Prasara yoga is a new style of yoga that blends elements of traditional asana, or poses, along with elements of movement, or flow. Most modern forms of yoga concentrate on one of two aspects: asana, the actual poses, or vinyasa, transitional breathing between poses. Prasara yoga integrates both of those aspects, and expresses them through dynamic movement.

Prasara yoga is comprised of 5 basic forms, known as flows. Each flow is carefully designed to strengthen and tone a specific area of the body, while all 5 flows work seamlessly together to strengthen the overall core of the body, improving balance, flexibility, and muscle tone. Rather than trying to hold asanas for extended periods of time, emphasis is instead placed on coordinated breathing and fluid transitions between each flow.

Progressing through all 5 flows takes only 15 minutes, but provides a complete, low impact, total body workout. Although prasara is more athletically challenging than other forms of yoga, each flow is designed with 3 levels of difficulty: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The beginner flows can be completed by people of all ages and skill levels, while intermediate is best suited for people who have prior experience in other styles of yoga. Advanced level is obviously the most challenging workout, but certainly attainable to anyone with enough practice and dedication.

Prasara yoga is a unique form of yoga in that it focuses on movement and flow in addition to asana and vinyasa. Structure, breathing, and movement are the defining elements of prasara; these elements work together in synergy to promote a healthier, more balanced body.

Folks, it goes without saying that the ancient Yoga Gurus have definitely covered plenty of ground in regards to studying the human body and knowing just how it works for its optimal functioning.

Not only have they gone over and deduced arguably the best exercises for mankind, but with the Yogic Diet, meditation and what I am about to discuss briefly, one can definitely help in alleviating a plethora of health problems.

What I am about to discuss is known as Kriyas in Sanskrit or cleansing exercises for the body.

Although some of them might sound absurd and cause the average person to squirm, they are highly effective in alleviating tons of diseases.

One particular stand-out is the Kunjar Kriya or the Water Purification exercise.

*Stomach Cleansing:

It entails drinking a large quantity of warm water (32 oz) shaking the abdominal contents (via nauli see text of abdominal exercises) and tickling the back of the tongue which would induce vomiting.

This is done first thing in the morning and IS NOT NECESSARY FOR THE BEGINNER!

This process is the basis of my choosing the recommended staples and recipes in my diet as I (intentionally at times) took notes of the content I regurgitate the next morning.

If the contents were not clear as in water and slight mucus, I ensure to abstain from the item or recipe (Food Combination).

An alternative for you as a health-seeker is my provision information on those foods which I know based on my notes pass through the alimentary canal quickly and efficiently while mechanically removing debris.

I must stress again, not unless you are just adventurous like me or have adequate knowledge in the art of yoga, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS STOMACH CLEANSING EXERCISE WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE.

It truly is just something I wanted to share to illustrate/validate certain aforementioned points.

Care of the Teeth:

I often receive compliments on my dentition and besides my mother’s genes; other factors come into strong play: Proper Maintenance and Diet.

Most People in the west pay very little attention to proper dental hygiene or use absurd chemical substances such as toothpaste containing the poisonous fluoride.

Furthermore, they wonder why halitosis still persists. Nothing more is required to clean the teeth than a firm brush and say un-iodized sea-salt or if you are adventurous, a chew-stick (ask any African Friend if you have one.) Moreover, daily consumption of leafy veggies is essential.

Cavities can be caused by constant acidity in your mouth which is a consequence of over consumption of acid (mucus) forming foods (see Chapter 13 on acid and alkaline forming foods).

Eating these foods leads to acidic blood which would rob calcium from the bones as this is necessary to neutralize the acids. (Which is one other reason to reduce high protein foods).

Moreover, for an overall showering and all around body cleanse, I will suggest the following:

1. Applying NOTHING but plain cool water and Witch Hazel to the face (cool that is) for rinsing. (after showering, and do ensure the upper body is well covered so as not to chill the exposed chest.

