Category: Yoga

Yoga and light stretching.

What Are the Benefits of Yoga for Overall Well-Being?

Yoga is the best exercise compared to other physical activities. It promotes the excellent mental, physical, and emotional well-being of the person who practices it. The popularity of yoga is increasing day by day. It has spread its significance even to the western world. Many medical professionals and celebrities practice different yoga pose every day to eliminate health issues and stay peacefully. What are the benefits of yoga? Yoga is an ancient practice that allows individuals to connect to their bodies, minds, and spirits through different poses and control their breathing and do meditation. It improves the immune power and enables you to stay away from viral diseases.

Many studies have proven how yoga helps fight health issues, body pains, headaches, and other sicknesses. When you learn the benefits you can reap to stay fit, this motivates you to get onto the mat daily.

What are the benefits of yoga?

Various other benefits are offered by practicing yoga.

Improve body flexibility

One benefit that is awesome of yoga is that it improves the flexibility of the body. You can move the whole body flexibly. When you go for the first class of yoga, you won’t be able to do the stretching properly, and you won’t be able to touch your toes by bending your back and without bending the knees. If you do the yoga asanas regularly, the body will receive the flexibility, and you would be able to perform all kinds of asanas with ease. Indeed, the poses that you found impossible also become possible after a few days. When the body is tight, it is prone to many health issues, especially joint or knee pains. Moreover, if there is tightness in the hamstrings, it would destroy the lumbar spine, resulting in back pain.

Improve muscle strength

When you have strong muscles, it makes you look fit and energetic. One of the benefits of yoga for men is that it does not let you get susceptible to back pain and arthritis. These are the health issues to which many people get prone when they grow older. You can build strength through yoga poses and balance the body through flexibility. 

Promote proper posture

Head is like a big, round bowl, and at the same time, is massive. If you perform any of the exercises and do not practice them properly, it takes a toll on the spine. Sometimes, the back and neck muscles would start to feel the strain. When you hold the head in the forward-leaning position for around 8 to 12 hours, you begin to feel tired. However, fatigue can be avoided, but poor posture would result in neck, back, muscle, and joint issues.

No more joint breakdowns

Whenever you practice yoga, joints would be toned thoroughly. This helps you to keep arthritis at bay. You would also tone the areas which are left untouched for a long time, i.e., the cartilage areas. The joint cartilage is the area that would be like a sponge; it receives the essential nutrients only when you squeeze out the fluid so that the new nutrients can soak up.

Keep the spine healthy.

The spine is the shock absorber that is present amidst the vertebrae. This helps to compress and herniated the nerves. If you practice yoga positions correctly, such as twists, backbend, and front bend, you can keep the discs in the proper place.

what are the benefits of yoga to Improve sex life

One of the critical benefits of yoga for men is that it improves their sex life by increasing blood flow to the genital area. It also flushes out the toxins from the body, which eventually takes a toll on sexual performance.

Promote bone health

The bones start to become fragile overage. The majority of women are prone to osteoporosis after a certain age. However, you can fight against this common health problem by practicing various types of yoga positions. These will strengthen the bones in the body. A few asanas such as an upward facing dog and a downward-facing dog, help you avoid falling prey to the fractures sooner. When the cortisol levels drop in the body, it allows the bones to receive the much-needed calcium.

Boost the blood flow

Yoga would also improve blood flow. When you carry out the relaxation exercises, it helps you promote blood flow in the feet and hands areas. The best thing is that by practicing yoga, the body’s oxygen levels will improve to the cells. You can do twisted poses and inverted poses to improve the blood flow to the heart. If there is any kidney or heart problem due to swelling of the legs, you can keep this problem at bay by doing various yoga asanas. The hemoglobin and red blood cells can get better, responsible for carrying the required amount of oxygen to the tissues.

Maintain the blood pressure

People suffering from high blood pressure can gain the benefits of yoga. The corpse pose would help people control their blood pressure. With three months of practice of various yoga asanas, especially the corpse pose, there is a drop in systolic blood pressure by 26 points and diastolic blood pressure by 15 points.

What are the benefits of yoga- mental health benefits? 

Let you stay happy

One of the mental benefits of yoga is that it let you stay happy. When you feel sad and want to increase the body’s happy hormones, you can immediately turn into the dancer pose or do the backbend. By regularly doing yoga asanas, you can fight depression by increasing the serotonin levels and keeping monoamine oxidase at bay.

Promote a healthy lifestyle

People who are on a stringent diet would do rigorous exercises and follow a strict diet. However, yoga can help you can stay fit and follow a healthy lifestyle that keeps you active and energetic all day long and in the long run too. By practicing yoga, you can burn the body’s calories and focus on your eating and weight problems. Doing yoga would make you conscious of what you are consuming every day.

what are the benefits of yoga to Reduce stress

One of the mental benefits of yoga is to promote relaxation by putting a check on cortisol (stress hormone) in the body. The quality of life and mental health can get better. It is a powerful way to alleviate stress.  

