Our complete archive of previous articles on yoga.

The Four Ashramas of Yoga
The traditional Indian culture promoted four Ashramas, or stages of spiritual life, that provided a simple framework of life planning for the spiritual aspirant. Each Ashrama defined a level of spiritual practice based on the duties and responsibilities required at each stage of life.  The four Ashramas allowed the Indian culture to participate in and actively support a rich spiritual life, as well as gave the individual comfort and clarity to progress along the path of Self-realization. 

Yoga for Fatigue
We all have experienced common bouts of fatigue as a normal response to over-exertion, emotional stress, boredom, or lack of sleep. Yoga is an especially effective treatment for fatigue as it combines movement, rest and stress reduction with the cultivation of prana (life force energy) and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and renew response). 

The Upanishads
While the Vedas are considered the most sacred and treasured texts of India, it is the Upanishads that transferred the wisdom of the Vedas into practical and personal teachings. Composed over several centuries and in many volumes, the Upanishads reflect a strong need to express and communicate the deep mystical states and spiritual contemplations that the ancient yogis experienced. 

Yoga for Anxiety
Recent medical studies have shown that a regular practice of yoga and meditation is effective at lowering levels of anxiety. Excessive anxiety can be alleviated through a slow, gentle yoga practice focusing on postures that calm the heart and the mind, balance the emotions, and release body tension.  Pranayama (yogic breathing) and meditation will also be helpful to calm the mind and body, and to reduce stress and negative thinking. 

Yoga Therapy for Colds and Flu
While we all are bound to suffer from the occasional cold or flu, the practicing yogi/yogini is less likely to come down with the sniffles, and when he/she does, tends to have a much faster recovery rate.  This is true because of yoga’s known abilities to regulate the immune system, keeping it strong and healthy to withstand infections, and yoga’s ability to boost immune function with specific yogic practices. 

The Five Niyamas: Yoga’s Internal Observances
The second limb of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga system contains the five internal practices of Niyama (observance). These practices extend the ethical codes of conduct provided in his first limb, the yamas, to the practicing yogi’s internal environment of body, mind and spirit. The practice of Niyama helps us maintain a positive environment in which to grow, and gives us the self-discipline and inner-strength necessary to progress along the path of yoga. 

Yoga for Insomnia
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, and/or feeling tired upon waking. Fortunately, the stress reducing, calming and natural balancing effects of yoga make it a perfect remedy for mild and acute insomnia, and along with good sleep habits insomnia can often be prevented or quickly cured. 

The Five Yamas: Yoga’s Ethical Codes of Conduct
At the beginning of Patanjali’s eight-fold path of yoga lays the Yamas: the moral, ethical and societal guidelines for the practicing yogi.  These guidelines are all expressed in the positive, and thus become emphatic descriptions of how a yogi behaves and relates to her world when truly immersed in the unitive sate of yoga. 

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika
What is commonly considered Yoga in the West is in actuality just one of the many paths of Yoga, and is technically called Hatha Yoga. The oldest and most widely used ancient text on the physical practices of Hatha Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. 

Cultivating devotion through the Puranas
The most revered and pertinent texts in the Bhakti Yoga tradition are the Puranas, the ancient stories of the Indian gods and goddesses. Faith and devotion is cultivated through the Puranas personalization of the Devas (gods and goddesses) with vivid and entertaining myths, stories and legends. 

Using Yoga for Purifying Mind, Body and Spirit
Purification (shaucha) is a central aim of all the yogic practices, and is the first principle of self-discipline (niyama) in Patanjali’s eight-limbed approach.   The yogis have discovered that impurities in our internal body adversely affect our state of mind, and prevent the attainment of real wisdom and spiritual liberation. 

Sankhya’s Map of the Universe
Sankhya philosophy, one of the oldest and most influential of the six systems (darshans) of Indian thought, has had a profound impact on the beliefs, values and concepts used in the practice of yoga. 

