YOGA: Awakening Of Kundalini, the Female Snake and Chakras

It is believed that the latent power of human body is in the form of a coil. This coil has one end in the base of our body at the bottom below the genital organ. Another end is in head. The vital energy running through this coil is known as Kundalini. The great thinkers are divided about the very characteristics of the Kundalini. Some says that it is psycho energy. Others claim that it is spiritual. We may take it as psycho-spiritual power.

Rising Kundalini

Kundalini Yoga: Referred as the ‘Yoga of Awareness’ tries to establish proper communication between our mind and body. It takes the help of Meditation techniques and moderation of breathing, Pranayama. A system involving yoga postures and meditation was devised by Patanjali. He taught his followers the set of rules which help in awakening of the spiritual energy.

Kundalini, a Female Snake: It is believed that the Kundalini can be awakened. The idle energy can be activated. In ancient India, followers of yoga system have devised certain techniques through with it can be awakened. Being one type of yoga, the set of these exercises of Kundalini Yoga seems similar to other yoga exercises. But it is not merely a physical exercise. If we go by some other definitions of Kundalini, we would know that the starting point of the coil known as female snake is at the end of our spinal cord. This energy is resting or is inactive. We can awaken this energy by spiritual practices and yoga.

Chakras: When it starts rising, the disciple would feel the flow of energy going upward. Ultimate station of Kundalini is believed to be the head. While awakening in stages, this energy stops at certain points. These points are named as Chakras. These Chakras are like the junctions where the fast train of rising Kundalini would rest. Activation of seven successive Chakras would make a yogi wiser and more settled in self. It is the purest form of spiritual journey.

Awakening of Kundalini: The awakening of this latent energy would make us experiencing the infiniteness of universe. It is true that the concept of Kundalini and subsequent yoga techniques to awaken it have been invented and devised by those yogis who followed Hindu religion. But the concept of Kundalini has nothing to do with any religion or sect. It is a pure science of knowing about the flow of energy. While learning about it, a disciple comes to know about many secrets of human body.

New Age Concept about Kundalini: With growing awareness about importance of Kundalini, the western psychologists and thinkers have started taking interest in the subject. They believe that Kundalini Yoga or any other endeavour to experience the presence of Kundalini is an effort to build a bridge of communication between our physical body and the subtle body. (Images courtesy Photobucket ,and By Русский: Белик Мария Александровна English: Belik Maria Aleksandrovna [CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons)

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ASHTANGA YOGA: Various Schools Teaching Yoga

Theme: How to learn Yoga Postures, Lessons in Yoga Asanas, Leann Yoga Easily, Various Schools of Yoga Teaching

Yoga postures are various positions of our body. But these postures or Asanas are not only the position given to body.

Sun Salutation Pose (Suryanamaskar)

In addition of providing good exercise to our body, yoga postures provide us with opportunities to create or it is an attempt synthesizing our mind and body. It is just like a fusion of human mind and physical strength.

Yoga: The regular practice of doing the yoga postures could render us with more awareness towards the exact relationship between our mind and body. After ding this exercises for a period, one might start feeling that his or her body moves with balance and grace, her or his mind functions with mental and physical balance. Thus the yoga asanas are not merely a collection of exercises or the sets of physical activities, but it is the system that is developed and time to time refined over the ages.

Yoga Schools: There are certain schools of teaching yoga and yoga asana. These schools are not the water tight compartments teaching different yoga postures, but they use different techniques, and their goal is common. These schools are not different from each other in many respects, and they are or have been recognised as part of one another in different times, too.

If ware to look at a few yoga schools teaching the yoga in the various ways, the first we would remember would be Ashtanga Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga: This system of yoga asanas is devised by Patanjali. It is believed to be as old as 5000 years. Perhaps the most beneficial of all other yoga system, ashtanga yoga comprises eight fold path for those who want to practice it. These eight aspects through which a yogi, a desirous person to walk on the path of yoga, travels is like this: Yama , Niyama, Asana, (yoga postures), Pranayama (breathing technique), Prayahara (withdrawal of senses), Dharana, Dhyan (meditation), and Samadhi (salvation). (Image courtesy By Joseph RENGER [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0], from Wikimedia Commons)

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How To Do Shirshasana, Headstand Posture

If the whole body of yours is supported on your forearms; if your head is touching the floor; and your feet are facing straight to the sky; you must be in the state of ‘Sirsasana’, or ‘Headstand Yoga Posture’.

As this posture makes us to stand on the strength of our head, it is named Headstand Posture. Sanskrit word for it is Shirshasna, but it is pronounced as ‘Sirsasana’ or ‘Sirshasana’, too.

Mountain yoga 5, headstand, originally uploaded by Holistic Directory.

While being on mere support of the head, we can take the assisting support of our palms or ankles as shown in these two illustrated postures.As this postures makes us to stand on the strength of our head it is named as Sirshasana, the Head Stand Posture. While being on mere support of the head, we can take the assisting support of our palms or ankles as shown in these two illustrated postures.

How to Do Shirshasana

Here is step-by-step guidance for doing this pose. It is one of the most difficult postures. But it can be done in two stages.

Stage One

• Come to kneeling position and put your forearms fully touching the floor. The fingers are to keep interlaced.

• Put your head on the area cupped by your fingers and the forearms.

• Then raise your waist as straight as possible. You can do it by taking your feet closer to head. It will send your hips over your shoulder. In this position your body would make the shape of a triangle on floor. This posture is an independent yoga posture. It is called Raja Grivasana. You can stay in this pose as long as you like.

Stage Two

• After you feel comfort in Raja Gricasana, the last pose as shown above, you would try lifting your feet and dragging knees near to your chest.

• Let the feet be settled for a while.

• The slowly and steadily try raising legs up. You should not worry if you fail to do it for one or two days.

• After the legs are straight and upward, the ‘Headstand Posture’ is completed. You are to remain in this pose for ten seconds.

• When you decide to end the pose, first put your one of the legs on the floor and then another.

Benefits of Doing Sirsasana

Like all other postures, it increases the flow of blood to our head and brain. This in turn would result in improvement of intellectual functions. It would help in increasing our memory.

It would help us to get relief from back pain or pain in leg and thigh muscles.

A person suffering from Sciatica would also be benefited. But in that case, this posture must be done in presence of a trained teacher. (Image courtesy By Joseph RENGER [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0], from Wikimedia Commons)

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