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Gratitude from Yoga

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Gratitude

Gratitude is one of the highest vibrations of our hearts. Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for all the blessings of the past year.  Friends and family get together to enjoy a special meal and open their hearts to express gratitude. The more we open our hearts to gratitude, the more we realize how blessed we are.  There are many poses of yoga to help us open our hearts and experience the energy of gratitude. Using an asana with the intention of thankfulness will enhance your life.

While we are in midst of celebrations, awesome as it is to be with our loved ones, it can also be stressful, and sometimes disappointing when we’ve been practicing so hard over past several months and years, and still discover we can have our buttons pushed! Getting into our heart energy, and focusing on all that we are thankful for, will create the right mindset for a peaceful, and happy, celebratory time.

Poses of yoga that open our hearts, have us reach up high, bring awareness to our minds, bodies, and emotions and allow us to be mindful helping us be free from distractions as wells as help us focus on our higher vibrations. Intense stretches will help us release tension allowing a more flexible approach. Restful poses help us sink into grateful feelings and integrate a thankful intention. Yoga for gratitude will help us sail happily through the holidays (or through any experience in life).

Pyramid pose (Parsvottanasana) – releases tension and brings flexibility into your life.

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Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana) – excellent hip opener pose for letting go and feeling easy.

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Locust Pose (Salabhasana) –  uplifts and opens your chest and heart area.

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Fish Pose (Matsyasana) – fabulous chest opener that extends your heart area and is uplifting in both body and mind.

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Mountain Pose (Tadasana) – practice Tadasana with arms high and wide for a feeling of joy and expansion, and to embody the energy of giving, and receiving.

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Corpse Pose (Savasana) – rest in Savasana and breathe deeply while focusing on all you have to be thankful for.

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7 Reasons Why Yoga Practice is NOT for you

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7 Reasons Why Yoga Practice is NOT for you

Why Yoga Practice is NOT for you!

Yoga is spreading bliss all around.   So what?  After all life is a bundle of sorrows and joys, failure and success.  We have to use our intellect, knowledge and the advice of well-wishers to navigate through stressful situations.  And don’t forget, there is no dearth of qualified physicians and psychiatrists to help us stay fine and dandy both, physically and mentally.  In this age of science, it does not make sense to resort to yoga practice.

If you are one of those lucky few who have successfully avoided the lure of yoga practice, we will give you more reasons to discard it.  Yoga practice is not for you if:

 

You think yoga practice will rob you of your maturity

Yoga cleanses the toxins from your body naturally.  With regular yoga practice, you drive out more toxins from your body with every breath and your skin attains a new glow within a few days.  You not only feel more energetic and healthy but also look much younger.  But this new found youth may ruin your mature look and you may have to work harder to impress people with your experience and knowledge.  A more mature look goes a long way in establishing you as a seasoned player in your field.  So, if you do care to preserve this mature look don’t even try yoga.

 

You just love popping pills and having expensive surgeries for aches and pains

It is a well known fact that aches and pains are an integral part of aging.  But the scientific advancements of the past century have enabled you to “manage” pain.  You can pop a pill or two daily and still live a “normal” life.  If that does not work, there are elaborate surgeries available.  No doubt yoga hits at the root cause of chronic pain by keeping you flexible, but who’s got the time and energy to contort one’s body on a daily basis?  After all, doctors and surgeons have a role to play in the economy of the country.  So, why damage the basic fabric of economy for as trivial a thing as yoga practice?

 

You have adopted stress as part and parcel of life

We love living life in the fast lane.  Whether it is the daily commute to work or the constant pressure to meet targets, every aspect of modern life is a source of thrill and …stress.  So, why worry so much about something that is part and parcel of life?  If stress gives you a heart problem, the cardiologists are there.  At times stress may go through the roof and cause a nervous breakdown.  Here you can seek the services of a psychiatrist.  Yoga does not come in the picture anyhow.  No matter how effective regular yoga practice is in keeping stress out of your life, by bringing your body and mind in perfect harmony, it certainly robs you of the thrills of a stressful life.

