Yoga Techniques at Home

Hot yoga is usually practiced in a steamy studio, not a comfortable living room. But that doesn't mean you can't reap some of the benefits of hot yoga from the comfort of your own home. If you don't have a hot yoga studio nearby or can't afford the steep membership fees, try setting up a space in or around your home. While it might not be the exact same experience, you can still practice your technique and improve your flexibility without the studio.

Environment
The most important component of hot yoga is, of course, your environment. It's called "hot" because the studio is typically heated to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with a humidity level of around 40 percent. Depending on your current climate, you can mimic a similar environment by turning up your thermostat or bringing a space heater into a room to increase the temperature. Remember to check the temperature on a thermometer to ensure it's not too hot. If you live in a warm climate, you can practice hot yoga outdoors -- just find a shady spot so you're not practicing in the hot, direct sunlight.

Poses
If you follow Bikram yoga -- the original form of hot yoga as developed by yogi Bikram Choudhury -- the sequencing of yoga poses is always the same. You'll perform the same 26 postures in the same order, twice through. Being familiar with general Hatha yoga can help you in your hot yoga practice, since many of the postures are familiar to those who have practiced other types of yoga and fairly simple to replicate at home.

DVDs, CDs and Other Helps
If you're worried about your at-home hot yoga technique, borrowing hot yoga DVDs or CDs from the library or even investing in your own copies can help you stay on track. They'll walk you through the various poses and the right sequencing so you can focus on your posture and technique rather than trying to remember what comes next or checking a reference guide after each pose. You can find such CDs and DVDs online, at the library and even through some yoga studios.

Safety
When you practice hot yoga at home, you lose out on the benefit of having a trained professional watch your form and offer up safety suggestions to ensure a healthy session. Practicing in the extreme heat can lead to nausea, dizziness and other symptoms of heat exhaustion. Check your thermometer before you start and avoid practicing in conditions above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Drink at least 16 ounces of water before you begin and keep a water bottle nearby during practice, suggests Yoga Journal. If you start to feel sick, dizzy or confused, stop and find somewhere cool until the symptoms cease.

Yoga Pose Names

Curve up like a snake in Cobra, exult like a choreographed Shiva in Lord of the Dance, stand tall and rooted in Tree. Yoga poses have colorful names in English to evoke the shapes and movements of a routine. In their original Sanskrit, some names are more finely layered, alluding to stories from ancient scriptures that demonstrate how to live a moral, balanced life. Call it Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward-Facing Dog, you still have to get your heels on the ground.

The Sounds of Sanskrit
Your yoga teacher may spin out a list of pose names for a sequence that leaves you scratching your head instead of reaching for your toes. The original names of yoga poses are all in Sanskrit, a 7,000-year-old Indo-European language. Hindus believe that the sounds of Sanskrit are themselves holy and that chanting or saying them aloud is a spiritual practice. A pose name is always an aggregate of more than one word in Sanskrit because it ends in "asana," which is the word for posture or pose. The beginning of the name describes the pose. So, Padanghustasana breaks down to Pad -- foot, Anghusta -- big toe, and Asana -- pose. Reach for your feet in Big Toe pose.

Not So Ancient
Yoga itself is thousands of years old. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are about 2,000 years old, but yoga developed as an oral tradition over several millennia before being written down. And what was written about yoga in the ancient scriptures and commentary were teachings and instructions for meditation, breathing practices and spiritual philosophy. Despite popular belief, those venerable names of historic yoga poses may not be anywhere near as old as early scriptures. Cambridge divinity scholar Dr. Mark Singleton, writing in "Yoga Journal," details his search for the origins of contemporary yoga poses. Singleton discovered that Krishnamacharya, the Indian sage who taught the most influential yoga teachers of the 20th century, created a contemporary practice based on classical Hinduism, Western gymnastics, late-19th-century Indian wrestling exercises and poses he claimed to have learned from visions of a yogi ancestor and study with Brahmachari, a cave-dwelling yoga master.

