Although there are many Asanas (8,400,000 according to the scriptures) the practice of the 12 basic yoga postures brings out the essence and all major benefits of this wonderful system.

Read more here: » Yoga Postures: What is Proper Exercise - 12 Basic Yoga Postures

Yoga:

Yoga is an applied science of the mind and body, involving physical, mental and spiritual forms of practice. It comes from the Hindu Vedas (scriptures). Practice and study of it help to bring about a natural balance of body and mind in which the state of health can manifest itself. Yoga itself does not create health; rather, it creates an internal environment that allows the individual to come to his own state of dynamic balance, or health.

Basically, yoga teaches that a healthy person is a harmoniously integrated unit of body, mind and spirit. Therefore, good health requires a simple, natural diet, exercise in fresh air, a serene and untroubled mind and the awareness that main’s deepest and highest self is identical with the spirit of God. As a result, to many devotees, yoga becomes a philosophy that offers instruction and insight into every aspect of life: the spiritual, the mental and the physical.

(See also: Yoga, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

While not moving, a human can be in one of the following main positions. standing; requires sufficient headroom, e.g. it is not possible in a regular car; one can stand freely or lean against a support (a wall, a pole, etc.); sitting; requires a more or less horizontal structure, e.g. a chair or the ground; special ways of sitting are with the legs horizontal, and in an inclined seat; while on a chair the shins are usually vertical, on the ground the shins may be crossed in an "Indian-style" sitting (with a name ...

See also:

Human position, Human position - Basic human positions, Human position - Optimal human positions and balanced erect posture, Human position - Erect Posture as Natural exercise, Human position - Human positions and Posture in society, Human position - Some prominent people noted for erect posture

Read more here: » Human position: Encyclopedia II - Human position - Basic human positions

In alternative medicine, natural health is an eclectic self-care system of "natural therapies" concerned with building and restoring health and wellness via prevention and healthy lifestyles. Natural health includes herbalism, natural hygiene, naturopathy, and nutripathy and these techniques are sometimes viewed to be useful as complementary therapy to conventional medicine. Natural health - History of Natural Health. Although the term natural health did not become part of common usage until the late ...

Including:

• Natural health - History of Natural Health
• Natural health - New World
• Natural health - The Popular Health Movement 1830 - 1840
• Natural health - Antebellum America
• Natural health - Progressive Era of Health Care Reform 1890-1920
• Natural health - The Modern Period
• Natural health - Basic Core Tenets
• Natural health - Natural philosophy
• Natural health - Vitalism
• Natural health - Holism
• Natural health - Individualism
• Natural health - Victim-blaming
• Natural health - Prevention

Read more here: » Natural health: Encyclopedia - Natural health

Practising yoga regularly imparts great benefits, which can be categorized under:

Basic spiritual benefits, Advanced spiritual benefits , Ultimate spiritual benefit, Discover your breath and Free your thoughts.

Read more here: » Yoga: Spiritual Benefits of Yoga

Hatha Yoga deals with physical body and astral body purification and training. Its goal is to bring the physical body into a perfect state of health so the soul has an appropriate vehicle of expression to work through.

Hatha Yoga embraces many practices, including physical postures and breathing exercises ( pranayama ) , which also act upon the physical nervous system and etheric body. It helps bring the vital energies of the physical and etheric bodies under conscious control.

(See also: Yoga Systems, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

During the Spiral Twists yoga position (Ardha Matsyendrasana) your vertebrae are mobilized; the exercises also allow more nourishment to reach the roots of the spinal nerves and the sympathetic nevous system.

Read more here: » Yoga Positions: Spinal Twisting - Yoga Position

 Laya Yoga - The Essence Of All Religion

Yoga is the essence of every religion and is that what all religions have in common. If a man really wants to go deeply into the mystical and spiritual essence of their religion, then he or she comes to practise yoga. We say that yoga is not a religion in a sense of an individual creed or a sect separating from others, we also say that yoga is the substance and profundity of every religion and its inner cult. That is why one can be a member of every religious society and practise yoga. Two rules, or if one prefers, two commandments present in all scriptures such as Veda, Koran or the Bible are as if two angelic, divine wings of the Laya Yoga training. " Be holy because I am Holy" and " Be so perfect as your Heavenly Father is" these are the signs of an authentic, spiritual path of universal life.

Read more here: » Laya Yoga: The Essence Of All Religion - Laya Yoga

It is most unfortunate that in the modern day world Yoga is synonymous with asanas which are further synonymous with exercises. Exercises work from the outer to the inner world, which is not what our Rishis intended. The manifested world is too weak; it's too fragile and limited. Its effects are too short lived.

A Yogi remains healthy and glowing till his death. Paramhansa Yogananda was glowing even till a week before leaving his body. This is not achieved by doing complicated asanas and exercises. It is done by practices which are internal, whilst otheir effects manifest themselves externally. The Mahabandha is one such practice.

Instructions and benefits for:

-       Mool Bandha

-       Uddiyana Bandha

-       Jalandhara Bandha

-       Mahabandha

(See also: Bandhas, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

Does the recent interest exhibited in non-fiction titles such as The Soul of Business, A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America, The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace, The Three-Minute Meditation etc in the US point to the possible evolution of the "enlightened corporate sector"?

