...o increase strength in the arms through Yoga, the best exercises to focus on will be the one and only Sun Salutations first.

From experience, when I was having difficulty holding endurance building poses such as the Wheel, Bow, Peacock and Crow Poses-with their variations-for a good enough length of time (say an average of 90 seconds and beyond), I discovered by sheer chance that in increasing the number of rounds of the Sun-Salutations (Exercises) mentioned earlier to at least 24 straight rounds, I could hold any of the poses above for a quite a while.

It will be safe to say that is because the muscles are warmed up by this powerful combination of systematic poses for the otherwise moderate to strenuous demands put on them.

In addition, when I started adding Hindu-push ups (a straight yoga derivative as its basically Downward Facing dog meets Cobra Pose repeated in sequence) for an occasional source of variety in working out, these same Sun Salutations increase my endurance to be able to perform a good amount of this Yoga-esque exercise.

That considered, in addition to the Sun Salutations (24+ rounds) the o...more

Yoga for Fun and Profit

...titute is named after swami Vivekananda who was a monk and scholar of Indian philosophy. In 1893, swami Vivekananda was invited to speak at the Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago, on the topic of Hinduism. His speech became famous for explaining the unity of religions as many paths to God, and that Hinduism in its original sense encompassed that view. swami Vivekananda wanted the Western world to understand indian spirituality in the correct view, as a synthesis of the four types of yoga, which ultimately leads to the goal of spiritual evolution. SVYASA is dedicated to the education and research of yoga in this context. The school retains strict attention to the original sources of yoga from Sanskrit scripture.

The teaching styles of the school and environmental factors do not cater to the Western lifestyle. Those who come from abroad must acclimatize themselves to the pure indian way. Meals are served on the floor and must be eaten using the hands. Vegetarian indian food is served. No cutlery is provided. footwear must be left outside of all classes. Be prepared to literally be on your feet for long amounts of time. While the majority of the students are comfortably able to sit on the floor during the long lecture sessions, chairs are available for those who will not be able to survive in that position. The philosophy of discipline is everywhere, starting from the boot camp like nature of the roll call before each session. Students wh...more

Yoga Mats

... mat is the only investment for yoga; in fact, it is an absolute necessity. Yoga mats are now available in several models, patterns, styles, fabrics and textures. Traditional mats were made of cotton or jute, but these days, many other materials are being used for yoga mats. The main aspects to be considered while buying a yoga mat are: the durability, the comfort, weight and ability to fold. A major essential element in a yoga mat is its ability to grip the floor so that the user does not slip or slide on the floor during the posture. Yoga mats are generally 4-5mm thick, since these m...more

Learn The History Of Yoga

...eople of today.

pre-classical Yoga

This period in Yoga history spans about 2000 years, until year 200. The most central Yoga literature from this period are the Upanishades - a collection of texts revolving around meta-physical speculation - and are just like the Vedas considered as enigmatic revelations. As opposed to the public rituals of the Vedic period, the Upanishades where secret scriptures.

Some of these 200 Gnostic texts are directly related to Yoga and are about the complete connectedness of all things. Yoga was now slowly finding it's form. As Yoga and it's secret teachings spread from teacher to student, or from guru to yogi, the concept of an individual system of thought began to take shape.

The Bhagavad Gita, that is the most well known and popular work among all Hindi and Yogic literature was written during this period (about 500 B.C.). It is a beautiful story of a conversation between the god of Hinduism, Krishna, and a prince named Arjuna. The plot, ironically e...more

Jivamukti Yoga Houston