Develop Balance

Balancing poses are some of the most challenging poses in a yoga practice. Sometimes balancing poses flow with ease and other times standing on one leg and holding balance is unbelievably challenging. The asana (pose) of the week is Vrkasana, or Tree pose. To do the pose you must stand on one leg and hold the other leg against the standing leg.

The benefits of vrkasana are many. Your inner thighs, groin and shoulder are all stretchered and strengthened. Your overall posture is also improved when you do this pose on a regular basis. Another great benefit of vrkasana is the calming effect holding the pose has on your mind and central nervous system. As you are developing a deeper sense of balance you are also increasing your mind body awareness.

If you are having difficulty balancing there are options, you can use a wall for support, place a finger on the wall to help stabilize your balance. You also should focus on an area that is not moving in the room to help you maintain steadiness. Another option is placing the toes against the floor to help you maintain your balance. Whatever you do when holding the pose do not place your foot against your knee. Placing the foot hear could cause knee problems and should always bee avoided. Time to practice, develop your balance this week by adding tree pose into your daily practice.

Raindrop Therapy is Essential

The Raindrop Technique was developed by D. Gary Young an aromatologist and an expert on aromatherapy. I prefer to call the Raindrop Technique, Raindrop Therapy because of the results I see in my clients when they leave a session. Everything about them changes and you can see they are in a state of total bliss. The application of the oils along with the loving intention behind the application allows the client to totally relax and renew in the session.

Raindrop Therapy is a type of energy work. The oils used are dropped directly onto the spine. Starting about six inches above the body, where the energy field starts surrounding the body starts. The essential oils are worked into the central nervous system with gentle feathering strokes along the back and spine. The essential oils are dispersed into the nervous system and throughout the whole body in this way.

The therapy will reduce spinal inflammation and kill viruses that hibernate along the spinal column and helps to straighten abnormal spinal curvatures. The session normally last from 45 - 60 minutes but the benefits of a Raindrop Therapy session will last for a week or longer in the body. If you have never had a session then you need to find a Raindrop Therapist in your area as soon as possible. 

Three Warriors

Yoga is challenging, always. From the first time you step on the mat until the last time you ever step on the mat there is always something new to learn in yoga. Some of the poses that people find most challenging are the balancing poses. One of those poses is Warrior Three or Virabhadrasana III in Sanskrit.

Some of the benefits of Warrior Three are stronger back, legs, shoulders, and arms. The hamstrings and thighs are also stretched when you extend in the pose. Your chest expands allowing your lungs to bring in more oxygen. The increased oxygen levels will also help to improve memory and concentration. Another key benefit of practicing Warrior Three on a regular bases is increased core awareness, improved balance and coordination. 

As all yoga poses do, Warrior Three also quiets your mind, calming the nervous system as you take deep long in hales and exhales. The long inhales and exhales allow you to maximize the stretch when in the pose and help to stimulate your abdominal organs aiding in better digestion. So enough reading do some yoga, get out there and Warrior up this week!

Natchez

Ready for Meditation

The beautiful thing about meditation is you do not need to be an expert to start. Starting is the most important step you can take on your life journey. The best way to start is to make a small commitment to a daily meditation time. At fist you might be only ready for two to five minutes of meditation but as your practice grows with daily discipline, you will see the fruit.

As you continue to practice you will be able to penetrate through the five layers of the sense. The process is gradual and takes time and effort on the part of the meditator but with patience all will come. The practice of meditation will enable the soul to diffuse completely throughout the body and enable the practitioner to understand true peace and joy.

When you are ready for deep meditation the sense will rest quietly and stop demanding gratification from the mind. As the process grows inside of you, your mind will detach from the senses and turn to the soul allowing you to experience spiritual heights. The effects of a daily disciplined meditation practice will allow this process to take place.

Are you ready for a great butt?

Almost everyone wants a great butt and there is no better way to achieve a great butt than through a solid yoga practice. A great butt is not going to happen overnight but with dedication and practice, remember all will come will practice, a great butt will arrive. Along with the great butt you will get great arms, great legs and just be perfectly proportioned.

Here are a few poses to get you started on your great yoga butt.

Warrior One:

Warrior Two:

Warrior Three:

Bridge Pose:

Upward Plank Pose:

These are just a few of the poses you can do to improve your yoga butt. Creating a dedicated practice is the key to achieving lasting results. I hope you have real success and earn your yoga butt.

Restorative Yoga a Practice for Everyone

Anyone can start a restorative yoga practice. Restorative yoga is a gentle type of yoga and can be practiced by anyone in almost any place. Advanced yoga practitioners to beginners can use restorative yoga. The practice helps to improve flexibility, musculoskeletal, restore emotional balance, and helps to quiet the mind.

As you practice restorative yoga, you will begin to develop a deep awareness of your mind and body. You will learn to observe the mind and the body through the gentle practice that restores health as well. As you grow in the restorative practice you will be able to move your body in more productive and efficient ways.

If you are like most people, you lead a very busy life. Restorative yoga will help to restore balance in your life that is lost from being overly busy. The society around you demands a constant up-tempo pace that leaves little room to stop and take time to tune into your body and mind. The up-tempo life style also leads to only practicing exercise programs that are fast and require a lot of energy.

With all of the up-tempo, fast paced life, balance is lost and people become exhausted and frustrated. A restorative yoga practice will help you to restore the balance you need. As you slow down and take time to practice you will discover your body and mind again, and learn to not be a slave to the demands of the body or subject to every whim of the mind.

A restorative yoga practice allows your nervous system to relax and renew. As you continue to take part in a restorative yoga practice your body and mind will regenerate itself because you will learn to stop overexerting. Taking time to be still in each posture and listen to what is happening inside of your body.

If you do not allow the body time to rest and renew, you are compounding the problem and will eventually crash. Some sort of disease will come along or an injury will force you to stop. A restorative yoga practice will help you to restore the balance that is lost in the fast paced society. If you have not started a restorative yoga practice, please take the time to find a local yoga studio where there is a gentle or restorative yoga instructor. You will thank yourself for the rest of your life.