Tag: India
It might surprise many people to learn that yoga has a long history in the United States. For a lot of Americans, their knowledge of yoga may only date back to the 1960s, when the concepts of spiritualism and meditation were embraced by the countrys counterculture.
But it might surprise you to learn that yoga has a far longer history in the U.S., dating back to the late 1800s.
In 1883, the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago welcomed Swami Vivekananda, who received a standing ovation when he greeted his “sisters and brothers in America” in the audience. His idea that all of the religions of the world are merely separate parts of a larger religion was a new concept to those hearing him speak about the mind, body and spirit.
Swami Vivekananda was followed by Yogendra Mastamani, also from India, who arrived in the U.S. and settled on Long Island, N.Y. in 1919 and established the American version of Kaivalyadhama, an Indian organization that made major strides in the scientific exploration of yoga. Mastamani introduced Hatha Yoga to the United States.
A year later, Paramahansa Yogananda, of one the most well-known yogis in the U.S., settled in Boston and brought kriya yoga to the United States. He created the Self-Realization Fellowship, which now has its headquarters in Los Angeles. Yogananda also wrote the world-famous best seller, “Autobiography of a Yogi”, a book that is still an inspirational resource for many yoga instructors and students.
In the 1930s, Jiddu Krishnamurti brought the yogi to new level of awareness in the U.S. thanks to this popular, eloquent speeches on Jnana-Yoga yoga, which is the yoga of discernment. His enlightening talks brought him attention from a number of celebrities, including actors Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo and writers Aldous Huxley and George Bernard Shaw.
In 1924, the U.S. imposed a restriction on the number of Indians it would allow to move to the U.S., meaning students who sought the teachings of yogis had to travel to India. One of these students was Theos Bernard, who traveled to India and came back in 1947 to write the book “Hatha Yoga: The Report of a Personal Experience”, an influential book which is still widely today.
The same year that Bernard penned his examination of Hatha Yoga, Russian-born yogi Indra Devi opened one of the first Hatha Yoga studios in Hollywood and earned the title First Lady of Yoga. In addition to housewives across the nation, Devi counted among her fans Hollywood stars Gloria Swanson, Robert Ryan and Jennifer Jones. Devi passed away in her Buenos Ares home in 2002.
But the man who is generally credited with introducing yoga to middle America is not even a native of India. Richard Hittleman, who studied in India for a number of years and returned to the States in 1950 to become a yoga instructor in New York, introduced a non-spiritual-based yoga to the United States and forever changed the way yoga was thought of and taught in America. It was Hittleman who placed emphasis on the physical side of yoga, letting a Western audience focus on the bodily aspects of yoga and not just the mind. Hittleman’s goal was to teach American students to gradually embrace the spiritual side of yoga, which many people have.
While Hittleman was expanding the influence of yoga on the East Coast, Walt and Magana Baptiste were building yogas reputation as a viable study on the West Coast with their San Francisco studio established in the mid 1950s. Both of the Baptistes were students of Yogananda and Walt brought the influence of Vivekananda to the practice, creating an entirely new approach to yoga. Their yoga influence is being continued by their daughter and son, Sherri and Baron.
Also in San Francisco, Swami Vishnu-devananda, arrived from India in 1958 and, with sponsorship from famed artist Peter Max, created the landmark book, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. It became an essential guide for yoga instructors and practitioners. Vishu-devananga would later go on to create the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta yoga centers, which has become one of most prominent yoga school franchises in the entire world.
As the 1960s embrace of counterculture got into full swing, more and more people began to investigate the spirituality of yoga and possibly the most famous group of yoga practitioners were The Beatles, whose association with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi made him one of the most famous yogis in the world. He created the Transcendental Meditation school of yoga that today employs more than 40,000 instructors and approximately 4 million followers worldwide.
In the late 1960, Harvard professor Richard Alpert left on a journey through India and returned as Ram Dass, who captured the imagination of the young people of America and sparked their interest in the potential of yoga with his 1970 college tour to support his book, Be Here Now. It implanted the idea of taking a spiritual quest as a dream of many young people.
In the 1970s, yoga continued to grow as studios began popping up all over the nation. Mount Madonna, founded by Baba Hari Dass, brought residential yoga instruction to Santa Cruz, California. Shrila Prabhubada began the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which led to the international spiritual study of Bhakti Yoga. In the mid-70s, Pattabhi Jois came to the U.S. and brought Ashtanga-vinyasa Yoga to the masses At Woodstock, Swami Satchitananda was probably the most popular non-musician to appear there. Swami Sivananda Radha is the female yogi credited with first investigating the link between the spirituality and psychology of yoga. And the teachings of Swamii Chidananda, who himself was a student of yoga master Swami Sivananda, were delivered to the world by one of his former students, instructor Liliias Folan through her landmark PBS television series “Lilias, Yoga and You” which aired on the network from 1970 to 1979 and made yoga available in every home in the U.S.
