Yoga Review: Yoga Today

Technology has provided yogis with more options than ever to access yoga classes. There are several websites that offer the ability to stream or download yoga classes in many types of yoga at various levels of practice. One of these download websites is Yoga Today. They have an extensive library of yoga classes that range from breathing and slower paced classes to intense yoga classes and weight loss practices. You can search the library by skill level, instructors or focus. The yoga classes are classified into four skill levels, from first time to Guru for advanced yogis. The website offers … Continue reading →

Private Yoga Lessons

Yoga can be practiced in many places. Some practice alone at home, others prefer the yoga studio, and some people want private yoga lessons. No longer just for celebrities and wealthy yogis, a growing number of teachers are offering private lessons in the comfort of your home. People take private lessons for several reasons. Busy professionals and working parents may choose to take a private lesson because the group lessons at the studio aren’t compatible with their schedules. People with specific health conditions, limitations or those requiring special attention and assistance may choose a private lesson to give them the … Continue reading →

Try These Asanas to Quit Smoking

Yoga can help you quit smoking. Try these asanas to get past the cravings, calm your nerves, open the lungs and improve circulation. Camel Pose – Start by kneeling at the center of your yoga mat and slowly lean your head and upper body back and toward the ceiling. Find the position that makes you feel most comfortable, either with the hands on your lower back or reaching your feet. Breathe into this heart opening pose, which is also beneficial for the lungs. Bow pose has a similar chest opening movement, but you are on your stomach. In this pose, … Continue reading →

What to do When Your Mind Wanders

A wandering mind is a common problem. Whether you are trying to meditate, or just find your mind wandering at work, in conversations, or in a social setting, there are things you can do to be aware of the constant stream of thoughts in your mind and not controlled by it. The first thing to do when you find that your mind is wandering is to be aware of the thoughts passing through your mind. At first, don’t do anything to stop the thoughts, just let go and be watchful and observant about the thoughts. Often, just the act of … Continue reading →

Tips to Quit Smoking with Yoga

Like any addiction, cigarettes are difficult to quit. All addicts say they will quit tomorrow, or next week, but these promises seldom come to fruition. There are several ways that yoga can help you keep the promise you make to yourself and your loved ones and quit smoking. Smoking stimulates the pleasure areas of the brain, which makes quitting even more difficult. In addition, smoking is temporarily calming and there is an emotional aspect to smoking that interferes with your willingness to quit. One of the biggest ways that yoga helps to break the nicotine habit is that the practice … Continue reading →

How Yoga Helps Develop Positive Body Image

Poor body image is a problem that plagues girls and women of all ages. From very young prepubescent girls to grown women, they struggle with their body image. Women feel they are too thin, too fat, too short, and too pale, the list can go on forever, but you get the idea. There is always something to criticize and few seem at home and comfortable in their own bodies. This poor self-image seems to be transmitted from generation to generation. Whether it is teasing at school, attitudes about body image gleaned from fashion magazines, or hearing mom take digs at … Continue reading →

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

Mindfulness meditation is a form of meditation that brings mindfulness and awareness into the present moment. Too often, we are preoccupied with the past or future and fail to experience the present moment. The practice of mindfulness enhances concentration, reduces distractions and increases awareness of your body and surroundings. In mindfulness meditation, you sit in an alert, cross legged position with the body in alignment. Seated with the legs crossed, your head should be centered above your shoulders, which are in alignment with your legs and sit bones. You should pay attention to the alignment and keep your spine straight, … Continue reading →

Sun Salutations

Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar in Sanskrit) is a flowing sequence of poses that is performed in many types of yoga classes and by yogis of all levels of practice. For many people, sun salutations are the first flowing sequence they ever learn. As you move through the poses in sun salutations, each movement is connected with the breath. Sun has been an important symbol in religious and cultural traditions in all areas of the world and periods of time. There are actually several variations of sun salutations that have evolved over time. Even the origin of this sequence is not … Continue reading →

Psychological Benefits of Yoga for Teens

Yoga is well known to offer a wide range of physical and psychological benefits to yogis of all ages. However, there are specific benefits to practicing yoga during the teen years. Adolescence is a tumultuous time of life and it is common for mental health problems to surface during these years. Recent research suggests that yoga classes provide specific psychological benefits to kids in high school. The research was conducted by Harvard Medical School at a high school in Massachusetts. For the purposes of the study, they assigned students randomly to either a typical PE class or yoga. In the … Continue reading →

How Yoga Can Make You Happier

Happiness consistently rates high on the list of everyone’s priorities and wishes for life. We all want to be happy and most people are seeking ways to be happier in their daily lives. Yoga is more than physical exercise and with regular practice, students experience a change in consciousness and discover a new, more positive outlook on life, which increase happiness and satisfaction with life. One of the reasons happiness eludes so many people is that they associate happiness with wealth and possessions, or have the mistaken notion that certain things must happen for them to be happy. For example, … Continue reading →