Healthy Eating – Part 1

For most people practising Yoga is not just a form of exercise but a complete change in lifestyle. Yoga is more of a life changing experience, whereby those who practice will not just work out for half an hour a day, but will tend to live a fuller life which includes an overall view to achieving a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating is central to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

There is a lot of confusion when trying to nail down the actual concept of healthy eating, and a lot of people get caught up in the perceived success attached with a so called ‘diet’ as opposed to ‘healthy’ eating. Eating sensibly would be a far better phrase to coin rather than dieting, due to the stigma and almost unattainable outcomes associated with the expression ‘diet’.

The term diet is defined as: ‘abstinence from food’, which automatically deprives the dieter of food the moment they embark on their goals, which in most cases, end up out of reach due to the ridiculous constraints such diets establish. Research constantly indicates that setting up a lifestyle plan of eating based on nutritious and delicious foods shows that results are far more achievable, and those who do so, are generally leaner and healthier.

 

THE PRINCIPLES OF HEALTHY EATING:

Any Yoga programme that has a shred of integrity will maintain a philosophy of sensible and healthy eating as a key component to staying fit. The general concept to losing weight is pretty easy when broken down to a simple formula: ‘Calories in – verses Calories out’. If the calorie input exceeds the calorie output, then you know the answer – and hate the results. The simple fact is proper diet and nutrition will positively help you in achieving your goals of burning fat and progressively becoming a healthier and happier person.

Over the following two weeks we will bring you key principles in creating a healthy eating habits, including: Reduce The Portion – Increase The Meals, Fruit And Veg Make You Shine, Fish And Legumes for Quality Protein, Eggs And Poultry, Whole Grains, Water Is Your New Best Friend.

Articles, Healthy eating

May 11, 2012

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Yoga and Addiction

The fundamental reason why Yoga can help prevent or reduce the seeds of addiction can be explained through the power of resistance and self-discipline that Yoga develops within a person –regardless of that persons congenital predisposition to addictions or not.

Yoga cultivates a sense of control and a strong inner conviction whilst maintaining a harmonious mental and physical state of being. This overall well-being thus creates a shield to the everyday strains and stress of modern-day society; which has a tendency to cause anxiety and a negative unbalance within the nervous system.

Drugs and alcohol intake is generally congruent with tension, anxiety and stress. When the body and mind are free from these negativities, the probability of drug or alcohol consumption is greatly reduced.

People tend to drift towards addictions when they want to forget or suppress anxiety built up within; through the various environmental factors taken into consideration. This temporary escape from negativity can sometimes progress in to a habit.

This habit can be broken, or even prevented through the power of Yoga.

The ever increasing stresses and strains of modern society are placing a huge burden on the shoulders of more and more people. These negativities can be controlled and overcome through the Yogic process.

Just as little as 15 minutes of Yoga each day will help alleviate the everyday stresses and strains which are placed upon us. Not only would a 15 minute Yoga practice help maintain good health but it would also cultivate a power to resist the temptations which lead to compulsive addictions.

A study carried out at the Indian Institute of Yoga, Patna, India, and at another institute in Spain, found that Yoga helped to break the habit of addiction and develop a better sense of overall well-being to the patients that took part.

The bottom line is that addiction spawns through an unbalanced lifestyle and lack of will to combat the force of habit. Yoga achieves the polar effect – by developing a sense of self-awareness and overall well-being which will create a strong will within.

All it takes is 15 minutes a day and the habit will slowly lose its grip until a strong sense of self-conviction grows to completely discard the powers of addiction.

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May 4, 2012

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The Bikram Boost

The key to achieving an accelerated and healthy loss in body fat is primarily determined by your metabolism and how well it generally works. The metabolism is essentially the end product of chemical reactions in the cells of all living organisms which sustain life.

These processes are pivotal to our physical and mental growth, and in most cases, the synergy between a healthy body and mind is co-dependent on somebody’s overall wellbeing.

Therefore, one might possibly argue that a fully functioning metabolism will lead to a happy-healthy lifestyle, and the two crucial factors in kick starting your inner-inferno are a controlled diet and consistent exercise.

Certain types of exercise can influence the metabolism more so than others, and when body temperature is raised as so in Bikram Yoga, then the metabolic rate is also raised.

Bikram Yoga’s many benefits include not only a great aerobic and cardiovascular workout, it also boosts the immune system, gives an added spark to the nervous system, forces the endocrine glands to excrete feel good hormones, toxins are flushed out and waste is expelled from the body – leaving you feeling more than fresh and happy.

