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YOGA IN A NUTSHELL

By R. Alexander Medin, PURO YOGA

Yoga is a relatively new phenomenon outside of India. It is first and foremost the exposition of Hatha Yoga (postural yoga) that has made headlines in the modern world for the past 10 years. But let's bear in mind that although it is a relatively new phenomenon to us, Yoga has been practised in India for at least 5,000 years.

Nobody can with certainty point out the origins of Yoga, but it is well established that it has been part of the Indian spiritual heritage for millenniums. We can see reference to it in many of the philosophical schools of India, but what actually were the distinct practices being performed we can only speculate about.

Yoga is so much more than the physical exposure it has gained in the western world. In the Classical work on Yoga, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 200 BCE, only 3 out of the 196 sutras refers to asanas (postures). The rest deals with the composition of nature and spirit and how we may come to realise our natural state of freedom from within rather than the subliminal patterns that bind us. Our operational patterns of behaviour may be physical, mental or emotional. They may further give cause to great suffering or ecstatic jubilation. However the goal of Yoga is to be caught up in neither, but simply realise a growing centeredness from within that is observing, perceiving, and witnessing the patterns of the mind rather being dictated by it. This place of being from within is naturally free from the pleasure and pain of the senses, yet nevertheless it is constantly engaged in the observance thereof.
 

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Om Yoga

Yoga er en erfaringsvitenskap. Det vil si at det er vanskelig å skulle forklare hva det er med ord, fordi ord ikke er tilstrekkelig. Yoga må erfares og kan kun forstås på samme måte. Allikevel kan man prøve å si noe om hva det er. Yoga betyr union og union kan forstås som en slags balanse, en gylden middelvei i  mellom den indre og ytre verden, ying og yang. En opplevelse av enhet i mangfold. En opplevelse av fullhet, glede og fred. Det er bare en måte å oppnå denne opplevelsen på, nemlig praksis. Men på samme måte som det er mange veier til Roma er det mange ulike praksiser som eksisterer og har eksistert i tillegg til yoga. (Hilde, Sankalpa Yoga)

Yoga og fysisk og psykisk helse

Det er denne opplevelsen av union som er mål med yoga. Tradisjonelt og i dag. Selv om mange begynner med yoga uten å ta tenkt tanken om spirituell vekst.  Det er ingen motsetning mellom et individs ønske om bedre fysisk eller psykisk helse og at yogaens metoder er ment som verktøy for spirituell utvikling.  Metodene er de samme, og man kan selv velge hvilke verktøy man tar i bruk.  På sett og vis er den gode helsen, fysisk og psykisk, som bivirkninger å regne i forhold til hva yogaen opprinnelig ble utviklet for. Disse bivirkningen er ikke mindre reelle for det.  Det er slett ikke noe galt i å praktisere yoga for å få bedre helse, men vit at yogaen kan bringe deg mye lenger.
Alle mennesker, og egentlig alle levende skapninger er på vei mot opplevelsen av union. Yoga er bare en snarvei, eller motorvei om du vil.  Motivasjonen for velge denne fremfor andre er at du ikke er fornøyd med livet slik det er nå. Du ønsker forandring. (Hilde, Sankalpa Yoga)

Yoga og religion

Yoga er ingen religion. Som nevnt tidligere er det en erfaringsvitenskap.  På mange måter forener yoga religionene og andre livssyn. Mange av de tidligste mestrene som dro over havet fra India til Amerika for å spre yoga til vesten brukte imidlertid religioner til å formidle sitt yogiske budskap. Det vil si de lærte seg amerikanernes religion, hovedsaklig kristendommen og brukte denne som var noe kjent for amerikanerne til å formidle den yogiske etikk og moral. Selv var disse mestrene født inn i andre religioner, som islam eller hinduisme, Men som en av disse sa; den dagen jeg ble initiert i yoga, tilhørte jeg ikke lenger noen religion. (Hilde, Sankalpa Yoga)

Er du interessertt i mer om dette, så anbefaler jeg å lese følgende: ”Autobiography of a yogi” av Parahamsa Yogananda"

