Warming up before sports with yoga

September 8, 2011 by  
Filed under Yoga and Fitness

There are so many people practice yoga in America today. Millions of people joined in that kind of sport. So, nearly every gym or health club opened regular yoga classes.

Also, newspapers and popular business magazines all report this booming industry. Yoga is very popular currently. Given yoga’s current popularity, and the inroads it’s making in medicine, mental health care, corporate and so on. In America, the entertainment, yoga is poised to be a potent force in both personal and social transformation. It means that yoga own a high status in America. And it is helpful for your health.

Yoga has captured the imagination and spirit of America. Turns out the Indian mystics who sat in deep intoxicating states of meditation 5,000 years ago were on to something.

Yoga is original from India, but now yoga has crossed the borders of India, its original form has changed rapidly to fit contemporary needs. Americans are blending the ancient wisdom from the East – with input from medical doctors, physical and massage therapists, psychologists and dancers, in the West to create a sophisticated new movement practice.

Most people will think the yoga poses when they hear of that, the poses place the emphasis on the physical body as a vehicle for personal or spiritual growth. Never before in the history of yoga has the practice of physical postures assumed the importance that it has in the West.

If you have ever tried a yoga class with a qualified instructor, you’ll know how intoxicating the practice can be. Your body is opened from the inside out through concentrated breathing exercises, twisted and compressed to release muscular tension, then turned upside down to give your mind a new perspective of the world.

Many popular sports are starting to a new kind of sport, they incorporate basic yoga movements into their warm-up routines, so that can prevent injuries, and strengthen the core and deepen concentration, while offering techniques to remain calm in stressful situations. All sportsmen want a healthy body and steady mind.

Take 10-15 minutes before you start your game, to warm up with a few yoga stretches. Your posture and stamina to play the game will improve. In a book said that, “The Art of Sequencing,” there are lots of examples of yoga sequences to practice, whether you are a beginner or you are skilled in yoga. The author highly recommend asanas, this gesture are the best one for you, which will build strength and flexibility in areas where the golfer needs it the most.

The experts of yoga will find out more specific yoga poses which can enhance your golf game, and your life.


 

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/yogawarming-up-before-your-sports-1777173.html

 

Hatha Yoga Practice – The Guide to the Quick Fat Loss Secret of Yoga

May 1, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga and Fitness

For a quick fat loss, try Hatha Yoga, a relaxing mind and body exercise guaranteed to keep you fit and sound. It’s affordable and practical. All you need is just your own yoga mat and you can do it at home anytime you want.

Yoga is one of the ancient exercises that can give an impressive and quick fat loss through the use of meditation. Meditation is the process of controlling the mind and body functions to develop a peace of mind.

Rooted in the teachings of Buddhism and Hinduism, it originated in India for almost 20,000 years ago. Since then, it’s believed to reduce stress and improve muscular flexibility. Apart from its health benefits, it also increases mental concentration and revive our breathing process.

Hatha Yoga requires meditation to improve the body’s wellness, followers are instructed on the exercises of proper breathing and yoga positions. The positions range from easy ones to difficult ones that include bending the lower and upper body extremities.

Enthusiasts are first introduced to the concepts and beliefs of those who have been practicing yoga for a long time. Vegetarianism, Hinduistic beliefs, and spiritual power are among yoga’s introduction topics.

This type of excercise gives better weight loss results than other workouts. When done regularly, it keeps the body toned and flexible. One could also improve their body posture after a few months’ regular exercise. Not only that, they will also develop discipline from its training.

Hatha Yoga encourages its followers to be vegetarians. In line with this, enthusiasts frown upon meat and poultry products. Together with their masters, they develop a notion that animals live in the same world like humans and therefore they shouldn’t be killed for human consumption. Yoga followers love to unite not only with animals but also with nature. They believe that all should live in harmony and balance.

Before doing Hatha Yoga, stretching should be done first to avoid muscle strains. The exercises will require a person to not only stretch his body parts but also bend them. Women are not allowed to do yoga when they’re menstruating. Sick people aren’t also allowed to practice yoga.

Prenatal Yoga, one of its many variations, helps in the smooth delivery of one’s baby. Mothers who have done prenatal yoga will not only have easy delivery but also lesser weight gain after giving birth.

This excercise had proven good results from different age groups and body stages. Although doing it sounds inviting, one must ask a doctor before trying it out. People with asthma, scoliosis, and other hereditary or long-term diseases should first see a medical expert before engaging in the rigorous yoga exercises.

