The 8 Physical and Mental Types of Yoga

There are a lot of different types of yoga today, so if you are starting out and feeling confused, you are normal.

It is best to start with a type of yoga that is appropriate for your own level of fitness, physical and spiritual goals and health condition.

The 8 most common types of yoga are described in this article and briefly explained to help guide you in choosing the best type of yoga that you can start with.

Physical-Focused Types of Yoga

Iyengar Yoga: Iyengar yoga is focused solely on body alignment and executing precise movements. Yoga accessories such as blocks and straps are normally used by beginners who are not as flexible as the experts.

Yoga accessories help assist all sorts of people to be able to do the poses comfortably.

Because of its attention to details and the flexible modification of poses, Iyengar yoga is often considered a good form of exercise for people with neck or back pain, as they are likely to benefit from the random movement in the poses.

Practicing Iyengar yoga will give you a good knowledge on the classics in yoga poses so that whatever other style you eventually practice, you will have the basic fundamentals on how to do each position.

In Iyengar yoga the teacher focuses more on alignment and inner awareness. This awareness starts with the body and expands to other parts of the self as one continues to practice regularly

Ashtanga Yoga: Ashtanga yoga is commonly called “power yoga” because it is focused on a powerful flowing movement.

The movements include pushups and lunges, which deals with strength and stamina. Ashtanga yoga is best for people who have a strong back, or have successfully overcome back injuries and are looking for more challenging practice.

Athletic people such as runners, cyclists and gynmasts who wish to add more balance and concentration to their routines are also fans of Ashtanga yoga.

Bikram Yoga: Bikram yoga is also known as the “hot yoga” because it is done in a very warm room. Bikram yoga is an excellent tool to increase flexibility because the heat helps you to stretch.

Keep in mind that Bikram yoga is not safe for anyone who has developed cardio vascular diseases, because vigorously exercising in the heat places strain placed on the body.

Mental-Focused Types of Yoga

Bhakti yoga: or commonly known as devotional yoga. Bhakti yoga focus on self surrender in the face of the divine, if you know what that means.

Mantra yoga: Mantra yoga is known as the “yoga of potent sound”. Mantra yoga aims at liberation through the verbal or mental repetition of empowered sounds, such as “om,” “hum,” and “ram.”

Viniyoga: Viniyoga yoga links breathe and movement in flowing exercises that are modified to each individual. Viniyoga is a good form of yoga for those with back problems or neck injuries because it can be easily adapted by everyone.

Raja Yoga: Raja yoga aims for liberation through meditation. Raja yoga is meant for those people who are capable of intense concentration.

As you can see, there are many types of yoga to choose from. It is a good idea to discuss the type of yoga practiced before engaging in any yoga class. In particular, learn which philosophy the teacher uses, so you’ll know if it will be a gentle, passive yoga, or a bone crunching form.

Both you and the teacher will be glad you knew what you were getting into, before the class begins.

About The Author
Jack Sinclair is an avid yoga devotee.
Learn everything about yoga for free at http://www.types-of-yoga.com

Yoga - In Sickness And In Health

If one of your priorities in life is to keep in shape physically and mentally then yoga is the answer. Yoga is practised by millions of people and is on the increase daily. How many to be precise is hard to say but a calculator would struggle to keep up with the figures. This exercise has become a way of life for many people who can not do without their intake of this healthy type of regime.

Yoga is a comforting and enjoyable where routines are followed consisting of poses and bodily postures that give the body a healthy look and feel. An additional bonus to yoga is you get to unwind/relax while at the same tending to your body needs.

Without doubt it is known to ease stress and research behind the scenes of yoga discovered that certain illnesses have been calmed for those who practice this exercise. Disorders namely anxiety, blood pressure, back pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and many more have been controlled by a yoga way of life. Other sicknesses that have come under threat of being eased or even abolished are arthritis, chronic fatigue, headaches. People have found it has a strong influence on reducing asthma. It is no wonder why this routine is practised on a regular basis with the positive effects it has on ailing patients. Now that the benefits have finally been recognised it is becoming a phenomenal craze and why wouldnt it when the rewards are greater than that of winning the lottery. No amount of money can buy a content mind - healthy body and soul.

Pleasing experiences generated from yoga is the sense of well being where stress is eased and forgotten while you lapse into a sedate frame of mind.
Reasons why people have chosen to take up yoga are because of how it helps tone muscle/flexibility and strengthens stamina pace. Obese participants understand how beneficial it is helping them to burn off excess fat without the demand tactics like that of a strenuous assault course.

