Originally, Hatha yoga practices were entirely focussed upon the breath and the means of controlling it. Kripalu yoga exercises are similar to the gentle style of Hatha sequences. If you are a yoga teacher interested in teaching kriya or any style of yoga, I always recommend to the students in my online yoga teacher training programs to embody its practice before teaching it. If you’re not totally sure what types of yoga you’re currently practicing, it’s probably some form of vinyasa style or hatha yoga. Whilst the origins and practices of the many aspects of yoga and Hatha yoga still remain shrouded in mystery, one thing is certain: Hatha yoga practices - the asana, pranayama, mudra and mantra techniques many of us dedicate time to - create change. However, this is just one small aspect of a much deeper and richer practice, as explained in the Eight Limbs of Yoga. This, according to the Eight Limbs of Yoga, is the purpose of asana.

Asana teaches us to strengthen areas of weakness, shed light on places unlit and relax areas of contraction. It encourages us to practise acceptance, allowing things to just ‘BE’ and teaches us to cultivate balance in our life - to live with contentment and ease. This constant exploration between Sthira and Sukha in our asana / yoga postures, as with all things, impacts our daily life. The rise of the popularity of yoga in America, for example, is clear. Barbara Stoler Miller’s Yoga: Discipline of Freedom: The Yoga Sutra Attributed to Patanjali is the translation and commentary upon which our interpretations are based. The two are invited to a party by a popular senior, Hunter Calloway, who is the object of Colleen M's affections. Namaste is a Sanskrit phrase combining two phrases to mean "I bow to you" or "The divine in me bows to the divine in you."It is a common Hindu/Indian greeting. It is an illusion, a fantasy ("maya" in sanskrit) that we are separate isolated beings out of touch with one another. They’d stand on one leg, or carry out the ‘bat penance’ (hanging upside down). This way of practising has now come to represent just one of the branches of Hatha yoga - Pranayama.

Not only is this steamy and sweaty exercise fun, but it has also shown to be beneficial for your health in more ways than one. It made up a part of Sufism, focussing more upon difficult postures intended to lead towards meditative practices. Both Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga can trigger awakening through activating and clearing the energy centers through specific chakra-aligned postures. A stagnant or blocked chakra can interfere with energy flow, getting in the way of your awakening. I find it harder to be worrying about work when there’s a bead of sweat making its way into my eyeball. From being buried alive, practising complicated breathing patterns, and reciting mantras for religious, ceremonial and sacrificial purposes, we now find ourselves in a much more comfortable and safe variation of Hatha yoga in the modern world. Pilates is often done on machines, which yoga never is, and pilates mat classes spend more time on the ground (rather than standing) than yoga does for its time spent moving through postures. More and more doctors and healthcare practitioners are recommending yoga to complement usual medical care. An important of part of this practice is to cultivate and practice the understanding that oneself and other beings are actually the same, and thus all suffering must be removed, not just "mine".

Another popular Mahayana practice was the memorization and recitation of various texts, such as sutras, mantras and dharanis. Each time I passed the mat, I had to practice something related to improving my crow pose. So next time you get on your yoga mat to do your asana practice, add in pranayama breathing, a Drishti, and focused concentration to pull it all together. Many of us first discover yoga through the physical practice of yoga poses (asana). Chair yoga involves modifying yoga poses so they can be done while seated. The most common question I get is: "Since all yoga can be therapeutic, all yoga is yoga therapy, right? My response is: chatting on the phone with my closest friend can be quite therapeutic, but that doesn’t mean she is practicing psychotherapy. "There are many great guided recordings that you can listen to from the comfort of your home that will steer you through the various phases of the practice," she says. So buckle up. We are about to embark on a spiritual journey.

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