Yoga and Your Child

Children’s yoga classes have grown immensely – with new yoga lovers born daily. Many parents turn their children to yoga as a way to help them relax, and counter stress from piles of homework, competition activities, and packed schedules. Yoga postures along with specific breathing techniques are designed to stimulate specific areas of the body and the brain resulting in a release of tension.

The result for many is a powerful feeling of relaxation, inner strength and the ability to quiet one’s mind in order to be fully present in the movement. Children practice sitting still and engaging in the quiet art of controlling their bodies. This results in most children emerging calmly from their classes. Yoga is especially helpful for calming overstimulated kids.

Aside from decreasing stress, yoga is also helpful in building strong muscles and increasing flexibility. There are several styles of yoga including hatha yoga which focuses on merging energy from the left (ha) side of the body with the right (tha) side of the body in the centre of the spine. Iyangar yoga focuses on moving one’s body into alignment. Much attention is given to aligning the postures correctly and props such as straps, blocks, and …

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Assertiveness with Mindful Speech: Is it True? Kind? Necessary? Then it’s OK to Assert Yourself!

Lets take the yoga practice off the mat for a moment and consider how Personal Ethics and the concepts of Mindful Speech tie to the Yamas and Niyamas of yogic philosophy.

For someone talkative and word-prone, the idea of speaking mindfully is a question of stopping the constant flow of chatter. It is a filter to slow down and choose whether or not to say the things.

However, there are others who might use the tests of Mindful Speech as a tool for liberation, rather than restraint.

Many people think that it is necessary to withhold their opinions or desires for the sake of being ‘nice’. That to utter something on his or her own behalf would be selfish or unseemly.

A practical example

Take for example, “Bob”, one of many people who have inspired the off-the-mat series having benefited from a random tidbit of practical yogic wisdom.

Bob was unable to assert himself out of fear of what others would think of him. He would not stand up to his wife, his boss, or another coworker who was taking credit for his work.

He decided to try mindful speech. If he were able to determine that his opinion was …

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Music Yoga

Let’s think about it. You carry the memories of your life and you have the ability to think about what may come in the future. You can plan. You can reminisce. You can replay events and ponder what you should have said. You can imagine new and innovative ideas. All these are thoughts, electro-chemical lightning in the brain. The ability to think is an important part of being human.

When one plays music, it involves an action that is happening right now, in the present. When one practices yoga, the same is true. In fact, life itself is only happening right now. You may memorise a piece of music. You may memorize a set of yoga poses to follow in your practice. When you play or practice, these memories guide you, but the playing is not a memory, and the pose is not a memory. These things are actions that exist in real-time now. Your breath flows in and out of your lungs right now. The music is heard right now. The body stretches right now. The experience of hearing and feeling is right now and you are immersed in it.

As discussed in Music Yoga #1, your breath is …

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Why Gratitude is Essential to Your Growing Success

Whatever you think about the most manifests in your life.

And, when you think about what you don’t have, ironically, you actually attract and cause it to linger in your life. For example, I have a girl friend who once told me all the things she didn’t want in a relationship, and lo and behold several months later she ended up with a boyfriend who was everything she didn’t want. She couldn’t understand how that happened. I could.

Now, sometimes thinking about what you truly want and being grateful becomes a test of your heart, your confidence level and who you genuinely are. Approach this challenge as a positive growing experience. See it as an opportunity for you to do some important soul searching and exercising of your willpower and determination.

 

The thoughts you think are often a by-product of how you were raised, your circle of friends, your interests, and who you are today.

While it might be tough to remember to consciously change your thoughts, any new habit can be learned and easily assimilated into your life with consistent practice. You must strengthen your positive, grateful muscles and utilize them on a daily basis.

 

Like energy …

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Why Frolov Breathing Devices Have Become Popular in Russia

About 2 million breathing devices have been sold in Russia over the past decade. The best known is the Frolov breathing device. It has been employed to conquer a large number of chronic health disorders.

Some other facts about successes of the Frolov respiration device:

  • They are supported or approved by over 100 GPs, MDs and other health care professionals
  • More than 200 breathing clubs have been formed in the largest cities of Russia – evaluated in over 25 successful published clinical pilot trials and approbations
  • They have been tried on myocardial infarction, bronchial asthma with weakness of respiratory muscles, acute bronchitis, emphysema, angina pectoris, digestive problems, chronic bronchitis, hypertension, obesity, asthma exacerbations, arthritis, stroke, children asthma, diabetes, psychological disorders, cystic fibrosis and many other chronic disorders
  • Published clinical pilot trials and approbations discovered its efficiency for less wheezing, reduced coughing, reduced inflammation in airways, diminished shortness of breath, improved digestion and partial or complete normalisation of the FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 s electrocardiogram, renovasography measurements, body antioxidant defence, heart rate, blood pressure, cardiointervalography results, and other important biochemical parameters.
  • They are approved by the FDA and patented in the USA (USA Patent No. 5,755,640 from May 26,
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The Yoga Face by Annelise Hagen: New Anti-Aging Secret to Aging Gracefully

Coming to a class near you very soon, could be the face exercises developed by yoga teacher Annelise Hagen. A seasoned yoga teacher based in New York, she wrote the book The Yoga Face: Eliminate Wrinkles with the Ultimate Natural Facelift published by Avery/Penguin. She shows the reader how to perform a series of facial exercises to improve appearance and the philosophy behind this new anti-aging secret.

