Give Yourself A Boost At Work With These Simple, Refreshing Tips

By Jez Heath

Continued concentration over long periods required in the modern workplace can be demanding on your mind and your body. The stress and fatigue felt by many of us can impact our work performance – and lead to ongoing stress and exhaustion when you get home.

However taking a short break to complete a few simple yoga postures at your desk can help to relieve stress and tiredness and refresh you for another work session.

To help you reduce the effects of working long hours at a desk or in front of a computer, Total.Yoga.Practice suggests you periodically perform 2 simple yoga practices at your desk. The first practice is described in this newsletter. Watch out for the second in the Total.Yoga.Practice February newsletter.

Office yoga – part 1
Start by vigorously rubbing your hands together until you feel warmth on your palms. Place your hands on your face with your palms cupping your eyes and your fingers on your forehead – making sure that no light gets to your eyes. Hold your hands here with your eyes open and relaxed to relieve eye muscle tensions and eye strain related headaches.

Nadi Shodhana (alternate breathing)
Sit comfortably in your chair with your back tall and straight. Hold your right hand in front of your face with the middle two fingers resting between your eyebrows. Your thumb should be above your right nostril and your ring finger above the left. Close your right nostril with your thumb and breathe in slowly and silently through your left nostril, until your lungs are full without straining. Release the right nostril and close the left nostril with your ring finger. Exhale through the right nostril slowly, keeping the duration of the exhale the same as the inhale. Inhale slowly through the right nostril. Release the left nostril and close the right nostril with your thumb while you exhale. Repeat the sequence 10 times making sure that your breathing is silent.

Mushtika Bandhana (Hand Clenching)
Hold your arms out straight in front of you at shoulder height, palms down, stretching the fingers wide. Close your hands into a fist with the thumb held inside, as you slowly exhale. Slowly inhale as you open your hands and stretch your fingers. Repeat 10 times.

Manibandha Naman (Wrist Flexing)
Holding your arms straight out in front of you, at shoulder level palms down. Inhale as you slowly bend your hand backwards, fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Exhale as you slowly bend the wrist downwards, fingers pointing towards the floor. Repeat 10 times

Manibandha Chakra (Wrist circling)
Hold your right hand straight out in front of you at shoulder level, making a fist with the thumb tucked inside. Rotate the hand in a clockwise circular motion, making as large a circle as possible while keeping the elbow straight and still, keep your breath slow and smooth. Make 10 circles in a clockwise direction, then 10 in the opposite direction. Repeat with the left hand. Alternatively you can work both hands at the same time.

Kehuni Naman (Elbow Bending)
Hold your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder level hand open with the palms facing upwards. As you exhale, bend your arms at the elbow and touch your shoulders. Inhale as you straighten your arms. Repeat 10 times.

Skandha Chakra (Shoulder rotation)
Hold your arms out sideways at shoulder level, bend your elbows and touch your shoulders with your fingers. Rotate your arms in a clockwise direction, making sure that your elbows touch your chest, ears and sides as you make the circle. Keep your breath slow, inhaling as your arms move up, and exhaling as your arms move down. Make 10 complete rotations then repeat in the opposite direction.

Greeva Sanchalana (Neck Movements)
Sit comfortably facing forward with your eyes closed. Exhale as you lower your head trying to touch your chin to your chest. Inhale as you lift your head backwards as far as possible without straining. Repeat 10 times.
Sit comfortably facing forward, eyes closed. Without turning you neck, exhale as you lower your head to the right, trying to touch your right ear to your right shoulder. Breathe in as you raise your head and exhale as you lower it to the left side. Repeat 10 times.
Sit facing forward, eyes closed. Inhale as you turn your head to the right to look over your right shoulder. Inhale as you return to center. Exhale as you turn to the left to look over your left shoulder. Repeat 10 times.
In the same position eyes closed, rotate your head in a clockwise circular motion bringing you head down, to the right, backward and to the left. Exhale as you move your head down, inhale as you move your head up.

To find out how Total.Yoga.Practice can help you fit a full yoga practice into your busy schedule with our 24/7 professional instruction, visit http://www.TotalYogaPractice.com/wvp.php.

Please note the following important cautions before using Total.Yoga.Practice.
Not all exercise is suitable for everyone, and this or any exercise programme may result in injury. Consult with your doctor before you use the Total.Yoga.Practice services.
To reduce the risk of injury, never force or strain yourself during exercise. If you feel pain, stop and seek medical attention if necessary.

