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Feb
26

Weightloss and Fitness… The Yogic Connection

yoga for fitness and weightloss

We often hear about the benefits of yoga as it pertains to spiritual and mental health, but is there a tangible connection to one’s fitness and, more specifically, can I lose a few pounds doing it?

I already enjoy the stress busting aspects of a regular… OK, semi-regular… practice, but how much of what I’m doing actually targets my trouble spots- those zones of frustration such as my tummy and thighs… OK, and bum and perhaps, and the fleshy wings accumulating under my newly minted 40 year old arms?

Well, those of us who would like to look to a less intense, non-impact method of achieving a level of fitness, can take heart.  Studies show that yoga lowers levels of stress hormones and increases insulin sensitivity–a sign your body reads to burn food as fuel rather than store it as fat.  Yay!

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Feb
23

Yoga: If Not For the Economy… Then, For You!

from the darknessIt’s a swirl of bad news pretty much every where you look.  Whether it’s fear mongering on the part of cable news to grab viewers or actually accurately portrayed, there are a couple of ways in which we can deal with the onslaught.

1.  Bury your head in the sand.  Ignore or deny it while developing an increasingly unhealthy dependence on your call display.

2.  Buy into the endless flow of negative and allow fear to determine your decisions and the direction of your life.

3. Take steps toward taking back, or maintaining, your sense of control and empowerment over your own circumstances… your self-determination.

In choosing number three, there are a number of steps you can take to promote and propagate a sense of control and empowerment, and you can find the list just about anywhere and everywhere right now, such as: manage and prioritize your spending, don’t spend more than you earn; pay down your debt as soon as possible; scale back, live simply and more frugally; make sure you’re saving; and then maintain that status quo… no sliding back into bad habits with signs of a little money in the bank.

These are the practical ways of covering your butt and without a doubt, they’re essential.  But along with these important, conventional steps you also need to consider the more esoteric, mental and spiritual requirements of feeling in control, empowered and proactive.  This is where developing a regular practice of mindful meditation and yoga comes in.  In times of stress such as these, one’s mental and physical health are paramount to dealing effectively.

The beauty of yoga is that it addresses the spiritual and physical at once, focusing and freeing the mind while strengthening the body.  A regular practice during times of immense stress can offer a refuge from the storm of negativity and fear.  It can make space for clarity in decision making; offer support in relaxation; and open up the creative mind and heart to the multitude of possibilities, perhaps even opportunities, that exist outside our typical concentration on daily practicalities.

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