All about Yoga

Pilates are a set of exercises that were invented by Joseph Pilates to strengthen his body and to maintain it well. Joseph was a very weak kid and so he felt the need to develop his own set of exercises, hence the name Pilates. He borrowed the set of exercises from ancient Romans and Greeks and his exercises are based on the Zen philosophy of yoga.

It was during World War 2 in Germany that Joseph introduced his set of Pilate exercises to fellow soldiers in the German camp. The set of exercise made the Germans to ward off diseases and increase their overall strength. The exercise taught to the interns at that time became the basis of today’s Pilate exercises. Pilate exercises enable one to improve their flexibility and strength through a variety of stretching and balancing movements.

Pilates prove to be very beneficial for dancers as they improve the dancer’s flexibility and their bodies become resistant to injuries. Many athletes and other celebrities also go for Pilates to improve their overall body fitness. Pilates prevent injury to the body overall and also improve the posture of the person. Pilates help in straightening the body from inside as well as outside. Following Pilate exercises does not only the body physically but also relieves stress and anxiety. Hence Pilate exercises are termed to be very similar to yoga.

Pilates are also recommended for those people with back problems. Pilates help in straightening the back and prevent back pain. Pilate exercises are normally practiced by girls and women. Pilate exercises are expected to increase one’s mobility of the joints and also aids in improving blood circulation. They also help in flattening the stomach and removing excess fat from thighs and waist. Pilate exercises are also favored by senior and overweight people as they don’t involve heavy exercises and there is no jumping and lifting involved. Pilates reduce stiffness in joints and also prevents osteoporosis.

Pilate work best for pregnant women who would like to get back in shape after their pregnancy. Pilates prove to be a good exercise, not only for the body but for the mind as well. The exercises have gained popularity worldwide and more and more people are reaping the benefits of doing Pilate exercises. Pilates prove to be one of the few exercises that use fewer and controlled movements that require proper control and form. One can do the exercises in the comforts of the home for just 3 times a week and still gain positive results.

Where did this ball come from? Is the stability ball a legitimate Yoga prop or just a marketing gimmick for equipment sales? Who could benefit from the use of the ball in a Yoga class? When can the stability ball fit into a Hatha Yoga class?

Where did this ball come from? Stability balls have been around since 1963, originating in Italy. The first time I saw a stability ball, we called it a, “Swiss Ball.” Yet, the “Swiss Balls,” at that time, were all made in Italy. American Physical Therapists saw the ball, in use, within physical therapy Swiss units.

As a result, the ball was “nick named” the Swiss Ball by Americans for decades. The first balls we used at Aura Wellness Center were made by Gymnic Balls in Italy. We tried many brands, but my personal ball is an old Gymnic Ball, which has taken more abuse than it deserved.

Now, these balls are commonly referred to as stability balls, exercise balls, or balance balls. They are used in physical therapy, Pilates, Yoga, and health clubs. Many elite and professional athletes use them for coordination.

Is the stability ball a legitimate Yoga prop or just an exercise marketing gimmick for equipment sales? Any piece of equipment can be termed an exercise marketing gimmick, but the stability ball has hundreds of uses.

In Yoga, you can perform a standing warm up, Sun Salutation, seated series, prone series, table series, supine on the ball series, and supine on the floor series.

Who could benefit from the use of the ball in a Yoga class? Beginners can use the stability ball for many poses. For example: In wheel posture (Chakrasana), holding this position is not for everyone, but the stability balls, and a wall, make it possible for everyone. With a stability ball, beginner Hatha Yoga students can gain the benefits of Chakrasana for minutes.

Just this one pose is fantastic for improving elasticity of the spine and your daily posture. It is also said that this posture gently stretches the heart, pancreas, liver, and kidneys.

Yet, this posture is classified as an inversion, and may not be advisable for Yoga students with high blood pressure. Students with back problems should get their doctor’s permission and study under the guidance of a competent Yoga teacher.

When can the stability ball fit into a Hatha Yoga class? To be completely safe, you should consult a physician before entering a Yoga class where Yoga postures or Yoga exercises are practiced. The same warning applies to the use of a stability ball in any class.

