Nintendo is readying a second fitness title, featuring better sensors, online functionality, and lower-impact exercises for senior citizens. Workouts combine the original Wii Fit activities and selections from 15 new balance games and six new strength training and yoga activities.Price: $156.99
Go and immerse yourself in a fun ambiance with these stickers! These removable, repositionable, and reusable stickers are the perfect and convenient way to adorn and decorate any space. Easy to peel off and to stick on walls, doors, windows, tables, refrigerators, and more! When you want to reposition your friends peel them off with ease without peeling off paint/wallpaper and without leaving behind any residue. Perfect for nurseries, homes, stores, dorms, and anywhere else! It'll liven up any room and give it a new vibrant life!Price: $24.99
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![Living Yoga - Power Stamina Yoga for Beginners [VHS]](/51SBDKGK3PLSL500.jpg)
Power Stamina Yoga for Beginners will make you sweat--and that's the idea! Muscles stretch better when they're warm--and when you follow this demanding sequence of yoga positions, you will be. Power yoga is the rage among athletes such as runners, cyclists, and climbers, who find that it protects them from injury, promotes flexibility, and increases muscle strength and endurance. Based on the classical astanga system, it combines breath control with movement to bring body and mind into harmony. In only 20 minutes, this tape takes you through several sun salutations, standing strength poses, and even 4 minutes' worth of conscious relaxation, leaving you feeling strong, energized, and centered. Plus, the background scenery is terrific--not just Rodney Yee himself, but also the pounding Maui surf behind him. A word of caution: though this tape says it's "for beginners," it's most helpful for those who know some basic yoga positions already. The sequence moves quickly, and there's not a lot of time for learning a pose that's new to you or even for paying attention to form. --Mary ParkPrice: $9.98
![Yoga Journal's Yoga for Flexibility (Beginner's Practice) [VHS]](/21XD9K2QZBLSL500.jpg)
Yoga Journal's more advanced offering of yoga stretching exercises presents two routines for flexibility: back stretches and front stretches. Each routine begins with a short warm up, though if one is not already well practiced in yoga stretching techniques, not to mention already flexible, some of these stretches should not be attempted. Even the so-called "moderate" poses for those with less strength and flexibility are difficult to achieve. Patricia Walden encourages the viewer to practice often and work toward the stretching goals, and conscientiously demonstrates the stretches in a methodical manner. The principles of balance and strength in all parts of the body (achieved by practicing both front and back stretches) is a lofty goal for many, but one to work toward in small increments. The two distinct routines in this video are conveniently presented separately so that they can be combined or practiced alternately. (If you're not already on your way to yogic flexibility, in the beginning you may be sitting out a good part of this video.) The production value, like the other Yoga Journal offerings, is consistently good and even. Certain stretches require props such as yoga blocks, but chairs and phone books are a good substitute for the home user. --Gilia AngellPrice: $14.98
Researchers indicate yoga could help with fibromyalgia associated symptoms
A brand new pilot study has indicated that a little yoga may just aide in symptoms of fibromyalgia.
The “Yoga of Awareness” pilot program has revealed that patients who stretch and meditated just once a week has shown noticeable improvements in associated symptoms such as pain, fatigue and depression compared to those patients who were on the wait list for the program, stated by Dr. James Carson, at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland Oregon along with fellow researchers.
Their results can be found in the journal Pain.
Dr. Carson states that the findings in this study show promising initial support for beneficial results of yoga in patients with fibromyalgia. Literature of the benefits provided by yoga has been growing. Especially in patients with fibromyalgia. Yoga just may be able to provide exercise and coping skills.
Fifty-three female patients with fibromyalgia were enrolled in this study. They were randomized into two groups, either eight week “Yoga of Awareness” program or on a waiting list and receiving standard care. Women were picked for this study due to the fact the rate of fibromyalgia is higher in the female sex. Some of the women were taking medications to alleviate their symptoms.
Each class had included forty minutes of gentle stretching, twenty-five minutes of meditation, ten minutes of breathing exercises and twenty minutes of lessons on how to apply yoga principals to coping strategies along with twenty-five minutes of group discussion.
The women in the study also had been told they could practice yoga at home. The average age of women in the study was 53.7 years and average time since being diagnosed was 11.6 years
Established on the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire, general improvement largely endorsed those in the yoga program. The women in the program had shown greater improvements of symptoms. They also indicated better improvements in the areas of pain, fatigue, stiffness, depression, poor memory, anxiety, tenderness, poor balance and environmental sensitivity.
Information based on the Patient Global Impression of Change scale, yoga had displayed greater general improvements along with strength gain, coping, pain and problem solving.
Relating to terms of potential system for the association, researchers stated that yoga enriches an acceptance and a willingness to learn from pain and other situations of stress.
Yoga has displayed similar results as those of aerobic exercise, which possibly improves the fatigue which goes along with fibromyalgia symptoms.
This pilot study shows promise in support of the possibility of benefits from yoga for women with fibromyalgia.
Most persons today with fibromyalgia seek out alternative treatments to aide in this condition. Below are a few of the more common ones.
Chiropractic
In 2009, the Foundation of Chiropractic Progress had announced that chiropractic care demonstrated its ability to decrease excruciating pain, constant fatigue along with joint stiffness all of which are symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Chiropractic care has grown in immense amounts for those who suffer with this debilitating condition. It has been proven to greatly reduce the chronic widespread pain and return patients to living healthier lives.
Fibromyalgia involves the central nervous system which produces a situation known as central sensitization which causes increased nervous system responses. Chiropractors deal with a persons nervous system and proficiently trained in this area. Chiropractors aim to correct the misalignment of the spine and pelvis using hands-on approach to adjustments. As joint motion improves the chronic pain decreases and in some cases can be totally eliminated. Chiropractors may employ numerous techniques including exercises and Tens Units. Therefore, chiropractic care is a very viable option for those with fibromyalgia.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy can reduce pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. It has been noted in some cases to improve functioning in the joints and decrease stiffness. Several massages can be used in association for fibromyalgia and its symptoms.
Swedish massage is the more popular massage used in fibromyalgia patients. It increases the oxygen that goes to the muscles in the body. This in turn helps the body rid its self of toxins while it improves the range of motion. Long quick motions over the body are used by therapists.
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To some, yoga and wine may not seem to have much in common. One is an ancient practice that gradually trains your body and mind to be in a constant state of peace. The other might be considered a fleeting remedy, which can temporarily raise your spirits and relieve your inhibitions. But if you take a closer look, you'll discover that yoga and wine have far more in common than you might think. In my research on the topic, it seems that there has been a wave of wine and yoga-related workshops sweeping the USA in recent years. "Yoga teaches you how to age gracefully just like a great bottle of wine ages gracefully," explains David Romanelli, an instructor in California who teaches yoga and wine workshops across the country.
Yoga has many meanings and is derived from the Sanskrit root "yuj", meaning "to control", "to yoke" or "to unite". Other translations include "joining", "uniting", "union", "conjunction", and "means". Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines that originated in India nearly 5000 years ago. Yoga exercises are based on the belief that the body and breath are intimately connected with the mind. By controlling the breath and holding the body in steady poses or "asanas" yoga creates harmony.
So imagine that you just completed a fulfilling yoga practice and you are fully in tune with your body, and then at the end of the practice you assume the relaxation pose, usually savasana (corpse pose). Feeling fulfilled and relaxed, you then take a sip of your favourite wine, complete with retro nasal breathing to get the full aroma and bouquet of the wine; just imagine how much better that wine will taste.
Not everyone agrees with the concept of wine and yoga. The purists truly believe that the mere fact that you have taken up yoga suggests that you are seeking the truth and enlightenment. No alcohol should pass your lips, some diehards believe. For me, take everything in moderation.
