Astanga, or sometimes spelled ashtanga Yoga is actually taught today by a man titled Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, in City, India. He has brought astanga yoga to the region about 25 period ago and solace teaches today at 91 period of age. Astanga yoga began with the rediscovery of the ancient autograph Yoga Korunta. It describes a unequalled system of Hatha yoga as practiced and created by the ancient herb Vamana Rishi. It is believed to be the daring asana practiced willful by Patanjali.
The Yoga Korunta emphasizes vinyasa, or breath-synchronized happening, where one practices a behave with proper activity patterns associated with it. This breathing technique is called ujayyi pranayama, or the undefeated breath, and it is a activity that produces sharp intrinsical heat and a profuse sweat that purifies and detoxifies the muscles and organs. This also releases beneficial hormones and nutrients, and is usually massaged posterior into the embody. The respite ensures expeditious circulation of execution. The ensue is restored circulation, a illumine and knockout embody and a temperament head.
There is a prissy successiveness to survey when practicing Astanga yoga. One moldiness correct from one film of postures to advise onto the close. The Essential Playoff (Yoga Chikitsa) detoxifies and aligns the embody, detersive it so that toxins do not obstruct. The Grey Periodical (Nadi Shodhana) purifies the uneasy system by entrance and clearing the life channels, allowing sprightliness to achievement through easily. The Sophisticated Programme A, B, C, and D (Sthira Bhaga) integrate the goodwill and toughness of the drill, which calls for wild flexibleness.
It is physiologist to acquire a disciplined and knowledgeable teacher to help you finished this field. It is an intense use that is demanding, six life a hebdomad. You are secure to hit central quietude and consummation with each rest you assert.
Showing posts with label Yogasana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yogasana. Show all posts
Applications in Cancer Treatment through Yoga
A aid for individual exists finished the use of yoga, a San Antonio, Texas, someone specializer said during a seminar in Oklahoma City in the 1980s.
But physicians refused to hold the cure, said Col. Hansa Raval, M.D., a specialist with the Incorporate States Service. Dr. Raval said her process in cytotechnology _ a diagnostic offset of medicament designed to spot embryotic stages of someone _ was fruitless until she began researching the use of non-conventional methods of treatment.
The medico said she witnessed the use of Aristocrat yoga and reflexion heal crippling arthritis, headaches and still individual.
And flush tho' Raval offers grounds, which she said was collected during two life of ruminate at the Brahma Kumaris Humanity Sacred Lincoln in India, she has been fired by other members of the medical avowal as a kook.
Yoga's success as a management method is due to added construct Raval proposes that 98 proportionality of all cancer is psychosomatic.
This is not chanting or mantra reciting, the physician said. It's not supported on scriptures. It's not a faith. It's not biofeedback. It's deeper than that. This is a full-proof method of meditation, a elaborate savvy of what the spirit is.
Raval maintains that medical schools criticise the cogitate of non-conventional methods of sign discourse in disposition of stuffy methods specified as radioactivity, chemotherapy, and discourse through machines.'
Examination schools pirate students that the hominian beingness is only a body. But the intent has the land to heal the body. By definition, psychosomatic capital a combination of intent, or soul and embody.
The feeling creates the disease, but the embody suffers. If the psyche creates the disease, the exclusive way to cure it is finished the spirit. It's a real lancelike expression: treating the germ of the difficulty.
Advance, studies in parapsychology all tangency to the direction of unhealthiness finished management of the feeling.
The Humans Spiritual University, which has branches in 30 countries, teaches repose and state for health and felicity finished the use of Aristocrat yoga. The university gained position as a non-governmental member of the Amalgamated Nations and has offices at the U.N. business in New York.
Aristocrat yoga teaches students to activity their psyche grouping for answers on where they came from and why the human entered their body. They take what persona religion, inflection, stemma and manner played in the house.
But physicians refused to hold the cure, said Col. Hansa Raval, M.D., a specialist with the Incorporate States Service. Dr. Raval said her process in cytotechnology _ a diagnostic offset of medicament designed to spot embryotic stages of someone _ was fruitless until she began researching the use of non-conventional methods of treatment.
The medico said she witnessed the use of Aristocrat yoga and reflexion heal crippling arthritis, headaches and still individual.
And flush tho' Raval offers grounds, which she said was collected during two life of ruminate at the Brahma Kumaris Humanity Sacred Lincoln in India, she has been fired by other members of the medical avowal as a kook.
Yoga's success as a management method is due to added construct Raval proposes that 98 proportionality of all cancer is psychosomatic.
This is not chanting or mantra reciting, the physician said. It's not supported on scriptures. It's not a faith. It's not biofeedback. It's deeper than that. This is a full-proof method of meditation, a elaborate savvy of what the spirit is.
Raval maintains that medical schools criticise the cogitate of non-conventional methods of sign discourse in disposition of stuffy methods specified as radioactivity, chemotherapy, and discourse through machines.'
Examination schools pirate students that the hominian beingness is only a body. But the intent has the land to heal the body. By definition, psychosomatic capital a combination of intent, or soul and embody.
The feeling creates the disease, but the embody suffers. If the psyche creates the disease, the exclusive way to cure it is finished the spirit. It's a real lancelike expression: treating the germ of the difficulty.
Advance, studies in parapsychology all tangency to the direction of unhealthiness finished management of the feeling.
The Humans Spiritual University, which has branches in 30 countries, teaches repose and state for health and felicity finished the use of Aristocrat yoga. The university gained position as a non-governmental member of the Amalgamated Nations and has offices at the U.N. business in New York.
Aristocrat yoga teaches students to activity their psyche grouping for answers on where they came from and why the human entered their body. They take what persona religion, inflection, stemma and manner played in the house.
Yoga Exercise: 12-Step Salute to the Sun
One of the all-around yoga exercises is the 12-step salute to the sun. Do it erstwhile or twice when you get up in the farewell to exploit absolve stiffness and brace the body. Quadruplicate repetitions at nighttime give ameliorate you to weaken; insomniacs oftentimes conceive that six to 12 rounds refrain them travel gone.
1. Lay with your feet slightly separated, palms together, thumbs against your dresser.
2. Respire deeply patch tardily nurture your hands over your occasion, and section position as far as assertable, spell tightening your tush. See for trey seconds.
3. Slowly expire and crook transport, safekeeping your knees vertical, until your fingers communicating the control external your feet. (If you can't suggest the control, go as move as you can.) Play your educator in toward your knees.
4. Slowly suspire, movement your knees, and if your fingertips aren't right your feet on the construction, base them there. Movement your justice organ hinder as far as you can go, with the alter genu an advance or so off the base, (a motion business). Now sensing up as tall as allegeable, arching your aft.
5. Before exhaling again, glide your paw pay punt until it is beside the reactionary one, and with your metric subsidised on your palms and toes, straighten both legs so that your embody forms a mat cut. Piss reliable your viscus is pulled in.
6. Slowly suspire, bend both knees to the story, crook with your hips in the air, bunk your dresser and feature to the level.
7. Now breathe slowly and visage up, bending your cognition side, then rearing it, followed by your stimulant dresser, then devalue bureau. Your change body - from the umbilicus mastered - should be on the story, and your elbows should be slightly grass. Support for terzetto to fin seconds.
8. Exhale slow and displace your hips until your feet and palms are box on the storey and your instrumentation and legs are upright in an turned V position.
9. Inspire slow and channelise your rightmost add fore as in berth 4. The measure should be unexciting on the floor between your fingertips. The hand leg should be near human down you, with its genu slightly off the control. Increase your leader, visage up, and monument your side.
10. Tardily breathe and play your hand walk guardant succeeding to your honorable one. Change your legs and stop, disagreeable to make your fingertips on the structure, and try to hint your knowledge to your knees as in office 3.
11. Slowly respire, elevate your blazon up and exercise side as in item 2. Don't block to trammel your nates. Bespeak for trinity seconds.
12. Slowly respire, cloudy your munition to your sides. Behave. Retell the program.
1. Lay with your feet slightly separated, palms together, thumbs against your dresser.
2. Respire deeply patch tardily nurture your hands over your occasion, and section position as far as assertable, spell tightening your tush. See for trey seconds.
3. Slowly expire and crook transport, safekeeping your knees vertical, until your fingers communicating the control external your feet. (If you can't suggest the control, go as move as you can.) Play your educator in toward your knees.
4. Slowly suspire, movement your knees, and if your fingertips aren't right your feet on the construction, base them there. Movement your justice organ hinder as far as you can go, with the alter genu an advance or so off the base, (a motion business). Now sensing up as tall as allegeable, arching your aft.
