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Yoga Basics: Your guide to the Practice of Yoga

yogayak asked:

yogayak.com Join Sarah through this gentle, vinyasa based yoga flow, designed for all skill levels. This class covers many of the basic postures found in any given yoga class and is both short and thorough. Sarah leads you throw the postures with easy to follow instructions that leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. At only 42 min, this flow is perfect for a yoga class during a lunch break or any time during the day your body needs a lift. Duration: 42 min We filmed this class at Trout Lake Park in Vancouver, BC it was the first filming session for Yogayak.com and Sarahs first time on camera. Benefits: tones and lengthens the entire body, relieves stress, improves posture, increases circulation, increases well being Contraindications: this yoga flow is suitable for all levels, however, if you have any chronic pain, or are recovering from injury consult your health practitioner before beginning any yoga practice Teacher: Sarah Holmes

charliejames1975 asked:

I often have bank pain – especially when I get up in the morning. I found that practicing these fairly basic and simple postures really helped me to ease away the stress I was carrying in my back. You don’t have to practice yoga to benefit from these moves – like any good stretch, you should find that they help you to relax. Enjoy. Best, Zuzana

Amber O’Neal asked:


Despite the increasing popularity of yoga, many women remain skeptical. Some have never felt completely comfortable with the concept because they think it involves the practice of non-Christian religions. However, the truth is that the principles of yoga do not have to be tied to any particular religion. We can all practice yoga in good conscience – no matter our beliefs.

Aside from spirituality concerns, others are cynics because they think yoga involves just sitting in a room doing a bunch of stretching while chanting to new age music, and they want to walk away from the gym feeling like they worked hard. While this type of dry yoga class is certainly a possibility, there are also classes that will leave you dripping with sweat while licking the edge of your empty water bottle for remnants. The point is that there is something for everyone, so if the first class doesn’t meet your fancy, try another teacher, studio or type of yoga. There is sure to be one that fits your personality and goals.

There are many different aspects to the general term “yoga,” but what most of us conjure up is a particular form of yoga known as Hatha yoga. According to the Yoga Journal, Hatha yoga refers to a set of physical exercises known as asanas or postures, and sequences of asanas, designed to align your skin, muscles, and bones. The postures open the main channel of the body, the spine–so that energy can flow freely. Practicing yoga has the potential to provide myriad benefits:

Increased Flexibility – Yoga positions lead to a greater range of motion and over time, you will likely gain flexibility in your hamstrings, back, shoulders and hips. Body Awareness – You often have to make small, subtle movements to improve your alignment while practicing yoga, and this will give you an increased awareness of your own body. This can make you more comfortable in your own skin, leading to greater self-confidence. Detoxification – By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. Muscle toning – Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways and some require you to move slowly in and out of poses, both of which increase strength and help shape long, lean muscles. Mental Calmness – Yoga is intensely physical, and concentrating so intently on what your body is doing brings an amazing sense of calmness to the mind. Yoga also introduces you to meditation techniques and disengagement from your thoughts, which help calm the mind. Better Breathing - Yoga breathing exercises, called Pranayama, focus the attention on the breath and teaching you how to get the most out of your lungs. This obviously benefits the entire body. Stress Reduction – Physical activity in general is a great stress reliever but this is particularly true of yoga. Your problems and stressors often seem to melt away while doing yoga because of the great concentration the practice requires.

If learning about these yoga basics has put your concerns to rest and piqued your interest, a cute new yoga outfit is always a great way to truly get those yogini juices flowing. Other than that, all you really need to get started is a good yoga mat. Most gyms and yoga studios have mats that you can borrow, but if you plan on becoming a “regular,” it’s usually best to invest in your own mat.

Quick Yoga Tip: Do not eat for at least 2 hours before your yoga class. All of the twisting, turning and posing can make you feel quite unpleasant on a full stomach.

M asked:


Many taiji/xingyi/yiquan practitioners who practice standing meditation agree that it’s not only good for their health, but also leads to developing qualities that are beneficial in comabt situations.

How does that work? How does standing in these postures cause those kinds of changes to occur?

Why is it that people who practice standing may have stronger roots, better sensitivity and power?

yogabestbuy asked:


A very important decision for you as you commence on the yoga path is to choose the right yoga mat. First let’s have glance at the qualities of the perfect yoga mat. In terms of practice, it must be offer traction. In other words it should allow your body parts to grip it firmly without slipping. This is essential in doing yoga poses that have to be held for extended periods. Next, it should lie flat on the floor when you spread it out. It should be soft enough to cushion you body yet firm enough to give support. And you should be able to clean it easily.

