The Yoga Blog | Banish the Blahs with Yoga

Banish the Blahs with Yoga

Filed under: Yoga & Mental Health, Yoga and Health

Yoga is a great mood enhancer and it does that naturally. Any form of exercise releases hormones that help ease the stress that often leads to the blahs, blues, or outright depression.

Being active keeps your mind away from negative thoughts and allows you to gain perspective on problems you are facing. People who are depressed or “down” often lack the motivation to exercise. It doesn’t take near as much effort to do a Yoga routine as it does to work out to a video or drive to the gym.

A word of warning: if you suffer from more than just the occasional bout of the blahs and feel down for more than two weeks at one time, you should seek professional help. They may feel that you need medication and therapy, and proper exercise.

Often people who are depressed often lack the concentration to stop and try to detach themselves from their thoughts. Yoga is a moving meditation so it is easier to take your mind away from negative thoughts. Yoga’s focus on balance can also help you restore your mental stability.

Yoga has a definite connection between mind, body, and spirit that no other form of exercise or meditation can achieve by doing those alone. Negative thoughts can keep us from finding our essential inner nature.

Doubt, hopelessness, despair, apathy and either sleeping too much or not enough are all signs of depression. Yoga is designed to bring you closer to your inner truth; it then is only natural that it can help with some of the symptoms of depression.

Certain postures can influence your mood and allow depression to lift. One special Asana can’t cure depression or the blahs. They can help to open your lung capacity to allow more oxygen to reach all the affected parts of your body including your mood. Asana postures can help low energy levels, and lethargy. You should ask your Yoga instructor to help you with the postures that would best help you balance your moods.

Yoga can calm the nervous system, and allow you to understand the connection between your mind and your emotions. They can both be used to help each other. As breathing is an important part of Yoga, it can also help you to curb anxiety, quiet your thoughts, and help you concentrate on positive energy rather than negative.

Any form of Yoga can help you banish the blahs. Even just doing it making you do the routine will help. It isn’t physically demanding but can make you feel so much better at the end of your session.

Remember, if you have a severe depressive episode, consult with a professional. Yoga is drug-free and so can be practiced as well as any medication or therapy your Doctor orders. If you want to try a Yoga routine specifically for depression, find one who can create one for you personally. They have been extensively trained for this purpose and know the positions that are most adaptable for therapeutic purposes.

About the Author: Kathi MacNaughton is a freelance writer and web consultant, as well as a passionate yoga enthusiast of many years. For more great yoga tips and advice, please visit: The Yoga Zone

Yoga Equipment: What Yoga Supplies Are Really Needed?

Filed under: Yoga Basics, Yoga Equipment

You may want to know what kind of yoga equipment is needed for yoga classes if you are a yoga beginner. Are there any required yoga supplies?

First, you will want to wear comfortable clothes that will breathe. Your shirt should not be loose and flowing, but formfitting, because you will be doing poses where your head drops below your hips. If you are wearing a more formfitting top, you won’t have the problem of your top sliding down. A regular pair of exercise shorts or pants will do fine. It’s best not to wear anything slick because some poses you do could make you slip.

Shoes are not a necessity for yoga classes. Now that is good news! If you are going to class after work, you won’t have to carry heavy athletic shoes with you. In most classes, the instructor will ask you to leave your shoes at the door. Yoga is practiced barefoot.

Yoga mats are great both in gyms and in Yoga studios, and are probably the most important piece of yoga equipment you can own. If you are just starting with yoga and not sure you are going to keep doing it, you may want to wait to buy your own yoga mat. Most studios will rent mats; the downside is they can get smelly between washing because many people use them. Yoga mats can be bought for as little as $20 and if you are a regular at a studio, they may allow you to store it there—with other people’s yoga supplies—for your use when you are there.

You can buy some optional yoga equipment too. If you are following Iyengar Style Yoga, props are usually used to help keep the correct pose. They help keep your body in alignment and help you get the most out of your workout. Blankets are often used in certain poses and can be used while practicing the sitting positions. They also come in handy when you are in the cool down, relaxation period at the end of your practice.

