What is Yoga?
yoga- ˈjəʊɡə/
Yoga is a noun:
a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation.
Currently worldwide, a fresh new phenomena have spread with all nationals, religions and faith increasing their awareness and participation in this 500 year old discipline. The various types of yoga lists are way too many to mention so we compiled a brief list for you to understand which would suit your style better.
Yoga for beginners..
ANUSARA
Anusara is often described as Iyengar (a purist form of yoga) with a sense of humor. Created by the aptly named John Friend, Anusara is meant to be heartfelt and accepting. Instead of trying to fit everyone into standard cookie-cutter positions, students are guided to express themselves through the poses to their fullest ability.
ASHTANGA
Six established and strenuous pose sequences — the primary series, second series, third series, and so on — practiced sequentially as progress is made. Ashtangis move rapidly, flowing from one pose to the next with each inhale and exhale. Each series of poses linked by the breath this way is called a vinyasa.
BIKRAM
This is probably my favorite. I’m a hot yoga kind of person and Bikram features yoga poses in a sauna-like room. The heat is cranked up to nearly 105 degrees and 40 percent humidity in official Bikram classes. If it’s called “Bikram” (for inventor Bikram Choudhury), it will be a series of 26 basic yoga postures, each performed twice.
Please find guide below for meditation for beginners.
Meditation is a means of transforming the mind. Buddhist meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of things. By engaging with a particular meditation practice you learn the patterns and habits of your mind, and the practice offers a means to cultivate new, more positive ways of being.
FOCUSED ATTENTION MEDITATION
Focusing the attention on a single object during the whole meditation session.
This object may be the breath, a mantra, visualization, part of the body, external object, etc. As the practitioner advances, his ability to keep the flow of attention in the chosen object gets stronger, and distractions become less common and short-lived. Both the depth and steadiness of his attention are developed.
OPEN MONITORING MEDITATION
Instead of focusing the attention on any one object, we keep it open, monitoring all aspects of our experience, without judgment or attachment.
All perceptions, be them internal (thoughts, feelings, memory, etc.) or external (sound, smell, etc.), are recognized and seen for what they are. It is the process of non-reactive monitoring of the content of experience from moment to moment, without going into them.
Examples are: Mindfulness meditation, Vipassana, as well as some types of Taoist Meditation
EFFORTLESS PRESENCE
This is where the state attention is not focused on anything in particular, though reposes on itself – quiet, empty, steady, and introverted.
We can also call it “Choiceless Awareness” or “Pure Being”. Most of the meditation quotes you find speak of this state.
This is actually the true purpose behind all kinds of meditation and not a meditation type in itself. All traditional techniques of meditation recognize that the object of focus and even the process of monitoring, is just a means to train the mind, so that effortless inner silence and deeper states of consciousness can be discovered.
Eventually both the object of focus and the process itself is left behind and there is only left the true self of the practitioner, as “pure presence”.