Launch of tried and tested ancient Vishaad Yoga Practices to transcend depression, anxiety and mental illnesses

When the first Europeans came to India, they discovered much which was beyond their comprehension, the language, the food, the habits and traditions and most peculiar of all were the practices of the Yogi's. Four hundred years after "1st Contact", the medical and political establishments of the West are finally beginning to begrudgingly accept that the physical practices of Yoga have a rejuvenating effect on the human body, and this acceptance has been driven not by the medical and scientific professionals, but by the general public taking up yoga in ever increasing numbers, and finding for themselves that it improves their health.

With the dramatic increase in stress, Depression and mental illnesses being reported daily, even in the worldwide mainstream press and not just medical journals, the West needs to take the next leap forward in its understanding of Yoga - the exploration of the Psychological and Mental benefits which appropriate specialised Yoga practices can deliver and this is now a matter of urgency.  That there is a specific "Yoga of Depression" will come as a surprise to many but there is, and it has been used throughout India's history to help alleviate illnesses which have their roots in the mind.
Vishaad Yoga, the "Yoga for Depression" reveals and teaches the knowledge and practices necessary to remove all negative thoughts and processes from a Mind so that the state of Yoga can be achieved. Many of the most esoteric and arcane Yoga scriptures have now been translated and then contemporized into concepts and practices which are suitable for a modern European mind-set, with its non-Indian construct and its own specific flavours of light and dark. Europeans who haven't been brought up with the cultural concepts of Indian traditions since birth, who then receive access to the original "Hindu centric / Indian culture oriented" guidance of the Indian Yoga Psychology texts, too often end up in confusion or delusion whilst still a long way from the goal.
 The European mind set is in many ways a more organised and structured one and demands a greater degree of reasoning and sequential logic, than the traditional Indian mind set, which has historically been more devotional and quite happy to pray to trees, rivers and anything that sits still for long enough! In this European "reason based" mental structure lies greater suitability to receive the guidance of Vishaad Yoga, but when a powerful, reasoning mind is provided with false information and avidya (knowledge which leads to suffering) such a mind falls far deeper into Vishaad (deepest despair or Depression) than the worshipful Eastern mind. As it is not possible for a traditional Indian mind to understand the subtle nuances and psychological knots of a European mind, the converse also applies, what has been needed is the appearance of minds which have naturally developed with a synthesis of the two cultures, whilst still being immersed in classical Yoga - only thus can a true bridge be made across which the Yoga Scriptures can flow and the construction of this internal bridge has been our mission for many years and Vishaad Yoga – the Yoga of Depression, represents the culmination of our efforts.

The Vishaad Yoga teachings contain the most powerful techniques for healing a mind which is faltering in crisis, despair or depression. They have never been more needed as CNBC reported only this week...
A growing number of global and European health bodies are warning that the introduction and intensification of austerity measures has led to a sharp rise in mental health problems with suicide rates, alcohol abuse and requests for anti-depressants increasing as people struggle with the psychological cost of living through a European-wide recession."
Vishaad Yoga, the "yoga for depression and anxiety" is a timely and critically relevant solution to help individuals and organizations to meet and even thrive in these most challenging of times. We shall be holding workshops at the OM Yoga Show 2012 at Olympia this year and look forward to answering any queries.
As Voltaire said, "Armies cannot stop an idea whose Time has come"... and Vishaad Yoga's time has come!


 

