Enhance Your Creativity With Your Yogic Practice

Yoga and Creativity

Yoga and creativity are inextricably linked. Yoga practitioners worldwide can attest that their daily practice serves their creativity well. So how are yoga and creativity connected? After all, one is a physical and mental discipline, and the latter a manifestation of innovative thoughts and ideas. But what seems like the ultimate mismatch, is in fact deeply entangled. Both can lead to a newfound enlightenment. Creativity needn’t necessarily be painting, sculpting or writing a novel, one can be an artist in the smallest of his or her endeavors from doing chores to planning out an afternoon. People are creative when the things they do are executed with passion, imagination, a sense of humour or a new approach.

What can yoga do for creativity?

To access the deep seated creativity within us, yoga can influence one’s body and chakras, mind, ego and focus.

Body and chakras
Yoga increases bodily and spatial awareness. Pranayama and other breathing techniques pump oxygen into the body and increase renal and cerebral blood flow, causing the organs to function better. This energised circulation as well as the inner massage from the asanas cleanses and rids the body of toxins and stimulates creativity.

The first and the sixth chakra are strongly linked to creativity. Stimulating Muladhara, the root chakra which grounds us, gives us the confidence to express ourselves. The sixth chakra, Ajna or the ‘third eye’ is associated with intuition connecting the mind and psyche, to unleash the subconscious creativity within us. The second chakra Svadhishthana is often referred to as the source of sexual and creative energy.

Mind
Yoga also creates mental awareness. The meditative aspect of yoga helps eliminate unnecessary thoughts cluttering the mind, freeing up valuable imagination real estate. When the mind is clear, ideas will flow easily and freely. The best inspiration comes from a calm mind that is free of constant distraction.

Breathing techniques are also known for their effect on banishing negativity. A mind free of dark thoughts breeds clever ideas without playing devil’s advocate and dismissing what may be constructive or worthwhile ideas.

Yoga practice also makes one mindful and subject to meta thinking (thinking about thinking) when in the process of creating. The importance of this is that one is constantly made aware of the background, possibilities and limitations of their new work.

Ego
We’re all well aware that ego (consciousness of the separate personal self) hinders innovation. Yoga can help you surrender your ego and give into the creative process. One things that severely hinders the creative process is the need to control it. Drop the ego and immediately one is less defensive, more open minded and more creative.

Focus
Yoga also increases focus, which can benefit your expression of creativity. This enhanced focus is the reason many people practice yoga early in the morning to feel more centered and productive during the day. Yoga will calm you and aid you in concentrating on what matters and shifts the focus to your art.

The key to using yoga to unearth your creativity is to practice regularly and train your body, mind and spirit. That said, even short bursts of yoga around fifteen minutes before you embark on any creative pursuit will help.

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: leshoward, dalydose on flickr

Boost Your Energy with Yoga

In our previous article Boost Your Mood, we wrote about various ways to consciously lift your spirit and get you out of a slump. When you’re feeling gloomy or stressed, yoga, as a holistic science, does wonders to alleviate any mental and emotional blockages as well as physical. Here are some classic yoga poses that will help fight fatigue, boost energy and make you feel great.

Here are some yoga poses that will help

Adho Mukha Svanasana or downward facing dog

An excellent stretch that will rejuvenate the body and mind, by stimulating the central nervous system.

• From a position of all fours with your wrists under your shoulders and knees in line with your hips. Curl your toes under and lift your backside towards the ceiling.
• Elongate the spine and straighten the knees, spreading the fingers evenly and pushing down from your forearms.
• Let your head hang and try lowering your shoulder blades and broaden the collarbone. Look at your stomach.
• Pay attention to stretching the thighs and arms but using the abdominal muscles to keep the weight off them look towards your feet making this a resting pose.
• Try lowering your heels to the floor as much as you can.

Uttanasana or forward bend

Maximise your stretch and loosen up tight and tired muscles.

• From a basic standing pose or Tadasana, exhale and hinge forward at the hips towards the ground.
• Allow the head to hang, and place your palms flat on the floor near the feet.
• As you breathe in this position, with each exhale release a little more fully into the forward bend.

