Wednesday, 3 November 2010

Gaiam Yoga Products

Gaiam Yoga Products

Gaiam Yoga Products are known for their quality goods that are geared toward sustainability and health. Gaiam offers a number of different yoga products which are suitable for all students.

With a variety of different yoga mats available, there is something to suit everyone's needs. Eco-friendly mats are great choice for the yogi who is concerned with the environment. The premium sticky yoga mat with extra cushioning is perfect for those who practice on hardwood floors. The reversible travel yoga mat is great for those who like to squeeze in some exercise while they are traveling. With the audio yoga mat, you can connect your MP3 player and listen to calming music as you exercise.

Gaiam offers a yoga mat sling that makes carrying your mat to and from class even more convenient. For those who need a little extra help stretching or are looking to move past their limits should try the Gaiam yoga strap made out of 100% hemp. With the strap you can work a wider range and attempt harder poses.

Rodney Yee’s Yoga Ball® Beginner’s Kit can help you to improve flexibility, balance and core strength. Yogi Rodney Yee will lead you through a beginner yoga series. The ball is eco-friendly and molds to fit your body as you work through the poses. The workout is a total of 20 minutes with a 10 minute cool down which consists of strap work. The kit contains a yoga ball, DVD, yoga gloves, strap and pump.
Every yogi will use a yoga block at one point or another. Gaiam's recycled foam yoga block provides extra traction, height and support that can help you to achieve a deeper stretch and further your practice. It is perfect for use under the hands, feet or rear.

Unisex yoga sandals are perfect to wear to and from yoga class and around town. These adjustable sandals are flexible and feel custom as the toe separators fit easily between the toes to allow for maximum comfort. Wearing yoga sandals outside of class can improve stability and by properly supporting your heels.
A package of 2 pairs of non-slip yoga socks will get you through those rough times when you feel your feet start to slip in the middle of a difficult pose. Your feet will feel as comfortable as they do when you go barefoot but won't slip. They also reduce the likelihood of acquiring foot fungus.

Tuesday, 2 November 2010

The Practice of “No-Conflict”

The various aspects of yoga practice are evident in the many styles (schools) of thought available. Frequently, debates form around the perception of conflict between materialism and spirituality, as if they are not interdependent. Few yogis in today’s modern world can practically ignore the effects their living environment has upon their practice.

To have some fun with the debate, imagine that you must design your space to be a reflection of your frame of mind. Then, browse through the product selection at Gaiam while making notes about what products seem appealing to you. Do this during different moods; after an experience of elation, during a fit of creative passion, when feeling stagnant, after a disappointment, and most importantly….after Yoga practice!
You may be surprised to find how the frame-of-mind you are in during a decision-making moment can influence your preferences!

Preferences are often the symptom of a hidden internal condition. Doing the exercise described above can help to bring awareness to the way that each of us must determine the timing of when to actually commit to a major decision, some of which are more consequential than Lotus Leaf Pedals or the aesthetic Mahogany Boat Tealight Holder! (But they’re nice, too…) It’s less dramatic to start with your living environment as a practice, and work towards awareness of factors influencing that major life decision!
By becoming more comfortable with the relationship between the living space you occupy and its effects upon the decision-making mind, more opportunities for deep reflection are naturally invited into your daily practice. This may not provide the answer to that major decision you face….but it does begin to create real opportunities for your internal environment to awaken, which is a guiding force that can be trusted.
When our minds become destabilized because of external disorganization, this is also a manifestation of the same principal. One might appreciate how it brings a lot of awareness to the intersection of external and internal environments; by caring for the former, one may cultivate the latter.
Yogic schools of thought are shared practices; many of the techniques we have learned in asana and pranayama have come from the efforts of many generations. Because practice is historically shaped by the concerns of the practitioners, it makes a lot of sense to engage the modern perception of conflict between spiritual practice and material manifestations of reality…as a daily practice!