Yoga Benefits

We live in a weight-obsessed culture that sets extremely high standards for attractiveness and sets great penalties for being overweight. When it comes to weight loss, many women-overweight or not-believe that their lives would be greatly improved by losing some weight.Some women would do or pay anything to achieve this goal, hence the lucrative dieting industry and the myriad purveyors of pills, potions, and programs. Clever marketing, aided by the media’s endorsement of each new weight-loss miracle, entices millions of people to part with their money for short-term results at best. In a society that craves instant gratification, companies have to keep coming up with products that promise quicker, more fabulous results.

Yet we know that statistically, most people who lose weight end up gaining it back. Each new product or claim-which often contradicts previous ones­serves only to confuse the average weight-loss consumer. People end up not knowing what to believe, eat, or use. And so the problem persists worldwide in westernized and industrialized countries, people are getting heavier, despite the increasing availability of health clubs, weight-loss clinics, and low-fat foods. Obesity is now recognized as a chronic, life-threatening disease.

By practicing the Anti-Anxiety Breath, you consciously empty your lungs of stale air and your bloodstream of excess carbon dioxide, which can leave you feeling irritable, fatigued, and anxious. You then can inhale deeply, naturally replenishing your energy and restoring your well-being with fresh air.

Benefits

Relieves anxiety, fatigue, and irritability

Focus

Do not rush, resist the temptation to inhale for longer than 4 counts each time. Concentrate on the exhalation, totally emptying your lungs progressively with each exhalation by pulling in your abdominal muscles.

1. Lie on the floor on your back with your arms at your sides, palms facing up, feet flopped apart.
2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together to open up your chest.
3. Watch your breath, in and our, for 3 breaths. Begin to slow your breathing.
4. Inhale slowly as you count to 4, then exhale for 4 counts by contracting your abdomen.
5. Inhale as you count to 4, then exhale as you count to 5.
6. Continue inhaling for 4 and increasing the length of the exhalation by 1 count each time until you are exhaling for 10 counts.
7. Release by taking a Full Yoga Breath and relax.
8. Repeat, starting with 4-count inhalations and 4-count exhalations, increasing the length of the exhalation by 1 count each time until you are exhaling for 10 counts.
9. Return to your own breathing pattern, and relax. Notice how clean your lungs feel and how easy it is to breathe. Become aware of any sensations in your body after completing this technique, and enjoy a few moments of stillness as a result of your mind slowing down.

Mountain Pose

Poor posture not only contributes to back and neck problems over the years, it also can add 10 years to the way you look. Rounded shoulders, a hunched spine, and a protruding belly immediately age a person, whereas upright shoulders, a straight spine, and a firm abdomen typify vitality and youthfulness. Improve your awareness of good posture by checking and adjusting your posture each time you find yourself waiting in a line.

Benefits

Improves posture, improves sense of balance.

This pose, often called “perfect posture,” will make you very aware of your body alignment. To check your posture in the pose, stand sideways in front of a mirror.

Focus

1. Center your weight evenly over both feet. Keep your tailbone slightly tucked under and your spine elongated.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms resting at your sides, palms on your outer thighs.
3. Lock your knees, and contract your abdominal muscles.
4. Tuck your tailbone under, and stretch your spine from its base up through the top of your head.
5. Lift your rib cage up, lift your shoulders up, then roll them backward and down, away from your neck.
6. Lengthen your neck as if you were being pulled up by a piece of string tied to the crown of your head. Bring your chin level with the floor.
7. Relax in the pose. Become aware of where your weight is placed over your feet. (Is it coming down through your arches, your outer feet, your heels, or your toes?) Adjust your stance so that your weight is distributed evenly over your feet and evenly to all parts of your feet, so your sales are firmly in contact with the earth.
8. Close your eyes, and stand perfectly still. Hold the pose for 7 Full Yoga Breaths .
9. Open your eyes. Check your posture in the mirror.
10. Repeat the pose while balancing a book on your head. Hold the pose for 7 breaths.

Alternate Breathing

At the 10th International Yoga Therapy Conference, the following breathing sequence was recommended for weight loss: 9 rounds of Alternate Nostril Breathing followed by 27 rounds of Right Nostril Breathing, 3 times per day. This is a very dynamic breathing sequence, so build up to it gently until you are comfortable with the technique.

