Easing Through Menopause
Menopause is the time of life when a woman stops ovulating. Although the age at which it occurs varies greatly, it commonly occurs around age 50. Yet menopause means much more to women than this simple biological definition. The thought of menopause is daunting to many, and it's no wonder Our culture puts so much emphasis on youth and beauty, especially for women, that aging is difficult enough. Because women are finally beginning to share their experiences of menopause, and more information is...
Sthala Basti Ground Colon Cleansing Elimination Illumination
Let's start at the bottom. This ritual helps relieve gas and keeps the bowels moving smoothly. It also improves the digestion and gives your body a lighter feel. Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you. Grab your toes, right toe with your right hand, left toe with your left hand. Bend forward, bringing your head toward your knees just a little, so that it feels comfortable. Relax the abdominal muscles, then churn them up and down. While churning your muscles, lock your anus this is the...
Yoga for All Ages and Stages
Yoga is both fun and beneficial for kids of any age. You can do yoga with your newborn infant, your toddler, your preschooler, your kindergartner, your fourth-grader, your eighth-grader, your high school sophomore, your high school graduate. Older kids often enjoy establishing and growing in an individual yoga practice, too. If you've set them on the yoga path, chances are they'll continue it on their own. What a great gift to give your child But yoga is a little different, depending on the age...
Prana the Universal Life Force
In Chapter 6, Walking Yoga's Eightfold Path, we described prana as the life force or energy that exists everywhere and is manifested in each of us through the breath, but prana isn't exactly the same thing as breath or oxygen. Prana exists in all living things. It doesn't have consciousness it's pure energy. Every cell in your body is controlled by prana. Prana animates all matter. Prana can be a difficult concept to comprehend it may become clearer if you understand what it isn't. Once a body...
Posture Perfect
Good posture is essential to proper form in yoga. It also helps allow your body to achieve or maintain good health. It feels better, looks better, and is better for your body. Good posture also influences your feelings and thoughts. If you stand up straight and tall, you'll think more positive thoughts. It's true Try it Good posture extends beyond the practice of your yoga postures. You spend a lot of your life standing but do you stand well The next time the fact that you're standing comes to...
Uplifting Weight Lifting
Lifting weights adds bulk to muscles but decreases flexibility. Many weight-lifters are muscle-bound. Weight-lifters can benefit dramatically from yoga While weight training builds bone, muscle mass, and strength, yoga lengthens the muscles and keeps them flexible. Weight-lifters also benefit from the breathing exercises and balance training of yoga. Yoga is really a form of weight lifting. You aren't lifting barbells, but in many of the poses, you are lifting your own weight. Think about how...
A Yoga Essay Test You Cant Fail
If you break out in a cold sweat at the thought of a test, think of this as a self-evaluation. No one else will read your answers unless you show them to someone , so be as honest as you possibly can. Don't try to fool yourself. Your yoga journey will be better and more fulfilling if you really understand your goals, motivations, and desires. For each question, write what first comes into your mind, and here's a new twist keep on writing for a minute or two. Even if you feel you've answered the...
Cakrasana Doin Wheelies
Cakrasana pronounced chah-KRAH-sah-nah makes your body strong and mobile, like a wheel. It stretches and strengthens the stomach, improves the concentration by bringing blood to the head, and gives greater control over the body. It also prevents bad posture, tones the extremities, improves the memory, heightens energy and vitality, brings a feeling of lightness to the body, and improves circulation to the trachea and larynx. The trachea also known as the windpipe is the passageway between the...
Yoga Renewal
Depending on what time of day you practice yoga, you can experience different kinds of renewal. We humans are deeply affected by the time of day. We all have a circadian daily rhythm, or physiological rhythms associated with the 24-hour clock. Have you noticed you have more energy in the morning, the late afternoon, or at night Are you a morning person or a night person Are you usually hungrier at a certain time of day, or sleepier, or happier, or more depressed Probably, if you take the time...
Your Personal Energy Cycle
No matter how in touch or out of touch you are with your body, everyone has energy cycles. You know, even without consciously knowing, when your energy levels fluctuate. Sometimes your energy peaks, sometimes it lags. Sometimes you wake up ready to go-go-go, and sometimes you can barely pull yourself out of bed. Energy cycles can be affected by increased activity, over- or undereating, or too little sleep. Your monthly cycles, the weather, lunar cycles, and your health, diet, and regular level...
