I have recently decided that I would like to take up Hatha Yoga in order to supplement and expand my internal practice. Any suggestions on what I should look for? Any one want to tell me what benifits (as well as negative effects) I can expect?
“The essence of life is struggle and it’s goal is domination. There are higher goals and deeper meanings, but they exist only within the minds of men. The reality of life is war.”
Ashtanga yoga (out of Pattabhi Jois) is a great conditioning workout, building strength and flexibility and connecting your body with your breath. Other systems were a little too much on the “quiet” side for my taste.
The internal effects of pranayama and yogic meditation can be very powerful . . . enough so that if you practice yoga focusing on these aspects I would strongly suggest choosing your teacher carefully. I’ve generally done my yoga in the morning and martial arts in the evening . . . intuitively I’m a little cautious about doing the two practices back-to-back, since I don’t know what the internal effect would be. So far yoga in the morning (an hour) and martial arts in the evening (1-3 hours) has been very complementary.
Hope it goes well for you. Yoga is an internal art, and a good teacher is essential (in my opinion) to any internal art. I don’t know who might be available in Dulzura, though.
good choice
prana and chi are the same thing and indian yoga is the mother chinese martial arts. I use to do both when i was more on a the zen hippy peace life and taiji was just a moving meditation, after learning martial arts and san shou philosophy has changed alot, but i am working to come full circle in the zen life yoga peace i knew before and forgot about.
Ashtanga Yoga is usually thought of as the most “hardcore” kind of yoga, but Hatha and Anusara Yoga can kick your ass too. The hardest yoga I ever did was anusara.
I think you’ll get more much more benefit out of yoga if you find a good teacher, yes. Don’t forget the breathing part, either. You’ll actually get much more of a flexibility benefit if you concentrate more on the breathing and relaxing than the stretching, in my opinion.
I practice Kundalini Yoga. Of all the Yogas it deals the most with meditation, inner stillness, and activation and awareness of the charkas or better said as large network of mass nerve ganglia in the body, where main input and output sensory centers of the body are located.
The smoother and stronger these nerve centers the faster, more fluid and health the body is.
The Yogic postures are few but rely on a good deal of strength and most importantly mental fortitude to perform.
Learned 'em both together
My instructor taught Taiji and Hatha Yoga together. He had originally taken up Taiji to help with his Yoga practice. In Taiji (or any of the other internal arts, for that matter) the body must relax to get the Chi to flow into the limbs/joints. As my instructor put it, if you can’t get the Chi/Prana to flow by relaxing in Taiji, you can stretch it into flowing with Yoga.
The Yoga I practice/teach is traditional Hatha with a Viniyoga influence. That of course means nothing to an initiate. Hatha Yoga, or Yoga for that matter, has sub-styles to fit any personality. Whether it’s: Ashtanga (POWER) Yoga for those seeking fitness; Triyoga, Viniyoga, or Kundalini Yoga for those seeking tranquility and individual expression; Inyegar (sp?) Yoga for those seeking preciseness; or even Bikram Yoga for those seeking to cook themselves. It can all accomplish the same thing: a limber, healthy body.
Yes you should learn Yoga as a compliment to your internal art.
Wujidude: your practice sounds great, but you’re fine practicing both together.
Ma: Come back to Yoga, brother 
Namaste!
Without going outside, you may know the whole world.
Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven.
The farther you go, the less you know.
–Lao Tsu
DragonStudios
Would you be so kind as to go over some of the major substyles and their unique attributes for the uninitiated. I find Yoga interesting but no absolutely nothing about it.
Maybe model it after a Yang vs Chen vs Wu taiji so that my stupid ass will understand
Although there are many styles, they all depend on the strong beating the weak and the slow falling to the quick. These are not related to the power that must be learned – Taiji Classics
Or just provide a couple of good limks and I’ll check it myself.
Although there are many styles, they all depend on the strong beating the weak and the slow falling to the quick. These are not related to the power that must be learned – Taiji Classics
Yoga primer
First of all, there are 8 Yogas identified by Patanjali in the Yoga sutras:
Bhakti Yoga: The path of love and devotion to God. By constant love, thought, and service of the Divine, the practitioner transcends their limited personality and attains a cosmic consciousness. The path of devotion can be practiced by everyone. All that is needed is faith and constant loving remembrance of God.
Hatha Yoga: (literally Sun & Moon or ‘perfect balance’ yoga) Bodily postures (asanas), breath control (pranayamas), and physical cleansing (Kriyas) all help to create a supple and relaxed body. Practitioners of Hatha Yoga experience increased vitality, renewed flexibility, and radiant health.
Japa Yoga: is a part of Raja Yoga. Japa means repetition of a mantra, or chant. The words are unimportant to a Japa practitioner; rather the sound created by the words which represents an aspect of the Divine vibration. Continual repetition of the mantra produces a vibration within the practitioner’s entire system and puts the individual in tune with the Divine Vibration.
Jnana Yoga: The path of wisdom. This consists of self-analysis and awareness. The practitioner gains knowledge of the self by ceasing to identify with the body, mind, and ego. Instead, completely identifying with the divinity within oneself and within all things, realizing oneness.
Karma Yoga: Action through selfless service. The performance of duty without attachment or desire for the results of action. Practitioners of the Karma Yoga philosophy realize a purified mind, and become an instrument of the Divine plan.
Laya Yoga: Energy work. This popular meditation style of Yoga makes one aware of the “coiled snake†of energy within them Laya focuses on the seven chakras. Practitioners learn of each chakra, and how to drive energy through them. Laya’s most popular variation is Kundalini Yoga.
