Yoga in the West
 Yoga
entered the West mainly through the missionary work of Swami
Vivekananda, who spoke at the Parliament of Religions in 1893.
Since then Yoga has undergone a unique metamorphosis. In the
hands of numerous Western Yoga teachers, Yoga has been tailored
to suit the specific needs of their people. Initially it was
performed to attain spiritual cleansing and rebirth. Then
it was seen as a kind of panacea for curing all kinds of stress
and tension. And "the present wave is the fitness wave," says
Richard Faulds, president of the Kripalu Centre for Yoga and
Health in Massachusetts.
Today in the US Yoga has become a part of life, a valve
to release the tension and stress from the high paced life.
Research shows that 15 million Americans include some form
of yoga in their fitness regimen, which is twice as many as
did five years ago. Many well know Hollywood stars like Madonna,
Julia Roberts, Ricky Martin, have embraced Yoga for all its
benefits. Yoga has in fact spread its roots into America's
cultural soil-deep enough for open minded researchers to consider
how it might bloom into a therapy to treat or prevent disease.
Thus, by and large, Yoga has been secularised and turned
from a rigorous spiritual discipline into an "instant" fitness
system. However, there also has been a continuous influx of
Indian gurus, who, with varying degrees of success, have tried
to communicate the traditional teachings of Yoga.
Major schools of Yoga
 There
are eight major schools of yoga, from Bhakti, which
is mostly about prayer and mantra chanting to Tantra,
which is largely about sex. Most yoga studios and fitness
centres teach some type of Hatha yoga, the yoga of activity.
The three main elements in Hatha Yoga are the body, the physic
part of the man, the mind, the subtle part, and the element
that relates the body with the mind, in a special way, the
breath. Hatha yoga comes in hundreds of different flavours-each
emphasizing different body postures and breathing techniques.
Some of the popular ones are:
Iyengar
It concentrates on carefully aligning the body, using straps,
blocks and pillows to help students who lack flexibility.
It is very useful for physical therapy because it focuses
on the movement of the joints.
Kripalu
This form is sometimes called the yoga of consciousness. Here
students learn to focus on their physical and psychological
reaction to various postures. There are three stages: learning
the poses, holding the poses and combining them into a kind
of meditation in motion.
Kundalini
This form of yoga is appropriate for beginners. It involves
classic stretching postures and breathing exercises, coordinated
with chanting and meditation to stimulate the release of so-called
Kundalini energy.
Read more on Kundalini
yoga
Viniyoga
This is a highly customized form of yoga. Viniyoga teachers
cater stretching postures to individual student needs and
abilities. There is an emphasis on integrating the flow of
the breath with the movement of the spine.
Ashtanga
Ashtanga Yoga is the name given to the system of yoga currently
taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, a renowned Sanskrit scholar
and yogi in Mysore, South India. This form is for those who
are looking for serious workout. This method of yoga involves
synchronizing the breath with progressive series of postures-a
process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying
sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. The result is improved
circulation, a light and strong body, and a calm mind. Here
students jump from one pose to another to build strength,
stamina and flexibility-all while practicing breath control.
This type of yoga is generally taken up by athletes and dancers.
Jivamukti
This is a variation on Ashtanga with an emphasis on spiritual
training, including chanting, meditation, and readings.
Some asanas
While performing yoga one must remember that the approach
to Yoga must be different form other free hand and aerobic
exercises you do in a gym. Yoga is more an Athenian endeavour
than a Spartan one. You don't win by punishing or over exerting
your body. Yoga is not a struggle but a surrender. So the
mantra is to RELAX.
Padmasana
Padma means lotus. Padmasana acquires its name because when
performed this resembles a lotus. This is also known as Kamalasana.
This is best suited for meditation and for reciting mantras.
It is beneficial to both men and women.
| Technique |
| Sit on
the ground. Spread the legs forwards and place the right
foot on the left thigh and left foot on the right thigh.
Let the left hand rest on the left knee and the right
hand on the right knee. Let the tips of the thumbs of
both the hands touch the tips of the index fingers. Keep
the head and spinal column erect. Keep your eyes close
or open. Those who can place only one leg on the thigh
should practise this aasana daily with zeal. They will
be able to perform this aasana easily after some practice.
Stay in the final position for one or two minutes in the
initial stage. Later gradually increase the time. |
| Advantages |
•
This aasana is useful for Japa, Pranayama, Dharana
(Retention or Concentration) and Samadhi. This aasana
stimulates the endocrine glands.
• This aasana is useful
to cure diseases like asthma, insomnia and hysteria. It
is greatly beneficial to the persons suffering from insomnia.
• The aasana relieves
the body of its excessive fat and it increases the vitality. |
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