Yogaens opprinnelse og utvikling

Opprinnelsen til yoga ligger gjemt i forhistoriens tåke.  Kunnskapen som ble utviklet av de gamle mestrene ble overført muntlig fra lærer til elev og er umulig å spore. Det er funnet statuer som viser noen av de sittende yogaposisjone, praktisert i meditasjon, som kan dateres, men man kan verken si noe om tid eller sted for å plassere yogaens begynnelse. Noen mener også at  yoga var en guddomelig gave som ble gitt de gamle mestrene for at de skulle kunne oppleve sin egen guddomelige natur. (Hilde, Sankalpa Yoga)

Kontakten mellom lærer og elev er viktig i yoga. De gamle skriftene er skrevet slik at de ikke kan forstås kun med intellektet, en guru (lærer) og et klart sinn trengs for å forstå tekstene. I dag kan man få kjøpt de gamle skriftene med kommentarer fra forskjellige lærere. Til en viss grad kan man få et utbytte gjennom denne informasjonen, men det er fremdeles slik at for å komme noen vei i yoga, trenger alle en lærer.

De ulike retningene

Det finnes veldig mange ulike retninger innen yoga.  De aller fleste som tilbys på ulike sentre i Norge og vesten er i stor grad fokusert på de fysiske øvelsene, også kalt asanas.  Men det betyr ikke at disse har mistet målet helt ute av syne. Asanas gjør kroppen frisk, sterk og utholden. Dette gjør at man etter hvert kan sitte stille i lengre perioder uten å bevege seg, noe som er en forutsetning for meditasjon og de dypere praksisene mot opplevelsen av union. Hvis man er interessert i å gå videre i yogaens univers, vil man stort sett kunne finne fram til lærere nær og fjern som kan guide deg videre i også disse metodene. Noen sentre og lærere tilbyr også praksis i pusteøvelser, da jobber man med å få energikroppen i balanse. Og etter hvert som yogaen vokser og etterspørselen blir større, innlemmes mer og mer av yogaens store spekter i tilbudene til sentrene utenfor India. (Hilde, Sankalpa Yoga)

YOGARETNINGER

Traditional Yoga From Yogaworld

- Jnana Yoga: 

Jnana means wisdom or discernment. Jnana yoga is the path of wisdom and jnana meditation is many-faceted.
The main purpose of jnana meditation is to withdraw the mind and emotions from perceiving life and oneself in a deluded way so that one may behold and live in attunement with Reality, or Spirit.
One principal way that the "jnani," the yogi of discernment, meditates is to patiently release or put aside all thoughts and feelings until the luminous glow of the soul dawns in the mind and heart and is allowed to do a work of transformation and enlightenment within the rapt meditator.
One way this is accomplished is through the technique called neti-neti.
Neti-neti means "not this, not this."
Whenever a thought or feeling which is not the goal of the meditation — that is, which is not the soul, the inner self — occurs to the mind, the meditator simply says, "Not this, not this," and dismisses the thought, image, concept, sound, or sense distraction.
Any thought, any feeling, is discarded — patiently discarded — again and again if necessary, until the mind is clear and the soul is revealed.
Remember never to meditate in a passive way. This state of consciousness is one of alertness, an amazing application of awareness.
When you get into the habit of "neti-neti," you can also discard worry, doubt, or fear, and become established in the light of your inner self. You can then look back at worries and fears with deep insight and handle them.

 - Karma yoga:

Karma means to do. Karma refers to the universal principle of cause and effect.


For every effect there’s a cause, and the devotee realizes that he, in his present life situation, is experiencing the effects of a number of causes which he has entertained and enacted.
He recognizes that for a finer, more fulfilling life he has to change his thoughts and feelings and so express himself through his actions that new causes supplant old habits and attitudes.
Through establishing new causes, he is confident of more beneficial and successful effects occurring to him and his loved ones in life.
Karma yoga meditation is:

1.
Consciously surrendering to the Lord the selfish motives that tend to abound within one’s psyche. One seeks to stop working, speaking, acting, or even meditating in a way that is to reward one’s personal desires.
A karma yogi wishes to live for God, or for the higher self — the soul — and not for the ego anymore.


2.
A dedication of oneself: one’s actions, thoughts, words, and feelings are offered to God. The karma yogi has faith that God is the doer, ideally, and that the lower self — the mind, the heart, the hands — are dedicated to God for his purposes.
The individual devotee wishes nothing more than to be an instrument, a servant of the Lord’s love, light, and will.

- Bhakti yoga or devotional yoga, is the most natural path for those who are dominantly seeking emotional fulfillment and well being.

