Yoga is all around us these days. From Sting to Madonna, to maybe even your next door neighbor, everyone is hooked upon this fitness craze and with good cause. As a form of physical exercise, Yoga indeed is a force to be reckoned with. But just how can one go about using yoga for beginners? It is my hope that as a Yoga practitioner and enthusiast, this article will be of assistance in this regard.
If you have been considering learning yoga or have recently begun a yoga practice, I hope to provide you with some useful and helpful tips in which may be helpful to you in using yoga for beginners.
I have been doing Yoga for quite some time now, 6 years to be exact and since the first day I swore of free-weights and exercise machines, my use of Yoga and other body weight exercises like Hindu-Push ups (in my honest opinion a Yoga derivative) has been the main method for keeping fit. (in addition-of course- to my diet which co-incidentally changed when I started Yoga as a beginner those 6 years back.)
I will now enumerate the yoga poses to be learned as a starter which can aid or supplement your knowledge from your yoga classes, books and or DVD?s.
Yoga for Beginners: Yoga Poses to Learn first.
The Sun Salutations:
Okay, this is the core of Yoga itself. This exercise is a combination of Yoga Poses, Breathing exercise, Sun Bathing and Prayer. It is the warm-up of a yoga class or personal yoga session and is a combination of poses, 12 to be exact, that are performed in a synchronized motion with emphasis on rhythmic breathing. They mildly exercise the arms and legs and are often recommended for obesity, depression and fitness. Friends, several Martial Artists, Indian and African Wrestlers perform tons of rounds of these exercises alone, so in learning yoga, for beginners, this will be a guaranteed must-know.
The Shoulder Stand:
Don?t be intimidated by the name at all. Even for a beginner, this yoga pose is a piece of cake, really. It is actually a very important pose though, arguably the most important as its Sanskrit name (Savangasana) actually means the ?all members? or ?all limbs? pose, meaning it affects all parts of the body. As a beginner, be aware that some poses (such as this one) do have specific counter poses, so if you?re taking a Yoga for beginner class or learning from a DVD, make sure you are taught these poses to counter-act and balance the effects of the Shoulder-stand pose on the body, these are the Bridge and fish poses. Here?s a hint or ratio to adhere to in their combined execution: 6:1:2 , meaning the ?bridge? and ?fish? poses should be held for a sixth and third of the time you spend in the Shoulder-stand Pose respectively.
The Corpse Pose:
You?ve got to learn this Yoga Pose as a beginner. It is the relaxation pose that is usually executed during and after your session as a means of relaxing the muscles used for your yoga exercise. At the end of a session, it is usually done for about 15 minutes and one always comes out feeling refreshed after its execution.
Arguably, these are the 3 main poses you have to lay emphasis on in learning yoga for a beginner, but there are other poses that should be included as you go further. They are
1. The forward Bending exercises: Head to Knee pose, Plough Pose and Wind reliving pose
2. The Back Bending Exercises: The Bow, Inclined Plane and Wheel Poses.
3. The Spinal Twists
4. The Balancing Exercises: The Peacock, Crow, Side Plank and 4-limbed staff Poses
5. The Exercises in Sitting and Standing Positions
6. The Abdominal and Breathing Exercises.
Each of these groups has several variations on the root poses; however, let me tell you a secret that would go a long way in aiding you as a beginner learning Yoga. Do at least 24 round of the previously mentioned Sun Salutations and the ease in executing these poses will come almost naturally. Trust me.
There are several styles of Yoga to pick from and in seeking the right style of Yoga for a beginner; it might be quite difficult to pick the best. However, since Iyengar Yoga seems to involve a lot of props that can aid till flexibility is re-gained or enhanced, it may be one of the easier choices to pick. Kripalu and Bikram Yoga may also be quite easy to pick up as well as a beginner.
To find the best yoga for beginner class around you, you can always check your local YMCA or YWCA branches as they almost always carry information on Yoga classes for all stages: from beginner to intermediate.
One other factor that I must stress is the need to also pick up a Yoga diet for health and aiding these poses to both strengthen and detoxify you. This will-as a result of the symbiotic relationship that exists between Yoga and a proper diet-speed up an increase in fitness, weight loss, focus and the ability to execute these poses easily.
Though Yoga for beginners may best be learned from a certified instructor, your own practice will remain paramount for your mastery of this form of physical culture and there are tons of books and DVD?s to help in regards to this. Moreover, keep in mind that as a beginner doing yoga, not unless you intend to do lots of Sun Salutations as mentioned above, you may still want to incorporate some body-weight resistance poses (that co-incidentally are still Yogic in origin) such as the Hindu-Push-ups and Squats and the Bridge (now this is and the first one are basically Yoga poses in motion friends…).
