December 22, 2021

Bikram Choudhury And Hot Yoga

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories bikram yoga fitness health yoga
Yoga Session

There are currently over 1650 Bikram yoga studios around the world. Bikram yoga is a type of yoga that was introduced in the 1970s by Bikram Choudhury in California. In this practice devised by him, one is required to perform the same 26 hatha yoga poses for 90 minutes. Furthermore, this must be done in a hot room with a temperature of 41 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit), hence the name “Hot Yoga.” While any style of yoga performed in a hot room can be called “hot yoga,” Bikram yoga rooms are the hottest.

Bikram Choudhury has chosen eagle posture, tree pose, cobra pose, and other classic hatha yoga poses. One of the most significant aspects of Bikram yoga is that the poses cannot be performed in any random order. When doing Bikram yoga, you must follow a precise sequence. According to Bikram Choudhury, the main man himself, the poses are designed in such a way that new and fresh blood reaches all regions of your body in a methodical manner, including every fiber and organ. If the precise order is not followed, the same benefits will not be attained. Bikram yoga has a number of advantages, according to its practitioners. Because it’s done in a heated environment, you’ll be sweating from the beginning to the end of your session. This guarantees that toxins are removed from your body through sweat. Furthermore, the high temperature promotes blood flow and allows oxygenated blood to reach muscle tissue. This increases overall flexibility while also assisting in weight loss. Bikram yoga is also good for people who suffer from back pain or low blood pressure. It sharpens the mind and enhances physical and mental well-being. In some people, Bikram yoga can help with glucose tolerance, bone mineral density, blood lipid profile, arterial stiffness, mindfulness, and stress perception.

While there is evidence to support the benefits of Bikram yoga, there are also some risks associated with it. Many people believe that being in a hot environment for too long might cause dehydration, dizziness, and nausea. As a result, if you’re a beginner, you should practice under the guidance of an expert. At no point should you overwork yourself. The key to achieving the best results is to follow your trainer’s directions.

December 21, 2021

All You Need To Know About Prenatal Yoga

Author By - Carol Penn Categories fitness health pregnancy prenatal yoga yoga
A Mother’s Womb

Prenatal yoga is a form of yoga that is meant for pregnant women and helps them prepare for labor. If you follow the proper steps while doing prenatal yoga, it would positively impact your baby’s health as well. It essentially involves stretching movements and exercises. But what’s more important than physical training is the mental aspect of it. Being a mother needs a lot of emotional preparation and prenatal yoga helps in the same as well. Apart from that, it would help you improve your breathing and stabilize it to keep you calm during your delivery procedure. Reducing pregnancy-related stress and anxiety, improving muscle endurance and flexibility and alleviating back ache and nausea are some of the notable advantages of prenatal yoga. Moreover, you would also be able to connect with other pregnant women. Studies have shown that if you interact with people going through the same changes during pregnancy, it can help boost your courage. Discussed below are some important components of prenatal yoga. 

  • Breathing 

In prenatal yoga, you would be encouraged to take deep breaths slowly with the help of your nose. This would help you keep your breathing steady while you’re in labor when you might experience shortness of breath. With regular practice, you would face less fatigue after your yoga sessions. This is also a great way of boosting your stamina. 

  • Stretching 

The stretching included in prenatal yoga isn’t intense and fast paced. You would simply have to stretch your joints to make them more flexible. You can switch on some calming music to help you feel the process. You don’t have to overexert yourself while you’re performing the stretches. Perfection is not the motive. The key is to enhance the mobility of your muscles by not keeping them static as that can make them prone to injuries.

  • Poses Or Postures 

Prenatal yoga postures should be done as gently as possible. You would just have to move your arms and feet to hold positions that would make the process of labor smoother and less painful by improving your strength and balance. To help you further, you can make use of props like cushions, pillows, and blankets. These would provide you with support and reduce exertion. 

  • Relaxation

Like in every other form of yoga, cooling down is extremely vital in prenatal yoga as well. Once you’re done with your regular session, you should spend a considerable amount of time restoring your breathing rhythm and heart rate. This is the time for relaxation. You can either listen to some comforting music or simply focus on your own breathing. This time can be utilized for meditation as well. It is essential for pregnant women to spend some meditative time regularly, in their own company. 

December 18, 2021

Techniques Of Zen Meditation

Author By - Debbie Gobin Categories fitness health meditation mental health therapy zen meditation
Meditation

Zen meditation is a branch of mediation that is associated with spirituality. In this form of meditation, one needs to be in sync with the authentic nature of his mind. It involves decoding the true powers of your mind. The purpose of this form of meditation is to clear the mind of evils such as anxiety and depression by providing you with the actual perspective of how the human mind functions. Zen meditation has originated from the Tang Dynasty of China that existed during the 7th century. It is a Buddhist practice but with time, it spread to several parts of Asia such Japan and Korea. “A special teaching transmission outside the teachings; not established upon words and letters; directly pointing to the human heartmind; seeing nature and becoming a Buddha” are the words of Bodhidharma, a Buddhist master while he described Zen meditation. It does not simply involve the reduction of stress and anxiety, but it is connected to the deeper questions of life that often have no solid answers. These questions are explored to find out the nature of the mind. Some techniques of Zen meditation are mentioned below. 

