Whilst yoga can be practised without any props or special equipment, sooner or later most people decide to invest in some supplies for their home practice. Equipment can generally be divided into two categories. First, there is the basic equipment. This can include things like mats, blankets, and perhaps eye bags. The next tier in terms of priority might include straightforward supportive tools, such as belts, bolsters, and blocks. Finally, there is a range of specialized tools that can give very precise support to the positions for which they were designed. This article will discuss some of the different yoga supplies available, and what poses they are generally used for.

Yoga mats could be classed as essential, except that they can be substituted by a large towel, or a cotton rug that isn’t slippery. The most important thing it does is help facilitate a student’s grip as they move through, and hold, different asanas. It is much easier to use a proper mat compared to a towel or rug, but if you are short of funds, you can certainly make do. Mats are generally inexpensive, with ’sticky mats’ being the cheapest. There are higher quality synthetic mats, but even these can be bought for the cost of a restaurant meal. Generally, it is suggested that mats be hand washed, but I have washed mine in a machine with no problems.

Cotton mats tend to be used in some Indian yoga centers, and are also available on the internet. There are also ‘ecological’ mats, made out of rubber, or other natural materials. These are quite popular with yoga practitioners who are sensitive to their effect on the environment.

Blankets can be used in relaxation at the end of a session, or to provide gentle support when doing some poses such as shoulderstand and headstand. Blankets tend to be thin and lightweight. This is especially important when they are used to support the neck in the above mentioned asanas.

Eyebags are usually made of satin, and filled with an organic, lightweight material like linseed. They are used in relaxation.

Props were introduced by B.K.S. Iyengar, although they are used in many different disciplines now. The reason was that it made it easier for beginners and those with physical limitations to experience the benefits of some postures they may not yet be able to do. They can also help students become more aware of the subtleties of a pose, by allowing the body to align as it should. The props that particularly help with this are blocks, belts, bolsters, chairs, wall ropes, and special props developed for specific poses.

Bolsters are excellent for certain floor poses, and are often used to support the back. Blocks are typically used in standing poses, are and very useful when students are not yet flexible enough to reach the ground. This is particularly true in standing poses that involve twists. Belts are used in a variety of poses, including foward bends, and others that help keep the arms in the correct alignment. These are not usually expensive items, and are worth having on hand. They may allow you to really spend a lot of time in a particular pose.

The most expensive yoga supplies tend to be the very specialized props that can be used in headstand and backbends. They are certainly not crucial, in that you can use cheaper props to gain support in those poses. But they may offer particular benefits that are worth the cost to those than can reasonably afford them.

Good yoga props can make a home practice more enjoyable. It is particularly gratifying to be able to extend one’s ability in a pose, and practicing at home certainly provides the luxury of time sometimes not available in a class. Props, in this instance, would be very beneficial. But whether you need anything beyond the basics, a mat, is an individual call.

Good yoga supply shops have an excellent range of yogatohealth.com/Hatha_Yoga_DVD_Guide.html hatha yoga DVD’s. Read this guide before you buy, and check out more on a yogatohealth.com yoga practice here.

Recent medical researches have proved that varicose veins are not an exclusive female problem. In fact, more and more men are presenting this problem as well. Though, women are still the most affected, especially the ones who are up to 60 years old.
A special case of vein varicose is constituted by pregnant women. The more pregnancies a woman has had, the more prone she is to develop leg spider vein and/or varicose veins due to the pressure of the womb on the legs. Other factors that may unchain the formation of varicose veins is being standing up and sitting down during long hours.
But the question is why a vein becomes varicose? It may be considered idiopathic -unknown- but here are however, two possible explanations for them:

a. A leg vein has valves that allow the flow of blood up to the heart and from the superficial veins to the deep ones. When these valves are not working correctly anymore, this distends the vein’s wall and the rest of valves along the leg vein.

b. Veins walls have collagen (strength) and elastin (elasticity), substances. If these substances are not present in normal quantities, the walls get weakened, therefore the presence of varicose veins.

The types of veins we have been referring above are primary veins that do not cause serious damage to the person. But there is another type of varicose vein, more severe, of secondary veins, due to a thrombosis blocking of the deep veins, pelvic tumors or congenital artery and vein problems.

As for varicose vein treatment, usually there are two types: surgical or invasive and non-surgical or non-invasive procedures. The most recurrent surgical varicose vein treatment is sclerotherapy, which consists of the varicose vein injection of a saline solution that makes the vein collapse and gets absorbed by the neighboring blood vessels. Vein laser or vein removal employs a laser of high-intensity that gets rid of leg swelling.

A safe and leg-friendly vein treatment is the use of a leg wedge pillow between your legs for prevention and healing pain and swelling. The elevation this type of pillow can give you, whether on your left side, the most highly recommended sleeping position for varicose vein patients, or any position you like to lie on, allows the free flow of blood and oxygen through your leg veins, and the diminish of pressure in your lower limbs.
The most common circulation problems, like varicose vein, can be effectively prevented and relieved with resting in a correct position. However, to make your body reach a proper alignment, you require an appropriate leg support pillow. Nowadays, doctors are recommending orthopedic pillows like the Leg Wedge Pillow, which has been designed to match the shape of your maintaining a correct posture.

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