Living Peace - What is Yoga?Yoga Firstly, let me get all the Yoga cliches out in this first paragraph.... Yoga means "Union" and it brings body, mind and spirit back into alignment. Yoga is so much more than just physical postures (asana) - it is a practise that uses the body and breath to return peace and equanimity to the mind, and bring you closer to your true divine nature. The philosophy and techniques of yoga are taught on the mat, but then are used off the mat out in the big wide world. For example, noticing that you are competitive in class or have a tendency to push yourself too hard brings the realization that if you are doing that in a yoga class, then you are more than likely also doing it in your daily life. Yoga brings awareness …show more content…
Yoga is not a religion, however it can enhance which ever faith you come from. Even if you don't believe in God, it can help you be happier and live a more fullfilling life by teaching you to be more present and open hearted. You do not have to be flexible, young, fit, strong or disease/illness-free to do Yoga. It is suitable for ALL people as each pose (asana) can be adjusted to suit your body's needs. Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you what Yoga means to me. My first ever yoga class was in India, where a teacher lead me through my first round of Sun Salutations. As she taught the class, her 2 year old son proceeded to climb all over her like a monkey gym - dangling from her whilst she stretched in Dog pose, jumping on top of her whilst reclined in Cobra pose. My busy little western mind was thinking "I paid good money for this, I shouldn't have to be distracted by this little child!" The reality was, I paid about 50 cents for the class (wow, a real bank breaker) and it was "I" who was allowing myself to be …show more content…
It was then I decided that I wanted some of that too! And ever since, yoga has been part of my life. On returning to Australia I began regular yoga classes, I started to practice at home, buy yoga books, magazines, dvds, soft and gentle music to practice by, and anything else to do with yoga. Over the years I have studied with many wonderful yoga teachers (Simon Borg-Olivier, Mark Breadner, Saul David Raye, Guru Jivan, John Ogilvie, just to name a few), and have dived into various different styles such as Synergy, Iyengar, Kundalini, Ashtanga, Viniyoga and Vinyasa. I have also enjoyed studying various faiths and traditions such as teachings from Ram Dass (my beloved teacher), Buddhism, energy healing (Ignite Your Spirit), Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Tai Chi and dance. I have gratefully learnt so much from all of these teachers, styles and traditions, and this is what I bring into teaching yoga. Yoga does not refer to asana postures only, therefore besides the physical poses, each class also involves a spiritual teaching that can be used in daily life, as well as practices such as pranayama (breath control), meditation, chanting, mantra and any technique that can bring us back to
The domicile was initially erected in the belated 1800's by a mysteriously ancient man named Beck Lieman. Lieman initiated his life in Springfield and later migrated to the windy city of Chicago after his parents keeled over to commence a new, gleaming life. He accessed the construction business prior apprenticing for a local carpenter who specialized in building extravagant bungalows.He soon became the main builder in all of the marvelous city. His last building he ever built was in the heart of downtown Chicago. The apartment was made of captivating Indiana limestone and stood three stories to the sky. Every one of Lineman's buildings were themed on both the inside and the outside. He had always had a fascination with the great Charles
With so many religions and the world getting smaller every day, intricacies of a religion can easily be lost and with the taboo of discussing religion and politics in public, often times, these religions only come up when they are under fire. This holds true for Islam more than any other. To the outsider, Muslim traditions can seem strange, such as the call to prayer, but to the billion practitioners worldwide, it’s an invitation to accept Allah as God and Muhammad as his messenger (Prayer). Other, mainly Eastern religions, lose some of their potency in translation to the West. Practices like yoga in the Western world are mainly seen as exercise and a way to unwind but to religious practitioners, yoga literally means “to yoke” life, divinity and reality. The contemplative nature of the practice is lost on the West (Philosophical Hinduism).
Image having to leave home with a mother and brother, your brother dying on the way, a mother leaving you with a strange new family, never seeing them again, then making new friends and family, then all die from a bombing. That’s exactly what happened to Liesel Meminger in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Through all these hardships Liesel endures in her new life she carries her heart for her books new family,and new home.
Brian Bodeker 8/13/15 Block 1 World Literature 10, Mr. Simon Summer Reading Assignment Book 1: What went on in the house of Odysseus? 1. Where is Odysseus? Odysseus was exiled for twenty years from Ithica, but he returned home from the Island of Ogygia with Calypso (1.1).
Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.
Deemed the “land of opportunity,” by those who emigrated to America, it is only natural that as our country grew, so to would the development of new concepts, introduction of new practices, and influence from outside nations. While it may not be common knowledge, the concept, and practice, of yoga was introduced to the United States just over 100 years after the Declaration of Independence
Yoga has permitted innumerable quantities of individuals everywhere throughout the world the chance to enhance their physical and emotional wellness. There are numerous modalities and strategies by and by and anybody can do it. For sure, there is a style that is pertinent for pretty much anyone write, sought deciding objective or conviction framework. Be that as it may, for a few, essentially being focused on yoga as a normal type of activity isn't fulfilling enough - they need to do or know or take in more.
