A practice that has been around for thousands of years, yoga has really experienced a renaissance in the last twenty years. But why? Yoga is one of the only forms of exercise that leaves you feeling relaxed and ready to tackle the world in just one class alone.  Known for increasing your flexibility and strength, yoga also transforms your body in other unexpected ways.

Here are just a few of the things that you might experience after a few weekly yoga sessions.

1.  Glowing Skin

People spend millions of dollars a year on serums and lotions in an attempt to achieve glowing and beautiful skin.  But did you know yoga has been scientifically proven to leave your skin more luminous than before? According to studies, yoga causes vasodilation that leads to improved blood circulation to the skin, which flushes out toxins that cause things like premature aging, discoloration, and acne.

2. A Good Night’s Sleep

Do you suffer from restless sleep?  Fear not. A 2011 study discovered that yoga has the ability to produce a sound night’s sleep. Sleep is an essential part of your overall wellness.

3. Increased Productivity

Did you know that only 20 minutes of yoga can help your brain function at optimum levels? A study published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health found that those who practice yoga complete tests quicker and more accurately than those who practiced aerobics. Impressive, right?

4. A Better Sex Life

Really? You say. Yes, really.  Not only does yoga increase arousal and general sexual satisfaction, but it can also provide you with the opportunity to get to know your own body better. So, if yoga can boost your sexual pleasure, what are you waiting for?

Spurious claims regarding yoga are all over the internet but there is some scientific proof to back up quite a few of these potential benefits. While I and plenty of others will sing yoga’s praises high from the rooftops, be aware that it may take weeks — or even months — for you to really feel its effects.

Don’t be downhearted if nothing happens straight away. Just keep calm and carry on. Namaste.

It is very common to think that if you’re not in pain, it means you’re not working hard enough. It’s almost as if an unseen force gives you brownie points for getting hurt while doing your exercise. When it comes to yoga, the sentiment seems to be similar. Just because it’s relaxing, many people don’t see it as a real workout. Of course, that’s a myth. Effective exercise is not about putting yourself through unnecessary pain.

In reality, you can modify the intensity of your yoga workout without being too hard on yourself. Depending on your goals, you can add strategies that will help you burn extra calories. As a result, yoga can be a realistic addition to your weight-loss plan.

In effect, you may feel you’ve done as much as you would with another type of exercise. But, you’ll have a fun and relaxing experience! Here are some tips you can use to burn more calories when doing yoga.

Add Push-Ups To Your Workout.

When moving to and from the plank position, add a couple of push-ups. This will make your workout a bit more intense. If you’re not used to doing push-ups, you may feel a bit uncomfortable in the beginning. But after a while, you should find it relatively easy.

Sun Salutations- Your Calorie Magic!

Sun salutations are powerful because you use several muscle groups during the poses. You could see it as a workout for the whole body. The amount of energy used leads to a good number of calories burnt. As a rule of thumb, the more muscles you engage, the higher the number of calories you burn.

Try Power Yoga For A More Intense Workout

If you want to burn a lot of calories, power yoga is what you’re looking for. The workouts are more vigorous than other forms of yoga. You will work on your breathing technique as part of your session. Of course, you still get the usual relaxation that comes from doing yoga.  Your body will go through an intense experience that will leave feeling stronger. And, you’ll get rid of a good amount of calories. Some studies suggest that you could burn about 351 calories per hour.

Please keep in mind that your diet and lifestyle affect your weight as well. If you want to get the best results, combine yoga with other forms of exercise. At the same time, yoga is a great start. You could begin with yoga and then start building healthy habits from there.

The best way to get started is by joining a yoga class. Don’t worry too much about calories in the beginning. It’s much more important to start building the exercise habit. As you gain strength and flexibility, you can think of more difficult yoga workouts.

At Samadhi Yoga, you have a variety of classes to choose from. No matter what level of experience you have, you’re welcome to join. If you’re not sure which class is best for you, that’s alright! Get in touch and we’ll help you figure it out.

