Master Yoga and Meditation

Benefits of Yoga - May Help Metabolic Syndrome

2008-01-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

For me, the benefits of yoga have never been in question -- meditation and yoga...

Lower blood pressure
Increased peace of mind
Lower stress level
Higher creativity
More self-awareness
Better digestion
Higher immune system - less colds and flus
Just to name a few...

It always amazes me, it seems each week there is a new benefit of yoga, new research that adds to the great things we can experience in our lives when practicing either yoga or meditation.

After all...that is the reason we started our Yoga Success website in the first place - there is so much benefit being experienced by many of us who practice yoga and/or meditation it became obvious we needed a place to share our passion and findings.

Just this week we found out about another benefit of yoga when improvements in a heart condition called metabolic syndrome were discovered. In this article from the Heart and Stroke foundation, some rather dramatic improvements in health were experienced from a group that practiced daily yoga over a group that received normal medical attention.

When we think of exercise to improve the heart we typically think of cardiovascular exercise such as running, swimming, aerobics or other exercises that significantly give our heart a workout - but it seems that activity such as yoga provide it's own benefits to the heart, certainly worthy of more study.

The Focus Of Your Meditation

2008-01-21T21:32:00.001-05:00

Do you have trouble freeing your mind of the flood of thoughts that come your way when you sit down to either relax or commit to a session of meditation?

Naturally, we are increasingly a faced-paced, stressed out society. Calming our minds during meditation is an increasingly tough challenge - especially for someone just starting out with meditation or yoga or for someone who is returning after not practicing for a time.

One question that often comes up is what should be the focus of your meditation?

If the objective of meditation is to focus intently on something until your mind is so tuned into that "something" that it eventually gives way to "nothing" what should that original focus of your meditation be?

Traditional meditation suggests that you either focus on nothing (not very realistic for beginners since the feeling of "nothing" is not even something that they understand) or focus on your breathing.

The challenge with focusing on your breathing as a focus of meditation is that your breathing is tough to control when you are anxiety ridden and cannot calm your mind -so for many, using your breath as a way to meditate is simply a chicken and egg scenario that cannot be reached.

Focusing on my breathing did not work for the first year of meditation in my case. I am very picky about my focus during meditation - in fact, what works for me are the relaxing CD's with either repetititive nature sounds (like a babbling brook or ocean waves) or any repetitive sound - even music if you can get something that repeats the same thing enough times.

The sound is both relaxing and serves the purpose of being repetitive enough my mind is eventually free enough to get to that magical "nothing" place where true relaxation and introspection emerge from their normal shackles of daily existance.

So - what is your best focus of meditation?

Could it be a consistent sound of a metrinome (you can try the many free metronomes that are available from sites like www.download.com), a relaxation CD, your breath or even visual objects and/or smells could work.

Don't fall into the trap feeling like you have to respond to someone else's focus of meditation, instead find your own - what works for you and soon you will be feeling the same benefits that we all are lucky enough to have experienced.

Saving Owen Wilson Too Much For Yoga?

2007-10-10T21:23:00.000-04:00

According to this showbiz report today posted on digital spy, Jennifer Anniston has been supporting Owen Wilson in his quest to overcome depression with meditation and yoga.

Certainly there is evidence that meditation can help to control feelings of frustration, over-reaction to stress and events around you helping to control the factors leading to emotional issues such as depression.

One must ask though if meditation and yoga will be enough for those who are exhibiting strong signs of depression. While not a bad thing, total reliance on yoga and meditation in such dire emotional cases may not be warranted.

Jeff

Your Success Personal Growth Plan

2007-07-04T09:05:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting exercise that will no doubt highlight the importance of working on your own success personal growth program.

Tomorrow, when you wake up, start writing down everything you do and simply identify if that activity, thought, or action is the result of something YOU intended, or something that you are doing because someone else asked or told you to do it?

Putting some thought into our most recent article "Success Personal Growth Plan Begins With Regaining Control Over Your Life" got me thinking more than usual about who really controls my day.

For example, when did you get out of bed? Was it at a time YOU controlled, or were you controlled by your job, your family or anyone else?

What about your morning routine - are you racing through breakfast, choose the food you eat based on how much time you have, automatically arrive at the coffee shop first think in the morning because it's the only way you can get through the morning?

