|
|
|
5 Easy Steps to Help You Lose Weight
When loosing weight, most of us don't have the time to drastically change our lifestyles. We need a practical and convenient way to integrate effective habits into our daily lives. The following steps are easy and practical ways to get you on the...
Deep Breathing for Meditation or Yoga
Deep breathing is a great way of promoting relaxation and
reducing stress. Yoga, meditation, martial arts, and trained
voice are some disciplines that recognize the importance and
effectiveness of deep breathing. Use the following deep
breathing...
How To Reduce Stress That Causes Hair Loss and Bad Hair
Your hair will be radiant and shining if you are healthy physically as well as emotionally. Your hair becomes dull and lifeless if you are upset emotionally. Your hair will begin to fall out, and it will become waxy with the overproduction of...
STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR 2004: The Rest of the Story
Perhaps you are like many of the people I talk to who have moved on from the stress of the holidays and are now feeling the stress of everyday life. Would you really like to reduce or even eliminate some of the stress rather than just “manage” it?...
Yoga is a Safe Solution to Weight Control
One more study tells the world, that Yoga can help with weight control and weight loss. The latest study was held by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.
The study involved 15,500 healthy, middle-aged, men and...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why Has Yoga Become So Popular?
Did you know that over fifteen million people practiced yoga in 2003, according to a landmark study by Yoga Journal Magazine. And the numbers are expected to increase dramatically in subsequent years. Your own experiences probably confirm this study – maybe you practice yoga, know someone who does, or just take a walk along any busy main street - your bound to see someone carrying a yoga mat. In fact you can't even open a magazine or newspaper without finding an article about yoga. So, how does a 5000-year-old spiritual practice become today's hottest mind/body trend?
Perhaps the best way to understand yoga's popularity is to go right to the people who practice it. If you ask them why, some of the more common replies you might hear are "flexibility, increased energy, improved focus, reduction of the symptoms associated with stress, and an overall good feeling." The fact is that yoga can have a rejuvenating effect on all systems of the body including the circulatory, glandular system, digestive, nervous, skeletal/muscular, reproductive system and respiratory system.
On a physical level – according to the U.S. Dept. on Aging there four components to good physical health: Strength, flexibility, balance, aerobic capacity. It is interesting to note that yoga can accomplish all these things and no fancy piece of equipment is needed – other than your own body and a yoga mat.
Over the last 100 years our lives have become very fast paced: cell phones, computers, internet, television. This along with a strong work ethic often results in people out of balance – people experiencing a lot of stress. Consequently, there is a strong need to de-stress - to quiet our minds and rejuvenate our bodies. And yoga helps achieve this – helping us return to a state of balance and health.
Yoga brings us into the moment – it is very difficult to practice and be thinking about what happened at work today or the party tomorrow night. Becoming present
in itself is a great release from stress. At its best, yoga meets the student where they are – so it is adjusted to the student's level and capacity. That doesn't mean it is particularly easy or particularly challenging – it can be either or both on any given day.
Then there is the therapeutic component. Yoga can be used successfully with conditions such as insomnia, back problems, digestion
problems, asthma, improving circulation, anxiety, weight loss, just to name a few.
Basically yoga is non –competitive; it is not about winning or losing – you can go at your own rate. Of course people still compete with themselves though and compare their posture to others in class.
In addition many of us are yearning for something more. Many of us have shied away from organized religion yet seek a spiritual practice that connects us to ourselves as well as something larger – a spiritual practice that is non-dogmatic, without many rules. While most of the yoga practiced in health clubs is primarily the physical aspects of yoga – the philosophical side seeps in. And for those that want to learn more about the philosophy of yoga information and classes are readily available to them. At its simplest level yoga quiets the mind and opens the body – setting the stage for withdrawing deeper inside oneself – to a place of peace, a place of balance, a place of health. It is here where the divine within us can be more easily discovered.
There are many different styles of yoga and it never needs to be boring - it can be slow and gentle, it can challenge your strength, it can be aerobic or vigorous or it can be very introspective. There is as style to match most personalities. There is yoga for seniors, pre-natal yoga, postnatal yoga, power yoga, gentle yoga, etc. There are classes that focus on back care, yoga done in groups and one-on-one, privately with an instructor. The yogic scriptures say there are some 84,000 postures and variations. The field of yoga is huge and there is always, always something new to learn.
The media has also helped spread the message of yoga and the fact the celebrities like Madonna and Sting practice yoga doesn't hurt either!