Yoga is known not only as a quick fat loss solution but also as a substitute for medical treatment. It’s believed to treat diseases such as asthma, arthritis, hypertension, and even diabetes. It can also cure depression and other psychological illnesses.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/hatha-yoga-practice-the-guide-to-the-quick-fat-loss-secret-of-yoga-871169.html

Yoga Booty Ballet– Not Your Typical Yoga Workout

May 1, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga and Fitness

A yoga workout does not have to be boring. Especially not with the workout series Yoga Booty Ballet. These series of workouts combine yoga poses along with body shaking moves and booty sculpting that will make you anything but bored during your workouts. This is definitely not your typical yoga workout. Fitness experts, Gillian Marloth and Teigh McDonough customized these routines especially for women to help them get the body of their dreams while having fun and getting to unwind.

Transform Your Body and Mind
Yoga Booty Ballet is a great way to slim down your body and tighten tone your muscles. Not only can it transform your body, it can also help transform your mind in the process. Yoga has been proven to have calming effects on the mind. It can help provide clarity and de-stress the body. With this specialized series of workouts, not only do you get the calming effects of yoga, but you also get the physical effects of the cardio and sculpting exercise. So, not only will you look better, you will also feel a whole lot better after doing the a Yoga Booty Ballet workout.

Have Fun
Exercising should be fun, otherwise how are you going to want to do it everyday? With Yoga Booty Ballet you will be having fun shaking your booty to the music. The routines are fun and easy to learn. They are for beginners and more advanced exercisers. You will be surprised at just how much fun you will have doing of the routines. Best of all, you can constantly shake up the workouts by adding your own flavor and mix into the routine. Yoga Booty Ballet allows for you to take control and add your own move little flair into your dance moves to make them your own personal style.

Easy to Learn
Even though the exercises are fun and you have a great time doing them, they still accomplish the results that you want. To lose weight, get fit and have the body of your dreams. The signature moves that Marloth and McDonough have come up with for Yoga Booty Ballet are especially made for burning fat and calories from your body in a short amount of time. There are 10 signature moves that are taught in ten minutes. The instructors take you through each move and they are simple to follow. These signature moves will then come into play in the workout routines that follow for the program. With easy choreography and options for beginners, you can be on your way in no time to burning fat from your body.

Tiffany Brunskole is a writer for Xtreme Team Fitness, who specializes in workout products and supplies. They exclusively carry high quality products from Beachbody such as Yoga Booty Ballet.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/yoga-booty-ballet-not-your-typical-yoga-workout-887215.html

Yoga For Weight Loss And Balance

March 16, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga and Fitness

I was recently asked by a friend whether yoga is a good way to lose weight–my answer was a resounding yes! While you will definitely want to incorporate cardiovascular exercise (such as dancing, jogging, cycling, or aerobics) to rev up your metabolism, a yoga practice can be a welcome addition to a weight loss routine, providing both physical and emotional balancing, strength, and joy.

The physical benefits of yoga are numerous:

* Many types of yoga, such as the vinyasa, power, and kundalini styles, are dynamic and flowing, bringing some cardiovascular exercise into the mix.

* All types of yoga help to build lean and long muscles, especially in places you might not have thought to work out, building a more balanced body as you lose weight and helping to burn calories, even when at rest

* The  flexibility yoga brings to the body is amazing-an added benefit  when engaged in strength training or aerobic exercise that can tighten the muscles, leading to injury.

* Many yoga poses-such as twists, back bends, and shoulder stands can balance the endocrine system, especially the thyroid, which can definitely aid in weight loss. Certain kundalini kriyas, or exercises are intended solely for weight loss

* A steady yoga practice can also stimulate and balance the digestive and elimination systems, allowing for optimum assimilation of nutrients, elimination of wastes, and reduction of water weight and bloating.

* Yoga puts a lot of focus on breathing correctly, which can release many toxins from the body, allowing all of our systems to function optimally.

Mentally and emotionally, yoga is a great match for someone trying to change patterns and habits.  When losing weight it is just as important to pay attention to the emotional body as to the physical. Much obesity and weight gain comes from being out of touch with the body and overwhelmed with emotions and stress, which allows us to make bad choices in what we eat, how much we exercise, the amount of sleep we get–how we take care of ourselves in general. Devoting yourself to a practice like yoga, which is all about awareness of the body and the breathe lets us get in touch with ourselves, what we want, how we feel, and ultimately why and how we eat. And as with all exercise, yoga can help balance the bodies neurotransmitters-such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine–low levels of which have been proven to increase hunger and cravings for sugars and simple carbohydrates as well as cause depression.

