Written By Tradyann Ferraiuolo

Yoga is not one thing but many practices that lead to the same goal to become enlightened. Yoga is becoming more and more popular in the west now that we have the knowledge and ideologies behind it that relate to our health. There are many types of Yoga; however they all are practiced to enlighten our mind, our physical bodies, and our souls. Yoga is mysticism and some of its principles are a part of many religions. Yoga is not a sport but it is an exercise that can be practiced by anyone at their own ability. The poses can be modified for people with conditions such as high blood pressure, limited suppleness, and if one is pregnant.

The type of Yoga that I am going to focus on is Hatha Yoga. This Yoga is a practice that involves poses, breathing techniques, cleansing the body and meditation. All of these elements combined are what contribute to a strong healthy, cleansed body and mind.

Hatha is the combination of the word sun and moon. The breath through the left nostril is the moon, and the breath from the right nostril is the sun. Breathing through the nostrils harmonizes positive and negative energy and male and female energies. It is a practice that leads to relaxation and a healthy life. It is a way to purify the body of impurities in and out. It also is associated with hygiene.

The poses that Yogis practice are mainly what contribute to the physical body. The practices of these poses strengthen the muscles; improve flexibility and suppleness, aid in digestion, and a way to massage many internal organs. It is very important to warm up the body by stretching and performing some limber ups so that injury will not occur. Warm-ups and limber-ups are very important in a yoga class especially for beginners. They circulate blood, and loosen up muscles and joints. These procedures can prevent injury. Some important warm-ups are standing and twisting the waist, standing and bending the back backwards, placing your body in a diver’s position, and the spinal rock.

The spinal rock is very important and is performed by sitting and hugging your knees to your chest. Then allow your body to rock backward and exhale and inhale as you come back up. This is great for the spine. The neck should also be warmed up by placing turning the neck to the left and right so that the ear touches the shoulder.

This can be enhanced by using you hand to put slight pressure on the head to achieve a maximum stretch. Sitting with the legs straight out and reaching the arms as far down the legs as possible is a great stretch for the back and the hamstrings. This is similar to the standing stretch when you lean over like a limp doll and reach as far to the ground as possible.

Sitting postures are very important. The main goals of asanas or postures are to purify and condition the mind and body. They also affect mental health and muscular tone, and hygiene. Asanas massage and exercise the body in and out.

One very popular asana that is a sitting posture is called easy posture. This posture is one of the simplest sitting poses, yet it is very important. The legs are crossed tailor’s style and the knees should be as close to the floor as possible to achieve a maximum stretch for one’s own body. It is very important that the neck, cervical spine, thoracic spine, the lumbar spine and the sacrum are all in a straight line perpendicular to the floor without arching. The hands should be placed on the knees. The goal of this posture is to strengthen the spine and improve posture and also to stretch the thigh muscles to be more supple and able to touch the floor with ease.

This posture will usually be replaced with the lotus position as one becomes more advanced. There is the full lotus is also a cross legged position but it is most difficult and not always mastered. Both legs are folded with the knees to the floor and the feet are placed on the opposite thighs. This posture provides excellent stability. This posture is modified by placing one leg on the opposite thigh and the other is placed the way it is placed in easy posture.

There are standing and laying postures as well. Some of them are meant to relax the body and release stress and tension. Stress can have severe negative effects to the body and take years off a normal life span. Some of these postures are posture, salaam posture, child posture, cat posture, and crocodile posture. These postures keep the spine aligned so that breathing can be controlled.

Breathing during holding postures and meditating is very important. When practicing Yoga, breathing through the nose is the correct way to breath. This is called Pranayama, or Yogic breathing. It is a way that we use energy without exercising. Retention of breathing is another way that our body uses energy. Some methods used by Yogis to achieve perfect relaxation are finding a quiet environment, clearing your mind of distractions, yogic breathing, and positioning the body in a comfortable pose.

The ratio of inhalation and exhalation in advanced Yoga is 1:4:2. This means that the holding of the breath or Kumbaka, should be held the longest because it is believed to allow the breath to diffuse more efficiently. However a more realistic ratio for beginners is 1:1:1 or 1:1:2. In all cases of yogic deep breathing, the process is inhalation, pause, exhalation, pause and repeat.

