Morning. In the bathroom there was a cool rain from the shower. The body is refreshed. The body is awake. Awakening is more than getting up. Awakening is the first smile on your face. The body is still wooden. At this moment, inner work and activation of the subtle channels of the body are needed - yoga is needed.

Static and dynamic exercises

How should you exercise to be healthy and happy? People in the mode of passion think that the more and more intense they do the exercises, the better the result will be. Yes, the result will be, but for how long and will it give real happiness? Gymnastics in the mode of goodness does not consist in the number of exercises performed, but in achieving peace, happiness, balance. Exhausting yourself, you will not add health. Health requires good inner concentration and love for your body. Muscles, joints, spine should be taken under internal control. The goal is to help the Unconscious to properly organize the work of the body, to show love and care for each organ.

Sluggish performance of exercises does not give results. If a person constantly strives for rest, enjoyment, then the number of material needs increases, consciousness decreases. The number of manifestations of bad qualities of character is increasing. Natural needs are very dangerous if a person does not put them under self-control. Natural needs must be followed in doses, and distributed throughout the day.

Static gymnastics distributes energy throughout the body in the right way. When a person lives in tension, it is difficult for him to relax, it is difficult to fall asleep, he wants to smoke. Under stress, it is necessary to do static exercises: freeze in fixed poses for a long time, until the body adapts to the pose, lightness appears in the body, and then lightness in the mind.

Several simple rules. If the pressure rises up, then it is better for a person to do flexion exercises. Better to have your head on the floor. Perfect option- this is a birch and a pose of a plow. If the pressure drops, then it is better for a person to do extension exercises: a bridge, back bends and other exercises. If a person has a fever in the body, then it is necessary to engage in static exercises along with breathing exercises. Static exercises contribute to the removal of heat from the depths of the body.

Static exercises won't hurt anyone. They improve health. At the same time, it is also necessary to perform dynamic exercises. Dynamic exercises are needed in order to live, for tone, for charging, so that the body is efficient and enduring. Men are good at doing them with weight, and women are good at doing them with some kind of object, such as a hoop or jump ropes. Dynamic exercises reduce body weight.

Some people do only dynamic health exercises. This is not enough for good health. The deep causes of diseases do not leave the body. But dynamic exercises can be turned into static exercises if performed very slowly. For example, slowly lifting dumbbells is a static exercise that brings health. Slow and smooth movements of qigong gymnastics are also static exercises with a lot of inner work.

Dynamic exercises mean fast movements and fast and intense processes in the body, static means slow movements and deep internal processes.

Dream

The longest static exercise, occupying a third of our lives, is sleep. The posture in a dream affects the body more than any exercise. A suboptimal posture overloads individual organs, muscles, and the spine. Once my relative came to me and complained of severe pain in the neck, lasting for quite a long time. What only doctors did not advise him: ointments, pills, massages. Sense - zero. His neck problems ended the moment I saw him sleep. In this position, the neck simply could not help but hurt.

What is the best way to sleep? Most useful - on the side with slightly tucked-in legs, hands under the head and instead of a pillow - a small roller. The bed is neither hard nor soft. Sleeping on the right side protects the stomach from getting into it through a loosely closed pylorus of bile, corroding its mucous membrane. Sleeping on the right side also gives the greatest freedom to the work of the heart. Try to find out how you sleep. Ask your loved ones. Ask to be removed. Analyze your posture for biomechanical effects on organs. What gives you the posture of your sleep in life?

Sleep is a deeply intimate thing. For sleep, many things and circumstances matter: the material of the bed linen, the shape and size of the pillow, the softness, elasticity, color, position of the bed, what thoughts you lie down with, your mood before going to bed, and so on. A third of life is spent on “lyazana” and “rescued”. Don't leave this process to chance, think about it.

After spending a third of the day to stay in an intricate position, the body must be brought to life - stretch what is stale, clean what is stagnant, straighten what is crooked and, in general, put everything in its place and run at full capacity.

Hatha yoga

The most famous set of static exercises is yoga, more precisely, since the word "yoga" means connection. A person who does his job well is also a yogi. He is engaged in yoga activities. Higher is the yoga of knowledge, when a person tries to understand how to live correctly. Even higher is the yoga of love, when a person is engaged in devotional service most of the time, and is so absorbed in the desire to satisfy the object of his attention that he forgets about himself. By reading this text, you are now practicing health yoga. In other words, someone sits at work 8 hours a day, someone studies books for 8 hours, and someone loves 8 hours a day. And each yoga has its own rules, exercises, recommendations for success. For example, a person achieves success in activity if he is not attached to the results of his work. Then even the complete collapse of the enterprise or, on the contrary, super-success will not break a person's life, since the very opportunity to do something for others brings happiness to a person.

The sages say that a person who embarks on the path of yoga will surely achieve success. If we started practicing health yoga, then we will definitely achieve a state of health. Look at yourself mentally. I am healthy, happy, beautiful, kind, smart, joyful, smiling, heroic, delightful, attractive, pleasing, giving, captivating, brave, strong. I am a healthy man, or I am a healthy woman!

What is generally understood by yoga is called hatha yoga, or the yoga of the moon and the sun. The sun gives energy to all living beings on Earth. The moon in astrology is a planet that gives peace, relaxation. The moon in nature controls the movement of water, the tides, and this affects many processes in the human body, consisting of two-thirds of the water. The body is calm if the processes of fluid movement occur smoothly. Hatha yoga - exercises for tone and relaxation. Its meaning is love. By practicing yoga, we pay tribute to all living beings, calm the mind and enter into harmony with the entire universe. In the body, hatha yoga stretches the spine, twists it, liberates it, as a result of which the nerve channels are liberated, the internal organs rise to their comfortable places, and diseases associated with body clamps go away.

How should you do the exercises? You need to get into an asana, translated into Russian - into a position. Consciousness and body should be uncomfortable. We should feel that, for example, the spine or some part of the body is stretched or twisted. This means that the healing process has begun. Next, we wait for the body to relax. The body relaxes, clamps, clamps, CLAMPS and HUGE internal pincers are eliminated. We mentally control all the processes in the body. Breathing evenly through the nose. We continue to stay in the asana, we are waiting. We are waiting for the mind to let go and make room for love. When love and peace enter the body and mind, you can finish the exercise and move on to the next one. Yoga is first and foremost an exercise for the mind. The body follows the mind.

A little pain burns away our sinful thoughts, stresses and inner suffering. Fate clears. The ability to endure discomfort strengthens the spirit. This is a very useful austerity. We are capable of achieving more. Every minute we become stronger and stronger. We are able to easily endure life's difficulties and hardships. We gain knowledge of what to do in hopeless situations - to wait and listen to the revelations of the Universe. By doing hatha yoga, we have a great inner strength for this. The universe is giving us a lesson on how to be happy. The Universe guides our souls, prepares them for a better life. We must obey the lessons of fate and change our inner desires, move from false egoism to the realization of life as an activity for the benefit of all living beings.

What is our body? It is matter that is controlled by the spirit. Matter is trying to take the soul into captivity, to close it with a veil of egoistic desires, and this path is false, leading to suffering. Matter cannot give happiness. Happiness is a property of the soul. Happiness is giving, sacrifice, service. Yoga is one of the paths that teaches how to come to happiness, to overcome the influence of material desires. Let's get on this path.

We have already completed one exercise in the Charging lesson. It's called Sun Salutation. Different yoga teachers do it differently. Some do the exercise slowly, some intensely, there are many variations and complications. I had a very good teacher who did it with great love and always said that the guarantee of health is spinal sprain. Stretch at every opportunity, unclench the clamps. You must understand the principle. Yoga is not so much a bodily practice as it is the development of the spirit and the harmonization of the movement of energy within the body. Stretch your spine.

