Category: Yoga

There are in fact six types of yoga traditionally practiced, plus a new type, bikram yoga, that has been rapidly gaining in popularity recently.The six traditional types of yoga are:1. Hatha 2. Raja 3. Karma 4. Bhakti 5. Jnana 6. TantraNow we're going to take a closer look at each individual types of yoga and their differences.Hatha YogaThe teachings of hatha yoga are the type most commonly practiced in the Western hemisphere. The word hatha comes from the Sanskrit term ha (meaning sun).There are two important principles that hatha yoga is based on:1. Meditation - You will find at least one posture that is especially comfortable to you and that you can sustain for long period of time while you meditate. As you advance, you'll ideally learn several postures that you are comfortable with. Ma

Pratyahara often seems to be the neglected and misunderstood limb of Patanjali's eight limbed system of Ashtanga yoga. With the other limbs either being more tangible, easier to conceptualise, or so far off we don't even bother, Patanjali's vague fifth limb can be easily overlooked. Patanjali himself only dedicated two sutras to pratyahara in his Yoga Sutras. But, regardless of its obscurity, pratyahara is a very fundamental aspect of yoga.Different yogic texts and different schools of yoga offer a variety of approaches to pratyahara, but its essential meaning remains consistent. Pratyahara is defined as the withdrawal of the senses or the independence from external stimuli. Focusing on Patanjali's eight limbed system of tanga yoga, Patanjali places pratyahara as the fifth limb and the gat

There are so many of us who inevitably end up associating yoga with its "physical" attributes. In fact, they shy away from it simply thinking that yoga is strictly meant for the physically fit or the athletic ones. A highly erroneous notion. The concept is far from truth-very far! Yes, it's a physical exercise. No doubt about it. However, one needs to understand that this ancient practice entails much more than just "body"- yogis aim for that perfect realm of stability where the mind, body and spirit work in cohesion. Today, we will be primarily discussing the health benefits of yoga but not before clearly pointing out that you can practice it even if you are not athletic! Here's what you need to find out about the health benefits of yoga. They are simply fantastic.It can bolster the funct

Should you perform yoga when you're pregnant? Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of exercising during pregnancy. You are scared because you're not sure whether you want to "move your body much" during childbirth. What if an improper body movement ends up hurting your baby? What if you're hurt while doing those stretches?Let us tell you that yoga is not only about unimaginable "twists" and turns but deep breathing and light stretches as well. Light yoga (suited for pregnant mothers) helps you keep fit during pregnancy. Today, we will be particularly talking about the multifarious Pregnancy Yoga Benefits in this particular post.What are the benefits that you need to be aware of?Let us tell you that yoga helps you to get through your pregnancy with relative ease. Quite contrary to what

There are six main groups of shatkarmas or Yogic cleansers as follows:1 - Neti: nasal cleansing, including jala neti andn sutra neti.2 - Dhauti: cleansing of the digestive tract, including danta dhauti, vatsara dhauti and so forth.3 - Nauli: abdominal massage.4 - Basti: colon cleaning.5 - Kapalbhati: purification and vitalization of the frontal lobes.6 - Trataka: blinkless gazing.JALA NETI:Jala neti is a process of cleaning the nasal passage with salt water, and is essential in allowing free breathing.The functions of the noseThe nose is the body's organ for ensuring that the air that enters the lungs is of sufficient purity and warmth not to cause harm. The air that we inhale is rarely suitable for entry into the lungs. It is generally too cold, too dirty and too germ-ridden. It is the fu

I have been teaching yoga for twenty-two years. I got into yoga at that time, because I was suicidal, not just depressed. During that time period, my state of mind, was so down, that I began to daydream constantly, on how to kill myself. My friend dragged me to my first yoga class, and insisted, that yoga would help with my emotions. I resisted by saying, "How can yoga help with your emotions?" I had done other exercises, and other fitness classes. I was a runner, I played volley ball, basketball, tennis, and I did all sorts of fitness work outs. I threw myself into weights, crunches, and sit ups. I was plagued with worry, guilt, rage, insomnia, depression, and sorrow. Nothing had helped my state of mind, until yoga. Yoga truly saved my life. Now twenty-two years later; I'm dedicated yoga

Classification of Yoga Postures has always been a discussion in yogic culture. Some yoga schools classify yoga postures as STANDING, SITTING, LYING ON BACK & LYING ON STOMACH. While some yoga school will classify as: FORWAD BENDING, BACKWARD BENDING, TWISTING, INVERSIONS, EXTENSIONS & BALANCING.Here I would like to put the traditional view on classification of Yoga Postures, where there are only 3 categories as below:Cultural Postures Postures for Relaxation Meditative Postures.CULTURAL POSTURES: All yoga postures that help to stretch the body from various directions/angles are known as cultural postures. By activating specific muscles, ligament, tendons and nerves, the purpose of cultural postures is to release tension from each and every part of our body. The effects of cultural postures

Yoga comes to youThere's a saying that yoga comes to you, not the other way around. The idea that it bestows its ancient wisdom upon you because you are in need of it is quite magical to me and I fully believe it. I have heard this many times and for me it was most definitely true.So, whatever has brought you to yoga, I am glad it found you. Not everyone dives right in and takes on a full practice, but that's the beauty of it. It gives you whatever you need, when you need it.If you are coming to yoga late in life you may find it hard. This is not necessarily because it is hard, but because of your perception of it. By this I mean anyone can practice yoga, regardless of age, gender, height, weight, physical conditions and so on, but because the perception is that you have to wrap yourself a

Stress, fear, anxiety- if we start counting all those instances in life when we experienced these emotions, we may just lose count! Anxiety about the results of the main exam or the reaction of our parents in the report card can affect us.The problem starts when this fear becomes persistent and so intimidating as to start interfering with our everyday life. Then it becomes an anxiety disorder, a state of excessive uneasiness, worry, or fear of the unknown, which need to be treated, and this is where yoga can be useful.Practicing yoga has many benefits in improving our health, as it keeps away from diseases like headaches, fever, flu, asthma, etc and helps in making us fit, flexible, and fresh for whole day. In our daily life, one is busy working the whole day and forgot all about our healt