According to the National Health Interview Survey in 2007, yoga is one of the top 10 alternative forms of physical therapy, with close to 15 million Americans practicing various forms. People turn to yoga exercises and techniques to treat health problems, provide stress relief and for overall fitness and well-being. The hundreds of positions used in yoga are an important part of the practice, ranging in degree of difficulty from very easy to those that can take years to master.
Identification
Yoga uses a series of postures, stretching and breathing techniques that develop flexibility and strength. There are several types of yoga, including hatha yoga, karma yoga, bhakti yoga and raja yoga, with hatha yoga the most commonly practiced type in the United States and Europe. The various hatha yoga styles include iIyengar, ashtanga, vini, kundalini, and bikram, each with their own philsophy and practice. The postures, or poses, used by all the various yoga disciplines are called asanas.
Number of Positions
Noted international yoga guru Sri Dharma Mittra compiled his famous Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures in 1984, although he has also said that there are an infinite number of poses. Mittra notes that 3,000 years ago, yoga had only one meditative pose, the Easy Lotus. "Yoga Journal" has approximately 115 of the most popular poses on their website, including the boat pose, bridge pose, child's pose, downward facing dog, garland pose, plank pose, tree pose and warrior II.
Types of Poses
Many poses take their names from nature, such as the Cobra Pose, Heron Pose and Lotus Pose. There are many positions that are good for beginners, and some of the more adventurous ones can also be modified for novices and still promote flexibility and strength. More difficult poses are those involving headstands, backbends and inversions. The "Yoga Journal" groups positions into categories that include standing poses, backbends, forward bends, core poses, inversions, arm balances, seated poses and twists and restorative poses.
Disciplines and Poses
Ashtanga yoga is a fast-paced form in which you move quickly through a set of predetermined poses while remaining focused on deep breathing. Bikram yoga is also known as "hot yoga" and practiced in rooms heated to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Kundalini yoga uses poses in combination with chanting and meditation. Iyengar yoga focuses on precise alignment and includes props such as blankets, straps, mats, blocks and chairs. Good types of yoga for beginners and seniors include gentle yoga that uses slow stretches, flexibility and deep breathing and restorative yoga in which you hold simple postures for an extended period of time.
Considerations
Consult your doctor before beginning a yoga program, although yoga is considered safe for most healthy people. There are certain yoga poses to avoid if you have artificial joints, spinal disc disease, severe osteoporosis, glaucoma, balance problems or heart disease. There have been a few rare cases where people have suffered nerve or vertebral disc damage caused by prolonged postures, and eye damage and strokes with inverted positions.
Member Comments