Beginner's Guide to the Meaning of Hatha Yoga and Five Top Benefits of Yoga

Have you noticed the growing number of yoga studios and yoga centres advertising yoga classes for beginners in your neighbourhood?

Have you thought of signing up for a class yet shy away from attending as you feel you are too old, too stiff, or just too busy and tired to find the time to go?

Perhaps you are an athlete or regularly work-out in the gym and feel hatha yoga is too gentle for you to include as part of your exercise programme. If this is the case, did you know that many top sport Teams and athletes, for example, The Australasian Women's Cricket Team and Serena and Venus Williams have been known to include yoga as part of their training schedule, for improved flexibility and endurance?

What Is Hatha Yoga?

As a form of exercise, yoga consists of a programme of:

Stretching exercises,(known as asanas) which gently open and stretch the body, increasing flexibility, suppleness and strength.

Breathing practices (known as pranayama) designed to cleanse the body and calm the nervous system and emotions.

Guided relaxation to release body tension and promote a sense of well-being.

Meditation to help calm and focus your mind and encourage you to experience a sense of inner peace and calm.

What Does "Yoga" Mean?

The traditional meaning of the word 'yoga' originates from the Sanskrit word 'yuj' meaning to yoke, union, join together as one. Traditionally speaking, the goal of yoga is to achieve union, connection with the Divine. In more general terms, yoga is seen as a practical way to help you achieve a state of inner balance, wholeness and calm into your life.

Hatha yoga, is the generic term used to describe the different types of yoga and is one the most popular types practiced in the west. Iygenar yoga, ashtanga, Bikram (Hot) and Bhakti yoga are examples of other schools of yoga.

The word "Hatha" is made up of "Ha" - sun and "tha" - moon. So, Hatha yoga literally means sun and moon joining together as one. The sun and moon represents the masculine (sun) and feminine (moon) principles as the opposing polarities of life. For example, black and white, heaven and earth, active and passive, yin and yang. This emphasis on polarising opposites represents the duality of nature and the human desire to seek union, wholeness and balance between the mind, body and soul. When these are in balance, you have perfect health, energy and vitality.

What Are The Benefits Of Yoga?

As a yoga teacher with over seven years personal practice, I too had great apprehension when I first started Yoga. I was recovering from the loss of my dear cousin and my brother and sought yoga as a means of regaining inner balance and peace.

Like you, many of the students who I teach yoga are complete beginners. Initially they had lots of anxieties and worries.

However, after a few yoga classes they feel the practice has made a huge difference to their lives. They feel healthier, more alert and energised. The following five points are some of the benefits told to me by my students.

One: Yoga makes you feel more alive and energised. One student says she used to always feel tired and worn-out yet after her first session she felt like she could run a marathon!

Two: Yoga encourages you to listen and respect your body. Yoga is not competitive. In a class, you are encouraged to take your time and work within your own range of movement. It does not matter what other students are able to do, whether you can touch your toes or do a handstand. The emphasis is for you to be aware of how your body feels in the different poses.

Three: Yoga helps to gently release negative energy and tension in the body. Through the use of breathing exercises, known as pranayama, yoga allows the body to relax. As you relax, you feel calmer and more at ease in your body. A lot of students say this is the main reason why they enjoy practicing yoga.

Four: Yogic philosophy promotes tolerance and acceptance of all. Yoga encourages you to see the best in everyone and to be the best you can be. Some classes include meditation. In meditation, the mind becomes calm and quiet, which helps you to give you a fresh perspective on challenging situations.

Five: Yoga poses develop suppleness and strength in your body. This helps to relieve stiffness, joint aches and pain in the back, neck and shoulders. As your body becomes stronger, more flexible, you feel better and more able to do the things you enjoy.

So, there you go. Next time you pass a yoga centre and you are not sure whether to take a class, why not pop in and enjoy a hatha yoga class. You'll be glad you did. Email me and let know how you get on. I will be delighted to support you in your yoga practice.