With that said, Yoga ball videos are great for Yoga teachers, but can be risky for the unsupervised public. So, if you want to learn to use the stability ball in your Yoga practice, you should join a Yoga class and seek the guidance of a competent Yoga teacher.

Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Are you new to yoga, and are interested in doing yoga and yoga meditation? You may have seen the huge benefits of doing yoga, and now want to get started. So, what are the best ways to start doing yoga meditation, and doing the yoga exercises?

In this article, you will find:

* Aiming To Get The Best Out Of Yoga

* Getting Started With Yoga Classes

* Yoga Books, Yoga CD’s, Yoga DVD’s

* Aiming To Get The Best Out Of Yoga

Getting the best out of yoga requires some thought. Yoga has several areas that make up yoga, such as the yogic breathing, yogic postures, yogic diet, and they all parts which can make us do things right or wrong. The main aim with any route to yoga is to find a way which enables you to get the best out of yoga.

Though all this should not be viewed as a way to make us procrastinate from actually taking action, but to keep it in the back of our minds. There is a lot of information about yoga online, and some of this information is great, but can not really help you with all the information you need.

* Getting Started With Yoga Classes

Yoga mediation is simply meditating, the point is to relax and cause balance. However, when we look at some other aspects of yoga, we find that there are the postures, and these can be a bit more tricky.

Doing the posture correctly is something that becomes paramount. And simply following instructions may not do it justice. The best route then becomes to find a local yoga class, and get instructed by someone who knows how the postures must be done. They can also look at how you are doing the postures, and aid you in doing the postures correctly.

Another point the yoga class can help you with is with the yogic breathing. Breathing is hard to discover how to do correctly by watching a yoga DVD, whereas being at a yoga class will give you more confidence that you are doing things correctly.

* Yoga Books, Yoga CD’s, Yoga DVD’s

So, what if there are no local yoga classes? What happens then? Well, you are not at a loss, because you can still use the numerous yoga books, and CD’s, and even DVD’s. Though a local yoga class is the best option, it does not have to restrict you, if you can’t go to yoga classes.

There are some great books out there and they can help you discover yoga in the privacy of your home. You can work at your own pace, and see if yoga is something you want to pursue over the long term.

You can barely turn on the TV nowadays without hearing about Pilates or Yoga. When you take up a magazine, you are bound to find articles about these two exercise methods and it seems like everyone is doing either one or the other. What is all of the excitement about? Why are these techniques so special? What are the differences and similarities between Pilates and Yoga?

Yoga aims to unite the body, mind, and spirit. The person who aspires to do Yoga views that the body and mind are one. They believe that if the body is given the right tools and is taken to the proper environment then the body can find harmony and will be able to heal itself. Yoga is considered to be therapeutic. You will have a heightened awareness of your body’s alignment, posture, and patterns of movement. Yoga tends to make your body more flexible and it will help you to relax even if you are in the middle of a stress stricken environment. Therefore, one of the most important reasons as to why people start practicing Yoga is that they want to feel more energetic, be more happy, feel more fit and be at peace.

One performs Yoga mainly in a group setting on a special Yoga mat with the help of a Yoga instructor. You use your body’s own weight for resistance. You must also focus a great deal of your attention to the flow from one posture into that of another. Yoga styles are varied and there is not one style that is considered to be better than another. These styles also vary in their emphasis, and the style you choose is a matter of personal preference.

Pilates also seeks to reach many of the same goals as does Yoga by way of a series of movements that are very controlled. The major difference between Pilates and Yoga is that while doing Pilates exercises not only makes use of a mat, but it also incorporates work on different Pilates machines. The main thrust of the Pilates exercises is to improve posture, strengthen the abdominal muscles, improve balance, lengthen and stabilize the spine and improve overall strength. Pilates will tend to give you a leaner, longer, dancer-like line.

