emotional. It can treat common problems such as back pain,  arthritis,  asthma,  anxiety, hypertension, depressions, fibromyalgia. and multiple sclerosis It can also be beneficial to both pregnant women by preparing them for childbirth and to the aged by helping them maintain good wellness.

Medical determinations are taken into regard to design yoga practices to meet individual needs. Which makes yoga a more efficient compared to general yoga.   If you desire to treat specific medical conditions through yoga,  it can be set  together with  ways  of healing or treatment that a person may opt for ranging from osteopathy, acupuncture, 
dietary therapy and homeopathy

Another form of yoga that does not demand the individual to be overly flexible and offers a gentle rejuvenating form is the Holistic yoga. This is based in Brisbane and on the Sunshine coast in macroochydore. This path produces an effect on revitalization, makes one feel invigorated and relaxed. This form of yoga teaches the overall understanding of yoga that go beyond the perception that yoga is only limited to the physical aspect.

But whether you opted for toning up, chilling out, sharpening your mind or deepening your experience, yoga for sure, is one holistic approach to health and good shape. This practice is a form of discipline leading many paths to wholeness  As such, there is a way for all to perform yoga regardless of health, age, concerns, tractability, Belief and spiritual belief 

Invest in your soul today. For other concerns regarding Holistic Yoga San Diego, you can visit this site: truenaturetherapies.com/. 

 

Pilates and Meditation

October 17, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

Yoga and deep guided meditation are amongst the most popular techniques for overcoming stress. But even with their popularity, quite a few people are nevertheless puzzled which is which due to the fact of their many similarities. Both have been practiced for more than a hundred decades. In inclusion, the two are capable to aid people take care of their everyday stress.

Pilates is a practice introduced by holy guys from India. On the other hand, some types of meditation also came from India. For a long time, both of these routines have verified to be very helpful.

Pilates is also an excellent exercise that you can use to get rid of the toxins that you acquired all during the day, week or 12 months. In add-on, it also stimulates the organs in the system by lightly massaging them. It is practiced with motion so that the muscle groups and joints can be gently stretched.

Meditation on the other hand can support calm the head. It has been verified to enable the brain, system and soul to attain tranquility and steadiness. Meditation was also established to be successful in rising a person’s creativity and concentrate, which is vital for performing each working day activities.

Meditation also helps the body to attain absolute rest. This exercise has also been verified to be best for men and women who are recovering from diseases, surgical procedures or traumas.

Pilates and meditation are believed to aid control cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Equally can enable better blood circulation and assist men and women to absorb nutrients from meals much better and distribute these vitamins and minerals to the whole.

Yoga and meditation can help avert numerous varieties of bodily illnesses caused by stress this sort of as heart illness, digestive issues and autoimmune issues. They had been also proven to be helpful routines for stopping and overcoming psychological illnesses such as depression, anxiety attacks and a lot more.

An additional widespread factor about yoga exercise and meditation is that equally of them can be practiced although listening to gentle music. As you may possibly currently know, there are a good deal of new music CD’s out there that are particularly produced for yoga exercise and meditation this kind of as Holosync brooding new music CD.

If you’d like to get a free of charge copy of this CD, you might check out www.meditation-music.com.au. You can also locate out far more about simple meditation technique by going to www.meditate.com.au/blog.

Bring Radiance and Prosperity With the People Around You Through Kundalini Yoga

September 26, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

Kundalini Yoga is an ancient form of Yoga that promotes good health and overall radiance. Although widely practiced in India for several years, Kundalini Yoga has only been introduced to the West in 1969. Kundalini Yoga was kept a secret, because ancient yogis believe that it was too precious and thus should only be learned by the high priests. But Yogi Bhajan believed that Kundalini Yoga should be shared, so he taught it to the public and helped others benefit from it.

Through his teachings of Yoga, Yogi Bhajan improved the lives of thousands of people. However, Yogi Bhajan made it clear that he was not after a huge pack of disciples. Yogi Bhajan’s principles were a collection of several teachings and encounters from the great masters in India, and he brought them to the West to help those who were looking for higher consciousness.

