What are your needs?
Health improvement, flexibility, a new career or self-awareness.
What is yoga, anyway?
While yoga has been made popular for its health & fitness benefits, yoga
really means to unite with and expierence clear Awareness. Yoga does not claim to be a
religion, but properly understood, religion can be seen as a form of yoga.
For a detailed article on yoga as a path to self-awareness, see Yoga Definition.
Best Yoga for Health improvement & Flexibility:
Hatha
Yoga: see our Yoga Freeware for
more.
Hatha yoga is best learned at an early age. If you are just beginning yoga and are
older and somewhat stiff, you will only have to try some of the more advanced hatha yoga
asanas to understand that it may take more time than may be available to reach this kind
of a flexibility.
People with a physical disability may still derive benefits from gentle hatha yoga
exercises as taught specifically for yoga beginners.
Important asana tips for yoga beginners:
Make sure that you take your time to master each asana and never go beyond any pain while
stretching. Ignoring the pain may increase the risk of tendinitis which takes weeks or
even months to heal. Follow the advice of your experienced yoga teacher.
Best Yogas for a calm, peaceful State of Mind:
If you have an inate desire to go beyond the material, to know your Self and to
experience clear Awareness,
one of these yogas may be best for you regardless if you are beginning yoga or are
advancing to 'higher states'. Calmness, bliss and pure existence is the path to our real
nature.
bhakti
- yoga of love and devotion
kriya yoga
- raises the Life Force through Kriya Pranayamas (controlled breathing)
kundalini yoga - forces the dormant power to
ascend
laya yoga - employs visualization &
mantras
mantra
yoga - concentration on one thought
transcendental
yoga - simple system of mentally repeating a given Mantram
jnana
yoga - concentration on the first thought "I" (the most direct
approach)
meditation
- experiencing Pure Existence through stillness of mind
Some hatha techniques (mudras) balance
the energy flow through the chakras, which
also helps to clear the mind.
Pranayama tips for yoga beginners:
Pranayamas are techniques to control the breath, helping to calm the mind, making
it easier to concentrate, meditate and contemplate our real nature. However, there is also
a slight risk when overtaxing pranayama exercises.
Financial Costs:
There are a few yoga centers which may overburden your financial abilities. Know that most
of the knowledge is available with little cost. For guidance to a yoga center near you, a
correspondence course or simply written instructions found in books or on the web, check
out our international yoga centers
directory.
Related Articles:
Introduction to
self-realization | yoga
definition | gurus
and disciples | yoga
masters | yoga
traditions
Yoga Software Programs:
awareness e-book
| yoga freeware
| chakras
shareware | yantras
shareware
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