Improve focus

Many people lose focus after a few seconds. However, you can keep up the direction and attain success in your life by doing various yoga poses every day. By doing yoga practice every day, you can improve the coordination, memory, IQ score, and reaction time. Transcendental meditation would help you solve various problems and recall the information quickly.

Did the above benefits have answered the question of what are the benefits of yoga? Then, start doing the yoga from today to reap those benefits and stay healthy. 

Yoga for Cervical Spondylosis and Neck Pain

Nowadays working in an office means sitting in one position for several hours. Doing this is affecting our health in a major way. The effect of wrong posture and lack of exercise is not only confined to our body. It is affecting in every mental, social and emotional way as well. Working overtime and sitting on improper chairs for the whole day leads to neck, cervical and shoulder problems.

The attrition and abrasion of the spine desk lead to cervical spondylosis. It is no longer true that these problems only affect elderly people. Nowadays, all adults who overwork suffer from similar issues. Chronic pain is the most important feature of frozen shoulders or cervical spondylosis.

Yoga works wonders for cervical spondylosis

There are not many medicines that can give you a guarantee to cure neck pain or cervical spondylosis. There are, however, a few yoga exercises that can work like magic to reduce such chronic pains. Let us go, through the following.

  1. Sun salutation or Surya Namaskar

If you are suffering from neck, cervical or shoulder pain, you should practice Surya Namaskar every day. However, you must make sure that you are practicing the correct postures as otherwise, it can cause adverse effects on your body. Doing Surya Namaskar properly will relieve you from neck, shoulder and cervical pain.

  1. Fish pose or Matsyasana

You can practice the fish pose to increase strength and flexibility across the entire spine or vertebral column. Matsyasana or fish pose works very well for people who spend long hours sitting in front of the computer. It relieves stress and also soothes pain due to cervical spondylosis.

  1. Cobra pose or Bhujangasana

Stiffness in your spinal cord means that you have already invited several ailments and pain along with an unfit body. All the signals from the brain to the body and vice versa runs through our spinal cords. Practicing Bhujangasana will make you more flexible and also remove stiffness in the shoulder and neck. As a result, you will find relief from cervical pains.

  1. Crocodile pose or Makarasana

The shape of our spinal cord depends highly on our posture and it may not be in a correct state even if we are unaware of it. You will be able to reduce nerve compression along the spinal cord if you practice Makarasana regularly. The crocodile poses also work well for people suffering from cervical spondylosis and neck pain.

  1. Infant’s pose or Bal- Shayanasana

If you are suffering from stress and body pain due to it, practice Shayanasana for the best results. Stress cannot just cause painful cervical spondylosis. Out of all other major effects, pain in the lower back is also very common. Workload and excessive stress are big problems but you must carve out some time from your busy schedule to focus on your health every day. it is extremely important to stay fit and then only will you be able to work more efficiently.

  1. Half-boat position or Ardha Naukasana

The half-boat pose works beyond neck and cervical pain. Practicing this yoga asana regularly will reduce all your chronic constipation and indigestion problems. Ardha Naukasana works well for Diabetic people as well. It is a part of basic yoga and anyone can master it with just a little practice.

  1. Half-locust poses or Ardha Salbhasana

A very basic yoga pose in which you bend backward gently works like nothing else to reduce problems of lumbago, cervical pain, and sciatica. You must perform Ardha Salbhasana regularly for the best results. Therefore, if you are suffering badly due to cervical spondylosis, it is high time you start practicing yoga for the better.

  1. Striking cobra pose or Shanshank Bhujangasana

The striking cobra pose is an advanced yoga asana and can help you withdraw from all the bad effects of an unhealthy lifestyle. It strengthens the body and increases your flexibility too. Cervical pains and other backaches will shoo away quickly if you can use this exercise.

  1. Elbow rotations or Kohni Chalana

It is very simple to do elbow rotations. You can even do it for a couple of minutes when you are sitting at work. It is a basic movement pose that makes the neck and shoulder more flexible. Kohni Chalana can also effectively prevent frozen shoulder, cervical spondylosis, and bursitis.

  1. Cat pose or Marjariasana

An advanced yoga pose, it is practiced mainly for spinal flexibility and smooth functioning of the vertebral column. If you have rigidity in the spine or constant pain in your neck, this yoga asana can be extremely helpful for you. Experts say that practicing Marjariasana is like a natural massage or therapy for the spinal cord.

Causes of cervical spondylosis

The following are the most common causes of cervical spondylosis

  • Ignorance of participation in physical exercises and incorrect postures
  • If you sleep with more than one pillow under your head. Using improper pillows can also cause spondylosis.
  • Working in front of computers at a stretch every day.
  • Not changing the sleeping position for a long time
  • Modern chairs that recline back. They are comfortable now but cause physical issues with longer use.

