pranayama

November 22, 2018
Practicing Yoga

Practicing Yoga – How Much is Too Much?

If you are a student of yoga who wishes to continue learning and evolve into an “advanced” yoga teacher training practitioner, the first question to ask yourselves is: “How should I do it?” One cannot have a “serious” practice by taking occasional short term classes or exploring various styles without any cohesive direction. All of us require experienced guidance taking into account our individual personalities, traits, circumstances and most importantly, our drawbacks. Only an experienced yoga guru can guide and train along a certain path that will help us achieve our desired goals, while at the same time evolving as individuals in the process. In fact in the past, gurus used to tailor the daily practice according to their students’ personal needs. This is still done at the Himalayan Yoga Institute to this day, and is a special addition on all our yoga teacher training courses. No matter where a […]
November 6, 2018
Breathing Exercise

9 Yogic Breathing Practices for Mind-Body Balance and Healing

Breathing is the very essence of life and the first thing we do when we enter this world and the last thing when we depart. In between, our bodies absorb roughly half a billion breaths. Apart from sustaining life, the mind, body and breath are so intimately connected that they deeply influence each other. The way we breathe is influenced by our state of mind, and in turn our thoughts and physiology can be influenced by our breathing. Deep breathing practices advocated in advanced yoga training can have a positive impact on our physiology, both body and mind. For thousands of years, Yoga and Ayurveda have employed breathing techniques (pranayama) to maintain, balance and restore physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. It results in several physiological benefits, achieved through the control of respiration. The benefits of a regulated practice of simple, deep yogic breathing include: Muscle Relaxation Increase in energy […]
November 19, 2017
Lotus flower yoga

Ujjayi Breath – Blessing or Curse?

Is Ujjayi Breath suitable for everyone? We explain why yogis must apply caution when practicing Ujjayi and why it matters who you learn it from.
September 20, 2016
Pranayama

Mysteries of Pranayama

When practiced correctly, it introduces the practitioner to all the processes that will be encountered on the pranayama path: heightened sun energy activated by the breath retention and the sweet flow of relaxation that comes with slowly releasing the breath.