There are many benefits to yoga, but many of our Yoga Wellbeing yogi’s ask us. Will yoga help me lose weight?

From a traditional standpoint, calories need to be expended to burn fat and achieve weight loss. One of the best ways to burn calories is to raise your heart rate with cardiovascular exercise. Yoga can accomplish the same thing. As you are focusing on your stance in a posture, the correct alignment, activating the proper muscles and trying to deepen your breath, suddenly you have an elevated heart rate. Any yoga practice will also strengthen and tone your muscles, which is necessary for any weight loss program.

One example of a high calorie burning practice is vinyasa yoga. Vinyasa yoga will challenge your stamina and strength while swiftly moving from pose to pose, not to mention the specific vinyasa poses meant to stimulate the metabolism. Your metabolism is regulated by the endocrine system, more specifically the thyroid. Poses that compress the thyroid (shoulder stand, head-to-knee forward bend) act as a reset button for your thyroid, regulating hormones and emotions. Twisting poses also have the compression benefit of metabolism stimulation.

Taking a mind-body approach to journey that yoga offers will help you in reaching your goals in a unique way. Deep breathing is an essential element to a yoga practice that allows more oxygen to flow through the body, causing the systems to work effectively. When your systems are functioning efficiently, your body assimilates the nutrients it needs from your foods, causing you to crave less. Yoga raises your consciousness too, among other things, making you more aware of your eating choices.

After a yoga practice most of us don’t crave heavy, greasy, junk food, but fresh whole foods. Contrary to popular beliefs, not all yogis are vegetarian; most simply listen to what their bodies tell them they need. Simply put, the key to any successful diet is not deprivation, but moderation. A regular yoga practice has also been proven to reduce anxiety, which is a major cause of overeating. As most good decisions go, one good choice for yourself will lead you to another.

In the end, as most of us know, crash-diets, fads, and magic pills are not permanent solutions. Establishing a lifestyle of regular practice, whole foods and fun is key to attaining a healthy life. Simply start by working towards creating balance in your life.

While chemotherapy can save your life, the process is brutal and difficult to say the least. Patients report sleep loss, loss of hair, little appetite, and a general sense of disease. New research to be highlighted at the next meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology–finds that doing yoga in addition to chemotherapy improves sleep, reduces dependency on sedative medication, and helps patients make the transition back to a normal life.

The research performed at the University of Rochester, enrolled 410 early-stage cancer survivors, and found that after four weeks, those who did yoga regularly reported significantly improved sleep, reduced fatigue, and a higher quality of life. Lead researcher Karen Mustian,an assistant professor in Radiation, crafted a practice focused on breathing exercises, gentle asanas, and restorative postures.

Your doctor might not yet be ready to jump on the yoga bandwagon; your insurance probably won’t cover it. But why wait for the system to catch up to this breaking news? This is one “alternative” treatment that’s perfectly safe to prescribe for yourself (or for friends and family who might be suffering in the wake of cancer treatment). Better rest, peace of mind, and an improved sense of wellbeing.

This is a great way to destress at the weekend. It opens up the chest and gets the energy flowing. So why not give it a try this weekend?

(oosh-TRAHS-anna)

ustra = camel

Step by Step

1. Kneel on the floor with your knees hip width and thighs perpendicular to
the floor. Rotate your thighs inward slightly, narrow your hip points,
and firm but don’t harden your buttocks. Imagine that you’re drawing
your sitting bones up, into your torso. Keep your outer hips as soft as
possible. Press your shins and the tops of your feet firmly into floor.

2. Rest your hands on the back of your pelvis, bases of the palms on the
tops of the buttocks, fingers pointing down. Use your hands to spread
the back pelvis and lengthen it down through your tail bone. Then
lightly firm the tail forward, toward the pubis. Make sure though that
your front groins don’t “puff” forward. To prevent this, press your
front thighs back, countering the forward action of your tail. Inhale
and lift your heart by pressing the shoulder blades against your back
ribs.

3. Now lean back against the firmness of the tail bone and shoulder blades.
For the time being keep your head up, chin near the sternum, and your
hands on the pelvis. Beginners probably won’t be able to drop straight
back into this pose, touching the hands to the feet simultaneously while
keeping the thighs perpendicular to the floor. If you need to, tilt the
thighs back a little from the perpendicular and minimally twist to one
side to get one hand on the same-side foot. Then press your thighs back
to perpendicular, turn your torso back to neutral, and touch the second
hand to its foot. If you’re not able to touch your feet without
compressing your lower back, turn your toes under and elevate your
heels.