The "bhakta" usually practices meditation by visualizing, thinking and feeling that the Lord is sitting or standing before him. The bhakta pours out his heart’s love, adoration, and shares his deepest thoughts and concerns with the Lord until a continual flow of awareness moves between devotee and his or her beloved Lord.

This continuous flow of love and life force brings about a superconscious state of awareness which is generally called a mood, or bhava.

 - Mantra yoga: 

Mantras (or mantrams) are words, phrases, or syllables which are chanted thoughtfully and with growing attention
.

Mantra yoga meditation involves chanting a word or phrase until the mind and emotions are transcended and the superconscious is clearly revealed and experienced.
Since the mind wanders so much, the music of a mantra easily rescues the mind and brings it back to the object of one’s meditation.
Both the rhythm of it and the meaning of it combine to guide the mind safely back to the point of meditation — the higher consciousness or the specific spiritual focus.

- Raja yoga: 

Raja means royal or kingly. Raja yoga meditation is generally based on directing one’s life force to bring the mind and emotions so into balance that the attention may be easily focused on the object of meditation, or the Lord directly.

Generally, life force is directed to move up and down the spine until it is balanced and the mind and emotions are serenely content. Then awareness is generally directed to move forward into a point in the center of the lower forehead. This meditation point, which is about half an inch above where the eyebrows meet, is called ajna, or the third eye.

When the energy is balanced throughout the brain and body and easily moving forward in the area of the third eye, your mind becomes very calm. While your mind is not passive, it is free of meaningless thoughts, worries, and the bric-a-brac of the subconscious mind. This state usually gives you a very pleasant sense of well being and your mind seems filled with a velvety darkness.

Raja Yoga Meditation
As your consciousness continues to move in your third eye, pastel colors begin to appear in your forehead. Sumptuous, glorious pinks, yellows, whites, blues, indigos, greens, and purples take their turn or play in combination in your forehead. Then, you may think you are seeing fireflies, lightning, or moonlight as your life force becomes more concentrated and more actively prepares you to behold higher consciousness. This process is readying you to experience your true nature as pure consciousness, pure spirit, pure awareness.

And then the light in your forehead blazes brighter than the sun! But, you find it is soothing to look into the awesome light, soothing to behold it. This is the brilliance of your inner light, your essence, revealing itself to you.

Raja yoga, particularly, requires a teacher because it is easy to strain yourself, and it’s also easy to delude yourself into high level hallucinations rather than actual experiences of your higher consciousness.

However, the genuine raja yogi lives in bliss, with his, or her, will surrendered to God. A raja yogi realizes the profound truth of the Biblical passage: If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be filled with light.

- Hatha yoga: 

Hatha yoga, in the twentieth century, is mainly practiced for health and vitality.
  
It’s a marvelous means of exercising, stretching, and freeing the body so it can be a healthy, long-lived, and vital instrument of the mind and soul.
  
In addition, hatha yogis can become extremely clear-minded and can concentrate well. However, a few yogis do practice hatha yoga as their main method for spiritual realization. Their clear minds and pure, healthy bodies enable them to meditate easily.
Hatha Yoga Balance

In Sanskrit, ha means sun, tha means moon. Hatha yoga is the practice of harmonizing the body’s inner currents (principally the currents of Feeling, Thinking, Willing, and Acting) until they are in perfect balance.
Normally the hatha yogi with the calm mind focuses awareness at the ajna center half an inch above where the eyebrows join and directs awareness to move through that center into a super-conscious state. The individual life, the finite life, meets and fuses temporarily, at first, with the infinite life.
Hatha yoga meditation is not well-known today and the purity of life required in order to do hatha yoga meditation well requires more time and application than most people are willing to give. However, those few dedicated men and women who are true hatha yogis live in abundant well being and universal harmony.

- Tantra yoga: 

The word tantra literally means "expansion." A tantra yogi concentrates on expanding all levels of his or her consciousness to unveil and realize the Supreme Reality. Tantra focuses on the dynamic aspect of divinity called Shakti, or "the Cosmic Mother."

