Choosing the Best Yoga Pants

October 8th, 2014

Yoga pants can be worn for running errands, workouts and traveling. It is important to choose the right yoga pants that are functional and comfortable, while maintaining your fashion practicality and sense. Here are a few tips on choosing the best yoga pants.

Yoggie Pants ChecklistChoosing the right yoga pants

Look at the material

Quality yoga pants are light and moisture resistant to help you get a good workout. You can examine the materials by pinching it between your figures. An exceptional material feels sleek, it does not feel rough or rugged. Avoid clothes that are made out of pure cotton as they hold body moisture, making you feel heavy and uncomfortable. Instead, select soft blended material that wick moisture way from the body and therefore leave a cool feel over the body.
Choose the right size

Practicing yoga requires the body to stretch and bend in different poses, making it crucial to wear the right size. Avoid pants that are advertised as one size fits all, your body deserves a fit that is precise and flattering. Choose yoga pants that fit well around the waist and stay slightly fit throughout the leg. If you have a slender body size, you should consider a more fitted style while ensuring that the pants are not too tight around the waist.

Freedom to move

Yoga pants should be breathable, allowing you the freedom of movement so that you can perform stretching exercises comfortably. It is important to try doing some jumping jacks before purchasing yoga pants, and if pants are uncomfortable leave them and choose something better.

Pants styles and yoga practices

Many types of yoga classes are available. More powerful forms like Ashtanga yoga and Vinyasa yoga require a lot of movement, so putting on a pair of tights or tighter fitting pants allows you the freedom of movement without considering looser fitting pant styles when riding up in various poses.  Read more about Vinyasa yoga from Lululemmon here. The fit of your yoga pants makes a great difference in the overall advancement of exercise, as you focus on the poses as opposed to adjusting your pants.

Colors

You should focus on choosing the best colors. Black and gray are the best colors for yoga pants. Black and gray colors are less revealing. Sweat stains are also more difficult to see in black and gray yoga pants.

Above All Choose Comfort

Choose yoga pants that are of comfortable and quality fabric and do not go for fancy ones with strings or too many fastenings. Be sure the set is well fitted, has elasticity and good color.

All About Prenatal Yoga

September 12th, 2014

When you’re expecting a child, whether it’s your first or your fourth, you are no doubt concerned about your health and your baby’s health during your pregnancy. It can be difficult to stay physically active and remain fit during pregnancy as changing hormones, energy levels, and weight make your normal fitness routines challenging, if not dangerous. Prenatal yoga is an increasingly popular choice for mothers-to-be, but what is it? More importantly, what are its benefits? Read the rest of this entry »

Yoga for kids

September 10th, 2014

People are becoming increasingly more aware of the many benefits of yoga on health. Not only is yoga a great way to tone the body, improve balance and lose weight (read about yoga and weight loss here), but it’s amazing for relieving stress, as well. There is yoga for stress relief, yoga for people with disabilities, and even yoga for senior citizens. One thing that people may have never considered is that yoga may be very beneficial for children, as well. Read the rest of this entry »

8 Tips For Practicing Yoga At Home

August 8th, 2014

Woman Practicing Yoga At HomeYoga has been associated with many benefits (see here for benefits), and developing a personal yoga practice in your home is a convenient way to ensure optimal physical and mental health. By following a few tips, you can enjoy the benefits of yoga in the comfort and privacy of your home. Read the rest of this entry »

5 ways yoga can help you lose weight

August 7th, 2014

Woman practicing yoga You would like to lose some weight and you’re considering yoga.  Maybe you’re considering yoga because cardio just isn’t your cup of tea, or maybe because the idea of centering yourself and finding inner peace with yoga while getting in shape seems appealing.

Or maybe it just seems less of a “workout.” While yoga is clearly different than a cardio workout, make no mistake – it’s still a workout. But a workout with many benefits; benefits that include weight loss and getting in shape.

So what are the 5 ways that yoga can help you to lose weight? See below and prepare to be amazed. Read the rest of this entry »

Ira Riklis Relaunches Yoga Blog

August 1st, 2014

Over the last number of months I have decided to dedicate my time to sharing my knowledge online. As a result I have developed a hobby blog series that caters to different interests. As you will see there are over 10 different hobby blogs and if you have an interest in them I would encourage you to go check them out. One of the blogs is obviously this one! The Ira Riklis Yoga blog. I will be contributing a number of posts here in the coming months so please do enjoy.

