Yoga for kids- Add Balance in the Lives of your Children with Yoga

Our children have been born in an age where everything is fast and in order to keep up with times they need to keep up their health. This age of technology (computers, television and competitive sports) causes tense exhausted bodies and stressed minds. In this challenging scenario, Yoga may be just what they need for greater health, energy and enlightenment.

Yoga is the right kind of exercise for children as it is gentle, non-competitive and works not only the entire body but also the mind and spirit. Children of all ages and physical abilities can participate.

Five Yogasanas a Child Can Do Include these five yogasanas in your child's daily fitness regimen and you'll pave way for his healthy future.

1) Palm tree pose or Tadasana: Stand erect with feet joined together. Raise arms above the head and lock your fingers such that the palm is facing upwards. Raise the heels and stretch upwards as much as you can so that you feel the tension in arms, neck and shoulders. Hold the position for as long as you can. By each passing day you can hold the position a little longer.

Benefits: This is a very good exercise for increasing height in growing children. It stretches the spine and is also good for toning the abdominal muscles.

2) Triangle pose or Trikonasana: Stand erect with feet apart. Inhale and stretch hands and bring it to parallel to ground. With this as the base position, exhale and bend forward twisting to touch the right hand to the left foot. In this position, the left hand should be straight up and the head should be aligned to look up, too. Come back to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Initially, do it slowly for two to three times on either side. Once you get it then you can alternate between left and right without coming up to starting position and count 10 - 20 twists.

Benefits: This pose exercises the entire body - legs, arms, neck, shoulders, back, stomach - and tones it. It is very good to alleviate constipation as it improves digestion.

3) Lotus pose or Padmasana: This is done in the sitting position. Sit down and stretch your legs in front of you. Bring one leg, with the aid of your hands, to rest on the opposite thigh such that the heel touches the groin. The sole of the feet should be facing upwards. Bring the other leg to rest similarly on the other side. Hands should rest on the knees. Close your eyes and concentrate on the breathing.

Benefits: This calms and soothes the mind. It will help children become less excitable and increase their attention span.

4) Wind releasing posture or Pawanmuktasana: Lie on your back with feet together. Inhale and raise both feet 45 degree above ground. Bend at the knees and bring them towards the chest. Hold legs in that position with both hands such that the fingers are interlocked. Inhale and slowly raise the head and shoulders towards the knees such that the chin is between them. Retain this position for a while. Exhale and come back to the sleeping position.

Benefits: This pose is very good to remove accumulated gases in the stomach and alleviate bloating and constipation. It massages the abdomen and tones up the back, waist and bottom.

5) Bow pose or Dhanurasana: Lie flat on the stomach with arms on the side. Bend the knees and catch the feet with the corresponding hands. Raise the head, shoulders and chest off the ground and simultaneously the knees and thighs, such that only the abdomen is in contact with the ground. Hold this position for a while and then slowly release the hands and come down to the starting position.

Benefits: This pose is a good safeguard against gastro-intestinal problems and obesity. It tones up the spinal column, arms, legs - in fact, the whole body.

Benefits of yogafor Kids:

1. It is absolutely safe for your child.
2. It helps negate the effects of the competitive life (and its negative long-term effects) the child is forced to live.
3. It helps children to relax, concentrate and focus.
4. It builds stamina, stability and balance.
5. It helps improve digestion, elimination of toxins and circulation.
6. It strengthens the musculature of the body, elongates the spine and promotes good posture.
7. Children who practice yoga have a good posture.
8. Specific postures help relieve gas and constipation.
9. It improves breathing habits through pranayam.
10. It develops speech skills through the use of singing and chanting.
11. It improves sleeping patterns.
12. It improves memory and develops effective concentration skills.

Summary:

Yoga means connecting to God. A child's mind is pure and body flexible. They'll absorb everything that is given to them. The earlier your child begins the better he will feel. Let yoga be his guide into the world of good and harmonious living. Give him this gift to keep him healthy and happy - more positive, self confident and emotionally independent.

Yoga meditation- Cultivate Concentration & Purity in Lives

Yoga Meditation: What it is!!!

