Kundalini Yoga and the Awakening

The most powerful yoga is known as the Kundalini Yoga. It is powerful that it was called the mother of all the Styles of Yoga. This type of yoga awakens the base of our spine which is known as the Muladhara Chakra.



The word Kundalini was derived from kunda which means “pot”. Kundalini Sadhna is described to be the coiled energy that looks like a serpent which has three and a half coils which are resting at the bottom of the spine. The three coils in Kundalini Yoga are known as the three Gunas which are the Sattva, Rajas, Tamas. The VIkritis represent the half coil.



In anatomy, the kundalini is found in the perineum region of our body. For the males, it is found between the testicles and the rectum. For the female, it is found between the clitoris and the vagina.



Kundalini Yoga is also known as the symbol of equality and power for both genders. The masculine power is known to be Siva and Sakti for the females. They become the elemental source of power and energy when they are united. The union of Siva and Sakti occurs in the brain which gives us the sense of feeling and affection, energy, love. This means Kundalini Yoga is good to eliminate the feeling of sorrow, depression, anger and jealousy.



Kundalini Yoga gives reward to Yogis who maintain unity awareness and spiritual transformation. The Kundalini produces a hissing sound when it is awakened. It sounds just like a beaten serpent as it goes from the Muladhara Chakra to the Brahma Nadi and to the Sahasrara Chakra.



In the year 1969, Yogi Bhajan introduced Kundalini Yoga. It includes the practices of the common Mantra, meditation, chanting, breathing and the classic poses. This type of yoga actually focuses more on chanting and breathing. It does not really concentrate in the Kundalini Yoga Poses alone.



If you are curious about Kundalini Yoga, it is good to know the path it takes. One thing you need to understand is the Nervous System and the Spinal Cord. These two are the main focus of Kundalini Yoga. It targets your Spinal Cord and the Nervous System.



The Nervous System as we all know is the main control or the center of our body. The Nervous System is responsible for the imaginations, thoughts, intelligence and memory that we have. The Nervous System composes of the brain, the nerves and most especially the Spinal Cord which gives us posture and stand. The Spinal Cord is made up of delicate nerves and tissues that is why we need to take care of it. Kundalini Yoga will be the most appropriate practice for this.



The infamous Kundalini awakening is not that easy to learn. It is also something that we can find or learn in books. If there was, you might be confused or perplexed in learning the process. If you want to master Kundalini awakening, it should be based on experience. After series of trials and sessions, you will find out that Kundalini awakening took place and it was all because you were just too eager and concentrated to learn it.



Now what you have to do is grab that amazing concentration and start working on your Nervous System and Spinal Cord. If you want to stay healthy and maintain a good posture, Kundalini Yoga is just waiting for you to practice it.

Kundalini Yoga

The word Kundalini is a familiar one to all students of Yoga, as it is well known as the power, in the form of a coiled serpent, residing in Muladhara Chakra, the first of the seven Chakras, the other six being Svadhishthana, Manipuraka, A nahata, Visuddha, Ajna and Sahasrara, in order.



Less is historically known of the Agamas than the Vedas, because the latter provide descriptive poem-pictures of Vedic life. The original Agamas are twenty-eight in number. They are called Saiva Agamas as they focus on establishing a relationship with and ultimately realizing the Supreme Being Siva. They carry names like Vira, Hero. Siddha, Perfected and Swayambhuva, naturally revealed.



The Agamas are divided into four parts called padas, lessons. The first two padas - Chariya good conduct, and Kriya, external worship,- include all the details of personal home life, house planning, town planning, personal worship in temples, the architectural plans for temples and sculpture as well as the intricacies of temple puja. The final two padas - Yoga, internalized worship and union, and Jnana, enlightened wisdom, – vividly describe the processes and stages of kundalini yoga, and the Cod-like plateaus of consciousness reached when Sivahood is attained. In the actual texts, the padas are ordered with jnana first, yoga second, then kriya and chariya - unfurling from a God-state to a human state.



