Posts Tagged ‘fitness’

What can Yoga do for Your Posture?

As I watched through the big windows at the gym I saw what I would say are very difficult poses. I am not a flexible person by nature and at the time I was not very strong physically either. Still, I was very curious about yoga, but perhaps a little intimidated about trying something that seemed, to me, to not fit a person that was weak and inflexible.

My Sister In-law became an instructor a little while after that and convinced me as well as some friends to hold a small private group class for her to teach. It was such a great experience! I was still inflexible & weak, but after the class was over I felt great. I was full of energy, and yes I admit I was sore for a day or two after the class, but how was I going to get strong without first becoming sore?

I stuck with the private group session and soon I could see my own improvement. I grew more flexible and stronger as I stayed involved in Yoga, plus I felt that I accomplished something important. Of course I wasn’t the best student or the most flexible, but that didn’t matter to me. Each class I became more determined to improve for myself.

My posture was still pretty bad and I had some minor back pain so in addition to doing yoga regularly I started seeing a chiropractor. My Chiropractor once told me that I had to posture of a 60-year-old woman. Wow, that hurt but the truth hurts sometimes. My posture was horrible!

At this same time I enrolled in the yoga teacher training and started to learn more in-depth the correct alignment for each pose. Slowly I started to see an improvement with my posture. I was still seeing the Chiropractor, but I was amazed at how much my yoga practice was helping me correct this horrible state that back was in.

While in the teacher training program we were also challenged to improve our yoga practice by taking the time to sit in a relaxation asana and to start to process of meditating. My instructors challenged us that when we were having a rough day to take the time to sit down, even for a few minutes, to start reflecting on what had happened throughout the day. Reflect upon our reactions to different events and to ponder on how our day could improve. It was enlightening to see how my day improved, if only a little bit, with the time that I spent in the relaxation pose of my choice. Everything wasn’t magically better, but it gave me new strength to try to improve my day by starting with the only thing that I can control, myself.

Morgan Turley is a yoga instructor at Essence Yoga Studio, an Arizona Yoga Studio.

Must Have Yoga Accessories

Are you planning to join a yoga course? You have to be aware of special yoga accessories that are a must have for anyone that wants to bear yoga coaching and practice it [afterwards.later.] A list of these yoga accessories is provided below for your convenience. Make sure you get these accessories when you join the yoga course so that your classes deliver most impressive results.

One of the most common and popular yoga accessories is yoga mat. Yoga mat is needed for a yoga session. Regardless of the place you practice yoga ; you surely need a yoga mat. These mats are beneficial as they make sure that the practioner doesn’t slip or slip in a yoga session. Additionally to that it offers a benefit of comfort. This in turn helps the method of yoga and makes the asanas far simpler.

Another critical yoga accessory is a yoga pant. This is a must have accessory during your yoga session. It is preferable over the ordinary pants. This is so as the other pants can simply rip except for the middle. However, this isn’t the case with yoga pants. They turn out to be handy in such a situation as they are very flexible. This makes it simple for you to stretch and do any movement as per your liking. These pants are generally available in the shopping stores. You can choose any amongst the various options available. Mostly yoga pants are of full length. However, if you are hunting for a more trendy version you may also go in for yoga pants in form of capris. All you need to take care is that whichever yoga pant you choose; must be bendable enough.

When you’re going for your yoga session ; a yoga bag is an absolute must have for you. It’s another yoga accessory which is of great help. A yoga session needs a lot many things you need to hold along with yourself. A number of these crucial things are water bottle, yoga mat, towel and many others. It is here the yoga bag might be handy. It helps to neatly put together all these essentials and thus guarantees that you don’t forget any of your stuff.

During yoga sessions you are likely to feel thirsty. It is where yoga sippers come to your rescue. It’s yet one more must have yoga accessory as it helps you to take along water to the session. You won’t feel dried or dehydrated; if you’ve got the yoga sippers at an arm’s distance during your yoga session. However, before purchasing a yoga sipper; make sure that it is made of food grade substance only. Also keep a look out for any trickling in the yoga sipper before you nil in for a sipper.

You may also needs fruit guards when you take up a yoga course. You will feel a bit hungry after your yoga sessions so you may have a fruit or 2. Fruit guards are special cases that defend your fruits from mud as well as physical impact of other items which you may be carrying. It is suggested that you carry a multiple fruit guard rather than carrying a number of individual ones.

Buy all of these yoga accessories and you are sure to make your yoga session a load more cushty and convinient. And in case you would like to make savings, you could buy those things online and fetch large bargains. So, what are you waiting for? Get these yoga accessories now.