From running after kids to running the boardroom, everyday activities put a heavy strain on our bodies. Over time the strain can have a compound effect, affecting the way our bodies are able to move and function. This is especially true when it comes to posture. The good news is, yoga can help.

Yoga Brings Awareness To Your Body

Practicing yoga makes you more aware of your mind and body. In fact, if you have a habit of hunching over it may come from lack of awareness. The right poses can turn bad posture habits around. Plus, you’ll be able to catch yourself whenever you’re not sitting up or walking the right way.

The Mountain Pose

The mountain pose is the simplest way to discover how to stand the right way. It’s relatively easy to get into, although it requires a bit of concentration. You can practice it anywhere, even during your lunch break.

All you need to do is stand up straight. Imagine a wire running through your spine, pulling you up. Let loose and breath.

The Tree Pose

The tree pose helps you maintain good posture by forcing you to stay balanced. The only way to do this is by keeping your spine straight. This results in a more confident and healthy posture.

Put your hands together, in a prayer position. Life one leg up and press the foot into the inside of your thighs. Stand straight and remember to keep breathing.

The Downward Facing Dog

This pose goes beyond improving your posture. You will also get the benefit of building strength and flexibility. Your balance will improve as well as it helps you increase your stability. This is one of the most fun and relaxing yoga poses.

To do this pose, place your hands and feet shoulder-width apart. Spread out your fingers as you walk your hands halfway to your feet.  Try to get your heels to touch the ground but don’t force it. As with other poses, remember to breath as you stay in this position.

Enjoy A More Relaxed Mind & Body

Your mood affects your posture, perhaps more than anything else. Think about it: how do you look when you’re feeling down? On the flip side, how does your body react when you feel strong and confident?

Since yoga improves both your mind and your body, your posture will get better as well. This will have a compounding effect- your posture will, in turn, grow your confidence. Thanks to this virtuous cycle, you will keep benefiting even from the tiniest effort you make.

If you want to quickly start seeing results, try one of the yoga classes at Samadhi Yoga. It’s easy to get started, just give us a call so we can help you find a yoga class that is perfect for you!

Developed in Northern India, yoga has roots that trace back over 5,000 years. Yoga is a spiritual development practice designed to train an individual’s body and mind and to help them become aware of their nature. Successfully connecting the mind, body, and spirit through yoga requires matching the proper practice with the individual’s personality and physical requirements. There are several different forms and styles of yoga ranging from the intense and rigorous to the passive and meditative.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha is a Sanskrit term that encompasses all of the physical postures of yoga. Most of the yoga forms practiced in the west can be classified as Hatha as they focus on physical positions and breathing control. Hatha yoga is a classic approach to breathing and exercise where students hold each pose for a few seconds before slowly moving to the next pose. Hatha yoga emphasizes mastery of the body to achieve a state of spiritual perfection in which the mind withdraws from external objects.

Yin Yoga

Based on the Taoist concept of yin and yang, the complementary forces and principles found in nature, Yin yoga focuses on the stable, unmoving, and hidden aspects of the body. Yin yoga is a slow-paced form of yoga that involves seated postures and is more passive than other types of yoga. Rather than actively engaging and flexing the muscles of the body, Yin yoga utilizes props and gravity to release the body into the posture.

Yin yoga is a meditative practice designed to target the deeper connective tissues of the body. This form primarily works the lower part of the body, restoring length and elasticity while improving flexibility. Passive in nature,  Yin yoga is very challenging because it requires holding each pose for extended periods of up to five minutes or more.

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga is a Sanskrit term that translates as “having eight limbs or components” and refers to the eightfold path of yoga. Fast-paced, vigorous and physically challenging, Ashtanga yoga requires a demanding series of postures performed in a set sequence. This form of yoga entails coordinating breathing with a series of positions. Ashtanga yoga is highly structured and involves a set of standing and floor poses always conducted in the same order.

Power Yoga

Power yoga is a vigorous, robust, and energetic style of yoga that initially resembled Ashtanga. Typically taught in a heated studio, students flow from one pose to another and synchronize their breathing, but this form differs from Ashtanga in that there is no set series of postures. The intensity of Power yoga makes it a dynamic and revitalizing form of physical fitness.

