Yoga goes hand in hand with meditation but by itself it provides enormous physical and mental benefits. You do not need to be able to bend yourself like a rubber toy to get benefits from yoga. These articles explore Yoga for everyone and not just the young and naturally supple.
Did you know that practicing yoga on a daily basis can improve not only your physical but also your mental well-being? Learning and practicing the best yoga poses from the very beginning is critical to success!
Yoga isn’t as complicated as most people think. There are simple poses you can start with as you work your way up to more advanced and difficult postures.
With consistent practice, you’ll achieve a great physique and have a clear mind. To kick-start your yoga routine, here are some of the best yoga poses you can try at home or in the gym.
Most yoga poses get their names from ancient Sanskrit, thus, they may sound difficult to remember. However, this guide will be your cheat-sheet to mastering the poses you’re likely to encounter in most open-level classes.
This pose is widely recognized for its ultimate rejuvenating stretch. It energizes the entire body, relieves stress, depression, and cramping in the abdominal area.
To go into the pose, here are the steps to follow:
To exit this posture, lift up your heels and drop down your shins to come to the table-top position.
Posture issues? Not anymore!
The Mountain Asana, or pose, is one of the best beginner yoga standing poses for a better body alignment. Besides proper body posture, it also helps to get rid of most gait problems in the upper body.
It’s one of the best yoga poses for both beginners and novice yogis looking for proper balance and strength. It prepares you for other upright yoga positions at advanced levels.
To do the mountain pose, follow the following steps:
If done well, the mountain pose can help you improve your ability to focus by directing your attention to the current moment.
If you found the downward facing dog pose challenging, you can start with a lighter version - the puppy dog on chair.
It’s a great pose for beginners as it stretches the hamstrings, improves the spine’s flexibility, and opens up shoulders.
Here are the steps to follow:
Do this daily for best results.
The triangle, also known as Trikonasana, is one of the best yoga poses for improving your overall health. It stimulates and improves blood flow, gets rid of anxiety, tension, and stress.
It’ll also make your groin, hips, and hamstrings more flexible, making it easier to advance into more complex yoga poses.
To practice the triangle, follow the steps below:
Repeat the posture by bending to the left side.
Whether a beginner or an advanced yogi, stretching and strengthening your lower back is something you'll enjoy.
The bridge is one of the best poses for relieving lower back pain. It also stimulates the lungs and abdominal organs.
If you feel too much strain, start with a few seconds of the pose and advance into longer holds with practice.
These yoga postures are simple and appropriate for all skill levels. Advancing into more complex poses can take time and dedication.
The best yoga poses will you help you live a healthier and more peaceful life. To achieve your goals, try to remain consistent with your daily yoga routines. Emphasize on the postures you find challenging in order to master them.
Check out our yoga blog category for more insightful reads on yoga poses and inspiration.
More people practice yoga these days than ever before. Yoga gives us many health benefits, both mental and physical. So it's no surprise that more people are turning towards this powerful style of exercise. If you've never tried yoga before, it may seem overwhelming. You'll wonder how to start doing yoga in the best way. What poses are the right ones for beginners? What kind of gear do you need?
Don't worry, we're here to help you. Listed below are our top tips for starting yoga off on the right foot.
With its slow movements and positions, yoga doesn't look much like a traditional form of exercise. But that undercuts the strength and muscle it takes to practice yoga in a healthy way. A lot of these movements take determination and a lot of core strength to perform. You'll find that you develop toned muscles after getting into yoga.
Because of this, warm-ups are as important to yoga as they are if you were to go running or lift weights. Gentle warm-up exercises will get the blood flowing and put you in the right mindset before every session. A short walk around the block or even mimicking marching in the comfort of your own home are great ways to get your body ready for the session ahead.
Getting into yoga means that you're going to be stretching and moving in ways you've never done before. When you move in these intricate ways, you don't want your clothing to hinder you. Typical things like jeans or skirts won't cut it with this exercise style.
That's why stretchy material like yoga pants are so popular with all yogis. The material is comfortable, breathable, and allows as much range of movement as you need. Before you begin your own yoga journey, seek out clothing made of stretchable material. Doing yoga in jeans, for example, would make for an unpleasant experience that might sour your outlook on something that is meant to help you.
One of the best ways for getting started with yoga is to find a reputable yoga instructor and join their class. Yoga ensures that you're moving your body in whole new ways and with these new movements comes the risk of doing them wrong.
It's possible to learn all of it on your own with careful studying and practice. But with the help of a proper instructor, you'll get a head start in learning these things in the safest way possible.
