Posts In: Yoga

Yoga is a great way to exercise and practice strength, flexibility and balance. There are many forms of yoga you can choose from, although some may be better for you specifically than others. Hot yoga is done in a hot and steamy environment and is good for those wanting something more intense.

Hot yoga is fantastic for relaxing the mind and giving yourself something to focus on while you de-stress, but it is also great for your body. The heat provides a more intense environment, which makes your heart and lungs work harder for a full-body workout. 

The breathing techniques used in yoga can help train your lungs and increase their capacity. This keeps them healthy and allows more oxygen to enter your bloodstream. Using controlled breathing during hot yoga can help this further and potentially lead to better lung health.

This also applies to your heart, as well. The heat of the room makes your heart work faster, which can possibly help improve overall heart health and also boost your metabolism. 

While yoga also helps burn calories, hot yoga in particular burns more calories due to the environment in which you are exercising. More sweat is released in the hot, steamy environment, your body is working harder at regulating your temperature, therefore burning more calories. 

Hot yoga is also amazing for de-stressing. The focus and discipline required when doing yoga can help ease your mind and draw attention away from any anxieties and worries you may have.

This makes it great for relaxation and can help boost mindfulness and reduce negative emotions and feelings. Regular sessions can provide long-lasting results and give you a space to clear your mind and relax. 

This also aids in relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression as it allows you to focus on mindfulness and meditation, which can both aid in reducing feelings of depression and anxiety. 

Looking for hot yoga classes in Marlow? Visit Pila Yoga today!

To the uninitiated, it may seem like there is only one kind of yoga, a series of stretches and exercises rooted in Eastern spirituality and approaches to well-being. 

However, a little study will show there are several different forms of yoga, including Hasha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa. Indeed, there are actually no fewer than 13 different yoga styles. The term yoga itself translates as “the union of the soul with its higher self or ultimate source of consciousness,” but this can be pursued in different ways.

Anyone who wants to try Ashtanga Yoga in Marlow can call on our experts to teach them. It is a modern form founded in the 20th century by teacher T. Krishnamacharya for his energetic student Patthabi Jois. Based in Mysore, India, the school of Ashtanga has focused on the purification of body and mind through various posture flows.

Drawing on the principles of older Hatha traditions, its name comes from a compound of two words – Ashta and Anga – with the first meaning the number eight and the second meaning limb.

Don’t worry, though – this isn’t a type of yoga just for octopuses. The eight limbs in questions are the central principles of yoga, each of which are brought into the various poses, postures and stretches you will perform in this style.

Ashtanga is a vigorous style and one that has become increasingly popular in the west from the 1990s. Because it can be physically challenging, it is something that will take a bit of time to get the hang of. However, that also means it can go a long way towards getting you fit, helping you keep your joints in great shape and feeling good.

A number of other styles of yoga, including hot yoga, Vinyasa yoga and power yoga, are derivations from Ashtanga Yoga, so once you are familiar with Ashtanga you can give these a try too. 

If you turn up to a yoga class, you’ll find that most participants are women. However, men are missing out on a lot from the exercise, as a study recently found it can provide a number of mental health benefits for males. 

Deakin University in Australia wanted to ascertain whether practising yoga could help guys cope with stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, as a quarter of Australian males have had a mental health disorder before the age of 55. 

“In our study, we asked men who were engaged in a yoga practice, what mental health benefits, if any, they experienced,” associate professor Melissa O’Shea stated.

While most men revealed turning up to a yoga class was “intimidating” at first, as they felt like they were “the only man on the mat”, once they had got over their nervousness, it felt like a “safe space”.

Dr O’Shea stated: “Participants reported initial physical health benefits that often extended to mental health benefits, including stress reduction.”

Of the 14 males who participated, 11 only started practising yoga after they turned 40, as they viewed it as an exercise they could continue to do as their body got older.

The associate professor said the study showed yoga is an “effective means for men to self-manage their mental health”, which is why it is important to raise awareness of yoga among male groups. 

This study comes ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10th), aimed at raising awareness of how to stop people feeling so desperate before it is too late.

Males aged between 45 and 49 had the highest suicide rate of 23.8 per 100,000 in England in 2020. 

Do something positive for your mental health and enrol in beginner yoga in Marlow today. 

There are many people who practice yoga, either to help with mindfulness, as an effective physical and stretching exercise or both.

However, there may be some who may have asked the question; “I have noticed a studio practising hot yoga near me, but is hot yoga right for me?”

Hot yoga is a system of yoga exercises performed in a very hot and humid room, which turns what is often a very meditative and focused set of stretches into a vigorous exercise designed to build up the heart rate and muscle groups alike.

