Ashtanga Yoga is mainly concentrated to physical postures or asanas, which help in maintaining mental peace and equilibrium between body and mind, which ultimately merge the individual consciousness into the universal consciousness. With these practices, the bliss and realization of God is achieved.

Ashtanga Yoga Poses: Astanga yoga is practiced to keep ourselves physically fit and mentally sound. it can easily channelise our hyperactive mind and infinite energy of body. Our body is detoxified, building strength, bringing flexibility and stamina. There are about seventy five postures which are to be practiced. These postures are named standing poses, seated poses, inversions and backbends etc. All these poses are equally beneficial for adults and children along with precautions .

Nervous System Purification: Also known as ‘Nadi Shodana’ in yoga which makes our nervous system quite strong, fully cleansed. Energy channels (Chakras) of our body are opened.

Flexibility in the body, mental peace and ecstasy is possible by ashtanga yoga practice. It not only makes us mentally strong but our muscular body is also strengthened.

Power Poses: This yoga is also called yoga of power poses because it helps us to train the muscles. We can start with easy poses like sun salutation, standing and sitting in progressive manner to have benefits for our mind and body. The sun salutation poses can strengthen our deltoids, triceps and pectoral muscles. This makes our muscles to increase in the size and our endurance strength is positively affected. The flexibility of the body is maintained and physical fitness is stored.

Concentration and Coordination: There are many benefits of this yoga and it helps in sharpening our concentration and coordination with the help of focusing and breathing. Blood circulation is purified and metabolism is improved with the help of these positions. Our memory is improved with strong concentration. The heat which is generated also cleansed our body and mind.

Multiple Techniques: Ashtanga yoga is more popular for using multiple techniques than any other yoga. It includes the postures, breathing, concentration and meditation, therefore it is also called ‘yoga of techniques’. This yoga is dynamic and other yogas are static in the forms. We get benefits in multiple forms i.e. physical, mental, emotional and intellectual. Ashtanga yoga is extremely popular amongst the young people who want more vigorous asanas with the same benefits.

Our suffering in lives is caused by emotional system of our body. All our bodily disease are cured properly with the help of ashtanga yoga. It is always better to learn this kind of yoga from an expert so that all benefits may be attained without any harm.

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This yoga is very popular in the western countries. It mainly concentrates on the practices of many postures and breathing, to give energy to all channels of the body. Hatha yoga is simply practiced to remove obstacles in the way of our concentration and meditation.

Postures are Important: The Hath yoga gives more importance to postures because theses make the body so pure and soft, that the meditation can easily be practiced. The more such postures we practice, it would be better for us to practice inner meditation.

Physical postures open up our nadis in which our energy of body and mind is stored. Hatha yoga is a path to open energy sources with the practice of these postures. The mastering of these postures makes our will strong and our concentration is also strengthened.

Pranayama is Essential: We have to master our breathing system so that our mastery over mind is not out of reach. Our vital force of life is really regulated with the mastery of Pranayama. The energy of body is needed on every step in order to lead us to absorb ourselves in meditation.

Hatha yoga is also very helpful for Kundalini awakening. The breathing can activate the two hemisphere of our brain which further activates our meditation.

Benefits for All: ‘Hatha Yoga Pradipika’ the classic manual in sanskrit by Swami Swatmarama was written in 15th century in India. There are many branches of Hatha yoga like Ashtanga yoga, Shatkarma,  etc.

In Hath yoga, there are specific physical postures for every bodily problem. Even mental relief and peace is attained by many poses. The benefits of Hatha yoga are numerous and we can get these benefits only by doing it regularly.

Some of the asanas are quite gentle stretching exercises and improve flexibility which further improves balance and strength. These asanas have no negative effects. These asanas are not aerobic exercises and every muscles of body are used in it. It develops our balance and coordination and feeling of our body.

