Importance of Yoga Mats In Yoga Practice

In this article, I am going to highlights the grounds that can motivate you in selecting an eco-friendly Yoga Mat over a synthetically or sticky manufactured one. In the entire article, I will discusses the features that make you understand that the eco-friendly yoga mats provide lots of benefits to the practitioners and the entire planet as these mats do not leave harmful effects in to the atmosphere.

As per my knowledge and experience, I know that selecting an eco-friendly mat is the wisest choice for you and the world. Most of common mat brands available in the market are designed and made using synthetic materials that are harmful for you and your atmosphere. The toxic materials like PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) in sticky mats can badly affect your respiratory systems and you may have difficulty in taking breaths. The production process of the mats using PVC generates toxic waste that harms the atmosphere around you. In addition to this, dioxins and several other carcinogens are discharged in to the environment during the manufacturing process of the synthetic Yoga Mats . On the contrary, eco-friendly yoga mats are designed and made using Eva foam, natural rubber and other biodegradable materials that do not affect the atmosphere and prevent the pollution.

The eco-friendly pads are beneficial during the practice of yoga. These pads have more grips on the floor as compared to the pads made of plastics or synthetic materials. So, you can do your yoga practice without the fear of slip. Most of eco yoga mats are thicker that others and provide better support to the practitioners during various asanas of yoga. The yoga mats having slightly rough textures help you in standing properly during the asanas of standing postures.

Natural or eco-friendly mats are made using natural materials such as jute, Eva foam, TPE (Thermal Plastic Elastomer), PER (Polymer Environmental Resin) and natural rubber. All these materials are sourced naturally and do not leave any side effects that can pollute the atmosphere. As these are biodegradable so you can destroy your yoga mats if not in use easily without affecting the environment. Further, the yoga mats made of eco-friendly materials are skin friendly and last longer that make your investment a wise decision. It is you who have to decide about the selection of your yoga mats and the right decision makes your morning enjoyable and comfortable during the practice.

Summary – As a wise customer, you should go for the Yoga Mats and Kabaddi Mats that are made of eco-friendly materials in order to save the atmosphere around you.

Rocket Yoga in Bangkok, learning to fly

In the yoga history, there are only few figures who contributed to create Yoga as we know it now or “Power Yoga”. This last week end, Bangkok gets the great chance to welcome one of the pioneers of modernYoga: Larry Schultz. Larry has been teaching during 30 years and has influenced yoga students and teachers around the world. His strength and success comes from the 63,000 Sun Salutes, 9,000 classes and 142 yoga teacher trainings he has been a part of. He is also known as the Grateful Dead’s yoga teacher and travelled with the band for 3 years. The workshop was aiming to introduce to Thai people the internationally acclaimed Rocket Yoga: an exciting series of poses drawn from Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga to renew energy and vitality throughout the body. This vibrant routine is called the-Rocket- because -it gets you there faster.-

The first yoga class started Friday evening. Thai and foreigner yoga student was much exited to learn from the creator of the Rocket. Larry Schulz makes his appearance and the magic happened. Xenna, reputed model from Thailand describe Larry as: “wonderful, charismatic, inspirational soul!”

Some student was beginners, some were advanced practicioner but everyone shared the same feeling of Fun and joy doing this Yoga routine. Bute the profond message of this week end was that Yoga is not only about doing yoga pose. It’s about a new way of life, of breathing aiming to bring more peace, love and health to our existence.

Before leaving to Koh Pagnan for the It’s Yoga teacher training, we ask Larry Schultz about his new Thailand experience. Thai student quite impress him. They are as flexible as their willingness to learn new things. Teaching Yoga in Thailand is like to be in a yoga holiday.

Yoga is just blooming in Asia and Its Yoga Thailand is the start of a long adventure.

It’s Yoga opened its first location in San Francisco in 1989. Today It’s Yoga is the global worldwide leader in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training and Certification. During the last 20 years more than 2000 yoga teachers have been certified to teach yoga by It’s Yoga.

More information about the yoga teacher training and yoga holiday in Thailand can be found to their website: www.itsyoga-thailand.com/

Types of Yoga and their benefits

Yoga is a holistic therapy originated in India over 5000 years ago. Yoga contributes to physical, mental and spiritual well being. Physical benefits lie in creating a toned, flexible and sturdy body. It facilitate in improving blood circulation and significantly aid to relieve pain. Mental benefits rely on relaxing mind in stressful situations. It encourages positive consideration and focus the intellect. Spiritual benefits depend on creating the awareness of oneself and understanding the interdependence between mind, body and spiritual infinity.

