When was the last time you stopped to take a deep breath, the kind of breath that fills your lungs and then carries away your stress in a long exhale? Like a heartbeat, breathing is integral to our well-being, but it is not something we stop to think about or remember. The breath carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, and removes impurities from our blood and organs for excretion as we exhale. Breathing problems such as asthma and emphysema can have a significant health impact, but how often do we think about breathing when we are healthy?

In fact, there are numerous benefits to be had from practicing conscious breathing. In the yoga world, this is known as pranayama, or “life-breath-extension.” The thought behind pranayama is that by learning to extend and channel the breath, we use the body’s natural power to heal itself. The short term benefits of yoga breathing practice are relaxation, improved focus and detoxification of the body. The long term benefits can include such important goals as lowering blood pressure, improving sleep patterns, encouraging weight loss and improving metabolic rate. By improving our manner of breathing, we combat the negative effects of stress and the chaotic lifestyles imposed on us by this hectic world.

As an experiment, let us see how stress affects breathing. As you read this sentence, think about something stressful affecting you right now. Wait. Notice how your throat tightens and how your chest feels heavy? Your breathing may grow shallower, moving less air in and out of the body as you breathe. As your body relies on the breath to cleanse the blood and move oxygen around the body, the shallower the breath, the more restricted the oxygen flow in the body and the more toxins that are allowed to build up. Your body has to work harder. If you remain in a state of elevated stress for too long, it may eventually cause problems such as fatigue and high blood pressure.

How can we counteract the effects of stress on our breathing? Yoga breathing is usually performed sitting down, in a chair or on the floor, and can take anywhere from five minutes to more than an hour. Generally, the more advanced your level, the longer you might feel comfortable practicing. You do not need any equipment, although you may wish to listen to restful music, or to audio instructions that help you achieve a state of deep breathing such as Guided Yoga’s online yoga breathing program.

You should begin your pranayama practice by learning to become aware of your breathing-what is the natural rhythm of your breath? At first, do not try to change your breathing patterns, just relax all your muscles and allow your mind to focus on the breath. Pay attention to it, and notice the lengths of your inhales and exhales. Is your exhale the same length as your inhale? Do you take long breaths, or short, sharp breaths? Do you feel any tension in the breath?

Also take awareness of how the breath affects the body. Do your shoulders rise and tense up as you breathe in? Do you notice a release of tension as you exhale? What happens to the breath when you consciously relax tense muscles? You might notice that the breath has begun to deepen and become smoother.

At this point, your pranayama practice will probably begin to guide you toward some control of your breath. You will want to find a breath that is a little longer than your normal breath, and constant in the lengths of inhale and exhale. You can begin by counting as you breathe, for instance, “Breathe in… two… three… four; Breathe out… two… three… four.” Do not try to push yourself to lengthen the breath if it causes any tension, lightheadedness or discomfort. Your well-being comes first and you should stop at any sign of discomfort.

How should yoga breath feel? Although the breath may be deeper than what you are accustomed to, it should decrease tension in the muscles, and it never should cause tension! You will want to find a smooth, even breath that expands the ribs on the inhale and empties the lungs on the exhale. On your inhale, picture the breath circulating in your body, relaxing and detoxifying. On the exhale, imagine exhaling tension and toxins from the body.

In our busy modern lives, our breathing can be inhibited by everything from stress to pollution, raising a variety of health concerns. But we can regain our feeling of well-being by taking a few minutes to breathe deeply and calmly, and yoga breathing is a long-established way to bring this healthier breathing into our daily lives.

Key Kundalini Yoga Breathing Exercise with a huge list of benefits, including, opening energy pathways in the body, detoxifying the system, weight loss, vitality and more.
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Yoga Breathing: Practice and Benefits is a post from: Ez Yoga Guide

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Too busy to attend yoga class but can’t be bothered to read the endless instructions in the latest yoga book? In OM Yoga: A Daily Practice, celebrated yoga instructor Cyndi Lee brings the rigors and rewards of yoga class to the home with a totally unique method of teaching. Instead of wordy directions and minimal pictures, each series of asanas is communicated entirely through easy-to-follow illustrations and streamlined instructions and tips. Designed in a practical, concealed Wire-O format that lays flat on the floor while being used, OM Yoga is organized in tabbed sections for each day of the week. Monday is devoted to the Sun Salutation to welcome the week’s start. Thursday’s practice focuses on sitting poses, when the week’s energy is dwindling. When joined together, each day’s recipe cultivates a yoga practice that is challenging, energizing, and restorative. Including sections on meditation, breathing, and do-it-yourself yoga “recipes”… More >>
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OM Yoga: A Guide to Daily Practice is a post from: Ez Yoga Guide

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CONCENTRATION.

