About Carolyn Hansen

arolyn Hansen is a noted Holistic Health and Wellness Coach who hails from
Whangarei, New Zealand where she owns an Anytime Fitness Gym. She has gained a
reputation online as an authority on health, exercise and weight loss matters and is the
author of several thousand health and fitness articles along with eBooks and programs that
can be found here.
She has devoted more than three decades to the fitness industry, both offline and online,
teaching people the simple secrets to getting into better shape, losing weight, and
improving health.
Her main goal is to change the paradigm of health care from sickness care to wellness care
and will be showing people how to live longer, healthier lives while avoiding the many
mistaken beliefs and practices that diminish health and longevity.
She will encourage you to become stronger and stay that way through each decade of your
life maintain your health, wellness and vitality and to ensure your health span matches
your life span.

Yoga Fire

Copyright Carolyn Hansen

...2

Foreword

...4

Chapter 1

...5

Chapter 2

...7

Yoga Basics

The Breathing

Chapter 3

...8

Chapter 4

The Most Effective Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

...14

Chapter 5

...16

The Poses

Table of Contents

About Carolyn Hansen

Take a Look at Hot Yoga

Yoga Fire

Copyright Carolyn Hansen

Most simply defined, yoga is a set of poses or asanas coupled with breathing techniques,
which help impart strength and flexibility to the body while helping to balance the mind
and its thinking. By practicing yoga, one can not only achieve physical health, but also
mental and spiritual well-being as well.
In todays world, many of us suffer from stress and perpetual anxiety to perform well, leading
to a plethora of diseases that we expose ourselves to. Yoga aims to calm and compose our
minds and help us focus clearly on what really matters - good health and the happiness that
accompanies it!

Foreword

oga implies union in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where yoga started. We
may consider it of the union taking place between the body, mind and spirit. It is also often
defined as a lifestyle which aims to have a healthy mind within a healthy body.

Yoga Fire

Get healthy with the best yoga techniques today!

Yoga Fire

Copyright Carolyn Hansen

A yoga class at a gym may be more centered on the strictly

physical advantages of yoga, while one at a yoga center might
dig more into the spiritual side. Some people discover that
the physical practice of yoga gets to be a gateway into a spiritual exploration, while other
people simply enjoy a wonderful low-impact workout that makes them feel great.
Yoga has a lot of advantages, it betters the flexibility of the body, ones strength grows and it
is a great way of dealing with tension. Because of the concentration demanded, your daily
hassles, both large and small, appear to melt away during the time you are doing yoga.

Yoga Basics

any people mistakenly believe that yoga is simply

stretching. However while stretching is surely involved, yoga is
truly about producing equilibrium in the body by formulating
both strength and flexibleness.

Stretching out your body in new ways will assist it to become more flexible, bestowing
greater range of motility to muscles and joints.

Strength
Yoga poses call for you to support the weight of your own body in novel ways bettering
both your physical strength and muscle tone.
Certain asanas of yoga help generate both inner and outer strength. Muscle strength
is essential in doing day to day activities and in preventing you from injuries.

Flexibility
The popular notion that you need to be flexible in order to do yoga is incorrect; it is really
the other way round - you should do yoga so that you can be more flexible. If you have a
flexible body, you find it easy to do the tasks and activities of everyday living. A lot of poses
in yoga concentrate on stretching and improving your flexibility.
With yoga, not only the muscles of the body, but also the softer tissues of your body are
worked out, resulting in less build-up of lactic acid which is responsible for stiffness in
various parts of the body.
Yoga increases a range of motions of the less used inner muscles and helps in lubrication
of joints. The result is a more flexible body, able to perform daily tasks and activities easily.