The Agamas contain tens of thousands of verses, much more prolific than the Vedas. Though the Vedas stayed strictly in Sanskrit, the Agamas proliferated across India and oilier countries through many languages. But they fared poorly over the millennia, particularly the Yoga and Jnana Padas - so high and powerful. The custodian Saiva priests neglected them. Many padas of entire Agamas were lost or destroyed.

The Evolution of Kriya Yoga

Kriya Yoga is a process of mental purification that teaches meditation through

techniques.



The fundamental belief of Kriya Yoga is that all of us are miniature version of the

whole cosmos, a microcosm or an evolution of a new world within the microcosmic

world.



The followers of Kriya yoga also believes that the most holy supreme creator is a

part of us hiding beneath our body, and activating every action through the breath.



The name Kriya is meant as any work “kri” is being done by the power of the

indwelling soul “ya”.



The different cosmic forces controlling, air, fire, water and earth also controls the

different activities that we do, namely, religious activities, relationship with everyone

and everything, food, pregnancy, and everything performed by the human body.



Yoga on the other hand is the conjoining of these correspondences between

microcosms and macrocosms. It is the full acceptance and belief behind the union

and interaction of the individual self and the supreme self.



The study and science of Kriya yoga has a divine origin and was not created by

human means and intellect.



The modernization for this ancient yoga meditation method has begun in the 1860’s

with Babaji and has been handed down to the present Kriya yoga lineage of masters

directly through the Master to disciple method of teaching.



The disciplined path of Kriya Yoga consists of many different kinds of teaching with

different angles to it. One looks at it as a process of beginning with self introspection

through breathing controls.



It is also believed in Kriya yoga that that by enlightening the three qualities of light,

vibration and sound simultaneously with proper concentration, posture and breathing

through application of a series of techniques, a Kriya yoga disciple is able to

penetrate the deepest levels of the unconscious mind.



Through this they can communicate with their inner gods and obtain a fulfilling

calmness within them.



The process of purification is attained through diligent practice. The first thing to do

is have the mind calmed and freed from any internal chatter by developing the

practice of feeble breathing.



Then secondly the very process of observation of pulse rhythm and vibrations in the body enables the

seeker to extract the bondage of subtle desires



A deeper understanding of the triple divine qualities leads to a chiseled concentration

or a focused mind, therefore preparing the seeker to explore thoughtlessness and

inner truth.



All people are mired in the delusion and illusion due to the duality of creation. We are

seeking liberation from the phenomenal suffering due to the miseries from

ignorance, desire and faulty actions. One should be able to realize that the supreme

creator is hiding within and as a self of all beings.



Kriya Yoga provides us with the easiest ways to unfold this lurking truth and unravel

the deepest mysteries of godhood from within us.



Kriya yoga teaches breath control and calmness and it aims for well self realization

within one lifetime.



Kriya yoga is a non-sectarian group and teaches that work is worship and whatever

you do is from and for the Supreme Being and creator. It teaches about the different

beliefs of the origin, destiny and evolution of souls.



A Kriya Yoga disciple believes in direct and immediate spiritual experience and is only

taught through direct contact with the teacher.

Is Yoga The Perfect Exercise?

Is Yoga the perfect form of exercise and relaxation? Let's make a list of what our ideal type of exercise would do. Firstly it would be simple enough that anyone could do it, but have enough variations and different methods that it would maintain the interest of someone who had been practicing it for years. It would need to be easy to learn so that people could pick up the basics quickly and stat seeing the benefits as soon as possible. To be a perfect form of exercise it would need to be capable of keep our body in good shape all by itself. It would help with weight loss, circulation and increasing the strength of the muscles. It would stimulate the lymphatic system as well as the blood flow and help the body dispose of waste products, improving the overall immune response system. It would also have benefits that went beyond health - the sharpening of the mind and an increased sense of well being and contentment. Ideally it would be an exercise form that required no expensive equipment and that could be practiced practically anywhere, alone or in a group.



This is quite a demanding set of prerequisites for a perfect form of exercise. Let's see if Yoga measures up to these standards.



Yoga is a discipline that has it's routes in India. The documents that modern Yoga is based on are hundreds of years old, and the principles behind these documents were practiced long before that. It is a low impact form of exercise that has been tweaked and customized by literally thousands of different teachers and enthusiasts. The are numerous resulting 'styles' of Yoga, but they all have the same core background and beliefs. What we refer to as Yoga in the West is usually the physical component of an entire life philosophy that has it's own beliefs and code of ethics built in.