Any liability, loss or damage in connection with the use of Total.Yoga.Practice and its yoga instruction, including but not limited to any liability, loss or damage arising from the performance of the exercises demonstrated here, or any advice or information provided by Total.Yoga.Practice in the videos, or on the website, is expressly disclaimed

Jez Heath is the founder of Total.Yoga.Practice, an online yoga center providing streaming yoga video instruction. Total.Yoga.Practice's yoga instuctors include Varun Veer, a professional Yoga instructor with more then 30 years of practice experience. He is the author of 2 books and many yoga videos. Visit Varun at http://www.TotalYogaPractice.com/wvp.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jez_Heath
http://EzineArticles.com/?Give-Yourself-A-Boost-At-Work-With-These-Simple,-Refreshing-Tips&id=402754

Ancient Wisdom in Modern Yoga

By Adam Johns

Having just begun a new career as a Realtor, I know as well as anyone the benefits of a regular practice of mind and body. Life is quick paced when it is slow, which means when times are busy, they really move, and… well, we need to remember to breath.

Thankfully, our modern society has realized its need for peaceful breaks in between cell phone calls. Especially in the last decade or so, perhaps after first stumbling over our own two feet, we have willingly reached into the past to scoop up what was once understood by the ancients—the mindful practice of yoga.

Mary Dunn, who began yer yoga studies with B.K.S. Iyengar in 1974 and is now senior teacher and director of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York, elaborates: “Yoga deals with timeless questions so it is relevant whether we are speaking of the contemporary world or a historical context.”

According to http://sanscrit.org, the term, yoga, is “derived from the Sanskrit root, yuj, to join, to unite, to attach.” A further implication is that a practitioner of yoga, a yogi, is one who joins with “the soul” or “the soul of God.”

Let’s cover our bases here—modern practitioners of yoga may not feel dedicated enough to consider themselves yogis, but still may seek and discover the benefits of healing and fitness from the practice.

Yoga, Healing, and Fitness

Those who seek improved health do satisfy one requirement similar to the yogis: they apply the principle of consistency to their practice.

With regular practice, yoga is bound to improve all areas of a practitioner’s life. One will become physically stronger while also attaining an increased awareness of relaxation and peace of mind. Again, the Sanskrit root, yuj, says it all and speaks of a body, which has all its multitudinous aspects united and functioning as one.

“I benefit from yoga because it puts a broad framework around the way I live,” says Mary. “It provides a philosophical structure that includes ethical behavior and psychological well-being, and is a practice that provides for a healthy lifestyle.”

Physiological Benefits

Some of the most common benefits of yoga are physical in nature, such as increased flexibility, enhanced performance of the joints, ligaments and tendons, toned muscles, and a higher degree in purity of blood through the elimination of bodily toxins.

How are these effects achieved? Yoga is a science both complex and simple, depending on the perspective of the observer. With that said, for a beginner exploring yoga, it is best to assume a perspective of high regard and patience. Because, yoga, if practiced correctly and regularly over time, has the potential to strengthen, stretch and heal the body from its surface to its core.

Psychological and Spiritual Benefits

“The states of meditation which were practiced in the past and said to benefit the practitioner are now scientifically verifiable as to their effects on the brain,” adds Mary.

In our modern society, one of yoga’s most sought after results is its ability to quiet the nervous system. We fast-pacers enjoy yoga because it provides a healthy contrast to our lives, as it is slow and gentle. Certain forms of yoga such as pranayama (yogic breathing) especially assist in gaining a calm mind.

To most, achieving a calm mind seems impossible in this world. Nevertheless, it is a virtuous and respectable goal, and yoga offers us hope.

Experienced practitioners can tell the difference, as yoga teaches a person how to properly relax when there is an opportunity to do so, as well as how to endure difficulties and stress when there is no break.

Spiritually, yoga encourages a positive mentality. It boosts confidence and the ability for self-acceptance. For most, yoga offers a feeling of oneness with others and the world around.

Adam Johns writes articles and music reviews for The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times web version may be accessed at http://english.epochtimes.com The author is currently promoting New Tang Dynasty's Chinese New Years Spectacular. He hopes you will visit: http://newyeargala.ntdtv.com/2007/en/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Johns
http://EzineArticles.com/?Ancient-Wisdom-in-Modern-Yoga&id=400556

Getting To Know Hatha Yoga

By Christain Cullen

Yoga has it beginnings in ancient India but this discipline has invaded the whole world due to the benefits it offers to people who take up yoga. A survey shows that there are more than sixteen million people who practice yoga in the United States alone.

