Hatha Yoga - Fusion Between Pairs of Opposites

Hatha Yoga goes by several names. Some claim that it brings about fusion between pairs of opposites, as evident from breaking its name into "Ha" meaning "the sun" and "tha" meaning "the moon." In view of the intense physical effort required for this type of yoga, some people also translate it to mean the "forceful yoga." Hatha yoga is definitely the best known of yoga forms in the western hemisphere.

Yogic saint Swatmarama, introduced Hatha yoga to 15th century India, and over the centuries, this became the most popular among the types of yoga. Other styles of yoga including Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Bikram Yoga, originated from Hatha Yoga. When one refers to yoga, he normally means Hatha. Among the eight limbs of yoga, Hatha yoga focuses on Asana (third) and Pranayama (fourth).

With the subtle use of physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation, Hatha yoga attempts to strike a balance between the mind and body, to release the spiritual rudiments that reside in your mind.

In the process of practice of yoga, body postures are Asanas or special positions that are instrumental in the removal of diseases from our bodies in their physical, subtle and casual forms. In Sanskrit "Asana" means seat and avers to explain the body's relative position to that of divinity. Asanas, originally designed for meditation, offer relaxation for extended periods, and improve your bone strength, muscle flexibility, will power, self-withdrawal, memory and concentration.

On the other hand, the words "Prana" (energy source) and "ayama" (to control) join to form the word Pranayama, which is the important science of breath control. The yogis of yore firmly believed that breath control unlocked the secrets to mind control, which then became a significant part of yoga. The yogis also believed that one could set free the latent forces within us by the sound practice of Hatha yoga.

Yoga provides many potential benefits including recognition of your dormant and psychological strengths and potentials. The continued practice of yoga will make your body strong, relaxed, flexible, and your spiritual energy will flow freely from the relaxation exercises in the practice of yoga. Yoga Asanas (postures) are instrumental in preventing you from contracting diseases like hypertension, arthritis and diabetes, not to speak of its useful massaging and toning up effect on some of your internal organs and balancing out the glandular and internal functions.

Several other benefits credited to Hatha yoga include relief from tension, stress, depression and anxiety and the eventual preparation of your mind for meditation leading to enlightenment or Nirvana.

Yoga is the right form of exercise for both your body and mind. Click here to know more about fitness centers in Raleigh NC.

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Are You New to Yoga? Here's What to Expect

Yoga is known for its calming and stress-reducing benefits. However, if you're new to yoga and have never taken a class before, not knowing what to expect can have you feeling a bit nervous. Relax! We're here to guide you every step of the way so you get the most out of every class.

For our beginners, we suggest taking our Gentle Yoga class. This class is designed to give you the time and support to understand the proper alignment of yoga postures and breathing techniques. It's also perfect for people with joint or back pain.

While most people are familiar with the basic principles of yoga, many aren't sure how they should prepare and what a typical class entails. To give you some peace of mind before your first class, here are some tips on what you can expect as well as some common yoga misconceptions.

What to wear

Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes. You'll be bending and stretching a lot, so wearing clothes that are constricting should be avoided as they will hinder your movements. Remember, this isn't a yoga fashion show; you don't need to buy designer yoga outfits.

What to bring

Bring a yoga mat, a towel and water. If you tend to get cold, bring a blanket to use during the relaxation sequence. Leave your music and ear buds behind, however, as you will need to listen to your instructor throughout the entire class.

Sequence of the class

Most yoga instructors begin class with a warm up of some kind. This can include simple poses, as well as meditation and reflection. Next, he or she will lead the class in a series of poses.

If you're concerned about not being able to perform some of the poses, don't worry. Most poses have varying degrees of difficulty and can be easily modified for beginners. Often, the instructor will be available to show examples of modified poses and to help you get into proper position.

The class usually ends with a period of relaxation to unwind and release any lingering tension.

Misconceptions about yoga:

Myth: To practice yoga you have to be: flexible, thin, physically fit and young.

Reality: There are no rules, no expectations, and no judgments in yoga. Everyone can benefit from practicing yoga - regardless of their level of fitness, age and flexibility. With practice, yoga poses (asanas) actually help you to become more flexible and physically stronger. Poses work by safely stretching your muscles and increasing the range of motion in joints. Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath that surrounds your muscles. No matter your level of yoga, you most likely will see benefits in a very short period of time. In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga.

Myth: I won't be able to keep up with the others in class.

