Susan Hill has 23 years experience as an adult education tutor in yoga, relaxation and complementary therapies. She is a qualified, experienced practitioner of Reflexology, Reiki and the Metamorphic Technique. Her work offers tools and techniques to empower people to enhance their effectiveness in living an enjoyable and balanced life. She has trained with the Kubler-Ross programme and has attended the UK courses of Gregg Furth PhD, a Jungian analyst, on the interpretations of dreams.

Susan has trained in metaphysics and shamanic techniques with Gill Edwards and Denise Linn and is a graduate of the “Awakening your Light Body” course of Duane Packer and Sanaya Roman.

Please contact Susan about her Yoga classes practice at:

Telephone: 01892 524404

email: smhill123@tiscali.co.uk

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POWER VINYASA AND GENTLE HOLISTIC YOGA TAUGHT THROUGHOUT LONDON.

CONTACT – email: yogamotion@hotmail.com

Visit David’s website: www.yogamotion.co.uk

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Unlike many other activities and exercises, yoga is suitable for almost anybody at any age and in any condition. There are very few other forms of exercise that this statement can apply to.

Most people will find some form of benefit from doing yoga particularly if they do so consistently and follow the correct techniques.

From sedentary elderly people to the elite professional sports person, yoga can help to improve so many aspects of a person’s life that it is beneficial to virtually anybody who try’s it.

Due in part to the fact that yoga poses and exercises can be performed at any extent and degree that the person chooses, even those with injuries and illness will usually find that they will get some benefit by incorporating yoga into their lifestyle.

Add to that, the fact that yoga is extremely economical, with no need for any purchases of equipment and the convenience that it can be done almost anywhere and at any time and it becomes quite obvious why so many people are turning towards yoga to help them to create the balance in their life that has often been missing for so long.

So it is safe to say when the question is asked whether yoga is right for you or not that it is highly likely that you will find it to be one of the best forms of exercise and relaxation that you can do. It will certainly ‘change your mind’ in the way that you think about exercise.

It is also likely that you will see many positive changes in your life from doing yoga on a regular basis.

Even if it is used solely for the relaxation techniques and the relief of stress and the elimination of anxiety and other ‘mind’ related problems – there is always something that can be gained from yoga.

As with almost anything in life there are many different opinions on what style of yoga is the best.

The reality of the situation is there is no one particular style that is better than another as individuals all have specific needs of their own and expectations and the best form of yoga is the one that suits you.

All forms of yoga are based on the same principles and that is to bring about harmony in the mind and body.

What works well for one person might not be as suitable for another even though most people will benefit from any type of yoga that they do.

Where there are specific injuries or illnesses that need to be considered then it is important to select a style of yoga that will aid in the recovery from those injuries or help to eliminate or cope with an illness.

Fortunately yoga can be customized to the individual’s requirements and changed as they progress to the stage where they can accomplish more intense exercise. This is particularly beneficial for the sick and elderly as even light participation in yoga can bring about noticeable changes.

Yoga methods such as Bikram yoga are probably best avoided in the initial stages as beginners can be overcome with the intensity from having to perform their poses with the added element of increased temperatures to contend with.

The best policy is to start gradually until your body gets used to the stretching and you have built up enough strength to hold poses for the required time and then move on to more advanced techniques.

Yoga is something that you can always go further with and improve on more so there is no urgency in the beginning to over stretch and risk injury. All you are likely to do then is delay your opportunity to get to the next level.

The simplicity and effectiveness of Yoga are two of the main reasons why so many people throughout the world use it as their preferred form of exercise.

By combining the positive effects of exercising both the mind and the body yoga helps to improve not only flexibility of the body but ‘flexibility’ of the mind in the form of relaxation at a level that most other techniques cannot match.

It is no wonder that more people are turning towards yoga to reduce the effects of the hectic lifestyle that we all lead these days.

By reducing the stress and therefore the anxiety in our life we are able to cope with a lot more things in a more balanced manner.

