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yoga

10 Ways You Can Reduce Stress

by Mark A. Eisenhart January 1, 2021

Stress got you down? Drained your energy? Or worse, still – ruined your sex life?

Everyone has to deal with stress at some point in their life. And unfortunately, it is something we can all count on. It is a constant.

But there are tried and true ways you can reduce stress.

What’s the Difference with Good and Bad Stress?

First, let’s talk about the two types of stress we all experience: distress and eustress.

Simply put, distress is negative stress, and eustress is positive stress. Distress often causes anxiety or concern and can be short- or long-term. Over time it can be harmful.

Eustress, on the other hand, motivates or focuses energy. It is usually short-term and is perceived as within the scope of our coping abilities. It usually excites us and can improve performance.

A typical form of eustress for the average person is the beginning of a new relationship. It can be uplifting, gratifying, and even a renewed source of joy.

The issue that we’re focusing on here is distress. Here are some techniques that are sure to help you manage distress when it rears its ugly head.

Ways You Can Reduce Stress

1. Do yoga

I know you have all heard this before…but it really does work! And in today’s world, you don’t have to go far to find a yoga class that meets you where you are.

Related: Health Benefits Of Yoga

An hour of yoga done a couple of times a week will help you in all kinds of ways especially when it comes to boosting your immune system, improving the quality of your sleep, quieting your mind, and managing stress.

2. Meditate

Meditation does wonders for the brain and improves focus, concentration, mental clarity, memory, and mood. Even if you only do this a few minutes each day you will notice positive results.

There are numerous ways to meditate, either by yourself or in a group setting. Classes are often offered at spiritual retreats, churches, holistic health centers, wellness clinics, and the like.

3. Laugh

That’s right. Get your belly-shaking Buddha laugh going. I mean, really let it out.

The therapeutic benefits of laughter are infinite. Laughing releases chemicals in the brain which stimulate the sensory experience of “feeling good.” This elevates your mood.

4. Play with animals or children

This is one we should all do more often. Among other things it helps to give us perspective. Playing, like laughing, also releases chemicals in the brain which help to elevate mood, stimulates the release of endorphins (which we experience during exercise), and the exertion can also be a great discharge of stored energy.

Besides, kids and animals tend to bring out the best in us!

Related: 6 Health Benefits Of Pets

5. Steer clear of simple sugars and stimulants like coffee

This is a vicious cycle. Our culture has made it way too easy and accessible for us to overdose on caffeine and other stimulants.

The more we consume these substances, the more we are susceptible to stress. It is a real bummer, but it’s true. Stay away from them and watch what happens.

6. Get plenty of quality, restorative sleep

Sleep helps us to recalibrate and recharges the brain. Though the mind remains active during sleep, it gets to take a load off, so to speak.

Commit to making your bedroom a place where only sleep and intimacy happens. A dark, clean, quiet, tidy, and comfortable environment will maximize your time in the sack. When you wake, you should feel energized and ready to face the day.

7. Eat a plant-based, whole foods diet

Healthy eating makes for a healthy mind. Also, it’s important to eliminate processed foods at all costs. Buy organic or at least items on the safe list and choose non-GMO foods. You’ll feel the stress start to melt away!

8. Bond with friends and family

Our friends and family will always be there for us when we’re stressed, and more social interaction with people we care about will help to lower the stress of even the most introverted folks. Establish a sense of community and get support from loved ones.

9. Spend time outdoors and exercise regularly

Vitamin D is essential, and a well conditioned body adapts more easily to an ever changing environment. Get out there and get your body moving. Soak in the sunlight (but make sure you’re protected with SPF). The vitamin D from the sun and the endorphins from the exercise will help you lower your distress.

10. Simplify your life as much as possible

De-clutter. There is something therapeutic about downsizing. Keeping things neat, tidy, and organized not only helps you to find whatever you are looking for more easily, but it helps to lower anxiety, it is safer, makes for great feng shui, is energizing, and lends itself to greater periods of creativity and productivity.

Related: How To Declutter Your Home

The Takeaway

Stress will always be present. Take time to learn how to cope with it when it does. Control the stressors in your life or they will control you. It really is that simple.

**********************************

Mark A. Eisenhart is a sponsored multi-sport athlete, transformational speaker, actor, model and spokesperson for Warrior Force TM. He has appeared on over seventy programs including The Doctors on CBS, The Jeff Probst Show, American Ninja Warrior on G4 and NBC, True Life and Real World on MTV, NBC’s Grimm, TNT’s Leverage, several local and national TV News and Sports Radio programs. Mark experienced a life changing transformation after watching his father beat cancer to die of liver disease.