Types of Yoga and their benefits:

Yoga can be classified into Hatha, Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, Raja, Tandra, Mandra and Purna. They are discussed in detail below

Hatha Yoga:

Hatha yoga works to achieve balance between body and mind through asanas (postures), breathing techniques and meditation. The postures, followed in Hatha yoga improves flexibility and opens all energy channels. Breath control is believed to control one’s mind in this form of yoga. It is also practical to prevent diseases like diabetes, arthritis and hypertension. The yoga is principally beneficiary for relieving stress, anxiety and depression.

2. Bhakti Yoga:

Bhakti signifies attachment to God. Bhakti Yoga is based on the principle -Love is God and God is Love-. It is one of the oldest forms of yoga which is believed to have its root in the Vedas of Hindu Culture. Nine types of practices are implicated namely Sravana(listening to God’s stories), kirtana (singing God’s praises), smarana(remembering God at all times), padasevena(service to others to reach God), archana(worship of god with images), vandana(self absorption), dasya(meditating and servicing), sakha bhava(delight to be a companion of God) and atma nivedana(self surrender to God). Bhakti Yoga helps the devotee to attain the highest level of spiritual achievement.

3. Karma Yoga:

Karma means deed or action. Karma Yoga insists a person to be ego free and selfless. One develops maturity to service others and carry out God’s commandments happily. It encourages a hopeless man and puts him to think and speak right. The yoga involves remembering God in all activities and service for humankind. It teaches how to work unselfishly and enjoy peace still in suffering. 4. Jnana Yoga:

It is the yoga that leads to path of wisdom. The second part of Bhagavad Gita called Jnana Yoga is taught to the practitioner. The four components of Jnana Yoga are Viveka (ability to differentiate real and unreal), vairagiya (detachment to purify mind and improve one’s concentration), shad samphat which itself involves six virtues and mumukshutva (liberation). The yoga is purely based on the preaching’s of Vedic literature and helps in attaining knowledge. 5. Raja Yoga or Astangha Yoga:

This branch of yoga aims in synchronizing the breath by following a progressive chain of postures. The word Astanga means -Eight Limbed Yoga-. It engross eight spiritual practices namely yama(moral codes), niyama(self study), asana(postures), prnayama(breath control), pratyahara(sense control), dharana(concentration), dhyana(meditation) and Samadhi(dissolve into universe). Through Astanga Yoga, Blood circulation increases throughout the body which relieves from joint pain, removes toxins and diseases from internal organs. It makes the body light, strong and healthy.

6. Tantra or Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini Yoga is a meditative practice for promoting mental and spiritual wellness. It is an unusual form of yoga based on the fact that energy coiled on the base of the spine like a serpent can be tapped to flow from spine to brain and viz., and bring positive effect for the practitioner. It involves postures, breathing exercises and utterance of mantras. Unlike other yoga, Kundalini helps to develop strengthened nervous system.

7. Mantra Yoga:

In Mantra yoga, one needs to utter words called as Mantras. The rhythmic repetitions of mantras or syllable develop concentration leading to union of mind with the universe. It makes to focus on a single thought and creates vibrating power by certain pitches and pronunciation concealed in the mantras.

8. Purna or Integral Yoga:

Purna yoga leads to wisdom and union of body and mind with spirit. It involves meditation, Asana (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), applied philosophy and change in lifestyle. Meditation comprises of moment to moment techniques which could make you to listen to your heart. Besides postures and meditation, Purna yoga teaches one to follow a good nutritional diet and also protect from environmental toxins to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Yoga gained significant importance worldwide and nowadays in the faster world, it is a remedy to relieve from stress. Apart from the above discussed yoga, there also exists a unique yoga called laughter yoga introduced in the year 1995 in which people laugh with no reason without depending on jokes or humor. It is based on the scientific fact that the body gets both physiological and psychological benefits. To conclude, Yoga is a tool to repair and recondition your life. Only in Yoga, one could attain the awareness of life and the universe. It is pure and truly a spiritual practice that makes a person to think and act globally.

Yoga Teacher Traning Course At Shree Narayan Yog Peeth, India

Shree Narayan YogPeeth is an ashram and yoga school, founded by Yogi Sanjay K Naithani. The vision is to offer students and spiritual seekers from all over the world an opportunity to understand the true nature and origin of the ancient spiritual practice of yoga.