Shirshasana Headstand
Shirshasana pronounced sher-SHAH-sahn-ah is probably one of the most famous yoga poses and is considered the king or queen of the Hatha Yoga poses. It stimulates the whole system, improving circulation and strengthening the nervous system, emotions, and brain. Plus, when your body is ready for it, it's fun But be sure your body is ready. You must have sufficient arm, shoulder, neck, and stomach strength, plus be well-versed at tadasana remember back in Chapter 13, What Do You Stand For , the...
Ujjayi Drawing Breath
Jaya means success on the spiritual path, and ujjayi means she who is victorious. The ujjayi pronounced oo-JAH-yee technique aids in recalling and working with your dreams. It is also cooling to the head, aids digestion, soothes nerves, and tones the body. This breathing exercise produces sound in the throat with the inhalation. 1. Inhale slowly, keeping the lips closed and closing off the glottis, which is the opening between the vocal chords. Make a soft, humming sound hahhhh-hhh. Think Darth...
Mudra Magic
Mudra means seal, and technically, mudras refer to a variety of yoga practices that aren't poses exactly, but techniques for sealing life-force energy inside the body in various ways to preserve it rather than let it escape. These techniques get pretty esoteric and can involve complex rituals, chanting, meditation, and some practices we Westerners might find a little odd. The word mudra, however, is more commonly used today to refer to specific hand gestures used during meditation and pranayama...
In Search of the Sacred Svadhyaya
Because yoga encourages the study of the sacred svadhyaya , it may be helpful for you to become at least somewhat familiar with the major spiritual texts. Reading and studying any or all of them will benefit your yoga practice by expanding your mind to possibilities you may not have considered. Svadhyaya pronounced svahd-YAH-yah means inquiring into your own nature, the nature of your beliefs, and the nature of the world's spiritual journey. Accomplished by the study of sacred texts, such as...
Half Bow
In the half bow, the bow is strung one string at a time. When in the half bow, be careful not to lean over to the side that is held straight. Balance both sides of your body. Be sure to breathe. You'll be able to tell how much caffeine you've had lately by how much your straight hand shakes 1. Begin on your stomach as with the bow pose, but extend your left arm straight over your head, palm down. 2. Bend your right knee and bring your right arm back toward your right ankle. 3. Push your stomach...
Parshvakonasana Side Angle Stretch
Parshva means flank or side, and kona means angle hence, parshvakonasana pronounced par-shvah-KOH-nah-sah-nah means side angle stretch This pose tones your legs, strengthens your knees, and lengthens your spine. It relieves back pain and sciatica problems, and stretches and strengthens the hips and stomach. Exhale as you go into this pose, and inhale as you come out breathe while you hold 1. Stand with your feet three to four feet apart. Point your left foot forward and turn your right foot...
Warrior Pose for Two
This pose will help you find balance with a partner. In the process, you'll both become stronger. 1. Stand with one of you in front Partner A and one behind Partner B . Each perform the warrior 2 pose Chapter 13, What Do You Stand For . Once you are both in position, Partner A balances the extended arms and hands on top of the back of Partner B's extended arms, forming a chain of energy. 2. Partner B keeps Partner A's arms and hands at shoulder height. Partner B will expend more effort, but...
Mandalas Goin Round in Circles
While a mantra is meant to soothe the body and mind through sound, a mandala is meant to center the mind through sight. Mandalas are beautiful, usually circular, geometric designs that draw your eye to the center. Mandala means circle or center, and the designs suggest the circular patterns that exist in so many levels of life, from atoms to solar systems. Mandalas represent a pilgrimage to enlightenment. As you focus on the center of the mandala, you'll notice the outer parts shifting and...
Create Your Own Flow
The sun and moon salutations are popular vinyasa because they combine a series of poses that so nicely balance each other a backbend, then a forward bend, and so on . But you, too, can create your own series of postures. Just keep them balanced forward with backward, exhale with inhale, upright with inverted, one side with the other side, an expansion with a contraction, and so on. This will become easier as you familiarize yourself with the postures in this book. Here are a few suggestions to...
Chandra Namaskara Moon Salutation
This vinyasa restores vitality, strength, and flexibility to the entire body. It also improves digestion through the continual compression of the intestinal tract. Chandra means moon, and just as the sun salutation greets and honors the sun, so chandra-namaskara pronounced SHAHN-drah-nah-MAHS-kah-rah greets and honors the moon. Try practicing this vinyasa outside on a clear evening when the moon is in full view. Serenity Quite an energetic sequence of poses The moon is a lunar emotional yin...
