There are many
things you can do to improve your health. It is a fact that you will need to
adopt some sort of exercise program. Although everyone perfers differnet activities
for exercise Yoga can by far provide you with so many benefits both physically
and psychologically. Find out how Yoga can improve your over all well-being.
With all the new television infomercials on gadgets and videos on improving
one’s health and wellbeing there is one strong hold on low impact exercise that
not only improves your body but also improves the psychological state which
give your entire being the sense of positive well being. By being involved in Yoga on a regular basis
one can expect to feel better and more alive.
Yoga does promote positive energies within the body which in turn will
create positive energy in the mind increasing your total well being.
One of the physical benefits you will experience is increased flexibility. As most people know Yoga consist on many
movements, stretches and poses which act on various joints in your body. Many of these joints are joints that are
rarely used. So the stretching and use
of these joints, ligament and tendons help to increase your flexibility. These movements also provide flexibility to
the supporting joints, ligament and tendons. Yoga provides massage to all your organs and glands including the prostate
which never gets external stimulation.
The gent stretching of your muscles and joints when doing yoga maximizes
blood flow in your body enabling your body to flush toxins, provide nourishment
to your body and in turn slows aging and increases energy. By stretching and using muscles to hold many of these positions, Yoga helps to
tone the body provide correct posture and keep your body tone and firm. Yoga is an excellent exercise which helps with all aspects of your life both
mentally and physically. Yoga has been
used to improve sleep, decrease pain in joints, increase energy, range of motion and also has many
psychological benefits. An exercise like Yoga through the bending and stretching of the spine builds
strength, endurance and lowering the stress hormone that cause aging. The reduction of stress will reduce the acid
conditions within the body and enabling your body to intake more oxygen. It also balances the nervous system helping
to reduce depression and anxiety and increases your concentration and enhances
your mood. Yoga when practiced regularly puts your body in a positive healthy state. This in turn puts you mind in a positive
healthy state which helps to keep your body looking and felling good. Yoga provides a continuous loop of positive
well being and continual rejuvenation.
The stretching also contribute to improving your posture allowing you to
stand straighter with your back erect and your hamstrings fully stretched and
flexible leaving you in a alert and
confident state. Yes it is true that people are living longer today but the real question is
what is their quality of life? If you
have the option to start now and exercise your body using a low impact
stretching and toning exercise, enabling your body and mind to get into a place
of optimal health and well being or to have to rely on doctors to poke and prod
at you and prescribe medications after medication what would your choice
be?
Hopefully as yoga grows in popularity citizens of the world will enjoy the
benefits of this low impact exercise and increase the positive energy in their
mind and bodies enabling them to live longer and healthier lives.
Yoga can be put
to good use for taking off excess pounds through the power of creating a state
of mental and physical well being. The basic tenets of Yoga promotes a healthy
lifestyle and when combined with a calorie reduction can help to speed up your
weight loss. It will increase your metabolism by increasing the caloric burning
process. All weight loss is based on using more calories than you take in. It
will also allow you to increase your ability to concentrate and focus...
Article Body:
Yoga can be put
to good use for taking off excess pounds through the power of creating a state
of mental and physical well being. The basic tenets of Yoga promotes a healthy
lifestyle and when combined with a calorie reduction can help to speed up your
weight loss. It will increase your metabolism by increasing the caloric burning
process. All weight loss is based on using more calories than you take in. It
will also allow you to increase your ability to concentrate and focus.
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Your thyroid regulates your metabolism and is responsible for the chemical
processes that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a series of twisting poses
that will help to stimulate the work flow of the internal organs. This will
cause your metabolism to increase and burn more calories which will eventually
cause you to have a lower body weight. Another side effect is that it will help
to improve your circulation and increase your energy level. The various back bends combined with the forward bends will help to stimulate
the metabolism. The poses that affect the neck region can be helpful in
stimulating the thyroid if the weight problem is caused by a hormonal
imbalance. Poses that will help the most for this include the camel, rabbit,
plow, bridge and head stand. Going quickly between the various poses can help
to accelerate the weght loss. Beware though that those seriously overweight may
find some of these poses extremely difficult and should start slowly with the
easier poses and add others as they become more confident in the easier
ones. You can use standing poses to increase muscle strengthening such as the
warrior. These will help to create higher endurance and increase your caloric usage. Remember that a gradual approach is best with all Yoga practices. The long term
effects on your weight loss regime will become evident and even more so the
inner peace and general well feeling that Yoga will promote within you.
