What Is Ashtanga Yoga - Does It Suit You

Ashtanga yoga, also known as power yoga, is quickly gaining popularity among practitioners. So what is Ashtanga yoga? It is the form of yoga most used by athletes and those interested in quickly increasing strength and stamina. Because of that, Ashtanga yoga postures have a higher degree of difficulty than those in other styles. Additionally, they are done as part of series.

Usually, students doing Ashtanga yoga postures will move quickly from one to the other to maintain that focus on strength. That is in opposition to many other forms of yoga where the emphasis is on breathing, relaxation, and flexibility.

Who Should Practice Ashtanga Yoga?

Ashtanga yoga poses are for most anyone who is in decent shape. If you are new to exercise, this is probably not the form of yoga with which you should start. Even the very easiest of Ashtanga poses are very demanding on the body, especially since you will even start with a body warming routine that is designed to activate your muscles. Overall, Ashtanga yoga can provide you with a build up of strength, stamina, and even some flexibility which explains its popularity with those involved in athletics.

If you decide to give Ashtanga a try, you should expect things to progress quickly. You will likely start right off with a sequence of yoga poses. Those will be practiced until the teacher feels you have mastered it fairly well and have complete understanding of its fundamentals. Then, you will move on to another series and a higher level of difficulty. Overall, it is a very fast moving form of yoga.

Ashtanga Poses

As for the Ashtanga yoga poses, they range widely in terms of positioning. You will find yourself moving from standing, backbent, inverted, balancing, seated, and even twisting poses. In power yoga, the sun salutation sequence of poses is very popular as well, so you will often use standing forward bend, upward dog, downward dog, and many other poses sprinkled in as well.

Though much of the focus in Ashtanga yoga poses is on the development of stamina and strength, you will also, as with any yoga, be focusing. You will be asked to focus your eyes on a point as you move through the poses given out by your instructor. In order to get the full effect and benefit of Ashtanga, you should make sure that your muscles and perhaps even the rooms are very warm. This ensures maximum flexibility and minimal injury as you work through the demanding postures.

If you are into athletics, exercise, or just want a new physical challenge, perhaps you should consider giving Ashtanga yoga a try. The clear choice of athletes and an increasingly popular form in general, it is perfect for those that are in decent shape and want to increase their strength, stamina, and flexibility. Power yoga is a series of poses taken in a quick and free flowing sequence. Even the classes move quickly with teachers adding more difficult sequences every time one is fairly well mastered. So if you learn fast, like to work hard, and think you are up to the challenge of power yoga, then you may benefit greatly from Ashtanga yoga poses.

Yoga Positions - A Few Tips

Yoga positions and the practice of yoga can be beneficial to your mind, your muscles, and even internal functions like your digestive system. With so many benefits, it is no wonder that yoga's popularity is on the rise. Before you take it up, though, it is a good idea to have in mind the right information to help you succeed and get the most out of the experience. Take these yoga tips into account as you begin your physical, mental, and spiritual journey.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice your positions often. Yoga offers many benefits to your mind, body, and spirit, and these benefits may be maximized with regular practice on your own in addition to your classes and with your teacher. As a beginner, it is especially important that you practice so that you may see and feel the benefits early on. With yoga, the frequency with which you work on your positions is as important if not more so than the length of the practice sessions. Try to find a few minutes each day to do a little bit of yoga.

Make sure that you practice your poses correctly. Most anything you read, watch, or listen to about yoga will tell you to practice often, but one of the yoga tips that sometimes get skipped is that you must practice right. Make sure that each practice session extends you. Do not practice only your best poses, but also work on poses you struggle with as well. Such a practice will be more productive and give you the feeling of self-assurance that you seek with yoga.

Maximizing Your Potential

One of the more important tips for beginners is to let go of your ego. In order to fully maximize your yoga experience, you must forget about such things as impressing your teacher and classmates. One of the central ideas of yoga is self-study. To fully study yourself, you must try not to compare yourself to the teacher or other students, but instead, you should strive to maximize your own learning and improvement during each class and practice session.

