14 Ways Beginner Yoga Benefits YOU

Yoga may seem mysterious to the uninitiated, but it is simply a form of exercise that stimulates your mind and increases your body’s level of fitness. Yoga means to Yoke – to unite – your mind, body and spirit and was derived from the Sanskrit Indians well over 5000 years ago.  Although yoga is ancient, it can and does make people feel 10 – 20 years younger.

Yoga means many different things to many different people. It is rooted in Indian spiritual tradition, and indeed the word yogi means someone who practices yoga.

The word Yoga itself comes from the Indian word, yug, “to unify.”  A goal of yoga is to unify your mind, body and spirit, and to bring you to a more relaxed state of being. Unlike other forms of exercise, yoga incorporates movement for physical health with breathing and meditation for peace of mind.  When you practice yoga breathing, you are better able to connect inner peace from your mind to every piece of your body.

There are many different styles of yoga, each with its own focus.  The two most common types practiced in the United States are Hatha Yoga and  Bikram Yoga, also known as ‘Hot” yoga.  Each has it’s own style of movement and thought.

Consequently, yoga is not a religion.  People who practice yoga can be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic or any other religion they wish.  Yoga is a time proven method to enhancing mental focus and physical balance to help you function at full capacity.

What Type of Yoga is Right For You?

 Hatha Yoga, meaning sun (ha) and moon (tha)  has become very popular in the West and is the most physical type of yoga.  Yogi’s who practice Hatha recognize that a weak and tired body is a barrier to achieving spiritual enlightenment.  Therefore Hatha yoga aims to make your body an ideal vehicle for good health and fill it with energy.  Hatha concentrates on postures (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation, (Dhyana) to energize the mind, body and spirit. Whereas Hatha yoga is generally practiced at a comfortable 72 – 76 degrees, Bikram yoga is practiced in a room that is between 95 – 108 degrees with humidity level of 60%.  Bikram Yoga consists of 26 poses practiced for a period of ninety minutes and requires that you are able to exercise in very hot temperatures.  If you choose this type of yoga, make sure to stay hydrated with water.  If you feel more comfortable at home there are plenty of DVD’s to start you off before you venture out to a class.  Just make sure to choose one appropriate for you age and fitness level.

Let’s talk about why you need to practice yoga.  Muscle connective tissues have a natural tendency to shorten with aging, as often evidenced in the stiffness of people age 30 and over.  Muscles must be regularly stretched to minimize the effect of natural muscle shortening. Flexibility, one of the three primary components of physical fitness, keeps muscle supple and responsive to the demands of daily life activities.  Because no matter how strong your muscles are, if your muscles are tight:  bending and reaching will become painful.

Yoga helps combat the negative effects of stiffness, pain, disability and stress through relaxation both mentally and physically. The intrinsic rewards of practicing yoga are immense.  Yoga offers gentle stretch, strengthening and physical/mental conditioning of the mind, body and spirit that significantly improves lives.

Yoga practice is at an all time high – The Yoga Journal reports that there are now 16 million people practicing yoga in the United States.  Yoga may be new to us westerners, but it is over 5000 years old – and it can make you look and feel 10 - 20 years younger.

The Mayo Clinic September 2003 Newsletter reports, “yoga IS effective at relieving stress.”

According to the National Institue of Health, “regular yoga practice can help reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, alter brain waves and assist you heart to work more efficiently.

Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia demonstrated how just one session of yoga can lower blood levels of the stress hormone – cortisol.  “Participants cortisol level were measured before and after they practiced yoga, then again before and after they sat quietly while reading or writing.  After the yoga sessions, cortisol levels dropped.  There was no drop after the resting sessions.”

 Youthful Benefits of Yoga

• Increase Flexibility


• Reduce Pain from tight muscles


• Releases Stress and Reduces Anxiety Level


• Weight Loss


• Lower Blood Pressure


• Lower Blood Sugar


• Increase Energy


• Enhance Concentration


• Boost immune system


• Improves Heart Health


• Strengthens respitory system


• Helps you sleep better


• Can help relieve the pain from tension headaces


• Improves your overall quality of life

 Suzanne Andrews is the Health and Fitness Expert on WDSC TV’s Healthy Lifestyle Show, the host of Functional Fitness on Public Television and is also a licensed Occupational Therapy Practitioner and specializes in safe and effective health and wellness DVD’s for people age 40 – 80 years. 

