benefits

Yoga cat pose

June 22, 2015 by Sheila Smith

It does not look like these stretching cats, but they did inspire us to write about this beneficial yoga pose 😀

Cat pose is one of the most pleasant yoga poses! As with other positions it has many variations. The famous Yoga Journal gives only a variant of the cat pose with the “exhalation pose” (back up) and a return to table pose. However, this exercise can be carried out as a dynamic version (“breathe in” – back down, “breathe out” – back up).

Step by step

1. Begin with table pose on all fours. Place the hands and legs vertically. The head is parallel to the floor, and the look is directed towards the floor.

2. Breathe in and let the stomach fall down, lifting the back to the ceiling, raising the tailbone and the head up. Stay in this position for a few moments (if you want the “static” variant – stay in this position, breathing).

3. Then, with the exhalation drop the chin to the chest and arch the back as much as you can. Relax the buttocks staying for a few moments in the final position with empty lungs.

4. Do five or six rounds before you come out of this yoga posture.

Benefits:
* Stretches the back, neck and torso;
* Massages the spine and abdominal organs;
* Soothes and gives a sense of well-being.

Yoga during pregnancy – yes or no?

June 19, 2015 by Sheila Smith

Definitely yes!
Pregnancy is an ideal time to start doing yoga, because these exercises balance the hormones, improve circulation, relieve pain, strengthen the pelvis … But most important of all is that these exercises help a woman to connect more deeply with her baby.
Experience shows that women who practiced yoga during pregnancy, felt its benefits long after the birth. Yoga improves physical fitness and eliminates the discomfort in the body and back pain.

Working with pregnant women, mothers and babies is especially satisfactory. It’s wonderful to work with these groups, because they are very specific and inspiring. Mothers who come to classes as pregnant women, usually show interest to return after childbirth and keep doing yoga.

Yoga during pregnancy is important, because women work on strength and muscle flexibility, coordination and balance. The classes for the future moms offer special exercises. Mothers in classes establish a special relationship with their children, but also with the group and together with the help of yoga find their peace, satisfaction and fulfillment.
– The most common motive for people to go to yoga is everyday life, because more than 80% of modern diseases are based on stress which block the circulation of energy in the body.

Yet, there are some things to pay attention to when it comes to yoga during pregnancy:
* If you go to a regular yoga practice, be sure to tell your instructor that you are pregnant in order to do certain exercises that are good for you during pregnancy.

* After the first trimester do not do any poses that involve lying on your back, because it can reduce the blood supply to the fetus.

* From the second trimester do the standing exercises by holding onto a wall or chair.
* Avoid doing exercises in overheated rooms.
* Listen to your body. If you do any exercise with extreme difficulty or pressure, don’t do them. Focus on the ones that you can enjoy.

Yoga poses that are good during pregnancy:
* Butterfly stretching,
* Bending at the waist in a sitting position,
* Cat / cow,
* Cobra,
* Side angle,
* A standing forward bend (with a chair for reliance)
* Triangle pose

5 reasons to drink a glass of red wine every day

May 18, 2015 by Sheila Smith

Wine is a low-alcoholic beverage obtained by fermentation of grape juice.
There are over 200 different ingredients in wine such as alcohol, trace elements, vitamins, sugars, tannins, pectins, different polyphenols…
The red and white wine have special effects on our health – they contain polyphenols, of which the most important resveratrol, which has been shown to reduce the risk of many diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.
Today we reveal five reasons why you need to incorporate a glass of red wine in your daily diet.

1. Research has shown that polyphenols and tannins contained in the wine have antiviral and antibacterial properties.Wine is a good protection from bronchitis, pneumonia, flu and colds. It is recommended for people with low blood pressure because it increases your heart rate and increases the amount of blood that goes to the brain.

2. Wine increases the levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol and lowers LDL cholesterol, which is the most common cause of heart disease and diseases of the blood vessels.

3. If used in moderation during meals, wine along with digestive juices acts preventively against diseases of the stomach and intestines.

4. A small amount of wine stimulates the secretion of saliva and gastric juices, which causes increase in appetite, so it is recommended to geriatrics patients, convalescents and people with reduced appetite and underweight people.

5. Wine can be used for relaxation during stressful situations, because it contains a certain amount of magnesium which acts calming.

I have to say that wine and other alcoholic beverages are not recommended for certain diseases such as liver disease, stomach diseases, gout and should not be mixed with sedatives, sleeping pills, painkillers, because in this case wine can cause drowsiness, shortness of breath, and even coma.
In order to use the benefits from drinking red wine, I advise you to drink 1/3 to 1 glass of red wine every day.

Cheers!