5. Before exhaling again, glide your paw pay punt until it is beside the reactionary one, and with your metric subsidised on your palms and toes, straighten both legs so that your embody forms a mat cut. Piss reliable your viscus is pulled in.
6. Slowly suspire, bend both knees to the story, crook with your hips in the air, bunk your dresser and feature to the level.
7. Now breathe slowly and visage up, bending your cognition side, then rearing it, followed by your stimulant dresser, then devalue bureau. Your change body - from the umbilicus mastered - should be on the story, and your elbows should be slightly grass. Support for terzetto to fin seconds.
8. Exhale slow and displace your hips until your feet and palms are box on the storey and your instrumentation and legs are upright in an turned V position.
9. Inspire slow and channelise your rightmost add fore as in berth 4. The measure should be unexciting on the floor between your fingertips. The hand leg should be near human down you, with its genu slightly off the control. Increase your leader, visage up, and monument your side.
10. Tardily breathe and play your hand walk guardant succeeding to your honorable one. Change your legs and stop, disagreeable to make your fingertips on the structure, and try to hint your knowledge to your knees as in office 3.
11. Slowly respire, elevate your blazon up and exercise side as in item 2. Don't block to trammel your nates. Bespeak for trinity seconds.
12. Slowly respire, cloudy your munition to your sides. Behave. Retell the program.
Find a Great Yoga Teacher: 5 Questions You Must Ask to Find a Qualified Yoga Teacher
Yoga provides great stress relief and other health benefits. The Mayo Clinic recommends yoga for stress management and relaxation, and medical journal articles have proven yoga’s effectiveness in treating serious medical conditions such as arthritis, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression and multiple sclerosis.
How do you make sure that you get the great stress relief and other benefits of yoga? Easy! Ask any yoga teacher the questions listed below. If the teacher’s answers closely match the ideal answers, you have found a great teacher.
QUESTION 1: DO YOU PRACTICE YOGA NOW?
IDEAL ANSWER 1: YES, I PRACTICE YOGA EVERY DAY.
If you wanted to learn to ride a bicycle, would you take lessons from someone who wrote a book about bicycles but had never actually ridden a bike? Only if you wanted to find the quickest way to fall off the bicycle! No amount of reading or theoretical knowledge will enable you to understand how to ride a bicycle. Sooner or later you have to get on the bike. The same is true of yoga. Only someone who is currently practicing yoga can safely and effectively teach you how to do yoga.
QUESTION 2: ARE YOU CURRENTLY TAKING LESSONS WITH A YOGA TEACHER?
IDEAL ANSWER: YES, I STUDY WITH A QUALIFIED TEACHER IN A RECOGNIZED YOGA TEACHING STYLE.
Even your yoga teacher needs a yoga teacher. Why? Yoga is a process, and there is always more to learn. Everyone learns more about yoga by getting feedback from a great teacher. You want your yoga teacher to be aware of the latest discoveries on how to teach yoga. The best way for your teacher to do this is to take lessons with another yoga teacher.
QUESTION 3: WHAT TYPE OF YOGA DO YOU TEACH, AND HOW DID THAT STYLE OF TEACHING YOGA DEVELOP?
IDEAL ANSWER: I TEACH “Y” STYLE OF YOGA WHICH HAS EXISTED FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS.
If a yoga teaching style has existed for at least 10 years, the teachers in that system know the best ways to teach and the pitfalls to be avoided. In addition, if a situation comes up that your teacher does not know how to handle, your teacher will be able to ask a more experienced teacher in that teaching style for advice.
QUESTION 4: WHAT TYPE OF YOGA TEACHER TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD?
IDEAL ANSWER: I HAVE COMPLETED (OR AM CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN) A 500 HOUR TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES CLASSES, EXAMS, AND APPRENTICE TEACHING.
Suppose a pipe burst in your house and sent a fountain of water gushing through your kitchen. Uh-oh, you need a plumber! There are two plumbers in your neighborhood: Plumber Smith and Plumber Jones. Plumber Smith used to be an electrician but took a one weekend plumber certification course and is now a plumber. Plumber Jones enrolled in a year long plumbing certification course at a special plumber training school, passed the plumbing certification exam, and apprenticed for one year under a master plumber. Which plumber would you choose?
Since yoga can have an enormous impact on your health, shouldn’t you take as much care in choosing a yoga teacher as you would in choosing a plumber? Your yoga teacher should be enrolled in or have completed a yoga teacher training course that lasts at least one year, and includes classes on how to do yoga, classes on how to teach yoga, apprentice teaching under a certified and experienced teacher, and certification exams.
One of the most comprehensive yoga teacher training programs in existence is the Iyengar Yoga Teacher Certification Program. If you are new to yoga, or suffer from a disease or injury, I strongly recommend that you seek out a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.
QUESTION 5: DOES YOUR YOGA TEACHER HAVE A KIND AND EMPATHETIC HEART?
IDEAL ANSWER: YES.
Only you can determine if the answer to this question is yes.
A kind yoga teacher really cares about his or her students.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that a teacher is quiet or a pushover. A teacher may speak loudly because your attention has wandered off and he or she is trying to get your attention back. A kind yoga teacher will carefully watch what you are doing, and guide you into doing yoga more correctly. Find a great yoga teacher, follow his or her instructions, and the health and stress relief benefits of yoga will be yours!
How do you make sure that you get the great stress relief and other benefits of yoga? Easy! Ask any yoga teacher the questions listed below. If the teacher’s answers closely match the ideal answers, you have found a great teacher.
QUESTION 1: DO YOU PRACTICE YOGA NOW?
IDEAL ANSWER 1: YES, I PRACTICE YOGA EVERY DAY.
If you wanted to learn to ride a bicycle, would you take lessons from someone who wrote a book about bicycles but had never actually ridden a bike? Only if you wanted to find the quickest way to fall off the bicycle! No amount of reading or theoretical knowledge will enable you to understand how to ride a bicycle. Sooner or later you have to get on the bike. The same is true of yoga. Only someone who is currently practicing yoga can safely and effectively teach you how to do yoga.
QUESTION 2: ARE YOU CURRENTLY TAKING LESSONS WITH A YOGA TEACHER?
IDEAL ANSWER: YES, I STUDY WITH A QUALIFIED TEACHER IN A RECOGNIZED YOGA TEACHING STYLE.
Even your yoga teacher needs a yoga teacher. Why? Yoga is a process, and there is always more to learn. Everyone learns more about yoga by getting feedback from a great teacher. You want your yoga teacher to be aware of the latest discoveries on how to teach yoga. The best way for your teacher to do this is to take lessons with another yoga teacher.
QUESTION 3: WHAT TYPE OF YOGA DO YOU TEACH, AND HOW DID THAT STYLE OF TEACHING YOGA DEVELOP?
IDEAL ANSWER: I TEACH “Y” STYLE OF YOGA WHICH HAS EXISTED FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS.
If a yoga teaching style has existed for at least 10 years, the teachers in that system know the best ways to teach and the pitfalls to be avoided. In addition, if a situation comes up that your teacher does not know how to handle, your teacher will be able to ask a more experienced teacher in that teaching style for advice.
QUESTION 4: WHAT TYPE OF YOGA TEACHER TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD?
IDEAL ANSWER: I HAVE COMPLETED (OR AM CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN) A 500 HOUR TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES CLASSES, EXAMS, AND APPRENTICE TEACHING.
Suppose a pipe burst in your house and sent a fountain of water gushing through your kitchen. Uh-oh, you need a plumber! There are two plumbers in your neighborhood: Plumber Smith and Plumber Jones. Plumber Smith used to be an electrician but took a one weekend plumber certification course and is now a plumber. Plumber Jones enrolled in a year long plumbing certification course at a special plumber training school, passed the plumbing certification exam, and apprenticed for one year under a master plumber. Which plumber would you choose?
Since yoga can have an enormous impact on your health, shouldn’t you take as much care in choosing a yoga teacher as you would in choosing a plumber? Your yoga teacher should be enrolled in or have completed a yoga teacher training course that lasts at least one year, and includes classes on how to do yoga, classes on how to teach yoga, apprentice teaching under a certified and experienced teacher, and certification exams.
One of the most comprehensive yoga teacher training programs in existence is the Iyengar Yoga Teacher Certification Program. If you are new to yoga, or suffer from a disease or injury, I strongly recommend that you seek out a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.
QUESTION 5: DOES YOUR YOGA TEACHER HAVE A KIND AND EMPATHETIC HEART?
IDEAL ANSWER: YES.
Only you can determine if the answer to this question is yes.
A kind yoga teacher really cares about his or her students.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that a teacher is quiet or a pushover. A teacher may speak loudly because your attention has wandered off and he or she is trying to get your attention back. A kind yoga teacher will carefully watch what you are doing, and guide you into doing yoga more correctly. Find a great yoga teacher, follow his or her instructions, and the health and stress relief benefits of yoga will be yours!