Some do Yoga for exercise, others as alternative medicine; there are those who are on their journey seeking their own enlightenment and understanding of consciousness. As the popular saying goes: 'To each, his own'.
The above article in Jamaica Observer is food for thought.
Not many people are aware that in India, yoga and wine have the same roots - the Vedas. While Yoga is well known as an exercise regimen, it is more of a holistic path for union with one's source/divinity. Ayurveda, (Ayu means life in Sanskrit, Veda means wisdom,) the Indian medicine system, revealed to meditating sages some thousands of years ago, has a living tradition of red wine - Draksharishth. It is made by fermenting grape juice and herbs. Its role has been to sustain health. Draksharishth is recommended as a tonic and to increase the digestive fire. It is especially useful in anemia. Not many people, (that includes Indians too) are aware of the wine and yoga connection anymore. Wine was used as medicine. To the extent that wine was used as a food item was because in Ayurveda, proper food or Pathya is used as preventive medicine. Yoga and Ayurveda serve the holistic purpose of assisting a person reach one’s full potential in health and spirituality, among other benefits.
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Two new studies suggest that gentle stretching and meditation exercises, such as some forms of yoga and Tai Chi, may help those that suffer from Fibromyalgia.
58 women were enrolled in the yoga study. 25 of those participated in a two hour yoga class once a week, for eight weeks. The class was designed specifically for women with Fibromyalgia, and included gentle stretches, poses, instructions on coping with fibromyalgia, and group discussions. The remaining 28 women were told they were on a waiting list, and served as a control group.
Participants in the class were “somewhat apprehensive”, according to lead study author James Carson, a clinical psychologist and pain specialist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, “but once they got into the rhythm of it they found it to be very helpful.”
At the end of the study, 4.5% of the participants said they felt “very much better”. 77% said they were “a little better”, 4.5% reported no change. In the control group, none reported “very much better”, 19.2% reported “a little better”, and 38.5% reported no change.
The study was published in the Oct 14th issue of the journal “Pain”.
In August, a study published by The New England Journal of Medicine found that the slow and meditative practice of Tai Chi can be helpful to women with Fibromyalgia. Tai Chi is an ancient art form, rooted in the practice of martial arts such as Kung Fu, but done slowly and with a focus on the health benefits rather than fighting.
Participants took two Tai Chi classes each week, and received a DVD to practice with 20 minutes each day. Compared to a control group, which participated in a stretching and education class, the Tai Chi students demonstrated more weekly improvement using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, according to the studies authors. One-third of the Tai Chi students stopped using medications during the course of the study, compared with one-sixth in the stretching/education group.
Researchers noted that both studies were small, and that more research was needed with larger numbers of participants and different instructors, to see if successful ratios held up.
Short URL: http://www.sure-start.com/?p=1693
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Yoga benefits Kent State faculty and staff
A tropical beach getaway is closer than faculty and staff may know. That’s exactly where Mary Ann Devine, associate professor in the department of foundation, leadership and administration, feels like she is when she attends yoga classes at the Women’s Resource Center. “This class offers a great mid-day escape,” she said. “It’s like you get to go to the beach for an hour to be calm and relax …
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Playboy nude yoga angers Hindus
A leading Hindu statesman has taken aim at Playboy bosses over a racy new yoga video in which a naked Playmate shows off her body.
Read more on Jam! Showbiz
Some like it hot: Style of yoga warms body, spirit
On a crisp October evening several people shuffled into the Blazy Mall’s Kenai Yoga studio to sweat it out. The room, at a sizzling 90-some degrees, takes a minute to get used to. But the students of Laurie Winslow’s hot yoga class had no problem acquainting themselves with the heat.
Read more on Peninsula Clarion
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WHAT: Yoga originated in India and is used to attain optimal health. There are several branches of yoga with a main goal of creating a balance in body and mind. Postures have specific physical benefits and can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement, or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect alignment. Poses are a constant, but the approach to them varies depending on the tradition in which the teacher trained.
BENEFITS: Yoga will help build strength and stamina, improve balance and increase flexibility. It can reduce aches and pains, help lower blood pressure and improve the ability to find peace and relaxation. "Yoga enhances our life because of techniques that make the body strong, the mind clear and sharp, and the emotions steady and calm," instructor Jan Rule said.
GET STARTED: Many local YMCAs and gyms offer yoga classes. Stillpointe Wellness Center, 2135 Dorothy Drive off of Townhall Road in Belleville, has classes at 8:30 a.m. Mondays, 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, and 8:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For changes and more classes, check their online calendar at www.stillpointe.org. Lotus Arts Studio, 6966 W. Main St. in Belleville, also offers classes daily. Check their schedule at www.lotus-arts.net. Information on local YMCA classes is available at www.ymcaswil.org.
COST: Classes are free to members of most local gyms and YMCA's. Stillpointe Wellness Center charges a $10 drop-in fee or $80 for 10 sessions. Lotus Arts Studio holds six-week sessions and charges $60 for one class per week, $105 for two classes a week and drop-in options for some classes at $12 per class. Yoga instructors recommend you bring your own mat, towel and water, but some locations have mats available for new students. Mats start at about $20.
FITS YOU WELL is a weekly look at the range of fitness activities available to you in the metro-east. To suggest an activity, call us at 239-2470. See past installments and the fitness calendar at bnd.com/fitsyouwell.
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Simple Salabhasana can be turned into fancy incarnations of the pose, like Inverted Locust, where you balance on your shoulders and chin, and the Locust Scorpion, when your feet touch your head, but plain ol' Locust pose is a yoga class staple. This pose strengthens the back, booty, and the hamstring, areas of the body weakened by hours hunched over a keyboard. Here's a variation known as Locust B, which I like to do immediately after Locust A with no break in between to really challenge my muscles. This variation may look relaxing, but you'll definitely feel Locust working, and it's a great complement to abdominal exercises helping you maintain a strong core all the way around.
Sanskrit Name: Salabhasana BLearn the finer details of the pose when you read more.
Lie down on a mat on your belly, with your legs together. Place your hands on the floor on either side of your torso with your elbows bent.As you inhale, lift your legs, head, and upper body off the ground. Your hands remain on the floor for support.As you breathe, try to relax your shoulders and the muscles in your booty. Extend the crown of your head away from your toes, lengthening as much as you can through your spine. Stay for five breaths, and then release back to the mat.When doing this pose directly after Locust A, keep the torso and legs lifted and just switch your hand position from A, with your hands on the ground by your sides, to B. If your back feels worked, follow this pose with a Child's Pose to gently stretch out your spine.
If you love to talk about all things yoga, then check out the Yoga Stretch and Tell group. Post questions, thoughts, or advice, or share photos of you doing poses.
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"My name is Matt. My legs are a little skinnier than many," admits Matthew Sanford, a complete stranger to the wide-eyed youngsters in wheelchairs and hospital beds assembled in the auditorium of Chicago's Shriners Hospitals for Children.
The young onlookers, all with disabilities, know nothing about the yoga this 45-year-old's about to teach them. What they know -- instantly -- is that Sanford is one of them because he's instructing from a wheelchair.
Affectionately calling his audience his "tribe," Sanford guides his wheelchair to each patient to thoughtfully inquire about his or her disability ("What's going on?" "What have you been told?").
Briefly -- and minus gory details -- Sanford explains that in 1978, at age 13, he was involved in a horrible automobile accident that claimed the lives of his 47-year-old father and 20-year-old sister and left him paralyzed from the chest down. He was told by doctors to forget his lower body because he would never again feel sensation there.
Sanford tells his audience that he believed that prognosis until 20 years ago when he discovered yoga and the healing power of the mind-body connection, a life-changing combination he now shares as an inspirational speaker crisscrossing the country and on his website, www.matthewsanford.com.
