Kundalini yoga is an ancient discipline with a focus on awareness. According to tradition, kundalini energy sits within everyone, regardless of creed, as a serpent coiled around the base of the spine, and by meditating and performing postures or...
Yoga is a practice of physical and mental exercise that aims to unite the mind and body in one experience. According to the American Yoga Association, yoga means "to join or yoke together." A general yoga practice usually includes exercise,...
Your yoga mat is your personal space you step on to remove yourself from the outside world and enter the yoga world. Without your mat, you are left to exercise on the floor and with possibly the intrusion of dust, dirt or other small particles....
While modern day yoga is often treated as a means of exercise, it was originally intended as a spiritual, mental, and physical journey into self-awareness. Traditionally, it was done in a series of poses without repetitions and held from anywhere...
The word "yoga" means to join or yoke together. Different forms of yoga have tried to join the body, mind and spirit over the last 5,000 years. But today's most familiar types of yoga, which focus predominantly on physical postures and yoga as...
Yoga is a way for kids to exercise, learn about discipline and other values, build body awareness and have fun. While yoga is an ancient tradition, yoga for kids did not really become popular until the 1990s. After the publication of several...
Yoga as we know it today is taught as a form of exercise with benefits extending from disease prevention to stress reduction. Learning the history of this ancient form of exercise and philosophy can help deepen your practice and provide a better...
One of the widely practiced styles of yoga in the United States, hatha yoga emphasizes uniting the body, breath and mind into one quiet energy. The earliest evidence of yoga practice dates back more than 5,000 years to Northern India. At the time,...
Although many gyms and yoga studios may offer "hot" yoga classes, the real hot yoga phenomenon began with teacher Bikram Choudhury, whose personal story of adversity and healing through yoga led him to create a yoga practice. Hot, or Bikram, yoga...
With a history spanning 5,000 years, the practice of yoga only gained ground in North America in the last half of the 20th century. It's now a common sight to see yoga mats slung across the shoulders of people bustling through the streets. And the...
Yoga Nidra is defined as yogic sleep or sleep with awareness. It is a method of complete relaxation, guided by a trained teacher. The history of Yoga Nidra practices date back to the Hindu text, the Upanishads. As with any new exercise program,...
The practice of yoga postures, or asanas, dates to around 1200, when the first yoga pose was depicted on a wall in northwest India, according to India Net Zone. Early textual records of yoga asanas can be found in eastern scriptures such as the...
Hatha yoga, the most widely practiced branch of yoga in the world according to Yoga Yoga, aims to help you build strength and flexibility, improve focus, mental balance, and posture, reduce stress and increase lung capacity. Understanding the rich...
Yoga is an ancient art that originated in India. The word yoga means to yoke or unite, and it implies the union of mind, body and spirit. It encompasses not only asana practice (exercise), but proper diet, breathing exercises, meditation and...
Yoga has been around for close to 6,000 years. Yoga is mind-body therapy that consists of meditation, physical postures and breathing exercises intended to improve overall well-being. Most Westerners practice yoga as a form of exercise and/or to...
Yoga positions, called asanas, feature colorful names--boat, plow, eagle, monkey, warrior and sage--that suggest life in classical India: Their history, often ascribed to wandering gurus thousands of years ago, may not be as ancient and mythic as...
Bikram Choudhury developed a series of 26 yoga postures that are practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat brings more flexibility for stretching and enhances yoga's cleansing effect through good circulation, according to the...
Ayurveda, from the Sanskrit "ayur" for life and "veda" for "wisdom," is a 5,000-year-old naturopathic medical system that derives from India. Considered a form of complementary and alternative medicine today, ayurveda uses diet, positive thought,...
The term kundalini comes from the word kundal, which means "lock of hair from the beloved." The uncoiling of this hair is said to awaken a powerful energy that exists in every human known as kundalini. Kundalini yoga uses poses, breathing...
Yoga is practiced worldwide as a way of developing the spiritual and the physical. It is based on the practice of three main elements: movement, breathing, and meditation. The exact history of yoga and the origins of specific yoga poses are...
Yoga dates back to around 3000 B.C. with the first sign of yoga poses appearing in archaeological stone seals. Those original poses are still used and practiced in home gyms, fitness clubs and private yoga studios around the world. The yoga...
Hatha yoga is one part of the broad spectrum of yoga practice. It is particularly suited for developing physical fitness, and is the type of yoga most practiced in the West. Although Hatha yoga is considered an alternative medicine practice, it...
With more than 100 different forms from which to chose, yoga can benefit almost everyone. Yoga can help you relax and better manage the effects of stress. Although each form of yoga differs with regard to postures and breathing techniques, they...
While yoga and Pilates classes are increasingly popular workout choices, they have been around for quite a while. Both workouts can be done in a group setting or in the privacy of your own home. They focus on mastering proper form and technique...
Designed by Indian yoga teacher Bikram Choudury, Bikram yoga is an intense physical practice that is practiced in a heated room. The heat purportedly serves to improve mobility, increase flexibility, promote circulation, and help the body release...
The practice of yoga originated at least 5,000 years ago in India, but millions of people worldwide enjoy its benefits today. If you enjoy practicing yoga and have done so for a long period of time, you may want to consider teaching yoga classes....
You'll often come across informal descriptions of yoga depicting it as a practice with anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 years of history. Scholars now trying to pin down the origin of specific poses indicate that the timeline for standing, balancing...
You might have trouble deciding on a yoga class as there are so many variations. However, all American yoga styles are deviations on one common type: hatha yoga. The roots of hatha yoga have a long history, although hatha yoga and each specific...
Yoga is an exercise that utilizes a variety of poses or postures that challenge you physically and mentally, effectively developing strength and flexibility, while at the same time requiring you to control your breathing, which helps to decrease...
Delve deeper into yoga history. Learn how to find out more about Kundalini yoga in this free fitness workout video from a professional yoga instructor.
The most ancient and sacred of all yogas. Learn more about the history of Kundalini yoga in this free fitness workout video from a professional yoga instructor.