Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss

I recently attended a class focused on yoga exercises for weight loss. This was a Bikram style class combining classic yoga asanas with a heated workout space. The floor area maintains a constant temperature of 104 degrees. This workout approach is a good methodology to follow for those seeking a fitness routine based around yoga. Whether following a Bikram specific routine or other yoga discipline the following conditions are ideal as part of any weight loss program:

Heated Floorspace

A heated workout area provides immediate benefits when exercising as your body can warm up quickly. This minimizes the chance of injury and allows you to put your body into deeper poses. Yoga exercises for weight loss involve a strenuous and active workout and a heated practice area provides increased gains in flexibility and muscle development.

Oxygenated Blood

Although not immediately noticeable to the practitioner, the increased heat profile of the practice space provides a constant flow of oxygenated blood throughout a person's body. This is because it is easier to get into a deeper stretch when doing a pose. This has a positive effect on contracting the muscles more completely and the result is a more pronounced flow of blood throughout the body. That has the effect of carrying more oxygen and allows you to perform at a higher, more aerobic level. In layman's terms you can push yourself harder and you will see a weight loss benefit.

Constant Routine

One of the key things to look for in utilizing yoga exercises for weight loss is how constant the workout routine is. The class I participated was led by an instructor that moved from pose to pose, relatively constantly. A yoga pose was shown, practiced by the class and then repeated - usually 3 times. Once completed the instructor moved the class to the next pose with very short breaks occurring only every 20 to 30 minutes. This had a fairly aerobic effect simply due to the pace being practiced.

Maximum Workout with Minimal Impact

Certainly a complete and very active workout occurs using this type of exercise routine. But perhaps the greatest benefit is the minimal impact to the body's joints, ligaments and tendons. This workout, while very aerobic, did not add unneeded stress or pressure to these critical parts of the body.

I cross train regularly practicing different yoga postures with other physical fitness activities. The positive benefits described here occurred due to the fact that this was a strenuous and active workout approach. Embrace the right yoga exercises for weight loss, increased flexibility, and muscle strengthening as they play an important role in an overall fitness regimen.

Heath Jackson writes about health, wellness and living a natural life. Learn more about his approaches to sensible dieting and weight loss at yoga asanas for weight loss or Click Here for information, tips and ideas on how to incorporate yoga into your weight loss exercise routine.

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The 3 Best Yoga Exercises For Healthy Weight Loss

Yoga exercises are one of the best ways to lost weight, burn fat and get healthy. There are many excellent yoga poses and techniques to help you achieve your weight loss goals and in this article today I am going to detail 3 of these poses for you. But, before I jump ahead to the exercises, I want to first point out 3 great reasons to use yoga for weight loss.

1. No Negative Side Affects:

Yoga is a completely natural and safe way in which to get healthy and lose weight. Unlike using pills and other more intrusive methods, with yoga all the side affects you have are positive. This is why holistic sciences and alternative medicines are getting so much attention even by mainstream doctors these days.

2. Permanent Weight Loss with Yoga:

Experience of the yoga therapy programs to treat obesity have shown that weight lost from yoga has proven to be permanent. This is certainly not the case when you use pills and other gimmicks. The weight lost by those methods tends to return quickly once they are discontinued. This is not the case with yoga, as long as you maintain at healthy diet. These diets are almost always a part of the treatment in general, and these diets are such that they can be maintained comfortably throughout one's life. They are not extreme or unreasonable diets.

So when you use yoga for weight loss, the body is gently brought back into alignment and underlying causes for the weight gain, whether they are emotional or bio-chemical, are also resolved. Also, since yoga works with the body, the excess weight once shed is no longer regained when the yoga is stopped. I would though recommend continuing the yoga practice if you can, so you can continue to obtain all the other benefits that such practice bestows.

3. Yoga Weight Loss Solution is for Free:

Why pay for a solution, that is going to create bad side affects and not going to work in the long term anyway, when you can have a successful weight loss solution from yoga for FREE. Articles like this one and many websites on the web will give you plenty of information on how to practice yoga safely for achieving your weight loss goals. In addition, there are many good YouTube video channels as well, where you can get nice video demonstrations of yoga sets and yoga exercises.