"Don't give up on your bodies," Sanford pleads, reminding them -- and himself -- that their bodies didn't ask for the circumstances that caused their disabilities. "Your body's doing the best it can."
Sanford, who contends that deepening the connection between mind and body is more than a personal health strategy -- that "when we deepen the quality of where and how our minds interact and intersect with our bodies, our consciousness shifts [and] we get more connected to our lives, to each other, and to the planet" -- uses a softer sell with his attentive class.
"What I mean by mind-body connection is simple: Sit back in your chair and let your legs splay out. Notice what you feel in your legs -- the dullness, the lack of crispness. Now sit up straight, press gently down through your butt and heels, and lift your chest. Notice the change in sensation -- in how, what, and where you feel within your body," Sanford instructs the assembled patients, caregivers, nurses, and doctors.
"Stretch your arms wide. Stretch more . . . I want more . . . dude, do more than that . . . broken bones . . . whatever . . . do more," he prods, mindful that some are physically unable to follow his commands. When some patients halt participation, Sanford scolds, "Just don't friggin' watch! I live paralyzed, too."
"What matters about what I'm doing is the experience," says the Minneapolis resident.
"For me, everything I do flows from my daily yoga practice -- the time I take to feel and refine the sensation of my existence," acknowledges Sanford, who teaches yoga to persons with disabilities as well as traditional students.
Sanford believes that yoga increases strength, balance and flexibility (both mental and physical), spurs discovery of a subtle level of mind-body sensation not impeded by disability, improves the quality of breathing, provides a sense of lightness and freedom within the body, helps manage stress, and offers a deepened sense of wholeness and connection with others.
"The principles of yoga don't discriminate. I have never seen anyone truly become more aware of his or her body without also becoming more compassionate.
"On the flip side, when we become more disconnected from our bodies, we become more self-destructive," Sanford notes in an interview before his class.
In his 2006 book, Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence, in which he sheds light on our inner capacity for survival, grace, acceptance and healing, Sanford writes that his mind-body relationship changed in an instant -- "the time for my back to break" -- but reminds that the changing relationship between mind and body is a defining feature of everyone's life. "We are all leaving our bodies. . . . Death cannot be avoided; neither can the inward silence that comes with the aging process."
Saying he now experiences a more subtle connection between mind and body, Sanford explains, "It does not require that I flex muscles. It does not dissipate in the presence of increasing inward silence. In fact, this connection depends on it. It does require, however, that I seek more profoundly within my own experience and do so with an open mind."
"Life is fragile and resilient simultaneously -- it's both," says Sanford, acknowledging both in his own life journey. While he and his wife, Jennifer, celebrated the birth of their son, Paul, now 10, they were grieving the death of his fraternal twin brother, William, who had died in her womb three weeks earlier.
"Life is here to be felt. We need to learn to simplify life -- to appreciate every morning more, to notice little things. We need to be paying attention to the taste of water, what sunlight feels like on your skin, the beauty of a sunset, the serenity of nature," advises Sanford.
"I can never change what happened to me, but I can live within the body I have."
Sandy Thorn Clark is a local free-lance writer.
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Larissa Nusser and Denise Danton-Nizarre met eight years ago when Nusser attended Danton-Nizarre's first ever yoga class as a student living with multiple sclerosis.
"One of the issues she was having was balancing. Throughout the class, I kept saying to her, 'You can do it, you can do it, you can do it.' And that sort of became our theme," says Danton-Nizzare.
Nusser credits yoga with a dramatic change in her health outlook. So when they co-founded the You Can Do It Yoga Center in Richmond Valley, Staten Island, it seemed a natural fit to offer a special class for students living with MS. They have even created supplemental DVDs.
"I was diagnosed 10 years ago. I was in a wheelchair, actually, when I was diagnosed and I started transforming right in the first yoga class I went to," says Nusser.
Multiple sclerosis or MS, attacks the nervous system. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, about 400,000 Americans are living with the disease and 200 people are newly diagnosed each week. Symptoms can be moderate, with numbness in the limbs. More severe symptoms can include paralysis or vision loss.
The National MS Society highlights research that shows yoga helps improves outcomes.
Yoga participant Michael Weiss only has mild symptoms so far, and says yoga is just what he was looking for.
"Yoga has been great for me, because it is stretching and breathing and it gives me the ability to work on my flexibility, my balance and it also helps with my fatigue," says Weiss.
Don Loughran was diagnosed five years ago at age 40 with a more aggressive form of MS. He says yoga is one of the many approaches he's using to help slow the disease's progression.
"Multiple sclerosis has affected me mentally, spiritually and emotionally. For yoga, it helps me develop my mind, body and soul," says Loughran.
Most group exercise classes are designed to meet the needs of people with a wide range if abilities. MS progresses differently for everyone, and that is especially important here.
Sequences are modified for students whether they are they are seated or standing. And Nusser and Danton-Nizarre say those kind of adjustments fit into the variety of things yoga can do for their students.
"MS is not a one-lane highway. I'm not saying yoga is a cure for MS, I'm saying that yoga is one of the three things that I do every day. I think that everybody needs to find how many lanes their highway is and which highway they want to take," says Nusser. "For me, it is my daily injection, positive thinking and it is practicing yoga. It's really been working for me for the last 10 years. I've been relapse-free for 10 years."
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Roosevelt University students don't have to venture to the Far East for the soothing practice of a yoga class. In fact, they only need to travel to the second floor of the Auditorium Building. A weekly gentle yoga class is offered in the Spertus Lounge, where individuals can reap the benefits of the ancient meditative practice and unwind the daily troubles of the mind.
It's not every day that one can imitate the poses of a happy baby, a monkey and a tree in less than 75 minutes with a group of people on an idle Wednesday afternoon. The Spertus Lounge offers a peaceful ambiance to the class taught by yoga instructor and composition professor Julie Sanford.
Sanford efficiently describes each of the poses and guides the class through a number of different exercises. All yoga poses are relatively low-key in the sense that no one needs prior yoga experience to follow along and benefit from the practice. Sanford completed her Hatha Yoga Teacher
Training Certification with Suddha Weixler at the Chicago Yoga Center and has been practicing the mind and body discipline for 12 years.
"Yoga has changed my life so much," said Sanford. "I really want to be able to share this with other people and have them feel as good as I do."
After noticing that Roosevelt had no yoga class to offer students, Sanford coordinated this class as an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to partake in the advantages of yoga.
In a Mayo Clinic article regarding stress management, the staff highlighted four of the numerous benefits yoga produces. Mind concentration reduces stress and an increased overall body fitness and flexibility. Better management of chronic health conditions such as cancer, depression, pain, anxiety and insomnia, and weight loss are all possible health benefits of yoga, according to the report.
Students of all ages, skill levels, shapes and sizes are encouraged to attend a gentle yoga class. Sanford said she hopes to attract more people for the classes, especially students.
"Students who need a place to go and figure out how to deal with stress, school, tests, exams and may need a place to recharge, it's a great place to come," said Sanford.
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Making time for her physical fitness goals, Kim Kardashian was spotted on her way to a yoga class in New York City last night (October 25).
The “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” hottie looked ready for action in a grey hoodie, black shorts, and black UGG boots as she pushed past a few photos.
Earlier in the evening, Kim hooked up with her bodyguard buddy Shengo Deane and made her rounds in Midtown Manhattan.
Ms. Kardashian and Mr. Deane were escorted by a security team as they filmed scenes for and upcoming episode of “Kim and Kourtney Take New York.”
Enjoy the pictures of Kim Kardashian out for yoga in NYC (October 25).
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The displays fuse traditional art and craft with modern computing imagery, touch-sensitive sculpture and interactive installations.
