relax

Yoga.

If you are big into health and wellness, it is highly probable you have encountered hot yoga all too many times.

But do you have any idea why yogic practices, including Iyengar and Ashtanga asanas, are enjoying tremendous popularity and cult following?

Can yoga really help significantly improve your life?

The answer is a resounding YES!

What exactly is yoga?

Loosely translated, the word yoga means union of the body, spirit, and mind within a person.

It is also about the connection of the person with the universe as well as the mental and spiritual connection they have with others through yogic philosophy.

Why should I do yoga?

With more than 5,000 years of yogic practices, the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of yoga have been proven through countless studies.

Granting you do not overdo yogic exercises, yoga can effectively help you get fit and toned as it utilizes the weight of your own body in trimming and toning as opposed to fancy equipment.

Yoga is also considered low-impact which means it can be done by almost anyone, regardless of their overall fitness level or age.

In addition, modern yoga’s ability to enhance both flexibility and fitness through yoga practices has been proven time and again.

When it comes to mental benefits, yoga and meditation have been known to dramatically help improve both focus and concentration.

Traditional styles of yoga like Kundalini and Hatha yoga also incorporates specific meditation components like repeating mantras aloud or chanting.

Om is a Sanskrit word and is one of the most common (and most well-known) mantra when it comes to yoga.

Roughly translated, it means “I bow to the wisdom within you.”

The you refers both to the universe at large and to one’s self.

Is yoga a religion?

No, yoga is not a religion.

While it has been associated with certain religions like Sikhism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, meditation has been used primarily to enhance and advance their spiritual progress.

Yoga has also been known to help improve meditation, resulting in a better mental state.

What are the benefits of yoga?

Yoga, hatha practices, has been around and has been practiced for thousands of years for fitness, health, and healing reasons.

While it may seem New Age or weird to some, but yoga, meditation has been around for more than 5,000 years and is considered an integral part of both Chinese and Indian medicine.

Some of the exceptional benefits of regular yoga practice include enhanced meditation, breathing practices.

• Flexibility

• Stamina

• Concentration

• Strength

• Long lean muscles from hot yoga to help boost the metabolism and lose weight.

Yoga can also help combat the following health issues:

• High blood pressure

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Muscle stiffness

• Obesity

• Poor balance

• High cholesterol

• Stress

• Tension

If you are looking for an interesting, fun, and effective exercise regimen that offers numerous health, mental, and spiritual benefits through yoga practices, meditation, and breathing, you can never go wrong.

Know more about yoga styles, poses, and other yoga basics by heading to www.allure-yoga.com today!

Let us crush one of the most common misconceptions about yoga—it is not a solitary practice!

While it is easy to mistake yoga as a stand-alone activity, many are surprised to know there are many yoga poses (asanas) one can do with a partner, friend, or significant other.

If you are looking to introduce a significant other to yoga, here are some asanas and backbend poses you can try out.

Supported Lotus

By far, one of the easiest yogic asanas to execute with a partner is the supported lotus pose.

The pose is actually pretty straightforward.

Start by sitting in the lotus position with the backs touching.

One of the best attributes of the supported lotus is it provides you with the benefits associated with the meditative yoga poses and keeps both participants in a posture positive or straight position at the same time.

It is a good pose to use as a starting or ending point to your daily yoga routine as it can also help you with energy flow and meditation.

Forward and Back Bend

The forward and back bend is performed in the lotus position.

It is also used to transition from the lotus position into the next yoga pose if you don’t want any breaks in between poses.

This can be performed for a deeper stretch or when standing.

Buddy Boat Pose

This yoga pose is considered advanced but can be ideal when looking to work on the leg muscles.

It can be really fun to do too!

Begin by sitting apart and facing each other.

Put the feet and knees together, sole to sole with that of your partner’s.

Raise the feet up so the legs are creating a triangle.

The feet and hips should be at the top of the triangle.

As you angle back on the rear and hold each other’s hands on either side of the legs.

You are mimicking a boat and sail look.

Once created, you can start slowly rocking to help stretch the legs or raise the arms and legs to create a stretch.

If any of the partner yoga poses are of interest, attending yoga partner classes can significantly improve your routine and knowledge.

Nowadays, some yoga studios offer meditation practices even if they are not as prevalent as those traditional or solitary yoga classes.

Interested to know more about yoga?

Discover the latest yoga fashion, trends, and inspiration at www.allure-yoga.com now!

If you are a yoga newbie still trying to find your way around yogic practices, iyengar, asanas, and ashtanga, it is reassuring to know there are tips that can help make your yoga journey way easier.

To get your yoga practice to a superb start, below are some helpful tips you can keep in mind, including yogic practices, asanas, and breathing exercises.

Join a yoga class.

While it is tempting to kick-off your yoga practice at home using online resources and DVD tutorials, it is still advisable to at least sample a few yoga classes first before you start doing them at home.

