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Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)? Hmm… It sounds pretty straight forward, doesn’t it? Well, luckily for all of us, it is! Yes, I said “luckily” because this pose is pretty easy to do, doesn’t require much time, and on top of all that, it brings you incredible benefits that will affect every aspect of your life. 

Did I get your attention? Excellent! Let’s proceed.

How to do the Viparita Karani Yoga Pose – Legs Up the Wall Pose

Whenever you feel stressed, tired, anxious, or whenever your legs feel like giving up and your entire body just won’t accept a good workout, you can do this pose to relax and feel better.
The fun thing is that you can do this pose literally anywhere! Going from your home to hotel rooms, to outdoors, everything can be your playground. All that you need is something vertical, like a wall, door, tree, etc. 

This pose basically looks like this: 

You lay down on your back, put a folded blanket or a firm pillow under your pelvis, and raise your legs straight on the wall. By doing that, fluids like lymph and others will easily flow to your lower stomach. You see, the fluids that will start running through your body naturally during this exercise are the ones that make your knees hurt, tired, your ankles swollen and generally put your legs in a lot of pain. 

By doing the Viparita Karani yoga pose, you will be literally refreshing your legs and your reproductive area. You see, this pose makes your blood flow better as well, which often leads to better blood circulation in your entire body. 

As you can see, this pose is not only pretty easy to learn but pretty beneficial as well. If you are a rookie when it comes to yoga, you should pick the easier ones first. This, of course, doesn’t mean that yoga veterans avoid doing this pose because it is easy. No way! This pose is beneficial to every single one of us and its easy-to-be-learned nature is just a plus. 

Small Tips Regarding the Pose

Make sure your support is placed on a good distance from the wall so that you can comfortably lay down. After you have made sure that your support is on the right spot, the next thing you need to take into consideration is that your sitting bones should not be right against the wall. The front side of your torso should only slightly be arching from the pubis.

It’s a good routine to bend your knees first, lift your back a bit and set your support a little bit higher, right under your pelvis. It is hard to find the correct position on the first try, so feel free to adjust. 

The final tip for this pose would be to keep your legs firm, but not firm to the point that it hurts. Make them as firm as they need to be in order to stay vertically on the wall.
You should be in this pose anywhere from five to 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Yoga is a healthy and a tad bit more comfortable way to remain in shape. Some various intensities and asanas can be adopted for the perfect routine. Yoga is not only for the body but for the cleansing of the mind as well. An ideal way to make yoga a part of life is to start with the necessary meditative steps and then move on to challenging asanas. Many of the asanas have been named after the various religious deities, animals, and mythological characters. Knowing the background of the pose can help in understanding the power that asana can give and the reason behind the physical movements of the asana. Some of the basic yet popular asanas have been discussed below:

• THE LOTUS POSE: This pose is one of the most common and the initial pose that a person entering the yoga class will have to adopt. The lotus pose helps in initiating the body towards the rest of the yoga poses. It helps in allowing the right flow of energy throughout the body. It also helps in developing fluidity in the muscles and promotes flexibility. The lotus pose helps in preparing the body for much faster and more intense yoga like the Vinyasa series. The pose helps in regulating the breathing pattern of the body to a much healthier pace. It also builds breath controlling tendencies in the human body.

• DOWNWARD FACING DOG: This pose helps in strengthening the body muscles. The specific areas that are targeted are legs and arms. It helps in stretching the leg muscles, the arm muscles, and the back muscles. It also helps in tightening the abdomen muscles because they get tucked in when stretching. It is a traditional pose because it helps in stretching the upper and the lower body all at once, thus ensuring flexibility and healthy blood flow throughout. 

• THE COBRA POSE: The Cobra pose is one great pose. It is taught to be practiced by beginners as well as to those who are at more advanced levels. This pose helps in stretching the back and strengthens the nervous system. This pose at once stretches the back muscles and tightens the abdomen muscles. It stretches the spine and opens up the lungs and chest. It also helps in firming the butt and toning the thighs. It also helps in opening the knots in the shoulder and neck muscles. It is a famous and most-often used backbend pose.

