Benefits of Yoga

• Brings down stress and enhances powers of relaxation
• Boosts physical strength, stamina and flexibility
• Bestows greater powers of concentration and self control
• Inculcates impulse Control
• Helps in rehabilitation of old and new injuries
• Intensifies tolerance to pain and enhancing mental clarity
• Boosts functioning of the immune system
• Enhances posture and muscle tone
• Improves blood circulation
• Results in healthy, glowing skin
• Cleanses and improves overall organ functioning
• Bestows peace of mind and a more positive outlook to life
• Infuses a sense of balance and internal harmony

Is Yoga for me?

Trying to force yourself into a yoga posture your body is not ready for, or not flexible enough for, could prove disastrous. Yoga is meant to be a nurturing form of exercise, not a rigid imitation of poses. You can stretch and strengthen your body without having to touch your nose to your knees, or your feet to your head. Always be mindful of your body and its thresholds, do not attempt anything your body is not ready for, if you are new to yoga start off with a beginners or gentle yoga.

Yoga is a vast collection of spiritual techniques and practices all aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit and achieving a state of enlightenment or oneness with the universe. What is normally thought of as “yoga” in the West is really Hatha Yoga, one of the many paths of yoga. These different paths of yoga are simply different approaches and techniques that all lead to the same goal of unification and enlightenment.

Yoga is not a religion but a spiritual practice or Sadhana, which does not require any specific belief system to participate. The philosophies of yoga are universal and can be incorporated within any belief system.

Yoga preparation

• Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to class. Allow enough time to sign in and change if needed.
• Come on an empty stomach. No food 2 – 3 hours before class.
• Come to class sufficiently hydrated. Drink plenty of water before and after class.
• Wear clothing that will not inhibit your movement and allow for maximum relaxation.
• Bring a yoga mat, if you do not have one we have mats available for use.
• Come with an open mind and willingness to learn.

A little history

Yoga is a 5000 year old science whose teachings were first imparted not in a classroom or Gurukul, but on the battle field. In the epic Mahabharata, the sage, Lord Krishna is first said to have imparted the teachings of Yoga to his despondent student Arjuna. Around 1500 years later, another sage, Patanjali, went on to enunciate, for the benefit of humankind and eternity, the way to reach the summom bonum of life through a series of 195 aphorisms (sutras) in his epic treatise The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Derived from the Sanskrit root “Yujir Yogey” meaning to unite, to yoke, to join, to put together, Yoga is not about mind over body. On the other hand, Yoga is about developing harmony between them. In Yoga, you use your mind to perceive (diagnose) and guide (heal) your body. Never control, let alone force it!

Yoga is a way of life, a conscious act, not a set or series of learning principles. The dexterity, grace, and poise you cultivate, as a matter of course, is the natural outcome of regular practice. You require no major effort. In fact trying hard will turn your practices into a humdrum, painful, even injurious routine and will eventually slow down your progress. Subsequently, and interestingly, the therapeutic effect of Yoga is the direct result of involving the mind totally in inspiring (breathing) the body to awaken.

Contrary to popular – or unpopular – perception, Yoga positions are not about how far you can reach to touch your toes or how many repetitions you can perform. It is all about paying attention to how your body feels; how it moves without that excruciating pain or agony! Yoga is all about breathing correctly about integrating that breath into your being. Conscious Yoga doesn’t’t call for you to force or strain your never or sinew. Meaning to say, right Yoga is learning how to do things right, do less that gets you more!

Ironically, by doing less – correctly – Yoga enhances your strength, energy, vitality, flexibility and levels of endurance. Accordingly, your body and mind start to become more balanced until, eventually, you find it takes so much less energy to move through the day. Yes, any and everyone can do less…and get a lot, lot more!

Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga refers to the physical aspect of Yoga, of which there are many styles, out of which evolve more styles. Most styles of yoga taught are some form & variation of Hatha Yoga. The differences are usually about emphasis, such as focusing on strict alignment of the body, coordination of breath and movement, holding the postures, or the flow from one posture to another. The word Hatha broken into the root words HA ~Sun , THA ~ Moon.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini Yoga combines breathing, movement, meditation, stretching, relaxation, the science of sequence, and rhythm and sound, to work on every aspect of your body, mind, and being.  No previous experience in yoga or related disciplines is required for you to begin to achieve undeniable benefits almost immediately.

Kundalini Yoga is not your typical pantheon of pretty poses.  The discipline is an active one, with emphasis on results.  Accordingly, it deals a body/mind/spirit plan for the 90′s and beyond.

Consider making this technology an intrinsic part of your life.  In a very short time, it will be hard to imagine how you ever got along without it!

