Himalayan Yoga Academy

Education & research Foundation

Importance of Silence Practice

Silence is the most important and powerful practice in the Universe for every single individual to reach the ultimate goal.  Silence is the “words of wisdom”. A regular one-hour routine of silence practice helps you to stay grounded and focused and remain hopeful when your mind wants to spiral.

The Sphere of Silence :

 The practice of silence is also known as “Mouna Vratha” in Eastern philosophy. Just abstaining from speaking for a set period each day saves energy and directs you to the right path. It brings inner peace and makes a better listener. Silence allows us to focus our energies.

It provides us with the clarity we require to face challenges and uncertainty with confidence.  The hour of silence you practice each morning can be a time for gathering your thoughts, training your mind, and deciding how you want to approach the day.

The Procedure :

Let us divide Sphere of Silence into three segments 30 minutes, 20 minutes, and 10 minutes each. If you’re just getting started, you can try a shortened version by cutting time from each segment, but I heartily recommend working your way up to the full one hour for maximum benefits.

Your goal should be to complete at least a 21-day cycle without a break. 

When you first start, you will believe it is simple. 

The initial inspiration will fade, and reality will take over. 

Push through this stage and affix it to your routine. 

It takes time to form a habit, but it will eventually become a second habit.

The Preparation for silence practice :

The foundation rule, as the name implies, is complete silence. The entire one-hour practice must be completed without outside diversions, so turn off all devices and locate a peaceful spot away from others. Prepare a journal and a pen. Pick up a book you’ve been meaning to read for a while and keep it close by.

The First 30 Minutes: Goal Setting

This gives the process for this first segment of the practice, which is also the most important. Some of the things can be your own creative or you can follow these steps- break it down into three 10-minute sets.

Pick up your note copy and use the first 10 minutes to write your short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. Then, dedicate the next 10-minute set to assessing your progress on the goals you set the previous day.

When you write your goals down, you are forced to be very clear about what you want to accomplish. When you do this every morning, you wake up to those goals, ask questions about your progress, and recalibrate your plans if needed. This will motivate you to focus on moving forward and complete the tasks necessary for achieving whatever success looks like to you.

Use the final 10 minutes to take note of any unmet goals (especially short-term or daily goals) and assess the reasons why you have not achieved them. The events of tomorrow develop from what you do today, so understanding yesterday is the key to shaping tomorrow.

The Next 20 Minutes: Learning and Progression

This is the time to read that book you bought years ago but never got around to reading. 

The ground rule for this segment is to select a book that teaches you new things and broadens your horizons.

When you incorporate reading into your morning routine — when your mind is rested and ready to absorb new ideas — you start your day with inspiration rather than fear of the unknown.

Reading in complete silence and taking down notes gives a better understanding. By writing down your learnings and insights, you will be able to come up with action points to apply to your life constructed on the philosophies in the text.

So, allocate the first 10 minutes of this sequence to reading a topic of your text. 

Then, in the rest 10 minutes, write a summary by your hand of what you just read.

By the end of the book, you will have engaged in an additional step of processing, designed to allow for profound retention and analyzation as well as deepening your short-term memory.

  The Last Ten Minutes: Mindfulness

This final section serves as a grounding phase, similar to a cool-down after a good workout. 

Use the final ten minutes to reflect on yourself and, if you have faith in a higher power, to communicate with the Divine, the Cosmology, your mysticism, the law of nature, the Universe, or whatever you prefer.

Note: In addition to this- the practice of breath observation 5-10 minutes in the morning right after you wake up and 5-10 minutes of breath observation just before going to bed is very helpful.

Its objective is to be present and pay attention to your feelings. Begin with (incoming and outgoing) breath observation. After five minutes practice witnessing your thoughts and emotions. This acts as a natural filter to purify your thoughts. It allows you time to contemplate what your view is and what those views mean to you. It helps you to harness your harmony during stressful situations and mindfully choose to stay balanced, and free from negativity.

Sometimes, be alone with nature, wildlife, forest, rivers, etc., and continue to experience the silence within.