A Whole Body Workout

Unlike a variety of other training programs, Pilates makes an effort to work the whole body and places its emphasis on precision, control, and concentration in both the body as well as the mind. There is no attempt made at doing many repetitions at a time in a rapid, haphazard fashion. Instead, the focus is placed on quality and not the amount of reps you do. The “powerhouse” that consists of the lower back, abdominal muscles and the buttocks are at the center of all movement and this allows the rest of your body to move fluidly and freely. When one focuses on core stabilization, it makes the student stronger from the inside out. This is critical for the advancement of the Pilates student. Pilates is low impact by nature and, therefore, it is ideal for the prevention of injury and for rehabilitation. Pilates has six guiding principles – concentration, centering, flow, control, breathing and precision. These principles train the body to move more efficiently while placing minimal impact on the body. With Pilates, there is a definite balance between flexibility and strength that creates a vigorous, symmetrical and health workout for all of the different muscle groups, which will result in a more balanced, leaner, and stronger body.

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Pilates has become increasingly popular of late. What is Pilates and what does it do and what is the Pilates exercise machine?

Joseph H. Pilates from Germany is the founder of the Pilates exercise method. Joseph was a weakly child growing up with medical ailments and forced himself to take on different sports to grow stronger and strengthen his body and apparently it worked since became an accomplished athlete later on. During World War I, Joseph served as a nurse and developed methods of exercise and equipment for patients and soldiers that were immobilized. Included in those developments were several mat exercises focused on strengthening the torso area of the body based on global body strengthening activities like the Chinese martial arts or formats from yoga.

Pilates is routine that conditions the body in order to build flexibility, strength, coordination and endurance without increasing muscle size. Pilates has also been shown to sculpt the body, increase circulation and strengthens the torso. Those that perform Pilates on a regularly a basis, feel that they experience a better general well-being, are less prone to injury and have better posture over those that do not.

There are two main ways to accomplish Pilates exercises. One is done with floor exercise mats and another is with machine equipment. In the Pilates exercise for building up the spine for back health or better posture, a machine was invented to assist in the exercise and was called the Pilates Exercise Machine and uses the principle of resistance. It was created to meet the requirements of several different exercise movements and performances and is durable, versatile and convenient. The ability to use many features on the machine to create exercises specific for each individual makes the Pilates Exercise Machine a joy to use and preferred over other traditional exercise equipment.

There are five types of Pilates exercise equipment. They are the Pilates Reformer, the Pilates Resistance Bands or Pedipull, the Pilates Cadillac, the Pilates Barrel and the Pilates Chair. The most known of these would be the Pilates Reformer. It can perform more than one hundred Pilates exercises with its pulleys, straps, system of springs and gliding platform. The exerciser pulls and pushes off the foot bar to move in a controlled method back and forth while the tension from the springs applies resistance. Next is the Pilates Resistance Bands, used most commonly for rehabilitation or with other fitness disciplines. It is made of a strip of latex that will stretch to give a light resistance. A surprising simple tool, can help in several areas such as working the abdominals, enhancing joint movement, sculpting of the body and more. The original concept by Joseph H. Pilates is the Pilates Cadillac or nicknamed, “the rack” or the “Trapeze Table” due to its appearance. It has been considered by many to be the most effective and versatile exercise equipment pieces ever designed. It bridges a connection between exercise and physical therapy through its table that is surrounded by bars, straps, levers and springs, all adjustable to make the activity as precise as possible. A trainer is recommended with this version to get the best results accurately, on the over eighty exercises that can be done with this system. The Pilates Barrel is meant to compliment a mat workout. It is an upholstered arch that supports the back and shoulders while opening up the neck, thighs and hips depending on the exercise performed. This has also been a great tool in use with rehabilitation purposes. Last is the Pilates Chair. Springs are the resistance to work with on this equipment and allows a person to perform over seventy-five exercises using it in order to work the lower back, shoulders, abdominals, lower back and more. Other versions of this equipment are the Stability Chair or the Pilates Wunda Chair.

Yoga Poses for Aging

According to yoga, an individual’s age can be identified with the flexibility of the spine, not through number of years. Yoga poses for aging process can help you in preventing body’s degeneration from misuse and abuse by spending your adult years working extremely, eating food with too much calories, and sitting before the television all the time.

