Aerial Yoga: High Flying Fitness

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“The Suspense Is Killing Me!” – Said No Aerial Yogi Ever!

The Eastern form of exercise, yoga, has become a modern day symbol of serenity, peace and well-being in all over the world. According to the 2012 Yoga in an American study, more than 20 million people in America practice it with practitioners spending over $10 billion per annum on yoga related classes and products. The more we explore yoga, the more we realize its benefits. Yoga helps people to relax, relaxing the mind and making the heart beat go down, which is great for people with blood pressure issues. The different yoga poses help increase strength and flexibility, bring relief in all the muscles of the body.

A new form of yoga has recently been introduced by aerial performer Christopher Harrion’s. He is a former Broadway choreographer and a gymnast. Aerial yoga is a hot new fitness trend making its way across the world.

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What is Aerial Yoga?

Aerial yoga is different in its technique and practice from the other forms of yoga, but far more relaxing and soothing. It involves a series of exercises inspired by Pilates, yoga, aerial acrobatics and calisthenics in a hammock like apparatus. It is practiced to achieve a total body workout.

Aerial yoga combines the traditional mat yoga the postures suspended in hammocks. With the help of the hammocks and gravity, we can playfully explore fluid movements, floating and create space in our bodies without compressing the spine and joints. With practice, the body feels exquisite.

Aerial Yoga training is easily accessible

Aerial yoga started more than a decade ago, as the trainers began combining conventional yoga with aerial techniques in their classes. Today, there are a number of distinct schools and classes, conducting it regularly on studio schedules and at different festivals around the world. As it involves suspending hammocks, so it is mainly done in an indoor space.

How it works

Aerial yoga or anti-gravity yoga is an exciting complement to your mat practice. It unwinds facial tangles and knots, builds core strength, quiets the mind, and leaves your body feeling integrated. The hammock, same like other props in yoga, is to assist alignment of the body and deepen the awareness. The wonderful fabric becomes a tool of learning and the students often find moments that bring a new life and understanding of the poses and postures they previously feared. The classes are alternate between practicing with the mat and the hammock to play with gravity in different ways.

You sit on a soft fabric hammock suspended from the ceilings that looks like a long scarf. The hammocks are specially designed for the yoga purpose. They are made out of high density nylon material that support more than 2,000 pounds of weight. The hammocks are held up by webbing straps, carabineers and support chains. The hammock’s height can be adjusted according to personal preference, or for better maneuverability. You also need a normal yoga mat in an aerial yoga class so you can have a mat to stand on.

Throughout the aerial yoga class, you do a variety of yoga poses and aerial adaptations with the help of the hammock. Some of the most basic practices involve stretches, while sitting in the suspended hammock, while other poses progress to hanging in different styles, especially upside down and grabbing your thighs, ankles and feet for balance and support.

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Why Aerial Yoga is the best exercise?

As we know that aerial yoga is a combination of traditional yoga poses, dance and Pilates with the use of a hammock, it provides the best posture and gravity situation that allows you to perform various yoga poses that might be difficult on the ground. It’s fun and acrobatic. It offers the same benefits and enjoyment of the normal yoga, but it has some additional benefits attached to it.

Total body workout: Due to its unique suspension style, it gives all the body parts refinement and toning. Joints are regenerated and strengthened due to the movements.

Heals back pain: It allows to lengthen your spine freely by hanging freely. With less strain on your back, it eases the tension in the hip joint and spinal cord.

Psychologically beneficial: It helps rebuild your emotional system by clearing your mind and relieving stress. It helps in combating stress and increasing creativity.

Increases stamina and strength: It improves body’s overall strength and stamina. The core workout is important cross training, as it assists runners increase stamina and be able to recover faster.

Improves mood: Aerial yoga gets your adrenaline going, while going against the gravity. It produces happy hormones, such as oxytocin, endorphins, serotonin and dopamine, which boost your mood and provide energy.

Aids digestion: The various types of movements and stretches helps improve the digestive system of the body. Thus, helping in healing different digestion related problems.

Improves memory: IT fortifies the neural connections, thereby, improving memory power. In a way, it can make you smarter.

Is Aerial Yoga safe?

Aerial yoga is a safe form of exercise if practiced under a supervision of a trained yoga instructor. The instructor will tell you how to perform aerial yoga properly, so that you don’t harm yourself. Furthermore, the height of the hammock from the ground is hardly three to four feet during the aerial yoga class. Therefore, the risk of injuring yourself is quite minimal.

Some important considerations to take into account are the multiple risks associated with hanging upside down for a long period of time. Most of the people engage in an aerial yoga experience few to no problems. However, if you feel any difficulty immediately contact the instructor and consult a doctor.

Precautions

For those who are looking forward to practice aerial yoga for the first time, here are some tips which help them to avoid injuries.