The result of Silence Practice :

  • When you practice this for 21 days, you will notice instantaneous changes in your perspective of the world around you, inaugurate to attain a strong and penetrating discernment into everything you perform.
  • This is helpful for both worldly and spiritual success.
  • Your daily activities will become better and better.
  • You will realize a higher level of peace and balance.
  • You will realize the joy of inner tranquility. You will realize that silence is a powerful way to deal with stress, anxiety, fear, agony, anger, etc.
  • This will give you better control over your mind, and self-control.
  • It improves your decision-making.
  • You will start to understand the meaning and purpose of your life.
  • This eventually gives you self-confidence and an untold intelligence of who you are. The trust in yourself increases.
  • You can feel secure amid the noise, uncertainties, and various ups and down around you.
  • Unnecessary thoughts and mental agitation are reduced.
  • The fifth limb of yoga i.e. pratyahara (mastery and control over sense organs) will become successful.
  • It conserves energy and brings you back to the self.
  • Sage Patanjali states “Yogaschitta Vritti Nirodah” i.e. cessation of mental tendencies is yoga. This practice will take you to the yogic state.
  • Observing Silence in Daily life activities awakens your true potential and inner wisdom.
  • You will find the real you when experiencing the real inner silence which stays even amidst tremendous activity.

In our yoga teacher training course, we highly focus on telling our students the true meaning of silence. How one can know oneself with the help of silence practice. We teach our students to practice silence for at least one day as it helps them not only for some days but also for the long journey ahead. We teach them how can silence practice help them enhance their meditation. We teach them several ways of meditation during the 200-hour yoga teacher training course and 300-hour yoga teacher training course.

Written By: Yogi Ram Hari

Benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

Ashtanga Vinyasa is the combination of yoga asanas (poses) and is the teaching style of asanas by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois (July 26, 1915- May 18, 2009). The term ‘Ashtanga’ means eight limbs of yoga (i.e. Yama, Niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi) as a complete pattern of Yoga Sadhana mentioned in Patanjali Yoga Darshana. But here Ashtanga Vinyasa Primary Series means merely a sequence of asanas for regular practice in his style. Vinyasa here means careful linkage of breath with Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is focused on strengthening your entire physical system to reach the ultimate stage of yoga. There are many benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga:

  • movement of body and
  • the static position of the body
  • keeping awareness of body, breath, and thoughts.

Physical Benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga:

  1. It reinforces your body and enhances your hidden physical power.
  2. Every single asana in Ashtanga Vinyasa has specific features for curing physical diseases. So, it gives you good health.
  3. It prepares you for an advanced level of Asana. For advanced asanas, your body should be stronger and more flexible which can be attained by regular practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa.
  4. Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is very helpful for fortifying your arms, hand, shoulder, and core. This will help you to perform various inverted asanas, hand standing, and hand balancing asanas.
  5. It keeps your body active, fit, and fine.
  6. It recharges your body which helps you better performance of your daily work.
  7. The continuous Vinyasa flow after almost all the poses increases the heat of the body which improves flexibility during the asana. Similarly, this is a very powerful flow to invigorate your body.

Mental Benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga:

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is very helpful for your mind. It gives wonderful benefits to your mind for keeping it in delight state.

  1. It improves concentration and focus of your mind. There are some balancing asanas in the Ashtanga Vinyasa series that are helpful to enhance your attentiveness and alertness.
  2. You will be taught to do Ujjayi breath during an asana which gives a sufficient amount of oxygen to recharge your body and brain. This keeps your lungs, throat, and respiratory system healthy. Since the best tonic for the brain is oxygen, the functioning of the brain will improve. Due to a sufficient amount of oxygen, many mental diseases like stress, anxiety, depression, tension, etc. will be cured.
  3. The working capacity of your mind improves.
  4. Mind becomes more calm, peaceful, and stable.
  5. There are many asanas in Ashtanga Vinyasa Series which require strong determination and willpower to perform them. Thus when you do those poses regularly your determination and willpower also increase.

Emotional Benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga:

Human emotions are important factors for ameliorating or deteriorating one’s own life. If emotions are not managed properly life will mislead. The main emotions are Interest, Happiness, Surprise, Sadness, Anger, Hatred, Disgust, Contempt, Self-Hostility, Fear, Shame, Shyness, Guilt, etc. If these emotions are beyond your control life will not move on the right track.

One cannot be free from emotions, also it is not important to be free from emotions. But what is important is one should have mastery over emotions. You should not be the slave of your emotions. You should have control and supervision over your emotions. Regular practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga helps you to go closer and closer to the path of mastery over emotions and feelings.

Spiritual Benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga:

In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, you need to practice concentration, Bandha, Mudra, etc. which gives many spiritual benefits.

