Yoga

If you practice yoga, then you know that it allows the mind to work together with the body to promote healing and well-being. Yoga can do wonders for a body that is in good or bad shape.

These claims aren’t unfounded, medical studies have shown yoga does indeed produce health benefits. After a yoga class, many will affirm the fact that they feel more energized, happier and more peaceful. How exactly does yoga produce these feelings and how can the body heal itself?

Yoga makes you more aware of your body, its movements and its alignment. It allows you to know and understand yourself better. Back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical attention. In India, where yoga originated, back pain is practically nonexistent. Yoga can cure and prevent back pain by enhancing strength and flexibility. It can also help people with arthritis by providing relief to aching joints and providing joint lubricants. In addition, it relieves tension in muscles.

Yoga can have physiological and psychological benefits. It has been shown to improve the lives of asthma sufferers by preventing attacks without the use of medicines. It can help respiratory problems by teaching people how to control their breathing. It can lower blood pressure, improve lung efficiency and lower heart rates. Other conditions, which can be improved through the use of yoga, include chronic fatigue, varicose veins, diabetes and digestive disorders.

The aging process can also be slowed through the use of yoga. Aging is the result of autointoxication. Keeping the body clean, flexible and well lubricated reduces this cell deterioration. Weight reduction is another area where yoga can help. Yoga stimulates sluggish glands. Positions focusing on the thyroid gland can have a positive effect on body metabolism.

The medical community is not refuting all of these benefits and is currently funding clinical trials for treating insomnia and multiple sclerosis with yoga. In addition, they are currently conducting studies of yoga effects on other conditions.

There are also many psychological benefits produced by yoga also. It has been known to help with obsessive-compulsive disorders. It reduces stress, anxiety, depression and tension. It increases a feeling of well-being. Most people will experience a positive outlook on life and feel invigorated. They will have higher energy levels and will have a better knowledge of themselves and be more self-aware. Improved memory, attention and concentration, as well as, social skills and self-acceptance are also benefits of this exercise.

Biochemical benefits are lower sugar levels, lower cholesterol levels, lower sodium levels, hemoglobin increases and vitamin C level increases.

Yoga is an easy fitness program, which anyone can practice and from which everyone can benefit. It promotes good health and eases stress and tension. It stimulates and relaxes. It enhances concentration and provides us with flexibility and strength. It addresses our physical, mental and emotional needs. It addresses our whole person and provides us with many health benefits. Yoga can prevent the need for medicine or work in conjunction with a medical regimen.

Yoga Poses for Relaxation and Fitness

Yoga poses for relaxation will develop your strength, flexibility, balance, and focus. Yoga poses for relaxation are designed to give relief to required joints in arthritis patients. Yoga is developed over 5000 years ago in India. Traditionally, yoga is a system that combines the individual self with the divine, universal spirit, or cosmic perception.

Technically, yoga is an old system of exercises practiced to promote control over and to help in development of the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga poses have an affect on both the mental and the physical health of the body. It consists of poses with gentle movements, long stretches, and deep breathing.

On the physical level, yoga poses, called yoga asanas are designed to tone, reinforce, and align the body and are done to make the spine flexible, healthy and to promote the blood flow to all the part of the body, maintaining the system of the body healthy.

Physical affects of yoga include the digestive system, cardiovascular health, muscles, and glands. Practicing the yoga poses also reinforce the nervous system and relieve anxiety. On the mental level, breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation (dyana) are used to calm, illuminate, and control the mind.

Yoga Poses for Relaxation – With Deep Breathing Exercises

The stretches will make you remind an animal getting ready to bend down. Yoga for relaxation is not tough and it doesn’t over encourage your body and keep you awake. It only promotes the slowing down of your body and mind and organizes both for a good nights sleep.

Yoga relaxation is best if you are suffering from chronic insomnia or only occasionally can’t go to sleep because it is a way of overcoming without drugs.

If you have a problem like falling asleep when you go to bed, then practice yoga for relaxation with some yoga poses, gentle stretches and meditation for about 30 minutes before crawling into bed. This will allow your mind to relax and get rid of the worries and anxieties you are having.

Practice yoga for relaxation with deep breathing exercises if you have a problem of waking up during the night and unable to go back to sleep. Try to listen and concentrate on your breathing sound, rhythm, and feel your chest moving up and down.

Begin from your head and relax each set of muscles. Remember that never try to the next set till you have finally managed to relax the set of muscles that you are practicing on.

