Learn how to do a Surya Namaskar.
This A and B version of Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutations, is what you will practice, learn how to instruct and demonstrate in the Hatha Vinyasa classes at Hatha Yoga World while doing you Yoga Teacher Training Course in Rishikesh.
This ritual is performed on the first day of the yoga teacher training course. A puja (ceremony) mark this event of beginning something new. It is a way to celebrate and ask for support on the journey to become our highest self. In Indian culture this ritual is performed whenever we are beginning something new, to get a blessing from the universe. With the fire ceremony we burn away any past karma to restart and embark on a journey with fresh mind and soul to complete the course with no obstacles. After the welcoming ceremony you will be provided with a yoga kit which includes the book “Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha” Satyananda Saraswati, a manual and a T-shirt with the school logo.
Benu ji is our knowledgeable philosophy teacher at Hatha Yoga World. In this video he explains how to apply the eight limbs of yoga in your daily life.
What is prana? It is not exactly the breath. It’s the breath, but it’s also everything else in the universe. This energy which is everywhere is called prana. Prana is a force.
So, what is pranayama? In the Patanjali Yoga Sutra Chapter 1, sutra 34 it says:
prachchhardanavidharanabhyan va prannasya
By throwing out and restraining the breath
To control the breath through techniques is called pranayama. Inhaling, exhaling and holding the breath with awareness can make your mind calmer. Through breathing techniques, you can control motions in the mind and energy currents in the body. At Hatha Yoga World you’ll learn and practice different pranayama techniques every morning.
To gain control and calmness takes time. Pranayama is a practice which will change the body over time because of new channels being made in your brain. But is takes time because humans like to use the old channels already in the brain because it’s easy. The word channel, in this case, is just an example to explain what happens in your mind and body.
Whenever you think about something it makes a channel. This channel will close if you don’t use it. Memories will keep the channel open because the channel in your brain is being used when you have a similar thought.
Whenever a new topic comes, a different thought, a new channel has to be made to be understood. This is difficult and therefore the brain resists these new thoughts and ideas. So, prana is trying to make new channels but the brain won’t allow it.
The less channels a brain has, the more difficult it is to accept new thoughts. But the more channels, the easier it will be to accept new ideas and new thoughts.
The yoga practice is new and this creates resistance in your mind at first and therefore also in your body. When you deal with philosophy and psychology it’s difficult to understand because it’s not familiar. When it’s new to you and you begin to think about it, it produces new channels in the brain which disturbs your whole system and makes the practice difficult at first. That is why you should choose the yogic path and yoga practice which is most suitable for you.
In our 100, 200 and 300 hour yoga teacher training course you will be introduced to the different yogic paths and aspects of yoga. This will help you find your yogic path and find a practice which can be with you daily and lifelong.
There are 72.000 Nadis in our body. The most often mentioned are the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadi. You will learn about these Nadis and chakras during a 100, 200 or 300 hour Teacher Training at Hatha Yoga World.
Nadis are channels where energy flows. The meaning of the word Nadi is literally flow. Vital energy flows in our Nadis to every part of our body.
Sushumna is the central energy channel flowing though the center of the spine. Here seven chakras are located from base to crown.
Ida is representing the moon, and Pingala the sun. These two pranic flows are responsible for the experience of duality which meets at Sushumna Nadi, the central energy channel. The current of energy in Ida and Pingala Nadi flows from below and upwards in a criss-cross, making the chakras spin.
Ida and Pingala controls the body alternately. If you notice the air passing through your nostrils, you will find that in one side the air is flowing more freely.
When the left nostril is open, it’s the lunar energy, Ida Nadi and the right-side brain which is in function. When the right nostril is more open, the solar energy, Pingala Nadi and the left part of the brain is activated. This affects our whole body and daily life.
When the Ida and Pingala energy flow are balanced, then the energy flows through the Sushumna Nadi. This leads to a feeling of peace and bliss. This higher level of consciousness is what can be experienced through yogic practices like meditation, asana, pranayama which is all a part of our offered yoga teacher training course in India, Rishikesh.
Enjoy your practice.
Namaste.
This pose is one that we practice often and happily at Hatha Yoga World in the 200 & 300 hour yoga teacher training courses. It’s just a great pose with lots of benefits.
Benefits
– Cat pulling Its Tail bring chi or prana to the spleen and stomach (earth element), gallbladder (wood element), urinary bladder and kidney (water element) meridians.
– The variation shown on the pictures will give your spine a well appreciated twist which feels nice as a counter pose after any deep forward fold or backbend.