Yoga has continued its influence across America with classes and studios in cities all over, from the smallest town to the major metro areas. In addition, the advent of digital media, including CDs, DVDs and streaming Internet video, yoga can go anywhere, further giving it a foothold in the United States.
We all know that long term eating disorders can be potentially harmful and dangerous to our health. The most common eating disorders are: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Anorexia nervosa (commonly called Anorexia) – is a psychiatric illness that describes an eating disorder characterized by extreme low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight.
Bulimia nervosa (commonly called Bulimia) – is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviours. The most common form is self-induced vomiting, fasting, use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics and over-exercising are also common.
Eating disorders are better dealt with when your mind is calm. To become more peaceful and calm yoga can be of great help. It has been said that by practicing yoga regularly we can reduce depression and restore a balance of the mind.
Yoga can be a great tool and should be utilized in treating eating disorders. That doesnt mean we stop getting help from the professional medical world. But what we can do is to have the best of both worlds; the medical field of brilliant minds and the intuitive and spiritual world to help us calm our mind and lift our spirit.
Bulimia and anorexia have a very huge potential to destroy lives, and not only the lives of the sick but also the lives of their family and friends. If professional help is not sought there could be painful and tragic consequences. And there is help at hand.
So if you have an eating disorder or you know someone who has helped them by encouraging them to take up yoga. A well-maintained medical program combined with yoga can do wonders.
Everyone has the power to take control of their life. With the help and support of the medical community, their nearest-and-dearest and yoga community they have the chance to fully recover and become once again healthy and happy individuals.
If you are knew to yoga you may get confused of the different types of yoga on a market today. There is Hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Scientific yoga, Bikram yoga, Power yoga, Sivananda yoga, and many others.
The most common form of yoga is Hatha and Scientific yoga which are the nearest to the true ancient form of yoga from India. The classes will include relaxation and deep breathing which are both very important to release stress and keep the mind calmer.
Power and Ashtanga yoga yoga are more aerobic-style yoga, with emphasis on cardio. Bikram yoga is performed in a heated room to accelerate detoxification.
Hatha yoga flowered in the West in the late sixties and early seventies when several prominent yoga masters traveled to America. They traveled the length and breadth of the country, introducing a new generation to an ancient practice. It didnt take long for their students to recognize the benefits of yoga and it continued to grow in popularity. Today, yoga is a household word.
There was no such thing as yoga apparel in those early days until entrepreneurial students started a cottage industry. Back then, the only pattern they had to work from was their pajamas. Pajamas were an interesting choice, since the word comes from a Hindi word that means leg garment, though pajamas were never actually worn by yogis in India, who traditionally wore nothing but a loincloth, if that.
Loose fitting, cool cotton pajamas provided a pattern, but in order for the pajama style pant to be functional as yoga apparel, some changes had to be made. Thicker drawstrings and heavier elastic replaced thin waistbands and heavier cloth was used instead of the flimsy cotton and synthetics used in the manufacture of sleepwear. The frequent choice of unbleached cotton reflected the growing trend towards natural, organic foods, as did the use of natural, earth-toned dyes.
Yoga pants were so comfortable that people wanted to wear them everywhere. Pockets were added and the market for them grew beyond the yoga community. Some of those small one sewing machine companies grew into larger boutique manufacturing companies. In an effort to compete in an ever-growing market, they refined their designs and the materials they used. Today, yoga apparel has become so popular that even fashion labels like Victorias Secret carry a range of yoga pants and tops.
The serious student of hatha yoga puts functionality ahead of fashion when they choose their yoga pants. Whether its one of the natural and synthetic blends like cotton/lycra or the natural fibers like hemp and organic cotton, theres never a problem finding yoga pants that are functional and look good, as well. Yoga pants that impede or restrict movement in any way are not really yoga pants theyre a fashion statement. When youre stretching into the standing tree pose (vrilshasana), you dont want to have to stop to adjust your pant leg and when youre lying on the floor, stretching your legs behind your head into the plow position (halasana), you dont want to feel like you have to hitch up the back of your pants. Yoga pants should move as fluidly and flexibly as the body of the practitioner and stay put around the waist.
