Kundalini Yoga

Getting To Know the Basics of Kundalini Yoga

Simple aerobics exercise can tone the body but why just tone the physical aspect when a person can take up yoga and sharpen both body and mind as well? Kundalini Yoga focuses on the achievement of mental and physical perfection for its disciples and bets of all, it is free.

While most yoga disciplines focus on preparing the body for higher meditation, Kundalini Yoga focuses more on achieving the Kundalini energy which is important if a person wants to achieve spiritual perfection.

Kundalini can be best described using the theories of kinetic and potential energy. Kundalini, which literally means coiled up or better known as the snake position, seeks to explore the dormant life energies or forces in the body. Followers of Kundalini Yoga believe that the dormant energies can be awakened with the proper discipline such as the discipline of Kundalini Yoga.

Like the other Yoga types, Kundalini Yoga puts emphasis on the asana as well as chant and meditation to achieve the goal of releasing the hidden and dormant energies lying in the body. While people would look at the poses as mere stretching, it holds a deeper meaning for yoga followers.

While the poses and breathing techniques used by practitioners of Kundalini Yoga are aimed at healing and empowering different body parts specifically the spine, these should not be treated as medical treatments. On the other hand, a person who wants to start practicing Kundalini Yoga should first consult his doctor if the exercises are appropriate for him considering his physical condition or health.

Kundalini Yoga focuses on the awakening of the chakras or centers of energy that are located in different parts of the body from the spine to the head. There are seven centers of energy located in these body parts but there is an eight chakra which is more popularly known as aura.

Practitioners of Kundalini Yoga believe that the aura can be awakened through the asana and the breathing techniques. A person can become physically and mentally healthy and strong if he knows how to awaken this aura and source his energies from that aura.

Practicing Kundalini Yoga is expected to release the hidden energies and potentialities of a person. A person can be more mentally and physically present and alert just by releasing and awakening the hidden energies deep inside the chakras.

A person who follows the Kundalini discipline can develop his conscious and subconscious self and then unify them to achieve the union of the divine leading to a higher level of existence.

Some people may think that Kundalini Yoga is available only to specific groups of people. However, just about anyone who wants to awaken his inner strength can follow the Kundalini Yoga discipline. A person who wants to minimize the effects of stress in his life or who wants to attain a higher level of meditation or self knowledge can take on Kundalini Yoga.

Unlike other stress relievers which are not only expensive but requires a person to get out of the house, Kundalini Yoga can be practiced for free and even in the confines of the home. No need to spend money on anything but a person who wants to practice Kundalini Yoga should invest time and effort in getting to know the many poses and disciplines of Kundalini Yoga.

Kundalini Yoga has been used to treat people with emotional disorders particularly those suffering from OC or obsessive-compulsive behavior. It has been proven to relax the muscles and relieving bodily and emotional tension.

A person who practices Kundalini Yoga can expect to be more at peace with himself and with his surroundings. He can expect to have an increased energy level and an increase coping mechanism against mental and physical stress.

By bringing out the energies trapped within the body and mind, the Kundalini Yoga disciple will be able to achieve an inner peace and a higher level of existence never before experienced in his life. He will be able to gain more control of his life and of his thoughts.

Anyone who wants to gain spiritual independence should go try Kundalini Yoga and benefit from the physical and emotional maturity that can be gained from this discipline.

Kundalini yoga quick by e-lafond

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Hatha Yoga

Getting To Know Hatha Yoga

Yoga has it beginnings in ancient India but this discipline has invaded the whole world due to the benefits it offers to people who take up yoga. A survey shows that there are more than sixteen million people who practice yoga in the United States alone.

There are various types of yoga and each type has its own methods and purposes. One type of yoga is the Hatha Yoga which literally means sun and moon, coming from two Sanskrit words Ha which means sun and Tha which means moon.

Hatha Yoga, which was first introduced in the 15th century by Yogi Swatmarama, was meant to help yoga practitioners start off with purifying their bodies before proceeding to a higher level of meditation. It is said that Hatha Yoga is similar to Raja Yoga which follows the principle of yama which refers to moral self discipline or control. However, there are sectors who believe that Hatha Yoga has its origins as early as the 10th century.

American yoga followers usually practice the Hatha Yoga to improve their physical and mental health. Most of the Western practitioners of the Hatha Yoga focus on the asanas or yoga poses and exercises but it is really a unified yoga discipline veering not only on the physical but also in Pranayama which consists of breathing and meditation techniques.

Both Hatha Yoga and Raja Yogi are known as Ashtanga Yoga because it follows the eight limbs which include the asana or the poses including the Lotus pose, easy pose, pelvic pose and easy pose. Some sectors however do not consider Hatha Yoga as Ashtanga Yoga since they believe it follows the six limbs.

The literal meaning of Hatha Yoga refers to the use of opposite forces or energies much like the sun and moon or the more familiar concept of yin and yang. This yoga discipline aims to achieve a balance between the physical and the mental powers of a person to achieve a higher level of existence. The body and mind is prepared for a higher level through the execution of the asanas.