 

You think a happy and blissful life is fiction

Being happy and blissful at all the times is not meant for normal human beings.  We have to rear children, make ends meet, achieve success in life and pay taxes; where is the time for happiness and bliss?  It is something meant for sages who don’t have any family to look after and no targets to meet.  Yoga practice can bring about bliss in our lives by boosting our health and energy levels, but we risk losing our “normal” tag if we become blissful.  So, it makes perfect sense to avoid yoga.

 

You don’t mind an OK fitness level

In an era where almost everything can be done by machines, it really does not make sense to care about one’s own fitness.  You’ve got jazzy cars to carry you from one place to another, washing machines to take care of the laundry, dishwashers to help you with your kitchen cleaning and so on and so forth.  So, when physical labor is not required anymore, what’s the point in maintaining a great fitness level?  You can boost your fitness levels if you devote an hour of your time few times a week for yoga practice.  But if you are ok with your declining fitness, there’s no need to waste your precious time in practicing funny body postures.

 

You prefer carrying those extra pounds to yoga practice

Regular yoga practice is your sure shot weapon to fight weight gain.  Yoga does it naturally for you by boosting your metabolism and burning calories.   But if you think you have the strength to carry those extra pounds with ease, you should absolutely and definitely abstain from yoga practice.

 

You and your family are totally at ease with snoring and sleep apnea

Excessive weight gain not only causes snoring, but also leads to conditions like chronic sleep apnea.  These medical conditions may further translate into a life-threatening illness like coronary heart disease.  You can keep the root cause of such diseases at bay through regular yoga practice.  But if you and your family are at ease with these conditions, there is no need to practice yoga.

 

Yoga practice is all about transformation of life for the better.  In this process, you will come out of the crowd of “normal” people and stand among some blessed ones. However, if you really care for being normal, you should not practice yoga.

6 Reasons Why Yoga Practitioners Are More Successful

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6 Reasons Why Yoga Practitioners Are More Successful

Success Through Yoga Practice

There are many reasons why yoga practitioners are more successful in whatever they do, but in this article we will talk about only 6 reasons.  In her famous poem, “Success is counted sweetest”, Emily Dickinson tried to explain what success is all about and who understands it the best.  But the real question is, what does it take to be successful?  There can be as many ways to succeed as there are people on the earth.  However, if you want to succeed in the real sense of the word, Yoga can be your perfect partner. No doubt it sounds like a bold statement, especially if you consider the number of businesses thriving solely on one product – teaching you how to succeed.  But the fact is, people who practice Yoga are more successful in life and whatever they do.

Yoga brings about a body-mind harmony

Yoga is an ancient Indian technique that uses simple breathing exercises and body postures to boost physical and mental health.  In Sanskrit, Yoga means “bringing together”, so all the different body postures and breathing exercises bring your mind and body together in perfect harmony.  When a person achieves this rare feat, success becomes just one of the blessings that come with it.

Yoga boosts overall health

When you practice Yoga regularly, the oxygen levels in your cells goes up.  This condition translates into better health and ability to ward off pathogens.  By taking yoga classes and doing this low-impact exercise, you can easily keep chronic ailments like blood pressure, diabetes, osteoarthritis and back pain in check.  As a result your productivity reaches its peak and you are able to achieve your short and long term goals in time. This cascading effect leads you to succeed in everything you do.

Yoga keeps you energetic

People in pursuit of success have to go that extra mile in everything they do and hence require more energy.  When the outer sources fail, the last resort is to rely on the inner storage.  Yoga unleashes your internal energy by improving blood flow and expelling the toxins with every breath. The result? More energy.

Yoga sharpens your imagination

Through books, it is only your intellect that gets enriched; however, for real success you need a perfect combination of intellect and imagination.  For your imagination to grow, you need to be at peace with yourself.  Yoga not only makes your body healthy, but also enriches the faculties of your brain by settling the chaos of thoughts in it.  When you practice Yoga regularly, you are able to focus better and solve complex problems easily by applying imagination.