  • Silent Awareness 

A very important aspect of Zen mediation is to just let the mind be. This is called “shikantaza” in Japanese that refers to “just sitting”. In this practice, you would have to allow your mind to simply be a passage wherein thoughts flow in and out, instead of reacting to them. You would have to let the thoughts pass without any sort of judgements, either positive or negative. You would simply have to refrain from any sort of feeling. Your goal would be to be free of all judgements and practicing meditation. This is important if you want to know how clear your mind can truly be and how freely can it function. 

  • Observing The Breath 

You would be expected to sit on a cushion, chair or mat while you are performing this meditation. You would have to hold the Seiza pose, Burmese or half-lotus before channelizing all your energy on one particular aspect of the meditation process, namely, breathing. You would have to focus all your attention on your breathing and the completion of inhalation and exhalation with your belly playing an important role. The more accurate your effort is, the faster would you notice desirable results. The motive of this is to make your mind feel more alert and attentive, thus regulating your emotions better. 

December 15, 2021

What Is Power Yoga?

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories fitness health power yoga yoga
Practicing Power Yoga

Yoga is an umbrella term for a wide plethora of fitness regimes, each having its own procedure and goal. Power yoga is one such form. As you can well understand from the name, power yoga is associated with developing power and strength. It was essentially designed for getting rid of calories from your body and promoting muscle power and cardiovascular endurance. It is the opposite of what yoga is conventionally thought to be. Power yoga does not include slow movements and postures. Instead, the movements of power yoga are extremely rapid and the key is being able to make the shift from one movement to another swiftly. The main distinction lies in the fact that the approach is not on individual poses but what matters is the flow with which one can move from one pose to the next. It is a part of Vinyasa yoga that has originated from Ashtanga yoga that is prevalent since the 20th century. However rapid power yoga might be, you need to remember that concentrating on your breathing and being mindful would still be important. Some of its vital benefits are as follows. 

  • Promotes Cardiovascular Health 

Studies have shown that since power yoga is swift, performing the poses effectively can increase your heart rate and keep it stable. This is extremely helpful for sustaining your cardiovascular health. This is because, if your heart rate rises while performing any kind of physical activity, there would be better blood circulation in your body and your muscles and organs would receive the oxygen that they need more effectively. In this way, your body functioning would become more efficient and your overall health would improve. Moreover, it would also help in keeping your heart strong and lungs stable. Controlling blood sugar levels, blood pressure levels, and cholesterol levels of your body are also important benefits of power yoga. 

  • Burning Calories 

This one is yet another essential benefit of power yoga. Since power yoga is associated with rapid moves, it gives you a cardio workout that is vital for burning extra calories and weight loss. Moreover, since it is also responsible for improving the efficiency of muscles and organs, it would continue the process of weight loss even when you are not working out. Also, if you have been unable to workout or involve in any kind of exercise for a while now because of your joint and back-related issues, power yoga would help solve those as well, thereby making you more active. What are you waiting for? Its time you begin power yoga and tread closer towards your dream of achieving a toned body.  

December 14, 2021

3 Yoga Asanas For Beginners

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories fitness health meditation power yoga restorative yoga yoga yoga asanas yoga poses
Tree Pose Or Vrkshasana

If you have just begun yoga, you would soon notice its benefits such as muscle balance, flexibility, etc, as well as the reduction of stress and anxiety. While there are several exercises and postures to begin with while you are starting out, in this article, we are going to talk about some common and popular exercises for beginners that are recommended by experts for a holistic development of your mind and body. Read along to know more!

  • Cat-Cow Asana

If you have issues with your lower back, chest or shoulders, the cat-cow asana is going to be extremely beneficial for you. It helps awaken the spine and get rid of back and shoulder ache. All you have to do is sit on your knees and hands, with the fingers rested wide apart. Your weight should be distributed evenly between your both hands. Next, take a deep breath and push your back upwards while bringing your chin towards your chest. You would be able to feel the stretch right from your neck muscles to the end of your spine. Complete the posture by exhaling and lowering your back gently to form the shape of a scoop. Your head should be tilted upwards before releasing it back. With regular practice, you are going to notice a considerable difference in the flexibility of your spine. 

  • Vrksasana or Tree Pose 

This is one of the most effective postures of yoga. Start by standing straight with your hands on your sides. Next, move your hands upwards and join them above your head to form the prayer position. Keep one leg stable and tilt the other leg upwards to rest your feet on the inner thigh of the fixed leg. Hold the position for about 30 seconds before repeating the same with your other leg. This is a great stretching exercise for your whole body. It would help stabilize your body and maintain body balance. 

  • Sukhasana

This is one of the easiest yet beneficial asanas for relieving your stress and refreshing you both physically and mentally. You would simply have to sit straight with your legs crossed. Place your hands on your knees, palms facing upwards. Next, close your eyes and do deep breathing. This is a very essential part of meditative yoga as well. You can start by holding the asana for a duration as short as 10 minutes. With time, you should extend the duration of the meditation for better results. This would have a positive impact on your body and mind as a whole.

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