The physical focus of Yoga is on poses and slow movements that are low impact and usually use nothing more than our own body. Sometimes props and supports are used to assist the body in achieving and holding a particular pose. The poses can vary greatly in their degree of difficulty and even the same pose can have many different stages or levels. The perfect example is a simple forward stretch. One person may be able to stretch out past their knees, another may be able to reach their ankles and somebody else may be able to touch the floor. This level of progression allows us to see a physical difference in our flexibility level as we practice Yoga more regularly. And because Yoga does not require any special equipment we are not refined to set class times and can practice Yoga anywhere and any time the fancy takes us. We can even do breathing exercises to clear the mind while sitting at a work desk.



Yoga has some incredible health benefits which stem from controlled breathing and increased blood flow. Our bodies organs simply do not operate at peak efficiency unless they are receiving the oxygen and nutrients that they need. The waste products from our muscles and organs are carried away by the lymphatic system. Both systems can develop chokepoints and blockages that different Yoga poses will address and correct. The result is a better more regular blood pressure, a more efficient immunity system and a optimal digestive process.



Because Yoga movements are slow and simple, the focus on correct breathing has a pronounced mental affect on the body. It provides us with an enhanced ability to focus, and to un-clutter our thoughts. This is a valuable edge in modern life and its importance should not be under estimated.



Finally many regular Yoga enthusiasts will tell you that there is a spiritual side to Yoga, how far this affects an individual will probably depend on their beliefs before they begin practicing Yoga, but it can perhaps be thought of most accurately with a greater comfort and connection with your own body. The increased acceptance of yourself, and comfort with your own being results directly in more happy people.



So, it looks like Yoga does indeed check all the boxes and can be thought of as a perfect exercise form.

Instant 10-minute Yoga: New Form of Yoga

Do you drag yourself out of bed on Monday mornings, exhausted before you've even begun the week. Or maybe you can't enjoy your evenings, because work drains you of every ounce of energy.



Don't worry, you can boost your energy levels and balance your body with a new form of yoga - dynamic yoga.



Its simplicity and almost instantaneous benefits have made it one of the most fashionable alternative exercises of the new Millennium. Normally known for its relaxation benefits, dynamic yoga can boost your energy levels in just 10 minutes.



It includes some of the most basic yoga postures. You can try each of them individually, or in succession, but none of them should be rushed. However, you should feel the benefits after just ten minutes.



The deep stretches and graceful movements help to unblock energy, improve muscle tone and increase your general stamina. When practised regularly, say enthusiasts, you will experience improved energy levels, greater sexual vitality and better self-discipline. In the long-term, the breathing and body exercises will help detoxify your mind of tension and strain, creating calm and an inner peace.

Insomnia

Sleep is an essential part of good health. A good night's sleep can help you feel good, look healthy, work effectively and think clearly.



But sleep is not always so easy to come by. If you sometimes have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you're not alone. A 1991 Gallup study found that more than one-third of all Americans suffer occasional or chronic insomnia.



People often are surprised to learn that daytime drowsiness is not an inevitable, harmless byproduct of modern life, but rather a key sign of a sleep problem that could be disastrous if not treated.



Recent figures show that nearly a quarter of the population regularly cannot go to, or remain asleep, and every year doctors write out more than 14 million prescriptions for sleeping tablets.



The causes of sleeplessness are many and varied. 'It can be due to a medical condition, such as chronic pain from rheumatism or arthritis,' says Professor Jim Horne, who runs the Sleep Research Laboratory at Loughborough University. 'Or it can be chemical, as a result of drinking tea, coffee or alcohol. Chronic or long-term insomnia is often associated with depression or anxiety, and environmental factors certainly contribute.'



And sleepless nights, staring wild-eyed into the darkness, are worse than bad dreams,



For too many people--an estimated 9percent of the American population--a good night's sleep is an elusive goal. The consequences of fatigue from chronic sleeplessness include accidents in the car and at work, a dramatically increased risk of major depression, and worsening physical illness.



