One of the most frequent marketing ploys offered by online businesses is the “free course.” Sometimes, these courses offer valuable information, but more often than not, they offer a “teaser” and in order to get anything information of value, you have to pay for the whole course. Such is not the case with the “Free 7 Day Yoga e-Course” from International Yogalayam.
The course begins with “5 Secrets to Yoga Success.” These five tips, geared toward beginning or returning students of yoga, can best be described as motivational. The author, Yogacharya, begins by introducing himself and his yoga lineage to the reader and then jumps right into the “secrets,” which are really tips to get the student started.
By the time you have reached the seventh and final installment, you will have learned nothing about the physical postures (asanas) most of us associate with yoga, but a great deal about the deeper reasons for learning yoga. Yoga has become so popular that it is almost like fast food. You go to a class, feel a little better for a little while and then get hungry again. On a deeper level, yoga can inform and improve every aspect of your life.
Yes, Yogacharya does have something to sell at the conclusion of his free 7 Day eCourse, but he offers it gently. Even if you don’t take him up on his offer, you can apply what you’ve learned from his mini-course to your own daily practice. It may even inspire you to delve more deeply into all that yoga has to offer beyond physical fitness.
Brightly colored “Yogitoes Skidless” adorn the floors of yoga studios everywhere these days. Ask users what they are and the responses will vary. Some will call it their “yoga mat” and others will call it their “yoga towel.” Actually, the Skidless is something in between.
The inventor of the Skidless had an “Ah-Ha!” moment when he was trying to find a solution for a problem he was having practicing yoga on a rubber mat in his class. The mat became slippery and was making his practice not only difficult, but dangerous. He came up with the simple yet elegant idea of attaching silicone nubs to the bottom of a towel. The towel absorbed the moisture from his sweat and the nubs held the towel to the surface of the mat.
The Yogitoes Skidless has proved itself to be useful in so many ways that many users now consider it more of a yoga necessity than a yoga accessory. It serves its original purpose and also makes the perfect traveling yoga mat. A rubber mat is inconvenient for travel, but the Skidless packs away neatly and compactly. While it doesn’t provide the padding of a rubber mat, it does provide a buffer between you and any hard surface. You can use it poolside or in the privacy of your hotel room and not miss your yoga session for lack of a mat. When you’re at a gym that has communal mats, it provides a hygienic buffer between you and the mat.
At a recommended retail price of $64.00, the Yogitoes Skidless may seem expensive, but it will serve you well for years. If yoga has become part of your lifestyle and more than a casual interest, this product is something well worth investing in.
Tags: yoga mat, Yogitoes Skidless
The Wii Fit Yoga program by Dreamcatcher is probably the most controversial yoga product on the market. Many yoga purists dismiss it as a gimmicky game, while others rave about it, saying it is a great introduction to yoga. Who’s right?
First of all, what exactly is Wii Fit? Wii Fit is essentially a hardware and software program made for the Nintendo Wii system. The indispensable hardware for Wii Fit Yoga is the Wii Fit Balance Board. The balance board has embedded motion detectors that gauge shifts in balance and weight as you go through the poses. The board only measures 11 X 19 inches, but is sophisticated enough to accurately gauge posture even when you’re doing poses like the downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). With only your hands resting on the balance board, your virtual instructor will tell you if you are putting too much or too little weight on your heels.
As you go through your routine, you must keep your eyes focused on the TV screen. The goal is to keep your balance centered where indicated on the screen by a yellow circle or rectangle. A small pink dot that shifts on the screen as your weight shifts shows you how balanced and centered you are. The goal is to keep that pink dot as centered as possible inside the yellow area. One drawback to having to focus on the television screen is that if the TV is not at eye level, just the act of looking down at the screen in standing poses can automatically lead to subtle improper shifts in weight and positioning. For beginners, however, this is probably a small disadvantage.
Breath (prana) is at the heart of yoga. An expanding and contracting blue ring indicates the recommended breathing cycle for each pose. Critics of the Wii Fit program argue that your virtual instructor does not emphasize breathing enough and that when you focus on keeping your little pink dot inside its target area, you are likely to forget the proper breath sequences (pranayama). It’s a valid criticism, but with practice, you learn to follow the breathing rhythm naturally without having to focus too much on the screen.
Aside from the essential balance board, optional accessories include yoga mats and wrist/ankle weights. The “official” yoga mat measures 24 inches by 72 inches (183cmx61cm). It is an adequate size for a yoga mat and at $23.99 from Amazon, it is a reasonable deal. Wrist and ankle weights are a controversial subject among yoga enthusiasts. While using the weights may help in building muscle strength, if that is your goal, weight training combined with hatha yoga will probably yield better results.
One accessory that is worth looking into if you use your balance board regularly for any of the Wii Fit programs is the silicone sleeve. The sleeve fits tightly over the board and adds a layer of protection, prolonging the life of the board. At just under $15, it could easily pay for itself over time.
