As the world's oldest system of personal development devised in India over 5,000 years ago, yoga remains a brilliant way for all ages and body types to tone up and energise the body, release pent up stress and anxiety and reconnect with oneself. Rather than focusing on physical transformation or contortionism, calming the mind is its main goal. The Indian yoga guru TKV Desikachar puts it charmingly: "A lot of people can do a beautiful posture, but their life is a big headache." Effective yoga is measured, he says, by "how it enhances our relationships and promotes clarity and peace of mind."
The word Hatha is comprised of two parts: "ha" meaning sun and "tha" meaning moon. Yoga is the union of the sun and moon, or body and mind leading to vitality, peace and balance. This type of yoga preceded many of the modern practices heard throughout studios in the west today. Popular styles like Iyengar and Ashtanga are considered Hatha yoga, but have evolved into very distinct methods. Some are more rigorous, while others are more meditative, but they all have roots in Hatha. Hatha_Yoga.html
More Men Doing Downward Dog
Guys are spending more time on the mat, according to an end-of-year study by the Yoga Journal. About 700,000 more men are practicing yoga than four years ago -- 16.5 million up from 15.8 million, according to the study. Despite the perception that predominantly women do tree poses, traditionally only men practiced yoga in India, says Dayna Macy, communications director of Yoga Journal. She jokes that yoga is a "great way to meet women," but in actuality the overall popularity of the energy workout has grown tremendously in the past four years. READ MORE...
Vinyasa Yoga
A simple explanation of Vinyasa is the movement of asanas linked with breath. If you've ever practiced Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar), then you've practiced Vinyasa. Each movement is carefully coordinated with inhalations and exhalations, making a dance between body and breath.
Vinyasa can be found in many yoga classes, but can differ drastically from class to class. Ashtanga yoga is executed in Vinyasa style. This means the asanas are performed using the breath to guide, while creating heat within the body. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois refers to this as the blood boiling, which is necessary for the body to release toxins. In contrast to a Vinyasa class, Ashtanga yoga sticks to certain poses practiced in order while following a specific series.
Explore the Many Physical and Mental Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is an effective way to enhance both physical and mental well-being. While yoga is becoming more popular in recent years, it is actually an ancient activity that focuses on connecting the mind, the body, and the spirit by performing specific poses, breathing, and meditation. The practice of yoga has many health benefits that can improve everyone's health. In fact, yoga is an inexpensive and effective way to improve all areas of one's life.
Yoga may have a soft and peaceful reputation, but the theme at Willow Street Yoga on a recent evening was fear. If I collapse from a handstand, what happens to my face? The students in Batya Metalitz's advanced class were no strangers to the handstand or other difficult poses, but she still encouraged them to acknowledge that some of the things she would ask them to do in the two-hour session would be unnerving. READ MORE...
Pilates
Pilates is an exercise method, designed to elongate, strengthen and restore the body to balance and was developed by its founder, the German born Joseph Pilates over the course of a lifetime dedicated to improving physical and mental health. An inventor and explorer (of ideas rather than places), Joseph Pilates strongly believed in the co-ordination of mind, body and spirit.
Pilates focuses on building the body's core strength to improve posture through a series of low impact stretching and conditioning exercises. Through regular practice, you will be able to develop your back, abdominal and pelvic muscles without adding bulk, increasing your flexibility and agility and at the same time, toning your stomach and thigh muscles.
Although yoga has been popular in modern society for decades, it has actually been practiced in ancient cultures for centuries - its philosophy is based upon the unification of the mind, body and spirit. This simple principal is evident in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is part of Ayurvedic Indian medicine. For those who choose to progress further into the field of yoga, more complex ideas emerge and must be understood as part pf a meditation of the body, mind and soul.
Physical exertion is determined by how much energy you put in, in order to get it back. Yoga isn't considered a cardio workout and its purpose is not to increase muscle-mass - instead, it works the entire body (including the all-important muscle inside the head) by encouraging participants to focus, balance and breathe to attain a higher inner peace
During pregnancy, many women struggle between wanting to stay in shape and do what is best for the baby-to-be. Prenatal yoga is the perfect way to do both. Safe, effective and easy to do, this type of yoga is a great way to stay in shape and lay the foundation for a healthy pregnancy, labour and baby. Whether you are new to yoga or already an experienced practitioner, you can enjoy the benefits of yoga while pregnant.
Helping to relieve common discomforts that occur naturally during pregnancy, yoga can also promote positive thinking, reducing the negative effects of stress and help to cultivate a stronger bond with your baby.