  1. In every single pose of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, you are asked to concentrate by fixing your gaze. This uplifts the consciousness level.
  2. On one hand you are asked to do Ujjayi breath while on the other hand, you are asked to observe your breath during asana. This develops your observing capacity and helps to realize the observer.
  3. Along with the breath, you are taught to witness the sensation the body has experienced due to the various physical postures. This will help to activate the dormant witness. This is what the goal of yoga is.
  4. You need to be mindful of the body and breathe during the practice. Thus, at this time you will neither be in the past nor will you be in the future. You will be dwelling in the present. This way you will learn the art of living in the present.
  5. Along with increasing consciousness, meditation will also improve.

Social Benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga:

Since every single individual is a social being, he needs to live in society. If you have sound relations in society, then only social development will be possible. When you attain a balanced and peaceful mind you can deal with people and society in a proper way.

Only a balanced mind will help you to behave in society in the right way. When your emotions are balanced when you are unaffected by hatred, anger, ill-will, animosity, etc. you can behave with people in a harmonious manner. This will make your social connection and relations good. You can become a good person in society as well with the ability to do good work in society.

Besides, your relations with friends, family members, etc. will also be better if your yogic practice is in the right way. Regular yoga practice gives you all-around benefits physical, mental, emotional, spiritually, and social.

In today’s world, yoga helps to create balance in your life. As, we have many things going on in our daily life that creates all physical, mental, and social problems. Learning Ashtanga Vinyasa helps benefit you in every way at every step of life. Hence, you should learn Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga to enhance your life for the better and make a holistic approach to life.

You can learn all the principles and techniques of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga during yoga teacher training in Nepal at Himalayan Yoga Academy. We have a specialty in both Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga. Our yoga teacher training teachers are considered the best teachers in Nepal. Learning at Himalayan Yoga Academy, will not only make you a better yoga teacher but also provide you with a family that you can remember and get help from every part of life. Life is a beautiful journey and let’s make me more beautiful with the help of Yoga.

Written By: Yogi Ram Hari

Yoga and Its Definitions

We are going to discuss some definitions of yoga as available in ancient Sanskrit texts. Many people might be wondering what really is Yoga. We have gathered the definitions of yoga from various texts and literature. Let’s Learn Yoga and Its Definitions.

Yoga Definition 1:

The term Yoga (Sanskrit: योग) is derived from the term “Yuj”, which means to add, unify or connect. Thus, yoga means the Unification of Body, Mind, and Soul. It includes physical, mental, spiritual, social, and ethical practices to still the mind, distinguishing a detached witness-consciousness unaffected by the mind (Chitta) and suffering (Duḥkha).

Yoga Definition 2:

The ancient text has described yoga in various ways with identical essences. There are two important definitions of yoga in the 2nd chapter of Bhagavad Geeta. Yoga is defined as equanimity or evenness of mind or even-temperedness in the 48th verse of the 2nd chapter. Our mind is always reacting. It becomes happy on profit and sad on loss. To the favorable, it gets attached and creates hatred of the unfavorable. It clings to pleasantness and dislikes pain. It means the situation of the mind is dependent on the external factors of the environment.

The habit pattern of the mind is conditional to the situation. The situation is favorable sometimes, while other times is unfavorable. Whenever there is an unfavorable situation in life we become sad and depressed. The true essence of yoga is to maintain balance in both favorable and unfavorable situations. You are not supposed to misbalance your mind due to ups and downs in life. Whatever the type of situation you experience, you are not supposed to lose the balance and harmony of your mind. The situation is not under your control nor can you control any factor of the world.

The only thing you can do is- you can make an effort to control your mind. If you lose the equipoise of your mind due to worldly events, it means you are weaker than the situation. Yoga wants you to become stronger than the situation. If your mental harmony and happiness are dependent on various circumstances or other people, then it shows that you have given the key to your moods to the circumstances or people. Yoga wants you to keep the key to your mood with yourself. Do not allow anybody or anything to disturb your inner peace. This is what yoga means.

Yoga Definition 3:

Yoga is defined as the 50th verse of chapter 2 in Bhagavad Geeta as well. In this verse, yoga is defined as perfection in your duties/ works. Here perfection does not mean skillfulness or experience. Perfection does not mean expertness in work but it is the quality of enjoying the duty during the process.

Perfection means being happy during the work, not merely on the attainment of the fruits. If you are doing your work with a devoted mind without being worried about success or failure, then it is said to be the perfection of duty. When your duty itself becomes worship, prayer, or meditation then this is known as perfection of work or duty. This can be made clearer with a story-

Some laborers were working on the construction of a temple. Among them, three were individually asked, “What are doing here?”