Yoga with common injuries
We often bring injuries with us into our yoga practice – both from pushing ourselves too hard in yoga and from overworking our bodies in other exercise or daily activities.  Yoga can provide a therapeutic tool for healing and recovery from an injury – but it can also be an impediment to healing or even worsen the injury. 

The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is the most treasured and famous of India’s spiritual texts. Composed of 700 verses, the Bhagavad Gita was written in the third or fourth century BCE as part of the epic text the Mahabharata. 

Shiva, the Three-Eyed One
With over 100 different names attributed to him, Shiva is known to have the most complicated symbolism, qualities and representation of all the Hindu deities.  Overall, Shiva is revered for three primary roles: the ideal yogi, the destroyer, and the doer of good.

Yoga for a Perfect Posture
Because of its emphasis on proper posture, yoga can help reverse abnormal curves in the spine, correcting both the “hunchback” curve that occurs in postural kyphosis and the “swayback” curve that occurs in postural lordosis.

Krishna, the Prince of Love
Krishna has become the one of the most referenced forms in the devotional and ecstatic practices of bhakti yoga. Krishna is said to be the eighth and most important avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, and is depicted as a hansom blue colored deity with a crown of peacock's feathers, playing the flute.

The Five Vayus
Through their exploration of the body and breath, the ancient yogis discovered that prana (life force energy) could be further subdivided into energetic components they called Vayus (winds). The five Vayus of prana all have very subtle yet distinct energetic qualities, including specific functions and directions of flow.

The Vedas
The Vedas are considered the most sacred and treasured texts of India. The Vedas are a collection of hymns that were received by the ancient rishis (sages) as shruti, divine revelation.

Ganesha: the Elephant Headed Prince
With an elephant head and a round potbelly, Ganesha is perhaps the most popular and best known of the Hindu deities. Ganesha is most notably known as the “remover of obstacles” but also resides over the realms of wisdom, luck, doorways, the household and writing.

Focusing on a Drishti
A drishti (view or gaze) is a specific focal point that is employed during meditation or while holding a yoga posture.

Yoga for Heart Health
Recent research has shown yoga and meditation to reduce blood pressure, lower the pulse rate, improve the elasticity of the arteries, regulate heart rhythm, and increase the heart’s stroke volume.  Yoga, in short, is good for your heart.

Unlocking the Mystery of Om
Om is the oldest and most sacred sound found in yoga, Hinduism and Buddhism.  Not only does Om represent the entire universe, known as Brahman, it is also said to be the source of all creation.  Om represents all time: past, present, and future; and is beyond time itself.

The Power of Shakti
Shakti is the dynamic force animating all of creation, which gives us life and moves the planets in a cosmic dance called “lila.”  This universal energy is considered feminine in nature, and is often personified as the Divine Mother or Paravati, the consort of Shiva.

Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Wisdom
Jnana (wisdom or knowledge) is considered the most difficult of the four main paths of Yoga, requiring great strength of will and intellect. The fundamental goal of Jnana yoga is to become liberated from the illusionary world of maya (thoughts and perceptions) and to achieve union of the inner Self (Atman) with the oneness of all life (Brahman).

The Power of Mantra
Mantras are unique mystical formulas of sacred syllables, which were originally revealed to the Rishis in the deepest states of meditation.  Mantras were one of the earliest components of yoga and are quite possibly the first type of meditation that was developed.

How Yoga Heals
It has become common knowledge that yoga is good for you. Yet there is very little awareness and understanding on exactly how yoga heals, even in the yoga and medical communities. The key is to understand the relationships between stress, yoga and disease.

Bhakti Yoga: the Yoga of Devotion
Bhakti Yoga is one of the four main yogic paths to enlightenment.  Bhakti means “devotion” or “love” and this path contains various practices to unite the bhakta (Bhakti Yoga practitioner) with the Divine.

Yoga for Tendonitis
Tendonitis is the inflammation or irritation of a tendon (the attachment of a muscle to bone). Yoga supports the healing of tendonitis by activating the body’s lymphatic system and by improving local circulation.