Symptoms of cervical spondylosis

  • Stiffness and pain in the neck
  • Continuation of the neck pain
  • Severe pain in the shoulder that reaches the chest
  • A numbing sensation in the limbs
  • Problems in doing everyday chores
  • Difficulty in reflex actions
  • Weakness in the lower portion of the body especially legs
  • Severe neck and shoulder pain leading to fever

How to prevent cervical spondylosis?

  • Do not indulge in pressure exercises and excessive jerking of the body. Try to avoid jumping and running.
  • Try to use wooden chairs instead of those reclining and rotating modern chairs.
  • When you are working in the office, try to get up every once in a while, and take a stroll. Do not stick to the same position for long hours at a stretch.

Final thoughts:

Now you know that most of our physical problems and chronic pains are the results of a sedentary lifestyle. Maintaining a work-life balance and exercising regularly can help you stay healthy and fit always.

Glo Yoga Online: Stress-Busting Yoga Anytime You Need It

Our fast-paced modern lifestyles can take a toll on our health. From financial struggles, political strife and workplace challenges, stress seems to pop up at every turn. Each year, an increasing number of people develop serious stress-related illnesses such as high blood pressure, depression and gastrointestinal problems. Fortunately, we have tools to help combat stress. Studies have shown that regular meditation and yoga practices can greatly reduce the negative effects of our often stress-filled lives.

Effects of Excessive Cortisol on the Body

Our human bodies come equipped with remarkably effective systems to ensure our survival. We have developed a “fight or flight” response that allows us to redirect the body’s resources so that we can quickly escape dangerous situations like encounters with predators. Our bodies release the stress hormone, cortisol, which floods the bloodstream with glucose, increases the heart rate, and suppresses the immune and digestive systems. Cortisol prepares the brain and the large muscles to react swiftly, so that we can combat or flee life-threatening situations.

Luckily, these days most of us aren’t faced with nature’s predators on a regular basis. However, our bodies often perceive everyday stressors such as traffic jams or economic problems as serious threats to our wellbeing. This can leave us with elevated cortisol levels that can lead to unhealthy conditions such as:

  • Weight gain
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Heart disease
  • Insomnia
  • Digestive problems
  • Diabetes

Stress-Busting Yoga Online Classes with Glo

Fortunately, we have some tools that can help to lower the unhealthy effects of stress. Regular meditation, Pilates and yoga practices reduce the amount of cortisol in our bodies. However, sometimes trying to fit standard yoga classes into our busy schedules can also be stressful.

With Glo online yoga, you can combat stress from home or work anytime that’s convenient for you. Glo offers members over 3000 classes in a variety of relaxing forms such as:

Meditation

  • Meditation- Your Glo membership includes access to meditation classes that specialize in breathwork, mindfulness, chanting and guided meditations.

Yin yoga

  • Yin yoga- Yin yoga often includes leisurely forward bends that have a calming effect on the nervous system.

Pilates

  • Pilates- Originally formulated for ballet dancers, pilates not only provides a stress-busting workout, but these classes enhance your flexibility and improve your yoga practice.

Tao Yin

  • Tao Yin- Associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tao Yin Yoga works to balance the Qi in the body which helps to reduce excessive cortisol levels.

Vinyasa Yoga

  • Vinyasa Yoga- The flowing movements and coordinated breathwork of Vinyasa Yoga help to focus the mind and relieve stress.

Glo courses

  • Glo courses- Glo yoga online courses allow you to focus on specific aspects of your practice including stress-relief.

 

Now you can combat stress with unlimited access to our Pilates, meditation and yoga online classes. Try out Glo’s yoga courses for 15 days with our free trial membership. Once you experience the relaxing effects of yoga online, you can continue your membership for just $18/month. For the price of just one standard yoga class, you get access to stress-busting yoga anytime you want.

Not Just for Women: The Top Benefits of Yoga for Men

They say women are from Venus and men are from Mars, but on the yoga mat, everyone can benefit.

Gender norms drastically changed over the last 60 years. No longer do women stay home to tend to housework while men go to work. But, even though our society and gender norms have significantly evolved, we still find spaces in our culture where the genders are separated.

One of these places is a yoga studio. While women do practice yoga at higher rates than men, the benefits of yoga for men shouldn’t be ignored.

Yoga is a practice that engages the whole body and mind. It is a practice that requires focus, flexibility, and breath awareness. It can be soothing or it can be strenuous depending on the class you take or your personal preferences.

It is an activity that can be completed from the comfort of your home or at a local gym or studio. For those interested in taking a yoga class, all you’ll need is the proper clothing and a yoga mat. The rest of the workout is all about coordination, strength training, and finding greater flexibility.

Read on to learn about the benefits of yoga for men.

Ditching Gender Norms: The Benefits of Yoga for Men

Men and women both frequent gyms and participate in weight and cardio training. While these exercises do strengthen your mind and body, they don’t always meet your need for flexibility and relaxation.