When you join a yoga class, you will be able to receive proper guidance if you are executing the yogic poses properly and safely.

Without the assistance of a seasoned yogic yoga instructor, you might not get the insights and guidance you need in order to ensure any injuries are avoided.

Without proper assistance, yoga practitioners might not be able to reap and enjoy the full benefits of their yoga practices.

Fortunately, you are not required to attend a yogic class for the long-term.

However, you need to attend at least a few yogic practices until you are confident you know the basics and you can execute the asanas safely and accordingly and start a yoga practice at home.

Make use of yoga accessories.

One of the best (and often first) tips any yoga newbie gets is to make use of available yoga accessories.

Yoga accessories include straps and blocks.

At first, you may not know why you need them and how they can be of help.

To give you a better perspective, think of a specific pose like the standing forward bend.

For a seasoned yoga practitioner, this is a pose they can do with much ease.

However, for newbies practicing yoga poses, it can be really challenging especially for individuals who are not that flexible yet.

Fortunately, a yoga brick can be used by newbies to help execute the move.

As you get more flexible, you can already get rid of the brick and perform the pose without much help.

In addition, if you need help holding stretched poses or stretching the legs, a yoga strap can come in very handy.

While stretches and holding stretched poses might seem simple at first glance, it can be difficult for yoga beginners to do.

You can get rid of the accessories once you have enough practice and experience executing poses accordingly.

Begin a yoga routine.

Even if you have yet to decide on a yoga style or poses to go for, it is important that you do not dismiss the importance of starting a routine.

To help establish a routine, it would help to set a time daily as to when you should do practices.

The routine should be treated much like a health ritual, much better if you do not go a day without it.

Start with a few simple yoga poses you can easily do and remember.

Come up with a routine, ensure you are doing the poses accordingly, and then work on doing them on a day-to-day basis by incorporating practices from yoga sutras.

Having a routine will not only help you figure out what practices will work for you, it will also help your body get used to the new routine you are incorporating.

As long as you put the above tips to good use, it will only be a matter of time until you are able to build a solid yoga routine.

For more yoga practices, poses, and back tricks, head to www.allure-yoga.com today!

For some people, a good sleeping routine may be a bit challenging to accomplish.

Ideally, one’s sleeping cycle should promote both relaxation and sound sleep.

While there are several effective ways one can adapt to improve sleep and relaxation, not many are aware yogic practices, meditation, breathing techniques, and iyengar can help.

Yes, you read that right!

While unknown to many, yoga, including iyengar asanas and breathing techniques, offers numerous benefits, including the ability to significantly enhance sleep and relaxation.

If you want to use yogic asanas and meditation to sleep soundly and relax completely, we’ve listed down several poses you can do before you hit your bed.

Downward Facing Dog

The downward facing dog is one of the most common yogic asanas and should be used as a starting point for your bedtime yoga routine.

This yogic exercise helps eliminate tension by working out the back and leg muscles.

Start the yogic pose with your feet flat on the yoga mat.

Your hands should be in front of your feet.

Create a triangle with the rear as your point.

The downward facing dog, a yoga pose, can be modified by moving the hands and feet closer to make it a tighter and flexibility-building pose.

Side Angle Pose

Transition out of the downward facing dog pose by moving into the side angle pose.

Begin by rising up and doing a standing V shape.

Your core should be the point of your inverted V.

Ensure that your feet are spread flat out on your yoga mat.

Raise both arms and lean to one side, then lean to the other side after.

The aim of yoga poses is to be able to stretch the side muscles slowly without creating any tension.

Breath slowly and hold the pose through each side for at least 20 seconds.

Forward Bend

From the side angle pose, move to the forward bend pose.

Start by bringing the feet together and bending at the waist.

The goal is to be able to put the hands flat on the floor right in front of the feet.

While this may seem like a very challenging (if not impossible) move to do, it is actually achievable.

The trick would be to bend at the waist first before trying to touch the toes in order to prevent any injuries.

Lotus Pose

From the forward bend, move to the sitting position.

The ideal sitting position to do would be the lotus pose.

Begin by sitting with the leg crossed and the hands turned up for meditation.

The palms should be up and on the knees.

Close the eyes and perform slow and steady meditative breaths.

Corpse Pose

The final pose to complete your yoga bedtime routine is the corpse pose.

Start by lying flat on your back.

Your legs should be out and should be at least a shoulder width apart.

Ensure the soles of the feet is facing outward.

Make sure the arms should be at a 45-degree angle out to the sides, palms facing up.

Breathe slowly as you lay in the pose for several minutes.

As you consistently integrate the following yoga routine in your day-to-day life, you will find that you are able to relax and sleep better overtime.

For more yoga tips and other yoga essentials you might want to know about, please head to www.allure-yoga.com right away!

