Kundalini Yoga

The word Kundalini is a familiar one to all students of Yoga,

as it is well known as the power, in the form of a coiled serpent, residing in Muladhara Chakra, the first of the seven Chakras, the other six being Svadhishthana, Manipuraka, A  nahata, Visuddha, Ajna and Sahasrara, in order.

Less is historically known of the Agamas than the Vedas, because the latter provide descriptive poem-pictures of Vedic life. The original Agamas are twenty-eight in number. They are called Saiva Agamas as they focus on establishing a relationship with and ultimately realizing the Supreme Being Siva. They carry names like Vira, Hero. Siddha, Perfected and Swayambhuva, naturally revealed.

The Agamas are divided into four parts called padas, lessons. The first two padas – Chariya good conduct, and Kriya, external worship,- include all the details of personal home life, house planning, town planning, personal worship in temples, the architectural plans for temples and sculpture as well as the intricacies of temple puja. The final two padas – Yoga, internalized worship and union, and Jnana, enlightened wisdom, – vividly describe the processes and stages of kundalini yoga, and the Cod-like plateaus of consciousness reached when Sivahood is attained. In the actual texts, the padas are ordered with jnana first, yoga second, then kriya and chariya – unfurling from a God-state to a human state.

The Agamas contain tens of thousands of verses, much more prolific than the Vedas. Though the Vedas stayed strictly in Sanskrit, the Agamas proliferated across India and oilier countries through many languages. But they fared poorly over the millennia, particularly the Yoga and Jnana Padas – so high and powerful. The custodian Saiva priests neglected them. Many padas of entire Agamas were lost or destroyed.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

The Meaning of Pilates

Pilates is a way of conditioning the body and building strength, flexibility, and coordination with endurance without putting any extra bulk on your body.

Pilates will also help your circulation and get your blood flowing to every cell of the body.

You will also find that it can sculpt the body and give you strength to your powerhouse otherwise known as the core.

Anyone that does their Pilates on a regular basis will be less likely to have injuries and have better posture as well as better health.

Joseph H. Pilates founded Pilates and was born in Germany.

He was fragile when he was a child and always had illnesses.

So that he could be stronger and have better health, he played different sports and become a great athlete.  He also served as a nurse in WWI when he was in Great Britain.

There, he designed exercises and equipment that would help soldiers that were injured.

Pilates was also made into a series of exercises that would be used with a mat that focuses on the torso.  These exercise techniques were based on different method from all over the world. They would also include Chinese martial arts and even yoga.

Joseph Pilates thought that mental and physical health was connected. This exercise program that he invented was made with principles to help support his thoughts.

They would include concentration, control and movements that flowed into the body with the right breathing.

There are two types of Pilates.

You can focus on the mat exercises or you can use the machines to help you put strength and more body tone into the way that you look and feel.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Yoga Types – Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga is an ancient hindu system of working with the human nervous system.

Because it releases tension and endows one with renewed energy, far too many 20th century people, yoga teachers included, have come to look upon the venerable Indian physical science as solely an exercise for health and vitality of mind and body. It is that, but it is also much more. Hatha yoga practices are more spiritual than physical, more subtle than gross, more a means of understanding than an exotic way to relieve stress or limber up the body.
The sages who developed hatha yoga designed it as a way to gain conscious control of our life energies, a way to go within, to harmonize the external so the innermost Self could be encountered. To them, it was about states of consciousness, about living a divine life, and it was a preparation for meditation.

As you perform the asanas, concentrate on feeling the energies within the nerve currents. Sensitize yourself to knowing when the body has been in each position long enough to tune the nerve currents involved. Then shift smoothly into the next asana. It’s like a dance, a deliberate, fluid dance. During all postures, inhale using the diaphragm, not the chest muscles. Do not stretch unduly or force the body. Relax into the poses. Don’t worry if you can’t perform them all perfectly. In time, you will find the body becoming more flexible and supple. Free the mind of thoughts and tensions. You will be more aware, more alive, more serene.

While there are many more complex hatha yoga routines, these twenty-four asanas provide a balanced system for daily use.

For the simple purpose of quieting the mind in preparation for meditation, this is all you will ever need. For best results, hatha yoga should be taught personally by a qualified teacher. These instructions and drawings are meant only as a rudimentary aid. For more elaborate regimens, inquire at a recognized school specializing in hatha yoga.