Do Indian managers, born in a land that has offered "yoga and meditation" to the world corporate sector (to overcome stress), have the "first-mover advantage"? These are the questions that should interest "enlightened" managers in "progressive" Indian corporations.

(See also: Spirituality at workplace, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Most people use only a fraction of their lung capacity for breathing. They breathe shallowly, barely expanding the ribcage. Their shoulders are hunched, they have painful tension in the upper part of the back and neck, and they suffer from lack of oxygen. They should learn the full Yogic breathing.

Read more here: » Yoga Positions: Proper Breathing - Yoga Position

Suryanamaskar is the salutation to Sun God which is one of the major sources of prana in this creation. Prana being "The Force" in the universe, that which is responsible for creation, maintenance and transformation in the physical.

The sun's energy vibrates at innumerable frequencies manifesting in the physical as various food/ prana for various living things like trees, leaves, animals, humans etc.

Instructions and benefits for:

-       Surya Pranam Asana

-       Hasta Uthaan Asana

-       Padhasta Asana

-       Ashwa Sanchalan Asana

-       Parvat Asana

-       Ashtanga Namaskar

-       Bhujang Asana

(See also: Suryanamaskar, Yoga, Yoga and Health, Yoga Systems, Yoga Positions)

The word riyaz has its origins in r iyazat, which implies ibadat, bandagi, bhakti or devotion. If riyaz is performed with a spirit of devotion, the exercise becomes ibadat. But while r iyaz is rather mechanically equated with practice or exercise, the all-important difference is one of spirit. Riyaz is to achieve that which has not been achieved so far. For that, the student has to struggle with faith.

In the initial stages one might be less than sure whether one is correct in what one is doing. But that is the struggle! In the absence of faith, one's riyaz will be filled with doubt. Faith is of great importance in r iyaz . Practice with a doubt-ridden mind will achieve little.

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

Can someone actually change his or her nature? Suppressing one'sindividuality is not change. Without an awareness and understanding of the needs of body, mind and soul, the concept of change is no more than a hallucination.

Every individual is like a deep, fathomless ocean with priceless treasures hidden within. These treasures may be likened to basic human qualities which everyone possesses. But, bad experiences, unhealthy habits, negative thought processes, diverse conditioning, neglect and misconceptions born of misinformation are like perilous sea weeds that tend to stifle and choke emotional areas, jeopardising the possibility of manifesting these basic qualities in a wholesome and fulfilling manner.

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

 The Tarot cards operate on many levels, describing both internal developments (emotions, thoughts, intuitive feelings) and external ones (actions and physical events). Think of the complete Tarot as a map where each card represents a different piece of a jigsaw puzzle. This puzzle symbolizes the wide variety of possibilities and experiences available to us all.

Read more here: » Tarot: Introduction to Tarot

Vedic Astrology: Vedic Astrology and Physical Health

Everyone is concerned with their health as well they should be. If you do not maintain your body properly then disease naturally has an open door to enter. Many of us put the emphasis on our physical health nowadays but, unless you have good mental & emotional health, you will still not feel whole or healthy. Even if you take care of your body and also study to develop a healthy mind, you will still feel incomplete without developing spiritual health In the eternal scheme of things we are spirit, not matter - with which we seem to constantly identify. How to be healthy spiritually is a matter of grave importance.

Excerpt from "An Introduction to Vedic Astrology" by Howard Beckman

Read more here: » Vedic Astrology: Vedic Astrology and Physical Health

No religion in this world preaches violence; yet down the ages horrible killings have taken place in the name of religion. Why? There is no simple answer to this question. Perception definitely has a role in this.

The fault somehow always seems to lie with the other religion. Could it be that we perceive other ideologies with bias or ignorance? Perhaps this explanation would have made sense in the dark ages when distance made communication very difficult. Today, it's different - there is free flow of information. There is a great deal of intermingling and intercourse between individuals and communities across the world. Outwardly there appears to be no reason for any acrimony to exist on the basis of one's faith, yet not only does irascibility exist, it is getting to be more pronounced.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Often what you call success is judged by others as failure. This was G D Birla's philosophical reply to reporters who asked him to comment on his success in building one of the largest business houses in the country.

When you look back and attempt to analyse what you really achieved in life and whether you could call yourself successful, you will find that you are unable to define "success". That's because with every new stage in life, your perception of success changes.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

The institution of Haj in Islam is quite extraordinary. Haj is the fifth among the five pillars of Islam. The other four are Kalimah, Namaz, Zakat and Roza. The word Haj means 'resolve' and in religious terms it refers to the resolve to visit a holy place. Believers from all over congregate at the holy city of Mecca and perform the rituals prescribed by Islam.

(See also: Haj, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

All the pleasure and pain we experience from worldly matters disturb us. We become restless. To really enjoy life, we must learn to control the mind. Dhyana or meditation has been described by our shastras as the ideal way to exercise mind control. When we sit in absolute silence and are free from thought, we will feel enormous energy swell within us.

Dhyana is: Doing nothing. Nothing is done in this technique; even all thoughts are kept aside. We can feel the internal energy, and we become internally strong. The state of dhyana is the meeting point of the internal and external world. The ancient trikal sandhya is the basic background of dhyana.

(See also: Dhyana, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)