Photo by Florian F. (Flowtography)

January 1, 2021 4 comments

GET SUCCESS

How to Achieve Success One Step at a Time

by Yogi Cameron January 1, 2021

written by Yogi Cameron

This is a time when you may have made New Year’s resolutions to live a better life. You might want to go on a diet and lose weight, you might want to start working out, and you might even want to take risks and find a new career path for yourself.

In the past, you may have made a whole list of resolutions and then fiercely devoted yourself to fulfilling them. For a week.

Then, you may have gotten distracted by appointments and new seasons of your favorite TV show on Netflix and only pursued your resolutions for a part of the time. For a week.

Then, by the third week, perhaps that whole list went completely out the window. This is no way to achieve success or live a better life.

Small Changes Can Yield Big Results

It can be very frustrating to not have the kind of discipline needed to make the changes to our lifestyle and our career that are necessary to enjoy genuine growth. This is why when I teach my clients how to create greater purpose in their life through the systems of Yoga and Ayurveda, I don’t have them make over their entire lifestyle all at once.

I teach my clients the virtues of changing their lifestyle a little bit at a time. After months or even a year, all of these small changes add up to an entirely different (and wholly beneficial lifestyle).

The Problem with Late-Night Eating

For example, one thing I teach my clients is how healthy it is for them to refrain from late-night eating.

When we sleep, our body’s various systems shut down so as to allow everything to revitalize itself while we sleep. This includes the digestive system. But if we still have food in our stomach when we go to bed, the compromised functionality of our digestive system is unable to process the food still in our stomach. The food just sits there overnight, and because it hasn’t been digested it becomes toxic.

Then, we wake up the next morning feeling stiff, lethargic, and heavy. Not only is the tone of the whole day set by a poorly timed late-night meal the night before, but it makes us far more likely to be sick in general.

Ideally, it’s best to not eat for the last four or five hours before bedtime. And while it might seem completely appropriate to make “I won’t eat late at night” a New Year’s resolution, actually following through is a different story.

Since this is a difficult task to accomplish for many of us, it is better to start smaller and build up. Let’s say you currently eat an hour before you go to bed. Tomorrow, eat an hour and ten minutes before you go to bed. Then, the day after that, eat an hour and twenty minutes before you go to bed. Continue to grow this behavior gradually over time, and within a month you’ll have the habit under control.

Begin to do this with a gradual introduction of other practices, like yoga postures and breathing exercises, and you will become so grounded in your new routine that within a year you will be living a wholly different – and far more beneficial – lifestyle.

You will have created such a thorough transformation that by next January, New Year’s resolutions will be a thing of the past.

**********************************

Yogi Cameron, Ayurvedic healer, lifestyle therapist, and yoga guru, helps treat specific conditions and puts his clients on the path to greater mental, physical, and spiritual health. Yogi Cameron’s goal is to help everyone find their purpose and practice, which is explained in his new book The ONE Plan, a comprehensive week-by-week guide to authentic change.

Featured photo by Tobias Lindman

Originally published 1/25/13 and updated 1/14/14.

January 1, 2021 0 comment

GET HEALTHY

The Ultimate Guide To Karma Yoga: Everything You Need To Know

by Beth Shaw January 1, 2021

written by Beth Shaw

Throughout my many years of teaching yoga, nothing has served me more joy than giving back. Through teaching, volunteering in my community, cooking for others…it’s a joy that can never be tarnished.

Karma yoga is defined simply as “the yoga of action” – living a life of spiritual action and selfless service.

One of the best ways to achieve a higher purpose in life is with two simple words: Giving Back. By turning the focus away from ourselves, we are able to channel a powerful amount of energy onto others and the community around us. Here is a step by step guide to finding your higher purpose and truly practicing karma yoga.

karma yoga

Everything You Need To Know About “The Yoga Of Action”

1. Find your higher purpose.

This sounds a lot more intimidating than it actually is. We all carry a higher purpose in life that is beyond us. The trick is to find and connect to that purpose. Once you do, you will feel renowned happiness that will guide you in life. Here are a few tips on how to find it:

Practice meditation. Use introspection during mediation to listen to your inner voice.
Understand the difference between a thought and an insight. We have close to 60,000 thoughts a day, but don’t worry–an insight will stand out because it will have resonance.
Ask yourself this: What in this world touches your heart? Is it animals, children, the elderly, veterans, homeless, people with HIV or cancer?
Pray to the universe to send you signs and synchronicities.
Keep a dream journal. Often, dreams can provide powerful insights and answers.
Listen for messages from the universe. Look for ‘signs’ throughout your day. They may come from other people when you least expect it.

Related: How To Find Your Purpose

2. Understand the importance of giving back…

Watching someone’s face light up when you have helped them in some way is one of the most joyful gifts you can receive. If you have been blessed with the gift of health, giving back can – and does – feel like the best thing you could possibly do. We are but one tiny being on this big planet, but by making small differences in others’ lives, we make big strides to achieving a happier world.