Yoga mats are generally a very thin mat. They are used in order to make the ground or floor more comfortable for sitting and lying yoga moves. A mat is a good investment and it may be one of the first yoga accessories you wish to purchase. There are many different types of yoga exercise mats and rugs, including:

CLASSIC” Yoga Mat

“DELUXE” Yoga Mat

Cotton Chemical Free/Organic Ashtanga Yoga Mats

OM Logo MAT

“DELUXE” Yoga Mat Roll

UTOPIAN YOGA MAT

Yoga Blanket/Serape

All these factors depend on the material. When it comes to yoga mates, you have the choice of natural or synthetic. Natural materials such as jute or cotton are sometimes known as yoga rugs. Synthetics such as latex or PVC are sometimes known as sticky mats. Yet other mats are made from a blend of jute and natural rubber. All types of mats have their pros and cons.

Yoga exercises are performed on the floor usually with bare feet. The postures may lead to loss of balance especially in the beginning stages and may result in a fall. You need something that will avoid direct contact of your body with the bare floor that will also protect you in case you lose balance and fall. Yoga exercises can make you sweat a lot, in turn introducing a tendency to slip easily. Mats can help you here and minimize the potential to slip and also protect you in case you do. A yoga mat is designed with precisely these requirements in mind, and is an invaluable accessory for serious practitioners of yoga. Yoga mats can be purchased online. Compared to most of the sports and other physical activity that you can think of, Yoga requires very little by way of accessories. However, you may need to pay attention to the little that is needed because of some peculiarities of Yoga.

Yogabestbuy.com provides you the best quality yoga mats and products online. Where you can find great offers best prices and good products.

chanchal asked:


India is often recognized as the center of the Yoga world. Certainly, there are more practitioners here than anywhere else. However, the practice of yoga has spread throughout the world. As it has spread, it has been changed and modified through experimentation and the application of creative approaches. In the West, yoga practice has taken on many different dimensions. Yoga purists may find it easy to be critical of many of the new ways and would not agree that these ways are “real” yoga. Be that as it may, the experiments in West have come up few very unique aspects, which have the potential to deeply impact your yoga practice and your relationships. One the these is “Couple Yoga”. It is one of the most successful techniques used by the Yoga teachers in USA and Europe.

Couple yoga is a method in which you team up to learn and practice yoga. Most often, the “couples” are what we understand by the traditional interpretation of the term – a man and a woman. In fact, most of the couples who are practicing couple yoga are men and women who are involved in a loving relationship. But, the term “couple” here can also mean two people. They can be friends of the same gender, a girlfriend or a buddy. They can be a parent and a child. What seems to be most important to a successful yoga “couple” is that they share a caring relationship.

In the practice of couple yoga, each person not only performs individual Asanas, but also performs many yoga exercises together with their partner. Some couple postures involve only minor physical contact, like holding your partner’s back as they bend. Others are such that they cannot be performed alone. A Pascimottanasana is an example in which the couple is seated on a mat with the bottoms of there feet together and their hands clasping their partner’s wrists. Together, they perform a double forward bend and help each other stretch leg, back and arm muscles.

One might ask, “what are the advantages of practicing couple yoga? There are many.

Couple yoga helps each person to perform the most difficult postures with greater ease.

Mutual practice creates a greater level of intimacy. It can take the relationship to a different level and helps develop deeper understanding of ourselves and our partner.

In our busy lives when we do not know how to create time for rejuvenation of our own individual health, sharing the practice of yoga with a loved one can become an important means of improving both personal health and the strength of a relationship.

Practicing couple yoga helps each partner to understand their own and their partner’s strengths and weaknesses and creates the opportunity for each to add to their own and their partner’s strengths and to help improve each other’s deficiencies.

Couple yoga can create a surge of energy in the relationship. It can improve the way you “dance” together. The supportive hand of a partner helps to unlock all those blocked energy areas in your body.

It is difficult for many people to perform postures like chakraasana alone. When you have a partner to give you a helping hand you can do it without any effort at all.

Doing yoga with your kids enhances their feelings of being safe. Your loving touch and protective presence will make them confident and will help in them to grow into healthy adults.

