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Well known for its ability to bring down your stress levels, promote flexibility and build and tone lean muscle, yoga is less known for its equally powerful ability to speed up weight loss. You may not have heard yoga mentioned in this context, but it can be a great way to burn off calories.

Traditional yoga is not an extremely active pursuit. While it conditions and tones your muscles, you're not likely to work up a sweat during a yoga session. However, the fact that your muscles are being given a workout means your body is utilizing calories more effectively. This means that a regimen of aerobic exercise in tandem with yoga will produce better results than if you were not doing yoga alongside of aerobic exercise.

An important component of yoga is discipline of mind and body, which will help you stay committed to your exercise program and healthy eating habits. It enhances the relationship between the mind and body, giving you the motivation to take better care of yourself. Those who want to lose weight often suffer from the difficulty of getting motivated in the first place, so yoga can be very beneficial here.

If you plan on using yoga by itself to help you drop some pounds, there are some new variations on the traditional practice of yoga that might be quite helpful. These yoga styles can provide the advantages of both yoga and aerobic exercise in one package. Following are some of the most popular.

Vinyasa - Vinyasa yoga is focused on changing from one asana (pose) to another while simultaneously doing yogic breathing. The Sun Salutation is a typical position, but there are many others besides. Vinyasa yoga is often practiced in a heated room to encourage sweating.

Ashtanga - Ashtanga is a complex style of yoga that includes six different series of poses. These increase gradually in complexity, so you should start at the beginning and learn as you go.

Power yoga - This is an Americanized version of yoga. It combines faster, more active movements with traditional yoga breathing techniques. It will give you many of the benefits of a cardiovascular workout such as increasing heart rate and working up a sweat, much more so than traditional styles of yoga.

There is less of a conventional workout in these forms of yoga than say, an aerobics class, but they give you the best of both worlds. And for those who don't have the time to participate in two separate workout programs, they can be a great option.

On the surface, aerobics and yoga have few similarities. But traditional yoga can enhance the effects of more intense workouts, and these newly popular styles of yoga can give you the best of both worlds. If other workout routines have left you disappointed, adding or switching to yoga might be the answer you're looking for

Kathryn Merrow is a treasure trove of information on this issue.
Here is a post I discovered on her blog.
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Can Carpal Tunnel Syndrome be helped by yoga?

Yoga is a form of full-body movement which also incorporates breathing. Controlling your breath helps you control your body and your mind. Yoga is a form of full-body control. It aids you in relaxation, too.

* Yoga helps you get strong and get your muscles back "in balance."

A lot of carpal tunnel symptoms are caused by muscles being "out of balance." Some muscles become over-stretched and others become shortened and tight.

* Yoga helps you get long. You stretch and twist and reach, thoughtfully and fully. You use all of your muscles in many ways, just as you did as a small child.

So, you become strong and long, and that is ideal.

Pain happens for a reason. Usually, that reason is that we are out of muscular balance. Out of balance muscles get unhappy. When they're unhappy, WE are unhappy. Unhappy muscles cause symptoms. Yoga helps us get back into muscular balance.

Is yoga for everyone?

Some people have health issues (high uncontrolled blood pressure, risk of blood clots, severe osteoporosis or glaucoma) and should definitely consult with their doctor before signing up for yoga classes.

Some people have difficulty moving or a severe lack of flexibility. For them, yoga movements may be abbreviated and perhaps done while seated. Every little bit of movement does help.

If you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, you can interview your potential yoga instructor. Tell him or her about your symptoms and ask whether they think you will be able to take their class successfully. Some movements may need to be

adapted to your level of ability.

Remember: Your body is your instructor. When you are in a class, if anything feels like it's not the move for you, you don't have to do it: it's your body. Instead, use a different move, or take some relaxing floor time to practice your full breathing.

Oh, the breathing? When you learn to exhale fully, you will be able to inhale fully. When you breath fully, you move all of the muscles around your rib cage and your shoulders. Those are the same muscles that cause compression of the nerves and blood vessels that run toward your carpal tunnel area.

How does yoga relieve carpal tunnel syndrome?

