Basic Rules For Practicing Yoga

Yoga is the art of living a sound and healthy life. By enhancing the present status of mind, body and soul and by uniting these three prior elements in a single chord one can lead a perfect righteous life. Different forms of yoga like Hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga or Kundalini yoga are practiced for ages to help in synchronizing mind, body and soul. Originated in India thousands of years ago, this art and philosophy of yoga implies teaching all people, the steps towards a stress-free life. Regular practicing of various yoga exercises like yoga postures or asanas, breathing exercises or Pranayama, ensure a calm and relaxed state of mind. A healthy mind indicates a healthy body. And yoga when practiced with meditation promises double benefit as meditation wards off all the unwanted thoughts and worries from human mind, thus making it pure like a crystal. Both yoga and meditation yield best result if a little bit of yoga music or meditation music can be incorporated in the practicing.

The main aim of yoga is to achieve the ultimate physical, mental and spiritual well-being of a human being. There are some basic rules which should be kept in mind while practicing yoga. It is advisable for those who learn and practice yoga all by himself, to know these basic yoga norms, or else it may turn harmful. The Yoga DVD offered at the online music company, Spirit Voyage, contains these valuable tips on yoga along with the details illustration of every yoga postures. These DVDs are suitable for all, be it beginners or practitioners. People from allover the world who are day by day showing interest on yoga, find these Spirit Voyage yoga CDs and DVDs truly beneficial. Yoga In Motion by Shakta Kaur Khalsa or Refining the Spirit DVD by Yogi Bhajan are just appropriate for all the yoga aspirants.

The best time to practice yoga is morning as it makes a person free for the whole day from the tension of taking time out for doing yoga. If doing yoga in morning is not possible for someone then he must choose a particular time and stick to that time everyday. It is advisable to practice yoga on a regular basis because irregularity will not bring the proper result. There is no need to practice yoga twice in a day but at least 15 to 20 minutes in a day should be alloted for doing this at the beginning and then gradually increase it to 1 hour. Try and find a clean, airy, calm and noiseless corner at home, play some soothing yoga music and make the atmosphere perfect for doing the sadhana. A mindful work like doing yoga must be done silently. So, talking or conversing with other person at that time is better to avoid.
Though there is no restriction on normal food habit but the meal-timing is an important factor in yoga practicing. Doing yoga with full stomach is strictly disapproved by the yoga gurus. One can take a light meal an hour before doing yoga. It is always advisable to maintain a proper diet and stay away from any kind of spicy food, fast food, coffee, alcohol or drugs. Try to keep the mind fresh and tension-free at the time of doing yoga otherwise it may hamper the concentration level. Generally during illness one should stop yoga practicing and for women, it should be stopped during their menstruation periods. Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual by David Swenson or Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff, Sharon Ellis can help the practitioner by enlightening him with vast knowledge on yoga.

Apart from Yoga books, Spirit Voyage also offers a collection of Yoga DVD, CD on every form of yoga be it Kundalini yoga or Ashtanga yoga. The soulful music of these CDs and DVDs paired with the heart-touching soulful voices of Snatam Kaur, Wah!, Donna De Lorry, Gurmukh, Deva Premal and other legendary singers enrich the collection and make the sadhana more blissful. Another collection of soothing meditation music promises to fill up the heart and reunite the human mind, body and soul with the divine power.

Natural Remedies For Painful Menstruation, Menstrual Cramps Or Dysmeorrhea

A woman’s body prepares itself for a pregnancy every month and menstruation is a part of this process. If a pregnancy does not occur, the uterus sheds its lining which is known as menstruation or monthly bleeding. This passes out of the womans body through the vagina every month. Periods usually start during the early teens for most of the girls and end when it is menopause. This bleeding normally lasts from 3 to 5 days on average.

The menstrual cycle is calculated as the number of days from day 1 of the period to the day 1 of the next period. Most of the women have a 28 days cycle, while a menstrual cycle of 21 to 35 days is also considered normal. Some women experience irregular and painful menstruation during which they have menstrual cramps and severe pain. The discomfort due to menstrual cramps can make it difficult for a woman to carry out daily functions during the period. The pain and discomfort may start few days before the bleeding or at the start of the bleeding. It reduces as the period ends. Condition of excessive painful menstruation is called dysmeorrhea.