“Nobody has the time for scriptures. We have presented traditional knowledge in a modern format to intrigue people enough to want to know more,” said S. Jalaja, secretary, Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Naturopathy, Siddha and Homeo-opathy) under the Union Ministry of Health.
And intrigue it does. Arushi Khadelwal, 15, jumped back in surprise when the carved lotus on a pedestal she accidentally touched, triggered off an audiovisual commentary by Swami Niranjanananda, chief patron of the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger.
“I knew the museum was interactive, but the location of touch sensors is far more innovative than the red and black buttons that say ‘push me’ at science museums,” said Khandelwal, a student of DPS R K Puram, New Delhi. The displays are by Ranjit Makkuni of Sacred World, whose team has also done installations at the Eternal Gandhi Multime-dia Museum at Gandhi Smriti in Delhi.
“The word, Yoga, has a Sanskrit root, yuj, which means to unite or join. Even though the presentation is in an interactive three-dimensional exploration format, the exhibits rely on scientifically-validated concepts and traditional manuscripts,” said Dr Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, Director, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, which has a faculty of 20 to teach yoga to 500 students, including 120 diploma students.
“The present venue for the exhibition is temporary — it’s at the Institute of Yoga till October 31 — but we hope to find permanent display for it at the National Museum,” said Jalaja, who conceptualised the project.
This is not the Department of AYUSH’s first encounter with technology. Drawing lessons from the long-drawn battle over neem and turmeric patent infringements, India set up the world’s first Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) database to stop bio-piracy way back in 2001. The R7-crore TKDL project took nine years to list 2,00,000 formulations from Auyurveda, Unani and Siddha schools of medicine in over 30 million pages from texts in Sanskrit, Hindi, Arabic, Urdu and Tamil, to name a few. TDKL makes the information available in five foreign languages: English, Japanese, French, German and Spanish.
“This is just the beginning. We put together Phase I focusing on Yoga and Ayurveda in a rush to meet the Commonwealth Games deadline. The complete museum will be a mine of information,” said Jalaja. We’d like to wait and watch. Or, in this case, touch and participate.
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Simple, versatile, and fun to use, the Firm Core Stability Ball is designed to challenge your balance, stability and flexibility through various low-impact exercises and movements. Included with the package is a 30-minute core training video that guides you through a variety of techniques that you can adapt to your training, stretching, rehabilitation or other workout routines. The ball is made of tough, burst-resistant plastic, a special material that resists tearing and, if punctured, deflates safely and gradually. Available in several fashionable colors, the 55-centimeter ball is sized for users measuring between 4 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 3 inches.Price: $24.98
Anyone wanting to get in shape like the stars need go no further than Bryan Kest's videos. Kest teaches wildly popular yoga classes in Santa Monica, California--so popular that stars like Rhea Perlman, David Duchovny, and Elisabeth Shue willingly sweat alongside the hoi polloi in Kest's packed, ancient loft studio. If you don't happen to be in the neighborhood, not to worry: Kest's yoga videos are nearly as good as being there. Volume 1: Energize is a beginner level class that nonetheless is smartly designed to provide challenges for all levels of users. Kest's Jersey-boy voice at first seems in contrast to the serene environment and inner-peace objectives, but it gradually becomes soothing and hypnotic in its own right. Stretches and strengthening moves are alternated with just enough repose to keep even first timers on track. After mastering Vol. 1, practitioners can go on to Volume 2: Tone or Volume 3: Sweat to further challenge themselves. As long as you keep in mind Kest's personal mantra--"If you're doing the best you can, you're doing this class perfectly"--you and this video should have many satisfying years of workouts together. --Anne HurleyPrice: $19.98
The first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to viniyoga--yoga adapted to the needs of the individual. A contemporary classic by a world-renowned teacher.
This new edition adds thirty-two poems by Krishnamacharya that capture the essence of his teachings.
Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who lived to be over 100 years old, was one of the greatest yogis of the modern era. Elements of Krishnamacharya's teaching have become well known around the world through the work of B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Indra Devi, who all studied with Krishnamacharya. Krishnamacharya's son T. K. V. Desikachar lived and studied with his father all his life and now teaches the full spectrum of Krishnamacharya's yoga. Desikachar has based his method on Krishnamacharya's fundamental concept of viniyoga, which maintains that practices must be continually adapted to the individual's changing needs to achieve the maximum therapeutic value.
In The Heart of Yoga Desikachar offers a distillation of his father's system as well as his own practical approach, which he describes as "a program for the spine at every level--physical, mental, and spiritual." This is the first yoga text to outline a step-by-step sequence for developing a complete practice according to the age-old principles of yoga. Desikachar discusses all the elements of yoga--poses and counterposes, conscious breathing, meditation, and philosophy--and shows how the yoga student may develop a practice tailored to his or her current state of health, age, occupation, and lifestyle.
Price: $19.95
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Price: $1.99
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While this is certainly an excellent video for those schooled in some of the moves and positions of yoga, it may prove somewhat intimidating to the novice. Tracey Rich and Ganga White demonstrate the poses in this 68-minute hatha workout, Tracey showing the simpler steps and Ganga the more complex. Yet even the simple poses require quite a bit of flexibility. If, however, you are on an intermediate to advanced level, Total Yoga will give you a satisfying stretch, increase your relaxation, improve your circulation and flexibility, and build strength. Not much time is spent on explanation, so the tape will hold your interest on repeat viewings. Breath work is emphasized in the beginning of the tape, which segues nicely into a balanced workout using flow series. A perfect video for continuing your yoga experience once one of the more basic ones (such as Stephanie Foster's Yoga: Beginner's Level or A.M./P.M. Yoga for Beginners) becomes too easy. --Jenny BrownPrice: $9.98
The Firm Core Stability Ball is certain to liven up your same old routine. Safe, versatile, and fun to use, the Stability Ball is designed to improve your posture, balance, flexibility and strength as you challenge your muscles in new and different ways. Included with the ball is a 30-minute core training video that guides you through a variety of techniques that you can adapt to your training, stretching, rehabilitation or other workout routines. Made of tough, burst-resistant plastic, the Core Stability Ball resists tearing and, if punctured, will deflate safely and gradually. The 65-centimeter ball is available in several fashionable colors and is suitable for users measuring between 5 feet, 5 inches and 5 feet, 11 inches.Price: $24.98
These Chakra Meditation Cards are a great tool for learning many aspects of the chakras, can make a lovely decoration if used as posters and are perfect as a focus of seated meditation. You can see the lovely illustrations that make up this set below. What you cannot see is that they are printed on a sturdy cover stock and laminated so they will stand up to regular use. Also the large size 11" x 11" makes them visually strong and the extensive information on the back of each card very easy to read.Price:
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Those competing Saturday in the 2010 New England Regional Yoga Asana Championship held at Showcase Live in Foxboro include Sarah Hoover of New Haven, Conn. (Staff photos by Martin Gavin)"We were looking for a more public place and professional environment. In previous competitions, we were in a smaller space with a lot of people. Showcase Live is an awesome venue, so we're happy to be here," Bikram Yoga instructor and previous NERYAC competitor Louise Giordani said.
Contestants traveled from all six New England states to compete, Giordani said.
The NERYAC is a nonprofit organization that gives participants of all ages an opportunity to perform and promote the practice of yoga. The money raised to run the competition helps the winners travel to Las Vegas to qualify for the International Yoga Asana Championship. The USA Yoga Federation is working on qualifying yoga as an Olympic sport.
"The New England regional competition has been going on for eight or nine years now. The ultimate goal is to carry yoga into the school systems. We want to get children involved, specifically through physical education programs," event director and competitor Norman O'Neil said. 
