As with all exercise plans and fitness regimes, we all want tools and aids to help us to be really good at our chosen style. In yoga, various fads went unnoticed for a long time, as practitioners were dedicated to the simple yet effective basic style of yoga and these additional extras were deemed unnecessary by many.
Iyengar yoga for example have used props within their classes as a means of students being able to achieve all of the benefits of correct positioning and advanced postures, even if the students did not have the full flexibility or range of movement. Using a prop such as a block enables the student to not have to strain their body and receive an injury for the sake of pushing to reach a more advance final position.
They also work well with injured or tired students as they can still participate without straining at all. Iyengar yoga still focuses on balance, flexibility, strength and stamina but the use of props enables the beginners to participate and to reach their maximum potential right from the start.
Props include:
• Blocks – rectangle blocks which can be stacked on top of one another to the required height so that the student can still master the correct pose even though not be able to reach the advanced position.
• Yoga mat- these come in all different colors and textures and help the student to be more confident when practicing.
• Belts- these help the student to be able to reach further without straining.
A yoga mat is one of the most important pieces of equipment, which should be purchased. Although most classes will have some spare mats, there is nothing like having your own, which eventually becomes an extension of yourself. A yoga mat is an inexpensive purchase and they can also depict your personality or characterize your own working space.
Whether at home or in the class, unrolling your yoga mat can immediately make you feel ready for your practice session on a psychological level. Even more importantly, having the right type of yoga mat can prevent injuries from occurring through slipping. It is essential to have full trust of the equipment that is used in each session, from belts to blocks to a yoga mat; they are then to help and to not hinder.
Other items which can help in a yoga practice session and can also make the session vastly different is the use of a yoga ball, these are used in other exercise programs too but can help with strength and balance when used in yoga. There is a multitude of DVD’s available all showing different styles or sessions of yoga, these can help with much needed practice at home and it looks like yoga props may be here to stay.
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There are times when we consider going to an exercise class or starting our new exercise regime, and sometimes we are filled with self-doubts about what we would look like and how good we are going to be. Going on our own is never as much fun as if we have company, but even worse if the class we are going to is full of lithe, supple men or women wearing the latest in fashionable exercise gear.
Hence the reason why the exercise DVD’s play such a part in the exercise scene and are so successful with a variety of celebrities showing before and after pictures of themselves as they work their way to peak fitness for our benefit.
The beauty of exercising at home is that no one has to see us if we look silly, or if we struggle to complete the routine lasting only about 20 minutes into the program before giving up. The pause button gives us a perfect opportunity to be able to catch our breath before starting over.
If the thought of aerobic exercises do not appeal then why not purchase a Yoga DVD? There are many to choose from, some work on individual areas and others, focus on a complete yoga work out in various disciplines of yoga.
Buying a yoga DVD is an inexpensive way to ensure that you exercise, become supple and strengthen up your body and ideally, sessions should be done at least three times a week although daily is preferable.
Choose a yoga DVD that gives several routines so that you can alternate them and learn different yoga postures which in turn exercises different muscle groups and organs.
If you are someone who needs variety when it comes to exercising, then purchase an additional yoga DVD, make sure that the routines and yoga postures are different as this will give you more to strive for. Practice sessions should be approximately 30-45 minutes in length but remember that yoga practice is more about turning the attention inwards rather than a cardiovascular session.
The yoga DVD should guide you through a slow and steady practice session depending on which type of yoga DVD you have purchased. It is important to spend some time learning the correct breathing and relaxation techniques. Make sure you completely understand the alignment of all of the postures before commencing and as you attempt each one, become one with the stretch, feeling the areas which are benefiting as a result.
Although there is no comparison to using a DVD against attending a yoga class, it will give you the opportunity to try yoga in the comfort of your own home before taking the plunge and signing up for class.
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