There are many benefits of Savasana, such as reduced blood pressure, reduces stress, brings clarity to the mind, reduces anger and frustration, and allows the mind and body to calm down and relax. At the end, you should lie in Savasana for at least five to ten minutes. Ten minutes would be ideal.

This is a guided meditation to bring the attention inward to release stress and tension throughout the body after a yoga class. Lie down in the corpse pose, which means the legs are apart and relaxed and palms are to the sides facing up. Ideally, a teacher would take you through this guided meditation.

Here is the meditation, step by step, waiting about 20-30 seconds in between each new instruction:

1. Take nice deep inhalations and exhalations to keep your attention within the body. With every inhalation, you will find yourself to be in the moment.
2. Relax your feet
3. Relax your legs
4. Relax your hips
5. Relax your abdomen
6. Relax your back
7. Relax your chest
8. Relax your arms
9. Relax your shoulders
10. Relax your neck
11. Relax your facial muscles by slightly opening your mouth
12. Continue to breathe.
13. If you feel any aches, pains, or discomfort, gently ask your mind to focus upon the discomfort to relax it away and continue to breathe. (Wait about one minute before continuing).
14. Bring your attention back to the present moment and focus upon the third eye, in between the eyebrows, and continue to breathe. (Stay here for the rest of the meditation, at least one minute and if time permits, several minutes).
15. Take your time, but when you are ready to get up, stretch, and slowly get back up.

With this meditation, you are now ready to jump back into your activity.

Happy Meditating!

Varsha

Those who already have a yoga practice, that’s great and keep up the fantastic work. For those who are thinking about it, starting new, or have made a resolution to be regular with your practice, now is the time to start one. To begin a yoga practice at home requires self-dedication and commitment.

After having a busy day at work, the last thing anyone wants to do is get back up and stretch the body. The way to commit to practicing yoga daily is to make it a part of your routine. Yoga should become just as important as brushing your teeth. The simplest way to begin a home yoga practice is to begin with doing Suryanamaskar, or Sun Salutations. Sun Salutations are a series of postures that are designed to increase flexibility, tone, and strengthen the muscles. Start by doing at least one set a day and then each day, gradually build up the number of repetitions to about 5 or 10. To begin with, go at a comfortable pace, not too fast and not too slow.

Here is a Youtube video that lays out the most basic set of Sun Salutations, which is demonstrated by Dashama Each teacher may vary the set slightly by adding other postures or variations, but here is the most basic and simple form. Sun Salutations is also a great way to warm up and prepare for any exercise routine.

Health and happiness,

Varsha

1) Experience. How many years of experience does the teacher have teaching yoga? Does the teacher have experience working with what you are looking for? For example, if you have Multiple Sclerosis, does the teacher have experience working with MS patients?

2) Training. Where did the yoga teacher do his or her training? Who is their teacher? Are they certified by Yoga Alliance?

3) Practice. Does the teacher have his or her own practice? True yoga teachers will have their own practice outside of teaching. How often do they practice? What are their expectations from their students in regards to practicing outside of classes?

4) Personality. Is the teacher open? Does he or she speak loud enough? Are the instructions clear? Is the teacher approachable? Is he or she taking the time to listen to and meet your individual needs?

5) Ask for Recommendations. The best way to understand the teacher and their style is to ask their students for recommendations. Current, active students are the best source for a recommendation because they will tell you why they are taking the classes.

In order to enjoy and gain maximum benefit from a yoga practice, the style must resonate and so should the teacher. The student-teacher connection is very important for the experience and practice of yoga.

Health and happiness,

Varsha

Hatha – Hatha yoga is the original form of yoga and all other styles of yoga arise from Hatha. A hatha yoga class will typically have different sets of postures from one class to the next. The style itself is more gentle and therapeutic. Classes will include asanas (postures), stretching, work with the breath, and meditations. A hatha yoga class will work with flexibility, strength, and endurance. If you are not sure which style to try, Hatha is a good one to start with.

Vinyasa – Vinyasa yoga has more fluid movement to it. The style is slightly vigorous and all movement follows the breath. A typical class will be based upon a series of postures, known as Suryanamaskar or Sun Salutations.

Ashtanga – Ashtanga means eight limbs and this style of yoga is very vigorous. There are a series of poses and in an Ashtanga class, you move from one posture to the next and is considered to be physically demanding.

