Posts Tagged ‘Yoga Guru’

Gain flexibility and strength with Hatha Yoga

What almost everybody think is “regular” yoga is Hatha yoga. Hatha Yoga is a sort of yoga made by Swatmarama, a yoga guru and teacher from India which lived in 15th century. This particular system of yoga is the most popular one, and it is from which several other Styles of Yoga originated including Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and Kundalini Yoga. The word “hatha” comes from the Sanskrit terms “ha” meaning “sun” and “tha” meaning “moon”. Hatha Yoga is wellknown for the style of yoga that combine pairs of opposites, refering to the sun (positive) and the moon (negative). It has it’s main aim on the third limb (Asana) and the fourth limb (Pranayama) in the Eight Limbs of Yoga.

Hatha Yoga is practicing the balance between your body and mind, it also help to free the unidentifiable spiritual parts of our mind through physical postures or Asanas, Pranayama which is the important breathing techniques, and Meditation.

Asanas are various body positions designed to improve health and remove diseases in the physical, causal, and subtle bodies. “Asana”, which is a Sanskrit word, have the meaning of “seat”, which refers not only to the physical position of the body but also to the position of the body in relation to divinity. They were originally meant for Meditation, as the postures can make you feel relaxed for a long period of time. The regular practice of Asanas will grant the practitioner muscle flexibility and bone strength, as well as non-physical rewards such as the development of will power, concentration, and self-withdrawal.

If we look at Pranayama, the word is made up of “prana” (life-force or energy source) and “ayama” (to control). Pranayama main focus is on breathing control. This is an important part of Hatha Yoga because yogis from India have always believed that by controlling the breathing you are able to control the mind as well. The practice of Pranayama can also help unleash the dormant energies inside our body.
By exercising Hatha yoga you can discover your physical and mental potentials. Through continued performance of Asanas and Pranayama, you will achieve flexibility and strength, and become more relaxed in even the most stressful situations. Hatha Yoga’s relaxation exercises will open the energy channels, which in turn allows spiritual energy to flow freely. A few Hatha yoga poses help your internal organs as well, preventing various diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and hypertension. Another positive effect is that it balance the internal and glandular functions of the body. Pranayama, on the other hand, can help manage asthma and bronchitis.

Hatha Yoga will help you through a stressful day, it relieve built up tension, and deal with anxiety and depression. The most important part is that it help you to keep your mind focused and prepared for meditation and, hopefully help you in the search for enlightenment.

Hazards with Yoga

Energizing Yoga, one of the oldest system of personal development needs no introduction any more and is becoming fashionable across the whole world because of its enormous physical and medical benefits. People practice Yoga in millions all over the world, thanks to the media which is publishing the benefits for general people.

However, like every other science, is also a complex science. One question: ‘Are all poses risk-free to be practiced by all people with different health conditions?’ “This is the question which requires deeper digging into the subject of itself, otherwise it could turn out to be more hazardous than good for you” said Subodh Gupta, the Yoga master from India.

”While some of the poses can be taught simply without much complication and have different benefits, others can be really hazardous for people who are having problem of Hernia. For example, the exercises like Cobra pose, Standing Forward Bend, Kapalabhati and Sun Salutationare few examples, these can be dangerous if somebody has Hernia. These exercises may worsen the Hernia illness” said Subodh Gupta, the famous Yoga expert.

Considering the fact that over half a million Hernia operations were performed in the U.S. last year and over 2 percent of the people in Britain suffer from Hernia, an important question is if all students are aware of their health situation and precautions before starting the training. Madonna, the well-known pop star who practices Ashtanga regularly recently had an hernia operation (Ashtanga exercise series is a system developed by Mysore based famous Yoga guru Shri K Pattabhi Jois). In fact, the famous Ashtanga system which features jumping can be very hazardous for people who are having problem of Hernia” said Subodh Gupta. Hernia develops when the outer parts of the abdominal wall gets weaker, protrude or actually rip. Among the most common reasons for hernia the most common is straining due to: jumping, defecation, coughing, lifting heavy objects, etc.

‘Are precautions for different postures safely published by Yoga masters?’ ‘Are the practitioners listening to these precautions?’
“Well, this is a serious point to think about by all who are teaching and also for persons who are practicing yoga. The practitioners need to understand that their ignorance and lack of knowledge may lead them straight into an operation room” said Subodh Gupta.

The Yoga gurus  from the East and the teachers from the West has learnt the dangers of unless the poses are done properly, more and more people will get injured without realizing.