Yoga keeps stress and depression at bay

You have to overcome new challenges on a day-to-day basis on your way to success.  This constant pressure to perform creates stress.  When you are not able to handle stress, it leads to depression.  However, Yoga is the perfect remedy to keep these stumbling blocks at bay.  This is because Yoga strengthens you from inside by reducing anxiety, panic attacks, stress and depression.  Based on Yoga, psychologists in the UK have developed a stress management program known as MBCT (Mindful Based Cognitive Therapy.)

Yoga Makes you self-aware

Being aware of one’s self is the mark of a successful person.  It means that they accept themselves without being judgmental or overly self-critical.  This is a quality that develops on its own when you are meditative.  Yoga facilitates this state of mind with breathing exercises and Yogic postures.  While rhythmic breathing halts the constant traffic of unwanted thoughts in your mind, the different postures make you aware of your limits.

Conclusion

Yoga is not merely a set of breathing exercises and body postures; rather, it is a lifestyle that facilitates physical well-being, mental peace, better focus and self-awareness.  Therefore, people who practice Yoga are more successful in everything they do.

Mississauga Yoga – MIND to BODY Yoga & Fitness

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Mississauga Yoga – MIND to BODY Yoga & Fitness

New Mississauga Yoga Studio Opening Spring 2016

How did business name for new Mississauga Yoga studio “Mind to Body” come about?  So what’s stopping you from practicing yoga – is it your body or is it your mind?  Who is putting limits or thinking of reasons not to practice yoga – is it your body or is it your mind?  Your body feels good when it has been bent forward and backward, twisted, and wringed out, sadly it’s your mind that thinks of myriads of reasons not to practice yoga – too tired, no time, other things are priority, other people in my life are priority, children are my priority – I can’t give priority to my practice, I never stick to it.  All these reasons are made up by your mind, not by your body, your body is meant to move, it feels good when it moves.  These days too many people have lower back related issues, which are for the most part related to sedentary jobs and lifestyle.

Your yoga practice is 100% mental, your body won’t go if your mind doesn’t push it!  Your body feels good and energized when it moves.  The more you don’t move, the more tired you are going to feel.  It becomes a vicious circle.  The less you move the more tired your body will feel and your mind will start to feel fuzzy too.  The more you move, the more energized you will feel and your mind will feel strong and clear.

You need to start a program that works for you and then stick to it, whether it’s yoga classes or fitness classes or perhaps dance classes.  If you are unable to do it at home or lack motivation to do it at home, then you need to get out and get into a group environment to move your body.  Mississauga Yoga studios offer a variety of classes you can explore.  You need to figure out what works for you, you then need to be consistent.  Think of it this way, in order to make a certain income level, you need to put in certain number of work hours.  Same principal applies to your yoga practice – you need to put in some time to work your body to make it fit and healthy.  It all starts with convincing your mind, be consistent with your yoga classes and you will see results.  Nothing happens overnight, everything requires work, so does your yoga practice!  It is your responsibility to support your body that supports you!

If you are looking to be in a group class environment, we offer both hot yoga and regular yoga classes catering to Mississauga and Brampton area.  Try out different classes and meet different teachers to find what fits you best.

Your body hears everything that your mind says, so motivate your mind…your body will follow!  Convince your MIND to get your BODY fit and healthy!

About Mississauga Yoga Classes

Mississauga yoga studio “Mind to Body” can help you find the right yoga classes to meet your goals.  Whether your goal is to practice yoga for stress relief, pain relief, improve flexibility, increase strength, or weight management, we have classes to fit your needs.  We will guide you, motivate you, and support you to reach your goals, and help you to discover more about yourself and your yoga practice.

Namaste from Mind to Body Yoga & Fitness

Pritpal Singh, Mississauga Yoga Teacher certified through Yoga Alliance Canada