Power – Power yoga is very similar to Ashtanga as Power yoga is also physically very demanding. The difference is that there is no set series of postures and power yoga is designed to be more of a workout that consists of cardio, strength, and flexibility.

Iyengar – Iyengar yoga is the style that most commonly uses props. This style works in aligning the body and focuses on holding the posture for long periods of time. Sometimes, a single, one-hour class will go through only one set of sun salutations.

Kundalini – Kundalini yoga works with energy and circulating the energy from the center core throughout the body. Emphasis in the class is placed upon the breath in conjunct with the postures. The rate of the movement will follow the rate of the breath. Kundalini is also known to be the more “spiritual” style of yoga.

Bikram – Bikram yoga is hot yoga and it takes place in a heated room around 95 degrees. The theory is that sweating loosens up the joints and muscles to improve flexibility and also works as a way of cleansing the body. A typical class consists of about 26 basic postures. Bikram yoga is also a controversial style of yoga, as many health experts, including Ayurvedic practitioners question its level “healthiness,” due to its intensity and excessive exposure to heat in a closed room.

These are the basic styles of yoga and when in doubt, start with Hatha. There is a style for everyone, its just a matter of finding one that works for you.

Health and happiness,

Varsha

Last weekend, I attended the Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco. Throughout the weekend, I had the opportunity to try many different styles of yoga, such as Anusara, Ashtanga, and Vinyaasa. I especially enjoyed the Anusara class with Master Teacher Desiree Rumbaugh. Although all these various classes and styles were fun, I did not resonate with any of them. Unfortunately, after all those classes over the weekend, all I felt was good…that’s it. But that is not enough for me. After a class at my local studio, I always leave feeling happy, clear, refreshed, energized, and inspired.

With so many different styles and teachers out there, it’s all a matter of finding which style of yoga you like best and which teacher can you relate with. The style of yoga I personally prefer is Hatha Yoga. But each person has their own style and teacher they favor. I have had many people tell me that yoga is not their thing. Yoga is for everyone. It’s just a matter of finding a style that you can connect with. Try various styles and yoga studios until you find one that you enjoy and can resonate with. If you would like to find yoga studios and/or certified yoga teachers near you, go to Yoga Alliance’s website at www.yogaalliance.org and you can search for studios and teachers in your area.

Yoga is not only for the physical benefits. It is also about how you feel on the inside. Find the practice in which you feel at peace and as if you are expanding your boundaries. I know that Hatha yoga is my style, but what is your style?

Varsha

Pain is a sign. It is a sign that there is an imbalance in the physiology. It is a sign of weakness in that area. When you feel pain, your first thought should not be where is the painkiller, but rather, how can I fix this? My yoga teacher in fact says, “pain is a blessing.” How is it a blessing? According to Ayurveda, before you are actually facing the disease or illness, you are first face to face with the preliminary symptoms. When preliminary symptoms come about, it is the first sign of an imbalance. Therefore, pain is a warning and as always, warnings should not be taken lightly.

What does Yoga do for pain? Yoga works not just on the physical level, but it works on a deeper, cellular level. All yoga postures provide a health benefit. For example, the cobra position will improve circulation and improve digestion. The downward dog will balance Vata, while stimulating Kapha. And the warrior pose helps to open up the chest and lungs. There is a yoga pose or a series of asanas (postures) that will aid in the recovery from any kind of pain. From basic to complex poses, every point in your physiology can be addressed through yoga.

Suryanamaskar, also known as sun salutations, are great for Vata and Kapha type of people. Vata people should do them slowly and steadily, where as Kapha people should do their round of sun salutations with a quicker, more active pace and do more rounds. Pitta people are recommended to do moon salutations more than sun salutations. The reason being is that Chandra Namaskar (moon salutations) are more calming and cooling for a Pitta physiology.

Many types of pain, such as arthritis, back pain, joint pain, and even headaches, can be addressed through the practice of Hatha Yoga. If you do have any physical pain, my recommendation is to practice Hatha yoga, rather than taking a painkiller. But remember, when you are using yoga as a form of healing, it is important to work with a certified yoga teacher. It can be dangerous to do yoga on your own through the Internet or a video. I have helped many people with their headaches, back pain, shoulder pain, and so much more through Hatha yoga. If you suffer from pain, give yoga a try; you have nothing to lose, except lose the pain itself.

