Different Yoga exercises and techniques

July 2, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

As an ancient form of exercise, yoga uses certain postures combined with a series of specific breathing techniques in order to improve physical and emotional health. There is a great variety of yoga techniques which are practiced nowadays. It depends on every person who practices yoga to choose what yoga techniques work best in order to take the journey towards health of mind and body. The difference between the yoga techniques usually lies in the yoga positions, or, as they are called in the yoga lingo, the asanas. That is why one needs a yoga instructor to guide them through different yoga techniques in order to make sure that they are done in a correct and safe manner.

The ways to approach the yoga techniques differ, and some trainees choose to go to yoga classes and try different styles, while others search on the Internet to identify postures, health benefits and even risks. For yoga practice at home, there are lots of DVDs and videos which teach yoga, and it is sometimes more affordable and money-wise than going to take different classes.

Here are the common yoga techniques variants available with most styles. These are: total relaxation and meditation, proper joint movement, proper posture and correct breathing. It is commonly believed that with a combined practice of the five yoga techniques, an improvement in body and mind evolution is achieved. You can perform yoga while sitting, standing or lying. Furthermore, there are different difficulty degrees in performing yoga techniques, and they have to be adapted to the level of yoga knowledge of the apprentice.

The five standards exemplified above represent the basis for more advanced yoga techniques performed by masters and gurus with a superior knowledge level. For example, Hong-Sau represents a technique that stresses out the use of the inner capacity of concentration in order to overcome all the surrounding distractions when focusing on a specific target. Aum is another yoga technique; its aim is to extend one's awareness beyond the common human awareness. Nevertheless, such superior yoga techniques can be gradually reached or approached by anyone who makes progress with the practice.
Overall, yoga techniques of any kind significantly contribute to health improvement. Those who practice yoga consistently claim to have increased self-awareness, flexibility, overall body energy and the mental power.

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The perfect Yoga retreat

June 30, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

The idea of a yoga retreat is something new to our modern world, but it has definitely become popular with the interest people take nowadays in yoga practice. When people think of yoga, they often relate it with great physical condition, stress relief and good health, and it's true, although one cannot render or grasp the meaning of this ancient art from a simple definition. A yoga retreat is the place where the practitioner do yoga in a social setting specific to a stress-free environment. Why not go to a yoga retreat on your holiday?

Going to a yoga retreat is not just an opportunity to feel completely stress-free, but also a chance to meet people with similar preoccupations and share experiences with other yoga enthusiasts. Lots of ads for yoga retreat locations insist on the well being and great fun, but what one should read between the lines is that each individual brings harmony to the place. If you isolate yourself at a yoga retreat then leave not only stress and work behind, but all the negative emotions, the worries and the fears too, otherwise, you'll see absolutely no difference at all.

Get in contact with a yoga retreat organizer and ask for answers to all of your questions, plus you can also check online for further info. Facilities, local customs, clothes, weather and many other issues should be sorted out before you pay for your stay at a yoga retreat. For instance, keep in mind the fact that the accommodation varies from retreat to retreat: you may get to a resort or to a camp. The best advice can come from a yoga retreat organizer who can point out whether you need to take special stuff with you or not. Comfortable clothes, yoga mats and bathing suits are must-haves and there's no need for someone to tell you to get these.

The time extent you get to spend in a yoga retreat depends on the package you select or the budget flexibility you have. Most of the food you'll have is vegetarian but highly nutritious, and people who need tips to improve their diet will learn lots of ways to promote health through quality food. And last but not least, there is no surprise that in a yoga retreat you will get to practice yoga for several hours a day, so you'd better be ready for it.

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Yoga Magazine

June 27, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

Many yoga communities wanting to stay updated with what's new in the practice find yoga publications a good source of news. A yoga magazine often deals with beginner and advanced asanas thus meeting the expectations of alls sorts of practitioners. Moreover, it's great to discover contemporary problems debated from the perspective of a yoga trainee or trainer. For such cases the role of a yoga magazine is not only informative but educational as well if we think about the life guiding principles in the art of yoga as such.

Besides its specific regular columns, a yoga magazine will often bring into discussion health issues that go hand in hand with the practice of yoga in general. Thus, you can learn about alternative therapies, discover the basics of a vegetarian life style and some great organic food recipes. Accessories, travel, fashion and advertising are also well represented within the pages of a yoga magazine regardless of whether it is issued on paper or online solely. And like with any magazine, the horoscope cannot miss from the formula, although it will be a more peculiar one.

