Posts Tagged ‘Yoga instructor’

Try Yoga For Insomnia

Some people walk into their bedrooms and just pass out. You envy them because you can’t do that. You have insomnia: you can’t get to sleep easily, and when you do and you wake up, you can’t get back to sleep. Why not try Yoga for insomnia? Yoga can help relax you enough to let you sleep. When incorporated into your daily routines, you will notice that you get more sleep. Results like that count, especially when your insomnia is stress related.

You may have to do some research, as there are different schools or types of Yoga. You can start by Googling up Yoga online, to read more about this. But you may be taken aback by so much information about the subject. Also, Yoga sometimes is packaged in press releases with religious undertones. But you only need Yoga for insomnia.

What you could do is find a Yoga class, whose Yoga instructor can walk you through what Yoga will be taking from your usual work week and weekends. Yoga, as a routine exercises, is no different from scheduled work outs. The difference is the effect on your sanity and peace of mind. Think of your mind as a stressed out clenched fist. Yoga’s exercises can help you slide down from that tension and let your tight fist slowly unclench and relax. That helps a lot in getting you to sleep.

If you want to practice Yoga at home, you could do three things. Stay online and research until you find a site that provides exercises without too much reading into Yoga’s history. You can print the exercises and their directions and follow them. Or you could hire a Yoga instructor who will guide you through the stretching exercises and postures, all in the familiar and safe haven of your home. Or you could buy a book on Yoga and try out the illustrated stretching exercises and positions there. The benefits of all three options is that you stay at home, free to do Yoga at your time and pace, and most probably, before going to bed.

Please try to consult your doctor about your trying Yoga, just in case some positions may result in some injury or may aggravate an existing medical condition. The books may mention this, but one advantage of a Yoga instructor is that he or she can assess you and your body as to the state of readiness of both for Yoga exercises.

Before you dive into searching for Yoga websites, books, or nearby Yoga classes, what most information on Yoga will tell you about its connection to insomnia, is this. Yoga’s stretching and its many relaxation exercises will help you sleep, that there’s no age cap on practicing Yoga, and that’s its insertion into your routines will overall benefit your health and peace of mind.

Regardless of the type of Yoga for insomnia you will be practicing, you will probably be stretching to relax your body, doing deep breathing, and visualization exercises. Note that all three activities run counter to what a stressed out person usually does, which is going through the day with a tense body, not breathing deeply, and visualizing problems. Yoga tries to counter that and help you sleep.

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An Overview Of Hatha Yoga

There are many forms of yoga these days, but the predominant religious and exercise movement is known as Hatha yoga, a style that attracts roughly 30 million Americans. In the most basic sense of the term, this style focuses on posture and breathing as a way of attaining spiritual enlightenment.

Author Ymber Delecto once explained, “Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self control. Energy within and energy without.” Spiritually, Hatha yoga creates a spiritual environment through breathing, repetition and posture that taps into and regulates inner chakras (or energy centers). Yoga practice was initially developed in India over 5,000 years ago as a way of facilitating true understanding and meditation.

The first step is the practicing of the different asanas (poises) to help the mind and body align with one another and open the inner channels of communication. By finding the right posture, one can remain comfortable for long periods of time while meditating. Secondly, proper breathing techniques (sometimes referred to as “pranayama”) are taught. Next, some students may choose to delve more deeply into the philosophical roots. Yoga instructor David Williams (from Hawaii) once noted, “Before you’ve practiced, the theory is useless. After you’ve practiced, the theory is obvious.”

The end result of practicing this style of yoga is markedly noticed almost immediately. Suddenly you can stretch a bit further and touch those toes. You’re not huffing and puffing carrying laundry up to the top floor of the house anymore. Your bowel movements are even more regular than usual and you find that stomach aches and head aches rarely occur these days. Your abdomen, legs and gluteus are looking more defined too. When you’re at work and start to feel stressed, you take a deep breath and reconnect with the relaxation techniques you learned in class, although the anxiety rarely reaches you on a physical level anymore. Your energy levels are revitalized, your hormones are balanced and a calm sense of euphoria and appreciation for each day takes root in your soul. Life is good, thanks to Hatha yoga, a practice that goes back thousands of years to some infinite source of knowledge the West generally seemed to have overlooked.

While many of us wish we had the discipline to properly perform Hatha yoga at home with a DVD, it’s simply not feasible — in the truest sense. Attending yoga class is a bit like attending church on Sundays, in that it gives us that set-aside time to focus, meditate, appreciate and reflect. Much like a priest, the yoga instructor brings an atmosphere of supreme holiness and quietude, while helping you sense your weaknesses and align yourself correctly in tune with your core being. Yoga is not something you can do half-heartedly or skimp out on. Instead, it requires full attentiveness and studiousness. Even if your end goal is purely fitness-oriented, take the time to appreciate this ancient Indian practice and learn the right way. You just may be surprised by what you learn about yourself!