Santos Yoga

During a recent yoga lesson with one of my new students, she said she wanted to know what other changes she could make in her daily life to improve her health. She realised that her yoga practice is just one aspect of living a healthy and happy lifestyle. To live a holistic and balanced lifestyle, you need to include relaxation, wholesome foods, breathing and positive thinking into your daily routine. Five Useful Habits To Adopt To Live a Healthy Lifestyle 1. Proper Exercise Proper Exercise is one of the five basic points of yoga, as taught by Swami Vishnu-devananda, founder and Guru of the International Sivananda Yoga Centre. Yoga exercises are designed to promote flexibility, strength and balance...

A while ago I saw a newspaper article about a Catholic Yoga class being held somewhere near where I live. At the time I wondered why they needed a special class for Catholics. I could imagine that Catholics wouldn't want to chant to Shiva or Ganesha, but I seldom find chanting to Hindu gods in mainstream or beginner yoga classes. So I was left wondering why, if Christians see a value in practicing yoga, that some feel it necessary to customize this non-religious practice to their religion. Since then, I've read a few books on how to practice yoga as a Christian written by Christians. From the books I read, I came away with three main ideas: 1. Yoga is not a religion and Christians have nothing to...

Yoga Exercises for Ideal Weight and Ideal Shape What is ideal weight? How can you tell whether or not you are at your Ideal weight? And is your ideal weight realistic for your body type or based on some unattainable ideal flaunted in fashion magazines? Is your image of ideal weight more about an ideal shape - one which may not have any bearing to the actual shape of the body you were born into? Is ideal weight or shape a personal, inner-referenced experience, or something determined from outside yourself? Is it something you can feel or is it based on the opinion of others, or cultural, societal ideals, or tables that tell you what your ideal weight should be in relation to your height, weight or...

If you are a writer, chances are you have suffered from writer's block. You sit at your desk, stare at your computer or blank sheet of paper, and wonder, what will I write? Yet no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to find the words. You feel blocked. You know you have something to say, an important message to share with your audience yet, finding the 'right words' or knowing what to write, eludes you. In the background you hear the clock ticking, and each tick seems to get louder and louder, each tock seems to be getting faster and faster, almost as if time, is mocking you and reminding you that time is precious and if you don't get a move on, write that first sentence, then you are...

Jet lag appears definitely to be one these things: A Condition resulting when travel across time zones leaves a person feeling "out of sync" with local time at his or her destination. That considered, to get you 'back in sync', one highly recommended solution will be Yoga   What, with the poses balancing effects on the body (namely the inversions),yoga helps immensely to deal with the effects of jet lag, of course when used correctly.   The two main poses will be the Shoulder stand (and its counter poses) and if possible, the Sun Salutations.   In regards to the latter choice, the Sun Exercises, these are definitely a wise choice in that they stimulate and balance all the systems of the body...

Yoga has many amazing benefits and all of the positions and poses each has it's own benefit. Yoga also helps to improve posture which in turn gives you many benefits including a much healthier body. Many people have very bad postures which have gradually gotten worse over the years without them even noticing. By getting and maintaining a good posture you will strengthen your back muscles and have amazing health benefits. Practising yoga regularly can help to maintain good posture as well as increase your strength and flexibility throughout your body as a whole. When starting out, some yoga poses may seem difficult, but with practise you will find them easier and easier and you will certainly feel...

The ancient practice of yoga has recently made a large impact in modern day society, even though it has been around for centuries. On a regular routine, the health benefits are enormous. A reduction in weight, a toner body and feeling great in general are just a few of the possibilities that open up to those practicing beginner yoga exercises. Different Types of Yoga Pick the type of yoga that fits you best. As a beginner, you should examine different styles and pick the appropriate one for your personality, present health condition, and your fitness level. When it comes to understanding what each style offers, take into consideration that you need to choose one that you will be able to perform...