Confused about
the different types of Yoga? Read this quick guide to find out what's right for
you.
Keywords:
yoga, types of
Yoga, styles of Yoga, Yoga types, Yoga styles
Article Body:
Yoga is becoming
a more and more popular activity in the Western world today. The number of
places holding Yoga classes is on the increase and there is a plethora of
different types of Yoga. With a choice of Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Bikram Yoga,
Vinyasa Yoga and many more it can be easy to get confused
The article will help you to understand the difference between the most popular
types of Yoga so you can choose which type is right for you.
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Hatha Yoga – in Sanskrit (an ancient classical language of India) “Ha” means
“sun” and “tha” means “moon”. This type of Yoga is relatively slow paced,
gentle type of Yoga and is a good place to start if you are completely new to
Yoga and don’t know any of the asanas (poses).
Like all types of Yoga, Hatha Yoga aims to unite the mind, body and
spirit. Ashtanga Yoga – this is the type of Yoga that I practice on a regular basis and
means “eight limbs” in Sanskrit. It’s a fast moving, intense style of Yoga
practice and is based on a progressive set sequence of asanas, synchronized
with the breath. Ashtanga Yoga can be quite physically demanding as you
constantly move from one asana in the sequence to the next, so you’ll find that
it will improve your stamina as well as your flexibility and strength.. Power Yoga – this is a western interpretation of Yoga and is based on Ashtanga
Yoga. A Power Yoga class may not necessarily stick to the exact sequence of
poses like Ashtanga Yoga does, but it does involve practicing a series of poses
without stopping and starting. Iyengar Yoga – This type of Yoga is based on teachings by B.K.S Igengar and
concentrates on the correct alignment and form of the body. Unlike Ashtanga Yoga, there is an emphasis on
holding each pose for a long period of time rather than moving constantly from
one pose to the next. Iyengar Yoga uses props such as blocks and straps to help
align the body into the different poses. Vinyasa Yoga – Vinyasa means breath synchronized movement and is another fast
paced type of Yoga, with an emphasis on breathing. A practice typically starts
with sun salutations and moves on to more intense stretching. Throughout the
practice each pose is balanced with a counter pose. Bikram Yoga – otherwise known as “Hot Yoga”, is practiced in a room heated to
105 degrees, with a humidity of around 40%. Generally a sequence of 26
different poses is practiced during a Bikram Yoga class and the hot temperature
helps to loosen muscles. Due to the high temperature most people sweat a lot
during the class and this helps to cleanse the body of toxins. If you’re just starting out or have never done any Yoga before, I recommend
trying a few different types of yoga to find out what you like best. Remember, there’s no rule that says you have to stick to one type of Yoga. I
like Ashtanga Yoga best, but I also go to occasional Iyengar and Hatha Yoga
classes for a bit of variety.
The next time
back pain sends you to the doctor; recent studies have indicated you may want
to ask for a new prescription: Yoga. However, if you do so, make sure you know
the right poses to use. Read more to know exactly which ones and why.
Keywords:
Yoga for Back
Pain
Article Body:
Studies have
shown that Yoga may be one of the most effective exercises for back pain
relief. In fact Health-First reporter Leslie LoBue says twisting your body into
those sometimes awkward positions may actually be just the thing for lower back
pain.
However, as effective as Yoga may be to reduce the pain of back problems,
knowing exactly what poses to use, for how long, what to offset the poses with
and in what sequence to execute them, are other factors that should be taken
into consideration before using it as a therapeutic relief from back
pain.