An ordinary person may consider meditation as a worship or prayer. But it is not so. Meditation means awareness. Whatever you do with awareness is meditation. "Watching your breath" is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation. As long as these activities are free from any other distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation.

Meditation is not a technique but a way of life. Meditation means 'a cessation of the thought process’. It describes a state of consciousness, when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns. The observer (one who is doing meditation) realizes that all the activity of the mind is reduced to one.

Traditionally, the classical yoga texts, describe that to attain true states of meditation one must go through several stages. After the necessary preparation of personal and social code, physical position, breath control, and relaxation next are the more advanced stages of concentration, contemplation, and then ultimately absorption. But that does not mean that one must perfect any one stage before moving onto the next. The Integral yoga approach is simultaneous application of a little of all stages together.
Benefits of Meditation

Meditation is good for you. From the historical standpoint of yoga, meditation was practiced for its spiritual, rather than physical, benefits. The apparent attitude was, simplistically, attain enlighten and everything else will fall into place. Today we tend to be (rightly or not) less focused on enlightenment, and more on the physical and mental benefits of meditation. Whatever the objective, meditating can offer benefits, and a sampling of the benefits follows:

1. Lowers cholesterol and blood pressure
2. Allows the autonomic nervous system to become balanced, so that rest and healing can occur.
3. Studies show decreased risk of stroke and heart disease
4. Increases melatonin production which improves quality of sleep and decreases cancer risk
5. Increases awareness of intuition
6. Improves concentration and focus
7. Reduces stress, anxiety, tension
8. Increased creativity
9. Better relationships
10. Increased self-awareness and self-acceptance
11. Deeper sense of spirituality and meaning
12. Clinically shown to enhance health status in individuals with psoriasis, allergies, asthma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, migraines, chronic pain, diabetes, cancer and panic attacks.
13. Simple Techniques and Tips for Yoga Meditating
14. Here are simple tips that helps you to meditate while yoga
15. Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed or interrupted. For most of us, this can be the most difficult part of meditation. Sometimes this will necessitate creativity to arrange.
16. Creating a sacred place and using it consistently will help you to get into the meditation more easily. If consistency is virtually impossible for you, don't let it be an obstacle for-- do what works for you.
17. Prepare by having a relatively empty stomach. You may want to precede with some yoga postures (in the evening) or go directly to your practice, especially in the morning when meditation typically precedes the yoga postures.
18. Sitting upright is the preferred pose, because it is important to have your head, neck and trunk in a straight line to enhance energy flow and proper breathing. Laying down can only work if you don’t fall asleep, which adds another potential obstacle. If you are sitting, it helps to have a small cushion under the sitting bones as this will help to keep your posture erect.
19. You may want to begin with a “resurrection breath” which consists of inhaling, turning your head to the left, and strongly exhaling twice over your left shoulder.
20. Bring your attention away from external activities and bring your focus to your breath. Breathe in and out through your nostrils. When thoughts come into your head, gently let them go by and draw your attention back to your breath, which should be quiet and natural.
21. As you begin a practice, the most important thing is to be sure that the process is enjoyable so that you will want to return to it again and again. Two to three minutes in the beginning is plenty; anything over fifteen to twenty is likely to be counterproductive, but be your own judge. Meditation is about getting in touch with the wisdom within.

Summary:

Yoga Meditation techniques can enhance you both physically and spiritually. Knowing how to develop both body and mind through Yoga Meditation can provide you with many life-changing benefits.

Yoga & Weight loss- Always Remain in Shape!!!!

How Yoga helps in Weight loss?

Another great benefit of Yoga is its ability to reduce weight. Through different asanas of Yoga we can easily reduce extra fat from our body.

1. Some of the asanas stimulate sluggish glands to increase their hormonal secretions. For example, the thyroid gland has a big effect on our weight as it affects body metabolism. Asanas like shoulder stand and the fish posture are particular for the thyroid gland. These asanas increase fat metabolism thereby converting fat to muscle and energy. You will not only loose fat but also have a better muscle tone and vitality.

2. Yoga deep breathing helps in increasing the oxygen intake to the body cells, including the fat cells. This results into burning up of fat cells.

