yoga Archives - Smart Health Shop

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.

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.

5 Ways to Benefit From DOGA—Yoga with Dog

Doga, the yoga with dogs, has gained popularity in the last few years. You must have seen doga classes being held in your vicinity. Doga is meditative in effect that benefits both you and your dog.

Remember that dogs cannot follow your yoga posses exactly, but they have fun stretching with you, having a pet massage, and relaxing with the soft music. If your pooch isn’t much interested; forcing it wouldn’t help. It will take some time to make a routine.

Doga has several positive effects on your mind and body as well as on your pooch. Let’s explore the benefits of doga here:

Bonding with Your Dog:

Dr. Danni Shemanski from Hilton Veterinary Hospital says that doga helps dogs feel important and happy. All the attention-seeking behaviors are resolved with the time spent together– of the owner and dog.

Doga benefits the owner and the pooch by strengthening their bond. I felt amazing doing yoga with my pooch and felt more connected to the little soul. Leo, my dog has always made my yoga classes’ all the more fun with his perfect imitation of my poses.

The mindfulness exercise enhanced my dog’s focus, but the mat would always be soaking in sweat, drool and pet hair. But, what are pet hair vacuums for!

Relaxed Mind and Body:

Breathing and mindful relaxing exercises are the foundation of Doga. It helps dog owners and hyperactive dogs to relax their mind and body muscles and feel connected to each other. It helps to tone down anxiety problems of the owner and the dog.

Doga will help obese dogs to lose weight and burn some extra calories. On the other hand, if you have been complaining about your dog’s unwanted behaviors, you will see them diminishing from then onwards and a calm behavior will overcome you when dealing with the pooch.

Doga is basically based on the strategy of doing meditation with a partner because it helps us overcome the sense of loneliness. You will start seeing your pooch as a real best friend who loves to be a ‘partner in crime.’

Improved Social Skills:

If you have taken membership of doga classes, it’s a great opportunity for you to meet new people and socialize more. If you are an anti-social person who doesn’t like loud people commonly found at the dog parks, you can meet some calm, mindful and self-aware people at the doga class.

Your pooch will benefit from the social environment of complete strangers and other dogs. If he is a shy or anxious one, he can find some good friends in the yoga class to overcome his fears.

Fun-filled Activity of the Day:

When your pooch imitates you, it’s fun to watch him and you may get a good laugh. Dogs are just curious and their mischievousness is a good distraction.

The joy is equal for the pooch as other dogs are involved in imitations too. They meet their dog friends at doga classes every day. Thus, they will always be enthusiastic to visit doga classes with you daily. Moreover, that cute face will convince you to follow them.

Physical Strength:

Doga can help you and your pooch stay physically and mentally healthy and stable. Doga can help obese dogs and overweight owners lose weight without doing an extra effort on long walks.

When the dog performs the stretches, the circulation of blood to the entire body increases and helps the dog overcome destructive or inappropriate behaviors. With a stronger bond with the pooch, his obedience level will increase and you can easily train him to achieve desired behaviors.

Doga helps in calming the whole body and makes you feel relaxed. The feeling of connectedness helps both the partners feel whole and satisfied. Moreover, daily massage of the Fido can prevent arthritis and injuries. It helps dogs suffering from hip dysplasia.

If your dog has suffered from a major trauma or injury, doga stretches can help in pain relief of the pooch. He will regain strength within no time.

About the Author:

James is a part-time dog-trainer and dog behavior consultant with years of experience in dog training and the man behind LabradorTrainingHQ.com. He is interested in finding out fun ways to handle dog behaviors, specifically, Labradors to help dog-owners enjoy their companions at all times.

7 things will happen when you start yoga

Yoga is something that is very important in life although very few know this. When we talk about yoga, some guys will just think that it is meant for the weak or for women only. However, there is so much that you do not know about yoga.

If you are thinking of going for yoga Brisbane studios or anywhere else then you need to go ahead and do it. To help you understand exactly what yoga is all about, there are a number of things that will happen when you start doing yoga.

1. Gain Confidence

This is one of the most amazing things about yoga. It is the first thing and most important one that many people do not know about. When many people get to a yoga studio for the first time, they are so scared and worried how they will do it.

With time, you will learn how to connect with your body and bring in some balance. You will be happy to learn to control and hold your body muscles and weight. Within no time you will realize that there nothing you can’t do with your body and here confidence comes in.