Virabhadrasana or Warrior II Pose

Named after a fierce warrior, this powerful pose will strengthen the body and improve mental capacity.

• Starting with your legs wides apart arms stretched out, turn your right foot to the right, keeping your hips and arm facing straight ahead.
• Start bending the right knee till your thigh is parallel to the floor.
• Keeping the shoulders directly inline with the hips, look over your right hand, reaching out with the fingertips of both hands.

Pavanamuktasana or wind relieving pose

This pose eliminates gas trapped inside the large intestine, aiding digestion and circulation.

• Inhale and raise one or both your legs so they are perpendicular to the torso.
• Bend the leg or legs in the knees keeping them together with toes touching.
• Keep the belly pressed with the thighs and clasp the folded legs with both your hands.
• Now bending the neck, raise the head and fix the chin between the knees.

Balasana or Childs pose

Many will admit to doing the child’s pose when they’re in a funk. It’s what I call a nourishing pose, almost foetal in nature that relaxes the body and regulates blood circulation.

• Kneel on the floor bringing your knees to hips width.
• Lean forward, bringing the torso to rest on the thighs and keep the forehead to the floor.
• Arms may be stretched forward in front of the head or backwards towards the feet.

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: Kelly Loves Whales, myyogaonline, Piez, monathematrix, tarnalberry, on flickr

The Key To Meditation

How to Meditate

Modern life is frenetic and fast paced, and stress and over exhaustion are commonplace. But daily meditation can be beneficial in taking the edge off. One of the principles of yoga, meditation is the art of silencing the mind. The ultimate goal is to have a mind completely free of thoughts. Meditation does not discriminate. It is not religious in any way. It is about consciousness and being fully aware of ourselves and our thought process. As little as ten or fifteen minute spent in this state a day will help you find inner peace and balance and ultimately make you productive at all your other endeavors. In our introduction to meditation, we focused on the importance of meditation in yoga and our lives. Read on for how to meditate and why you should.

Some of the many benefits of meditation

- Meditation can make you more patient and tolerant and less bothered by little things.

- Meditation can make you detached from your thoughts, as if you and your thoughts are separate entities. This gives you a sense of control over your thoughts.

- It stops you being a slave to your thoughts. Control over your thoughts will help you block out negative thoughts as well as declutter your mind of unnecessary, distracting thoughts.

- Having a sense of control over your thoughts will also help you cultivate constructive and positive thinking, and be more creative.

- Meditation leads to better health. Stress can cause and aggravate disease. Meditation alleviates stress.

How to meditate

Allocate a time in which you feel ready to quiet your mind. It could be at sunrise before you face the morning, mid afternoon on a hectic day or late evening after a workout.

Choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a position you find comfortable. Traditional cross legged is popular but it doesn’t really matter, just try to keep a straight back as it will assist proper breathing. You can even sit in a chair or lie down, but don’t fall asleep. Meditation requires you to be alert, even if it is a peaceful time.

Close your eyes if this will help you focus.

Some people use repetitive activities such as deep breathing, humming or chanting of mantra to help induce a meditative state. There are many mantras you can try. Find one that feels right to you or use the simple and powerful Om.

If not an incantation, use a word that reflects how you’d like to feel like ‘relax’, ‘calm’, ‘clarity’ and repeat that.

Mental quiet can be difficult to achieve at first so try concentrating on only one thing, such as a candleflame, a water feature or your heartbeat.

Once you can focus on a single thought with ease, trying throwing out any thought that pops into your head until you can achieve complete mental nothingness.

Aspire towards the inner silence. Meditate with intensity. Most importantly, be patient with yourself and don’t give up. Meditation should make you feel rejuvenated even if it seems tiresome at first.

Once you’ve learned to meditate, you don’t have to keep being seated in the lotus position in a private sanctuary. You can use any time you deem fit from during a busy commute to a boring movie to shut out the world and find your inner silence.

