One more study tells the world, that Yoga can help with weight control and weight loss. The latest study was held by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

The study involved 15,500 healthy, middle-aged, men and women. This is a group that typically has difficulty with weight loss, since the number of calories needed declines, and the energy levels needed to burn calories, is not what it used to be.

Unfortunately, this is a fact that I have become painfully aware of during the past few years, and cutting back on food was my unwanted last option.
Although, I cross train almost daily, it took me one year to lose 16 pounds of extra weight.

Back to the study Yoga practice was defined as practicing at least 30 minutes once a week for four or more years. Comparatively speaking, this is truly bare minimum, and many Yoga teachers used to say that this amount of Yoga will do nothing.

How times change; Yoga has been keeping people fit for approximately 5,000 years, and its many health benefits are still a mystery worthy of more studies.

Alan R. Kristal, Dr.P.H., the study’s lead author at Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division said, “Men and women who were of normal weight at age 45, and who regularly practiced Yoga, gained about three fewer pounds during that 10-year period than those who didn’t practice Yoga.”

Until all the studies are in, it would be safe to say that adding Yoga practice to your weekly routine, and eating wisely, will contribute to weight control or weight loss.

When seeking a Yoga teacher, find one who is compassionate, yet will encourage you to practice more frequently. The results you will gain from regular practice, of three to four Yoga classes per week, will be extraordinary, especially, if you practice Yoga for years.

Yoga is very low impact – in comparison to many aerobic exercise routines, and can be practiced for longevity. Your knees, spine, hips, and shoulders, will thank you for the condition Yoga will keep them in. Many of todays standard forms of exercise do not have the same bragging rights, as Yoga.

With respect to eating, take the time to identify hunger and cravings. You will notice that they are not the same thing. Being a chocolate lover, it is much better to eat a piece of chocolate, now and then, than to buy a dozen chocolate donuts. This is not to justify, or surrender, to chocolate, but to eat it in moderation, and not every day.

Based upon what I have said so far, it is all about identification, control, and moderation. We have to stop mindless eating habits.

Recently, researchers found that women who received a 1200 mg. calcium supplement, on a daily basis, reduced their number of premenstrual food cravings by 54.

On another note When you have anxiety, your body produces more of the hormone cortisol, which may increase the volume of carbohydrates you eat.
Carbohydrates temporarily increase our levels of serotonin, making us feel relaxed for the short term.

Learn the art of substituting foods for more nutritionally dense variations. I cover this, in detail, in my eBook, 14 Days to Change Your Life, which will be released in August 2005.

Being in the best shape you can be is also connected to positive thinking.
Therefore, use self-improvement sources to keep you on the right track toward optimum health.

Time is valuable and there are a number of successful methods for goal realization. Yoga will cross train your mind and body for maximum potential.
Imagine being able to optimize your attitude in one hour, per day, or less.
Every day, people attend Yoga classes for physical or mental health, and walk away with the tools, to be masters of their own destiny.

How is this possible? Regular attendance to Yoga classes, will result in a positive attitude adjustment for the student. Many of us walk around with a perceived handicap. We blame everything for our set backs and lack of opportunities. Society, your boss, and your family, are all easy targets to blame, for lack of opportunities.

It is true that age, financial status, gender, and ethnic background, are factors in success. However, these factors can all be overcome by working toward your goal on a daily basis, and taking life one-step-at- a-time.
Remember, that if you think you situation is a disability, it will be.

How can Yoga do anything for you? For one thing, you will appreciate life to its fullest. You will stop wasting time, by letting daily opportunities go by.
Many of us have opportunities, but we think it wont work, we dont have what it takes for success, or we lack the drive to carry a plan through.

Yoga and meditation teach you to supervise your mind. Your mind has been allowed to work against you. Much like a back seat driver, the mind is good at second guessing, fearing, doubting, and discouraging new ideas. The mind would prefer to stay in one place, and let the world go by. Leaving you in a deeper state of frustration, by worrying about making a mistake.