Bikram Yoga

Bikram yoga, or hot yoga, involves a series of set poses performed in a  sauna-like room with a temperature of 105 degrees at 40 percent humidity. All Bikram yoga classes are identical regardless of location or instructor and consist of a set of 26 postures, each performed twice, and two breathing techniques. Hot yoga is practiced for 90 minutes each session and is designed to flush toxins from the body, control weight, and improve concentration and focus. Bikram yoga was synthesized from other yoga forms and is challenging both physically and mentally.

Vinyasa Yoga

Translated from Sanskrit, vinyasa means “connection.” Vinyasa is a form of yoga where movements flow from one pose to another in coordination with the breath. Faster paced and involving continuous movement, Vinyasa yoga is the most athletic yoga style. Vinyasa classes typically include smoothly flowing movements between poses guided by the force of inhales and exhales. Vinyasa yoga emphasizes a series of several poses in different sequences performed in rapid succession and helps the student develop a greater sense of self-awareness, balance, and harmony with themselves and their environment.

Samadhi Center For Yoga & Meditation offers a place for beginners and advanced students to grow in their practice of yoga. Offering a broad spectrum of yoga styles and classes, Samadhi’s multifaceted approach to yoga practice provides guided yoga meditation, yoga teacher training, and advanced classes and workshops. Whether you want a rigorous yoga workout or to settle into a restorative meditation, Samadhi has the Denver area’s top teachers available to help you reach your goals.

To learn more about how Samadhi Center For Yoga & Meditation can help you on the journey toward the union of body, mind, and soul contact us today.

Millions of people benefit from yoga every single day. This form of exercise and mediation is popular because of the amazing effects it has on your body. If you’re curious about the way yoga can help your overall health, take a look at the following benefits.

Yoga Improves Your Flexibility

Flexibility is important for several reasons. Most importantly, it helps you prevent injury. You will also enjoy the confidence that comes from being able to move freely. Yoga happens to be one of the best ways to increase your flexibility.

Being flexible refers to muscles and joints having a good range of motion. Various yoga poses help you stretch out muscles that might ordinarily go unused. Don’t worry if you don’t feel very flexible at the moment. Practicing yoga will slowly but surely give you the flexibility you want.

Enjoy Greater Muscle Strength

Yoga works in a holistic way. Unlike other exercise forms, your whole body gets a workout. This includes making your muscles stronger. It’s perfect for you if you want more strength without ” bulking up”.

Although yoga doesn’t replace the gym, many poses will challenge your physical strength. That’s a good thing because you’ll end up in a better shape. As a side positive side effect, you will also enjoy a more toned body. The best part is, you won’t feel the kind of pain that’s usually associated with weight training.

Relax Your Mind and Body

One of the main reasons why people pick up yoga if for the relaxation it gives you. As you focus during the various yoga poses, your body naturally releases tension. As a result, you end up feeling more confident and free. The best part is, your body will start to let go of stress as soon as you step on your yoga mat. Furthermore, reducing stress levels with yoga will make you look and feel younger.

Lower Your Blood Pressure

Yoga has another exciting benefit- it helps reduce your blood pressure. As you relax your mind and body, it has a positive effect on your heart. While it’s not clear how exactly yoga works in this regard, the research looks promising. Many people report improved blood pressure after they make yoga a part of their lives.

Yoga gives your immune system a boost

Another way yoga changes your body is by giving your immune system a boost. Regular yoga practice can lead to higher resistance to illness. In particular, yoga can help if your body has been weakened by stress. This will lead to a much stronger body that’s better able to fight harmful bacteria and viruses.

There is no denying that yoga brings many positive changes to your body. To get the best results, it might be a great idea to work with a trained instructor. Joining a class with Samadhi Yoga can be a fun way to quickly get your body in better shape. There are also workshops that will help you get the full benefits of yoga. Get in touch today to find a yoga class near you!