There are various types of yoga and each type has its own methods and purposes. One type of yoga is the Hatha Yoga which literally means sun and moon, coming from two Sanskrit words Ha which means sun and Tha which means moon.

Hatha Yoga, which was first introduced in the 15th century by Yogi Swatmarama, was meant to help yoga practitioners start off with purifying their bodies before proceeding to a higher level of meditation. It is said that Hatha Yoga is similar to Raja Yoga which follows the principle of yama which refers to moral self discipline or control. However, there are sectors who believe that Hatha Yoga has its origins as early as the 10th century.

American yoga followers usually practice the Hatha Yoga to improve their physical and mental health. Most of the Western practitioners of the Hatha Yoga focus on the asanas or yoga poses and exercises but it is really a unified yoga discipline veering not only on the physical but also in Pranayama which consists of breathing and meditation techniques.

Both Hatha Yoga and Raja Yogi are known as Ashtanga Yoga because it follows the eight limbs which include the asana or the poses including the Lotus pose, easy pose, pelvic pose and easy pose. Some sectors however do not consider Hatha Yoga as Ashtanga Yoga since they believe it follows the six limbs.

The literal meaning of Hatha Yoga refers to the use of opposite forces or energies much like the sun and moon or the more familiar concept of yin and yang. This yoga discipline aims to achieve a balance between the physical and the mental powers of a person to achieve a higher level of existence. The body and mind is prepared for a higher level through the execution of the asanas.

Hatha Yoga makes use of Yama or moral control, the Asanas or the poses, Pranayama, Niyama, specific exercises known as Mudra which aims to improve the breathing technique and Nadanusandhana. All the six limbs work together to help the practitioner achieve a higher level of Kundalini or concentration and meditation.

Most Yoga practitioners strive to follow moral discipline or yama to live a virtuous life. According to the yoga discipline, a person can live a virtuous life by following the ten moral restraints primarily the ahimsa or veering away from causing harm to all living creations.

The other yamas include Satya or the ability to stick to the truth, Asteya which prohibits a person from stealing or incurring debt, Brachmacharya which requires celibacy for singles and faithfulness for those who are married, Kshma which refers to the virtue of patience, Dhriti or the principle of commitment, Daya which prohibits cruelty to all beings, Arjava or the promotion of honesty, Mitahara or keeping a moderate food intake and Shaucha or purity in thoughts and words.

Yoga has been referred to as physical yoga because of the use of poses or exercises to achieve unity in body and mind. Some people equate yoga with Hinduism maybe because it started in ancient India but it should not really be identified or attached to any religion because it is a universal science that aims to achieve spiritual balance.

Hatha yoga is a very significant discipline that helps a yoga practitioner to achieve unity of body and mind in order for him to be elevated to spiritual perfection. While different yoga pose can also develop muscles and body form, they are however primarily aimed to achieve a balance in the body systems and internal organs.

Some people take up Hatha yoga to heal their physical and emotional illnesses. With constant execution of the asanas, the human body ultimately develops into a stable and enduring vessel for the human spirit.

Yoga disciples continue to execute the asanas not only to gain physical but also mental balance. The discipline one can gain from yoga will go a long way in helping the person lead a disciplined, happy and peaceful life.

For more information and helpful tips on Hatha Yoga try visiting http://www.seewhatwehave.com, where you will find detailed information for those interested in all the different aspects ofYoga.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christain_Cullen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Getting-To-Know-Hatha-Yoga&id=403840

Keep on Laughing – Inside the World of Laughter Yoga!

By Doug Dvorak

“The entire world is an extended family; let us join through love and laughter” Dr. Madan Kataria.

Dr. Kataria, Founder of the World Laughter Yoga movement practices what he preaches. He travels the world educating people on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits of Laughter Yoga. A typical Laughter Yoga Session involves many educational and physical expeiences. When you attend your first Laughter Yoga session you will be greeted by the Laughter Yoga Leader or sometimes referred to as the “Club Anchor”. Attendees are encouraged to leave their worries, both physical and emotional at the door and try to connect with their child-like playful sprit.

This individual will ask all members to stand in a circle or semi-circle. He or she will then give commands to initiate different types of laughter and exercises, while maintaining eye contact and moving closer to interact with each other. This is done to create a sense of closeness or intimacy among the group members.

