PART 2

YOGA
 Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and
spiritual practices or disciplines that
originated in ancient India, aimed at
INTRODUCTION controlling and stilling the mind, and
recognizing the detached 'witness-
consciousness' as untouched by the
activities of the mind and mundane
suffering. There are a broad variety of the
schools of yoga, practices, and goals in
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and
traditional forms and modern methods of
yoga are practiced worldwide.
 Yoga is first mentioned in the Rigveda and also
referenced in many Upanishads. The first
known formal appearance of the word "yoga",
with the same meaning as the modern term, is
ABOUT in the Katha Upanishad, probably composed
between the fifth and third century BCE. Yoga
continued to develop as a systematic study
and practice during the 5th and 6th centuries
BCE, in ancient India's ascetic, and Sramana
movements. The most comprehensive text on
Yoga, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali date to the early
centuries CE, while Yoga philosophy came to
be marked as one of the six orthodox
philosophical schools of Hinduism in the
second half of the first millennium. Hatha yoga
texts began to emerge between the 9th and
11th century with origins in tantra.
 Yoga has come a long way in the past few years. Take
a look at any studio’s schedule and you’ll see so many
TYPES OF different types of yoga, from ashtanga yoga and
YOGA kundalini yoga to aerial yoga and acro yoga. You might
have even heard about — or tried — some of the more
modern and unusual iterations of the ancient practice:
hip-hop yoga, HIIT yoga, just to name a few.
Yoga practice is thousands of years old. However, it
only arrived in the US in the late 1800s and only firmly
took root within the last few decades. Since then, yoga
has gone from a practice associated with hippies, to
one that’s practiced by nearly 37 million people.
 Sukhasana has a whole inner life that you will
discover with practice. A well-aligned Sukhasana
creates the conditions for a relaxed yet alert state
in both the body and mind. The first alignment
challenge of this pose is to sit with the legs relaxed
SUKHASANA while lifting the spine and opening the chest. You
will make many small adjustments as you work to
distribute your weight evenly over your sitting
bones, to balance your shoulders directly over your
hips, and to align your head on top of your spine.
This takes a surprising amount of core strength,
and so repeated practice will tone the entire
circumference of your torso—front, sides, and
back. As you make all of these small adjustments
directed toward extending the spine, your
attention will gradually draw inward, toward your
heart, allowing you to sit in comfort, with physical
balance and mental poise.
 • Shavasana is performed on the back with the legs
spread as wide as the yoga mat and arms relaxed
to the side, and the eyes closed. The whole body is
relaxed on the floor with an awareness of the
chest and abdomen rising and falling with each

Shavasana breath. During Shavasana, all parts of the body

are scanned for muscular tension of any kind. Any
muscular tension the body finds is consciously
released as it is found. All control of the breath,
the mind, and the body is then released for the
duration of the asana. Shavasana is typically
practiced for 5–10 minutes at the end of an asana
practice, but can be practiced for 20–30 minutes.
• Shavasana is intended to rejuvenate the body,
mind, and spirit. In the pose, the breath deepens,
and the stress of the day is released. The yogi
forgets all other thoughts and surrenders any
psychological effort. While in Savasana, yogis slip
into blissful neutrality and reflect on the practice
 Trikonasana, also called triangle pose, is a
foundational standing pose in yoga that
strengthens and lengthens the hamstrings
TRIKONASANA
and groin while also opening the
shoulders and stretching the hips.
"Trikona” is a Sanskrit word for “triangle,”
while “asana” means “pose.” The
foundational posture is named for the
triangle shape your body makes as you
bring your bottom hand to the floor and
keep your feet grounded during the move.
 Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) is a heart-opening
backbend that stretches your entire upper
body and can provide relief if you’re
experiencing back pain, tightness in your
BHUJANGASANA shoulders, or upper body soreness. Move into
this pose slowly in order to avoid straining
your back, notes yoga teacher Abbie Mood. If
you are coming into this pose from Sphinx
Pose, Mood says you should avoid pushing
your ribs forward. Instead, ensure that the
backbend is evenly distributed throughout
your spine. Your upper back is harder to bend
than your lower back. To open it, think of
lengthening your spine to make more space
between the vertebrae.
 URDHAVA Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute) might
seem like one of easiest poses in yoga at first
glance, but it requires attention and focus.
HASTASANA Upward Salute teaches extension from the
ground up: Lengthen from your side waist
while strengthening your arms and shoulders.
Mindfully explore the opposing forces at play
as you ground down through your feet and lift
your arms above your head. Close your eyes
and feel the strength of your body, knowing
you are fully supported by the ground. Feel
the energy move up and down your spine with
each breath as you stand tall and reach for the
sky.
 • Halasana (Plow Pose), a full-body stretch that
positions your body upside down with your feet
over your head, offers interesting new
perspectives. Practice it before settling into

