Month: December 2018

A Guide To Creating A Yoga Sanctuary At Home

The yoga movement continues to grow in the United States as a new study has shown that there are 37 million people who practice yoga in the country. As the young and old discover this life-changing Eastern practice, it looks like yoga is here to stay as it has been proven to offer a wide array of physical and mental health benefits that rival other forms of exercise. The best way to learn yoga is to go to a studio that teaches it in a supportive and joyful way. But for those times when you can’t get to the studio, it may be a good idea to have a yoga sanctuary in your home. Having a place to relax and meditate without leaving your home allows you to continue doing yoga in between classes and retreats. Moreover, it’s a great way to have some ‘me’ time as you use the space to take care of your well-being. Here’s a guide to creating a yoga sanctuary at home.

Choose a room that’s free of noise and other distractions

A yoga sanctuary should be a space where you can bend, stretch, and meditate in peace. Try not to set up your yoga room in such a way that it’s facing foot or street traffic. You can have your yoga space indoors, but if you like being outdoors, then you should look into setting up your sanctuary in your backyard.

Make sure that your room has lots of natural light

Natural lighting can positively impact a person’s health and finances. Not only do you get to save on energy, but being exposed to natural light from the sun improves your mood by fighting stress and anxiety. Moderate amounts of sunlight can also heal skin conditions and lower the risk of certain cancers. Be strategic with the placement of your yoga sanctuary to ensure that it gets the right amount of sunlight for your health.

Use accessories to create a calming atmosphere

There are several things that you can add to your yoga sanctuary to make it more calming and inviting. Placing scented natural soy candles around your yoga room can make the space feel more serene, and lighting some candles while you’re doing yoga can help to enhance the healing effect of the practice. You can also add crystals, rocks, and plants to give your space a natural feel. Position a few speakers behind potted plants so you can play soothing music during your home yoga sessions.

Make your floor yoga-friendly

According to a research, American practitioners spend more than $10 billion a year on yoga-related products and classes. You don’t need to spend billions—or hundreds of dollars, for that matter—to create a yoga-friendly space. The most important thing that you need is a yoga-friendly floor. In truth, any flat surface will do, but for authenticity and comfort, you may have to choose to have hardwood flooring for your yoga sanctuary. For traditional hardwood floor alternatives, consider laminate wood flooring, bamboo, or cork flooring. Don’t forget to place yoga mats all over your yoga room floor.

Creating a yoga sanctuary can be a great way to invest in your health. Follow these tips to create a serene and peaceful environment that’s perfect for doing yoga at home.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that increasing numbers of middle aged people are turning to Yoga as a fun alternative to help relieve their aching joints. In fact, did you now that Yoga has been proven in several studies as an effective way to treat many of the symptoms of Arthritis, providing pain relief, reduced stiffness and better function, as well as relief from psychological issues like anxiety. And while the benefits can be seen at home, Yoga is best practiced in a positive setting with a professional instructor in a studio such as Verona Yoga to maximize progress and minimize injury risk.

What is Arthritis and How Can Yoga Help?

More than 50 million people live with joint pain in the United States, and from the ages of 40-50 it is relatively common to see the onset of arthritis as the body’s joints begin to wear. Arthritis is not a single condition, but is the general name given to a wide ranging set of symptoms concerning joint pain and joint disease and there are over 100 different forms. Fortunately there are also many different ways to treat joint pain and stiffness, and Yoga may just rank up there with the best of them. Many of those who live with Arthritis have generally low levels of activity.  Despite the misconception that rest is the best thing for aching joints, research into using Yoga for the treatment of arthritis suggests quite the opposite. A study into the effects of a specialized 8 week Yoga program saw improvements in several physical and psychological measures compared to controls. Yoga has also gained great popularity among physiotherapists for its holistic approach in treating joint pain, particularly in individuals aged 50 and over.

Build Strength, Maintain Flexibility and Change your Relationship with Pain

Yoga is a gentle, low-impact alternative to many other forms of exercise, allowing you to build strength, balance and flexibility simultaneously. By strengthening and lengthening your muscles through Yoga, excess strain is taken off of the joints. Furthermore, engaging in regular practice even on days when pain flares up will help to maintain and even improve flexibility over time. Perhaps the most interesting benefits of Yoga for those with joint pain are not the physical, but the psychological. The meditative aspect of Yoga is notable for its role in reducing feelings of anxiety and promoting relaxation, but may have further applications in pain management. Engaging in six weeks of Yoga has been shown to alter the perception of pain, allowing individuals to cope better in tasks during daily life previously considered too uncomfortable.

Yoga is an excellent choice for managing ageing joints. It allows you to not only improve upon the physical factors contributing to Arthritis and your overall fitness, but also relieve yourself from stress and lead a richer life. We hope to see you soon at Verona Yoga to start on the road to better health!

The everyday stressors of life are something we all have to deal with. Whether it’s driving to school, to work, back to school, soccer practice or anything in between, our busy schedule can easily make us feel overwhelmed and stressed, especially if we are stuck in traffic.

So how can we find the balance in our lives when we are stuck in a car? Each time you stop at a traffic light or are in bumper to bumper traffic, try these six tips:

1. Belly Breathing

Tune in with your breath and feel your belly expand as you breathe in through your nose then collapse as your sigh out through your mouth.

2. Hand Yoga

Ease your grip on the steering wheel. Stretch your arms out straight over the wheel, palms down. Flex your fingers. Bend your wrists back. Hold. Repeat. Let the pressure build, then let it escape. Perfect for stressful times in traffic!

3. Roll it Out

When you’re stopped at a red light, take a minute to roll your ankles. Then, Sit up straight and roll your shoulders backward then forward a few times.

4. Check your Blind Spot

Look straight ahead. Tilt your left ear to your left shoulder, then your right ear to your right shoulder. After, check your blind spot, twisting your neck to look back behind your left and right sides.

5. Lion’s Breath

To relieve tension in your face, breathe in through your nose and feel it deeply in your belly. Hold it for a second, then all at once, let out a sigh, stick out your tongue, and cross your eyes. This is a fun one to try with kids!

6. Seated Cat/Crow

Place your hands on your seat, palms down. Roll your shoulders back and press your chest out while making a concave arch with your spine for cow pose. Then, round your shoulders and back down for cat pose. Very relaxing; extremely important.

These are just some fun little ways of relieving the stress that can build while sitting in traffic. For a complete approach to a healthier life, we suggest regular classes at a yoga studio such as Verona Yoga to help restore balance in your every day routine. Your health is more important than any errand you may have to run. Let’s start a journey to a stress-free life today!

Guest blog post written by our friends at Cherry Hill Nissan.