Browsing tag: Yoga for beginners

  • July 25, 2022

    All About Yoga for People Over 50

    Do you want to start practicing yoga over 50? Some might be nervous about starting a practice later in life because they associate yoga with bending and twisting their bodies into all kinds of unusual shapes. Don’t worry. That’s not all yoga has to offer.

    Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that can make you feel healthier overall. It comes in various styles, allowing you to pick something that suits you best. It isn’t just about trying to do a handstand or putting your legs behind your head. If you feel up to it, you can try those things too, but you certainly don’t have to.

    Benefits of yoga over 50

    You can start a yoga practice at any stage of your life. There is no such thing as starting too early or too late. Practicing yoga has many benefits for seniors.

    People who practice yoga find that they:

    • Sleep better
    • Feel a greater overall sense of wellbeing
    • Have improved focus
    • Feel more energetic during the day

    Yoga can be a very gentle exercise, but it does so much to improve your health. It has been found to:

    • Increase strength
    • Improve flexibility
    • Decrease chronic pain
    • Help with arthritis
    • Decrease heart disease
    • Ease stress and anxiety
    • Relieve back pain

    As we age, our muscles and joints stiffen. Getting up from a low chair or sitting on the floor might be more challenging. Practicing yoga gives you the strength and flexibility you need to keep your muscles and joints healthy. When you practice, you move your body in a way you normally don’t. You get time to stretch muscles gently and let them lengthen. You use your body weight to help you grow stronger.

    Many people struggle with their balance as they age. Yoga poses like tree pose and half moon pose help you work on your ability to balance. These poses exercise the muscles in your ankles and feet. As you practice balancing, you’ll notice that each time you get better and better.

    Types of yoga

    Yoga over 50 doesn’t have to be different than the yoga people at any age practice, but if you are starting a yoga practice for the first time, these styles might be best to try.

    Most teachers will give you options to use props to help make poses easier for you. For example, you don’t have to be able to put your legs into lotus pose or do splits to take a yoga class. Most gentle classes won’t include poses like that, and if you encounter a posture that you can’t do, the teacher can show you how to modify the posture to suit your body or give you an alternate you can do instead.

    In yoga classes, students use props like yoga blocks, bolsters, straps, and chairs to support them during their practice. These props make it easier to hold poses using the proper alignment.

    Yoga for seniors has many benefits. It can improve your quality of life and help keep you healthy as you age.

    Try practicing with the gentle yoga class below and see how you feel afterward.

    Do you want more yoga classes like this? Sign up for a free trial with Omstars to get started. 

  • May 9, 2022

    Yoga for Sleep: An Easy Yoga Practice for Beginners

    Do you have trouble sleeping at night? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of people around the world suffer from insomnia or other sleep disorders. Luckily, there is a simple and natural solution: yoga.

    One of the many benefits of yoga is that it’s a safe and effective way to improve sleep. People who practice regularly have fewer sleep disturbances and fall asleep more easily.

    Yoga helps to relax your mind and body. It reduces stress and anxiety, by lowering your stress hormones and training your mind to focus on the present moment. All of these benefits lead to better sleep.

    Try these types of yoga for sleep :

    Hatha yoga: This type of yoga is slow and gentle, with basic poses. It’s a good choice if you’re new to yoga or looking for a relaxing practice.

    Yin yoga: This type of yoga focuses on passive, longer-held poses. It’s a good choice if you’re looking to wind down before bed.

    Restorative yoga: This type of yoga uses props to support your body in passive poses. It’s a good choice if you’re looking for a deeply relaxing practice.

    Yoga nidra: This type of yoga is also known as “yoga sleep.” It’s a guided meditation that leads you through relaxation and mindfulness techniques.

    This simple beginners yoga practice with Kino is ideal for you to unwind and get ready for sleep.

    Besides doing yoga for sleep, here are some other ways to ensure you’ll get a good rest at night.

    Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed. Both of these can disrupt your sleep cycle and make it difficult to fall asleep.

    Create a relaxing bedtime routine. This could involve the yoga sequence in this post and reading a book or taking a bath.

    Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. This will create the ideal environment for sleep.

    Turn off harsh overhead lights before bed. Use only dim soft lamp light when you’re winding down to sleep. Doing so will help trigger your brain to produce melatonin.

    Disconnect from electronics before bed. The blue light emitted by screens can interfere with your body’s natural sleep rhythm.

    Add the yoga sequence and tips in this post into your nightly routine and you’ll see an improvement in the quality of your sleep in no time.

    Do you want more yoga classes like this one? Start your Omstars membership today to access daily LIVE classes and more than 4,000 on-demand yoga classes. Sign up today!

  • May 2, 2022

    Beginner Yoga Practice to Start Your Day

    “Spend your time building a good foundation for your practice and then let everything else flower from that.” Kino MacGregor

    Do you want to start your day with a yoga practice, but don’t know how to begin? This beginner yoga practice is perfect for people who are just starting out, and it only takes 20 minutes.

    There are many benefits to practicing in the morning. Practicing first thing in the morning …

    Sets your intention for the rest of the day:

    When you wake up in the morning and do your yoga practice, it sets the intention for the rest of your day. You’re telling yourself that you’re going to take care of yourself and do something good for your body. This positive intention will stay with you throughout the day and help you make better choices.

    Boosts your energy:

    Yoga is a great way to boost your energy levels. It gets your blood flowing and your heart rate up. It also helps to oxygenate your cells and wake up your brain. All of this combined will give you more energy throughout the day.

