by Tirtha Acharya | Jan 7, 2021 | Yoga
Ardha Matsyendrasana
Ardha Matsyendrasa is also called Half Lord of the Pisces pose. The asana was coined after the yogi named Matsyendranath. In Sanskrit, the meaning of Ardha Matsyendrasana is Ardha refers to half of anything; likewise, ‘Matsya’ refers to Pisces or Fishes. Another name of this asana is Vakrasana, which means twisted asana in English (Half Spinal Twist Pose). There are various variations of this position. The Ardha Matsyendrasana is among the basic asanas used in the Hatha Yoga asana.
How to perform?
- First, sit comfortably in an erect position, by stretching your legs. You must make sure that the feet in put together. Likewise, the spine also should be utterly erect without bending a little bit.
- Secondly, you have to twist your left leg in such a way that the resole of the left foot must lie next to the right hip. You must also keep the left leg hard-pressed by stretching as much as you like to do.
- After that put your right leg after the left knee by simply putting over to the knee.
- Thirdly, bend the neck, waist, and shoulders circularly, start looking at the right part of the body mainly to the right shoulder. You have to make sure that your spine is made erect throughout the yoga.
- There are numerous ways to stretch your arms. To accomplish it you need to put the right hand behind you and while doing that you have to make sure to put the left hand on the right knee.
- For a couple of seconds, you need to hold the pose. It is usually recommended to hold the pose for not less than 30 and not more than 60 seconds. Continue to breathe deeply.
- While doing such a thing, you have to stretch and exhale rhythmically. Slowly, you have to release your right hand followed by your waist, chest, and finally the neck. Continue to relax breathe calmly and sit in a straight position.
- Perform the activities repeatedly, continue to exhale, and perform the position every day to reap the benefits.
Benefits of Half Spinal Twist Pose
- There are umpteen of benefits of Ardha Matsyendrasana. Some of the tremendous benefits of the Ardha Matsyendrasana are:
- The asanas assist to make your spine elastic. The spinal cord functions are improved if the asanas are practiced regularly.
- Ardha Matsyendrasana assists you to elongate the muscles to one side making the body lopsided; likewise, you will also compress the muscles on the other side.
- The excessive stiffness of the muscles and back pain subsides.
- The patients suffering from the slipped disc is alleviated.
- The pancreas and other organs can be stimulated by performing the Ardha Matsyendrasana. Ultimately, patients suffering from diabetes gets relieved.
- Some hormones like adrenalin and bile are synchronized by Ardha Matsyendrasana.
- The digestive juices of the digestive system of the abdominal organs when get a twist massage performs at an optimal level.
- Stress hormone secretion is reduced and the unnecessary tension trapped in the back portion is alleviated.
- The oxygen level in the lungs as well as the oxygen concentration in the blood increases.
- The detoxification of the internal organs is possible due to the continuous practice of the yoga asana.
- The infection in the urinary system also gets cured.
- The menstrual disorders that plague female gets cured.
- The flow of oxygen is possible and most of the body gets oxygenated like the pelvic area, thus improves the health of the reproductive system and the urinary system of the practitioners.
- The secretion of adrenalin and bile is pumped up.
by Tirtha Acharya | Dec 28, 2020 | Yoga
The root cause of suffering – Pancha Klesha
Briefly, Pancha klesha includes Avidya(ignorance), Asmita(egoism), Raga(craving), Dvesha(aversion), Abhinivesha(clinging to life). In this article, we will write in-depth about all these 5 kleshas.
Pancha Kleshas are the fundamental cause of the pain and suffering of the human. Pancha Kleshas has been illustrated in one of the ancient Hindu scriptures like Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The yoga sutras have clearly illustrated the afflictions brought up by the Kleshas to the human. In ancient days, stress was regarded as Pancha Klesha. Stress has various negative effects on our bodies as well as minds. The inner state of the being is enervated by the stress. The disturbance in the inner equilibrium causes various physical and mental disbalance. The disbalance in the inner equilibrium makes us prone to umpteen of diseases and infections.
