Boost Your Weight Loss Endeavours With Yoga

Well known for its ability to reduce the body's stress level, enhance flexibility and develop and tone lean muscle, yoga is less known for its powerful results to lose weight. You might not know this described on this context, but it can be a powerful way to melt away calories.

Yoga is not though of as a specifically energetic form of workout. While it works out your muscles, it can be rare to become terribly exhausted during yoga (unless you are doing Bikram style, however the room will be heated). The muscle toning effects of this exercise do enable you to lose calories successfully, however. Which means that a routine of aerobic exercise in conjunction with this will create better benefits than if you were not doing yoga alongside of aerobic exercise.

Yoga also instructs discipline, which will assist you significantly in sticking with your exercise regime or new diet. This significantly tones up the connection between body and mind, which makes you more determined to take care of your body. Those who want to slim down often suffer from the difficulty of getting motivated in the first place, so yoga can be quite beneficial here.

New Incarnations of Yoga

Those who wish to lose weight solely by means of yoga may find what they're searching for in non conventional yoga lessons. There are a number of exercise styles that can provide you with the traditional benefits of yoga along with a cardio workout at the same time. These include:

Vinyasa - This type of yoga is founded on movement from one position to another while practicing traditional breathing techniques. Sun Salutations are frequently used, but other poses usually are incorporated as well. This is sometimes done in a hot room to improve sweating.

Ashtanga - It is a complex style, integrating six separate series of various positions. These increase in intricacy, so you should start in the beginning and master as you go.

Power yoga - This "westernized" type of workout features a lot more action and fast movements alongside of yoga breathing.

These workout techniques offer more of the heart-healthy benefits of aerobic workout versus the usual kinds of yoga. While they won't really provide you with the workout of a cardio class, you still obtain the combined advantages of aerobic fitness and the muscle toning and flexibility, which will no doubt help unwanted weight loss efforts. And they're great for those who are too busy for more than one workout routine.

Apart from being forms of workout, yoga and aerobics appear to have little in common. But traditional exercises such as these can improve the results of more intense workouts, and these newly common styles of yoga can give you the best of both worlds. If other workout routines have left you unhappy, adding or changing to yoga might be the solution you're looking for.

Yogafit has a lot of very informative advice in all aspects of yogafit.com yoga poses, training, and everything else. She also has a number of yogafit.com/CTGY/MBF.shtml yoga conference meetups several times a year and is known yoga guru and mogul around the world.

Yoga Retreat - A Place Of Relaxed Community

Yoga retreat is generally a place occupied by the people who are committed to the art of yoga. It is considered as the place of relaxed community where the people can enjoy the fun of practicing yoga within a social setting. This is the only place which acts as a platform for the people to share their passion for yoga and its benefits.

The retreats generally occupy the beautiful and peaceful locales in order to proffer the higher levels of relaxation to the participants. These retreats are lead by the experienced yoga instructors so as to offer guidance to the people practicing yoga.

Not only this, there is an exclusive arrangement of food and accommodation during a yoga vacation. They proffer you a wondering opportunity to free up yourself from insaneness of the world and to concentrate only on the goal of relaxation and to achieve peace of mind and body.

- Why to attend yoga retreats?

a) A yoga retreat proffers you an excellent opportunity to liberate yourself from the various perplexities of day-to-day life. You can get plenty of space for yourself where you can tranquilize your body and soul.

b) One of the most fascinating features of the retreats is that they serve you with an extensive range of nutritious vegetarian meals so as to deliver you the healthier lifestyle during your stay. This will further inspire you to make few healthier improvements in your daily routine diet.

c) They will permit you an ample of time to be dedicated in practicing various yoga asanas. Not only this, under the supervision of trained yoga instructors, you can enjoy the fun of learning many more new yoga exercises which will enable you to unwind your body from various stresses and to achieve the state of physical and mental peace.

d) A yoga retreat acts as a platform to meet enlightened and intelligent people with whom you can tie up long lasting friendly relations.

e) The centers are generally located at the beautiful locales where you can feel the closeness to the nature proffering fresh sigh of relief.

f) Moreover, these retreats dedicate some portion of their practice to pranayama or breathe practice so as to deliver calmness to the mind and also to supply oxygen to the various parts of the body more efficiently which will further enhance the rate of metabolism.

g) There is also a provision of enjoying the thrill of slow and quiet walking meditation which is practices early in the morning so as to connect your body and mind with the beauty of nature.

h) A weekend yoga vacation will take you to the path of spiritual growth where you can again reconnect your spirits and truth within you. Not only this, you will begin to listen to the desires of your heart and become courageous to live in the spirits.

i) According to our medical science, it has been found that we all need 8-9 hours of sleep to work optimally in our daily routine. But, due to today's hectic lifestyle, it has become bit difficult to go for such a long sleep. Therefore, by practicing yoga at yoga retreat, you can prepare your body for an early night's rest.

For more Articles, News, Information, Advice, and Resources about YOGA and MEDITATION please visit eyogatips.com YOGA TIPS and meditationbuzz.com MEDITATIONBUZZ

The Value of the Yoga Teacher Certification Process

Is there a need for certification and standardization of Yoga teachers? How can you make the nine main Indian forms of Yoga, and their sub-styles, conform to a measured standard? Who should control and regulate Yoga?

Certifications, and attempts to standardize Yoga, are in their infancy. Yoga has existed quite well without bureaucracy for thousands of years. Certification is a new concept, but has gradually grown as classes became more public.

Instead of teaching small groups in a basement, Yoga teachers have seen their class sizes expand into large public areas. With this newfound popularity came a twist. The board of directors, and the owners of large public areas, often request certification as proof of proficiency; and sometimes, they require instructors to be insured.

This is understandable because the owners or managers of a building do not want to incur legal damages for negligence. To deflect the wrath of liability lawsuits, certification has sprung up in every art, trade, and industry.

If you were about to hire a landscaper, you would likely feel relieved to see the words: "Certified, Licensed, Bonded, Insured, and Experienced," on his or her marketing materials. Most people will not hire local teens to cut their lawns in fear of a potential lawsuit.

With that said, you can see the need for certification in a society with no shortage of personal injury lawsuits. For Yoga teachers, this is especially difficult to comprehend because many of them are "natural born givers." Yet, it also leads into the need for general standards, which are naturally resisted.

In classes where physical movement, breathing, and posture, is part of the curriculum, the Yoga instructor should have good working knowledge of anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, preparation of postures, and contraindications.

Therefore, Hatha, Ashtanga, Kundalini, and their sub-styles, should have a strong anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology component embedded within the structure of their happinesslifetime.com Yoga teacher training programs. There should also be guidelines for working with students, who have pre-existing injuries.

For example: Should you take new students who are late for class? Do you know their health profile? What if the student is pregnant, has high blood pressure, or is recovering from a motorcycle accident? Sorry to say, Yoga teachers would be wise to lock the doors on students who are late.

Who would the legal system "point its finger" at, if a student is injured because he or she skipped the warm-up? These issues should be brought up during the happinesslifetime.com Yoga certification process.

Who should control and regulate Yoga? There is no single body or organization, which can control all of the diversified styles within Yoga. Self-regulation has been the answer for thousands of years and will continue to be the answer into the future.

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA.

aurawellnesscenter.com aurawellnesscenter.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

Can Yogic Breathing Meditation Develop Your Psychic Abilities?

An important side effect of happinesslifetime.com yoga training is the development of psychic abilities. The term development is appropriate, as everyone has these abilities.

Every culture has had healers, shamans and mystics. Some people seem to be born with this ability but most honed the skill through training with an elder. The cultures vary but the results of that training do not. Psychic powers are available to everyone.

Just like playing the piano, some people tend to have a gift for it, show amazing abilities at an early age and are savants in music. Others follow the natural course of piano lessons. With practice and dedication, the second group of people opens up their innate abilities for music. While not all play professionally, the second group, find that they too create beautiful music. It is simply a matter of how long it takes to stimulate the area in the brain.

Psychic abilities are within everyone's reach. People use it every day and don't realize it. Faith, belief in the unknown and focus encourage their thoughts to become realities. Have you ever suddenly thought of a friend only to have them call within minutes? That's telecommunication. It happens occasionally to everyone. People that have training learn to recognize the signs and understand the messages they receive.

Training also helps the student focus on the positive spiritual side of life. Everyone has met negative people that believe only bad things happen in life. These people are normally right but it is no coincidence or bad luck, they lay the psychic groundwork that brings the negative.

happinesslifetime.com Yoga training that focuses on awakening of the kundalini opens the higher chakra centers and taps into the spiritual potential. As each higher chakra opens, the student finds they have more abilities that are mystical. One important aspect of the training is helping the student to follow a guided path so that these experiences are positive and directed. Psychic abilities brought on through accidents, drug use and undirected focus can lead to a very negative experience. The intensity of the experience may be too much for body, mind or emotions to handle without preparation and guidance.

New studies, theories and beliefs appear every day about the power of belief. It takes focus and elimination of doubt to create the amazing results. Some stumble upon this ability but most people have to learn to be as children and wipe their minds of negative thought. happinesslifetime.com Yoga training helps the student to focus and bypass the thinking mind to reach the spiritual mind that performs these feats that some call magic. To reach psychic powers, called siddhis, the yoga doesn't train his mind to think about the desired outcome, but rather shut off the thinking process and allow the powers to surface.

