How Does Yoga Reduce Orthopaedic Injuries?

No one in this world is born perfect. There are imbalances in various parts of our body and this can cause injuries if mishandled. Many sports athletes are now turning to an ancient form of practice - Yoga. Yoga helps to increase the flexibility and physical as well as mental strength of oneself. It helps to prevent injuries associated with overuse and speed up recovery of existing injuries.

Yoga is normally conducted in a room that is slightly warm. This increase in temperature will allow muscles to expand and relax, allowing for an increase in stretching capabilities. Enhanced stretching will help to lower the risk of injuries. Yoga will help to build up physical strength and tone muscles, especially vulnerable ones such as the back muscles. It also increases flexibility, reducing injuries that are sustained due to the inability to flex. Since yoga causes perspiration, it will draw out toxins and impurities from the body, burn excess calories and help to build up endurance levels.

Orthopaedic injuries are all about the joints and musculoskeletal system. Having strong joints and muscles will help to significantly lower the risk of injuries. For example, athletes that are involved in high tempo activities such as basketball and soccer are at a high risk of ankle sprains. Due to the constant running and jumping motion, this causes a lot of high stresses to build up at the joints. Without sufficient rest, it can lead to overuse injuries and eventually soft tissue damages. Not only does yoga help to strengthen these joints, it also helps to reduce body weight to reduce the cyclic stresses acting on weak areas of the body.

You may be thinking basic warm up and cool down stretches also help to increase body heat and relax the muscles, increasing flexibility. What is so special about yoga? Well, the main difference is that yoga goes beyond stretching the "common" muscles. Normal stretches simply stretch the muscles in a one direction plane. However, this is rather useless for sports since sports is a 3 dimensional activity whereby the stresses come in the x, y and z plane. Yoga helps to stretch all the muscles in all the directions including the small ones to better prepare for what is to come during the games. Additionally, how yoga differs from ordinary stretching lies in its breathing during the practice. The emphasis of muscles isolation, works on specific muscles and in general stronger muscles would reduce the risk of sustaining orthopaedic injuries. In fact, stronger muscles also reduce the extent of an injury as well as recovery rate. Generally a stronger individual would be able to recover faster than an individual with weak muscles.

Yoga is an ancient activity that helps to warm up your muscles, increase the flexibility and build up your physical and mental strength through various poses and motion. With thousands of years of history, it is tried and tested by many.

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What Pilates Can Do For You

Be it a sports player, a regular office employee or a home maker, everyone at some point of time in their life suffers from back pain, joint pain or flexibility issues. One simple reason for all these problems is bad posture. One of the best ways to get rid of all these problems is pilates. Pilates is considered as an excellent exercising method because it concentrates on your posture and brings improvement in a range of motions, flexibility, abdominal strength, and circulation. Read more to find out about the amazing benefits of pilates.

Body awareness

Pilates experts believe that it is a kind of exercising method which makes you aware about your own body.
While accomplishing our daily tasks, we are not aware about our posture or stance and end up having back, neck, and joint pain. This wonderful mode of exercising teaches how to build symmetry and trains your mind to improve posture while sitting in front of the PC at work, cooking in the kitchen, and even when brushing your teeth. People slouch all day in their offices and then go to fitness clubs to get rid of their back problems. They fail to understand that their body lacks dynamic stability and it requires special exercises to get back to a healthy posture.

A stronger core

Without dynamic stability, one cannot live a healthy life because, according to experts, our body is like a tree that can easily topple over since it lacks a strong trunk. The main aim of Pilates is to build a good foundation and give you a stronger core. People usually equate flatter stomach with a stronger core. However, according to experts, a flatter stomach has nothing to do with a stronger core because people look for weight loss in order to get flat abs. The exercises performed at fitness clubs help them to get a flat stomach, but not a stronger core. However, Pilates is a holistic approach to get a strong back and a flat tummy.

Relaxation

Your body goes into a state of relaxation when it gets back into the right posture. While performing pilates, you might experience fatigue, but the after-effects of these exercises are worth experiencing. When you perform these magical exercises in a group of 5 to 6 people in a peaceful atmosphere and slow tempo, it adds to your mental relaxation.
Improves athletic performance

Pilates is well known for improving sports performance. It is specifically beneficial for cyclists, equestrians, long and short-distance runners, golfers, divers, football, baseball, and basketball players. For an athlete to perform his best, he should have strong legs, trunk stability and flexibility. Pilates not only helps get lean body, but also builds strength, endurance, and power. Golfers commonly suffer from back injuries. It is advisable to try out pilates to get relief from pain. If you continue doing pilates for long time, your body becomes strong, muscular, and less vulnerable to injuries. Pilate exercises will have a great impact on your lifestyle because it completely relaxes your mind, body, and soul.

