Yoga Poses for Newbies

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Yoga is a system of unique exercises and postures that helps you attain mental and bodily control and promotes wellbeing. It helps realize your “self” its distinction from mind, body and will, thus helping it in attaining liberation. The benefits of this ancient art are enormous, ranging from physical and emotional health to spiritual benefits.

Yoga postures, also known as asanas, help promote the physical wellbeing of an individual by improving blood circulation, reducing weight, relieving respiratory problems especially asthma, reducing risk for cardiovascular disease, and normalizing blood pressure levels.

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When performed on a regular basis, yoga exercises improve physical strength and stamina, and reduce the risk for falling and associated injuries. Numerous researches have revealed that yoga helps reduce the amount of toxins absorbed by one’s body tissues, thus slowing down their deterioration.

Yoga helps improve your level of concentration and enhances mental clarity. At an advanced level, yoga has also been shown to help in developing psychic powers. Moreover, yoga helps unite your “self” with the environment and the people around you.

If you are a newbie in this field, then there are numerous yoga poses for beginners that can help you control your “self” and take you to the next level. Remember that yoga is comprised of three main modules namely exercise, breathing and meditation and there are separate beginner poses for each of these modules.

Some popular beginner poses for the exercise module include Tada Asana, Kona Asana, Trikonasana, Uttanpanda Asana, Markat Asana, Leg Rotation Asana, and Yoga Mudra. Tada Asana makes an excellent pose for beginners as it helps improve stretching, increases flexibility and increases height. Kona Asana strengthens the bones and relieves joint inflammation.

Trikonasana strengthens the back muscles and helps reduce back ache. Uttanpanda Asana has been shown to relieve indigestion and other gastrointestinal problems. Markat Asana is a supine yoga pose that promotes flexible back. Leg Rotation Asana makes an excellent supine yoga pose for those beginners who are looking for permanent weight loss. Yoga Mudra is a sitting yoga pose that helps in retaining beauty and youthfulness.

Yoga beginner poses for breathing module include Vajra Asana, Padam Asana, and Sukh Asana. Vajra Asana, also known as Diamond Pose, improves the function of lungs and cures varicose veins. Padam Asana, also known as Lotus Pose, improves cardiovascular disease and promotes peace of mind. Sukh Asana or Easy Pose is meant for people who find it difficult to execute Vajra Asana and Padam Asana.

Beginner poses for yoga meditation module include Bal Asana and Yoga Nidra. Bal Asana makes an excellent beginner pose for the relaxation of soul and body. Yoga Nidra is a meditation pose that promotes deep sleep, improves intelligence and promotes clarity of mind.

Yoga: Postures and Poses

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Yoga has become a very popular form of exercise, however, some styles focus primarily on physically working the back, for instance: the most important Yoga poses in this case will differ from others, remaining the most important Yoga poses for another kind of Yoga.

There are also very difficult one might focus on in other styles of Yoga designed to stretch and strengthen other specific parts of the body, and many that work the entire body, treating the body as left and right equals yin and yang.

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There are specific Yoga poses for the floor parts of Yoga exercise, as well as the more familiar standing Yoga poses.

One of the most basic kinds of standing Yoga poses one will learn in Yoga is what is called the tree balance. In this balance you will:

  1. Prepare as always by checking the posture and lifting through the torso, pushing your shoulders down.
  2. Hold your eyes on one object diagonally or straight forward for the entire pose.
  3. Stand with your feet together.
  4. Lift up onto the balls of your feet.
  5. Rock your weight back, onto your heels.
  6. Strengthen the right leg shifting all of your weight and lift your left leg slowly up so that your foot lays flat, toes down, resting on your right inner thigh.
  7. Your arms slowly lift up to what is called the prayer position: both palms meeting directly above the top of the head–the full body in perfect alignment. Meeting above the crown chakra and lengthening all the way through the body.

The benefits of practicing this posture are many. It will result in remarkably noticeable balance and grace.