Immediate relief is available, in the form of hypnotic agents, for persons who have difficulty in falling or remaining asleep or who cannot obtain restful, restorative slumber. However, long-term improvement usually involves behavioral therapy. These therapeutic approaches must be integrated if the patient's short- and long-term needs are to be addressed.

Infertility

Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of trying, or the inability to carry pregnancies to a live birth. It affects one out of six couples of childbearing age in the United States today - at least ten million people. And in a career-oriented area like Washington, where many couples postpone decisions about childbearing until professional goals have been met, the ration of one in six is probably on the conservative side. Yet it is rarely discussed, and understood even less.



For almost all couples the condition comes as a surprise. And no wonder. It seems as if the whole is on its guard against producing unwanted children. Every day 19.9 million women in this country wake up and remind themselves to take the Pill. In China, a woman with more than three children is considered an enemy of the state. In India, population experts fear the country may end up at century's close with four times as many people as it started with - up from 250 million in 1900 to one billion. The huge nation has resorted to quickie vasectomies and cash rewards at commuter train stations. Two will do posters are everywhere.



Although infertility may affect people of all social classes, the childless poor usually have neither the time nor the money to undergo a lengthy series of tests - commonly called an infertility work-up - to determine the cause of the problem. There may also be class differences in a person's willingness to endure many sacrifices so that a long-range goal can be realized. For these reasons, the inability to conceive and bear children seems to be a middle and upper middle-class problem.



The anguish of infertility will strike increasing numbers of couples in the next few years, however, as the children of the baby boom reach their late twenties and early thirties. Many who till now have postponed marriage and childbearing for their careers will turn to both to round out their lives - and find child-bearing not possible.



The men, after years of enjoying what they consider a healthy sex drive, will be shocked to learn that their sperm are too few in number or perhaps not active enough to effect a conception. The women may be given a finding of endometriosis, a condition in which parts of the uterine lining seed themselves in various places along the reproductive tract. Unknown in cultures where women marry young, it is a common finding in American women past 30. Or the women may be part of the 10.9 million who took the Pill every day whether or not previous gynecological abnormalities should have warned the physician against a prescription.



A generation ago, before the current explosion in medical technology, many couples who could not produce children were told there was nothing wrong with them: either it was all in their heads or God's will. There was also smirking ignorance on the public, the insinuation they weren't performing correctly in bed.



In fact, male impotence is the source of less than five per cent of the cases of male infertility, and the sources of impotence are extremely varied, from diabetes to perineal nerve injury to psychogenic causes.

How Yoga benefits the Circulatory System And Why This Is Important

The circulatory system is an essential part of what keeps us going. It is also referred to as the cardio-vascular system and consists of the heart and the blood vessels. The hearts job is to pump blood to different parts of the body and this blood carries vital nutrients and oxygen to the different organs. It travels via the blood vessels. The heart is divided into four compartments that each have a different role. The compartment on the upper right is responsible for collecting the incoming impure blood from all over the body and moving it on to the lower right compartment. The lower right compartment sends the blood on to the lungs for purification. The purified blood is then returned to the heart - this time in the upper left ventricle from where it is moved into the lower left compartment and then back out as fresh, pure blood to the remainder of the body.



The blood is primarily carries through main arteries that are thick tube like structures leading from the heart around the body. The arteries branch into many sub arteries which in turn will divide into thin-walled capillaries. The capillaries interact with the organs directly and due to their thin walls they pass oxygen and nutrients to the organs and tissues that need them the most. The used resources are ejected from the tissue and back into the capillaries to be fed on through specialized veins to return the impure blood back to the heart to start the entire process once more. This is a difficult job as the pressure has decreased this far from the heart so the veins are assisted by valves to regulate the flow.



The important thing to understand about the way the circulatory system is set up is that it has two main parts, the blood system and the lymphatic system. It is the job of the lymphatic system to remove waste from the circulatory system. The two different systems run almost side by side but while the blood system has a pump - the heart - the lymphatic system does not have a single organ designed to power it's operations. This job falls to the muscles, which pump the lymphatic system by contracting and expanding. This is of course where Yoga comes in.



