Month: August 2018

Copyright 2006 Rob Daniels

Many yoga styles have been derived from classical yoga, and are designed to suit various preferences. Most of the different yoga positions practiced fall into one of two categories: meditative or therapeutic. There are literally hundreds of yoga basic positions or yoga asanas. All of the yoga positions are designed to provide benefits for both the mind and the body.

Each of the five prayer positions have a corresponding yoga position, and the positions together activate all seven chakras or energy fields in the body. The different yoga types and positions focus on different chakras or energy forces. The numerous positions that are part of yoga were originally designed to prepare the body for meditation.

Asanas, the actual poses or positions of yoga, may seem difficult or complicated to the novice. However keep in mind that all the basic positions of yoga are designed to help develop both strength and flexibility. Many yoga positions involve deep stretching and, as such, could help the repetitive trauma disorders tendonitis, tennis elbow, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

A basic knowledge of yoga postures and philosophy is helpful, but not essential. If you cannot be comfortable in your meditation and yoga positions, then you will be unsuccessful.

Unfortunately, many believe that yoga requires tremendous flexibility and the willingness to twist oneself into pretzel-like positions while chanting something unintelligible. But yoga is a series of in and out breaths which move through a variety of physical positions. The physical part of yoga consists of a series of stretching and strength-building positions of varying difficulty.

Although most yoga exercises are safe for nearly everyone, certain twist positions should not be done by pregnant women or people with back problems.

Muscles stretch better when they are warm so be sure to practice yoga in a comfortable environment. Remember to sink into yoga positions slowly and carefully to avoid injury. Don’t try to hold poses for too long of a time period. If you get used to practicing yoga positions everyday, it is expected that your bones and muscles will react accordingly.

It is recommended that practitioners include some form of yoga positions and preferably a yoga routine in daily life. When done properly yoga should increase the lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons. The well researched yoga positions exercise different tendons and ligaments of the body so focus on those difficult areas. There are a lot of yoga positions and poses that is built to enhance posture. The Yoga philosophy urges that the necessary inhibition of mental states is brought about by practice and conquest of desire. Through the practice of yoga an individual can gain information about physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being.

The yoga postures are often misconstrued as the definition of yoga. Stretching is only a small part of the yoga philosophy. To be rid of sorrow and sin, one must, according to yoga philosophy, attain spiritual unification, the consciousness of two in one, or yoga. Each pose integrates the foundational principles of asana, anatomy, and yoga philosophy, and develops the transcendent inner experience. For an authentic appreciation of the Yoga philosophy of mind, it is essential that these ideas be fully explored.

If you love yoga and want to help keep this very old tradition alive in contemporary cultures, you may need Yoga Teacher Training and become yoga instructor.

To become a good Yoga Instructor, you may need professional Yoga Instructor Training. There are lots of different Yoga Teacher Training courses are available for you, many of them are free and some are paid. Yoga is an activity alike which anyone can explore it at any time. You can change your student”s lives with getting help from your local yoga teacher training centers.

Yoga is an art. Before going to become a yoga instructor, you need to gain whole knowledge of yoga. Yoga Instructor Training gives you a full understanding of yoga as an art which is required for a yoga instructor. You need to learn the different positions of yoga as well as the history of yoga. With the help of yoga workshop you may become a good yoga instructor in quick time.

If you shows interest on yoga, than Yoga Teacher Training can be easy for you but if you show no interest it can be difficult. The Yoga Instructor Training is made so that you can learn how to teach and train others in yoga. Keep one thing in your mind learn everything from yoga teacher training courses from every angle so that you can teach and help your students after becoming yoga instructor. You need to learn deeply about all the yoga positions. You must be reacting as an instructor in all the difficult positions. For this you may also learn how to master these positions.

A good Yoga Teacher Training courses includes Yoga Videos, Yoga Music and Yoga EBooks for their students. Students can also get help from these yoga videos and yoga ebooks. These things can be helpful for students at the time of finishing their Yoga Instructor Training courses.

