Yoga For Beginners - 7 Most Common Reasons Why You Must Start Yoga

Have you noticed the growing trend of people who practice yoga? Maybe you have thought about taking a yoga class but have reservations about the benefits of practicing?

There are many reasons why you may think about starting yoga. From my experience as a Sivananda Yoga Teacher and based on talking with my yoga students here are seven common reasons why you may want to start to learn yoga. Maybe one of these reasons applies to you.

Seven Most Common Reasons Why You Start Yoga

1. Yoga for Stress Relief.

A gentle yoga practice at the end of a stressful day is the ideal way to unwind and relieve tension from your body. This has to be the most popular reason why you start yoga. You're life is busy and full of conflicting demands. The constant hustle and bustle of modern day life means you have trouble switching off and relaxing. The essence of yoga is to encourage you to relax, take time out of your busy schedule and be present and focus on your breath. This instantly calms your mind and relaxes your body.

2. Yoga for Back Pain Relief
Have you ever suffered back pain or experienced sore, tense muscles? Yoga exercises are designed to gently stretch your muscles, increase the range of flexibility in your joints and bring suppleness to your spine. For example, yoga poses, such as the cobra, the locust or seated forward bend, all help to soothe your aching back.

3. Yoga for Inner Peace and Calm
If you are going through an emotional crisis or recovering from a severe illness, chances are you feel unhappy and unsettled about your situation. When you feel unhappy or down, your mind is agitated and it takes longer for the body to heal. Yoga breathing exercises and meditation practices help to promote a sense of ease and calm within the body and mind.

4. Yoga for Weight Loss
Yoga is the ideal exercise to encourage you to lose weight and develop positive eating habits. Yoga philosophy promotes a vegetarian diet based on natural, unprocessed foods.

In addition, yoga encourages you to be conscious of how you eat. Prior to eating, you bless your food and Give Thanks to the hands and souls who worked to grow your food and deliver it to your local supermarket. This sense of reverence and respect for what you eat and how you eat means you take time to select foods which nurture and nourish your body. Instead of mindlessly eating foods, on -the-go, or in front of the TV, from a yogic perspective, you consciously chew each morsel, the more you chew and take time to enjoy and digest your food, and the deeper is your sense of fulfilment from eating.

5. Yoga for Personal Development
Underpinning the physical aspects of yoga is a philosophy and way of living your life which guides you towards enlightenment. The ultimate goal of yoga is to unite with the divine and live a life of harmony and inner calm. The Yoga Sutras offers you a broad range of ethical and practical guidelines to living a healthy harmonious life. Many students gain inner strength, clarity and awareness of themselves through studying The Yoga Sutras

6. Yoga for Energy
Have you ever felt tired and zapped of energy? Yoga exercises can be used to stimulate and energise your mind and body. Blocked energy is released through the chakras, which correspond to key nerve centres or plexuses in the body. As the blocked energy is released you feel energised and revitalised.

7. Yoga for Health
Yoga offers you a truly holistic way of living your life. The physical postures promote a strong and healthy body, the philosophical guidelines offer you a simple natural way to experience life, meditation practices and breathing exercises all promote vitality and ease and comfort within your body.

As you can see, there are many reasons why you may consider practicing yoga. All reasons are valid. If you are thinking of starting yoga, take your time to find a qualified yoga teacher and enjoy your yoga journey.

"And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to my Special Report "Yoga Exercises and Breathing Exercises to Ease You Into Your Day" when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk/pages/ntathusfreeyogaandmeditationtips.php - Start your day with a smile, a relaxed body and a more peaceful mind."

From Ntathu Allen - Sivananda Yoga Teacher and Registered Polarity Therapist.

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Hot Yoga

The hot yoga or the Bikram Yoga is discovered by a popular yoga instructor named Bikram Chaudhuri. He is also the teacher of the Yoga College of India, established by him. The yoga is to be performed in a heated room having a temperature ranging from 95 degree to 100 degree Celsius. This would help the individual to get rid of toxic substances from the body without experiencing injury. The body becomes flexible with well toned muscles on working out with yoga on a regular basis.

