yoga information

Yoga Ball Exercise

By Sydney Heiden

One of the best things about yoga is you really don’t need any specialized equipment to get all of the major health benefits. Because yoga is traditionally practiced barefoot, you don’t need shoes.

If you are working out on a carpet, you don’t even need a mat.

This is not to say that you never need any additional equipment. Some people have found that using an exercise ball is beneficial to their yoga program. Yoga balls have been used for years for physical rehab, but now they are being used in all types of different exercise programs.

Typically, stability balls have been used for abdominal exercises such as stomach crunches, but they can be used for almost any exercise. The theory behind the exercise ball is simple; the body is unstable when it is sitting on the ball and the core abdominal muscles have to work harder to keep the body upright. As a result, you get a more complete workout when using the ball.

It is easy to understand how you change your traditional stomach crunch into a ball stomach crunch, but how can you adapt your yoga exercise to yoga ball exercise? Actually, it is pretty simple. You assume the traditional yoga poses while sitting or leaning on the exercise ball. For some exercises, the yoga ball will make the exercise easier by giving you more support. For other exercises, it will actually increase the energy required to assume the proper pose. As a result, you get increased muscle strength. You also have to concentrate harder to achieve the pose, which results in clearing your mind of your cares and troubles, helping to relieve stress.
Some people swear by their exercise ball, other people swear at them. So obviously, using a yoga ball for your exercises is not for everyone. You just have to try it, you may like it.

Some facts to keep in mind before using an exercise ball for yoga. Not all balls are created equal.

Some are larger than others; some are made out of stronger material. The most expensive exercise ball is not necessarily the best.

Be sure you get the proper size ball for your body. Check with the local sporting goods store, they should be able to help you find the right size ball for yoga exercises. If you are just starting out with a ball, you probably do not want to inflate the ball to its maximum. Less air pressure will help make the ball more stable, making it easier to maintain your balance. When you get comfortable using the ball, you can increase the air pressure, making the ball less stable and increasing the core muscle workout.

You can even find videos now that show how to use the exercise ball for yoga. But remember, it is not necessary to incorporate yoga ball exercises into your workout. You can still reap all of the benefits from yoga without using the exercise ball. However, it can add variety to your workout and increase the exercise you get for your core muscle group.

Sydney Heiden is a practitioner of yoga and founder of Yoga and Meditation for Beginners For more yoga tips and information, go to her website, www.Yoga.Cool-Home-Stuff.com

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posted by Cheryl Levesque @ 9:49 AM