...There is no such thing as one kind of yoga. On the contrary, yoga encompasses spiritual techniques and putting these into practice to achieve a "state of enlightenment".

Usually, the kind of yoga practiced in the US is Hatha yoga. Ha translates to sun and tha translates to moon. The goal of Hatha yoga is to attain unity of the mind, body and spirit through practicing asana (yoga postures), pranayama (yoga breathing), mudra (body gestures) and shatkarma (internal cleansings). Modern Hatha yoga focuses mostly on the yoga postures and does not emphasize many of the other facets.

Yoga's history can be traced to the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in northern India over 5,000 years ago. Probably the most famous writing on yoga is the Bhagavad-Gt, which was written around 500 BCE. Unfortunately, most of the history and philosophy of yoga was transmitted orally and if it was written down, it was written on palm leaves that were easily damaged or destroyed. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, yoga begins to make its way to the West. Slowly the yoga masters began to attract attention and taught tho...more

Is Yoga a Myth?

... all for it. However, yoga is all about what you make of it. Every class is a unique experience based on what you want from the class, how much you can focus and how hard you wish to push your body. Now, as for the heart attack issue, yoga helps to relieve stress through rhythmic breathing techniques and physical exercise. Stress, for example, has been scientifically demonstrated to CONTRIBUTE, not cause, heart disease. If yoga can alleviate that, then the benefits, or potential benefits are immediately obvious. Yoga will not make you live forever and everyone is different. Genetics play a huge role. Perfectly healthy people die all the time simply because their bodies were making too much cholesterol. Diet and exercise could not save these people. Essentially, the example of the 96 year old yogi is much like saying that yoga can make you a blond when you were o...more

What Hatha Yoga is All About

...nd negative forces within the body we can easily regulate the vital forces in our body now as prana. We can also clear our minds and gain subconscious states too. Hatha yoga is the most physical form of yoga that is known today.

Hatha yoga starts off with a cleansing process which opens up the psychic (pranic) channels. Yogis in ancient times actually believed that the mastery of breathing patterns ultimately lead to the mastery of the mind. This in turn would bring the body into a state where it would be free from diseases as the opening of blocked channels allows for a state where the mind and body is balanced. Breathing to these yogis was one of the most essential functions in the entire body. Because ...more

Tips On Getting The Most Out Of Corpse Pose In Yoga

...Shavasana, or corpse pose, is usually done at the end of most yoga sessions. It is a deceptively simple posture, as there is no twisting, or stretching or anything that is usually associated with the asanas. However, corpse pose is an important part of the restorative yoga postures. And it is considered one of the most difficult postures to do correctly.

Shavasana is more about being than doing, and as such it touches on the fundamentals of what yoga is trying to achieve. The sequence of asanas beforehand has helped train the body and mind for this period of relaxation, and in the corpse pose we integrate the experience we have just had with yoga into our conscious and subconscious mind.

There are many restorative postures, or variations in yoga, but shavasana allows the most relaxation. Its benefits include:

* increase our energy levels
* great for stress
* good for normalizing blood pressure ...more

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