The ancient Yogi Patanjali has categorized Pancha Kleshas or afflictions as Avidya, also called ignorance, Asmita also called egoism, Raga also called attachment, Dvesa also called aversion or hatred, and last but not the least Abinivesha called clinging to life and fear of death. Pancha kleshas have a direct effect on our behavior and ultimately to our health. These Kleshas affect us in either way: in the form of subtle distress or the form of overwhelming pain. Pancha Kleshas has negative effects on our presence of mind and prevents us from fully enjoying life and most of the time drags us down.
1. Avidya- Primary cause of suffering in Pancha klesha
The English meaning of Avidya is lack of knowledge. A person who has Avidya does not comprehend the meaning of life. They hold the grudges and misconception, in which they are void of spiritual knowledge and is fully immersed in the ignorance. The primary cause of all pain kicks off with Avidya. The suffering enlarges with ignorance and branches all out.
2. Asmita Kleshas – Egoism
The meaning of the word Smita is to denote the smiling, which is clearly illustrated in the ancient text of Mahabharata and Ramayana. To elaborate the meaning of the word is to expand or to blossom. Smita is also a popular female given name. The word Asmita has the opposite meaning of Smita.
Among Pancha Klesha Asmita Klesha or egoism is the precarious one because it deals with me, me, and we or ownself. We most often forget we are beyond me, me, and us. We take many things too personally and indulge in such a way that it arises the egoist nature of the self.
3. Raga Kleshas– Attachments
Among Pancha Klesha, the third Klesha is Raga Kleshas. The meaning of Raga Klesha is attachment. It is characterized by having an ego and excessive desires. The ego arises the attachments and ultimately the suffering. For instance: the desire to be perfect in all aspects in also an example of attachments. Likewise, attachments with your partner, wealth, and physical entities is also an example of Raga Kleshas.
4. Dvesa Kleshas – Aversions
Desa Kleshas is also called strong hatred towards things. When a person is suffering from Dvesa Kleshas, we are constantly in the thoughts of hatred. Many believe that this arises due to unfulfilled desires. Due to many wants, the hard-wired hatred towards many things springs up.
5. Abhinidvesa Kleshas – Fear
Abhinidvesa Klesha is also fear. There are many reasons to spring up fear in the mind of the human. Many yogis believe that when the Pancha Klesha accumulate in the human mind, then it is the ramification of those Pancha Klesha to spring up the fear. We constantly feel fazed when we try to think of attachments and aversions in the mind. Moreover, fear arises when we cannot put the circumstances under our control. see here how to manage your fear.
Yogis have owned the war against the Pancha Kleshas through yoga and meditation. Yoga meditation aid them to be aware of the circumstances and plan the work accordingly. If we are awakened there will be very little room to give the chances for Pancha Kleshas to uprise in our life.
by Tirtha Acharya | Dec 23, 2020 | Yoga
How To Manage Yoga Class | Management of yoga class
For effective teaching-learning, the most important question for yoga teachers is how to manage the yoga class and how to manage a good yoga environment suitable for yoga class. Wrong yoga techniques in the wrong place can do more harm than good. Yoga is something more than exercise. It can transform our body and it has the potential to shape it and build flexibility. Therefore, yoga poses should be done in the right manner and in a right place.
One of the biggest challenge in learning yoga is maintaining discipline and management of environment. Etiquette is more important than skills in yoga. Making yoga a professional is a hard job to perform. It is important in one’s teaching that it will help garner to achieve more respect and will elevate yoga respectability. Hugging yoga as a profession requires a lot of mental stability and physical awareness. Therefore, before jumping into this profession one should know how to handle students and situations.
How to manage yoga class for big group?
Yoga classes a usually big and it is very hard to manage it properly and give attention to each one student. To keep the class going interact with each students, ask those questions and clarify if they cannot answer it. Have each student engaged in your class. Assignment, collaboration and teamwork is an additional way to manage a big class.
Try to keep class interesting and entertaining through extracurricular activities. Practicing reflective teaching is another way to manage classroom. The big the yoga class, there will be high chances of conflict and student issues. This is usual but a teacher should know how to manage it. Encourage each student and do not discriminate him or her. Try to understand their problem and try to focus on peace making from the right beginning. Have a plan for them and try to resolve the problem. You can do it.
How to arrange the yoga mat and yoga props?
