Astanga Vinyasa Yoga

Astanga, or sometimes spelled ashtanga Yoga is actually taught today by a man named Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, in Mysore, India. He has brought astanga yoga to the west about 25 years ago and still teaches today at 91 years of age. Astanga yoga began with the rediscovery of the ancient manuscript Yoga Korunta. It describes a unique system of Hatha yoga as practiced and created by the ancient sage Vamana Rishi. It is believed to be the original asana practiced intended by Patanjali.

The Yoga Korunta emphasizes vinyasa, or breath-synchronized movement, where one practices a posture with specific breathing patterns associated with it. This breathing technique is called ujayyi pranayama, or the victorious breath, and it is a process that produces intense internal heat and a profuse sweat that purifies and detoxifies the muscles and organs. This also releases beneficial hormones and nutrients, and is usually massaged back into the body. The breath ensures efficient circulation of blood. The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body and a calm mind.

There is a proper sequence to follow when practicing Astanga yoga. One must graduate from one sequence of postures to move onto the next. The Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) detoxifies and aligns the body, purifying it so that toxins do not block. The Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels, allowing energy to pass through easily. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D (Sthira Bhaga) integrate the grace and stamina of the practice, which calls for intense flexibility.

It is best to find a trained and knowledgeable teacher to assist you through this discipline. It is an intense practice that is rigorous, six days a week. You are guaranteed to find inner peace and fulfillment with each breath you take.

