Indian Spirituality

The word yoga means "union" in Sanskrit. By doing yoga one can create a positive union between the mind, body and spirit. Yoga can be divided into five parts i.e. Asana or body postures, pranayama or breathing exercises, cleansing practices like neti, music and sound therapy, and deep relaxation. Asana is only one part of yoga, the majority of which are more concerned with mental and spiritual well-being than physical activity. In the West, however, the words asana and yoga are often used interchangeably. Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines that originated in India. The yoga practices in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Within Hinduism, it refers to one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, and to the goal towards which that school directs its practices. In Jainism, yoga is the sum total of all activities i.e mental, verbal and physical. Major branches of yoga in Hindu philosophy include Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Hatha Yoga. Many Hindu texts discuss aspects of yoga, including the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita and various Tantras.

Yogmudra

Sit erect in padmasana. Fold your hands behind your back, holding your left wrist with the right hand. Take a deep breath. While exhaling, bend forward slowly keeping your hands

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Shavasana ( Dead Body Pose )

This asana helps bring down high blood pressure, and relieves the mind, particularly for those who are engaged in excessive mental activity. This exercise should be done both at the beginning and at the end of the daily round of yogic asanas. During a fast, shavasa

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Trataka

This asana is very beneficial for eyes.

In this,four exercises have been prescribed for strengthening weak eye muscles, relieving eye strain and curing of eye disease. Th

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Ujjayi

This pranayam is beneficial for clearing nasal passage and for proper functioning of the thyroid gland and benefits respiratory disorders, especially bronchitis and asthama.

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Anuloma -viloma

This is also known as Nadishuddhi pranayama. Sit in any comfortable meditative pose, keeping your head,neck and spine erect. Rest your left hand on your left knee. Close your rig

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Kapalbhati

Kapala means ‘skull’ and bhati means ‘shine’. This is a respiratory exercise for the abdomen and diaphragm. The channels inside the nose and other parts o

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Vamana Dhouti Or Kunjal

This is a Kriya for cleansing the interior of the stomach. It increases the metabolism of the human body and thus keeps a person healthy.

Method:

 Drink four to six glasses of lukewarm water, with a little salt added to it, early in the morni

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Jal Neti

Jalaneti Kriya:

For starting yogasanas and pranayama Kriyas are most important because it cleans whole systems of body. First important kriya is jalneti. It is a process of removing the impurities which is accumulated in the nasal passage. In Jalneti air passage of

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Padmasana

The lotus position is a cross-legged sitting posture originating in meditative practices of ancient India, in which the feet are placed on the opposing thighs. It is an established posture, commonly used for meditation, in the Hindu Yoga and Buddhist contemplative traditions. The position is said to

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Surya Namaskara (the Sun Salutation )

All sessions of Yoga asanas begin with the Surya Namaskar or sun salutation. It is a series of gentle flowing movements synchronized with the breath. This excellent warm up exercise consists of a sequence of positions that move the spine in various ways and promote flexibility in the limbs. It is of

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