The Types Of Yoga

There are quite a few "types" of yoga. A traditional physical and mental discipline originating in India, yoga?has been practiced for centuries, and is a series of postures and positions, synchronized with your breathing, designed to elevate mind, body and soul. Ultimately, as you progress through the various levels, the result will be a more developed,?focused mind, enhanced fitness and, if you are a spiritual person, a stronger connection with the universe! However, with all of the?different styles of yoga, it's often difficult for future practitioners to know exactly where to begin or which type is most appropriate for them.

Popular Types of Yoga

In spite of the fact that?there are about 10 main types, they really only differ with respect to their individual emphasis of the styles versus the poses or postures:

1. Hatha (Ananda): Arguably the most appropriate?style for beginners, this style is characterized by a slower pace, personal affirmations, and self-control.
2. Power Yoga (Ashtanga): This is a more advanced, faster pace of yoga, as the name "Power Yoga" suggests.
3. Anusara: This is a "heart-oriented" style that makes good use of the "tools of yoga". These classes are somewhat intense but still accessible by all skill levels.
4. Iyengar: This is one of the types of yoga that require much more stamina. It is characterized by a great attention to detail and an emphasis?on bodily alignment. Stamina is required?for this style, as poses are often held for an extended amount of time...not the smartest place for you to begin your yoga practice.
5. Integral: Another great style for beginners to begin with. This style balances attention to meditation, poses and breathing. Integral is a more general style like Hatha that will allow you to "taste test" the areas of concentration of the other styles.
6. Bikram (Hot Yoga): This is the hottest of the types of yoga! It's called Hot Yoga because it's practiced in a room temperature of around 100 degree! This allows cleansing sweat to flow and muscles to loosen.This is not a good place for beginners to start
7. Kundalini: Uses breath control and breathe/movement coordination to expell?bad energy. Beginners welcome.
8. Kripalu: A perfect style of yoga for beginners. This style focuses on breathing and moving at your own individual pace.
9. Sivananda: One of the largest schools of yoga, this style take a more holistic approach, including diet, relaxation and thinking. For those of you seeking?guidance in areas beyond just fitness, this is one of the best?types of yoga.
10. Svaroopa: You won't break a sweat here. This style is more about raising your consciousness. This is appropriate for beginners, but not if your focus is better fitness.

This is not supposed to be a definitive list, but it should be a good place for you to start as you pursue the highly beneficial practice of yoga!

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Health Benefits of Yoga

The yoga practice acts as a therapeutic tool to heal the body and the mind. When you practice yoga regularly, the numerous health benefits become apparent. The yoga postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation come together to yield a large number of physiological and psychological changes:

Physiological Benefits of Yoga

* increases muscle flexibility and joint range of motion
* increases muscular strength, endurance, and joint stability
* improves posture, steadiness, coordination, and balance
* decreases joint and back pain
* increases immunity
* improves sleep and increases energy levels
* decreases heart rate and increase cardiovascular efficiency
* decreases respiratory rate and improves respiratory efficiency
* reduces high blood pressure
* improves digestion and normalizes gastrointestinal function
* improves excretory functions and reduces constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
* improves flow of lymphatic system, thus helps in removal of toxins
* normalizes endocrine (hormone) function
* normalizes weight and body composition
* increases bone density and decreases onset of osteoporosis
* decreases blood sugar levels
* decreases sodium
* decreases total cholesterol
* increases HDL (good) cholesterol /decreases LDL and VLDL (bad) cholesterol
* decreases triglycerides
* increases grip strength
* EEG - alpha brain waves increase leading to a restful mental state
* brings autonomic nervous system to stable equilibrium
* improves dexterity, reaction time, and depth perception
* increases Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)

Psychological Benefits of Yoga

* improves concentration and attention
* decreases anxiety, internal stress and depression
* improves mood and sense of well-being
* increases self-acceptance and self-actualization
* improves learning efficiency and memory
* increases somatic and kinesthetic awareness (body/mind connection)
* decreases aggression and hostility
* increases social skills
* improves depth perception

If you have any health concerns, consult a medical professional before entering a yoga program. When performing the poses, maintain awareness on each movement and the alignment within each position. Remember, strain or fatigue should be avoided. The more mindful and respectful you are with your body, the better it will respond to the practice. Listen to the demands of the body, observe without judgment, and always find a place of joy and contentment within each pose.

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Yoga for Children

Various trends and fads have come and gone with fitness and exercise which makes it very easy to be cynical about any new developments in this field. However, because of the believed benefits of both mental and physical health yoga has been able to endure and become a favorite.