As stress can present many other health problems, particularly if it has been present for extended periods of time, anything that can be done to reduce and eliminate that stress will improve your overall health in so many different areas.

Research has proven that yoga is one of the best methods of handling stress and reducing it in both the mind and the body where tension can build up quite easily.

Stress manifests itself in both physical and emotional ways and one form causes the other to follow suit. Massage and outdoor activities can reduce some of the physical aspects of stress and various forms of meditation can reduce the emotional side of stress.

Yoga on the other hand is as effective as most other forms of physical stress reduction with the stretching of the muscles and the limbering of the joints and connective ligaments and tissues. Yoga also is as effective as many forms of meditation for mental stress reduction. Now when you combine both of these aspects together and they are working in unison to eliminate stress both physically and mentally you can see that you have one very powerful positive force working for your well-being.

There are various different yoga poses and they all focus on appropriate areas of body’s health strength and flexibility.

The poses that are considered the most important are those that are performed while standing.
Many people find these quite difficult when they start out with their yoga training and particularly those in poor health or elderly who don’t have the strength to maintain good form initially.

These poses are extremely important because they help to build that strength. They also help to bring about alignment in the body which improves your posture and reduces other problems such as back pain that is particularly common with elderly people or those who have not done any form of exercise for some time.

The standing poses also help to build stability which is very important for the elderly who are susceptible to falls and the ongoing health problems that these can bring about.

By adding strength to your legs when performing the standing poses the biggest muscles in the body are working towards helping to maintain your balance.

Flexibility and the stretching of the hamstrings will also reduce the incidence of lower back pain.

The back is also strengthened by the various different seated poses particularly in the lower back and the flexibility of the hips.

Seated poses are also excellent for elderly or sick people who are just starting out with yoga and need additional support until they are able to move on to the standing poses.

They also allow for an excellent position to relax and concentrate on the breathing.

From the seated position people still have the ability to stretch the hamstrings and relieve tension throughout the body and particularly in those areas at the back of the neck, upper shoulders and spine.

This is one area that elderly people can find a buildup of tension as they tend to sit around much of the time without doing any form of exercise. Stretching from seated poses helps to eliminate that tension.

Contrary to the incorrect comments that you often hear about yoga, it isn’t difficult to do. There are certainly poses and exercises that you might find difficult at your current level of fitness and there might be some that you will never be able to do for one reason or another however the basic exercises are relatively simple.

The poses and exercises that you might see on videos, DVD’s and in the yoga books might seem impossible for you now but the extent that you want to advance is entirely determined by your choices.

Great benefits can be achieved with even the most basic of exercises and often people who are unfit, tense or inflexible will notice the greatest improvements in the least amount of time.

People who are concerned about taking yoga lessons due to the fact that they consider them too difficult are more than likely the ones that need it the most.

If the frail and elderly can do yoga then there is no reason why anyone can’t do it.

Even the relaxation exercises will have a huge impact on the mind and the positive outlook that it can bring to a person’s life.

All yoga exercises are performed at a slow and steady pace to reduce the chance of injury and no one is ever expected to stretch beyond what they are comfortably able to achieve.

As yoga is all about balance you will be focusing on stretching one side of the body and then the corresponding side. Or you will do an exercise that works the front of the body and then the back.

You will soon learn to see where there are areas that are out of balance and it is these that you will concentrate on to improve. Often one side of the body is a lot more flexible than the other and this can be due to many factors including your occupation and even whether you are left or right handed.

Start off with the basic movements and do so in a relaxed and effortless manner and you will soon find yourself progressing to more difficult poses that you will handle with ease.

One of the aspects about yoga that appeals to many people is the fact that you don’t need a lot of equipment to perform the exercises.
In fact you don’t need any equipment to perform most of the basic exercises which makes it very easy for yoga to be practiced almost anywhere.

It also makes it easy for people of all ages to participate in yoga exercises and get the benefits that it will present to them.

Not only is it one of the most beneficial forms of exercise that you could undertake but it is also one of the few that requires virtually no investment of money other than some loose clothing to ensure that you can perform the poses comfortably.

