Yoga, which means discipline, was developed in the year 300 by an Indian Hindu named Patanjali. Its purpose is to stretch the muscles, strengthen the body and increase concentration. It can also help you relax, if you have trouble doing that.
No wonder this ancient discipline has become popular among modern entertainers and athletes. Depending on who practices it, yoga can be simply a set of exercises or a total way of life.
Some who practice yoga, called yogis, try to use the discipline to reach a high level of consciousness. They respect certain abstentions (things not to do), such as not lying, stealing, being greedy or harming other people. They also practice certain observances (things to do), such as being clean, content, self-controlled, studious and devoted.
Physical control is also important in yoga. Yogis train themselves to take full, deep breaths. They consider breathing a life force, counting a lifespan not in years but in the number of breaths taken.
Unlike exercises that work only on strength, yoga also helps the body become flexible. As a result, some yoga exercises (called asanas) look a little strange, and you may think you need to be a human pretzel to do them. Not so. You just have to relax.
In yoga, you ease into stretches, never forcing yourself. The saying no pain--no gain simply does not apply. You do only the best you can at the moment, and at some later moment you will do more.
All yoga poses demand balance. And since you can't balance if you're thinking about last night's TV show, yoga also demands concentration. Learn to concentrate in yoga, and you will be better able to concentrate in baseball, tennis or even school.
Yoga exercises copy nature. Many yoga poses can be traced to the shapes of creatures, such as the cobra, cat, dog, tortoise, crab and eagle.
In the cobra pose, for example, you ask yourself, What would it feel like to be a cobra. You lie on your stomach with your forehead to the floor. As you inhale, you slowly roll your head back, supporting yourself with your hands. You hold that pose, then come down slowly, trying to move as a snake would move.
All yoga exercises promote strength and calmness. Each move's effects on a muscle, a gland or a nerve center are carefully thought out.
You can choose certain exercises to rid yourself of particular pains, such as back pain from back-packing or leg pain from jogging. Yoga can help condition you for skiing or help you control feelings of depression or fear.
Any good book on yoga will describe various asanas and tell how each works. You may even have done yoga exercises already. Ever done a handstand, or the wheel. Many exercise programs borrow from yoga.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Yoga poses:introduction
It increases muscular strength. It reduces tension and stress. It has a low potential for injury, and it doesn't even look like exercise.
Why, then, don't more people practice yoga.
People think of yoga as being passive and mystical - an otherworldly activity that doesn't relate to their lives. People are experiencing a vacuum because of all the outward directed activity, and they are going to have to go back to the experience of self.
Although the Indian discipline of yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, in this country there are few followers. Almost half the American adult population swims and close to a quarter runs or jogs, yet only 2 percent practices yoga.
The word yoga derives from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to yoke or connect. Through yoga's various techniques, one is said to arrive at mental and physical equilibrium, better health and inner peace. It has been described as providing, in effect, a ''work-in'' rather than a workout.
There are at least eight main branches of yoga and several offshoots of each, but essentially there are only two concerned with exercise: hatha yoga and kundalini yoga.
Hatha is the most popular type of yoga in the Western world. It is a slow-paced discipline that emphasizes controlled breathing and assuming various physical poses. It is said to aid the nervous system, the glands and the vital organs.
Kundalini, which was introduced to this country in 1969 by Yogi Bhajan, is more active, combining various modes of breathing, movement and meditation. It is based on the idea that body energy that is coiled below the base of the spine can be tapped so that it travels upward through different energy centers or chakras until it reaches the head. At this point one arrives at one's highest potential.
Classically, there are 84 basic yoga positions, or asanas, which are coordinated with special breathing techniques. The asanas range from simple bends and twists to pretzel-like contortions reserved for the most advanced practitioners. The various poses elongate the muscles and build flexibility. Along with the proper breathing, they help rid the body of tension. Static holds isolate and strengthen particular muscles.
Asanas have been evolved over the centuries so as to exercise every muscle, nerve and gland in the body. They secure a fine physique, which is strong and elastic without being muscle-bound, and they keep the body free from disease. They reduce fatigue and soothe the nerves. But their real importance lies in the way they train and discipline the mind.
Why, then, don't more people practice yoga.
People think of yoga as being passive and mystical - an otherworldly activity that doesn't relate to their lives. People are experiencing a vacuum because of all the outward directed activity, and they are going to have to go back to the experience of self.
Although the Indian discipline of yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, in this country there are few followers. Almost half the American adult population swims and close to a quarter runs or jogs, yet only 2 percent practices yoga.
The word yoga derives from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning to yoke or connect. Through yoga's various techniques, one is said to arrive at mental and physical equilibrium, better health and inner peace. It has been described as providing, in effect, a ''work-in'' rather than a workout.
There are at least eight main branches of yoga and several offshoots of each, but essentially there are only two concerned with exercise: hatha yoga and kundalini yoga.
Hatha is the most popular type of yoga in the Western world. It is a slow-paced discipline that emphasizes controlled breathing and assuming various physical poses. It is said to aid the nervous system, the glands and the vital organs.
Kundalini, which was introduced to this country in 1969 by Yogi Bhajan, is more active, combining various modes of breathing, movement and meditation. It is based on the idea that body energy that is coiled below the base of the spine can be tapped so that it travels upward through different energy centers or chakras until it reaches the head. At this point one arrives at one's highest potential.
Classically, there are 84 basic yoga positions, or asanas, which are coordinated with special breathing techniques. The asanas range from simple bends and twists to pretzel-like contortions reserved for the most advanced practitioners. The various poses elongate the muscles and build flexibility. Along with the proper breathing, they help rid the body of tension. Static holds isolate and strengthen particular muscles.
Asanas have been evolved over the centuries so as to exercise every muscle, nerve and gland in the body. They secure a fine physique, which is strong and elastic without being muscle-bound, and they keep the body free from disease. They reduce fatigue and soothe the nerves. But their real importance lies in the way they train and discipline the mind.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Kundalini Yoga
The Devi Kundalini, more subtle than the fibre of the lotus, and luminous as lightning, lies asleep coiled like a serpent around the linga, and closes with Her body the door of Brahman. The Devi has forms in the brahmanda, Her subtlest form in the pindanda, or body, is called Kundalini, a form of Prakrti pervading the universe.
Here's the Yoga Meditation Method for Quickly Opening Up Your Sushumna Central Qi Channel
If we analyze the various esoteric exercises and teachings of Esoteric Buddhism, Vajrayana, and Tibetan Buddhism with its Generation and Completion Stage yogas, all these various practices can essentially be classified into two stages.
First, there are the yogic exercises for getting the chi to enter into the central channel, which is also known as the sushumna or middle mai. Next, there is a second stage consisting of cultivation exercises, or yogas, that are performed once the energies have been withdrawn from other areas and concentrated in this channel.
Thus, the first requirement of the Tantras is to get the chi to enter into the central channel, but to do so, you must first prepositionally cultivate the chi and mai otherwise it will not be possible. That is why you have the preliminary generation stage practices on the tantric paths. If the mai are not already cleansed of obstructions to some degree, this latter step is an impossibility, just as it is impossible to cultivate chi if you let your jing leak away.
Through the eyes of other cultivation schools, we might say that the tantric purification process is one of purifying the wind and water elements of the body, for this is akin to cultivating the chi and mai. To do this, you have to cultivate merit, virtue, discipline (not losing the jing semenal essence) and engage in devoted meditation of some sort. You can ingest special medicines to help speed this process a little, as is done in the wai-dan practices of Taoism, but science will never discover or invent a substance that will refine the chi or open the mai. The process of cultivation will always require the discipline of emptiness meditation.
