A Brief Guide to Yoga Paths
Yoga has a lot going for it, let's face it. The flexibility of some of those people on those TV yoga lessons is almost obscene. Of course, flexibility can do more for you than merely increase the excitement level in the bedroom. Or in the car. Or in an elevator. Or, well, you get my drift. Aside from the ability to make your partner's jaw drop, yoga is an excellent form of exercise for those with bodily conditions that are resistant to weights or high impact aerobics. Naturally, however, using the term yoga is as misleading as using the term Christian or Muslim to define a monolithic group of people who are assumed to share the same belief. In fact, yoga is nearly as complex an integration of various styles as any organized religion. I use the analogy of religion because yoga does have religious connotations. In fact, and it might even have been in my hometown, I can remember somebody complaining about a yoga class being taught in a public school because it violated the separation of church and school. Even if you don't want to go so far as to think of yoga as an organized religion, in order to get the most from what yoga has to offer it does pay to think of it in terms a philosophical exercise as well as a physical exercise. The key to thinking about yoga in these terms is understanding something called yoga paths. For instance, there is the Kundalini yoga path, which is one of the most ancient of all paths. The Kundalini path stresses things like breathing, meditation and chanting. This is a great path for those who are looking for a low impact type of yoga; there isn't much in the way of movement. In case those words bring to mind Sting and his six hour long Tantric sex marathons, you aren't far off the track. Kundalini and Tantric yoga are very closely related, but Kundalini yoga practioners do quite well without engaging in sex during the course of a Lord of the Rings marathon.
(Although, that might actually make that snorefest worth sitting through, now that I think of it.) All yoga is great at stripping the stress from your life, but the Ananda yoga path may be the best. Ananda means bliss and everyone could use a little bliss, right? While engaging in the Ananda yoga path you are urged to actually mutter quiet words of affirmations of serenity. The key to Ananda lies in creating an overall sense of peace and contentment, and many of those who follow this path can be found stretching to the accompaniment of bells. Iyengar yoga path does not have the history of something like Kundalini, but is becoming very popular. Iyengar is a combination of very ancient methods of yoga and the modern twist of being forced to hold these positions for longer than usual. Kripala yoga asks much the same thing as Iyengar yoga, and is differentiated from other yoga paths in that you don't do quite as many different poses, but you do hold them longer. Before considering Kripala yoga, it would be wise to be brutally honest with yourself when answering the question if you'd prefer to do more poses for a shorter time, or less poses for a longer time. The Bikram yoga path should only be considered by those who've already mastered the basics. Bikram yoga is, I believe, technically considered torture by the Bush administration, so you know it must be a killer. Why? Well, consider that a Bikram yoga workout requires that the temperature be situated between 90 and 105 degrees or, in other words, what my hometown feels like on 350 days out of a year. As if that weren't bad enough, the Bikram yoga workout is one of the most intense of any in any yoga path. The reason for the high heat delivery is that those who came up with this unique form of evil believe that the best qualities of yoga can be achieved only if the muscles involved are in a perfect state of readiness for stretching and this can be assured only in that 15 degree window.All yoga is great at stripping the stress from your life, but the Ananda yoga path may be the best. Ananda means bliss and everyone could use a little bliss, right? While engaging in the Ananda yoga path you are urged to actually mutter quiet words of affirmations of serenity. The key to Ananda lies in creating an overall sense of peace and contentment, and many of those who follow this path can be found stretching to the accompaniment of bells. Iyengar yoga path does not have the history of something like Kundalini, but is becoming very popular. Iyengar is a combination of very ancient methods of yoga and the modern twist of being forced to hold these positions for longer than usual. Kripala yoga asks much the same thing as Iyengar yoga, and is differentiated from other yoga paths in that you don't do quite as many different poses, but you do hold them longer. Before considering Kripala yoga, it would be wise to be brutally honest with yourself when answering the question if you'd prefer to do more poses for a shorter time, or less poses for a longer time. The Bikram yoga path should only be considered by those who've already mastered the basics. Bikram yoga is, I believe, technically considered torture by the Bush administration, so you know it must be a killer. Why? Well, consider that a Bikram yoga workout requires that the temperature be situated between 90 and 105 degrees or, in other words, what my hometown feels like on 350 days out of a year. As if that weren't bad enough, the Bikram yoga workout is one of the most intense of any in any yoga path. The reason for the high heat delivery is that those who came up with this unique form of evil believe that the best qualities of yoga can be achieved only if the muscles involved are in a perfect state of readiness for stretching and this can be assured only in that 15 degree window.
By Timothy Sexton
(Although, that might actually make that snorefest worth sitting through, now that I think of it.) All yoga is great at stripping the stress from your life, but the Ananda yoga path may be the best. Ananda means bliss and everyone could use a little bliss, right? While engaging in the Ananda yoga path you are urged to actually mutter quiet words of affirmations of serenity. The key to Ananda lies in creating an overall sense of peace and contentment, and many of those who follow this path can be found stretching to the accompaniment of bells. Iyengar yoga path does not have the history of something like Kundalini, but is becoming very popular. Iyengar is a combination of very ancient methods of yoga and the modern twist of being forced to hold these positions for longer than usual. Kripala yoga asks much the same thing as Iyengar yoga, and is differentiated from other yoga paths in that you don't do quite as many different poses, but you do hold them longer. Before considering Kripala yoga, it would be wise to be brutally honest with yourself when answering the question if you'd prefer to do more poses for a shorter time, or less poses for a longer time. The Bikram yoga path should only be considered by those who've already mastered the basics. Bikram yoga is, I believe, technically considered torture by the Bush administration, so you know it must be a killer. Why? Well, consider that a Bikram yoga workout requires that the temperature be situated between 90 and 105 degrees or, in other words, what my hometown feels like on 350 days out of a year. As if that weren't bad enough, the Bikram yoga workout is one of the most intense of any in any yoga path. The reason for the high heat delivery is that those who came up with this unique form of evil believe that the best qualities of yoga can be achieved only if the muscles involved are in a perfect state of readiness for stretching and this can be assured only in that 15 degree window.All yoga is great at stripping the stress from your life, but the Ananda yoga path may be the best. Ananda means bliss and everyone could use a little bliss, right? While engaging in the Ananda yoga path you are urged to actually mutter quiet words of affirmations of serenity. The key to Ananda lies in creating an overall sense of peace and contentment, and many of those who follow this path can be found stretching to the accompaniment of bells. Iyengar yoga path does not have the history of something like Kundalini, but is becoming very popular. Iyengar is a combination of very ancient methods of yoga and the modern twist of being forced to hold these positions for longer than usual. Kripala yoga asks much the same thing as Iyengar yoga, and is differentiated from other yoga paths in that you don't do quite as many different poses, but you do hold them longer. Before considering Kripala yoga, it would be wise to be brutally honest with yourself when answering the question if you'd prefer to do more poses for a shorter time, or less poses for a longer time. The Bikram yoga path should only be considered by those who've already mastered the basics. Bikram yoga is, I believe, technically considered torture by the Bush administration, so you know it must be a killer. Why? Well, consider that a Bikram yoga workout requires that the temperature be situated between 90 and 105 degrees or, in other words, what my hometown feels like on 350 days out of a year. As if that weren't bad enough, the Bikram yoga workout is one of the most intense of any in any yoga path. The reason for the high heat delivery is that those who came up with this unique form of evil believe that the best qualities of yoga can be achieved only if the muscles involved are in a perfect state of readiness for stretching and this can be assured only in that 15 degree window.
By Timothy Sexton
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