You don't have to stay in a class for long if you prefer to practice at home. But an instructor gives you the right foundation to lead you to more difficult poses.
No one starts yoga because they feel and look great already - they do it to improve themselves - and everyone must start somewhere. Whatever you look like, however stiff or old or awkward you are, a good yoga instructor has seen it all before will welcome you with open arms into his/her class. You'll make new friends for life and will soon realize that you are not alone. No one in a yoga class will laugh at you - only with you! PLEASE don't be put off by a feeling of shyness or awkwardness.
A lot of the journey with yoga is introspective and personal. You'll spend a lot of time within your own thoughts and feelings, learning to accept and evolve. That doesn't mean you can't bring along a friend for the experience. In fact, a friend's presence makes the yoga adventure more pleasant.
You'll help each other with proper posturing and explore different poses with one another. You'll grow with one another as you push yourself to reach a higher level in your yoga pursuits. It's easier to begin something new when you have a friend nearby. Plus, it can be quite the stress reliever to spend these calm moments with a close friend.
When it comes to practicing yoga, it's better to wait until after your session is over to have a meal. If you eat before the session, all of the bending and stretching will leave you uncomfortable and unsettled. It's not too different from doing traditional exercise, where a full meal beforehand makes for a lousy workout.
Yoga is about finding peace and a calm state of mind. If your stomach aches from the lunch you had before, finding the right mindset will be near impossible. You want to be as comfortable as possible when you go to practice your yoga, so wait until you've finished before digging into your favorite foods. If you are extra hungry and need to eat something, a light snack wouldn't be too much of a hindrance while you exercise.
Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to starting yoga. Moving too fast raises the risk that you might injure yourself in the process. Yoga's specific stretches and poses are all about taking your time and settling into the position. It isn't at all like lifting weights or doing jumping jacks. You want to feel the slow stretch of your muscles.
It's easy to think that you need to get through all of your poses so that you can get to the next item on your to-do list. But that doesn't work with yoga. Set aside some uninterrupted time so that you can delve into the introspective and relaxing exercise you deserve.
The luxurious stretching motions are an important part of the yoga experience, but even more important is your mental state. How you're feeling affects the benefits you receive from yoga. It takes time to accustom yourself with the meditative state that yoga is so well-known for. It's easy to distract yourself from letting go, but that's okay. Try again and again until you've learned how to do it without any trouble at all and starting yoga will become a luxury you revel in like a hot bath.
Immersing yourself into the entire experience, accepting it for what it is, makes yoga a true pleasure to practice.
Even with something as peaceful as yoga, practice makes perfect. But unlike traditional exercise, yoga is far easier to keep up with. With the help of these seven tips, starting yoga for the first time will be a breeze. The worry of beginning something new seeps away, leaving you to enjoy the spiritual experience that yoga invokes.
Now that you've learned how to start doing yoga, find out how to make the perfect sacred yoga sanctuary at home.
While Yoga has been around for thousands of years, it did not become popular in the West until the early 20th century.
What is yoga? Most people have heard of yoga. However, you may only know it as a form of exercise that requires you to bend your body into different positions. There is much more to this practice than the postures.
So, is yoga a religion? While there are spiritual aspects to yoga, it is not a religion. However, followers of two of the biggest religions in the world commonly practice yoga. Hindus and Buddhists often use yoga for introspective meditation.
What about the health benefits? Is yoga good for losing weight? If you have always wanted to know how yoga benefits your body, you should explore the origins of this practice.
What is yoga? Yoga is a combination of different disciplines developed in India throughout the centuries, dating back several thousand years.
Yoga did not come to the West until the late 1800s and early 1900s. However, the use of yoga as an exercise routine did not become popular until the 1970s.
Is yoga a religion? For the millions of followers that have practiced yoga throughout the ages, yoga is a philosophy. It also has a strong spiritual focus.
Traditionally, yoga includes various practices designed to help people achieve more control over the mind and body. These practices often include meditation and various physical postures.
Asanas are the postures that you perform during a yoga routine. These are what most people think about when discussing yoga. In fact, in the West, yoga and asanas have become synonymous terms.
Yoga instructors often combine individual asanas to create various yoga routines. You may find yoga sessions that promote weight loss, relaxation, flexibility, and core strength.
Yoga can essentially be a philosophy or a type of exercise, depending on your goals and personal beliefs. It is possible to practice yoga asanas without exploring the spiritual aspects of yoga.
Yoga offers a form of minimal impact exercise. With an instructor guided yoga routine, you perform the asanas at a slow, leisurely pace.
