Practicing Yama off the mat

2016Jan25_Yoga_AIt’s quite common to see advertisements portraying yoga as a workout to achieve a flat belly and toned arms. However, behind its misconception as a modern fashionable trend for physical health, true practitioners know that real yoga is a balm for the soul, not the body. Ultimately, practicing yoga will set your mind and body free from the discomforts of everyday life. In this post, we will zone in on the practice of Yama, the practice or discipline of right conduct that serves as a reference for living a lifestyle that is in complete harmony with the world around us.

At least 1,700 years ago, the great sage Patanjali shared his compilation of the Yoga Sūtras, one of the most important texts on classical yoga philosophy. In it, we are taught Ashtanga, or the “Eight Limbs of Yoga” – a framework for humans to achieve spiritual development and reach the summit of their human experience.

There’s lot to be written about each of the Eight Limbs, but instead of tackling them all, we will briefly touch on putting an effort towards Yama, the first tangible limb.

Practicing Yama

Yama has a lot to do with how a yoga practitioner conducts himself in daily life. It acts as a universally moral, ethical, and societal guideline for a yogi to behave and relate to his world when truly immersed in the unitive state of yoga. There are five Yamas — Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha – that should be practiced at all levels of actions, words and thoughts, and should not be confined to any class, place, time, or concept of duty (Yoga Sutra 2.31). Here are emphatic descriptions for each Yama, along with some advice on how to start practicing them today.

Ahimsa (Non-violence)

The highest ranking of the Yamas, Ahimsa is the practice of non-violence (physical, mental or emotional) towards one’s self and other living beings. Violence is often created in our habitual reactions to events and other people and works under many subtle disguises like judgement, criticism, anger, and irritation. This is not easy to do, but when Ahimsa is fully embraced, you will have a more harmonious relationship with the world and a deep-seated peaceful inner life.

Satya (Truthfulness)

Satya urges us to be truthful at all times. Truthfulness is seeing and saying things as they are, rather than the way we would like them to be. All aspects of your life can benefit from practicing Satya when you know that it means a whole lot more than “not telling lies”. In this case, be careful in choosing your words. Thoughts, emotions and moods are extremely interchangeable, yet we rely on them to create our own truth and our whole life experience.

Asteya (Non-stealing)

The third Yama may be pretty self-explanatory and easy to accomplish, however, Asteya actually means much more than the physical act of stealing. Practicing Asteya encourages us to be more generous and helps us overcome greediness. Because wealth is ultimately a state of mind, Asteya helps you give up the desire for things and instead have an inner sense of wealth, and outer wealth will come to you by itself.

Brahmacharya (Continence)

Brahmacharya is the control of our senses. The more people gratify their senses, the less energy and less ability they have to meditate for higher spiritual purposes. When a yogi has the courage and will to control his physical impulses in excess (moderation), he breaks the bonds of attachment and becomes a stronger, healthier and wiser person.

Aparigraha (Non-coveting)

The last of the five Yamas, Aparigraha, urges us to let go of everything that we do not need, possessing only as much as necessary. Accumulating these things out of greed or fear is not only wasteful; the desire for possessions will take over and you will lose the ability to see your one eternal possession — the Atman, or our true Self. To practice Aparigraha, rely on your own abundance and creativity and celebrate what is yours without comparing yourself to others. You don’t need more and more if you are grateful and feel fulfilled with what you have at the moment.

In conclusion, rather than thinking of the five Yamas as a mandatory “to-do list”, view them as opportunities to truly transform your life and help you reach your highest aspirations such as peace, truth, abundance, harmonious relationships, contentment, self-acceptance, purity, love, and a meaningful connection to the Divine — the essence of happiness. If you wish to know more about cultivating Yama or the rest of the Eight Limbs on and off the mat, do pay us a visit or get in touch with us.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

Improve your poses with vibrating yoga pants

164_A_YogaThere’s no doubt, yoga pants are in style these days. While they have a practical use in the studio to add additional comfort to your practice, what if they could do more? The fashion tech company known as Wearable Experiments believes they can. Later this year, they plan to release vibrating yoga pants that will help guide you into postures correctly. Here’s what you need to know about these radical new yoga pants.

