Yoga Enjoy – Page 14 – All About Yoga: Poses, Types, Benefits, and More

What is Viniyoga?

August 21, 2017

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Laurie teaches a method of yoga called Viniyoga which adapts the various tools of yoga to the unique conditions, needs, and goals of the individual. Viniyoga sequences postures to increase benefits while reducing risks through intelligent preparation and compensation for the body. Emphasis on breath-awareness and internal experience create a meditative and restorative effect.

If you engage in simple practices consistently, you will be amazed at their capacity to create deep change.” Gary Kraftstow, Founder of the American Viniyoga Institute

Laurie and Viniyoga

Laurie studied with Gary Kraftstow at the American Viniyoga Institute in Maui, Hawaii (see History of Viniyoga below), and is a registered E-RYT 500, LMT (Experienced – Registered Yoga Teacher). She brings these skills not only to her studio classes but also to cancer patients at The Breast Center at Milford Regional Medical Center and students at Mount Holyoke College. (See About Laurie for details.)

What are Laurie’s classes like?

Laurie adapts postures to the level of each student in every class. Classes are based on a specific intention rather than on a “level” of difficulty. This intention – or focus for the class – is directed by the needs expressed by the students at the beginning of each class. Every class includes movement and held postures as well as focus on intentional breathing throughout the class. Laurie’s teaching style is light-hearted and compassionate. Her goal is that every individual feel welcome a[……]

Tantra Yoga

The significance of Tantra yoga: integrating spiritual practice with service to all

July 3, 2017

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Join us for an enlightening seminar led by Didi Radha on the significance of Tantra yoga and its integration with service to humanity and the planet. Taking place at the serene Ananda Room Fundão, this event promises to delve into the depths of spiritual practice and its practical application in our daily lives.

Didi Radha brings with her a wealth of experience, having dedicated herself to the path of Tantra yoga and service for over four decades. As a nun in the tantric tradition of Meditation and Service to Humanity, Didi has worked tirelessly across continents, from Asia to Australia and New Zealand, and now focuses her efforts in Europe and the Middle East.

Her work with Amurtel, particularly in regions like Gaza, underscores her commitment to alleviating suffering and fostering positive change in communities facing adversity. From education initiatives for disadvantaged children to ecological and permaculture projects, Didi’s journey exemplifies the seamless integration of spirituality and compassionate action.

In this seminar, attendees can expect to gain insights into the practical applications of Tantra yoga, exploring how it can empower individuals to serve not only themselves but also their fellow beings and the planet at large. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or new to the path, this event offers a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding and embrace the transformative potential of spiritual practice fused with service.

Don’t miss this chance to conn[……]

Sivananda Yoga

Who Can Do Sivananda Yoga

June 12, 2017

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Yogis of all levels can practice Sivananda yoga because of its “mellow” pace and style. It is especially recommended for those who want a holistic, ashram-inspired yoga experience; you will not only learn breathing exercises and asanas, but also practice several hours of bhakti or chanting. If you’re looking to do yoga for stretching and muscle toning, you may be better off signing up for Ashtanga, Bikram, or Power Yoga.

Benefits of Sivananda Yoga

With its added emphasis on spirituality and positive thinking, the Sivananda style of yoga is worth checking out if you want to do yoga for meditation, stress relief, and self-empowerment. It is also a recommended style for older yogis who want to boost vitality and restore or reenergize the body. Sivananda is also great for those who need a positive change in their lifestyle, because this style incorporates diet and positive thinking with every class.

What You Need to Know

Sivananda yoga classes throughout the world start and end with chanting and meditation, and use the same 12 basic poses or asanas and their variations. Sessions usually start with the Sun Salutations, and end in Savasana or Corpse pose. If you’re not open to the idea of vegetarianism, Sivananda may not be the best for you because it also encourages students to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle with the aim of improving digestion and health.

Sivananda yoga is currently being practiced and taught globally by over 10,000 instructors at 17 centers and nine ashrams.Sivana[……]

Restorative Yoga

10 Benefits of Restorative Yoga Practice for Older Adults

May 18, 2017

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Commencing a yoga class, when you are past 50 years, can be an overwhelming or intimidating task, especially if you are obese or dealing with life-threatening diseases like diabetes or cancer. Although you may not wish to join a yoga class with younger practitioners, beginning a gentle yoga practice for starters is a good way of staying active and lowering your stress levels.

