New DVD: YOGA THERAPY FOR HEALTH AND HEALING: A DAILY PRACTICE
New Yoga Therapy DVD "Yoga Therapy for Health & Healing: A Daily Practice" is available for purchase. It is made for one hour of daily practice, 25 minutes of asanas, 25 minutes of pranayama and 10 minutes of meditation. Approximate run time is 2 hrs. 28 mins. The DVD is divided into 26 chapters, 14 of them for introduction and asana practice, 10 chapters for pranayama, mudra and bandha practices, one for meditation last one to finish the practice. Asana chapters are for similar practices, e.g. steps of relaxation, relaxation of the neck, standing balancing poses etc. Different chapters need to be practiced in different days to create the balance of body/mind. Hope you will keep one DVD with you for daily practice at home to be medication free, disease free and living with a healthy life style.
YouTube promo with a short video of each 26 chapters
Please visit Deepak Heritage Books or Amazon to purchase the DVD
Please visit Deepak Heritage Books to purchase the DVD
DVDChapters:
1. Introduction
What is Yoga Therapy?
2. Steps of Relaxation
Āsana-s – Steps of Relaxation
Grounding poses – Easy Pose (Sukhāsana)
Spine Straight (Merudandā Achal)
Touch tip of index finger and thumb (Dhyāna Mudrā)
Closed eyes, Mind Stillness(ManāSthir)
Yogic Breathing: Exhalation longer (twice) than inhalation(exhalation – parasympathetic, inhalation – sympathetic)
3. Āsana-s for Relaxation
Perfect Pose (Sidhāsana)
Half Lotus Pose (Swasthikāsana or Ardha Padmāsana)
Lotus Pose (Padmāsana)
OM or AUM – Vibration, Harmonic Resonance
Palming of the Eye
4. Relaxation of Small Joints of Upper Extremities
Infant Fist Gesture (Bāla Mushti Mudrā) or Yogic Fist (Ādhi Mudrā)
Wrist Bending (Manibandha Naman)
Prayer Pose to the back (Pashchim Namaskār)
Stages of Āsana: Ārambha (beginning), Sthiti (stability), Visharjana
(surrender)
Shoulder Rotating Pose (Skanda Chalanāsana)
5. Relaxation of the Neck
Neck-rotation Gesture (Brahma Mudrā)
6. Relaxation of the Back and Lower Extremities
Yoga Gesture (Yog Mudrā)
Staff pose (Dandāsana)
Fist-like Toes Bending Pose (Pada Mushtikāsana)
Foot Rotation Pose (Pada Chalanāsana
Mill-stone Churning Pose (Chakki Chalanaāsana)
Hip Rotating Pose (Kulha Chalanāsana or Shroni Chakrā)
Bound Angle Pose (Badhakonāsana) or Butterfly Pose (Titli-āsana)
7. Squatting Pose (MalĀsana)
Sit – Rise Test
8. Standing Poses
Mountain Pose (Tadāsana)
Upward Mountain Pose (Utthitā Tadāsana)
Intestinal Cleansing (Shankh Prakshalan)
Oblique Mountain Pose (Triyakā Tadāsana)
Waist Rotating Pose (Kati Chakrāsana)
9. Standing Balancing Poses
Prayer Pose to the back (Pashchim Namaskār)
Modified Mountain Pose (Tadāsana)
Behind-back Hands-bound Pose (Pashchim Baddha Hastāsana)
Standing Cow Face Pose (Dandayamana Gomukhāsana)
Tree Pose (Vrkāsana)
Dancer Pose (Natarājāsana)
Warrior Pose (Virabhadrāsana)
Standing Hand to Big Toe (Utthita Hasta Padangustāsana)
Triangle Pose (Trikonāsana)
10. Sun Salutation (Sūryā Namaskār) and
Moon Salutation (Chandrā Namaskār)
Hands together in prayer pose (Pranamāsana)
Hands raising pose (Hasta utthanāsana)
Hand to feet pose (Pada hastāsana)
Horse riding pose (Ashwa sanchalanāsana)
Mountain pose (Parvatāsana)
Eight point prayer pose or plank pose (Ashtanga Namaskār)
Cobra pose (Bhujangāsana)
Mountain pose (Parvatāsana)
Horse riding pose (Ashwa sanchalanāsana)
Hand to feet pose (Pada hastāsana)
