For women practicing Yoga at home or in a class, it is important to follow certain Asanas during menstruation. Practice of inverted postures can upset the natural flow of blood within the body and so should not be completed during menstruation. If you attend a Yoga class and it’s that time of the month, it may be more beneficial for you to skip the class if you feel you may be asked to do inverted postures. You don’t need to skip your Yoga altogether on that day though, you can still go to your classes if you feel comfortable with them, just ensure you take a time out whenever an inverted posture comes up. If you want to skip your lessons at this time, you can practice Yoga at home concentrating on some of the Yoga postures you already know that are suitable during menstruation. The following Yoga Asanas for Menstruation take into account the changes your body undergoes during this time and are a combination of relaxing postures and those that are designed to ease the pain and discomfort menstruation can cause. Generally speaking you should avoid all inverted poses and standing postures that can be strenuous. When Asanas for menstruation are practiced regularly they can help to relieve cramps, backache and tension as well as promote regularity and consistency. Before you begin, make sure you are familiar with the posture Dandasana and Savasana found in “Three Simple Yoga Postures you cannot Live Without”.

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You may feel a bit like you have jumped in at the deep end. There are a lot of technical words in Yoga, many of which originate from Sanskrit so it can be difficult to understand and follow instructions as a beginner. This is a quick but detailed explanation of some of the more common Yoga terminologies to help you getting started.

Asanas

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When you practice Yoga at home, you may not always be under the best circumstances to ensure you follow your routine properly. Today’s modern lifestyle puts much more pressure on your working day and removes much of our free time. Yoga requires regular practice in order for it’s benefits to take effect so it’s important to make sure you plan your Yoga Schedule properly and thoroughly and give yourself the best opportunities to stick with your chosen routine.

Firstly, when planning out your Yoga schedule, take into account how long you want to hold your postures. There is no time limit that is set in stone for Yoga postures. The longer you stay in a position the greater the benefits will be but on the other hand if you feel uncomfortable doing a certain Yoga posture you should finish it early instead for safety. If you find your personal schedule is already very full it may be necessary to break up your Yoga routine into smaller 10 minute sessions throughout your day. There is nothing wrong with this, just make sure you are comfortable with the time you have assigned to Yoga practice. Read the rest of this entry »

There are a variety of Yoga postures that have been designed to help alleviate the symptoms of a stiff neck or stiff shoulders. Some of these postures are more complicated than others so we have put together a series of relatively easy to handle Yoga Asanas for muscle stiffness.

1.    Ardha Candrasana (Half Moon Pose) – Standing Posture Place a wooden block or brick next to the wall. Begin by standing with your back a few inches away from the wall. Stand with feet spread outwards approximately 4 feet apart, so that the wooden block is on your right hand side about 12 inches away from your right foot. Turn your right foot 90 degrees to your right and adjust your left foot slightly to accommodate for this.

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As your skills in Yoga increase your ability to progress will also increase. This will require slowly adding more and more complex postures to your repertoire. Rather than memorising completely different postures, you should begin by adapting postures and then moving through their different variations until you can complete the full pose. The following is a four step guide to the variations of Triang Mukhaikapada Pascimottanasana from beginner level to the full posture. 1. Practice Dandasana regularly. Master this move before you continue with these variations. Dandasana is a fundamental basic Yoga Posture that is the basis for many different Yoga Asanas so it is important you can completely master this posture first. You can find information on how to complete Dandasana in “Three Simple Yoga Postures you cannot Live Without”. Read the rest of this entry »