    Stops you from procrastinating about doing your practice:

    When you have a yoga practice that you can do in the morning, it stops you from procrastinating about doing your yoga. You can just roll out of bed and do it. No more excuses!

    Puts you in a better mood:

    Yoga has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress. When you start your day with a yoga practice, you’re putting yourself in a better mood for the rest of the day.

    Dopamine is a feel-good neurotransmitter that helps to improve mood and increase motivation. When you do a yoga practice, it increases dopamine levels in the brain, which will help to improve your mood and increase your motivation.

    Combats stress:

    Yoga has been shown to combat stress by reducing the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. When you do a yoga practice in the morning, you’re helping to combat stress for the rest of the day.

    Boosts your immune system:

    The deep breathing and movement help to increase the flow of lymph, which helps to fight infection and improve immunity.

    Makes you feel great:

    Yoga just makes you feel great. It’s a chance to move your body, breathe deeply, and connect with yourself. When you start your day with a yoga practice, you’re starting your day off on the right foot. You’re telling yourself that you’re worth taking care of and that you deserve to feel great.

    Watch this video with Kino for a simple beginner yoga practice you can incorporate into your morning routine.

    So, there you have it. A morning yoga practice for beginners that you can do to start your day off right. Remember to always listen to your body when you practice.

    Do you want more yoga classes like this one? Start your Omstars membership today to access daily LIVE classes and more than 4,000 on-demand yoga classes. Sign up today!

  • December 11, 2018

    Once a Yogi, Always a Yogi

    Yoga is not jealous or unforgiving. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Yoga is loving, nurturing, and no matter how far you stray, it will always be there, waiting for you to once again return to the mat. More than likely, for many of us, there will be times in our lives when we fall away from our practice. One moment we are loving it – we notice ourselves getting stronger, more flexible, more peaceful and more conscious – and then the next thing we know, we haven’t practiced in weeks.

    It happens to the best of us. No matter how good our intentions are and no matter how much we love our practice, sometimes we just fall away. And that’s okay. In that case, starting again is just part of the journey. And each time you make the brave decision to return to your mat, there are new lessons to be learned.

    Coming back to the mat can be intimidating, though. The feeling that you may have lost progress is enough to discourage anyone. But the truth is, once a yogi, always a yogi. Although you may have left your practice behind for a time, your practice never once left you. Our practice is with us every time we observe our breath, stand steady on our feet, or connect to anything greater than us; and this will be clear to you the moment you step back onto the mat.

    When it comes to returning to your practice, or even stepping onto a mat for the first time in your life, having a community can be the ultimate key to success. That’s where Omstars comes in.

    If you let us, we will carry the torch of yoga and lead you to the true light. Let us be your community, your support system, and the gentle encouragement you need to find your way back to the mat.

    The new year is just around the corner, and we can’t think of a better time to reconnect with yourself and your practice. Join us for our new 30-day beginner challenge, this January. With this challenge, we’re making it easier than ever to dive into a routine that you can stick to. With practices that are 20 minutes or less, plus a variety of teachers and styles of yoga, finding a system that works for you has never been simpler.

    Join the challenge, and we’ll send a new practice right to your inbox each and every day with words of encouragement to keep you inspired and motivated. Plus, our community is full of seasoned, new, and born-again yogis, just like you.

    We invite you to take this opportunity to humbly begin again, to explore yoga for the first time, or to transform your practice from hopeful and inconsistent to dedicated and daily. Wherever you are, we’ll be with you every step of the way.

    By Alex Wilson

     

    Join The Challenge

     

     

  • December 4, 2018

    30 Days to Create a Healthy New Habit with Omstars – Join the Challenge

    Get ready to kickstart the New Year with a healthy new habit that’s both lifechanging and sustainable – a daily yoga practice that fits seamlessly into your schedule! The all-new Omstars 30-Day Beginner Challenge is coming to town and it begins on January 1st!

    This challenge is designed to help you embark on the path of yoga as a new practitioner – no experience necessary! Showcasing a variety of classes, teachers, styles of practice and more, this challenge will help you learn what works for you and what doesn’t. Plus, every class offered through this challenge can be completed in just 20 minutes or less, so finding time to practice everyday will be simple!

    When you commit to 30-days of yoga with this new challenge, we’ll send you one of our beginner-focused, 15 to 20-minute class every day for 30 days. You’ll practice with a variety of existing Omstars teachers, plus several new teachers, and create a manageable routine that fits easily into your everyday life. You’ll have the opportunity to practice different styles of yoga from Ashtanga to Vinyasa, Yin and more!

    Plus, for every person who joins this challenge, our sponsors, OHMME and Liforme, will be donating $1 to Yoga Gives Back, up to $15,000! Yoga Gives back is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to raising awareness and funds in order to alleviate poverty in India.

    This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to those in need, plus jump into your own yoga practice with a set of amazing teachers, expert guidance, and a supportive community of new and established yogis just like you! Don’t miss this exciting new challenge and your chance to give yoga a try with Omstars – The Yoga Network!

    When you’re ready to join, here’s what you’ll need to do:

    Use the button bellow to sign up. Then log into Instagram and follow each of our sponsors and hosts: @kinoyoga @omstarsofficial @liforme @yogagivesback @ohmmeapparel

    Be sure to practice with us every day for the duration of the challenge, and share your journey with us on IG using our challenge hashtag #30dayyogajourney. Finally, be active in our community. Like and comment on posts from your fellow challenge participants to show your support and let them you know you’re right there with them.

    Remember, the challenge begins January 1st, 2019. We’ll be ready. Will you?

    By Alex Wilson

    Join The Challenge