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- Ananda: A gentle practice that emphasizes the importance of meditation, breathing and affirmations while flowing through yoga postures.
- Anusara: When translated, Anusara means “following your heart.” This style celebrates the heart, positive and balanced energy and the freedom to change and adapt the practice as needed.
- Ashtanga: Often referred to as power yoga, Ashtanga provides a heart-pounding, intense and very challenging workout. The physical goals of the practice are to increase stamina, strength and flexibility. Mentally, students appreciate the sense of calm the practice can provide. Those who adhere to this style of yoga experience deep detoxification due to the profuse sweating that takes place during the session.
- Bikram: Bikram is called hot yoga for a reason; the temperature in the room is approximately 105 hot and steamy degrees. Every session consists of 26 postures and two breathing exercises.
- Hatha: One of the most popular styles of yoga, Hatha focuses on both physical and emotional well-being. With more than 200 postures to choose from, students utilize these asanas to enhance circulation, flexibility, balance and a supple and vibrant mind.
- Integral: This style of yoga emphasizes relaxation through controlled breathing and meditation.
- Iyengar: A form of Hatha, Iyengar focuses on symmetry and alignment to obtain mental and physical balance.
- Kripalu: Meditation in motion, Kripalu utilizes three stages to achieve reliance on the body’s inherent wisdom. Eventually, students are able to flow through postures spontaneously without conscious thought.
- Kundalini: A mix of breathing, chanting and poses, this style awakens natural energy and encourages self-healing through the stimulation of the immune and nervous systems.
- Sivananda: A healthy lifestyle is promoted by embracing 12 sun salutation postures, chanting, meditation, positive thinking and a vegetarian diet.
- Tantra: Tapping into the body’s natural energy, students are guided through postures, chanting and visualizations to achieve pleasure, joy and a sense of completion in their everyday existence.
- Viniyoga: Gentle flow yoga emphasizes the connection between breath and a series of poses that are easy on the joints and easy to adhere to in private practice as well as therapeutic settings.
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Yoga is one of the 10 most used complementary medicine methods in North America.
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In 2007, Johannes R. Fisslinger created Yoga Month in the US, an initiative that continues to raise funds for charitable causes and increases awareness of the benefits of yoga. This month, join millions of yoga and health enthusiasts at hundreds of events around the world. Celebrate the transformative power of yoga with friends, family and your global community. For more information, visit www.yogamonth.org |
What is yoga?
Yoga is a scientific system of physical and mental practices that originated in India more than five thousand years ago and has been adopted in the west especially over the last 30 years. It includes various postures (exercises) that involve deep breathing, body movement, meditation and relaxation. Its purpose is to improve physical, emotional and mental health, thereby enhancing the holistic quality of our lives. Yoga promotes a connection between the mind, body and spirit. It is a lifestyle that embraces a system of physical science while honoring the quest for mental and emotional stability and balance.
Why yoga?
The scientifically proven benefits of yoga are numerous, including an increase in flexibility, reduction of stress, reduction of inflammation and pain associated with arthritis and other chronic conditions, and a decrease in hypertension. Everyone who practises yoga can gain some level of benefit. The only requirements are proper instruction and regular practice.
Why Yoga Month?
The mission of the Yoga Health Foundation is to educate people about the health benefits of yoga and to inspire a healthy lifestyle. Yoga Month participants come from many different countries, backgrounds, beliefs, religions and cultures. We encourage all novices, advanced yoga students, teachers and studios to join the Yoga Month movement.
Is yoga a religion?
Yoga is a lifestyle or philosophy on life, but it does not ascribe to a specific set of religious practices. Yoga or yoga-related lifestyle modalities can be found in many religions or faiths around the world. By lowering stress and facilitating physical, emotional, mental balance, yoga has been known to deepen one’s faith. Yoga Month specifically focuses on the health benefits of yoga and how practising yoga can improve your physical, emotional and mental health and quality of life.
