Wednesday, October 31, 2012

What Is Yoga? Why Are Yoga Postures Good For Health?

Origin of Yoga

Yoga was created in India at least 3000 years ago, and is a discipline that uses breathing regulation, meditation and precise exercises. There are variety of things about yoga that make it particular interesting, predominantly because it helps to promote physical and mental well-being. The intent of the philosophy and techniques is to obtain a heightened consciousness, and ultimately, to attain spiritual enlightenment.

Initially, there are some simple fundamentals about yoga that are a crucial part of its techniques. These originate from the Bhagavad Gita, which is one of the most important religious texts setting out ways to accomplish freedom from one's worldly anxieties and dreams.

There are many different kinds of yoga, and one of the most preferred forms in the Western hemisphere is hatha yoga, which focuses on conditioning, toning and relaxation. Most yoga positions focus on proper placement of the body in a variety of postures. One of the great points about yoga is its advantage to overall body health and well-being.

Daily practice enhances strength, flexibility, and blood circulation. It helps bring about relaxation and will increase the range of movement, which helps to reduce the possibility of muscle strain. Many people today use it as a principal source of physical exercise, and others use it complementarity - such as with jogging, to help strengthen a host of different muscles groups.

Yogis (yoga practiceor) believe that breathing is the connection between mind and body. Pranayama are precise physical exercises in which the person breathes deeply, mentally focusing on the breath as it goes into and exits the nasal passages. This puts the individual at ease and allows their muscles to warm up progressively. This focus on breathing allows deep muscle relaxation, lets out tension, and brings about a calm state.

Yoga can be specially beneficial to elderly people and those with handicaps who are recovering from a sickness. However, any individual can profit from the slow-moving, gentle physical exercises and the beneficial effect they have on hormone balance, relieving depression, and improving strength and overall flexibility. One of the most effective things about yoga is that it is readily available to people of all age ranges and physical fitness levels.

One of the crucial disparities between yoga training and a typical training exercise is a focus on process. While many exercise courses really encourage you to push and strain every muscle in your entire body, to eliminate the 'negative' things in your body, the positive thing about yoga is that it has an altogether unique method. It concentrates on establishing understanding of the human body as it is, acknowledging and working within its limitations.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Yoga and Your Most Valuable Commodity

How are you managing your most valuable commodity?

It has been a wild ride these last few weeks - 7 cities in 8 weeks. Then all the added things like a sister who has stage 5 cancer, a 93 year old father who has decided he wants to take back managing his finances, throw in wasp nests of many styles including the real thing, a web guy can't call him a master good heart but missed changing my e-mail link with PayPal and that means no sales they all go out into the abyss. Ahhhh. Thank God for the breath. I so know I am not the only one with a few challenges these days. What to do?

Time to know that we all are a mixture of dark and light. It's all about where you put your time and energy to build, define, refine. What helps us do that is the deal and it needs to be fast these days. It's can't take 2.5 hours anymore. It needs to change our energetic states on the spot.

Actually there is the full-length version. What you do first thing in the AM and how you arise set your mindset and your connections. What do you do during the day to rejuvenate yourself and bring back to neutral, non-reactive? I have some tricks to share.

After 40 years of teaching yoga and meditation, doing healing work, running businesses and building communities I have a few tricks to share. Are you open to utilizing them?

1. I keep my yoga mat next to my desk so I just take mini breaks during the day. 
2. I exercise every day. A 30 minute swim or roller blade plus some yoga every day. 
3. I pay attention and eat when hungry. Some days very little and others graze all day. 
4. What I eat is as important as when and how. What do you need to be eating? 
5. Alkaline is all it's pumped up to be. It keeps you young and alive. What is alkaline? Google it. 
6. Sometimes a moving meditation will balance your brain, and connect head with heart.

Hunched over your desk, not breathing is not a way of life, it is a way of death. Are you dying? What are you doing to live? My father asked me "What are you doing to have fun?" I told him the things I was doing and that I love most of what I get to do and who I get to do it with. This is the life I want for each of you.

I will not tell you that if you do this you will never get tired but I will tell you that you will have more energy because you are source-connected. It is the key to co-creation.

Connect first thing in the morning and keep bringing yourself back to that connected state. Try this for reconnection.

Three Part Forward Bend - The Brain Fountain of Youth

Stand with legs wide open. The stiffer you feel, the wider you should spread the legs.

Bend over and place the fingertips on the floor right under the shoulders. Bend the knees if necessary. When inhaling, lift trunk and head parallel to the floor. Exhale in three-parts, lowering head and trunk towards the floor in three equal parts.

1-2 minutes


This pumping motion activates the spinal fluid up and down the spine and through the brain. Allows your legs and spine to stretch. The enhanced breath helps release overwhelming feelings.