This combination will see that till you have mastered the use of Yoga poses to make a complete session, you are still burning up enough calories and exercising the muscles for both weight loss and fitness.
Doing Yoga is fun, exhilarating and extremely rewarding for lots of reasons that may have already got you researching about it, so needless to say, choosing this exercise, even as a beginner, will go a long way into making for a fitter and healthier you.
Foras Aje is an independent health researcher and founder of Bodyhealthsoul.com. For more Yoga tips and information on Yoga for beginners, feel free to stop by his website today.
Showing posts with label Breathing Exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breathing Exercise. Show all posts
February 27, 2009
February 25, 2009
Kapalbhati Pranayama (Cleansing Breathing Exercise) Step by Step and Shining Face
Kapal in Sanskrit means FOREHEAD, and Bhati in Sanskrit means SHINING. Practicing Kapalbhati on regular basis leads to shining face with inner radiance. Kapalbhati is highly energizing abdominal breathing exercise.
What we do in Kapalbhati Pranayama
In Kapalabhati we do quick exhalation and natural inhalation. Normally exhalation takes one fourth of the time of inhalation. Quick exhalation and natural inhalation follow each other.
How to do Kapalbhati Pranayama
Step 1) Sit in comfortable crossed leg position with Back straight. Hands resting on knees in either chin or gyana mudra. Face to be relaxed.
Step 2) Inhale deeply through both nostril, expanding abdomen and exhale with the forceful contraction of abdominal muscles. (Pull the abdomen in by quickly contracting the abdominal muscles and exhale through the nose). The air is pushed out of lungs by contraction of
the diaphragm.
Step 3) After exhalation again inhalation but inhalation should not involve any effort. To inhale just relax and the lungs will automatically expand and filled with air.
One can begin with 15 respiration. After completing 15 quick exhalation and natural inhalation , inhale and exhale deeply. This is one round.One can start the practice of Kapalbhati pranayama with 3 such rounds for practice.
Benefits of Kapalabhati
1) Kapalabhati cleanses the lungs and entire respiratory system.
2) The blood is purified and body gets an increased supply of oxygen to all cells.
3) Digestion is improved.
4) Abdominal muscles are strengthened.
5) Prepare the mind for meditation.
6) Energise the mind for mental work.
Precautions:
Kapalbhati should not be practice by those
a) Suffering from heart disease
b) High blood pressure
c) Hernia
d) Should never be practiced when an asthmatic attack is in progress.
e) If pain or dizziness is experienced ,it is preferable to stop the practice till the sensation has passed. Practiced can be restarted with less force.
f) Quick exhalation should be comfortable to oneself. i.e. quick exhalation should not be too forceful.
Common Mistake:
1) Abdomen is contracted while inhaling.
2) Shoulders are contracted to push the air out when exhaling.
3) Back and shoulders move during exercise.
Point to Note:
a) Exercise should not be done if you are feeling uncomfortable at any time during the exercise.
b) Rapid breathing used in this technique should be from the abdomen and not from the chest.
c) Kapalbhati should be practice on an empty stomach only.
d) Kapalbhati should be practiced after the asanas and Relaxation (atleast 10 minutes) and before meditation
e) Chest should not move very much.
(f) It is always good and advisable that this exercise should be learned under supervision of yoga teacher after discussion with him about your health.
Mr Subodh Gupta,is consultant with NIE The Times of India group (India’s largest Media Group).He has been Interviewed by various TV channel channels in India and London. Mr Gupta has organized more than 500 workshops on Yoga and Stress Management.
Please click here for reaching to Subodh Gupta website Subodh Gupta webSite
and for blog Subodh Gupta blog
What we do in Kapalbhati Pranayama
In Kapalabhati we do quick exhalation and natural inhalation. Normally exhalation takes one fourth of the time of inhalation. Quick exhalation and natural inhalation follow each other.
How to do Kapalbhati Pranayama
Step 1) Sit in comfortable crossed leg position with Back straight. Hands resting on knees in either chin or gyana mudra. Face to be relaxed.
Step 2) Inhale deeply through both nostril, expanding abdomen and exhale with the forceful contraction of abdominal muscles. (Pull the abdomen in by quickly contracting the abdominal muscles and exhale through the nose). The air is pushed out of lungs by contraction of
the diaphragm.
Step 3) After exhalation again inhalation but inhalation should not involve any effort. To inhale just relax and the lungs will automatically expand and filled with air.