The posture requires balance, focus and concentration–all the basic guidelines of Yoga–both spiritual and physical are involved in Yoga poses. The tree balance is one of the many Yoga poses where the key is to relax and clear your mind. Not thinking about the difficulty of the pose itself–releasing tension–that is the mental aspect of several complex positions–without which many Yoga poses would be virtually impossible to hold.

This is one of the most well known Yoga postures. However, there are many. Including, as I mentioned before, many floor Yoga poses. Focus and breath–this is how you remain in any of the Yoga poses.

One example of the floor Yoga poses is the snake:

  1. Lay flat on your stomach with your hands on your shoulders.
  2. Lift up by straightening the arms and focus up–as though your eyes were also a part of the arch.
  3. Focus on pushing the pelvis down towards the floor–arching your back.
  4. And keep your shoulders down, as with virtually all Yoga poses.

Remember, all Yoga poses are meant to be held. You do not just reach the posture. Instead you reach it and remain there–thirty seconds, a minute etc. Holding, breathing, the asana, and the pranayama, this is how the balance is earned. In all Yoga poses you will find that you can stretch further and further each time. There are many other yoga poses and techniques out there–go find the perfect kind of yoga for you!

Using Yoga Poses to Improve Your Health

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Yoga Poses are the body and mind places you are trying to achieve through Yoga that are also called Asanas. The benefits of practicing Yoga is mainly to exercise, strengthen and tone your body’s muscles and exercise your mind. It takes a great deal of willpower and tenacity to accomplish each Yoga Pose and you have to have the discipline to practice your routine of poses or asanas daily.

You may or may not know that the effort required for yoga is certainly not easy (what program ids that actually works though!), but the total body benefit is worth all the hard work. The art of practicing Yoga exercises or Asanas can and will improve your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

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To be able to accomplish the Yoga Poses requires you to study each pose and perform it deliberately as you control your body and mind simultaneously. Learn the following different Yoga Exercises, Postures, and Poses in the following sections and then incorporate them into your routine.

Warm-Up Poses

In general, warming up depends on the particular style of yoga that you practice and your studio, class, DVD, or online training will show you the best warm up for the type of yoga you are doing.

Standing Poses – You should learn the following Standing Poses

  • Virabhadrasana or Warrior Pose
  • Utkatasana or Squat Pose
  • Uttanasana or Standing Forward Bend
  • Tadasana or Mountain Pose
  • Uthita Trikonasana or Extended Triangle
  • Garudasana or Eagle Pose
  • Natarajasana or Dancer
  • Bakasana or Crow Pose
  • Chaturangsana or Plank Pose
  • Purvottanasana or Back Bend
  • Vasisthasana or Inclined Plank

Seated Poses – These poses can be done while sitting.

Sitting Neutral

  • Vajrasana or Hero Pose
  • Dandasana or Staff Pose
  • Baddhakonasana or Bound Angle Pose
  • Gomukhasana or Cow Face Pose

Sitting Forward

  • Pascimottanasana or Sitting Forward Bend
  • Paripurna navasana or Boat Pose

Sitting Back Bends

  • Bidalasana or Cat Stretch
  • Ustrasana or Camel Pose
  • Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose
  • Dhanurasana or Bow Pose

Sittting Twist

  • Ardha matsyendrasana or Half Twist

Inverted Postures and Balance Poses – These poses help to increase circulation, stimulate the brain, enhance glandular system functioning, and relieve pressure on the abdominal organs helping with digestion and blood flow.

  • Sarvangasana or Shoulder Stand
  • Halasana or Plow Pose
  • Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog
  • Setu Bandha or Half Bridge
  • Urdhva Dhanurasana or Full Bridge
  • Karnapidasana or Spider Pose

It’s recommended that people try and practice different yoga poses at home or even in the office or workplace but if you are feeling like you’re not able to complete a posture, please don’t push yourself. Yoga is not a competition so just relax, rest for a minute and try the pose again. Also remember not to try yoga poses that are beyond your capabilities.

