yoga benefits
 

yoga can be used to stimulate the glands, organs, muscles, and nerves, and this is in ways that other forms of exercise cannot; as well, muscle tightness and strain can be quickly relieved or even rid of entirely with yoga, and both circulation and digestion can be improved as well. Even many stress-related symptoms, such as fatigue, poor sleeping habits, muscle spasms, anxiety, and indigestion can be improved, and this is only the beginning of the types of benefits and advantages that yoga can provide.
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I hear yoga is great for you but i'm not very flexible ! Is there such a thing as yoga-lite :confused: :D

Yoga teacher’s training
 

[url=http://www.sivanandabahamas.org/yoga-teachers-training.htm]yoga teacher training[/url] is the way by which you can can get rid of every kind of mental depression. and if you really want to have more information about the yoga benefits then you will have to join the yoga teacher training classes This four-week course offers a profound personal experience, designed to build a firm foundation of inner discipline and provide the proficiency to teach yoga to others. The essence of yoga is learned through a combination of repeated practice and inspirational lessons. The approach to teaching is personal, focusing on the individual student. Among the many benefits students report are increased strength and flexibility, greater spiritual awareness, improved power of concentration, enhanced self-esteem and a new found sense of self-discipline.

Here is a cool article about Yoga and weight loss:

Regular yoga can trim waistline

New Delhi: Is your waistline bothering you in middle age? Try regular yoga, says a new study.

The study, led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre (FHCRC), is the first of its kind to measure the effects of yoga on weight.

The study involved 15,500 healthy, middle-aged men and women who were asked to complete a written survey recalling their physical activity (including yoga) and weight history between the ages 45 and 55.

The study measured the impact of yoga with weight change, independent of other factors such as diet or other types of physical activity.

The researchers found that between the ages of 45 and 55, most people gained about half a kg a year, which is a common pattern as people age and do not trim calorie intake to their declining energy needs.

"However, men and women who were of normal weight at age 45 and regularly practised yoga gained about three fewer pounds during that 10-year period than those who didn't practise yoga," said FHCRC's Alan R. Kristal, study co-author.

For the study, regular yoga practice was defined as practising at least 30 minutes once a week for four or more years.

"Men and women who were overweight and practised yoga lost about five pounds, while those who did not practise yoga gained about 14 pounds in that 10-year period," said Kristal, professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health (WUSM).

What accounts for yoga's apparent fat-fighting potential? Kristal, himself a long time yoga practitioner, suspects it has more to do with increased body awareness than the physical activity itself.

"During a very vigorous yoga practice you can burn enough calories to lose weight, but most people don't practise that kind of yoga," he said.

"From my experience, I think it has to do with the way that yoga makes you more aware of your body. So when you've eaten enough food, you're sensitive to the feeling of being full, and this makes it much easier to stop eating before you've eaten too much."

Study co-author Denise Benitez, owner of Seattle Yoga Arts, agrees. "Most people practise yoga in a way that's not aerobic enough to burn a lot of calories, so it has to be some other reason."

These findings appeared in the August issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.

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Here are some great yoga videos you might want to check out as well. They offer great advice on meditation techniques, stress relief, etc. [url=http://bit.ly/cHmQBv]TerraFlow | YogaEarth[/url]

Here is an article about the benefits of yoga for teenagers:

BALANCING THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF ADOLESCENCE WITH YOGA

This morning on KSEE Sunrise Katie Flinn of Coil Yoga introduced us to a teenager who is learning yoga to reduce the stress of her high school years.
Joining me today is a very special young lady named Gil Sosnik. I met Gil this past December and just this summer she has taken up Yoga as an alternative means of staying healthy and doing something other than competitive sports in High School. She traveled this summer to Israel and even sought out a Yoga class there to continue learning what she started at COIL Yoga earlier in the summer. Now school is getting ready to begin again and hopefully Gil can use the principals and foundations of Yoga to help her navigate her way through the sometimes rough waters of High School!
The teenage population is just starting to get more exposed to the benefits of Yoga. As a group, they are constantly under tremendous amounts of stress and pressure to do well, perform in sports, make the grade and balance the emotional rollercoaster of their teenage years gracefully right??? Well, as all of us know who have been down that path it can be tough. Gil is a great student and doing well but a lot of kids can really struggle at this time and Yoga could be just the thing that could help them find a positive emotional and physical outlet for their stress.
At COIL Yoga teenagers from the age of 13 up can join a regular class as long as they are with a parent and I’ve been seeing more and more parents presenting this option to their kids. If we can benefit from it as adults and start to learn new skills to cope with stress at our age, it could be a huge head start to expose our teenagers to this practice early on in life.
Gil and I are going to go through a basic beginning routine that will help cultivate strength, balance, flexibility and peace of mind!
Namaste-
Katie Flinn Gardner
coilyoga.com

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The Health Benefits of Yoga
Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, and currently, close to 11 million Americans are enjoying its health benefits. Yoga can hardly be called a trend.

