Breathing Exercises during Yoga

Before a yoga class starts, it is a good practice to do some breathing exercises while waiting for the teacher. Breathing exercises help you to become more aware of your body. Perception and awareness is very important to yoga and as human beings we are basically trapped in our minds, we sometimes lose awareness of how our bodies are feeling and lose focus on what body parts might be paining us.

As you begin the class many yoga teachers will tell you to clear the mind (easier said than done), to leave the past and future behind and focus on the present moment. With practice such brain exercises can build your mental self-control, and knowing a few breathing exercises you can focus on helps build this self-control.

If you think about your breathing, practice different breathing patterns and do it consciously you will notice it requires your concentration to do. Trying to do so while distracted will cause you to revert to your natural breathing pattern and to daydream about other things.

When combined with yoga movements, you add an extra level of difficulty to your yoga activities - but after awhile it's amazing how easy that becomes.

When many people start a yoga class their mind is a mess. Even without thoughts of what needs to be done, they are probably stressing over the idea of being in a challenging class for 60 or 90 minutes. By the time class is over, you may feel that it not only did it feel like a mere 15 minutes, but you may feel mentally and physically refreshed. (Although to be fair, some yoga classes will be more exhausting and leave you tired, sweating and hungry.)

In which case breathing exercises are also good to do AFTER yoga. It will help keep you feeling relaxed and refreshed (or relax you after a particularly grueling yoga lesson).

TIP!

Try breathing naturally, at your own pace, and count your breaths to 10. Sounds pretty simple, right? Yet due to our wandering minds, most of us lose track many times along the way. When it happens, start over again without frustration or worry. Its the learning process and journey that matters, not how many times you fail. Counting your breaths is not a game to win or a skill to master. Instead, it's an instant, ever-handy way to deepen your awareness and concentration.

How to Buy a Yoga Mat

 I don't teach yoga myself, as a personal trainer I am really not qualified enough to be teaching it. But I have taken numerous yoga classes and can tell you that having your own yoga mat is an important thing if you want to be a serious yoga practitioner.

Why?

Mostly for hygiene. Some of the yoga mats at yoga studios are pretty gruddy looking, and while they do clean them and disinfect them sometimes, they sometimes get old and who knows who's been sweating all over them.

Thus when you are looking to buy your first mat, since you have evidently taken your practice up a notch and want to upgrade to a yoga mat of higher quality, there are many places to shop in Toronto and lots of people out there with tips on what makes a good mat.

eg. If you really want advice you can ask for an expert opinion at a local yoga studio. They will happily give it to you and probably try to push you towards their favourite company. Its a bit like pitting Coca-Cola fans Vs Pepsi fans. They're pretty biased on the topic.

So lets first dispel a myth about yoga mat purchasing...

#1. Don't Buy Just Any Old Mat - Buy the mat which best suits your type of yoga practice, whether it be hatha, vinyasa or Bikram. Why? Well you could just buy a generic mat, but it won't really do you that well. Its a bit like buying "all weather tires" for your car. They are basically mediocre all the time and never excel at anything. So aim to get a mat that is specially designed for your purposes.

#2. Shop Around Online First - Do your research. There are many different kinds of yoga mats available online.

Extra Thick Yoga Mats
High Density Yoga Mats
Extra Long Yoga Mats (for really tall people)
Extra Wide Yoga Mats (for people who hate touching the floor by accident...)
Memory Foam
Toxin Free
Bio-Degradable
Non Slip
Durable
Ultra Absorbent
Pilates
Durafoam
Odor Free
Non-Sticky

#3. Do you want it to come with a strap, a sling or a bag? - Or you can buy such things separately. If you are going to be carrying it a lot (some people carry them on their bicycles) then you want something you can easily carry.

#4. Buy in Person, Don't Buy Online - Two reasons... you want to be able to see and feel the mat for yourself, so you know its the kind you want. So find local places to buy a yoga mat.

Examples in Toronto

Moksha on Danforth or Yonge and St Clair

The Yoga Sanctuary on Danforth

#5. Think Colours - eg. If you're a man you will probably want a blue, red, green or black yoga mat. Most men would not purchase a pink yoga mat.

Exercise Quotes for February

"Just because somebody else has already done it doesn't mean you shouldn't do it too. When it comes to exercising just doing it is all that matters."
- Charles Moffat

"For every single thing that stirs up your passion, there is a positive way forward. Choose to find that way, to follow it, and to transform the energy of your passion into great and lasting value."

- Ralph Marston

"The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground."
- Author Unknown

"If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence. Determination. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying. “Here comes number seventy-one!"
- Richard M. Devos

"The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places."
- Author Unknown

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"When the world says, 'Give up,' Hope whispers, 'Try it one more time.'”
- Author Unknown

"Decide carefully, exactly what you want in life, then work like mad to make sure you get it!"
- Hector Crawford

"I feel younger now than when I was in my 30s and 40s and had all those problems."