Wear well-fitted, but comfortable clothes. Loose clothing will make the movement difficult and has the potential to get tangled in the hammock.

You will feel more comfortable, if you go barefoot in the aerial yoga practice session.

Do not use hand lotion as it may make your hand slippery on the hammock and will loosen your grip.

Avoid soft drinks or any acidic liquid before the class. Drink plenty of water and have a light meal.

Remove watches, jewelry and anything which can tangle in the hammock. Fingernails and toenails should be trimmed.

After an hour of swinging back and forth, pushing your body in a new way and flipping it up and down, it’s hard not to leave the class with a great smile. It seems like an intimidating exercise, but it can be incredibly exciting and rewarding. Aerial yoga is a chance to play and dream together, to try something different altogether, and put yourself in a position in which you feel no gravity or earthly force on you taking you in a world of comfort and solitude.

by Angelique Harris

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What is Healthy Eating in Today’s World

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Healthy eating today is not just an issue about whether you are getting the proper amount of nutrition or having the right diet. If you really want to know what healthy eating is all about, you would have to include the environmental and agricultural considerations. It is very important to know where your food is coming from. Are you buying GMO-produced foods? Do you prefer organic food? With so many advances in food technology and food production, you have to know the benefits and the risks of eating the types of food that you regularly buy in the supermarket and groceries. Healthy eating today is about gaining more information on your food and making the right choices on what food to buy and eat.

Going Organic

More people are choosing organic vegetables and meat when they are buying food in groceries and supermarkets. People are starting to avoid food, which has been sprayed with pesticides and other unnecessary chemicals. Even though organic food tends to be a bit expensive, more stores in the US and all over the world are offering organic food products for their customers. Here are some of the reasons why organic food is a popular choice:

• Organic fruits and vegetables have 30 percent more vitamins and minerals. Minerals such as iron, magnesium and phosphorus are richer by 29 percent when they are organic.
• It is safer for children because it has no artificial flavorings and other additives that could have negative effects.
• There is lesser risk in consuming any pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals found in a conventional farm produce.

Why You Should Avoid GMO Produced Foods

GMO produced foods are also called bio-engineered foods and these are the ones, which have undergone genetic modification for different purposes. GMO or genetically modified organisms don’t sound very appetizing and there are many reasons why people are trying to avoid GMO produced foods.

• GMOs use toxic chemicals and pesticides to produce food and it can still be harmful to the human health.
• The tests on animals are not very positive. The animals that were fed with GMO foods show alarming side effects that affected their health.
• Mixing and crossing genes from different kinds of species produces unpredictable side effects that bring nutritional deficiencies and other damaging side effects.
• GMO is harmful to the environment. The herbicides can be harmful to the birds, amphibians, insects and other animals and it can also pollute the water resources.

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There are a lot of negative reports pertaining to GMOs and it is currently under fire from different organizations worldwide. The world needs food resources that are safer and more natural. Genetically modifying food resources may not be a popular choice because it still proves dangerous and risky for humans and the environment.

Recent Advances in Food Production

Healthy eating is being aware of how your food is produced. It is not just about counting calories and reading the ingredients of your food. Today, being healthy should also mean that you are socially aware of what is happening to the environment. You should also know the recent advances in food production, which is very important, if you want to know the quality of food you are putting on your table.

The main points to consider in food production today are to lessen the use of pesticides and other chemicals. When these chemicals are mixed with other pesticides and additives, it can be a deadly combination that can lead to serious health issues and sickness. Studies have shown that regular ingestion of certain chemicals found in processed foods can cause cancer and other major illnesses.

Water is very precious nowadays and conserving it for food production can be a daunting task. However, advancements have been made which may allow food producers to use less water. This can be good for the environment and the people, especially in countries where there is less rain.

Scientists are trying to find ways on how to maximize the production of food on a small land space. If they can solve this problem, then the farmers and crop growers won’t have to use too much pesticides and fertilizers on their crops.

Healthy Eating Today

Healthy eating today is knowing what you are really consuming and putting inside your body. It is your responsibility to know how your food is made. It is up to you whether you will continue ignoring the warning signs that you are seeing in the social media and the news. If you really care about your health and the welfare of your family, you should broaden your knowledge beyond nutrition.

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Wellness Tourism: Get In Shape While On Vacation

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Wellness Tourism

What is Wellness Tourism?

Wellness is a descriptive word itself and means health or well-being. Wellness tourism is meant to promote health through various psychological, spiritual, and physical activities through visits to spas or resorts which provide packages specifically for a healthy holiday. Their menus are special and comprise of healthy food, spa treatments, physical workouts, and prospects to grow one’s creativeness and spirituality. The whole atmosphere of such wellness resorts are geared to support wellness so you won’t be lured to eat unhealthy food or drink too much alcohol after a day full of activities. Of course this would be completely fine if you were on a regular holiday, but if you are on a wellness trip, then ‘good health’ is the foundation of a wellness tourism.