Yoga and concentration are a very compatible twosome, if working hand in hand it helps to improve creativity.
The positive side to yoga is where it gives you control in tending to your body needs naturally instead of turning to medicinal pills (Depending of course of your condition) Yoga is as positive as you can get.
Keeping your body fit is important so a healthy blood circulation is imminent to keep organs and veins functioning properly. Your immune system if stimulated is a force strong enough to fight sickness.

Yoga and how it affects each individual differs greatly but does it matter as long as it leads to a healthier life?

Psychological, mental and physical sicknesses are just a few main factors why people are joining in the fun of yoga and claiming control over their health. Forget any belief you may have that yoga is a religious activity, quite the opposite in fact.
You and yoga a match made in heaven. In a nutshell - in sickness and health.

100% fit mind and body is what healthy living is all about. Yoga helps you claim what is rightfully yours. A content mind the natural way. http://www.want2yoga.com Move on with your life http://www.allaboutonlineeducation.com

Scoliosis Exercise: Yoga as an Effective Option for Pain Relief

Scoliosis is a condition in which a person has side-to-side spinal curves in addition to the normal curves through which the lower portion of the human back curves inwards. The most effective remedy for such a condition is Scoliosis exercises. Although many exercises help in reducing the Scoliosis-related problems, yoga is considered the best Scoliosis exercise. Yoga postures are helpful since they enable us to stretch our body.

The most effective yoga exercises for the treatment of scoliosis-related problems include the Crocodile twist, the Supine knee chest twist, the passive back arch and the one leg up-one leg out posture. These exercises are very helpful in raising one?s lowered shoulder and reducing the back pain.

The Passive back arch scoliosis exercises has been found to be helpful in not only reducing scoliosis-related pain, but also the problems related to condition called pectus excavatum (sunken chest). Pectus excavatum is generally caused due to tight muscles across one?s chest and back and soft bones in the rib cage and spine.

The One leg up and one leg out scoliosis exercise have been found to be very effective in reducing muscular tension in legs. The Seated twist is a good remedy for the treatment of thoracic twist. This exercise also helps to rectify the alignment of the body and is simple to perform.

The Joint freeing series of scoliosis exercises are particularly helpful for people suffering from scoliosis with tight shoulder muscles. The Head to Knee pose helps in maintaining the alignment of the body and straightening of the spine. The spinal and the abdominal twists result in the stretching of muscles in the shoulder.

Saurabh Jain is the Executive Editor of Online Back Pain Resource. He has developed this site to provide valuable information to people suffering from back pain. This site enumerates different causes and factors related to back pain, guides through the different back pain treatments and suggests exercises for treatments of different types of back pain. The site is a free online resource for back pain and its remedies. The visitors can also find valuable information and reviews about the different equipments and therapies for back pain relief. Visit http://www.backpain-resources-online.com for more information.

Did You Get Hurt Taking Yoga?

In the past year, I have heard a lot of people complain to me that they have taken yoga with bad experiences. They got injured during the class or received no benefit because they could not follow the instructor. This experience left them with not only an injury, but a bad impression of the benefit of yoga.

Yoga was invented to help everyone, no matter what their physical ailments are. The word yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning joining. It was developed to join the body, mind and spirit of an individual into an integrated human being. When we are integrated, we are more able to interface with the outside world. We become more harmonious and more effective in all of our interactions. Our productivity improves.

So, why do we get hurt at yoga class? A community yoga class instructor may not have knowledge about special populations. They may not be able to look carefully at each and every student. In addition, the instructor may not be aware that some asanas or poses should not be carried out by some people with physical limitations.

For example, if you have had back surgery, then there are many asanas that are detrimental for you. Such a person would need to seek an educated yoga instructor who has the necessary expertise and background to guide them appropriately. Yoga is beneficial to people with back ailments, as long as you know the correct method of practising it. It is important to look for a yoga instructor who has a physiologically based yoga degree. If the instructor has a degree from the prestigious Yoga Institute in India, for example, you can be sure their understanding and instructing of yoga will be beneficial and safe for the student to practice.

I recently had a client with a facet joint injury. She could not attend any traditional fitness class for fear that the instructor may not have sufficient physiological knowledge to guide her to health. She hired a qualified yoga instructor to do one-on-one sessions with her. Those sessions consisted of asanas that were not detrimental to those with lower back injuries. After these sessions, her ability to stand and walk improved. Her tension from pain was decreased enabling her to work more effectively during the day.

A variety of personal interests and professional paths have led Siva to her current role as a personal trainer and yoga instructor with over 20 years experience. Siva is listed in Who?s Who in the World and is an author, lecturer and Can-Fit-Pro certified personal trainer who specializes in body-mind-spirit consulting and training women. Siva has helped many clients overcome fitness related issues in their lives using yoga and meditation.