Learn more about Polestar Pilates Melbourne and personalised clinical pilates programs designed by experienced physiotherapists. Click here for more information.

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How Bikram Works

 Following are the postures in exact sequence along with the benefits a practitioner is expected to receive.
For maximum benefits and to avoid any injury whatsoever, it is highly recommended to perform and practice these postures under supervision of certified Bikram Yoga teacher and preferably at a certified Bikram Yoga school.

Pranayama (Deep Breathing)

Brings freshly oxygenated blood to every muscle in the body, warms up your body and prepares you for the standing series.

Ardha Chandrasana w/Pada-Hastasana (Half mood pose w/ hands to feet pose)

Improves flexibility of the spine, circulation of blood and oxygen throughout the body and invigorates the nervous system. Increases flexibility in the spine and sciatic nerves and tones muscles in the abdominal area.

Utkatasana (Awkward Pose)

Strengthens and firms your thigh, calve, hip, deltoids and triceps muscles. Increases blood flow to your ankle, knee and hip joints relieving arthritis and gout.

Garurasana (Eagle Pose)

Works all 14 major joints throughout the body, 7 on each side, creating pressure in the joints then is released. Massages the reproductive organs improving vitality.

Dandayamana JanuShirasana (Standing head to Knee pose)

Helps to develop concentration and determination. Improves flexibility of sciatic muscles, develops strength in the: abdominal, thigh and hamstring muscles.

Dandayamana-Dhanurasana (Standing Bow pulling pose)

Improves circulation to the heart and lungs. Diminishes lower back pain by improving flexibility in the spine.

Tulandasana (Balancing Stick pose)

Improves circulation throughout body, increases heart rate and opens up the chest improving the capacity of the lungs. Strengthens your hips, buttocks, thighs, shoulder and upper arm muscles.

Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Pashimottanasana (Standing Separate Leg Stretching)

Opens up adrenal glands and improves circulation to the bran. A whole body-stretching pose from the hamstring and hips up to your lower, middle and upper spine.

Trikanasana (Triangle Pose)

Works every muscle, joint, tendon, nerve and tissue in the body, union between the heart and lungs bringing balance to your vital organs. Strengthens your hamstring, quadriceps and calve muscles.

Dandayaman-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana (Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee pose)

Compresses the pancreas, thyroid and kidneys. Good for balancing blood sugar levels and for boosting of the metabolism.

Tadasana (Tree pose)

Opening of your hip and pelvis.

Padangustasana (Toe stand pose)

Strengthens weak joints and stomach muscles. Builds determination and concentration in the mind and body.

Savasana (Dead body pose)

Slows down heart rate, allows the body to reset and breathing return to normal.

Pavanamuktasana (Wind removing pose)

Opens and improves flexibility in hip joints. Improves the digestive system stimulating liver and spleen.

Sit up

Strengthens and tightens the abdominal muscles

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Strengthens the lower spine, preventing osteoporosis.

Salabhasana (Locust pose)

Strengthening of the upper spine, bringing strength and balance to both sides of the body.

Poorna-Salabhasana (Full Locust pose)

Strengthening of the middle spine.

Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
 
Opening of the shoulders and throat, strengthening of the entire spine, eliminating scoliosis.

Supta-Vajrasana (Fixed firm pose)

Opening of the knee and ankle joints, helps to cure sciatica and gout.

Ardha-Kurmasana (Half tortoise pose)

Strengthening and lengthening of shoulder, lattisimus and back muscles. Providing maximum relaxation to
entire body and spine. Increases blood flow to the brain enhancing memory and mental awareness. Brings balance to your sleep schedule.

Ustrasana (Camel pose)

Maximum compression of the spine, improving flexibility and spine strength. Opening of the chest and throat and stimulation of the entire nervous system.

Sasangasana (Rabbit pose)

Stretches and lengthens the entire spine and back, stimulating blood flow throughout the body bringing fresh oxygen to the head.

Janushirasana w/ Paschimottanasana (Head to knee pose w/ Stretching pose)

Increases flexibility of hamstring and shoulder muscles, opening your hip joints and improving flexibility of spine lengthening the last five vertebrae. Increases blood flow to the spleen, liver, pancreas, intestines, thyroid and thymus glands.