The first one said, “I am doing a boring job. I don’t like this but I am compelled to do it for my livelihood.”

The second one said, “I am doing my job as a laborer. This is my daily activity. This way I can sustain my life and my family members.” He looks normal, not disappointed as the first one.

The third replied, “I am doing a great job. I feel blessed and lucky to do this holy work as I am working to construct a temple. This temple will last for many years even after my life. People will come to pray and worship here. At least at that time, their mind will be peaceful and holy.”  The third laborer was really enjoying his work.

All three workers were paid the same amount of wages and their work was the same. Yet, one was happy to do it, while the other two were normal and sad respectively to do that work. Perfection of work means a delightful stage of your mind during your work. The faults, error, or problems occurs in your work when you are not enjoying your work. The work will be perfect when you do it with a devoted mind without the expectation of fruits.

Yoga Definition 4:

Patanjali Yoga sutra (Philosophy of Patanjali) defines yoga as a cessation of mental tendencies. When the mind is free from all types of thoughts, when it is completely stilled then it is known as the yogic stage. This is a tranquil state of mind. The observer, at this time, abides in its true nature i.e. in its pure form. While on the other time, it remains identified with the mind. Mental tendencies are ceased when the observer or witness is detached from the mind. There is something beyond the mind which observes not only the mind but everything; thus it is known as an observer, seer, spectator, etc.

The mind is an observed, spectacle. When the observer and the object of observation are distinguished, the mind attains stillness. Thus, Patanjali wants to stop mental tendencies by realizing the differences between the seer and sight. The seer is pure consciousness. Mental tendencies cannot be ceased when this pure consciousness is in a dormant state. When you practice stopping all the mental elements, you need to practice awakening consciousness. When the level of consciousness is higher and higher, you will reach closer and closer to the yogic state. For better understanding, yoga can also be defined as a mindful state. When you become mindful, then the mental tendencies start lowering, and eventually, you will reach the ultimate stage.

Common Yoga Twist Mistakes and Safety

In every yoga school around the world, during yoga sessions. There are generally two common mistakes in yoga twists:

  1. Practicing without a stable foundation.
  2. Twisting mostly from the lower back.

1. Unstable foundation:

In Every Yoga Twist, having a stable foundation is essential. If your foundation is unstable, the twisting action can be incorrect, increasing the risk of injuries.

If your pelvis is not squared, the following happens:

You twist from the lower (lumbar) spine (more on this in the next section). You only stretch superficial muscles (and not twisting the spine).

What is your foundation in twisting poses?

Your foundation is your pelvis in standing and seated twists such as Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana). It is important for both your sitting bones to be on the ground to create a strong foundation. Avoid sitting on your heel or lifting one hip higher than the other. Keep your hips in line and your spine lengthened.

Modifications to improve yoga twists

As mentioned, grounding your sitting bones, pelvis, or shoulders (depending on the type of yoga twist) helps create a stable foundation. If you find this challenging, here are tips to modify the different yoga twists:

Reclining twists: In Supine Spinal Twist Pose (Jathara Parivartanasana), for example, rather focus on grounding both shoulders than touching your opposite knee to the ground. Modify your pose to ensure that your foundation is stable, then twist from there.

Sitting twists: In Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana), you can place a block or cushion underneath your pelvis or straighten your lower leg. This will create a more stable foundation if you find it challenging to ground both sitting bones.

2. Twisting from your lower back

If you do not square your pelvis, you are twisting only from your lower, also called the lumbar spine. Why do we not want that?

Your lumbar spine vertebrae are designed in such a way that they can move forwards and backward, side to side, but barely rotate or twist. On the contrary, the thoracic spine (middle and upper spine) vertebrae glide against each other in rotation, ensuring easy twisting of the spine.

How to avoid twisting from your lower back

To avoid twisting only from your lower back, remember to keep your foundation stable and be aware of the range of mobility in the different parts of your spine. Start twisting only a few degrees in the lower spine and move up, twisting more in the middle and upper back.

Safety in Yoga Twists

Incorrect twisting of the spine can cause injuries and back pain. To practice yoga twists safely, keep the following tips in mind:

  • Ground your shoulders or sitting bones (depending on the type of yoga twist).
  • Lengthen your spine by reaching upwards with the crown of your head.
  • When twisting, elongate your lower back and focus on twisting more in the upper and middle back.
  • Remember to breathe! Your breath might feel slightly shorter as your rib cage contracts but continue breathing. As you inhale, lengthen through the spine. And as you exhale, twist a bit deeper.

