Do You Need A Yoga Exercise Mat

One of things I like best about yoga, you dont need any specialized equipment. If you are exercising on carpet, you dont even need a mat. However, a yoga mat is a great piece of equipment to have, and some people wouldnt even think of trying yoga exercise without using a mat.

Yoga mats come in a variety of types, styles and thicknesses. A typical yoga mat has a sticky surface to help with friction when obtaining your poses. Some yoga mats are thicker than others, and these can really help when you get on your knees.

Yoga mats come in a multitude of colors and patterns, so you can express your personality (and find your mat when its time to pack up and leave the gym). This isnt George Orwells 1984, you arent stuck with the same color and pattern as every other yoga mat. If fact, you can even have your T-shirt match your yoga mat.

If you are just starting out, you really dont need a yoga mat, especially if you are working out at home. Most gyms will lend you a yoga mat or rent one to you. But if you are serious about yoga exercise, you should invest in a good quality yoga exercise mat as soon as you can. After all, do you really want to use a mat that some one else has sweated on?

The great thing about a yoga exercise mat, they are inexpensive. It is possible to buy a pretty good yoga mat for $15 to $20. Of course, you can spend a lot more for a mat, but it really isnt necessary.

The type of yoga mat you purchase depends on several factors, including what type of yoga you practice. If you are using the more active and fast pace exercises, you may want thicker mat. You may also find the thicker yoga exercise mat useful if you are suffering from joint problems.

By Sydney Heiden

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Headstand and Inversion Yoga Poses A Primer

Headstand (salamba shirshasana) is one of the yoga poses that are considered inversion poses. Inversion poses involve any asanas that lift the feet above the head. Other inversion poses that are well known include shoulderstand (salamba sarvangasana) and half shoulder stand (viparita karani). But even lying on the floor with your legs on a chair is an inversion pose.

The concept behind inversion poses is expressed in yoga texts as viparita karani. Viparita karani is translated as meaning 'opposite process'. This simply means facilitating a different perspective. From the purely physical point of view, this different perspective in inversion poses is literal - in terms of looking at the world from a different physical viewpoint - as well as involving the body being supported in a different way.

But as yoga is more than simply physical exercises, there are other processes that are assisted. A lot of yoga is designed to help us change mental habits as well as physical habits. Through increasing our ability to adapt to change, instead of being stuck in old habitual responses, we increase our capacity for growth and transformation. This applies in all areas of our lives.

There is a theoretical concept in yoga about why inversion postures help. Ayurveda considers that many of the body's impurities are in the lower abdomen. When we raise our feet above the head, gravity is assisting us to move these impurities towards what the Ayurvedic system calls agni, or 'fire'. Agni particularly relates to our 'digestive fire', and is thus located above our lower abdomen.

So, by being upside down, and by using the deep and slow breathing typical of yoga, we help 'burn off' the impurities that were previously stuck.

Improved circulation is a more readily apparent and less 'esoteric' benefit of inversion yoga poses.

Whilst inversion postures have many health benefits, the ability of an individual to receive those benefits depends as much on their capacity to comfortably hold these sometimes difficult postures. For example, headstand and shoulder stand should simply not be done if people are pregnant, have neck pain, high or low blood pressure, neck injuries, or are menstruating. And neither of these postures should be attempted without the appropriate preparatory postures. Otherwise the risk is there that an injury, or stiffness, particularly to the neck area, will result.

Likewise, if doing these postures is very uncomfortable and difficult, more benefit will be derived from doing either the modified versions, or simply working on other yoga poses that strengthen these areas.

There are several important prerequisites for getting the most benefit fro inversions. The first one, a strong neck, I've mentioned. The others are a strong back and abdominal muscles, and the capacity to breathe well whilst in the posture. The latter is going to get better with practice, both of yoga itself and the inversions. It is also somewhat tied into having a strong back. Our back and stomach muscles will provide the support to hold the legs straight, which inturn opens up the thoracic cavity, and increases our ability to breathe well whilst upside down!

Tips for Doing the Inverted Postures

For Half Shoulder stand:

* Lengthen the exhale * Don't lock the chin * Keep your weight not on the head but on the wrists and elbows * Don't try to pull your torso (and legs) into the vertical like in full shoulder stand if you have difficulties with your neck. By doing so, you're placing more pressure on your neck. * Make sure you do the appropriate balancing postures afterwards. These include shalabhasana and bhujangasana

For Shoulder stand:

* Don't worry so much about keeping your elbows and arms parallel. This will create more tension in your neck if you're not proficient in this posture. * Do the appropriate balancing postures. These are the same as for half shoulder stand.

For Headstand:

* Don't ever make adjustments whilst in headstand. If you feel your alignment is not quite right, come down and do it again. * Never do this posture first up, or without the prerequisite postures. It will lead to stiffness in the neck at best, and injury at worst. And the negative effects can build up over time. This posture is never done traditionally without preparation, and there is reason for this. * Use a wall for support as a learning stage * Support your head with all of your fingers, including the little fingers and thumbs * Finding the right position for your head will make sure weight is distributed evenly, and ensure you don't have to overly press down with your elbows to compensate * Think of the support for the whole body as being distributed evenly across both elbows and the head * Don't hold your weight too much on the back of your body. It will place too much pressure on your neck. * Don't use props that allow the neck to be free. It will lead to the neck muscles contracting * Use the balancing postures. Shoulder stand is the traditional, but Mohan recommends half shoulder stand instead * Rest your neck before doing the balancing postures, however. Lie down with your legs bent. * Other balancing postures include chakravakasana, dvipada pitham with the arms, and shalabhasana

There may be fears or a sense of limitation about doing inversion poses that will be confronted. Sometimes, it's best to start an asana gradually. Shoulder stand comes with a few variations that you can use to build up strength and flexibility, as well as overcome any fear based feelings about the posture and your ability to do it.

Overcoming the fear, and finally being able to do a difficult pose that you thought you couldn't, can create positive psychological effects. When we prove to ourselves that our fears don't bind us, that we can move beyond our limitations, we are more able to make changes in other areas of our lives where before we thought it just wasn't possible.

References: A.G.Mohan, Yoga for Body, Breath, and Mind

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How Yoga Exercises Can Help With Weight Loss

Yoga Exercises for Ideal Weight and Ideal Shape

What is ideal weight? How can you tell whether or not you are at your Ideal weight? And is your ideal weight realistic for your body type or based on some unattainable ideal flaunted in fashion magazines? Is your image of ideal weight more about an ideal shape - one which may not have any bearing to the actual shape of the body you were born into?

Is ideal weight or shape a personal, inner-referenced experience, or something determined from outside yourself? Is it something you can feel or is it based on the opinion of others, or cultural, societal ideals, or tables that tell you what your ideal weight should be in relation to your height, weight or fat percentage?

Yoga is a training ground for inner-referenced awareness, starting in Hatha Yoga, with attention to the body in various Yoga postures, and moving beyond this to naturally meeting your attitudes toward yourself and your life. For this reason, from a Yogic perspective, ideal weight is not seen as a specific, measurable number or amount relative to height, age or fat percentage, or any other means of determining your weight from a source outside yourself.

This would mean deeming outside sources as experts over and above yourself, with these outer sources determining what is acceptable for you and your body. This is disempowering because it robs you of the opportunity to exercise your inner knowledge; your inner wisdom.

Yoga is all about cultivating your internal evaluation and motivation system, based on how you feel and what you deem appropriate and desirable. Added to this is an inner strength and willpower generated through Yoga practice.

In Yoga, ideal body weight and shape are considered natural byproducts of health. For this reason, the question of what is ideal body weight naturally leads to a broader question of what is health and how to cultivate it. The order of importance in the process of moving toward ideal weight is health first, which determines how you feel and extends to how you look. This offers a sustainable solution: the stronger your feeling of health and wellbeing, the stronger your self esteem.

This, in turn, makes you less likely to allow criticism (your own, or other people's) of your body, based on unrealistic ideals, to undermine your ability to focus on attaining good health. In good health, your attractiveness and beauty shine through. And once you have achieved good health, you may discover that you are within a healthy weight range.

By Michelle Spencer

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Poses And Postures

Yoga has become a very popular form of exercise, however, some styles focus primarily on physically working the back, for instance: the most important Yoga poses in this case will differ from others, remaining the most important Yoga poses for another kind of Yoga. There are also very difficult one might focus on in other styles of Yoga designed to stretch and strengthen other specific parts of the body, and many that work the entire body, treating the body as left and right equals yin and yang.

There are specific Yoga poses for the floor parts of Yoga exercise, as well as the more familiar standing Yoga poses.

One of the most basic kinds of standing Yoga poses one will learn in Yoga is what is called the tree balance. In this balance you will:

1) Prepare as always by checking the posture and lifting through the torso, pushing your shoulders down.

2) Hold your eyes on one object diagonally or straight forward for the entire pose.

3) Stand with your feet together.

4) Lift up onto the balls of your feet.

5) Rock your weight back, onto your heels.

6) Strengthen the right leg shifting all of your weight and lift your left leg slowly up so that your foot lays flat, toes down, resting on your right inner thigh.

7) Your arms slowly lift up to what is called the prayer position: both palms meeting directly above the top of the head?the full body in perfect alignment. Meeting above the crown chakra and lengthening all the way through the body.

The benefits of practicing this posture are many. It will result in remarkably noticeable balance and grace.

