Mudras are the bestowers of the eight divine powers. They are held in high esteem by all the siddhas and are difficult for even the gods to attain. ( Hatha Yoga Pradipika, 3:8) This comprehensive text provides clear illustrations, step by step directions and details of chakra awareness. It guides the practitioner or teacher from the simplest to the most advanced practices of the hatha yoga system. A therapeutic index is included for use by doctors and yoga therapists incorporating recent information from research into yoga.

Yoga Lessons Need inspiration for your yoga class or practice? Use the themes in our Yoga Lessons for focus, intention and guidance. Our Yoga Lessons are not lesson plans, but general outlines with spiritual quotes, focused intentions, lists of yoga practices and further off-the-mat homework exercises. Want to share a yoga lesson with us? Post it here! Meditation Basics Meditation is a focusing of the mind on a single object, creating the cessation of all thought. As thoughts dissipate, the mind becomes quiet, and we are able to be fully in the present moment. The techniques of meditation are simple and easy to learn, but the ability to keep the mind focused takes time, patience and practice. The benefits of a regular meditation practice include reduction of stress, tension, anxiety and frustration, as well as improved memory, concentration, inner peace and whole body well-being. Swami Satyananda Saraswati was disciple of Swami Sivananda and became a wandering mendicant. He founded the the International Yoga Fellowship in 1963 and the Bihar School of Yoga in 1964. Throughout the past eighteen months I have discovered, in this book, a wonderful aide and reliable companion to my daily practice of Yoga. Published by The Bihar School of Yoga since 1969, the versatile format of Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha should appeal to a beginner, intermediate or an advanced student of Yoga. Comprehensive yet clear, step-by-step and illustrated directions on the way in which each of the exercises should be performed enable the reader to pursue Yoga practice both safely and mindfully. As the title suggests, four main aspects of Yoga are covered within. The ‘Asana’ chapter which covers the Yoga stretches and postures has three sub-headings which help the student to select, attempt and perfect the physical exercises of Yoga according to their own ability. The following chapters cover ‘Pranayama’ - the expansion and control of breath, ‘Bandha’ – the control and focused contraction of the flow of spiritual energy, ‘Mudra’ – physical gestures used to promote and stimulate the flow of psychic energy and also ‘Shatkarma’ - techniques which can be used to physically cleanse and purify the body. Subsequent to these chapters is an introduction to the psychic physiology of Yoga, which outlines and briefly discusses the importance of Prana and Chakra awareness. This Yoga manual then concludes with a therapeutic index and an index of practices. Since its first publication by the Bihar School of Yoga in 1969, it has been reprinted thirteen times and translated into many languages. It is the main reference text used by yoga teachers and students of Bihar Yoga/Satyananda Yoga within the International Yoga Fellowship Movement, and many other traditions as well.

Asana and Pranayama

Sun Salutations Often considered the core of hatha yoga practice, Sun Salutations are traditionally practiced at sunrise to warm and energize the body. We have several Sun Salutation sequences available with varying levels of difficulty, from basic to intermediate. What I find most appealing about this book is that the author, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, advocates and passionately believes in the pursuit of holistic health and spiritual wellbeing. Furthermore, unlike other publications I have browsed through which guide the student through the practices of Yoga with lavish and glossy photo-illustrations, this manual uses written expositions of each of the exercises in combination with clear and simple line drawings. I personally recommend this book to any individual wishing to explore how the practices of Yoga can profoundly invigorate, integrate and harmonise ones mental, psychological and physical self. Generally, prana is understood as energy. Right and wrong! Not all energies are the same. Like there is energy in food, there is energy in the battery but these are different types of energy. You cannot replace food with batteries as a means of a human energy source. Asana Prana Yama Mudra Bandha is recognised internationally as one of the most systematic yoga manuals today. Since it's first publication by the Bihar School of yoga in 1969 it has been reprinted seventeen times and translated into many languages. It is the main reference text used by Yoga teachers and students of Bihar Yoga/Satyananda Yoga within the International Yoga Movement, and many other traditions as well. This comprehensive text provides clear illustrations. step by step directions and details of chakra awareness. It guides the practitioner or teacher from the simplest to the most advanced practices of hatha yoga system. A therapeutic index is provided for use by doctors and yoga therapists incorporating recent information from research into yoga. This edition successfully brings the exposition of yoga practices to the standard of a university text. This latest Fourth Revised Edition has been revised and updated under the direction of Swami Niranjananda Saraswati,the successor of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Since publication of the first edition,interest in yoga has spread widely.Now the book is used in ashrams,centres and yoga schools in many countries as the standard textbook for teachers and students alike.The techniques presented have been assimilated by fields as diverse as medicine,education,entetainment,business,sports and the training of spiritual aspirants. Warm-up Sequences Use these sequences of simple stretches to warm up prior to any of the pose sequences.

Ayurveda Explore how the yogic science of Ayurveda can enhance, strengthen and heal the body, mind and heart.Mudras (gesture, seal) are subtle physical movements of the hands, face, and or body. Complex mudras involve the whole body in a combination of asana, pranayama, bandha and visualization, while simple mudras range from hand positions to meditation techniques. The purpose of a mudra is to activate and create a circuit of prana in the body. This circuit channels the prana in a specific way to create a subtle effect on koshas and to regulate and awaken the prana, chakras and kundalini, Mudras are used only after proficiency in asana, pranayama and bandha has been achieved, and when one has obtained some cultivation and awareness of prana. In hatha yoga, the level of progression is asana, pranayama, bandha, mudra, samadhi. Thus, mudra is the advanced practice leading up to the attainment of enlightenment or samadhi.