Having children practice yoga is becoming an increasingly popular trend. Like adults, children do not get enough exercise according to studies by experts and they can also exhibit tension and stress - therefore the perfect solution for overworked children is yoga.

Finding the Right Place

It is important to research the yoga class you are thinking of having your kid join as with any class or group. Talk with the instructors and ask them how spiritual their classes will be since some parents may be put off by the very religious nature of the Eastern/Buddhist influence.

It is also a good idea to find out how physically demanding the class is. The more strenuous positions may be dealt with by children that are natural athletes, but children who are beginners might need to be signed up for a more basic course.

For some parents, just the thought of sending a child to a yoga class is seen as too trendy. However, there are some organizations out there that are working to make the idea of yoga for children not so foreign. Converts out of skeptics can happen if your read up on the information available.

Just as much as adults, children need to find balance and peace of mind. Since yoga is so successful with adults, a natural progression seems to be developing and adapting it for children Yoga Fitness Exercises. The benefits of yoga in young children’s health is promoted by a group called YogaKids International. The website of this large organization is www.yogakids.com where people can get information on their mission as well as locations, teachers, equipment and accreditation.

Is it Right for Your Kid?

There is a pensive, spiritual side to yoga in addition to the physical part which is the most important part of the exercise. Yoga might be a problem therefore if your child’s attention span doesn’t allow them to sit still longer than the average commercial break.

This don’t mean hyperactive children can’t benefit from yoga, it just means that you need to have a patient instructor who has prior experience in dealing with children - particularly those who are antsy at the thought of sitting on a mat and concentrating on breath when they would rather be in front of a television screen annihilating galaxies. It is this children who will benefit the most from yoga Yoga for Beginners.

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Yoga Practice for Middle-Aged People

Recently, many journals on yoga practice and health benefits have surfaced. Numerous studies have been conducted relating yoga to health. Recent studies show that if you practice yoga, it will help prevent some major problems associated with people in their middle ages. Now that‘s a good deal!

Regular sessions of yoga will help diminish those problem areas that we are all too familiar with.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center conducted a study that showed 30 minutes of consistent yoga practice done over a period of four years led to weight loss for overweight middle-aged people.

Researchers had looked into the data accumulated from 10,000 men and women in the age group of 45 and 55 years. Studies concluded that individuals of a normal weight who had daily yoga practice sessions gained 3 pounds less than those individuals who did not have regular yoga sessions. The effect of yoga was the most on obese people of this age group. In the span of ten years, obese people of the age group had lost about 10 pounds more than the people of the same age group who did not schedule regular yoga practice time.

There are many myths that center around weight loss combined with a hard exercise program, however the people who attended yoga practice did not do that kind of yoga at all. Researches believe that through the study of yoga, individuals learn to become conscious of their bodies, which results to the weight loss.

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Yoga Health News

Yoga Health Foundation announces Yoga Month 092008, a global awareness campaign to inspire a healthy lifestyle.

Los Angeles, November 05, 2007 – The Yoga Health Foundation, a non-profit organization registered in California, has announced “Yoga Month 092008”, a grassroots, community-based global campaign to educate people about the health benefits of yoga and to inspire a healthy lifestyle.

Yoga Month is a year-round campaign and will peak September 2008 with millions of health & socially conscious individuals practicing yoga at thousands of yoga studios, parks and homes around the globe.

The 10 City Yoga Month Tour featuring lectures and concerts will visit yoga-passionate cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, Austin, Denver and San Diego.

“Yoga has been practiced for the last 5,000 years and transformed into one of the most popular and effective methods to balance body mind, stay flexible, fit and healthy and prevent disease - mainly because it works.”, says Johannes R. Fisslinger, president of the Yoga Health Foundation and initiator of the Yoga Month campaign.

Yoga is attracting North American participants in numbers as high as 20 million. A recent Harris poll revealed that more than 100 million North Americans would like to practice Yoga for its health benefits.

With many Hollywood celebrities like Gwenyth Paltrow, Madonna, Russell Simmons, Courtney Cox and Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan, Ricky Martin practicing yoga and 27 billion spent in yoga-related products even traditional advertisers are paying attention.

The extensive list of current Yoga Month partners include magazines like Fit Yoga, Yoga+ Joyful Living, LA Yoga, Yogi Times, Yoga Journal, Yogamates.com, Whole Life Times, studios like Yogaworks, Exhale, Jiva Mukti, Power Yoga, Dahn Yoga and Bikram Yoga and teachers like Seane Corn, Hala Khouri, Bryan Kest, Nike’s Margo Kellison, Larry Payne, Shiva Rea.