The posture requires balance, focus and concentration?all the basic guidelines of Yoga?both spiritual and physical are involved in Yoga poses. The tree balance is one of the many Yoga poses where the key is to relax and clear your mind. Not thinking about the difficulty of the pose itself?releasing tension?that is the mental aspect of several complex positions?without which many Yoga poses would be virtually impossible to hold.

This is one of the most well known Yoga postures. However, there are many. Including, as I mentioned before, many floor Yoga poses. Focus and breath?this is how you remain in any of the Yoga poses.

One example of the floor Yoga poses is the snake:

1) Lay flat on your stomach with your hands on your shoulders.

2) Lift up by straightening the arms and focus up?as though your eyes were also a part of the arch.

3) Focus on pushing the pelvis down towards the floor?arching your back.

4) And keep your shoulders down, as with virtually all Yoga poses.

Remember, all Yoga poses are meant to be held. You do not just reach the posture. Instead you reach it and remain there?thirty seconds, a minute etc. Holding, breathing, the asana, and the pranayama, this is how the balance is earned. In all Yoga poses you will find that you can stretch further and further each time. There are many other yoga poses and techniques out there?go find the perfect kind of yoga for you!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, recreation, education and d?cor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles about fitness and health, please visit Yoga Positions.

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Improve Health With Yoga in Chairs

It is never too late to start a yoga practice. Forget the pictures you see in ads and TV that show 23 year old dancers and gymnasts doing pretzel-like yoga postures. Sure, there are young people taking fast moving classes that focus on difficult poses. But the majority of people taking yoga classes are middle aged and older. And the fastest growing student population for yoga is seniors.

To accommodate this growing segment, more and more classes are being offered to suit the needs and desires particular to older adults. Generally, these classes are called Yoga in Chairs or simply, Chair Yoga. The obstacle to yoga for older people is the frequent getting up and down off the floor, and sitting cross-legged on the ground for extended periods of time. Back problems, knee and hip replacements, arthritis, and fatigue combine to make it difficult to do. Chair Yoga overcomes this difficulty by featuring most of the same postures traditionally taught, but done either sitting in a chair, or using the chair as a balance and support. These classes are not yoga simplified, but yoga adapted.

Chair Yoga offers increased range of motion in the spine and joints, strengthening of muscles, improved balance, better breath control, relaxation and lessening of physical and mental tension, and improved concentration. Exactly as any other yoga class does. Even if you haven't exercised in a long time, or especially if you haven't, you will begin to feel these and other benefits after just a few classes. Ageing creates more of a need for the gifts of yoga, not less. Using the chair as a base, allows older people, or people with physical limitations, to carry on a full yoga practice the same as the 23 year old with both knees behind the head.

A common concern among seniors is that yoga will conflict with their beliefs and traditions. Yoga does have a focus on contemplation and inner peace that can be spiritual for some, but it is not religious in and of itself. There is room for all types of believers and non-believers in a yoga class. A class for older people in particular will focus on the physical aspect of practice and the breath. There will be relaxation and quiet. And there will be time for questions and sharing. Perhaps some soothing music will be played; maybe there will be a chance to chant the sound OM at the end of class-- if you feel like it. The chant of OM is just the traditional way to end a yoga class. It is a bow to history and tradition.

Yoga in Chairs classes can be found in churches, senior centers, through community education, and at yoga studios. Look for ads, fliers, and talk to your friends and family and find the teacher and the location that is right for you. Take a friend with you to practice. Make it a social occasion, and enjoy improving your health in a group of like- minded people who share your interests and concerns. Making yoga a part of your life will be one of the best things you have done for yourself.

By Susan Lasch

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Yoga on Your College Campus

Quite unlike the stereotypical high impact aerobics that are often a mainstay of college gyms, more and more campuses across the country are recognizing the benefit of incorporating a variety of different exercise programs to keep students interested and fit.

One of the newest trends sweeping colleges is incorporating yoga into their fitness regime. Regular yoga exercise yields a wealth of benefits, many of which are of extreme interest to college students.

Forget about heading to class panting for breath. Hatha yoga, one of the most popular schools of the exercise, leads you through relaxing and strengthening stretches, long twists, calm and quiet yogic breathing, and positive meditations.

When you walk out of the gym from your yoga workout, chances are you will feel significantly more aware, awake, and refreshed.

Yoga practices are also said to help clear the body of toxic energy and thought patterns.

The calming techniques of yoga need not only be experienced in the gym. Yogic breathing techniques can be done before and during a test, hand and neck exercises can be done at your desk or in the library, and you can do any number of poses even in your cramped dorm room, without bothering your roommate.

Yoga is also something you can jump right into. One of the main aspects of yogic exercise is to only go as far as you can, but to push yourself to that edge. Not having the pressure to go into a pose (or asana) into its fullest extension helps the beginners not feel out of place.

As everyone's body and life experiences are different, so are their points of openness and flexibility. Some poses will come almost naturally at times, while others are slow ground to be conquered. This allows you to set goals in your practice as well, moving further and further into the poses, until you finally attain your goal.

While it may take some time to get completely used to a regular yoga practice, it is more definitely a departure from normal exercises, and has a much lower risk of injury and joint strain than high impact exercises. Even if its just for a few minutes a day, you will feel the benefits of yoga almost immediately, and wonder how you manged without it.


By Tiffany Garden

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Using Yoga to Decrease Depression and Stress

Did you know that regular exercise can ease the symptoms of depression and stress? I know it's tough to get out of bed when you are depressed, let alone exercise and that lack of motivation is symptomatic of depression. When you are stressed it's usually because you are overloaded and adding exercise to an already busy schedule isn't easy. Luckily, one form of exercise, yoga, can ease the symptoms of depression and stress and while ideally, you would find a good beginner's class, you don't even have to leave your house to try yoga postures. Yoga has gotten very popular - you'll easily be able to find a DVD or book on yoga.

How Yoga Reduces Depression and Stress

Yoga postures or asanas help to detoxify the body by manipulating blood flow to areas of the body. The physical movement also causes the release of hormones and neurotransmitters that can elevate your mood and reduce stress. These postures are designed to move the life force of the body so that is does not become stuck and manifest as blocked energy or depression.

Have you ever taken a deep breath to calm down? The breathing exercises that go along with yoga will reduce stress and create a sense of well being. While yoga postures alone will help alleviate stress and reduce symptoms of depression, if you want a more powerful yoga experience you can incorporate breathing exercises into your routine. The humming bee breath and victorious breath exercises help with depression while baby's breath can have an extraordinary calming effect. To add breathing, you'll need to leave the house, since you will need a yoga expert to teach you the proper breathing methods. Perhaps after trying these postures for a few days you'll decide to find a class.

To reduce depression and eliminate stress a restorative yoga class, preferably one with meditation before and/or after, is ideal. Some yoga styles such as ashtanga can be physically intense and that's not what you are going after to reduce depression and stress. You may have to try more than one class until you find one that fits for you. Ideally, you'll practice yoga for at least 20 minutes a day, three times a week. While yoga can be very effective in combating stress and depression, the positive effects of yoga will be negated if you are otherwise mistreating your body.

Specific Yoga Postures to Ease Depression and Stress

Here is my list of yoga postures that help me when I am depressed or stressed. Each posture is linked to a site with directions for performing it properly. Do not be discouraged by the seemingly short list of poses. The entire sequence can easily take you 20 minutes or longer - yoga isn't about rushing through poses - it's about slowly holding poses and concentrating on proper form and breathing. Remember, it's the journey, not the destination.

Suryanamaskar or Sun Salutation

The sun salutation is a series of 12 very graceful poses. The combination of movements with the corresponding breathing is very beneficial physically and emotionally.

Simhasana or Lion Pose

The facial expressions in this posture will lighten your emotions - simha means he powerful one.

Ushtraasana or Camel Pose

The camel pose offers a relaxing stretch.

Balasana or Child's Pose

The child's pose is very peaceful pose that also promotes a feeling of safety.

Sarvangaasana or Shoulder-Stand Pose

The Should Stand benefits the entire body and as such is one of the most beneficial yoga poses.

Savasana or Corpse Pose

Don't be thrown by the name. Designed to quiet the body as well as the mind, this is perhaps the most relaxing of the yoga poses.

By S du Plessis

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Yoga to Lower High Blood Pressure by Gardon Cameron

Yoga attempts to unify the body, mind and spirit and to heal one is to heal all. Yoga makes use of a whole range of stretching positions to align, center and ground the physical body - balancing the mind and relaxing and uplifting the spirit.

The healing power of yoga has been known for centuries and in India, yoga is used to treat many diseases and conditions. Many, many people have achieved a lower blood pressure by using yoga and by adapting to its benefits.
Yogas power lies in the way it combines body, mind and spirit - synchronizing them to one entity instead of three separate ones. This allows for healing to be received and accepted.

Learning Yoga
It's not hard to learn yoga although it may look like it is at first. It's really more about the state of mind you achieve during the stretches than about the stretches themselves. There are several styles of yoga and all provide the same healing benefits.

If you are a novice who wants to learn yoga for blood pressure treatment then the Hatha Style is best. It's the commonest in the west and an easy in route for a beginner. Hatha poses are gentle and easy on the body and each class starts with a mediation session. The breathing techniques and patterns used in yoga help to promote relaxation and will lower BP in the process.

