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Balancing the chakras through yoga postures is the key to balancing mental/emotional states.
by Kaoverii Weber
The 20th century yogi, P.R. Sarkar, incorporated asanas into his revitalized tantra-based system of practice. Sarkar clearly gave meditation, rather than physical posture, the priority in his system. Nevertheless, he considered asanas an essential complement to the meditation practice and explained the important role asanas have in helping to balance the body-mind. He called the practice "bio-psychology."
“By performing asanas regularly," said Sarkar, "human beings can control the propensities attached to each chakra, and hence the thoughts which arise in their minds and their behaviours."
What is the basis of Sarkar’s biopsychology? To begin this explanation, some Sanskrit words need to be explained. Let’s start with one most people have heard: chakra. Chakra means “wheel” in Sanskrit. According to the yogis, we have seven main chakras in the body.
Research has confirmed the existence of energy fields at the areas of the body the yogis have called chakras. Valerie Hunt, a researcher at UCLA, found that there are high frequency vibrations emanating from these seven areas. Another researcher, Hiroshi Motoyama in Japan, found that when people directed their mental focus to individual chakras, they could increase the frequency of that particular area. Candace Pert, a leader in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, discovered a high concentration of a specific neuropeptide at the location of the classical chakras. This neuropeptide, called VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide), is critical in regulating the neural immune switches between the brain and the immune system.
Sarkar said that chakras are related to nerve plexi--networks in the autonomic nervous system that run near the spine. These are places where nerves converge and form a network, allowing for complex communication between nerve cells and the generation of more complex functional activity. These nerve plexi are the physiologic counterpart which help create the subtle energy of the chakras.
Sarkar and other teachers have said that chakras are also associated with endocrine glands. The yogis called these glands "œnodal points." Science has recently recognized the close functional relationships between the endocrine system and the nervous system – so much so that both systems together are now referred to as the neuro-endocrine system. The relationship between mood and the nervous system has long been understood and has even entered the vernacular with expressions like, "It gets on my nerves" or "You have some nerve!" Hormones secreted by the endocrine glands also have a profound effect on our moods--as any woman who’s experienced PMS or low thyroid function can attest. The yogis understood when the nerve plexi and endocrine glands functioned properly, the mind was balanced, the body felt better and meditation became easier--in other words, balanced chakras equal a balanced mind.
Balancing the chakras through yoga postures is the key to balancing mental/emotional states. Excessive or inadequate secretion from the endocrine glands results in triggering receptors in centers in the brain which exaggerate emotional states. Similarly, a weak nervous system can cause a variety of imbalanced mental/emotional state. By doing specific yoga postures regularly, we can regulate the function of the neuroendocrine system and thereby balance the chakras.
The tantric yogis taught that each chakra was like a lotus flower surrounded by a specific number of petals. They called these petals the vrttis (also spelled "vrittiâ"). A vrtti is a mental tendency or propensity--a potential state of mind. You have probably seen drawings of yogis sitting in lotus position with their many-petaled chakras. This image gives us a symbolic idea of the energy patterns the chakras and vrttis create.
The six lower chakras have a total of 50 petals. These petals represent the 50 main vrttis or vortices of psychic energy. Some of the 50 Sanskrit terms can be roughly translated as “fear”, “irritability”, “greed”, “hypocrisy”, “hope”, “affection”, “surrender." The four petals of the first chakra represent all the desires of human life: physical, mental, psycho-spiritual and spiritual (kama, artha, dharma and moksa in Sanskrit). The second chakra’s vrttis express the darker side of human nature such as pitilessness, indifference, self-indulgence and cruelty. The third chakra’s vrttis, such as irritability, shame, lethargy and craving, are perhaps the biggest challenge to our human potential. The fourth chakra’s vrittis reflect our higher capacities for both beauty and destruction such as hope, love, and effort and conversely greed, arrogance and hypocrisy. The fifth chakra contains vrittis which elevate us to the sublime, such as altruism, universality and surrender to a higher power. The sixth chakra’s vrttis speak to our capacity for limitless knowledge.
These chakras, with their distinct vrtti petals, create specific patterns of psychic energy. A person with a problem with depression, for example, would manifest a specific distorted pattern of energy within different chakras, depending on which vrttis contribute to their specific state of depression. Since different people manifest depression in different ways, each person would have a distortion in their energy pattern based on his/her own specific way of manifesting that imbalance.
