A właśnie, a propos asthanga jogi. Staje się coraz bardziej popularna, szczególnie na Zachodzie...
To przejściowe.

Przejściowe?
Tak, to moda, zaczęła się w Stanach. I już przemija.

Z powodu kontuzji?
Z tego powodu, że nadaje się dla ludzi młodych oraz dla tych, którzy podczas praktyki nie chcą myśleć („because it’s good for young people and it’s good for people who want to practice without thinking”). W asthanga jodze nie ma miejsca na obserwację, analizę, pracę wysubteniającą ciało. Jeden z moich przyjaciół powiada, że asthanga joga jest odpowiednia dla osób, które nie chcą używać inteligencji podczas praktyki. Poza tym obowiązuje zawsze ta sama sekwencja, nie ma zróżnicowania pod kątem różnych sytuacji jak np. ciąża, kontuzja, nic. Tak więc dopóki jest fajnie to jest fajnie, ale jak przychodzi kontuzja czy choroba, kiedy pojawiają się różne ograniczenia, w przypadku kobiet np. menopauza... wówczas... jest problem.

Czyli asthanga joga nie daje rozwiązań w takich sytuacjach?
Nie, przecież to tylko jeden “program” i tyle. Dynamiczna sekwencja generuje dużo ciepła i to jest źródłem ekscytacji. To jakby iść biegać, czy na rower... Asthanga daje ten rodzaj zadowolenia. Ruszasz się szybko, mocna praktyka aktywizuje konkretne hormony ale... na tym koniec. W metodzie Iyengara nie mamy do czynienia z ekscytacją tej natury i dlatego niektórym to nie odpowiada, nie dostrzegają i nie doceniają mentalnego aspektu praktyki. Ale gdy dopada ich kontuzja przychodzą do nas. Mam uczniów narzekających na ból barków, pleców. Jak tylko im się polepszy wracają na asthangę bo to dla nich frajda. Rozumiem, taki jest ich wybór, ale to bez przyszłości, szczególnie gdy człowiekowi przybywa lat.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sonnon25.htm

Stretching vs. Yoga vs. Body-Flow?

Hatha yoga asana (positions or poses), static stretching training and Body-Flow? (dynamic mobility training, including courses such as Warrior Wellness? and Be Breathed?) are three different agendas. The people whom find the most difficulty learning yoga for instance comprise the most flexible; the same is true in Body-Flow?.

The common Western misunderstanding is that yoga is "just stretching," when in reality it is the opposite; stretching moves against the tension to deform the tissues, whereas yoga asanas breathes into the tension to allow it to relax while simultaneously providing stabilizing strengthening.

I view hatha yoga asana as a means of surrendering tension through breathing and focus to augment mobility practice. As such, I use asana when I encounter a range of motion in my Body-Flow? practice which holds considerable blockage and limitation. I move into the asana to release the tension and as a result allow me to amplify my Body-Flow?.

It's important to not associate conventional static stretching with hatha yoga asana. For the difference between Body-Flow? and Hatha Yoga read: the Body-Flow? Answer to the Yoga Riddle.

Through CST? Instructor certification, you've cultivated an "eye" for assessing and targeting tension chains prohibiting pain-free, powerful movement.

As a result, you can use your intuition to select asanas to target prohibitive tension. You can do this by moving into the asanas with practice, consistency and diligence. When you do, you'll be able to release (layers of deeper and deeper) tension at critical points in your mobility. Thus given you the ability to strengthen even greater mobility, and make mobile even greater strength. Body-Flow? and Yoga are two very important, and mutually beneficial tools to this end.

Beware of those that "teach" yoga as a "stretching method." Not only does this misrepresent the method, but it endangers your joints. You're better off teaching yourself under the guidelines of CST?, or consulting with Robert Verdell on the CST Forum on the foundations of a "proper" yogi/yogini.