4. See that your lower front ribs aren’t protruding sharply toward the
ceiling, which hardens the belly and compresses the lower back. Release
the front ribs and lift the front of the pelvis up, toward the ribs.
Then lift the lower back ribs away from the pelvis to keep the lower
spine as long as possible. Press your palms firmly against your soles
(or heels), with the bases of the palms on the heels and the fingers
pointing toward the toes. Turn your arms outwardly so the elbow creases
face forward, without squeezing the shoulder blades together. You can
keep your neck in a relatively neutral position, neither flexed nor
extended, or drop your head back. But be careful not to strain your neck
and harden your throat.

5. Stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute. To exit, bring
your hands onto the front of your pelvis, at the hip points. Inhale and
lift the head and torso up by pushing the hip points down, toward the
floor. If your head is back, lead with your heart to come up, not by
jutting the chin toward the ceiling and leading with your brain. Rest in
Child’s Pose for a few breaths.

One of the world’s largest yoga classes proved also to be one of the shortest. An estimated 10,000 people showed up for yoga in Central Park on Tuesday only to find–mid Surya Namaskar–that lightning and rain would cut the solstice celebration short.

Legendary yoga teacher Elena Bower lead the mass of yogis. Participants on the scene say even the rain and thunder could not dampen their moods or destroy their inner peace.

One of the greatest things about yoga–and New York City–is its ability to unite young and old, and people from all parts of the city proudly waited in long lines for a chance at this great coming together of community in the park. As they waited, they did what yogis often do: yoga.

You just can’t stop New York Yogis at the moment . Thousands of mats covered the streets in Times Square and shut down the city center in order to salute the sun  and share a AUM!

Hundreds of fellow yogis celebrated the Solstice in Times Square. Dana Flynn from Laughing Lotus and Alanna Kaivalya taught to hundreds of eager yogis in the heart of the city that never sleeps. If one can yoga here, one can yoga anywhere.

You probably heard at least something about the record breaking three-day tennis match between the US John Isner and France’s Nicolas Mahut, but you may not have heard about the interview with Isner where he clearly qualifies himself as a yogi–immersed in intention without concern for results.

“Especially once the match got past, you know, 25-all, I wasn’t really thinking,” said Isner. “Hitting a serve and trying to hit a forehand winner is the only thing I was doing.”

Many Wimbledon players, including Murray admit that yoga plays a huge part in maintaining there overall Wellbeing.

Yoga has been known to help athletic endeavors in a host of physical ways: it strengthens core muscles (which protected joints), it increases ability to use oxygen, and it keeps the body loose and open long training sessions.

But the most significant benefits from yoga were mental. Yoga taught me how to approach a challenge with equanimity, how to breathe through discomfort, and how to stay centered even when things got rough.

New York went yoga crazy for a second day running as thousands of practitioners gathered on Central Park’s Great Lawn.

Under the guidance of acclaimed yogi Elena Brower, the masses assembled for a calming session under the open skies.

Jennifer Lobo, from organisers Times Square Alliance, said it was an amazing sight as peace descended on one of the busiest places on the planet.

She said: ‘If you could create tranquility in the most crazy, high energy place in the world that is a really great oxymoron, or a great opposite.

‘New York City is known for being a city that never sleeps. With all the city noise other imaginable source of noise, it is often hard to find a quiet corner anywhere outdoors.

‘New York yogis are some of the best in the world because they can bring that eternal peace to their practice and disregard anything going on outside, noise or whatever it is.’ commented Jennifer.

It’s great to see that Yoga outdoors is spreading across the globe. Yoga Wellbeing Yoga in the Park classes are only going to keep on growing. If you would like to know more about Yoga in the Park classes then just click here.

How long have you been going to your yoga class? Do you ever do any practice at home? For many students of yoga, making the leap from yoga class to home practice is not an easy one. To start with, many of us do not understand how to create a sequence that makes sense, and has a beneficial effect. There is the well-founded concern that, without our teacher to guide us, we may create a sequence, or perform individual
postures in such a way as to produce a unhealthy result. Then there is the fact that we need a little self-discipline. When we go to class, all we have to do is make sure we get there, and the rest is taken care of. We are there for the duration of the class, and we do all of the practices asked of us.