Picture Poses
The hundreds of poses yoga practitioners select from today fall into several major categories, based on physical position. An effective sequence may draw from each category and will tailor the level of difficulty to the student or class. Categories include standing, backbends, forward bends, seated and twists, core, arm balances, inversions and restorative poses. Remembering a sequence gets easier when you realize the names create a picture for you. Happy Baby is a core pose in which you lie on your back, bend your knees and grab your toes with your fingertips. In Plow, an inversion, your body forms a plow shape as you balance on your shoulders, lift your torso and touch the floor behind your head with your extended legs. Side Plank is a one-arm balance in which you support yourself on one hand, raise the other arm to the ceiling and hold your body straight from head to toe.

Story Poses
Some yoga pose names come from scriptural stories that contain a hint about how to approach them. Marichi was the son of Brahma, the grandfather of Surya, the fiery sun god, and the great-grandfather of Manu, the proto-Adam of vedic scripture. Marichi means "ray of light" and the Marichyasana, the Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi, honors his complex nature and gifts of warmth, light and the human intellect. Breathe evenly as you move into the seated forward bend, one leg extended fully forward, foot flexed. The other leg bends at the knee, drawn close to the torso, foot flat on the mat. Head touches knee of the extended leg and hands are swept back and clasped behind you as you lengthen the torso. Mindful, steady breathing invigorates the internal organs, stoking the digestive fire as you hold the pose, even as attention to its intricacies calms the mind.

Gym Workout Routines to Lose Weight

Weight loss can be a difficult process to go through. Between diet and exercising, it can be hard to stick to your plan. Dieting in a healthy manner will help your body run smoothly and burn calories more efficiently. Exercising will have the same effect. You can incorporate three main types of exercise that should be done regularly into a gym routine that will work your body and help you lose weight.

Stretching
Stretching helps restore posture. With good posture, your blood will flow more efficiently and keep your organs healthier.

Bend down and touch your toes. Hold it for 10 seconds. Come back up and stretch your arms to the ceiling. Hold that for 10 seconds. Put your left arm in the air and take it behind your back. Keep your elbow pointed to the ceiling. Take your right hand and put it on your elbow. Bend to the right side. Reverse arms and bend to the left. Now take your hands and place them on your hips. Pivot your hips from side to side. Do this for 10 reps on each side. Sit on the ground and push both of your legs forward as far as they can go. Spread them wide. Take your hands and put them on one foot, stretching as far as you can. Hold for 10 seconds. Move your hands to the other leg and hold. Bring your feet together. Stretch your hands towards your feet and hold for 10 seconds. If you can, bring yourself to the crab walk position. This is a position where you will be on all fours with your back facing the ground. Push your back as high as you feel comfortable. Hold for 10 seconds. This routine will keep your muscles limber and fresh and ready to exercise. If your gym offers it, take yoga classes to increase your flexibility

Cardiovascular or Aerobic Training
Cardiovascular training is vital to losing weight and staying in shape. Cardiovascular training strengthens your heart and lungs. When you have low cardiovascular health, you will be tired often, out of breath easily and low energy. With high cardiovascular health, you will have extra energy, greater stamina and better drive. It also makes all other exercises easier, so it is important to focus on this aspect of your training. Cardiovascular training can be anything that requires you to exert yourself: running, walking, swimming, jogging or even rock climbing. Pick an exercise you enjoy. Doing what you enjoy is half the battle.

Make sure you can talk during your exercise. Once you cannot, you are out of breath, and once you are out of breath, it is best to rest. Don't overstrain, and don't set goals you can't reach. Overexertion will tire you out and can hurt your body.

A diverse use of gym machines can help you burn off a lot of weight. Start easy with the treadmill. Set it for the increased intensity routine. This will slowly increase the speed and incline of the treadmill. Make sure that it never gets too fast or too grueling for you. Run the treadmill for five minutes, then step off and stretch your leg muscles. Next go to the stair-stepping machine. Set it for an increased intensity workout and begin stepping. Be careful you don't step too fast. Five minutes of stair stepping is an excellent start. Next go to a rowing machine for about five minutes. As you work out and your cardiovascular system gets stronger, you will be able to handle a more intense workout.

Take a moment to stretch your body all over, then find a bicycle machine. Set it for an increased intensity routine. This time, go for about 10 minutes, then stretch your legs and arms again. Finish off with five more minutes on the treadmill.

Strength Training
Strength training can offer many weight-loss benefits. Idle muscles burn more energy than idle fat. By building up strong muscles, you can simply be relaxing while watching a movie and burn more calories than you would if you had less muscle. When you lift weights, you are actually tearing your muscles a little. Your body then repairs the muscles, which makes them stronger.