We all know that there are two basic forms of communication – verbal and non-verbal. Doing yoga with your partner will improve the quality of your non-verbal communication and this communication without words gives another dimension for the expression of emotions.

Doing yoga with your partner will help you become sensitive to when your partner is in need and aware of how to help. The combination of touch and caring adds to the healing capacity of your shared yoga relationship. Because partner yoga creates the space and the opportunity to hear each other beyond words, each will be able to hear “inner sounds” of the other. This heightened awareness adds to the feelings of peace and grounding often noted as one of the main benefits of traditional yoga.

Couple yoga creates a feeling of mutual harmony and helps each partner stay in touch with the other. It is one of the best ways to sustain health on physical, emotional and spirit to spirit levels..

The yoga couple will be more flexible and together they will have more energy.

One of the most important advantages of couple yoga is the atmosphere it creates. Humor and laughter are not characteristics of traditional yoga. They are common in couple yoga. They contribute to an atmosphere of lightness, which is one of the best signs of health and happiness.

Couple yoga is not for everyone.

Many people benefit from their daily, solitary practice of yoga or from the yoga classes they attend with others. Many need the individual time as much as they need the benefits they derive from yoga practice. Some people are not comfortable with physical touch or with performing asanas with others watching.

For those who are beginning a new relationship or have been in a comfortable and caring relationship they would like to take to another level or for people, who are looking for a unique and mutually beneficial way to be with their children, couple yoga can open the door to wonderful new relationships.

Partner or couple yoga is about health and happiness and caring.

Steve Evans asked:


Children is a wonderful antidote to the hectic lives that our children lead. Yoga can be relaxing, stimulating, and promotes well being. It provides closely controlled exercise and is enormous fun for children at the same time.

A number of Yoga for Children programmes have been created by Yoga teachers to introduce the benefits of yoga and relaxation at an early age in a playful, simple and fun way. The combination of special yoga moves, breathing exercises and relaxations will energize, strengthen, loosen and balance little bodies, while helping to calm and control and relax little minds.

Kids yoga is a wonderful opportunity for the child to learn life skills that can be implemented into their daily routine. Whether it\’s breathing and relaxation techniques that will help them, focus, concentrate or be calm; or postures that will help their endurance, flexibility, balance and coordination these are all very naturally a strong part of yoga.

Yoga for children is most successful if the children are encouraged to use their imagination. A dynamic, creative and stimulating approach grabs the children\’s attention.

Yoga for children is practiced in the United Kingdom. It is not new to Britain, with after-school clubs and classes gaining popularity in recent years as parents realize its wide-ranging benefits. What is new to the UK, however, is the method of Research on Yoga in Education (RYE), an international non-profit making organization which blends the standard school curriculum with exercises on concentration, attention and relaxation, drawn mainly from traditional yoga.

What is also claimed is that Yoga for children gives the benefit that the children may be protected from injuries and at the same time they get all the benefits of exercising the system. This is not to suggest that the other exercise including outdoor forms of exercises and sports and games are not beneficial.

Parents have expressed appreciation for the presentation of yoga in a playful manner with its presentation of actively moving exercises balanced with those that require stillness and inner concentration, all in a child-friendly way. Parents may be practicing yoga themselves, and kids are always interested in what their parents are up to.

When assessing yoga trainers for children, parents should also inquire as to the spiritual nature of the classes; some instructors take a strong religious stance, while others offer no particular religious slant, instead focusing simply on the movements and breathing.

In the best classes the kids learn balance with dozens of yoga poses, develop strength, improve coordination and enhance their flexibility all with these children\’s yoga exercises. Furthermore, kids develop an overall sense of strength, flexibility and well-being, while they get hold of their active lives and sometimes overactive minds. Kids get to prowl, growl and wiggle through yoga animal poses from Alligator to Zebra! Certified children\’s yoga instructors will introduce stretching, breathing, standing poses and simple meditation.

Kids yoga provides an answer to children who we might described as being are little bit harder to reach, although we stand firm with our belief that every child has an angel deep down inside them.

We have said that children’s Yoga allows a child to deal with daily stress. What do we mean by that?

The answer is that each time a child enters a Yoga class for kids, he or she can “close the door” on negative feelings that stress overload brings. They can simply put that behind them throughout the lesson and afterward doing that tend to take a more mature perspective. Kids need a way to manage all of their stress and anxiety. It is not healthy for a child to feel so much anxiety over any given situation.