This form of yoga has earned a considerable degree of controversy as the inventor had to move to the court regarding the enforcement of copyrights on the various forms of the yogic postures of Bikram Yoga. Later on an agreement ensured that he would stop suing San Francisco based yoga instructors while his opponents would not make use of the word' Bikram' for teaching the science of yoga.

Requirements of Hot Yoga

The information may help you to learn certain tips and requirements while performing the hot yoga.

• You are recommended to use mats and towel while doing the yoga. You would be profusely sweating while working out and so you are advised to use a towel of your own.

• You are advised to drink ample water before and after the yoga session. During the time of yoga your body would flush out fluid contents of the body in the form of sweat. So, you should drink adequate water in order to avoid dehydration.

• In case you have decided to go for this yoga you must join a yoga institute who has been certified to teach the prescribed 26 poses of the hot yoga.

The yoga might not be suitable for pregnant ladies and while performing the act of yoga considerable amount of heat would be generated in the body and as a result of which the normal body temperature would increases to quite an extent.

Benefits of Hot Yoga

• The yoga helps you to work with deep muscles and tendons including of internal organs of the body.

• You would also be effectively healed from any form of chronic pain.

• The yoga helps in attaining a perfect weight. It would also keep you out of stress.

On trying out right poses one would be able to attain a balanced and a well composed mind. The capability to focus on a certain objective increases manifold and the ability to stay calm even during the time of stress.

Isha has been part of many yoga programs. She has detailed knowledge on various types of yoga. You may search for a good health aid guide to know about hot yoga.

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Hatha Yoga – Good for healthy breathing

Hatha yoga is the way which has physical health and balance as a main goal, for its practitioners believe that greater mental and spiritual awareness can be brought about with a healthy and pure body.

Hatha yoga mainly concerns itself with asanas or postures. Asanas are contemplative in nature and were originally intuited by yogis during meditation; the Kundalini naturally brings forth these postures or movements, called Kriyas, during deep meditation. These movements help to remove blockages (disease) in the causal, subtle, and physical bodies.

As it has subsequently developed,hatha yoga has concentrated primarily on two of the eight paths, breathing and posture. We breathe roughly 23,000 times per day and use about 4,500 gallons of air, which increases during exercise. Thus, breathing is extremely important to health, and prana, or life-force, is found most abundantly in the air and in the breath. If we are breathing incorrectly, we are hampering our potential for optimal health. Pranayama, literally the "science of breathing" or "control of life force," is the yogic practice of breathing correctly and deeply.

The exercise of Pranayama in hatha yoga is essential to master ones' breathing patterns. If one can master breath, then the mastery of mind is within reach. Through breathing exercises the flow of prana or vital life force through the body is regulated. That energy is certainly needed on the further steps of Hatha Yoga that ultimately may lead to samadhi. Special breathing techniques, in which the flow of breath though both nostrils is alternated, brings balance to the two hemispheres of the brain, which is probably the central objective of Pranayama. Pranayama in hatha yoga also activates the Kundalini Energy.

The main elements of hatha yoga are
1) postures (asana),
2) cleansing practices (dhauti or shodhana),
3) breath control (pranayama),
4) locks (bandha, which temporarily restrict local flows of prana) and
5) hand gestures (mudra), all of which regulate the flow of prana and purify the inner and outer bodies.

The most wonderful part of Hatha Yoga is the ability to receive instant feedback. With an ever changing working surface, “The Body”, one is able to watch the unfolding take place. This may show up as greater flexibility, or the release of energy or life-force “prana”, as well as the intuition of what the body desires next in the form of movement to facilitate either healing or growth.

Practicing physical yoga is not difficult. By definition, asanas are bodily positions that are easy to hold comfortably. Regular practice will help you control your emotions and thus lead a more satisfying life. If you start yoga practice early in your life, it will dramatically reduce your risk of developing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other serious illnesses. The body readily responds to yoga postures. They are simple and should take only a few minutes a day. The reward, however, much exceeds invested efforts.

About the Author

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Getting Yoga Sticky Mats That Appeal to You

When a person makes a decision to join a yoga class, whether it be at home or a private class, they could soon find it hard to keep their hands and feet in place. If you are finding it difficult and awkward holding some of the poses it may be a great idea to go and buy one of those yoga sticky mats.

