Archive for the ‘hatha yoga’ Category

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Yoga can break the cycle of continual stress. We know that chronic stress is linked to a variety of health problems and can cause death. When you are stressed out, hormones, such as – Cortisol and Adrenaline, are released into your body to give you extra strength in an emergency situation. However, long term affects of releasing cortisol and adrenaline, into your body, can result in heart disease and potential suicide.

Among the most necessary reasons, to practice Yoga, is the resulting state of inner peace during and after a session. Multi-tasking, stress, worry, and negative thoughts work against obtaining peace of mind. How can Yoga help people who are worried about their families, employment, and health care? Let’s discuss the healing powers of Yoga, and how you can reap the rewards of inner peace.

If you have problems that are blended with chronic stress, it is difficult to sort out the origin of your anxiety. Most people worry when they see an impending problem. Worrying is only a natural reaction to stress overload. However, have you ever met one person who claimed that worrying solved a problem?

Problems are much easier to solve when we train our minds to focus on solutions. This is where a regular Yoga practice helps us to take control of fear and worry. It is hard to see reality when we are consumed with fear. Many times, the amount of worrying people do has nothing to do with reality. People often worry about potential problems.

On the other hand, if the problem is real, time spent practicing Yoga will allow one to find inner calm and solutions. Hatha Yoga helps people of all ages learn to cope with stress. Most beginners are attracted to the physical postures (asanas), or the flowing of physical postures, with breath, in a sequence (vinyasa).

While there are much deeper practices to be realized within Hatha Yoga, the physical postures tend to be the main attraction on this journey of self-discovery. As time passes, the practitioner becomes much more aware of pranayama (Yogic breathing), niyama, yama, and the many variations of Yogic meditation.

When we read Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutras,” we begin to notice that our superficial view of Yoga is much like a child’s view of the world. Our view of Yoga is a fresh start. Most of us easily believe in what we see and what we feel. This is the reason why the Hatha style became so popular when it was exposed to the world. Physical benefits are easier to realize than mental, spiritual, or emotional benefits.

Therefore, a stressed-out person will find complete relief by finding a competent Yoga teacher, learning the Yogic methods for obtaining inner peace, and will be reassured when the physical and mental benefits are realized. The deeper benefits will be revealed, as the practitioner continues on the Yogic path.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

There are a number of classical texts that Yoga teachers should become familiar with. Among them are the Gheranda Samhita, Shiva Samhita, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. It is believed that the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written by Swami Svatmarama, is the oldest of these three texts.

There are a number of techniques that are covered within the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, such as – Asanas, Bandhas, Pranayama, Mudras, Dietary Suggestions, Shatkarmas, and more. What we realize, when reviewing the classical texts, is how much detail is given to the subject of self-care and holistic health.

It is easy to think that all the clever secrets of holistic health have recently been invented. However, many forms of asana, stretching, and exercise were around for thousands of years before the Hatha Yoga Pradipika was written.

If we want to draw any conclusions from the classical texts, in regard to our daily health, we might want to consider the following:

Relaxation and Meditation should become a daily ritual. At the same time, if you are experiencing bouts of insomnia, you may want to consider trying any number of relaxation techniques at bedtime. Personally, I tend to favor the stage-by-stage relaxation method. However, many people have success with body scanning relaxation, listening to relaxing music, and relaxation methods, based upon visualization.

It is extremely important that we keep our body clean. How much time do you see animals spend cleaning themselves? By this, we should at least be as clean as a cat, bird, or monkey. If you have ever had a chance to observe them, they spend a lot of time cleaning themselves.

The body also needs physical activity. No matter who we are – the energy in our body should be expelled in a constructive way. The body is, in fact, an organic machine, which is designed to be in motion. Too much sitting is not good for the hips, the skeleton, or the spine; add to this that sufficient calories are not burned by sitting the entire day.

Therefore, a daily routine of asanas, pranayama, walking, swimming, and other activities that you enjoy, should be performed with regularity. There are too many diseases, which can result from excessive sitting – such as, heart problems, high blood pressure, blood pooling into the lower legs, which results in clots – and many more ailments.

Finally, as mentioned within the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, there are foods which are considered injurious to a Yogi. At the same time, these foods are injurious to anyone. Albeit – diets have changed, and our knowledge of dietary benefits has improved immensely, over the past couple of centuries. Needless to say, eating wisely improves your chances of a better quality life.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Yoga Teacher Training. FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/

Yoga Teacher Certification

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Among the many benefits of Hatha Yoga practice is enjoying a state of relaxation. If you have been practicing Yoga for a while, you might think this is a “no brainer.” Yet, you cannot expect someone who has never practiced Yoga before, to automatically know the benefits.

Relaxation, reduced stress, and being able to manage body weight are attractive reasons to begin and maintain a consistent Yoga practice. However, let’s take a closer look at the benefits of relaxation.

When you think about relaxation, what picture do you see in your mind? Most people would envision a vacation, when thinking about a state of relaxation. When should you take a vacation? Most people have created a vacation deficit and devote their lives to their career.

I have attended enough funerals and wakes to hear more than one widow state, “We were planning a dream vacation next year.” This is a sad state of affairs, when married couples do not spend quality time on vacation, but will work “their fingers to the bone” at multiple jobs.

Why do people want to go on vacation? The reason people want a vacation is to relax the mind and see new sites. Yoga teachers cannot promise you will see new sites in their studios, but you can be guaranteed to feel better than when you initially entered your class.

Yoga classes help students to lower their stress levels, and they are much more affordable than a vacation. Therefore, Yoga increases the quality of life, until you are in a better position to take time off from work, and enjoy a dream vacation.

© Copyright 2008 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

——————————————–
FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos.
Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”
——————————————–
Yoga Certification
——————————————–
FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles) – Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste, Paul
——————————————–