Daily Cup of Yoga

How we choose to start our day can be a vital factor in determining how the rest of our day would probably turn out. Mornings are a time when we can influence how we are going to think, act and respond for the rest of the day, so it only makes sense to shape that time in a positive and inspiring manner. If I’m rolling out of bed and going straight to work, the first beverage I reach for is a big cup of coffee. It is the way most of us start our day but this widely accepted everyday practice can take a toll on our well being. Too much coffee can lead to sleepless nights, anxiety, anger, and a case of the jitters. So if not for caffeine, what’s the best way to dust the cobwebs off of our brain and get our body ready for the day at hand? Could the magic potion be YOGA?

Practicing Yoga early in the morning has a myriad of benefits. A mere 15 minutes practice of Yoga everyday centers the mind, balances the body, and jolts us awake with more lasting energy than any espresso can provide.

1. Yoga helps us have a good day

The way we wake up sets the floor the rest of our day. If we wake up late, overtired and grumpy, we carry these emotions to the rest of our day, and they create an impact on how we see the world. If we start our day with yoga, we wake up to a dose of positivity. When we centre ourself on the mat, we create a more calm and balanced internal environment that will probably lead to clarity of mind.

2. Early morning Yoga regulates sleep rhythms

An important key to establishing a consistent sleep pattern is to get up every morning at the same time, so that our body can become accustomed to the routine. Getting up every morning to start the day with yoga regulates our circadian sleep rhythms, allowing us to fall asleep more easily, and stay asleep for the duration of the night.

3.  Early morning Yoga has a soothing effect

Do you ever wake up and already have a to-do list running through your head? Start your day with yoga and allow it to clear your mind. Focusing on your breath in conjunction with the movement of your body will relax you and give you a calmer outlook of your day.

4. Morning Yoga increases metabolism and improves digestion

If we start our day with Yoga, it helps regulate our appetite throughout the day. Also, the early morning circulation boost will help nutrients move through our body quickly and jump start our metabolism, and keep it elevated all day. Certain poses stimulate the digestive system and metabolism naturally, particularly twisting postures, throat chakra poses, and dynamic flows. First thing in the morning, before we have eaten or added caffeine to our bodies, we get to fire ourselves up in a completely natural way using breath and conscious movement. Start your day with yoga and burn more calories for the rest of the day.

5.  Morning Yoga lets you make healthy food choices for the day

Once you make it a habit to start your day with Yoga, it’s easier to make healthy choices throughout the day. When it comes to food choices, it easier to stick to the mindset that you wake up with. When you start your day with Yoga, you start your day with a health boost that will keep you going all day. When you have taken time early on to nourish your body and mind with Yoga, you will be less inclined to eat emotionally and far more likely to make balanced and healthy choices throughout the day.

6.  Exercising in the morning builds our discipline

If we exercise in the morning, we are more likely to stick to this routine. Our lives get pretty hectic and if we wake up and think “I’ll do yoga tonight”, a million things might come up that would discourage us from going to class. When our day starts to get demanding, exercise is often the first thing to slip. In the morning, the only thing preventing us from exercise is our discipline. When we start our day with yoga every day, we build discipline that will last throughout the day.

7.  All your exercise for the day is done

Its only 8 am and you are already done sweating it out. This is one of the best parts of exercising in the morning. You can take pride in how much you have already accomplished. Even if nothing else goes well, you can think, “Atleast, I already did yoga today!”At the end of a long and tiring day, it’s all too easy to skip your yoga practice and make a beeline for the couch. Incorporate Yoga in your early morning routine and you can dive onto the couch guilt free.

8. Yoga helps awaken our creative chakras

Poses that stimulate the energy at the ‘Sacral Chakra’ (Swadhisthana) can get our creative juices flowing. We don’t necessarily need to be an artist, writer or musician to appreciate that energy because creative expression can have a positive effect no matter what we do. Bhujangasana (Cobra), Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog), Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold) and Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold) are all sacral chakra poses.

