The universal definition of yoga is to connect with the supreme power. Likewise, the literal meaning of yoga is union. Yoga can have a varied definition and sometimes be contradictory also. Many literatures has clearly illustrated that yoga is of four types. The first one is Mantra yoga, followed by Hatha yoga, Laya yoga, and Rajayoga.
The literal meaning of Laya is suspension from the materialistic world. Laya yoga helps you to put your attention and energy to the higher consciousness. By practicing Laya yoga you become connected with the supreme energy through which you thoroughly enjoy the bliss of nature. Likewise, the creativity and the consciousness come into action without being distracted from any sort of attachment and consciously bringing the awareness to the self.
What is Laya Yoga?
The form of yoga where we put our concentration in the center of the chakras. Altogether, there are seven energy centers, which are also called chakras. Laya yoga helps in channelizing the energy centers with the help of the power of meditation, which is located in the spin and the head and keeping you healthy and hearty.
With the practice of Laya yoga, you obliterate all the bad karmas you have accumulated in your life. Likewise, those who practice Laya yoga dissolve all the egos attached to them, and slowly shift towards the higher consciousness daily.
The nature of Laya Yoga
Laya yoga helps you to internalize and accumulate the dispersed energy inside your body by practicing laya yoga meditation. Energy, which is also, called Prana moves in a certain way and your 7 chakras get activated in your body. While in other forms of meditation or yoga you channelize the mind, or the twist and bend your body, not both. However, in Laya yoga, you channelize the Kundalini in your body and attain the peace and harmony in your life.
Kundalini must be opened through the practice of meditation or dhyana. Furthermore, the prana gets activated through the Pranayama or yoga allowing the positive energy dispersed in the whole body.
The goal
Just like any other form of yoga, Laya yoga also focuses on attaining a higher consciousness with Pranayama and meditation. Thereby preventing any sort of fluctuation of the mind.
How to practice
Be in a comfortable position. Upright your spine. Gently pull the root lock and neck lock of the body. Keep you both eyes closed and see your third eye point. Keep your left hand in the Gyan Mudra and rest them on the left knee. Now practice Anolom bilom, by first closing the right nostril with the thumb and repeating the same with the others. Keep breathing for a longer period. Continue the process for the next couple of minutes.
While practicing Laya yoga you need to do some visualization of the areas of the body. Scan the body starting from the head and ending to the tip of the toe. Feel the movement of the prana from one position to another just like the circulation happens in your body.
Change your hands if you feel exhausted. It takes time to be inured to practice. Practice with the alternate nostrils for the next couple of minutes. Inhale peace along with the air. And relax in the intermittent.
Benefits
– Awakens your internal energy
– Cleanse the mind, body, and soul.
– Helps to uplift the consciousness of the human being
We are familiar with the concept that yoga provides the human body with much-needed exercise and mental well-being. What we are not familiar with is the use of different muscle groups that enable us to achieve the said result. In this blog, we shall flow through the various muscles contraction in yoga workout that makes your yoga successful.
1. Isotonic contractions
An isotonic contraction is such in which the tension is virtually the same but the length of the muscle changes. An isotonic contraction is different from an isokinetic contraction in the sense that in isokinetic, the spread of muscle does not change. Furthermore, the isotonic contraction falls under two categories called concentric and eccentric.
a) Concentric contraction
The shortening of the muscle is known as concentric contraction. This movement is very common in numerous yoga workouts and other exercises. You might be wondering what this muscle contraction in yoga workoutmeans. Fret not, as we shall explain this to you. For example, the standard bicep curl is a great example of concentric contraction.
The movement commences with the arm perfectly stretched. As the bicep contracts, its end heeds close to bend the elbow and bring the hand close to the chest. The idea behind concentric contraction is that the muscle generates more strength than the object. This strength enables the arm to pick the barbell/dumbbell.
b) Eccentric contraction
Another important muscle contraction in yoga workoutis eccentric contraction. It takes place when the muscle ends to move away from one another during the period of contraction. We shall look at the same bicep curl example as before. When the biceps contract, the triceps lengthen simultaneously. Many people are under the impression that the triceps are relaxed but that is not the case.
In this muscle contraction, the muscles are generating less force in comparison to the resistance. Because less force is generated, it allows the biceps to perform its functions and bring the hand closer to the chest.
2. Isometric contraction
The isometric muscle contraction is prevalent when the muscle ends stay at the same distance from each other. Let’s use the bicep exercise as our standard example in this case too. Assume that you keep the hand in a steady position for a few moments before releasing it. On the top, the muscles neither elongate nor shorten. They remain static. This muscle contraction in yoga workout in which the muscle is static is the isometric contraction.