The concept originated from a yoga guru attempting to replicate the humid climate of India, believing the heat helped prepare the body to move more.

Whether hot yoga is the right class for you depends on how much you can stand the heat. Initially practised at 40 degrees Celsius, hot yoga, as with any exercise undertaken with intense heat, is prone to causing dehydration and heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke.

For most people, so long as they keep hydrated and listen to their body if they feel sick, lightheaded or dizzy, hot yoga is intense, demanding, challenging but immensely rewarding, relying on long sustained contractions of major muscle groups throughout a fast-paced 90-minute session.

The heat helps improve flexibility, but because of that, it is important to be mindful that this can sometimes make it easier to overstretch.

As well as this, because hot yoga will intentionally lead to more sweating, make sure you wear moisture-wicking exercise gear that is as lightweight as possible, as this will avoid more overheating.

Naturally, make sure to drink a lot of water before, during and after the session, and bring some warm clothes for after the session, as the contrast between the hot yoga studio and the relative cold outside world can lead to rapid muscle contractions.

Beginners to yoga who are heading to a class for the first time can turn up as they are, as long as they are wearing something comfortable. After a few weeks of practising, however, they might want to start getting themselves some equipment, so they can enjoy their new hobby at home, as well as in class.

Here are the top essentials every yoga enthusiast needs.

• A yoga mat

It goes without saying a yoga mat is a must, as hard floors are too uncomfortable to practise on. There are lot of cheap options out there, but if you want one that will last, get yourself a thick, good-quality mat. A non-slip variety is ideal for those who love hot yoga, so any dripping sweat doesn’t cause a health and safety hazard. 

• Blocks

Many people find yoga blocks, which are typically made from foam, wood or cork, very handy, particularly if they struggle to reach the floor in standing poses. 

Very Well Fit explains: “Blocks have the effect of ‘raising the floor’ to meet your hands, rather than forcing the hands to come to the floor, potentially compromising some part of the pose.”

• Straps

Those starting out in yoga might struggle with their flexibility at the beginning, which is why yoga straps can come in use. These help you to carry out poses that require you to hold your feet, even if you are unable to reach them. 

For instance, in pascimottanasana, you could use the strap on the bottom of your feet, so you are able to maintain a flat back without compromising your form. 

Find out more about beginner yoga in Marlow here. 

As any sufferer knows, arthritis is a very unpleasant condition and one that tends to get progressively worse with age. While there are various ways of mitigating its effects in terms of medication, hot baths and warm weather, taking up yoga can also go a long way to help.

Indeed, if you enrol in yoga classes in Marlow you will benefit from a practice that is 5,000 years old, which means that down all those years it will have been used by huge numbers of people to help ease their arthritic conditions.

The fact is that yoga is ideal for arthritis sufferers precisely because the key benefits it has for dealing with joint stiffness and muscle pain are exactly the kind of symptoms you will be seeking relief from.

Part of the benefit comes from undertaking yoga regularly, as it means gentle exercise that loosens the joints and muscles on a regular basis, ensuring that they are being moved and eased without any major impact or stress, helping slow down the loss of joint mobility.

Yoga also helps strengthen muscles, which can provide extra support for adjacent joints. Just as cycling can help the knee by building up thigh muscles, so yoga – while nowhere near as vigorous as riding a bike – can similarly provide a muscular bulwark of strength to support affected joints.

As well as muscle strength and flexibility, yoga helps improve balance. This is important for helping you avoid putting excess weight on any joint, but it also helps protect you from falls and trips that could further injure painful arthritis-affected areas.

In addition to all this, it will help those with osteoarthritis sleep better, which means you can tackle the next day with more energy.

If all that wasn’t enough, you can also enjoy the fact that yoga will keep you fitter and also provide a new social outlet, one where you and fellow arthritis sufferers can encourage and support each other.

Most people think they need to be doing lots of intensive cardio to shed the pounds, but yoga fans will be pleased to hear that doing their favourite posess is an effective way of losing fat as well.

Women’s Health Magazine explored the benefits of yoga on weight loss, telling readers that relaxing the body reduces the stress hormone cortisol in the body.

A study published in the American Journal of Managed Care in 2016 showed that cortisol is actually a huge stumbling block for those trying to lose weight, so lowering these levels can assist those on a weight loss journey.

The key to this is being in a calorie deficit as well, making sure that the amount of food you are eating is not more than what you are using every day. Of course, the more you move, the more calories you burn, making this deficit larger.

However, those who do an activity they enjoy are more likely to stick at it for longer, rather than punishing themselves on a treadmill for a few weeks before ditching any exercise at all.

