Monday 11 August 2014

How Yoga Asanas Help you Keep Fit?

You've possibly heard that yoga is good for you. It's also a possibility that you've tried it and have discovered that it makes you feel better. One can get all kinds of mental as well as physical health benefits by practicing this art regularly. One of the benefits such as enhanced flexibility is clearly evident. Others include stress reduction and mental clarity. When taken together, all the benefits that one gets out of practicing this art contributes to an enhanced feeling of well being, which helps clarify why so many individuals are addicted to yoga. Whether you practice this ancient art to relax, breathe, stretch, meditate or just because it's in fashion, you would not realize the several health benefits of yoga. And while there are several different forms of yoga, starting from more gentle hatha yoga to the more strenuous Bikram Yoga or power yoga, every form of yoga enhances your health from toe to head.



Yoga Benefits the Cardiovasular System

Our cardiovascular system benefits tremendously from practicing yoga: Most particularly :

·        Your blood pressure gets lowered due to the gentler forms of yoga as the asanas help the blood to flow evenly throughout your body while you're focusing on your breathing
·        Individuals, who suffer from hypertension can benefit from this art to a great extent, as hatha yoga can lower your heart rate and blood pressure
·        There are several practitioners who have claimed their cholesterol to have lowered due to practicing yoga
·        Power yoga is believed to be an outstanding form of cardio conditioning, which helps in strengthening the core muscles while it keeps the oxygen and blood circulating throughout your body

Benefits for Mental Health  

·        This ancient art benefits everyone's mental health by helping the individual relax, and it's an efficient form of psychological therapy. Yoga lessen anxiety and stress, which results in better health, mood and concentration right through the day. Many have used this art to help treat a wide variety of emotional and mental disorders, which include depression, anxiety and mood swings
·        Even children can benefit from yoga. Those suffering from attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity can even learn to relax and get control by using yoga breathing and asanas.
·        As this art is a form of meditation, it results in a sense of inner peace and purpose, which has great benefits.
·        It has also been used to help heal victims of torture or other trauma


Yoga has always been a frontrunner in promoting well being and has spread extensively in India and other parts of the world. Yoga school in Goa offers the best of teachings that are at par with others across the globe. In India, thousands of followers throng the schools for yogateacher training Goa as they want to get the maximum benefit from the teachings. This shows the importance of this art among the people today, particularly the youngsters. Remember, regular practice of yoga creates multiple as well as noticeable benefits to your health. So, try some postures today and if possible under the guidance of a yoga instructor. A yoga instructor should guide you initially at least till you are well versed with all the poses.

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Ashtanga Vinyasa - A Great Form of Yoga for Healthy Life

Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta, an ancient manuscript " said to possess lists of several different groupings of asanas, as well as highly original teachings on Vinyasa, bandhas, drishti, mudras and philosophy. In Sanskrit, ashtanga means eight limbs, which refers to the eight limbs of yoga laid out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This method of asana practice was interpreted by T. Krishnamacharya and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois from an ancient text known as the Yoga Korunta, which they claimed described a unique system of hatha yoga developed by Vamana Rishi. The ashtanga method stresses daily vinyasa flow practice using mula bandha, ujjayi breathing, drishti and uddiyana bandha. There are 6 different Ashtanga series, with the help of which a student progresses at his own space.



Eight Limbs
Eight limbed yoga is what Ashtanga yoga reflects and it's the 8 various practices inherent in its teaching. The name given to these 8 practices are yama, niyama, pranayama, asana, dharana, pratyahara, dhyana and samadhi. When translated to English, these mean moral codes, self study, breath control, posture, concentration, sense control, meditation and absorption into the Universal.
In this type of yoga, the first four limbs are considered as external. Their main objective is to connect you with the physical world and incorporates practices to help make those connections more consequential and gentle. Enhanced flexibility, relief from stress, coordination, balance, endurance and strength  are some benefits of practicing the four external cleansing limbs. Some experts also opine that you can keep away from ailments such as digestive problems and joint pain by practicing this yoga. The second four limbs of this type of yoga are the internal cleansing practices. These are developed to help control your mind and are intended to help you control the six spiritual positions. When one practices these mental control techniques, the mind gets completely refreshed.

Ashtanga Classes
Today, several yoga studios offer yoga teacher training in ashtanga vinyasa through ashtanga classes. Here, the students are instructed about the various poses, generally in the primary or secondary series. 'Shala' is the name given to the studio. Once the students are well versed with the order of poses, they could often opt for self led or Mysore style practice. This presents a great opportunity for the students to practice at their own speed and the level of their capability and of course under the guidance of a teacher and in the company of other students. In the Mysore method, each pose is mastered by the students in sequence and are given new poses to work on when they are ready for it.


Yoga is a form of exercise which relies on the belief that the body and the breath are closely connected with the mind. This ancient art creates harmony when one controls the breath and holds the body in steady asanas. There are several physical and mental benefits of these asanas that are much beyond imagination. Remember, by doing all the asanas in this type of yoga, one can be mentally and physically fit to a great extent. That's the reason there are many yoga schools or studios offering ashtanga yoga teacher training India, which can put a spark among many who have adapted themselves with the unhealthy and hectic life.