At last, not forget to take a Yoga Certificate from your yoga training center. Every Yoga Center provides a Yoga Certification or Yoga Instructor Certification to their students after completing their courses. Yoga Certification is must required for a yoga instructor, especially at the time when you decide to start your own Yoga Workshop.

II. Uttarakalamrita: Kalidasa of Uttarakalamrita a classical writer completely differs with Mantreswara and also introduced some precious knowledge about the exchange of houses which brought dramatic considering and bringing in practice. His suggestions are as below:

(a) When ninth and tenth lords exchange their position (provided they are not the owners of eighth and eleventh houses as well) they create a Raj Yoga and bring wealth and prosperous to the concerned native.

(b) There are three pairs of lords which are very important to be carefully noted and properly examined in a birth chart:

(i) Lords of ninth and tenth houses from Ascendant.

(ii) Lords of ninth and tenth houses counted from ninth house of birth chart (This means the author favour exchange of fifth and sixth lords also).

(iii) Lords of ninth and tenth houses reckoned from tenth house of birth chart (which means the author allows parivartana of sixth and seventh house to be good).

(iv) There are four sets have been considered viz. Lords of Rasi and Amsa occupied by a planet and Ascendant lord (b) Lords of tenth and ninth (c) Lords of 5, 3, 4 and 7 (d) Lords of 2 and 11: When they occupy each others house they bestow on the native the following blessings viz. (a) prosperity, (b) elephants, horses or like that, (c) happiness and children, (d) wealth.

(v) If any one of the following three interchanges of houses take place in a birth chart, thus constituted parivartana yoga do come in existence, viz. (a) eighth lord occupying twelfth or sixth (b) sixth lord occupying eighth or twelfth, (c) twelfth lord placed in eighth or sixth. Here vide (a) to (c) as above the concerned planets should at the same time be free from such relation with other planets.

Above mentioned yogas of parivartana when found to be present in any birth chart, bestow on the concerned native a great kingship, fame, name and wealth.

III. Jataka Yogavali: An author Venkatesa Sharma who in his later life became known as celebrated Venkatesa Daivagnya and wrote a grantha Sarvartha Chintamani, some 375 years ago, has written a classical work Jataka Yogavali and has given us some Privartana Yogas due to the interchange of certain houses. The Parivartana Yogas though they are very few, but clearly hint how cautious we should be to look other favourable conditions also for materializing the yoga phala.

(i)CHAPA(bow) YOGA: Interchange of signs between lords of second and tenth house whilst the Ascendant lord is exalted, will resultProfessionally the status of the native is comparable to a king. He is treasurer or a commander.

(ii)SIVA YOGA: Lord of fifth placed in ninth, ninth lord placed in tenth, whereas tenth lord placed in fifth house. Effects of this yoga are: the native engages himself in high undertakings, gets lordship over vast areas, wins battles, professionally positions himself as a commander, controls over his senses and has the vast knowledge.

(iii)KAAR MUKHA YOGA: Interchange of signs between lords of Ascendant and tenth, whilst amsa lords of tenth and Ascendant falling in one and the same sign and there is Jupiters aspect on either first or tenth lords.

Effects: The native would be leader amongst learned people, highly courageous, very intelligent, charitable, enjoying life in high walks and very important personality in the community. The yoga phala materializes after nine years of age.

IV) INDRA YOGA: Whilst there is exchange of signs between lords of fifth and eleventh houses, the Moon should stand in fifth house. Effects: The native will has reputation for a very long period. He will be highly courageous having status like a king. He will enjoy life in high walks and will be liked by king.

(v) AMARAKA YOGA: Exchange of houses between lords of seventh and ninth provided both the lords are quite strong. Effects: The native will possess long hands, lotus like eyes. He will be well-versed in law, having a magisterial post, praised by public, interested in pilgrimages, has happiness from wife and will be enjoying greater happiness after age of 50 years.