Shaping up with Yoga

Hindu pushups
If you have not, boy have I got reports for you. Quite simply, they’re employed ( they virtually made me forego yoga until I found it was basically Yogic ) and you need to check them out.
Calisthenics and yoga
In doing research for an article I wrote a bit back concerning Yoga and Calisthenics, I stumbled over a completely unique form of a higher body exercise known as Hindu-push ups. Straight away, I was attracted by the name as I knew anything wrestlers will necessarily be related to Wai Lana Yoga.
Pushups
I clicked on the associated link and came across an outline of a very different kind of push up. Now, though I am gigantic into exercise and health, one exercise I never truly cared too much for is doing push-ups, not very many people like pushups occasionally out of pure need.
Wrestlers pushups
However, these wrestler pushups looked different and the benefits associated with them really sold me to try a few out on the spot. Now if an exercise inexplicably, puts a smile on your face while doing it, makes you breathe deeper ( which is good ) and bolsters the whole body while making sure you do not get all stiff with zero flexibleness, I think it merits my vote as well as anyone else’s. ( These by the way were all the reasons I picked up Yoga )
How to do wrestlers pushups
Well, that’s what the wrestler’s push ups do. Here is the method and like me, after reading this next paragraph, take a pause and try 2-3 out right fast.
the pushup
-Get on all fours. -Start with downward dog. -From there, bend your elbows as in a regular pushup, bringing your back down in a circular arc -Straighten your arms and end up with your chest up and your hips almost touching the ground, ending in upward dog
Arm strengthening tips
When done correctly and mixed with deep respiring ( inhaling on the way down and exhaling-looking up ) Hindu pushups build amazing lung power as well as superb upper body strength and endurability. They also improve flexibility in the shoulders and hips as well as the upper and lower back. Now, when I actually got so drawn by this exercise, I put two and 2 finally realized that Wai Lana Coupons are really good for shapely arms.
Indian pushups
one. These are Indian Push-ups right? So they must be from India. two. The starting point is summit poseand the ending point is ‘The Cobra Pose’ and its execution is so similar to positions 6-8 of the Sun Salutations
Yoga poses for strengthening arms
These factors considered, I concluded this is simply well combined Yoga poses in motion so I am able to get the best of two worlds : Yoga ( that I love ) and Calisthenics ( with its push-upswhich I can just endure ).
It works!
In addition I alternate this mix of exercise now and still feel a bit like I am just about doing Yoga, perhaps different styles a day. The main factors are that I’m getting my exercise, I like what it is and it is working for me.

Yoga for Weight Loss?

Yoga is renowned for its capacity to reduce stress, enhance flexibility and improve muscle tone and strength. However, it’s not so well known for its contributions to weight loss. Yoga isn’t typically your first thought when it comes to burning off calories. So it can be surprising to discover that it can actually be an effective way to boost your weight loss efforts.

Conventional yoga isn’t a vigorous type of exercise. While it conditions and tones your muscles, you’re not likely to work up a sweat during a yoga session. The fact is, though, that you’re working your muscles, which means your body is burning calories. So, cardiovascular exercise will yield better results if you also practice yoga regularly.

At the core of yoga is the discipline of both your body and mind. This should lead to stronger motivation to stick with your fitness routine and to eat healthfully. A core tenet of yoga is to develop the relationship between your mind and body. Therefore you feel more motivated to care for your body. This is great if you want to lose some weight but have difficulty motivating yourself.

If you plan on using yoga by itself to help you drop some pounds, there are some new variations on the traditional practice of yoga. You get the benefits of cardio and yoga all in the same workout. It’s worth your while to investigate the wide assortment of yoga DVDs that are available for this purpose.

Here’s a look at some of the more common kinds of yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga: This particular form of yoga involves moving from one pose to another, all the while paying attention to your breathing. There are lots of different poses that you might recognize the name of, including the Sun Salutation. This style of yoga is typically performed in an overheated room so that you sweat profusely.

Ashtanga Yoga: This is an intricate approach to yoga, integrating six series of individual poses, or asanas. They increase in complexity as you progress, so you must perform them in order, improving your skill as you go.

Power Yoga: This modern adaptation of yoga mixes active, high-speed actions with yogic breathing.

These yoga techniques offer more of the heart-healthy benefits of aerobic exercise than the usual kinds of yoga. They won’t quite give you the workout of a cardio class. But you will still experience the benefits of cardiovascular health and muscle toning, along with improved flexibility. This will no doubt help your weight loss efforts. And these kinds of yoga are great for people who are too busy for more than one workout routine.

On the surface, aerobics and yoga have few similarities. Nevertheless, yoga training can boost the benefits of cardiovascular exercise. And the newer styles of this ancient practice can be a great replacement for your usual aerobics. If you’re dissatisfied with the results you’re seeing from your normal exercise program, why not give yoga a try.