2. When taking a shower, please ensure to

a. Use a shower-filter.

b. Use Fragrance-Free, Hypo-Allergenic Shampoos and Facial Bar Soaps (Personally I use Burt’s Bees and Neutrogena Respectively, I’m still in search for a more natural face wash but, hey…)

c. Not have the water running directly on your face, for some reason it tends to aggravate breakouts even more. Perhaps because it dries out the skin and in the process of the organ trying to re-lubricate it self, maybe acne tends to be aggravated.

Well, so there you have it folks, helpful information on the use of Yogic methods (and other more conventional ones) for cleansing and helping to keep the body clean.

By : Ayaz Khan

The word Yoga means “yuj” which means “yoke” or “to unite”. Yoga and its various forms such as Raja Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Hatha Yoga or Ashthanga Yoga, all ultimately lead an individual’s consciousness to ‘yoke’ with that of the universal consciousness. Yoga enables a person to think clearly and perform his/her everyday tasks with equal clarity and concentration. A person’s ability to deal with the changing circumstances dramatically increases when he/she regularly performs Yoga. Meditation is an integral part of the Yoga routine. Meditation enables a person to delve inside himself/herself and become more aware of the surroundings and as a result, is able to concentrate on many things at once. Meditation, when it is done with music becomes more effective. Yoga instructors around the world are waking up to the healing properties of the music in Yoga. Spirit voyage is an online music stores that offers a host of meditation music CDs and Yoga DVD which assist a person in delving deep into this beautiful centuries old phenomenon. Crossing the Hour by Yogi Bhajan and Ashtanga Yoga Beginners Practice by Nicki Doane are perfect Yoga DVD which will surely aid a person.

Kundalini Yoga lays special emphasis on meditation and it has risen to become one of the most formalized style of Yoga that is currently taught throughout the world. A typical Kundalini Yoga class lasts for 60-90 minutes and has been divided into the following sections : 5-10 minutes of warming up, 30-45 minutes of Kriya, 5-15 minute lay-out and 11-31 minutes of meditation. A Kundalini Yoga session typically comprises of six major components : 1) tuning-in with the Adi Mantra, 2) pranayam or warm-up, 3) kriya, 4) relaxation, 5) meditation and 6) close with the blessing song, “May the Long Time Sun Shine Upon You”. Practicing this entire session on proper Yoga mats helps in practicing some of the most difficult poses, without running the risk of injuring the body. These Yoga mats or Yoga rugs also assist us in another aspect. There is a tremendous amount of energy that resides in the body of a person. During the entire process of Yoga, a considerable amount of positive energies are re-vitalized. Yoga mats prevent these positive energies generated within the body from coming in contact with the earth, and getting neutralized..

A perfect Kundalini Yoga session must begin and conclude in the same way. There is a specific purpose of these tasks and they should be done correctly. Before actually beginning the Yoga routine, a person must sit quietly and focus on his/her breath. But unlike the normal breaths, these breaths must be from the belly. A person is required to calm down and create a virtual space around his/her body. In the next step, the tuning-in, a person must chant the “Adi mantra”. While sitting down in a meditative posture with an erect spine and hands clasped making a sixty degree angle with the chest while the thumb touches the heart. While focusing on the third eye point, one must chant “Ong na Mo” which means “I call on the infinite universal consciousness.” The vibration which occurs in us automatically tunes into the higher consciousness. The next chant is the “Guru Dev Na Mo” which means “I call on the divine wisdom”. This chant connects us with our higher selves.

Now, since the session connects us with our higher selves, we need to honor this. Proper Yoga clothes do just that. They not only enable us to be at par with our higher selves but also enable us to practice the Yoga without any inhibitions. The Yoga clothes are durable and will last long. Concluding a Kundalini Yoga routine is another important aspect. The concluding exercises brings a person back to reality. The set of exercises are a series of stretches and finally a meditation. The meditation should be done by concentrating at the heart center. A happy conclusion is to sing this song: “May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you, and the pure light within you, guide your way on”. Repeat. Then chant three long Sat Nam’s. “Saaaaaaaaaat” is long and “Nam” is short.

