Yoga and Back Pain
By Jennifer Jordan
Back pain is a part of many people's lives. From long hours of sitting in a chair staring at a computer to the moments spent lifting up a heavy box to the hours spent toting a three-year old around on a hip, pain often manifests in one of the workhorses of our body: the back. While this sort of pain may simply seem like a load to bear, something with which we all must deal, there are ways of lessening it, getting the proverbial monkey off our back completely.
Many people plagued by back pain have recently turned to yoga, using it as a way to condition their body by the way they think and feel about its relation to their mind and spirit. Yoga moves every joint in your body. You begin to realize where you hold tension in your body and this allows you to let it go. You can actually make changes and live your life in a tension free relaxed manner. Along these lines, pain is sometimes informative. It's your body's way of saying that it's time to change your habits. Yoga encourages us to explore pain, using it as a way to understand our body and habits.
Restorative yoga helps you become aware of and relax chronic tension held in the muscles, for example, muscles along the spine and in the neck and shoulders. Decreased chronic tension can begin to relieve back pain that manifests. A healthy resilient spine distributes weight throughout the whole body. With correct posture, you can help prevent muscular tension in the back and future structural problems, as well as give your internal organs room to function normally.
Conditioning the entire body - especially the legs, back and stomach muscles helps support the back and spine. These muscles bear a lot of the body’s physical load and they are highly conducive to proper posture and correct alignment. Thus, when these muscles are strong and resilient, the support comes from the inside out. A well conditioned body allows it to self-regulate and the pain that once plagued you begins to subside.
In addition to relaxing and strengthening muscles, yoga also elongates them through flexibility. For people with back problems, particularly lower back problems, flexibility is highly important. Stretching and improving the flexibility of a seemingly unrelated muscle, such as the hamstring, decreases the amount of stress placed on the back, ultimately decreasing tension and pain.
But, flexibility doesn’t stop there, flexing its muscles in other aspects. In addition to relieving the stress and tension placed on a person’s back, flexibility also increases circulation, sending nutrients into back muscles and filtering toxins out of them. This nourishes back muscles and muscle tissue, leaving them healthier and more properly armed for pain prevention. Proper breathing, one of the backbones of yoga, is also essential to quieting back pain. Many times people erroneously perform yoga poses with their breath held, creating stress on their body. This tendency, however, must be broken in order for proper breathing to promote the body’s natural healing potential. Once people have learned to take deep, rhythmic, natural breaths, their body becomes relaxed, freeing them of pain-causing restrictions and facilitating proper circulation.
Proper breathing also oxygenates the body, which creates harmony and calm, producing a better balanced being.
Making a commitment to the techniques taught in yoga can help commit our backs to a less painful existence. The practice of yoga is intended to improve a person’s well being not merely for one 75 minute session at a time, but for a lifetime. When a person begins applying the knowledge they learn in yoga class - correct posture and relaxed breathing to all their waking hours - proper body alignment begins to manifest. This, while improving general health, also protects the curvature of the spine, an element that is essential to the decrease in, and prevention of, back pain.
While the ways yoga physically helps a person’s back can be researched, checking out medical journals and highlighting important phrases, only those who practice yoga can fully grasp the way it mentally benefits back pain. One benefit is through the art of self-awareness. Self-awareness helps us to better understand our body’s capabilities, and its limitations. By knowing these, we are far less likely to strain our body in such a way that causes back pain. This is because self-awareness leads to empowerment, empowering us to be proactive in our own pain prevention.
Another way yoga mentally benefits back pain is through the concept of perception. Perception is the way we look at things; it conceptualizes the old “glass half empty or half full” adage. We all recall scraping our knees as children and thinking that it didn’t hurt until we saw our own blood flowing through an open wound. At the sight of this, our perception of the injury worsened and the pain skyrocketed. The perception, alone, fueled the pain. Similarly, when we perceive our back pain with negative thoughts – thoughts of hopelessness and despondency - the pain will undoubtedly worsen.
Yoga, however, is a vehicle of positive thinking. By teaching people to embrace thoughts of gratitude, hope, and encouragement, yoga helps us to alter our perception of things, spinning our perception of pain into a more positive light - a gift actually. This is, ultimately, one of the greatest ways to get pain off our backs for good.
TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health.
It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential.
Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of http://www.yogatwisted.com Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.
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With Yoga, Getting Slim And Trim Is Now Easier Than Before
By Thomas Choo
It is no secret that yoga promotes a healthful and balanced lifestyle. When practised together with a calorie burning regime, it may show exceptional results in terms of weight control.
Practicing yoga will also encourage your metabolism, increasing the calorie burning process, but you should not see it as an all-encompassing method. In addition to losing weight you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, greater resistance to stress factors and an all-round healthier way of living.
Let's get a little technical here. Metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a factor of the endocrine system. It is responsible for the substance processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a string of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the intimate organs, therefore boosting metabolism to burn more calories and reduce your body weight.
Enhanced local circulation is another direct result with yoga postures and this leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie usage, your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the needed energy.
Different back bends, coupled with frontward bends, are meant to stimulate metabolism. Poses that touch the isthmus area, where the thyroid gland is situated, are especially valuable as weight problems are sometimes caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand.
For people who are significantly overweight some of the bends may prove to be a difficult task to accomplish. They should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until they are confident enough to move to more complex exercises.
Muscles can be strengthened with standing poses, such as the warrior. Energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama.
A proper diet should also be followed to sustain the holistic weight loss system. Try to consume food rich in fiber, vegetables, whole grains and fewer high fat and processed food items. Do not completely eliminate certain food stuff from your menu and remember that diversity is the key to a satisfactory diet.
A gradual approach is vital with all yoga practices. Results may not be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available. In addition to weight control, yoga can also benefit you from an increased protection against adverse factors as well as a broad feeling of well being and inner peace.
Visit Free Online Yoga, at http://www.free-online-yoga.com, a free online yoga resource for all yoga enthusiasts and beginners. Packed with informative resources and articles contributed by yoga practitioners.
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Yoga in Practice: From Worrier to Warrior I
By Paul Jerard
Is worry like a “monkey on your back,” or is it a monkey in the mind? Are you in a state of perpetual worry? Is all this worrying affecting your sleep patterns? Can Yoga help you to calm down? Below are some Yogic solutions for worrying.
Many Yoga teachers talk about “living in the moment.” The chronic worrier needs to live for now and put the past behind him or her. The past cannot be changed, but any one of us can change the present and future.
Any past mistakes should be learned from. Mistakes are hidden treasures that shape us for the best, when we learn from them.
This concept, which is also called “mindfulness,” is taught by Yoga teachers, but it is a universal principle. Mindfulness might also be taught by a Buddhist monk, but what exactly is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is awareness, awakening, and appreciation of the present moment. Why wait until you have more money to enjoy your life? Why look at the next big problem as the end of all problems?
Life is a journey and you might as well “enjoy the ride.” When you are in a Yoga class, focus on the lesson at hand. Do your personal best, and use your breath as a tool for the connection between mind and body.
Yoga creates a state of tranquility and harmony. In contrast, worrying creates a state of restlessness, anxiety, and mindlessness.
Therefore, Yoga creates the exact opposite frame of mind. Can you get the same effect from a Yoga tape? Sorry to say, Yoga tapes and DVD’s gather dust very well. You might watch one a few times, but the cat jumps on you, the kids are hungry, or somebody is calling you on the telephone.
