SETTING A TIME FOR YOGA

Articles In This Section:

· BASICS OF ASANAS

· SETTING A TIME FOR YOGA

· %DEATH POSE IN YOGA

· RAISED LEGS POSTURE IN YOGA

· SIMPLE POSE IN YOGA

· PERFECT POSE IN YOGA

· BUDDHA POSE IN YOGA

· DIFFICULT POSTURES IN YOGA

· REVERSE POSTURE IN YOGA

· SUPINE POSE IN YOGA

· SHOULDER STAND IN YOGA

· ENTIRE BODY STRETCH IN YOGA

· STANDING POSITION IN YOGA

· STOMACH LIFT IN YOGA

· ABDOMINAL EXERCISE IN YOGA

· ARDJA-MATSYENDRASANA POSE IN YOGA

· TWISTING POSTURE POSE IN YOGA

· BOIV POSTURE IN YOGA

· COBRA POSE IN YOGA

· POSTERIOR STRETCH IN YOGA

· PLOUGH POSE IN YOGA

· HALASANA POSE IN YOGA

· HEADSTAND FOR YOGA GETTING READY

· NEXT STEP IN THE HEADSTAND POSE FOR YOGA

· HEADSTAND POSE FOR YOGA

· FINAL STEP FOR THE HEADSTAND POSE IN YOGA

Set aside a fixed time for them each day. Morning is probably best, in which case the exercises should be done immediately upon getting up, before breakfast but after your cleansing routines. Preferably the bowels should be moved beforehand, but this may not be feasible for you, since so many people habitually do not have a bowel movement until after breakfast. Do not become unduly concerned with this last point— simply make it a practice to use the toilet at a regular time; and eventually your habits will change.

If you choose to do your Yoga exercises before retiring at night, make certain you are not over-tired, but fully enough awake to relax and concentrate on what you are doing. Obviously little benefit would be derived from either asanas or mudras performed while the mind is in such a state of fatigue that it cannot address itself to the task at hand. Without the proper mental mood the routines become so many physical exercises, an exotic but ineffectual substitute for calisthenics.

Remember that all Yoga exercises should be performed on the hard floor, using a rug or mat for protection. A mattress or soft bed is inadvisable since you would not derive the maximum muscular benefits from exercising on a "giving" surface.

The asanas listed are not given in any order that must be strictly followed, although to some extent they progress from relatively simple ones to those more complicated. Nor will you be expected to do them all. Few Westerners have the time to devote to such concentrated training. It will be up to you to choose those exercises which suit your individual needs and purposes, or which appeal to you. However, just as the Yogis generally begin with a period of meditation, so you too might find it advisable to start with a simple pose. Finally, bear in mind that you are always free to alter any already-established routine, adding or cutting down as you see fit.