Cardiovascular
Yoga has a lot of positive effects on the cardiovascular (heart/lung) system of our body.
A healthy cardiovascular system is responsible for preventing heart attacks, strokes and
hypertension. Heart disease is a problem which has roots in an improper lifestyle, faulty
diet and negative thinking.
Our thoughts, emotions and feelings affect our body and negative emotions/thoughts send
a series of complex and unhealthy chemical processes throughout the body, giving an alarm
that something is amiss.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

 Types Of Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is the most known form of yoga for Westerners, and the sort commonly taught
in beginner-level courses. Hatha yoga accents breath control and flowing poses. You are
able to expect to burn one hundred seventy-five calories per hour, or the same total of
calories you would burn by walking two miles in 60 minutes.

Yoga Basics

Yoga tends to control these by bringing in fresh life-giving oxygen to cells, tissues and
organs at cellular level. Regular yoga practice helps children with attention deficit disorder
and people suffering from anxiety, depression and mood swings. It also helps keep the
mind calm and reduces stress, thereby increasing the general well-being of the person.

Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga yoga is a bit more intense than Hatha yoga, however still places accent on breath
control and flowing poses. The common class has a series of six poses that increase in
difficultness. A common Ashtanga class will burn three hundred calories in 60 minutes, or
the same as walking four miles in 1 hour.

Power Yoga
Power yoga is a Westernized sort of Ashtanga yoga, which moves promptly between
postures to increase your pulse rate. Because of this, many classes commonly last thirty to
forty-five minutes, instead of sixty. The calories burned are more or less the same as a full
sixty minute Ashtanga class.

Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa yoga is commonly combined with the Ashtanga form to produce one dynamic
class. The accent is placed on flowing from one posture to the next, especially during the
add ons. Vinyasa classes commonly burn 445 calories per 60 minutes, or the same total as
jogging at a slow pace for sixty minutes.

Bikram or Hot Yoga

Bikram yoga, a.k.a. hot yoga, is performed in a room heated up to 105 degrees and with
a humidity of 40%. This assures that you will sweat a lot as you do the twenty-six postures
in a common class.
A lot of practitioners who utilize yoga as their principal form of cardio opt for the higherintensity classes and aim for doing the class three times a week, for a ninety minute session.
If you wish to burn calories while doing yoga, go for
the more intense classes and work at growing or
stretching into every pose perpetually throughout
the class.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

reathing is the basis of life and Yoga promotes proper

breathing to bring oxygen to the blood and to the brain and
forms an integral part of Yoga.
Do I hear you asking how. It really is very basic - by breathing
deep and right, something that you would be doing when you
practice yoga, you are inhaling more oxygen and allowing the
cells of your body to have access to that oxygen for a longer
period of time.

These breathing techniques bring about the highest form of purification and self discipline
involving both the mind and body.

The Breath

The Breathing

The primary intention of practicing yoga breathing is to prepare both in body and mind
for the meditation phase.
Generally, most people do not know the importance of breathing properly. Most people
breathe very shallowly which does not carry enough oxygen to the entire body which in
turn can cause various negative medical conditions.
Yoga breathing is the art of taking deep breaths to fill up almost the entire lung and then to
exhale slowly, while all the time concentrating on the process.

Here are some simple steps to yoga breathing

Choosing a quiet and dimly lit area or naturally lit area.
Use a comfortable yoga mat.
Sit on the mat crossed leg but pulled towards the chest.
Keep the back straight and hold the arms in a relaxed and comfortable position on

the thighs.

Touch thumbs and index fingers together with palms facing downwards
Inhale deeply while focusing on the

breath taken. Do this a few times until

totally relaxed.

Concentrate on trying to breath from the

abdominal area and not just the chest

Once the level is reached alternate

between cheat breathing and abdominal
breathing.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

oga is separated into 8 sections known as the 8 limbs of

yoga. Every limb relates to a facet of accomplishing a healthy
and fulfilling life, and each builds on the one before it. You
might be surprised to hear that only one of the limbs affects
the performance of yoga postures.

Each yoga pose represents a different aspect to be addressed

in the healing and enhancement of the general health of the
individual. By strengthening each body part including abdominal muscles and the area
around and near the spinal cord better health is assured.

