Swami Sivananda
Born in 1887 at Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, India in 1887 Swami Sivananda was a Doctor in Malaysia but he renounced his medical practice in 1924 when Swami Vishwananda Saraswati initiated him into Dashnami Sannyasa. He practiced intense sadhana, yoga and learnt the scriptures. He became a wondering monk and toured the length and breadth of India. Wherever Sivananda went he tried to awaken the moral and spiritual consciousness of people. In 1936 he founded the Divine Life Society at Rishikesh with the main aim of spreading spiritual knowledge and serving mankind. Being a doctor he started the Sivananda Ayurvedic Pharmacy in 1945.
Swami Satyananda
Born in 1923 at Almora, Uttarakhand Swami Satyananda showed a spiritual tendency and heightened awareness right from the age of 6 years. In 1943 he left home and came in contact with Swami Sivananda at Rishikesh and the Swami initiated him into the Dashnami Sannyas. Satyananda performed such intense nishkam seva that he was able to realize the secrets of spirituality. He studied yoga, tantra and Vedanta and kundalini yoga in such a through fashion that he founded the new Bihar School of Yoga in 1963 and became the pioneer of this yoga practice.
Read more ..Science of Yoga Six Powerful Inspirations
Science of yoga is not just about philosophy. It is all about how yoga can change your health and mental well-being, which is measurable, observable and quantifiable. Yoga is a systematic way to attain perfection, through physical and mental exercises.
Yoga has been noted to reduce anxiety and depression. Scientific studies have also shown that yoga can improve several conditions including psychological and pain syndromes, musculoskeletal and neurological disorders and autoimmune and immune syndromes.
Volumes have been written on the healing properties of yoga. Although very little research has been conducted on potential underlying mechanisms for the effects of yoga, it appears yoga stimulates pressure receptors under the skin which, in turn, leads to enhanced vagal activity and reduced cortisol.
Scientist observed that yoga exercises gives superior parietal cortex, involved in directing attention, and the visual cortex.
1. Yoga Improves Immunity Function
There are numerous scientific studies that show that yoga improves immune functioning. Yoga, perhaps, is one of the most effective and time-tested natural immunity boosters that we can adopt for a healthier life. It is an ancient art that strengthens the body and also relaxes the mind.
"Yoga means addition - addition of energy, strength and beauty to body, mind and soul" -- Amit Ray
2. Yoga Cures Addiction
Dopamine, a chemical in the brain that gives one contentment during a high on ones drug of choice is generated naturally by doing yoga. Thus, the craving for that level of contentment from addiction is no longer manifested. Yoga can give one the same level of dopamine high or contentment, thus cutting out the craving of addiction.
3. Activates Parasympathetic Nervous System
Yoga actually activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms us down and restores balance after a major stress is over. When the parasympathetic nervous system switches on, blood is directed toward endocrine glands, digestive organs, and other organs, thus reducing the heartbeat rate and lowering the blood pressure.
4. Anxiety Reduction
Several studies have focused on anxiety, and several studies on various conditions have used anxiety as a measure of the condition improving. It is observed that who participated in the yoga training showed decreased stress, anxiety, fatigue and depression as well as increased well-being and vigor.
5. Yoga Heals Chronic Insomnia
Reduced sleep problems following yoga may mediate decreased depression. In a chronic insomnia sample, yoga led to improvements on virtually every sleep measure including sleep efficiency, total sleep time, sleep onset latency, number of awakenings and sleep quality measures based on sleep-wake diaries.
Yoga also reduced sleep disturbances in a geriatric sample after 6 months of yoga practice. The Yoga group versus the standard control group had a significantly shorter latency to sleep as well as a significant increase in the total number of sleep hours and in the feeling of being rested in the morning. Increasing deep sleep (restorative, quiet sleep) may reduce pain syndromes via a reduction in, for example, substance P that causes pain. In the Field study, when quiet sleep increased, based on activity watch monitors, both substance P (measured in saliva) and pain decreased. Similar measures might provide more confirmatory data for the sleep-enhancing and pain-reducing effects of yoga.
"Yoga is the art work of awareness on the canvas of body, mind, and soul." - Amit Ray
6. Reduction of Lower back pain
In a study yoga participants attended weekly yoga sessions for 16 weeks. The control group was given education on low back pain for the same time period. Results revealed reduced pain intensity (by 64%), functional disability (77%) and pain medication usage (88%) in the yoga group.
The physiological effects of yoga including decreased heart rate and blood pressure and the physical effects including weight loss and increased muscle strength are the common benefits of yoga. Yoga enhance vagal activity and reduce cortisol. The reduction in cortisol, in turn, may contribute to positive effects such as enhanced immune function and overall well-being.
Read more ..Adi Shankaracharya
Born in 788 AD in a village called Kaladi in Kerala Adi Shankaracharya was a philosopher of the greatest renown because he brought new life to the Vedas and restored them to their ancient glory. He revived Vedanta at a time when Vedanta philosophy was going through a period of darkness due to the excesses of ritualistic practice. His correct interpretations saw a revival in the status of the Vedas and so he was able to successfully advocate Advaita Vedanta. He founded the Dashanami monastic order and believed in worship of the Shanmata tradition. He established four Adi Shankaracharya Peeths and devoted one of the Vedas to each:
- South - Sarada Peetha, Sringeri
- East - Govardhana Peetha, Jagannath Puri
- West - Kalika Peetha, Dwaraka
- North - Jyothir Peetha, Badrinath