9. We are at our strongest in the morning

We are stronger in the first half of our day, before we become exhausted and weakened from work. Doing Yoga in the morning is a great way to capitalize on this strength, and you may find that your arms and legs are more strong and relaxed.

10. Expansive quality of breath

When we wake up, our body and nervous system are more calm and settled. Without the stimulation of the day, we can float straight into quality, expansive breathing and set ourselves up with plenty of oxygen and prana from the very first moments.

Even on those mornings when you can barely drag yourself out of bed (we have all been there), come to your mat or simply your living room rug and practice simple Yoga sequences (no experience or toe-touching flexibility required). Not only do these feel-good poses perk you up, but they will also open your hips, stretch your shoulders, and lengthen your spine. The result: You will walk away feeling centered, focused, and ready to own the day. So ditch that ‘Cup of Joe’ and get high on Yoga for a dose of wellness!

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Lifestyle Decisions Ruining your Health

Ever realized we do so many things in our daily lives without realizing their repercussions? Right from our ways of living, personal choices, work culture; everything has a direct impact on our well-being. Unfortunately, most of our lifestyle decisions are adversely affecting our physical, emotional and mental health. We have let our modern day lifestyle come in the way of a healthy life.

A lifestyle choice is a personal and conscious decision to perform a behavior that may increase or decrease the risk of injury or disease. If we exercise every morning then we have made a positive lifestyle choice to increase our physical wellness. If we choose not to drink alcohol then we choose to avoid serious potential consequences, such as a car crash while driving drunk or damage to our internal organs, such as our liver. These are all active lifestyle choices that benefit our health.

Bad Lifestyle Factors

Of course, many choices also harm us. Just take the alcohol consumption example. If we choose to drink, especially in excess or at the wrong time, then we increase our risk of death from something like a car crash. If we smoke, then we increase our chances of developing various diseases including cancer.

Let’s examine some lifestyle decisions that are ruining our body and health on a daily basis.

Skipping Meals

Most of us do not follow a proper diet regime. We only eat when we have time and not when we should be eating. Sometimes we even skip an entire meal altogether. Such practice can interfere with our body’s metabolism, leading to health concerns such as low appetite, blood pressure, acidity to name a few.

Erratic Sleep Patterns

Blame it on technology or late work hours, most of us find it difficult to sleep on time. We may hit the bed on time but don’t fall asleep easily because we are either on our phones or laptop. Getting a sound sleep is more essential than we may realise. Lack of proper sleep creates a mental imbalance and affects our productivity and the body’s ability to function actively the next morning.

Eating junk and outside food

‘You are what you eat!’ This phrase has been around for who knows how long and quite frankly, it’s not too far off the mark. If we eat well, we are much more likely to have a healthy body and mind. If we choose junk food over fresh vegetables, then this is less likely to be the case. Fast food often contains higher calories and highly saturated fats that the body does not need.

Lack of Physical activity

Chairs – we sit in them, work in them, shop in them and eat in them. The fact that most of us have sitting jobs; we do not get to move around much. Once we are home, we just lie around, watch T.V., or use our laptops. With a routine like this, we tend to become lethargic and gain body weight. Even a little bit of physical activity easily exhausts and tires us out. Sitting for long periods is bad because the human body was not designed to be idle. Lack of movement slows metabolism, reducing the amount of food that is converted to energy and thus promoting fat accumulation, obesity, and the litany of ills—heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and more—that come with being overweight.

Smoking and excess Alcohol consumption

Quit smoking and you’ll be healthier and your skin will look better. Stop excess drinking and you will feel better, stay healthier and stay in shape. Next time you light up, feel your pulse. It will start rising within a minute. That’s extra work for your heart. Instead of oxygen the blood cells carry carbon monoxide. Apart from increasing the risk of heart disease, smoking causes many serious medical disorders including lung cancer and emphysema. Moderate drinking is not a problem but if you drink more than the recommended daily limits, the risks of harming your health are increased. The harm caused by alcohol usually only emerge after a number of years and by then, serious health problems may have developed.