Humor Blog http://irariklis-humor.com
Trivia Blog http://www.irariklis-trivia.com
Yoga Blog http://www.ira-riklis.org
Tel Aviv Blog http://www.irariklis-telaviv.com
Travel Blog http://www.irariklis.com
Charity Blog http://iradriklis.com
Food Blog http://irariklisfood.com
Health Blog http://healthirariklis.com
Car Blog http://irarikliscarblog.com
History Blog http://irariklishistory.com
Technology Blog http://riklis.com

Why One To One Pilates Sessions Are A Real Personal Investment For Your Body

March 14th, 2013

From seasoned yoga enthusiasts to celebrity personal trainers, it seems like everyone is raving about the endless benefits of Pilates. This popular exercise programme doesn’t simply help you burn off excess calories – regular sessions will strengthen your core and improve your balance, co-ordination and flexibility. High profile celebs such as Cheryl Cole and Madonna have been singing its praises for a number of years now, but if you’re entirely new to the concept of Pilates, exactly how do you follow their lead and start to incorporate the programme into your routine? 

If you just want to give it a try, we’d naturally recommend popping along to a local gym or Pilates studio for a group taster session. However, Pilates devotees are developing a noticeable penchant for one to one coaching sessions instead. Why, we hear you ask? Well, here are five reasons why we believe attending one to one Pilates classes will help you see quicker results and will ultimately be a valuable long-term investment for your mind and body.

1.       Getting Initiated With Pilates Will Be A Breeze

There’s nothing more daunting than walking into a new exercise class for the first time, especially if you’re relatively new to the gym or have decided to brave a session without the support of a friend. You may feel as though the class is moving too quick for you or, even worse, you could slip into bad habits from day one if no-one is at hand to keep you on top form. So why not banish your anxiety altogether and opt to work with a Pilates coach on a one-to-one basis instead?

Working closely with a trained instructor means you’ll be given the very best introduction to Pilates possible. You’ll soon feel your first-time nerves disappear as you begin to understand how everything works and discover exactly how the programme is going to benefit you.

2.       You’ll Get To Know The Specialist Equipment At Your Own Pace

Sticking to mat work won’t necessarily give you the results you need. To really feel like you’re getting the most from your session, you’ll need to start using some of your studio’s specialist equipment. Your personalised induction will teach you how to use this equipment with confidence and you’ll feel more comfortable with using some of the scary-looking machines, from the fairly basic ladder barrel to the elegant yet complex Reformer. Learning exactly how to approach each piece of equipment (and use it to your advantage) is invaluable, as you’ll be able to draw upon this knowledge as your Pilates programme evolves.

3.       You’ll Receive a Tailored Exercise Programme That Will Meet Your Individual Needs

Another great thing about booking a personalised Pilates session is the fact that your instructor will be able to carry out a comprehensive fitness assessment before you even begin to exercise. He or she will be able to discuss any health conditions or other limitations that might prevent you from performing certain moves and, best of all, will be able to help you work out exactly what you want to achieve from your Pilates classes. It sounds simple, but knowing which exercises are going to help you achieve your goals will keep you motivated if you’re lacking enthusiasm or having a particularly difficult session.

4.       You Will Be Able To Use Pilates as a Means of Rehabilitation

If you’ve been struggling to recover from a recent injury, you may benefit from regular sessions with a Pilates-trained physiotherapist. Plenty of physios are tapping into the benefits of Pilates as an effective means of therapy alongside traditional rehabilitation techniques. This means that more and more specialists are combining these skills and earning qualifications in both fields simultaneously. Whether you’ve recently sprained your ankle or suffer from chronic back pain, you’ll be confident that all of the exercises your instructor asks you to do will strengthen your body, not aggravate the problem even further. The Australian Institute of Physiotherapy and Pilates (APPI), train physiotherapists to teach Pilates and have an excellent high quality training school, turning out highly trained Pilates instructors, with the benefit of Physiotherapy back grounds.

5.       Your Instructor Will Push You Harder Than You’ll Ever Push Yourself!

Why do so many people prefer to work with a personal trainer? Because they want to train hard, of course! Your Pilates instructor will be at hand to recognise when they need to take your session up a notch and will introduce new and exciting exercises and techniques when they believe you’re ready to cope with them. Your session will never be dull and the constant variety will encourage you to keep coming back for more, plus having an expert by your side every step of the way will inspire you to push your body just that little bit harder. This will typically result in noticeable results in a much quicker timeframe.

Gina Jenson worked as a personal trainer in a previous life. She now spends her time writing insightful fitness articles for the online community on behalf of the Stretch clinic, which offers one-to-one Pilates classes in Chelmsford for those who want to reap the benefits of this exercise with the right training and direction.