You can learn about retreats, camps, yoga classes and yoga teachers from the pages of a yoga magazine since very often people have little access to different forms of instruction in their geographic areas. The multitude of yoga trends and the number of practice variations is also the one that justifies the wide range of topics covered by the various articles. The diversity of publications labeled as yoga magazine is every day larger in the western world together with the growing influence of Asian cultural aspects in the society; it is in fact about the interest in the spiritual life that was so much ignored in the west and the way it catches up with us.

A yoga magazine thus a yoga magazine brings not only instructions for the physical performance of various postures but discusses different yoga principles to make this art more available to the average user. Even if the principles and goals of yoga are often stressed out in many classes, few of the trainees really get in the final stages of spiritual development even if they may improve their life a lot. Consequently, you could recognized yourself in a simple article published in a yoga magazine; leaf one to see for yourself!

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Different types of Yoga exercises

June 25, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

Yoga exercises have become a great way to treat various health conditions related to a stressful life style. To say the least, lots of people get to practice yoga out of the sheer desire to grow their spiritual side and get distracted from the very material grip of our reality. However, the preponderance of trainees who seek physical alleviation cannot be ignored; this is the case of people who suffer from sleep problems and don't manage to get a good night rest. How can yoga exercises help to treat insomnia? Yoga starts with relaxation, once you manage to relax and keep thoughts under control, sleeping comes naturally.

Breath control, muscular relaxation, neck stretches and shoulder movements are specific to the basic yoga exercises recommended for proper night rest. The health benefits of yoga remain the main elements to advertise on and attract people to join classes. Some think they'll get slimmer, others wish to grow muscular mass, and there are even some people who expect to increase their sexual performance by the practice of yoga exercises.

Nevertheless, this kind of perception of yoga exercises is very far from the origins of this art of body and spirit harmonious growth. Yoga requires inner as well as outer training although the latter is fully reflected and influenced by the former Thus, according to the original meaning of yoga exercises, the trainee that gets to discover the rich beauty of the inside will be free and at peace. Yoga exercises therefore represent the path to something nobler than the practical weight loss: spiritual freedom in its purest form.

Therefore, the yoga exercises we embrace so open-heartedly are just a lower, more accessible variant of the real yoga practice. This doesn't mean that all yoga practices follow this down-to-earth, immediately functional trend, but rather that it is more accessible for the average person to find a purpose and a meaning in this so-called art before attaining superior states of self-awareness. Therefore, the necessity of a good trainer as well as a relevant objective in the practice of the yoga exercises allow people to stay on the right track and prevent disillusionment as well as accidents.

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Picking the correct Yoga clothing

June 22, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

Some people really worry too much about finding the right yoga clothing, as they claim the complex postures require special wear too. Comfort for the sake of free movement remains the best way to qualify the features of different types of yoga clothing: thus the clothes should allow a free blood flow and remain pleasant to wear during all the complex asanas. Light cotton is the best fabric available from this point of view.

Don't be afraid to wear shorts. These yoga clothing items serve you in more ways than you thinkFirst they help you stay cooler during intense physical exercises, but they also enable the wearer to have a good view of the feet, ankles and knees for their proper alignment. Socks and shoes are allowed but most of the time yoga is practiced barefoot; yet, sometimes you may have to comply with the rules of the tutor concerning this aspect.

The recommendations of the trainer may be welcome for the choice of the right yoga clothing, particularly since you also need to consider the specificity of the yoga practice too. Mats are surely an accessory to match with rest of the wear, and they are usually a must-have element for the postures. Buying yoga clothing just to stay fashionable to cost you quite a lot; casual sports clothes could often do if you choose them carefully and in accordance with the specifics of the activity.

Yoga clothing is most easily available on the Internet since regular shops may not include this kind of items, and lots of online retailers provide a pretty wide range of accessories in addition to the yoga shirts and pants. These all have to be light and loose so as to allow ample moves without any hindrance. Both the pants and the shirts can prove suitable for other sports like martial arts, aerobics, dance and Pilates.

You'll find yoga clothing available for different ages and both genders; thus, kids and adults alike can enjoy higher flexibility and comfort levels. Fell free to combine shirts and shorts, halter tops and pants, and even add shoes if you can. Although cotton dominates the rest of the materials for yoga clothing, fleece and lycra are equally popular.