Yoga Month will benefit local community leaders and inspire sustainable healthy lifestyle projects like Yoga for Kids, at-risk-youth, breast health or AIDS prevention.

For more information and for Yoga Studios & Teachers, Community Leaders and Media & Sponsors sign up, please visit www.yogamonth.org.

Find out about the Cost of Poor Health and why Yoga Month 092008 will make a difference in the future of health care.

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Yoga has Multiple Benefits

With thousands of Yoga Studios and Millions of Yoga and Pilates Students participating in the Yoga Month 09.2008 national awareness campaign and the 10 City Yoga Health Festivals you might ask yourself, what exactly are the health benefits of yoga? Is there scientific proof that yoga actually works in preventing disease or healing chronic health issues?

Scientific studies have shows that Yoga induces a feeling of well-being in healthy people, and can reverse the clinical and biochemical changes associated with metabolic syndrome, according to results of studies from Sweden and India. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and high blood sugar.

Dr. R.P. Agrawal, of the SP Medical College, Bikaner, India, and colleagues evaluated the beneficial effects of yoga and meditation in 101 adults with features of metabolic syndrome. In the study, 55 adults received three months of regular yoga including standard postures and Raja Yoga, a form of transcendental meditation daily, while the remaining received standard care.

Waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglycerides were significantly lower, and “good” HDL cholesterol levels were higher in the yoga group as compared to controls, Agrawal’s team reports in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.

In the second study, published online December 19 in BioMed Central Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Dr. Anette Kjellgren from the University of Karlstad, Sweden and colleagues evaluated the beneficial effects of yoga-like breathing exercises on healthy volunteers.

Fifty-five adults were advised to practice “Sudarshan Kriya,” which involves cycles of slow normal and rapid breathing exercises. The exercises were practiced for an hour daily, six days a week for six weeks, while 48 controls were advised to relax in an armchair for 15 minutes daily.

At the end of the study period, feelings of anxiety, stress and depression were significantly lower and levels of optimism significantly higher in the yoga group compared to the control group, Kjellgren and colleagues report.

Yoga induces a “relaxation response” associated with reduced nervous system activity and a feeling of well-being probably due to an increase in antioxidants and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, they suggest.

Yoga not only helps in prevention of lifestyle diseases, but can also be “a powerful adjunct therapy when these diseases arise,” co-investigator Dr. Faahri Saatiglou, from the University of Oslo, told Reuters Health. “We do not emphasize this point enough in our Western health care.”

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Yoga and Meditation

Different Styles of Meditation

Nothing is impervious to change and so is not meditation. While the fundamental focus of meditation has not shifted from what it had started with, there have been several other changes that have led to different styles being followed at different places of the earth over different periods. It helps to know what styles are in practice today so that you can make an informed choice when you plan to undertake meditation yourself.

Watching Your Breathing

One of the very basic forms of meditation is to just control the way you breathe. All you are supposed to do is to sit in an upright position, close your eyes and just concentrate on the way you breathe. While this sounds pretty simple and is actually not that hard to practice, it can make a world of difference. During our day-to-day life we hardly have the time to settle down for a few minutes. That means irregular breathing. Allowing our body some time to actually stay calm and carry on the processes quietly can make a significant difference to how our body performs. With more fresh air in our lungs the heart performs at its best and our body feels rejuvenated.

Watching Your Thoughts

This is one of the tougher practices of meditation. Though physically not that demanding, it is an emotional challenge. The idea is to clear your mind of any thoughts and just let it be. You can sit in the normal upright posture and with your legs crossed. But the trick is to let go of your mind, because, at least initially, the more you will try this, the harder will it get.

Walking Meditation

One of the more innovative versions of meditation, this not only helps you at the level of the mind but you also get some exercise as you pace up and down. You can practice this in a room or outdoors, as long as there are no distractions. Don't try it in a room where the television is on or in a park with children playing. Again the process is to maintain a relatively brisk pace as you focus on your breathing and walking. Concentrate only on these two things and let go of your other concerns. Staying focused here is the real challenge.

Meditating While Chanting

This is a good style of meditation for the beginners. It has often been a problem for the ones who are starting off on meditation to actually stay focused and not let thoughts wander into their heads. Chanting a mantra can be of much help for them. This helps to keep away other thoughts and lets you focus more. The chant should be chosen carefully so that it is easy for you to remember and say. You need not say it aloud and can just repeat it in your head. As long as you are able to stay focused you know it is working right for you.

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Health Benefits of Yoga

Yoga In Dealing With Stress

The only silver lining to the dark and gloomy clouds of stress and stress induced other problems is that we have a tool with us, which, if we use properly can effectively deal with the problems of stress. The tool obviously is yoga.