Our modern society is filled with stress. From driving to work to working side-by-side with coworkers and clients, our responsibilities seem endless. And, self-care, is usually a priority that is removed from our to-do in favor of getting more accomplished.

Yoga and exercise help us all to slow down. Having an active lifestyle also helps us to eat better and make other important lifestyle changes such as drinking more water.

One great benefit of doing yoga is that we can do it from the comfort of our home by simply following along to an online yoga routine. So, if men are too embarrassed at first to join an in-person yoga class, they can still find the benefits of yoga for men from any location in the world.

Explore the following benefits of yoga for men to discover why it’s a great addition to your exercise routine.

1. Stress Relief

Men in our society are taught that it’s a weakness to express their emotions. Sometimes these emotions can get bottled up causing tension in the body. Yoga offers men stress relief by focusing the mind and body.

And, when the mind is focused on the present moment, you instantly find a sense of relief.

Yoga traditionally is completed in a relaxing setting. So, your yoga teacher may put on soft, calming music so you can focus more on your breathing and yoga postures.

2. Better Sex Life

Sex requires us to be attentive, present, and flexible. Yoga can help men to improve their concentration, so they can focus on achieving more pleasure for themselves and their partners.

And, since yoga practice requires us to be highly aware of our bodies, we can also learn to apply this awareness in the bedroom. This can lead to learning more about what we do and don’t like and what feels good in the moment.

Another benefit of the body awareness you’ll gain from yoga is being better able to control premature ejaculation.

3. Improved Flexibility

Flexibility is typically associated with female-dominated sports such as cheerleading and gymnastics. But, flexibility isn’t just about seeing how far you can stretch your body. Flexibility also helps to prevent injuries, improve our range of motion, and to relieve tension.

Yoga can help men to improve their flexibility by safely doing each pose. After practicing regularly, men may notice they are better able to complete everyday activities.

4. Helps Relieve Pain and Tension

Tension and pain can completely hinder your day. In a busy world, back pain and tension build-up seem to be the norm. But, yoga can help men to relieve tension and pain so that they can be more productive.

Yoga is especially helpful for people who work at a desk all day or who travel daily in a car. It helps your body to increase its range of motion and posture to alleviate the effects of the daily grind.

5. Strengthens Muscles

Ask anyone who has held a plank for any amount of time, and they will tell you it takes strength. Planks, downward-facing dog, and warrior pose all require you to engage your core and other muscles to find stability.

Building and being aware of your core is important to everyone practicing yoga. By engaging your core, you’re properly balancing the way your body engages each muscle group. This allows you to reduce pressure on various muscle groups so you get a full-body workout.

6. Improves Breathing

Many yoga practices begin and end with deep breathing. Learning how to slow down and breathe from your diaphragm can also help you to feel more relaxed in your day to day life. This will also help you to reduce chest, shoulder, and upper back tension which is sometimes caused by breathing from your lungs while feeling stressed.

Benefits of Yoga for Men: Taking Action

If you’re convinced that the benefits of yoga for men are worth exploring, then it’s time to take action. To start, you’ll need to find a reputable yoga teacher to teach you the basics.

Yoga teachers and classes can be found online. Seek out online reviews for both in-person and online yoga teachers to discover which yoga teacher is a good match. You can find these reviews by looking on social media, blogs, or by using search engine results.

There are also many male yoga teachers. By finding a male yoga teacher, you are providing yourself with a role model to follow. This lets you know that doing yoga as a man is not only possible but also lets you see how a man can complete each yoga pose.

Interested in learning more about how to lead a healthy lifestyle? Check out our blog post to learn how to eat a healthy diet to complement your yoga practice.

How to digest food better without medicine?

Digestion is a normal physiological mechanism that your body undergoes on consuming food, in the form of solids or liquids. It is a process that your body participates in every day, every time you intake anything. There are two types of mechanisms involved in your process of digestion- mechanical and enzymatic actions. These two processes allow your body to utilize nutrients and energy from the foods that you consume. Energy gets stored in your body in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules, helping you to carry out work.

If the digestion process is not proper, a lot of metabolic actions happening within your body cells gets disturbed. You not only end up with different digestive issues but also digestion associated various other health problems. Occasional symptoms may include- gas formation, acid reflux, constipation, nausea, heartburn, and diarrhea. If you experience such signs, then there is definitely a problem with your lifestyle. Your daily diet and lifestyle choices have a major impact on the health and functioning of your gut.

There are multiple factors that guide your digestion that you need to improve for proper breakdown of food. By following the guidelines given below, you can easily pace up and improve your digestion to make it more effectual.

