Yoga
Why Do Yoga?
We do various different forms of exercises to meet different needs. We do weight training to acquire strength. We go for jogging or perform aerobics to get a cardiovascular workout. We perform tai-chi to improve our sense of stability and harmonization. We do stretching to achieve suppleness. For peace of mind and relaxation, we [...]
We do various different forms of exercises to meet different needs. We do weight training to acquire strength. We go for jogging or perform aerobics to get a cardiovascular workout. We perform tai-chi to improve our sense of stability and harmonization. We do stretching to achieve suppleness. For peace of mind and relaxation, we meditate.
At some point, you may therefore have wondered if there is one single type of training that would meet all your different needs. One that will give you a full and complete workout that does everything from helping you to achieve strength to gaining endurance, improving balance, gaining flexibility and one that finally also helps you to relax. There definitely exists one such complete and perfect form of exercise that helps achieve everything! What else, but yoga?!
Yoga is without a doubt more than mere stretch outs and relaxing. It is the definitive mind and body test and a superb means of achieving body and mind alertness.
A typical session of yoga will make you feel a sense of pure energy and relaxation. You get to work on your physique and align your bones correctly, as well as learning to breathe deeply, thus providing adequate oxygen for your lungs, blood and brain.
You will also experience relaxation in its purest and most profound form, because by making your body aware and working on the muscles, you will be able to relax more easily than other forms of exercises might allow.
Thus, the main reason why you feel really good and totally relaxed after a proper yoga session compared to either a cardiovascular workout or weight training (or for that matter any other form of exercise) is because you are getting to develop self-awareness and also appreciate your own body.
The Basics of Yoga - Yoga Sutras
Over two thousand years ago, Pantanjali wrote the bible of Yoga. Written in Sanskrit, it contained the eight sutras that form the basic principles of Yoga practice. The physical activities focus on the physical body while the meditations focus on the mind. Yoga combines both practices to provide you with an overall sense of [...]
Over two thousand years ago, Pantanjali wrote the bible of Yoga. Written in Sanskrit, it contained the eight sutras that form the basic principles of Yoga practice. The physical activities focus on the physical body while the meditations focus on the mind. Yoga combines both practices to provide you with an overall sense of physical and mental health. Let’s take a look at the eight sutras and learn a little about each of them.
The first two sutras, Yama and Niyama, are similar to the Ten Commandments found in the Bible. Moral and ethical issues are the main focus. These are the basic laws that govern the actions of humanity.
Asana focuses on the physical body and refers to the different postures that can be used to strengthen the body. Western civilization mostly uses this sutra.
Pranayama deals with the control of our breathing during yoga exercise.
Pratyahara is reached when you withdraw all of your senses from the outside world. You are focusing, on what is going on within your body.
Dharana centers on your concentration. It’s purpose is to help you develop one-mindedness. The special concentration techniques enable you to focus only on your inner world.
Dhyana is translated as contemplation. You merge with your inner self and your image of concentration. You use the time to reflect on your special qualities.
The last sutra is Samadhi. Reaching Samadhi is the goal of all who practice classical yoga. The word means “Union with the Supreme”. For yoga enthusiasts, this is the supreme goal.
It is the identification with unchanging reality. It takes dedicated practice to reach the perfect sutra. With plenty of dedicated practice on concentration, contemplation, and meditation, you’ll move toward the final sutra of Samadhi. With this sutra, you develop a tremendous amount of willpower.
Easing the Pain of Arthritis with Simple Yoga Practices
Arthritis can be just an occasional pain in some fingers or joint to an incapacitating pain that keeps you from enjoying life to the fullest. Most doctors agree that some form of regular exercise can help by keeping our muscle tone intact and in helping to prevent stiffness in the joints. Whatever your level of [...]
Arthritis can be just an occasional pain in some fingers or joint to an incapacitating pain that keeps you from enjoying life to the fullest. Most doctors agree that some form of regular exercise can help by keeping our muscle tone intact and in helping to prevent stiffness in the joints. Whatever your level of arthritis is, it can be helped by the practice of Yoga.
When the pain of arthritis hits, it causes the rest of the body to stiffen up to keep the part that’s hurting from hurting more. Most of us would respond to that by doing even less exercise, but inactivity is the worse solution to combating the pain of arthritis. Inactivity weakens the muscles and can increase stiffness and pain. Yoga encourages you to keep moving, although gently, to allow your body to heal and preserve muscle tone. Yoga practice also helps you psychologically, it increases your confidence that you can still function as a normal person and do all the regular activities you do in a day. You don’t have to let arthritis confine you to a wheelchair.
Some gentle Yoga exercises begin with movements while sitting in a chair. These are adaptations of the regular Yoga poses, and help to loosen joints and relax muscle groups. With a regular breathing pattern, you will gradually increase the level of difficulty in your Yoga practice. Breathing helps bring fresh blood and the proper nutrients to muscle tissue. It also helps relieve physical and emotional tension. As you slowly start to loosen up from these gentler Yoga movements, you can gradually add standing poses to your routine. By adding additional Yoga poses, you are improving strength, flexibility, and balance. If it’s necessary, do your routine with a sturdy chair as a prop so you will feel safer and steadier. As time goes by and you become more flexible you can gradually stop using supports. If you can’t, don’t beat yourself up because of it that defeats the purpose of Yoga. The idea is to relax and loosen the muscles. Yoga will also make those joints less painful.
Arthritis doesn’t have to be a disease that will turn into an insurmountable disability. By practicing simple Yoga everyday you can rebuild your strength and pursue your daily activities with renewed energy, better health, and less pain.
Benefits Of Yoga
Yoga has many benefits when practiced correctly and regularly. It benefits both our minds and physical body.
Yoga increases our body’s flexibility. The various positions act on the various joints, tendons and ligaments in the body. Besides working them out, it also increases the lubrication of the joints. Non-strenuous yoga positions work on different parts of [...]
Yoga has many benefits when practiced correctly and regularly. It benefits both our minds and physical body.
Yoga increases our body’s flexibility. The various positions act on the various joints, tendons and ligaments in the body. Besides working them out, it also increases the lubrication of the joints. Non-strenuous yoga positions work on different parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony, creating a situation that attains body flexibility.
Yoga massages all the internal organs of the body. Even the prostate which hardly gets stimulated externally during one’s lifetime is massaged. This massage will stimulate the organs and prevent disease.
Yoga also ensures an optimum supply of blood to the essential parts of the body. This is achieved by the gentle stretching of the muscles and joints and the massage of the various organs in the body. This will help to flush out toxins and provide nourishment to the body. As a result, ageing is delayed and a remarkable zest for life and energy levels are experienced.
By stimulation, yoga also helps tone the muscles and shed the excess fat and flaccidity.
Besides physical benefits, yoga also helps to harmonise the mind with the body. This harmony is achieved through meditation. This will reduce stress levels and enable the person to function more effectively.