The criterion for the correct performance of static exercises is breathing through the nose. Breathing should be calm. If you feel like breathing through your mouth, then you are overexerting yourself. Reduce load. Control the calmness of breathing, adjust to its rhythm.

To those who have decided to seriously engage in hatha yoga, I want to say my favorite phrase from the movie Star Wars: "May the Force be with you!" The feeling of strength will surely appear soon.

soaring eagle

Let's repeat the "sun salutation" from the Exercise chapter. And as an addition, to give tone in the morning, let's stay a "soaring eagle". Stand up straight, straighten your back and tilt your head as far back as possible. Fan out your fingers. Pull your arms back and to the sides, raise your arms up behind you. Pull the brushes as far back as possible from the forearm. Take a deep breath and hold your breath. Rise up on your toes and stand for 5 to 30 seconds. With an energetic exhalation, lower yourself, dropping your hands down and freeing your head and back (3-5 times).

Lotus position

The lotus has a very important meaning in Eastern culture. The lotus is not only extraordinarily beautiful, it is not yet wetted by water. This is a very successful symbol of the spiritual life. The lotus personifies the beauty of the spiritual world and non-attachment to the ocean of material desires and desires to enjoy the results of one's activities.

The lotus position is sitting cross-legged with the feet on the hips. The lotus position is the main posture for meditation (thinking) in yoga. This is the most comfortable posture for sitting, because the pelvis is moved apart and the pressure is distributed evenly on the body. Cross your legs while sitting on a chair and feel that it has become more comfortable, the pressure on individual organs has decreased, more evenly distributed. And in the lotus position, the pressure is even less. Sit at every opportunity in the lotus position and, for example, meditate on the energy centers described in the Meditation lesson. The lotus position also improves digestion.

Starting position - sit up straight, with your spine extended upwards. Bending the right leg at the knee, take the foot with your hands, and put it on the left thigh, turning the sole up. Press your right knee to the floor. Then bend left leg at the knee, take the foot and place it on the right thigh, also turning the sole up. Keep your back, head and neck straight. The time spent in the lotus position is unlimited. Arch your lower back so that the energy goes up to the top of your head. Reach up.

As preparatory exercise mimic the wing of a butterfly. Place your left foot towards your right thigh. Now start rocking your left knee as if it were rubber: you push your knee down towards the floor and it bounces back. Do it fast translational movements so that bent knee looked like a butterfly wing. This exercise will stretch and make the ligaments and muscles more elastic and help you gradually master the lotus position. First swing your left knee, then switch legs and swing your right. You can put your foot not to the thigh, but on it and swing the knee until the leg feels comfortable.

Knee pain contributes to the burning of negative vital energy. Overcoming oneself, the positive qualities of character are enhanced. The lotus position and meditation will help in the fight against life's difficulties.

Use the lotus position in your Everyday life. For greater concentration of the mind, when something interferes with concentration, connect on each hand the index and thumb together. The rest of the fingers are straight, palms up. Put your hands on your knees. This finger position enhances concentration.

A gentle option is to place only one leg in the lotus position. Place a folded blanket under you to lift your hips. Keep your back straight, if necessary, supporting yourself with your fingers on the floor.

There are other similar postures suitable for meditation, where one or two feet are on the floor, and the heel rests on the perineum. Use them if they suit you best.

child pose

The child sits on his lap. This is another pose that allows you to overcome life's difficulties and severe stress. Pain in the knees burns negative life energy.

Sit on your heels with your shoulders behind your hips. Bend forward and slowly touch your chest to your legs. You can extend your arms forward and place them relaxed on the floor. In a gentle version, you can put a brace under your chest, for example, a soft pillow. Close your eyes. Meditate.

The pose eliminates headache, neck and chest pain. Relaxes the pelvic floor, hips and lower back. Stretches the ankles, knees and hips. liberates upper part back. Calms the mind, relieves stress, reduces fatigue.

Being a child is so great!

And now we will perform a whole complex of poses.

Gentle Yoga Complex

one. " abandoned body» with support. Relaxed lying on your back. This pose has a name “corpse pose”, but I don’t like it, since the soul, in theory, is eternal. The soul organizes matter into a body, and then, when the body is destroyed, leaves it to form a new body in accordance with the desires of the soul. Sit on the floor, stretch your legs and place your hands on the sides of the body. Place a bolster under your knees to support your lower back. Lower your back to the floor, supporting yourself with your hands. Lie down, relax your legs and let your feet drop freely to the sides. Move your arms slightly away from the sides of your body with your palms up. Place the backs of your shoulders on the floor. Straighten your chest. Let your palms feel space and warmth. Relax all the muscles in your face and jaw. Relax completely. Leave the body with thoughts. Fly. See how the body relaxes and rejuvenates, stress and anxiety go away. The body turns into the Temple of the soul, and you mentally examine it from the outside with your royal gaze.

2. Raise the temple body into the lotus position. Check the purity and fullness of the energy of the chakras, starting from the bottom. Move up. Perineum - I live naturally, with pure impulses and in harmony with nature. Groin - I'm beautiful or beautiful. Belly – I love daily activities. I am filled with life. The heart is the source of peace. Throat - I am the creator of the new. Between the eyebrows - I understand the nature of things, I follow the laws of the universe. The top of the head - I'm just a piece of the vast universe in which everything is interconnected. I wish everyone happiness! When you reach the top of your head, establish and feel the connection with the universe.

3. Turns of the body in the lotus position. Start turning from the center of the pelvis, turn the chest, then the shoulders in a spiral, at the last stage, turn the head and look back. Turn around in reverse order starting position and start turning in the other direction. Look around the world around you. Everything around you is space for your temple. It is wonderful! See the beauty around you. I live now-and-here.

4. Close your eyes and bend forward in the lotus position. Cover your face with your elbows and place them on the floor, a chair, or other support, as best you can. Smile and feel that the world is safe, and everything in it is aimed at your development, so that you feel good. Give thanks for life's challenges. This is a bow to Fate and acceptance of harmony. “I am where I am and I deserve it. But I will continue to develop."

5. Standing bow. Get up. Spread your toes apart, rest on the floor with all four points of your feet and take your hips slightly back. Press your leg muscles firmly against each other. Lower your elbows covering your face back into a chair. Keep your legs straight and your lower back arched. If flexibility allows, then press your hands to your calves and try to press your head to your legs. Allow all negative energy to flow down into the earth. Strengthens feet, knees and hips. Improves the functioning of the digestive and reproductive systems. The muscles of the hips and groin are liberated. The nervous system calms down. Head down poses relieve long-term life stresses that seem to come from nowhere, stresses according to Saturn (according to fate). The purpose of such stresses is to make a person realize his place in life and the laws of the Universe.

6. Take a "child's pose" supported by a pillow and accept the laws of the universe as your protection. By following the laws of the universe and improving your character traits, you are on the path to achieving unlimited happiness. You are a child in the hands of loving parents. Listen to them.

7. Bridge Pose with Support. Opening of the heart. Sit at the junction of two beddings or bedspreads laid close together. Rest on your hands and begin to slowly lower your body onto the mat. Place your hands along the body. Lower your shoulders, head and neck to the floor. Relax the muscles in your face, jaw, and eyes. Rest your shoulders on the floor. Arch your back and open your chest, your heart to the world. You can also bend your shins and stretch your body up, helping yourself with your hands. Combine the rhythm of tension with the breath. Do it slowly. Repeat "I wish everyone happiness!" Feel how, as you inhale, the energy of happiness flows into your body and spreads throughout the body.

8. Lying down, bend your knees and put them on your side. Turn your head sideways to the other side. Push off with your hands from the floor, as if trying to rid your body of gravity. Relax. Let the energy flow into the floor. Then do the same on the other side. Twisting the lower back and kneading the internal organs, harmonize the energy, make its flow in the body smooth and confident.