Making time, and sticking to, a home practice can be a challenge. When we create a time to do our own practice, we enter another dimension on our journey with yoga, and the ultimate journey of self discovery. A home practice can be a special time which we give to ourselves, creating a buffer between the demands and responsibilities of our lives and what we know, on a deeper level, our true goals and values are. Beyond all of these benefits are those which cannot be expressed in words, but which need to be experienced.

What is the aim of the practice?

You need to consider your goals for your practice. These may be general goals such as moving towards greater health and vitality, or perhaps
greater strength or flexibility. Or you may have specific goals such as working towards a particular asana, or creating a particular mental or physical effect. With regard to the latter, the time of day that you choose to do your practice, and what is to take place directly afterwards, is vital. If you are doing a morning practice, you may feel the need to build energy and stamina for the day ahead. If you are doing your practice after a stressful day at work, and are going to be eating and sleeping afterwards, you will want to create a more calming practice.

Are one to one yoga lessons the most effective form of Yoga and the quickest way to reach your goals?

As you may have noticed, if you want to take a Yoga class, there are numerous styles to choose from. From trendy to traditional, there seem to be classes for every body type and personality.

The whole concept of a Yoga class is relatively new as compared to the history of the practice. For centuries Yoga was not taught in group classes, but as a one on one practice. The reason you see so many styles of Yoga classes is that there are so many types of people, all with different proficiency levels. And as our bodies and minds develop and change over time (at different rates), each person’s Yoga practice responds to those changes to remain effective. 

Yoga Wellbeing respects the original format of teaching Yoga with personalized one to one teaching, taught by Certified Yoga instructors. Yoga Wellbeing one to one sessions ensure that you are guided in the right direction for your particular needs, that you work towards goals that suit your body.

Anthony Paul Moo-Young, known as Mooji, is a direct disciple of Sri Harilal Poonja, the renowned advaita master. In 1987, a chance meeting with a Christian mystic was to be a life-changing encounter for Mooji.

In late 1993, Mooji travelled to India. He had a desire to visit Dakshineswar in Calcutta where Sri Ramakrishna, the great Bengali Saint, had lived and taught. The words and life of Ramakrishna were a source of inspiration and encouragement to Mooji in the early years of his spiritual development. While in Rishikesh, a holy place at the foothills of the Himalayas, he was to have another chance encounter; this time with three devotees of the great advaita Master Sri Harilal Poonja, known to his many devotees as Papaji.

Mooji has been sharing satsang in the form of spontaneous encounters, retreats, satsang intensives and one-to-one meetings with the many seekers who visit him, from all parts of the world. Few amongst the modern teachers of the advaita tradition expound the ‘knowledge of Self’, and the method of self-enquiry, with such dazzling clarity, love and authority. There is an energy that radiates from Mooji’s presence, a kind of impersonal intimacy, full of love, joy and a curious mix of playfulness and authority. His style is direct, clear, compassionate and often humorous.

Currently Mooji shares satsang in Brixton, London, where he lives. He also travels regularly to Ireland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brasil, North America and India where he conducts satsang meetings, intensives and retreats.Yoga Wellbeing is really excited to go along to his next meeting and learn more from the Brixton guru.

Ramdev, whose real name is Ramkishan Yadav, was born in 1953 into a farming family in the northern state of Haryana and studied yoga with a local guru after leaving school.

He began his career offering free yoga classes around Haryana and established the Divya Yog Mandir Trust to promote pranayama the art of breath control. Today he is onne of India’s most successful yogi, attracting an estimated 40 million viewers to his daily television shows on the Aastha channel.

Now Ramdev, one of India’s most popular Hindu yogi’s is on a mission to wipe out corruption by forming his own party to contest the next elections in 2014.  Part of his yogic manifesto is to establish a new World Health Organisation through research work on the knowledge base of yogic sages. To establish pranayam (breath control) as a free medicine for the treatment of all diseases. To make the world a peaceful and tranquil place by using yogic techniques. In addition to this he would like to bring yoga to schools to improve concentration and relaxation.

What do you think of Ramdev and his yogic manifesto?