3. …and start doing it.

Once you’ve given yourself the opportunity to find your higher purpose, you will start feeling and experiencing the signs that point you to what that purpose might be. You may also notice that some of your beliefs and practices have shifted slightly, leading you to something greater and more divine.

Sometimes, the hardest part is just starting. Here are my suggestions that will help jumpstart you into action:

Volunteer at your local animal shelter or ASPCA to walk orphaned dogs.
Cook at a homeless shelter.
Volunteer to read to underprivileged children or the blind.
Donate books or magazines to a library, hospital, or retirement center.
Join your local Habitat for Humanity and help build houses for families in need.
Donate old towels, sheets, blankets, or coats to a nearby homeless shelter.
Become a “Big Brother” or “Big Sister” to an at-risk youth.
Donate clothes to a women’s or men’s shelter.
Donate blood to the American Red Cross.
Volunteer with Meals on Wheels to deliver food to the elderly.

There are hundreds of ways you can give back. The important thing is to choose a path that means something to you.

4. Practice gratitude.

In his book Growing the Positive Mind, William Larkin notes that gratitude is the emotion that produces the most positive reaction in the body. Practicing gratitude and being thankful literally creates a healthier environment for our body, mind, and spirit.

At YogaFit, we practice what I call “gratitude lists.” Each day, we jot down the things we are grateful for. Keeping a gratitude list or gratitude journal helps you gain an understanding of what makes you happy and gives you grace.

Your gratitude journal can contain anything and everything you’re thankful for–your health, your friends and family, your yoga practice, the sun, whatever. It’s meant to be a safe space where you can be wholly honest with yourself and practice being grateful for all the things the universe has given you.

Live your life with a higher purpose. Once you do, you will experience an abundance of joy and newfound meaning.

**********************

A life long student of fitness, psychology, philosophy, spirituality and health, Beth Shaw is committed to helping people find their own perfect health‚ physically and mentally. The Founder of YogaFit and Author of YogaLean, Beth is also dedicated to giving back, Karma yoga and community service. Beth is an animal advocate and sits on the HSUS National Council. Her non-profit organization, Visionary Women in Fitness gives scholarships to women. Shaw has dedicated her life to YogaFit and the transformational growth that the company creates globally.

Photo by GO INTERACTIVE WELLNESS

January 1, 2021 0 comment

GET HEALTHY

9 (Of Many) Amazing Benefits Of Yoga

by Megan Breinig February 1, 2020

written by Megan Breinig

Need a workout and some stress relief?

Well, have you tried yoga?

Many studies have been conducted about the health benefits of yoga, and it’s official: yoga is great for you!

From reduced stress to improved fitness levels, learn why you should grab a mat and reap the benefits of yoga.

Woman Doing Yoga

Why You Should Try Yoga

1. You’ll stress less

Many different research studies have been conducted to determine the effects that yoga has on stress. According to a recent study, a group of middle aged woman who went to one single 90 minute Hatha yoga session showed significantly lower levels of stress in comparison to those who didn’t.

Related Article: 10 Ways To Reduce Stress

Another study conducted at the University of Southern Mississippi took 81 undergraduate students with mild depression, anxiety or stress and had them participate in yoga. After one yoga session, participants demonstrated decreased levels of both depression and anxiety.

2. You’ll be more flexible

If you can run a marathon but have trouble touching your toes, you’re not alone. Many people forget to work on their flexibility during exercise. This is where yoga can help – the poses require you to hold a stretch and push outside your comfort zone, which can increase flexibility.

Related Article: 5 Running Tips For Beginners

3. Your posture will improve

Spending the day hunched over a computer, in a cubical, or driving your car can contract your spine and kill your posture. One of the most underrated benefits of yoga is that it helps counteract this by increasing your body awareness and reducing your tendency to slouch.

Related Article: 5 Ways To Have Good Posture

4. Your core will get strong

Most of the standing and sitting positions focus on core strength because the deep abdominals are used when holding yoga positions. One of yoga’s main focuses is to build a strong core so that the spine is held up by the center of the body and not by the neck and shoulders.

When held by the neck and shoulders, the spine is stressed and often leads to tension in the neck and upper back; breath gets stuck up in the chest, which in turn taxes the nervous system.

5. You’ll have a stronger heart

The best way to make your heart stronger is to give it a workout through cardiovascular exercise. One study shows that yoga increases the cardiovascular output and heart rate significantly, thereby strengthening your most important muscle.

Related Article: How To Prevent Heart Disease In 3 Steps

6. You’ll be able to breathe easier

Most yoga exercises involve forms of deep controlled breathing, which can increase your lung capacity and even help with certain forms of asthma.

