Health Benefits of Yoga and Meditation

Both yoga and meditation have been around for thousands of years. To understand their connection, it helps to understand what each one is individually.

Yoga is a spiritual Hindu practice that incorporates breath, a simple form of meditation and physical incorporation of the body to bring the mind and body together, creating harmony. First introduced to the west in the early 1900's, by mid century, yoga has grown exponentially in popularity and has continued to grow over the last few decades.

Meditation is best described as a training of the mind to reach different levels of consciousness and awareness. These levels of consciousness can include access to parts of the brain that control imagination, creativity, memory and more. Through meditation, these characteristics can be explored and possibly enhanced through practice.

The health benefits of yoga and meditation seem to go hand in hand, but let's break the two down, anyway.

Health benefits of meditation

• Blood pressure- Studies have shown the ability of meditation to lower blood pressure and in some cases, reverse the effects of heart disease.

• Pain management- Meditation has been used to treat chronic and substance abuse withdrawal pains effectively. The results have been impressive; patients report feeling less discomfort when meditation has been introduced.

• Stress and anxiety- If anyone has ever gotten overwhelmed with stress, took a moment, stopped and took a deep breath to recollect has witnessed the ability of meditation to reduce stress. Meditations number one benefit is the ability to relax, fighting off stress and anxiety.

• Sleep- Meditation continues to be explored and implemented for its effectiveness for insomnia. Many times insomnia is caused by our inability to slow the mind down, whereas meditations greatest gift is the ability to do so.

Health benefits of yoga

Not only can yoga help with high blood pressure, pain management, stress, anxiety and sleep, but can also benefit the body more directly:

• Core strength- Yoga can develop and nurture a strong core strength through its poses and stamina required to maintain those poses.

• Posture- The simple act of lifting your chin when walking can have profound effects on posture. The poses present in yoga are embedded with improvements for posture, while developing the core strength can help maintain good posture out of the classroom.

• Balance- The very nature of yoga and its form of exercise helps develop and maintain physical balance, but also fosters an emotional balance for the mind.

The benefits of meditation almost seem inherent to that of yoga, considering meditation is an integral part of the yoga practice. Some benefits are exclusive to yoga because of the physical qualities involved, but both are highly effective in bettering our health.

A Perfect Guide to Yoga for Beginners

Yoga is an excellent way to stay healthy and fit. It is not only good for your physical health but for emotional, mental and spiritual health as well. Learning yoga is indeed a step by step process. It is always better to start with some easy asanas or postures so that you get motivation to continue. The simplest yoga asanas are similar to the day to day activities like lying down, standing or sitting in different positions but in an orderly fashion which proves to be beneficial for health. Here you can get info about yoga for beginners. 

Even doctors and medical practitioners recommend practicing yoga regularly because of its great therapeutic benefits. If you are a beginner, then you will be pleased to see great results instantly. Some of the most recommended yoga for beginners includes viniyoga or kripalu yoga. One you have a strong command on these simple yoga asanas, you can move onto advanced yoga asanas like Ashtanga yoga or power yoga.

You can practice for around 10-15 minutes at an initial stage which will help in increasing the flexibility of the muscle joints, enhance lubrication and improve blood circulation in the body. This will prepare your body for more complex yoga asana. It is very important to have a correct and erect body posture while practicing yoga.

Breathing exercises are a significant aspect of yoga for beginners. Some of the most effective breathing exercises include Anuloma-viloma, pranayama and kapalbharti. These exercises help in improving the breathing pattern and increases lung capacity. These exercises will make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. They are great stress busters and provides you relief from day to day tensions, worries and anxieties.

If you are a beginner then it is very important for you to have basic knowledge of yoga etiquettes. The yoga teachers play a very important role in teaching some simple yoga asanas and basic etiquettes of yoga.

A beginner should always start with simple and basic yoga stretches like finishing postures, back bends, balance postures, supine, twist, sitting or standing positions.

It is very important for you to let your yoga teacher know that you are a beginner so that he/she pays special attention to you until you get a hold on various yoga asanas. Before practicing yoga, it is always better to take a nice bath and it is advisable to end your yoga session with shavasana.

Avoid having food before 3-4 hours of your yoga class. Don't overeat. Wear loose and comfortable clothes for yoga classes so that your body feels free. Have some water before the class starts.

As a beginner, all you need to get set for yoga for beginners are a yoga mat and comfortable loose clothes. You can join any reputable yoga classes near to your home so that you can commute easily. There are different types of yoga asana. It is very important for you to get basic knowledge of all the yoga stretches and then get a control over them one by one.

Tips for Getting a Six Pack in a Month If You Don't Like To Go To the Gym

Working out at a gym is not everyone's cup of tea and the fact that you're here possibly means you are one of them. It is absolutely fine to express your dislike for the laborious, back-breaking exercises you have to put up with at a gymnasium, but the problem is you can't get those coveted six pack abs if you don't exercise daily.

Does not mean you have to settle for a jelly belly? No. It is possible to get a six pack at home, without going to the gym, in a month. The secret lies in diet, exercise and sleep. So, without wasting any time let's get down to the main points. Here we conversation about mainly health and fitness tips.

The Six Pack Diet

If you want to get a flat stomach with a neat six pack, you should build lean muscle and reduce body fat. Healthy eating helps accomplish this object at the earliest.

    Eat a balanced diet that includes essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals in healthy quantities.

    One should eat carbohydrates in judicious amounts. Replace simple carbs with complex carbs in your daily diet. Fitness experts suggest eating carbs in the morning as it allows the body enough time to digest it. Yams and brown rice are good food choices.

    If you want to get ripped fast, you should eat foods rich in proteins. Proteins build muscle mass, provide energy for workouts and controls hunger cravings. It also helps the body eliminate fat. Consume lean meat such as fish and chicken, eggs, cereal and oatmeal. You should eat 1g of protein for every pound of body weight. One can also have a protein shake.

    You should eat fat in limited quantities; eat healthy fat.

    Do not eat processed and packaged foods rich in sugar and fat such as candies, cookies, pizzas and chips.

    Do not eat high sodium foods.

    Drink plenty of water; at least 8-12 glasses of water daily. Drink cold water. Cold water accelerates your metabolism as the body has to work harder to get the water to normal body temperature.

    You should not drink sugar-sweetened colas and carbonated drinks. Replace them with green tea, coffee and fresh fruit juices. Catechin present in green tea and coffee stimulates your metabolism.

    You should not skip meals or go into starvation mode in order to burn fat in the midsection. Starving works the opposite adding fatty deposits and depleting muscle mass.

Exercise

    Stomach crunches are the best to get six pack abs in a month. There are a variety of crunches you can perform. The aim is to build core strength.

    Leg raises and hanging leg raises are also exercises for a six pack.

    Cardiovascular exercises such as cycling, running, swimming, stair-stepping, skipping and walking are also a must if you want to get rid of fat sitting around the midsection.

    Interval training that alternates between high and low intensity exercises increases fat burning in the body.

Sleep

You should get minimum 8 hours of sleep. Sleep replenishes the body. In the absence of rest, the body feels fatigued prompting you to eat more.

This combination of diet, exercise and sleep will enable you to get a 6 pack in 1 month. If you've always admired a six pack on someone else, it's time to make other go green with envy.