• THE CRANE POSE: This is a brilliant but advanced level pose. It is to be followed by some simpler asanas that help in strengthening the wrist and arm muscles. The pose requires the whole of the lower and the upper body to balance the arms itself when the knees have been folded into the abdomen. The asana strengthens the arm muscles, as well as tightens the stomach muscles and the wrists. It stretches the upper back. There are five preparatory poses for the Crane pose.

The fact that you are reading this means one (or all) of the following statements can describe you:

• You love working out.
• You are into yoga. 
• You want to try yoga.
• You are looking for additional equipment that will help you in your training.

Luckily for you, you have come to the right place! This article will give you the necessary information about “equipment” that might boost your performance in sports. To be exact, I will be writing about yoga leggings. 

The Truth Behind Sport Equipment

To be honest, besides the absolutely necessary equipment such as sneakers, shirts, and shorts, you don’t actually need anything else for your workout. 

That’s the beauty of working on your body. You can do it anytime, anyplace and even for free! So, if you want to do yoga, as an example, but aren’t sure if you can afford it, don’t worry, you can even do it at home! 

Yes, it is better to have an instructor who will monitor your progress and correct the mistakes, but you can also learn and practice yoga at home. There are plenty of videos on the Internet, and if you don’t like them, you can buy some tutorial yoga videos for a fair price. However, sports have its other side as well. Nowadays, we have many accessories that we can use in a sport that actually help us perform better. Of course, there is inefficient equipment based on lies, but this article is oriented only towards the truth. 

With that being said, I present you – yoga leggings. 

Can Yoga Leggings Help You In Training? 

In the previous part of the article, we saw that they aren’t necessary. However, you must keep in mind that there will be days when you won’t “feel it” as much as you used to; days that you would need an extra push or something else. 

So, this is how yoga leggings may help you in those days and any other:

• They sustain power.
• There was research in 2003 about yoga leggings. A women’s volleyball team was tested. To be exact, their jumping ability was on the line. The results show that they have saved strength and power in their legs longer than they did before. 
• Muscles “breathe” better.
• What muscles absolutely need when it comes to endurance and stamina, is oxygen. Well, the compression tights helped, just like before, making your muscles lose less power and also making better use of oxygen in them.
• Better recovery
• Many kinds of research were conducted on this topic. All of them agreed that yoga leggings help in muscle recovery and prevent inflammation (muscle swelling). It is extremely beneficial to people who are serious about their workouts. 

The Final Verdict

Well, all of this should be enough to help you understand the benefits of yoga leggings. They certainly make a positive difference. So, if you want to boost your performance, yoga leggings might be all that you need.

How To Meditate When You Are Just Too Busy To Meditate

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High-stress levels usually accompany a hectic lifestyle. Busy professionals lose their sleep trying to keep up with their busy workload or find their work life encroaches massively on their personal life. Most of the time everyday stress comes from trying to perform well at work, make time for your friends and family, keep fit and get enough sleep. You may be familiar with changing straight from your work attire into your workout clothes. Taking out time for the most important people in our lives, our own selves usually takes a backseat. If you live by a busy schedule, you probably feel like there aren’t enough hours in the week to do everything you need to do, let alone add in a meditation practice.

So what are some of the reasons you might want to consider meditation?

Meditation is the practice of paying attention to the present moment. It requires sitting with the eyes closed and observing your thoughts and feelings without getting carried away by them. A regular practice can make you feel calmer and it works effectively at reducing stress and anxiety.

Though the practices of yoga and meditation are thousands of years old, they are currently taking the world of mainstream media by storm; mindfulness appears to be everywhere. Even science is beginning to take a serious look at how meditation can significantly decrease stress. But what if you don’t have the time? Fear not, as little as a few minutes a day can have outstanding effects. Meditation, in its pure form, is being aware. Taking a few minutes a day to be fully present without the distractions of the past or the future can sharpen your focus and leave you feeling refreshed. 