9. Do it birch or put your feet up along the wall, put your hands along the body, palms up. Breathe softly and evenly. Stay in this position for a few minutes, then lower your legs and stay with your legs lowered for the same amount of time. Don't get up this time.

10. Bound Angle Pose or " butterfly". For this pose, you will need a belt or something to hold your legs in place. Place a large pillow under your back. The pelvis is on the floor. To facilitate the posture, you can place two other bedding along the edges from the knees. Bring your feet together and let your knees move freely to the sides. Wrap the strap around your lower back from below, then up through your hips and under your feet so that your feet can rest and pull on the strap. Stretch the strap so that it comfortably supports the sacrum. Get comfortable on the cushion. Put a roller under your neck and put a veil over your eyes. Relax your arms and place them at your sides, palms up. Let your shoulders relax freely. Expand your chest and heart. Relax. Breathe slowly and evenly. If there is no belt at hand, then rest your toes against the obstacle. Swing your knees slowly up and down - flutter like a butterfly over a gently rippling ocean.

11. End the cycle with the abandoned body pose.

There are many poses in yoga. There are also many sets of exercises. I recommend signing up for the nearest yoga club for a deeper awareness of the practice of static exercises. A big plus is that it is more interesting and pleasant to work in a group, and you don’t want to think about the results of the training.

A few more useful poses to explore. Remember that the point of the pose is to stretch and twist. How more muscle and ligaments you control in the exercise, the more correctly you perform it. While in the pose, think about what else you can pull and strain, what is not yet involved in your body.

tree pose

Pose, standing on one leg, on the development of balance. Stand straight and upright. Hang on a mental thread attached to the top of your head. Spread your toes to the sides and rest on the floor with four points of the foot. Let mental powerful roots deep into the earth. Inhale and stretch your muscles up from the feet to the center of the pelvis, and firmly press the legs together. Inhale and bend your right leg. Place your right foot on inside thighs of the left leg. Feel the thigh with your foot. Bring the palms of your hands together at heart levels. Inhale and stretch your arms up with folded palms together. These are branches directed towards the sun. Reach for the sun properly. Look straight ahead. Try to stay in this position for a few breaths. Lower your arms and legs at the same time. Repeat with the other leg. In a gentle version, you can raise your leg only to the level of the ankle. Exercise has many health benefits, including lengthening the spine and improving blood circulation.

Pose war

Stand up straight, upright. Hang mentally the top of your head on a thread. Put your hands on your belt like a warrior. Step your right foot forward one full step without tension. Turn the heel of your left foot slightly inward. Exhale and bend your right knee to a 90 degree angle. Raise your hands high into the sky with your fingers outstretched. Stretch upward, tensing your fingertips, arm muscles, and left leg. Pull your tailbone down, stretching your entire body. Plant your feet into the floor. Stay in this position for a few breaths. Inhale, straighten your front leg and stand up. Repeat on the other side.

birch

I want to say that the “birch” pose inspires me a lot in life. This posture helped in a difficult life situation to relieve internal stress. I once was under severe stress at work. For two whole months I could not relax internally, and the situation continued to be tense. All the time I thought about work, about how bad everything in life is. Having made the “birch tree”, literally in one minute the stress began to recede from consciousness and I was finally able to feel free for the first time in two months. For me it was quite amazing.

Buy a yoga book. When choosing a book on yoga, make sure it has a lot of pictures. If you liked looking at pictures with asanas, then this book is for you. I am inspired to exercise by the book Hatha Yoga Illustrated by Martin Kirk, Brooke Boone.

Strengthen the connection with the image of health.

Yoga is not only bodily exercises. Yoga is first and foremost consciousness. The sages say that whoever embarks on the path of yoga has already achieved everything. Let's strengthen our connection to future health with the help of techniques to work with the unconscious.

Walking in time

Based on the book by Sergey Viktorovich Kovalev "Healing with the help of NLP",

Remember your image of health, your Superhero. Check out how the health anchor works. This is your future. Enjoy it.

Move into the future. You are in excellent health. Look at your past. Wow! What was I and what have I become?

I'm sure you know what to do to be healthy. After all, the body says it all the time. See from the future image of health how you are moving towards it along the time line. Answer the questions: “How did I achieve success? What steps did I take?

Return to the present. Look to the future. Review how you will achieve health status. Once again enjoy the image of health.

Feel the confidence in success growing!

The connection with the image of health has been strengthened. This is how we feel the benefits of time travel.

Yoga of the Unconscious

Moving towards a health image is a process that, like any process, can come and go for no apparent reason. Well, the Unconscious does not want to move on. What to do? To do this, answer a series of questions. The questions are chosen specially for the Consciousness to explain to the Unconscious what is required of it. If you miss something, then the Unconscious may do nothing, or it may do something that you did not expect from it. For example, overtraining to the point of exhaustion, starting to take strong drugs with a bunch of side effects, or getting sick with something else in order to, so to speak, banish the disease with the disease. Consider questions carefully.

1. How can I become and be healthy? (Describe how to implement).

2. Where can I work on health? Where can I not work on health? Describe places.

3. With whom can I work on health? With whom can I not work on health? Describe people.

4. When do I feel healthy? When do I feel unwell? Describe the times.

5. Do I have unwanted sensations at the thought of becoming healthy? Sometimes people get sick because they want to influence others in this way.

6. What rules do I live by regarding health? Do I have hopelessness, helplessness, undeserved health? Do I have patterns of behavior that I have never looked at critically and comprehensively when I say to others: “I am right, because this is how it should be”? Describe the ideas fixed in your head.

7. Is there something or someone holding me back from being healthy? Why didn't I reach this state sooner? Describe blocking.

8. What do I need to get healthy? Describe everything that comes to mind.

9. Draw a square and divide it into four parts. For each part, answer one of the following questions. 1) What can happen if you become healthy? 2) What can happen if you don't get healthy? 3) What will not happen if you do not become healthy? 4) What will not happen if you do not become healthy?

10. How will I know that I have reached the health status? Describe everything that comes to mind.

Talk about health with someone who is kind to you, or at the very least, to yourself.

Exercise. I write in a notebook a plan for achieving an image of health. A lot of things will have to be done. This process is stepwise and sequential. Until I plan myself to take just one step. I formulate a mini-outcome of this step (for example, getting up at 5 am for the first time in my life to meditate). Next, I will clarify the mini-result for myself in order to get a clear, clear and acceptable image of its achievement for my Unconscious. I write an action plan to achieve this mini-outcome. I will write the next step after achieving this mini-result.

Result. What I want?

Signs. How will I know that I have achieved a result?

Terms. Where, when, with whom?

Funds. What do I need to achieve results?

Restrictions. Why didn't I achieve this sooner?

Effects? What will happen if I achieve the result, and what will happen if I do not achieve the result?

Value. Is the goal worth my effort?

Our task: to make our way in the fog of momentary desires and in the swamp of everyday routine.

Now I suggest you test your readiness to achieve the goal. The technique of H. Bremer and H. Kongsbach "self-esteem and the development of persuasion", improved by S.V. Kovalev.

Exercise. I lay a sheet of A4 vertically and write my goal at the top of the sheet: “My goal: ...”. I draw 5 horizontal segments on the entire page. These are five scales from 1 to 5. I put the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 on each segment. I evaluate the extent to which I agree with judgments related to the achievement of my goal. The assessment will be done by my hand.

