Yoga, träning och hälsoinspiration för dig

Visst kan det vara förvirrande när man är ny till ett yogapass och språket som instruktören använder sig av känns som "rena rama grekiskan"?! Ibland är det verkligen svårt att hänga med. I detta blogginlägg (på engelska) gestaltas fem förvirrande yoga-uttryck.

I often think about how confusing it must be to walk into a yoga class for the first time and realize you have no idea what people are talking about. I’m not just talking about the Sanskrit (but here’s a  guide to common Sanskrit words) but the jargon that often comes up in conversation without much explanation that can make beginning yoga students feel like outsiders. Often, it’s not even the teacher that sounds like she’s speaking a foreign language, but the students, who are so immersed in their yoga practices they might not even realize that they’re using language that most people outside of the yoga community would not understand. After more than a decade of yoga practice, I still occasionally find myself rushing straight home from a yoga class so I can Google something someone referenced before class. I know I’m not alone because friends who know I write about yoga contact me regularly to ask me about things they heard in class.  Here’s a short list of some of the confusing yoga class jargon that has most recently come onto my radar.

1. “Hot yoga aggravates my pitta.” Ayurveda is yoga’s sister science, and, like yoga, it seems to be growing exponentially in popularity. I could easily write a separate blog post all about the words used in Ayurveda, but the most important are the three constitutions, vata, pitta, or kapha. While we each have a combination of the three constitutions, usually one or two will be dominate. It’s a good practice to tailor your asana practice, diet, and lifestyle to help bring your dominate constitution into balance. In other words, if your pitta dosha is dominant, you might already have lot of internal heat, so a heated class might not be the best choice.

2. “Happy full moon!” No, I’m not talking about sheer yoga pants… I’m talking about the actual moon–you know, that big round rock that glows on clear nights? But what impact does the moon have on the practice of yoga? And why do yoga students seem to celebrate every time the moon is full? In the Ashtanga tradition, full moon and new moon days are holidays from asana practice. In other traditions, the full moon represents a new beginning and a time to reflect.

3. “Mercury is in retrograde.” I know very little about astrology, but because I’m a yoga student, I know that when Mercury is in retrograde it means communication is a bit more difficult. Honestly, I don’t know how astrology and yoga are connected other than a lot of people who practice yoga are also into astrology.

4. “If you’re on your ladies’ holiday …” This is just pretty language for a woman’s period. Many yoga traditions call for women to back off a bit during their menstrual cycle and abstain from inversions.

5. “My second chakra is out of alignment.” Chakras are centers of energy. Each of the seven chakras is associated with functions of the body and life. Depending on the style of yoga you practice, you’ll either hear about chakras constantly or practically never. Kundalini Yoga, for example, is all about clearing each of the chakras so that the energy can raise from the base of the spine all the way up through the crown of the head. In other traditions, certain yoga poses correspond to various chakras.

Source: Yogajournal

Nötter hör ju julen...och livet till. Vi allra flesta vet ju att nötter är sprängfyllda med härliga nyttiga saker, men vet vi egentligen VARFÖR det är så bra med nötter? I detta matnyttiga inlägg får ni svaren på de flesta frågor angående nötter. Psst, inlägget är på engelska!

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine underscores the health benefits of nuts. Researchers followed over a hundred thousand men and women over several decades and concluded that eating nuts helped them stave off the Grim Reaper. Seven or more servings of nuts per week cut the risk of dying by a third! (“A serving” was defined as one ounce, which is about one handful of almonds.)

Specifically, those who at nuts five or more times per week were found to enjoy a 29% reduction in death from heart disease; an 11% reduction in death from stroke; a 23% reduction in death from infection; a 24% reduction in death from respiratory diseases; a 29% reduction in death from kidney disease; and an 11% reduction in death from cancer.

It’s long been known that nuts are heart-healthy. A now-famous study of Seventh-Day Adventists who consume a low-fat, plant-based diet compared non-nut eaters to nut-eaters, anticipating that the nuts (which are high in calories and fat) might raise their heart disease risk. Au contraire!

Even though they were already on a heart-healthy, predominantly vegetarian diet, those Adventists who consumed nuts at least five times a week had a 48% lower risk of death from coronary heart disease and a 51% lower risk of a nonfatal heart attack compared to those who consumed nuts less than once weekly.

