Introduction to Yoga
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Prescribing Yoga to Supplement and Support Psychotherapy
12350-11_CH10-rev.qxd 1/11/11 11:55 AM Page 251 10 PRESCRIBING YOGA TO SUPPLEMENT AND SUPPORT PSYCHOTHERAPY VINCENT G. VALENTE AND ANTONIO MAROTTA As the flame of light in a windless place remains tranquil and free from agitation, likewise, the heart of the seeker of Self-Consciousness, attuned in Yoga, remains free from restlessness and tranquil. —The Bhagavad Gita The philosophy of yoga has been used for millennia to experience, examine, and explain the intricacies of the mind and the essence of the human psyche. The sage Patanjali, who compiled and codified the yoga teachings up to his time (500–200 BCE) in his epic work Yoga Darsana, defined yoga as a method used to still the fluctuations of the mind to reach the central reality of the true self (Iyengar, 1966). Patanjali’s teachings encour- age an intentional lifestyle of moderation and harmony by offering guidelines that involve moral and ethical standards of living, postural and breathing exercises, and various meditative modalities all used to cultivate spiritual growth and the evolution of consciousness. In the modern era, the ancient yoga philosophy has been revitalized and applied to enrich the quality of everyday life and has more recently been applied as a therapeutic intervention to bring relief to those experiencing Copyright American Psychological Association. Not for further distribution. physical and mental afflictions. For example, empirical research has demon- strated the benefits of yogic interventions in the treatment of depression and anxiety (Khumar, Kaur, & Kaur, 1993; Shapiro et al., 2007; Vinod, Vinod, & Khire, 1991; Woolery, Myers, Sternlieb, & Zeltzer, 2004), schizophrenia (Duraiswamy, Thirthalli, Nagendra, & Gangadhar, 2007), and alcohol depen- dence (Raina, Chakraborty, Basit, Samarth, & Singh, 2001). -
Jnana, Bhakti and Karma Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita
Jnana, Bhakti and Karma Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita - written between 600 -500 BCE is sometimes referred to as the last Upanishad. As with many Yoga texts and great literature there are many possible layers of meaning. In essence it is grounded by the meditative understanding of the underlying unity of life presented in the Upanishads, and then extends this into how yoga practice, insight and living life can become one and the same. Ultimately it is a text that describes how yoga can clarify our perception of life, its purpose and its challenges, and offers guidance as to how we might understand and negotiate them. It encourages full engagement with life, and its difficulties and dilemmas are turned into the manure for potential liberation and freedom. The Bhagavad-Gita is actually a sub story contained within a huge poem/story called the Mahabharata, one of the ‘Puranas’ or epics that make up much of early Indian literature. It emphasises the importance of engagement in the world, perhaps a reaction to the tendency developing at the time in Buddhism and Vedanta to renounce worldly life in favour of personal liberation. The yoga of the Bhagavad-Gita essentially suggests that fully engaging in all aspects of life and its challenges with a clear perspective is a valid yogic path and possibly superior to meditative realisation alone. There is an implication in this emphasis that there is a potential danger for some people of using yoga practice and lifestyle to avoid difficulties in life and not engage with the world and the culture and time we find ourselves in; and/or perhaps to misunderstand that yoga practice is partly practice for something – to re-evaluate and hopefully enrich our relationship to the rest of life. -
Yoga: Intermediate 1 Credit, FALL 2018 T/TR 7:30Am - 8:45Am / RAC 2201 – Fairfax Campus
George Mason University College of Education and Human Development Physical Activity for Lifetime Wellness RECR 187 003 – Yoga: Intermediate 1 Credit, FALL 2018 T/TR 7:30am - 8:45am / RAC 2201 – Fairfax Campus Faculty Name: Chris Liss Office Hours: By Appointment Office Location: TBA Office Phone: 703-459-3620 Email Address: [email protected] Prerequisites/Corequisites - RECR 186 or permission of the instructor University Catalog Course Description Emphasizes mastery of yoga asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques) to enhance physical and mental concentration. Focuses on 10 new yoga poses and practice of the complete Sun Salutation. Course Overview Readings, lectures, demonstrations and class participation will be used to analyze the practice of yoga asana and yoga philosophy. •Students with injuries or pre-existing conditions that may affect performance must inform the instructor. •Students with specific medication conditions, limited flexibility or injuries will learn appropriate modifications of poses for their own practices. •All e-mail communication will be through GMU e-mail system – the Patriot Web Site. •Students are requested to bring their own yoga mat to class. •Comfortable stretch clothing are required. No street clothes may be worn. Course Delivery Method: Face-to-face Learner Outcomes or Objectives This course is designed to enable students to do the following: 1. Demonstrate at least 25 asanas, including proper alignment. 1 Last revised February 2018 2. Identify the poses and demonstrate proficiency in “Sun Salutation” (Surya Namaskar); 3. Classify asanas as to their types. 4. Name the benefits and contra-indications of asanas. 5. Develop proficiency in the practice of three types of pranayama 6. -