Health and happiness,

Varsha

Research shows that 75 to 90% of all doctor visits are stress-related. In fact, most diseases, whether it’s a cold or an organ failure is typically caused due to stress.

The secret behind the success of yoga and its practice is that yoga is supposed to address the mind as a part of the yoga classes. Most people always say that they feel great after their yoga class. Part of that reason is due to the exercise portion. But the better part of that is the relaxation of the mind and body while remaining active.

My yoga teacher always says, “a fast mind is a sick mind and a still mind is a divine mind.” Many of us tend to over think, analyze too much, worry too much, or get caught up in all of our other troubles. Ayurveda treats any and all illness from the root cause and addresses symptoms as secondary. Similarly, yoga treats and nourishes the physiology from inside out. Yoga will also target the root cause of your imbalance.

There are many ways to “fix” your mind and body through yoga. All you need is a teacher who can guide you and teach you accordingly. But always remember the most important factor in yoga. That is you must always remember to work with your mind and body as a whole, not only the parts that need the attention.

Enjoy your yoga!

One of the questions I often get asked is how to cope with stress. With the economy struggling due to inflation, high cost of living, rising gas prices, and a tough job market, stress is in the air. For the average adult, high loads of stress usually comes from family, work, and finances. For students, some ways they are affected by stress are from class, homework, finances, dating, and peer pressure. Regardless of your age, you have stress in your life.

For each person, his or her method to cope with stress is different because each individual is different from the other. However, for a large amount of the population, exercise seems to be most effective way of dealing with high amounts of stress. But what type of exercise? There are so many different forms of exercise out there. The one I feel is most efficient in coping with stress, is Yoga. A Hatha yoga class will cover all the needs to relax away the stress. The practice of Yoga will clear your mind and relax your body. Furthermore, yoga will allow for a more integrated functioning of the mind and body.

The unique aspect of Hatha Yoga is that a really good yoga class will cover cardio, strength, and flexibility. Along with the physical benefits, this particular type of yoga will also cover some meditation and other relaxation techniques. Yoga will allow you to become and stay physically fit while allowing your mind to relax and be stress free. Many of us carry our stress on our shoulders for example. Yoga will allow for us to take care of the tight shoulders and the headaches, while clearing the mind through Pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation.

Another style of yoga that is very popular is Iyenagar Yoga. Iyenagar yoga is most commonly known for using props. Again, in the original form of yoga, props are not used because props are not needed. Yoga means unifying and therefore the practice of Yoga is meant to unify the mind and the body. I once took an Iyenagar class and did not really like it. I felt as if more emphasis was used upon the usage of props rather than using my body. The only way to help the body is to fix it from inside out slowly and gradually, not through force or creating unnatural barriers.

The asanas, meditations, and breathing exercises that most yoga centers teach are often taught incorrectly and the fundamental principles are never shared or taught. Let’s take Pranayama for example. It doesn’t matter which side you start with. To do Pranayama, close off the right nostril with your fingers and take a deep inhalation through the left nostril. Then close the left side along with the right side and hold your breath. Then, open the right side and continue to hold for a few more seconds. Lastly, exhale all the air through the right side of the nostril and then inhale through the right side and so on. The most important part of Pranayama is the exhalation part. The reason is that exhalation allows for the removal of toxins. When you inhale, you bring fresh oxygen to the brain. Then when you exhale, you remove the carbon dioxide from the body and therefore, you clean out both the mind and lungs. Majority of those who practice yoga do not know that you are supposed to exhale more than you inhale when you do Pranayama.

Most Yoga classes are missing the fundamentals and explanations of why you do what kind of asana. The practice of Yoga is not meant to be difficult…it is meant to work the body and fix it. In order to avoid any kind of injury in the practice of yoga, it is important not to over do and push yourself to the extreme. For example, if you have never sat in lotus before and the muscles in the groin area are tight, then do not attempt to sit in lotus only because everybody else is doing it. Ask your yoga instructor on how to loosen the body first and prepare it to do the advanced asanas. Do not be afraid to ask questions and slow down if you need to. If you practice yoga correctly and have a qualified yoga instructor, then you are not likely to hurt yourself and will have maximum benefits. If you would like to find a qualified yoga instructor near you who teaches a specific kind of yoga, you can visit Yoga Alliance’s website at: http://yogaalliance.org/ . Here, you will find a list of qualified instructors.