Yoga Enjoy – All About Yoga: Poses, Types, Benefits, and More

Sivananda Yoga & the Divine Grace Ashram

February 1, 2025

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Yoga offered by the Divine Grace Ashram

We are grateful and honored to share the blessings of Swami Sankarananda and the Divine Grace Ashram – now an integral part of ChocolaTree’s grander vision. Together, we now offer weekly co-sponsored events including, Sivananda Yoga classes around the valley, yearly larger “Holyday” celebrations, and seasonal gatherings like our Christmas sold out feast, or our ongoing Soup for the Soul Wednesdays in the lounge, at ChocolaTree.

What we practice is Sivananda Yoga, a classical and holistic healing system, which stretches and tones the entire body. Sivananda Yoga helps both body and mind gain and maintain a natural healthy state. The practice emphasizes proper exercise, relaxation and breathing – each ninety-minute Asana practice begins with breath work and closes with a full body and mind relaxation.

Yoga, simply put, means union. Union of the individual with the supreme, or union of one’s body, mind, and spirit so that our actions, our words, and our thoughts are in alignment. Yoga is not a religion but a spiritual practice that can be incorporated into one’s daily life no matter what religion you follow, whether it is Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, or Atheist.

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The teachings of Yoga go far beyond simply physical exercise or stretches. Even the Asana part of Yoga, which is not purely physical, has mental and spiritual benefits.

By closely observing the lifestyles and needs of people in our modern world, Swami Vishnudevananda s[……]

Restorative Yoga

These 9 Restorative Yoga Poses Will Give You the Relief You’re Craving

January 18, 2025

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If you prefer fast-paced dynamic workouts such as HIIT, rowing, and power yoga, you may see exercise as an opportunity to break a sweat and bring your heart rate up. And while there’s nothing wrong with those motivations, sometimes your body needs something a bit calmer and gentler to quite literally ground you back down to earth. You may want to consider restorative yoga, a perfect option for balancing out your workout routine while also helping alleviate stress. Read on for some of the best restorative yoga poses to try.

What Is Restorative Yoga?

When you think of yoga, you might imagine pushing back into Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), flowing through Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskars), or going upside down into a Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana). Unlike these more active postures and sequences, restorative yoga allows you to simply let go and melt into your mat.

“Restorative yoga differs from other types of yoga in that it is completely passive and supported,” says Peloton instructor Anna Greenberg. “There’s no effort from the practitioner at all to hold themselves up in any of the postures.”

Restorative Yoga vs. Yin Yoga: Key Differences

Be careful not to conflate restorative yoga with Yin Yoga. While both of these practices involve slowing down and maintaining longer holds than you’d find in other yoga classes, they’re far from interchangeable. Yin Yoga requires more effort and action—and can feel intense. “In Yin Yoga, you hold deep stretches that work on s[……]

Prenatal Yoga

12 Amazing Benefits of Prenatal Yoga

December 16, 2024

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The last two decades have seen an increasing interest in the age-old yogic philosophy and its practices which has managed to create an impact on a global level, especially in the field of fitness and wellness. Yoga as a philosophy has laid down the works for an entire lifestyle that transcends into self-actualization when practiced and studied in depth.

An excerpt from this diverse discourse captures the exercises or asanas that most modern global cultures consider the premise of yoga. These asanas indulge the body’s flexibility and boost endurance to help people attain a healthier lifestyle through better oxygenation of the body. Along with these asanas, there are many breathing exercises and meditation techniques as well that ensure better oxygenation and relax the body and the mind. Within this segment of yoga is a specific section that was designed specifically for pregnancy and is known as Prenatal Yoga.

What is Prenatal Yoga?

Prenatal Yoga is a specific section within the Pranayam and Asanas segment of the Yogic philosophy that is concerned with relaxing and building endurance of the pregnant woman. It focuses on improving body flexibility and relaxes the body during the different trimesters of pregnancy. It also involves many breathing and meditation techniques that help with attaining tranquility during the pregnancy stage. The Asanas are much milder than the usual yogic practices and are designed specifically to prepare the body for childbirth.

The way to move forwa[……]

Pranayama Yoga

KAPALBHATI PRANAYAMA YOGA POSE

November 27, 2024

Yoga is a beautiful art that beautifies your life canvas with brilliant colours. This art not only soothes your mind and body but rejuvenate you as a whole person. Every pose is like a different shade of colour which is all set to brighten your life. One such pose that is KAPALBHATI PRANAYAMA YOGA POSE.