Sprit Voyage boast prominent artists like Liquid Mind, Dya Singh and Guru Shabad Singh Khalsa who have rendered their soulful voices into music CDs like Into grace and Dya Singh 300 which amply help a person in his desire to know Yoga. Yoga has been phenomenal in helping shape the lives of the people to make them healthier, happier and holier.

The physical benefits of yoga are myriad. Yoga keeps your body strong, as it involves all the muscles in your body to hold and balance yoga asanas (poses). The various yoga postures strengthen your feet, legs, hands, abdominals, lower back, legs, and shoulders. Yoga’s stretching and breathing exercises improve your flexibility, helping joints, tendons, and muscles stay limber. People suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis will see a noticeable improvement in their stiffness, pain, and other arthritic symptoms by practicing yoga poses and postures.

Yoga improves your endurance, especially the more athletic forms of yoga such as ashtanga yoga, power yoga, vinyasa yoga, and Bikram yoga. These rigorous yoga practices follow a specific sequence of poses (asanas) that become more challenging as you progress. Unlike the gentler hatha yoga, the forms of ashtagna yoga, power yoga, vinyasa yoga, and Bikram yoga require you to keep your body in constant motion between poses, resulting in a strenuous cardiovascular workout and improved core strength.

Yoga is often prescribed to help heal various injuries, including repetitive strain injuries, knee and back injuries, pulled hamstrings, even minor skin burns. Of course, you should consult your physician before using yoga as a treatment for any injury! Yoga is an excellent weight-bearing exercise that can improve your bone density. This is particularly beneficial for women approaching menopause, since yoga can help ward off osteoporosis, or thinning of the bone.

Yoga has tremendous health benefits for your heart. Most notably: the gentler forms of yoga lower your blood pressure because the asanas (yoga poses, postures, and yoga positions) keep blood flowing evenly throughout your body while you focus on your breathing.

People suffering from hypertension can benefit from yoga tremendously, as hatha yoga can lower your heart rate and blood pressure. Many practitioners claim that yoga has also lowered their cholesterol. Power yoga is an excellent form of cardio conditioning, which strengthens core muscles while it keeps blood and oxygen circulating throughout your body.

Yoga benefits anyone’s mental health by helping him or her relax, and it is an effective form of psychological therapy. Yoga reduces anxiety and stress, resulting in better health, better mood, and better concentration throughout the day. Yoga has been used to help treat a wide variety of emotional and mental disorders, including acute anxiety, depression, and mood swings.

By: Linda Adams

Particularly if during adolescence you had to contend with pimple or acne, large pores, dark circles around your eyes or washed-out looking skin. You are not the only one to go through that “suffering”. Actually, it is already an accepted fact that your external appearance merely reflects how you are inside. You can consider grayish pallor as an omen that toxins are existing in your liver; that dark circles under the eyes mean the presence of some kidney failure or disorder.

Yoga could restore the glow and charm you had when you were in the pink of youthful health. It is a complete activity that assures (and has fulfilled) rehabilitative gains for your mental, physical and spiritual self. You could use it as a means of getting and maintaining fitness and boosting youthful flawless skin. Yoga, from its translation meaning union has the principle of synchronizing your body, mind and spirit. That means the whole you, inside and out.

Yoga gets your blood flowing

Yoga postures stimulate the circulation of oxygenated blood to your face by zeroing in on internal organs for cell growth and regrowth. Hampered blood circulation causes your cells to have less of the oxygen and nutrients they badly need, resulting in your pale washed out complexion. Inverted asanas, or postures, place your brain below your heart level and work wonders in renewing your tired, dull skin back to its young charming glow.

Yoga flushes out your body toxins

When the facial pores get blocked by excess sebum, dead skin cells and toxins, the bacteria thrive! This leads to inflammation resulting in crusty pimples, large pores and other skin blemishes like white heads, blackheads and discoloration.

Yoga isn’t an indolent activity just because of its seated positions. There is a form of yoga called hot yoga which is done in a room that’s heated as high as 40 degrees Celsius, and this heat creates and discharges so much sweat that facilitates your detoxification.