Another idea to block everything else out of your mind is to use a chant. However, your chant can be anything that is simple, may be a word or phrase that is okay for you. Try to chant and concentrate on that one word or phrase of choice until everything else has been wipe out from your mind.

A regular yoga relaxation practice session for about 30-minutes will provide benefits of yoga to your body, mind and spirit. After practicing for a period of time, it becomes a habit for you and will find a new peace of mind. It is evident that you will also have an improvement in your body and get in touch with the spiritual side within you.

There are yoga poses that are difficult with some styles. So, better choose the one that don’t need you to twist your body in a position where it makes you feel uncomfortable.

Deep breathing is one of the perfect methods of yoga poses for relaxation before going to bed and also helps to clear your body of toxins and to relieve stress, depression, and other mental or physical problems.

On the other hand, it is best to go for a yoga class to practice different yoga poses or search for a yoga teacher training to guide you some of the poses that makes you feel comfortable. If you don’t have the facilities of classes or teachers in your area, then find best yoga books or yoga videos. Try only those yoga poses that are suitable to you, and remember, never strain, always relax.

Yoga is a new craze in today’s modern world, where everyone is trying to reduce their waistline and increase their life expectancy while becoming more physically fit.

Yoga is about being mentally and physically fit, and being able to deatch yourself from the material things of this world, and concern yourselves about the other important matters.

There are several types of Yoga, these include

*Raja Yoga – primarily concerned with the mind.

*Karma Yoga -focuses on the adherence to duty

*Hatha Yoga -physically trains the body for long periods of meditation.

|Starting Yoga|

Yoga cannot be just started by everyone. You must first make sure you are fit enough to perform the procedures of Yoga. A health check up by a doctor can confirm this. There are several ways to learn Yoga

* CDs – There are several CDs and DVDs that show how to perform Yoga, however although being a cheaper alternative than hiring a Yoga trainer, it is difficult to actually grasp the principles and can quickly become very boring.

* Group Yoga Classes – These are one of the most effective ways to learn Yoga, although it requires commitment to go to the classes, it can be a fun and entertaining way to learn Yoga. While learning Yoga, you can socialize with other people as well.

*Personal Yoga Trainer – This will be the most expensive method but it will be the most efficient way of learning Yoga as you will the full attention of the Trainer unlike in a Group Class.

|Benefits of Yoga|

There are several benefits of performing Yoga.

*Yoga is an aerobic exercise. This means it will make your heart beat faster. This improves the strength of your heart muscles and makes you loose weight.

* Increase in Flexibility. Yoga makes you stretch and therefore makes you more flexible, allowing you to do other tasks effectively and decreases the chance of developing cramps.

*Yoga helps to flush out toxins which leads to benefits such as delayed ageing and remarkable energy.

*All the main muscle groups are targeted by Yoga, toning them to perfection and making them very very strong.

*But the most important benefit is not physical but mental, Yoga harmonizes the body with the mind and it makes the person who practice yoga feel in an eternal bliss. It makes a person aware of his or her surroundings and gives great boosts to concentration. Yoga allows a person to think analytically and be able to resolve problems peacefully and quickly.

*Yoga also brings peace to the mind, which is lacking in today’s world and one of the main reasons why Yoga is now so popular. In today’s hectic world where everything is a rat race, the peace brought on by meditation brings about clear thinking and makes people refocus on what they actually want to do with their lives.

Therefore Yoga has extraordinary health benefits and if possible it becomes a must do for physical as well as mental well-being.

The purpose of Hatha Yoga is to locate and activate the chakras (centers of energy), thereby raising the kundalini (dominant spiritual power). This in turn is believed to help remove blockages (disease) in the mind and body.

Hatha yoga attempts to balance mind and body via physical postures and exercises (asanas), controlled breathing, and the calming of the mind through relaxation and meditation.

Asanas teach poise, balance & strength and were originally (and still) practiced to improve the body’s physical health and clear the mind in preparation for meditation in the pursuit of enlightenment.