Stress can be deadly

You may feel there’s nothing you can do about stress. The bills won’t stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day, and your work and family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have more control over stress than you might think. Stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer. It’s vital that we learn to relax and take it easy every once in a while. Identify the triggers that are causing you to stress out and figure out healthy ways to deal with them.

Over exposure to Gadgets

Your thumb and wrist are throbbing, your eyes are bloodshot and you’re pretty sure you have “text neck.” Sitting hunched over and tapping away at your smart phone comes with its share of consequences. The human eye is not adapted for staring at a single point in space for hours on end. If you log significant time in front of a computer monitor, you’ve probably experienced computer vision syndrome: eyestrain, tired eyes, irritation, redness, blurred vision, and double vision. Over exposure to gadgets can retards brain health, cause frequent headaches, disturb the sleep cycle and can lead to many more debilitating changes to the body.

Many of the risk factors described above won’t kill us suddenly or irreversibly hurt us right away. This means that we can still help our-self, our health, mind and body by altering some of our poor lifestyle decisions and incorporating some new healthy ones.

A few key ways to achieve better health and subsequently a better lifestyle are through physical activity, exercise and a healthy diet. Exercise aids cardiovascular and respiratory functions, slows the loss of muscular strength, increases bone mass, aids digestion and bowel functions, promotes sound sleep and prevents depression.

So instead of “treating” yourself to something like an ice cream or beer that will do more harm than good, treat yourself to good health.

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Breaking & Bad

Because most of us have been there right? Smoking weed, dropping acid, popping a pill, snorted blow…

It can seem like oh-so-much fun and so very exhilarating when you escape the confines of everyone who always told you drugs were bad. So many people are doing it. Can’t be all that bad. Right?

Remember your first time? The first hit is generally uncomfortable, the taste is odd. You take another drag…Everything begins to vibrate for some reason…things around you begin to turn into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Now who would not want to experience this outrageously euphoric feeling over and over again. To be able to surprisingly feel both numb and alive in the same moment, forget about all the worries of the world, just break free and have a good time. Why would anyone in their right mind deny himself of such an incredible adventure?

People who don’t do drugs usually come with major unattractive qualities, like always being sober and going home early, which makes us wary of their alternative motives. What could be more fun at home than dancing on tables and cutting your foot on glass at a club?!

So what if these drugs fry your brain and kill your brain cells. Not like they hand out OSCARS to people for having healthy brains.

Non drug users tend to err on the side of extreme caution. Their version of spontaneity is getting their popcorn buttered at the movie theater. When you are young, you should be living life to the fullest, making the most of your youth, going with the flow, expanding your consciousness, becoming one with nature. What will get you there??? No it’s not travelling, trekking, exploring, following your passion, socializing and all of that typical stuff…Drugs will get you there and take you places even though you will just be hallucinating; still the experience would be unparalleled. People who don’t take drugs miss out on the chance to open up and expose themselves on a different level.

Life can get really mundane and taxing at times. Sometimes you feel like you have had enough and you just want to run away from everything. You try to find a solution but the obvious ones that are available like getting help, talking to someone, changing your lifestyle could all require a lot of effort. On the other hand, drugs can prove to be the answer to all the problems in your life. Once you are high, not only will all your emotional pain and trauma disappear in thin air but you will also undergo a life changing experience, i.e., for as long as you live because drugs might kill you soon enough.Ever been fascinated by the prison life? Movies and T.V. shows sure make it seem so thrilling. Wondering how to get there? Follow a simple step. Let the Cops catch you with Drugs and in no time, you will find yourself inside a cell. You will be famous, the media will be all over you and if really lucky then someone might even write a book or a make a movie based on you. Drugs can be your instant shoot to fame.

