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.
The Five Yamas of Hatha Yoga Yoga is a discipline involving both 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.
“The eloquent man is he who is no beautiful speaker, but who is inwardly and desperately drunk with a certain belief.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, throughout many cultures to help with the balance of physical and mental well-being. Throughout the years yoga has also been incorporated with many healings, whether with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or many other things that cause us mental and physical pain. However, recently yoga has been intertwined with cancer patients who have just been diagnosed, are currently going through the treatments, and for the miraculous people who have survived this destructive disease.
The Vedas, which are the oldest written tradition in India, (2,000 - 600 B.C.) were written largely by the Indo-European invaders of India, known as the Aryans. The Aryans were said to have entered India on chariots, and the original meaning of the word chakra as "wheel" refers to the chariot wheels of the invading Aryans. (The correct spelling is cakra, though pronounced with a ch as in church.) The word was also a metaphor for the sun, which "traverses the world like the triumphant chariot of a cakravartin." (ruler) and denotes the eternal cycle of time called the kalacakra, or wheel of time. In this way, it represents celestial order and balance.
Have you ever wanted to try an exercise that not only gets you physically in shape, but also mentally and emotionally as well? Yoga and meditation do just that and today I am going tell you how cultures use these practices as a form of not only exercise for the body, but therapy for the brain too.
Becoming a healthier person interests us all, from young to old, being fit is something we strive for. Nowadays, one means of achieving that goal is through yoga. Though the use of breathing exercises, meditation and strength postures, people have actually lowered their blood pressure, aches and pains fade away as their body becomes more athletic.
Yoga is the practice of active stretching and also involves the art of meditation. No one knows when this practice started, but it predates written history. Various stone carvings have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley depicting figures in Yoga positions. These carvings are thought to be dating back to at least 5,000 years or more. The most common mistake people make is associating Hinduism with Yoga; Yoga, however, came along way before Hinduism evolved into a religion and incorporated the practices and ideas of Yoga into its religion. Yoga as a tradition has always been passed down from teacher to student through word of mouth and practical demonstration. Therefore, the practice of Yoga and its techniques are based solely on the combined experiences of individual spanning over thousands of years. One of the earliest documents about Yoga was written by a scholar named Patanjali; He established the most widely recognized theories and practices used in Yoga called Yoga Sutras dating between the 1st or 2nd century BC or as late as the 5th century AD. The method he compiled is known as “Ashtanga Yoga,” or the eight limbs of Yoga. This practice is what is commonly known today as Classical Yoga. The eight steps are:
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 ...
The key to life is all about balance and the chakras are no different. It’s important that the chakras have a healthy flow of energy and are not over or under active. When there is to much or not enough energy, the sacral chakra exhibits the following characteristics
He needs to be kind and gentle to himself. When he takes a bath, he has to ensure that he uses candles and bath oil. Furthermore, he heals his sacral chakra when he celebrates even his minor milestones. He needs to watch romantic movies even when he is alone. Moreover, he must visualize a pouring of orange into his sacral chakra. Ylang ylang and sandalwood are great essential oils for healing this chakra. For crystals, the individual can use carnelian and moonstone to balance the sacral chakra.
For Hinduism, the ultimate liberation is returning to Braham. According to Bhagavad Gita, there are three ways of practice that lead to liberation.¬¬¬¬. These are janna-yoga (the way of knowledge), bhakti- yoga (the practice of devotion) and karma-yoga (the course of action). In other words, one can practice any of these methods to achieve union with God. This paper I will analyze some important aspects of bhakti-yoga and how it can lead one to attain ultimate liberation—return to Atman. In doing this investigation, I hope to help the reader broaden their knowledge on liberation in Hinduism. As Radhakrishnan says we may climb the mountain from different paths, but the view from the summit is identical for all.
The Solar Plexus Chakra of an individual is very essential for a good energy and strength. It should remain balanced in order to be able to take the vital actions. As this Chakra is the source of our power and energy thus this Chakra is also responsible for our good health. This, this must always be balanced for the flow of energy.
Yoga could be described as the practice of holding different poses, and using diferrent breathing techniques that strengthens the mind and body, by bringing the practitioner into a new state of awareness. The practice of yoga increases blood flow to internal organs, brings more oxygen to the cells in your body, while strengthening and calming the nervous system. There are many different types of yoga. In the United States the most widely practiced form is known as Hatha, which is a combination of poses taken from all types of yoga b...
A unique style of yoga, called Bikram yoga, focuses on breathing and concentrating, and it re...