Showing posts with label Practicing Yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Practicing Yoga. Show all posts
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Savasana yoga
Savasana
Savasana (Sanskrit: s'ava-sana, "Corpse Pose", alternately spelled Shavasana or Sarvasana, and also known as mrta-asana) is a yoga asana often used to begin and conclude a yoga session.
It is a relaxing posture intended to rejuvenate one's body, mind and spirit.
While savasana is a good way to reduce stress and tension, it is not recommended for meditation as it has a tendency to induce sleepiness. If afflicted by drowsiness or restlessness of the mind while performing savasana, increase the rate and depth of breathing.
- Lying on your back, spread arms and legs, about 45 degrees from the sides of your body. Tilt head slightly back so it rests comfortably. Make sure you are warm and comfortable; if you need to, place blankets under or over your body.
- Close the eyes, and start by deepening the breath using dirga pranayama. Allow your whole body to become soft and heavy, letting it relax into the floor. As the body relaxes, feel the whole body rising and falling with each breath.
- Scan the body from the toes to the fingers to the crown of the head, looking for tension, tightness and contracted muscles. Consciously release and relax any areas that you find. If you need to rock or wiggle that part of your body from side to side.
- Release all control of the breath, the mind, and the body. Let your body move deeper and deeper into a state of total relaxation.
- Stay in savasana for 5 to 15 minutes.
- To release: slowly deepen the breath, wiggle the fingers and toes, reach the arms over your head and stretch the whole body, exhale bend the knees into the chest and roll over to one side coming into a fetal position. When you are ready, slowly inhale up to a seated position."
Following practice, when one is in savasana, the body is often in the anabolic state of metabolism during which cells can repair and rejuvenate themselves. Organs and tissues are “built up” (increasing muscle mass, bone growth). The opposite state is catabolic metabolism. It’s counter-productive to have both states occurring at the same time, so there are signals in the body which switch from one to the other, and most of those signals are hormonal.
n yoga, when certain poses are done which affect the glands of the endocrine system, certain hormones are produced which bring the body into the anabolic state. The 8 primary endocrine glands are located in the same approximate locations as the chakras.
Sarvangasana yoga
Sarvangasana
Sarvangasana or Shoulderstand, is an inverted asana (pose) in hatha yoga. Considered as the "queen" of asanas, many practitioners consider it to be an especially important and beneficial pose. Its name in Sanskrit literally means "posture of the complete body."
It is performed by first lying on the back with hands under the mid-back, then lifting the legs and lower body so that the weight of the body is supported on the head, neck, upper back and upper arms.
The gazing point is towards the toes. The head must not be turned to the side while in this pose.
Advanced practitioners hold this pose for long periods of time - as much as three hours. However, because of the significant amount of weight being placed on the cervical spine and the threat of neck injury, this is not advisable.
The pose is contraindicated for high blood pressure, whiplash, menstruation, thyroid disorders, angina, and spinal weakness caused by conditions such as arthritis or osteoperosis. If you are pregnant, consult a qualified yoga instructor or your physcian before attempting this pose. Viparita Karani - the "legs up the wall" pose - is a common modification.
Matsyasana is normally taken after Sarvangasana as a counter pose. Sarvangasana may be used as a counter pose for backbends such as the bridge. Halasana is often taken as a transitional pose to enter and exit Sarvangasana
Practicing Yoga
Practicing Yoga
The key to a successful yoga practice is to make time for it.
According to yoga practitioners, when bodily control is mastered, they are free from what they call the "pairs of opposites", such as heat and cold, hunger and thirst, joy and grief. This non-dualistic perspective comes from the Sankya school of the Himalayan Masters.
Traditional Practices of Yoga
Traditional Practices of Yoga
- A glass of fresh water should be taken before performing asanas.
- The stomach should be relatively empty.
- Force or pressure should not be used while performing asanas.
- Lower the head and other parts of the body slowly; in particular, raised heels should be lowered slowly.
- The breathing should be controlled. The benefits of asanas increase if the specific pranayama to the yoga type is performed.
- If the body is stressed, perform Corpse Pose or Child Pose
- Some claim that asanas, especially inverted poses, are to be avoided during menstruation. Others deny this view.
- Nowadays, asanas are generally not performed on floor, but on Yoga mats instead.
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