http://jogaszkola.republika.pl/poradnik/L05.html


Każda z czakr jest połączona z konkretnym organem ciała, ma także związek z określonym stanem świadomości. I tak muladhara czakra, czyli czakrze podstawowej, przyporządkowane są następujące elementy ciała: kręgosłup, kości, zęby i paznokcie, a także odbytnica, jelito grube, prostata, krew i budowa komórek, nadnercza. Swadhiszthana czakra, zwana także czakrą sakralną lub centrum krzyża przyporządkowane są: miednica, organy płciowe, nerki, pęcherz, wszystkie płyny jak krew, limfa, soki trawienne, sperma, oraz gruczoły płciowe - jajniki, prostata, jądra. Manipuraka czakra, zwana taże czakrą splotu słonecznego lub centrum pępkowym, czakra śledziony, żołądka lub wątroby. Przyporządkowany jej jest dół pleców, jama brzuszna, system trawienny, żołądek, wątroba, śledziona, woreczek żółciowy, wegetatywny system nerwowy. Anahata czakra zwana także czakrą serca lub centrum serca, przyporządkowane są: serce, górna część pleców z klatką piersiową, dolna część obszaru płuc, krew, krążenie krwi, skóra, gruczoł grasicy. Wisiuddhi czakra zwana także czakrą gardła lub krtani albo centrum komunikacji, przyporządkowany jest obszar gardła, karku i szczęk, uszy, aparat głosu, tchawica, oskrzela, górny obszar płuc, przełyk, ramiona, gruczoł tarczycy. Adźnia czakra, czakra czoła zwana trzecim okiem, okiem mądrości, okiem wewnętrznym lub czakrą rozkazującą; przyporządkowana jest twarz, oczy, nos, móżdżek, centralny system nerwowy, przysadka mózgowa. Sahasrara czakra, czakra korony zwana też centrum ciemieniowym lub 1000-płatkowym lotosem, przyporządkowany jej jest mózg i szyszynka.

http://www.yogajournal.com/newtoyoga/1162.cfm

Role Reversal

A yoga practice without inversions is like a marriage without a spouse, lemonade without lemons, or a body without a heart—the essence is missing. Inversions set yoga apart from other physical disciplines: Psychologically, they allow us to see things from an alternate perspective. Emotionally, they guide the energy of the pelvis (the energy of creation and personal power) toward the heart center, enabling self-exploration and inner growth. Physically, they stimulate the immune and endocrine systems, thereby invigorating and nourishing the brain and the organs. When done correctly, inversions also release tension in the neck and the spine.

Because of their myriad benefits, Sirsasana (Headstand, pronounced shir-SHA-sa-nuh) and Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand, pronounced sar-vaan-GAH-sa-nuh) are considered to be the king and queen of asanas, respectively. Sirsasana develops our capacity for action (fire element) and enhances our ability to create (air element). Sarvangasana nurtures our capacity to stop doing and get grounded (earth element) and fosters our ability to be still and reflect (water element). Sirsasana makes us more alert and focused, while Sarvangasana makes us calm and receptive.

http://www.acupuncture.com/qigong_tuina/yoga1.htm

pecific Yoga postures invigorate certain meridians. For example, backbends energize the yang aspect of the body, they generate heat and energy, while forward bends emphasize the yin or cooling, and calming aspects. If you feel sluggish or cold backbends will give you energy by stimulating the Kidneys. The Kidneys in Oriental medicine are the "root" of yin and yang. Also in Western scientific medicine it is understood that the Kidneys are the first organs formed in the fetus.

If you have insomnia or too much energy forward bends are more suitable because they have a soothing and calming effect emphasizing the yin aspects of the body. Right side bends and all twisting movements augment the liver and gallbladder while left side bends invigorate the spleen and pancreas

The complementary nature of yoga and acupuncture (and massage) is reflected in their common goal of releasing stagnation of energy in the meridian systems and their related organs or in the blood. While yoga provides the format to release the blockage acupuncture and meridian theory provides a framework to understand which poses are best for a particular condition. Additionally, herbs can tonify as well as unblock stagnation. Our overly fast lifestyles, combined with poor eating habits and a pollute

http://www.pureyoga.com/learn.php?section_id=11&article_id=118

Q: Are there any poses that strengthen the biceps similar to bicep curls done at a gym? All the poses I can think of work the triceps or deltoids but not the biceps.

You've hit upon a weak link in the Asana tradition, which is pulling exercises. There aren't really any, thus it's very difficult to strengthen the biceps through Hatha Yoga. If you come across a yogi with developed biceps chances are good there are getting some exercise other than Asana.

