Yoga in Practice Ishvara Pranidhana

Ishvara Pranidhana is sometimes referred to as the last Niyama (restraint or moral observance). Ishvara Pranidhana means to surrender to a Higher Power. Some Yoga teacher training courses skim over this subject to avoid potential conflicts.

Why should the concept of surrender to a higher power be a potential source of conflict? If you look at the principle closely, this is to put your faith and trust in a higher power's hands. At the same time, there is a problem with describing what that higher power is.

Humans have struggled with the concept of a higher power since the beginning. There are no shortage of names for The Great Spirit, The Divine, The Father, God, Allah, Yahweh, and Brahman. We have all heard many more names, and there are many religions to complement our variety of beliefs.

Yet, putting our trust into the hands of God is not a call to exterminate every person who does not agree with our religious beliefs. Intolerance and fundamentalism have been a ribal minded curse on humankind since the beginning.

If we observe the social behavior of chimpanzees, we can look back into a window of time. We can observe primal behavior and the chimpanzee's simplistic approach to tribal life. Although they appear peaceful, sometimes chimpanzees hunt other monkeys and kill each other.

Although humans are a unique primate species, we also display a tribal mindset through intolerance and violence toward each other. Human behavior has not completely evolved beyond massive warfare, genocide, and violence.

Realizing this - who is prepared to listen to an outsider's concept of God? When we surrender to God, how will we know what God wants us to do? In fact, we know what is right, and what is wrong, but it is very difficult to walk the right path.

If we really want to practice Ishvara Pranidhana, we must practice all of the other Yamas and Niyamas. To live a life of non-harming, honesty, charity, purity, contentment, discipline, and spiritual learning is a difficult path.

To be pure in our thoughts is nearly impossible because everyone has negative thoughts at one time or another. With thousands of thoughts running through our minds, they cannot all be pure and good. Most people do not take action based on fleeting negative thoughts because they live according to a moral code of conduct.

Therefore, we inherently know what is right and what is wrong. If you look into the moral guidelines of societies, from opposite corners of the earth, ethics are very similar.

Ishvara Pranidhana is to live an ethical lifestyle of non-harming, honesty, charity, purity, contentment, and discipline. All we have to do is let God handle the details.

? Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

By Paul Jerard

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Yoga Basics

The word yoga originates from Sanskrit, which is an ancient language from India. It means union particularly of the body, spirit and mind. The yoga that we know today is what is termed as asana, which pertains to postures and poses.

Asana is just one of the eight types of yoga. It is more physical compared to the other types of yoga, which are more directed towards the development of mental and spiritual aspect of an individual. At present the word yoga is used synonymously with asana.

Many people viewed yoga as a type of stretching exercise. Although there is some truth to it but the stretching involved in yoga are designed to create a sense of balance that does not only strengthen the body but makes it flexible. This explains why people who are into yoga can bend their body in an amazing way, makes you think whether they still have bones or not.

There are different poses involved in yoga and each of these provides physical benefits. Yoga poses especially for those who are not into this type of activity will think that it's hard work. Well not to dishearten you there are also simple poses, which are easy to do. The complex poses that you see are performed by those who have perfected the basic and have gained the needed flexibility for higher forms of yoga poses.

Basic Yoga Poses
If you want to try some basic yoga stances just to see whether you can do it or not, then the sun salutation is the way to go. It is easy to follow and very relaxing. Since this is your first time make sure that you focus on your breathing and then follow the following procedures one at a time carefully and slowly:

1. Stand with your feet together and your hand in a prayer like position placed in front of your chest.

2. While breathing in, try to arch your back very slowly while extending your arms over your head and slowly stretching your spine.

3. Breathe out while you bend over and try reaching your toes if you can. However if you cant then its okay, just do not overexert or else you will just injure your back in the process.

By John Furnem

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The 6 Styles of Yoga

Yoga as a form of fitness exercise has many benefits. Although you may not lose a significant amount of weight, you will improve your strength and flexibility. The traditional form of yoga originated from ancient India and the philosophy of connecting mind and body. This connection was achieved through the use of physical exercises in the form of postures. Several styles of yoga have developed over the years with each having a unique focus. These styles are named: Hatha, Ashtanga, Bikram, Iyengar, Anusara and Kundalini.

