Yoga - Yoga for kid | bikram yoga | Health | Meditation

Gaiam is a wonderful site full of informative articles and products that will help you create a healthier lifestyle.

We recommend Gaiam for all of your Yoga clothing, equipment and learning tools as they offer a wide selection of good quality merchandise that will increase the enjoyment of your yoga experience.

With numerous resources that you can find from the internet, it may be a difficult task for you to find a good yoga postures that will fit in your needs.

And people being more adapt to visual learning, it is much better for us to see the actual pose than to read out the complicated instructions on how to do this properly.

So we have searched through the World Wide Web and compiled all the best yoga poses galleries that can surely help you in your yoga needs.

YOGAGALLERY.NET
http://www.yogagallery.net

This website has good resource of yoga poses galleries. They provide yoga classes and workshops designed to increase employee productivity.

They are much more into mental and physical well being and the interests for optimal workforce performance.

They believe that yoga is a scientific discipline of removing or eradicating stress and tension and its source.

They’re yoga poses galleries exudes the belief that all tension both physical and mental, is stored somewhere in the body and true stress reduction is a matter of discovering how to release that tension on both levels.

They’re Yoga programs directly addresses tension in both the body and the mind. Our classes remove stress from both sources since tension in one area has a direct effect on the other.

SHIVJAG.CO.NZ
http://www.shivjag.co.nz

This website introduces you to the practice of Yoga, and to the Sunrise Yoga or much more known as the HATHA YOGA all of their classes are provided in Christchurch, New Zealand.

They also supply a range of Yoga products. They also have a lot of photos available on their yoga poses galleries which can really help you in your yoga posture needs.

This site’s yoga page provides information about sunrise yoga and Neti Pot for nasal cleansing.

The site provides general information about Yoga including coming events, and they also have a page offering books related to Yoga.

YOGAATWORK.CO.UK
http://www.yogaatwork.co.uk

This yoga site was founded by Phil Aston, a specialist in yoga which specializes in stress management and development.

They offer a good size of yoga poses galleries complete with instructions on how to do them correctly.

They offer a full holistic approach to mind and body health. Their proven record in helping people overcome stress and enjoy their lives is paramount in this approach.

Their yoga school is located 25 meters from the sea with views over Mount Bay and Saint Michaels Mount in United Kingdom.

Their Yoga poses galleries include pictures and instruction of some basic and expert’s yoga poses. They have in their Yoga poses galleries the following poses; The Triangle pose, the wheel pose, the side plank pose, lunging salute, the tree, cobra, the crane pose, the downward facing dog and other yoga poses.

For additional details just visit their site and see for yourself the other available yoga poses.

NOWANDZENYOGA.COM
http://www.nowandzenyoga.com

This site also offers an extensive list of photos on their yoga poses galleries. Their studio is located on the 4th floor of D tower in Cabotville, Chicoppe Center.

It has 1,200 square feet of space that is big enough for you to roll around. They have polished hardwood floors, large traditional south facing windows and big bathrooms.

They also have ample space for parking and the studio is accessible by stairs or elevator.

This are just a few list of yoga poses galleries available online, there are so many other sites that may offer a better list of yoga poses galleries compared to this site.

So don’t limit yourself to this list. If you haven’t found what you need on the listed sites above, just go around the net and search them on your own.

You can also visit My Yoga For Life to find more Yoga resources.

Tips and Steps to Keep up Good Yoga Posture

Keeping up a good yoga posture is all it takes for you to be able to keep up with a good yoga practice.

Yoga’s not only fine for achieving balance, developing calm, and making you elastic enough to make your body move to its utmost. A yoga posture can also build the inner strength.

Fighting the Cobra

This relieves slight pain in your back and tones abs

First step: Stretch out on your stomach with legs and feet joined in together. Plant palms on the floor below shoulders with fingers facing onward.

Second step: Next is to lift the upper body by gradually lifting the head and chest, just make sure that you keep your shoulders down. (Pelvis and thighs shouldn’t leave the yoga mat.)

The last step: Hold your pose for about twenty to thirty seconds as you breathe in even breaths all the way through your nose. Go back to your preliminary location and do it all over again.

Strengthens your abs

First: In the first yoga posture, you should situate yourself in a standing position with legs hip width separately, holding arms directly ahead with palms facing down.