If you attempt asanas that are beyond your level you can injure yourself which is not what we are trying to achieve with yoga! You might find it helpful to get some expert guidance through popular online training websites where a professional teacher can instruct and coach you through each Yoga Pose ensuring you are doing the exercise correctly.

Why Aerobics are So Good for You

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Aerobic exercise has been around since the 1980’s and has benefited the exercise community by strengthening the body, improving circulation, and increasing performance. Aerobic exercise was obsolete before 1978 when exercise was about strength and resistance training by building muscles.

However, people realized that strong muscles didn’t equal best athlete. Performance suffered due to the lack of oxygen and increased muscle mass.

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise requires the use of oxygen for the body to generate energy. Due to the increased period of time of exercise the body increases the circulation and transportation of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. This allows for longer endurance during competition. Although, aerobics are not only good for performance, they benefit the body as well.

The benefit of health and performance through aerobic exercise is based on the duration and frequency of exercise. It is recommended to get a minimum 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise in on a daily basis. Cardiovascular exercise is any exercise that increases the heart rate while increasing circulation throughout the body. Aerobics are the most prevalent cardiovascular exercise. Not only does it improve circulation throughout the body, it strengthens the heart and respiratory muscles.

Both the heart and lungs become more efficient at pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body as aerobic exercise becomes longer and more vigorous. Red blood cell count increases in the body to transport more oxygen for exercise. Aerobic exercise uses the large muscle groups throughout the body therefore strengthening them while in use. It also reduces the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. The resting heart rate and blood pressure both decrease from aerobic exercise. It improves mental health by decreasing stress and depression.

Aerobic exercise is good for weight loss because it burns more calories at a faster rate. It raises the metabolic rate (the amount of calories needed for the body to sustain at rest) and burns fat when done consistently. During the initial stages of aerobic exercise glycogen is broken down to produce energy. As the glycogen, which comes from carbohydrates is used up, the body moves onto fat to produce energy.

This is a longer process and can cause performance to decline. However, over time as you continue to do aerobic exercise the body becomes more efficient at storing glycogen in the muscles to be used for energy. And because of the increased energy endurance is improved. The body also increases vascularization of the muscles to improve blood flow. The body becomes better able to break down fats for energy. Aerobic exercise also speeds up the ability of muscles to recover from exercise.

Aerobic exercise is normally categorized into two areas, low impact and high impact. Low impact aerobics include stair climbing, walking, swimming, housework, etc. During low impact aerobics one foot stays on the ground to support the weight of the body. For the most part any healthy person can do low impact aerobic activities.

Walking is the most prevalent low impact aerobic exercise because it can be done anywhere without the use of any equipment and requires no skill. Even though walking is a weight bearing exercise it causes less injury to the knees, and joints. If you are looking to include aerobic activity in your exercise routine start with low impact and work your way up to high impact.

High impact aerobics include running, sports such as football, tennis, rugby, dance, etc. During high impact aerobics both feet come off the floor simultaneously, even for a moment which can cause jarring of the joints when the body weight hits the floor again. When including aerobics in your exercise routine, start with low impact and work your way up to high impact.

People who are overweight, elderly, injured, out of condition should get approval from a doctor before jumping into high impact aerobics. High impact aerobics should be preformed on opposite days as low impact aerobics. Remember aerobic activity should always be part of your fitness plan.

Adopting a Low Impact Aerobic Workout Can Help You Burn Fat Faster

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The most effective way to lose weight fast and easy is with a dependable low impact fat burning workout. We’re often told that strenuous aerobic exercise is the way to go for losing weight but quite often we are misled into believing that this is the only answer.

If you are a novice, you might harm yourself if you get started with high impact high intensity aerobic activity.

low impact

For that reason, it is better to start from the beginning at a moderate pace using low impact aerobic activity if you want to be able to get the most advantage from your fat burning routine. Walking for 20 minutes a day initially is a great way to build up your stamina if you have not been working out for very long.

The main goal of low impact aerobics is to get your heart going, and improve your circulatory system without damaging your skeletal structure in the process. I like jumping jacks and the jump rope because they can be done almost anywhere. Even though both involve jumping, they are surprisingly low impact workouts.

