Since it’s debut as a celebrity exercise regime, many Westerners have come to view Yoga as a cool way to lose weight and tone up. But the practice of Yoga is an ancient tradition closely associated with the Hindu religion.

According to many practitioners, Yoga is the belief that positive things such as peace and health and happiness are within in every single human being, and that focussing the mind and body and exercising discipline can result in great clarity and wellbeing.

Some say the art of Yoga goes back more than 2000 years, but one thing is certain - practicing Yoga can be good for both the body and the mind.

Relaxation is a key part to living longer and healthier and there are many ways to achieve this, and Yoga is documented to be one of the most effective methods.

Hatha Yoga (Physical Yoga) is one such style that has been made popular by celebrity practitioners such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna. It is often referred to as “power yoga” because it involves running through poses extremely quickly in order to cash in on their physical benefits, to which toning and strengthening are key.

Hatha has been criticised because it is divorced from the other, more spiritual, branches of Yoga.

In an interview with Time Magazine, Yoga enthusiast Christie Turlington has claimed that many people who practice Hatha are just in it for the “Yoga Body” (read: good bum) that celebrities pontificate about.

But there are numerous other types of Yoga out there, split in five main groups.

Traditional Yoga practices focus on integration of the mind, body and spirit. In order to achieve this the Yoga student needs to balance their actions, intelligence and emotion. Balance is attained through regulation of the body with Yoga poses and regulation of the mind through meditation and focussing the mind.

In India, where Hindu is one of several dominate religions, the most common branch of Yoga is Bhakti.

Bhakti is the Yoga of devotion. It is directly related to Hindu spirituality because it encourages the Yoga student to become “one” by devoting themselves to Brahma - the Hindu got of creation. Bhakti aims to open the student’s mind to acceptance and love and harmony with oneself and world.

Raja Yoga encourages the practitioner to focus on mastering themselves as a conduit for mastering the extended world. Most Raja students are members of religious or spiritual orders.

Jnana Yoga is all about mastering the mind. Jnana students believe that wisdom and intelligence are the highest virtues. They are open to other religions and beliefs because they’re practices are based on logic and students are encouraged to always keep an open mind.

Karma Yoga is exactly what you think it is. As J.T. says, what goes around, comes around baby. And Karmic Yoga students are encouraged to think and act justly so that they will receive their dues.

Despite popular misconceptions Tantric Yoga is not all about sex. It focuses on allowing the student to find the divine element of every experience. Humility and devotion are large aspects of Tantric Yoga.

There are benefits other than the physical to be gained through practicing Yoga. It’s easy to see from the list above that mental health is high on the agenda of every branch of Yoga. General mental health benefits of Yoga include relaxation and stress relief, which as most people know can lead to a longer life.

One of the best things about Yoga is that you need no equipment to begin a session. Some practitioners recommend mats to avoid bruising the spine and other parts of the body, but they are not a necessity by any means. Yoga is also low impact and can be enjoyed by all age groups from young children to the elderly, and because of its slow pace you don’t have to be super fit to take part either.

Yoga students report a more positive outlook on life, better sleeping patterns and higher concentration levels. Yoga can also be beneficial to those suffering serious illness, bringing together mental and physical elements to help patients suffering from cancers and heart disease.

Yoga Positions (Asanas)

Tree - Improves balance and co-ordination

Triangle - Improves balance and co-ordination

Cobra - Stretches pelvic muscles and strengthens the back

Lotus - Improves meditative state

       

What is Zen?
Well, Zen is… Sorry, it’s not that easy. As anyone who has looked into Zen knows, attempting to define Zen is like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands. It immediately wriggles between your fingers and slips away. The more you seek it, the harder it is to find. To say Zen is freedom, fluidity or perfection is a start. However, to say Zen is the reflection of the moon in a mountain stream just leaves us scratching our heads. Zen is right here, right now. Zen is this moment of existence. It is action without thought. It is thought and action as one. It is action before reaction. Zen is Zen…though I know that’s not helpful.

