Asana is a Sanskrit word which also refers to posture.  Literally, it means “seat”.  At first, Asana provided the secure postures that help an individual in attaining a lengthy meditation.   As one of classical Yoga’s eight limbs, it is said to be that postures should be in a state of relaxed, comfortable, steady and yet firm.

Some people think that Asana is just about stretching the muscles but more than that it opens the chakras (energy channels) of the body.  The body is strengthened and purified while the mind is controlled and focused as one performs the Asana.   This is why it is important that one breathes deeply and slowly in holding Asana to enable a good stretch without being strained or in pain.

Yoga poses or Asana consists of basic postures which includes Seated, Twisted, Inversions, Balancing, Forward/Backward/Side Bending, Core strengthening, Hip Opening, Prone, Standing and Supine.  From these basic Yoga postures, there have other sub-categories.  Let us take a look at the different Yoga postures and the other poses under each basic posture.

Seated Yoga Poses –These poses are more suited for beginners as it can be adjusted to any flexibility and level of strength.  It also focuses more on an individual’s flexibility more than the strength and it is energetically grounding compared to other basic type of yoga poses.

Inversions Yoga Poses 

Balancing Yoga Poses  - These poses focuses more on the individual’s ability to balance by also enhancing the mind control and focus.

Strengthening Yoga Poses

 Back Bending Yoga 

Forward Bending Poses

Physical life is a series of breaths. Natural humans breathe correctly. Civilized humans have become programmed with improper methods and attitudes of sitting, standing, and walking, which have robbed them of their birthright of natural and correct breathing. This lack of complete breathing has always been a contributing factor in disease. Air contains more than oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen; it also carries what we can refer to as the Life Force. The Life Force is linked closely to and has electric, magnetic, and gravitic properties. Correct application of this is said to treat disease, fear, worry, and the baser emotions.

We are oxygen-based life forms. We thrive in oxygen. You, me, them, it, and all the bodies, animals, and plants have spent Eons evolving while surrounded by, and swimming in, a sea of oxygen which is itself swimming in a sea of magnetic/gravitic particles of sunlight energy. Oxygen stores the sun’s energy so that all life can feed off of it. Even anaerobes (life forms that do not use oxygen) require oxygen using life forms to live in or around, because oxygen carries the energy of life itself. Prana, Chi, Ki, and Bions are all names for the Life Force stored in Oxygen. ‘Pneuma’ as in air, is ancient text for ‘Soul.’ Ozone, from the Greek, is a form of oxygen so important that the translation means, ‘The Breath of God.’

Oxygen from the air comes in contact with the impure blood in our lungs. Here a form of combustion takes place where the blood takes up oxygen and releases carbonic acid gas generated from the waste products and poisonous matter gathered up by the blood flowing through all parts of the system. The blood is then purified and oxygenated, carried back to the heart, and again becomes rich, bright red, and loaded with life giving qualities and properties.

Anoxia literally means: ‘A lack of oxygen.’ Society has created a world full of anoxia, and that is the problem we are facing on an international scale. Through industrialization and pollution based on ego and greed, we have destroyed the natural balance of Nature. We’ve lowered the amount of fresh oxygen normally found in our environment. We need this oxygen back to help us flourish and maintain good health.

 The simplest solution can be found in conscious complete breathing. Nostril breathing is far superior to mouth breathing. Our nostrils are an important filtering and staining system, purifying the air that reaches our delicate organs. Breathing can be classified four ways.

1.      High in the lungs (collarbone), requiring the most expenditure of energy and the least benefit; it is practiced unconsciously by most of us.

2.      Mid-lung (ribs).

3.      Low in the lungs (deep).

4.      Complete breath, effortlessly pulling down the diaphragm and filling the body with oxygen from bottom to top.

The complete breath contains all the best of the other three, with their shortcomings eliminated. It must be performed with total relaxation. You can learn this easiest while lying down, and after practicing it can be done when sitting, standing, and then all the time. Usually when we take a deep breath we fill the upper part of our lungs, then the middle, then try and force more air in deeper. The complete breath is performed in the opposite order-from the bottom up-and without force, and breathing only through the nose.

 The consciousness explorers expand upon this exercise to induce a state where they imagine themselves as part of giving and receiving love to and from everything. But for beginners it is enough to use this to increase our cellular oxygenation. The average person has a lung capacity of 250cc, but with a few weeks of daily practice it is possible to double this. The yogis sate that when the capacity reaches 750cc the intuitional powers develop more fully.

We are truly wondrous creations.

Recently, yoga has become a great source of empowerment, confidence building, and inspiration for many women around the world. It is thanks to that increasing number of women practicing yoga, that yoga is being promulgated.This great “explosion” of yoginis across country and in the world today, suggests women are interested in learning more about their bodies while nourishing their minds. Many have found a regain of self-esteem, sense of independence and empowerment. While physically speaking, they gain core strength that leads to better balance, stable biorhythms and poise.Some women, on their quest in yoga have encountered some preconceptions of yoga. We thought we should make available the most popular for our readers to browse through.

Yoga Teacher Training

Your yoga teacher training at Yandara school emphasizes yoga practice and teaching skills, including organizing a class, creating confidence and making postural corrections. You will learn to teach  Yoga with precision alignment, emphasizing heart-felt presence. You can use this training as a foundation for any style you choose to teach.