Yoga for improving your figure

In presenting various Yoga asanas, I must impress on you that these alone will not make you lose weight. Yoga you see is a way of life not just a system of physical culture.You must study Yoga as a whole and let it pervade every part of your life. Let it gradually alter your way of thinking and in time it will affect your attitude towards food. For many people food is a social occasion or a means of chopping up the day. To very many others, it is a form of sheer solid comfort in times of stress or anxiety. To still others it is a hobby or a release from boredom. They don't know what to do with themselves so they eat-and grow fat.I do not suggest that you try drastically to alter your eating habits. Let Yoga gently do that for you. Practice Yoga as a complete science and very slowly adjust your eating habits according to your state of mind. By this I mean that, at the moment, maybe food is of major importance to you. It is right that you have this incentive to eat for it is necessary to take food in order to live, but many people, far too many, take far more food than they need. This results in a gradual build up of fat in the body until there you are-two, three, or even more stones overweight.It is never easy to take off weight and Yoga is not a short cut by any means, but this much I promise you. Once you have slimmed the Yoga way, you will be able to eat as you please and not gain an ounce. Yoga, in affecting the glands, establishes a rhythm in the body so that you do not feel a desire for food that you do not need. You want to eat only enough to keep superbly fit. Your new calmness of mind will make it unnecessary for you to turn to food for comfort or as a means of relieving tension or boredom. As I have said, Yoga will affect your way of life, even against your will; it will alter your attitude towards many things and one of these things is the food you eat.Having warned you that I have no magic formula dreamed up by the ancient Yogis with regard to recovering a slim, beautiful figure, let me discuss the first step in this 'battle of the bulge'. Here is a Yoga asana which will help you on your way. It is called the SIDESLIP and it should not present too much difficulty if you spend the first couple of days limbering up your torso with the following simple movements.Limbering up Exercises Stand up straight, feet together, arms raised to shoulder level. Holding your arms steady, swing them as far as possible round to the right. Twist your body to the maximum to bring your right arm as far round as you can and at the same time turn your head to look over your right shoulder so that you twist your neck to the utmost; as you turn slowly, bend your left arm so that when the swing to the right is at its height your left thumb should touch your right shoulder. Hold this position for a few seconds and then repeat the swing to the other side. You can repeat these swings ad lib but at first it is as well to limit yourself to a maximum of six if you have never taken any exercise before.Two points to remember. These swinging movements from side to side should be performed slowly and rhythmically. Emphasis is on the full sweep of the arms and the twisting of your torso to the utmost rather than on speed. Speed isn't a word used in Yoga, rather substitute the word pressure. At the extreme points of the twisting movement, you can exert a slight pressure to enhance the value of this limbering exercise. And having practiced it for a day or two you should graduate with no difficulty to a more advanced lateral twist called THE SIDESLIP POSTURE.Sideslip Posture 1. Kneel down on the floor and sit back on your heels. Raise your arms above your head, clasp your hands together and turn them palms upwards. Slide your body off your heels to the right and at the same time gently swing your arms towards the opposite side. You should not bend forward while performing this movement but move from the waist to the side only. Now raise your body off the floor, swing it slowly and gently to the other side and at the same time swing your arms over to the opposite side. Try to keep your knees together throughout the Sideslip Posture, but if you find this difficult or impossible at first, you may hold your knees apart to maintain your balance, but at all times endeavor to bring your knees together.Many people, while attempting this asana for the first time, have difficulty with stage 3, that is the lifting of the body off the floor and the swinging it to the other side. In fact some people have trouble in getting themselves off the floor at all in this position and others, if they do succeed, land with a great thump on the opposite side and have difficulty getting up from there. Be patient. This exercise is not quite so easy as it looks. Graceful, and a great favorite with women everywhere, it looks simple enough but in actual fact it requires a high degree of muscular control and concentration.Remember your head while you are doing the SIDESLIP POSTURE. It should bend the same way as your arms which you should, throughout the movement, try to press backwards as far as possible to avoid any possible sagging forward of your body.This asana is one of the finest in the entire Yoga range for slimming the waist and reducing that pad of fat which often settles on top of the hipbones. You will feel a powerful stretch from your hips to your armpits and if you do this exercise correctly you will feel rather sore in the region of your hip joints the next day. This is normal and it will prove to you that this Yoga exercise has already begun to work for you. While one side of your body is being stretched the other side is being powerfully contracted. You can feel it squeezing the fatty tissue. It also imparts a healthy massage to the organs and muscles of the abdomen and helps the torso towards a new suppleness and grace.When you can perform the SIDESLIP POSTURE at a moderate speed and with some degree of muscular control, then try to slow down the whole process so that it becomes a study in slow and gentle motion. This calls for a much higher degree of muscular control and thus the benefits of the posture are greatly enhanced. When you have perfected your movements in slow motion, regulate your deep breathing so that you lean to one side while inhaling and to the other while exhaling. Rhythm and slow motion are the final keywords in this exercise.In its perfect form, the Sideslip Posture should be as follows. Lean to the right while inhaling. Remain immobile as you complete your inhalation and hold your breath for as long as possible. When the impulse to exhale appears, do so, as you raise your body off the floor and swing it to the other side. Remain immobile as you complete your exhalation and remain holding your breath for as long as possible before inhaling again. This constitutes one round. Perform up to a dozen rounds a day, starting with four and adding two rounds per week.Like the Sideslip Posture, this next exercise is not so easy as it looks. It is called AROHANASANA or in English THE RAISED HEAD AND LEGS POSTURE. This asana wages war on that bulging abdomen. Lie flat on your back with your legs outstretched and your feet together. Lace your fingers together and place them at the back of your head just above your neck. Inhale very slowly and deeply and at the same time raise your head, shoulders, and legs off the floor, remembering to keep your knees straight. Hold this position until you have completed your inhalation. After holding your breath for a few seconds, very slowly return to the original position.Those two words 'very slowly' in connection with the lowering of the legs will catch most of you out at first. You will want to plop your legs down on the floor in a great rush, but try as hard as you can to resist this impulse. It is the easy way out and you will gain nothing from employing it. You want to reduce that abdomen don't you? Then do please remember that there is no hurry at all in this exercise and the slow s-l-o-w lowering of the legs is precisely what strengthens, tones, exercises, and reduces those flabby abdominal muscles and helps to reduce fat in this area.This is an exercise that requires a lot of patient practice before you can perform it perfectly. As it is a strenuous posture, do not do it more than twice a day for the first few days and after that very gradually increase the number of times you do it up to six.In addition to toning and strengthening the abdominal muscles and reducing excess