Of course, after the chi and mai have been cultivated to a sufficient extent, one's kundalini will be activated, meaning that the state of hsi will appear if one is sufficiently successful. Kundalini activation, we already know, is akin to cultivating the fire element of the body, or having the shakti become activated so as to initiate one on the path.
In fact, this is the real fire empowerment spoken of in esoteric circles.
However, this still only constitutes a minor step in cultivation since it still only encompasses the first prayoga stage of heat, or warming. Nevertheless, if at this point--where your real chi circulation becomes initiated through embryo breathing--you can forget your body and mind, then you can begin to attain the various ranks of samadhi. By gaining proficiency in the samadhi, you can then scale the ranks of cultivation attainment, break through the confining nature of the skandhas, and ultimately attain enlightenment.
There is no great mystery to the process of cultivation, for it is as simple as this. All along the way you will encounter various mental experiences and physical changes called kung-fu, such as the progressive purification of your body, the generation of a nonobstructive thought-born body (called the illusory in the Tibet school), an experiencing of the emptiness nature of awareness, and so on. All these things, however, are just the extraneous scenery along the way to the goal rather than the destination itself. In fact, experiencing the clear light through prajna wisdom is only the stage of "seeing the path," and after that there is still a long way of cultivation to go.
Once you realize the clear light of awareness--or empty clarity of awareness--because you have trained at purifying the mind through mastering various samadhi and cultivating your prajna wisdom, then you can finally understand what all the masters and spiritual schools have been talking about all along. Then and only then can you really understand how to cultivate practice correctly after you reach this stage of seeing the Tao and recognizing the mind's true essence, so this is the point after which you can really start cultivating realization.
If you are successful on that road of True Cultivation Practice, then you will end up with the true attainment of Buddhahood. But the entire process requires merit, discipline, and the hard diligent work of ceaselessly cultivating practice, which means purifying the body and mind while forgetting the body and mind. Hence, spiritual cultivation follows the principle of detachment from form the entire way, and we can also call this the cultivation of emptiness.
The Esoteric school, on the other hand, takes one tiny footnote out of this larger process--the fact that you can attain samadhi when the chi starts to enter the central channel--and constructs a big edifice out of it. Then it starts to add all sorts of special stages that typically confuse practitioners and serve as objects of attachment. It is not necessary to know any of this information as to the overall process of attainment, but that is how this particular school is structured.
The Esoteric school is constantly focusing on this micro level of analysis and asking, "What exercises do you perform to achieve this particular level of attainment? What happens next?" Without relying solely on prajna wisdom, it tries to specify everything down to the tiniest detail so that you have an encyclopedic catalog of what to do in such-and-such a situation. And, it tries to bring results into the causes of the path, rather than have the causes naturally produce results in the forward direction, as they should. In a way, its practices are like a set of parents that put too much pressure on their child by hurrying him along too much.
What is the problem in all of this?
You cannot say that this esoteric material is wrong, but that esoteric practitioners become too attached to form. And once you become attached to form, your cultivation method is all wrong.
Why does the Esoteric school focus on the existence aspect of Tao? The answer is because it is based on the Consciousness-Only school. The Consciousness-Only or Mind-Only school always talks of consciousness, which the Esoteric school takes as "existence." However, in actuality the Consciousness-Only school is actually only talking of emptiness.
The Hinayana school says all existence is impermanent, so conventional existence is only a "false existence." The Mahayana, however, calls it "miraculous existence," even though it is empty, because it stresses compassionate activity in this realm to help all sentient beings. So the Esoteric school just turns cultivation matters around and focuses on attainment from the aspect of miraculous existence.
If we turn to the Flower Ornament Sutra, we would find that this, too, introduces some of the existence teachings found within Esoteric Buddhism. Of course these teachings are not the esotericism that the Japanese and Tibetans talk about, for Buddha taught the Flower Ornament teachings when he was in the heavens of the Realm of Form, and his audience was all the high level Bodhisattvas. Yet in that sutra, Buddha makes the point that everything--all phenomena--are generated from the capacity of the original nature: all form comes from emptiness, so it is no different than emptiness.
In Mahayana Buddhism you try to see emptiness, and from there you can accept the realm of false existence with its compassionate call for activity to relieve the suffering of sentient beings. But this existence realm is empty, as we know, and from that aspect there is no such thing as a sentient being. Yet from the aspect of conventional existence, there is still need to act, and so the activity should be as virtuous, compassionate and helpful as possible. This is what requires skillful means.
The Lotus Sutra has a phrase: "All Three Realms are due to mind, all the infinite methods are consciousness." Hence, this is how we have the name of the Consciousness-Only school, which is the basis of the Tibetan school of Esoteric Buddhism. We have the self-nature, or fundamental nature, and we have form and appearance both born of this fundamental, empty self-nature.
Hence, in the esoteric schools, or even in Orthodox Buddhism, we can say that there are thousands of special consciousness meditations available for cultivation, such as the Six Yogas of Naropa. Most cultivation methods concentrate on emptiness, but a large number of the Esoteric methods use form as an entry vehicle for realizing emptiness. Unfortunately, this emphasis on realizing emptiness is what the form-school practitioners most often forget after they enter into the Esoteric school.
On the one hand you can be broad in scope and say that the purpose of all these techniques is to help you attain samadhi, and ultimately the Tao. On the other hand, you can be more specific and say their primary purpose is aimed at getting the chi to enter, abide and "dissolve" within the central channel. Why should the chi enter into the central channel if spirituality is essentially just a mind-only path? Because if it enters the central channel, then you can quickly transform your physical body of form, clarify consciousness, and more readily attain the Tao.
Regardless as to how you describe matters, you cannot attain this achievement unless you have already cultivated the chi and mai. If you have already accomplished this preliminary stage of attainment--meaning the yoga of marks, the generation stage yogas or the Mahayana stage of preparatory practices--the esoteric schools tell you to use special visualization, mantra, mudra and breathing practices for forcing the chi into the central channels, once they have been sufficiently prepared.
The cultivation methods employed in the world may vary considerably from school to school, but we must always remember that the ultimate target of all these methods is the same. As a single example, the various esoteric schools like to practice vajra chanting (where you do not move your lips or teeth) to get rid of all the miscellaneous thoughts of the sixth consciousness.
Here's the Yoga Meditation Method for Quickly Opening Up Your Sushumna Central Qi Channel
If we analyze the various esoteric exercises and teachings of Esoteric Buddhism, Vajrayana, and Tibetan Buddhism with its Generation and Completion Stage yogas, all these various practices can essentially be classified into two stages.
First, there are the yogic exercises for getting the chi to enter into the central channel, which is also known as the sushumna or middle mai. Next, there is a second stage consisting of cultivation exercises, or yogas, that are performed once the energies have been withdrawn from other areas and concentrated in this channel.
Thus, the first requirement of the Tantras is to get the chi to enter into the central channel, but to do so, you must first prepositionally cultivate the chi and mai otherwise it will not be possible. That is why you have the preliminary generation stage practices on the tantric paths. If the mai are not already cleansed of obstructions to some degree, this latter step is an impossibility, just as it is impossible to cultivate chi if you let your jing leak away.
Through the eyes of other cultivation schools, we might say that the tantric purification process is one of purifying the wind and water elements of the body, for this is akin to cultivating the chi and mai. To do this, you have to cultivate merit, virtue, discipline (not losing the jing semenal essence) and engage in devoted meditation of some sort. You can ingest special medicines to help speed this process a little, as is done in the wai-dan practices of Taoism, but science will never discover or invent a substance that will refine the chi or open the mai. The process of cultivation will always require the discipline of emptiness meditation.