The scene of hatha yoga has a spiritual purpose – to balance physical and physic energies in preparation for meditation.

It is not only meant to make us young, beautiful or creative, but to aid us in quieting the mind, body and emotions that we may awaken enlightened consciousness & know the Self within.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Yoga Types – Astanga Vinyasa Yoga

Astanga, or sometimes spelled ashtanga Yoga is actually taught today by a man named Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, in Mysore, India.

He has brought astanga yoga to the west about 25 years ago and still teaches today at 91 years of age.  Astanga yoga began with the rediscovery of the ancient manuscript Yoga Korunta.  It describes a unique system of Hatha yoga as practiced and created by the ancient sage Vamana Rishi.  It is believed to be the original asana practiced intended by Patanjali.

The Yoga Korunta emphasizes vinyasa, or breath-synchronized movement, where one practices a posture with specific breathing patterns associated with it.  This breathing technique is called ujayyi pranayama, or the victorious breath, and it is a process that produces intense internal heat and a profuse sweat that purifies and detoxifies the muscles and organs.  This also releases beneficial hormones and nutrients, and is usually massaged back into the body.  The breath ensures efficient circulation of blood.  The result is improved circulation, a light and strong body and a calm mind.

There is a proper sequence to follow when practicing Astanga yoga.

One must graduate from one sequence of postures to move onto the next.  The Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) detoxifies and aligns the body, purifying it so that toxins do not block. The Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels, allowing energy to pass through easily. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D (Sthira Bhaga) integrate the grace and stamina of the practice, which calls for intense flexibility.

It is best to find a trained and knowledgeable teacher to assist you through this discipline.  It is an intense practice that is rigorous, six days a week. You are guaranteed to find inner peace and fulfillment with each breath you take.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Yoga Positions for Beginners – 2 Things You Need To Know

Each and every one of us experience being in all sorts of positions throughout the day whether it be sitting up, lying down, crouched or stooped. These are all part of your day to day activities but are they doing you any good like Yoga positions do.

Yoga positions for beginners may entail all the above mentioned but all these movements are carefully devised and structured in a way that you will benefit from the positions.

The affects of yoga has now been recognized by doctors who now agree that yoga has proven to be very therapeutic in the results and effects it has on suffering patients. Doctors by the minute are making referrals for their patients to join local yoga classes as a way of encouraging the healing process to quicken up for certain ailments

Beginners after introduction to their yoga positions will find adjusting to the yoga moves quite easy.

Yoga may include all the above mentioned positions -  like lying down crouching stooping etc – but these positions now become yoga techniques which are classed as healthy exercises expertly structured up the yoga way.

For a new pupil about to practice yoga for the first time there will be a lot to take in and comprehend – only because of the freshness to it all. After a little time it all falls into place where your understanding is a lot clearer on your new found positions. Beginners in the yoga world will be guided throughout exercises and advised of the best positions. So you need not worry that you will get thrown it at the deep end. Yoga is an unhurried exercise performed by all ages all over the world.

The practice of yoga has strongly been alleged by many followers that the mind and the body unite into a combined formation. This belief is still upheld today as it were in the days gone by. Extensively performed and exercised in the right environment – yoga is an incredible way of claiming the therapeutic feeling of harmony.

Yoga positions for beginners if applied correctly can be followed through on there own without supervision.

For any exercise to give results you first have to believe in yourself and most importantly believe in what you do – this way your yoga positions will prove to be affective.

Yoga without doubt will create a more relaxed feeling as well as supplying your mind with positive thoughts. Research has found that yoga is one of the most popular natural ways in helping to speed up many healing processes of an illness.(Depending on the illness)
In your new world of yoga you will begin to notice the change in your joint flexibility after practicing the basic yoga positions. By doing these exercises you take possession of the (The take two factor) looking and feeling good.

Newbie`s will have no problem keeping up with routines that are carefully put together for the beginners yoga positions.

Expect the basic moves and positions to include standing poses, sit down poses and postures, balance, a combination of twisting and turning and the notable forward and backward bends. These yoga positions for beginners are not quite the movements that are exercised by a person who has regularly been doing yoga for some time. Yoga sessions may be shortened for the learner – the reason for this is simple, you are a beginner.