I guarantee you, spend a day documenting WHY you take each action or thought and you will be incented to develop your own success personal growth plan - if only to regain control in your life.

Jeff

Why Meditation Techniques Work - Scientific Proof!

2007-07-01T10:30:00.000-04:00

I remember discussing meditation techniques with someone who had practicing this ancient art of insight far longer than I had, his theory was that by acknowledging the negativity in our lives during a meditation session, you could deal with it in a non-emotional way (at least in a less emotional way) thereby cancelling out much of it's negative energy.

Another thing my chiropracter always told me when I was young was to write out your anxiety, negativity, fears each day - that by simply writing about them multiple times, you would be less pre-disposed to the emotion.

That used to confuse me, especially when reading the other school of thought which was "ignore" negativity, replacing it with positive thoughts - the message I found in most personal development material back in the 1980's.

Who was right?

We've known for some time that practicing yoga and meditation - discovering what is inside of you and simply accepting those feelings is a critical part of moving forward in our lives - that was the basis for our Yoga Success website and teachings.

It's also been true, however, that the reasons "why" bringing your feelings to the surface in a controlled, safe way seems to have very powerful advantages in our lives. We are only at the forefront today of mixing science and concepts from yoga and meditation.

A set of positive results on meditation techniques came out this last week - published as part of the Life Science website in an article titled "Brain Scans Reveal Why Meditation Works".

In this study, researchers proved that putting negative feelings into words has a calming effect on the brain's emotional center.

In short, by putting your feelings of sadness, anxiety, fear, or other negative emotions into words - even better, writing them out, you can substantially reduce the emotional response to those feelings allowing us to "put things into perspective" better.

Since meditation techniques call for realization of any negative feelings and focusing on them in a way to get passed those feelings, we can now truly understand why yoga, and especially meditation techniques, work.

Does Your Personal Development Growth Plan Include Yoga?

2007-06-27T14:22:00.000-04:00

What are some of the key steps in any personal development growth plan?

1. Motivation
2. Goal Setting
3. Time Management
4. Stress Management
5. Wellness
6. Confidence and Self Assurance

Do you recognize those as the pivotal parts of personal development growth strategies from authors such as Anthony Robbins, Dr Phil, Les Brown, Brian Tracey and many other leaders in this space.

Indeed, our own business growth coaching incorporates the fundamentals of personal development outlined over at "Peak Personal Development" website

What fascinates me though is that most personal development growth plans are totally consumed by trying to FIX something that for whatever reason is broken.

You aren't motivated, so you get a dozen techniques on increasing your excitement level - but then come crashing down in a few days and get stuck back in the same rut

Or, you set goals based on what you think you want, then fail to make any progress whatsoever toward achieving those goals.

Sound familiar?

An effective personal development growth plan first involves discovering success that is already embedded within you.

It's about finding your purpose, your passion, your meaning on this earth and convincingly turning that into your own life plan.

Your personal development growth system should not be about "fixing" something, but should be all about growing based on "discovery" of what's inside - a major way to achieve successful discovery is through yoga and meditation.

By including yoga and meditation into your personal improvement growth plans - suddenly the techniques outlined in your plan will seem clear, simple and totally achievable.

Jeff

Yoga and Vegetarian?

2007-06-25T21:16:00.000-04:00

How many of you who practice yoga are also vegetarian?

Ok, let me put it another way. How many of you who practice yoga eat less meat than you used to?

I certainly fall into that camp. I'm not a vegetarian, still slip some meat into my diet at times, but I do notice that since practicing yoga and meditation, I'm much more conscious about what I put into my body.

Just read about an interesting business trend of mixing yoga and vegetarian restaurant - in this case it's a story about a woman in NAPA who started this combination business.

Got me to thinking though about how many others who practice yoga also stay away from meat.

If this is the case, then yoga and meditation may owe at least some of it's benefits for lowering blood pressure, increasing stamina and energy to the influence yoga and meditation has on our overall self-image, especially as it relates to food.

What about you - does yoga affect your self-image and/or diet?