Of course, after the chi and mai have been cultivated to a sufficient extent, one's kundalini will be activated, meaning that the state of hsi will appear if one is sufficiently successful. Kundalini activation, we already know, is akin to cultivating the fire element of the body, or having the shakti become activated so as to initiate one on the path.
In fact, this is the real fire empowerment spoken of in esoteric circles.
However, this still only constitutes a minor step in cultivation since it still only encompasses the first prayoga stage of heat, or warming. Nevertheless, if at this point--where your real chi circulation becomes initiated through embryo breathing--you can forget your body and mind, then you can begin to attain the various ranks of samadhi. By gaining proficiency in the samadhi, you can then scale the ranks of cultivation attainment, break through the confining nature of the skandhas, and ultimately attain enlightenment.
There is no great mystery to the process of cultivation, for it is as simple as this. All along the way you will encounter various mental experiences and physical changes called kung-fu, such as the progressive purification of your body, the generation of a nonobstructive thought-born body (called the illusory in the Tibet school), an experiencing of the emptiness nature of awareness, and so on. All these things, however, are just the extraneous scenery along the way to the goal rather than the destination itself. In fact, experiencing the clear light through prajna wisdom is only the stage of "seeing the path," and after that there is still a long way of cultivation to go.
Once you realize the clear light of awareness--or empty clarity of awareness--because you have trained at purifying the mind through mastering various samadhi and cultivating your prajna wisdom, then you can finally understand what all the masters and spiritual schools have been talking about all along. Then and only then can you really understand how to cultivate practice correctly after you reach this stage of seeing the Tao and recognizing the mind's true essence, so this is the point after which you can really start cultivating realization.
If you are successful on that road of True Cultivation Practice, then you will end up with the true attainment of Buddhahood. But the entire process requires merit, discipline, and the hard diligent work of ceaselessly cultivating practice, which means purifying the body and mind while forgetting the body and mind. Hence, spiritual cultivation follows the principle of detachment from form the entire way, and we can also call this the cultivation of emptiness.
The Esoteric school, on the other hand, takes one tiny footnote out of this larger process--the fact that you can attain samadhi when the chi starts to enter the central channel--and constructs a big edifice out of it. Then it starts to add all sorts of special stages that typically confuse practitioners and serve as objects of attachment. It is not necessary to know any of this information as to the overall process of attainment, but that is how this particular school is structured.
The Esoteric school is constantly focusing on this micro level of analysis and asking, "What exercises do you perform to achieve this particular level of attainment? What happens next?" Without relying solely on prajna wisdom, it tries to specify everything down to the tiniest detail so that you have an encyclopedic catalog of what to do in such-and-such a situation. And, it tries to bring results into the causes of the path, rather than have the causes naturally produce results in the forward direction, as they should. In a way, its practices are like a set of parents that put too much pressure on their child by hurrying him along too much.
What is the problem in all of this?
You cannot say that this esoteric material is wrong, but that esoteric practitioners become too attached to form. And once you become attached to form, your cultivation method is all wrong.
Why does the Esoteric school focus on the existence aspect of Tao? The answer is because it is based on the Consciousness-Only school. The Consciousness-Only or Mind-Only school always talks of consciousness, which the Esoteric school takes as "existence." However, in actuality the Consciousness-Only school is actually only talking of emptiness.
The Hinayana school says all existence is impermanent, so conventional existence is only a "false existence." The Mahayana, however, calls it "miraculous existence," even though it is empty, because it stresses compassionate activity in this realm to help all sentient beings. So the Esoteric school just turns cultivation matters around and focuses on attainment from the aspect of miraculous existence.
If we turn to the Flower Ornament Sutra, we would find that this, too, introduces some of the existence teachings found within Esoteric Buddhism. Of course these teachings are not the esotericism that the Japanese and Tibetans talk about, for Buddha taught the Flower Ornament teachings when he was in the heavens of the Realm of Form, and his audience was all the high level Bodhisattvas. Yet in that sutra, Buddha makes the point that everything--all phenomena--are generated from the capacity of the original nature: all form comes from emptiness, so it is no different than emptiness.
In Mahayana Buddhism you try to see emptiness, and from there you can accept the realm of false existence with its compassionate call for activity to relieve the suffering of sentient beings. But this existence realm is empty, as we know, and from that aspect there is no such thing as a sentient being. Yet from the aspect of conventional existence, there is still need to act, and so the activity should be as virtuous, compassionate and helpful as possible. This is what requires skillful means.
The Lotus Sutra has a phrase: "All Three Realms are due to mind, all the infinite methods are consciousness." Hence, this is how we have the name of the Consciousness-Only school, which is the basis of the Tibetan school of Esoteric Buddhism. We have the self-nature, or fundamental nature, and we have form and appearance both born of this fundamental, empty self-nature.
Hence, in the esoteric schools, or even in Orthodox Buddhism, we can say that there are thousands of special consciousness meditations available for cultivation, such as the Six Yogas of Naropa. Most cultivation methods concentrate on emptiness, but a large number of the Esoteric methods use form as an entry vehicle for realizing emptiness. Unfortunately, this emphasis on realizing emptiness is what the form-school practitioners most often forget after they enter into the Esoteric school.
On the one hand you can be broad in scope and say that the purpose of all these techniques is to help you attain samadhi, and ultimately the Tao. On the other hand, you can be more specific and say their primary purpose is aimed at getting the chi to enter, abide and "dissolve" within the central channel. Why should the chi enter into the central channel if spirituality is essentially just a mind-only path? Because if it enters the central channel, then you can quickly transform your physical body of form, clarify consciousness, and more readily attain the Tao.
Regardless as to how you describe matters, you cannot attain this achievement unless you have already cultivated the chi and mai. If you have already accomplished this preliminary stage of attainment--meaning the yoga of marks, the generation stage yogas or the Mahayana stage of preparatory practices--the esoteric schools tell you to use special visualization, mantra, mudra and breathing practices for forcing the chi into the central channels, once they have been sufficiently prepared.
The cultivation methods employed in the world may vary considerably from school to school, but we must always remember that the ultimate target of all these methods is the same. As a single example, the various esoteric schools like to practice vajra chanting (where you do not move your lips or teeth) to get rid of all the miscellaneous thoughts of the sixth consciousness.
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Sunday, June 17, 2007
Yoga, stress and acne
Hatha Yoga can help you towards better health and calm your mind so that you can solve your personal problems, but I do want to stress two facts. Yoga positions and the practice of yoga can be beneficial to your mind, your muscles, and even internal functions like your digestive system. Stress is a factor and cause of more physical and mental diseases than most of us can imagine. Yoga can be a remedy.
Yoga: Stress Reducing Way To Combat Acne
Yoga: Stress Reducing Way To Combat Acne
Many people that suffer from acne should look into the skin healing benefits of doing yoga. This relaxing form of exercise is an excellent way to regenerate both the body as well as the mind. Now how can yoga help to rid your skin of acne?
Stress is one of the largest contributors to someone experiencing an acne breakout. When you are tired and stressed your skin is one of the first things to suffer. Many skin experts claim that exercise will help rid the skin of acne however, sweat can cause new breakouts in addition to potentially making current acne problem worse then they were before you started exercising.
You will have a very hard workout when you participate in yoga. The difference is yoga is preformed at a much slower pace then most other exercises so you are much less likely to work up a sweat. This pace will allow a person to get a great workout and by not sweating as much they are likely to have their skin clear up as well.