Warning

If your lungs get tired or if you experience fatigue or irritation, rest and lie down; practice fiwer repetitions. Also lie down and rest if your back aches. If your head becomes hot, release the technique and rest for a few moments from the strain.

Alternate Snootily Breathing

Benefits

• Brings equal amounts of oxygen to both sides of the brain for effective mental function in both the logical and creative aspects of the mind
• improves focus and concentration
• calms the nerves
• creates mental stillness and focus

Focus

1. Make your inhalation and exhalation the same length. Feel as if your whole body is centered over the base of your spine, and feel energized as you follow your breath in and out of your nose. Feel the warmth of your breath as you practice.
2. Sit on the floor in Cross-Legged Position, hands resting on your knees. Spine is upright but relaxed.
   If this position is not comfortable, sit on a folded towel to tilt your hips forward and take the pressure off your knees. Alternatively, sit with your legs stretched out in front, leaning against a wall if necessary, or sit in a chair.
3. Place the index and middle fingers of your right hand firmly on top of your nose. Rest your right thumb on your cheek next to your right nostril and your right ring finger on your cheek next to your left nostril.
4. Close your right nostril with your thumb, and inhale slowly through your left nostril.
5. Close your left nostril with your ring finger, open your right nostril, and exhale through your right nostril.
6. Inhale through your right nostril, close your right nostril, open your left nostril, and exhale through your left nostril. (Two exhalations-one on each side-complete one round of Alternate Nostril Breathing.)
7. Repeat 8 more rounds. Throughout the day, complete 9 rounds of Alternate Nostril Breathing 2 more times, perhaps after two meals.
8. If you lose track of your breath, remember this, if you find yourself breathing in, close that nostril, and exhale through your other nostril. If you find yourself breathing out, breathe back in through that same nostril, close it, and exhale through your other nostril.

Right Nostril Breathing

Benefits

Activates the left hemisphere of the brain, which is associated with active mental abilities, helps to focus concentration and energy

Focus

1. Pay attention to the movement of your breath in and out of your right nostril and the warmth of the air. Slow the breath down and deepen it as you progress.
2. Sit on the floor in Cross-Legged Position, with your hands resting on your knees. Spine is upright but relaxed.
   If this position is not comfortable, sit on a folded towel to tilt your hips forward and take the pressure off your knees. Alternatively, sit with your legs stretched out in front, leaning against a wall if necessary, or sit in a chair.
3. Place the index and middle fingers of your right hand firmly on top of your nose. Rest your right ring finger on your cheek next to your left nostril and your right thumb extended away from your cheek.
4. Close your left nostril, inhale and exhale slowly through your right nostril 27 times. Follow the movement of your breath with concentration.
5. Relax and sit quietly, taking note how you feel. Throughout the day, repeat Right Nostril Breathing 2 more times.

Benefits

• Increases blood flow to the brain
• Lowers blood pressure
• Promotes inner stillness

Focus

Lengthen your spine on the inhalation with your chin extended, then soften your spine on the exhalation. Let your head and neck hang freely, do not strain.

1. Stand with your legs 4-6 feet apart, arms outstretched at shoulder height.
2. Exhaling, bend forward. Place your palms flat on the floor between your feet (bend your knees if necessary).
3. Turn your right foot out to the side a little, “walk” your hands over to your right foot, and place them on either side of your right ankle or on top of your right foot.
4. Inhaling, lengthen through the spine. Exhaling, soften the body and extend. through the chin rather than trying to put the head on the knee. Continue lengthening and extending the spine as you breathe deeply 7 times.
5. Exhaling, “walk” your hands back to the front.
6. Inhaling, come up to a standing position.
7. Turn your right foot to the front and your left foot out to the side. Repeat the stretch on your left side for 7 breaths.