Ntathu Allen, Hatha Yoga Teacher works with women who want a richer, more fulfilling life for themselves and their families. She inspires and supports you to take time-out from your busy schedule to release stress and nurture your mind body and soul. To find out more visit yogainspires.co.uk yogainspires.co.uk and receive your FREE Special Report - Ten Yoga Postures To Jump-Start Your Day when you sign up for Ntathu's Free weekly Yoga Newsletter on yogainspires.co.uk yogainspires.co.uk

Yoga Exercises For Children

Searching for a way to have your kids in the newest trend in body/mind health and fitness? A new way to encourage them to move, keep healthy and get conscious? Do yoga exercises with your kids. It is easy as well as its enjoyable!

What exactly is this type of yoga for kids? Yoga for children also supplies a complete body workout that enhances power, aerobic condition, balance as well as flexibility. It also enhances one's body consciousness, raises physical command and allows for body mastery. Because it requires a highly thorough and integrated approach, yoga produces a longer, slimmer and much more flowing body - also presently in vogue. Yoga for children likewise helps reduce anxiety, tension and exhaustion by means of its mindfulness, frequently quick movement and deep breathing concentration.

Many of us are already aware of the incredible data about being overweight and inactivity among children. Kids Yoga training uses appropriately challenging actual physical movement/postures, breathing in exercises, and relaxation strategies to help kids to build up much better body consciousness, power, versatility and dexterity. This type of yoga training for children is enjoyable, good, mindful movement that includes cooperative learning games, share circles and other dynamic activities as well as group/team operation.

This specific yoga is totally different from conventional yoga because the postures link in a flowing heat building way. We rest only if totally necessary. We warm up the body entirely with huge body moves prior to engaging in any complicated or versatility oriented pose. We incorporate health and fitness movements like sit-ups and push-ups, lunges and also holds. We create a cardio exercise by repeating a number of poses rapidly as soon as we're hot. We transition from pose to pose having a full body exercise focus, all body parts are worked equally. This is not your own mother's yoga exercise. Take note that you need to see medical help first before attempting to do any poses because it will help you take care of your body first before you get any injury.

Presently, more than four million children within the U.S. happen to be clinically determined to have ADD/ADHD. Yoga has been shown to help the hyperactive and attention-deficit kid as well. These kinds of kids desire movements and sensory/motor stimulus. Yoga helps funnel these types of urges in a good manner, instilling peace, confidence as well as stability.

Additionally, learners can carry this mindful motion skill into their daily workouts by selecting a suitable focusing or resting posture or breathing way to help keep focused and calm in challenging situations throughout the day. Since yoga is body-mind exercise, this conscious movement has other advantages as well. Targeted breathing increases oxygenation of the blood, which fortifies the defense mechanisms, aids in cell repair, and transmits more oxygen to the human brain to improve nerve function and calm and reinforce the central nervous system.

Fun Yoga Postures to carry out with your child: ( photos are now being delivered)

? Downward Facing Puppy

? Cat/ Cow

? Tree / Eagle

? Cobra

? Triangle

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 yoga conference meetups several times a year and is known yoga guru and mogul around the world.

How Do You Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle?

What is a Healthy Lifestyle? Having a healthy lifestyle requires that the mind, body and soul are all in harmony. This is a holistic approach that has been practiced in the east for thousands of years.

Living a healthy lifestyle means that you must have a healthy diet and you must also have a regular exercise regime. If you combine both of these, you lessen the possibility of disease or serious illness. Having a healthy eating plan is relatively easy. There are hundreds, if not thousand, of books that spell out what you should and should not eat.

We all know to avoid food high in saturated fats and reduce the levels of sugar and sodium in your daily intake of food. If you are not sure what you should eat, there are several free sites on the net that you can visit and learn more.

What form of exercise is best to achieve and maintain a healthy body? The answer to this can be very varied but the best form of exercise that you can do is some form of resistance exercise combined with flexibility training.

Flexibility training can be yoga, tai chi or pilates. Yoga is a series of asanas (positions) that help stimulate the various organs of the body while at the same time strengthening muscles, ligaments and tendons. Meditation is a big part of yoga and this is where you can achieve the harmony of the body, mind and soul. There are several types of meditation and it does not always involve being in a quite place.

The Buddhist monks are famous for their moving meditation. They meditate while they are walking and moving.

So if you want to read more I would suggest that you come visit my site.

