November 1, 2018 | | Post a Comment

It is so common to associate happiness with acquiring a want. A lot of us grew up not being able to get all of the things we wanted and we tend to spend most of our adult lives making up for it. We end up working hard and trying our best to earn enough money to buy everything we could ever hope for. Thinking “I’ll be happy when I have this or that thing,” Then we do get it and we get used to it. Then we start to get tired of it. Then what? We start to want something new and the cycle repeats itself. Sometimes the cycle of wanting even overlaps into an endless series of want and un-want. 

So, what do we do? 


We go back to observing our self. A struggle to gain some form of awareness of what is going on inside of us. We try to understand what drives this craving for more than what we need, along with unnecessary wants. Then, we work to find a balance between a state of taking too much and too little. 

As human beings it’s only natural to hoard, to keep, to set things aside just in case. But what happens to it all when you end up getting too much and it’s going to waste? Have you ever considered a way of life by getting only what is sufficient? 

We all have to work towards being self-aware to the point that we address only that which we need now. Because one of the most appealing Niyamas in yoga is Samtosha, or more specifically, “complete acceptance of what is,” or “contentment.” Something that is so much easier said than done. 

Contentment is both a practice and a result. But most importantly, we have to acknowledge that it is a practice. It is constant work. Even throughout our yoga and meditation sessions, where we do our best to pay attention and work on what goes on inside, we are bombarded daily with external stimuli that pull us away. So, we do the work every day to prepare us to handle things. We exert effort to make it easier for us to take a step back when these things start to pull us away. 

Today, we live in a world created specifically to feed our tendency to consume and purchase. There is always a store around the corner, an advertisement when we look up or a friend raving about his or her latest discovery. It’s so easy to be tempted into buying into trends and getting more than what we need. Which makes the practice now more difficult than ever. 

You can’t isolate yourself or hide from the world to curb temptation. The best option now is just to be able to quickly tap into that space within yourself that declares what it is that’s happening inside and separating it from what’s occurring outside. Eventually getting to that point where it’s second nature for us to distinguish an inherent need and a fashioned want.

April 27, 2018 | | Post a Comment

Like other programs of physical fitness, yoga requires special types of clothing which should meet its physical demands. It has been found that wearing the proper type of yoga clothes will give you the best results, as it enables the person to concentrate more on his or her asanas (yoga positions) instead of the apparel. The most important factor, which plays a significant role while looking for the yoga clothes, is their comfort. As this very factor enables the performer to make free movements of all the parts of their body while performing various types of yoga asanas. Yoga has gained tremendous popularity in last few decades; therefore an extensive range of yoga clothes have become available in various sporting good markets.

Tips To Be Considered While Choosing Yoga Clothes

The followings are the main tips which should always be kept into consideration while choosing yoga clothes:

A) It is always recommended to opt for yoga clothes that are composed of cotton as well as spandex. This is because such types of clothes deliver an excellent flexibility in order to enable you to make various movements of different types of asanas with ease.

B) You should always go for lightweight yoga clothes which should be sweat absorbent so that they should enable you to stay cool and fresh in the case of profuse sweating instead of making you feel sticky and moist while performing your asanas.

C) It is also advisable to opt for the right fit yoga clothes according to the frame of your body instead of choosing tight or loose apparel, as they will not deliver you comfort while practicing yoga.

Different Types of Yoga Clothing

With the increased demand of yoga clothing, due to an increase in interest of yoga, the markets of sporting goods have come up with an exclusive range of yoga clothing to meet the requirements of every individual.

A) Yoga Shirts

Yoga shirts are available in a wide variety of materials including cotton, fleece,lycra, and wool. Therefore, you can opt for any of them depending upon your comfort and flexibility.

B) Yoga Pants

Yoga pants are one of the best apparel for yoga, as they are extremely comfortable for not only practicing yoga but also for other activities like the martial arts, Pilates, aerobic, or dance. They are available in different types of materials including cotton, fleece, lycra, and wool and in a wide range of colors to meet your taste.

C) Unitard

Unitard is a one-piece garment which proffers proper coverage, support, and comfort while practicing various yoga asanas. It is one of the most lightweight apparel, which is composed of organic fibers of cotton/spandex. It comprises of double-layered panels at its front and back along with single-layer arms and legs. The most fascinating thing about Unitards is that they are available in an extensive range of colors and sizes.

In the end, the comfort and functionality of your yoga apparel plays a vital role in enhancing the experience of your yoga practice.

February 13, 2018 | | Post a Comment

 

 

Ever shown up to class and realized you already stink, even before slapping down your mat? Hot yogis, I feel your pain. After only a few classes, a funk develops in brand new yoga wear that resists normal laundering. Tech fabrics are great at wicking sweat from skin but cleaning them is a whole other challenge altogether.