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable Fitness Apparel do visitYogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: connerdowney, HckySo on flickr

Bikram Yoga: Hatha made Hot

Bikram yoga, often also called hot yoga, may have started as a fad but is proving its longevity as a non conventional yoga form with specialized studios popping up all over the country.

Bikram yoga is derived from Hatha yoga, and is a series of twenty six yoga poses ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F with a humidity of 40%. The Bikram yoga poses and method were selected and developed by Bikram Choudhury from whom it gets its name.

Thousands of practitioners the world over are breathing, stretching and maintaining poses in properly heated Bikram studios known as ‘torture chambers’. The reasoning behind the high temperature is that the warmer the body, the more flexible it is while the sequence of twenty six different postures are said to increase circulation and pump oxygen to every single organ and inch of the body, warming and stretching muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be.

Bikram teachers attest that 105°F is the optimal temperature for a practitioner to perform a posture with ease. Bikram Yoga employs heat to also further that detoxifying process, as the body’s impurities are flushed out of the body through the skin when a person sweats profusely. It employs a method known as the tourniquet effect, cutting off the blood supply in arteries and veins, creating pressure and causing blood to rush when released. Plus as anybody who practices Hatha yoga would agree the yoga itself makes a person feel pretty great, the heat being an added benefit especially in cooler climes.

The Bikram method uses both pranayama and postures, listed below. An 90 minute class would ordinarily have the entire sequence repeated twice.

1. Standing Deep Breathing or Pranayama
2. Half Moon Pose or Ardha-Chandrasana
3. Hands to Feet or Pada-Hasthasana
4. Awkward Pose or Utkatasana
5. Eagle Pose or Garurasana
6. Standing Head to Knee or Dandayamana-Janushirasana
7. Standing Bow Pose or Dandayamana-Dhanurasana
8. Balancing Stick or Tuladandasana
9. Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose or Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana
10. Triangle Pose or Trikanasana
11. Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose or Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana
12. Tree Pose or Tadasana
13. Toe Stand or Padangustasana
14. Dead Body Pose or Savasana
15. Wind-Removing Pose or Pavanamuktasana
16. Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana
17. Locust Pose or Salabhasana
18. Full Locust Pose or Poorna-Salabhasana
19. Bow Pose or Dhanurasana
20. Fixed Firm Pose or Supta-Vajrasana
21. Half Tortoise Pose or Ardha-Kurmasana
22. Camel Pose or Ustrasana
23. Rabbit Pose or Sasangasana
24. Head to Knee Pose and Stretching Pose or Janushirasana and Paschimotthanasana
25. Spine-Twisting Pose or Ardha-Matsyendrasana
26. Blowing in Firm Pose or Kapalbhati in Vajrasana

Those who are interested in doing Bikram yoga should note that this is a high intensity yoga workout, and it’s best to try before you buy as it made not be tailored to everybody’s yogic sensibilities.

Some essential advice

• It is important to learn from a certified Bikram yoga instructor as they are versed in the appropriate training and knowledge to teach it effectively and safely.
• Invest in good quality yoga apparel. Less is more as the high temperature suggest less
• Carry your own yoga mat and towel to classes as you will be sweating buckets and sharing is out of the question
• Make sure you drink adequate water before and after class although many studios will allow you to keep water on hand. Dehydration is a common problem for Bikram practitioners. Being hydrated will also aid you in flushing out the toxins and enough water will also help you tolerate the heat better.
• It’s a good idea to eat before class, but not in the two hours prior. Minerals such as sea salt and potassium will keep you from feeling dizzy and nauseous.
• If you have health or heart problems, consult your doctor before signing on.

*Photo credits: photos by DennisSylvesterHurd, Ron Sombilon Gallery, GraceD on flickr.

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Alleviate Menopause Symptoms with Yoga

Menopause and Yoga

Menopause is the natural biological process that affects every woman’s life. In most cases, it occurs between the ages of 40 and 60 but can also happen at other ages because of ovarian illness, hormonal imbalance or removal of the ovaries. During menopause, a woman’s menstrual period ends permanently. It may be a gradual or abrupt process, a simple or a tumultuous one. Every woman has a unique menopausal experience.

