From a yogic perspective, life is all about creating and maintaining balance and harmony within your life. It is a fine art and your body is constantly making minor adjustments throughout your day to retain some sort of balance and ease in your body.

The more time you spend practicing yoga/meditation, the easier it becomes for your body to make these adjustments. Yoga encourages a sense of body awareness and body alignment. For instance, have you ever eaten just for the sake of eating or eaten something because you believe it wasteful to throw food away? The more in-tune you become with your body, the easier it is for you to know when to stop eating and, how much food to put on your plate.

Being overweight can be attributed by physiological factors or reaction to medical treatment. However, in a lot of cases, being overweight is due to psychological rather than physical causes. You eat foods out of habit, have poor eating habits or comfort eat.

Inner beauty and self-love form the basis of all yoga weight lose programmes.

The greater your sense of inner beauty and appreciation of your uniqueness, the easier it becomes for you to be in tune with what foods to eat which strengthen and heal your body and; what exercise programmes to follow regularly which make you feel better and help to tone up your body and reduce body fat.

The three yoga exercises are simple to do. They are given purely to support, guide and kick-start you into feeling the benefits of yoga. Hopefully you will be inspired you to join a regular yoga class…yeah!!!

Try and include the following three yoga exercises into your daily routine. The poses will:

*stretch the posterior muscles which support the abdomen, hips and waist, thus increasing the tone of the abdominal and pelvic organs.

* loosen and reduce unhealthy and unnessary fatty tissue.

* help to reduce constipation and induce natural, regular elimination.

1. Gentle Spinal Twist

* Sit on the floor with your legs crossed. Or sit on a chair, with both feet resting on the floor.

* Place your left hand on your right knee.

* Extend your right arm out to the side, shoulder height.

* Inhale.

* As you exhale, twist to the right bringing your right arm around behind your back and resting your right hand on your left inner thigh, if you can reach that far.

* Look over your right shoulder. Take 3 – 5 rounds of deep yogic breathing, breathing deep into the stretch. Keep your shoulders relax and chin parallel to the floor.

* Exhale and slowly come out of the pose.

* Repeat the pose on the opposite side -by twisting to the left.

2. Wind Relieving Pose

* Lie on your back.

* Hug your knees in towards your chest.

* Keep your chin slightly tucked in so your neck is lengthened on the floor.

* Hold the position and breathe slowly and deeply. Feel your spine lengthen and breathe into the stretch. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Take 3 – 5 rounds of deep yogic breathing.

* Let go of your legs and arms and rest on the floor. Repeat the sequence 3 -5 times.

3. Inner Thigh Stretch

* Sit on the floor with your legs spread out into a V position, as wide as is comfortable.

* Inhale and sit up straight.

* Exhale and lean forward as you slowly walk your hands out away from you and gradually lower your chest towards the floor.

* Take 3 -5 rounds of deep yogic breathing, enjoy the stretch, try and keep your legs flat on the floor, toes pointing up. relax your jaw and smile.

* Slowly walk your hands back up. Relax and repeat the practice 3 – 5 more times.

Take your time, eat well and practice these 3 yoga postures. Over a period of, say, 3 months pf regular practice and healthy eating, you will gradually tone up and start to lose weight.

“And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to my Special Report “Yoga Exercises and Breathing Exercises to Ease You Into Your Day” when you visit http://www.yogainspires.co.uk/pages/ntathusfreeyogaandmeditationtips.php – Start your day with a smile, a relaxed body and a more peaceful mind.”

From Ntathu Allen – Sivananda Yoga Teacher and Registered Polarity Therapist.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ntathu_Allen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Specific-Yoga-Exercises-To-Lose-Weight—3-Yoga-Postures-To-Do-At-Home&id=2413531

One of the many advantages to practicing Yoga is that it can be done by anyone of any age in just about any location. There’s no need for a lot of special equipment or accessories; especially for the beginner.

Many students find that as they continue to practice, there are a few items which enhance practice and make it even more enjoyable.

• What to wear

Yoga students find that it’s best to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Shoes are not necessary; in fact the tradition is to practice Yoga in bare feet. However, soft shoes or socks work very well; especially if you are doing your Yoga outside or in a cold room

• Nourishment

Doing poses with an empty stomach will result in the maximum benefit. The recommendation is to not eat for at least three hours previous to beginning the session. Sinuses should be free and, ideally, bowels should be empty.

Drinking a glass of warm water about a quarter of an hour before you begin will put your body in an ideal state of hydration. Because fluids slow down the cleansing effect, it is best to NOT drink any fluids during the Yoga session. If this is not possible, and you find you are thirsty during the exercises, you may take small amounts of water during the session.

• Equipment

There are a number of props, which can be used to help the Yoga student, especially the beginner, attain more advanced poses. Straps, pillows, mats and blankets are all available to enhance the Yoga experience.

• YOGA MAT

A Yoga mat can be extremely beneficial to use while doing your poses. While it is not necessary, many students find a mat to be essential because Yoga studios often have hard floors. A good mat, made with foam, keeps elbows and knees protected from bruising. Also, it makes a good barrier between your spine and the wood or concrete.

Another plus is helping you keep your balance during poses that require standing. It’s important to purchase a mat which offers good adherence to the floor; this will ensure you don’t slip.

• YOGA BOLSTERS

These are big “Yoga pillows” and they’re great for taking the pressure off your neck and back. Used behind the knees during bending poses, and between the knees when lying on your side, these are of great use to enable you to maintain more difficult poses. They are especially helpful for people who are limited in movement due to disability or injury.

• YOGA BLANKET

The detoxification benefits of Yoga are due to body heat. This energy heat is what cleanses the body. A Yoga blanket, used at the end of the session keeps the body at the temperature level necessary to ensure you receive the maximum heat benefit.

• YOGA STRAPS

Think of these as a type of arm extension. With the help of straps, even beginning students can attain more advanced postures. These assist with all types of poses, including twists, balancing, reclining and relaxing. Most of these are made from cotton or nylon.

None of the equipment noted above is necessary for practicing Yoga. Using any or all of these will allow students to attain postures properly by safely modifying the poses.

If you are new to Yoga, begin with a quality Yoga mat and check with your instructor to find out what will be used in the class. As you progress, you will become familiar with the use of these accessories and you can determine

• IN CLOSING

Your props and equipment are not essential for practice, but they can make your life easier and your practice more enjoyable. Unlike other activities, there is no need to go out and get special gear unless you want to. Yoga is for everyone!

Double your flexibility in 28 days using YOGABODY Naturals Flexibility Kit. Bikram Yoga Poses are not enough… you need Gravity Poses and 6 specific nutrients to improve your stretching flexibility fast! http://www.yogabodynaturals.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Renning
http://EzineArticles.com/?Yoga-Poses—Basic-Yoga-Equipment&id=1207255