It is common for yogins and tantrics of several disciplines to dedicate their practices to a deity under the Hindu ishta-devata concept while always striving to achieve beyond that: Brahman. Hindu philosophy in the Vedanta and Yoga streams, as the reader will remember, views only one thing as being ultimately real: Satchidananda Atman, the
Existence-Consciousness-Blissful Self.
With ha meaning “sun” and tha meaning “moon,” hatha yoga is commonly translated as the yoga that brings union “of the pairs of opposites.” Sometimes Hatha Yoga is also translated as the “forcefull yoga“, because it seems to require the most physical excercises of all yoga types. Hatha Yoga is certainly the yoga that is the best known in the West, which is probably why so many definitions of Hatha Yoga exist.
Learning about Hatha Yoga
§ Asanas are various body positions designed to improve health and remove diseases in the physical, causal, and subtle bodies. The word “asana” is Sanskrit for “seat”, which refers not only to the physical position of the body but also to the position of the body in relation to divinity. They were originally meant for Meditation, as the postures can make you feel relaxed for a long period of time. The regular practice of Asanas will grant the practitioner muscle flexibility and bone strength, as well as non-physical rewards such as the development of will power, concentration, and self-withdrawal.

§ Pranayama is derived from the words “prana” (life-force or energy source) and “ayama” (to control). It is the science of breath control. This is an important part of Hatha Yoga because the yogis of old times believed that the secret to controlling one’s mind can be unlocked by controlling one’s breath. The practice of Pranayama can also help unleash the dormant energies inside our body.

§ After working the body in various postures, the hatha yoga classes end with shavasana, the relaxation pose. At this point in the practice, our subtle energy channels are open and the spiritual energy flows freely. The wave-like motion of the breath stills the mind, so that we become conscious of the divine light inside. In this way, hatha yoga prepares us for meditation.

§ Hatha is the form of yoga that anyone should begin with. Hatha begins with the basics of yoga and teaches you the inner workings of meditation and how you should begin. Once you master your own postures and positions of meditation comfort, it is time to master your breathing patterns. If you can master your own breathing patterns, than mastering your mind is not far out of reach for you. It takes many steps to reach these different levels of meditation and yoga. With practice and concentration anyone can do it.

Bikram or “hot” yoga was developed by a man named Bikram Choudhury. It consists of postures performed in a high heat between 80-105 degrees Fahrenheit. Bikram developed a sequence of 26 postures and two breathing techniques after studying the therapeutic value of hatha yoga in a hands on manner. He worked out that he could condense down the traditional 84 posture practice to these 26 moves which would systematically work the entire body for optimum health.

Why practice the postures in a hot room?

In answer to why the extreme heat is beneficial to practice, Bikram says “Think of the blacksmith. If he wants to hammer a hunk of metal into a beautiful sword, the first thing he has to do is put it in the fireIt’s the same with yoga. Yoga changes the construction of the body from the inside outSo before you change it you have to heat it up to soften it, because a warm body is a flexible body. Then you can reshape the body any way you want.”

Yoga originated in Indiawhere temperatures are naturally very hot. If a person attempts the same postures in a colder climate there is a much greater risk of injury. In a Bikram yoga class the sequence begins with gentler postures and as the body warms moves into deeper stretches.

Some of the key benefits of Bikram yoga include;

-A disciplined mind-

The extreme temperature and challenging postures in a Bikram yoga class are not only beneficial in a physical manner, they are spiritually beneficial. Bikram says “We put incredible pressure on you to teach you to break your attachment to external things and go withinAfter you learn to discipline your body and mind under these conditions, you will truly be able to concentrate; no external will be able to break your powerful force.

-Weight loss-

Bikram yoga is one of the most energetic styles of yoga and a class can result in a participants burning between 600-1200 calories. A dedicated participant can except to create a lean, toned and strong body.

-Increased lung capacity-

The main breath technique used in a Bikram yoga practice is called pranayama and aims to increase the use of a participants lung capacity. Many people only use around 50 percent of their lung capacity, this is a shame because the lungs purify the air we inhale. With the correct breathing technique you can inhale 100 percent purified air.

-Removal of toxins-

The increased heat in a Bikram yoga class means this style of yoga is even more detoxifying then other yoga styles.

-Increased general wellbeing-

Bikram yoga can improve the metabolism, digestion and circulation. It can help sufferers of chronic illness or pain improve their health and can result in an increased immunity.

As a beginner, this style of yoga can be very challenging. However after many months of practice the heat will feel normal. After dedicated practice you can expect an energized mind and body.

Yoga: Mind over Body

Yoga aims for the integrity of the body, mind, and spirit through a system of postures, breathing exercises, meditation. In reality, it consists of disciplines designed to bring closer to godliness. With the integration of the body, mind and spirit, you can attain a balance (physically and mentally) in your life as well as an inner peace to your body.

Yoga Routine For Maintaining An Active Mind

The practice of yoga originates in the mind, as it is an integral part of your yoga routine. Your mind is the one that identifies how your yoga routine will be. It really doesn’t matter your physical strength, how flexible you are, or you are under or over weight.

