Yoga for Every BODY
by: Jenny Ward
We all want to feel loved, open, free and peaceful. We all desire to
let go of the ideals and expectations of the “world” and be simply still.
What if you had permission to be anything your heart wanted you to be?
What if there was no right or wrong way of doing yoga poses, just simply
YOUR way. The way that feels good for your body, mind and spirit. That
is yoga to me.
There’s a smorgasbord of yoga labels all around us. Each having its
own fancy term or cool yoga gear. It’s a bummer to see yoga magazines or
videos with the same types of bodies representing yoga. This sends a message
to the world that yoga is about looking a specific way. Instead of getting
lost in the confusion, I chose to start really looking at my responsibility
in this. Most of my clients share with me that they don’t feel comfortable
going to a yoga studio. One, they don’t look like a yogi, two they might
not do the poses “perfectly”, and finally, they don’t know where to even
start. So many labels to choose from, so little time!
This is a very common experience with the people I teach or know. It
is extremely challenging to go to a studio and relax when immediately you
have to get your legs in lotus position. How uncomfortable is that? Yikes.
Or you are so busy doing power yoga that you forgot to breathe or relax,
feeling sore as you walk out the studio. Since I have experienced both
being uncomfortable as a student and teacher I feel it is my duty to spread
some of my truth around.
There is no label or box to fit yoga in. When I first began teaching
yoga, I felt as if I had to “be” a certain way. Speak in a particular soft
tone, and know all the right terminology. I’ve realized it’s the total
opposite. The more authentic I am, which means, giving myself permission
to be Jenny, giggling, hugging, singing, sharing, being as transparent
as possible, gives the student permission to choose to do the same.
Yes, poses are a part of yoga, and they do wonders for your body! But
yoga is not about the poses or how long we can balance. The body listens
when its given an opportunity to connect with your true self, and not edit
what comes out.
Releasing the need to force your body into poses that hurt and allow
yourself to explore what DOES feel good. To make your yoga practice, like
life, all about you.
Instead of wishing for the world to change their box on what yoga should
be, I decided to create and be the difference. Teach yoga from my heart,
and allow it to guide each class. Whenever I share with my students that
it’s perfect to be exactly the way they are, my eyes well up. It feels
good to share what I have yearned for in a yoga class.
If you feel uncomfortable going to a yoga studio, you are not alone.
Listen to your heart, and listen to what your body is sharing with you.
Start investigating and asking around for guidance on what form works for
you. You are worth it. Give yourself permission to BE yourself no matter
what. That is yoga.
About The Author
Jenny Ward is the owner of PLAYWARD. PLAYWARDS mission is to celebrate
the magnificence of being alive. Jenny is a licensed coach, speaker, author
and PLAY ACTIVIST!
www.playward.com
jenny@playward.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
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Yoga and Learning Disabilities
by: Jennifer Marie Jordan
Learning disabilities are a common cause of frustration for children and adults.
It is estimated that as high as 15 percent of Americans have some sort of
learning disability. By definition, they are defined as the psychological or
neurological conditions that influence a person's ability to communicate and
learn efficiently.
While people who have disorders such as ADHD and autism may very well also
possess learning disabilities, these types of disorders don't belong in the
learning disability category. Diagnoses that do belong, however, can greatly
vary, ranging from reading disorders, such as dyslexia, to disorders that
disallow for the comprehension of mathematics, such as dyscalculia.
Those who are plagued with learning disabilities are not always of high or low
intelligence, though presence on both ends of the spectrum are possible.
Likewise, a person born with a learning disability wasn't necessarily born with
an inability to learn. Instead, the individual simply possesses a processing
impairment, such as an auditory impairment or visual impairment, that makes
their ability to learn from routine ways of teaching particularly difficult.
While learning disabilities can weaken a person's ability to learn, the damage
they do often falls into deeper crevices. Some people, particularly children,
with learning disabilities may have severe self esteem issues, anger problems,
behavioral problems, and a desire to quit things like school or extracurricular
activities.
How Yoga Helps
The treatment of a learning disability can vary from person to person. Different
disabilities require different treatment options and even then, therapy must be
determined on an individual basis: what works for one person with dyslexia may
not work for another. However, yoga, because it does not focus on the disability
but the person, can benefit a variety of people with a variety of learning
problems.
Self Esteem: Self esteem can be a hard thing for some people to obtain,
particularly when that person feels as though they have something wrong with
them. Yoga is a vehicle of self-awareness, self-realization, and
self-acceptance, three things that work together to increase a person's sense of
self, ultimately solidifying their self esteem.