Natural ways to improve your digestion

 

Find out the non-medicative ways to improve digestion:

  1. Proper mastication of food

When you consume solid foods, it is very important that you chew them properly to help in better digestion. It is one of the most basic things that you can start off with. The better you chew, the more you officiate digestion effectively. The first place where your digestion initiates is in your mouth. The saliva that you secrete from salivary glands aids in the initial breakdown of the food into smaller, digestible pieces. Therefore, do not swallow large food pieces directly. Take your time in chewing your food properly, and then only swallow the smaller pieces.

  1. Go frequent mini meals

There is no point in eating heavily at one meal, and then not eat anything throughout the day. Avoid consuming large portions of food at one go. Try eating mini meals at frequent time intervals. You may not know this, but doing so actually improves your digestion to a great extent. Do not overwhelm your digestive tract by eating big plates. To make your digestion process faster and better, take small snacks in every 3 to 4 hours. In this way, you can keep your hunger levels under control.

  1. Keep your body hydrated.

Drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep yourself hydrated as much as possible. There are a number of health benefits of drinking ample water all day. You can not only improve your digestive power but several other functions of your body like skin health, excretion, etc. You may experience constipation as the most prominent health issue when you have water deficits in your body.

Constipation is a problem that primarily results from dehydration and dietary fiber deficiency. You feel difficulty in passing stools, which may lead to further serious bowel disorders. When you have an adequate water supply in your body, it aids in better and faster digestion. Water breaks down a number of nutrients for better absorption by your body. Some of the cool hacks to improve your water consumption rate per day are

  • Every time you drink water, preferably using a big cup
  • You may add different flavors to your water to make it more drinkable
  • Consume flavored or herbal tea every day
  • Instead of ordering soda drinks, prefer ordering water at restaurants

 

  1. Eat products that contain ample probiotics

Probiotics are basically live bacteria that help you in improving your gut health, by aiding in healthier digestion. These are good bacteria that do not mess with your overall health, instead improves it. The food products that supply a lot of probiotics are kefir and yogurt. If you are not very sure of which product has probiotics present in I, check its label properly. When you see the names of bacteria on products such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Infantis, blindly buy them.

  1. Be active

Avoid leading a sedentary daily life. It makes your overall health worse, including both physical and mental states. Get into something energetic and full of actions. Go for regular morning or evening walks to keep your body active and strong. Take out sometime from your mundane routine and dedicate that to physical exercises like yoga or aerobics.

Such activities not only improves your digestive mechanism but also your overall wellbeing. However, do not exercise right after having a meal. Give some time for the food to settle down and then only start off exercises. It will help to stimulate your bowel functioning in a much better way, than a usual inactive lifestyle.

  1. Get proper sleep every day

This is a very important factor that drives your digestion process in either a good way or the worse. Proper sleeping cycles are extremely necessary to monitor when it comes to digestion. You should use the rest button at the right hour of the day, to physiologically keep your body under-relaxation. This will undoubtedly help in better digestion. Although, do not hit the bed straightaway after consuming your meal. Give some time of around 2 to 3 hours to confirm proper digestion, and then only rest your body.

  1. Monitor your food habits

Avoid taking beverages with a high amount of caffeine (like coffee), and smoking cigarettes. These two factors can affect your digestion in worse possible ways. Do not exceed your caffeine consumption limit of 400 mg per day, otherwise, it will alter your bowel functioning.

Final words

If you think that rapid digestion can aid you with weight loss results, you may be wrong. When the metabolic rate increases with increased digestion, it aids in weight loss but there are other factors as well. Stress on what you are eating and how right the balance is of various macro and micronutrients in your body. Restore your metabolic function with a healthy diet.

Top 5 easy yoga stretches to try at home

The benefits of yoga for health, body, and mind are unparalleled. It makes the body agile, heals the souls and even enhances our mood. Here, we’re going to take you through some of the easy yoga stretches and tell you how to do them.

Simple stretches that enhance good health

Check out of the top five easy yoga poses:

Simple stretches that enhance good health

1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
2. Raised Arms Pose (UrdhvaHastansana)
3. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
4. Garland Pose (Malasana)
5. Lunge Pose (Anjaneyasana)
Final thoughts

  1. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

This pose is done at the onset as it invokes our mind to be alert and shifts our focus from the busy hectic surrounding to focus on the present situation. It takes concentration and effort to strike the balance. It helps by maintaining the correct alignment needed for many other standing poses. It calms our mind and helps it to rest and focus in between postures.  This pose may look simple however it takes times to strike the balance.

How to:

To start first stand straight. Make your big toes touch while the heels remain apart. Keep your arms along your torso while your palms are kept forward. Slowly lift your toes and then spread it. Release your toes to the ground. Lift the inner arches of your feet and then firm the outer ankles. You’re your kneecaps and slowly contract your thighs upward, push your inner thighs backward. Slowly lengthen your tailbone and engage your core muscles. Move your waist to grow taller and slowly lift your chest. Slowly loosen the front ribs back. Keep your chin parallel to the ground. Move the shoulder back and down, keeping your ears over the shoulder. Keep your head slowly over the pelvis and keep the pelvis directly on the ankles.