Practising three to five times a week, going on daily walks and focusing on dynamic poses will help burn fat, as well as alter the body composition as you gain strength, helping you to look leaner.

Hot yoga is particularly beneficial, as it allows you to warm the muscles more quickly, so you can push yourself that little bit harder during your class.

If you;e looking for hot yoga classes in Marlow, get in touch today.

The summer is the most popular time for fitness enthusiasts to put on their trainers and head for the hills, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful sunshine. However, if you’re feeling a bit stiff after not stretching your legs all winter, it is worth turning to yoga, as it has been shown to be beneficial for running.

Yoga itself has many benefits, including improving strength and balance, relieving back pain, easing arthritis symptoms, boosting cardiovascular health and lowering stress levels. However, it is also good to practice different forms of exercise, not only to test your muscles, but as enjoying your workouts will ensure consistency.

Doing one form of exercise over and over again may become boring, and if you stop enjoying it, you are more likely to quit altogether. By doing a variety of exercises, there is a greater chance you will continue with all of them indefinitely.

So those who love running should make the most of the better weather and longer days and use their strength, flexibility and agility acquired through their yoga practice to improve their jogging style.

According to Runner’s World, yoga can support runners in many ways, from reducing tightness in the hips and hamstrings to improving posture, alignment and stability.

Jay Polsgrove, lead author of a study published in the International Journal of Yoga, said: “[Yoga] gives you an understanding of internal body alignment and you learn more about how you move and gain a deeper understanding of how to maximise your performance.”

Bikram yoga, otherwise known as hot yoga, is particularly good for those just getting back into running, as it loosens tight muscles to prevent injury. The heated room helps muscles to relax, reducing stiffness before the next run.

To find yoga classes near me, take a look here.

Just when you thought it was all over, it appears another wave of Covid is sweeping across the UK. The BA.4 and BA.5 waves of Omicron have led to a rise in cases, with the latest ZOE health study figures indicating that around 291,000 infections a day are now occurring around the UK.

While the milder effects of Omicron and the benefits of vaccinations mean fewer people ending up in hospital or dying, the dangers of Long Covid still remain and can still affect those who have had mild symptoms or even been asymptomatic. 

For sufferers, this can mean fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, insomnia, joint pain and much else besides.

However, if you are suffering from these things – or end up doing so after getting an infection in this latest wave – pilates and yoga might come to your aid.

Techniques have been recommended for some time that can help. Last year, Only My Health recommended pilates for recovering from Covid symptoms, describing it as “a perfect system to promote post-Covid recovery without putting much pressure on the body.”

The reason for this is that pilates provides a series of core exercises that will strengthen your body without putting major stress on it. Moreover, it promotes good breathing, which can be critical when you have chest tightness and breathing difficulty as a result of the impact of the virus on your lungs.

Among the exercises is work using the arm muscles, which helps to exercise secondary muscles used in supporting breathing.

There are also Yoga exercises that similarly help your body recover from extended post-Covid symptoms. 

A key point with these exercises is that with a stronger core and less tightness around your shoulders, your chest area is less compressed, helping ease breathing. 

With this sort of help, you will soon find that your symptoms have eased and you can take an important step towards living a more normal life again.

Looking for Pilates classes near me? Contact Pila Yoga today

More and more guys are swapping the gym, video games or pub to relieve their stress and, instead, turning up at yoga studios to help them cope with their daily pressures.

While you might have traditionally found men pumping iron, going for a run or downing some pints with their mates, yoga has become an incredibly popular choice among those who need to switch off from their high-pressured jobs, fast-paced life or busy schedules.

An article in the Economic Times echoes this, saying yoga is just what people need these days, thanks to unhealthy eating habits, poor sleep, constant stress and long hours at work.

“Yoga helps to calm such minds with its gentler asanas. These movements regulate blood flow, calm the nervous system promoting and help in improving sleep,” it stated.

This could be particularly beneficial for guys, as more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of males have suffered with mental health symptoms, such as anxiety, stress or depression, at some point in their lives.

Research from the Priory Group revealed the biggest cause of mental health problems in men is work at 32 per cent, followed by finances (31 per cent) and their health (23 per cent).

Despite anxiety, depression and stress being so common in men, 40 per cent have never talked to anyone about their mental health struggles.

The same number also revealed they would only do so if they had thoughts of self-harming or suicide.

Shockingly, suicide is the biggest cause of death among men under the age of 45 in the UK, according to government figures.

Finding a way to relieve stress, such as enrolling in yoga classes near me, can be the first step to avoiding such travesties.