About The Author:
Howard VanEs, M.A. has been studying and practicing yoga for over thirteen years and is a certified yoga teacher teaching in the East Bay area of San Francisco. He is author of "Beginning Yoga: A Practice Manual", co-creator of the audio CD "Shavasana / Deep Relaxation". He is also a former psychotherapist. http://www.letsdoyoga.com email: info@letsdoyoga.com 510-587-3399
Copyright Howard VanEs - http://www.letsdoyoga.com
|
|
|
|
|
| Yoga Journal : Home Page - The Voice of Yoga Online. The trusted ... |
| Reports developments in the world of yoga; provides step-by-step information on practices (poses, breathing, meditation); includes profiles of personalities ... |
| www.yogajournal.com |
|
| Yoga :: Yoga Books :: Yoga Videos :: Yoga Mats :: Yoga Clothing |
| Products for yoga, massage, homeopathic medicine, meditation and exercise. Site includes reference materials on several of these topics. |
| www.yoga.com |
|
| Yoga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a family of ancient spiritual practices ... Outside India, Yoga has become primarily associated with the practice of asanas ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Yoga Basics: online guide to the practice of yoga, pranayama ... |
| Introduction to Yoga history and practice (asanas and pranayama), downloadable music, teacher finder, products for sale. |
| www.yogabasics.com |
|
| Yoga Site -- source for yoga mats and props, yoga information ... |
| Yoga mats yoga props and everything else you need for yoga”> |
| www.yogasite.com |
|
| Yoga Postures |
| The chart below describes some of the fundamental yoga postures. The sequence can be performed in order. When you are familair with the psotures, ... |
| www.yogasite.com |
|
| Sivananda Yoga - Om Page |
| Official site of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. Includes a worldwide directory of centers. |
| www.sivananda.org |
|
| Yoga Info, News, Shop, Travel & Community @ ABC-of-Yoga |
| Information and news resource featuring articles on various aspects of Yoga. |
| www.abc-of-yoga.com |
|
| Free Yoga DVD Video Information Yoga New Zealand |
| Offers information on the practice of yoga. Includes free yoga video downloads and uses flash animation to show yoga moves. |
| yoga.org.nz |
|
| Largest Yoga Directory to find a Yoga Classes :: Yoga Events ... |
| Largest Yoga Directory to Find Yoga Classes, Events, Yoga Retreats, and Yoga Products! |
| www.yogafinder.com |
|
| Yoga, Online Yoga, Animated Hatha Yoga Postures, Stress and Yoga ... |
| Free Online Yoga, Animated Yoga Postures, Stress Relief Exercise & Animated Breathing Techniques. Learn All Aspects Of Yoga Online With Our 75 Free ... |
| www.hathayogalesson.com |
|
| Santosha.com - Tools for Yoga, Meditation & Conscious Living |
| Though some parts are unfinished, the site includes much information on Yoga philosophy, and the practice and benefits of postures, meditation and ... |
| www.santosha.com |
|
| Yoga Postures Step-By-Step - Index to Poses |
| Yoga Postures Step-by-Step is a complete interactive guide to the practice and benefits of Yoga postures featuring animations, photographs, illustrations, ... |
| www.santosha.com |
|
| Eco Yoga Mats - Natural - PVC Free - Yoga Mats - shop online |
| A directory of Yoga classes and events in the United Kingdom. |
| www.yoga.co.uk |
|
| Yoga Home Page, yoga breathing, yoga postures, Pranayama ... |
| Information about yoga in an easy to understand format with recommendations for beginning practice. |
| www.holisticonline.com |
|
| YogaClass.com - YogaCentral |
| Online YOGA CLASS in RealAudio. DO YOGA HERE NOW FREE! |
| yogaclass.com |
|
| Yoga |
| A comprehensive introduction to yoga basics, including a glossary of yoga terms. Features an introduction to popular types of yoga and basic poses for ... |
| yoga.about.com |
|
| B K S Iyengar - Home |
| Yogacharya BKS Iyengar with his intellectual and spiritual practices has masterminded the techniques which can be used by all practitioners of yoga. |
| www.bksiyengar.com |
|
| Yoga |
| Are you looking for a workout program that's easy to learn, requires little or no equipment, and soothes your soul while toning your body? |
| www.kidshealth.org |
|
| BWY - The British Wheel of Yoga, Governing Body for Yoga in Britain |
| The British Wheel of Yoga is a registered charity and is the largest yoga ... BWY has launched its Yoga DVD 'A Spectrum of Yoga' with a complete yoga ... |
| www.bwy.org.uk |
|
|