* It relaxes the muscles around your chest, ribs, shoulders and neck.
* It helps reduce your stress.
* It helps strengthen the muscles of your backside, and makes you long and strong; it creates muscular balance.
* Yoga gets your circulation moving and that helps move the metabolic (body) wastes away from your wrists and out of your body. It reduces swelling.
* It helps you become more "in tune" with your body. When your muscles start to complain (or your carpal tunnel symptoms kick up) you will be able to figure out the cause and release them.

According to the National Institutes of Health, yoga reduces the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, it's the most recommended of the 3 alternative methods they mentioned. And, hey! If it's good enough for the NIH to mention it, well then, it's good enough for us. (Even if they did forget to mention therapeutic massage.)

Okay, now…everyone stretch, and breathe, and relax…ahhh. That's better."

Better still learn more by visiting her site www.carpaltunnelpainreliefnow.com

If good health is what you're trying to achieve, eating a proper diet is one of the best things you can do. Because our life styles are demanding we tend to cheat every now and then, but you should always stick to certain healthy foods on a daily basis.

Should you deviate from the ideal healthy eating plan, these five steps will bring you back on track and prevent your body from falling too far from your ideal weight.

1. Organic fruit. It is recommended you should eat at least 2 servings of fruit daily. If you find it hard to find the time to be able to grab the fruit and go, try making a smoothy and dividing it into 2 parts for later. It not only tastes great, it helps you stay on course for your daily recommended ration.

2. Organic veggies. We should all consume veggies every day, it's part of the recommended daily rations. Fiber is taken in from veggies so this helps our bodies in lots of areas.

If you don't like consuming veggies, add some green leafy vegetables in with your daily smoothy. You would be stunned at how tasty this actually is.

3. The act of sprouting is a very simple process. Lentils or wheat berries are good seeds to germinate; just soak them for a few hours in a jar of water, then drain off the water.

If you moisten them twice daily they should rapidly sprout. Nibble on these whenever you are hungry for their fantastic health benefits.

4. Omega 3 fatty acids. Although you are able to get these through meat and fish, one of the easiest ways to actually get your omega 3 fatty acids is by consuming flaxseed oil on a daily basis. Include this into your regime and you'll be stunned as to the drastic changes it will have on your general health.

5. Water. Although it's not really a food, it is an ingredient frequently lacking in people's diets and in their lives. Drink a lot of water equating to half the weight of your body daily in ounces along with sea salt of quantity one pinch per 16 ounces.

You would be amazed at the difference that this will make in your overall health. Try it out for a week and see what happens.

Meditation is considered as a powerful form of self-realization and self-healing. There are various methods by which you can meditate, but perhaps, the most potent of all is the Chakra Meditation.

Chakra Meditation " Basics

Quite simply, Chakra Meditation refers to the process of balancing and energizing all the 7 energy centers (Chakras) in order to align the flow of energy through them. These 7 energy centers, or the Chakras, are:

1. Root Chakra governing your general health, prosperity and well being is located at the base of the spine and related to the element Earth.

2. Orange Chakra governing your emotions and sexuality is located at the center of abdomen and related to the element Water.

3. Solar Plexus governing your metabolism, autonomy and conviction is located just above the naval region and related to the element Fire.

4. Heart Chakra located at the center of the chest and related to the element Air. It governs love, compassion, and relationships in our lives.

5. Throat Chakra governing your sense of creativity, resonance and communication skills is located at the base of the throat and related to the element Sound.

6. Brow or The Third Eye Chakra located between the brows on the forehead and related to the element Light. It governs perception, interpretation, imagination, and clear vision.

7. Crown Chakra governing your wisdom and knowledge is located at the top of the head and related to the element thought.

A concentrated mind working towards the achievement of synchronized movements of these seven Chakras in the body can truly bring incalculable rewards in ones life. The body, mind, and soul would become stress-free and youll emerge as a better-informed human being who can easily see the spiritual side to every materialistic possession in this world. One can also achieve natural healing for bodily and mental ailments just by bringing the seven energy centers in consonance with each other.

Chakra Meditation Techniques

Chakra Meditation involves three techniques in this order:

1. Grounding Technique, which aims at making the body feel connected with Earth. You just need to visualize a root growing from your body and entering into the Earth. This requires intense focus and mental presence during the act of visualization.

2. Centering Technique refers to the process whereby, your body gets prepared to receive the benefits of Chakra Meditation. The actual step involves taking 3-5 deep breaths. And visualization involves the assumption of feeling of relaxation of every body part from toe to head by tightening and relaxing each body part starting from toe, and moving in the northwards direction, till the head. The final act is the visualization of the act of centering a pot on a pottery wheel.

