Kickass Yoga: Get those Glutes in Gear with this Routine

As you get older, those cheeks (and we’re not talking about the ones you put blusher on) tend to grow and sag, which can be a real party pooper to your sense of wellbeing. A wobbly bottom is hardly anyone’s idea of a sexy, self-confidence boost, but yoga can be the answer you seek. Not only is this fitness regime good for physical, mental and spiritual wellness, but the right routine can take the gluttony out of those glutes!

 

1. The side jab: This bum-burning move will work all three of your gluteal muscles. Starting in a tabletop position (hands directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips) inhale and extend your right leg back so that your heel is in line with the hip. As you hug the thighbone into your hip joint, press through the heel and draw your belly button towards the spine. While you’re doing this, you should keep your hips level and your core strong. Then, exhale and move your leg as far to the right as possible. Breathe in again as you draw your leg back to the centre, and then repeat this movement 10 to 12 times with each leg.

 

2. Downward-facing dog leg pumps: This move is great for your core and gluteus medius, as well as giving your body more energy. Again, you start in the tabletop position, but this time you walk your knees and feet back five or six inches and tuck your toes under so you are on the balls of the feet. Breathe out and lift your sitting bones up so that your body is in a V shape, or the downward-facing dog pose. Breathing in, try to lift your right leg as high as you can, pointing your toes away from you. Once your leg is up there, try to separate your little toe from the others, as this engages all the muscles in your leg and bum. Make tiny pumps with your right foot 16 to 24 times before you exhale and return to downward facing dog, in order to repeat on the left side. Remember, throughout this movement you should keep your shoulders level and hug your belly button towards your spine.

 

3. Warrior II flow: If you want to sculpt your buttocks and thighs and gently open your hips, this is the exercise for you. Stand with your feet spread four inches out from your hips and parallel. Inhale and pivot your right foot 90 degrees and begin to bend your right knee so that it ends up directly over the ankle. Breathe in and reach your arms over your head, and then bring them into a “T” shape parallel to the floor as you breathe out and gaze over your right middle finger. You are now in the Warrior II pose. From here, externally rotate your thigh bone so that your right knee comes towards the pinky-toe side of your foot. Inhaling, straighten through your right leg by firmly pressing the foot down and squeezing your kneecap up, and reach your hands overhead and look up. Then exhale and return to Warrior II, repeating the movement eight to 10 times on each side.

 

4. Muffin-top melter: This final pose is a challenging pulse yoga move that helps to strengthen your legs, hips and lower back. Start out by sitting with your legs out in front of you, and bend your left and right knees so that their pointing out towards 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock, respectively. Place your hands on either side of your left knee, and focus on keeping your shoulder blades moving together and down, lifting your sternum up and forward, and pulling your belly button back towards your spine. Breathe in and raise your right knee, shin and foot five to seven inches off the ground, separating your toes and much as possible. Exhale and extend your leg, and pull the leg back in on the inhale. You should repeat this 12 to 16 times before you switch to the left side.

Categories: belly button, Breathe, downward facing, Downward-facing dog leg pumps, facing dog, foot, hips, nbsp, Saggy Bottom, tabletop position, warrior ii, Warrior II Flow

How to Breathe When You"re Exercising

It’s as simple as breathing in and breathing out – or is it? When we exercise, getting enough oxygen into the body is vital for our stamina and strength. There is an art to inhaling that most people don’t value enough. The best breathing techniques could improve your stamina and boost your performance, helping you reach your peak fitness. Smooth and efficient breathing can hep the body to perform it’s various functions properly, as well as helping to calm the mind, enable you to exercise for longer, and to put an end to those stitches in your side. When you’re running, getting your breathing right is the difference between a difficult running session around the block and real endurance. Studies have even proven that improper breathing can impair your speed and performance.

 

There’s no set rule for runners, but most agree that they find it comfortable to take a breath every two foot strikes. This means that you take one left step and one right, whilst breathing in, then two steps whilst breathing out. This works best as your diaphragm and the surrounding organs are at the liberty of gravity, so by getting your breathing in line with your movements you will be able to breathe more comfortably. There is some debate as to whether it is better to breathe through your nose or your mouth, and the studies conclude that breathing through your mouth is the best option as this causes the least amount of resistance – if you are breathing through your nose, you’re making things unnecessarily hard for yourself. Of course, nose breathing does have its benefits, as it increases the CO2 saturation in the blood, which can calm you down. It also helps to minimise the amount of allergens you inhale and to warm the air as it enters the lungs (great for outdoor workouts in the colder months). It depends on what is best for you, so trial both ways of breathing and see which you prefer.