7. You’ll be able to sleep better

30-50% of America’s population has trouble sleeping, and about 10% have chronic insomnia. Luckily, research proves that yoga is an effective treatment for people with insomnia, without any negative side effects…which we can’t say about most prescription or over-the-counter sleep medications.

Related Article: How To Sleep Better In 4 Steps

8. You’ll have a stronger immune system

Did you know that yoga breathing actually boosts the immune system? Sudarshan Kriya Yoga has proven health benefits for a wide range of clinical conditions, through manipulated breathing tactics.

9. You’ll have lower blood pressure

If you suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) yoga is a fun and natural way to improve it. Studies show that people with high blood-pressure who practice yoga have a reduced heart rate, respiratory rate, and lower blood pressure.

Risks Of Yoga

Much like any other physical activity, yoga comes with risks. If you are normally stuck at a desk all day and are not used to stretching, make sure you don’t get too intense in your first class.

You should also learn from a yoga professional if you’re just starting out.

And remember: the practice of yoga is not a bending competition between you and the yogi next to you. Many people get hurt trying to compete with other ultra-flexible class participants.

If you have back, neck, shoulder or wrist issues make sure to let your teacher know before the class. People who have carpal tunnel syndrome often exacerbate it with a lot of upward-dog/downward-dog positions, so make sure you learn how to do the modifications correctly.

Ask your doctor about yoga if:

You are pregnant
Have high or low blood pressure
Have spinal problems
Severe osteoporosis
Glaucoma
Ear problems

The Takeaway

Yoga can help you reduce stress, improve your fitness and boost overall health. So pick up your mat and unite your mind, body, and spirit! Namaste!

This article was reviewed and approved by Dr. Kathy Gruver

Originally published in 2013 and updated in 2014.

February 1, 2020 4 comments

INTERESTING LIFE TIPS LIVE BETTER

Are You a Vata, Pitta, or Kapha Dosha?

by Kristen Fisher February 1, 2020

written by Kristen Fisher

Did you know you could fall into one of these categories when it comes to yoga? Luckily, we are here to break down the three dosha’s to offer a better understanding. Typically finding out if you fall under Pitta, Vata or Kapha means identifying with certain aspects of your own personality.

Vata Dosha:

Characterized by elements space and air, typically this falls towards an individual who is slender, fast-acting as well as, fast moving and typically on the go all the time. These individuals are highly creative, always acting (sometimes on impulse) and sometimes their negative qualities can catapult over their positive attributes.

Pitta Dosha:

Characterized as having a fiery nature or personality (think astrological signs Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius), a quick tongue. Associated with fire and water, so an individual with qualities such as hot, movement, liquid or sharp (this can be based on from daily activities. Pitta’s tend to be highly driven individuals, joyous and oddly enough a quick angered temper. Pitta’s for instance, greatly benefit from the yoga pose downward dog and child’s pose.

Kapha Dosha:

Characterized by its elements of earth and water. Kapha’s are a grounded individual who tends to have a calm presence about them. Compassionate and full of expression, Kapha’s are essentially the glue of a friendship. Or, an individual who can quiet a heated discussion.

If you still feel confused (I know I did at the beginning of all of this) watch the Youtube video below for more instruction. Finding out was Ayurvedic Body Type you fall towards can help with any Yoga practice you might be suffering from. Usually, it takes a while to find out which yoga moves agree with your body, however, this can act an outlined guide. By treating your body right, you’ll feel better and ready to take action in the world.

February 1, 2020 0 comment

Featured

Q&A with Dr. Jodi Ashbrook

by Kristen Fisher February 1, 2020

written by Kristen Fisher

We are pleasantly happy to have Dr. Jodi Ashbrook onboard with the Inspiyr community! Dr. Jodi Ashbrook who is changing the world (domestically and internationally) with the intention of utilizing meditation, yoga, and an educative degree to fuel our minds, bodies, and souls.

All photos for this feature credited to VS Photography

Hello, Dr. Jodi Ashbrook! I would like to begin with you giving us a short description of who you are and what you do?

I am a Speaker, Author, Educator & Serial Entrepreneur, owning & operating several ventures that offer holistic wellness education and professional development, including ZenLeader®, The Yoga Movement, The Be Brand ®, & Elevate Higher Ed.

I most recently launched ZenLeader® earlier this year, which is an educational platform offering both live and virtual organizational development curriculum to arm corporate leaders and their teams with professional and personal tools to calm the corporate chaos and lead a more fulfilling, intentional life.

Also in the B2B realm, as Co-Founder of Elevate Higher Ed, I provide consulting services that help institutions in higher education advance in academics, student support, enrollment growth and improve the overall student journey.

