Give Yoga A Go - It's Well Worth The Effort

Some people think that they aren't cut out for yoga. They see celebrities doing it on front of glossy magazines, but this just makes it all the more daunting for the average Sally.

However, doing yoga doesn't mean that you have to bend into all kinds of shapes and poses. You can do it at a gentler pace and gain many benefits from it. It's not an exercise that is for one particular shape or type of person, there is something there for everybody.

In this article I'm going to share with you the benefits so that you can see for yourself what's possible.

The Main Benefits of Yoga. Yoga isn't just good for strength, balance and flexibility, it can reduce stress.

With so many people working in office jobs, it's easy to spend the whole day sitting, which is not what humans were designed to do. This can result in shortened hamstrings, tighter muscles in the shoulders, raised blood pressure and weight gain. We aren't meant to be sitting in the same place hour after hour.

Even ladies who are going through the menopause can gain benefits from yoga. It is known for easing hot flushes, balancing the hormones and improving mood.

Yoga has many different exercises that can be used for different purposes. It's possible to put together a routine that will help with arthritis, Parkinson's Disease, dementia, brain injuries, and the list is endless. That's why athletes like it, they can pick and choose the exercises to meet their needs.

As the exercises are usually very gentle and slower then it's possible to put the body through all the movements that will promote flexibility and strength. Another unexpected benefit is that you will sleep better. There is a certain relaxation that comes from being mindful about your exercises. It's almost a meditation, a little like the benefits that can be gained from gardening or doing an activity that you can lose yourself in.

There have been some wonderful success stories from people who have taken up the exercise. For example, several people who I know who were previously overweight have enjoyed weight loss once taking up yoga. In fact, one has lost over 35 pounds and she has even gone onto being a trained yoga teacher.

If you are looking to start this highly beneficial exercise then here are some ideas on how you can get started: Buy a yoga book. They are full of photographs that show the different poses and you can enjoy an introduction without having to pay out the full studio fees.

Try following along to a video on YouTube. Again, an introduction without the cost.

Buy a DVD for home use. Buy a home DVD that you can use at your own pace. You won't have to go out and buy all the trendy outfits either. You can enjoy it at home.

My last word of advice is to listen to your own body. Don't rush through the exercises, take your time.

Thomon Wardle is an experienced practitioner of yoga and pilates exercises. His range of yoga DVDs are listed and available from his site http://www.getfitwithpilates.com where you can also download a free eBook worth £9.95

Serenity Through Yoga and Core Yoga Principles

What I Notice a Lot in Yoga

Often when I teach yoga or rather Serenity Yoga, I see many struggling and fighting to achieve yoga poses. Often I see an internal struggle and tension between all opposing muscle groups going on inside people. I see people trying to stretch far beyond what their body wants to allow for now and I ask why that is. So what is yoga really about and how do we practice what I like to call "Serenity Yoga"?

There seems to be a somewhat natural tendency for most people to want to achieve in everything they do. Therefore, yoga practice does not escape from the pursuit of achievement. My hallucination is that one of the causes for this is that the understanding of yoga for many people is limited to its physical form. But yoga is much more than just physical stretching and strength. If we wanted that, we could also get that in a gym or by learning gymnastics.

Serenity Yoga Principles

From my understanding, a lot of the struggle can be removed from yoga practice if these yoga principles are incorporated and made part of every yoga practice session:

1) Precise Structural Alignment

2) Learning how to Create Relaxation from Tension

3) Mastery of Breathing

If these yoga principles were taught and emphasized more during yoga classes, I believe it would lead to a more relaxed form yoga - Serenity Yoga. Of course in order for this to work, these yoga principles must be kept in focus and be made the foundation of every yoga practice.

By focusing of the yoga principle of attaining precise structural alignment instead of how much more one can stretch, how much lower one can bend or twist, then improvements can be made much faster. Why? Because by aligning the body's structure and joints properly in a yoga pose, the flow of blood and energy through the joints would be smoother and more free, encouraging healing, lengthening and realignment of muscles and joints faster.

