The word yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where yoga originated. We can think of the union occurring between the mind, body and spirit.
Yoga’s primary emphasis is upon general well-being. Although yoga has been shown to be beneficial in a variety of conditions, it is not considered a therapy for specific illnesses. Rather, yoga employs a broad holistic approach that focuses on teaching people a new lifestyle, way of thinking, and way of being in the world. However, one of the most important benefit of yoga is its application in relieving stress, fatigue, invigoration and vitality and its anti-aging properties and its application for relaxation therapy.
USE OUR CHI MACHINE & YOGA MAT TOGETHER
Yoga Warm Up Moves: Shake and Twis, Warmed and Loosed
Now, it’s to loosen up a bit. Relax your body by letting the whole body go totally floppy. Shake your limbs. Continue as long as you feel comfortable.
SELECT YOGA MAT
USD $16.95 / CAD $19.50
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Length x Width x Thick:
72"x24"x 1/4" / 183 x 61x 0.6 (cm)
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Extra-long for Power Yoga and Extra thick for those hard floors. Rounded corners, light-weight and non-static. Our best mat for every body!
NIRVANA YOGA MAT
USD $24.95 / CAD $28.95
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Length x Width x Thick:
72"x24"x 1/4" / 183 x 61x 0.6(cm), 3 colors:(royal blue, green, burgundy)
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Extra-long for Power Yoga and Extra thick for those hard floors. Rounded corners, light-weight and non-static. Our best mat for every body!
ECO YOGA MAT WITH CARRYING BELT
USD $34.95 / CAD $39.95
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Length x Width x Thick:
70" x 24" x 1/8" / 180 x 61x 0.4(cm), 6 colors
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Fully decomposable and recyclable. No toxic materials(phthalate, toluene, latex, rubber, PVC or heavy metals FREE)
COTTON YOGA WITH CARRYING BAG
USD $29.95 / CAD $34.50
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Great for Ashtanga and Bikram Yoga!
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Length x Width:76" x 26" x 1/8" / 180 x 61(cm)
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Natural material, 100% cotton, , and comes with 6 colors.
YOGA BLOCK
USD $10.95 / CAD $12.50
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Strong, durable, lightweight and comfortable.
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Length x Width:9" x 6" x 3 " / 23 x 16 x 7.5 cm
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Foam blocks lend support and extension to yoga postures.
CHOOSING A YOGA STYLE:
Nearly all yoga styles are rooted in hatha yoga, yoga's physical discipline that focuses on developing control of the body through asanas or poses. In Sanskrit, ha represents sun and tha represents moon. Hatha represents the duality in life ?yin and yang, masculine and feminine, darkness and light. It leads the way to balancing these opposing forces. It is the yoga of physical well-being.
Ananda: Emphasis on meditation
This gentle yoga combines breath awareness, affirmations, and yoga postures to move from body awareness through energy awareness to, silent, inner awareness. The use of affirmations while in the asanas is a distinct feature of ananda yoga.
Ashtanga: the Power of yoga
For those who want a serious workout, ashtanga yoga offers a fast-paced series of sequential poses beginning with sun salutations. Students move from one posture to another in a continual flow and link movements to breath.
Bikram: Turning up the heat
Hot yoga practice. Be prepared to sweat in this one. The bikram class turns up the room temperature to anywhere from 85 degrees to 100 degrees. 26 poses designed to cleanse the body from the inside out. This is a vigorous workout.
Iyengar: Symmetry and alignment
Students focus on symmetry and alignment, using props such as straps, blankets, wooden blocks, and chairs to achieve postures. Each pose is held for a longer amount of time than in most other yoga styles.
Kripalu: the yoga of consciousness
Kripalu emphasizes proper breath, alignment, coordinating breath and movement, and honoring the wisdom of the body.Ultimately kripalu leads to the experience of meditation-in-motion actually doing postures spontaneously.
Tantra: Sensual spirituality
it is about discovering and stimulating sensual spirituality. This yoga works with the highly charged kundalini energy and, therefore, should always be guided and taught by a teacher.
Viniyoga: Gentle flow
This form of flow yoga places great emphasis on the breath and coordinating breath with movement. It's flowing movement or vinyasa is similar to ashtanga dynamic series of poses, but is performed at a greatly reduced pace and stress level.
YOGA BENEFITS:
You've probably heard that yoga is good for you. Maybe you have even tried yoga and discovered that it makes you feel better. But what are the specific health benefits can you expect to enjoy from doing yoga regularly?
Physical Benefits
Flexibility: Stretching your tight body in new ways will help it to become more flexible, bringing greater range of motion to muscles and joints. Over time, you can expect to gain flexibility in your hamstrings, back, shoulders, and hips.
Strength: Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways, including balancing on one leg (such as in Tree Pose) or supporting yourself with your arms (such as in Downward Facing Dog). Some exercises require you to move slowly in and out of poses, which also increases strength.
Muscle tone: As a by-product of getting stronger, you can expect to see increased muscle tone. Yoga helps shape long, lean muscles.
Pain Prevention: Increased flexibility and strength can help prevent the causes of some types of back pain. Many people who suffer from back pain spend a lot of time sitting at a computer or driving a car. That can cause tightness and spinal compression, which you can begin to address with yoga. Yoga also improves your alignment, both in and out of class, which helps prevent many other types of pain.
Better Breathing: Most of us breathe very shallowly into the lungs and don't give much thought to how we breathe. Yoga breathing exercises, called Pranayama, focus the attention on the breath and teach us how to better use our lungs, which benefits the entire body. Certain types of breath can also help clear the nasal passages and even calm the central nervous system, which has both physical and mental benefits.
Mental Benefits
Mental Calmness: Yoga asana practice is intensely physical. Concentrating so intently on what your body is doing has the effect of bringing a calmness to the mind. Yoga also introduces you to meditation techniques, such as watching how you breathe and disengagement from your thoughts, which help calm the mind.
Stress Reduction: Physical activity is good for relieving stress, and this is particularly true of yoga. Because of the concentration required, your daily troubles, both large and small, seem to melt away during the time you are doing yoga. This provides a much-needed break from your stressors, as well as helping put things into perspective. The emphasis yoga places on being in the moment can also help relieve stress, as you learn not to dwell on past events or anticipate the future. You will leave a yoga class feeling less stressed than when you started.
Body Awareness: Doing yoga will give you an increased awareness of your own body. You are often called upon to make small, subtle movements to improve your alignment. Over time, this will increase your level of comfort in your own body. This can lead to improved posture and greater self-confidence.