- Ida Keeling, 95-year-old woman from the Bronx who set world record after running 60m in 29.86 seconds; she is the oldest woman to do so

"Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth."
- Martin H. Fischer

"The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth."
- Chinese Proverb

"When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...
And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life."
- Monty Python's Life of Brian

Have you given up on your New Years Resolutions yet?

February is probably the worst month of the year for people quitting diets and giving up on their exercise goals.

It has been thirty-one days since the New Year of 2013. And it is pretty easy to guess that a lot of people out there have probably already given up on their New Years Resolutions to exercise more and eat healthier.

Regular gym goers across Toronto are already beginning to complain less about equipment wait times and overcrowding in their local gym. January is a great time of year for Personal Trainers... but by February they may have discovered they counted their chickens before they had hatched.

Forgetting about resolutions is just normal - but honestly, it doesn't have to be "New Years" to make fitness resolutions. You could also make:


Spring Resolutions
Summer Resolutions
Autumn Resolutions
Winter Resolutions
Birthday Resolutions

And if you are Catholic or Christian you could also "give things up for Lent", a religious practice whereby you give up certain vices (such as fatty foods, junk food, cigarettes, etc) in order to demonstrate your level of faith/commitment.

Thus if you are finding that your original motivation is about to kick the bucket, just make a NEW Resolution for whatever works for you. "Valentines", "St Patricks" or even goal oriented resolutions like "Fit Into a Bikini".

TIPS / SAMPLE RESOLUTIONS

#1. You could make a new resolution every week.

#2. Try rotating weekly goals between nutrition and fitness.

#3. Focus on only eating food with one ingredient. eg. eggs, nuts, fruits, veggies, lean meat, brown rice, quinoa, cheese etc.

#4. Use your gym membership/personal training sessions/ yoga classes at least three times.

#5. Try not to eat anything processed, frozen or dine out.

#6. Try an activity you have always been meaning to try but never did. eg. Boxing, archery, ice skating, swimming, martial arts.

Don't give up just because you fell off the proverbial wagon or horse. Just get right back on it and keep trying!

Exercising on a Budget

If you can purchase healthy food on a budget using math and food smarts, then it stands to reason that you can also exercise on a budget if you exercise that big muscle of grey matter in between your ears.

It can be a challenge, but if you love a good puzzle then put your brains to work and you can find lots of frugal ways to exercise.

#1. Walk

Easiest and simplest way to exercise. Don't even need shoes, although if walking in the winter you should probably wear boots.

An one hour walk every day, walking 5 km, for a person weighing 200 lbs burns 371 calories. Do that every day for 100 days and you will burn approx. 10.6 lbs of fat. Over the course of a year that is 38.6 lbs.

And the more weight you lose the faster you will go. By the end of the year you will be walking closer to 6 or 7 km in an hour.

#2. Special Offers

Many personal trainers, gyms, yoga studios and bootcamps offer free trials or low cost trial options, anywhere from a free session, to one week or a free month at the gym. Local deal finders such as Toronto Groupon, Meetup Groups for Toronto, Living Social and Daily Deal Finder regularly offer fitness related savings.

#3. Hire a Personal Trainer who fits your Budget

If you can afford $35 per month for a personal trainer, then you can afford a private personal trainer. Its that easy. (Me for example, if you live in Toronto.)

If you try to hire a personal trainer in a gym it will be $80 to $90 per hour, but you can get one session per month with a private trainer for a lot less. (Gyms charge a lot of money for people to hire their personal trainers, and the trainer themselves often are only paid $20 per hour or less.)

You don't have to be a celebrity these days to hire a personal trainer. Anyone can afford them.

And when you consider a gym membership is $70 to $100 per month, plus parking and equipment, having a trainer and then training in your home or condo or beach or park is way cheaper. And the trainer provides all the equipment during sessions.

#4. Body Weight Exercises

If you explore my Frugal Exercises posts you will find no shortage of cheap and easy exercises you can do that use your body weight instead.

Thus even without a gym it is still possible to get into great shape by using your own body resistance. Exercises like push ups, squats and running up and down your stairs will get you fit really quickly.

#5. Outdoor Activities

Walking isn't the only activity you can do outside. Running, cycling, rollerblading, swimming, ice skating and even tennis will get you great results. Toronto has plenty of free tennis courts and ice rinks you can take advantage of. Tennis racquets can get expensive, but you can buy a new barely used one on Craigslist if you shop smart. I got my tennis racquet when someone in my building left it behind when they moved. Cost? Nothing!

#6. Abandoned Exercise Equipment

Honestly some people just throw this stuff out. You can also find stuff on Craigslist (and barter to get a better price sometimes by offering $5 less than what they are asking). You can ask around amongst friends or family if they have any equipment they aren't using. Easy.

#7. A Home Gym

Getting your own home gym doesn't have to cost a lot. A couple dumbbells, free weights, a mat and stability ball will do the job nicely. A skipping rope or football can be used for a variety of frugal exercises. If the equipment is always there, just put on some music and get to work!

#8. Make your Own Equipment!

Honestly, you can make your own dumbbells. It just requires you to be ingenious about your building methods.