How Yoga Helps You Release Stress and Regain Flexibility

Yoga Improves New Year's Resolution Success

[caption id="attachment_88" align="aligncenter" width="201" caption="Yoga Improves Weight Loss"][/caption]

Yoga Chi for Energy, which is an ancient system consisting of both physical exercises,  postures and meditation can be a real motivator. In fact, it can help you keep your New Year’s Resolutions this year. Yoga Improves Weight Loss On of the most common New Year’s Resolutions is the resolution to lose weight. This is often a difficult resolution for people to keep, but yoga chi for energy practice can help. Yoga, poses (called asanas) and meditation reduce stress that may lead to overeating or other bad habits. The relaxed, focused state that comes from this ancient discipline tends to fall right in line with better choices such as eating healthier foods and exercising more.   In addition to this are the practical fat burning and muscle building qualities of yoga practice. Yoga asanas can be quite muscularly demanding and are thus similar to many fat burning regimens that give muscles relatively short periods of intensive work. This is well known to be one of the fastest ways to burn fat.   Even gentle Yoga Chi for Energy postures also stimulate and massage organs in the body and in so doing improve things like digestive function, kidney and liver health, and circulation, all of which help to purify the system and burn unwanted fact. Meditation and Motivation Meditation is well known to create a sense of relaxation as well as focus. As such, it can help greatly with motivation and will power. In the meditative state, things tend to become clearer and less jumbled and confused. The meditator can see more clearly what the issues with motivation are and act on them more consciously. All of this can be a great advantage when trying to keep a New Year’s Resolution, or any other resolution or goal for that matter. Whether it is a weight loss resolution, a resolution to find an exciting new career, or to find romance, meditation focuses an individual’s attention and creates the relaxed confidence that is beneficial for pursuing goals. Statistical Support These are not merely glittering generalities. There is direct statistical evidence to support the role of yoga in increasing focus and motivation. A study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) set out to show that yoga is more than just exercise. Traci A. Statler and Ami Wheeler, both PhDs tested the motivation, concentration, and anxiety levels of students Cal State San Bernadino during the course of 10 week Hatha Yoga class. They gave the students standard assessments 2 weeks into the course and again at 9 weeks. They discovered marked increases in motivation and concentration on the part of students, and a clear decrease in students’ anxiety. New Year’s Resolution Success New Year’s Resolution Success can thus be a natural, even spontaneous, result of practicing yoga. The ability for an individual to manifest what he or she wants is a natural part of yoga. The practice exercises and tones the physical body while at the same time creating a sense of purified and relaxed focus that tends to make sticking to resolutions much easier. So it is in the interests of almost anyone trying to keep a new year’s resolution to at least consider taking up yoga.

 

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5 Eating Triggers You Need to Know Before You Diet

Many people find weight loss a daunting challenge and struggle to shed pounds and return to a healthy lifestyle. From yo-yo dieting to unrealistic goals and deprivation, people who struggle to lose weight often face an uphill battle. By identifying the triggers that lead to overeating and overcoming them, you will be well on your way to successful weight loss.

1.) Stress

People have to deal with stressful situations every day. From hectic work schedules to strained family life and the pressures of the daily grind, stress can wear out even the strongest person. Some who struggle with weight loss use food as a way to ease the stresses in their life. This leads to weight gain, which leads to more stress, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.

2.) Culture

One of the main obstacles to people trying to lose weight is pressure from family. It can be very difficult to eat healthy meals when the family members are snacking on high fat and diet busting high calorie foods. In some cultures, it is a badge of honor to be overweight. Family gatherings such as holidays and celebrations may also lead to the pressure to overeat.

3.) Time of Day

Does the clock dictate what goes on your plate? Many people eat not because they're hungry, but because they are accustomed to eating at a certain time every day. Others fail to listen to their body's cues and allow social pressures to dictate what they eat. Joining the co-workers for lunch is often an automatic behavior that has nothing to do with hunger.

4.) Place

Studies have shown that where you eat has a huge bearing on how much we eat. When you sit down at a table to eat a meal you tend to eat less than if you're sitting on the couch. Eating while doing other tasks such as working at a desk can lead to overeating and weight gain. When eating a meal or a snack, focus on eating only. Attempting to multi-task while eating can cause you to lose track of the amount you're eating and take in too many excess calories.

5.) Social Factors

It can be hard to turn down the invitation to go out to dinner with friends every weekend. Eating is a social activity, and for some, cutting out eating meals in restaurants can be a difficult step. There are ways to enjoy social meals without wrecking your diet. Invite friends to "eat in" at your home and provide healthy choices as a substitute.

According to the National Institutes of Health, meditation is an effective way to lose weight. Meditation can help to release the stressors that lead to overeating. Another effective way to fight the battle with fat is through the practice of yoga. Yoga teaches how to focus the body's energy inward to solve problems and refocus the mind.

Engaging in regular yoga and meditation can help you tune into your body's cues and recognize the signals that cause you to overeat.

PBS TV host of Functional Fitness, and President of Healthwise Exercise,

Suzanne Andrews lost 65 pounds

 using her powerful motivating techniques revealed in her guided meditation CD for stress release and weight loss included free in Beginners Dynamic Yoga DVD.