Symptoms of menopause include irregular menstruation, changes in sexual desire, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and urinary problems, changes in appearance, sleep disturbances, palpitations and backaches. Apart from the physiological, it may also bring with it emotional changes, as the hormonal changes affect mood greatly.

Menopause is divided into two stages, pre and post. During premenopause, the most vivid ‘experience’ of menopause, one may begin to experience the signs and symptoms though she is still ovulating. An uneven rising and falling of hormone levels will cause her to feel hot flashes and variations in her periods. Postmenopausal stage is when you are about a year past your last period and your ovaries no longer produce estrogen and progesterone, nor do they release eggs.

Needless to say, it may be a little difficult for anyone to cope with the massive changes their body goes through during menopause. A good nutritious diet, not smoking, and reduction of stress are effective ways to cope with menopause and can aid in the prevention of any chronic ailments that can occur in the postmenopausal years while
practising Yoga is extremely beneficial in easing the menopausal process.

Menopause leaves women feeling out of balance and alien to their bodies. Yoga reduces the effects of menopause’s hormonal changes by balancing the endocrine system, and prepping the body to cope hormonal and glandular changes. Feeling fatigued is common but those who are inactive, feel even more so. Yoga practitioners who are already familiar with yoga, will definitely find it easier to cope with symptoms by reaching for their favorite restorative poses. However first timers should not be afraid to begin yoga during this uncomfortable time. Below are some particularly beneficial poses

Salabhasana or Locust pose :

This exercise massages the entire female reproductive tract, thyroid, liver , intestines and kidneys. It improves circulation and oxygenation to the pelvic region, thereby promoting healthier ovarian function. This exercise also strengthens the lower back, abdomen, buttocks, and legs, and prevents lower back pain and cramps.

Setu Bandhasana or Bridge pose:

This is an excellent exercise for stretching the abdominal and pelvic muscles. Menopause related vaginal and bladder symptoms are reduced by promoting better circulation and relaxation in the pelvic region. It is also helpful in reducing pelvic congestion.

Dhanurasana or Bow pose :

This exercise helps relieve menopause-related fatigue and lack of vitality, elevating your mood and improving stamina. The exercise also stretches the entire spine and helps relieve lower back pain and cramps. It stretches the abdominal muscles and strengthens the back, hips and thighs. It also stimulates the digestive organs and endocrine glands.

Our article on Energy Boosting Yoga contains five other poses that can are apt for a menopausal yoga routine and can be applied to yours – Adho Mukha Svanasana or downward facing dog, Uttanasana or forward bend, Pavanamuktasana or wind relieving pose, Balasana or childs pose, Virabhadrasana or Warrior II Pose.

This Summer Head To The Swimming Pool For Yoga Class

Water Yoga: Beat the Heat While Staying Fit

Water Yoga a.k.a Aqua Yoga or Pool Yoga is yet another modern adaptation of the age old art of Yoga and a convenient way to beat the heat this summer without missing out on your fitness. Using the same poses as traditional yoga with minor modifications this type of yoga can be performed in any medium of water, be it a swimming pool, beach or lake taking things to a deeper level.

Aqua yoga is a great activity to take up after a high-intensity workout as a cool-down stretch or any time of the day on its own. Ideal water depth is chest-high, which provides the perfect amount of resistance yet allows you to crouch or bend a little as most poses require. Besides being just another type of yoga, performing yoga asanas (yoga poses) in water is recommended for people recovering from surgery or those with restricted movements as the water not only relaxes the muscles but also support your weight. Other than being a good restorative workout, water yoga allows you to work on getting deeper into a pose and holding it longer without fatigue.

