Author credit Jacob S

As a discipline, yoga can often pose many challenges, even for veterans. It requires a lot of practice, patience, focus, stamina, and flexibility. For those of you who are interested in getting the most out of their yoga practice, nootropics might be a potential tool in reaching that goal.
Nootropics are a class of drugs and supplements that improve brain health and cognition, and are characterized by a lack of serious side effects. Many nootropics also provide physical benefits to the body, and are therefore popular among weightlifters and scholars alike.
As many of you are doubtlessly aware, yoga is a discipline that requires the full attention of both your mind and body. With that in mind, nootropics start to seem like a great way to help you reach new heights and gain more out of each experience.
Below you will find a list of five nootropics that have the most potential to improve your experiences with yoga.

Author credit Layla Parker

Yoga is not just a simple exercise. More than a fitness routine, this particular regimen improves the mental condition and physical wellness of a person. Yoga isn't extensive; however, the way it gives relief to the body is awe-inspiring. 
It is notable that yoga can make your mind feel calm and sedated. Therefore, it is always associated with better sleep and relaxation. Many practitioners of yoga have already reported improvements in their sleeping habit after engaging in various yoga routines.
The breathing techniques and the bizarre poses that are present in yoga can effectively relieve the stress of the mind and body. It teaches you to strike a perfect balance between your calming and energizing elements so that you can relax better.
If you want to learn more yoga tips for better sleep, then just read on.

Author credit  Matt Foster
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While it is far from universal, many of today’s travellers are more enlightened and informed about the environmental impact of air travel. This awareness is now gaining momentum and putting pressure on airports and airlines to make environmentally friendly changes. Individual behaviour is changing too and people can choose greener alternatives within their travel plans.
Although you can’t just focus all the blame on travel, the more we do, the faster we will have a whole way of living which promotes sustainability. We can learn to make choices that will change our consumption of resources.
There are some surprisingly easy ways in which you can make changes that will reduce your environmental impact when flying.

Author credit Jessica Ann
Photo by Form on Unsplash

Lower back pain has become one of the most expensive disorders, in general. As it happens, 80% of Americans are affected by the said condition. And this is why you would always encounter a lot of people who claim to have experienced pain in their lower back.

There can be several causes to lower back pains. It could be from a serious injury or just simply from having a poor posture and position. But regardless of the cause, this condition affects the overall quality of life. It hinders a lot of people from doing their regular activities. And it even affects the day-to-day lifestyle mobility.

So, if you are having this kind of concern right now, using an inversion table might help. But, did you know that there are numerous stretches and routines that you can use to alleviate the symptoms of back pain?

If you are not aware of these stretches and moves, then this is for you. Here are some of the best stretching routines that you can do on a daily basis to relieve lower back pain:

Author credit Helen Bradford
A lot of the times, we get caught up in our day to day hectic lives, working maybe a little too hard and stressing about things that do not matter that much. Sometimes it is essential that we take a moment to make sure that our own basic needs are met. One of the most common answers someone will give you if you ask them whether they have a self-care routine is that they simply do not have time for such things. The truth is that everyone, even the busiest people out there can make time to take care of their soul and overall well being. As a matter of fact, continuously keeping up with a stressful lifestyle might have serious consequences in the long run. Thankfully, here are some important tips that will help you out.

Author credit Daniel Clark

It’s a never-ending debate if women should train like men or not. Everyone has own reasons and justifications for his or her opinions. Generally, training is done for healthy physic and, the motto is going to be the same for both men and women. However, the definition of healthy physic differs from person to person and men to women. How do you define a perfect body of women? Everyone will have a different answer to this. Some would prefer a muscular body like Jennifer Broomfield while others would like a perfectly toned body like Megan Fox.

Author credit Emily Castelino

There was a time when people thought that pregnant women needed complete bed rest but those days are long gone as medical scientists proved that exercise during pregnancy is beneficial for both mother and child. However, it is important to note that strenuous exercise can have a negative impact which is why pregnant women can only indulge in exercises that do not place undue stress on their bodies. The medical community has acknowledged that prenatal yoga is well indicated for pregnant women as studies show that it leads to improvements in labor and birth outcomes.  

Why Prenatal Yoga is the perfect pregnancy exercise

Despite a surprisingly common misconception, yoga is not just something that people for for relaxation. 
In fact, it’s quite the opposite really. While some people find yoga relaxing, a lot of people use it as a means of exercising.

It’s actually a great way to build and to tone your muscles. There is several different types of yoga and a wide variety of poses, all of which are beneficial for different things.
If you want to build up your core, yoga is a great way to go about that. Pilates is another method which you may prefer, but yoga is more popular and more practiced.

Here’s five yoga poses that will help you in getting that rock solid core:

1. Boat Pose

Author credit Jennifer Dawson
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The human self-esteem, which is inherently fragile in nature, often requires special nurturing in order to blossom.  The great Buddha himself once said: “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” Without a healthy self esteem we largely lack the initiative required to live our best lives. It also leaves us insecure to the point where we allow our fears to control our lives. By regularly engaging in yoga, it will not only become significantly easier to maintain adequate physical and mental health, but it will also boost your self-esteem in wonderful ways.  Here’s how incorporating yoga into an esteem-boosting lifestyle will see you live an overall happier, more fulfilling life.

Author credit Helen Bradford

It has long been known that our well-being, including our mental health, is influenced by what we eat. Nutritionists generally draw a distinction between fats, carbs and proteins, while yogis classify foods based on how they affect our mind and body. They believe that the foods we eat are a reflection of our conscious development because the food is the creator of a life force they call prana. Yoga suggests a vegetarian diet which encourages love and peace with all beings. If we don’t eat with care and gratitude, then all other aspects of our lives will endure strain. A diet with healthy eating habits is important for yogis and non-yogis alike. Here is a list of some foods which you are encouraged to enjoy and others you should avoid.