Life is full of distractions. You can be a slave to distraction, uneasiness, worry, and less sleep, or you can take action by participating in your Yoga class. When you do not take time out for yourself, your health will suffer.
Consider your Yoga class to be “me time.” This is time you need to improve your well-being. There is no “short cut” to good holistic health. Many have tried to design a pill for the illusion of good health, but so far, all the public gets are the side effects.
You can take positive action against worrying - by practicing Yoga. The practice of Yoga is a method used for thousands of years as a counter to aging, suffering, and stress. Take action for yourself and attend a Yoga class.
© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.
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Strength, Flexibility, and Balance
By Jennifer Jordan
From those of us who can bench press 200 pounds to those of us who can barely bench the bar, from those of us who are contortionists to those of us who can only touch our toes when our knees are at a 90 degree angle, we all know that strength, flexibility, and balance are important factors in preventing injuries from sports, accidents, and everyday life. But, what about when an injury does occur - catching you off guard and sneaking into your body before you can swat it away - what happens then? Can the balance between strength and flexibility you've worked at maintaining help you to heal faster?
Renew your gym and yoga memberships, the answer is yes.
When it comes to muscle strength, the benefits are almost limitless. Not only does greater muscle mass facilitate metabolism and booster immunity, which helps heal injuries, but it also improves oxidative capacity of muscles, rushing the life force of oxygen to the area in need of attention. Additionally, muscular strength supports cardiorespiratory fitness, helping your heart to deliver minerals and nutrients to the point of injury.
From an emotional standpoint, having a body filled with strong muscles can help relieve stress, and produce confidence in your body and its ability to heal itself, both of which are factors in rebounding from an injury at an accelerated rate.
Strength is often viewed as muscle mass and bulk, but true strength is the ability of a muscle to contract when it needs to work and to relax when it doesn't. If your muscles are always working you will soon become fatigued and have no inner strength to deal with the most basic stressors of everyday life.
Inner strength doesn't have all to do with muscle strength; it also has to do with your ability to find your center in gravity: to feel the balance of your skeleton in the matrix of surrounding connective tissue, muscles, and organs. Orienting yourself around your center allows you to move out into the world from this place with ease and grace. From here any exercise you choose to do to build muscular strength will support integration, balance and harmony rather than more tension through the fabric of your being.
Flexibility, not to be overshadowed by muscular strength, also markets itself as a tool for healing. Our body has natural methods of healing stored within, and flexibility plays a vital part in making these methods work to their fullest capacity; flexibility is like adding grease to the wheels. It greatly improves circulation, which rushes nourishing blood to the areas crying out for help. Circulation also rushes antibodies and endorphins to the area of concern.
In addition, flexibility can help develop self-awareness, which helps you to become aware of, and adequately cater to, any injury you may sustain. It also improves both physical and mental relaxation; a person who is relaxed and at ease will heal much quicker than one who is rigid and tense. And, like muscular strength and inner strength, it lessons the accumulation of stressors on the body, which can greatly hinder the healing process.
While they might not prevent all injuries, cultivating strength, flexibility, and balance will help limit the power of your injuries, keeping them from getting worse, as well as aid you in a speedier recovery process.
TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential.
Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of for http://www.yogatwisted.com. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.
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Practice Yoga for Anger Management
By Paul Jerard
Anger is such a powerful, negative emotion. It is much similar to an amusement park ride you wish you had never tried. Many of us believe anger must just run its natural course. How could Yoga really help you with anger management?
Yoga helps develop awareness at all levels, and you must be able to identify the “triggers” to losing self-control. This technique cannot prepare you for every situation in life, but it can help you with knowing the source of your problems.
For example: Let’s say we have constant fits of anger in traffic. We have identified part of the problem. To go a bit deeper: Are we worried about being late or do we just get anxiety in crowds and traffic jams? Once we know the answer, we can work toward a solution.
Depending upon the exact source of our anger, there could be a Yoga technique to solve it. If the problem is anxiety, while in a crowd or traffic jam, we can work on Yoga breathing techniques. In some cases, we may want to work on our Yoga breathing (Pranayama) - before we get into the car.
Attending Yoga classes will bring your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being into focus. You will learn Yogic relaxation techniques at the end of most Yoga classes.
You will also become much more aware of being short of breath, chest pains, feeling over anxious, heart palpitations, and any other unhealthy side effects that can be associated with fits of anger.
Due to your new-found awareness from Yoga practice, you may start to realize that an extra cup of coffee could be “digging an early grave” for you. Yoga practitioners are much more aware of their blood pressure than people who do not practice Yoga.
Hatha Yoga practice will allow your body to vent anger. Whether you practice a Restorative Yoga style that holds postures, or you practice a flowing Vinyasa Yoga style - the unhealthy negative feelings of anger, and its side effects, can be released from your body within a Yoga class.
Anger is similar to a mental toxin, which must be purged from your body on a daily basis. Pranayama, meditation, relaxation techniques, Yoga postures, and Yoga philosophy, may also help you with the power of forgiveness.
Forgiveness allows you to let past issues go. You must let anger go, with your past, for your own heath and well-being. It is extremely unhealthy to hold onto hate and anger.
In cases of extreme anger, a Yoga class might not be enough to help you rid your body, and mind, of your angry feelings. In such a case, you should seek professional counseling. Some psychologists, and psychiatrists, recommend Yoga and counseling to their patients. Only you will truly know which method, or combination of methods, gives you the best results.
© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. For Yoga classes and Yoga teacher workshops in Attleboro visit: www.riyoga.com Paul has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.
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The Spiritual Benefits of Yoga
By Jennifer Jordan
Spirit, or being "Spiritual," is not an act of obtaining something outside of yourself or a search for something you can't see or feel. Spirit is inside you in the form of your breath. Spirit is You. It is your vitality that animates You - pulsing through you, all around you, never failing in support. Spirituality is "remembering" on a daily basis that as you feel and observe your breath you are connected to the greater universal pulse of life. The practice of yoga and mindfulness can soften your edges and begin to dissolve the crust around your heart so that you can open up to the experience of this amazing radiance.
Rhythm and pulsation are intrinsic to all life, from the beating of bacterial cilia to the alternating cycles of photosynthesis and respiration in plants, to the circadian rhythms of our own body and its biochemistry. These rhythms of the living world are embedded within the larger rhythms of the planet itself, the ebb and flow of the tides, the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen cycles of the biosphere, the cycles of night and day, the seasons. Our very bodies are joined with the planet in a continual rhythmic exchange as matter and energy flow back and forth between our bodies and what we call “the environment.”
Someone once calculated that, on the average, every seven years all the atoms in our body have come and gone, replaced by others from outside of us. This in itself is interesting to think about: What are we if little of the substance of our bodies is the same in any decade of our lives?
One way this exchange of matter and energy happens is through breathing. With each breath, we exchange carbon dioxide molecules from inside our bodies for oxygen molecules from the surrounding air: waste disposal with each out-breath, renewal with each in-breath. If this process is interrupted for more than a few minutes, the brain becomes starved for oxygen and undergoes irreversible damage.
The breath has a very important partner in its work, namely the heart. Think of it this way: this amazing muscle never stops pumping during our entire lifetime. It begins beating in us long before we are born and it just keeps on beating, day in and day out, year in and year out without a pause, without a rest for our entire life!