Lowering Your Blood Pressure with Yoga
Yoga lowers high blood pressure by encouraging you to relax using deep and correct breathing. Most of us do not breathe properly - we breathe from our chest not from our lower diaphragm. Yoga teaches you both the correct way to breathe and also different types of breathing techniques.

Yoga meditation will teach you to properly and fully relax. Being able to mediate is something we can all do but for many it will be hard at first to make their minds go quiet and passive. Keep trying - practice makes perfect.

If you really want to lower your blood pressure through yoga then you have to practice it every day for at least fifteen minutes each time. Be patient. Persevere. The benefits are worth it.

Once you learn to control your mind, you will be able to control your blood pressure!

By Gordon Cameron

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Yoga Poses

If you have observed from a distance people doing yoga poses, you would think they are latter day contortionists. You could be wrong, they are wise people who have realized well in time how easily and relatively inexpensively they can keep their bodies healthy, literally fit as a fiddle.

Yoga poses are the best way to maintain the body flexible, supple and toned up without exerting any force on the body. There is a certain subtlety in this ancient eastern system of body maintenance which keeps one in tune with nature.

Modern lifestyle takes its toll in terms of physical and mental health. Hypertension and diabetes are common ailments and the beneficiaries are pharma firms. Resources that should be spent on other productive channels are wasted in shoring up a tiring body that becomes an open invitation to premature aging and a host of diseases.

Yoga has many dimensions The word yoga means union. It meant a whole set of physical, mental and spiritual exercises developed by ancient Indian yogis as a means of realizing God and being united (?yuj? in Sanskrit, meaning ?being yoked?) with Him. The yogis were performing rigorous routine of meditation in forests and mountains and being scantily clad, they devised indoor exercises now known as ?yoga poses? or ?yogasanas? to keep their body healthy and light and make it a willing instrument of their meditation.

Over the years, yoga poses (postures) got separated from the rest of the mental and spiritual practices and has become popular as fitness yoga. Nevertheless, people who practice yoga poses derive benefits of yoga like a focused mind, self-discipline, a composed temperament and a healthy view of life.

The great repose There are a hundred yoga poses. They have interesting names like Red Indians who named themselves Sitting Bull or Galloping Horse. The poses bear names like The Boat, Crow, Peacock, Lotus and so on. The last mentioned is the pose in which the Buddha is shown seated. It is the pose developed by yogis for their meditation. Legs withdrawn and feet resting on the thighs, hands placed on the thighs turned upward with thumb and forefinger closed, the spine and neck held erect, eyes lightly closed and the normally outgoing mind gathered and centred within ? this is the ultimate pose of repose without and within.

But yet, before we could attain that inner repose, we have to slowly master the body through various poses and by regulation of breath which is called pranayama. Regulation of breath is said to energise the body and gradual slowing down of breathing is said to reduce the frequency of thoughts which is the necessary prelude for meditation.

The yogi among bats There is the familiar joke about bats in a cave. They were all hanging upside down as their wont. But one bat was seen standing on his feet. When the other bats asked him why, he answered, ?I am practicing yoga!? That bat is the counterpart of the people who delight in doing the headstand, a difficult but a very effective pose for stimulating blood circulation in the entire body. Its modified and easier version, the ?all limbs pose? is also recommended for all ages.

In a way, yoga poses are for people who want to be and dare to be different and pursue what their inner being and instinct of the body prompt them to do. It is by treating the body with respect and dignity, not by pumping iron and straining the muscular and nervous system. In the latter case, we see these people breaking down in health when they stop doing these heavy-handed exercises.

Tips for the beginner Starting practice of yoga poses is easy. But some words of caution would be necessary.

?Please do not learn from the books. One should not be one?s own Guru (Teacher) in matters of Yoga asanas, pranayama or meditation and one might end up worse than before. Look for qualified, committed, professional teachers. ?If you suffer from any ailments or bodily disabilities, obtain medical advice from your physician and from your yoga instructor as to what poses would fit in with your physical condition. ?Age is no bar for practice of yoga poses. You do not have to be a stripling to do it. ?Your yoga instructor will tell you what kind of yoga accessories and props you need. Your dress should be comfortable enough to allow you to stretch and bend freely. ?Like all other physical exercises, yoga poses should be done on a very light stomach and never after a meal. ?Fix a particular time for your domestic practice to develop regularity and discipline ?Such a discipline does not go with habits like smoking and drinking which have a depleting effect on the physical system

The final test The ultimate test of any exercise regimen is: Do you feel fresh and energetic or tired and exhausted afterwards? Yoga poses pass this test in flying colours.

On the whole, regular practice of yoga poses tempers and tunes up the body, disciplines the mind and trains the will to apply itself to self-improving habits and style of life and lifts one?s perspectives to a higher and nobler level of existence.

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Try These Yoga Poses for Jet Lag

Jet lag appears definitely to be one these things: A Condition resulting when travel across time zones leaves a person feeling ?out of sync? with local time at his or her destination. That considered, to get you 'back in sync', one highly recommended solution will be Yoga

What, with the poses balancing effects on the body (namely the inversions), yoga helps immensely to deal with the effects of jet lag, of course when used correctly.

The two main poses will be the Shoulder stand (and its counter poses) and if possible, the Sun Salutations.

In regards to the latter choice, the Sun Exercises, these are definitely a wise choice in that they stimulate and balance all the systems of the body including the endocrine, circulatory, reproductive and digestive system.

The main benefit one can look to attain from using Yoga for Jet lag will be restoration and balancing which it brings about as one executes the use of some of its poses.

This perhaps reiterates why using the shoulder-stand yoga pose for jet lag as previously mentioned may indeed be a great and wise choice as this pose as well affects all the bodily organs. By pressing the chin-lock, it stimulates the thyroid gland, balancing the circulatory, digestive, nervous, reproductive and endocrine systems. It tranquilizes the mind, alleviates stress and psychological disturbances. It is indeed a panacea, a cure all

One can also try the yoga-esque Hindu-Push-ups as this helps drain the brain of unwanted ?debris? and the incorporation of the Yoga Relaxation Pose does just as its name suggests, relaxes the entire body while simultaneously relieving stress and speeding up the elimination of metabolic wastes.

It's safe to say Yoga has something for everything and everyone so for Jet Lag; you will do very well to strike some Yoga poses!

In Friendship,

Foras Aje is an independent researcher and co-founder of BodyHealthSoul LLC. Stop by His Website today for more on Healthy Living Tips and information on Yoga for Beginners.

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Yoga Your Way to a Stress Free Life

Yoga can be an appropriate exercise for people of all ages due to the combinations of movement and meditation. Yoga involves flexibility, balance, controlling of your breathing, strength, and physical posture.

There has been a debate on how long yoga has been around. Some say yoga has been around at least 5,000 years, while others say it is closer to 10,000 years. Yoga started gaining notoriety, in the 1960's, due to the Beatles association with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Over the past few years, more and more men on the east and west coasts have taken up yoga as a form of exercise and meditation.

There are many new variations of yoga that have sprung up over the years. You can now find fertility yoga, Thai yoga, prenatal yoga, bikrum yoga, power yoga, and fusion yoga that combines yoga with another form of exercising.

By practicing yoga, you will find that there are many benefits associated with it. You will find that you have more flexibility, which golfers and tennis players will find the greatest benefits from practicing yoga. You will also find that you will have a greater endurance for running and bicycling. For those that run or cycle in marathons, practicing yoga can greatly benefit you with this.

Yoga can also help increase your muscle strength and balance, which is a great attribute to consider as we age. For those that have high-stress jobs, yoga is a great way to relieve stress.

You can expect to sit on the floor on a mat for those of you who choose to take yoga classes. The mat is used as a personal area for you to be able to participate in the exercises in the class. Often classes start with gentle breathing exercises, gentle stretches or even short meditations. This will depend on the instructor.

You will be lead through a various group of poses and positions throughout the class. As the class proceeds, the exercises will become more vigorous. There are some poses and positions that can be too difficult for your body to maneuver, and you will not want to force your body into a position because you could injure yourself in the process. If you are unable to use any of the poses or positions in the class, your yoga teacher should help you modify the pose to accommodate you for the pose so you can get the most out of your yoga experience. You will be surprised in the ways that your body can actually move in ways that you did not think it could.

While yoga injuries are rare, there are instances where injuries have occurred during a yoga session. Most injuries are due to repetitive motions rather than more serious injuries. Most of these injuries often occur due to pushing too hard to keep up with the rest of the class. The most common yoga injuries are injuries to hip flexors, wrists, hamstrings, and shoulders. It is suggested that you do not use yoga exercise videos due to the fact that you could do a pose or position wrong, and you will have a higher risk of injury.

You can combine yoga with Pilates so that you can strengthen your whole body and reduce the risks of injury even further.

Yoga Class Etiquette

* You will not want to be late. By coming in late you will disturb the others because Yoga classes are done in a quiet serene setting.

*Do not leave early. By leaving early, you will miss the last pose of the class, the savasana. The savasana pose is the resting pose of yoga. By missing this pose you would be cheating yourself of the whole yoga experience.

* Go barefoot. Taking off your shoes during yoga classes keeps you from slipping around on the floor and your body becomes allowed to get the feedback from the ground.

* Dress comfortably. You will want to wear loose-fitting clothing so that you are comfortable while doing the poses in class.

* Consult your teacher. You should let your teacher know of any limitations of movement, injuries or any preexisting problems.

The Glossary of Yoga

* Asana is a pose used during a yoga exercise.