The design of yoga sticky mats is to be slightly sticky so when you are doing the more complex poses you will find it easier to hold your position without constantly having to make adjustments. As you get more into the session an individual may start to sweat, which could cause some slippage, so possibly purchasing a airex yoga mat will help to check this.

Most classes will offer yoga sticky mats for their customers to use, although they may be a small charge for this service. However, there could be a problem, because people will be sweating and placing their bare feet on the mats. Therefore, because of these possible problems, most people who choose to do yoga may decide to buy their own airex yoga mat.

Types of mat.

There are so many types of mats on the marketplace nowadays, and the prices can vary between $15 and $250. Because the typical airex yoga mat is made from rubber, you will find it easy to clean and roll up for carrying. Many of the mats come with bags and some come with a shoulder strap, either way it makes for ease of carrying. If you're concerned about bacterial buildup due to constant use then buy one of those antimicrobial yoga sticky mats for around $50.

For the people who are not to worried about bacteria but like their mats to look great, there are loads of yoga sticky mats in all sorts of different patterns and different colors. You'll also probably be able to buy a matching designer bag in the same color and design as your mat. There are also mats that are made of environmentally friendly material, such as recycled rubber or cotton.

Getting great trendy yoga clothes and yoga DVDs online will be a great help with your yoga practice, for more on yoga check out our website.

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Banish Burnout! Three Easy Yoga Breathing Exercises to Ease Your Stress at Work

Stress is the leading cause of occupational ill health in the UK.

As a Yoga Teacher, I see many students suffer from the physical and emotional symptoms of work place stress, for example, head/neck aches, snapping at colleagues, tiredness, ulcers and a general sense of overwhelm and worry.

The causes of work-place stress are quite obvious. There is the constant demand for your time and attention from multiple sources, deadlines and competing priorities, work presentations too name just a few. Learning how to relax and respond to these demands requires patience, skill and an ability to know, for example, when to stop and rest, when to say "no" and when to delegate task.

Known as pranayama, yoga breathing exercises, offer you an easy way to support your body to deal more efficiently with stressful conditions.

Good breathing is healthy breathing. Your breath is your connection to your life. You can survive for about six weeks without food and a few days without water. But without breathing, you would not survive for more than a few minutes.

In my experience as a yoga teacher, I notice that many students do not know how to breathe correctly, which has a knock-on effect on your physical, emotional and mental health.

Most students tend to breathe shallow, irregular and rapid. In extreme cases, you may forget to breathe during long periods of focused work. When you breathe correctly, you bring in rich oxygen into the body and help to eliminate carbon dioxide buildup in the body.

Learning to breathe correctly helps to release the symptoms of anxiety and tension. As you practice the following three yoga breathing exercises, you will notice that you feel calmer, more relaxed and able to produce a higher quality of work.

Three Easy Yoga Breathing Exercises To Ease Your Stress At Work

To help reduce stress and tension at work practice the following easy-to-do yoga breathing exercises, which you can do in your chair, at your desk. As with all yoga breathing exercises, be gentle, respect and listen to your body. If you feel uncomfortable, stop the exercise and return to normal breathing.

1. Counted Breath

• Sit comfortably on a chair, rest your hands on your thighs, uncross your ankles, place your feet apart flat on the floor and close your eyes.
• Next breathe in slowly through your nostrils for a count of four and slowly breathe out, throughout your nostrils for a count of four.
• Repeat this sequence of breathing in for 4 and out for 4 for 3 - 5 rounds.

Slowly open your eyes and remain seated for a few more moments before engaging with your day.

2. Deep Yogic Breathing

Either sit comfortably, arms relaxed, nice straight spine and feet resting firmly on the floor or lie down on your bed.
• Place your right palm on your lower abdomen and your left palm on your upper chest, just below your collar bones.
• Breathe slowly in through your nose and as you do so, consciously focus on sending your breath from your right hand up to your left hand, be aware of the hands raising on the in-breath and slowly lowering on the out breathe.
• Repeat this deep yogic breathing for 3 - 5 more times, each time, allowing the breath to be fuller and deeper.