So now we’ve looked at chakras and vrttis, let’s look at the word samaskara. Samskara is a Sanskrit term which means “reactive-momentum.” Why do two people who face the exact same challenge respond differently? Why does losing a child cause one person to create a support group, develop a scholarship fund, volunteer at a local school, and find a deep inner peace while it causes another person to sink into deep despair, become bitter and withdrawal from his or her relationships? Why, when these two people have experienced the same event, are the patterns of psychic energy they express so different?
According to yoga philosophy, we bring certain samskaras into the world with us when we are born. People often call this concept karma, and it is much the same idea. We all come into this world with different sets of challenges, or different samskaras. These samskaras help dictate which vrttis will be activated and cause mental imbalance. The two people who lost a child have come into this world with very different samskaras that have caused them to react differently to the same event.
So what is happening when you find yourself continually having challenges around a particular emotion? Say for example, you find you are getting irritated at all sorts of little things that normally wouldn’t bother you. Or perhaps you have suddenly developed a tremendous fear of public speaking. Both of these scenarios are symptoms of imbalance. The psychic patterns of chakra energy, distorted by samskara and activated vrttis as well have created the imbalance in the emotional state.
Western science has given us the ability to look at how these energies relate to our physiology. Candace Pert’s research on psychoneuroimmunology has been groundbreaking in showing how mental/emotional states are produced all over the body and are not confined to the brain. Pert explains that nerve cells have long finger-like endings which reach out and send neuropeptides to other cells. When we are sad, the nerves produces neuropeptides that promote sadness and send that chemical to all the cells in the body, so that every cell in the body becomes sad–your skin is sad, your bones are sad, your toes are sad; literally, the whole body is sad.
An imbalance in the cakra/vritti creates an energy field that is picked up by very subtle nerve currents (nadiis in Sanskrit). The mind field becomes perturbed, which in turn stimulates or inhibits the secretion of the endocrine gland associated with that particular chakra causing an over- or under-secretion of hormone which then activates a certain physical/emotional response.
Specific yoga postures can help strengthen the endocrine glands and nerves associated with the particular imbalanced chakras. If you have an imbalance of the fear vrtti, you can use postures which primarily balance the third chakra. Specific asanas held for specific periods of time put sustained, alternating pressure on the endocrine glands and help them to function better through facilitating blood circulation. The better functioning glands begin to shift the energy field of the chakra, helping to bring the disturbed vrittis into balance.
There is a tremendous need individually and collectively to achieve balance in our body-minds. So much of what is happening in the world at present tells us that yoga’s timeless gifts are invaluable to us in the here and now. Biopsychology gives us the tools to begin to change the things that dissatisfy us about the world within ourselves first. All of us are seeking to unblock the energy of our fourth chakra, our heart chakra, and allow compassion, magnanimity, and love to flow freely. There is a deep, collective force within us that wants to surmount our lower vrittis and merge with others and with all of life. This is both the greatest desire of the human heart and its greatest challenge.
Here are just two of the postures that can help the third chakra. There are many others. In addition to asanas, meditation is highly beneficial for relieving stress and controlling third chakra vrittis.
YOGA MUDRA:
Sit with your legs crossed. Hold your left wrist with your right hand behind your back. Inhale, as you exhale slowly lower your forehead and nose towards the floor. Hold your breath out for about 8 seconds. Inhale and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat eight times.
BOW POSE: Lie on your stomach. Hold your ankles. Breathe in as you lift your chest and legs at the same time. Traction your knees towards each other. Imagine you are balancing all of your weight on the navel area. Eyes look forward. Hold for about 8 seconds. Breathe out as you come back down. Repeat eight times.
People who do yoga, or have at least some understanding of yoga, are curious about Kundalini Yoga. In the past, the Kundalini energy has been referred to as “serpent power” and other exotic sounding terms, but Kundalini Yoga, as taught by my teacher, Yogi Bhajan, is much more simple and close to home than you might think.
Kundalini comes from the root word, kundal, in Sanskrit, which means “the lock of the hair from the beloved.” The uncoiling of this “hair” is the awakening of the kundalini, the unlimited potential that already exists in every human.
Yoga is the science of the self, and kundalini is the awakening of the self. It is that simple.
A unique and distinctive yoga form that encompasses elements that are found in all other forms of yoga, Kundalini yoga is sometimes called the “mother yoga.” Here are a few of the ways that Kundalini yoga shares paths with other traditions of yoga.