Raja Yoga: Meditation and control of the mind. This is based on moral and ethical perfection, and control of the senses, which leads to a state where the mind can be stilled from its thoughts. When the mind is calm, pure bliss is achieved.
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. 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.
The Yoga you’re likely the most interested in is Hatha Yoga (I personally practice Hatha, Raja, Jnana, and Karma Yoga). Hatha Yoga has been broken into several schools. These schools all come from students of great Swamis (like Sivananda) who were sent out into the world to teach yoga. As time wore on, each developed a system that their successors have followed and perfected. I’ll hit the 5 most popular, and mean no disrespect to anyone practicing another variation of Hatha Yoga…
Ashtanga Yoga: Also called Power Yoga. Ashtanga is a strength & fitness style, with intense stretching in most of the poses. It’s important to find an experienced teacher who understands the specifics of the poses (read: not someone who graduated from a weekend seminar, and got picked up by a health club) so that you can avoid injury.
Bikram Yoga: This style was founded by Bikram Choudhury. He grew up in Calcutta, and now lives in LA. He likes his Yoga HOT. Practicing in a room that is between 98.6 to 100 degrees F (did I mention he’s from Calcutta) to stimulate the muscles to stretch further. I’ve never done Bikram Yoga (unless my AC was broken 
), but this type of practice can be a little dangerous if you’re not used to the heat. Again, find a QUALIFIED instructor.
Iyengar Yoga: This tradition, founded by BKS Iyengar, is based on precision in body alignment. Iyengar is one of the most popular styles, and has only recently been beaten by Ashtanga in popularity. These guys are the ones who developed the famous Yoga mats, blocks, and belts for practice.
Traditional Yoga: Although the other styles do have a spiritual basis, I lump all those with a very strong spiritual foundation under traditional. The majority of these styles incorporate the other more spiritual or esoteric Yogas into their Hatha practice. Sivananda Yoga and Integral Yoga are two good examples.
Viniyoga: Viniyoga emphasizes individual development. It takes into account the needs and abilities of the individual student and adapts the yoga to the student. This is the strongest influence to my Yoga teaching style…
You can pretty much type any of these into a search engine and get two or three sites devoted to the styles. In the end, each of the individual Hatha Yoga styles have the same goal: A healthy flexible body.
Namaste!
Without going outside, you may know the whole world.
Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven.
The farther you go, the less you know.
–Lao Tsu
Thanks
Although there are many styles, they all depend on the strong beating the weak and the slow falling to the quick. These are not related to the power that must be learned – Taiji Classics
Yoga Sites
Here are some of the best sites I’ve found for Yoga on the net:
And of course:
Without going outside, you may know the whole world.
Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven.
The farther you go, the less you know.
–Lao Tsu
Mr Nemo - What is Anusara yoga?
Tai Chi v Yoga would make a good movie
Tai Chi vs. Yoga was the clickbait title but it doesn’t show in the article itself. I am disappointed.
The Difference Between Tai Chi & Yoga, Explained By A Trainer
Gentle movements & synced breathing? Check. Here’s what else to know.
Woman doing taichi in empty city early in the morning. Here’s how tai chi vs. yoga compare.
Yoshiyoshi Hirokawa/Photodisc/Getty Images
By Jay Polish
June 28, 2021
As you’re heading back to your gym and trying to figure out which classes fit in with your new commute, you might find yourself torn between the different options. If you’re looking to boost your physical and mental fitness in one fell swoop, Tai Chi and yoga might both be vying for your 8 a.m. workout spot. But how do you choose between Tai Chi and yoga?
What Are The Differences Between Tai Chi & Yoga?
Tai Chi originated in China and is considered an internal martial art. “Tai Chi uses forms or predetermined sequences that focus on flowing, controlled movements; different stances; optimal posture; and rhythmic upper and lower extremity movements,” says Prentiss Rhodes, a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist. The practice places a big emphasis on your breathwork while moving.
Yoga also focuses on flowing, controlled movements synced with your breathing, but Rhodes explains that the two practices are executed differently. “While yoga has some flow aspects to it, especially if one practices the Vinyasa style,” Rhodes says, Tai Chi is more dynamic. If you’ve ever stayed in Warrior II for a few full breath cycles, you’re probably familiar with the burn of holding yoga poses. But Tai Chi focuses more on cycling through relaxed postures than holding any given position. Because of that, Tai Chi is less likely to leave your muscles sore than yoga.
Of course, there are plenty of gentle yoga flows and more physically intensive Tai Chi practices — but on average, anticipate breaking more of a sweat during yoga class.
What Are The Similarities Between Tai Chi & Yoga?
“Both yoga and Tai Chi are meditative, require focus, and help improve the strength and flexibility of the body,” Rhodes explains. “Both systems use coordinated breathwork when they are being performed.” You won’t need a lot of space for either of these movement practices — roughly the space of a yoga mat should do it. Both forms of exercise are low-impact and will be pretty easy on your joints.
It’s not just about the similarities between the practices — it’s also about the benefits. Tai Chi and yoga have both been shown to help with high blood pressure and reduce depression, stress, and anxiety. Both practices can also improve your balance, full-body coordination, and your ability to sync your breath up with your movements, Rhodes explains.
Should I Practice Tai Chi Or Yoga?
You’re not cheating on your yoga instructor when you head to a Saturday morning Tai Chi class. Yoga and Tai Chi aren’t in competition with each other — instead, they’re pretty complementary. So you don’t have to look at it as one or the other: both are good. The choice on which class to attend is more about your own personal preferences.
Experts:
Prentiss Rhodes, National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist
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