Yoga helps us in developing better control of our breathing habits. It also teaches us what the right posture for the body should be. Knowledge of both these things is critical to keep the stress levels down. A regulated breathing ensures that all parts of the body receive the required amount of blood flow and along with it the necessary levels of oxygen. The brain therefore is never deprived of what it needs most - oxygen. A steady supply of oxygen and nutrients, also carried by our blood through the veins, ensures that the brain is always stays at its prime level and performs how it is supposed to. With better performance of our brain not only is it better able to tackle stress, but there are also fewer chances of being stressed as the work you are doing will be of a better quality.

The posture of your body ensures that there are reduced levels of stress on your body. Often because our sitting and standing positions at work or at home are not quite right, there is a negative effect not only on the body but also on our minds. When the body starts to send problem signals to the brain, it gets more involved in tackling those problems than deal with the issues that are already there. With a better sitting and standing posture we can negate such problems.

Beyond the Mind

The positive effects of yoga are not only restricted to the mind but also helps our body. However, yoga as a discipline is not meant to treat particular diseases. It must be appreciated that yoga is not a form of medicine. It is more of a way of living. Hence yoga has a more holistic approach to the way it treats our body. It focuses on the improvement of all our bodily functions rather than concentrating on a few individual areas.

However, continued practice of yoga and following a lifestyle that yoga advocates can mean that there is an overall improvement in the state of your health. Some of your particular diseases and ailments can also be tackled through a sustained practice of yoga.

Yoga has been known to be particularly effective in problems associated with breathing such as bronchitis. With a better control over breathing, the respiratory passage performs much better. Hence many who suffered from bronchitis and had later taken to yoga have claimed that much of their problems have been fixed.

With better sitting and standing postures, there is also a marked improvement when it comes to backache and other niggles in the body.

A peaceful and stress free mind also leads to better sleeping habits and many people have claimed that there problems with insomnia have been reduced after taking up yoga.

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Control Diabetes Through Yoga

Diabetes is a disorder that is normally caused by the incapability of the body to control the quantity of sugar in the blood. An individual who suffer from diabetes is not capable to use blood glucose due to inadequate amounts of insulin produced by the pancreas in the body. In simple terms, it can be defined as a problem of the metabolism that can damage the nerves, kidneys, and eyes. It can even cause gangrene, stroke, and heart disease.

In last few years different diabetic treatment methods have been used to control diabetes. While many nutritionists suggested for different techniques for dieting, many doctors also recommended for regular exercise to control sugar level. However, recent studies have shown that yoga too can produce major health benefits for diabetics. Yoga has shown some beneficial results in controlling diabetes. Not long ago, many people were familiar with yoga as a succession of movements or poses. But, today it has emerged as one of the most convenient options to control diabetes.

Yoga as Diabetes Treatment Method

The yoga exercises that are prescribed for curing diabetes are different from hatha yoga exercise. It usually involves positions tailored to treat certain conditions, as well as meditation and relaxation. Yoga can stimulate the pancreas and stimulate insulin production. Regular practice of yoga actually reduces the blood sugar levels, the blood pressure, and the rate of progression to the complications. While most diabetics need to lose or at least maintain a certain weight limit, yoga is an excellent choice to accomplish these twin goals. The symptoms are also reduced to a large extent, and so is the number of diabetes related hospital admissions. Apart from this, some studies have also shown that certain yoga poses have the effect of massaging or stretching certain internal organs which actually led to the increased insulin production.

How Yoga works?

Generally glucagons secretion is enhanced by stress. Now when we perform yoga, it effectively reduces adrenaline, noradrenalin in blood, which is termed as 'stress hormones' and this in turn helps in reducing glucagons and possibly improving insulin action. In addition to this, recent studies have also shown that blood pressure also plays a vital role in the development of diabetic and related complications, which is proven to be benefited by yoga. When we perform yoga, it helps in muscular relaxation and improves blood supply to muscles which further increase insulin receptor expression on muscles causing increased glucose uptake by muscles and thus reducing blood sugar.

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Benefits of Yoga For Pregnant Women

Yoga originated in ancient India, and it has become a very popular way of increasing flexibility, decreasing stress, and building strength, even for pregnant women. Yoga for pregnant women is an excellent way to address not only your body's physical need for exercise, but also the emotional and mental stress of pregnancy, as well.

Prenatal yoga classes are very popular, and if you incorporate yoga with a cardiovascular exercise, like walking, it provides a perfect means of staying in shape during and after the pregnancy months. This gentle art can keep you limber and flexible. It also tones your muscles. Improvement in balance and circulation is another benefit of yoga, and there is little or no impact on your joints.

