Posts Tagged ‘your yoga’

Ways to Amp Up the Success of Your Yoga

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

By Ntathu Allen

Yoga is a personal journey. Everyone comes to yoga for a different reason. The word “success” means different things to different people. For me it means how calm and peaceful I am when under stress. For you, it may mean losing a couple of pounds or feeling more comfortable in your clothes.

I discovered yoga whilst pregnant with my first daughter. I was stressed, overworked and tired. My mid-wife recommended I take up yoga to relieve some of the pressure I was under – mainly from working in a stressful job as a Probation Officer and driving 30 miles to and from work every day.

That was over 17 years ago.

Can you remember what led you to yoga?

Since then I have practiced yoga on and off for the last ten years. I also teach yoga. So from a personal and professional perspective I am always looking for ways to improve my practice and offer tools and tips to encourage my students to stay with their practice.

Ntathu’s Seven Simple Favourite Ways To Improve Your Yoga Practice.

Here, in no particular order are seven simple habits for you to consider to help you receive more from your yoga practice.

1. Treat Each Day As A New Day

Yoga is not a competitive sport. It is a personal journey and no two days are alike. The minute you start judging, analysing and comparing yourself to others or even how you well you did a pose yesterday, you lose the essence of your practice. One of my yoga teachers taught me to treat each time you come to your mat as if it were the first time.

2. Practice Daily

Regular practice is essential. Try to practice at least once a day, even if its only taking two minutes when you wake and sit in silent meditation.

3. Keep It Real

Yoga is a deeply spiritual practice yet full of practical knowledge. Find out what works for you and keep it real and relevant to your daily life.

4. Honor The Teachings.

Yoga has a rich and long history. Take time to explore the different yoga traditions and philosophy. The Yoga Sutras, will enliven your mind and give you practical tools to ground your practice and keep your mind alive and vital.

5. Be Open and Explore

There are many schools and traditions of yoga. Yet the essence is the same. To unite with the divine. As you journey through your life you will have ample opportunity to dip in and taste other schools of yoga. This adds variety and depth to your personal practice and keeps your body supple and mind active.

6. Meditate, Chant and Breathe

Meditation, chanting and breathing exercises (known as Pranayama) are key ingredients of a well rounded yoga practice.Take time to learn how to chant, to meditate and practice breathing exercises alongside your physical practice.

7. Give Generously of Yourself

Yoga is a self less act of love you gift to yourself. The more you practice and adapt the teachings to your daily life, the easier it becomes for you to see and feel the difference yoga makes to your life.

Success is a very personal term and like good health is a variable which varies from day to day. If yoga is part of your health and wellbeing plan then to improve your practice, regularly practice is important, then take time to study the history and theory of yoga, be open, generous with the time you allow yourself to practice and do not compare yourself to others.

The more you adapt these habits into your daily life the easier it becomes to “feel successful” when you practice yoga.

And now I invite you to find out how easily you can weave core yoga techniques into your busy schedule when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk and sign up for your FREE weekly Ntathu’s 101 Yoga Tips For Self-Care, Less Stress and More Relaxation e-newsletter at http://www.yogainspires.co.uk

Yoga Teacher, Ntathu Allen, teaches busy working women how to release stress and anxiety so you have more time, energy and space to care for yourself, enjoy being with your family and feel creative and productive at work.

Wishing you joy, peace and light.

Ntathu Allen

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The Yoga Basics – Your Guide to the Practice of Yoga

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

By Joy C. Harrison

Yoga is a great form of exercise. It can help you relax while building lean muscles. It will also help you with your flexibility. Starting a yoga practice may seem daunting, but once you know the basics, you are set. Your guide to the practice of yoga is discussed below.

Yoga is one of those rare forms of exercises where you don’t need specialty equipment. You can wear any clothes you want as long as they are loose fitting, and you don’t need shoes because you’ll be barefoot. Most people who practice yoga do recommend using a mat or blanket to make the floor poses more comfortable.

