Benefits of Yoga in Everyday Life

The practice of yoga, as well as giving all those attributes that are well known, can also give many helpful benefits in everyday life that do not necessarily belong to the field of yoga.

* Yoga can help cure insomnia, as regular yoga practice leads to better and deeper sleep.

* Yoga can help fight fatigue and maintain your energy throughout the day.

* Yoga is an effective treatment for a variety of autoimmune diseases because it can reduce the symptoms these diseases often cause, such as stiffness, malaise, fatigue, and weakness.

Eight Limbs of Yoga

The practice of yoga is both an art and science, which creates unification of the body and mind with the spirit.Each part ultimately brings completeness to the individual. 

They tend to find their connectivity to the divine. Being a different individual, a person can emphasize one branch and then move on to another according to their understanding.

* Asanas

It is the practice of physical postures and is the most commonly known aspect of yoga. The practice of moving the body into postures helps in improving health, strength, balance and flexibility. On a deeper level, the practice of asana, which means staying or abiding in Sanskrit, is used as a means to calm the mind and move into the inner essence of being.

* Yama

It is known as Moral observances for interactions with others. Broken down into five wise characteristics, they tell us about our fundamental nature that of being compassionate, generous, honest and peaceful. It teaches the directives of Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy) and Aparigraha (non-covetousness)

* Dharana

Immovable concentration of the mind is the underlying principle of Dharana. The essential idea is to hold the concentration or focus of attention in one direction. The mind needs to be stilled in order to achieve this state of complete absorption.

* Niyama

It is known as Moral observances for interactions with yourself. The word itself means rules that are prescribed for personal observance. The niyamas are far more than an attitude, and are more intimate and personal. The directive include Shaucha (internal and external purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (study of religious books and repetitions of Mantras) and Ishvarapranidhana (self-surrender to God, and His worship).

* Pranayama

It controls the energy, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution. Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. It further provides perfect relaxation and balance of body activities are realized. * Pratyahara In yoga, the term pratyahara implies withdrawal of the senses from attachment to external objects. It is most commonly known for sensory inhibition.

* Dhyana

Dhyana focuses on Meditation. It means worship, or profound and abstract religious meditation that involves concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. The concept holds that when one focuses their mind in concentration on an object the mind is changed into the shape of the object.

* Samadhi

It is the final step in the eight-fold path of Yoga. It means pleasurable fascination of one's individual consciousness in the essence of God. Samadhi means to bring together to merge. In this state, the body and senses are at rest, but the faculty of mind and reason are alert.

Women in Yoga in the West

Yoga has now become a very popular activity in the west from last few decades. Very famous Hollywood artists confess their love and passion for this art. Basically, yoga came in contact with the west during the times of Plato and Aristotle who paid ample acknowledgments to Indian values in their arts. 

* These contacts were furthered by Alexander's arrival in India in the third century B.C. The formation of Asiatic Society quite later boosted up the concept of Indian mysticism in west which also included the wonders of yoga. The Yoga was formally introduced in the west through Sanskrit to English or Hindi to English translations of Indian epics.

* Modern Yoga gained momentum in the west after late 1800's after the famous disciples of Swami Vivekananda and other great gurus traveled to west and came in contact of the people of west who also inclined towards this art. Germans were the first people to explore the beauty of the Sanskrit language and Vedic mystery. 

* Scholars like Max Mull immensely contributed in making Indian philosophy popular in west. With time several yoga masters went to west from India and brought popularity to this art in the west. Hatha Yoga then became the most popular form of Yoga in the west. 

* The Hatha Yoga has derived its meaning from 'Ha' of Sun and 'tha' of moon. It is popularly called forceful yoga because it seems to require all the physical exercises of yoga popularly known. It is said to be very balancing form of yoga aimed to balance to opposite forces in the body. 

* The entire art of Hatha yoga is based on basic features of yoga, breathing techniques, postures and energizing the subtle channels. It also aims to increase concentration and balance the energy level in the body.

Top Weight Loss Food

Many people who are desirous to lose weight have to confront with the problems of right food selection for weight reduction.

Weight Loss Foods Rich in Protein

As it is well known that protein is essential for everybody s diet for a variety of bodily functions. It s the major component of all cells, including muscle and bone. Necessity of protein is for growth, development, and immunity to fight off infections and protect the body. The following weight loss food items are considered for good high quality sources of protein: Tuna fish (and most other fish) Turkey Nuts Lean cuts of meat Chicken breast Egg whites 

Weight Loss Foods Rich in Carbohydrate 

Certain amount of carbohydrate is necessary for our body but make sure that it should be complex carbohydrate rather than simple carbohydrate. The following weight loss foods items contain complex carbohydrate: Whole wheat pasta Sweet potatoes Fruits and vegetables Brown rice Yams Oatmeal 100 whole wheat bread Beans .