If you’ve dabbled in yoga or are a beginner, you know firsthand just how difficult it can be to get into the right position. When you’re just starting out doing yoga, getting hung up on and over-thinking your poses can be a distraction. Instead of focusing on your breathing, stretching and enjoying your new practice, you’re worried about whether or not your posture is correct. This is obviously frustrating. And Billie Whitehouse, the CEO of the company that is making the new yoga pants, understands the need to get your posture right. “As someone who doesn’t always know the correct form or alignment in poses, I find having that proper guidance is crucial.”

How vibrating yoga pants work

Named Nadi Smart fitness pants, the tights use haptic vibrations to ensure you nail your yoga poses. These vibrations vary in intensity and frequency depending on your body position and mimic the sense of touch, providing an experience similar to a teacher guiding you in your pose. The only difference is that your pants are doing it instead!

To be used in tandem with the pants is an app that will be compatible with both Google Android and Apple iOS devices. This app monitors your form and flow as you move from one pose to the next, and shows you the correct pose as well as where you need to make adjustments.

Because these pants vibrate and obviously use technology, you may think they’ll look awkward and clunky. However, this does not appear to be the case at all. Reportedly, the technology is subtle and unobtrusive. And judging from images on the company’s website, technology is nowhere in sight. The tights look like a normal, yet fashionable pair of yoga pants.

However, when it comes to yoga, we understand that many people will still prefer the guidance of an instructor. That’s why the teachers in our studio will not only guide you in your poses, but will also provide support and be there to answer all your questions. So until a pair of pants can do that, we recommend you swing by our fitness center for all the assistance you need in developing your yoga technique. Get in touch with us today.

 

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

Busting the myths on Yoga body types

Yoga_2016Jan11_AOne of the most harmful yoga stereotypes that continues to circulate is that overweight people shouldn’t or can’t do it. We’re here to tell you that is 100 percent false. Anyone, regardless of how much they weigh, can take part in yoga if they choose to. You have probably heard many of the myths about why plus-sized people shouldn’t try yoga, but today we will debunk those once and for all because we believe and we know that yoga is for everyone.

For overweight people, getting into yoga has been one of the most intimidating experiences around. It has been a skinny-person’s pastime for years now and there have been reports of students and even teachers at certain yoga studios fat-shaming overweight people who wanted to even give it a try.

One way this has been done is by the spreading of myths about overweight people in regards to yoga. It is likely that you have heard at least a few of these and they all have one thing in common – they’re completely and utterly false. That’s right, you don’t have to be skinny to do yoga. In fact, body size doesn’t matter at all. Let’s take a look at some of the common myths floating around and prove why they are wrong.

Overweight people can’t perform the poses

The myth here is that overweight people can’t do certain poses because they weigh too much. This is just silly. At the end of the day, the only reason a person can or cannot perform certain poses is based on training and experience, not weight. With enough practice, anyone can do any pose. That is because a person’s body will build flexibility, stamina and strength over time when they perform yoga.

Let’s think about it another way. If a skinny person who doesn’t exercise and an overweight person who doesn’t exercise start doing yoga at the same time, they will be at the same skill level and require the same amount of time to do certain poses as they build up their flexibility, stamina and strength. If anyone tells you otherwise, they don’t know what they are talking about.

Overweight people aren’t elegant when doing yoga

This has to be one of the most ridiculous myths out there for the simple fact that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. Doing yoga has nothing to do with how you look. And if other people are looking at other students during a yoga class, they are doing it wrong anyway. Yoga isn’t about elegance, it’s about self realization and finding tranquility. Anyone worried about the other stuff isn’t practicing yoga for the right reasons anyway.

Yoga won’t help you lose weight

There is more to life than what the scale says. While yoga won’t help you shed pounds, it can improve your health and fitness in other ways. Through proper breathing and stretching, you can help reduce your stress and obtain a general feeling of wellbeing. You will also notice physical improvements when you practice yoga including greater strength and improved flexibility which can help, should you wish to try another form of exercise.

