The Eight Limbs of Yoga

Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. It focuses upon developing a healthy mind and body, and on attaining self-awareness. The various practices and disciplines of yoga are available to everyone, no matter what their culture or other paths they may follow. Yoga practice also involves developing awareness on a universal and personal level through the yamas and niyamas, a series of ethics and disciplines intended to cultivate living in harmony with others and in oneness with our true selves.

Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years and consists of ancient theories, observations and principles regarding the connection of the mind with the body. The ancient Indian sage systemized yoga philosophy into eight paths or limbs: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. These limbs each express a different aspect of yoga and combined make up the path or yoga practice that unites the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels of our being.

Yama – Yama are ethical disciplines that relate to how we can live in a shared world with peace and integrity. Niyama – These disciplines relate to the individual and focus on living a healthy, fulfilled and masterful life. Asana – The word asana means ‘to be’, in the sense of being in a posture. The asanas were developed for the maintenance of a healthy mind and body, with each posture affecting the body, mind and emotions in a unique way and working as a pathway to balance and wellbeing. Pranayama – In the practice of pranayama, we develop breathing techniques that increase oxygen intake and strengthen lung capacity while also increasing the absorption of prana, or life force. In its simplest form, pranayama involves deep, full breathing. Dharana – Following on from pratyahara, dharana is the ability to be completely internally absorbed and focused. This practice of single-pointed concentration stills the mind and leads to profound quietness within. Dhyana – Following on from dharana is dhyana, or meditation – sitting where there is no focus, just stillness; no thoughts, only emptiness. Samadhi – In this state of absolute personal freedom there is union of the individual soul with the universal soul. It is the practice of living at one with all that is.

With regular yoga practice of yoga, you will get strength, flexibility and good health, the benefits of which flow into all aspects of life. Increased energy levels bring a new perspective on life, the increased feelings of self-love and inspiration lead us to discover talents and interests we never knew existed and problems that once seemed overwhelming become more manageable.

The Anti Aging Exercise Program

Doing just one kind of physical activity isn’t going to have an effect on the aging process. Instead of resorting to solutions that are likely to end up futile, get yourself to do varying activities. Besides, this is a more enjoyable way to fight the signs of aging, preserve good health and continue being physically dynamic.

When you are not moving enough it means you aren’t conditioning your body into doing anything much. Being physically incapable of doing the things you like could be a sign of aging. A combination of strength, aerobic and flexibility training can help you in more ways than one.

Strength Activities

Delay the aging process by doing a strength workout every now and then. What strength training does is enhance bone density and muscle mass. Lacking exercise results in the loss of muscle tone, where your muscles are less capable in sustaining your bones. You may end up developing constant back pain and a bad posture.

What’s good about doing regular strength workouts is that your muscles become toned, skin tighter, arthritic conditions minimized and metabolic rate increase. Once your body has been conditioned to strength training, it is still able to burn fat even after you’ve finished working out. You can do a strength workout by weight training, resistance training (where you oppose forces), and isometric training (where you strengthen muscles without movement). The recommended amount of time to strength-train is 2-3 days per week.

Isometric training is good for those who are just starting an exercise program because it is low impact. All you have to do is tighten and loosen your muscles in a repetitive manner.

Aerobic Training

Slowing down the progression of aging is easy with aerobic training. Because it has more to do with endurance than bursts of power, individuals from any age bracket can do this type of training. Anyone can run, brisk-walk, and do most other types of endurance training.

Involving in regular aerobic training promotes good blood circulation. Good blood circulation helps blood effectively distribute oxygen throughout the body. It improves mental clarity, physical coordination and response mechanisms. Poor blood circulation causes you to feel faint, have regular headaches and can lead to more serious conditions like heart disease and dementia.

The advantages of doing an aerobic workout are better endurance, minimized mental and physical stress, and reduced blood pressure. It is recommended that at least 20 minutes of aerobic training be incorporated into your exercise program.

Flexibility Training

Anyone who is getting into any type of exercise, be it cardiovascular or strength, needs to do some flexibility workout. This is why you are always told to warm up before exercising and cool down afterwards. Doing a flexibility workout enhances joint, skeletal and muscular health so that you can maximize your physical and mental capabilities.