Hatha is the umbrella of yoga. It is the yoga of breathing and postures. The goal of Hatha is to teach you how to concentrate, focus and hold your postures. This form of yoga is more slower and relaxing than the other styles. This makes Hatha a good starting point for beginners.

Ashtanga Vinyasa is a form of flowing yoga. The goal is to flow from one posture to another. It's purpose is to increase the body temperature to allow purification through increased circulation and sweating. In addition, you build strength, flexibility and stamina. Ashtanga can be demanding on the body which may not be suitable for beginners. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't try it on for size. Just recognize your limitations and don't overextend yourself.

Bikram or Hot Yoga consist of 26 postures done in a room heated between 90 and 105 degrees. The heat allows the individual members to achieve the poses more easily due to increased flexibility. In addition, the sweat allows body toxins to be released. This form of yoga increases metabolism and helps to alleviate chronic pain and symptoms of arthritis. However, if you have health conditions such as high blood pressure, or are pregnant you should avoid practicing Bikram yoga.

Iyengar yoga uses props to strictly focus on body alignment. The best form is achieved through the use of block and belts. Since this form of yoga is very structured beginners benefit. However, the downside to structure is that you are unable to gradually flow from different poses.

Anusara means flowing with grace and is about being free. Anusara allows the participant to move freely from one pose to another. A set of alignment principles, Attitude, Alignment and Action forms the foundation of each pose. These poses are modified with props if needed to help participants achieve the general form of each pose.

Lastly, Kundalini is a form of spiritual yoga. The purpose of this ancient practice is to free energy in the lower body which moves upward. The energy is formed by chanting, meditation and kriyas. Kriyas are a set of movements which are performed to achieve a certain outcome. Kundalini involves the use of fast repetitive movements and breathing to move deeper into each posture.

There are many different styles of yoga which makes this form of exercise so interesting. You can choose from slow and relaxing styles to an intense workout. Regardless of the type of yoga, you will definitely strengthen and improve your mind and body.

By Patricia Coates

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Easy Ways to Practice Yoga at Home

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Yoga is a spiritual practice which assists people in unifying mind, body and heart. Yoga consists of many Asanas and different yoga postures. For practicing yoga you are not necessarily required to join some sort of yoga classes, instead, you can easily practice yoga at home. Many times on account of many reasons such as lack of time, living far from yoga studios or unable to afford join yoga classes' people prefer to practice yoga at home rather than going anywhere else.

Sometimes people want to do Yoga in odd hours, like late night for peace of mind and at such time home is the best place to practice it. But to do that you should know how and what to do. There is below mentioned some points which you should keep in mind when you are going to do yoga at home -

Make a specific place for meditation. It may be either a room with door or even you can part one room into two sections with the help of furniture or a screen.

Arrange for tools required for doing yoga at home like yoga mat. It becomes easy to practice yoga with right tools.

Paint this place with soothing colors and decorate it with music, art and plants. Soothing music will help you in concentrating your mind.

Use some media assistance like yoga DVD. Then you will not have to worry remembering yoga steps and you will be able to practice well. During meditation if you are taking help of VCD or DVD voice then it prevents your mind from wandering anywhere.

There is no such compulsion that for yoga you must join some yoga studios. This is the best feature of yoga that you can do it anywhere you desire. When you are doing yoga at home then first of all you should make sure that you are physically fit and able to do it. If you are suffering from some sort of disease then doing yoga may be harmful. Hence practice yoga at home only when you are physically sound and healthy.

By Jim Andrews

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Benefits Found in Yoga Offered in Many Vedic Books

On the market today at many retail book stores and on a variety of web sites there are a huge number of vedic books currently being offered based on the subject of Yoga. Individuals have found a massive knowledge surrounding this marvelous practice that has gotten them encouraged enough to seek out professional individuals that can help train them in the practice of Yoga.

The practice of Yoga can assist individuals with managing their pain in areas such as knee, elbow, other sore joints, arthritis, rheumatism, and any other regular aches they may have. To assist with the pain that an individual has is to work directly with the pain center of the brain that helps regulate pain controlling mechanism that sends natural pain killers throughout the body. Another effect way to reduce pain within the body is helpful breathing exercises that are featured within the many of vedic books that focus on yoga.