I write near the segments

1. My goal is desirable and worth it.

2. My goal is achievable.

3. What I need to do to achieve my goal is normal and natural.

4. I have all the necessary abilities to achieve my goal.

5. I deserve to achieve my goal.

I put my hand in the center of the first line at a score of 3. I calmly read the first statement. To what extent do I agree with this statement? I am relaxed. I freed my mind. My hand itself can move along the segment to the left and right, I only help it a little. I don't use my mind to evaluate. Only my Unconscious controls the hand. Is score 3 true? If yes, then the hand does not move. If not, then my hand moves to the left or to the right. Finally, I feel a place on the scale that corresponds to the degree of my agreement ...

If you have a position with a score below 4, then we will continue to work with this provision. Repeat the position 9 times, each time adding the next judgment from the following and what spontaneously appeared behind it. Try to be sincere and be sure to process the “surfaced” doubts and objections with reasonable arguments. When you're done, do the self-assessment again and notice what has changed and strengthened.

Exercise. I write in a notebook, for example, “I deserve to achieve my goal because ...”, “I deserve to achieve my goal, and I will achieve it before ...”, and so on.

… because …

... and I will reach it before ...

… and I will achieve it after …

… bye …

… if …

… but …

… as well as …

… Anytime …

… so …

If you have done everything conscientiously, then you can start enjoying the views of the surroundings with the Conscious part, while the Unconscious mind does the work of achieving the image of health.

Namaste, friends! We all have preferences in yoga, some like static asanas, others like to move dynamically in the flow, but which is more effective? Which practice will lead to the health of the static or dynamic?

“Muscles are developed by the brain, which can do as much and even more than dumbbells” - Eugene Sandov.

Have you heard about static in yoga? This is when you hold the asana, as much as your strength is enough!
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It turns out that statics was used at the beginning of our era by Shaolin monks to develop the strength of warriors. Now, static exercises are used in the training of weightlifters, rowers, athletes, yogis :)))

But what is a side effect for a weightlifter athlete, then for a yoga bonanza - flexibility, strength, endurance, handstand🏃🏼‍♀️
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And here are the advantages of strength static training:

• unlike dynamic practice, isometric does not increase body weight, while speed and endurance remain;
• less tiring, does not require a long rest to restore the body;
• improves elasticity and plasticity, develops tendons after injuries;
• lose weight (burn fat)
• low pulse with static makes possible classes for people with moderately high blood pressure.

So, a static training regimen develops strength, flexibility, and stretching, but almost no increase in fluidity and dynamic endurance.

In sports, the slogan was once popular: “Running from a heart attack” and he has every right to life. During dynamic training the heart gets used to supply blood (oxygen) to the tissues in an increased mode. This is how it trains. Dynamic loads include not only yoga, but also running, swimming, walking, push-ups, squats.

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pros dynamic exercises:

1. beneficial effect on the respiratory and cardiovascular system;
2. improve metabolism;
3. build up muscle mass(who wanted an elastic ass, you are here);
4. improve joint function (yes-yes articular gymnastics dynamic);
5. gets rid of excess weight(running, swimming);
6. muscle tension alternates with relaxation.

I will tell you, friends, in order for the practice to be effective, develop your strength and endurance, without side effects, it is better that the practice consists of 30% of statics, and 70 of dynamics! But since there is always a warm-up in yoga, the main part and, then you can do a dynamic warm-up, static asanas, and finish with a wonderful flight to Shavasana☺️
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Consider your practice with all the pros and cons of statics and dynamics. And always consider contraindications! They are in every asana, and almost every practice🙏🏻
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Friends, let's feedback if the post was helpful

Yoga course 114.

Hatha yoga. Static yoga.

Step 1.

Introductory seminar on Hatha yoga from 01.01.2001

Hatha yoga from scratch

Today we have April 26, 2009. My name is Vadim Zaporozhtsev. This is our Hatha yoga workshop. We are located in the Cultural Center "Enlightenment" near the Novoslobodskaya metro station in Moscow. All archival information on our websites www. openyoga. ru, www. happyoga. people. ru, www. yogacenter. ru. This is a seminar for the International Open Yoga University.

What is yoga?

Today we have to get acquainted with Hatha yoga. And let's try to consider this subject in the best traditions of the Open Yoga University. We believe that even complex things can be explained in a simple, understandable and accessible language, even for those people who have just started practicing yoga, as they say, from scratch. This is how we will go, so that a person from scratch can immediately understand what is the meaning of Hatha yoga, what is its strength, and how it can be directly applied in your personal life.

Let's start with formalities. In fact, what is yoga?

It is necessary from the very beginning to decide what yoga is and what it is not. The answer is the following, yoga is a system of self-knowledge that has come down to us since ancient times. So ancient that we can only speculate and guess when, in fact, this doctrine arose. That is, it is a period of time, calculated in thousands of years. Yoga is a very interesting system of self-knowledge, where a person is encouraged to observe moral and ethical principles. The so-called First and Second Principles of Yoga.

The first principle of yoga - it is not to harm anyone unless absolutely necessary, and if this is not possible, then to do as our duty tells us, and to try with all our might to reduce this harm.

Second principle – this is the principle of common sense, this is the principle of a certain logic, which calls on us to spend all our vitality only on achieving our goals. That is, to approach all the tasks that we set ourselves with common sense. And it doesn't matter what the tasks are, but if we do yoga, then this is the task of self-knowledge.

And finally, the most important distinguishing detail in yoga is that we must engage in self-knowledge, as yoga calls us, to engage harmoniously. There can be no talk of any violence against oneself. This is important to understand from the very beginning. Especially for people who have never practiced yoga. Usually, with the word yoga, they have a lot of fears, phobias, that they have to force themselves somehow, they have to force themselves to do something, to experience some kind of discomfort. So, from the very beginning, we must be very clear and precise here. Yoga does not involve violence against oneself. Another thing is that sometimes you have to force yourself, you have to make some effort. But even as we make these efforts, we watch ourselves from the background and rejoice that we are overcoming ourselves.

That's all there is to yoga in general. Yoga is the system that in no case should any person be afraid. Everyone will find a path or a style of yoga that suits him personally. In this regard, even other people who practice yoga are, in general, not an indicator for us. Sometimes they show people on TV doing very complicated twisted poses, and this turns a lot of people off. Many people think to themselves: “No, I will never twist like that, I will never achieve this.” So the most interesting thing is that yoga does not require you to twist like that, to demonstrate such miracles of flexibility. More precisely, over time, as yoga says, you will acquire it smoothly, naturally, without violence against yourself. So, a person should not be afraid of yoga. Unfortunately, there is such a trend now. Many people are afraid to even approach yoga because they are afraid that it will be very difficult for them. From the very beginning, you must clearly tell yourself that the ancient teaching does not imply that you should do more than your body is able to do at the time you start yoga. Yes, of course, things will change in the future. And the body will change, and the mind will change, and the nerves will become strong, but that will be later. And now, that's what you have, that's good.

Let's re-emphasize here. Yoga is something alive, yoga is something natural, yoga is something that is already in us. If you have ever watched small children who have just learned to walk, and now they look at their hands and feet with surprise, they can grab their leg, lift it up and look at it, smiling, then throw it away. And all movements are natural, all effortlessly and with interest. This is the ideal of yoga - like a small child. Again, as far as everyone can do anything. There may be some hard prickly attitudes inside you - you read in some book, do this, not that. Or you saw a picture where some uncle twisted in a completely ferocious way. This picture scared you and rather pushed you away - know that something is not right. Yoga is harmony. If you do not feel harmony, know that either it is not really there, or perhaps it has not been revealed to you. Why? There are different characters, people have different preferences.

What is the difference between Hatha yoga and yoga in general?

But the purpose of our today's seminar is a very specific type of yoga, which is called Hatha yoga. And here it is required to explain, what is the difference between Hatha yoga and yoga in general? The answer is: Hatha yoga is just one of the many different approaches in yoga or one of the types of yoga. There are many such species. It is believed that as many manifestations of a person, as many types of yoga.

