To add this infographic to your website/blog , simply copy the code below and paste it into the HTML of your blog or website: Posture is about far more than looking confident and poised. Sitting or standing in the right position makes sure our bodies function properly. Here we look at posture and how to improve yours starting today. Is It Really That Bad? Just what’s…
Stretching is an often-overlooked component of physical fitness that can help you perform better while exercising, reduce stress, prevent injury and improve flexibility. Stretching can help loosen up your muscles before and after you work out, as well as ease muscle tension and soreness. If you are a beginner, 10 stretches can work your major muscle groups; do a stretching…
The use of some type of physical therapy or exercise is integral to almost all forms of back and neck pain treatment. Sometimes physical therapy and exercise are the first lines of treatment, other times it may help manage chronic pain, or provide rehabilitation after surgery. But did you know that both gentle back exercise and physical therapy play a vital role in…
Does the word “yoga” conjure up images of willowy young women and men meditating serenely or contorting their bodies into improbable, pretzellike shapes? If you think that’s all yoga is good for, you’re in for a pleasant surprise, especially if you suffer from chronic low back pain. That’s because a growing number of medical professionals are finding that yoga can…
Results from the Bikram Yoga Heart Study are finally in with a grand total of 81 participants enrolled and randomized to one of 3 groups: hot yoga (105 degrees); thermoneutral yoga (73 degrees) or control (no exercise). Participants in both yoga groups completed 3 Bikram yoga classes weekly consisting of the standard 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. The total…
Related Articles Strained back muscles are a result of over-stretched or torn muscles. Often, people also confuse ligament strains, which are caused by over-stretched or torn ligaments, as strained back muscles. Both back muscles and ligaments, however, can be stretched the same way. Effective back stretches can alleviate the discomfort and increase your flexibility…
Author: Mary Jo Cameron Desk work is a real pain in the neck, back, and shoulders…why suffer? Release the tension fast without getting up from your chair with these three chair stretches. While you can do some of these using a regular office chair, these stretches were chosen by a chiropractor for the exercise guide that comes with the Gaiam Balance Ball Chair featured…
Finish your core workout with this static stretching routine. Abs, obliques and lower back stretches to increase your flexibility and release all tension. Start the timer, play the music and relax! WARM UP AND WORKOUT Start your exercise routine with a core warm up, continue with a set of core strengthening moves and finish with these static stretching exercises…
Understanding the five elements—earth, fire, air, water, space—and their effects on your body can help you keep them balanced within yourself, leading to a healthier, happier life. In previous articles in this series, I discussed how to better connect to the fire element and earth element through a series of yoga poses. Next up is the water element, or Jala. The water…
Vary your yoga workout to keep yourself challenged. Bikram or Ashtanga yoga may give you a good workout, but their prescribed sequences may get, well, boring. Give your yoga practice a lift by trying some new poses. Nobody knows exactly how many Hatha yoga postures there are – some estimates say thousands – but there are plenty to choose from. For the best flow, move…
Related Articles Yoga poses have been catalogued since before written history. Depictions of yoga poses were found engraved on soapstone seals in the ruins of the cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, which flourished at least 5, years ago in the Indus River Valley. Many compilations of yoga poses exist, in ancient texts as well as the curricula of various modern-day…
Be aware of the way stretching helps your back muscles. The soft tissues surrounding your joints (shoulder joint, hip joint, sacro-iliac joint or low back) are not, by definition, flexible. However continuous range of motion exercises and daily activities can contribute to smoother movement in and around the joints. Stretching to relieve lower back pain is done by…
In the United States lower back pain is one of most common complaints. The Mayo Clinic states that most people will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. Lower back pain is experienced by sedentary people as well as highly-trained athletes. If you look at a typical weekday of an average American who works a nine-to-five job, it is easy to see why…
Downward Facing Dog Photo Credit: iStock.com Come into a plank position, bend your knees, and push your bum up and back like a dog having a big stretch, while keeping your spine straight. Benefits: Builds strength in arms, shoulders and legs Prevents bone degeneration Inversion poses bring blood to brain, improving brain activity and awareness Cobra Lie down on your…
Ones tend to repress their instincts and prefer to filter the world through their intelligence. Bow Pose provides a structured container for Ones to reengage with their more primal instincts, as well as soften around their limitations, as the posture puts pressure on the belly and stimulates the enteric nervous system (a.k.a. the “belly brain”). Mantra: I can lighten…
As a long-time yoga enthusiast, I’m always happy to hear about benefits newly attributed to this ancient practice. Doing yoga for a few hours each week helps me feel calmer and more balanced, both physically and mentally. Now, new research suggests that my habit also may be helping my heart. A review of yoga and cardiovascular disease published in the European Journal…