Links movement with rhythmic breath patterns.
Has an introspective quality of listening to the body and releasing emotions, as well as drawing on inspiration, such holding a pose with fearlessness, etc.
Incorporates chanting and singing as yogic technology.
Is directly focused on moving the energy through the chakras (your body’s energy centers)
Encompasses the eight limbs and all seven branches of yoga.
Includes pranayama (breathing) techniques and uses the bandhas (body locks).
In addition to yoga and meditation, Kundalini Yoga incorporates teachings for all aspects of life; for example, vegetarian diet, serving others, and yogic life skills such as conscious parenting and partnering.
Often people are afraid to try yoga, and no wonder. Yoga magazines and books are filled with images of rubber-bodied yogis in acrobatic twists, or muscular body-builders in perfect handstands. Unfortunately this portrayal of yoga can scare folks away, but fortunately, yoga, and especially Kundalini Yoga, is not really like the “macho yoga” image. Kundalini Yoga meets you where you are, and takes you to your potential. In fact, I always say that if you can breathe and move your body, you can do Kundalini Yoga. Strong, rhythmic breathing coupled with fluid movements is one of the strong foundations of Kundalini Yoga.
So what does a Kundalini Yoga class look like? First we tune in using a centering technique to call upon our inner guidance. The tune is for Kundalini Yoga is: Ong Namo, Guru Dev Namo, repeated three times, one per each deep breath. Translated, it means; “I salute the Divine guidance within me and all around me.”
Then we warm-up and stretch out our bodies using movement and strong breathing. Each Kundalini Yoga class is unique, but each will contain a “set” of postures and exercises that work on specific areas of the body, mind, and spirit. There are literally hundreds of these yoga sets, or Kriyas, to choose from: yoga for your back, your radiance, your mind/heart balance, your ability to keep up through hard times, in short, for every aspect of you as a human being.
After the yoga set, a Kundalini Yoga class will culminate with a deep relaxation, supported and uplifted by divine music, and often times, the sound of the gong. After the restful period, most Kundalini Yoga classes end with breath or mantra meditation--the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Shakta Khalsa is one of the world’s leading experts on children and yoga, having worked with both since the mid-1970s. She is a trained yoga professional at the highest level (ERYT-500) and is an AMS certified Montessori teacher since 1982. Shakta is the author of five well-known yoga books, including the classic Fly Like A Butterfly: Yoga for Children, and Yoga for Women.
Shakta’s two great loves--children and yoga-- are the basis for her life work: Radiant Child® Yoga, an international training program for teaching children yoga and working with/raising children consciously. Visit her site at: www.childrensyoga.com
For the most part, when we in the West talk about yoga, we’re generally referring Hatha yoga—the combination of asanas (positions) and pranayama (breath control) most commonly taught in American yoga studios. But yoga is actually part of a much broader system, of which Hatha is only a part. There are four distinct yoga systems, or sadhanas, and each one offers something different to the practitioner.
For the most part, when we in the West talk about yoga, we’re generally referring Hatha yoga—the combination of asanas (positions) and pranayama (breath control) most commonly taught in American yoga studios. But yoga is actually part of a much broader system, of which Hatha is only a part. There are four distinct yoga systems, or sadhanas, and each one offers something different to the practitioner.
Hatha yoga is actually considered a means of preparing for the more spiritual or meditative yoga practices. The term Hatha yoga comes from the Sanskrit words “ha,” meaning sun, and “tha,” meaning moon; accordingly, Hatha yoga is all about balance. By bringing together opposite energies, the practitioner can achieve greater health and self-discipline. Once the body is “tamed” through Hatha, aspiring yogis can move to Raja (or “king”) yoga, a more advanced technique which focuses on mastering the mind through meditation, postures and breathing.
Jnana yoga is yoga that strives for self-knowledge. This “path of inquiry” is the practice most commonly associated with great thinkers like Ghandi and even the Buddha himself. Students are taught to sit quietly and working at challenging and disregarding their previous abstract notions and beliefs. Through self-questioning, practitioners can come to understand the separation between their bodies and souls, and thus achieve a greater understanding of what is eternal (real) and temporal (unreal).