It is a MUST that self discipline is enforced. It is a MUST to be consistent. These are two important issues you MUST do – to gain results.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Yoga Positions for Beginners

Yoga positions for beginners are so easy to learn.

If you have not experienced any yoga session or have not seen one, that is not a problem.

Practitioners have talked about the unification of the mind, body and spirit. They claimed that this will be acquired through the practice of yoga exercises and techniques.

If it is your first time to hear of yoga, you will of course wonder how these exercises are done and how it looks like. Since you are a beginner, you will also definitely ask what kind of positions will be best for you.

Yogis have believed that the mind and the body are bonded into a unified structure. This belief has never failed and changed through time. Yoga has extensively performed an amazing procedure of healing oneself through harmony. This can be successfully done if you are in a proper environment.

With the great effects of yoga, the doctors have been convinced that yoga has some therapeutic results and can be recommended for people who have illnesses that is hard to cure.

If you have some illness that has been with you for a long time, you can practice the yoga positions for beginners and apply it to yourself.

If you want to practice the yoga positions for beginners, you must believe that yoga is effective and will help you to be cured or be refreshed. Yoga is not just a recent application. It has been practiced and applied a long time ago and up to the present, the people are benefiting a lot from it.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Yoga Positions for Beginners now have at least a basic understanding.

But there’s more to come.

Investigations and researches have been implemented to prove that yoga can be helpful in the healing process.

Therefore, it has been proved that the yoga positions for beginners are extremely effective and useful when it comes to maintaining a high level of joint flexibility. Although the yoga positions for beginners are just simple and basic, it can slowly bring up a healthy lifestyle and bring more when it is practiced over and over again.

The yoga positions for beginners are very interesting and exciting to perform.

Beginners will never find it hard to keep up with the exercises because it is just simple. The technique of yoga gives a very big contributing factor to our internal glands and organs. It also includes the parts of the human body which is barely stimulated.

If you want to learn the yoga positions for beginners, you can learn it easily at home or at school where yoga is taught.

Some basic yoga positions for beginners include standing poses, seated poses, forward and backward bends, balance and twisting.

These yoga positions for beginners are not that far from those who are used to practicing yoga. Only that the extreme poses and positions are handled at the latter part of the exercise.

The time duration in executing the positions are also lessened because a beginner cannot fully cope up with a longer time exposure in practice. Rest is required of the beginner so that he will not be drained easily to prepare the body for further positions.

Since you are a beginner, the most important thing you should understand is self discipline. Yoga is not just doing yoga and executing the poses. If you haven’t mastered the basics yet, do not jump into the complex stages and positions because you will not feel the essence of executing the yoga positions for beginners.

That’s how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time, so be sure you keep up with the latest news.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Basic Yoga Lessons for Women

If a woman wants a healthy way of life devoid of any strain and stress, she should start her day with yoga.

First things first, when you roll out of your bed, sit onto a mat on the floor and hug your knees to your chest. Then raise your legs in the air and stay bottoms up until your head clears. Next stand up and drop your forehead to your shins until you feel ready to tackle the toothbrush and get on with your day.

Waking up doesn’t have to consist of pouring coffee down your gullet to shock yourself alive.

Many women pile up an array of small violences against themselves from the moment they wake up – caffeine, cigarettes, abrasive exercises or no exercise at all. Lots of faddish fitness programs today have this violent approach – do 50 leg raises or pound your body jogging on the pavement or jump around to a rhythm not of your own making.

Your approach to fitness and well-being and to life in general should be nonviolent one – working smoothly with concentration and determination at your own pace without competing with anyone else. Don’t be ruthless with yourself and you won’t be ruthless with other people.

Your routine should ideally center on 28 postures drawn from the 5,000-year-old technique whose name comes from the Sanskrit for sun, moon and join together. The exercises should range from deep breathing to pretzel-like stretches.

Yoga is strenuous, but not painful, and it gives every inch of your body a terrific workout.

Yoga proves particularly helpful in strengthening a body plagued by injury.

Yoga helps you maintain flexibility, build strength and muscle definition and even. Try spending 60 to 90 minutes on your yoga routine, before breakfast, five to six days a week.

Follow the basics mentioned here to have a healthy and balanced life:

Avoid the big seduction to only go with your strong points – like weight-lifting if you’ve got great muscles. It’s the thing that’s hardest for you that you need to work on the most

Don’t space out during workouts. Use that time to have a private conversation with yourself: ‘How do I feel physically, mentally.’ ‘How is my balance and coordination today.’ ‘Is there something I should pay special attention to.’