Yoga blocks are like blankets and used as props to improve your alignment and make it more comfortable for your body. They are great for the standing practices when your fingers are supposed to touch the floor and they don’t quite make it. So, depending on the style of yoga you are doing, blocks and blankets might be essential yoga equipment you’ll want to obtain.

Straps are also useful for poses when your hands need to meet, and for poses that you need to hold on to your feet. These items are just props and you shouldn’t have to buy them unless you find you want your own yoga equipment for your at-home workouts. Most Yoga classes provide props.

Starting Yoga can be done on a small budget, whether you go to a studio or gym, or get a video to work with at home. Just remember, in terms of yoga equipment and yoga supplies, you need comfortable, breathable clothes, a top that is formfitting, regular exercise shorts, and no shoes!

You might want to try your Yoga routine with just a folded blanket in place of a yoga mat if you are practicing your routine at home. If you will be going regularly to a class, buying your own mat and either carrying it with you or storing it there is your best option.

Therefore, you have no more excuses! Get busy practicing your Yoga poses today with your new yoga equipment.

Which Yoga Style Does Your Body Need?

Filed under: How to Do Yoga, Yoga Styles

If you’re not sure how to choose the right yoga style for your interests and needs, then this article is written just for you! There are many styles of Yoga and you should choose the one that best fits the needs of your body. We will look at some of the styles and give you an idea of what each one involves.

Hatha is a general term used for the physical side of Yoga. If the class you are looking into is described as Hatha style, it will be a gentle, slow-paced class. It will give you a basic instruction on Yoga poses. This gentle style is recommended for beginners. It’s best to learn the basics before going on to other Yoga styles.

Vinyasa is a description of many types of classes. These classes deal with breath-synchronized movements. It is a little more vigorous than the Hatha style and is more intense

Ashtanga is an interesting style of Yoga that is a series of poses always done in the same order. This class is physically demanding because you are moving from one pose to another. It’s also called Power Yoga. Ashtanga style of Yoga has everything to do with flow. There are no breaks; you naturally go from one pose to another.

Iyengar is a Yoga style that has to do with body alignment. That is the precise way your body should positioned in the pose to get the best results and to avoid injury. These Yoga poses concentrate on holding poses for longer periods of time instead of flowing from one Yoga pose to another. In addition, this Yoga uses props such as blankets, blocks, and straps to help you bring your body into correct alignment.

Integral Yoga is a gentle form of Hatha practice and include breathing exercises, meditation and chanting. This is another good one for beginners.

A much more intense Yoga style is called Hot Yoga. This style of Yoga is practiced in a very hot room with temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees. The heat helps to loosen muscles and causes heavy sweating. This sweating is thought to be cleansing. The most popular is the Bikram method with 26 poses.

The Forrest Yoga style has gained popularity throughout the United States. This is an intense session of vigorous poses to strengthen the body, release pent-up emotions, and purify your body. It also helps the body to release pain so healing can start. This is an intensive workout using abdominal strengthening and deep, relaxing breathing.

Sivananda is another style of Yoga that has been practiced since 1957. It is based on five principles.

1. Proper Exercise
2. Proper Breathing
3. Proper Relaxation
4. Vegetarian Diet
5. Positive thinking and medication.

Eighty locations around the world practice this style of Yoga. Many of them sponsor retreats for the dedicated Yoga enthusiast.

There are many variations of Yoga styles. These are just a sample of what is offered in the different classes. After these explanations of a few of the styles of yoga, you can pick a Yoga class that is best for you. Be sure to check with your health care professional if you are starting any new exercise program.

Yoga Poses for Anywhere

Filed under: How to Do Yoga, Yoga (General), Yoga Lifestyle, Yoga Positions

This article will teach you yoga poses for anywhere, in case you’re wondering how to make yoga part of your everyday lifestyle.

You say you are too busy to take half an hour to an hour out of your day to practice Yoga routine. You can still practice the poses even standing in a grocery check out line. The Mountain Pose is one you can do and no one will notice.

Here are the basics of the Mountain Pose. Stand straight, with your weight distributed evenly between both feet. Let your shoulders hang easily and put your pelvis in a neutral position. Also, wear flats when you are running errands, it will make it easier to sneak in the Mountain Pose, and your feet will feel better at the end of the day.