* Hatha Yoga is form of yoga that is gentle and slow-paced. Hatha Yoga may appear on class schedules as Yoga I, Restorative Yoga or Lite Yoga.

* Vinyasa yoga is defined as synchronized-breathing movement. Vinyasa yoga is a more vigorous style of yoga. Vinyasa yoga could be named Power Yoga or Challenge Yoga on class schedules.

* Ashtanga is a type of Vinyasa yoga that uses a succession of poses during yoga classes.
* Bikram yoga is a branded name of yoga that is done in a heated room that has a temperature of 95 to 100 degrees. The idea behind Bikram yoga is to promote sweating profusely to rid the body of toxins. Bikram yoga will be available at Genesis Health clubs in 2007 and Yoga Central offers Bikram Yoga Classes that uses the heat from the movements of the body rather than heat from a room.

* Thai Yoga Therapy is a one-on-one session that combines stretches with yoga positions that are applied to your body.

* Prenatal Yoga uses poses that are adapted for pregnant women.

* Fertility Yoga is based on a theory that yoga impacts the stress levels and general health of women. By using this theory, Fertility Yoga can help women become pregnant.

* Namaste roughly means The divine in me recognizes the divine in you. The word Namaste is a Hindu salutation that is very similar to the Hawaiian salutation Aloha.

By Karen Barnes

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Why Zen Yoga Poses Can Improve Your Health

Zen yoga poses are part of an Oriental system that combines the practice of asanas with Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine. Postures are categorized according to the primary meridian they affect. A meridian can be understood as similar to a blood vessel, in that it has an energetic structure that corresponds with the human body, but which is instead a channel for energy to circulate (instead of blood).

The alignment of these exercises with specific meridians is what makes zen yoga such a powerful healing modality. In fact, teachers of this Oriental system emphasize its' capacity to help treat the basic causes of illness.. This article will explore what is meant by that, and provide some illustration on how zen yoga poses can be adapted to an individual's problems.

Meridian exercises work by facilitating the natural flow of energy in areas where we experience blockages and stagnation. We may feel those areas of blockages as stiffness, aching, tension, pain, or simply a feeling of being uncomfortable. Zen poses open up their primary meridians, and as a result, they dispel 'ill' energy, and allow healthy energy to flow instead.

A little background on meridians may be helpful. There are 12 meridians, and they are named after different organs of the body. So, we have the Lung meridian, large intestine meridian, Heart constrictor, triple heater, liver, gall bladder, spleen, stomach, heart, small intestine, kidney, and bladder.

It's important to note that although these meridians each have an energetic relationship with the organ after which they are named, they are not just referring to the organ when we speak about them. Their primary meaning is an energetic reference, to a type of energy that runs along a specific channel, which just happens to be associated with a physical organ as well. So, when Oriental practitioners and yoga teachers talk about a particular meridian being out of whack in some way, this definitely does not mean that our organs are! I emphasize this because a lot of people tend to get alarmed by some of the terminology, and it just stems from a misunderstanding of the context in which it is being used.

By understanding how important the energetic aspect is in Oriental philosophy, it is easier to understand how they look at the symptoms of disease, illness, or any problems we feel in our bodies. Instead of focusing on the symptom itself, Oriental diagnosis looks at what is going on in the meridians, and a healing approach is based on this, instead of a rigidly defined solution for a set of symptoms. What this means in practical terms, is that one person's ideal solution to a bad back, or a stiff neck, may be very different to another's.

The good news is that you don't have to know a lot of theory to do zen yoga successful. And neither do you need to understand the intricacies of Oriental diagnosis to apply zen yoga exercises for your own specific problems. Masunaga offers this useful guide: first find the exercise which is hardest to do... and then look for another one which is the easiest... If doing the easiest exercise causes an improvement in the performance of the most difficult one, or relieves a ... symptom, it is effectively reinforcing the Ki [energy in the Kyo [deficient meridian.

Masunaga was a leading shiatsu teacher in Japan who organized meridian exercises into a system that people could use themselves. He actually wrote that the best way to learn about zen yoga poses, was to practice them! Zen yoga seems more difficult in theory than it is in practice. It's actually a very fun, playful and gentle style of yoga that can readily be adapted to any level of fitness and health. Like tai chi, it has great health benefits, which can be explored in more detail through classes or publications.

by : Zen Imagery Exercises by Shizuto Masunaga

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Inversion Yoga Poses Another Perspective

Headstand (salamba shirshasana) is one of the yoga poses that are considered inversion poses. Inversion poses involve any asanas that lift the feet above the head. Other inversion poses that are well known include shoulderstand (salamba sarvangasana) and half shoulder stand (viparita karani). But even lying on the floor with your legs on a chair is an inversion pose.

The concept behind inversion poses is expressed in yoga texts as viparita karani. Viparita karani is translated as meaning 'opposite process'. This simply means facilitating a different perspective. From the purely physical point of view, this different perspective in inversion poses is literal - in terms of looking at the world from a different physical viewpoint - as well as involving the body being supported in a different way.

But as yoga is more than simply physical exercises, there are other processes that are assisted. A lot of yoga is designed to help us change mental habits as well as physical habits. Through increasing our ability to adapt to change, instead of being stuck in old habitual responses, we increase our capacity for growth and transformation. This applies in all areas of our lives.

There is a theoretical concept in yoga about why inversion postures help. Ayurveda considers that many of the body's impurities are in the lower abdomen. When we raise our feet above the head, gravity is assisting us to move these impurities towards what the Ayurvedic system calls agni, or 'fire'. Agni particularly relates to our 'digestive fire', and is thus located above our lower abdomen.

So, by being upside down, and by using the deep and slow breathing typical of yoga, we help 'burn off' the impurities that were previously stuck.

Improved circulation is a more readily apparent and less 'esoteric' benefit of inversion yoga poses.

Whilst inversion postures have many health benefits, the ability of an individual to receive those benefits depends as much on their capacity to comfortably hold these sometimes difficult postures. For example, headstand and shoulder stand should simply not be done if people are pregnant, have neck pain, high or low blood pressure, neck injuries, or are menstruating. And neither of these postures should be attempted without the appropriate preparatory postures. Otherwise the risk is there that an injury, or stiffness, particularly to the neck area, will result.

Likewise, if doing these postures is very uncomfortable and difficult, more benefit will be derived from doing either the modified versions, or simply working on other yoga poses that strengthen these areas.

There are several important prerequisites for getting the most benefit fro inversions. The first one, a strong neck, I've mentioned. The others are a strong back and abdominal muscles, and the capacity to breathe well whilst in the posture. The latter is going to get better with practice, both of yoga itself and the inversions. It is also somewhat tied into having a strong back. Our back and stomach muscles will provide the support to hold the legs straight, which inturn opens up the thoracic cavity, and increases our ability to breathe well whilst upside down!

Tips for Doing the Inverted Postures

For Half Shoulder stand:

* Lengthen the exhale
* Don't lock the chin
* Keep your weight not on the head but on the wrists and elbows
* Don't try to pull your torso (and legs) into the vertical like in full shoulder stand if you have difficulties with your neck. By doing so, you're placing more pressure on your neck.
* Make sure you do the appropriate balancing postures afterwards. These include shalabhasana and bhujangasana

For Shoulder stand:

* Don't worry so much about keeping your elbows and arms parallel. This will create more tension in your neck if you're not proficient in this posture.
* Do the appropriate balancing postures. These are the same as for half shoulder stand.

For Headstand:

* Don't ever make adjustments whilst in headstand. If you feel your alignment is not quite right, come down and do it again.
* Never do this posture first up, or without the prerequisite postures. It will lead to stiffness in the neck at best, and injury at worst. And the negative effects can build up over time. This posture is never done traditionally without preparation, and there is reason for this.
* Use a wall for support as a learning stage
* Support your head with all of your fingers, including the little fingers and thumbs
* Finding the right position for your head will make sure weight is distributed evenly, and ensure you don't have to overly press down with your elbows to compensate
* Think of the support for the whole body as being distributed evenly across both elbows and the head
* Don't hold your weight too much on the back of your body. It will place too much pressure on your neck.
* Don't use props that allow the neck to be free. It will lead to the neck muscles contracting
* Use the balancing postures. Shoulder stand is the traditional, but Mohan recommends half shoulder stand instead
* Rest your neck before doing the balancing postures, however. Lie down with your legs bent.
* Other balancing postures include chakravakasana, dvipada pitham with the arms, and shalabhasana

There may be fears or a sense of limitation about doing inversion poses that will be confronted. Sometimes, it's best to start an asana gradually. Shoulder stand comes with a few variations that you can use to build up strength and flexibility, as well as overcome any fear based feelings about the posture and your ability to do it.

Overcoming the fear, and finally being able to do a difficult pose that you thought you couldn't, can create positive psychological effects. When we prove to ourselves that our fears don't bind us, that we can move beyond our limitations, we are more able to make changes in other areas of our lives where before we thought it just wasn't possible.

References: A.G.Mohan, Yoga for Body, Breath, and Mind

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10 Yoga Exercises to Ease Back Tension

We are busier and more stressed as a society than ever these days, and like a large number of people, I tend to retain most of my stress in my neck and back area. This results in a tense back, and oftentimes, back pain. Yoga is a highly effective method of back pain relief, and definitely, helps relieve the stress held in this area. In fact, there have been studies that show that regular, proper yoga exercise is one of the most effectual methods for pain and tension relief in the back.