Poses such as the Warrior poses, Tree pose, Triangle pose with the support of the pool wall and even back-bends against the wall are recommended for Pool yoga. Take the warrior pose for example- Place your feet leg-length apart, and lunge one leg forward. When your shoulder comes out of the water, slowly lift arms to the sky with the toes of your rear-positioned foot turned slightly inwards. Sinking your lower body into the water, lift the upper body (stretching out, at the ribs). Your arms should be straight. Squeeze the shoulder blades together and lift chest up and forward. Tuck your pelvis in and push your tailbone towards the pool bottom, keeping your feet aligned avoid moving your knee past your ankle. Ensure that your arms are beside your ears. Hold for 10 seconds to one minute, depending on your comfort level. Switch sides and hold for the same amount of time.

So this summer, if your sticky mat gets a little too sticky, take your practice into the pool and you’ll be chanting H2Om instead of just Om!

*Photo credits: photos by pocketmonsterd, randomtruth, Homies In Heaven on flickr.

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Nourishing Yoga: Body, Mind and Spirit

The Reasons we do Yoga

Why do you practice yoga? Or why don’t you, if you’re one of our few readers who need convincing to begin? When I started to give up my vices, with every endeavor, with every new habit I’ve picked up and incorporated into my lifestyle, I posed the question ‘why?’

I started doing yoga as it embodies holistic living, and for me it was adopting a lifelong practice that took care of the whole of me, not just the blood and bones. Yoga means union in Sanskrit and helps you get in touch with yourself, and your true unconscious self. It is body, mind and soul food. Yoga does not discriminate either – you can adopt it into your lifestyle as a child or in old age, male or female, fit or fat, sick or well. If you’ve done yoga and kept at it, chances are you don’t need to read on. However if you’d like a little inspiration.

Body

Like many at first, I considered yoga just for the physical advantages. Because there are a multitude of body benefits to practicing yoga.

For one, it improves circulation, which makes the digestive and endocrine systems much more effective and it strengthens the immune system. Yoga practitioners have a much greater sense of vitality. Respiration is improved and the increase in muscle tone also helps fire up the metabolism.

From a aesthetic and health point of view, it lowers fat and improves muscle tone greatly, yogis and yoginis tend to be lean and poised, and look younger than their real age. And most definitely feel it. Physical energy is increased dramatically.

It also increases flexibility and strength not to mention stamina. Holding those poses requires endurance and it translates the same into daily life, making everyday tasks seem much easier.

Even those who are generally active sports persons claim that yoga provides them with a different physical training than their own activity. Yoga improves athletic performance. Many top athletes are devout yogis.

It is also a great pain reliever. Yoga can quickly rehabilitate the bodies of those who have suffered injury or undergone any type of surgery.

Mind

Yoga also teaches you to quiet the mind and remove distractions particularly helpful when trying to accomplish a task or attain a goal. Just like your body, your mind feels energized by yoga as opposed to tired. It will help you be more alert and focus your energy on where you want it to go. It improves concentration tenfold.

Yoga encourages clear, positive thoughts. It provides practitioners with clarity when dealing with difficult situations. It reduces stress by helping one relax and alleviating tension.

It also unlocks the mind and increases creativity. Yoga helps one surrender their ego which is vital to the creative process, and allows the mind to relax and ideas to flow from within.

Spirit

Yoga helps you get in touch with the emotional being, nourishing and soothing the spirit by creating a sense of well being and calm. Gives a sense of union, or oneness as its meaning implies by building awareness of your body, your feelings, the world around you, the needs of others.

Yoga also plays a big role in boosting self esteem and encourages self acceptance.

Practitioners feel more centered and balanced even when facing external distress be it everyday ordeals, life changing events or hormonal changes.

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to theColors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visitYogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: lululemon athletica, Brenda-Starr, alicepopkorn on flickr

Connecting with Nature: Yoga and the Outdoors

Let’s face it. Even the most dedicated yoga practitioners sometimes lose focus. When studio or home becomes stifling, mix up your workouts with occasional outdoors practice and it will truly invigorate you and your routine, by awakening your senses, enhancing your focus, and helping you reconnect to the natural world.

