The First Health Blog Service

Nine Yoga Obstacles

Anyone embarking on the journey of yoga will face a series of obstacles, difficulties and detours. You will need to remove all of the following difficulties, noticed by yoga practitioners for a long time, in order to be able to fully benefit from the positive aspects of yoga. Here is a quick look at the nine major obstacles:

1. Vyadhi – This obstacle refers to physical or mental illness. Practicing yoga si even more difficult when you are not in great health. A balanced, healthy life style ensures victory on this obstacle, by preventing any form of sickness.

2. Styana – The second major difficulty related to yoga refers to an advanced state of apathy, which interferes with you willingness to commit to your responsibilities. We neglect and avoid practice by procrastinating and this, in turn, leads to coming up with excuses for not doing our work.

3. Sanshaya – One other major interference in the practice of yoga is related to the issue of doubting the benefits of practicing it. This problem also arises when faith in your own capabilities is low. This leads to a deviation from the original goals, making you more susceptible to outside interference.

4. Pramada – When lack of persistence and will is notices, the 4th yoga obstacle comes in place. Yoga requires a unique approach, as it is a combination of arts and sciences. If you practice yoga without the proper emotional and mental states, you may turn its positive aspects into negative ones.

5. Alasya – A lazy and inert state of mind and body will prevent you from receiving yoga’s full benefits. Most people have a hard time dealing with their own will power, creating the perfect conditions for this obstacle to appear. The road to success is hard most of the times and a strong will power can support your ascent. A passive approach, on the other hand, will almost certainly lead to a slow and ineffective advance.

6. Avirati – Physical objects hold a magnetic attraction to the majority of people. Yoga needs you to let go of these ropes that tie you to the material world and make progress in the realm of the spirit. Removing the weight of physical things is vital while practicing yoga.

7. Bhrantidarshan – Misunderstanding the path you are taking while practicing yoga can lead to disappointment. Avoid this by keeping your hopes in good contact with reality.

8. Alabdha-bhumikatva – We are often victims of our own discouragement. When a failure occurs we fall into a state of self-depreciation and low optimism levels. Failing to reach a step on your road to achieving your ideal can lead to aggravated forms of this obstacle.

9. Anawasthitatwa – Poor yoga practice may also lead to the incapability to reach and hold a higher level of consciousness. This can be frustrating and result in disappointment.

Overcoming these obstacles is possible by helping your mind to focus on single elements a one time. Do not allow any of these obstacles to increase in power, as the others will soon follow. The passing of time and a strong will and commitment is usually very effective in dealing with the 9 yoga obstacles.

Thanks to Gavin Dye.

Add comment February 12th, 2006

Weight Loss is Affected By Two Things: What We Eat and How We Eat

Have you got a few pounds to lose? Or maybe you have more than a few pounds to lose. When people think about dieting, they usually think about what they’re eating. In other words, how much of your diet consists of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. That’s a good place to start, but it isn’t the only thing we should be looking at.

Just as important as what we eat, is how we eat. Do you eat just because it’s that time of day? Or maybe you eat when you’re bored. Do you ever have an extra helping just because it tastes really good? How often do you keep eating, even after you’re full, just because the food is there? These, and other behavioral issues, can cause as much of a problem for us in our quest to lose those pounds as anything else. So, let’s look the challenge a little more closely, and from more angles.

There are all kinds of sensible diets that give us good guidelines regarding proper proportions of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Once we find a sensible diet that seems right for us, what are some of the other things we can do to help us succeed?

Look closely at the kinds of calories that you are ingesting. Did you know that by having a lite yogurt instead of a low fat yogurt, you can save up to 110 calories? Drinking a can of diet cola instead of a regular cola saves about 150 calories (and most cola drinkers have at least 2 cans a day, equaling 300 calories). Eating a hard boiled egg in place of a Power bar reduces your calories by 173.

If you replaced each one of those items in your diet for a week, you would save 4081 calories. That translates to the loss of over one pound per week just with those small changes. That translates to more than 50 pounds in a year. So, look for ways to make lower calorie substitutions for things that you like to eat. But, be careful with those choices, because things like “low fat” items are not necessarily lower in calories.

Most diets strongly suggest that we drink at least 64 ounces of water each day. If you drink a large glass of water about 10 minutes before each meal, it will help to make you feel full sooner. And, if you mix a fiber substitute into the water, it will not only make you feel fuller, it will help your body eliminate excess materials more quickly.

Another thing that many of us do that gets us in trouble with our dieting is how often we eat. Dieters often think that if they eat less frequently, it will help them shed the pounds quicker. Guess what? Almost the opposite is true. By eating less frequently, we are teaching our body that it needs to conserve energy by saving the calories we ingest for those times when nothing is being eaten. What will work better is to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day so our body doesn’t feel the need to conserve extra calories.

In summary: analyze why you’re eating; look for healthy, low calorie substitutes; drink water before every meal; and eat more, small meals each day. These suggestions are not the only things you can do to help yourself lose weight. But, they will go a long way to making your weight loss goal more attainable.
©2005 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

Add comment February 12th, 2006