Halasana
meditation, pranayama, Savasana (Corpse
Pose), or before going to sleep.
• Regular practice of Halasana stretches the
thoracic, lumbar, and cervical regions of the
spine, increasing circulation and suppleness.
This posture can relieve backache, stretch the
shoulders, and lengthen the spine. It can also
reduce phlegm or mucus in the sinuses and
respiratory system, and gradually lengthens and
regulates the breath.
• Carefully done, Plow Pose can release tension in
the neck and throat. But prep and practice with
care to avoid neck strain or injury.
 Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) is a
PASCHIMOTTAN foundational pose that many yoga practitioners breeze
ASANA past. But extending the top half of the body over the
seated lower half helps stretch the entire back of you
body to enhance your physical flexibility. Folding
inward in this way also brings mental calm.
“Forward bends are a struggle for most of us,” says
yoga teacher Barbara Benagh. “Many of the things we
do for fitness, such as running and weight training,
make us strong at the expense of flexibility. Sitting at a
desk all day doesn’t help, either.”
 The name “Chakrasana” comes from the
Sanskrit words “Chakra” which means the
wheel, and the meaning of Asana is
CHAKRASANA “Posture” or “seat”. Chakrasana or the
wheel pose is a backward bending yoga
asana. Chakra in Sanskrit means Wheel.
In Wheel Pose, the final position looks like
a wheel, hence the name. It gives great
flexibility to the spine. It is called
chakrasana since the body takes almost a
wheel-like, semi-circular posture while
performing this asana.
 The word "Pawanamuktasana" is made of
PAWANMUKT two words, ‘Pawan’ which means wind
and ‘Mukta', which translates to release.
ASANA As the name suggests this asana helps in
releasing the accumulated wind in our
stomach and intestines.
Pawanmuktasana helps reduce binge
eating, improves mental health,
regulates bowel movements and assists
in weight loss.
 Padahastasana is also known as Hand to Foot Pose. It is
practiced during the Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation.
It can also release excess Vata (air) from your abdomen
and improve blood circulation.
Stand with the spine erect, feet together and hands
beside the body

PADA HASTASANA Relax your body

Distribute the weight of the body evenly on both feet
Slowly bend forward
While bending forward, imagine that the body has no
bones or muscles
Do not strain or force the body
Place the fingers underneath the toes or catch your
ankles
Relax the back of your neck
Maintain your legs and knees active, they should remain
straight
Take a few deep breaths
 Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) stretches your
entire body—your shoulders and arms, your ankles,
hips, thighs and back. In the pose, the folded legs
GOMUKHASANA are said to resemble a cow’s mouth; the elbows
form the shape of a cow’s ears.

