...s always a way. Don't allow your chattering mind or your fragile ego to keep you from discovering the treasures you'll find through yoga. Yoga is accessible to everybody. All you need to do is make a decision to go for it.

Regardless of your physical ability, yoga can be adapted to be accessible to you. If you are physically challenged, you can do yoga seated in a chair. Even those who are bedridden can do yoga and we can all benefit greatly from "pranayama," the yoga of the breath.

Too busy? Weave it into your day with seated stretches at your computer, in the airplane, or while standing in line at the bank. Yoga can be subtle, internal and powerful. As you might suspect, I never take "No" for an answer. There's always a way to do yoga.

Here are a few tips to ease your entry into the world of yoga:

The first step is commitment. My first yoga class was a rude wake-up call. Every injury I'd ever had was talking to me. I thought I was in pretty good shape at 44, but my body's ability to do those poses was beyond discouraging... I hated it. There was voice inside my head that screamed, "Get me outta here!" But there was a more persistent little voice inside of me that said, "You don't have to like this, just do it." I knew, on some level, that I'd be really sorry if I quit so I made a deal with myself to keep going back to yoga class twice a week for a month. No judgments, no analyzing, no deciding "like it or not." So I pre-paid the classes and took my body to yoga class. After that month, I was hooked. I highly recommend this approach... It changed my life.

Once you get yourself into yoga class, the next biggest challenge is self-acceptance. A yoga teacher of mine once said, "Begin where you are and stay there." Wise words, and a big relief! After all, there's no other place to start than by accepting ourselves right where we are and realizing that we'll never be exactly there again. Every yoga practice is different because we are different, day-to-day, and minute-to-minute. One of the basic lessons we learn from a yoga practice is not to judge ourselves. For most of us, that's a hard one. Our culture trains us to be competitive. We want to compare ourselves with each other, with the teacher, and especially with our image of what we think we should be able to do. If you want to enjoy your yoga practice, judge not! Watch yourself from the inside; explore the sensations and the new feelings. Experience yourself from the inside out.

Another big hurdle i...more

Practice Yoga for Anger Management

...nce we know the answer, we can work toward a solution.

Depending upon the exact source of our anger, there could be a Yoga technique to solve it. If the problem is anxiety, while in a crowd or traffic jam, we can work on Yoga breathing techniques. In some cases, we may want to work on our Yoga breathing (Pranayama) - before we get into the car.

Attending Yoga classes will bring your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being into focus. You will learn Yogic relaxation techniques at the end of most Yoga classes.

You will also become much more aware of being short of breath, chest pains, feeling over anxious, heart palpitations, and any other unhealthy side effects that can be ass...more

Even for Asthma, Yoga can be Helpful

...sed on my research, experience and practice, the following poses will definitely be stand-outs in aiding asthma victims in controlling and correcting their respiratory health.

-The Shoulder-Stand

This pose belongs to the category known as inversion poses. Being that a practitioner is literally upside-down, inversion poses in yoga drain excess mucus from the lungs and balance the immune system.

The Shoulder-stand (aka Savangasana :All members Pose) has been coined by several Yoga sages as a near panacea or cure-all, as far as Asthma is concerned, it is indeed very helpful in regards to relieving excess encumbrances in the respiratory organs and owing to its deep breathing, it increases the lungs airflow, capacity, stamina and efficiency.

The Shoulder-stand pose has 2 main counter-poses: the Bridge and the Fish poses. They are indeed very simple to execute and as a matter of fact, the very last pose (the fish pose) is one of the specific ...more

Learning Yoga Postures For Increased Health And Vitality

...f yoga postures until your body adjusts and you are able to complete them independently. You will often begin with a series of stretching exercises to help limber your body for more complicated postures to come. You will notice improved flexibility soon after beginning yoga postures; the rewards come quickly.

If you want to try some yoga postures in the privacy of your own home, you have access to a number of DVDs and videos on the market today. These inexpensive purchases offer little in the way of long term commitment so this can be a safe way to explore yoga postures.

However, always be sure to c...more

My Yoga Mat