Video: 20-Minute Morning Yoga Workout for Weight Loss

This short and fun yoga workout takes only 20 minutes, but will help support your weight loss efforts, loosen up tight muscles, and energize you for the day ahead, so it's a great way to start off the day! It starts out very slow and easy, and then will speed up and become more challenging as your body warms up. You won't need any equipment other than a yoga mat. She gives very clear instructions along with the demonstration, so it is very easy to follow.

My husband and I are moving into our new house, so depending on my schedule, we may not be posting next week. But be sure to check back soon for more fun fitness tips and weekly workouts that help you get in shape fast!

 

More Fun Yoga Workouts for Weight Loss:
   

Video: Flexibility & Range of Motion - Beginner Yoga Set

This short video gives you a great flexibility workout in under 10 minutes. It is suitable for beginners, but also a great way to stretch and increase your range of motion for any level of fitness, especially if you are not very flexible. Focus on breathing into the stretch to oxygenate your muscles and increase your joint flexibility gradually. She moves fairly quickly, but the moves are quite simple, so shouldn't be too challenging. Remember don't push yourself too far - flexibility is developed slowly - not all at once.

Do this short routine daily and watch your flexibility increase dramatically in just a few weeks! This is also a great way to warm up and stretch for a few minutes before a more strenuous workout.

Flexibility and Range of Motion | Beginner Yoga With Tara Stiles
Today I'm going to show you basic moves to get you started opening ...
 

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How To Get The Most From Your Yoga Workout

Yoga is an ancient art that has been refined and modified by many great teachers across the ages.  It now can be found in many different styles and techniques, and different people may find different versions of Yoga more suitable for them.  This is because Yoga is a very personal exercise routine with strong emphasis on looking within oneself in order to achieve personal balance and wellbeing.  Regardless of which individual version of Yoga you practice there are a number of things that apply to Yoga universally rather than to individual branches of the discipline.  If you want to get the most from your Yoga sessions it will help to understand these things and integrate them into your Yoga routine.

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, Galleria dell' Accademia, Venice (1485-90) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. You will find that much of your time performing Yoga is spent in a sitting or lying position, however the beginning of a Yoga session is usually a standard standing pose.  The standing pose is the most natural position for a human to find themselves in, yet we spend remarkably little time practicing standing correctly.  If you begin your Yoga session with a standing pose you are free from the stress of having to take on an unaccustomed position and this allows you to focus on other fundamentals of the Yoga Discipline.  For instance you can concentrate on regulating your breathing and feeling the full healing benefits of each breath.   The standing pose is so natural to us that we don't need to pay it any conscious thought and can focus on our breath entering the body and flowing through us.  The standing pose is also beneficial to bringing the body into alignment and centering ourselves both physically and spiritually.  Leonardo Da Vinci produced a famous diagram showing the perfect symmetry of the human body when it is in it's natural standing pose and this position has always been the most natural for us to find our center and balance.

2. The bulk of a Yoga session is spent in placing our body in positions or poses that stretch and activate the body.  These poses are entered into gently and gradually so there is no risk of injury.  Many poses have a number of different levels so we can get more and more benefits from them as our body becomes more used to them.  This is perhaps best demonstrated by a simple forward stretch.  When a gym teacher tells a pupil to touch their toes the pupil is performing the same exercise whether they can reach forward and touch the floor or whether the stretch only goes as far as their knees.  The only difference is the level of incline. 

The forward stretch is also a perfect example of how the natural movements of Yoga are used outside of a Yoga class or session - in this case in stretching and warming up before sports or other physical activities.  Most children whose coaches take them through a stretching routine before a game of football have no idea that many of the poses are borrowed directly from a Yoga session.

(Photo credit: GO INTERACTIVE WELLNESS)

3. The key to enjoying and benefiting from this main phase of the Yoga session is to pace it to your level.  As with the child who can only forward stretch to knee level, you do not need to perform the exercise at the highest level from the first time you experience it.  Find your comfort zone and then move a fraction beyond it.  Then each new session try and maintain that level and push a little further if possible. 

4. The end of a Yoga session is also an important stage.  This stage usually consists of a group of restoration and restorative poses and positions that are designed to allow the energy to flow back through your body.  A good Yoga session releases pent up energy in your body, and allowing this energy to flow freely to all parts of the body is a critical part of gaining the maximum benefits from Yoga.

My Yoga Obsession

So I tried a new yoga class last night. My best friend wanted to go try a class at this new place, so we both went to check it out. I am finding I am becoming rather obsessed with yoga! I've done Pilates for over 10 years, and really loved it for a long time, until I hurt my back, and since then I've found that Pilates can be very stressful on it. I've actually hurt my back a couple of times doing Pilates, although now that I know to be careful with certain exercises, I usually do okay. But yoga has never hurt my back - on the contrary, it usually makes it feel better, which is interesting as there are several poses you would think might be hard on the back, but I haven't found it to be so.

Image by myyogaonline via FlickrYoga provides both stress relief and relaxation, and a great workout - and sometimes even pain relief. And I am really fascinated by all the different types of yoga out there - it's quite interesting to see the differences between the styles! (If you aren't that familiar with yoga yet, and aren't quite sure what I'm talking about, check out our previous post on the different types of yoga.) The class we attended was a Hatha Yoga class - this is the most popular type of yoga, although there are many variations within Hatha as well. I had previously attending another Hatha class a few times, which was VERY different. Last night's class was very relaxing, done in a rather dark room, and involved a lot of slow stretching and breathing - it wasn't nearly as hard of a workout as the previous class I had gone to, although it was a longer class. But any way you slice it, I love yoga!

