In yoga, it seems that often men have less of a presence. As both a man and an avid yoga-doer, I’d like to talk about the benefits of yoga for men. Yoga is a nice addition to any fitness regimen. In fact, yoga can often make up for what other exercises may lack.
4-7-8 breathing is the kegel of mindfulness cultivation. You can do it quickly, any time, anywhere, with great results, and without anyone even noticing (okay, unless you’re in the middle of a conversation and decide to practice deep breathing—you got me there). As an added bonus, its practice isn’t limited to beings of the female variety. In fact, it’s not limited to anyone at all. You don’t have to be female, crunchy, green, hip, square, a yogi, a hippie, or an MD. You just have to breathe.
When you hear the word "fitness" the first thing that comes to mind is exercise. And while exercise is a part of fitness, it's not exactly the core or the exact representation of the term. No, fitness is more about allowing your body to function in such a way that it doesn't take you much effort to lift, jump, or just move.
Fitness, in the simplest terms, is the ability to move without much effort. This movement has allowed humans to both evolve and survive over the years. But there are more benefits to fitness than evolution: overall mental and physical well-being.
Welcome to our #WellnessWednesday yoga primer. Yoga is a wonderful way to become attuned to your body and increase circulation and flexibility. Each week I'll offer you a pose with benefits and instruction.
Recently, I’ve sustained an injury to my back and neck. Luckily, nothing serious, but it has hindered my daily yoga practice, and frustratingly so. Just as any avid yogi or yogini would tell you, the time I spend on the mat each day is immensely important to my sanity. It’s my exercise and my moment of
Breathing. You might say it’s important.
Sure, we know it is life juice – a necessity to think, do, speak, say, move about our ways. But what is the real deal behind breathing? Why do yogis and mindfulness practitioners believe in the power of the breath?
Before ever taking my first yoga class, my knowledge was limited to terms like “Warrior II” and “Downward Dog.” Well my practice happened to start with Bikram yoga, which doesn’t have any Warriors or Dogs. Just my luck, right?
It would be two years before setting foot in an actual Vinyasa class, and eventually going through a 200-hour teacher training. I learned a lot during that time period.