Meditate in style and balance your chakras. Let go of stress by practicing for positive change. Detox the body, quiet the mind, find the courage and keep the body beautiful with yoga. Do yoga to release negativity and maintain vital energy. Help yourself to love your body.
Yoga is a discipline that was originated in Northern India 5000 years ago by Indus-Saraswati Civilization. The word yoga radiates peace and serenity. The practice of yoga was started with the crack of dawn of civilization. The word yoga was first mentioned in the oldest sacred texts, the Rig Veda. Yoga gurus from India later introduced yoga in the west. Swami Vivekananda successfully spread the knowledge of yoga in the west in late 19th and 20th century. The yoga that we see today in cities as far away from the religious yoga that originated in ancient India.
Some popular forms of yoga practices these days are:
Acro yoga: It is a physical practice which combines yoga and acrobatics. It coalesce the wisdom of yoga, the power of acrobatics and benevolence of healing arts. This yoga is done with an acrobatic partner. When one person tries something new, putting his trust in other people, it forces the second one to live up to the responsibility of his trust by being the best possible version of himself. It is a yoga good for self-growth and discovering your partner more in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.
Hatha Yoga: Hatha yoga means the practice of physical yoga postures. Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Iyengar, and Power yoga classes are all Hatha yoga. The word “Hatha” can be translated in two ways as “willful” or “forceful”. Most forms of yoga in the west are classified as Hatha Yoga. Hatha practices are designed to align and calm your body, mind, and soul. It prepares you for meditation.
Ashtanga Yoga: It is a dynamic practice that synchronizes breath and movement to produce an internal heat generated to purify the body. This yoga is great for building core strength and toning the body by brisk moves and sweat through a set sequence. It was founded by K. Pattabhi Jois.
Hot Yoga: It is a style of yoga practiced in a heated room where temperatures are set intentionally anywhere from 85 degrees to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It helps you sweat out toxins and increase your strength and flexibility. This yoga includes Bikram Yoga, Forrest Yoga, Baptise Yoga and Core Power Yoga.
Jivamukti Yoga: It encompasses meditation, chanting, pranayama, philosophy, and music into a vivaciously flowing asana. Jivamukti stimulates physically and intellectually. This yoga emphasizes in bringing primeval knowledge extant in a coeval setting. It was founded by David Life and Sharon Gannon.
Iyengar Yoga: This yoga is the practice of precision. Postures are held for long periods. They are often modified with props. Close attention is paid to the alignment of each pose. It cultivates strength, flexibility, stability, and awareness. It can be therapeutic for specific conditions. This yoga was founded by B.K.S. Iyengar.
Kundalini Yoga: It is a sterling compound of spiritual and physical practices. It incorporates kinetic breathing techniques, meditation, movement and chanting of mantras, such as Sat Nam meaning “Truth is my identity”. This yoga enhances the physical quality of being alive and increase consciousness. One can strengthen willpower with this yoga and break bad habits like smoking or drinking. Kundalini is good for a better digestion too.
Power Yoga: The original power yoga was developed and founded by Beryl Bender Birch, but today it has become a term which describes many vigorous styles. It is a practice to synchronize breath with the movement. This yoga has many benefits including building internal power, heat, stamina, and flexibility. It reduces stress as well.
Restorative Yoga: This yoga is based on the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar. It includes restorative poses of light twists, seating forward folds and gentle backbends. It involves only five or six poses, supported by props and allow you to relax and rest. It helps in losing weight, controlling high blood pressure, better sleep and digestion.
Prenatal Yoga: It is a practice specifically designed for pregnant women. It makes moms-to-be physically and emotionally strong. This yoga incorporates breathing, stamina, restorative and pelvic floor work poses. It helps you to become more resilient during and after pregnancy.
SUP Yoga: Practicing yoga on water seems a little intimidating. SUP Yoga stands for “Stand Up Paddleboard” Yoga. For many of us it is exigent to balance with a single foot on land, but if you can breathe and stand on one foot, you can paddle and do SUP Yoga.
Vinyasa Yoga: Vinyasa means arranging various yoga poses in a special way. It is a coordination of movement with breath to flow from one pose to the next. Ashtanga, Jivamukti, Power, Baptiste Yoga and Prana Flow, all are considered to be part of Vinyasa Yoga. It energizes your body, boosts your mood and has many heart-healthy benefits.
Tantra Yoga: This ancient practice is an impactful combination of asana, mantra, mudra, bandha (energy lock) and chakra (energy center). It helps to build strength, clarity, confidence, contentment, and bliss in daily life.
Yin Yoga: This practice helps you to sit more comfortably for longer during meditation sessions. It involves stretching of connective tissue around the joints (mainly the knees, pelvis, and spine). It is a passive practice, that comprehends variations of seated and supine postures held for three to five minutes. This yoga helps in fertility and conception. It soothes painful stiff knees and an aching back. This yoga was originally introduced by Paulio Zink.
Yoga Hybrids: Incorporate weights, dance or acrobatic moves into your yoga practice. There are benefits to mix it up with the yoga hybrid styles. Coupling other activities with asana can bring additional perpetuation, agility, and fun to your practice. Yoga mash-ups and hybrids are worth trying. They tone your body and lift your spirit with inspiring moves that blend the mindfulness of yoga with upbeat cardio.
Yoga Therapy: This yoga technique systematically speaks to physical injury or pain or mental or emotional stress or trauma. Yoga therapy, Viniyoga, Integrative Yoga Therapy, Phoenix Rising Yoga all can help you heal.
Maharishi Patanjali is the father of yoga. He compiled 195 sutras in yoga. These sutras were the foundation of yoga philosophy. The core essence of Patanjali is healthy living through yoga. Today yoga has become world famous. People around the globe are mesmerized by yoga. International Yoga Day has celebrated annually on June 21. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested this date in his UN address, as it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature.