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Yoga Basics: Your guide to the Practice of Yoga

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


Did you know that the basic yoga postures are quite easy to learn and do? Many people who are new to Yoga do not know what the yoga poses really are. There is absolutely nothing to worry if you are new to the practice.

Yoga is a practice where unification of the body, mind and spirit takes place. This total sense of unification of the body mind and sprit can be achieved through the constant and repeated practice of yoga postures and techniques.

Many people who are new to yoga are always dumb struck when they see others doing the various postures and often wonder how to do them. A beginner to this kind of practice will want to know which yoga positions would be most suitable to them.

People who are yoga exponents or Yogis as they are referred to are of the firm opinion that yoga helps to unify the body and mind. This opinion has not undergone any change even after so many years. It is believed that when one does the yoga poses, the body gets healed automatically especially when one is in an environment which is serene.

Doctors are of the opinion that yoga has many therapeutic benefits and those people who are suffering from incurable illnesses have actually benefited from practicing yoga postures. If you are new to yoga and have been suffering from a long time illness then doing the basic yoga postures is really going to help you get better. To get yourself relieved from the disease you must have complete faith that doing yoga is going to rid you of it making you feel all the more healthy.

Yoga is not an exercise system that has been around for centuries and has been practiced and tried by many who have benefited from it. Research and investigation into the system of yoga has proved beyond doubt that it indeed heals the body.

People who are new to yoga and have just begun to practice the postures have found that their joints have become very flexible. The yoga positions meant for beginners are simple exercises which can bring about a healthy change in their present lifestyle. But the benefits become manifold the more they practice.

A new yoga student will find that the exercises are not only easy to perform but are also stimulating and interesting. Yoga helps to massage the internal organs and glands thus making them work efficiently. It also stimulates those parts which are hardly put into use.

Yoga positions for beginners can be learnt from home or at any yoga school nearby. The basic yoga poses for beginners include exercises like standing postures, sitting postures, forward and back ward bends, balancing and twisting. Once the student has mastered these easy yoga postures then they can move on to the more difficult poses which will certainly be not that difficult when they begin to practice them.

The beginners are not made to hold the yoga positions for longer periods as most will find it difficult to do so. Also they would need enough rest in between each posture so that they will have enough energy to get into the next position with ease.

Self discipline is very important for a beginner in yoga. Yoga does not mean just performing the poses it is much more than that. If you are a beginner make sure that you learn the basic poses well before you proceed to learn and master the more difficult positions.

anonymous asked:


Maybe your doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, or best friend told you Yoga would be good for you. You have heard so much about Yoga; it seems that Yoga is a “cure” for almost anything. The more you hear, the more confusing it is to understand what Yoga is all about.

Should you go out and buy a Yoga book? What would be the best Yoga book to buy? If you visit the local book store, you see hundreds of Yoga books, CD’s, DVD’s, card decks, and kits. Should you buy a copy of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali or buy one of the “for dummies” Yoga books?

Below is an overview of Yoga, which may help you decide your path of Yogic study. There is no right or wrong path of Yoga study, but be selective when you choose a Yoga teacher, Yoga book, or Yoga class.

You should first realize that there are many styles of Yoga. There are nine major styles of Yoga; many more styles exist, as well as many sub-styles. The nine major styles of Yoga are Bhakti, Hatha, Jnana, Karma, Kundalini, Mantra, Raja, Tantra, and Yantra Yoga. Each style emphasizes unity of body, mind, and spirit.

The literal meaning of Yoga is “union” or “unity.” If we can unify the body, mind, and spirit in harmony, we can achieve tranquility. One of the main purposes of Yoga is tranquility through improved health due to a holistic approach to life.

India is the birth place of Yoga. There are many written works about Yoga, but the origin of Yoga dates back thousands of years. Yoga is the “mother” of most of the world’s health maintenance systems. Asian martial arts, with an origin from the Shaolin temple, and Pilates, can trace their ancestry back to Yoga.

The “higher forms of Yoga” are said to be Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, and Raja Yoga. Each of these four styles is a complex subject, within themselves, and I cannot do them justice by a summarization.