What are the health benefits of practising yoga?
Some of the benefits are increased flexibility, stronger muscles and connective tissue, alignment of the vertebrae and toned and rejuvenated internal organs. In addition, the epidermal, digestive, lymphatic, cardiovascular and pulmonary systems are purified of toxins and waste matter; the nervous and endocrine systems are balanced and toned and brain cells are nourished and stimulated. The end result is increased mental clarity, emotional stability and a greater sense of overall well-being. Yoga is one of the 10 most used complementary medicine methods in North America. Because yoga works on so many different levels, it has great potential as an effective therapy for chronic diseases and conditions that do not respond well to conventional treatment methods. In addition, a regular yoga routine can help develop greater concentration, balance and composure.
How old should one be to start yoga?
You can start yoga at any age.
Why is Yoga Month a community grassroots campaign?
We believe that by starting with ourselves and making a small difference in our own lives, collectively we can work together to create a healthier America.
Why do yoga and Pranayam (breath control)?
A short answer is that yoga and Pranayam makes you feel better. Practising the postures, breathing exercises and meditation heals the body, mind and spirit and lets you tune in, chill out and shape up, all at the same time.Yoga and Pranayam are good for all ailments. Research shows that yoga and Pranayam help control anxiety, arthritis, asthma, backache, blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic fatigue, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, headaches and heart diseases.
Why are yoga and Pranayam successful?
According to medical scientists, Yoga and Pranayam therapy is successful because of the balance created in the nervous and endocrine systems, which directly influences all the other systems and organs of the body.
The ultimate goal of yoga and Pranayam is to make it possible to fuse together the gross material (Annamaya), Physical (Pranamaya), mental (Manomaya), intellectual (Vigyanamaya) and spiritual (Anandamaya) levels with the being.
–Yogi Ramesh
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An interview with John Friend
by Trisha Wilson
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John Friend is the founder of Anusara Yoga™, which means, “flowing with nature,” “flowing with grace” and “following your heart.” A method of Hatha Yoga, Anusara has become one of the most highly respected and fastest growing methods of yoga in the world. |
Trisha Wilson: You founded Anusara Yoga on August 15, 1997, and recently celebrated the 12th anniversary. What inspired you to develop this method of yoga and how has it evolved over time?
John Friend: The founding of Anusara was really an evolution of my whole practice and studies of yoga since I was 13. I really never thought to found a system until maybe 1995. At that time, I recognized that I had evolved to a point where I was not in harmony with the philosophy and techniques of my prior teachers so I was really in a place where there was no style to describe what I was doing: a mixing of tantric philosophy using principles of alignment and a real emphasis on the community. There just wasn’t any style like that. In some ways, I was forced to start a new system and come up with a new name.
I’m very much a traditionalist and would rather honour what has come before and be a good representative of that, but it just wasn’t honest to use the names of the teachers and the styles that I had been practising since I had really shifted and gone to a different place. That’s how it came about. It was after a full investigation of the major styles of yoga.
TW: There are now hundreds of thousands of Anusara students worldwide. To what do you attribute that growth?
JF: One of the central aspects is that people feel empowered. Their natural talents and beauty are celebrated. I think that’s not so common. That’s one thing – people feel very empowered. Secondly, they’re actually given a set of alignment principles that is so effective they can apply it to anything they do – any style they’ve been practising before. Their practice goes to another level. Thirdly, they get to do it in a really fun-loving community. There’s not a lot of ego. It feels like a big family. I think that’s why it’s grown so tremendously in 12 years.
TW: In Anusara yoga, students are taught to look for the innate goodness in themselves and all things. What are the effects of this?
JF: When we look for the good, we are looking for the common denominator among all people and all things so when there is recognition of innate goodness we’re getting recognition of the essential spirit of each other. [In] cultures and races and even religions, we start to look more for the unity and the common denominator. That brings such unity and harmony.
TW: How do you see yoga evolving?