As with the breath, the heartbeat is a fundamental life rhythm. The heart pumps the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs via the arteries and their smaller capillaries to all the cells of the body, supplying them with oxygen they need to function. As the red blood cells give up their oxygen, they load up with the carbon dioxide that is the major waste product of all living tissue. The carbon dioxide is then transported back to the heart through the veins and from there pumped to the lungs, where it is discharged into the atmosphere on the out-breath. This is followed by another in-breath, which again oxygenates the hemoglobin carrier molecules that will be pumped throughout the body with the next contraction of the heart. This is literally the pulse of life in us, the rhythm of the primordial sea internalized, the ebb and flow of matter and energy in our bodies.
The breath plays an extremely important role in mindfulness and healing. Breathing is an incredibly powerful ally and teacher in the practice. The fundamental pulsations of the body are particularly fruitful to focus on during yoga practice because they are so intimately connected with the experience of being alive.
Yoga provides for self reflection, allowing students to become aware of their body, their feelings, and their surrounding. This makes people more in tune to their own needs as well as the needs of others. What this results in is empowerment. As the old saying “knowledge is power” goes, knowledge of self promotes a person’s ability to achieve. When a person truly knows who they are, they are able to play a vital role in who they become.
While many people find themselves waiting for the perfect moment to be on a spiritual path - when the kids are older, when a new job is obtained, when summer comes - the time is really NOW, in this blessed moment to tune inward and remember that your spirit is as close as your breath.
The practice of yoga and mindfulness teaches people to not only do things that help them on a physical level, but also on an emotional and spiritual level. This knowledge is, ultimately, the stepping stones people need to fully integrate their mind, body, emotions and spirit. Mind-Body integration is not just a personal health strategy; it is a potentially evolutionary movement of consciousness and spirituality.
TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential.
Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of for http://www.yogatwisted.com. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.
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Yoga and Gratitude
By Jennifer Jordan
Gratitude is something we often forget about on a day to day basis. Sure, we try to maintain it, appreciating that we have things that we want, like good jobs, and grateful that we don’t have things that we don’t want, like bird flu. But, no matter how hard we try to have it, in every day life it’s easy to lose; gratitude often falls through the cracks like the ease of car keys becoming lost in the cushions of a couch.
Gratitude is a virtue or law that manifests gratefulness, appreciation, and thankfulness. It is thought of as the first law of attraction, the springboard from which a pathway towards moment to moment self awareness gains momentum. It is what allows us, as human beings, to grow.
When it comes to yoga, some may assume that gratitude means tipping your instructor at the end of class. However, gratitude and yoga actually go hand in hand, with each affecting the other. This actually makes a lot of sense, considering both gratitude and yoga are strong advocates of self awareness and mindfulness - they on are the same team, coaching each of us on how to ease into the flow of life, rather than bumping up against life and losing sight of what we are thankful for.
Yoga promotes a person’s emotional and physical well being. And, as studies have shown, so does gratitude. It’s as if both are vitamins for the soul. Yoga and gratitude both improve a person’s ability to handle stress (which directly impacts physical health) and improve the way a person interacts with others. Both also rid the body of negative emotions, replacing them with positive ones. When this happens, good health generates itself.
Many people likely find gratitude in exercise at the end of a workout, grateful that their arduous routine is over and they feel refreshed. But, yoga isn’t merely about working out, and it’s not just about exercise.
Yoga and gratitude are on the same wave length, as if cast from the shell of positive thinking. Gratitude, because it’s a way of looking at things, and yoga, because it teaches people to embrace the present moment, are naturally able to enhance each other. Gratitude is a way of deeply appreciating the full spectrum of life – the good and the bad, the joy and the suffering. Yoga provides a mindful practice to invite one to respond to the full spectrum of life from the highest place with in oneself. Gratitude teaches people to gain peace of mind. So does yoga. Because both gratitude and yoga feed off of each other, practicing the two together will enhance the benefits of each one. Yoga is a practice that opens the gateway into the wellspring of gratitude that resides within you.
But gratitude isn’t limited to yoga, of course. Being grateful in all aspects of life is essential to a person’s well being. Appreciating your family, your friends, your job, and anything else conducive to happiness facilitates your physical and emotional health.
But, just like other things that are important to health – exercising, eating right, getting adequate sleep – the concept of gratitude can be one that is hard to make adhere. Like mentioned before, gratitude can be easy to lose in the couch cushions of life. But, there are a few tricks of the trade aimed at helping gratitude flourish.
Setting aside a few moments a day, perhaps five or ten minutes, to just reflect on what it is you appreciate today can be helpful. Another thing that can be helpful is getting a small notebook and writing down three or five small things that you are grateful for, like the sunshine, the time to reflect, clean clothes, and a warm cup of tea. Writing is a great tool for self reflection, writing down thoughts of what are you thankful for helps you cultivate gratitude. So much of our health and overall well being is determined by the way we think, programming our brains will program our lives.
Many of us still remember, as children, roaming the halls of our elementary school and walking underneath a sign that read, “Attitude is Everything.” Rolling our eyes at it in childhood angst, we probably didn’t buy this concept. But, as adults, we’ve come to realize that it turns out to be true. Remember, “For Everything, Give Thanks.”
TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential.
Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of for http://www.yogatwisted.com/. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.
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Getting Aligned with Yoga
By Jennifer Jordan
For many of us, the word “alignment” may garner up images of our car. Thinking of a Chevrolet or Honda each time we hear the word muttered, we may ponder the need for an oil change. But, just as it’s essential to automobiles, a person’s physical alignment plays an important part in overall health; sometimes we need our own alignment adjusted. Alignment is also a vital part of the human body, one that can be greatly improved through yoga. And, along these lines, one’s yoga practice can be greatly improved through proper alignment of the various poses.
Alignment, by definition, can mean many different things. Medically, it is defined as the “longitudinal position of a bone or limb.” In non-scientific terms, it means “a state of harmony.” From the biological standpoint of yoga, the first definition applies. From a spiritual standpoint, the latter proves true.
Many people, when it comes to alignment, assume that it is merely technique. While alignment isn’t just about technique - the waters run much deeper - technique is part of alignment. Because yoga positions can be intense, it is vital that the techniques of these poses are correctly performed. Just like placing a bowl of spaghetti on an uneven table will cause a mess, practicing yoga with an incorrect technique could result in injury. Practicing yoga with correct technique, however, can promote proper alignment, allowing joints, bones, muscles, and organs to elongate and mix harmoniously.
Correct alignment is not subjective, like an art form connoisseurs can comment on, nodding in reflection. Instead, correct alignment is cerebral and fundamental to the groundwork of yoga poses. To achieve this alignment, you must focus on the base of your body in relation to the ground within the gravitational field in which you function. This creates a foundation for your spine to distribute weight evenly throughout the whole of your being. Optimal alignment supports structure and function, allowing gravity to flow through you and nourish you rather than break you down.
Because alignment is so conducive to a body’s balance, it can aid overall health in numerous ways. When it comes to imbalance, injuries are your body’s red flags. And, when it comes to injuries, alignment is their nemesis. Even when injuries are caused by outside forces – a fall, a trip, an accident – alignment balances out your body so that the source of your pain (and it might not be what you think it is) is given attention.
The above happens because, as your body becomes aligned, energy that was once busy dealing with imbalance becomes available, like a life force looking for a job. This energy is then used for other things your body may be in need of, such as fighting pain, destruction and disease. It gives your body the energy it needs to heal and stay healthy.