Benefits of flexibility training include alleviation of joint problems that cause discomfort and wider range of bodily movement. Performing a flexibility exercise for 30 seconds per day can already increase range of movement and improve overall flexibility.

Incorporating strength, aerobic and flexibility training into your anti aging exercise regimen can give you the benefit of having more speed, power, balance and agility to defy aging.

Anti-aging Foods that Will Make You Younger and Healthier

Being beautiful is having a healthy and glowing skin. Although most people’s physical features are enhanced through cosmetics or surgical methods, beauty that comes naturally is more appreciated. If you have a soft, silky, and moisturized skin, consider yourself as one of the luckiest people in the world to have maintained a healthy skin despite the harmful UV rays.There are plenty of anti-aging products available in the market today to help improve skin condition. However, many nutritionists and health experts suggest that having a beautiful skin actually comes from within. That’s why eating the following anti-aging foods will help you get that attractive and flawless skin you’ve always wanted. 1. Fish and SeafoodFish and other form of seafood contain omega-3 that can improve one’s memory and reduce heart disease. It has lesser amount of fats than meat which can help people lose weight and shed off some pounds. 2. AvocadoAvocado contains Vitamin E which is essential for keeping the skin smooth and refreshed. Vitamin E has proven to be one of the best anti-aging elements. Although this contains fat, the kind of fat (monounsaturated fat) in Avocado actually minimizes the cholesterol level. 3. NutsNuts are rich sources of potassium and zinc and are rich in fiber. These help a person’s immune system work against disease, normalize a person’s digestive system, and improve skin quality. However, consume a controlled amount of nuts as they are high in fat. 4. WaterFinally, water is the best detoxifying agent which can serve as anti-aging supplements. It helps eliminate toxins that make your skin look old.Include these anti-aging foods in your eating habits and you will soon have a healthier and younger looking skin.

Negative Ions: Innovations in Anti-aging, Slimming, and Health

Wrinkles, dark spots, and overall aging skin are problems that people are forced to deal with as they age.  In order to deal with these problems, many people turn to surgery and other painful procedures as they desire that “quick” result.  However, what many people do not realize is that surgery is not the only “quick” solution to looking younger again.  This is only one a many, and really, is one that can be considered “old fashioned”, dangerous, and often unaffordable.

Science and innovation in the world today has resulted in many anti-aging solutions that are quick and pain-free.  One of these is the introduction of negative ion technology.  So what are negative ions?  When I mention the phrase “negative ions” people usually do not know what I am referring to.  To begin with, there are two types of ions: negative and positive.  Positive ions are those that are extremely bad for you skin and cause us all to age faster.  These are the result of the use of electronics such as cell phones and computers, the environment that we live in today, and also UV rays from the sun.  As a result of these positive ions, our skin begins to age and we get wrinkles and dark spots.  On the other hand, negative ions are those ions that are good for our body and our skin.  This is reason that babies have soft skin when they are born; they have not been exposed to excess positive ions and the surface of their skin is perfectly balanced with positive and negative ions.  In order to combat anti-aging, it has been proved that positive and negative ions must be perfectly balanced on the skin.  With this perfect balance, not only does the aging process slow but also wrinkles and dark spots begin to soften and even disappear.Asian countries have been taking advantage of negative ion technology for years and the results have been tremendous.  Not only has the use of negative ion technology resulted in younger looking skin but it has been proven that negative ion technology also helps the body detoxify, helps a person lose both fat and also cellulite, and overall prevents diseases.  The most prolific users of the innovative negative ion technology have been the Japanese.  The effectiveness of the use of negative ion technology has had tremendous results and is one of the reasons that Japan is leading the world in health, wellness, and beauty statistics.  First, Japan has the lowest incidence of cancer in the world. [1]  Secondly, Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world and is established as the country that people can expect to remain in good health the longest as established by the World Health Organization.[2] Thirdly, Japan has the lowest incidence of diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, etc. in the world as established by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.[3] Lastly, it has been shown that “about 24% of people aged 15 and over are considered overweight, compared with 65% in the United States.”[4]

Although the Japanese have been using negative ion technology for a number of years, one of the newest, most popular, and most effective negative ion items to be used in Japan known as the valence Beauty Roller, has recently been introduced to the international market.  There are two types; the Valence Face Beauty Roller and a Valence Body Beauty Roller.  Both of these are able to take advantage of negative ion technology however, one benefits the face and one benefits the body.  The Valence Face Beauty Roller results in younger looking skin, smaller pores, the elimination of wrinkles, the elimination of dark spots, overall tighter looking skin, increase in circulation, elimination of waste water in the face, etc. while the Valence Body Beauty Roller results in the increase of circulation, elimination of cellulite, elimination of fat, increase in metabolism, and a overall healthier body inside and out.

