"Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation."
Proper alignment is essential to prevent injuries while practicing yoga and Pilates. Learning correct posture and alignment techniques is critical to maximizing the benefits of these practices.
Anatomy: Understanding the basic structure of the body and how each muscle and joint works is important in alignment practices. This topic covers anatomical terms and the major muscle groups.
Posture: Posture refers to the position of the body while standing, sitting, or lying down. Good posture helps to maintain a healthy spine and prevent injury.
Breathing: Breath control is an essential component of alignment practices. Learning proper breathing techniques helps to calm the mind and energize the body.
Core Stability: The core muscles are the foundation of the body and provide support for movement. This topic covers exercises and techniques for building core strength and stability.
Balance: Balance refers to the ability to maintain stability while in motion. The practice of balance exercises is crucial in alignment practices as it helps to improve coordination and prevent falls.
Flexibility: Flexibility is the range of motion of the joints and muscles. A good flexibility program helps to prevent injury and improve overall performance.
Alignment Techniques: Alignment practices include techniques such as cueing, visualization, and mindfulness to help improve body awareness and posture.
Yoga Asanas: Yoga asanas, or poses, are a fundamental part of any yoga practice. These postures help to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
Pilates Exercises: Pilates exercises focus on strengthening the core muscles and improving flexibility. These exercises are typically done on a mat or using Pilates equipment.
Injury Prevention: Proper alignment can help to prevent injuries. This topic covers strategies for avoiding common injuries in yoga and Pilates.
Meditation: Meditation is a key component of alignment practices. It helps to calm the mind and reduce stress.
Mindfulness: Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment. This topic covers techniques for cultivating mindfulness in alignment practices.
Yoga Philosophy: The philosophy of yoga includes principles such as non-violence, truthfulness, and self-discipline. Understanding these principles can help to deepen your practice.
Breath Awareness: Breath awareness is the practice of paying attention to the rhythm and quality of your breath. This topic covers techniques for developing breath awareness in yoga and Pilates.
Relaxation: Proper relaxation is important for overall health and well-being. This topic covers techniques for achieving deep relaxation in alignment practices.
Hatha Yoga: This type of yoga focuses on physical postures or asanas. It aims to align the body, mind, and spirit.
Ashtanga Yoga: Also known as “eight-limbed yoga”, it emphasizes the synchronization of breath with a progressive series of postures.
Iyengar Yoga: Emphasizes on the use of yoga props such as straps, blocks shapes, and blankets in order to support proper alignment and form in postures.
Vinyasa Yoga: A dynamic, flowing style of yoga that allows for breath and movement coordination in transitions between postures.
Kundalini Yoga: A transformative and powerful blend of physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation, and mantras in order to awaken the Kundalini energy.
Restorative Yoga: Generally involves long, passive holds in comfortable poses that help relax and renew the body and mind.
Classical Pilates: Pilates exercises performed exactly as they were originally taught by founder Joseph Pilates, with a focus on precision and control.
Contemporary Pilates: A modern take on Pilates that incorporates new exercises, techniques, and equipment.
Stott Pilates: Emphasizes a more fluid, adaptive, and modern approach to Pilates, including modifications for different body types and levels.
Fletcher Pilates: A method developed by Ron Fletcher that incorporates movement and imagery principles for a more creative approach to Pilates.
Power Pilates: An intense and physically demanding form of Pilates, incorporating resistance bands, weights, and a faster pace.
Physio Pilates: A type of Pilates designed to help alleviate pain and injuries, with a focus on precise anatomical alignment and corrective exercises.
"Yoga in this form has become familiar across the world, especially in the US and Europe."
"It is derived from medieval Haṭha yoga, which made use of similar postures, but it is generally simply called 'yoga'."
"Posture is described in the Yoga Sutras II.29 as the third of the eight limbs, the ashtanga, of yoga."
"Sutra II.46 defines it as that which is steady and comfortable, but no further elaboration or list of postures is given."
"Posture practice was revived in the 1920s by yoga gurus including Yogendra and Kuvalayananda, who emphasized its health benefits."
"The flowing sequences of Surya Namaskar (Salute to the Sun) were pioneered by the Rajah of Aundh, Bhawanrao Shrinivasrao Pant Pratinidhi, in the 1920s."
"Standing poses used in gymnastics were incorporated into yoga by the yoga teacher Krishnamacharya in Mysore from the 1930s to the 1950s."
"Pattabhi Jois created Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, which in turn led to Power Yoga; B. K. S. Iyengar created Iyengar Yoga, and defined a modern set of yoga postures in his 1966 book Light on Yoga; and Indra Devi taught yoga as exercise to many celebrities in Hollywood."
"Other major schools founded in the 20th century include Bikram Yoga and Sivananda Yoga."
"Haṭha yoga's non-postural practices such as its purifications are much reduced or absent in yoga as exercise."
"Yoga as exercise has developed into a worldwide multi-billion dollar business, involving classes, certification of teachers, clothing such as yoga pants, books, videos, equipment including yoga mats, and holidays."
"Practices vary from wholly secular, for exercise and relaxation, through to undoubtedly spiritual, whether in traditions like Sivananda Yoga or in personal rituals."
"Yoga as exercise's relationship to Hinduism is complex and contested; some Christians have rejected it on the grounds that it is covertly Hindu, while the 'Take Back Yoga' campaign insisted that it was necessarily connected to Hinduism."
"Scholars have identified multiple trends in the changing nature of yoga since the end of the 19th century."
"Yoga as exercise spread across America and Europe, and then the rest of the world."
"Academics have given yoga as exercise a variety of names, including modern postural yoga and transnational anglophone yoga."
"Certification of teachers, clothing such as yoga pants, books, videos, equipment including yoga mats, and holidays" are commonly associated with the business of yoga as exercise.
"Postures were not central in any of the older traditions of yoga."
"The term 'hatha yoga' is also in use with a different meaning, a gentle unbranded yoga practice, independent of the major schools, often mainly for women."