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Yoga Equipment

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

If you practice yoga you might want to be familiar with some of the more basic types of yoga equipment. As is true when you practice most physical disciplines, having the right equipment can make a big positive difference when it comes to getting the most out of your workout.

If you can afford to only get one piece of yoga exercise equipment then get a yoga mat. Yoga mats help protect your body from being injured by a hard floor. A yoga mat can also provide you with just enough time that you may be able to hold a posture longer. Furthermore a yoga mat is a lot warmer then sitting on a cold floor.

Another reason to use a yoga mat is that it can help you keep your spine aligned. If the floor is crooked at all your spine could fall into misalignment. Also any discomfort you feel in your body from a cold hard or dirty floor is all too easily translated into a bad posture. Doing yoga with a crooked spine defeats the purpose.

If you can try and find a yoga mat that is anti-bacterial or made out of a fabric that is easy to clean or sanitize. This is because human sweat can colonize into infectious bacteria and moulds on your yoga equipment if you are not careful.

If you find holding postures or achieving the stretch or grip of a pose properly to be difficult then you might consider investing in yoga straps. These straps are made of cotton or nylon fabric and you simply grip each end of the cloth with both hands. They can help you balance better and hold a pose if you have weak muscles, bad balance or are dizzy when you try to practice the postures. Straps are particularly useful if your hands cannot reach each other when stretched behind the back or above the head. You can also loop yoga straps around the soles of your feet if you are not limber enough to touch your toes.

If you are pregnant or recovering from an injury you might want to consider investing in what are known as yoga blocks or yoga bricks. These are blocks that help stabilize the spine that can be put on top of chairs or place on top of a yoga mat to make your yoga routine more comfortable. A similar item is the yoga cushion which is a little bulkier but used in much the same way. You can also buy yoga chairs, which allow injured or disabled individuals to do their yoga positions in a sitting down position.

A newer invention when it comes to yoga equipment are the yoga balls. These are thick spheres that come up to your knees. They are used to support spines and other parts of the body when it comes to providing stability and support for holding certain poses. They are also very useful for doing warm up and muscle stretching exercises in general as they help extend your range of motion and help relieve the body of stress in general.

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Pregnancy Yoga

Tuesday, April 17th, 2007

Pregnancy Yoga

Yoga for Pregnant Mothers

More than ever in history, pregnancy yoga is one of the most popular ways for expectant mothers to prepare themselves for birth. The physical regimen (that includes many breathing rituals) helps ground these expectant mothers physically and mentally during the often stressful months before labor. Aside from helping with such symptoms of pregnancy as nausea, sore feet, sore back, morning sickness and shortness of breath, pregnancy yoga can also help with any jitters or anxiety that the mother-to-be might be suffering at the prospect of giving birth. Its main value is in helping the mother center herself so she has a peaceful and happy pregnancy that is relatively free of aches and pains.

Prenatal yoga is considered to be generally harmless for the mother but even though classes are designed to be gentle for you and the baby but there are caveats. Before embarking on any physical program when you are pregnant you should first consult with your doctor. It cannot be stressed enough that you must do this as there may be a reason why practicing yoga during pregnancy may absolutely be the wrong move for your. Your yoga teacher will also be able to tell you quite a bit about the specific risks of doing yoga while pregnant but your doctor is the ultimate expert when it comes to informing you about the health of your baby and your body and what the two of you can handle in terms of exercise.

The main health issue when it comes to yoga for pregnant mothers is babies that are not in the right position in the third trimester. In that situation it is wiser not to practice prenatal yoga. Consulting with your physician should reveal whether or not your baby is on track in terms of positioning or not.

Most doctors however will see yoga as a perfect way to prepare your muscles for giving birth. Many of these ancient yoga postures have been specifically created to strengthen the back and stomach muscles, which gives you more flexibility and stretch. As pregnancy yoga also helps the mother strengthen and align her spine she will suffer less backaches as a result of having to carry the child, larger breasts and the extra body weight that is packed on the woman’s frame during pregnancy.

The mental and meditative components of doing yoga also helps the new mother focus on her breathing during labor and may allay the anxiety and pain associated with labor. Yoga also significantly increases one’s stamina and patience in general which is a good thing while lying in a hospital waiting to give birth. Another physical benefit is improved circulation, which keeps the baby well fed through the umbilical cord.

Furthermore pregnancy yoga classes offer an opportunity for expectant mothers to meet other mothers-to-be in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. This is one of the many beneficial aspects of doing pregnancy yoga that is often overlooked as many pregnant mothers feel embarrassed about working out in a gym. They are much more comfortable bonding in friendship with other mothers in a class that is expressly designed for pregnant mothers.

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Kundalini Yoga

Saturday, April 14th, 2007

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini yoga is meditation technique that is achieved by performing a set of simple postures. The kundalini is an Indian word that means “that which is coiled” or “the curl of the lock of hair of the beloved. Usually the form of this energy is imaged as a snake that slowly rises up through the chakras (energy centers) the body through the spine. Once this energy has traveled upwards from the lowest of the seven chakras at the base of the spine to the highest out of the top of the head then an individual is thought to have reached a state of enlightenment or transcendence. An eighth chakra also hovers high above the human head, which is thought to represent the soul or that which connects us to a higher power. The ultimate goal of kundalini is to achieve this connection through the mindful practicing of yoga postures and controlled breathing.

One of the many purposes of Kundalini yoga is to increase the communication between the mind and the body and create a sense of awareness that allows an individual to function better. The practice of kundalini yoga consists of maintaining of bodily postures, expressive movement, vocalizations, meditations and the holding of specifically prescribed breathing patterns. Repeating a mantra (a phrase) over and over again in the form of a chant is also a characteristic of kundalini yoga practice.