The truth is, when your mind is unable to concentrate fully on your yoga practicing, your yoga routine will suffer ultimately. The mind is insistently dominant, which is the chief problem. When you are trying to practice a complicated pose for the first time then your mind advises you that the yoga pose is too hard and it is difficult for you to practice.

There may be chances of having difficulties in practicing that pose. However, you will consider what your mind advices you, finding the pose to be impossible for you to practice and complete.

Apply the same principal to your every day life. There will be some cases where you may be struggling with a problem and unable to stop thinking about it. The problem may keeps you awake even at nights. Thus, your mind is preoccupied, but it will not solve the problem.

Often, your mind is too messy with too much facts and miscellaneous files, however it cannot be effective when trying to think of solutions to your problem. Think of your mind as an overstuffed filing cabinet. The files in your mind are full and running over. Thus, if you look for something you will not know where to begin.

Your mind should not be in this way. It need to be in such a way that it collect information, store it aside in an orderly manner and whenever you are in need of any information, it should be able to provide it out of the files and have it ready for use.

If you allow your minds to take over your life, whenever a problems arises. It regrets about the past and concerns about the future capture the present moment.

There exist some situations where you are no longer living in the present moment and you may find that your joy is gone. You will loose your spontaneity and continuously telling yourself “can’t” or “should.”

Yoga is a great tool in making an overactive mind. It makes you be still and be free from self-imposed restrictions. Yoga when practiced properly quiets the mind and develops peace and tranquility to your mind and body. Try to make this yoga practice as yoga routine in your daily life.

Yoga routine will help you find solutions to problems that you never come across before because of your mind busyness. Whenever you practice your yoga routine for the next time, try to practice allowing your mind empty out.

Try to breathe deeply and always think of your mind as a blackboard. Every time something displays on the blackboard, you take a deep refining breath and remove it. It is a good practice if you keep removing all thoughts that are interrupting you and by doing this you will find yourself in a quieter place.

Practicing this method of removing the interrupting thoughts from your mind will not only help you with your Yoga routine, but also in making you to concentrate on the things you’re doing now. Always try to live in the moment.

Although yoga does not require too much accessories, the usefulness of yoga accessories cannot be doubted as it will make you more relaxed and secure. There are a few requisite yoga accessories that you cannot do without, especially clothing such as upper body wear and pants. The next is a yoga mat for practicing the various yoga poses, and then there are the yoga shoes or socks. Other like a bag for yoga mat, DVDs for self study and water bottle are optional, including yoga props.

One of the most essential yoga accessories is the clothing and it should not be too tight or too loose as you will not want it to interfere with your yoga exercises or leave you unfocussed. The upper body wear should be just right and usually they are made with a combination of cotton or Lycra as these materials are ideal for yoga for they provide comfort and pores for circulation

Another is the lower body wear and for warmer climate, it can be just shorts so that you won’t get too hot while practicing. During colder weather, you can wear pants but they should not be too loose and distract your exercises. Except for t-shirt and pants, you should leave your jewelry and watched at home to avoid getting in the way of your yoga practices.

Other necessary yoga accessories are the yoga mat as it will cushion you against the hard flooring and it should be hygienic as your body and head will be in contact with it. Other consideration is that it will provide friction between your body and the mat as you will perspire during the exercises so as to ensure that you do not slip and get yourself hurt.

In addition, the yoga mat should be tried out and it should also be easily maintained and wash so as not to add to your stress level. As the yoga mat will be rolled up after practices, it should be able to lay flat when you need it and not too sticky when you are doing the poses.

Those staying in colder countries should ensure that the yoga mat remains flexible after it is out in the cold climate or when you need to place it in your car trunk. Also check the sturdiness and lifespan and it is neither too light nor heavy. For those mindful of the environment, it is essential that it can be recycled or reused.

Most of the time, yoga is done barefoot or just with a pair of cotton socks but yoga shoes can provide the comfort that you need. Yoga shoes are different from the usual exercises shoes in that it has slim soles to provide suppleness and the top part of the shoes is lighter so as to ensure air circulation.

In addition yoga shoes are vital as bacteria and germs will not form and also when you need to share yoga mat. On the other hand it can avert injuries like stepping on jagged pebbles or ants bite. With the yoga shoes, it will help ensure that you do not slip when you are carrying out certain postures.

Yoga socks can be used in place of yoga shoes as wearing them is like putting on gloves for your feet but some would choose to use toe socks that is accompanied by non-slip rubber dots to provide friction and those are feasible choices besides yoga shoes.