Each of the incases in this site is designed to increase your percentage of lean muscle over time. Gaining 1 pound of lean muscle is enough to burn approximately 25 calories a day and can prevent weight gain as you age. You can easily gain lean muscle tissue by consistently increasing the amount of time spent on any physical exercise: gardening, housework, walking, or sporting activities. It does not have to be formal exercise; just keep moving, because it all adds up at the end of the day. Practiced dynamically and regularly in combination with your other daily activities, vinyasas will keep you lean and toned, and your resulting high metabolic rate will burn excess calories. (Unfortunately, it works both ways, for every pound of lean muscle tissue you lose, either due to inactivity or lack of essential nutrients, you will burn approximately 25 calories less each day.)Routine I introduces you to one of the best-loved incases, Salute to the Sun, which quickly stretches and tones all the muscles and improves the function of the hormonal system, which controls mood and appetite. The poses convey several benefits to hear this wisdom quieting your mind

• Head-to-Knee Stretch releases tension throughout your spine and the backs of your hamstrings, allowing you to extend in Salute to the Sun.
• Pelvic Rocking makes you aware of the way that subtle stretches can improve the strength and tone of your abdominal and back muscles.
• Stomach Bandha tightens abdominal muscles and improves the way that food is moved through your eliminatory system. It also massages your pancreas, so that you have a steady flow of energy throughout the day, to avoid sugar cravings.
• Vinyasa I, Salute to the Sun, improves the flexibility of your spine and major joints and speeds up your breathing rate and heart rate to increase your metabolic rate.
• Present-Minded Awareness Breath keeps you focused in the present moment as you coordinate your breath with leg and arm movements.
• Creating a Healthy Self-Image is a visualization that helps you release old thought patterns and ideas (e.g., feelings of sadness, hurt, resentment, or guilt over the past or present) that may be preventing you from reaching your goals by taking up your best energies.

Diets are not miracle cures, in fact, the original meaning of the word diet is “way of life.” Practiced regularly in conjunction with eating a healthy balanced diet, hatha yoga offers you a safe route to the weight that is right for you. The more regularly you practice and the more you moderate your eating patterns, the more effective and permanent your weight loss will be.By choosing yoga as an approach to weight loss, you can get off the diet industry treadmill that drains your energy as well as your purse. Leave yo-yo dieting behind forever as you develop a healthy, balanced approach to permanent weight loss. Working from the inside out, you can restore the balance in your body systems and glands that control your metabolic rate, appetite, moods, and sleep patterns.

The routines help you reach your target weight efficiently and will change the way you feel about your body shape and image, laying the basis for a healthier, happier, and more meaningful lifestyle. You then can trust your body’s inner wisdom to take care of the physical so that you can focus on higher mental, emotional, and spiritual aspirations. As you regain control of your life, expect to see positive changes-and enjoy the new you.

Warning

The information is of a general nature. Being overweight can cause serious health problems, which in its worst form­extreme obesity-can even cause premature death. It is not intended to replace the services of a trained health-care practitioner, who can consult with you about matters related to your own health or symptoms that require diagnosis and immediate treatment. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or other weight­related health problems, consult your medical practitioner before beginning this program.

Several yoga poses, combined in a sequence and performed dynamically, are called a vinyasa. They greatly enhance the way your body burns fat by increasing body heat and thus raising your metabolic rate.Each yoga routine contains stretches, a vinyasa, postural exercises, a breathing technique, and a visualization technique. From the moment you first practice these techniques, you will notice benefits. You will move more easily and have better concentration and balance; you also will feel more energized, determined, self-confident, relaxed, and inwardly calm.

You can safely reach your desired weight-loss goals by using these yoga routines. Day by day, you will increase the aerobic capacity of your heart; your body’s ability to burn fat, and your physical, mental, and emotional stamina. By regularly practicing these techniques and eating a balanced diet, you can attain and maintain a permanent, healthy weight without pills, programs, or payments. You can confidently expect to drop a dress size in 7 weeks.

Through the regular practice of yoga, you also can avoid many of the health problems associated with being overweight, such as

• Stress on the heart
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which can increase risk of heart disease
• Arthritis and pressure on the joints
• Risk of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, which is associated with heart disease
• Risk of gallstones
• Hormone imbalances, which can increase the risk of breast or endometrial cancer and menstrual irregularities
• premature death

This site shares with you the secrets of yogic weight loss and maintenance that have been passed down through the ages. By practicing the yoga routines regularly, you will not only look more healthy. You also will maintain steady energy and sugar levels throughout the day, avoiding unhealthy cravings; improve digestive and eliminatory function for the effective use of the food you eat and elimination of waste, speed up your metabolic rate to burn fat, so you don’t lose just water weight, create a healthy self-image of the person you would like to be, and finally, stick to a weight-loss program without becoming depressed. In total, you will feel healthy because you will be healthy.