Tara Yoga

Yoga For Beginners Guide

Yoga as a form of exercise doesn’t only take into account our body and how we look it is also about the person as a whole, yoga deals with all aspects of life and it is said that when our mind and body are in harmony that we will achieve perfect health and be less prone to diseases.

This perfect health can be achieved by following what are called “The eight limbs of yoga”; these limbs are a guide to achieving harmony of the mind, body and spirit. Yoga takes into account a person’s physical, mental and spiritual well being as well as a person’s environment and relationships with others.

Practicing the eight limbs of yoga will bring you a deeper knowledge of yourself, teach love and respect towards others, gives you a better sense of well being and can make you a happier person. The eight limbs of yoga are:

Yamas

Yamas are your attitude toward people around you and the environment around you, there is five different Yamas:

• Non violence or Ahimsa – This doesn’t only mean not doing harm to others it also means to be kind and thoughtful to others around you.
• Truthfulness or satya – This is about living a truthful way of life and thinking about your actions and how they can affect others around you, for example if the truth could hurt others then it might be better to keep silent.
• Don’t steal or Asteya – This doesn’t only mean possessions but also other peoples ideas and other forms of possession for example, using power for selfish motives or telling someone something that you were supposed to keep a secret.
• Don’t lust or Bramacharya – This means to keep self control or not wanting possessions just for the sake of having them without actually needing them.
• Non-possessiveness or Aparigraha – This is about being free from greed in your life and taking only what is needed, it is also about not taking advantage of someone or a situation.

Niyamas

Niyama is all about how you see yourself and there are five:

• Cleanliness or Sauca – This is about inner and outer cleanliness and using yoga to purify and detoxify your body, the mind must also be kept clean and the environment in which you live.
• Contentment or Santosha – you should be humble, modest and be satisfied with what you have and the person you are.
• Austerity or Tapas – you should keep your body on good condition by disciplining the mind and body, for example only eating when you are hungry or keeping good posture.
• Study of yourself or Svadhyaya – you should aim to get to know yourself better and examine yourself .
• Live with an awareness of the divine or Isvarapranidhama – we should let go of false sense of control and connect instead to that which gives us a sense of wholeness.

The physical poses of yoga or Asanas

Yoga poses are designed to relieve stress and anxiety and relax and energise the body and mind which in turn brings harmony to the mind and body; they should be performed with ease, alertness and comfort.

The breathing exercises or Pranayama

The breathing should be controlled through the practice of breathing exercises, inhaling, retention and exhaling is regulated with the aim of cleansing the nervous system and increasing the level of energy.

Withdrawal of the senses or Prathayara

This happens during mediation when you are focused on your yoga pose, meditation or breathing poses to the extent where you forget about outside situations and there is no distraction.

Concentration or Dharana

This is about focusing your mind intensely enough to forget about any distractions around you.

Meditation or Dhyana

This is focusing the concentration on one point and the aim is to heighten awareness and become one with yourself and the universe, this helps you to achieve a better mental health.

Enlightenment or Samadhi

This is the ultimate goal in yoga and the eight limbs of yoga, it is said to be a state of total ecstasy of complete peace and feeling of happiness.