fat, this exercise also helps to relieve constipation, so it is doubly beneficial to the would-be-slimmer. The back and shoulders are also strengthened by the slow motion lifting and lowering of the head and shoulders.A word of warning. This is not an exercise for women during pregnancy or who have any internal disorders, and people with hernia should practice it with extreme caution.For those readers who find the Arohanasana too strenuous or simply beyond you, here is a similar though much easier exercise which is called UDHITTA PADASANA or THE RAISED LEG POSTURE.1. Lie on your back with your legs outstretched and feet together. Inhale slowly and deeply and at the same time raise your right leg, keeping the knee straight until it is at right angles to your body.2. Remain thus as you complete your inhalation, hold your breath for a few seconds while keeping absolutely still, your other leg flat on the floor.3. When the impulse to exhale appears, do so, and at the same time very slowly lower your leg. Repeat with the other leg.This simple exercise may be performed once or twice a day until you feel you are ready to try it with both legs at once. This exercise, like the previous one, will help to break up fatty tissue in the abdominal area. I must warn beginners to this and the previous exercise, that they might find their abdominal muscles a little sore the day after starting as you are using muscles which may never have been used in that way before. Do not worry about the discomfort. It means that Yoga is working for you so you should welcome it as a sign that you were performing the exercise properly. Remember always to lower your legs s-1-o-w-l-y.Let us now try a standing posture for the improvement of the figure. This one will keep your spine healthy and supple, reduce abdominal fat, tone up sluggish bowels, and slim your waist. It is called THE WOODCUTTER Exercise.Stand erect, feet far apart. Stretch out your arms, lace your fingers together and imagine that you are holding a very heavy axe. Inhale slowly and deeply and at the same time slowly raise the 'axe' above your head until you are leaning back as far as you can without losing your balance. Remain in the backward bend as you complete your inhalation, remain immobile for a few seconds holding your breath. When the impulse to exhale appears, swing the 'axe' down slowly as though there were actually a log in front of you and you were chopping it up. The downward movement should be a very powerful one, but do not stop when you reach the imaginary log, but let your hands follow through your legs.Repeat this exercise six times, and do watch the following four points. Firstly that your elbows should be straight throughout, secondly that your feet should be firmly planted on the floor without moving, thirdly that you do not move your buttocks whilst you are bending down, and lastly, that all the movement should be done from above the waist. The lower half of the body should remain absolutely still.A word of warning. This is a rather strenuous exercise and I do not recommend it for women with internal complaints or people with weak hearts. This exercise should not be done during menstruation.The next posture for reducing abdominal fat is called THE TRIANGLE BEND.Stand erect with your hands clasped together behind your back. Your feet should be far apart with your knees straight. Inhale slowly and at the same time turn your torso, from the waist upwards, slightly to the right. Continue with your inhalation as you bend your head slowly until your forehead touches your right knee. Your hands should still be clasped behind your back. Remain in this position for as long as you comfortably can without exhaling and, when the impulse to exhale appears, do so, at the same time slowly straightening up. Repeat the movement to the other side, bending your head towards the left knee.That is the Triangle Bend. Repeat it twice each way at first but when you are limbered up you can perform it up to half a dozen times. Did I hear some of you say 'impossible'. I'll admit that if you are very stiff or very much overweight, the Triangle Bend may well seem so, but again I must ask you to practice it, without straining, and you will soon be pleasantly surprised at how easy this exercise really is. It reduces fat on the abdomen, waist, and thighs.And now for another posture which has a similar name. This is TRIKONASANA or THE TRIANGLE POSTURE, and you may find it easier than the previous one. It is one of the most effective Yoga asanas for reducing fat round the waistline, the hips, the upper arms, and the thighs, and it should present little difficulty even to the beginner.Trikonasana Stand erect, feet far apart, and your arms extended sideways at shoulder level. While keeping your head in the same position (that is not turning it), bend slowly to the right until your right hand touches your right foot. You will have to bend your right knee a little to do this and at the same time your left leg should remain outstretched to maintain balance. Your left arm should be gradually brought up and over your head as far as possible. Remain in this position until you have completed your inhalation. When the impulse to inhale appears, do so and at the same time slowly return to the starting position. Repeat this exercise to the other side.The most important feature of this exercise is the gradual increase of the stretch of the free arm, which should be brought over farther and farther each time you practice this exercise. It should be performed four times a day at first and, when you become more flexible, it can be performed up to a dozen times a day. The accent is on slow and rhythmical movement, as this exercise is much more beneficial to the health and the figure when performed slowly and gracefully. The breathing should also be carefully timed to coincide with the appropriate movements. Trikonasana is not a very strenuous posture but, all the same, I do not advise it for women with any kind of internal disorders or for people suffering from hernia.This being the last of the so-called 'slimming' Yoga asanas, I should like to lend a helping hand to those of you who, with the best will in the world to practice Yoga and grow slim, feel that you cannot find the time to practice. I know it isn't always easy especially if you go out to business, as the mornings are filled with rushing about, and breakfasts and bath water, and if something has to be left out-well that's Yoga isn't it? This is one of the main reasons, I find, why would-be devotees of Yoga do not pursue the subject.In view of the fact that Yoga asanas should be done on an empty stomach, it is usually convenient to perform your practice schedule first thing in the morning when you get out of bed. You may feel you are too sleepy to do them then but you will find that some of the asanas are very bracing owing to their stimulating effect on the nervous system and soon give you a wide-awake feeling. And once you have established the habit of doing Yoga postures first thing in the morning, it should become as much a part of your routine as having your morning bath or cleaning your teeth.So, starting with one of those bracing exercises, here is a ten-minute practice schedule which is not beyond the means of anyone. All you do is get up ten minutes earlier. Ten short minutes each day-so very little time to devote to Yoga, but how rich will be the rewards, so rich that I feel convinced that many of you will soon want to get up even earlier to devote yet more time to this healthful study.Ten-Minute Practice Schedule 1. Limbering up for Sideslip -1 minute2. Sideslip - 3 minutes3. Raised Head and Legs Posture - four times 2 minutes4. Leg Raising Posture 5. Woodchopper - six times 1 minute6. Triangle Bend - four times 1 minutes7. Triangle - six times 2 minutesThis ten-minute practice schedule can be varied of course, according to your individual needs and the amount of time at your disposal. There may be one exercise which you find you like better than some of the others, in which case, do spend more time on that one. The schedule I have set out is a mere indication of what can be done with a few minutes set aside for Yoga practice. Do not omit the correct breathing as you perform these exercises and if you would slim do please avoid constipation, as this is one of the worst enemies of the body and of the figure. Yoga will do wonders for your health and your appearance and for your figure, but do please give it a helping hand by watching your diet.