MUSCLE CONTRACTION AND YOGA
While practicing yoga, we hold poses for longer durations. As a result, our muscles tend to develop isometrically. For the muscle to progress eccentrically and concentrically, the body needs to transition through various poses. You might be wondering, ‘Do we do that?’ I’ll provide you some examples which will shed some light on that matter.
When you progress from a plank to a push-up position, you move from being static to active.
Moving up and down while staying in a chair pose.
Practicing one pose after the other
There are various poses in yoga that allows you to train your muscles. It is up to you to generate the required strength, conditioning, and leverage to experience muscle contraction in yoga workout.
HOW TO CHECK IF YOU ARE ACTIVATING MUSCLE
If you are a yogapractitioner, then here are some key points that you should consider while practicing yoga. By considering these points, you will gain an idea about how to experience muscle contractions.
Check whether you are thoroughly moving your joints
Do you experience any hindrances while using your joints?
Are there any blank points in your yoga?
Identify the methods and tools that you can use to fill these gaps.
Well, these are the key points that you need to know about muscle contraction in yoga workout. We hope that after reading this, you will greatly improve your yoga.
Yogic power & some Mysterious activities done through Yoga in ancient/ modern time
Many people imagine that yoga is all about bending and twisting the body, as it is what Medias shows to people. However, yoga is more than bending and twisting the body, yoga focuses on going inward and concentrating on the thoughts in the subtle level, to achieve the extraordinary things in life. Many ancient yogis and modern yogis describe yogic power as the ability to evoke out the hidden potential with the human being.
There are umpteen of yoga teaching and practices available throughout the world. In a bid to evoke out the yogic power within the self, it is of utmost importance to choose the congenial yoga practices in your life. Yogis have attained beyond the limitations of the human being by cultivating yoga in their daily routine thus evoking out the yogic power. Many works of literature blatantly say that no human being has not attained the full potential of their mind, body, and soul. Yoga is the superpower that acts as a catalyst to go beyond the mortal power and evoke the mystic or yogic power.
In this article, we will delve into mysterious things that have been done in the past through yogic power by the rishis and maharishis.
Survive on air through yogic power
Pranayama is what yogis’ resort to nullify the physical nourishment. Yogis strongly believe that the human body is the mirror of the minds and there is no need to depend on the foods to survive for a few days. However, how could this become a reality? Yogis depend on the simple principle of going into deep relaxation by subsiding breathe. By practicing such a mind slowly starts to become less aware of human consciousness, time, and energy. For instance, people resorting to such starts to feel the hours of meditation seem only of a few minutes or seconds.
The simple principle of avoiding the physicality by plummeting the metabolic activity can do some magic thus results in low physical activity and thus slow pulse rate and respiration. In such states, the body does not require any sorts of physical nourishments.
Some yogis like Yogi Prahlad Jani had lived for more than 70 years without resorting to foods and drinking. There is a lot of documentary on Yogi Prahlad Jani to verify his claim. So, the yogic power is amazing. Start follow the yoga path from today.
Acquaintance with the past lives
Yogis know past lives too. Due to the simple, yet inquisitive questions like ‘WHO AM I?’ WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MY LIFE? WHY DID I COME TO THIS EARTH? and the quest to answer takes the spiritual journey to the interesting mode of knowing the past lives. Nevertheless, it requires a high level of concentration and the ability to bestow time, energy, and focus. Using the spiritual practices, which they follow religiously, takes them beyond the physicality that ultimately amazes the normal human being with the truth.
Embracing death with the exactness of time
Did you know a seasoned yogi could choose the time to leave this mortal coil? Death is inevitable truth and seasoned yogis can take control of the time and place of their death in a bid to attain the Mahasamadhi. They could consciously leave the mortal coil. Some of the prominent Yogis in the past have left their mortal coil consciously. The list includes Yogi Paramahansa Yogananda and many others.
Control over nature through yogic power
Yogis have supernatural power to take control over not only their thoughts and imagination but also to nature. The superconscious of seasoned yogis can evoke out the super yogic power at focusing on the inside world, and steadily shifting out of the 5 senses to the supernatural power. Thus, giving them the power to take control of their mind and the surrounding.
Living for a longer period
There are many instances where yogis have lived for more than 100 years. Many works of literature claim that Himalayan yogis have lived for more than 150 years and this is all possible due to the yogic power. For instance, Devraha Baba has lived for more than 150 years.
Defying gravity
Yogis can defy gravity and can levitate in the air for a longer period. This is possible due to the supply of oxygen to every cell through Pranayama. The experience of feeling light comes into action after being oxygenated thoroughly. Certain works of literature that claim yogis can levitate for hours on end.
Yogis can tolerate extreme temperatures
In the past, Yogi has been able to meditate for months in extreme weather conditions. Yogis meditate at high altitudes and they are not affected by the cold conditions. It is all possible due to the yogic power. Yogis can take control of their minds and body also. They can control to the extent that they can regulate their body temperature to tolerate the extremities.