– If you want to and if it’s available, you can grab your feet for a hamstring stretch and quad stretch at the same time.
PS. Remember benefits will only be there for us if we listen to our body and limits. Never go beyond and never feel pain.
How to practice Cat Pulling Its Tail?
Step one: Lie down on your left side. Bring your right leg out in front of you.
Step two: Wiggle your left shoulder further forward and bring both shoulders towards the floor to twist your spine.
Step three: With your right hand you can now reach towards your left foot behind you (you can use a belt or strap if you want).
For an even deeper stretch you can reach your left hand to hold your right foot in front of you.
Notes: Practice the pose on both sides and bring your knees to chest afterwards as a counter pose.
Hold the pose 2-5 min on each side.
See you on the mat!
What Is Fascia?
Fascia is connective tissue, more specifically collagen, elastin and fibronectin. It is a human web that has no beginning and no end and it binds around every muscle fibre, organ, bone, joint and cell. Fascia is made of collagen sheaths and fibril tubes that slide along each other and it holds and transports fluid. It is the largest communication network in body.
We target the fascia in a Yin Yoga practice. At Hatha Yoga World in Rishikesh we teach Yin Yoga to complement the other Yang styles practiced. It’s a great tool to positively affect a Yang practice like Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Hatha yoga which we also offer in our 200 and 300 hour teacher training courses.
Rebound
The fascia is coming back to its natural form to reshape itself. The value of rebound in fascia is becoming healthier, stronger, taps into the nervous system, relaxation and healing, sensation and body awareness improves. Rebound allows Qi and fluid to flow freely through the body. The fascia reforms itself, generating a calming and relaxing effect on the body and mind. The result of stressing the tissue, gives us a larger range of movement within the muscle and fascia. The functional purpose of the asana, is to stress the connective tissue in a target area. Stressing the tissue induces a phase change, by crushing the tiny crystal formations of liquid in the fascia. The fluid changes from gel to liquid and therefore we feel a melting sensation.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Yin and Yang is a duality of one source. ‘Qi’ is a bioenergy and translated into Sanskrit it is the same as ‘Prana’. It can be seen as the spirit or the life force energy. TCM see the body as an energetic system working towards balance. Qi flows in a system of channels to every part of the body. TCM works with restoring and balancing Qi to obtain good health. The source is divided into the energy of Yin and Yang and further split into five elements. In TCM the five elements are water, wood, fire, earth and metal.
Principles of a Hatha Vinyasa practice
What are the benefits?
Principles of a Yin Yoga practice
Benefits of Yin Yoga
Vinyasa is a flow and movement in coordination with the breath. The flow brings a feeling of natural balance.
‘Vi’ means ‘in a special way’ and ‘Nasya’ means to place. In this case the word special is describing the intention behind the placement of the body and the logic of the movements.
Experience the beauty of listening to your body and flow from one asana to another safely, with your knowledge on adjustments and alignment which you will gain in the teacher training courses at Hatha Yoga World in Rishikesh, India.
When you know the benefits of each asana then you can build a session for yourself and students according to the different bodies and the energy you want to create. You will learn how to create a sequence in the 200 and 300 hour yoga course and this way you’ll be able to roll out you mat and flow safely.
Hatha focus is to balance the flow of Prana, meaning life force, in Ida nadi and Pingala nadi. Ida nadi represents the female energy and the Pingala nadi, represents the masculine energy. This is the duality present is every human body.
We can create balance by purifying our body through yoga practices like an asana practice. In Hatha Yoga we are seeking balance and to unite our body, mind and spirit to find absolute truth. Only through self practice these benefits will arise. There are many ways to practice Yoga, but one of the fastest ways to experience this union and purification is through our body. That’s why we practice asanas. Our body is a vessel towards experiencing all your spiritual gifts that has been located inside of us all along.
Performing asanas is about much more than just exercise, but you cannot argue with the endless benefits for our physical well being. Traditional Hatha Yoga is a practice that will make you feel light, strong and healthy. Your muscles will feel stretched, joints will be painless, internal organs will get a massage and your mind will feel clear.
At the Hatha Yoga World school in Rishikesh, India we teach traditional Hatha with focus on adjustments to be in proper alignment in the poses and to gain the full benefits on the pose. In the 200 and 300 hour Yoga teacher training courses you will learn how to be aligned yourself but also how to help others to be aligned with hands on adjustments.
Through the physical body we are transforming our whole being with Hatha Yoga. We create a flexible body to be able to sit in solitude to obtain a flexible mind. This can only be achieved without any discomfort in our body when we sit in meditation. This is the main purpose of our Yoga practice.