The optional yoga accessories like a bag for your yoga mat so that you can transport then back and forth from your yoga classes and with provision for change of clothes, keys or wallet. Yoga DVDs can help you to revise the moves that you have practiced and other like yoga props to assist you in the various poses.

Water bottles can be useful but not necessary as you will perspire profusely during the exercises, as a result releasing toxins. With the replenishment, it will replace lost fluids and remove the excess toxins. In addition you will be dehydrated after practices so a fresh, rejuvenating bottle of water will lighten you up.

Shopping for yoga accessories can be done at yoga specialty retailers and it is better to shop there than just any retailers as they will have a wide ranging items and knowledgeable sales staffs to guide you. Also it can be done online but the drawback is that you will not get to test the items, on the other hand, it provide a relaxed ambience and convenience without stepping out of your house.

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor” ~Henry David Thoreau

This article is about the practice of yoga asana and what the practice can be. It’s about how asana practice can be used or thought of to improve ones life on the mental, emotional and spiritual levels. With the proper intention the Yoga Mat Fire is a self induced burning that occurs when we step on to our mat and practice yoga. There are many levels to this; on the physical one the practice generates heat in the body causing it to sweat, sometimes profusely. The sweat carries toxins from the tissues and organs through the skin and out; and we detoxify our systems every time we practice. On an energetic level, in each practice through the breath, the cells and tissues of the body are infused with prana. As the old cells die they are replaced with new prana-infused-cells which hold the energy of our intent and the vibration of our yoga practice.

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ~Rumi

On an emotional level the fire of the practice burns away the blockages that we’ve stored in our body since childhood: blockages to feeling, seeing, accepting, and loving. It isn’t uncommon for people to find themselves in tears on their mat. Often our suffering is repressed and the emotions associated with it are stored in our tissues. Performing the aasana can change “patterns” and move energy which can lead to an emotional, mental and spiritual detoxification.

The Yoga Mat Fire is where we burn away the old and create the new. Each day, the sun rises and then sets. So it is with each asana practice. Beginning with Surya Namaskara we salute to Surya, the Sun, which is symbolic for the divine self. We move through the middle of the practice symbolizing our life, filled with joys and pain, and then we lie in Savasana, the corpse pose. Each practice is symbolic for the truth of truths – our basic nature as living things: life and then the unavoidable death.

The Zen master, Suzuki spoke about the notion of being fully present in each experience using the analogy of a “good bonfire.” He says that after a good bonfire there is nothing left, just ashes. He says we should be like a good bonfire; we should “burn ourselves completely” in each experience through the power of mindfulness being fully present. When we do this, as the present

Tantra yoga is a holistic approach to the study of the universe from the point of view of the individual and it is one of several different types of yoga. It is designed to promote rapid growth towards enlightenment as a living system.

Tantric Yoga includes many sciences including astronomy, astrology, numerology, physiognomy, physics, chemistry, alchemy, Ayurveda, psychology, mathematics, geometry and more. Providing for a more practical means of realizing the highest ideals of philosophy in your daily life is the primary purpose of Tantra yoga.

The Basics of Trantra Yoga

Tantra literally means expansion and it is a form of yoga that concentrates on expanding an individuals level of consciousness in order to unveil and realize the full supreme reality of their being. Tantra yoga is often considered a true pathway in life and is not overly concerned with sexuality, but instead the creative force and the transmuting of energy into higher channels Yoga for Beginners.

You sit calmly and purify your mind and heart of any wayward thoughts and feelings as the basics of Tantra yoga and then slowly being to sense the life force that is within your being. It is then that you should direct this love and all the devotion you can towards your dynamic body of light which represents your soul. You should feel an amazing renewal and acceleration of spiritual awakening through the practice of this form of yoga.

An essential part of Tantra yoga is the overcoming of bad habits including such things as smoking, excessive drinking and overeating. As a way of helping you to give up these sorts of self-destructive habits, Tantra helps to expand your consciousness and believes that all of these habits have one thing in common even though they are different. In one way or another they all cause harm to your body.

Recently in the United States, Tantra yoga has become popular. The primary theory is that there is a great vein running from the lowest part of the spine when the serpent power of Kundalini rests. This is considered to be the greatest source of energy in the entire universe in Tantra and that it is of regular and important sexual and ritualized intercourse, and that for instance an orgasm is considered as being an extraordinary, cosmic and divine experience How can Using Yoga for Weight Loss Helpful.Tantra yoga is a holistic approach to the study of the universe from the point of view of the individual and it is one of several different types of yoga. It is designed to promote rapid growth towards enlightenment as a living system.