Hatha yoga is such an approach or such exercises in yoga that use the ability of our body to stay in certain static positions or postures.

Once again, it is enough to watch small children who play. Here they are playing with some of their toys, suddenly, either standing on their heads, or upside down, or something else. Each of them takes some kind of pose - this is our ability. An adult can do the same. But adults, for a number of reasons, are sometimes embarrassed to do something, sometimes it seems to them that there is no point in doing it. Sometimes we are so "driven" by life that we are not up to it. People get tired, they say: “Yes, I would like to get to bed, lie down and lie down. What kind of poses are there?

So, you and I can take various poses. And these poses can sometimes be the most intricate. And on this possibility that we can take either one position or another position and be in this position, the main method of Hatha Yoga is built. It turns out that if you take one pose and stay in it for a while, then another pose and stay in it for a while, then a third pose, then as a result the overall effect is unusual, and sometimes even it seems fantastic.

The man took the usual postures. One will stay a couple of minutes, the other will stay a couple of minutes. And I want to emphasize that these are not necessarily such poses that they like to depict in books on yoga, some insanely difficult ones. No, friends, yoga is simple. These insanely difficult poses, of course, are in yoga, but they are the tip of the iceberg of all the many poses that we have and that we can do. And some of them are quite simple, natural.

So, Hatha yoga is just that yoga, which assumes that we will take different postures, we will be in them. We will perform or stay in them for an extremely harmoniously defined amount of time, one posture will replace another posture in a known sequence. There are many other factors, but they are secondary. And the very first thing a person encounters, he cannot understand, well, how is it, in books on yoga, in all these myths, stories, it is said about what power a person practicing yoga can achieve if he performs these postures. And the poses are simple, friends. How can there be such a colossal effect from the fact that, for example, I just lie on my stomach, bend my knees and grab my legs behind my back with my hands. I don't even make an effort, I just lie there. Or a pose, as if we were lying on the beach with you, reading a book. Here we lie, resting our arms bent at the elbows, and sunbathing in the sun. Well, what could this be? A pose is a pose. But it turns out that there is a certain secret of the structure of our body. And just as the key comes to the lock and opens the door behind which treasures are hidden, so are the poses. When we perform them, primarily from a position of harmony, they completely imperceptibly turn something in us like a key, and suddenly we begin to get an effect, and an effect that we didn’t even expect to get.

This is the highest, deepest secret of yoga tells us that all the most mysterious and powerful that is in the universe, we can find within ourselves. But you need to find an approach to this power. And so Hatha yoga gives us this approach through different postures.

Who Invented Yoga?

Move on. We will, of course, touch upon the issue of poses. Now we will analyze Hatha yoga in general, and then we will do a more detailed analysis of WHAT to do, HOW to do it, WHEN to do it. The next question that always interests people who start practicing Hatha yoga is where did yoga come from, who invented it?

Friends, we cannot answer this question. It arose so long ago that no authors have survived, no names have survived. This happened for a number of reasons. The tradition for a long time was not recorded on any material media, but was transmitted orally. On the other hand, it was not always appropriate to leave your name. But we can definitely say that yoga is much, much more than 3000 years old.

In general, they call different numbers in the estimates. Some believe that yoga is over 5,000 years old. Some say even longer. It's not really important. The important thing is that this teaching has somehow come down to us. And by the fact that it has existed for so long, we can prove for ourselves, albeit indirectly, the most perfect effectiveness of this method. After all, a huge number of other systems, including self-knowledge systems, simply did not survive to this day. And yoga has demonstrated that it is such a powerful system that it was madness to abandon it in antiquity. Thus, it passed from generation to generation and has come down to us. Of course, there are the names of certain authors or teachers who became known at the later dates of the spread of yoga. But in fact we do not know where this teaching came from. This is one of the secrets, one of the very serious secrets of history.

Why is yoga so popular these days?

The next question we would like to answer. Yes, yoga has survived to this day. Why is it becoming more and more popular these days? Let's say a little over 100 years ago nobody in the West heard about yoga. 100 years ago, few people heard about yoga, 50 years ago more people heard about yoga, now even more.

The fact is that there is a large percentage of people who come into contact with yoga and immediately begin to benefit from yoga. And only this is due to the fact that yoga is becoming popular. But do not confuse the two concepts, friends, the popularity of yoga and the safety of yoga. These are two different things. Yoga is becoming popular, but, unfortunately, some primary sources of yoga right now are beginning to be understood worse and worse.

That is, we understand the ancient treatises worse and worse, on which all the exercises of this system were built. We kind of took a small part, and this part came to the court of modern man so much that it spread so quickly. And the rest, which is also preserved, we do not use.

So, why is yoga, Hatha yoga, so popular in the first place? The answer is also very interesting. We are now leading a lifestyle that is entirely determined by our civilization. If earlier people walked, at best they used horses for transportation, now we have cars. If earlier we spent more time reading some handwritten texts, now we spend more time at the computer. If before the work involved more movements that we would have to do, now the number of movements is less and less. We use public transport to and from work. The result is that we lead a sedentary lifestyle. Moreover, at the same time, our work is becoming more and more stressful. Everything sped up.

It is necessary to react very quickly to changing circumstances, so the degree of our concentration, which life forces us to show every day, is growing and growing. As a side effect or reaction to this, we are seeing a surge of mental disorders among modern people, a surge of mental illness. We observe neuroses, psychoses, depressions with you, we observe stress with you. We tense up mentally, while the physical body is relaxed. And in ancient times, everything was more correlated, that is, mental or psychic tension was associated with physical. Now these two things are separated. This is a modern way of life.

Well, the ancient sages faced the same problem many thousands of years ago when they practiced this system of self-knowledge. Let me remind you that we have determined that yoga is a system of self-knowledge. These sages had to sit motionless for long hours in various poses and meditate on various issues, on the essence of being, on the question of what is a person, what is the Higher “I” of a person, how does the Universe work? That is, in ancient times, a yogi or yoginis could sit for five hours in a row in one position, without moving, with extreme tension to reflect on these issues. Moreover, this extreme tension has the same strong effect on the body as stress.

It turns out that in the modern era we are faced with the same phenomena that the ancient sages faced many millennia ago. And many millennia ago, in order to compensate for the negative factors from long meditation, various methods were developed, in particular, this method of Hatha Yoga.

By practicing Hatha yoga, we can compensate side effects from a small amount of movement.

And this has come to court today in modern society, because now we are seeing the same thing. Therefore, it is easy to assume that yoga will be increasingly popular among modern people. Indeed, there are different kinds of statistics. AT Western countries the number of people who have practiced yoga at least once is quite serious. By the way, there are more people practicing yoga in the West than in the East. There are fewer practicing yogis in India than in the USA. This is the real paradox.

What does Hatha yoga reveal in us?

We go further. What exactly does yoga give us? The answer to this question is paradoxical. Yoga does nothing. Yoga reveals what is already there . Once again I remind you that according to the teachings of yoga, the greatest source of power is in ourselves. And if we put the question in this way, what does yoga reveal in us, then here we can list a long list.

physical health

Firstly, Hatha yoga classes give us physical health. Sometimes, even in narrow circles, Hatha yoga is a kind of panacea, that is, a medicine that helps against all diseases. Indeed, the effect of Hatha yoga cannot be underestimated. If you have any physical illness or physical weakness, then Hatha Yoga can greatly help you overcome these problems.