Hatha Yoga sub-styles are the most prolific outside of India. Most new Yoga practitioners will learn a Hatha Yoga sub-style first. Hatha Yoga, and its many sub-styles, primarily emphasize physical health, which will likely result in improved mental health. Most Hatha Yoga classes, outside of India, do not approach spiritual health.

Nevertheless, Hatha Yoga is seen by fundamentalists as an “export of Hinduism.” In some rare instances, this may be true, but most Hatha Yoga teachers are content to teach improved health for body and mind.

Therefore, when you choose a book, or local Yoga teacher, be aware that the Yoga teacher or Guru is a guide – but you have a right to know which direction you are being guided to. The Yoga practitioner learns to expand his or her mind and make independent decisions “along the way.”

Yoga is non-threatening to religion. If a Yoga instructor teaches intolerance, of any kind, that is not Yoga. Unity is not sectarianism. We have to learn to appreciate diversity, and we should never tolerate prejudice. Prejudice and intolerance are often the cause of crime and wars.

On the “Grand Scale,” the goals of Yoga are the end of suffering, tranquility, and world peace through unity.

Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Alien asked:


Yoga for Toning Your Body



Yoga in these days is becoming popular and is practiced by people mainly for its health benefits. The term yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word “union,” which means ‘to join.’

It aims for the great union of the body, mind, and spirit through a system of postures, breathing exercises, meditation. It refers to far more than these. In reality, it includes a wide range of disciplines designed to eventually bring the practitioners closer to god.

The yoga classes are usually longer than any other exercise classes because practicing yoga generally needs two to three hours. During a yoga session, your yoga instructor will guide you a series of yoga poses, where you will find many for the yoga positions with simple names such as ‘the plank,’ ‘the cat,’ or ‘the warrior.’

Yoga, when compared to other classes, is based on perfection and many yoga practitioners expend large amounts of their time in getting the positions perfect. Many instructors make use of definite terminology in their sessions.

You may feel overwhelmed in the beginning with terms such as asana, pranayama or pratyahara. So, do not allow these put you off, as it is not essential to learn and master all yoga terminology.

Benefits of Yoga

The benefits of yoga are countless. The most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. Hence yoga is considered therapeutic or beneficial. Yoga helps to increase one’s body flexibility. It also helps to increase the muscle and tendon suppleness, as a result decreasing your risk of injuries.

It can also helps to combat against certain illnesses, and there are some reliable researches proving that it aids in controlling certain illnesses such as headaches, arthritis, stress, anxiety, blood pressure, asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, epilepsy, diabetes and many more.

Practicing yoga doesn’t increase the aerobic fitness of your body, apart from ‘ashtanga yoga’, so it is better to combine yoga sessions with aerobic type of exercises such as brisk walking or jogging. The ultimate aim is to manage the breathing and reduce stress through meditation.

Types of Yoga

Yoga is all about poses, breathing exercises and meditation. There are many types of yoga that are available to practice regularly in order to maintain a healthy body and though no type particularly is harder.

So, it is wise to ensure how experienced your yoga class is prior to join. Generally, beginner’s classes are more available.

Here are some of the types of yoga:

Hatha Yoga

‘Hatha’ is a type of yoga that is an overall term for the physical part of yoga. Hatha yoga is suggested for the yoga beginners. Hatha covers most types of yoga and a class that is known as Hatha Yoga, is usually a balanced and moderately concentrated.

Yoga posture and breathing exercises will be practiced. It’s best to gain knowledge of yoga fundamentals before moving to other type.

Iyengar Yoga

This is one of the Hatha yoga styles, which needs to practice with the body alignment and focusing on the way to understand the body and its work. There is very little focus on breathing exercises and meditation for starting levels. The primary importance is on proper alignment, mainly for the spine and core of the body.

This Hatha yoga style makes use of some supports such as yoga blankets, yoga blocks, and yoga straps in order to bring your body into a proper alignment. Practitioners will hold the yoga poses for longer periods of time than other types of yoga.

Astanga Yoga

Ashtanga is an interesting one among all Hatha yoga styles, which is a series of yoga poses that always practiced in the same order. Astanga yoga is a physically demanding workout. Astanga yoga practitioners practice these postures in a continual flow linking their movements from breath to breath.

Practicing this type of yoga will develop the body strength, stamina and flexibility. It is also called as power yoga. Those who want to practice this type of yoga can fit it easier if they are physically fit.