Bhakti yoga strives towards loving-kindness and devotion to a personal form of God. “Bhakti” is a kind of selfless love based on sacrifice and acts of generosity, with the erasure of the personal ego as a primary goal. Bhakti yogis’ path consists of three stages—being a servant of God (Dwaita), a child of God (Vishistadwaita), and, finally, becoming one with God (Adwaita). Bhakti yoga not only asks individuals to dedicate themselves to the divine, but also to make the separation between God’s higher and lower natures, and to strive to understand more complex forms of consciousness and truth, while still being engaged with our world.
Karma yoga is the path of action; that is, divorcing one’s actions from selfish motivations. It emphasizes calming the mind and connecting with God as a prerequisite to action. Focusing on potential rewards for our actions can lead to greediness and a sense of unfulfillment if we don’t get what we want. Karma yoga encourages us to be in the moment, to “work when we work” and “play when we play,” and to seek refuge in a sense of inner peace and stillness, instead of speculating about the future.
Together or separately, these practices can benefit aspiring yogis both physically and mentally. In all forms of yoga, the body and mind are strongly connected, and focusing on one will necessarily help the other. Physical balance, strength and peace are incomplete without their emotional and spiritual counterparts, and working towards achieving both will help the practitioner lead a healthier and more peaceful life.
Yoga therapy is showing promise as an emerging health care modality and not just a popular fitness program.
The so-called complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies are on the rise, spurred by public demand. More than 42% of people in the US are using some form of CAM each year, creating a wave of interest in alternative modalities. Further, as the medical system searches for more cost-effective treatment options, the doors of hospitals and clinics are opening to alternative modalities like acupuncture, massage, Chinese medicine, and so on.
In this climate, yoga therapy is showing increasing promise as an emerging health care modality. More than 15 million people today practice yoga. While yoga has mainly found its mainstream groove as a fitness program, more and more people-yoga practitioners, yoga therapists, and researchers alike, are pointing to the vast healing potential that yoga asanas offer.
When confronted with a disease like cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or back pain, the medical system necessarily is the first stop when seeking help. The same is the case when we seek support for emotional issues, or need rehabilitation following physical or emotional trauma.
Few people are aware that yoga therapy offers specific applications of yoga to help manage or alleviate numerous health problems. While yoga is not a cure and never should be used as a substitute for proper medical treatment, yoga can often be an important complement to traditional medical treatment. Yoga therapy has been used successfully to alleviate numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, back pain, depression, and so on.
Yoga as therapy is still an emerging modality, and there is as yet too little awareness of the tremendous health benefits offered by yoga therapy. For more information on the healing benefits of yoga and advice on What to Look for in a Yoga Therapist, we invite you to explore the resources we've collected here on Yoga Therapy Web. If you are looking to work with a yoga therapist, we also invite you to browse through our comprehensive Yoga Therapy Directory.
People who consider beginning yoga, often find it very confusing to know where to start. There are so many different styles of yoga that all seem to have only one thing in common: a tongue-breaking, impossible-to-pronounce name.
When just choosing a practice can be so intimidating, no wonder that many people never make it to square one. Well, take heart. Most types of yoga are essentially based on the same basic yoga postures (called yoga asanas). The different styles of yoga mainly differ in how those yoga poses are being taught and practiced.
While there are many different yoga styles, they do fall into certain general categories. Some yoga styles emphasize alignment and precision, some flow and breath, yet others focus on relaxation and comfort. If you are a beginner to yoga, here is an overview of some of the most common types of yoga practices and the specific yoga styles within each.
Classical Hatha Yoga
Most yoga styles fall into the general category of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is a system of yoga which dates back to Yogi Swatmarama, who lived in the 15th century in India. The aim of Hatha Yoga is to create greater balance between body and mind, to free the flow of the life force in the body, and ultimately, to prepare body and mind for more subtle spiritual experiences of meditation. A Hatha yoga practice includes yoga asanas, yoga postures designed to improve health and remove imbalances, and Pranayama, traditional breathing exercises to help bring greater peace to the mind and the subtle body.
The following types of yoga are forms of Classical Hatha Yoga.
The word "Vinyasa" is frequently defined to mean "breath-synchronized movement." Vinyasa Yoga, not surprisingly, pairs a flowing series of poses with paced breathing. Due to the continuous flow of movement and regulated breath, Vinyasa Yoga offers more of a cardio work-out than it's Hatha cousins. There are many Vinyasas out there, but the two most common forms are:
Ashtanga Yoga Power Yoga
Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga postures set up the body in a comfortable, relaxed pose (often supported by a multitude of props, ranging from blankets to blocks) that one can simply sink into and enjoy. No strenuous muscular exertion, no required rhythmic breathing; just simply relaxing peacefully into a soothing yoga posture.
