If you trace back the roots of Ashtanga Yoga, you will fall under the wings of the world renowned master, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Recently deceased, Jois taught hundreds of students daily from all over the world well into his 90’s. This modern master has had perhaps the most profound influence on modern practices.

The key features of Ashtanga include the flow between postures, a connection of movement and breath. Each practice session promotes blood circulation and sweating for purification purposes. The inverted poses, or headstands in particular, are practiced based on the level of command the yoga student possesses.

There are seven headstands, or Ssirshasana variations, that are performed at the end of an Ashtanga session. Beginner students might practice just the simplest variations. Advanced students will move through an entire series of poses.

Let’s take a look at the various headstands. They can be broken down into two basic types: one with the hands bound and supporting the head, and the second with the hands free and not supporting the head.

These headstands are most commonly done after the downward facing dog pose, and in some cases, the students “jump” of “float” into the pose. The Salamba or Supported Shirshasanas include:

BADDHA HASTA SHIRSHASANA A

The words “Baddha Hasta” literally translate into “Bound Hands”. In this headstand, the hands are clasped behind the head in order to create a hand base where the head can be supported.

BADDHA HASTA SHIRSHASANA B

This version has the yogi with the arms out front with both hands clasping the opposite elbow.

BADDHA HASTA SHIRSHASANA C

The posture is further altered to attain the pose that is very close to the Peacock pose. The difference between them is that the head remains on the floor instead of raising it above your shoulders as is done in the Peacock pose. The forearms are placed parallel to each other with the hands palms down flat on the floor.

BADDHA HASTA SHIRSHASANA D

This variation of the baddha hasta only has the head and elbows on the floor, whereas the hands are placed on the shoulders. The supported headstands provide the yogi support to achieve balance while focusing the weight on the head.

The Niralamba, or unsupported headstands are even more advanced than the Baddha Hasta Shirshasanas as they do not allow the hands to support the head at all. These headstands include:

MUKTA HASTA SHIRSHASANA A

This headstand is the most basic of the Mukta Hasta series and creates the image of a tripod, as the arms are stretched out straight at shoulder width with the palms facing up. Being a highly advanced pose, most yogis utilize props such as pillows under the head before they gain complete command over the posture.

MUKTA HASTA SHIRSHASANA B

More complex than Mukta hasta A, this variation resembles a forklift. The arms are held out straight with palms facing upwards. They are held apart from each other at about a 60 degree angle. This headstand requires a lot of practice as it is a hard to achieve posture.

MUKTA HASTA SHIRSHASANA C

This is the most challenging and hard to accomplish headstand and often requires years of practice before one can gain mastery over it. For this asana, the arms are held out straight at 180 degrees from each other and the palms are placed on the floor face down. The elbows have to remain straight as well and can prove to be quite an ordeal to accomplish.

Gaining mastery of these seven headstands is often considered to be a major landmark that differentiates beginner and intermediate yogis from the masters. If you’re new to yoga, always practice inverted poses under the guidance of a teacher until you gain basic competence.

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Ashtanga Yoga is a yoga that teaches the eight limbs of yoga. It focuses on controlling one’s breathing through the movements, controlling the senses by not allowing distractions to interrupt the art, and by deep concentration.

This kind of yoga has roots in morality, meditation and focuses on the asanas or the poses. The purpose of concentrating on the use of the eight limbs in this yoga are to remove from inside the body the things that cause it to be unclean.

The purpose of practicing the asanas within this yoga are to lead the individual into developing a body that’s full of health and strength. When health and strength are present, it’s easier for the mind to concentrate and keep tuned in to the purpose of the yoga movements.

By stretching and toning, by concentrating and meditation, the body is freed from the internal and external weights that drag it down. Focus helps to achieve the goal of a healthier body, a stronger mind and a freer spirit.

Through the performance of Ashtanga Yoga, the poses are worked in harmony with the breathing. There are specific that are done while exhaling and other specific movements that are completed while inhaling.

The movements are correlated to work in conjunction with the breathing to reach a point of attention in the body, which helps to create that bond, that union that yoga is known to help users reach.

The eight limbs of yoga can be done as individual steps apart from one another, but just like the steps in a two-story home, they’re made to help users reach the next level. They work best when achieved in order and in a consistent way.

This style of yoga has a purpose in each of the movements. When used as a form of exercise, you’ll get a tougher workout than you would if you were practicing a more serene form of yoga.

You’ll find the movements of certain styles of yoga to have specific levels for the beginner student, a stronger level for the somewhat experienced and a tougher level for the person who’s been a student of Ashtanga before.

Taking part in Ashtanga Yoga will certainly get your heart rate up. Some users equate it with the same workout that one might find in a workout designed to bring cardiovascular benefits to the table.