The people who are quite old can practice this yoga to improve their flexibility and correct wrong posture to strengthen their spine. This yoga can bring improvement in their digestion, circulation of body is facilitated and breathing disorder is also improved. Our ailment is cured by following this asana regularly. An experienced teacher should be consulted before starting this yoga.

There are many ideal hatha yoga positions or asanas for women during pregnancy. It improves backache and depression. Many women have experienced that their labor is made easier and shorter. Before any asana, the doctor’s consultation is must because cases differs person to person.

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Bhakti yoga is considered which makes it easier to have direct merger with worldly consciousness. We are blessed with undivided unison with God. There is one doctrine on which Bhakti yoga is based that Love is God and God is Love. Everything including food, sex, sleep, attachment and responsibilities are meaningless in bhakti yoga except the name of almighty.

Divine Love: This yoga is the direct and shortest way which can make it possible to experience divine reality. All kinds of yogas are based on true faith, true devotion, true bhakti and nothing goes higher than love and bhakti.

It is really religion of love and treasure of knowledge and love is attained through it. We can choose any form of this yoga to have feeling of magical effect. The essence of bhakti yoga is that everything from deity to devotee, knower to known, subject to object becomes one.

Devotional Yoga: Two extreme examples of Bhakti yoga were found in India. According to Ramayana, Hanuman was selfless devotee of Lord Rama. Second is Radha, who was completely devoted to Lord Krishna.

It is really a devotional yoga which gives us the natural path to fulfill our emotional and well-being feeling. This yog is the absolute manifestation of all our experiences. We must practice bhakti yoga by visualizing that the God is sitting before us. God is nectar and love is God and this should be focused on. It is Bhakti through which supreme love for God is experienced. This makes our heart to get purified by absorbing in God.

Types of Bhakti: Bhakti is classified in two parts that the lower type of devotion and it includes ringing of bells, waving lights, kirtan (reciting devotional songs) etc.

The second type of devotion is called highest devotion and no ritualistic worship is followed and the seeker is absorbed absolutely in Almighty. We usually forget about our self and only thought of God remains in our mind. Devotion grows gradually like a flower and tree in the heart of man to realize God.

Realization of God: Our faith in our devotion is essential to attain God. Our faith which can move the mountains, can do wonder by taking us into the inner chamber of Lord. Simple food, prayer, service of saints or study of books helps us to achieve the Truth.

The enemy of devotion is our company of wrong people and they must be avoided at all cost. We should keep the picture God before us in order to visualize his face or feet in our heart.

Mantra reciting: Mantra of our liking can be recited to keep our mind focused on the almighty. We should keep our mind under control from wandering into the useless thoughts. It is the mental worship which increases our devotion. Bhakti can transmute a person into divinity. It fills the man with humility, compassion and kindness. Man is blessed with everlasting peace of mind and ecstasy

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Our ignorance put hindrances before us to achieve salvation and the main purpose of this yoga is to walk on the path of truth by destroying ignorance. It advises us to listen to the spiritual discourses from some experienced spiritual teachers to reach up to the Truth. We should always try to be in the company of those people who are truly awakened souls to strengthen and guide us properly to open up our true self.

Separate Truth from Falsity: We must think deeply the teaching of our Guru and try to separate truth from falsity so that truth is followed strictly. This makes our ego weakened and keeps our soul free from wrong doing of our mind and body. Our focus should also be shifted from mortal to immortal being of the self. Gyana is considered the highest teaching from the Upanishads and it is main theme of Bhagwad Gita. It is always given a place of supreme purifier of mind and body.

Self-harmony: We should always try to be in complete self-harmony and try to find wisdom within ourselves. Wisdom purifies the human from the negativity that we have possessed by living in human society. The best way to acquire the true knowledge of self is to focus on the unchangeable and never on illusions of wealth. Our ego and notion about our own self is always changing. This kind of yoga keeps us alert about the realty. The Jnana Yoga doesn’t provide freedom from this life but it gives the right platform to find out the truth of human life.

