Anatomy to Yoga
Posted by in Yoga on July 9, 2011
How to learn about anatomy
1. There are many ways to learn about anatomy of the human body. One of the common way is to buy books. If you are practicing yoga, a book that relates yoga and anatomy will be more relevant than to purchase a book solely on the human anatomy that is more appropriate for people who has knowledge in medical backgrounds.
2. A recommended book would be Yoga Anatomy book by Leslie Kaminoff. The book is filled with information on the human anatomy and its chapters are arranged based on yoga postures. This book will be good as a start for beginners who wants to learn more about anatomy in yoga.
3. Find a day and pay attention to what your yoga teacher is saying during class. You might realised that some scientific names are mentioned.Alot of people just let it pass them by as long they manage to get the pose the teacher is asking for. By taking mental note of one or two, you can learn further by asking your teacher about what they have just mentioned in class. It is a subtle opportunity for you to be lead into the further knowledge and understanding of the asana you’ve just did in class.
Another way to learn about anatomy is by attending workshops and specialised classes. There are many workshops that are very niche and specialised. Some yoga centres offer specialised classes to pay more attention to students who wants to learn more deeply on a certain subject on yoga that are not taught much in general classes.
Benefits of learning about anatomy
1. The benefit of learning about anatomy can help you to understand common health problems and basic physiology. With basic knowledge, you can further identify your own health problems and work on a solution.
2. This does not mean that you can become a doctor overnight and cure all your health problems but, at the very least, understand the risk of certain habits and body movements that can cause harm to your health.
3. Besides the physcial body, knowledge in human anatomy can help you identify psychosomatic disorders, which are physical health problems that are caused by mental factors.
4. Due to the reason of the intertwine connection between the physical and non-physical aspects of our being, we can use yoga (physical movement of asana) to help us heal our non-physical disorders such as stress, anxiety and depression.
No longer is yoga all about getting into pretzels positions, obtaining of supernatural powers but as a therapy where it helps us to restore balance back to our being.
By Lea_Anne
The Total Effect of Yoga
Posted by in Yoga on July 9, 2011
Nowadays the word ‘Yoga’ has got a new dimension. Yoga previously was started in India in the ancient ages. Yoga is nothing but spiritual practices for making a steady mind. Yoga practitioner is called Yogi. The term Yoga was previously derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuv’ that means to unite or join something. Yoga leads the way to unite body, mind and soul. ‘Yoga’ basically comprises of a few number of ‘Asanas’. The synchronization of body, mind and soul is very much required and all these ‘Asanas’ are very much helpful for the same.
Yogic Asana is nothing but few physical poses or postures. Moreover, ‘Yoga’ requires the body to be stretched up to some extent. So the overall strength and flexibility of the body increases. Stretching exercise also improves the balance of body. ‘Yoga’ is universal, any caste, nation, sex or age can take these exercises on regular basis. But the only factor is that there should be a particular time and duration for it.
‘Pranayama’ is a kind of Yoga that mainly deals with respiratory system. Pranayama is a ‘Sanskrit’ word that means pause in the movement. Pranayama is mainly two words, ‘prana’ means breath and ‘yama’ means exercise. ‘Prana’ suggests the ‘life force energy’ and ‘yama’ stands for ‘control or getting mastery of’. So the total meaning of ‘Pranayama’ is to set the control of life and modify ‘prana’ within the body.
‘Pranayama’ is nothing but a process of breathing correctly and properly. As the breathing amount is increased the more ‘prana’ is established. The basic thing of ‘Pranayama’ is breathing slowly but steadily. While taking this exercise one must sit properly and well relaxed with his/her back straight and upright. The worldly thoughts must be cut down for this period of time and solely concentrate on breathing. If all these are done well enough then ‘Pranayama’ is truly beneficial. Read the rest of this entry »