Online Yoga Training Classes

Why Yoga practice is so essential to deal with your daily challenges.
Practice of Ancient Yoga which is scientifically proven to be one of the best and effective activities to boost your health. Daily pratice of asana's and yoga exercises keep you fit and well. You can improve your health day by day and each of your body part functions very effectively and yoga helps to maintain. Furthermore, your immunity becomes more stronger day by day. You can have a total balance between body and mind. You can increase your flexibility in your body by effective practice. If you want to increase your concentration level then Yoga Training helps you a lot in your practice. Though normal exercises helps you to stay fit but yoga helps you to stay fit both internally and externally.
Yoga Exercises helps you stay fit and also helps you to be in good shape. There are many Yoga Courses available which make you understand right from the beginning. You can channelize your energies to all your body parts through practice of Yoga. Furthermore, you can increase your stamina with the help of yoga. Yoga Coaching involves making you to practice number of asana's and pranayama's. If you are thinking with practice of yoga you can gain only physical health benefits think again there are several yoga asana's, pranayama's and yoga mudras which help you to keep mentally active and agile. Yoga helps you in developing profound thoughts and also helps in executing creative tasks. Many sportsman, artists, creative professionals practice yoga to get benefited from its asana's. Learn Yoga to derive maximum health benefits. Yoga for pregnancy is beneficial but should be done only with the advise of medical practitioner.
Constant practice of yoga helps you to gain tremendous amount of memory power and also it keeps you mentally fit. Many psychological diseases can be treated with the regular practice of yoga. Yoga has undoubtedly many healing values as it provides good amount of energy to your body parts and thus increases their performance. Yoga Pilates emerging to be one of the effective activities for gaining physical fitness. Undoubtedly, yoga energizes you and makes you to be fresh throughout the day. You can kill your daily stress with the help of regular practice of yoga. Yoga Postures can be practiced in all seasons. There is a no age factor for practicing yoga. If you are suffering from any health problems it is better and advisable to consult your medical practitioner and then start practicing yoga. There are many Yoga Classes and yoga institutes which help you to learn Yoga in a step by step process. If you are a beginner to yoga then no need to worry try yoga as much as you can and dont force yourself to perform an complete asana, mudra or pranayama as this effort may cause injury to you, do as much as you can. There are precautions to be taken before practicing. Yoga should be practiced on empty stomach and you should have a sound sleep. Your mind should be totally free from any sort of tensions and you should make yourself relaxed and ready for yoga before practicing yoga.

What is Yoga? by Yoga Retreats

Yoga is many things to many people and usually depends on their knowledge of the subject and their reason for interest or practising yoga. The word ‘yoga' comes from the Sanksrit root 'yuj' which means union. (Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language). Essentially yoga is an ancient philosophy which emerged out of different philosophies in India between 2,500 and 5,000 years ago or even longer. Many people practice Yoga at dedicated yoga retreats.

The original philosophies talked in depth about humility. They also talked about letting go of ego, attachments, anger and anything else that separates you from other people and the world around you. This humility allows you to connect to the world around you and to form yoga or 'union' with the world around you. The idea was the whole world is connected and to tap into the feeling of union.
The main practice of the yoga of ancient times was understanding philosophy, overcoming attachment and acting through righteousness. This was done in order to elevate one's actions or karmas as the belief was that by performing good karmas or actions one would lead a happy life that would eventually lead to enlightenment.
Yoga also involved meditation and contemplation on the inner self at home, work or at a yoga retreat. The ancient philosophies taught us that the nature of a  human being was originally one of peace and that yoga and meditation practice brings one back to a state of realisation where one connects back to one's own sense of peace.
The history of this period of time depicts yogis in seated postures such as padmasana (lotus posture) performing meditation.
 As time went by, however, and people's lives began to become more stressful, there was less awareness of the original sense of peace that we all have in our minds and this began to be interpreted into the body. There dawned awareness that the mind and the body are linked and that if the mind was stressed then so would be the body and there also dawned an awareness that if the body could be relaxed then so too could be the body. Many people find it useful to travel to yoga retreats in Spain away from life's stress.
This change in practice happened relatively recently, around 800 years ago, and formed the foundations of what is regarded today as yoga practice. The theory was that a tense mind makes the muscles within the body tense and by relaxing the muscles in the body by stretching them one could make the mind relaxed too bringing it back closer to its natural state of peace. This then formed the basis for the physical practice of yoga we now know and is practiced across the world at home, work, indoors, outdoors and at yoga retreats. Many people travel visiting yoga retreats in Spain for example.
 

A beginner's pilot to yoga and its vital benefits

Yoga was originated in ancient India which has its roots in the Sanskrit language. The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word yoga is "yoke", "to join" or "to unite". The term defines the physical, mental and spiritual disciplines in order to ensure the overall fitness. Yoga is a physiological process which helps creating an absolute poise between the mind and body and strengthens the body as well as soul. Now days, Yoga is practiced by a lot of people in almost every part of the globe.