Traditionally yoga is done in bare feet so you don’t even need to buy any special footwear to do yoga.

Unlike many sports you don’t even need to rely on additional supplements, vitamins and minerals to make up for any deficiencies that can be caused through specific forms of exercise. Yoga in itself will improve your health and well-being and if anything reduce your dependence on the need to take additional supplements to compensate other factors that are lacking in your health and fitness.

As you become more advanced with your yoga exercises you might feel the need to add some additional equipment to assist in taking yourself to higher levels.

This can be as many as simple as a mat that will reduce the chance of slipping when doing your standing poses.
You might also like to get straps that can assist with your stretching although even these don’t need to be anything more than a piece of rope or a belt that you’ve probably got lying around the house.

Yoga is practiced extensively in countries where the people cannot afford to spend money on exercise equipment.

Fortunately basic equipment such as Yoga mats that will provide some form of cushioning and slip resistance on the floor, and bolsters that will help to get your body in the correct position, providing alignment for your spine and legs can be purchased for very little expense.
Even the genuine Yoga straps that will help you to achieve more flexibility by helping you to perform poses that you couldn’t otherwise do without the assistance of the strap, cost very little to purchase.

And the only other item that you could possibly need would be a blanket that most everybody has anyway.

There are many different benefits that can be achieved by doing yoga on a regular basis and it is one of the best forms of exercise to bring about a balance in both the mind and the body and help to achieve harmony that is very difficult in today’s world.

Regular yoga exercise throughout a person’s life will help them to stay a lot healthier as they age with a reduction in aches and pains that are normally associated with ageing.

By remaining more flexible and strengthening the supporting tissues and muscles a person who has done yoga on a regular basis will be less likely to succumb to falls that happen regularly with elderly people.

Yoga not only affects your muscles and a calming of your mind but it has a positive affect on the whole of your inner self including your emotional and endocrinal system.

It is regarded as the most effective whole body workout and surprises many people including professional athletes of how much benefit they get from yoga and how strenuous the exercises can be when taking advanced.

It is not unusual to see professional athletes having difficulty performing the poses and exercises that elderly people are doing effortlessly.

The sooner you get involved with yoga the sooner you are going to reap the rewards that yoga can bring helping you to get more out of life and ultimately to live longer.

Yoga has proven to reduce and eliminate various different health ailments that affect many people.

It is often recommended by medical practitioners in recuperation of injuries and for those who are suffering from depression as it is suitable for people of all ages and all levels of health or lack thereof.

Even a minimal amount of Yoga performed regularly can have a noticeable effect on a person’s state of health.

Realizing the benefits of yoga can add a whole new dimension to your levels of fitness and flexibility.

There was a time when many people considered yoga to be the exercise that elderly people and housewives would do during the day.

This couldn’t be further from the truth and some yoga routines can deliver a more strenuous workout than many professional sportsmen and women can endure.

In fact, the recent rise in popularity of yoga has been helped by the many professional sports people, who have adopted this as part of their fitness training, to assist with flexibility and help reduce injuries.

Yoga can be tailored to suit anybody’s requirements from the very elderly to the professional sports person.
By stretching the muscles in controlled poses the flexibility that can be garnered will reduce the chance of torn or strained muscles on the playing field.

With the amount of money that is invested in professional sports now there is a need to ensure that the sports person is fit and able to perform throughout the season.

Time out due to injury is too expensive to ignore and that is why yoga is becoming more popular.

Yoga is a low impact form of exercise and as such can be used under guidance even when people are suffering from injuries and it can also assist in the recovery process.

It is also excellent for stress reduction.

Apart from the positive aspects of increased flexibility, stress reduction and improved mobility, yoga is also very good for improving strength.

Standing poses where a position is held for a length of time can improve leg strength and at the same time improve the yoga student’s balance.

There are so many areas of fitness that yoga encompasses that it is one of the best all-round body and mind workouts that you could do.