The practice of yoga has been around for more than 5,000 years ago. Over the centuries, different cultures have adopted many different styles of yoga in their lives. No matter the style, people all over the world use yoga to achieve the same basic things: Mental, physical, and spiritual wellness.

Yoga is beneficial to your body for several reasons. It can build muscles, improve balance, and even help alleviate pain. However, another benefit that some people may find surprising is the way that yoga can relieve stress.

Yoga provides many mental and physical disciplines. According to the Mayo Clinic, those disciplines may help to reduce your stress and even lower your blood pressure.

If you find that the stress of everyday life can be overwhelming, here are a few yoga poses you can try in order to reduce your stress:

1.) Toe Squat

This is a simple pose that should be easy, regardless of your experience level. This pose focuses on relaxing as you feel your muscles gently stretching.

STEPS:

•   Place your knees on the floor with your body pointing up in a straight line.
•   Tuck your toes underneath your feet.
•   Gently lean back until your bottom is resting on the heels of your feet.
•   Lengthen your spine, keeping as straight as possible.
•   Focus on breathing slowly as you feel the muscles stretching in the arch of your feet.
•   Try to hold this pose for at least one minute.

2.) Standing Forward Bend ( Uttanasana)

In this pose, you are able to become more aware of the muscles in your body. This position will allow the blood to flow through your body in a way that promotes calmness and relaxation.

STEPS:

•   Stand with your feet flat on the floor and a few inches apart.
•   Bend at the waist, allowing your upper body to run parallel with your legs.
•   With one hand, grab your opposite elbow.
•   Allow the top of your head to relax towards the floor.
•   Pull the weight of your upper body down, allowing the muscles in the back of your legs to stretch.
•   Inhale and lengthen your spine.
•   Try to stay in this pose for at least one minute.

3.) Standing Forward Fold with Shoulders Stretched

This pose is very similar to the last one. However, in this position, you will also be stretching the muscles in your arms and shoulders.

STEPS:

•   Spread your feet apart so that they are slightly wider than shoulder-length apart.
•   Keeping your arms straight, clasp your hands behind your bottom.
•   Bend forward at the waist, bringing your head down towards the floor.
•   Keeping your hands clasped together, allow your arms to follow your head.
•   Breath in deeply and slowly.
•   Stay in the position for at least five breaths.

4.) Cat and Cow Pose

These two poses are often used together. They both provide a relaxing stimulation to the spine while also providing a gentle, flowing vinyasa.

STEPS:

•   Get on the ground on all fours.
•   Slowly inhale.
•   While exhaling, allow your spine to curve while lowering your head towards the floor to perform the “cat” pose.
•   Inhale again and raise your head and tailbone up while arching your back to perform the “cow” pose.
•   Repeat these steps a few times to massage your spine and relax your body.

5.) Savasana

This pose allows you to completely relax both your mind and your body as you lay completely still and focus on your breathing.

STEPS:

•   Lay on your back.
•   Spread your legs until they are shoulder-width apart. Extend your arms out beside you in the ground.
•   Breathe in slowly and deeply.
•   Exhale slowly.
•   Concentrate on each breath that is coming from your chest and allow all of the muscles in your body to relax.

The everyday stress of life can not only cause you mental anguish, but it can also raise your blood pressure. This can cause your health to deteriorate if not dealt with properly.

Yoga is a natural way to relieve stress and keep your mind and body in top condition.

At Samadhi Center for Yoga, we understand the important impact that yoga can have on the mind, body, and spirit. Regardless of your experience level, we can help teach you the proper way to perform the ancient techniques in order for you to have a healthier and happier life.

There are thousands of internet think-pieces about self-care floating around these days. They encourage us to take time for ourselves, relax, release stress, and reflect on our thoughts and feelings. These are all principles of meditation, and yet many of us still ask ourselves whether meditation actually works. Does all that sitting around and focusing the mind actually achieve anything?

The answer is a solid and scientifically proven yes!