Restorative postures are said to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), lowering blood pressure and heart rate, while stimulating the endocrine and immune systems. Most types of yoga include restorative practices, but some types of yoga, like Svaroopa Yoga focus exclusively on restorative yoga postures.
Svaroopa Yoga
Classical Hatha Yoga/Iyengar Yoga
Perhaps the most striking characteristic of Iyengar Yoga is the system’s attention to detail. For just an introductory yoga teacher certificate, Iyengar teachers must undergo rigorous two-year training in order to accurately instruct and correct students in the traditional series of yoga asanas. Each yoga posture is held for a while to give the student the time necessary to properly align his or her body. This focus on ideal muscular and skeletal alignment is thought to help dissolve physiological and psychological energy blocks, while also cultivating strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance.
Iyengar Yoga was brought to the west by B.K.S. Iyengar from Pune, India, who developed the system over the course of 60 years. The name Iyengar Yoga was given to the system by his students; B.K.S. Iyengar never intended to have his name attached to it. B.K.S. Iyengar drew the series of asanas and their highly specific parameters directly from such traditional texts as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjaili and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Based on Patanjali’s “eight limbs of Yoga,” Iyengar Yoga emphasizes the connection between mind, body, and spirit. Iyengar Yoga features the basic standing poses of Hatha Yoga, designed to cultivate physical and psychological strength through developing the lower body and establishing a firm foundation. Iyengar Yoga also focuses on the individual needs of each specific physiology and incorporates multiple props, such as chairs, blocks, belts and blankets. These props provide practitioners with the ability to complete each pose properly, without placing any undue strain on their bodies. The use of props can also help Iyengar students relax more fully into a pose, freeing up their breathing and stimulating blood flow to the muscles and organs.
Classical Hatha Yoga/Kripalu Yoga
Kripalu Yoga was introduced in the U.S. by Indian Yoga teacher Amrit Desai and developed under inspiration from his teacher, Swami Kripalvanandaji. A major focus of Kripalu Yoga is on helping students deepen body awareness and attune to the deeper levels of their Yoga practice.
The practice of Kripalu Yoga is described as developing in three stages. In stage I, beginning yoga students learns the Yoga poses, or asanas, and focuses on proper alignment, breathing, and being conscious about their body and breath. This stage is referred to as "willful practice."
As beginning yoga students progress to stage II Kripalu Yoga, the yoga asanas from stage one are held for an extended time—to the student’s capacity and perhaps beyond, deepening his or her ability to witness and direct thoughts and emotions. This is also referred to as "willful surrender."
As yoga students move from beginners to advanced, they may spontaneously enter stage III Kripalu Yoga. Also called “meditation in motion,” Stage III Kripalu Yoga is described as an experience in which the student spontaneously flows from one asana to the next, without effort or “doing.” Instead of experiencing, "I do yoga," some practitioners report, the experience of Kripalu Yoga stage III is that "Yoga does me."
No matter which stage of practice, the emphasis in Kripalu Yoga is to honor “the wisdom of the body” and to respect one’s individual flexibility and strength. Kripalu Yoga puts great priority on proper breathing and on encouraging the flow of prana, or life force, through the body. Kripalu Yoga helps its practitioners develop a sense of self-acceptance and a quality of witnessing that many report carrying over into their daily lives.
Kripalu Yoga integrates breathing exercises (pranayama), postures (asanas), centering, and meditation. Different levels of Kripalu Yoga are available to students and are classified as either gentle, moderate, or vigorous. Of course, in Kripalu fashion, students are encouraged to follow the needs of their body at the time of the class, not necessarily the specified class level.
The Kripalu Center for Yoga is located in the Berkshire region of Western Massachusetts, and offers many services from retreats, to workshops, to teacher training.
Classical Hatha Yoga/Anusara Yoga
Anusara means "flowing with grace, flowing with nature and following your heart." Established in 1997 by John Friend, Anusara Yoga has as a central focus the intention to alignment oneself with Grace, the flow of Supreme Consciousness. Anusara Yoga combines the Tantric philosophy of "intrinsic Goodness" with Friend's "Universal Principles of Alignment."