3. Another amazing aspect of Yoga is that it reduces anxiety which, in turn, reduces anxious eating. It is human tendency that whenever we are tensed we tend to swallow our food without deriving much satisfaction and pleasure. In the process we end up eating more. On the other hand, if we approach our meals with better mood, we tend to be less likely to overeat in a worried effort to calm our anxieties. Yoga plays an important role in making us more calm and cool.

4. Some of us have a habit of eating between the meals. Here also Yogic practices come handy. One can take the help of Yogic aids when feeling tempted in between the meals. In such situations one may intentionally turn to Yoga rather than looking for some snacks. The knowledge and power derived from Yoga also makes us aware of problems like obesity which may prevent the individual from overeating.

Such is the magic and charisma of Yoga that you tend to attain a balanced weight i.e. if your weight is normal, it will remain the same where as in case of underweight, you will gain weight.
Different Postures that help in weight loss:

Though there are more than seventy postures in yoga; a few of which when practiced regularly give good results in reducing weight. A few such exercises that stimulate the endocrine glands are beneficial for obesity. These are easy to practice daily at a fixed time. You must keep in mind that a natural diet will be more suitable for these exercises.

1. The Sun Salutations: These are a combination of poses that serve as a warm up-routine for a Yoga session or class. They are very similar to the popular calisthenics exercise known as burpees. However, they differ in that they have a spiritual significance included as a result of executing them. Due to the forward and backward bending motions involved, after performing a few to several rounds on a daily basis, you are bound to notice a marked loss of weight in you abdominal area and the added bonus of muscular tone.

2. The Bow Pose: This simple pose involves laying flat on your belly and grabbing your ankles with both arms while simultaneously lifting your head up high. When performed correctly, you should be resting on your abdomen. Needless to say, it is a pose commonly recommended for weight loss and the prevention and correction of chronic constipation.

3. The Peacock Pose: This is slightly more challenging. The objective is to balance your abdomen on your conjoined elbows while simultaneously raising your legs and head of the floor. Naturally, merely attempting it speeds up abdominal weight loss and detoxification of the visceral organs and the preparatory stage could suffice as the actual execution of the pose till the mastery of it is achieved.

4. The Abdominal Lift: This is not a pose, per-se but is a specific exercise that involves you exhaling your breath and pulling the diaphragm in while holding the breath out. This is a specific abdominal exercise for weight loss, spiritual rejuvenation and detoxification.

Summary:

Losing weight with yoga means focusing on yoga postures that help raise the metabolism and helps to burn calories and reduce stress at the same time, as yoga is a relaxing way of exercising. Yoga does burn less calories than other sports such as jogging or swimming, unless you practice ashtanga or power yoga. However, yoga should be practiced within a certain frame of mind.

Yoga Pilates- A Perfect Mind-body Exercise

If you’re relatively new to the study of yoga, you may be wondering how a yoga Pilates workout differs from a regular yoga practice. While yoga and Pilates do have many similarities, Pilates focuses less on breathing and more on developing a fuller range of motion. When Pilate’s exercises are added to a yoga practice, the result is a more complete workout that strengthens the body while calming the mind.

Basically Yoga and Pilates are reciprocally supportive: Yoga gives Pilates litheness and mobility while Pilates offers constancy and mobility in the movement. When united with Yoga, Pilate’s doctrine augments the practice by bringing central stabilization into light as well as training and substance for yoga postures (particularly in the strength to seize). Since Pilates is more about length and potency, Yoga helps to amplify the litheness capability.
What is Pilates?

According to the Pilates Method Alliance, Pilates is a type of exercise and physical movement that is designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the entire body. When done on a regular basis, Pilate’s exercises provide numerous health benefits. Studies have shown that Pilates increases lung capacity and strength and improves posture, flexibility, coordination, and balance. In addition, bone density and joint health may improve as well.