You’ll make other people feel uncomfortable when you do yoga

If this is something you believe or something you have heard other people say at your yoga studio, then you have been misinformed. Yoga is a welcoming practice that does not discriminate. Because yoga is an inward-facing practice, you should not be worried about the people around you nor should they be concerned about you. The focus should always be on what you’re doing.

People who believe this myth tend to be superficial and are practicing yoga more to be seen and not for a love of the art. Everyone at a yoga studio should feel comfortable and when people utter hurtful words like these, they are making those who are overweight feel uncomfortable. You should find a place where you feel welcome and comfortable because it is at these studios where superficial issues like weight don’t matter.

We welcome all body types here and would love a chance to show you the benefits of yoga. Get in touch or stop by today and see how yoga can change your life for the better.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

Is your Yoga Teacher Making these Mistakes?

Yoga_Dec28_AOf course, it takes a lot of time, dedication and effort to become a fitness instructor, whatever discipline you are primarily working in. But as in any industry some people are simply better suited to their role than others. Whether that’s through not keeping up with developments in their field, a tendency to believe anything spouted by a so-called authority without doing their own research, or simply not having the passion that a career in the industry demands, ultimately the person negatively affected is you. So what are the signs you should look out for that tell you that you might need to change yoga teachers?

Despite starting out with all the best will in the world the problem is that, as with any job, it can sometimes be tempting to tell the customer what they want to hear. Whether that’s down to wanting to close a sale or due to misinformation that sounds customer-friendly but is not actually based on any facts. The problem is, being sold a perfume that doesn’t make good on its promise to make you irresistible to the opposite sex and signing up for a yoga class that does you more harm than good are two very different things. The first is a waste of money at best (although at least you smell nice) but the second could be physically harming you.

The fact is yoga is a scientific practice which needs to integrate biomechanics – the study of a structure such as the human body. A good yoga instructor understands this and knows how to incorporate research in this field into their classes. In a quality yoga class you will not find your teacher spouting vague, flowery terms that have no grounding in biomechanics. Therefore if you’ve noticed your teacher offering pearls of ‘wisdom’ such as “shoulder stands increase activity in the brain” you might want to consider switching studios. No one is saying your instructor doesn’t mean well – they believe what they are telling you. They just haven’t thought to investigate why they are saying it. Worse, they could be putting you in danger.

Here are some other things that should be raising red flags:

Your yoga teacher is piling on the pressure

Manipulating the body to force it into an ideal of what a pose ‘should look like’ is an all round no-no. If your body is unable to attain a pose, no one is qualified or has the right to force you into a position that you find uncomfortable or are downright unable to achieve. Going deeper into your poses is something that you should work towards naturally and at a rate that feels right for you. Consider that a massage therapist undergoes intensive training and must apply for a license before they lay even a finger on a client and compare that to a yoga instructor fresh out of their 200-hour training course forcing you into a position that frankly may be dangerous for you to attempt.

Your teacher tells you yoga is the be all and end all of exercise

Yoga is hugely beneficial for people of all ages and fitness levels; that’s not up for debate, but what is, are teachers who claim that you’re getting all the physical activity you need in your yoga class. You spend an entire yoga class on your mat – this fact alone says that you are not being subjected to the range of physical movement you need to live your life to the fullest. For example, yoga will not help you develop muscles that enable you to run faster – whether you’re pounding the treadmill or sprinting for the bus.

No yoga class is complete without head and/or shoulder stands

There has been a lot of media attention given to the so-called benefits of shoulder and headstands lately and many rookie instructors feel that a yoga class is missing an integral part if they are not included. Furthermore the same teachers usually believe that holding stands for a long count is mandatory too. The problem is the claims that are being made about head and shoulder stands’ magical effects are not backed by any kind of scientific research. In fact, many instructors do not include stands in the practice, at least in general classes, for the simple reason that an average student will not have adequate neck muscles to support their body weight. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that a head or shoulder stand performed incorrectly can put serious stress on the neck and lead to an accident or long term damage.

Your teacher tells you yoga gives you longer, leaner muscles

If you want to burn fat and achieve an overall sleeker look, of course yoga is only going to push you towards your goal, but the length of your muscles actually have everything to do with the length of your bones, and precious little to do with the downward dog.