3. Simple Alternate Nostril Breathing

Sit with your back straight and gently close your lips.
• Rest your left hand on your left thigh, hands facing upward and position your right hand in Vishnu Mudra (for Vishnu Mudra, extend the thumb, ring finger, and little finger of your right hand and fold down your other two fingers into your palm.)
• Close your right nostril with your right thumb and breathe in through your left nostril for a count of 4. Close your left nostril with your ring and little fingers.
• Lift your right thumb and breathe out through your right nostril for a count of 8. Then breathe in through the same nostril for a count of 4.
• Close your right nostril with your thumb and lift your fingers to exhale through your left nostril to a count of 8.

Repeat this sequence 5 - 10 times.

As you go through your day, take time, to be aware of your breathing and to practice at least one of the above yoga breathing exercises to reduce work-place stress. You will feel calmer, more alert, engerised and more importantly, relaxed.

"And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to my Special Report "Yoga Exercises and Breathing Exercises to Ease You Into Your Day" when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk/pages/ntathusfreeyogaandmeditationtips.php - Use these easy yoga exercise to gently stretch your body awake and start your day with a smile and a peaceful mind."

From Ntathu Allen - Sivananda Yoga Teacher and Registered Polarity Therapist.

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Yoga - Enjoy the Benefits of Siddha Yoga Practice

The main aim behind the various practices of this Yoga is to sustain life by maintaining a proper alignment with the dogma of the Siddha Yoga path. The meditation is one of the most significant practices, which enables the individual to experience his divine consciousness that is considered as the true nature.

Along with meditation, other practices include Chanting, Seva, Dakshina, Hatha Yoga, Satsang, and Retreat which take the students to the path of enlightenment with the grace of the Guru through Shaktipat inititation.

All these spiritual practices further help in developing a stronger and balanced mind along with an increased potential for love, magnanimousness, and service.

A) Basic awareness regarding Siddha Yoga information

It is one of the most mysterious and ancient arts in the world, which has covered a period of thousand of years. The various hidden truths of Siddha Yoga make everyone to learn the exact way of living their god-gifted life. It is also known as the yoga of activity, as it edifies the correct actions to be taken in all invigorating situations.

As discussed earlier, that this practice is a path towards internal development and internal improvement, therefore it protects the individual from being occupied by the internal dreams which have cropped up due to the bewildering influences of the external life.

The teachings of this Yoga have enabled the people to amend their destinies. Not only this, they can even bring a change in their internal attitude for various things and in their own actions.

Therefore, the life domineered by the principles of Yoga is totally different from that of an ordinary life, as the person becomes capable of facing the various troubles, difficulties, and failures of life after undergoing various practices of Yoga, but this is not so in the case of ordinary life.

B) Contribution in curing diseases

As we all know, that our modern medical science has classified the diseases in two major categories of Physical Diseases and Mental Diseases which are treated with various medicines or therapeutic applications.

But according to the studies of the Indian Sage, Patanjali, the diseases are categorized into three classes: Physical (Aadhidehik), Mental (Aadhibhautik), and Spiritual (Aadhidaivik).

This is so because, according to the ancient Indian sages, the sufferings in humans’ life are not due to the exposure to germs or pathogens, rather because of their actions in their past lives which is known as “The Spiritual Law Of Karma”.

It has been found by various spiritual masters that a spiritual disease can be cured by spiritual remedies which can further be done by practicing Yoga under the supervision of spiritual masters. Because, these spiritual remedies will enable the sufferers to cut down their web of Karmic past so as to free themselves from various diseases and to understand the main purpose of their lives via self-awakening.

Not only this, it has also been proved that Yoga has come up with the fruitful outcomes in curing various chronic disorders like arthritis, diabetes and even deadly diseases like cancer or AIDS. Furthermore it has always succeeded in the cases where the medical science has reached to their final limitations to cure various diseases.

About the Author

For more Articles, News, Information, Advice, and Resources about YOGA and MEDITATION please visit YOGA TIPS and MEDITATIONBUZZ

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Yoga Poses - Four Simple Poses For Fast Stress Relief

Are you looking for stress relief? Yoga is a great help. You can get great results from even 10 to 15 minutes of yoga per day. Here are several simple poses which will calm and relax you, instantly.