The roots of Zen are based in ancient Chinese philosophy. The Chinese word for Zen is ch’an. In Sanscrit, the ancient language of India, it is dhyana, which can be roughly translated as pure human spirit. It can be imagined as the integration of the disparate aspects of the self into one complete and divine being. Zen was eventually brought to Japan where it was elaborated and “perfected” by the Japanese samurai. It is the foundation of the Bushido code, the way of the warrior. The samurai, who lived their lives at the edge of a sword and could die at any moment, were taught to concentrate on and immerse themselves in the here and now in order to connect with the fundamental core of their being. It helped them develop the powers of concentration, self-control, awareness and tranquility. If they approached each battle as if it were their last, they would be able to have every part of their being at their disposal.

Zen itself has no theory. It is not meditation. It is not thinking. It is not not-thinking. It is not something you learn. It is simply something you are. To practice Zen is to live fully and completely, not in the past or the future, but right here and right now. Zen is, in fact, the reflection of the moon in a mountain stream. It does not move, only the water flows by. Zen implies a contemplative, mystical element to the process of self-discovery. Zen allows, and indeed encourages, a deeper exploration into the individual self.

So let us turn now to Yoga. What is Yoga?

Yoga originated in India. The word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit root yug meaning to join together and direct one’s attention. It is the union of the body and mind with our spiritual nature. It is also the union of the individual with the Universal Spirit. It is both the goal and the path to realize that goal. At its most basic, yoga is any practice that can turn its practitioners inward to find and experience their spiritual essence. By doing this, they are able to impact more than just themselves. When one is able to bring their own body, mind and spirit into health and harmony, then they can bring health and harmony to those around them and even to the world as a whole.

In the West, yoga is often considered a purely physical practice. But, in truth, it is much deeper than that. At times, in the study of yoga, the body has been likened to a temple. Yoga teaches the way to treat the body with reverence in order to give the spirit or soul a special place to reside and flourish. While this description is quite true, it is woefully inadequate. Yoga is a complete philosophy of living. It is mental as well as physical, psychological as well as spiritual. It teaches ethical discipline and the proper way of interacting within a society. It also teaches a way to turn inward and explore the inner core of being. There are many different methods of practicing yoga. Some deal mainly with dynamic physical postures, while others concentrate primarily on breathing exercises. In still others, yoga methods are devoted to chanting, reading or worshiping. Finally, some methods focus on deep meditation to help bring a sense of peace and serenity to daily life.

The underlying philosophy of yoga is that of wholeness, wholeness within the individual and wholeness in the individual’s connection to the world. When there is coordination between the body, mind and spirit, wholeness becomes holy: not “holy” in a conventional religious sense, but more of a connection to the divine part of us that exists within. The traditional yoga greeting namas te literally means “the divine within me greets the divine within you.” Very simply, yoga is about harnessing all the various aspects of individual existence and creating unity within. On a grander scale, any spiritual practice or discipline that helps individuals awaken and realize their connection to something larger and more profound than their individual existence can be considered a type of yoga practice.

So that brings us to Zen Yoga. Zen Yoga is a holistic system that unites all aspects of the human self by meeting the fundamental needs of physical health, mental clarity and spiritual peace. It is a spiritual discipline that is vast and profound.

It is Zen and it is Yoga.

The basis of Zen Yoga is peaceful stretching and breathing exercises of Indian Yogic traditions. It encourages going at your own pace and only doing what is right for you. Everyone is different. We come in all shapes and sizes. Learning how your own body functions is of the utmost importance. Zen Yoga is also based on the energized breathing and moving philosophy of Chinese Qigong (sometimes written Chi Kung) and Tai Chi. Qigong is the ancient Chinese practice of breathing exercises that fills the body with oxygen-rich blood and energy. Tai Chi can be described as moving meditation. Its graceful, flowing movements encourage the circulation of energy. Zen Yoga also incorporates the mental serenity achieved through Zen meditation. Learning to calm the myriad thoughts that are continuously vying for attention within the mind allows us to think more clearly and with greater insight. But, most assuredly, Zen Yoga is much more than a set of physical exercises. Through the integration of body, mind and spirit, Zen Yoga creates flexibility, health, vitality and peace of mind.