Alignment also gives your muscular system and all your internal organs space, allowing them to function more sufficiently. This drastically helps the body. For instance, better functioning lungs oxygenate the body, making it harder for disease to survive and allowing you to breathe easier in more ways than one. This is because lungs that aren’t restricted, lungs with adequate space, are able to work the way they’re intended. Along these lines, a heart that has enough space to work correctly will make blood circulate easier, allowing essential nutrients and vitamins to get where they need to go. This helps to keep your entire body healthy. While the lungs and the heart may want to take the credit for this health, alignment plays a vital role.
The more optimal your alignment in gravity, the better you will become balanced on the inside and out and maintain a youthful resiliency rather than gain rigidity. This balance, ultimately, aids your psychological and physical health, allying you with gravity and allowing healing, wellness, and spirituality to manifest. Proper alignment summons every internal healing source you have, and brings them to the surface; in a nutshell, it aligns your body’s troops.
Correct alignment also keeps your body from having to fight against incorrect alignment, a fight that can leave your body plagued with aches and pains. While this relieves physical symptoms, it can also relieve emotional ones: a positive misdemeanor is much easier to maintain when pain isn’t part of your every day life.
The words “alignment” and “technique” may seem synonymous, like they belong under the same heading of a dictionary. But the words “function,” “organ,” “health,” “balance” and “life” are also part of the definition. Alignment is not merely technique. Technique may be part of it, but alignment grabs onto more than just methods. It takes the abilities to prevent and heal to a new level, making “alignment” more synonymous with “self-awareness and mindfulness.” TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado.
Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential.
Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of for http://www.yogatwisted.com. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.
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Structural Integration
By Jennifer Jordan
Structural Integration may not sound like a term that relates to the human body, possibly seeming like something on the minds of home builders or architects. But, Structural Integration is all about the human body and its evolution. It’s about, but not limited to, health, wellness, balance, prevention and self-awareness. It educates people about the structure of their body and how that structure determines the function of their body. Structural Integration is a process of re-inhabiting and aligning ones being to maintain it in a manner that will minimize injury and promote mind-body integration.
What is it?
The Rolf Method of Structural Integration was developed by Dr. Ida P. Rolf after she made the discovery that restricted tissue often results in opposing muscles not being able to function independently or harmoniously. Much like a person chained to a steel ball will have a hard time walking, restricted muscles have limited movement, and limited abilities. When this occurs, the muscles, as well as the connective tissues, and the organs, don’t work correctly.
Dr. Rolf discovered that she could organize the fibers of these muscles through manipulation of the connective tissue matrix called “fascia.” This organization aids the body physically, freeing up the habitual holding patterns so the muscles can work in a harmonious relationship with each other supporting freedom of movement throughout the skeletal system. Often people hold their stress in their tissues, leaving them to tense up and cause an internal road block of their natural system. Freeing up the unnecessary tension in the connective tissue matrix allows the body to self-regulate and release an accumulation of chronic mental, emotional, and physical stress.
Why it’s needed?
Most people are structurally challenged: fighting to be upright in gravity. Is it difficult to stand on your own two feet without some sort of ache or pain telling you to sit down? When you sit down is it too much effort to sit up straight so you slouch? Does movement seem to take more effort than necessary, and are you feeling rigid and less resilient as you get older? Fighting with gravity supports poor alignment and will result in poor health. Structural Integration is a process that helps rid the body of this poor alignment by bringing it into balance in the gravitational field, ridding it of poor health in the process. It restores the structure to function, placing the ability to heal at its disposal.
When a person undergoes Structural Integration, gravity becomes their body’s advocate. It nurtures and supports the skeletal system, allowing organs to have the space they need to function properly. This results in the lungs, kidneys, heart, and every other organ working more efficiently, doing its part to sustain life. As a result of all this, a person feels more complete, more balanced, and healthier than they ever thought they could.
What are the benefits?
Structural Integration releases physical, mental and emotional stress and tension. This release unlocks the body’s ability to function at its optimal level. It releases energy that, previously used to harbor stress, finds more noble work in the form of fighting infection and injury. The process of Structural Integration brings the whole being at ease within itself and in relation to the environment in which it functions. It also facilitates empowerment, giving a person the experience that their body is integrated with their mind and together a powerful vehicle in the evolutionary movement of consciousness.
Structural Integration allows chronic worry and anxiety to subside. Most people are probably not even aware of the amount of worry and anxiety that they internalize. When Structural Integration is performed, pent up stress rises to the surface, escaping like steam from a pot of uncovered boiling water. Just like people are often surprised at the amount of steam that can result from a seemingly small pot of water, people are often amazed at how much stress and tension they actually hold, and can potentially release.
When combined with Osteopathic medicine, the benefits of Structural Integration are greatly enhanced. Like Structural Integration, Osteopathic medicine aims to free the body of its unnatural restrictions, producing a being in which wellness can prosper. Both Osteopathy and Structural Integration aim to help the body restore optimal function. Structure determines function so when a body finds its balance it can self regulate and prevent disease.
TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, hatha yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical, mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential.
Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of for http://www.yogatwisted.com. Specializing in articles that not only teach yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.
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Tips On Getting The Most Out Of Corpse Pose In Yoga
By Rebecca Prescott
Shavasana, or corpse pose, is usually done at the end of most yoga sessions. It is a deceptively simple posture, as there is no twisting, or stretching or anything that is usually associated with the asanas. However, corpse pose is an important part of the restorative yoga postures. And it is considered one of the most difficult postures to do correctly.
Shavasana is more about being than doing, and as such it touches on the fundamentals of what yoga is trying to achieve. The sequence of asanas beforehand has helped train the body and mind for this period of relaxation, and in the corpse pose we integrate the experience we have just had with yoga into our conscious and subconscious mind.
There are many restorative postures, or variations in yoga, but shavasana allows the most relaxation. Its benefits include:
* increase our energy levels* great for stress* good for normalizing blood pressure after exercise* good for stress symptoms in breast cancer and prostate cancer sufferers* good for people who don't get enough sleep, or who suffer insomnia
Corpse pose should be done lying flat, but still providing some support to the lumbar and cervical areas of the spine. Some people use a narrow, flat pillow for their head, whereas others just lie on the yoga mat without any props - do what feels most comfortable for you.
If the floor slopes, you should lie with your head in the downward sloping area, to facilitate blood supply to the brain. Your feet should be spread a little apart, with the arms and thighs slightly spread out, in an open and relaxed manner. Your palms and forearms should face up.
Try and start shavasana with your body mildly stretched out, so you feel elongated. This is recommended because the muscles of the torso, arms, and legs lengthen when they relax. The aim of shavasana is not to move until you are ready to get up. This helps quieten the motor neurons of the brain, and induces a feeling of greater relaxation, or 'letting go'. If you are positioned well, with enough space to allow your torso to relax and lengthen, you won't need to move until you finish.
You can either breathe through the abdomen or through the diaphragm. It is recommended that you practice abdominal breathing unless you are either an intermediate or advanced student of yoga. Breathing through the abdomen is the most relaxing, and diaphragmatic breathing is more of an energizing technique. It uses the chest and abdomen without interrupting the relaxation of the rest of the body. If you tend to breathe through your chest habitually, you should avoid this type of breathing, as you will tend to have a restricted type of thoracic breathing that is counterproductive to the aims of yoga generally, and corpse pose particularly.
Breathing through the abdomen during shavasana should not be forced. It should be relaxed and natural. But start 'where you are', and let your breathing settle as the experience of the posture deepens. The rate of breathing will slow down the more you become relaxed.