Tantric Yoga includes many sciences including astronomy, astrology, numerology, physiognomy, physics, chemistry, alchemy, Ayurveda, psychology, mathematics, geometry and more. Providing for a more practical means of realizing the highest ideals of philosophy in your daily life is the primary purpose of Tantra yoga.

The Basics of Trantra Yoga

Tantra literally means expansion and it is a form of yoga that concentrates on expanding an individuals level of consciousness in order to unveil and realize the full supreme reality of their being. Tantra yoga is often considered a true pathway in life and is not overly concerned with sexuality, but instead the creative force and the transmuting of energy into higher channels Yoga for Beginners.

You sit calmly and purify your mind and heart of any wayward thoughts and feelings as the basics of Tantra yoga and then slowly being to sense the life force that is within your being. It is then that you should direct this love and all the devotion you can towards your dynamic body of light which represents your soul. You should feel an amazing renewal and acceleration of spiritual awakening through the practice of this form of yoga.

An essential part of Tantra yoga is the overcoming of bad habits including such things as smoking, excessive drinking and overeating. As a way of helping you to give up these sorts of self-destructive habits, Tantra helps to expand your consciousness and believes that all of these habits have one thing in common even though they are different. In one way or another they all cause harm to your body.

Recently in the United States, Tantra yoga has become popular. The primary theory is that there is a great vein running from the lowest part of the spine when the serpent power of Kundalini rests. This is considered to be the greatest source of energy in the entire universe in Tantra and that it is of regular and important sexual and ritualized intercourse, and that for instance an orgasm is considered as being an extraordinary, cosmic and divine experience How can Using Yoga for Weight Loss Helpful.

Yoga is a Hindu discipline that, through a series of breathing exercises and postures, helps one achieve a greater sense of well-being while promoting flexibility and strength. Additionally, yoga keeps the body healthy by improving total body systems.

Stretching Beyond the Rut

If you’re anything like me, you may view exercise as nothing more than a boring chore. You know exercise is good for your body, but you just can’t seem to find the motivation to get going or stick with it. Exercise takes commitment, and it’s difficult to stay focused if you can’t see immediate results.

My decision to pursue yoga was based more on vanity than on any healthy effects it might have on my body. As the years have passed by and age continues to wage war against my bones and muscles, I’ve become increasingly aware of how stiff and inflexible I’ve become, almost decrepit-like. Playing with my children is not as easy as it once was, yet I’m still too young to feel old. For me, yoga was just one last-ditch effort to feel alive again.

Limber and Lithe

I’ve been practicing yoga since April 2007, at least four times a week. My sessions last 40 to 60 minutes each, and I have never felt so good! Within one week of beginning yoga, I could feel a difference in my body. My muscles felt warm and stretchy, not cold and rigid. Yoga also helped to improve my balance and posture, and I feel like I carry my body more gracefully, as a result.

You’d be mistaken to assume that yoga does not provide a total-body workout. After my first session, I was sweating just as much as if I had just run five miles, and my heart rate was elevated. Although you can practice yoga as a form of meditation, yoga can also be challenging and intense, both physically and mentally.

Getting Started

When you’re the parent of young children, finding time to exercise is difficult enough without the added hassle of driving across town to work out in a crowded gym or studio. In my opinion, an introduction to yoga is easy enough that you do not need the attention of a formal instructor. However, if you are overweight or in poor health, seek the advice of a medical professional before beginning any workout regime.

I’m a big fan of workout guru, Denise Austin, so I was thrilled to find she has a series of yoga DVD’s. I picked up a copy of “Denise Austin:Yoga Body Burn (2007) and a yoga mat, and I was ready to go.

While practicing yoga, you should wear clothes that are both comfortable and stretchy. Perform your poses with bare feet, as socks are too slippery!

The great thing about yoga is that many of the poses can be modified for difficulty. For example, Denise Austin demonstrates easier variations of some of the more difficult poses so true beginners can still participate without feeling overwhelmed. Once you feel stronger and more confident in your abilities, you can then progress to a higher level of difficulty. The “crow pose is just one pose that you can modify to suit your ability.

Keep Going

Personally speaking, I have never experienced a workout as enjoyable as yoga and look forward to my time on the mat. I enjoy the mental challenge and level of concentration needed to execute each pose and love the way I feel when I have become strong enough to accomplish something new.

Namaste