“I have been fat all my life and I want to lose weight. I eat healthy and exercise and I am still fat.”

Most of us are struggling to lose a few pounds. We can follow the usual route like exercise, hit the gym, take up yoga, go on a diet. We might lose weight and become healthy eventually but that would require us to put in a lot of hard work and commitment. Why should we go through the pain of such a disciplined life when we can easily become slim and skinny by just doing drugs. Cocaine, for example, will make you lose weight really really fast. In fact, coke will suppress your appetite and your body won’t be able to store any fat, allowing you to achieve that perfect body image. You may suffer from some kidney problems, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, liver damage but hey let’s not deviate from the bigger picture here, i.e., to get those toned abs and cheekbones.

To top it all, in the future when your kids are hitting their teenage years and they  question you about drugs, imagine the amount of knowledge and data that you can share with them. You can tell them about all your experiences and maybe you can even give them their first joint rather than letting some random dealer do the job for you.

Obviously you will need lots of money to be able to get your hands on drugs because all things GOOD in life generally come at a price. Even if you have already lost all your money on drugs,  there is always Grandma’s chequebook? Dad’s big fat account? When those are gone there’s always little brothers piggy bank or SOMEONE TO ROB. In the end, getting the drugs and being high is what should be of foremost importance to you, regardless of what or how much you lose and who gets hurt in the process.

Not doing drugs won’t make you any special. You may get to keep those brain cells, your health and your life but you will never attain ‘Nirvana’ unless you have tried drugs. So give yourself to the higher power of drugs and bask in its glory until the day you overdose and CHOKE TO YOUR DEATH.

The next time you are tempted to do some drugs… pause. Just for a moment. Take a breath or two. And ask yourself…Do I really want to do this? Am I ready to deal with the consequences that arise from this? Is this the best choice I can make for myself?

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Health Issues Related to Drugs

Drugs have been a part of our culture since the middle of the last century. Popularized in the 1960s by music and mass media, they invade all aspects of our society. A number of factors such as peer pressure, curiosity, stress, fun etc, could lead one to use drugs. Most people have tried some or the other form of drugs but why is it that only a few get addicted? Most drugs directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine; a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. When drugs enter the brain, they can change how the brain performs its functions. These changes are what lead to compulsive drug use, the hallmark of addiction.

Although drug use is a choice, it is important to understand the effects of drug use – both immediate and long-term – to our brain, body and life.

Health Problems

The impact of drug abuse and dependence can be far-reaching, affecting almost every organ in the human body. A person on drugs may not realize they have a problem until pronounced effects of drug abuse are seen, often physically. While drug abuse effects on the body vary depending on the drug used, all drug abuse negatively impacts one’s health. Some common effects are:

• Weaken the immune system, increasing susceptibility to infections.
• Sharing needles from injecting certain types of drugs can put one at major risk for getting diseases like Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, as well as HIV.
• Lead to cardiovascular conditions ranging from abnormal heart rate to heart attacks. Injected drugs can also lead to collapsed veins and infections of the blood vessels and heart valves.
• Cause nausea, vomiting, unusual sleeping patterns and abdominal pain.
• Liver damage or failure.
• Seizures, stroke and widespread brain damage that can impact all aspects of daily life by causing problems with memory, attention and decision-making, including sustained mental confusion and permanent brain damage.
• Produce global body changes such as breast development and impotence in men, dramatic fluctuations in appetite and increases in body temperature, which may impact a variety of health conditions.
• Drug related injuries occurring from accidents, violent behaviour, falling, etc,.

Effects on the Brain

Drug abuse can have prolonged effects on one’s brain, interfering with an individual’s ability to make decisions, leading to compulsive craving, seeking and use. Before people can realise, they are suffering from ‘Drug Dependency’. All drugs of abuse – nicotine, cocaine, marijuana, and others – affect the brain’s “reward” circuit, which is part of the limbic system. Drugs hijack this “reward” system, causing unusually large amounts of dopamine to flood the system. This flood of dopamine is what causes the “high” or euphoria associated with drug abuse.