Ardha-Matsyendrasana (Spine twisting pose)

Bringing flexibility and circulation to each and every vertebra of the spine, release tension.
Khapalbhati (Blowing in firm)

Re oxygenates body riding it of toxins in the lungs, revitalizing and reenergizing.

Website: http://www.bikramyogawestloop.com

Naveed Abidi is an entrepreneur, visionary, designer, writer, Information Technology Consultant and Certified Bikram Yoga teacher.

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What's The Difference Between Hot Yoga And Bikram Yoga?

Yoga has countless of benefits for the health-increased strength and flexibility, pain relief, mood booster, injury prevention, better immune defense, better blood circulation and so much more. For over 5,000 years, it has been one of the most widely practiced forms of exercise, benefiting people from different parts of the world.

This meditative form of exercise originated in India. Today, it's spread all over the globe. Not to mention, there are more than 100 types of yoga. One that's emerging in popularity is hot yoga. People instantly get curious when they first learn about this. As the name implies, hot yoga is yoga done in a hot environment. The room is heated up to 100 degrees and the humidity level is at 40 percent.

Its creator Bikram Choudhury sought to amplify the effects of regular yoga by placing the yogi inside a heated room. This results in more sweat and more intense workout. Hot yoga is also called Bikram yoga.

But the two are not the same. Many people confuse the two words and interchange their use.
So what's the difference between the two?

Hot yoga is a generic term for all kinds of yoga done inside a heated room. Bikram yoga is one type. Bikram is different from other types of yoga because it has its own sequence of postures. A session include 26 poses (13 standing poses and 13 sitting postures) in a duration of 90 minutes. It was franchised and copyrighted by Choudhury Bikram in the 1970s. Today, there are many other types of yoga that are gaining just as much popularity as the original one.

If you're going to practice this kind of yoga, whether Bikram or some other type, it's a must to keep these guidelines in mind:

Acclimatize your body. Arrive in a hot yoga class at least 10 minutes earlier than schedule. This will give your body a chance to get used to the heat before you subject it to intense workout.

Keep yourself hydrated. Don't forget to bring a bottle of water to your hot yoga class. You'll be sweating a lot during the entire session and it's a must to take a water break from time to time to replenish lost fluids in the body and to prevent overheating and dehydration.

Wear the right outfit. Wear clothes that are specially designed for yoga. This would allow you to stretch and move more freely than when you're in tight and restrictive clothing.

Consult your doctor if you have a condition or if pregnant. Yoga is not recommended for women who are pregnant, unless they're used to this kind of workout even before, and if the instructor can modify it accordingly. For people who have injuries or serious illness, it's a must to consult the doctor first. Yoga may be a low-impact exercise but the intense heat inside the room may possibly be a threat to someone who's ill.

What are you waiting for? Try hot yoga Winnipeg today!

Hot Yoga is a highly-effective form of exercise that was created to workout your body, mind and soul. Experience the benefits of this workout by trying yoga in Winnipeg.

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Important Information About Yoga

The yogic exercises are one of the most preferred ways of keeping fit in today's world. Hectic life has increased the demand for yoga by a huge margin. It brings a lot of calm within the mind and gives spiritual peace. This peace of mind is helpful in developing the positive outlook about the life and also relieves the mental stress and pressure from the mind. It also helps in developing the body physically and gets rid of different types of pains. The power version of this practice is a combination of modern aerobics and ancient practice of yoga. It has gained huge popularity among the modern Americans and is practiced extensively by them. This version of yogic exercise is best for athletes and for people who want to build physical strength and make their body flexible.

Though it has become a part of American society to a great extent, there is a section that criticizes it for being a practice that is anti- Christianity. However, because of so many benefits people are accepting it in huge numbers. Some of its benefits like relieving the pain, resisting the process of aging, balancing the metabolic rate and blood flow, its effect against obesity are the top attractions of yoga that keep the people stick to it completely. This is the reason a practitioner may become addictive to this yogic practice. The addiction of any activity may not be good for the human body but as yoga is done without any instrument and accessories the effect of yoga on addictives may not be that much.

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Yoga Headbands - The New Sports Headband!