Here are ten exercises that have shown tremendous benefit to the back tension so many of us struggle with. These exercises reach all the areas of the physical back, as well as help us mentally relax, which assists in preventing further inflammation. Try these poses, and remember to breathe while doing them!

Corpse - Do this exercise by lying flat on your back in a relaxed position; rest your arms at your sides, hands facing the floor, legs lying normally, with your knees turned outwards slightly. Breathe normally for a few seconds while allowing the tension to be released.

Cat Stretch - Assume the position of a cat (get on all four!) and start out by keeping your back as flat as the tension will allow. Make sure that your knees are lined up with your hips. Inhale, then exhale, and as you are breathing out, arch your back up, tuck your chin to your chest, and push your tailbone underneath all at the same time! After holding this position, release to the flattened back and repeat.

Wind-Releasing - For this exercise, lay in the same position as the corpse pose. This time, as you breathe in, bend your knee, grab your leg right below your knee, and bring it into your chest. Keep your remaining leg on the floor, lying flat. Breathe out and bring your head up to touch your knee. Finish up by inhaling, and then return to original position during the exhale. Repeat exercise with the opposite leg.

Sage Twist - Keep this exercise a gentle stretch, as it could be painful if taken too far or done too harshly. While sitting on the floor in normal fashion, bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and put your right foot on the floor next to your left knee. Straighten your spine as you sit, take your left elbow and put it on the right side of your right knee. Take your left fingertips to touch your right hip, and at the same time, twist and look over your right shoulder. This is the point in the exercise to be cautious not to overdue this stretch, so as not to hurt yourself. Hold this position, then release and do it again with the opposite side.

Palm Tree - With your feet forward, stand with your arms to your sides, and your weight even on your feet. Raise your arms above your head, interlock your fingers, and turn your hands to face upwards. Then put your palms on your head and turn your head to look slightly upward. Stretch your arms up, stepping up on your toes at the same time. Try to stretch your body upwards as you are doing these moves, then tries and hold.

Fish Pose - For this pose, lie flat on your back with just your knees bent and keep your arms at your side. Arching your back, bring it off the floor with only your elbows. Have your head tilted backwards and put the crown of your head on the floor at the same time. Breathe deeply from your middle and hold for one minute.

Locust - This one is a little different; you will be lying face down. Arms at your side, hands facing down, bend your elbows a little with your fingers pointing towards your feet. Bring your legs as high up as you can without causing any pain to your back. Be careful with this one not to overdo it!

Downward Dog - Beginning on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders, walk hands a few inches forward, and spread your fingers wide, keep your palms flat. Bring hips upward, forming an inverted V, pressing shoulders away from ears. Keep your feet apart a ways, and the knees slightly bent. Breathe deeply and hold.

Crowe - This one is done by starting out at the original position in the Downward Dog exercise. Only instead of only walking a few inches forward, walk your feet forward until your knees meet up with your arms. Bend your elbows, lifting your heels off the floor, and then put your knees against the upper arms. Keep your toes on the floor during this, and hold this pose for a few breaths.

Lunge - Once again, begin in the Downward Dog position. Step forward with your right leg to the inside of your right hand. Let your left knee drop to the floor and lift up your chest. Keep your back straight, your right knee in line with your ankle, and place your hands on your knee. Breathe and hold. Then return to the Downward Dog position, switch legs and then repeat the exercise.

By Bessie Blanco

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Can You Lose Weight With Yoga

Yoga is revered for its power to relieve stress, increase flexibility, and build muscle tone. It is not, however, well known for promoting weight loss. So you might be surprised to learn that it can actually help us burn calories.

Traditional yoga is not an extremely active pursuit. It works our muscles, but we rarely break a sweat just by holding a pose (unless it's really hot in the room). But the muscle-building effects of yoga do allow us to burn calories more efficiently. So if we participate in a good aerobic workout, we will see greater results than we would if we weren't doing yoga.

Yoga can also give us the discipline we need to stick to a diet and exercise program. It enhances the relationship between the mind and body, giving us the motivation to take better care of ourselves. Lack of motivation is a frequent problem among those who want to lose weight, so this is a very important benefit.

New Incarnations of Yoga

Those who want to lose weight solely through yoga might find what they're looking for in non-traditional yoga classes. There are a number of yoga styles that can give us the traditional benefits of yoga and a cardiovascular workout at the same time. These include:

* Vinyasa yoga - This type of yoga is based on movement from one pose to another while practicing yoga breathing techniques. Sun Salutations are frequently used, but other poses are usually included as well. This is sometimes done in a hot room to increase sweating.

* Ashtanga yoga - Ashtanga is a complex style of yoga that includes six different series of poses. Each serious is more complex than the previous one, so it is important to start at the beginning and work your way up.

* Power yoga - This is an Americanized version of yoga. It combines faster, more active movements with traditional yoga breathing techniques.

These types of yoga are more likely to increase our heart rate and work up a sweat than traditional yoga. While they may not give us as much of a workout as aerobics, they combine weight loss and cardiovascular benefits with the muscle building and flexibility training of yoga. And for those who do not have the time to participate in two separate workout programs, they can be great options.

Other than being forms of exercise, yoga and aerobics seem to have little in common. But traditional yoga can enhance the effects of more intense workouts, and these newly popular styles of yoga can give us the best of both worlds. If other workout routines have left you disappointed, adding or switching to yoga might be the answer you're looking for.

By Kanye Robin

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Basic Yoga Exercises

Here are some basic yoga exercises that can easily be executed at home anytime.

These exercises are so simple. People can conveniently perform them whenever they have time.

FROG STAND

1. Lowly squat. Place the hands on the below ground, resting the triceps on top of the kneecaps. Then, tip forward, and lift the feet from the ground and into position similar to a balanced frog stand. Keep the position for 30 seconds.

2. Extend a leg in back, keeping it diagonally relative to the floor, at the same time elongating the neck to maintain balance.

3. Straighten the elbows, lift the legs, tip forward, then try to press up slowly into a handstand.

These exercise strengthen the whole shoulder girdle. These also help build up core muscles and enhance the body?s overall stamina.

100's

Lie down, face up. Bring legs up, make sure you keep them straight. Make sure the legs are also together. Lift the head and the shoulders off the floor, pull in the abs, then bring the hands next to the thighs.

Next, lower the legs to as much as you could and at the same time keep the back on the floor then press hands up and then down. Count with each press. Afterwards, inhale for about five counts, then exhale for another five counts. Repeat until 100 is hit, then lower the legs again halfway through.

Tree Pose

To start, stand with both feet planted, the arms at the sides and body in a proper alignment (make sure the ears are over the shoulders, then the shoulders are over the hips, and finally the hips are over the ankles).

Next, inhale and then bend the right leg. Then, pull the heel up to the point that it rests on the inside of your left thigh. After, get the balance and hold on to this position, slowly pushing the arms overhead, making sure the palms are touching each other. Next, press the knee back preventing any hip movement. Keep the position for another 30 seconds before switching sides. Make sure the procedure is repeated two to three times.

YOGI HURDLER'S STRETCH

1. To start up, sit comfortably on the floor. Then, pull the left heel into the groin area. Be sure the right leg is extended to the front. Reach out and then grab the toes to as as far as can be done, bend at the waist an at the same time keep the back straight. Hold to the position for 30 seconds. After, repeat on the other leg.

2. Put both hand on the toes, and then revolve the trunk sideways forming a window using the arms. This will provide a good overall physical warm-up. Then, stretch the hamstrings, the calves, the obliques and the upper back. Make sure the abs and the internal organs are contracted during the process. Release the stress on the hips and then on the lower back.

WARRIOR LUNGE

1. Stand with the legs forming a scissor-like position widely apart as in a classic lunge. Bend the front leg at knee and then point the toes forward. After that, straighten the rear leg and then push it back as far as possible. The toes should be pointed sideways. Afterwards, lift the arms high above the head. At the same time, let the lower body sink, gradually bending the knee to a right-angle or 90-degree angle. Stick to the position for about 30 seconds, and switch to the other leg afterwards.

2. Maintaining a 90-degree or right-angled knee bend. Then, hold the arms almost parallel to ground, an arm forward. the other one backward. Twist the torso after 30 seconds. This exercise works the glutes and the quads, as well as stretches the hip flexors and lats.

Jeanette Pollock is a yoga teacher and runs her own website JustYogaBasics.com

If you have any questions about yoga, feel free to visit her at http://www.justyogabasics.com

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Yoga Laughing as a Form of Exercise

For thousands of years, civilization has practiced some form of Yoga, connecting mind, body and spirt. Providing this connection between body and mind, Yoga is considered both a mentally and physically demanding workout. Increasing flexibility while working to meditate within the spirit, Yoga can be used in general fitness programs as well as programs to improve both mental health and physical injuries and illnesses. With the advancements in Yoga practice, comes the new method of Laughing Yoga. Understanding how this new level of Yoga stimulates the body and mind program will ensure a new dynamic in the fitness of America and impact a rare group of Yoga enthusiasts.

Yoga, at its very core, offers the fitness enthusiast a lesson in flexibility which leads to stress relief, a sense of calmness and well being. With the added component of stretching techniques, Yoga offers a balance between mind and body which leads to stable and well meditated Yoga positions, each with its own unique benefit.

