The Benefits of Yoga!

The benefits of yoga provide both instant gratification and lasting transformation. In the fitness world, both are extremely important. Too much time with too few results can be incredibly discouraging, and monotonous routines week after week can lead to stagnation. Yoga can change your physical and mental capacity quickly, while preparing the mind and body for long-term health.

Yoga is for everyone:-

Most yoga studios and local gyms offer yoga classes that are open to all generations and fitness levels. It’s exciting to enter a room full of young teens, athletes, middle-aged moms, older gentlemen and even fitness buffs and body builders. Everyone can feel accepted and included and, unlike other sports or classes that focus on niche clients, yoga tends to have open arms. Whether you like to say "Om" or you can’t stand the word “yogi;” whether you are 92, 53, or even 12, yoga can help you.

Yoga encourages overall health and wellness:-

Yoga is not just about working out, it’s about a healthy lifestyle. The practice of yoga allows students to be still in a world consumed with chaos. Peace and tranquility achieved through focused training appeals to everyone.
Yoga’s deep breathing and meditation practices help foster an inner shift from to-do lists, kids and spouse’s needs, financial concerns and relational struggles to something a little bit bigger than the issues you face. Yoga helps relieve stress and unclutter the mind, and helps you get more focused.

Yoga has many faces:-

One of the benefits of yoga is that you can choose a yoga style that is tailored to your lifestyle, such as hot yoga, power yoga, relaxation yoga, prenatal yoga, etc. Whether you prefer you're at home, in a private session, watching a DVD or at a studio or gym, there are a huge variety of options available to suit your goals and needs.

Strength training and flexibility:-

Yoga’s focus on strength training and flexibility is an incredible benefit to your body. The postures are meant to strengthen your body from the inside-out, so you don’t just look good, you feel good too. Each of the yoga poses is built to reinforce the muscles around the spine, the very center of your body, which is the core from which everything else operates. When the core is working properly, posture is improved, thus alleviating back, shoulder and neck pain.

How does power yoga build muscle?

A more advanced form of yoga can amplify these effects. Adapted from the basic Ashtanga yoga, power yoga requires increased amounts of energy, focus and strength. Although power yoga is an evolvement of the basics, it certainly is not a basic course.
But how does it help build muscle? Deeper, more focused participation is required, because most poses are held for five full breaths versus the usual one to three breaths. Muscles are challenged as the mind and body have to work together simultaneously to hold a position or continue a succession without giving up. Breathing, posing, moving and increasing flexibility happen all together at one time, which solicits a new level of discipline in your mind and body.

Power yoga and the core:-

Isometric exercises are one of the best ways to build core strength. Isometric, stemming from the words “same” and “length,” simply translates to holding one position without moving. Power yoga uses isometric exercises along with other postures that are designed to make the core and back stronger. Flexibility and balance stem from your core, so it is very important to train this area of the body. In turn, you can increase the strangth and health of your entire body. Generally a higher-temperature room is used in this practice to help keep the muscles warm and release additional toxins from the body.

Power yoga’s effect on the total body:-

Here's a list of some of the most beneficial aspects of power yoga:

• It increases endurance, strength and flexibility.

• Mental endurance and physical stamina are tested through holding postures for extended breaths.

• Arm and shoulder strength is multiplied as you use your own body weight for resistance.

• Lats and other back muscles begin to support the spine better than before.

• Abdominals and obliques are refined and sharpened through building core muscles.

• Poor and average posture begins to correct itself over time.

• Hip flexors are stretched and rebuilt.

• Glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves are tightened and lengthened where they need to be.

No matter what ails your aching body, or if you just want to take your fitness to a higher level, power yoga's ability to build muscle has an undeniably effect on the total body.

The Art of Healing!

we can  suggest that our experience of art can be one of deep reflection and a kind of communication with the artist about a particular feeling or difficult life challenge.
1. Enjoy a therapeutic museum or gallery afternoon. 
With pen and notebook, take a walk through a local museum looking for works of art that seem to reflect what you are feeling right now. At each one you find, sit and quietly spend time with it: its colors, its emotions, what the artist might be trying evoke or capture. Write what you see and what you feel the work of art is saying to you about your current feelings. Take a moment after you are done writing to just sit again with the work of art. Perhaps silently thank the artist for his or her understanding. Then go on to find a few more works that speak to your current frame of mind.