They are very easy and safe for beginners and offer progressive options for increasing intensity and skill. You can increase your proficiency and burn calories as well as fat. The point of fat burning workouts is to keep you in the zone for 24 to 48 hours.

Strength training also contributes to fat loss over an extended period. By including resistance training into your weekly the program, you can continue the fat burning process as you improve your muscle density.

High Intensity low impact fat burning exercises are a great way to get the fat burning results in an incredibly short span of time. Here’s how to lose weight and keep it off; try a rowing machine workout or the elliptical machine at a steady pace below aerobic capacity for 10 minutes. Gradually increase the intensity for three minutes.

Crank it up to a higher amount for two minutes say about 80% of maximum and then kick it up even further for one minute. Go all out for that one minute then return to the steady pace below aerobic capacity for another 10 minutes. This kind of variable intensity routine will get you burning fat in less time for sure.

This is perhaps the simplest way to lose weight for many people who are challenged with low metabolism. You’ll be able to boost your strength through these assorted workouts and are less likely to get bored if you are doing several movements from day-to-day.

Always get a check up from your physician when starting a new fitness program. If you want to lose weight fast and easy, adopting a low impact aerobic workout might be a fantastic way to go.

High Impact Aerobics

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No matter what the age, people these days bent upon different fitness regimes. Some people join the gym, others start off with yoga classes or aerobics sessions, others take up jogging and some others just get into any sports.

Most people can vouch for high impact aerobics that have helped them get that toned look. You can go for these aerobics classes at any of the fitness institutes near your locality.

high impact

Before joining any form of aerobics, you should first be aware of what aerobics is all about. Also, you should make an assessment of yourself and your work, and be able to schedule a work out time for yourself. Aerobics is basically a form of exercise that involves a session full of rhythmic, large muscle exercise, accompanied with music, usually with an instructor.

For most people, it is more than just exercise. It is a form of dance, movement, and even a lifestyle. These aerobics are classified into two types, based on the levels of intensity – low and impact aerobics.

Low impact aerobics involves at least one foot in contact with the floor during the complete session. High-impact aerobics is one wherein both the feet regularly lose floor contact. It involves running, jumping and hopping. This form of aerobics involves high energy, continuous exercises. Since high intensity aerobics involves a lot of foot usage, it is advisable for people with joint problems in the legs to not attempt these exercises.

Many people find aerobics as a good option to shed those extra kilos in a quick and easy way. You can find many people who can confirm that aerobics is a fun way to workout. These high impact exercises not just help you to reduce weight, but it also helps in strengthening the bones, joints and muscles. If you want to lose weight, or are looking to improve your cardiovascular fitness, then this is the best form of exercise for you.

High impact aerobics usually offer more intense and stressful workouts. In order for you to get maximum benefits of these aerobic exercises, you should ideally have an aerobic session for at least 30 minutes for 4-5 days a week. If you are just starting off with this form of fitness, it is better to start off with low impact exercises first. Aerobics also serve as a good form of stress relievers.

Aerobics… High Impact or Low Impact?

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Aerobic exercises are activities which raise your heart rate to about 60% to 80% of it’s maximum rate and sustain that rate for a minimum of 15 minutes. The more fit you are, the longer you can work out without becoming breathless.

There are two types of aerobic exercise: low impact and high impact. Let’s talk about some of the activities that fall into each category.

impact

Low Impact

1. Walking

Walking is an easy aerobic activity because it requires no special equipment other than some comfortable, supportive shoes. It can be done on a treadmill if you prefer to exercise indoors. As you are able to walk for longer distances at a quicker pace, your weight loss benefits increase.

2. Step Aerobics

This is a rhythmic activity that incorporates the use of an aerobic step bench.

3. Bicycling

Cycling uses the large muscles of your legs to increase your endurance in a non-weight-bearing manner. If you are worried about your balance or simply prefer exercising inside you can use a stationary bike.