When your body doesn’t get any exercise then ultimately it will collapse, as it is a living machine and needs to be taken care just as any other mechanical machine. You need to offer a regular maintenance to your body just as you do any other mechanical machines.

Yoga Poses Are Powerful In Preventing the Aging Process

Yoga poses for aging is great in preserving your age and maintaining your body. Yoga poses for aging slows down the aging process by providing suppleness to the abdominal muscles, flexibility to the spine, eliminating tensions from the body, firming up the skin, correcting poor posture, eradicating the possibility of a double chin and many more.

Keeping your spine healthy is very important in maintaining yourself active for the whole life. Stretching and breathing exercises helps you in remaining agile and flexible and if you believe that you are too old to practice yoga then you’re wrong.

However, there are books, websites, and local yoga classes for you to enhance your body and to start on a new healthy lifestyle. Yoga poses for aging is dynamite in making you feel younger with heightened mental ability. Longer lives often come from regularly following yoga techniques as a way for maintaining a healthy life.

When you remove all habits that degenerate as well as the external dangers and internal diseases then you can naturally live longer. Yoga poses for aging influences all the significant determinants of a long life: the brain, glands, spine and internal organs. Increases the resistance power, thus providing a healthy strong body with increased immunity against disease.

It is most important to identify when you droop and limit your breathing capacity. Slouching can negotiate the basic need for your health, oxygen. In your body, each and every cell will be affected due to lack of oxygen and slowly they begin to die if they do not get the oxygen that they need. This is the origin for “aging” process.

People who make use of yoga poses for aging appear so much younger and more active than others who don’t. Practicing yoga techniques such as breathing exercises can open your lungs and increase their ability and can feed all those cells that are greatly looking for the oxygen they need. Yoga poses for aging also reduces the wrinkles and produces a natural ‘face-lift’. This is mainly due to the inverted postures.

Regular 10-minute exercises can help reinforce your back, stretch out your lung capacity and must become a regular part of your yoga routine. Pose that includes backbends can, be a part of this yoga routine after practicing, can tone your spinal column and some poses can even help strengthen your arms, wrists, and legs.

A good back bend poses will gently massage your kidneys, and lubricate those aching joints. When your back feels better, you feel younger, have more energy, and lift sagging spirits.

Yoga poses for aging Practice Is Very Effective For Over 50s

Many people who are just starting yoga poses for aging are over 50. Yoga poses for aging process can even practiced using supports such as chairs, straps and other implements that help them to do the yoga exercises.

The secret behind starting yoga over50 is to start slowly after consulting with your physician and always remember to warm up before starting work your yoga asanas. Also make sure that you are performing asanas in the correct form. It is better to discontinue immediately whenever you feel that the posture is incorrect or uncomfortable for you.

So, when anything hurts you then stop doing it. Remember to ask your yoga instructors, if you have any doubts bet never force yourself to practice the pose. Therefore, yoga poses for aging is a powerful tool against the physical effects and health concerns of aging.

If you have avoided exercise throughout your life and would like to have the benefits of flexibility, then it is not too late to begin. People performing yoga practices in its purest form feel it as much more than just a form of exercise. It is considered to be a holistic experience, which refresh the mind, body and spirit.

Recent studies illustrates that people who started practicing yoga poses for aging late in their life have slowed their aging process and reported that they feel better than they ever have. Remember, although you are not practicing your yoga routine try to avoid slouching, stand or sit straight, make it a point to stretch frequently and breathe.

At one time, Pilates was a specialized form of exercise limited to a handful of professional practitioners. In recent times, Pilates has become one of the biggest exercise fads in America. Almost every town and city across this great country has a professional Pilates studio, staffed by certified instructors. Pilates, however, is not just another passing fad. Pilates is here to stay.

Practitioners of Pilates can experience countless benefits including improved posture, flexibility, and balance. This presents a remarkable opportunity for an aging population to perform a series of exercises that are both safe and effective. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the stretching and strengthening of core muscles through the practice of Pilates is an effective strategy for combating the effects of aging.