There is something disconcerting to many practicing yogis about the Wii Fit Yoga program. Yogis developed hatha yoga as a means to spiritual ends. A large part of the discipline is in focusing your attention inwards as you go through your postures. The guru is there to guide you in the finer details of the postures until you perfect your technique and are adept enough to do it on your own, with your attention focused wholly within.
In a perfect world, every student of yoga would practice under a true master, but the fact is, many yoga instructors are not as adept as they ideally would be and many yoga studios do not provide an ideal learning environment. Wii Fit Yoga is by no means perfect, but it is a lot more fun than following a video program and has the added advantage of being interactive. The balance board provides useful feedback that even experienced yogis find helpful. If you take it for what it is and are aware of its limitations, you can get a lot of value out of Wii Fit Yoga. Just don’t put your TV on an altar surrounded by candles and incense. It’s not THAT good.
Tags: Dreamcatcher, Wii Fit Yoga
If you’ve been shopping for a yoga mat, your jaw may have dropped when you stumbled across the Manduka yoga mat. At a list price of $90, the top of the line Manduka BlackMat Pro is the Rolls Royce of yoga mats. Is it worth it? After all, other mats sell for as little as $10. What can this one possibly offer to justify its price?
Unlike cheaper mats, each side of the Manduka yoga mat serves a specific purpose. The manufacturers designed the bottom of the mat to stick flat on the floor. If you have ever experienced the annoyance of having to periodically flatten out your mat while you’re trying to practice asanas, you will appreciate this feature. The top of the mat does not get slippery, even during hot yoga sessions when sweat can make some poses difficult or even dangerous.
Many Manduka mat users consider its two-sided usefulness reason enough to pay more for a mat that allows them to focus on their practice instead of their mat when they do yoga. They also appreciate the fact that these rubber yoga mats are thicker than most and provide superior protection and comfort.
The question remains, though: Is the Manduka yoga mat worth its price? If you have been practicing for some time and are committed to yoga, yes, it probably is. Not only will it serve you better than most mats can, the company is so confident of the durability of their product that they back it up with a lifetime guarantee. On the other hand, if yoga is more of a casual interest than a lifestyle to you, you may be perfectly satisfied with a less expensive mat.
Tags: Manduka Yoga Mat, yoga mat
If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to have spent some time in a traditional village anywhere in Asia, you’ll have marveled at the natural flexibility and coordination of the villagers. They sit in the half-lotus or lotus position as naturally as we Westerners sit in a chair and squat flat-footed and chat together for hours without the slightest discomfort. Indian yogis begin their practice of hatha yoga with this kind of natural flexibility, but we need to train ourselves. The best of the gurus who brought hatha yoga to the West understood this and helped their students develop blocks and other props to assist them in their practice.
An ancient form of exercise, Yoga, though sometimes difficult for a novice beginner, is beneficial for the wellness of the mind, body and soul. It is therefore vital that you choose clothes that are appropriate for this form of exercise. As yoga will require you to stretch your body and hold on to different positions for long intervals, the clothing you choose should complement this kind of activity. Yoga clothes are flexible and help you get into difficult postures without the fear of tearing them, and at the same time they allow your body to breathe. Yoga clothes are made of materials that are stretchable, thus not constricting your body from any kind of asana or movement.
Yoga is an age old exercise that does not really require equipment. In fact, all you need is comfortable clothing and good enough space where you can stretch and flex your body into the several asanas and postures. However if you are planning on practicing your asanas on a wooden or concrete floor, then you may need a little padding for comfort and ease. Most yoga instructors instruct their students to bring a yoga mat along with them so that they can comfortably stretch their bodies to attain the right balance and posture.
Yoga Balls, also known as stability balls, are used mainly for stability training and to build up your core muscles. They are versatile in their use, and are not only used for yoga routines, but can also be found in gyms, fitness classes and rehab centers. Yoga balls are fun to use yoga props that are also used in Pilates, and incorporating them into your regular routines will leave you with firmer abs, buttocks and back.
Yoga blocks or yoga bricks are considered to be the most widely known and used props in yoga. The main function of yoga blocks is that they aid yogis and beginners to get into postures and stances that they would otherwise find difficult to do. Yoga blocks are excellent props especially if you still haven’t developed the flexibility and suppleness that most yoga asanas require you to have. They also help individuals feel comfortable while performing their exercises as well as help improve their body alignment. With the aid of yoga blocks you can now stretch, strengthen and align your body without causing much strain to the other muscles.
Hatha yoga flowered in the West in the late sixties and early seventies when several prominent yoga masters traveled to America. They traveled the length and breadth of the country, introducing a new generation to an ancient practice. It didn’t take long for their students to recognize the benefits of yoga and it continued to grow in popularity. Today, yoga is a household word.
There was no such thing as yoga apparel in those early days until entrepreneurial students started a cottage industry. Back then, the only pattern they had to work from was their pajamas. Pajamas were an interesting choice, since the word comes from a Hindi word that means “leg garment,” though pajamas were never actually worn by yogis in India, who traditionally wore nothing but a loincloth, if that.
Tags: yoga apparel, yoga clothes, yoga clothing, yoga pants, yoga wear
Recent Comments