Yogis also follow a healthy diet and practice many hygiene rituals to cleanse the inside of the body. Some of these practices are very old and are not as common in the west. The general purpose of these practices is to cleanse the colon, the stomach, the eyes, and the nostrils. Trataka is a cleansing process that cleans the eyes by gazing, not staring, at an object without blinking until the eyes water. Basti is a colonic procedure that cleans and purifies the digestive system. It is done by squatting one ones heels with the buttocks in water. This can also be done today by using an enema. This process and all the hygienic procedures are to beautify the body.

It is believed that it is beneficial to be a vegetarian and that eating animals and flesh is harmful to our health. Diseases such as cancer and of the heart are more popular among carnivores. It is also beneficial to be a vegetarian because the food ingested by a vegetarian is easier to digest then meat. This puts less strain on the liver and other vital digestive organs.


Meditation is also a crucial part to Yoga and a healthy stress free lifestyle. It is said that Pranayama and mediation should be performed everyday or twice a day. Pranayama should be 15-20 minutes in a session and mediation about the same. A new Yogi may have to work up to 30 minutes of mediation by practicing each day and increasing the time spent in mediation. The best position is to sit up so that one does not fall asleep. If the mind drifts try and come back to the mediation by focusing on the breathing and listening. Pranayama has many benefits to the body and respiratory system. It also cleanses the bloodstream, massages internal organs, improves digestion and calms the mind. Mediation is also a calming and cleansing of the mind and helps in finding oneself or the “I.”

Mediation and finding one true self is one of the most important parts of practicing Yoga. Some beginners find it very difficult to relax so calming music can be used for beginners but is ideal to mediate in silence. Some people repeat mantras or words when they are mediating such as “ohm.” Guided mediation is another form of relaxing but it is guided by listening to someone speaking and using your imagination to achieve a sense of relaxation and peace.

Another way to relax is called stage by stage relaxation. This is usually done in the corpse position. The student should control his/her breathing for a few minutes and then isolate and bring attention to each muscle. Every muscle from the toes to the face should be isolated and relaxed by listening to or thinking about relaxing each muscle in the mind. A pastoral or tranquil scene can also be visualized or soothing music to aid in relaxation.

Chakras are powers heightened during mediation. Chakras are centers in the body or concentration points in the physical body. There are seven in Kundalini Yoga. Root center is the chakra between the anus and the genitals. The pelvic center is the location of the genitals. Solar Plexus is another chakra. The heart center is located at the heart. The throat centre is at the throat. The Brow centre is right between the eye brows. It is also known as the third eye. Lastly, the crown of the head center is located at the cerebrum. This is the place of self realization.

The goal of Yogic teaching is to help find inner consciousness. It is a practice that purifies mind, body and soul. It has physical and psychical components, as well as breathing, cleansing, and beautifying the body. Two different aspects of Yoga science are the views of the East and West. In the West they focus on conquering nature such as life outside of the human consciousness. In the East they believe to look within one, and find the secret of nature. Today both views are acknowledged. Prana is a life force and cosmic energy in the breath of life. It is in our respiration, circulation, and digestion. It is the most important force of every being.The main storage center for Prana is the solar plexus which is the pit of the stomach. This holding of Prana helps in warming up any part of the body and mind control.

The main goal for all the Yogas’ is to produce enlightenment of the mind, a healthful lifestyle and purification of the physical, mental body, and the soul. The benefits of posturing are steadiness the body and the mind, health, suppleness, psychophysical poise, and perfecting the body and benefitting the internal organs. Meditation is very beneficial to a yogi. It helps cleanse the mind and relieve stress and to promote tranquility. The supreme goal is to find one’s true self. The body, the breath and the mind are all cleansed. Meditation is mental hygiene.

I think Yoga is growing more and more in the west because of there is more stress and pressure than ever before. People are learning more and more about the dangers of stress and anxiety and how it can take years off one’s life. Westerners are looking for a new alternative than prescription drugs and therapy. Yoga is a practice that strengthens mind body and soul. It is also a great practice to enjoy a fulfilled and healthy lifestyle.

Tradyann Ferraiuolo is a certified Yoga teacher from Staten Island, New York.