Too Busy to Fit Yoga Into Your Schedule? Think Again!

Practicing Yoga helps de-stress, work the kinks out of your body and gives you a feeling of total relaxation. It would be wonderful if you could practice Yoga every day and reap the benefits by working it into your busy schedule. That’s the problem, you’re busy and can’t always take the hour, or so that it takes to go through a Yoga routine. Most of us are lucky if we can get in a couple of sessions a week. If your life is that busy, you are one of those that need Yoga the most! When Yoga was introduced many centuries ago, it wasn’t meant for half an hour or hour each day, it was meant to be a way of life. If you can learn to practice Yoga as you go through your daily routine, your will add serenity and make almost any situation seem easier to handle.

You can take aspects of your Yoga routine, use them throughout the day, and get some amazing results. Use awareness, sounds simple enough and if we do that, we will find ourselves more aware of what is around us and get more enjoyment out of life. You can do this with whatever you’re doing. Heighten your senses to feel and sense what is around you. If you are more aware of your surroundings when you are driving, you will be a safer driver. Paying closer attention to the beauty of nature can give you a peace and serenity that will help your day flow smoother.

If you are more tuned into your surroundings, you have a special power and that power is transmitted by the words that come from your mouth. If you are in a meeting, being completely aware of your surroundings just may help you contribute something that’s very valuable. Be in the moment; know what is going on inside your body and mentally. If you find you need sugar or caffeine to get through your day, change your diet or get more sleep. Maybe do both.

The second thing you can do is to breathe correctly. If you aren’t breathing properly that could be another reason why you are having a hard time remaining alert. Oxygen is important to every cell in our body, if we deprive them of this needed nutrient, they will not stay healthy. Take time to breathe deeply. Take slow, deep breaths that fill your diaphragm with the needed oxygen. Exhale until your lungs are empty, that helps get rid of toxins in your system. When you are breathing correctly, your body will automatically relax. Your neck loosens up and your shoulders relax. Try this simple exercise, inhale deeply as you count slowly to 3-4, hold it for the same count, and then exhale to that count. You will find you have more energy and after a while, this healthy breathing will come automatically with you.

Who couldn’t benefit from these simple suggestions? Just these two simple yoga exercises will benefit your mind and body. Grab a few minutes each day, at your desk, while cooking, or driving and you will feel the difference in your body, mind, and spirit.

Which Yoga Style Does Your Body Need?

There are many styles of Yoga and you should choose the one that best fits the needs of your body. We will look at some of the styles and give you an idea of what each one involves.

Hatha is a general term used for the physical side of Yoga. If the class you are looking into is described as Hatha style, it will be a gentle, slow-paced class. It will give you a basic instruction on Yoga poses. This gentle style is recommended for beginners. It’s best to learn the basics before going on to other Yoga styles.

Vinyasa is a description of many types of classes. These classes deal with breath-synchronized movements. It is a little more vigorous than the Hatha style and is more intense

Ashtanga is an interesting style of Yoga that is a series of poses always done in the same order. This class is physically demanding because you are moving from one pose to another. It’s also called Power Yoga. Ashtanga style of Yoga has everything to do with flow. There are no breaks; you naturally go from one pose to another.

Iyengar is a Yoga style that has to do with body alignment. That is the precise way your body should positioned in the pose to get the best results and to avoid injury. These Yoga poses concentrate on holding poses for longer periods of time instead of flowing from one Yoga pose to another. In addition, this Yoga uses props such as blankets, blocks, and straps to help you bring your body into correct alignment.

Integral Yoga is a gentle form of Hatha practice and include breathing exercises, meditation and chanting. This is another good one for beginners.

A much more intense Yoga style is called Hot Yoga. This style of Yoga is practiced in a very hot room with temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees. The heat helps to loosen muscles and causes heavy sweating. This sweating is thought to be cleansing. The most popular is the Bikram method with 26 poses.

The Forrest Yoga style has gained popularity throughout the United States. This is an intense session of vigorous poses to strengthen the body, release pent-up emotions, and purify your body. It also helps the body to release pain so healing can start. This is an intensive workout using abdominal strengthening and deep, relaxing breathing.

Sivananda is another style of Yoga that has been practiced since 1957. It is based on five principles.
1. Proper Exercise
2. Proper Breathing
3. Proper Relaxation
4. Vegetarian Diet
5. Positive thinking and medication.
Eighty locations around the world practice this style of Yoga. Many of them sponsor retreats for the dedicated Yoga enthusiast.