If you’d rather know that you are practicing yoga in a safe, jargon-free, supportive and professional environment, talk to us today. Our highly qualified instructors are always happy to answer any concerns or queries you might have.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

Kick-start your morning with yoga

Yoga_4Jan_ALet’s face it, most of us prefer the extra time in bed to getting up and hitting the mat for an early morning yoga session. But believe it or not, there’s nothing better than an energizing morning yoga practice to calm your mind and set yourself up for an amazing and productive day. So don’t think of it as torture – give it a go and, who knows, it might just become your next favorite thing! Here’s how yoga can give your morning a fresh start.

It encourages better sleep habits

Deciding to practice yoga first thing in the morning is like making a promise and commitment to yourself. You will be more likely to prioritize your bedtime and think twice before trying to burn the midnight oil. What’s more, once you make morning yoga practice a habit, your body becomes accustomed to waking up at the same time each day, which means you will wake up feeling fully refreshed and energized.

It calms your mind throughout the day

Practicing yoga early in the morning will steady your mind for the whole day, allowing you to stay calm even in the most hectic moments and be prepared for anything that comes your way, whether it’s a traffic jam, heavy workload, or a heated discussion with your colleague.

It boosts your metabolism

Yoga helps improve your digestion, facilitate the movement of nutrients through your body, and speeds up your metabolic rate. Once your body has a sufficient amount of nutrients circulating through, it will metabolize carbs and fat faster, meaning you can actually eat more food and burn calories quicker.

Check out these morning yoga poses that you can complete in as little as 10 minutes:

  • Balasana (Child’s Pose) – Start by kneeling down and bending forward to bring your chest to your thighs and your forehead to the floor. Then stretch your arms over your head and place your palms on the floor. Sit back down on your heels without changing the position of your arms. You’ll feel a sudden stretch in your spine and torso. Focus on taking a deep breath and exhaling to release the tension. The goal of this pose is to have your forehead touching the ground while your buttocks remain in contact with your heels.
  • Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) – The Downward Facing Dog pose involves your whole body, especially your shoulders and hamstrings. Begin by sitting on all fours with your knees underneath your hips and your hands directly underneath your shoulders. Press the palms firmly on the mat and slowly lift your knees away from the floor, lengthen your spine backwards and lift your tailbone up as you straighten your legs. Hold the position for about 30 seconds to one minute to experience an energizing sensation throughout your whole body.
  • Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) – This posture is a great way to open the front parts of your body, including your chest, hip flexors, and quadriceps. You can start by doing the Downward Facing Dog pose. From there, exhale and put your right foot forward between your hands. Then lower your left knee to the floor and, keeping the right knee fixed in its position, slide your left leg back until you feel a comfortable stretch in the left front thigh and groin. Now lift your torso up and sweep your arms out to your sides and raise them up overhead.

Whether you’ve got time for only one pose or all three, practicing yoga in the morning will definitely help you feel more resilient and refreshed as you start your day. If you want to give yoga a try, get in touch with our expert instructors today.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

Top 5 yoga trends of 2015

Yoga_2015Dec21_AWith a new year upon us, now is a great time to reflect on 2015 from a yoga perspective. It’s been a pretty crazy year yoga-wise, with old-timers yoga and “doga” (that’s yoga for dogs) being a few of the trends to rise in popularity this year. Whether you lived them yourself or missed them altogether because you spent this year at a yoga retreat in the Himalayas, here are the top five yoga trends of 2015.

Hot barre yoga

Regular hot yoga hasn’t been ‘hot’ for a couple of years now. In 2015, however, hot barre became all the rage as more and more people started giving it a try for themselves. This more intense form of hot yoga sees participants burning up to 200 calories a session, and not to mention, sweating like crazy. The practice is likewise good for detoxing the body and giving you a deeper stretch. As we observe more yoga studios across the country offering hot barre yoga classes, it’s likely this fat-burning practice is here to stay.

Yoga pants replacing jeans

Yoga fashion has been big business for a few years now, but 2015 saw the industry take off to a whole other level. In addition to yoga tops becoming an acceptable street fashion item during the summer months, yoga pants became a wardrobe staple both inside and outside the classroom. As Business Insider reported in October, yoga pants have replaced jeans as the go-to pants for this generation, and stores like Gap and Old Navy have already released lines of yoga pants to keep up with the trend.

