Yoga - Practices and History
... in themselves. But, the ultimate goal of yoga is to actually attain liberation, from any type of suffering and/or the cycle of birth and death.
The word "yoga" derives from a sacred root of "Sanskrit", which in english means "yoke". The general translation of yoga is a "union of the individual with the universal soul". The diversity of yoga involves many subdivisions, but everyone would agree that "the path to enlightenment" is the best suited phrase for yoga.
A common theme of yoga is the practice of concentration. The concentration is mainly focused on one point of sensation. When you sustain this "concentration" for a long enough period of time you will reach, what is called "meditation". Most meditators express deeper feelings of joy, peace, and self-oneness. The focus of meditation differs between yoga teachers. Some may focus more on peaceful thoughts, spiritualism, or a better sense of well-being, while others will focus on the more physical aspects like, different types of stretches for getting the body into being more fit. All would agree though that meditation for either the spiritual part or physical part of yoga is the most practiced.
A little bit of history on yoga comes from the Indus valley...more
Yoga and Relaxation
...accumulated stress and has a long list of other health benefits as well. It can improve our mental outlook and capacity, help us resist many diseases and conditions, including many associated with aging, while enhancing our ability to enjoy life to the fullest, physically and emotionally. While doing all this, it can help us experience a more relaxed state in our daily lives.
Really! I haven't forgotten about my original topic of yoga and relaxation. Just...well, relax...and stick with me.
Okay, you're starting to get tense because I haven't gotten there yet, so just let me say that meditation is easy to learn as a formal practice and does reduce stress and induce relaxation. Better yet, a meditative state which produces these effects can be achieved without learning HOW to meditate. Deeply religious people at prayer, and people who take long walks experience many of the same benefits offered by a meditation sessi...more
Yoga Solutions For Anger Management - Meditation Practice for Energy Channeling
...ce of sitting quietly for a set amount of time.
Traditionally, we were taught to meditate for a minimum of 20 minutes - once or twice per day. At this point in time, the vast majority of people do not want to unplug themselves from electronic devices. The most common excuse for avoiding meditation is, I dont have the time. Two more reasons for avoiding meditation are poor results and lack of stimulation.
Lets go back to the drawing board of Yogic meditation. If you are a beginner - instead of 20 minutes, try, at least,...more
The Practice of hatha Yoga
...rn-day hatha yoga. Krishnamacharya's first lessons in yoga were from his father and his grandmother and passed on through generations of practice.
hatha Yoga follows in that vein and thus successfully transcends being particularly grounded in any one religion. This exploration of these physical and spiritual connections and body centered practices led to the creation of hatha Yoga. hatha Yoga has been included in the life style of these traditions. hatha Yoga classes tend, among other things, to emphasize physical mastery.
hatha also means a force or determined effort, a...more