Three Great Weight Loss Yoga Exercises:

Below you will find 3 excellent yoga exercises for weight loss. These exercises can be done by almost anyone, but be sure to check with your doctor prior to starting a new practice or fitness routine.

1. Yoga Single Leg Rotations:

a. Instructions:

• Lie flat on your back.

• Raise your right leg up to about 45 degrees.

• Point your feet and toes away from you.

• Do 2-10 rotations in 1 direction and then without resting rotate the same leg in the other direction (counter-clockwise).

• Repeat with the left leg.

b. Duration:

You can build up to 1 minute / leg. You can start with 2-4 rotations per leg, per direction and build up from there.

c. Benefits:

• Builds your Navel Center and strengthens and tones your abdominal muscles.

• Builds willpower and strength of character.

• Loosens and opens up the hips.

d. Practice Tips:

• To modify the exercise bend you knees or do fewer rotations at a stretch.

• Start with just normal breathing and only incorporate Breath of Fire once you feel ready.

• You can also take rest as needed.

2. Kundalini Yoga Cobra Pose:

a. Step-by-Step Instructions for Cobra Pose:

• Lie flat on the floor, stomach down and feet extended.

• Place your hands near your shoulders and then raise your upper body and torso up off the ground. The upper thighs should remain on the floor. You back should arch up.

• Turn your head up and look upwards as well. Stretching your neck.

• As a variation, you can go up and down in cobra pose. Coming up and breathing in, holding the position for a few seconds and then coming back down and exhaling.

b. Duration:

• 15 Seconds - 7 minutes.

• Start slowly and build up your time steadily from there.

c. Benefits:

• Massages all the digestive organs improving both digestion and elimination. Fixing the digestive system is one of the first steps in getting healthy.

• Very good for improving the health of the back and spine. Good for toning all the back muscles and tissue related to the vertebrae.

• Works on all the nerve junctions that lie along the spine, as well as the important psychic channels that run through the spinal cord.

• Works on improving functions of the ovaries and reproductive glands.

• Builds upper body strength. Specially the shoulders (deltoids), triceps and chest (pectoral) muscles. This is more true if you use the modified version of cobra pose where you go up and down.

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Cobra Pose:

• Careful with your lower back! Do not over strain.

• Going up and down in cobra pose is excellent for building strong arms, shoulders and chest muscles without risking injury.

3. Yoga Bow Pose Practice Details:

a. Step-by-Step Instructions for Yoga Bow Pose:

• Start by lying on your stomach with your chin on the floor.

• Next, bend your knees and bring your heels towards your buttocks.

• Beginner Yogis: Reach back and grasp your ankles, keeping the rest of your body on the floor. Pull your heels into your buttocks.

• Intermediate Yogis: Raise yourself up off the floor as shown in the illustration above, by pressing your ankles away from you. Your chest and thighs should be raised off the floor.

• Advanced Yogis: Rock back and forth in bow pose, inhaling as you come forward, exhaling on the way back.

b. Duration:

• 15 seconds - 5 minutes.

c. Benefits:

• Excellent for your respiratory system, to relieve breathing problems and ailments such as asthma, etc.

• Good for the entire spine and back.

• Great pose for improving flexibility.

• The ultimate yoga pose to improve and perfect your digestive system.

• Good for weight loss.

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Bow Pose:

• Progress gently towards the advanced version. For some, even the beginner version is difficult to get into, in which case just bring your heels as close to your buttocks as you can, and reach as far back with your arms as possible.

• Do not eat for at least 2-3 hours before practicing this posture, or you will be quite uncomfortable.

• Careful of your knees and back when doing this pose.

Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss Summary:

The following 3 exercises will get you started on your weight loss journey. Add to these poses over time and increase the length of your yoga practice. This is one of the ways to not just lose weight and get healthy, but also one of the best ways to increase the length of your life.

Anmol Mehta is a modern Meditation and Yoga Master. Find the Best Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss set on his huge free yoga and meditation website Free Kundalini Yoga and Guided Meditations Blog.

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The History of Yoga - A Comprehensive Global Guide

I am sure you are eager to know about Yoga history. Where was it practiced the first time, when, how and its evolution, all until it spread worldwide and is practiced everywhere and by millions of people of different sexes, ages, and races.

At first, we should know the meaning of the word Yoga. It is derived from the Sanskrit root Yog, and it means to bind or to join, as it unites the body, mind and soul.