Second: Twist your knees and squat if you want as if you’re about to sit in a chair in your classroom. Make sure to center weight in your heels, lock it and don’t bring hips lower than the level of your knees.

Third: Allow yourself to reach forward, and center your eyes in a straight line ahead while breathing in and breathing out all the way through the nose. Hold this yoga posture for about 20 seconds. Gradually go back to standing position, and then you can release your arms.

The Wind-Relieving Posture

This yoga posture stretches your spine and helps in the digestion of your stomach. It’s a good thing to have a good running stomach so that you will always feel fresh.

First: Recline on your rear or back. As you breathe in, drag your right knee near to your chest. Keep your left leg in a straight line and on the ground.

Second: push your shoulders and the rear side of your neck into the ground at the same time as firmly holding your knee. You can breathe for ten seconds only. This might be quick but seems longer when you execute it.

Third: Change the sides, while holding the left knee to your chest for about ten seconds. Complete this set by hugging both of your knees to your chest and holding it for another ten seconds. Do the set again.

The Upward Boat Posture

This strengthens your abs, improves your balancing ability, and also helps in digestion.

First: Sit down on the floor. Bend your knees and place feet flat on the floor.

Second: breathe in, bend back and raise heels off the ground, straightening your legs as possible as you can. Expand your arms with palms facing downward. If you find it difficult to perform, you can rest your hands beneath your knees for support. This may be a difficult yoga posture to perform but after a few practices, you will never have that difficulty again.

Third: while you hold the pose for thirty seconds, you should keep your back in a straight line, and make sure your abs are doing the work.

Practice this yoga posture all over again when you have time and you will find it easy to execute after you have continuously repeated it. A yoga posture can save your health, your digestion and your backbone so better keep it up.

The practice of Yoga brings with it many physical and emotional benefits that the majority of people are unaware of.

This article is quite long, so we have broken it up into two parts. The first part is an introduction to Yoga and a overview of the major physical and psychological benefits of Yoga, while the second part shows how practicing yoga daily can have a profound effect on your ability to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself.

Supporting a Healthy Lifestyle

There is some very interesting psychology behind this that students of western thinkers (e.g. Freud, Jung, Fromm, etc.) will find familiar and, indeed, quite rational. When an individual decides to be happy, something within that person activates; a kind of will or awareness emerges. This awareness begins to observe the jungle of negative thoughts that are swimming constantly through the mind.

Rather than attacking each of these thoughts – because that would be an unending struggle! – yoga simply advises the individual to watch that struggle; and through that watching, the stress will diminish (because it becomes exposed and thus unfed by the unconscious, unobserving mind!).

At the same time, as an individual begins to reduce their level of internal negativity, subsequent external negative behaviors begin to fall of their own accord; habits such as excessive drinking, emotional overeating, and engaging in behaviors that, ultimately, lead to unhappiness and suffering.

With this being said, it would be an overstatement to imply that practicing yoga is the easy way to, say, quit smoking, or to start exercising regularly. If that were the case, yoga would be ideal! Yoga simply says that, based on rational and scientific cause and effect relationships that have been observed for centuries, that when a person begins to feel good inside, they naturally tend to behave in ways that enhance and promote this feeling of inner wellness.

As such, while smoking (for example) is an addiction and the body will react to the lessening of addictive ingredients such as tar and tobacco (just to name two of many!), yoga will help the process. It will help provide the individual with the strength and logic that they need in order to discover that smoking actually doesn’t make them feel good.

In fact, once they start observing how they feel, they’ll notice without doubt that instead of feeling good, smoking actually makes one feel quite bad inside; it’s harder to breathe, for one.

Scientists have proven that there is a true physical addiction that is in place, alongside an emotional addiction that can be just as strong; perhaps even stronger. The point here is simply to help you understand that yoga can help a person make conscious living choices that promote healthy and happy living. This can include:

- quitting smoking

- reducing excess drinking

- eating healthier

- getting more sleep

- reducing stress at work (and everywhere else for that matter)

- promoting more harmonious relationships all around

Please remember: yoga doesn’t promise anyone that these things will simply happen overnight. At most, yoga is the light that shows you how messy things in the basement really are; and once that light is on, it becomes much more straightforward – not to mention efficient and time effective – to clean things up!