There are quite a few simple Yoga Asanas you can do while sitting at your desk. If you have the luxury of a private office, you can use part of your lunch hour to practice a few poses, just shut your door. You don’t have to have a lot of room, just the size of a mat and you don’t have to have that either. If you have a cubicle instead of an office there are still some poses stretches you can do that will loosen you up and make you more relaxed.

A twist is done by crossing one leg over the other and grasping the outer thigh of the top leg with the opposite arm. With your free arm, grab the back of your chair and twist until you feel a comfortable switch. You can pretend like you are looking at something over your shoulder. Now switch, no one will even notice and it’s good practice to do stretches at your desk, it makes you more efficient and lessens tension.

Another good stretch to release tension in your neck is to try to touch your ear to your shoulder. Moving your head slowly up and down, and side-to-side can do neck stretches. They will think you are shaking your head yes or no to someone. You won’t look like your not doing your job and it will relax you and make you more productive.

If you have a little more freedom, here are a couple of Yoga stretches you might try. This one… Put your ankle on top of your opposite knee, drape your body over the triangle your legs are making. Switch legs and do the same thing.

This one is great for really relaxing the spine after you’ve been sitting for a long time. Stand up pushing your chair back bending from the hips and keeping your back straight, bend over and place your folded arms on the desk. Take a few deep breaths, and then slowly roll up one vertebra at a time.

Here’s another one I especially like. If you are watching TV and a commercial comes on, take a minute to sit cross-legged on the floor with your hands on your knees. Slowly rotate your body in big circles first one way and then the other. It should be a big help in relaxing your lower back.

Remember to always breathe correctly, when you are doing even these simple yoga poses. Start slowly, don’t force your body, and work up to where you want to be. You can be busy and still practice Yoga poses. Look for your opportunities throughout the day.

Yoga and Exercise—Is There a Difference?

Filed under: Yoga and Exercise

People have asked me.. “Is there a difference between yoga and exercise?” The answer to this is easy… yoga IS exercise, at least a form of it. No, it’s probably not what you think of first when you imagine sweating and moving vigorously as part of exercise. But yoga is every bit as—if not more than—beneficial as what is thought of as “traditional exercise.”

When you are doing an exercise routine, you are doing just that. You are doing a routine by rote, many times thinking of other things as you are doing the repetitive motions. Day to day problems may be clouding your mind, what will I have for dinner, what can I do to help Billy or Suzy bring up their grades, or when in the world will I have time to go grocery shopping?

This is plain exercise. Practicing yoga is different, because it not only helps your body become more flexible and fit, it also is designed to calm your spirit and give you a new sense of awareness.

What is awareness? That is something that is hard to describe. You might have had flashes of awareness in your life, it’s like a light bulb turns on and you have an “ah-ha” moment. Yoga is designed to make this happen more frequently and gives you the capacity to be more alert to your surroundings or what your body is saying.

Awareness is living in the present moment. It’s even more; it’s realizing your place in the now. If you are experiencing the moment and enjoying that moment for what it is, you are experiencing awareness. Awareness allows you to focus on your surroundings, feel the muscles in your body responding to either the tension of the moment or the total relaxation you feel.

There isn’t any place for daydreams or fantasies in the state of awareness. If you are truly aware of your present surroundings, living in the moment, you won’t need to daydream. You’ll be too busy to enjoying the moment you’re in.

If you lose your center, and allow your emotions to run rampant, you are likely to go somewhere that has nothing to do with reality. Events around you make sense when you have a heightened sense of awareness, even if they aren’t pleasant. Awareness goes hand in hand with serenity.

Your Yoga routine quality is directly affected by your awareness. When you are practicing your pose, concentrating on your breathing, and finding that inner calm we all have, we are aware and the limitations on your mind falls away and you find your inner calm. You might be surprised at what new insights you will find when you allow full awareness to take over.

You can take that sense of awareness that you are learning in Yoga to help you in your everyday life. Being at one with your surroundings gives you a peace and serenity. You can look around you and notice the beauty in ordinary items. You can enjoy the simple pleasures of everyday sounds.

