Yoga For Life

Yoga is an ancient Indian philosophy that enhances personal growth and well being. Although it is a systemic philosophical approach, yoga is not a religion, but complementary with most spiritual paths.

The physical aspect of Yoga (Hatha Yoga) use poses and focused breathing, called asanas. requiring concentration and discipline. The result is a greater union of mind, body and spirit. Anyone, regardless or body type, age, experience, or physical abilities, can practice yoga.

Pop culture would have us believe that yoga involves contorting your body into uncomfortable positions while staring at a candle and breathing incense. You will see that yoga is much more than that. It is a series of exercises that can be done by almost all people - not just the young who are in shape and healthy. Yoga can be performed by senior citizens, disabled people, and even children.

Yoga is a tool for gaining body-mind awareness to enhance whatever spiritual/religious beliefs you have. A yoga session will leave you feeling energized and relaxed. You will work your muscles and will properly align your bones; you will breathe deeply, oxygenating the lungs and blood; you will experience true deep relaxation.
By bringing awareness to the body, and working the muscles, you are able to more deeply relax them then from any other form of exercise. You will gain a deeper appreciation of your body and mind through yoga in a way that no other exercise program will.

People who have done no physical exercise at all, as well as Olympic athletes, find enormous benefits from Yoga. The foundation of traditional yoga is careful alignment of your body as you hold the poses. This precision and the awareness that comes with it, leads to tremendous growth, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

As in all great arts and sciences, to become proficient in yoga requires effort, determination, and practice. But then, the fruit we reap is always in proportion to the seeds we sow and nurture. Thus, if you are looking for a quick fix, an instant cure, a quelling of surface symptoms while the true ailment remains unhealed, you will not find satisfaction in yoga.
On the other hand, if you want to keep or regain your health, vitality and vigor; if you want to feel younger and stronger; and if you are looking for a perfectly balanced and complete form of exercise that can be started by anyone over seven years of age, in any condition, and which becomes more challenging as you get more advanced, yoga is for you!
There are many benefits of a regular yoga practice. Not only does yoga help maintain a healthy lifestyle, it clears your mind and provide clarity of focus - something we all could use from time to time! Let's look at the benefits of yoga.

The many different types of yoga can be confusing. Each style or "branch" speaks to different issues, and is designed with specific methods in mind. Here, we discuss the many styles of Yoga.

Hatha yoga is one of six branches; the others include raja, karma, bhakti, jnana, and tantra yoga. Hatha is a combination of the two Sanskrit terms "ha" meaning sun and "tha" meaning moon. It is the precursor to Raja Yoga, and is considered a preparatory stage of physical purification leading to higher form of yoga meditation. Hatha Yoga is a holistic discipline and includes moral disciples, physical poses called asanas, different purification rituals breathing practices and meditation. In the West, Hatha yoga is mainly used for physical purposes.

Raja Yoga

Raja means "royal," and meditation is the focal point. This approach involves strict adherence to the eight "limbs" of yoga as put forth by Patanajli in the Yoga Sutras. Raja Yoga follow this order: ethical standards, or yama; self-discipline, or niyama; posture, or asana; breath extension or control, or pranayama; sensory withdrawal, or pratyahara; concentration, or dharana; meditation, or dhyana; and ecstasy or final liberation, called samadhi. Raja yoga is typically followed by religious orders and spiritual communities.

Karma Yoga

Karma yoga, or the path of service, proclaims that none of us can escape this path. The principle of karma yoga is that what we experience today is created by our actions in the past. It is believed that all of our present efforts become a way to consciously create a future that frees us from being bound by negativity and selfishness.

Karma yoga is not a physical effort, but is a lifestyle. When we do service in benefit of others, we are practicing karma yoga. Community volunteering, joining the Peace Corps, or any activity in service to others is considered to be karma yoga.

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion, and is considered to be the yoga of the heart. Seeing the divine in all of creation, bhakti yoga is a positive way to channel your emotions. Through bhakti yoga, we are given an opportunity to cultivate acceptance and tolerance for everyone we come into contact with.

Jnana Yoga

Jnana yoga is the yoga of the mind and wisdom, and is the path of the sage or scholar. This branch requires development of the intellect through the study of the scriptures and texts of the yogic tradition. Jnana is considered the most difficult of the branches, but at the same time the most direct. It involves serious study and will appeal to those who are more intellectually inclined.

Tantra Yoga

Tantra yoga, the sixth branch, is the pathway of ritual, which includes consecrated sexuality. To be "consecrated" means to make sacred, or to set apart as something holy. In tantric practice we seek the Divine in everything we do. A reverential attitude is cultivated, encouraging a ritualistic approach to life. Although tantra has become associated exclusively with sexual ritual, most tantric schools actually recommend a celibate lifestyle.