Ashtanga Yoga

Yoga is a philosophy of the life, which has also the eventual to create a healthy body and vibrantly spirit. The yoga of Ashtanga vinyasa is a method of the yoga which has it's origins in a known ancient document under the name of korunta yoga. Ashtanga refer specifically to eight the practical spiritual ones described by wise Patanjali in Sutra yoga. It is advisable to note that the experts of the majority of the modern externats of yoga of hatha, including pattabi jois, draw from yoga sutras de patanjali and thus practise the yoga of ashtanga. Means of yoga of Ashtanga exactly "eight-limbed yoga," as described by wise patanjali in sutras yoga.

The yoga of Ashtanga aims at purifying the body by the eight members or stages of yoga. It starts outside with yama which is the order and niyana which is the codes of conduct. They are manners that we trade and with what we can act one on the other with whole reality and ourselves at the same time. These stages cannot be practised but they are the exits morals. This way you can produce environments which supports the constructive increase. The yoga of Ashtanga concentrates on the concept that breathing is essential with the life.

Majority of people who are not able to emit decently simply the catch approximately half of their complete possibilities of lung. Help of asanas too you cut your force and cholesterol inferiors of blood and obtain a robust eye and remain in good health. In terms of mental physical form they lower the effort and the tension in our lives. The four other stages cannot be practised. These stages are about creating the superlative conditions which provide you the true meditation. The fifth stage is known as will pratyahara or withdrawal of your directions. Dhara is concentrated on you to help to concentrate you in a simple direction. Dhayna is a not stopped meditation and Samadhi is about being completely with the art of the self-portrait and to test full absorption.

Mayurasana

‘Mayur’ is a Sanskrit word and it means peacock. Thus, mayurasana is a posture which assumes the shape of peacock during the asana. In this posture one has to hold his whole body on like a stick on both his elbows. It is also known as peacock feather pose and bent arm balance.

Steps of performance

Sit on the both of your upper scales and place your knees on the ground. Now, stretch your fingers on your hands and place your palms on the ground. At that time fingers will remain stretched and pointing backward. Now, place your elbows on either side of navel and do the whole process gently. Slowly and gradually stretch the both legs together and come little forward comfortably. Now, raise the upper part of your body. After raising upper part of your body, straightens your legs like a stick and also it should keep horizontally. Keep straight your neck, chest and also head. Hold the position for few minutes. Return to original starting position with slowly folding your legs and placing the knees on the ground. Now, raise your hands from ground and sit comfortably on the soles.

Benefits of mayurasana

Mayurasana is the best exercise to awakening the Kundalini Shakti. This is an effective method for weakness of semen. It is also useful for congestion of vagina and also makes semen thick. It is also helpful for those women who have menstrual disorders. Mayurasana counters food poisoning. If one having problems with lower abdomen, it provides relief then.

Mayurasana is a good exercise for liver as well as pancreas. It is very helpful for diabetic patients also. It is best asana for strengthen arms, shoulders, abdomen and back. Mayurasana is helpful to improve balance. It develops the chest. This exercise has good effect on the expelling action of the colon. It is beneficial for obesity, constipation and piles.

Mayurasana is very regenerative and also quite stimulating. This asana is very effective for digestive organs. In this posture blood is concentrated and sent to the digestive organs and which is toned up by the intra-abdominal pressure.
The asana stimulates and enhances the pranic flow to the pericardium meridians.
This asana is a very good measure against visceroptosis and dyspepsia. After few months practice of this posture, it provides total orgasm at the time of intercourse. Mayurasana is very beneficial to cure many illnesses. It is helpful to calm the brain and helps relieving stress and mild depression.

