Yoga Supplies

Yoga is practiced by millions of people around the world, and it has helped improve the overall health of countless people. However, yoga is not always easy to do, especially at the beginning. This is because it requires a certain level of suppleness and agility to be able to perform some of the poses. This why looking into various yoga stuff or accessories can be of great help. Because of the popularity of yoga, there are many products on the market today, designed to help yoga enthusiasts in their endeavor of accomplishing proper yoga technique. The following are some examples of yoga stuff.

The yoga mat: It doesn’t get more basic than using a proper yoga mat. When performing those asanas or poses, it is important to do it on a soft and comfortable surface. Some people opt for a blanket or carpet. However, there are mats designed specifically for this purpose, and it can make a real difference. Yoga mats are designed so that the person does not slip while doing the asanas. It will also have the right combination of firmness and softness. Remember, during yoga practice there is also the possibility of sweating. If sweat falls on the mat it should not lose its traction. Not only that, the mat should have good traction on the floor as well. For all these reasons it is a good idea to get a mat specifically designed for yoga practice.

The yoga strap: Another product that makes it on the list of yoga stuff is the yoga strap. A common sight in a beginner’s yoga class is seeing people with their legs outstretched in front of them, trying to touch their toes. A beginner may have difficulty touching their knees, let alone their toes. This is when an accessory such as a yoga strap can be of great help. It is designed to help the person stay in proper alignment and pose while stretching. The strap will be looped around the feet on one end, and the back, at the other end. This way, the hips and backs will not feel the strain as much when trying to do those stretches. It can also be adjusted like a seat belt, as the practitioner becomes more and more limber. Yoga straps are available in different lengths.

Other helpful yoga stuff includes clothing. Like other physical activities and sports, yoga also requires proper clothing. Well made yoga clothes should allow the person to breath easily and do the poses unrestricted. Last but not least, getting a bag to carry all the yoga stuff is a good idea.

(http://www.yogastuffplus.com/page/page/7665358.htm) You will find Yoga stuff for women and men from yoga tanks to tees.

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Asthanga Yoga : Yoga

The asthanga yoga is a stream of Yoga which is based on the principle of synchronizing one’s breath with various physical postures. This helps to produce heat and eventually profuse sweat that works as a detox agent for the muscles and the internal organs. The word ‘Asthanga’ means eight limbed yoga as stated by the ancient sage patanjali in his book yoga sutras. According to the book the asthanga helps to purify oneself and revealing self universally through eight spiritual ways; yama or moral codes, niyama or self study, asana or postures, pranayama or controlling of breath, pratyahara or controlling of the senses, dharana or concentration, dhyana or meditation and Samadhi or contemplation.

Astanga Yoga Information

The following information on ‘Asthanga’ would help you to understand the efficacy in purifying the body and soul with the help of the yoga sutras.

• Yama refers to the five main abstentions; ahimsa or non violence, satya or truth, asteya or non covetousness, brahmacharya or abstaining of oneself from sexual intercourse when not married and maintaining monogamy when married. This also includes not breeding of any unholy thoughts of sexuality towards a man or a woman apart from his or her spouse. The fifth abstention is aparigraha or non possessiveness.
• The word niyama means the five observances like the shaucha or keeping of body and the mind clean, santosha or satisfaction, tapas or maintenance of a life of austerity or a well disciplined lifestyle including controlling of mind and body, svadhaya or studying of the vedic scriptures to know about God and the awakening of the soul and the last being the Ishvarapranidhana meaning complete submission to the God.
• Asana, meaning performing of disciplined postures of the body under a certain set of rules in order to purify the body by keeping it disease and germ free and also keeping the vital energy of the body intact.
• The Pranayama or the controlling of the breath helps individuals to have a steady body and increases the capacity to concentrate mind on a certain study.
• The pratyahara means the controlling of the senses for a better human life. One has to withdraw the basic senses from the earthly objects.
• Dharana is one of the three main aids of the yoga or the ashtanga sadhana where the individual has to concentrate his mind in any object like a burning lamp, the point in between the two eyebrows or on some image of deity.
• Dhyana or meditation. While meditating the concentration on the object would be in the form of an undisturbed flow without any interference.
• Samadthi or the oneness with the object of meditation.

There are two types of Samadhi which are known as amprajnata Samadhi or conscious Samadhi and Asamprajnata Samadhi or supraconsciousness.

Isha is an yoga expert. She has taken part in many programs of yoga. To learn about asthanga yoga you are recommended to search for a good Indian health aid guide.