Emotional Benefits

Yoga has also been hailed for its special ability to help people eliminate feelings of hostility and inner resentment. As a result of eliminating these toxic emotions, the doorway to self acceptance and self actualization opens.

Pain Management Benefits

Pain management is another benefit of yoga. Since pain and chronic pain are conditions that affect all of us at some point, understanding the positive link between yoga and pain management could be invaluable.

It can also be financially valuable, since the pain medication industry is a multi-billion dollar marketplace and many people, especially as they age, find that their insurance or government coverage won’t cover some pharmaceutical and over-the-counter pain relief medications. The website www.lifepositive.com provides some illuminating information on yoga and pain management:

Yoga is believed to reduce pain by helping the brain’s pain center regulate the gate-controlling mechanism located in the spinal cord and the secretion of natural painkillers in the body.

Breathing exercises used in yoga can also reduce pain. Because muscles tend to relax when you exhale, lengthening the time of exhalation can help produce relaxation and reduce tension.

Awareness of breathing helps to achieve calmer, slower respiration and aid in relaxation and pain management. Yoga’s inclusion of relaxation techniques and meditation can also help reduce pain. Part of the effectiveness of yoga in reducing pain is due to its focus on self-awareness.

This self-awareness can have a protective effect and allow for early preventive action.

Real People, Real Benefits

The website www.beingyoga.com provides some great testimonials from real people – not mystical Yogis or people hailing from a spiritual school – who have experienced positive results from their yoga experiences. Here’s but one of them:

“Bikram Yoga has helped manage my diabetes unbelievably. I have curtailed my insulin injections by 50%. I have lost 30 pounds, completely lost the desires to smoke, drink alcohol and eat junk food. I even wrote a book on how it saved my life called, No More Diabetes, How Yoga Saved my Life.” - John Spanek

In part I of the Benefit of Yoga we discussed a brief history and introduction to Yoga and how it can physically and psychologically benefit those that practice it daily.

By Elizabeth Bonet

“Baby yoga! Baby yoga!” This is my daughter’s chant any time she reaches over to place her hands in front of her toes, in essence doing the toddler version of downward facing dog. I fantasized about doing yoga with my children before becoming pregnant, but I never pictured it like this.

I started doing yoga with Mia when I was pregnant with her. Chanting “om” everyday at the end of my yoga practice translated to a very easy way to calm her down when she was a newborn. During those early months when she would be awake at four in the morning and a walk was not an option, baby yoga seemed to be a nice, quiet activity. As she has grown older, my yoga practices have gotten shorter and shorter but definitely more fun as Mia joins in.

Their own way of doing things

I used to teach a mom’s yoga class in which they could bring their babies and toddlers. The kids had five minutes devoted just to them, but most of them joined in with their mothers at some time or another during the class. Then they would run off to play a little more. These children all did yoga naturally. They loved to go upside down, balance on one leg and crawl around on all fours like cats, mewing all the while.

A child’s face will shine as they reach up high to the sky and then go way down to touch their toes. They will be very serious pretending to be a snake and almost calm as they bend into child’s pose, called “turtle” in my class.

A healthy diet

Yoga poses help to boost the immune system and build healthy bodies. But yoga needs a healthy diet to really do its best work. A healthy diet inside allows children to be active on the outside, enjoying their bodies as they move their hands and feet and limbs into positions that feel good.

The connection between yoga and vegetarianism goes back for thousands of years. One of yoga’s eight limbs is ahimsa, or non-violence, including non-violence towards animals, fish and crustaceans. The eighth limb of yoga also includes respect for all life-giving energy, including that of plants.

For most serious students, yoga eventually translates into adopting vegetarian diets. Imagine if you can give your child a head start on both yoga and spiritual evolution by practicing ahimsa. Yoga for your child that includes vegetarianism will boost their immune systems, their spiritual development and their self-esteem, allowing them to be able to truly play with their own bodies while also feeling happiness move inside them.

Bring yoga home to play

If you would like to expose your child to more yoga, do your yoga at home. You don’t have to be perfect in a pose for your child to get the picture. The more playful you are, the more both of you will enjoy it. My daughter usually ends up crawling all over me, but we always end up laughing together. Remember to be safe in your poses, since sometimes having 25 pounds or more riding on your back in poses a real challenge.