Try not to fall asleep during corpse pose. When we sleep, the motor neurons in the nervous system become more active, and the idea with the relaxation postures is to quieten them.
Start practicing shavasana for 3 to 5 minutes, then build up to 15 as your personal limits allow.
Come out of the corpse pose slowly, wiggling your toes and fingers, bringing the arms overhead to stretch them, and stretching down to your toes. Then roll over to one side, and slowly sit up when you're ready. If you have low blood pressure, you may need to turn onto the left side first before sitting up to avoid dizziness or fainting.
References: H.D.Coulter, Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga
Corpse pose is one of the restorative yoga poses. Learn more about them here. Rebecca runs this yoga site with information on asanas and more.
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Yoga and Benefits
By Megha Brahmankar
Yoga is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit. It brings us balance. Yoga is a complete science of life that originated in India many thousands of years ago.
Yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the classical language of India. The Word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root Yuj (To Join, to concentrate one's attention on) meaning to bind, join, attach and Yoke to direct and concentrate one's attention on, to use and apply. Yoga is one of the six orthodox systems of Indian Philosophy. It was compiled and systematically co-coordinated by mahashi Patanjali in his classical work, the Yoga Sutras, which consists of 185 terse aphorisms.
So Mahashi Patanjali is regarded as the pro-founder of Yoga Philosophy. The System of Yoga is so called because it teaches the means by which the individual soul can be united to or be in communion with the God, and so secures liberation. According to yoga, true happiness, liberation and enlightenment comes from union with the divine consciousness. One who follows the path of Yoga is a Yogi.
Benefits of Yoga
At physical level
* Improves muscle tone, flexibility, strength and stamina.
* Lowers fat, Improves circulation, Stimulates the immune system
* Meditation keeps one young. Younger biological age i.e. one is younger than one’s chronological age.
*Deep rest-as measured by decreased metabolic rate, lower heart rate, and reduced work load of the heart.
*Lowers levels of chemicals associated with stress eg. cortisol and lactate.
*It reduces the chances of tissue damage though, the free radicals are controlled.
*Decreased high blood pressure.
*Drop in cholesterol levels.
*Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing. This has been very helpful to asthma patients.
And that's just the surface stuff. In fact, most of the benefits mentioned above are secondary to yoga's original purpose.
At mental level
* Helps you relax and handle stressful situations more easily.
* Encourages positive thoughts and self-acceptance.
* Reduces stress and tension, anxiety, depression, irritability and moodiness.
* Boosts self esteem,
* Improves concentration and creativity
* Heals old traumas
* Increases brain wave coherence. Harmony of brain wave activity in different parts of the brain is associated with greater creativity, improved moral reasoning, and higher IQ. Improves comprehensive ability and memory.
* Enhances emotional stability.
* Brings happiness and leads to vitality and rejuvenation.
At spiritual level
* Builds comprehensive awareness.
* Promotes an interdependence between mind, body, and spirit.
* Helps you live the concept of “oneness.”
*Creates sense of well being and calm.
*Makes one to discover one’s true nature i.e. realizing one's self, in finding what one seeks - consciously or unconsciously.
* Controls the mind.
* Sets one free from one’s illusions and preconceptions that prevents from fulfilling oneself.
* Attains the union between a person's own consciousness and the cosmic consciousness.
The Ancient Yoga seers perceived the physical body as a vehicle, with the mind as driver, the soul as one’s trueself, with action, emotion and intelligence as the three forces which pull the body-vehicle. The ancient yoga seers assemble an exclusive technique to bring the body, mind and soul together into one harmonious experience by balancing action, emotion and intelligence.
Branches of Yoga
Hatha Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Tantra Yoga are considered the main yogas, but there are many other types. The various yoga practices are a methodology for reaching the same destination.
Author is dedicated to introduce yoga and Energy Medicines more into mainstream and to provide a comprehensive resource of information on yoga and energy medicines. you can find more stuff at http://www.theholisticcare.com.
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5 Reasons to Take up Yoga Now
By Allison Whitehead
Yoga is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of exercise around, and more and more people are taking it up every day. Here are five good reasons why you should join them now:
1 - It’s a low impact form of exercise. Unlike jogging or running, yoga doesn’t put a strain on your joints, so it’s ideal for people who cannot tolerate or simply don’t like more stressful forms of exercise. You will still be able to tone up your physique, but you won’t have to push yourself to the limits to get it.
2 – It’s relaxing. Unlike many forms of exercise, yoga is actually extremely relaxing and enjoyable to do. Many people have said that practising yoga on a regular basis helps them to de-stress after a hard day at work (and it actually stops them from getting so stressed in the first place). It also promotes calmness and helps you to feel more grounded in life; you will feel more at peace with your mind and body.
3 – It can help alleviate physical ailments. Because of its low impact status, yoga is an ideal activity to try for those people who suffer from physical ailments, such as back ache. It is also thought to help reduce pain, and many doctors are now beginning to recommend yoga as a form of treatment. It can also help with weight loss, and many people believe that those who practise yoga on a regular basis are less likely to suffer from a wide range of ailments in the first place.
4 – It helps to improve your general fitness. If you’re looking to get fit, yoga might not be the first activity that springs to mind. But it’s actually one of the best all round fitness and wellbeing activities you could choose. Not only does it gradually improve your general fitness levels, it also helps you gain a better posture, promotes better muscle strength, and gives you a greater flexibility. It can also reduce your blood pressure, and leads to a whole host of other long term health benefits. Ultimately, it will give you bags more energy.
5 – It promotes a healthy mental state. Because yoga is a gentle, low impact, easy to follow activity, it has continually brought great benefits to people that suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, stress, and other mental ailments. Yoga also teaches you better breathing techniques, which stay with you even when you’re not doing it – keeping you calmer throughout your everyday life.
Allison Whitehead is the joint owner of www.smoo-multimedia.co.uk which has information on Yoga for Beginners – visit tinyurl.com/kp6v9 for more details.
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A Little Chit Chat About Yoga Classes
By Jeanette Pollock
Yoga classes are becoming more and more popular as days pass by. That is because people are so eager to learn more about it and practice the exercise to improve their health and emotional well being.
The yoga of today’s generation basically originated from the Ashtanga Yoga that is a wide meditation practiced in India. It is understood that the country is mainly involved in proliferating and disseminating cultural and religious practices that focuses on the overall facets of the human body.
Yoga has become a vibrant tradition over the years. At the same time, for fanatics and practitioners, the set of exercise has become a great and reliable source of enlightenment.
Relaxation and a quick in touch with the mental and spiritual aspect of one’s personality and life makes yoga a worthwhile and distinct type of exercise done by people of all ages around the world.
Yoga has previously been exclusive to the Hindu and other Indian religion. But nowadays, it is to be noted that the practice has also become very popular to everyone world wide.
Classes
That is why various and numerous health clubs and fitness membership organizations across all parts of the world are now offering yoga sessions and exercises.
It is to be noted that the enrollees for such classes are rising very rapidly nowadays. But because there are more people who do not have the luxury of time to spend freely on the exercise, it is imperative that yoga be offered through different venues and portal.
Be it formal or though online venues, yoga classes are to be significantly beneficial to learners and practitioners.
It is amusing to note nowadays that people, especially those from the busy landscape of the corporate world, are eager to pay how much it would cost just to be able to learn and practice yoga on a regular basis.