Yoga is a discipline unique in it's combination of focus on body, mind and spirit. The body component is taken care of with a series of poses and postures, which are designed to clear blockages in the circulatory system and ensure that everything is flowing as it should at an even regular rate. It also flexes the muscles and strengthens them very efficiently over time with a minimal amount of 'grunt'. This strengthening and constant working of these muscles pumps the lymphatic system and makes out body many times more efficient at the removal of waste matter. As a result people who practice Yoga regularly can expect that they will have a greatly enhanced immune response system and be able to deal with infection and disease better than their non-Yogi counterparts.



Furthermore the benefits start before this. Yoga sessions will usually being with a series of standing exercises emphasizing long slow breathing exercises. These breathing exercises are common to all forms of yoga and force us to concentrate on our breath and it's pathway trough the body each time we take a fresh breath. The exercises are designed especially so that people are not restricted in where and when they can practice them and ideally would use them instead of our slower shallower normal breathing pattern.



Because the breaths are longer and deeper the oxygen intake is increased. Combined with the enhancing effects that the exercises have on the regularity of circulation in the blood system the oxygen is much more efficiently transported to the muscles of the body. If these muscles, along with our other organs and tissues are not receiving the oxygen and nutrients we need then we starve them and become ill as a result.



As you can see Yoga is of great assistance to the complex and interlocking system of circulation. It recognizes the basis and importance of the system and helps to being it back into balance.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pre Natal Yoga.

When you are pregnant everyone has an opinion and an important skill to learn early on in the pregnancy is to be able to listen to these opinions, comment politely and then make up your own mind. There are as many different ways of having and raising children as there are children, and once your child is born you need to do what works for you and your family, not what worked for someone else. This doesn't mean you should ignore advice that is given to you. Usually it will be being dished out by women who have been there and done this before, and knowing what works for others is often a good indicator of what may work for you. Ultimately however the decision is going to be up to you, and so you will learn to collate the collective advise and filter the wisdom from the opinion. One of the pieces that you will find almost universally recommended by those who have tried it is Pre Natal yoga, but a lot of women get nervous about the idea of starting an exercise program when their bodies are going through so many changes. This article deals with some of the most common questions that will be asked about Pre-natal Yoga.



Question One: Why Should I Do Yoga While I Am Pregnant?



There are numerous benefits of Yoga for pregnant women, physical, mental and also spiritual. In a nutshell Pre-Natal Yoga is designed to give you a toolbox of techniques and methods for dealing with your pregnancy, your labour and even the stressful times of the first few days, weeks and months after the birth. People who complete Prenatal Yoga are better equipped to deal with the babies delivery itself as well as the recovery period after the birth.



Question Two: Is It Safe To Learn Yoga During Pregnancy?



It is perfectly safe to start Yoga during your pregnancy provided you begin your class with a qualified Prenatal Yoga teacher. Prenatal Yoga is specifically designed for pregnancy because there are exercises and techniques in a regular Yoga session that are not appropriate for a pregnant women. It's also recommended to wait until after the first trimester is complete before you commence a Yoga class as this first trimester is a time for babies to grow and develop, whereas later they will be increasing with size in preparation for the birth and the mother needs to take advantage of the opportunity Yoga presents to ease this process. Talk to your instructor about your pregnancy before the class begins so you can be sure that they understand anything unique to your pregnancy that may require exercises to be modified(for instance women carrying twins are encouraged not to do squatting exercises).



Question Three: How Will Yoga Benefit Me Physically?



Yoga is a discipline which is designed to regulate the blood flow and breathing as well as strengthen the body in general. All of these factor in the benefits to pregnant women. Blood flow is of course critical in ensuring that your body is getting all the nutrients and oxygen to all the organs that need it. It's possible for baby to get greedy and hog these resources, or the opposite could happen and the baby is deprived of what is needed to grow. The increased strength will help deal with the delivery by strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. This can potentially shorten the duration of labour and it will definitely decrease the time it takes for the vaginal passage to recover from the birth. There is even strong evidence that the increased blood flow to the skin will assist in avoiding and/or recovering from stretch marks.