Gyana is Awareness: All the clouds that are blocking our mind are removed and real awareness is permanently restored. This makes it to attain goal of worldly consciousness. Jnana yoga is a sort of understanding the law of existence and the awareness to know the ultimate. This materialistic world makes us slave and the Gyana makes us free and blissful from this bondage. Our self-identification and feeling of independent being is the cause of our slavery and ‘knowledge’ reduces this kind of illusions and bliss is restored.

Bhagavad Gita is source of Jnana Yoga: Gita Gyan purifies our illusions and all such wrong notion about our existence. It admonishes that one must do his duty honestly but at the same time one must purify our heart and mind. If we are doing our work by surrendering ourselves to God and that work becomes a supreme action in our lives.

All the works that are done to realize the Almighty are the best actions. We must accompany the great souls who have realized the true self in order to understand the Supreme. This true knowledge can purify our heart and mind. We can destroy ignorance of our mind by absorbing ourselves in this true knowledge.

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All the acts which are completed from birth to death in one’s life is called Karma. Karma yogi does not accept any wealth for rendering service in any household and even name and fame is not sought after.  If the actions are performed with this intension that nothing wrong would be done, is considered a right approach.

Honesty with right means: Karma should be performed with the right means without harming anybody and it is considered karma in accordance with the law of religion. It is called a real karma yoga. It is hugely practiced yoga in the ‘Hindu Religion’. Karma yoga is a mixture of both the physical and mental aspects of Hindu Religion to have single concept. The word Karma is taken from the Sanskrit word “Kri” which means ‘to do’. An action is the gist of Karma. It means that our actions of the past are taken into account while deciding the position of the present.

Wheel of Karma: It is believed that knowledge of the complex wheel of karma is achieved. The real stress of karma is basically on the sincerity and honesty with which our duty is done. The work that is done with selfish purpose to acquire luxuries in life is bad karma. This materialistic approach can put stoppage on our spiritual growth. It is not through slavery of labor but through the personal decision of doing work in a selfless manner that decides our karma.

If we possess true compassion and selfless service to others, it is also a good karma. These kinds of karma should not be achieved by torturing others. It takes more than a few incarnations to reach to get pure destiny.

Non-attachment: It is essential that we should try to free ourselves from attachment in order to achieve karma. This is virtually not easy to be non-attached but those who achieve it, get through to the ultimate. Logic has no place before the human emotions which always dominates in the human karma. It is the continued friction between logic and emotion that brings problems with our karma. One has to be logical to achieve the ultimate karma.

Nishkam Karma Yoga: It is the obsessive dedication in our lives which is important to reach up to karma. We have to do our action with honest dedication without thinking of any kinds of rewards in return. The karma which is done with this intention enhances our good karma. There are numerous theories regarding karma. It is the selfless service that is rendered by us to help others in time of need increase our karma. This theory is primarily followed in Hinduism . Karmic yoga seems like a science that progress towards selfless destiny and spiritual growth is achieved.

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Pleasant Sense: This makes our mind to have a pleasant sense of our well being and our mind is in a state of ecstasy with darkness all-around. There is faith in our deep consciousness in a supreme being. It is the God towards whom we are looking for help, guidance, protection and inspiration. Our ego causes a problem in this matter to not allow our mind to reach up to God. If our ego frees us from its slavery, we can easily get to the Ultimate.

King of Yogas: It is called the king of all yogas because it is mainly concerned with our mind. There is no struggling of breathing and physical body in this yoga but our mind gets silence and freedom from wandering thoughts. It makes our mind to enter the thoughtless state of mind and that is why called Raja Yoga. This yoga helps us to get realization of oneness.

State of Mind: Raja yoga is chiefly related with our mind and its control and certain kinds of modification. Our mind is always running in different directions with its ray’s scattered all over. We have to focus our mind to control these useless thoughts. We can control our mind with four great virtues, friendliness, compassion, complacency and indifference towards others who are too superior to us. It is yoga which makes us free from the bondage of misery and also develops the remote viewing abilities.

