The Different Motivations And benefits Of Yoga

There are many different reasons for taking up and practising Yoga. For one person they may be ill and looking to rejuvenate themselves. Another will want to maintain and improve their current level of health. Some people like the mental challenge...and for some it is a physical challenge that can be overcome. Some people may use Yoga as a relaxing form of stress relief. The great thing about Yoga is that all these people are going to find what they are looking for and so much more.

Yoga has a long list of benefits, both physical and mental, associated with it. Yoga can assist in recovery from a heart attack through it's blood lowering and distressing effects. There has been a considerable amount of research done into heart patients and Yoga, most notably by Dr Ornish who is now also a best selling author. Dean Ornish has no reservations in recommending Yoga both as a way of recovering from heart attacks and also avoiding future heart problems. Yoga has also been reported to be very beneficial to people with diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis due to it's ability to assist with balance and muscle tone.

Yoga gently works muscle groups around the back and spine of spinal injury sufferers and because it puts very little stress on the muscles while still working them thoroughly it is a fantastic way of strengthening this part of the body. Regular Yoga for back pain sufferers can result in complete restoration of their range of movement.

As we age most of us become frailer and less co-ordinated in our movements, but Yoga can help us age more gracefully by ensuring we are always in control of our body and mind. In fact most Yoga sessions are filled with a slightly older crowd who recognize the ongoing benefits it gives them.

Yoga is also a strength building discipline that allows even progression in the arms, the legs and the trunk or core of the body. Many of us take strength for granted until it fails us, but increasing your physical strength will benefit you not just with lifting heavy objects, but also in everyday tasks like getting groceries or mowing the lawn. It even makes it easier for us to move ourselves!

As well as strength Yoga will greatly increase the range of motion we are able to achieve, particularly in the spine and joint areas. Once again this is often something we take for granted unless it is missing. The act of reaching up to put something in a cupboard is natural to many of us, but for others it can cause a jolt of pain down their back, they simply cannot move their arm through the range of motion needed to reach up, or when they do their grasp is not strong enough to grab anything from the cupboard.

It's important not to just focus on the physical benefits of Yoga because the mental benefits are at least as impressive. Simply put Yoga will focus and sharpen your mind. Each posture is performed with a focus and an awareness of your body and your breathing. This is not a gym session with mind numbing reps or chatter between exercises. Whatever you are doing during a Yoga session is done with absolute focus on the movement, the body, the breathing and the moment. Breathing is something that most of us do wrong most of the time. We are accustomed to taking shorter, quicker breaths, but with Yoga the breathing is deeper and fuller. These deeper breaths will make the mind calmer and more focused. Yoga enthusiasts often describe this calmness as a sense of well-being. The deep breathing also makes it easier to release the stress and negative thinking that accumulates in us. Just as the physical blocks are removed through increased blood circulation during the exercises, so the mental blockages are removed by clarity of thought.

Yoga is not a discipline you simply know or do not know; it is an ongoing learning process. There are a huge number of different postures and each posture has a number of different variations on how it can be performed. This never-ending sea of options keeps the body stimulated and engages the mind constantly. Behind the postures and exercises themselves there is a complex philosophical system based in the writings that Yoga derives from. Not many people think of a complete code of ethics including steadfastness, truth, self inquiry and an opposition to stealing, harming others and hoarding when they think of yoga, but these ethical issues are a central part of the system on which Yoga was founded.

The different postures, breathing exercises and the deep philosophy of Yoga all lead to the same end - a deep contemplation. Because Yoga relaxes both the body and the mind tension and stress are greatly reduced. This is highlighted during a Yoga class by pauses for us to get in touch with how we are feeling and reacting. Ending the class in a point by point contemplative meditation performed on the back is common.

Yoga is an exercise, but it is also a meditative process, a code of ethics and a confidence and character building course all rolled into one. It's no wonder the group of people who attend the classes are so diverse.