Practice your yoga in the morning to start your day off with a revitalized and alert mind. You can also do some stretching and breathing exercises at night to help induce a peaceful and restful sleep. Most beginners practice 15 minutes a day of poses and 15 minutes a day of breathing exercises.

A basic yoga session consists of set of warm up exercises, standing poses, sitting poses, twists, supine and prone poses, backbends, and finishing poses. The session will typically follow in that order as each set of exercises builds on the ones before it.

Yoga is not a competitive sport by any means. You do what feels naturally and you will find that you will be able to hold the stretches for longer amounts of time and will be able to hold them much deeper. As with all exercise programs, listen to your body and you will have an enjoyable practice. Namaste!

As a writer for Trampolines with Enclosures and Big Barrel Bat, the writer identifies dozens of products & supplies on the internet.

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Your Yoga Routine

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Yoga Teacher TrainingBy Kathi Duquette

In yoga, like most things, you need a healthy balance. Your yoga routine should include a variety of poses; avoid practicing the same ones and neglecting the rest of your body. Practicing a variety of different poses will provide the most benefit to your entire body.

There are many poses that simply feel good. They are easy to sink into and they can relieve tension and stress. A ‘rag doll’ pose is a good example of a feel-good pose. Hanging around in such a comfortable inversion releases stress on many physical and mental levels. Another example is the ‘legs up the wall’ pose. These are restorative and comfortable.

Practicing something as simple as ‘easy seated pose’ (comfortable seated cross legged pose) can cause an imbalance. Consider if in your easy pose you always keep the same leg crossed in front. One hip will be more open than the other. Conversely, if one hip is more open than the other, it is easier to sit that way. If you can work the other leg gradually into the front position you can balance out the hips. You really need to focus on working on specific areas like these gradually, over time.

Allow your body to progress in its own time – never forcing into any pose. Instead of focusing on looking a certain way in the pose, focus on releasing a certain body part or muscle. Think inside the body rather than how it looks on the outside.

Challenging your body to move deeper into poses will bring even greater flexibility and stress relief. The deeper breathing associated with focusing on sinking deeper into a pose, while tuning in to how your body feels each step of the way, is stress relieving. On the physical level, different poses offer different strength building and flexibility. While some poses offer benefits to many parts of the body in a single pose, others are more specific to isolated muscle groups.

Inversions, twists, side stretches, forward bends and back bends should be included in each practice session. Your yoga routine should include some inversions such as the standing forward bend, which gives your brain a fresh dose of oxygenated blood. A side stretch, a twist, and a back bend will keep your spine lubricated and supple. By moving the spine in different directions with awareness you are improving flexibility and decreasing risk of injury. Back bends stretch the front side of your body; forward bends stretch the back side. Twists give your organs a gentle massage, while lubricating and increasing flexibility in the spine.

Including all parts of your body into your yoga routine will bring some balance to many imbalances that occur from repetitive motions or poor posture. Over time you will start to notice imbalances that your didn’t know you had. Keep practicing a variety of poses to bring balance to all of your different parts. Keep in mind that your spine is truly the backbone of your body. Many yoga poses focus on keeping the spine strong, flexible and agile while strengthening the supporting muscles around it. Mixing in the forward, backward and side flexions will help to keep your spine strong and supple.

Be sure to practice safely for your body and include the basic five types (inversions, forward bends, back bends, twists and side stretches) of poses in every practice. Create balance and infuse your body with fresh oxygenated blood. Add some balance poses to further balance out the two sides of your body and to build on your body and mind connection. Don’t forget your savasana (relaxation) to give your body a few minutes to absorb its work.

Getting to know your body and all of its magical parts can only be good. Be aware of any weaknesses, but generally acknowledge all of the wonderful aspects your body holds. You can always work on straightening out imbalances and strengthening weak muscles. Appreciate all that your body and your breath do for you and reward yourself with a consistent yoga routine.

By Kathi Duquette

Certified Yoga Instructor

Certified Personal Trainer

http://www.basic-yoga-information.com

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