 I recently got my hands on a couple of new yoga DVDs - Yoga & Pilates: Total Body Toner - a combination of yoga & Pilates which seems deceptively simple, but actually is quite a decent workout, and Shiva Rea: Creative Core & Lower Body - Vinyasa or "Flow" yoga, which is short but I found it very challenging, and it really is a full-body workout despite the title. I've only done these once, so I will post a full review of them once I get into them a bit more, but the first time through I really enjoyed them a lot.

As for last night, I'm not sure if I will return to that class.... It's not that convenient for me in terms of location, and the wood floor was too hard for me, even with my trusty yoga mat. Plus it wasn't very challenging in terms of a workout, although I did enjoy the relaxation benefits and I can always use the stretching. But it was definitely enjoyable - after all - it's yoga!  :-)

For some of my favorite yoga workout DVDs, see below. Or visit our Amazon store for more fun ways to exercise.


Yoga Favorites You Can Do At Home:

   

Yoga With the Kids

Yoga happens to be a type of exercise that many people find to easily fit into their schedule. There are lots of benefits to doing yoga. You will be less stressed, have better posture, sleep better, and you could even lose some weight. You’ll also become stronger and more flexible. This is a great way for you to bond with your children as well. You will find that yoga is just as fun and beneficial for children too. Your child may not be able to do all of the poses; however, it is a great way to get the children away from the TV and into a fun activity that you can share.

Image by Edson Hong via Flickr

Your child may not have what it takes to pay attention through a whole session, but you should allow the child to join you at their own level and bond and have fun. Children love learning different physical skills, such as balancing, and being upside down is always fun. You may also want to think about allowing the child to put their own spin on yoga. They are young and it is just important that you get them interested in trying new things.

A local yoga class may offer some tips on how to get your children involved and may also allow you to bring your child with you. In these classes, they will learn much of the same things you learn in a beginner’s class. You may even want to consider bringing them to an adult class of yoga if they are of age. However, remember that it may not be appropriate if the class has members of both sexes. It’s a judgment call here, but if your child is yearning to start learning yoga, try your best to include him or her in a class.

Image via Wikipedia

Your child will be able to benefit from yoga at home as well. There are books and videos specially made for children and young adults to learn yoga as well as meditation. Always monitor your child to be sure he or she is being safe, and talk to your child’s doctor to be sure the yoga routine is appropriate for your child’s physical well-being. Speak with some of the parents that are in your class and ask them if their child is interested so that you can get a group of children together and show them how to properly get into yoga.

When you do yoga together, you will be able to get to know one another and bond while doing something healthy for the both of you. Yoga is a way for you to add healthy activity to your child’s life. Even if it turns out yoga is not for one of you, you can at least come together and find other ways to include health awareness in your child’s daily life.

Need Power? Try Core Power Yoga

Core power yoga is an energetic yoga exercise that physically and mentally challenges you to help connect to your inner power without stopping and is accompanied by a heated, climate controlled Vinyasa. It heals, detoxifies and stimulates the body and mind through balance and intention.

Cover via AmazonPower yoga is a dynamic, challenging program that combines strength, sweat and spirituality. It recognizes power in different levels; first is physical power which develops the body’s strength and improves health; second is mental power or the will to concentrate on the practice; and last is spiritual power which is the power behind the physical and mental power.

Core power yoga is the Western version of the Indian Ashtanga Yoga. The term was was given by Beryl Bender Birch, an Ashtanga Yoga teacher. It has been brought to the west by followers of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, a renowned Sanskrit scholar who inspired Western Yogis with his Ashtanga Yoga Style and philosophies.

There are three distinct programs in power yoga. “Core Power” is designed to strengthen abdominals and back and includes both abs-focused Vinyasa power yoga poses and variations of muscle-toning moves. “Unlocking Athletic Power” will develop flexible strength with an emphasis on abs, back, hips and pelvis. “Soul of Strength” on the other hand is a fast-moving power yoga program with a distinct “mind-body” emphasis and some very challenging moves.

Power yoga sessions are done in a heated room and composed of different cardiovascular exercises intended to develop strength and flexibility, increase stamina, improves the ability to focus, release tensions and remove toxins through sweating.

Core power yoga practice also requires the execution of yoga poses. Poses are done at a fast pace, but some poses are even held longer than the required five breaths. This practice can increase physical endurance and ability to focus on any task for a long time without breaking concentration.

What is the difference between core power yoga and other exercises?

Core power yoga is a vinyasa style that has a unique program offering and focuses on core strength, balance and flow to build a solid practice based on strength and spirit. Usually the teachers of this exercise work with the students to personalize their programs and creating a sense of belonging and community

This exercise also offers great health benefits; this lengthens and stretches the muscles and at the same time it builds stamina, strength and lean muscle and mass. It also increases body heat that kills some bacteria and creates a finely tuned state of consciousness of the workings of the body. The focus of core power yoga is on the coordination of the breath movement, connecting the body, mind and spirit to the warmest level.

Core power yoga is best to those who want to improve their performance in their chosen sports like cycling, football, swimming, skiing, surfing, running/athlete, martial arts and other team sports. Some training grounds in sports practice this exercise in transition for aerobics.

Core power yoga can reshape your body and mind!