Jeff

Cure Anxiety And Panic Attack Is One Step Away

2007-03-19T12:27:00.000-04:00

Could a cure for anxiety and panic attack symptoms really exist? For those who have ever suffered a debilitating panic or anxiety attack, you will no doubt relate to this list of symptoms:

* Heart Palpatations

* Profuse sweating

* Difficulty breathing

* Trouble digesting food or choking feeling

* Tightness in your chest

* Gas, or general abdominal discomfort

* Spaciness or even seeming loss of balance

* Constant living in fear

* Chronic feeling of losing control

* Sudden changes in temperature or facial redness

No matter how often you experience attacks with these symptoms, the fact is your life becomes a living hell because you are overtaken with fear, not knowing when another panic attack symptom may uncontrollably take over your body or mind.

Until seeing the "Panic Away Program" over at http://www.yogasuccess.com/part/panic, I would have never believed the problem of panic attacks were so common nor would I have believed there was a way to cure anxiety and panic attack symptoms without loading down on medication

Just try to imagine what it feels like to experience one, if you can.

Here is a typical example:

Standing in a supermarket queue, it’s been a long wait but only one customer to go before you make it to the cashier. Wait, what was that sensation? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and what do you know—your heart skips a beat. “Please, God, not here.”

A quick scan of the territory—is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack.

There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus: Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Think relaxing thoughts, and again, while breathing in, think “Relax,” and then breathe out. But it doesn’t seem to be having any positive effect; in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel self-conscious and more uptight.

When all else fails, there is often very little opportunity to flee the situation without causing significant personal embarassment, yet everything in your body and mind scream at you to get out of the situation.

Just reading this depiction may be painful for many of you, but the good news is that there is a way to cure anxiety and panic attack symptoms - stop them in their tracks and take back control of your life.

CURE ANXIETY AND PANIC ATTACK SYMPTOMS LIES IN THE ATTACKS THEMSELVES?

There has been some great advancements in research and awareness about panic and anxiety attacks, but to date the treatments are of highly suspect impact.

What if I told you the trick to ending panic and anxiety attacks is to want to have one. That sounds strange, even contradictory, but let me explain.

Let me ask you this - with almost every effort available to you as a human being, do you constantly feel as if you are fighting off a rabid bulldog who consistently tries to overtake your body and mind placing it in the condition of an attack?

The trick to cure anxiety and panic attack symptoms is wanting to have one-the wanting pushes it away. Can you have a panic attack in this very second? No!

You know the saying that "what you resist, persists." Well that saying applies perfectly to fear. If you resist a situation out of fear, the fear around that issue will persist. How do you stop resisting–you move directly into it, into the path of the anxiety, and by doing so it cannot persist.

In essence what this means is that if you daily voluntarily seek to have a panic attack, you cannot have one. Try in this very moment to have a panic attack and I will guarantee you cannot. You may not realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make the choice by saying this is beyond my control.

Another way to appreciate this is to imagine having a panic attack as like standing on a cliff's edge. The anxiety seemingly pushes you closer to falling over the edge.

To be rid of the fear you must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you fear most.

How do you jump? You jump by wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day asking for anxiety and panic attacks to appear.

It's a proven medical fact that the symptoms of panic and anxiety attacks will not harm you, so it is up to you to take control by bringing them on and quickly regain control of the fear that limits what you can accomplish in life.

Indeed, you can use yoga and meditation to help you work through the symptoms of your own generated panic attack - not only minimizing the impact, but also allowing you to control your panic attacks forever.

Thousands of people have had been able to cure anxiety and panic attack symptoms exactly this way, and I want to share with you the feeling of utter joy, liberation and amazing achievement that comes with finally overcoming the life sentence so many of today's population suffer with.

See more about this approach here: "Panic Away Program"

How To Get Rid Of Love Handles Fast

2007-02-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

Ever notice the sides of your stomach rubbing against the inside of your arms when you walk? How about putting on a bathing suite, don't they become much more noticeable? Of course I'm talking about the fat rolls that form just above your hips that make us all ask how to get rid of love handles?

It's true, you can often eliminate excess fat from the front of your stomach, legs or other parts of your body easier than from your love handles - the fat just never seems to leave your sides does it?

Indeed, love handles are one of the first areas where fat settles and one of the last places you will see improvement when focusing on weight loss and improving your body tone.