Here are a few things you need to know about fitting a meditation practice into your day:

• Make sure you are comfortable. If you can’t find a space alone, then just make sure you are comfortable in your chair at your desk or even on the train will do.
• Close your eyes for 5-10 minutes. The aim is not to try and clear your mind but to be aware of it. Notice each thought that comes into your awareness. Don’t try and analyze it or explore it, just notice it, and then let it go.
• If you’re having trouble focusing, try counting your breaths. Count up to and then start again. 
• Engage all your senses on the action of breathing. Even something this simple gives your mind some space away from the stresses of everyday life.
• The best time to insert a little meditation is either just before bed or in the morning before your morning coffee. If that is a struggle, then find a few minutes anywhere in your day that work for you, maybe even arriving at your yoga class minutes early and taking some time on your mat to sit and be still.
• It doesn’t take any fancy equipment, long tutorials or workout clothes. All it takes is a few minutes, your body and your breath. A few minutes a day will improve your focus and reduce your stress making you a more productive, healthier and happier human being.

You’ve finally committed to attend a class at your local yoga studio. Maybe you’ve practiced at home for years, or perhaps this is your very first time on the yoga mat. Selecting the right outfit to wear to a physical yoga class can be a challenge for the first-time or beginner yogis. There’s a lot of pressure to conform to the fashion standards set by magazines and your local trends.

How Do You Know What’s Appropriate For Your First Class?

The most important thing to know about dressing for your first yoga class is to wear something you will feel comfortable in. You should be both physically and emotionally comfortable with exposing yourself in your outfit. It should be loose enough that you can stretch properly but tight enough to keep you covered during more difficult poses.

If you feel self-conscious in a particular yoga outfit, you aren’t going to be likely to move further into the practice. The right yoga outfit can give you the self-confidence you need to stretch further, hold a pose longer, or breathe a little bit deeper. Loving yourself and your appearance can take time, so settle on something that sparks joy for right now.

Beyond this essential tip, here are a few suggestions you may want to keep in mind before class.

Make Sure Your Yoga Leggings Aren’t See-Through

The most common type of pants worn to a yoga class is definitely a quality pair of solid black leggings. This trend flatters almost all body shapes, sizes, and colors which makes it universally adored. Yogis need to be aware of how thin their leggings are and what they will look like when stretched.

Try to do a standing forward fold and see if your rear end is going to be on display in your yoga leggings. You might want to ask a trusted friend to help you decide whether the yoga leggings you want to purchase are going to be thick enough to wear to your upcoming yoga class.

Don’t Wear Very Baggy Shirts

Many yogis mistakenly believe that wearing a baggy shirt is the best option for their practice. These yogis reason that the extra fabric can help to hide a figure they aren’t quite happy with yet. Unfortunately, baggy shirts tend to gape and expose you completely during basic postures like the downward facing dog.

Keep Jewelry At Home

While your yoga class certainly may be a place to make a fashion statement, you don’t want to wear anything that could jeopardize your safety. Until you know what you will feel comfortable wearing, leave any jewelry and accessories at home. If you’re determined to wear them to the yoga class, be sure to leave them in your car or yoga bag when the practice begins.

Heading to your first yoga class can be extremely exciting and intimidating. With these easy-to-follow fashion tips, you can walk through the doors and unroll your mat with confidence.

You probably know that there are pressure points within our body that affect our organs. Just if you think of a headache, sometimes gently rubbing your temples helps alleviate the pressure built up in your head.

There’s more. If you’re ever suffering from a stomach ache, constipation or other digestive issues, try running your finger up and down from the top of your nose up the forehead. This technique is also highly effective with babies. It makes mine relax and fall asleep in no time Plus, I think that any time you gently caress your face, it calms you in so many more ways than just alleviates aches.

When stomach aches get to the point of unbearable, touch under your eyes, those are moreover the points of your whole digestive tract, kidney, and liver. In combination with rubbing the center of your forehead and sides of the cheeks, you should alleviate the initial pain if not more.

The nose and the area from the center toward your ears are related to your heart. While your lungs are connected to the area right beneath your nostrils. Even try touching these points when you’re feeling completely well. They should send tingling sensations to the parts of your body where the organs related to those points are laying. And, while you’re at it, why not treat yourself to a luscious home-made face mask so your skin will also glow? Moreover, whenever you add a mask or a crème to your face, you do gently caress all those areas. So, just mindfully connect them and see what happens.