For centuries, the Western world decried "witchcraft" if someone showed psychic abilities. The ruling class discouraged psychic training passed from generation to generation in peasant communities, yet they paid for the services of soothsayers and mystics. The power that came with the abilities created fear no matter how pure the intention. The church, a ruling power in medieval times, sited those with psychic abilities as heretics and witches. It is no wonder that after many generations, psychic training and belief ceased.

Scientists are just now learning there is an important ability in every being that is a separate entity from the thinking mind. It is the same psychic ability that forewarns animals of natural disasters and allows them to run to safety before it occurs. This second mind, spiritual side or psychic ability remains in man, but years of academia and logic buried it deeply inside their being. You can tap into it, but you need a guide to avoid the pitfalls and give you the most direct route. Yoga is one method to achieving psychic ability and with the proper instruction; the journey is much shorter and safer than traveling to that destination unassisted.

"Conrad Raw is an expert on practical techniques for personal and spiritual development. He is a bestselling co-author with Wayne Dyer and Brian Tracy and is the author of "The Zensation Manual: Forbidden Secrets of Personal and Spiritual Development". TheMindWizard.com healing course Visit his website to get your free video course on how to activate your true potential. powerfullifebalance.com out of body experiences"

Strength Training for Women - Choosing Home Exercise Equipment

Strength training is an important component of a woman's fitness. Strength training is also known as resistance training or "lifting weights". But many women do not understand how to start a strength training program or how to select strength equipment for home exercise.

Getting stronger is beneficial to your body in many ways. Being strong makes your body resistant to injury, and speeds recovery from injuries. The repetitive nature of many jobs today makes strength training critical to preventing workplace injuries.

The benefits of strength training are often overshadowed by its exercise cousins, the cardio work-out and the trendier, yoga and flexibility. However, unlike aerobic and stretching activities, strength training is possibly the most effective natural method for building bone mass and preventing osteoporosis!

Plus, most women can burn many more calories by lifting weights than from cardio (and far more than yoga or stretching) because it is less familiar to their bodies. The challenge requires your body to work harder, and to get out of your exercise comfort zones and muscular boredom.

Analyze your needs before you choose equipment.

Exercising at home has pros and cons, all of which weigh on your equipment decisions. First, consider when and where you will exercise. For example, if you plan to exercise early in the morning, you might be exercising in a lit space upstairs. Is there a closet to store gear? How much space do you have for your equipment?

If you work out of your home, then consider using a bit of home office space for gear. You will be more likely to use it throughout the day, and give yourself healthy breaks, if your equipment is accessible.

Next, consider your habits. Do you prefer to surround yourself with simple, compact bare-minimums? Or do you like gadgets with lots of functions?

Every year, the fitness industry trade shows debut new streamlined, sleek equipment. Big and bulky is out: compact and efficient is in.

Choose your toys.

Think of your strength training as a fun new hobby. If you like to play and be silly when exercise, then perhaps start with resistance tubing. Tubing is compact and portable, and inexpensive. It is slightly more limited than using weights, but it is an excellent choice for beginners. Buy a model with a door hinge to multiply the ways you can use it.

Dumbbells have become more versatile and compact. There are several styles now that only require you to own one pair. The resistance gets changed in increments.

Traditional hand weights and ankle weights are versatile, especially if you can add small weight increments. Some ankle and wrist weights can be used just like a pair of dumbbells.

If space and price are not limited, perhaps you prefer home gym machines. Some machines work isolated muscle groups. Others require balance and attention to technique. Machines that are less restricting, requiring you to practice proper alignment and form, are very effective. These "free weights" usually work more than one muscle group, and they simulate everyday activities better.

Books demonstrating specific exercises and explaining muscle actions are available in most libraries and bookstores. To ensure proper technique, and to set a program to meet your goals, you can hire a personal trainer who will work at your home.

Getting strong with weights is growing in popularity amongst women. Consider the many great effects it can have on your body: start a strength training program today!

You are Invited to view VIDEO and read more articles about this topic at PainFreeU.com PainFreeU.com

Nina Schnipper is a personal fitness trainer and massage therapist in Basalt, Colorado, at Higher Spa & Studio. She loves to help women start strength training programs to get toned and build bone mass.

Yoga Ethics For Instructors

No overruling organization for yoga instructors determines official, professional behavior standards, or even certification. Yoga professionals still debate over where certain lines should be drawn. Yet, certain ethics are inherent in the yogic path, and yoga instructors will do well to adhere to them.

The most important thing to remember, as a yoga teacher, is that you are helping to shape the well-being of your students, through your instruction. Respect the place that you occupy as a teacher. Instructors have to keep a tenuous balance that can be quite difficult. A balance must be found between healthy objectivity and the role of transcendental guide.

Each student is on his, or her, own path to wholeness. This wholeness involves a gestation of physical and emotional matters, often leading to charged feelings in the students. The focus of the yoga instructor should be to allow students to seek, and find, solutions to their own needs, in the learning process. Instructors must not focus on their own desires; otherwise, the growing process of both the students and the instructors will be stunted.

The nature of a yoga class is intimate. There is a great deal of focus on the body and opening of the body and a measure of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual release. Instructors often must touch their students to assist or correct a physical posture.

All of the students are paying close attention to the movements of the instructor. Some students will become infatuated, or attached, as they associate their release of tension, and spiritual growth, with that person. A compassionate yoga instructor is a guide, who shows his or her students, that the true teacher is already within each student.

© Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA.

aurawellnesscenter.com aurawellnesscenter.com

He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Male Masturbation Doesn't Have to Become Boring and Tedious

Masturbation is a very simple, natural, and easy way for men and women to release tension. This tension can be physical, emotional, and even spiritual. While in the masturbatory state, worries fade, problems disappear, and tension melts away.

With the world becoming seemingly more stressful every day, people are looking for new methods they can use to unwind from the daily grind. This means that more and more people will be utilizing masturbation as a catharsis and as a mini-holiday to escape from the troubling times that surround us.

This means that people are looking for ways to make masturbation more exciting and dynamic. This can be through using different physical stimulation devices (toys), different forms of material to arouse excitement and sexual interest (such as sex stories one can read or an adult video to watch), or seeking out new methods of getting the most out of masturbation.

History is filled with lots of creative methods that Man has developed when it comes to masturbation exploration. Imagine a woman rubbing honey on her vulva, areola, and nipples. Then, laying back, in the sun, and have the scent of the honey waft into the air. This scent attracts insects who arrive to feast on the honey on her body. This triggers very light touch neuro-sex-receptors in her sexual organs and induces pleasure. Does that sound a little too creative? Perhaps. But it was all the "rage" at one time. Men employed this technique, too.

I'm not suggesting for men to honey-up their testicles and penis and go lay naked in the sun. Who knows what you might attract, really? With my luck some huge grizzly bear who would eat me for lunch.

One way of not worrying about some ole' grizzly coming to visit you is to explore different methods of masturbation that aren't so courageous. There are plenty of web-sites and information on the Internet that offer a plethora of methods to make masturbation more exciting and cull it from becoming boring. One of these is through sexual "toys." Most men think that sexual toys are more for women, but one would be surprised at the amount of creative hardware that's in the adult emporiums that can help men while masturbating.

Those men who are really interested in taking masturbation to its ultimate pinnacle should look into autofellatio. This is when a man is able to orally stimulate his own penis. It sounds a bit difficult, but it isn't. Just by learning and utilizing proper training and stretching, most men can fellate themselves. Autofellatio, when properly performed, is anything but boring. In fact, it can be completely mind-blowing.

Kimi Kalfino

About me: Exploring unconventional methods of sexuality; methods that our ancestors enjoyed and impassioned themselves with, is one of my interests. Those men and women who are interested in autofellatio should read yogafellatio.com YOGAFELLATIO. It is a book that helps guide men down this sexually exciting and interesting path.

Heal Your Body, Mind, Spirit and Vital Energy With Chun Do Sun Bup Ki Healing

I just completed an intensive four day training in a powerful healing modality called Qi Gong. Something about it was so familiar. Many years earlier, while studying Massage Therapy at the Swedish Institute in New York City, I had received a few training sessions of Qi Gong. In recalling that previous introduction to Qi Gong, all I could remember was how utterly tedious and boring I had found these slow and meticulous movements. But I knew I had studied something similar prior to this current training.

It is amazing how selective our memory can be. Many years ago, in the early 1990's, I had experienced a severe back injury. In fact, I was actually lying on the floor, unable to move due to indescribably painful contractions, for over 4 hours, Very, very, very slowly I was finally able to maneuver my body so that my back faced toward a nearby heater while I used one hand to stimulate the reflexology points in the other hand that corresponded to the spine. When I was eventually able to sit and then stand up, I headed straight for a local emergency room. As much as I had studied healing modalities and spiritual awareness, I was never so happy to receive medicine in the form of pills to relax my muscles and dull the pain.

After several weeks of painful physical therapy exercises, the intense pain in my back had lessened. At that point, I began receiving private Pilates lessons on the machines which helped me to restore the strength of my core and to more easily move by using only the most necessary muscles for the particular movements. As I became stronger, I added Pilates floor exercise classes and Bikram (heated) yoga classes.

In recalling my back injury and the subsequent healing process, I have always attributed my healing to those wonderful Pilates lessons and my knowledge and use of Pilates and yoga exercises. I had completely forgotten a strange and wonderful training program I had attended for almost a full year - a powerful healing modality that revitalized my body and my immune system beyond just healing my back problem.

