Yoga at Home for Absolute Beginners!

Simple Savvy Steps for Yoga Success: Benefits of Gentle Hatha Yoga

Yoga is a special gift that I give to myself daily.  A gift of serenity and peace as well as greater vitality, flexibility, and refreshment for my body.  The hatha yoga practice that I discuss in this blog in my humble opinion is ideal for individuals like me who were born (or at least seemingly so) uncoordinated.  Gentle hatha yoga keeps me flexible, toned, and healthy. (I also engage in aerobic exercise-- I jogged for 21 years and in the past few years, I have been using a mini-trampoline or "rebounder.")  Gentle hatha yoga emphasizes s  l  o  w  movements held for stated periods of time. The poses might frustrate the former jock or athlete who would likely prefer more strenuous forms of yoga such as "power yoga" or "bikram" yoga that is performed in a hot room so that you sweat profusely.  However, the hatha yoga asanas I do daily are accessible virtually to everyone because you can progress at your own pace.  Even if you can't full touch your knees in the head to knee pose, you are still gaining many benefits inside and out!  1) increased alertness and clarity - it's a great way to wake up in morning!; 2) improved ability to handle and overcome stress -- my 11-year old son sometime can test my patience...; 3) greater flexibility and limberness so you feel ageless!; 4) massaging of your internal organs - a result not achieved by routine calisthenics or other traditional forms of exercise; 5) normalized weight through the regulation of your thyroid gland; 6)cleansing and strengthening of lungs through powerful breath exercises; 7) improved complexion through increased blood circulation; 8)boosting of your energy throughout the day;  9) looking your personal best.

Yoga Quote of the Day:  Instead of the often aching muscles produced by ordinary 'exercise,' yoga delightfully refreshes your body and spirit and allows you to look your personal, radiant best."  Adapted from Yoga for Beauty and Health by Eugene Rawls and Eve Diskin.

Simple Savvy Steps for Yoga Success: Learning from DVDs

You can find instructional yoga DVDs virtually everywhere!  I have always had problems in following and learning from ANY type of exercise or fitness video.  The reason:  How does one watch and follow along with your body easily and effectively at the same time!  As I admitted to you early on, I am your basic un-athlete (gross understatement) or at least I was when I was a child and teenager.  I just never excelled in any physical sport and I have always had difficulty in a group exercise class.  I struggle along as I make a fool of myself trying to follow the instructor's guidance.  Did I tell you that I took a couple of hip-hop classes a year or so ago?  I loved the energy in the class and the teacher, a vibrant young woman who clearly had mastered the art of hip-hop.  But, my klutzy qualities still got the better of me.  The same with yoga classes - particularly in Vinyasa which involves flowing movements. I felt so awkward trying to follow along with the class!  If you're like me, your other options could be a private instructor (comes with a hefty price tag) or a DVD (so many seem to be out there - which one to choose?)... perhaps.  Well, I recently took out a few beginner yoga DVDs from my local library to see what they offered.  "The Original Total Yoga by Tracey Rich and Gaga White (2004) was the first one I watched.  Its front cover displays a buff woman clad in a purple leotard doing the camel pose.  The back cover claims the DVD is the perfect "introduction" to the many benefits of yoga. Introduction!!!????  My eye!! !The DVD features a pretty, slim woman (a model, no doubt) who demonstrates the various poses - fairly rapidly, I would have to say.  The DVD does start off by recommending you watch it in its entirety the first time and then go back to work through it.  Apart from demonstrating some classic yoga poses and throwing in a few Sanskrit words here and there, the Total Yoga DVD falls short in my view.  It lacks  1) a succinct explanation of the importance of yoga; 2) a thorough explanation of each pose as it's presented or discussion of its principal benefits; 3) a discussion of how much time one should commit to achieve results with yoga and 4) has no clear presentation of a daily yoga routine.  I didn't know how I could possibly go back and watch the DVD and learn the poses at the same time.  The DVD does not break out the poses into bite-size pieces that one can digest and truly assimilate.  For the beginner, I think this is important!

Yoga Definition of the Day:  Yoga nidra - deep conscious relaxation which allows the nervous system to repair and restore itself.

Yoga Quote of the Day:  "Correctly performed, a yoga pose should have an equal balance of grace and strength, stillness and energy, easy and security."  The Easy Yoga Workbook, by Tara Fraser.

Simple Savvy Steps for Yoga Success: Breathing for life

One aspect of yoga that I especially appreciate is that it addresses the core of life - the breath.  How we breathe is so important.  As one yoga teacher stated many decades ago, "Breathing is of utmost importance.  You are to consider oxygen more important than food.  The body can survive without food for 30 days (or more); without oxygen for hardly four minutes."  Haven't you noticed that when you get nervous,  you breath quickly?  People suffering from panic or anxiety attacks often hyperventilate.  Breathing in slowly and deeply is one of the principal ways you can relax and unwind.  I once heard that smokers get addicted to cigarettes not only because of the nicotine, but also because they take in deep breaths and relax when they smoke.  The only problem is their cigarette habit may lead them to r - e - l - a -x   for a   l - o-  n-  g    t - i - m - e - as in permanently and prematurely!  Just think how much those smokers you see shivering outside their office buildings in the cold air to take in a drag would benefit if they did deep yoga breathing instead?  As a beginner yogi, you will learn that proper breathing is essential to your daily practice (notice I said daily).  Here are the most important pointers about effective yoga breathing for beginners:  1) breathe in and out through the nose, don't use the mouth at all;  2) bring the air ALL the way down to your diaphragm, pushing the abdomen OUT with each intake of air; 3) pull your stomach in tightly as you breathe out.  People in our culture have been trained to breathe in reverse.  But, try it and just see if you don't start feeling both calmer, relaxed, and yet energized at once!

Yoga Term of the Day:  Mudra --a position taken by fingers or limbs symbolic of an inner quality or intent, capable of producing vital currents.

Yoga Quote of the Day:  Basketball is an endurance sport, and you have to learn to control your breath; that's the essence of yoga, too.  So, I consciously began using yoga techniques in my practice and playing.  I think yoga helped reduce the number and severity of injuries I suffered.  As preventative medicine, it's unequaled.  ~Kareem Abdul-Jabbar