Question Four: Should I keep doing Yoga after the Birth?



Why not? You will keep getting all the benefits discussed above and more. You will probably want to go to at least one standard yoga class, as these can be quite different than the prenatal Yoga. Of course life can be quite hectic with a new baby so the opportunities to attend formal classes are probably going to be few and far between. Luckily one of the biggest benefits of Yoga as an exercise regime is that it doesn't require specialized equipment, so it's possible to do in the comfort of your own home during those few precious moments when your baby is asleep.

How to Start

You can get audio or video tapes that give breathing instruction and teach relaxation techniques at health food stores, bookstores, and by mail order. It's probably fine to learn breath and relaxation from a tape or booklet, but don't try the yoga exercises without a skilled teacher. He or she can make corrections, caution you when necessary, and help you to adapt poses, if you need to.



It will be worth it to you to spend a little time finding an instructor who is right for you. Your diabetes nurse educator or other health care professional may be able to recommend a yoga instructor. Get referrals for a yoga instructor as you would for any professional you might wish to consult.



Yoga instructors aren't required to be certified, but many are, through many different programs. Ask prospective teachers if they are certified. A certified teacher isn't necessarily better than someone who isn't certified, but it's something to consider.



Yoga is fun, healthy, and calming. It's a wise way handed down over several thousands of years. There is little danger in yoga, and even a little progress brings with it freedom and peace of mind.



Although most people with diabetes can exercise safely, exercise involves some risks. To shift the benefit-to-risk ratio in your favor, take these precautions:



Have a medical exam before you begin your exercise program, including an exercise test with EKG monitoring, especially if you have cardiovascular disease, you are over 35, you have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels, you smoke, or you have a family history of heart disease.



Discuss with your doctor any unusual symptoms that you experience during or after exercise such as discomfort in your chest, neck, jaw, or arms; nausea, dizziness, fainting, or excessive shortness of breath; or short-term changes in vision.



If you have diabetes-related complications, check with your healthcare team about special precautions. Consider exercising in a medically supervised program, at least initially, if you have peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, autonomic neuropathy, or kidney problems.



Learn how to prevent and treat low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia). If you take oral agents or insulin, monitor your blood glucose levels before, during, and after exercise.



If you have type I, and your blood glucose is above 250 milligrams per deciliter, check your urine for ketones. Don't exercise if ketones are present, because exercise will increase your risk of ketoacidosis and coma.



Always warm up and cool down.



Don't exercise outdoors when the weather is too hot and humid, or too cold.

Does is really mean Hot Yoga?

There are a lot of yoga types and one of them is the famous hot yoga. The hot yoga is characterized by a series of yoga poses which is done in a heated room. The room where you perform the exercise is preserved at a temperature of 95-100 degrees. This kind of exercise gives off a lot of perspiration during a session because you are stuck in a heated room.



Hot yoga is advantageous because it cleanses your body and gets rid of the toxins inside your body. Since is makes your body warm, the more flexible it gets.



When doing the hot yoga, you should have some accessories like your yoga mat and towel. Since you will be sweating severely, you should have something to wipe up your sweat every other time.



Some people who practice hot yoga do not wear very thick clothes because it causes them to sweat more.



If you are going to practice hot yoga, you should be ready with your clothing. The clothes you should wear should be appropriate. You can wear shorts during the session.



Wearing of shorts allows your skin to breathe and give off heat. Students are the ones who usually wear shorts. They tend to wear small clothes because they are still vigorous and they sweat too much. If you are taking hot yoga sessions, make sure that you drink a lot of water. If you are in the class, you can also bring along your own bottle of water so that you can drink anytime you want. It is important to bring along a bottle of water so that you will not get dehydrated and so that the skin will produce more sweat. Before having a hot yoga session, you should take note that it is not advisable to eat two hours before the class starts. This is because your body is opt for a heavy exercise.



Bikram’s method is such a good yoga style. People who want to be slim can practice this type of yoga because their fats and cholesterol will be burned through sweat.