If you’re a complete novice to the art of yoga and haven’t yet mastered some of the basic asanas, this kind of yoga is what you want to reach in the future, but not where you should begin.

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The practice of Yoga has been used for centuries to promote a sense of physical and spiritual well-being. Although the origins of Yoga are shrouded in mystery, it is generally accepted to have begun at the dawn of civilization some 5000 years ago. A number of respected scholars have suggested that Yoga grew out of the shamanistic culture of Mehgarh, located in the region now known as Afghanistan. In fact, many facets of Hindu culture have their roots in Mehgarh.

The principle goal of the practice of Yoga is to assist practitioners in the transcendence of the human condition. It was an attempt to discern the order of the cosmos, and to apply those principles to daily living. Yoga has been linked to the Indus-Sarasvati civilization, which was one of the oldest and most advanced of the ancient cultures. This civilization also gave birth to some of the oldest scriptures ever discovered in modern times. The Vedas are considered by many as a form of divine revelation, and contain many references to a higher power and to the practice of Yoga.

On the physical plain, Yoga has shown incredible promise in treating and managing many illnesses. The practice of Yoga has a number of physical benefits for practitioners. It facilitates flexibility, and assists in the lubrication of joints, tendons, and ligaments. Many of the poses and positions work to massage the organs, thus stimulating the body’s detoxification process. The physical benefits of Yoga are often considered secondary to the spiritual development. Yoga has the incredible ability to bring into harmony the physical and the spiritual elements of the individual experience.

Meditation also plays a significant role in Yoga. By combining intense meditation with specialized physical exercise, practitioners are able to achieve a unity of body, mind, and soul. The intent is to create a sense of balance and harmony, both internally and externally. The emotional calmness associated with meditation works to reduce stress, which is considered by many as one of the root causes of physical illness. The primary goal of Yoga is to empower the individual to transcend the physical world and to achieve a sense of enlightenment or self-realization. For those interested in understanding and fully realizing the oneness of all things, a commitment to the principles and practice of Yoga will undoubtedly unlock the secrets of the cosmos in all their wondrous glory.

Article Source: http://www.hobbyarticledirectory.com

Brodi Saatpha has been practicing Yoga for a number of years. When she is not striving to transcend reality, she writes for www.yoga-insight.com – an enlightening and refreshing website with information about the history of yoga, yoga certification, worldwide yoga retreats and more.

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Meditation is simply making a choice to focus your mind on something and opening to each moment of life with calm awareness. Mediation is inspired by a variety of spiritual traditions, both Eastern and Western, helping people to experience the sacred.

Meditation is a very powerful tool for healing body, mind, and spirit through reducing tension, anxiety and stress; lowering blood pressure and cholesterol; creating stronger focus and concentration; and increasing self-understanding and self-acceptance. “Meditate” comes from the Latin word meditari, which means “to engage in contemplation or reflection.” It also means “to focus one’s thoughts” on something, or “to reflect on or ponder” over something Meditation helps one create a serenity filled experience, melting away day to day stress and worries.

Meditation is both an ancient spiritual practice and a contemporary mind-body technique for relaxing the body and calming the mind. Although meditation has a short recorded history, its roots travel back to ancient times.

Researchers think that primitive hunter societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness while staring at the flames of their fires. Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice. Indian scriptures “tantras” mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago. Buddha, “one of history’s major proponents of meditation,” and a major meditation icon, first made his mark around 500 B.C. His teachings were spread far and wide across the Asian continent.

Separate countries or cultures adopted different forms of the word “meditation,” and they each found their own unique way of practicing it. Buddhist and Hindu based Eastern style meditation practices are still the most popular today.

Meditation was spread to Western society thousands of years after it was adopted in the Eastern society. It finally started to gain popularity in Western society in the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, many professors and researchers began testing the effects of meditation and learned about its multitude of benefits.

There are as many types of meditation in the world as there are religious. Mainly, meditation traditions are divided in two types: Eastern and Western. In Eastern meditation traditions there are two types – Hinduism and Buddhism.

In Hinduism, there are many different types of meditation, and Buddhism consists of Zen, Insight, and Tibetan. On the other side, Western traditions have Meditative Prayer, Gnostic Meditation, Jewish Meditation, Christian Meditation, and Islamic Meditation. Christian meditation is made up of The Prayer of Jesus, Walking Mediation, Gregorian Chant, and Canonical Hours.

Meditation is simply making a choice to focus your mind on something and opening to each moment of life with calm awareness. Mediation is inspired by a variety of spiritual traditions, both Eastern and Western, helping people to experience the sacred.