(vi) SRIMANTHI(wealth) YOGA: If there is interchange of houses between lords of ninth and tenth provided Ascendant lord is with one of the above lords duly aspected by Jupiter. Effects: The native will be having highly charitable nature and all kinds of prosperity. He will be highly respected and be learned. He will have full span of life.

It has become fashionable to do yoga. She was attracted to adults, children and even pregnant women. At the same time, the obstetricians attitude to yoga for pregnant women is very cautious. Many doctors are appealing to the fact that the Eastern women (mostly Indian), yoga – a traditional, centuries-old practice that is specific to a given culture, lifestyle and worldview. Specialists in yoga poses, in turn, argue that European women yoga can bring many benefits and positive emotions during any period of life, and even during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
The main purpose of a person who practices yoga – to achieve complete peace and harmony of life, self-reliance, inner freedom. An integral part of yoga is the general improvement of the body.
Yoga is “working” is not the case, such as aerobics or fitness classes. Then the whole work is directed inward, the acceleration of metabolic processes. Due to breathing exercises, twisting, bending, and deflections during the execution of the asanas is a direct effect on internal organs. Each asana affects specific organ system. In addition, during the yoga classes are born positive emotions: there is an internal self-reliance, peace, and which remains after school. The impact of yoga on the body lasts all day. The difference lies in the fact that during aerobic classes and training on simulators built up the muscles, and during yoga, they are extended. Yoga makes the body more slender, thin and fit, completely changes the shape, “extend” it.
With the help of yoga a woman can overcome many of the unpleasant characteristic of pregnancy: morning sickness, back pain, legs, etc. There are even postures, aimed at eliminating the threat of termination of pregnancy. Expectant mother can use the same posture, which performed before pregnancy, but there are some asanas that are practiced during the pregnancy itself. In general, yoga for pregnant womens health is soft, smooth and accuracy.
According to the traditions of yoga, children can be seriously engaged in no earlier than 14 years. At this age, is the awareness of yoga, you have a child knowingly takes part in the exercises. He is not distracted, he likes to do. Although there are exceptions to the age rules. I watched the video, filmed in the Indian schools of yoga; kids get up there the wonders of yoga. There is a so-called baby-yoga, which also does not apply to classical yoga is done only once. It is very beneficial to the kids health, removes the “after-clips” if they have a place to be. This half-hour lesson, which is held every 2 weeks after birth and only the experts – proven by people working in this field for over 10 years. For my son, we invited a person who practices yoga for 25 years. After the baby yoga, he showed us how to do dynamic exercises with the baby, bathe him. Poses that a child receives during the sessions – absolutely unbelievable. Baby yoga is not removed and do not explain to parents their children were doing it yourself – so it is a dangerous process in the hands of the layman.

It might surprise many people to learn that yoga has a long history in the United States. For a lot of Americans, their knowledge of yoga may only date back to the 1960s, when the concepts of spiritualism and meditation were embraced by the countrys counterculture.

But it may surprise some people to learn that yoga in the U.S. has a history that dates back to the late 1800s.

In 1883, Swami Vivekananda made an appearance at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago where he greeted his sisters and brothers of America, a salutation that brought a standing ovation from the large audience in attendance. His idea that all of the religions of the world are merely separate parts of a larger religion was a new concept to those hearing him speak about the mind, body and spirit.

Swami Vivekananda was followed by Yogendra Mastamani, also from India, who arrived in the U.S. and settled on Long Island, N.Y. in 1919 and established the American version of Kaivalyadhama, an Indian organization that made major strides in the scientific exploration of yoga. Mastamani introduced Hatha Yoga to the United States.

One year later, one of the most popular yogis of all time, Paramahansa Yogananda, arrived in Boston to introduce kriya yoga to the U.S. He created the Self-Realization Fellowship, which now has its headquarters in Los Angeles. Yogananda also wrote the world-famous best seller, “Autobiography of a Yogi”, a book that is still an inspirational resource for many yoga instructors and students.