But here you should remember that yoga never replaces medicine. And if you have any disease, then first of all you need to consult a doctor. Although there are cases when medicine is powerless, and yoga can help. But so that there is no misunderstanding that supposedly yoga can replace medicine. No, yoga cannot replace medicine, yoga has other goals. The goal of yoga is self-knowledge. Medicine heals. Yoga is also partly concerned with the physical body, but only so that the process of self-knowledge can go smoothly. But she never set out to heal anyone. So, yoga gives physical health.

mental health

Then it goes on increasing. The mental state of modern man is extremely shaken. Moreover, watch yourself, and sometimes you will be surprised to realize that from time to time you behave inappropriately. And it's really very good sign. This suggests that you are really getting closer to understanding your mental health. It is caused by stress, it is caused by changing conditions of life, environment. So, yoga gives mental health through the impact on the physical body, that is, from gross to subtle. Or as the well-known proverb tells us that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. If we understand the word spirit as our mental state, then it is quite a good saying.

Intellectual abilities

Finally, further, what does yoga give us, what does Hatha yoga give us? It gives us, oddly enough, intellectual abilities. Again, there is a paradox. It seems that we are engaged in physical exercise, and at the same time intellectual abilities are growing.

Usually, in our view, from a person who is unnecessarily involved in some exercise, an athlete, one should not expect him to become a professor of philosophy at the same time. That is, in the mentality of people, the image of an athlete, such a pumped-up athlete, and the image of an intellectual, who is more likely to be skinny, flimsy, are opposed. In the minds of society, this is disconnected.

Yoga strongly disagrees with this. She believes that in both the first and second cases, i.e., in the case of excessive physical build-up and lack of intelligence, and vice versa, in the case of too intellectual development, but with physical problems, all these are painful deviations. You have to get rid of them.

The ideal of Hatha yoga is when we have a physically strong person, even if not too distinguished by forms, as is the case with bodybuilders, for example, but at the same time with a fairly highly developed intellect. And the most interesting thing is that by doing Hatha yoga, a person sooner or later comes to strengthening his intellectual abilities. The mechanism, how it happens, is very hidden and very mysterious, not at all obvious, but it is a fact. This was written about in antiquity, we can observe this in the modern era. I myself can say that I have repeatedly witnessed that a person who started practicing Hatha yoga suddenly began to grow intellectually.

I have very specific live examples. The fact is that if we approach and act on our physical body from the positions that we will discuss a little later, which Hatha yoga gives us, then everything intensifies inside: both some hormones are produced, and some then nerve currents are formed, and the blood supply to the brain increases, so that all this begins to contribute to intellectual development. And if a person lagged behind somewhere, he very quickly catches up. Therefore, here is also such a third positive factor, in addition to physical and mental health, this is an increase in intelligence.

Creative skills

The next thing that Hatha yoga gives is the disclosure of creative abilities. In many ways, what is called creative torment is not determined at all by some insurmountable obstacles at our mental level. Everything, as yoga teaches us, is much more prosaic and banal. We're just not in tune. We don't have the vitality to keep our work going. nervous system at the right level, so that she is receptive enough, creative enough, as they say now. Energy is not enough. Like a computer, if there is not enough electricity, the battery dies and it turns off.

When we begin to practice Hatha yoga, all systems are in such a good condition that there is a certain excess of vitality. And if there is an excess of vitality, this is a guarantee that a person begins to demonstrate creative breakthroughs. Therefore, if one of you is a person of a creative profession, then sometimes it is much easier to make such a breakthrough if you preempt it by practicing Hatha yoga. That is, roughly speaking, your muscle energy, your muscle life force will pass into something subtle or subtle. Once again, friends, this is not observed or very rarely observed in athletes. More precisely, it is observed only in those athletes who, in their sports training somehow intuitively rediscover the method of yoga. But simply pumping up muscles does not lead to this. And yoga gives both pumping up muscles and also strengthening intellectual and creative abilities.

Surely there is no such person who would not have heard of such a word as “yoga”, but at the same time, not everyone is able to explain what it is. I would like to note that yoga is a unique, amazing practice that came into the world from the mysterious, mysterious India, and in fact, as you know, this particular country brings health not only to the body, but also to the soul of a person, so you should be aware and understand this .

It is impossible not to add that yoga allows you to learn how to breathe correctly, breathe correctly, fully relax, but in addition, it allows you to forget about insomnia, and many people suffer from this ailment so often.

Speaking in general about yoga, of course, it should be understood that this is a special, unique way of life, which is famous for the fact that it will allow everyone to achieve enlightenment. Remember that if you want to do yoga, you will have to give up certain benefits of civilization.

After all, yoga is different in that it makes you rethink not only life principles, but also habits. If you want to practice yoga, be prepared for the fact that now there will be a desire to give up everything bad and harmful, you can learn to control your feelings, acquiring not only mental, but also physical balance. Those people who regularly do this claim that they started life differently and had no idea how their gray days went before.

Many people perceive yoga as a set of asanas, if you wish to do the same, then you should know that for you it will become a simple gymnastics and nothing more, therefore it will not be able to bring the proper effect. In this case, yoga will be a complex of various exercises designed to improve health, normalize the work of certain organs, etc.

A Brief History of Yoga

As for the history of yoga, naturally it is long and rich, because if you carefully study the Indian seals, you can see images of figures in yoga meditation postures.

Despite all the advantages that yoga has, nevertheless, many people do not know what benefits it brings, and if you carefully study this issue, then all doubts will disappear instantly, instantly. We can safely say that even two months is enough, and you can feel favorable, positive and positive changes.

Such exercises are famous for the fact that they will allow you to forget about chronic pain in certain sections of the spine, which is important. It is important to add that yoga is also different in that it heals all body systems, and these are not empty words. Of course, you should practice regularly in order to achieve some results, and the effect, in this case, you yourself will begin to notice how the body becomes flexible, plastic.

Attention: Remember that only yoga classes will allow a person to feel real life energy, gaining self-confidence, moreover, such classes will allow you to become calmer, less prone to both stress and other negative situations, and this is a serious advantage.

Contraindications for yoga

You need to understand that yoga can really be practiced by all those who wish it, but, like any gymnastics, there are some contraindications that it is advisable to familiarize yourself with in advance so that such training cannot cause any damage and harm to your health.

1. For example, it is strictly forbidden to practice yoga with certain mental disorders, this includes schizophrenia, certain exacerbations of diseases internal organs, so it is worth considering this;
2. If you are faced with such a problem as arterial, intracranial pressure, then you should forget about such activities, you may also have various heart diseases;
3. You can not do yoga and in the presence of inguinal hernia;
4. In the case of certain heart diseases, especially after a heart attack;
5. It is impossible not to add here the diseases of the joints, various injuries of the spine, oncological diseases;
6. If certain operations were carried out, then such activities should be abandoned;
7. Accordingly, this must be done with the flu, colds, and fever.

Attention: Sometimes it happens that during yoga classes a person begins to feel bad, his condition worsens, naturally, it cannot be tolerated, in this case, you should definitely stop training so as not to face serious health problems, moreover, you will need medical consultation .

Now you probably understand that yoga will require systematicity, so try to immediately decide on the time of classes, it is generally accepted that you should start every morning with yoga, doing it for a couple of hours, but of course, the most optimal time for practicing is evening.

In addition to the above, it is important not to forget that yoga should be practiced strictly with an empty stomach, or, a few hours after eating, perform special exercises you can, both on a slippery rug and on the floor, barefoot.

Many people do not take such activities seriously, later wondering why they could not achieve any results. Know that yoga always requires complete silence, concentration, which means that external sound sources should be turned off accordingly.

At the moment when you begin to perform certain exercises, you will definitely need to concentrate on the body, completely relax, forgetting about all those problems that may be bothering you, completely immersing yourself in the process of meditation. In general, know that asanas should be performed correctly, namely, slowly and smoothly, then you can feel every breath, exhalation, which is important.

After all, exclusively correct breathing it will be possible to properly relax the body, calm the mind, so do not forget about it, this is the main secret, the effectiveness of such exercises.