As you practice Kundalini Yoga over time, certain physiological prerequisites are met for total health and to facilitate your transformation.  These include a balanced glandular system, strong nervous system, expanded lung capacity, and the eradication of emotional blocks that manifest as holding patterns in the musculature.

The process we promulgate is graceful and gradual. We’re not looking for inner fireworks or “miracles”.  To those of us who’ve practiced and prospered though this work, the greatest miracle of all, in retrospect, was being given the opportunity to walk a path with heart such as this.

When you take this system to heart, your life becomes consecrated to the process of expansion and growth. You will literally come to feel you’ve awakened from a bad dream and that a beautiful day is beckoning. Your most powerful aspect, once dormant as a desiccated seed, will blossom in the light of air of awareness, your creative potential will be realized, and you will live in the effulgence of an experience no words can encompass.

There are many kinds of yoga, each of which is suited to a temperament and level of development.  All of these systems have much to offer and will probably serve to enhance your experience of Kundalini Yoga.

For our purposes, let’s equate the word yoga with balance.  Balance is intrinsic to everything.  Kundalini Yoga will help you maintain your balance in life and compensate for all the stressful influences which constantly threaten to upset your equilibrium.

Through this work, we want to participate full in life from the perspective of our inner life.  We want to build our awareness to encompass here and hereafter and dance across the tightrope of time.

Historical Context~

Some say that Kundalini Yoga is called the “Mother of All Yoga’s” because it is the original system present-day systems owe their ancestry.

According to the Yogic paradigm, mankind has devolved from a time of Great Enlightenment
(The Golden Age) when Kundalini Yoga was openly taught and practiced, to present history called Kali Yug (The Dark Age) when technologies such as Kundalini Yoga are no longer widely understood or practiced.

Throughout the cathartic upheavals of the past 4,000 years, Teachers of Truth have consistently appeared in times of greatest need and shared the technology of Spirit unqualifiedly.

The Universal Knowledge shared by these exalted Teachers has been called Sanatan Dharma (the Eternal Way). One great Saint who has been seen in the context of this tradition was Guru Nanak (b.1469) who, although having become acquainted with many ascetic practices, felt  that Yoga should enhance one’s life in the human community and that the relationship between an individual and the Infinite is a birthright and needs no intermediary.

It was in the tradition and spirit of sharing shown by Guru Nanak and through Guru Ram Das (fourth in the lineage of ten Gurus and “King of the Yogis”), that Yogi Bhajan came to the United States in 1969 to teach Kundalini Yoga to all.  Kundalini Yoga is an important tool as humanity gains momentum and begins to come full circle in its evolution towards collective Higher Consciousness.

Anusara

Anusara Yoga® is organized with the Universal Principles of Alignment. These Principles both acknowledge the deep order of the Universe and inform the choices that we can make to enhance life’s unfolding. Using the Universal Principles of Alignment in the practice of asana, we optimize our physical alignment and pranic (life force) flow. This optimal alignment, then, as it attunes us to the deep order of Nature, expands our own consciousness. In every pose we can enhance our own experience the intrinsic goodness of Nature through knowing it in our Hearts. This knowing is an awakening. Each Principle offers a physical instruction to optimally align the body, as well as a virtue to embody to come more fully into our potential.

Open to Grace

The first Universal Principle of Alignment sets the intention of the practice. It acknowledges the desire to awaken and the understanding that we may do so through the support and benevolence of Nature. Soften to connect into the goodness of the Universe. Be wide open like the sky.

Muscle Energy

The second Principle organizes and steadies the body, stabilizing the wild periphery of the body to move into the stillness and power of the core. Embrace your intrinsic goodness. Be steadfast like the earth.

Inner Spiral

The third Principle optimizes the alignment of the pelvis and lower back giving a depth to forward bends and a softness to backbends. Be fluid and yielding like water.

Outer Spiral

The fourth Principle empowers the pose from deep in the core. It balances the widening action of Inner Spiral for strength and poise. Rise and aspire like fire.

Organic Energy

The fifth Principle extends the radiant power of the core, aligned through the first four Principles, through the rest of the pose in the culmination of its expression. This expression is the result of the intention of the first Principle – Opening to Grace to align with the Universal. Shine – extend freely like air.

In aligning the Heart, mind and body with the Universal Principles of Alignment, we channel our freedom into the choice to enhance the goodness of life within ourselves. When the flow of Nature is optimized, the experience of our own consciousness and delight unfolds. In Anusara Yoga, the practice of asana, through attuning the body and mind to the intrinsic goodness of Nature, is a gateway to the Heart.

For more information visit John friends website www.anusara.com

Gentle Yoga

Gentle Yoga is especially modified for those interested in all the benefits of yoga at an easy pace or someone with a mature body. It helps in improving balance, building stronger muscles, increases flexibility and aids in preventing osteoporosis