Hey Girls, As the temperature goes down, it gets a bit difficult to do workouts early morning outdoors. It is better to exercise indoors in winter.
Here, I will discuss how I got into yoga and how it helps me in losing weight and getting me a more flexible and toned body.
My Yoga.
I wanted to learn yoga and practice it regularly from the day. I got a few classes in school as extracurricular activities as I loved the way how easily I was doing them. All those asanas as compared to others and the attention I was getting.
I searched for a few classes but found them quite costly; so I decided to stick to my evening walks and a little bit of exercise I was a bit lazy to get up early in the morning for walks and exercises. 😛
It was September 2012 that is last year; I started morning walks as my dad insisted I go for morning walks rather than evening walks to get fresh air. So I thought to give the morning walk a try and started moving into the district park of my area. I saw many yoga groups in the parks, where a number of people from every age group perform.
And there was an instructor with each and every group from a particular institute. Those yoga groups made me think about yoga again but I was too shy to do yoga in the park.
Join A Good Group.
After a few days, I decided to join the group, that group includes only middle to old-age people. But I wanted to join yoga so I did. On the first day, I was a little nervous about whether I will be able to perform yoga asana as I did years ago. But I must say the group and instructor encouraged me and helped me a lot with asana. And appreciated me when I did asana correctly. 😀 I just love that group for support. 🙂
We started with a few stretching exercises for arms, hands, and full body. Included some exercises for the neck and back to reduce stiffness. And those with neck problems like me get lower with those exercises.
After 15 minutes, started with asana the first asana was Suryanamaskar. And then performed various asanas for various body parts. And each asana is performed to cure some or other ailments too, I was getting all this information through the instructor. Few asanas were especially for weight loss.
Other asanas included were Dhanurasana, Halasana, and Trikonasana, I am not good at remembering these asana names, I find it difficult. 😛
It took an hour to perform all asanas. As the asana has to do at low intensity and 1 min of rest is done after each asana. When these asanas got done we started with meditation and breathing exercises. This is a part of yoga and is good for mental health and plays an important role in relaxing the mind.
Exercise like pranayam, Anulom-Vilom, others. In which full concentration was to breathe, how to inhale, how exhale n all. It took 15 mins.
Your Sessions.
So my session of yoga was of one and a half hours. I felt so good at end of the session. So relaxed, and energetic, and seriously I was feeling fresh the whole day. Impress that I felt happy to wake up early in the morning for another session. I could not believe myself nor did my parents, when they saw me waking up early in the morning on my own. 🙂
The effect of yoga can be easily seen on my face and my body. I lost 2 kg in 2 months, I know the weight loss is not much. But I felt good about myself, and everyone was asking me the reason behind my toned body. 🙂
The weight loss in yoga is a bit slow but it is permanent. And as soon as you stop, those extra pounds will not come back. Even if you just check on your calories without exercise. But that does not mean you stop yoga after you achieve your targets.
For the last 2 and half months, I am on bed rest because of a ligament tear on my foot. That’s why I am off from workouts but I am missing yoga a lot. Yoga can make workouts so simple and once you start it, you will feel incomplete without it. I was the one who always ran away from workouts and was lazy around but yoga changed me. I will never get tired of it.
If you also love yoga do share your experiences and if you never tried yoga just go and try it out. 🙂
10 Different Types Of Yoga.
World-famous physical, spiritual, and mental practice/discipline. Yoga originated in ancient India. The term can obtain from Yujir yoga (to yoke) or Yuj samadhi (to concentrate).
Yoga is practiced for several reasons like de-stress, relaxation, weight loss, inner peace, and spiritual reasons.
There are different types of yoga to practice so, it is very important to understand which type will suit you the most.
Different Types Of Yoga.
Bikram.
It has only 26 poses and is good for beginners. The idea behind this type is to turn up the heat until you get 105 degrees. Also known as “Hot Yoga”.
Its twenty-six posture exercises systematically move fresh. Oxygenated blood to one hundred percent of your body, to each organ and fiber. Restoring all systems to healthy working order, just as Nature intended. Proper weight, muscle tone, vibrant good health, and a sense of well-being will automatically follow.
Hatha.
It focuses on slow and gentle movements and it is the best in yoga to wind down at the night. Which involves a lot of breathing exercises. Can be done once back from work as it demands slow movements.
Vinyasa.
It is the most popular type of yoga in the United States and involves a variety of changing poses. It calls for a lot of Sun Salutations and is the best fit for a person who likes to move.
Kundalini.
This type works mainly on the base of the spine. Expect a lot of core work on your abs and around the spine.
Ashtanga.
Known as “ Power Yoga”. It involves constant movements and is physically demanding.
Iyengar
Also well known for the use of props like wooden blocks, harnesses, cushions, and straps. It is also good for people who have physical ailments.
Anusara.
It focuses on looking inward and seeing the light within yourself and others. It’s a great style for those new to yoga, as many of its poses allow the use of props for extra support. And there’s a lot of alignment and breathwork.
Restorative.
As the name suggests – it helps in deep relaxation at the end of a hectic workday. Restorative yoga is typically adept with props And involves only a handful of restorative poses you’ll hold for extended periods of time. But you’ll really connect your mind with your body. Expect more poses that open the chest area for breath work and more lying down than in your typical practice.
Jivamukti.
It is a type of vinyasa yoga so, is physically intense. As the name suggests it means “Liberation while living”.
Prenatal.
It is the most popular type amongst expectant mothers. Therefore, It is also good for the women who have given birth to get back into shape. It can help get rid of pregnancy aches.
Tips: As a beginner make sure you do not stress the body on the first sitting. And also the main secret to achieving maximum benefits is to develop a routine.
For me, yoga has taught me to love my body.
My confession: if I do not practice yoga for days I feel low and get mood swings. The day I get back to yoga I get inner peace and happiness. The icing on the cake: my skin starts glowing 🙂
Want to get your hands on it, Shop for your Healthy Lifestyle Products here.