Yoga for beginners can prove productive given that they must go about practicing it in a sequential progression and with a certain code of conduct. However, yoga for beginners, the poses taken should neither be difficult to perform nor too strenuous. Normally, all yoga sessions must begin with "surya namaskar" or sun salutation which means bowing to the sun which is considered to be a warm up .it nourishes the soul and helps running the stream of energy through the body, then one should continue with the seated yoga asans which are intent to improve posture and to encourage the beginners to focus on the breathing exercises (pranayama).
One should always start with simple "asanas" or postures and move toward the advanced poses. There are around 84 yoga Asanas described and every pose is such designed to promote a state of mental and physical well being and good health. Some basic poses include shoulder stand (sarvangasana), locust (shalabhasana), headstand (sirshasana), bow (dhanurasana), triangle (trikonasana) and so on. One must focus on mastering the basic asans first, which can be then intensified to further deepen the practice.
 

Enjoying Yoga to Live Healthy Aging

Yoga is a sort of exercise. Yoga assists one with controlling various aspects of the body and mind. Yoga helps you to take control of your Central Nervous System (CNS) and more. Enjoying yoga on a daily scale will build you up, which you will notice changes (Good changes), such as a boosted self-esteem. Your body will feel stronger also. For more than 5000 years, people have enjoyed yoga. Yoga derived from the India nations, which many believed that the act has helped millions of American citizens take control of their body and mind. Yoga has proven to reduce stress, which promotes the nervous system helping it to stay strong.  Yoga when enjoyed on a regularly scale is a great method to help you with many pressures. Yoga combines spirituality, exercise, positive thinking, breathing and so on to help you enjoy healthy aging.

The Pros and Cons in Yoga:
Yoga is a valued practice for many people worldwide. Yoga incorporates fitness, health, gymnastics, and training in a set of rules. Yoga helps you to maintain or loose weight. Yoga is a stress reducing machine. Yoga will train your mind, since it teaches you to control your thoughts through meditation and breathing. Breathing right is essential to yoga’s creators. When you practice yoga, it keeps you in contact with your inner self. You learn to balance your mind and body, which leads to good health. Your emotions are controlled as well, which means fears, doubts, and other negative influences will not take control of your life. Rather you will have control. As you practice yoga, you will feel comfortable with you and the people around you. The world will become yours, since you learn to communicate effectively and stop sweating the small stuff. The cons in yoga, includes that some types of yoga training is not right for everyone. Another con inside yoga is that you sometimes have to modify the workouts to benefit your body type and to withhold the workout suited for your strengths. This is not a con necessarily, but it can be if you have to figure out where beginners start.

How to get started:
The first thing you should do is see your family doctor. Make sure you are able to enjoy the type of yoga you choose. When your doctor approves of your choice of yoga steps start out slowly. Guide your way into mediate exercising. Yoga will put you in connection with your spiritual side, so prepare to find a new you. When you first start yoga, perhaps you would benefit from joining groups that practice yoga. The group sessions may inspire you to continue your journey to healthy aging. Having support is essential for all of us, which yoga groups can become your support team. If you cannot find a group in your area, visit your local library. You can also purchase books that train you how to enjoy yoga. Videos are available as well.

Where do I go after I’ve trained in yoga?
After you have taking the steps to get started, you will need to find a quiet area that makes you feel comfortable. You want to avoid interruptions while practicing yoga. 

When will I notice the change in me?
Like everything in life, you will not notice a change in you right away. It takes time to notice or feel the changes. If you do this like your suppose to do on a regular basis you will see some changes gradually. Keep in mind that yoga is teaching you how to control your mind, body and emotions. Work with yoga and yoga will work with you.

Eight Amazing Benefits of Teaching Yoga

Every challenging occupation yields some sort of satisfaction, but the fitness professionals industry had an amazing 85% job satisfaction rate according to an Idea Health & Fitness survey.

Job Satisfaction

In the same survey, 98% of those interviewed felt that "My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment." Lack of personal satisfaction is the most frequent reason why people leave a job. These statistics make it obvious that this is an extremely harmonious atmosphere to work in.

For many of us who worked in the corporate world and shifted into the health and fitness industry, the energy felt in a health club, ashram, or wellness center is similar to being on vacation.

There's always something to do, but the job itself is very gratifying.
Rewards of Helping Family, Friends, Students, and Co-workers
Your self esteem improves as you find solutions for the pain management of others, ailments, fitness, stress management, positive thinking, etc.

The list goes on, as you continue your own journey of self improvement, but the feeling of gratification you get from helping someone find the right path, is beyond words.

You will always remember: That student who reaches their ideal body weight, the physically impaired student who finds that they, too, can live a better quality life, and the student who leaves your class without the headache or backache they came in with.