Foods to Enjoy

Author credit Bella Hardy

You must have heard people saying, “There is some purpose in pain.” Only a person in pain will know what that means. Back pain, whether it is severe, acute, or continuous numbing pain, makes you feel tired, depressed, and sometimes angry.

Every day when you wake up, you try to feel your back, and you wish that the pain would magically go away. This mental trauma can aggravate your pain, and it starts to get you down.

Sometimes the back pain can be due to sleeping on the wrong side, over-training of some sport or physical exercise. This may cause inflammation of muscles, and you get severe pain in your back. Similarly, there are chronic back pains which are severe, and it makes life difficult.

Author credit Jennifer Dawson
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Have you recently taken a yoga holiday? With estimates of 300,000-460,000 people in the UK  practicing yoga, you are not alone. Like countless yogis before you, a yoga retreat was the ideal experience for you to create space for personal growth, meet like minded individuals from all over the globe, and connect with your inner self in a structured and focused way. The great news is, your yoga holiday doesn’t have to stop at the end of your stay. You can take your yoga holiday home and enjoy the benefits of your retreat any and every day. 

By Susan Perry-Livett

Most of us, especially in busy cities with equally busy lives, feel that they need a serious break sometimes. Some of us would normally say that we need a holiday, but is a holiday enough? Maybe we need more than just a cocktail, a beautiful beach and a good book.

Yoga, meditation, massage and other holistic healing retreats can be just what you need when a holiday is just not enough. Yoga retreats can really create a platform for transformation and self-discovery. Here some fantastic reasons why to take a yoga retreat:

By Susan Perry-Livett

Yoga is all about discovering that much-required awareness of your body in both space and time. When you are first staring out, it can seems quite awkward and thanks ok, you just need to create space for learning and to be patient with yourself as you discover yoga. Here are some things to keep in mind when you are first staring out in yoga:

Listen  to Your Body

A little challenge can be good at times, but yoga is not about pushing yourself. Advancement in asana comes slowly, little by little. Yoga is a practice, not a perfection. Also if you experience a sharp pain while in a pose, stop and tell your teacher about it. Yoga is not supposed to be painful. Mild pleasant pain when stretching is ok, shooting pain is not ok. Don’t push yourself too hard, take it slow, and you won’t injure yourself.

Author credit Jennifer Dawson
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Yoga may be a highly spiritual pursuit, but that doesn’t mean you have to forego your love for fashion at your next yoga retreat. There are so many brands specialising in yoga gear that it can be a little confusing to narrow your choices down. The good news is that with just a few updates to your sports wardrobe, you can look chic while harnessing yoga's soul soothing benefits in a dream destination that will enrich your spirituality and enable you to meet people with shared interests. By mixing and matching, bringing items that work as well in class as during leisure time, and by choosing comfortable, breathable fabrics, you will feel like a pro yogi in no time.

Want to know what to expect in your first Yoga class? Well, you can expect a lot of things to happen over time, but most people don't know what they might expect to see.

We will let you know more about the things you are going to see during the first yoga class, and you will have the information you need to do the job pretty well Don't forget to have fun with your peers while in the yoga class because that is what the class is about.

The article will focus on the studio, how to pick a class and things like that. We will also talk about what you have to eat or not to eat before the yoga class, and things like that will become pretty important for you to recall down the road too.

Author credit Jennifer Dawson
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Combining relaxing breathwork and meditation with gentle poses to stretch and strengthen muscles, yoga can prevent and treat chronic pain. In fact, a recent study found yoga just as effective as physical therapy for reducing chronic pain intensity and left participants 20% less likely to use pain medication, Reuters reports. The causes of chronic pain — prolonged pain persisting long after the injury heals — include arthritis, past injuries, nerve damage, and back problems. Chronic pain isn’t only physical; it often has mental and emotional symptoms including low mood, stress, and fatigue. Beneficial on both mental and physical levels, yoga decreases physical pain and improves pain perception.

Author credit Katerina Weissova

It is not really easy to identify the causes of your back pain because of the different activities that you do every day. This specific kind of pain may affect your posture and even your productivity. This is why you should not be taking it for granted. It is very important to determine how all the things that you do can affect your health. Always look for ways on how you can do your activities in a way that will not make your back suffer.
Aside from the preventive measures including using an inversion table to avoid back pain, there are also some activities that you can actively take to fight the pain. Here are some of the best ones:

Author credit Jennifer Dawson
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Around three in four British people  feel overwhelmed by stress, and encounter a host of symptoms including impaired sleep quality, a racing heart rate, low energy, aching, and insomnia. Sources of stress for adults include the state of the nation, money, work, the political climate, and violence, but statistics show that children, too, are succumbing to pressure. According to a survey carried out by the charity Barnardo’s, two thirds of children in the UK are stressed out about life at secondary school, while a third worry about social media. It is important for families to learn to deal with stress in powerful yet natural ways. In this post, we provide just a few reasons why a yoga retreat is ideal for parents and kids alike.

Author credit Jennifer Dawson
Photo by Rima Kruciene on Unsplash

Yoga is an exercise, a form of alternative medicine, and traditional form of relaxation and meditation dating back centuries. One part of your body that can benefit from yoga, in particular, is your skin. New forms of yoga, such as hot yoga, can help improve circulation and give you clearer skin in moderation. Approaches to yoga similar to facial yoga can decrease wrinkling in your skin. And yoga users may have less stretchy skin and obesity-related skin conditions.