Yoga For Inner and Outer Beauty

Sometime back I read an anecdote concerning Bill and Hillary Clinton. It seems that one time, many years ago, Hillary dragged Bill to a yoga class. Bill remarked that he was the only man in the class. In many countries, that is the way it is, with women being the primary enthusiasts at yoga classes. One of the main reasons for this may be that yoga is seen as a way to lose weight and become more beautiful. Let's take a look at this and see what role yoga has to play in making someone look beautiful.

No doubt yoga can help a person to become healthy, and fit. If someone practices the postures, does meditation, and follows the yogic prescriptions for eating, sleeping, hygiene and exercise it is almost certain that he or she will end up in great shape and look better.

In fact, our concept of beauty is in large part biological and part of the evolutionary process. Clear skin complexion, for example, is an indicator of good health and for our ancient ancestors it made good sense to choose partners who were healthy and could pass on their genes to future generations.

However the beauty of a person is not just based on physical factors alone. Just as internal physical factors, such as digestion and the proper functioning of physical organs, are reflected in the outer look of a person, there are internal psychic and spiritual factors that play a big role in how we feel and how others see us.

Although the physical practices of yoga, such as yoga postures (asanas) are the best known part of yoga, at the heart of yoga is a moral code which defines a way of life in which a person can live in harmony with herself and with society. This set of lifestyle instructions is know as Yama and Niyama.

Yama which means hat which controls has five parts and the main function of these five practices is to help an individual achieve harmony with his or her external environment. One of the most important parts of Yama is a practice known as Satya.

Satya is loosely defined as ruth but in fact there is no exact English equivalent for this term. In his book A Guide to Human Conduct, my guru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti defines satya as action of mind and right use of words in the spirit of welfare. That is, we should do whatever we can to promote the welfare of others, by keeping good thoughts in mind and by speaking in the spirit of helping others.

Someone who practices satya and always keeps positive thoughts in mind develops will power and straightforwardness. This practice is actually going on in the subconscious mind, and results in an internal effulgence or glaze known as Ojas. This inner effulgence is expressed outwardly as a vigor that definitely contributes to the attractiveness of a person. If you practice satya you will achieve a glow that cannot be duplicated or achieved with any kind of makeup!

When you are twenty years old you are helped out by Mother Nature, as the hormones of your body are helping you to blossom and enter your years of peak physical well-being. However, this help from Nature is not indefinite and also must be supported by a proper way of life.

If you practice the outer aspects of yoga (postures, diet, fasting, hygiene) then you will be able to make the most of what God has given to you in the way of a physical body. If you practice the inner aspect of yoga (meditation and balanced conduct) you will bring forth an inner effulgence and beauty that will remain with you long after you physical body begins to wind-down.'

By Dada Vedaprajinananda

Read More

Yoga Poses For Easy Weight Loss

Want to lose weight the easy way? Yoga is a perfect solution for weight loss, and no, you don't need to tie yourself up like a pretzel to do it.

Many yoga studios offer special classes for people who want to shed a few pounds. If no special Weight Loss Yoga classes are available in your area, any beginners class will be suitable, in forms like Hatha and Bikram Yoga.

As with any exercise routine, see your doctor first. Yoga is perfectly safe, but your instructor will want to know if you have challenges like high blood pressure, arthritis, or weak knees.

When you go to a yoga studio for the first time, tell the instructor what your health challenges are, and she or he will offer modified poses for you during class.

How Yoga Helps You to Lose Weight

Unlike other forms of exercise, yoga isn't primarily an exercise routine; it's a way of achieving balance by uniting your mind and body with your spirit. The word yoga comes from a Sanskrit word meaning, o tie, unite, balance.

So while the goal of any yoga practice isn't explicitly to lose weight, this is one of the effects. Overweight is a sign that your system is out of balance, yoga brings it back into balance.

If you suspect that you're overweight because you have emotional issues, yoga will help you resolve them. You don't have to do anything special. As you practice, the poses releases deep emotions buried in your body's tissues.

Many yoga practitioners find themselves spontaneously laughing, or weeping - this is just blocked energy releasing. Yoga is a great way to release stress.

Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

You can turn any of your favorite poses into a weight loss routine.

Here's an example:

After a Sun Salutations warmup, go on to:

* A standing pose, like Warrior Pose; then

* A sitting pose, like Forward Bend; then

* A complementary pose like the Camel; and

* A Twist; and

* End with Corpse Post

Create your own routines, according to the time you have to spare. Just ten minutes twice a day will set you on the path to harmonious weight loss with yoga.