Natalie Jones of New Hampshire."The contest is open to all types of yoga; hopefully more studio owners will take part, so we can educate more communities."
The entrants had three minutes each to perform a series of poses known as "hatha yoga asanas." There were five mandatory asanas and two additional postures that could show off the individual's strength and flexibility.
The group of judges uses a gymnastics scoring system: 1 to 10 points to evaluate participants in junior, men's and women's divisions. Before the competition, a "young youth" division comprised of 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds presented an exhibition.
"I love yoga because it's fun and something different. I want to learn to do the Scorpion pose," bubbly 6-year-old Athena Merck, of Sharon, said.
Stepping backstage, the competitors bundled up in sweatshirts and slippers.
"Win or lose, doing these competitions is a great growing process. I did the NERYAC in 2005, 2006, and 2007. This year, I have practiced 10-11 times a week. I also had coaching sessions, which helped because they record us executing the routine and help with timing," Morgan Martinez, 41, of Waltham, said.
"I have done it once in Colorado; I am representing my studio today. I have no intention or desire to win; I'm just doing it for myself. I find these men and women so inspiring and supportive. I hope we can get yoga into schools and more communities because it really does change people's lives," Ayn Toppin, of Northampton, said.The animated audience featured families, friends, vendors, followers and previous contestants.
"I competed two times, and what I loved most was that it didn't feel like a competition. You do your best and everyone is supportive. Coming to the Showcase Live is a nice change, as it has been in the same place for several years and this could give yoga a chance to become more main stream. If everyone did yoga, the world would be a better place," Jennifer Stevens, of Quincy, said.
For more information about participating in the 2011-2012 New England Regional Yoga Asana Championship, visit: www.neryac.com. To learn more about bringing yoga to the Olympics, visit: www.usayoga.org.
Seven Toronto Argonauts are exhaling mindfully in a studio at the University of Toronto Mississauga.
The CFL football players are stretched out like frogs mid-swim: hands on their yoga mats, knees pressed to the floor, legs spread out behind them. This stretch is good for the groin, says instructor Jana Webb, who teaches “joga.” That would be yoga for jocks.
Webb reminds her hulking yogis to use their “Ujjayi Pranayama” breath. “This is a breath you can use immediately on the field to find instant focus,” she says.
It’s 4 p.m. and the Argos have been in practice all day, since 9 a.m. for some and 7 a.m. for others.
But Cory Boyd is smiling while he stretches. The star running back started yoga a year ago after hearing that yoga and Pilates were good for balance, breathing and overall health. “I decided to try it out one day,” he says later. “It was sore, it hurt, but at the end of it my body felt very well.”
Now, Boyd uses yoga breathing to stay balanced and calm when he’s “ripping and running” on the field.
“You might get bent up into some very unfamiliar positions,” the 25-year-old says. “Yoga helps you to stay in that position and also learn how to breathe without panicking. It sends certain triggers to your nerves, which help you stay relaxed in the middle of anything, any stressful situations.”
Webb, 34, began practicing yoga in Toronto after a car accident in 2000 left her with a shoulder injury. She had tried physiotherapy and acupuncture, but only yoga’s gentle stretches rehabilitated her shoulder.
She studied Ishta yoga in Japan in 2004 but her area of expertise — yoga for professional athletes — developed organically after she moved back to her hometown of Calgary in 2005. She was working at Innovative Fitness, a one-on-one fitness facility, where she taught yoga to high-powered executives, new moms, people with injuries and many athletes.
Although she missed a chance to work with the Canadian bobsled team in the years leading up to the Vancouver Olympics — she was pregnant at the time — Webb recorded some videos with Innovative Fitness in Vancouver, some designed specifically for golfers, triathletes and runners.
Before long Webb was working with high-performance athletes at Calgary’s National Sports Development centre, including the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. This summer, she also worked with three NHL goalies.
“I think I’ve got what I’ve done down to a science,” says Webb, who moved back to Toronto four weeks ago. She says her programs take the biomechanics of specific sports into consideration. With football players, she says, the entire midsection of the body is tight — hamstrings, hip flexors, groin muscles — and needs to be loosened up. “Their muscles are working,” Webb says. “Now we have to almost un-work them.”
Toronto Argonauts’ middle linebacker Jay Pottinger can attest to that. “Toward the end of the season, you get really tight hips,” he says. “You get tight everything.”
Limber muscles aside, Webb says what separates exceptional professional athletes from the rest is not necessarily skill but rather the ability to control the mind and connect it to the body.
Charismatic Boyd is more than willing to help debunk any yoga-related stereotypes that might exist. “When people think yoga, they think, ‘Oh, that’s a girl’s thing,’” he says. “I’m letting them know, it’s not.”
For joga with Jana contact jana@jogawithjana.com
Three ‘joga’ moves to try at home
1. The side plank pose builds core strength, which reduces strain on the lower back. It also improves joint stability and mobility.
2. The wide leg pose is a restorative posture that releases connective tissue around the bones and the joints, improving range of motion and injury prevention.
3. The modified lunge pose increases flexibility in the hip flexors, the quadriceps and the psoas, muscles that are in constant contraction for athletes
A nationally recognized yoga and life coach will visit the Hazleton area later this month.
Debbie Williamson, who has spent 20 years training and teaching, will hold one of her weekend workshops Oct. 29 to 31 at Mystic Yoga in Valmont Industrial Park.
Williamson is owner and founder of Midwest Power Yoga, LLC, and holds teacher training and workshops serving 4,500 active members.
Williamson is a regular Yoga Journal conference presenter and resource, as well as an invited presenter in spa, fitness and business management industries.
She has developed multimedia products and multiple retailed training manuals.
She has personally trained students, business professionals, politicians, professional athletes and various celebrities, and regularly trains and coaches successful business owners and entrepreneurs.
Anyone may attend the training at Mystic Yoga, but to complete certification, participants will need to have completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training course.
For more information, contact Michele Fisher at Mystic Yoga, 570-582-9641 or michele@mysticyoga studio.com.
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev met Buddhist Monks in Dharamshala and told them the importance of Yoga.
Addressing a gathering, he said health is the most precious gift of God and one should maintain it and Yoga is one of the best ways to maintain it.
Dharamshala he pointed out, was filled with spirituality and its energy should reach the entire world.
"After coming here I have witnessed religion in its living form. I have seen the environment submerged with spirituality. And I want this energy to reach the entire world," said Ramdev.
Many Buddhist monks, nuns and other Tibetans gathered here in the main Buddhist Temple, Tsuglagkhang to get a glimpse of the yoga Guru.
The Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche also attended the session and said that everybody was extremely happy to meet Ramdev.
"The experience was fantastic. He poured in a lot of knowledge within a short span of time. He narrated the importance of Yoga, which was great. Yoga has a lot of strength and capability," said Rinpoche.
The Yoga Guru is on a four-day visit to Himachal Pradesh where he will hold public meetings in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi and Una districts of the state. (ANI)
DENVER - Yoga is gaining a cultural acceptance all over the world, but some argue that yoga and Christianity don't mix because of the origins of the exercise.
One pastor goes as far as saying, "it's a form of demonism."
Denver resident, Niki Sparks is a devout Christian. She also practices and teaches yoga.
"I have been practicing yoga for five years and I now teach Holy Yoga," Sparks said.
She is part of a growing group nationwide that has combined the exercise with Christianity.
"Holy yoga is a combination of worship and exercise. We play Christian music and we read scripture. It's all yoga and all Jesus, 100% of each," Sparks said.
But there are many who believe the two cannot be combined.
Mark Driscoll is a pastor at a Baptist Church in Seattle.
He says yoga is Paganism.
"Yoga is opening to demonism. Should Christians stay away from yoga because of its demonic roots? Totally," Driscoll said.