Psychological Effects

One of the primary effects of drug abuse can be found within the definition of drug abuse itself: an increasing, intense desire to use the drug above all else. Drug craving can shift a person’s entire mental focus to obtaining the drug. Side effects of drug abuse then include preoccupation with where to get the drug, how to get money for the drug, and where and when the drug can be used. Psychological drug abuse effects commonly include changes in mood. A person may be anxious, thinking about when they can next use the drug, or depressed due to drug side effects.

Few Psychological effects of drug abuse are:

• Paranoia
• Anxiety Disorder
• Depression and Schizophrenia
• Aggressiveness
• Hallucinations
• Addiction
• Impaired Judgment
• Impulsiveness
• Loss of Self-Control

Birth Defects

For pregnant Women who use illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamines, and heroin pose various risks for their babies. Some of these drugs can cause a premature delivery, babies could suffer from withdrawal symptoms, birth defects or learning and behavioral problems. Additionally, illicit drugs may be prepared unhygienically that may be harmful to a pregnancy. Women who use illicit drugs may engage in other unhealthy behaviors that place their pregnancy at risk, such as having extremely poor nutrition or developing sexually transmitted infections.

Lifestyle and Relationships

Drug abusers choose drugs over everybody else; that includes family and friends. One of the side effects of drug abuse is the loss of friendship and family due to these choices. Conflict and breakdowns in communication can become more common. Drug use can also affect our ability to concentrate at work. The side effects of using drugs-like a hangover, or a “coming down” feeling-can reduce the ability to focus at work, loss of productivity, etc., leading  to disciplinary action, expulsion or dismissal. Regular drug use is an expensive affair. In extreme situations, people who are addicted to drugs might try anything-including unlawful activities such as stealing, to secure money to get their next fix.

 

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Addiction is Disease

There is a misconception that if we label drug addiction as a disease, we are taking the responsibility away from the drug addict. Now consider this. If we say a person has heart disease, are we eliminating their responsibility? No. We are providing them with treatment, having them exercise, eat healthy, quit smoking. The majority of the Biomedical community now considers addiction, in all its essence, to be a disease.

The very concept of addiction suffers gravely from imprecision and misinterpretation. The confusion comes in part whether specific drugs are “physically” or “psychologically” addictive. However, years of scientific research has shown that focusing on this physical versus psychological distinction is misguided and a distraction from the real issues. What really matters most is whether or not a drug causes what we now know to be the essence of addiction, namely,

“The uncontrollable, compulsive drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences.”

This is the crux of how the Institute of Medicine, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association define addiction and how we should all use the term. It is only this compulsive quality of addiction that matters in the long run to the addict, to his or her family and the society.

Addiction has three main characteristics that categories it as a disease. Firstly, it runs a lifelong course characterized by frequent relapses, cross addiction and a common set of behavioral changes. Secondly, like many chronic medical disorders, genetics play an important role in determining who is at a more probable risk of becoming addicted. Finally, there are effective medications that treat drug addiction by blocking the rewarding effects of drugs and reducing cravings.

However, it must be noted that recognizing addiction as a disease does not mean that the addict is simply a hapless victim. Addiction begins with the voluntary behavior of using drugs, and addicts must participate in and take some significant responsibility for their recovery. Thus, having this disease does not absolve the addict of responsibility for his or her behavior. But it does explain why an addict cannot just stop using drugs by sheer force of will alone.

An addict’s behavior goes through devastating changes such that even the most severe threat of punishment is insufficient to keep them from taking drugs. They are willing to give up everything for drugs. However, it is not enough to say that addiction is a disease. What we mean by that is something very specific and profound: that drugs have sort of hijacked the brain’s natural motivational control circuits, resulting in drug use becoming the sole, or at least the top, motivational priority for the individual.