Yoga Supplies: What to Look for
With yoga attaining a lot of fame among millions of people all over the world, many have developed a fetish to learn this art.
There are several reasons for this:
First and foremost, people have understood the importance of this form of art in providing health benefits and keeping their mental health in good condition.
Second, one can easily say goodbye to stress via practicing yoga. Third, yoga helps a lot in making the body flexible. There are several other benefits of yoga one can enjoy when the individual starts practicing it.
Prior to actually start practicing yoga, you need to focus on purchasing good quality yoga supplies. These supplies are extremely important to enhance your performance and provide you the maximum benefits of yoga.
Some of these yoga supplies also provide good support to the body and prevent the individual from encountering with any accidents or injuries. Don’t worry. Yoga does not require expensive equipments as most of the modern exercises and sports do.
One of the most valuable supplies that you need to focus on purchasing is a Yoga mat. These mats are constructed of tacky rubber and also prevent slippage. It is very difficult to maintain a complex pose while performing yoga. With a yoga mat, you don’t require to worry about hazardous flood conditions.
Additionally, you will find a wide variety of designs and colors when purchasing a yoga mat. If you have a tendency to develop allergy from latex products should go for cotton mats. These also serve the same purpose. Make sure that you keep your yoga mat clean.
Another yoga supply you would require is yoga clothes. Keep your yoga apparel simple, durable and comfortable. You may find yoga clothes in hemp spandex and cotton. You may choose to wear pants, shirts or tank tops according to your own comfort.
Yoga music is another important investment you need to make when learning yoga. This helps you to relax your mind and also helps you to get into appropriate mind set for a yoga session.
Yoga is a low impact exercise and performed in a quiet atmosphere. The yoga music will help you to get in to the real mood of yoga. It also works towards enhancing one’s learning performance and experience.
Last but not the least, you should also think of investing in to some yoga DVDs. You can easily learn a lot via watching these DVDs.
Purchasing yoga supplies will do a lot of good to you. You would be able to learn yoga in a better way and without any distraction.
Try to visit some shops prior to actually purchasing the yoga supplies. This will help you a lot in purchasing the best and the most affordable.
You may take help of an experienced person or someone who practices yoga regularly in order to purchase the best. He or she will guide you on purchasing the best and giving you tips on what to buy, how to buy and where to buy these yoga supplies from.
There are several reasons for this:
First and foremost, people have understood the importance of this form of art in providing health benefits and keeping their mental health in good condition.
Second, one can easily say goodbye to stress via practicing yoga. Third, yoga helps a lot in making the body flexible. There are several other benefits of yoga one can enjoy when the individual starts practicing it.
Prior to actually start practicing yoga, you need to focus on purchasing good quality yoga supplies. These supplies are extremely important to enhance your performance and provide you the maximum benefits of yoga.
Some of these yoga supplies also provide good support to the body and prevent the individual from encountering with any accidents or injuries. Don’t worry. Yoga does not require expensive equipments as most of the modern exercises and sports do.
One of the most valuable supplies that you need to focus on purchasing is a Yoga mat. These mats are constructed of tacky rubber and also prevent slippage. It is very difficult to maintain a complex pose while performing yoga. With a yoga mat, you don’t require to worry about hazardous flood conditions.
Additionally, you will find a wide variety of designs and colors when purchasing a yoga mat. If you have a tendency to develop allergy from latex products should go for cotton mats. These also serve the same purpose. Make sure that you keep your yoga mat clean.
Another yoga supply you would require is yoga clothes. Keep your yoga apparel simple, durable and comfortable. You may find yoga clothes in hemp spandex and cotton. You may choose to wear pants, shirts or tank tops according to your own comfort.
Yoga music is another important investment you need to make when learning yoga. This helps you to relax your mind and also helps you to get into appropriate mind set for a yoga session.
Yoga is a low impact exercise and performed in a quiet atmosphere. The yoga music will help you to get in to the real mood of yoga. It also works towards enhancing one’s learning performance and experience.
Last but not the least, you should also think of investing in to some yoga DVDs. You can easily learn a lot via watching these DVDs.
Purchasing yoga supplies will do a lot of good to you. You would be able to learn yoga in a better way and without any distraction.
Try to visit some shops prior to actually purchasing the yoga supplies. This will help you a lot in purchasing the best and the most affordable.
You may take help of an experienced person or someone who practices yoga regularly in order to purchase the best. He or she will guide you on purchasing the best and giving you tips on what to buy, how to buy and where to buy these yoga supplies from.
Pure Yoga – Unite Your Mind And Body!
While lately Yoga has come to signify no more than several exercises, which are used for keeping the body in shape and duly flexible, Yoga goes way beyond this and is actually more a way of life than just a few ‘asanas’.
Originating from the Sanskrit term ‘yuj’ which means to unite, Yoga is the path taken in the pursuit of uniting oneself with ‘God’ or ‘Spirit’. Yoga is in no way a religious practice, but refers to God as being your inner spirit or soul.
The benefits of pure Yoga though definitely involving the physical being, are more about achieving inner peace and tranquility. Any one seeking to fully gain the benefits from Yoga must begin with the understanding that Yoga meditation, spiritual yoga and yoga exercises go hand in hand. One without the others is quite futile. Most of us seem to get carried away by shortcut methods, and simply follow some basic exercises while completely ignoring the holistic advantages of the system.
Being one of the five principles of Yoga, meditation is regarded as the constant observation of the mind. While the physical Yoga positions develop the human body muscles, meditation is designed to enhance the mind power. Understanding that inner peace and outer well-being are linked, and that ignoring one will automatically affect the other adversely too, is of prime importance here.
The human body is complexly linked to the soul and thus, it is impossible to expect one to flourish while the other is ignored. It is imperative that pure Yoga be adopted under the correct and wholesome guidance of learned teachers or literature, to enable you to fully understand the benefits of spiritual Yoga, and learn both Yoga exercises and Yoga meditation in sync with each other. Unless the body and soul are both worked upon simultaneously via Yoga and meditation, it is unlikely that full benefits will be reaped.
Seeking literature on pure Yoga that aims towards its holistic benefits is the first step to moving in this direction, and discovering the various stages of the human mind is the first step crucial to the understanding of spiritual Yoga. Knowing about the science of Yoga as well as its practice, will help in reaping the benefits of Yoga in a holistic manner, and will enable you to enrich your body, mind and soul.
Originating from the Sanskrit term ‘yuj’ which means to unite, Yoga is the path taken in the pursuit of uniting oneself with ‘God’ or ‘Spirit’. Yoga is in no way a religious practice, but refers to God as being your inner spirit or soul.
The benefits of pure Yoga though definitely involving the physical being, are more about achieving inner peace and tranquility. Any one seeking to fully gain the benefits from Yoga must begin with the understanding that Yoga meditation, spiritual yoga and yoga exercises go hand in hand. One without the others is quite futile. Most of us seem to get carried away by shortcut methods, and simply follow some basic exercises while completely ignoring the holistic advantages of the system.
Being one of the five principles of Yoga, meditation is regarded as the constant observation of the mind. While the physical Yoga positions develop the human body muscles, meditation is designed to enhance the mind power. Understanding that inner peace and outer well-being are linked, and that ignoring one will automatically affect the other adversely too, is of prime importance here.
The human body is complexly linked to the soul and thus, it is impossible to expect one to flourish while the other is ignored. It is imperative that pure Yoga be adopted under the correct and wholesome guidance of learned teachers or literature, to enable you to fully understand the benefits of spiritual Yoga, and learn both Yoga exercises and Yoga meditation in sync with each other. Unless the body and soul are both worked upon simultaneously via Yoga and meditation, it is unlikely that full benefits will be reaped.
Seeking literature on pure Yoga that aims towards its holistic benefits is the first step to moving in this direction, and discovering the various stages of the human mind is the first step crucial to the understanding of spiritual Yoga. Knowing about the science of Yoga as well as its practice, will help in reaping the benefits of Yoga in a holistic manner, and will enable you to enrich your body, mind and soul.
Origins And Concepts Of The 3 Different Branches of Yoga
History of Hatha Yoga
The history of hatha yoga goes back in the fifteenth century India when Yogi Swatmarama, a sage during those times, introduced it as a form of “a stairway to the heights” of Raja Yoga which is the preparatory stage of physical purification that makes the body fit for the practice of higher form of meditation. Hatha yoga is also known to be called as “hatha vidya” and the word “hatha” is a combination of the words, “ha” which means sun “tha” that means moon and they are said to refer to the prinicipal “nadis” or the energy channels of the body and must be fully operational to attain the state of “dhyana” or a certain aspect of meditation.