Couples yoga

“The couple that practices yoga together, stays together” could very much be the new saying that makes its way around yoga studios. Believe it or not, more and more couples have started attending yoga classes together in 2015, and the yoga studio has become one of the hottest date spots around. It might not be up there with Netflix and chill just yet but, if you and your partner both enjoy yoga, why not enjoy it together? And with your partner around, you have the added benefit of not having to deal with creepy-ponytail-guy asking for your phone number after class.

Yoga weight training

Another relatively new form of yoga making waves in 2015 was weight training yoga. Here you practice yoga as normal, but also add dumbbells to the mix. The result is a more intense workout that not only allows you to work on your muscles and improve strength, but can also assist you with calorie-burning and toning. While this a good way to add a challenge to your yoga routine, adding weights can also make it harder for you to focus on breathing, which can lead to you losing some of the relaxing and meditative aspects of practicing yoga.

The beach yoga photo

If you have a friend who practices yoga and they happened to make their way to a beach in 2015, chances are they posted a picture of themselves doing a yoga pose on the sand. While this wasn’t the first year that people have done this, for whatever reason it really blew up in 2015. It seems Facebook and Instagram are awash with pictures of people contorting their bodies on fine, sandy beaches. There’s no doubt that 2016 will see much of the same. If you ever find yourself vacationing on a beach, it’s likely you’ll be unable to resist the urge to snap a yoga pose of yourself.

This has been a great year for yoga, and we think 2016 will be even better. Contact us today if you have questions on these trends or want any other yoga-related information.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

Yoga’s going to the cats, literally

Do you love yoga? Do you love cats? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then we are about to make your day. That’s because we want to share with you a little knowledge on a growing trend that is starting to gain more recognition across the world. That trend is cat yoga, and it is purr-fect if you want to do yoga and have cats around. In fact, we would even dare to say that it’s the cat’s meow.

Believe it or not, cat yoga has actually been around for a while now, but it has gained a lot of attention over the past few weeks as Instagram photos have begun to circulate of two popular cat cafes offering yoga classes. At the moment, over 30,000 pictures on Instagram have the hashtag “catyoga”, and you will now see pictures of various people doing yoga with cats around.

Before we get into the basics of cat yoga, we should probably mention a few things first. For instance, if you are allergic to cats, you should avoid cat yoga as it will not cure this condition. If you don’t like cats, or yoga for that matter, combining the two is equally unlikely to make either one more enjoyable for you.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the details of just what in the name of Garfield cat yoga really is.

What is cat yoga?

Cat yoga is doing yoga with a cat or cats around you. It’s more or less that simple. You do not force the cat to join in or perform any poses of its own. You do your yoga, the cat will do its own thing. That’s cat yoga.

What does the cat add to yoga?

Having a cat around will certainly make your yoga session more interesting. By letting the cat interact with you, you add a new dynamic to the yoga equation. You will constantly be kept on your toes because, let’s face it, you never know what a cat will do.

Does cat yoga have any benefits?

It all depends on how much value you place on spending time with cats. Realistically speaking, there is no advantage of doing cat yoga over regular yoga. However, if you enjoy spending time with your feline friends, the benefits are endless.

Where can I do cat yoga?

At the moment there are cat yoga classes in New York City, Washington DC, London, and Sydney. Given the growing popularity of cat cafes and cat yoga, it looks as if this is a trend that could carry on into 2016 and beyond.

Is it possible to do cat yoga at home?

Yep. If you have a cat and a yoga mat, you have the tools of the cat yoga trade.

Do I interact with the cat during cat yoga?

No. You should be focused on completing your poses and going through your movements as normal. Let the cat do as it pleases, and work around it should your furry companion decide to get comfortable on your mat or start pawing at your leg.

Do cats like cat yoga?

For one reason or another, cats seem to be intrigued by a person practicing yoga. When it comes to cats, we feel as if “like” is a strong word, but we will say they don’t seem to hate it – which is fairly high praise when coming from a cat.

When should I consider doing cat yoga?