Practice yoga in the early morning or early evening at least one hour after a light meal or three to four hours after a main meal.

If you are hungry before practice, try tea, milk or fruit juice.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Yoga Diet

One of the essential things about yoga, together with the positive attitude, is the diet.

It is highly recommended to perform your yoga session after about 2 hours from a main meal.  Many specialists agree that what we eat is reflected both in our appearance, as well as in our health state. In other words, it is important to mind the things we consume, in order to prevent illnesses and discomforts.

The question related to what does healthy food mean, remains a constant reason of inquiry for many people.  According to reliable studies, a very diversified diet represents the ideal food for any human organism.

However, fruits and vegetables, containing fibers and vitamins should be a permanent component of your daily meals. Furthermore, everything that can be defined as natural food is recommended, when it comes to preserving your state of well being.

Despite the fact that many people try to eat as little as possible, as they believe food can produce them harm, you have to keep in mind that your body needs nutrients, in order to properly function.

Nevertheless, do not exaggerate when eating, even if you are consuming healthy food, because it will not have the same beneficial effect on you. Try to stop eating once you are not hungry anymore, or, even better, stop before reaching the full saturation state. By doing this, you will discover that the state of fatigue, which we sometimes experience after eating, is considerably diminished, while your energy level goes up substantially.

Another issue related to eating is how often should a healthy person eat?

Should we have three meals a day?
Should we avoid having dinner, in order to prevent becoming overweight, because we do not move sufficiently during the night?
Or is it better not to have lunch, so that you do not have to deal, in the middle of the day, with the unpleasant sensation of fatigue, which we experience after serving a consistent meal?

Well, the right answer to all these questions would be to eat whenever you are hungry, as your body needs to be fed in order to function at the standards you desire, but, nevertheless, pay attention to what and how much you are eating.

More than a simple energy source, food can be a way of purifying one’s body and soul, which is why, together with the variety of exercises, yoga trainers encourage the practitioners to keep a wise diet, based mainly on natural food. This way, their body is protected from the danger of contracting toxins and it is prepared, at the same time, to find the synchronization with the soul and mind, which is actually one of the main goals of yoga practices.

As a final remark, when carrying out constant yoga practices it is important, in order to reach your goals, to meditate both on what you are doing to your own body, as a direct consequence of the food you are eating, and to what level you respond to your soul’s and mind’s needs.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Learning about Aerobics

Aerobics are very beneficial forms of exercise, no matter what area of your body you are trying to target for weight loss.

They can also be done just to enjoy a healthier life. Aerobics have the added benefit of helping participants build endurance as well. Therefore, there really is no reason for most people to not do aerobics! However, before you start any kind of new health care routine, it is important to learn how exactly aerobics work. You can do this in a number of ways.

First and foremost, you need to talk to your doctor if you want to make the best health decisions possible. A doctor will be able to veto an aerobics programs that will not be beneficial for your body, seem to difficult for your skill level, or actually could cause injury. A doctor will also be able to explain to you the best aerobic exercises to do during your routine, recommend trainers, and explain to you all of the great health benefits of aerobics—and believe me, there are lots of them. Your first stop should therefore be your doctor’s office. Make sure that you leave enough time during the appointment to ask lots of questions that you may have.

The Internet is also a great resource when it comes to finding information on aerobics. Not only can you read articles about the benefits and history of aerobics, but you can interact in chat rooms and forums with others to share aerobics experiences and ask questions. The Internet also lets you look at specific routines and some websites even help you put together aerobics plans that work for you!

Beyond the Internet, you can also learn more about aerobics using traditional literature on the subject. Your local library should have a variety of books that you can read, and if you find that the resources there are too outdated, you can also look around at the nearest bookstore. If you find books that you like, you may be able to purchase them at discounted prices online in a number of places.

Fitness magazine are valuable as well. While the information on the Internet may not be written by professionals, articles you’ll find in magazines have usually been checked for facts and edited by a number of people in the health care field. Learning about aerobics is not difficult. Because people are beginning to feel more health conscious, this type of information is now all around us.

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

This blog is from and about Ute Schaedler.

Ute Schaedler

Author: Ute Schaedler, Health, Fitness, Marketing & Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.