Resources for home

If you’re looking for books and videos, there are a multitude on the market. A good video to try at home is the YogaKids™ video. The children move into different animal poses while fun music plays in the background. The books vary depending on the age of your child. A good one for babies and moms is Baby Yoga by Francoise Barbira Freedman.

A fun book for toddlers and older is Babar’s Yoga for Elephants by Laurent De Brunhoff. The toddlers in my class loved to see the different poses that Babar gets himself into, and they always tried to copy him. The book includes a poster with Babar in yoga poses.

A story book for a slightly older child is Yoga for Children by Swati Chanchani and Rajiv Chancahni. The book has beautiful illustrations that could be colored in with pencil and includes a manual for parents and teachers. The instructions are clear and easy for both older children and adults.

To see a beautiful spirit come out in a child, do yoga with them. Many times my daughter tells me, “Sit like this!” as she does a tiny butterfly pose. Then we inevitably end up with laughter, hugs and kisses as we see each other sitting alike. I hope yoga becomes as much a part of her life as it is mine, but for now we’ll just enjoy it together.

Elizabeth Bonet, Ph.D., is a freelance writer and prenatal yoga instructor who lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with her daughter and husband. See more about her classes and who she is at www.yogafairy.com or www.elizabethbonet.com.

By: Terry Lowery

Stretching and yoga aren’t just for people who can fold themselves up like pretzels, or movie stars who have nothing better to do with their days! It can be a beneficial practice to all who use it, and one doesn’t have to adopt the worldview of the swamis in order to reap benefits from it. The pace of our lives these days is crazy—some would argue destructive.

Yoga proponents say that learning the art form will not make you dull, but more magnetic, and show you the importance of slowing down. Yoga’s ‘inactivity’ can insert a moment to breathe in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, can clear your mind, and re-energize you with just a few simple techniques.

The first lesson in any Yogic theory is how to relax. This doesn’t mean you flop on the sofa and become a couch potato; instead it is defined as ‘a conscious transfer of energy from one department of nature to another….’ Even if you do this for 5 minutes at a time over a beverage, you’re on your way to relaxing. It will increase your efficiency—try it and see!

Stretching involved in yoga can be very simple: lie on the floor without pillows. Remove your shoes and wear whatever is loose fitting and comfortable to you. Stretch your arms over your head while stretching your legs and feet. Close your eyes and let your head roll to one side.

Now release each part of your body and consciously permit each limb, each ‘section’ of your body, to meld in to the floor. Permit yourself to feel as if you are sinking and think of a peaceful scene. This will likely feel very odd to you the first time you do it, but the relaxation that you bring each part of your body will be refreshing!

A.M./P.M. Stretch for Health DVD

Now we’ll work on stretching! Lie on the floor as you did for your full-body relaxation, only this time, interweave your fingers above your head. If you turn your palms upward, you’ll feel a bigger stretch along your ribs and spine. Stretch your arms as far above your head as possible, pointing your toes and pushing them towards the floor so you can feel every muscle between your head and feet.

Once you have stretched every part of your body, release! Now go back in to your full-body relaxation mode, remembering to start at the head and relax your way down to your toes.

Now work on the ‘complete breath’ that yoga teaches. Lying flat on the floor without pillows, place your hands gently on your diaphragm. Slowly exhale as much as you can. Very slowly begin to inhale through the mouth, evenly and without sudden stops. You will feel your diaphragm expand at this point—keep going. Now exhale through your mouth, using a slight force, expelling as much air as possible.

You have just completed your ‘complete breath’ in yogic teaching! If you build up the number of complete breaths per day, you’ll notice less tension, better rest, and a more relaxed you. Release the stress of your day and become who you were designed to be!

This article courtesy of http://www.treadmills-guide.net

Until recently, I was completely unaware of the connection between yoga benefits and yoga relaxation. Like many women, I also sought comfort in many activities such as socializing,
hot baths, watching movies, or reading a good book to ease the daily stresses.

It was only when I started yoga that I became aware of the immense yoga benefits that can be gained from a state of deep relaxation. Only a few yoga relaxation sessions were needed for me to reach a sublime state of harmony.

