| Yoga |
| Information, tips and resources for all your yoga needs. |
I need to strengthen everything, but as I have started to work out I get tighter & tighter. What little I have read about yoga is that it helps flexibility and core fitness. I am now in the obese column, should I wait until I am a little less fat?
Yoga Mad
Yoga for guys is fast catching on and the result is that more and more men are taking to this form of exercise and there are many reasons behind this switch including helping to rid you of stress and making the body more flexible. In addition, yoga is known to lessen the chances of developing heart diseases, lowers the chance of being depressed and also keeps high blood pressure at bay.
Get Through Your Day with Less Stress
Yoga for dudes helps in improving the strength of the body and makes it more flexible and it has a very calming effect on the mind as well, which is much appreciated by men, who somehow must find time to practice yoga even despite hectic work schedules. Many men find that after getting hooked on yoga for men the little things that would have bugged them don’t seem to stress them out anymore. They are more centered and focused.
Reducing stress through yoga for men doesn’t just have mental and emotional benefits. It can actually help protect you from illnesses caused by stress. You can reduce your chance of developing stress related illnesses like heart disease if you use the breathing and meditation techniques you learn in yoga for men to develop a relaxing connection between mind and body.
Don’t let yourself ignore the effects of stress until you’re already feeling symptoms like high blood pressure and heart palpitations. If it were not for yoga for men, it would be hard to imagine a way out for them, and there are also other changes that are often noticed in men besides physical ones and these are the behavioral changes that come about because of stress.
You’ll find yourself putting old habits like drinking, smoking, eating junk food, and being a couch potato behind you. A mere twenty to forty minutes of yoga for men each day in which they can sit and be silent and then do some gentle stretching and also breathe deeply will do wonders for them and stress will no longer be a problem.
These two types of Yoga are so different, is it beneficial to do both or do you focus on only one? Kundalini is far more aggressive in it’s physical approach but also has more chanting. Very different from Hatha Yoga! But I enjoy both approaches.
What do the Yoga experts say?
Yoga Mad
Belur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, founder of Iyengar yoga, has been practicing yoga for over 60 years and is considered to be one of the foremost yoga instructors in the world. He was born into a poor Iyengar family in the village of Belur Karnataka, South India. Iyengars are a community of Brahmins (a priestly class) who study the vedas and ancient religious texts that indicate a Supreme Being, as well as subsidiary gods, whose existence depends upon the all-powerful God. After receiving spiritual treatment, B.K.S. Iyengar survived malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and malnutrition. He began teaching yoga in 1937 and has since traveled the globe, spreading his ideas to the Western world. He has won several awards and published fourteen books, including “Light On Yoga,” which has been dubbed “the bible of yoga.” Time Magazine called Iyengar one of the “100 most influential people” in 2004. Iyengar yoga is one part spirituality and one part physical fitness, paving the way toward a united mind and body.
Spiritually, Iyengar yoga is based upon Patanjali’s eight limbs of raja yoga. The first is Yama, meaning physically and mentally abstaining from the following five things: violence toward others and oneself, from coveting others’ belongings, from sexual intercourse, from attachment to possessions and anything that is untrue. The second limb is called Niyama, referring to the five observances: cleanliness of body and mind, satisfaction with what one has, penance and mental control, introspection and surrender to God. Asana refers to posture and position (ideally an erect stance with relaxed muscles) and Pranayama is the directed control of one’s breath, which is so vital to successful yoga practice. Pratayahara calls for the quieting of senses connected with the outer world. Only then will Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (oneness with the Supreme Being) naturally follow.
In practice, Iyengar yoga is a strange form to watch. Instructors position students in various poses using straps, belts, sandbags, benches and blocks. In total, there are 200 posture positions (also known as “asanas”), as well as 14 breathing techniques (known as “pranayamas”). Beginners, elderly participants and those recuperating from illness often select this form of yoga because it’s relatively easy on the body and each member of the class receives individualized attention to ensure that they get the most from the class.
The benefits of Iyengar yoga include: increased circulation and comfort, better posture, stronger muscles, better balance and coordination — in addition to feeling more at peace, with less stress and anxiety. Americans practice this style of yoga in the tens of thousands, instructed by certified teachers from IYNUS. For more information on how to get started, visit IYNUS.org.
I wanted to try to make my life less stressful and I heard yoga, exercise, and meditating help. I am Chrisitian, would any of this counteract? Should I do yoga or meditating at my age{13}? Does anybody else get relief doing this?