3. Relaxation Technique refers to the process whereby, the body feels relaxed by an act of visualization that suits an individual the best. Every individual is free to adopt his or her own relaxation method.

One of the popular methods of Chakra Meditation is detailed below:

a) Sit or lie down comfortably.

b) Loosen all your clothing so that there is no tension on any part of the body, and close your eyes.

c) Breathe in a relaxed manner, which is neither too fast nor too slow. Let the breath come naturally!

d) Start feeling every part of your body from toe to the head in that direction. While your eyes are closed, feel the earth you are lying or sitting on, or the bed you are lying or sitting on, feel the aura around you, feel the clothes you are wearing. Feel everything youd have had your eyes been open. Visualize life in darkness!

e) You may experience a wave of thoughts, fears, and every kind of emotion during this process. Dont avoid them! This represents the release of stress-related thoughts. With practice and regular exercise, these negative emotions and feelings will disappear.

f) Feel every subtle inner detail and let your awareness travel freely from one body part to the other.

Do this exercise for any length of time and at any time of the day!

The latest diet to hit the health world is the pH Miracle Diet. Different diets appear to come and go as noted by health experts. The low-fat diets were all the rage in the 90s. In the 21st century however, low-carbohydrate diets such as The South Beach Diet, The Atkins Diet, Sugarbusters and Protein Power all experienced popularity. When someone fails to lose weight after trying one diet, they will move on to the next diet. That next new diet is the pH Miracle Diet.

Turning completely away from the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets of the immediate past, the pH Miracle Diet offers a new appeal. Robert Young took nutrition to another level and created the pH Miracle Diet which is also known as the Young Diet or the Alkaline Diet. Holisitic doctors and nutritionists seem to agree that this new diet looks at what the body actually needs and is well-balanced.

A slight alkaline quality exhibits in the human body's pH. Since our body functions this pH level, in theory, the foods we eat should also be alkaline. The foods we currently eat, such as sugar, animal protein, caffience and processed foods, are all acidic foods. These acidic foods unbalance the pH in our bodies and contribute to other health problems. Supporters of the pH Miracle diet will tell you that how our body deals with alkaline minerals is affected by the acidic foods we eat. These minerals are sodium, potasssium, magnesium and calcium to name a few, and can all play a role in chronic diseases.

The pH Miracle Diet gives great credence to this. It is no secret to nutritionists and health proponents, that we are what we eat and what we eat affects how we feel and how healthy we are. As an industry, most doctors advise a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products; however, the pH Miracle diet takes this to another level. It shows that by eating acidic foods, your body loses minerals it needs to function. By eating the pH Miracle Diet way, a person is forgoing the foods that can harm their body.

A lot of common foods are not allowed on the pH Miracle diet. Wheat and wheat products are a banned food prouct on the diet. You are probably wondering why as many, including the FDA, consider whole wheat products to be healthy. The pH Miracle Diet shows that grains such as wheat, oats, rice and millet are actually acidic and are harmful to our bodies. Only alkaline grains such as buckwheat, quinoa and spelt are encouraged.

The pH Miracle Diet also restricts all meats and dairy products. The exception is goat milk due to it's slight alkaline quality. You can load up on protein in the form of beans, nuts, tofu and seeds. Alkaline foods include most vegetables except for mushrooms. Fruits that are allowed are grapefruit, coconut, lemon and lime.

Positive changes to your health are felt within the first few weeks, as noted by those who have begun the pH Miracle Diet. It is good for your body's health to cut down on processed foods and increase the amount of vegetables you eat, whichever diet you follow. In fact, critics of the pH Miracle Diet claim if you are already eating health fresh foods and drinking and adequate amount of water then starting the diet will not benefit you further. But these critics are not looking at the aspect of balancing acid and alkaline levels.

There has not been scientific tests or published results yet on the principles behding the pH Miracle Diet. The conventional medical industry does not give much credence to the diet either. The science behind the diet relies on Chinese and holisitic medicine that have been practiced for several hundred years. Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Neil Solomon with the United Nations are both conducting research studies on the these principles. What their findings reveal may proof the critics of the pH Miracle Diet wrong.