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. As far back as 1500 BCE in India, people have been taking part in meditation. There are many different forms of meditation – sitting meditations, chanting, and modern mindfulness meditation, for example. At its core, though, meditation is a mental exercise which seeks to neutralize thoughts and focus on the present moment to bring about a sort of thoughtless awareness. It has several key benefits, namely helping to reduce stress, manage emotions, improve attention, and alleviate chronic pain. Let’s take a closer look at the evidence:

Meditation reduces your stress levels

Meditation encourages you to pay attention to the present moment in a non-judgemental manner. This helps to ease the stresses and strains of daily life, and it’s no surprise that meditation reduces stress levels as a result. Many scientific studies have shown these stress-reducing effects of meditation. A study of patients with anxiety disorders found that regular mindfulness meditation helped to reduce anxiety and depression levels. Other studies have found that overall stress decreases massively thanks to mindfulness meditation, even when practiced at home by inexperienced meditators. An overall review of the research suggests that meditation can help a wide range of people to cope with stress at all different levels.

Meditation helps you manage your emotions

When you meditate, you need to brush off unpleasant or intrusive thoughts as they occur to you. It’s all about focusing on the present moment and putting irrelevant thoughts and feelings aside. For this reason, it also helps you to manage your emotions even when you aren’t meditating. An impressive research project has shown that as well as reducing stress, meditating helped people to manage their levels of anger, depression, anxiety, and reactivity. Meditation can ease mood swings and help you react more evenly to difficult situations. Meditation even stops strong emotions from interfering with your performance in mind-based tasks.

Meditation improves your concentration

As you focus on your meditation practice, you’re also improving your ability to concentrate. This can be useful in your work life, your hobbies, and your social interactions. Even a small amount of meditation training can help people to pay better attention. On top of that, meditation allows you to pay attention for longer too, so you are better able to cope with long presentations, study sessions, and topics you need to focus on but don’t find all that interesting.

Meditation eases chronic pain

It might surprise you to learn that meditation can even help to ease chronic pain. Some people suffer from terrible ongoing medical issues that cause them a great deal of physical distress. Scientific research shows that meditation can help to manage this pain and the mental stress it causes too. Chronic pain sufferers reported less medical symptoms and less pain after a 10-week meditation program. In another study, more than a year after the original training, people with chronic pain were still practicing meditation and reporting that it helped them manage their chronic pain. Meditation is an amazing compliment to modern medicine, and its benefits shouldn’t be underestimated.

Of course, people who meditate notice a whole world of other benefits too. These are simply the most commonly reported ones. Meditation does work, and it can help you in numerous ways. If you want to learn more about meditation, come and join us at Samadhi Yoga. As well as our regular yoga classes, we offer a monthly Full Moon Meditation to help you relax, refresh, and realize your deeper hopes and intentions.

We do yoga to improve our posture, become fitter, and find inner peace. But, what happens when the poses that are meant to benefit us actually start harming us? This is exactly what happens when we perform yoga poses without being mindful of what we’re doing and how we’re doing them.

Yoga poses and common mistakes

Here is a list of 5 common poses, with the mistakes we routinely commit and how to correct them:

Crescent Lunge pose

Mistake: Faulty feet alignment, sunken lower back, forward-tilting pelvis, and widely spread legs.

If you’re not careful, you may risk stretching your legs and arms too much and may strain your muscles in the process. Additionally, a wrong crescent lunge won’t work the areas of the body it’s meant to.

Correction: Place the heel over the ball of the foot and tightly squeeze your thighs. Round the back knee of the backward-stretched leg, to ensure you aren’t overextending your leg. Lift the pelvic muscles and keep maintain a neutral spine pose (where the skull and the rib cage are aligned). Legs should only be hip-width apart.

Chaturanga pose

Mistake: Hands placed too far out, collapsed shoulder, dropped elbows, pinched wrists, and pushed-out buttocks.

A wrong chaturanga can impact your lower back, shoulders, and chest muscles. Severe pain and muscle cramps may occur.