In an Anusara Yoga class, the focus for beginning yoga students as well as more advanced practitioners won’t be to master poses, but rather to open up to a higher awareness and the highest expression of goodness within. Anusara teachers incorporate this philosophy of "intrinsic Goodness" through working with students to uncover and augment the qualities of beauty and divinity already present in their yoga practice, rather than attempting to correct alignment and get hung up in the physical expression of yoga asanas.
The "Universal Principles of Alignment," designed by Friend to bring intention, refinement, and balanced energy to the practice, are comprised of the "3 A's:" Attitude, Alignment, and Action. Attitude is the approach to the pose the student takes, often one of "opening to grace" or "spiritual awakening." Alignment is the attentiveness the specific structure of the body during the poses, and action is the engaged bodily energy that grounds the pose with both stability and freedom.
As for the postures themselves, over 250 Yoga poses comprise the Anusara Yoga teacher's repertoire, including all of the common, traditional Yoga asanas. Anusara Yoga maintains a balance between many different styles of poses, from backbends to forward bends to standing poses, hand-balancings, and others.
Each Anusara Yoga class features opening invocations; a heart-oriented theme (such as a virtue) that the following poses have been designed to cultivate; and a quiet centering, meditation, or Savasana ("corpse pose") closure. The ultimate aim of Anusara Yoga is to awaken and reveal the student's own, already-present Divine nature and culture a sense of benevolent self-empowerment.
Classical Hatha Yoga/Bikram/Hot Yoga
Bikram Yoga, often referred to as Hot Yoga, was founded by Indian Yoga master Bikram Choudhury. Bikram yoga is a type of classical hatha yoga perhaps most famous for its class environment: a 105 degree Fahrenheit (about 40.5 degrees Celsius) ambiance with 40% humidity. The sauna-like atmosphere of Hot Yoga has two main functions: one, to heat muscles up and promote maximum flexibility, and two, to encourage profuse sweating and the resulting release of toxins.
A Hot Yoga class can be challenging for beginning yoga students; it lasts about 90 minutes and is comprised of a series of 26 standardized yoga postures and two breathing exercises. The yoga asanas and breathing exercises have been formulated to work together to improve lung capacity. According to Bikram, this is an important part of Hot Yoga, because most people only use 50% of their lungs, which cuts oxygen flow to the body and diminishes overall health) and enhance circulation.
Bikram Yoga, or Hot Yoga, emphasizes cultivating well-being on all levels through releasing physical toxins and improving bodily respiration and circulation. The 26 poses of Hot Yoga use a combination of "extension" and "compression" to promote health. During a pose, "compression" temporarily restricts blood-flow to a specific area of the body. When the pose is released, "extension" allows oxygen-rich blood to flood that area. This rapid influx of fresh blood is said to eliminate toxins and wipe out bacteria/infections. The dynamic of compression and extension is also said to massage the lymph nodes and put pressure on the endocrine glands, stimulating proper functioning. The varying volume in blood flow and resulting improved circulation supply fresh blood to the brain as well.
Vinyasa Yoga/Ashtanga Yoga
The most common form of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga derives from yoga master K. Pattabhi Jois, and it is drawn from the ancient Yoga Korunta text. Unlike other forms of Yoga teaching, which typically include a different selection of yoga asanas from class to class, Ashtanga Yoga has a set sequence of poses. Ashtanga Yoga has a total of six series of poses, or six sets of practices, which involve increasingly difficult poses. Beginning yoga students start with the Primary Series and then progress through later series at their own pace.
Even though students perform the same series of poses each time, no one should be fooled into thinking that Ashtanga Yoga is easy. Ashtanga Yoga is one of the more demanding types of Yoga practice. The Primary Series, Yoga Chikitsa (translates to "Yoga therapy"), features 75 poses designed to develop the body through aligning the spine, purifying the blood, and building strength, endurance, and flexibility. The series takes approximately one and a half to two hours to complete.
Once the Primary Series has been mastered by beginning yoga students, the second series, Nadi Shodana (intermediate series), is introduced. Nadi Shodana is designed to purify the nervous system and the subtle energy channels throughout the body.
Once Nadi Shodana has been mastered, the student can then progress on to the first of the four advanced series, called Sthira Bhaga. The poses included in the Sthira Bhaga are often considered extremely difficult, and only appropriate for advanced students. In fact, many beginning yoga students find that it takes year just to master the Primary Series.
