Navasana Boat Pose
Navasana literally Boat Pose in Sanskrit is a very powerful pose for gaining abdominal strength, as well as for developing balance and poise. The following are directions for practicing Boat Pose in two variations Full Boat Pose and Modified Boat Pose. Try to do Full Boat Pose. If this pose is too challenging for you, then try Modified Boat Pose. As you develop strength and stamina, continue on to Full Boat Pose. To perform Full Boat Pose paripurna navasana paripurna means full , begin by...
KneestoChest Pose
As a counterpose to the Locust Pose or any other backward bending exercise , you can do some knee hugs. Lie comfortably on your back on the floor. Lift your legs off the floor as you bend your knees and hug them into your chest by clasping the area of the upper shins just below the kneecaps with your hands. This Knees-to-Chest Pose is known alternatively as pavanamuktasana, apanasana, or vatayanasana Wind-Relieving Pose . Hold yourself in this position for several complete breaths. If you would...
Dhanurasana Bow Pose 1
Dhanurasana, or Bow Pose Fig. YPS.9, page 129 , is a powerful backward bend. You can help your partner open the back and shoulder area even wider and further than your partner could do on his or her own. Have your partner lie down on his or her belly on a firm, padded surface. Your partner bends the legs, raising the lower legs off the ground, and lifting the feet toward the buttocks. Your partner grasps the ankles with his or her hands. As your partner inhales, he or she raises the knees and...
Paschimottanasana Seated Forward Bend
Paschimottanasana, or Seated Forward Bend Fig. YPS.6, page 125 , is one of the best overall stretches for the back and the hamstrings the long, often tense, muscles that run along the entire length of the back of the upper leg. In this posture, you will assume the position for Seated Forward Bend and execute the posture while your partner assists you in deepening your stretch. Sit on the floor with your trunk, neck, and head erect with your legs straight out in front of you, touching. Place the...
Yoga Courses Workshops and Retreats
One excellent way to explore yoga is to enroll in a short course or workshop in yoga. This way, you can begin or strengthen your yoga practice by working in an extended fashion under competent supervision. Many of the institutes representing major styles of yoga, such as the Himalayan Institute, Integral Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Sivananda Yoga offer series of courses in yoga, graded to different levels of practitioners for instance, Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced practitioners . Many yoga...
Jivamukti Yoga Eclectic Urban Yoga
Jivamukti from jivanmuktih, living liberated in Sanskrit, implying one who is liberated, or enlightened, while still alive is an eclectic synthesis of yoga practices developed by Sharon Gannon and David Life, who studied both Sivananda Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga in India. See Chapter 5 and Chapter 6. This style of yoga is taught and practiced at two Jivamukti Yoga Centers in New York City one in Munich, Germany and at other locations throughout the world by teachers who have been trained and...
Suggested Further Resources Xjv
In this chapter, you've seen how you can incorporate yoga into your fitness program and devise a blueprint for a custom-tailored yoga program. Each particular sport and fitness activity can have its own unique yoga plan. If you'd like more information on specific postures and stretches that you can explore for your specific fitness activities and goals, the following resources are highly recommended to supplement the information presented in this chapter. Aladar Kogler, Ph.D., is the foremost...
Tailoring a Yoga Program to Your Specific Fitness and Sports Needs
You can easily custom-tailor a yoga program to meet your specific needs. As an overall recommendation, be sure to include stretching before and after your physical activity. Try to include stretches that address the entire body. You can choose from among the yoga exercises provided in A Complete Yoga Practice Session for Men. For instance, performing a round of Sun Salutations will provide a stretch for the entire body. You could also choose a complete stretching program by choosing to perform...
Final Relaxation Exercise
Lie down on the floor, preferably on a carpet or other padded surface, with your back resting on the Fig. YPS. 15 Final Relaxation floor in Corpse Pose. The backs of the legs should be resting firmly on the floor, your two legs spread slightly apart hip-width or perhaps a little wider. The backs of your arms should be resting securely on the ground, with your arms spread slightly apart from your body, your palms facing up. You are now ready to do a nice, long relaxation. This relaxation will...
Five Tibetan Yoga A Dynamic Yoga Flow
When we think of yoga, we often think of India. But the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism, which first originated in India and on which traditional yoga practices are based, spread to Tibet thousands of years ago. They have influenced Tibetan thought and yoga practice for millennia. The spiritual and physical practices of Tibetan Yoga, like much knowledge about Tibet in general, remained relatively secret until recent years. Now, the secrets of Tibetan Yoga are becoming increasingly more...
