Yoga? Yes!

Yoga? Yes!

Yoga, a ritualized discipline, is as spiritual as it is physical. It is a versatile discipline that strengthens and tones the body, calms the mind, increases flexibility, and enhances introspection. It has even been called the world’s oldest stress-management system.This ancient holistic philosophy from India now has as many branches as a cottonwood tree. Some are ancient traditions; others were founded more recently by modern masters. Although yoga is the foundation of a total lifestyle for some people, it is part of a fitness program for millions of others. In fact, many stretches now commonly used by athletes are yoga poses.
Expert practitioners have flexible bodies that they can contort into a stunning repertoire of postures and movements that can be slow and deliberate or fast and flowing.
Beginner yoga classes, available at health clubs, adult-education programs, and specialized yoga centers, focus on breathing and basic postures, and some of yoga’s principles have been incorporated into the flexibility and relaxation portions of all sorts of fitness classes. Some clubs offer yoga-derived classes directed toward enhancing a sport, such as weight-lifting, swimming, or cycling. Whether you practice yoga as an end unto itself or as part of a whole fitness package, you might be happy with an elementary level, refined as skill and strength improve, or you might be drawn to a specific branch. At that point, you might seek out a yoga center or yoga studio, where more advanced programs are available. The most dedicated practitioners eventually work with a yoga master, either in India or in the West. In addition to offering introductory classes, each yoga center tends to specialize in one or two branches of yoga, allowing you to go into yoga in great depth if you so choose.Health clubs and recreation centers might offer just one basic style at several levels.Here are some of the most common systems of yoga found in the United States, along with some clues as to how they might fit your needs:
? Ananda. Developed by an American student of an Indian swami, this system couples gentle physical movements and poses with affirmation and meditation.Enhanced self-awareness is one of its goals.
? Ashtanga. This system refers to the ancient body-mind discipline founded by the sage Patanjali, and it includes classical asanas, pranayarsa (breath practices), and meditation. A modern teacher named PataGhi Jo also refers to his style of teaching as Ashtanga yoga. This latter style is based on a series of challenging poses repeated over and over, with emphasis on a particular type of heating breath as the movement flows from one pose to another. It is easy to get comfortable with this style because you keep repeating and working to perfection the same poses. Once your poses are perfected,
you can go on to a higher series. Each series takes about 90 minutes.
? Bikram. This is asana in a furnace. The poses are similar, but the setting is different.Bikram practitioners do 26 specific yoga poses in a very hot room. This helps warm and loosen your muscles, but some people find it uncomfortable.
? Hatha. This term usually is applied to classical body yoga. If it is meant to evoke anything, the sense is of meditative and deliberate poses and counterposes that integrate the body, breath, and mind. It is designed to move subtle energies in specific patterns and to balance and harmonize endocrine functions. If you sign up for a nonspecific yoga class, this is probably what you’ll get. It’s a good introduction.
? Integral. This is fusion yoga. It incorporates elements from various yoga systems into a 90-minute class that follows a prescribed progression. It includes poses,relaxation, and meditation.
? Iyengar. A modern movement, this is the Pilates of yoga emphasizing body alignment and precise movements and poses. In its purest form, this strenuous style requires practitioners to hold poses for up to two minutes, which can seem like an eternity. It is excellent for conditioning because of its challenge, but many beginning exercisers find it way too challenging. It also can employ blocks, belts, ropes, and other props to help less flexible or injured people reach the poses.
? Kripalu. This three-part system begins with the understanding and practice of various postures, breathing, and movement. At the second stage, postures are held longer, and class members are encouraged to understand their feelings about what they are doing with their bodies.
? Kundalini. This refers to an ancient style of yoga in which the spiritual energy of the teacher, Yogi Bhajan, also uses this term to refer to a style of asana that uses a rapid-breathing technique in each posture while that posture is being held. This is an excellent selection if you are stressed and want to harness Eastern philosophy to learn to relax, but like Iyengar, it requires you to hold each pose for a long time and is therefore very demanding.
? Sivanda. During 90-minute classes, students gently practice the postures in the Sun Salutation (see the next section), meditation, and deep relaxation, all of which are combined with chanting.
? Viniyoga. Mantras, chanting, meditation, and twisting postures that work deep into the musculature, organs, and glands are combined in this branch of yoga. It can be physically gentle but is complex and layered.
In basic classes, yoga often is presented as a one-style-fits-all discipline, but after you get beyond the introduction, its complexities unfold. You might have to shop around a bit to find the type that suits you best. “Picking the right style for each individual is crucial,” says Dr. Sarasvati Buhrman of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Aryuveda in Boulder, Colorado. “From a classical perspective, different poses and different styles of yoga asana affect basic dohsas or bioenergies in different ways.People differ from one another physically, physiologically, mentally, and emotionally,so it is important to match the practice with the person. Physiologically, asanas balance and stimulate the endocrine system, which is why yoga is effective for fitness and weight management.”