Want to find the best yoga mat for you? Yoga mats come in many shapes and sizes. Let’s discover how to find your perfect mat.

Do You Prefer a Natural or Man-Made Mat?

Yoga mats come in two primary materials: man-made, and natural fiber.

There are many different types of man-made fibers used in yoga mats. As a rule of thumb, and as you might suspect, the better the quality and thickness of the man-made fiber mat, the more expensive it is.

Natural fiber mats come in many forms: jute, cork and cotton fibers are common. Some Kundalini yoga devotees prefer a mat made of sheepskin.

Benefits of Man-Made Fiber in Yoga Mats

The cheapest man-made types of mat (plastic) are not a good choice. You’ll be spending a lot of time touching the mat, and breathing the fumes that are released from some of these plastic mats. The fumes can be harmful to your health; some may even contain cancer-causing agents. So steer clear of these thin, inexpensive mats.

However, the quality man-made mats are an excellent choice. A mat made of quality man-made fiber has these benefits: it will last you for years, you can clean it easily, and you can store it without the fiber deteriorating.

Some “sticky” man-made fiber mats are excellent for beginning yoga students, because they ensure that you stay in a pose without sliding and hurting yourself.

Benefits of Natural Fibers in Yoga Mats

While cotton and rubber yoga mats last for years, some natural fiber mats made of materials like jute or cork tend to deteriorate over time. This may not worry you; you can always replace the mat.

Here are the benefits if natural fiber yoga mats: they’re environmentally friendly, and since no chemicals are released from them, allow you to practice your yoga with confidence. Cotton yoga mats are less expensive too, so if price is a concern, your cotton yoga mat is good value.

Which yoga mat will you choose? If you’re taking yoga classes, ask your teacher which kinds of mats she recommends for you, or visit a store and sniff — avoid any yoga mat which releases fumes.

Enrich your life with yoga today

Read Yoga for the New You and discover everything you need to create a yoga practice right in your own home. Transform your life with yoga.

[tags]yoga,yoga mats,yoga equipment[/tags]

Think you’d enjoy yoga but don’t know where to start? Yoga can change your life. It’s much more than a simple exercise regime.

You may be put off trying yoga because you feel it’s too difficult. However, the three yoga poses in this article are so simple that anyone can do them, even children.

1. Mountain Pose — Improve Your Posture, Feel Great

The first pose, Mountain Pose looks too simple to be of much benefit to anyone as an “exercise.” Anyone can stand up straight, can’t they? When you try the exercise however, you’ll find that its very simplicity is challenging.

This pose just asks you to stand straight, with your toes lightly touching and your heels slightly apart. Your arms hang down; be aware of your shoulder blades, which are spread and pushed down your back.

Your head is lifted, but not stiff. Imagine that there’s a string at the crown of your head, pulling your entire body upward.

The challenge of this pose is to be perfectly relaxed, and yet aware of your body.

Stay in the pose for at least a minute, or as long as you like, breathing easily without strain.

Even a minute or two in Mountain Pose is a relaxing break, and relieves stress.

2. Forward Bends for Stress Relief

Forward bends can be done standing or sitting.

You can do a standing forward bend anywhere.

Start by standing in Mountain Pose, perfectly relaxed.

Bend forward from your hips, reaching down with your legs straight (don’t lock your knees) until your fingertips, or your hands, touch the floor.

Breathe normally, and relax in the pose.

Inhale, and as you exhale, try to bend forward more into the pose. Relax your head and neck.

Stay in the pose for a minute or two, and then lift out of the pose on an inhalation.

3. Downward-facing Dog — Calms, and Energizes

Downward-facing Dog is another pose you can do anywhere.

Get down onto the floor on your hands and knees. Your knees should be directly under your hips, with your hands slightly forward of your shoulders.

On an exhalation, lift your knees and straighten your legs without locking your knees. Lift your hips toward the ceiling.

Stay in the pose for a minute or two, breathing evenly. Relax.

Come out of the pose by bending your knees until you’re on your hands and knees again.

Enrich your life with yoga today

Read Yoga for the New You and discover everything you need to create a yoga practice right in your own home. Transform your life with yoga.