JF: I think yoga is going to expand in that it will progressively get more sophisticated, on one hand, and also get progressively more diluted on the other. So we’re going to get a bigger range of offerings. I think its going to get more powerful that people can integrate it more into their lives in a much more effective way… There will be increasing hybrids of styles created: astrological yoga, yoga salsa, naked yoga, yoga for the kitchen, yoga-lattes (a mix of yoga and Pilates). That’s all going to be expanding.
TW: The teacher-student relationship now in the West is different than in ancient time and also in that of different cultures. What are your thoughts on this shift?
JF: In general, in the past a teacher had one of the top positions in society so they were regarded as [being] pretty much up there with a priest. Therefore, they were given so much authority and power and the student really had to earn the right and the privilege to study with that person. In yoga, the relationship was much more a one-on-one relationship. Public classes really didn’t start until the 1800s. Today in the 21st century, it’s very common we teach dozens of students at a time. Sometimes I teach hundreds of students at a time. That would have never been done in history. The effect is that the relationship has diminished so the teacher is often regarded as more of a facilitator to guide them into certain physical movements.
What I’m endeavoring to do is to really place a greater clarity on the relationship, giving greater honour and power to the teacher, which the teacher earns, so as not to put someone in a place of power too prematurely. There’s a proper protocol of how we behave in the classroom and out of the classroom and we don’t see the relationship ending out of the classroom. I’m just the same in the classroom as I am out of the classroom. I understand my responsibility and endeavour to be the best person that I can, to be a good role model and also to be true to my heart. I treat all the students like that.
TW: What is one thing that all students of yoga will benefit from remembering?
JF: The most important thing to remember for all students is that the source of their unfolding and of the revelation of their own greatness and beauty is fundamentally coming from this big spirit that is within them and all around them. It’s going to come from grace. And if you recognize that, it puts everything in perspective and the students can soften and become more sensitive to this life force that’s flowing through all of us. That life force will guide us. I totally believe it and know it. If we can get sensitive with it, we’ll find the way to our hearts so grace is the key. That’s the most important thing to remember. Grace leads the way.
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by Shakta Kaur Khalsa
 Why yoga for children? Twenty-five years ago, that question was most likely asked about martial arts. Now there are classes for children at martial arts studios around every corner. Similar to martial arts, yoga develops many wonderful qualities in children. Besides the obvious benefits of exercising the physical body, yoga sharpens a child’s ability to calm down and focus and cultivates confidence and self-discipline.
More and more professionals who work with Sensory Processing Disorder, such as autism, learning disabilities and ADD/ADHD are being trained in children’s yoga with great results. There is a natural affinity between these children and yoga, as yoga addresses the whole child, including the brain/body connection, and organizes the nervous system. Practising yoga encourages their creativity and promotes the release of their fears, anger and sadness. It also helps their inner self to shine and their minds and hearts to be in synch.
Family yoga
Create a special time of the day for yoga. Take some time in the morning or evening and follow it with a deep relaxation. Make a special yoga space using a small table or covered box. Have your child decorate it with objects that have special meaning. Begin by closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths to centre yourself or use a ‘yoga sound,’ such as ong or om. How long to do yoga? With preschoolers, 10 to 15 minutes is a good start. Elementary school-age children can easily practise yoga for 20 minutes. Start simply and build the practice slowly. F U N: those three little letters are so important. For young children, make up yoga stories using animal poses. For older children, challenge them using a timer. Reach them using your creativity and light-hearted humour. Get ready for lots of pleasant surprises.
Shakta Kaur Khalsa has 35+ years of experience as a Kundalini yoga teacher and Montessori educator. She is the author of Fly Like A Butterfly: Yoga for Children. She teaches The Radiant Child Yoga Program at Langara College, Nov. 27-30. Contact Naseem ngulamhusein@langara.bc.ca for details. Visit www.langara.bc.ca/health-human/yoga-teacher/courses and www.childrensyoga.com
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