Tag: United States

Yoga is a very ancient form of exercise that has come into vogue these years because increasing numbers of people are realizing that it is a very powerful tool to beat stress and to sustain health. Yoga is also very effective at regularizing various processes of the body and also at delaying the onset of aging. There are various types of Yoga that you could practice and they all have very different emphasis and therefore different effects on the body. In case you have to choose between Hatha Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga, you do have to know more about each type of Yoga before you proceed.

Hatha Yoga dates back to the 15th century and it is this type of Yoga that is most familiar to people in the United States as regular Yoga. Yoga consists of lots of asanas or positions that a person has to follow in addition to doing regulated breathing exercises. The combined use of stretching and breathing control exercises is crucial to regulate blood circulation and metabolism, and this in turn helps you to control high blood pressure and diabetes.

Hatha Yoga places a lot of emphasis on spiritual development in addition to maintaining the health of the body . It is a very sedate form of Yoga that involves a lot of Yoga meditation and spirituality. It is not uncommon to hear Hindu devotional music in the Yoga classes while you practice the asanas, and there is usually some time apart for chanting in Sanskrit. I prompt search of your local suburb in Google should give you some better options – here is a site I have used to find out some more great info Yoga Sydney

IIf getting fit whilst doing the Yoga classes is very important , then Hatha Yoga is unquestionably not what you should be practicing. The kind of Yoga that Hollywood stars and other celebrities practice is Ashtanga Yoga. This is a variation of Hatha Yoga that uses pretty much the same asanas, but it is done with more pace , and there is no or very little emphasis on spirituality. Ashtanga means eight limbed, and the term is easy to understand given that this type of Yoga is to be done in a progressive sequence of asanas unlike in Hatha Yoga where you have to wait after finishing one asana before starting another one.

Ashtanga Yoga is a very acute form of exercise, and you have to synchronize your breathing with each movement in order to increase the level of physical workout. This form of exercise is very physically demanding and this is a very effective way of toning your body and losing weight .

Each different type of Yoga has its specific functions and you can’t really say one is better than the other . In case you have never tried Yoga before, it would be best to start with Hatha Yoga. Once you get the hang of it you can try out Ashtanga Yoga courses to tone your body. You could also go on Yoga retreats occasionally in order to give yourself a wellness holiday. It is considered to be best for you if you can practice various types of Yoga in order to get the maximal benefit from it.

Yoga means union in the language of Sanskrit, which is a language of India, where yoga originated. Yoga is actually the union of the mind, body and soul and is a philosophy in itself.

Power yoga is a form of yoga that is based on a choreographed sequence of poses known as asana during which process, the joints in the body unwind, muscles get relaxed and the energy gets moved. When a person performs power yoga, he tends to build strength and flexibility and is able to focus better and consequently the tension in the mind and body is released.

Ashtanga yoga is a rigorous form of yoga that is practiced in the eastern part of the globe and hence Beryl Bender Birch and Bryan Kest of the United States have developed a new form of yoga called the power yoga which is performed more rapidly and subtly, where it is possible to easily switch over from seating positions to sun salutations and head stands.

Power yoga classes do not follow a specific sequence and are choreographed and developed by the teacher. The main objective of power yoga is to offer a lot of stretching practices and a good aerobic workout. Also, the duration of power yoga is lesser as against ashtanga yoga which may last for one and a half hours. Power yoga lays emphasis on physical benefits like weight loss and better conditioning of the muscles and general strength of the body without giving more stress on the spiritual or meditative aspects of yoga.

However, in a power yoga class, five to ten minutes may be set apart for meditation. Power yoga is begun with three to six sun salutations that warms up the body and prepare for deeper poses and concludes with at least five minutes of meditation, commonly in corpse pose or a seated pose. This is the most important part of power yoga practice that enables to incorporate all the subtle changes made during the practice.

Basically, power yoga follows a particular sequence like sun salutation, warrior pose, balancing pose and then the triangle pose. Then come the floor practices and the seated postures and finally the savasana or meditation. Although, yoga series ought to be performed in a particular order for each routine, power yoga allows a person to either skip the entire series or focus on particular physical or emotional needs. Such is the flexibility of power yoga.

