... and possibly a long-term, effect on our physical health.

It is obvious that our mental, physical, and emotional health will be improved by good character, but it can also be said that our physical health will be improved? How can this be? Feelings of fun, gratification, kindness, happiness, and forgiveness, are just plain healthy. The opposite feelings will cut our life spans short.

The building blocks of good character are integrity, patience, tolerance, respect, and compassion. If your Yoga teacher does not have these qualities, you should consider finding one who does. Why would any of us want to waste our precious time with a cruel, sarcastic, arrogant, greedy, and impatient, Yoga teacher?

If we feel the need to be around a powerful negative influence, we are on the short path of self-destruction. Some of us are magnetized to...more

Discovering The History And Concepts Of Different Branches of Yoga

...History of Hatha Yoga: The history of hatha yoga goes back in the fifteenth century India when Yogi Swatmarama, a sage during those times, introduced it as a form of "a stairway to the heights" of Raja Yoga which is the preparatory stage of physical purification that makes the body fit for the practice of higher form of meditation. Hatha yoga is also known to be called as "hatha vidya" and the word "hatha" is a combination of the words, "ha" which means sun "tha" that means moon and they are said to refer to the prinicipal "nadis" or the energy channels of the body and must be fully operational to attain the state of "dhyana" or a certain aspect of meditation.

Some people may link that the origins of hatha yoga which dates back in the tenth or eleventh century with Goraknath, a yogin during those times. However, the oldest surviving text about hatha yoga is the hatha Yoga Pradipika by yogin, Yogi Swatmarama. The text is said to be taken from old Sanskrit writings and personal yogin experiences of the yogin himself. The text relates about shatkarma, asana, pranayama, chakras, kundalini, bandhas, kriyas, shakti, nadis, and mudras among others.

Concept of hatha yoga: The total concept of the traditional hatha yoga is a holistic yogic path comprising of moral disciplines, physical exercises, breath control, and meditation. The hatha yoga that is widely practiced and popular in the western countries mainly composed of the "asanas" or postures and other exercises.

hatha yoga is only one of the two concepts of yoga that concentrates on the physical culture and the other yoga is the Raja yoga but both of these are referred to as Ashtanga yoga. The main difference is that the Raja yoga concentrates more on the "asanas" or postures to get the body ready for a prolonged meditation that c...more

Who Should Become a Yoga Teacher?

...ga abroad, as well. There are competent Yoga teachers, who trace their Yoga lineage back to Englishmen, who served in India.

Some of the first non-Indian Yoga teachers did not have extensive Yoga training under the guidance of a Guru, but a few did. Consider this idea: If you know nothing about Yoga, but I know a little something - I can show you what little I know. This happens with any form of shared knowledge, and the person who knows a little more about Yoga, becomes a Yoga teacher.

Granted, we are considering the beginning of Yogas worldwide proliferation, but now we have 21st century Yoga teacher certification in a fast-changing world - with a variety of styles and approaches to overa...more

Yoga Anti-Aging Health Benefits

...The most common definition of aging is not what really determines it. In reality, misusing our bodies over a long time causes the body to degenerate and consequently look older. A lifetime of remaining sedentary, consuming non-nutritious foods or having poor posture while working can cause the stiffness or aches and pains commonly attributed to getting old. Regular care and maintenance of the human body is required as much as all other types of machines ever made by man. One of the major things that make the bodies of humans unique is the ability to renew or regenerate themselves at the cellular level. Yoga is an important tool that works to help maintain the health of the human body.

Many people have started using this form of exercise even at the age of fifty or more years. The success of turning back the clock on the process of g...more

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