Kundalini Yoga: Unleash the Fire Inside

Kundalini Yoga and meditation operates on the premise discovered long ago in India that there is a force at the base of the spine wrapped around the sacrum that needs awakening. To understand the intense physical and mental power this fiery brand of flexibility exercises brings about, read on.

Focusing on Correct Spine Alignment


Kundalini is Sanskrit and translates roughly to “coiling like a snake” and this type of yoga focuses on many exercises, involving the spine, designed to uncoil and unleash the intense power that is wrapped around the base of the spine at the sacrum, also known as the tailbone. The maintenance of proper spine alignment which Kundalini Yoga for energy and super radiance provides is enough to make this an integral component of your fitness regimen. However, the added benefits of increased focus and a optimal sense of vitality received after stimulating the many nerve centers at the base of the spine are alluring to say the least.


This series on the physical and mental benefits of Yoga (see Yoga for Beginners) highlights some of the most prominent yoga disciplines to explain a little of the philosophies and specific practices (your work on the mat) involved with each different kind. Read about each to decide which practice entices you the most and keep in mind that the practice of yoga will improve your ability and the quality of experience in every other fitness activity you partake in. It simply moulds your body to work at its optimum potential.


If you are looking to rise to a higher spiritual plane, improve awareness, consciousness, and pretty much all your other senses, then a Kudalini awakening is for you. My snowshoes both broke late one night on the way back from a desolate peak in Northwest Montana. Slogging noisily through the deep snow, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a rowdy pack of wolves on a fresh kill and a few of them loped in rather close to take a look at the bedraggled spectacle that I was. This night was both exhilarating and terrifying but most of all, I experienced levels of awareness and a sharpening of my senses (to include a vague impression that I had the ability to commune with these creatures known for their almost supernatural intuitions) that I never knew was possible. I only relate that experience because sometimes I feel this way after practicing Kundalini Yoga. And I am also grateful to that majestic Nine Mile Wolf Pack for not ripping me to pieces with their jaws which are capable of chewing up bones.


A Kundalini Awakening of Body, Mind, and Spirit


The practice itself often involves manipulating breathing patterns and a heavy concentration (mindfulness) while maintaining different postures the teacher leads the student in. It’s no coincidence that the term backbone is used so widely to signify strength and courage and this yoga works to fortify your spine and correct all those years of misuse and abuse. In a Kundalini class I took once we moved through poses rapidly while engaging in a quick staccato inhalation and exhalation known as ‘The Breath of Fire.’


By cleansing the mind and body with well directed oxygen during the practice of Sahaja (as it’s also known), many practitioners experience a new level of self-realization and a melding of body, mind, and spirit such as they never have experienced before. Perhaps you’ve heard of certain energy channels within the human body known as Chakras. This type of mat work is designed to balance those chakras and if you believe that is hocus pocus, you’re missing out on the mystery. Every cell in your body has a brain. This type of yoga also does wonders for your kidneys and adrenals over and above what it does for your muscular and skeletal systems.
As for the actual poses you’ll be doing on the mat, the positioning of the spine is the key focus as you engage in cross-legged positions and other more traditional poses. The student will often move in an animated fashion and there’s usually a lot of mantra chanting involved in Kundalini Awakening Sahaja Yoga. Breath control, meditations, and visualizations are also standard. It is said that when your second chakra set kaur is balanced you will have amazing creativity.


Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/health/fitness/articles/23337.aspx#ixzz1MAIAsVZa

Iyengar Yoga: The Benefits Will Ripple Through Your Entire Life

Iyengar Yoga is one of the best fitness disciplines I’ve ever gotten involved with. The practice of Iyengar yoga has physically benefited every other fitness activity I engage in. Plus, the inherent mental acuity and spiritual levity gained with developing these poses are well worth the effort.

Iyengar Awakens the Body, Mind, and Spirit

When I began practicing Iyengar Yoga I could immediately feel the benefits. First I became aware of the toll the years of rugged use and abuse of my bones and muscles and the age enhancing habits of sitting at a desk took on me. I have several problem areas such as a knee that was scoped, a wrist with mild carpal tunnel syndrome, a precarious lower back, and very tight hamstrings from a lot of running and hiking.

Through the tutelage of a magnificent teacher where I practice at Northern Lights Yoga here in Helena, Montana, most of those aches and pains have greatly diminished and even disappeared.

I am a huge proponent of any kind of yoga, but finding Iyengar Yoga had a profound impact on my life. The poses (which are sustained longer on the mat) are not easy and you must learn to train your thoughts to perceive and manipulate pivotal muscles that are sometimes tiny and most likely unknown to the conscious you. Yet, these muscles play a major role in not only achieving the correct pose but also in the broader sense of learning to maintain the right posture to prevent injury and gain a little grace in many senses of the word.

This attention and awareness that yoga brings to the body also plays a role in reshaping the mind to make it more attuned, focused, and in touch with a whole new world at large which is full of subtle nuances you were used to slogging on by in a blurry haze.

Background and Where to Begin

This type of yoga is named after Yogacharya B.K.S.Iyengar, the agile and pragmatic founder whose eyes beam with the light of inner peace. Iyengar is well into his 80’s but still maintains an amazing ability to practice his poses and teach those inspired enough to bring his discipline to the rest of the world. This yoga is known for its use of props like blocks, belts, ropes, and bolsters to assist the practitioner in working on asanas (postures). Continued work on these postures to achieve precise alignment begins to improve the focus and concentration of the practitioner in all their other endeavors.

Based on the enlightened works of Patanjali's Sutras written many centuries ago, known as the 8 Limbed Path, Iyengar Yoga emphasizes stamina, developing strength, flexibility, balance, concentration, and meditation. The practitioner becomes familiar with the wisdom and application of these sutras.

Continued practice of this discipline melds the body, mind, and emotions to act cohesively with integration rather than each separate element acting on its own like a wild horse attached to you pulling you in three different directions. Iyengar Yoga is meant for anyone interested, regardless of what kind of shape they’re in because unity and self-acceptance are underlying goals of yoga.

But the use of props is the practical manner prevent people from injuring themselves or snapping some part of themselves which they may later need. A heavy concentration on standing poses is part of this program. The relief these poses create in your joints, hips, back, and relief from restless leg syndrome are well worth the effort alone, so give Iyengar Yoga a try if you’re lucky enough to have a qualified instructor near you.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/health/fitness/articles/22789.aspx#ixzz1MAHaQZql