With yoga, you will learn how to breathe deeply and relax. Indeed, one of the first things you learn in a yoga class is how to breathe deeply and fully. The breathing technique is called ujjayi, and you take air in slowly through your nose, making sure to fill your lungs. When you release the breath, you will want to make sure you exhale until your stomach compresses. This relaxation technique is something that helps many women through the ups and downs of pregnancy, as well as the stress of labor, delivery, and even motherhood.

Learning to relax is a key component in yoga, and it is something that can serve you very well during labor. When you're in pain, or when you are afraid, your body generates adrenaline. This will decrease the production of the hormone oxytocin, which is something you need to make the labor progress. Consequently, an art such as yoga helps to prepare you for labor and childbirth by training you to remain calm when you are anxious, frightened, or in pain.

Of course, everyone knows that a woman goes through a great many physical, mental and emotional changes during pregnancy. Yoga for pregnant woman can provide an ideal way to deal with all these changes. Prenatal yoga can help relieve the mental stress of pregnancy, and it also allows your body to remain fit and limber. It can even aid with such complaints as fatigue, mood swings, excess weight gain, swelling and cramping.

Many women wonder if exercises during pregnancy are safe and that is a valid concern. Yoga, however, is quite adaptable to a prenatal workout, so exercise and pregnancy really do go together. Exercises during pregnancy are generally very safe, but you do need to take some precautions. Just as with any workout program, it is best to consult your physician before starting. Every woman is unique, and only your physician can help you know if an exercise program is right for you. Once you have the go ahead, then look for a yoga for pregnant women class. They are extremely popular right now, and these classes will provide you with a trained instructor to guide you through the learning process and help you set up a safe, effective exercise program.

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Try Yoga to Enhance Your Body

I instructed a yoga class for a high school football team last week. A bunch of the teens didn't want anything to do with yoga. I guess they thought it would have no benefit to them and I think they felt embarrassed to be out on the field in plain view practicing yoga.

The guys that stayed had an open mind to a point, but mainly had the idea that this was an easy workout and they were humoring the captain by taking part.

We started with some sun salutations. It was a steamy hot day with the sun blaring, but from what I could see during the warm-up these guys weren't very flexible. I wanted to warm up their muscles so we could get into some stretching. We worked on standing poses and upper body strengthening, balancing and then some core work. Then we went into some deep muscle stretching and finished with relaxation ~ lying on the field and watching the white puffy clouds float by.

Being sport specific, these guys need it all. It is just the beginning of their season and I am sure they will be working hard. My goal was to give them an exercise practice that would help them recover from their workouts, gain some flexibility and strengthen their core to help avoid injuries.

The complaints began.... This isn't easy....wait, which foot? .... I can't reach my toes....and then the realization started....look, I can reach my toes now.... Is this right? As we worked through the practice they paid closer attention and complained less. At the end of relaxation I told them we could practice again if they liked it and I heard... let's do this every Friday.... let's do it before every game.

The point here, I guess, is that they gave Yoga a chance and it helped them. They realized it wasn't a girlie thing that they should be embarrassed by. I know, they are teenagers. So as adults what benefit will yoga have for you?

Do you golf? Then you are probably out of balance from swinging that golf club the same way all the time. Yoga can help with lower back strengthening. Repetitive motion of swinging the same way all day puts your body out of balance. Balancing poses help to correct that imbalance, as do the standing poses. Side stretching and twisting (both ways) also helps with the imbalance while keeping your torso flexible enough to follow through with your swing.

Do you play baseball or softball? Those explosive runs can be hard on your body. Again, swinging the bat in the same direction and throwing with the same arm over and over. Are you the catcher? You need some core strength to squat down and up so many times. You think about the leg strength but if you don't have core strength you are not taking care of your lower back.

Tennis? Side to side, explosive reaction; one shoulder gets more repetition. Volleyball? Jumping; explosive running short distances.

Are you a runner or a biker? Your continually work the front side of your body but the back side is left out. Usually runners are tight in the hamstrings and sometimes in the calves. You need to stretch those body parts out to bring some balance back into your body.

The flexibility and the core strength that yoga provides can help with all of these sports. Many people are tight in the shoulders - especially athletes. More flexibility means more safe range of motion. With any sport and for any person yoga promotes muscle recovery. We always feel better after we stretch out those sore muscles.

Are you open to trying something that will enhance your sport? Take a yoga class. Have an open mind and tune in to your body to see if you gained any benefit, during the practice and after. Many professional athletes practice yoga - maybe you should too...

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