You have to cultivate a positive relationship with your mind, through practicing Yoga postures asanas, breathing techniques pranayama, and meditation. You can find all this, and much more, in your local Yoga class. All you have to do is make it a regular routine. Yoga classes are everywhere, from corporate health clubs to senior centers. Whether you practice before, or after, work is not important, and you will start to feel the mental benefits, right away.

Many Yoga students walk away from their first class feeling guilty, that it took so long to start. They anguish over the fact they procrastinated so long.
However, the important part is to start and continue your Yoga practice.
There is also a common feeling of euphoria during and after Yoga classes.
The group support, classroom atmosphere, and the endorphins, will make your day a much better one.

Lets face it, at its first mention; Yoga might not come off as the most masculine exercise. But thats just it-at its first mention. When you delve deeper into it, you will realize nothing could be further from the truth.

More males are discovering this and consequently more American men are now flocking to the yoga mats where once, it seemed, only women dared to tread. However the irony is in India where it originated, it wasnt until recently that women were even allowed to practice yoga-that with restrictions still applied at times.

Men now make up 25 percent of America’s 17 million enthusiasts and this figure is increasing steadily. Perhaps it may be because several successful men in various walks of life attest to Yogas efficiency and openly advocate its practice.

Take Hip-Hop entrepreneur, Russell Simmons for example, when I read he practiced Yoga just like Sting, Quincy Jones and Woody Harrelson, it further increased my belief that in no time perhaps NOT practicing Yoga will be seen as strange.

Okay, maybe I overstated that, however, for Simmons someone viewed as a pioneer in such a masculine and testosterone driven lifestyle known as Hip-Hop to openly show off his Yoga Skills in a recent issue of the popular Yoga Journal Magazine, dont be surprised if more cats start following suit.

This may happen a lot faster as I once read in an article online that the successful coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson,
often uses Yoga Philosophies in the training of both teams.

It had to have been effective if it led to the Bulls being 3-time Champions and the Lakers winning their first championship in 12 years back in 2000, both under his guidance.
Now most men who practice yoga tend to favor the more athletic, fast-moving styles such as Vinyasa and Ashtanga. Personally, I bow to the simple yet powerful Sun Salutations common to the Sivananda style of Yoga.
I showed this routine and some other balancing poses to a couple of friends once and these tough workout animals were shocked at how strenuous yoga can be.
They discovered that holding the asanas or poses such as the peacock pose, builds strength-not the brute strength of a power lifter but the tensile strength of a martial-arts master.
Several pro-athletes such as the Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George,
Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe, Oakland A’s pitcher ace Barry Zito, NBA superstar Kevin Garnett and PGA standouts Ty Tyron and David Duval have all at some point attested to this fact.

Either way it goes, Yoga is being rediscovered on an almost daily basis by men as indeed being the way to go as far as exercise; sometimes exclusively, oft-times in combination with more common forms of fitness regimens.

So fellas, if you are you stilled not convinced this isnt just a girls exercise, do this, go to your favorite search engine, type up one of the following The Peacock, 4-limbed or wheel pose.

Try either one for a full minute and you will be shocked-like my hard as nails friend once said-to discover that Yoga aint no joke!

Gentlemen, real dudes indeed do practice Yoga.

At one time, or another, all of us have experienced insomnia for any type of reason. There are times when lack of sleep just cant be helped, such as the loss a loved one, going through a divorce, and losing your job.

These are some of lifes serious crisis situations, where we have to let time heal, and try not to fall apart in the process. Some of the solutions below will help insomnia, but they will not heal grief.

However, if you are continually staying awake over trivial matters, these solutions will aid you to get a good nights rest. Remember – not every solution will work for everyone, so try the easiest ideas and make them fit into your lifestyle.