Primary dysmeorrhea is when the pain starts around the time of the menstrual cycle and is not related to any problem with the uterus. Secondary dysmeorrhea is when the pain starts after the bleeding and is related to problems in the pelvic organs or uterus. The causes of this pain may be: cysts, stress, fibroids, pelvic inflammation, anxiety or sexually transmitted diseases. Menstrual cramps are said to be related to a substance known as prostaglandin which makes the uterus contract.

Natural remedies for painful menstruation and menstrual cramps can be availed of for reducing the discomfort. The other treatments include medications like anti inflammatory pills, pain relievers, birth control pills, antibiotics or anti depressants. Some of the natural remedies for painful menstruation are as follows:

1. Aloe Vera: Intake of Aloe juice is said to be beneficial in treating menstrual cramps and pain.

2. Garlic: Include garlic in your diet or boil few cloves of garlic in water and drink this water regularly.

3. Massage: A soothing abdominal massage can help in this condition by reducing the pain and tension in that region.

4. Parsley: Drink parsley juice to ease painful menstruation.

5. Ginger: Boil a piece of ginger in a cup of water and drink this regularly. This is one of the effective natural remedies for painful menstruation.

6. Sesame seeds: Boil the seeds in water, cool, strain and drink it regularly. These seeds help in the condition of pain during periods.

7. Coriander: Another one of the natural remedies for menstrual cramps is coriander. Boil the coriander seeds in water for a while. Let it cool, the strain it and drink this water. This decoction will give relief from painful menstrual and menstrual cramps.

It is very important to maintain a healthy diet apart from following the above natural remedies for painful menstruation. Eat food rich in iron and avoid tea, coffee, refined foods, oily and greasy foods. Also avoid foods that are hard to digest. Include papaya, bitter gourd, cucumbers and drumsticks in your diet. A regular exercise regime or practice of yoga can help immensely to ease of the menstrual cramps. However avoid exercising during the menstruation.

Safe Yoga For Seniors

Yoga has become a popular means of exercise for older adults. And no wonder. It makes their bodies fitter and their minds calmer. Seniors benefit from improvements in balance, stronger muscles, reduced joint pain and more energy.

Modifications should be made to the various yoga poses for seniors with ostoporosis and joint problems. Instructors should be knowledgable about these necessary modifications.

Here are some pointers for older adults to consider when participating in yoga:

* Keep proper spinal alignment with each pose.

* Avoid poses that require forward flexion (bending forward at the waist).

* Move slowly and gently from one pose to the next.

* Poses should feel comfortable and steady.

* Rest when needed.

* Use a chair or wall for balance exercises as required.

Following is a short list of the vinyasas, or yoga pose sequences suitable for a participant with osteoporosis or joint problems:

* Corpse Pose. Begins breath work and decompresses the spine. Breathing is used for inward focus. Use a pillow or bolster as needed.

* Supine Shoulder Press. Strengthens the shoulder girdle and stretches the front of the shoulder. Coordinate with breathing. Use a pillow under the elbows if needed.

* Rib Lift. Strengthens back muscles and stretches the front muscles. If you are weak in this area use the bolster for support.

* Supine Bridging. Strengthens core muscles and stretches the front thigh muscle. Vary with heel raises or leg raises. Place a yoga block between thighs for support.

* Cobra Pose. Stretches anterior muscles. Move carefully throughout the full range of motion.

* Warrior 2 Pose. Strengthens legs and opens chest. Use chair for support if needed.

* Legs Up The Wall Pose. Decompresses spine, improves circulation and promotes relaxation. Maintain good posture. Use blankets or bolsters as needed.

Yoga has many benefits to offer senior citizens. Some of the regular moves, however, aren’t suitable for older adults, especially those with joint problems or osteoporosis. The modifications are small and don’t take much away from the original move. Making a few safety changes to your yoga program will reduce injury and allow you to reap all the outstanding benefits of yoga practice.

