Hatha yoga, originally developed by Yogi Swatmarama during the Classical period in the 15th century, is based on the eightfold path codified in the Yoga Sutra. The eight limbs of this path consist of:
The history of yoga can be traced back to 3000 BC from stone tablets with identifiable poses depicted on them. Although yoga is primarily a self-focused discipline, historians believe its roots are grounded in shamanism and its community-based, Stone Age practices. The history of yoga is inextricably tied to the historical progression of the Indian religion and culture and can be divided into four movements: the Vedic, pre-Classical, Classical and post-Classical.
According to WebMD, almost 11 million Americans practice yoga, so yoga is clearly not a passing fad. Yoga encourages a healthy lifestyle by incorporating the mind/body dynamic in its practice. The benefits of yoga include:
Yoga is both a physical and a spiritual ritual used to increase the body’s flexibility while calming the mind. This mind/body duality is signified by the name itself: “yuj” is a Sanskrit verb meaning “to unite.” When Westerners consider what is yoga, they are generally thinking of Hatha yoga, which literally means “forceful” yoga and incorporates poses with regulated breathing. However, there are now a wide range of different disciplines that have grown more popular in the U.S., including “hot” yoga practiced in studios with temperatures up to 105 degrees. Despite the different techniques and names, yoga is fundamentally a way of treating the body with respect by listening to it through meditation, challenging it through the poses and using breathing to make everything come together.
When the beginning yoga or ayurvedic student asks the question, “How do ayurveda and yoga work together?” the answer may be as simple as considering how the two modalities complement and function seamlessly together. The principles of ayurveda incorporate the three doshas (or energies) that constitute the world around us, as well as our body types. By discovering which dosha governs your constitutional make-up, you can find a complementary form of yoga to harness that energy most effectively for an enhanced sense of well-being and then discover how both ayurveda and yoga work best together. Read the rest of this entry
Walking into the studio with your comfy clothes on and your gym bag slung over your shoulder may be like entering an oasis, away from the day-to-day stresses of reality; but once you drive out of the parking lot afterward, your once-cleared mind fills up again with what to make for dinner, who to pick up from what after-school event and that schedule change you need to make at the office. A yoga retreat allows you to focus on your yoga practice in a nurturing, stress-free environment, generally away from those distractions that take us out of ourselves. A yoga retreat can also be a vacation getaway with a little yoga thrown in so consider what you ultimately want to take away with you, as well as your budget constraints. Read the rest of this entry
Running is one of the most inexpensive and easiest ways to stay in shape, theoretically, but it can also be one of the most destructive when it comes to the toll it can take on the muscles and joints. Many beginning runners start off with a good pair of running shoes, a training log and high hopes, but over the course of a month may find themselves with aches and pains they never thought possible. Slow and steady wins the race, but this concept can be lost on the novice runner who, like the hare in Aesop’s fable, may take off fast then get sidelined by injuries, only to be beaten by the more conservative tortoise. Read the rest of this entry
The Manduka eKO Yoga Mat is the heaviest mat I have ever owned but also the most luxurious for the level of cushion it provides. It has a lovely texture and unrolled perfectly flat from the very first time I used it. The lime green is beautiful and I didnt notice any offensive smell as others have commented on ecological yoga mats.
I purchased my first yoga towel a couple of years ago after growing weary of the beach towel I had been toting around to classes. I am a simple yogi and try not to buy into the latest trends in fear of becoming (gasp!) … mainstream. The allure of the slip-resistant nubs on the Yogitoes Towel proved too much for me and I’ve used it ever since. That is until I experienced the Manduka eQua Yoga Towel.