The Poses

Each yoga pose teaches the body to bear its own weight in that area rather than rely on
other muscles to share or take on the weight. It also helps to enhance the inner self power
and self assurance.

Other Guidelines when Beginning Yoga

Always begin each session with a warm-up. Use exercises that stretch the spine

and legs.

Understand inhalation and exhalation procedures. Inhalations are associated

with expanding movements and exhalation with contracting movements.

Sequencing is the change from one pose to another. This helps to balance the

workout session.

Understand the different uses of the various poses.

Always breathe through the nose.
Start with simple postures and move up as you get more comfortable.
Always avoid injury by not forcing the body into a particular posture.
Always end the session by relaxing the body.

Yoga Fire

Copyright Carolyn Hansen

Like in all exercise, starting simple and getting complex later will yield more benefit. With
yoga, constant practice session is the key to getting better.

The Poses

Postures are repeated three times but instead of trying to do a posture thrice, try to get it
right even once. Hopefully these guidelines when beginning yoga classes will prove useful
to those considering yoga.

Example Poses
Yoga is carried out by making postures known as asanas. These postures ensure that the
person doing yoga is relaxed for a specific duration. In the modern age, there are many
postures that are made to exercise both the body and mind.

Asanas
Yoga Posturesthe Fundamental Yoga Poses Types
Basically, there are four types of yoga postures with many sub-postures. These four postures
are standing yoga poses, sitting yoga poses, yoga poses while lying down on back and yoga
poses while lying down on the stomach.

Standing Yoga Poses

These are yoga poses that are done when one is standing. Under this category of yoga
postures, there are various different postures that can be made such as: standing sideways
while bending one arm; bending sideways while using both arms; standing on a spinal
twist; bending forward while standing; bending backwards while standing; making a
triangle pose; making a warrior pose; bending forward with the feet apart; making a tree
pose; making a chair pose; bending forward while standing on one leg.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

Sitting Yoga Poses

The Poses

These are yoga poses that are done when one is sitting. Under this category of yoga postures,
there are various different postures that can be made such as: making and inclined plane
posture; sitting with a half spinal twist posture; sitting with a butterfly posture; making a
cat stretch; making a child posture; making a mill churning posture; making a bow pose;
making a cobra pose.

Yoga poses while lying on the stomach

These are yoga poses that are done when one is lying on the stomach. Under this category of
yoga postures, there are various different postures that can be made such as: shoulder stand;
wind-relieving pose; plow pose; lying-down body twist; corpse pose; lying-down on sides.

Yoga poses while lying on the back

These are yoga poses that are done when one is lying on the back. Under this category of
yoga postures, there are various different postures that can be made such as: superman
pose; fish pose; locust pose; bridge pose; boat pose.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

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Asanas
Whenever carrying out asanas there are practices that are observed. For instance, one
should perform the positions on an empty stomach. This is in order to avoid constipation.
When making the postures, force, or else pressure, must not be applied. The body should
be stable and trembling completely avoided.
The head in particular, as well as other body parts, such as the heels, must be lowered slowly
to avoid any physical injury. Whenever the postures are being made, breathing should be
well controlled.

The Poses

Yoga Posturesthe Fundamental Yoga Poses Practices

The mountain pose is one of the easiest and most commonly used pose. It is purported to
be so easy that it can be learnt straight from books, thought this is not the recommended
way to start yoga. This pose works as a good remedy to self healing and relaxation.

The bridge pose takes a little getting used to but it works wonders for the spinal area. Besides
the main aim of strengthening the spine, it opens the chest and improves spinal flexibility,
and stimulates the thyroid gland.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

11

The Poses

The bird of paradise pose contributes to the strengthening of the leg muscles. It also
improves the balance by ensuring the focus stays on the intended muscles and not
dependant on any others. It also helps to improve balancing while loosening the hip, groin
and hamstring muscles.