2. Do an Internet art recharge.  

On a day that you can’t go to a gallery or museum to view art therapeutically, take a short break from work or family obligations to look for two or three works of art on the Internet. Visit the websites of some of the world’s great museums and galleries, or go to individual artists’ sites. You can also find photographs on sites devoted to nature or travel. Take some time with each image and relate it to what you are feeling or to a current life issue, and see what that image says to you. Keep an online journal of all your images so you can revisit them at other times when you need to recharge.

3. Take a snapshot moment: Art is everywhere! 

 Sometimes we need to process our feelings and rejuvenate ourselves, but we don’t have time or are not in the right place to visit a museum or even surf the Internet for therapeutic images. This is the perfect opportunity to realize that we can find art all around us. Our offices and homes have been designed by architects; our backyards or the view out our windows are potential photographs. Everything around us has a shape, a form, a color, a tone. Take a moment to look at what is right in front of you as a work of art—the library clock on the wall that is ticking and makes you feel for a moment that you are in a past century, the bold colors at the fast-food restaurant where you are standing in line for a sandwich, the sharp angles of the receptionist’s desk at the dentist’s office. Make a mental note of the image and notice whether the act of observing or appreciating it alters your mood or frame of mind. Take a snapshot with your mobile phone in case you want a reminder of the experience.

The Healing power of Prayer!!

It is natural to be frightened when we become ill. We feel vulnerable. We worry; we want to know that everything will turn out all right. We sometimes feel alone even when loved ones are by our side. The illness lies within us, and no one else knows exactly how we feel. Prayer has the power to transform our fear into faith. It reminds us that we are never alone. Everything we are, body and soul, is in the hand of God, whose presence fills the universe and who is as close to us as our own breath. No matter what this unpredictable world sends our way, with God by our side we can find the strength to confront our fears. So pray and welcome God’s healing power.

A prayer of thanks for healing

I thought you had forgotten me, I felt abandoned and alone. I prayed to You, but You never answered. I searched, but I couldn’t find You. And then, without warning, You spread Your love over me and taught me not to fear. You quieted me, You healed me, You blessed me, You stretch Your comfort over all living things.

Health and religion have always been intertwined, most obviously through prayer on behalf of the sick. Does intercessory prayer for sick people actually help heal them? For thousands of years some people have believed so. But new research shows that over the last four decades, medical studies of intercessory prayer -- the prayer of strangers at a distance -- actually say more about the scientists conducting the studies than about the power of prayer to heal.

The Spirit of Thai Yoga Massage!

How Does it Work?

The theoretical foundation of Thai Yoga massage is based on the belief that there is a life force that circulates around pathways in the body. Indian Yoga philosophy calls this life force 'Prana'. It is said to be absorbed with the air that we breathe and the food that we eat. In Thai Yoga massage, these pathways make up an energy system. This system is said to be made up of 72,000 invisible energy lines. If there is a blockage in any line, preventing free flow of Prana, it can lead to aches, pains and disease on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.Thai Yoga massage concentrates on ten important lines called the 'Ten Sen'. A thorough Thai massage treatment covers all ten lines. These ten main energy lines are sufficient to conduct practical treatment for the whole body and its internal organs. This will ensure that blocked energy is released, restoring health, harmony and balance. When Prana flows freely, our general wellbeing is greatly improved.

Neck-Elbow. The therapist uses her elbow to apply

pressure to the shoulder area while stretching the neck

Thai massage differs from Swedish massage, which is the most widespread technique of massage in the West. The kneading of muscles, which dominates in Swedish massage, is absent from Thai massage – energy points are pressed or general pressure is used instead. There is a lot of stretching involved and many exercises might well be described as applied Yoga.

Physiotherapy and Chiropractic in the West are closer to Thai massage than is Swedish massage, but these techniques ignore manipulating acupressure points and the energy flow of the body and, unlike Thai massage, their theoretical foundations are based on the anatomical structure of the body. 

 

Benefits:-

There are many benefits in receiving a Thai massage. It usually takes four or five days for the balancing of the energy systems of the body to be complete. This means that people often continue to experience the beneficial effects for some time after the massage and not just during the treatment. Some people feel immediately energized as the new energy flows into the body. Other people can feel very tired straight after the treatment as the negative and old energy leaves the body. Whatever the first reaction, after a few days the energy will be re-balanced and with it a sense of harmony and well being will be experienced.

Other benefits include greater flexibility in the joints, enhanced blood circulation, better alignment of the body, improved posture and better functioning of the internal organs. Thai Yoga massage usually leaves the recipient with an invaluable feeling of relaxation and tranquility.

Thai Yoga massage is an excellent way to keep the body in tune; receiving regular treatments can be as beneficial for people with no particular problems as it is for people suffering from common ailments or even with more serious conditions.