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Ten Minute Yoga Plan to Pep Up

Whether you might be staying home with a new baby or working too many hours at the office, anytime is a good time for yoga. You can do yoga stretches and postures in bed or even while driving to work.

Hundreds of fitness seekers use their lunch hour to squeeze in exercise and take off extra pounds.

I occasionally use my lunch hour for Yoga, said John Ray White, 35, who works at the Arkansas attorney general's office. Downward facing dog and sun salutation are two of the postures she practices every day.

Practicing yoga in the middle of day some people think is the break that they need to face the afternoon, said Ray.

Lunch-hour fitness routines become more popular in warm weather.

Kick Back Log-on Pose

Interlace your fingers behind your head. Relax your elbows and shoulders. Smile, breathe and stretch your elbows back. Let the tightness release slowly.

E-mail Meditation

While reading your e-mail, remember to breathe slowly and focus your attention on your breath. Make the out-breath two times longer than the in-breath. This will immediately calm you.

Photocopier Stretch

Place your hands on the edge of the copier. Stand back with feet apart. Drop your head and chest. Breathe and relax your shoulders.

Close-the-deal Warrior Pose

Raise your arms to the side with fingers pointed. Take a big step to the side, with your right foot out and knee bent, your left foot planted, left leg straight. Keep the upper body straight and strong, shoulders relaxed. Relax into the stretch -- don't hold your breath. Return to a standing position, switch sides and repeat.

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Basic Yoga Props

These props help you achieve the proper alignment, balance and make the pose a bit

easier. The use of props also minimizes the strain and supports your muscles, thus

allowing you to save your energy by exerting less effort on a pose.

Yoga props help people with Medical Ailments and the Elderly to cross their

limitations. The props provide support, enabling them to do the poses that their

ailments or old age prevent them from doing.

As you might imagine, not much gear is needed for yoga. It is generally practiced in

bare feet or socks. You might want to consider a comfortable pair of shoes. Clothing

should be loose enough to allow for bending and stretching

Yoga also has its own small set of apparatus. Called "yoga props," they help make

the yoga poses more comfortable, create resistance or give the body something to l

ean on or bend over.

But to start with yoga you can just have these basic equipments:

Clothing: Comfortable, breathable clothes are recommended for yoga. You probably

want to wear a shirt that is a little bit form-fitting, since in many yoga poses your

head comes below your hips and your shirt can slide down.

Any exercise pants or shorts will do, although it’s best not to have super slick lycra-

type pants since in some poses this may cause you to slip.

Shoes: Yoga is most often done barefoot, which is great news for those of us tired of

carrying a bulky pair of athletic shoes around for after work trips to the gym.

Yoga studios will often request that you leave your shoes near the entrance.

Mats: In gyms and yoga studios, its commonplace to use a yoga mat, also called a

sticky mat. The mat helps define your personal space.

But more importantly, it creates traction for your hands and feet so you don’t slip,

especially as you get a little sweaty.

The mat also provides a bit of cushioning on a hard floor. If you are just getting

started with yoga, you may not want to buy a mat right away. Most studios have

mats for rent, usually for a dollar or two per class.

The disadvantage to these mats is that lots of people use them, and they can get

smelly between washings. Yoga mats can be purchased for as little as $20, and

many studios will allow you to store your mat with them if you become a regular.

Blankets: Yoga studios often have stacks of blankets available for students to use

during class. Grab yourself one or two blankets at the beginning of class.

The folded blankets are props to sit and lie on during class. For instance, when

sitting in a cross-legged position, it’s nice to put a blanket under your sit bones to

elevate the hips above the knees.

They come in handy for all sorts of things during class, and if it’s chilly you can use

them to cover yourself during final relaxation at the end of class.

Blocks: Like blankets, blocks are props to make yourself more comfortable and

improve your alignment. Blocks are great for standing poses in which your hand

doesn’t reach the floor.

Straps: Straps are particularly useful for bound poses if your hands do not reach

each other, and for poses where you need to hold onto your feet but cannot reach them.

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