Yoga can also bring much spiritual joy to your life, letting you feed and take care of yourself in a way that has nothing to do with a dependence on food. It allows us to feel lighter, freer and in touch with the world in a way that is less complicated than most things in this world.

When starting a yoga practice, I recommend taking classes, as a teacher can correct your postures in a way that can’t be done while watching videos. Like having a personal trainer when exercising, having a yoga teacher can make your learning curve that much less steep.

Love to learn and write about healthy living, herbal medicine, exercise, motivation, weight loss, and nutrition. Write a nutrition and weight loss blog at http://www.bodaweightloss.com/blog

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/yoga-for-weight-loss-and-balance-812884.html

How can I apply yoga poses to sports activities I love?

December 9, 2008 by  
Filed under Yoga and Fitness

“Balanced fitness” is a core goal in achieving health and optimal performance. Since Yoga postures (in Sanskrit, called “asanas”) have been around for at least 3000 years, many physical therapy, fitness and athletic training programs incorporate some aspect of postures, which were original to yoga. However, the best practices of yoga asanas also involve going within, development of dual focus, gently slowing the breath, and abdominal breathing. Yoga stretches are recommended both before exercise/practice – to prevent injury, and after, “reducing muscle soreness and stiffness.” However, that is not the only reason to use yoga!

Top trainers recommend exercises like yoga postures, as the most effective for strength training (i.e., lunges, warrior poses, plank, sun salutation and up dog). Regardless of the sport, complete warm-ups and cool downs will help prevent stress fractures. However, some sports rely more heavily on specific areas of the body, and extra attention is needed to maintain balance. For example, tennis requires great lunging ability, and flexibility in the spine and shoulders, so spinal twist/ lateral stretches, and warrior pose flow would be important.

Check out the Yoga Journal website articles for great information on applying yoga to other sports. Their “Yoga for Golfers” link sums up nicely, “Striving toward symmetry and balance is the essence of a yoga program, which breaks down tension the body has learned to work around. It is an intuitive process that takes practice to develop, much like a good golf game.”

Yoga is easy to incorporate, and many options exist, not only creating strength, but also greater flexibility, improved focus and concentration, and enhanced performance – balance inside and out.

Yoga Poses for Losing Weight

December 7, 2008 by  
Filed under featured, Yoga and Fitness

Practicing yoga regularly offers numerous benefits including relaxing your mind and body, strengthening your muscles and organs, reducing stress as well as improving your mental and your physical well-being. One of the more popular reasons why many people are beginning to practice yoga would be its effectiveness in helping to lose weight.

Losing weight through yoga could depend on what type of yoga you practice. Some of the types of yoga that are recommended for weight loss would include: Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga and Hot Yoga. There are also some yoga poses that have been proven to help in losing weight more efficiently. Here are some of them.

1. The Dancer’s Pose

Start in the Mountain pose. Bend your right leg slowly behind you and then grab the inner portion of your right foot. Extend your left arm overhead and then bend forward up until your torso is parallel along the floor. Raise your right leg behind as high you can as you maintain your balance. Hold the position for a few breaths and then repeat on the opposite side.

2. The Chair Pose

Stretch your arms overhead and then bend your knees to a 90-degree angle. While in this squatting position, maintain the length on your back and your neck. Hold the position for 30 seconds and then release to the Mountain pose.

3. The Reverse Warrior Pose

Begin by positioning your feet apart. Slowly raise your arms to the sides. Your ankles should be underneath your wrists. Curve your left foot slightly inwards and your right foot outwards. Bend your right leg to a 90-degree angle, while keeping your left leg straight. Slide your left hand down your left leg and toward your ankle. Raise your right arm overhead and then bend back as you gaze at your fingertips. Hold the position for a few breaths and repeat on your opposite leg.

4. The Downward Facing Dog Pose

Start on all fours and position your hands under your shoulders. Lift your hips and lengthen through your spine and straighten your legs.

5. The Opposite Arm Extension Pose

Starting in the tabletop position, slowly lift your right arm and then extend it forward. Follow by raising your left leg and extending it back. Hold the position for three breaths. This move can actually strengthen your abs, back, legs, hips and buttocks, which are areas prone to cellulite. Repeat thrice on each side.

Keep in mind, though, that although these positions may help you in losing weight through yoga, it would still be advisable help to make sure that you have good eating habits by eating a proper diet. With a good combination of these, you would surely be able to shed more pounds easily and healthily.