There are many variations of Yoga. These are just a sample of what is offered in the different classes. After these explanations of a few of the styles, you can safely go to a gym and pick a Yoga class that is best for you. Be sure to check with your Doctor if you are starting any new exercise program.

About Yoga

The word ‘yoga’ is taken from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuga’ which means ‘to join.’ Yoga aims for the perfect union of the body, mind and spirit by a system of posture, breath control, meditation, sounds and many more practices.
Yoga classes are generally longer than other exercise classes as they typically last around two to three hours. During a yoga session, your teacher will guide you through a series of moves and you will find many for the yoga positions have simple names such as ‘the plank,’ ‘the cat,’ or ‘the warrior.’
Yoga, in comparison to other classes you may have tried, is based on precision and many spend large amounts of their time getting the positions perfect.
Many yoga teachers use specific terminology during their sessions. You may feel overwhelmed at first with terms such as asana, pratyahara or pranayama. Don’t let these put you off because it is not vital to learn and master all yoga terminology.
Yoga has many benefits, the main benefit being an increase in suppleness. It aims to increase the muscle and tendon flexibility, thus decreasing your risk of njuries. Yoga does not increase your aerobic fitness; apart from ‘astanga yoga’ so it is recommended you combine yoga sessions with aerobic type exercises. Brisk walking or jogging are good examples. Yoga’s prime aim is to control breathing and meditation for stress reduction.
There are many types of yoga available and although no type of yoga is particularly harder, it is advisable to check how experienced your class is before you join. There are usually beginner’s classes available.
Here are some examples of the types of yoga available:
Hatha Yoga
‘Hatha’ is an overall term for the physical part of yoga. Hatha covers most types of yoga and a class known as Hatha Yooga is generally balanced and moderately intense. Posture and breathing exercises will be practised.
Iyengar Yoga
This is also a Hatha Yoga style, focusing on how to understand the body and how the body works. Those practicing this type of yoga focus on symmetry and alignment sometimes using props, such as wooden blocks, straps to achieve their postures. Students hold each post for a longer amount of time than other types of yoga.
Astanga Yoga
Astanga Yoga is a physically demanding workout. It involves a fast paced series of poses that is sequential beginning with sun salutations. Astanga Yoga students use postures in a continual flow linking their movements from breath to breath. This type of yoga is physically demanding and was developed to build their strength, stamina and flexibility. Those who wish to embark on this type of yoga would fit it easier if they are physically fit.

Yoga Can Help With That Annoying Headache

If you have a headache, the last thing you want to do is a Yoga posture that requires you to put your head down. The truth is if you suffer from simple tension headaches, practicing Yoga can help, you learn to release tension and keep headaches at bay. The muscles in your shoulders and neck contracting cause a tension headache. If you sit at a desk all day slouched over a computer keyboard, you’re inviting a tension headache.

Many simple Yoga poses will help release tension in your neck, shoulders, and upper back. Forward Bend; Downward Facing Dog and the Cobra are good Asanas to practice if you suffer from tension headaches. Most of these poses are those that allow you head to hang loosely. Stretching the neck and upper shoulder muscles should be a regular part of your Yoga routine. If you already have a headache, don’t force yourself to do something that would be uncomfortable. Wait until you are feeling better and then work on them. Just stretching and relaxing the muscles will help relieve it.

Some relaxing poses you can do will help fight those tension headaches and keep them from recurring. The Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose, and Child’s Pose are both good for treating headaches. Remember when doing these Asanas to relax the face muscles as well. Especially relax your jaw! You’ll be surprised how tense your jaw can be once your aware of it. Once you have worked on a few of these easily done poses, any pain reliever you may have taken should be taking effect and your headache should be easing.

The other aspect of relieving a headache with Yoga is the breathing techniques. Breathing is an important part of Yoga routines. Be aware of your breathing the next time you have a headache. It’s probably short, choppy, and shallow. Take control, breathe slow, controlling your inhales and exhales. Once you have control of your breathing you can locate the tension in your neck and shoulders. Once they are recognized, you can work on relaxing them. Be sure you are breathing correctly when you are doing any Yoga poses, this will help you to listen to your body and let it tell you which muscles you need to work on.

Yoga is not to be considered a cure-all for all physical ailments. If you suffer from anything more than a simple tension headache, you should always contact a physician to make sure there is not something more serious wrong. What Yoga will do, if you have two to three sessions a week, will help you to recognize the muscles that are the most tense, and help you to learn how to relax them.