In the 1930s, Jiddu Krishnamurti brought the yogi to new level of awareness in the U.S. thanks to this popular, eloquent speeches on Jnana-Yoga yoga, which is the yoga of discernment. His talks earned him the admiration of a number of celebrities of the time, such as writers Aldous Huxley and George Bernard Shaw and actors Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo.

In 1924, the U.S. imposed a restriction on the number of Indians it would allow to move to the U.S., meaning students who sought the teachings of yogis had to travel to India. One of these students was Theos Bernard, who traveled to India and came back in 1947 to write the book “Hatha Yoga: The Report of a Personal Experience”, an influential book which is still widely today.

The same year that Bernard penned his examination of Hatha Yoga, Russian-born yogi Indra Devi opened one of the first Hatha Yoga studios in Hollywood and earned the title First Lady of Yoga. Devi was admired by housewives across the U.S., as well as Hollywood stars such as Gloria Swanson, Jennifer Jones and Robert Ryan. Devi died in her home in Buenos Ares in 2002.

But the man who is generally credited with introducing yoga to middle America is not even a native of India. Richard Hittleman, who studied in India for a number of years and returned to the States in 1950 to become a yoga instructor in New York, introduced a non-spiritual-based yoga to the United States and forever changed the way yoga was thought of and taught in America. It was Hittleman who placed emphasis on the physical side of yoga, letting a Western audience focus on the bodily aspects of yoga and not just the mind. Hittleman’s goal was to teach American students to gradually embrace the spiritual side of yoga, which many people have.

As Hittleman worked to expand yoga on the East, Walt and Magana Baptiste were working to increase yoga’s scope on the West Coast when they open a studio in San Francisco in the 1950s. Both of the Baptistes were students of Yogananda and Walt brought the influence of Vivekananda to the practice, creating an entirely new approach to yoga. Their yoga influence is being continued by their daughter and son, Sherri and Baron.

Elsewhere in San Francisco, Swami Vishu-devananda immigrated from India in 1958 and created “The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga” with famed artist and designer Peter Max. The book has become a go-to manual for yoga instructors and students. Vishu-devananga would later go on to create the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta yoga centers, which has become one of most prominent yoga school franchises in the entire world.

When the counterculture began to take hold in the 1960s, the idea of yoga and its emotional effects caught the interest of many people, and one of the most famous groups to explore the meditative possibilities of yoga were The Beatles, whose relationship with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was famous around the world. He created the Transcendental Meditation school of yoga that today employs more than 40,000 instructors and approximately 4 million followers worldwide.

In the late ’60s, Professor Richard Albert of Harvard took a journey into India and came back with the name Ram Dass and gave talks to college students around the nation in support of his blockbuster book “Be Here Now”, which set thousands of young people on a journey of discovery through yoga. The book continues to be source of inspiration for many people in their quest for spirituality through yoga.

In the 1970s, yoga continued to grow as studios began popping up all over the nation. The Mount Madonna yoga school, founded by Baba Hari Dass, gave residential yoga to the inhabitants of Santa Cruz, California. Shrila Prabhubada began the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which led to the international spiritual study of Bhakti Yoga. Ashtanga-vinyasa Yoga was brought to the U.S. by Pattabhi Jois in the mid ’70s and made yoga popular with new groups of people. Swami Satchitananda was probably the most famous non-musician to appear at Woodstock. Swami Sivananda Radha is the female yogi credited with first investigating the link between the spirituality and psychology of yoga. And the teachings of Swamii Chidananda, who himself was a student of yoga master Swami Sivananda, were delivered to the world by one of his former students, instructor Liliias Folan through her landmark PBS television series “Lilias, Yoga and You” which aired on the network from 1970 to 1979 and made yoga available in every home in the U.S.

Yoga has continued its influence across America with classes and studios in cities all over, from the smallest town to the major metro areas. In addition, the advent of digital media, including CDs, DVDs and streaming Internet video, yoga can go anywhere, further giving it a foothold in the United States.