In recent years, and in major cities such as New York, Yoga instructors have begun to encourage the individuality of he Yoga curriculumn. By offering programs in proper breathing techniques, chanting and meditation, Yoga is evolving creating a market with more Yoga centered facilities encouraging a revival of spiritual awakening. So, what is the latest development into the individuality of Yoga? Laughing Yoga.

Though not a mainstream Yoga practice, Laughing Yoga is becoming a more recognized program for the individuality of Yoga students. With roots tied to the environment of New York City, the concept of Laughing Yoga leans towards a technique in which the yoga poses are consistent with intervals of laughing in between. What prompts this laughing? Nothing; other than the laughter of other Yoga students. As one person begins to laugh, so does the next and, before long, the entire studio is full of laughing Yoga students. After laughing for several minutes, the instructor guides the students into the next Yoga pose.

Yoga students, around the country, report this new niche in Yoga practice is not only fitness friendly but emotionally uplifting. Offering an opportunity to hear other laughs prompts a unique connection between students which would otherwise not be found in an older version of Yoga practice. Furthermore, the muscle contractions, used during Laughing Yoga, further enhance the torso level work out and results of the Yoga program.

Whatever the style of fitness and excercise, many Yoga instructors are turning to variations in Yoga practice so as to offer programs as diverse as the individuals participating. With the addition of the Laughing Yoga concept, many Yoga instructors, and Yoga fitness faciltiies will be laughing all the way to the bank.

By Christine Cadena

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Top 5 Yoga Myths

It is not surprising to those of us who are long time yoga practitioners that the popularity of this profound spiritual science is now exploding on a world wide scale. Unfortunately though some of the authenticity and truths about yoga are being lost and some myths are creeping in with regard to what yoga is and how it is to be practiced. In this article I will look to clear up what I find to be the top 5 myths about yoga.

Top 5 Myths About Yoga:

1. Yoga is a Form of Physical Exercise:

This is perhaps the most common view of yoga. That it is a form of physical exercise. This certainly needs to be clarified and I am going to provide some details about true yoga practice in order to do this.

Yoga is actually has 8 parts to it, with the physical aspect being just 1. These 8 parts, include yoga dos, yoga don'ts, physical exercises (asana), breathing exercises, sense control, concentration, meditation and divine union.

So you can see from above that although the physical aspect of yoga, which is called asana, is an important part of yoga, yoga as a whole is certainly more that just a series of postures and movements. Yoga is essentially a spiritual science whose objective is to still the mind of thoughts, so that the truth of Oneness hidden behind the waves of the mind can be clearly seen and embraced.

2. Yoga is a Religion:

The other extreme and incorrect view on yoga is that is it a religion. Commonly yoga is considered part of Hindu religion, but yoga is not a religion. It is a time tested spiritual science with the goal of revealing the true nature of reality. As indicated above, yoga practice is a step by step process with the end goal of calming down the thought waves in our mind and thus prevent them from distorting the truth.

3. To Practice Yoga You Must be Vegetarian:

There is a notion floating around that in order to practice yoga you must not eat meat and be a vegetarian. This is not true. Although there are tremendous benefits to being vegetarian and this is being more and more validated by the mainstream medical community, there is no requirement of vegetarianism in order to practice yoga.

One point I would like to add here is that, vegetarianism is consistent with the non-violence which yoga advocates and it certainly would be to your benefit to reduce meat intake, nevertheless, you don't have to be vegetarian in order to be a great yogi.

4. You Need to be Initiated by a Guru:

I have also come across this notion that many believe you need to be initiated and have a guru in order to learn and practice yoga. This is not true. According to yoga, the true guru is within and although it would be to your benefit to learn yoga from an accomplished teacher, this is not a requirement.

5. You Have to be Flexible to do Yoga:

Not so. No doubt yoga will improve your flexibility, along with your strength, balance and overall health, but in order to practice yoga you do not have to be flexible. Yoga is designed to be practiced by all.

Different bodies have different degrees of flexibility and in this case one size does not fit all. For most of the complex yoga posture which require great flexibility to do, there are plenty of modifications which allow you to get the same benefits for those who are less flexible. In fact one of the original reasons I took up yoga because I was not flexible and wanted to improve this aspect of my physical dimension.

Summary:

So there you have the top 5 myths about yoga. Essentially, what these myths do is prevent people from taking up this wonderful science. So if you feel you will have to change faiths, find gurus, stop eating meat or are too inflexible to take up yoga practice, you are wrong. Don't pass up the wonderful opportunity to learn and practice this amazing science, which helps you discover your true divine and eternal nature.

By Anmol Mehta

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The Basic Yoga Positions for Beginners

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.


About the Author

For more info please visit the Yoga Positions Guide

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Yoga Not For You Think Again

For beginners, doing yoga may seem an impossible task. It might seem scary for people who have not tried doing this exercise. They might have seen men and women wearing almost nothing and are able to twist their bodies to positions that seem almost impossible.

Yoga is among the oldest practice for self-development. Its approach is gentle, helping even the stiffest bodies to yield and become flexible in a gentle way. The key to yoga is the non-competitive way of practice. Progress comes with regular practice. It does not come from sudden exercises that force the body into intense positions even if it is not ready yet. More like a work out system, people who do this exercise have made yoga a part of their daily life.

The results of these exercises are visible too. Greater flexibility, increase in muscle strength and an internal peace that is impossible to hide. Even though your family and friends will be unable to point out the changes, they will notice that something is different in you gradually.

Talking about yoga, the stances are identified as asanas while the breathing is known as pranayama. Both of these helps the yoga practitioner relax the body and mind at will, increase the vitality and flexibility, and a calm feeling at times of crisis. Having a frenzied society today, one can go through the stress and strains in life having inward confidence and inner peace.

For those who practice yoga with intent and focus daily, yoga will bring confidence and clearness of mind. In practicing yoga, the most efficient time of day to do it is during early hours of the day. However, some people will have stiff bodies and aches during this time, so practicing yoga will come in the later hours of the day. Yoga can be done any time of the day depending on the physique and agenda of the practitioner.

Yoga has no limitations on to who can and who cannot practice it. What is needed is the desire and intent to learn. With respect to the age or disability, the movements will be slower. However, progress is still guaranteed even if the movements are slower.

It is ideal and beneficial for starters to attend yoga classes. There, they will experience the guidance of experts when it comes to the proper posture alignment. They will also be taught about the benefits of each individual stance. The instructors can also demonstrate each stance from early stages to higher stages.

In some cases, like pregnancy, there are stances that are to be avoided. It is significant to let the instructors be aware of any illness or condition. This is to ensure the safety of practitioners.

Yoga is a nice practice due to the fact that it can be done just anywhere and anytime. You can practice at home, at the office, the beach and even at the backyard, though it is expected that people passing by will surely take a curious glance.

By Lenox Smith

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Yoga For a Double Chin

Dressed to perfection for that evening out and that reflection in the mirror says differently? Well double chins can look quite ungainly when you want to look you best. All of you who suffer from obesity are, will needless to say, in possession of a double chin. Well, get rid of it. It can be done simply by losing weight. And if this is not happening then at least follow these simple rules of yoga for double chin reduction.

This mode of exercise has been in use for ages, and believes in the union of the spirit, body, and mind to create peace within the self, through the practicing of asanas and other meditative exercises.

The first rule of yoga for double chin reduction is-do not use fluffy pillows to sleep on. If possible, avoid pillows completely and sleep on a hard bed. Along with this, do the following exercises to get freedom from that extra chin hanging.

Now for the main exercise in yoga for double chin removal...All you have to do is simple. Just position yourself on a chair in front of the mirror and then look up to the ceiling. From that position, stretch your neck to look over the right shoulder and then follow it by doing the same over your left. Finally bring your neck to look in front and lower it to touch it to your clavicle bone. But remember to do this extremely slowly to get results.

It is believed in the yoga philosophy that one's age is judged not by the years he has lived but by the supple nature of his body and spine. Yoga is therefore effective as a preventive from decay of the body due to age. It makes the spine flexible, the skin more firm, removes tension and gives you a right posture. It therefore that yoga, by keeping your body healthy and in shape reduces the possibility of your getting a double chin

It not only prevents the body from getting bogged down by age but it also helps the mind feel younger thus helping you to lead a greater and more fulfilling life. Moreover, through the asanas yoga continuously fights and neutralizes diseases and problems both inside the body and outside. Therefore, it is only natural that a man who practices yoga regularly will live a longer life than those not practicing. This especially true of those individuals who practice Hatha yoga, which is there for increasing the tenure of life. Moreover, often it has been seen that the inverted yoga postures help reduces graying of hair thereby giving a younger look.

Thus it can be said that practicing yoga is not only healthy for the body but for the mind as well. It will not only reduce your double chin and tone your body, it will also help you fight diseases and problems, both mental and physical, to help you lead a healthier life.

