yoga : A BEGINNER ’ S GUIDE cont .
HEALTH + WELLNESS
yoga : A BEGINNER ’ S GUIDE cont .
ASHTANGA K . Pattabhi Jois , the founder of ashtanga yoga famously said : “ Practice , and all is coming ,” which pretty much sums up ashtanga , an athletic and more challenging style of yoga where students learn a series of poses and practice at their own pace while a teacher adjusts and advises until that practice is smooth , uninterrupted and able to be done at a steady pace . The philosophy is that the yogi will learn to rise above mistakes and setbacks and that this skill will spill out into all aspects of life .
VINYASA FLOW If a yoga style has the word ‘ flow ’ succeeding its name , it means that it ’ s taught in sequences that flow from one pose to the next without teachers stopping to chat about the finer points of each pose . Influenced by ashtanga , vinyasa is without question yoga , but it ’ s definitely a workout too and the name ‘ vinyasa ’ is often used as an umbrella term to differentiate this . If you ’ re new to yoga and your fitness is a bit rusty , you ’ ll definitely feel it and you may be out of your depth as it ’ s a vigorous style designed to condition the whole body as well as the mind ; probably a good idea to attend a few classes and get a feel for the basics before embarking on an entire course .
ANUSARA Anusara yoga was only created in 1997 and is a distinctly modern style , but one that is built upon the foundations of hatha , a much older and historical discipline with which it shares basic elements such as a focus on the traditional ‘ asana ’ – poses . Otherwise , anusara deals with goals of self-esteem , selfempowerment and general stress reduction , and aims to establish a positive mind-body connection through a series of yoga poses combined with chanting and centering meditation .
SIVANANDA Based on the teachings of Hindu spiritual teacher , Swami Sivananda , this style of yoga is more to do with spirituality than exercise . It was devised to preserve the health and general wellness of the practitioner and is based upon five fundamental yoga principles : proper exercise ( 12 asana poses ), proper breathing ( pranayama ), proper relaxation ( savasana ), proper diet ( vegetarian ) and positive thinking ( vedanta ) and meditation ( dhyana ). A typical 90-minute class combines the practice of 12 core poses with Sanskrit chanting , breathing exercises , meditation and relaxation .
BIKRAM Interesting bikram yoga fact no . 1 : every class you go to , anywhere in the world , follows the same sequence of 26 poses . Interesting bikram yoga fact no . 2 : the sweat-fest that is bikram was devised long before clever marketers rebranded it ‘ hot yoga ’ and was in fact the early 1970 ’ s brainchild of eponymous yogi , Bikram Choudhury . Bikram put together the 26 strengthening and stretching poses to target the muscles as well as flush the body ’ s organs of toxins and the style is practiced in a heated room to help release the toxins on their pesky way .
YIN As much a way to get to grips with the basics of meditation and stilling the mind as it is a workout for the hips , pelvis and lower back , yin yoga finds its roots in the Taoist tradition and concentrates on seated postures . Poses can be held for up to 10 minutes and the aim is to develop both flexibility and the ability to just let it go – ideal for people who really suffer from stress and for sport Billys whose joints are tense and overworked .
Namaste .
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