When one decides to become a Yoga teacher, there are many responsibilities. We are obligated to keep our students safe and to guide them toward states of relaxation and meditation. The physical style we know as Hatha is more than an exercise session. Hatha is one of the most widely recognized forms of Yoga.
Yoga poses that help us to release this negativity will help to support our ability to forgive ourselves and others. Depending on our individual temperaments, we may hold anger, grief and loss in different areas of our bodies. Often, sadness and grief are evident in a collapsed chest cavity.
A regular practice of Yoga will help a practitioner to manage fear levels on a physical, mental, and emotional level. The physical postures of Hatha Yoga help the body to stretch, strengthen, and release lactic acid, which causes stiffness and limited mobility.
Many studies have recently shown, much to the delight of the yoga community, that mindfulness meditation is scientifically verified to help reduce anxiety. It is sometimes called mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR, when studied in a scientific setting, but it is a mindful form of meditation through and through.
The asanas also re-align the spine, which helps to increase the free flow of prana or life-force energy throughout the entire body. Stress and muscular tension often cause us to feel more tired than we really are and contribute to mental tension as well. As the tension is released, optimal spinal alignment is restored and energy flows more freely. At the completion of a Yoga class a student will feel that the sensation of tiredness and stress is eased and replaced with a feeling of lightness, expansiveness, and complete well-being.
If stress leads to aging, then a mind filled with stress may age more quickly. As we’ve probably experienced for ourselves, our aging mind seems to stop remembering names, dates, where we put our keys or that we meant to drop by the grocery store on the way home.
Meditation creates a space for addicts to examine the events that trigger their cravings, to observe their reactions, and to substitute…
The following is a Yoga meditation story and an experiment for pet owners. The common practice is to leave pets aside while meditating. It has been my observation that most pets tend to approach us calmly, while we are meditating.
Anger is made up of energy. Our bodies and minds hold currents of energy waves. In order to harness that energy, we might try mantras, japa, prayers, and positive affirmations. Yet, Yoga has many methods from which to choose, and some help us to channel physical energy constructively. Yoga is one of the oldest and most effective ways, of channeling energy through the body.
Combining Yoga asanas and mindful walking practices, gives us the time and space to become aware of our internal environment and thought processes. Witnessing the thoughts that stream through our minds, during a challenging Yoga practice or during our daily walk, will allow us to become aware of thoughts that may not be uplifting or helpful to us. This awareness will allow us to choose more positive thoughts.