So why is it so popular now?

In 21^st century Britain, between what feels like an eternal ‘age of austerity’, employment stress (finding, keeping or getting paid more than the minimum for your job) and the demands of juggling our hectic lives, it seems we’ve been seeking a means of disconnecting from the stress of it all by reconnecting with ourselves. With yoga now well embedded in the UK’s health and fitness industry through dedicated yoga studios, classes and a percentage of those 3 million plus yogi who are qualified trainers, accessing yoga has become much easier. Add to this the viral popularity of YouTube ab-toning yoga videos, a prevalence of celebrity endorsed yoga DVDs and apps in the fitness media market, all of which creates interest in the benefits of yoga as well as wider interest into its holistic benefits. As a result, its popularity has soared.

Another reason why yoga’s in demand now is that with our 21^st century lifestyles come medical conditions which may actively prevent us from taking up other forms of exercise such as energetic aerobics classes, running or dance. Yoga can be practiced to great benefit by the old, the pregnant and even, to some extent, the ill, with mainstream news reports from the Daily Mail (2014) and the Daily Telegraph (2013) about how yoga can benefit sufferers from cancer and blood pressure.

All you need to do is choose the right yoga discipline:

SATYANANDA

The gentlest form of yoga, Satyananda is ideal for beginners. It focuses on deep breathing and flexibility through slow stretches and also teaches deep breathing.

HATHA

Another great version of yoga for beginners, Hatha offers more extensive stretching exercises but still at a relatively low-impact level, making it also suitable for older adults or those with health concerns. London based gym, The Factory, cite Hatha as a great way to start your yoga journey; allowing for poses to be modified based on physical challenges, such as recovering for injury for example.

IYENGAR

Iyengar is a yoga discipline which concentrates on body aligment and balance through postures. Props such as blocks and straps are used to help maintain postures.

KUNDALINI

The Kundalini yoga workout is more intensive, with faster paced routines and postures including a range of different breathing methods, including deep breathing, meditation and chanting.

BIKRAM (also known as MOSHKA or “HOT YOGA”)

With an added focus on the benefits of purification and developing stamina, Bikram yoga sessions take place in a heated room, making it an intensive, whole body workout. This level is more suited to those with high fitness levels and not those with heart or blood pressure health conditions.

ASHTANGA (“POWER YOGA”)

For the added benefit of weight loss in addition to those other holistic benefits of stamina, flexibility and core strength for mind and body, Ashtanga is the higher impact yoga workout. It’s more suitable for those who already have a certain fitness level to start with.

Finally, like any form of exercise, it’s beneficial when you’re doing it right. So although having multimedia access to online yoga classes is great, beginners especially are recommended to attend a few sessions with a qualified yogi, so that you can be sure you are creating postures properly for maximum benefit, not accidental damage.

*Image from Flickr and member a4gpo.

As you can guess I’m focusing a lot on Yoga at the moment and just wanted to share with you the 30 day yoga challenge that is running at: www.doyouyoga.com

Please check out the video for Day 1 and make sure you sign up for the challenge like I have!

One of the website’s which I look at on a daily basis is: www.mindbodygreen.com and I came across this article which I loved!

“Are you already back in the grind at work spending hours sitting at your desk? Are your hips tight? If the answer to either question is yes, start the New Year with open hips.”

If you answered yes you must check out this slideshow yoga sequence!

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/1-12182-1/a-simple-yoga-sequence-to-open-up-your-hips.html

Thanks,

Here is a pretty cool video from Meghan Currie and wicked tune too!

Enjoy!

Deano asked me to create a new category on the website called Wellbeing as he wants to start and share his knowledge on a range of things including yoga, tai chi and meditation.

I came across a fantastic yoga video this morning after I was sent an email from a John Kobik. He runs a great website called Chi For Yourself and we’ve recently hooked up. There’s a link to John’s website on our People We Like page.

The word yoga means “union” in Sanskrit. Think of the word union occurring between the mind, body and spirit. Lots of people think that yoga is just about stretching but while stretching is involved, yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing flexibility and strength.

The following video is called Yoga for the New Beginner and it’s brilliant for any of you thinking about trying yoga for the first time.

I’d love to know your thought on yoga so please feel free to comment on this post.

Enjoy,

I’ve been aware for some time about yoga as have most people and is something that for the last two years on and off I have integrated into my training at some stage (normally when I feel tight in my range of movements or I am seeking a bit more mental clarity).

Clubbells like Kettlebells have been around for years and years and are not a new FAD. I’ve been using Kettlebells properly now for about 3 and a half years and know that IFS Personal Trainer of the year 2010 Charlotte Ord is a big fan of them. I don’t hammer the kettlebells 24/7 and only use them when I feel the need to.

I don’t however use Clubbells but have toyed with the idea of buying some for quite a while now. I have seen various fitness professionals like Paul Chek use them and been impressed but more recently I’ve been watching a lot of the Scott Sonnon videos from TACFIT and been even more impressed. Scott Sonnon is recognised in the fitness industry for a host of things one being the Circular Strength Training® System which is definitely worth a read.

The Circular Strength Training® System uses full-range, multiple-joint movements which increases acceleration, agility, coordination, speed, extreme range strength, dynamic flexibility, deceleration, and mental toughness!

Scott has also wrote a book called Prasara Yoga: Flow Beyond Thought. It’s an enlightening read and a resource that I have used to help with my own training when I have integrated these practices into my routine, another great read.

It wasn’t till tonight that I saw Scott Share this video on his facebook page and was blown away with the concept of mixing clubbells and yoga in the way that Summer Huntington has done so.

So I thought I’d share it with all of you and see what you think.

Thanks,