One can begin with 15 respiration. After completing 15 quick exhalation and natural inhalation , inhale and exhale deeply. This is one round.One can start the practice of Kapalbhati pranayama with 3 such rounds for practice.
Benefits of Kapalabhati
1) Kapalabhati cleanses the lungs and entire respiratory system.
2) The blood is purified and body gets an increased supply of oxygen to all cells.
3) Digestion is improved.
4) Abdominal muscles are strengthened.
5) Prepare the mind for meditation.
6) Energise the mind for mental work.
Precautions:
Kapalbhati should not be practice by those
a) Suffering from heart disease
b) High blood pressure
c) Hernia
d) Should never be practiced when an asthmatic attack is in progress.
e) If pain or dizziness is experienced ,it is preferable to stop the practice till the sensation has passed. Practiced can be restarted with less force.
f) Quick exhalation should be comfortable to oneself. i.e. quick exhalation should not be too forceful.
Common Mistake:
1) Abdomen is contracted while inhaling.
2) Shoulders are contracted to push the air out when exhaling.
3) Back and shoulders move during exercise.
Point to Note:
a) Exercise should not be done if you are feeling uncomfortable at any time during the exercise.
b) Rapid breathing used in this technique should be from the abdomen and not from the chest.
c) Kapalbhati should be practice on an empty stomach only.
d) Kapalbhati should be practiced after the asanas and Relaxation (atleast 10 minutes) and before meditation
e) Chest should not move very much.
(f) It is always good and advisable that this exercise should be learned under supervision of yoga teacher after discussion with him about your health.
Mr Subodh Gupta,is consultant with NIE The Times of India group (India’s largest Media Group).He has been Interviewed by various TV channel channels in India and London. Mr Gupta has organized more than 500 workshops on Yoga and Stress Management.
Please click here for reaching to Subodh Gupta website Subodh Gupta webSite
and for blog Subodh Gupta blog
Benefits Of Yoga For Pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful things many women want to go through and are going through. It is something which many women look forward too and with the increasing joy there is also fear factor. Fear about your baby’s health, a smooth delivery, mood swings, fatigue, morning sickness, constant craving for strange items, increasing weight and overall the feeling about pregnancy can be overwhelming.
Pregnancy is an ensemble of risk factors. With a living being in you, your body goes through lot of changes and these variations may have an impact on your body. There are increasing chances of you having high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, liver disease and many more. These all can be avoided by doing some yoga asanas and breathing exercises which would help in having smooth delivery. But before doing any of these exercises consult your doctor.
Yoga helps in avoiding high blood pressure and also tries to control your weight. Breathing exercise is very easy and can be easily done and one should avoid too many jerks and jumping in this condition. Some of the poses or asanas which pregnant ladies can do are Mountain yoga pose - beneficial for inciting strength, relaxing and providing strength, Triangle Yoga Pose- stretching your spine, tones up your spinal nerves, helps in your digestive system, Warrior yoga pose - which includes warrior I and warrior II, Standing side stretch - good for your stomach, arms and legs, Standing spread leg forward bend and Forward bend yoga exercise, Hero yoga pose, Cat pose, Fish pose, Headstand, Tree yoga pose and many more including Corpse pose.
Kevin Pederson, the webmaster for Yogawiz http://www.yogawiz.com, provides information on all the aspects of yoga, the importance of yoga in your daily life and curing your ailments.
Pregnancy is an ensemble of risk factors. With a living being in you, your body goes through lot of changes and these variations may have an impact on your body. There are increasing chances of you having high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, liver disease and many more. These all can be avoided by doing some yoga asanas and breathing exercises which would help in having smooth delivery. But before doing any of these exercises consult your doctor.
Yoga helps in avoiding high blood pressure and also tries to control your weight. Breathing exercise is very easy and can be easily done and one should avoid too many jerks and jumping in this condition. Some of the poses or asanas which pregnant ladies can do are Mountain yoga pose - beneficial for inciting strength, relaxing and providing strength, Triangle Yoga Pose- stretching your spine, tones up your spinal nerves, helps in your digestive system, Warrior yoga pose - which includes warrior I and warrior II, Standing side stretch - good for your stomach, arms and legs, Standing spread leg forward bend and Forward bend yoga exercise, Hero yoga pose, Cat pose, Fish pose, Headstand, Tree yoga pose and many more including Corpse pose.
Kevin Pederson, the webmaster for Yogawiz http://www.yogawiz.com, provides information on all the aspects of yoga, the importance of yoga in your daily life and curing your ailments.