Although it burns your fats, you should not be burning all of it because you still need some. Yoga started about 2500 years ago which was founded by Patanjali. After it’s discovery, it was then practiced and spread around the world. Picture yourself doing Yoga when you are suffering from illness like Fever where your body temperature is at 105 deg. Fahrenheit! I bet you couldn’t stand this kind of heat. If ever you will, you have over fatigued yourself.



At the compassion of the disagreement is Choudhury’s wish to put off anybody teaching yoga in a heated room from calling their class “Bikram Yoga.” He would like to put to one side this title only for those teachers who are qualified by his Yoga College of India and who stick to his arranged process precisely. This has been handled upon because there are a lot of people who imitate his teachings.



Now that you have learned the difference of hot yoga among all other styles, think again if it satisfies your desired to release your sweat and excess toxins. Remember that in doing hot yoga, all your energy is taken away. If your body has not a single energy to waste, then hot yoga is not the perfect yoga style for you.

Tracing the History of Yoga

The History of Yoga has a lot to do with the present times. The earliest Yoga started some 5000 years ago since human civilization has begun. The scholars have believed that Yoga was originated out of Stone Age Shamanism.



This is because there were some cultural similarities between Mehrgarh which was a Neolithic settlement and the Modern Hinduism. The shamanistic culture of Mergarh was in fact influenced by Hindu ideals, symbols and rituals of the present. The ancient shamanism and early Yoga had so much similarity for the reason both wanted to go beyond the human condition.



Shamanism’s primary goal was to heal the members who were in their community and at the same time act as the religious mediators.



Archaic Yoga also had the same objectives as they were community oriented and they aimed to determine the enormous order through senses and inner vision which then can be applied to our daily lives.



As time went on, Yoga has progressed and has regarded the inmost experience. Yogis then have focused on how to improve the individual enlightenment, recovery and salvation.



Yoga’s evidences were first tracked in the archeological evidence which was found in stone seals exhumed from the Indus valley. Yoga postures were traced and seen fro the figures which were illustrated in the stone seals. the artifacts were placed on History books circa 3000 B.C., which was linked to the great Indus-Sarasvati Civilization which was known to be the largest civilization that exist in the ancient world. The Indus-Sarasvati, being a maritime society, exported goods all over Africa and the Middle East. They build up sewage systems and put up geometrical brick roads and constructed multistory buildings.



The Vedas are known as the oldest scripture in the world which were the ancient texts, was brought by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. It was a compilation of hymns that commends a high power which included the oldest recorded teachings in Yoga. They have considered this the divine revelation. The intelligence of the Vedas was known as the Pre-classical Yoga or the Vedic. This was described by the ritualistic ceremonies that the Yoga practitioners have been required in order to go beyond the limitations of the mind.



The history of yoga would not have been completed in the classical stage of yoga. After the time and turn of the millennium, yoga and its spread in different forms have come up with the need for standardization. This is important so that the people will be aware with it and it can be applied by them. Due to this, during the second century, C.E., Patanjali has composed and collected seminal text which was the Yoga-Sutra which had defined the Classical Yoga.



At the age of Postclassical Yoga in the enormous history of Yoga, it gave rise to some productive literature which has included the Tantra and the Hatha which is famously known nowadays. These were taught in schools for Yoga and practiced by many. Therefore, post classical Yoga is described to the adaptation of our present state. It is the time when yoga has evolved greatly and introduced to people. It has then been applied in the United States in the 1800’s.



Now in the recent decades, yoga has greatly and swiftly evolved. Swami Sivananda was one of the prominent gurus ever to master yoga. He has served as a doctor and he has generously opened up schools in Europe and America.



Now as we move on with the yoga practices that we have today, it is much helpful and easier to understand if we looked back on the history of yoga.

History of Yoga

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 simply union. Yoga started, as far as we know, as part of India's philosophical system, but not everyone practiced yoga, and it has never been a religion.



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



There are several types of yoga. The yoga you may 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 for health. You may also find yoga being taught in a hospital or medical setting. Many health professionals today feel yoga can be part of a treatment plan.



