1. THE COBRA Do this in easy stages. Lie down, face prone, legs tightly together and stretched back, forehead on the floor. Put your hands, palm down, just under your shoulders. Inhale and raise your head, pressing your neck back, now use your hands to push your trunk up until you are bending in a beautiful arc from your lower spine to the back of your neck. You need go no further than this. However, if you are supple enough, you can now straighten your arms completely, bend the legs at the knees and drop your head back to touch your feet. Even if your head goes nowhere near your feet, drop it back as far as possible and hold the posture with deep breathing. Come out of the posture very slowly, returning to the face prone posture. Relax with your head to one side. Repeat http://www.best-applemac.info

2. THE BOW This is also an extreme version of the simple bow. It is surprising how many children can do it immediately. Take it, once again, in easy stages. Lie face prone on your mat. If you are very slim have a nice thick, padded mat for this one. Inhale and bend your knees up. Stretch back with your arms and catch hold of your ankles, keeping fingers and thumbs all together on the outside. Inhale and at the same time raise your head and chest, pulling at your ankles and lifting knees and thighs off the floor. Breathe normally, trying to kick up your legs higher and lifting your head up. You are now bent like a bow, balancing the weight of your body on your abdomen. You can stop right here but if you can still stretch further, then slide your hands down your legs, lift them higher, keep the knees together and pull back as much as you can. Hold for a few normal deep breaths, then relax back to the face-prone position, head to one side.

3. THE SHOOTING BOW In Sanskrit this is known as Akarna Dhanurasana and one leg is drawn up like a shooting bow. Sit with both legs stretched out in front and back straight. Reach forward with both hands and clasp your feet, catching the right foot with the left hand and the left foot with the right hand. Inhale, bend the left knee and pull the foot across the body, close to your chest, pointing the elbow up and twisting the body slightly to the right. The left hand stays firm and tight, holding the right foot. Hold posture with normal breathing, release slowly, and relax. Repeat on other side. In the beginning it is enough to hold the bent left leg with the right hand. When this is easy, stretch down and hold the left foot with the right hand. Continue to pull on the left foot, lifting it higher on each exhalation.

The kids are out of control, your job is a hassle and to top it all off, you have no time for yourself. If anyone told you that you could reach a state of physical and emotional bliss, you’d say they were nuts. But believe it or not, you can beat the blues with yoga!

Yoga is a great mood enhancer that requires no drugs or medications. Like all forms of exercise, yoga releases hormones that help ease feelings of stress that often lead to the blahs, blues, or outright depression. Being active keeps your mind away from negative thoughts, and allows you to gain a greater and clearer perspective on the problems you are facing. People who are depressed, or simply feeling “down”, often lack the motivation to exercise. That’s why yoga can be such a great option. It takes far less effort to complete yoga routine as it takes to out to a video or drive to the gym.

A word of warning; if you suffer from more than just the occasional bout of the blues, and feel down for more than two weeks at a time, you should seek professional advice. A doctor or therapist may feel that you need a combination of medication or therapy with exercise.

When you’re feeling down, it’s hard to think positively. People who are depressed often lack the concentration to detach themselves from their thoughts. Yoga is a “moving meditation”, so it is easier to take your mind away from negative thoughts. Our essential inner nature can be blocked by negative thoughts. Apathy, despair, doubt, hopelessness and sleeping too much or too little are all signs of depression that must be addressed. Yoga is designed to bring you closer to your inner truth, naturally helping with some of the symptoms of depression. With a focus on balance, yoga can help to restore mental stability.

There is a definite connection between mind, body and spirit that indicates people can beat the blues with yoga. No other form of exercise alone can achieve these same benefits. Certain Asana yoga postures can influence your mood and help to relieve depression, although Asana can cure depression altogether. Asana postures can help increase low energy levels and relieve lethargy. They are also helpful in opening lung capacity to allow more oxygen to reach all parts of your body, and even your mood. Ask your yoga instructor to help you learn the postures that will balance your moods.

It’s also possible to beat the blues with yoga because of the calming effects yoga has on the nervous system. Proper breathing techniques are important elements to practicing yoga, as these can help curb your anxiety and quiet your thoughts, allowing you to concentrate on positive rather than negative energies. As you learn more about yoga, you’ll come to understand the connection between your mind and your emotions, and you’ll find that they can help each other.