Actually, there is no exact knowledge of its history. Experts estimated that Yoga's origin was around 5,000 years ago, and it was in India. There was uncertain evidence that its origin was in Afghanistan. However, it is certain that Yoga's origin was in the East. Archeologists excavated stone seals from the Indus valley with artifacts and evidence of Yoga existence on it, as they found figures of people doing different Yoga postures. This proves that people were practicing it in stone ages, and that its origin was in India. The Indus-Sarasvati civilization was the largest one those days, and was so modern in their times. In addition, there was evidence of Yoga in the Veda text (the oldest text used in the Indus times).

The Vedas are a collection of 1008 hymns that praises a higher power, they are on ethics, cosmology, philosophy, and science. They contain the oldest Yoga basics, techniques and rules. Therefore, we call it Vedic or Pre-classical Yoga. The Rig Veda is a sacred work by Hindu faith. Most of its myths personified the forces of nature. These times, people used to rely on rishis (Vedic Yogis) to teach them how to live in harmony.

The Aranyakas texts then followed, detailing rituals for Yogis living in the forest. This also served the beginning of India's medical tradition known as Ayurveda. Around 1900 B.C., the great Sarasvati River dried up, forcing the exodus of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization southward towards the Ganges River.

The Brahmins and Upanishads are spiritual texts, written around 600 to 800 B.C, and they were dealing with the rituals performed by Brahmin priests. The Brahmins is a text explaining the Vedic rituals and hymns.

The Bhagavad Gita (song of the blessed Lord), written around 300 B.C, is a spiritual poem on Yoga. The "Gita" is part of the eight chapters' epic called the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita is a discourse delivered by Krishna (the Lord) to Arjuna (the hero) expounding on the goal of life. Between 200 and 800 B.C, Patanjali detailed all the knowledge about Yoga in 196 aphorisms (sutras). These sutras referred to as Raja Yoga. Patanjali is part of the classical Yoga, where they were still practicing thousands of yoga asanas. They considered Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the authoritative text on classical yoga.

This was a hint about Yoga's history. It shows us how old it was, and how essential it was in old times. It also shows us that Yoga has a strong relationship with our lives, and it was there long time ago, may be since human beings exist on earth. As if, human beings cannot live without it. Actually, it is true, and you will never believe this except when you practice Yoga yourself, you will be like "How come I was living without that?" Yoga is the best way to live a normal and peaceful life.

Next, we should know about the Yoga evolution, far away from those old times and gradually to our times. We classify this into four stages, the pre-classical Yoga, the Classical Yoga, the Post-classical Yoga, and the modern Yoga.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, yoga enthusiast who writes for CaffeineZone.com, LowCarbPages.com, and PrimeYoga.com.

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Yoga History Through the Ages

Yoga history reaches back to ancient times, to India where it is still practised today. It is traditional disciplines of the mental and physical. In Hindu philosophy there are five major branches of yoga. Raja, Karma, Jnana, Bhakti and Hatha. Hatha yoga is associated outside India with its postures and poses.

The word yoga has different meanings depending on its translation. It can mean unite, control, yoke, joining, union, contemplation and absorption as well as other words translated.

There have been many changes in the thousands of years since it began. It was first a teacher and a disciple training. Its purpose was for a gaining of a spiritual goal with self realization, to be enlightened and for the liberation of the individual soul.

Yoga remained like this without much change for a long time. Changes came about during the time of the expansion along the Silk Road, around five hundred CE.

Around this time other forms emerged with several masters who were influential with change. From this period on yoga began to move to a more social role and the teachings became movements for the improvement of society as well as spiritual accomplishment.

Again there was change around one thousand five hundred CE. Teachers were already beginning to impart their knowledge of Hatha Yoga and the physical practice, things such as breath control and postures.

The ideas of a spiritual goal and enlightenment etc, began to be overlooked and the aim of yoga was the developing of a flexible and healthy body.

In modern times it has become a money making industry around the globe. In the western world today, it is used to help improve a persons health with exercise in the form of yoga positions and poses, to make the body more flexible and to help with the control of the body and mind by the individual.

Adel is a personal trainer and has been an online marketing entrepreneur for several years, you can check his latest websites bodyweight training articles and Treadmills on Sale.