Kundalini Yoga is a holistic system, which strengthens the physical body for it to integrate the psycho-spiritual Kundalini energy that broadens the consciousness. With regular practice of Kundalini Yoga, one will be able to identify the untapped source of the “prana” (inner energy) lying dormant at the base of the spine (called the Muladhara Chakra) and will learn how to use it by drawing the energy up, awakening each of the seven Chakras.

The unique thing about Kundalini Yoga is that it focuses on doing the Kriyas, the sets of exercise and purification practices. Doing these exercise activities and purification practices allow a healthy flow of energy in the body, while clearing the blockages and balancing the Glandular system at the same time.

Anyone can do Kundalini Yoga because it does not emphasize so much on postures and physical activities. Instructors use a gong to create a unique sound that helps elevate the spirit, clear the mind, and heal the body in the process. Kundalini Yoga is very easy to understand and is much accessible to both beginners and advanced Yoga practitioners alike.

Kundalini Yoga is powerful, but is a positive and transformational medium when learned with the proper guidance. It is not a religion, but it helps you be aware of the subtle energies that you have within you. Its movements and proper breathing will help you realize that strong connection between you and the sacred being. Kundalini Yoga will help you live a world of healing, which will bring peace, radiance, and prosperity to the people around you as well.

To know more about Kundalini Yoga check out the KUNDALINI YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM starting in NYC this October!! Join internationally renowned yoga teacher Hari Kaur Khalsa, author of A Woman’s Book of Yoga (Penguin), for a nine-month intensive program that will transform your life, deepen your practice, and open up new career paths. This is a one of a kind opportunity that you shouldn’t miss! For details, email hari@reachhari.com

Benefits of Yoga

September 14, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

Yoga is a set of breathing exercises and meditations. It also involves the posture of your body in different positions. While positioning your body, you inhale and exhale thoroughly, which improves the flexibility of the body. Breathing stimulates your muscles and different postures make your joints exercise thus making them more flexible and movable. When muscles are worked upon during yoga, it makes them powerful.  

Weak muscles can be toned through these exercises when done regularly. Thorough breathing helps in passing maximum oxygen to the bones and joints and maximum removal of carbondioxide. This process is known as detoxification of the body. Detoxification, as the term suggests, helps the body stay healthier and younger. The body which you might experience as stiff in the beginning might be felt warm, soft and pliable. When one exercises other than yoga, he or she massages the body externally. But yoga is the only form of exercise that massages or lubricates all your organs internally as well. Massaging always improves blood circulation which means every organ of your body now gets more oxygen, and oxygen is the source of life. Even the glandular system of the body is massaged and stimulated. The prostate glands which are hardly stimulated throughout your lifetime, get stimulated by yoga postures and breathing techniques. This stimualtion and massaging of organs protect us from the invasion of different diseases.

Yoga gives immense relaxation to all parts of body and mind. It reduces the stress on the mind and helps in reducing the signs of depression.
As yoga is a combination of meditation and breathing, it harmonizes the body with the mind. Many body disorders which occur due to the improper synchronization of the body with the mind can be controlled or get back through yoga exercises. Yoga does what no medicine can do. A person is stressed and comes under emotional disbalance due to the daily mishappenings of life. Through meditation, a person can achieve peace of mind, physical and mental calmness and a positive outlook. Therefore yoga does not only count towards physical fitness but also towards mental fitness.

Is The Power Of Stretching Part Of Your Life?

August 22, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

Your muscles ache from a good stretch. This is quite normal and is part of the process. Stretching has seemingly been with us and particular with athletes since the beginning of time.

A very key point to good stretching is to hold the stretch for at least seventeen seconds. This is a pearl of wisdom gleaned from a ballet teacher a few years back. She said that any stretch under 17 seconds was just not effective.

The 17 second rule is exceeded in the high intensity Bikram’s yoga where stretches are held for about 30 seconds. Don’t forget the high level of heat that is used in Bikram’s to extract that last little bit of stretch out of your muscles. An interesting twist that is not necessary to gain benefits from stretching. But, it can’t hurt, right?

So what kind of benefits can you expect from stretching? That’s an easy one. Have you ever seen the movie, Blood Sport? Did you know that Frank Dux could truly stretch his body to the extreme. The actor that played him was quite elastic as well.