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/192.cfm


In addition to physically counteracting the strains of running, yoga teaches the cultivation of body wisdom and confidence. As you develop a greater understanding of the body and how it works, you become able to listen and respond to messages the body sends you. This is especially important in running, where the body produces a lot of endorphins. These "feel good" chemicals also double as nature's painkillers, which can mask pain and the onset of injury or illness. Without developed body intuition, it's easier to ignore the body's signals.

http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/466.cfm

Along the way, claims Sjoman, Krishnamacharya also seems to have incorporated into the yogic canon specific techniques drawn from British gymnastics. In addition to being a patron of yoga, the Mysore royal family was a great patron of gymnastics. In the early 1900s, they hired a British gymnast to teach the young princes. When Krishnamacharya was brought to the palace to start a yoga school in the 1920s, his schoolroom was the former palace gymnastics hall, complete with wall ropes and other gymnastic aids, which Krishnamacharya used as yoga props. He was also given access to the Western gymnastics manual written by the Mysore Palace gymnasts. This manual—excerpted in Sjoman's book—gives detailed instructions and illustrations for physical maneuvers that Sjoman argues quickly found their way into Krishnamacharya's teachings, and passed on to Iyengar and Jois: for example, lolasana, the cross-legged jumpback that helps link together the vinyasa in the Ashtanga series, and Iyengar's technique of walking the hands backward down a wall into a back arch.

Modern hatha yoga draws on British gymnastics? The yoga of Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Krishnamacharya influenced by a potpourri that included Indian wrestlers? These are claims guaranteed to send a frisson of horror up the limber spine of any yoga fundamentalist. But according to Sjoman, his book is meant not to debunk yoga—but to pay tribute to it as a dynamic, growing, and ever-changing art.

http://www.godubai.com/citylife/hf2.asp?article_id=2000/ASK%2353

Exercises and Yoga

Most of the techniques in exercises involve repeated muscular movements directed more to the skeletal muscles than to the overall organic system. According to Yoga Mass Drill, a book by Swami Kuvalayananda (1936), there is really no significant advantage in these exercises beyond their health value. The benefits of physical exercises have been in contention since those training exercises benefit only some area of the body at the cost of others. There are claims and counter claims of the superiority of one system on the other - aerobics over isometrics, isotonic over callisthenics etc.

Aerobics vs yoga
Aerobics is criticised for not strengthening other parts of the body than heart. The harsh criticism on isometric is that it impaired the flow of blood to the heart and brain. Isotonic exercises done with weights are criticized for not lending to flexibility and not providing oxygen when most needed.

Gymnastics vs yoga
Gymnastic exercises have no responsible part to play in physical education, they argued.
The contribution of light gymnastics to the external and internal growth of the human body, hardened against all possible interactions in health as well as in disease, is limited. The real training requires calculated movements of the body, capable of maximum internal reactions. The light and playful movements of exercises like callisthenics cannot provide this type of training.

Swimming and cycling
Different fitness techniques have their advantages and disadvantages. Swimming reduces heart diseases and increases stamina, but it cannot reduce tension or build strength. Cycling strengthens the muscles and improves blood flow but does not lead to crest load. Jogging, the most favoured exercise of the West reduces overweight, cholesterol and dissolves blood clot but cannot reduce tension and fails to build strength. Likewise, callisthenics helps in flexibility but are too simple.

Not for all age group
Vigorous gymnastics are unsuited for all ages and for those in poor health. They are aided at bodily perfection and a vigorous physique and militant spirit. Athletics, games and acrobatic methods involve considerable amount of strain and even violence. "Their vigorous and war-like display is intrinsically unsuited to positive health. Further, they are likely to lead to abnormalities through specialisation in set muscular movements and higher nervous co-ordination," said Madhavan. Mass drills, by constant usage, tend to create a submissive psyche and breed automatism, both are derogatory to an individual's initiative and harmony "Life would be tedious and mechanised if we were to be moulded by a mass psychology," he quoted All About Asanas.

http://www.yoga.net.au/differentiate

Summary similarities between relaxation and meditation
Both about relaxing the body and clearing the mind
Purify the deepest levels of the mind
expand the conscious state
many of the health benefits obtained through relaxation also achieve through relaxation: decreased blood pressure, reduced stress, treatment of insomnia, and so on

Summary differences between relaxation and meditation
Relax mind vs.  Strengthen/ focus mind, dynamic component of awakening
Letting go vs.  Self discipline/ practice/ effort
Normally lay comfortable  vs.  Normally Sitting Position can be uncomfortable
Mind moves a place relaxing  vs.  Alpha/ theta states
Emphasis releasing stress  vs.  Emphasis focusing mind
Learn to withdraw from world vs.  Learn opening up
You leave the Waking state of consciousness towards unconsciousness vs. remain in the Waking state of consciousness
Relaxation techniques are designed as treatments for particular disorders vs.  Meditation is a means toward achieving personal growth and finding a system of values and philosophy of life, whereas (Kokoszka, 1990).