What not to do while doing yoga?

Yoga is generally considered to be calm and safe occupation, it will allow you to cope with constant stress, it also strengthens the immune system well, but you should not ignore the fact that you need to perform each exercise not only smoothly, but also focused.

Initial exercises for beginners

As for the first exercises, you can start them on your own, even without an instructor, such asanas are extremely beneficial, and even if they are not performed quite correctly. Of course, you should not rush, try to tune in exclusively to the sensations of your body, doing the exercises gradually.

To perform this exercise as efficiently and correctly as possible, you need to stand straight, while inhaling, slowly raise your arms, stretching them up as far as you can. After the manipulations, smooth hands should be taken back behind the head, this will allow you to fully open chest. To enhance the effect, you need to raise bent leg placing her foot on her thigh. Such an exercise is effective and useful, because it gives a graceful posture, moreover, it seriously strengthens the spinal column.

Can be done next exercise, which is called - the pose of the child. In this case, you need to sit with your buttocks on your heels, and then begin to lower your body onto your hips, while stretching your arms forward. Such an exercise is necessary, effective, because it will relax your tight muscles, relieving tension from the neck.

For this exercise, you should bend over with your hands on the floor. Then lift the pelvis up, stepping back with the heels, and the weight should always be evenly distributed between the palms, feet, respectively, as a result, you can relieve tension from shoulder girdle, from the back.

For example, the stork pose is a good option. Where you should raise your hands up, bending down with an exhalation, thereby bending from the waist. This exercise improves the tone of the body.

To perform this exercise, you need to lie on your stomach, holding yourself by both ankles, while inhaling, simultaneously lifting both the upper and lower halves of your torso. The exercise is effective, as it will allow you to make your back straight, arms slender, so it is impossible not to appreciate it.

It is important not to forget that practice yoga at home, it is natural to perform certain exercises thoughtfully, leisurely, this is the most important thing. Only in this case, there is a great opportunity to feel your every movement as efficiently as possible, enjoying it to the fullest.

Of course, one should never forget about thoughts when doing such exercises, this is due to the fact that they will allow you to relax, distract from certain problems, making yourself much better than yesterday.

If something is not clear, then you can always watch videos teaching these exercises that will help you not to make mistakes. Thus, after a while, you will remember all these exercises by heart, respectively, you will be able to perform them without much effort, difficulties and difficulties.

Conclusion

Now you understand for yourself that yoga is really a complex of serious, effective and safe exercise, allowing you to look at the world with completely different eyes, get rid of certain problems, creating a special harmony of soul and body.

In addition, now you know that yoga is the direct path to health, such training will allow you to get rid of the negative baggage that has been accumulated throughout your life, etc.

There are many wonderful exercises in yoga, but the minus of yoga is various spiritual practices that often lead to spiritual problems.

Some firmly believe in the miracles of static asanas, others can not wait to recharge with divine energy, others learn Sanskrit after classes in order to find revelation in ancient texts. And although there are far fewer yoga centers in Moscow than in New York or London, the problem of choice is already becoming relevant. So, where to go - to ashtanga vinyasa or to the Shadow School, it's up to you.

Hatha Yoga Sri B.K.S. iyengar

In Sanskrit, "hatha" means power, fury, necessity or effort. At the same time, the syllable "ha" symbolizes the sun, and the syllable "tha" - the moon, and the main task hatha yoga - establishing a balance in the body between the sun and the moon, activity and relaxation. First of all, hatha yoga is designed to restore the physical health of a person: restore mobility to the joints, stop the curvature of the spine, normalize blood pressure and digestion, strengthen the immune system and hormonal levels. And the health of the mind and spirit should be a direct consequence of physical health.

Iyengar himself at a young age suffered from numerous diseases: malaria, typhoid fever, tuberculosis. Doctors doubted that he would last longer than 20 years, and at sixteen the young man began to practice yoga with his sister's husband, Sri Tirumalaya Krishnamacharya, one of the best yoga masters in India, who raised a whole generation of teachers.

The Iyengar style is static: each asana is held for several minutes. Unlike dynamic types of yoga - ashtanga vinyasa, kundalini - here the body is literally built anew, paying great attention to the smallest nuances: stretching, muscle tension, turns and twists. Moreover, for each person, standard poses may vary slightly depending on what exactly he needs. For the correct construction of poses, wooden bricks, ropes, blankets and horizontal bars are used.

Sivananda Yoga

Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) is one of the most famous and beloved Indian yoga teachers. A doctor by training, at the age of 37 he came to Rishikesh. It was there that he decided to become a hermit. Meditating 12 hours a day and doing yoga with his teacher, Swami Sivananda continued his medical practice. In 1932, he founded an ashram in Rishikesh, which marked the beginning of his yoga school. For his time, Sivananda was almost a revolutionary: he invited the untouchables to the house and the ashram, defended the right of women to learn yoga. After Swami passed away in 1963, many of his students went to teach yoga in Europe and America.

The system of yoga created by Sivananda is a static practice. Its main difference from Iyengar yoga is that, first of all, students are taught not asanas and pranayama, but deep relaxation. It is believed that only if you are completely relaxed, asanas will be beneficial and really serve to transform not only the body, but also the spirit. Depending on the individual characteristics, mental warehouse and physical form student instructor selects the practice of relaxation. For example, to begin with, you will be taught to completely relax your face, and only then - the Cobra or Plow pose.

The five basic principles of Sivananda Yoga are: proper exercise (asanas), breathing (pranayama), relaxation (shavasana), diet (vegetarian), and meditation (studying and contemplating the scriptures of the Vedas).

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

Another student of Krishnamacharya, Patabhi Jois, unlike Iyengar, retained the dynamic style of his teacher, laying the foundation for ashtanga vinyasa yoga, one of the most powerful and fast-acting systems of hatha yoga. In ashtanga vinyasa, all asanas are assembled using vinyas - dynamic ligaments. You will have to learn not only vinyasas, but also a special pranayama practice - it is called Ujjayi, or Victorious Breath. Synchronous with movements, breathing helps to warm up the body from the inside and accumulate a large amount of energy.

Sweating profusely during the session, you are cleansed of toxins and toxins, and thanks to vinyasas, active blood circulation is ensured. In addition, great attention is paid to the performance of special energy locks, or bandhas, which distribute energy throughout the body, as well as the direction of gaze, or drishti. Each vinyasa corresponds to a certain drishti - on the tip of the nose, on the third eye, on the palm, on the big toes, up, to the right, to the left, to the navel. This allows the practitioner to calm the mind and achieve inner concentration. In total, there are six levels in the Ashtanga system, ascending in order of difficulty.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini yoga is the yoga of energy channels. According to Hindu beliefs, kundalini is the original spiritual energy of creation that created the cosmos. It is present in the human body in an unawakened, dormant form at the base of the spine (muladhara chakra). In order to fulfill the main goal of yoga - to merge with the divine consciousness, the yogi must awaken the kundalini and raise it up the central energy channel along the spine to the seventh chakra. The system of kundalini yoga was developed and spread among the Sikhs - the warriors of medieval India from the state of Punjab. In the 1970s, Guru Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) became the first teacher to introduce Kundalini Yoga. North America and Europe.

“Some teach yoga as if it is only a set of exercises and nothing more, but such people have no right to call themselves yogis. If the flexibility of the body and the ability to assume different postures made a person a yogi, the best yogis there would be circus clowns,” says Yogi Bhajan and assures that the practice of kundalini yoga allows a person to achieve the same results in 2-3 years, which take 20-25 years to achieve with hatha yoga methods.