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Pranayama Yoga : Yoga

Today, we are bombarded with stress inducing factors that truly takes a toll on our way of breathing. Our lack of physical activities, constant stress due to responsibilities, work, traffic and others lead to a seriously unhealthy lifestyle and shallow breathing.

Pranayama yoga is a form of yoga that focuses on proper breathing techniques and controlling breath. Breath is our body’s most vital source of energy. Without breath and air, we cease to exist. This type of yoga helps us learn how to utilize our lungs to its full capacity and drive in the much needed oxygen into our blood, body and brain.

Health Benefits of Pranayama

Pranayama yoga has grown in popularity recently due to its undeniable health benefits. Yogatic principles put high regards on to breathing and breathing control. Every form of yoga dedicates a session or two of learning proper breathing.

Breathing control begins with inhaling deeply from the lower stomach or the belly button area. Then, the breathing process goes up to the lower chest regions and then on the lower portions of the rib cage. The air should stop by the throat right below the sternum.

The key to acquire all benefits of pranayama is to perform slow undisturbed breathing. As you exhale the air, make sure that the air passes through the same route that it came in. The air should leave the lower throat, down to the chest and to the lower belly.

Deep and long breathing can certainly improve the parasympathetic nervous functions.

Actively getting involved can significantly lower the blood pressure, improve bodily functions, and other benefits of pranayama yoga. It can provide remedy serious problems and damages in bodily systems including reproductive, digestive and immune systems.

Another one of the benefits of pranayama helping individuals relieve stresses in their life. Practitioners of this yoga learn how to concentrate on the positives instead of the negatives. Slower and deeper breathing can bring total relaxation to the mind. And as the yogee let go of his thoughts slowly, pranayama yoga develops the person’s ability to totally focus. In time, the practitioner achieves calmness and peace.

Other Benefits of Pranayama

Pranayama Yoga is certainly the best exercise to lessen the depression and stress. In order to achieve the benefits of pranayama completely, make sure you practice this with other exercises. Breathing will be the prime focus and when prolonged to extended timeframes can totally improve ones health.

If this is your first time to perform pranayama or any type of yoga, join a professionally supervised class first. Beginners should always be supervised by experts to ensure that they are doing exercises properly and without feeling any negative effects. No matter how healthy the benefits of pranayama yoga is, doing it incorrectly may cause serious negative effects. You must also be prepared as according to the instruction of your teacher. Indeed, the benefits of pranayama yoga can help you achieve inner peace and total relaxation.

Learning Pranayama yoga enables you to feel better about yourself and life as a whole. These benefits of pranayama allows practitioners to relieve stress and anxiety as well as live a healthier lifestyle.

Yoga Strap : Yoga

A yoga strap is likely one of the many yoga accessories also it could be a very good one for beginning students who lack flexibility or for anyone practicing yoga that still needs work in such a area. A number of the yoga poses taught in basic forms of yoga are very difficult to do properly if one doesn’t have adequate ability to stretch. In these cases, the yoga strap could be employed to permit people to adopt a modified pose that also allows for plenty of body work and stretch, with much less potential for injury.Most yoga straps are between six to nine feet (1.83-2.74 m) long and are made in materials like cotton, or are alternately made of hemp. Taller people may want to look for those straps that are in longer lengths, but many look for a six-foot strap adequate. The majority of straps are not greatly expensive and are slightly kind of than $ 10 US Dollars (USD).
Plenty of the commercially made yoga strap types feature some type of a buckle, very similar to an extremely long belt, which allows for connecting both ends of your strap together for work in certain poses. Alternately, people could hold each end of your strap below the buckle to help enhance stretch. One common use is when the hands are connected behind the back in various positions. These poses could be hard to keep, and the arms might be adjusted to more comfortable positions when the hands hold the strap at a distance apart from each other, instead of interlocking.
An asana which is difficult for several beginners, which can still prove challenging for intermediate and advance students is forward sitting bend.

The goal of this pose should be to bend using a flat back forward so that the hands are stretched out directly over the feet. Lots of people have very tight hamstrings, and are only able to bend slightly forward at the waist when the legs are outstretched in front.
Having a yoga strap might help in forward sitting bend, can definitely deepen stretch, and may make this pose more simple to perform. Part of the strap is looped around the middle of the feet and the person holds onto the two strap ends while bending the back forward. Many find they can stretch more effectively with the strap than without it, and ultimately find themselves improving their flexibility and ability to approximate the pose in its more advanced form.