practice yoga everyday

I have joined a lunch time session at work which I think is Ashtanga Yoga. This definately feels like a work out and there is no meditation – well I guess it is lunch time.

Information from http://yoga.org.nz/what-is-yoga/yoga_styles.htm
Ashtanga (Power Yoga) the preferred choice for athletes, Ashtanga yoga is light on meditation but heavy on developing strength and stamina. The poses are more difficult than those performed in other styles, students move quickly from one pose to another in an effort to build strength and flexibility.

This style is suitable for anyone in reasonable physical condition but should be avoided by those who are new to exercise. Even the “beginners” routines are a physically demanding workout. Ashtanga yoga takes students through a warming up of the body to “activate” the muscles.

Students move from one pose to another in a continual flow and combine the inhale and exhale of the breath with movements. This physically demanding yoga was developed to build strength, flexibility, and stamina.

Ashtanga yoga is becoming very popular. Expect the teacher to move the students through a sequence of poses, which is practiced, until it is mastered to some degree and the fundamentals completely understood. Then the student moves on to practice another series of poses that are more difficult, but the foundations are the same.

The series of poses involves weaving in a combination of standing, seated, backbends, inversions, balancing, and twisting poses into sun salutation poses which include a standing forward bend, upward dog, downward dog, and other poses.

There is a focus on breath control and focal point of the eyes as the students do a specific prescribed series of poses, moving gracefully from one to another. It is very beneficial for the body to be warm and/or the room to be heated as one does ashtanga, this will help the muscles to be very flexible, and help the body avoid strains due to the physically demanding style of ashtanga

I have:

Committed to: One session of formal Inyengar style yoga every weekend.

The infomation below is from http://yoga.org.nz/what-is-yoga/yoga_styles.htm
Iyengar – A softer on the body classical style of yoga, Iyengar is perfect for beginners and those who haven’t exercised in a while. It uses props such as chairs, straps, blocks and pillows, and even sandbags, to compensate for a lack of flexibility, which is helpful for anyone with back or joint problems.

Iyengar is the most widely recognized approach to Hatha Yoga, it was created by B. K. S. Iyengar. Iyengar yoga is characterized by attention to detail within poses and the aid of the props.

The props assist all sorts of people to be able to do the poses comfortably.

The key to all styles of yoga is to get the fundamentals and form correct, this is where the props aid the student. There is more focus on symmetry and alignment and also meditation. Each pose is held for a longer amount of time than in most other yoga styles, developing a state of focused calm. Iyengar Yoga is meditation in action.

Benefits include toning muscles, eliminating tension and easing chronic pain. When we strengthen weak areas of ourselves and open and stretch tight ones, our bodies return to their correct alignment.

Practicing Iyengar yoga will give you a good knowledge of classic yoga poses so that whatever other style you practice, you will have the basic fundamentals of how to do each posture. The teacher focuses on alignment and inner awareness. Awareness starts with the body and expands to other parts of the self as one continues with the regularity of practice.