Finding Yourself

During practice, remember what is important. The depths of your poses are not nearly as important as how deep you delve into yourself. In yoga, you learn about your inner attention. Be sure to use that attention when practicing and when with your instructor to get the most out of your poses even if you cannot get deeply into them physically.

Finding the Right Teacher

No number of yoga positioning tips can compete with having the right teacher. When selecting a yoga teacher, make sure you find someone with whom you feel comfortable. Your instructor should have good knowledge and work through compassion and respect for you as a person. No matter how many books you read or tapes you watch, you will never get the feedback and encouragement that you will with the right teacher.

As a beginner in yoga, there are undoubtedly times that you feel a bit lost. That is okay. Hopefully, though, with these tips you will have an idea of what you need to do to feel more successful in your yoga experience. Yoga is not a religion, but in some ways it does become a way of life, and by following these tip you can start your journey toward that way of life on the right foot.

Finding The Right Yoga Schools For You

Yoga schools hold a special place in yoga education because many of the top locations are in the cradle of yoga's birth: India. These schools offer some of the most complete and intense training for yoga in the world. Though you could attend a school anywhere, learning in India might be compared to learning culinary skills in France, or literature in London. Whether attending short term classes to train or long term classes to learn the art of teaching yoga, these institutions are places with many yoga education options to choose from. Here are a few you might find in your average yoga school.

Sopan

Yoga Sopan is considered one of the easiest types of yoga to master. The course is often a week long or less. For those who are new to yoga, even in India, this is the place to start. You will learn the movements of yoga as well as the breathing techniques, chanting and meditation. All of these are the foundation of yoga and thus will virtually always be available in a high level yoga school. Mastering Sopan is like learning the fundamentals of any sport or activity: it builds a base and foundation upon which greater things may be built.

Pravesh

In somewhere between 25 and 35 days, most schools will help you to learn Yoga Pravesh. For about an hour per day you work on the movements of your limbs while adding in the movement of neck, waist and hips for a more complete yoga foundation. As yoga schools move along, there will often be lectures or talks added during lessons so that you may gain a better overview of not just the physical side of yoga but also the mental and spiritual sides.

Certification

If you wish to pursue an actual degree in Yoga from a yoga school, they can take anywhere form 3-5 months. In them, once you have built a proper base, you will be introduced to the idea of asanas as well as the more advanced methods for self cleansing and mental focus. You will likely, in addition to yoga session, be involved with research and lecture too as gaining a yoga degree is a complete merger of mind, body, and spirit. This merger will allow you to practice yoga at the highest level and maybe even pursue teaching since you will have truly learned to combine your mind, body, and spirit.

Advanced Degrees

In addition to the degrees and levels listed, you can work up to advanced teaching degrees at many yoga schools. Whether you are becoming a teacher or just wish to master the ins and outs of yoga as a practitioner, you will find that these schools offer you the best in what yoga has to offer you at every level of your being. Remember, as with any yoga instruction, though, always make sure you are comfortable with the school you enter. Yoga is about trust and balance, and with the plethora of high level schools in India and around the world, you will surely find what you need.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - An Historical Text

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a book of 195 separate phrases that are designed to be easy to memorize. Because it is a work that is every bit as much a part of modern yoga as it was a part of the birth of yoga, this particular book is held in very high esteem in the yoga world.

Some Background

The origin of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the topic of some debate among both historians and practitioners. For instance, there are some people out there who credit the writing of this set of sutras to a grammarian named Patanjali. Later, though, a timeline was constructed that showed that to be unlikely. Within the yoga community, though, many say that Patanjali was actually just a compiler and that before the work was written, the Sutras were simply memorized and passed down between teacher and student. Timelines do, though, suggest this text was constructed in about the second century B. C.

The name of this text is named using Sanskrit words: yoga, you probably know, is a mindset wherein you are able to gain mastery of feelings and thoughts alike. Sutra literally means "thread." This thread is basically the connection between the sutras in the work. In fact, some people call the Patanjali Sutras the Yoga Aphorisms in English. It is not an altogether incorrect loose translation.

Understanding the Text

The sutras in the text are divided into four books. Fifty one of the sutras are contained in the book called Samadhi Pada, fifty five of them are in Sadhana Pada, fifty five are also in Vibhuti Pada, and thirty four of the sutras can be found in Kaivalya Pada.