Again, instead of trying to do too much too soon during yoga practice, if one were to use the mind more and use awareness to really go inside the body, see and feel every muscle, then one could practice and cultivate the art of creating relaxation out of tension. The only reason we get opposing muscles fighting each other as we lower or bend our bodies into yoga poses is because we haven't developed enough muscle and nerve sensory acuity and awareness. That causes more muscles than necessary to contract and engage in yoga poses. Therefore if we actually use our mind and build awareness of each muscle, each cell in our body we can actually get to a point where we use just enough. This form of yoga practice and develop awareness of the body this way leads to a sense of ease even in the most strenuous of yoga poses and Serenity Yoga.

And finally, if mastery of breathing in yoga poses is encouraged and emphasized in yoga practice then this too will lead to more relaxation and ease in each yoga pose. Breath is life. Mastering breath equals the mastery of the life force, the essence that keeps you alive. Learning to breathe and use breath very specifically and making this part of not only yoga practice but life, allows you to learn to direct where you want the life force within you to go and how it should be used. If you keep developing this, it is even possible to breathe that life force into an area of tension and then breathe tension out.

Obviously this article is just a short introduction to the multitude of possibilities available to us through consistent yoga practice but the main thing to realize is that there is more to yoga when one applies these yoga principles and that it leads to a kind of Serenity Yoga.

Mahindra Raj is a mind, soul and body transformation coach. Being a certified Master Neuro Linguistic Programming Specialist, Life Coach, Yoga Instructor, and a practitioner of Spiritual Response Therapy and Spiritual Restructuring, he has spent the last spent the last 12 years helping people create the results, balance and serenity that they want in their life. Understanding the mind, soul and body connection that we all have, he integrates and mixes and matches a vast combination of powerful techniques to help people get results in little time.

Understanding Yoga

Yoga is just a way of life, taking not more than 30 minutes of your daily routine. You inculcate it, imbibe it and it becomes second nature, a natural habit, which is excellent for your health, mind and soul. In the Sanskrit language, yoga is defined as the union of the body, mind and soul. You become healthy, clear of mind and have balanced emotions, which help you to excel in life. Yoga is an excellent cure for certain ailments, as well.

There are two important facts about yoga, which need to be clarified - first, yoga is not any exercise. Yoga refreshes and reenergizes the body, refilling the body with life and energy. You are not supposed to feel exhausted or tired after doing yoga but rather get back the spring in your feet. The word exercise means exertion - energy is exerted or goes out. It is natural to feel tired after doing exercise and you may need to rest to regain your strength, but not so with yoga. Second, you do not have to be a sadhu or withdraw from your everyday worldly life to practice yoga. You can still be the CEO of your company or the young, fun-loving teenager and yet do yoga-asana! The only change will be in your outlook; you will be more controlled, gain mental clarity, be more loving, compassionate, achieve a keen moral sense and feel the lightness of mind and spirit to soar ahead in life. Honestly, yoga is fun, once you start.

The intrinsic part of yoga is control of breath and the moment you learn to concentrate on your breathing, you learn to control your mind, your emotions and your senses. Simple, isn't it? The fact is that the principle of yoga is simple; but sincere and regular practice can only help you achieve that balance. The most important factor is to learn under the guidance of an experienced yoga teacher who loves and understands yoga. The teacher will know that each and everyone of us is unique and individual in nature and constitution, therefore each must have his/her own set of asana (postures) to practice daily. Moreover, the teacher will know when to change the set of asana for each person, to reenergize the other parts of the body/constitution.

The first thing you notice about any place of worship is its cleanliness. The ambiance is holy and the whole place is vibrating with positive energy. There is a sense of calm, peace and tranquility, which does not lull you to sleep but rather heightens your senses and sharpens your mind. You feel refreshed, energetic, and ready to face all odds positively. Similarly, yoga cleanses the body, mind and soul, because the body is the temple where God resides in you and in all of us. Practice of yoga in everyday life synchronizes your complete personal, spiritual and emotional chords. A sense of harmony sets in and you go through life more smoothly.