It is important to understand that nobody chooses to be an addict. Nobody writes in their high school yearbook, “Striving to become an addict and live a life of misery.” Although addiction began with a choice to use a drug, nobody wanted to fall into the grips of the disease and suffer the way so many people do. Addiction is a disease and the disease makes the choices, not the person. How else can you explain the propensity of people to take huge health risks and throw away their entire life? Even if taking a drug for the first time is a “free” choice, the progression of brain changes that occur weaken a person’s self-control to resist the temptations of drug use. The person who is addicted does not choose to be addicted; it’s no longer a choice to take the drug. “I just cannot control it. I have to take the drug because the distress of not taking the drug is too difficult to bear.” Once addiction takes hold, there is greatly diminished capacity, on one’s own, to stop using.

If we embrace the concept of addiction as a disease in which drugs have disrupted the most fundamental brain circuits that enable us to do something, we will be able to reduce the shame and stigma associated with drug addiction in families, workplaces and the healthcare system. Addicts won’t have to go through humiliation, or feel inferior, because people understand that they are suffering from a disease that should be treated like any other and they can receive the help they need without any judgement.

The personal and family tragedies related to addiction are agonising and desperate. The struggles undertaken to break addiction and restore lives are uniquely challenging. Accepting addiction as a disease will allow to help understand, prevent, and successfully treat it so that those suffering can rebuild their lives.

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Health vs Drugs

“One day, I just found myself sitting in my room. Alone. No job, no family, very few friends or companions. I was very much alone with my drug abuse. I had isolated myself, and had nothing left to lose. I couldn’t descend any further. Maybe I could, but at that point, I had hit rock bottom. I looked in the mirror and gave myself two choices: Do I want to live? Do I want to end my life?”

This is the story of almost everyone who is going or has gone through a phase of drug abuse.

A person who has been on drugs will tell you that it is one of the best feelings in their life. The altered state of consciousness achieved from being on drugs is so much more extreme than regular everyday joy. Once a person feels this extreme and overwhelming pleasure, it’s easy for them to be hooked on to the habit, simply chasing the initial high they once felt. What follows next is a viscous cycle that is extremely difficult to break. The high is as powerful as the low felt when trying to kick the habit. What was once the solution soon becomes the problem.

Drug abuse could destroy relationships, wreck finances, end careers, ruin education and  cause major health complications. Many addicts do not even realise and deny having problems. When you hit rock bottom, the only way left is up, but for every drug user, rock bottom may be the end before they could realize what they have done to themselves. The first thing to do, when you have reached that point, is to take a good look at how you got there, the choices you made and the people you relate to.

Consider the experience of Soldiers, who have been a part of many wars; being deployed, away from family and friends for extended periods of time, being involved in combat, suffering from severe or disabling injuries, and watching fellow soldiers die, can take a toll on them. When these Soldiers return home, they experience dramatically altered lives. The effects of war can result in not only physical injuries but may also include traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To feel better, some soldiers may turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate while undergoing a crisis. There are a handful who will decide to get the right help and transition back into the civilian life.

Obviously you will not get over your addiction overnight. You will be scared and upset. You will undergo withdrawal symptoms. But you don’t have to do it alone. Support groups, treatment programs, and sometimes medicines can help. You’ll meet people who understand what you’re going through, who can give you advice and lift you up. Counselors could help you find medicines that could make you feel less sick and to reduce the need to use drugs. They also teach you how to cope with problems but you will have to do your part to stay away from triggers that may urge you to go right back to where you first started.

A few have the misconception that one can’t have fun without drugs or living sober must be miserable and boring. The truth is that there are no shortage of ways to enjoy a drug-free life. Everybody has been offered drugs at some point in their lives, or at least know where they could buy them. One’s life could be very exciting and adventurous for a little while and the experience from using the drugs will be like attaining Nirvana, with all your senses and emotions heightened. Being drug – free may never get one to experience these feelings but one will still be able to have a beautiful life, family, friends, career and health. So think again because you may lose all of the above towards drugs.