You also do not require any special equipment. These details allow people of all fitness levels to start practicing yoga. Thanks to the low impact, gentle exercises, people that suffer from mobility issues or that are recovering from an injury may benefit from yoga.
So is yoga good for losing weight? Due to the gentle, relaxed flow of a typical yoga routine, you may wonder whether yoga can help you get in better shape or lose weight.
Yoga may not help you lose weight directly in the traditional way. To burn fat and lose weight, you need to eat a calorie deficit, which means consuming fewer calories than your body burns throughout the day.
A typical yoga routine may not burn as many calories compared to other forms of exercise. Depending on the type of yoga routine, you may only burn between 200 and 600 calories during a 60-minute session. In a spin class, you may burn between 500 and 1100 calories in an hour.
The average woman needs to eat about 1500 calories per day to lose a pound of weight per week and eat 2000 calories to maintain weight. The 500-calorie deficit equals 3500 calories in a week, which is equal to one pound.
Without modifying your diet, an intense yoga routine may allow you to burn enough calories to lose a pound per week.
The type of yoga routine and the intensity of the session also impacts the number of calories that you can burn. With Bikram yoga, you perform the asanas in a heated room, which increases your heart rate and leads to greater calorie expenditure.
Yoga also encourages people to make healthier choices. When you perform yoga regularly, you often gain a better connection with your body. The mindfulness that you experience may help you pay more attention to what you eat and drink.
Many yoga routines incorporate the use of breathing techniques. These techniques may help lower blood pressure, improve lung capacity, and increase your overall cardiovascular health.
Yoga may also improve blood circulation, which is beneficial for a variety of reasons. Improving blood flow to every part of your body aids recovery and helps fight inflammation.
People that suffer from arthritis, chronic pain, and mobility issues may also benefit from yoga. The yoga poses and stretches help extend the limbs and move the body in various ways. These movements may increase flexibility and overall mobility.
Some of these health benefits may also aid weight loss. Improving your cardiovascular health and blood circulation may lead to a faster metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day.
Many people also gain more endurance and stamina while performing yoga regularly. These yoga benefits may help you get more from your workouts.
Along with helping to improve your physical health, yoga may help improve your mental wellbeing. One of the many yoga benefits is relaxation.
Yoga routines help you relax and focus on your breathing. The calming effect reduces stress. In fact, performing yoga may decrease the release of cortisol.
Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. High levels of this hormone are often present when you suffer from stress or depression. By adding yoga to your daily routine, you may slowly lower your cortisol levels. Several studies have also found that yoga helps to reduce anxiety.
If you are interested in using yoga for stress relief, there are yoga routines designed specifically for relaxation. They often include a slower pace and easy to perform asanas.
There are several different types of yoga and various ways to receive instruction or guidance. You can perform yoga in your own home or at a local gym.
You can find instructional articles that include a series of asanas that you can perform. There are also thousands of video yoga routines that you can find online. Depending on where you live, you may also find local yoga classes or personal yoga instructors.
You do not need special equipment to practice yoga. However, a yoga mat helps provide cushioning and support. When performing various asanas, you may need to lay on the floor, stretch your legs, and move your body in ways that would be uncomfortable on a hard surface.
Besides a yoga mat, some yoga routines require the use of a small block. These foam or cork blocks act as props for performing different poses. While these blocks may offer extra support for difficult poses, you do not need to use them.
You should also dress comfortably when performing a yoga routine. Your clothes should provide a snug fit, without restricting your movement. Look for stretchable, breathable fabric, such as spandex/polyester blends.
Yoga is not an exercise fad, so what is yoga? It is a philosophy practiced by millions throughout the centuries.
There are many potential ways that yoga benefits your body and mind. By including yoga exercises in your daily routine, you may gain more flexibility, improve your cardio health, and reduce your risk of injury.
Is yoga a religion? Yoga is a spiritual practice. It includes methods designed to help with introspection and personal growth. However, it is not a religion.
Yoga is a philosophy originally practiced by Hindus. Buddhists have also adopted yoga practices into their religion.
You do not need to adopt all aspects of yoga in your life. Most Westerners simply practice the asanas that have become synonymous with yoga.
When practicing these asanas, is yoga good for losing weight? Including any physical activity in your daily routine may help improve your overall physical health and promote weight loss.
A typical yoga routine includes low impact exercise. You may not burn a lot of calories. However, you may burn enough for moderate weight loss. People that perform yoga regularly are also more likely to make healthy eating decisions, which can help reduce overeating.
Besides burning calories, yoga provides additional health benefits. It may help lower blood pressure, improve blood circulation, and promote better cardio health. When you combine these advantages, there is a greater chance of losing weight and getting in better shape.
