One of the essential things about yoga, together with the positive attitude, is the diet. It is usually recommended to practice yoga after about 2 hours from a meal, or to eat something small prior to practice.  Many specialists agree that what we eat is reflected both in our appearance, as well as in our health state. In other words, it is important to know the things we consume, in order to prevent illnesses.

However, the question remains what does healthy food mean? According to some studies, a diversified diet represents the ideal food for anyone. However, fruits and vegetables, containing fibers and vitamins should be a constant in your daily meals. Furthermore, only what would be considered natural food is recommended, when it comes to your state of well-being.

Despite the fact that many people try to eat as little as possible, as they believe most food can be harmful, you have to keep in mind that your body needs nutrients, in order to properly function. Nevertheless, do not overreact when eating, even if you are consuming healthy food, because it will not have the same beneficial effect on you. Try to stop eating once you are not hungry or, even better, stop right before you feel full. You will discover the fatigue, which you used to experience after eating, diminishes, while your energy level rises.

Another issue related to eating is how often should a healthy person eat? Should we have 3 meals a day? Should we avoid dinner, to prevent becoming overweight, because we do not move at night? Or is it better to skip lunch, so that you don’t experience fatigue? Well, the right answer to these questions would be to eat whenever you are hungry, as your body needs to be fed in order to function, but, do pay attention to what and how much you are eating.

More than an energy source, food can be a means of purifying one's body and soul, which is why, together with the variety of exercises, yoga teachers encourage their practitioners to keep a wise diet, based on natural food. This way, their body is protected from the danger of contracting toxins and it is prepared, at the same time, to find the balance with the soul and mind, which is actually one of the main goals of yoga practices.

Finally, when consistently practicing yoga it is important to meditate both on what you are doing to your own body, as a direct consequence of the food you are eating, and to what level you respond to your soul's and mind's needs.

Yoga is not only an enriched form of keeping a mental stability and calmness of your mind but at the same time is a good fitness routine. Archer’s pose is a fun posture that derives its name from the pose itself where your legs form a simple bended bow ready to be shot. Archer pose is a seated yoga posture that requires a fair amount of flexibility. Archer pose resembles an archer aiming at a target, which is the inspiration for its name. Even though it might look simple, you should keep in mind that these positions to a beginner might be tough to achieve and when achieved with too much force can result in uneasy muscular pain or nerve pull. 

Yoga has been practiced for 400 years and is a system of exercises which are very easy and effective at increasing a person’s overall health and well-being.  Yoga instructors and students alike will often talk about phrases like "being in harmony with oneself and surroundings" and indeed this is a primary goal of Yoga, to achieve a unity of body, mind and spirit in oneness with the world around us.  Yoga combines meditation and breathing techniques that will grant you the ability to turn your concentration inward to examine your feelings and thoughts.

​There are a number of different aspects in Yoga, but one of the most appealing is that this is a set of exercises that anyone can enjoy and benefit from.  It does not require any expensive equipment or a special setting, it can be practiced by anyone, man or women, rich or poor, young or old, healthy or ill.  Perhaps its greatest appeal has always been that it is a set of beneficial exercises that anyone can do at any time and in any place.  Yoga is even a safe form of exercise for pregnant women and prenatal Yoga classes are often recommended to expectant mothers.  A specially tailored prenatal yoga class will help prepare a women, physically and mentally to become a mother.  It gives her a number of useful tools for coping with labor and the strengthening of the body means that the recovery period after giving birth will be much shorter.

There is a preconception however, that many men believe Yoga is a female pastime, but this couldn't be further from the truth.  Yoga provides numerous benefits to men:  decreasing stress, assisting in relaxation and increasing power, stamina and flexibility across the board. Senior citizens can get a number of benefits from a yoga course and are often the first to praise the mental advantages such as an increased attention span and a better memory both long and short term. Even young children will benefit from a Yoga regime by stronger bones, increased circulation and a better disposition resulting from breathing exercises and the relaxation of the exercise.

Regardless of the person Yoga has a number of lasting benefits and will aid in a wide variety of different health issues.  Regular practitioners of yoga will live an overall enhanced lifestyle, are more likely to have a strong memory and better stamina combined with a stronger sense of balance. 

It's no wonder when you consider all the different benefits of Yoga how very popular it is, and the fact that it is a regime of exercise that is open to everyone is one more big advantage of it.  It means that families can stay fit and healthy together and include everyone from the youngest child through to the oldest family members.  The exercises can be performed at varying levels of difficulty and intensity, which means that two people at completely different levels of strength and flexibility can go through the same motions and both benefit.

Legs Up the Wall or in Sanskrit Viparita Karani” (VIP-uh-REE-tuh kah-RAH-nee), literally translates to “inverted action. When you take time out of your day to reverse the forward motions of doing, acting, and accomplishing, you allow your brain and body to settle into a state of pure being. Settling into this state, then, conditions the mind for deeper meditation, serenity, and self-awareness. 

​Legs Up the Wall is a rejuvenating pose that brings relief to the legs, feet, spine, and nervous system. It is a gentle way to bring the body into a state of deep relaxation and renewal.