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Origin and History of Yoga

Yoga has recently assumed an extensive role in the daily lives of people. Today, people, across the world, have been taking to yoga to not only maintain good health but also establish mental stability and strength. However, it is essential that the history of yoga is known and understood before one integrates it with one's life. It is this origin of yoga from which a lot of yoga's postures and effectiveness has been derived. By knowing how yoga originated, one will be able to appreciate the real value of the regime and hence be able to get the maximum out of it. This article is dedicated to Patanjali, apparently believed to be the architect of yoga.

PATANJALI - THE FATHER OF THIS SCIENCE

It has been strongly believed that Patanjali was the father of yoga. He was the one who, approximately between 200 BC and 200 AC, established the guidelines for the science. It is through these guidelines that yoga finds its essence and core of its existence. For the ones who sincerely wish to incorporate yoga more extensively into their lives will have to sincerely understand and adopt the eight guidelines or commandments promoted by Patanjali:

1. YAMAS: Yamas are guidelines for social behaviour and moral values. There are five yamas which individually promote non-violence, honesty, lack of possessiveness, avoidance of lust and stealing habits. These five yamas play an important role in the history and origin of yoga.

2. NIYAMAS: The second guideline, as presented by Patanjali, is the Niyamas. These niyamas relate themselves with the discipline of the inner self. They promote the leading of a disciplined life.

3. PRATYAHARA: This commandment of Patanjali is an integral part of yoga as well as yoga history. It speaks about the virtues of meditation and letting oneself be free of the world and all its related issues.

4. ASANAS (POSTURES): An umpteen number of people know asanas (postures) as the only facet of yoga. It is these asanas which people perform to achieve health and stability of the body as well as the mind. If one knew how yoga originated, and also understood all of the eight commandments of Patanjali, one will be able to perform these asanas more effectively and with precision.

5. PRANAYAMA: Pranayama is the control of one's breathing. It is meant to the clear the mind and body and works as a precedent to pratyahara, i.e. meditation.

6. DHARANA: This is another form of meditation where the entire concentration is focused on one object or activity. This is performed to improve one's control over one's mind.

7. DHYANA: Here, the meditation is focused on the absolute instead of just an activity or an object. If one delves into yoga history, one would realize that such dhyana has been accorded with more relevance than some of the other forms of meditation.

8. SAMADHI: This is the stage where an individual completely submits oneself to the almighty and experiences real bliss.

These eight commandments, in the history of yoga, define the true enlightenment that one can receive by practicing yoga.

Joshua McDonald invites you to know more about health, lifestyle and fitness.

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The Benefits of a Hatha Yoga Practice

The Western world only now understands the benefits of yoga. The greatness and efficacy of yoga and its principles are being understood around the world and more and more people are enjoying its benefits. If you want to make yoga a part of your life, there is no better way to start than with the simple Hatha Yoga.

What is it?

Hatha Yoga had its inception way back in 15th century India. The primary reason why Hatha yoga was constituted was as a means of strengthening and purifying the body. The term 'hatha' is used to denote two separate words: the sun and the moon. Hatha yoga comprises of breathing exercises and postures and poses with the view to strengthen the body of human beings. Hatha yoga is basically a slow and calm form of yoga. It is extremely suitable for those people who want to prepare themselves, their bodies and minds for a higher level of meditation and also those who want to relieve stress from their lives.

Hatha yoga asanas, postures and positions

Since yoga is now being practiced in many forms all over the world, it may become confusing for novices to understand what the different forms mean and whether they are all beneficial. The truth is that hatha yoga is the primary form of performing yoga, its postures and positions, also known as 'asanas'. Almost every yoga posture and postions can be done and practiced by everyone, including those who do not have too much flexibility or strength. If you are a beginner in yoga, it is a good idea if your hatha yoga session lasts for anything between 30 and 45 minutes. But if you happen to be an advanced yoga student, your session may easily last from 90 minutes to a couple of hours. The only requirements of practicing hatha yoga are comfortable clothing and a quiet room. You don't need any special equipment or props to practice this form of yoga. You can even do it in your hotel room if you are going on a vacation, so versatile it is!