Hagen says that by working out the muscles on the face as we do our bodies, it will prevent them from sagging and getting flabby. With the idea in mind that yoga practice rejuvenates the body, Hagen began incorporating relaxation of the face while doing poses during her classes. That‘s when she began seeing a change in the tone of her and her student’s faces. As a result, she started developing a program specifically for anti-aging purposes that involved yoga, and face work. Her program teaches that by training the muscles on the face, a person can regain lift and suppleness that was once lost.

These exercises are a great alternative for people having or considering invasive procedures. Also, it’s worth a try for consumers who spend so much money on anti-aging products. …

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Does Meditative Breathing Work???

Does Meditative Breathing Work???

Several weeks ago, I saw a television program that dealt with meditative breathing. As I watched the program I became more and more intrigued. The concept was to use meditative breathing to control the core body temperature while the participant was immersed in a bathtub full of ice. The result was amazing.

 

The participant was able to keep his core body temperature at a normal level while immersed in the ice. I figured that this was because he was accomplished at meditative breathing; however, the host of the program after a bit of training was able to accomplish the same feat.

 

This program started my thought process moving. If they can do it why shouldn’t I be able to? I began researching what meditative breathing involves and was surprised that it was so grossly simple. The basics are breathing and concentration. You merely concentrate on your breathing as you breathe.

 

Imagine your breath as it fills you lungs and as you exhale it. It sounds so simple, but in reality, is not so easy. My mind wanders often and must be brought back to the task at hand. After some practice I was able to keep my …

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Finding Prenatal Yoga in Hawaii

Finding a yoga studio can be a challenge whether at home or abroad, especially if you are looking for yoga studio that has the fitness interests and health considerations of pregnant women as a priority. Whether you are vacationing in Hawaii and looking for a quick down-dog fix, or residing there and hoping to start a prenatal practice, here are some suggestions for the beginner or advanced mother-to-be.

Purple Yoga Hawaii

Purple Yoga Hawaii is dedicated to meeting the needs and expectation of students. They take a progressive stance on teaching, which focuses on improving the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of students over the long-term. They are especially mindful of each student’s needs and abilities, which creates a friendly and supportive environment for seeking prenatal yoga. Their prenatal classes focus on breathing technique that can be used any time and might be particularly helpful during labor. The postures (asanas) selected for their prenatal classes work to safely strengthen your arms and legs, as well and stretch and lengthen the spine and abdomen, making room for your growing baby. They also offer mom and baby classes, so the practice doesn’t stop with delivery!

 

  • University Square
  • 2615 South King Street
…
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Treating Chronic Conditions With the Buteyko Breathing Method

For over 50 years, the Buteyko breathing method has been used to control and treat serious health conditions such as asthma, allergy, eczema, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, high blood pressure, and circulation problems, to name just a few.

Developed in the 1950s by leading Russian physician Konstantin Buteyko, the technique is now practised in many countries, including the United States, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. A new university course has been introduced to the UK in order to train British nurses in its use to help asthma sufferers, while in Australia, Buteyko is covered by health insurance.

So is it possible that something as mundane as simply changing our breathing pattern can really combat many grave and life-threatening conditions that resist expensive medications? To answer this question, let’s look at how the Buteyko method works.

 

Buteyko Breathing Method: The Vital Importance of Carbon Dioxide

We all know, of course, that the whole idea of breathing is to deliver oxygen to our blood vessels and body cells. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, which many of us believe to be nothing more than a poisonous byproduct that can do nothing for our well-being.

Quite the opposite, Buteyko practitioners say. The …

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Piracy & Other Yoga Controversies: Fitness Trend meets Spiritual Tradition

One of North America’s first brushes with yoga occurred when the Hindu Swami Vivekananda delivered his landmark address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago, 1893. The monk and philosopher’s introduction of eastern thought, especially the Vedantic philosophy and its practice in “yoga,” opened up eastern spiritual traditions to legitimacy and respect in the west.

Over one hundred years afterwards, North America’s latest yoga landmark came as Vancouver-based yoga retailer lululemon announced on May 1, 2007 that it was seeking $200 million in a bid to go public and double the number of its stores, which currently include 52 ultra-trendy locations across Canada, the U.S. and Japan.

Seemingly evolving from fringe philosophy to ubiquitous mainstream frivolity – yoga poses now appear on cereal boxes – yoga’s genesis in North American culture has not been entirely Zen (not that yoga should be confused with Zen philosophy). Defined alternatively as a science, religion, physical therapy, psychological therapy, cult, philosophy, way of life and more, yoga’s alleged benefits (and detriments) have been haggled over by a variety of practitioners. The argument is often over the “true” nature of yoga, which has become as nebulous and changeable a concept as the definition of …

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