Eternal Bliss: Raja yoga puts an end to all the miseries in our lives and an eternal bliss is experienced through it. We have to free ourselves from the slavery of attachment in order to get near the almighty and attain eternal ecstasy. We have to realize the real cause of our miseries of earthly life. The cause of these miseries is the discrimination that arises within us with the thinking that we are superiors to others. Raja yoga gives us the most practical method to know the cause of such problems.

Three Types of Aspirants: There are first class aspirant to get materialistic things in life and they are advised meditation on samadhi to get freedom from this slavery. Then there are middling aspirant and they are advised selflessness, austerity and egolessness. Meditation with disciplinary practice like fasting and self-surrendering before God. Raja yoga maintains that everybody should strictly follow certain rules and regulation in life to attain freedom from the slavery of miseries. The yoga practitioner should be very patient.

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The true yoga actually means to achieve the union of mind and body. Yoga’s literal idea can be got through the system called identification. Since identification is strongly built into the mind and it can’t be easily erased which leads to cure the problem of separation of mind and body. It is through meditation that a person tries to identify the silent witness inside by practicing it regularly.

Integration Of Body and Mind

Once this silent salvation is achieved by meditation, a person can have lifestyle which promotes happiness and health in his life. True yoga enables us to have a completely different thought about life. Yoga literally means a power of breath to strengthen our body and mind. The natural flow of energy that resides in our body is focused on by practicing yoga.  Yoga Asanas not only open our natural energy but also keep us always youthful and well spirited.

Meditation and Breathing Techniques

It is through meditation and breathing techniques that we can achieve serenity and relaxed state of mind. True yoga also explores the secrets of mind, body and spirit which can renew our energy, serenity of our body and our mind. Yoga uses the power of our breath which strengthens our body and brings calmness to our mind. We can have a passion for living a healthy life. Yoga can create a wonder of bringing positive state of mind in our life.

Priceless Treasures

Yoga is a treasure which is really priceless to get happiness, freedom and peace of mind. The most valuable thing of our life is to spare at least thirty minutes in our daily life to achieve all such wonders in our life. Yoga practitioners can avail all kinds of yoga to get the desired results. True yoga is really providing best training centre all over the world to keep all people healthy. Yogis are expert enough to make us to practice yoga to cure all our problems.

Yoga Benefits are Unlimited

Yoga can reduce the physical of our. It can also ease the pain in our body. Yoga teaches us to take slower and deeper breaths to improve the function of our lungs by increasing the amount of oxygen to the body. It helps in bringing mobility, flexibility and reduces aches and pains.

All our muscles, ligaments, tendons are strengthened. It can also help in controlling the weight of our body. Yoga improves the circulation of our body. It aids in lowering heart rate. Yoga helps in meditation to reach a deeper and spiritual in our life. Yoga has virtually become an essential part of our daily life. Regular yoga practice is a way to peaceful mind and healthy body.

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As the time passed, common people became aware about pranayama. They started practicing it for the attainment of physical and mental health, though in long run, all benefits of pranayama are produced including spiritual and kundalini awakening.

Benefits start within a week however it depends on the person’s ailment and also on the regularity and intensity of the performance.

Physical Benefits

• Oxygen supply is increased and re-establishes the body’s own natural rhythm.

• Develops the respiratory organs and improves vital capacity tremendously.

• Three doshas (imbalances) of  human body Vata, Pitta, Kapha are balanced, which results to complete health.

• It completely cures some of the chronic diseases which are impossible to treat by medicines like,  Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Angina, Blockages in Arteries, Obesity, Asthma, Bronchitis, Leucoderma, Depression, Parkinson, Insomnia, Thyroid problems, Arthritis, Cervical spondylitis, Hepatitis, Cancer, Cirrhosis of the Liver, Flatulence, Gas, Constipation, Acidity, etc.

• Some pranayamas are very beneficial for pregnant women like Anuloma-Viloma, Bhramari and Udgeeth.