During the weeks and months of slow recovery from my back injury, while living in Stratford, Connecticut, I was still feeling tension, pain and stiffness in my back. One day, I passed by a center for healing called Chun Do Sun Bup. Curious to learn more about this I stepped inside into a different world. I was greeted by a friendly Australian lady, the supervisor, and a few male and female instructors wearing white karate-like outfits. This center had been opened to introduce this powerful Korean Qi healing method to America.

Chun Do Sun Bup, which literally means "the heavenly way to recover body, mind and spirit" is based on a 6000 year old Taoist system of martial arts training that was secretly passed down for many generations. Dr. Haeng-Yong Mo and his wife, Gui-Dai Park, revitalized this ancient tradition after studying "The Way of the Taoist Immortals" and attaining extraordinary healing abilities. Today there are over 200 nonprofit International Chun Do Sun Bup Ki Energy Centers operated by Korean and Western Masters, located in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, South Korea and America.

Chun Do Sun Bup treats the mind, body and spirit, utilizing the vital energy around us, called Ki in Korea, the deeply spiritual belief in connection with our ancesters, Ki Energy Training and Ki Energy Healing (Chunsoo or "Heavenly Hands"). The overriding concept is that we are all born with healing power which can only be accessed when our mind and body are in balance and aligned with the energetic frequency of nature. Realigning our minds and harmonizing our bodies with nature is a long, slow healing process. Nature heals slowly and cannot be rushed, but nature heals best and more thoroughly.

The Chun Do Sun Bup Ki Training consists of a series of 100 hour long, small group, classes. The lessons are divided into 12 steps. Each class consists of chanting and breathing exercises to purify the mind and revitalize the energy, ki movements to strengthen the body, improve the circulation, and increase the ki energy, and silent meditation to still the mind and enhance spiritual awareness. Students learn how to receive, increase, circulate and retain ki energy.

Ki Energy Training and Healing is believed to be a natural and lasting solution to many common health problems. Ki or vital energy, when circulating freely, eliminates blockages and impurities in our body and mind. Once the blockages are removed, our immune systems can take over and complete any healing that is needed.

An additional component of this powerful healing system, is the Ki Ancestor and Family Healing ceremonies. Eastern philosophy attributes some of our current physical, emotional and spiritual problems to energetic blockages inherited from our ancestors. These highly ritualized prepared food, movement, meditation and prayer ceremonies are designed to heal our ancestral blockages and to restore health and wellness to our families as well as ourselves.

Dr. Erica Goodstone has helped thousands of men, women, couples, and groups to develop greater awareness of the issues in their relationships and their lives, to overcome and alleviate stressors and discords, and revitalize their relationships and their own mind-body-spirit connection. Dr. Goodstone is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Marriage Therapist and Board Certified Sex Therapist. Former professor of health and physical education for over two decades, Dr. Goodstone taught courses in health education and alternative approaches, stress management, yoga (including relaxation, breathing, meditation, guided imagery, chanting, hatha yoga postures, and yogic nutrition), as well as many different physical activity and dance courses. In addition, she has trained in various body therapy methods and somatic body psychotherapy (combining talk with touch). Her main methods are The Rubenfeld Synergy Method, Polarity Therapy, and Somatoemotional Release. Dr. Goodstone can be contacted through her web sites at DrEricaWellness.com DrEricaWellness.com and sexualreawakening.com sexualreawakening.com

How to Get Fit With Wii Fit

Wii Fit will help you work up a sweat, but it's not as smooth and fun a workout as you'd probably like, it takes the whole concept of games as exercise to a new level with the inclusion of a balance board peripheral that can tell you on the fly exactly how well--or how poorly--you're doing with its various activities. As such, Nintendo is heavily marketing this innovative title as a mixture of fitness and fun, and for the most part it works. It's a good alternative for those bored with the repetitiveness of going to a gym or too self-conscious to join a yoga or aerobics class.

The sensitive Wii Fit balance board The aerobic and balance activities represent the fun side of Wii Fit with 18 games to choose from. The aerobic games include hula hoops, Wii Sports-like boxing, step dancing, jogging, and more. The balance activities are what most casual users of Wii Fit will first gravitate to, and include ski jump, ski slalom, snowboarding (where you have to turn the balance board sideways), a table tilt game where you have to use your shifting weight in a Mercury Meltdown-style challenge.

Test Your Wii health Wii Fit exercises do have the potential to positively impact your health, focusing more on improving muscle tone and balance than on cardio and weight loss. What it does offer is a better way to track your weight, body mass index (BMI), and time spent exercising both within the game itself and from any other external activities, providing users with a strong anchor for a more expansive fitness regime should they have the motivation.

As a title focused on health, Wii Fit makes some fairly significant judgments about its users' fitness. This happens right from when your Mii is first registered with the game; after inputting a date of birth and height, you're asked to step on the balance board for a weigh-in. From the height and weight data, a user's BMI is calculated, with the user tagged as underweight, ideal, or overweight depending on the BMI score. A simple balance test then occurs (usually involving having to shift your balance to certain areas within a time limit) before your Wii Fit Age is displayed in large numbers on the screen. Only one Wii Fit Age result can be recorded daily, although you can practice the variety of balance tests as many times as you want.

Wii exercises In structure, Wii Fit is most similar to the various Brain Training games on the Nintendo DS, with the title broken down into a series of exercises that players can do regularly to improve their health. These exercises are split into four different categories: yoga, muscle, aerobic, and balance. The yoga and muscle categories feel the most like traditional exercise, with 15 yoga poses and 15 muscle-toning moves to work through. The muscle-toning section, with basic lunges mixed in with more strenuous activities such as the parallel stretch and push-ups. You can choose male or female for your virtual trainer to guide you through the yoga and muscle exercises, giving you praise or criticism depending on how well or how bad you're doing.

Wii fit Yoga Is your poster suffering have you ever wanted to try yoga, but were a bit shy to attend a class?, then happinesslifetime.com yoga training with Wii Fit is the answer to those questions. You get realistic training from an online instructor, who can detect how you are performing. If you find yourself shaking when doing one of the poses, your trainer will might respond with helpful tips on how to steady yourself. With Wii fit happinesslifetime.com Yoga training is easy to do and follow.

Get more information on how to download video-games4u.blogspot.com Wii Fit.

Robert Lawrence writes informative articles on various subjects including games reviews, where and how to Download video-games4u.blogspot.com Wii fit For the Nintendo Wii.

Why Should You Meditate?

Everyone's mind needs a little downtime. We all need time to focus on one task, instead of multi-tasking all day and night. In fact, your mind doesn't take a complete rest when you sleep. Your mind moves from dream to dream for about two hours per night.

Your mind needs rest and a vacation. Have you ever noticed that when you take a vacation, you come back with fresh ideas, a better attitude, and establish clear priorities? This is due to getting some time to relax and reflect on your life. The time off allows you to think clearly.

Our problem stems from being so busy that we lose touch with our inner self. We fill our time with too many activities to realistically accomplish them. Companies do this to their employees, but we voluntarily do it to ourselves. You have the ability to take control of your own life, and the solution is as simple as daily meditation sessions.

The answers to our problems are within ourselves, but many of us don't want to look that deep, for fear of what we might learn about ourselves. It is always easier to blame outside forces for our problems. However, closing down outside distractions and listening to our inner voice is natural medicine.

Who knows? You could actually find yourself and your identity. This could lead you to make changes and put ideas into action. All of this progress could happen as a result of you making a "meditation appointment" with yourself. It only takes 20 to 30 minutes a day for a single meditation session.

There has never been a better time to meditate than right now. People have so much "going on," these days; the only time they stop is when they are sick. The problem is how busy will people be in 20 years from now? Now you see why having downtime is so important.

Information about meditation techniques is widely available in books, DVD's, and CD's. You don't have to join a monastery, and live according to a strict moral code, with multitudes of rules, but you do need the self-discipline to continue a daily practice.

Strangely - self-discipline, alone, will keep the masses away from this ancient practice, which has survived a battery of tests and modern scrutiny. This is amazing when you think about the rewards of self-mastery, contentment, and mindfulness, which result from daily meditation practice.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Exercising During Pregnancy Through Yoga and Aqua-Gym

Yoga classes, tai chi, aquagym, Pilates exercises are part of the industry group charged, they are part and aerobics, spinning site, aerodance site, power lifting, etc. site., Except that only the first series to help women enumerated during pregnancy, providing them with easy exercises in the gym, special needs in the 9 months.

Yoga, for example, works directly with the mother's mind, succeeding in a high degree of concentration and relaxation increased in each exercise that she practices. Breathing, so important for pregnant women, is the bridge between body and mind. Learning to breathe properly, you will be able to remain lucid and will manage to easily relax contractions. Exercises aimed at muscle control, and tone, so the lower body muscles will be worked and stretched enough, allowing a smooth opening of the pelvis during birth. The mother will have control of her body stronger, toned, with good mobility, being able to relax completely. Maintaining the body in harmony, free of surface tension and pain, will rest better and, ultimately, will be ready to traverse the birth in an active form.