Classes are held in different venues for yoga because people want to enjoy and take part in the many advantages and benefits of the yoga to the body.
Online classes
There different and a number of Web sites that offer classes to online users and subscribers. It is because there is a rising number of people who are not having enough spare time to attend physical and formal yoga classes.
That is why online classes are also becoming popular. There are several Web sites that offer demonstrations and video about the basic yoga practices and exercises.
Formal classes
Nothing still can beat formal yoga classes. It is because formal yoga classes are so interactive that the participants can instantly air concerns and questions and get responses and answer also in an instant.
Formal classes are held and offered in different venues. During these yoga classes, people also get to interact with other people and eventually expand their social circle.
Formal classes for yoga are the in-thing in health clubs and fitness memberships around the world. That is why there is no reason why anyone in the world who wishes to learn and do basic yoga exercise would not be covered.
Jeanette Pollock is a contributing author to JustYogaBasics.com. Visit Jeanette's website to get started with yoga!
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The Benefits of Power Yoga
By Jeanette Pollock
Today's power yoga basically branched out from the Ashtanga Yoga of the Hindu tradition and religion of India.
Power yoga is emphasizing the development of one’s flexibility and the nurture of the desire for a vigorous whole body workout. The activity most of all facilitates for concentration and mental stability.
There are various reasons why power yoga classes abound everywhere. Nowadays, different and major gyms all over the world are offering power yoga classes.
No wonder. That is because those who have already immersed in the activity openly acknowledge the benefits and health effects to them.
Power yoga classes have become popular for various reasons. Not just vogue, more and more people are getting into the activity because of the proven benefits the exercise can do to them.
Bodily gains from the Power Yoga
First of all, the power yoga promoted overall well-being of the body. Because power yoga also involves physical activities that are sometimes stretching and working out muscles, power yoga is sometimes made as alternatives to ordinary and daily workout routines.
There are several significant benefits of doing the power yoga to one’s body. Among these benefits are the following:
- Power yoga bolsters flexibility, stamina and strength.
- Power yoga promotes improvement of one person’s ability and capability to focus and concentrate.
- Power yoga helps people release the distracting anxiety and overall tension.
- Power yoga helps one person develop and maintain good and proper posture.
- Power yoga tones the body in a way that is neither hard nor stressful.
- Bodily toxins are removed from the physical or body system through the sweat the body excretes during power yoga session.
- Power yoga also serves as a great warm up or training activity for all sorts and types of athletes.
- Power yoga, when done regularly would help improve an athlete’s overall performance especially in demanding sports like golf, football, cycling an of course, swimming.
Health clubs
Various and numerous health clubs all over the world are now offering different power yoga classes because the popularity of the exercise is truly rising.
Power yoga practitioners frequent health clubs that offer power yoga training and classes because they know and attest that power yoga help them attain physical improvement, mental power as well as spiritual enlightening.
Touching on the mental and spiritual facets of one’s overall personality is one attribute of the power yoga that is significantly missing and left out in all other forms and kinds of exercises.
Health clubs nowadays appreciate this fact. That is why most of them are trying and aiming to offer their members with such classes and offerings.
The spiritual and mental facet
The spiritual and mental facet of one individual is hard to tap, develop or nourish. That is why when power yoga started becoming popular, it became the venue and task on how people touch on their spiritual and mental aspects.
Overall relaxation and well-being is improved by becoming attached and involved in power yoga activities and exercises.
It is important to know about power yoga if you want to start doing the activity regularly. You will be surely surprised how much more benefits can be offered and provided by the activity or exercise.
Do the power yoga now and experience its benefits yourself.
Jeanette Pollock is a contributing author to JustYogaBasics.com. Visit Jeanette's website to get started with yoga!
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Learning Yoga Online
By Jeanette Pollock
The yoga is definitely a spin off or a branch out of a series of spiritual activities or practices that originated from India.
Yoga has become a vibrant tradition over the years. At the same time, for fanatics and practitioners, the set of exercise has become a great and reliable source of enlightenment.
Relaxation and a quick in touch with the mental and spiritual aspect of one’s personality and life makes yoga a worthwhile and distinct type of exercise done by people of all ages around the world.
Yoga has previously been exclusive to the Hindu and other Indian religion. But nowadays, it is to be noted that the practice has also become very popular to everyone world wide.
Learning the yoga online
That is why various and numerous health clubs and fitness membership organizations across all parts of the world are now offering yoga sessions and exercises.
It is to be noted that the enrollees for such classes are rising very rapidly nowadays. But because there are more people who do not have the luxury of time to spend freely on the exercise, it is imperative that yoga be offered through different venues and portal.
To cater to the numerous people who are too busy at work and only find a little time after office hours to spare for such relaxing tasks and exercise, there are a number of Web sites now that offer yoga classes and instructions online.
Online yoga sites are so helpful and have been greatly patronized and visited. That is because some people are almost always too busy at work during daytime and cannot really rush to their gyms after work hours.
It is only after dinner time or before going to the bed that these people are able to fully relax and focus or spare some time doing the unwinding exercise called yoga.
Thus, there are various yoga Web sites that proliferate and abound through the Internet nowadays.
One of these Internet sites is the Animated yoga postures that can be accessed at hathayogalesson.com. The Web site would be so helpful to beginners and non professionals who are not yet exposed to different and correct posture or position in doing the yoga activities.
Another online yoga site can be found at yogaholidays.net. The online site provides articles, features, tips, simple exercise and various insights about the basics of yoga and the overall disciplinary set of exercise.
Yogalearningcenter.com on the other hand, stands out among the rest of the online yoga sites because it provides simple videos and demonstrations about the exercise. It is actually an online yoga class that can be very helpful and beneficial to busy people who rarely find the time to spend on yoga activities.
Overall
Moreover, yoga helps people achieve the overall strength, agility and peace that they deserve, Because of such, it is ideal and highly rightful that yoga be offered and taught online.
The proliferation of yoga classes and lessons online is really timely and beneficial.
Jeanette Pollock is a contributing author to JustYogaBasics.com. Visit Jeanette's website and start learning yoga!
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Tutorial: Learning YogaBy
Jeanette PollockLearning yoga is the second most in thing nowadays, next of course to doing or executing the yoga exercises itself.
There are many ways and measures how yoga is taught to different people across the world.
There are formal classes, and those that are done online. Online classes also abound. There are basic and helpful books that generally offer simple tutorial to people who want to learn yoga.
Online yoga
Relaxation and a quick in touch with the mental and spiritual aspect of one’s personality and life makes yoga a worthwhile and distinct type of exercise done by people of all ages around the world.
Yoga has previously been exclusive to the Hindu and other Indian religion. But nowadays, it is to be noted that the practice has also become very popular to everyone world wide.
That is why various and numerous health clubs and fitness membership organizations across all parts of the world are now offering yoga tutorials, sessions and exercises.
It is to be noted that the enrollees for such tutorials and classes are rising very rapidly nowadays. But because there are more people who do not have the luxury of time to spend freely on tutorials, it is imperative that yoga be offered through different venues and portal.
To cater to the numerous people who are too busy at work and only find a little time after office hours to spare for such relaxing tasks and exercise, there are a number of Web sites now that offer yoga tutorials and classes online.
Online yoga sites are so helpful and have been greatly patronized and visited. That is because some people are almost always too busy at work during daytime and cannot really rush to their gyms after work hours.