February 23, 2009
Yoga - Breathing Correctly A Simple Exercise To Help You Feel Better Instantly!
Breathing is one of our basic non-voluntary bodily functions, and is our connection to life itself and we also have control over it, so if we learn to breathe correctly we can actually maximize our health and energy levels.
The correct breathing exercise can be done by anyone you don?t need to know anything about yoga and it is a quick an easy way to look and feel better instantly.
Lets look at correct breathing and its benefits.
As we have control over it, in yoga philosophy it is believed that if we can breathe correctly we can energize our bodies and our lives. This fundamental believe in correct breathing is seen as the basic cornerstone of yoga and other forms of exercise such as Ti Chi ? They all base their exercise regime upon correct breathing.
Below we will look at how to use the basic Yoga principle of Pranayama?Control of the Breath to reenergize your whole body.
Breathing correctly why it?s so important
In many languages to breath has the same basic root as the word soul, spirit, and essence. The ancient Yoga Masters believed that if you can control your breathing, i.e. breath correctly you can enhance your life.
In Yoga the Yogis call the life energy Prana, and the Buddhists, Chi, but whatever you wish to call it, it is the energy that surrounds all life, all of creation and in the yoga philosophy we need it to derive the maximum from our lives
In Yoga it is believed that the breath holds more than just air, but also the energy of life. Therefore, by breathing correctly we not only take in a necessary dose of oxygen, but we also receive life energy at the same time, that acts as an energy boost to the whole body.
Breathing correctly to energize your body
The 20th century Yoga Master, Paramhamsa Yogananda taught through his organization, the Self-Realization Fellowship, a series of re-energizing exercises that focused on correct breathing that if performed each day, were believed to keep you fit, active, alert and energetic.
Correct breathing is one of the basic building blocks upon which all yoga exercises are based upon.
In yoga it is stressed that when you were feeling tired, or need some energy and general body re-charging, a correct breathing exercise can instantly give you a boost of energy.
Breathing correctly
Stand upright, with your arms straight out to your sides at shoulder level.
Exhale with the double breath, with your knees bent slightly and then bring your arms (still extended) to the front until your palms touch.
Then with a double inhalation this time, bring your arms back out, straightening your legs as you do so - and then tense the entire body upwards in a wave fashion.
Now, relax the body downwards in a wave in reverse order with another double exhalation. Repeat this exercise 5 times. To help you understand this, and to do it correctly, double breathing must be a short and long inhalation through the nose and a short and long exhalation through the nose and mouth.
The double breath will allow you to inhale and exhale more deeply and to provide oxygen to the blood, and at the same time take in a dose of life energy.
To practice the double breath, you should begin by inhaling strongly through the nose immediately with a short, defined inhalation followed directly by a long, profound inhalation - completely filling the lungs.
When doing so visualize the energy going into every cell of your body and filling you with energy.
Without pausing, exhale twice through the nose and mouth with a short, then a prolonged exhalation - making the sound: “Huf, Huffffffff.”
Try to visualize as you are breathing correctly, the life energy flowing into your body with every breath reenergizing your soul.
The positive benefits of correct breathing
If you practice only this exercise daily, you will gain positive benefits that will help you look and feel better.
Not only will you feel fresh and alert, you will also have exhaled by breathing correctly, many toxins and negative particles produced through our respiration process.
You will as a consequence look and feel healthier, you will be alert, and gradually you will come to sense the life energy that breathing correctly can give you.
This is a simple exercise that can be done by anyone even if you don?t want to practice yoga itself, correct breathing will give you health benefits with very little effort.
For more health tips articles and free magazines
For more information on yoga, breathing correctly and other simple methods to make you look and feel better visit
http://www.net-planet.org/health
The correct breathing exercise can be done by anyone you don?t need to know anything about yoga and it is a quick an easy way to look and feel better instantly.
Lets look at correct breathing and its benefits.
As we have control over it, in yoga philosophy it is believed that if we can breathe correctly we can energize our bodies and our lives. This fundamental believe in correct breathing is seen as the basic cornerstone of yoga and other forms of exercise such as Ti Chi ? They all base their exercise regime upon correct breathing.
Below we will look at how to use the basic Yoga principle of Pranayama?Control of the Breath to reenergize your whole body.
Breathing correctly why it?s so important
In many languages to breath has the same basic root as the word soul, spirit, and essence. The ancient Yoga Masters believed that if you can control your breathing, i.e. breath correctly you can enhance your life.
