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Types of Yoga in India

September 6, 2011 By 1 Comment

Yoga originated thousands of years ago in India. A common way of life at that time, the ancient Rishis abided by the principles of yoga to live their lives. Yoga, as we know it today, began later at around 500 B.C. This miraculous approach to well being, was discovered by those in other parts of the world and soon, yoga found its way into the lives of people miles away from the country of its origin. Today, yoga is a popular form of exercise that has flourished throughout the world, especially in the west. It’s rare to find anyone who has not heard of yoga. But how is the situation for yoga in India? Do people still practice yoga there? The answer is yes. In fact, it is thriving in the country of its origin, especially when Yoga Gurus like Baba Ramdev and Bikram Choudhury have been acting as catalysts in spreading awareness about yoga and its benefits. Yoga classes and yoga schools are popping up everywhere; TV channels are dedicating significant time slots to yoga shows. Yoga camps are organized all over India, and are broadcasted live on TV channels; we might as well say that yoga has never been so much in the buzz before. Here are a few yoga types popular in India today.

Ashtanga yoga: This is a vigorous form of Hatha yoga which is based on eight-fold path of yoga termed by Patanjali as abstinences (Yama), observances (Niyama), postures (Asana), breath control (Pranayama), sense withdrawal (Pratyahara), concentration (Dharana), meditation (Dhyana) and contemplation (Samadhi). In fact, the term “Ashtanga” itself means eight limbs in Sanskrit. Ashtanga yoga includes everything we’ve known yoga to be; from postures to breathing exercises to meditation; it’s a complete package for physical, emotional and mental well-being.

Kundalini yoga: Kundalini yoga is one of the most spiritual forms of yoga, challenging the practitioner both physically and mentally. This yoga type is based on the philosophy that a spiritual energy or life force is situated at the base of the spine, which is usually conceptualized as a coiled serpent. In fact, Kundalini or kundala literally means coiled in Sanskrit. So, Kundalini yoga aims at attaining enlightenment which is believed to be achieved only when the Kundalini energy situated at the base of the spine reaches the crown. Kundalini yoga is also believed to cure a number of ailments like asthma, diabetes, stress related diseases and even mental disorders. No wonder people are flocking to Kundalini yoga classes.

Sivananda yoga: A yoga type that emphasizes on frequent relaxation and full yogic breathing, Sivananda yoga aims at spreading peace, health and joy. This yoga style focuses on asana, pranayama, relaxation, proper diet, positive attitude and meditation with twelve basic asanas setting the foundation of each asana practice. Since this yoga type is gentle, it can be practiced by people of all ages.

Hatha yoga: This yoga type is not just popular in the United States; it is widely practiced in India. Usually practiced for emotional, psychological and physical health, this yoga type has been widely embraced for its stress reducing qualities. Like most yoga types, Hatha yoga also involves asanas (poses), breathing exercise (pranayama) and meditation.

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Purna Yoga

August 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

“Yoga is not to be performed, yoga is to be lived.” Aadil Palkhivala could not have put it in words better than these.

Yoga goes beyond stretching and meditation, beyond physical and mental well-being. Yoga is not solely exercising and meditating that you perform for a specific amount of time, it’s a way of life; a way that inspires us to live as wholesome individuals. If you’ve been looking for a yoga type that makes you complete as an individual, look no further than Purna yoga. The name of this yoga type speaks for itself. Meaning “complete”, “total”, or “integral” in Sanskrit, no other name could have done better justice to this yoga type than the word Purna.

Purna yoga is a style of yoga that focuses on harmony and unification of the body, the mind and the soul. Featuring the precision and alignment that you would normally find in Iyengar yoga, Purna yoga aims at making the practitioner physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually aware. If you’re concerned about your progress, in Purna yoga, there is absolutely no competition or compulsion to master the moves. You get to learn and improve at your own pace. The competition is with yourself. This is an aspect of Purna yoga that is definitely going to help you love yourself and your body while striving to become a better individual at the same time.

Purna yoga is one type of yoga that has it all; stretching to make your body flexible, meditation to make your mind aware and at peace. Asana, meditation and pranayama combined with nutrition and yogic living truly make this yoga type worth being a way of life. And as you go through various poses aligning your body carefully, you grow not only in body and mind but as an individual as well.

If you want to experience how being a complete individual really feels, try a Purna yoga class. Purna yoga has changed the lives of hundreds of practitioners by improving their flexibility and strength, creating mental clarity and focus and bringing about emotional balance. And above all, it’s suitable for all ages and is even believed to facilitate healing of injuries. Purna yoga comes highly recommended with many benefits for its practitioners.

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Jnana Yoga

August 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Truth about who we are and what we are going through in our lives is something we are all eager to learn about. But the truth is often hidden behind veils, veils of misconception and illusions for us to uncover. Unraveling the truth can be anything but easy. However, it is not impossible. If you turn to the way of life that was practiced thousands of years ago and which is believed to cure illnesses of the body, the mind and the soul; namely yoga, the truth can, indeed, be found. Though there are many different yoga types that lead to the truth, nothing does that better than Jnana yoga.

Jnana yoga, also called Gyana yoga, is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies. The word Jnana means “knowledge” in Sanskrit and thus, Jnana yoga is a yoga type often referred to as “path of knowledge”. Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge, the path to the truth. Based on the Hindu philosophy of non-dualism called Advaita Vedanta, Jnana yoga helps you realize who you are and what experiences you are having thus leading you closer to the truth. Jnana yoga helps you clear the fog and see your true selves in a whole new light. The illusion with which we view ourselves and our life is removed and the void is filled by the truth, the enlightenment which people want to attain.

In the practice of Jnana yoga, the prime focus is on mediation when the practitioner sheds all deluded feelings of life and oneself to learn the absolute truth. The deluded thoughts and feelings are patiently removed, time and again if required, to become in tune with the reality. One common technique used to obtain this attunement with reality is neti-neti which means “not this, not this”. Should any thought, concept, image or sound that is not related to the goal of mediation appear during the meditation to distract the practitioner, he is simply to say neti-neti to dismiss it.

The best thing about Jnana yoga is that you are not forced to accept any preliminary idea or dogma when practicing it. Attainment of Jnana arises from experiences anyone can have but they need deep contemplation and meditation. And mediation is not the only way of practicing this yoga type; you practice it as you live! When you know your true self and the reality about life, you can deal with worries and fears easily. When you apply the comprehension attained from mediation to your reactions to experiences, you live Jnana yoga.

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