January Yoga Mantra. Get Fit For Life
Posts with the meditation tag:
November Yoga Mantra. Be You.
Anti Aging Yoga Poses: How To Stay Young And Healthy With Yoga
It’s easy to believe that yoga keeps our body strong and healthy. We are living the benefits of yoga every day. One asana at a time. The anti aging yoga poses are some of the first ones that yoga teachers often teach beginners. You are probably already practicing them. But the benefits of yoga extend beyond our body, to our mind and soul.
A recent U.S. based study proves that yoga can help improve memory and the ability to focus, which people often lose as they age. In the experiment, over a period of 12 weeks, one group of adults with mild cognitive impairment were asked to do a series of proven memory-enhancing brain-training exercises, while another group was asked to practice Kundalini yoga and meditation. It was found that both the groups showed the same signs of development, but the group of yogis should a better ability to stay focused, de-stressed and sharp. Isn’t that amazing? So yoga not only keeps our body young, it even works its magic inwards.
What makes yoga anti-aging?
It’s easy to make a list of the benefits of yoga. Nobody will know them better than us yogis who practice yoga every day. A lot of people start doing yoga to stay fit and slim. But the world over, and especially in the east, where yoga originated, the reasons to practice yoga are often health related. Cancer patients, thyroid patients, diabetics, people with vascular diseases, depression, anxiety, the list of people who look towards yoga as the answer to their troubles is long. Making one look younger or live longer, is simply the “by-product” of all these other benefits. Those rhythmic inhales and exhales and those calm mantras that we chant while practicing yoga go deep inside. They purify us from inside, making us stronger, healthier and as a result, immune to common illnesses and troubles.
Which yoga poses are anti-aging?
1. Equal standing
This pose helps you develop awareness of postural tendencies. Imagine that a string is pulling you up from the crown of your head. Notice if you’re slouching and stand up straighter, without over engaging any muscles.
2. Tree pose
Tree pose is a simple balancing posture that helps you keep your body strong enough to hold your weight as you age. Make sure you practice the tree pose on both your legs. It is important to maintain blood circulation equally in both.
3. Squat
Strong thigh muscles will help protect the knees from pain and injury. Knee-injury is one of the most common signs of growing old. Healthy thighs will protect your knees and support your active lifestyle for a longer period than usual.
4. Downward dog
A classic and well-known yoga pose, downward dog improves upper-body strength, promotes a healthy spine and stretches the back body. It keeps fat from accumulating on common spots like the tummy, arms and chin. Keeping these areas firm is step 1 towards looking young and feeling healthy.
5. Sun Salutations with rhythmic breathing
Sun salutations have a long list of benefits. They keep your body in shape and work differently for everyone. If your body type is lean, they will help you stay lean. If your body type is curvy, they will help you stay curvy. At the same time, they will keep wrinkles away. When you inhale and exhale as you make those poses, your lungs purify and pump clean blood. This keeps your skin healthy and glowing. Sun salutations performed in the morning at sunrise have an even greater impact on keeping you looking 5 years younger.
What habits can be added to our lifestyle, to make our yoga more effective?
If its anti-aging benefits are the chief reason behind your yoga sessions, then you will be glad to know that you can couple your yoga asanas with some healthy habits to increase its impact.
How to make yoga more effective?
1. Drink 4 cups of hot water every day
2. Eat a bowl of fresh veggies at least once a day
3. Start your day with two glasses of water
4. Have an apple for breakfast instead of coffee or tea
5. Practice Pranayama breathing exercises daily for a minimum period of 15 minutes
Add these simple tricks to the anti-aging yoga poses and you have for yourself a true mantra for longevity and youthfulness. The benefits will start showing immediately for most, and gradually for others. But irrespectively, don’t give up. Adopt these as your regular lifestyle and keep living every day, healthier and happier. You know what else can make you happier, our yoga pants! The perfect leggings for a healthy yogi who has set out to find the secret to staying young and healthy are right here. Take a look.
Yoga Meditation for Wherever You Are
The biggest barrier to yoga meditation is not believing you have time for it! We love our favourite yoga instructors because they do a great job of integrating meditation into their classes. They make it easy. After all, nothing beats leaving your class feeling both the effects of your workout, while also feeling the sense of calm we love to get from yoga. For all the times when you’re not practicing, you should still strive to feed your mental clarity through meditation.
The good news? You only need about 3-5 minutes each day to get started, and you really can meditate (almost) anywhere! So, whether you’re outside for a walk, on a lunch break or even lying in bed — start small, wherever you already are. Take a few minutes each day to clear your head and create your own meditation regime. Sit in a comfortable position, and take the points below as a great starting point.
Relax
Strive to make relaxation your first defence against stress, and start with relaxation when you meditate. Ensure you’re in an environment that is free of stimulation, and focus your energy on stopping thoughts that impede on your relaxation. It’s perfectly okay if something comes to mind. Acknowledge it, and tell yourself you’ll resolve it later. Focus on what’s happening right now, and be happy and grateful for yourself.
Breathe
Take everything you do with your breathing in your favourite yoga class with you when you meditate. Sit straight and breathe in deeply and slowly through your nose, exhaling and repeating. Breathing is at the core of meditation, and the benefits are immeasurable. Breathe like it’s all that your life depends on (after all, it is).