There you have it! Kids and yoga seem like a natural match. It can be immensely therapeutic for those who need it.

However, yoga can be presented well and insensitively. The best trainers recognize that kids need a practice that suits their physical and emotional needs. Luckily, many yoga schools across the nation are responding to the growing interest in yoga for the younger set in a very well managed and sensitive way.

It is a fact that to provide kids yoga a specialized training might be needed, and is in some places being made available, but patience is a key quality needed for Yoga instructors who want to embark on this path. I teach children myself, and a Kids Yoga class has to be well devised, be fun, and include games.

So, we hope that we have shown you how yoga is such a great way to relax and de-stress equally for the child and the adult.

However, did you know that there are even now some yoga practitioners who are providing training to parents in yoga from soon after birth?

By using yoga with babies, parents confidence grows in handling, playing and having fun with their babies. The classes are fun class in a system which also offers gentle post-natal yoga and tummy toning exercises for mummy!

Anmol Mehta asked:


It is not surprising to those of us who are long time yoga practitioners that the popularity of this profound spiritual science is now exploding on a world wide scale. Unfortunately though some of the authenticity and truths about yoga are being lost and some myths are creeping in with regard to what yoga is and how it is to be practiced. In this article I will look to clear up what I find to be the top 5 myths about yoga.

Top 5 Myths About Yoga:

1. Yoga is a Form of Physical Exercise:

This is perhaps the most common view of yoga. That it is a form of physical exercise. This certainly needs to be clarified and I am going to provide some details about true yoga practice in order to do this.

Yoga is actually has 8 parts to it, with the physical aspect being just 1. These 8 parts, include yoga dos, yoga don’ts, physical exercises (asana), breathing exercises, sense control, concentration, meditation and divine union.

So you can see from above that although the physical aspect of yoga, which is called asana, is an important part of yoga, yoga as a whole is certainly more that just a series of postures and movements. Yoga is essentially a spiritual science whose objective is to still the mind of thoughts, so that the truth of Oneness hidden behind the waves of the mind can be clearly seen and embraced.

2. Yoga is a Religion:

The other extreme and incorrect view on yoga is that is it a religion. Commonly yoga is considered part of Hindu religion, but yoga is not a religion. It is a time tested spiritual science with the goal of revealing the true nature of reality. As indicated above, yoga practice is a step by step process with the end goal of calming down the thought waves in our mind and thus prevent them from distorting the truth.

3. To Practice Yoga You Must be Vegetarian:

There is a notion floating around that in order to practice yoga you must not eat meat and be a vegetarian. This is not true. Although there are tremendous benefits to being vegetarian and this is being more and more validated by the mainstream medical community, there is no requirement of vegetarianism in order to practice yoga.

One point I would like to add here is that, vegetarianism is consistent with the non-violence which yoga advocates and it certainly would be to your benefit to reduce meat intake, nevertheless, you don’t have to be vegetarian in order to be a great yogi.

4. You Need to be Initiated by a Guru:

I have also come across this notion that many believe you need to be initiated and have a guru in order to learn and practice yoga. This is not true. According to yoga, the true guru is within and although it would be to your benefit to learn yoga from an accomplished teacher, this is not a requirement.

5. You Have to be Flexible to do Yoga:

Not so. No doubt yoga will improve your flexibility, along with your strength, balance and overall health, but in order to practice yoga you do not have to be flexible. Yoga is designed to be practiced by all.

Different bodies have different degrees of flexibility and in this case one size does not fit all. For most of the complex yoga posture which require great flexibility to do, there are plenty of modifications which allow you to get the same benefits for those who are less flexible. In fact one of the original reasons I took up yoga because I was not flexible and wanted to improve this aspect of my physical dimension.

Summary:

So there you have the top 5 myths about yoga. Essentially, what these myths do is prevent people from taking up this wonderful science. So if you feel you will have to change faiths, find gurus, stop eating meat or are too inflexible to take up yoga practice, you are wrong. Don’t pass up the wonderful opportunity to learn and practice this amazing science, which helps you discover your true divine and eternal nature.