Great elasticity is also something you might see in well trained Spetsnaz(Russian)agents. They often work out with Russian kettlebells too. They are for superior strength gains and the ability to withstand ballistic shocks.

Why are stretching and flexibility considered important to these people? Stretching gives one the ability to have explosive power available at one’s fingertips without the need to warm up. Of course most of us are not martial artists or agents. But, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of other benefits.

Let me give you an example. After learning to sit in the full lotus position for long periods of time, my ankles became very flexible. One day I was walking along and my left foot fell into a pothole. This mishap pushed my ankle sideways to about 90 degrees from it’s normal position.

Amazingly, this didn’t even hurt, not one bit. If my ankle hadn’t been so flexible, I may have suffered a sprained ankle. At the very least, it would have hurt for days.

Key point: stretching helps us to avoid injuries. Not only that but if you do have a muscle, tendon or ligament injury it should heal faster, theoretically speaking.

Stretching actually grows the ligaments, tendons and muscles being stretched. They really grow longer over time.

Check with your physician before undertaking any type of exercise, including stretching.

In addition to stretching our muscles we should pay attention to our oral hygiene. With more diseases being linked to periodontal disease, it only makes sense to learn about reversing gum disease. A mouthwash, such as therabreath oral rinse, which is pH balanced and oxygenated might hold a key to better dental health. For whiter teeth, you could try kardashian teeth whitening. Honestly though, if you don’t absolutely have to have whiter teeth, your dental health is probably better off without any whitening products being put in your mouth.

Consult your doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment of all health issues.

Best Beginner’s Yoga Positions

July 18, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

When you want to be at peace and harmony with your mind, body and spirit then yoga is perhaps the best traditional approach to it. When you do yoga you will instantly feel the various health benefits that it gives us. Some of these benefits include relieving the stress from our body, giving us a better posture whenever we stand or sit down, and stretching our muscles to keep them free from injuries. While these may sound fun and relaxing, yoga positions can be sometimes overwhelming for most beginners. In reality they should not feel this as there are many yoga positions designed for beginners.

But don’t you worry because there are beginner yoga positions that are designed to help you get started. While some can be quite challenging at first, these are all relaxing and will pave the way for you to achieve more complicated yoga poses.

1. The Child’s Pose

Also known as the Balasana, this yoga position aims to relieve mild back pains. For you to do this you must first drop your body on the mat in a kneeling position. Lunge your upper body forward with your arms stretched out forward with the palms resting on the mat. Then your belly should be relaxing on top of your knees. Hold this position for a minute or two.

2. Tadasana

This is known as the Tadasana and it will help improve your posture. You stand straight with your big toes touching each other. If you are uncomfortable with your knees touching each other, you can spread them out a little bit just to ease off the pressure. Move your quadriceps upward, causing your knee caps to rise. Next, tone the belly and draw it in. Your collar bones should be parallel to the pelvis. Keep your neck straight the whole time.

3. Cat Stretch

This yoga position will strengthen your abdominals and stretch your spine. To do this position, you should drop on all fours and then straighten out your back. Just think of an invisible line that is drawn starting from your head, to your neck and finally to your spine. Keep this invisible line straight all the time. Hold this pose for two minutes.

4. Uttanasana

This is also known as the Standing Forward Bend position and it will stretch out your hamstrings allowing for more flexibility. You start by standing straight on the floor or mat. Next, bend forward while keeping both legs straight. Your palms should then be touching the sides of your feet. Hold this position until you feel your hamstrings have been stretched as you desired.

5. The Urdhva Hastasana

This position is also called the Urdhva Hastasana and it will help improve your posture as well as strengthen your thigh muscles. To do this position, stand straight and then stretch out both of your arms upward way above your head. Put your palms together touching each other flat while keeping both arms straight. Pull back your shoulder blades.

Why Practice Yoga

July 14, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

All over the world, the Hindu form of meditation Yoga has gained extreme popularity among the health conscious people. Diverse yoga gymnasiums have opened in different towns where folks can exercise Yoga in its different forms.There are a variety range of reasons that have made a contribution to the enlarging recognition of Yoga. In fact it is more than only about physical fitness. Yoga is a holistic approach which includes both physical and mental fitness.~Yoga is the latest “it” workout for fitness fanatics across the world. Very few realize though, that yoga is in reality an age old practice of keeping healthy. However it offers lots more advantages then simply a lean and trim body.