4. Swimming and Water Aerobics

These activities can really speed up your heart rate! Because of the resistance of the water, you burn more calories swimming than you do walking or running the same distance. For the same reason, any exercises done in water also burn more calories than those done on dry land.

High Impact

1. Aerobic Dance

This is the exercise of choice for many women because it is so much fun! You can find a class to join or workout with a CD or DVD. To make dance into a low impact activity, make sure you keep one foot on the ground at all times.

2. Running

Because you are obviously putting forth more effort, running burns more calories than the same amount of time spent walking. It is extremely important to wear shoes that fit well and are made specifically for running to protect your body from the repeated pounding.

3. Rope Jumping

This is another high impact activity that can have excellent cardiac benefits as long as it is maintained at a moderate pace for at least 15 minutes.

It is recommended that some type of sustained aerobic activity be done for 20 – 30 minutes three times a week. In order to stay motivated and not become bored you should vary the activities.

Ask your health care professional before starting an new exercise regimen. And remember, when engaged in aerobics, if you’re breathing too hard to be able to carry on a conversation, you need to slow it down!

Aerobic Workouts are Just What the Body Needs

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We hear it all the time, on the news, the radio and all over the internet: We are getting fatter with each passing year, and the adverse health risks associated with our sedentary lifestyle and eating habits are killing us faster than almost anything else.

Aerobic workouts are just what the body needs to cleanse, strengthen and tone itself while sharpening the mind and improving mood.

Aerobic

Diet and exercise are two fundamental tools that each one of us has at our disposal to promote overall health and well-being. However, it seems that these things are also two of the hardest things to control and gain the upper hand with. Aerobic workouts are fantastic because they are simple to do, hardly cost anything to begin, and they are highly effective in melting fat.

Aerobic workouts rely on the principle that the faster the heart pumps and air moves in and out of the lungs, the more your body metabolizes. This means that you are burning more energy when active then when you are not. If you are interested in losing weight and sharpening mental skills, aerobic workouts are the perfect way to accomplish both.

Diet is also important, and the less junk you eat, the less weight you will gain. Combining healthy eating with exercise can quickly turn your body into a healthy machine that is optimized for strength, stamina, endurance and overall well-being. The less calories you take in every day, coupled with the more you burn from aerobic workouts will lead to fast results that will amaze and encourage you to continue achieving.

Whether or not you want to do high impact aerobic classes at the local gym or some simple things like jogging or intense walking on your own, there are plenty of options and techniques to explore and develop. As you become more accustomed to working out on a regular basis, you can adapt your routines to fit your preferences and tastes. If you don’t like running but love to dance, then dancing can be an excellent source of fun, exercise and toning that will leave you feeling wonderful.

Another benefit to aerobic workouts is that you are condensing the time it takes to burn calories. The harder you apply yourself, the more you burn. That means if you can increase the level of activity during the routine, you can shorten the amount of time it takes to complete it. Also, the more you work out in the day, the more your body will burn at night. Ultimately, you set your goals and work to achieve them, and the more effort you put into it, the more you will receive.

3 Vital Steps to Take When Starting a Fitness Program

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If you have decided to eat healthier and start a workout program to lose weight there are 3 vital steps you must take in order to be successful. If you do not take these steps you will set yourself up for serious trouble in the future.

Most people start with good intentions to start a fitness program but life happens and their well intended quest for health and fitness gets sidetracked once again. If you want this to be the start of a great journey to health and fitness then these three steps are vital.

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The three steps that lead to a successful start to a good fitness program are important, so that you can stay motivated and focused on your fitness goals. They are first to Decide, then to Commit and finally have Support.

1. Decide

Most people think just saying “I’m gonna start working out again” is enough to start a successful workout routine, but it’s not. If it were that easy we wouldn’t have the obesity problem that we have today. You have to first establish your “Why” for beginning your workout routine. “Why” have you decided this time to start working out. You need to come up with enough reasons so that when life happens and you feel you don’t have time or you don’t feel like working out, you have something to fall back on to keep you going. For example my “Why” to finally start my fitness journey was when I was put on high cholesterol medication by my doctor, a problem with sleep apnea and I was getting older. What is your “Why”? The more “Why’s” you have the greater the chances that your weight loss will last and your fitness journey with be a successful and lasting one.

