Hatha Yoga and Its Effects

More than 18 million Americans now practice yoga, up from 6 million in 1994, according to a 1998 survey conducted by the Wall street Journal and NBC!!! Come experience the transformation of YOGA…taking you beyond! In a wonderful hour of “hatha yoga” class I include a practice incorporating 4 different styles, which include some meditation, pranayama, chanting and asanas (postures). You will learn basic terms such as mudras, sanskirts, bandas and chakras. A fun and relaxing, yet challenging class for beginners, intermediate and advanced students, who want to get a taste of the over 5000 year old ancient Eastern practice for the body, mind and spirit. In "Hatha Yoga" you use your body, breath and mind to stretch, relax, energize and let go. It is beneficial for everyone of any age...from the healthiest to the ill. Some of it's benefits include:
*Reducing Stress and Increasing Relaxation
*Increasing Body strength, Stamina and Flexibility
*Stronger Mental Focus and Self Discipline
*Impulse Control
*Rehabilitating and Healing Injuries
*Reducing Pain
*Increasing Health and Function of the Immune System
*Improving Posture and Muscle Tone
*Better Circulation and Oxygenation of the Blood
*Healthier Skin
*Cleansing and Improved Function of the Organs
*A More Positive Outlook on Life
*Stronger Mental Clarity
*A Sense of Balance and Internal Harmony

Also, the following are some of the ailments proven to be relieved, reversed or even cured by yoga:
ACIDITY, HEARTBURN, INTOXICATION, ALLERGIES, ALZHEIMER'S, ANEMIA, ANGER, ANXIETY, NERVOUS TENSION, ARTHRITIS, ASTHMA, BACK PAIN, BRONCHITIS, CANCER, CARDIAC, HYPERTENSION, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME, CHRONIC FATIGUE, COLITIS, COMMON COLD, CONSTIPATION, DEPRESSION, DIABETES, EPILEPSY, EYE PROBLEMS, FACIAL WRINKLES, GASTRO-INTESTINAL DISORDERS, HEADACHES, MIGRAINES, HEMORRHOIDS, HEPATITIS, IMMUNIE DEFICIENCY, IMPOTENCE, STERILITY, INSOMNIA, KIDNEY STONE, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, MUSCULAR DISTROPHY, OBESITY, WEIGHT LOSS, OSTEOPOROSIS, PROSTATE ENLARGEMENT, SKIN PROBLEMS, SLEEP APNEA, SLIPPED DISK, SCIATICA, STIFFNESS, STRESS, STUTTERING, THYROID PROBLEMS, MENOPAUSE, MENSTRUAL CRAMPS, URINARY TRACT DISORDER FOR WOMEN, VAGINAL INFECTIONS, and many more...

Also, it is good to keep in mind that the proper "Diet/Nutrition" plays a VERY important role in the results you want to achieve, eventhough it is not essential to obtain benefits from yoga.

What is Hatha Yoga?

Hatha Yoga has four divisions or limbs: Asana (bodily postures), Pranayama (regulation of breath), Mudra (arrangement of fingers denoting mystic signs) and Nadanusandhana (hearing the inner sound). Practice of Asanas make the nerves light and soft and removes bodily diseases. After the practice of Asana, Pranayama and other processes of Yoga are taken up. Hatha yoga is one of the best-known yoga practices of western society. Practicing yoga is associated with establishing harmony, equanimity, balance. It has been well-publicized in mainstream media, recommended to patients by their doctors, and praised by its many practitioners.

Pranayama
Hatha is composed of the syllables Ha and Tha. The breath that rises from the heart and goes out of the body, is called the Prana and is denoted by the syllable Ha. It is always warm and is, therefore, also called the sun. The breath that is taken in, is the Apana and is denoted by the syllable Tha. It is cool and is therefore also called the moon. The right regulation of the action of these, sun and moon, or Prana and Apana is Hatha Yoga.

Breath is life! Exchange of electrons. Flow of energy. Air is the primary nutrient. Survival without it is measured in minutes. It is so important that you do it without thinking. Your breathing is the voice of your spirit. It's depth, smoothness, sound, and rate reflect your mood. If you become aware of your breath and breathe the way you do when you are calm you will become calm.

Yogic breathing techniques are a vocabulary for communicating between the higher cerebrocortical (mind) brain, and the lower limbic and hind-brain autonomic structures. Conscious breathing initiates autonomic healing mechanisms.

Asanas
Asanas (yoga postures) The Sanskrit word "asana" is derived from the root as which means to be present, to dwell in, to sit quietly, abide, to inhabit. Asana literally means to sit down or sit in a particular position. In the context of yoga, asana refers to the various postures or positions that are commonly identified with the practice of yoga such as the headstand (sirsha-asana), the lotus (padma-asana), etc. In order to perfect the postures, stretching is done. Regular practice at approximating the asanas and using breath and gravity to allow you to relax further into the pose is Hatha Yoga.

YOUR YOGA CLASS
Many different types of yoga workouts have been created. But many times in our quest for fitness and a hard body, At some point it becomes just a workout and not yoga. If you come to this path with fitness in mind that is important, but Yoga is extremely powerful. If you try to rush it, you will only slow yourself down.

Yoga is not mind over body. It is harmony between them. In yoga, the mind is used to perceive (diagnose) and guide (heal) the body. Not to "control" it and never to force it.

The big lesson is that yoga takes time. Time for muscles to coordinate. Time for tissues to grow. Time for breath, spirit, and energy to flow. The time you invest in yoga comes back with interest in greater vitality, presence of mind, reduced need for sleep, and longer life.

Yoga should be conscious action not "learning routines." The skill, grace, and poise develop naturally as an inevitable result of regular practice. No major effort is required or even effective. Trying hard will make your practice painful, even injurious, and will actually slow your progress! The therapeutic effect of yoga comes from involving your mind totally in inspiring (breathing) your body to wake.

Yoga is not about how far down you can reach or how many repetitions you can do. It’s about paying attention to how your body is structured; how to move it without exacerbating preexisting injury or illness; how to correctly breathe; and how to integrate that breath with your body. Intelligent yoga does not cause you to force or strain. In other words, appropriate yoga is learning how to do less...which gets you more.

Paradoxically, by appropriately doing less, yoga enhances strength, flexibility and endurance. Accordingly, your body and mind become increasingly balanced and you will find that it takes less energy to move through your day. Yes, you really can do less…and get more.