Before we become deft in ay language or skill, we need to go through the ABC of that field. Similarly, yoga is segregated in eight steps or stages, so you go one at a time. They are -

1. Yama (basic moral codes)

2. Niyama (self-discipline)

3. Asana (postures)

4. Pranayama (control of breath with a rhythm)

5. Pratyahara (controlling sensory pleasures)

6. Dharana (focus, concentrate)

7. Dhyana (meditation)

8. Samadhi (oneness with the Holy Spirit)

These eight stages of yoga are integrated in the everyday asana (postures) so you gracefully achieve that excellence. Only an experienced yoga teacher/instructor can prescribe the right chart for you. Each one of is made up of balances and imbalances, weaknesses and strengths, negative and positive vibes - and the yoga asana is meant to help achieve the perfect balance, thus the stress on the right guru or teacher. As you keep practicing yoga for quite sometime, you feel a sense of power inside you, a liberating power - here the right guru will guide you not to misuse it but to invest in that power wisely.

As mentioned above, we all have a mixture of negative and positive energies - excess of one can lead to some ailment or other. Practice of yoga under the right guidance, in the true spirit, in a disciplined manner and with total earnestness, can heal beautifully most sicknesses we suffer from, nowadays. The only way to know is to go ahead, find the guru, and start yoga.

Yoga Mats Are For Every Style

You are likely going to need some yoga mats, regardless of what kind of yoga it is that you are planning on doing. Mats are generally made of foam rubber and offer a slender layer of protection between your elbows, knees, hips (and any other body part) and the floor.

Most people do not know that there are different types of yoga that you can do. It is kind of comparable to swimming. In swimming, you can swim the backstroke, the breaststroke, freestyle, the doggie paddle, etc. Likewise, when people practice yoga, they can do it in a variety of styles and methods.

The fact is that there could be a new type of yoga created on yoga mats as you read this. The fact is that any teacher can create a new style of yoga if he or she is creative and has a solid background in traditional yoga styles.

There are many types of yoga, but there are a handful of styles that are much more popular than most other kinds. Here are some of the types of yoga that you may have already done, or could be coming to yoga mats near you soon.

Gentle yoga: Some of the people who practice gentle yoga on their yoga mats also refer to this kind of yoga as "hathe yoga." For those who participate in gentle yoga, they already know that the focus is on long stretches and flexibility. Slow, deep breathing is also vitally important to this kind of yoga. This is the traditional kind of yoga that most people tend to think of when they hear the word "yoga."


Kundalini yoga: Kundalini yoga is something a bit different for those people who have never experienced any kind of yoga before. This type of yoga works on the premise that the body has eight chakras and through the breath of fire (rapid breathing) a person can systematically heat body from the bottom up. As you are doing this breathing on your yoga mats, the time will come when you will be able to raise kundalini. This essentially means that the person practicing yoga is able to achieve a feeling of high enlightenment.


Power yoga: This is also known as vinyasa yoga. Vinyasa is a Sanskrit term that refers to a rapid series of movements that quickly flow from pose to pose. Power yoga, as you might have guessed from the name, is a very active type of yoga. Your yoga mats will definitely get a good workout along with you. In this type of yoga, the person basically moves from one pose to the next in quick succession. If you are looking for a workout, this is the kind of yoga you will likely want to try. It will make you work up a sweat and give your muscles a slender, toned appearance.

As you are trying any of these exercises on your yoga mats, it is best to pay attention to how you feel as you do each exercise. By paying attention to your body and your spirit, you will better understand how to continue yoga practice and progress in your practice.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and health and fitness. Her background also includes teaching, gardening, and fashion. For more of her useful articles on yoga, please visit Yoga Supplies, home of articles about yoga mats, yoga clothing, and more.

Exercises and Diets to Help You Lose Weight - Part 1

We all know that sitting around and being a couch potato does absolutely nothing for your health. To maintain good health, you need a combination of good exercise and a balanced diet. One cannot expect to do one without the other and expect a high standard of results. It can become quite tedious to do the same exercise regime and maintain the same diet. This sense of boredom is when of the reasons why it is best not to keep the same program time after time. There are a variety of exercises and diets one can use to keep themselves healthy. It is always a good idea to switch every once in a while and try new exercises or diets.

