Posts Tagged ‘practice hatha yoga’

Yoga Practice for Positive Habits and Optimum Health

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

yoga teacher trainingBy Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Many young people, who practice Hatha Yoga, feel they can absolutely control the quality of their lives. While this may appear to be true, there is a bit of luck involved. If you feel indestructible, you have not had a near death experience, sudden trauma, or been bed ridden with a terminal illness. Good health requires wise choices, good habits, and a bit of luck.

The condition of our health, and the quality of our life, hinges on our habits. There are genetic factors as well, but we can alter inherent conditions to a point. For example: If we have diabetes, we have been given a specific diet. We can choose to follow medical advice or ignore it. Either way, we could still be a diabetic for life, but making wise dietary choices will make a difference in the quality and longevity of our lives.

When we consider our health, there are four planes of existence to contemplate. Our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health has much to do with each other and form our complete health (holistic) profile. If for example, my emotional state is out of balance, it will affect the other three planes of existence and my overall health picture. Let’s look at combinations of Yoga techniques for optimum health.

Asana and pranayama are often practiced exclusively, without meditation, by fitness Yoga practitioners. Even if a Yoga class focuses on asana and pranayama exclusively, there are physical and mental benefits. The same could be said for any other Yoga styles that focus, for the most part, on physical mastery.

While it is obvious that exercises, which focus on physical mastery, alone, will yield physical and mental benefits, the long-term physical practitioner of Yoga will also discover emotional and spiritual benefits. The reason being is that, with time, all forms of Yoga expand one’s awareness (consciousness).

There are a few Ashtanga Yoga, and power Yoga, classes that focus on mastering the physical body only. Interestingly, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is the root of most of the flowing Vinyasa styles, and the physical offshoot of Raja Yoga. A student benefits, in every aspect of health, when an Ashtanga (Raja) curriculum completely corresponds to the teachings of Patanjali.

Meditation and pranayama, alone, will yield mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits. Physical benefits will result from pranayama practice. Daily pranayama practice will keep vital organs healthy, but the physical body needs the resistance that asanas offer. Asana practice is healthy for the muscles, joints, connective tissue, and the skeleton.

Therefore, a new or experienced Yoga practitioner should practice a complete style which focuses on all eight limbs, as described by Patanjali. A Yoga practitioner, who has never bothered to practice yamas, niyamas, and meditation, is a beginner – regardless of physical prowess.

© Copyright 2011 – Paul Jerard / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

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Trikonasana – Yoga Posture for Back Pain Management

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

There are so many forms of back pain, that it seems impossible for Yoga to help them all. Truthfully, Hatha Yoga is great for pain prevention, but it also helps one cope with chronic back pain. If your day is filled with chronic back pain, less or no pain seems like a miracle. On the other hand, long term inflammations and chronic pain can make any form of adjustment or movement a challenge.

What can one do to get enough pain relief to practice Hatha Yoga, exercise, or physical therapy? In the case of a person who is in severe pain, no matter what he or she does, a physician may recommend a shot of marcaine, triamcenalone, or both. There is a school of thought that believes medication should be avoided at all costs. In reality, pain, and your tolerance of it, will make you come to a personal decision quickly. Each of us is different, and there is no need to make comparisons.

Doctors and chiropractors often recommend Yoga for back pain, but we want to make sure there is a doctor’s approval before beginning a practice. Once approval is received, it is wise to seek out a competent Yoga teacher, with expertise in back pain management. If a prospective Yoga teacher shows no sign of compassion and competence, search until you find one who meets your needs.

With safety in mind, each of us learns to explore the body gradually. Never force or lock a joint while practicing Yoga postures. Learn to incorporate Yogic breathing techniques, as you become comfortable with your practice, and do not skip past foundational Yoga instruction. Listed below are details concerning Trikonasana, which should help a person experiencing chronic back pain.

Trikonasana (Triangle Pose): This is an open twist, which is usually practiced from a standing position, but Chair Yoga practitioners may have learned to do this from a seated position. So many muscles are involved when practicing Trikonasana, that many people forget about the benefits to the skeletal structure.

To reduce pain in the back, the parts of the skeletal structure we are concerned with are the spine, shoulders, pelvis, and hip joints. When we consider back pain, all of these parts come into play, but we often forget that hips have limited range of motion while we move them from side to side. The hips have great range of motion going into a forward bend, but they are designed for stability more than mobility. Forcing the hips into abduction puts excessive torque on the SI joints.