Reality: Yoga is non-competitive. You may think many people are "better than you" at yoga, but don't let these negative thoughts deter you. It's important not to compare yourself to the person next to you. Some people are naturally more flexible. So be forgiving with your body and know that flexibility comes with repetition.

Tonya Cremin, Physician of Osteopathic Medicine and founder of Fairfield County Integrative Family Medicine and Healing Therapies, provides a whole-life approach to preventive healthcare and care of chronic and acute conditions. Dr. Cremin treats patients with osteopathic manipulation (OMT or OMM), to help with pain or other medical conditions. Additionally, her specialized training allows her to confidently advise patients regarding use of a wide variety of complementary and alternative modalities, including, but not limited to, nutrition advice, use of herbs and supplements, acupuncture, yoga, and hypnosis.

To learn more, visit http://www.integrativefamilypracticect.com.

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What Is Overtraining? And How to Avoid Letting It Affect You

Overtraining is a dreaded word for many athletes and bodybuilders and one that can leave them cowering in fear. It is the definition of 'too much of a good thing' and one of the most frustrating issues that many face when they are training for an event or for general performance.

Essentially, overtraining is a term that describes what happens when you train too much and don't give your body enough time to recover. Usually this results in your muscles actually growing less than if you had given yourself more rest and at the same time it can trigger a range of other issues that result in your having to stop training at least temporarily. Here we will look at how overtraining comes about, how to recognize it, and what to do about it.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of overtraining are tiredness, lethargy and lack of enthusiasm and the first place you'll notice this is usually in the gym. If you just can't seem to get the same enthusiasm and energy going during your workouts and you're not unwell in any way, then this is often a sign that you have pushed yourself too hard. If you find yourself feeling this way, then ask whether you have been overdoing it lately.

Other symptoms will often include aching muscles and joints, cold/flu symptoms that don't go away and drowsiness during the day. If you notice this and it seems to coincide with a recent increase in your physical activity, then you need to take a break and come back to your training with a better system in place.

Causes

So what causes this overtraining to have such a negative effect? Well what you need to remember when working out is that you are actually doing damage to your muscles when you do. Positive damage - but damage nonetheless.

You see when you work out, you place strain on your muscles which causes small 'microtears' in your muscle fibre. When these microtears are repaired by the body they come back thicker and stronger, much as scar tissue does, and this is what causes 'hypertrophy'.

While this is good for your muscle development though, it also means that when you're working out your body is in effect constantly healing. This then means that your immune system will be busy rebuilding the muscle - taking up energy and making you more susceptible to attacks from bacteria and viruses. If you don't give that muscle time to recover before doing more, you will be adding more to the cumulative total work your body has to do and this will result in more tiredness and illness.

Prevention and Treatment

Of course then the best treatment is to get lots of rest, and particularly lots of sleep which is when the immune system goes to work. At the same time you should also fuel your body with lots of protein and amino acids as this is what it will use to rebuild the muscle and tissue.

Make sure when you train that you include lengthy 'rest' periods between sets, and that you have lots of protein to back up your training.

Once you're back on your feet and ready to train again, look into Proteus fitness equipment so that you can train at home. Visit Sports Kinetics for more!

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Prenatal Yoga - What To Expect

You really want to give yoga a try, but quite frankly you've never done it before - and you're not quite sure what to expect. Not to worry. Pregnancy is a great time to give yoga a try. You'll be in a room full of other pregnant women and chances are some of them are new to yoga too. Read on so you know what to expect from your first class.

The heart of yoga involves your breathing.Yes, I know you believe you know how to breathe, but have you ever really paid attention to it? For centuries, yoga asana has been considered a form of moving meditation, so it's not surprising that you'll be paying particular attention to your breath. If you've never done this before, your instructor will have you breathing through your nose while you gently contract the back of your throat-the glottis. It sounds a bit like Darth Vader breathingbut the point is for you to aware of your breathing throughout the class. In addition, this attention to breath will also help you manage your contractions during labor. The heart of relaxation in labor is also the breath.