People who do yoga feel better about themselves and the world around them. They
become motivated, better able to tackle the hardships a learning disability, or
any kind of disability, can bring. Yoga also helps them gain acceptance of their
disability, accepting that they have it and learning what can help minimize the
effects of it. Yoga also provides time for self-reflection, helping students to
become less influenced by their negative capacities and more influenced by their
positive ones.
Conscious Breathing: If there is one function that can help just about anything,
it's probably the act of conscious breathing. Breathing helps a person on
innumerable levels. From increasing circulation to providing oxidation, from
ridding the body of stagnant energy to bringing in fresh forces, breathing helps
people to be more in tune, more empowered, and more ready to learn.
Breathing can also help thwart a major element of learning disabilities:
frustration.. Because frustration comes along with nearly every learning
disability, with some people succumbing to aggravation and hindering their
ability to learn even more, the breathing techniques taught in yoga can help
people to relax, rejuvenate, and try again.
Concentration: The ability to concentrate is a major factor in the ability to
learn. Oftentimes, those with learning disabilities have an impaired ability to
concentrate. Yoga, however, facilitates concentration.. Not only does the actual
practice of it require students to focus on their breathing as it weaves through
the poses, but yoga also gives people the ability to focus when away from the
studio.
Yoga increases the circulation of oxygen and blood to the brain, allowing people
to focus, to concentrate, and to remember things with greater clarity. It also
stimulates the Central Nervous system, the system that serves as the messenger
between the brain and the rest of the body. Through the meditation and mindful
practices of yoga, people become more centered and balanced, allowing them to
focus on tasks at hand with greater attentiveness.
Eye Movements: People who have dyslexia, a learning disability that affects
reading and writing, may particularly benefit from practicing yoga. This is
because parts of yoga involve eye exercises, with students forming poses and
focusing on a certain spot for an extended period of time. These eye exercises
can increase the efficiency of the optic nerve, relax the muscles of the face,
and increase the functionality of certain areas of the brain. These benefits all
work together to improve a person's ability to focus visually, helping them to
correctly recognize words in the process.
People with learning disabilities may need a wide range of therapies. Children,
in particular, may require more one on one attention during class or tutoring.
Even with therapy, however, learning disabilities might not go away entirely.
Because many are biological or genetic, some people are just programmed to learn
differently than others. However, yoga can help those afflicted to accept their
impairment and gain strength by removing the focus from their disabilities and
placing it on their abilities.
About us: TWISTED is a medical yoga studio at the Center for Osteopathic
Medicine in Boulder, Colorado. Twisted integrates osteopathic medicine, Hatha
yoga and mindfulness practices to teach optimal balance between physical,
mental, and emotional health. It aims to educate and help people to live a
healthy life from the inside out. Rehabilitation programs offer a comprehensive
treatment regime for the whole being, empowering each person one breath at a
time to stimulate the body’s natural healing potential..
About The Author
Jennifer Jordan is senior editor of
http://www.yogatwisted.com . Specializing in articles that not only teach
yoga techniques, but also teach techniques on fulfillment and enrichment, she
aims to educate students proudly enrolled in the school of life.
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Origins And Concepts Of The 3 Different Branches of Yoga
Author: Cindy Heller
History of Hatha Yoga: The history of hatha yoga goes back in the fifteenth century India when Yogi Swatmarama, a sage during those times, introduced it as a form of "a stairway to the heights" of Raja Yoga which is the preparatory stage of physical purification that makes the body fit for the practice of higher form of meditation. Hatha yoga is also known to be called as "hatha vidya" and the word "hatha" is a combination of the words, "ha" which means sun "tha" that means moon and they are said to refer to the prinicipal "nadis" or the energy channels of the body and must be fully operational to attain the state of "dhyana" or a certain aspect of meditation.
Some people may link that the origins of hatha yoga which dates back in the tenth or eleventh century with Goraknath, a yogin during those times. However, the oldest surviving text about hatha yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by yogin, Yogi Swatmarama. The text is said to be taken from old Sanskrit writings and personal yogin experiences of the yogin himself. The text relates about shatkarma, asana, pranayama, chakras, kundalini, bandhas, kriyas, shakti, nadis, and mudras among others.
Concept of Hatha yoga: The total concept of the traditional hatha yoga is a holistic yogic path comprising of moral disciplines, physical exercises, breath control, and meditation. The hatha yoga that is widely practiced and popular in the western countries mainly composed of the "asanas" or postures and other exercises.