Books offering personal yoga tutorials
Because learning yoga is not always learned conveniently through formal classes, here are some recommended readings and books that would help you learn more about yoga. Help yourself and get some of these books. Be in the convenience of self-tutorial.
“Business of Teaching Yoga” by Larry Payne
This book is basically teaching readers who are aiming to teach yoga classes and activities to other people. Because holding classes and teaching yoga to others can be a tough responsibility, it is mandated that the person doing such be knowledgeable enough about the discipline.
Otherwise, the danger would be imminent to the class participants and students. Like almost all forms of exercises, yoga activities can be futile if the proper techniques, posture and form of the body throughout the process would definitely spell out the success and efficiency of the task.
The book is available on your favorite bookstand or online through the different e-shopping sites like amazon and others.
“How to Meditate” by Lawrence LeShan
The book, as the title implies will teach readers on the proper, appropriate and effective way of simple meditation and concentration.
Yoga basically involves and revolves around meditation to provide the natural and well-balance between the body’s physical, spiritual and mental faculties.
This book will greatly touch on the issues, concerns and standard practices that would provide greater condition for yoga training and exercises.
“Ashtanga Yoga---The Practice” by David Swenson
The modern yoga is a branch out of the ancient and well disciplinary Ashtanga Yoga, that is why learning it would be of great help when also learning yoga.
The book tells about the recommended practices, procedures and simple tasks when doing or attempting to meditate or do the basic yoga.
Jeanette Pollock is a contributing author to JustYogaBasics.com. Visit Jeanette's website to
get started with yoga!
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Power Yoga Exercise
By Jeanette Pollock
The power yoga is a rapidly popularizing type and form of exercise activity. The task is very beneficial and involves not just the physical body, but also the mental and the spiritual
Thus, more and more health clubs, gyms and special programs are now offering power yoga classes to numerous clients and health aficionados around the world.
But performing power yoga basic exercises can be performed simply, easily and conveniently in the comfort of your home.
Here are some of the simplest and basic power yoga exercises and simple tasks that one can do at his or her own, anytime.
YOGI HURDLER'S STRETCH
1. To start up, sit comfortably on the floor. Then, pull the left heel into the groin area. Be sure the right leg is extended to the front. Reach out and then grab the toes to as as far as can be done, bend at the waist an at the same time keep the back straight. Hold to the position for 30 seconds. After, repeat on the other leg.
2. Put both hand on the toes, and then revolve the trunk sideways forming a "window" using the arms. This will provide a good overall physical warm-up. Then, stretch the hamstrings, the calves, the obliques and the upper back. Make sure the abs and the internal organs are contracted during the process. Release the stress on the hips and then on the lower back.
WARRIOR LUNGE
1. Stand with the legs forming a scissor-like position widely apart as in a classic lunge. Bend the front leg at knee and then point the toes forward. After that, straighten the rear leg and then push it back as far as possible. The toes should be pointed sideways. Afterwards, lift the arms high above the head. At the same time, let the lower body sink, gradually bending the knee to a right-angle or 90-degree angle. Stick to the position for about 30 seconds, and switch to the other leg afterwards.
2. Maintaining a 90-degr
ee or right-angled knee bend. Then, hold the arms almost parallel to ground, an arm forward. the other one backward. Twist the torso after 30 seconds. This exercise works the glutes and the quads, as well as stretches the hip flexors and lats.
FROG STAND
1. Lowly squat. Place the hands on the below ground, resting the triceps on top of the kneecaps. Then, tip forward, and lift the feet from the ground and into position similar to a balanced frog stand. Keep the position for 30 seconds.
2. Extend a leg in back, keeping it diagonally relative to the floor, at the same time elongating the neck to maintain balance.
3. Straighten the elbows, lift the legs, tip forward, then try to press up slowly into a handstand.
These exercise strengthen the whole shoulder girdle. These also help build up core muscles and enhance the body’s overall stamina.
BRIDGE
1. Lie down, faceup on the floor and then put the knees up, then feet flat and grasp ankles using the hand, drawing the heels close to the butt. Inhale, thrust the belly button up. Release the hands. Put palms up, then dig the thumbs into the tailbone and push the lumbar spine further up.
2. Move the hands palms-down near or beside each ear. Press up into a U shape inverted position.
The exercise will improve posture through strengthening the muscles along the spine. This would be very beneficial since people spend more than 90 percent of daily daytime existence in a slight and forward fold.
Jeanette Pollock is a contributing author to JustYogaBasics.com. Visit Jeanette's website and get started with yoga!
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When Does One Become A Yoga Teacher?
By Paul Jerard
When you teach a friend, co-worker, or family member, one Yoga technique, you have taken the first step toward becoming a Yoga teacher. This is the traditional way Yoga was initially taught before Hatha Yoga classes became such a “magnet” to the public. Large Yoga classes are not a bad thing, but it is easy to forget the way Yoga was taught for centuries.
Now, let’s fast forward into the 21st century. Today, we have access to instant information. You can learn Yoga from television, the Internet, books, DVD’s, MP3’s, CD’s and e-Books. It would seem anyone who wants to become a Yoga teacher has all the tools, at hand, to pursue his or her dream of teaching Yoga.
Should you read Yoga books to become a Yoga teacher? Yes, you will have to read and much more. Yoga books, DVD's, and CD's set a foundation of Yoga teaching knowledge, but there is much more to this, in order to become a Yoga teacher. It is daily experience, gained through teaching Yoga students, which causes a Yoga teacher to further evolve beyond the initial teacher certification process. Practical knowledge and experience becomes a “treasure chest” for any Yoga teacher.
Teaching Yoga is a journey. If Yoga teachers sit still, without expanding their knowledge, they will become stagnant. Yoga books are great references, but Yoga teachers are works in progress. In fact, Yoga is a work in progress. Yoga changes as teachers make new and innovative discoveries along the way.
Hopefully, innovative Yoga teachers will record their discoveries for future generations. None of us has a life long enough to learn all that has been written over 5,000 years, but we learn everything that will help our students live a better quality life and more. Every student ailment is researched again and again.
Yoga teachers may eventually run into a situation where the right Yoga book is not available, or perhaps it was never written. Always remember that Yoga books are very valuable, but they are learning tools for the beginning of the journey, and good references, to come back to, when you put Yogic principles into practice.
So, when do you know if you are ready to become a Yoga teacher? If you have been practicing Yoga for years, reading Yoga information, and showing your friends Yoga techniques, you have already taken the first step.
There is no promise that the journey to become a Yoga teacher will be easy, but it is rewarding. Yoga has much history behind it, but many new chapters are being written at this moment, and many more will be written in the future. The public is always in need of competent and innovative Yoga teachers.
© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.
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Basic Yoga Exercises
By Jeanette Pollock
Here are some basic yoga exercises that can easily be executed at home anytime.
These exercises are so simple. People can conveniently perform them whenever they have time.
FROG STAND
1. Lowly squat. Place the hands on the below ground, resting the triceps on top of the kneecaps. Then, tip forward, and lift the feet from the ground and into position similar to a balanced frog stand. Keep the position for 30 seconds.
2. Extend a leg in back, keeping it diagonally relative to the floor, at the same time elongating the neck to maintain balance.
3. Straighten the elbows, lift the legs, tip forward, then try to press up slowly into a handstand.
These exercise strengthen the whole shoulder girdle. These also help build up core muscles and enhance the body’s overall stamina.