What is Restorative Yoga?

Restorative yoga involves the alignment of your physical and mental state using gentle movements or stillness over a period of time. It also includes the concept of mindfulness which allows the practitioners to be conscious and aware of everything that happens around them. Mindfulness not only increases the fitness levels for older people but also improves their sleeping patterns.

Restorative yoga is not only safe for older adults but also helps to keep their mind and body healthy. If you are past 50 years and want to start a yoga therapy course, then you need to find an instructor that will meet your needs.

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Benefits of Restorative Yoga in Fitness for Older Adults

Increased Flexibility

If you are searching for gentle stretching exercises that will help you achieve greater flexibility, then restorative yoga is a greater option. Flexibility exercises like restorative yoga are great if your joints are stiff or achy. A recent study conducted to investigate the effectiveness of yoga therapy in managing arthritis in older women, researchers concluded that restorative yoga offered th[……]

Prenatal Yoga

Bump & Flow Prenatal Yoga

April 7, 2017

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Are you cooking up a cute new addition and looking for a safe, accessible and budget-friendly way to keep active during pregnancy, to help prepare you for an active birth and get you set up for quicker postnatal healing? Well then you’ve come to the right place.

The Bump & Flow Online Studio is home to over 15hrs of specialist prenatal yoga videos that are suitable for everyone that has been cleared for movement.

Never done yoga before? This is a GREAT place to start? All these videos are suitable for beginners as well as more practised yoga lovers and you can practice them all through your pregnancy, right up until the day your sweet babe arrives!

“These prenatal yoga classes are SO much more than just “yoga poses that have been adjusted for pregnant and bodies.” They are designed to support you body, mind and heart throughout your pregnancy, to prepare you for physically and mentally for birth and put you in the best place possible for post natal healing.” – Kat x

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Pranayama Yoga

Pranayama: The 4th Limb of Yoga Explained

March 4, 2017

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It’s not for nothing that the breath plays an important role in asana class. You begin the class by focusing on your breath, and everything kind of settles down. The day and its activities start seeming more distant, and all of a sudden there is no hurry anywhere anymore.

The breath truly is the key in moving distractions from the mind.

What is Pranayama?

Pranayama is the fourth limb of the eightfold path of yoga. Prana is the vital life force and energy that runs through our body. This beautiful energy is constantly flowing through us, and through all living beings.

My yoga teacher used to say that the quality of our breath determines the quality of our lives, and many yogis believed that the length of one’s life is determined by number of breaths, not by number of years. The deeper you breathe, the longer you can live.

Pranayama is the act of controlling and directing this energy, namely by controlling the flow of breath. Pranayama involves many different breathing techniques that aim at slightly different results.

We can use the breath to calm and balance ourselves, to energize the body and the mind, to cool or heat the body, but it always aims at promoting and maintaining our overall health.

The Effects of Pranayama Practice

When we can control the breath, we can control the mind. If the mind is anxious, usually the breath tends to be shallow and fast, which in turn sends a signal to the nervous system that something is wrong.

By focusing and deliberately guiding and con[……]

Power Yoga

6 Tips for Modifying Your Power Yoga Practice During Pregnancy

February 27, 2017

I am almost three years out from practicing and teaching power yoga while pregnant but I still receive questions all the time about modifying power yoga for pregnancy while still maintaining a strong/regular practice. I recently relocated these prenatal yoga photos that Scott Broome shot for me a few weeks before my due date and just received the same question from a fellow expecting teacher and was inspired to write a post on the topic!

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The most important thing to remember is that every single body is different and what feels good for one pregnant woman might not be the right thing for another. Personally, I was able to practice throughout my entire pregnancy and felt really great in my body but I have friends and students who either greatly scaled their practice or stopped practicing all together during pregnancy because it wasn’t working for them. I truly believe there’s not a black and white, right or wrong for practicing yoga during pregnancy and so much of it is unique to the yogi’s body and the baby they are carrying.

And now….here are my top tips for modifying your power practice for pregnancy with the assumption that you are listening to your body, practicing within the scope of what’s reasonable for your body and that your midwife or doctor is on board. Most of these tips are most applicable to the second half of pregnancy when your belly starts to really grow but can be implemented throughout all of pregnancy.

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1. Widen legs and soften knees in forward folds.

Wide[……]