Aqua-gym as an alternative choice is very appropriate at this time. The force of gravity gets a new definition in water and therefore make it extremely low impact form of exercise in an optimum for pregnant women. Water is the ideal environment for any exercise, because it helps improve blood circulation, lowers blood pressure and regulate heart rate during exercise. Pressure on the back and joints is reduced, and the balance after these workouts is surprising: joint mobility is improved by at least 50%, as well as the ligament, increased muscle tone and good physical condition allows us to categorized it as a form of motion is indispensable both during pregnancy, and before or after. Water dissipates heat immediately eliminated from the body, which gives a sensation of coolness and relaxation, unparalleled in any other sport. In addition, prevents obesity, varicose veins, cellulite, ischemic heart disease, osteoporosis and rheumatism. To perform the correct exercises, the abdominal and back muscles need to be strained to avoid floating, giving the mom powerful muscles. Aquagym can be practiced until after birth and without any contraindication.

In terms of fitness-type anaerobic effort, however it is recommended that in the first quarter to be minimal effort, leaving free the next two quarters in which you can choose to exercise the right tone and cardio. During exercise, heart rate should be less than 134-140 BPM (beats per minute), and the effort may not last more than 30-40 minutes. In fitness, pregnant women should know they can not put pressure on the abdomen, also aimed at including balance exercises should be excluded from the training program, as well as those involving a cardio exercise suddenly (climbing stairs, etc. stepper site.). Otherwise, under the careful guidance of a specialist coach, pregnant women can achieve effective workouts in the gym.

You should know that complete procedures, which involve breathing correlated with that process and water (breathe in the air, exhale into the water) - to be eliminated in these months, so that all diving is prohibited. Mother apnea can let the baby without oxygen! Breaststroke swimming style and a head so much damage to the surface of the lumbar spine, and so sensitive due to extra weight.

However, childbirth is an athletic event for the pregnant woman must also train an athlete to run a marathon. Women must enjoy the changes that occur and to accept the exercises you can do in terms of these changes. The most important aspect of prenatal training is that women learn to know his own body, its reactions to effort, resilience and means that can accommodate the demands of pregnancy, but also of the job or their lifestyle.

Gigian Ciobanu is a General MD specialised in family, pregnancy and birth. He is a successful writer, having several books under his name. You can read more about evrting.com/working-out-while-pregnant working out while pregnant on his webpage where he has other tips for you to evrting.com/working-out-while-pregnant-1 exercise during pregnancy.

Easy to Follow Burn Fat Workouts

So, you've made a decision to do a workout to burn fat. You go to the book store and see hundreds of magazines or books with bold headlines with all these workouts that are supposed to be the best burn fat workouts since slice bread. You know that 9 out of 10 are just hype.

Good, easy to follow burn fat workouts are those that will include strength training and intervals, as well as light activity such as yoga, tai chi, pilates or just walking for 30 minutes on your off days. The idea is to have physical activity everyday.

And you don't have to have a great fitness level to start. Good burn fat workouts will allow you to begin according to your own level. For example, if you are new to exercise, or haven't exercised in years, then you will begin with bodyweight exercises and progress accordingly. If you have been training for a while, but want to take your burn fat workouts to the next level, then they will have choices for you like timed circuits, harder supersets, less recovery, etc.

Also, good burn fat workouts will include intervals, because they increase your metabolism and keep you burning fat long after your workout is finished. Again, if you are a beginner, then the interval will be a short, fast walk with a short easy walk. As you progress this will become a short, fast sprint with a light jog as a rest period. Ideally you will do your intervals right after your strength training. This will maximize the results for your efforts.

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How Much Do Yoga Classes Cost?

There a number of things that determine how much yoga studios and wellness centers charge for yoga classes. Across the United States, on average, yoga classes cost about $12 per drop-in session. Each of these sessions may cost anywhere from $9 to $15, depending on your location.

But if you're living in metropolitan or coastal areas it is not unusual to be charged as much as $18 for a drop-in, or maybe more. Rates go significantly higher, pretty much like everything else, as the cost of living increases.

Buying in Bulk

These are only drop-in fees. Of course you can get it for less when you buy in bulk. Again on average, you will save about 15% per session if you buy multiple sessions. That's like paying $100 when you sign in for 10 sessions, instead of spending $120 for dropping in on the same number of sessions.

In some studios you will find a variety of packages offered at fixed rates. A typical monthly plan entitles you to one class everyday for 30 days, but for only half the price of what you would otherwise pay based on drop-in prices. A package may offer specific classes only-under a particular instructor and during certain schedules. Be sure it is right for you before paying up.

Saving on Bundles?

With gyms, meanwhile, unlimited yoga classes are frequently bundled with membership. Such offers of total access are a good idea if you have the time to use the equipment and attend the classes. If you only have time for one, then that's the only thing you should pay for. When something is bundled, it doesn't necessarily mean it's free. You may be paying for it, too, albeit at a lower price.

Special promos and incentives affect the rates, as well. For instance, some fitness centers charge less for first timers even if they're just dropping in. Some even throw in a massage therapy or a Pilates training along with the yoga classes. Others offer seasonal discounts. Loyalty reward and referral programs are common schemes.

Additional Costs

There are inclusions that increase the costs. Studios may have reasonable rates per session, but also charge you for the lockers, sauna, mats and towels. Know beforehand whether you actually need such facilities. As for the mat and towel, which you do need, you may want to compare prices first. Yoga mats are priced at $25 to $80; microfiber towels are about $30 apiece.

All that said, how much your yoga classes should cost will really depend on you. How often can you go? How much are you willing to spend?

My advice: find the time and you will find the class that fits your budget. Just find the time. 

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Yoga in Practice - Practical Application of Yoga Knowledge

Practical application of learned skills, and knowledge, is the same with Yoga, and life, in general. You could train with the ten best Yoga Gurus on the planet, but if you do not apply the teachings of Yoga to your life, or the lives of others, you are only an encyclopedia of facts.

To be knowledgeable is a wonderful thing, but this is only a reflection of potential and not a measurement of success. Some people are very successful in life, but they are not brilliant at all. As a matter of fact, some are of average intelligence, and without a college education.

How is this possible? They applied their knowledge, and that of their mentors, completely. They saw an opportunity, focused completely, and used every possible skill to accomplish the end result.

A person with limited intelligence can easily accomplish much by making friends, creating partnerships, influencing, and applying what they have learned with complete focus. Should we give up and stop learning new ideas? Of course not, but we should see the value in applying what we learn.

For example: If you are going to attend a Yoga workshop, retreat, seminar, classes, or take a Yoga course, make sure that each aspect you learn will be applied to your life, and the lives of others, who you influence.

When you choose a Yoga teacher, Guru, or Swami, choose a person who is knowledgeable of techniques you want to put into practice. Otherwise, you are wasting your time, energy, and financial resources.

© Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. riyoga.com riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Yoga: An Ancient Art

Embracing the mind, body, and spirit is what an incredible yoga instructor imparts in these teachings. Yoga combines all these three disciplines to achieve a natural harmonious balance within. Offering insight on mental, physical, and spiritual aspects in life is what these classes hope to achieve. This Asian philosophy has gained popularity in the Western world making yoga classes a very lucrative business. Although trained yoga instructors see beyond monetary matters, conducting business properly is still something a yoga teacher must maintain.

A proper yoga studio is where a yoga teacher holds classes, as it has to be conducive to lessons in such a way that the atmosphere has good ambiance. Those who practice yoga don't mind traveling far for the lessons to ensure that they are able to attend classes offered by a certified yoga teacher. If you are searching for a certified yoga instructor, you can now make one available in your area by simply visiting the internet.

Many website provides services offered by merchant sites to those seeking to have yoga classes taught by a qualified yoga teacher in a proper studio. These merchants also offer other equipment such as clothing and accessories for exercising. There are those who experience posture problems that can be easily eliminated with taking yoga classes offered in a proper yoga studio. What helps to achieve proper posture is using a mat or a zafus when taking yoga classes.

Those seeking refuge from the craziness of everyday life can look into the different pastoral retreats that are being offered by our merchant affiliates. You will find that the prices included here are very affordable with amazing discounts being offered as well. Information on these holistic retreats is available in our site along with the name and credentials of the presiding yoga instructor.

Keep in mind that these sessions can help you in many ways. If, by chance, you are suffering from a certain condition such as osteoporosis, flatulence, bloating, hair loss, or even recovering from a stroke, you can assure yourself that these classes can help you improve your state of health.

When you find the right yoga instructor and yoga studio that fits your demands, then you are well on your way to achieving what you deserve. You don't have to worry yourself about traveling long distances; all it takes is to click here are say goodbye to your dilemmas forever.

The author felt in love with yoga when she started practicing yoga 2 years ago. She felt the tremendous health benefits she obtained with time. While going to classes she searched for some yoga accessories and comfortable clothing. She found on the web, wonderful merchants promoting yoga gear and she created the TheYogaOutlet.
If you are looking for some yoga clothing/accessories/DVD etc, you can have a look at her website and just browse at the listed merchants at theyogaoutlet.com home page

The Fitness Menu

Cardiff based Personal Trainer and Boot Camp guru Sam O'Sullivan gives the low down on exactly what options you have available to you in your current gym to get in shape in a time that suits you. Even if at the moment you don't realize it.

In this article, the South Wales based Fitness Expert will present to you 'A Fitness Menu', this will highlight the best options to get results within your health club or gym at a time that suits you.

Why is it that when people join a gym a 30 minute Induction, at best is used to help people get the results they joined for. Do we not get a choice on certain training options; Employing a Personal Trainer, Attending Group Exercise, an exercise programme to follow, a training partner or at least some guidance? Unfortunately it is normally little more than being shown how to walk on a treadmill, use the X Trainer and bike....not to forget the rower, if your lucky! Gym members are solely left to their own devices of boring, monotonous calorie counting exercise. Us Fitness professionals and personal trainers know this will not get you results in a million years of trying!!