Ironically, the Federal Government doesn’t want nut manufacturers to broadcast these benefits to consumers. In a recent case, the Food and Drug Administration sent a sharply-worded warning letter to Diamond Food, Inc., a manufacturer of walnuts, ordering them to “cease and desist” from making medical claims about their products. They even threatened to confiscate the “misbranded” nuts as illegal contraband!

It seems that, the way the officials see it, if nuts are to be advertised as reducing the risk of a specific disease, they must undergo the same rigorous application process as drugs, an insurmountable regulatory hurdle that would require years of wrangling and hundreds of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, and fortunately, we don’t need FDA approval to enjoy the many health benefits of nuts.

Here are 16 reasons why you might want to include them frequently in your diet.

1. Nuts are a perfect VEGAN food
With the current emphasis on plant-based diets, nuts provide a great complement to grains, fruits and vegetables, and legumes. They add protein and healthy oils to balance vegetarian diets that might otherwise tend to be carb-rich and skimpy in beneficial fats and certain vitamins and minerals.

2. Nuts are PALEO
That is, with the exception of peanuts, which are actually legumes, sometimes spurned by hard-core Paleo adherents because of their lectin content. Tree nuts and seeds are ancient staples of the human diet to which millions of years of evolution have made us well-adapted.

3. Nuts are LOW-CARB, low GI
The Glycemic Index, or GI, is a determinant of how quickly the sugars in foods are digested, absorbed, and released into the blood stream. High-GI foods are thought to overwhelm the body’s sugar-handling capabilities, resulting in progression towards metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Nuts are relatively low-carb to begin with, and the carbs they contain are released slowly after a meal. They make a great snack to stave off sugar-craving or hypoglycemia.

4. Nuts promote SATIETY
While nuts are caloric, eating nuts promotes a sensation of fullness that fends off the munchies for less healthy fat-laden or sugar-laden junk food. Some studies suggest that adding nuts to your diet can actually help you lose weight.

5. Nuts are high in FIBER
While not traditionally thought of as a high-fiber food, nuts are rich in soluble fiber, the best kind for reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease.

6. Nuts are a rich source of PHYTOSTEROLS
These plant sterols are thought to bind to cholesterol and help to sweep it harmlessly out of the body; phytosterols are even recognized by the American Heart Association as a natural way to reduce heart disease risk.

7. Nuts contain healthy fats and oils
Nuts are rich in the essential fatty acids linoleic acid and alpha linolenic acid. Note the word essential: the body cannot make these oils on its own, and we must obtain them from outside sources. Lack of these essential fatty acids can cause dry skin, inflammation, infertility, mood and memory problems and promote heart disease.

8. Nuts are a great source of Vitamin E
Getting your vitamin E from a pill may not be as good as getting natural vitamin E from nuts and seeds. There are actually eight different forms of natural vitamin E tocopherols and tocotrienols: nuts deliver the full spectrum of this critical antioxidant.

9. Nuts are rich in B vitamins
Nuts provide many vital B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, and folates.

10. Nuts are a source of critical POLYPHENOLS
Polyphenols are plant-derived antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals. Nuts contain a wide variety of polyphenols, including resveratrol, lutein, cryptoxanthin and many others. Some seeds, like flaxseed and sesame, are rich in lignans, a specific subtype of polyphenols that may protect against reproductive cancers.

11. Nuts are the richest plant source of ZINC
A mineral critical for immunity and reproductive function, strict vegetarians sometimes don't get enough.

12. Nuts are high in MAGNESIUM
Consider magnesium the energy mineral; its lack may be felt as fatigue or irritability and it can even increase the risk of heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure. Magnesium’s role in bone metabolism is often underestimated.

13. Nuts deliver COPPER
Unless you fancy liver or oysters, nuts and seeds are your best bet as dietary sources for the essential trace mineral copper.

14. Nuts provide SELENIUM
Just two or three Brazil nuts per day can give you all the immune-boosting selenium your body needs, especially if you’re not fond of fish or meat.

15. Nuts are PORTABLE
Unlike baked chicken breast or poached salmon, a small packet of nuts can easily be stashed in your briefcase, purse or backpack, ready to provide an instant, non-perishable hunger-banishing snack in the office, on the commute, or on the trail.