Don’t throw away that smelly yoga tank just yet. In addition to the preventative measures you can take to limit the bacterial growth causing the stink, there are new sport laundry products that can help keep your yoga clothes smelling fresh for as long as you want!

First, prevention. After yoga, laundering clothes immediately is not always possible. The next best option is hanging clothes up and isolating them from each other. I am not suggesting you place smelly yoga clothes on padded satin hangers alongside your fine washables in the boudoir. No. Rather, I mean, throw them over a shower door, on a towel rack, a robe hook. Air them out in the interim between yoga class and laundry time, otherwise mold and bacteria get trapped inside the fabric and things get more difficult from there. If you’re working, do your best. This is a triage situation. Try your car’s rear deck, a desk drawer, a bag with breathable fabric. Just—please—no plastic bags. Even a hamper is better than a plastic bag.

When you do wash your yoga clothes, you can pretreat them in a mixture of vinegar and water to try to kill bacteria. I say you can do this because it will probably not work as far as killing any smell goes, but this strategy is advocated by the eco-friendly cleaning products people. I believe it’s a waste of time, but I’m including it because I know yogis like to be kind to the earth. If it works, even better.

What you will end up doing, though is spending the money on a specialty sport wash. I would just start here; using vinegar, baking soda, or lemons is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. There are many of these washes available at sports equipment stores and on Amazon. The only problem with these washes is figuring out the proper amount of detergent to use and a bizarre, embarrassment-of-riches-like problem that they work so well that sometimes you end up transferring the stink from clothes to the drum of the washer. (If this happens, you just wash an empty load with detergent.)

Turn your clothes inside-out before you wash them. The sweat and funk is mostly on the inside, not on the outside, so get the detergent focusing on the problem areas. Use the hot setting, both with water and the dryer. Some of the higher tech fabric will say they cannot be washed in hot or dried on hot. Do what you think is best. The labels tend to be a little risk-averse, and some clothing can take more of a beating than the manufacturer suggests. If you’re worried about it, stick with warm or cold water and hope for the best. What you do not want to do is put an article of clothing that still stinks into a dryer, so make sure to sniff-test everything once it comes out of the washing machine.

Good luck!

September 7, 2017 | | Post a Comment

Having a hard time catching sleep? Feeling drained after waking up? Our life is always on fast pace leaving our body and minds in a constant state of work. Always rushing after responsibilities, checking your phone from time to time for important emails and trying to catch up with goals makes us forget how important sleep is and how much it affects our lives.

Have you counted thousands of sheep and still feel as alert as you can be? Have you taken melatonin that doesn’t seem to actually make your eyes heavy? It’s probably time to reassess how we recharge our body and mind through the night.

Lack of sleep can lead to stress levels rising, unwanted weight gain, heart disease, weak immune system and sped up aging. It also impairs our cognitive ability, causes anxiety, depression and sometimes hallucinations.

Flow to your zZzs.

Breathing is important in relaxation. It tells the parasympathetic system to trigger the body to ease out. As you breathe deeply, the muscle tensions are released and the clogging thoughts you acquire during the day evaporate. These Yoga poses are designed to help you calm the body and mind, and prepare you for a morning full of energy to face the day.

Head to Knee/ Janu Sirsasana. Sit upright on the floor and extend your legs together to your front. Allow your knees to be slightly elevated if needed and keep the spine straight. Bend you right knee and let the sole of your right foot rest on the floor, touching your left inner thigh. Use cushion to support your right knee if it can’t stretch all the way to the ground. Lengthen your spine as you inhale and exhale reaching for your left foot. If you can’t touch your toes, just reach as much as possible but do not force to point of pain. Keep you gaze on your big toe. Breathe deeply for few times. Repeat the same process on the other side.

Legs on Wall/ Viparita Karani. Sit near a wall facing it. Slowly lie down on your back and bring one leg up on the wall then the other. Adjust your body closer to the wall allowing your legs to relax further. Extend your arms to your side with your palms facing the ceilings. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Feel how gravity works on your leg’s blood flow, relaxing its tensed muscles. You can use a strap or belt and put it on your lower legs to assist in keeping them together, and allow you to let go of effort and relax deeper.

Angled Seated Forward Bend/ Upavistha Konasana. Sit straight on the floor and make sure you avoid slouching. Extend your legs as much as you comfortably can in the V position. Inhale as you lengthen your spine, keeping it straight and reach forward to the floor as you exhale. Go deeper into the stretch with every exhalation you make. Consciously breathe and allow the stretch to relax your whole body.

These Yoga poses promotes relaxation of the whole body and the muscles around our eyes. It helps sooth the nervous system, tuning all noise out, creating a calm environment, welcoming sleep to take over. While sleeping, the body restores damaged cells and flushes toxins out. Yoga’s magnificent gift of meditation along with its physical practice helps to fix your broken sleeping pattern, waking you up rejuvenated and prepared to face the day with energy and positivity.