Reports on Yamas and Niyamas
REPORTS ON YAMAS AND NIYAMAS Every year, students undergoing the 6 month Sadhana and teachers training are given assignments on one of he five Yamas and five Niyamas. This year during November 2009, Laura Biagi has compiled and presented this excellent work on the twins of Brahmacharya and Saucha. Excellent work from an excellent student!!- Editor REPORTS ON YAMAS AND NIYAMAS YAMAS: BRAHAMACHARYA Laura Biagi Generally translated as “restrain of sexuality”, this Yama – while involving the awareness and control of sexual energy – is not limited to sexuality as we understand it in the West. In Yoga 1 to 10, Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani writes that Brahmacharya is “the continuous residence in the principle of creativity”. The first step to take in this analysis and understanding is the relationship between the principle of creativity and the principle of sexual energy. Yamas are tools to control our animal nature and to progress in our human evolution. Let’s look at the evolutionary steps we took from being animals to being humans in relation to our sexuality. Animals use their sexual energy to pro- create . The procreative instinct is very strong in animals. It is vital ( vital comes from the Latin vita , life). Animals spend quite some time and energy mating, coupling, procreating, making a new nest, taking care of the young and so on. Animals have quite different habits in the way they use their sexual energy, too. As humans, we are still carrying with us some of the instincts and emotions of animals: most of us have probably felt one time or another a sexual attraction or repulsion, a sexual arousal, attachment to a mate, fear or loosing the mate, desire to find a mate, jealousy, passion, and so on. -
Journal of Metaphysical Thought
ISSN 2577-6460 (Print) ISSN 2577-6479 (Online) Journal of Metaphysical Thought Volume I | Issue 1 July 2018 Mindful Services, LLC Emory, VA JOURNAL OF METAPHYSICAL Contents THOUGHT FRONT MATTER ISSN: Page 5 2577-6460 (Print) Editor’s Note 2577-6479 (Online) Chris Anama-Green Call for Articles (Volume I, Issue 2) Page 7 Published by: Editorial staff Mindful Services, LLC P.O. Box 155 Emory, VA ARTICLES Editor-in-Chief: These Perilous Times Page 8 Chris Anama-Green Joanna Neff [email protected] The Power of Forgiveness to Heal Page 16 Relationships Editorial Board: Jenine Marie Howry D. Ann Gordon Scott D. Vaughn The Misunderstanding between Page 24 Colleen D. Fletcher Schizophrenia and Clairaudience William M. Sloane Philippa Sue Richardson Cover: East-meets-west: How the Dhammapada Page 28 Courtesy of Canva Influenced the New Thought Movement Chris Anama-Green Aims and Scope: With an emphasis on practice- PERSPECTIVES based and research-based articles, the Journal peer Does Reincarnation Matter? Page 34 reviews and publishes practice- J. Joy Maestas based articles, case studies, editorials, original research, A Metaphysical Perspective on Prayer Page 36 "brief" articles, and reviews. Cindy Paulos Journal of Metaphysical Thought covers a range of disciplines, including metaphysics, consciousness studies, New Thought principles, spirituality, and metaphysical theology. Journal of Metaphysical Thought is published by twice each year. Unless otherwise stated, all articles in this publication are licensed under a Cre- ative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. We ask that you credit the author and the journal when sharing any article in this issue. www.metaphysicalthought.com The articles in this journal are thoroughly reviewed and edited prior to publica- tion. -
Tantra and Hatha Yoga
1 Tantra and Hatha Yoga. A little history and some introductory thoughts: These areas of practice in yoga are really all part of the same, with Tantra being the historical development in practice that later spawned hatha yoga. Practices originating in these traditions form much of what we practice in the modern day yoga. Many terms, ideas and theories that we use come from this body of knowledge though we may not always fully realise it or understand or appreciate their original context and intent. There are a huge number of practices described that may or may not seem relevant to our current practice and interests. These practices are ultimately designed for complete transformation and liberation, but along the way there are many practices designed to be of therapeutic value to humans on many levels and without which the potential for transformation cannot happen. Historically, Tantra started to emerge around the 6th to 8th Centuries A.D. partly as a response to unrealistic austerities in yoga practice that some practitioners were espousing in relation to lifestyle, food, sex and normal householder life in general. Tantra is essentially a re-embracing of all aspects of life as being part of a yogic path; the argument being that if indeed all of life manifests from an underlying source and is therefore all interconnected then all of life is inherently spiritual or worthy of our attention. And indeed, if we do not attend to all aspects of life in our practice this can lead to problems and imbalances. This embracing of all of life includes looking at our shadows and dark sides and integrating or transforming them, ideas which also seem to be embraced in modern psychology. -