Can you hear how beautiful the wind chimes in your yard as it whispers its melody? The birds singing in the tree next door, or maybe the sound of a child laughing while playing in a nearby yard are all sounds that we can experience in a deeper sense by allowing ourselves to live in the moment. Awareness is part of the ultimate goal of Yoga.

Let The Kids Join In Your Yoga Routine!

Filed under: Yoga Lifestyle

Kids and yoga is a great combination. Introduce your children early to yoga and they’ll have a wonderful habit that will benefit them all of their lives.

A shocking statistic was given on the news recently. The report says 50 percent of our children will grow up to be obese adults. Inactivity and junk food are making our kids unhealthy. Children sit in front of the television set, or watch movies or play video games instead of getting outside and playing like the adults of today did.

The result is children who are couch potatoes and are in real danger of health related problems. The study also went on to say that children could benefit from Yoga. Sure, you say, how do you get a 2 year old to sit in one position for more than 30 seconds?

Yoga classes for children are offered and if you have ever watched one, you would be amazed at what they can do. No, it’s not your traditional quiet, meditative Yoga routine for a small child, but Yoga can be fun as well as healthy for a toddler or child.

Classes designed for children offer the fun of barking like a dog while doing the Downward Facing Dog pose. Jumping around like Kangaroos is another fun part of a child’s Yoga class. The idea is to get them used to moving around, make it a part of their routine and we can only hope they will continue that habit for life.

One Yoga instructor practices with his small son and when he is doing the Bridge Pose, the toddler crawls under him and makes noises like a boat. So how is that helping the adult? It’s keeping them in the present, which is one of the goals of Yoga. Showing his son that Yoga and proper breathing will help him to become an active productive adult.

When introducing your toddler or child to yoga, don’t make them be little grown-ups. Remember to get down on their level. Have fun with them; make it a fun activity time. You can’t really expect a child to be as serious as an adult. The short attention span of a young child makes it impossible for them to sit in one pose as an adult would.

Explore the yoga poses with your child, let them flow naturally and center your attention on them and what you are doing now. Again, that’s one of the reasons to practice Yoga, to keep you in the moment and help you enjoy the time you have right now.

A child is just that, a child, if we think on their level and allow them to go at their own pace they will reap the benefits later in life. With you as an example, they will look forward to your time together two or three times a week, and encourage them to keep active. Avoiding obesity as a young adult, and stiffness and soreness when they’re older is a benefit to start Yoga with them when they are small. You can make Yoga and quiet times an intricate part of their lives.

So, help your child grow into a healthy adult while helping yourself at the same time by introducing your kids and yoga to each other. Show and teach them by practicing with them and oh; have fun doing it!

Benefits of Yoga

Filed under: Yoga Benefits, Yoga and Health

There are many benefits of yoga that even a beginner can achieve. Physically, it is a cleansing practice and has so far proven to be very effective for many disorders.

Yoga can increase one’s flexibility as it has various positions that act on the various joints in the body including those that are rarely exercised. It also increases the lubrication of the joints, tendons and ligaments as the well researched positions exercise the different ligaments and tendons of the body.

Many people are surprised that yoga has made their rigid bodies very flexible. This is due to the extensive research behind yoga positions. Non – strenuous yoga positions work on certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When these are done together, they work in harmony, creating a situation that attains flexibility relatively easy.

Yoga is believed to be the only activity that massages all the internal organs and glands of the body thoroughly. This also includes the prostate which hardly gets stimulated externally during one’s lifetime. The stimulation and massage of the body’s organs benefits us by preventing disease and gives us a warning of a potential disease or disorder of the body.

The gentle stretch of the muscles and joints along with the massage of the various organs ensure an optimum blood supply to the essential parts of the body. By doing this, toxins are helped to be flushed out and nourishment is provided. Benefits such as delayed ageing, a remarkable zest for life and energy levels are found from yoga.

Yoga helps to tone the body’s muscles, especially those that have become flaccid, slothy or weak, by stimulating them repeatedly to shed the excess fat and flaccidity.

These physical benefits are side effects of yoga. Yoga harmonises the mind with the body which results in quantum benefits. The will of the mind has allowed people to achieve powerful, extraordinary physical feats, proves the ‘mind and body’ connection.