Sue McDonald - Diploma of Remedial Massage, Diploma of Shiatsu/ Oriental Therapies, Diploma of TCM Remedial Massage (An Mo Tui Na), Certified Infant Massage Instructor, Master Degree Metaphysics and am aiming at finishing my Ph.D. by the end of the year. Interests are yoga and self improvement and learning Internet Marketing.

healthy-livingtoday.com healthy-livingtoday.com

Christmas Gifts for the Fitness Freaks

Creating gift ideas for Christmas is something a lot of us really find difficult. There are real life constraints. The recipient may not like the gift at all. And if you could find a stunning gift, it might exceed your budget. But if there are a few fitness freak persons in your gift list, here go a number of ideas, which will definitely be appreciated by them. And to top it all, these Christmas gift ideas are suitable for any size budget.

1. Fitness training DVD:

Fitness level among the Americans has fallen alarmingly. The modern lifestyle, junk food intake, and lack of exercise have contributed to rising number of obese persons throughout the country. A fitness training DVD usually has step-by-step workout instructions, live demonstrations and rhythmic background music. The recipient will play the DVD and follow the steps. These training programs usually require a particular level of expertise to complete the steps. So, think of the present fitness level of the recipient before considering this as gift.

2. happinesslifetime.com Weight loss programs:

If the recipient is eager to shred off a few extra pounds, the simple happinesslifetime.com weight loss programs will definitely help them. These programs mainly focus at routine exercise and controlled intake of food.

3. Health and fitness magazines:

There are a few health related magazines, which feature workout methods, diet plans, and inspirational stories to stay fit. Consider a full year's subscription as this year's Christmas gift.

4. Yoga books and accessories:

Yoga is different from aerobics exercises and gradually becoming more and more popular among people of all ages. Yoga does not require great level of fitness. In yoga, the trainee is taught to control both the breathing and postures. This is a particularly helpful gift idea, if the recipient is emotionally disturbed. You can consider anything from inexpensive Yoga chart to live video demonstration depending upon your budget and the recipient's skill. Besides, accessories like yoga mat can also become a useful gift for Christmas, if the recipient is already practicing yoga.

5. Fitness Equipments

This is a great Christmas gift idea for your family. Instead of going to gyms, ensure better health for all of your family members by installing fitness equipment like Treadmill, Ellipticals, or 'Exercise Bike' in this year's Christmas.

For more gift ideas and deals, please see couponboa.com/fitness-equipments-deals discount fitness equipments and couponboa.com/christmas-deals Christmas coupons

Isometric Exercises Defined and Explained

Isometric Exercise is a form of bodyweight training in which neither the joint angle nor the muscle length change. If you bring your palms in front of your body and press them together hard you are engaging in an isometric contraction. Although you may be applying tremendous force to your palms no joint (such as your elbows) is changing it's angle and therefore no muscle is contracting either. Compare this to an exercise like a bicep curl. When you perform this exercise the angle of the elbow DOES change and the muscle DO contract.

- Isometric exercise can be done in a variety of ways. These include: - Using the body's own muscle (e.g. pressing the palms together as I outlined above) - Structural Items - pressing against a stable object like a door frame or wall - Free weights, weight machines or elastic equipment - holding a free weight in front of you without moving it is a form of isometric exercise - The History of Isometric Exercises

Isometrics, or static strength training, have been around for thousands of years in disciplines such as yoga and the martial arts. During the early part of the 20th century legendary strongmen such as Alexander Zass and Maxick used isometric training to build their incredible physiques and great strength. Alexander Zass actually developed his own form of isometrics when he was captured by the Austrians during World War I. In his cell he began pulling and pushing on his chains in an effort to maintain his strength. To his great surprise however he discovered that this method of training actually allowed him to get stronger! He became so strong that he was able to bend his prison bars and break his shackles in order to make his escape.

During the 1960's isometric exercises were probably at their height in popularity. Famous sports stars like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris used them, as well as Bruce Lee and President John F. Kennedy. Bruce Lee because a dedicated practitioner  of isometrics when he sustained a serious back injury from lifting weights. There were isometric training courses available for purchase in every book store and newstand. This craze fizzled out though when the "Fad" crowd realized that although isometrics were easy to learn they in fact required effort to DO. Isometric exercises were not a quick fix as far as getting into shape (despite the titles that promised "The Lazy Man's Path to Superior Fitness").