2. Commit

Now that you have the motivation and reasons to get healthy and fit you must now “Commit” to a fitness plan. The key word being “Plan”. To lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle you have to be consistent. If you are just flying by the seat of your pants and don’t have a plan of attack you will not be able to maintain your good results. Have a knowledgeable person design a program for you or invest in a good DVD/Online workout program. There are many choices of DVD workouts available and you can do the program over and over again. Just make sure you find a DVD/Online fitness program you like and that you can grow with.

3. Support

The most vital step of all three steps is to have a good support base. Family, friends and group of people. Whatever you do you want the support to provide motivation, accountability, and comradery. All of these things are important when you get discouraged and want to quit your workout program. It has been proven that people with a foundation of support have greater success when participating in health and fitness programs. This is why Weight Watchers is such a popular option. So find yourself a person or group of people with like minded goals and commit to support each other to meet each others goals.

There you go, 3 vital steps to take when starting a fitness program. By following these 3 steps you will give yourself a better chance at completing your program and seeing great success. When things start to look bleak and you want to quit your exercise routine, remind yourself of these 3 steps to keep you on track.

Why Should You Choose a Fitness Program

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When choosing a fitness program, one should consider the effectiveness of it, their ability to maintain the program, their ability also to stick to a strict regimen and the type of program to choose. Many persons choose a fitness program which can cater to their specific needs; there are persons who need to lose weight in different parts of their bodies as each body has a different shape, or body type. Fat deposits are no respecters of persons and will be on any part of the body which is not being exercised.

There are some who choose programs which will cater to losing fat in their legs, thighs, arms, a vast majority choose to lose weight on their abdomen. Persons have realized that it is almost impossible to stick to a fitness program which incorporates diet and exercise, without the strictest of discipline.

fitness program

Assessing your body mass index or BMI is something persons need to do before choosing a fitness program, or they can get a program which is able to asses it for them. Your BMI gives an indication of where you are with your body weight and where you should be. There is a chart on the internet which tells you the correct weight for your height. Armed with this information your search for a fitness program should be easier. A doctor should also be consulted before undertaking any fitness program.

Even though weight loss in not the only reason persons should require a fitness program, but to live a healthy life, many persons opt to visit a gym or to find a fitness expert to cater to their weight loss needs. They are of the opinion that a fitness expert will more likely get them to stick to their fitness regimen. Persons who opt to go through the internet to find a program are more liable to “fall off the weight loss wagon” than those who have actual persons around them helping them and encouraging them.

Weight loss is largely dependent on the fitness level of each person. Going to a gym can produce results, but not if the diet is the same as before the gym. Weight gain is almost inevitable if a strict diet is not followed along with the exercise needed to gain or maintain the desired body weight.

Bodybuilding is also a form of workout which targets the muscles, the abdomen and the thighs and included in this program is also the recommendation of a strict diet. Fitness programs can be found on the internet and covers many aspects of fitness such as, work out, exercise, weight gain, bodybuilding, weight training, workout routines weight loss and how to get the best out of your gym.

Weight loss is one of the key areas which are catered to by a fitness program; persons are now more concerned about their weight and trying to lose some. Being obese is not a good thing and this can lead to many illnesses and complications for the persons who are.

Fitness programs should be introduced as a way of life, many person are not knowledgeable as to how to live a healthy life, how to incorporate diet and exercise into a fitness program. Routine exercise is also a good way to lose weight as the more you exercise, the more weight you will lose if you stick to a diet low in fat and which is also fiber rich.

The trick to successful weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume on a daily basis. Running, walking, swimming, jogging and aerobic exercise are also introduced into the fitness routine along with a proper diet, which is important in achieving your goal of being fit and healthy, or weight loss, whichever is your aim.