Posts filed under 'Yoga'
Yoga positions for beginners are so easy to learn. If you have not experienced any yoga session or have not seen one, that is not a problem.
Practitioners have talked about the unification of the mind, body and spirit. They claimed that this will be acquired through the practice of yoga exercises and techniques.
If it is your first time to hear of yoga, you will of course wonder how these exercises are done and how it looks like. Since you are a beginner, you will also definitely ask what kind of positions will be best for you.
Yogis have believed that the mind and the body are bonded into a unified structure. This belief has never failed and changed through time. Yoga has extensively performed an amazing procedure of healing oneself through harmony. This can be successfully done if you are in a proper environment.
With the great effects of yoga, the doctors have been convinced that yoga has some therapeutic results and can be recommended for people who have illnesses that is hard to cure.
If you have some illness that has been with you for a long time, you can practice the yoga positions for beginners and apply it to yourself.
If you want to practice the yoga positions for beginners, you must believe that yoga is effective and will help you to be cured or be refreshed.
Yoga is not just a recent application. It has been practiced and applied a long time ago and up to the present, the people are benefiting a lot from it.
Investigations and researches have been implemented to prove that yoga can be helpful in the healing process.
Therefore, it has been proved that the yoga positions for beginners are extremely effective and useful when it comes to maintaining a high level of joint flexibility. Although the yoga positions for beginners are just simple and basic, it can slowly bring up a healthy lifestyle and bring more when it is practiced over and over again.
The yoga positions for beginners are very interesting and exciting to perform. Beginners will never find it hard to keep up with the exercises because it is just simple. The technique of yoga gives a very big contributing factor to our internal glands and organs. It also includes the parts of the human body which is barely stimulated.
If you want to learn the yoga positions for beginners, you can learn it easily at home or at school where yoga is taught.
Some basic yoga positions for beginners include standing poses, seated poses, forward and backward bends, balance and twisting. These yoga positions for beginners are not that far from those who are used to practicing yoga. Only that the extreme poses and positions are handled at the latter part of the exercise.
The time duration in executing the positions are also lessened because a beginner cannot fully cope up with a longer time exposure in practice. Rest is required of the beginner so that he will not be drained easily to prepare the body for further positions.
Since you are a beginner, the most important thing you should understand is self discipline. Yoga is not just doing yoga and executing the poses. If you haven’t mastered the basics yet, do not jump into the complex stages and positions because you will not feel the essence of executing the yoga positions for beginners.
February 24th, 2006
Within yoga’s ability to create well-being lies its ability to reduce excess weight through burning calories, boosting metabolism, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Yoga is not a quick fix, but can be an excellent long-term holistic approach to losing excess weight and keeping it off. Not only that, but yoga creates many other positive changes; it improves self-esteem, increases mental focus, reduces stress, promotes flexibility, and increases strength and balance.
The causes of weight gain are many, and the best method to reducing excess weight with yoga requires an individualistic approach using a blend of appropriate techniques. The classic weight loss formula of reducing intake and increasing output is important, but it often does not address the deeper disharmonies or root of the cause, especially if weight gain has been a long-term issue. A general yoga practice will help lose excess weight, but a routine of yogic practices based upon and individual’s specific disharmony will be more effective. Yoga poses, breathing exercises, and meditations can be used basis upon their ability to adjust and balance hormones, emotions, and/or metabolism.
Metabolism consists of the chemical processes that create energy in the body that are regulated by the endocrine system, especially the thyroid. Yoga has a powerful stimulating and strengthening effect on the endocrine organs and thus can boost metabolism to burn more calories. The twisting and compressing of the yoga postures massage the endocrine and abdominal organs, regulating their function, improving local circulation and cleansing them of old stagnant toxins. Standing poses, especially the warrior and lunging poses, increase metabolism and also strengthen and tone the muscles, build endurance, and warm the body. Practicing the Sun Salutations will be especially helpful in boosting the body’s metabolism as will moving quickly (vinyasa) between any series of poses. Use Kapalabhati Pranayama (breath of fire) and Ujjayi Pranayama (ocean sounding breath) to help warm and energize the body and further boost metabolism. Practice Kapalabhati before of after your yoga practice, and use Ujjayi while moving between and holding yoga poses.
Twisting poses, back bends, forward bends and inversions are used to stimulate the endocrine system. If the weight gain is due to a hormonal imbalance, postures that affect the thyroid in the neck will be helpful: camel, shoulder stand, rabbit, plow, and bridge. Use Dirga Pranayama (the three part breath) to massage, tone and regulate the endocrine organs and to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which adjusts hormonal imbalances. Emotional eating is the practice of consuming food in response to feelings instead of hunger. Yoga’s effect on harmonizing, balancing and calming the mind and emotions can neutralize overpowering emotions before they result in overeating or bingeing. Yoga poses, pranayamas and meditations all bring the awareness to see emotional eating as an unhealthy habit and provide the skills to effectively process and resolve our emotional distress. Yoga has an arsenal of calming and nurturing poses to use, such as child, yoga mudra, bound angle, seated head to knee, and seated angle. Nadi Sodhana pranayama (alternate nostril breathing) is especially potent to calm the mind and reduce stress, anxiety and worry. Simple meditation practices that focus on the breath and body sensations improve self-awareness and self-reflection, reduce stress and promote equanimity.