The second reason for the decline in the popularity of isometric exercise is that they became associated with steroid use. Many of the most popular and well known bodybuilders and weightlifters had started to use steroids at this time. However when asked how they were achieving their strength gains they would often answer it was due to their use of isometric exercise. Although this was partially true they of course didn't mention their steroid use. When the truth came out the general public thought that ALL of the gains they had made was due to steroid abuse and none to isometric training. This was simply not true, but the public had their story and that was that.

Despite the fact that isometric exercises are no where near as popular as they were they are still a great exercise to perform. Some of the advantageous of isometrics are as follows:

They can be done anywhere They do not require equipment They are extremely safe They can be done extremely quickly They are fantastic for building strength They are great at sculpting the body

If you are looking for a way to get in fantastic shape in record time isometric exercises might be just the thing you are looking for.

David Nordmark is a Vancouver based fitness consultant as well as the owner and operator of animal-kingdom-workouts.com/index.html Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com, a fitness site with a unique twist. For more information on body weight workouts, yoga and animal-kingdom-workouts.com/isometric-exercises.html isometric workouts check out his website.

What Yoga Teaching Level Do You Start From and How Do You Progress to the Next Level?

Training to become a yoga teacher is exciting. People who become yoga teachers are generally those who have been practicing yoga for several years and have a basic understanding of the different aspects of yoga. Once you have completed your training, you may wonder what opportunities are available for you to begin teaching others the fine art of yoga.

A lot of this depends on your level of certification, if you have achieved certification, and what your personal goals are for teaching yoga. For instance, do you want to teach at a facility in your area? Are you willing to travel to find a teaching position? Or do you prefer to open your own facility and take ownership?

Certification Matters

When applying for a position as a yoga teacher at a facility such as a yoga studio, health club, college or retirement home, having certification is very valuable in landing your first job. Certification is not required in order to teach yoga in the U.S., but it proves that you know what you are doing and that you are trained teach yoga to others competently.

There are usually two levels of certification: a 200-hour and a 500-hour certification. You may teach yoga after you receive a 200-hour certification. Most teachers who want to advance their career as a yoga teacher will complete the 200-hour certification and progress to the 500-hour shortly thereafter.

Start Out Substituting

Sometimes the best way to break into yoga teaching is to become a substitute teacher first. If the facility where you attend classes will let you be a substitute teacher, jump at the chance. You might also find substitute gigs at local gyms, schools, health care centers and other places that offer yoga classes. Prove you teaching skills and knowledge while getting much-needed teaching time. It helps you become comfortable with teaching others on a regular basis. You may now put this facility down as a reference when ready to take on a permanent teaching position.

Opening Your Own Facility

Starting your own business may seem like risky business, and it can be. To ensure that you get students, you have to prove you have the qualifications to run your own studio. People will not flock to a new yoga studio without knowing they will receive proper training and care. Your best bet is to receive a certification through training, have references from past places you taught yoga instruction and a creative spirit that transcends your classes.

Becoming a Professional

You know that you have reached a pinnacle in your yoga teaching career when you want to take being a yoga teacher even further. One opportunity that exists for such individuals is training to become a yoga therapist. A yoga therapist not only holds certification as a yoga teacher, but also has a degree in traditional healthcare. Yoga therapy uses the body's own healing process, aided by ancient yoga practices, in health-challenged individuals.

Often times modern-day scientific techniques may be used in conjunction with yoga techniques to promote better healing. A yoga therapist earns a degree in Yoga Therapy. It generally takes two years or less to earn a diploma in this field. Yoga therapists may expect to find jobs at hospitals, healthcare facilities or operate their own yoga therapy business.

© 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

13 Killer Tips For Express Fat Loss

Although there is no magic formula for quick and, most important, healthy weight loss the following tips may bring you to your goal way faster:

Training

1. Weight training: Don't leave weight training out of your program! A good weight workout has an after-burn effect up to 36 hours after the workout! 4 to 5 intense 30-minutes-workouts a week wikk keep your metabolism at 100% 24/7!

2. Use more dumbbells: no modern hi-tech gym machine beats a pair of good dumbbells. More stabilizing muscles are used in free-weight training which has a double benefit: (1) You burn more fat by using more muscles. (2) You train these small stabilizing muscles and their cooperation between each other. This way you add more quality to your workouts than just "pumping" individual muscles without teaching them teamwork.

