First off, this is not really a sales pitch.  So don’t decide it is and stop reading.  I was looking at Yoga instructions on the web and found an interesting one.  I signed up.  I would not be recommending it unless I had actually bought it and tried it.  It is worth the money to me.  This 21 day yoga program offered by International Yogayalam introduces you to all the basic beginning positions and sets.  They send you an email every 3 days with three more lessons.

The lessons are .pdf files (you can get the adobe reader for free) that connect to videos also.  You read about the position, the history of yoga, the meditation, etc, and then watch the video to see the correct way to execute the position.   It gives you a different workout plan for everyday.

Best of all, you can do it at your own pace.  If you want to do lesson one for 3 days, you can.  Advance to day 2 when you are comfortable with day 1.  Just remember to download the lessons as they come in. The course includes:

• 21 daily lessons,
• 22 videos,
• 211 pages of comprehensive yoga instruction in over 60 powerful yoga techniques, yoga history and theory, yoga psychology, yoga diet, cleansing, yoga lifestyle and more…
• along with daily yoga practice guidelines,
• and special appendices of yoga practice routines.

Is it free?  No, but it is less expensive than six yoga classes at your local gym.  In fact, I would consider taking this course before I went to yoga lessons.  That way I would get more out of the lessons, being familiar with the positions and having practiced.  I might even be able to start at a higher level.

If you have been following my posts, you know that I am one that would rather do the yoga in the quiet and privacy of my own home.  I would rather have a set of good Yoga DVD’s to slip in the DVD player and do my yoga with them.  In fact, I would have several so I could switch them out, maybe one for each day of the week.  So this 3-week e-course is right up my alley.

It is free to check it out and see what all they have to say about it.  Click here to learn more.

Here we have four of the basic yoga positions.  They are simple, and you can easily transition from one to the other.

Set in a kneeling position with your bottom on your feet and back straight; then take 3 cleansing breaths.  Lean forward over your legs into a child pose (much like a fetal position), head on floor.

Reach your arms out in front of you, then unfold to a prone position, and raise your head and torso up into the cobra position.  If possible, do not let your front touch the floor during the transition.

Now bring your head and torso back towards the floor and lift your legs up with your arms stretched down the sides of your body into the grasshopper position.

Now, lift your legs higher, bending at the knees.  Reach back with your arms and catch your ankles.  This is the bow position.

Slowly lower back into the bow position, down and forward into the cobra position, then shift back into the child pose.  Slowly pull  up into the kneeling position and breath.  Repeat 3 or 4 times.

See how simple it is to make a routine? Until you feel knowledgeable about yoga, I suggest you get a good set of yoga DVDs such as Wai Lana’s (see right column).

If you think you cannot do yoga, watch this video a girl submitted to youtube of her grandmother.  If she can do it, I should be able to -- and so should you!

Stay tuned.  I have found several other videos of yoga poses to help you learn.

As I promised so long ago, here are two yoga poses for you to start with.  They are the childs pose and the downward dog pose.  They are great stretching exercises and simple.  Watch and learn the proper technique for these poses.

]]> http://myexercise4fitness.com/2008/10/yoga-poses-child-pose-and-downward-dog-pose/feed/ 0 http://myexercise4fitness.com/2008/08/when-you-decide-to-start-doing-yoga-for-exercise/ http://myexercise4fitness.com/2008/08/when-you-decide-to-start-doing-yoga-for-exercise/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:34:52 +0000 joyntheir http://guru-sites.com/exercise-to-fitness/?p=54

It is easy to be confused on where to begin when you decide to use Yoga for your exercise. As with any exercise program, you have some steps to consider:

What type of exercise routine do you want to do? The different types of Yoga are discussed in my post Yoga for Fitness and Weight Loss . For weight loss, power Yoga is the best. Power yoga is a movement from one pose to another in a faster flow than ‘regular’ yoga. Instead of holding a pose for minutes, you may hold it for seconds or for one minute before flowing into the next pose.

Where will you do your exercise? As a beginner, you will need to learn the poses and the routines. You will want a routine that is set up to flow from one pose to the next. Once you learn the poses and feel comfortable with them, you may choose to re-arrange the poses. Some flow quite nicely into others, while some are more difficult to flow from one to another. You can either find a yoga class to attended, or you can get DVD’s with the instructions and routines. There are also written routines. I prefer the DVD’s. I can do them in my home on my schedule, and I do not need to feel embarrassed while learning the poses. The DVD’s show the correct poses plus the correct timing. In contrast, in a class the teacher can observe your pose and give you suggestions to improve your performance in a pose.

What clothing and equipment will you need? You will need a mat and comfortable clothes, not too tight, but not loose enough to flop around. Yoga is normally done barefooted – no shoes or socks.

Optional equipment would be blankets or blocks to help achieve the proper placement of hands, hips, and/or feet during poses – such as in a pose where the hands are not to reach to the floor. Straps are good for poses where the hands are to touch, but you are not able to yet, and when you are to touch your feet, and again you are not able to reach them yet.