Women have totally different reasons for practicing yoga. Some women are interested in the health benefits they obtain after performing yoga exercises routinely, while others practice yoga to accomplish the desired state of harmony between the inner and outer self, but a large number of women carry out yoga sessions simply for relaxation.

At this conjuncture, a very critical question crops up?

Why can’t leisure activities contribute to relaxation??

I figure, that leisure activities are merely a temporary solution providing an escape from stressful conditions and emotions and are not empowering you with the mindset or emotional strength you need to solve the problems that may occur. As soon as you are confronted with those same or similar challenges, you neither understand how to react to them nor do you know how to deal with them effectively.

Accomplished yoga practitioners say that yoga relaxation develops a woman’s ability to deal with stress more effectively and at the same time makes her more energized, focused and relaxed. As a consequence, a woman is able to regain her mental composure quickly during stressful conditions thereby giving her the ability to handle any situation that may come up with ease and confidence.

This is one of the greatest yoga benefits associated with yoga relaxation.

Today’s women live under overt and subtle pressures to look good, function well and impress others. She has to deal with competition at work and difficulties in personal relationships. All these lifestyle factors adversely affect her physical and mental well being.

Under such circumstances, the big question is, How can a woman preserve her physical and mental health? You don’t have to scratch your head to find an answer because yoga, the legacy of our forefathers is still powerful enough to help today’s woman remain healthy.

Ultimate Yoga Benefits

If you still have doubts about the effectiveness of this ancient system of exercise, then consider the varied benefits found by thoroughly exploring and investigating yoga.

1. Yoga relaxation improves the overall physical and mental health of a woman through the relaxing effect on her body and the soothing effect on her mind. This is one of the most basic yoga benefits related to relaxation.

2. It relieves and delays the onset of fatigue.

3. Yoga relaxations works to expand the consciousness, which brings about greater freedom from negative conditioning and repressed memories.

4. It helps a woman to minimize and alleviate illusions, confusions, and inessential burdens, and develop a life that is more focused.

5. Life is complex and challenging. Yoga relaxation helps us to deal with the modern stresses of competition, complexity and change.

There are many more yoga benefits that can be associated with yoga relaxation. In fact, each yoga practitioner has an incredible yoga health benefit experience to share.

Five Important Components

To achieve ultimate yoga benefits and to accelerate the process of arriving at the intense level of relaxation you desire, yoga practitioners advocate commitment to five important components
of yoga:

1. Diet - It is an important factor because the things we eat effect not only the structure of our body, but also our brain.

2. Breathing techniques - Deep and prolonged breath helps your brain to remain oxygenated, which contributes to analyzing things in a clearer way.

3. Postures - They cultivate and maintain mental and physical balance, strength and health. They are most beneficial when practiced on a normal or daily basis and at the same time.

4. Meditation practice - During relaxation it is important to mediate on the true values of the world.

5. Relaxation practice - Yoga postures are often cumbersome and demand a lot of attention therefore yoga relaxation is a necessary and mandatory stage of every yoga routine.

Yoga is a connection between spiritual and real world, and yoga relaxation is considered to be a stage, which safely brings you back to the current reality you live in.

To yield rich yoga benefits out of yoga relaxation, a woman should have the right attitude and focus. These are considered to be the key elements. Entering the profound stage of relaxation
and synchronization between your inner and your outer self cannot happen unless you physically and mentally desire it.

There are so many different types of yoga today, with this a problematic situation for beginners, it is best to choose a form of yoga that is appropriate for each individual’s level of fitness, physical and spiritual goals and health condition.

Some of the most common types of yoga are listed below and briefly explained to guide you in choosing the best type of yoga that you can start with.

Iyengar Yoga: these types of yoga are solely focused on the alignment and precise
movements. Yoga props such as blocks and straps are usually used as part of this type of yoga for those beginners who are not as flexible as the experts as to compensate for injuries.

These Yoga props help assist all sorts of people to be able to do the poses comfortably.

Because of its attention to details and the flexible modification of poses, these types of yoga is often a good form of exercise for people with back pain or neck pain, as they are likely to benefit from the random alteration to the poses.

Practicing these types of yoga will give you a good knowledge on the classics in yoga poses so that whatever other style you practice, you will have the basic fundamentals on how to do each position.

