Men, Women, and Yoga

Why do more women practice yoga than men? Check out this video to find the answer.

Photos by: My Yoga Online/Creative Commons, My Yoga Online/Creative Commons, Sidney Stephens, My Yoga Online/Creative Commons, Jessica/Creative Commons, Richard Lazzara/Creative Commons, My Yoga Online/Creative Commons, Sidney Stephens, Sidney Stephens, Emily Johnson, Emily Johnson, and Gus Macker/ Creative Commons.

Music by: Tunguska Electronic Music Society/ Creative Commons

5 Little Known Facts About Yoga

It is a popular fact that yoga is healthy for the mind and body, but what are the unknown facts? Tanya Lopresti—a yoga instructor at Corepower studios in Chicago—reveals 5 things most people don’t really know about yoga.

You don’t have to be flexible to do yoga.

“Some people are flexible naturally, but most of us aren’t,” Lopresti said. “Over time the flexibility builds.” The poses in yoga stretch your muscles, increasing your flexibility by releasing lactic acid that builds up from muscle use. In one study, participants improved their flexibility by 35% after only eight weeks of yoga.

Yoga is a great form of exercise, not just meditative.

“It is something that can easily replace your gym workout,” Lopresti says. It is an assumption that many people make that yoga is only about meditation. Yoga strengthens muscles and tones the body just like going to the gym would. In one hour, an active flow of yoga—called vinyasa—can burn more than 450 calories.

Yoga is good for rehabilitating injuries.

The gentle movements of yoga, also known as asanas, relax and strengthen muscles and massage internal organs, while focused breathing—called pranayama—brings oxygenated blood, filled with anti bodies, to injured areas, using the body’s natural healing system to aid the wound. The relaxation and meditative form of yoga calms the mind and reduces pain in the form of tension.

Yoga improves your sleep patterns.

“It creates an easier transition between waking up and falling asleep,” Lopresti stated. A study performed in April 2011 reported that by practicing yoga, you can improve the quality of your nights sleep. Yoga relaxes the body and calms the nerves, helping you sleep better.

The spiritual connection of yoga is not about worshiping a god.

Yoga is incorporated in several religions—like Buddhism and Hinduism—but yoga is not a religion. According to Lopresti, Yoga is more about bringing the mind and body into harmony and balance, leading to a deep sense of well-being and peace that helps you reconnect with yourself. Meditation helps you connect with your inner self, opening your awareness to the fact that there is something more to you than your physical existence.

Photo by: My Yoga Online/ Creative Commons

The Best Yoga Poses for Beginners

If you’re new to yoga then these poses are perfect for you. They are easy to master, but are still challenging to the body. Each pose works different muscles as well as bringing spiritual development and healing. In this slideshow you will learn what each pose emphasizes in your body.

Photos by: My Yoga Online/Creative Commons

Ashtanga Mantras

(Translation)
Photo by: Cornelia Kopp/Creative Commons

The Different Kinds of Yoga: Which Ones Should You be Taking?

• Hatha, meaning sun in the Sanskrit language, contains a variety of physical styles of yoga that are generally very relaxing. This class is best for beginners first learning the ropes of yoga or those who want to gain an understanding of basic yoga posture.

• Vinyasa, meaning “to place a certain way,” is a sequence of dynamic poses that is one of the most popular styles of yoga. It involves synchronizing the breath with a continuous flow of postures. Vinyasa teaches the body to breath in conjunction with the body’s movement. 

• Ashtanga is also known as “power yoga.” This style of yoga is morefor those looking towards a serious work out. Ashtanga is based upon eight principles, consisting of a series of poses performed promptly after each other that are combined with deep, controlled breathing

• Bikram is also referred to as “hot yoga” since the room temperature is at least 100 degrees. It consists of 26 yoga poses, also known as asanas, which become ten times harder to perform in the hot room. The class is perfect for those who enjoy a difficult work out, are willing to sweat a lot, and like a challenge.
  
  
• Iyengar focuses on bodily alignment, using props such as belts, blocks, and blankets to perform the postures. To master this style of yoga one must learn the 14 different pranayamas, which is breath control. Depending on where the class is taken, Iyengar yoga can be for either beginners or very advanced students.
  
  A video of two yoga experts discussing the different styles of yoga:
  
  

  
  

The Benefits of Yoga

You may wonder what is so great about yoga? There are so many answers to that question.
Yoga is considered a science that connects the mind and body together. Because of recent studies, yoga is considered a medicine since the postures a part of yoga are very beneficial to the body.

By practicing yoga you can improve your:

• Sleeping habits
• Body's immune system
• Pain threshold
• Steadiness
• Posture
• Depth perception
• Balance
• Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
• Type II Diabetes
• Prenatal health
• Endurance

Yoga decreases your:

• Respiratory rates 
• Blood pressure
• Anxiety 
• Depression
• Glucose
• Sodium
• Cholesterol 
• Eating disorder symptoms 
• Chronic Pain 
• Episodes of cardiac arrhythmia