Prenatal yoga classes will have stretching, breathing, and some challenging poses, followed by relaxation. All positions and stretches prepare your body for the daily changes and challenges of pregnancy, and the intensity of labor and birth. You'll be moving various parts of your body, even your neck and arms, through various ranges of motion. While you stretch you may not even realize anything is happening. You'll feel yourself working hard, and as you pause, you'll feel the effects of hard work, and endorphins surging through your veins. When you step away from the class, you'll almost immediately be feeling remarkably better overall. Don't be surprised if you even sleep better after a class. You'll notice that aching back feels a lot better too. Yoga improves flexibility, balance, and strength. It reduces stress, and can help prepare your mind and body for a time of quiet reflection, prayer, or meditation. it's a chance to turn inward, and that's what you have to do in labor.

Finally, the last portion of the class involves relaxation, known as Savasana. This may take different forms depending on your instructor. This is a time to lie down, and let go, both physically and mentally. Empty your mind.

Some teachers may encourage you to become aware of nothing else but your breathing. Others may lead you through a type of short mindful meditation, asking you to be fully aware of the sensations in your body, while you lie down on your mat. Some may even have you do a short mantra-based meditation, while seated, in which you focus on a meaningful word. Whatever form this relaxation portion of the class takes, it's intended to produce a calmness and serenity within you and by extension bring that serenity to your baby.

When you're pregnant, yoga works on many levels for you. From easing the pain and discomfort that naturally accompanies pregnancy, to making you more flexible in what may be a new physical experience, helping to calm you and prepare you for labor, yoga does it all. So what are you waiting for?

Liza Janda owner of Yoga Janda Inc. has 40+ combined years of experience teaching fitness, yoga, and Bradley Method Childbirth classes.

Visit: http://www.yogajanda.com to download MP3 audio and video yoga classes that you can do at home. And read positive birth stories on her blog.

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Yoga In Brief

What is Yoga?

It is a Hindu spiritual discipline which includes the relaxation of the mind and body. It is an age old practice which is being followed centuries back by the religious practitioners. In Sanskrit Yoga means 'union' i.e. the union of the mind and body. Yoga is the real way to experience the spirituality of the mind, body and spirit. In Yoga the mind, body and spirit are fused to be one. It helps you to maintain a distance between various day to day tensions, struggles, sickness, etc. It helps you to relax after a tiresome day.

Yoga has its own benefits like it does not need to be always conducted by an expert. Even a normal individual can perform Yoga using a CD. There are many Yoga CD's available in the market.

What does one need while going for Yoga??

A person just needs a Yoga mat, a bottle of water, a clean towel, a comfortable fitting dress and a relaxed mind. Yoga mats should be of a good quality otherwise one will slip and break his bones. Good mats will give you better grip. 

At first when you enter the Yoga center the instructor will first tell you to warm up. Warm up exercises can be breathing in and out deeply or will tell you to stretch your hands and legs slowly. Breathing exercises are an added advantage and can last for at least 10 minutes. And then the actual exercise starts. One should need to be focused and forget all the worldly desires and tensions while coming for Yoga.

When a person has completed all the levels of Yoga he can start a Yoga Workshop. He can set up a small room somewhere in his backyard or in the garden or anywhere where he feels it is comfortable for the instructor i.e. him and the yogis to relax without any disturbance. Yoga workshops can be conducted for different age groups like teens or the youth, pregnant ladies, elderly couples, etc. there can be separate Yoga Workshop for ladies and gents or at times there are combined as one.

Sometimes while travelling we tend to get severe back pains, neck pains, etc. Sitting for hours at your desk can give you severe back pains. Yoga can help you in many ways. One can get many Yoga Travel CD's in the market which can be kept handy whenever one travels for a longer distance.

Yoga Retreats are also held worldwide where one can attend Yoga classes on a mass scale. This is mainly done to attract people of all age groups to the importance of Yoga. Stress management is the main topic when one conducts a Yoga Retreat. While in a yoga retreat there is a 60 minute yoga session combined with a breakfast meal consisting of fruits and simple cuisine. Retreats also offer spa treatment and Ayurvedic treatments and consultations. Yoga Retreats have become a trend among people who travel in their daily life. It is a place where travelers can find a home away from home. A vacation can be luxurious if teamed up with a Yoga Retreat.

Another important aspect in Yoga is Yoga Therapy. So, what is Yoga Therapy?? It is defined as working on Yoga as a medicine. It includes meditation, exercising, chanting, breathing, different poses, etc. Yoga therapy is the best way to get rid of all the unwanted tensions in life.

People who conduct Yoga for the welfare of mankind is called sevaks and their work is called Seva i.e. serving. Seva Yoga is a blessing in disguise. The joy and happiness you get by offering your love and affection to another human being becomes a blessing for you.

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