Correction: Align your wrists with your elbows and don’t drop the shoulders when lowering. Engage the pelvis, legs, hips, and buttocks while in the pose and maintain the flat alignment of the body.

Dancer pose

Mistake: Open hips, weirdly-pulled leg, locked knee, and twisted grip.

These mistakes can damage your knee muscles and result in severe knee pain. The funky grip you use may also lead to shoulder injuries and chronic pain.

Correction: Soften your standing leg by bending the knee, square your hips, roll back your shoulders and relax. Lift your leg slowly and hold it with your palm facing out.

Eagle pose

Mistake: Crunching your neck, rounding your spine, collapsing your upper body forward, and stooping your shoulders.

When you make a mistake in this pose, you add a lot of pressure on the sensitive areas of the body, such as the spinal cord and the neck. This can lead to severe back and neck pain.

Correction: Straighten your middle and upper back and don’t bend forward. Don’t rest your elbows on your chest, roll your shoulders back and stand up straighter.

Crow pose

Mistake: Splayed elbows, hyper-extending neck, rounded back, and low-to-the-floor body.

The crow pose is extremely risky (as body control is restricted to the wrists and shoulders) and can lead to severe accidents and injuries if you’re not careful.

Correction: Keep feet together, angle the hips high, hug your elbows close to the body and align wrists with elbows. Engage your core when lifting and elongate your neck.

Tips to maintain the perfect posture and alignment in Yogasana

•       Be aware of each movement and breath
•       Take a look at videos or pictures of the pose before trying it out
•       Practice standing in the neutral spine pose
•       Reduce your weight to improve balance
•       Relax your muscles and don’t hold your breath when in the pose
•       Use the same sequence you used to get into the pose, but in reverse, when coming out of the pose

Modern day living has separated us from our natural state. With high-stress levels, we have lost touch with ourselves and our mind and bodies are suffering a disconnect. To bring ourselves back into the flow, we need to discover and live by the 12 Laws of Transformation. When the laws become part of our lives, we rediscover our inner power and life becomes more meaningful. With the 12 Laws, we can be who we are truly mean to be.

The 12 laws guide us to reconnect with ourselves and nature. When we live separate from the laws, we lose sight of our full potential. No longer guided by nature, we struggle to get by, not knowing that there is a better way, an easier way.

When we submit to the 12 Laws of Transformation, we discover a new perspective. Our view of the world changes and we can now understand our own place in the bigger picture. When we strive to live in harmony with our higher purpose, life becomes easier. We can live each day to the fullest, achieving more than ever before, and what we achieve would be more purposeful and for the greater good of all.

The 12 Laws of Transformation

1.     Seek the truth: It is only in truth that we can exist without the need to hide from the world.
2.     Be willing to come apart: We need to open ourselves to the possibilities life has to offer.
3.     Step out of your comfort zone: Very often, the thing that we need the most is just beyond our comfort zone. Have the courage to embrace the change.
4.     Commit to learning: For it is in learning that our minds grow and we can accept a new reality.
5.     Shift your vision: Open your eyes to things that you have not seen before for there lies hidden the answers to life.
6.     Drop what you know: Let go of your old limiting beliefs and make way for new empowering ones.
7.     Relax with what is: Do not resist the change, relax and let it come. Accept your new reality.
8.     Remove the rocks: Let go of all that is holding you back and holding you down. Let go of your problems, they will take care of themselves.
9.     Don’t rush the process: Patience is a virtue that we must all strive for. Let the process unfold naturally, you will see the positive change.
10.   Be true to yourself: Let go of what doesn’t feel right. The answers are all within you; open yourself to your own truth and live by what your heart tells you.
11.   Be still and know: Stop, take a deep breath and listen, let go of all that does not serve you and hold on to what you know is right.
12.   Understand that the whole is the goal: We live life in a complete circle. Any misdeed breaks the circle and we are no longer whole. To stay whole, we must live truthfully in all areas of our lives.

Live by the 12 Laws and watch your life transform into one of harmony and flow. Stay tuned to samadhiyoga.net for more insights and tips.