Aside from the benefits noted above, Pilates can also help with relief from stress and mental tension. It can also have a direct impact on maintaining strength and range of motion, both of which are especially important for our aging populace. Studies have shown that Pilates can also provide relief from back pain and other physical injuries, which are often a primary cause of pain and discomfort.

The wonderful thing about Pilates, and the reason it is so effective for people getting on in age, is that it is a highly effective form of soft exercise. Pilates can be performed at a pace dictated by the strength and stamina of the individual. It is not goal driven, in the way that traditional weight training or body building is. With Pilates, the effectiveness of the exercise is determined by the overall impact on the health of the practitioner. Pilates is all about achieving long term, tangible results.

The key to the effective practice of Pilates is to make the connection between mind and body. Concentration plays a significant role in Pilates. One of the core principles of Pilates is to establish control of the body through discipline and focused thought. Much like Yoga, controlled breathing plays a pivotal role in achieving results in Pilates. Pilates teaches a form of breathing called Lateral Breathing. This is performed by inhaling deeply through one’s nose, and allowing the inhaled air to expand one’s ribcage. This form of breathing is also called Thoracic Breathing.

Pilates is a highly effective approach to maintaining health and vitality, regardless of one’s age or stage in life. While the practice of Pilates is beneficial for many people, it is especially important for our aging population. Aging individuals often lose control of their coordination and muscles, and this can lead to a sense of frustration and mental anguish for people that have grown accustomed to their sense of independence. Pilates can provide people with the tools and techniques they need to age with dignity and a sense of well being. Pilates isn’t for everyone, but it could be ideal for you.

What is Pilates?

That’s a great question and if you have never given this form of exercise a shot then perhaps it is time that you get up off the couch and see what the craze is all about.

Pilates, originally developed by Joseph H. Pilates, is a series of over 500 exercises that are designed to strengthen, lengthen and tone the muscles.

Pilates is also designed to improve your flexibility and improve your posture. After all, who doesn’t want to be more flexible and have better posture?

Pilates, a theory based on many dance and yoga movements, is highly recommended by physicians and exercise physiologists as one of the safest forms of exercises available.

It is gentle enough so that almost everyone can do it and reap the benefits.

Especially if you find yourself suffering from low back pain, Pilates is a great decision since its design is built on the principles built to improve your flexibility, stability, and strengthen your abdominal and back muscles. The controlled movements of Pilates help to keep you safe while you exercise.

Pilates is not a method of exercise based on endless repetitions, but rather, Pilates’ foundation is such that you perform fewer repetitions but with intense focus and concentration on each and every single movement of the activity.

With Pilates you also concentrate on your breathing again to help you really concentrate your focus on the movements of your body.

Pilates’ exercises can be performed on a mat on the floor using a video or DVD or either by taking an instructor-led class or by performing a series of exercises on specifically designed Pilates’ equipment such as the Pilates Reformer.

There are also other types of Pilates’ accessories such as the Pilates’ Magic Circle or even the basic exercise ball.

All of these Pilates’ accessories can help to enhance your exercises sequence by adding more challenge to the movements, creating more resistance and helping you to mix it up so that exercise boredom doesn’t set in.

With Pilates’ accessories as you gain more experience with the movements, you may find the accessories to add a bit more punch to your workout.

Pilates is an amazing form of exercise that can help you to regain your form, lengthen your muscles and relocate the flexibility that disappeared somewhere throughout the years.

Give it a try and you may decide that Pilates turns into your new best friend.

Pilates is becoming more popular with people of different ages, physical aptitude and mobility as a holistic, common-sense approach to efficient movement habits for the complete health of the body. Developed as a system or movement regime, Pilates training provides a variety of choices in both exercises and specialised equipment to help reinforce good movement habits, lying down, seated, kneeling, and standing.

A great side benefit is that anything that is taught about how movement of the body with Pilates exercises can be practiced during other sport and fitness activities. New habits learned during Pilates workouts can also be reinforced during daily life activities.

