Breathing is the Most Important Part

Breathing is the most important part of a yoga pose. Ujjayi (oo-jy-ee) breath, also called conqueror breath is a great breath for beginner yogis. I frequently teach it to my Gainesville yoga students. Here are the steps to practice Ujjayi Breath.

1. Seated in an easy pose, with legs crossed or in half lotus, begin lengthening your spinal column with your shoulders relaxed.

2. Inhale through your nose, then exhale slowly through a wide-open mouth. Direct the out-going breath slowly across the back of your throat with a drawn-out HA sound.

3. Repeat several times, then close your mouth. Now, as you both inhale and exhale through your nose, direct the breath again slowly across the back of your throat. Ideally, this will create, and you should hear, a soft sea-shell sound...similar to Darth Vadar.

4. This sound, called ajapa mantra (ah-JOP-ah mahn-trah) the "unspoken mantra," slows down and regulates your breath, allowing you to focus your awareness on your body and mind.

Yoga at Work

Promoting wellness in the workplace is extremely important for company morale and productivity. Yoga in the workplace is becoming more and more popular...Nike, HBO, Ben & Jerry's, Forbes and Apple offer on-site yoga for their employees...so why shouldn't you?

CAUSES OF EMPLOYEE MENTAL STRESS

• Working with deadlines
• Heavy workload
• Conflicts with colleagues and clients
• Job insecurity
• Lack of training
• Poor organization or management

YOGA WILL BENEFIT YOUR EMPLOYEES BY:

• Relieving stiff joints and muscles
• Improve posture
• Increase circulation
• Reduce the risk of RSI (repetitive strain injury)
• Ease eye strain
• Alleviate stress
• Promote well-being

I frequently do sun salutations, handstands and headstands in my office at work. When I'm encountered with a stressful situation and I can't immediately bust out a warrior yoga pose, I practice Ujjayi Breath. It's amazing how a few deep breaths and yoga poses can transform your stress and frustration to peace and acceptance.

I'm suprised that more companies don't have yoga in the workplace. If your company doesn't offer yoga at work, don't fret...here are some office yoga exercises you can do in the comfort of your own office.

For Gainesville Yoga in the Workplace classes contact Raina.

Benefits of Yoga

I recently wrote a yoga article about the benefits of yoga for a local Gainesville/Ocala magazine, Home: Living in the Heart of Florida. You can view the entire yoga article here on page 39.
There are many physical and mental benefits of yoga. No matter what the desired end result, the only requirement during your yoga practice is you listen to your body and honor it in that very moment. There is no competition in yoga. In your yoga practice, you should do what feels right for you.

The physical practice of yoga tones and stretches the muscles, improving flexibility while lubricating joints, ligaments and tendons. You may or may not notice that your mind and body can become lost in day-to-day activities. Yoga restores not only your physical but mental capabilities. The average pair of human lungs can hold about six liters of air but only a small amount of your lung capacity is used during normal breathing. Full deep breathes within a yoga pose have been proven to help your mind-body awareness.

Anyone can do yoga---whether young or old, flexible or stiff, tall or short, aspiring athlete or professional couch potato the first step is accepting yoga into your life. Find a class that best meets your individual needs or seek private yoga instruction.

Start November off right by balancing your body and mind with yoga classes in Gainesville.