The controversy lies in the origin of yoga.
The ancient Indian spiritual practice was created about 5,000 years ago.
It incorporates meditation and a Hindu practice of connecting spiritually to the universe.
"In a lot of traditional yoga classes they will talk about connecting yourself with the universe- but as a Christian I believe God created the universe and so anytime I'm connecting myself, I'm connecting myself to my creator- not the universe per say- God created the universe," Sparks said.
Sparks says yoga is really what you make of it and says she doesn't feel like she is doing anything wrong by using it to grow closer to her faith.
Yoga is gaining popularity. Today, the practice boasts 20 million followers all over the world, triple the number of followers from just 15 years ago.
(KUSA-TV © 2010 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)Kevin Smith is on the board of directors for the Centre for Inquiry, Canada's premier venue for humanists, skeptics and freethinkers.
I stand on one leg, arms extended in the yoga tree pose. I am not sensing universal life energy entering my crown -- concerned more that my creaky limbs might topple over. As the class pushes up to a shoulder stand, the alignment of my chakras are of less importance then positioning well away from the derriere of the person in front.
This ancient philosophy, steeped in Eastern mysticism, has gone mainstream.
Yoga for the Lululemon generation -- whose only temple they worship is their own body. Yoga is seen solely as an exercise program, and science has proven what the yogis have been saying for thousands of years.
For much of what ails us, do enough hatha, ashtanga or vinyasa and you will see the light, so to speak. Its benefits include increased flexibility, weight loss, improved circulation and a reduction of blood pressure.
Yoga is a great stress buster, which is the culprit for about 90 per cent of our illness.
Some are combining this with meditation -- prayer without god. Both activate the same parts of the brain but meditation doesn't demand supernatural belief. It promotes good moods and positive feelings, and studies show it can relieve depression.
People aren't searching for Enlightenment so much as attempting to add a bit of serenity into their hectic lives.
Practising yoga and meditation during several of my what's-life-all-about periods, has allowed me to be open to the deep mysteries of life, without the need to create gods to explain them.
Church attendance is dropping as quickly as yoga classes are filling up. All of its medical benefits result in a calmer, kinder, more peaceful person.
Yoga provides us with everything that religion is supposed to, without any antiquated, authoritative tenets. I'll take a downward dog over dogma any day.
Namaste.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
A new Yoga application for the iPad has recently been released, which contains more than 350 simple yoga routines that can be done in your own home. 5 Minute Yoga HD 1.0 has each yoga pose illustrated clearly, and is accompanied by a detailed description.
Released by Olson Applications, 5 Minute Yoga HD includes a timer function which lets users to adopt the poses for the correct length of time; this ensures each workout is as short as possible. The app has lovely images with clear and simple instructions.
28 different yoga poses ensures boredom is not an issue, and is ideal for beginners and the more experienced. Users can use the integrated music function to play tracks from their library. English, Italian, Spanish, French and German languages are supported.
5 Minute Yoga HD 1.0 is available worldwide on the App Store for only $1.99. iOS 3.2 or later required.
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Breathing Room, a boutique yoga studio located in Federal Plaza, took me by surprise when I went there to attend a class Monday. I didn’t expect to find a trendy yoga studio in a somewhat-unmarked stairwell behind the courthouse. The décor features a mixture of urban grunge elements, such as an unfurnished brick wall, uncovered scaffolding and exposed piping, and more typical yoga fixtures, from Japanese lanterns to bamboo plants. After a long, stressful Monday, I appreciated the familiarity of soothing music and ambient candles, but that was the limit of the similarity between Breathing Room and previous yoga studios I had visited.
Breathing Room describes Yin Yoga, the style of the class I attended, as “a complementary yoga practice to the other more dynamic and invigorating yoga styles offered.” Yin Yoga emphasizes deep stretching and passive floor postures. At first glance, this just seemed like normal yoga stretching, but the class was much more than that. The instructor introduced a series of poses, urging us to hold each one for slightly under 10 minutes (which felt more like half an hour in my head). Due to a combination of inexperience and clumsiness, I often got these poses completely wrong on my own, but the instructor made an effort to check each student’s posture before leaving us to hold the pose. The session I attended consisted of only four students, including myself, which led to an incredible amount of personal attention.
The charm of the session was supplemented by its meditative elements. While we held each pose, the instructor read inspirational passages from a book. If you need silence to meditate, this may not be the best place for you, but the guiding nature of the passages helped me to focus my thoughts. The last segment of the class gave us an opportunity to meditate independently as the instructor rubbed a soothing oil, which she referred to as a “life force,” on our heads and necks, relieving the tension that had built up over the previous hour.
I left Breathing Room feeling refreshed and ready to do my innumerable hours of reading. The studio made me feel at ease and offered a smaller, less intimidating option than Payne Whitney. The majority of classes are held after 5 p.m., and the studio allows participants to pay for each session individually, allowing flexibility for busy schedules. The studio also offers class packages, such as five-class or 10-class cards, and provides a discount to students. Yoga supplies, including mats, blankets and props, are provided free of charge, and water is available for purchase. With its chill attitude toward achieving inner peace, Breathing Room provides an experience appropriate for busy students and professionals alike.
According to results from a study published in the November 2010 edition of Pain, yoga may be effective in battling fibromyalgia.?The study, conducted at Oregon Health & Science University, included 53 female participants (previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia) who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group participated in an 8-week yoga program which included gentle poses, meditation, breathing exercises, and group discussion. The other group received standard medication treatment for fibromyalgia.
Questionnaires and physical tests were used to assess progress. Results showed that yoga helped combat several fibromyalgia symptoms including pain, fatigue, stiffness, poor sleep, depression, poor memory, anxiety, and poor balance. Yoga also helped with pain coping strategies. The improvements were significant enough to impact daily functioning.
Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect between 11-15 million Americans. Fibromyalgia symptoms can mimic or overlap symptoms associated with other rheumatic diseases. Fibromyalgia does not cause inflammation or damage to the joints, muscles, or other tissues. Therefore, it is not a disease of the joints but is arthritis-related.
Photo by Noam Armonn (iStockphoto)
The minister?s wife then thought of a scheme. A blade of grass was stuck on the back of a beetle in such a way that one end of the grass came right in front of the beetle?s mouth. After putting some honey on the grass blade the beetle was kept on the walls of the fort. In its tail a silken thread was tied. Seeing honey the beetle?s mouth started watering. It set off to taste the honey. The more it marched ahead the more the honey too marched ahead. Thus the beetle continuously went upwards. After finishing climbing the wall it was now supposed to march downwards. Now the beetle climbed down fully. At the other end the minister?s wife made the silken thread more thick and strong. When the thick silken thread reached the imprisoned minister he tied a thick rope to its end. With the help of this rope the minister escaped even though the fort was well guarded.
Pranayama effectively is that spiritual means wherein the breath is inhaled. Ultimately via control of vital principle the vital force is experienced and it results in gaining innumerable Sidhis or Divine Powers. Preliminary Pranayama is very easy and available to all but some of them are such which helps one to cross the gigantic ocean like Hanumanji, helps one to fly high up in the sky and helps one like Angad to place his foot on the ground in such a way that no one can shake it. But suppose this is not attained even then benefits in day to day living do definitely accrue. Thus ones worldly life becomes successful, joyous and peaceful.
A great relationship exists between man?s life span and health with his/her breath. All creatures remain alive because of inhalation/exhalation. By entering the lungs clean air destroys germs that augment diseases. Thus the blood gets purified. The more the blood cells remain healthy and alive the more one maintains good health. The tangible miracles of Pranayama are bodily strength, thinking power and firm mental resolve. Within this not only are the lungs exercised but that Pranayam augments ones life span and potency. It also purifies the blood and gives energy/zest to the psyche. For each one who desires a long healthy life this verily is a means of utility value.