Benefits of Hatha yoga

Yoga has many benefits to it, both physical and mental. Making it a part of your life will fill you with a new purpose and give you a spring in your steps every day. Following are the most important benefits of hatha yoga:

- Increase in strength and flexibility

- Posture correction and strengthening of the spine

- Betterment of any condition in the muscular- skeletal structure, like scoliosis, weak knees, sore shoulders and neck

- Improvement of the endocrine, respiratory, immune, digestive and circulatory systems of the body

- Improvement in attention span and concentration levels

- Improvement in muscle- joint mobility

- Alleviation of back pain

- Enhancement in grace, stamina and balance

- Decrease in stress levels

- Increase in awareness levels towards the outside world and the inner self

- Relaxation of the mind and the body

Logan Chierotti is a Denver, Colorado resident who has had experience as a real estate agent and currently works in the Yoga industry. Logan Chierotti enjoys writing about real estate, yoga, fly fishing and much more.

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End Chronic Fatigue With Three Simple Yoga Techniques

Simple techniques found in yoga can help to ease fatigue -- as a practitioner of Yoga, I'm often ask questions that pertain to Yoga. I feel most of the questions could be effectively clarified through meditation rather than from another person, but there are a few areas not often addressed with mainstream yoga techniques that I am pleased to share my thoughts and ideas about. Yoga techniques that helps to alleviate fatigue is one of them.

However, before I go into the actual yoga techniques, let me ask you a question: What is Yoga? Without over analyzing it, where's the first place your mind went? Although I personally don't associate yoga with an institutionally organized form of spirituality, I do honor the Sanskrit meaning of the word yoga, which translates into "yoke" commonly believed to refer to "Union." To me, union can have many meanings - more than the physical fitness aspect commonly associated with the word yoga.

That in mind;here are Three Yoga Techniques to ease Fatigue: The yoga techniques I'm sharing here are for everyone, even those of you who've never practiced Yoga. My reason for sharing yoga techniques that alleviate fatigue is simple, it wasn't until this year, 2011 that I gained an entirely new appreciation for the concept of fatigue. At the start of the year, I had the feeling that I was in the best shape of my life. Working out 5-6 days per week for 90 minutes at a time, and going on walks that lasted 2-4 hours on just about a nightly basis helped me think so. I had never been feeling better until I decided to clean up some of the more destructive habits, which I will not elaborate on now, from my life.

That's when disaster hit. In a matter of two weeks I was practically unable to practice any yoga techniques of any kind for even 20 minutes without tired to the core style agony - and even a simple short walk around the block was completely draining. With such a drastic drop in activity, I started gaining weight and feeling even worse about the situation.

Fast forward to now;my, things have transformed quite radically! I'm able to practice the yoga techniques I loved close to the level I was before a personal energy crisis hit. Additionally, going on walks is something that lifts me up energetically - and I feel divinely human throughout the day. What I'm about to share are the three unconventional yoga techniques that have helped me the most going from bunk and bashful to awesome:

Keep in mind, Yoga = Union - and union can mean much more;Here's the Yoga Techniques:

#1) Eat Real Foods:

Just about all of us, if we have even a small bit of common sense, would agree that infecting (the DNA of) our foods with unpredictable viruses isn't good for us. That is part of the process of genetic modification of foods. Currently, Corn, Soy and Wheat are the most commonly genetically modified foods "on the market." If you read the ingredients on just about any the packaged foods you could buy, chances are, you'll find at least one of the ingredients listed. Also, when we consume fish, poultry, and meat, rarely do we wonder just what those animals have been fed.

That being said, I decided to do something many of us would consider a tad radical - even unrealistic. I pretty much eliminated fish, poultry, meat, corn, soy and wheat from my diet. Some would think of this as vegan, but I just think of it as a way of eating that carries with it a lot of freedom. As soon as I start name calling and labeling, I'm "locked in" and that becomes part of my identity. Even thought that last bit may be besides the point, so far, I've had great results. After the second week my energy more than doubled and weight that I had gained is quickly disappearing. The e-book I wrote about eating gives an easy to follow explanation, but the important thing, in my case, is that I feel better!

#2) Just Breath:

It's not like we're never heard this before and I know the statement can seem cliche. But think about stress for a moment; As kids, growing up in the states, most of us had times of feeling carefree. As we grew physically and age-wise, into adults, much of that freedom was replaced with responsibility - even the underlying expectation that we all have to live up to a set of standards that create the need to sacrifice our freedom. While the last pat of that statement may have been vague and done with the intention to cause you to think, that doesn't change the fact that many of us are stress cases to the extent of feeling worn out.

