In the previous article we dicussed how a great part of the asanas practice involve a big dose of stretching and we gave some guidelines on how to stretch properly and comfortably. Some principles suggested holding the poses for as long as 5 minutes if your goal was to increase the flexibility and range of motion (ROM), besides collecting the mental benefits of the asanas practice. Although effective, that can be quite demanding and time consuming but we have good news.
As Dr. Andrew Huberman pointed in his podcast on the science behind range of motion and flexibility, holding the pose for 30 seconds can be as effective as longer durations if we are practicing with the right frequency. So, which are the parameters we shoud take into account? Let’s review them:
In our last blog post “Is Karma a b*tch?” we concluded that the circumstances of our lives, the cards that we are handed cannot be chosen, but we can play our cards to our best to make a difference. We also realized that the game of cards starts in our mind.
Yes, as topical as it can sound, the only thing we can control is our mind…
Yes, I have been there too! The time when everything seems to go in the wrong direction. Things getting out of control. Do I deserve this? You ask yourself. Why is it happening? Is it the Universe conspiring? Is it karma?
"Ah! Yoga is in trend nowadays!" said Brenda, my stock broker friend from college, as she was taking a sip of her double espresso. "Yes, that sport that focuses on flexibility and breathing. Similar to pilates but with more complicated poses, right?"
If you can relate to the above views on Yoga, then my conversation with Brenda may help you see it in a new light.
Yoga practice is traditionally something aimed at connecting with oneself. Mainly an inner journey of an individual nature.
But this is not an obstacle to connecting with our partner by practicing together certain yoga poses (asanas) and energy control exercises through breathing (pranayamas).
Performing easy but effective techniques like the ones we want to share with you, can help you introduce your partner to Yoga while he or she starts experiencing the benefits. Furthermore, it is always great having one more activity added to the list of pleasant things that you can do together!
When we start something, normally we decide to go for a cheap option. After all, we are right to think that we will not be able to enjoy all the benefits and characteristics of the expensive option till we haven’t acquired more experience. But this approach, however logical, can be ironically a trap to your own practice. Here is why:
Yoga is a discipline which is in trend. Born on the banks of the Indus river more than 4000 years ago, every day more people join this ancient practice. It comprehends a whole philosophy, the study of human mind, and different techniques of postural control (asanas), energy control through breath (pranayama), body hygiene (kriyas) and meditation.
Today we will speak about its most popular and visible face: the Yoga poses or asanas. We will tell you 3 benefits that are known and documented since centuries and some piece of example of what modern science has to say.
Practicing on a clean Yoga mat always was a good idea. It is a way to follow Saucha (the niyama of cleanliness). We have to take into account also that in a normal practice, every part of our body including our face is very likely to have a good dose of contact with our mat. And, if we add the Covid19 pandemic to the equation, keeping our mats properly clean becomes a total must.
We want to review with you which procedures we can apply to make your yoga mat cleaner, from the simple ones, to the deeper and more effective.
With the Covid-19 situation many teachers had to face the challenge to teach your students online. We are sharing here some of the problems we have gone through so you can avoid them and give your students a better experience:
We had the pleasure to interview one of our favourite teachers, someone who has a wide perspective on Yoga from a western perception to a pure traditional Indian view. He has also achieved a fantastic body transformation. We are happy to share his vision in exclusive for TwentyFour Seven:
We had the pleasure to interview Men's Health Magazine cover and coach Roche Kilian. We bring you in this video his insights about Yogic Mitahara (moderation in diet), nutrition, how he overcame his eating disorders, his tips to create healthy habits, workout on a busy schedule, mind control, personal development and much more. We can say is our interview of the year!
In exclusive for TwentyFour Seven YOGA MATS community.
The Way of Saint James or “Camino de Santiago” is a unique experience that allows us to connect with ourselves, learn to be present in the moment, keep a daily routine more in sync with the rythm of nature, learn to leave aside superfluous things…It is also a demanding activity for our body. In our “Yoga en El Camino” clases we had the chance to share with our fellow pilgrims a quick routine around 5 minutes)…
Sonia Jain welcomes us with her warm smile and her cute dimples, ready to answer our questions. For those who still don’t know her, she’s an excellent Yoga teacher in Mumbai city, an enthusiast dancer and an expert in the use of trapeze for yoga poses and fitness. We want to share with you her answers and insights on the Yoga topics we addressed to her:
Maharshi Patanjali, compiler of the Yoga Sutras, wrote in the verse 2.46: “Sthira Sukham Asanam” : A Yoga posture must be steady and comfortable.
But the reality is many times we are far from being comfortable on the mat. How can we improve that? A great part of the problem is that many Yoga postures involve a big dose of stretching, some of them quite intense. So, which are the rules we should follow when we are stretching our muscles?
In these stressful and hectic days constipation can become a common problem but…may Yoga technology help you with this?
Yogis already knew how to get relieved by the practice of some cleansing rituals (Shatkarma Kriyas) like Basti (cleansing of the colon) and the aid of Yoga asanas.
...Or at least how it spoiled mine. Yes, I always thought this kind of injuries only happened to other people so I would have laughed at an article titled like this some months ago. Then the pain came. Of course, it must be muscular, right? Nothing difficult to fix. That's what I thought until I visited my best I-fix-everything physioterapist and ostheopat and the pain was still there.
Having a look at the Yoga community, these two words recurrently appear almost everywhere. Our blogs, webpages, instagram accounts, facebooks, magazines... they are all full of Namastes and Namaskars. But do we know what is the meaning of these words? , and even more, the difference (if any) between them?
To find this out, what better than asking the true "owners" of the words, Indian people.
Sometimes we need an icebreaker or a simple game for a pause at a meeting. Sometimes we are just with a group of friends and do not know what to do to. Others we are wondering who should be the one paying the next lunch, or cleaning the dishes, to mention some examples.
Not long ago, in a salsa dancing gathering, I came across this game. I have to say I really loved it. It is fun and allows you to practice your mindfulness as it makes you physically and mentally engaged, so it is an example of Vihar, or "yogic recreation" (one of the four pillars of a balanced lifestyle).
Let me explain then, how to play this game, the game of "Hon don kia!"
The Indian Counsellor and Yoga Teacher Ajay Kalra throws some light on this topic:
In my journey in personal growth two schools of thought have contributed immensely. They are Yoga and Psychology. Both deal with examining the mind. While yoga talks about transcending the mind, psychology focuses on understanding the mind. I see them as father and mother. Let me explain.
“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.” — Henry Ward Beecher
These two funny videos caught our attention because they parody some famous Yoga stereotypes we want to stay away from. Actually we kindly encourage you to scold us if you see TwentyFour Seven taking that direction. In the mean time, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