Detox, how? Our skin can alter the condition of toxins from oil soluble to water soluble and ejects them out through the pores and sweat glands. Ergo, sweat is an tremendous detoxifying agent, cleansing your skin of unwanted dirt and oils.

Yoga provides stress-relief

Stress, popularized in the past century as the culprit for various body and mind ailments, can manifest also in skin imperfections. When stress levels rise, hormones like androgen and cortisol levels rise too, and generate massive production of sebum and promote the appearance of blemishes. Stress can give you sleepless nights, too, which then gifts you with bloated and puffed-up eyes and dark halos under your eyes.

Yoga is distinguished by its incorporation of meditation, directed breathing and mild elongations. This procedure conducts your mind inward and settles your gut to have serenity and bliss while reinvigorating your body and soul giving it comfort for your stressed muscles. Gentle-sounding music is merged with natural and instrumental sounds to give your beleaguered mind the peace and rest it needs. Like other types of exercise, yoga ejects endorphins and adrenaline, which then cause you to have and maintain a good mood and recharged outlook. Thus, you get not just to feel good, you even will then look good!

When you focus your attention on the movement of your body through dynamic extensions of muscles and joints, you want to bend and move in absolute comfort. Natural Champion workout clothing for women is now highlighting the use of cotton fibers that breathe with the body and allow the full circulation of air flow. Unnatural fibered female workout clothing suffocates the body and does not allow it to breathe and get the most out of your exercise routine. Since deep breathing is part of any exercise program it is important to wear the proper clothes to allow this process to go full circle.

So, organic, cotton woman’s wear is ultimately the best choice for your daily practice to keep fit and stay as healthy as possible. Yoga is also a common trend today that is growing in popularity. This is for a good reason, strong stretching extends the limbs away from the center of the body and provides a great stretch for the spine. These yoga postures are great for athletic people and runners who want invigorating stretches to give them flexibility and stability needed to power their sport.

As one begins to feel the need to increase the amount of exercise in their daily life, it is great to also expand the wardrobe attire to include loose fitting comfortable organic, cotton clothing that provides for their increasing need to want more from their workout. More energizing and intensive training may involve tighter fitting clothes and yoga pants that allow the body to stretch and move unhindered by bulky fabrics. Women’s cotton Champion yoga pants are the best yoga pants that allow the body to sweat naturally, absorbing the moisture into the fabric which can be washed out clean. If you are at all into health and maintaining the best potential for a vital, long life, we suggest you get the best workout wear, like Champion workout pants, to give you the balance, flexibility and calming effects that exercise promotes.

By : Matty

Want to stay fit and strong in your life. But don’t get the right way for this. Then, joining a yoga classes must be great option for you. There numerous yoga schools, fitness institutions and other that help people to attend yoga classes and stay fit in their life. However, in these yoga classes the yoga practitioners and yoga teachers give the study and techniques of different yoga postures and fitness exercise etc.

These classes will lead to live happily and stress life by just simply performing some postures daily. Moreover, if you are beginner in the field of yoga learning and don’t know about any thing about yoga. Then, the practitioners of yoga classes trained you according to your body efficiency. This will helps you a lot in giving psychological and spiritual benefits to your body and mind.

It also stretches muscles and joints and gives your body to increase self-awareness on both a psychological and physical level. Not only has this, while performing fitness exercise or yoga postures the impurities of the practitioner’s body, intelligence and mind are removed, and one is bestowed with spiritual wisdom and light. So, what are you thinking for just go and join yoga classes which is near around you and fulfills your all expectations.

Hence, it as an advice to you to make sure before joining any yoga classes make sure that they offers training at the level at which you can easily handle it. Beginners should start with the kind of class designed for them. However, if you have had some training in yoga before, a more advanced class may be suitable for you. Do make sure that you work out or perform fitness exercises at the level comfortable to you; otherwise you may not stick with it or fall in serious pain and injury etc.

