The heart area can often become contracted and even caved-in due to difficult and painful life experiences. When the heart area is not expanded, cardiovascular circulation can be compromised, neck and back problems can develop and a sense of lethargy may predominate an individual’s emotional state. Yoga poses that open the heart area are great tools for releasing tension and difficult emotions.
Pranayama helps us to moderate this energy. Everyone hopes to enjoy a long, active and healthy life, free from disease. Therefore it is…
Pranayama is often referred to as breath control, or yogic breathing. Pranayamas are beneficial in keeping the body healthy and free of toxins.
Some of the more well-known Yoga poses that stretch the hamstrings are standing forward fold and seated forward fold. Additionally, many of the core movements of the Sun Salutation help to keep the hamstrings flexible and strong. Crescent Lunge into Forward Folding Hamstring Stretch and Parighasana or Gate Pose are wonderful Yoga asanas that deeply elongate the hamstrings. Parighasana also stretches out your oblique torso muscles, shoulders, chest and calf muscles. It is a great Yoga pose for runners, snowboarders and skiers.
The patients of physical rehabilitation centers have special needs, which yoga will be able to address. By offering yoga as an additional…
Healing, Restorative, or Therapeutic Yoga does not have to be complex, physically taxing, or vigorous. Patients, who are new to Yoga, can begin by learning one or two poses to practice on a regular basis. Repeating a sequence each morning, or evening, can be a powerful routine to help the healing process, by building strength and agility.
One round of Kapalbhati Pranayama consists of thirty quick inhales and exhales. Do three rounds of Skull Shining Breath and then pause to feel the effects of this powerful pranayama technique. Breath at a pace that is comfortable for you and be aware of feelings and memories that may arise during your practice.
Many Yoga students will benefit from a regular practice of pranayama exercises that increase mental clarity. As your thinking becomes…
Virasana, or Hero’s pose, is excellent for helping with symptoms of restless leg syndrome. Since there are numerous modifications, it is accessible for the new practitioner and the seasoned yoga student alike. If it is inaccessible for the buttocks to rest on the floor, the practitioner can sit on a bolster, pillow, or folded blankets.
I personally love to watch babies move. They roll, reach, and giggle at accomplishing what might seem to us like small goals. Sometimes they fall, struggle to get to where they want to be, and cry for a caregiver’s help. They are learning their bodies, ways to solve problems, how others react to their reactions, and what it is like for them to experience all of that in body and mind. All of those elements are the beginnings of the achievements, challenges, and inner/outer experiences that we all encounter throughout the lifespan. While the natures of those encounters differ for each individual, and notable exceptions do exist, there is a generalized sequential pattern of movement milestones that individuals achieve in the early years of life. Dance/movement therapy and other somatic disciplines rely upon this universal pattern to guide individuals to optimal holistic health. While yoga instructors and practitioners already (seemingly naturally) connect with this developmental somatic knowledge, we can even further utilize it in how we practice and guide others in practice.