Friday 22 August 2008

Yoga Poses - Types Of Yoga

Yoga is a perfect practical system of self-culture. It is a science, which aims at the harmonious development of the body, the mind and the soul. Yoga aims at controlling the mind and its modifications. It is consists of ancient theories,Halasana observations and principles about the mind and body connection, which is now being proven by modern Science.

Yoga Pose: Cat/Cow

Tell your kids to get on the floor on all fours. Have your kids arch their backs upward. This is cat pose. Then instruct them to go into a backbend. This is cow pose.

Yoga Pose: Eagle

The kids should stand with feet flat on the floor. Then they should wrap their arms around each other so that the fingers of the right hand touch the palm of the left. To complete the pose, they should wrap the right leg around the left, tucking the toes around the ankle. Repeat on the other side. Look at this picture of eagle pose to see how to do this yoga pose properly. If they experience difficulty, simply have the kids flap their wings and squawk for a few seconds to release tension.

Forward Bends

This type of yoga basic position helps stretch your lower back and hamstrings. Forward bends also release tension in your back, neck, shoulders, and increase the flexibility in your spine. They often promote a sense of calmness. I find forward bends particularly challenging since I have a considerable amount of stiffness in my neck due to an old gymnastics injury. This is the type of yoga basic position where I often use a prop such as a strap or block.

Back Bends

They open your chest, rib cage, and hips. They strengthen your arms and shoulders, while simultaneously increasing flexibility in your shoulders. They help relieve tension from the front of your body and hips and they also increase spinal stability. You should always do back bends as a complement to forward bends in order to maintain balance in your body

Hatha Yoga Poses

Hatha yoga poses have remained in practice since their development in 15th century India. Hatha yoga poses are designed to support relaxation and the "contemplation of one reality." When used effectively alongside proper breath control and meditation, the postures are believed to lead to superior mental and physical health, as well as vitality. Classic Hatha yoga poses such as the shooting bow posture, salutation posture, and half moon posture are still used regularly in yoga classes of all kinds.

Twists – You can perform twists to stretch and strengthen your back and abdominal muscles, increase the flexibility of your spine and improve your circulation. Twists improve the functioning of your internal organs by providing them with a fresh supply of blood as you twist and release your body.

Standing poses – Standing poses are often used as warm up or as a starting point for other poses. Standing poses are beneficial for strengthening your legs, opening your hips and improving your sense of balance.

Inversions – Inversions are excellent poses to perform to improve your blood circulation, quiet your mind and improve your overall health. Inversions are also believed to reverse the ageing process and reduce the effect of the gravity on your body.

Relaxation and restorative poses – It is important to take time to perform relaxation or restorative poses at the end of each yoga practice. You can use this time to relax your body and mind and allow energy released by the poses in your practice to move freely throughout your body.

By: samnickel2

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