In addition to being a low impact exercise yoga is known world wide as being an excellent way to relax your body. Since stress is a huge factor being able to lessen the stress in your life will do wonders for clearing up blemish problems on your skin. If you keep up with a regular routine of yoga you are likely to see healthier looking skin in no time at all.
Yoga is a suitable form of exercise for just about anyone of any age who is suffering from acne. If you are unsure about beginning a new exercise routine be sure to consult your health care provider. If you are looking for a great treatment for your acne problem as well as a fantastic way to get your body and mind feeling great then yoga is for you.
Acne Treatments and Acne Products UPDATE! Your Source of Natural Acne Treatment.Bikram hot yoga
At first it may sound far-fetched to claim that taking up the practice of Bikram Yoga or any other form of yoga might help solve or even hold out the promise of solutions to objective problems. What, you may well ask, can a few breathing exercises, a few posture routines really help to live a healthier life?
Hot Yoga's Rejuvenating Potential
Hot Yoga's Rejuvenating Potential
Bikram yoga is a unique experience, to say the least. We've all thought of yoga as a body-bending, flexibility and mind-relaxation exercise, but what's Bikram yoga all about, and why is it supposed to be such an intense experience as so many say?
Bikram yoga is a specific style of yoga founded by Bikram Choudhury. Otherwise known as "hot yoga", Bikram yoga, named after it's founder, is fairly advanced yoga moves done in a one hundred and five degree room with humidity at fifty percent, so you will most definitely be sopping wet when leaving.
The origin of this type of yoga is spiritually derived from Hinduism and regionally from Yoga College of India. Bikram yoga consists of 26 asanas or postures and two breathing exercises.
The word asana translates to the word "seat" which refers to the spirit in relation to the divine. Asanas are intended to lead back to sitting in meditation. Asanas are meant to improve your muscle flexibility and strength.
These moves, called asanas, are supposed to be practiced together with pranayama, or slow breath work for maximum benefit. Your breaths should be through the nose, not the mouth, and should be slow, not forced, and totally natural. To receive maximum benefit from practicing asanas, all tension and tightness in the body should consciously be let go.
A glass of water before practicing asanas enhances the experience and asanas should not be done on a full stomach. The practice of Bikram yoga is meant not only to improve muscle strength and flexibility, but also to establish a balance of our physical beings in relation to the divine.
Yoga is a path to attain a balance of the body, mind and spirit. Yoga can, if done correctly, be a means to control the ongoing complaint in all of our lives, stress. Optimum health is the ultimate goal for everyone of us. Health does not just refer to our physical beings but also to our mental attitudes and spiritual growth.
Bikram yoga addresses all of these factors of our well being. When I visited my daughter in California, she signed me up for my first experience with hot yoga. Being in my fifties, I was a little concerned about the prospect of being a complete amateur at any kind of yoga and the possibility of being the oldest participant in the class.
Well, I wasn't the oldest in the class and the instructor was patient with his teaching. I was happily surprised at my ability to do so many of the postures. My self realization during the hot yoga class was my need to "stress" or hurry up at all times.
I needed to remind myself to relax, breathe slowly and through my nose. The heated room was something I thought I would not be able to tolerate. It did add to the yoga session and is probably one of the reasons I did not have aching muscles or pulled tendons the next day.
During some of the postures, I was keenly aware of my need to improve my balance and my sense of my physical position in space. For ongoing achievement of balance, I have been practicing the art of yoga via an instructional DVD in my home.
Particularly useful to me, in addition to the improvement of balance is the yoga reminds me to slow down and relax the tension in my body. The concept of the heated room in Bikram yoga is to diminish the risk of injuries and to allow you to go deeper into each posture.
The perspiration experienced during hot yoga enhances the release of toxins. The postures consist of warm up poses that can be done prior to a yoga class. There are standing poses and seated poses. The twist yoga poses have the purpose of strengthening your back, toning the abdomen and helping with digestion.
Inverted poses help you with your circulation. There's supine and backbend poses and finally the finishing poses to end your yoga session with relaxation.
Bikram yoga is designed to assist you to lose weight, tone muscles and increase blood circulation. Since this form of yoga helps lower stress levels, it can improve mental clarity and focus. This, in turn, enhances our overall levels of performance both on the job and in our personal life pursuits.Danna Schneider is the cofounder of http://www.dietingmagazine.com , where you can find information on weightloss products, fitness equipment and diet reviews, and dieting tips for losing weight. She also founded http://www.fitnessnewsmagazine.com , a site dedicated to the latest offerings and breakthroughs in weight loss and fitness, updated constantly with news and tips on fitness equipment, accessories, and the hottes fitness trends.
Choose your type of yoga
On the personal level, our urban civilization brings with it tensions virtually unknown in our grandparents' time. We tend to Eve on the run, geared to split-second timing, to noise, to newscasts every hour on the hour, to phones jangling and cars honking, subway trains, deadlines and keeping up with the Joneses and seldom sufficient rest, relaxation or sleep. None of this is conducive to peace of mind. As for our physical conditions, as fast as the human body is enabled, through technical advances, to last longer, it falls prey to a new, totally different roster of ills. It is time to choose your type of Yoga.
What style of yoga is right for you?
What style of yoga is right for you?
Yoga is a meditation, an exercise and a therapy that aims to unite the mind, soul. All styles of yoga balance the body, mind and spirit but how they do so may differ. Some styles focus on the poses, while others may focus on breathwork, alignment or the flow of movement. You will always feel naturally realigned after a yoga class because the breathwork, postures and internal focus will remind you who you are.
Breathing is very important in yoga as the breath signifies your vital energy. In yoga, being able to control your breath can help you to control your body and your mind. No matter which style of yoga you choose there are many classes available and the health benefits are many.
The benefits of yoga are far ranging and plentiful. Yoga can help you with increased flexibility, increased strength and vitality, strengthening of the immune system, improving of circulatory system, stimulating of endocrine system, stretching and toning of muscles, weight loss, balance, management of chronic health conditions such as asthma, depression, back pain, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis - yoga is so beneficial to every part of your life. The great thing about yoga is that anyone can practice it, as there is a style to suit everybody.
There are several different styles of yoga, most being derived from Hatha yoga, a type of yoga that focuses on the body and breath and aims to develop control the body through poses (or asanas). Hatha represents the two sides of life - the yin and the yang, the dark and the light - and aims to bring these two sides into harmony and balance. However, there are some common styles and these are outlined below:
Ashtanga - is the "workout" form of yoga. It is an aerobic form of yoga and moves quickly. Bikram - is performed in a heated room. It is good for detoxification. Kundalini - awakens the Kundalini energy at the base of the spine and mixes chanting, breathing and yoga poses. Iyengar - one of the most popular in the world. It places much focus on attention to detail and getting the alignment of the poses absolutely right. It is a great style of yoga for the fitness conscious. Viniyoga - places emphasis on healing and is gentler than other styles. The breath and movement of the spine is carefully integrated and the intensity of the poses is subject to the health of the person practicing the yoga.
How do you find the most suitable yoga style and yoga teacher for you?
There are several different ways of finding a suitable yoga teacher or class, depending on your needs. If you are a beginner, it may be best to take formal classes or tuition for a while, so that you can get the feel for the poses and the breathwork, and so that the teacher can correct any errors in your posture. Before selecting a school it is best to give the teachers a call and discuss their styles to determine what is most suitable. You will see yoga schools advertising in local papers or you can locate local practitioners online at http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.auDavid Vitek is the Owner of Australia's Largest Natural Health Website. Come & learn about Bikram Yoga & how to Quit Smoking Naturally.