The inventor, Joseph Pilates believed that, “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” A sound mind in a strong body gives us the tools necessary to live life to the fullest. If you’re looking for a fitness program that is fun, challenging, develops balance and control, provides total body conditioning, improves posture and breathing, helps reduce stress, and has a strong focus on a combination of core strength and flexibility then Pilates will most certainly be of benefit to you.

Whether you are young or old, Pilates has something to offer for the improvement of health. A pilates workout programme always offers a suitable starting entry point for anyone, irrespective of their age or fitness mobility. The workouts are not strenuous and can be easily tailored to the individuals needs. The options available can be joining a local group or have one to one instruction or a very cost effective method of being introduced to the benefits of Pilates is to watch an instructional dvd in the comfort of your own home.

There are over 500 exercises in the Pilates system. Each exercise can be modified and made more challenging, which creates a never-ending abundance of variety for developing a personalised Pilates training program that can be fine-tuned to meet your unique fitness goals. For healthy individuals, a group Pilates Matwork class might be a good way to get your workout program started. If you have any special needs, injury, accident, or recent surgery, or just want to make the most of your Pilates workouts, private training with a qualified Pilates teacher using the Reformer and other specialized equipment (Cadillac / Trapeze Table, the Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector, Pedi-pole, and chairs,) may be the best option to develop a safe and effective exercise program to achieve your wellness goals.

Of all the procedures available, it is the Pilates mat work that is most recognised yet many are unaware that this constitutes only half of the Pilates exercise technique. For the best results a Pilates programme should include both mat work and equipment exercises that are most appropriate for your body. The equipment you need is not expensive as it is only some rope and different sized balls.

Most students begin to see improvements after their first few sessions. For some participants, changes are dramatic and happen very quickly. Others begin to notice subtle differences in how they breath, sit, stand, and move, or enjoy benefits they didn’t even realise they were going to get from their Pilates program. One of Joseph Pilates famous quotes is, “You’ll feel better after 10 sessions, look better after 20, and have a completely new body after 30 sessions.”

Everywhere yoga centers are appearing and more and more people are joining in. Yoga is a special activity that traces its origins from the East where it is practiced as a spiritual activity. In the modern setting yoga has become a physical activity, even an exercise. Many people have participated in this activity because of the benefits it gives our bodies and mind. It helps us focus and relax. It makes us conscious of our body and its function. It makes aware of our breathing and with some measure of control we are able to slow our respiration helping us relieve our stress and tension. Yoga requires a very good balance and fine coordination of our body’s movements.

It employs some very complex positions that test the individual’s concentration and focus. Losing this focus usually results in losing our balance. For most beginners one reason they lose their focus easily is that they fear that they will topple and fall to the floor. To keep themselves safe, many people use mats to help cushion their fall. But sometimes these mats just aren’t enough to do the job. Special yoga mats are needed.

These mats are specially made to answer the needs of many yoga practitioners everywhere. These mats help keep the yoga practitioner safe by giving the following benefits:

1.They are made of special material that allows them to stay in place without slipping. This helps stabilize the footing of the yoga practitioner. Stability ensures safety and good balance so the yoga practitioner can concentrate on his/her form. It also keeps dry even if the user is sweating hard from the activity.

2.They allow for maximum comfort and protection for the user. They are thick enough to help soften hits to the floor, or keep the practitioner comfortable as he/she maintains his/her posture or is shifting from one position to another.

3.They are made from durable high quality materials that make them sturdy and strong. There are no worries from tearing or sudden ripping as the user performs his/her activities and postures.

4.They are light enough and flexible that they can easily be rolled and stored. The user will have no problems carrying the item since it isn’t really heavy or bulky.

5.It is affordable so more people can have them and be protected when doing the activities. This also helps promote the practice of yoga.

These mats really help a lot in improving a person’s practice of yoga. This helps more and more people to reap the beneficial effects that yoga has on our bodies and minds. With the regular workouts which help improve our physical condition, yoga rounds everything up by enhancing our mind and general well being.