However, the real beauty of Bikram Yoga is that it doesn’t just help with all the great positives listed above, Bikram Yoga also has the ability of sending the body’s metabolic rate into such a high tempo that your inner-engine will keep on burning fat for hours after the session.

Your metabolism is basically the engine room for our day to day energy requirements, and when we feel sluggish and dull it is usually because it is not firing on all cylinders.

When that engine is primed and ready, it will burn calories over a longer period of time, at a consistent level, not only leading to fat loss, but also general well-being and increased motivation.

The motivation that you will receive from your ‘Bikram Boost’ will then drive you to eat healthier, which in turn will keep that inner-inferno burning.

Healthier foods generally lead to a better functioning metabolism. Poor quality foods which have been processed will leave you feeling stodgy and tired therefore, you will tend to have less motivation to do anything constructive.

What is so significant about the ‘Bikram Boost’ is it kick-starts the whole cycle between healthy exercise, healthy eating, and a healthy body and mind.

This cyclic rotation of health and happiness can be imagined as your triangle of well-being. Perhaps it sounds a tad flimsy, but when the triangle is made up of three factors crucial to burning fat, then the concept maintains its integrity.

Just imagine a triangle with Bikram, Metabolism, and then Diet on either side – with well-being in the centre. The three cornerstones of the ‘Triangle of Well-Being’ are pivotal to the development of the centre of the triangle – which is – your general well-being. Furthermore, all three elements are dependent on each other to successfully function.

So, where to start you might ask yourself? Start with the Yoga practice which will help you clear your mind and focus your thoughts towards the main goal of your triangle which is burning fat and overall well-being.

Articles, Yoga Styles

April 27, 2012

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It’s Yoga – Not Stretching

There is a common misconception that Yoga is essentially a passive form of stretching, in which far out people spend hours of their mundane lives crunched up in some awkward position making sounds that resonate to the depths of India.

Stretching is something that most people partake in at some stage of their lives. The benefits of stretching and Yoga are distances apart – Timbuktu to Mumbai to be more specific.

Exercise generally consists of a warm-up and then passive stretching, followed by some form of intensive exercise. The objective of stretching was to prepare the muscles and increase flexibility while doing so.

This has been commonly accepted for many years, but research and evidence is progressively telling us otherwise. Stretching is almost as useful as a pair of glasses on a one eared man. Yoga however, is a powerful practice that leads to much more than the sought after increased flexibility that stretching fails to deliver.

Many exercise programs which incorporate stretching as a factor in defining strength and flexibility whilst keeping injury at bay, are usually outdated or ill-considered.

Most of these programs will never come close to being as effective and well rounded as Yoga. Yoga offers postures that create all round balance and flexibility. Each movement is not only developing that muscle you think you are working, but also many others as it is a form of exercise synergy.

Your average little stretch after a trot around a park doesn’t come close when compared to the overall benefits of Yoga.

Through distinctive movements and controlled breathing techniques, the practice flows as an original masterpiece in forming and shaping your flexibility and strength. This ‘flow’ is what is unique to life and unique to Yoga.

When uninterrupted, this ‘flow’ or ‘vinyasa’ is the single factor in separating this practice from all other forms of exercise. It is what fuels the heat which is maintained throughout the session, thus enabling the body to heal and develop.

Articles, Yoga for beginners

April 20, 2012

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Yoga For Parkinsons

Practising Yoga can help people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease by helping them to maintain a better physical sense of controlling the disease, and to also endure and become more comfortable with the disease.

As with any serious medical condition, it is always reassuring to be able to call on some concrete medical research in order to make a judgment about the influence a practice such as Yoga may have on a person with a disease like Parkinson’s.

In a study carried out by the Parkinson Disease and Movement Disorder Society, the quality of life would be measured among two groups of patients. One group of patients, who were of similar age, sex, and stage of disease to the other group, underwent Yoga therapy for three months.

Throughout, during, and after the study the patients were tested for various results. The patients were taught specific asanas for 1 hour 30 minutes each day for 10 days over two weeks.

After the initial two weeks, patients were asked to do one class once a week for 8 weeks. The poses were generally to improve mobility such as standing, supine or inverted postures which would create a high pumping flow of blood around the musculoskeletal system.

The results of the study showed a significant increase in mobility, flexibility, spiritual (emotional) state, and general overall well-being. All these results were in the controlled group that participated in the Yoga classes.

This improvement was not just the word of the patients. Specific testing that was established at the start of the programme displayed an increase in numerous factors involved in testing.

Yoga can help alleviate some of the tensions and pains associated with Parkinson’s disease through controlled classes that help to loosen out muscles and joints.