Yoga has been associated with stress. The larger the amount of stress a person has, the less likely that person is to feel in control of themselves and their surroundings. Yoga has also been linked to a person’s health and wellbeing. During a one week experiment, a researcher did yoga once a day at 7:00 pm for a half hour. A survey was taken twice, in hour intervals, after the yoga session was completed, at 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm. The surveys are what was used to find the data that created the results of the experiment. One type of yoga, integrated yoga, was used throughout the week. The results concluded yoga helps relieve stress for one hour after the session was completed, but was stressed again shortly after that hour was finished. Different styles of yoga classes could be offered and more times could be made available at the Elmen Center. Yoga is currently offered at 4:30 pm in the Back Alley, but more class times could be 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. Different styles include hot yoga, iyengar yoga, or hatha yoga. To improve evaluations, a person could add questions about their level of stress before and after the yoga class. These improvements will allow researchers to see if the results are true for the majority of people.
Nobody likes feeling like the outsider, whether it be the third wheel at the movies, looking physically different than everyone else, or in my case being the only one at a yoga class that doesn’t know what on earth is going on. While at SDSU, I decided I wanted to branch out and take as many opportunities as possible and try something new. There are many different activities that students can be apart of at SDSU, and a yoga class is one of them. Why not take a yoga class where I can feel physically active and good about myself for trying to not gain the freshman fifteen? Why not try something new and exciting that I have never done before? Why not make a fool of myself feeling like everyone is staring at me saying, “What is she doing?” Well, after taking the class I could find a few reasons why it may have been a poor decision; however, there are a lot of reasons why it was a great new experience that I would definitely try again.
Nowadays life of people has become quite stressful. To reduce stress people are getting addicted to things like alcohol, tobacco and drugs. People are searching numerous ways to reduce stress. The best way to reduce stress is through meditation and yoga. Meditation and yoga is the complete package through which you can make your life fit, healthy and stress-free. Yoga and meditation when practiced together strengthen the body and mind connection, improving overall fitness and well-being. Both yoga and meditation, when done regularly, has proven to be highly beneficial. Though the practices of yoga and meditation have their roots in ancient cultures, both have become modern day movements.
My yoga journey started more than ten years ago with an intense and dedicated interest in learning yoga postures from Ashtanga, Hatha, Jivamukti, etc. In the beginning I practised most days of the week and imagined that I would never tire, in spite of long trips to the studio in the early hours of the morning. A pleasant reward was that my blood pressure dropped back to normal and I could stop taking medicines. So, from the start, I knew that yoga could provide health benefits as well as an enormous feeling of wellbeing. No matter how tired and fed-up one felt at the beginning of a session, the mental lift afterwards was deeply satisfying. Meditation, Savasana, or corpse posture, wound up every session so it also became clear that postures or asanas were only part of the remedy. Meditation and yoga practise from the very beginning fired my interest in searching for an inner consciousness. This is an easily misunderstood word and means many different things to many different people. Some will associate it with awareness, or mindfulness
Throughout this six week session I've gained a much better understanding of yoga and how it really works. I've learned that yoga not only helps the body flexibility but also helps you throughout the day from the different techniques you learn and do on a daily basis. In fact, what I find interesting about yoga is that it's not all about physical activity but being one with yourself, as if getting to know yourself throughout these exercises. I also feel as though yoga helps release tension and negative energy from the body, while clearing the mind and making you feel like a new person after exercising. For example, every morning that I wake up there are times I don't want to get out of bed or do anything, but once I get to class it's like a heavy burden been released off of my shoulders and I begin to feel good and happy. Doing yoga puts me in a better mood.
The benefits of Yoga are endless. It effects the human mind and body in a variety of ways. Roughly 15 million Americans practice yoga, annually there is an expected increase of twenty percent in participants in the United States ("Yoga Statistics"). While Yoga is often thought of as a practice that involves circus like poses and seemingly impossible flexibility; it not. Even bedridden patients can gain benefit from imagining themselves going through the poses and practicing breathing techniques that are appropriate to them (Dickenson 24-25). Yoga is not something that you do at the studio and leave behind. It becomes a way of life; leading to healthier habits, improving psychological health, and encouraging spiritual growth. An article on
Yoga is a practical aid, not a religion. Yoga is an ancient art based on a harmonizing system of development for the body, mind, and spirit. The continued practice of yoga will lead you to a sense of peace and well-being, and also a feeling of being at one with their environment. This is a simple definition.
Yoga meditation is an exercise program that includes stretching and exercises that use deep breathing to bring peace and tranquility. While it’s true that you can meditate without performing yoga, yoga on the other hand, always involves some form of meditation.