Yoga Postures
You want a full life. You want to feel well. You want energy, vitality, staying power. All these can be yours. The Yoga poses apply age-old secrets to everyday life at the modern tempo. It tells how only a few minutes easy, practical application can restore your lost youth put new zest into your undertakings . . . and enable you to enjoy to the full a sense of health, energy and creative living which will make all the difference to your future happiness.
Learning About The Different Yoga Postures
Yoga is by far one of the most beneficial exercises out there today, and if you are interested in learning about yoga then one of the first things that you are going to have to make yourself aware on is that of the different yoga postures that are involved.
About The Different Yoga Postures
When it comes to the different yoga postures, there are many, however if you are a newcomer to yoga, then the first yoga postures you are going to want to learn about are the most basic ones.
One of the most basic yoga postures of all is the Sukhasana, which is considered as being one of the most basic and easiest yoga postures of all, and it is a starting position which helps you to focus on awareness of your breathing and your body and as well helps to strength back muscles and to open the groin and hips.
In order to complete this position you need to sit cross-legged with your hands on your knees, and focus on your breath. Make sure that you keep your spine straight and push the sit bones down into the floor. Allow the knees to gently lower, and remember that if the knees rise above your hips, you need to sit on a cushion or block in order to fix this.
Another one of the most basic or beginning postures is known as the Dog and Cat, and this one works primarily to increase the flexibility of the spine. It is really two poses, one flowing into the other. You begin on your hands and knees, keeping your hands just in front of your shoulders, with your legs about hip width apart.
Then, as you inhale, tilt the tailbone and pelvis up, and then let the spine curve downward, dropping the stomach low, and then lift your head up. Stretch gently, and as you exhale, move into the cat position by reversing the spinal bend, tilting the pelvis downward, and drawing the spine up and the stomach in.
There are so many other yoga positions however you want to start with these and the other most basic and easy positions first, so that you can start here and then work your way up as you increase in talent and flexibility.
Remember that yoga is one of the best exercises that you can do by far, and so you should definitely try it out for yourself, at least once, just to get a feel for it and you are surely going to fall in love with it.
Ann Marier writes informative articles on general health issues providing helpful tips and advice. Her latest articles about the benefits of yoga including lossing weight from yoga
Learning About The Different Yoga Postures
Yoga is by far one of the most beneficial exercises out there today, and if you are interested in learning about yoga then one of the first things that you are going to have to make yourself aware on is that of the different yoga postures that are involved.
About The Different Yoga Postures
When it comes to the different yoga postures, there are many, however if you are a newcomer to yoga, then the first yoga postures you are going to want to learn about are the most basic ones.
One of the most basic yoga postures of all is the Sukhasana, which is considered as being one of the most basic and easiest yoga postures of all, and it is a starting position which helps you to focus on awareness of your breathing and your body and as well helps to strength back muscles and to open the groin and hips.
In order to complete this position you need to sit cross-legged with your hands on your knees, and focus on your breath. Make sure that you keep your spine straight and push the sit bones down into the floor. Allow the knees to gently lower, and remember that if the knees rise above your hips, you need to sit on a cushion or block in order to fix this.
Another one of the most basic or beginning postures is known as the Dog and Cat, and this one works primarily to increase the flexibility of the spine. It is really two poses, one flowing into the other. You begin on your hands and knees, keeping your hands just in front of your shoulders, with your legs about hip width apart.
Then, as you inhale, tilt the tailbone and pelvis up, and then let the spine curve downward, dropping the stomach low, and then lift your head up. Stretch gently, and as you exhale, move into the cat position by reversing the spinal bend, tilting the pelvis downward, and drawing the spine up and the stomach in.
There are so many other yoga positions however you want to start with these and the other most basic and easy positions first, so that you can start here and then work your way up as you increase in talent and flexibility.
Remember that yoga is one of the best exercises that you can do by far, and so you should definitely try it out for yourself, at least once, just to get a feel for it and you are surely going to fall in love with it.
Ann Marier writes informative articles on general health issues providing helpful tips and advice. Her latest articles about the benefits of yoga including lossing weight from yoga
Yoga and Your Health
You know that Nature built into your body certain natural safeguards against disease, certain "defense mechanisms" for self -repair. Well, modern health Yoga helps the body's machinery function smoothly, efficiently, at peak performance. It encourages your body to derive every last possible atom of nutritive value from the food you now eat (so different from the natural diet of your ancestors) ... to get every second of refreshment and rest from your sleep ... to attain regularity, relief from little aches and pains, the ability to sleep deep and wake refreshed that can make the difference from feeling "pretty good" to feeling "terrific! "
Twisting Back Into Health
Yoga as a Chinese Medicine
Yoga is considered an exercise that helps with strength, cardiovascular and weight loss in the Western world. In ancient Chinese medicine, however, Yoga was also used as a practice in order to cultivate health. Anyone interested in Yoga, or practising the discipline will recognize that the health related to Yoga also provides nourishment for a better balance towards health.
Balancing the flow of energy that is happening in one's body is the philosophy that forms the basis of Chinese medicine. The incorporation of this medicine doesn't just include the balance of the body; it also includes the relationships of the mind and the spirit that relate to the body. All are considered to be intertwined and when the energy flow of one area is off, it changes the energy flow of the entire system.
Yoga as a form of exercise was used as a method to help with healing and balance in life, and can be considered one of the ways to use Chinese medicine. The practice of Yoga, while it can help to treat ailments, is recognized more often as a way to prevent disease and imbalance. By practicing Yoga, one can keep their health on all levels.
Yoga enables you to do this through the opening of the various points in the body with the practice. Chakras, or points in the body that help with energy flow is directly linked to every Yoga move. Yoga helps to open these chakras, and keep them open. By doing this, one is able to increase their energy and begin to stay in better health. Yoga is especially known for helping with problems such as insomnia, and in the functioning of internal organs.
In all branches of Yoga, the ultimate goal is to reach a constant state of perfect consciousness and can be a way of increasing one's spiritual awareness, Yoga is known to help increase energy as well as clear blocks that may be in your system and if you want a straightforward alternative to healing, as a practice it can help. Your energy will begin to increase and flow over time allowing you to stay in the best of health without the unnatural twists.
Alien writes for Family Physicians . He also writes for skin problems and natural herbs
Twisting Back Into Health
Yoga as a Chinese Medicine
Yoga is considered an exercise that helps with strength, cardiovascular and weight loss in the Western world. In ancient Chinese medicine, however, Yoga was also used as a practice in order to cultivate health. Anyone interested in Yoga, or practising the discipline will recognize that the health related to Yoga also provides nourishment for a better balance towards health.
Balancing the flow of energy that is happening in one's body is the philosophy that forms the basis of Chinese medicine. The incorporation of this medicine doesn't just include the balance of the body; it also includes the relationships of the mind and the spirit that relate to the body. All are considered to be intertwined and when the energy flow of one area is off, it changes the energy flow of the entire system.
Yoga as a form of exercise was used as a method to help with healing and balance in life, and can be considered one of the ways to use Chinese medicine. The practice of Yoga, while it can help to treat ailments, is recognized more often as a way to prevent disease and imbalance. By practicing Yoga, one can keep their health on all levels.
Yoga enables you to do this through the opening of the various points in the body with the practice. Chakras, or points in the body that help with energy flow is directly linked to every Yoga move. Yoga helps to open these chakras, and keep them open. By doing this, one is able to increase their energy and begin to stay in better health. Yoga is especially known for helping with problems such as insomnia, and in the functioning of internal organs.