Yoga could well be the perfect exercise for Parkinson’s disease due to the gentle movements incorporated in each class. It will not only help you manage and live with the disease, it will give you a new lease of life in order to combat the progressive onset of it.

Yoga for Parkinson’s will help diminish the symptoms whilst improving your overall emotional well-being.

Articles, Yoga for ...

April 13, 2012

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Yoga-Mum

Yoga for pregnancy will follow the same guidelines and principles as all other conventional Yoga practices, the one other focal point Yoga for pregnancy will adopt is the specific requirements of the pregnant woman and the constant changes she will experience.

Yoga for pregnant women will be a safe, nurturing and gentle environment. Pregnancy is a very special time in life, and it should be treated with the utmost respect for both mother and the precious life growing inside.

There are huge physical and emotional demands placed upon both mother and child, so it would be good reasoning that the mother does everything in her power to achieve a state of constant well-being in which to nurture the baby.

Yoga for pregnancy is a profound experience that involves a peaceful and relaxed surrounding which will benefit both you and your baby.  It is recommended that Yoga for pregnancy is not practiced until after the first trimester, or perhaps 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy. It would be advisable however to start breathing and relaxation techniques from the beginning of pregnancy.

Once the second trimester commences you can begin the movements and postures until the full term of pregnancy is over. You should be careful and pay attention to the changes your body will be sensing throughout the pregnancy, and adjust your stretching and movements accordingly.

Do not try and over extend any movements or postures. Make sure to have a good relationship with your teacher, and be in constant correspondence about the changes in your fitness levels and ability to exercise.

Yoga is far more than a practical way to support you in your journey towards motherhood. Yoga for pregnancy allows deep relaxation, awareness and a meditative state to elevate your mood. Profound techniques that rely on ancient practices have overtime developed the perfect means of deep relaxation, which will prepare you in your exploration through pregnancy and a wonderful birth.

Articles, Pregnancy yoga

April 9, 2012

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World Health Day

Every year, World Health Day is celebrated on 7^th April to mark the anniversary of WHO (World Health Organisation) in 1948. A different theme is selected each year and that theme will be the priority for concern in the forth coming year.

This year the topic of World Health Day is Ageing and Health as “Good health adds life to years.”

The focus is how maintaining good health throughout life can help older men and women achieve a life full of productivity and overall general well-being. Ageing is something that will affect all of us – whether man or woman, young or old, rich or poor – we all experience the feeling of ageing.

Ageing with grace is something everybody strives towards, and Yoga is one way we can do so due to the determining factors of ageing related to Yoga practice.

Yoga has a tremendous positive impact on the longevity of life by affecting our brain, increasing vitality and the beneficial influence it has on all our glands, organs and musculoskeletal system.

By practising certain postures you can help not only with premature ageing in a physical sense (aesthetical), but you will also feel years younger.

Inverted postures will put positive stresses on the body by working with the force of gravity. Natural gravity will work wonders in inverted poses and the blood will naturally flow into many parts of the body which may have been deprived.

Your muscles will become firmer and your skin will shine due to the overall state of well-being associated with Yoga. Ageing can become a matter of grace because your blood is pumping around all parts of the body again.

The physical aspects of Yoga will seem like a miniscule benefit when you realise how good you feel within yourself, and how much more rejuvenated your entire lifestyle has become.

Yoga will encourage positive and emotional states, helping you to be enthusiastic and optimistic about life. Thus, ageing is no longer a burden, it is pleasure.

Use this world health day, 7^th April to make a change to your lifestyle and within a few weeks you will feel like a new person, both physically and mentally. You will feel calmer, be more focused and certainly more relaxed within yourself.

Yoga will help you look better throughout the process of ageing no matter how young or old you are, adding good health to your years.

Articles

April 6, 2012

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Tibetan and Restorative Yoga for Cancer

Yoga is a worldwide practice that incorporates physical postures, meditation techniques and breathing exercises to reach a quality state of health and well-being.

In a controlled study on women with a history of breast cancer, the impact of Yoga was assessed on the quality of life, fatigue, spiritual well-being, and stress levels.

This study involving 39 patients with lymphoma and receiving treatment, or having completed treatment the previous 12 months, patients started to practice Tibetan Yoga.

The study would evaluate Tibetan Yoga for various factors such as sleep, fatigue and psychological adjustments. The patients that practiced Tibetan Yoga did so for 7 sessions a week for a period of three months.

The practice of Tibetan Yoga resulted in a significant improvement in fatigue levels due to a lower amount of sleep disturbances.

There was another control group that never practiced Tibetan Yoga who displayed no improvement in fatigue levels.