What can you expect? I would suggest either watching the Yoga DVD through prior to attempting the poses/routines at home, or asking to observe a class prior to signing up for it. These will both give you the feel for how the class flows and what will be expected of you. It also helps to become familiar with some of the terms used. My Yoga Jargon post gives many of the terms you will hear and be expected to know.

In my next post I will start describing some of the basic poses.

Whenever you take up a new activity, be it a job, a sport, or group, they all have their special jargon.  To get started in Yoga, lets take a look the yoga terms and their meanings.  This is the list I found at Health and Yoga.  You might want to print it out. 

When one starts exercising after being inactive for quite a while, usually the recommendation is to start by walking each day, going a little further and/or faster each day until your endurance builds up. This is a good plan.  Where do you go from there?  As I outlined in my post 8 Types of Exercise Workouts,  there are many types of exercise programs to choose from.
Let’s look at Yoga.  Whenever I think of yoga, my mind goes to the movies of the ninja’s in training doing the movements, or the documentaries of everyone in China meeting in the town square first thing in the morning  to do their yoga movements.  My early experience with Yoga is you go at  your own pace, gently stretching in different poses until your muscles become more limber.  Probably one of the ‘easiest’ exercise types to begin with (in my mind) is Yoga. This is a simplified look at yoga.

Now that I have been looking into Yoga, I find it is a very complex subject.  First, it originated in India.  The word ‘Yoga’ means union.  There are many types of Yoga.  The ‘limb’ that we would be interested in this blog is called ‘asana’ which is the physical postures or poses and the movement from one to the other.  Asana (and yoga) is about creating balance in the body, developing strength and flexibility.  The movements can be fast or slow, and can  focus more on stamina or on alignment.  Yoga goes on to include correct breathing and meditation.  I will focus in my posts more on the physical side of yoga rather than the spiritual.

How does Yoga fit into losing weight and getting fit?  Iyengar yoga, where you hold poses for several minutes, helps to build muscles and improve posture – we all need that.  If you want to do Iyengar type yoga, you will have to combine it with other aerobic type exercises to lose weight.  The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.  This is a good combination.

The Vinayasa style of asana yoga includes many styles itself.  For weight loss Ashtanga, Power Yoga, and Hot Yoga give you the physical workout needed for weight loss.  I have found it is recommended that you do three 90 minute sessions a week for weight loss. 

One more thing about yoga.  This can be a family activity.  There are special programs for children that Mom and Dad can do with them.  I bought kits for my grandchildren here which include dvds.  They love it!

There’s a new article published at Shape it Up! by Dane Flecher. It is a down to earth truthful look at why people (especially men) don’t have hard abs and what they need to do to to get them.

It’s worth the read. Go to Rock Hard Abs: Converting That Keg Into A Six Pac

When we decide to exercise or become more fit, the first decision is what type of exercise to do.

1. Activity – I would call this your normal activities that you do more of like playing with the kids, playing sports, walking, shopping, etc.

2. Aerobics – these are available in low impact, intermediate, and advanced programs. Find one you like (Richard Simmons has quite a variety) and have fun doing.

3. Water aerobics – most Y’s, community colleges, and some fitness clubs have classes available. The resistance of the water help to burn calories without putting stress on the joints and heart.

4. Exercise - I classify sit ups, jumping jacks, squats, toe touches, everything they have you do in gym class as exercises. There are a lot of DVDs with exercise workouts available – and some target a specific area such as abs and thighs.

5. Speed walking, jogging, running, bicycling – Some people enjoy this. Basically, your legs muscles are strengthened, you burn calories (thus lose fat), and increase your endurance. You can get more exercise by adding wrist and ankle weights. These are good for your heart also. The only draw back is once your body becomes used to the amount you do, you have to increase the amount you do. At that point, you need to add some other type of exercise to round out your workout plan.

6. Resistance - This can be done in a myriad of ways. You can do resistance just by the way you tighten your muscles, putting an imaginary resistance – like pulling an imaginary rope. There are resistance bands you can buy, and weight machines. Resistance exercise is very effective.

7. Weight lifting - Weight lifting will not only define you body, but also burns calories more quickly. It can help skinny people fill out and overweight people slim down. I would suggest you get a good workout plan such as Tony Little’s or Vince Delmonte’s for the guys and Shannon Clark’s for the gals. Their workouts are formulated for the whole body (you don’t end up with Popeye arms) and if you following their coaching, they are safe. Remember to have a spotter when doing the more difficult routines.

8. Yoga - Yoga is a great way to become more limber while relaxing not only your body, but also your mind. Yoga appears to be an easy type of workout – unless you remember that all the martial arts use a form of Yoga in their workouts. Whew, that could be quite a workout!

When decided which type to start on, keep in mind your present physical condition, your weight, your age, and your goal. One thing is for sure. You workout will never help you until you actually start doing it.

What type would you choose and why?