Tuesday, 25. October 2005
Yoga Jounal

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In classical yoga, movement and breathing practices are considered mere preludes to seated meditation. But you don't have to sit in Padmasana (Lotus Pose) to cultivate a meditative state of being.

When practiced mindfully, asanas themselves can provide many of the same gifts as more formal meditation practices, including mental calm, balance, and clarity. Explored in this way, yoga postures are transformed from mere stretches into meditation in motion ...

New to Yoga? Learn about the best poses for beginners, and study basic yoga history and philosophy.


Yes! In fact, depending on your desk setup, clothing, and the level of comfort with your co-workers, you can practically do an entire yoga practice at your desk.
Begin by sitting on the edge of a chair with your feet placed squarely on the floor about hip distance apart. Place your palms flat on your thighs, and feel length in your spine—head balanced over heart, heart balanced over hips. Inhale and exhale evenly for five counts each. Repeat as many times as you'd like ...

Office Yoga Tips

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You've heard of pranayama. Maybe you've even tried it in class. But you're probably not practicing it. Here's what you're missing.
When I first encountered pranayama, I thought it was a complete waste of time. I had been taking classes for a couple of years and had just found the instructor I later came to see as my first "real" yoga teacher. One day she announced to the class, "Today we're going to do some pranayama." Huh? I thought. What's that? Prana—what?

Breathing Lessons

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It's helpful to know that some poses are energizing and some are calming. For example, backbends are invigorating and not recommended before going to bed at night. Forward bends are calming and helpful when you are feeling over stimulated. Sun Salutations create heat and flowing movement connected to the breath.


Standing poses build strength, stamina, and a sense of grounding, since your feet are rooted into the earth. Balancing poses cultivate concentration. Twists detoxify the body and relieve tension in the head, neck, and back. Inversions, which turn us upside down, literally change our view of the world and remind us of the impermanent nature of everything, especially when we are stuck in a rut ...

Expert Advice

The picture on the right shows the Krounchasana (Heron Pose).

This pose intensifies the stretch of Triang Mukha Eka Pada Pashcimottanasana.
Vyasa, Patanjali's oldest extant commentator, mentions this pose, though he doesn't describe how to do it: "The curlew and other seats [asana] may be understood by actually seeing a curlew and the other animals seated" (Yoga Sutra 2.46).

Use the search tools to find asanas by anatomical focus, therapeutic application, or contraindication, or just browse poses by name: Poses.

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Or go directly: Standing --- Seated & Twists --- Arm Balances ---
Backbends --- Inversions --- Forward Bends --- Reclining

All of these and much more - you will find here absolutely everything you need to know about Yoga Yoga Jounal. (English only)
Yoga in all its forms to the western style of life and thinking.
Category: Books & Magazines | Yoga & Fitness |




In pictures: Togo’s voodoo market

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"We have many different kinds of animal heads.

Here we have the head of a crocodile, the head of a cat and lots of monkey heads. We also have different birds like vultures and owls, as well as chameleons, snakes, cobras and vipers."


"To make the medicine, we grind up the heads with herbs and then put the mixture on the fire. This leaves us with a black powder.

We cut the person's chest or back three times and then rub the powder into the flesh."

In pictures: Togo's voodoo market by BBC.
Category: Ethno & Shamanism |




Did Life Come from Another World?

Most scientists have long assumed that life on Earth is a homegrown phenomenon. According to the conventional hypothesis, the earliest living cells emerged as a result of chemical evolution on our planet billions of years ago in a process called abiogenesis. The alternative possibility--that living cells or their precursors arrived from space--strikes many people as science fiction. Developments over the past decade, however, have given new credibility to the idea that Earth's biosphere could have arisen from an extraterrestrial seed.

Did Life Come from Another World?
by Scientific American. (English)

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Category: News & Stories |


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