[tags]yoga,yoga poses,yoga positions,yoga exercises[/tags]

Whether you’re a high-powered executive or an administrative assistant with your boss’s problems becoming your own, many people in the business world experience an inordinate amount of stress at the office.

It would be nice to have a quiet place to practice conventional yoga techniques, but that isn’t always possible.

Yoga experts have devised a way for you to do a short yoga program right at your desk. Try these exercises to de-stress at the office.

* Sit up tall in your chair, or if possible stand up. Stretch your arms overhead and interlock your fingers, turn the palms to the ceiling. Take a deep breathe in and on the exhale extend your side torso and take the tips of the shoulder blades into the body. Take another deep breathe and on the exhale stretch to the right, inhale come up and exhale stretch to the left.

On an inhale, lift your shoulders up to your ears and then exhale and let them drop. Repeat 3 times. Contract the shoulder muscle fully when you lift your shoulders up and then on the drop it will release more completely.

* Stand (or sit at your desk) with your feet planted firmly in the ground.

Inhale and raise the arms out to the side, palms down. Exhale and rotate the palms up, rolling the shoulders back. Take an inhale and on the exhale, bend the elbows in toward the waist.

Inhale and on the exhale bring the palms to the belly. This exercise helps to open the chest and extend the upper back.

Take your hands behind your back and interlock the fingers, stretching the shoulders back, opening the chest. Take several breaths. Make sure that your head stays in the mid-line and that your eye gaze is on the horizon.

* Stand by the wall, extend your right arm and place the palm on the wall with the fingers up. On an exhale, turn your chest away, taking the shoulder blade into the torso.

* Stand by your desk and place your palms on the desk top with the fingers pointing toward your body. Gently stretch the lower arm and wrist.

* Wrap the right arm around the torso and place your right hand on the left shoulder with the elbow at chest height and facing forward. Put your left hand on the right elbow and on an exhale, stretch it toward the left, opening between the shoulder blades. Hold for several breaths and then release. Repeat on the other side.

* Reach the right arm into the air and on an exhale bend the elbow and reach your fingers down the back, between the shoulder blades. Place the left hand on the elbow and on an exhale gently pull the elbow to the left. Relax the ribs and hold for several breaths. Release and repeat on the other side.

*Hug your arms around your chest and then put one elbow underneath the other, the hand facing toward each other and fingers to the ceiling. Exhale and slowly raise the arms so that the elbows come up to the height of the shoulder, keep the shoulders down. Repeat on the other side.

* Sit on your chair and pull back away from the desk, resting your palms on the desk top and extend your side torso. Lift the ribs up, let the shoulder blades slide towards the desk, and make sure the head is extended from the spine with the chin towards the chest.

* Sit on your chair, feet planted firmly in the floor, sitting bones pressing into the chair. Extend the side torso, and twist to the right (on an exhale), one hand on back to chair, one hand on the side of the chair. Hold for a few breaths and then repeat the other side.

* Sit forward on your chair and open the legs a little wider than the hips. Lean forward from the hips and drop your torso down. Let the head and arms hang down toward the floor.

* Sit upright in your chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Press your sitting bones down into the chair and extend the side torso. Relax your shoulders.

Place your palms on your knees and spread the fingers wide. Take a deep breath in and on the exhale extend your tongue to your chin; focus your eyes to your nose. Inhale and bring the tongue back into the mouth. Exhale and stick the tongue out again and this time focus the eyes up to your forehead. Repeat 3 times.

* Sit upright on chair, relax your shoulders and extend the side torso up. Relax your facial muscles, the jaw and tongue. Circle the eyes clockwise 8 times and counter-clockwise 8 times. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few slow breaths.

You may want to try a quick relaxation meditation to wrap up this session just as a way to refresh and regroup.

Yoga can be used for more than simple de-stressing. It can also be used to alleviate the symptoms of everyday ailments without the use of medication.

Enrich your life with yoga today

Read Yoga for the New You and discover everything you need to create a yoga practice right in your own home. Transform your life with yoga.

[tags]stress relief,yoga,yoga poses,yoga positions,yoga exercises,desktop yoga[/tags]