16. Nuts are VERSATILE
They can be used as stand-alone snack foods; spread on sandwiches (with all the nut butter varieties available, you don’t need to get hung up on just traditional PB); sprinkled on salads or vegetable side dishes; mixed with grains to provide a flavor accent; as a gluten-free crust for baked fish or chicken; or even power-blended into your favorite smoothie.

Source: MindBodyGreen 

Har du provat mindfulness meditation någon gång? Om inte så tycker vi att du ska göra detta. Mindfulness meditation har visat sig lugna hjärnan, öka immunförsvaret, reducera blodtryck och gjort människor mer tillfreds. I denna vetenskapliga text (på engelska) får du veta mer om de positiva effekter som mindfulness meditation kan ge.

In times of stress, we're often encouraged to pause for a moment and simply be in the 'now.' This kind of mindfulness, an essential part of Buddhist and Indian Yoga traditions, has entered the mainstream as people try to find ways to combat stress and improve their quality of life. And research suggests that mindfulness meditation can have benefits for health and performance, including improved immune function, reduced blood pressure, and enhanced cognitive function.

Jag vill börja med ett citat från Hatha Yoga Pradipika: "Success comes to him who is engaged in the practice. How can one get success without practice; for by merely reading books on yoga, one can never get success."

Detta är fortsättningen på månadens tema: "Yin Yoga dig lugn till jul" där vi i BEYOGA365 diskuterar, byter ideér, tankar och lyfter fram relevanta yogapass för denna månad. Ta en titt i BEYOGA365. Innan jag sätter igång så vill jag bara säga att om du missade introduktionen till Yin-månaden så kan du läsa den här.

Yin är egentligen väldigt enkelt:
1.  Kom in i positionen till ett lämpligt djup
2 . Besluta dig för att vara stilla
3 . Håll positionen bestämd tid

JUST DO IT! Du kommer inte få resultat från att läsa, spendera tid på sociala medier eller diskutera yogans filosofi. Yin Yoga sker på mattan, i din fysiska kropp, därav HATHA Yoga – kroppens väg. Men ponera att du just har avslutat en Yin-session eller har en inplanerad om några minuter. Då kan vi prata lite!

Jag fann Yin Yoga för ca fem år sedan. Det var en sen kväll i november, jag och en kompis tog fram en dvd: Yin Yoga med Sarah Powers. Det gick långsamt, vi skvallrade oss genom passet, fnissade för att överleva och det kröp i våra spralliga kroppar. Klockan 24:00 senare samma kväll skickade jag ett sms till min kompis, jag kunde inte sova. Jag vibrerade av energi (något jag är van vid men inte på detta intensiva sätt). Jag insåg senare att vi hade underskattat effekterna av denna ”enkla” yoga. Allt jag gjorde i mitt liv var YANG (Power yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, löpning, dans, gym, för att inte tala om jobb, projekt etc.) Från den dagen har jag varit fast. Jag har känt effekterna av Yin, jag vet att det måste vara en del av mitt liv. Vissa perioder mer, andra mindre. Därför har jag skapat Global Yoga Yin. Yin Yoga för 2000-talets människa. Du kan praktisera med mig här på Yogobe, via Global Yoga Yin dvdn och om du känner ett sug efter mer kunskap är du varmt välkommen på Global Yoga Yin workshopen som jag håller två gånger per år. Kanske finns det även en Global Yin klass i närheten av där du bor – skriv och fråga i facebookgruppen BEYOGA365 så kanske du får napp.

Så lite kort för att motivera och inspirera dig till mera Yin Yoga:

Det finns kanske tre dussin ställningar som mest inom Yin Yoga. Alltså mycket färre än inom Yang Yoga (alla former där du håller positionerna i upp till en minut). Ju mer avancerad du blir inom Yin, desto färre positioner praktiserar du under en session.

Frågan om när man ska träna Yin Yoga har inget absolut svar. Det finns många möjliga svar, och var och en är helt enkelt annorlunda än de andra, inte bättre eller mer korrekt, det beroende helt enkelt på vad vi vill uppnå med vår praktik.