The tantric devotee strives to attune with the spiritual dynamic energy in order to transform personal limitations and release subconscious blockages.
True tantra yoga is a pure path, but it has been abused by some self-proclaimed adherents. Tantra yoga is not concerned with sexuality, but with the creative force and transmuting this energy into higher channels. Sometimes self-styled teachers have misconstrued the symbolism of tantra yoga into sex practices for men and women.
Rather, the goal of tantra yoga is to awaken and harmonize the male and female aspects within each person in order to spiritually awaken and realize the whole universe as an expression of the Cosmic Mother, the divine life force, or Spirit.
Tantra Yoga Meditation
Tantra yoga meditation is often practiced this way: A tantra devotee sits calmly and purifies mind and heart of wayward thoughts and desires. The devotee then senses the life force within his or her being and gradually, through imagination and feeling, directs the life force to rise up the spine, from the tailbone into the neck and then into the forehead.
 
When considerable life force is gathered in the forehead, the tantra yogi, through practice, directs that the life force move out from the forehead and form a body of light and energy three to six feet before him or her. The body of light in front of the devotee is encouraged to become dense and expand until it is as large as a human form.
The tantric yogi then directs love and devotion toward the dynamic body of light which is a profound representation of his or her soul and essence. Usually, after fifteen to thirty minutes of this meditation, the yogi invites the light and energy to slowly return into his forehead and down through the body to the base of the spine.
  
Through practice, amazing renewal is felt through tantric meditation and spiritual awakening is accelerated. The tantric becomes aware that the life force and essence within each person is truly divine; it is from the Lord. The spirit in each one is from God.
Overcoming negative habits
Another interesting aspect of tantra yoga is its dedication to transmutation of negative habits or obsessions—smoking, drinking, and overeating, for example. Of course, the tantric would urge you give up any bad habits you can by simply dropping them. However, if you can’t give up a self-destructive behavior, no matter how hard you’ve tried, why not use a tantric approach to it?
 
The beginning tantric realizes he has failed in giving up his self-destructive habits because they were so strongly established over long periods of time. Often, before taking up tantra yoga, he tried to stop hurting himself through smoking, drinking, and overeating, but failed miserably after many struggles. Now, through tantra he tries to expand his consciousness as he transforms old habits.
If drinking is his problem, for example, he thinks of God as he drinks! Rather than ignoring God or feeling rebellious, he strives to sense God’s love, joy, and blessings. The tantric strives to feel God’s joy or love filling him, as well as the intoxication of the alcohol. In a short time, the tantric beginner does not need to drink. The thought of God fills him with joy instead.

Moderne og vestlig kategorisering (Med "grunnleggere")

- Ashtanga: Vinyasa yoga (Sri K Patthabi Jois): 

Ashtangayogaens levende tradisjon

Av Patricia A Gines, Anagha Yoga

Ashtanga er en dynamisk yogastil der pust og bevegelse blir kombinert i en serie som gir utøveren økt bevissthet både fysisk og psykisk. Vinyasaprinsippet, det synkroniserte systemet med pust og bevegelse, bidrar til en dynamisk flyt i -og mellom,  stillingene.

Selve serien er nøye sammensatt med stillinger fra Hathayoga-tradisjonen, med rundt femti stillinger (asanas) i førsteserien. Hver asana forbereder for den neste.

Gjennom regelmessig praksis frigjør vi kroppen fra urenheter, spenninger og blokkeringer. Øvelsene styrker musklene, gjør de smidigere og mer fleksible. Forbrenning og utholdenhet forbedres, sinnet blir balansert og en økt evne for konsentrasjon kan oppleves.

Det helhetlige perspektivet har gjort ashtanga veldig populær i vesten.  

Ashtangayoga er en filosofi som baserer seg på gamle indiske skrifter og kunnskap formidlet av guru T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989). Ashtangayoga som metode er siden blitt fornyet flere ganger til en mer terapeutisk og vitenskapelig tilnærming for kropp og sinn.  Blant annet har Guru Sri Pattabi Jois (1915-2009) ført tradisjonen videre i moderne tid. Pattabi Jois begynte som elev hos Krishnamacharya i 1927, kun tolv år gammel.

Ifølge Pattabi Jois lener ashtanga seg på åtte deler, med referanse til den 2000 år gamle ”Yoga Sutras” av Rishi Patanjali.  Ashtau = åtte, anga = steg.

1. YAMA- moralske prinsipper og retningslinjer rettet mot omverdenen
2. NIYAMA- etiske retningslinger mot en selv, renhet fysisk og psykisk
3. ASANA- fysiske øvelser
4. PRANAYAMA- pusteteknikk
5. PRATYAHARA- trekke sansene tilbake
6. DHARANA- konsentrasjon
7. DHYANA- meditasjon
8. SAMADHI- fullstendig tilstedeværelse

Ifølge ashtangatradisjonen begynner veien mot innsikt og høyere utvikling med rensing av den fysiske kroppen.