Do you have one or more problems, on your mind, that are troubling you at bedtime? If so, write it down and leave it on the kitchen table where you sit in the morning. This is a form of compartmentalization, where your subconscious mind works on a solution, and you and your conscious mind get some needed rest.

You will be surprised what happens the following morning. The problem is much less important or your subconscious found the solution. This technique is so powerful that many successful people use it, even when they dont really have a problem. This keeps you organized, on a daily basis, and you will get more accomplished in life.

That leads into the next idea, which is establishing a daily routine. Your body has a natural cycle, and most of us ignore it. Modern humans are more out of tune with their bodies than ever before, so we have to get back to basics and design a schedule for all tasks – including sleep.

You should exercise every day, but your exercise routine should end two hours before bedtime, at the latest. This allows your body and mind cool down time. If you can exercise earlier in the day, feel free to do so.

Exercise will give you extra energy during the day, and help you get a good nights sleep, when you need it. If you dont exercise, dont feel alone, but do take action. Gentle Yoga postures are a great way to start.

If you find the right Yoga teacher, you will learn controlled breathing pranayama, stage-by-stage relaxation, and meditation. Each is a powerful technique for winding down before bedtime. You always practice controlled breathing with either, stage-by-stage relaxation, or meditation. Some people practice stage-by-stage relaxation in bed and fall asleep in the process. This is not a bad thing, if your ultimate goal is to fall asleep.

Now lets look at a few other ideas, such as alcohol and hidden caffeine. Alcohol has a way of getting you to sleep, but sleep is often interrupted during the night. One suggestion, if you enjoy drinking Have one small drink; preferably wine, with your meal.

Caffeine is in coffee, many teas, many sodas, and a variety of other drinks. Drink water later in the day, and give your body a rest from caffeine.

Here are a few actions to take before bedtime Eat very light, read a book about something peaceful, and take a shower or a bath. You dont have to do everything, but one of the above-mentioned ideas will work for you.

Sweet Dreams.

At this point, lets break down the major components of a typical Hatha Yoga session, and see how each one will enable you to reach your goals. There are nine main styles of Yoga in India, but most of the popular styles, outside of India, are variations of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga classes tend, among other things, to emphasize physical mastery.

Asanas are the physical postures, but depending upon the class, the postures may be held for different durations, such as A half breath an exhale or inhale, a few breaths, or a few minutes. Some classes are very active, with flowing movement, heated studios up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and others are tranquil at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, all year long.

So there is a style of Yoga for every person, and you should be aware of what you are getting into before you start. You should also be aware that the doors are not locked, and if 105 degrees is too much heat, it is your call.

This past summer, in Arizona, a number of people died, due to excessive heat. If your body temperature reaches 105 degrees, you could possibly have heat stroke. What is your natural climate like? Please know your temperature tolerance and know that people are different.

The Yoga postures release tension throughout your body, regardless of which style you choose. The added surge of endorphins, as a result of this exercise, is another benefit.

Pranayama, sometimes called the Yogic science of breathing, is cultivation of air – our most vital resource. Therefore, you can increase the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream without classic calisthenics, but when you combine it with the postures; you have a very powerful combination for stress relief.

Meditation is known for its stress management, focused concentration, and conscious relaxation benefits. In fact, there are so many meditation benefits, that after more than 2,000 studies, scientists still research for more.

How will all this help you achieve your goals? Simple Once you are armed with the ability to relieve yourself from the burdens of stress, negative obstacles, and needless worrying, you then have the ability to prioritize and learn from your mistakes.

If you make a mistake, so does everyone else. Nobody is keeping track of your mistakes, except you. Everyone wants to be recognized, so grab every opportunity you can. Make sure you dont forget to write your goals down and review them often. You will see them come to pass.

Yoga is a union of body, mind, and spirit. The history of yoga is long and steeped in tradition. Yoga is an ancient system of health and fitness which originated in India. The word yoga has its first mention in the Rig Veda, the oldest of the sacred texts. Those that study Yoga estimate it’s age to be four thousand year.