In all branches of Yoga, the ultimate goal is to reach a constant state of perfect consciousness and can be a way of increasing one's spiritual awareness, Yoga is known to help increase energy as well as clear blocks that may be in your system and if you want a straightforward alternative to healing, as a practice it can help. Your energy will begin to increase and flow over time allowing you to stay in the best of health without the unnatural twists.
Alien writes for Family Physicians . He also writes for skin problems and natural herbs
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Practice of Yoga
The practice of yoga is ancient, but it could have an incredible effect for those living in the 21st century as a high blood pressure treatment. Blood flows through the body at a certain pressure, but if the pressure is higher than the normal range, then you can say you suffer from High Blood Pressure. Yoga works very well through meditation to gain tranquility and assists the mind to work in harmony with the body.
Yoga is a great exercise to take up if you are looking to get in shape and deal with stress. It is an exercise that anyone can do for the rest of their life. If you are considering taking up yoga, keep reading and learn the answers to some frequently asked questions.
Can I still do yoga if I am not very flexible? Yes you can, yoga is not just about flexibility. It is about relaxation and holding poses. Through yoga you will find that you also will become more flexible just do not push yourself too hard. It takes time.
Do men do yoga? Yes of course. In fact yoga has become much more popular for men over the last few years. Men get all of the same benefits that women do such as increased flexibility, strength and stress reduction.
Where and when did yoga originate? Yoga is thousands and thousands of years old and originated in India. If it has endured this many years here must be something to it.
Will yoga help me lose weight? Yes yoga can help you lose weight. It will give you the discipline to maintain a healthy lifestyle, eliminate temptations to eat junk food and will help ease stress. Stress causes you to gain weight and reducing it might help you reduce your weight.
How often should I do yoga? A good start would be to go for a 60 minute class twice a week. It is hard to overdo it however and if you could do 30 minutes every day you would be in good shape. A little every day is better tan a lot all at once.
Hopefully this article has answered your questions on yoga. If you need more information you should contact a local yoga studio in your area. Try out a class or two, you won't be disappointed.
Learn about Hatha yoga studios at the authors website on yoga and pilates.
Frequently Asked Yoga Questions
Yoga is a great exercise to take up if you are looking to get in shape and deal with stress. It is an exercise that anyone can do for the rest of their life. If you are considering taking up yoga, keep reading and learn the answers to some frequently asked questions.
Can I still do yoga if I am not very flexible? Yes you can, yoga is not just about flexibility. It is about relaxation and holding poses. Through yoga you will find that you also will become more flexible just do not push yourself too hard. It takes time.
Do men do yoga? Yes of course. In fact yoga has become much more popular for men over the last few years. Men get all of the same benefits that women do such as increased flexibility, strength and stress reduction.
Where and when did yoga originate? Yoga is thousands and thousands of years old and originated in India. If it has endured this many years here must be something to it.
Will yoga help me lose weight? Yes yoga can help you lose weight. It will give you the discipline to maintain a healthy lifestyle, eliminate temptations to eat junk food and will help ease stress. Stress causes you to gain weight and reducing it might help you reduce your weight.
How often should I do yoga? A good start would be to go for a 60 minute class twice a week. It is hard to overdo it however and if you could do 30 minutes every day you would be in good shape. A little every day is better tan a lot all at once.
Hopefully this article has answered your questions on yoga. If you need more information you should contact a local yoga studio in your area. Try out a class or two, you won't be disappointed.
Learn about Hatha yoga studios at the authors website on yoga and pilates.
Benefits of Yoga
Yoga works very well through meditation to gain tranquility and assists the mind to work in harmony with the body. Yoga Guru Patanjali has defined Yoga as a ‘steady and comfortable state of Mind and Body’. And, a comfortable and steady state of body and mind is precisely what practising yoga delivers.
As any enthusiastic practitioner of Yoga will tell you, physical and mental therapy is the most important benefit of yoga. Aging, largely an artificial condition caused mainly by auto-intoxication or self-poisoning, has people scared of the process. What they do not realise is that the aging process can be slowed down by practicing yoga on a regular basis. And, no doubt, medical research will tell you that a clean, flexible and well lubricated body plays a significant role in reducing the catabolic process of cell deterioration. However, to derive the maximum benefits from doing yoga, one must combine the practice of yoga asana, pranayama and meditation.
Doing pranayama, asanas and meditation daily helps in diverse ailments, such as, diabetes, blood pressure, digestive disorders, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, asthma, varicose veins and heart conditions. Scientific tests have proven a yogi's increased abilities of consciously controlling autonomic or involuntary functions, such as temperature, heartbeat and blood pressure. Currently, research into the effects of yogic practices on HIV is underway and has indicated positive and promising results.
Medical scientists attest to the success of yoga therapy, as it helps to balance both the nervous and endocrine systems, which directly influence all the other systems and organs of the human body. Not only a curative, but a preventative therapy, as well, the very essence of yoga lies in attaining mental peace, improved concentration powers, a relaxed state of living and harmony in relationships.
Practising Yoga makes us aware that there is an inter-connectedness between our emotional, mental and physical levels, as we gradually begin to understand the more subtle areas of existence. The ultimate goal of yoga is to make it possible and enable one to fuse together the gross material (annamaya), physical (pranamaya), mental (manomaya), intellectual (vijnanamaya) and spiritual (anandamaya) levels, within our being.
In case, you are still unconvinced about the benefits of Yoga, why not read some yoga books, including yoga books on meditation and spirituality. There are even online yoga books and audiotapes, one can listen to while driving or running errands. Once you are convinced of the benefits of practising Yoga, the next step before beginning to practise it is to equip yourself with some yoga accessories, such as, a yoga mat, yoga strap and yoga block. Go Yoga!
Yogabestseller.com is your one stop place for all Yoga Accessories! Get massive range of Yoga books, Yoga mats, Yoga audiotapes at unbeatable prices! Buy Yoga Books, Yoga blocks, Yoga Straps, yoga meditation mats, foam blocks and many other yoga products at reasonable rates. Visit www.yogabestseller.com
Yoga Benefits - Part I
As any enthusiastic practitioner of Yoga will tell you, physical and mental therapy is the most important benefit of yoga. Aging, largely an artificial condition caused mainly by auto-intoxication or self-poisoning, has people scared of the process. What they do not realise is that the aging process can be slowed down by practicing yoga on a regular basis. And, no doubt, medical research will tell you that a clean, flexible and well lubricated body plays a significant role in reducing the catabolic process of cell deterioration. However, to derive the maximum benefits from doing yoga, one must combine the practice of yoga asana, pranayama and meditation.
Doing pranayama, asanas and meditation daily helps in diverse ailments, such as, diabetes, blood pressure, digestive disorders, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, asthma, varicose veins and heart conditions. Scientific tests have proven a yogi's increased abilities of consciously controlling autonomic or involuntary functions, such as temperature, heartbeat and blood pressure. Currently, research into the effects of yogic practices on HIV is underway and has indicated positive and promising results.
Medical scientists attest to the success of yoga therapy, as it helps to balance both the nervous and endocrine systems, which directly influence all the other systems and organs of the human body. Not only a curative, but a preventative therapy, as well, the very essence of yoga lies in attaining mental peace, improved concentration powers, a relaxed state of living and harmony in relationships.
Practising Yoga makes us aware that there is an inter-connectedness between our emotional, mental and physical levels, as we gradually begin to understand the more subtle areas of existence. The ultimate goal of yoga is to make it possible and enable one to fuse together the gross material (annamaya), physical (pranamaya), mental (manomaya), intellectual (vijnanamaya) and spiritual (anandamaya) levels, within our being.
