Yoga & Meditation
There’s much more buried within the philosophy of Tantric yoga than tricks for the bedroom. Tantra applies just as well to daily life as it does to nightlife.
Bikram Yoga is style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury after his emigration from India to the United States. Not only is the sequence of asanas designed to generate heat to warm the body, these 26 bikram yoga poses or postures are practiced in rooms heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Often called hot yoga, Bikram finds its roots in traditional hatha yoga and is designed to support the increase and movement of fresh, oxygenated blood throughout all parts of the body.
Whether you go it alone, join a meditation group or work with a teacher, there are many benefits of meditation like helping reduce stress, lowering your blood pressure and improving your outlook on life.
Based on the belief that its practice allows you to cope better with the daily stresses of life by helping you to tap into a higher consciousness, Kundalini Yoga emphasizes the release of spiritual energy within the body. Its name comes from the Sanskrit word kundal, which translates to lock of hair from the beloved.
Hatha Yoga was developed by Yoga Swatmarama in 15th century India. When most people think of yoga, it's Hatha Yoga that they're thinking of; it forms the basis for several other types of yoga including Bikram Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Ashthanga Yoga and its Westernized cousin Power Yoga.
Pranayama is the practice of controlled breathing often used in yoga and meditation to increase the flow of oxygen to the blood and the brain, calm the nervous system and improve concentration.
Nearly all forms of yoga ask you to work with asana and pranayama (breath control). What sets Ashtanga Yoga apart is its targeted focus on linking each asana to the next with the use of a specific breath technique, resulting in a graceful, flowing sequence of movements. This combination of breath and movement is often called vinyasa. Vinyasa helps the body generate greater internal heat and promote excessive sweating which, in turn, detoxifies the body.
Vinyasa Yoga is the Westernized version of Ashtanga Yoga, and like Ashtanga Yoga, is an intense, physically demanding practice that challenges the body while at the same time promoting the release and elimination of accumulated toxins. While it lacks the more spiritual components associated with Ashtanga Yoga, it does employ the use of vinyasa, or linking movement to breath, resulting in a practice that flows from pose into the next with little or no rest in between.
Depending on the types of yoga classes you attend, you may be exposed to varying degrees of yogic philosophy and spirituality in addition to what appears to be a deceptively simple workout. Regardless of which type of yoga you practice, learning yoga basics will help to improve your physical, as well as mental self.
Twenty six poses? Ninety minutes of challenging asanas? Temperatures of up to 100 degrees? Forty percent humidity? How can any of that reduce stress? How does that relieve tension? What are the stress relieving benefits of hot yoga?
Bikram devotees swear by the 105-degree temperate and specific yoga moves that separate Bikram yoga from the rest of the pack. Read on to learn what is making this brand of yoga so hot right now.
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