You know I love natural ingredients with everything I do. I also love to treat myself to short sessions of feel-well activities throughout the day. Here’s what you’ll need for a super hydrating mask so you know to add those to your grocery store list for next time you have a run there:

Half an avocado, it should be ripe. The oils from it hydrate your skin and help dry areas to recover faster.

1 tablespoon of plain yogurt. This will smooth your skin and tighten pores. Yogurt is packed with riboflavin, lactic acid, and vitamins B6, B12, and calcium.

1 tablespoon of honey. Honey naturally has antibacterial properties, so it will help you alleviate any breakouts that you might have.

Moreover, you can add a drop of lavender essential oil to the mix. It is great for minimizing breakouts and reducing redness.

I must warn you that it’s not the prettiest of homemade masks you can do. The avocado oxidases when it’s left on your skin for a little bit. Just tuck yourself to a quiet, cozy place, while the rest of the world will be able to enjoy your glowing face for long periods thereafter.

Plus, the massage that you give yourself while applying the mask on your face and a gentle wash after good 10 minutes will help you release any other pressure from your body.

This is a good tip for whenever you feel stressed. First, move your body a little. At least change your posture. Breathe in. Then massage your face. You might be surprised at how many ideas may come your way and how at ease the short mindful treatment might make you feel.

Some people are really hard to buy gifts for! You’ve tried to come up with something they’d like at your usual shopping haunts, but you’re having no luck. They’re the outdoorsy type, and oh yeah, they like to do yoga. There are several ways you can go here, but a sure thing would be a yoga-themed gift for the yoga practitioner in your life. Just because you don’t do yoga yourself and don’t know the first thing about it doesn’t mean you can’t find the perfect present.

The first item that comes to mind is a yoga mat. Even if they already have a mat, they may welcome a new one because theirs is looking a bit worn out. They might like a new mat with a special design on it that reflects their tastes.

The next popular gift idea is yoga clothing. This can be anything from yoga leggings to special sticky toed socks. Make sure the clothing is well-made and durable. You might want to stick with the well-known brands.

If your yoga practitioner is just starting out, consider a yoga-in-a-box kit as it will have most of what they need to get started.

Some people like to practice yoga in the privacy of their own home. For this person, a yoga instructional DVD is a good choice.

Is he or she really “into” yoga in a big way? Then they might like a non-fiction book about yoga or a fictional book with a yoga theme.

Yoga-inspired music can be very soothing and healing, on or off the mat. There are many excellent yoga acoustic choices to be found.

If your yoga-lover likes games, you will find several themed games, including yoga bingo. Similarly, there are activity cards available that show various poses and others that share daily spiritual messages.

A great gift for the writer is a handmade journal where they can record their thoughts along their spiritual journey. Choose journals made by women cooperatives for economic opportunities and you’ve also done a good deed.

For the woman who likes her jewelry there are many pendants that are yoga-themed. It’s amazing how delicate and beautiful some of this jewelry is. Or maybe their preference would be a Hindu copper bracelet.

Also along the lines of providing the yoga practitioner with helpful yoga accessories, why not give them an exercise ball they can use with certain yoga positions? Determine the size of the ball based on their height.

Would you believe there are lots of little gifts that are perfect for when you want to give just a little something? That’s when you should look at smaller items such as handmade keychains or eco-friendly tree ornaments.

If you really can’t decide between all these choices here, then give a gift card to an online yoga store that sells accessories. You can’t go wrong in picking out a yoga-related gift for the yoga practitioner in your life. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness in buying a gift based on something that means so much to them.

When people talk about yoga festivals, several things come immediately to mind. Images of hippies in flowing skirts sitting in a circle the grass and meditating might be one of them. These kinds of stereotypes may scare you away from the idea of attending a yoga festival, or make you sign up, but the truth is that yoga festivals are not what you expect.

You Don’t Have to Be a Yogi

Whether you are a diehard yoga addict or a casual fan, yoga festivals welcome all types and everything in between. You don’t have to be thin, enormously fit, or be able to wrap your legs around your ears. You just need to be curious, open minded, and interested in yoga and what it can do for your life.