Inversions, such as headstand (Sirsasana) and shoulder stand (Sarvangasana), are often considered "royal" poses by Hatha Yoga practitioners. Some students and teachers consider inversions to be of the utmost importance in their personal Hatha Yoga practice. While there are many benefits from inversions, students with pre-existing medical conditions, are put at risk unnecessarily. When we have no health problems, it is easy to put issues of risk and contraindications aside, but Yoga teachers and students should do their research. In the case of students who have a history of strokes, within their family, or who have previously had a stroke, the approach to inversions should be "Extreme Caution...

Kapalabhati - (Frontal Brain Cleansing Breathing) 'Kapal' in Sanskrit language means 'Forehead', and 'Bhati' means 'Light'. Practicing Kapalabhati on regular basis brings a state of light and clarity to the frontal region of the brain with the inner radiance. Kapalabhati is a highly energizing abdominal breathing exercise. In Kapalabhati Pranayama, the inhalation is slow and passive and require only releasing tension in the abdominal wall. On the other hand, the exhalation is active, sharp and vigorous. Normally exhalation takes one fourth of the time of inhalation. Quick exhalation and natural inhalation follows each other. The breathing exercise activates and invigorates the liver, spleen and the...

There are various forms of Yoga to lose weight. Its the best way to shed those extra pounds naturally. Yoga postures not only stimulate the rate of metabolism but also eliminates anxiety and stress. These workouts help your body to lead a disease free and healthy life. There are various types of yoga postures that can enhance the regulation of your body parts. These workouts would soothe your mind, body and soul. In order to feel rejuvenated, one should follow such exercises with pure dedication. Such workouts enhance your mental health. Further, Yoga even optimizes the overall fitness. Its an ancient technique for shedding your grief and leading a healthy life. Top 3 Yoga Exercises And Postures For...

Have you ever arrived for your yoga session, stressed-out, tired and full of anxieties and concerns? Yet by the time you finish your session, you are calm, energised and happy? Yoga has the ability to literally transform lives. As a form of stress relief, yoga postures offer you a unique way to calm and relax your mind. Yoga postures can be classified into five main groups, forward bends, inverted postures, backbends, twists and standing poses. Regular practice of yoga helps to alleviate stress. Here are the five unique reasons why the different types of yoga postures offer you an ideal antidote to a busy stressful work/home life 1. Yoga makes you feel strong and grounded. The standing poses help to...

When performing inversions, many students remark at how good their back feels after a Yoga session. When you consider performing an inverted posture, you should be aware this is any posture where the head is below heart level. Usually, most people think of Head Stand (Shirshasana) or Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana) as inversions, but Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), and Legs up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani) are also inversions. One of the purposes of practicing Downward Dog is to give your spine a break. Yet, some the benefits of this one posture are many. You can reduce back pain, provide needed care for spinal discs, train core muscles without stressing the spine, strengthen ligaments, and...

comes the most popular among people across the world. Yoga is the best way to find inner peace and becoming one with yourself. There are lots of free yoga exercises online that you can adopt, also many videos and books available that you can search through for more information and step-by-step guide. The main objective of yoga is to enhance your strength and stamina that gives you more energy. By practicing you can feel healthier and fit. This can be done mainly with the use of yoga which be carried our properly to gain maximum effects and benefits of yoga. Different postures are meant for different purposes. One of them is corpse pose that is the most basic and easiest pose to practice. This pose...

Exercises Stretching Ever wanted to learn almost the thing whether yoga can increase in value height? Then you will want to was reading the current article. In their article, you'll find out up how to do yoga asanas and poses that aide in rate increase. Yoga asanas and poses help straighten and strengthen your spine and long bones. Although there are other factors that aid in growing taller, the most important factor is doing exercises everyday. There are a lot of opinions whether yoga stretching exercises boost height increase and some believe that it does not help at all. However, based on recent studies it has already been proven that there are certain stretching exercises that will actually...

