Paraphrasing a quote about yoga whose author is unknown, “Blessed be the flexible, for never shall they be bent out of shape.” Attaining that flexibility is often easier with the use of yoga props. Why yoga practitioners use yoga props Yoga props are objects that help yoga practitioners strengthen, stretch, or balance the body as they move through the asanas, or poses in yoga. Props also help the body relax and assist with improving body…

The practice of yoga is not mastering the perfect asana (or pose), but of using each pose to better understand and transform yourself. Yoga is all at once mastery over the body, mind and spirit, and submission of the body, mind and spirit to a higher level of consciousness where all the answers to all the questions lie. Continuing your guide to yogic practices 9. Prenatal yoga involves postures and asanas developed for expectant mothers…

It is said that a yogic pose begins when the practitioner is ready to leave it. What this means is that when the body gets restless, it is time to focus the mind on holding the pose because the ability to focus the mind is what yoga is all about. Yoga style guide continued Yoga is a great way to look after one’s body. After all, without the body, we would have nowhere on earth…

The many different styles of yoga can be very confusing to a beginner. Deciding which style to learn and practice is even more of a conundrum. It helps if you can have a guide to see what each style is supposed to do. Each asana, or pose, in yoga is supposed to address a specific part of the body. Your yoga style guide The top fifteen yoga styles differ, depending one who created them and…

The standing postures are an excellent prelude to the remainder of a yogic routine. They energize the body and open it to the meditative states of the less active asanas. Standing posture number 4: Standing Rotations These are a great set of exercises to do before the more vigorous and active standing exercises as well as before jogging, tennis or other active athletics. They loosen up the body, stretch and tone up the leg muscles,…

Yogic standing postures, or asanas, provide an opportunity to increase strength, flexibility and create a harmonious balance for the rest of the asanas in a yogic routine. Standing posture number: Modern-day Sun Salutation While the Classical Sun Salutation is a gentle, flowing series of postures, the Modern-Day Sun Salutation is a more vigorous asana. This asana can be done in a shortened version or a slightly longer version, but both result in strength, flexibility and…

Focusing on your breath while in a yogic posture allows you to move beyond whatever physical limitations you perceive to the full extent of your body’s ability to move completely into a posture. Failure to breathe deeply while in a posture only ends up frustrating a yogic practitioner due to failure to completely enter a pose. The breath is the key to yogic poses, so move with the breath by making the greatest progress in…

In order to master standing postures, one’s mind must control the body, and the will must control the mind. Correctly mastering the standing postures enables you to discipline both mind and body in a positive way. Because the standing postures are the most physically taxing of all of the yogic asanas, one must take charge of the body and train the body in the postures. It is important to stretch the body to its full…