2. Get to let go things that do not matter

Yoga is all about freedom. When you start on yoga you will realize that there are a number of things that you should let go since they have no meaning in your life. This is one of the things that refreshes your body when you go for yoga.

It is meant to let you allow your body to heal on its own. When you engage in yoga you will be able to let your mind and body free of even emotions you have had.

3. Better and deep sleep

It is through the relaxation of your body in yoga that you get better body functioning. The yoga will allow your body heal and in addition get rid of all the emotions that you have been carrying all through.

Through this, your body be at ease which allows you experience the best sleep moments ever in your life. Deep and peaceful.

4. Learn how to use your breath as a healing tool

You may not have known this but breathing is one of the major components of yoga. In yoga, breathing is used as a technique to help your body maximize on balance.

When you go through a yoga class this is one of the technique that you will learn how to use. It helps in affecting your immune function positively, balancing physiological disorders and autonomic nervous system.

This means that you will be able to use breathing in your daily life to get rid of things such as anxiety.

5. You’ll have less pains and aches in your body

Some people complain of frequent pains and body aches. One of the solutions for this is yoga. This is because most of the time you suffer from these conditions as a result of dormant muscles. You may also be experiencing this because of lack of exercises and less muscle balances.

There are other people who have chronic pain and find themselves unable to manage all that. With yoga classes you will be able to get better muscles and body balance hence getting rid of the aches.

6. Watch out on foods

This might not sound like something that can happen from yoga but trust me you will find it amazing. Yoga is not just about body balance, it also helps in cleansing your body.

As you go through yoga to heal yourself, your body will be aware and start off on detoxing. This is through detoxing stretches and your brain start picking all this. Through yoga, your body will start picking a better direction when it comes to metabolism.

Once this happens then you will automatically, get back it a selection of foods and watchful of what you eat. The good thing about this is that it will come automatically. You do not have to struggle.

7. Take back control of your life

This happens to be the best part about yoga. When I started on yoga, this is one thing that I found amazing and gave me the need to continue with yoga. Yoga might be a simple activity but opened doors in my life.

Yoga trains you to take control of your body. To let yourself heal of all the injuries you have had both physical and emotion. Through this you will find out that you are able to get your life back in control.

You feel free of everything that might have been stressing you and you can now be an independent person. You do not have to worry about illnesses or stress. It is that amazing.

How to Decrease Back Pain for the Long Term

Many people suffer from problems with their back, which can bring about the unbearable pain that impacts their quality of everyday life. These issues can happen after someone has been involved in an accident, or due to the way their body has grown over the years. In any case, it is a type of pain that must be stopped before it develops into something worse. If you are worried about how your back pain is affecting your happiness and general health, then it’s worth heading to the doctors so they can tell you what is causing it. Once you have done this, you can go about finding ways to stop your back pain forever.

Attend physiotherapy

After coming back from the doctor’s clinic, the first thing you should do is register for physiotherapy sessions, which will help you get your life back on track. This type of treatment aims to target the cause of your back pain, rather than tackling the pain itself. This means that progress might take longer, but that it is more sustainable in the long run. If you are based in London, in order to ensure you are receiving the best care, it’s a good idea to go to a place such as CRB Clinics Canary Wharf Clinic, which is easy to reach, and well known for the range of treatment it offers for back pain.

Do yoga

It could be that regular exercise is putting too much of a strain on your body and isn’t benefitting your back as much as it is benefitting your figure. This is where an exercise like Yoga or Pilates comes in, which capitalize on slow movements that stretch your body into positions that aim to relieve pain. In fact, there are some specific moves you can do which will target certain problem areas on your back. If there has been any stress associated with your back pain, yoga can also help relive this at the same time, clearing up any physical and emotional problems that have arisen.

Invest in a soft bed

You might be in love with your firm mattress, which offers you the best night’s sleep, but there have been studies to show that those who sleep on a softer memory foam mattress report lower levels of back pain than those with a firm mattress. This due to the cushioning it gives to the painful area on your back, but also can link to sleeping patterns. In fact, if you sleep on your stomach, you should be investing in a firmer mattress, and if you sleep on your side, you should buy one that is in the middle of the spectrum. Following such studies will help you decrease back pain over time.

Don’t carry too much

Your back pain could be down to a number of causes, but in any case, you shouldn’t be carrying too much weight on your shoulders, as this can put extra pressure on your joints. This also goes for trying to lift too much at the gym. If you take it easy, your back will become stronger, and you will have a better chance of handling it.