The history of Yoga can be divided into four main periods which are the pre-classical period, classical period, post-classical period and modern period. In the history of yoga, the book is called the yoga sutras. The history of yoga would not have been completed in the classical stage of yoga.

The word Yoga literally meant the Yolk that joins something together, such as an ox to a cart. The idea is that yoga unites all aspects of being into one.

What most people envision to be Yoga, those contortionist postures, is really only one small aspect of a much larger field of practices. The methods of yoga includes ethical disciplines, physical postures, breathing control and as well as meditation.

The 20th century witnessed a renaissance of yoga that caused a globalization of this ancient tradition. Modern approaches to yoga have created a clear delineation between the Hindu religion and the practice of yoga. Through the practice of yoga, an individual can gain information about physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being.

Over the long history of yoga, different schools have emerged, and there are numerous examples branches and philosophies that have spawned. Ultimately, all agree on one common element the fundamental purpose of yoga is to foster harmony in the body, mind, and environment.

Today yoga is accepted as a comprehensive exercise to promote control of the body and mind. More than just a means of being fit and trim, yoga can help you live a healthy, whole, and empowered life. In recent decades, yoga has greatly and swiftly evolved. Yoga is the most diversified spiritual practice in the world. The living tradition of yoga now recognizes no borders as it continues to spread globally.

A medicine ball is also commonly used by athletes who have sustained an injury, and seek rehabilitation. They are also extensively used by secondary schools as a fitness aid, by lifting the ball, or performing different exercises with the ball incorporated to increase the strain on a particular muscle.

What is A Swiss Ball?
A Swiss ball is a ball constructed of elastic rubber with a diameter of around 55 to 85 cm 22 to 34 inches. It is used in physical therapy and exercise.

Yoga with Balance Ball?
Doing yoga on a ball allows your body to open gently so you can keep your breath flowing and remain aware of signs of strain so you don’t injure yourself. The balance ball supports you in certain poses and helps you modify each posture to suit your body.

Sit on The Ball!
Sitting on a ball instead of a chair is a great way to keep your spine healthy. Try to sit on a ball for at least part of your work day, if you have a desk job. When you sit on a ball, you’re forced to sit up with good posture because you have nothing to lean back on. Also, because the ball rolls around, it keeps you on your toes and keeps your body moving, which help prevent the stiffness and back pain that you can get from being too sedentary.

Bent Knee Bridge for Buttocks and hamstrings
How to do it Lie on your back with your knees bent and your heels resting on top of the ball. Spread your arms out on either side of you. Lift your butt off the floor while squeezing it, and push your hips toward the ceiling. Pause at the top of the movement, then go back to the starting position.

The following are some guidelines in planning and running a medicine ball session -

1. Always ensure the athletes carry out a thorough warm up and warm down
2. Before starting a session, explain the procedures for each exercise with your athletes
3. Partners who feed the medicine ball on certain exercises should be well drilled on what is required
4. Medicine ball exercises must precede high intensity work
5. Start sessions with lighter less dynamic exercises, then progress to heavier exercises
6. The program should have exercises that match the pattern of movements of the sport
7. Plan the program to exercise alternate body parts legs, upper body, torso
8. You will need to have a number of different weights of ball available – heavy, medium and light

A primary benefit of exercising with a Swiss ball as opposed to exercising directly on a hard flat surface is that the body responds to the instability of the ball to remain balanced, engaging many more muscles to do so. Those muscles become stronger over time to keep balance.

Cultivating Positive Energy

Most of us who study Yoga have been taught that an abundance of Prana vital air or vital energy, can be found at the ocean, lakes, large open fields, and in the mountains.

Although the air is different, this same energy can be found where people assemble for a positive reason. For example when people assemble to meditate or pray.