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I can see a reader go “Wait a minute…if I have to go through all that, then
maybe I should just take some painkillers and call it a day.” If that applies, it is hardly my intention to scare you away from Yoga for back
pain, in fact I’d rather you embraced its use as an alternative to
drugs-prescribed or otherwise-for your problems, however, for your success with
its use, a little bit of awareness of the correct poses to use for back pain is
required and will come in handy for a lasting use of this drug-free
alternative. I will go over the common, simple yet very effective poses for back pain and
also give you instructions on the proper poses to offset the spinal motions
when applicable. Moreover, I will discuss the factors of the duration of time
needed when executing these poses as well. Though some of these poses may best be learned under the supervision of a
certified Yoga Instructor or avid expert, with the descriptions given below-and
if need be, the use of image searches on related Yoga sites and search
engines- I believe you should be able to get a good concept to at least be able to
practice these poses at home. Here are some of the best poses for back ache and since the aim here is more so
back pain relief versus exercising, it is not mandatory that you hold them more
than 5-15 seconds, depending on your level of comfort. Moreover, a use of a
yoga mat or any other soft surface is highly recommended in the execution of
these asanas. The Shoulder-stand (Savangasana) This, folks, is a noted panacea for near any human ailment. Don’t panic, it is extremely easy to execute, however, depending on the
severity of your case, use discretion in its use. -Spread a thick blanket on the floor and place your yoga mat on it. Lie on the
back. -Slowly raise the legs. Lift the trunk, hips and legs to a vertical position. -Rest the elbows firmly on the floor and support the back with both hands.
-Raise the legs till they become vertical. Press the chin against the chest..
-While performing this pose, the back of the neck, the posterior part of the
head and the shoulders should touch the floor. (I can assure you that you will
say “Hey, I’ve done this before as a kid…this is yoga?”) -Breathe in counts of 5-5-5 (inhalation, retention and exhalation). -Don’t allow the body to shake. Now for the counter poses to the Shoulder-Stand, try to incorporate the
following: Bridge Pose (Sethu Bhandasana): From the Shoulder Stand position, stretch the legs and slowly touch the floor
with the feet. It is done to bend the spine in the opposite direction. Fish Pose (Matsyasana): Lie on your back. Stretch the legs and keeps the hands palm down under the
thighs. Raise the chest with the help of the elbows and, bending the neck as
much as possible backwards, rest on the top of the head. Suggested Duration: Try to use the ratio below to time the execution of these three poses. 6:1:2 (meaning the fish pose is held for a third of the time spent in the
shoulder stand and the bridge pose held for half the time spent in the fish
pose (or a sixth of the time spent in the shoulder-stand) Or as an alternative, you could simply forego the bridge pose and apply a 2:1
ratio (shoulder-stand to fish pose) but this is only advised if you intend to
do the parent pose (the shoulder-stand) for only a few seconds. Obviously a lot of detail has gone into the description of these poses,
however, that is because my intention is for you to be well informed, but for
the sake of time and space. I will briefly go over the other poses you could do
well to include AFTER you try the sequence above. This is if you decide to use
it by the way. If not, you could do very well to simply start from the stage to
be depicted in part 2 of this article.
Trying Yoga for
Back Pain? Then pick the RIGHT poses (Part 2)
Summary:
As effective as
using Yoga for back pain may be, as indicated in the first installment of this
article. It is imperative that the right poses be chosen. Here are the
remaining effective poses to choose from.
Keywords:
Yoga for Back
Pain
Article Body:
I went over in
detail the use of the shoulder stand sequence as ‘the’ Yoga exercise for back
pain in part one of this article. Now let’s go over the rest of the applicable
poses shall we. FORWARD STRETCHES:
Wind Relieving Pose: (Vatayanasan) Lie down flat. Now take a deep breath and hold it. Now fold your right leg at
the knee and press the folded leg against the abdomen. Make sure to keep the
alternate leg straight while doing this. Now, switch legs and to conclude this
use both legs at the same time. 5-15 Seconds
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Plough Pose (Halasana): Lie flat on your back on your blanket. Keep the hands, palms down near the
thighs. Without bending the knees, slowly raise the hips and the lumbar part of
the back and bring down the legs till they touch the floor or go as far as you
can. The key here is to get as deep a stretch for the lower back as
possible. 5-15 Seconds <b>Forward Bend (Paschimothanasana): </b> Lie flat on your back on the blanket, with arms overhead on the floor. Keep the
legs and thighs firmly on the floor. Stiffen your body. Slowly raise the head
and the chest and assume a sitting position. Now exhale till you are able to