Sadly, for most people, the outdoors is a place where they commute, purely transitional from one indoor space to another. They lack consciousness of the natural world, as they never fully experience it. Yoga outdoors will reward you with the awareness of the outside space, and a renewed presence of mind. Many studios have beautiful ambient lighting, or burning incense that create a distinctive mood once you enter but many are just a mere recreation, a replica of what nature has to offer. Sunkissed mornings, pleasant smells and fresh air. In the outdoors, you practice yoga with a certain awareness, taking careful note of your surroundings and feeling the true connection with the universe, as yoga (meaning union with the Supreme) intends. Enjoy the warm summer morning or the pleasant chill of autumn, dewy grass beneath your feet or a pink sunset as you practice stillness.

Take careful note of your surroundings and feel the true connection with the universe, as yoga (meaning union with the Supreme) intends. Ever consider why so many asanas reflect nature, animals especially? Enjoy the warm summer morning or the pleasant chill of autumn, dewy grass beneath your feet or a pink sunset as you practice stillness in the elements. Weather permitting, choose the time of the day that feels best and head out in your favourite yoga apparel with your mat or without if the terrain allows it. Find your rhythm in a spot you feel at ease. It doesn’t have to be far from home, not everyone has access to a lush forest or a peaceful riverbank. Your own backyard, Central Park, the beach, a tiny creek, a terrace garden, any location you feel is right will do.

Sink into the ground beneath you and breathe deeply. Enjoy the change from what’s most likely recycled air to increased oxygen as it floods your lungs. Allow your breath to fall in sync with the rhythms of nature – a chirp or a coo, a gentle wind, the crashing of waves. For a minute, forget about repetitions and encourage flow through your asanas, let nature dictate the sequence in which you perform your asanas. It will inspire and rejuvenate your practice.

If you feel distracted by the elements, change your thought. Rather than a challenge, think of the four elements earth, wind , water and fire as your guide. Meditate with the flowers and leaves, find your balance in the ground beneath your feet, release your worries into the wind, feel the sun on your skin and warming your bones, push yourself into a challenging pose that will create heat in the body, imagine your breath is like the tides, going in and out. Visualize these elements moving through you as you forget fancy flooring, air conditioning, humming lightbulbs, mirrored walls. Just you and the universe. Enjoy being a part of it and it being a part of you.

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

* Photo credits: lululemon athletica, CrazyFast, Jordan Lewin, Shunpikie on flickr

Prenatal Poses: Yoga and your Pregnancy

We’ve written about some Prenatal Yoga Poses to Ease Your Pregnancy and Help Childbirth before and so it goes. Whether a new practitioner or a veteran yogini, anyone can enjoy the wonderful benefits of yoga while pregnant. Prepare yourself for the birthing process with some gentle yoga exercises which have a positive effect on your baby and you. Many mummies-to-be and especially those who have never done yoga admit to it being the ideal form of exercise during a pregnancy while dedicated practitioners are elated that their yoga routines needn’t stop but just require modification.

If you are offered prenatal yoga classes at a nearby center, even better. You will most likely meet and gain the support of many other expectant mothers. But home practitioners don’t have to miss out. It’s important to check with your doctor if it’s okay and follow the trimester guidelines that will best exemplify what to do and what to avoid during a pregnancy.

Read on for of how to further incorporate some yoga practices into your prenatal lifestyle…

First of, anytime is a good time to begin practicing yoga in the pregnancy. The earlier the better, but some women suffer from terrible morning sickness and even low impact exercises may seem too intense. As the nausea subsides,  start to incorporate prenatal adaptations of yoga asanas as you deem fit. Be wary that you may overstretch in your pregnancy, as the body produces a chemical called relaxin that softens the pubic bones and ligaments for childbirth. But cultivate the right muscles and you will be rewarded in the birthing process. The following positions are my favorite recommendations for prenatal practice.

Viparita Karani or Legs Up The Wall
Inversions should generally be steered clear of during pregnancy but Legs Up The Wall, a passive, restorative inversion can be highly beneficial. In this mostly self explanatory position, the practitioner lies down on a mat and lifts his legs up the wall, perpendicular to the ground. This pose is well supported and gentle and does well to reduce swelling in the ankles and improve pelvic circulation. You can even touch the soles of your feet together (as you would in the Cobbler’s pose further below).