Yogis can heal the wounds without suffering much by means of yogic power
The literal meaning of word Samadhi in Yoga is bliss or enlightenment. The state of Samadhi in Yoga is also called the ultimate position in the voyage of Yoga. Likewise, Samadhi is called the final or the eight limb in the Patanjali or Yoga Sutra. When a person reaches the state of Samadhi his or her consciousness reaches to the state where he sees only better. It is the highest level of dhyana. Furthermore, only a few yogis who has been practicing yoga for longer period reach this state. Samadhi in yoga is taught by various yogic schools throughout the world.
When a person reaches the state of Samadhi then he can attach and detach whenever he wants. At the state of Samadhi in Yoga, he can thoroughly understand himself. Many yogis describes Samadhi in Yoga as the state which cannot be explained in the words and thus an individual who wants to attain the state of Samadhi in Yoga much practice to reach the ultimate yogic state. While some Yogis says that Samadhi is the blissful state where the individual connects himself with the whole universe.
How to practice?
Samadhi has been compared with meditation. Just as the meditation happens spontaneously, Samadhi also happens in a similar way. It cannot be practiced. When you become seasoned in Samadhi, it happens automatically without putting any efforts. The first state of Samadhi is putting concentration efforts also called Dharana. By practicing some time you can be a seasoned Samadhi yoga practitioners.
Dharana is another prerequisite to achieve Samadhi in Yoga. We build up concentration by practicing Dharana. In contrast, Dhyana helps you to de-focus and aids you to relax effortlessly. Through Samadhi, you can change from one state to another consciously. You put Dhyana at one time after practicing a few minutes you totally absorb and enjoy the blissfulness of the meditation.
In yoga, the experience of the vastness is the pined for the real world.
It is classified “Brahman” in Hinduism; anyway to a great extent Parabrahman, now and then Parashiva and now and again Parameshwara are additionally utilized. Regardless of what it is called, it is the experience of everything. That is the explanation Patanjali called it “Kaivalya”, “alone”. There is not much, near, or outside of it. It is all that is, was or ever will be. The ten kinds of samadhi are the progressive stages one must experience in moving from the general presence of our waking attention to the state of inconceivability, or Kaivalya.
Various kinds of Samadhi in Yoga
The Few sorts of Samadhi in yoga are:-
Sabija Samadhi – As the name recommends, it is the Samadhi ‘with the seed’. It implies that there is an object of contemplation. The object of reflection is called pratyaya. There are 2 sorts of Sabija Samadhi:-
Samprajatna Samadhi – In this Samadhi the searcher is caught up in Pratyaya at a solitary degree of cognizance. Saprajatna Samadhi can happen at every one of the four degrees of awareness. The four states are:-
Savitarka Samadhi – Vitarka is the cognizance of particulars
Savicara Samadhi – Vicara is the cognizance of the worldview
Ananda – The cognizance of examples among standards, where one reflected on more over the examples than the worldview.
Asmita – This is characterized as the awareness of unity. There are no differentiations between the phases of mindfulness in this cognizance.
Asamprajatna Samadhi – This is the condition of moving starting with one level then onto the next of awareness. The four phases of progress are as per the following:-
a) Nirvitarka – vitarka to vicara
b) Nirvichara – vicara to Ananda
c) Ananda to Asmita
d) Asmita to Nirbija Samadhi
Nirbija Samadhi – It is the Samadhi ‘without a seed’. It is the most elevated type of Samadhi and leads straightforwardly to Dharma Megha Samadhi.
Dharma Megha Samadhi – It is the most remarkable sort of Samadhi. It is the condition of going out of the universe of relative happenings and environmental factors and progressing into Kaivaly
It is a universal truth that yoga practice aids to keep you fit and healthy. The more interesting fact about yoga is if we practice yoga at the right time then the benefits will be humongous. If you practice, yoga just after waking up you will see the awesome benefits the whole day. Furthermore, if you practice yoga just before hitting the bed or do the nighttime yoga you will feel other benefits like peaceful and serene deep sleep because you will be able to release everything that you have hold be the grudges or the physical strenuous activities all will sink if you practice some bedtime yoga before sleep.
Many scientific researchers have shown that yoga practitioners become relaxed if they practice yoga before sleep whose ramification is the quality sleep as well as long time. Those individuals who are suffering from insomnia or have very constrained time to sleep get hugely benefitted if they practice light yoga.
Important postures during sleep time: There are certain specific poses that must be practiced with care because at nighttime we are doing yoga after having dinner. Therefore, usually, it is not recommended to do a complex form of yoga, but the easy yoga that helps to keep you fit and healthy.