Throughout all of the series in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, the relationship between body movement and breath is maintained. For each Yoga asana, there is a corresponding breath (inhale or exhale). The purpose of this breath-motion relationship is to a) warm up the blood for better circulation, and b) increase the oxygen flow within the warmed-up blood. The resulting high-quality circulation purifies the body’s toxins and delivers nutrients to muscles and tissues. In addition, the natural perspiration that ensues releases built-up waste, leaving the body pure, healthy, and strong.
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga also emphasizes Tristana, or the three-sided practice of posture, breathing, and visual focus. By bringing the students awareness to these three elements, the practice integrates the body, nervous system, and mind.
Vinyasa Yoga/Power Yoga
Originally inspired by Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga originated in the mid '90's, when yoga teacher Beryl Bender Birch sought to repackage the Vinyasa flow practice of Ashtanga Yoga into a more accessible form. Power Yoga also put a more Western face on yoga. While Ashtanga Yoga traditionally views yoga as a spiritual technique for mind-body purification, in Power Yoga, the emphasis is more on yoga as a form of exercise and a method to develop physical fitness.
The first Power Yoga teachers, Beryl Bender Birch and Bryan Kest (also a former student of K. Pattabhi Jois), both offer forms of yoga that include challenging poses designed to give even the beginning yoga student a comprehensive workout for developing strength, flexibility, and physical grace. Many poses are similar if not identical to those featured in Ashtanga Yoga; similarly, synchronized breathing is emphasized.
Power Yoga also borrows from other forms of yoga (Iyengar, for example) through focusing on holding certain poses to develop both stamina and suppleness. During a Power Yoga session, the room is sometimes heated (as in Bikram Yoga), to establish peak muscular flexibility.
While Power Yoga places a great degree of emphasis on cultivating physical fitness, like other forms of Yoga it also aims to establish mental clarity and harmonize the relationship between body, mind, and spirit. Beginning yoga students find that the disciplined, slow-yet-steady flow of poses in Power Yoga help focus the mind and establish a sense of inner, one-pointed strength.
Restorative Yoga/Svaroopa Yoga
The Sanskrit word Svaroopa is used by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras to describe a state of inner, transcendent bliss. Svaroopa Yoga, with its gentle poses and non-straining approach, aims to cultivate just that. Developed by Rama Berch, Svaroopa Yoga focuses on encouraging each student to unfold every pose from within, without forcing his or her body into difficult postures. Svaroopa Yoga emphasizes healing, transformation, and the development of consciousness.
Svaroopa is often popular with beginning yoga students, because of its gentle and restorative sequence of yoga asanas. Physiologically speaking, Svaroopa Yoga places special emphasis on opening the spine, from the tailbone to the top of the head. The progression of familiar poses (based on traditional yogic texts) has been designed to reduce muscular tension and induce a peaceful state of relaxed awareness. Svaroopa Yoga is strictly restorative yoga and places little emphasis on strength-building or fitness. Even beginning yoga students are encouraged to stay in poses for extended periods of time and Svaroopa Yoga uses various props to help support the body to encourage maximum comfort and the least amount of effort.
Instead of building strength by overtaxing muscles, yoga provides holistic healing by balancing, relaxing and toning body and mind.
If you frequent your local recreation center, you've probably noticed "yoga instruction" popping up on the exercise class schedule, perhaps tucked between "aerobics" and "Pilates." You may have seen flyers or advertisements around town for yoga classes ranging from Hatha to Bikram's. Perhaps you've even tried some yoga asanas at home.
Whatever your exposure to yoga or yoga therapy, you may well have wondered how it measures up against traditional forms of exercise. Is yoga just another fitness fad? Or is there more to it?
In traditional exercise routines, the primary objective is to target specific muscles and work those muscles to the point of what trainers call "failure." Even in running, aerobics, and sports training, the main objective is to challenge muscles and the cardiovascular system to the point where they will be spurred to rebuild themselves with greater strength and power potential.
In this way exercise plays an important role in keeping the body strong and vital. Anyone who has a regular exercise routine knows just how true the old adage "Use it or lose it" is.
So is yoga just another form of exercise? Most people with a long-term yoga practice will tell you that yoga is more than exercise for them. First of all, yoga tends to work the body in a more complete and holistic way than many approaches to exercise, thus balancing and conditioning the body as a whole.