Vi kan praktisera:

* När våra muskler är kalla (så att fokus blir på bindväven istället för musklerna).
* Tidigt på morgonen (när musklerna är mer benägna att vara kalla).
* Sen kväll (för att lugna sinnet innan sömn).
* Innan ett Yang pass (innan musklerna är varma).
* Under våren eller sommaren (för att balansera en naturlig Yang tid på året).
* När livet är hektiskt (för att balansera Yang energier i våra liv).
* Efter en lång resa (resor är mycket Yang, även om vi sitter ner en hel del under resan).

Yin är inte en holistisk yogaform, precis som Yang inte är holistisk. Det vill säga Yin rekommenderas inte när vi redan har väldigt mycket lugn. Om du har spenderat åtta timmar vid ett skrivbord en tråkig vinterdag passar en mer aktiv form av rörelse bättre. Men om dina dagar är fyllda av stress (fysisk eller mental) kommer Yin Yoga att balansera dig. Lyssna till din inre guide: Är detta en tid för Yin eller Yang?

Den första principen i Global Yoga Yin är att bara gå till 80 % av ditt max. Gå bara till den punkt där du känner ett betydande motstånd i kroppen. Försök inte att gå så djupt som du kan direkt. Ge din kropp en chans att öppna upp och bjuda in dig att gå djupare. Efter 30-60 sekunder kanske kroppen släpper och du sjunker djupare in i positionen. Men inte alltid. Lyssna på kroppen och respektera dess önskemål.

Kärnan i Yin är att ge. Yang handlar om att förändra världen, Yin accepterar världen för hur den är. Den ena är inte bättre än den andra. Det finns tillfällen när det är lämpligt och till och med nödvändigt att förändra världen. Yang är en kvalitet som beundras och premieras i vår kultur. Vi får lära oss i tidig ålder att vi ska bli någon, att vi ska förändra världen och göra avtryck i den. Vilket är helt okej... en del av tiden. Problemet är att vi sällan lär oss balansera denna kvalitet med kvaliteten acceptans. Vi får inte lära oss att låta saker och ting bara vara. En del av Yin Yoga handlar om detta, praktisera att ge in till det som är!
När du kommer in i positionen, släpp dina förväntningar på hur du ska se ut eller vara i ställningen.

Välkommen till mattan ”Om du känner det, gör du det”.

Veckans yogapass:

Måndag (Sök på Johanna Andersson eller Monika Björn VIDEOS)
MOJO yoga® 2 - Kol, 10 min:
En kort lugnande sekvens som roterar ryggraden, stärker bålen och landar dig i några minuters avslappning. Fungerar utmärkt som nedvarvningssekvens efter en stressig dag.

Tisdag (Sök på Emma Öberg VIDEOS)
Stilla känslan, 10 min:
Bli av med oro. En andningsteknik som hjälper dig att komma ur känslor som oro, rädsla, irritation eller upprördhet.

Torsdag (Sök på Johanna Andersson VIDEOS)
Glada Nyckelben, 10 min:
Boosta din hållning och din energi på mindre än 10 min. Kör framför datorn, på jobbet, resan eller var du än är!

Fredag (Sök på Milla Floryd VIDEOS)
Tajmade höftöppnare, 45 min:
Varje position hålls en minut. Upa vistakonasana och supta baddakonasana hålls längre, så att det finns tid för dig att hitta djupt in i höften.

Namasté

Älskar du att skriva och brukar yoga med oss på Yogobe? Då kan du nu få skriva ett gästblogg-inlägg hos oss!
- Tillsammans med Leia från Alltomyoga.se, kommer vi välja ut och publicera några gästinlägg i bloggen. Det hade varit kul om just du ville vara med och inspirera andra yogis där ute! Vi vill att du delar med dig av dina erfarenheter om hur det är att yoga online, hur du får disciplin att yoga på egen hand, utan att en instruktör väntar på dig. Vilka utmaningar har du haft i din practice och har du några tips till andra i liknande situation? Vilka är fördelarna och nackdelarna med att yoga online och vad tycker du är viktigt att tänka på, både vad gäller yoga på och utanför mattan?

Låter detta intressant, skulle du vilja inspirera andra yogis? Skriv ihop och maila oss ett blogginlägg (och en passande bild som kan anpassas för att passa vår blogg i bredd/höjd) och dela din kunskap och dina insikter med i synnerhet nybörjare inom yoga.