Circling back to my deep passion for self-care, The Be Brand® is an inspirational retail line tied to The Yoga Movement, my global non-profit mission to deliver complimentary wellness tools to schools and universities across the globe. As a traveling yoga instructor, I also represent wellness retail company, Kulae Yoga as a global DiploMAT Ambassador, driving their “Real Good Karma” corporate mission to create a more sustainable world.

As an Author, I published my first book, Looking at Life through the Lesson Lenses in 2015, and will be releasing my second book later this year: Breaking through the Box—which will inspire readers to follow their dreams and embrace their own unique, purpose-filled life journey, as an alternative to the conventional “beaten path”.

How did you become involved with Yoga?

One decade ago, my life had become a string of negative thought patterns and, “why am I even here?” moments. I tried to ease my pain and find comfort in food, which led me to an 80-pound weight gain. I disconnected from all significant relationships, incurred debt up to my ears, and felt lost about who I was and my purpose for existence. The anxiety and emptiness eventually became unbearable, and the self-inflicted feelings of worthlessness took over and pulled me into my darkest hours one night that changed my life forever.

As I lay there, ready to take my own life, I realized what I was missing—I needed to connect deeply to my true purpose for being alive. Fortunately, a force much higher than me intervened that night, and I made the decision to end the self-loathing and take responsibility for creating a life that I knew I wanted and deserved.

After moving across the country to pursue a job promotion and career growth, I wanted and needed to let go of the extra physical and emotional weight I had become used to carrying as a defense mechanism. I began taking 2-3 yoga classes per week as a starting point to improve my physical wellness and what started as an exercise routine soon transformed into a spiritual evolution.

Later, I went on to own and operate a yoga studio in the Greater Boston Area that enabled me to better understand and appreciate Yoga as an all-inclusive community that takes us all in just as we are, with no judgment or pretense. It’s a beautiful thing, and I’m so grateful for my practice still today as an instructor and educator which is why I have made it part of my mission to share yoga and wellness tools with as many people as possible to help improve both their personal and professional lives.

What has motivated you to pursue the Zen lifestyle, as well as, becoming an Educator?

A few short months after my bout with depression, I realized my own passion to develop others as a professional leadership coach. Pushing myself beyond my preconceived limits gave me a sense of purpose and direction, and I finally made the intentional choice to grab the steering wheel and take the reigns of my own life.

However, once again, I had allowed my fear and self-doubt to hinder my progress, as I was afraid of making the changes necessary to create the life I yearned so deeply to live. Just as I was becoming complacent on my new found path as a coach and leader, the universe delivered another wake-up call that officially led me to lead a “Zen Lifestyle”.

On day seven in the hospital, escaping death from two blood clots in the lungs, I made a promise that I would no longer make decisions just to “play it safe”. I made a commitment to myself that no matter the situation, I wouldn’t live in fear of failure. I would find the courage to say “yes” to taking risks and embracing opportunities.

Since then, I’ve sold my yoga studio and left behind a home address in Boston, and for nearly two years, I have been journeying across the globe to experience what I believe is life’s greatest treasures—new adventures, with new people, in new places. I’ve launched four business ventures over the past decade that are all tied to my passion for wellness and leadership development, and am still learning to lean on the universe when I need guidance and direction.

It’s important to understand that embracing the “Zen Lifestyle” doesn’t mean you have to leave behind the security of your home, your family, or your job to go backpacking across the world. It means that you choose to improve your self-awareness and tune in to your own mind, body, and spirit to connect more deeply to your ultimate purpose and value here on earth to achieve fulfillment—as a Human Being, rather than a Human Doing.

Could you explain how ZenLeader is helping to teach business leaders to incorporate holistic approaches into their career?

Our ZenLeader curriculum offers mental, physical and emotional strategies like example meditations, yoga postures, thought management practices and leadership principles shared with the purpose to educate and inspire participants on ways to be the leader they would follow both in business and in life.

The purpose of ZenLeader is to share strategies to address the development of an individual holistically which ultimately improves the individual’s abilities in leadership, partnership, and influence in all of life’s many roles.

From a corporate and business perspective, ZenLeader can help enhance skills and capabilities both needed and relevant in the professional realm in analyzing data and executing a vision to maximize strengths, close performance gaps, create growth and improve the overall employee experience.

What has been the biggest obstacle you have overcome when it comes to experiencing your own holistic journey through life?

The biggest obstacle I have overcome on my own holistic journey has been releasing all judgment, of myself and of others. Can you relate to having moments where you made a judgment about yourself or someone else? What someone did or didn’t do – their choices, clothes, actions, words…the list goes on and on.