Ayurveda for Sleep Problems

Yoga and Pranayama is an important measure to reduce work place negativity, tension, anxiety and so many other problems. Sleep problems are some of the most common problems parents face with their kids. Some children may have chronic sleep difficulties, and many children are actually going through their days sleep-deprived. Many people complain that they can't fall asleep or stay asleep, or that they are sleepy during the day, but few consider these to be symptoms of a sleep disorder. Sleep deprivation is a symptom of a sleep disorder. Some sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, are best treated pharmacologically, whereas others, such as chronic and primary insomnia, are more amenable to behavioral interventions. Many childhood sleep problems are related to poor sleep habits or to anxiety about going to bed and falling asleep. Persistent sleep problems may also be symptoms of emotional difficulties.

Sleep problems may be caused by or the result of disorders in various systems of the body. Sleep apnea, for example, is a respiratory disorder while narcolepsy is a neurological disorder. If a person has experienced sleeping difficulties for a month or more, this is called persistent or chronic insomnia. Some children will do all they can to prevent separation at bedtime. However, to help minimize common sleep problems, a parent should develop consistent bedtime and regular bedtime and sleep routines for children. Parents often find that feeding and rocking help an infant to get to sleep. However, other medical specialties also offer treatment for sleep disorders. Regular practice of pranayam and yoga cures insomnia and sleeplessness and gives better health. If every person follows this regime, this will eradicate diseases from world.

Ayurveda on Sleep Problems:

According to the Ayurveda, sleeplessness results in laziness, tiredness, inertia, dizziness, feeling of heaviness, body ache etc. Head ache, high temperature, cough are the results of continued untimely sleep. Ayurveda also says that over sleep can cause diabetes. People having depression, schizophrenia, and similar psychological disorders have been found to improve their condition if they get enough deep sleep.

Yoga and the Heart

Although I began watching my parents practice with B.K.S. Iyengar when I was three, and joined them at age seven, it took me years to fully absorb this basic lesson. For the first 13 years of my yoga practice, my effort was directed at physically mastering pose after ever more difficult pose. In my late teens, I often practiced seven hours a day, many days in a row. Staying half an hour in Headstand and an hour in Shoulderstand would leave my neck so stiff that I could not even turn it the next day! In some sessions, I would perform 150 or so poses! By age 20, I had a repertoire of hundreds of poses, including high risk asanas rarely seen and almost never taught. I brought enormous energy to my practice, but it was more in service to my ambition and ego than to a higher and deeper purpose.

Then, helping a friend lift some crates, I ruptured two disks in my lower back. For what seemed like an eternity, I was unable to sit, stand, or walk without experiencing excruciating pain. When I could finally do asana again, I had to start from the beginning. The muscles around my pelvis, legs, and spine had seized up to protect my back, and I was stiffer than most beginners. This whole experience was a great lesson in humility, and it began the transformation of my asana practice to the much more heart-centered approach that is now the core of my teaching.

The second catalytic experience that transformed my practice was when my wife, Mirra, developed a critical illness. Three times I saw her almost die and be revived. I was once again forced to search for the deeper meanings of my life and the place my daily asana practice had in it. Watching the woman who mattered so much to me struggle for life made me question the haughty attachment I had to my body and the asanas it could do.

Assisted by the penetrating and often astonishing insights my wife had gained through her trials, I began to discover what was for me an entirely new approach to yoga practice, an approach that included yet transcended my old one. My teachers and several ancient texts had already introduced me to this kind of practice, but I suppose I was unable to heed their guidance until experience had softened my heart. And the heart was at the core of this new approach: the surrender of the brain to the heart as well as the lifting of the pelvic energy to the heart. My wife Mirra explained to me time and time again the importance of opening the heart center. Speaking from the depths of her own inner experience, she reminded me that it was the heart that held the secrets to self knowledge and the heart that was the portal to the universe within.

Now as I teach, I no longer ask students to make the performance of the postures their primary focus in yoga. Instead, I ask them to discover, explore, grasp, and then lift the awesome power of the pelvis into the heart center, giving the heart attention, energy, and nourishment. As they work in the poses, I also teach them techniques to help them enlist the intellectual, analytical abilities of the brain in the inner quest that takes place within the heart. For example, Revolved-Head-to-Knee Pose ("Parivrtta Janu Shirsasana") is an excellent way to learn this heart-centered approach, because performing the pose with elegance and openness requires you to discover and harbor the power inside the pelvis, to lift that power into the heart center, and to open the chest in a wide, resplendent expression of the heart's inner luminosity.