Have You ever noticed how easy it can be to see what someone else is doing wrong?
But then when we hold up the mirror to ourselves, seeing our own issues clearly is like looking into a thick fog. Small business owners in general tend to face this challenge regularly – they know that they’re not making as much money as they want to, but they don’t know why. This month, we’ll look at ways that you can “clear the fog” and get more clarity about challenges in your own business and what to do about them. Continue reading “Boosting Yoga Studio Profits- The Smart Way” »
Try to take a deep breath in. Do your lungs fill fully, without making you feel tight or constricted in your chest? Can you inhale and exhale like you are taking a deep, luxurious breath of a fragrant flower? If you can do this, consider yourself lucky. Many people suffering from asthma have a hard time doing something many of us take for granted. Yoga can be a wonderful way to relieve the symptoms of asthma for those who do suffer from this respiratory condition that includes spasms of the lungs, coughing, wheezing, an inability to take in a full breath of air, a test chest or shortness of breath. Continue reading “Yoga for Asthma: Do you Take a Deep Breath for Granted?” »
The United States population suffers from diseases of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease in numbers much greater than the evening news would have us all believe. The American Diabetes Foundation reports 8.8 million diagnosed cases of the disease just last year, with almost 7 million undiagnosed and 79 million people in pre-Diabetes. This is a disease that needs an answer, and quick. Is yoga an effective way to combat this unnecessary killer? Continue reading “Fighting Diabetes with a Yogic Lifestyle” »
Prenatal yoga has seen its share of teachers giving well-informed advice in order to help women during this, most critical stage in their feminine journey, but is all the prenatal yoga advice you are getting from your yoga teacher really accurate?
There is much controversy around which yoga poses are safe to practice and women are often left confused about how to use some of yoga’s most promising tools in order to experience a safe pregnancy and easier labor and delivery.
Geeta S. Iyengar, the daughter of yoga guru B.K.S Iyengar tells women they can do inversions throughout their entire pregnancy while other ‘authorities’ say that this is unquestionably wrong.
How do you know which advice to adhere to in order to keep you and your baby safe? These important questions are answered on YOME. Read on to find out more about this controversial topic in yoga.
The Pros and Cons of a Yoga Practice During Pregnancy
Prenatal Yoga
Pro-Breathing Practices: Lamaz instructors often teach women how to breath during the different stages of labor. I don’t know a single women who believes that breathing alone carried them through their most difficult labor pains, pranayama, or the practice of yogic breathing is an excellent tool, akin to the breathing exercises taught in Lamaz to help a women stay calm and collected when labor gets intense.
The specific breathing practices taught in yoga help to change the physiological response of the nervous system so that stress is handled without creating a negative feedback loop, i.e., the more stressed out you get, the harder it is to calm down, thus creating more stress until it is out of control. One simple yogic breath called Ujjayi, can help to calm the nervous system and brain, thus inducing the ‘relaxation response’ coined by the Harvard Medical Doctor, Herbert Benson.
Con – Fast breathing: This can be harmful to pregnant women and cause undue stress to the fetus, so pranayama like breath of fire should not be practiced.
Pro – Happy Hormones: There is a great hormonal cocktail of happy-inducing melatonin and seratonin which floods the body after a relaxing yoga session. This is what leads to a yoga high for many practitioners. During the hormonal roller coaster and added stress women experience while pregnant, this added boost to mood can be life-saving and even helps with post-natal depression.
Con – Twisting: Many women think that since they have been practicing yoga for years that they can continue to twist their bodies into pretzel-like shapes even in the later stages of pregnancy. While every woman’s body is different, it is usually not advisable to practice deep twists, for example if a woman has had difficulty getting pregnant or has undergone fertility treatments in order to become pregnant because the fertilized egg can become dislodged form the uterus. Deep twisting which originates form the belly can also strain the pelvic and abdominal muscles since they are already stretching to accommodate a growing fetus. Deep backbends are unadvisable for similar reasons.
Pro – Mind Preparation: Yoga helps to prepare the mind and body for one of the most stressful and physically demanding times in a woman’s life. It is invaluable in helping women experience the joy of birth.
Con – Relaxin: Women who are pregnant produce a hormone called relaxin, which makes the ligaments more supple in order to accommodate the head of baby during delivery. Without proper guidance women can overstretch in yoga while they are pregnant, causing injury.
There are many more pros and cons to practicing yoga safely while you are pregnant, and while doing research on your own is advisable, consult a well-qualified yoga practitioner who has specific experience teaching pregnant women before you continue with your practice. Ideally, you should listen to you own body and make sure that you don’t force anything, but nurture yourself as you grow an entire human being inside you!
Prenatal yoga has seen its share of teachers giving well-informed advice in order to help women during this, most critical stage in their feminine journey, but is all the prenatal yoga advice you are getting from your yoga teacher really accurate?
There is much controversy around which yoga posesare safe to practice and women are often left confused about how to use some of yoga’s most promising tools in order to experience a safe pregnancy and easier labor and delivery. Continue reading “Controversy in Prenatal Yoga” »
Yoga and weight loss may seem like a logical answer to your desire to look and feel your best, and while it is a viable answer to getting thin, yogic tools are sometimes misunderstood. If you really want to know how to lose weight, then you need to look at long-term changes in lifestyle.
Usually, we overeat when we are stressed and the food we consume is full of things which harm the body instead of healing the body. Yoga can be used as a type of ‘medicine; to heal the body. Yogis, and Ayurvedic practitioners have known for centuries that pranayama, asana, meditation and mantra could be very effective in changing our core beliefs about who we are, and thus, the behaviors we exhibit in the world. Continue reading “How to Lose Weight with Yoga?” »
Vinyasa is a yoga term that covers a very broad range and style of yoga classes. The definition of the word itself is “breath-synchronized movement.” In each class, the yoga teacher will have you switch between poses during an inhalation or an exhalation. The artistic way Viniyasa yoga is performed creates balance and counter balance in the body. When too much focus is placed on pose, form and balance, breathing patterns are often left ignored. Vinyasa help you to tune into your natural breathing sequence to create a harmonious flow. Continue reading “Vinyasa Yoga: What Is It All About?” »
Yoga in most forms doesn’t require anything more than a mat, a clear space and a bit of serenity. Iyengar yoga on the other hand is a bit different in that is uses an assortment of props. Along with props, Iyengar Yoga also stresses the alignment of the body in each pose and throughout the routine. This form of yoga is focused on the proper alignment of the body to reduce harm to the student. By using yoga props, there is constant support provided that allows the students to properly learn the asana in a safe and easy manner. Those just starting their practice of yoga as well as student who may be under the weather are most benefited by Iyengar yoga. Continue reading “Iyengar Yoga: Behind The Scenes” »
Anusara Yoga Is a very popular form of yoga that started in the United States. This form is also gaining popularity in Asia as well as Europe. Unlike most forms of Yoga, this style originated in Texasin 1997. The name means flowing with grace. This form has gained a vast amount of students and is currently found in over seventy countries. Anusara yoga is highly respected just like it’s Asian counterparts, so much so that it has captured the media attention. Although it is still rather new when compared with other forms of yoga such as vinyasa or bikram yoga, it has made itself a permanent place in the yoga world. Continue reading “Unfolding Anusara Yoga” »
Yoga is a great way to get in shape as well a great way to relax your mind, body and spirit. Of course, to attain true peace of mind, you have to be comfortable. One of the hardest things to do when embarking on a new fitness class, be it an aerobics class or yoga, is to find the proper clothing. There are a few high quality retailers for great yoga wear. Here is a review of a few of them: Continue reading “Where To Find Great Yoga Wear?” »
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