When you go for meal, would you know what to order without seeing a menu...I didn't think so! If you're like me you may want to know the healthy options. Is spaghetti bolognaise available with a side order of mixed vegetables. You may fancy a steak, but what cut of meat and with what? Without a menu, it is almost an impossible task of picking the perfect option for you.

So why is it that when we go to a gym or health club everyone has the same meal - a 30 minute Induction? Surely we are all unique in terms of our personalities; our goals and how fast we would like to reach our goals differ; not to mention the type of exercise we enjoy.

I'm therefore going to present a Fitness Menu that will answer all your questions and that will allow you, to pick an exercise routine that is perfect for you.

Option one - Results Stupidly Fast

"A combination of 1:1 Personal Training and Group Personal Training e.g. Boot Camps".

Having a 1:1 Personal Training session means that the session is 100% specific to you. Research has shown you are 117% more likely to reach your goals with just one Personal Training session per week. A Personal Trainer will design a session based around current fitness levels, your health/fitness goals and your current posture.

Group Personal Training such as Boot Camps is fantastic for motivation. As with 1:1 Personal Training you are being monitored by a Personal Trainer, yet you are in a group setting that is amazing for maintaining high motivation levels. Kettlebell Boot Camps are becoming popular and are springing up in cities such as Cardiff and Newport, South Wales.

Option Two A) - Results Really Fast

"1:1 Personal Training"

Having a 1:1 Personal Training session on a weekly basis will undoubtedly help you reach your goals in a short period. Personal Trainers are highly qualified Fitness professionals. If your car breaks down or is damaged you contact a mechanic who is an expert in that department, do the same with your body; if it's broke or damaged let an expert fix it.

Option Two B) - Results Really Fast

"Boot Camps"

Signing up for a Boot Camp, is regarded as one of the fastest ways to increase fitness levels. This is for people who enjoy group exercise and can handle not having the close attention of a 1:1 Personal Training session.

You still get a Personal Trainer training you and the group exercise is fantastic for motivation as there could be 20 of you all busting a gut and training hard.

Option 3 - Results Fast

"Regular Group Exercise"

Regular group exercise of a varied sort will help you get results pretty quick. You don't have the expert Personal Trainer or Boot Camp Guru at hand but group exercise instructors still have good knowledge and can certainly assist you with your exercise goals. However to get results do not do the same class day after day, but mix up your classes to challenge your body. Include Cardiovascular classes such as Spin, Weights based classes such as Body Pump, as well as flexibility and posture based classes such as Thai Chi, Yoga or Pilates. This will challenge your body on a multidimensional level.

Option 4 - Results

"Training Partner"

Research has shown that by having a training partner you are 33% more likely to visit the gym and 28% more likely to reach your goals. So having a training partner is a great way to keep you on track. At your gym, speak to fellow gym members and ask somebody if they would be interested in training with you. With the benefits of a training partner, it definitely worth a try.

Option 5 - Possible Results

"Training Alone"

Training alone is hard, getting results come down to the individual. If you are currently training this way, you are probably on the very, very slow road to success. Calorie counting and the same monotonous gym routine day after day and week after week. Happy with the way you are looking then great, stay here and be happy to maintain, but up the menu are fast track, fun options to a Newer, Leaner, Fitter You. Happy with this meal...hmmm, as a regular to this restaurant and an expert I really do recommend you try another meal.

Life is all about choices. What meal you choose in a restaurant, where you shop, what clothes you wear....it's all about personal preference and choice. The gym is no different.

At the gym you can order a Personal Training session on a weekly basis and also sign up to a Boot Camp; this is the equivalent of a steak at Harrods, which leaves you full and satisfied on every possible level. Alternatively you can find a training partner someone similar to yourself, someone with similar exercise goals and just like a McDonalds Happy Meal, find that it does the job.

Or you can slave away training alone and go hungry only to find that this can't go on any longer, before enough is enough and your sick to death of not seeing results.

Following this article, If you are training alone I hope I've saved you. Speak to a Personal Trainer, find a Boot Camp and get signed up for fast results or as a minimum expectancy find a training partner or attend group exercise...don't be contempt and happy to maintain what you currently have. Lets aim for the stars...if we land in the sky then great. Let's not aim for the sky, as we may end up in the clouds, let's not leave it to chance...take action today.

Healthy Thanks

Sam O'Sullivan (South Wales, UK based Level 3 Advanced Personal Trainer)

Sam O'Sullivan is a Personal Trainer and Boot Camp Guru based in Cardiff, South Wales, UK. He is the creator of the highly successful SOS Executive Personal Training Company and Cardiff Kettlebell Boot Camp. His knowledge, enthusiasm as a Level 3 Advanced Personal Trainer with his innovative approach to training has changed many of his clients lives.

For more information on 1:1 Personal training Cardiff and Boot Camp Classes Cardiff follow the links below:

[SOSpersonaltraining.com] For personal trainer cardiff known for getting his clients in shape in record time.

If you're looking for a [SOSpersonaltraining.com] Personal Trainer Cardiff then be sure to check out this site

Fitness Coach Warns Golfers AGAINT Yoga and Pilates

The resurgence of the so called mind/body exercise regimens such as Yoga and Pilates have filtered their way into many athletes' training program in the hopes of improving their athletic performance. Rafael Moret, CSCS, sport performance coach and owner of [MiamiGolfFitness.com] , says it may be one of the biggest mistake athlete, especially golfers, could make.

"Golf demands a high degree of dynamic flexibility performed explosively at very high speeds. Activities like Yoga and Pilates don't address these demands and can even be destructive to the function of the muscles and tendons," says Moret. "In high speed activities like golf, the tendons function like springs or rubber bands to produce club-head-speed. The slower, more passive flexibility in Yoga and Pilates robs golfers of the elasticity that they need to drive the golf ball to the best of their ability and to conserve energy." Moret utilizes a 4 step system that includes injury prevention exercises, strength training, golf specific exercises and sport specific stretching designed to help golfers achieve optimal flexibility and improve their on-course performance.

Rafael Moret has been featured on a number of websites world-wide that include interviews outlining his New Miami Golf Fitness Program and original articles covering physical conditioning and preparation for golfers. Rafael has helped golfers of all levels: all over the country improve their golf abilities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rafael Moret is a nationally recognized authority on the subject of fitness. His web site, [MiamiGolfFitness.com], provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you'll need to know about golf conditioning.

Yoga and the Economy, Part IV - The Economy of Yoga (Mind Work and Breath Control)

So far on our exploration of yoga and the economy/the economy of yoga, we have looked at how yoga, the most economical of wellness systems ever created, can help humans through economic hard times. I noted that when our economy is as weak as this one, it is likely our individual economies lose strength.  We need to attend to exercise, mind work, and diet in order to get and keep our personal economies-of-one strong. 

In the last article, I offered physical and breathing exercises that, if you are short on time or money, can put you on the path to strength, flexibility, and balance.  Today, we'll look at a second part of the yoga wellness package:  mind-work and breath awareness.

Even if you are exercising regularly these days but are experiencing more stress than before the economy plummeted, you are at risk of personal economy-of-one downturn.  As we know, exercise takes us a long way on the path to physical and mental health, and when done with breath awareness, can take us even further.

But what if yogic exercise with breath awareness is not quite enough for you these days?  What if, like a good friend of mine, you are not sleeping well? What if you are feeling depressed or anxious or worried, and what if even one hour of sun salutations a day is not completely helping you handle your reactions to the world, or what if you do not practice yoga at all but have an exercise regime and still find yourself suffering emotionally or mentally from this recession?  What if you do not care for exercise of the body but want to start doing something to help you?

Yoga offers a solution for all.

Exercising the mind is as important, if not more important, as exercising the body.  It is crucial that we exercise our minds the way we tune our cars at the mechanic's, or tune our bodies in yoga asana class.  A strong mind, simply put, helps us create and maintain healthy emotional and psychological perspectives.  Our ancients knew all about this and created within the system of yoga thousands of years ago two (out of eight) entire limbs of study dedicated solely to mind work. 

There are many, many mind-training exercises and systems in yoga. An internet search or a search on You Tube using keywords such as 'pranayama', 'meditation,' Yoga Nidra' or 'dhyana' will fill your toolbag with tools for calming and strengthening the mind to function at its optimum.  Today, I will instruct you on two  of my favorite tools:  Alternate Nostril Breathing and Yoga Nidra.

1) Alternate Nostril Breathing (or Anuloma Viloma or Nadi Shodhana) is a deeply relaxing breathing exercise involving a mudra (hand position).  It brings a balance of prana to the body, balances the right and left sides of the body, calms the mind, and prepares us for meditation or quiet sitting.  It is a fantastic breathing exercise to help you relax, sleep better, and feel overall relief from emotions that do not serve you.  Practice regularly.  You will notice the difference in your life.

Sit in a comfortable position on the floor, against a wall, or in a chair.  Place the right  hand in Vishnu mudra and rest that elbow in the palm of the left hand, arms and shoulders relaxed and to the sides.  To create Vishnu mudra, tuck the second and third fingers in the palm and leave the thumb, ring finger, and baby finger extended and relaxed.