1. Mountain Pose Helps You to Center Yourself

The basic yoga pose is mountain pose, but because this pose is so simple many yoga enthusiasts tend to overlook its power. Mountain pose is an essential pose for stress relief.

Try it. Stand in mountain pose, making sure that your body is correctly aligned. Your weight should be balanced on both feet with the weight distributed between the balls of your feet and the heels. Breathe evenly, without straining, and remain in this pose with your eyes shoulders and neck relaxed for five full breaths.

How do you feel now? You feel better don't you? Mountain pose has an amazing effect, and the biggest benefit is that you can use this pose wherever you are.

2. Forward Bends Give You a New Perspective

Forward bends are relaxing. They have an even more relaxing effect than mountain pose. Get up from your desk, and find some space.

Begin in mountain pose, then bend forward at your hips and let your head hang freely. Stay in your forward bend for five full breaths. Now come back up into mountain pose. No matter how stressed you are, you'll find that the forward bend has relaxed you. This is a great pose if you're nervous. It will calm you down before you give a presentation, or just before an interview with your boss.

3 and 4. Upward and Downward Facing Dog Revitalize Your Spine and Build Your Courage

Upward and downward facing dog are basic yoga poses which you'll learn in any beginners' yoga class. These are two essential poses which you should do every single day. They have a wonderful effect in revitalizing your mind and body, and in eliminating stress. This is because these two poses manipulate your spine in beneficial ways.

Your entire nervous system relies on the health of your spine. All nerves originate from the spinal cord, therefore a healthy spine means that you will handle stress well and that your whole system will be in harmony.

Practice these two poses every day, either in the morning or in the evening; just spend five breaths in each pose. Whenever you're under stress, consider yoga first. You can count on yoga to be your primary stress management tool; just ten minutes a day of yoga can make a big difference in your life.

Discover yourself with yoga, a gentle form of stretching. Yoga strengthens both your body and mind, and is suitable for anyone, from children to seniors. Visit Easy Fab Yoga Blog at http://www.easyfabyoga.com/blog/ for daily yoga information, tips, and inspiration.

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Yoga - 3 Moves to Reshape Your Posterior Fast

Do you want to get a better butt? Do you want to get stronger from feet to fingertips?

Try these three postures. All you need is your yoga mat.

-Hip Bridge. Lie on your back. Your knees bent at 90-degrees and over inline with your heels. Have both hands on the floor relaxed, palms down. Now inhale and lift your hips, driving the heels into the ground and squeezing your glutes at the top. Hold for several calming, deep breaths and lower slowly. You can make it harder by holding a pair of dumbbells or weights on top of your pelvis as you press them towards the sky.

-Star Five-Point. With your feet wide apart, arms to the sides outstretched, wrist in line over your ankles, Your body forms a star shape as your head as the top point. Now, turn toes out and tilt your pelvis up. Squeeze those glutes and make sure you tuck your tailbone under. Squat down (plie-style) with knees overextending your toes. While Plie, sweep your arms inward toward the chest and exhale. Palms facing each other. Breath in as you return to the starting position.

-Warrior Two. If you've done a lunges, you know how you it can make your legs feel like they're burning. Well, this one I feel is tougher. Do this one 3-4 times per side. With feet wide with, turn your left foot pointing at a 45-degree angle. As you press the outer edge of your right foot, lift both arms straight about shoulder height. Bend your left knee until your thigh is parallel with the ground with knee tracking over the toes (not passing it). Keep the tummy tight, look over your left side over your hand. Keep the shoulders relaxed. You'll hold for about 12-15 seconds. Straighten left leg and repeat to the other leg.

Do these moves and you'll better from the back in no time.

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Asthanga Yoga

The asthanga yoga is a stream of Yoga which is based on the principle of synchronizing one's breath with various physical postures. This helps to produce heat and eventually profuse sweat that works as a detox agent for the muscles and the internal organs. The word 'Asthanga' means eight limbed yoga as stated by the ancient sage patanjali in his book yoga sutras. According to the book the asthanga helps to purify oneself and revealing self universally through eight spiritual ways; yama or moral codes, niyama or self study, asana or postures, pranayama or controlling of breath, pratyahara or controlling of the senses, dharana or concentration, dhyana or meditation and Samadhi or contemplation.