Weight Loss Foods Rich in Fat

People who are on dieting always scare of fat, but friends remember every diet need fat. Fat is helpful for nerve transmission, nutrient absorption, maintaining cell membrane integrity etc. There are two kinds of fat: good and bad. Monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats are good for health while saturated fats, trans fats are bad. List of food rich in monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats is given below: Peanuts Walnuts (and most other nuts and seeds) Live oil fish (salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, sardines, etc.) Fish oil supplements Avocados

Protein Rich Food

Spread out protein intake throughout the day instead of mega doses just once or twice. A serving of protein along with healthy carbs after a workout is a must to help tired muscles recover.

Here are some tantalizing ways to work protein into your meals and snacks no matter what time of day you exercise. 

Below is a list of foods with the highest protein density, for more information, see the sections on other protein rich foods...

Katrina Kaif Diet And Workout

A healthy mind and a healthy diet is Katrina Kaif's secret behind her perfect figure. Katrina Kaif is the most beautiful actress in Bollywood. Every dress suits her perfect body figure 36-26- 34, with a height around 5′-8″.

This is Katrina Kaif Workout. 

* Swimming

* Jogging

* Gymming

* Yoga

* Meditation

Katrina’s for day starts with 3-4 glass of water then yoga and meditaion.

Katrina Kaif Diet Plan

Katrina’s diet comprises lots of fruits, green salad, grilled fish and vegetables. She simply loves grilled fish and avoids rice due to fat. Her fitness secret is her daily strict routine eat healthy food at right time.

Breakfast Time 

* Brown Bread with peanut butter

* glass low fat milk.

* boiled eggs-white portion only

* Pancakes when traveling

Lunch Time 

Katrina is not fussy about eating, rather she prefers low oil food, with very less fat.

* Green dressed salad

* Brown rice

* Grilled fish

Dinner Time 

There is no set menu for Kat’s dinner, she tries not to overeat and eat lighter before bedtime. It mainly includes

* Oil less food

* Avoids starch food

* Has completely left chicken

* Has normal and light dinner

Shilpa Shetty Fitness Secrets Yoga

* The Perfect 10 girl has what it takes simply by her diet and exercises. Shilpa swears by yoga. She even teaches yoga, she is that kind of expert in it.

* She strictly adheres to her yoga routine. She is aware how yoga enhances concentration, how body maintains its flexibility and agility. With practice, the postures will improve and breathe control will be effortless. She uses yoga to release stress and tension and to increase vitality.

* She knows how to maintain a perfect blend of exercises and how to maintain the female figure that is accentuated by curves. At 33, she may not be getting any younger, but to look at her and her skin glowing, you would not believe she is 33.

* Surprisingly, she loves eating out and goes for Chinese and Japanese food. But careful that she is, she does not go beyond sashimi or seaweed salad. She might add black cod and some sou.

Smoking Effects

Most people know that smoking can cause lung cancer, but it can also cause many other cancers and illnesses.The effects of smoking on human health are serious and in many cases, deadly. There are approximately 4000 chemicals in cigarettes, hundreds of which are toxic. The ingredients in cigarettes affect everything from the internal functioning of organs to the efficiency of the body's immune system. The effects of cigarette smoking are destructive and widespread.

Whenever you smoke your heart speeds up, from 10 to 20 beats per minute. The blood vessels constrict, or tighten, so that blood pressure goes up 5 to 10 points. The temperature of the skin drops by 6 degrees Fahrenheit (that's because the blood is rushing to the heart, where it would be needed in a real crisis) The level of blood sugar, the body's store of energy, falls, because the blood sugar is being burned up in a stressed out reaction. The hypothalamus, which regulates hunger, gets a “speed-up” message, so the appetite falls too.

Effects of smoking

• Smoking raises blood pressure, which can cause hypertension (high blood pressure) - a risk factor for heart attacks and stroke.

• Couples who smoke are more likely to have fertility problems than couples who are non-smokers.

• Smoking worsens asthma and counteracts asthma medication by worsening the inflammation of the airways that the medicine tries to ease.

• The blood vessels in the eye are sensitive and can be easily damaged by smoke, causing a bloodshot appearance and itchiness.

• Heavy smokers are twice as likely to get macular degeneration, resulting in the gradual loss of eyesight.

• Smokers run an increased risk of cataracts.

• Smokers take 25 per cent sicker day’s year than non-smokers.

• Smoking stains your teeth and gums.

• Smoking increases your risk of periodontal disease, which causes swollen gums, bad breath and teeth to fall out.

• Smoking causes an acid taste in the mouth and contributes to the development of ulcers.

• Smoking also affects your looks: smokers have paler skin and more wrinkles. This is because smoking reduces the blood supply to the skin and lowers levels of vitamin A.

Do your very best to stay away from cigarettes as much as possible, After dinner, instead of a cigarette, treat yourself to a cup of mint tea or a peppermint candy. Have a healthy life.