100's
Lie down, face up. Bring legs up, make sure you keep them straight. Make sure the legs are also together. Lift the head and the shoulders off the floor, pull in the abs, then bring the hands next to the thighs.
Next, lower the legs to as much as you could and at the same time keep the back on the floor then press hands up and then down. Count with each press. Afterwards, inhale for about five counts, then exhale for another five counts. Repeat until 100 is hit, then lower the legs again halfway through.
Tree Pose
To start, stand with both feet planted, the arms at the sides and body in a proper alignment (make sure the ears are over the shoulders, then the shoulders are over the hips, and finally the hips are over the ankles).
Next, inhale and then bend the right leg. Then, pull the heel up to the point that it rests on the inside of your left thigh. After, get the balance and hold on to this position, slowly pushing the arms overhead, making sure the palms are touching each other. Next, press the knee back preventing any hip movement. Keep the position for another 30 seconds before switching sides. Make sure the procedure is repeated two to three times.
YOGI HURDLER'S STRETCH
1. To start up, sit comfortably on the floor. Then, pull the left heel into the groin area. Be sure the right leg is extended to the front. Reach out and then grab the toes to as as far as can be done, bend at the waist an at the same time keep the back straight. Hold to the position for 30 seconds. After, repeat on the other leg.
2. Put both hand on the toes, and then revolve the trunk sideways forming a "window" using the arms. This will provide a good overall physical warm-up. Then, stretch the hamstrings, the calves, the obliques and the upper back. Make sure the abs and the internal organs are contracted during the process. Release the stress on the hips and then on the lower back.
WARRIOR LUNGE
1. Stand with the legs forming a scissor-like position widely apart as in a classic lunge. Bend the front leg at knee and then point the toes forward. After that, straighten the rear leg and then push it back as far as possible. The toes should be pointed sideways. Afterwards, lift the arms high above the head. At the same time, let the lower body sink, gradually bending the knee to a right-angle or 90-degree angle. Stick to the position for about 30 seconds, and switch to the other leg afterwards.
2. Maintaining a 90-degree or right-angled knee bend. Then, hold the arms almost parallel to ground, an arm forward. the other one backward. Twist the torso after 30 seconds. This exercise works the glutes and the quads, as well as stretches the hip flexors and lats.
Jeanette Pollock is a yoga teacher and runs her own website JustYogaBasics.com
If you have any questions about yoga, feel free to visit her at http://www.justyogabasics.com
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Weight Loss and Yoga - Estranged Bed Partners?
By Jeanette Pollock
When you primarily want to significantly and rapidly lose weight, experts and fitness gurus attest that yoga is not the exercise of fitness regime for you.
But is there any reason why yoga would not be highly recommended for weight loss?
Actually, it is a great and amusing fact that yoga and weight loss are estranged bed partners. It is because yoga also facilitate weight loss. When someone practice or do yoga, expect that there would be a corresponding weight loss that would follow suit.
Yoga truly is not the best and recommended exercise for weight reduction purposes, but it could greatly help. It is not to be compared to the widely popular calorie-burning and cardiovascular exercises.
However, yoga also facilitate for improved agility and strength in the large and core muscle groups of the body.
Doing yoga regularly and properly is said to be equivalent to running, walking, rollerblading, swimming and cycling.
Thus, when regularly done and practiced, yoga can also lead to a significant weight loss, to the advantage of the exerciser.
Here are some yoga exercises that are so simple and are aimed at helping any person eventually lose weight in the long run. Take note that great and proper execution of each of these simple exercises are vital to the success of the weight-losing yoga practice.
FROG STAND
1. Lowly squat. Place the hands on the below ground, resting the triceps on top of the kneecaps. Then, tip forward, and lift the feet from the ground and into position similar to a balanced frog stand. Keep the position for 30 seconds.
2. Extend a leg in back, keeping it diagonally relative to the floor, at the same time elongating the neck to maintain balance.
3. Straighten the elbows, lift the legs, tip forward, then try to press up slowly into a handstand.
These exercise strengthen the whole shoulder girdle. These also help build up core muscles and enhance the body’s overall stamina.
BRIDGE
1. Lie down, faceup on the floor and then put the knees up, then feet flat and grasp ankles using the hand, drawing the heels close to the butt. Inhale, thrust the belly button up. Release the hands. Put palms up, then dig the thumbs into the tailbone and push the lumbar spine further up.
2. Move the hands palms-down near or beside each ear. Press up into a U shape inverted position.
The exercise will improve posture through strengthening the muscles along the spine. This would be very beneficial since people spend more than 90 percent of daily daytime existence in a slight and forward fold.
Do the exercises regularly or whenever you have the time to properly and orderly execute them and see the weigh loss or the difference in only just a span of a few days.
Jeanette Pollock is a regular article contributor on yoga and stress management. To learn more about yoga, please visit her website at http://www.justyogabasics.com
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Crash Course on Yoga
By Adam Maywald
Although yoga has always been associated with Hinduism, it is actually even older than the religion. In fact, yoga is considered to be the oldest physical discipline in the world. This is perhaps the reason why there is no clear answer where it came from and when it started.
Some believe that it started about 3000 BC, used to relax the muscles and the whole body as people prepare for meditation. Until now, yoga is considered to be one of the ways to meditate or to attain a state of being.
What is yoga?
Yoga is a form of exercise and relaxation technique where the mind is used to control the body and the breath. Its name is taken from the Sanskrit word that means unite. Practitioners believe that the different yoga poses, called asanas, can help a person attain an inner balance and harmony, uniting the body, the mind and the spirit. It follows a holistic practice that believes in the interconnection of body to the brain and the soul, the mental consciousness and the physical consciousness to spiritual consciousness.
Yoga is primarily used to ease up the tension of muscles, to tone up internal organs and to develop the body’s strength and flexibility. Although yoga can be practiced alone at home, most practitioners prefer to do their poses by groups on classes. Often, these yoga classes are more focused on the physical benefits of yoga as opposed to the spiritual benefits of yoga.
Discipline is key
Although yoga seems to be fairly easy to do, it is not only make use of postures and breathing techniques. One important aspect of yoga is control… control of every aspect of your mind, body and soul. Discipline and balance is key. This does not only extend in the practice of yoga but also in thee things that occupy a yoga practitioner’s life. Movements are slow and fluid because yoga practitioners believe that jerky and hurried movements will only cause imbalance and fatigue.
Different types of yoga
There are several kinds of yoga. One of the most popular kind is the Hatha Yoga, which is practiced in Western countries. The word Hatha comes from the combined words of HA, which means sun and THA, which means moon, suggesting the union of opposites. HATHA emphasizes asanas which is the practice of yoga postures; pranayama which are breathing techniques and dhyana, which is the attempt to reach a state of consciousness through meditation. As a form of exercise, it involves controlled movement, concentration, flexibility and conscious breathing.
Another form of yoga is the VINYASA, which is not actually different from Hatha. VINYASA is based on breath synchronized movements that tend to be more performance-based than Hatha. There is a certain theatrical quality in the way VINYASA poses are done.
ASHTANGA, on the other hand, is a more fast-paced style of yoga. The name literally means eight limbs in Sanskrit. Also called Power yoga, this is very physically demanding for practitioners, more so compared to other types of yoga. Each routine involves constant movements.
IYENGAR is another form of yoga that focuses on body alignment. Practitioners of this form of yoga emphasize the movements that will perfect a position. This is done to achieve the maximum benefit of the practice and of course to avoid injury.
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