Tampa Bay Storm Sport

Archive for the ‘Yoga’ Category

Yoga – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers



Today, everywhere, most of the young folks are practicing yoga to learn the ways to get relax from their everyday stress and depressions. They are gaining personal independence and developing their bodies’ flexibility. However, there are many questions that rise about yoga among yoga practitioners and others.

Question And Answers About Yoga and Health Benefits Of Yoga

What is yoga?

Yoga is an ancient philosophy that came from India that promotes personal health, grown and wellness and is also based on a harmonizing system of development for the body, mind, and spirit. So, yoga is an art that combines the body, the mind and the spirit.

The regular yoga practice will provide a sense of peace and healthy. The yoga practice will make your body strong and flexible. It also develops the functioning of the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and hormonal systems. Yoga is about balance. It brings an emotional stability and calmness in the mind.

Yoga is not only for young people who are thin and flexible but also for all age groups. It is also not lying around a religion, relaxing, staring at a candle and breathing incense. Yoga needs a full concentration over the body and mind, focused breathing, regulation and discipline.

As a result of practicing yoga, there will be a greater unification of mind, body, and spirit and for yoga practice there will be no age limit. Anyone regardless of age, body type, experience, or physical capabilities can practice yoga.

Yoga poses increases suppleness, and keeps you fit through yoga exercises, stretches, and breathing techniques. Yoga also promotes mental intensification through individual’s patience, attentiveness, and dedication.

There are many types of yoga such as hatha based or alignment yoga that has been around for over 5000 years and gradually becoming popular, with several medical practitioners and therapists, as a treatment for a huge varieties of diseases.

The health benefits of yoga practice are numerous and it includes more suppleness and strength, improves cardiovascular health, overcomes and helps in healing several injuries, produces mental calmness and clarity, and also generates emotional balance in your body.

Yoga Practice for Enhancing Body and Mind

More significantly, yoga is considered as an all in one practice. There are many different types of yoga exercises and a variety of exercises with different health benefits of yoga.

These exercise choices can be stopped whenever you start practicing yoga.

* Weight training for strength

* Cardiovascular health through jogging or aerobics

* Tai Chi for increasing a sense of balance and synchronization

* Flexibility and strength can be increased with stretching exercises

* Meditation for peace of mind and relaxation

Yoga is above stretching and relaxation techniques, it’s the ideal challenge for body and mind.

Who should practice yoga?

Yoga can be practiced by anyone from the range of people who presently find no physical exercise at all to the range of Olympic athletes. People of all age groups can practice yoga. Knowing the effects of yoga on physical, mental and spiritual aspects, yoga is being practiced by millions of people all over the world.

Purna yoga also called integral yoga, is a careful alignment of your body while you hold poses, and directs to growth physically, emotionally, and mentally. In particular, yoga needs concentration, determination, and practice.

If your aim is to recuperate vigor, health, and feel stronger and younger, then assumes yoga as your exercise of choice. However, if you are in search of a quick fix or just temporary relief of the symptoms, then it is better to look at another form of exercise.

If you desire for a program that acquires more challenging as you move forward, that can begin despite of the condition your body is in, and if you are in search of a type of exercise that is balanced, then yoga may be the best for you.

After making yoga as a choice of exercise, you can start on the lookout for yoga classes, but it is more important for you to become familiar with the different types of yoga, so as to ask about the types of yoga you are interested in when you consult a yoga instructor.

Consider that there are numerous different types and styles of yoga that have been developed over the years. So, you can select your yoga practice according to your fitness level. Thus, the practice of yoga can assure you all the benefit from the discipline, breathing techniques and the physical exercise you get in yoga practices.

The Different Types of Yoga

There are many different styles of yoga being taught and practiced today. Although all of the styles are based on the same physical postures (called Asana’s), each has a particular emphasis or path. Here is a quick guide to the most popular types of yoga that can help you decide which style is right for you.

However, I am strongly advising that you try as many different styles, classes and teachers as possible.  It is crucial for your development, that you have a rich and varied experience of Yoga. 

Hatha Yoga

Hatha is a very general term that can encompass many of the physical types of yoga. If a class is described as Hatha style, it is probably going to be slow-paced and gentle and provide a good introduction to the basic yoga postures.  Highly recommended as a standard experience in the basics of yoga. This is a good place to learn basic poses, relaxation techniques, and become comfortable with yoga.

Vinyasa Yoga

Like Hatha, Vinyasa is a general term that is used to describe many different types of classes. Vinyasa, which means breath-synchronized movement, tends to be a more vigorous style based on the performance of a series of postures called Sun Salutations, in which movement is matched to the breath. A Vinyasa class will typically start with a number of Sun Salutations to warm up the body for more intense stretching that’s done at the end of class. 

Ashtanga or Power Yoga



Ashtanga, which means “eight limbs” in Sanskrit, is a fast-paced, intense style of yoga. A set series of postures are performed, always in the same order. Ashtanga Yoga is very physically demanding because of the constant movement from one pose to the next. In yoga terminology, this movement is called flow. Ashtanga is also the inspiration for what is often called Power Yoga.  If a class is described as Power Yoga, it will be based on the flowing style of Ashtanga, but not necessarily keep strictly to the set Ashtanga series of poses.

Iyengar Yoga

Based on the teachings of the yogi B.K.S Iyengar, this style of practice is most concerned with bodily alignment. In yoga, the word alignment is used to describe the precise way in which your body should be positioned in each pose in order to obtain the maximum benefits and avoid injury. Iyengar Yoga usually emphasises holding poses over long periods versus moving quickly from one pose to the next (flow). Also, Iyengar practice encourages the use of props, such as yoga blankets, blocks and straps, in order to bring the body into the most perfect alignment.