  1. Raised Arms Pose (UrdhvaHastansana)

Intensify your practice by converting your stretch into a backbend. Be careful while doing it, so you don’t hurt yourself. Slowly bend your back and let your neck hang. This is a wheel pose. Urdhva Hastansana is known to be a good belly a good stretch and is believed to improve digestion, relieves stress anxiety, corrects body posture. It is also known to increase the capacity of the lungs, thereby it is good against asthma and enhances blood circulation as well.

How to:

To start with begin with Tadasana, mentioned above. Stand by keeping your arms at either side and gently bring them above towards the ceiling. Always keep your arms parallel, while doing it and bring your palm together on top of your head. Keep your posture straight and ensure that your shoulders are not hunched. Keep your palms apart, facing each other. Keep arms straight and activate it throughout, till your fingertips, shift your gaze towards the top. Keep your shoulders away from ears, and shoulder blades pressed firmly on your back. Engage your thighs to pull the kneecaps up. Straighten your legs without locking your knees.

  1. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

It is a part of the Sun Salutation sequence and is a common yoga pose practiced both at the beginning and at the end of the ritual. This asana is known to wake up the hamstrings and calm the mind. It is known to calm the nerves in the brain and help in relieving stress, curing depression. It is believed to stimulates liver and kidneys. Strengthen the strength of thighs and knees. It improves digestion, reduces fatigue and anxiety and works against headache and insomnia. It is a therapy to relieve asthma, high blood pressure, and sinusitis.

How to:

Strat with the previous asana UrdhvaHastasana. Slowly sweep your arms down on both sides of your body and come into forming a forward fold with your hips, like a Swan Dive. Your fingertips should be in line with your toes, pressing your palms into the ground. Make sure to keep it in a platform, if it doesn’t reach the ground. Microbend the knees and makes sure that they are not locked. Slowly engage your quadriceps and pull them up. Keep bringing your weight forward into your feet. Keep your hips over your ankles. Hang your head. Slowly come up as you inhale. Place your hands on your hips as you come up and press your tailbone downwards. Contract your abdominal muscles slowly and rise.

  1. Garland Pose (Malasana)

The Garland Pose is known to improve our posture and relieve tension from a daily hectic life, which is caused by sedentary desk jobs. It is known to stretch the ankles, groins and back torso. It tones the belly and boosts metabolism. It is believed to increase motion in ankle and knee, corrects posture and cleans out systems.

How to:

Begin with squat keeping your feet as close together as it can be. Try to keep your heels rooted to the floor. Slowly separate your thighs and make it slightly wider than your torso. Exhale as you lean your torso slowly forward. Gently press your elbows on your inner knees. Bring your palms together in salutation. Go further by pressing your inner thighs slowly against the sides of your torso. Move your arms forward. Slowly swing them out to both sides and move your shins towards your armpits. Make your fingertips touch the floor and clasp your back heels. Hold the posture for a minute. Inhale and slowly straighten the knees.

  1. Lunge Pose (Anjaneyasana)

This asana must be performed in an empty stomach, there should be a gap of about six hours, before practicing the asana. One must ensure to practice this asana only when the bowels are empty, post the morning ritual. Anjaneyasana is believed to stimulate the Thyroid Glands and boost the body’s metabolic functions. It enhances the oxygen supply and blood circulation and is good for heart patients. This asana makes the lower body more flexible and helps in the effective functioning of the abdomen.

How to:

To start with, bring yourself to do AdhoMukhaSvanasana, and slowly exhale and bring your right foot forward, just next to your right hand, keep your right knee and ankle are in one line. Gently bring the left knee lower. Place it on the floor, right at the back of your hips. Inhale, as you lift your torso and raise your arms on top your head. Bring your biceps close to your ears, and make sure that your palms are in front of each other. Slowly breathe out. Settle your hip forward and try to do a good stretch pushing the frontal region of your leg and the hip flexors.

Being your tailbone towards the floor, while extending your lower back and engaging your spine. Pull your arms further at the back and push your torso. Look at the back and move into the mild backbend. Hold this posture for ten seconds and raise the knee of the back leg to make it a full crescent pose. Release the pose and keep your hands back on the ground.

Final thoughts

One must practice regularly to understand the difference and positivity that yoga contributes to life. From flexibility, digestion, to insomnia, stress, yoga has a cure for all things related to body, mind, and soul.

Access A Top Notch Yoga Class Online Today Through Glo

Have you ever wanted to get incredible Yoga instruction from the comfort of your own home? Yoga is such a beautiful form of fitness that can improve your agility, balance, core strength, and flexibility. Yoga is usually taught in a class setting in a studio, but with the help of technology, you can access any kind of Yoga class online and train anywhere. No need to drive to a professional studio. There’s no better place to learn about Yoga than through Glo.