Harmony is achieved via yoga through meditation. This helps the mind work in synchronisation with the body. This helps us to perform our activities properly in a satisfying manner during our daily tasks, without confusion and conflict in our minds. The number one killer that affects our physical, endocrinal and emotional systems is stress and this can be corrected through the practise of yoga meditation.

Yoga and meditation work together to achieve a common goal which is unity of the mind, body and spirit, all creating an eternal bliss. The practice of meditation through yoga can help one achieve an emotional balance through detachment. This means that meditation can create certain conditions when a person is not affected by what is happening around them. This can create a remarkable calmness along with a positive outlook on life. This creates tremendous benefits of one’s physical body and its health.

Warm Up to Yoga With Some Lying Yoga Poses

Filed under: How to Do Yoga, Yoga Positions

It is always a good idea to begin a series of yoga poses with some easy, warm up positions while lying down.

What you’re about to read is the result of ongoing interaction over a long period with yoga enthusiasts like you. This article was written to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about yoga poses and to address common issues of interest. I hope you’ll find this information helpful.

The aim of most lying yoga poses is to prepare the body muscles in areas such as strength and flexibility. Muscle stretches not only improve the way you will perform other yoga poses but also help your body to increase blood circulation. They also stimulate the nerve endings, keeping every portion of your body alive and energetic.

Another benefit of the prone yoga poses is that they require and teach you how to have a straight back and a good yoga posture. Certain poses, such as the leg pull, for example, may seem a bit too demanding at first, so you should not get discouraged if you are unable to follow the instructions all the way from the first attempt. Just do the best you can!

Leg Raises

The single leg raise is a good yoga pose to start a yoga session with and to prepare yourself for the following asanas. Leg raises are great for improving the tone of your back and abdominal muscles. In order to effectively do this movement you should keep your back “glued” to the floor and not allow your spine to bend and your shoulders to help in the lifting motion. With palms resting on the floor, try to raise your legs slowly, while keeping control. The neck should remain relaxed during this motion and your lungs should be allowed to breathe freely.

Leg Pulls

Leg pulls are aimed at improving tone and flexibility in your leg muscles. This is great for a complete stretch of the leg muscles, which, in time, will grant you the ability to perform advanced yoga postures.

While lying on your back on the floor, try to catch your foot, while your leg is sitting straight above your head. If reaching your foot is a problem, try using a belt to help you out. With the leg kept constantly straight, try to point your heel towards the ceiling. Gently pull the leg closer to your body while keeping your back straight and your shoulders close to the floor. Now slide your other leg on the floor, keeping it straightened and roll your thigh until your kneecap is directed towards the ceiling. With your shoulders still flat, press your feet away from you, spreading them while you are pulling the raised leg towards you.

Sidenote: Are you finding this information on yoga poses useful? I have always been curious about this, and when I found very little quality information online about it, I decided to share a part of what I’ve learned through my research - which is how this article came to be written. Read on…

Cat Pose

Breath and movement control is essential in all yoga poses, and the Bidalasana pose is a great exercise to help you get ready. Also known as the Cat Pose, this technique improves coordination and balance. It is done in hands and knees position, rather than lying, but it is still a restful and relaxed position.

The alignment of the center of your body is closely related to the position of your central area (the pelvic area) in relation with the rest of your body. The central balance point in all poses should be considered your hip area because it is the one dictating the movement and direction of your spine – your central energy line.

In the cat tilt pose your hip is bent forward making your spine arch backward. Most yoga poses require you to use either the dog tilt (bending backward) or the cat tilt. Some require you to be neutral while others need a combination of all choices.

Now that you’ve read this article, don’t stop learning all you can about yoga poses. Look up a few more resources on the topic. Soon you’ll discover you have all you ever need to know!

Use Yoga to Lose Weight

Filed under: Yoga & Weight Loss, Yoga Benefits, Yoga and Health

Yoga’s power to create a state of mental and physical well being may also be put to good use for taking off excess weight.

Yoga promotes a healthy and balanced life style, and when combined with a calorie burning program, may show exceptional results. Practicing yoga will also increase your metabolism, increasing the calorie burning process, but you should not see it as an immediate results method.

By following the rigors imposed by yoga you will gain a holistic, long term solution to balance your life style and keep off any excessive weight. In addition to loosing weight you will also experience an increased ability to concentrate and focus, higher resistance to stress factors and an all round healthier way of living.