By Jared Rothe

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A Closer Look at Five Yoga Poses and Postures

Divas have fallen out of favor, as the world yawns in the excess of Paris and Britney-style antics. After all, how many times can we really see the same private regions exposed every where we turn before we have to just groan and search for something new? When Martha Stewart, patron saint of good things, violated the terms of her house arrest, she gave us something new to look at. Apparently, Martha Stewart was busted for violating the terms of her house arrest, when she left home to attend yoga class. Bad news for Martha, sure, but its given everyone the opportunity to check out yoga from a new standpoint. After all, yoga is fun and beneficial, but it has to be something extra-special for the Queen of Clean to risk an additional three weeks house arrest. New to yoga? No worries, were going to dig into some of the best yoga poses and find inspiration for some impromptu stretching of our own. 5 Yoga Poses and Postures Yoga is intended to calm the mind and body, reduce stress, strengthen and tone the muscles, and carries a bevy of benefits from lowered blood pressure to increased stamina. Yoga poses and positions have been developed over centuries of research and experience. They have been found to be extremely effective in: *Increasing flexibility of the body, and freeing energy blocks which leads to a healther body. * Helping to lose excess weight, another cause of bad health. * Massaging internal organs of the body, and the rarely stimulated parts of the body like the thyroid gland. Many yoga enthusiasts come to find yoga to be a true lifestyle, encompassing everything that they do. Starting out, of course, its just plain fun and relaxing to learn a few poses and postures. Here are the Top 5 Yoga Poses and Postures, perfect for beginners learning yoga at home. 1. Trikonasan (Triangular Pose) This beginners pose helps reduce fat deposits around the hips, relieves pain in the ribs and back, helps remove skin eruptions and boils, and has been said to increase height (very slightly, of course). To Perform this Pose: Keeping the legs as far apart as you can, making sure that you have good balance while doing so, bend one arm like an arc over your head. Bend in the opposite direction as your arm, touching your free arm to the foot on that side. Hold and concentrate on taking deep breaths for a few moments, and carefully straighten. Then, perform the same steps to the opposite leg. 2. Bhujangasna (Cobra Pose) This very relaxing pose relieves constipation, indigestion, and flatulence. It makes the waist slender and the chest broad. The Cobra Pose also helps in relieving menstrual disorders, liver and kidney disorders while relieving backaches and reducing abdomen fat. Due to the way it works, though, this pose should never be performed by hernia patients. To Perform this Pose: Lie flat on your tummy, with your arms flat along the sides of your body and your feet together. Take several deep breaths, and slide the arms upward so your hands are flat on the ground at about waist-level. Then, raise your head and chest from the ground, up to the navel. Hold for a few moments, concentrating on your breath, and slowly lower yourself. 3. Vajrasan (Vajra Nerve or Adamantine Pose) A perfect relaxation and meditation pose, this one also helps the body become strong and firm, relieving the pain of calves and knees. It is very good for those who suffer from excessive sleep, and has been proven useful for students who keep late hours late at night. This is also the only pose which can be safely performed immediately after a meal, which helps aid digestion. To Perform this Pose: Fold your legs under you, knees and ankles close together, and lower yourself to sit on them. Let the palms of your hands rest on your knees, and keep your spine erect, chin high. Vajra is the name of a nerve, which is directly connected to the digestive process. 4. Gomukhasan (Cows face and Jaw Pose) This pose strengthens the feet, waist, and knees. It is extremely useful for people who suffer from asthma, tuberculosis, and other respiratory disorders. It is possible to inhale markedly greater amounts of oxygen while in this pose. To Perform this Pose: Fold and cross your legs under you, knees wide and big toes touching to create a triangle, then rest your bottom in between them. Take one arm from below the back, at your waist, and grasp it with your other hand, coming down from above the shoulder. Hold for several seconds, taking deep breaths, and then perform on the opposite side. 5. Shavasana (Corpse Pose) This Final Pose is performed at the end of a yoga session to relax the body, strengthen the lungs and heart, and aid nerves and veins in the lower spine become more supple, preventing and healing backaches and sciatica. To Perform this Pose: Lie flat on your back, with your arms spread out in line with your shoulder. Close your hands into fists, with thumbs inside. Then, bend your legs at the knees, with your soles flat on the floor. Keep a distance to allow the knee of one leg touch the knee of the other, without your feet touching. Then, turn both knees to the right, and your head to the left. Hold for a moment, and then turn both knees to the left and your head to the right.

By Lolaness

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Hatha Yoga Helping to Treat Diabetes

Those who live with diabetes are quite familiar with the rigors of treatment for their disease - daily finger sticks to check blood sugar, careful monitoring of food intake and, in some cases, insulin pills or injections.

However, there is a growing number of the diabetic population that is finding the benefits of alternative medicine to be an accepted, if not preferred, way to help deal with the disease. From acupuncture to massage therapy, diabetics are finding the more ways they can find to relax and de-stress, the better they will be able to manage their disease and their overall health.

Hatha yoga is one such form of exercise and relaxation that has gained popularity among diabetics in recent years. There are various forms of yoga, including: Raja Yoga (focus on meditation), Bhakti Yoga (focus on devotion), Karma Yoga (focus on selflessness) and Hatha yoga (focus on physical and breathing exercises). Hatha yoga is what most people refer to simply as yoga.

A growing portion of the diabetic population is finding that the benefits of hatha yoga are worth pursuing.
Yoga is not directly going to change blood sugars, but stress is a know driver of blood sugar and will push it up, said Phil Pettijohn, director of Tallahassee Memorial Hospital's Diabetes Center in Tallahassee, FL. The more fit you are, the better opportunity you have to live a long life with diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that corrupts the body's ability to produce or respond to insulin, a hormone that makes it possible for blood glucose, or blood sugar, to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. Type-1 diabetes usually occurs during childhood, and those with type 1 rely on injections or infusions of insulin to treat the disease. Type-2 diabetes, however, is the more common form of the disease. Type s diabetes can develop from poor eating habits, obesity, lack of exercise and family history. This form of diabetes can often be treated with diet and exercise, although some type 2 diabetics also rely on pills or insulin injections to control their disease.

Staying in shape is an important aspect of battling the complications that plague diabetics: Those with the disease are more than twice as likely to suffer from heart disease or stroke; diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from 20-74 and of end-stage renal disease. More than 60 percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations are caused by the disease, which accelerates atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.That is where hatha yoga comes in as a preventative measure.

The two things people associate with yoga are stress management and flexibility, said Leslie Hanks, director of Yoga Unlimited in Tallahassee. The flexibility people associate with yoga is especially important for those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which can cause reduced circulation. Yoga is most beneficial for reduced circulation.

The American Yoga Association agrees; in an article on its Web site, it details some of the benefits of yoga for diabetics:
Most yoga exercises help keep the blood vessels elastic, and yoga exercise combined with relaxation training has even been shown to reduce high blood pressure in some cases, the site says. ...Yoga relaxation training helps reduce the harmful effects of physical and mental stress.

Hanks, who has been director of Yoga Unlimited for 14 years, said it is not unusual for diabetics and others with chronic illnesses to seek yoga as an additional therapy to traditional treatments.
Yoga is having a renaissance, she said. Yoga is benign, non-drug therapy.

According to Hanks, hatha yoga helps diabetics because of its focus on movement.
There is a yoga of devotion, a yoga of knowledge and a yoga of exercise and lifestyle. Hatha is the yoga of exercise and lifestyle, she said. It's excellent or ideal for beginners, and never strained.

With that in mind, three years ago Hanks started a cooking class with an emphasis on good nutrition for diabetics. It's lots of fun, Hanks said. We learn about the renowned Oriental vegetable bitter melon, which is said to be used 'when the blood is too sweet.'

Patients with diabetes should see a doctor regularly, and should consult a physician before trying a new exercise program or a food with the potential to cause hypoglycemia or other medical effects.

By Lynda Belcher

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Back Pain and Yoga Guide

Looking at the latest articles on the various types of medical treatment, or look for information on health care products which could be useful. Find tips on eating well and how to enhance your own wellbeing. Apart from advice on how to deal with common ailments to resources, this guide also provide tips for healthy living, aging gracefully.

Heat Therapy. Heat therapy is an easy and inexpensive option to provide relief from many forms of lower back pain. It may be used alone or in conjunction with other therapies. Because it is so simple, it is often overlooked and physicians may forget to mention it, but heat therapy used in the right way can be a valuable part of many lower back pain treatment programs and used with yoga exercise.

Learn the importance of muscles in supporting your skeletal structure, understand how muscles all over your body and limbs affect your back and cause back pain. Learn 10 exercises for lower back pain to strengthen and relax muscles in your buttocks, legs, shoulders and neck to relieve back pain.

Diet and Exercise. Pay attention to your diet and exercise for back pain. Water is very important to your body and back. Avoiding meats and animal proteins till the pain is gone is a good idea. These foods contain uric acid that strains your kidneys resulting in back pain. Some opinions also suggest avoiding the consumption of oils, fats, sugars, or processed foods. If you have back pain, you may wish to consider taking these two vitamin supplements including Vitamin B12 and Magnesium.

Sitting cross-legged (or even in corpse pose), in long deep breathing one will first fill the abdominal area by inhaling the air down, then pressing the air consciously into the lower areas. By arching somewhat forward with ones palms on the knees, then with arms straight pressing the palms inward towards the lower body against the knees, the chest cavity will open forwards, so that you can not only keep the pressure on the lungs in the lower abdominal area, but also feel the lungs filling in and through the chest area and, finally, because of the forward arch of the spine the upper area of the lungs will fill as well, all without the need to either open the rib cage or raise the shoulders. This will also help you with your back
pain.

The goal of bringing mind, body and spirit into unity through breathing practices forms the foundation and link between the mind and the body. This provides a valuable tool for releasing tension and reducing stress and attaining peace, calm and a sense of equilibrium.

