...People seeking a deeper spiritual meaning in their lives have found Kriya yoga. Yogananda brought Kriya yoga to the West in the 1920's. He established the Self-Realization Fellowship as a total yoga experience that addressed the spiritual as well as the physical, all most other western yoga disciplines concentrate on.

A Kriya yogi, as described by Yogananda, mentally moves his life energy around the six spinal centers - the medullar, dorsal, lumbar, coccygeal, cervical, and sacral plexuses. These each relate to the twelve zodiac signs. This subtle energy revolution progresses his evolution, and it is said that this 30 seconds of Kriya is equivalent to a year of natural spiritual growth.

Kriya yoga is based on Kundalina yoga and includes similar asana and meditation methods. Kriya adds some spiritual and esoteric guidelines. It does have its detractors that point out Kriya does not maintain your power comes from within, but that you need a teacher, or guru, to release your spirituality. Although it sounds like an adm...more

Discovering Yoga Retreats

...With more and more people practicing the ancient art of yoga, there exists a large community of people who share a passion for its benefits. The consistent practice of yoga has been shown to decrease stress, improve physical health, and increase mental and emotional well being. And for those who have experienced its benefits, they are often eager to share the experience with others.

Yoga retreats offer those who are committed to yoga a place of relaxed community and focused learning where they can practice yoga within a social setting. Yoga retreats can last any length of time; the only requirement is...more

Yoga And Acne? Yoga Teaches About Acne

...ncreasing your breathing capacity alone would remove acne. Bacteria cannot thrive in oxygen. Increasing lung capacity allows the body to intake more oxygen per breath. This creates an undesirable environment for acne forming bacteria.

3. The skins pores are continuously closing and opening in response to the environment. An unpleasant situation or person causes the skin to contract for protection. This contraction is a response of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for flight or fight. Too much sympathetic response causes the skin to be tight all of the time. Oils cannot flow freely through the tight surface of the skin and become trapped. Because these oil pockets are oxygen free bacteria multiplies in them growing into a zit. Yoga can help with this ...more

Become a Certified Yoga Instructor - Training Options

...Alyssa began dealing with chronic back problems after the birth of her daughter. Her pain was so intense, she was unable to embark on a post-baby weight loss program as she'd planned.

Subsequently, she was unable to return to her pre-pregnancy weight. Within months, Alyssa had gained five more pounds. More weight put more stress on her back. Her worsening back problems prevented her from exercising. Alyssa began to feel depressed and anxious. In desperation, she visited a chiropractor who began treatments to alleviate her pain. He also suggested that Alyssa would benefit from doing regular yoga.

To her delight, Alyssa's health improved dramatically after she began yoga classes. Not only did her physical symptoms diminish, her mental health experienced a tremendous boost. Within a year, Alyssa had not only returned to her normal weight, her back pain was gone.

Alyssa was excited about the changes in her life brought about by yoga. So much so that she began to contemplate becoming a certified yoga instructor. Before having her daughter, Alyssa had felt that her current career had reached a dead end.

After returnin...more

Pilates And Yoga Exercises That Target Legs And Ab