Cat yoga is perfect if you find yourself stressed and maybe focusing too hard. Sometimes during yoga we are liable to hold onto thoughts or ideas, especially negative ones, that can cause us to become tense. Having a cat around can provide a pleasant distraction, which just might brighten your mood and allow you to focus on more positive energy during your yoga routine.

Cat or no cat, we love yoga more than a kitty loves a ball of yarn. You could even say yoga is like catnip to us. If you want to learn more about yoga classes, give us a call. We promise to have you feline good.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

5 minutes is all you need for yoga

How many times have you told yourself that you are too busy to do yoga? It happens to us all from time to time, and there is no reason to feel bad about it. However, just because you don’t have time to attend a class doesn’t necessarily mean you have to skip yoga altogether. In fact, all you need is five minutes to get a quick session in. You may be busy, but chances are you have at least those few minutes to spare.

Yoga is an all-or-nothing activity for a lot of people. It’s either an hour class at the yoga studio, or nothing at all. Unfortunately, when work piles up or social obligations take center stage, it can be hard to fit in 30 minutes or an hour for a class. And that doesn’t even factor in the time needed to get to and from the yoga studio.

If your schedule has sucked out of your day the time necessary for a traditional class, we have a ready-made alternative that will let you reap the benefits of yoga in just five minutes. Sure, it’s not as good as a full session, but even five minutes of yoga can have long lasting benefits, whether you are doing it morning, noon or night.

For starters, a five-minute yoga session will help you clear your head, leading to less stress. This is especially great if you are busy and find your mind constantly racing. A short yoga session can also help balance your metabolism, ensuring your body is running at optimal efficiency. And even at five minutes, you still get the normal benefits of yoga, like improved flexibility and lung capacity.

So instead of lying in bed tapping away at your phone before going to sleep or just after waking up, why not squeeze a little yoga back into your busy life? As your parents always said, even a little goes a long way.

The five-minute yoga routine

Mountain Pose (arms up)

60 seconds
A nice, easy way to get things started. The key here is to focus on taking long, deep breaths. Make sure your mind is clear and you are paying attention to your breathing.

Side bend

15 seconds each side
From the previous pose, perform a side bend to both the left and right side. Remember, this is not a race so there is no need to rush. Take the full 15 seconds on each side. Return to the mountain pose when finished.

Child’s pose

30 seconds
After the side bend, move to the ground and enter into the child’s pose. You may have your arms outstretched or to your sides. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

Downward-facing dog pose

60 seconds
Gently transition to a downward-facing dog from the previous pose. This is a great way to stretch out your body as well as get the blood flowing.

Cat and cow poses

60 seconds
For the next pose, transition between the cat and cow pose. Don’t go too fast when doing these two, as this can put unnecessary pressure on the spine. Make sure you begin and end the asana with your spine in a neutral position.

Lotus pose or standing backbend

60 seconds
You can choose how you wish to end the session. The lotus pose is probably better to do before bed, as it allows you a chance to focus your mind, while the standing backbend is good for stretching and helping to wake up your body in the morning. You can also do both by splitting them up into 30-second segments.

If you have some free time and want to get back into the yoga studio, get in touch. We have many different types of classes to fit around your schedule and needs.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

6 gifts to give your yogi

There is more to yoga gift-giving than buying a mat. Of course, there is nothing wrong with giving your favorite yogi a top-of-the-line mat, but plopping down ten dollars for a beginner’s mat at your local big box store simply won’t cut it. So, what exactly are some of the more thoughtful items you can give your yogi? We take a look at six of the best yoga gifts out right now.

Buying a gift for the yogi in your life can be intimidating, especially if you don’t know what exactly you’re looking for. That is why we have compiled this simple guide to help you find the perfect yoga gift.

Yoga backpack or tote

One of the most difficult things for yogis is finding a way to carry their mat, towel, yoga clothes and the rest of their supplies to and from class. There are now specific tote bags and backpacks designed to make it easy to carry around all your yoga gear. These make a great gift for the yoga practitioner who may have to use the subway or bus to get to yoga class, and who doesn’t want to have to awkwardly carry everything around.