The book Samadhi Pada contains sutras that are most considered fundamental to yoga. It emphasizes that yoga is about discipline and that it is the ability to master your feelings and thoughts. Many of the most famous yoga sutras come from this particular book.

In the Sadhana Pada, there is much about practice since the Sanskrit word "sadhana" actually does mean practice. This chapter is where Kriya Yoga and the eight limbs of yoga first appear. These aspects reflect the idea that yoga is both selfless and spiritual.

The Vibhuti Pada can be translated "power." The roles of the sutras in this particular book are to describe and help the yogi to achieve full awareness through yoga. It is essentially about attaining higher levels of awareness of one's self.

Finally, the Kaivalya Pada means, again in Sanskrit, "isolation." What this book is really about, though, is achieving liberation, according to the principles set within it. Yoga teaches to concentrate on self and attaining higher levels of consciousness, and this book uses 34 sutras to pursue this idea.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a staple for many, and describe the ideas upon which the yoga tradition has passed through more recent (from the 2nd century BC), history.

Source: http://www.healthguidance.org/authors/144/Rebecca-Prescott

Rebecca Prescott

Rebecca Prescott provides information about popular supplements with a philosophy that is grounded in getting your body working to its optimum. And if you're looking for a natural supplement to boost metabolism, be sure to check out this article at http://www.vitaminstohealth.com for some of nature's little helpers.

Yoga Vinyasas - Which Ones Are Right For You?

When you think about yoga, you likely think first of poses that emphasize self awareness and flexibility. You can, though, link poses in series called yoga vinyasas. In these vinyasas, the poses are done in a free-flowing sequence that adds to your overall yoga experience. While your yoga teacher is trained to create vinyasas for you, there are also certain existing sequences that you can do on your own once you know what poses they involve. Two that are particularly popular in the West are the Sun Salutation and Warrior II.

Sun Salutation

One of the most popular sequences is known as the Sun Salutation. It is a single flow of 12 different yoga postures. With each, you should inhale to accompany your stretching and exhale as you contract or fold your body in. This particular vinyasas is designed to build your strength and increase your overall flexibility. Like with most vinyasas, you may find variations on this depending on what style of yoga you are using, but there are a few basic poses and a flow that is fairly consistent among the variations.

For the Sun Salutation, you go through the flow twice in order to complete one round. Do it one time for the right side of the body and the other time for your left. If you are crunched for time, still try to do at least one. Even that one half of a sequence will help you to feel revitalized.

The sun salutation starts with mountain. From there you go with hands up, head to knees, lunge, plank, and stick. Still flowing, you go into upward dog, downward dog, and lunge. Finally, the sequence finishes with head to knees, hands up, and mountain again. As you can see, the Sun Salutation is naturally circular just as many other yoga sequences are.

Warrior II

Another popular sequence for yogis in the West is called Triangle, or the Warrior II. This particular vinyasas emphasizes your breathing. Though it is usually recommended to try this moving between positions on the beat of your breath, you can experiment with different breathing patters to see what is best for you and how each affects you. In fact, this ability to freely experiment is what has made this such a popular vinyasas.

The sequence for Warrior II works through four poses. You will use Mountain, Triangle, Warrior II and the standing Yoga Mudra. Moving in that order, you will flow through the sequence in time with your breathing. This particular sequence will have a tendency to release stress and help with your flexibility. Be sure, as with all yoga, to pay careful attention to your breathing patterns while staying focused on yourself.

Once you begin to learn a number of yoga poses, you can begin to experiment with vinyasas on your own or with a teacher. They allow you to not only work within the poses, but also to maintain both a physical and mental flow when you perform your daily yoga. Additionally, you can find other yoga sequences that suit your skill level, need, and style of yoga. Overall, the vinyasas are a part of yoga that may help you see and feel results more quickly and more consistently.

How To Choose The Best Yoga Videos

Finding the best yoga videos is not as easy to walking down to your local video store and wandering over to the exercise aisle. Not all such videos on the market are ideal for effective home practice. In order to make sure you get the best yoga videos for your home, consider a few things you should really look for.

