The Pre-Classical Er Hatha Yoga

There are quite a few different yoga posses and each one has a benefit towards the mind-body connection. As of 2011, 1,300 poses had been described and 200 had been video graphed (Rockwood, Media, 2009). As a beginner it can be tough to perform some poses since there are different ones with different names. Also, it may be challenging to do complete certain poses if we are not familiar with how to precede a pose. For example, when I first tried yoga I had no clue what was going on or how to remain in a certain position. Though not being familiar with the different poses that were being practice during my first yoga class, helped me relax my body and tension that I was holding on. In a way that I was able to listen to the teacher and just be mindful. Yoga poses have been catalogued since before written history. Depictions of yoga poses were found engraved on soapstone seals in the ruins of the cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, which flourished at least 5,000 years ago in the Indus River Valley (Rockwood, Media, 2009). Yoga poses have been around for a while and they are being practice in today’s life style. Seems to be famous since many people from different ages are studying and practicing it. For example, college students may practice yoga to help reduce stress since balancing schoolwork and personal life might cause stress. Yoga can be practice at any age single women and

Yoga is one of the most effective things we can do on the day-to-day basis to keep our skin healthy and glowing. There are a variety of different poses that will work to

The research article I chose is “Yoga Therapy as Potential Treatment for Type II Diabetic Patients”.

Throughout this six week session I've gained a much better understanding of yoga and how it really works. I've learned that yoga not only helps the body flexibility but also helps you throughout the day from the different techniques you learn and do on a daily basis. In fact, what I find interesting about yoga is that it's not all about physical activity but being one with yourself, as if getting to know yourself throughout these exercises. I also feel as though yoga helps release tension and negative energy from the body, while clearing the mind and making you feel like a new person after exercising. For example, every morning that I wake up there are times I don't want to get out of bed or do anything, but once I get to class it's like a heavy burden been released off of my shoulders and I begin to feel good and happy. Doing yoga puts me in a better mood.

The meaning of hathayoga is “yoga of force” and refers to an intangible energy network within our physical body called “the subtle body.” Accordingly to the medieval teachings of hathayoga, there are two energy channels, the solar and lunar, which are balanced through postures and breath-control to then force the body to move into a meditative state, which seems so important for gaining insight about our physical existence. However, this metaphysical side of hathayoga was not addressed at the yoga practice I attended at. With this in mind, yoga certainly has physical benefits, but to ignore the spiritual aspect of the practice should not be forgotten and challenges my understanding of yoga as taught in lecture. For example, yoga can be seen as a spiritual path where through the unification of mind, body, and our senses a greater understanding of the “ultimate self” or “reality” can be gained, which then leads to liberation. Thus, I think for today’s yoga it would be useful to also emphasize the spiritual components to further expand the experience of the practitioner. The origin of yoga from the Indian traditions emphasized that yoga is a vehicle for physical, metaphysical, and spiritual transformation of the practitioner. Yoga has a huge component of self-reflection and contemplation in order to gain insight for liberation from worldly suffering, which is often accomplished through meditation where a strong, healthy body supports that practice. For example, the Vedic tradition and early Hindu society used mantras to go beyond their physical experience. The performance of mantras can be seen as a meditative as well as contemplative practice where one strengthens their mind to then unite with divine beings. Not to mention, accordingly to the Upanisads, yoga of meditation (dhyanayoga) is a common method to reach insight about

The origins of yoga date back to India over 5,000 years ago. The Vedas, holy writings that are the foundation for Hinduism, possess ancient yoga teachings known as Vedic Yoga. Individuals became reliant on Vedic yoga to live their life in divine harmony.