Your Own Health

As a practitioner of Yoga, you have become more aware of your daily ups and downs. You monitor your breath, posture, moods, diet, and exercise on a daily basis.

As a Yoga teacher, you are setting an example to your students and teaching them to live a quality life. This path will enable you to live longer and live better.

There is no Shortage of Work

When the working world is in the "9 to 5" mode, you have many opportunities with Corporate Accounts, The Fitness Industry, Senior Centers, Medical
Centers, Referrals, etc. This is when you to teach them, with any free time you have.

Once I became totally self-employed, there were more daytime off-site Yoga teaching opportunities than I had time for in a geographic area that has many active Yoga teachers and studios. One of my best students, who became a Yoga teacher through our on-site program, inherited an area that I could no longer service due to time restraints.

The object is to contact them. This is where your post cards come in handy, if you don't have a personal referral.

Continuing Education

Yes, learning new things keeps your mind stimulated and healthy. You will never tire of subjects to study, explore, and investigate. There are so many facets of Yoga, that one life span, is just not enough time to learn it all.

It's not a race, but it is a journey. You will find friends, colleagues, and students who are on the same path. This makes giving, receiving, and sharing a wonderful thing along the way.

Time

You will have time to stop, think, breathe, relax, or meditate. You can always fill your plate beyond its limits, but you no longer have to.

You can determine whether or not you will be stuck in traffic during rush hour. You decide what hours you will work and what days you have off. You will come to the realization that your time is your own.

Independence

Everyone wants control of their own life, but very few achieve it. Being in business for yourself, can help you control your own destiny and that of your family.

Sure there are limits to what one person can accomplish, but it is better to try than to have never tried.

Success

No matter what you want, if you write down your short-term and long-term goals, you will make great progress toward them.

You should keep these goals in a place where you can see them daily and visualize yourself accomplishing your goals. You should be specific about time frames and ethical methods used to meet them. You can even use them in meditation.

Review your long-term goals at least once every season and every year.
Review your short-term goals daily. You will see yourself make rapid success
in this way.

Lastly, goals do not have to be material at all. For example: You may want to start teaching Yoga in a year, and the following year, get a part-time Yoga teaching position. This type of goal setting is realistic and beneficial to mankind.

That is the key – If you choose a goal that will benefit others, you will surely achieve it.

Effective Gain From Yoga

It is well known that Yoga  aimed to integrate the mind, the body, and the spirit. Yoga is a science that has been practiced for thousands of years. Yoga is experienced by over 20 million Americans daily. Each day people are reporting their superb experiences with Yoga. The most essential benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. The aging procedure, which is mostly an artificial condition, caused mainly by autointoxication or self-poisoning, can be delayed by practicing yoga. For getting maximum advantage of yoga one has to merge the practices of yogasanas, pranayama and meditation. Yoga is all about feeling good; feel the blood surging through your veins.

Yoga helps us to get profound respiration which broadens the oxygen consumption to the system cells, together with the plump cells. Yogic exercises cause more continual and deeper respiration which slowly but surely burns. The loosening and drill components of yoga have a important character to beat in the handling and prevention of higher blood force hypertension. Yoga is supposed to cut pain by helping the mind’s pain centre govern the gate-controlling mechanism located in the spinal cord and the secretion of normal painkillers in the system. Breathing exercises used in yoga can too cut pain. Yoga’s inclusion of loosening techniques and meditation can too help out to cure pain.

Effectiveness of yoga help to  reduce pain due to its application on self-awareness. Regular rehearse of asanas, pranayama and meditation can relieve various ailments such as diabetes, digestive disorders, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue, asthma, varicose veins and heart conditions. Following Yoga also results in greater reduction in anxiety scores than drug therapy. Back pain is the most common reason to seek medical attention. Yoga has constantly been used to treat and avoid back pain by enhancing strength and flexibility. Both acute and long-term stress can lead to muscle tension and exacerbate back problems.

Practicing yoga can identify chronic pain victims with helpful tools to dynamically deal with their pain and help counter feelings of helplessness and depression. Yoga is effective for all, despite of age, color, caste, creed or religion; from the healthiest to the sickest, from the richest to the poorest, from the whitest to the blackest. Regular yoga practice can help in weight management. There are several asanas, such as the shoulder stand and the fish posture, which are specific for the thyroid gland. Fat metabolism is also increased, so fat is converted to muscle and energy. Yogic practices that reduce anxiety tend to reduce anxious eating.