Hatha yoga is only one of the two concepts of yoga that concentrates on the physical culture and the other yoga is the Raja yoga but both of these are referred to as Ashtanga yoga. The main difference is that the Raja yoga concentrates more on the "asanas" or postures to get the body ready for a prolonged meditation that concentrates mainly on the meditative "asana" poses. The hatha yoga on the other hand concentrates on balancing the mind and body through physical exercises, controlled breathing, and calming the mind through meditation and sheer relaxation.
Different positions or postures are recommended by practitioners to help lessen or avoid health problems ranging from constipation through cancer. It was said that it helps to reduce stress, pressure, and other mental worries that people today are frequently exposed to.
History of Karma Yoga
Karma yoga also known as Buddhi Yoga or the "discipline of action" is centered on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. One of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga concentrates on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can attain Moksha (salvation) or love of God (bhakti) by performing their duties in a selfless manner for the pleasure of the Supreme. Karma Yoga is an inherent part of many derivative types of yoga, such as Natya Yoga.
Concept Of Karma Yoga
The word Karma is mentioned from the Sanskrit Kri, meaning 'to do', in its most basic sense karma simply means action, and yoga translates to union. Therefore, Karma yoga literally translates to the path of union through action. It is described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which one acts in accordance with one's duty (dharma) with no consideration of personal selfish desires, likes or dislikes, i.e. acting without being emotionally involved to the fruits of one's deeds.
In the case of Arjuna in the Gita, this translated to his fighting in the oncoming war to uphold the righteous cause in accordance with his duty as a warrior; even if out of compassion, he did not want to battle with his relatives and teachers on the other side.
Krishna then goes on to tell how Arjuna should surrender the fruits of his actions (good or bad) to himself (as the Supreme Person or avatara) :
Krishna describes that allocated work done without expectations, motives, or anticipation of its outcome purifies one's mind and slowly makes an individual fit to see the value of reason. He states that it is not necessary to remain in external solitude, or actionless, in order to practice a spiritual life, with the state of action or inaction is solely determined in the mind.
In order to attain the perfection of life, Krishna describes it is important to control all mental desires and tendencies to enjoy pleasures of the senses. The practice of Karma Yoga in everyday life makes an individual fit through action, meditation and devotion to sharpen his reasoning, develop intuitive power of acquiring knowledge and to transcend the mind itself.
History Of Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga also known as Classical Yoga or simply Yoga is one of the six orthodox (astika) schools of Hindu philosophy, being described Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. It is also occasionally referred to as A??anga (eight-limbed) yoga because there are eight aspects to the path to which one must attend. Raja yoga is concerned primarily with the cultivation of the mind using meditation (dhyana) to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.
The term Raja Yoga is a retronym, introduced in the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika to differentiate the school based on the Yoga Sutras from the new current of Hatha Yoga.
Concept of Raja Yoga
Raja-Yoga is principally concerned with the mind. The mind is traditionally perceived as the 'king' of the psycho-physical structure which does its bidding (whether or not one has realized this). Because of the relationship between the mind and the body, the body must be 'tamed' first through self-discipline and purified by various means (see Hatha Yoga). A good level of overall health and psychological integration must be achieved before the deeper aspects of yoga can be pursued. Humans have all sorts of addictions and temptations and these preclude the attainment of tranquil abiding (meditation). Through restraint (yama) such as celibacy, abstaining from drugs and alcohol and careful attention to one's actions of body, speech and mind, the human being becomes well to practise meditation. This yoke that one puts upon oneself is the alternate meaning of the word yoga.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras start with the statement yogas citta-vtti-nirodha (1.2), "yoga limits the oscillations of the mind". They proceed on to detailing the ways in which mind can create false ideations and advocate meditation on real objects, which process, it is said, will lead to a spontaneous state of quiet mind, the "Nirbija" or "seedless state", in which there is no mental object of focus. Practices that serve to maintain for the individual the ability to check this state may be considered Raja Yoga practices. Thus Raja Yoga encompasses and differentiates itself from other forms of Yoga by encouraging the mind to avoid the sort of absorption in obsessional practice (including other traditional yogic practices) that can generate false mental objects. In this angle, Raja Yoga is "king of yogas": all yogic practices are seen as potential tools for obtaining the seedless state, itself considered to be the first point in the quest to cleanse Karma and obtain Moksha or Nirvana. Traditionally, schools of yoga that label themselves "Raja" offer students a mix of yogic practices and (hopefully) this philosophical viewpoint.
About the Author:
Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit pet insurance plan to learn more about pet health insurance marketing plan and florida pet health insurance.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Origins And Concepts Of The 3 Different Branches of Yoga
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