Concentration signifies the state of being at a centre (_con_ and
_centrum_). Applied to thought, it is the act of bringing the mind to a
single point. Each human being must practise concentration _subjectively_
and _objectively_. In other words, each human being aims with more or
less precision at concentration on a point _within_ and a point _without_
his own world. Concentration “without” is illustrated when you devote all
your attention upon Nature, such as learning a trade, a profession, a
science, an art or some form of business. This is _Evolution_, outgoing
or positive mental energy. I shall call this _Objective Concentration_.
Concentration “within” implies the withdrawing of attention from the
external world and the placing of mind on “God,” “Spirit,” “Heaven,”
“Religion,” “Peace,” “Nirvana,” “Eternity,” etc. This is _Involution_,
_i.e._, incoming or negative energy.

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The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga

The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga is a post from: Ez Yoga Guide

In fact, there are numerous benefits to be had from practicing conscious breathing. In the yoga world, this is known as pranayama, or “life-breath-extension.” The thought behind pranayama is that by learning to extend and channel the breath, we use the body’s natural power to heal itself. The short term benefits of yoga breathing practice are relaxation, improved focus and detoxification of the body. The long term benefits can include such important goals as lowering blood pressure, improving sleep patterns, encouraging weight loss and improving metabolic rate. By improving our manner of breathing, we combat the negative effects of stress and the chaotic lifestyles imposed on us by this hectic world.

As an experiment, let us see how stress affects breathing. As you read this sentence, think about something stressful affecting you right now. Wait. Notice how your throat tightens and how your chest feels heavy? Your breathing may grow shallower, moving less air in and out of the body as you breathe. As your body relies on the breath to cleanse the blood and move oxygen around the body, the shallower the breath, the more restricted the oxygen flow in the body and the more toxins that are allowed to build up. Your body has to work harder. If you remain in a state of elevated stress for too long, it may eventually cause problems such as fatigue and high blood pressure.

How can we counteract the effects of stress on our breathing? Yoga breathing is usually performed sitting down, in a chair or on the floor, and can take anywhere from five minutes to more than an hour. Generally, the more advanced your level, the longer you might feel comfortable practicing. You do not need any equipment, although you may wish to listen to restful music, or to audio instructions that help you achieve a state of deep breathing such as Guided Yoga’s online yoga breathing program.

You should begin your pranayama practice by learning to become aware of your breathing-what is the natural rhythm of your breath? At first, do not try to change your breathing patterns, just relax all your muscles and allow your mind to focus on the breath. Pay attention to it, and notice the lengths of your inhales and exhales. Is your exhale the same length as your inhale? Do you take long breaths, or short, sharp breaths? Do you feel any tension in the breath?

Also take awareness of how the breath affects the body. Do your shoulders rise and tense up as you breathe in? Do you notice a release of tension as you exhale? What happens to the breath when you consciously relax tense muscles? You might notice that the breath has begun to deepen and become smoother.

At this point, your pranayama practice will probably begin to guide you toward some control of your breath. You will want to find a breath that is a little longer than your normal breath, and constant in the lengths of inhale and exhale. You can begin by counting as you breathe, for instance, “Breathe in… two… three… four; Breathe out… two… three… four.” Do not try to push yourself to lengthen the breath if it causes any tension, lightheadedness or discomfort. Your well-being comes first and you should stop at any sign of discomfort.

How should yoga breath feel? Although the breath may be deeper than what you are accustomed to, it should decrease tension in the muscles, and it never should cause tension! You will want to find a smooth, even breath that expands the ribs on the inhale and empties the lungs on the exhale. On your inhale, picture the breath circulating in your body, relaxing and detoxifying. On the exhale, imagine exhaling tension and toxins from the body.

In our busy modern lives, our breathing can be inhibited by everything from stress to pollution, raising a variety of health concerns. But we can regain our feeling of well-being by taking a few minutes to breathe deeply and calmly, and yoga breathing is a long-established way to bring this healthier breathing into our daily lives.