The ability Yoga has to achieve a state of relaxation over cognitive arousal is directly related to pain alleviation within the muscles.

With the positive results which were achieved through Tibetan Yoga, another study was carried out through restorative Yoga, a gentle type of Yoga often described as “active relaxation.”

This was a study to evaluate various factors such as distress, quality of life and self-reported fatigue in women with ovarian or breast cancer.

In the group, 61% were undergoing treatment at the time of enrolment. Throughout the study each patient would undertake 10 weekly restorative Yoga classes which were comprised of postures, breathing and deep relaxation.

Significant measures of improvement were reported over several factors including fatigue and quality of life.

On a number of studies there was a common trend across each group. There was a general report of increased energy levels on days that Yoga was practiced.

There is a direct correlation between energy levels and a quality of life. The energy which surrounds us is essentially the energy within us, so we should strive to capture that energy in order to maintain a better state of health and general well-being.

Articles, Yoga for ...

April 2, 2012

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Yoga and Jim Stynes

Last week saw the unfortunate passing away of an honourable hero, Jim Stynes. He lost his battle to cancer after fighting for two-and-a-half years. During that battle he became an iconic figure of hope amongst those lucky enough to have felt his presence, and a shining light for the world of philanthropy.

Jim Stynes was as tough as they come. He exhausted every angle possible in his battle with cancer. Alternative spirituality was something he delved into, and Yoga happened to be his medium. His reasoning – to find some peace of mind whilst trying to alleviate pain and the unimaginable stress levels associated with it. As with most other forms of relaxation and meditation, the end goal of the process is a great reduction in stress levels.

The start sets off with the all important breathing for relaxation. Learning how to control breathing will vastly decrease stress levels, improve balance and the functioning of the nervous system. It is generally recommended to participate in more gentle forms of Yoga for cancer patients. The teacher should decipher the level of competence regarding the participant based upon specific criteria.

Energy levels, side effects to rehabilitating medication, physical limitations and possible injuries may hamper the each individual participant – regardless of their physical ability, all should receive a warm and comforting environment to practice.

Yoga for cancer will cleanse the body’s organs, support and maintain the lymphatic systems, improve circulation, and strengthen the skeletal system. The breathing exercises will improve the overall chemical balance within the body.  Due to the laid back and comforting ambiance at Yoga classes, it is a deeply compatible partner for anybody with cancer.

Jim Stynes was once a marauding AFL (Australian Football League) player, who was infamous for playing through the pain barrier. In other words, a man you would never assume to find in a Yoga class in an attempt to alleviate pain and stress. But, he did. He was a man of great integrity and honour, which upheld a way of life that many others could relate to on a deeper level.  He inspired many nations and ethnicities for various reasons. Aware of his iconic status and all the watching lights, he expressed himself in a calm and collected manner.

Perhaps the inner-calm and peace he exuded stemmed from a higher form of spirituality derived from meditation and Yoga. It’s a nice thought that he may have found peace with his fate through that deep understanding of life which his eyes shared.

Articles, Yoga for ...

March 30, 2012

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Breathe Your Worries Away

Yoga has been instrumental in helping people alleviate stress for thousands of years. The practice has a deep seeded message for all humanity on how to live life to the full by developing a stress free life without the worries of the bustling modern life.

Yoga is being practiced virtually all over the world and, those who do so generally report a higher quality of life and wellbeing.

The benefits of such a practice can be simply produced by deep breathing exercises – essentially, breathing your worries away.

The benefits of deep breathing not only improve your immediate state of relaxation, but also can help you achieve a prolonged sense of happiness, furthermore improve concentration levels and increase cardiovascular endurance.

Breathing your worries away will help you not only conserve energy, but also increase your energy levels. That tense feeling throughout your muscles will slowly begin to fade, as will your blood pressure and heart rate begin to lower – thus, creating a more positive attitude and greater state of synergy between body and mind.

There has been in-depth research into the implicit connections made between stress and physical and emotional suffering.

The philosophy of Yoga is to combat such a state of suffering through the art of practice – which enables you to achieve the bliss of Yoga transcendence as an answer to the humdrum of everyday life.

That state of transcendence is acquired through deep Yoga breathing techniques. When you think of it, the air we breathe is the vitality of life, and breathing correctly will undoubtedly enhance the overall quality of life.

It doesn’t take long to get into gear and start practicing deep breathing relaxation. All you need is a quite place and a few minutes to begin with – so, don’t cling on to life’s constraints – just breath your worries away.

Articles, Relaxation and meditation

March 26, 2012

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