... children and senior citizens are promoted by many physicians today. However, a key element to remember when doing yoga is to take your time because it takes awhile to learn the positions correctly and coordinate your muscles, mind and energy.

Many of the positions used in yoga involve stretching, which relaxes your muscles and reduces tension. Basically, there are two types of stretching - dynamic and static. Dynamic stretching involves motion and static stretching requires no motion. Stretching makes you more limber and reduces the risk of physical injury to your joints, muscles and tendons, which is a great advantage when embarking upon other forms of exercise. Stretching also reduces soreness and tension in your muscles and tendons and increases suppleness, lubricates connective tissues and even r...more

Yoga Certification - On-Site vs off-Site Training

...Perhaps yoga certification is something you've often dreamed of. For those who dream of it, many don't pursue it because they think it isn't feasible. The combination of cost plus the time it takes to complete training may be discouraging. However, many people don't realize that yoga instructor training can be completed in a home study course. This option makes it easy for those who hold jobs and still desire to study for yoga certification.

Both on-site and off-site training have different advantages. Comparing the two styles may help you to make an informed choice. It may also make it possible for you to realize a dream that may have once seemed impossible.

When comparing on-site to off-site yoga training, consider the following:

* What are my study goals? In other words, what do you hope to gain from your study program? If you want to eventually teach yoga in a formal setting, you'll need to find a course which will lead to yo...more

Yoga In A Health club Or In A Yoga Studio - Compare

...Thinking about taking classes locally? You might find a class given in a healthclub, gym, at the YMCA, at an adult school or in a Yoga studio. search your yellow pages under 'Yoga' for studios. If you belong to a healthclub, gym or YMCA, check with them about yoga classes.

Local Health Club, Gym or YMCA:
They will more likely be Hatha Yoga based, rather than specialized in a particular style (that is a good thing!).

Minuses: It all depends on the situation, but sometimes the instructor may not be certified as a Registered Yoga teacher or in any particular style of yoga. In addition, the spa...more

Yoga Past and Present

...he practice of physical postures.

Later, around 500 B.C., the Bhagavad-Gita or Lord's song was created and this is currently the oldest known Yoga scripture. It is devoted entirely to Yoga and has confirmed that it has been an old practice for some time. Just as the Upanishads further the Vedas, the Gita builds on and incorporates the doctrines found in the Upanishads.

Classical Period

The Classical Period is marked by another creation - the Yoga Sutra. Written by Patanjali around the second century, it was an attempt to define and standardize Classical Yoga. Patanjali's Eightfold path of Yoga also called Eight Limbs of Classical Yoga. These are:

1.Yama, which means social restraints or ethical values;

2.Niyama, which is personal observance of purity, tolerance, and study;

3.Asanas or physical exercises;

4.Pranayama, which means breath control or regulation;

5.Pratyahara or sense withdrawal in preparation for meditation;

6.Dharana, which is about concentration;

7.Dhyana, which means meditation; and

8.Samadhi, which means ecstasy.

Patanjali believed that each individual is a composite of matter and spirit; he believed that the two must be separated in order to cleanse the spirit - a direct contrast to Vedic and Pre-Classical Yoga that imply the union of body and spirit.

Patanjali's concept was prevailing for some centuries, so much so that some Yogis focused exclusively on meditation and negle...more

Timbuk2 Yoga Bags