Yoga Poses As Olympic Sport

Rajashree Choudhury, who founded USA Yoga, will be holding the National Yoga Asana Championship, being put on March 2-4, 2012. She says that yoga competitions can be a way to interest people in yoga who might be put off by the spiritual aspect, by showing them the athletic aspect.

However, some yoga practioners disgagree and feel that yoga should not be about being able to get into that perfect pose. Yoga should be based on acceptance on what the body can and cannot do, and about having more compassion for oneself. Read full article here

What is your stance?

More info about USA Yoga Federation? Watch this video:

The Yoga Pose You Never Thought You Could Do

What is the pose you once couldn't do and now able to? Share it with us.

The Yoga Pose You Never Thought You Could Do: via HuffPost

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The Energetic Effects of Mula Bhanda

The word “bandha” means “to bind” or “to lock”. With mula bandha, this is in reference to the locking of the muscles of the perineum. Bandha can also mean “to redirect,” and here the esoteric meaning of the practice becomes clear. As you “lock” the muscles of the perineum, you “unlock” energy in the pranic body, redirecting the flow upwards and reversing the natural tendency of apana to flow downwards.


At the level of the pranic body, the pranamayakosha, this revered technique is said to awaken muladhara chakra and the kundalini that resides within. Additionally, in the tantras it is written that the 72,000 nadis originate in a place just above muladhara chakra known as “medhra.” Given their proximity, it is believed that mula bandha stimulates all 72,000 nadis at their source, an effect which makes it very powerful.


Beyond the annamayakosha and the pranamayakosha, the physical and pranic bodies, mula bandha is also said to affect the manomayakosha, the mental body. The yogic scriptures describe granthis, or psychic knots, which represent blockages of awareness manifesting as tensions, anxieties, and unresolved conflicts. Brahma granthi, located near muladhara chakra, is believed to be pierced and then untied by an aspirant’s practice of mula bandha.


Mula bandha is believed to affect the manomayakosha by helping to release stored emotional conflicts in perineal and pelvic floor musculature. Accordingly, while performing this practice, one can experience old memories, feelings, and experiences that bubble to the surface of consciousness and burst, releasing them from their structural binding and freeing the aspirant from their depressive effects.


__________________
Kathleen Summers, MD, PhD
Board Certified Internal Medicine
Doctorate Neuropharmacology


Integrating Yoga and Medicine at
theYogadr.com

What does your favourite yoga pose say about you?

Here's what Cyndi Lee, Natural Solutions magazine has to say.


Whether you prefer twists, backbends, or inversions, here’s how your favorite yoga poses can give you valuable insight into your personality.


If you like:


Forward Bends: You prefer to keep your own counsel like a smart ostrich. At those times when life gets overstimulating–too many choices and too much responsibility–forward bends seduce you with the sweet serenity of folding inward and retreating from the world.


Twists: You like to know who and what’s going on around and behind you. You don’t see things in black or white but are stimulated by multi-dimensional situations and are not afraid of tension. Twists are a natural draw for those who find nourishment and joy from connecting to people and places while staying firmly grounded.


Back Bends: You find it refreshing to reverse the typical schlump of desk, car or depression. It feels good to rest your soft, open front on your confident, flexible spine and take in a big breath. Turning yourself inside out is quite extra-ordinary! For shy types this is scary and a true victory. For extroverts, it’s a natural as a sensuous morning stretch.


Balancing on One Leg: You are more curious about precision than perfection. For you, nothing is more fun than figuring out how to sway like a tree and still stay upright. You don’t even mind falling over because you always get back up and try again, understanding that is truly the heart of practice anyway.


Inversions: You’ve learned to include fears in the mix of a total experience. Perhaps you’ve started to blur the distinction between upside down and right side up, allowing for a vibrant sense of nowness wherever or however you are. Creative types who see things from all sides are drawn to inversions and so are those of us who just like to shake things up!


Click here to read more.

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