It is a discipline that encourages the body to be the best that it can be when integrated with the greatest potential of the mind. This great potential is only achieved through stillness and the focused awakening of each chakra through the practice of the Kundalini yoga postures.

Kundalini Yoga is also a practice that is considered to be psycho-spiritual in nature and that allows the individual to become more aware of his or her true purpose in life. Long-term practice of kundalini yoga produces the kind of calm and clarity that leads to soul purpose and wise decision making in life. Practicing this form of yoga is also thought to enhance one’s creative powers, fertility and overall stamina.

Practicing kundalini yoga can also help heal past traumas and help one discard emotional blocks and resentments that might be preventing the person from moving forward in life. When healing through the practice of this type of yoga happens it often has a very profound effect that causes the person to experience an epiphany that is forever life-changing. This healing is attributed to the great amount of power that is released in an individual once they have achieved the true release of kundalini up through the spine and out the top of the head.

The theory behind how this works is that most of us have life force (prana) that is trapped in our bodies and that has no way of being released except by practicing spiritual disciplines.

Kundalini yoga is very much associated with the hippie movement because it was not introduced to the United States until 1969. Before that many different Yogis practiced it in secret in the Himalayan Mountains for centuries.

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Ashtanga Yoga

Friday, April 13th, 2007

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga Yoga is a vaguer term when it comes to describing yoga practice. This is because the term ashtanga actually describes eight different types of yoga. These eight types are the Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. These eight types of Yoga are also known as the “eight limbs” of yoga but they all accomplish the same thing, which is to purify and detoxify the physical body and clarify the mind.

Furthermore these eight different types of yoga that comprise Ashtanga Yoga are also broken down into two different categories. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, and Pratyahara comprise the first category. The second category, called Samyama is comprised of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Each of these categories and steps refers to a different type of posture that focuses mainly on contracting muscles and holding them still in a posture for a long length of time.

What is the purpose of the postures that are part of the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga? First of all it is important to note that the goal of ashtanga yoga is unusual compared to other types of yoga. The purpose of it is purification. To achieve this through yoga postures the temperature of the body must be raised. This is done through a prescribed series of ritualistic postures that have been around for many thousands of years. In a sense it is a way of inducing a fever to kill of infections and induce relaxation in the human body.

The body temperature is raised so that the body can be purified through a defined set of body positions that are always done in the same order and that are always combined with specific breathing patterns. These cleansing breathing patterns are called ujjayi breathing. The heat that is created in the body through the practice of these physical disciplines leads to increased circulation and sweating which encourages the body to purify itself of toxins. Yet another added benefit is that the increased heat relaxes muscles and improves the overall flexibility of the body, which makes it less prone to accidents and injury in general.

Aside from raising the temperature of the body ashtanga yoga’s purpose is to help the practitioner focus on vinyasa which is translated to mean “the intelligent piecing together of things.” There are certain gazes that are held along in tandem with specific breathing instructions that help accomplish this sense of organization and clarity that is good for both the body and soul.

Ashtanga yoga is a very secret and ancient healing practice and is thought to have been originated by Vamana Risha (who wrote about it in a revered text called Yoga Korunta.) Knowledge of it was then passed down from various yogis who teach it today. One of the most famous of the yogis that taught ashtanga yoga was Krishnamacharya. B.K.S Iyengar also taught and wrote extensively about ashtanga yoga and his theories about its practice still have a great impact about how it is performed as an exercise to this day.

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Yoga For Beginners

Thursday, April 12th, 2007

Yoga For Beginners

Is there a good type of yoga for beginner? Some types of yoga are definitely more arduous than others and not recommended for those first starting out with the physical and mental discipline. Still however gentle a yoga program seems to be at first you should consult with a doctor to see if it is the right form of exercise for you.

Not all yoga for beginners is a great choice for people suffering from certain physical or mental problems. For instance, manic-depressives and schizophrenics could be triggered into episodes thanks to the mind-expanding awareness and different states of clarity and consciousness that can be induced by doing yoga. People with spinal problems, joint problems or inner ear disorders might also have some problems doing the various postures.

Still, in general you can find a yoga class in your area easily simply by surfing the subject on the Internet or inquiring about classes at your local gym or fitness facility. Yoga classes are very popular these days so they should not be too hard to find. Many beach front communities in fact hold free yoga classes right on the beach sand out of doors every day. Most urban communities also have organizations dedicated to the Asian religions that offer free yoga as well. Check your local Buddhist or Hindu temple as often there are posters tacked up in the atriums and lobbies that tell you where to find a good yoga for beginner class.

Of all of the different yoga types Bhakti yoga is generally considered to be the easiest for a beginner to practice. Traditionally there are nine forms of bhakti-yoga. The goal of this type of yoga for beginner is to liberate the soul from the ego. The Bhagavad Gita is also seen as a yoga bible for promoting this type of practice. If you want to know more about the philosophy behind this easy form of yoga then reading this ancient text might be a start to getting more familiar with it.

There are many forms of yoga and most community centers, gyms and temples offer beginner versions of all kinds including Bhakti, Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. Also just because you have enrolled in a class does not mean you have to fulfill the movements as prescribed by the instructors. Most yoga instructors understand immediately that most beginners cannot do all of the yoga postures correctly at first so no matter what level you choose to start at remember to be easy on yourself.

The hardest form of yoga is probably Ashtanga yoga. This is a form of Yoga practice that many find quite uncomfortable not because the postures are really difficult to hold but more because the purpose of the yoga postures is to raise the body’s internal temperature. Many people find that these postures and the rigorous breathing postures that go with it to be uncomfortable because it induces sweating and a feverish feeling. However once initiated many followers of this most difficult form of yoga become addicted to it as they feel so cleansed after practicing it.

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