The tourism market has been changing during the last decade, as a more enlightened generation of travelers has been flexing its financial muscles and demanding more from a vacation than the standard chain hotels can give, and a new type of travel is becoming popular.

This newer group of tourists is interested in more than their parents generation, and so the tourism industry is filling this need by offering hotels and resorts with yoga and wellness.

Yoga retreat centers are appearing all over the earth, and nowhere more so than Costa Rica. Most medium to large hotels offer yoga in one form or another, since so many tourists are asking for it.

Beach towns in Costa Rica with an eye on tourism, such as Montezuma or Santa Teresa in the southern Nicoya Peninsula, have multiple resorts to learn yoga, and these hotels and retreat centers compete over which is able to create the most gorgeous yoga space.

Retreat Centers such as Anamaya Yoga Retreat Center in Montezuma have a large wooden deck overlooking the ocean, fulfilling every yoga enthusiast’s fantasy about what tropical paradise will look like on their trip. This type of yoga floor is very photogenic, and this helps a hotel to succeed in booking guests, since so many travelers choose their vacation accommodations based mostly from the photos of the places they are considering staying at.

Since so many teachers of yoga have visited Costa Rica for yoga retreats, many have of course fallen in love with the country and a few have stayed. Now many work at various hotels in Costa Rica, or offer private classes at Costa Rica beach house rentals.

Because of this influx of talented yoga teachers to Costa Rica, the tourist towns, such as Malpais now a variety of yoga options. While it’s not always true, the men go surfing and the girls do yoga.

Yoga is often part of a group of vacation hotels known as Wellness Centers. Such places offer their guests a chance not only to relax, but to eat a much healthier diet, participate in cleansing, try meditation, and learn about healthy lifestyles.

Many clients who have visited a Wellness retreat discover that when they return to their home, they are not only rested, but they are happier because they have increased energy, and these changes in their lifestyle last long after their vacation.

Many new wellness centers focus primarily on cleansing, and usually begin with fasting. After that a restricted diet of pure and simple organic foods such as fruit and veggies, often raw.

To further assist to detoxify the body, these retreats offer a variety of therapies such as a sauna, massage , colon hydrotherapy, and acupuncture. Some include a professional yoga program for putting pressure on the internal organs of the belly using the appropriate poses for each.

Guests at these wellness centers report improvements such as having significantly more energy, more restful sleep, healthier skin and clearer eyes.

So if you’re researching your next journey to our country, participate in a wellness or yoga retreat instead of an ordinary hotel. As with so many people who tried it, you will most likely return both healthier and happier.

Geoff McCabe is a recognized authority on green travel and Costa Rica. Click below for more information about his personal Yoga and Wellness Retreat Center in Montezuma.

By : Kathy Yoga

Yoga with its different asanas have proven to benefit mankind in a range of terms since the ancient time and still exerts it today.

A small amount of stretching along with various states of control of mind and different phases of concentration allows huge magnitude of benefits that are innumerable in number.

Human health is gravely benefited through normal practice of yoga.

Practicing yoga will not only offer various physical benefits, but will also provide a person to fight against emotional turmoil by providing inner strength.

Yoga allows enormous form of emotional health benefits in the following benefits:

Mood

Yoga practicing has great impacts on our mood.

The various asanas in yoga is a great way to ease the mood which makes ourselves feel better.

Our mood is rendered happy and jolly as our brain experiences recreation due to light and fresh feeling achieved after practicing Yoga.

Stress Reduction

When it comes to get rid from tension, it is always said that nothing can be more effective than yoga.

The practice of Yoga asanas, with high concentration does unwind our mind, and takes it in to a peaceful position.

This is the position where our mind tends to loose lots of worries or finds plenty means of sorting them out, ultimately reducing the stress level.

Anxiety

Anxiety is basically an emotional confusion which increases the flow of blood by a considerable level, which leaves us, tensed and full of apprehensions.

Thus, effectual blood circulation could be achieved through regular practicing of Yoga.

The focus and meditation involved in Yoga asanas also involves connections with breathing and blood flow.

