Yoga

Yoga is the science of right living and as such, is intended to be incorporated in daily life. It works on all aspects of the person: the physical, vital, mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual.

The word yoga means 'unity' or 'oneness' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'yuj' which means to join. This unity or joining is described in spiritual terms as the union of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. On a more practical level, yoga is a means of balancing and harmonizing the body, mind and emotions. This is done through the practice of asanas, pranayama, mudra, bandha, shatkarma and meditation, and must be achieved before union can take place with the higher reality.

The science of yoga begins to work on the outermost aspect of the personality, the physical body, which for most people is a practical and familiar starting point.

For most people, however, yoga is simply a means of maintaining health and well- being in an increasingly stressful society. Asanas remove the physical discomfort accumulated during a day at the office sitting in a chair, hunched over a desk. Relaxations techniques help maximize the effectiveness of ever-diminishing time off. In an age of mobile phones, beepers and twenty four hour shopping, yogic practices make great personal and even business sense.

Ashtanga is a fast-paced, intense style of yoga. A set series of poses is performed, always in the same order. Ashtanga practice is physically demanding because of the constant movement from one pose to the next. In yoga terminology, this movement is called flow.

Vinyasa, which means breath-synchronized movement, tends to be a more vigorous style based on the performance of a series of poses called sun salutations, in which movement is matched to the breath. A Vinyasa class will typically start with a number of Sun Salutations to warm up the body for more intense stretching that's done at the end of class.

Ashtanga yoga: philosophical/spiritual description

Ashtanga is a Sanskrit word, which is created by joining two words, ashta and anga. Ashta means eight. Anga is translated as limbs. Ashtanga Yoga refers to the eight limbs of Yoga practice. Yoga is union. Yoga is a tangible method of attaining liberation from suffering and ultimate realization of supreme consciousness.

The eight limbs of Yoga practice are Yama (restraints), Niyama (observances), Asana(posture), pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (absorption).

The Yamas are the moral codes, which free the mind and life of a yoga practitioner from undesirable thoughts and feelings resulting from incorrect actions. The Yamas include, Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-theft), Brahmacharya (preserving vital energy) and Aparighraha (non-envy).

The Niyamas are those thoughts and activities, which promote a state of mind, which is conducive to Yoga. The Niyamas include Saucha (cleanliness), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (heat), Svadhyaya (study of the supreme), Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to the supreme).

The Asana practice is the gateway into the steps of Ashtanga Yoga. Asana practice, which includes Pranayama, returns the body to a radiant state of health and purifies the subtle energy body. This prepares the mind for meditation and encourages dysfunctional behavior patterns to be abandoned.

The Ashtanga Vinyasa asana practice system refers to a method of Yoga practice, which was described in the Yoga Kurunta, by Vamana Rishi. It includes hundreds of postures, which are sequentially linked by Vinyasa. Vinyasa is the breath-synchronized movements between postures. Three actions are emphasized in the Ashtanga Vinyasa method. Bandhas (locks or energy seals), Drishti (the gaze or looking place in each posture) and Ujjaii Pranayama (a sound induced breath applied to both the inhaling and exhaling breath).

When these principles are applied continuously, the Asana practice reveals the culmination of Ashtanga Yoga.