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.

My wife is currently pregnant with our second child and we were discussing the other night about a possible fitness routine to help her get back into shape. She only has three weeks left to go and so far so good. A big thanks to Amy aka Mutha Fitness too for helping me write this article!

Exercising while pregnant may be the last thing on your mind if you find just getting out of bed on a morning a challenge. The one thing I would recommend though is to just stay active. If you didn’t go in the gym before you fell pregnant then you shouldn’t really consider going in now but everybody walks and so should you. A walk every day will be so beneficial to you and your baby and I’ll explain why in a minute. The most important thing is this though, safety. Safety for you and your bump so I’ve got a few exercise tips for you in this article.

Benefits

Everyone knows that when you exercise it helps you stay fit and healthy so staying active before, during and after your pregnancy can only be a good thing. Here’s a short list:

• It will help you prepare for when you are carrying the baby around with you. I can remember putting on a front baby carrier for the first time and saying to my wife, it was really heavy. She replied, that’s what I’ve been carrying around with me for the last few months!
• It will help you prepare for the physical elements during labour
• It gives you an energy boost
• It can reduce the risk of you getting some illnesses
• Constipation and back ache are a common problem with pregnancy and exercise will help keep these at bay
• It will help you sleep better. I’m currently writing another article about sleep and exercise so make sure you check it out
• It will also help you get back into shape quicker after giving birth

Safety

This is the number one priority and I can’t stress this enough. Plus, I don’t want to be writing anything that may put you and your baby in danger as I’m no Doctor. It’s common sense to not try anything that could make you slip or fall, so you shouldn’t be considering things like running! If you feel great throughout your pregnancy, then you should consider staying active by trying the following:

• Walking
• Yoga
• Swimming
• Pilates

Other tips include, making sure you’re wearing a comfortable maternity bra. This goes without saying but you should always make sure you warm-up correctly too. Take care with awkward positions, so things like sit-ups shouldn’t really be considered. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, you should be doing this anyway! The last tip is making sure you cool down, this will give your heart a chance to return to its normal rate gradually.

If you experience dizziness, short of breath, difficulty walking or any other type of joint pain then you should stop exercising immediately.

So there you go and I really hope this helps. I’m hoping to be back soon with some exercise tips once you’ve given birth so stay tuned. If Amy agrees, we may even use her as a case study but I’ll need to twist her arm to get some photos!

Stay fit, heathy and happy folks. One last thing, being a parent is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done but without doubt the most rewarding.

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,