The headstand is considered one of the many poses that are carried out in the advanced yoga practice.

While there are several notable benefits of the headstand, two of the primary ones are meditation and circulation.

If this is one pose you have been wanting to do as you move forward in your practice, it would be a good idea to incorporate beneficial asanas that can help make the headstand easier to nail.

Aside from integrating helpful asanas that can help you easily transition to the headstand, below are other tips and tricks you can look into in order to execute this challenging and advanced yoga pose safely and properly:

Consider Using Neck Assistance

If you are a yoga newbie, you would be surprised, if not delighted to know that there are assistive devices you can make use of so executing the headstand becomes a lot easier.

For starters, you can make use of braces and specialty pillows that are designed to keep the practitioner in safe position by providing ample neck support.

When still in the learning stages, you can use those that have bars as they would be able to provide more ample and stable support and will help ensure your body is held in place.

This kind of assistive devices can be found in fitness and health stores or at online yoga stores.

Get the Help of a Competent and Trusted Friend

Yet another effective way to learn the headstand would be to make use of a friend’s help.

Your friend can help you out with a lot of the important things—spot you, hold your legs, or help you come out of the pose when needed, among other things.

Having a friend to help you out is more of a safety precaution more than anything else.

However, the help of a friend who knows the headstand and has done it successfully would prove to be invaluable especially while you are still trying to find your way around.

Practice the Pose with a Seasoned Instructor

The most ideal step when still trying to learn the headstand would be to practice it with a competent and seasoned instructor.

While this may seem like something you can just forego, keep in mind that if you do not have someone knowledgeable helping you out, you can end up injuring yourself while attempting to do the pose.

When done wrong, you can end up hurting your core, back, and neck.

Fortunately, with an able yoga instructor helping you out, you can rest assured you will be executing the pose without compromising your safety.

The abovementioned are just some of the many methods you can do to be able to properly and safety perform the headstand.

Also, keep in mind that learning the headstand will entail time.

Be patient and do not expect to learn the move overnight.

For other yoga essentials, as well as helpful beginner tips, head to www.allure-yoga.com right away!

For many, going on a holiday is the perfect opportunity to slack out on their exercise routine, including their yoga practice.

After all, looking for ways to still incorporate some sort of physical activity regimen in a trip can seem like too much hassle.

Of course, you’d have to decide on something that will need little to no equipment.

Add the fact that you need to do something that will not require too much space, especially if your hotel room is all you have.

On the bright side, the abovementioned factors help narrow down the possible choices you can do.

Undoubtedly, yoga seems like the perfect exercise to throw in the mix.

If you are a lover of yoga, especially of Hatha yoga, here are some asanas you can do even when on the go.

Mountain Pose

For those who are looking to stretch both the back muscles and the legs, the mountain pose is deemed ideal.

This yogic pose has also been known to help effectively open the lungs and the chest muscles.

Another reason that makes the mountain pose the ideal addition to your travel yoga routine is it considered very beneficial for those who experience aches and stress often associated with long flights.

In addition, it can help effectively stretch the muscles after being confined in the narrow space of the airplane for too long.

Start the pose in a lunge position.

The front foot should be flat while the back foot should be at the foot’s ball.

The body is then arched back slightly so the chest area is opened and breathing can flow freely.

Side Angle Revolve

If you are doing the mountain pose, you can easily transition to the side angle revolve.

To execute this standing pose, keep the legs in the same position as if you are doing the mountain pose.

When in the lunge pose, straighten the back and start to revolve to the right or left.

The hands should be in the prayer pose in the middle of the chest as you revolve from the left or the right.

This yoga pose has been known to help effectively remove tension from the lower back.

It also helps move the spine slightly to help release energy.

Warrior Pose

From the side angle revolve, transition into the warrior pose.

The warrior pose is straightforward.

However, there will be a slight change in the position of the feet.

While you will still stay in the lunge position, you will need to go flat on both feet.

Extend the arms, palms facing out with one in front while the other behind the back.

If you want to flex the leg muscles, you can extend the lunge.

Pumping Warrior

Yet another pose one can easily do even on a holiday is the pumping warrior pose.

This pose is executed by shifting out of the warrior pose.

Start by moving from the lunge to a position where the feet are both facing outward.

The shoulder should also be a width apart as you move your body forward.

This move can be likened to a frozen jumping jack pose.

End the yoga pose by raising both hands in the prayer position above the head and stretching.

Forward Fold

One fitting final pose you can do would be the forward fold.

Start by slowly moving the legs together.

The arms should still be positioned above the head in prayer pose.

Breathe in slowly and release as you fold forward to the feet.

For those who are flexible enough, you can position the yoga pose with the face even with the knees and the fingers touching the toes.

If you want to know more about yoga poses, types, alongside other beginner asanas you can try, head to www.allure-yoga.com today!