Bhakti Yoga What Is It ?
Bhakti Yoga is an ancient practice that uses a combination of the mind, body, and breathing to attain balance. Although we commonly think of shala yoga in terms of the various poses, or asanas, apart from Bhakti yoga there are other forms of yoga as well that have a slightly different definition.
The most common form of yoga in the west is Hatha Yoga, or the Asana practice. For example, flexion is balanced with extension, and the whole body is exercised serially. Bhakti yoga is also about the spiritual growth of the person practising it, with meditation and postures.
Another form of yoga is Tantric Yoga, which posits to balance the forces in one’s life. Finally, Raja Yoga or Royal Yoga, has an emphasis on meditation to heal the mind. All forms of yoga start with control of the breath, from which the various physical or mental states can be achieved.
Yoga consists of a series of physical and mental exercises to help join the individual with the Divine. This objective is called enlightenment. Contrary to what many people may think, yoga is not a religion. The physical exercises are made up of yoga postures (asanas). The mental exercises are made up of meditation (dyana) and breathing techniques (pranayama). If you want to succeed with yoga, the physical and mental exercises must take on equal importance.
Bhakti Yoga was created inIndia. It is estimated to be 5,000 years old. Swami Vivekananda brought yoga toAmericain the late 1800s when he gave a lecture on meditation inChicago. Ever since then, many yoga experts fromIndiahave come to theUnited Statesto teach yoga to willing Americans. Yoga is very popular today in theUnited States. A poll commissioned by Yoga Journal found that 11 million Americans perform yoga. Professional athletes, movie stars, and Fortune 500 executives are among the practitioners of yoga. Next I will discuss the benefits of yoga.
Nearly 50 years of study by Western science has indicated that performing yoga has numerous physical and psychological benefits. Yoga routines can last 20 minutes to two or more hours. Some routines just stretch and align the body while the heart rate is kept normal. Other routines can be as strenuous as the most difficult exercise routine.
Yoga has the same benefits as any proven exercise program. That is, it increases strength, flexibility, stamina, and reduces stress. Bhakti Yoga is a low-impact activity that uses only gravity as resistance and can include gentle movements. This is why it is commonly used as part of a physical therapy program and for rehabilitation of injuries.
Many insurance companies will reimburse you for yoga classes if it is a part of your physical therapy program. There was a 2002 published study that indicated the physical postures of yoga could safely strengthen and tone muscles. Also if the physical postures are performed in rapid succession, they can improve your cardiovascular conditioning. There are many bikram yoga benefits that will be explored.
The Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson wrote a groundbreaking book called The Relaxation Response that indicated that meditation and breathing techniques for relaxation could reduce stress, which lowers blood pressure. There have been studies since the release of this book that have also indicated a reduction in stress after using meditation. The American Medical Association has even recommended that people with mild symptoms of hypertension should see if meditation alleviates their symptoms before they resort to taking medication.
There have been recent psychological studies that have proven that a connection between the mind and body exists. These studies showed that changes in the involuntary nervous system could occur due to the slightest facial expression. Yoga takes advantage of this concept. Bhakti Yoga contains the central ideas that physical posture and alignment is used to influence mood and self-esteem and the mind can shape and heal the body.
Yoga poses have also been adapted for children with down syndrome, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, and other disabilities to help improve physical and mental functioning. There are even yoga classes for infants and their parents. These classes can relieve digestive problems, assist in neuromuscular development, enhance the immune system, and reduce the stress of infants.
There are many prestigious medical schools that have started using yoga techniques to treat illnesses and stress. Even the physician-training program at UCLA medical school has yoga classes as part of their curriculum. Yoga is also perfect for weight loss and keeping the body toned.