Astanga Yoga Information

The following information on 'Asthanga' would help you to understand the efficacy in purifying the body and soul with the help of the yoga sutras.

• Yama refers to the five main abstentions; ahimsa or non violence, satya or truth, asteya or non covetousness, brahmacharya or abstaining of oneself from sexual intercourse when not married and maintaining monogamy when married. This also includes not breeding of any unholy thoughts of sexuality towards a man or a woman apart from his or her spouse. The fifth abstention is aparigraha or non possessiveness.
• The word niyama means the five observances like the shaucha or keeping of body and the mind clean, santosha or satisfaction, tapas or maintenance of a life of austerity or a well disciplined lifestyle including controlling of mind and body, svadhaya or studying of the vedic scriptures to know about God and the awakening of the soul and the last being the Ishvarapranidhana meaning complete submission to the God.
• Asana, meaning performing of disciplined postures of the body under a certain set of rules in order to purify the body by keeping it disease and germ free and also keeping the vital energy of the body intact.
• The Pranayama or the controlling of the breath helps individuals to have a steady body and increases the capacity to concentrate mind on a certain study.
• The pratyahara means the controlling of the senses for a better human life. One has to withdraw the basic senses from the earthly objects.
• Dharana is one of the three main aids of the yoga or the ashtanga sadhana where the individual has to concentrate his mind in any object like a burning lamp, the point in between the two eyebrows or on some image of deity.
• Dhyana or meditation. While meditating the concentration on the object would be in the form of an undisturbed flow without any interference.
• Samadthi or the oneness with the object of meditation.

There are two types of Samadhi which are known as amprajnata Samadhi or conscious Samadhi and Asamprajnata Samadhi or supraconsciousness.

Isha is an yoga expert. She has taken part in many programs of yoga. To learn about asthanga yoga you are recommended to search for a good Indian health aid guide.

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Cheap Yoga Pants

Some people, when first beginning their practice of yoga, opt for a pair of cheap yoga pants. And, of course, that's fine. You don't really even need any sort of specialized yoga clothing to get started. Any sort of loose clothes like sweat pants or cargo shorts will do.

But like with most things in life, you like to look good where ever you go, even in yoga class. First of all, if you've practiced yoga for even the smallest length of time, you know that you don't want any yoga pants that are too tight or restrictive. With the number of postures and stretching exercises that you will practice you'll need something loose and flowing. As well as being restricting, tight pants can be distracting.

Obviously, given the meditative quality of the system, comfort is of the highest importance. Even cheap yoga pants come in a wide variety of styles, colors, and fabrics. You might want to limit yourself to bright solid colors, although I've seen a number of very attractive prints. You might also want to get a recognizable illustration on your yoga clothes as well. Perhaps something like the "Om" symbol or a likeness of the Buddha.

As far as fabric choice goes, most people like natural (non man made) products like cotton, silk, satin, hemp, or linen. And I can understand this. You are going to be working out pretty hard and are guaranteed to work up quite a sweat and most folks don't like the feeling of wet synthetic fabric sliding against their bare skin.

Unless you live near a big city you might have a hard time finding a store that sells a good quality garment like Lucy yoga pants. So you may have to purchase your items at an on line store. Look for a site that sells yoga pants for man, woman, and child to get the widest selection.

If you are looking for some cheap yoga pants, then feel free to click on my new site: Yoga Pants Online

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Learning Basic Yoga Positions

Yoga is a traditional form of exercise that came from India centuries ago. The purpose behind yoga is to be at peace with the mind, body, and soul through meditation, breathing, and movement. The physical focus of yoga is holding poses and positions with the proper alignment and posture. There are different yoga positions and some are more challenging than others.

When you first start practicing yoga, you should be prepared to see positions that are seated, standing, and lying down. As you progress the positions will get more challenging and will help to build your muscle tone and flexibleness.