Another way I have though of stress is as constriction, or Subtle Tightness in or around the space our body occupies. If we are always walking around with tension, it's only a matter of time before something gives. Unfortunately for many of us, as I discovered, it's often our vital energy level. There are many reasons we become stressed or tight, and what I think of as "Intentional Breathing" provides an opportunity to simply focus on breath, going in and out of the body, as well as the sensations within.

It's simple yoga technique to practice. I suggest laying flat on your back, placing the tip of your tongue gently on the roof of your mouth and breathing first into your belly, then as that fills allowing the breath to expand the ribcage. When full, simply exhale through your nose and repeat. After a (very) short time, its common to feel a greater sense of ease, less stress and greater relaxation. It's simple.

#3) Sit in a way that aligns your spine:

Of all the simple yoga techniques you would do, a reduction in internal pressure could be one of the best and most effective ways to boost your energy levels quickly. The way you posture your body has a lot to do with the way you feel as well as the way your internal organs function. Unfortunately for most of us, our posture often constricts and reduces the space our internal organs have, in turn causing discomfort, stress, constriction - even pain. Alignment is simple practice that I learned from the American Yoga Foundation. In fact, it can go hand in hand with "Intentional Breathing" if you would like it to. Since learning Alignment in 2003, I have made may adjustments to my posturing and felt a lot better as a result. Since a recent bout with fatigue, this yoga technique, being aware of my sitting posture and applying Intentional Breathing to my sitting posture has made all the difference in the world when I am sitting for an extended time.

Practicing is simple while you are sitting, elongate the back of your neck, dropping your chin towards your collarbone, allow the ribcage to "lift" so that you can comfortably breath, by default, into your lower stomach and do the best you can to identify, with your mind areas in your body where you feel tense. As you feel these areas, simply focus on your breath and do what you can to find a greater sense of comfort. You may find that with every exhale you can become more comfortable. I'm not certain exactly how you'll choose to go about practicing, but whichever you choose, I wish great results to you.

Paul Bunting enjoys Yoga, Natural Foods and Sharing. www.PaulBunting.net for more...

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The Power and Growth of Hot Yoga

At the request of President Nixon and the encouragement of his teacher Bishnu Ghosh, Bikram Choudhury came to the United States in 1973 to "heal" the bodies of the west. His sequence of 26 poses in a hot room has done more than just heal the bodies of his students. It has fueled a yoga economy like no other.

Since 1973 Hot Yoga has been the largest growing trend in the Yoga field. When studios began to open in Asia, they operated Hot Yoga classes for the first 3 years before other styles of yoga began to gain interest and popularity. This has developed into a trend that began in the West Coast USA and has been growing ever since, with studios opening internationally and inspiring new styles of Yoga such as Bikyasa, or Hot Power Vinyasa, as it is commonly known on yoga schedules.

Hot Yoga creates amazing effects in the body. Whether you seek to lose weight, detoxify the body, promote healing of injuries, open up the body from muscular restrictions, or to practice increased mind-body awareness, hot yoga provides many unique opportunities and challenges to any practitioner.

From the very beginning, Bikram targeted professional athletes and Hollywood stars whose bodies have been subjected to years of tension. Kareem Abdul Jabbar publicly stated that Hot Yoga healed his injuries, while Madonna hailed Hot Yoga before she began her Ashtanga Vinyasa practice. Since then, many other professional athletes and stars have added hot yoga to their regular training routines in order to increase strength, flexibility, stamina, balance, and focus. Hot yoga allows one to push body, mind, and spirit to the edge, enabling growth and a strong connection to one's inner-self with each practice.

Practicing in a heated room warms up the body from the inside out, allowing muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and all body systems to retain warmth and to function at a more optimal level. Heat enables increased flexibility and range of motion with a lower risk of injury, allowing one to reach maximum flexibility in a shorter amount of time.

The Ashtanga Vinyasa system creates heat through intense breath awareness, while Hot Yoga creates that heat through modern technology. Heat in the body activates cellular metabolism, enhancing weight loss. The heat stimulates circulation, making the heart stronger. It helps bring fresh new blood and oxygen to all body parts, flooding cells with nourishment, which is vital to their healthy functioning.

