Yoga for Insomnia - Is This for Real?

Millions of people around the world suffer from insomnia. One of the reasons for this is that they just can’t seem to get their mind to "switch off," so to speak. It’s impossible to sleep if your mind is obsessed with bills, deadlines, tomorrow's tasks, and other such ponderings.  You must calm your mind... the sleep will follow.

Yoga is excellent for insomnia because not only does it strengthen the body but it also relaxes it and calms the mind. The breathing techniques and meditation incorporated into most yoga routines can truly work wonders for your mental and emotional well-being.

Yoga is known to dramatically reduce stress and strain in your muscles. It reduces inflammation in the joints and helps you to control your stress levels. Just as it helps with diabetes, yoga puts an end to insomnia too!

People who do yoga regularly have reported that they fall asleep faster and wake up feeling more refreshed, optimistic, and happy. This is quality sleep. Unlike millions of people who go to bed and wake up even more tired and grumpy the next morning.

One technique in yoga is called short meditation. You will have to turn off all outside distractions like your mobile phone, TV, etc. You need some time to yourself and somewhere quiet. Sit cross-legged on the floor and keep your posture upright. Now just breathe gently and easily and try to calm your mind. Focus on your breathing. Do nothing except hear the sound of each breath. Do not control your breathing. Just listen. This will calm the mind.

From this short meditation, slowly turn your upper body to your right and hold it there while you breathe deeply. Stay in this position for a few breaths, and then turn left and repeat.

Next, face forward and slowly lower your torso forward and reach out with your hands as far as you can go. This move will stretch and relax your back muscles. Take a few deep breaths while in this position.

You may now stretch your legs forward and lie down. Keep your arms by your sides relaxed with the palms facing upwards. This is known as the corpse pose and is supposed to be one of the most relaxing yoga poses. Lie in this position and breathe deeply with your eyes closed. Listen to your breaths and sleep should often follow.

Though quite simple to implement at the base level, these techniques will likely take some time to master. Many people are so used to being stressed that they are unable to unwind. Even when trying to listen to their breath, their mind will wander off every few seconds. Each time this happens, remain disciplined, focusing on your breathing again... just listen. As time goes by, you will be able to listen to your breathing for longer periods without your mind drifting away.

In order to fully achieve the benefits of yoga, the above methods may not be sufficient. You may wish to sign up for a few yoga sessions under a qualified instructor. You will then learn the proper breathing techniques, poses, meditation and other essential yoga principles.

Once you have learned precisely what you need to, you can perform this at home or any place where you feel most comfortable. Your health and general sense of well-being will undoubtedly improve. Once that happens, sleep will come easy.

Yoga for Weight Loss - Is There Any Truth to This?

Can yoga really be implemented to help you effectively shed unwanted pounds? This is an excellent question. The answer is yes. Yoga can and will help you to lose weight, on one condition. You must be eating at a caloric deficit. Weight loss only occurs when you expend more calories than you consume.

There is no exercise on this planet that will help you to lose weight if you are eating at a caloric surplus. So, are you at a caloric deficit? You are? Awesome. Then yoga will definitely help you lose weight, get stronger and be mentally and spiritually balanced.

While yoga will help you to lose weight, we must be practical and understand that the weight loss will be slow and gradual. While workouts like interval training and resistance training are high impact and burn more calories, yoga is low impact and burns less calories. So, if you’re looking for fast weight loss, yoga is not for you.

Many obese and overweight people often have painful joints and muscles. This could be due to the fact that the large amount of weight they carry is placing undue stress on the joints. Another reason is that a poor diet could have made their body suffer from inflammation.

In cases like these, yoga is one of the best forms of exercise. There is a famous example on YouTube of a man named, Arthur. He had severe joint pains and was overweight. He couldn’t do most forms of exercise because of his condition. However, with yoga, he turned his life around and is now a living example of the power of yoga. You may wish to go on YouTube and search for ‘Arthur’s Inspirational Transformation’. The video will banish all doubts you may have about yoga’s efficacy.

In order to lose weight with yoga, it will help if you do it daily. Since this is a low impact exercise, you can do it every day. There is no need for rest days or recovery time. However, in the initial stages, if you are in pain and need a day or two to recover, go ahead and rest. But, get back to it when you’re ok.