The preliminary teaching of Pranayama says that we must breathe deeply and fully. If this air does not fully enter the lungs then a part of the lungs will be rendered useless. It is like that part of the house which gets infested by worms, mice, cockroaches etc simply because we fail to clean it regularly. When in certain part of the lungs air fails to enter it results in asthma, cough, cold, tuberculosis etc. Slowly these diseases take over the lungs in such a way that it is difficult to eradicate them.
By breathing deeply and fully all parts of the lungs receive air. This air gives oxygen to the lungs and takes away with it dirt of the lungs in the form of carbon-dioxide. Oxygen along with blood circulates in the entire body as a result of which ones health and energy remain optimally balanced. One fourth portion of pure blood is made of oxygen. If this ratio decreases digestive problems arise. The digestive power of such people becomes weak. From this it is clear that what is required is deep breathing so as to evict tainted matter from the body, maintaining an optimal ratio of oxygen in the blood and strengthening the digestive system. This can be achieved via Pranayama.
If the old ash of a boiler is not removed steam cannot be generated. Thus the engine stops functioning. Our lungs too are akin to a boiler. It influences the engine or the heart. If that tainted matter of the body transported to the heart via blood is not evicted from the lungs via deep breathing, bad blood returns to the heart. This bad blood is spread to all parts of the body via arteries which results in various diseases and illnesses. But if we learn the art of deep full breathing our chest will regain good health. The lungs become strong and weight increases. Purified blood circulation results in warding off weakness of the heart. Hence the practice of deep breathing via Pranayama ensures benefits of high stature to our all round health.
In an ordinary state along with our breath 30 sq inch of air enters our lungs. If breathing is deeper, about 130 sq inch air enters the lungs and while exhaling 100 sq inch air is left behind in the lungs. Thus about 230 sq inch space is available. What we are trying to say is that in comparison to ordinary breathing 8 times more air can be taken into the lungs. Thus 8 times more oxygen can be taken into the body and 8 times sound health will augment.
From the above it is clear that greater benefits accrue of more air is inhaled. Similarly benefits also accrue if for a few moments the lungs are rendered air free. A German Jew doctor opines that germs die in the lungs because they do not get any air and along with carbolic acid are evicted from the body.
The other practice involves taking in air from the nose. As a result of this gross dirt of the air sticks to the hair in the nose. Ahead of this is a thin fluid like substance which absorbs nitrogen and other dust particles of the air. Now the air fully cleansed enters the nose canal. Over here the air?s heat becomes optimally balanced i.e. if it was hot it becomes cool and vice versa. This path of air transport which reaches the lungs via the brain is very long. In such a time span the air?s temperature becomes tolerable. Thus although after reaching the lungs no obstruction comes its way in getting cleansed yet if air reaches lungs via the mouth dirt too enters along with it. Further the temperature too is not optimally balanced. Those who suffer from lung diseases generally inhale air from the mouth.
There are many types of Pranayama. Indian spiritual texts talk of various types called Sheetali, Sheetkari, Bhramari, Ujjayi, Lom-Vilom, Surya-Vedhak, Pranakarshak and Naadi Shodhan. We cannot possibly describe all these in detail yet we will discuss those that are easy and devoid of any danger. Such Pranayamas can be executed by children, young and old quite easily. Hence the method of Pranakarshak Pranayama will be detailed here.
Pranayama has 4 parts: 1. Poorak 2. Antar Kumbhak 3. Rechak and 4. Bahya Kumbhak. When air is inhaled it is called Poorak. This should not be done very fast or with jerks. Slowly fill as much of air as you can in your lungs. Antar Kumbhak means stopping the air from getting exhaled after it is inhaled. It is done only for as long as one can easily hold the breath. One should not hold the breath even if one feels uneasy. One must practice slowly to increase the time span of Antar Kumbhak. Rechak means exhaling air. Like Poorak this too must be done slowly. It is not good to exhale speedily or with jerks. Bahya Kumbhak means holding the breath externally after exhaling it. It also means not breathing at all for a few moments. The time taken for Poorak-Rechak and Antar Kumbhak-Bahya Kumbhak must be same.
Before commencing this practice place your seat or blanket in a clean silent place facing the East. The more lonely the place better it is so that external noise pollution does not affect your concentration and focus. Sit cross legged or in Padmaasan (lotus posture). Close the right nostril with the right hand thumb and do Poorak. Then with the middle and ring finger close the left nostril and perform Antar Kumbhak (hold breath within). Now after removing the thumb from the right nostril perform Rechak. Then shut both the nostrils and do Bahya Kumbhak (holding the breath externally). This is one single round of Pranayama. Initially start with 5 Pranayama and regularly increase it so as to ultimately become capable of doing it for half an hour with ease.
Along with good health Pranayama is a very important and of good utility value as far as soul uplifting is concerned. Thus along with Prana based spiritual endeavor the psyche becomes focused, balanced, steadfast and augments wholesome mental qualities. Ahead of this Prana is mastered via Pranayama and bodily vital force too gets activated. This amazingly influences our health and can be called mind boggling only. Regarding this in India great research has been conducted.
Material Science students are aware that friction results in energy emission. It is friction that releases fire or electricity when a matchstick is lit or via gigantic power stations. We have heard of forest fires which are the result of wood of trees undergoing friction. These certainly are not man made. When powerful winds blow in the forest dry branches, twigs etc of trees rub themselves against each other and this friction results in forest fires. Bamboo is the leading cause over here. Dry bamboos first rub each other and become hot. Then sparks start flying. These sparks result in fire and forest fire is the ultimate result. This is the miracle of the principle of friction.
Ancient man produced fire via friction of 2 shiny stones. Later they used the combination of iron and stone for the same purpose. In Yajnas, Arni Manthan is performed to produce fire via friction of sticks. Within the root source of energy and matter-Brahman (cosmic consciousness/God and nature) it is seen that they undergo friction as a result of which energy as sound emanates and creation activities of the cosmos ensues. Wind bangs against various objects, waves rise and fall in the ocean, in the human body inhalation/exhalation and contraction/relaxation occurs etc which results in friction. Thus energy gets released and thus each carry out their various appointed functions. Various functions performed by matter and creatures are but the result of friction.
Our daily life goes on unhindered as long as inhalation/exhalation does not stop. If the pendulum of a watch stops moving to and fro all parts of the watch stop functioning. If we stop breathing death is imminent. If friction stops life too comes to a standstill. Life is conjoined to breath because energy emanates from it. If we dive deeper electrical flames emanating from Sahasrar Chakra (subtle plexus in the brain) is also called its root cause. Over there, jerk-like movement creates friction.
In order to gain more strength we need more energy. For huge factories huge motors are required to run various machines. Small motors help run only small machines. In order to carry out important bodily, mental and spiritual activities high stature energy is required. This cannot be attained via eating or lighting fire etc. It is instead got from the source of potential that influences both matter and consciousness. It goes without saying that it is none other than Prana or Vital Force. Prana is that principle which that exists in interstellar space as a united energy of both life and matter. Pure cosmic consciousness is Brahman or God. Purified nature/Prakriti is energy. Both at their source are unfulfilled. The creation of the world of creatures is possible only when these 2 streams unite. Thus creatures are called Pranis in Sanskrit language. Modern physics has unearthed atoms, waves, energy and quanta. According to ecology quanta is said to be thinking in nature. From space wind comes, from wind ether and from ether astral manifests. Now Modern Science will also visualize the great ocean of vital force principle in the near future.