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Types of Tantra yoga

June 20, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

So far, Tantra yoga has been the most misunderstood type of yoga practiced in the western world. In its purest manifestation, Tantra yoga grew out of the ancient Indian culture and it aimed at helping people reach the form of non-duality along the most sacred of paths. The present-day sexual concept of Tantra yoga is in fact a defilement of the sacred essence of the practice that results from the mis-translation of some Indian texts by people with little experience in the domain. The difficulty came from the abundance of metaphors used in Tantra yoga teachings particularly owing to the fact that they described experiences that had to be experienced individually as consciousness forms.

Tantra yoga insists on the heart focus and the perception of the world through the experience of love and harmony that are also common concepts to taoist Chinese philosophy and to the biblical texts. Various divisions can be identified within Tantra yoga too, and this is obvious in the Tibetan Tantra yoga school and its teaching. In Tibet, the practice of Tantra yoga grew only in the monastic environment most of the time and it got to be explained on paper in very much the way it was expressed in speech.

Tantra yoga advocates that the path to be followed is that which combines the love-heart, the will-hand and the wisdom-head in one harmonious whole. It all starts with love and the practice of Tantra yoga stresses the importance of the becoming process rather than the achievement of the goal. The sexual connotations added to Tantra yoga represent a corruption of the pure practice thus, instead of the balancing of the yin and yang within each of us, Tantra yoga is believed to seek the union with another person.

You should choose guidance in the secrets of Tantra yoga very cautiously since lots of so-called yoga masters are far from being accomplished in the practice. According to tradition, only one who has gone a long way on the path to spiritual awakening can reveal the secrets and instruct a trainee. In terms of overall goal, like the art of yoga in general, Tantra aims at the spiritual awakening of any being and the fulfillment that comes from enjoying liberation at all levels of existence.

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Kriya yoga styles

June 17, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

Kriya yoga is a mix of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti yoga styles combined in a very complex form. The word kriya describes effort or transformation. Kriya yoga was introduced to the modern world by master Lahiri Mahasaya during the 19th century. Nevertheless, Kriya yoga is, according to some scriptures, much older than that. It was actually identified in the Bhagavad-Gita which is considered to be more than 3000 years old. Devotion to God, self-discipline of the body and mind as well as a strict daily program represent the main principles for Kryia yoga practice. In order for a student to learn the specificity of this yoga technique, the presence of a guru is a must-meet condition.

Kriya yoga has changed the lives of people in search of a deeper, more spiritual relationship with their essence. Focusing more on the Kundalini awakening, it is a meditation technique which teaches a series of esoteric principles. Nevertheless, it also preaches the fact that one's power lies outside of oneself, that one needs a guru, or master, to access this innate spiritual life. There are several aims in Kriya yoga, among which the elimination of the separation line between mind and body.
An analysis of the three styles that meet in Kriya yoga is necessary for an understanding of the history and underlying principles of the practice. Thus, Karma yoga focuses on the movement of the soul the inner and the outer mind dimension; Jnana yoga stresses the wisdom, allowing the mind to be free, while Bhakti yoga centers on love, and how it allows one to come to terms with everything around oneself. The combination of these three principles aims at purifying the mind and the soul. Consequently, Kriya yoga practitioners believe they can achieve self-fulfillment this way rather than follow other disciplines.

There are some stages to go through before practicing Kriya yoga. First of all, the body needs to be ready, and Hatha yoga exercises are integrated in the practice for this very purpose. Then, the mind needs preparation too. Mantras are uttered in Kriya yoga techniques so as to enhance the meditative experience. It is said in Bhagavad-Gita that the aim of one who practices Kriya yoga is to look for and, hopefully, reach the Supreme Goal (Samahdi), by withdrawing from the external phenomena, by controlling one's sensory mind and intellect, and by banishing desire, fear and anger.

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Yoga clothing

June 14, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

The necessity of yoga wear is not apparent, practice proves that the comfortable clothes especially designed to be worn during yoga classes make a difference from the t-shirt and training suit you'd normally use in sports. The need for the yoga clothes is justified if we think how the mind can relax only when the body is comfortable. There are some features that such clothing share above other things: first of all, yoga wear should leave space for maneuvers, as body gets into unique positions during the asanas.

You can choose from two types of yoga wear items: loose cotton clothes or stretchable elastic ones. The problem with the latter is that they may not absorb perspiration as well as the cotton ones and you may start to feel uncomfortable while performing the asanas. The idea is to feel good and then be concerned about the look because relaxation represents the first goal one expects and accomplishes with yoga practice. Softness represents one other element that influences the choice of the yoga wear.