And, when we don’t have someone to pass judgment over, we actively look for things to judge and reasons to be unhappy. If we spent as much energy on improving ourselves that we spend on gossiping and tearing down others, the world may be a very different place. The reality is, we are all human and all have a tendency to pass judgment on others and ourselves.

Here is how I see it:

Let people be. We are all on our own journey and have the freedom to be however we feel most comfortable being. While you may not understand why others do what they do or how they live their life, you don’t need to understand or fix it because you have your own life to live.
Ease up and remind yourself that everyone, including you, is doing the best they can with the information they have at the moment. One of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes is, “as we know better, we do better.”
Take a look in the mirror first. As you reflect honestly, in some way, shape or form you have probably done or been what you are judging someone else for in that moment. It is then that you have an opportunity to recognize we are all at different stages of learning on our path. No one stage is better than another, life is not a competition. Just an opportunity and plenty of experiences to practice learning and growth.
Turn your vision inward and reflect on where the judgment is coming from and what part of you needs to be healed. Healing the broken part of where the judgment is coming from will help eliminate the need to beat yourself or others up through superficial judgment that only leads to resentment and negativity.

Here’s how I’ve embraced this lesson; each time the pattern of judging someone or something else comes up, there is an opportunity to take a step back and look at the situation and yourself through a different lens.

The work begins within each of us, working collectively towards a greater good. Be the leader you would follow and let that work begin with you.

February 1, 2020 0 comment

GET HEALTHY

13 Super-Awesome Benefits Of Practicing Yoga

by Lauren Pickens January 14, 2020

written by Lauren Pickens

Yoga has many benefits for the mind and the body.

It has the power to change your day, week, and even your life.

If you aren’t convinced that yoga is the best workout ever quite yet, keep reading to learn why we yogis truly believe it is. Here’s why practicing yoga is the way to go!

practicing yoga

Why You Should Give Yoga A Shot

1. Yoga can jump start your day

A morning yoga flow is an awesome way to start the day. It’s a surefire way to ward off any sleepiness.

If you have to be out of the door early in the morning, you can practice yoga from your house, and just fit in a quick fifteen minute charge up before your workday begins.

2. It helps you relax

The serenity of practicing yoga and stretching can be a wonderful way to get your body primed to rest. Practice yoga after a workout to cool your muscles down, or at the end of a hard day.

3. You can increase your flexibility

This is one of the main reasons that many people start doing yoga. Practicing yoga on a regular basis will boost your amount of flexibility. The time that you put into it along with the amount of natural flexibility that you have will factor into how long it takes to see results.

4. It is great strength and resistance training

You don’t need weights in order to strengthen and tone your muscles. In yoga you are relying on the strength of your muscles in order to place your body and hold it in difficult positions.

5. You can help ease joint and muscle pain

One of the best ways to relieve joint pain or tightness is to stretch your body and warm up your muscles; making them less stiff and reducing pain that you may have.

6. You can strengthen your core

Who doesn’t want stronger abdominals?

The key to mastering many yoga poses, especially the difficult ones lies in utilizing the strength and energy of your core muscles. You use your core in order to get into poses, but also to hold them, which is when you will really feel your abdominals work.

7. You can get your daily cardio in

There are many different types of yoga, and each has its own benefits. If you are looking for something that will get your heart racing, try power yoga. The sequences and transitions from each movement to the next are faster, and you’ll really feel your pulse race. This is a great choice for individuals who prefer low impact cardio.

8. Yoga improves balance

Yoga helps you get in tune with every muscle in your body and allows you to focus on building harmony within your body and mind to find balance. Although some people have innate balance you can certainly use yoga as on method to build and improve on your balance if it doesn’t come naturally to you.

9. You can use yoga maintain and lower weight

Along with a healthy diet, yoga can be used to maintain and even lower your weight, depending on the type of yoga that you practice and the frequency that you practice it.

10. Your posture can be improved

Another positive benefit of practicing yoga is an improved posture. There’s no slouching around for yogis! Yoga poses are all highly specific. Every body part is being called on in order to form the pose, and over time, you start to get used to keeping your muscles active throughout the day without even thinking about it.

Related: 5 Ways To Have Good Posture

11. It is a heart healthy activity

In some cases yoga has the ability to lower blood pressure. Lowering your blood pressure is one way to reduce the chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or heart disease.

12. You have the opportunity to release tension and center your mind

Yoga is a perfect outlet for those who experience a high amount of stress and frustration in their lives. It gives you the chance to forget about the outside world and focus on controlling your body, breath, and focus.

Meditation can also be incorporated into yoga. With each pose, you have the opportunity to clear your mind.

13. Yoga helps you gain control over breathing

A huge facet of yoga is mastering the art of breathing. This may sound a bit silly, because we are always breathing to survive. Our breath is so important. Breathing gives us life and gaining awareness of your breath is an amazing way to center your mind and body.