Kundalini yoga involves various meditation techniques (or exercises). In most cases, meditation lasts 3 minutes, 11 minutes, 22 minutes, 31 minutes, 62 minutes or 2.5 hours. Usually the eyes are closed and the gaze is focused at the point between the eyebrows (this stimulates the pituitary gland and intuition) or at the tip of the nose, which helps to control the mind. Practically in all meditative practices, mudras are used. Sometimes special types of breathing are used. Many techniques are performed to special music or are accompanied by the chanting of mantras. If there are no special instructions, then they meditate sitting, with a straight spine.

Kundalini yoga is based on kriyas - special sets of dynamic exercises combined with breathing and meditation. However, even if you do not set yourself the goal of gaining enlightenment, kundalini yoga helps restore peace of mind. The most famous American teacher of kundalini yoga is called Gurmukh, she taught "to unlock the potential and relax the mind" half of Hollywood. And Cindy Crawford recently admitted that she is now indebted to Gurmukh for Kundalini yoga and all the happy changes in her life.

Tri Yoga

In 1980, the American Kali Ray, during meditation, began to experience a state called kriyavati - under the influence of the awakened kundalini, she began to spontaneously perform asanas, breathing exercises and mudras - ritual gestures that serve to concentrate energy. From this, tri yoga was born - a very meditative, fluid practice in which static postures are replaced by dynamic kriyas. The links are like dance moves and the practice is a single soft flow. Followers of tri yoga believe that this is the original yoga, representing the cosmic power of creation, and the word "trai" in the title means triple basic principle, underlying the universe, and three energies that are an integral part of each of us: Sat (Existence), Chit (Knowledge) and Ananda (Bliss). And the task of tri yoga is unity, harmony and balance of the body, mind and spirit.

Shadow School Yoga

The name "Shadow Yoga" is taken from the sixth chapter of the ancient tantric treatise "Shiva Swarodaya". In this chapter, which is called "The Yoga of the Shadow Man", the various manifestations of the shadow and their meaning both inside and outside the human body are considered. According to the anatomy of hatha yoga, human body consists of three separate bodies and five shells or shadows, and the dissolution of these shadows in the process of practice is the main task of the yogi.

The teaching is based on the ancient texts of Hatha Yoga, which state that all fixed forms should be built in such a way as to develop the practice of free style - this guarantees long life and is a necessary step in achieving enlightenment. The main postures that must be included in the practice are: standing, sitting, lying down (face down, up, sideways), side, inverted, curved, twisted, squats, balances, forward bends, backbends and spirals.

Fitness Yoga

It is not actually a school and has a very indirect relation to ancient Indian teachings. Actually, this is what remains of yoga, if you remove philosophy, ideas about the energy structure of a person, mantras, pranayama and mudras. This direction is closest to ashtanga vinyasa, from which fitness yoga inherited only a sequence of dynamic ligaments. In fairness, it should be noted that not all teachers comply with it. Often, instructors include elements of classical choreography and stretching exercises in classes. This is yoga for those who want to correct their posture, improve proportions and lose weight, but definitely prefer meditation treadmill, and pranayama - a glass of freshly squeezed juice. And if mystical associations frighten you or you simply have no time to go into details and read primary sources, do not rush to give up the thought of yoga. Fitness variation is still better than nothing.

Bikram Yoga

The hottest (in every sense) hobby of Hollywood stars and Manhattan workaholics is yoga in rooms with an air temperature of 40-43 degrees Celsius. Its creator, Bikram Chowdhury, was born in 1946 in Calcutta and already at the age of four began taking yoga lessons from one of the most famous Indian teachers - Bishnu Ghosh, the younger brother of Paramahansa Yoganada, who wrote Autobiography of a Yogi. At 13, he won the All India Yoga Championship and held that title until the age of 17, when a knee injury left him in a hospital bed. The doctors were sure that Bikram would never be able to walk on his own, but he returned to his teacher and six months later was healthy. It was then that Ghosh blessed his student to open yoga centers in India, Japan and later around the world.

Having moved to America, Bikram developed and began to implement his revolutionary method of "hot yoga", arguing that the Indian rishis lived in a very hot climate and in fact all asanas are designed for a warm body, and practicing at a temperature of 20 degrees is complete nonsense. In 1973, he opened a studio in Beverly Hills, and since then, almost all the star residents of Los Angeles have worked there, from Madonna and Michael Jackson to Irvine Welsh and Salma Hayek. Bikram yoga complex consists of two breathing exercises and 26 simple hatha yoga asanas, which are performed at a very fast pace (from 10 to 60 seconds for each posture).

Fans claim that Bikram Yoga cleanses the body of toxins and toxins, brings relief from back pain, migraines, asthma, diabetes, problems with the liver and spleen, and also helps to quickly recover from injuries. Doctors worry that a large load in the heat can be dangerous for the heart, and high temperatures are bad for male fertility. And Chowdhury, meanwhile, is going to patent his own asana - the first time in history when a spiritual teaching becomes a market brand.

Jivamukti Yoga

"Jiva" in Sanskrit means the individual soul, "mukti" - liberation. “We are committed to teaching yoga as a spiritual practice and remind students that they are on an arduous mystical journey towards enlightenment. And we have created a method that allows you to stay on track, ”says the creator of this system, David Life. Among those whom he and his wife Sharon Gannon set on the right path are Sting and Trudy Tyler, Christy Turlington and Russell Simpson. David (an artist and musician) and Sharon (a dancer and singer) discovered yoga in the late 1970s, studied in India with Swami Sivananda and Swami Nirmalananda, and were in fact the first to try to bring back the spiritual aspect of yoga teaching in the West - singing religious hymns and mantras, meditation and lectures on philosophy. In their classrooms, instead of white walls and rugs, students found an altar on which Shiva, St. Teresa of Avila and Glinda the fairy from The Wizard of Oz.

If you go to one of the Jivamuktiyoga centers in New York, London or Toronto, in addition to the intensive performance of classical yoga asanas in the Ashtanga Vinyasa style, you will find discussion of ancient Sanskrit texts and singing of prayers, training in pranayama and kriya yoga (purification practice). In addition, you will be shamed for eating meat and strongly recommended to become a vegetarian. And they will put the Beatles and Billy Laswell's Indian jazz on the soundtrack. David and Sharon are hilarious anarchists who say there are no rules except one: "You can contact God directly, on your own." And their jivamukti yoga is a proven way to do it in the midst of a cosmopolitan metropolis, not in the quiet of a Himalayan cave.

Power Yoga

This style was introduced in 1995 by Beryl Bender Birch. As befits a person with the surname Bender, she actually committed a small forgery, taking the sequence of the first two levels of Ashtanga Vinyasa as a basis and giving them a new name - simple and accessible to every American. In addition to exercises that strengthen muscles and increase flexibility, power yoga pays great attention to breathing and emphasizes concentration and mobilization of emotional resources. Actually, one of the main tasks of this method is to make a person not so much more enlightened as stronger, more resilient and energetic.

In addition to Birch, three other trendy power yoga teachers in the States are Brian Kest, Baron Baptist, and Mark Blanchard. The latter is a favorite of celebrities, in particular Jennifer Lopez and her namesake Aniston.

Vini Yoga

One of the most popular destinations created by the outstanding Indian teacher T.K.V. Desikachar and his American student Gary Kravtsov. The main postulate of Vini Yoga is that the practice must be strictly personalized, that is, the teacher must create a unique program for each of his students. Actually, it is reminiscent of a kind of "yoga to order." In addition to asanas, the obligatory program of vini yoga includes pranayama, bandhas, chanting of mantras and religious hymns, meditation, the study of rituals and yogic texts. At the same time, the main difference between Vini Yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa is that in the second there are rigid sequences of asanas, and in the first sequence they are formed spontaneously, depending on the mood and specific needs of the practitioner. Excellent therapeutic technique - to get rid of diseases, bad thoughts and apathy.