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Benefits of Yoga

Welcome to the new Yoga Blog. Discussing the benefits of yoga seems like as good a place as any to start. There are numerous benefits to yoga and I wasn’t’ aware of most of them when I started. Reasons for choosing yoga vary, but for me, I started because I hate all other forms of exercise. Seriously. Yoga has been around for a long time. Depending on the source, it is between 4,000 and 26,000 years old. Either way, it’s a long time, and there are many good reasons the practice has survived this long. Here are some of the … Continue reading →

Why Yoga Might Help You Quit Smoking

You may have already gone through several cycles of trying to quit smoking just over the past month of forgotten and renewed resolutions of the New Year. Before you resign yourself to just trying again next year, see if anything here gives you motivation to try again. Becoming more aware of how your body feels and of your breathing patterns is one of the most easily experienced side-effects of practicing yoga. A simple, Gentle Yoga class could provide you with enough body awareness to firm your resolve. The focusing exercises, combined with poses and breath, allow you to better feel … Continue reading →

The Fitness Blog Week in Review for Jan 6-Jan 12

Good morning, it’s a soggy Saturday here. It started raining yesterday and it’s been quite drenching. They are worried about freezing temperatures and there’s every chance we’ll have freezing rain and ice storms today so I have a feeling we’ll be fairly housebound for the weekend. That’s all right; we’ve plenty to do to amuse ourselves. Our daughter got Dance, Dance Revolution for Christmas and it’s time she and I spent some time together dancing our little tushies off. But before we dive into that, here is our Fitness Blog week in review. Saturday, January 6 Personal Fitness Challenge – … Continue reading →

Yoga is Non-Competitive

It is nearly impossible to go to the gym without feeling an air of competition coming from fellow members, and perhaps yourself. Of course, we should not reprimand ourselves if we have a desire to accomplish more with our personal fitness. This edge of competition can be healthy and can help us drive ourselves to our goals. But, what happens when we let ourselves become consumed by competition with others, thereby sinking more on the side of comparing ourselves with people around us? The two, competition and comparison, eventually become synonymous. Strangely, yoga, which does not have any organization which … Continue reading →

Tip of the Day- Stretch before bed

No gym and no special equipment, no previous experience required. Learn a lesson from your cat, and stretch! Stretching is often over looked for its health benefits. It can give you increased flexibility and better range of motion, improved circulation, better posture, stress relief, enhanced coordination, and lowers your risk of injury during exercise and daily activities. The American Association for Clinical Chemistry even suggests that stretching can lower your blood pressure and your cholesterol, and increase your body’s ability to use insulin to improve the metabolism of blood sugar and carbohydrates. Stretching keeps our muscles flexible and increases blood … Continue reading →

When Your Body Needs a Break – Coming to Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Have you ever found yourself struggling through a yoga class? You are not the only one! Lack of sleep or fuel, or overdoing it on your exercise plan can be major factors that keep you from maintaining during your practice. You could also find yourself with an instructor who is taking the class to a deeper level that your body is simply not ready for yet. Be happy that your body is telling you to take it easy. Overexertion can be the last step before injury or lowering your body’s immune system. The body isn’t shy about telling you when … Continue reading →