How To Make Sense of Modern Yoga Practices Pg. 2
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Bikram: Choudhury Bikram created a system of 26 postures that if done in the correct order and in the correct way will bring ultimate healing and well-being. I have personally been a delighted recipient of the benefits of Bikram’s yoga, and can attest to the very rapid level of well being it brings to the body. It is “hot” yoga, however, and isn’t for the faint-hearted. Even Bikram’s beginning yoga is difficult for the beginner. It is sometimes called a warrior type of yoga since it is so athletic, like Ashtanga yoga is. The difference is that there is a short rest between each pose, but given that the room is so hot, a heavy sweat and aerobic heart rate is experienced, thus a terrific workout. The one thing I found difficult with this yoga was maintaining a healthy level of minerals and electrolytes in my body since the body loses so much through the sweat in that department. You must take minerals if you plan on doing this yoga. The heat in the room is simulating India’s hot climate, promotes removal of toxins through the sweat, and minimizes injury, for the heat makes the body more pliable.
Phoenix
Rising Yoga Therapy: This yoga encourages a deeper connection to self by
using classical poses and techniques and one-on-one guidance through the
physical and emotional selves. Breathing techniques are incorporated and
psychological therapeutic insights are used. Awareness is focused on the
sensations while one is in the pose. The client listens to the body’s
wisdom and releases emotions, beliefs, or issues that manifest as chronic
aches and pains.
Sivananda: Sivananda yoga instructs the student to ask the question: Who
am I? This yoga system was introduced by Swami Vishnu-devananda in 1957
in the United States. Now there are more than 80 Sivananda Yoga Vedatna
Centers, all of which teach the five main principles of yoga, covering the
first 5 Limbs of the Eight Limbed system of Raja Yoga. This yoga prepares
the student for the other three Limbs, which must, for the most part, be
done on one’s own through inner discipline. Sivananda yoga is the
most complete yoga taught in the Western world, and includes more of the
Eight Limbs of Raja than any other system. Sivananda yoga emphasizes 12
basic postures, chanting, pranayama, and meditation.
Ananda: If you want more than just a great workout and would like to truly embrace the yogic path of spiritual growth, Swami Kriyananada, a disciple of the famous Paramahansa Yogananda, developed Ananda yoga. Silent affirmations are repeated during a pose, which deepen the benefits of the asana. This yoga consists of gentle hatha yoga postures, preparing the body and mind for meditation.
Kundalini: Once a secret teaching only divied out to deserving students, it was suddenly available to the masses as of 1969 when Yogi Bhajan decided to make it public. He believed that it should not be coveted and should be shared with those in the west who also have a birthright to be “healthy, happy and holy.” Kundalini yoga includes asanas, breathing techniques, chanting and mantras. Focus is put on the base of the spine and drawing the dormant energy (kundalini) upward into the chakras, thus providing the way for enlightenment.
ISHTA: Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda, this type of yoga system was created by Alan Finger, a native of South Africa. He was a student of the Sivananda system, the “tantric hermit Barati,” and explored many traditions under various teachers. He helps students get in touch with the un-ending reservoir of energy that is available to us all. The asanas include flowing Ashtanga yoga poses with the focus of the Iyengar approach. Also included are pranayama and meditations.
Kripalu: The Kripaluy Center For Yoga is located in Massachusetts. Amrit Desai and the Kripalu staff created Kripalu yoga over a period of 20 years, which is a spontaneous flow of postures that are not consciously directed by the mind. The body simply goes into the poses that it seems to want to do next. It is very intuitive, and it is also beautiful to watch. Amrit studied under an Eastern Indian guru named Kripaluvananda, who the center is named after, and discovered that there was a deep release of life force (prana) when he first discovered this innate urge to let the body move on its own. He created three stages of practice, which are: willful practice (alignment, breath, presence); willfull surrender (holding postures beyond the comfort level, and deepening the focus and concentration); and meditation in motion (the body’s release of internal tensions and trust in the body’s wisdom to know which postures are need in that moment to release whatever will block deep meditation.)
Anusara: Literally, it means “to step into the current of divine will.” The student is honored for his or her abilities and limitations, and the body is not forced into poses without first working toward them as time goes on. This is another type of yoga that focuses on the individual’s needs and preferences. It has three key areas of practice: attitude (opening to grace and awakening to one’s true nature); alignment (integrated awareness of all the different parts of the body and how it is responding to the pose); and action ( artistic expression of the heart in which muscular stability is attained along with inner freedom.)
Tibetan: Tibetan yoga is a range of practices among Buddhists, from tantric meditation, to asanas, to pranayama. Most famous of the asanas in Tibetan yoga are the Five Rites Of Rejuvenation, or the Five Tibetan Rites. This consists of five movements that flow from one to another, and all five are repeated 10 or 12 times, eventually working up to 21 repetitions of the five rites. Kum Nye, developed by Tarthang Tulku, is another known movement practice that has been exposed to the West. It means “interaction with the subtle body” and is more contemplative than the Five Tibetan Rites. Other than that, not much more is known about Tibetan yogas, which to this day, some remain secret.
Hatha:
Hatha yoga is how most of these classes with be described. If it is called
hatha yoga, chances are it is one of these types of yoga.