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.

merry parker asked:


Ancient practitioners have likened yoga to a living tree with six branches coming from the trunk, with each branch having its own unique function relating to a particular lifestyle. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is one of the six darshanas of Hindu or Vedic schools and, alongside the Bhagvada Gita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika, is a milestone in the history of Yoga. Though brief, the Yoga Sutras are an enormously influential work, just as relevant for yoga philosophy and practice today, as when written many thousands of years ago.

The six branches of Yoga tend to have some aspects in common and familiarizing oneself with all six will certainly help in the selection of your own yoga programme that incorporates routines that appeal from any of the six branches. Asanas or postures, Pranayama or breath control, these two disciplines along with meditation and a strict moral code are the fundamentals of the practice of yoga.

Hatha Yoga

Introduced in the 15th century by an Indian sage as a preparatory stage of physical purification to enable the body to be fit for the practice of higher meditation as in Raja Yoga, Ha means sun and tha means moon, a reference to the energy channels of the body. Fully opened energy channels allow the body to become supple enough to attain the mental disciplines of Raja Yoga. In practice, both Hatha and Raja Yoga are inter-related and dependant upon each other. Western practitioners associate yoga with the hatha branch to attain mental and physical wellbeing.

Raja Yoga

Raja translates as ‘royal’ and meditation is central to this branch of yoga, which has eight side branches or limbs in an order that must be strictly followed. We start with Yama meaning ethical standards, Niyama – self discipline, asana – posture, pranayama – breathing control, pratyahara – sensory withdrawal, dharana – meditation, samadhi – ecstasy or final liberation. Those inclined to introspection or meditation are best suited to Raja yoga.

Though members of religious orders and spiritual communities devote themselves to this yoga branch, one does not have to embrace a monastic lifestyle to gain from the benefits of practicing Raja Yoga.

Karma Yoga

The fundamental principle of Karma Yoga is that what we experience now is created by our past actions, whether in this life or a previous one. Once we understand this principal, then we can ensure all our present actions help create a future free of negativity and selfishness. To practice Karma Yoga is to lead a life of selfless service to others.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga is yoga of the heart, a branch of devotion Bhakti is the Sanskrit term for selfless love of God and mankind. Bhakti principles are universal and common to many world religions. By following the path of bhakti we learn to channel our emotions, accept and have tolerance for all those that cross our path.

Jnana Yoga

This is the branch of knowledge, the yoga of the mind and is both the most difficult and the most direct of the six branches. It is yoga of the mind, of wisdom, the path of the sage or scholar. The practitioners of Jnana Yoga develop their intellects by intensive study, particularly but not confined to, the yoga tradition and other spiritual teachings. This is the path that most appeals to the intellectuals pursuing the practice of yoga. Within the context of our Western religious traditions, Kabalistic scholars, Jesuit priests, and Benedictine monks epitomise Jnana Yogis.

Tantra Yoga

Tantra, from the Sanskrit ‘to weave’ or ‘loom’, is the branch of yoga that practices ritual as a means of experiencing the divine in all our activities. Probably, the most misunderstood or misinterpreted of all the yogas, tantra, the sixth branch, is the pathway of ritual, an in tantric practice; we experience the Divine in everything we do. A reverential attitude is, therefore cultivated, encouraging a ritualistic approach to life. In essence, tantra is the most esoteric of the six major branches and appeals to those yogis who enjoy ceremony and relate to the feminine principle of the cosmos, which they call Shakti.

In the West, the tantric path of yoga has become associated almost entirely with sexual activity. It is because of this emphasis on only one aspect of this branch that it has become misinterpreted and misunderstood by so many. It is amusing to note that, although tantra has become associated exclusively with sexual ritual, most tantric schools actually recommend a celibate lifestyle. The ‘Kama Sutra’ an ancient Hindu book of sexual techniques is the best known example of the lack of understanding of the true objectives of tantra yoga.

A discipline that leads to a reverential attitude to even the most every day celebrations of giving and receiving, of birth and death, of achievements and of failure, and of relationships and understanding, this is a path that will appeal to westerners who enjoy being actively involved in celebrations, church going, clubs and associations and other types of ceremonies.

Combining the Paths

You do not have to limit yourself to one expression, but can practice hatha yoga, taking care of your physical body, while simultaneously cultivating the lifestyle of a Bhakti Yogi, expressing compassion for everyone you meet. Whichever, avenue of yogic expression draws your interest; it will probably be the right yoga path for you.