Seated yoga positions are just some of the most typical yoga positions and are typically simple to maintain. Seated positions usually target the learning of correct breathing techniques, posture and alignment. Seated yoga positions are an introductory way for new learners to acquaint themselves with the principals of yoga.

There are many varieties of standing yoga positions. These positions help in improving stamina, flexibility, and target correct spinal alignment whilst still using correct breathing methods. These poses help to lengthen and brace the backbone and increase spinal adaptability.

Supine yoga positions can help to alleviate back trouble if done properly, but it is important to find a recommended expert to make certain that you are using correct postures and alignments. There also are yoga positions that are superb for toning the stomach muscles and developing higher body strength. Belly down yoga positions are just some of the positions that are good for this and need learners to lift themselves up from the ground while stretching.

Another main focus of yoga is balance, and there are many positions that are designed to improve balance and coordination. Balancing yoga positions help to improve overall muscle tone as well as to achieve correct posture and maintain balance. Holding certain yoga positions while balancing your weight is a great way to improve your overall fitness.

Some yoga positions require movement instead of holding a specific pose. Twisting, bending, and using fluid movements are a great way to improve flexibility and will help you to work towards mastering more challenging poses.

About the Author

Are you reluctant to spend money going for yoga classes just to learn a few yoga positions and poses? Do you want to learn the basics of yoga positions? Are you searching for different yoga positions that you can learn easily without any professional help? Here you will find a complete guide to yoga poses which you can learn all on your own! Go to http://www.free-online-yoga.com now for free yoga positions!

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Yoga For Work-Life Balance

Yoga was a big thing during the 60s. However, it soon began to drop in popularity. People undertaking yoga as an exercise soon lost patience with the activity, due to its slow but steady results, and turned their interest to a faster pace of exercise such as aerobics. However, yoga has turned once again in the popularity ratings and become a very attractive form of exercise for people who are interested in working out rather than working towards a spiritual goal.

You will find that yoga is a great stretch and flexibility program. It is being used increasingly by those who have trouble balancing their work and personal life. The personal lives of modern day executives are affected by a stressful working environment and a frantic schedule, so they turn to yoga to help them bring a little peace to their mind and to adopt a perfect work-life balance.

It is also agreed by many runners, weight trainers, and aerobic dancers that exercise regimes do in actual fact add more stress to their lives rather than reducing it.

Many people use their lunch hour to work out, forcing themselves to keep up their exercise regime, and then return in a rush back to work. Yes, maybe this is good for them, but it is just an added pressure. Well, yoga is much less competitive, less stressful, and it gives you a wonderful sense of being.

The key to its renewed popularity is almost certainly its healing aspect. When people push their fitness levels they are bound to suffer with strained knees, aching backs and neck pains which are generated not only by the physical power that they put into it, but also the stress of making it a competitive world. Yoga is nowadays being recommended to patients by many orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, and neurologists as part of their treatment plan.

The ancient practice is growing in interest in the mind-body connection and it is also boosted by research that suggests that it can reduce stress and blood pressure, as well as improve work performance and even slow down the effects of aging.

Mainstream hospitals and business are now teaching several techniques. This is being done using books, discussion groups, and even using the Internet.

The Army is even interested. It has requested that the National Academy of Sciences study meditation and other new age techniques that may enhance soldiers' performance.

Details do differ. However, a common theme is relaxing the body while the mind is kept alert and focused, whether it is on an object, sound, breath or body movement. If the mind wanders, and it generally does, you can gently bring it back down and begin again.

Stress related problems do in actual fact account for 60% to 90% of U.S. doctors visits, whilst mind-body approaches are very often more effective and cost effective, than drugs or surgery. For instance, 70% of insomniacs become regular sleepers, 34% of infertile patients become pregnant within six months, and visits to the doctor are reduced by 36%.

About the Author

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of My-Personal-Growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development.

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Yoga - Contraindications For Inversions

As we practice yoga poses we want to do also inversions. Most common inversions are the Headstand and the Shoulderstand. But there are not only those two poses which are the inverted asanas.

Any posture in which the head is below the heart is called an inversion. Whether you stand on your head, bend forward or bend back, if your head is below your heart, you are performing an inversion.