Glo Offers Yoga Classes From Any Device

Imagine getting to watch a new Yoga class online on any device you have, whether it’s a tablet, smartphone, or a laptop. You can take your class to your fitness room, bedroom, or even your living room, and learn from the comfort of your own home. When you join Glo, you gain access to different classes and videos that you can follow along with right now. You can view the videos whenever you choose. You will find videos on all kinds of topics ranging from asanas to a myriad of Yoga sequences. There are videos meant to focus on flexibility and others on inversions, so there’s always something that fits within your goals.

Benefits Of Glo

The main benefit is that you can workout whenever you choose. You don’t need to drive anywhere to start training. Start today in the comfort of your own home. You don’t need any specific devices either. Simply watch the video on your phone or laptop, and you can learn at any given time of the day. You also get the chance to learn from a wide range of teachers instead of just the one or two within your area.

Glo has incredible teachers who specialize in different aspects of the industry. There are people like Jason Crandell who focus on Vinyasa Flow and Hatha, and he has taught more than 200+ classes on the platform. Jo Tastula is another wonderful teacher who focuses on prenatal Yoga, and she also has 200+ classes on Glo. You never know who is going to be the instructor that changes your Yoga life, and Glo makes it easy on you to learn from a wide range of instructors.

Meditation Classes

Yoga is known for helping release stress and anxiety, alongside building that strength in all areas of the body. What most don’t realize is that meditation helps with your Yoga practice and also aids with freeing yourself of negative energy. Glo understands that life is overwhelming, and this is why some of their extraordinary teachers have videos on meditation. There are dozens of videos that help you better access your emotions and find the calmness within you through meditation. Imagine waking up and working through a Yoga class online through Glo and then jumping straight into a meditation. It can be such a calming and also empowering routine that can set you up for a successful day every day.

Are you ready to take a Yoga class online? Glo makes it easy on you to find instructors that gel with your personality. There are thousands of videos for you to access, all of which are meant to help you grow as a Yogi yourself. Now you can learn at any time during the day without a limit on classes. You can do multiple classes a day mixed in with some meditation and relaxation videos. There is no limit on Glo. You can change your life and improve your wellbeing with the help of Glo. Their top-notch classes can be your source of development and improvement for your Yoga and overall life.

Factors to Consider when Selecting a Yoga Pant

Choosing the right yoga pant is just as important as choosing a swimsuit for your swimming. Getting the right yoga pant is key in helping you achieve your workout in the best way you can. The pant should be comfortable, deliver performance, and look best. A lot of women love sexy yoga pants which makes them look great and at the same time give them the comfort that they need.

Yoga pants come in different styles, cuts, and patterns. Your choice will depend on your taste and also your purpose in wearing them. The following are some of the things that you can consider before you purchase the right yoga pant.

     1. Your style

Yoga pants come in different styles. And within the styles, there are variations. The styles include drawstring pants which use string instead of elastic. Then there is capris pant which has a shorter leg. Pick a style that matches your needs.

When choosing a style, you can go for the styles that you are used to or that you have seen around. You can also allow your choice to change as you get to know the different styles of pants and their pros and cons.

     2. Comfort

This should be your priority when choosing a yoga pant. Pick a yoga pant that offers you great comfort. A comfortable pant will make practicing yoga quite easy and rewarding, and it will make you move easily. You will be in control of your body and postures as you relax. When picking a yoga pant, remember to choose one that makes you feel confident and comfortable.

     3. Cost

Pants don’t have to be pricey. There is no reason why you should stretch your budget just to get a good pant. Several clothing stores offer nice yoga pants for a lesser amount that you could spend on a designer pant. So before you purchase a yoga pant, ensure that you are comfortable with its price.

     4. The length

The length of the yoga pant can also offer comfort and function. Yoga pants generally come in two lengths, full-length or capris. Full-length yoga pants stop at your ankle while the capris yoga pants stop at your calf muscle. Capris yoga pants are great options during warm days. Capris can be too tight on your thighs if they are not stretchy enough. If you pick a full-length pant, make sure it doesn’t touch on the ground or else you will find yourself stepping on it while moving.

     5. The waist

When it comes to the pants waist, there is low-rise, mid-waist, and high-waist. Mid and high waist pants can complement those women who are curvy and makes them look amazing. Most of the low-waist pants have a waistband that’s about two inches below the navel. The low-waist pants are ideal for petite body types. Pick the right waist which matches your taste and preference.

     6. The fabric

The type of fabric you choose is equally important. The fabrics include cotton, cotton-synthetic blends, nylon, etc. Cotton is ideal for mild temperature because it’s soft and comfortable. Nylon is the most durable and the strongest. Polyester tends to breathe better than cotton, but it may pill faster.

