Balance Your Mind & Body With Ananda & Kundalini Yoga

By Patricia | November 26, 2008
Ananda Yoga And Kundalini Yoga

Yoga is an exercise of the body and mind that has been practiced for centuries. This discipline found its origins in India as long ago as around 2,000 BC. The literal translation of the word ‘yoga’ is ‘union’; referring to the union of mind, body and spirit. Yoga is not only excellent as a form of exercise, but is renowned for spiritual growth.

Ananda yoga and Kundalini yoga are offshoots of ancient Indian yoga. Both forms of yoga are derived from Hathaa yoga, which focuses on balancing the body, mind, and spirit. The key difference between Ananda yoga and Kundalini yoga is that Ananda yoga focuses on ‘Asanas’ and ‘Pranayama’ for better mental and physical health while Kundalini yoga emphasizes spiritual well-being. Doing both forms of yoga can lead to a healthy body and mind.

Ananda yoga is designed to harmonize and integrate your physical and mental being. The physical exercises or yoga ‘Asanas’ in Ananda yoga builds your stamina and improves your posture. ‘Pranayama’ or the breathing exercises improve your respiratory functions and normalize breathing by reducing your respiratory rate.

‘Asanas’ encourage circulation of blood to different parts of the body due to the stretching of the muscles and joints. This also helps in flushing out toxins from the body and improving metabolism. ‘Pranayama’, on the other hand, has shown significant evidence in improving concentration and memory levels. The respiratory exercises increase your breath-holding time and consequently help regulate your heart rate. The combination of ‘Asanas’ and ‘Pranayama’ under Ananda yoga makes you feel fitter and more energetic.

Kundalini yoga aims to raise the level of your spiritual awareness. It focuses on the flow of energy and consciousness within all of us. Along with ‘Asanas’ and ‘Pranayama’, Kundalini yoga highlights the importance of medication and chanting. Meditation improves mental concentration and sharpens awareness. By chanting, the vibrations stimulate your energy flow to bring you to a healthier state of consciousness.

Through Ananda yoga, the physical yoga exercises bring the body to a state of balance while the breathing exercises bring you to a state of calm. Meditation in Kundalini yoga helps you achieve emotional balance.

You should take care to go to a reliable practitioner as learning wrong movements will only harm your health. The best part about yoga is that once you have learned the exercises, your individual experience with yoga can always evolve. You can always practise both types of yoga at home safely.

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