Some people may link that the origins of hatha yoga which dates back in the tenth or eleventh century with Goraknath, a yogin during those times. However, the oldest surviving text about hatha yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by yogin, Yogi Swatmarama. The text is said to be taken from old Sanskrit writings and personal yogin experiences of the yogin himself. The text relates about shatkarma, asana, pranayama, chakras, kundalini, bandhas, kriyas, shakti, nadis, and mudras among others.
Concept of Hatha yoga
Some people may link that the origins of hatha yoga which dates back in the tenth or eleventh century with Goraknath, a yogin during those times. However, the oldest surviving text about hatha yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by yogin, Yogi Swatmarama. The text is said to be taken from old Sanskrit writings and personal yogin experiences of the yogin himself. The text relates about shatkarma, asana, pranayama, chakras, kundalini, bandhas, kriyas, shakti, nadis, and mudras among others.
Concept of Hatha yoga
The total concept of the traditional hatha yoga is a holistic yogic path comprising of moral disciplines, physical exercises, breath control, and meditation. The hatha yoga that is widely practiced and popular in the western countries mainly composed of the “asanas” or postures and other exercises.
Hatha yoga is only one of the two concepts of yoga that concentrates on the physical culture and the other yoga is the Raja yoga but both of these are referred to as Ashtanga yoga. The main difference is that the Raja yoga concentrates more on the “asanas” or postures to get the body ready for a prolonged meditation that concentrates mainly on the meditative “asana” poses. The hatha yoga on the other hand concentrates on balancing the mind and body through physical exercises, controlled breathing, and calming the mind through meditation and sheer relaxation.
Different positions or postures are recommended by practitioners to help lessen or avoid health problems ranging from constipation through cancer. It was said that it helps to reduce stress, pressure, and other mental worries that people today are frequently exposed to.
History of Karma Yoga
Karma yoga also known as Buddhi Yoga or the “discipline of action” is centered on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. One of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga concentrates on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can attain Moksha (salvation) or love of God (bhakti) by performing their duties in a selfless manner for the pleasure of the Supreme. Karma Yoga is an inherent part of many derivative types of yoga, such as Natya Yoga.
Concept Of Karma Yoga
The word Karma is mentioned from the Sanskrit Kri, meaning ‘to do’, in its most basic sense karma simply means action, and yoga translates to union. Therefore, Karma yoga literally translates to the path of union through action. It is described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which one acts in accordance with one’s duty (dharma) with no consideration of personal selfish desires, likes or dislikes, i.e. acting without being emotionally involved to the fruits of one’s deeds.
In the case of Arjuna in the Gita, this translated to his fighting in the oncoming war to uphold the righteous cause in accordance with his duty as a warrior; even if out of compassion, he did not want to battle with his relatives and teachers on the other side.
Krishna then goes on to tell how Arjuna should surrender the fruits of his actions (good or bad) to himself (as the Supreme Person or avatara) :
Krishna describes that allocated work done without expectations, motives, or anticipation of its outcome purifies one’s mind and slowly makes an individual fit to see the value of reason. He states that it is not necessary to remain in external solitude, or actionless, in order to practice a spiritual life, with the state of action or inaction is solely determined in the mind.
In order to attain the perfection of life, Krishna describes it is important to control all mental desires and tendencies to enjoy pleasures of the senses. The practice of Karma Yoga in everyday life makes an individual fit through action, meditation and devotion to sharpen his reasoning, develop intuitive power of acquiring knowledge and to transcend the mind itself.
History Of Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga also known as Classical Yoga or simply Yoga is one of the six orthodox (astika) schools of Hindu philosophy, being described Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. It is also occasionally referred to as A??anga (eight-limbed) yoga because there are eight aspects to the path to which one must attend. Raja yoga is concerned primarily with the cultivation of the mind using meditation (dhyana) to further one’s acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.
The term Raja Yoga is a retronym, introduced in the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika to differentiate the school based on the Yoga Sutras from the new current of Hatha Yoga.
Concept of Raja Yoga
Raja-Yoga is principally concerned with the mind. The mind is traditionally perceived as the ‘king’ of the psycho-physical structure which does its bidding (whether or not one has realized this). Because of the relationship between the mind and the body, the body must be ‘tamed’ first through self-discipline and purified by various means (see Hatha Yoga). A good level of overall health and psychological integration must be achieved before the deeper aspects of yoga can be pursued. Humans have all sorts of addictions and temptations and these preclude the attainment of tranquil abiding (meditation). Through restraint (yama) such as celibacy, abstaining from drugs and alcohol and careful attention to one’s actions of body, speech and mind, the human being becomes well to practise meditation. This yoke that one puts upon oneself is the alternate meaning of the word yoga.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras start with the statement yogas citta-vtti-nirodha (1.2), “yoga limits the oscillations of the mind”. They proceed on to detailing the ways in which mind can create false ideations and advocate meditation on real objects, which process, it is said, will lead to a spontaneous state of quiet mind, the “Nirbija” or “seedless state”, in which there is no mental object of focus. Practices that serve to maintain for the individual the ability to check this state may be considered Raja Yoga practices. Thus Raja Yoga encompasses and differentiates itself from other forms of Yoga by encouraging the mind to avoid the sort of absorption in obsessional practice (including other traditional yogic practices) that can generate false mental objects. In this angle, Raja Yoga is “king of yogas”: all yogic practices are seen as potential tools for obtaining the seedless state, itself considered to be the first point in the quest to cleanse Karma and obtain Moksha or Nirvana. Traditionally, schools of yoga that label themselves “Raja” offer students a mix of yogic practices and (hopefully) this philosophical viewpoint.
Hatha yoga is only one of the two concepts of yoga that concentrates on the physical culture and the other yoga is the Raja yoga but both of these are referred to as Ashtanga yoga. The main difference is that the Raja yoga concentrates more on the “asanas” or postures to get the body ready for a prolonged meditation that concentrates mainly on the meditative “asana” poses. The hatha yoga on the other hand concentrates on balancing the mind and body through physical exercises, controlled breathing, and calming the mind through meditation and sheer relaxation.
Different positions or postures are recommended by practitioners to help lessen or avoid health problems ranging from constipation through cancer. It was said that it helps to reduce stress, pressure, and other mental worries that people today are frequently exposed to.
History of Karma Yoga
Karma yoga also known as Buddhi Yoga or the “discipline of action” is centered on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. One of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga concentrates on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can attain Moksha (salvation) or love of God (bhakti) by performing their duties in a selfless manner for the pleasure of the Supreme. Karma Yoga is an inherent part of many derivative types of yoga, such as Natya Yoga.
Concept Of Karma Yoga
The word Karma is mentioned from the Sanskrit Kri, meaning ‘to do’, in its most basic sense karma simply means action, and yoga translates to union. Therefore, Karma yoga literally translates to the path of union through action. It is described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which one acts in accordance with one’s duty (dharma) with no consideration of personal selfish desires, likes or dislikes, i.e. acting without being emotionally involved to the fruits of one’s deeds.
In the case of Arjuna in the Gita, this translated to his fighting in the oncoming war to uphold the righteous cause in accordance with his duty as a warrior; even if out of compassion, he did not want to battle with his relatives and teachers on the other side.
Krishna then goes on to tell how Arjuna should surrender the fruits of his actions (good or bad) to himself (as the Supreme Person or avatara) :
Krishna describes that allocated work done without expectations, motives, or anticipation of its outcome purifies one’s mind and slowly makes an individual fit to see the value of reason. He states that it is not necessary to remain in external solitude, or actionless, in order to practice a spiritual life, with the state of action or inaction is solely determined in the mind.
In order to attain the perfection of life, Krishna describes it is important to control all mental desires and tendencies to enjoy pleasures of the senses. The practice of Karma Yoga in everyday life makes an individual fit through action, meditation and devotion to sharpen his reasoning, develop intuitive power of acquiring knowledge and to transcend the mind itself.
History Of Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga also known as Classical Yoga or simply Yoga is one of the six orthodox (astika) schools of Hindu philosophy, being described Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. It is also occasionally referred to as A??anga (eight-limbed) yoga because there are eight aspects to the path to which one must attend. Raja yoga is concerned primarily with the cultivation of the mind using meditation (dhyana) to further one’s acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.
The term Raja Yoga is a retronym, introduced in the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika to differentiate the school based on the Yoga Sutras from the new current of Hatha Yoga.