Mental Benefits

• Long and deep breathing produces a positive effect on nerves which cures stress and depression. Helps in steadiness and concentration of mind. Also, very useful for emotional control.

• Excellent for meditation which takes the practitioner to spiritual heights.

• The practitioner acquire self confidence, optimism, a calm mind and various desired qualities.

Spiritual Benefits

• Rhythmic breathing, as well as correct concentration and meditation, can bring about a breath change in one’s physical and mental stage and serves as a step towards spiritual unfolding. The yogis say that the deep rhythmic breathing exercise will allow the body to re-establish in its own natural rhythm and allow us more to the cosmic rhythm. This will protect us from any negative external influences.

• Extremely helpful for Kundalini awakening.

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Every body can practice including small children, old age people and patients. It is very easy and significantbreathing exercise for everyone. Pregnant women can also practice it regularly with some precautions that will result a healthy and normal baby.

Best Place

Concentration is the basic requirement for pranayama so the place for pranayama should be peaceful. Initially while practicing, one should try to keep the mind calm. As the practice goes on day by day, mind becomes calm and concentration becomes easy itself.

As pranayama originated in India, place is described in ancient books according to Indian climatic conditions. The best place is peaceful, holy river bank or some open area like garden with lush greenery where atmosphere is full of natural oxygen in early mornings.

While it is changed as per climatic conditions in different countries and regions. Pranayama can be practiced in peaceful, neat, clean rooms with the arrangements of fresh and healthy oxygen.
If practicing on the floor, you must sit on specific yoga mat which is non-conductor of electricity and magnetic field. If practiced on the chair, it should also be non-conductor like wooden.

Best time for practice?

The best time for pranayama practice is early morning. Take bath after bowel movement and wear loose clothes. If bowel movements are not regular, try some natural cleanser like Triphala or Isabgol husk for initial days. Triphala is the best natural body cleanser according to Indian ayurveda while Isabgol husk is the nature’s richest source of dietary fiber. Bowel movements will be regular itself after some days of practice.

Though it can also be practiced after ‘five hours’ of meals, as this duration is enough to digest the consumed food and the stomach gets relaxed. Some patients of chronic diseases are advised to practice pranayama twice a day, in the morning and evening. They must follow these guidelines.

Immediately after pranayama practice, nothing should be consumed, there must be a gap of 20 minutes at least to countdown the body. Though very little amount of water can be taken if needed any time.

Pranayama Posture

Sit in Padmasana, Siddhasana or Vajrasana. If you are not able sit in asanas, sit crossed legged with straight spinal cord. If a person is unable to sit on floor due to some reasons, he can sit on the chair. The body should be stable and spinal cord should be straight.

Pranayama Duration

Initially it should be practiced for 5-10 minutes daily. While as practice grows the time should be increased up to one hour maximum accordingly. The duration of practice should be equal per day, which is good for the body to maintain equilibrium.

Precautions

• Breathing should be done with the nose only. As it’s a natural process of breathing which keeps all toxic elements out and filters the air before entering into lungs. Also the body temperature is maintained by the Ida and Pingla nadies which are placed inside the nose.

• Pranayama should be practiced in easy way and no sign of stress should be shown on the face. Any part of body should not feel uneasiness  or strain during practice. If it happens, means you are crossing your body strength and ‘over practicing’ which may be harmful.

• If you feel tired during practice, must stop at once, take some rest for few minutes with long normal breaths, then resume. Pranayam should not be over practiced. Duration should be increased gradually with patience day by day.

• For complete benefits of pranayama, practitioner should take high calorie vegetarian diet including milk, fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Pranayama is not limited only up to physical practices while it is co-related with mind, concentration, inner strength and vital power.

• Initially practice should be done slowly, patiently, with all precautions and under guidance of an experienced yoga teacher.

• Patients of chronic diseases, blood pressure, heart patients, pregnant women should strictly practice pranayama in guidance of experienced yoga teacher.

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