As you progress with yoga, you may wish to do the more challenging forms of yoga. Ashtanga yoga consists of more challenging poses and routines. When your routine is more challenging, you will burn more calories and lose weight faster. Furthermore, your muscle tone will improve and you may even gain some muscle mass. When that happens, you’ll burn more calories even at rest. This is the ideal situation to be in.

What you must understand is that this is a journey. We live in a world that demands instant results, fast, quick, immediate, etc. Everything is expected at the speed of light. This will just not be the case with weight loss. It is a slow process. Even with harsh cardio sessions and weight training, weight loss is not immediate. With yoga it’s even slower. You must be mentally prepared to be in this for the long haul.

If you can accept that, then yoga will definitely help you lose weight. Give it time, be consistent and you will see results.

Is Yoga Too Difficult?

You may face a few difficulties when first starting out with yoga. This is the norm with anything. Teething problems that will go away with time or by changing your strategies. The first difficulty that most beginners face is the discomfort and pain that may come from practicing yoga. This is to be expected because most of us are not accustomed to the poses that are done in yoga. To make matters worse, some poses require the practitioner to hold the pose.

An example would be the warrior pose. If your thigh muscles are weak, even holding the pose for a minute may have you quivering like a leaf. The muscles are not strong enough to maintain the pose. Rest assured that with time you will get strong enough to do it. The pain and discomfort will go away. Just make sure that you do not push yourself beyond what is considered safe.

Another difficulty would be the cost incurred. Yoga can be expensive if you let it be. Nowadays, yoga is big business due to its popularity. There are tons of yoga equipment from mats to bolsters to DVDs and books. Commercial yoga classes can be expensive and private instructors can be even more costly. This may place a strain on a beginner’s finances.

But the question here is… Do you even need all these?

The answer is probably not. The earliest yoga practiced in India thousands of years ago didn’t require money or fancy equipment. It was very simple and just as beneficial. You will need a yoga mat. You may get one at a relatively inexpensive price. Next up you need a guide. This could be a book or an instructional DVD. If you can’t get a DVD, guess what? You always have YouTube.

You can learn tons just by doing your research online. Learn the finer points and the correct methods. All the information is available if you do your research. You do not need to sign up for classes or get private instructors. This brings us to the next point.

Unqualified instructors. Yes, this is another difficulty many yoga students have without even realizing it. There are many yoga instructors with dodgy certification or who are unprofessional. Currently, there is no requirement for instructors to be certified by a reputable body or school. So, there are instructors with just a basic knowledge of yoga coaching people. This can be dangerous.

Insufficient rest is another difficulty many people have. We live in a fast paced world where a hundred and one things demand our attention. The spouse, the kids, TV, your boss, your friends, your job… It just does not end. In many cases people sacrifice their sleep just to meet all these demands. If you’re starting out with yoga, you will have a new demand to meet.

One way to achieve this is to cut out or limit the unproductive activities. Less time spent in front of the TV, less time wasted going clubbing with friends, etc. You must make sacrifices to do what’s important. Do not let a lack of time make you all stressed out since you can’t do yoga.

Yoga is meant to relax you and not make your stress levels worse. Be happy, be peaceful and be relaxed.

Different Types of Yoga for You to Consider

There are many types of yoga with different names. Most people who are just starting out with this life-enhancing discipline tend to become confused when it comes to the type of yoga they should be practicing. The fact of the matter is that yoga has a few basic principles and all forms of yoga follow these principles. The only difference is the emphasis placed.

Yoga is about proper breathing, increased physical strength and flexibility, mental relaxation, spiritual well-being, and optimal body alignment. This article will state some of the different types of yoga that are more well-known.

Since yoga has become so popular, there are several people and companies that put their own marketing twist on yoga and make it look like something new and more beneficial. Most often, the main difference is that their new methods are way more expensive. Many of these are unfortunately just fads. So if happen to be on a tight budget, worry not. Yoga can be done for free if you know the poses and techniques. In fact, ever since ancient times in India, yoga was done in a very simple manner.

Let’s look at the different types of yoga. This is just the Cliff Notes version. If we were to go into detail, the info would span volumes of books.