The 13 Obstacles of Yoga
The path of yoga can be long and hard, filled with obstacles, pitfalls, and detours.  Luckily, yogic philosophy provides a roadside assistance program to aid you when you become stuck.  The yogis who have traveled the path before us have left us a troubleshooting guide called the 13 obstacles of yoga.

Mudras
Mudras are subtle physical movements of the hands, face, and or bodythat activate and create a circuit of prana in the body.

Moksha and Maya
Moksha (liberation, freedom) is the state of non-ego, where the “me” vanishes and one stands free from all desires, actions and consequences in a total state of oneness.

Yoga Therapy for Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis can be prevented and treated through regular weight bearing exercise with proper diet and lifestyle habits. Yoga is an excellent weight bearing exercise as it stimulates bone building for both the upper and lower body while being low-impact.

The 3 Gunas of Nature
In the philosophy of Yoga, all matter in the universe arises from the fundamental substrate called Prakriti. From this ethereal Prakriti the three primary gunas (qualities) emerge creating the essential aspects of all nature—energy, matter and consciousness. These three gunas are tamas (darkness), rajas (activity), and sattva (beingness).

Yoga Therapy for Eating Disorders
In the United States, anorexia nervosa and bulimia affect nearly 10 million women and one million men, primarily teens and young adults, according to conservative estimates.Yoga can be an effective tool to restore the imbalances in both the body and the mind that occur with eating disorders. 

The Inward Journey Through the Koshas
The koshas are imagined as layers of an onion and form a barrier from realizing our true nature of bliss and oneness with the universe.   Yoga is the tool to peel back these layers to bring our awareness deeper and deeper into our bodies, eventually reaching the innermost core, our True Self.

Yoga Therapy for Diabetes (Type II)
Yoga’s effectiveness at preventing and treating diabetes is due to its emphasis of a healthy diet and lifestyle as well as its ability to balance the endocrine system, massage and tone the abdominal organs, stimulate the nervous and circulatory systems, and reduce stress.

The Law of Karma
Central to the philosophy of yoga is the universal spiritual concept of reaping what you sow: the law of Karma.

Yoga Therapy for Scoliosis
Yoga's emphasis on spinal movement as well as its overall healing abilities and innate promotion of correct posture make it an important alternative therapy to prevent the progression of, and potentially reduce the abnormal spinal curvature of scoliosis.   Yoga is also a powerful remedy to reduce scoliosis' symptoms of back pain, muscle tightness, fatigue, and decreased lung capacity.

Using Jalandhara Bandha, the Chin or Throat Lock
Jalandhara Bandha regulates the circulatory and respiratory systems, stimulates the thyroid to balance metabolism, and is said to cure all diseases of the throat.

Yoga Therapy for Spinal Stenosis
Yoga's ability to correct posture, improve vertebral alignment and increase range of motion makes it an excellent therapy to reduce the symptoms of spinal stenosis and curb its further progression.

Using Uddiyana Bandha, the Abdominal Lock
Uddiyana Bandha strengthens the digestive fire and tonifies the body's energetic core.   The abdominal organs are massaged, toned and purified and the adrenal glands are balanced by the abdominal contraction.

The Cause of Suffering: The Kleshas
These "afflictions" distort our mind and our perceptions effecting how we think, act and feel. The five main kleshas vary in intensity on our psyche, from being inconsequential in their effect to utter blindness. The kleshas not only create suffering, but are said to bind us to the endless cycle of birth and rebirth, and thus preventing us from achieving enlightenment.

Yoga Therapy for Back Pain
Yoga helps alleviate lower back pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles of the lower back, reducing inflammation and increasing circulation of blood and prana. Regular yoga practice also improves posture and body mechanics, relieving pain and preventing injury by keeping the spine in proper alignment

Yoga for Menopause
Yoga’s ability to reduce stress, promote a healthy lifestyle, create a positive attitude and regulate and balance the endocrine and hormonal systems make it an excellent therapy to soften the transition into menopause.

Yoga Rx for Infertility
Yoga’s effectiveness at promoting fertility is due to its emphasis of a healthy diet and lifestyle as well as its ability to balance hormonal problems and stimulate and strengthen the reproductive organs.