The Immense Benefits Of A Pilates Franchise

The franchising sector continues to prosper as more and more people look to realize their lifestyle, financial, and business dreams through franchising. If you try to start a fitness business on your own, there are many challenges that may crush your dreams of owning that business.  You can overcome all these challenges by considering a fitness franchise.  Read below on the benefits of a fitness franchise.

The brand power

As a fitness franchise, you will be part of a bigger network and you will benefit immensely from suppliers and noteworthy cost savings. For example, if you were to start your own fitness center, the cost of purchasing the equipment on your own will be significantly higher than if you were to start your fitness facility as part of a franchise. This is because of the relationship, terms, and the arrangement that the franchisor has established with suppliers and the large volume of equipment that they purchase through them.

Turn key operations

Successful business franchise models provide franchise owners with a turn key kind of operation. Most of the fitness franchises will offer the blueprint for success and will assist with the financing, equipment leasing, selection of the location, and even marketing the facility.  This means that when you open the doors of your facility, you will be ready to go.

No experience necessary

Franchise support can come in handy, especially if you are starting a business in an industry that you are not familiar with or have no prior experience in. Many people usually opt for franchising as a way of owning a business in a different industry or sector or changing their career. The support you get from The Best Pilates Franchise system will provide you with all the necessary industry-specific training that you require to operate your new business. When you are up and running, you will have support and advice from a team of experienced industry professionals whenever you need it.

Supplementary sources of income

The fitness world is full of opportunities for additional revenue. When you own a fitness facility, you will generate most of your income from the membership fees. However, instead of just offering Pilates, there are many ways that you can boost your revenue. For example, you can introduce personal training, weight loss and health products, brand name apparels, saunas, tanning, and many more.

No cutting corners

Franchisors usually take their brand extremely seriously. They have invested a lot of money and time to establish the brand and will be highly protective of it. Therefore, you can never cut corners on any aspect of service delivery, marketing, or operations. This involves even the minor things such as using the right branded template for displaying a notice in the business.  Good fitness franchisors will also audit their franchisees regularly and this ensures that quality standards are being met continually.

When you invest in a fitness franchise, you will be investing in an already proven business model. There are lots of benefits in operating a tested and well-established business model that has survived the test of time. Furthermore, you will benefit from the wider network of franchises most of whom are more established and will provide advice to the new franchisees. Furthermore, there are regular franchise networking events that offer opportunities for interacting with other franchises and even sharing best practices and principles.

Bigger Bodied and Into Yoga? Melbourne Pro Tips

Starting to practice yoga can be a little intimidating for anyone, but if you’re bigger bodied it can be even more of a challenge. However, yoga offers some fantastic benefits, and here we’ll explore some pro tips to help get you started.

Understand the Benefits

The first pro tip is to understand what yoga has to offer. While any physical activity can help to improve your general health and mobility, yoga improves flexibility, decreases stress and can help to increase muscle strength and tone. Since overweight people often have difficulty with joint pain, yoga classes can help to improve your body alignment to reduce joint strain. Yoga can also help to develop your balance, improve your physical fitness and boost your mood.

Seek Out a Qualified Teacher

To avoid injury and obtain the most benefit from yoga in Melbourne residents should seek out a qualified teacher. Even if you can’t find a teacher trained in yoga adaptations for larger students, a beginner’s gentle level class will be a fantastic resource. Qualified teachers are trained to work with people with different body types and differing levels. If you have limited mobility, look for a teacher who can assist you with chair yoga.

Look For the Right Class

Specialist classes for the bigger bodied are becoming more popular, so try to look for a class that suits your requirements. You need to feel comfortable in your class, so check out the atmosphere, to get the best from the experience. If there is no specialist class available, consider Kripalu, Integral, Viniyoga or Hatha practices. Speak to your teacher before you contemplate a first class, so you can check that you feel comfortable and the teacher can offer modifications or props as needed.

Consider One to One Sessions

For many people, the prospect of even a small class can be daunting, so consider one to one sessions to get you familiar with the process. Private classes can be an excellent way to learn the basic poses to gain confidence with effectively using props before you join a group practice. Gaining knowledge about yoga will help you to feel more at ease and ready to tackle a larger class.

Think About Combining Yoga and Weight Loss Methods

If your main aim is to lose weight and feel more comfortable, you’ll need to think about combining yoga with weight loss methods. Although there are more effective forms of exercise to lose weight, yoga can help you feel better. Ideally, you should combine your yoga practices with restricting your caloric intake and taking regular exercise. Exercises that raise your heart rate will be most effective for weight loss, but practicing yoga regularly will help to improve your flexibility and help you to tackle more exercise. Regardless of other weight loss methods you choose, yoga should be an integral part of your overall wellness routine.

If you’re thinking about taking up yoga, Melbourne residents should speak to us. We specialize in yoga and pilates in Melbourne and bigger bodied people will find a class to suit them. You’ll also find the Kaya Health team ready to answer any queries to help you to choose the best class for you.