Ashtanga / Astanga Yoga
This is one of the most popular forms of yoga. There are continuous postures to adopt. Each pose follows the next and is synchronized with your breathing. It is one of the more physically demanding types of yoga. You will get leaner and stronger with Ashtanga yoga.

Ananda Yoga
This is a gentler form of yoga focusing on body alignment, posture, and controlled breathing. The aim is to relax your body and clear your mind for meditation.

Hatha Yoga
This is the most practiced form of yoga all over the world. If you have seen yoga on TV or DVDs, you have most likely witnessed hatha yoga in action. There are a series of poses and moves which are done in a slow and controlled manner, with proper breathing. The whole process should be calm and relaxed. You are not in a race. This is a personal journey. That pretty much sums up hatha yoga.

Bikram Yoga
This yoga was founded by Bikram Choudhary, an Olympic weightlifter. This yoga is famous and extremely commercialized because the yoga is done in a hot room with temperatures ranging from 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The reason for this heat is to make the body more flexible and supple to prevent injuries. The heat and sweat is supposed to detoxify the body too. Is it true? Well, the jury is out on that one. However, this form of yoga is often costly because it is done in commercial gyms or specialized places. So, you need to be aware of that.

There are many more forms of yoga like power yoga, Sivananda yoga, Jivamukti yoga, Iyenagar yoga, Vinyasa yoga, etc. If you wish to join any yoga class, find out what form of yoga they are doing and do your research online to learn more.

However, always bear in mind that yoga in all forms or types aims are based on similar principles. What really matters is you actually doing it. So, just get with the program and try out any yoga you like and enjoy the health benefits that come with it.

5 Popular Yoga Poses You Must Try!

Yoga is taking the world by storm. Millions of people around the world practice this ancient discipline which is from India. There are many mental, physical and spiritual benefits that can be derived from yoga.

You may have seen people on TV doing certain yoga poses and you may not have any idea what these poses are or what they are called. Each pose has a purpose to either strengthen a muscle or gently massage your internal organs. There are several other reasons for each pose.

The five yoga poses below are some of the most popular poses and you should strive to be able to do them and hold the pose if necessary. As with all things, there is a learning curve with yoga too. It may take you time to get accustomed to the pose if you’re new to yoga. Persist and you’ll be able to do them in no time at all.

1.The Downward Dog

Definitely one of the most popular and most often see poses. To do this pose, you will be on your knees in a baby crawl position. Your palms will be directly below your shoulders on the floor and your knees just below your hips.

From this position, with your fingers wide open, you will move your palms a few inches forward and raise your knees so that your hips are lifted off the floor. You should be in an inverted V shaped position. Straighten knees but do not lock them. Your head should be between your arms. Do not let it hang.

2.The Mountain

This is a relatively easy pose. Stand straight and keep your feet close together. Keep your arms by your sides and your shoulders relaxed. Slowly raise your hands till they are above your head. Breathe deeply as you do this and both palms must face each other. Keep your arms raised as you try to reach for the sky. Breathe deeply and in a relaxed manner.

3.The Warrior Pose

This is the pose that you see on the cover of most yoga books of DVDs. It’s a stylish pose to look at and very beneficial for the body. To do this pose, you need to stand with your feet apart wider than your hips. Next, you turn your right leg 90 degrees and slowly lower yourself till your right knee is bent at 90 degrees. Extend both your arms by each side with the palms facing down. Hold this pose for a minute and breathe in a gentle manner. After that, change sides and repeat.

4.The Tree Pose

Another common pose. You will stand straight with both your feet together. Slowly shift your weight to the left leg and raise your right sole and place it against your left thigh. Then raise both your arms above your head and place both palms together as if you are praying.

5.The Bridge

Lie flat on the floor. Keep your knees bent. Your hands must be by your sides and your back must be flat on the floor. Slowly raise your hips till the angle your knees form in almost 90 degrees. Your arms will press against the floor for stability and keep your thighs parallel to the floor. Keep your chin tucked to prevent injury to your neck.

These are some of the most common and beneficial poses that any beginner should aim to do. They will build your strength and balance. As you progress, you can learn the more difficult poses.