Hands raising pose (Hasta utthanāsana)
Hands together in prayer pose (Pranāmāsana)
11. Sitting Down Poses
Thunderbolt pose (Vajrāsana)
Frog Pose (Mandukāsana)
Moon or Rabbit Pose (Shashankhāsana)
Cow-Face Pose (Gomukhāsana)
Twisted Pose (Vakrāsana)
Half Lord of the Fishes Pose (Ardha Matsyendrāsana)
12. Back Bends on the Mat, Prone Poses
Crocodile Pose (Makarāsana)
Cobra Pose (Bhujangāsana)
Oblique Cobra Pose (Triyakā Bhujangāsana)
Intestinal Cleansing (Shankh Prakshalan)
Locust Pose (Shalabhāsana)
Bow Pose (Dhanurāsana)
13. Laying Down Poses, Supine Poses
Corpse pose (Savāsana)
Wind-releasing Pose (Pavan Muktāsana)
Spinal-twist or Monkey Pose (Markatāsana)
Stomach Revolving pose (Jatthar Parivartanāsana)
Spinal Twist Pose (Merudanda Sanchalanāsana)
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangāsana)
Yogic Sit ups (Utthak Baitthak)
Sitting Forward-bend Pose (Pashchim Uthtanāsana)
14. Inversion Poses
Shoulder-stand Pose (Sarvangāsana)
Plough Pose (Halāsana)
Head-stand Pose (Sirshāsana)
15. PRĀNĀYĀMA (prāna – subtle energy which keeps us conscious and alive ; yama – control and restrain)
Lower the Breathing Rate
Increase amount of Air we Breath in (Tidal Volume)
Increase Breath Holding Power
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Anulom-Vilom Prānānāyāma)
16. Bellows Breathing (Bhastrikā Prānāyāma)
Vidhi (method), Samay (timing),
Sankalpa (determination), Siddhi (attainment)
17. Forehead-shining Breathing (Kapālbhati Prānāyāma) and Mudrās
Meditation Gesture (Dhyāna Mudrā)
Mudrā of Air (Vāyu Mudrā)
Mudrā of Emptiness (Shūnya Mudrā)
Mudrā of Earth (Prithvi Mudrā)
Mudrā of Water (Varuna Mudrā)
Mudrā of Strength (Shakti or Prāna Mudrā)
Mudrā of Digestion (Apana or Pachan Mudrā)
Mudrā of the Heart (Apana Vāyu or Hridaya Mudrā)
Mudrā of Heat and Energy (Linga Mudrā)
Mudrā to open lower part of Lungs (Chin Mudrā)
Mudrā to open middle part of Lungs (Chinmāyā Mudrā)
Mudrā to open upper part of Lungs (Ādhi Mudrā)
18. External Breathing with locks (Bāhya Prānāyāma)
Abdominal Lock (Uddiyāna Bandha)
Chin Lock (Jalandhara Bandha)
Flame Breathing (Agnisār Kriyā)
Root Lock (Mūla Bandha)
Great Lock (Māhā Bandha)
19. Victorious Breathing (Ujjayi Prānāyāma)
20. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Anulom–Vilom Prānāyāma)
Sun Channel (Sūryā Nādi)
Moon Channel (Chandrā Nādi)
Vatā Doshā Controlling Prānāyāma (Vāyu Pradhān Prānāyāma)
Channel Cleansing (Nādi Sodhana Prānāyāma)
Mudra of Vishnu (Vishnu Mudrā)
21. Bumble-bee Breathing (Bhramri Prānāyāma)
22. Conch-shell Breathing (Shankha Prānāyāma)
23. Cooling Prānāyāma (Sheetali Prānāyāma)
Cooling Prānāyāma (Sitkāri Prānāyāma)
24. Yogic Relaxation (Yog Nidrā)
Instant Relaxation Technique
Quick Relaxation technique
Deep Relaxation Technique
25. Meditation (Dhyāna)
OM or AUM Meditation
Chakrā-awakening Meditation
26. Lion’s Pose (Simhāsana) and Laughing Pose (Hasyāsana)
WHAT IS YOGA THERAPY FOR HEALTH AND HEALING: A DAILY PRACTICE
The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word “yug” meaning - union of body-mind-spirit. In yoga practice health is defined as the balance and union of body-mind-spirit. Metaphorically in cyber language the body is hardware, mind is software and spirit is the programmer. The programmer is “I” (“Self”) and I programs my mind the software to control my physical body the hardware. I am the cause and I am the cure of all my dis-eases.
