It is the vertical nature of the human spine which aligns the mechanism of our central nervous system with the vertical energy flows of the universe, which the yogis believe is what gives superior intelligence to the human beings.

Thus, in meditation it is of the utmost importance that one’s spine be vertical and straight.

Yoga and Spinal Health
Though yoga is an effective therapy for these and many related conditions, treatment can be slow and requires a great deal of diligence and effort. As most of these conditions have accumulated over a lifetime, they indeed cannot be remedied overnight.

Needless to say, skeletal health, namely spinal health, is at the forefront of overall health and wellness. Sedentary lifestyles, coupled with poor posture and lack of regular exercise and movement, means that the average person today has a terribly inflexible spine.

Yoga poses for the spine

Matsyasana – Fish Pose
Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose
Shalabhasana – Locust Pose
Bow (Dhanurasana) Viparita Karani
Sarvangasana – Shoulder Stand
Halasana – Plough Pose
Ardha Matsyendrasana – Half Spinal Twist

Yoga is a technique that aspires to attain the optimum results with the least energy outflow. All The various Yoga postures have been designed to carry a rich supply of blood to the brain as well as to the different parts of the body. The work achieved by Yoga asanas, viz. stretching, bending and twisting the spinal column in various directions all improve health of the nerves and organs. But never forget, that the spine is the fulcrum of the body and, as such has to be maintained in perfect order, if one is to realize a semblance of perfect health.

Each asana helps you become more aware of your body, mind, and environment. While beginning your yoga exercises, experiment with the poses, moving in and out as you feel comfortable. If you approach the poses with playful curiosity, feeling of frustration and competitiveness will not enter your mind. While practicing your yoga exercises, make sure that you don’t feel any discomfort or pain.

Yoga Poses and breathing
Breathing is an essential part of practicing yoga exercises. You should never hold your breathe during a pose. Also make sure that your breath is never forced or strained. Labored breathing is sign that you you’re working too hard and should come out of the pose slightly.

Yoga Asanas can be done by people with diverse profiles and conditions, or even physical difficulties. Whenever possible, seek out a good teacher; books and videos are also a great help.

The following are just a few of the numerous Yoga poses types that have evolved over thousands of years:

Seated poses:

Seated poses are decidedly recommended for beginners, most of the postures are quite easy to master. Seated poses are useful for practicing breathing exercises and relaxation or meditation techniques. Seated poses are also often used as a warm up or as a starting point for other poses.  Performing seated poses develop elasticity to the hips, knees, ankles, and groin muscles, improve your posture, remove tension in the diaphragm, increases the blood circulation to all parts of the body. Many seated postures are used to treat medical conditions, such as constipation, diabetes, arthritis, and genital diseases. Some seated poses includes the Sukhasana, Bound Angle Pose and the Half Lotus.

Standing poses:

Standing poses are often used as warm up or as a starting point for other poses. Standing poses are beneficial for strengthening your muscles, opening your hips, improving posture and invigorating the whole body. Standing postures require both strength and flexibility needed to achieve and accurately execute standing postures of yoga. Some of the positions you may encounter in the standing position include Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), High Lunge; Triangle pose; Utkatasana (Powerful Pose); Vrksasana (Tree Pose); Dolphin Pose; Reverse Warrior; Standing Forward Bend; and the Tadasana (Mountain Pose).

Balancing poses:

Balancing poses are great for improving balance and coordination, strengthen specific body parts such as the shoulders and back as well as developing your ability to remain grounded in a pose. Some balancing poses include Bakasana (Crane Pose); Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand); Crow Pose; Headstand; and Halasana (Plough Pose).

Back bends:

Back bends are probably the most challenging poses in Yoga; they require strength in the arms, legs, buttocks and spine. Back bends poses squeeze the abdominal organs, energize the heart and soul, open the chest, improve spinal flexibility and strength your back. Back bends should not be done by people with back problems, pain or injury. Some balancing poses include Dhanurasana (Bow Pose), Matsyasana (Fish Pose), Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), Ushtrasana (Camel Pose), and Setubandhasana (Bridge Pose).

Forward bends:

Similar to back bends, forward bends stretch the entire back of your body, especially your hamstrings. Forward bends are also often used to release tension, calm your mind and soothe your nervous system. Similar to back bends, forward bends help keep your spine strong and supple.

Relaxation and restorative poses:

It is important to take time to perform relaxation or restorative poses at the end of each yoga practice. You can use this time to relax your body and mind and allow energy released by the poses in your practice to move freely throughout your body. 