You can feel it in your home, at a church, mosque, temple, shrine, ashram, seminar, martial arts hall, etc. This is when people bond in a mass for the common good. The energy can be used to help humanity and our little planet for the best.
You can project this energy outward by acts of kindness every moment of your life. This is not to say, you allow yourself to be abused. You can be kind to everyone who comes into your life, without becoming a doormat.

You have influence over a limited number of people who you see in a day. Why not make every contact a harmonious and positive experience?

Some examples would be

Stop making foul gestures, becoming angry, and swearing when another driver on the road has irritated you.

Don’t take advantage of respect with anyone.

Treat everyone as special no matter what their economic status.

In regard to your next question What is the mystery behind attracting positive energy?

To be honest, there isn’t one, but I will give you the formula.

Firstly, you have to realize that you have infinite potential, and it comes from within. You also have unlimited potential from the outside, when you engage in prayer, and meditation, on a daily basis. Prayer and meditation will positively charge you, and you will contribute to the benefit of others as a result of it.

In turn, all of this helping of others will result in finding people around you who are more than willing to give you a helping hand.

The following ideas will cultivate positive energy around you.

Make it a point to wake up in the morning with excitement and say hello to everyone you come into contact with. This goes for the security guard, janitor, maid, garage attendant, cashier at the store, and anyone you may overlook in the course of your day.

Stop criticizing your family members, co-workers, friends, and associates.

Be diplomatic first, before giving any advice.

Let your family know that you love them everyday.

Be sincere and treat everyone as important.

Take time to give to people. This doesn’t have to be expensive. You could give a sincere compliment, a card, a letter, or flowers.
Become a trustworthy partner with family, friends, co-workers and associates.

Set goals – whether they are tangible or not. It is a healthy practice to have goals at any age. The final results will be that your positive energy will attract positively charged personalities and successful people will seek you out. If this is a major change for you, it will not happen overnight.

Let me share a related Zulu saying Patience is an egg that hatches great birds.

Why should you become an eternal optimist?

Every one of us has a choice. When you fall down, you must pick yourself up. You can’t blame life’s hurdles or obstacles you have to find solutions to get over, around, under, or through them.

Focus on your past achievements and learn to be happy with yourself. Everyone has failed, at some point, but we must constructively learn from our past experience.

Your individual approach, to life’s daily obstacles, is the gateway to success or failure. Therefore, success is a matter of choice.

Building Positive Energy

In relation to what most of us see as possible – success is unlimited. When primal man first discovered fire, could he imagine the concept of a forge? When modern man discovered the forge, could he imagine sky scrappers?

To build positive energy for pursuit of common goals and success, you need a support group. Find and seek out like-minded people.

Here are some guidelines and realistic expectations for parents, who are considering Yoga for their children. For your child, Yoga is much more than a kid’s fitness class. Just like adults — kids need time to learn to deal with life’s daily pressures, too.

Make sure your child starts with easy postures, and be patient with your child’s progress. Some beginner children can often be more flexible than advanced adult Yoga practitioners, but they dont know their own limitations.

Discover your child’s real passions. When your child wants to go to Yoga class, it is much better than what you want for your child. This is not to say that you should avoid guidance. However, it is not advisable to push a child into a Yoga class, if your child doesn’t enjoy it — no matter how popular Yoga may be. All children are different, and what is good for one of your children, may not agree with another.

Encourage your child to see the deeper benefits of Yoga Learning to live within the moment, and appreciating the present situation, instead of focusing on desires, these are built-in mental assets of Yoga practice. Enhanced concentration skills are another benefit that will result in improved academic performance.

Look for a qualified Yoga instructor, who has experience in teaching children. Make sure the child’s Yoga instructor has adequate experience.

Watch your child practice, with his or her, Yoga teacher, and make sure you are comfortable with the environment, policies, and safety guidelines. Rules and discipline policies are usually in place so that each child can learn Yoga and get the most out of their experience.