If you want to strengthen the connection between your mind, body, and soul, yoga can be a spiritual practice. It can also be an effective form of exercise with no impact on your religious, spiritual, or mental beliefs.
Yoga is for everyone. It may help you lose weight if losing weight is your goal. However, it can also bring happiness and relaxation. You get to decide how yoga benefits your physical and mental wellbeing.
have you thought of creating a sacred yoga space at home? Why should you? Another question first - Has the stress of everyday life started to wear on your wellbeing? Sometimes, it can feel like you're on a hamster wheel of constant responsibilities and worry. We're bombarded with a stream of bad news coming from the internet and TV.
That's why it's so important to give yourself time and space to relax and ground yourself. Without that relief, your mental and physical health will start to suffer. That's what this article is about - How to Create a Sacred Yoga Space at Home and deal with the consequences of stress.
In fact, stress can cause brain damage, increased inflammation, and cardiac problems. Finding a way to cope with stress is crucial. One common way is through a regular yoga practice. You can try classes, but if you prefer some alone time, you can create a yoga area in your home. That will allow you to unwind whenever you feel the need.
A dedicated yoga practice can help you gain balance in a chaotic world. Read on to learn how to make a sacred yoga space in your home.
It would be great if you had an extra room to turn into a yoga palace. Most people don't, but you can still create a yoga oasis all your own. Scope out your surroundings to see where you have some extra space. Any corner of a room can work as long as it can fit a yoga mat!
The ideal spot would be somewhere tucked away and limited in distractions. If you share your home with others, you'll want an area with minimal foot traffic.
An area by a window where you can get some natural light would be relaxing. But, if the only extra space you can find is in the basement, enjoy the solitude! If you're having trouble, think outside the box. Do you have a private garage? You could set things up in a corner and pull the car out when you want to practice. Once you have your area, you need to assemble your equipment and get going on your sacred yoga space at home!
You don't need a lot of money to create your yoga area. To get started, the only necessities are a mat and your own body. From there, you can build your collection of equipment over time. A bottle of organic anti-bacterial spray is a good idea. Just because you're the only one using your mat, doesn't mean it won't accumulate germs.
A set of blocks are a basic tool you can use in many poses. Get a meditation pillow for times when you just want to sit peacefully. If you're new to yoga, you might need some guidance. You could set up a TV or iPad and follow along with a yoga video class.
Want to keep your space technology-free? Make a binder with yoga flow how-to's that you can refer to if you aren't sure what to do next. The most important part of your space is taken care of. Now it's time to make it look as relaxing as it feels.
A beautifully decorated yoga space at home will comfort and inspire you. When something looks great, you will want to spend more time in it. If your budget is small, there are still plenty of things you can incorporate that will make a big impact.
Gems or crystals not only look beautiful, but they also have healing properties as well. Large, statement piece crystals can get expensive. But, you can collect smaller ones that look lovely arranged on a windowsill or shelf. Get an amethyst crystal which promotes peace and stability. Kyanite brings emotional healing. Clear quartz crystal will facilitate balance and clarity in your home yoga space.
Burning sage bundles cleanses a space. Palo Santo is a type of wood that when burned brings lots of luck and positivity. They also happen to look nice when put out on display next to your crystals!
Candles bring a lot of ambiance to a nighttime yoga practice. You can look online for spiritual candles that attract abundance or love when they're burned. An eastern-inspired tapestry on the wall will tie the whole area together. Macrame wall-hangings will give the area a modern hippie look.
With those final touches, everything will come together. Now, you just have to maintain the sacred space.
For your yoga area to remain a place of relaxation, you have to keep it sacred. What does that mean? First, keep it clean!There's nothing less zen than a huge mess. If the space is within another room, it's easy for clutter to creep into your yoga area. Be vigilant in keeping it clear and organized.
If you share your home with a partner or roommate, let them know that this space is important to you. They should respect it and the time you spend there. When you're in practice, you aren't to be bothered unless there's an emergency. All of these tips sound great, but what if you really don't have any space to spare?
Just because you don't have enough room to spare, doesn't mean you can't use these tips. Instead of a permanent room or area, make yourself a yoga box that you can break out when you want to use it. Make it simple and easy to load in and out. Include your mat, a meditation pillow, a few crystals, and sage. Store it under the bed or in a closet until you need it.
Finding tiny moments of peace and relaxation where you can find them will still make a huge difference.
Having your own home yoga space will allow you to center yourself at a moment's notice. When you make relaxation, spirituality, and yoga a priority, your entire life will begin to change for the better.
Are you putting together your yoga room and need some supplies? Then check out these zen products imported from all over the world.