Yoga is a philosophy, the Patanjali Yoga Sutrā contains 196 small aphorisms, dealing with how to control the mind and a practice, the Patanjali “ashtanga yoga” or “eight limbs of yoga”, is a stepwise practice to achieve self-realization or union of body-mind-spirit. During the practice for self-realization, it got infused with mudrā-s (hand gestures), bandha-s (spiritual locks), kriyā-s (the physical cleansing of the body), and acupressure. Yoga also incorporates the philosophy of Āyurveda (the science of longevity), particularly its daily routine (Dinacharyā) causing some health benefits. All of these elements combined became “Yoga Chikitsā” or Yoga Therapy. Yoga Therapy is primarily the adaptation of the yoga practices for patients with various chronic ailments.
Daily practice of yoga will cause Rogir Chikitsā (treatment of disease), secondary prevention or therapeutic medicine of a dis-ease and Swāsthya Rakshma (maintenance of health), primary prevention or preventive medicine. It also helps in the rehabilitation of a dis-ease with better management of the dis-ease, less pharmaceutical support and better quality of life. In addition to bringing back our health, the practice of yoga therapy causes wellness in all realms: physical-mental-spiritual. Physical wellness provides strength and stamina, but mental & spiritual wellness provides healing.
The therapeutic effects of yoga are achieved through meditation, the seventh limb of yoga, which tames the limbic system or our emotional brain. Meditation quiets the mind, “chitta vritti nirodha”(control the chattering of mind). The mind has thousands of thought processes, the majority are repeat thought processes. Meditation enters the gaps in between the thought processes, and slowly starts making the gaps bigger and reduces the repetition of thoughts till they disappear to quiet the mind. To practice meditation, the physical body should be relaxed through holding the āsana poses for a long enough time, so it can go through the three stages, namely, like the first stage, ārambha or at beginning of an āsana, the second, sthiti or (stillness), and the third, visharjan or (profound relaxation) inducing a state of “Sthiram (stillness) Sukham (happiness) Āsanam (poses)”. In that state the smooth muscles covering bronchioles, the tubes which carry air to the lungs relaxes, so the breathing becomes effortless three-part prolonged breathing, (Dirgha Shwās) with exhalation longer than inhalation to quiet the mind.
A daily one-hour practice of yoga therapy consists of 25 minutes of āsana-s, 25 minutes of prānāyāma and 10 minutes of meditation which will bring all the therapeutic benefits. This DVD includes more than 25 minutes of āsana-s, so one can do different āsana-s for different days but the practice of prānāyāma and meditation remains same for daily practice.
How to practice Yoga Therapy
Yoga Therapy for health and healing should be a daily practice.
A set of āsana-s (poses) and prānāyāma-s (breathing practices) should be done daily to achieve relaxation and flexibility of body and mind followed by specific āsana and prānāyāma for specific disease.
It should be done on an empty stomach or at least 4 hours after a large meal.
Best time is morning, practice yoga therapy following morning rituals.
Morning rituals before yoga practice –
After wake up first drink comfortable amount of water
(one half to two glasses) at room temperature preferably from a copper vessel.
Brush teeth and do tongue scrapping, wash face.
Do Jal Neti (nasal washing) with neti pot.
Proper elimination of urine and stool.
Gently relax your body by staying in a pose for an extended period of time with eyes closed and continuing “yogic breathing” (exhalation twice the inhalation).
While staying in a pose during first phase the muscles contract (ārambha); in the second phase, the muscle contractions become steady (sthiti) and muscles start relaxing; in the final phase the muscles surrender (visharjan) resulting in profound relaxation. In Yoga Therapy, one needs to continue to stay in a pose through all the three phases.
Stretch in a pose with “comfortable discomfort”, proper stability and effortless breathing.
Pain, unsteady pose, and breathing difficulty, are signs of over stretching.
Do not overstretch during āsana practice.
Do not try for physical alignment initially, it will come with relaxation and flexibility.
Do not compete with others, compete against yourself
Prānāyāma (breathing practice) should be done seated on the ground or on a chair, keeping the spine straight up, the mind steady, and completely relaxed with effortless breathing.
Do not do prānāyāma standing up. It causes altered sense of consciousness with unsteady gait.
Pranayama should be done with proper method (vidhi), proper timing (samay), determination (sankalpa) and attainment (siddhi).
Over stretching on your own, or with the assistance of another person, or with the use of yogic props, may lead to yoga injuries.