Easy To Understand

First of all, a quality yoga video will be easy for you to follow. You should be able to understand what is being done, how the positions are achieved, how long you should hold each one, and how often you should do it. It should also be easy to follow into each subsequent move. If you cannot understand the video, then it has failed on its most basic level.

Secondly, videos should provide not only easy to follow instructions, but also easy to understand demonstrations. You should be able to, by watching, understand the basics of achieving each pose and each transition. You should also understand, from watching, the breathing patterns and focus. If you can understand the verbal instructions, but the demonstrations are unclear then your video is no better than a book on yoga.

Next, there should be easy modifications offered in the best yoga videos. Yoga can be difficult, so beginners to it may frequently need modifications to their practice so that they can understand even that which they cannot complete. No matter what your ability level may be, you want your video to be able to apply to you. Once you buy a video, it should be of use to you at every stage as you progress further into yoga. Choose a video that will grow with you.

Teaching Qualilty

In a quality video, the yoga should be taught in a student centered manner. Though that seems like it should go without saying, you will see a number of yoga videos that are just a fancy way of showing off the instructor's ability in yoga. Such videos do little if any good and in many cases may even be counterproductive for you. The idea of having the yoga video is to help your development, not to put you in awe of someone else's level of flexibility or fitness.

Finally, high quality yoga videos should feature prominent and well qualified instructors. They should not only be practicing instructors, but should probably have achieved great success in their yoga education. You always want to learn from someone at as high a level as possible. By simply reading the back of the box, you will often get an overview of the teacher's qualifications so that you can make an intelligent decision as to whether or not you want this person to help you practice yoga in your home.

Finding the best yoga videos really isn't easy. However, when armed with the tools above, you can more accurately assess a video's value. Look for something you understand visually and orally, that you can use at any level, and that features a successful teacher while staying student centered. When you find that you will have found the best of the best yoga videos for use at home and between private sessions or classes.

Health Benefits of Yoga

Practitioners of yoga talk about a unification of the body, mind and spirit acquired through practicing the yoga exercises and techniques.

One of the fundamental beliefs that yoga practitioners share is that the mind and body are a unified structure. This structure can find its harmony and it can heal itself when given a proper environment. Many doctors recommend yoga for helping a wide variety of health conditions.

Yoga is not a recent philosophy and has been practiced for thousands of years. Studies have been done in order to establish the areas in which people can obtain health benefits by an extended practice. The information obtained suggests that yoga may impart improvements in physiological, psychological, and biochemical health.

From the physiological point of view, prolonged yoga practices can help pulse rate, respiratory and blood pressure dysfunction, contribute to stabilizing the nervous system, normalize gastrointestinal functions, normalize endocrine function, increase joint range of motion, increase endurance, enhance energy levels, increase immunity to diseases, improve cardiovascular efficiency, improve eye-hand coordination, reaction time, dexterity skills, depth perception, sleep, and more.

The studies of psychological benefits suggest that yoga can contribute to enhancing somatic and kinesthetic awareness, self-acceptance and self-actualization, social skills, well-being, as well as improving concentration, memory, attention, mood, learning efficiency, symbol coding, etc.

As for the biochemical benefits of yoga, there have been reports of decreases in glucose, sodium, cholesterol, total white blood cell counts and increases of vitamin C, total serum protein, and hemoglobin. Studies have also revealed that yoga exercises are effective at increasing joint flexibility and lubrication of joints, ligaments and tendons. Another interesting aspect has to do with the fact that yoga is one of the very few techniques which contributes to massaging all the internal organs and glands. This includes the glands that are hardly ever stimulated in this way, such as the prostate. The stimulation and massaging of the internal organs proves to be beneficial when it comes to preventing disease.

These ancient and efficient techniques ease the detoxification of the body. While stretching the muscles and performing a thorough massage, yoga ensures the optimum movement of blood and fluids that your body needs. Consequently, toxins are eliminated from your body and certain undesired processes, such as aging, can be delayed.

All the benefits presented above come in addition to the most important aspects provided by yoga practices; the harmony and synchronization between body and mind, strengthening your meditation and balancing your emotions.