For your child’s safety at home Parents who are not familiar with Yoga, should not let their beginner Yoga children practice anything beyond beginner techniques, without a competent Yoga instructor’s approval. Once your child’s Yoga instructor gives approval of home practice, you are fine. This one safety factor should encourage parents to learn Yoga, practice with their children, and live a healthy life.

A smaller kids Yoga class is actually better than a larger one. This insures that your child’s Yoga instructor can pay close attention to each student during practice session.

Price should not be the top factor in choosing your child’s Yoga teacher.
Would you choose the cheapest dentist, clothes, or car? Very often, you get what you pay for.

Ashtanga Yoga is the type of yoga which was created and established by a master named K. Pattabhi Jois. Due to it’s theory containing eight different limbs, or components, it is also known as “Eight-Limb Yoga”. It doesn’t imply that the practitioner has a double set of limbs, but master Pattabhi Jois showed that the optimum path of purification is made up of the eight spiritual practices.

The basic idea is that these limbs only can be kept in balance by the appropriate application of the Ashtanga Yoga method.

The first four limbs that symbolize Ashtanga Yoga, and are considered externally correctable are original names within double quotes
- Moral codes or “yama”
- Self-purification or “niyama”
- Posture or “asana”
- Breath control or “pranayama”

Then there is the other set of limbs which are the internal practices
- Sense control or “pratyahara”
- Meditation or “dhyana”
- Concentration or “dharana”
- Contemplation or “samadhi”

K. Pattabhi Jois declared that practicing these Eight Limbs as well as its sub-limbs of the external practices which contain the niyama and yama is impossible. In doing so, the body should be strong so that it can technically perform the methods well enough. If the body is weak, and the sense organs are not functioning well, practicing will never be productive at all.

This is a primary philosophy that K. Pattabhi Jois has applied, it is of prime importance for the Asthanga practitioner to learn and understand this way of thinking. This will make you confident in that the body will significantly improve and become stronger and healthier.

Vinsaya and Tristhana are performed in Ashtanga Yoga.

The Vinsaya is a style that makes Ashtanga and its fundamental principles different from the others. Vinsaya basically means the movement and breathing which is used effectively together in order to cleanse the body. Each movement done is accompanied by only one breath. Sweat is the most important product of Vinsaya. When you produce sweat, it only indicates that you are successfully applying the method. When you perform the Asanas, or postures, the body produces heat which causes your blood to “boil” and excrete the toxins outside of your body. The contaminations are found in your sweat. So the more sweat you produce, the more toxins are released. This is the natural way for the body to get rid of unwanted substances.

The poses are used to fully develop the physical strength and health of the body. It is the sequence of practices that make this possible. There are three postures used in Ashtaga Yoga.

The three are grouped on different levels

- The first is the Primary Series which aims on aligning the body and also detoxifying it.

- The second is the Intermediate Series opening and cleansing the energy channels which comes to the process of purifying the Nervous System.

- The last series would be the Advanced Series from A to D. In this set, the grace and strength are assessed.

The Tristhana is another yoga principle which symbolizes the close union of the three places of action and attention. First is the posture, second is the breathing technique ad last is the Dristhi of the Looking Place. All these three should work altogether to perform a function.

The breathing is always controlled and synchronized with the movements, in such a way that each movement is accompanied by breath. Ujjayi Breathing is the Yoga Breathing Technique used in the implementation of Ashtanga Yoga. Applying this ancient technique is something that you should work on gradually in your daily practise. What you need to master is holding your pose longer at the same time hold your breath. This is an amazing breathing exercise that will intensify your internal fire and will toughen the Nervous System.

Both Ashtanga and Tristhana deal with the series of Dristhi. The Dristhi is defined as the point on which you acquire your focus or concentration while doing the Asana. This allows your mind to be purified and stabilized clearly.

Clearing your mind that is sometimes compared to an over active monkey and cleansing it is the ultimate goal in the Eight-Limb Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga.