Friday, November 28, 2008

Yoga Fundamental Principles For Meditation

When you set out studying yoga basics you will ensure how to reflect. Almost each course will devote a tiny piece of the class to meditation. Yoga basics are all about learning to get in touch with your body and connecting your mind with your body. To do this you need to be able to clear your mind of all the usual anxieties and day-to-day thoughts to concentrate merely on your breathing.

There are many elementary yoga poses that you should learn as component of a yoga basics introduction. These yoga basics will help you to meditate more easily and will also help you to start your exploration of yoga gently.

When you learn yoga basics they might strike you as not very athletic but their gains are stunning and they will do marvels for a tired mind and body. The Siddhasana is a great pose to start your yoga basics introduction, as it will help you to meditate. First sit on your yoga mat with your buttocks firmly on your mat. Next cross your legs and place one leg on the inside touching your inner thigh. The other leg is on the outside touching the ankle of the inner leg.

When it derives to the hands you have various choices for these yoga basic principles. You can either place your hands in your lap with the palms facing up or down, or you can place your hands on your knees. If you want to try a hand mudra, place your hands on your knees with your palms facing upwards. Then touch your thumb to your pointer finer with the other three fingers stretched outwards.

In yoga lessons you will discover that this is a key way to meditate. The mudra is a powerful position for your hands as it represents the past, present and future. Think of this pose as a great way to stretch out your whole body. Press your hips into the ground while stretching your spine up towards the ceiling, right to the crown of your head.

You need to be really laid-back so make sure that there is no tension in your facial expression, jaw or shoulder joints. Your tongue should rest gently behind your front teeth, just touching the roof of your mouth. Keep breathing deeply and hold this position as long as you feel comfortable. You will help lengthen your spine and will also find a lot of inner peace with this pose as you empty out your mind in this pose.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Benefits of Yoga - Physical and Emotional

Benefits of Yoga Video

Basic Yoga has been designed to primarily focus on the overall wellness of a person. When you get involved with yoga you will surely learn new lifestyle ideas and new ways of approaching life and the world. Yoga can improve your health in a variety of ways. You will also increase your strength, become more flexible, have improved body balance and learn to let go of stress and increase your vitality. Yoga also is an enjoyable way to loose weight.

Practicing the various yoga positions, also known as asanas increases your flexibility by working on your joints, your muscles, tendons and ligaments. You will notice a significant improvement in your flexibility as you continue the practice of yoga. You will be pleased with the benefits of yoga such as muscle toning and the reduction of body fat.

Yoga is wonderful for thoroughly messaging the organs and the glands of your body, including those that rarely receive stimulation. The massaging of your organs and glands helps your body to prevent diseases from harming your health. A significant benefit of practicing yoga is the increased blood flow that occurs throughout your body which improves your health. The increased blood flow significantly improves your body’s ability to remove toxic substances and delivers nourishment throughout your body.

One of the major benefits of yoga that occurs is the ability to put the mind and the body in a state of harmony, primarily with meditation.  Meditation allows you to clear your mind and gives you an inner peace. Yoga and its meditation aspect can help to remove unhealthy stress from your mind and body. Stress has negative affects on your emotional, endocrinal and physical systems.

Even if one does not desire to be able to perform the more advanced and complicated asana, there are benefits to practicing basic yoga exercises, no matter the school of thought you choose to follow. Improved balance, strength, and flexibility are the first most obvious benefits. 

Benefits of yoga that might be less obvious would be a greater awareness of oneself and of nature. Yoga has also been shown to offer health benefits such as improved internal organ function, a boosted immune system, reduction of the symptoms of many chronic diseases and many, many other benefits. Yoga of all kinds, including basic yoga, aids relaxation and reduces tension without fatigue and too much exertion.

Basic yoga involves seven types of body movement during exercise including circumduction, flexion, abduction, adduction, rotation, extension, and hyperextension. Combinations of these body movements are used to create the yoga stances and positions. These movements are combined with breathing exercises and concentration. Breathing is also the guide in basic yoga for coming into an asana, holding an asana, and coming out of it. All the movements are ideally done gracefully. To learn how to do basic yoga, look for a qualified instructor and failing that, look for educational videos that may help you.

FInd more on Yoga here Yoga Retreats

Thursday, November 13, 2008

12 Step Salute To The Sun

A 12-Step All-Around Yoga Exercise

The ’12-step salute to the sun’ is one of the all-around yoga exercises. Do it once or twice when you get up in the morning to help relieve stiffness and invigorate the body. Multiple repetitions at night will help you to relax; insomniacs often find that 6 to12 rounds help them fall asleep.

1. To begin with, position yourself with your feet slightly apart, put your hands together while having your thumbs against your chest.

2. Inhale deeply, while slowly raising your hands over your head, and bend back as far as possible, while tightening your buttocks.

Then continue to hold that position for three seconds.

3. After three seconds you can slowly exhale while bending forward, keeping your knees straight and touch the floor outside of your feet.

If you can’t touch the floor, go as close as you can and then bring your head in toward your knees.

4. Slowly inhale, bend your knees, and if your fingertips aren’t outside your feet, place them as near to them as you can.

From there you will need to go into a lunge type position, by placing your right foot back as far as you can, then bend your knee until it is only a few inches from the floor. Now look up as high as possible, arching your back and hold for a few seconds before exhaling.

5. Before exhaling again, slide your left foot back until it is beside the right one, and with your weight supported on your palms and toes, straighten both legs so that your body forms a flat plane.

Whenever you do this type of yoga you need to keep your stomach muscles pulled in to maximize the effect.

6. Begin to slowly exhale while bending both knees to the floor, keep your hips in the air and lower your chest towards the floor.

7. Now, inhale slowly and look up, bending your head back then raising it, followed by bringing up your chest, then lowering it.

Your lower body - from the navel down - should be on the floor, and your elbows should be slightly bent. Hold this position for three to five seconds.

8. Exhale slowly and raise your hips until your feet and palms are flat on the floor and your arms and legs are straight in an inverted V position.

9. Inhale slowly and bring your right foot forward as indicated in position 4.

The foot should be flat on the floor between your fingertips. The left leg should be almost straight behind you, with its knee slightly off the floor. Raise your head, look up, and arch your back.

10. Bring your left foot forward next to your right foot, as you slowly begin to exhale.

Straighten your legs and stand, trying to keep your fingertips on the floor, and try to touch your head to your knees as in position 3.

11. Slowly inhale, raise your arms up and stretch back as in position 2.

Remember in both position two and eleven you need to tighten your buttocks and hold for three seconds.

12. Slowly exhale, lowering your arms to your sides and then relax.

By repeating these yoga exercises you will improve much of your overall health, both mentally and physically.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Yoga, Life's Balancing Act

Yoga is composed of a series of stances or poses that are done fluidly and steady while mastering respiration.  Moreover, yoga is essentially a low-impact physical exercise that is exhilarating yet relaxing, as it also encompasses some meditation.  Yoga is about durability and flexibility, not only about stretching out, however, stretching and striving is unquestionably a component of yoga. Anyone can do yoga, from infants to seniors and every other type of lifestyle.  Practicing yoga is unique for every person and the best part of all is that you can tailor it to what works best for you and your activity level.

There are so many postures associated with yoga, all of which employ essentially the identical poses just with unique emphasis. The various postures of yoga which are virtually popularly known are Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Power Yoga, Iyengar, Kundalini, Bikram (or Hot Yoga), Anusara, Jivamukti, Forrest, Integral, and Sivananda.

Regardless of the style">http://learnyoga.lu06.com/">style of yoga you opt to attempt, there is an underlying belief to all of yoga">http://learnyoga.lu06.com/">yoga - balance, ease, flexibleness and durability while taking on spiritual well being and meditation.  Each style of yoga stresses more or less on one focal point, whether that be physical , respiration or spiritual.  Every expressive style of yoga is good for your health and wellness, it is to a greater extent a subject of individual preference as to which style is appropriate for you.

Your yoga exercise is exactly that - yours.  It is individualized to you, solely you can do it and you will get something amazingly unique out of yoga than some other peoplel. Yoga grows with you as you begin to realize it better and have each position mean more to you each time.