It is our belief that the path of yoga can be walked anywhere and bring joy and contentment everywhere, when practiced with love and sincerity. We humbly welcome anyone interested in exploring the spiritual aspect of human nature by deepening the understanding of the yogic path to join our spiritual family. Shree Narayan Yopeeth also offers four weeks Yoga Teacher Training course and ten days SADHANA (Purification) course.

Sadhana is an ancient yogic purification practice and yogic path, with the purpose of cleansing the mind and body to gain deeper understanding and wisdom. It is an ego-transcending practice whereby we achieve non-attachment and freedom from wordly desires. Sadhana is an efficient tool for improving capability and increased spiritual consciousness in all parts of human life. The courses schedule is very intense, under the guidance of founder Yogi Sanjay K Naithani, and participants are expected to make a sincere commitment to the practice during the whole of the stay.

The SADHANA course will start from 1st of every month till 10th and from 15 of every month to 25th. first course is starting from April 2013.

Sanjay is the founder president of Shree Narayan Yoga Peeth. From an early age he was inspired by his grandfather who initiated him into a yogic lifestyle. Later he honed his yogic practice at Sivananda Ashram & Bihar School of Yoga and got an initiation into the Udaseen Sampraday tradition. He has also studied Iyengar yoga style and incorporates its attention to postural alignment into his classes. His systematic approach to asana practice, deep knowledge of yoga therapy and loving yet firm style of delivery makes him an invaluable asset at Shree Narayan Yog Peeth.

The discipline of yoga consists of eight limbs: Yama Universal Morality, Niyama Personal Observance, Asanas Body Postures, Pranayama Control of prana through breathing excercises, Pratyahara control of the senses, Dharana Concentration & Cultivation of inner perceptual awareness, Dhyana – Devotion & Meditation on the Divine, Samadhi Union with the Divine.

Yoga Can Help You Grow Taller Faster

Yoga has become popular among many ages through many countries all over the world since the turn of the century. It has long been established that Yoga provides immeasurable help for achieving a sense of total well-being, get relief from stress and reach levels of tranquility previously sought. But there is still a not-as-popular gain from yoga and that’s growth acceleration! If this were more known, there would be a lot more getting into regular yoga.

Yoga is turning out to be much more than getting or keeping the body shape and size of your dreams, even than bestowing rest and serenity in the hustle and bustle of todays living. Yoga postures contain a great number of stretches and extensions, so the muscles of your spine and related areas of your body get to be prodded to limber up and grow upwards. The basic movements and the smooth movements for centering in yoga are the more widespread information on yoga. The body becomes supple and more flexible and the consistent practitioner acquires the ability and capacity to regulate breathing. It is said (another not-commonly-known fact) that proper breathing, which is encouraged by yoga breathing and postures, helps the body grow upwards.

There is real change wrought by yoga to hasten upward growth through its stretching and demanding poses to be done by practitioner. All of these render a satisfied spine, one that has gained total assortment of movements. This gives the body the resistance against the regular pull of gravity, which brings about a tightening of the spine. Which then deters upward growth.

The extensions caused by the different postures make the spinal cartilage thicker and the joints longer. This adds to the general stature and maintains correct posture, which is essential in growing taller.

Some yoga poses are definitely directed towards this end-result. Sukhasana results in more controlled breathing and tones the hips and lower spine. This is done on the floor with crossed legs, hands on top of knees. With back straightened, the buttocks are pushed to the ground while lowering the knees. Take 5 deep breaths while maintaining that stance and bring your arms over your head. Then lower your arms as you exhale. Do this position repeatedly 5 to 7 times.

The Trikonasana is a bit more complicated, with legs 3 feet apart, the left foot rotated in a 90-degree angle toward the left arm and the right leg 45 degrees inward. With a deep breath the arms are raised to the side and exhale as the face is turned to look along the span of the left arm. This is followed by a deep inhalation and stretching towards the left ankle with left hip leaning down as much as possible. At the limit, both arms are rotated until the left hand is wound up against the inner leg at the calf area, while pointing the right arm upwards. This ends with a deep inhalation while straightening back, and exhaling while both arms are lowered gradually.

These two are just among the particular postures in yoga that can enable one to gain more inches to ones height without any drastic effects or complications.