Hatha Yoga makes use of Yama or moral control, the Asanas or the poses, Pranayama, Niyama, specific exercises known as Mudra which aims to improve the breathing technique and Nadanusandhana. All the six limbs work together to help the practitioner achieve a higher level of Kundalini or concentration and meditation.

Most Yoga practitioners strive to follow moral discipline or yama to live a virtuous life. According to the yoga discipline, a person can live a virtuous life by following the ten moral restraints primarily the ahimsa or veering away from causing harm to all living creations.

The other yamas include Satya or the ability to stick to the truth, Asteya which prohibits a person from stealing or incurring debt, Brachmacharya which requires celibacy for singles and faithfulness for those who are married, Kshma which refers to the virtue of patience, Dhriti or the principle of commitment, Daya which prohibits cruelty to all beings, Arjava or the promotion of honesty, Mitahara or keeping a moderate food intake and Shaucha or purity in thoughts and words.

Yoga has been referred to as physical yoga because of the use of poses or exercises to achieve unity in body and mind. Some people equate yoga with Hinduism maybe because it started in ancient India but it should not really be identified or attached to any religion because it is a universal science that aims to achieve spiritual balance.

Hatha yoga is a very significant discipline that helps a yoga practitioner to achieve unity of body and mind in order for him to be elevated to spiritual perfection. While different yoga pose can also develop muscles and body form, they are however primarily aimed to achieve a balance in the body systems and internal organs.

Some people take up Hatha yoga to heal their physical and emotional illnesses. With constant execution of the asanas, the human body ultimately develops into a stable and enduring vessel for the human spirit.

Yoga disciples continue to execute the asanas not only to gain physical but also mental balance. The discipline one can gain from yoga will go a long way in helping the person lead a disciplined, happy and peaceful life.

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Buying A Yoga Mat

Tips on buying a yoga mat

Anybody who wants to develop a good posture, become fit and mentally relaxed should try to learn yoga. The principles of yoga are based on some Indian philosophies and beliefs mainly because the discipline started and developed in the ancient world of India.

Yoga is aptly called as such because the word refers to the union of the physical with the mental. Yoga is actually a unification of the body, the mind and the spiritual aspects of man. This is achieved through the execution of the asana or the yoga poses.

While people would be quick to look at yoga only in terms of the difficult poses, the asana is not really everything there is to yoga. The different poses only make up one of the eight types or yoga disciplines. And while the asana can be difficult to execute especially for people who are new to yoga, it can be learned and perfected in due time and with proper determination.

Yoga may be thought of as merely a series of postures guaranteed to stretch the limbs of a person but the discipline of yoga is more addressed to the mental capacity and power of the person. The asana helps in achieving relaxation but it is really mind power that wins in the end.

A person who practices yoga will have more power to achieve a peaceful existence through the unification of his body, soul and mind. He can achieve this not only through the poses but also through proper breathing methods.

People who witness yoga exercises have a good laugh especially when they hear yoga chants. However, this is also among the methods used by those who practice yoga to achieve a higher level of concentration. But since yoga basically makes use of the different poses to achieve union of the body, mind and spirit, the follower should always arm himself with a yoga mat.

A yoga mat is in fact one of the very basic and most important equipment that a person practicing yoga should invest in. Some poses can be very challenging to the physique that a person needs the mat to serve as cushion and protection against impact.

The poses can make a yoga followed sweat especially if he is into Bikram or hot yoga so it is very important to keep himself in check against slips occurring from too much sweating.

Having a yoga mat will also create a sense of space between the people doing the yoga poses. Yoga can be done anywhere and no matter if the poses are being done in the gym or elsewhere, a person has to have his own yoga mat for purposes of safety, hygiene and to mark his spot.

So how does one get a yoga mat? Will any mat do or doe sit have to be a specially-made mat for yoga? There are different types of yoga mats depending of course on the type of yoga the person is practicing.

The Ashtanga mat are very good not only for those doing Ashtanga yoga but also for those who are into hot yoga because these type of mats are made of cotton and are characterized by tractions that can control sweat and moisture.

People who do yoga anywhere they go should invest in a travel mat for yoga as these are very light and can easily fit inside their luggage. To those who want to buy only one mat for all purposes then try the universal mat which also comes in a deluxe quality.

Those who have been doing yoga poses for a long time however vouch for utopian mats which they say are every resilient and can carry the weight of any person no matter what yoga pose he is attempting to perfect.

Beginners can invest in a mat that is less expensive but can be already used for their yoga poses. Investing in a good yoga mat is advisable though because they can be used not only for the yoga poses but also for meditation.

Whatever type of yoga mat a person has, he should make sure these are regularly cleaned with water and soap. It must also be dried either by using towel or air to keep it odor-free.

How to Make a Yoga Mat Bag by Livestrong

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