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Yoga asanas for Beginners

There are many people who are doing yoga these days. Yoga can offer different things to different people. You can use it to enhance your mind and spirituality. You can also use it to help you get into shape and be toned and supple. There are many types of yoga that you can do. Depending on what it is you are trying to accomplish will determine what type of yoga is better for you.

Yoga is quickly becoming one of the most popular fitness activities in the world and it's not a surprise. Yoga is a great way to maintain your physical, mental, and spiritual health. While there are several types of yoga in existence today, western society generally focuses on three types. These types of yoga are generally the ones that you will find in wellness centers, gyms, and other places that focus on physical, mental, and spiritual well being. Below you will find these three types of yoga listed by degree of complexity, starting with the easiest and ending with the more complicated. Decide which type of best for you and start there. Eventually you will be able to work your way to more complicated yoga traditions.

Although yoga is practiced in the U.S. by more people than ever before, there is still a great deal of misinformation in the West about the true nature and purpose of this sacred science. Most people associate yoga with the physical practice of postures, called "asanas." But this is like saying that your hand is your thumb without any regard for the other four fingers. The physical practice of asanas is just one of eight limbs that constitute the entire practice of yoga…or, to be exact, Kriya Yoga.

If you choose to study Hatha Yoga, or a Hatha Yoga sub-style, the first book I would personally recommend is, “The Heart of Yoga, Developing a Personal Practice,” by T.K.V. Desikachar. T.K.V. Desikachar trained many of today's modern Yoga masters, and this one book will help anyone develop their own routine.

Kriya Yoga is the process--the action steps that you take to attain yoga. The Sanskrit word “Kriya” is derived from the root “kri” meaning “to do.” In Sanskrit grammar, verbs are called “kriyas.” So Kriya Yoga is fundamentally an action; it is not a religion. Rather, it is a set of techniques that have been transmitted orally from teacher to student for thousands of years. The Indian sage, Patanjali, was the first to document this oral tradition. He organized the techniques of yoga in four short books, known as the Yoga Sutras.

The best place to start is obviously the beginning which makes Hatha yoga the most popular place to begin your yoga experience. Hatha yoga is the most basic form of yoga and acts as a foundation for the more complex types that you may encounter if you delve deeper into the world of yoga wellness. Hatha yoga incorporates postures or poses (Asanas), breathing regulation (Pranayama), and meditation (Dhyana and Dharana). The combination of these focus points results in an excellent way to maintain your physical health while working to eliminate or cope with everyday stress.