This also means that Downward Facing Dog, Standing Forward Bend and Fish pose are also inversions; although those poses are mild in comparison to a Headstand. The Camel pose can also be an inversion if you bend back far enough.

Remember - inversions are not for everyone!

Your intentions should be clear when you perform any yoga posture. If the risks may outweigh the benefits there is no logical reason why you should practice any pose which can harm you.

Contraindications for practicing inversions:

If you have any of the following conditions, please omit inversions or work with a qualified and experienced teacher who will never put you at risk and tried to modify your practice.

Anyone who has high blood pressure, heart related problems, eye issues, neck problems, epilepsy, previous stroke or sinus problems should never practice Headstand or Shoulderstand, and omit other mild inversions or be adjusted by the yoga teacher.

During any stage of pregnancy yoga should be practiced in a prenatal yoga classes specifically designed for that purpose or privately with a qualified pregnancy yoga teacher.

During menstruation Headstand and Shoulderstand preferably should be omitted and other milder inversions should not be hold for long, but because of the controversy about the inversions during menstruation it is your personal choice. Let your body guide you.

If you are a yoga teacher explain to your students why the inversions can be dangerous for them if they have any of the condition mentioned earlier.

Why not stand on your head when you have pain in your neck or neck injury? What first thing will come to your mind as you there? Ouch ... my neck! Can my small neck carry my whole weight as I am inverted?

Most students put lots of weight on their head and neck instead of shoulders. Use your common sense and listen to your body. Intuition will never let you down.

Why omit headstand if I have high blood pressure? Because the danger is when your blood pressure increase from 100/60 mm Hg while standing on your feet to 150/110 mm Hg or even higher when you go for headstand.

By: Barbara Tomasik

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Different Steps In Yoga

Yoga is among the most effective fitness exercises routines around. Beyond being just a fitness routine it's a way of life, and this is the major reason many people prefer to adopt yoga as a way to gain and sustain fitness. The foundation below which the practice of yoga was established was to attain physical, mental and spiritual strength for the body. Yoga focuses on creating synchronization between the mind and body. The whole theory is reform one's life and comprises certain critical steps that take one down the path to being a successful 'yogi'.

Steps in Yoga:

To be successful at Yoga, you have to adopt the following steps in your daily routine;

1. Yama and Niyama: the first step in yoga is to consciously practice the ethics of yoga until they become habit and second nature. This is where yama and niyama come in. Yama means restraints, the things one has to avoid in life. Niyama means the practices and ethics that have to be observed.

2. Asana and Pranayama: this step is where the physical training steps in. postural training for physical is done to attain and ensure physical fitness in the yoga doctrine. It is a series of body-control instructions that need to be followed carefully and with precision. I yoga, breathing has a vital role to play for physical well being as well. the breath is considered as the 'life force', and when this is strengthen and passed with energy throughout the body, the individual becomes strong. Yoga hones the life-sustaining bio-energy through proper breathing and builds the body's immune system. The general rule for breathing while performing yoga exercises is to take long deep breaths.

3. Pratyahara: this is the abstraction or dissociation of the mind from sensory disturbances and is achieved through controlling both the external and internal senses. This actually serves to better synchronize the mind and body. The process circulates around relaxation, centralization and introversion.

4. Dharana and Dhyana: this step begins off with building concentration but eventually progresses into a seamless transition into meditation. The mind is taken out of the worldly context, looks inward in an effort to achieve the pure body and the pure mind. The final goal in this case being Kaivalya or the consciousness absolute.

5. Samadhi: This is the final stage of yoga when a person attains trance-consciousness. He remains stationary and there is a brief suspension of the life power. It is a moment of continuous bliss and eternal peace when one is laid to relax in both body and mind and "can observe into the life of things".

Thus you see that yoga is not simply an exercise regime to be adopted while at the gym or Yoga centre. For those who want yoga to truly influence their lives, there is a whole doctrine of living that needs to be followed. As well, if you do not just want physical well fitness, but rather aspire for peace and the equipment to better deal with the stressful life that exists all around us, then yoga has a methodological support system that will actually overhaul your complete life. It may seem like it's maybe too time consuming, but putting in a few minutes everyday will get you started and you will soon see time make itself.

By: richersiamon

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