3. Kettlebell training also showed good results for a quicker weight loss as almost all principal muscles are used in these exercises. I'd say that 30 min kettlebell exercises burn 2x to 4x more calories than even dumbbell training. There are different sizes and weights. You could even improvise and build your own "kettlebells" from stuff at hand. I have used for long time 5-liter plastic water cans which could be used for dozens of different exercises. And you can adjust the weight, too, just by adding more water!!

4. Jog/run first thing in the morning. I found out that the jogging session doesn't have to be long. Even 10-15 medium-intensity workout 30 minutes before breakfast is enough to speed up your metabolism for the whole day. Plus, you won't be as lazy to wake up and go running when you know that the workout is not as "bad".

5. Know the reason. The aim of exercing in a fat-loss plan is NOT to burn as much fat DURING the exercise, but to speed up your metabolism just enough to burn fat constantly THROUGHOUT the day, 24/7. Moderation is the key. Overdoing just destroys your precious muscle mass that is dearer than gold while dieting: Only the muscles burn fat, nothing else. I feel pitty seeing all those peeps at the local gym spending hours at the treadmill and having worse results than me, who jogs 15 minutes in the morning and does 25 minutes weight training 5 times a week. Be clever.

Nutrition

1. Take at least 5/6 small meals a day. Split up those large dinners. Your metabolism (if you eat the right food) speeds up after each meal. By eating small throughout the day, you'll keep that engine running non-stop! After some time you'll notice that you get hungry every 2-2,5 hours automatically. That's a good thing! This means that your metabolism is at full pull! You may notice that you eat slightly more calories a day than before. Don't worry about that. As long as you eat healthy, the few extra calories don't matter.

2. NEVER feel hungry! Don't give your body a reason to store fat. It perceives even the slightest hunger as an indication of possible starvation and will save/store more fat "for bad times" at the first possibility (cravings to eat more / eat more junk-food). This is probably the most important but largely underestimated and wrongly done thing while dieting!

3. Drink good fluids, as much as possible: Water and tea. There are around 5 different theories of whoch I know that try to explain whydrinking more water helps you with weight loss. Maybe it's a combination of them all. However, I think, the most important reason is the following: When you drink much water, your kidneys adjust to water "abundance" and don't have any reason to store much water as a reserve. And with less water under your skin, you appear "leaner". Appearances, but a good quick-fix-tip ;)

4. Watch what you eat! There are tons of useful articles that will give you an idea what is "right" food. As a quick-fix I suggest to cut significantly on simple carbs and even complex carbs by adding much, much more fruits and veggies (fiber). Try to take the good complex-carbs before and after any physical activity and limit yourself to protein and vegetarian food n other times.

5. Guarana, green tea and coffee are good metabolism-boosters. Just use them in moderation. =)

Other

1. Keep your stress in check. Stress is known to trigger cortisol, the junk-food hormone, that destroys muscles and puts you out of equilibrium. It's pure evil!! So stay cool. Take yoga, classes, if neccesary. Go for a walk in the afternoon. Leave everything behind for sometime. Do something you like once in a while.

2. Work on your sleep patterns. It's said that fitness has 3 key elements: exercise, nutrition and rest. You need to pay attention to all three. By leaving one out, the equilibrium is broken and the process is slown down. The only tip I can give here is get enough sleep and, even more important, don't take too much sleep, which is far worse!! The most useful tip I've ever got was to wake up at the same time EVERY morning (yes, even weekends) and go to sleep when you're tired (variable time). This will keep you in a natural balance and provide you with enough rest proportional to the day's activities. In a matter of two weeks you will notice a significant power boost which, again, will help you to burn more fats off your belly.

3. Moderation and persistence is the key to success in any area of life. This is probably the most important advise I can give you. Master these and you'll master everything else! Good luck!

Copyright (c) 2007 Roman Semko

bodytweaking.com BodyTweaking.com- home fitness

The philosophy of bodytweaking is that you can stay fit without spending money for useless equipment and expensive gym memberships. Stay healthy and fit for less. Non-commercial fitness. Ideas and tricks. bodytweaking.com Visit us anytime for more information!