If you think you may be suffering with severe depression, seek professional advice. Yoga is a drug-free alternative that can be safely practiced in conjunction with any medication or therapy your doctor orders. Some yoga routines are specifically designed to alleviate depression and taught by instructors who have been extensively trained to understand the most therapeutic positions.

Even performing the most basic yoga routines can help lift your spirits. While not physically demanding like other forms of exercise, yoga will make you feel much better at the end of a session. Try it and you’ll find that you can beat the blues with yoga!

Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) is also known as the Cobbler’s Pose because of the similarity to a cobblers sitting position. It is an excellent asana which helps your groin and hip position. It is a forward bending asana which starts off from Staff Pose or Dandasana. You have to bend your knees by bringing the soles of the feet together. This forward bending asana is very different to the other forward bending asanas. The focus area in this asana is to open the hip and help the pelvic area. This help to the pelvic area stimulates the reproductive organs which are of great help to women as well as men. The performance of this asana also helps in alleviating the menstrual pain problems. It is very useful to have a comfortable child birth, if practiced regularly during the period of pregnancy. Also clears menopause related problems.

Baddha Konasana stimulates the abdominal organs as well as the ovaries, prostate gland, bladder and kidneys. It energizes your heart which improves the blood circulation and provides the all needed help to your body. This asana stretches the inner thigh, groin and knees which gives your body an agile and toned look. If you have problems like depression or anxiety this asana can help you overcome that problem. People with sciatica problem can also be treated by performing this asana regularly. It is a great asana because of its tremendous benefits for our aching and paining body. Known to be a therapeutic treatment for flat feet and similar other problems to be dealt by this asana. The practice of Baddha Konasana prevents the attack of many other diseases.

The forward bending asana helps in opening the back of the Anahata chakra. It can be greatly used for back pain problems. This asana should either be done in the beginning to open up the hips or at the end to relax your body. You should avoid doing this asana if you have a groin or knee injury. It is very important to perform this asana while sitting on a blanket as it gives support to your thighs. This asana is very important if it is done properly and enough time is given on every step. This is a very hard pose to manage on your own; maybe you should take help from your yoga teacher or a partner. You can make this pose much deeper by adding variations to it. The can be done by stretching their arms out in the front with the palms on the floor and forehead placed on the ground by extending the spine.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas from this article and the site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility lies solely with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

The benefit of yoga is twofold – increased health and unification of the spirit with the body.

It is accomplished through the use of many different aspects, but mainly through the

combination of Asanas, or postures, and breathing/meditation practices.

This raises many

question in the Christian community. In my research for this article, I was very surprised at

the viewpoint of the Christian apologists, and their take on yoga and its practice. I have

hesitated on writing this article because of that viewpoint. However, I feel that this

question and the stance of the Christian community warrants reflection on the subject.

Yoga has

a history dating back over five thousand years, to the beginning of the civilization of man.

Little is really known about Yoga. it is believed to have originated in Mehrgarh, a neolithic

settlement in what is now Afghanistan. Scholars believe it has grown out of Stone Age

Shamanism. In this early period of civilization’s beginnings, Yoga was a community resource,

because of its attempts to determine cosmic order through inner vision, and apply it to daily

living. In later years, yoga evolved into an inner dialogue through which the Yogis sought to

develop their own salvation and enlightenment.

Archaeological evidence of the existence of Yoga

first appeared in stone seals excavated from the Indus valley. It depicted figures in many

Yogic Asanas, or postures, and officially put Yoga in the time period of approximately 3000

B.C. Of greater import, it also linked yoga to the great Indus-Sarasvati Civilization, a

period in time that was considered modern and efficient.

From the Indus-Sarasvati civilization

came the ancient texts known as the Vedas, the oldest scriptures in the world. The Vedas are a

collection of hymns that praise a higher power and contains the oldest recorded history of

Yoga teachings. The Vedas required the practitioner to transcend human limitations, and reach

a higher spiritual plane. In later years, texts known as the Brahmanas were written to

explain the rituals and the hymns of the Vedas. Following this came the Aranyakas texts, which

outlined the practice of Yogis living in the seclusion of the forest. This led to the

beginning of India’s medical tradition, known as Ayurveda. All in all, Yoga transformed into

a practice of health, harmony of the spirit, and a way of life.