Hatha yoga has three parts: a series of exercises or movements called asana (poses or postures in English), breathing techniques of all kinds, and relaxation.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

For controlling your hypertension, there are two effective yoga exercises that helps lower the blood pressure:



Inverted Yoga



Inverted yoga reverses the action of gravity on the body. The most profound changes brought about by Inverted Yoga is in circulation. In inverted poses, legs and abdomen are placed higher than the heart.



Lengthening up through the legs and keep them very active so your spine opens and the entire body actively involved in the pose.



One of the reasons for this is simply because the force of gravity is reversed and venous return becomes significantly greater.



Normally, the muscles of the calf and other skeletal muscles in the lower extremities must contract in order to pump unoxygenated blood and waste back to the heart through the veins.



In inverted poses, gravity causes the blood to flow easily back through the veins and this brings the blood pressure in the feet to a minimum. This in effect gives skeletal muscles a chance to rest.



In Inverted poses, drainage of blood and waste from the lower body back to the heart is increased and disorders such as varicose veins and swollen ankles are relieved.



Rhythmic Breathing



It's time to learn about breathing, because inhaling and exhaling has the power to nourish the body and calm the mind.



Not just any old breathing will do. If you're like most people, you take shallow breaths, pull in your stomach when you inhale and never empty your lungs of carbon dioxide when you exhale.



Here's the physiological explanation: Long, slow breaths are more efficient than short, fast ones.



To take in a good breath, your lungs must first be basically empty. Thus the key to efficient breathing lies in exhaling completely. A full exhalation begins with the upper chest, proceeds to the middle chest and finishes with tightening the abdominal muscles.



Only after a good exhalation can you draw in a good lungful of the oxygen-rich air your blood needs for nourishing cells.

Have some Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga is known as the 5000 year old system which was used to increase the healthy body, mind and spirit. People who do Hatha Yoga combine the stretching exercises of asanas into their practice. It includes the mental concentration and breathing techniques.



The Lotus position from Asanas is being used in practicing Hatha Yoga.



The goal of applying Hatha Yoga is just the same as using other kinds of Yoga. It aims to blend the human spirit with the peaceful spirit of the Universe. With this practice, the person doing the Yoga exercise increases their spiritual, mental, physical and emotional health and aspect.



Doing Hatha Yoga gives you peace and keeps your environment and the world as one. In doing yoga, including all types of yoga, concentration is the root or main ingredient for a successful yoga



All other types of Yoga have some similarities in one way or the other. The main focus of Hatha Yoga is to prepare the body to give in so that the spirit will be able to absorb and accomplish its mission. The spirit is responsible in lifting and enlightening. When the spirit is enlightened, the mind is relaxed and it throws away all stress and pain. The body does too.





Too many people get confused because they do not understand that if your body is not healthy and unfit; your spirit cannot successfully accomplish the task. So the goal of Hatha Yoga is perfect to apply if your spirit is weak.



Hatha Yoga will help encourage your body to move and advance positively to a level in which the spirit will be able to work properly. Your spirit and body needs to respond positively so that the mind will be able to keep up with a good concentration.



When people hear of the word Yoga, Hatha Yoga will come to their minds first. Hatha Yoga is popular and it is the popular branch of Yoga. In fact, the other style of yoga such as the Kundalini, Ashtanga, Bikram and Power Yoga has originated from Hatha Yoga.



Hatha Yoga is known as the vehicle for the soul. It is responsible for driving the body and the spirit into the universe. Just imagine soaring to the universe and feel no gravity at all. That is just so relaxing and tempting.



Concentration is something that is hard to maintain and recover. If you find yourself easily distracted by outside forces, Hatha Yoga might work to fight it.



The best thing about practicing Hatha Yoga is that it helps you find out for your self that there is a divine light that shines in you. Not only does it enlighten you but it can help you become stronger, relaxed and flexible.



The exercise involved in doing Hatha Yoga allows the spiritual energy to flow through the open energy channels. This will be possible if the mind, body and spirit is working good and has harmony. Of course maintaining a healthy body is the most important of all. If your body is weak, your mind and spirit is affected too



When you practice Hatha Yoga, you can easily cope up with stress and relieve some pain and tension. Sometimes, work leaves you wasted and exhausted so you need to relax once in a while. Hatha Yoga is the best remedy to release that pain and tension.