Ajna Vishuddhi Anahata Manipura Swadhisthana Moo I Ad Hara
Ajna Vishuddhi Anahata Manipura Swadhisthana Moo I adhara Chapter 7 : Chakras Chakras The invisible yet powerful core centers of consciousness, eager to receive prana in abundance The scriptures describing the chakras belong uniquely to Indian Tantra. Chakras are invisible core centers of the different planes of psychic consciousness and lie along the sushumna in the spinal column. The chakras whirl and radiate, when prana, the vibrating life force, freely flows through them, and takes on the form of a vortex of energy Before we can come to a better understanding of chakras, we need to look at the body from its subtle levels first. From time immemorial yogis and other great spiritual practitioners discovered through direct experience that the body consists of five different sheaths or divides, knows as koshas. These sheaths or divides, as previously mentioned, are seen as different dimensions of energy substances, from the subtle to the gross. Each kosha is permeated with prana. The gross visible sheat is the physical body. The four invisible sheaths, two astral and two causal in nature, are together often referred to as the subtle body. The five koshas coexist together. They protect each other against premature breakthroughs, meaning psychological or spiritual breakthroughs that are not yet desirable. In the physical body lies the visible nervous system. In the astral body, formed by the pranic and mental koshas lies the invisible system of energy channels and centers of consciousness known as nadis and chakras. This system cannot be seen through the naked eye. Chakra is often translated as wheel, which refers to a circular object or formation. -
Suryanamaskar for Human Wellness
International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health 2019; 6(4): 81-84 P-ISSN: 2394-1685 E-ISSN: 2394-1693 Impact Factor (ISRA): 5.38 Suryanamaskar for human wellness IJPESH 2019; 6(4): 81-84 © 2019 IJPESH www.kheljournal.com Mutturaj Hipparagi and Pramod Gangadhar Received: 01-05-2019 Accepted: 03-06-2019 Abstract Sun salutation (Surya Namaskar) is a comprehensive Yoga technique which incorporates physical Mutturaj Hipparagi Teaching Assistant activity, breath regulation, relaxation and awareness. Without the Sun, there will be no life on Earth. Dept. of Physical Education and Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation is an exceptionally old method of paying admiration or Sports, K.U., Dharwad, communicating appreciation to the Sun that is the wellspring of all types of life on the planet. Apart from Karnataka, India improving physical stamina and endurance, Surya namaskar has been shown to influence an individual’s perception and performance. There are numerous health benefits of Surya Namaskar for different system Pramod Gangadhar of the body especially musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, nervous system, respiratory and Asst. Professor Shri KG Nadgir endocrinal. By practicing Surya Namaskar each and every cell of body gets revitalized and regenerated, College of Physical Education, therefore it is highly recommended by all yoga experts for healthy routine life. Apart from these benefits, Dharwad, Karnataka, India Surya Namaskar also helps to keep the mind stress free, calm and illuminated. Thus, a regular practice of Surya Namaskar is highly recommended to keep the body and mind healthy. Though the Surya Namaskar steps are very scientific and practical, still it needs modern scientific justification to spread it globally. -
Conceptual Study on Shadchakra Importance In
INTERNATIONAL AYURVEDIC MEDICAL JOURNAL Review Article ISSN: 2320 5091 Impact Factor: 5.344 CONCEPTUAL STUDY ON SHADCHAKRAS AND ITS APPLIED ASPECT & IMPORTANCE IN SHARIR VIGYAN Shweta Vishwakarma1, Ishwar Pratap Singh Raghuwanshi2 1,2M.D. Scholar, Department of Samhita-Siddhant; Pt. Khushilal Sharma Government (Autonomous) Ayurveda College and Institute, Bhopal (M.P.), India Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Ayurveda is also a science of medicine, along with spiritual science. In it there is a description of many topics related to spirituality such as Mana, Atma, Parmatma, Adhyatmika Guna, Adhyatmika Dravya, etc. Besides this, Yoga Darshan has a great impact on Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, Yoga is a way to achieve the Moksha. According to Yoga Shastra, the Sukshma sharira is the part of our body and it is the moderator of the whole body. The person can't see or touch it, because it is the energy flow of our body. This is the reason it is called “Urja Nikaya”. There are such key points in the Sukshma sharira that is known as energy centre or Chakras. The Chakras have been known by Yogis, Rishis, and sages of various traditions of Yoga in India and all over world. They have been seen, not by physical dissection of the body, but by psychic introspection. Chakras are energy centers in the body that play an important role in our physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Our body has seven major Chakras. The six main Chakras located along the spinal column are: Muladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha and Ajna. Beyond the six are two other centers of awakening: Bindu and Sahastrara, whose perception is acquired only at significantly evolved states of consciousness. -