One method to consider is the use of a chair, tall block, or a short stool while practicing Trikonasana. Forget the “cookie cutter” photographs of 19 year old models performing this posture. Forget the dogma from Yoga teachers who want to force your hips to rotate forward. Each skeleton is different. When you mindfully practice Trikonasana, you gently work the hips, pelvis, SI joints, and the rest of your spine, to reduce, or prevent, pain.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Posted in Yoga for Pain Management | 3 Comments »

Practice Hatha Yoga, for Chronic Stress Relief, to Save Your Life

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

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

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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

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Hatha Yoga and Mastering Self-Realization

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Self-realizationBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Hatha is only one of the nine main forms of Yoga from India. Each of us begins to practice Hatha Yoga for a variety of reasons. Among these many reasons for practicing – some of us are drawn to Hatha Yoga by the healing aspects, the spiritual journey, a feeling of inner peace, or the joy of physical mastery. No matter what the original reason was, self-realization will become a reality sooner or later.

Among those who practice Yoga, on a steady basis, are people with a variety of religious beliefs. Some Yoga practitioners believe in God, or Gods, and some do not believe in the concept of a single or multiple God entities. Yet, practitioners with a wide variety of spiritual beliefs, practice in the same class in complete tranquility.

Self-realization could be defined as a state of mind, where we are present in the moment. Yogis might describe it as the achievement of higher consciousness, through the realization of the inner-being. Some spiritual teachers say self-realization is a state of seeing, knowing, feeling, and being the soul.

Regardless of your exact beliefs, self-realization in Yoga, is being present for practice. The practice of Hatha Yoga is usually pranayama, meditation, mantra, relaxation, asana, mudra, or a combination of these techniques. The study of any form of Yoga will result in the accumulation of wisdom, understanding, and the clarity of perception.

There are some benefits, which result from long-term Yoga practice and self-realization. To know one’s self is to know one’s true nature, but it takes time, practice, and work. Each of us has a special purpose, but not all of us find it. To know one’s true purpose in life is a mystery to most of us. Through insight, and the development of one’s intuition, we can attain our true purpose.

How do we develop the insight to find our true purpose? Spiritual beauty is easy to see. Children are good examples of spiritual beauty. The longer we live, the easier it is to be confused by erroneous information. In the confusion, our visions of a brighter future can become clouded by pessimism. The truth is: Spiritual beauty is within each of us.

The next step is to concentrate and find those thoughts that bring happiness to us. When we find inner harmony, all we have to do is share it with those around us. Each day is a second chance to improve our ways. The result of our continued efforts will put us on a path to achieve goodness.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Hatha Yoga Sessions – Anxiety Solution to a Stressful Economy

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

red-bg2By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

On a worldwide scale, many people practice Hatha Yoga daily to compensate for chronic stress.  While anxiety and stress are nothing new to humankind, this recent state of economic instability, and uncertainty, has caused people from every part of the world to worry about the economy.

At the same time, people are taking a pro-active stance toward their health.  During the Great Depression, many people resorted to alcohol instead of seeking a positive solution.  In contrast, it is encouraging to see the number of people, who are seeking alternative health methods to deal with overwhelming stress. 

The level of education today has resulted in more rational solutions, when people consider methods for relief of worry.  The age groups, who practice Hatha Yoga, cover the entire spectrum.  There are Baby Yoga, Mommy and me, and Chair Yoga classes.

During the course of a week, I see students from 5 to 101 years of age.  In comparison to alcohol, Yoga is very inexpensive.  The cost of a Yoga class is about the same, or less than, two glasses of wine at a local restaurant.  In contrast to consuming alcohol, it is safe to drive home after a Yoga class.

Low levels of stress cause many different aches and pains.  Headaches, back pain, neck pain, cramps, and an upset stomach are common ailments, which often result from too much stress.

High stress levels can cause many serious health ailments.  In fact, chronic stress can kill you.  When constant stress attacks the body, you may have high blood pressure and heart palpitations as a result of it.  Over the long term, heart disease is a potential by-product of constant stress.

However, many Yoga students have done their research about the benefits of preventative health.  The results of a steady Yoga practice tone the body and clear the mind.  So far, nobody has been able to produce these same results by drinking alcohol or taking drugs.

Lastly, your mind is your most valuable asset in any economy; but in the worst of times, we need clear heads to prevail.  This is not the worst of times for most of us, but it’s certainly not the best of times either.  Yoga allows people to find some relaxation, despite the new economy.

Your mind has to be able to relax in order to find solutions for a variety of problems, which each of us face on a daily basis.  Hatha Yoga is a path which leads one toward training the mind to find solutions.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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