catch you toes, ankles or heels. You may even bury your face in between your
knees. 5-15 Seconds BACKWARD STRETCHES: Inclined Plane Pose (Purvottanasana): Rest on your hands on heels, keeping the body straight. 5-15 Seconds Bow Pose: (Dhanurasana) This pose is hailed as the best backward bending exercise. Lie Prone on the
blanket. Relax the muscles. Now bend the legs over the thighs. Catch hold of
the right ankle with the right hand and the left ankle with the left hand
firmly. Raise the head, body and knees by tugging at the legs with the hands so
the whole body rests on the abdomen. Wheel Pose (Chakrasana) Lie down. Bend the arms and legs. Raise the body and rest on the hands and
feet. Tuck your head firmly in between your shoulders. 5-15 Seconds Spinal Twist: (Ardha Matsendrasana): -Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you. -Bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and place your right
foot on the floor next to your left knee. -Sitting with spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your
right knee. -Bend your left arm so that your left fingertips are touching your right hip,
while at the same time, twisting to look over your right shoulder. Since this actually involves a twisting of the back, make sure you go only as
far as it is comfortable. As a matter of
fact, it is advised that depending on the severity of your case, you only go as
far as the poses allow you to at any time. 5-15 Seconds Corpse Pose (Savasana): This is the relaxation pose. From experience, after the spinal twist above, if
you immediately get into this pose, there is an indescribable feeling of relief
from tightness in the back. You ought to try it out for yourself. -Lay motionless on your back with the arms and legs slightly extended. -Breathe deeply in counts of 5 that being in a ratio of 5:5:5 (inhalation-retention-exhalation) -Lay as such for as long as you desire and you could mentally send relaxation
messages to your body parts such as “My ….. is hereby relaxed” (filling in the
space with whatever body part. Remember to start from the toes working
upwards.) Other factors to keep in mind when I say try ‘yoga for back pain’ are that Yoga
involves the consumption of a healthy diet. This brings to mind Hippocrates’
quote: “Let your foods be your medicine…” That considered, do make sure your diet is primarily made up of the right
stuff, raw and cooked fruits and veggies. This will relieve constipation and this reminds me of a true experience with my
father years back. He had suffered a severe back pain for weeks and an
alternative health consultant told him to eat a meal of plain fruit on a given
night and 2-3 hours afterwards, he was instructed to drink a laxative tea.
After a really good bowel movement the next day, the pain magically subsided.
That said you may want to try this tip as well.
It is my hope that all these pointers above will come in handy in your use of
yoga for back pain relief-with the right poses. So go on and give it a shot
today.
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Informative
article on the benefits to core power yoga and how core power yoga helps you to
connect to your inner power
Keywords:
core power yoga,
power yoga, yoga, learn core power yoga, try core power yoga
Article Body:
Core power yoga
is an energetic yoga exercise that physically and mentally challenges to help
connect to inner power without stopping and accompanied by a heated, climate
controlled Vinyasa. It heals, detoxifies and stimulates the body and mind
through balance and intention.
Power yoga has created a dynamic, challenging program that combines strength,
sweat and spirituality. It recognizes power in different levels; first is the
physical power which develops the body’s strength and improve health; second is
the mental power or the will to concentrate on the practice; and last the
spiritual power which is the power behind the physical and mental power.
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Core power yoga is the Western version of the Indian Ashtanga Yoga. The term
was was given by Beryl Bender Birch, an Ashtanga Yoga teacher. It has been
brought to the west by followers of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, a renowned Sanskrit
scholar who inspired Western Yogis with his Ashtanga Yoga Style and
philosophies. There are three programs in power yoga. “Core Power” is designed to strengthen
abdominals and back and includes both abs-focused Vinyasa power yoga poses and
variations of muscle-toning moves. “Unlocking Athletic Power” will develop
flexible strength with an emphasis on abs, back, hips and pelvis. “Soul of
Strength” on the other hand is a fast-moving power yoga program with a distinct
“mid-body” emphasis and some very challenging moves. Yoga sessions are done in a heated room and composed of different
cardiovascular exercises intended to develop strength and flexibility, increase
stamina, improves the ability to focus, release tensions and remove toxins
through sweating. Core power yoga practice also requires the execution of yoga poses. Poses are
done in a fast pace, some poses are even held longer than the required five
breaths. This practice can increase physical endurance and ability to focus on
any task for a long time without breaking the concentration.