Fortunately, all is not lost, here is a 3 part system on how to get rid of love handles once and for all - even better, this technique will show measurable results in just a couple of weeks if you stick with the program.

1. Add at least 4 30-minute vigorous aerobic exercise to your program each week. In my case, jogging did the trick. If you are really out of shape, start very slow and take frequent breaks extending the time past 30-minutes. Over time you will find the aerobic activity becomes easier and can even become pleasant and addictive.

2. If you really want to know how to get rid of love handles, then you must be willing to eat healthier. I'm not talking about turning into a vegetarian or cutting back all of the foods or drinks that you love, but to really burn off the love handles fast and see lasting change, you must become aware of good food habits. The information in "Burn Fat" over at http://www.highertrustmarketing.com/part/fburn/ provided us with the top 12 worst and best foods for burning fat which helped speed up getting rid of love handle fat.

3. Focused exercise targeting your abdominals which include crunches, sit-ups, leg lifts as you lie 90-degrees to the floor, will all help to build muscle in the abdominal region which will not only tone your love handle area but will also increase your metabolism leading to more fat burning efficiency.

If you struggle with how to get rid of love handles then follow these 3 steps consistently for 1-month and you will see a big difference. Believe me, there is no better feeling that putting on a bathing suit and actually seeing your complete waistline.

Miracle Fat Loss Tip Without Using Supplements

2007-02-22T15:18:00.000-05:00

It's a common desire from people around me, they want to lose fat, tone their muscle quickly without having to re-arrange their entire lives.

Sounds like a perfect prescription for fat loss supplements doesn't it?

Well, you would correct in assuming most people do at least consider the use of a fat loss pill, supplement or other non-natural method to help them lose fat fast.

After months of research, lots of personal experimentation, we have found several methods that work better than taking supplements which led to this information on fat loss tip that do not involve pills, creams or any other ingested material outside of food.

Fat loss tip 1 - Eat a diet rich in fibre and vegetables. Not only do fibre and vegetables take the place of poor quality, fat rich foods in your diet, but they also help eliminate fats from your system, create a healthy environment in your gut that limits the storage of fat in your system.

Fat loss tip 2 - Get at least 40-minutes of rigorous exercise 3-times each week. This could be rapid walking, jogging, swimming, working out in a gym or a combination of all these elements. In my case, I want to both lose fat and gain muscle, so my workouts tend to be 30-minutes of aerobic exercise such as jogging or swimming combined with a 15-minute workout with weights.

Regarding exercise - you'll notice I mention 15-minutes here, there is a reason. Instead of killing ourselves exercising, we learned a very important reality that lets us spend less time and less rigor exercising, but achieve much more effective results - we found it in this Fat Burning Course - http://www.highertrustmarketing.com/part/fburn/

Fat loss tip 3 - Learn to relax using methods such as yoga or meditation to help your body more readily accept and properly digest the foods you eat. For many people, a high level of stress not only leads to over-eating or eating the wrong foods, but also interferes with the normal digestive process resulting less nutrients and more fat storage in their systems.

Fat loss tip 4 - Drink more water. As you increase the fibre intake in your diet, combining that with 7-8 large glasses of water each day will ensure your system supports proper elimination which is very important to overall digestive health

Fat loss tip 5 - Focus on foods that will help to increase your alertness, energy and enthusiasm for life. Feeling better will not only lead to eating healthier foods, it will prevent you from relapsing into bad habits, increase your metabolism and allow you to maintain a positive self-image.

It's clear from our research, there are many options to burn fat faster naturally without turning to supplements. Which fat loss tip will you use first?

Miracle Food That Burn Fat

2007-02-21T09:29:00.000-05:00

So many of us look for every possible gimmick, diet or risky exercise routine in our bid to burn fat fast from our bodies. Wouldn't it be great if there were wonder foods - a miracle food that burn fat without ever lifting a finger?

Research has demonstrated that the best way to take off unwanted pounds and remove fat from your body is to take a balanced approach involving a healthier diet, an active lifestyle, a good mental attitude and avoiding some of the nastier fats.

As part of this balanced lifestyle routine, you will find that food that burn fat will help tremendously in your effort to reduce the waistline, or whatever other part of your body that has grown somewhat out of proportion.