Laughter Yoga has two components: 1) Laughter Yoga Exercises and 2) Laughter Meditation and there are some important guidelines one should follow to optimize the Laughter Yoga experience. They are: all participants should start laughing at the same time, when the anchorperson gives the command 1, 2… start because, when a group laughs at the same time, the effect is good. Do not apply too much force while laughing. It should be more of a feeling and enjoying of the process. The duration of Laughter Yoga Exercises is usually 20-30 minutes, that includes laughter, breathing and stretching exercises. The Laughter Exercises are suggested guidelines to get started, and it is not mandatory to follow the same sequence of Laughter Exercises every time.

A group can develop their own unique Laughter Exercise to make the session more interesting and playful. Ideally, a group of 15-20 persons makes a good dynamic for an infectious Laughter Session. More people always help to create a better impact, but even 5-10 people can have a good Laughter Session, if they are committed. Each Laughter Exercise lasts for 30-45 seconds, or a maximum of one minute. After each bout of Laughter or sometimes after two bouts, two deep breaths are taken, in order to provide a break. This avoids exertion and tiredness. Sometimes, various neck, shoulder and arm stretching exercise are done in place of deep breathing, between Laughter Exercises.

A typical Laughter Session is a perfect blend of various laughter techniques, interspersed with breathing, stretching, rhythmic clapping and chanting HO HO HA HA HA, in unison. The Laughter Yoga session starts to wind down with Laughter Meditation. After the Laughter Yoga exercises, we make an effort to laugh in a group, which soon becomes infectious. In Laughter Meditation one doesn’t have to make an effort to laugh, but laughter flows out like a fountain without any reason, much more spontaneous and deeper. The session then is complete; we end with some deep breathing and relaxation exercises.

Doug Dvorak is the CEO of DMG Inc., a worldwide organization that assists clients with productivity training, corporate humor and workshops, as well as other aspects of sales and marketing management. Mr. Dvorak's clients are characterized as Fortune 1000 companies, small to medium businesses, civic organizations and service businesses. Mr. Dvorak has earned an international reputation for his powerful educational methods and motivational techniques, as well as his experience in all levels of business, corporate education and success training.

If you would like to experience the benefits of free flowing laughter, contact Doug Dvorak, Certified Laughter Yoga Leader and Founder of the Chicago Live Life Laughing Club @ 847-359-6969 or http://www.dougdvorak.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Doug_Dvorak
http://EzineArticles.com/?Keep-on-Laughing---Inside-the-World-of-Laughter-Yoga!&id=401252

Hatha Yoga for Stress Management: Creating Your New Year Yoga Plan

By Paul Jerard

Are you ready to make a life changing resolution? What is a daily Yoga plan? How can a daily Yoga plan reduce stress and change your life?

You can make a change at any time of the year, but New Year’s resolutions are the most popular. Yet, we often see that New Year’s resolutions do not make it past Valentine’s Day. So, if you are ready to make a change and add Yoga to your life - let’s look at a way for you to be successful for the long-term.

Get a journal and prepare it for writing. I prefer to write things down, but you may prefer a lap top, personal digital assistant, or your computer. Either way, you should write your goals down - especially the amount of time you plan to practice Yoga in a studio, at home, or on the way to and from work.

You can practice Yoga all day long. When you consider the many aspects of Hatha Yoga, you can easily incorporate them into your life. Here are some examples, but remember to incorporate these habits gradually. Do not make Yoga into a task, but take the time to enjoy the aspects, which help you deal with stress and add quality to your daily life.

In the morning, upon waking, you can practice Pranayama in bed. There are many Pranayama techniques to choose from, but you may find Dirgha breath or natural breath to be easier at this time of the day. You could practice meditation upon rising, for ten to twenty minutes, if you have the time.

Once you are up and about, you could practice asana warm-ups or Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar). If you do not have time, you could be mindful of what you eat by eating in moderation and making wise choices.

You can work on your posture as you sit, stand, walk or perform any physical task. Is your back straight when you eat? Do you take the time to enjoy your food? Are you breathing correctly or are you already short of breath? Does coffee make you short of breath? Which foods cause you adverse reactions?

This self-observation is just another exercise in mindfulness, but will cause you to open a form of consciousness, which will improve your daily life.

In order for us to make changes, we must first want, plan, observe, take action, and practice Yoga each day. Yoga is not a physical exercise to be counted by the minutes you practice on a Yoga mat. Physical exercise is just one aspect of Hatha Yoga.

To bring your life in balance, you must identify what you do that causes your stress. This will not eliminate all of your stress, but it will identify stressful situations, which you can prevent.

This is just one example of Yogic methods applied toward better health and a less stressful life. Writing down your Yoga plan is just the start of a good habit for positive change.

© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Jerard