Incorporating a yogic diet and lifestyle will create a holistic weight loss program and positive long-term change. A yogic diet is high in fiber, whole grains, legumes and vegetables; and low in fat, animal protein and processed foods. A yogic lifestyle encourages awareness and consciousness, compassion, self-knowledge, and the practice of the principles of right conduct and lifestyle of the yamas and niyamas. Yama, respect for others, includes nonviolence, truth, honesty, moderation, and noncovetousness. Niyama, positive self-action, includes purity, contentment, discipline, self-study, and devotion. Yoga is a journey and should be approached as such. Focus on slowly increasing your commitment to the yogic practices outlined above and enjoy the gradual changes that appear. Do not attempt a fast paced vinyasa until you have achieved a basic understanding of the poses. Being overweight may cause difficulty in forward folding poses and inversions, you may want to avoid or minimize these at first. Most importantly, enjoy all of the positive benefits practicing yoga will bring into your whole life–body, mind and sprit.
Twisting Squat (Parivritta Utkatasana)
This pose is an invigorating and energizing pose that strongly strengthens the lower body, massages the endoctrine and abdominal organs and boosts metabolism.
1. Stand with the feet together and inhale the palms together in front of the heart in namaste position.
2. Exhale and bend the knees, squatting down. Reach the hips down back as if you were going to sit on the edge of a chair, bringing your weight to the heels of the feet. Do not bring the hips lower than the level of the knees.
3. Keeping the palms together, bring the left elbow to the right knee and look over the right shoulder at the back corner of the ceiling. Use the arms to roll the left shoulder up and back to feel a deep twist in the upper back.
4. Breathe and hold for 3-6 breaths.
To release: inhale and press down into the feet straightening the legs and inhale the arms up toward the ceiling.
Pranayama (Yogic Breathwork) Resources
Light on Pranayama the Yogic Art of Breathing, by B. K. S. Iyengar, Yehudi Menuhin
The Yoga of Breath: A Step-by-Step Guide to Pranayama, by Richard Rosen
Pranayama: The Yoga of Breathing, by Andre Van Lysebeth
Yogic Pranayama: Breathing for Long Long Life, by K. Joshi
Pranayama: a Conscious Way of Breathing, by Ranjit Sen Gupta [Resources provided by New Life Journal]
By Timothy Burgin
Copyright 2004 Natural Arts
Copyright 2004 Gale Group
February 21st, 2006
Yoga is wonderful for nurturing a state of mental and physical well being . It promotes a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and yoga techniques can be applied also to removing excess weight, thus bringing you an extra benefit, that is if being overweight is a problem to you.
Practicing yoga will increase your metabolism. An increased metabolism leads to an increase in the calorie burning process, so combining yoga with a calorie burning program may bring you excellent results. Of course, the use of yoga is no rapid weight loss method. Used over a period of time, though, it can bring good results. If you keep to the rigours imposed by yoga discipline, you should gain a holistic, long term solution to balance your life style and help you reduce and prevent any surplus weight. In addition to losing weight, you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, higher resistance to stress factors, and overall a healthier way of life.
Let me just explain a little more about how yoga will benefit you. Your metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a component of the endocrine system. The thyroid is responsible for the chemical processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a series of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the internal organs, thus boosting metabolism. This in turn burns more calories, and reduces your body weight. Improved local blood circulation is another direct effect of the use of yoga postures, which leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie output, your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the necessary energy. A perfectly healthy and strong metabolism takes this process even further, and you may well see better results than traditional weight loss formulas.
To stimulate metabolism, various back bends and forward bends are used. Poses that affect the neck area, where the thyroid gland is situated, are particularly helpful if the weight problem is caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand. Moving quickly between a series of poses can accelerate the process. To those who are well overweight, some of the bends may prove to be a difficult. If you fall into that category, don’t despair. You should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until you have the confidence to go to more complex exercises. This is not a test or a competition; you need to be relaxed and at ease, and just do what you can. Each time, you will probably find it that much easier, and you can do a little more.
To strengthen muscles, you use standing poses, such as the warrior. The use of standing poses will aid a higher level of endurance, and an increased caloric output. You may energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama.
A good diet should also be followed to support this holistic weight loss system. You should try to eat foods that are rich in fibre, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, while eating less high fat and processed food items. Balance is essential in all matters concerning your diet. variety is good, as is modest consumption.
A gradual approach is essential with all yoga practices. Do not expect results to be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available. In addition to weight loss, you can also benefit from an increased protection against adverse factors through your improved immune system and sense of well being. Hopefully, too, you will feel an inner peace that will assist you in losing weight without succumbing to all the pressures and temptations.
By Roy Thomsitt
February 20th, 2006
We all get the munchies once in a while. But the next time you’re reaching for the Cherry Garcia, ask yourself: Am I even hungry?
All too often, eating is a mindless “add on” to other activities. “We need to create some space around feeding ourselves,” says Hale Sofia Schatz, author of If the Buddha Came to Dinner. “We’ll grab something while watching TV, sitting at the computer, or running out the door to pick up the kids.”
It’s a recipe for regret. “When you’re stressed out or your blood sugar is low, you often reach for something highly refined or sugar laden,” says James Rouse, N.D., a naturopath in Denver. “Give yourself a chance to get centered, to be present, before you open that refrigerator door.”
His favored technique is to take a few good belly breaths in Warrior Pose. According to Rouse, this helps you gain confidence and puts you in touch with the type of nourishment you’re really seeking. So strike a pose in front of the fridge, and you’ll have a fighting chance against mindless eating.
HOW TO DO WARRIOR POSE
1. Begin standing with feet together, facing the fridge. Step back about 3 feet with your left foot, open your hips to the side, and bend your right knee so the knee is centered over your toes (right foot faces forward, left slightly in).
2. Raise your arms to the sides until they’re parallel to the floor. Extend energy through your fingertips, and keep your torso centered over your hips. Gaze over your right hand.
3.Take 3 to 5 long, steady breaths all the way into your abdomen. Inhale a sense of what you’re truly hungry for; exhale all the limited thinking and beliefs that keep you from making healthy choices.
4. Step back and repeat on the opposite leg.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
February 16th, 2006
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