Kevali Kumbhaka Hold Your Breath But NotTil You Turn Blue
Just like anything else, breath control and capacity increase with practice. In kevali kumbhaka pronounced kay-VAH-lee koom-BAH-kah , you practice holding your breath. Don't make yourself dizzy. Don't hold your breath until you faint. Just hold your breath until you feel like you need to let it go again. The more you practice this technique, the longer you'll be able to hold your breath, which increases your lung capacity and makes your breathing more efficient. 1. Inhale deeply through the...
Further Along the Yoga Path Suggested Reading
Welcome Now that you've begun your yoga practice with The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga, Second Edition, no doubt you'll want to read more about the many aspects of yoga, find out how to incorporate yoga into your everyday life, and enhance your yoga practice. Here's a great list of books to help guide you on your yoga path Balch, James. F. and Phyllis A. Balch. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd Edition. Garden City Park, New York Avery Publishing Group, Inc., 1996. Ballentine,...
Adho Mukha Vrksasana Handstand
In adho mukha vrksasana pronounced AHD-hoh MOOK-hah vrik-SHAH-sah-nah , adho mukha means face down, and vrksa means tree, so just as headstand is mountain pose upside down, handstand is tree pose upside down. To properly perform this face-down tree pose or handstand, your arms must be strong. Practice the downward facing dog pose adho mukha svanasana, described in Chapter 18, Take the Forward Path to develop your arms and prepare your body for the handstand. The handstand gives you tremendous...
Sarvangasana Shoulderstand
Sarvangasana pronounced SAHR-vahn-GAH-sah-nah is a great inversion that stimulates the thyroid gland and the Mercury chakra located in the throat . It reverses the pull of gravity on your internal organs and reduces the strain on your heart, because your heart doesn't have to work as hard to pump to the extremities when inverted. The shoulderstand helps with varicose veins purifies the blood nourishes the brain, lungs, and heart strengthens the eyesight and is a great headache remedy. 1. Lie...
Buddhi Mudra How Enlightening
Buddhi mudra, or enlightenment gesture, is often associated with the Buddha, and is ideal for centering and calming. Bring your thumb and index finger together, tip to tip, as in the Om mudra. Then bring both hands together, knuckles touching, and rest your hands against your lower abdomen at your Jupiter chakra. This mudra represents divinity and the oneness of self and also the joining of all energies. It quiets the mind, stills action, and enlightens the self to its inner divinity. Try this...
Sukhasana Easy Pose
Sukhasana pronounced soo-KAH-sah-nah is a great meditation pose for beginners. Sukha means joy, and this pose should feel so good that it fills you with joy Sukhasana facilitates pranayama, quiets the mind, and stills the body. Sit in a simple crossed-leg position, with either leg on top. Try to sit more often with the leg that is least comfortable on top, to balance your body. Rest your hands on your knees and breathe. Do not be concerned if your knees do not yet rest on the ground. This will...
Vajrasana Kneeling Pose
Vajrasana pronounced vahj-RAH-sah-nah is also called the Zen pose, as this is the meditation pose used by Zen Buddhist monks. Vajra means thunderbolt or diamond. Vajrasana aids circulation to the feet, lifts the spinal column, and relieves pressure on the diaphragm. Zen is a sect of Buddhism in which enlightenment is sought through sitting meditation or contemplating enigmatic riddles called koans, rather than through the formal study of religious texts. Buddhism is a religion with many sects...
Rocking Bow
The rocking bow is the full bow plus It aids digestion, relieves constipation, and tones the intestines. The fuller the bow, the easier it is to rock and roll 2. Using your breath, rock your body back and forth. Inhale as the body rocks back, exhale forward. Keep your arms straight. 3. Yoga Adventure This high-energy, aerobic pose-in-motion is great for your whole body. Pick your favorite song with a medium-to-slow beat and see if you can rock and roll through the whole thing. If not, you can...
Agnisara Dhauti Fire Stomach Cleansing Tummy Toner
This ritual is called Fire Stomach Cleansing because it stokes the gastric fire and improves digestion. It helps keep the bowels healthy, cures constipation, and reduces belly fat. If you have abdominal problems or circulatory problems, you should avoid this cleansing ritual. Perform this ritual by squatting just slightly from a standing position with your legs about one foot apart or slightly more. Exhale fully, then hold your breath. Next, perform the muscle churning described in the Ground...
Coping with Loss and Grief
Eventually, we all have to deal with loss and grief. The longer we're here on this planet, the more we will need to learn how to handle loss the loss of loved ones, or health, or independence. These are all very real issues each one of us will need to confront at some time, whether for ourselves or to help another. Yoga helps us simplify our lives, our emotions, and our material concerns. The study of yoga can help us gain perspective on what is important. It can help us detach from our...