Raise your right hand to the face and turn it to face you.  Close off the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril, engaging long deep breathing (see article three in this series for detailed instructions).  At the top of the inhale, close your left nostril with the ring finger.  Now you have both nostrils closed.  After about six seconds, exhale through the right nostril.  That is one round.  Do a round to the other side:  inhale right nostril (left nostril is still closed off), hold the breath, and exhale left nostril, closing off left.  You can do as many rounds as you wish.  Make your inhales, exhales, and holds as deep and even as possible without any strain at all in the body. 

2)  Let us now look at Yoga Nidra.  Yoga Nidra, an ancient meditation practice, helps restore physical, emotional, and mental health by way of deep, guided relaxation.  It is one of the least explored yet most beneficial of meditation practices and is available to everyone regardless of physical ability or age.

In Yoga Nidra, ('yoga' in Sanskrit means 'unity' and 'nidra' means 'sleep'), the body and mind are neither fully awake nor in a sleep state but, rather, are calm, still, and quietly aware.

Yoga Nidra has many benefits.  It reduces stress, improves sleep, boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, brings balance and harmony to the hemispheres of the brain and nervous system, promotes higher consciousness and inner peace, and helps us drop our unwanted behaviors and habits.

Physical relaxation, breathing awareness, affirmations, and visualizations are the basic techniques employed in a Yoga Nidra practice.  Yoga Nidra sessions range from about 5 to 45 minutes in length.  The longer the session, the more work the mind does, but even a five minute session has been proven to be of great benefit to practitioners. 

Yoga Nidra is a meditation you listen to.  If you cannot find a Yoga Nidra teacher in your area, purchase a CD or download and listen regularly. (My 71 minute Yoga Nidra CD, containing four Yoga Nidra sequences, is available at my website listed at the end of this article.)

In the final article of this series, I will focus on the third part of the 'big three' in a yoga wellness package geared toward a troubled economy.  I will talk about most yogic, healthy, and economic diet on the planet and how it can help you, others, and the planet's health:  raw foods.

Marcia Camino is a registered yoga instructor and founder of Pink Lotus Yoga in Cleveland, Ohio. She teaches yoga to adults and children at all levels of fitness and loves to carry the message of the many benefits of yoga to all. pinklotusyoga.com pinklotusyoga.com

Work - Life - Balance

In this article

A/ Why Balance and what does it mean?

B/ The Skills You Need for Healthy Work Life Balance

C/ Why Balance time can Fail to Regenerate.

D/ 5 Keys to Healthy Balance.

E/ Questionnaire - How do you rate for Balance?

Why balance and what does it mean?

You understand the need for balance. When you lack it, you burn out and fail to meet your commitments. That's called stress, and you know when that has taken over. The joy goes out, your heart closes. Nothing seems to be fulfilling.

So, balance is one of the important lifestyle choices we make. And it also feeds the diversity of demands on our time. Children, partner, health, personal interests, sport, spiritual and career. We want balance because we want to be holistic human beings, rather than robots, and just a means of production.

There's also the diversity of emotions to consider. We need this diversity so that we get to express a healthy range of feelings. Sport, play, love, creative, logic, passion, kindness, care, anger and more...

So, balance has to be a critical ingredient of our lives. There's also the balance between soft and hard. Between those times when we can surrender and just be ourselves and those times we put on the public mask. I think the term is down time, or my time.

I'd like to draw your attention to a few anomalies in the classic concept of achieving the above because my observation is, that it takes a hell of allot of downtime to balance a really stressful job. And the second one is, that the desire for balance is infinite but it doesn't take much, after a holiday or some long break, to whip a person into emotional overload. So, it appears that it is the quality of this balance time that needs to be addressed as well as the amount of it.

In fact, my observation is, that people do things in their downtime, in the interest of balancing their "up time" that are quite toxic. So, in fact the balance time is reactive rather than productive.

There are some really important skills needed to ensure the quality of downtime.

They include, but aren't limited to:

1. Active relaxation

2. Emotional clearing

3. Spirit (inspiration) regeneration

4. Youthful play

5. Self Awareness

6. A regenerative activity

There are many reasons why balance time fails to regenerate energy.

They include, but aren't limited to:

1. A nagging partner

2. The use of alcohol or drugs to calm the nerves

3. Too long a time between uptime and downtime.

4. Television as a means of relaxation

5. Extreme stress in the uptime mode

6. Lack of fun in the downtime activity

7. Emotional drama that carries over

8. Lack of metabolic increase during downtime (flushing)

9. Excess eating, sleeping or partying.

10. The inability to break away from the problems of the uptime life.

11. A deep, pervasive emotion (anger, resentment or hate) for something in uptime.

So, the keys to healthy balance management include:

1/ Don't wait too long.

The longest period between balancing sessions should be around 4-8 hours. Those are conscious time outs during which you: switch off, remain calm, distract your mind, stimulate your breathing, calm your nerves.

Meditation is hailed as one of these practices. Yoga is another. However there are hundreds of ways. What you must be careful of is to make sure you avoid any of the following in that list; eating, drinking, sleeping, talking, doing nothing, slow walking. These are the classic, half measures in balance. They don't work.

2/ Do learn mind control techniques that achieve:

Emotional clearing, inner calm, rest, refreshment of the brain, breathing techniques, focus and re inspiration. These are what we teach in Innerwealth Technology.

3/ Don't do nothing.

Putting your feet up on the desk might feel relaxing but if you are, for example, dehydrated before rest, then you'll be dehydrated after it. You need active rest techniques that really cause recovery. These are taught in most meditation classes, yoga classes and others. You might find them challenging at first, so, the benefits might take a week or two to flow. But they will flow and make your rest, active.

4/ Don't include your relationship in the downtime management cycle.

Your partner does not want you to turn up in their life for the purpose of downtime. You might think that your relationship is part of your downtime space but it is absolutely not. In your relationship there are uptime and downtime spaces. So, be very careful.

I have seen more relationships struggle because of this one thing than all the rest put together. If your uptime management is so challenged that home is the only downtime space you give yourself, then your relationships will fail. You'll be trying to please yourself (take time out) please your partner (give them enjoyment) and recover from your stress (active rest). These are three competing forces. Incompatible.

5/ Do get outdoors

Recovery is nearly automatic in nature. In a park, a garden, a forest, on the ocean, near a river. The list goes on. However, you have to be doing something. Take a photo, throw a Frisbee, play football, skip a rope. Just taking a basket of food and some wine out into nature is fantastic but don't include that in your balance downtime. Include it in your relationship uptime.

Conclusions

Everything needs to be fed. If you don't feed something it dies. So, you obviously know that you need to feed your work. You also know that you have to feed your relationship. If you have children you know that you have to "put in" with them in order to give them healthy emotional nurturing. So, there's the feed out. Now, what are you going to do to feed the source. If you feed your work, your relationship, your children, your family, your friends, your body, your mind - how are you going to balance all the output?

We've mentioned that waiting more than four hours is a killer. Some people wait a week and say "boy I am looking forward to the weekend" - and even worse, other people say "only 6 months till my annual leave, I just can't wait" - That's disaster in the waiting because in the meantime that person will use their relationship, their children and their health as a means of downtime relaxation. That's sucking the blood out of things that we need to be investing energy in.

So, learn to balance your life on the run. Learn the skills of putting back what you put out. Don't do it with food, parties, TV or sleep. Do it with active rest, positive mind clearing, fun and most important - get outdoors, actively.

Here's a questionnaire.

Score yourself on your upside demands first.

The demand score?

Score10 for 100% Yes. Score 0 for No. Score from 0 - 10 for in between.

1. Do you hate your job? Score "0 to 10"

2. Do you have emotional conflict at work? Score "0 to 10"

3. Do you have high conflict for your boss (can be non verbal)? Score "0 to 10"

4. Do you have too much to do and not enough time? Score "0 to 10"

5. Is your company going through change? Score "0 to 10"

6. Are you hoping for turnaround/change in your work? Score "0 to 10"

7. Is your office open plan or closed private? Score "0 to 10"

8. Do you spend more than half your working day in an office? Score "0 to 10"

9. Do you travel by plane more than once a week? Score "0 to 10"

10. Do you spend more than two nights a week away from home? Score "0 to 10"

11. If you don't perform well in your job, will you be fired? Score "0 to 10"

Now add those scores......... total between 0 and 110? This is your demand score...

The balance score?

Score 10 for 100% Yes. Score 0 for No. Score from 0 - 10 for in between.

1. Are you happily single or in a really healthy, happy relationship? Score "0 to 10"

2. Do you have any dependent children? Score "0 to 10"

3. Are you healthy? (weight, fitness, etc) Score "0 to 10"

4. Do you meditate or do active rest daily? Score "0 to 10"

5. Do you have a process to clear your negative emotion that works? Score "0 to 10"

6. Do you get outdoors for exercise daily ? Score "0 to 10"

7. Do you drink alcohol or "party late" less than once a week? Score "0 to 10"

8. Are you sleeping 6-8 hrs a night without medications? Score "0 to 10"

9. Do you watch less than 2 hours of television a day? Score "0 to 10"

10. Do you have loving friendships, partner and home life? Score "0 to 10"

11. Is your private time free from drama? Score "0 to 10"

Now add those scores ....... total between 0 and 110? This is your balance score...

Score - Are you Balancing your Life?

Simply add the scores and see how you rate. If the differences between the two scores is greater than 30 points you need to adjust your lifestyle. If your balance score is higher than your work score, you can give more out. If your balance score is less than your work score, you're burning out. Change is essential.

