Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: Bertil Hjert


The markets of sporting goods are equipped with a comprehensive range of yoga accessories, which enable you to practice your yoga asanas in a more comfortable manner which will further lead to derive maximum out of them.

But it is not necessary to purchase all of the accessories, rather it is recommended to opt for the necessary ones. Unlike other sports, yoga does not require different types of expensive accessories rather the only major equipment required by it is your “BODY”.

The yoga accessories play a significant role in making you to perform various yoga asanas safely, as they may prevent you from unexpected slips and slides while practicing them.

- Different types of yoga accessories:

The followings are the different types of yoga accessories, which will enable you to perform yoga in a more comfortable manner, but as discussed earlier, it is not necessary to have all of them.

a) Yoga Books

b) There is a wide range of yoga books which are considered as the perfect yoga accessories in guiding the practitioners while performing yoga.

c) Yoga Apparels

One of the most common yoga accessories is the yoga clothing which plays a significant role in the world of yoga. It is always recommended to opt for the comfortable pair of yoga apparels so as to enable free movements of your body while performing different types of yoga asanas. The various types of yoga apparels include yoga pants, T-shirts, yoga shorts, etc.

d) Blankets

There are different types of blankets available in the market which can be placed on the floor to proffer comfortability to every part of the body.

e) Benches

There are various benches available along with the cushions on their back in order to deliver comfort and relaxation while meditating. Not only this, they also proffer an excellent support to the body while performing any stretching or deep breathing asanas.

f) Straps

These yoga straps are used for yoga stretches so as to enable the performers to maintain a particular position for longer hours in order to obtain the best results.

g) Sandbags

The sandbags are generally used during the yoga asanas in order to enable the toning up of the muscles at a faster rate.

h) Yoga Balls

The yoga balls are used for various yoga exercise programs.

i) Yoga Bag

The yoga bags are especially equipped with an adequate amount of space so as to carry the various types of yoga accessories to the yoga class.

j) Yoga Mats

The yoga mats act as the center stage for all types of yoga exercises and meditations. They also enable the body to perform various asanas at an ease. They also prevent unexpected slipping and sliding of the performer while practicing.

k) Yoga DVD’s

There are different types of Yoga DVD’s available in the market, which generally guide you while practicing yoga exercises when you want to perform yoga at your own place. Basically, they act as the yoga teachers.

Though, the purchase of all these accessories is not necessary, but they are considered as the useful items in order to perform the yoga asanas at an ease and with comfortability.

Guest Author: Holly Stevens


When deciding to purchase yoga equipment in a online store or shop it usually wise to have a look at the gear they are selling and check price points. There is a number of kit that you can buy for yoga. There are mats, clothing, chairs and bolsters. This is just to name a few yoga products others include books, videos and music. With yoga growing more popular the amount of equipment that can be got is greatly increasing. Now that it is recognised as a great way to improve health and fitness more people are willing to part with their money to buy the right kit.

One good thing about yoga is that it can be practiced almost anywhere and by all people of all ages. When doing yoga it is best to wear loose and comfortable clothing. Yoga is traditionally done and practiced barefoot, but if this does not suit you, you can just wear socks or soft-shoes.

It is also best to practice yoga on an empty stomach. Empty your stomach, clean your nostril and throat, and consume a glass of warm water 15 minutes before you start. You may drill on energy bars, fruits or drink a glass of water an hour before class to avoid getting hungry or dehydrated during yoga sessions.

It is said earlier that you basically don’t need anything in order to practice yoga. All you need is the desire and the attitude to really be into yoga and expand your self awareness. There is equipment out there that can help you to practice your yoga postures better.

It helps you achieve the proper alignment, balance and makes the pose a little bit easier to do. The use of Yoga equipments also lessen out the stress and strain from doing your yoga positions. There are yoga accessories out there that will help you support your muscles and refrains you from any muscle injuries. This kind of gear also help to save energy by exerting less effort on a pose.

After a thousand of years in existence, Yoga has already been part of everybody’s lifestyle from any part of the world. From India, yoga has evolved through the years and reaches the United States and other countries extending a different yet proven effective form of achieving self balance that results to utmost health be it physical, mental or spiritual.

