Four aspects of traditional yoga
Q: Thank you for your time this morning Dr. Khalsa. What is yoga to you?
What I call “traditional yoga” or “historical yoga” is composed of four major elements. First are the Asanas, the physical postures and exercises. Many people practice only Asanas, and that’s fine, but it’s limited. It is only one aspect of yoga.
Second is breathing, Pranayama. This is part of a rich tradition that goes back a long way and is still very much alive in modern yoga.
Third is physical relaxation, which is technically included in the postures but I think it deserves its own category. There is a specific practice we call the Corpse Pose or Shavasana, which is deep relaxation of the physical body. It has very specific effects that have been demonstrated in yoga studies and also with “progressive relaxation,” a practice used in the West for many decades in the field of psychology. Relaxing the physical body has very clear effects on behavior and mental and emotional functioning. It highlights the connection between the mind and the body.
This story is from the January 2024 edition of Heartfulness eMagazine.
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This story is from the January 2024 edition of Heartfulness eMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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