The Christian viewpoint is thus

– if one opens the mind to clearer thinking and inner vision, they open the spirit to demonic

possession. It is felt that Yoga practice borders on occultism, and that opening one’s mind

and spirit to the benefit of yoga is both dangerous and against everything Christianity

preaches. Christians believe that studying yoga is akin to practicing Hinduism, and one cannot

separate the philosophy of Hinduism from their Christian beliefs, regardless of the health

benefit of yoga.

As a practicing Buddhist, I take issue with this viewpoint. To me, this

smacks of tunnel vision and narrowmindedness. A Christian is expected to open their heart and

minds to Jesus, and to give in to the spirit of the Lord. They are expected to rely on blind

faith, and to accept the word of God as the only truth in the world. A thinking person would

find this hypocritical, for on the one hand Christians preach that Yoga must be avoided

because opening the mind to clearer vision encourages the possibility of demonic possession,

yet on the other hand preaches that one must open the mind and heart to accept Jesus into

their lives. Opening one’s heart and mind is exactly that – whether it is to look into one’s

self, or to accept Jesus into their lives. If, as Christians preach, we are open to demonic

possession if we look inside ourselves and open the mind to all the possibilities, how then

can we safely open our hearts to the concept of Christianity? Is there a gatekeeper who makes

this decision when we do so that determines what path we are to follow? I think not…

For the

record, I was raised in a Christian household. My father was the deacon of a small Baptist

church in the farming community where we lived. My mother, who taught us children to question

everything, moved from the Baptist community to the Assembly of God churches, and was

ostracized by my father. I think that to her dying day, she resented my father for this

narrowmindedness. Life is a matter of choice, and my mother believed that we are not required

to operate under the illusion of blind faith, but to do what is right to us as an individual.

And it is why I walk the Noble 8 Folded Path. It is simply a matter of choice, and

questioning everything in this universe.

I believe that the practice of yoga is a good thing.

It provides us with great health benefits, clearer vision, and harmony in our souls. And in

this day and age, what else is there? Whether we be Christians, Muslims, or Buddhists, we must

not disrespect the feelings and thoughts of others, their rights to practice as they wish, or

try to push our views down other people’s throats. To live in harmony is exactly that…

To

find out more about the benefit of yoga

Trying to find well-produced fitness videos that are truly suitable for beginners can be a daunting challenge.

Most tapes these days aim at intermediate exercisers, the ones who know a grapevine from a box step and a lateral raise from a biceps curl. These tapes may offer a few easier moves here and there, but the instruction clearly is geared to people who already know what to do.

The few tapes that are marketed for beginners often are unspeakably repetitive, as if flabby muscles always mean a flabby brain. And too often, they provide no way to add extra challenge or difficulty to the routine, as if beginning exercisers are going to remain beginners forever.

It’s nice, then, to discover Yoga Zone: Flexibility and Tone, a beginners’ tape that offers the depth of instruction and easy pace that true beginners need.

The instructor here is Alan Finger, a genial-looking middle-aged man who wears a polo shirt, rolled-up cotton pants and a chin-length bob. His physique is not the standard chiseled form of exercise videos; he looks as if he might carry a few extra pounds around the middle.

But he has a lovely voice (with a hint of a brogue) and a calm manner, two essentials for a yoga tape, where relaxation is key.

And he has a true gift for instruction, combining the nuts-and-bolts details of positioning with what it feels like to stretch and balance.

When he describes how the muscles of the feet ought to rotate through to the little toe, you’ll know — and be able to feel — just what he’s talking about.

But each move contains so many of these instructions that it can be a little overwhelming to try to master all of them at once.

If you have tried yoga before, you’ll recognize some of them — the down-on-all-fours stretch called the cat, the inverted V that forms the down dog, and the corpse, which requires little more than lying flat on one’s back, completely relaxed.

In another nod to beginners, Finger also provides true modifications and tips for those who may not be as flexible as they’d like.

Finger shows how a folded blanket can be placed under the knees or for better support while performing seated postures. A folded towel also is used for several poses, although Finger doesn’t announce that in advance.

The 50-minute session ends with stretching and relaxation, set to gentle New Age music that might lull you to sleep.