Thai Yoga massage is an excellent way to keep the body in tune; receiving regular treatments can be as beneficial for people with no particular problems as it is for people suffering from common ailments or even with more serious conditions.

The Yoga positions and stretching makes Thai Yoga massage ideal for sports people, Yoga practitioners and dancers, whilst the energy line workout is especially beneficial during pregnancy and after giving birth. Due to some of the stretches used, some people have the impression that they must be very flexible to receive Thai massage. This is definitely not the case; Thai Yoga massage is beneficial for people of all ages and flexibility. The session is designed to suit the needs of the recipient. There are such a wide variety of techniques and stretches and no-one is taken beyond his or her own personal limit. If someone is less flexible or unwell, more emphasis would be placed on working the energy lines with acupressure rather than stretching the body.

Ways to integrate Yoga in Healing Body!

BODY

Practicing yoga or any form of exercise increases your energy.

• Eating a balanced diet with lots of greens, reducing processed sugars, and drinking lots of water is not only healthier for your body, it also nourishes the mind. In the book The Ultra Mind, author Mark Hyman correlates how “junk” food can affect our moods and diseases such as depression.

• Sleeping is important, ideally eight hours. You’ll feel refreshed and a lot less prone to making poor choices.

ways to integrate yoga into your life this spring.

1. Start Small.

One of the top reasons why people are resistant to starting yoga is the intimidation factor. With name-brand yoga gear, the rapid corporatization, and prohibitively expensive monthly class packages, it is no wonder that this industry seems not so beginner friendly.

Luckily, there is an endless amount of free resources online. From YouTube videos of hour-long classes, to anatomically-correct descriptions of each pose, to studio directories, there is an answer to every yoga-related question.

Use online resources to get comfortable with the names of poses, class etiquette, and the history of yoga so that any intimidation just melts away as you step into your first class.

2. Hop Around.

Finding the right studio and the right instructors is essential to your enjoyment of the practice. Many studios offer “First Week Free” coupons, so use those offers to explore yoga in your community.

Hop around to as many studios as you can, trying different styles of yoga and different instructors. Find a studio where they remember your name and inquire about injuries.  If there is an instructor who inspires you, that’s a good sign that you are in the right place.

If you do not find your “home” within the first few studios, don’t get discouraged! With the proliferation of yoga in the US, there is a studio and style of practice for everyone – big, small, young, old, businessperson, veteran, able bodied and not so able bodied – there truly is a home in yoga for everyone.

3. Flow with a Friend.

Everything is better when you have someone to share it with! Convince a friend at your same experience level to attend some classes with you. This will allow you to let your guard down and enjoy the experience a little more.

Not to mention, you will have someone to laugh with. When the kooky instructor starts belting out the “OM” or the guy next to you in down dog lets out a questionable noise, your friend will be on the next mat over trying equally as hard to suppress the giggles.

4. Give it Your Best.

By this I mean, give yoga a genuine shot. Lots of students give up their practice when they cannot conquer Crow pose after only two weeks. Understand that when you enter the world of yoga, all the rules about competitiveness, comparison, and deadlines that we are raised with go out the window.

Yoga is about simply enjoying the journey. Your journey. Not the journey of the person on the mat next to you. Your uniquely beautiful journey.

Come to your mat each time with an open mind and a compassionate heart, and you will be surprised at how much easier the poses will come to you!

5. Just Let it Go.

Yoga is as much about the mental practice, if not more than, the physical practice. Make a conscious effort to clear your mind, letting go of negativity. First, try letting go of any preconceived notions about who should practice yoga, what they look like, how they dress, what they eat, etc.

Every yogi is different and defines yoga in his or her own individual way. Second, try hard to let go of any judgments and negative feelings you are harboring towards yourself. Just enjoy the present moment, enjoy the journey.

Know that each day is different. Some days your balance and your focus will be rockin’. Other days, not so much. Learn to accept your body and your mind as they are, rejoicing in the gifts they give you and not bothering yourself with the shortcomings.

Embrace the ancient concept of “just letting it go” and one day you will wake up and realize that you are a more peaceful person, not to mention a real-life, living, breathing yogi!

Seven Miracles of Mindfulness!

If we bring mindfulness into every aspect of our life, we cannot help but experience life’s miracles.

The First Miracle is to be present and able to touch deeply the miracles of life, like the blue sky, a flower, the smile of a child.

The Second Miracle is to make the other the sky, a flower, a child  present also. Then we have the opportunity to see each other deeply.