Bikrams Yoga Yoga to the Rich and Famous
Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class Bikram's Yoga is an approach to yoga popularized by Bikram Choudhury, a teacher of yoga who was born in India. He first gained prominence in the 1970s when he began to offer yoga classes in Los Angeles, California. A handsome and charismatic young man who, at the age of 11, was the youngest champion in the National India Yoga Competition, Bikram quickly gained prominence in the United States as the yogi to the rich and powerful. Indeed, his roster of students...
Salabhasana Locust Pose
Salabhasana, or the Locust Pose, is often performed in two variations one following the other. The first is a single-leg Locust Pose, commonly referred to as the Half Locust Pose ardha-salabhasana ardha means half , followed by a full Locust Pose salabhasana . This asana gives a particularly powerful stretch to the entire back of the body, including both the back and the legs. It also helps to tone the buttocks and abdominal organs. To perform Half Locust Pose, lie flat on your belly on your...
The Four Major Branches of Yoga
As most commonly presented, the four major branches of yoga are bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, karma yoga, and raja yoga. Understanding the nature of each can help you incorporate yoga into your life in the most meaningful way. Bhakti literally means devotion in Sanskrit. Bhakti yoga is known as the yoga of devotion. Following the path of bhakti yoga requires one to surrender oneself completely to a force or power greater than oneself. That power might be a deity, saint, revered teacher, or a...
Yogilates Yoga Joins Pilates
Yogilates represents a marriage of yoga with a system of wellness and fitness known as the Pilates Method. The Pilates Method is a series of movement exercises developed by German-born Joseph Pilates 1880-1967 in the 1920s. These exercises are designed to make people more aware of their bodies while stretching and strengthening muscles, opening joints, and releasing tension. Interest in the Pilates Method has grown enormously in recent years. The exercises that form part of this method are a...
A Complete Yoga Practice Session for Men
The best way to begin the practice of yoga is to learn under the guidance of a good, experienced teacher. Nothing can compare with the individualized, hands-on training such a teacher can provide. With the growing popularity of yoga, chances are that you can find a yoga studio, center, class, or teacher located close to you. By understanding the various approaches to yoga presented in Yoga for Men, you'll be able to make an informed, intelligent selection of one that's just right for you....
Siddha Yoga Meditation The Grace of the Master
Siddha Yoga meditation is an approach to yoga bequeathed by Swami Muktananda 1908 1982 , a noted teacher in India and disciple of Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri, regarded as one of the great saints of modern India. Siddha literally means a perfect human being in Sanskrit. Siddha Yoga meditation uses a variety of techniques, such as chanting, meditation, selfless service, and mantra repetition, as ways to attain enlightenment and perfection. The most complete reference about the Siddha Yoga...
Position Bhujangasana Cobra Pose
Inhale as you gradually slide your chin, neck, and head forward up and off the floor as you maintain your hand placement securely on the floor. Allow your belly and lower torso to sink onto the floor as your upper back arches up from the floor. Point your toes so that the top surface of each foot rests in contact with the floor. Your arms straighten as you lift up into what Fig. YPS.li Cobra Pose is known as bhujangasana, or Cobra Pose. This posture provides a strong backward bend, so lift your...
Viparita Karani LegsuptheWall Pose
Viparita karani, or Legs-up-the-Wall Pose viparita means inverted and karani means doing is a powerfully restorative posture. It is a variation of the Shoulderstand. In fact, this pose can be an alternative inverted posture for those men who find the Shoulderstand too challenging. Legs-up-the-Wall Pose helps to relieve backache while providing the stimulating benefits of an inverted posture, helping to promote good circulation, particularly in the legs and feet. In addition to being practiced...
Vrkasana Tree Pose
Yoga helps to promote poise, grace, and balance. A group of postures known as balancing poses are especially helpful in achieving these goals. In addition to helping provide balance, these postures also help to promote concentration and clarity of thought because you must focus the mind with great awareness in order to balance the physical body. One of the best balancing postures is vrkasana, or Tree Pose. In this posture, you balance yourself on one leg at a time while striving to achieve the...
Position Ahstang PranamKnees Chest and Chin to the Floor
Exhale as you slowly, and with control, lower yourself down so that your knees, chest, and chin touch the floor. Your pelvis and the mid-section of your torso remain lifted off the floor. Your feet are flexed and touching the floor, toes curled under. Your hands are placed with palms flat on the floor next to your shoulders. Your elbows are raised and your upper arms are aligned to be as straight, close, and parallel to your torso as possible. This position is known as ashtang pranam...