The Takeaway

Yoga isn’t for everyone, but is worth giving it a try. Even if you only try it once, there are so many benefits to practicing yoga that you have far more to gain than you have to lose.

The worst that could happen is that you end up feeling silly or that you don’t like it, and the best that could happen is that you discover an activity that leaves your body and mind feeling rejuvenated!

***************

Lauren Pickens is a freelance writer and Inspiyr contributor. She holds Bachelor of Arts in Communications and enjoys writing about lifestyle and culture. To read more of her writing, visit her website.

January 14, 2020 0 comment

GET MOTIVATED HEALTH INSPIYR'D LIFE TIPS LIVE BETTER

What Are Mantras? By Hope Zvara

by Kristen Fisher January 14, 2020

written by Kristen Fisher

What are mantras and what are mantras that can be used at work

(Hope Zvara offers sound advice when it comes to mantras and exactly why we should use them.)

Being stressed appears to be the new norm. Tasks just keep piling up and finding time to de-stress seems to never fit into the day’s schedule. And when it comes to work, it may not be realistic to drop everything and hit up a yoga class or take a day at the beach.

My name is Hope Zvara, and as a yoga and mindfulness expert of more than seventeen years, I firmly believe in making small little changes to our lives. And at the end of the day, those small little changes all add up to big results.

And that is why incorporating the use of mantras into your life and workday can be a very effective way to curb stress, help you become more productive and keep a “zen” like state even in the most stressful of times.

The use of mantras can benefit anyone who incorporates them into their lives like brushing their teeth. Benefits include: reduced stress and anxiety, soothes stresses from technology hangover, assists in a shedding of neurotic habits, boosts immunity and not to mention they are free.

What is a mantra?

A mantra is a word or syllable repeated to help curb the mind, keep focus and act as a form of meditation. One would often use a mantra in yoga and meditation to help keep “the mind on the mat”, but they are often also use in everyday life and given from teacher to student to help overcome obstacles, challenges, and aid in transitions.

Incorporating mantras into ones’ workday can be a wonderful way to combat stress, keep better focus, improve confidence, and even keep those negative self-sabotaging thoughts at bay.

How to use a mantra?

If you are a yogi working with a teacher one would often recommend you recite your given mantra for 108 times, X amount of times per day for so many days as a prescription so to speak.

But anyone can begin to use mantras and instantly begin to benefit. And that means you can start today.

You may already have used a mantra and don’t even know it.

Affirmations are forms of mantras in the English form. Mantras can be more powerful as the vibrational tone and sound of a mantra when spoken correctly aids the brain and our inner state more deeply than its English sister.

But no matter where you start, a refocusing on the mind will surely follow, with commitment and regular repetition.

Where do I start?

One of my favorite mantras that I was given during my stay at an ashram during one of my yoga teacher trainings is a mantra to Ganesha.

Ganesha is seen as the remover of obstacles and when chanted to can help you overcome, move through or see more clearly that which is in front of you and needs to be dealt with.

Mantra for the workplace: “Om Vakratundaaya Hum” (Ohm Vah-krah-TOON-die-yah Hoom)

And when chanting this you would either chant using a mala or even just chant this frequently during the day to help keep the mind focused and aid in working through difficulties.

If you would rather not use a Sanskrit mantra then using affirmations (which many of us do already) is a great place to start.

I think of mantras as a way to change the internal voice we have, that for many is negative and downgrading.

Affirmation for the workplace: “Peace is within my reach” or “I am calm and focused”, or “Obstacles are opportunities”.

No what mantra or affirmation you use, the most important thing to remember is that they don’t work and cannot help you if you don’t use them.

Namaste.

Author: Hope Zvara, mindfulness and lifestyle expert, best selling author, and motivational speaker empowers individuals nationwide by sharing her personal success story, delivering her message, guidance, and applicable tools. Breath, Body, and Belief are the pillars of Hope’s mission to Help Others Purposefully Excel. Zvara offers direction based on how the mind operates, how the body works, and how beliefs affect mental health and wellness overall. Zvara has changed thousands of lives over the past 17 years by sharing her journey of loss and recovery.

Social Media Links For Hope Zvara:

January 14, 2020 0 comment

GET HEALTHY HEALTH

Facial Yoga

by Kristen Fisher January 14, 2020

written by Kristen Fisher

Have you spotted a rapidly building trend about facial yoga? According to researchers, facial yoga can help a woman de-age about two years. The study conducted in 2013 has shown mass improvement. Dermatologists have jumped on the bandwagon for facial yoga.

The main age group was middle-aged women who attempted to do the study to prove a vast improvement in elasticity. Because this regimen is a non-toxic alternative, dermatologists approve of this yoga technique.

