NEW: Yoga Breathing at Guided Yoga

There's a new feature at Guided Yoga! We heard the requests from our members, and are now introducing Yoga breathing or Pranayama classes. In keeping with the Guided Yoga philosophy, classes are available at all levels- from beginner to advanced, and are customized for the individual user.

The health benefits of pranayama, both mental and physical, are myriad. In the short term, yoga breathing practice can improve relaxation, focus and detoxification of the body. Long term benefits can include such important goals as lowered blood pressure, improved sleep patterns, weight loss, improved metabolic rate as well as a host of others. By improving our way of breathing, we are combating all of the negative effects of stress and poor lifestyle choices we sometimes encounter in this hectic world.

Pranayama translates as “life-breath-extension.” The thought behind it is that by learning to extend and channel the breath, we are using the body’s natural power to heal itself. The breath carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, and removes impurities from our blood and organs for excretion as we exhale. Breathing problems such as asthma and emphysema cause enormous problems for the body, but how often do we think about breathing when we are healthy?

Let's stay healthy! Try Guided Yoga today!

Yoga Online: Comfort and Self Respect

Everyone has different needs in their yoga practice, and from day to day those needs can change depending on mood and health. There's been a lot of interest in Guided Yoga because it can be customized for the individual user, so it's much easier to respect how your body is feeling and to determine your yoga needs for your practice. Studio classes are geared towards the group, and beginners and anyone just having an off day can feel that they cannot keep up and so they just don't go! Yoga isn't about pushing yourself to be like everyone else in the class; it's about respecting how your body feels and never pushing yourself beyond your comfort level. Yoga should never hurt, either physically or emotionally. For some, yoga at home offers a lower stress, more introspective way to do yoga; Guided Yoga adds to that the freedom to adjust your difficulty and time settings to improve your online yoga experience.
Namaste

Online Yoga article

We've been writing a lot lately about how to use online yoga effectively, but just to backtrack, I thought I'd include a link to an article we wrote about online yoga in general that's been picked up by a few sites looking for more info on online yoga:

http://yogaandmeditation.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/yoga-on-the-net/

Guided Yoga wants to hear what YOU want in an online yoga experience! Respond to this blog or go to http://www.guidedyoga.com and contact us through the website.

Namaste

Morning and Evening Yoga

Recently, I've been thinking about how the time of day affects my yoga
practice. My body and mind are just so different at different points in
my day!

In the morning I have been wanting a vigorous (but short) practice to
wake me up but also to focus my somewhat scattered thoughts. I've been
setting my Guided Yoga preferences to 25 minutes at around 60 (Vigorous)
for difficulty. That's been working well for me although I've had to
pause my sessions a few times to attend to my newly mobile 7 month old!

In the evening, after both kids are blessedly asleep, I've been winding
down my day with a 20 minute Restorative session. It feels like heaven
to stretch out after a long day! I've felt really good about this
routine because even though I don't have time for a long practice,
between the two shorter sessions I feel quite relaxed.

By the way, anyone who wants to try Guided Yoga for the day, just email
me at ashley@guidedyoga.com and I will send you a free one day pass, no
sign up necessary!

Beginner Yoga

Starting yoga can be a really big step! The expense of the studio yoga experience and a sense of not "fitting in" can be scary for a first time yogi. Yoga studio schedules also mean that the classes available for those who work 9-5 are always packed. I've even heard of people having to make a "mat reservation." Ugh! Not very serene.

Many beginning yogis start with DVD and Video classes, and these can be helpful, but are not personalized. A DVD is always the same length and the same routine, and cannot grow with you as you increase your yoga experience. Online yoga is in its infancy, and commonly consists of a video library which can be choppy and difficult to watch on the computer even if your connection is fast. At Guided Yoga we like to think our online yoga is superior for beginning yoga students. This is why:
•Guided Yoga's difficulty scale is fully graded, so our classes grow with you and are always exactly at your level.
•Our revolutionary search algorithm allows us to create yoga classes that are always different and always personalized for you.
•Our time settings mean that no matter how much time you have for a class, Guided Yoga can create a satisfying and well-rounded yoga routine for you.

The Guided Yoga Discussion Center

Hi everyone,

Just a little about us at www.guidedyoga.com!

After having my first child I discovered that it was difficult to get to my usual yoga classes.  I found that many of my friends even without children were in the same position.  My husband and fellow yogi and I  set out to bring Guided Yoga into being.

Guided Yoga is a revolutionary new way to experience online yoga.  Guided Yoga creates online yoga classes on demand, individually tailored to any level of yoga experience, from beginner to expert.  Right now we are offering a free trial month to experience Guided Yoga's membership features.  Please come visit us at www.guidedyoga.com.

Also check back with our blog soon for upcoming features such as breathing exercises and a bio of our favorite yogi TaraMarie Perri.

Namaste