Start out with bench-pressing machine. This will work your chest and arms very well. Put on a safe amount of weight for what you can handle. Don't push too hard at the beginning. Do 10 reps to begin, and if you feel up to it, do another 10. Next find a machine that works your arms, back and chest. This type of machine will have two levers to pull toward your chest. Set your weight for a safe level. Do 10 reps, and if you feel comfortable, another 10. Find the machine that lets you work the back of your legs. This will have a bar for your legs that will let you pull your legs upward against the weights. Set it for an appropriate weight and do two sets of 10 reps if you can. Find the machine that lets you push yourself up against weights using your legs. You will push yourself up and away from a pad. Set this to an appropriate level with 10 reps and another 10 if you feel you can. These workouts will have worked your legs, back, arms and core muscles. Vary your routine using different machines every day so that you don't get bored and don't strain your muscles. Slowly increase the exercises you do and the weights you use. Consulting a personal trainer will provide you with optimum benefit out of your exercise routine.

How Many Calories Does Bikram Burn?

Despite Bikram yoga's reputation for being an extreme, high-calorie burning form of Hatha yoga, passionate students tend to view it more as a healing form of exercise that can ward away ailments in the body and mind with regular practice. Participants are advised to practice Bikram at least 10 times in a 30-day period of time to maintain the maximum benefits. Bikram students are also encouraged to avoid fidgeting between yoga poses, to use the mirror to see their form and to breathe quietly.

History
Bikram yoga is an offshoot of Hatha yoga (pose yoga or yoga of asanas) started by Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury, who is also the founder of the Yoga College of India. Choudhury trained with Bishnu Ghosh starting at age 4. The development of the Bikram style came about after Choudhury, with the help of Ghosh, recovered from what doctors thought would be a debilitating knee injury. Choudhury went on to open yoga schools across India, and later internationally, as he trademarked the Bikram style.

Features
Bikram uses a set 26 poses that are practiced every 90-minute session. Included in the 26 poses are two breathing exercises; Pranayama Series (standing deep breathing) and Khapalbhati (blowing in firm). True Bikram does not deviate from this standard. Most notably, Bikram is known for being practiced in a room with a temperature of at least 105 degrees and 40 percent humidity. Bikram includes many poses that are regularly practiced in other forms of Hatha yoga such as triangle, tree, cobra and eagle.

Benefits
Bikram's ability to burn hundreds of calories in a short period of time can dramatically contribute to a weight-loss program. This rigorous form of yoga is also considered to be pivotal in easing joint pain and improving flexibility, endurance, strength and mental disposition. Bikram is also celebrated as a way to work off a lot of calories without high impact on the joints.

Calculations
By using the standard "calories burned" formula, you can determine the approximate number of calories burned for a 90-minute Bikram session. The formula is:

(METS 3.5 Weight in kg/200) * Duration of activity.

Since many people go by their weight in pounds, a conversion for the METS rate can be used. Bikram is approximately a METS (metabolic equivalent of task based on rate of oxygen used at rest) value of 6. This is divided by the conversion formula for kilograms to pounds, which is 2.2, so 6 / 2.2 = 2.73.

Plugging in the data for a 150 lb. person practicing Bikram for 90 minutes, the calculation looks like this:

(2.73 3.5 150 / 200) * 90 = 644 calories.

The METS formula does not take into account a Bikram student's resting or working heart rate, or their muscle mass; therefore, the results of the calculation are approximate.

How to Create a Personal Fitness Plan

Creating a personal fitness plan requires a commitment to positively improving your overall health. Once you've made your health a key priority, it's time to identify your fitness goals, make realistic plans about how to achieve those goals and commit to ensuring balance in your workouts. Once you begin to exercise, be open to making adjustments to your fitness plan to maximize your chance of success.

Set Fitness Goals
Personal fitness plans can be the blueprint to help you lose weight, gain muscle or both. Think about how you want to change your physical health. Perhaps it's time to lose that belly fat or maybe you want to improve your cardiovascular fitness enough to join a local soccer league. Make a list of your fitness priorities -- writing them down affirms your commitment -- and be realistic. Sure, you might want to lose 75 pounds, but doing so won't happen overnight. Remember, it's OK to change your goals as you go.