Ever wanted to learn about the truth whether yoga can increase height? Then you'll want to read this article. In this article, you'll find out about how to do yoga asanas and poses that help in height increase. Yoga asanas and poses help straighten and strengthen your spine and long bones. Although there are other factors that aid in growing taller, the most important factor is doing exercises everyday. After you're done with this article you should then incorporate exercising in your quest to get taller. Trying to grow taller without following a scientific program is vital because you will just set yourself up to failure if you just go on about doing exercises and feeding yourself without knowing...

Everyone has "the blues" from time to time. But for some people, this unhappy, gloomy state becomes a way of life. Typically, those suffering from depression have turned to prescription medication to help them through the rough patches. Unfortunately, anti-depressants often carry the risk of serious side effects. However, there is an incredibly safe and natural alternative that can help you cope. When you learn about yoga breathing and exercises, you can begin to lift the dark cloud that shadows your sense of joy. Long before Big Pharma came along, people would learn about yoga breathing and poses to calm and soothe you mentally and physically. Actually, yoga has a long and abiding history - the...

Yoga blocks or yoga bricks are considered to be the most widely known and used props in yoga. The main function of yoga blocks is that they aid yogis and beginners to get into postures and stances that they would otherwise find difficult to do. Yoga blocks are excellent props especially if you still haven't developed the flexibility and suppleness that most yoga asanas require you to have. They also help individuals feel comfortable while performing their exercises as well as help improve their body alignment. With the aid of yoga blocks you can now stretch, strengthen and align your body without causing much strain to the other muscles. These blocks can be strategically placed under the feet or...

Power yoga is becoming extremely popular these days and it is the modern version of the traditional yoga postures. Yoga can help you to achieve physical fitness as well as mental wellness. People who want to loose weight can also try out the power yoga techniques in order to burn out the extra calories. Since ancient times, yoga has played a significant role in achieving better mind, body and soul. Forty-five minutes of yoga everyday can keep you away from weight problems and other health problems like stress, constipation, mental imbalance and cancer. If you practice yoga on a daily basis then it can also help in improving your immune system. Power Yoga People who want to achieve a shapely body and...

This is a fairly difficult yoga posture but like all the yoga postures, scorpion posture also has loads of benefits. This posture is called scorpion posture because when performed fully, the shape of the body of the performer looks like that of a scorpion which is ready to sting someone. The Sanskrit name of this posture is Vrischika-asana which literally means Scorpion Posture. You can perform this posture in the following way- 1. First, sit on the floor on your knees. Then lean forward and place both of your elbows on the ground. Your forearms should lie flat on the ground and the palms should be facing downwards and completely flat on the ground. 2. Now lift your head out while extending it as...

Maybe your doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, or best friend told you Yoga would be good for you. You have heard so much about Yoga; it seems that Yoga is a "cure" for almost anything. The more you hear, the more confusing it is to understand what Yoga is all about. Should you go out and buy a Yoga book? What would be the best Yoga book to buy? If you visit the local book store, you see hundreds of Yoga books, CD's, DVD's, card decks, and kits. Should you buy a copy of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali or buy one of the "for dummies" Yoga books? Below is an overview of Yoga, which may help you decide your path of Yogic study. There is no right or wrong path of Yoga study, but be selective...

The Peacock - (Mayurasana) The Peacock is a very difficult asana and should be practiced with great care and only attempted by those who are in an athletic condition. Mayur means peacock in Sanskrit language. When this asana is exhibited, it resembles a male peacock with a long plume of colorful feathers trailing behind. A successful Peacock pose depends to a great extent on the body type and weight distribution. Anyone with a big chest and small hips and thighs will not have much difficulty to achieve this pose. But a person with a small chest and big hips and legs will find this pose very difficult to complete and held (that's why most women find this pose very difficult to perform). The Peacock...