Smile
A lot has been also written about the many benefits of smiling. So, remember not to take life too seriously and smile while you meditate. Smiling relaxes more than just your face, and it will show in your mood after mediating, and likely for the rest of your day.
Meditation is a personal journey, but it need not be more complicated than starting with these steps. Do what works for you!
For those that want to take it a step further, we recommend meditating with mala beads. We love wearing Mala Collective‘s line of meditation beads, which are handmade and blessed in Bali. Apart from being functional for our daily regime, they serve as a constant reminder of the good energy that meditation brings us every day!
Keep moving, be… relaxed.
Mala Beads for Better Yoga Meditation
Stop. Breathe. Yoga meditation can be a tricky task. Our daily environment isn’t always conducive to the idea of slowing down, and many aspects of our modern culture tends to undervalue the importance of reflecting on our existence. Still, we all seem to understand the benefits of yoga meditation, from reduced stress to increased concentration and greater happiness. For these reasons and countless others, we love how Mala beads compliment our yoga practice.
The Mala Collective line was born out of a gained appreciation for the benefits of meditation and the healing qualities of Mala beads. Each piece from Mala Collective’s collection is handmade in Bali, Indonesia by professional mala makers. The jewelry is produced through a traditional process that incorporates traditional rudraksha seeds (which are crafted into beads) and different gemstones, each with their own spiritual benefit. Through an authentic approach to mala jewelry, we’ve found Mala Collective’s products are a great starting point for improving our mediation.
Getting started As it turns out, yoga mediation is easy with mala beads! Beginning by sitting cross legged in a comfortable position, one should hang a starting bead gently of a necklace or bracelet over the third or fourth finger of the left hand, reciting any mantra or personal message in intervals, pushing each bead away with the thumb after each repetition. The message is up to you — whether it be a simple ‘om’ or a specific aspect of your life you are grateful for.
Through repetition, consistency and the natural properties of the mala beads, we’ve found this form of meditation helps move our energy from the stresses of life to a focus on ourselves, our breathing and and eventually inner calmness. Even just by having a physical reminder of the benefits of meditation around our necks or wrists, we can all benefit from an increased appreciation for ourselves and our mediation. Check out our selection of Mala Collective’s products compliment our yoga practice. and start medicating with mala before your next yoga class!
Stay calm and Om on.
I don’t have time to meditate…
… but do you have time to feel like crap? I don’t remember when I heard this phrase for the first time, but it’s so, so true… I was having a conversation with my “non-yogi” friend, where she was telling me how inflexible she was, and how yoga was slow and boring, and how she simply couldn’t do yoga or mediate, because her mind was too noisy. The truth is, I can totally get her. It was me before I started practicing yoga.. I thought exactly the same way until I realized that….
1. there are many types of yoga…
Every yoga studio in your city offers different types of yoga classes – slow, fast, mellow or energetic. A few of my favourite yoga classes in Vancouver, Canada:
- Kundalini yoga class with Gloria Latham at Semperviva Yoga – a fun and energetic class, that will make you sweat, dance, jump, and cool down at the end. Perfect for the busy minds.
- Yoga Barre with Will Blunderfield at Chopra Yoga – the most eccentric and quirky yoga class you’d ever attend. Will is an artist, so his classes are classy and sassy. If you need a little doze of inspiration on a Monday afternoon, this class will do it for ‘ya!
- Hot Yoga with Anila Lacroix at YYOGA – Anila’s classes are full of wisdom and gentle care for the students. She will guide you through the practice, where you can make up your own rules, while practicing in a safe environment.
- Hot Yin Yoga with Sandra Stephenson at Chopra Yoga. – an extremely relaxing, mellow class to stretch the body and the soul. You will feel like you just left a spa..
2. there are so many ways to meditate…
You don’t have to become a dreadlocks-wearing yogi to be able to experience the benefits of meditation. You can take a meditation class at a yoga studio. You can sit and just breathe for as little as 3 minutes a day (to start with). Make sure you sit comfortably, and feel good in your body, so nothing distracts you – wear comfortable yoga clothes, or prop yourself up on a yoga block, or a pillow to find the right position for you. If you find your mind to be super active, try using mala beads for meditation, by counting them as your breathe in, breathe out.
You can also try a walking meditation – turn off that iPod, and focus on the sounds around you, as well as your breath and your feet as you take each step. (Kudos to the amazing Heather White for introducing the idea of a walking meditation to me a few years back).
…you can also meditate while unloading the dishwasher. Try to focus on your breathing as you do it.
The key is to be mindful, no matter what you do.
3. the more you meditate, the more time you have…
I know, this one may sound counter-productive, but it’s true. The reason behind it is that you become so much more aware of where your time goes, so you become more selective with how you (choose) to spend your day. You become more efficient at work, as your mind is so much more clear. You make better decisions. And you are more satisfied with what you have in the moment, so you are not chasing the never-ending goals, and actually give yourself a little break to just “be” and enjoy your day, so it feels like you achieve more. And again, you don’t have to meditate for hours. Just mere 5 minutes in the morning / evening is a great start.
Once you know *how good* it makes you feel, you will *make* time for your daily meditation practice…
How about you? What is your favourite yoga class? How do YOU meditate? How did you start? Please share in the comments below, and don’t forget to include a link to your favourite studio / teacher.
Namaste. Keep moving. Be… {still}