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Makarasana
Makarasana () or Crocodile pose is a reclining ''asana'' in ''hatha yoga'' and modern yoga as exercise. Etymology and origins The name comes from the Sanskrit meaning "crocodile" or "monster", and meaning "posture" or "seat". Makarasana is described in the 17th-century '' Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā'' (Chapter 2, Verse 40). It is described and illustrated in halftone in the 1905 '' Yogasopana Purvacatuska''. Makara is commonly translated as crocodile, but has also been assumed to be a sea-creature like a shark or dolphin, and may have been a wholly mythical beast. In Hindu mythology, it was the animal vehicle of the sea-god Varuna, and of the river-goddess Ganga. A different myth in the ''Ramayana'' tells how Hanuman, seeking to drink from a lake, is seized, pulled under, and swallowed by a crocodile. Hanuman changes shape to become so large that the crocodile bursts, leaving a beautiful apsara nymph named Dhyanamalini who reveals that she had been cursed to become the monste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asana
An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, to any type of position, adding reclining, standing, inverted, twisting, and balancing poses. The ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' define "asana" as " position thatis steady and comfortable". Patanjali mentions the ability to sit for extended periods as one of the eight limbs of his system. Patanjali '' Yoga sutras'', Book II:29, 46 Asanas are also called yoga poses or yoga postures in English. The 10th or 11th century '' Goraksha Sataka'' and the 15th century '' Hatha Yoga Pradipika'' identify 84 asanas; the 17th century '' Hatha Ratnavali'' provides a different list of 84 asanas, describing some of them. In the 20th century, Indian nationalism favoured physical culture in response t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reclining Asanas
An āsana (Sanskrit: wikt:आसन, आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a meditation seat, sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, to any type of position, adding reclining, standing asanas, standing, inverted, twisting, and balancing poses. The ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' define "asana" as "[a position that] is steady and comfortable". Patanjali mentions the ability to sit for extended periods as one of the Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga), eight limbs of his system.Patanjali ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Yoga sutras'', Book II:29, 46 Asanas are also called yoga poses or yoga postures in English. The 10th or 11th century ''Goraksha Samhita, Goraksha Sataka'' and the 15th century ''Hatha Yoga Pradipika'' identify 84 asanas; the 17th century ''Haṭha Ratnāvalī, Hatha Ratnavali'' provid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoga As Exercise
Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has become familiar across the world, especially Yoga in the United States, in the US and Europe. It is derived from medieval Haṭha yoga, which made use of similar postures, but it is generally simply called "yoga". Academic research has given yoga as exercise a variety of names, including modern postural yoga and transnational anglophone yoga. Postures were not central in any of the older traditions of yoga; posture practice was revived in the 1920s by yoga gurus including Yogendra and Kuvalayananda, who emphasised its health benefits. The flowing sequences of Surya Namaskar (Salute to the Sun) were pioneered by the Rajah of Aundh State, Aundh, Bhawanrao Shrinivasrao Pant Pratinidhi, in the 1920s. It and ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ganges In Hinduism
Ganga (, ) is the personification of the river Ganges, who is worshipped by Hindus as the goddess of purification and forgiveness. Known by many names, Ganga is often depicted as a fair, beautiful woman, riding a divine crocodile-like creature called the makara. Some of the earliest mentions of Ganga are found in the Rigveda, where she is mentioned as the holiest of the rivers. Her stories mainly appear in post-Vedic texts such as the ''Ramayana'', ''Mahabharata,'' and the ''Puranas''. The ''Ramayana'' describes her to be the firstborn of Himavat, the personification of the Himalayas, and the sister of the mother goddess Parvati. However, other texts mention her origin from the preserver deity, Vishnu. Legends focus on her descent to earth, which occurred because of a royal-sage Bhagiratha, aided by the god Shiva. In the epic ''Mahabharata'', Ganga is the mother of the warrior Bhishma in a union with the Kuru king Shantanu. In Hinduism, Ganga is seen as a mother to humani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoga Dipika
Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as practiced in the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. Yoga may have pre-Vedic origins, but is first attested in the early first millennium BCE. It developed as various traditions in the eastern Ganges basin drew from a common body of practices, including Vedic elements. Yoga-like practices are mentioned in the ''Rigveda'' and a number of early Upanishads, but systematic yoga concepts emerge during the fifth and sixth centuries BCE in ancient India's ascetic and Śramaṇa movements, including Jainism and Buddhism. The ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'', the classical text on Hindu yoga, samkhya-based but influenced by Buddhism, dates to the early centuries of the Common Era. Hatha yoga texts began to emerge between the ninth and 11th centuries, o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhujangasana
Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana (; IAST: ) is a reclining back-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. It is also performed in a cycle of asanas in Surya Namaskar, Salute to the Sun, as an alternative to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Upward Dog Pose. The Yin Yoga form is Sphinx Pose. Etymology and origins The name Bhujangasana comes from the Sanskrit words , "snake" and आसन ''āsana'', "posture" or "seat", from the resemblance to a snake with its head raised; it was described in the 17th century hatha yoga text ''Gheranda Samhita'' in chapter 2, verses 42–43. In the 19th century '' Sritattvanidhi'', the pose is named सरपासन ''Sarpāsana'', "Serpent Pose", from , , "serpent" or "snake". Yogi Narayana Ghamande described and illustrated the pose in halftone as Bhujangasana in the 1905 '' Yogasopana Purvacatuska''. Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana ( IAST: ) is from the Sanskrit , "upwards"; , "face"; and , "dog". The pose is one of those (along with Downward ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing, or deep breathing, is a breathing technique that is done by contracting the Thoracic diaphragm, diaphragm, a muscle located horizontally between the thoracic cavity and abdominal cavity. Air enters the lungs as the diaphragm strongly contracts, but unlike traditional relaxed breathing (''eupnea'') the intercostal muscles of the chest do minimal work in this process. The belly also expands during this type of breathing to make room for the contraction of the diaphragm. See also *Breath *Buteyko method *Circular breathing *Kussmaul breathing *Pranayama – a traditional Yogic practice of slowing and extending the breaths, used during meditation *Shallow breathing – a type of breathing that is mutually exclusive to diaphragmatic breathing and is associated with multiple anxiety disorders *Wim Hof, Wim Hof method *Complete breathing References {{Meditation Respiration ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shavasana
Shavasana (; ), Corpse Pose, or Mritasana, is an asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, often used for relaxation at the end of a session. It is the usual pose for the practice of yoga nidra meditation, and is an important pose in Restorative Yoga. Etymology and origins The name Shavasana is from Sanskrit , "corpse" and , "posture" or "seat". The alternative name Mritasana is from Sanskrit , "death". The earliest mention of the pose is in the 15th century '' Hatha Yoga Pradipika'' 1.32, which states in the context of a medieval belief system that "lying down on the ground supine, like a corpse, is called Shavasana. It eliminates tiredness and promotes calmness of the mind." The name Supta Padangusthasana is from Sanskrit , from , "reclined" and , "big toe". The pose is not described in medieval hatha yoga texts, but appears in the 20th century; it is pose 27 in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga's primary series. The name Pavanamuktasana () is from Sanskrit , "wind" and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Salabhasana
Salabhasana or Purna Salabhasana (; ), Locust pose, or Grasshopper pose is a prone back-bending asana in modern yoga as exercise. Etymology and origins The asana's name comes from the Sanskrit which means "grasshopper" or "locust". The pose is not found in the medieval hatha yoga texts. It is included in Yoga Ghamande's 1905 '' Yogasopana Purvacatuska'', the first yoga manual with printed illustrations, uniquely as halftone plates. It is described independently in Swami Vishnudevananda's 1960 '' Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga'' in the Sivananda Yoga tradition, and by ''B. K. S. Iyengar Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014) was an Indian teacher of yoga and author. He is the founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga ...'' in his 1966 '' Light on Yoga'', implying that it may have older origins. A similar pose was found in Western gymnastics in '' The Bagot S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Light On Yoga
''Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika'' (Sanskrit: योग दीपिका, "Yoga Dīpikā") is a 1966 book on the Iyengar Yoga style of modern yoga as exercise by B. K. S. Iyengar, first published in English. It describes more than 200 yoga postures or asanas, and is illustrated with some 600 monochrome photographs of Iyengar demonstrating these. The book has been described as the 'bible of modern yoga', and its presentation of the asanas has been called "unprecedented" and "encyclopedic". It has been translated into at least 23 languages and has sold over three million copies. Context Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices from ancient India, forming one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophical traditions. In the Western world, however, yoga is often taken to mean a modern form of medieval Hatha yoga, practised mainly for exercise, consisting largely of the postures called asanas. B. K. S. Iyengar (1918-2014) was born in a poor fami ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apsara
Apsaras (, , Khmer language, Khmer: អប្សរា are a class of celestial beings in Hinduism, Hindu and Culture of Buddhism, Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, but, later play the role of a "nymph" or "fairy". They figure prominently in the sculptures, dance, literature and paintings of many South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. The apsaras are described to be beautiful, youthful and elegant, and are said to be able to change their shape at will; making anyone fall for their beauty. There are two types of apsaras—''laukika'' (worldly) and ''daivika'' (divine). They are great in the art of dancing, and often wives of the gandharvas, the court musicians of Indra. The apsaras reside in the palaces of the gods and entertain them by dancing to the music made by the Gandharvas. The 26 apsaras of Indra's court are each said to symbolise a different facet of the performing arts, drawing comparisons to the Muses of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
