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The Potential of Using Yoga for Weight Loss

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The Potential of Using Yoga for Weight Loss

Let’s face it: a lot of people have a severe misunderstanding of yoga. For every one person who knows how effective yoga can be in maintaining a positive outlook, improving posture and digestion, staying in good health, and maintaining a high level energy just to get you through the day, there are probably a dozen skeptics who think it is all just new age baloney.
Maybe we can’t convince everybody that yoga is much more than ineffective hippie stuff, but if we can summarize the concept of the traditional yoga culture real quick, it might just be a start.
A Brief History of Yoga
It’s not clear exactly when the practice of Yoga first began in India, but it may have been as early as 3300 BC.
There are five major branches in yoga: Raja, Hatha, Jnana, Bhakti and Karma, but Hatha yoga is probably the only one we really need to discuss in relation to health and fitness.
Yogi Swatmarama, a fifteenth century Indian sage, developed Hatha yoga as a way to prepare oneself for intense meditation, by first subjecting oneself to intensive physical training. Whether or not a person’s end goal is enlightenment, the physical benefits of the practice have proven to be effective.
Yoga for Weight Loss
Even if you believe in the potential yoga has to keep your body healthy, you may still be asking “Is yoga really all that effective in helping one to lose weight?”
Let’s start by saying that Hatha yoga is an intensive, low impact exercise, involving lots of stretching and conditioning that helps the blood flow more smoothly, and which aids in healthy digestion.
One of the main goals of yoga is to maintain the intestinal organs in order to improve digestion and minimize the amount of undigested food or waste in our bodies without having to resort to invasive cleansing routines.
A low-intensity yoga session will not burn as many calories as other workouts. An average woman may burn 150 calories in a one-hour Hatha yoga session and 300 calories from walking briskly for one hour. Ashtanga Yoga and Power Yoga, on the other hand, will burn about 300 calories per hour and Vinyasa Yoga (also known as flow yoga) can burn even more.
If you are just starting out with Yoga and plan to keep your routine slow and steady to start, the quickest way you are going to see weight loss results is to combine your yoga practice with a healthy diet plan and an aerobic exercise.
Still, it’s important to understand that weight loss is about a lot more than calories. Yoga can really give you a better relationship with your body, which can really help you on the weight loss journey. As you deepen your understanding of the way the mind and body relate to one another through a dedicated Yoga practice, don’t be surprised if your mindset and habits begin to change, which, in turn, can make it much easier for to make healthy changes in your body.
Why ARE Yogis so Thin?
One of the reasons yoga masters are so thin is generally because of their diet.
The traditional yogi diet is strictly vegetarian and free of caffeine, however, you can still learn how to eat well from yoga without becoming a monk. Here are some simple rules for those of us not willing to give up on hamburgers and coffee just yet:
The Yoga Diet for the Everyday Yogi
- Drink lots of water
- Eat lots of vegetables and fruit
- Eat spicy foods and red meat only in moderation
And that’s it. A healthier diet plus intensive Hatha workout sessions, and you are sure to see results, both in your body and your mind. If you want to ramp up your weight loss and calorie burning, try Power Yoga, which can give you an aerobic exercise, too.
Starting your Yoga Routine
What you’ll need to start yoga will be some comfortable clothes (nothing fancy, just some old sweats will do), and a mat. (Some yoga schools provide yoga mats.)
You can easily take a couple lessons and just practice yoga at home, but one of the greatest motivators for any exercise program is to be a part of a group, sharing knowledge with one another and pushing each other to really dedicate the time and energy it takes.

Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com, where you can learn more about Yoga for Weight Loss and learn about diet recommendations.

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Relaxation Techniques Using Candles

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So you are tired and stressed out day after day. You’ve had thoughts of yoga, meditation, and soothing spa experiences, but you either don’t have the time to do those things, or it is beyond your reach right now. Let me show you a few very simple, simple relaxation techniques that you can use at any time, without any effort or previous knowledge to accomplish – using candles! That’s right, using candles. Almost everyone has a candle in the house, most of us have several, and if you don’t have one, the nearest store is sure to have a grand selection.

To begin, you don’t need to have any certain type of candle. Almost any candle will work, big or small, soy candles, paraffin candles, beeswax candles, scented or unscented! Of course, scents will help with the relaxation, so I will give you a few ideas on which fragrances to use to help you to fully enjoy the benefits of candle relaxation.

Lavender is the fragrance most renowned for it’s relaxation benefits in aromatherapy. It’s a common ingredient in products aimed at relaxation and stress relief, such as pillows, bath oils, soaps and lotions. However it may not be the right fragrance for you. Some people find particular scents relaxing while others do not. For instance, the fragrance of warm cinnamon buns may smell like heaven to me, but may make you want to run to higher ground! Other fragrances may have bad memories attached to them in your own mind. For that reason, I recommend that you take into account your own personal preferences in choosing the scented products that are right for you. Other fragrances that have a strong reputation for relaxation are: chamomile, vanilla, ylang ylang, clary sage, bergamot, frankincense, and sandalwood. Although if you have strong allergies or are highly sensitive to scented items, we recommend going with an unscented candle for your own relaxation.

The color of the candle you use is very important when you are using candles for relaxation purposes. Use calming, muted colors to relax, such as pale blues, greens, white, or violet. Bright colors such as reds, oranges, and yellows can be stimulating to the mind and might make it harder to fully relax. I personally recommend candles of a blue color to relax, but if you personally really hate the color blue, you may use any light color that pleases your eye.

The first way to use candles in relaxation and stress relief is a very simple, yet utterly effective method. Simply take a deep breath, and stare at the flame of the candle while it is lit. Focus in on the area at the base of the wick where the flames color is blue. Watch how the colors subtly change as you stare into the flame. Take deep, calming breaths while relaxing and simply focusing on the candle flame. It helps if this is done in a darkened room, however the exercise is effective even while in a brightly lit space.

Another simple method for candle relaxation is to take your candle and a small pin or other object to “write” on the candle, and write the word “Relax” vertically on the surface of the candle. As the candle burns, on each letter, meditate on a single thought. It can be anything you want as long as it is a positive thought. As the candle burns to a new letter, change to a different meditative thought. This is a way of meditating while having a “timer” (the candle) to set a slow but relaxing pace while giving you a focus for your meditation.

Finally, candles and water can be an extremely effective combination. I recommend using floating candles in a combination with the first technique, or alternatively to place a candle in a bowl and place small attractive rocks or crystals around the base to anchor it, then placing a small amount of water in the bottom of the bowl. This is not only helpful for relaxation, but is also very decorative and in itself holds many ideas for decorating your home.

Of course, the act of simply having lit candles is very relaxing in itself. Whether simply around the house, in the bathtub, or during intimate moments, candles can enhance and bring peacefulness to our hectic lives. So the next time you are looking for a quick way to de-stress and ground yourself, look no further than the wax and wick!

Stephanie Davies is a 27 year old Missourian with a loving husband and an 8 year old son. She currently owns her own business, Mystickal Incense & More, and sells handmade candles, incense, bath & body products and more at http://www.mystickalincense.com