Of course, these exercises utilize the muscles we tend to neglect. Plus it will take a number of weeks before improvements will be noticeable, this can be from making an individual with hollow looking cheeks appear fuller. This is a result of allowing more circulation throughout the fatty tissue within the cheeks. Typically the main exercise consists of making a long “o” face, a fish face and puffing out the cheeks.

Yet, a big question remained… what about wrinkles? Can certain movements cause wrinkles? Shockingly, no. Most likely, these facial exercises are only held for a minute, no longer. When the muscle is being rebuilt as aging occurs, fat cell layers attribute towards a skin drooping effect. As if gravity has taken hold! To improve a firmer looking face, building muscle is the key!

Video Tutorials to Attempt

One individual by the name Gary Sikorski who has introduced “Happy Face Yoga”.

Below Youtube user, Fumiko Takatsu has created video tutorials based on facial yoga.

January 14, 2020 0 comment

FITNESS GET MOTIVATED

I HATED Yoga Until I LOVED It

by Kristen Fisher December 3, 2017

written by Kristen Fisher

Contributed & Written by Brianna Bedigian

Yoga at first was the worst. I hated everything about it. My teacher, first and foremost, I loathed her. The smelly gym that class was held in, yuck. The pain my body went through to contort into poses, awful. The stillness, don’t even get me started on the freaking stillness, I mean seriously, the worst.

I took Yoga for my gym credit in my senior spring at Boston University and much to my chagrin I couldn’t graduate without it. So I stuck with it. Three times a week for four months I stared at my teacher with absolute hatred because the only alternative was to quit and tell my Dad I failed Yoga and wouldn’t be graduating. Can you imagine, how pissed he would have been? I mean really pissed. So I kept going, even though I hated it.

To seal the deal on how much I hated my Yoga Teacher one day before class I walked into the changing room and she was there meditating, naked. Naked. Want to flip a twenty-year-old student out-do that and then come in fully clothed and teach your class as though nothing has happened.

I didn’t count down the days to graduation. I counted down my remaining Yoga classes. There weren’t even cute clothes back then. Yoga pants did not exist. Dance pants were the closest option and most of us in Yoga class were in old sweats with heavy waste bands and words on our butts.

By the end of my semester, my body was much more balanced, my shoulders (a long-standing point of discomfort) had relaxed because my overall tension decreased, and I defaulted to a deep breath when I realized I was feeling stressed. The power of habit had snuck in without my even realizing and Yoga had made itself a little homestead in my world. Repetition has power and three days a week for four months had impacted my body, mind and spirit.

After I finished college. I drove west to New Mexico to work with historical Native American Ceramics. I didn’t know a single person. It was a stressful transition and in order to live out there, I was riding the poverty line. After food and shelter, there was nothing left. To entertain myself I hiked in the desert daily. Afterwards, I would “stretch” but my stretching was Yoga. Without even realizing I was doing it, I used the poses, the breathwork and the meditation practices that I had suffered through. My practice for years was entirely personal. I did it daily but I never referred to it as Yoga.

Every once in a while I would go to a Yoga class. But invariably I didn’t connect to the teacher and spent half of the time wondering how much longer the stupid class was going to be. I didn’t like chanting, breathwork, long holds, sitting still or anything related to touching another student. It took me a long time to realize that usually, the medicine is in the practices that make us the most uncomfortable. If we are always comfortable we never change.

In 2001, I shifted to Pittsburgh for a graduate program at University of Pittsburgh. Another move without knowing a single person, and then three days after arriving, September 11th happened. For the first time in my life, I understood why people might turn to Church. To have a community that day, I went to Yoga class. It was an incredibly moving practice and from moment to moment, I was completely hooked by Yoga. The direction of my life was shifted and while I finished my Master’s I also knew that my career would be in the healing arts. The aspect of community is a beautiful part of the Yoga practice. A room full of people breathing, moving and meditating together creates a powerful generator of energy, hope, and healing.

When a beginner comes to one of my classes now, I am always so excited. I make a point to tell, them if you hate this class that is fine. But try others, go to different classes, experience different styles, give several teachers a shot. Yoga is vast and there are many different versions of it, the trick is, to find the version of Yoga that speaks to you.

Brianna Bedigian is a writer, teacher, and intuitive healer. She is also the Author of the book, “Healing: Footstep to Footstep” which chronicles the methods, meditations, and food she used to recover from Chronic Fatigue syndrome 15 years ago. Bedigian utilizes Hypnosis, Yoga, and Reiki in her workshops across the East Coast.

Photo credit: The Baltimore Museum of Art, photographer: Mitro Hood

December 3, 2017 0 comment

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