In Yoga the Yogis call the life energy Prana, and the Buddhists, Chi, but whatever you wish to call it, it is the energy that surrounds all life, all of creation and in the yoga philosophy we need it to derive the maximum from our lives
In Yoga it is believed that the breath holds more than just air, but also the energy of life. Therefore, by breathing correctly we not only take in a necessary dose of oxygen, but we also receive life energy at the same time, that acts as an energy boost to the whole body.
Breathing correctly to energize your body
The 20th century Yoga Master, Paramhamsa Yogananda taught through his organization, the Self-Realization Fellowship, a series of re-energizing exercises that focused on correct breathing that if performed each day, were believed to keep you fit, active, alert and energetic.
Correct breathing is one of the basic building blocks upon which all yoga exercises are based upon.
In yoga it is stressed that when you were feeling tired, or need some energy and general body re-charging, a correct breathing exercise can instantly give you a boost of energy.
Breathing correctly
Stand upright, with your arms straight out to your sides at shoulder level.
Exhale with the double breath, with your knees bent slightly and then bring your arms (still extended) to the front until your palms touch.
Then with a double inhalation this time, bring your arms back out, straightening your legs as you do so - and then tense the entire body upwards in a wave fashion.
Now, relax the body downwards in a wave in reverse order with another double exhalation. Repeat this exercise 5 times. To help you understand this, and to do it correctly, double breathing must be a short and long inhalation through the nose and a short and long exhalation through the nose and mouth.
The double breath will allow you to inhale and exhale more deeply and to provide oxygen to the blood, and at the same time take in a dose of life energy.
To practice the double breath, you should begin by inhaling strongly through the nose immediately with a short, defined inhalation followed directly by a long, profound inhalation - completely filling the lungs.
When doing so visualize the energy going into every cell of your body and filling you with energy.
Without pausing, exhale twice through the nose and mouth with a short, then a prolonged exhalation - making the sound: “Huf, Huffffffff.”
Try to visualize as you are breathing correctly, the life energy flowing into your body with every breath reenergizing your soul.
The positive benefits of correct breathing
If you practice only this exercise daily, you will gain positive benefits that will help you look and feel better.
Not only will you feel fresh and alert, you will also have exhaled by breathing correctly, many toxins and negative particles produced through our respiration process.
You will as a consequence look and feel healthier, you will be alert, and gradually you will come to sense the life energy that breathing correctly can give you.
This is a simple exercise that can be done by anyone even if you don?t want to practice yoga itself, correct breathing will give you health benefits with very little effort.
For more health tips articles and free magazines
For more information on yoga, breathing correctly and other simple methods to make you look and feel better visit
http://www.net-planet.org/health
Does Yoga Mean Women in White Tights?
Have you ever heard the word yoga and thought about that woman in white tights on the cereal box? The next thought that comes into your mind is ?Wait, I can?t even touch my toes. I would look really silly in a yoga class. Forget it. Chanting is not for me.? Think again. This article will tell you what yoga is. It is not about women in white tights. It is not about auditioning for Cirque du Soleil either. It is not about chanting words you have no idea about.
Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning joining. By doing yoga we are joining together the various facets of a human being. We are made up of body, mind and spirit. By doing yoga we join these three parts together to form an integrated human being. The actual pose or asana part of yoga is only a method by which we can integrate the human being. In essence, yoga means to attain a sense of balance, focus and improved breathing. If we all did a structured breathing exercise which would improve lung capacity and increase circulation, then that would be yoga. In fact, the first step in doing yoga is to understand breathing and its effect on the human body. Physiology tells us that the functioning of the human body is highly dependent on our breathing.
We know that when we are anxious, our breathing is short and fast. When we are relaxed it is long and deep. The latter produces a more efficient human body and cells respond to that efficient infusion of oxygen to perform at their peak level.
For more information please check the website.
http://www.getshanti.com/
Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning joining. By doing yoga we are joining together the various facets of a human being. We are made up of body, mind and spirit. By doing yoga we join these three parts together to form an integrated human being. The actual pose or asana part of yoga is only a method by which we can integrate the human being. In essence, yoga means to attain a sense of balance, focus and improved breathing. If we all did a structured breathing exercise which would improve lung capacity and increase circulation, then that would be yoga. In fact, the first step in doing yoga is to understand breathing and its effect on the human body. Physiology tells us that the functioning of the human body is highly dependent on our breathing.
We know that when we are anxious, our breathing is short and fast. When we are relaxed it is long and deep. The latter produces a more efficient human body and cells respond to that efficient infusion of oxygen to perform at their peak level.
For more information please check the website.
http://www.getshanti.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