Sometimes the yoga wear needs matching the kind of exercises you are going to perform. A practice like Bikram yoga which is also called hot yoga, which will surely go well with some light tops and very comfortable shorts. Yoga wear color, diversity is possible here too, light shades are the most welcome since they are in accordance with the relaxed state of mind necessary for the yoga session. It could be bothersome for the rest of the people in your yoga class to open the eyes on a bright red top, for instance. White, pale yellow, beige, light blue, lavender and even black are suitable, but in the end you are free to choose.

Some shops that deal only in yoga wear provide various collections of practical and decorative items to be used for yoga sessions. Sometimes a comparison between a yoga top and a regular top you buy from another retailer shows no differences at all, except in the price. Actually you may have the surprise to see that yoga wear is on occasions more costly than regular clothing items. Lots of yoga wear offers are advertised on the Internet and you can really make some good deals if you have enough patience to look for discounts.

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Types of Yoga routines

June 12, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

Yoga routines usually refer to the amount of exercises that one integrates in the life style pattern on a daily basis. Most of the time, by yoga routines we imply the workout created to prepare both body and spirit and thus lead to great physical and mental health. Yoga trainers insist that the yoga routines be developed starting from daily practice. The immediate benefits of yoga routines include a better anatomical flexibility and a peace of mind that improves the concentration and work capacity. The creation of a yoga routine is not immediately achieved and it usually takes time but once you set it going, you'd better stick to it.

It is a common fact that beginners find it more difficult to develop yoga routines, as complex exercise performance results from practice and lots of patience. The individual physical structure has a lot to do with the challenges of the yoga poses; for instance, plumper people will have to work more. Therefore, for such a case, the first stage is preparatory for the creation of the yoga routines: weight loss, vegetarian diet, lots of physical exercises and proper hydration. The process will often last longer than expected but with enough perseverance it can be done. Hence, fat yoga practitioners are a rarity given the physical demands of the practice.

Yoga routines develop in time, and it is of paramount importance to keep this in mind. Then, one starts with the easiest postures and gradually upgrade the difficulty level as the body stretches and the muscles and the joints warm. Sometimes the yoga routines insist on one body part only, but it doesn't happen too often. Another initial step is the mastery of relaxation, breathing and meditation that allow the body to become more workable when supported by a peaceful state of mind.

Last but not least, the choice of the setting is also crucial when practicing yoga independently. You can either select a natural corner where you will have plenty of peace or a well-aired room, isolated from noise and eventually relying on a relaxation music background. Do not practice in the same room with TV sets, phones and other electronic equipment if you know they can ruin the relaxation state necessary for the correct performance of the asanas. And last but not least, try to begin and end the yoga routines with a set of movements that you treat like a ritual, as you will get more rapidly in the harmony state specific to the postures.

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Different Yoga poses

June 9, 2009 by  
Filed under Yoga

Anyone joining a yoga class for the first time is impressed by the large number of yoga poses needed for the beginning level alone. Surely, things are taken progressively, with the instructor starting by naming the yoga poses and explaining them one by one while also giving a personal example. The benefits that result from the full practice are manifold, from health improvement and body mobility to superior stress management and the ability to control and understand the inner workings of the self. Yoga gives offers many rewards when practiced on a constant basis, particularly if it implies a balance not only over the body but over the mind in particular.

Another name for the yoga poses is asanas, and each of them has a physical and mental dimension to it. Instructions for the execution of various yoga poses are given in books, e-guides, on Internet sites and magazines. Asanas work for almost all the body parts, and usually the trainer will indicate the most intense point of physical stress. For further clarification consider the fact that depending on the yoga variant practiced, the performance of the asanas varies, given the fact that some yoga schools have created their own specific postures.

Besides the physical capacity to perform yoga poses, one also needs to grow the balance and the concentration ability, since the physical is just one side of the practice that gets complete by the spiritual dimension only. By the breathing and relaxation techniques you'll learn how to ignore the difficulty of a posture as well as the disturbing elements in the background. Once you get into the yoga poses, it is important to maintain them for a specific period of time.

The practice of yoga poses in the absence of professional guidance and help could turn into a threat to the practitioner's physical and spiritual health and could result in injuries. Therefore, starting yoga practice with the instructions from books or Internet sites is dangerous and should therefore be avoided. Beginners have to be under the direct guidance of a trainer, with the mention that the beginner stage can often extend way beyond a year of practice. The complexity of the yoga poses will increase with every advance you make on the way, but progress is usually slow as one learns to push the limits of body and mind.

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