Rocket Yoga in Bangkok, learning to fly

In the yoga history, there are only few figures who contributed to create Yoga as we know it now or “Power Yoga”. This last week end, Bangkok gets the great chance to welcome one of the pioneers of modernYoga: Larry Schultz. Larry has been teaching during 30 years and has influenced yoga students and teachers around the world. His strength and success comes from the 63,000 Sun Salutes, 9,000 classes and 142 yoga teacher trainings he has been a part of. He is also known as the Grateful Dead’s yoga teacher and travelled with the band for 3 years. The workshop was aiming to introduce to Thai people the internationally acclaimed Rocket Yoga: an exciting series of poses drawn from Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga to renew energy and vitality throughout the body. This vibrant routine is called the-Rocket- because -it gets you there faster.-

The first yoga class started Friday evening. Thai and foreigner yoga student was much exited to learn from the creator of the Rocket. Larry Schulz makes his appearance and the magic happened. Xenna, reputed model from Thailand describe Larry as: “wonderful, charismatic, inspirational soul!”

Some student was beginners, some were advanced practicioner but everyone shared the same feeling of Fun and joy doing this Yoga routine. Bute the profond message of this week end was that Yoga is not only about doing yoga pose. It’s about a new way of life, of breathing aiming to bring more peace, love and health to our existence.

Before leaving to Koh Pagnan for the It’s Yoga teacher training, we ask Larry Schultz about his new Thailand experience. Thai student quite impress him. They are as flexible as their willingness to learn new things. Teaching Yoga in Thailand is like to be in a yoga holiday.

Yoga is just blooming in Asia and Its Yoga Thailand is the start of a long adventure.

It’s Yoga opened its first location in San Francisco in 1989. Today It’s Yoga is the global worldwide leader in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training and Certification. During the last 20 years more than 2000 yoga teachers have been certified to teach yoga by It’s Yoga.

More information about the yoga teacher training and yoga holiday in Thailand can be found to their website: www.itsyoga-thailand.com/

Importance of Yoga Mats In Yoga Practice

In this article, I am going to highlights the grounds that can motivate you in selecting an eco-friendly Yoga Mat over a synthetically or sticky manufactured one. In the entire article, I will discusses the features that make you understand that the eco-friendly yoga mats provide lots of benefits to the practitioners and the entire planet as these mats do not leave harmful effects in to the atmosphere.

As per my knowledge and experience, I know that selecting an eco-friendly mat is the wisest choice for you and the world. Most of common mat brands available in the market are designed and made using synthetic materials that are harmful for you and your atmosphere. The toxic materials like PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) in sticky mats can badly affect your respiratory systems and you may have difficulty in taking breaths. The production process of the mats using PVC generates toxic waste that harms the atmosphere around you. In addition to this, dioxins and several other carcinogens are discharged in to the environment during the manufacturing process of the synthetic Yoga Mats . On the contrary, eco-friendly yoga mats are designed and made using Eva foam, natural rubber and other biodegradable materials that do not affect the atmosphere and prevent the pollution.

The eco-friendly pads are beneficial during the practice of yoga. These pads have more grips on the floor as compared to the pads made of plastics or synthetic materials. So, you can do your yoga practice without the fear of slip. Most of eco yoga mats are thicker that others and provide better support to the practitioners during various asanas of yoga. The yoga mats having slightly rough textures help you in standing properly during the asanas of standing postures.

Natural or eco-friendly mats are made using natural materials such as jute, Eva foam, TPE (Thermal Plastic Elastomer), PER (Polymer Environmental Resin) and natural rubber. All these materials are sourced naturally and do not leave any side effects that can pollute the atmosphere. As these are biodegradable so you can destroy your yoga mats if not in use easily without affecting the environment. Further, the yoga mats made of eco-friendly materials are skin friendly and last longer that make your investment a wise decision. It is you who have to decide about the selection of your yoga mats and the right decision makes your morning enjoyable and comfortable during the practice.

Summary – As a wise customer, you should go for the Yoga Mats and Kabaddi Mats that are made of eco-friendly materials in order to save the atmosphere around you.