Yoga is not a religion. It has no creed or fixed set of beliefs - perhaps that is why its benefits have appealed to people from all over the world and it has become an international movement in the last decade.
An Ancient Art
It is interesting to learn about the origins of Yoga. Ancient seals unearthed in the Indus Valley provide clear evidence of widespread Yoga practice earlier than 3,000 B.C. However, it was C.E. Patanjali, considered the father of modern Yoga, who formalized Yoga and compiled 195 aphorisms which are called the Yoga Sutra. In the Yoga Sutra, he described the eight aspects of a Yogic Lifestyle and called it the Eight Limbs of Yoga.
The limbs are practical guides to a person's personal development to achieve the harmony of the mind, the body and the spirit which leads to Samadhi or enlightenment. The word Yoga means "to join or yoke together." It aims at bringing the mind anybody together to create a harmony in our ever busy lives.
Breathing techniques are based on the concept that breath is the source of life in the body. The yoga student gently increases breath control to improve the health and function of both body and mind. These two systems of exercise and breathing then prepare the body and mind for meditation, and the student finds an easy approach to a quiet mind that allows silence and healing from everyday stress.
There are many styles of Yoga. Perhaps one that stands out because of its sheer individuality of technique is the Bikram studio. Bikram Yoga is the brain child of Bikram Chaudhury in the US and is taught at 42 degrees and incorporates about 26 postures when exercised in the correct manner, promote sweating and detoxification. He is yogi to stars such as Madonna, Serena Williams, Robert Downey Jr., etc.
Bikram Yoga uses the principal of the tourniquet effect: stretching, balancing and using pressure all at the same time in a very warm room. The blood supply to arteries and veins is cut off, creating pressure. When released, a lock gate effect is created causing blood to rush through veins and arteries, flushing them out.
Sakura Moretto, a follower of Bikram Yoga, explains why it suits her better than normal Yoga: "Bikram Yoga has also increased my endurance to other discomforts, such as heat and the traffic jams. Where earlier I would have regularly lost my cool, I can now stay calm, control my frustration and preserve my energy."
As the world spins faster and people rush along coping with dangerous stress levels, the struggle to survive is perhaps forcing resourceful humans to go back to the tools our ancestors used to maintain themselves.
The only difference is that one had to scale mountain peaks and search deep forests for yogis in earlier times, today he might just sign off for a break from his space station or his computer desk and go to practice his yoga in a small room somewhere.
The Five Basic Practices of Yoga
- Asanas or Physical Poses
The Asanas are designed to free our mind and body from tension and stress. It relaxes, rejuvenates, and energized the body and aims to bring the body and the mind into a harmonious union. Asanas should be done with comfort, ease, alertness and steadiness, achieving a balance between ease and effort.
- Pranayama or Breathing Exercises
Pranayama is the control of breath. The breath is regulated and controlled through the practice of breathing exercises. The duration of inhalation, retention, and exhalation of breath is regulated with the aim of strengthening and cleansing the nervous system and increasing a person's source of life energy. Pranayama practice also makes the mind calmer and more focused.
- Prathayara or Withdrawal of the Senses
This occurs during meditation, pranayama or asana wherein you are so focused and immersed on your yoga, meditation or breathing pose that you become unaware of outside situations. Dharana or concentration is training the mind to focus without any distraction. To achieve this, you can focus your mind on an object at a time. This can also serve as a preparation for meditation.
- Dhyana or Meditation
Meditation is the practice by which there is constant, concentrated observation of the mind. It means focusing the mind on one point, stilling the mind in order to perceive the self.
- Samadhi or Enlightenment
This is the ultimate goal of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. It is characterized by the state of ecstasy and the feeling that you and the universe are one. It is a state of peace and completion, awareness and compassion with detachment.
An Ancient Art
It is interesting to learn about the origins of Yoga. Ancient seals unearthed in the Indus Valley provide clear evidence of widespread Yoga practice earlier than 3,000 B.C. However, it was C.E. Patanjali, considered the father of modern Yoga, who formalized Yoga and compiled 195 aphorisms which are called the Yoga Sutra. In the Yoga Sutra, he described the eight aspects of a Yogic Lifestyle and called it the Eight Limbs of Yoga.
The limbs are practical guides to a person's personal development to achieve the harmony of the mind, the body and the spirit which leads to Samadhi or enlightenment. The word Yoga means "to join or yoke together." It aims at bringing the mind anybody together to create a harmony in our ever busy lives.
Breathing techniques are based on the concept that breath is the source of life in the body. The yoga student gently increases breath control to improve the health and function of both body and mind. These two systems of exercise and breathing then prepare the body and mind for meditation, and the student finds an easy approach to a quiet mind that allows silence and healing from everyday stress.
There are many styles of Yoga. Perhaps one that stands out because of its sheer individuality of technique is the Bikram studio. Bikram Yoga is the brain child of Bikram Chaudhury in the US and is taught at 42 degrees and incorporates about 26 postures when exercised in the correct manner, promote sweating and detoxification. He is yogi to stars such as Madonna, Serena Williams, Robert Downey Jr., etc.
Bikram Yoga uses the principal of the tourniquet effect: stretching, balancing and using pressure all at the same time in a very warm room. The blood supply to arteries and veins is cut off, creating pressure. When released, a lock gate effect is created causing blood to rush through veins and arteries, flushing them out.
Sakura Moretto, a follower of Bikram Yoga, explains why it suits her better than normal Yoga: "Bikram Yoga has also increased my endurance to other discomforts, such as heat and the traffic jams. Where earlier I would have regularly lost my cool, I can now stay calm, control my frustration and preserve my energy."
As the world spins faster and people rush along coping with dangerous stress levels, the struggle to survive is perhaps forcing resourceful humans to go back to the tools our ancestors used to maintain themselves.
The only difference is that one had to scale mountain peaks and search deep forests for yogis in earlier times, today he might just sign off for a break from his space station or his computer desk and go to practice his yoga in a small room somewhere.
The Five Basic Practices of Yoga
- Asanas or Physical Poses
The Asanas are designed to free our mind and body from tension and stress. It relaxes, rejuvenates, and energized the body and aims to bring the body and the mind into a harmonious union. Asanas should be done with comfort, ease, alertness and steadiness, achieving a balance between ease and effort.
- Pranayama or Breathing Exercises
Pranayama is the control of breath. The breath is regulated and controlled through the practice of breathing exercises. The duration of inhalation, retention, and exhalation of breath is regulated with the aim of strengthening and cleansing the nervous system and increasing a person's source of life energy. Pranayama practice also makes the mind calmer and more focused.
- Prathayara or Withdrawal of the Senses
This occurs during meditation, pranayama or asana wherein you are so focused and immersed on your yoga, meditation or breathing pose that you become unaware of outside situations. Dharana or concentration is training the mind to focus without any distraction. To achieve this, you can focus your mind on an object at a time. This can also serve as a preparation for meditation.
- Dhyana or Meditation
Meditation is the practice by which there is constant, concentrated observation of the mind. It means focusing the mind on one point, stilling the mind in order to perceive the self.
- Samadhi or Enlightenment
This is the ultimate goal of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. It is characterized by the state of ecstasy and the feeling that you and the universe are one. It is a state of peace and completion, awareness and compassion with detachment.
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