As a yoga teacher, you should feel comfortable on telling your students where to keep yoga mat and other articles. Even a small thing can make a difference. Most of the people put it in rather unorganized and chaotic way so either you should do that for them before the class gets started or you should instruct them to do so. This all can create a restless energy as a result. Placing the yoga mats in a right angle for perfect observation can help to create a good yoga-teaching environment.
How to arrange the room environment and air flow?
Room Environment plays an important role while we talk about how to manage yoga class. Yoga can be practiced anywhere and everywhere but certain places are highly preferred for it. The light should easily pass through the room. Yoga studio should be hygienic visually appealing and fresh air should pass through that room. Choose a well ventilated room for yoga classes and decorate it beautifully.
How to make a good lesson plan?
One of the most important part of yoga classes is to plan a good lesson. Organize your plan by making a routine. You can even make spontaneous classes fun. Make a plan and develop the lessons toward a peak point. Adding elements of complexities regardless of the style of yoga you offer can be fun. Teaching yoga is not an easy job to do and not everyone’s cup of tea. It requires a level of commitment and right techniques. Know what your students need and make a plan according to that.
How to manage yoga class conflict and students issues?
The way you respond the question raised by your students can also make a huge difference in your teaching style. Sometimes be funny; sometime answer it in a different way and sometime in an inspiring way. Your each student should feel a connection with you so do not be too strict.
How to response the question arise by students?
There are so many factors that can oppose you from being a ideal teacher. As in a yoga class, it is sure that your students will get injury or they are prone to it. Have first aid kit, necessary medicines and a rest room.
How to handle the injury cases?
Among many points of how to manage yoga class, handling an injury play an important role. There are tons of responsibilities and roles as a yoga teacher. Demonstrating everything is not possible every time. So if you want to be a good yoga teacher then learn to accept your responsibility and work for it. Have good communication skills and clarify all things to your students. Do not get frustrated and do not let your bad mood affect your students. Be patient and get prepared for the class. Know the potential of each student and work as it. Make them feel comfortable so that your students can speak honestly with you and you can create a kind relationship with them.
by Tirtha Acharya | Dec 18, 2020 | Yoga
General Professionalism in Yoga
Where yoga is all about control of one’s physical and mental activities but somewhere we can pour it as a way to perfect discipline. Hugging yoga as a profession is fun and challenging at the same time. A yogi or yogini should be mentally and physically prepared to face the challenge while doing that they should maintain professionalism in yoga too.
A good yoga teacher should show authenticity in their personality, they should have a kind of consistency in their energy and should possess an inspiring attitude. To have your career longevity in this field it is important to have cleanliness in your work.
How to maintain professionalism in yoga?
A yoga teacher should maintain personal relationships with the students but sharing unnecessary personal information with students can also change the classroom dynamics. A yoga teacher should maintain his/ her professionalism in yoga without getting too personal or without being strict. This does not mean you should not add anecdotes about your personal life but the stories that you are yelling should be clear and have perspective in it. You should not cross a boundary line as a teacher. Try to interact with all people, ask them questions, and answer their confusion.
How you could be different from other yogis?
Every job is full of competition and you should know how to flaunt your skills among so many other people. Your attitude, personality, and behavior should be acceptable and unique at the same time. Do not try to copy others. Just be yourself and reflect your thoughts and ideas in a rather interactive way. Being different will make you more interesting and fascinating. So do not try to be anyone’s copy just for impression. Being different will of course make you think differently from others.
Have creative ideas and tricks to help your students. Accept different choices and do not hesitate even to learn from your students. Answer the right questions and avoid the unnecessary one. Be open and aware of the ideas. Try your best to give everything you know to your students. Make sure you are giving the right things to your students. Know the abilities of each student and help them to grow according to that. Do not force and compare anyone with anybody. Be a great person in and out.
Creative thinking for professional yoga teacher
To balance your work with time is a difficult job. You need to have a time check and you should know exactly where you are spending your time. Plan your day and yoga classes so that everything starts and ends at the perfect time. List down all the yoga poses that you are going to teach your students. Complete them at the right time.
