There are numerous yoga poses, which are designed to stretch, tone and limber up all aspects of the yoga enthusiast’s body. All yoga poses have key benefits, which go far deeper than general flexibility; they can massage key organs and improve general health.
The great thing about yoga is that there is no expensive equipment required to practice, all that is required is mental presence of the student and the desire to learn. Although there are many aids available to help them progress through the various yoga poses, an understanding of the benefits of each posture is more useful.
The spine is considered to be the central point of a healthy body; an inflexible and stiff spine greatly inhibits movement and can age a person’s appearance dramatically. All of the organs such as intestines, heart, lungs, liver etc are placed in front of the spine, so it is important that the spine is kept strong and healthy so that it can support the body sufficiently. As such there are numerous yoga poses, which focus on key important areas of the body such as:
Spine
Downward Dog-this pose is excellent for those with rounded shoulders, it is also a marvelous stretch for the backs of the legs.
The Cobra-one of the better-known yoga poses and this improves the backward extension of the spine
The Locust-this is useful for those who suffer with sciatica as it will help to ease the condition
Forward Stretch- helps to strengthen and lengthen the spine in a forward stretching moving, this really helps to protect the spinal discs if done correctly.
Heart and Circulatory System
The Complete Breath- this strengthens the muscles around the heart and improves the capacity of the lungs
The Bridge- this posture is useful for stretching the spine and improving high blood pressure
Neck Pain
The fish Pose-this lengthens the neck and spine but care should be taken with this pose as it is fairly demanding.
The Triangle- Stretches the shoulders and neck releasing tension which may be stored in the upper back. Should not be attempted if the neck area is stiff and painful or if sciatica is present.
Digestive/ Abdominal area
Abdominal lock – to help improve muscles in this region and to help correct or improve conditions such as IBS.
Boat Pose- Excellent posture for strengthening the stomach and correcting digestive conditions.
There are many yoga poses and benefits not listed here, in fact the list is just too numerous, but by incorporating regular and gentle yoga poses into your daily exercise regime, the body will respond by becoming stronger, have greater flexibility, better inward health and clearer mind and increased focus. Allow approximately thirty minutes a day to start feeling the benefits.
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In the world of yoga, the yoga mat has become one of the most important equipment aids within the market place. For obvious reasons, safety issues are a real concern and yoga mats are designed not to slip, so extreme postures can be made with the full confidence of the student.
Although not particularly costly, it may be advisable for a student new to the discipline of yoga to purchase a mat initially especially if the plan is to attend a yoga class. Quite often teachers will bring yoga mats with them or there will be available mats through the gym or sports centre where the sessions are held. Although these may not be the best mats in the market place they will enable the student to practice safely and to have support on the joints in the kneeling postures.
The humble yoga mat could be deemed the latest fashion accessory as they come in a variety of colors and textures and have different densities. They also provide traction, which is essential to stop you slipping during some of the postures.
Yoga mats can be used at home or at the class and most come in handy bags and can be rolled up to avoid taking up space. They are lightweight and easy to carry too. Some mats come complete with a pillow, which can be used in some of the postures, should you wish to.
Another important factor to purchasing your own yoga mat is to choose the color, texture and style, which suits your personality and surroundings. It helps to personalize your yoga space, which is important and will help you to practice more diligently.
When your class is almost finished and you lay down for the relaxation section, your mat will protect you from a hard, cold floor so enabling you to benefit from your relaxation session.
Good yoga mats can be obtained from a variety of sources. The internet for example will have the web addresses for possibly thousands of yoga mat suppliers and they can be bought from many retail outlets these days also.
If you are seriously looking for yoga mats, you will find as you begin to look around other items such as belts, exercise balls and blocks which are also available as part of a yoga practice. Iyengar yoga often uses props to help the student achieve greater alignment when the body is not flexible enough to be able to reach the full position. These props are reasonably priced and you may find some special offers enable you to buy a yoga mat quite reasonably when you purchase some other yogic aids at the same time.
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