Tantra Mantra and Kundalini Yoga
Tantra, Mantra, and Kundalini Yoga are grouped together here because they are all somewhat different than the other types of yoga. Although they share many practices and ideas, Tantra, Mantra, and Kundalini Yoga are more esoteric than other forms of yoga. Tantra Yoga involves the study of sacred writings and rituals. Mantra Yoga is the study of sacred sounds. Kundalini Yoga is the study of kundalini energy movement Karma is the law of cause and effect, or what goes around comes around....
Yoga Mudra EgoBeGone
Yoga mudra pronounced YOH-gah MOO-drah is a symbol of unity. This important pose inspires feelings of devotion and humility. It also stretches your legs and hips, opens your shoulders, and aids the gastrointestinal tract. 1. Sit cross-legged or in the kneeling pose. 2. Move your arms behind your back, clasp your hands, and lower your head to the floor. 3. Keeping your arms straight, lift your clasped hands up over your head until your arms are perpendicular to the floor. 4. Yoga Adventure Bring...
Be Devoted IshvaraPranidhana
The last niyama involves devotion. Focus on the divine, whatever that means to you how it is in you and part of you and all around you. Ishvara-pranidhana is an observance that works beautifully with any religion. Whether you're devoted to God, Buddha, or the Force, this niyama reminds you to relinquish ego and center on your highest ideal. Positive energy will flow from the divine into all areas of your life. Niyamas are observances or personal disciplines. Again, there are five shauca...
Baddha Konasana Butterfly Pose
Literally translated as bound angle pose, this pose imitates a butterfly resting its wings on a lotus blossom. When holding baddha konasana pronounced BAH-dah koh-NAH-sah-nah , imagine the delicate beauty of this image of the butterfly. The butterfly pose opens your hips and Jupiter chakra the chakra located in your pelvic area see Chapter 20, Chakras, Mudras, Mantras, and Mandalas . It also loosens your knees and ankles. 1. Sit on the floor and bring the soles of your feet together, drawing...
The Curvaceous Endomorph
The endomorph is the classic Rubenesque figure all curves and rounded surfaces. Endomorphs aren't automatically overweight, but they do tend to have a higher fat-to-muscle ratio than the other body types, accumulating fat on the abdomen, buttocks, hips, and thighs. They tend to be pear-shaped, with narrower shoulders and wider hips than ecto-morphs. Endomorphs have slower metabolisms and may seem more languid or serene than the energetic and active ectomorph. This natural tendency, when not...
Utkatasana Lightning Bolt Pose
The lightning bolt pose, or utkatasana pronounced oot-kah-TAH-sah-nah , is a powerful pose. Utkatasana means raised posture. As you form the shape of a lightning bolt, you are filled with the dynamic energy of lightning. Utkatasana removes shoulder stiffness, strengthens your legs and ankles, lifts your diaphragm, massages your heart, tones your back and stomach, and develops your chest. It also warms up the body. 1. Begin in tadasana, the mountain pose. 2. Bend your knees and lift your arms...
Peppy Preschoolers
Preschoolers have super-powered imaginations and are developing the coordination, flexibility, and balance to accomplish even more yoga poses. While preschoolers would also enjoy the toddler poses in the preceding section, the following poses are great fun for preschoolers, too, and use preschool skills toddlers haven't quite mastered. gt Mountain's Majesty. Stand as in the classic mountain pose Chapter 13 . Ask your kids what it feels like to be a mountain. What kind of mountain are they Rocky...
The Slim Ectomorph
The ectomorph body type tends to be tall and slender with narrow shoulders and hips, long limbs, relatively low body fat, and underdeveloped muscles. Although the stereotypical ectomorph is slender because of a tendency to have a lower muscle mass, ectomorphs can develop a high fat-to-muscle ratio if they don't get enough exercise. Luckily, exercise is easy for ectomorphs, who tend to be highly energetic and who, when in shape, can bounce effortlessly through a high-impact aerobics class...
The Muscular Mesomorph
The mesomorph develops muscle mass easily and has a high muscle-mass-to-body-fat ratio. Mesomorphs tend to accumulate fat around the waist, triceps, and back, but mesomorphs who get physical activity have well-developed muscles. It doesn't take much for a meso-morph to sport washboard abs, cut triceps, or an impressively muscled back. Strength is the mesomorph's forte, so the weight-bearing aspect of yoga makes the mesomorph feel right at home. Too much weight-bearing exercise can actually bulk...