Increasingly, you may hear about your companions enrolling in Hatha classes at the local gym. In terms of pure popularity, Hatha yoga is number one in the yoga world. As a result, the poses are known well by both beginners and experts.
Hatha yoga poses are called Asanas. The Asanas are used in combination with meditation and the breathing techniques known as Pranayama. Together they work the body to improve strength and flexibility as well as overall health, which is one of the reasons it is so popular. Hatha is a hybrid of the Sanskrit words ?ha? which means ?sun? and the word ?tha? which means the ?moon.? Together, they refer to the way that Hatha?s yoga poses often bring together opposites currents in the system.
Of the eight limbs of yoga, Hatha focuses mostly on the third, which is Asana, and the fourth, which is Pranayama. These pose and posture techniques coupled with the breathing patterns are used to clear out your body?s energy channels, known as the Nadis. This, in turn, removes obstacles that could hamper other limbs helping to improve your well being.
Hatha History
Hatha has been around since 15th century India when a yogic sage, Swami Swatamarama, detailed Hatha Yoga Pradipika, one of the most important yoga texts. The original intent of this form of yoga was to help support relaxation of the body and to support the ?contemplation of one reality.? Many of the classic Hatha yoga poses that were used at its inception, in fact, are still in use with it today. According to those first practitioners of Hatha, the postures can lead to the best in not only physical well being, but also the best state of mind you can possibly attain.
Your Hatha Path
Before beginning your journey into Hatha yoga, you need to be prepared just like with any other form of yoga. There are some basic tips that can help you have an easier, more effective, and safer experience as you begin this original yoga style.
First, remember to breathe normally while you are in and move between each of the poses. Your breaths should be deep and smooth. Try to feel your diaphragm opening and expanding as you switch from one posture to another. Hatha rarely, if ever, uses the shorter and harder yoga breathing, so stay smooth and deep.
Second, do not force any of the stretch positions in Hatha. Start with the easier ones and make sure you are moving easily and naturally into each pose and that you are holding it for 15 to 30 seconds. This will ensure that you get the most out of your yoga and minimize your risk of injury. Be patient with your body and do not attempt the more difficult poses until you are sure you are ready.
Finally, concentrate on your breathing. One of the big focuses in this particular yoga is the breathing which leads to much of the mental health benefits. Use the exercise to relax and become at peace with yourself in the moment. That is what Hatha yoga poses are intended to do for you.
Hatha has been in practice for over 600 years. Longevity like that is rare even in yoga, and can be a sign of success and true belief. If you are considering this form of yoga as for yourself, then remember: never strain, take the time to make sure you are ready for a given pose, and to concentrate heavily on your breathing. Following these tips will help you to attain the superior mental and physical well being that Hatha is said to provide.
Rebecca Prescott provides an introduction to some hatha yoga poses here. You’ll also find an article about another popular style of yoga, Bikram yoga, and weight loss benefits associated with it, here.
Showing posts with label contemplation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemplation. Show all posts
March 2, 2009
March 1, 2009
The Different Types Of Yoga
The practice of yoga goes back more than 5,000 years. It came originally from India and spread from there all over Asia and, in the second half of the 20th century, to Europe and the Americas. Yoga is a generic word that encompasses practically all kinds of meditations that aim at a psycho-physical improvement. In the United States and Europe most meditation disciplines are focused around the physical position that is called lotus or asanas. The breathing of the meditating person plays a very important role, because in many yoga schools or disciplines it is used to focus the mind. It may be used as a passive vector by just observing it, or it can be used in the context of breathing exercises, most of which belong to the school of pranayama.
The old English word yoke served as a linguistic bridge and nowadays yoga is associated with union. This connection might be with the absolute or God, in Hinduism called Brahman, or with the inner self. There is passive and active meditation. Passive meditation has a more spiritual aim, the contemplation and comprehension of life itself, whereby active meditation aims at a better physical condition, stress control through understanding of the processes that lead to stress, mental clarity and generally just feeling better.
There are different schools or types of yoga, which are called paths. All of them have in common the search for the path of enlightenment.
Bhakti yoga, for example, has as its aim love and devotion. The practice itself is very ceremonious, with a lot of rituals such lighting incense and chanting mantras. It is closely linked to another person, called the guru, basically a mentor or sponsor. Everybody who practices Bhakti yoga is free to develop a relationship with God as he or she understands him. And it is so attractive because at its center is the inherent desire of all creatures to love and to be loved
A meditation discipline that focuses almost entirely on the physical aspect of yoga is Hatha. The person who practices it has to be physically strong and to be able to spend a lot of time on his or her physical processes. The aim is to clean the nervous system and make the body stronger. So strong, in fact, that a yogi (a person spending many years practicing specific meditation exercises) can reach a state where he doesn’t feel anymore the heat or the cold and is indifferent to pleasure and pain.