Using An Adrenalin Rush To Combat Stress: Extreme Sports

March 1st, 2013

 

You know when your stress levels are too high – your heart rate starts to race, your skin becomes clammy, your breath become a little shorter and you start breathing more rapidly. It’s a horrible feeling, you become overwhelmed with how much you need to get done and just how little time there is to do it. All of this stress builds up and goes nowhere. Our bodies and brains are telling us through their stress responses to get out of the situation that we are in as fast as we can, but instead we battle on against what is essentially a fight of flight response by our bodies to get us out of a harmful situation, and continue to make ourselves steadily worse, until stress levels become a health issue. The way that we combat this stress, deal with it and reduce it enough so that we can function normally again varies between individuals, people either choose to slow down and relax it all away, or others choose to put the adrenalin of stress to some use.

A Choice of Two Camps

When it comes to finding an avenue to deal with your stress there are basically two camps, two schools of thought that you could fall into. Prescription drugs are not classed as a separate camp here, as they could be used by everyone regardless of the other methods of stress chosen. The first school of thought asks us to slow down, to still our minds and regain control of our bodies. This is achieved through relaxation exercises and meditations. It asks us to reconnect with ourselves and find a sense of balance that will help us to move forwards and give us the tools we need to deal with stressful situations as they arise. The other group, well they have a different attitude, to them the stress must be met head on and released the only way that they know how.

Adrenalin Fuelled Sports

Ask an adrenalin junkie how he deals with stress and he will probably say something along the lines of he scares the crap out of it. The thrill that the build up to performing some kind of extreme sport provides is akin to the way that you feel when you are suffering from a build up of stress. But unlike when we are dealing with stress, there is no release. Extreme sports provide that release. All of the adrenalin that has been coursing around the body finds a way to be released through what could be sheer fear or extreme exhilaration, either way it finds a way out of the body before it causes any harm. The exhilaration of performing the sport releases feel good endorphins in the brain and the adrenalin junkie is one happy bunny.

An extreme release like this won’t work for everyone, but if meditation, yoga and relaxation exercises are really not your thing, try doing some stress busting with an extreme sport, and find a release for all of that pent up stress.

Mark Adamson is a renowned author and frequent speaker on all things sports and exercise – Mark regularly visits Puddle Ducks for more information on sport and exercise for children.

Beware of the crocodile

June 6th, 2009


So my sage words of wisdom today are this…if you are ever in a yoga class and they mention the pose crocodile, also called Chaturanga Dandasana, it’s not that big of a deal. No worries. If they start to mention moving or jumping in crocodile be afraid, be very afraid. Yoga is not supposed to be a contact sport. And by contact I’m referring to the contact of my face and the floor.

Well, it started out as a rather wonderful class. Then our teacher demonstrated this pose and the little voice popped into my head. Now maybe folks who are more advanced, or more well know, than I (like Erica Taxin Bleznak or Ira Riklis or Stephen Cope) can do this pose. But I can report that I, for now, cannot.

Getting into the basic crocodile is pretty easy. I’ve got above average arm strength, I thought. It was the moving forward in small jumps that was the tricky part. Then moving backward. I did it about two of three times then I noticed the lead feeling move in. Not one cell in my body had any semblance of levity left in it. But I pushed on ignoring that little voice that was saying “You need to stop NOW! ” The little voice as not really very little actually. It was not a whisper, it was a shout. Yet I still ignored it.

It wasn’t the pain (that set in later) it was the cracking sound that disturbed me the most. It’s rather surprising to realize your face has just smacked against the floor. I do not have a small flat nose and I have intentionally avoided contact sport all of my life for exactly this reason. That little pointed protrusion know as my nose took a real hit head on.

So the moral of the story–I will not be trying that again any time soon–at least not more than once. Perhaps Ira Riklis or Erika can give me some tips (like donning a full face mask before trying it) that might make for a better result next time. At least with a “face injury” you can still do yoga.

Being prepared for who might be there

May 27th, 2009

You just never know when you live in Vail who might walk into your yoga class. That nice looking older lady just might be a famous movie star (sorry, I don’t watch TV enough to know any more. My last favorite star was Ally McBeal in my pre-children TV watching days!)  Well, I guess I was so zen that even I did not notice until a friend informed me AFTER class that Marlo Thomas and Ira Riklis were in the class. (I had wondered if he did yoga if you remember.)

I really do need to get a life but to me yoga is yoga and even if I had know I probably wouldn’t have done anything any way. I do think Marlo is pretty cool for all of the work she has done with the hospital that she is associated with. So perhaps I might have asked about doing yoga with kids in the hospital.

Ira Riklis does have a cool movie out so perhaps he’d need to have a fabulous teacher do yoga on the set with the crew for his next movie. Or how about a reality yoga movie about the drama of yoga teacher training. Those camera crews might just sully the experience of the training though, so maybe not.

Perhaps next week in class I’ll take a closer look. I think I heard that Harrison Ford spends time in Vail…