If you have constant headaches, you may want to talk to your trained Yoga instructor about some special poses that will target your problem tension points. They will be able to combine your Yoga poses and your breathing to help you obtain the relief you are looking for.

Yoga Can It Stop the Aging Process?

The aging process as we know it is the body degenerating from misuse and abuse. You spend your adult years working, sitting at a desk, or standing in a production line or on a sales floor. You eat fast food with too much salt and grease, and then you go home and collapse in front of the television every night. If you body doesn’t get any exercise, it will fall apart. That’s only common sense. Your body is a living machine, it needs to be taken care just as a car, or any other mechanical machine does. You need to give your body regular maintenance just as you do your car. Yoga is a great tool for preserving your body. There are many books, websites, and local classes can help give your body a tune-up and help you to start on a new healthy lifestyle. Keeping your spine healthy is a big step in keeping yourself active for your whole life. Flexibility and stretching can help you stay limber and flexible and if you think you are too old, you’re wrong.

Did you know that when you slouch your breathing capacity is limited? Slouching can compromise the basic need for your health, oxygen. Every cell is affected by lack of oxygen and they slowly start to die if they don’t get the oxygen they need. This is the root of what we call “aging.” People who practice Yoga seem so much younger and more active than their friends who don’t.

Breathing, and opening your lungs and increasing their ability can feed all those cells that are so desperately looking for the oxygen they need. There are 10-minute exercises that can help you strengthen your back, stretch out your lung capacity and should become a regular part of your Yoga routine. Backbends can be a part of this routine after practicing. They can tone your spinal column, and some will even help strengthen your arms, wrists, and legs. A good back bend will massage your kidneys, and lubricate those aching joints. When your back feels better, you feel younger, have more energy, and lift sagging spirits.

Many people who are just starting to practice Yoga are over 50. The secret is to start slowly after consulting with your Doctor and always warm up before starting work on your Asanas. Be sure you are using the correct form and stop immediately if you feel you are not doing the posture correctly. Don’t ever force yourself, if you have any doubts, ask your Yoga instructors. If anything hurts, stop doing it.

If you have avoided exercise all of your life but would like to have the added benefits of flexibility, it isn’t too late to start. Studied have shown that those people who started practicing Yoga late in life could slow the aging process and many report they feel better than they ever have! Remember, even if you are not working your Yoga routine, avoid slouching, stand or sit straight, make it a point to stretch often and breathe.

Prevention and Relief of Repetitive Stress Injuries with Yoga

Repetitive Stress Injuries are the most common form of work place injuries in today’s world. Our bodies were not meant to sit at a desk, or stand on an assembly line for long periods. We weren’t designed to be draped over a keyboard and typing all day with our fingers and wrists in unnatural positions. Our bodies were designed to move fluidly and we have a huge range of motion. We weren’t meant to sit in small confined cubicles and forced to stand on our feet all day, these are very unnatural for our bodies. Our bodies were not meant to do the same motions repeatedly. That is abusing our body and when we do that our body starts sending out warning signals.

The first warning our body gives us is stiffness in the stressed joints. That’s an early warning to look for, and then the joints begin to burn, or swell and even go numb. The body will continue to send out stronger signals until we are forced to stop the activity that we are doing that caused it pain. If you continue with that activity, you can cause permanent harm and may lose mobility of that portion of your body. Yoga will help with repetitive motion injuries because it helps us focus and listen to our body.

When you have gotten in touch with your body, you are more conscious of what it’s trying to tell you. It feels uncomfortable and it demands you do something to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling. Once you have learned some Asanas, you will notice more quickly if you are allowing your body to slouch in your chair, or if your weight is not distributed evenly through your body when you’re standing. Putting your body in bad form causes repetitive Stress Injuries. Yoga can help you easily recognize and then teaches you to keep your body in correct form. After a while, your body will automatically keep itself in the correct form. Posture is important, and good posture increases your chances of breathing correctly.

If you already have a repetitive motion injury or are trying to avoid one, it’s essential to take frequent breaks from whatever your repetitive activity is. Yoga is a great strength builder and if you already have an injury, you don’t want to aggravate it. Start slowly and practice the poses, stop doing them before you are in pain. Ask your Yoga instructor for some poses you can do that will specifically help the part of your body that has the injury. Most of all listen to your body. It will tell you when it needs a rest.