The total opposite of this physically oriented yoga practice is Jnana yoga. Here the body is seen more like an impediment for reaching true wisdom and its unclean aspects like puss or feces are emphasized in order to cause disdain for the physical existence. Jnana is about developing wisdom and insight and the realization of the fact that what we experience here on earth is just the transcendent aspect of the eternal.
Last but not least there is Karma yoga, which is about being of service to fellow human beings and God. It is the perfect discipline for those people with a deeply developed sense of community who seek to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Yoga
The old English word yoke served as a linguistic bridge and nowadays yoga is associated with union. This connection might be with the absolute or God, in Hinduism called Brahman, or with the inner self. There is passive and active meditation. Passive meditation has a more spiritual aim, the contemplation and comprehension of life itself, whereby active meditation aims at a better physical condition, stress control through understanding of the processes that lead to stress, mental clarity and generally just feeling better.
There are different schools or types of yoga, which are called paths. All of them have in common the search for the path of enlightenment.
Bhakti yoga, for example, has as its aim love and devotion. The practice itself is very ceremonious, with a lot of rituals such lighting incense and chanting mantras. It is closely linked to another person, called the guru, basically a mentor or sponsor. Everybody who practices Bhakti yoga is free to develop a relationship with God as he or she understands him. And it is so attractive because at its center is the inherent desire of all creatures to love and to be loved
A meditation discipline that focuses almost entirely on the physical aspect of yoga is Hatha. The person who practices it has to be physically strong and to be able to spend a lot of time on his or her physical processes. The aim is to clean the nervous system and make the body stronger. So strong, in fact, that a yogi (a person spending many years practicing specific meditation exercises) can reach a state where he doesn’t feel anymore the heat or the cold and is indifferent to pleasure and pain.
The total opposite of this physically oriented yoga practice is Jnana yoga. Here the body is seen more like an impediment for reaching true wisdom and its unclean aspects like puss or feces are emphasized in order to cause disdain for the physical existence. Jnana is about developing wisdom and insight and the realization of the fact that what we experience here on earth is just the transcendent aspect of the eternal.
Last but not least there is Karma yoga, which is about being of service to fellow human beings and God. It is the perfect discipline for those people with a deeply developed sense of community who seek to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Yoga
February 23, 2009
What Makes Ashtanga Yoga Different?
Ashtanga Yoga is the type of yoga which was created and established by a master named K. Pattabhi Jois. Due to its theory containing eight different limbs, or components, it is also known as “Eight-Limb Yoga”. It doesn’t imply that the practitioner has a double set of limbs, but master Pattabhi Jois showed that the optimum path of purification is made up of the eight spiritual practices.
The basic idea is that these limbs only can be kept in balance by the appropriate application of the Ashtanga Yoga method.
The first four limbs that symbolize Ashtanga Yoga, and are considered externally correctable are (original names within double quotes):
- Moral codes or “yama”
- Self-purification or “niyama”
- Posture or “asana”
- Breath control or “pranayama”
Then there is the other set of limbs which are the internal practices:
- Sense control or “pratyahara”
- Meditation or “dhyana”
- Concentration or “dharana”
- Contemplation or “samadhi”
K. Pattabhi Jois declared that practicing these Eight Limbs as well as its sub-limbs of the external practices which contain the niyama and yama is impossible. In doing so, the body should be strong so that it can technically perform the methods well enough. If the body is weak, and the sense organs are not functioning well, practicing will never be productive at all.
This is a primary philosophy that K. Pattabhi Jois has applied, it is of prime importance for the Asthanga practitioner to learn and understand this way of thinking. This will make you confident in that the body will significantly improve and become stronger and healthier.
Vinsaya and Tristhana are performed in Ashtanga Yoga.
The Vinsaya is a style that makes Ashtanga and its fundamental principles different from the others. Vinsaya basically means the movement and breathing which is used effectively together in order to cleanse the body. Each movement done is accompanied by only one breath. Sweat is the most important product of Vinsaya. When you produce sweat, it only indicates that you are successfully applying the method. When you perform the Asanas, or postures, the body produces heat which causes your blood to “boil” and excrete the toxins outside of your body. The contaminations are found in your sweat. So the more sweat you produce, the more toxins are released. This is the natural way for the body to get rid of unwanted substances.
The poses are used to fully develop the physical strength and health of the body. It is the sequence of practices that make this possible. There are three postures used in Ashtaga Yoga.
