Different Forms Of Yoga

With alternate medicine gaining popularity with everyone it is no wonder that yoga as a form of alternative treatment has also started making its presence felt all over the world. This type of exercise has been around for 5000 years if not more. Those who are regulars will vouch for its effectiveness and the fact that it did wonders for their system and overall health in general. Even for specific problems, yoga has been advised and people have found that it has helped.

Yoga has been recommended for problems like cardiovascular disorders, asthma, and mental illness among others. It is most famous for its ability to relax a person and de-stress the mind and body. There are many institutes that teach yoga and train you to teach others too.

When one refers to yoga exercise, it does not mean exercise as we know it - aerobics or weight training or working out with various machines that target special muscle groups in the human body. There are specific postures in yoga which are called asanas. There are different types of asanas for different problems and one should not attempt these unless they are done under professional supervision.

Among the various types of yoga, one of the more known ones is Hatha Yoga. This particular type gives you an insight into the basic factors that are involved in the practice of yoga. One learns at a grassroots level almost, the correct technique for breathing and the correct posture to adopt. Beginners adapt very well to this type as it is slow, gentle and well paced out.

While on the subject of breathing there is another type of yoga that focuses a lot on breathing techniques in conjunction with the correct physical body movements. This is called the Kundalini yoga technique. Here the idea is to free energy from the lower part of the body and allow it to flow to the upper half. This type of yoga considers the effects of breathing on the postures adopted as very vital to the overall improvement of health.

Iyengar yoga on the other hand, concentrates on the alignment of the body and encourages people to use certain props for proper support to the body. The props may be blankets or belts or books. Now for those who like a little more action, there is the concept of Power Yoga which is a little fast paced, more intense and provides an overall vigorous workout to the body. The fitness industry considers this a very vigorous activity to perform.

Apart from these, there are other types of yoga, each different from the other in terms of the type of workout it can give or the specific ailment correction. Some names in this field are Vinyasa, Bikram, Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, Raja, Tantra, Kashmir Shaivism etc. In all, the basis is the same but the execution differs which makes each one unique and different from the rest.

Bending bodies and shaping minds: oga studios in Norman (The Oklahoma Daily)

329 White St. Only minutes from the OU campus, Ashtanga Yoga Studio offers a tranquil environment to take a moment and breathe.

Health calendar (Honolulu Advertiser)

ADULT CPR WITH FIRST AID, class with American Red Cross certification upon completion; 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Oct. 2, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 24, 26, 28 and 30; American Red Cross, Diamond Head; $55; register: 739-8123, 739-8132, www.hawaiiredcross.org.

Health happenings (Bradenton Herald)

Send information about free or low-cost health-related events open to the public by noon Monday, one week ahead of publication. Information can be e-mailed to accent@bradenton.com . Complete listings can be found at Bradenton.com. All addresses are Bradenton, unless otherwise noted.

Health Events (The Tampa Tribune)

FUNDRAISER: A wine-tasting fundraiser to benefit the Melanoma International Foundation will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at The Grape at International Plaza in Tampa. There will be a silent auction, including football tickets, sports gear and gift certificates. Donation is $25. For information, visit www.LisaHasYourBack.com.

Saturday, September 27, 2008 (Deccan Herald)

Modern medicine is slowly but surely leaving a window, if not a door open for alternative wellness therapies to tiptoe in. To choose, blend and integrate various healing systems is the mantra of many hospitals and wellness centres. Reema Moudgil tracks why ayurveda today sits prettily with allopathy