They do have yoga classes throughout the festivals, but the instructors are well trained and will modify poses for the less flexible. The key thing to remember is that no one is there to judge you. Everyone is there to learn, connect, and share an important part of their lives. If you go in with that expectation, you’ll have an enjoyable time.

Spirituality Isn’t a Prerequisite

Some people use yoga as a way to connect to a higher power or express their religious beliefs. However, other people just believe it’s a comfortable and effective form of movement and exercise. Either way of thinking is fine; you don’t have to believe to go to a festival and anyone who is, is missing the point.

It Isn’t About Your Clothes

People seem to think that they must dress a certain way at a yoga festival, whether it is to express their themselves to their group or to show off their outfit. But yoga isn’t a fashion show and the festivals are no different. Dress in comfortable clothes you can move in. There are usually a lot of yoga classes you can attend, and you need to be able to stretch and move and that’s it.

Community Building

One stereotype about yoga festivals is absolutely right. It is about community. It is about connecting with people who are like you, who enjoy something that you enjoy in beautiful surroundings. For people who are in the business, it is also about networking and meeting others in their field who are doing new and exciting things with their brands. The whole experience is not about judging or excluding, it is about building a community on whatever level, and in whatever way you want to connect without judgement.

Going to a yoga festival is a chance to explore yoga in lovely surroundings with a group of like-minded people. Other than that, it can be whatever you want it to be. You can take several classes and tire yourself out or just wander around watching people do aerial yoga. Whichever experience you want, it’s entirely up to you, just leave your fears and judgements behind and enjoy.

There are so many different styles of yoga, that it can be very hard to choose the right one. Yoga is a beautiful addition to an everyday routine. It is important to pick the right form of yoga to achieve specific goals and desires. Here are the top ten yoga styles and a description of the benefits that each practice achieves.

1. Ashtanga is a sequence style yoga that links each movement to a breath. It includes six established pose sequences that are practiced sequentially. This style of yoga moves rapidly and is nonstop. This practice is designed to center the mind and control breath flow while enhancing flexibility and strength throughout the body.
2. Bikram/Hot yoga is practiced in a 95 to 100 degree heated room. It is a very sweaty and challenging form of yoga. Bikram includes a series of 26 basic yoga poses that are each performed twice. The heat aids in flexibility and detoxes the body during practice.
3. Hatha is defined as a physical yoga practice. Any type of yoga that incorporates poses can be classified as hatha. It is a basic and classic approach to breathing exercises and poses.
4. Iyengar/Anusara is a restriction free form of yoga. Its goal is to be accepting. Students are pushed to express themselves through the poses in their own ways instead of fitting into the standard positions. No two people are the same so no two poses should be done the same.
5. Kundalini is a spiritual and philosophical approach to yoga. It focuses on bringing energy to the body while using breathing techniques to keep the body grounded.
6. Kripalu is a gentle form of yoga that incorporates three parts. These three parts are know, accept, and learn. This form of yoga concentrates on how the body works in different poses and lets the body be the teacher. Its focus is to get in touch with the body.
7. Power yoga incorporates every muscle in the body and promotes a faster metabolism. Its goal is to create the highest caloric burn. It is a very athletic style of yoga.
8. Prenatal yoga is geared towards pregnant women. It helps to improve posture, core strength, and breathing technique while also trying to relieve pregnancy related discomforts. It is a very safe way for pregnant women to stay in shape during pregnancy.
9. Restorative yoga is a soothing and relaxing form of yoga. It focuses of rejuvenating the body. There are as few as 5 poses completed during a class because it focuses on relaxing into the poses rather than rushing through them.
10. Vinyasa centralizes poses around the sun salutation and maintains breathing to synchronize to 12 different poses. This is the friendliest form of yoga for beginners. It focuses on strengthening the core and creating a connection between movement and breathing. The class usually ends in the resting pose of savasana.

With so many different kinds of yoga it can be easy to get overwhelmed and give up. There is a yoga style for everyone. It can be anywhere from slow and relaxing like restorative yoga to fast paced and upbeat like power yoga. Yoga is for everyone!