In fact, in the wonderful "Burn the Fat" book we were amazed to find 12 foods that you MUST avoid and 12 that you MUST include as part of your weight loss and muscle building goals. Here are 3 strong fat burning foods to get you started.

FAT BURNING FOOD

A great deal of research supports the notion that Soybean's are a great food that burn fat. Soybeans are offer a high source of low-fat protein that can help you build muscle, increase your metabolism and burn more fat. Another benefit of soybeans is that they are low on the glycemic index, which simply means they have minimal impact on blood sugar levels and you can therefore avoid the cravings and rollercoaster ride associated with foods that cause large fluctuations in your blood sugar levels.

Apples are another great food that burn fat, having many advantages to offer. Apples contain pectin which is a soluble fiber which has been shown to aid in a healthy digestive system and lower the bloating that is so often associated with today's society. Apples contain the highest percentage of pectin - so an apple a day will not only keep the doctor away, but those extra pounds as well.

Garlic has also been found to be a great food that burn fat, it does so in a few different ways. First, garlic has been shown to help regulate cholesterol, acting on the fat to prevent cholesterol being raised. Second, there is research that supports garlic's ability to break down fat deposits in your cells leading to less fat and reduced fat-formed blood clots which can lead to heart disease and stroke.

As you think about getting more exercise, fasting for days or reaching for the next miracle diet pill, consider adding foods that burn fat to your diet. Not only will they taste great, but there is strong research behind the overall health benefits of these foods.

These tips are only the beginning, some of the best advice and research on natural fat burning methods is contained in "Burn the Fat" - it's a great read.

Jeff

Amazing 4-Step Fat Loss Workout That Melts Weight Away!

2007-02-20T15:41:00.000-05:00

My wife and I are due to hit 40 this year, and although we have always been conscious of our weight, it's just not as easy to keep it off as it used to, so we decided to get serious about a fat loss workout system.

Now we are different, my wife enjoys running and likes the social aspect of yoga and other fat loss workout systems where there is a group involved.

Me, well I prefer to focus on diet and also enjoy running and exercise, but I'm not a big fan of groups or classes - so it was obvious right from the beginning, we're going to follow different systems.

My weight loss workout consisted of the following:

1. Replace my normal high calorie lunch with fat burning foods including vegetables with less carbohydrates - I found the 12 best foods to eat over at "Burn The Fat"
here
2. Jog at least 30-minutes, 3-times each week in addition to 3 15-minute weight workout sessions at a local health club

3. Cut down on late night snacks - I have a habit of eating before bedtime.

4. Try the slow burn method of working out to burn fat even when I'm not working out.

My wife's fat loss workout plan looked like this:

1. Run 6km 4-times each week

2. Drink at least 4 more glasses of water each day

3. Cut down on the late night snacking

4. Attend a monthly yoga and meditation class - since helping me build Yoga and Meditation Success Website - she has become a real advocate of yoga.

SO - WHAT WERE OUR RESULTS

Drumroll please, after just 2-months of following the regime listed above, I had lost 15lbs and my wife had lost close to the same (though she had a much lower body fat percentage to begin with).

Not only did this fat loss workout plan burn more fat, it finally did away with my moddle "spare tire" and I gained energy I hadn't counted on getting back.

Try creating your own fat burning workout and see what it can do for you.

Best Food For Getting Vitamin D

2007-02-07T08:51:00.000-05:00

Get ready for the mad flury of press on the benefits of Vitamin D in fighting cancer after some very positive research came out of the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - you can see the full story here.

So, the first question we must ask is can we get enough Vitamin D from the Sun and the best food for Vitamin D?

Anyone living in the North understands that the quality of the sun in the winter months combined with the fact that you can't leave anymore than about 20% of your body exposed severely limits your ability to get enough Vitamin D by the sun only.

That leaves us next with understanding how to get vitamin D from our diet, so what are the best foods for getting vitamin D?

Here are some foods containing good amounts of vitamin D:

- Cheese and Milk as well as most dairy products (you may even see
some dairy substitute products enriched or fortified with Vitamin
D)
- Fish (especially smaller fish such as sardines, trout, salmon)
- Margarine
- Oysters

vitamin D is one of those vitamins that can cause nasty side effects if you ingest too much - symptoms may include kidney stones, nausea and weakness if too much is taken.

Supplements should be a last resort, instead, more short-periods of exposure to the sun and eating a diet rich with vitamin D and vitamin D fortification will help to maintain a healthy level discussed in the latest research in warding off colorectal and breast cancers.

Finally, it is important to note that yoga and meditation can play a role in the battle to get more from the best food for getting vitamin D. When many of us are stressed, our digestion suffers - in effect we are no longer producing the proper enzymes in our gut to properly break down and benefit from vitamins in our foods.

So - if we are in a state of chronic stress, then we are most likely not getting the full benefit of vitamin D in the foods we eat. Mix your overall health and nutrition plan with yoga and meditation to get all of the benefits of vitamin D rich foods.

Even Rockers Are Getting Into Meditation

2007-02-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

Meditation has always had it's followers, me being among them - I find it one of the most useful, natural and effective ways to deal with the fast-paced society we live in today.

A big part of the growth in popularity of meditation is the aging population. It seems as we age, we seek out more and more opportunities to help us naturally slow down and smell the flowers.

Now, it's even hit one of the wildest, most out of control rockers of our time - Lou Reed is getting into the meditation game by releasing meditation - albeit a new-wave edition of meditation music.

Since the early mantra-based meditations, there has been much research into different frequency and rhythm impacts on our brainwaves - in a nutshell, we have become much more aware of how to achieve the ultimate rhythm in our brains.

Studies have demonstrated the benefits of lower brainwave frequencies including the physiological health of the brain, lowered blood pressure, reduced stress, increased circulation and many more benefits.

So what's next - "I can't get no satisfaction" - the meditation version?

Jeff

From Yoga Exercise To Yoga Living

2007-02-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

Some people begin yoga with the full intent of living yoga rather than just attending a yoga class or two during the week.

Many others join yoga slowly by attending initial yoga classes, purchasing a yoga book or video, trying some home yoga or other beginner steps.

Whatever the method of getting started, there will come a time when you discover that truly practicing yoga involves living your life according to certain principles - learning to live in the moment, opting for less materially because it just doesn't matter as much anymore, in short you find that you are changing.

Next, by becoming more aware of your body, inner awareness and how you feel through yoga exercise, you find you are increasing your concern over what you put into your body, so suddenly nutrition and diet become important.

Finally, you become more open to overall healthy lifestyle of taking more time for yourself, increased exercise, most people become more social and healthier overall.

It's ok that people don't start yoga with the intent of completely changing their lifestyle - if you stick with it you will notice that your lifestyle will change over time automatically as you begin to see the benefits of yoga and meditation.

Jeff

Yet Another Kind of Yoga

2007-02-01T21:53:00.000-05:00

You have pilates yoga, hatha yoga, bikram yoga - and even for those that are looking for something really different, nude yoga.

Add another yoga program to the list - laughter yoga.

Read this article talking about the similarity between breathing exercises in yoga and laughing, which also can bve aerobic as it increases the oxygen flow to your brain.

As you may have heard, in this age of stress and anxiety, there are laughter clubs starting up all around the country.

What about you - up for 30-minutes of laughter yoga?

Jeff

Great yoga Ball Exercise For Middle Age Men And Women

2007-01-31T15:58:00.000-05:00

Being a middle-age man, many of us struggle with lower back pain and that ring of fat that so easily tends to latch on to us as the years go by. There are some good exercises using a yoga ball that can help keep control of that midriff bloating and fat.

Back extensions are one exercise you can do with a yoga ball. First, you kneel down in front of the yoga ball and lay yourself, face down, on top of the exercise ball with the abdoman on the ball.

Start by letting yourself relax hovering over the yoga ball, then roll down the ball and lift your chest slowly with your hands and arms behind your back until you are horizontal, hold the pose for a few seconds and slowly relax.

Be cautioned to discontinue this yoga ball exercise if you feel any discomfort - but try 4-6 on your first try and then keep up this yoga ball exercise at least 3-times a week as part of your overall yoga program.

If you want to know more about yoga balls - then visit our Yoga Ball page.

Jeff

Yoga poses for relaxation

2007-01-30T15:05:00.000-05:00

When you first think of yoga or meditation, you typically think of relaxation or stress-relief don't you?

In fact, there are some forms of yoga that lend themselves to strength building, vigorous activity for weight loss and other yoga poses that stress flexibility and circulation.

So, what about stress relief and relaxation, what yoga poses can you adopt as part of your routine that will be especially helpful in this area?

First, you should certainly understand the basics of breathing or pranayama. As the basis of all ananas, breathing exercises are critical to stress and relaxation.

Another yoga pose you can try is mountain pose - a standing position where you start by standing, arms at your side and begin lifting the first quarter of your foot into the air and let them down.

Then, raise your chest up and down, then raise up your head, imagine lengthening your neck pulling down on your shoulders and stretching your neck toward the ceiling.

Now, focus on your breathing, controlled, steady looking straight in front of you. Imagine energy flowing through the floor, your feet, up your body and out your head.

A simple pose, mountain yoga pose is a good focus pose that can help with relaxation and stress-relief.

Jeff

Yoga and Meditation For Retired Seniors

2007-01-30T14:50:00.000-05:00

Even though yoga and meditation are currently going through a massive resurgence, have you noticed that almost all of the discussion and marketing has been around the young or yuppie generation?

We have yoga for kids, yoga becoming big in schools, businesses looking at stress relief, relaxation and productivity benefits of incorporating yoga into it's health centers - but there is very little about yoga for seniors?

In reality, the benefits of yoga are extremely well aligned with seniors and retirees.

For example, yoga has been thought to increase circulation, help control blood pressure and enhance flexibility as well as core strength.

Meditation can be a terrific method of relaxation, freeing the mind of clutter and bringing meaning to the later stages of life when the evolution of family and career can leave some large gaps.

What are your thoughts? Do you have an aging parent or relative that could benefit from yoga and meditation?

Perhaps starting specific programs targeting seniors makes great sense, even offering yoga classes in seniors homes and retirement residences. If you have a comment, let us here your opinion.

Jeff

So Many Great Yoga Success Stories

2007-01-29T15:34:00.000-05:00

I got to thinking yesterday evening, I have heard so many great yoga and meditation stories over the last few years - it not only seems that yoga is becoming much more popular, it really does look like society is seeing a rather dramatic improvement.

There is the neighbor that struggled through incredible emotional and physical turmoil while carrying her first child - having found yoga and meditation as a technique to lessen her worry and anxiety while increasing her comfort and peace of mind.

Then there are the retired school teachers who live down the street who found yoga and meditation the perfect cure for boredom, aches and pains and periodic bouts of depression.

My wife, an avid runner who now takes solace in the flexibility, relaxation and strength building aspects of yoga.

Several professionals I know deal with their immense pressure and stress by taking a 30-minute yoga or meditation break 3-times each week.

My own case of meditation helping disolve years of digestion problems.

There is no doubt in my mind that yoga and meditation can play a very important role toward a healthier and happier future for all of us.

Read about 5 Yoga Miracles in the new report we just posted.

Jeff

Yoga Teaches We Get What We Project

2007-01-28T13:41:00.000-05:00

Do you find that you seem to rub people the wrong way? That people focus their attention on someone else when you walk in the room? Or even leave and go elsewhere, seemingly oblivious, or even uncomfortable with your presence?

Yoga teachings suggest that our internal view or self-image is likely to be the cause of how others react to us.

It's a very difficult concept for us to accept, it means we have to admit that the cause so many others may not have an interest in us is because we are not interested in ourselves!

Or, others may get angry with us because we are, in fact, angry with ourselves internally.

That's why yoga and meditation are so important in our life. It's not just some feel-good notion that we can tap into our inner being, instead it is a mandatory exercise for changing our inner being thereby changing the results around us.

Next time you feel unfomfortable, uncertain, or even angry with how others are around you, turn to yoga teachings as a method of finding what within you may have projected and caused this reaction to happen.

Miracles happen when you begin exploring your life through yoga and meditation, download this free report on 5 Miracles of Yoga and Meditation.

Jeff

More People Taking Up Yogic Meditation

2007-01-27T09:43:00.000-05:00

As stress levels increase, coming at us from almost every direction, more and more of us look for ways to handle it - and for many, that is leading them directly to meditation.