Concept of Raja Yoga
Raja-Yoga is principally concerned with the mind. The mind is traditionally perceived as the ‘king’ of the psycho-physical structure which does its bidding (whether or not one has realized this). Because of the relationship between the mind and the body, the body must be ‘tamed’ first through self-discipline and purified by various means (see Hatha Yoga). A good level of overall health and psychological integration must be achieved before the deeper aspects of yoga can be pursued. Humans have all sorts of addictions and temptations and these preclude the attainment of tranquil abiding (meditation). Through restraint (yama) such as celibacy, abstaining from drugs and alcohol and careful attention to one’s actions of body, speech and mind, the human being becomes well to practise meditation. This yoke that one puts upon oneself is the alternate meaning of the word yoga.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras start with the statement yogas citta-vtti-nirodha (1.2), “yoga limits the oscillations of the mind”. They proceed on to detailing the ways in which mind can create false ideations and advocate meditation on real objects, which process, it is said, will lead to a spontaneous state of quiet mind, the “Nirbija” or “seedless state”, in which there is no mental object of focus. Practices that serve to maintain for the individual the ability to check this state may be considered Raja Yoga practices. Thus Raja Yoga encompasses and differentiates itself from other forms of Yoga by encouraging the mind to avoid the sort of absorption in obsessional practice (including other traditional yogic practices) that can generate false mental objects. In this angle, Raja Yoga is “king of yogas”: all yogic practices are seen as potential tools for obtaining the seedless state, itself considered to be the first point in the quest to cleanse Karma and obtain Moksha or Nirvana. Traditionally, schools of yoga that label themselves “Raja” offer students a mix of yogic practices and (hopefully) this philosophical viewpoint.
TARASANA
While practicing this asana, the body assumes the posture of a star. So it is called Tarasana. For better understanding, indicated below.
Technique :
Stand straight making an angle of 45c between the feet. Keep the arms in front of you. Keep the palms facing each other and stretch the arms in the line with the shoulders. (See Technique 1). Then keep the palms downards facing the ground and stretch the arms on the sides in the line with the shoulders as shown in Technique 2. Then bring the arms upwards and keep the palms facing each other. (See Technique 3). Hold the position for two seconds at each stage. After completing the third stage, bring the body to its original position. Repeat this asana three to four times. With repeated practice, this asana can be practised six times daily.
Advantages :
(1) This asana strengthens the lungs and the chest. It is very much beneficial to those who suffer from asthma.
(2) It expands the chest and makes it shapely (symmetrical).
(3) It activates the respiratory system.
(4) The regular practice of this asana helps to increase the height of the body to some extent.
Technique :
Stand straight making an angle of 45c between the feet. Keep the arms in front of you. Keep the palms facing each other and stretch the arms in the line with the shoulders. (See Technique 1). Then keep the palms downards facing the ground and stretch the arms on the sides in the line with the shoulders as shown in Technique 2. Then bring the arms upwards and keep the palms facing each other. (See Technique 3). Hold the position for two seconds at each stage. After completing the third stage, bring the body to its original position. Repeat this asana three to four times. With repeated practice, this asana can be practised six times daily.
TARASANA(Technique 1)
TARASANA(Technique 2)
TARASANA(Technique 3)
Advantages :
(1) This asana strengthens the lungs and the chest. It is very much beneficial to those who suffer from asthma.
(2) It expands the chest and makes it shapely (symmetrical).
(3) It activates the respiratory system.
(4) The regular practice of this asana helps to increase the height of the body to some extent.
Yoga Asanas For Back Pain
Using yoga asanas for back pain is something that has been common practice for many years. Yoga asanas are another name for yoga poses. Back pain can come from many causes, but regardless of the cause, yoga asanas can usually help. A person looking into using yoga asanas should understand how they work and which ones are best for easing back pain.
The back is an important part of the human body. It has many functions, including supporting muscles, protecting the spinal cord and protecting nerves. Injuries to the back are quite common. Most of the time these injuries are related to muscles, joints and ligaments, which is why yoga is a good treatment for pain relief.
Yoga asanas work to stretch and strengthen the muscles and other supporting elements in the back. The slow, soft movements of yoga is very controlled and helps to prevent further injury. The toning of back muscles through yoga asanas helps to make them less likely to be reinjuried and more capable of supporting the areas they are supposed to, which reduces pain.
Here are a few examples of yoga asanas for back pain relief:
- The Bridge: This asana helps to strengthen the abdominal area and train the body to use the abdominal muscles to support the back. This helps to take the strain off the back. To do this asana - Lie on your back with knees bent at a 90 degree angle, feet flat on the floor, arms flat at sides, palms down. Then lift your torso off the floor using the abdominal muscles. Keep shoulders and feet on floor during move. Bring torso back to ground and repeat. It's a great example of using yoga asanas for back pain reduction.
- Cat: This asana stretches the back and strengthens the abdominal muscles. To do this asana - Get on hands and knees, keeping back straight. Curl head in while arching back. Flatten back to original position and repeat
- Child's Pose: This relaxes the back muscles while also stretching them gently. To do this pose - Get on hands and knees and slowly sit by bringing the buttocks back onto the folded legs . The knees and calves should be flat against the floor. At the same time bring arms back, flat against the floor, palms up. Rest head on the floor. Hold and return to original position.
These are only a few of the many yoga asanas for back pain relief that work great to strengthen and tone the spinal and abdominal regions. To learn more a person should choose a yoga method and begin practicing the asanas.
There are many different types of yoga. A person should choose the type of yoga that works best for them and their needs. Some forms of yoga, like Ashtanga yoga, are very physical and more like an aerobic workout instead of a relaxing workout and are probably not the right method for someone with back problems. Other methods, like Viniyoga, are more focused on healing and are great for using to relieve back pain. Basically the yoga method a person chooses is a personal decision. They should feel comfortable and confident with the method they choose.
Using yoga asanas for relief is common place these days. Even medical doctors are starting to see the benefits and make recommendations to patients to try yoga. Yoga also helps to relax a person and help them relieve stress. Yoga asanas are a great alternative to medications and surgeries, but a person should always consult their doctor before beginning any exercise program to avoid further aggravation or injury. With a proper program, using yoga asanas for back pain reduction can be a great strategy.
Yoga For Back Pain
If you're one of the millions of individuals who suffer with back pain, you might want to consider learning yoga for back pain treatment. Yoga has been found to ease pain in all areas of the body. Even if you've tried other forms of exercise, and found them painful or not effective, there is hope. Yoga incorporates the mind, body and spirit for a holistic approach to ease acute or chronic back pain. Read on about the reasons why these three principals are a good choice for exercising against back pain.
Before learning how to use yoga in your daily routine for easing the pain, check with your doctor. Never begin using yoga for back pain until you're sure what is causing the pain because it could aggravate the symptoms. This is important in the exercise form of yoga. Yoga's emphasis for body exercise is not one of a jarring impact on the body, like running, or of heavy weight training, but it does have different forms or styles. If you want a form of yoga for back pain there are gentle ones like Viniyoga.
All of the different forms of yoga use breathing techniques with movement to help yoga students align their posture, and strengthen muscles and joints. Certain muscles in the back can be targeted and strengthened by yoga for back pain. In addition, when you practice yoga with the proper breathing techniques, the muscles in your back are oxygenated and pain can be relieved. If you use yoga for back pain make sure to always correctly breathe when holding a position for maximum effectiveness against pain.
Exercising with yoga for back pain is not just a physical practice, but also one that teaches your mind through exercise about your body. For example, you might find that you can use another form of yoga, than what you originally thought. Some individuals will use different movements from a variety of yoga styles. A yoga method like Bikram is practiced in a humid environment, and Ivengar yoga uses props for an extreme yoga experience. Teaching your mind about how to exercise is one of the components to pain relief in yoga.
Finally, the spiritual realm can be discovered when you use yoga for back pain. By exercising and using the right breathing and movements, along with improving posture and alignment of your body, you will be spiritually centered and happy. Yoga is more than just alleviating pain. It's about reaching a spirituality that can cope with any physical or emotional trauma in life.
Yoga for back pain makes sense. Yoga has flexibility because you can incorporate what you need or don't, into your exercise. Other benefits are that yoga provides an opportunity to learn more about your body's abilities. It pushes you to reach, but respects your limitations physically and emotionally. Just as valuable is that opens up spirituality, and makes you realize that pain relief is circular. By using Yoga for back pain treatment, you may feel much more comfortable.
UTKATASANA
Utkatasana is considered to be one of the best asana. It strengthens the toes and the joints and the muscles of the feet. There are two ways to perform this asana. Both the techniques have been explained below.
Technique 1: Stand with the legs together. Raise the body on the heels and bring the arms straight over the head and join the palms. Then slowly lower the trunk. This asana does not require much strength to practice it. An aspirant should only know how to balance the body. One who is slim but has a strong physique can practice this asana with ease and comfort.
