Chair Yoga - Yoga For Everyone, Including Workaholics And Seniors

Chair yoga is just what it sounds like: gentle yoga done sitting on a chair or with the aid of a chair, either as part of a yoga class, or for anyone too busy to do formal yoga classes. Chair yoga has caught on with seniors, and at retirement communities, because it's safe and suitable for those who have trouble getting up and down, and who have stiff joints.

The poses for chair yoga are hatha yoga adapted for someone sitting down, or standing an using a chair for support.

Chair yoga For Workaholics - Calm Down And be More Productive

You may be busy, but you can still do yoga. At its simplest, chair yoga for workaholics is simply taking time out for pranayama (yogic breathing) several times during the day, and doing some simple yoga stretches while seated at your desk.

It's particularly valuable if you suffer from any of the various forms of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), and of course if practiced daily, your chair yoga will help to prevent RSI too.

Chair yoga also relieves stress. If you're rehearsing a presentation, do some side stretches, and bend forward, and take a few moments for pranayama. Even five minutes of gentle practice will relax you, and give you a burst of energy.

Chair yoga For Seniors - Improve General Health, And Loosen Stiff Joints

If you suffer from arthritis or another disability, chair yoga can will return mobility and strength to your body, and relaxation and confidence to your mind. If you can't get to a fitness center or gym, chair yoga programs are available on DVD, with a range of seated and standing routines.

Chair yoga classes are available in many communities. Check your local paper. If you don't find a class within easy distance, then check out a chair yoga CD, DVD, or book.

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Maintaining Women's Fitness Through Pregnancy

When it comes to fitness, men and women often approach it in much the same way combining cardiovascular exercise with weight training and core work. For men, who often wish to build more muscle than their female counterparts, weight training may take a more prevalent role in their fitness routine. For women, who often wish to burn fat and create lean muscle, core work such as pilates or yoga may take a front seat. But the one way that womens fitness differs from mens fitness is the accommodation for pregnancy during a workout.

There are plenty of women who choose to continue their exercise regime after discovering they are pregnant. And while exercise during a healthy pregnancy is allowed and encouraged it should be modified to allow for the changes happening in the womans body. Womens fitness in this regard should be measured and thoughtful and always conducted under a doctors care.

First and foremost, you should not begin an exercise regime during pregnancy if you have not already been active. It is one thing to continue with a routine that you have been doing up until now but to jump into something with which youre not familiar at this vulnerable time is not advisable. If you are normally a sedentary person but wish to incorporate some physical fitness into your life during your pregnancy you may want to begin with a walking regime. Walking can get your heart pumping and you can do it at your own pace without putting undue stress on your joints.

For those who have been active in womens fitness up until this point, and are having a healthy pregnancy, you can safely continue your exercise regime with a few moderations. Work with your doctor at all times to ensure that you are in good enough health to continue this program and to help you determine what is enough or too much for your body.

Doctors will generally recommend low-impact exercise during pregnancy; in addition to walking, there is swimming, and stretching exercises such as Pilates or modified yoga. The lifting of heavy weights is generally not advisable during pregnancy; nor is high impact exercise that puts stress on joints, abdominal muscles, and back muscles.

Ultimately, womens fitness during pregnancy is about determining what is beneficial to your lifestyle at this particular time to maximize your physical and emotional health, reduce stress, and prepare for healthy pregnancy and delivery.

For easy to understand, in depth information about womens fitness visit our ezGuide 2 Fitness.

Summer Camp Yoga Teacher August 2005

Yoga Visualization for Empowerment - Introduction

Within yoga practice is a secret, which should be easy enough for the public to grasp. Meditation and visualization could advance all of human kind. The power of visualization is enough by itself, but meditation teaches us to focus on one thought at a time. This is such a challenge, that most of the public would rather practice yoga postures, and forget about meditation.

If you have practiced yoga for one session, you realize that yoga postures are much easier to focus on than it is to control your mind. Many people feel very uncomfortable trying to harness their minds. No wonder the ancient Yogis compare the mind to a monkey. The mind is restless and resists the concept of self-mastery.

Yet, the ancient Yogis were also concerned about combining Yogic meditation, with visualization, for egotistical purposes. It has commonly been thought that some people would misuse this aspect of yoga for acquiring material, power, and fame.

The ancient Yogis had nothing to fear, because a yoga practitioner would need much practice to reach Samadhi (The eighth limb of yoga - Complete Meditative absorption); there are many levels of Samadhi.

However, Samadhi, and the eight limbs of yoga, described by Patanjali, are largely ignored by many Hatha yoga practitioners around the world. Many Hatha yoga practitioners have developed a ranking system for yoga. Ask most students what advanced yoga is, and they will mention a difficult Asana (Yoga posture).

It is not their fault, because their Yoga teachers think the same thing. Many yoga teachers do not really understand the concept of Samadhi, and they do not reflect on the yoga Sutras.

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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