Metabolism is regulated by the thyroid, a component of the endocrine system. It is responsible for the chemical processes in your body that transform food into energy. Yoga uses a series of twisting poses that stimulate the work flow of the internal organs, thus boosting metabolism to burn more calories and reduce your body weight.

Improved local circulation is another direct effect of using yoga postures and this leads to a healthier, more energetic body. When the calorie intake is lower than the calorie output your body will start burning fat cells to acquire the necessary energy. A perfectly healthy and strong metabolism takes this process even further and you will see better results than traditional weight loss formulas.

Different back bends, combined with forward bends, are used to stimulate metabolism. Poses that affect the neck area, where the thyroid gland is situated, are especially useful is the weight problem is caused by a hormonal imbalance. These poses can be those of the camel, rabbit, plow, bridge and shoulder stand.

Moving quickly between a series of poses can accelerate the process. For people who are significantly overweight, some of the bends may prove to be a difficult task to accomplish. You should gradually increase the difficulty of the postures until you are confident enough to go to more complex exercises.

Muscles can be strengthened by using standing poses, such as the warrior. A higher endurance and increased caloric output will also result from using standing poses. Energize the body and increase your metabolism even more by using Kapalabhati and Ujjayi Pranayama. (see last post on yoga breathing)

A proper diet should also be followed to support the holistic weight loss system. Try to consume food rich in fiber, vegetables, whole grains and less high fat and processed food items. Balance is essential in all maters concerning your food and no excess should be made. Do not totally eliminate certain food items from your menu and remember that diversity is the key to an equilibrated and satisfactory diet.

A gradual approach is essential with all yoga practices. Results may not be spectacular and immediate, but this is one of the best long term weight loss methods available that I know of. In addition to weight loss, you also benefit from an increased protection against adverse factors as well as a general feeling of well being and inner peace.

Yoga Breathing For Better Health

Filed under: How to Do Yoga, Yoga Basics, Yoga and Health

A big part of yoga is the yoga breathing. What do I mean by this? Well, as you do each pose in yoga, you must also be mindful of how you’re breathing. Breathing correctly will help you achieve the poses more easily. It will also keep your body nourished with the oxygen you need!

The respiratory system is an amazing process by which your body pulls in the air from the environment to feed your blood and cells with oxygen, and then expels air containing carbon dioxide and toxins back out into the atmosphere. This process is called gaseous exchange. This takes place in the lungs. The complete process involves the following body parts though:

nasal passages
pharynx
larynx
trachea
bronchi
lungs
diaphragm
external and internal intercostal muscles
transverse abdominal muscle
scaleni muscle
sternomastoid muscles

The Physiology of Breathing

Inhalation: The diaphragm contracts and flattens; this reduces the pressure in the chest cavity, thus increasing the volume of the lungs. Air is drawn in to equalize the pressure. Inhalation comes as a natural result of a full exhalation.

The diaphragm contracts and flattens; this reduces the pressure in the chest cavity, thus increasing the volume of the lungs. Air is drawn in to equalize the pressure. Inhalation comes as a natural result of a full exhalation. Exhalation: The diaphragm relaxes and rises; the pressure in the chest cavity reduces and the air is forced from the lungs.

In yoga, the breath is the vital link between the mind and the body. Basic breathing does not contain ratios or restrictions. The purpose behind basic breathing is to establish a practice for life; using the breath to manage your response to situations, particularly in challenging or stressful situations, and to help relaxation.

These practices include simple breath awareness, nostril breathing, linking breath to movement, lengthening the breath, and the complete yoga breath.

The Yoga Breath

In yoga a complete breath has 3 physiological phases:

Diaphragmatic (abdominal)
Thoracic (ribcage)
Clavical (upper chest/collar bone)

These phases need to be experienced independently. When this skill is achieved, the breath needs to move in one smooth wave, as follows…

Inhale – abdominal – thoracic – clavical

Exhale – clavical – thoracic - abdominal

Many of the special types of yoga breathing can be challenging to master, but once you do, it’ll make a big difference in your practice of yoga. So the effort to learn is well worth it.