Yoga is one of the best tools we have as humans to rejuvenate. Time and again, it's helped people overcome major obstacles in their lives by paving a path of better living. Yoga has been known to cure disease and heal physical ailments such as back pain, joint pain and headaches, amongst much else. Its benefits also extend beyond the physical body and into our subconscious awareness. Yoga teaches us compassion, gratitude, focus, balance and dedication. It's an art and a science that, when practiced safely and correctly, will change your life for the better.

One of the most challenging obstacles for most people new to yoga is maintaining their concentration throughout their practice. Our minds have been conditioned by society to constantly wander so it is particularly important in yoga to minimize possible distractions. The clothing you wear during your practice is a great example of a potential distraction that can be minimized before even stepping on the mat. Simply by dressing in yoga clothes that will not constrain you in any movements, you are putting yourself in a better position to get the most out of your practice.

One of the most common distractions in yoga is having their hair fall in your face. This is true for women especially as even with hair tied back, a strand or two typically works loose and begin to cause distraction during one's yoga practice. The most common solution to this is to use sports headbands to keep hair from falling in the eyes. Though great in principle, the challenge with most sports headbands is that they are made with synthetic materials, or, in other words, petrochemicals. These synthetic materials are widely known to cause skin irritation and itchiness.

With the surge in popularity of yoga, a new option to the common synthetic sports headbands are organic yoga headbands. These headbands are typically made out of organic cotton and natural rubber and have not been treated with harmful pesticides. With the objective in yoga being to find balance and return to our pure essence, organic yoga headbands are the perfect accessory as they are the less removed from nature than any synthetic sports headband one will find in the market.

Yoga headbands are available in many colors and styles and are currently being sold by many leading brands. With the proliferation of yoga in North America, they can now be widely found in the market at both traditional and online retailers.

The beauty of these yoga headbands is that they can be used for so many other pursuits. Inherently fashionable, they are beautiful accessories to everyday living yet have all the wicking and performance characteristics necessary of a great sports headband. The term "yoga headband" is used mostly because organic cotton clothing and accessories have become synonymous with yoga. Other terms you may be familiar with are Sweat Headbands, sports headbands and athletic headbands, though none of those have come to define style and sustainability like the term yoga headbands.

Sports headbands traditionally referred to cotton headbands, before the advent of petrochemicals and synthetics. As that name becomes tied to synthetics, it's only natural that big brands like Nike and boutique brands like KOOSHOO are turning to the term yoga headbands to define their organic cotton accessories.

Kooshoo.com provides you the eco friendly and comfortable range of Yoga headbands, white headband, Bandana headband, which are made out of organic cotton and natural rubber.

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Yoga Therapy - A Remedy

Yoga therapy is difficult to define, in part because of the breadth and depth of the tradition itself, and because, like Yoga, the discipline can be approached in so many different ways. It is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the philosophy and practice of Yoga. It consists of the application of yogic principles, methods, and techniques to specific human ailments. In its ideal application,

Yoga therapy is preventive in nature, as is Yoga itself, but it is also restorative in many instances, palliative in others, and Yoga Therapy is an important aspect of Yoga. It is typically conducted one-on-one or in small groups curative in many others. By combining different techniques such as massage, stretching or alterations of the circulatory patterns, yoga promotes specific changes in muscles, joints and organs altering the vital functions of the body. The fact that the different branches of science are now acknowledging that everything in the universe works together with absolute, intimate and exquisite interrelationship is part of the basis of the increasing success and respect that Yoga Therapy is gaining among main stream medical practitioners.

As more clinicians use these techniques either for themselves of or their patients, and as more masters design specific applications of yoga, the spectrum of Yoga Therapy grows exponentially. The integration of mind and body is very important for the healing process, but perhaps the main area where yoga comes in handy is the inclusion of the 'spiritual' realm into the equation. Even if the student or patient belongs to no religion, or even if she or he does not acknowledge the existence of spirit, the practice of some of these techniques can eventually integrate this aspect of the self. Common applications for Yoga Therapy also serve structural problems such as spine misalignments or joint function.

Deeper applications may even aid more intractable problems such as AIDS and cancer. The different relaxation techniques allow the troubled mind to calm and decrease its activity while promoting stability. Yoga considers the psyche to be spread in different centers along the body (chakras). Each related to a nervous plexus, an endocrine gland, an organ or group of organs and specific psychic qualities. More than following just one style or one branch of yoga, Yoga Therapy feeds from virtually all styles and branches, combining the tools that each one of them bring in the design of a yoga sadhana, or a routine that addresses the given condition.

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