 

When you’re taking part in high intensity sports, breathing is something of a difficulty. But your breathing is crucial to stabilise your core and postural control muscles. When you’re anticipating a heavy weight or impact, you should take a deep breath and then brace the core – this will help to protect the spine. With any exercise, it’s best to breathe from the diaphragm rather than the chest as this increases the amount of oxygen you can provide to the muscles. Your ribcage should expand in a 3D pattern, top to bottom, back to front and to the sides. Aerobic exercise is just one of the forms of exercise that can benefit from good breathing practices.

 

The main thing to remember is that you need to breathe out, as many people try and hold their breath subconsciously. Holding the breath increases pressure in the chest cavity, but holding it too long can stop the blood getting back to the heart and can raise your blood pressure. It’s even possible to train your respiratory muscles which has been proven by researchers to improve your performance and stamina, particularly in high-intensity sports. Of course, there are other factors which can impede your breathing – smoking, allergies and asthma can all affect your breathing ability, in particular during exercise sessions. Giving up smoking will improve your breathing, in everyday life and during exercise, but if you’re worried you have asthma or allergies you should speak to your GP who can advise you how to exercise safely and control these conditions.

Categories: breath, Breathe, Breathing, exercise, high intensity, intensity sports, performance, stamina

How to Breathe Away Your Mental and Emotional Baggage

Traditional Chinese healing uses special breathing techniques that can have a big impact on your spiritual and emotional wellness. Grandmaster Erle Montaigue, a Chinese martial arts and healing instructor, explains that your breath resides between your mind, body, and spirit, and so can bring harmony to these three areas of your well-being. Plus, breathing techniques serve to clear and focus your mind, increase your energy levels, relax your stress levels and help you lose weight.

 

First and foremost, you need to learn how to breathe from your belly. Your stomach should move out and expand when you inhale, and move in and contract when you inhale. While it sounds simple, this breathing technique facilitates deeper and more relaxed breathing which, in turn, increases your lung capacity and pumps your blood with more oxygen. When there is more oxygen in your blood, your metabolism works more efficiently and waste is removed from your body better.

 

Natural breathing helps to reduce stress and alleviate anxiety, so it’s a great one to do at the end of a busy work day. Lie down in a comfortable position and place your hands over your belly button. Then you simply breathe through your nose, and use your stomach to move your hands up and down. Once you’re able to breathe naturally from your stomach throughout the day, you’re ready to use the breath to clear your mind. Sitting on a chair with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor, begin breathing through your nose (using your stomach, of course). Gradually slow your breathing, and focus on the temperature of your breath as it passes in and out of your nose. Doing this for five minutes, three or four times a day, helps to clear your mind of thoughts and relax.

 

To increase your awareness, focus and discipline, inhale as you count to five and exhale as you continue count to ten. You can then change these numbers once you become comfortable with the exercise, aiming to inhale on a count of 10 and exhale on a count of 20. This means that you’re taking two breaths every minute, and should try to do this for 10 minutes after five minutes of mind-clearing breathing. This helps to make you aware of your surroundings, in tune with your emotions, and more in line with a rational and realistic view of things.

Categories: Breathe, Breathing, Breathing Techniques, count, inhale, mind, Mind Body and Spirit, Traditional Chinese Healing

Stop, Evaluate and Listen: Handling Life’s Big Irritations

There’s no denying that certain things in life just get under your skin. If something pushes your buttons, you can go from feeling fine to angry to utterly helpless in a matter of minutes. Life’s big irritations take their toll on your emotional wellness, which, in turn, impacts your overall wellbeing. Why is it so impossible to let things go? Even if you “move on”, you often find that you’ve only secretly let things build and fester until the next irritation comes along and it all gets blown way out of proportion. Isn’t there a better way to take control?

Anger is a natural part of your genetic make-up, allowing you to fight back when your wellness is threatened. The problems with irritants start when you don’t address what’s bothering you, as this only lets the anger eat away at you. Then, even the smallest thing can set you off, and cause way more damage to all involved that if you had just released those thoughts initially. You need to let it out, before you can let it go.

Other people’s behaviour tends to trigger the irritations that grow out of all proportion. An annoying thing that a friend does once or twice can make you see that behaviour in them all the time, and build it up so that it influences all of your memories and interactions with that person. Suddenly, a good friend, who did the odd annoying thing, is now the most irritating person you know! Change how your brain operates, by stepping back, taking a few deep breaths, and counting to ten. This allows you to see exactly what’s happening, before asking yourself “what it is about this, that’s making me so angry?” If the behaviour is pushing past buttons, then address those issues it’s tapping into and send the anger back to where it belongs.

Finally, remember that reacting in the heat of the moment is never going to be the answer to any situation. Your emotions get in the way of your rational thinking, and so you can demonstrate stronger reactions than you actually feel, or are appropriate to the situation. Learn to step back, evaluate and deal with the irritants that you can control, and to release and tolerate the rest. If in doubt, just walk away and breathe.

Google+
Stop, Evaluate and Listen: Handling Life’s Big Irritations

Categories: Breathe, Count to ten, Irritants