Methods: 8 participants (66.5 ± 0.3 years) attended 2 60-min Hatha yoga sessions/week for 7 weeks, and

The yoga that most studios practice is derived from an ancient Indian practice that has roots in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. However, many yoga teachers disregard the religious aspect of yoga and focus more on the self-discipline and physical aspects of the exercise. Yoga usually is practiced in a Dojo styled setting, with relaxing background music in comfortable clothing and on Yoga mats. It is used to focus oneself, as well as to build strength and self discipline.

inwards and become one with themselves in a more practical way. Yoga take the exoteric the outside, and unites it with the esoteric, the internal knowledge. However, through the process of westernization, yoga has now become “secular yoga.” Meaning, it is for the fit rather than for the spiritual. North America and Western Europe focus on making money, raising a family, and staying healthy. These societies have departed from the Bible and have turned to a more “practical” way of life. Western yoga is sometimes called “Hollywood Yoga” (says Usharbudh Arya). This is because the people who do it just want to stay looking young and recharged. It is directed towards aesthetically beautiful people who “‘desire a slim figure, a young body and a long

Traditionally, the Vedas, had been misinterpreted and perceived as the records of a life revolving around sacrificial fires, cows, horses and incantations to Nature Gods.  By contrast, the Upanishads were regarded as relatable work on metaphysics and philosophy.  This gave rise to two schools of philosophy, Vedic concepts as a system of rituals and the Upanishads as a source of wisdom. Often the Upanishads are taken as being part of the Vedas, but Meditation originally arose in the early Upanishadic period as a way of internalizing the fire sacrifice. The Upanishadic concepts of yoga can be considered coming after the Vedic, as Upanishads are philosophical texts that came after the Vedas. While this is true, they differ in that the Upanishadic

This form of yoga was brought about by Calcutta native, Bikram Choudhury. Born in 1946, he began, and excelled, in yoga education at the young age of four.

Cardiovascular disease is a global burden and by changing risk factors such as increasing physical activity and reducing stress by relaxation can lower the incidence of the disease (Hartley, Dyakova, Holmes, Clarke, Lee, Ernst, & Rees, 2014) The study had 800 participants with high risk factors of the cardiovascular disease and were recruited to 11 study trials. After eight months of this ongoing study, Hartley and Colleagues (2014) found that any form of yoga showed reduction in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and an increase in high-density lipoprotein. Since patients with the cardiovascular disease are unable to perform rigorous exercises, yoga was concluded to be an ideal choice for them. Participants, who

“Yoga can supposedly improve depressive symptoms and immune function, as well as decrease chronic pain, reduces stress, and lower blood pressure. These claims have all been made by yogis over the years, and it sounds like a lot of new age foolishness. Surprisingly, however, everything in that list is supported by scientific research.”(psychologytoday.com) The main struggle in yoga is to overcome the challenge, each pose is challenging, and your goal is to breathe and remain calm throughout the struggle and to find your inner peace and keep going. This is a strong concept to conquer; the mind of course often does whatever it wants. The true gain one finds is when one does overcome the struggle; it is the process where one benefits. Studies have shown a correlation between yoga and how one handles stress.

The word Yoga literally means “to unite, join together.” This union means the connection between body and mind which exist in all people. In addition to this, it means the connection of yourself and your true identity. “Yoga is based on universal laws, and it can be defined as the science of creating balance between body and soul, as well as between rest and activity.”

I always wonder how I was unknown to this treasure of art; all those years when I was living in India, I never tried it, but here, I’m making it my daily habit. The word yoga comes from ancient Indian. It has been a great part of Hinduism which is third most followed and practiced religion in the world. There are some other religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism which also practice yoga in a certain way,but it’s said that yoga is not a religion; it is a way of living that aims towards 'a healthy mind in a healthy body. Maybe that’s why it has become so popular among all. Everyone is eager to learn and practice, so do I. Good thing about yoga is that I don’t need anyone to help. I can practice it whenever I want, wherever I want to; there’s no limitation to that. Moreover, there is no need for me to do meditation at a different time if I’m doing yoga, because most of yoga’s postures itself consist meditation Even though, it is not easy to do correctly when we begin, but time and understanding make it easier each time we try it.