There is a lot more to yoga than Eastern mysticism and while the history of the practice and the spiritual implications are far reaching and date back several centuries, yoga is still enjoyed today as more of an exercise than anything else. For many people, yoga is an active part of their lives that few can imagine being without. It is a necessary part of their daily lives and for some it can even be a life saver due to both the physical and mental rewards it can bestow upon the user.

You don’t need to know a lot about the history, the spiritual practices associated with it, or the religions that incorporate it in order to enjoy the practice. Yoga is all about taking the stress and tension of the daily grind – all of that energy and power – and focusing it (channeling it) into energy you can use to stretch your body to the limit and physically exert yourself. This practice lets the user burn up all that negative energy and many people who practice yoga find themselves left with a better mindset. All the daily stresses of work, car payments, paying student loans, looking at New York Energy Rates; they are all gone.

Science still hasn’t told us all of the physical implications forces like stress can have on the human body but we do know you can get ulcers. Some even associate cancer with stress. Be that as it may, there is no denying the physical and mental rewards of regular yoga.

There are different forms of yoga that have different intensities. An extreme form of yoga, Bikram and hot yoga, can burn the most calories in comparison to other forms of yoga in the same span of an hour. This form of yoga burns an estimate of over 630 calories an hour, which is equivalent to an hour of jogging.

One-hour Bikram yoga classes involve 26 different positions which are all done twice. These classes are held in very warm room temperatures (more…)

Yoga is about relaxing and allowing your stress to melt away. The feelings of relaxation and rejuvenation from a gentle routine connects one to their body. Beauty begins from the inside and then shows outside from the feelings of being centered. You should always begin with a gentle routine and keep certain guidelines in mind, such as: always practice on an empty stomach, wear comfortable clothing that allows movement and work out in bare feet. Using a sticky mat avoids slippage and having a towel or cushion and a strap nearby will aid in stretching. (more…)

Bikram yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury, a yoga instructor born in Calcutta, India in 1946. This type of yoga, which has become tremendously popular in recent years, is composed of traditional yoga poses performed in a very specific manner.

Bikram yoga is done in a room that is heated to 105 degree fahrenheit. Water breaks are allowed at certain intervals. The routine consists of 26 yoga postures and two breathing exercises. There is no variation in the routine and only certified instructors (more…)

Vinyasa yoga means literally “breath-synchronized movement.” This means that each pose within this yoga style changes when a person breathes in or breathes out. Each pose is changed on an inhale or exhale, and then held for a predetermined number of breaths. The poses in vinyasa yoga classes, also commonly referred to as vinyasa flow, are typically predefined prior to the beginning of the class, though the poses vary from instructor to instructor and class to class. There is (more…)