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This pose is mainly a breathing exercise for the enhancement of the respiratory system. And also marked impact on mental health and intellect.

METHOD:

Relax yourself and sit straight with an erect spine. Placing hands on the knee with palms towards the sky.

Relax your shoulder and close your eyes.

Breath in, focusing on the belly region.

Exhale out while pulling your navel back towards the spine.

While exhalation there should be a hissing sound.

During Inhale, the stomach should be pulled inwards and in exhalation, outwards.

20 such breaths will make the one round of this pose.

BENEFITS:

Increases blood circulation,

Improves metabolic rate and help in weight loss,

Increases lung capacity and makes them stronger,

Relaxed mind,

Overall improvement of Immune system and various other Health Benefits,

It acts on skin, hair, mind, lungs so on.

PRECAUTIONS:

Before doing any pose it’s better to consult an expert. Every individual is unique in terms of his metabolism and body posture. What suits one, may not suits the other. So, it is advisable to consult the yoga expert before practising any pose.

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Power Yoga

What Is the Difference Between Yoga and Power Yoga?

October 9, 2024

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Traditional Yoga vs. Power Yoga

Well, I guess I’m the best person to answer this question, considering I grew up from age 15 in Traditional yoga. By Traditional yoga, I mean a vinyasa yoga practice I studied in India called Ashtanga yoga. I am also the person who coined the term “Power Yoga.“

The difference between the two is nothing and/or everything. Let me explain. In India, most of the yoga practices are not physical, so right there you could say there are many differences between Power Yoga and most yoga practices.

So, what’s the point of yoga?

The goal of yoga is enlightenment, so you could also say that anything that leads to enlightenment is a yoga practice. Yes, Power Yoga leads to enlightenment, so then you could say there is no difference.

What is Power Yoga and How Do You Do It?

The objective of Power Yoga is to strengthen the benevolent and eradicate the malevolent.

To do this, we have to become aware of our mental state or the places our minds dwell, and with this awareness, we can decide if we want to dwell in the place our mind is dwelling or not. This choice gives us the opportunity to empower or disempower the mind states that benefit (benevolent) us or hinder (malevolent) us. I feel from my own experience, this is aligned with the objective of all yoga, so in that, there is no difference.

To do all this, we take a unique path. Yet if you could understand the thousands of different ways yoga is expressed in India and throughout the world, you could even say[……]

Kundalini Yoga

kundalini Yoga – 10 Benefits of Kundalini Yoga

September 14, 2024

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Kundalini yoga is a form of yoga that focuses on spiritual awakening, self-awareness, and physical health. It incorporates a combination of physical postures, breathing exercises, chanting, and meditation to create a comprehensive practice that addresses the needs of the body, mind, and soul. Kundalini yoga is an ancient practice that has been passed down for generations, and its benefits have been experienced by people of all ages and backgrounds.

What is kundalini meditation?

Kundalini meditation is a type of meditation that is designed to awaken the Kundalini energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine. The Kundalini energy is believed to be a powerful source of spiritual energy that can bring about profound transformation and enlightenment.

During a Kundalini meditation practice, individuals typically sit in a comfortable position and focus on their breath or a specific mantra. The intention is to quiet the mind and bring awareness to the body, allowing the Kundalini energy to rise up through the chakras.

There are many different types of Kundalini meditations, each with its own specific focus and intention. Some examples include:

Breath-focused meditation: This type of meditation involves focusing on the breath and using specific breathing techniques to help awaken the Kundalini energy.

Mantra meditation: Mantra meditation involves repeating a specific mantra, such as “Sat Nam” or “Om,” to help calm the mind and activate the Kundalini energy.

Chakra meditation: Ch[……]

Karma Yoga

Karma Yoga Programme

August 24, 2024

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SIVANANDA YOGA VEDANTA CENTRE

Interested in serving others? In deepening into yourself?Karma Yoga, or selfless service, is the first of the Four Paths of Yoga, and according to the great yogis like Swami Sivananda, it is the foundation on which all Yogic practice is based.

Time and again, great yogis guide us to the wisdom of purifying our heart. There is no better way to achieve this than through selfless service.

Our Karma Yoga programme at the Centre is an opportunity to be a part of a non-profit Sivananda organization that extends the world over – a global community of practitioners looking to do good in the world, to deepen their practice, and to live for something bigger than themselves.

Come experience the unique gifts of Karma Yoga. Open into yourself. Cultivate lasting friendships. Observe the transformation that comes with selfless service.

Serve. Love. Give. Purify. Meditate. Realize.

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