Pranayama are breathing exercises developed by the ancient yogis for purification. Prana translates into "life force energy" and Yama translates into "control or mastery of". Thus, Pranyama is used to control, cultivate, and modify the Prana in the body. Prana is taken in through the air we breathe, and since the Pranayama exercises increase the amount of air we take in, they also increase our intake of Prana.
For all Pranayama (except Kapalabhati), the breath is slow and steady, breathed in and out of the nose and down into the belly. Always sit with a straight spine and a relaxed body. While you are practicing Pranayama, let go of any thoughts by focusing on the breathing involved with the Pranayama.
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If talk of patenting yoga poses makes you groan, brace yourself—your pants are
next. High-end yoga clothier and swag maker, Lululemon is attempting
to enforce a patent on the waistband of their Astro Pant. As trivial as it
may seem, the case could have a big impact for future design patents. It’s also
a good reminder that yoga merchandise is still just stuff.
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A
recent study suggests yoga may be effective in improving classroom
behaviors among children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Autism is a
developmental disability arising due to neurological disorder that appears
between infancy and the age of three. In a recent report for 2008 (the most recent
surveillance year available), the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 1 in 88 children
have an ASD. This marks a 23 percent increase in autism since the last report
was published in 2009. Increasing awareness of ASD and its prevalence has
underlined the need for strategies to facilitate adaptation and modification of
challenging behaviors among children with ASD.
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Home yoga
practice: we all know we should be
doing it, but why bother, when we could just attend a class anyway? If you
needed any further urging, a recent preliminary study suggests frequency and
duration of home practice may be the key to reaping the most benefits from your
yoga practice.
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A recent study
sheds some glimmers on the science of yoga debate: What type of yoga practice
is most effective in promoting mental and physical health? Do different
practices have different benefits? And what’s the problem with just practicing
asana, anyway?
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Part One of this discussion on vegetarianism and yoga
focused on the complexities of our food choices today in light of yogic
tradition and ethics. And while I suggested that vegetarianism may not be as
essential to yoga as it once was, I have a confession to make: I’m a
vegetarian.
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Since beginning grad school in August, I ride my bike to
class whenever possible. This practice has offered some surprising and meaningful lessons
reflective of the yogic path. While the route is a manageable 5.9 miles, it’s
characterized by steep hills occasionally punctuated by steady inclines and a
few (tragically) brief, exhilarating downhills.
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A beautiful
story published last week recounts the tale of Balpreet Kaur, a young Sikh
woman who responded with grace and dignity to an episode of online bullying and
has emerged as a shining exemplar for tolerance, support, and inspiration. By
turning rude taunts about her physical appearance into an opportunity to
educate people about her faith, Kaur illustrates the importance of living and
speaking from a place of authenticity, even when beliefs or convictions may go
against broader societal norms. This is one of the fundamental tenets of yoga.
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Simply put, a yogi* is someone who practices yoga. So, if you've done a few downward facing dogs in your lifetime, does that make you a yogi? Um, probably not. While this standard definition of a yogi is commonly stated, it is too simple to properly define what a yogi is and isn’t. Most importantly, we need to further define what we mean by he words “practice” and “yoga.”
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Autumn has arrived in a gust of wind and a flurry of falling
leaves. It’s a pretty picture and—looking through the lens of ayurveda,
yoga’s sister science—it’s the picture of vata dosha. Autumn, the season of
vata, can aggravate this dosha’s attributes: rough, dry, mobile, light, cool. It’s
a good time for a bowl of hot soup…and an ideal time to take a look at where
vata reveals itself in your yoga practice.
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It seems that not all parents are happy to see yoga classes
implemented in their kids’ schools, despite the ever-growing body of evidence
demonstrating the benefits
of yoga for children. A group
of parents in California claim it infringes on their religious freedom by
forcing their children to participate in “a kind of prayer.” It’s easy to
dismiss these concerns as xenophobic and uninformed, or explain how little these
classes resemble their historical roots; but this has already been done…multiple
times. Instead, perhaps it’s time to examine how the yoga community may unconsciously
fuel this fear while simultaneously, and sometimes vehemently, denying there is
any validity to it.
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So,
you practice yoga. Do you think of yoga as comprised of traditional practices intended
to help you achieve enlightenment? Perhaps you conceive of anything being yoga,
as long as it is fun and feels good? Or do you think you’re already enlightened
(or divine), and all of life can be a form of yoga if intentionally executed? A
recent blog highlights this debate by questioning the intention of music in
yoga classes. In this 2-part series, we discuss some of the philosophical presumptions
and limitations of each of these perspectives, using music as a metaphor for
how external stimuli can enhance our practice.
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Is music beneficial to the practice of yoga, or is
it simply a distraction? In Part 1, we discussed how the tantric traditions of Kashmir Shaivism and Rajanaka
view externalities such music, wine, or sexuality: Not as temptations to be
overcome, but aspects of the divine to be celebrated and integrated into
experience—within moderation.
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For many of us, discovering yoga was a lot like falling in
love—the surrender, the glow, the longing for more. If you’ve arrived at that
point where you yearn for a deeper commitment—you want to become a teacher or
to explore beyond the boundaries of 90-minute classes—you may be thinking about
attending a teacher training program.
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Could facial yoga actually stimulate anti-aging properties? A recent ABC
article stirs up the age-old
practice of facial exercises to reduce aging, framed in 21st
century packaging: Facial
Yoga. Proponents allege it tones and
lifts facial muscles and claim it's “scientifically proven” to “help prolong the
production of collagen and elastin, which makes your face firm and springy.” Yet
despite the claim to scientific legitimacy, no research has been conducted on
the impact of facial exercises on aging skin.
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Many of us across the country felt
shock and horror as Hurricane Sandy devastated the Northeast two weeks ago. Though
news about the storm’s human impact was slowed by breakdowns in infrastructure
and communication, awareness of the East Coast’s halting recovery is
increasing. Yoga studios and individual practitioners are among those who have
reached out to Sandy’s survivors.
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