The pace of modern life is characterized by hectic social and economic activity. We generate stress in our daily lives as our concentration is fractured and our energy is sapped. Exercise is put on the back burner because we are so caught up in all of the other things that are demanding our attention. Zen Yoga seeks to reverse this flow.

Its benefits include:
• Stress relief
• Increased will power
• Improved concentration
• Improved blood circulation and release of toxins and impurities from the body
• Toning and strengthening of muscles
• Mindfulness
• More restful sleep
Even more important, by bringing into balance proper and effective breathing, movement, and deep relaxation practices, we can become aware of and learn to access the natural energy of the universe, called Chi or Prana.

Practicing Zen Yoga is not meant to be an aggressive or rigorous physical workout. Instead, it seeks to challenge you to realize your own potential by stretching, moving and breathing at your own pace. There are no comparisons with how well other people can do the exercises. If you are doing your best, that is the best way of doing it. It is not a competition. It is not a contest. It is simply a way to feel better and better, to be happy and healthy, and to enjoy life to the fullest. Deep within each of us lies the potential for perfection. This potential is spiritual in nature and is often blocked or displaced by the difficulties we face in life. Zen Yoga offers the opportunity to become aware of that spiritual essence and give it the nourishment it needs to grow and flourish. Zen Yoga is not about what you can’t do. It has been designed to be accessible to anyone regardless of his or her level of fitness or spiritual development. The most important challenge comes from within. Most of us are seeking more from life. Unfortunately, life itself often gets in the way of our search. Zen Yoga offers an opportunity to get to know the self…to feel happy, healthy and alive.

       

Even though the world population has shifted from mainly rural to mainly urban in the last decade, there are still lots of folks like me who live in the sticks. Doing things like taking a yoga class becomes a different thing in our case from driving to the neighborhood gym. Since He live 40 miles from the nearest town large enough for yoga studios, when He decided to take a class, He was more interested in the schedule than He was the type of yoga. He couldn’t afford to be picky if He preferred not to wait around for a couple hours after getting off work. So He looked in the phone book, and didn’t pay attention to anything but the schedule. There it was: M-W-F at 4:00. Perfect. He don’t know what rock He’d been living under, but the word “Bikram” writ large across the ad in the yellow pages didn’t trigger the term ‘hot yoga’ in my mind, and that left me in for a big surprise.

He showed up with a comfy pair of sweatpants and a long- sleeved t-shirt. As the woman at the desk was giving me a little orientation information - explaining that the room was heated to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit - He realized that my concept of yoga clothes weren’t going to work here. Apparently, He wasn’t the first to make this error. Susie told me they had loaners. Now, it’s been a while since the last time He wore hot-pants, so when she handed me the little scrap of shorts, He thought, “No way.” She said, “Trust me, you’ll fit right in.”

Susie continued, giving a few more orientation tips, which started to seem like a set of warnings. “Our first-time students are encouraged to rest whenever you feel you should - kind of take it gradually. The instructors just ask that you do your best to stay in the room for the entire time.” What? Were we still talking yoga here? He’d seen pictures. Sure, He might not be able to balance on one leg while holding the other one over my head at my first try, but come on. How hard could it be to stretch as far as He could go and stop there? Why would He get desperate to leave the room?

Her next suggestion: “OK, He see you brought a bottle of water. That’s good, but you’ll be tempted to drink a lot, and He recommend you just drink sips - not too much at a time.” Hmm. What was He getting into here? It sounded like He was facing some kind of ordeal - not what He had in mind at all since He was thinking of yoga as a peaceful, low- impact way just to stretch and keep my aging body flexible and strong.

Once He was dressed in the little bit of shorts, He opened the door to the yoga studio and was met with a rush of hot, stultifying air. Oh goody. He walked to an open space, spread my mat, lay on my back, and understood exactly what she meant by asking me to at least stay in the room. He was already dripping sweat, and we hadn’t even begun the class.

Ninety minutes and twice through the 26 poses later, He was indeed still in the room. In the non-competitive, supportive atmosphere He had been completely guided to go to my edge, but not so far that He would be turned off by struggle. In fact, He was exhilarated. He lay on my back at the end, eyes closed in the peaceful, very hot room, and knew He’d be back for more.