The practice of Yoga has been around for centuries, and was originally developed from Hindu Philosophy. Yoga is the Sanskrit word which means "union". The original purpose of Yoga was to "find the union of the individual with the divine means." This was accomplished by using Yoga techniques along with proper diet, exercise, breathing, posture, and mediation. Hatha-yoga is probably the most popular type of this practice. People use Hatha-yoga in order to improve their health and sense of well being. This is accomplished by learning body control through breathing exercises, posture positions, and by concentration of the mind. The people of today's modern society usually practice Yoga for the benefits...

Sleep is no luxury. Regenerating night rest is necessary for mental and physical health and a joyful existence. Various factors can play a role in preventing you from getting enough sleep- fortunately you can take the lead role here and put the means at work to change this scene for the better starting from today. Yoga will open two fronts in your quest for a well-rested invigorated you: enhancing liver detox processes and cleansing throughout your organism, and helping you to wind down and reach deep relaxation. These fundamental achievements of yoga exercise produce a cascade effect towards your unprecedented output in life. One major factor involved in sleep deprivation is high toxic load in your...

The name, Nameste yoga, is derived from a popular Indian salutation. Nameste is translated as "I bow to you" and is used most often when a person is greeting another person or when someone is departing. This form of yoga is one of the most beneficial types of yoga. It is loosely based on Hatha Vinyasa, which is another specific type of yoga. Hatha Vinyasa uses breathing as a guide from which the body will follow. Yoga has been found to be a very effective exercise overall, but this particular type of yoga has been known as one of the most popular for all the health benefits it gives a person. Historically, the origin of Nameste yoga can be traced back to around three-thousand years ago. One of the...

The television show Namaste Yoga has been growing in popularity over the past few years, thanks to a brilliant combination of peaceful, vibrant music and one of the most beneficial types of yoga: Hatha yoga. Kate Potter is a Canadian yoga teacher with years of experience in Hatha yoga, and she originally designed the Namaste Yoga program. Today, it is a big hit shown daily on the Fit TV channel. There are also DVDs now on the market offering the peaceful, hypnotic hatha yoga experience to anyone who wishes to experience it. Benefits of Hatha Yoga This is one of the most graceful types of yoga. The movements are free flowing and include a lot of stretch poses as well as strengthening positions. It is...

Have you ever heard of Namaste yoga? It is a Sanskrit word that means "Bow to the god inside you." The word Namaste has a specific connotation that points to spirituality and oneness. By doing this type of yoga, you recognize a mutual and shared respect with the rest of your class. It is an exercise which can serve to encourage a spirit of unity and focus with your yoga class. How do you do Namaste yoga? Usually, namaste is done by putting your hands together near your heart. The position of your hands can vary, however students of yoga usually have their index fingers pointed up. Meanwhile, the rest of their fingers are folded. After that, close you eyes and bow your head. This is not a prayer, but...

omnia is a condition characterized by an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep and receive decent quality rest. It can develop at any time during a person's life and will either fall under the primary insomnia category whereby it occurs on its own with little known cause, or under the secondary insomnia category whereby it is a result of another condition (such as arthritis) because they cannot sleep through the symptoms. In the 1960s, the ancient Indian practice of yoga spread throughout the Western world. It was popularized by the Beatles and over the next forty years its many health benefits would become common knowledge. Yoga involves combining calm thought and specific breathing with certain...

If you are really interested in, and love yoga, you may as well consider teaching others the art of yoga by completing a teacher training course. However with the many training courses available today, you may have to do some research beforehand to find out the best training course for yourself. The internet is one of the best places to turn to find the best training course. Basically, the best course will be one that prepares you for numerous classical yoga asanas, pranayama and powerful meditation techniques. If you opt for online teacher courses, choose the course that offers a minimum of 200 hours of lessons. This is because you need a minimum of 200 hours to master the art of yoga so that you...

Deadlines, disappointments and demands can cause stress in your life. While each problem may be small, the cumulative impact can lead to chronic stress. This in turn can cause serious ailments. It is worrisome that most of us do nothing to keep stress away and end up harming ourselves further by consuming painkillers, antidepressants and sleeping pills. In fact, many of us, especially those who are working, don't even realize that we are suffering from this life-threatening disease. Yoga for stress relief includes a plethora of techniques, including meditation, visualization and exercise. Yoga for Stress Relief: What is stress? Stress is our physical or emotional responses to good or bad situations...