As nearly 40 million people in the US are practicing yoga, many people are learning the benefits of teaching and studying yoga. If you’re finding that work is stressing you out or you’re not able to find relaxation when you’re out of work, yoga might be perfect for you. If you went through rehabilitation following surgery or an accident, yoga can be a great way to reconnect with your body.
Here are five major benefits to see from practicing yoga.
One of the biggest reasons that yoga has become popular in this increasingly stressful world is its ability to ease that stress. Practicing yoga is one of the few physical activities that can give you a workout while also promoting relaxation.
Cortisol, your primary stress hormone, will tend to fire under the pressures of working out vigorously in a gym. However, in the context of practicing yoga, you can get tone your body, get stress relief, and leave feeling both relaxed and strong.
If you’re emotionally distressed, working out can help you feel better. However, an aggressive workout can leave you in distress. Lowering your anxiety, depression, and fatigue is much easier with yoga.
Yoga is being practiced as a therapeutic tool as much as it is a fitness routine. When combined with other ways of reducing stress, it can improve your stress hormone level and keep stress under your control.
If you work a typical nine to five job or sit at an office all day, you’re probably not getting enough blood pumping through every part of your body. IF you want to ensure that you’re supplying your body with the most important nutrients, you need your heart to be healthy. It’s the organ most responsible for moving nutrients throughout your body.
When you move around during your yoga practice, you make your heart healthier and can lower your risk for heart disease. Yoga can help people lower their blood pressure and avoid heart attacks and strokes. By keeping your blood pumping, you’ll be making yourself healthier and happier.
For people who already have health problems, starting yoga practice is a great component of a healthy lifestyle. It can help slow the progress of heart disease and make you feel better on a daily basis. A few dietary changes and yoga can lead to less stress which will keep your heart in great condition.
Since practicing yoga is often combined with a better diet, it’s hard to quantify the effect it has. However, it certainly can improve your life.
While a sleep schedule is probably one of the first things anyone short on time or high on stress will disrupt, it’s one of the worst things to disrupt. When you’re tired, you’ll see lapses in judgment and the quality of the choices you make. Physiologically, your body will have less time to heal and replenish itself.
One of the things that your brain does while you’re sleeping is to get rid of the protein and plaques that can contribute to Alzheimer’s.
Poor sleep quality can also cause other physiological problems. Since you won’t have a steady metabolic cycle, you could deal with obesity and high blood pressure. These could either contribute to the potential for depression or happen alongside the other problems.
People who practice yoga have been found to be able to fall asleep more quickly, stay asleep longer, and then report feeling more rested than those who don’t. If you need to be more alert during the day at work or school, your sleep schedule could be optimized for that. If you’re not getting adequate and high-quality sleep every night, consider practicing yoga for 15 minutes each day.
Along with other therapies, yoga is being added as a complement. For people who are dealing with treatment as varied as psychotherapy, limb amputation, or cancer, yoga has been a positive addition to their lives. For people who need to find a way to calm down, recenter, and find their place in the world, yoga can work wonders.
By improving your mood and eliminating fatigue, there is an alertness created which can be very motivating.
One of the things that yoga adds to a lot of people’s lives is the time for reflection. When you can reflect on what you’re going through, what you’ve been through, and where you want to go next, you can improve your life. By accepting and relaxing in response to the conditions at hand, you’ll see your life change immensely.
While yoga alone isn’t enough therapy to help improve your life, it can be a great addition to a therapeutic approach.
With the various issues from fibromyalgia to arthritis, millions of people are living with problems related to chronic pain. For people with pain that can’t be treated on a permanent basis or can’t be dealt with by current medicine, yoga can fill up a serious gap.
While wrist splinting can seem like the obvious solution for dealing with carpal tunnel. However, as some studies have shown, yoga can help too.
According to one randomized trial, people with carpal tunnel were given either a wrist splint or the opportunity to try yoga for eight weeks. in the end, the study found that yoga improved the grip strength of carpal tunnel sufferers more than a wrist splint.
If you’re considering practicing yoga on top of your other self-care and medical treatments, you won’t be disappointed. Since you can set your own pace, you don’t have to push further than you can handle and you’ll finish each session, more pleased with yourself than the last.
Essential Oils are a great aid to meditation and peace of mind – and yoga. Before things get too cold, check out our guide for finding the perfect humidifier.
If you would like a really fun, beautiful silent diffuser for your kids room that they’ll just LOVE – click here.
Yoga and meditation go together like strawberries and cream. We have a great introductory article on that for you right here. It also gives some insights into the use of essential oils and yoga. Happy reading!