Skidless yoga towel

To the untrained eye, a skidless yoga towel looks a lot like a really thin beach towel. The reality is that these special towels are absolute lifesavers for people who get a little sweaty during yoga class. They connect to a yoga mat, providing extra grip and traction for users, while soaking up sweat. They are especially good for a person who practices hot yoga.

Bandana

Are you the secret santa for someone who enjoys practicing a little yoga? A simple yet stylish bandana is a gift that is both practical and relatively inexpensive. Bandanas are ideal for use during yoga class, since they can help absorb sweat and keep it out of a person’s eyes. While a normal bandana can work, there are also several bandanas and headbands available that are made with fabrics designed specifically for use during yoga.

Yoga books and DVDs

Do you know someone who enjoys yoga but may not have the time to get to a yoga class, or who may be too embarrassed to go to one on their own? There are lots of books and instructional videos out there that can help everyone from beginners to experts practice yoga from the comfort of their own home.

Yoga retreat

If you are really looking to impress the yogi in your life, there is no gift more thoughtful than sending them to a yoga retreat. The length of the retreat can vary from one day to one week, and each event will have a special goal or focus. It should be noted that a lot yoga retreats tend to be for more experienced yoga practitioners, and so make a better gift for those dedicated to the craft. There are beginner retreats available, though, so it is always good to ask about the required skill level before booking a place as a gift for another person.

Yoga classes

If all else fails, there is nothing wrong with heading down to the yoga studio and buying a gift certificate for your friend or loved one. You know they are going to use it, and it’s convenient for you to buy as well. Sure, it may not be the most thoughtful gift in the world, but there is nothing wrong with being practical every once in a while.

We’re positive the yogi in your life will love whatever you end up giving them. And if you or someone you know is interested in taking some yoga classes, gives us a call or stop by. We’d love to be able to share yoga with you.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.

Choosing the right yoga mat for your practice

Yoga_Nov27_AWhen it comes to yoga mats, there are so many options out there that it can be extremely confusing to select the one that suits your needs. But the style of yoga you practice will help you determine the qualities you’re looking for in a mat. Here, we provide you with some basic information and recommendations to help you select your yoga mat, no matter what style you practice.

Basic classes

For yoga newbies, there’s no need to invest a large amount of money in a $100 mat. Most beginner classes are gently paced to help you grasp the foundation of basic postures, alignment, and breathing techniques. Chances are, you won’t be twisting your body into extreme poses or jumping all over the place. That’s why it makes sense to purchase a less expensive mat if you’re taking basic classes.

The ideal mat would be one with good traction, comfort, and stability. You’ll want something that is soft and able to cushion your bones and joints, in order to avoid any unexpected injuries from the practice.

Flow classes

Flow classes are a rigorous practice that involve active engagement on your mat. You’ll be performing challenging postures that require you to push in one direction with your hands and the other direction with your feet. The practice can be so intense that it’s possible your palms will sweat a lot.

Since you’ll constantly be moving into poses and sweating a lot, your mat needs to have great traction and provide good grip in order to prevent you from slipping or hurting yourself.

Restorative classes

During restorative yoga classes, you’ll focus on performing passive, floor-based moves for extended periods of time. The purpose of restorative yoga is to exercise your connective tissues, joints, and bones by holding a seated posture for up to 20 minutes at a time.

For this style, look for a thick mat with a lot of cushioning, because you’ll be sitting or lying on the floor for a very long time. For the best experience, we recommend mats that are at least 5mm thick or even more.

Heated classes

In hot yoga classes, temperatures can range between 98 and 105 degrees. The studio will be blazing hot and you will sweat profusely. This means you’re at risk of slipping on your mat and injuring yourself. Most people try to sop up the sweat with a towel, but that’s not going to cut it unless you have a suitable mat in the first place.

Invest in a mat that provides non-slip grip and good traction, coupled with good sweat absorption material. This keeps your mat sweat-free, allowing you to survive through demanding poses without slipping.

Having a stable and comfortable mat is absolutely vital if you want to practice yoga safely – you wouldn’t want your mat to shift underneath when you’re trying to perform a headstand or other complex pose.

Looking to take up yoga? Get in touch with our expert instructors today and learn more about the classes we offer.

Published with permission from FitnessAdvisory. Source.