... three categories - the Yoga Postures (Asanas), Yoga Breathing (Pranayama) and Meditation. These categories embrace physiological, psychological, and biochemical effects. In addition, clinicians have compared these results against the Western practices of jogging, aerobic exercise, and weight training, and find results comparable.

The most popular style of Yoga in the West today is Hatha Yoga. It is designed to focuses on the physical well-being of a person and believers in the practice consider the body as the vehicle of the spirit.

Ananda Yoga, a classical style of Hatha Yoga, uses Asana and Pranayama to awaken, experience, and take control of the subtle energies within the body, and focuses on the energies of the seven Chakras.

Anusara (a-nu-SAR-a)yoga is defined as "stepping into the current of Divine Will", "following your heart", and "moving with the current of divine will." This new style, which was developed by John Friend, is defined as "yoga positions that flow from the heart." It is heart-oriented, spiritually inspiring, and is based on a deep knowledge of outer and inner body alignment. It is based on the principles of Hatha Yoga and biochemical practices. Students of this discipline base their practice on attitude, action, and alignment.

Ashtanga yoga could possibly be the per...more

Yoga Positions Positioning Yourself For Health

...Yoga the ancient art of breathing and stretching has long been favored as a natural way to achieve optimal fitness and ward off stress. Today, more and more people are turning to yoga to help them achieve what traditional exercise has not a mind/body connection that offers a greater level of health and inner peace.

Yoga positions consist of holding certain postures of the body while performing deep and precise breathing techniques. There are many types of yoga practice to which different people prescrib...more

benefits of Yoga

...One of the perks of practicing yoga regularly is achieving harmony between our body and soul. Many times we find that we cannot perform daily activities because of the chaos going on in our minds.

Yoga benefits are a sense of remarkable calmness... a positive outlook on life, which also benefits the physical health of the body.

Stress impacts us physically and emotionally. Yoga helps to relieve us of our stress. The end result is a balanced body and soul.

The various poses performed within a yoga routine help increase flexibility. The poses trigger the different joints of the body that are typically not used in other exercise routines.

Yoga also increases the lubrication of joints, ligament and tendons. The well-researched yoga...more

Ayurveda, Yoga - Unique Indian Culture

...spiritual practices. Their methods are similar and work by expelling excess dosha and ama, or toxins, using the body's natural routes of elimination.

Modern yoga practitioners would most certainly benefit from a basic knowledge of Ayurveda to help establish a healthy daily routine and adjust their practice according to the constitution, dosha imbalance, season to prevent disease and promote longevity.

In a Nutshell - Yoga is part of Ayurveda. Yoga is important for dissolving physical stress and calming the mind before meditation, and is the ideal exercise, because it rejuvenates the body, improves digestion, and removes stress. This is part of Yoga, At the same time, yoga practitioners can benefit from the daily routine as part of their yoga practice. For instance, abhyanga (ayurvedic massage) helps remove toxins from the body and relaxes the muscles for yoga practice.

And it is obvious that Ayurveda and Yoga share similarities and fundamental principles on many levels and should be practiced in a combined manner to achieve optimal health, peace and to develop the capacity to love and accept all as Divine.<...more