Exercises such as walking, jogging, aerobics, and weightlifting have been some of the most popular exercises for quite some time. Walking and jogging are the easiest of the three; they can be done at a gym or at home. Weightlifting is great for toning up the muscles and helping your cardiovascular system. Aerobics helps burn calories and it works wonders for the heart.

Exercises such as biking and swimming are also well-known practices. With the growth of stationary bikes in gyms, many people have made biking an essential practice in their exercise programs. There have been many biking tournaments/marathons worldwide that have been great for promoting this exercise.

Swimming has also been great for maintaining great overall health. Swimming has been proven to work the entire body; it endurance, flexibility, muscle strength, and it improves cardiovascular conditioning. This allows the flow of blood to the heart and lungs to become more efficient.

There have been other exercises that have grown to popularity over the last several years. Exercises such as Pilates, yoga, and tai chi offer low-intensity workouts. Pilates allows you to sculpt your body and lose weight. It teaches you how to focus on you postural muscles. These muscles keep the body relaxed and balanced. It also teaches to be more aware of the alignment of the spine and your breath.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means to bind or yoke. There has been a debate concerning its spiritual origins and public practices in schools. However, it has been proven to show great results for its practitioners. It is basically a practice that involves physical poses and postures that present plenty of stamina and strength for lengthy periods of meditation.

Tai Chi tends to bind the physical and mental aspects of exercise as well. It is a very calm gentle exercise that involves slow physical movements and focuses on breathing to help achieve a meditative state of mind. It is ideal for rejuvenating the body and helping it maintain balance. Both yoga and tai chi both link body and mind together as far as exercise is concerned.

These are a few examples of some exercises that you can do to switch up from your normal routine. Performing different exercises work different parts of the body and different muscles as well. By occasional changing your exercise program you will not only tone different parts of your body but you will never become bored with exercising again. The next article will spend more time concerning the importance of maintaining a balanced diet and the different kinds that are available.

Kamaal Taylor has extensively studied the affects and different forms of exercise equipment, in addition to Medical Supplies

Understanding Yoga As We Know It

Yoga is the vogue for those trying to lose some weight and get fit. It is relaxing and through meditation, one can achieve calmness of mind, as well as increase suppleness and agility through the exercises.

Yoga was formed about eight thousand years back and it can be attributed to the Indus Valley and the Vedic civilization. Other hinted to it way back before the formation of the Vedas in India. Certain historians deem that it only goes back to about four thousand years as a result of Vedic shastras and the Hindu sacred manuscript. Vasishta, Yajnavalkya, and Jaigishavya whom are well known Vedic wise men and they are among the supreme practitioners.

Yoga in recent times has been reduced to physical exercises completely different from what was scripted. Hatha yoga is the most widespread type of yoga practiced in the west. The practices are mainly centered on stretching and breathing devoid of the spiritual aspects.

Yoga offer host of benefits to our physical, emotional and spiritual make ups that other exercises cannot provide, therefore it is advantageous to take up yoga. It is one of the best exercises as it reduce your stress level and calms the mind as yoga requires stretching of the body and taking up dissimilar poses, even when you are controlling your breathe.

This give rise to a calm body yet you are fully in control. Also they are certain kinds of yoga which center on meditation and relaxation. Doing the different poses will at the same time get you lean, toned and fit. Yoga not only assists you in losing weight but tone and fortifies your body as well, that by building gorgeous muscles and not bulking.

It is one of the best forms of exercises irrespective of age or gender. Picking up the fundamentals of yoga is not difficult by progressing from simple to advanced level of postures. The most fundamental forms of yoga is the asthanga yoga with bikram yoga being the most complicated as you will have to practice it in 40 degree Celsius and a humidity of about forty percent.

Through books and DVDs you can pick up yoga easily or visit a gym to learn from a qualified yoga teacher and learning from a yoga teacher will help you to pick up the nuances of yoga and they will be there to correct your mistakes.