Page Numbers in Italics Refer to Illustrations
bindex.qxd 4/14/04 12:46 PM Page 201 Index Page numbers in italics refer to illustrations. acceptance, practicing, 61–62 experiencing field of pure, 53 Advaita, 14 mantra, 92 ahankara, 18–19 pure, 93–94 Ajna (intuition chakra), 88–89, 152 Ayurveda, 127 color of, 89 mantra to awaken, 89 Balasana (child’s pose), 171, 171–172, Anahata (heart chakra), 86–87 191 color of, 87 bandhas, 113–117 mantra for, 87 for everyday yoga practice, 189 annamaya kosha, 16 Jalandhara bandha (chin lock), Asana, 39–40 113–114 asanas Moola bandha (root lock), 116 benefits of performing, 39–40 Uddiyana bandha (stomach lift), chosen in Seven Spiritual Laws of 114–116 Yoga program, 40 Betty Ford Clinic, 21 defined, 122 Bhagavad Gita, 39–40 Ashwa-sanchalanasana (equestrian story of life depicted in, 196–197 pose), 152–153, 153, 186, 188 Bhakti yoga, xi Asthanga Namaskar (eight limbs Bhastrika (bellows breath), 104–107, pose), 154, 154, 187 105, 106 attachment Bhujangasana (cobra pose), 129–130, basis of, 66–67 130, 154–155, 155, 180, 187 attention, 45–46, 64, 68 body/mind, 113 and intention meditation, 95–96 benefits of yoga postures to, 40 Aum, 81, 90 discharging toxicity inhibiting flow autonomic nervous system, 100–101 or energy in, 116 awareness importance of prana to, 41 ability to consciously experience integration, effect of food on, nonlocal and local, 94 16–17 being settled in pure, unbounded, keeping life force flowing freely 47–48 through, 55 centered, xii, 12, 113 rebalancing, 93 changing posture and, 121 system, blockages, 83 complaints of thought, 92–93 breathing, -
The Sublime Pleasure
The Sublime Pleasure by Georgiana Danet, mental trainer, yoga teacher, holistic coach and founder of Holistic Life Hub™ A great secret in the practice of tantric sexual continence is to learn the mechanism of orgasm. THE SUBLIME, ELEVATED PLEASURE Learn the mechanism of orgasm By Georgiana Danet, mental trainer, yoga teacher, holistic coach and founder of Holistic Life Hub™ 1 Contents A great secret in the practice of tantric sexual continence ...........................................................................................................4 Orgasm – the ecstatic dance of energies ....................................................................................................................................................................4 The fluid stage .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................8 The abrupt stage .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................8 The chaos stage ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9 The lyric stage ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9 -
A SURVEY of YOUTH YOGA CURRICULUMS a Dissertation
A SURVEY OF YOUTH YOGA CURRICULUMS A Dissertation Submitted to The Temple University Graduate Board in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Robin A. Lowry August, 2011 Examining Committee Members: Ricky Swalm, Advisory Chair, Kinesiology Michael Sachs, Kinesiology Catherine Schifter, Education Jay Segal, Public Health ii © Copyright By Robin A. Lowry 2011 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT A SURVEY OF YOUTH YOGA CURRICULUMS By Robin A. Lowry Doctor of Philosophy Temple University, 2011 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Ricky Swalm, Ph. D. Introduction: Yoga is increasingly recommended for the K-12 population as a health intervention, a Physical Education activity, and for fun. What constitutes Yoga however, what is taught, and how it is taught, is variable. The purpose of this study was to survey Youth Yoga curriculums to identify content, teaching strategies, and assessments; dimensions of wellness addressed; whether national Health and Physical Education (HPE) standards were met; strategies to manage implementation fidelity; and shared constructs between Yoga and educational psychology. Methods: A descriptive qualitative design included a preliminary survey (n = 206) and interview (n = 1), questionnaires for curriculum developers (n = 9) and teachers (n = 5), interviews of developers and teachers (n = 3), lesson observations (n= 3), and a review of curriculum manuals. Results: Yoga content was adapted from elements associated with the Yoga Sutras but mostly from modern texts, interpretations, and personal experiences. Curriculums were not consistently mapped, nor elements defined. Non-Yoga content included games, music, and storytelling, which were used to teach Yoga postures and improve concentration, balance, and meta-cognitive skills.