Meditation is a very powerful tool for healing body, mind, and spirit through reducing tension, anxiety and stress; lowering blood pressure and cholesterol; creating stronger focus and concentration; and increasing self-understanding and self-acceptance. “Meditate” comes from the Latin word meditari, which means “to engage in contemplation or reflection.” It also means “to focus one’s thoughts” on something, or “to reflect on or ponder” over something Meditation helps one create a serenity filled experience, melting away day to day stress and worries.

Meditation is both an ancient spiritual practice and a contemporary mind-body technique for relaxing the body and calming the mind. Although meditation has a short recorded history, its roots travel back to ancient times.

Researchers think that primitive hunter societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness while staring at the flames of their fires. Over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice. Indian scriptures “tantras” mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago. Buddha, “one of history’s major proponents of meditation,” and a major meditation icon, first made his mark around 500 B.C. His teachings were spread far and wide across the Asian continent.

Separate countries or cultures adopted different forms of the word “meditation,” and they each found their own unique way of practicing it. Buddhist and Hindu based Eastern style meditation practices are still the most popular today.

Meditation was spread to Western society thousands of years after it was adopted in the Eastern society. It finally started to gain popularity in Western society in the mid-20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, many professors and researchers began testing the effects of meditation and learned about its multitude of benefits.

There are as many types of meditation in the world as there are religious. Mainly, meditation traditions are divided in two types: Eastern and Western. In Eastern meditation traditions there are two types – Hinduism and Buddhism.

In Hinduism, there are many different types of meditation, and Buddhism consists of Zen, Insight, and Tibetan. On the other side, Western traditions have Meditative Prayer, Gnostic Meditation, Jewish Meditation, Christian Meditation, and Islamic Meditation. Christian meditation is made up of The Prayer of Jesus, Walking Mediation, Gregorian Chant, and Canonical Hours.

Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com

Amy invites you to browse relaxing and meditative tabletop fountain collection that is guaranteed to add serenity to your life. Her favorite meditation tool is a bamboo water fountain that makes a periodic rocking sound, also known as, shishi odoshi.

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People start meditating for different reasons. If we divide those who start meditating in two groups, there are spiritual seekers seeking a deeper meaning to life, or seeking god. The other group are those who want to improve their mental and physical well-being. There are of course other reasons too, but most can be sorted under these two groups in one way or another. Enough scientific research has been done to prove the positive effects of meditation for it to be recommended by health professionals.

Physical health

An interesting study was made based on health insurance statistics. It showed that meditators had 87% fewer hospitalizations for heart disease, 55% fewer for benign and malignant tumors and 30% fewer for infectious diseases. The meditators had more than 50% fewer doctor visits than did non-meditators.

I have heard from many sources that at least 80% of all disease has it’s roots in mental and emotional issues, most of the time related to stress. This means that if we get perfect mental and emotional health we would almost never get sick, or at least 80% less often! For some this is the goal with their meditation practice. For others this is just a positive side effect on the way to a higher goal.

Mental well-being

Since the book and film “The secret” became popular, more people have become interested in using meditation to help visualize various goals in life because according to “The secret” you can draw anything you want to you by having a clear mental image and feeling of what it would be like to have what ever is it you are wanting. It may be material things or it could be a relationship or the job of your dreams. Some people are content with just enjoying feeling good from within, being more relaxed, happier and a clearer mind.

Meditation gave prisoners improved well-being and behavior

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. Everyone can benefit from meditation. A very interesting study was done with a group of prisoners at a high-security federal penitentiary in the United States. They formed a meditation group which met once a month with a qualified instructor and then weekly among the prisoner-students themselves, without the instructor. The group meetings were supervised by a clergy member who was a full time member of the prison’s administrative staff. After only one session with their teacher, all students reported increased peace of mind and mental contentment, even though 90 percent of the prisoners had no previous knowledge or experience with any form of meditation practice. The prison administration monitored the group, and reported that they became more cooperative, more inwardly-focused on self-development, less anxious, and less apt to use drugs or alcohol or engage in any form of violent behavior.

The prison meditation group began with five participants, and increased in popularity until there were more than 50 meditation students, and each of them meditated at least 15 minutes per day. The participants referred to meditation as “a furlough for the soul”, and said that when they were in a meditative state, they felt completely free from the environment, stress, and physical confinement of prison life. It was an escape for them, but not into denial and repression, but into expanded awareness.

Enlightenment and Oneness

There are spiritual seekers who see all of the mentioned positive effects merely as positive side effects on the way to their true goal: Enlightenment, Nirvana or oneness. In order to reach this goal they often feel that they can not get caught up to much in the external or mental well-being they achieve through meditation. Their goal is beyond the mental, emotional, physical and even beyond the mind itself, because the mind can never achieve this higher state. The mind and thoughts are what most people identify with but to this group of people these things are just outer chatter that will stop them in their progress if they get caught up with them. Many guru’s and spiritual masters talk about higher states of consciousness beyond the mind. A state where there are no thoughts.

