Intro You exercise to become fit, you consume food to gain energy, you go out to relieve stress, but what do you do when you want to focus. What do you do when you want to study for your midterm but you’re not able to concentrate? What do you do when the answer to a question is right at the tip of your pen but you just can’t grasp it? Practitioners of the method I’m about to introduce to you believe that it is capable of increasing our concentration level. That method is yoga. However, I’m not here to talk to you about yoga itself, I’m here to talk to you about the science behind yoga and that is chakras. I’ve been practicing yoga for the past 3 years and I’ve watched several videos of yogi explaining everything there is to know about chakras. What are chakras? Chakras (also spelled Cakras) are conceived of as focal points or spinning wheels of life energy where psychic forces and bodily functions merge with and interact with each other located at various points in the human body. They function as portals between the mind and the body. Some yogi say that the origin of chakras was in Hinduism but according to David Gordon’s book, yoga in practice, (2012) it was not until the eighth-century that Buddhist Hevajra Tantra and Caryāgiti, that orders of chakras were introduced. Chakras are not only treated in the field of yoga. They are treated in the fields of aromatherapy, acupuncture, and energy healing through the method of gems and rocks. Chakras in the human body Among the supposed 88,000 chakras in the human body, six major ones are located roughly along the spinal cord and another one located just above the crown of the skull and those are the most important. These chakras are called Sahasrara, Ajna, Vishuddhi, An... ... middle of paper ... ...at was conducted as a dissertation submitted to the institute of transpersonal psychology for the degree of doctor of philosophy by James spencer in 1987. In this study spencer made 2 groups of people practice yoga. One group has no knowledge whatsoever in yoga and other have a strong foundation in it and other group were masters in yogi. Both groups practiced the same type of yoga and then spencer asked both groups the same questions (49). The study showed that the masters had a high level of tranquility, purity and personal integration that the other inexperienced group didn’t have and so they were able to concentrate and perform well. Conclusion: All in all, I would just like to say that yoga isn’t all about getting extremely flexible. It’s a routine, a lifestyle and as I explained today, it’s a treatment to the body and soul through the channel of chakras.
Yoga is a discipline with a scientific background that was developed over 2000 years ago. In this system of self-development the restless mind is calmed and energy is placed into constructive channels. It is not a religion as some people may be led to believe. It is a philosophy of life. The lessons learned are just as relevant today as they were when they were first created, still keeping the main principle that before you can train your mind to reach a higher consciousness you must first discipline your body. Yoga's popularity is largely due to its wide range of benefits, including therapeutic effects, muscle toning, energy increasing and concentration of the mind.
There is some mention of the chakras as psychic centers of consciousness in the Yoga Upanishads (circa 600A.D.) and later in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (circa 200 B.C.). Patanjali's tradition was largely dualistic, however, stating that nature and spirit were separate, and that the goal of yoga was to rise above nature.
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
The seven chakras are also very important in the work. When the kundalini ascends, it must pierce through each of the seven chakras. This is why there is so much emphasis on the number seven in many ancient spiritual texts and also what has been corrupted in the Judeo/Christian Bible. Christian leaders mislead their followers through deceiving them into believing the stolen legends in the bible are real. Through this deception, the Vatican and Christian churches have obtained unbelievable wealth and power. This power is not only in the material world, but in the spiritual as well. All spiritual knowledge was systematically removed with the Inquisition. Those at the top are adept at black magick and have advanced to spiritual power, while the rest of humanity suffers under their control.
Yoga, as a way to achieve higher self-awareness, was around as early as 200 B.C. in India and has been gradually growing in popularity in the western world over the past four decades. Traditional styles of yoga, including Hatha yoga, which consists of thousands of poses, have long been studied as an effective form of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM).
Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.
Western medicine has recently discovered the powerful affects of meditation, by allowing doctors to treat the body and the mind. In reality, the mind is a very misunderstood and unexplored region of the human existence. Modern science knows more about the composition of the earth than it does about the mechanics of the human brain. Yet, meditation thwarts all notions of modern medicine with its shocking ability to to take obscure visualizations and create physical responses in the body. Mahayana Buddhism, found mainly in the autonomous region of Tibet, has become the main reference and standard for meditation practices in the west. Tibetans have used meditation for centuries as treatment for illness, and now, modern medicine of the western world is just beginning to reap the benefits of this unique and unconventional treatment for a variety of physical and mental ailments. Once a practice reserved strictly for Buddhist monks, meditation has become a worldwide phenomenon. Simply enter “Buddhist meditation” into the any Inter...
This qualitative case study is an approach to research how yoga can affect the human mind in a positive way and lead to a healthy lifestyle using 2 sources one being a book called The Science Of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by William J. Broad 2012. And the other being a private interview with a 22 year old male Yogi. This ensures that the issue is not getting explored through one side, but rather a variety of sides which allows for different inputs to be reveled and understood. There are two key approaches that help determine if yoga helps affect the human mind in a positive way. One flourished by William J. Broad (2012) which explores different factors on how yoga contributes to a healthy lifestyle and interviews fellow yogis who give there insight on the matter. And the second being a personal webcam interview conducted by the researcher ...
Abstract: Our self identity is who we are? What we think about ourselves, how we look at ourselves and our relationship to the world? By understanding all these things we would be able to examine ourselves that who we are and what we want to be? This paper presents an idea about self concept/ self identity & self esteem and role of yoga in understanding the self.
"Yoga. Mar. 2014: 24-25. pp. 78-78. Print.
There are seven energy centers, Chakras that parallel the spine. Each Chakra has certain qualities and associations. The yoga postures are what help to get this energy in balance.
This quote shows the relationship as a whole between yoga and the benefits it brings into one’s life. Yoga is enjoyable, relaxing, and very beneficial. It eases tension in the body and mind, and helps one to have a more positive outlook on life. No matter which style of yoga one chooses, there will be some sort of benefit. One should keep in mind to pay attention to their breath, to monitor their feelings and try to be as relaxed as possible to comfort the relationship between the mind and body.
Through the practice of yoga, I have begun to learn many things about myself that I did not know before. These new findings are due to the implementation of the practice of yama and niyama into my everyday life. Yama means restraint or behavior to avoid. While, niyama means observance or conduct to cultivate. Yama principles focuses on a person’s interactions with the world while niyama is more of a self observation and how to deal with ourselves. I find that these ten commandments of yoga have caused me to examine myself and the world around me in a way that isn’t negative but of understanding. I think that as humans we tend to fear the unknown but the unknown is only unknown until we actively engage in finding the truth. Thus, we can go on in life being afraid of the things that we don’t know about ourselves and the world around us or we can enthusiastically search for the truth.
Mantras embody energy in sound form. They have the capacity of delivering a person to the final goal of Self-realization. The elaborate science of Mantras called Mantra Shastra prescribes Mantra Sadhana or practice of mantras. When this sadhana is successful it fructifies into Mantra Siddhi – the accomplishment of power embodied in the mantra. In fact, Patanjali in his Yoga sutras says that mantras are one of ways in which siddhis are attained. Mantra yoga is an esoteric form of Yoga.
This week’s analysis is associated with the yoga class provided online to help with stress reduction. The first term that I came across was psychophysiology and how this principle is based on the mind and body being one and how our thinking affects all physiology. This principle was the perfect definition of yoga because yoga focuses on how the mind and body connects with each other. It gives you a sense of relaxation throughout your mind and body together. Furthermore, the yoga that was in the video was a yoga style called hatha. Which practices asana (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). According to the book, this practices helps bring peace to the mind and body and prepare our body to do deeper exercises. The art of breathing was mentioned during the exercise and in the book. Breathing is very important when trying to unite the mind, body, and spirit. So, having slow, deep breathes was a main focused during the exercise. Another term that was used in the video was the art of stretching, which allows us to become aware of our flexibility of our muscle while moving. Lastly, the art of balance is significant because it allows us to move into the next form of position on both sides of our body. Some of the workouts pose that was mention in the textbook that I did was two knees to the chest, cobra, and head of cow. Overall, hatha