Using Yoga for Weight Loss
Within yoga’s ability to create total well-being, lies its ability to reduce excess weight through burning calories, boosting metabolism and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

Tantra Yoga Demystified
The Tantrics developed innovative yet unorthodox techniques for allowing one to experience the reality of the true Self, the oneness of the entire cosmos.

Yoga Rx for Digestive Complaints
A yoga practice combined with diet and lifestyle changes can strengthen and harmonize digestion and elimination to heal and reduce many GI complaints.

Raja Yoga, Oneness through Meditation
Raja Yoga is often referred to as “classical yoga” as it was the oldest system of yoga to by systematically developed into a unified practice.

Yoga Rx for Asthma
Several studies have shown yoga to be a powerful adjunct therapy to reduce the frequency and intensity of asthma attacks as well as to decrease medication use.

Yoga Rx for Sciatica
Compression of the sciatic nerve can cause one sided numbness, tingling or pain in the sacrum, buttock and back of the leg. The pain, compression and inflammation of sciatica can be reduced through a gentle yoga practice.

The Mysterious Kundalini
Kundalini is a dormant spiritual energy, often described as a serpent coiled up at the base of the spine. Activating kundalini creates an ultimate state of bliss, yet without adequate preparation releasing kundalni can lead to disaster.

Tapas - Yogic Will Power
This inner fire can be used as a source of spiritual energy; the yogis say the sole practice of Tapas can lead to the release of kundalini and attainment of enlightenment.

Yogic Secrets to Holiday Bliss
The practice of yoga gives us valuable tools to be calm, centered and in control of our normal unconscious reactions to holiday stressors.

Yoga Rx for Arthritis
Yoga is effective for reducing and even eliminating the symptoms of this chronic disease.

Emotional Release through Yoga
Develop a yoga practice to uncover deeply stored emotions, bring them to the surface, and let them completely release from the body.

The Flow of Prana
This mystical energy flows through our bodies and generates our every action – from gross physical movements to minute biochemical processes.

Yoga Rx for Headaches
Yoga not only provides relief for the pain and cause of headaches, but can also prevent headaches from occurring in the future

Improving Memory and Concentration with Yoga
Dharana, the sixth limb of yoga, is a state of focused attention used during asana, pranayama and meditation. Dharana trains the mind to become clear, focused and one-pointed.

Yoga and Pregnancy
Yoga physically, mentally and emotionally prepares one for the birth of a new child and supports both the mother and child throughout the pregnancy.

Healing Depression with Yoga
Yoga’s regulating and energizing properties can help alleviate many of the symptoms of mild depression.

Sadhana - Yoga as a Spiritual Practice
Sadhana, the means of self-realization, is the path that leads to enlightenment.

Back Safety in Yoga
Yoga is an excellent therapy for healing sore and injured back muscles, yet one of the most common injuries in yoga is straining the back muscles.

Letting Go of Attachment
Holding on to thoughts, possessions, experiences and emotions cause us pain and suffering and hinder our progress of becoming whole.

Shavasana - the state of complete relaxation
Shavasana literally means “corpse pose” and the goal is to let everything go as if you were dead.

Using Mula Bandha, the Root Lock
Mula bandha is one of the three “locks” used in hatha yoga to locally contain the flow of energy or prana.

Creating Inner Focus with Pratyahara
Pratyahara is the pivotal point in the practice of yoga where the path leads from the exterior to the interior landscape of the body.

The Power of Visualization in Asana
When approaching a challenging / difficult / strenuous yoga posture, you can harness the power of the mind to move the body into the pose.

Challenge yourself
To go deeper into your practice of yoga, it is necessary to challenge your body-mind-spirt on occasion.

Breathing in Asana
There are several ways to breathe in asanas, and these will differ with teacher and tradtion.

Go to the Edge
The edge is the place where you feel a deep stretch in your body or you feel the body working hard, but not going past that to where you hurt yourself or over work the body.