Start the most important yoga at first and follow it with other poses. Your students learn from your behavior. Never be a delay to class. Be punctual so that your students will also be punctual to class. It will not matter how good the personality you carry unless you are punctual with time. It shows true professionalism. Differentiate your world from your professional world. This will help you to manage your time a lot.
Need to know the Importance of cleanliness
Cleanliness is another important factor in yoga. As a yoga teacher, you should maintain your hygiene. Do not hesitate in instructing your students to maintain cleanliness and become a hygienic person. Every prop used in yoga-like yoga mats, blocks, straps, and bolsters should be clean. Good hygiene is important for social and health reasons.
Make sure you are not degrading your health along with others. Keeping your hands, body, and clothes clean is very important. Wear light and clean clothes. Do not decorate yourself with Jewellery and heavy accessories. Be simple and reflect your good side. Try to maintain cleanliness in a yoga pose and personal hygiene. It will help you to prevent all possible diseases. Poor hygiene can degrade your personality and no one will consider you a good person.
by Tirtha Acharya | Dec 14, 2020 | Yoga
How to Create Yoga Teaching Environment?
How to create and maintain a good yoga teaching environment has been a big question to the yoga institutes. When you step into a place to learn new things your worries and tension should be finally put to rest. The only best way to create such an environment for yoga students is to put yourself in your student’s shoes. When you will think of yourself as a newcomer coming to a yoga studio, then you can easily find the answer.
1. How to manage good environment of yoga hall?
When you enter a yoga class the first thing everyone notice is the environment setting. The atmosphere and the energy of the classroom during a yoga class are very important. Even if your yoga teacher will give you awesome yoga skills and doesn’t provide good class settings then it is very obvious that you won’t obtain the desired goals. It is important to learn yoga from a well-qualified teacher but it is also essential to learn yoga in a good environment. The yoga teaching environment is the primary need to learn yoga.
You can do your yoga anywhere but certain places are highly preferred for yoga. You should choose the right place where you can calm yourself down and make yourself free from worries and tensions. The yoga hall should be clean and light should easily pass through that room.
2. How to create a positive environment in surrounding?
Make your classroom a low-pressured, no judgemental, non-competitive, and full of encouragement. The ability of a person to do yoga may differ so reducing competition and judgment can help the students to feel safe. This will make the yoga teaching environment a beautiful place to explore new ideas. This environment is responsible to discourage ego and negative vibes while assuring each student that they won’t be judged. Not even one student should suffer and feel suffocated in the place. The yoga teaching environment will automatically get pure if you will remember these things.
Everything should be placed appropriately. The yoga teacher should feel comfortable telling their students in which to keep the yoga mat as a consequence that most of the students place it in a rather unorganized and chaotic way. This can create restless energy and people can feel difficult to relax in such settings. The yoga mat should be non-slippery, soft, and comfortable for lying positions. Placing the yoga mats at the right angle for perfect observation can help to create a good yoga teaching environment.
3. How to arrange yoga mat for perfect observation and correction?
Yoga studios should maintain a clean, visually appealing, and orderly space. Every student should be welcomed to get a retreat from the chaos of the day. To make the environment more positive try playing soothing music in the class. This will help the students to feel comfortable with the surrounding.
Don’t make the class boring. Use humor and sarcasm to make them laugh, extra things to avoid boredom, and a personal connection with each of the students. Introduce yourself to them and tell them to introduce themselves. Interact with every single person there. You need to make the class interactive. Ask them questions so they can avoid confusion. Don’t make your bad mood affect the yoga teaching environment.
The balance of the yoga teaching environment mostly depends upon the teacher. Encourage and support them to get to know one another and make them strong as a union. Use partner poses to build relationships between the students. Sharing the yoga tricks you know will help the students.
4. Mantra chanting to clean the environment
Mantra chanting can also bring positivity to the surrounding. It reduces toxins present in the environment, eliminates our stress, and can support health. It helps to develop one’s mental power withdrawing the senses from the external environment. It also helps to strengthen and ease the physical part of your body.
5. Way to develop a positive vibe in yoga practitioner
People get impressions from the outer world. Be aware of your outlook as it can influence the class energy. Loud colors, a lot of jewelry, and decorations can be kind of distracting during yoga class so wear light and simple clothes during yoga classes.