Pliability
Practicing yoga for substantial time duration makes your body more flexible. Yoga involves numerous postures and poses that ask you to stretch your body, making it more flexible.

Treatment of agony
Those that suffer from pain- particularly of the back and the legs- may turn to yoga for relief. The practice involves the loosening of muscles which help ease pain symptoms. Regular yoga practice will help in preventing any such conditions permanently .

Weight loss
For all the people that have attempted alternate ways to lose body weight but have failed, there is no better option than practicing Yoga. In truth Yoga could be a bit slow as weight loss benefits start to show up, but as they say, slow and steady wins the race.In addition, the results last much longer.

A better, muscular body
One of the key reasons that you should be practicing Yoga is if you’d like to get a well toned, muscular body. Yoga is a great way to dispose of all the flab and replace it with muscles that talk for themselves.

Strength
Yoga enhances your overall strength and durability. Your body can handle energy intensive work for longer periods without you getting tired too much. It helps you develop your staying power while not having to stress your body too much.

Better respiring
Yes, we do breathe 24*7, but more than often this breathing is too shallow. The air we breathe does not reach our lungs. Yoga involves assorted breathing exercises that let you to use your lungs in a far better manner. Better breathing improves oxygen circulation, therefore improving your general health.

Stress management
Yoga calls for immense concentration and focus on your body as well as yourself when working out. Given the amount of energy expended for such a quantity of concentration, your body detaches itself from other thoughts including those of stress. This enables you to feel more relaxed and in a light mind-set.

Calms and Eases the Body Hectic
As a result of hectic life schedules and ever mounting pressures, we tend to lose our peace and become restless. Yoga can help revive this mental peace. It asks you to work on your body that brings calmness to the mind. Further on, yoga also involves various meditation techniques that soothe your body and make it calmer.

These are some of the numerous health benefits that you can enjoy on practicing yoga. So, what are you waiting for? Practice yoga and get set to realize a healthy mind, body and soul.

A Beginners Guide to Yoga Exercise Videos

June 20, 2010 by yogaguy  
Filed under Yoga Tips

In this challenging economy, many of us are experiencing stress at a deeper and more profound level, but much of that unpleasant stress can be eliminated by simply incorporating Yoga exercise videos into your weekly workout routines. By neglecting the signs of stress, you can expect to experience low energy levels, pain and tension in your back, a sense of “moodiness” and possibly even weight gain. Now, doesn’t it make sense to do Yoga if it can either reduce or eliminate your stress and make you feel stronger and have more energy?

What exactly is Yoga? Many believe call it the mind/body/spirit workout, which means it brings all your senses together to make them work in unison, making the body have to work half as hard to do the same task. It also provides mental clarity so making decisions comes easier and faster. Even though it is perfectly OK to do Yoga without any equipment, many people prefer to use a Yoga sticky mat to make the postures easier to hold and provide comfort when in a seated position.

If you have never tried Yoga, you will be in welcoming company, as one of the fundamental principles of Yoga is that everyone is on their own journey and no one is at a better place or a more advanced place – just a different place. Or, try a few different types of Yoga by getting a few workout videos and doing them at home, at your leisure.

There are many different formats to choose from, such as Vinyasa Yoga which means breath-synchronized movement and uses poses called Sun Salutations or another would be Hatha which is very slow-paced and is great for beginners because it uses basic poses. If you are interested in learning good form and technique, you may consider Iyengar Yoga since it focusing on posture and body alignment. Kundalini Yoga is a wonderful option for those who want to learn breathing techniques in conjunction with physical movement the the intent to free up energy to live a more energized lifestyle. There are many other wonderful Yoga options, the point is to try one or two different formats and find one that feels right to you and start to turn some of your stress into a positive stream of energy that you can actually use in a productive way.

Allow Yoga to become a part of your lifestyle and you will find, within weeks, how wonderful you can look and feel – yes, the poses may be challenging at first, but before you know it, they will make sense and you will be able to take your Yoga practice to a whole new level. Stop thinking about how great Yoga can make you feel – pick up a few exercise videos today and make your dreams a reality.

Find out more increasing energy with yoga exercise videos.

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