These exercises teach the individual that there body can relax, which will help to free itself from many types of tension. This will also lengthen the time that the individual can exhale, because their muscles will be relaxing when ever they exhale.

Yoga has also been found to help individuals who suffer from various respiratory problems as well. When an individual is more aware of their breathing, then they are more able to control their exhale and inhales to slow down their respiration. This technique helps in calming down, relaxation, and in pain management. When relaxation and meditation techniques are used in combination with Yoga techniques, then individuals and therapist have found they have been extremely successful in reducing pain. Early preventive action in individuals by being aware of their inner body, which Yoga helps them successfully complete, can also help individuals benefit in reducing pain as well.

One of the major problems that individuals suffer from all over the world is back pain, which can be caused from long term stress or even acute muscle tension. Either way back problems can be a result of bringing an individual down emotionally, physically, mentally, psychologically, and even economically. There is a particular practice of Yoga known as Yoga Asanas, which prevents and cures back pain by strengthening the back muscles to becoming more flexible.

There are a variety of vedic books about Yoga that will focus on the spirituality side and the meditation side of Yoga. There are also a variety of books available on the market today about the various accessories used in Yoga, which include straps, blocks, and mats. These books will give individuals basic and more concrete knowledge surrounding the practice of Yoga, but if an individual truly has the desire to learn the practice of Yoga, then they should join a Yoga class.

In a Yoga class individuals will learn methods for releasing negative energy, but the person must have a desire to change and must stay with the program for it to work successfully. Yoga is a constant positive energy, so when ever the individual joins a Yoga class the atmosphere should be completely positive. If there is any negativity when in the class, then consult the coordinator and if it persists, then you may want to find another class.

By Victor Epand

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Why Yoga Exercises Are Different From Other Forms Of Exercise

If you are thinking of taking up a form of exercise with the aim of making yourself look and feel much better you should give very serious thought to yoga exercises.

Yoga works holistically on the body and mind and so its positive effects can be seen in many different aspects - on our bodies, their health and how they look, and also on our minds - in how we view the world.

So how do yoga exercises differ from other forms of exercise?

Yoga exercises, also known as asanas or postures, are applied to the entire anatomy of the living body. On the other hand,
many other exercise regimes are a form of engineering applied to the muscles of the body. This means that yoga exercises are concerned with more than just the superficial development of muscles. The postures used in yoga exercises tend to normalize the functions of the entire organism.

The advantage of yoga exercises is that they can regulate the involuntary processes of respiration and help the circulation, digestion, elimination, metabolism etc. The yoga exercises also work to affect the working of all the glands and organs, as well as the nervous system and the mind. This result is achieved by doing deep breathing while the body is placed in various postures. Each of these yoga exercises creates a different totality in the functional relationship within the organism.

Hence, yoga is able to influence man physically, mentally, morally and spiritually. Yoga emphasizes the philosophy of exercise. Under its training one experiences a sense of awakening. All of one's capacities are heightened, and one achieves balance and stamina through these yoga exercises, some of which are modeled after the movements of various
animals. In yoga exercises, relaxation is taught as an art, breathing as a science, and mental control of the body as a means of harmonizing the body, mind, and spirit.

The advanced stages of yoga require many years of special preparation-practices. Today's mode of living , its tempo and surroundings, mean that this is difficult to achieve. However, practicing yoga exercises and deep breathing and relaxation techniques, with some of the time devoted to concentration and meditation is something
everyone can achieve.

Yoga exercises can have a positive effect on individuals who are suffering from disease or illness. Whilst it is not able to cure these things, practicing yoga can means that obstructions and impurities are removed so that nature can perform its healing work.

So if you are looking for a form of exercise that works positively on the body and mind, and one that is relatively easy to fit into your daily routine then why not take up yoga exercises. The growing popularity of yoga exercises means that you will likely find a yoga center or a gym offering local classes in your area. If, however, you do not have time to attend classes there are many books and dvd's available on yoga exercises, so you can do it at home at a time when it is convenient to you.

Within only a few days of performing yoga exercises it is possible to feel revitalized and stronger. Continued practice of yoga exercises can make us healthier and happier.,

By Nelly Luprimo

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