Now millions of people around the world practice Yoga to cope with stress, feel renewed and energized, release tension, achieve a healthier and fitter body and gain a deep sense of self-knowledge. Doing yoga is not just about postures, there is also one vital part of yoga that we can never live without, and these are yoga equipments.

When starting out yoga, the basic equipment that you will need are

Mats: these yoga equipment provides cushioning on a hard floor, this specially needed if your yoga studio floor is made up of cement or hard wood floor.

This will help you to provide traction for your hand and feet thus prevents you from slipping or sliding on a wrong position when your doing your yoga postures

Bolsters: This provides support for your spine, abdomen and legs in a number of different poses.

Yoga bolsters helps you achieve the utmost result of your practice.

Blankets: this will help you to feel relaxed and comfortable which is essential in the practice of yoga.

Straps: this will either be made out of cotton or nylon. This allows you to grasp your body part which you cannot.

Yoga straps give you added flexibility and holds your pose a little bit much longer.

Such yoga gear may not be a requirement for doing yoga but through times they have been proven to be helpful in their own simple ways.

They have been useful to yoga practitioners especially to those who are suffering from ailments and the elderly. Most are made to provide support to help you feel relaxed and feel deeper into the pose or do a pose better.



Look 10 Years Younger

Guest Author: anonymous


What’s next; will we have to pay a toll to meditate? How can it be morally correct to gain a US patent on a 5,000 year old system founded in India? Who should have the right to claim Yoga?

What about the “cultural heritage of the Indian people?” It is obvious to see, Yoga is definitely part of the heritage of Indian culture.

Most of us believe that the theft of intellectual property is wrong, but let us combine this wrong, with theft of someone else’s cultural heritage for profit.

According to the Times of India, “The US Patent and Trademark office has reportedly issued 150 Yoga-related copyrights, 134 trademarks on Yoga accessories, and 2,315 Yoga trademarks.”

As a result, the Indian government has organized a group to gather Sanskrit and Tamil texts, which will catalog Yogic techniques and Ayurvedic medicine in multiple languages, to prevent patents of Yoga and Ayurveda. This action would make information about Yoga, and Ayurveda, more accessible to patent offices around the world.

What can happen if corporations buy up every Yoga technique? It seems silly to think about, but would we be obligated to pay royalties, or negotiate rights, to perform an Asana or Pranayama sequence?

One Yoga teacher, Bikram Choudhary, copyrighted a 26 Yoga posture (Asana) sequence, which he claimed as his own. Yet, most “hot Yoga” teachers, and hot Yoga studios, around the world, perform the same sequence, without paying him a dime. How do you police an Asana sequence?

Consider this: If you buy the patent to Brahmari Pranayama, how do you manage to keep track of who is performing it in every corner of the earth? The idea is ludicrous, and the patent is not really enforceable.

Yoga is a complex subject and some people are still trying to grasp what Yoga is. Some people think Yoga is exercise. I suppose you could patent an exercise, but it has never been a successful business strategy to patent an exercise.

Every time you trademark an exercise, another person will label it as something similar, but not the same. You cannot stop everyone in the world from doing push-ups because you bought the trademark and patent.

However, Yoga is not an exercise. Yoga is the unity of mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health, for the improvement of all mankind. Yoga is a philosophy, a science, a health maintenance system, and the “Mother of all self-improvement systems.” Yoga is just too vast a subject to try to own it.

The purchasing of Yoga patents is a lesson in futility. Should we buy patents for mantras, breathing, good posture, and eating right? Those are also valuable components of Yoga, but one component of Yoga is not all of Yoga. Yoga is composed of many parts. Maharishi Patanjali wrote that Yoga is composed of eight limbs in his Yoga Sutras.

According to Swami Ramdev, “Yoga can’t be owned and run like a company. Since there are attempts to patent this tradition (of Yoga) in America, the Centre and Yoga organizations should take measures to prevent it.”

He is not the only Guru who is disturbed by the patenting of Yoga. This is disturbing to most Yoga practitioners and Yoga teachers. So, what can the rest of us do about it? We can take action by writing, Emailing, and faxing our law makers.

Stop the foolishness – Say, “No,” to Yoga patents.

Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications