Yoga for Beginners: The First Step of Yoga Practice

By Paul M.

Maybe your doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, or best friend told you Yoga would be good for you. You have heard so much about Yoga; it seems that Yoga is a "cure" for almost anything. The more you hear, the more confusing it is to understand what Yoga is all about.

Should you go out and buy a Yoga book? What would be the best Yoga book to buy? If you visit the local book store, you see hundreds of Yoga books, CD's, DVD's, card decks, and kits. Should you buy a copy of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali or buy one of the "for dummies" Yoga books?

Below is an overview of Yoga, which may help you decide your path of Yogic study. There is no right or wrong path of Yoga study, but be selective when you choose a Yoga teacher, Yoga book, or Yoga class.

You should first realize that there are many styles of Yoga. There are nine major styles of Yoga; many more styles exist, as well as many sub-styles. The nine major styles of Yoga are Bhakti, Hatha, Jnana, Karma, Kundalini, Mantra, Raja, Tantra, and Yantra Yoga. Each style emphasizes unity of body, mind, and spirit.

The literal meaning of Yoga is "union" or "unity." If we can unify the body, mind, and spirit in harmony, we can achieve tranquility. One of the main purposes of Yoga is tranquility through improved health due to a holistic approach to life.

India is the birth place of Yoga. There are many written works about Yoga, but the origin of Yoga dates back thousands of years. Yoga is the "mother" of most of the world's health maintenance systems. Asian martial arts, with an origin from the Shaolin temple, and Pilates, can trace their ancestry back to Yoga.

The "higher forms of Yoga" are said to be Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, and Raja Yoga. Each of these four styles is a complex subject, within themselves, and I cannot do them justice by a summarization.

Hatha Yoga sub-styles are the most prolific outside of India. Most new Yoga practitioners will learn a Hatha Yoga sub-style first. Hatha Yoga, and its many sub-styles, primarily emphasize physical health, which will likely result in improved mental health. Most Hatha Yoga classes, outside of India, do not approach spiritual health.

Nevertheless, Hatha Yoga is seen by fundamentalists as an "export of Hinduism." In some rare instances, this may be true, but most Hatha Yoga teachers are content to teach improved health for body and mind.

Therefore, when you choose a book, or local Yoga teacher, be aware that the Yoga teacher or Guru is a guide - but you have a right to know which direction you are being guided to. The Yoga practitioner learns to expand his or her mind and make independent decisions "along the way."

Yoga is non-threatening to religion. If a Yoga instructor teaches intolerance, of any kind, that is not Yoga. Unity is not sectarianism. We have to learn to appreciate diversity, and we should never tolerate prejudice. Prejudice and intolerance are often the cause of crime and wars.

On the "Grand Scale," the goals of Yoga are the end of suffering, tranquility, and world peace through unity.

Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Article Source: http://www.searchfreearticles.com/ About the Author: Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. http://www.riyoga.com

Yoga tips for irregular shift workers

By Arun Goel

Several professionals have a very demanding routine in terms of night shifts. Due to the altered 'body clocks' they end up suffering from several health disorders.

Such kinds of jobs are on the rise with a continuous emphasis on increasing productivity and lowering costs. Most common examples are call center workers, specially those that are serving clients half-way across the globe.

The two most common disorders related to this are Sleeplessness and Constipation

Sleeplessness or Insomnia

This is one of the most common complaints and not surprisingly so. Sleeping during the day is difficult and the general noise and distraction level is high.
It is well known that continuous use of sleeping pills may be detrimental to health. Also, the body develops a progressive resistance to them. Therefore, they should be avoided.

A yoga technique that can be of very great use is the technique of 'Yoga Nidra' or psychic sleep. When practiced correctly, this method produces such deep relaxation that one hour of yoga nidra is equivalent to 4 hours of deep sleep.
This technique can be learned from a yoga teacher or even from a book or tape. To read more on yoga nidra, click here.

Constipation

Although this is a universal problem, it is more common among shift workers.
After midnight, the automatic regulation of metabolic processes has an effect of slowing down the heart rate and the blood circulation. In a person on night-shift, as he sits upright, the blood accumulates around the pelvis, lower abdomen and legs. This causes the blood vessels around the colon to dilate, thereby constricting the passage and resulting in constipation. Prolonged effect of this condition can result in piles.

The yoga solution for this problem is a position called 'Sarvangasana'. This is an inverted position in which the legs are slowly raised up while lying down. In the final position, only the head and neck rests on the floor while the entire torso and legs lie vertical to the ground in the inverted position.

This position helps the accumulated blood in the lower abdomen and legs to move towards the lungs. This helps in the oxygenation of impure blood and the normalization of the colon.

Five minutes of Sarvangasana should be sufficient to counteract the problem of blood stagnation in the lower part o the body.

This is an example of how yoga, as a therapeutic system, can help in relieving several health disorders. If you feel inspired by this article, feel free to publish it in your Newsletter or on your Website. Our humble request is to please include the Resource Box as follows:

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