The dolphin pose is similar to the dog pose and is used to enhance the blood flow and
is particularly useful for those with wrist problems commonly associated with pianist,
computer users and writers.

The cobra pose is another pose that focuses on the spinal area. It increases the flexibility of
the spine and it great for relieving back pain.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

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The Poses

The dragon fly pose or also known as the humming bird pose is quite difficult and requires
a lot of practice but once achieved it contributes to strengthening the arms and the ability
to arm balance.

There are many more poses and its never ending if one wants to explore further. However,
in order to be effective it is recommended that only a few poses should be picked and used
at any given time. When these are mastered choose a few more and add them to your
library of poses.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

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he most effective yoga poses for weight loss can actually

make you lose weight just like employing other high impact
exercises. Yoga is known for being a stress-relieving method,
but it has also been proven by many people to be an effective
weight loss remedy.

Yoga is beneficial for the overall health not only just the
physical aspect of people. Among the benefits of which
include better equilibrium, increased reaction time, improved
energy levels, enhanced sleep, improved memory and concentration, reduced depression
and anxiety and many others.
For people who want to lose weight, it has been proven that yoga is also effective for the
normalization of weight. The most effective yoga poses for weight loss actually helps you
maintain a desirable weight because they tend to increase the metabolism while these poses
are being employed. Also, it improves the overall circulation to effectively utilize glucose
and fats for energy production instead of being stored as excess body fat.
These particular poses not only increase burning of fat, they also tone major muscle groups
for a leaner body. So to help you maintain a normal weight, the following are the most
effective yoga poses for weight loss that you can do at home:

1. Crescent
This yoga pose tones firms the thighs, hips and abdominals. Stand with your feet together
and your arms at your sides. Breathe in deeply and raise your arms overhead in a straight
manner. Slowly exhale and bend your knees forward while lowering your hands to the floor.
Inhale and exhale while assuming a lunge position and bring your arms overhead again.

2. Willow
This position helps you tone your legs, arms and behind. Stand with your feet together and
your arms at your sides. Lift your legs and place the sole of your right foot against the inner
left thigh ensuring your knees are turned to the side.
Position your arms in front of your chest with palms facing each other. Extend your arms
up towards the ceiling. Bend torso to your right. Repeat for 5 times after which do it on
your other side.

3. Twisted Chair Pose

This is one of the most effective yoga poses for weight loss because it improves the circulation
and calorie burning by using each and every major and minor muscle groups in your body.
Stand with your feet together. Bend at your knees and assume a position as if you are sitting
on a chair far behind your back.

The Most Effective Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

Place your palms facing each other in front of your chest. Rotate and bring your left elbow
to your right knee. Hold the position for 30 seconds and release. Repeat on the other side.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

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4. Locust Pose

Lift your head, arms, legs and body off the floor as if the only ones in contact with the
floor is your stomach. Hold the position as high as possible and feel your muscles contract.
Release after 30 seconds and repeat three to five times.

5. Bow Pose
This is similar to the locust position only that your arms reach for your legs so you are
doing a more difficult pose. First, perform the locust position. Bend your knees up ward
so your arms can grab your ankles. Make your position as relaxed as possible to prevent
muscle strain. Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat three times.

You can actually do more poses, but remember not to miss these out because they are just
some of the most effective poses for weight loss.

Move the body with strength.

Any yoga position that requires you to be active, either as you shorten or lengthen the
muscles, will help with weight loss. This is because muscles are active body tissues that
consume fat as fuel.

The Most Effective Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

This is another one of the most effective yoga poses for weight loss as it strengthens your
lower back and legs. It also boosts your energy levels to make you feel an increased feeling
of well-being. Lie on your abdomen with arms on your side facing the ceiling.

If you build strong muscles they will be eating your fat stores even when you are resting. That
is why strength work (resistance exercise) is very good for weight loss.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

15

Apparently, there are other effects that can occur with this particular feature incorporated
into the sessions of yoga. It is interesting to note that though yoga is a very gentle and slow
moving art form, the individual can complete the session not only feeling rejuvenated but
also a little sweaty.