As such, people no longer have to turn to painful and expensive surgical procedures in order to look younger or to look thinner.  The progression of science and innovation has resulted in options that are more effective, painless, and less expensive.

[1] US Census Bureau, International Data Base, 2004

[2] World Health Organization, DALE System Database, 2008

[3] US Census Bureau, International Data Base, 2004

[4] World Health organization, 2006

Copyright 2008 Ryan Yu

Negative Ions: Innovations in Anti-aging, Slimming, and Health

Wrinkles, dark spots, and overall aging skin are problems that people are forced to deal with as they age.  In order to deal with these problems, many people turn to surgery and other painful procedures as they desire that “quick” result.  However, what many people do not realize is that surgery is not the only “quick” solution to looking younger again.  This is only one a many, and really, is one that can be considered “old fashioned”, dangerous, and often unaffordable.

 

Science and innovation in the world today has resulted in many anti-aging solutions that are quick and pain-free.  One of these is the introduction of negative ion technology.  So what are negative ions?  When I mention the phrase “negative ions” people usually do not know what I am referring to.  To begin with, there are two types of ions: negative and positive.  Positive ions are those that are extremely bad for you skin and cause us all to age faster.  These are the result of the use of electronics such as cell phones and computers, the environment that we live in today, and also UV rays from the sun.  As a result of these positive ions, our skin begins to age and we get wrinkles and dark spots.  On the other hand, negative ions are those ions that are good for our body and our skin.  This is reason that babies have soft skin when they are born; they have not been exposed to excess positive ions and the surface of their skin is perfectly balanced with positive and negative ions.  In order to combat anti-aging, it has been proved that positive and negative ions must be perfectly balanced on the skin.  With this perfect balance, not only does the aging process slow but also wrinkles and dark spots begin to soften and even disappear.Asian countries have been taking advantage of negative ion technology for years and the results have been tremendous.  Not only has the use of negative ion technology resulted in younger looking skin but it has been proven that negative ion technology also helps the body detoxify, helps a person lose both fat and also cellulite, and overall prevents diseases.  The most prolific users of the innovative negative ion technology have been the Japanese.  The effectiveness of the use of negative ion technology has had tremendous results and is one of the reasons that Japan is leading the world in health, wellness, and beauty statistics.  First, Japan has the lowest incidence of cancer in the world. [1]  Secondly, Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world and is established as the country that people can expect to remain in good health the longest as established by the World Health Organization.[2] Thirdly, Japan has the lowest incidence of diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, etc. in the world as established by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.[3] Lastly, it has been shown that “about 24% of people aged 15 and over are considered overweight, compared with 65% in the United States.”[4]

 

Although the Japanese have been using negative ion technology for a number of years, one of the newest, most popular, and most effective negative ion items to be used in Japan known as the valence Beauty Roller, has recently been introduced to the international market.  There are two types; the Valence Face Beauty Roller and a Valence Body Beauty Roller.  Both of these are able to take advantage of negative ion technology however, one benefits the face and one benefits the body.  The Valence Face Beauty Roller results in younger looking skin, smaller pores, the elimination of wrinkles, the elimination of dark spots, overall tighter looking skin, increase in circulation, elimination of waste water in the face, etc. while the Valence Body Beauty Roller results in the increase of circulation, elimination of cellulite, elimination of fat, increase in metabolism, and a overall healthier body inside and out.

 

As such, people no longer have to turn to painful and expensive surgical procedures in order to look younger or to look thinner.  The progression of science and innovation has resulted in options that are more effective, painless, and less expensive.

 

[1] US Census Bureau, International Data Base, 2004

 

[2] World Health Organization, DALE System Database, 2008

 

[3] US Census Bureau, International Data Base, 2004

 

[4] World Health organization, 2006

 

Copyright 2008 Ryan Yu