Yoga Blog

Before taking up an exercise regime, one typical rite of passage for most novices is to hit the shops and buy the necessary equipment, or at least a new outfit suited to their purposes. When it comes to yoga, there really is not much you need to buy, and if you are not looking for an excuse to buy new clothes even they are far from compulsory. The one thing you are looking for in a yoga outfit is comfortable garments in which you will find it easy to stretch. above and beyond that, there are no rules. [Read the rest of this entry...]

As a beginning yogi, you will be almost duty-bound to look at photographs on the Internet and in magazines and see people performing poses that you did not think possible, poses that you may even think are Photoshopped. And your reaction, once assured that these poses are completely genuine, will be to say “but I can’t even stand on one leg for much longer than ten seconds … you expect me to do that?” [Read the rest of this entry...]

Although yoga inevitably – and rather tediously – gets referred to as a pursuit for girls and less “manly” men, anyone with an ounce of sense can see how it is beneficial for a wide range of people, and that it can play a part in an overall fitness regime. It may be some time before we see it performed on the pitch by sportsmen, but one thing is certain – for optimum levels of fitness, yoga has very much got a place in an exercise routine. This works in even more ways than the immediately obvious ones. [Read the rest of this entry...]

For beginners in yoga, it is certainly difficult to reach the levels of flexibility attained by someone who has been practising for a long time. One of the major benefits of yoga, in fact, is that it enables people who were previously relatively inflexible to reach positions that they would have found virtually impossible under other circumstances. Therefore, when you begin to learn yoga, it is handy to have certain aids to enable you to improve your ability to perform certain exercises. At a later stage it will become easier to achieve these exercises without the same equipment – so rather than putting you in an unhelpful comfort zone, they actually progress your abilities. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Everyone, at one time or another, is guilty of the age-old habit of taking up a hobby or a class and deciding after their third or fourth attendance that, although it is kind of fun, they really cannot justify the expense of the classes and they will have to give up. If you have paid a subscription up front, then you will have some difficulty recouping your money. If you are paying by the class, then it may be the end for you and yoga – which is something of a shame, because if you keep it up it can be massively beneficial. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Yoga Mat, Strap and Block

Although it is true that yoga is one of the more affordable wellness pursuits you can follow, it is equally fair to say that you can find that a small outlay here and there can be beneficial from time to time. That is not to say that your yoga exercises will be of zero value if you decide that your mat is your only equipment. Simply, it means that you can add to the experience from time to time by having the right extras. Often, this will be advised by the instructor. They may advise you in advance, or distribute the equipment during a class – but you may then be advised to invest in your own for home exercising.

One of the forms of yoga used most commonly in classes for beginners is Iyengar yoga. This form of yoga is based in the theory that the most important element of yoga is in the body alignment and that the correct alignment is hard to achieve without props – at least in the early stages. These props, however, are not mechanically intricate or expensive – simply practical items which will make the exercises easier to achieve until you have become more comfortable with the basics. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Becoming a yoga teacher is something that can be rewarding in a number of ways – including, yes, financially – as well as being something that will get you even closer to the fullest possible understanding of the real ins and outs of yoga. How you go about becoming an instructor is, in many ways, up to you. obviously there are specific channels for gaining official yoga certification, and these are channels you will have to observe. However, it is also true that in a real sense, the method of teaching depends solely on you. [Read the rest of this entry...]

A growing number of people are now using technology more and more for the purposes of getting a handle on any new exercise regime or any other endeavour in their life. But one of the – suddenly quite basic – more accessible forms of technology, and one that is not even considered by a lot of people, is the good old video tape – or, to be more accurate these days, the DVD. There are several yoga DVDs on the market now, and for a beginner they may well be an attractive option. After all, not everyone wants to learn in a class, where there is the fear of doing something new in front of a group of total strangers. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Yoga Meditation

When you first tell someone that you practise yoga, or will be beginning yoga classes at an indeterminate point in the future, this may draw a reaction from roughly 30% of people that runs something along the lines of “Oh, so you’ll be sitting cross-legged going “Ommmmmm” for a while then, yes?”. Although unamusing, this is a relatively common reaction and it is helpful to be prepared for it. But on the other hand, there is an undeniable link between yoga and meditation which, although not compulsory, is certainly available to those who wish to explore it.

Of course there is a link between yoga and Buddhism, as well as with other faiths, which encourage meditation. But it does not need to be religious or even spiritual meditation that the novice yogi indulges in. Meditation is nothing more than seeking to clear your mind and achieve a certain amount of peace and balance – something that can very well be free of any religious attachment. A lot of people find that yoga simply helps them to arrive at a level of relaxation that helps them deal with the stresses of everyday life. Whether that includes meditation, spiritual or otherwise, is a choice for the individual. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Yoga Mat

For any inexperienced yogi, one of the truly attractive aspects of taking up this branch of exercise is that you do not have to max out your credit card at the local sporting goods store making purchases which will eventually turn out to be a waste of money. There are few families in the world who, when it comes to cleaning out their loft, do not find something in there covered in dust and cobwebs, and wonder what it is and who bought it. Roughly half of the time it is a piece of exercise equipment. Yoga is not like that. Often, you’ll be fine as long as you have your mat. [Read the rest of this entry...]