Kundalini Yoga

Yogi Bhajan brought Kundalini Yoga to the US in 1969.  Now the practice is world wide and growing. The emphasis in Kundalini Yoga is on the breath, internal concentration, mantra (words or sounds) in conjunction with physical movement, with the purpose of freeing energy within the body and allowing it to move upwards. All asana practices make use of controlling the breath. But in Kundalini, the exploration of the effects of the breath (also called prana, meaning life force energy) on the postures is essential. Kundalini uses rapid, repetitive movements rather than poses held for a long time.

Bikram or Hot Yoga

Pioneered by Bikram Choudhury, this style is more generally referred to as Hot Yoga. It is practiced in a 95 to 100 degree room, which allows for a loosening of tight muscles and profuse sweating, which is thought to be cleansing. The Bikram method is a set series of 26 poses, but not all hot classes make use of this series.

Anusara Yoga

Founded in 1997 by John Friend, Anusara combines a strong emphasis on physical alignment with a positive philosophy derived from Tantra. The philosophy’s premise is belief in the intrinsic goodness of all beings. Anusara classes are usually light-hearted and accessible to students of differing abilities. Poses are taught in a way that opens the heart, both physically and mentally, and props are often used.

Jivamukti Yoga

This style of yoga emerged from one of New York’s best-known yoga studios. Jivamukti founders David Life and Sharon Gannon take inspiration from Ashtanga yoga and emphasise chanting, meditation, and spiritual teachings. They have trained many teachers who have brought this style of yoga to studios and gyms, predominantly in the U.S. These classes are physically intense and often include some chanting.

Forrest Yoga

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and gaining popularity around the U.S., Forrest Yoga is the method taught by Ana Forrest. The performance of vigorous asana sequences is intended to strengthen and purify the body and release pent-up emotions and pain so that healing can begin. Expect an intense workout with an emphasis on abdominal strengthening and deep breathing.

Kripalu Yoga

The name Kripalu is associated both with a style of hatha yoga and a yoga and wellness centre in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Both were founded by yoga guru Amrit Desai, who came to the United States from India in 1960. Kripalu is a yoga practice with a compassionate approach and emphasis on meditation, physical healing and spiritual transformation that overflows into daily life. Kripalu also focuses on looking inward and moving at your own pace.

Integral Yoga

Integral yoga follows the teachings of Sri Swami Sachidananda, who came to the U.S. in the 1960s and eventually founded many Integral Yoga Institutes and the famed Yogaville Ashram in Virginia. Integral is a gentle hatha practice, and classes often also include breathing exercises, chanting, kriyas, and meditation.

Sivananda Yoga

Swami Vishnu-devananda, a disciple of Swami Sivananda, founded the first Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre in 1957. There are now close to 80 locations worldwide, including several ashram retreats. Sivananda yoga is based upon five principles:

1. Proper exercise (Asana, focusing on 12 poses in particular)

2. Proper breathing (Pranayama)

3. Proper relaxation (Savasana)

4. Proper diet (Vegetarian)

5. Positive thinking and meditation (Dhyana)

Once you have decided to follow a healthy regime through yoga, the next step is to pick the type of yoga that you want and be acquainted about yoga basics. You can choose a yoga class near by for easy conveyance. Yoga doesn’t need any kind of costly equipment except for loose comfortable clothes and a yoga mat.

Some easy positions of yoga, for beginners-

We all do simple positions in everyday life, like lying down, sitting, standing, prone inverted etc. But with proper practice of the aforementioned yoga postures the beginners can be benefited to great extent. These simple activities are arranged and worked out so that a yoga beginner also gains from them. Medical practitioners find yoga to be therapeutic. They even suggest to make yoga a part of their every day life. With gradual introduction of yoga and its method health benefits can be gained.

As a yoga beginner you can choose moderate style like the viniyoga, kripalu yoga or iyengar yoga. You can choose vigorous forms like the power yoga, asthanga yoga in late stages. The later one will be too dynamic for the yoga beginners.

See that you start yoga gently with 10-15 mins warm up session, as it increases blood circulation and lubrication in joints. The body flexes and it becomes easier to do the yoga asana. Maintain correct erect posture throughout.

Breathing techniques of yoga, for beginners-

Yoga is synonymous with breathing technique. With simple breathing exercises in yoga like the pranayama, kapalbhati, anuloma-viloma, one can improve breathing pattern and lung capacity. This kind of yoga relaxes and eases stress.

Importance of sequence for yoga beginner-

Ideal yoga sequences should not be taxing, especially for beginners. As a yoga beginner you can start with standing pose, followed with sitting posture, Supine postures, twist poses, prone postures, inverted and balance postures, back bends and finishing asana.

Some do’s for yoga beginners-

As a beginner it’s better to inform the yoga instructor that you are new to yoga fitness regime. You can even ask the teacher to help you out in case of need. You can seek the help of other advanced students to demonstrate poses. It’s better to know about basic yoga etiquette and learn some basic yoga poses, this you can do searching online or from books and DVD’s. Start fresh with refreshing bath prior to yoga practice. Always end the yoga session with shavasana.

Some don’ts for yoga beginners-

Avoid taking large heavy meals before any yoga class. Ensure that you have eaten 3-4 hrs before the class. You can have some water before and after the yoga class. Avoid tight fitted clothes, shoes and socks while doing yoga.