An American freestyler who was once addicted to painkillers, struggled with his drug problem for years before seeking help. Once he got out of rehab, he needed an outlet and turned to running long distance.

 “It gave me a natural endorphin high. It’s easy to understand how people replace addiction with exercise.”

Exercise may help addicts stay clean and regulate sleep; a common problem for addicts early in recovery. It can even improve cognitive function, something that’s often impaired by chronic substance abuse. The human brain experiences a chemical reward when we exercise. There is evidence to show that this can be used as an alternative reward for those battling addiction, which can make staying clean easier. Quitting is only the beginning. It’s staying clean that’s the trick, and fitness can be that healthy obsession that helps you get through.

Martial Arts Therapy

The advantages of Martial Arts training are often related to the physical elements of the body. Drug abuse can leave the body in a position of weakness and a poor ability to heal. Applying Martial Arts to the recovery program can help improve physical health and promote healing. Early recovery can be a stressful time. It is often described as an emotional rollercoaster. Any form of Martial Arts gives people the opportunity to release some of their pent up tensions. It is about fast and hard movements, which is ideal for stress relief and clearing the mind of the challenges of fighting addiction.

“I have overdosed twice on heroin, and the second time I almost didn’t make it. Both times I had to be revived by NARCAN (a drug used to revive overdose victims). I didn’t want to do this anymore. I recently took up Mixed Martial Arts as therapy to cope with substance abuse.”

The physical activity and the emotional principles involved in Martial Arts will help fight the cravings associated with drugs. All Martial Arts focus on a combination of clearing the mind, physical movement, proper breathing, and discipline in every area of life.

Who says that a recovering drug addict can’t run a marathon? Or create a work of art? Or lead a normal life? The only thing that restricts a person in recovery are the restrictions that they put on themselves. If you have the right mind-set, then sky is the limit. It’s all about focusing, admitting you have a problem and overcoming the addiction. People in recovery come from all walks of life and success is not easy, but with hard work and the clarity that comes from living sober, anything within reason is very much achievable.

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Fight Yoga : A Powerful and Forceful Workout Regimen

Fight yoga is a term used to describe a more vigorous and fitness-based approach to yoga.  This form of yoga consists of a series of intense flowing movements with an emphasis on strength and flexibility. Fight yoga emerged from the need to make yoga a more rigorous workout than a mere lifestyle alternate.

It is relatively different from the traditional form of yoga; involving the gentle stretching and meditation process as the exercises here are more concentrated and require a great deal of  stamina. In Fight Yoga, there is very little or almost no stopping between yoga poses which makes it a powerful and forceful workout regimen.

Combat Sports and Yoga

There is a good reason why fighters like Diego Sanchez do yoga on a daily basis. The benefit of doing yoga consistently greatly contributes to a fighter’s physical abilities.

For instance, it improves one’s flexibility and balance. For mixed martial artists, these benefits are invaluable. The more limber the legs and hips are, the faster a fighter will be able to do a variety of different kicks. Stiff limbs slow down the strikes greatly.

The same concept applies for grappling. Getting take-downs and defending them requires an enormous degree of flexibility. In addition to a take-down game, flexibility is a huge plus in a submission game.

Yoga is highly advantageous for strengthening the core. Having a strong core is beneficial to any sport, especially combat sports where many of the techniques one uses derive their power directly from the core of the body. Core stability is also crucial for injury prevention.

Fight Yoga Asanas

Few famous Asanas in Fight Yoga are:

1. Warrior Pose or Virabhadrasana; consists of some invigorating sequence of standing poses, useful in strengthening the legs and core by working on forward and back bending.

2. Triangle Pose or Trikonasana requires the body to be stretched in such a way that a triangle-like shape is formed. It helps open the hips, groins, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, chest, and spine.