Pattabi Jois mener derfor at man bør må begynne på punkt tre, fire og fem. Når kroppen er forberedt kan vi på en mer fordelaktig måte  rette oppmerksomheten mot sinnet. 

I ashtanga har vi punkt fire pusteteknikk, integrert i praksisen. Mer avansert pranayama bør en ikke gjøre før kroppen er godt kjent med  punkt tre, asanas, fordi indre organer og nervesystemet bør forberedes tilstrekkelig for de kraftfulle pusteteknikkene.

Når vi er etablert i punkt fem, pratyahara blir de tre siste stegene mulige. Punkt fem beskriver hvordan trekke sansene tilbake.

Ashtangayoga er alltid individuell, vinyasaprinsippet tillater hver enkelt å følge sin kropp med sine forutsetninger. Dermed passer ashtanga for de fleste uavhengig av alder, fysisk form eller tidligere erfaring med yoga.

Patricia A Gines, Anagha Yoga

- Viniyoga: (T.K.V. Desikachar)

From www.viniyoga.com

Viniyoga ™ (prefixes vi and ni plus yoga) is an ancient Sanskrit term that implies differentiation, adaptation, and appropriate application.

The practices of Yoga provide the means to bring out the best in each practitioner. This requires an understanding of a person's present condition, personal potential, appropriate goals and the means available. Just as every person is different, these aspects will vary with each individual.

The American Viniyoga ™ Institute uses the term Viniyoga ™ to refer to an approach to Yoga that adapts the various means and methods of practice to the unique condition, needs and interests of each individual - giving each practitioner the tools to individualize and actualize the process of self-discovery and personal transformation.

This approach to yoga evolved out of the teachings transmitted by T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar of Madras, India.

- Iyengar yoga: (B.K.S. Iyengar)

What is Iyengar Yoga?  From Iyengar-Yoga.com

The Practice

The Iyengar method of Yoga is initially learnt through the in-depth study of asanas (posture) and pranayama (breath control).

Mr Iyengar has systematised over 200 classical yoga Asanas and 14 different types of Pranayamas (with variations of many of them) from the simple to the incredibly difficult. These have been structured and categorised so as to allow a beginner to progress surely and safely from basic postures to the most advanced as they gain flexibility, strength and sensitivity in mind, body and spirit.

Asana

In practice Iyengar yoga focuses particularly on three aspects. Correct body alignment allows the body to develop harmoniously in an anatomically correct way so that the student suffers no injury or pain when practising correctly. As all bodies are different and people have different weaknesses and strengths. Mr Iyengar has also developed the use of props to help the body into the correct positions required. Props are objects like wooden blocks, chairs, blankets and belts that help one adjust or support oneself in the different postures so that one can work in a range of motion that is safe and effective.

An added benefit is that although the therapeutic aspects of asanas and pranayama have been known for centuries, Mr Iyengar's unrelenting emphasis on correct anatomical alignment and methods of working have refined the therapeutic aspects of Yoga. Thus practice of Iyengar yoga will often result in eliminating aches and pains, improve posture etc. but Iyengar Yoga can also be used to treat many ailments, including extremely serious medical conditions, under the supervision of a suitably experienced teacher. The other two key aspects of asana practice in the Iyengar system are correct sequencing in which there is a powerful cumulative effect achieved by practicing asanas in particular sequences. The concept of timings means postures are held for considerable lengths of time to let the effects of the poses penetrate deeper within the individual

Pranayama

Pranayama is started once a firm foundation in asana has been established as physically the student requires the alignment, flexibility, lung capacity and training necessary to sit and breathe correctly while practicing. Pranayama gives numerous physical benefits including toning the circulatory, digestive, nervous and respiratory systems, activating the internal organs and creating a feeling of energy and calmness. Equally importantly it also brings the mind and senses under control and make the individual fit for the experience of meditation.