Sista inlämning: 16 december
Mailadress: [email protected]

Namasté

Lyfta matkassar, bära ungar, stressa till dagis, köra till skolan, laga mat och multi-taska lite till. Ja, så ser väl vardagen ut för väldigt många och det går inte riktigt att rå på. MEN här kommer 5 positioner som passar perfekt för alla mammor där ute och som kan göra att du orkar med en stressig och o-ergonomisk vardag. Inlägget är på engelska.

Easy Seated Pose with “Success Breath”
Multi-tasking can easily become overwhelming. Try this simple posture for a few minutes to ground your thoughts and slow your heart rate down.

Sit in a comfortable position, either on the floor or a chair.
Rest your palms on your thighs or place your dominant hand on top of your non-dominant hand.
Close your eyes.
Take a couple of minutes to let go of what has happened prior to this moment and what is going to happen after this moment.
Relax your entire body, including your jaw, neck and shoulders.
Start to take a deeper inhalation through your nostrils as you constrict the throat muscles slightly. This will be an audible breath.
Exhale completely through your nostrils as you constrict your throat muscles again.
Keep your awareness at your breath as you continue to take these long, slow deep breaths through your nostrils.
Keep it gentle, relaxed and maintain the intention of letting go, each time you exhale.
 
Cobra Pose
Carrying your children, groceries, laptop, diaper bag, yoga bag, etc. can start to wear you down. Take a few of these gentle backbends to counteract the heavy lifting and back rounding we do each day.

Start lying down on your belly with your legs extended back, tops of the feet on the mat.
Root through the tops of the feet and legs and spider your fingertips off the mat onto the floor.
Lengthen your tailbone down towards the earth, inhale and slowly start to peel your chest off the floor.
Unclench your buttocks and your teeth and lift your heart.
Roll the shoulders back and down, keeping the shoulder blades hugging in towards one another.
Keep the back of your neck and forehead relaxed.
Exhale and slowly lower back down towards the earth.
Repeat 5 times.

Standing Forward Bend
Let gravity support you as you lengthen out the backside of your body. Enjoy the benefits of an inversion with increased circulation and oxygen to the brain.

Stand with your feet about hip-bone distance and somewhat parallel apart.
Lift all your toes and fan them out.
Release your toes back down to the earth with space in between each toe. (make a mental note to yourself to make time to take care of your feet)
Root through all four corners of your feet.
Inhale and reach your arms overhead. Exhale to forward fold, hinging at your hip crease, keeping the abdominals drawn in and your knees bent.
Bring your fingertips down to the earth. (bent knees are fine and good for supporting your lower back)
Let go of your head, neck and shoulders and keep your jaw relaxed.
Hold here for a few deep breaths, keeping the abdominals engaged to support the low back.
Put a slight bend in your knees, if you haven’t done so already, and slowly roll yourself up to standing, one vertebra at a time.
Engage your core center to lift you all the way back up.
Take a couple breaths in a standing position before moving back into activity.

Supine Spinal Twist
Spinal twists promote flexibility in the spine while improving digestion. As mothers, we are always concerned about feeding our kids healthy snacks but we often forget about feeding ourselves!

Start laying down on the floor with your legs extended.
Take a moment to just relax and do nothing.
Hug your right knee in towards your chest and take your leg towards the left.
Keep your shoulder blades on the floor and extend your arms out into a “t” shape, palms up.
Gaze towards the right hand and close your eyes.
Take a few breaths here to lengthen out the right side of your waist and nourish the ascending colon.
Inhale to come back to center, using your abdominals and release the right leg down.
Take a moment to notice the difference between the right and left sides of your body.
Repeat on the other side.

Legs Up the Wall (with or without the wall)
Try this restorative posture, especially if you have been on your feet all day. Use a block, bolster or pillow for support. This pose is a passive variation of Shoulderstand. (avoid during menstruation)

Start by laying down on the floor with your legs bent, feet on the floor.
Take your prop and place it underneath your sacrum. (make sure that it is comfortable there. If not, remove the prop and continue without it)
Hug one knee in towards your chest and then the other.
Extend your legs up towards the sky without engaging your abdominals, legs or toes.
Keep the back of your neck relaxed and avoid turning your neck.
Keep the gaze towards your toes and breath.
Stay for about 5 minutes.
Come out slowly by bending one leg, then the other and placing the feet back down to the earth. Lift your hips and remove the prop.