Inversions poses

Inversions are excellent poses to perform to improve your blood circulation, quiet your mind and improve your overall health. Inversions are also believed to reverse the ageing process and reduce the effect of the gravity on your body.

Counter poses

A counter pose is a yoga pose that stretches your spine in the opposite direction from a previous pose or returns your spine to a neutral position.

Twists poses

You can perform twists to stretch and strengthen your back and abdominal muscles, increase the flexibility of your spine and improve your circulation. Twists improve the functioning of your internal organs by providing them with a fresh supply of blood as you twist and release your body.

Ashtanga yoga literally means “eight-limbed yoga,” as outlined by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. According to Patanjali, the path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of the following eight spiritual practices:

Yama – Self-restraint or ethical conduct
Niyama – Personal and religious observance of purity, devotion and study
Asana – Physical activity
Pranayama – Breath control or regulation
Pratyahara – Abstraction of the senses
Dharana – Concentration
Dhyana – Meditation that leads to Samadhi
Samadhi – Absorption in the sublime and blissful awareness

The first four limbs—yama, niyama, asana, pranayama—are considered external cleansing practices. According to Pattabhi Jois, defects in the external practices are correctable. However, defects in the internal cleansing practices—pratyahara, dharana, dhyana—are not correctable and can be dangerous to the mind unless the correct Ashtanga yoga method is followed. For this reason, Pattabhi Jois emphasizes that the “Ashtanga Yoga method is Patanjali Yoga” .

Ashtanga Yoga is a vigorous, athletic style of practice; it brings strength, flexibility, and stamina. The postures are more difficult than those performed in other styles, participants move through a series of flows that will help the muscles to be very flexible and help the body avoid damages due to the physically challenging style of Ashtanga. The so-called Power Yoga is based on Ashtanga.

About the Ashtanga Series of Poses

The first or primary series, called Yoga Chikitsa, is described in Yoga Mala. Yoga Chikitsa, which means yoga therapy, realigns the spine, detoxifies the body, and builds strength, flexibility and stamina. The series of about 75 poses takes an hour and a half to two hours to complete, beginning with sun salutations and moving on to standing poses, seated poses, inversions and backbends before relaxation.

The intermediate or second series is called Nadi Shodana, meaning nervous system purification. It cleanses and strengthens the nervous system and the subtle energy channels throughout the body. This series is only introduced when the primary series is strong. It follows the same progression (sun salutations, standing, sitting etc.) as the primary series, but introduces new poses and variations.

The four advanced series are called Sthira Bhaga, which means divine stability. Pattabhi Jois originally outlined two intensive advanced series, but later subdivided them into four series to make them accessible to more people. These series emphasize difficult arm balances and are only appropriate for extremely advanced students.

Ashtanga Classes: Led and Self-Led

Many yoga studios offer led Ashtanga classes, meaning a teacher leads the class and instructs students in the order of the poses, usually in the primary or secondary series. Once students know the order of poses very well, they may often opt for self-led, or Mysore style practice. This is an opportunity for students to practice at their own pace and level of ability, but in the company of other students and with the encouragement and advice of a teacher, as needed. Ashtanga is also an ideal foundation for home practitioners, once they know the sequence of poses.

Hatha yoga is the most widely practiced form of yoga in America. What most people in West refer to as simply “yoga” is actually Hatha Yoga. It is the branch of yoga which concentrates on physical health and mental well-being. Hatha Yoga is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a yogic sage in the 15th century in India. Hatha yoga uses bodily postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dyana) with the goal of bringing about a sound, healthy body and a clear, peaceful mind. There are nearly 200 hatha yoga postures, with hundreds of variations, which work to make the spine supple and to promote circulation in all the organs, glands, and tissues. Hatha yoga postures also stretch and align the body, promoting balance and flexibility.

The origins of hatha yoga have been traced back to the eleventh century A.D. The Sanskrit word ha means “sun” and tha means “moon,” and thus hatha, or literally sun-moon yoga, strives to balance opposing parts of the physical body, the front and back, left and right, top and bottom. Some yoga masters (yogis) claim that hatha yoga was originally developed by enlightened teachers to help people survive during the Age of Kali, or the spiritual dark ages, in which Hindus believe we are now living.