The existence of vital force principle was unearthed by Rishis of yore thousands of years back. They had also unearthed the path of attaining great measure of nature?s glories since small measures did not help matters of great importance. They called it the Science of Vital Force or Prana Vijnana. Its application was called Pranayama. Its aim is to attract in high measure the vital force principle and by imbibing it spiritually one becomes more potent. It is important to understand fully the relationship between breath and Prana.
From a gross viewpoint wind is like a light gas which due to its light weight while getting banged here and there because of small pushes and pulls flies about in interstellar space. In the womb of wind one can note many important and priceless things. Butter exists in milk but one cannot see it. In plants one finds proteins, vitamins etc. In flesh there are many chemicals. It can be known only via special analysis and obtained too via special methods. In the same way a lot is present within wind. While breathing, oxygen, nitrogen etc enters our body. Whatever is required is absorbed by the body and our bodily dirt is removed while exhaling breath as carbon dioxide. Thus if you analyze breath from the chemical content standpoint while it is being inhaled and exhaled a vast difference is noted. In different places the cause of the state that influences health is the great/less measure of admixture of its chemical content. Matter has states like gross, fluid, liquid and gaseous. Water can be ice on land, liquid in rivers and gas in the atmosphere. Over and above this it is easy to understand that within air nor only oxygen etc exists but that vital force too is present in its deep recesses. It enters our body along with our breath quite facilely. The body absorbs as much it ordinarily requires. Due to friction of breath not only benefits of energy generation and imbibing of oxygen accrue but that vital force too is imbibed. The basis of life is dependent on breathing. Behind this is at work friction and attainment of required energy due to vital force intake.
During Pranayama within the movement of breath extraordinary activity is seen. In it extraordinary friction is noted and apart from sustaining life special movements are created as a result. They in turn awaken such ?sleeping? centers which ordinarily are not required for daily living. Yet when they awaken they give man certain added special potential. Pranayama does not mean making the breath fast instead it renders our breathing balanced and cyclical. Various types of changes in balance and cycle give you various types of Pranayama. These in turn are used for various specific purposes. During Pranayama a spiritual aspirant/Sadhak has to make use of special power of resolve called Sankalpa Shakti, faith and mental power. Thus from interstellar space our breath attracts and pulls the vital force principle or the Prana Tattwa. Via Pranayama a Sadhak?s breathing includes both special movements and his/her power of resolve. Thus it no longer remains ordinary breathing and instead becomes a substratum of attaining special energy.
We must further understand the importance of friction. The act is ordinary but the result is extraordinary in the form of energy generation. When the shiny nature of the wheels of a moving train becomes less or if friction occurs due to some other cause heat ensues which results in rail accidents. In the sky we can see stars falling making terrific lines. These are not stars but balls of firebrand. In interstellar space small stone like metals enter the earth?s atmosphere and on banging against air they burn to ashes. We infer that stars are ?breaking? on seeing the terrific light when these burn. This merely is the miracle of frictional activity. During sexual union the friction of magnetic parts create energy of a high stature. It is experienced as ecstasy/bliss and this in turn urges the sperm to unite with the ovum. Thus friction is the root cause of creation.
While churning curds a rod is set up in it and a rope is tied to it. The left hand and right hand move this rope in both directions. The rod thus rotates in the curd. Energy as a result is generated and butter in the curds due to friction emerges. Special types of Svar that move in the left and right nostrils excite the electrical flow of Ida Pingala subtle nerves that lie in the Merudand (subtle spine). Thus movement akin to curd being churned is noted. Thus radiant principles manifest due to this. If it is methodically created and imbibed man will get a chance to become radiant and brilliant as far as his personality is concerned. With this attainment many terrific sparks of radiance/talent emerge. It influences in the form of enterprise, zest, daring, steadfastness etc. On gaining such benefits many glories manifest in our inner personality.
There are many people who are strong bodily and alert mentally but because their psyche lacks enterprise no important step in life is taken by them. No enterprise based decision can be taken by a wavering mind and also at the appointed hour no benefits can be absorbed. Bang opposite to this a person of strong psyche despite facing obstacles as far as health, education, means, help, opportunity is concerned executes steps of great daring and attains mind boggling success in life. Such people as a result of special actions and special personality perform such feats as a result of it they go down in the annals of history as super great personages. In other words this inner potency is called Prana. When we say someone is full of Prana it just does not mean he/she is alive but that he/she is full of enterprise. In comparison to other worldly/material wealth it is of much great importance.
Enterprise and activeness predominates in the awakening of inner energy within Pranayama applications of Prana Sciences. This exercise helps a great deal in warding off inertia and indolence and instead zest and zeal manifest. Because the mind is conjoined to such acts the basis of all successes emerges. For this the mind has to be tamed and educated. It is definitely difficult (but not impossible) akin to training ferocious animals like tigers etc in a circus. Without inner strength it is impossible to attain via other means. It is will power that helps us act wholesomely in social transactions, helps make our personality of high stature and ethics and helps overcome inner taints on a war footing. That conscious energy generated on the basis of Prana Science gives us joy in the form of enterprise and activeness.
An egg bursts only when the baby within desires to come out by breaking the walls of the egg. For a pregnant woman birth pains manifest when the fetus within desires to break all shackles and come out of the womb. If the power of resolve of the fetus dies the fetus deteriorates. For progress enterprise and daring are most required. Else during times of strife it would not be possible to even protect one self. Enterprise is a characteristic of vital force. It is also called daring and valor. This inner energy is called will power. There are many Rishi authored applications of Pranayama which generate energy of various classes. If based on the spiritual aspirant?s capabilities they are made use of then the invisible benefits will be much more than visible ones.
Sandhya Vandan is a daily righteous/religious act. In it Pranayama too is executed. For soul purification and soul evolution it is important to augment will power. Soul progress is attained via this. In order to augment will power our thinking must be sensitive and actions must be radiantly skillful. Over and above this acts like Pranayama too are required which help in an extraordinary manner. No doubt a balanced diet is required for overcoming weakness but along with it medical cures too are necessary. Pranayama is such a special cure wherein soul force augments by leaps and bounds. In Sandhya Vandan it is conjoined keeping in mind that vital force augmentation is required and is of great utility value.
When vital force diminishes our personality falters in all ways and when it is optimum all our activities work in tandem. When vital force increases it is called strength, potency, alertness, radiance, mental power, skillful etc. Such people are called Super Prana. They can imbue millions of others with vital force and thus lead the world on the path of greatness. The vital force present in demons is attained via efferent and nervous system. The creation of imagination, belief, desire, memory, analysis, intellect of the brain gets augmented and controlled. A very great and subtle power that gives the body and mind a wholesome direction and capacity is called Vital Force. The act of inhalation and exhalation is merely its instrument/medium. On it this Super Force rides and enters and nourishes all our organs. In the material/mundane arena it is called heat, light, electricity etc. and in the subtle realm it is called brilliance (talent). This is the Vital Principle. The more one amasses this wealth the more potent one becomes.
By: Yuga RishiArticle Directory: http://www.articledashboard.comAUTHOR: Shriram Sharma Acharya founder of the International Gayatri Family was a great Yogi seer and incarnation of God who wrote volumes of scientific literature mainly on spiritual subjects for world welfare and peace. For more scientific e-books visit: www.shriramsharma.com/ and www.awgp.org/ DESCRIPTION: Free e-books on Future Scientific Religion, Gayatri Science & Kundalini Yoga correlated to Neurosciences-ESP, Endocrinology, Anatomy, Psychology & Sociology for world peace.
Additional Articles From - Home | Health & Fitness | YogaTibetan are five simple exercises, which are the source of the jeunesse.Les five Tibetan Rites are a short series of yoga - type exercises which appeared in a book written by Peter Kelder in the 1930s.
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Information on the methods of yoga five Tibetans
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