Therefore, Yoga can lend a hand in the problem of Anxiety.

Depression

Depression is also a grave emotional turbulence which can be cured by practicing Yoga.

There are various methods to deal with the problem of depression, but nothing can match with the efficiency of Yoga.

People have witnessed and it is proven that one of the most useful and best ways of coming out of the depression state is through yoga.

Self acceptance

This is also one of the benefits of performing Yoga on a regular basis.

Many a times it is hard for us to understand and agree to our selves.

Yoga can prove to be supportive in this regard.

Regular practice of Yoga and involved meditation allows individual to realize the worth of one self and thus helps in accepting the actual truth.

Self Control

Yoga also helps us in having a control over ourselves.

Feelings and emotions for any individual are hard to control.

Along with these flows with the situation, they are controllable.

The control can be accomplished by Yoga.

Yoga allows realizing different aspect of situation thus enabling any individual to win self control.

Mind Body Connection

Mind body association is also one of the most important Yoga’s emotional health benefits.

Yoga involves huge concentration and deep meditation.

Thus, while practicing Yogasana we can relate our mind and our body and connect them together.

Going into a deep thinking can work wonders.

Positive outlook of life

number of a times we are not able to see through the other side of things.

Many a times we make ourselves think on the negative things.

But, Yoga can completely change our outlook.

Yoga allows perceiving and viewing life with a positive frame of mind.

The steps involved in the meditation which makes possible deep thinking can take us towards the positive side of Life.

Hostility

Yoga asanas can also help a human being to deal with Hostility.

It allows individual to refute or reject him or her.

Through Yoga, we can reduce this hate against us.

Concentration

Yoga also has great benefits on our concentration.

Concentration level is taken high through regular practicing of Yoga.

Memory

Our memory is also enhanced through Yoga practice.

Memorizing power can be incremented through Yoga practice as it makes the mind new and light.

Attention

Yoga can be great to increase mental sharpness and more conscious of the surroundings.

Individual can score high attention power through deep meditation and regular practice.

Social skills

Yoga also implants the quality of humbleness and politeness, and helps us to attain a peaceful state of mind.

Thus, socially our nature gets a high acclaim.

Calmness

To maintain calmness and cool nature, one should always practice Yoga.

So, it also helps us to remain tranquil and well posed.

One of the most common exercise tools that are popping up everywhere is the exercise ball. They are in gyms, holistic pregnancy offices, and even on the shelves of every department store. Occasionally you might even run across a Yoga Ball as a substitute for the traditional office chair.

So what is the big deal? For starters utilizing a Yoga ball properly increases your strength and flexibility. Well, that’s great, but how do I use one the right way? The key here is to ensure that you have a sense of balance while working on the ball.

For starters play with the ball to test out your balance. This will give you a taste for how the ball works with your body. Begin by bouncing on the ball with your feet planted squarely on the floor. As you get the feel for the ball, you can advance this playtime to bounce from side to center to side. Not only does this increase your sense of balance and get you accustomed to the ball, but it also raises your heart rate to a cardio level.

Now that you have a feel for the ball, it is time to move it up to the next level. For starters, you will want to work with beginner’s poses. These are poses that have at least two wide points an equal distance apart. For example, with the bouncing on the ball your feet should be an equal distance apart and in a straight line. This creates a triangle, which is a stable platform for just about any movement.

For the upper body, the triangle would be made with the hands while the abdomen or legs are balanced on the ball. The hands should be placed squarely on the floor an even distance apart and directly under the shoulders.

There are also poses that use the ball while you lie firmly on your back. One of these is the double leg stretch. You alternate trading the ball between the legs and the feet. This enhances hand-eye coordination while working on toning the core muscles.

For the poses that require your feet on the ball, the key to maintaining balance is to place your arms along side the body at a 45-degree angle. For a more extreme workout, the arms can be brought in closer to the body. But be warned, this is for the advanced practitioner.

As long as you continue to keep the balance between your point on the ball and your stability points that connect to the floor, you will be able to properly utilize the Yoga ball to advance your exercise experiences.