First of all, make sure you wear appropriate clothing as it is likely you will be going up, down and upside down, so its vital you are comfortable. If it is your first time at a yoga class, then you do not want to make your way to the front! The back is best as you are able to watch others and gain help and support from them. Contrary to popular belief yoga is very demanding on your body, make sure you are well prepared by drinking plenty of water beforehand to ensure you are well hydrated. This is even more essential is the class is being held in a heated room. Most importantly relax and enjoy yourself!

Tomorrow is National Yoga day! If you have never tried yoga before tomorrow is the perfect opportunity to do so as yoga studios across the country are most likely offering free classes. If you are already a yoga enthusiast then try and get friends and family involved in trying something new!
Why try yoga? Contrary to popular belief yoga is much more than a little bit of stretching and some breathing techniques. There are lots of different types of yoga, some are more strenuous than others but all of them have tremendous health benefits.

In the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh prisoners who attend yoga courses are able to be freed early. For every three months they study yoga prisoners can have their jail time cut by 15 days. Approximately 4,000 inmates are benefitting from the project and some even go on to become yoga instructors. The Prison authorities have advised that the yoga courses enable prisoners to improve their self control and reduce their levels of aggression.
It is certainly encouraging to hear that yoga is having such a positive impact on the lives of people who perhaps would not normally have the opportunity to participate in it.

Ryan Giggs has just been honoured with the freedom of the city of Salford this month. The Manchester United midfielder who is the currently the PFA player of the year joins the like of Nelson Mandela and LS Lowry who have also been previous recipients. Giggs has been playing for the club since 1991, and has played more games for the club and won more honours than any other player in the clubs history. At one point in his career he was suffering from a re occurring hamstring injury, however after taking up Yoga in 2003 it has helped him with the issues he once had.

I promised myself I was not going to watch it this year, but unfortunately I have fallen into a routine and have to get my daily fix of Celebrity big Brother before I go to bed! I have been interested to see Stephanie Beacham participating in a morning yoga routine, showing the viewing public how she manages to keep in such good shape for her age. It just shows that yoga is a form of exercise that really can be enjoyed by the older generation and can contribute towards a better quality of life if you start looking after yourself early.There are plenty of other celebs who also swear by it.

The festive season will be soon upon us and the sparkly dreses will ne dust down and brought out again for the office party.

But as you try it on…yikes, the zip just doesn’t quite get to the top and its a little tight. Oh no I hear you cry, what do you do with no time to go shopping for a new one, and the party in less than a weeks time…fear not Yoga is apparently the key.

Actress Rachel McAdams has sweared by Yoga to help her fit into the dresses she has to wear in the new SHerlock Holmes series.

So there you go no needs to starve yourself for the next few weeks – just stretch a bit and you’ll soon fir into your LBD and look amazing!

Now I know that Yoga is good for you and that it’s all a matter of mind over matter and breathing and finding harmony an dpeace within your inner mind. But to me if I’m going to spend time exercising I need to feel like i’ve done something – so I need to be dripping with sweat and out of breath at the end of it.

Yoga – chilled session of stretching your muscles, no rise in your heart rate, nothing to strenuous that all can join in with.

V’s

Trip to the gym – increase in heartbeat, dripping in sweat, out of breath, adrenalin rush of completeing a 5 mile uphill run???

The gym’s by choice what’s yous?

So you want to get fit, lose a couple of pounds ready for that work’s Christmas do, but you don’t quite fancy a trip down the gym for yoga class.

Well now the latest craze is Wii Fit and it comes with a Yoga instructor in built, so you don’t need to worry about showing yourself up in front of a roomful of strangers. You get the choice of a male or female instructor to talk you through a variety of moves, which develop as you learn more over time.

I think the laid back approach and doing it in the comfort of your own house has helped with the popularity of it. To date Nintendo has announced sales of in excess of 20 million units worldwide of Wii Fit alone. This can be put down to the fact that it is also fun as well as being a healthy activity.

The main benefits of yoga are related to the improvement in core stability that will not only aid weight loss and general fitness, but will also improve posture which will help all areas of life. Maybe you will find yourself feeling less lethargic at work, thus making you more effective in the working day.

All in all, yoga has many positives and is a worthwhile activity for young and old !!!

Can you imagine a room full of men (tasty in my mind) all in comprimising positions whilst practising yoga? And, so it seems following some research recently carried out in India it’s all in the name of a healthier heart and a stronger nervous system!

The explanation of how they’ve achievd this result gets a bit too technical and confusing my my little brain but as yoga concentrates on regulating breathing, your posture, actually being able to realx and mediation, many yoga practioners believe this is why Yoga can improve your health.

So lads – time to get your joggers on, your yoga mat ready and egt ready for your first yoga stretch!!

My question is though this research has been done for men – what about women? Is it as healthy for us too?

I’ve never tried Yoga before, well I tell a lie really – I have tried Yoga before but only for 10 minutes and then watched the rest of the DVD whilst ironing. I think I got more out of Ironing than I did trying out Yoga.

I’m all for keeping fit but I personally enjoy going to the gym or out in the fresh air for a run where I can feel my bottom wobble back to some kind of shape and end up in a sweaty out of breath mess!

If it is for you though and you alsoa fan of Jarvis Cocker – why not join him in his 3 day workshops in London, which are starting today (November 9). You can choose to join in with Yoga or you can even shimmy your way round and a go at pole dancing!