The three are grouped on different levels:
- The first is the Primary Series which aims on aligning the body and also detoxifying it.
- The second is the Intermediate Series opening and cleansing the energy channels which comes to the process of purifying the Nervous System.
- The last series would be the Advanced Series from A to D. In this set, the grace and strength are assessed.
The Tristhana is another yoga principle which symbolizes the close union of the three places of action and attention. First is the posture, second is the breathing technique ad last is the Dristhi of the Looking Place. All these three should work altogether to perform a function.
The breathing is always controlled and synchronized with the movements, in such a way that each movement is accompanied by breath. Ujjayi Breathing is the Yoga Breathing Technique used in the implementation of Ashtanga Yoga. Applying this ancient technique is something that you should work on gradually in your daily practise. What you need to master is holding your pose longer at the same time hold your breath. This is an amazing breathing exercise that will intensify your internal fire and will toughen the Nervous System.
Both Ashtanga and Tristhana deal with the series of Dristhi. The Dristhi is defined as the point on which you acquire your focus or concentration while doing the Asana. This allows your mind to be purified and stabilized clearly.
Clearing your mind (that is sometimes compared to an over active monkey) and cleansing it is the ultimate goal in the Eight-Limb Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga.
Michael Hawkins writes books and articles about Yoga, fitness and health. A free Yoga Ecourse, that explores this exciting world of exercise and meditation, is available at his website http://www.yoga-central.net
The basic idea is that these limbs only can be kept in balance by the appropriate application of the Ashtanga Yoga method.
The first four limbs that symbolize Ashtanga Yoga, and are considered externally correctable are (original names within double quotes):
- Moral codes or “yama”
- Self-purification or “niyama”
- Posture or “asana”
- Breath control or “pranayama”
Then there is the other set of limbs which are the internal practices:
- Sense control or “pratyahara”
- Meditation or “dhyana”
- Concentration or “dharana”
- Contemplation or “samadhi”
K. Pattabhi Jois declared that practicing these Eight Limbs as well as its sub-limbs of the external practices which contain the niyama and yama is impossible. In doing so, the body should be strong so that it can technically perform the methods well enough. If the body is weak, and the sense organs are not functioning well, practicing will never be productive at all.
This is a primary philosophy that K. Pattabhi Jois has applied, it is of prime importance for the Asthanga practitioner to learn and understand this way of thinking. This will make you confident in that the body will significantly improve and become stronger and healthier.
Vinsaya and Tristhana are performed in Ashtanga Yoga.
The Vinsaya is a style that makes Ashtanga and its fundamental principles different from the others. Vinsaya basically means the movement and breathing which is used effectively together in order to cleanse the body. Each movement done is accompanied by only one breath. Sweat is the most important product of Vinsaya. When you produce sweat, it only indicates that you are successfully applying the method. When you perform the Asanas, or postures, the body produces heat which causes your blood to “boil” and excrete the toxins outside of your body. The contaminations are found in your sweat. So the more sweat you produce, the more toxins are released. This is the natural way for the body to get rid of unwanted substances.
The poses are used to fully develop the physical strength and health of the body. It is the sequence of practices that make this possible. There are three postures used in Ashtaga Yoga.
The three are grouped on different levels:
- The first is the Primary Series which aims on aligning the body and also detoxifying it.
- The second is the Intermediate Series opening and cleansing the energy channels which comes to the process of purifying the Nervous System.
- The last series would be the Advanced Series from A to D. In this set, the grace and strength are assessed.
The Tristhana is another yoga principle which symbolizes the close union of the three places of action and attention. First is the posture, second is the breathing technique ad last is the Dristhi of the Looking Place. All these three should work altogether to perform a function.
The breathing is always controlled and synchronized with the movements, in such a way that each movement is accompanied by breath. Ujjayi Breathing is the Yoga Breathing Technique used in the implementation of Ashtanga Yoga. Applying this ancient technique is something that you should work on gradually in your daily practise. What you need to master is holding your pose longer at the same time hold your breath. This is an amazing breathing exercise that will intensify your internal fire and will toughen the Nervous System.
Both Ashtanga and Tristhana deal with the series of Dristhi. The Dristhi is defined as the point on which you acquire your focus or concentration while doing the Asana. This allows your mind to be purified and stabilized clearly.
Clearing your mind (that is sometimes compared to an over active monkey) and cleansing it is the ultimate goal in the Eight-Limb Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga.
Michael Hawkins writes books and articles about Yoga, fitness and health. A free Yoga Ecourse, that explores this exciting world of exercise and meditation, is available at his website http://www.yoga-central.net
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