Yoga Breathing: Practice and Benefits is a post from: Ez Yoga Guide

Yoga increases flexibility and strength, balance and range-of-motion, while at the same time reducing stress via steady breathing and concentration. The same elements that one can find in a typical yoga class: warm-up, breathing concentration and yoga postures (which focus on body-stretching, body-relaxation and visualization) can be accomplished whether you’re scrubbing a toilet, sweeping a hallway or changing a light-bulb.

But first a little background: the yoga postures which comprise the physical part of yoga are referred to as HATHA and the practice of these postures is called ASANAS. Yoga breathing techniques are called PRANAYAMA and Yoga meditation is referred to as DHYANA. The aim in successfully practicing yoga — in the home or out — is to incorporate elements of all the categories (controlled movement, concentration, flexibility, and steady breathing) — while accomplishing daily cleaning chores in the home.

So just how do you incorporate Yoga into your daily housework? Steady breathing is perhaps the easiest part followed by slow and easy stretching. Your kitchen can be a great place to start!

Let’s say you’re doing the dishes. So why not try the Yoga side-straddle. Grab both ends of a spatula, rolling pin or dish towel and raise it above your head. Keep your elbows straight and lift your arms up to the ceiling while at the same time relaxing your shoulders. This is a two-part movement: inhale and stretch up, then when you exhale — and without bending your arms or legs — slowly bend to your right. You want to lean neither forward or backward only slowly stretching as far as can to the right. Inhale as you slowly return to center and repeat the process while you lean and stretch to the left.

This basic yoga posture — the side stretch or straddle — can be incorporated in pretty much any household activity. The internet offers many yoga resources for beginners. One of the best is called – you guessed it – yogaforbeginners.com. This site (and many others like it) provides great tutorials on basic yoga postures than can be incorporated while doing a variety of household chores such as mopping.

Consider the following:

Mountain Pose: This is the basic standing pose and is the foundation for all subsequent Yoga postures. Stand with your feet together — pointing forward and with your arms at your sides. Relax your shoulders; your face forward. Breathe rhythmically and exhaling. Raise your arms overhead while inhaling with your hands clasped together above your head. Now stretch upward so as to feel a stretch in your spine and under your arms. Pause for the count of 3. Now exhale and lower your arms to your sides. The main benefit of the mountain pose is that it will strengthen the back by keeping your spinal column straight; it will improve your core strength while at the same time increasing your stamina.

Half Moon: Stand straight with your feet spread at shoulder width apart, with your arms down and hanging at your sides. Slowly inhale and raise your arms up from your sides while clasping your hands or fingers straight above your head. Sound familiar? The Half-Moon is the technical term for the kitchen-stretch discussed earlier! The Half-moon stretches and tones the sides of your body and can be incorporated with most household tasks.

Standing Forward Bend (SFB): Stand with your feet at least hip-width apart, arms relaxed at your sides and knees bent slightly. Inhale while stretching your arms out to your sides and overhead. As you exhale, lean forward while keeping your back flat. This posture is also known as the forward lunge. The important element here is to remain RELAXED. Bend your knees till your fingertips touch the floor. Can be done while mopping, dusting and sweeping. The SFB is a great way to release tension in the lower back while at the same time stretching the spinal column and hamstrings.

Other postures such as the CHEST EXPANDER, STANDING TWIST and CHAIR POSE can round out a basic Yoga agenda. Refer to these specific stretches on your favorite search engine for illustrated examples.

Yoga in the home while doing housework may never replace organized Yoga classes, but with these basic Yoga postures under your belt you’ll be improving yourself physically, mentally and spiritually while at the same time cleaning your home.

Practice Meditation (Yoga) While Mopping? You Bet! is a post from: Ez Yoga Guide

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Become a better musician through yoga. By integrating yoga into your practice routines, you will develop a more focused and concentrated mind for performance. You will be able to increase awareness of how you use your body to allow for proper posture and ease of movement while performing, helping you to avoid overuse injuries and play with greater expression. These concepts, exercises, and practice routines present yoga from the musicians’ perspective, focusing on the direct relationships between using yoga and creating music. You will learn to: * Practice meditation approaches, breathing techniques, and yoga postures that will help improve musicianship * Play using healthy posture and technique * Get more out of your practice through improved focus * Use your breath to improve your phrasing and also to ease performance anxiety * Play with deeper expression through inspiration…. More >>
Musicians Yoga: A Guide To Practice Performance And Inspiration

Musicians Yoga: A Guide To Practice Performance And Inspiration is a post from: Ez Yoga Guide