AYURVEDA: The ancient Indian science of medicine.

(See also: AYURVEDA, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Ayurveda: A division of the Vedic literature that deals with health, literally "knowledge of the totality of life". Originated in India approximately 3,000 years ago.  It is still a favored form of health care in India. Ayurvedic medicine is both preventive and curative. The preventive part emphasizes the need for a strict code of personal and social hygiene. The curative aspect of Ayurvedic medicine involves the use of herbal medicines, Yoga, and diet.

(See also: Ayurveda, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Maharishi Ayurveda (MAV): The complete, consciousness-based system of natural medicine from the Vedic civilization of ancient India.

(See also: Maharishi Ayurveda (MAV, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Ayurveda and Yoga can be called sister sciences of 'self-healing and self-realisation'. Both evolved from a Vedic background in ancient India, based on the same philosophy, sharing many practices. Ayurveda, the 'yogic form of healing', is aimed at bringing us back into harmony with our true Self or Atman . The great Ayurvedic teacher Charaka defines Ayurveda as the harmony of body, prana , mind and soul. Patanjali defines yoga as controlling the mind in order to realise the Purusha .

(See also: Ayurveda, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Ayurveda: The science of Ayurveda, like the science of Yoga, was inspired and developed by the great masters and seers of ancient India. The origin of Ayurveda and Yoga are common to play a highly complimentary role in spiritual evolution and the maintenance of physical well-being and vitality. Ayurveda is, perhaps, the oldest science of life, a system of diet, healing and health maintenance that is deeply spiritual in origin.

Read more here: » Ayurveda � an introduction - II

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word derived from two roots: ayur, which means life; and veda, which means knowledge. It has its roots in ancient vedic literature. Ayurveda, a system of diet, healing and health maintenance, is probably the oldest science of life, just like the science of Yoga.

Read more here: » Ayurveda � an introduction - I

Although yoga is best used as preventive medicine, some of its practices also have great therapeutic value. They can help those suffering from various difficult physical conditions, like back pain, scoliosis, and arthritis. However, ideally, your yoga practice should be an integral part of your efforts to maintain good health and prevent degenerative diseases.

Read more here: » Yoga: Therapeutic Yoga

Yoga in Daily Life by Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda is a comprehensive system of Yoga with a holistic approach to health, like Ayurveda. The main goal of the Yoga in Daily Life system is to attain and maintain physical health, mental health, social health, spiritual health and eventually achieve Self Realization. Based on the authentic Yoga tradition Yoga in Daily Life contains the pure essence of the original Yoga teachings and was developed specifical ...

Including:

• Yoga in Daily Life - Basic teachings
• Yoga in Daily Life - External link

Read more here: » Yoga in Daily Life: Encyclopedia - Yoga in Daily Life

Yoga when used as a form of alternative medicine is a combination of breathing exercises, physical postures, and meditation, practiced for over 5,000 years. Template:CamMenu In India, yoga is a daily part of life. It is common to see people performing yoga in the morning or speaking about food diets and body therapy entirely based on Yoga or the Hindu healing system of Ayurveda. A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine focused on who used complementary ...

Including:

• Yoga alternative medicine - Overview
• Yoga alternative medicine - Hatha yoga

Read more here: » Yoga alternative medicine: Encyclopedia - Yoga alternative medicine

Swami Dayananda Saraswati (दयानन्‍द सरस्‍वती) was born in Tamil Nadu. He became a swami as a young man and was the assistant to Swami Chinmayananda when he took the initiative to establish Vishwa Hindu Parishad. In 1986, Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, a Gurukula that has branches in India and the United States. Arsha Vidya Gurukulam is an institute for the traditional study of Advaita Vedanta, Yoga, Ayurveda, Jyotish, Sanskrit and other classical Hindu studies ...

Read more here: » Dayananda Saraswati: Encyclopedia - Dayananda Saraswati

Arhatic Yoga is a form of Yoga, developed and taught by Grand Master Choa Kok Sui, that synthesizes in a single discipline all the other paths of yoga. The goal of AY is the achievement of "Arhatship", or "Arhat" status. A good definition is the following: "The Arhat is the Perfected One who has overcome The Three Poisons of Desire, Hatred and Ignorance. At the end of the p ...