Benefits of practicing nighttime yoga or bedtime yoga
Your night sleep will be serene and calm with nighttime yoga
It is normal for the body to be stressed out by working the whole day long continuously for a longer period. However, there are remedies to come out of the worry and anxieties that build up in our mind and muscles—the best remedy is practicing mindfulness breathing and imaginative meditation. These techniques practiced with care helps to subdue the stress and purge out negativity from our thoughts.
Negative thoughts are the root cause of making our sleep uneasy. If there are no negative toxic thoughts in our mind we fall asleep right away in a jiffy. Nighttime Yoga and meditation are the pills to help you reach the serene state of mind and keep away from negativity and spring positivity, overall it gives good night sleep and calm the mind.
Another way of being mindful is following you breathing, this technique is also called Sudarshan Kriya, where you focus on your breathe and ultimately reap being de-stressed and also lowers blood pressure. Anxious kids or adults with high anxiety usually do not sleep easily, to them this technique is handy and many are reaping benefits as well.
Practicing yoga will limit the time to use mobile before hitting bed
Using mobile phones or laptop computers are baneful as they stall your sleep. The stimulating lights emitted from the electronic devices make you active even at the time of sleeping. The blue light stimulates the hormone called cortisol, which is a stress hormone that keeps you awake longer than usual. Therefore, it is usually recommended to practice mindfulness and other light yoga techniques instead of indulging in the TV or going online.
Aches and Pains gets reduced
By nighttime yoga, physical pain can also be reduced. The back pain, which usually occurs by doing work for the whole day cannot only be cured using painkillers but also through using yoga and meditation techniques. The blood circulation increases by doing some light exercises before sleep. The harmful toxins and chemicals are purged out if we practice yoga and meditation on a regular basis.
The basis for the next day is prepared
The sound sleep keeps you active for the whole day, whereas disturbed sleep does not allow you to concentrate for a longer period.
Yoga is the ultimate truth, which ushers the practitioners to self-realization through long-term practice. Among many yoga organizations offering various forms of yoga techniques, which are present in today’s world, an organization named Isha Yoga foundation was established in 1992 by Jaggi Basudev in Coimbatore, India he is also popularly known as Sadhguru among his 9 million followers.
The tradition of yoga is not an inchoate path but a complete way that leads to a peaceful and calm state. The isha foundation is defined as the comprehensive system that incorporates the ancient and modern science behind the yogic philosophy and present with valid reasoning and proper analytics among the ardent disciples as well as followers who are connected to the Isha foundation through the social media platform.
Inner engineering program
The profound knowledge of yoga and meditation is morphed into tangible steps towards the inner growth of the individuals. Sadhguru himself through the information and experience he had gleaned through developed the inner engineering program that springs the inner growth of the individual and helps in inner growth. Many people, mostly those who have experienced the bliss and peace through the practice of Isha yoga claim that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to know own self through the practice of Isha yoga under the guidance of the living realized master of this time.
What is taught in Isha Foundation?
Just like any other yoga center yoga is the main component, similarly, at Isha Yoga Foundation the core of doing yoga is learning yoga through experience is the main component. The course offered by the Isha Foundation aids in knowing thyself in such a way that life’s vitality increases by leaps and bounds, practitioners claims. Unlike, other forms of yoga, you do not need to leave your family and house to join the movement of the Isha Foundation, however your spiritual life runs smoothly by remaining and enjoying your family and social responsibilities. Likewise, you will be able to gain personal growth and become highly conscious of time, energy, and space through the self-realization process in Isha yoga.
Isha Foundation runs many yoga programs that do not only include the arduous poses but also incorporate simple ideas like maintaining good postures, affirming that you are not body and mind, but energy, meditation, and other powerful ways of transforming the inner energy through the inner engineering program. In a bid to practice the small yet life-transforming work you do not need to have years of experience or knowledge about Isha yoga, a novice with can-do ability can easily practice this yoga form.
Keeping in mind to help every individual to keep up with the yoga, Isha Foundation has developed powerful yet simple techniques to help inner exploration and build inner strength. Therefore, Isha Yoga programs have touched every one life starting from tribal villagers to the highest earners executives, in which most of them are youths.
Benefits of Isha Yoga
We have compiled the benefits from the input of the Isha yoga practitioners and doing some literature reviews published in the websites and journals:
1.) Helps to relieve anxiety and stress by practicing AUM meditation.
2.) Aids in the stabilization of mind, body, and soul thereby keeping physical and mental health hearty.
3.) Stabilizes the whole system of the body.
4.) Energizes the body and the soul through the practice.
5.) Deceleration of the aging of the human body.
6.) Isha yoga Helps to reduce hypertension and keeps the blood pressure of the human in a normal level.
7.) Opening of the third eye of the human and seeing the next dimension of life.