Read more on Iyengar Yoga here

- Sivananda yoga: (Swami Sivananda): 

(Anne Berit Skarestad, Borre Yoga)

Sivananda Yoga er et helhetlig yogasystem utviklet av den indiske legen Swami Sivananda (1887-1963). Sivananda Yoga tar utgangspunkt i den opprinnelige indiske yogafilosofien, men er allmenngyldig, tidløs og passer derfor også moderne yogier. Yogasystemet har som mål å fremme best mulig fysisk og mental helse og kan tilpasses enhver kropp og alder.

Sivananda Yoga har 5 punkter:

1)    Fysiske øvelser - Asanas
De fysiske øvelsene trener kroppen til å bli sterk og smidig. De 12 hovedøvelsene er satt sammen for å øke sirkulasjonen slik at hele kroppen; muskler, sener, indre organer m.m. samt at det mentale og psykiske skal fungere optimalt.

2)     Pusteøvelser - Pranayama
Pusten ledsager alle yogaøvelsene. Utgangspunktet er den ”fullstendige yogapusten”. I tillegg kommer pusteøvelser som balanserer energien og gir klarhet og ro i sinnet.

3)     Avspenning - Savasana
Klassene starter og slutter med avspenning. Det er avspenning mellom flere av øvelsene for å forsterke effekten og forhindre spenninger og skader.

4)     Kosthold med mye frukt og grønnsaker
Det anbefales ikke å spise like før yogatreningen. Mange føler etter hvert behov for å spise lettere mat. Sivananda Organisasjonen anbefaler et vegetarisk kosthold.

5)    Positiv tenking og meditasjon - Vedanta og Dhyana
Dine tanker påvirker deg og omgivelsene. Det du sender ut får du tilbake. Meditasjon roer sinnet og tankene, slik at du kan se ting i et større perspektiv.

Swami Sivananda hadde følgende slagord: ”Love, serve, give, purify, meditate and realize”. 

- Satyananda yoga: (Swami Satyananda)

From www.satyananda.net
Satyananda Yoga is an internationally renowned system of yoga that is firmly grounded in tradition and adapted to suit the needs of contemporary living. It includes Hatha, Raja, Karma, Jnana, Mantra and Bhakti Yogas as well as other branches and presents them in a unified package that is flexible enough to be applied according to individual needs. Satyananda Yoga is a systematic, step-by-step approach to yoga, that aims to integrate all aspects of our being.
Satyananda Yoga offers the rare opportunity to experience and try out a variety of different yogic paths in many different settings from the weekly class, through to the residential retreat centre situation. This provides access to the wide scope of traditional yogic practices which makes up Satyananda Yoga, presenting them in a way which is meaningful & relevant to modern day life. There is the opportunity in a weekly class to sample a little of what yoga has to offer, in workshops to delve a little deeper and in the residential retreat situation to dive into the vast ocean that is yoga. All these options can deepen knowledge and practice, enrich the inner world and provide one with tools and skills to manage life’s journey

- Kundalini yoga: tantrisk yoga

An introduction to Kundalini Yoga, www.kundaliniyoga.org
The science of Kundalini Yoga and meditation was developed over 50,000 years ago by rishis in India and Tibet, who systematically tested and perfected the precise movements, postures, sounds and breathing that activate different parts of the body and brain to produce specific results.
These sacred and hitherto secret teachings were brought to the West in 1969, and presented to the public for the first time by Yogi Bhajan. Not only was this the first time they had ever been taught publicly, it was also the first time they had been written down and made available to all who desired to practice, rather than to a very select band of initiates. It was his belief that the knowledge belongs to everyone.
Now, thanks our sponsors, Yoga Technology, we are able to bring these teachings to the whole world, using the medium of the Internet.
Kundalini Yoga is the science, art and technology enabling one to access and utilize his or her own creative power for elevation of consciousness, healing and other purposes beyond reproduction. This power, (shakti), is thought to lie dormant in the lower end of the spine, and is often pictured as a coiled, sleeping serpent (kundalini means coiled), until it is awakened, either spontaneously or by yogic techniques, and arises to unite with the Universal Energy (prana), empowering the individual with awareness beyond ordinary perception and powers (siddhis) beyond ordinary ability.
Kundalini Yoga is one of the few yogic paths to actually allow sex. Not only that, regular practice can greatly increase your levels of sexual energy leading to a wonderfully enhanced sex life.
Kundalini Yoga is the most powerful and inclusive of all yogas. Although sharing the same goal as Hatha Yoga - union with the Universal, Divine Source, or God, it can give results up to 16 times faster. It is also easier to practice and takes less time. You may know that Hatha Yoga postures tend to be quite difficult and you have to maintain a pose for a long time. Many people simply cannot do those poses.
KY on the other hand does not rely on difficult poses. It consists of exercises or postures (Asanas) combined with special breathing (Pranayama), hand and finger gestures (Mudras), body locks (Bhandas), chanting (Mantras) and Meditation. (See section - Components of Kundalini Yoga). These are done together, or in sequence to create exact, specific effects.
A Kriya is an exercise or group of them, with one or more of the other components, whose total impact is greater than the sum of its parts. Kundalini Yoga sets are kriyas, rather than simply calisthenic series.
So Kundalini Yoga is much more "concentrated" than other yogas. It is also safe to practice on your own since the postures are not dangerous for beginners.
Kundalini Yoga is addictive! Once the results are experienced, we want more! There are thousands of sets and meditations, an abundance covering every phase of human and super-human experience.