Yoga is a complete system for achieving physical and mental health. Since there are a plethora of activities targeted at achieving different goals, it is important to choose a yoga training center with utmost care. The first thing to consider is what you are trying to achieve through yoga. Is it to reduce stress or cure an ailment? Is it to lose weight or to remain agile? This decision would determine which yoga postures and meditation techniques would be ideal for you. Features of a Good Yoga Training Center Here are some features that you should look for while choosing a yoga training center: * Physical Setup: Ventilation and space are important factors to be kept in mind. The structure of a...

Parents are struggling to find methods for instilling self-confidence within their children. As adults, we know that the repercussions of poor self image can result in anxiety, depression, and a huge list of bad scenarios. With this in mind, there are a number of positive actions that parents, teachers, physicians, and Yoga teachers can take to build solid foundations, within a given child's character. By seeking solutions, we can give our children a positive view of life. In turn, children will develop into successful adults by building strong relationships and by exceptional performance, within his or her career. Let's look at the positive aspects for children within a typical Kids Yoga class...

All social categories and age groups can appreciate yoga as a relaxation method or even as a life style choice. Yoga practitioners investigated the physical and mental differences between men and women for a protracted time. In general, men are known to be less emotional than women and they frequently suppress their emotions. This can lead to stress and, eventually, to an increased hazard of heart problems. A man's greater level of physical strength is accepted by most committed yoga practices. This is why several of the poses recommended for men require additional muscle strength and endurance. Numerous male yoga practitioners have discovered that a mixture of yoga and weight training can equip...

Kids yoga has become increasingly popular as of late. However, many yoga instructors find themselves at a loss when faced with their first yoga class for kids. The instructors know the poses, how to develop flow sequences, various pranayama exercises, and how to perform adjustments. However, they now have a group of children staring at them and they have no idea how to fill the next 30-60 minutes. To help here is a list of the top 10 tips for teaching kids yoga. These are tried and tested techniques which will guarantee your success. #1 - Have fun. Kid's yoga is more about playing yoga than perfecting poses. Release your fun-loving self, laugh, tell jokes, make silly faces, let loose, enjoy. #2...

Yoga has gained popularity as a medium to achieve fitness and health as well as enlightenment. It is this popularity that has motivated many enterprising individuals to package the practice and sell it through media of any kind. The yoga video is one of the more popular media sources for learning and practicing this exercise. Some studios may have a yoga video but they usually have experts who help beginners and novices cope with the practice. Yoga video in the Home Having a yoga video in your home can have many advantages. Among the many advantages of using a video instruction in your own home is the convenience of using it any time that you wish. Time constraints may limit your yoga instruction at...

The term sadhana in Sanskrit means practice. Committing to practicing yoga on a regular, if not daily, basis, reaps immeasurable benefits. Students often tell me that they cannot commit to an hour a day- they simply do not have the time. In such cases, I recommend deciding the time frame you can realistically commit to each day, even if it is just five minutes. Much better to do this than to practice for two hours twice a week. Experts say build a routine and you are more likely to stick to it. I agree. After a while, missing a practice begins to feel like neglecting to brush your teeth or shower daily. It just does not feel right if you do not do it. As the classic 15th century Sanskrit text The...

Though the world is going gaga over yoga, there are some people who still don't understand the need to practice yoga. If you too are looking for reasons to practice yoga, then be in a position to have many coming your way. Yoga is a holistic practice that offers both- physical as well as psychological benefits. Let us have a look at some of the advantages that yoga has to give. Yoga prompts lots of flexibility in your body and that is one of its main benefits. There are various yoga poses that require you to stretch your body which increases the muscle movement and adds to flexibility. Also, yoga adds additional flexibility to some body parts like legs, back, shoulders, and hips. Yoga also increases...