Top three wellness resorts in the world:

There are a handful of wellness resorts which boast an exotic location, calm and serene surroundings equipped with modern wellness gear, and some traditional ways of attaining physical and spiritual health. However, three resorts stand out completely and will pamper you for every minute that you spend there; beginning from the check-in to the check-out.

1. The Philippines: The Farm, located at San Benito

This magnificent wellness resort is located on a 49 acre property alongside a mountain densely surrounded by forest. The beauty of the Philippines encircled with acacia trees, coconut trees, beautiful flowers, fresh air, and so many other forms of nature. The Farm is a perfect wellness getaway.

Programs they offer:

The Farm promotes healthy and holistic living. The biggest drive in the spiritual industry is to be mindful or practicing mindfulness. There are various programs which they offer that focus on:

• Stress Management
• Wellness Experience
• Detoxification
• Fitness
• Anti-Age and Rejuvenation

Before indulging in any of the programs they arrange a meeting with an in-house physician for best results of the program you wish to undertake.

Healthy menu:

Packed with nutritional values there are two sections to the healthy menu which the Farm offers:

• Raw Cuisine

Every meal and course is loaded with minerals, fiber, vitamins, and anti-oxidants. These foods will give you energy, beautiful skin, help in increasing your immunity power, and give you in whole a beautiful appearance.

• Alive Cuisine

The creative chefs of The Farm transform fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts of any kind to yummy foods by culturing, soaking, dehydrating, and blending. Pizzas and breads, chutneys and dressings, jam and chocolate treats are made at The Farm.

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1. Italy: Lefay Resort and SPA Lago di Garda, located in Gargnano

Located on the onsets of Lake Garda, Lefay is set on an 11 acre piece of property. The beautiful resort is located 7 km away from the town of Gargano. You could enjoy the view of beautiful olive woods, vineyards, lemon gardens spread on a hill, fishing boats, and the view of a simple village. A visit to Lefay is a perfect Italian getaway wellness tour. The resort has been designed using the latest technologies and beautiful interiors.

Programs they offer:

You can combine your stay with the different wellness programs Lefay has in store for you. Every program is unique and has many health benefits.

• Perfect Body
• Purifying
• Beauty Rejuvenate
• Perfumes of the Lake
• Wellness for Children
• Mother-To-Be
• Specials for Him
• Osteo-Physiotherapy
• Kalliste

Healthy menu:

We are all aware of the health benefits of virgin olive oil. Lefay has prepared its cuisine keeping in mind it’s wellness programs and all the delicacies present on the menu are healthy. The menu of Lefay is Mediterranean and you can enjoy some traditional Italian dishes made in a healthy way.

Lefay chefs believe in buying from the local farmers especially those who follow organic way of farming so that they can serve you only healthy food on your table. Animals that are under the threat of extinction or harvested in vehement ways are strictly prohibited. The dishes are not only healthy, but tasty and are detoxifying in nature. Simple ingredients are used for cooking and the cooking time is kept short in order to retain the healthy or organoleptic qualities of the food.

2. Thailand: Kamalaya; located in Koh Samui Island

Overlooking the coast of southern Koh Samui, Kamalaya is snuggled in a small, beautiful valley. The calming energy of Kamalaya derives from a temple cave, which Buddhist monks long ago used as a place of spiritual sanctuary. The tropical jungle foliage and the beautiful ponds of lilies are sure to lift all your worries. The exotic Thai wellness retreat will heal you spiritually and bodily.

Programs they offer:

Kamalaya has a range of wellness programs, which are relaxing and will lift your spirits.

Healthy Lifestyle:

• Optimal Fitness
• Ideal Weight
• Sleep Enhancement

Detox:

• Introduction to Detox
• Basic Detox
• Comprehensive Detox

Emotional Balance:

• Embracing Change

Stress and Burnout

• Asian Bliss
• Relax and Renew
• Basic Balance and Revitalize
• Comprehensive Balance and Revitalize

Yoga

• Personal Yoga Synergy

Healthy menu:

You can enjoy special detox and vegetarian dishes at Kamalaya; they offer four types of food selections Vegan, Lacto Ovo, Detox, and Raw. Every dish is made from fresh and organic fruits and vegetables and you could enjoy some great traditional Thai dishes prepared by the chefs of Kamalaya.

Why Is Wellness Tourism Outpacing Regular Tourism?

There cannot be an exact statistics given on how much the industry has grown in the past few years, but we could say that the wellness industry seems to be working with a speedy increases everyday and has grown almost 50% more than regular tourism. People have become health conscious and prefer to spend their vacation in a healthy way rather than hogging on food or spending on expensive holiday shopping. The crowd seems to prefer a getaway where they could also feel beautiful besides just looking beautiful and be refreshed for a new start in life.

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