Read more here: » Arhatic Yoga: Encyclopedia - Arhatic Yoga

Paschimottanasana literally translated as "intense stretch of the west". A yoga position (or asana) where one sits on the floor with legs flat on the floor, straight ahead. Put your hands flat on the floor and lean slightly forward without bending your knees. ...

Read more here: » Paschimottanasana: Encyclopedia - Paschimottanasana

While Yoga evolved as a spiritual practice, in the West it has grown popular as a form of purely physical exercise. Some Western practice has little or nothing to do with Hinduism or spirituality, but is simply a way of keeping healthy and fit. This differs from the traditional Eastern view of yoga. While it is not always possible (or even desirable) to completely separate "exercise yoga" from "spiritual yoga," this article seeks to concentrate on the former. Yoga as exercise has evolved into numerous subdivisions and variation ...

Read more here: » Yoga as exercise: Encyclopedia - Yoga as exercise

Located near Munger, in India's Bihar State, Bihar Yoga Bharati (BYB) is a yoga institute dedicated to the study of yoga in a gurukul environment. Swami Sivananda first had the vision of a yoga institute when he established the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy in Rishikesh. This inspiration was carried forward by Swami Satyananda, who established Bihar School of Yoga in 1963, followed by the Ganga Darshan complex in Munger. Swami Niranjanananda, with the blessings of his predecessors, founded Bihar Yoga Bharati in 1994 to preserve and regenerate the total scope of yogic science by combining aca ...

Read more here: » Bihar Yoga Bharati: Encyclopedia - Bihar Yoga Bharati

The short film 'Naked Yoga is an attempt to illustrate the practice of yoga in a natural setting. The purpose is to free the body and mind of restrictions, not to sexualise the practice. ( In San Francisco, courts found that George Monty Davis (aka "Naked Yoga Guy") is not committing a crime by practicing naked yoga in a public place.) Naked Yoga - Documentary released in 1974. The plot of this movie includes three young ladies performing yoga, sans clothes, in the open air of Cyprus. Another woman does the same in a studio. Th ...

Read more here: » Naked yoga: Encyclopedia - Naked yoga

Anusara yoga is a modern school of yoga started by John Friend in 1997; it is a hatha yoga with a Tantric philosophy. Friend continues to take an active role leading the expansion of the school and training (and certifying) teachers. The emphasis of the school is on a set of "universal" alignment principles all postures, "heart opening" postures and the spiritual/meditative benefits of hatha yoga. Attainable bliss and joy in practice and everyday life are an important aspect of the underlying philosophy of this school. Many western students ...

Including:

• Anusara Yoga - Opening Invocation

Read more here: » Anusara Yoga: Encyclopedia - Anusara Yoga

Jnana in Sanskrit means "knowledge", and is often interpreted to mean "knowledge of the true self". In the Vedanta school of the Hindu religion, to know Brahman as one's own Self is jnana. To say, "I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness," is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana. Jnana yoga is one of the four bas ...

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The Niyamas are codified as "the observances" in numerous scriptures including the Shandilya and Varuha Upanishads, Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Gorakshanatha, the Tirumantiram of Tirumular and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. All the above texts list ten Niyamas, with the exception of Patanjali's work, which lists only five. They comprise the "shall-do" in our dealings with the inner world. The ten traditional Niyamas are: Hri: remorse, being modest and showing shame for misdeeds; Santosha: contentment; bei ...

Read more here: » Niyama: Encyclopedia - Niyama

Bhujangasana (cobra position) is a hatha yoga position which strengthens the spine; stretches chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen; firms the buttocks; stimulates abdominal organs; helps relieve stress and fatigue; opens the heart and lungs. Traditional texts say that Bhujangasana increases body heat, destroys disease, and awakens kundalini. Step by step: Lie prone on the floor. Stretch your legs back, tops of the feet on the floor. Spread your hands on the floor under your shoulders. Hug the elbows back ...

Read more here: » Bhujangasana: Encyclopedia - Bhujangasana

Dharana is the sixth of the eight steps of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga. Dharana can be translated as "holding steady", and it is the initial step of deep meditation, where the object being meditated upon is held in the mind without consciousness wavering from it. The difference between Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi is that in the former, the object of meditation, the meditator, and the act of meditation itself remain separate. That is, the meditator is conscious that he or she is meditating (that is, is conscious of the act ...

Read more here: » Dharana: Encyclopedia - Dharana