While yoga has a 5,000 year history, Pilates exercises were developed by Joseph Pilates in 1914. Mr. Pilates was a performer and boxer who worked with his wife Clara, an experienced nurse, to develop exercises that would help bedridden patients regain their strength and mobility. As time went on, the original Pilates exercises were slightly modified to provide benefits for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Mr. Pilates believed that by improving the "powerhouse" of the body – the abdomen and buttocks – as well as the muscles around the joints through a series of controlled and precise techniques, a body would gain strength without bulk and an increased range of motion.
Incorporating Pilates into Your Yoga Practice

In recent years, both beginning and advanced yogis have been incorporating Pilate’s principles into their workouts. The yoga Pilate’s combination is only natural, since both forms of exercise stress the creation of a balanced mind, body, and spirit. Adding basic Pilate’s exercises to your workout will help you become more mindful of your physical limitations and provide you with a new insight into how your body moves. In addition Pilates focuses on core strengthening, which emphasizes a strong abdominal and back area; a strong core will help your overall health, strength and flexibility.

There are two ways for you to enjoy yoga Pilate’s workout:

* You can do Pilates exercises before you begin your asana practice. This lets you warm your muscles and work on developing a stronger core without disturbing the quiet of your practice.
* You can incorporate Pilate’s principles throughout your workout by modifying various yoga poses. For example, you can try scooping your abdomen inward as you move into the Paschimottanasana, or Seated Forward Bend.

Similarities between Yoga and Pilates:

The Similarities b/w the 2 types of exercise help to incorporate the yoga into Pilate exercise that leads to a better result and a complete relaxed body.

Both the forms of exercises make extensive use of controlled movements, balance and proper breathing techniques. Also, Yoga exercises are performed almost exclusively on mat and Pilates also includes various mat-based exercises. Both exercise styles help in alleviating stress, healing sore body and stretching muscles.

Differences between Yoga and Pilates

Even though both Yoga and Pilates appear to be similar, they have several differences. First one being, Pilates exercises are also performed using various equipments like Pilates Reformer, Wunda Chair, Stability Ball, Resistance Bands and so on. On the other hand, Yoga movements are performed almost exclusively on a floor mat. Yoga aims at co-ordination of mind, body and soul and to enhance healing, flexibility and strength of joints. Yoga is more of a spiritual nature, which tries to evoke the latent energy of the body whereby regulating the hormonal flow and harmonizing the workings of various organs of the body. Pilates exercises emphasize on strengthening the abdominal muscles, improve posture, stabilize and elongate the spine and to impart overall strength.

Summary:

Even after knowing about both Pilates and Yoga, if you are still wondering which of the two techniques is better for you, think about incorporating both in your workout routine. Both Yoga and Pilates can be successfully used in conjunction with each other. In fact, several exercises incorporating the elements of yoga and Pilates, known interestingly as Yogilates, have been developed which result in a complete workout.

Fighting Obesity With Yoga

Overweight and obesity are two diseases that are spreading these days like an epidemic. There are a huge number of people who are suffering from overweight. Improper eating habits are a main cause to excessive weight. The busy lifestyle of most people, leave them with hardly any time, to think over, about health and food. Eating the right food is the most essential thing in today's time. Now day's even children of very young age are suffering from obesity. Obesity may be either genetic or due to improper food habits. Hence the first a person needs to take care, if willing to fight over weight is, the right intake of food. A person must not abstain from eating, what is more important, is to eat the food with the right nutritional value. Consumption of junk foods must be completely stopped. Also a person must refrain from deep fried food, and excessively fatty food, like cheese. The second step a person needs to take to get rid of obesity is to exercise. Exercising helps burn fat and help keeping the body fit.

There are various exercises a person can choose from, but recent studies show, that yoga can be really beneficent in reducing weight. A person can learn yoga buy hiring a personal instructor. Also a vast amount of information on yoga is available in the form of articles on the Internet. There are also a number of books which provide an insight of the various yoga exercises and there advantages.

Doing yoga exercises on a daily basis would definitely help reduce weight. It employs various breathing techniques along with various other exercises makes a person use the body muscles. If the body muscles are not used often, they might get weak, but yoga helps keeping the muscles active and strong. A person can learn yoga easily if he is willing for the same. Yoga comprises of easy to do exercises which can be done indoor, but would be more helpful if done in open air. Yoga helps fight obesity by making a person use every single muscle in the body.