Yoga fitness tips for beginners

Rodney Yee leads Abs Yoga for Beginners from the serene Death Valley. The gentle sands of the desert lend to the calming mood of Yee’s supple movements, which are designed to firm and strengthen your abs while providing a soothing respite from your hectic lifestyle. Beginning with 4 minutes of conscious breathing, moving into 13 minutes of abs yoga workout, and ending with 3 minutes of deep relaxation, the tape is an introduction to yoga for those who would like the added benefit of targeting their abdominal regions. The poses are, for the most part, simple to follow, although the beginner may need to ease into some of the positions; lowering straight legs to the ground is challenging, but of course, as in all of Living Arts yoga tapes, you are encouraged to move at your own speed. A blanket to sit on is required. –Jenny Brown

VHS Tape: 
Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC

Company: Gaiam 

(2000-06-13)

ISBN: 0945671628

List Price: $9.98
Amazon Price: $1.98

Used Price: $0.01

Read more Amazon.com: gaiam-yoga in Amazon.com

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Yoga is a traditional Indian exercise that aims to strengthen the body, mind and spirit through certain asanas (postures) and breathing techniques. Yoga is an art form that requires just a yoga mat, and no other equipment. The kind of mat used is a very important aspect, since it determines the level of comfort and relaxation.

Yoga mat bags are used for carrying the yoga mats around. The yoga mat can be folded or rolled up and put into the bag for easy carrying as well as storing. These bags are very stylish-looking and are very easy to carry. They can accommodate even a 100″ mat. They are also perfect for traveling and keeping the mat clean and protected.

Yoga mats come in many styles, depending upon the size, the cloth, the color, pattern and the model. There are cotton, silk, jute, as well as velvet yoga mat bags. Cotton bags are very durable, sturdy and waterproof. Silk and velvet bags are also lined with thick cotton cloth to make them durable and strong. They are also available in different and interesting patterns, colors and textures. Some bags also have provisions for holding other things apart from the mat, like a towel, water bottle, clothing and other yoga props. Yoga mat bags generally have either a zipper closure or drawstring closure. They are also available in different sizes, like regular, large and XL.

Yoga mat bags do not require any particular maintenance apart from some regular washing. Cotton, canvas, jacquard and hemp yoga mat bags can be hand or machine-washed with cold water. They can also be dry-cleaned for retaining the colors. They should be hung for drying. Velvet yoga mat bags should be only hand washed or dry-cleaned.

The prices of yoga mat bags range from $25 to $45 or even more, depending on the fabric and the design. Regular cotton canvas bags with patterns are available from $20 onwards. The standard sizes are: 29 1/2″ length x 7 1/2″ diameter or 31 1/2″ length x 9 1/2″ diameter. Yoga mat bags are available at exclusive yoga-related stores. They can also be ordered online. There are many websites that provide information about yoga mats, where the mats can be compared and even ordered online.

Yoga Mats provides detailed information on Yoga Mats, Yoga Mat Bags, Cheap Yoga Mats, Patterned Yoga Mats and more. Yoga Mats is affiliated with Hatha Yoga.

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At first glance the two don’t seem to go together do they? Cycling can be so frenetic, and yoga so serene. Yet, yoga can enhance your cycling experience greatly.

I started cycling in 1992 with endurance rides in the Colorado Rockies. They typically covered anywhere from 68 miles on a single day ride to 700 miles on a multi-day event. Some of those miles were over 12,000-foot passes and others on the flat wide-open plains of eastern Colorado.

After a long ride I would most always pay for a massage to help eliminate the toxins, which had accumulated during the hours in the saddle. Having arrived home I would also stretch to stay limber and decrease soreness.

When I started practicing yoga a few years later I happily discovered unexpected benefits, which lent themselves to cycling very quickly and enhanced what I was already doing.

In yoga breathing is a vital part of every session. You learn to breath slowly, predictably and purposefully. This practice enables you to focus on the muscles being used, the balance required and the mental calmness needed to chase away the rest of the world for a few precious moments.

In cycling breathing correctly is a vital part of the ride. Does that sound familiar? When I saw how much my breathing during yoga changed how I performed, I knew instantly how it would affect my cycling. Learning to breathe during an endurance ride or a race is an important part of performing properly.

Yoga teaches us to breathe into the muscles being worked, relaxing and energizing them at the same time. When I am racing a time trial, which is a race against yourself and the clock, I have learned to apply these yoga principles to keep my breathing under control. Breathing deeply, slowly, and by mentally directing the oxygen and energy toward my legs, lower back, neck, or triceps I can reduce the pain and suffering and increase the effectiveness of racing techniques.

As I mentioned earlier, in Colorado we ride a lot in the mountains and they present a whole host of problems to a cyclist’s body. We climb to absurd heights, descend at ridiculous speeds while covering hundreds of miles. As you might surmise, this takes enormous concentration.

Yoga provides the techniques to concentrate on the tasks at hand enabling the cyclist to push through pain, long hours on a skinny seat, breathe sufficiently in the thin oxygen and focus on narrow roads while descending.

During a yoga session we learn to balance on one foot with our arms extended over our head in the tree pose. Poses like this help you have real sense of your body, gain stability, strength, and a quiet focus on your physical condition. This all translates extremely well to cycling.

Consider combining the two, you may find the results to be worth the effort.

Keith Edwin Renninson is co-owner, along with Jeffrey Forman, of Golden Years Videos, LLC a production company dedicated to offering exercise videos for those over 50 or of any age who are rehabilitating from an accident or illness.

Renninson is an avid exercise and yoga enthusiast. Now in his late 50’s; he still races bicycles and regularly skis the black diamond runs in Colorado where he lives. For many years, a bona fide gym rat, Renninson still loves to lift free weights and use exercise machines.

You can contact Renninson or read more about his company and the videos they have available at: http://www.goldenyearsvideos.com

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