Cat-Cow stretch
Being on all fours puts your baby in an optimal position, (head down, back to your belly) increases spinal flexibility and strengthens the abdominals. The cat-cow stretch is also extremely useful for those experiencing any lower back pain. Get on your hands and knees, with your hands under shoulders & knees under hips. From this neutral position, inhale, lifting head & tail bone. Exhale, tuck tail bone under, round your back upwards, with your head down as if con-caving (cow) and con-vexing (cat) your back.

Hip Openers
And of course, try hip openers like Pigeon pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana), Cobbler’s or Bound Angle pose (Baddha Konasana) and the second Warrior pose (Virabhadrasana 2) which will relax the hips and groin making them more suited for childbirth.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

What to avoid:

• Avoid abdominal work. Allow your belly to relax and soften, which it will require for the stretch it endures during pregnancy.
• Avoid Pranayama, instead replacing it with deep inhalation and exhalation, a useful technique during childbirth.
• Avoid lying on the belly. For obvious reasons, avoid poses like Bhujaangasana or the cobra pose.
• Avoid lying on the back after the first trimester.
• Avoid deep twists that require twisting from the belly, instead incorporating low impact shoulder twists into your routine.

And most of all, remember to listen to your body and the inner voice of your yoga practise will be your best guide during this exciting time.
Slowly start to incorporate prenatal adaptations of yoga asanas as you deem fit.

*Image credits: massdistraction, pusspaw, myyogaonline, LollyKnit on flickr

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Yoga For Your Little Ones

The Benefits of Yoga for Kids

I’m often asked whether it’s okay for kids to do yoga, or be a part of a parent’s yoga routine and my answer is always yes. It’s wonderful if you can get your children involved in yoga from a young age.

Yoga is not merely a fitness routine or a series of postures, but a way of life. Children can derive great benefits from making yoga a ritual. I’ve seen yoga help young ones in developing better body awareness, self-control and coordination, not to mention improve their concentration dramatically as well as help them relax. Physically, they build strength and flexibility. Kids today can lead stressful lives – homework, extra curricular activities, sports, packed schedules, competing against peers; and yoga can help take that edge off.

There are many children’s yoga classes these days starting as young as preschoolers. But if you’re looking to get your children on board at home, simple breathing exercises and meditation are a great start. Encourage deep breathing from the belly to help them relax. Let them try chanting. Even the very simple OM can be very effective. I remember OM as a child and loving the challenge of how long I could chant on a single deep breath. Balasana or ‘childs pose’ is a fantastic yoga posture to teach them which will normalise circulation and relax the body and mind. Great for when a child is feeling overwhelmed or moody. It curbs tantrums even in adults so I know it works for kids.

Next help them learn simple Hatha poses like tree pose, warrior pose, lion pose. Try to get them to focus on the meaning of the postures, to reenact them if you will, and take on their qualities which might require some storytelling on your part – sturdy and grounded like a tree, strong and confident like a warrior, fierce like a lion. This engagement will help develop an intimate relationship between the young practitioner and nature. Surya Namaskar or ‘sun salutations’ are another fantastic and dynamic series of poses that can be introduced to them.

Encourage relaxation through meditation using guided visualization techniques as many children can have trouble closing their eyes and tuning out the world. Weaving an imaginative but calming story – ‘Imagine you are lying in a field of green grass with the sun shining. There is nothing around you except trees with beautiful flowers. Now imagine a butterfly floating past you. Look at its bright wings. Take a deep breath and smell the fresh air’ can help them find their balance and connect more deeply with their inner self.

Children are naturally curious and you’ll find most quite enthusiastic if you make it interesting for them. Allow them (and even your toddlers) to watch you in your practice. Most kids you’ll find want nothing more than to do what mummy and daddy are doing.

Added benefits to practicing yoga with your children will be the increased bond between you and them and an opportunity to share family time and wisdom. It may require a bit of patience at first but stick with it, as you’re laying the foundation of a lifelong practice.

For  special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: Axel Bührmann, takeslongwalks, theloushe on flickr

Next Page »