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Advanced Yoga – Beware Before Trying!!
What is Advanced Yoga:
Advanced is a tricky term in yoga - because it is, ideally, a goal-free practice. Realistically, learning some of the key lessons is a goal. Advanced Students respond to the "experiential learning" of yoga, learning to release emotional tension from mind and body, and redirect other energy into yoga practice.
"Advanced Yoga Students" have the ability to relax and enjoy life, and LISTEN to their bodies - challenging oneself without pushing beyond one's current level. Also, "Advanced Students" do not sacrifice the form of the asana for aesthetics.
"Advanced level" is more about learning to connect on this level, not acrobatics. The physical challenge is a blast, very satisfying, but that is a pleasurable bonus to the deeper practice. If you get into truly advanced levels, you can connect to the "Chakti" energy within you.
Most westerners usually wince when they the subject of yoga is brought up. All they see is complicated poses done by yoga practitioners. But there is easy yoga and the advanced level, so everyone who is interested can pick it up. Both easy and advanced yoga are formed thousands of years ago in India to assist practitioners achieve balance and harmony in their life. With a balanced and harmonious body, it is easy to be one with the universe.
Few Aspects of Advanced yoga:
- Advanced postures are mostly combinations of the basic posture groups anyway. Many of us can still use improvement in basic movements such as forward bending, without needing to combine it with twisting while upside down. If we feel the need for more intensity in our practice, simply holding postures longer - even basic ones like triangle - will make it more demanding. In addition, as our repertoire broadens, we can structure our practice to emphasize strength, endurance, or whatever meets our needs for a more demanding practice.
- We become more advanced through repeated practice because we are training the mind as well as body: the mind becomes quieter, concentration improves, meditation deepens, and witness consciousness develops as we observe ourselves from a vantage point outside of the ego.
- With Advanced Yoga practices we merge with the Atman and feel more connected with all things. We can then direct this experience back into practice and express it through postures.
- Advanced practice is actually far easier than beginning practice because we are so much more in tune with our bodies and know how to surrender into each movement. And we know where our bodies won't go and stop forcing them to do something they just aren't able to do.
Few Advanced Yoga Positions:
It takes quite a while for a person to get used to and practice even the basic yoga postures. When one has mastered the basic poses one can learn the advanced yoga positions. Once a teacher has learned then only these can help the students. These poses give an impression of yoga being looked on as gymnastics of twisted torsos and upside down exercises. Each of these poses is beneficial but has to be done with a lot of caution.
Some of the asanas that are included in the advanced yoga are
- Bakasana- It Is Named After the Black Bird Crow.
- Chaturanga Dandasana- Four Limbs Pose
- Natrajanasana -Nat Means Dance And Rajan Means Pose
- Garudasana (Eagle Pose),
- Tittibhasana (Butterfly Pose),
- Ek Pada Galavasana (One Legged Crow Pose),
- Pincha Mayurasana (Peacock Pose)
- Salimba Sirsasana (Headstand Pose),
- Hanumanasana (Named After Monkey God Hanuman),
- Lolasana (Pendant Pose).
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Each pose has to be performed with caution and they can be learnt over a period. Not all yoga classes will teach these poses. One has to approach an expert for it.
Summary:
As we become more advanced in our practice, do we progress on to more difficult postures? Not necessarily... In fact we may even choose to do easier ones that suit us better, or begin to cultivate more subtle practices such as mudra, pranayama, or mantra that we may have neglected before. Nowhere does it say you have to do all the postures. The "advanced" part is our increasing sensitivity to body and breath - our ability to listen and respond to our own experience. This comes from deeper concentration and quiet of the mind. That's what yoga practice is all about.
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