In Iyengar yoga the teacher focuses more on alignment and inner awareness. This awareness starts with the body and expands to other parts of the self as one continues with the regularity of practice.

Ashtanga Yoga: these types of yoga are commonly called “power yoga” because it is
focused on a powerful flowing movement.

Such movements include pushups and lunges, which deals with strength and stamina. These types of yoga are best for people who have successfully overcome back injuries and are looking for more challenging practice.

People who are already athletic such as runners, gymnasts and cyclists who want to
add more balance and concentration to their routines are also utilizing these types of yoga.

Bikram Yoga: these types of yoga are also known as the “hot yoga” for this is done in a very warm room. These types of yoga are excellent tools for increasing flexibility because the heat helps tissue to stretch.

But keep in mind that these types of yoga are not applicable to those that have developed cardio vascular diseases due to the strain placed on the body when vigorously exercising in the heat.

Viniyoga: these types of yoga links breathe and movement in flowing exercises that are adapted to each individual. These are often a good form of yoga for those with back problems or neck injuries because it can be easily adapted by anyone.

Raja Yoga: these types of yoga aims for liberation through meditation. These types of yoga are only for those people who are capable of intense concentration.

Bhakti yoga: or commonly known as devotional yoga. These types of yoga focus on self surrender in the face of the divine.

Mantra yoga: much more known as the “yoga of potent sound,”. This type of yoga aims at liberation through the verbal or mental repetition of empowered sounds, such as “om,” “hum,” or “ram.”

There are so many yoga practices to choose from. It is also a good idea that before going into a class, discuss with the teacher first regarding his or her philosophy and beliefs in order to find the most appropriate and personally appealing form of yoga for you.

Tantric Yoga highlights the exaltation of the physical being more than anything else.

Tantra is known to be the concept that arises out of this kind of commitment to oneself, which is the basis of Tantra. And the supporters of this side of belief are called tantrics. These people not only worship the physical state but also got to any degree to please the body to achieve occult powers.

As of this time, it is not widely practiced and used in India. And it survived only in some parts of India in the middle of the jungles and hills of the Himalayas.

However, there are many clashes about its origin and source. Some have researched and discovered that the Pre-Aryans are the originators and others transcribe it to the norms of the early people. It is known to have risen at the same time Buddhism was flourishing. And because of this, some Buddhists had incorporated and adopted some of the Tantric signs and symbols.

And later on, it has grown to form a faction or guild. Like the Vedas, Tantras are composed of collections of poems and verses that speak of the elaborate methods on the righteous and proper of worship and adoration.

Often, some people perceive them as obscure and mystical in sense that is usually addressed to the persons who perform or do tantric acts. These persons are usually, sadhakas. These Sadhakas live a very simple life. And the practice of Yoga is like a prayer for them. He usually meditates in the lone and secluded places in the countryside far, far away from the madding society. His robes and his begging bowl distinguish him. He also sells medicine, shells, charms and herbal pieces.

This may be his good side but the other half lingers in vicious outrages and he inflicts austerities upon himself. The various positions of love-making and sex itself outline a significant principle of tantrism.

According to some, there is a way of acquiring sidhi. This is through practicing Kundalini or serpent’s power. It says that in order to awaken the serpent, one must practice and perform a certain type of Yoga or mediation. Through this, the serpent is said to arise gradually. With constant practice, the serpent uncoils and awakens which in return, explodes a vast from of energy. As the process continues, the skin is becoming hot and sweating occurs until a stinging sensation is achieved or experienced. Once this is attained, it is said to be so prevailing that it may destroy the person if not controlled.

Soon, it rises and when it has come to its limit or peak, one feels absolute pleasure. And once this is attained, he therefore becomes a sage or Sadhu. Tantrism also involves the dissipated way of acquiring supernatural powers.

It is said that in order to gain deliverance, one must do everything that he wants to do even though it is immoral or prohibited.

It is also said that some tantric yoga exercises aids and improves the general and sexual health. With healthy reproductive organs, one can have improved well being and it is favorable for sexual activities. It is like the respiratory system, which needs air to function.

There are various exercises, both physical and spiritual which helps in integrating the body, mind and spirit into one. These different exercises are good to start each day with and favorable before going to bed.

Through this, the physiological functions of the body are stimulated and therefore revitalizes the whole well being of a person.