Most Westernized yoga classes focus on learning physical poses, which are called asanas. They also usually include some form of breathing technique and possibly a meditation technique as well. Some yoga classes are designed purely for relaxation. But there are styles of yoga that teach you how to move your body in new ways. Choosing one of these styles offers the greatest health benefits by enabling you to develop your flexibility, strength, and balance.

Yoga benefits: Flexibility
When some people think of yoga, they imagine having to stretch like a gymnast. That makes them worry that they're too old, unfit, or "tight" to do yoga. The truth is you're never too old to improve flexibility.

The series of yoga poses called asanas work by safely stretching your muscles. This releases the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. In addition, yoga increases the range of motion in joints. It may also increase lubrication in the joints. The outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout your body.

Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath that surrounds your muscles. And no matter your level of yoga, you most likely will see benefits in a very short period of time. In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga. The greatest gains were in shoulder and trunk flexibility.

Yoga benefits: Strength
Some styles of yoga, such as ashtanga and power yoga, are more vigorous than others. Practicing one of these styles will help you improve muscle tone.

But even less vigorous styles of yoga, such as Iyengar yoga, which focuses on less movement and more precise alignment in poses, can provide strength and endurance benefits.

Many of the poses, such as Downward Dog, Upward Dog, and Plank pose, build upper-body strength. This becomes crucial as people age. The standing poses, especially if you hold them for several long breaths, build strength in your hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. Poses that strengthen the lower back include Upward Dog and Chair pose. When practiced correctly, nearly all poses build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.

Yoga benefits: Posture
With increased flexibility and strength comes better posture. Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength. That's because you're counting on your deep abdominals to support and maintain each pose. With a stronger core, you're more likely to sit and stand "tall." Another benefit of yoga is the increased body awareness. This heightened awareness tells you more quickly when you're slouching or slumping so you can adjust your posture.


There is more at WebMD.com.. very informative article

You can also set records with Yoga:

Non-stop, 32-hour yoga sets Guinness record

TORONTO: A Canadian yoga teacher on Tuesday claimed to have created a Guinness record by performing yoga non-stop for 32 hours.

The current Guinness Record of marathon yoga is 29 hours and four minutes.

But yoga instructor Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow, 28, on Tuesday claimed that she has completed her 32-hour yoga marathon at her Om West yoga studio in Pointe Claire Village on the Island of Montreal.

Pending Guinness World Record certification, she said, she holds the record for the longest yoga marathon. Guinness records need at least six people to be present at the venue of the event all the time to authenticate them.

During her yoga marathon, the Canadian also raised money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation which is working to combat AIDS in Africa.

Before undertaking the yoga marathon, she completed 108 surya namaskars, or sun salutations, for 108 consecutive days.

"August 3 is my final day of this 108x108 project. It has been an unbelievable adventure so far and a profoundly transformational experience. I have learned from so many great yoga teachers," she said.

"To complete this journey, on August 2 and 3, I am exploring what it would be like to do a prolonged practice and in doing so, have decided to challenge the Guinness World Record for longest yoga marathon, which is 29 hours and 4 minutes. This record has never been attempted by woman nor by a Canadian. My goal is 32 hours,'' the Canadian said.

Like the US, yoga has also become very popular among Canadians in recent years. Major cities like Toronto and Montreal boast a large number of yoga centres.

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Yoga have a number less benefit for the human body:-
It reduce the stress,
yoga control the body fat and weight,
yoga build the stamina,
it help to keep active all the day,
yoga help to build body flexible..
it refresh the brain and reduce the tiredness...

Yoga have a number less benefit for the human body:-
It reduce the stress,
yoga control the body fat and weight,
yoga build the stamina,
it help to keep active all the day,
yoga help to build body flexible..
it refresh the brain and reduce the tiredness...