Stress is coming from increased demands on our time, a worsening world situation, 24-hour news and reporting, and rapid changes in beliefs and values.

For many, the prospect of joining a meditation class, or setting aside an uninterrupted 30-minutes of time each day sounds self-absorbed, but it's becoming more clear that our impact on the outside world is heavily influenced by what is going on inside of us.

Meditation allows us to both recognize what is happening inside (self-awareness) and to put it into perspective better controlling the impact of our thoughts on life.

Interest in the different forms of meditation including Buddhist, Hinduist, Taoist, New Age, Transcendental and others show the 20-40 age range is ready to begin the process of looking within for solutions to stress and relaxation as well as overall improvements ot health and fitness.

I practice meditation each morning, then yoga 3-times each week and work out at noon at a gym that offers both sweat workouts and yoga and meditation.

I have noticed over the last 3-years amazing growth in those who choose to no longer sweat out a workout, but fit a yoga and meditation session in at their lunch break.

And I must admit - the look on the faces of those that exit their yoga and meditation class are much more at peace, happy and self-assured than those of the workout crowd. Of course, that's just my personal observation.

Jeff

How Do I Keep My Thoughts Out During Meditation

2007-01-26T09:13:00.000-05:00

A very common question, and source of confusion for people who try yoga and meditation is how do I keep my thoughts out during meditation?

It's true, the minute you decide to focus on meditation, your head becomes filled with thoughts from the day, and if you are really expecting to suddenly empty your mind during meditation, then you will find your meditation a constant battle of wills within your mind.

Instead of trying to "clear" your mind, what you want to do is decide that you want to "detach" yourself from the thoughts.

I struggled with this battle for months before I understood to unconditionally accept all my thoughts as they race through my mind rather than trying to battle each one to keep it out.

A technique that worked wonders for me when meditating is to pretend you are in a movie theatre, all by yourself, and the thoughts that come to mind are simply a movie that you watch objectively. Your job is to let your mind unburden itself during your meditation.

Once you take this attitude, suddenly, your mind is at peace and eventually, within a few minutes you will be able to re-focus your mind on your chakra, pattern, voice or whatever pattern you have chosen to use in your meditation.

Next time you struggle with your thoughts, just let them be - and oddly enough, they will eventually go away.

To understand the miracles of yoga and meditation - we invite you to download our free 15-page report - it will inspire, enlighten and improve your life.

Jeff

Would Yoga Ever Be Mandatory Schooling In North America?

2007-01-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

Came across this widely reported story where the schools within Madhya Pradesh - a state within India - were urged to participate in a state-wide yoga program termed 'surya namasker' (saluting the sun).

Driven by the government as a way of increase awareness about the benefits of yoga - pranayama (breathing exercises) were stressed as part of the policy on yoga.

According to this story from Calcutta News, over 300,000 students participated in the yoga policy.

What do you think - could this ever happen in North America? Would any government or health agency think to push such a policy in the name of prevention, increasing quality of life and reducing health care costs?

Something to think about isn't it.

Jeff

Trendy Yoga Clothes - Do You Buy This?

2007-01-25T08:40:00.000-05:00

What do you guys think about the movement toward trendy yoga clothes? It seems there are yoga wear specialty shops popping up everywhere - and what did I find on my wife's Christmas list last year, trendy yoga wear from Lululemon.

Lululemon.com seems to be sweeping the nation - they are rapidly expanding their yoga wear shops, not to mention their growing online presence. There is an argument brewing over true yoga lifestyle believers who shun trendy yoga clothes and the millions upon millions of others who are more casual practicers of yoga.

What's interesting is that I know a few people who don't even practice yoga, probaby don't even know what it really is, yet they shop at these yoga clothes shops.

In fact, on our site at Yoga Success, the Yoga Clothes pages are some of the most popular as people look at yoga as the "in-thing", fashionable and trendy.

What about you?

I suppose I am concerned how I look in public, when I take a yoga class. Like anything else, when something becomes more popular you begin to compare yourself against others - if they wear trendy yoga clothes, then shouldn't you?

It will be interesting to see how this entire yoga wear business shakes out in the coming months and years - for now, we would all be advised to spend more time on practicing yoga and less time shopping for yoga clothes.

Jeff