In case, you are still unconvinced about the benefits of Yoga, why not read some yoga books, including yoga books on meditation and spirituality. There are even online yoga books and audiotapes, one can listen to while driving or running errands. Once you are convinced of the benefits of practising Yoga, the next step before beginning to practise it is to equip yourself with some yoga accessories, such as, a yoga mat, yoga strap and yoga block. Go Yoga!
Yogabestseller.com is your one stop place for all Yoga Accessories! Get massive range of Yoga books, Yoga mats, Yoga audiotapes at unbeatable prices! Buy Yoga Books, Yoga blocks, Yoga Straps, yoga meditation mats, foam blocks and many other yoga products at reasonable rates. Visit www.yogabestseller.com
Yoga Benefits
Increasingly, you may hear about your companions enrolling in Hatha classes at the local gym. In terms of pure popularity, Hatha yoga is number one in the yoga world. Yoga positions and the practice of yoga can be beneficial to your mind, your muscles, and even internal functions like your digestive system.
EXERCISES FOR BACK RELIEF
Many people believe that rest is best for a painful back, but actually, what your back really needs when it's hurt is exercise. Regular exercise relieves back pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles that support the spine and helps to prevent future injury. This is a use it or lose it situation: the more you rest, the weaker your back gets, even if it is hurt. Studies have actually shown that you can heal your back pain faster and get back to your regular activities with just two days of rest. This article will focus on Yoga Exercises. Remember to contact your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
YOGA EXERCISES FOR YOUR BACK
A good, regular yoga practice will go far in relieving the stress and tension that sometimes cause mild back pain, and in fact, studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for relieving back pain. However, not all yoga poses relieve back pain, and some can in fact aggravate existing pain, so it is important to know which poses will be most helpful in relieving back pain. It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor, and if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert. Even just one or two sessions with a yoga instructor can help, as an instructor will help you with your form and posture during poses. Here are some of the best yoga poses for relieving back pain. Each pose should be held from five to ten seconds, depending upon your level of comfort, and should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface.
CORPSE: Lie flat on your back in a relaxed position, arms resting at your sides, palms down, and legs lying naturally, with knees turned out slightly. If it hurts your back to have your knees turned outward, do this pose with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Breathe in and out for a few seconds while allowing any tension to leave the body.
CAT STRETCH: Start out on your hands and knees with a flat back. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with fingers spread. Knees should be directly under the hips. Head is held loosely so that you are looking at the floor between your hands. Inhale, and as you exhale, arch your back toward the ceiling, tuck your chin in to your chest so that you are looking at your navel, and tuck your tailbone underneath. Hold, then release back into your original position.
WIND-RELEASING POSE: Lie flat on your back as in Corpse pose. As you inhale, bend your knee, place your hands right below the knee, and draw your leg towards your chest. Your left leg should remain flat on the floor. Exhale and bring your forehead up to touch your knee. Inhale, and then as you exhale, return to your original position. Repeat with the other leg.
SAGE TWIST: Warning for this pose--it involves twisting your back, so you should take particular care not to twist too far or you risk aggravating any existing back pain. This should be a gentle stretch; twist just as far as is comfortable. Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and place your right foot on the floor next to your left knee. Sitting with spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Bend your left arm so that your left fingertips are touching your right hip, while at the same time, twisting to look over your right shoulder. This is where you need to be careful not to twist too far. Hold for a few seconds, release, and repeat on the opposite side.
PALM TREE: Stand with feet facing forward, arms at your sides, weight distributed evenly on both feet. Raise both arms over your head, interlock your fingers, and turn your hands so that your palms are facing upward. Next, place your palms on your head and turn your head so that you are looking slightly upward. Stretch your arms upwards, and at the same time, come up onto your toes if you can do so without pain. Stretch your entire body upward and hold, if you can. Some people have difficulty balancing during this pose, so just do the stretching part if you need to.
FISH POSE: Lie on your back with knees bent and arms at your side. Arch your back as far as you comfortably can and raise it off the ground by pushing the floor with your elbows. If you can, tilt your head backwards and rest the crown of your head on the floor. Breathe deeply from the diaphragm and hold pose for one minute if you can.
LOCUST: Lie face down with arms at the side, palms down, and elbows slightly bent with fingers pointing towards the feet. Raise your legs and thighs as high off the ground as possible without causing your back any pain. Hold for one second and repeat up to twelve times. This can be a vigorous exercise so you must take care to strain already injured muscles.
BENDING FORWARD POSTURE: Stand up straight with feet together and arms hanging loosely along your sides. Breathe in deeply and raise your arms straight above your head. While breathing out, bend forward and touch your toes if you can. If you can't reach your toes, grab hold of your ankles or calves. To complete the pose, you should touch your head to your knees, but this may be too difficult for many who suffer from lower back pain. Your movements during this pose should be smooth, not jerky.
Author writes articles on different topics. To know more, visit: exposed acne system, www.abs-exercise-advice.com
Are You Willing To Follow Eight Yoga Exercises For the Lower Back?
EXERCISES FOR BACK RELIEF
Many people believe that rest is best for a painful back, but actually, what your back really needs when it's hurt is exercise. Regular exercise relieves back pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles that support the spine and helps to prevent future injury. This is a use it or lose it situation: the more you rest, the weaker your back gets, even if it is hurt. Studies have actually shown that you can heal your back pain faster and get back to your regular activities with just two days of rest. This article will focus on Yoga Exercises. Remember to contact your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
YOGA EXERCISES FOR YOUR BACK
A good, regular yoga practice will go far in relieving the stress and tension that sometimes cause mild back pain, and in fact, studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for relieving back pain. However, not all yoga poses relieve back pain, and some can in fact aggravate existing pain, so it is important to know which poses will be most helpful in relieving back pain. It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor, and if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert. Even just one or two sessions with a yoga instructor can help, as an instructor will help you with your form and posture during poses. Here are some of the best yoga poses for relieving back pain. Each pose should be held from five to ten seconds, depending upon your level of comfort, and should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface.
CORPSE: Lie flat on your back in a relaxed position, arms resting at your sides, palms down, and legs lying naturally, with knees turned out slightly. If it hurts your back to have your knees turned outward, do this pose with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Breathe in and out for a few seconds while allowing any tension to leave the body.
CAT STRETCH: Start out on your hands and knees with a flat back. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with fingers spread. Knees should be directly under the hips. Head is held loosely so that you are looking at the floor between your hands. Inhale, and as you exhale, arch your back toward the ceiling, tuck your chin in to your chest so that you are looking at your navel, and tuck your tailbone underneath. Hold, then release back into your original position.
WIND-RELEASING POSE: Lie flat on your back as in Corpse pose. As you inhale, bend your knee, place your hands right below the knee, and draw your leg towards your chest. Your left leg should remain flat on the floor. Exhale and bring your forehead up to touch your knee. Inhale, and then as you exhale, return to your original position. Repeat with the other leg.
SAGE TWIST: Warning for this pose--it involves twisting your back, so you should take particular care not to twist too far or you risk aggravating any existing back pain. This should be a gentle stretch; twist just as far as is comfortable. Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and place your right foot on the floor next to your left knee. Sitting with spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Bend your left arm so that your left fingertips are touching your right hip, while at the same time, twisting to look over your right shoulder. This is where you need to be careful not to twist too far. Hold for a few seconds, release, and repeat on the opposite side.