By Julia Denham

Read More

Tantric Yoga Combines The Elements Of Mind Body And Spirit

Most of the different types of yoga will combine the physical, mental and spiritual elements of the body in one way or another, with the ultimate goal being a renewed awareness of the body and an overall greater health and fitness level.

Tantric yoga takes this process to a whole new level, by focusing on the spiritual health of the body through additional meditation and lifestyle choices. Tantric yoga can include a number of different sciences, including astrology, physics, chemistry, psychology and mathematics to bring about a greater enlightenment to enhance your everyday life.

Increased Consciousness on Many Levels

Tantric yoga will focus on consciousness at many different levels to realize a persons being in a whole new, supreme way. It begins with a session of meditation to purify the mind, and will include the visualization of love and devotion being directed to a central body of light, which is your soul. The ultimate goal of tantric yoga is to renew your mind and spirit through a profound spiritual awakening that comes through these meditation sessions. It is thought to be the transferring of energy to higher levels, for maximum spiritual growth and whole body wellness.

One of the elements of tantric yoga that is extremely important is the cessation of bad habits like overeating, smoking and excessive drinking. All of these behaviors are damaging and destructive to your physical body, making it important for you to stop them as you are striving for ultimate spiritual and physical renewal. There are methods involved in tantric yoga that will allow you to increase your consciousness and give up some of these bad habits that you have hung onto up to this point.

Increased Popularity in the United States

While tantric yoga has been quite popular in eastern cultures, it has grown in popularity within the United States as well. For those that are hungry for a spiritual workout as well as a physical one, tantric yoga can offer many far-reaching benefits. In addition to many of the other physical benefits of other types of yoga, tantric yoga can increase sexual function and stamina.

It has also been shown to improve the function of the prostate in many men who practice this type of yoga regularly. If you are considering a type of yoga, and are looking for more than simply your basic workout, tantric yoga might offer just what you are searching for. Not only will you receive physical and mental benefits as you would with other types of yoga, you may enjoy a spiritual awakening as well.

By: Ann Marier

Read More

Asana Yoga Poses Or Something Else Find Out!

FIRM AND PLEASANT CORPORAL TECHNIQUE

Asana is any position that is firm and pleasant (sthira sukham asanam). This is the broad and laconic definition from the Y?ga S?tra, chapter II, 46. According to this definition, the number of asanas is infinite.

Another definition, this one attributed to Shiva, confirms that of P?ta?jali: there are as many Asanas as there are human beings on the face of the Earth.

Others, however, limit the number of Asanas to 84,000, of which 840 are the most important and, of these, only 84 are considered fundamental. In the current book, we present 2,000 asanas. It is the largest compilation yet achieved in the history of Y?ga in the world.

But, what is an asana after all? Asana is the corporal technique that, for many people, is the most prevalent stereotype of Yoga. This is due to the fact that, among all the techniques of Y?ga, the only one which is photographable, filmable and able to be demonstrated in public is ?sana. It is possible to photograph yoganidra, film pranayama or demonstrate mudra but it is of little. As a result of these facts, this anga has ended up being the one which is most well-known.

?sana is corporal technique, yes, but it is not exclusively corporal. It has nothing to do with gymnastics or physical education. Its origins are different, its purposes are different and the methods of executing it are different. This is why, in Y?ga, we do not need many things that are fundamental in Physical Education like, for example, muscular warm ups. In Ancient Y?ga, we do not use this before executing ?sanas. For those who are interested in a comparative study of Yoga and Physical Education and their distinctions, we will recommend one of our books (Everything About Y?ga) so as not to repeat an explanation that has already been published elsewhere.

In order to economize on words, people tend to refer to asanas exclusively through a corporal prism. Yet, any technique does not deserve the name asana unless it incorporates other elements.

If it is physical exercise, it is not Y?ga. In order for a technique to be considered an ?sana, it must have the following three elements:


1.Position;
2.Coordinated breathing; and
3.Interior attitude.

The position needs to be:
a)stable;
b)comfortable; and
c)aesthetic.

The breathing needs to be:
a)conscious;
b)profound (abdominal and complete); and
c)with rhythm.

The interior attitude needs to have:
a)localization of consciousness throughout the body;
b)mentalization of images, colors and sounds; and
c)bh?va (deep sentiments or reverence).

by Marcello Oliveira

Read More