The Third Miracle is to nourish the object of your attention with full awareness and appropriate attention.

The Fourth Miracle is to relieve the suffering of others.

The Fifth Miracle is looking deeply into the nature of self and others.

The Sixth Miracle is understanding. If we are mindful of the present moment, we can see deeply and things become clear. With understanding, the desire to relieve suffering and give love will awaken within us.

The Seventh Miracle is transformation. By practicing Right Mindfulness, we touch the healing and refreshing aspects of life and begin to transform the suffering

in ourselves and in the world.

Our true home is the present moment. If we really live in the moment, our worries and hardships will disappear and we will discover life with all its miracles.

Real life can only be found and touched in the here and now. This is because the present moment is the only moment we can actually experience and influence. The past is over and the future has not yet arrived. Since the present moment is the only real moment for us, we can always return here to get in touch with the wonders of life.

As long as we are consumed with our everyday problems distress about the present, regrets about the past, or constant worries about the future.we cannot be free people; we are not able to live in the here and now.

Mindfulness Meditation!

Mindfulness meditation technique encourages the practitioner to observe wandering thoughts as they drift through the mind. The intention is not to get involved with the thoughts or to judge them, but simply to be aware of each mental note as it arises.

Through mindfulness meditation, you can see how your thoughts and feelings tend to move in particular patterns. Over time, you can become more aware of the human tendency to quickly judge experience as “good” or “bad” (“pleasant” or “unpleasant”). With practice, an inner balance develops.

In some schools of meditation, students practice a combination of concentration and mindfulness. Many disciplines call for stillness — to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the teacher.

As much as it pained me to admit, meditation was not changing my life. I’d been curious about it for years, imagining that I would magically morph from a Type A, prone to loud laughter and occasional drama, into an ethereal entity whose “problems” would dissolve in the face of age-old wisdom. I would wear long, flowy clothes and speak in a gentle whisper. I would never sweat. Or swear.

But because my goals for meditation seemed so distant and lofty, I put it off, waiting for a time in my life when it seemed achievable.

 

1:- Great expectations

When I had my first child, I tried meditation in hopes of reducing my anxiety about my abilities as a mom. I tried being still. I tried focusing on my breathing. But in less than 30 seconds, I’d be fast asleep. And when I awoke, rather than feeling relaxed, my blood pressure skyrocketed. I had dirty dishes to do, smelly sleepers to wash, a baby to mother. I put it off again until I thought I could do it and stay awake at the same time.

Meanwhile my curiosity deepened. I read books about meditation. I grilled people who went on meditation retreats. I bought candles. Buddha figures. Meditation CDs. I became cozy with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Deepak Chopra, whose books on meditating kept me company late at night in bed. I trained for meditation the way a runner prepares for a marathon. I was going to be an Olympic meditator … once I got started.

2:- Mutinous spine

Three children, two Buddhas, a half-dozen CDs, any number of meditation supplies, and 11 years later, I felt ready. I even had a gauzy skirt that would suit the new me. I prepared my meditation table. Lit some candles. Sat down, crossed my legs and closed my eyes.

Ouch. My legs no longer bent that way. Hmmm. I remembered reading that sitting cross-legged isn’t crucial, so I opened one eye and stretched my legs straight out in front of me.

Closing my eyes once again, I sat still. I’m sure I looked earthy in my skirt …. But rather than the beautiful straight-backed posture of the yoga-gurus I envied, I could feel my back bending like a question mark. “Sit tall,” I silently ordered my spine. It refused to cooperate for more than a minute, at which point I would teeter on my pillow like a drunk Buddha.

3:- Thought onslaught

Yoga slowly helped me train my spine not to cave at the slightest exertion, and I felt ready to try again. My position seemed perfect. I lit my candles and focused on my Buddha, then closed my eyes.

“Did you remember to pay your property taxes?” asked my brain. I imagined a broom sweeping away the question. Then, like that crazy whack-a-gopher game at amusements parks, another popped up. “Isn’t it your turn to prepare snack for soccer practice?” And another. I sighed.

4:-Giving up — and getting the point

Then I came across the words of meditation teacher Rodney Yee, who advised us neophytes to “just sit.” It’s that simple, he insisted. Give up the expectations. Give up the need for a certain meditation experience.

Really? It flew in the face of my goal-oriented personality. Skeptical, I nonetheless gave it a whirl. And guess what happened?

While I haven’t given up my Type A propensities completely, I nonetheless am now less inclined to let loose with a four-letter expletive. I’ve learned to listen to my body (though it’s prone to complaining). I’m very very slowly learning to simply be in the moment.