In the last decade, recognizing the benefits that lie from the Bikram system as well as the Vinyasa model, a new style of Yoga has evolved; a style that combines the benefits of both of these practices. This style is known as Bikyasa - a hot yoga flow experience, combining Ashtanga principles of breath-coordinated movement, which ishow heat is produced internally, with external heat and aspects of Bikram's 26 pose sequence.

Bikram Classes are easily found in any authorized Bikram studio, though today Bikram Hot Yoga is also taught in CorePower Yoga and other studios under the name Hot Yoga. CorePower uses a different dialogue and does not restrict the class to 90 minutes. CorePower, along with many other studios around the world such as Haute Yoga out of Southern CA, Absolute Yoga in Thailand, and Bodhi Yoga international to name a few, are studios out of many who offer Hot Flow yoga classes, which are a mix of Bikram and Vinyasa - Bikyasa Yoga.

While they might not be using this term, Bikyasa is a term coined by Gabriel Azoulay, international Yoga professional who has been developing teacher training programs for large yoga brands around the world, and who has been teaching both Bikram and Ashtanga for over a decade. Bikyasa Yoga is a practice that intelligently combines silence with music, and Bikram's healing power, which is scientifically proven, with Vinyasa breath principles, which are also scientifically proven to enhance and heal the body. Bikyasa Yoga classes are found in Sumit Yoga studios throughout AZ and the world and Intentional Yoga Studios throughout the Midwest and the East coast.

Besides numerous physical benefits, heat adds an element which can challenge both the mind and spirit. Finding and maintaining focus despite the challenging environment can make one stronger and more balanced, building willpower, determination, and concentration. The body works hard, but the mind works harder, and following a hot yoga class practitioners often experience a sense of complete relaxation and surrender.

Bikyasa is an amazing practice that can lead to personal transformation on many levels. With that said, heat is not for everyone, so individuals with any concerns should speak with their physician before beginning a practice.

Gabriel Azoulay was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel. At the age of seventeen, Gabriel moved to Durham, NC, and at the age of twenty, while attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a book by Tom Robbins sparked an interest in India's religious studies. His first book on yoga, checked out from the University library was Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, from there Gabriel embarked on a yogic journey that continues to this day.

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Is It Ok to Do Yoga When Pregnant Even During the First Trimester?

Yoga is an exercise that many individuals take part in for a variety of reasons. It can be helpful to relief stiffness, reduce stress, and some women continue or begin the exercise during pregnancy. Its relaxing benefits may prove helpful in relieving stress that can come from pregnancy as the body goes through changes that may make women uncomfortable. No matter their trimester, whether first, second or third, women have found success through this practice.

Restorative yoga is a common form of the exercise for women who are pregnant, as well as those who are still trying to conceive. It is a form of restful yoga that uses props such as blocks, pillows, blankets, chairs, walls, and others to put the body into certain poses. By using these props to hold the body in a specific position, little to no exertion is required. Note that restful is not the same as sleep, however, as the stretching and relaxation can benefit the body as women go through changes throughout their pregnancy.

If you're pregnant, make sure that you inform your instructor before your class. Some classes are designed specifically for women during pregnancy, but it is still a good idea to let the instructor know which trimester you're currently in. He or she may offer alternative stretches for you that suit your condition so you do not injure yourself or the baby.

For instance, women should be aware of their shifting center of gravity during their pregnancy. Poses that you may have done with ease in the past may become more difficult as you put on more weight and you begin to show more and more. If something doesn't feel right, stop immediately. It's not worth getting in that pose at the risk of falling or getting injured. Listen to your body and do not push yourself. It's best to avoid poses that require you to stand on one foot, or that otherwise require you to balance yourself.

You should also avoid poses that put you on your stomach. Also try to avoid any twists or jumps, and do not hold your breath or breathe more rapidly. Breathe normally or practice the breathing that you'll have to do while giving birth. Do not assume any pose that will put you upside down, and after your first trimester your doctor may encourage you to avoid poses that put you on your back. It's a good idea to consult your doctor before you begin any routine to get some general guidelines.

Arianna has discovered more information on strengthening and breathing during pregnancy with restorative yoga. Take a look at your convenience at http://www.DomarCenter.com for pain and stress relief and see how it helps during a pregnancy.

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