* If the scores are equal you are doing good

* If the overall scores are above 75 and within 30 points of each other you are in the success zone

* If the overall scores are below 50 and within 30 points of each other you are in the comfort zone

* If the overall scores are below 30 and within 30 points of each other you probably need to get a life.

Innerwealth is an Australian company based in Sydney, NSW. It was created in 1986 to offer training programs in self management. Innerwealth clients are organisations who want to incorporate higher consciousness in their self management training programs. There is now a global community of people; in corporate, communities, governments and family business who integrate Innerwealth self management techniques in their culture.

Innerwealth has proudly trained over 300 independent consultants throughout the world. These consultants now include the Laws of Nature in their consulting technology. Innerwealth, through its consulting team has completed over 5,000 training programs, and 15,000 training sessions. Some of those programs are extraordinary and include working with First Nation People in New Brunswick, Canada on social change in an indigenous community.

Innerwealth - Inner stillness - Inspired Thinking

There are many companies offering self help training, but Innerwealth training programs are different;

* Innerwealth training programs think holistically and therefore teach personal mastery for a whole life balance rather than separate pieces of a puzzle. We consider that great relationships and healthy self management are an integral part of good productive lifestyles at work.

* Innerwealth training programs are grounded in reality using the ancient laws of nature in a modern context. Innerwealth workshops emphasise self responsibility in group dynamics, therefore we support independence not guru worship - we guide clients and teach the principles so our clients never come back; because they don't need to!

* Innerwealth training is Australian based, so it's clear, simple, straight to the point. We share the ancient laws of nature - so the information clients get is "clear" - not based on fads, hidden religious agendas, judgements or one idea fits all, trends and academic ideals.

* Innerwealth training is not afraid of the soft issues. We don't play in emotional drama but share process that honours the fact that people do have emotional ups and downs, and from that place, we help them deal with it.

chriswalker.com.au chriswalker.com.au Chris Walker is a world leading change agent, an environmentalist and author of more than 20 books. Born and bred in Australia, he consults to people and organisations throughout the world on improved relationships, health and lifestyle through the application of the Universal laws of Nature. The result he offers is that we stay balanced, share loving relationships, work with passion, enjoy success, and live our personal truth. To learn more about Chris's work and journeys to Nepal, visit chriswalker.com.au chriswalker.com.au -- chriswalker.com.au chriswalker.com.au

Yoga For Fitness - A Practical Overview of Yoga For Your Physical and Spiritual Health

Practising yoga for fitness is a very effective way of improving your physical and spiritual health. This article provides an effective overview of this ancient art, allowing you to discover what yoga is and the benefits of yoga for you. So keep reading.

What is yoga and why is it so popular?

Yoga is an holistic, or complete system of fitness.

Holistic health is a concept that says all aspects of your needs -- psychological, physical and social -- should be seen as a whole.

Yoga brings together all these elements that make up life, so that without pushing hard, you can get body, breath, brain and mind working as one.

At a practical level a big attraction of yoga is that it can be tailored to suit anyone's requirements... from the elderly to the professional sports person. In fact, part of the rise in popularity of yoga has been helped by the fact that many professional sportsmen and sportswomen use yoga as part of their fitness training.

Stretching the muscles in controlled poses creates a flexibility that reduces the chances of torn or strained muscles on the playing field.

In other words, yoga for the sportsman and sportswoman assists with flexibility and helps reduce injuries. As such yoga can be used, with guidance, even by people who are injured and it will help recovery.

What are the benefits of yoga for you?

Yoga is in fact a low impact exercise which will increase your flexibility, reduce stress, improve mobility and increase strength.

This Yoga exercise combines deep breathing, stretching, strength & balance, and cardiovascular exercise

Yoga benefits include:

Better overall health, energy and vitality
Increased body awareness
A stronger and leaner body
Much more flexibility
Improved posture and muscle tone
Natural weight loss
Reduction of stress and tension and enhances the powers of relaxation
Improved focus, concentration and self control
Bestows peace of mind and a more positive outlook to life
Best of all, Yoga is highly therapeutic. Many ailments have proven to be relieved, reversed and even healed through the practice of yoga.

It doesn't matter who or what you are, where you come from, what you believe in, whether you are in perfect health or not, rich or poor -- yoga can be done by all and will only be of great benefit to you.

Yoga is, in fact, one of the best all-round body and mind workouts that you could possibly do.

In summary the question is why should the practice of yoga attract so many people. There is only one answer: because yoga works for fitness and it will work for you... by stimulating both your mind and your body.

As the old saying goes: "A healthy body in a healthy mind".

If you'd like to learn more information about how to practise yoga for fitness and for a healthier, more confident you, click here now: inspiredabundance.com/index.php/abundance-of-health/yoga-for-fitness-yoga-for-you yoga for fitness

Affordable Yoga Instructor Courses

Where can you find affordable, yet comprehensive training, to become a Yoga teacher? Are you are looking for a complete course which covers much more than a few dozen postures? Do you seek to learn about kriyas, doshas, chakras, mudras, mantras, contraindications, bandhas, and more?

The latest method in advanced Yoga training is online. It helps if an intern or instructor has study materials to work with at home, but it is nice to have access to a Yoga teacher community. This sense of community has been part of Yoga training since the beginning.

An online community and network of Yoga teachers, which can be found in a forum, will help interns find answers to puzzling questions. At the same time, access to videos and Pod casts, gives you coaching any time of the day or night.

For centuries, discoveries about Yoga were recorded in books. This is the traditional way many of us learned, at home, long before Video Cassette Recorders (VCR) were invented. We did not have the Internet, cable television, DVDs, CDs, or any of the latest gadgets available.

The traditional home study method, based on books, worked, but it was missing that sense of community and contact with your teacher, tutor, or mentor. You could always pick up the phone, and make a call, but maybe you live in a different time zone.

Email access has changed everything. With Email, you do not have to worry about disturbing anyone. Long distance telephone plans are much less expensive than they used to be. With improved communication, and the power of the web, Yoga distance learning is easier, and more affordable, than any other method.

© Copyright 2009 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. aurawellnesscenter.com aurawellnesscenter.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

Yoga, the Savior

In last 15 years, Yoga has proved to be the light of my life. It has helped me change my basic attitude towards life from that of being a mere spectator to a doer. It has pioneered the process of gaining faith in life. Yoga cured my lifelong trouble of sinusitis, which I had thought I would have to live with forever. Even though I do not have bodily flexibility to get into pretzel like poses, Yoga still bestows me with peaceful, healthy feeling and physical vitality. Most of all, it has taught me to trust my body to progress without deliberate attempt.

How Yoga helped me cure attack of hives

In the month of October of 2007, I suffered my first hives attack along with face edema. My face had blown up like a balloon. Instead of running to an emergency room and going on steroids since I had become highly allergic to Benadryl, I decided to self-heal. One of the three principles I applied was that of increasing blood circulation to get rid of the swelling of the face. In order to increase blood circulation, for next 2 weeks, I did Shirsasana (Head pose) twice daily for 10 minutes each. I also did my regular quota of other Asana everyday. The results were astonishing. My face, that had become the size of a watermelon, regained its normal shape after two weeks.

Curing sleeplessness and sinusitis with Yoga

In 1995 spring I had started teaching Yoga at a nearby gymnasium. At the end of the session I used to give instructions to go into Shavasana (the corpse pose). The class loved that pose. Almost everybody used to fall asleep during that Asana at one point or another. Soon I started using those instructions on myself when I could not fall asleep at night. It worked wonderfully. From that time, I rarely suffered from sleeplessness.

Yoga helped me in another great way. Since childhood I suffered from severe sinus trouble. Back home in India I used to take Aurvedic or Homeopathic medicines everyday to control my symptoms. After coming here, I was a bit concerned about my sinus trouble. Should I order a shipment of medicines from India or should I switch to over-the-counter drugs from US for this ailment, I was pondering on this question. Meanwhile for a month or so, I had increased the number of exhalations in Kapalbhati (Shuddhi Kriya or Cleansing process) from 100 to 300. One day I finished 500 exhalations and it worked like magic. All of a sudden my sinuses felt very light and I felt very fresh and I was able to breathe easily. The clogging and feelings of heaviness were completely gone. I thought it was a miracle. Till that moment, I could not think of a day when I felt this fresh and light.

Ever since then I started doing Kapalbhati for 15 minutes every day along with Udiyana Bandha (abdominal lock). I can now say that I no longer have sinusitis. I do get allergies occasionally, however not on a daily basis.

These two miraculous events did not just help me cure physically. They were kind of a mental bolster or an awakening for me. By nature I am a passive introvert type of a person who waits for things to happen to her rather than making things happen. These two events showed me that situation can be changed with persistent efforts and miracles happen.

Spiritual, moral and physical benefits of Yoga

I think that practicing Yoga for some time has prepared me for spiritual practices such as meditation, visualization and prayers. In fact this is the reason why the physical practice of Yoga is considered a step towards meditation, concentration and ultimate union with God in the philosophy of Ashtanga Yoga. Yoga has given me a boost of optimism and sense of control by curing my sleeplessness and sinus trouble. When I feel out of focus, I do Parvatasana (mountain pose). I noticed that in this pose, when the palms are held together in a prayer pose, it helps me calm down remarkably and there is better focus.In general, when I maintain an Asana for a long time, there is a cooling sensation in the eyes as if an air conditioner has started in the body and a pleasant taste in the mouth. It helps me relieve any kind of negative emotions I have. Whenever I feel tired or out of sorts, I do Yoga and I feel fresh and energetic.