No mind? No thoughts? Can one live or even exist without it? If what they say is true, then they are the living proof of it. Some say that the mind and thoughts still exists in their life, but are experienced as background chatter that doesn’t effect them in a negative way and that they can still chose to use the mind in situations that require it, but that it still never takes control over them. They use the mind when needed, instead of the other way around. Would’t that be liberating? To be able to shut off the mind and thoughts sometimes.

Change the world

It seems that what ever your goals are, meditation can be used to help you get there. Most people don’t have the patience to learn meditation and find it to be very boring. There are ways to experience meditative states and enjoy the positive effects by using technology (mostly sound technology) without the need of learning any meditation technique.

We really live in a time that makes inner transformation available easier then ever before and I have a feeling there is a reason for that. Look at the world and what is happening to it. There is a need of change and now is the time. Start today, or you might never start at all.

People start meditating for different reasons. If we divide those who start meditating in two groups, there are spiritual seekers seeking a deeper meaning to life, or seeking god. The other group are those who want to improve their mental and physical well-being. There are of course other reasons too, but most can be sorted under these two groups in one way or another. Enough scientific research has been done to prove the positive effects of meditation for it to be recommended by health professionals.

Physical health

An interesting study was made based on health insurance statistics. It showed that meditators had 87% fewer hospitalizations for heart disease, 55% fewer for benign and malignant tumors and 30% fewer for infectious diseases. The meditators had more than 50% fewer doctor visits than did non-meditators.

I have heard from many sources that at least 80% of all disease has it’s roots in mental and emotional issues, most of the time related to stress. This means that if we get perfect mental and emotional health we would almost never get sick, or at least 80% less often! For some this is the goal with their meditation practice. For others this is just a positive side effect on the way to a higher goal.

Mental well-being

Since the book and film “The secret” became popular, more people have become interested in using meditation to help visualize various goals in life because according to “The secret” you can draw anything you want to you by having a clear mental image and feeling of what it would be like to have what ever is it you are wanting. It may be material things or it could be a relationship or the job of your dreams. Some people are content with just enjoying feeling good from within, being more relaxed, happier and a clearer mind.

Meditation gave prisoners improved well-being and behavior

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. Everyone can benefit from meditation. A very interesting study was done with a group of prisoners at a high-security federal penitentiary in the United States. They formed a meditation group which met once a month with a qualified instructor and then weekly among the prisoner-students themselves, without the instructor. The group meetings were supervised by a clergy member who was a full time member of the prison’s administrative staff. After only one session with their teacher, all students reported increased peace of mind and mental contentment, even though 90 percent of the prisoners had no previous knowledge or experience with any form of meditation practice. The prison administration monitored the group, and reported that they became more cooperative, more inwardly-focused on self-development, less anxious, and less apt to use drugs or alcohol or engage in any form of violent behavior.

The prison meditation group began with five participants, and increased in popularity until there were more than 50 meditation students, and each of them meditated at least 15 minutes per day. The participants referred to meditation as “a furlough for the soul”, and said that when they were in a meditative state, they felt completely free from the environment, stress, and physical confinement of prison life. It was an escape for them, but not into denial and repression, but into expanded awareness.

Enlightenment and Oneness

There are spiritual seekers who see all of the mentioned positive effects merely as positive side effects on the way to their true goal: Enlightenment, Nirvana or oneness. In order to reach this goal they often feel that they can not get caught up to much in the external or mental well-being they achieve through meditation. Their goal is beyond the mental, emotional, physical and even beyond the mind itself, because the mind can never achieve this higher state. The mind and thoughts are what most people identify with but to this group of people these things are just outer chatter that will stop them in their progress if they get caught up with them. Many guru’s and spiritual masters talk about higher states of consciousness beyond the mind. A state where there are no thoughts.

No mind? No thoughts? Can one live or even exist without it? If what they say is true, then they are the living proof of it. Some say that the mind and thoughts still exists in their life, but are experienced as background chatter that doesn’t effect them in a negative way and that they can still chose to use the mind in situations that require it, but that it still never takes control over them. They use the mind when needed, instead of the other way around. Would’t that be liberating? To be able to shut off the mind and thoughts sometimes.

Change the world

It seems that what ever your goals are, meditation can be used to help you get there. Most people don’t have the patience to learn meditation and find it to be very boring. There are ways to experience meditative states and enjoy the positive effects by using technology (mostly sound technology) without the need of learning any meditation technique.

We really live in a time that makes inner transformation available easier then ever before and I have a feeling there is a reason for that. Look at the world and what is happening to it. There is a need of change and now is the time. Start today, or you might never start at all.

Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com

/Marcus Knudsen. Inventor of Bliss coded sound – www.xphirience.com

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