Yoga was brought to America in the late 1800s, when Swami Vivekananda, an Indian yogi, presented a lecture on yoga in Chicago. Hatha yoga captured the imagination of the Western mind, because accomplished yogis could demonstrate incredible levels of fitness, flexibility, and control over their bodies and metabolism. Yoga has flourished in the West. Americans have brought to yoga their energy and zest for innovation, which troubles some Indian yogis and encourages others, as new variations and schools of yoga have developed. For instance, power yoga is a recent Americanized version of yoga which takes hatha yoga principles and speeds them up into an extremely rigorous aerobic workout, and many strict hatha yoga teachers oppose this sort of change to their philosophy. Other variations of hatha yoga in America now include Iyengar, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Kripalu, Integral, Viniyoga, Hidden Language, and Bikram yoga, to name a few. Sivananda yoga was practiced by Lilias Folen, who was responsible for introducing many Americans to yoga through public television.

The original philosophers of yoga developed it as an eight-fold path to complete health. These eight steps include moral and ethical considerations (such as honesty, non-aggression, peacefulness, non-stealing, generosity, and sexual propriety), self-discipline (including purity, simplicity, devotion to God, and self-knowledge), posture, breath control, control of desires, concentration, meditation, and happiness. According to yogis, if these steps are followed diligently, a person can reach high levels of health and mental awareness.

As it has subsequently developed, hatha yoga has concentrated mainly on two of the eight paths, breathing and posture. Yogis believe breathing to be the most important metabolic function; we breathe roughly 23,000 times per day and use about 4,500 gallons of air, which increases during exercise. Thus, breathing is extremely important to health, and prana, or life-force, is found most abundantly in the air and in the breath. If we are breathing incorrectly, we are hampering our potential for optimal health. Pranayama, literally the “science of breathing” or “control of life force,” is the yogic practice of breathing correctly and deeply.

In addition to breathing, hatha yoga utilizes asanas, or physical postures, to bring about flexibility, balance and strength in the body. Each of these postures has a definite form and precise steps for achieving the desired position and for exiting it. These postures, yogis maintain, have been scientifically developed to increase circulation and health in all parts of the body, from the muscular tissues to the glands and internal organs. Yogis claim that although hatha yoga can make the body as strong and fit as any exercise program, its real benefits come about because it is a system of maintenance and balance for the whole body.

Hatha Yoga tries to achieve balance between body and mind, as well as attempts to free the more subtle spiritual elements of the mind through physical poses or Asanas, Breathing Techniques or Pranayama, and Meditation.

Annotation:

Asanas are various body positions designed to improve health and remove diseases in the physical, causal, and subtle bodies. The word “asana” is Sanskrit for “seat”, which refers not only to the physical position of the body but also to the position of the body in relation to divinity. They were originally meant for Meditation, as the postures can make you feel relaxed for a long period of time. The regular practice of Asanas will grant the practitioner muscle flexibility and bone strength, as well as non-physical rewards such as the development of will power, concentration, and self-withdrawal.

Pranayama is derived from the words “prana” (life-force or energy source) and “ayama” (to control). It is the science of breath control. This is an important part of Hatha Yoga because the yogis of old times believed that the secret to controlling one’s mind can be unlocked by controlling one’s breath. The practice of Pranayama can also help unleash the dormant energies inside our body.

Controversy has surrounded Bikram Choudhury’s copyright and franchising of Bikram yoga. There is no Bikram Yoga in India.

Bikram Yoga works toward wellness, restoration and rejuvenation. The heated studio facilitates deeper stretching, prevents injury, and relieves stress and tension. Bikram Yoga was designed to systematically stimulate and restore health to every muscle, joint and organ of the body. Participants are guided through a series of 26 postures during which the heart, lungs, circulation, muscles, brain activity and mental capacity are all affected. There are two descriptions of the 26 exercises and they are asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). Both of these rely on each other to deliver positive results. According to Bikram, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity, and just like any muscle, the lungs must be stretched in order to (through practice) withstand holding more oxygen. When one is practicing the pranayama he will eventually be able to enhance oxygen conversion and absorption, as well as improve blood circulation.

The postures are done in the safe environment of a heated room so that deep penetration can relieve muscle resistance without risking injury. Each posture in the copyrighted sequence of postures is done in specific order, preparing the body for the next posture, resulting in powerful healing and miraculous results.

 By the end of a Bikram Yoga class, you will have worked every muscle, tendon, joint, ligament, internal organ, and gland while systematically moving fresh, oxygenated blood to 100% of the body. These postures work synergistically and cumulatively to put the body back on track and in balance. Bikram Yoga builds strength, balance and flexibility by gently stretching and massaging the spine, muscles, tendons, joints, and all internal organs of the body. Lung capacity is expanded, leading to greater vitality. Bones are strengthened. Joints are opened and lubricated. Muscles are strengthened, toned, and made more flexible. Regular practice of this series of postures results in the healing and repair of injuries and illnesses, weight loss, and peace of mind.