Breath with meditation and relaxation techniques can help people with health problems - physical and mental - and better manage the physical and emotional sides of their lives. Whether the techniques are used to reduce anxiety or nausea, achieve calm during the challenges of treatment, or cancer, the control that breath meditation and relaxation bestows is great. Alternate nostril breathing (Anuloma-Viloma), breath meditation, and other relaxation techniques have only proven extremely beneficial in improving the quality of life of many people in hundreds of ways.

By Glen Wood

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Trying Yoga for Back Pain Then Pick the RIGHT Poses

Studies have shown that Yoga may be one of the most effective exercises for back pain relief. In fact Health-First reporter Leslie LoBue says twisting your body into those sometimes awkward positions may actually be just the thing for lower back pain.

However, as effective as Yoga may be to reduce the pain of back problems, knowing exactly what poses to use, for how long, what to offset the poses with and in what sequence to execute them, are other factors that should be taken into consideration before using it as a therapeutic relief from back pain.

I can see a reader go ?Wait a minute?if I have to go through all that, then maybe I should just take some painkillers and call it a day.?

If that applies, it is hardly my intention to scare you away from Yoga for back pain, in fact I?d rather you embraced its use as an alternative to drugs-prescribed or otherwise-for your problems, however, for your success with its use, a little bit of awareness of the correct poses to use for back pain is required and will come in handy for a lasting use of this drug-free alternative.

I will go over the common, simple yet very effective poses for back pain and also give you instructions on the proper poses to offset the spinal motions when applicable. Moreover, I will discuss the factors of the duration of time needed when executing these poses as well.

Though some of these poses may best be learned under the supervision of a certified Yoga Instructor or avid expert, with the descriptions given below -and if need be, the use of image searches on related Yoga sites and search engines- I believe you should be able to get a good concept to at least be able to practice these poses at home.

Here are some of the best poses for back ache and since the aim here is more so back pain relief versus exercising, it is not mandatory that you hold them more than 5-15 seconds, depending on your level of comfort. Moreover, a use of a yoga mat or any other soft surface is highly recommended in the execution of these asanas.

The Shoulder-stand (Savangasana)

This, folks, is a noted panacea for near any human ailment. Don?t panic, it is extremely easy to execute, however, depending on the severity of your case, use discretion in its use.

-Spread a thick blanket on the floor and place your yoga mat on it. Lie on the back.

-Slowly raise the legs. Lift the trunk, hips and legs to a vertical position.

-Rest the elbows firmly on the floor and support the back with both hands.

-Raise the legs till they become vertical. Press the chin against the chest.

-While performing this pose, the back of the neck, the posterior part of the head and the shoulders should touch the floor. (I can assure you that you will say ?Hey, I?ve done this before as a kid?this is yoga??)

-Breathe in counts of 5-5-5 (inhalation, retention and exhalation).

-Don?t allow the body to shake.

Now for the counter poses to the Shoulder-Stand, try to incorporate the following:

Bridge Pose (Sethu Bhandasana)
From the Shoulder Stand position, stretch the legs and slowly touch the floor with the feet. It is done to bend the spine in the opposite direction.

Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
Lie on your back. Stretch the legs and keeps the hands palm down under the thighs. Raise the chest with the help of the elbows and, bending the neck as much as possible backwards, rest on the top of the head.

Suggested Duration:
Try to use the ratio below to time the execution of these three poses. 6:1:2 (meaning the fish pose is held for a third of the time spent in the shoulder stand and the bridge pose held for half the time spent in the fish pose (or a sixth of the time spent in the shoulder-stand)

Or as an alternative, you could simply forego the bridge pose and apply a 2:1 ratio (shoulder-stand to fish pose) but this is only advised if you intend to do the parent pose (the shoulder-stand) for only a few seconds.

Obviously a lot of detail has gone into the description of these poses, however, that is because my intention is for you to be well informed, but for the sake of time and space. I will briefly go over the other poses you could do well to include AFTER you try the sequence above. This is if you decide to use it by the way. If not, you could do very well to simply start from the stage to be depicted in part 2 of this article.

Foras Aje is an independent health researcher and founder of Bodyhealthsoul.com For more Yoga tips and information on Yoga for beginners stop by his website today.

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Optional Yoga Equipment That Can Help You

In ancient times yoga was all about physical activities which had no relation with any props or equipments. This was at the times of the ancient sages. But with the passage of time many people have become aware of the effectiveness of yoga and this is the reason why yoga is being practiced by the people of all pages.

Yoga classes are being conducted in schools and institutes. Now according to the changing requirements of people many yoga equipments have been introduced. These are often quite useful in learning yoga in a better way and practicing as well.

The beginners are fond of using these equipments as this makes the postures easy for them. So if you are planning to join the yoga classes then do a little bit of research about the yoga equipments and hop the stores to know what exactly they have on offer.

Basic Equipment

When you are practicing yoga this is essential to wear the clothes in which you are absolutely comfortable because physical ease and comfort is an indispensable part of yoga. The clothes should be loose and made of a material which will not cling to your body. The materials like Lycra or stretchable synthetic are also not advisable because they can make you slip on the floor when you are trying to do a particular posture.

Shoes are not really important as accessories because yoga is an art that should be performed bare foot. The yoga mats are available on the market which are also known as the sticky mats. They basically define the space you need to perform yoga activities and also provide some traction to the limbs so that you do not face the sliding or slipping problems.

Using the Equipment

The yoga blocks are another piece of equipment which is popular enough because of its utility. They make the postures far more comfortable than before and also straighten the alignment of the body. If you are trying to attain a posture where you are supposed to touch the floor while standing on the feet, the yoga blocks will be of great help.

In fact they are more useful for those who are beginners or have certain physical problems. There are straps which come handy when you are not able to touch the body parts easily which you are supposed to touch for a particular posture. The bolsters made from different materials are available in various shapes and sizes and they are basically used to support the back or abdomen while performing yoga.

Now this is a fact that the yoga equipments are not really indispensable but they are helpful. So do not hesitate to take the aid of these equipments if you are facing any sorts of difficulty in making the postures.

By April Kerr

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Yoga

Yoga traditionally conjures up images of long hair, loin cloths and incense burning in a darkened room with strange music playing! It had an almost cultish persona. Nowadays your gran is quite likely to tuck her Yoga mat under her arm and head on down to the local gym for an hour of Yoga and meditation. Yoga is coming out of the darkened room and is being embraced in it many forms by old and young alike.

Yoga originated in India. It is considered one of the most ancient forms of self-improvement exercise in history. Yoga was formally documented around 200BC by one of India's most famous Yoga masters, Patanjali, who wrote the 'Yoga Sutras'.

Traditionally though, the ancient art of Yoga is passed down from Master to student and so on.However, throughout the years, Yoga has undergone many changes and new streams of Yoga have been developed from the original sources.

Also, during history, when India was invaded, many texts that
documented Yoga techniques and teachings were destroyed.It was not until the early 1900 century that Yoga was revived by Yoga
Master Tirumalai Krishamacharya, known as a 'Yogi'. Following this time, Yoga began to become a World Wide exercise that has since been embraced by millions of people as a way of life.

Essentially, traditional Yoga is made up of eight limbs that represent ethics, the physical body, breathing, consciousness, concentration, meditation and God. There are also five 'Yamas', which a 'Yogi', Yoga teacher, must adhere to, which are, non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, fidelity to God and non-grasping, meaning not being attached to material possessions.

By Lorna Mclaren

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Prenatal Yoga Exercises

Because of the emphasis on breathing, balance, and peace, yoga has a lot to offer women during pregnancy. In fact, prenatal yoga exercises are the focuses of entire classes. However, prenatal yoga exercises can be performed in the comfort of your own home. Simply, you just need to know some of the best prenatal yoga exercises.

One of the most popular prenatal yoga exercises is the cat-cow stretch. This position involves the person being on all fours. The pose actually aids the fetus in reaching the best possible position within the expecting mother. To get the fullest benefit from the pose, the expectant mother should make sure that all spinal movements start in the pelvis and work away. This can even be done during very early labor.

Another prenatal yoga exercise that is seen often is the Cobblers Pose, which is also known as the Baddha Konasana. It can be performed with the aid of folded blankets to support the spine, which is sensitive during pregnancy. The pose also helps with opening the hips to, again, prepare for a more comfortable and natural child birth. It may be achieved by sitting with the soles of your feet together and the knees apart. Pressing the feet into each other will help to push the hips open and align the spine even more.

Pelvic tilts, another prenatal yoga exercise, are good for releasing tension and pressure from the lower back. Additionally, the exercise is often used for those with back or neck injuries. These are common problem areas for women in the late stages of pregnancy and thus a great way to relieve some of that joint pain.

Sometimes the ribs feel crowded as the fetus grows out of its home. During this stage, side plank variations are a great prenatal yoga exercise. They de-emphasize the abdominal muscles, but are good for stretching the sides and creating more rib room. When the ribs feel tight, this is a good way for pregnant women to go.

The opening of the hips relieves much of the pressure associated with pregnancy. For that reason, hip openers like the one-legged king pigeon pose is great for prenatal work. It is okay to use props in order to complete or reach the poses. The idea is to open the hips and relieve pressure.

Prenatal yoga exercise is a great way for expectant mothers to exercise late into their pregnancy. Besides the physical benefits of relieving pressure and finding comfortable hip opening positions, the yoga also provides a mental release of the stress of upcoming childbirth. So if you are pregnant or know someone who is, suggest yoga to improve comfort on a physical, spiritual, and mental level.

By Kyle Dudley

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