For all these postures, make sure that they are comfortable and relaxing. They are here to support your busy life as a mommy!

Source: Danielle Mika Nagel, studio director for the world’s first Chopra Yoga Center in Vancouver.

December, även kallad "gottismånaden". Det är väl nu om någonsin som man får äta en massa smarriga saker till adventsfikat. Här kommer tips för helgen. Enkelt och supergott!

Ingredienser

• 1 msk raw-kokosolja
• 1,5 msk agavesirap
• 1/2 tsk vaniljpulver
• 2 msk raw-kakao

Gör så här:
Smält kokosoljan i ett vattenbad.
Häll i agavesirapen, vaniljpulvret och kakaon och rör om.
Lägg plastfolie i en liten skål och häll smeten i plastfolien.
Ställ in i kylskåpet tills smeten stelnat.
Ta ut den stelnade fudgen och skär upp i bitar och njut

Det är äntligen den där tiden på året, då man kan vurma i alla möjliga härliga och nyttiga kryddor. Vart man än går så doftar det kanel, kardemumma, nejlikor och ingefära. Dessa kryddor hör inte bara julen till, dem är även oerhört nyttiga och kan hjälpa att bota förkylningar och andra virus. I detta inlägg på engelska får du lära dig mer om dessa kryddor.

Ever wonder why this time of year is so closely associated with these fragrant and comforting herbs (spices, actually) and why they feature so heavily in our holiday baking?

For one, they’re extremely warming (try putting a little cinnamon or ginger on your tongue and see what happens), which is good for the body in the midst of winter. These heating herbs bring blood to the surface of the skin, acting as a radiator of sorts, and warming the body (this is definitely why you crave a cinnamon and ginger hot chocolate in the late afternoon as the sun begins to set).

Warming herbs also tend to soothe the stomach, aid digestion, and regulate blood sugar. That’s right—that heavily spiced pumpkin pie may actually help your digestion and keep your blood sugar from spiking and crashing. Obviously, adding these herbs and spices to desserts helps, but it’s not the ideal way to take them (unfortunately). So let’s break down a few of the most common (and seasonal) warming herbs; see if you can integrate them into a variety of foods and beverages.

1. Cinnamon
Cinnamon is good for people who complain that they are always cold, no matter what the thermostat says. Cinnamon dries dampness in the body (you know—that cold-to-the-bone feeling) and stimulates circulation. It’s an excellent digestive tonic, immune booster, and blood sugar regulator.

2. Ginger
Ginger really does it all—boosts the immune system, fights allergies, lowers cholesterol, relieves arthritis pain, stimulates digestion, fights nausea and morning sickness, and warms the body. Try drinking ginger tea, ginger hot chocolate, or adding a strong ginger infusion to your bath (this is stimulating, though, so keep the ginger bath early in the day).

3. Cardamom
Cardamom is also a member of the ginger family and has the same warming, stimulating effect. It also opens the respiratory passages and helps clear the mucus associated with a heavy chest cold.

4. Nutmeg
Nutmeg is good for preventing and flatulence, treating diarrhea in children, and for breaking up chest congestion. It also has antiviral properties.

5. Garlic
Finally, garlic is an incredible herb for the immune system—antibacterial and antiviral. It’s also a vasodilator, meaning that it improves circulation and keeps blood cells from clumping together. Garlic also lowers glucose metabolism in diabetics, aids heart health, kills parasites, heals wounds, and keeps vampires at bay (or so I’ve heard...).

A note about garlic: it’s totally safe. However, avoid medicinal doses if suffering from a fever in a long-term illness (cancer, AIDS, etc).

This is one time of year when the use of herbs and spices is more intuitive and culinary than usual. What does that mean? Well, it means you don’t really have to think about it; use your instincts and follow your own tastes. If you’re craving a particular herb or spice, indulge (yes, even if that means gingerbread cookies). No matter what the vehicle, the featured herb will benefit your body. Just be sure to use organic, whole forms of the herb when you can.

Enjoy the sugar, but especially enjoy the spice!

Source: MindBodyGreen