Take a Look at Hot Yoga

ike its title suggests Hot Yoga is predominantly practiced

in hot and humid surroundings which have a constant
temperature atmosphere.

Therefore, when the hot yoga style is practiced there is also the aim in mind to really sweat
out the unwanted negative elements of the body. None of those who use this style find the
excessive perspiration an unpleasant byproduct, in fact most welcome it.
Hot yoga uses traditional yoga poses in a specially designed studio heated to minimum of
105 degrees Fahrenheit and kept at 40 per cent humidity throughout the 90-minute class.
The practice consists of a specific series of 26 traditional hatha yoga poses.
One session of bikram yoga burns 630 calories per 60 minutes, or the same as swimming
the butterfly for 60 minutes.
Hot yoga founder Bikram Choudhury believes that that practicing yoga in a heated room
helps to ease muscles and prevent injury when stretching.
This form of yoga became popular in Los Angeles during the early 1970s and as of 2011
had spread worldwide. The 26 poses, known as asana, are designed to warm and stretch
muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be stretched.
By mere virtue of the temperature alone the level of perspiration is quite high, coupled with
the yoga exercises, the body is able to harness and emit a different level of warmth which in
turn is purported to make the individuals body more supple and flexible.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

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 The bodys ability to burn fat is heightened

The fluidity of the joints, muscles, ligaments and other supporting structures of the

body are enhanced.

Tissues and muscles are more effectively oxygenated because the capillaries better

dilate with the heated surroundings.

Peripheral circulation improves due to the enhancement of sweating.

The metabolism rate speeds up.

Take a Look at Hot Yoga

The following are some of the benefits derived from the hot yoga style

The cardiovascular system gets a more strenuous work out though it is kept at a

comfortable level.

The sweating element provides the detoxification and elimination of toxins through

the skin.

All of these factors causes the body to burn extra calories.

Benefits of Hot Yoga

Regular participation in any yoga class helps to improve general fitness, increase flexibility
and improve strength and muscle tone. Choudhury claims that hot yoga promotes total
body health through detoxifying the body through sweat and re-balancing every system
in the body.
Fresh oxygenated blood is passed through each of the organs, which can improve cardiac
and pulmonary systems. It can also help improve the efficiency of the bodys digestive
system, metabolic rate and promote weight loss he states.

Psychological Aspects
With all forms of yoga, the balance of mind and body and the focus on breathing during
classes can help promote better sleeping patterns, reduce stress and help people who suffer
with high levels of anxiety. The brief meditation phase after each pose helps to focus the
mind and allow the body to process the benefits of the previous pose.

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Copyright Carolyn Hansen

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 Warnings

Pregnant women should not practice Bikram yoga, due to the rise in core body temperature
it causes. Drink plenty of water before and during the class to prevent dehydration and sit
out if you become overheated or dizzy.

Wrapping Up

Take a Look at Hot Yoga

Obtain the advice of a doctor before taking part in Bikram yoga. Practicing hot yoga can
make new participants feel dizzy and nauseous. This initial feeling passes once the body has
adjusted to the temperature.

How Does One Get Started With Yoga?

Although it is perfectly fine to practice yoga at home with instructional videos, it is still
recommended for beginners to take basic lessons. Learning the proper way of breathing
and the proper way of doing basic poses will be helpful to maximize the health benefits.
Everyone should have all the necessary items which include yoga mats, straps and proper
attire. Knowing the basic order will also help beginners prepare for the sessions.
Warm-up poses are done during the first few minutes followed by the poses in their
respective order - standing, sitting, twists, supine and prone. Finishing poses are done at
the last part of the session which aims to cool down the body.
Yoga is great for everyone. Dont procrastinate and start yoga today to reap the benefits.

Yoga Fire

Copyright Carolyn Hansen

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