Bidalasana Cat Pose
Fig. 13.2a Cat Pose Back Arched Down Fig. 13.2a Cat Pose Back Arched Down Fig. 13.2b Cat Pose Back Arched Up Bidalasana bidala means cat in Sanskrit is most popularly referred to as Cat Pose or Cat Stretch, and alternatively by some practitioners as Cat-Cow Stretch. This stretch uses deceptively simple yoga movements that can help you strengthen and stretch the spine simultaneously. To prepare for Cat Pose, assume a kneeling position on the floor. Try to practice this exercise on a carpeted...
Standing Abdominal Lift
Standing Abdominal Lift is an abdominal squeezing exercise that you can perform while standing. It helps to strengthen the abdominal muscles while giving a powerful massage to the internal organs. Stand in Mountain Pose Fig. YPS.1a, page 115 with your feet firmly planted on the ground about hip-width apart, and your arms and hands by your sides. Lower the buttocks Fig. 13.4b Seated Cat Stretch Rounded Back Fig. 13.4b Seated Cat Stretch Rounded Back to come into a modified squat position. Place...
Garudasana Eagle Pose
Garudasana, or Eagle Pose, is a traditional yoga pose that you can use to help increase your sexual energy. To prepare for Eagle Pose, assume an erect standing position as in Mountain Pose see Fig. YPS.1a, page 115 . Your feet are parallel to one another and about hip-width apart. Shift your weight to your left leg for support as you lift up your right leg. Lift and wrap the right thigh over the left thigh and hook the right foot or toes behind the left calf. If necessary, use your hands to...
Supta Baddha Konasana Reclining Cobbler Pose
Supta baddha konasana, or Reclining Cobbler Pose supta means sleeping or reclining is a variation of the seated Cobbler Pose. This pose can be even more relaxing than the seated Cobbler Pose. In fact, one yoga teacher I know playfully refers to this pose as Goddess Pose because of the luxurious sense of relaxation and ease it can give. If you have difficulty sitting on the floor with your back erect, or if you'd like to practice Cobbler Pose in a different way, try Reclining Cobbler Pose. To...
For Further Information 1
The Himalayan Institute is located on a 400-acre campus in the rolling hills of the Pocono Mountains in the northeastern Pennsylvania town of Honesdale. It offers a wide range of programs, classes, and seminars ranging from weekends to a week or longer at its Honesdale campus, as well as at its branches and affiliated centers throughout the United States and the rest of the world. These include courses on hatha yoga, meditation, breath control, diet and many other practices related to health...
Paschimottanasana Seated Forward Bend Pose
Many men suffer from back pain in particular, pain in the lower back. Paschimottanasana, commonly referred to as Seated Forward Bend Pose, is one of the best asanas that you can perform to help relieve back pain, especially lower back pain. Back pain is often caused by tight hamstring muscles, an important muscle group that runs along the entire length of the backs of the thighs. For many men, the hamstrings are among the tightest that is, most contracted muscles in the body. Seated Forward...
Chapter The Yoga Lifestyle
1. Quoted on the www.whitelotus.org home page. 2. Swami Rama, Choosing a Path, 192. 3. For further information on yogic reasons for being a vegetarian, see Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center's Yoga Mind amp Body New York DK Publishing, 1996 , 126-127. 7. Swami Rama, Choosing a Path, 17. 8. Swami Sivananda, Sadhana Tehri-Garhwal, India Divine Life Society Publications, 1998 , 458-461. Edited and abridged, with parenthetical translations added to aid understanding.
Mula Bandha Pelvic Floor Root Lock
In Sanskrit, the word bandha means lock. In yoga, bandhas are special positions that lock or seal in energy. Yoga practitioners believe that a vital life force energy called prana air, breath, or life force energy in Sanskrit runs through the body and sustains us with its life-giving energy. By sealing off certain parts of the body, a man can lock, or trap, the energy inside his body to intensify its vitalizing effects. For this reason, various bandhas are often applied during the exercise of...
Suggested Further Resources Imd
In this chapter, you've seen how you can incorporate yoga into your social life as well as your fitness program. If you'd like to continue to further explore yoga with a partner, the following resources are highly recommended Cain Carroll, and Lori Kimata, N.D., Partner Yoga Making Contact for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Growth Rodale Press, 2000 . This fully illustrated how-to book includes step-by-step directions for performing more than 60 dynamic yoga postures and three flowing yoga...