Choose Your Exercises
Evaluate the exercises that will help you achieve your fitness goals. For example, if weight loss is your goal, aim to get a minimum of 150 minutes -- and ideally, at least 300 minutes -- of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, every week. If you want to build beach-worthy muscles, buy a gym membership and familiarize yourself with free weights, weight machines and body-weight exercises. As you think about the exercises you plan to perform, realistically consider how you can include them in your daily routine. If you don't have time for a 60-minute gym visit, consider performing calisthenics early in the morning and taking a walk during your lunch break

Strive for Balance
Although you might gravitate toward certain exercises to help you reach your goals, always ensure your fitness plan is balanced. Don't rely too heavily on cardio or strength training alone; your regimen should include a combination of these two forms of exercise. For cardio, blend exercises at various intensity levels, such as walking, swimming, bicycling and using an elliptical trainer at the gym. For strength training a specific muscle group, vary your workouts. For example, build your quads with a combination of body-weight and weighted squats and lunges and using the leg press at the gym. For strength training, you should always exercise all your major muscle groups to keep your body in balance.

Be Flexible
Ambition is important in fitness, but having lofty goals that you fail to meet can be discouraging. Begin your workout regimen slowly, especially if you're previously led an inactive life. Don't quit an activity just because it's challenging. Instead, look for a suitable alternative. For example, if you can't walk for 60 minutes, aim for four 15-minute walks. Recruit fitness-minded friends to occasionally join you in your workout, as variety helps stave off workout boredom. Revisit your fitness plan after a week and gauge whether it's realistic or whether it needs some slight adjustments.

How to Verify Health Insurance

There are any number of reasons why health insurance must be verified. Most providers, such as doctors and dentists, want to ensure that they will be compensated for services rendered. Some university programs verify health insurance before allowing students to participate in overseas programs. Regardless of the reasons for the verification, it is important to realize that insurance coverage is not indefinite. A patient might have changed jobs since you last verified his insurance. Even if the patient's health provider remains the same, member and group identification numbers will have changed.

Tips

1. Develop a recording system that organizes relevant information. For example, you could create a spreadsheet file with separate sheets for each week or month. Key facts should include the patient's name, insurance company, identification number, effective date, deductible, copay amount, and who you spoke with at the insurance company to verify the information.

2. Request original health insurance cards and personal identification rather than accepting copies. Although the health insurance coverage might be valid, some people commit fraud by using insurance provided to a sibling or relative. Requesting valid photo identification can help you determine if the correct person is utilizing the insurance.

3. Contact the health insurance company directly, usually through a toll-free phone number that is located on the back of the patient's insurance card. Be prepared to wait for several minutes to speak to a live person.

4. Enroll in the insurance company's member or provider system. Many insurance companies verify coverage through an online system designed specifically for health care providers. Instead of calling the insurance company, you could verify coverage by entering patient information online.

5. Evaluate the insurance provider. Scam artists constantly sell fraudulent insurance coverage to unsuspecting people. The fake insurance company even might have a name that is quite similar to that of a major provider.

How to Get Health Insurance With No Money

If you have no money, then getting health insurance may seem like an unobtainable dream. However, with doctors' visits alone frequently costing several hundred dollars, health insurance is a necessity if you want to stay healthy and not fall deeply into debt when you hit a health crisis. If you really can't afford health insurance programs, there are many health insurance options for low-income individuals. Knowing where to find these programs may involve a little detective work.

Tips

1. Look up your local Department of Social Services and apply for state Medicaid. Medicaid can help you if you are impoverished and meet other requirements, such as having few assets, if you have children or you are disabled. Income requirements vary from state to state: check with your local Department of Social Services to see if you qualify.

2. Call 211 to reach the United Way. An operator can help you locate United Way agencies in your area that can provide links to health insurance plans or health service providers that provide services at little or no cost. There are free clinics in nearly every community: the United Way will be able to put you in touch with them.

3. Contact your local city hall and ask which hospital in your area provides indigent care. Some cities make agreements with local hospitals to provide subsidized services. For example, the City of Jacksonville, Florida pays Shands Jacksonville to provide services to low-income patients. Patients apply for the health insurance and receive a Shands Card if they qualify, which entitles the holder to receive care at the hospital for free or for a small copayment.