Technique 2: Stand with the arms by the sides. Lift the body five to seven cms above the floor and balance it on the toes. Slowly lower the trunk and sit on the soles. The body will balance on the front p art of the feet. The hips will touch the heels. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds. This asana is very useful in the practice known as ‘Bastikriya’. Slowly increase the duration of the practice of this asana. The limit is three minutes.
Advantages:
(1) This asana strengthens the muscles of the wrists and the feet.
(2) It is beneficial to those who suffer from elephantiasis.
(3) It gives sufficient exercise to all the joints and the muscles of the legs.
(4) It closes the exits of the ‘lda’ and the ‘pingala’ nadis and lifeforce (energy) begins to flow into the ‘Sushumna’.
(5) The regular practice of this asana awakens Kundalini Shakti.
(6) It cures fistula, dropsy, constipation, abdominal disease, impurification of blood, skin disease, flatulence, heart-trouble, arthritis and other diseases.
Technique 1: Stand with the legs together. Raise the body on the heels and bring the arms straight over the head and join the palms. Then slowly lower the trunk. This asana does not require much strength to practice it. An aspirant should only know how to balance the body. One who is slim but has a strong physique can practice this asana with ease and comfort.
Technique 2: Stand with the arms by the sides. Lift the body five to seven cms above the floor and balance it on the toes. Slowly lower the trunk and sit on the soles. The body will balance on the front p art of the feet. The hips will touch the heels. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds. This asana is very useful in the practice known as ‘Bastikriya’. Slowly increase the duration of the practice of this asana. The limit is three minutes.
Advantages:
(1) This asana strengthens the muscles of the wrists and the feet.
(2) It is beneficial to those who suffer from elephantiasis.
(3) It gives sufficient exercise to all the joints and the muscles of the legs.
(4) It closes the exits of the ‘lda’ and the ‘pingala’ nadis and lifeforce (energy) begins to flow into the ‘Sushumna’.
(5) The regular practice of this asana awakens Kundalini Shakti.
(6) It cures fistula, dropsy, constipation, abdominal disease, impurification of blood, skin disease, flatulence, heart-trouble, arthritis and other diseases.
NATARAJASANA
The posture of the body while practicing this asana resembles Nararaja. So this asana is called Natarajasana. The pose inspires on to go ahead and work.
Technique:
Stand erect with both the legs straight. Keep the arms straight by the sides and look straight. Bend either leg at the knee and raise it backwards. Hold the foot with the corresponding hand. Stretch the other arm in the opposite direction and look straight in that direction. Hold the position for eight to ten seconds. Repeat the exercise standing on the other leg. In the beginning, this asana can be practiced four times a day. Later, it can be practiced six times a day.
Advantages:
(1) This asana exercises all the joints of the body.
(2) It gives sufficient exercise to the shoulders, the hips, the knees, the ankles, the palms, the fingers and the spine.
(3) It relieves the pain in the waist and makes the waist flexible.
Technique:
Stand erect with both the legs straight. Keep the arms straight by the sides and look straight. Bend either leg at the knee and raise it backwards. Hold the foot with the corresponding hand. Stretch the other arm in the opposite direction and look straight in that direction. Hold the position for eight to ten seconds. Repeat the exercise standing on the other leg. In the beginning, this asana can be practiced four times a day. Later, it can be practiced six times a day.
Advantages:
(1) This asana exercises all the joints of the body.
(2) It gives sufficient exercise to the shoulders, the hips, the knees, the ankles, the palms, the fingers and the spine.
(3) It relieves the pain in the waist and makes the waist flexible.
How is Yoga Good For You?
The practice of yoga is designed to unite mind, body, and spirit, and is based on the yogic premise that the mind and body are one, and that by the correct practice of yoga it is possible for the body to reach a place of harmony and heal itself.
Yoga has increased in popularity in recent years, with an estimated 6 million Americans currently engaging in regular yoga workouts. Part of yoga's popularity is simply that it provides so many health benefits. Yoga assists a person in becoming more aware of their body: their posture, their alignment, and the way they move. Yoga helps people become more relaxed and centered, less prone to stress, more energetic, happier, healthier, and more peaceful.
To start a typical yoga class, breathing and mild stretching exercises are performed to prepare the participants mentally as well as physically. Most yoga classes consist of performing the asanas (yoga poses) either individually or linked in flows (known as vinyasana). At the end of each yoga class there is a short period of meditation or relaxation in shavasana (the corpse pose).
There are several forms of yoga which can be practiced. Generally different forms of yoga produce different benefits. For example, Iyengar yoga is for correct bodily alignment, and often utilizes props (including blocks, straps, or cushions). Bikram yoga is also known as hot yoga, as it's performed in a heated room. It generally consists of a set of 26 poses done in a particular order. These are both forms of Hatha yoga and are commonly practiced in the US, as they focus on the use of strengthening and breathing exercises.
What can yoga do for you? Firstly, it is extremely beneficial in the promotion of excellent flexibility, and is also excellent for circulation and development of muscle strength. However, yoga's benefits extend beyond the physical, by promoting relaxation and calm. One of the basic tenets of yoga is that it helps to balance all areas of a person's life by improving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
From a scientific standpoint, yoga has been studied and practiced for thousands of years. While the practice is ancient, the principles of yoga have been studied and proven by modern medicine to be beneficial. Over the years, substantial research as been done on the health benefits of yoga, through the yoga poses and through Pranayama (yoga breathing). Yoga has been shown to produce three sorts of effects on the body: physiological, psychological, and biochemical.
Some of the physiological benefits of yoga include: reduction in pulse and respiratory rate, decrease in blood pressure, increased cardiovascular efficiency, improvement in excretory functions, improvement in hand/eye coordination, normalization of weight, and decrease in pain. The psychological benefits of yoga are just as important and include: mood and subjective well-being increases, anxiety and depression decrease, concentration improves, learning improves, social skills improve, depth perception improves, and self acceptance increases. Finally, the biochemical improvements that yoga promotes include: blood glucose decreases, sodium decreases, HDL cholesterol increases, LDL and VLDL cholesterol decreases, hemoglobin increases, total serum proteins increase, and the total white blood cell count decreases.
One of the best things about yoga is that as a single practice it can do so much more for the body than most other forms of exercise, and as such can easily fit into even the busiest lifestyle.
Ana Paula Hernandez is a yoga instructor with over eight years' experience in yoga. Ana's focus in her teaching is getting the basic yoga poses perfected early to provide students' the right grounding in yoga.
Yoga has increased in popularity in recent years, with an estimated 6 million Americans currently engaging in regular yoga workouts. Part of yoga's popularity is simply that it provides so many health benefits. Yoga assists a person in becoming more aware of their body: their posture, their alignment, and the way they move. Yoga helps people become more relaxed and centered, less prone to stress, more energetic, happier, healthier, and more peaceful.
To start a typical yoga class, breathing and mild stretching exercises are performed to prepare the participants mentally as well as physically. Most yoga classes consist of performing the asanas (yoga poses) either individually or linked in flows (known as vinyasana). At the end of each yoga class there is a short period of meditation or relaxation in shavasana (the corpse pose).
There are several forms of yoga which can be practiced. Generally different forms of yoga produce different benefits. For example, Iyengar yoga is for correct bodily alignment, and often utilizes props (including blocks, straps, or cushions). Bikram yoga is also known as hot yoga, as it's performed in a heated room. It generally consists of a set of 26 poses done in a particular order. These are both forms of Hatha yoga and are commonly practiced in the US, as they focus on the use of strengthening and breathing exercises.
What can yoga do for you? Firstly, it is extremely beneficial in the promotion of excellent flexibility, and is also excellent for circulation and development of muscle strength. However, yoga's benefits extend beyond the physical, by promoting relaxation and calm. One of the basic tenets of yoga is that it helps to balance all areas of a person's life by improving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
From a scientific standpoint, yoga has been studied and practiced for thousands of years. While the practice is ancient, the principles of yoga have been studied and proven by modern medicine to be beneficial. Over the years, substantial research as been done on the health benefits of yoga, through the yoga poses and through Pranayama (yoga breathing). Yoga has been shown to produce three sorts of effects on the body: physiological, psychological, and biochemical.
Some of the physiological benefits of yoga include: reduction in pulse and respiratory rate, decrease in blood pressure, increased cardiovascular efficiency, improvement in excretory functions, improvement in hand/eye coordination, normalization of weight, and decrease in pain. The psychological benefits of yoga are just as important and include: mood and subjective well-being increases, anxiety and depression decrease, concentration improves, learning improves, social skills improve, depth perception improves, and self acceptance increases. Finally, the biochemical improvements that yoga promotes include: blood glucose decreases, sodium decreases, HDL cholesterol increases, LDL and VLDL cholesterol decreases, hemoglobin increases, total serum proteins increase, and the total white blood cell count decreases.
One of the best things about yoga is that as a single practice it can do so much more for the body than most other forms of exercise, and as such can easily fit into even the busiest lifestyle.
Ana Paula Hernandez is a yoga instructor with over eight years' experience in yoga. Ana's focus in her teaching is getting the basic yoga poses perfected early to provide students' the right grounding in yoga.
The Benefits of Doing Yoga
Yoga is often considered not much of a workout and a waste of time, but it is really one of the most important workouts you can do. Yoga has many benefits for your body, both physically and mentally. Men often especially hate yoga because believe it is only for women. People also dislike yoga because it's too long, boring, and However, doing yoga is very important for anyone involved in fitness.
When I first started P90X, I was not excited at all about doing an hour and a half of Yoga X from P90X. I wanted to do a hardcore cardio workout like I had been doing my whole cross country season, not some silly stretching routine. However, after doing my first yoga workout ever, I realized that it was not easy as I suspected, and it gave me a good sweat and felt refreshed and energized afterwards.
I also remember my dad doing yoga with me, and he was sweating buckets, he even had to go change his shirt half way through! Through the course of doing P90X I have come to love yoga and it has greatly improved my fitness. Yoga is also very important for me because I am a runner. Yoga greatly helps me avoiding injury and staying flexible for running. So what are all the benefits of doing yoga?
1) Increases flexibility. I have always been pretty flexible, but yoga has greatly increased it for me. When I first started I could touch my toes while keeping my legs straight, but now I can bring my head to my knees! Being flexible also reduces the chance of injury and always you to perform better in other workouts.
2) Muscle Toning. By doing yoga you are supporting own body weight in the moves. This increases strength, which helps tone your muscles.
3) Increases core strength. Yoga requires a strong core to hold a lot of the positions and stances, such as downward and upward dog, plank poses, and chair pose. You may not have a great core at first, but it will improve as you keep doing yoga. Core strength is also very important in sports.
4) Better Balance. In yoga you are often in positions on only one leg, which requires good balance. Also a lot of the lunge positions need balance because you are holding them for up to a minute. Balance is important in many sports such as gymnastics and dancing.
5) Better Posture. Yoga helps give you a strong and good posture. This helps keep you body in line and allow you to stand and sit taller. Also better posture will increase your awarness.
6) Increases internal lubrication. Yoga helps lubricate joints, ligaments, and tendons. Holding all of those positions requires certain muscles to work together. This helps cleanse your body and allow you to function better in physical activities.
7) Massaging of internal organs. By doing yoga you are massaging your internal organs and glands, which hardly ever get stimulated. The massaging of these body parts helps one to avoid diseases and helps you function better internally.
8) Refreshed. After a yoga workout, I always feel like a new person. You body has been "cleansed" and massaged. Blood has been flowing throughout your body, which helps flush out any unneeded toxins. This can delay aging and make anyone feel young and limber.
9) Breathing. Yoga requires deep, controlled, and mindful breathing. This increases your lung capacity wich improves endurance and performance. This is especially important for me while running.
I have noticed all of these benefits from doing yoga. But how often should you do yoga? I recommend doing a yoga workout at least once a week. I often try to get two in a week, but with a busy schedule it is often hard to get even a hour and a half Yoga X workout in. That is why there are also the Fountain of Youth Yoga (48 minutes) and Patience Yoga (40 minutes) from the One on One with Tony Horton workouts.
These two yoga workouts are great if you are short on time or just don't enjoy doing an hour and a half of yoga. I have all three of these and enjoy them all. I will typically do Yoga X on Sunday, which is my off day, but I don't going a day without working out, so I do yoga. Tony Horton often also works out 7 days a week, using yoga as a recovery workout/day. I also try to do Fountain of Youth Yoga on Thursday evening, after have doing Interval X from P90X Plus in the morning. Yoga has greatly benefited me, especially through my running.
A lot of my teammates are jealous of my flexibility, and I also have one of the best running forms on my team thanks to yoga! Now that you know the importance of doing yoga, make sure to not skip it even if you hate it! Yoga can also be used as a time to clear your mind of all worries and stress, which is very much need in today's society. Decide, Commit, Succeed.
When I first started P90X, I was not excited at all about doing an hour and a half of Yoga X from P90X. I wanted to do a hardcore cardio workout like I had been doing my whole cross country season, not some silly stretching routine. However, after doing my first yoga workout ever, I realized that it was not easy as I suspected, and it gave me a good sweat and felt refreshed and energized afterwards.
I also remember my dad doing yoga with me, and he was sweating buckets, he even had to go change his shirt half way through! Through the course of doing P90X I have come to love yoga and it has greatly improved my fitness. Yoga is also very important for me because I am a runner. Yoga greatly helps me avoiding injury and staying flexible for running. So what are all the benefits of doing yoga?
1) Increases flexibility. I have always been pretty flexible, but yoga has greatly increased it for me. When I first started I could touch my toes while keeping my legs straight, but now I can bring my head to my knees! Being flexible also reduces the chance of injury and always you to perform better in other workouts.
2) Muscle Toning. By doing yoga you are supporting own body weight in the moves. This increases strength, which helps tone your muscles.
3) Increases core strength. Yoga requires a strong core to hold a lot of the positions and stances, such as downward and upward dog, plank poses, and chair pose. You may not have a great core at first, but it will improve as you keep doing yoga. Core strength is also very important in sports.
4) Better Balance. In yoga you are often in positions on only one leg, which requires good balance. Also a lot of the lunge positions need balance because you are holding them for up to a minute. Balance is important in many sports such as gymnastics and dancing.
5) Better Posture. Yoga helps give you a strong and good posture. This helps keep you body in line and allow you to stand and sit taller. Also better posture will increase your awarness.
6) Increases internal lubrication. Yoga helps lubricate joints, ligaments, and tendons. Holding all of those positions requires certain muscles to work together. This helps cleanse your body and allow you to function better in physical activities.
7) Massaging of internal organs. By doing yoga you are massaging your internal organs and glands, which hardly ever get stimulated. The massaging of these body parts helps one to avoid diseases and helps you function better internally.
8) Refreshed. After a yoga workout, I always feel like a new person. You body has been "cleansed" and massaged. Blood has been flowing throughout your body, which helps flush out any unneeded toxins. This can delay aging and make anyone feel young and limber.
9) Breathing. Yoga requires deep, controlled, and mindful breathing. This increases your lung capacity wich improves endurance and performance. This is especially important for me while running.
I have noticed all of these benefits from doing yoga. But how often should you do yoga? I recommend doing a yoga workout at least once a week. I often try to get two in a week, but with a busy schedule it is often hard to get even a hour and a half Yoga X workout in. That is why there are also the Fountain of Youth Yoga (48 minutes) and Patience Yoga (40 minutes) from the One on One with Tony Horton workouts.
These two yoga workouts are great if you are short on time or just don't enjoy doing an hour and a half of yoga. I have all three of these and enjoy them all. I will typically do Yoga X on Sunday, which is my off day, but I don't going a day without working out, so I do yoga. Tony Horton often also works out 7 days a week, using yoga as a recovery workout/day. I also try to do Fountain of Youth Yoga on Thursday evening, after have doing Interval X from P90X Plus in the morning. Yoga has greatly benefited me, especially through my running.
A lot of my teammates are jealous of my flexibility, and I also have one of the best running forms on my team thanks to yoga! Now that you know the importance of doing yoga, make sure to not skip it even if you hate it! Yoga can also be used as a time to clear your mind of all worries and stress, which is very much need in today's society. Decide, Commit, Succeed.
SANTULANASANA
In this asana, one has to balance the body on one leg, hence it is called Santulanasana.
Tenchnique:
Stand straight and erect on the ground. Keep the body straight and erect. Look straight. Keep the arms on the sides. Bend either leg at the knee, keeping the knee facing downwards and the heel upwards. Hold the foot of this leg with the corresponding hand. Raise the other arm close to the ear. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds. Repeat this exercise with the other leg. In the beginning, practice this asana four times a day. Later, it can be practiced six times a day.
Advantages :
(1) This asana exercises every joint of the body.
(2) It alleviates the pain in the joints.
(3) It properly exercises the ankles, the knees and the fingers. This exercise teaches one how to maintain balance on one leg.
Tenchnique:
Stand straight and erect on the ground. Keep the body straight and erect. Look straight. Keep the arms on the sides. Bend either leg at the knee, keeping the knee facing downwards and the heel upwards. Hold the foot of this leg with the corresponding hand. Raise the other arm close to the ear. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds. Repeat this exercise with the other leg. In the beginning, practice this asana four times a day. Later, it can be practiced six times a day.
Advantages :
(1) This asana exercises every joint of the body.
(2) It alleviates the pain in the joints.
(3) It properly exercises the ankles, the knees and the fingers. This exercise teaches one how to maintain balance on one leg.
VATAYANASANA
In this asana, the body remain in half standing position with the support of the heel of one leg and the knee of the second leg. The body assumes the pose worshipping God.
Technique :
Stand erect. Hold the left leg and place the heel on the thigh or at the root of the genitals. Let the left knee slowly touch the ground. Keep the position of the arms as shown in the figure (positions 1).
Then as in Garudasana entwine the hands and assume 'Namaskara-Mudra' as shown in the figure (positions 2 and 3).
Look straight. In hale slowly. Take the position in which the knee of the bent leg touches the right heel. Then slowly come to standing position and repeat the exercise with the second leg.
Advantages :
(1) This asana strengthens the legs. It removes the pain in the ankles and the knee-joints.
(2) This asana can be practiced for praying to God.
Technique :
Stand erect. Hold the left leg and place the heel on the thigh or at the root of the genitals. Let the left knee slowly touch the ground. Keep the position of the arms as shown in the figure (positions 1).
Then as in Garudasana entwine the hands and assume 'Namaskara-Mudra' as shown in the figure (positions 2 and 3).
Look straight. In hale slowly. Take the position in which the knee of the bent leg touches the right heel. Then slowly come to standing position and repeat the exercise with the second leg.
Advantages :
(1) This asana strengthens the legs. It removes the pain in the ankles and the knee-joints.
(2) This asana can be practiced for praying to God.
GARUDASANA
When Garudasana is performed, the pose of the body appears to be that of an eagle. So this asana is called Garudasana.
Technique :
Stand erect. Keep right leg straight on the ground and bring the left leg over the right thigh above the right knee.the left leg should be entwined around the right leg in the same way as a creeper encircles the trunk of a tree and sticks to it. The left thigh should be entwined around the right thigh. Interlock the arms in the same manner. The palms should touch each other. Arrange the fingers in such way that they look like the beak of an eagle. Keep the arms in front of the face. Breathe in the normal way. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds. Change the hands and the legs alternately.
Advantages :
(1) This asana strengthens the legs. One can balance the body on one leg.
(2) In this asana, the blood vessels are stretched. So they become strong.
(3) It removes the swelling of cells of the testicles.
(4) It cures rheumatism of the arms and the legs.
(5) It alleviates pain in the thighs and the calf muscles.
(6) This asana is helpful for restraining the mind.
Technique :
Stand erect. Keep right leg straight on the ground and bring the left leg over the right thigh above the right knee.the left leg should be entwined around the right leg in the same way as a creeper encircles the trunk of a tree and sticks to it. The left thigh should be entwined around the right thigh. Interlock the arms in the same manner. The palms should touch each other. Arrange the fingers in such way that they look like the beak of an eagle. Keep the arms in front of the face. Breathe in the normal way. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds. Change the hands and the legs alternately.
Advantages :
(1) This asana strengthens the legs. One can balance the body on one leg.
(2) In this asana, the blood vessels are stretched. So they become strong.
(3) It removes the swelling of cells of the testicles.
(4) It cures rheumatism of the arms and the legs.
(5) It alleviates pain in the thighs and the calf muscles.
(6) This asana is helpful for restraining the mind.
VRUSHASANA
‘Vrusha’ means a bull. An aspirant who performs this asana resembles the image of manliness. He is believed to be a ‘man-bull’ and so this asana is called Vrushasana. Physical flaccidity in a young body is a sign of old age. It indicates physical weakness. This asana helps to preserve youth.
Technique :
Bend the right leg at the knee and place the heel under the anus. Place the left knee on the right knee in such a way that the left heel touches the right thigh. Sit erect and place the palm of the right hand on the knee. Then place the palm of the left hand on it. Breathe in the normal way. Direct your sight and attention to the navel.
Advantages :
(1)It stimulates blood-circulation making the body energetic and the mind peaceful.
(2)It makes the respiratory system function in a proper order.
(3)It cures diseases such as waste of semen, gastrouble, nocturnal discharges, indigestion, lumbago, insomnia, cardiac trouble, asthma and dysentery.
(4)It awakens kundalini Shakti which enters the mouth of the Sushumna.
(5)It strengthens all the muscles of the body.
Technique :
Bend the right leg at the knee and place the heel under the anus. Place the left knee on the right knee in such a way that the left heel touches the right thigh. Sit erect and place the palm of the right hand on the knee. Then place the palm of the left hand on it. Breathe in the normal way. Direct your sight and attention to the navel.
Advantages :
(1)It stimulates blood-circulation making the body energetic and the mind peaceful.
(2)It makes the respiratory system function in a proper order.
(3)It cures diseases such as waste of semen, gastrouble, nocturnal discharges, indigestion, lumbago, insomnia, cardiac trouble, asthma and dysentery.
(4)It awakens kundalini Shakti which enters the mouth of the Sushumna.
(5)It strengthens all the muscles of the body.
BHOO-NAMANA-VAJRASANA
This is on of the variations of Vajrasana. This is to be performed in the direction opposite to that of Supta Vajrasana. Some consider this asana to be one kind of Yoga-Mudra.
Technique :
Attain Vajrasana. Slowly and cautiously bend the trunk forward. Take the arms to the back. Hold the right forearm with the left hand and the left forearm with the right hand. Fill the air in the lungs. Slowly exhale and stretch the neck downward so that the nose touches the ground. Gradually, increase the time to the limit of ten seconds.
Advantages :
(1) This asana eliminates the weakness of the intestines and the stomach. It also removes disorders of the liver and the laxity of the pancreas.
(2) It increases the elasticity of the spine and also strengthens the muscles of the abdomen and the chest.
(3) It cures constipation.
(4) It cures diseases such as diabetes, abdominal disorders, cold, gas-trouble, loss of appetite, nocturnal discharge, insomnia, asthma, dysentery and indigestion.
(5) It stimulates gastric fire.
SUPTA VAJRASANA
Supta Vajrasana is similar to Ardha Shavasana. It can be placed in the category of Matsyasana. One should practice it only after one masters Vajrasana. Compared to Vajrasana, Supta Vajrasana requires more strength and flexibility of the spine.
Technique :
attain Vajrasana. Then with the support of the elbows lie with the back on the ground. The back should touch the ground. Interlace the arms and put them on the chest. Tilt the head as far back as possible. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds. In the beginning, the back may not wholly touch the ground. The lower part of the back may remain in a raised position. a few day’s practice will enable one to practice this asana correctly. This asana can be practiced three or four times a day.
Advantages:
(1) This asana helps to remove certain defects of the spine. As the spine is arched backwards in this asana, it removes a hunch, if any. The spine becomes flexible and elastic.
(2) The regular practice of this asana awakens and sublimates Kundalini Shakti.
(3) This asana exercises and activates the thorax, the spine and the neck.
(4) It stimulates the secretion from all the glands and makes the glands active with the result that one feels healthy and joyful.
(5) It strengthens the joints and the muscles of the legs.
(6) One who suffers from diabetes can derive benefits by practicing this asana because this asana activates all the cells of the pancreas. The pancreas gets an increased blood supply and therefore begins to function normally.
(7) It alleviates the disorders of the abdominal organs, the liver, the kidney, the spleen, etc. and strengthens them.
(8) It is a sure remedy for indigestion, gas-trouble, constipation and piles.
Technique :
attain Vajrasana. Then with the support of the elbows lie with the back on the ground. The back should touch the ground. Interlace the arms and put them on the chest. Tilt the head as far back as possible. Hold this position for eight to ten seconds. In the beginning, the back may not wholly touch the ground. The lower part of the back may remain in a raised position. a few day’s practice will enable one to practice this asana correctly. This asana can be practiced three or four times a day.
Advantages:
(1) This asana helps to remove certain defects of the spine. As the spine is arched backwards in this asana, it removes a hunch, if any. The spine becomes flexible and elastic.
(2) The regular practice of this asana awakens and sublimates Kundalini Shakti.
(3) This asana exercises and activates the thorax, the spine and the neck.
(4) It stimulates the secretion from all the glands and makes the glands active with the result that one feels healthy and joyful.
(5) It strengthens the joints and the muscles of the legs.
(6) One who suffers from diabetes can derive benefits by practicing this asana because this asana activates all the cells of the pancreas. The pancreas gets an increased blood supply and therefore begins to function normally.
(7) It alleviates the disorders of the abdominal organs, the liver, the kidney, the spleen, etc. and strengthens them.
(8) It is a sure remedy for indigestion, gas-trouble, constipation and piles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)