So much more than simply good exercise, yoga can transform both your physical and mental well-being. The traditional purpose of yoga is to bring about a profound transformation in the person through the transcendence of the ego. Once you've mastered the postures to the increase your flexibility and strength, you will also feel the benefits of a higher mental state.
In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism the word yoga means 'spiritual discipline'. It is an activity that has been practiced for thousands of years and has evolved and changed over time. Various factions of yoga have developed since its conception.
Yoga is for everyone - no matter what your age, fitness level or understanding of the practice. From childhood on into ripe old age, anyone can build the flexibility needed to master yoga's various postures and poses. So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!. In today's fitness-focused culture, an emphasis is placed upon the fact that staying active is the route to sustained health and happiness. Affordable, easily accessible and with many benefits in addition to those associated with fitness, yoga can be practiced at home, in the office or outdoors, with various other participants as part of a class or individually for quiet reflection. Scientists at the South Pole even perform short yoga routines outdoors (weather permitting!).
More popular than ever before, Yoga is said to relieve the stresses and strains of modern day living. Millions of people worldwide have taken up yoga, some of them inspired by the many celebrities who have taken to the mat as part of their daily exercise regimes. As yoga has become more popular, it has received much more media attention, spawning hundreds of articles on the different approaches to yoga and how it should be practised. Downward dog pose, ayurveda and sun salutation have become household words, if not household practice
While many of us believe the only way to get fit and stay active is by working up a sweat during heavy, physical exercises such as running, football, athletics, basketball and boxing, we are in fact, missing out on the many benefits of lighter activities such as yoga.
First and foremost, yoga is a life-enhancing discipline, adept in uniting the mind, body and spirit, but it also works at keeping the body free of diseases. As co-ordinator of exercise programs in Tanzania, Jayaram Thakkar, has introduced a free service to help local people, especially the poor, rid themselves of various diseases without medical treatment.
From self-realisation to spiritual initiation and enlightenment, yoga takes us on a spiritual journey where practitioners strive for 'Supreme Union'.
In sanskrit (a classical language of India), yoga means addition. For those who aspire to become spiritually enlightened, yoga is not only 'addition', it means unification too. For example, where two apples are added to another two apples, the total would add up to four and the nature and characteristics of each apple would remain unchanged. Unification, on the other hand, occurs when the addition of one substance to another changes the very form of the resultant product, much like when sugar is added to water and dissolves to become one with the fluid. READ MORE...
Our bodies are subjected to constant changes in the environment that affect us both physically and emotionally influencing the way we feel, behave and react in various situations. This 'weathering' that the body undergoes under varied pressures of life is stress.
Under certain levels, stress can actually boost productivity and motivate an individual to perform well.
Many musicians, of all genres, draw inspiration from the spiritual practice of yoga. From rock n' roll legends to princesses of pop, the benefits of yoga are far-reaching throughout the celebrity and media world. So it makes sense that if yoga should inspire the creation of many different styles of music, a variety of music should inspire the practice of yoga.
Principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski, sees music and spirituality as.
For people who deem needles too scary and surgery too drastic, the latest anti-aging fad may appeal: facial yoga. Based on the premise that facial muscles, like any other muscle, need exercise to stay toned, enthusiasts say the regular practice of facial yoga can reduce worry lines and wrinkles - and even create a little peace within.
Bikram yoga, also known as 'Hot Yoga', is a style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury. It offers a twist on the 5,000-year-old Indian practice of yoga, at which Choudhury was four times the Indian champion.
Ideally practiced in a room heated to 40C and humidity of at least 40 per cent, conditions are designed to loosen muscles and help participants sweat out toxins.
We all know how important it is for children to take part in some form of physical exercise. That exercise needs to promote the healthy development of their growing bodies in preparation for adulthood - techniques used in yoga are an excellent way to improve a child's strength and flexibility.
Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was named 'Gentlemen Only ... Ladies Forbidden' and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language. Perhaps no game is more wrought with mental hazards than golf. The sport introduces a constant struggle between the conscious mind - analyzing, alert, and logical - and the subconscious mind - the well of intuition and long-term memory.
Effective in encouraging and developing both physical and mental good health, yoga is also the only form of activity that massages all of the body's internal glands and organs, and as such, it's cleansing practices are proven to aid in the fight against various disorders. Furthermore, yoga can help sustain optimum levels of fitness in the following ways.
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