For more information on how Siva can help you through yoga, contact Shanti Consulting today for a free consultation at http://www.getshanti.com and sign up for the free newsletter.

Asanas To Help You Out From Your Backache

Yoga is very important in our daily life and it can create positive impact on your health. By doing some asanas would be very good for your back. As the lifestyle and the way of working has changed which causes many of these ailments. The food habits with high on fat, cholesterol and other unwanted things just add up to your ailments.

Yoga done helps in relaxing your body and creates harmony in your body. The process of yoga is the idea about well-being in this fast and overly paced life. It gives a therapeutic feeling once you are through with it. It makes you aware about your body and needs of stretching and stress free makes it very important for everyone to give it a try at least once.

Some common poses which can be tried by you to break-free from the backache. The very common and very easy asana is the Shav asana (also known as the Corpse position) this helps in relaxing your body by lying flat on your back and relieving you from all the stress and tension. You can also do the Spinal Twist which would help in easing your tension in the upper back and shoulders, the cat stretch or cobra which increases flexibility of your spine.

Some of the other poses are the Camel pose, Cow pose, Locust pose, Lotus pose, Forward Bend, Palm Tree pose and Fish pose all these poses helps in relieving the back pain you keep complaining about. Some other poses which would help you are the Headstand, inverted poses, aswini mudra, plough these all the different poses which can be done if causes of backache is by displaced organs, weak muscles, from menstruation and other problems. Other asanas are tadasana samastithi, tadasana urdhva hastasana, tadasana urdhva baddha hastasna.

Kevin Pederson, the webmaster for Yogawiz ,provides information on yoga for one and all who has any problems be it back or any other problems.

The Most Common Types of Yoga

As there are so many different types of yoga available today, it can present a major
problem for beginners. It is of best advice to choose a form of yoga that is
appropriate for each individual?s level of fitness, physical and spiritual goals and
health condition.

Some of the most common types of yoga are listed here and briefly explained in
order to assist you in choosing the best type of yoga that you can start off with.

1. Iyengar Yoga

These types of yoga are solely focused on the alignment and precise
movements. Yoga props such as blocks and straps are usually used as part of this
type of yoga for those beginners who are not as flexible as the experts as to
compensate for injuries.

These Yoga props help assist all sorts of people to be able to do the poses
comfortably.

Because of its attention to details and the flexible modification of poses, these types
of yoga is often a good form of exercise for people with back pain or neck pain, as
they are likely to benefit from the random alteration to the poses.

Practicing these types of yoga will give you a good knowledge on the classics in
yoga poses so that whatever other style you practice, you will have the basic
fundamentals on how to do each position.

In Iyengar yoga the teacher focuses more on alignment and inner awareness. This
awareness starts with the body and expands to other parts of the self as one
continues with the regularity of practice.

2. Ashtanga Yoga

These types of yoga are commonly called ?power yoga? because it is
focused on a powerful flowing movement.

Such movements include pushups and lunges, which deals with strength and
stamina. These types of yoga are best for people who have successfully overcome
back injuries and are looking for more challenging practice.

People who are already athletic such as runners, gymnasts and cyclists who want to
add more balance and concentration to their routines are also utilizing these types
of yoga.

3. Bikram Yoga

These types of yoga are also known as the ?hot yoga? for this is
done in a very warm room. These types of yoga are excellent tools for increasing
flexibility because the heat helps tissue to stretch.

But keep in mind that these types of yoga are not applicable to those that have
developed cardio vascular diseases due to the strain placed on the body when
vigorously exercising in the heat.

4. Viniyoga

These types of yoga links breathe and movement in flowing exercises that
are adapted to each individual. These are often a good form of yoga for those with
back problems or neck injuries because it can be easily adapted by anyone.

5. Raja Yoga

These types of yoga aims for liberation through meditation. These types
of yoga are only for those people who are capable of intense concentration.

6. Bhakti yoga

Or commonly known as devotional yoga. These types of yoga focus on
self surrender in the face of the divine.

7. Mantra yoga

Much more know as the “yoga of potent sound?. These types of yoga
aims at liberation through the verbal or mental repetition of empowered sounds,
such as “om”, “hum?, or “ram”.

There are so many yoga institutions to choose from. It is also a good idea that
before going into a class, discuss with the teacher first regarding hi or her
philosophy and beliefs in order to find the most appropriate and personally
appealing form of yoga for you.

? Copyright Melvin Chua, All Rights Reserved.

Melvin has dozens more related articles and tips on doing yoga at his site: doing yoga, check them
out today!