The benefits of power yoga are innumerable. Apart from being a great form of exercise for everyone, it improves joint movement, increases muscle strength, promotes stamina, maintains good posture, and ultimately warms the body. But the most obvious and ultimate benefit of power yoga is its ability in focusing mentally and improving concentration and to help to find the inner strength of everyone and relieve the stress because power yoga helps to alleviate mental stress and thus relieve aches and pains in the body caused due to muscle stress and tension.

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.

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 might surprise you to learn that yoga has a far longer history in the U.S., dating back to the late 1800s.

In 1883, the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago welcomed Swami Vivekananda, who received a standing ovation when he greeted his “sisters and brothers in America” in the audience. 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.

A year later, Paramahansa Yogananda, of one the most well-known yogis in the U.S., settled in Boston and brought kriya yoga to the United States. 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 enlightening talks brought him attention from a number of celebrities, including actors Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo and writers Aldous Huxley and George Bernard Shaw.

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. In addition to housewives across the nation, Devi counted among her fans Hollywood stars Gloria Swanson, Robert Ryan and Jennifer Jones. Devi passed away in her Buenos Ares home 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.

While Hittleman was expanding the influence of yoga on the East Coast, Walt and Magana Baptiste were building yogas reputation as a viable study on the West Coast with their San Francisco studio established in the mid 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.

Also in San Francisco, Swami Vishnu-devananda, arrived from India in 1958 and, with sponsorship from famed artist Peter Max, created the landmark book, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. It became an essential guide for yoga instructors and practitioners. 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.

As the 1960s embrace of counterculture got into full swing, more and more people began to investigate the spirituality of yoga and possibly the most famous group of yoga practitioners were The Beatles, whose association with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi made him one of the most famous yogis in 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 1960, Harvard professor Richard Alpert left on a journey through India and returned as Ram Dass, who captured the imagination of the young people of America and sparked their interest in the potential of yoga with his 1970 college tour to support his book, Be Here Now. It implanted the idea of taking a spiritual quest as a dream of many young people.

In the 1970s, yoga continued to grow as studios began popping up all over the nation. Mount Madonna, founded by Baba Hari Dass, brought residential yoga instruction to Santa Cruz, California. Shrila Prabhubada began the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which led to the international spiritual study of Bhakti Yoga. In the mid-70s, Pattabhi Jois came to the U.S. and brought Ashtanga-vinyasa Yoga to the masses At Woodstock, Swami Satchitananda was probably the most popular non-musician to appear there. 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.

Yoga began in India 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit language and means, to join or integrate, or merely union. Yoga exercise started, as far as we know, as portion of India’s philosophical system, but not everyone practiced yoga exercise, and it has never been a religion.

About 5 million folks in the United States do some yoga exercise. Dance and stretching exercise classes usually have components and pieces that come directly from yoga exercise. If you ever go to a physical therapist, he or she may possibly give you therapeutic workouts that are yoga exercise postures.

Yoga exercise began in India 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit language and means, to join or integrate, or merely union. Yoga exercise started, as far as we know, as portion of India’s philosophical system, but not everybody practiced yoga exercise, and it has never been a religion.

About 5 million people in the United States do some yoga exercise. Dance and stretching exercise classes typically have components and pieces that come directly from yoga exercise. If you ever go to a physical therapist, he or she may well give you therapeutic workouts that are yoga exercise postures.

There are a number of kinds of yoga exercise. The yoga exercise you may possibly have seen on TV or taught at your local Y or an adult education class is called hatha yoga, or physical yoga. Sometimes it’s known as the yoga exercise for well being. You may possibly also find yoga being taught in a hospital or medical setting. Many health professionals today feel yoga exercise can be portion of a treatment plan.

Hatha yoga exercise has three components: a series of exercises or movements known as asana (poses or postures in English), breathing strategies of all kinds, and relaxation.