Who should avoid Yoga Twists

In some cases, yoga twists can be dangerous. Knowing your limits and consulting with a healthcare professional before practicing certain poses is essential. If you are unsure if yoga twists are safe for you, please consult your doctor or physiotherapist first.

  1. Pregnancy

Yoga Twists shouldn’t be done during the time of pregnancy by female yoga practitioners as it might impact the baby in many ways.

  •  Digestive issues

Yes, yoga twists can help with digestion and metabolism. But if you struggle with chronic digestive issues, you should consult your doctor first. Extreme twisting places pressure on the intestines which can worsen gut-inflammatory symptoms.

  • Spinal disc injury

Because you focus on your spine a lot in yoga twists, it can worsen spinal disc injuries. Consult your physiotherapist before attempting twisting poses.

  • Joint Issues

The sacroiliac (SI) joint is located between your pelvis and lower spine. Incorrect or extreme twisting of the spine and pelvis can destabilize this joint and cause pain.

During your yoga teacher training in Nepal with Himalayan Yoga Academy, you will be thoroughly guided in various classifications of asanas. Twist Asanas will be taught by the gurus and will be briefly explained. These twist asanas should be learned properly from experienced yoga instructors. Here in our 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training, we request our yoga trainers to learn every asanas anatomy, and physiology with alignment. So they can teach properly to their students as they are yoga teachers after the course.

Reference: Special Thanks to Arhanta Yoga For such wonderful information that we can share it with the world through our wonderful blog platform.

What are Yoga Twists?

Yoga twists are yoga poses that rotate your spine—moving your shoulders in the opposite direction to your hips. Moving your spine in all directions is important to keep the spine healthy.

As discs in our spine are avascular, which means they don’t get a direct blood supply. Instead, they rely on a mechanism called “imbibing,” in which the changing pressures around the discs cause them to drink up or take in nearby fluids. This fluid is what keeps the discs healthy and plump (think the opposite of degenerative discs) and creates separation between the vertebrae for a range of motion. Twists are the perfect way to shift pressure through the discs and help support this process.

Popular Twisting Poses include:

  • Twisted Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)
  • Parsvakonasana
  • Parivrtta Natarajasana
  • Half Lord of the Fishes Pose, aka Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
  • Revolved Triangle Pose (Parivrtta Trikonasana)
  • Supine Spinal Twist (Jathara Parivartanasana)
  • Marichyasana C

To receive all the benefits and stay safe when practicing these yoga twists, it is important to understand the anatomy behind the twisting action.

5 Benefits of Yoga Twists

While providing a soothing stretch after a stressful day, this is not the only benefit of twists in yoga. Twisting yoga poses increase spine mobility, relieve blocked energies, and stimulate the digestive system and other organs. Let’s dive deeper into each of these benefits.

1. Keeps your spine healthy

A famous saying in yoga is, “You are only as young as your spine is flexible.” This is, in fact, true, but have you ever wondered why?

In between your spine vertebrae, there are gelatinous-like discs. These intervertebral discs help your spine move with ease and absorb shock. But as you age, they become thinner, which results in back stiffness and pain.

The gentle and controlled movement of yoga twists slows down the deterioration of these spinal discs. It also maintains the spine’s natural range of motion and ensures it does not become stagnant.

Whether you struggle with back pain or want to feel younger, yoga twists can help.

2. Opens blocked energy pathways

Yoga twists have physical and emotional benefits. If we do the yoga asanas, especially yoga twists, we also create space for energy that has been blocked. The space created improves energy flow, which calms the mind and aligns the chakra system.

3. Improves digestion

As said yoga twists create space in the body. The space created in your gut allows food to pass through. Twisting your spine also creates movement in your digestive system. This constant stretching and contracting of muscles stimulate your digestion and metabolism.

4. Stimulates and detoxes your organs

Yoga twists not only stimulate our digestive system, but they also activate and purify other vital organs in the body. The lymphatic system drains lymph fluid (containing the blood’s waste and toxins) from the body. Twisting poses assist the lymphatic system in detoxing your body by stimulating this flow of lymph fluid. Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana), for example, stimulates the lymph flow in your torso and activates the Solar Plexus Chakra. This improves the functions of your stomach, gallbladder, liver, spleen, and pancreas, which all play vital roles in the body’s blood detoxification and waste excretion processes.

5. Enhances Pranic Flow

The main purpose of a yoga twist is to enhance the movement of Prana throughout your body. It ultimately creates a better flow of prana in your whole body. These practices create more space in your body for the most efficient movement of positive energy through your system.