After doing Yoga for a long time, my weight has stabilized considerably. Dhanurasana (bow pose) and Bhujangasana (cobra pose) help me control spondylytis symptoms. Regular practice of Pranayama and Kapalbhati helps me keep my blood pressure normal, relieves spondylytis pain in addition to keeping sinus trouble at bay. Since 1995 to 2005, due to an emotional trauma, my binge eating habit was gone out of control. I was 50 pounds overweight. My body fat ratio was out of whack. However, my blood pressure and pulse rate were astonishingly in the healthy range. I owe this to the Kapalbhati (Yogic cleansing of breaths) and Udiyana (Abdominal lock).

Precautions

I am assuming that you already have training in Yoga. If you do not have it already, you can take a class in the nearby gymnasium or learn it privately.

It's always better to go to a class initially even if you feel that you have learned all new Asana. The purpose of going to a class is not just to learn new Asana but also to have someone monitor your practice till you have enough understanding of the concept of stable and comfortable state of an asana. When practicing at home, there is always an element of overstretching yourself in order to get to a perfect stage. Going to class will keep a necessary check on the temptation to overdo. However if you have illness that makes it difficult to do any Yoga poses, please consult your doctor to know if you can do Yoga at all. In all other cases, I would say that if you practice Yoga at least for 30 minutes every day or every alternate day, it would help you considerably to stay healthy.

I wish you the best of health and peace.

For further reading, click on my website [healingwithalternativetherapy.com] and my blog [niveditasjournal.com]

Beginning an Exercise Program When You Have Parkinson's Disease

The 3 components of a total fitness routine.

Regular exercise is important for those with PD to help you stay strong and mobile and maintain your independence and reduce the risk of falls. A complete exercise program should consist of the following 3 components:

Aerobic/Cardiovascular Exercise.

The purpose of aerobic exercise is to strengthen the heart and lungs and it also helps you maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, biking, swimming and aerobic dance classes. Aerobic exercise involves sustaining the exercise for 15-30 minutes to a level where you are slightly out of breath and breaking a light sweat. A common technique to judge your level of exertion is the Rating of Perceived Exertion. On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being no exertion/asleep and 10 being completely exhausted) you should perceive that you are exercising at a level of 4-6. This means that you know you are working out but you are not exhausting yourself. As your cardiovascular system becomes stronger you will find that you do not get out of breath as quickly when walking or climbing stairs and as your lung capacity improves so will your ability to project your voice.

For those with PD there is a tendency to walk on the toes with a shuffling step and to hold the arms stiff when walking. Try to focus on stepping out with the heel first, toes flexed, and swing the opposite arm to leg.

Strength Training/Resistance Training/Weight Training

This type of activity aims to strengthen the muscles of the body. Strength training involves moving your muscles against some kind of resistance such as machines, free weights, tubing or even your own body weight. Unlike aerobic exercise, these exercises should always be done slowly and with control. Stronger muscles help you get in out of a chair or car, climb stairs, and lift/carry items such as groceries more easily. Stronger muscles will also help you lessen your risk for a fall.

Stretching/Flexibility/Range of Motion Exercises

These exercises are designed to increase the flexibility and range of motion in the muscles and joints. These exercises should be done after the body has "warmed-up" such as after aerobic exercise. Stretches should be held for 20-30 seconds each. Never bounce while in a stretch as this can lead to injury! Increased flexibility and range of motion makes everyday tasks such as turning your head to back up the car, grooming, putting on shoes, and reaching items in high and low places easier.

Tips to make exercise safe

Know any contraindications for any medical conditions you have.

This information should be provided to you by your doctor or a licensed physical or occupational therapist. Situations such as joint replacements, osteoporosis, heart disease and diabetes, etc. all have specific considerations in regards to exercise. Do your research before starting to exercise as this will keep you safe and provide a more enjoyable and efficient workout. If you are having trouble with your balance look for programs that provide chairs or railings to hold onto.

Use common sense and listen to your body.

Exercise should not hurt, it should help! Feeling a bit achy or stiff after exercise is normal, but pain is a signal that something is wrong. Never exercise to the point of pain and discontinue any exercise that makes your symptoms worse. You should never "feel" the exercise in your joints including the neck and back. Your body knows best. Use the feedback from your body to judge whether or not the exercise is right to do.

Suggestions to help prevent freezing.

Issues with freezing can make exercise challenging for those with PD. Some tips that may help include:

Try to quickly lift up the toes of both feet or swing both arms up to shoulder height. This may jolt the body into moving.

Count or speak out loud, saying '1, 2, 3, 4' or "step, step, step." Speaking out loud creates a rhythm that sometimes gets the body going again.

Sing or hum an easy song you know well. This also creates a rhythm for the body to follow.

Carry a small metronome to provide a constant source of rhythm.

A word about posture.

Having PD can mean that you have a tendency to lean forward at the hips and stand with your shoulders rounded forward. This postural habit can be corrected. Look for programs that emphasize movements that open the chest and pull the shoulders back. Try to limit participation in classes that involve movements that make you round your back and shoulders forward.

Lori Newell is an ACSM certified personal trainer and certified yoga teacher with a Master's degree in Health Promotion. She has been teaching fitness and yoga programs for over 20 years and specializes in programs for those with chronic illness. Lori is the author of The Book of Exercise and Yoga for Those with Parkinson?s Disease. It is available through Living Well Yoga and Fitness. Mention your favorite PD organization when placing your order and a portion of your purchase will be donated to them.

Yoga Asanas - Their Purpose

Mastering Yoga Asanas offers the third stage in traditional training in the 8 fold system prescribed by Patanjali often referred to as Ashtanga Yoga.

One aspect of the Hatha Yoga Asanas focuses upon the evolution of the physical make-up and the muscular development of the human form from its presumed aquatic origins, advancing to present man. The muscular system evolving through the various kingdoms is reflected in the symbolic Asanas which begin with such postures as the "fish" and proceed through the amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal stages until human muscle development is complete. Each asana exercises or utilizes a particular set of muscles corresponding to those used by the creature after which the asana is named.

Another important purpose of Asanas is to achieve physical health and longevity and there are a number of Asanas which are practised for this reason, the most important of which are listed under the article "21 Health Asanas".

However, the system of Asanas was developed through understanding that the attitude or the position of the body affects the mind just as a mental attitude reflects in the assumed physical stance or posture. What we now call "body language" in modern understanding is just a new awareness of an ancient principle. Aware of the intimate association between mind and body the Indian sages developed a system of Yoga Asanas to assist both physical and spiritual development and well being. Traditional training in Hatha Yoga encourages mastery of some or all of the 84 classic Asanas over a period of time. This demands skill in both strength and flexibility.

Together with this training in assuming physical attitudes is the development of the individual's thought and philosophy which reflects his attitude to life. He is encouraged to assume a philosophy based upon natural principles that will serve to guide him through life. It must be not only based upon the classical code of ethics (the Yamas/Niyamas) but directed from within by his own intuition. This mental attitude to life also requires strength and flexibility.

In addition to those that stimulate the physiological functions of the body there are others that correspond to human symbols of qualities and desired attributes of the human psyche that we wish for in our own character. These are represented in the Asanas and named after the god-like noble qualities which serve as our inspiration.

There are many other types of Asanas. Some are for purification, others for strengthening, steadying, calming the nerves, for lightness and flexibility, for balance, and for self confidence. Yet others are for spiritual use in meditation.

When assuming any Asana we must use discrimination and refrain from "performing" an attitude of body just for the sake of it, without having a reason and purpose. Practising the physical Asanas without deeper purpose will debase the system to a level of sheer acrobatics.

If you overstrain through wrong use of the Asanas, certain forces are awakened prematurely or damage is done to the fine network of vital channels, known as the nadis, which weave a fabric of vital energy protecting you from outside influences and detrimental vibrations. It is your shield of protection. Awareness of this etheric shield will come to you through patient observation of the body and correct application of the breathing and asanas.

The key to effective results from your practice is dependent upon the specific breathing you employ whilst holding the position as well as the duration that each Asana is held.

Understand the type of body you possess and learn to perfect it within any obvious limitations until perfect health is attained with the assistance of your teacher.

The 21 Health Asanas will be guide as they include the several required to keep the spine free - forward bending, back bending, side bending, twisting and inverted position and the comfortable seated position needed in order to practise Pranayama and meditation.

An important reminder of the essential simplicity of the system is that although 84 positions of the body may be assumed, and the challenge and mastery of them is admirable, the great Siva taught the first 4 as being Siddhasana, Padmasana, Simhasana, and Bhadrasana.

Western students enjoy testing their physical abilities in achieving the Asanas but attaining a position is just the beginning. We must be able to achieve a passive position, adopt the appropriate pranayama and concentrate our minds upon its purpose.

Sally Janssen is a writer, health educator and Yoga teacher well known iboth in Australia and abroad for her skill in demonstration of the Hatha Yoga practices and her wisdom in applying the principles of Raja Yoga -the study of the mind and consciousness. More details at essence-of-yoga.net essence-of-yoga.net.

Her book "Mental Fitness: A Complete Self-help Guide" explains the principles of mental fitness that can be applied by us all. The book may be found here: mentalhealthandfitness.com/blog mentalhealthandfitness.com/blog.