3. Pigeon Pose or Mayurasana is a good option for shedding extra fats saturated in stomach region.

4. Plough Pose or Halasana is an inverted yoga posture that stretches the spine and shoulders while revitalising the nervous system.

5. Bridge Pose or Setu Bandhasana is a rejuvenating backbend technique that opens up the chest and keeps the spine flexible.

6. Fish Pose or Matsyasana is a back-bending yoga posture that opens the chest, throat, and abdomen; mostly used as a counter-pose to Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) because it neutralizes pressure on the neck and spine.

7. Chair Pose or Utkatasana increases strength, balance and stability.

Benefits

Fight Yoga is composed of rigorous cardiovascular exercises designed to build strength and flexibility, improve one’s ability to focus, release tension, increase stamina, tone the body, improve the Basal metabolic rate(BMR) and remove toxins from the body through sweat. As mentioned earlier, it also serves as a great training programme for athletes and aids in injury prevention and rehabilitation. It improves one’s weight loss rate and blood circulation, creating a sense of well-being and reduced stress.

Expectations

Fight Yoga comprises some extremely intense, demanding and profound exercises. It is the ultimate sweat generating and muscle-building painstaking form of workout. Fight Yoga exercises are not for the mild, calm or even moderate type of students. It is certainly not for those coming from a beginner’s point. If you are willing to take up Fight Yoga then be prepared to sweat it out.

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It’s never too late to learn Fight Yoga. Sign up here https://goo.gl/FWnXfG  with us for your Trial Class and take the first step towards reinventing yourself.

For more information, visit www.fitnessfightclub.com

MAYPAC official Weight-In with Fitness Fight Club & Ap from Las Vegas

As the world awaits to watch Battle for Greatness between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, we bring you #MAYPAC official Weight-In with Fitness Fight Club #FFC & #Ap from Las Vegas.

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Learn Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu, Muay Thai, MMA, or join us for Pro Sports Conditioning, Speed & Strength Training at Fitness Fight Club, Bangalore… get fit doing something fun and different… get toned and add tons of confidence!

Stay Fighting Fit with Fitness Fight Club, Bangalore.
Click here to get in touch with us  http://goo.gl/WrqR33

Visit our website for more details.

Like us on Facebook here or follow us on Twitter here to get all our timely updates.

Battle for Greatness or The Fight of the Century | Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao

Do you know why Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao is billed as Battle for Greatness or The Fight of the Century?

You can catch the fight LIVE at Loveshack (the floor above FFC) at 7 30 am IST on Sunday, May 3rd.
Entry only with Fitness Fight Club Jersey (free) or Rs. 500 for non-members..

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Learn Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu, Muay Thai, MMA, or join us for Pro Sports Conditioning, Speed & Strength Training at Fitness Fight Club, Bangalore… get fit doing something fun and different… get toned and add tons of confidence!

Stay Fighting Fit with Fitness Fight Club, Bangalore.
Click here to get in touch with us  http://goo.gl/WrqR33

Visit our website for more details.

Like us on Facebook here or follow us on Twitter here to get all our timely updates.

Going Toe 2 Toe since 2012! Celebrating 3 Years of Fitness Fight Club!

It’s been THREE magnificent years of Fitness Fight Club!

This is what to expect when you walk into FFC. We loved this video, watch in HD, click the link below 

A big thanks to all our Patrons!

P.S. – Work hard for what you want because it won’t come to you without a fight. You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. If somebody puts you down or criticizes you, just keep on believing in yourself and turn it into something positive.

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Learn Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu, Muay Thai, MMA, or join us for Pro Sports Conditioning, Speed & Strength Training at Fitness Fight Club, Bangalore… get fit doing something fun and different… get toned and add tons of confidence!

Stay Fighting Fit with Fitness Fight Club, Bangalore.
Click here to get in touch with us  http://goo.gl/WrqR33

Visit our website for more details.

Like us on Facebook here or follow us on Twitter here to get all our timely updates.