It’s a pose that allows you many opportunities to

explore the symmetry of the body. When you cross
one knee over the other, notice a difference in how
it feels right over left versus left over right. Similarly,
the arm position will tell you instantly if one
shoulder is tighter than the other
 Vajrasana pose is a simple sitting
yoga pose. Its name comes from the
Sanskrit word vajra, which means
VAJRASANA thunderbolt or diamond. For this
pose, you kneel and then sit back
on your legs to take the weight off
your knees. Breathing and
meditative exercises are often done
in this position, which is said to
help your body become as strong as
a diamond.
 Parvatasana or the Mountain pose is part
of the Sun Salutation series of asanas. It
appears as the 4th pose and the 9th pose
in the Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskara.
PARVATASANA In Sanskrit “Parvata’ means mountain.
The pose looks like a mountain from the
sides and hence the name Parvatasana.
Parvatasana can strengthen the wrists
and legs. It also increases the flow of
blood to the head. It gives natural
massage to the heart and lung muscle
and is very useful in relieving the lumber,
spinal, shoulder, knee and ankle pains and
varicose veins.
 Traditionally Fish Pose is
performed with the legs in
MATSYASANA Padmasana (Lotus Pose). Since
Padmasana is beyond the
capacity of most beginning
students, here we’ll work
either with the knees bent, feet
on the floor, or with the legs
straight pressed against the
floor
 Though Tadasana (Mountain Pose) might
seem simple, it is actually a deeply vital
foundational pose for your yoga practice. It is
considered the baseline for the many other
standing poses in yoga, so correctly learning
TADASANA this posture is essential. There's actually a lot
to pay attention to in this seemingly
straightforward pose. In Tadasana you stand
upright with your feet facing forward parallel
to each other. Your hips, knees, and ankles
should stack evenly over one another. Check
the position of your pelvis. Is it level with the
tailbone in a neutral position following the
natural curve of the spine? Because this pose
requires you to keep the shoulders open and
down, away from the ears, it serves to
improve posture. The empowering nature of
Tadasana also enhances stability and
promotes self-esteem and inner strength.
 While modern media and advertising
BENEFITS OF may have us think that yoga is all about
physical poses, the entirety of yoga
YOGA includes a wide range of contemplative
and self-disciplinary practices, such as
meditation, chanting, mantra, prayer,
breath work, ritual, and even selfless
action.
The word “yoga” comes from the root
word “yuj,” which means “to yoke” or “to
bind.” The word itself has numerous
meanings, from an astrological
conjunction to matrimony, with the
underlying theme being connection.
 In 2016, two of yoga’s leading organizations, Yoga
Journal and Yoga Alliance, conducted a worldwide
survey looking at a variety of statistics about
yoga in an attempt to quantify its value amid
FLEXIBILITY ever-increasing popularity.
The most cited reason people selected for doing
yoga was to “increase flexibility”.
Flexibility is an important component of physical
health. Yoga offers many styles to choose from,
varying in intensity from high to moderate to
mild. Even the lowest intensity styles have been
found to increase flexibility
 The American Psychological
Association recently shared that
84% of American adults are
feeling the impact of prolonged
STRESS RELIEF stress.

So, it makes sense that the

second most cited reason people
selected as to why they do yoga
was to relieve stress. Thankfully,
the science supports that yoga,
and especially asana, is excellent
at reducing stress
IMPROVES Major depressive disorder (MDD) is
MENTAL thought to be one of the most common
mental health disorders in the world.
HEALTH A 2017 meta-analysis of 23 interventions
looking at the effects of yoga-based
treatments on depressive symptoms
overwhelmingly concluded that yoga can
now be considered an effective alternative
treatment for MDD.
Both movement-based yoga therapies and
breathing-based practices have been
shown to significantly improve depressive
symptoms
 INCREASES
STRENGTH
Yoga is a strength-based practice. It excels at using your body weight to
make you stronger and increase muscle tone. Unlike weight training regimes
that isolate movements, yoga is a whole-body workout. It builds strength you
can use in your everyday activities.
flexibility gets a lot of the attention. People focus on the stretching aspect of
the practice, similar to other disciplines like gymnastics and dance. However,
in all three cases, strength is a foundational principle. Gymnasts, dancers,
and yogis are incredibly strong
BY :- SAHIL CHAUHAN