Learning yoga is an ongoing process and you will grow to enjoy the benefits as it is not an exhausting and arduous undertaking. Compare to other exercises, this is the one that you can benefit physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Yoga is initially alternative kinds of exercises that began to be more widespread and becoming mainstream. The yoga practice in the west is hatha yoga and it is through vigorous exercises get the body ready for extended period of meditation. Other kinds of Yoga are not that physical but just there as a philosophy.

Contorting the body into odd physical shapes is known as asana yoga. It might make you squirm but it is meant for the body to relax. There are other poses too but the easy one is enough to give the practitioner strength, control and suppleness.

Even though western countries concentrate on the physical aspects, breathing technique is as vital. Breathing complements the exercises as oxygen supports the body. With the correct breathing technique, it will help you to alleviate your stress and fuel you up. Meditation from yoga helps you to relax, think on your feet and there is a whole concept of mind and body development.

Yoga is very beneficial to mind and body and the practices have been spreading throughout the world. The increasing popularity is due to endorsement by physician who counsels their patients to take it up for the value and advantages of yoga and it also has been widely research.

As yoga relaxes and calms the mind and body and offer many other benefits, for instant uplifting of your mood; it is not surprising that physicians and scientist are keen on it and much has been written on the subject. Yoga also helps in healing and maintains health. Together there are six types of yoga and they are Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Tantra Yoga and Hatha Yoga.

Therefore with an understanding of yoga, it will point you to one of these six types and eventually when you have pick up enough knowledge; it will open your mind.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit free yoga exercises to learn more about different types of yoga and yoga for weight loss.

Mindful Walking and Yoga

The art of combining Yoga and walking, while integrating mindfulness techniques into both activities, will help you to integrate and resolve emotional difficulties - providing your body and mind with a great holistic exercise. Spending some time outside in the fresh air, and sunlight every day, will also help to regulate your circadian rhythms (body clock) and increase your serotonin levels, which will help to increase your energy level and support a positive outlook on life. Practicing Yoga asanas and mindful walking together, or in tandem with each other, will benefit your body, heart, and mind.

According to Ayurveda, the sister health science to Yoga, it is optimal to begin one's day with a bath or shower, a brisk walk in the fresh morning air, followed by the practice of Yoga postures, breathing exercises, and a period of meditation. Some Yoga practitioners may prefer to take a walk first and then engage in their practice, while others may prefer to warm up and energize their bodies prior to taking a walk. The order is not as important as the regularity of their practice. Yoga asanas increase strength, flexibility, and balance. Walking exercises the entire body through moderate cardiovascular conditioning. Walking also balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain, through bilateral movement, while giving us the opportunity of becoming mindfully aware of both our internal and external environment.

Walking in a mindful way is also a wonderful way of becoming aware of the natural beauty that surrounds us and the changing of the seasons. Many of us spend a lot of time in our cars, offices, and homes, and not as much time outside in the natural environment. Taking the time to walk every day, in a mindful way; and if possible, in a beautiful natural setting, will help us to become aware of the rhythms of the earth and our presence on the earth. The grounding effect, of becoming aware of the rhythms of nature, will also help a Yoga practitioner to become more solidly present in day-to-day life. Taking the time to slow down everyday, and take a walk for a half an hour or longer, will also allow an individual to check in and gauge the health of the body, through monitoring his or her heart rate and walking speed.

Additionally, combining Yoga asanas and mindful walking practices, gives us the time and space to become aware of our internal environment and thought processes. Witnessing the thoughts that stream through our minds, during a challenging Yoga practice or during our daily walk, will allow us to become aware of thoughts that may not be uplifting or helpful to us. This awareness will allow us to choose more positive thoughts. Through the bilateral stimulation of walking, sticky emotional issues may also be more easily resolved, by bringing the situation to conscious awareness during a walk and witnessing the event in a more objective fashion. This mindful walking practice has the potential of helping us reframe a painful or unresolved issue in a more constructive way.

c Copyright 2012 - Aura Wellness Center - Publications Division

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/