The yoga teaching environment should be positive and the above ways can make the environment soothing and positive. Overall these tips help to enhance the mindfulness of students. The positive environment there will help to enhance mental and physical capacity so it is very important to create a positive yoga teaching environment.
by Tirtha Acharya | Nov 30, 2020 | Yoga
Yogic Relaxation Techniques
How much are you interested in yogic relaxation? Are you bogged down with the stress and anxiety? For relaxation of mind, body and soul yoga has become an increasingly popular choice. It is a well-known fact that yoga has a wide range of benefits to the human health. If you are looking for answers to the above questions then this article is for you. In this article, we will delve into the ways to relax our mind, body and soul. We will further delve in to the effective relaxation techniques, and benefits of yoga to human health.
1. Full body relaxation
You do not need any sorts of high calorie engulfing yoga techniques to get full relaxation of the body. Yoga nidra is an ancient yet growing techniques, however a little known technique for the yoga practitioners to understand the full body relaxation. Full body relaxation is a special type of yogic relaxation. Full body relaxation is becoming an increasingly popular tool for both meditation as well as mind-body therapy to achieve the state of calmness. The technique is carried out for nearly 35-40 minutes at a time.
2. Tension relaxation
Following are the procedure to practice the tension relaxation.
- You need to focus on your breathe first to achieve the tension relaxation.
- Breathe in a bid to tense the first muscle groups.
- Breathe out to relax the muscles group.
- Practice it as many times.
- This will give you relaxation for at least 10 to 20 seconds before you start working on the next muscle group.
- If you are done with the various muscles groups then do it once again to get the magical benefits.
3. Heart centre yoga nidra
A special type of yoga nidra is called heart centre yoga nidra is one of the popular yogic relaxation process. In this space both love and spirit are connected. Heart is the place where both love, hatred, ego, trust are centered. The heart is also a nuance centre to experience the spirit, however it requires years of practice to feel the spirit at the centre of heart. Spirit is the place where the layers of sensations are present, and in a bid to experience it you must go beneath to experience them.
4. Subtle body relaxation
In the subtle relaxation techniques, the physical body is allowed to make the deep and better relaxation. If your body is deeply relaxed you achieve the higher level of peace. Your inner consciousness delve further inward and higher consciousness is achieved thus warding off or purging out the unwanted thoughts that plague your mind. By following such things you become powerful in the journey of yoga and feel the bliss of nature.
5. Chakra healing- a great yogic relaxation process
Balance in chakra will keep you calm. However, if there is any sorts of blockage in the chakra then it is obvious that the energy flow will be disrupted and body experience some sorts of physiological and psychological changes that is responsible for imbalance in the body and cause diseases, which might be in the form of disease, imbalance and psychological changes.
The first and foremost step in chakra healing is eating and living healthier lifestyle. You need to start with one chakra and slowly branch to another chakra to keep them calm.
6. Relaxation in daily life
Keeping your eyes away from the social medias.
Setting the goals and trying to achieve them everyday.
Loving thyself
Strolling outside
Sleeping and rising at a proper time
Breathing peace and exhaling peace.
Playing outdoor sports.
7. Sequence of yogic relaxation
First, close your eyes, however, it is not the prerequisite to practice you can also practice meditation with open-eyed.
Inhale peace and exhale the lungs with the air. Breathe out the peace.
Inhale oxygen to the level where your belly and lungs fully expand so that when you breathe out you all the toxic substances also comes out.
Repeat the process.
8. Mental relaxation through auto suggestion
Choose the position that best suits you for yogic relaxation,
Purge out the things that distract you the most.
Do not think about the distractions
Use the imagination techniques to picture a better world.
9. Relaxation with mantra
In this process, the practitioners repeat the same sets of words as a mantra and chanting mantras repeatedly.
What are the Benefits of Yoga Relaxation Techniques?
- Purges out the accumulated tension in your muscles and other parts of the body.
- Helps to increase the creativity of your thinking.
- Plummet anxiety and other sources of stress
- Provide sound sleep
- Increase the capability to learn and enjoy the surrounding.
- Increase the cognitive capacity
- Increase the brainpower