- Hatha yoga: samlebetegnelse på blant annet Sivananda og Satyanada yoga eller blandede yogaformer

- Kriya yoga: (Paramahamsa Yogananda) (finnes som praksis i Satyananda yoga) kan betraktes som en kundalini yoga

- Power yoga: vestlig betegnelse på Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga eller avarter av denne

- Interdisciplinary Yoga

Av Gry Zakariassen, Lotus Yoga

Interdisciplinary Yoga er en unik form for vinyasayoga, utviklet av Don & Amba Stapleton ved Nosara Yoga Institute i Costa Rica. Denne dynamiske yogaformen har fokus på kombinasjon av pust og bevegelse, i tillegg til et bredt utvalg terapeutiske oppvarmingsøvelser, designet for å gi dypere tilstedeværelse i kroppen og for å finne tilbake til kroppens naturlige bevegelseskapasitet. Denne yogaformen tar utgangspunkt i at vi alle er skapt forskjellige både fysisk, mentalt og spirituelt. 

Interdisciplinary Yoga er en variant av Hatha Yoga som kombinerer de fysiske øvelsene med pust i en dynamisk flytsekvens eller en flow. Yogaretningen er en oppdatert variant av yoga der det er tatt hensyn til dagens levesett i vesten, spesielt i forhold til stressmestring og belastende arbeidsstillinger. Man har kombinert kunnskap både fra de gamle yogamestrene, og tatt inn nyere kunnskap om fysiologi og anatomi blant annet fra Feldenkraismetoden og Alexanderteknikk m.fl.

Interdisciplinary Yoga balanserer energiene, utvikler mye varme,  renser både kropp og sinn samtidig som den setter fart på forbrenning, gjør deg fleksibel og styrker muskulaturen i hele kroppen.

I Norge er det foreløpig kun 5 sertifiserte yogalærere fra Nosara Yoga Institute. Les mer her:

www.nosarayoga.com 

www.lotusyoga.no

- Tempel Yoga: 

(Tempel Yoga)
En norskutviklet yogaretning grunnlagt av Anette Neumann i 1996. Tilpasset vestens travle livsstil, det skandinaviske klima og temperement, og tar vare på mennesket i alle livets faser. Undervisningen er inspirert av Prana Flow Yoga, Mark Whitwell sin Heart of Yoga (autentisk Hatha Yoga), Ayurveda, dans og frihet til å uttrykke ditt sanne potensial. Tempel Yoga er levende, variert og morsom og er hverken fysisk eller spirituell akrobatikk.

- Bikram`s Yoga:  

(Yoga Noor, tilbyr Bikram f.o.m 10.8.10)

Bikram´s yoga utføres i 40,5 graders varme med 40 % relativ luft-fuktighet. Det er en serie bestående av 26 yogaposisjoner som utføres to ganger. Varmen og posisjonene gjør at man svetter store mengder og det gir en meget effektiv rensende efekt. Blod sirkulasjonen fungerer også optimalt i varmen. Ved inn og utgang av posisjonene strømmer det oksygen fattige blodet tilbake og det oksygenrike blodet til organene/muskulaturen, som den respektive posisjonen stimulerer. Slik får man også "renset" alle kroppens organer i løpet av en Bikram time!  Man balanserer også forholdet mellom styrke balanse og fleksibilitet, Bikram var vektløfter noe denne serien bærer preg av!

- Pranayama og Pust i Yoga

  Henrik Allum (Yoga Noor)