yoga & me

as tweeted earlier this week, i started to follow "yoga for you" on zee tv (astro #108) from monday. its an excellent program for exercises and different ayurvedic cures. although its only 3 days now (yes, i practiced yoga 3 mornings continuosly myself) but it has helped me a lot in my daily life...

i understand that yoga is the union of body, mind, and spirit. this five-thousand-year old practice is believed to provide inner peace, increased body awareness, strength, flexibility, and other health benefits.

practitioners should have enough knowledge and understanding of the various yoga principles. they should keep in mind that yoga is a serious discipline. also considered as a philosophy in life, the goal of yoga is to achieve balance between mind and body.

yoga involves an overwhelming number of forms, styles, exercises, and poses. each has its own unique features and benefits.

gyan mundra

get relaxed with shavasana or corpse pose~

it is done at the end of all asanas, pranayama and other kriyas for 10-15 minutes daily.

explanation: 'shavam' in sanskrit means a corpse and this asana resembles the position of a dead person. this posture is basically meant for relaxation after doing any other difficult asanas.

direction: lie flat on the back with the legs straight, palms facing upwards. let the body be as comfortable as possible. the head and back should be in a straight line.

kuE' footnote: the best part about doing shavasana for the first time was when i 'accidentally' went in to a quick sleep (or nap) i guess... and when i realized it, i wondered of why i was lying straight on the exercise mat with my hands nicely placed by my side... hiks! i told this to mom later then we both laughed like 'syaitooonnnnn' ;)

malaysia may ban yoga for muslims (?)

i am quoting a radically surprised news from msn news— “Malaysia may ban yoga for Muslims: cleric”

hey... whats up with that? i have just thought of starting! i even already have a pilates mat that i can use for yoga also.i know its kinda good exercise... :(

who doesn't know that yoga is from india. but in other way its a form of good exercise and alternative medicine.

from what i understand, the most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. the aging process, which is largely an artificial condition, caused mainly by autointoxication or self-poisoning, can be slowed down by practicing yoga. by keeping the body clean, flexible and well lubricated, we can significantly reduce the catabolic process of cell deterioration. to get the maximum benefits of yoga one has to combine the practices of yogasanas, pranayama and meditation.

regular practice of asanas, pranayama and meditation can help such diverse ailments such as diabetes, blood pressure, digestive disorders, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, asthma, varicose veins and heart conditions. laboratory tests have proved the yogi's increased abilities of consciously controlling autonomic or involuntary functions, such as temperature, heartbeat and blood pressure. research into the effects of yogic practices on HIV is currently underway with promising results.

according to medical scientists, yoga therapy is successful because of the balance created in the nervous and endocrine systems which directly influences all the other systems and organs of the body. yoga acts both as a curative and preventive therapy. the very essence of yoga lies in attaining mental peace, improved concentration powers, a relaxed state of living and harmony in relationships.

through the practice of yoga, we become aware of the interconnectedness between our emotional, mental and physical levels. gradually this awareness leads to an understanding of the more subtle areas of existence. the ultimate goal of yoga is to make it possible for you to be able to fuse together the gross material (annamaya), physical (pranamaya), mental (manomaya), intellectual (vijnanamaya) and spiritual (anandamaya) levels within your being. you can read more of the benefits of yoga here and here. alternatively, more about it can be found massively online.

looks like i just have to get going myself from a number of books or cds on yoga that i have bought. thus i have also found many good and informative yoga sites. now no one can interrupt me! we'll see... :~)