With typical Western ingenuity, yoga was embraced and adapted to suit its new home, but basically it remains the same. There was little if any improvement needed to be made to the ancient art of hatha yoga. All that was needed was for us to create a range of apparel that suited the modern age. It may be a humble contribution to yoga, but its a welcome one, because yogas benefits are too numerous to be kept to the select few who prefer a loincloth to a pair of yoga pants!
India is rightly known as the World Capital of Yoga and the word yoga is from the Sanskrit language which means to unite or to attach. Yoga is widely believed to be in existence as old as civilization. Yoga poses are known to be found in stone seals from around 3000 B.C , although some believe that yoga was prevalent even before that and an other form of body postures ‘shamanism’ which was similar to Yoga. Yoga could be classified into four periods namely Vedic period, Pre-Classical Yoga, Classical Yoga and Post-Classical Yoga. Yoga restores balance and peace into our lives and helps in the physical, mental and psychological well being of an individual. India’s yoga retreats are very traditional and authentic in their treatment which follows the ancient teachings of ‘yoga asanas’. There are many yoga retreats packages that have come into existence through the length and breadth of India.
These yoga retreats emphasize on leading an ashram life and guests are treated very divinely and gracefully. They are instructed to undergo many practices such as meditation lessons, chanting classes, daily yoga etc and they are provided a very soothing environment as it is surrounded by farms and the guests could interact with the local population and get an insight into their lives. Guests are given practice in various facets of yoga for therapeutic guidance and they are also aided if they want to pursue aesthetic and a spiritual path in their lives. yoga thus has the tenacity to bring a change in our outlook towards life and turn us into more reformed beings. It is really a revelation to know that how the minute changes in the life style and dietary habits could bring a world of change in the overall well being of an individual.
These retreats also take special care in the culinary and dietary habits of the guests. It is pure Organic vegetarian food on a very strict time policy and a strict no- alcohol policy. The guests are even involved in the farming in the gardens with the morning sun and they could offer help in the cooking arena thus making their stay as close to home and warm as possible. The massages are performed in a very meticulous manner as the guest requirements vary from one another. They provide an environment to free all types of stress be it professional or personal and help in rejuvenating and reprising our lives to restart our lives on a refreshed note.
Stressed out individuals carry a great deal of physical tension in their bodies. In these cases the natural unblocking effected by yoga postures are helpful. When one rests between postures, abdominal tension is released from the body promoting deep breathing. The benefits of yoga postures (asana), breathing (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) include increased body awareness, release of muscular tension and increased coordination between mind-and body. It helps in better management of stress and ensures an overall feeling of well being.
Yoga is an ancient practice of controlling body and mind which originated in India a few thousand years ago. It is a practice by which there occurs a physical and mental harmony. The Yoga that is practiced all over the world is actually called ‘Hath Yoga’ a component of the wholesome Yogic practices. There are many sections in yogic practices which have got different implications.
Yoga has considered internal purification of the human body in depth. The shuddhikriyas (Cleansing Process) have been planned with a view to have total purification of the body before various samskaras are made thereon for baking the body in the fire named Yoga so as to turn the body into a ripe vehicle. The organs where there can be a lot of impurities require these shuddhikriyas. The internal organs, which come into contact with the external matters regularly, need to be purified.
If you are pregnant, you are very likely to suffer from occasional depression, anxiety disorders or panic attacks They should let you move freely in different yoga poses by telling you the benefits and also the dangers.
Supported Bridge Pose (you may want to place a folded blanket under your shoulders to give your neck some extra support and protection):
Lying flat on the floor, belly up, bend your knees so that your feet are as close to your buttocks as possible. Make sure your feet are placed firmly on the ground. Inhale and on the exhale lift your pelvis and buttocks up, off the floor. Your thighs and inner feet should stay parallel to each other. Move your arms underneath you for extra support and clasp your hands together. Lift your pelvis and buttocks up until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Make sure your knees are directly above your heels.
Lifestyle changes can help you control your anxiety. Identify all the things that may be contributing to the problem. Some causes may be in our control to remove others may not. Meditate for a deep detachment from everything external. This will reduce the suffering of anxiety. Meditating on oneness with everything will reduce fear and bring solitude and comfort.
Here are a few simple and basic asanas that help relieve stress:
Savasana:
It is also known as the corpse pose and is happens to be a a stress reliever.
Makarasana:
Makara means crocodile. While performing this asana the body assumes the shape of a crocodile. It is as effective as Savasana.
Balasana:
This is also known as the child’s pose. While doing this asana you have to bend forward in such a way that your back is gently rounded.