The Importance of Breathing while Practicing Yoga

Yoga is more than just poses, postures, and sitting quietly for long spans of time. Yoga and meditation are growing in popularity for the stress filled and health conscious all over the world. If you are thinking of beginning a Yoga routine then you know already that Yoga includes poses, meditation, and breathing.

The word for the breathing aspect of Yoga is Pranayama. Just practicing good breathing can make an immediate improvement in your health and life. It’s an exercise without using energy and total relaxation without pressure.

Breathing is the nourishment of our body and it’s a link between the universe and deeper resources within us. Tapping those resources increases the alertness of our mind and allows it to looking at situations in a fresh new way.

As busy as our lives are just taking time to sit and breathing is a way to restore the balance of our body, nourish our minds and link us our inner source. Sometimes the only thing we might have time to do for ourselves is to take the time to do some deep breathing exercises. Deep breathing is used to help control panic, anxiety attacks, and mental stress. Scientists have known for years there is a relationship between breathing and mental health.

We are usually breathing in short bursts, fast and shallow. We are in a hurry most of the time, we have the stress of just living in today’s world, and we get emotional, anxious, and angry too easily. Those in turn causes us to breath shallow and with our lack of physical activity there is no need for our body to take deep breaths it really needs. We spend more and more time indoors which increases our exposure to pollution and our body automatically breathes shallower to protect itself from pollution.

The effects of shallow breathing are many. Oxygen is an essential nutrient to our body and the production of energy in our body. Lack of oxygen decreases our ability to resist disease since oxygen is so important to the health of our cells. We will develop more ailments, catch more colds, and is a big factor in cancer, heart disease, and strokes.

So if you feel you don’t have time for a full Yoga routine, you may consider doing just a few breathing exercises to make you mind more alert and help you focus on what’s going on in the here and now.

Deep breathing allows for the total relaxation of the mind and body. It reduces the heart rate and your muscles relax and normalize brain function. That in turn, reduces anxiety and stress.

Pranayama is an important part of the meditation process of Yoga. In order to meditate well, you should practice breathing to help focus on the life force of your body. After practicing breathing techniques, you will find your mind ready to enjoy peace and the presence of God. Breathe your way to a more peaceful and healthy lifestyle.

Yoga for a Strong Body and Strong Soul

When you practice Yoga for the very first time, you’ll be surprised at how much strength it takes. Standing poses can turn your knees to jelly and you’ll find you can’t hold them for any great length of time. With practice, your leg muscles will grow stronger and you will find they are more likely to hold the pose. Upper and lower body strength training can help improve your Yoga routine. In order to do this, you need to be sure you are doing the strength training in the correct way.

It’s been said that the best exercises for your legs are the classic Yoga squat and lunge. These sound difficult but they really aren’t, but there are a few tips to remember. Your knees should never go beyond your toes when you are doing a lunge and your front leg should not bend beyond 90-degrees. It’s also important to keep your body straight and not let it be twisted in knots. You want to put as little stress on the knees as possible and keep your back straight. More advanced Yoga practitioners may use simple light weights while doing these lunges and squats. If you unsure of what you should be using, it might be a good idea to hire a trainer for a special session. Doing lunges and squats are beneficial whether you are using weights or not.

If you find a pose is too hard for you to do at first, try modifying it. If a full squat is too hard for you right now, try doing a chair squat. Stand in front of the chair and put your arms straight out. Now, sit back toward the seat but before actually sitting, pause about an inch or two over the seat. Hold for a couple of seconds then stand up straight again. Be sure your weight is in your heels. Don’t overtax yourself. Go at your own pace even if it means doing one a day until you can slowly build up your repetitions. Better strength in your legs will also help your balance. It’s never too soon to build your balance skills.

Upper body strength is not about building up bulk muscle. It is about building strength through the arms and upper body. You don’t have to accumulate masses of muscles to strengthen your upper body, that’s not the intent. It does take a certain amount of strength to do some of the poses. One looks suspiciously like a push up! Don’t worry ladies; you really don’t have enough testosterone to make your muscles bulky. You can do upper weight body training with or without weights and still achieve a new level of satisfaction in your Yoga routine. Weight training is a great addition to a Yoga routine and the secret is, you don’t really have to use weights to strengthen your upper body.
Concentrate on form and breathing and don’t worry about doing every pose perfect the first time. Relax, enjoy, and breathe.