PALM TREE: Stand with feet facing forward, arms at your sides, weight distributed evenly on both feet. Raise both arms over your head, interlock your fingers, and turn your hands so that your palms are facing upward. Next, place your palms on your head and turn your head so that you are looking slightly upward. Stretch your arms upwards, and at the same time, come up onto your toes if you can do so without pain. Stretch your entire body upward and hold, if you can. Some people have difficulty balancing during this pose, so just do the stretching part if you need to.
FISH POSE: Lie on your back with knees bent and arms at your side. Arch your back as far as you comfortably can and raise it off the ground by pushing the floor with your elbows. If you can, tilt your head backwards and rest the crown of your head on the floor. Breathe deeply from the diaphragm and hold pose for one minute if you can.
LOCUST: Lie face down with arms at the side, palms down, and elbows slightly bent with fingers pointing towards the feet. Raise your legs and thighs as high off the ground as possible without causing your back any pain. Hold for one second and repeat up to twelve times. This can be a vigorous exercise so you must take care to strain already injured muscles.
BENDING FORWARD POSTURE: Stand up straight with feet together and arms hanging loosely along your sides. Breathe in deeply and raise your arms straight above your head. While breathing out, bend forward and touch your toes if you can. If you can't reach your toes, grab hold of your ankles or calves. To complete the pose, you should touch your head to your knees, but this may be too difficult for many who suffer from lower back pain. Your movements during this pose should be smooth, not jerky.
Author writes articles on different topics. To know more, visit: exposed acne system, www.abs-exercise-advice.com
Yoga union in Body, Mind, and Spirit
Yoga is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit. The most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. Hatha Yoga can help you towards better health and calm your mind so that you can solve your personal problems. People start yoga for many reasons. They may want to increase their levels of health, fitness, and flexibility.
Yoga is an ancient art of staying fit, both physically and mentally. The yoga benefits are so enormous that they are still being discovered almost everyday. The benefits of this ancient art include physical, mental, emotional health, spiritual benefits and natural healing.
The art of Yoga has evolved over many centuries in ancient India. The earliest records of this form of art are found in the ancient Hindu texts and mythologies. Yoga keeps the mind and body of a person fit by slowing down the natural aging process. It reduces the amount of toxins absorbed by our body cell and thus slows down its deterioration.
The physical well being of a person is an obvious benefit of Yoga. There are specific yoga poses or asanas that are aimed at increasing height, losing weight from waist or hips, improving blood circulation, solving Gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems, normalizing blood pressure levels and in keeping it under control, improving our cardio-vascular efficiency, improving physical strength and stamina are to name only a few.
Beyond the more obvious physical benefits, there are many spiritual benefits of Yoga. At a basic level Yoga helps by improving our level of concentration and mental clarity. At an advanced level it improves thought control, mind control and is also known to help in developing psychic powers. On a higher level Yoga unites ones self with the environment and the people around us. It helps us realize and experience how we are One with nature. It is a sort of enlightenment that makes us feel at par with the universe. We become more aware of the lives of people around us and how they are intertwined with our own. This makes us feel at peace with ourselves. Purifying, healing and rejuvenating exercises can restore health, force of life, joy and also lengthen life span. Certain exercises, such as Laya Yoga practices serve liberation, salvation of the soul and reinvent our relationship with God. Yoga thus provides mental peace and spiritual harmony. The realization of ones spiritual self makes us a better person.
The three main components to the practice of Yoga are: breathing, concentration and posture also known as asanas. All three components work together for specific objectives.
One of the most commonly practiced asanas is the Sirsha asana or the Headstand Pose. To do this exercise firstly kneel down and place your arms flat on the floor. Interlock fingers of both hands. Place your head between your hands, flat on the floor. Raise your back from the kneeling position so that you are on the tip of your toes, with your head still on the floor. Slowly raise your legs off the floor so that it extends upwards, keeping the body aligned and balanced. Breathing techniques used during the exercise enhance the overall effect.
Breathing techniques, also known a pranayama, is aimed at bringing more oxygen into our blood stream thereby improving the efficiency of our system. Breathing techniques go hand in hand with the various asanas.
Yoga finds immense use in our present day lives. From relieving office work tension to keeping de-stressing ourselves on a long flight to making us a better person in todays outright competitive and religiously divided world. It brings out a harmony in our precariously unbalanced lifestyles and emotional stability to our personal lives. It is surprising that sparing only a few minutes a day to practice this art can bring us enormous benefits.
Kevin Pederson can guide you on the {a href=" http://www.yogawiz.com"} working principles behind Yoga which focuses on the benefits of Yoga techniques intended to produce a positive state of mind in us. This article explores the spiritual benefits of yoga.
Explore The Spiritual Benefits Of Yoga
Yoga is an ancient art of staying fit, both physically and mentally. The yoga benefits are so enormous that they are still being discovered almost everyday. The benefits of this ancient art include physical, mental, emotional health, spiritual benefits and natural healing.
The art of Yoga has evolved over many centuries in ancient India. The earliest records of this form of art are found in the ancient Hindu texts and mythologies. Yoga keeps the mind and body of a person fit by slowing down the natural aging process. It reduces the amount of toxins absorbed by our body cell and thus slows down its deterioration.
The physical well being of a person is an obvious benefit of Yoga. There are specific yoga poses or asanas that are aimed at increasing height, losing weight from waist or hips, improving blood circulation, solving Gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems, normalizing blood pressure levels and in keeping it under control, improving our cardio-vascular efficiency, improving physical strength and stamina are to name only a few.
Beyond the more obvious physical benefits, there are many spiritual benefits of Yoga. At a basic level Yoga helps by improving our level of concentration and mental clarity. At an advanced level it improves thought control, mind control and is also known to help in developing psychic powers. On a higher level Yoga unites ones self with the environment and the people around us. It helps us realize and experience how we are One with nature. It is a sort of enlightenment that makes us feel at par with the universe. We become more aware of the lives of people around us and how they are intertwined with our own. This makes us feel at peace with ourselves. Purifying, healing and rejuvenating exercises can restore health, force of life, joy and also lengthen life span. Certain exercises, such as Laya Yoga practices serve liberation, salvation of the soul and reinvent our relationship with God. Yoga thus provides mental peace and spiritual harmony. The realization of ones spiritual self makes us a better person.
The three main components to the practice of Yoga are: breathing, concentration and posture also known as asanas. All three components work together for specific objectives.
One of the most commonly practiced asanas is the Sirsha asana or the Headstand Pose. To do this exercise firstly kneel down and place your arms flat on the floor. Interlock fingers of both hands. Place your head between your hands, flat on the floor. Raise your back from the kneeling position so that you are on the tip of your toes, with your head still on the floor. Slowly raise your legs off the floor so that it extends upwards, keeping the body aligned and balanced. Breathing techniques used during the exercise enhance the overall effect.
Breathing techniques, also known a pranayama, is aimed at bringing more oxygen into our blood stream thereby improving the efficiency of our system. Breathing techniques go hand in hand with the various asanas.
Yoga finds immense use in our present day lives. From relieving office work tension to keeping de-stressing ourselves on a long flight to making us a better person in todays outright competitive and religiously divided world. It brings out a harmony in our precariously unbalanced lifestyles and emotional stability to our personal lives. It is surprising that sparing only a few minutes a day to practice this art can bring us enormous benefits.
Kevin Pederson can guide you on the {a href=" http://www.yogawiz.com"} working principles behind Yoga which focuses on the benefits of Yoga techniques intended to produce a positive state of mind in us. This article explores the spiritual benefits of yoga.
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