Many types of conventional exercise focus on strengthening specific muscle groups. A regular yoga asanas practice, however, will provide holistic physical conditioning. It will strengthen all muscles and, at the same time, stretch and increase flexibility throughout all muscle groups. The result of this holistic approach is that instead of overdeveloping certain muscle groups, yoga and yoga therapy create greater balance in the body by strengthening weak muscles, stretching tight muscles, and improving joint health and the body's range of motion.
More than that, yoga provides what is known as functional fitness. It doesn't just train the muscles by simply repeating the same movement again and again. Yoga asanas also engage the mind through challenging skill-building, causing the muscles to work in a more coordinated and intelligent manner and increasing the connection between mind and body.
In addition, traditional exercise stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the "fight or flight" response of the body. This can tax the endocrine system and produce toxins, such as free radicals and lactic acid. In contrast, the long stretches and slow breathing emphasized in yoga and yoga for therapy stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which puts the body in a "rest and digest" mode. This allows the body to rejuvenate itself, providing the body's nervous system with much needed relaxation.
As the body relaxes, so does the mind. One of the reasons that yoga has become so popular is because it doesn't just strengthen the body; it cultivates a relaxed state of mind. With a settled, clear frame of mind, many practitioners find that detrimental habits, such as overeating, no longer pose a problem. This is one of the reasons yoga therapy can help relieve many psycho-physiological ailments, such as eating disorders, anxiety and depression.
Not surprisingly, doctors increasingly recommend yoga physical therapy to their patients as an effective, scientifically measured means of coping with a multitude of health issues-not just emotional disorders, but as an aid, for example, in managing the side effects of cancer treatment or managing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
So the next time you visit your local rec center or see one of those flyers on a local bulletin board, consider signing up for that yoga class. You will be amazed by the profound health benefits and the strength, balance, and sense of well-being that come from this gentle practice.
Whether used for fitness or as therapy, yoga, ultimately, is about transformation and growth.
Yoga has become a media darling, emblazoned by the star wattage of celebrities like Madonna, Sting, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Penelope Cruz. Make no mistake, however. Yoga is not just another fitness fad propelled by Hollywood stardom.
If you have ever taken a really great yoga class, or simply practiced yoga regularly over a period of time, you have likely experienced first hand why yoga has become so popular. Yoga has tremendous potential for improving our mental and physical health, and even our emotional balance and spiritual well-being.
There are many branches of yoga, but in the West, yoga largely refers to Hatha yoga, i.e. the physical postures (yoga asanas) and yogic breathing techniques (pranayama), which are the main focus of most people's yoga practice. The yoga postures and yoga breathing techniques of Hatha yoga purify and strengthen the body to increase the flow of vital energy, or prana, and still the constant chatter of the mind.
Yoga asanas have become popular for many reasons. Yoga postures help increase body awareness, and in this way offer a welcome alternative to the mindless, repetitive movements of many workout styles. Yoga is very user-friendly; the strengthening effects of yoga asanas are achieved gently and gradually, without pushing or forcing.
Further, as therapy yoga performs wonders, the long, slow stretches of yoga postures induce a sense of relaxation and well-being throughout the practice. Often, what keeps people coming back to yoga again and again is the peace they experience at the end of a yoga class and the enhanced well-being they enjoy in the days that follow. Yoga asanas also are therapeutic in that they help realign mind and body and invite greater life force and vitality into your life.
When practiced in the right way-with attentiveness, awareness and without strain, pushing, or forcing, yoga postures create extraordinary therapeutic effects on many levels. Yoga is one of the most complete and sophisticated systems of physical refinement ever known to humanity. While yoga didn't start out as therapy, any long-term practitioner can attest that yoga as therapy not only enhances the health of our body, but augments our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being as well.
Whether used for fitness or as therapy, yoga, ultimately, is about transformation and growth. People who engage in a regular yoga asanas practice, more often than not, find a natural shift of their outlook on life and a deepening in their perception of who they are and what they want to do with their lives. Whether you come to yoga for fitness or use yoga as therapy, yoga will make you look at life in a deeper, calmer way; it will open your eyes to things you have not experienced before and make you look at familiar things in new ways.
While many people come to yoga for relief with a health problem, many people find that yoga therapy offers them more than relief from depression, anxiety, help managing an eating disorder, or relief from stress. People who practice yoga continue to do so, because they find that yoga has helped them develop a new and deeper appreciation of life, and a greater joy and happiness.