Practicing Yoga for Better Balance

The biggest fear of any elderly person is the fear of falling. Falling can mean a broken arm, concussion, or even worse, a broken hip. That could mean loss of independence to so many and the fear of going to a nursing home or extended care home is something every elderly person dreads. It’s important to keep the ability to balance when you are entering your senior years. Balance isn’t something that fades away with age; balance is lost over a lifetime of misuse. If you favor one side of the body, poor posture and inactivity result in weaker muscles. Prepare now for a better-balanced body when you’re older and do it the fun way with Yoga.

Yoga is about balance. Balancing your body and mind, the inhalation and exhalation of breathing that’s what Yoga is about. As you age, it’s important that you not lose your sense of balance and Yoga can help with that.

Some poses such as Tree, Warrior III, and Half Moon all have to do with balancing. They are strengtheners for the whole leg, toning the muscles of both the calf and thigh, while also working your hip, knees, and ankle joints. These poses also help keep your mind on the present and that’s a big part of balancing. What were you doing the last time you tripped or lost your balance? Probably zoning out or thinking about everything but what you were doing. Other poses such as Eagle stretch out your shoulders and the Dancing Shiva offers a back bend that helps make your back muscles stronger.

Doing these balance poses will let you know immediately if you are not in the right form. Bad form or lack of concentration will make you lose your pose. By keeping your mind concentrated on the moment and what you are doing, that’s why they are the best for balancing. You can’t just “attempt” a balance pose, you either can do it, or you don’t.

A busy mind is why you can’t always do the balance poses. If you are not doing the posture right, you probably have your mind on everyday matters and not focusing on what’s going on at that moment. Remember live the moment you’re in. Step back, focus, and breathe deeply. Take a few cleansing breathes, start concentrating and try it again. If you still can’t hold the pose, don’t be hard on yourself, and just let it go for today or try to do an easier form of the pose.

Brace yourself; use a chair or some other way to help you achieve the pose. Once you’re comfortable with using a prop, try it again on your own.

If you are already, a senior citizen is it too late to practice balance? Of course not, a Yoga instructor that is trained to work with older adults can help an elderly person regain some of the balance and improve the flexibility of their body. Strengthened muscles will also improve balance and a senior adult can always use the props. Muscle tone doesn’t have to be lost forever, it can be regained; but wouldn’t it be better not to lose all that in the mean time? The time to work on your balance is now!

Let The Kids Join In Your Yoga Routine!

A shocking statistic was given on the news yesterday. The report says 50 percent of our children will grow up to be obese adults. Inactivity and junk food are making our kids unhealthy. Children sit in front of the television set, or watch movies or play video games instead of getting outside and playing like the adults of today did. The result is children who are couch potatoes and are in real danger of health related problems. The study also went on to say that children could benefit from Yoga. Sure, you say, how do you get a 2 year old to sit in one position for more than 30 seconds?

Yoga classes for children are offered and if you have ever watched one, you would be amazed at what they can do. No, it’s not your traditional quiet, meditative Yoga routine for a small child, but Yoga can be fun as well as healthy for a toddler or child. Classes designed for children offer the fun of barking like a dog while doing the Downward Facing Dog pose. Jumping around like Kangaroos is another fun part of a child’s Yoga class. The idea is to get them used to moving around, make it a part of their routine and we can only hope they will continue that habit for life.

One Yoga instructor practices with his small son and when he is doing the Bridge Pose, the toddler crawls under him and makes noises like a boat. So how is that helping the adult? It’s keeping them in the present, which is one of the goals of Yoga. Showing his son that Yoga and proper breathing will help him to become an active productive adult.

When introducing your toddler or child to Yoga, don’t make them be little grown-ups. Remember to get down on their level. Have fun with them; make it a fun activity time. You can’t really expect a child to be as serious as an adult. The short attention span of a young child makes it impossible for them to sit in one pose as an adult would. Explore the poses with your child, let them flow naturally and center your attention on them and what you are doing now. Again, that’s one of the reasons to practice Yoga, to keep you in the moment and help you enjoy the time you have right now.

A child is just that, a child, if we think on their level and allow them to go at their own pace they will reap the benefits later in life. With you as an example, they will look forward to your time together two or three times a week, and encourage them to keep active. Avoiding obesity as a young adult, and stiffness and soreness when they’re older is a benefit to start Yoga with them when they are small. You can make Yoga and quiet times an intricate part of their lives.

So, help your child grow into a healthy adult while helping yourself at the same time.
Show and teach them by practicing with them and oh; have fun doing it!