We live in the midst of an unprecedented ecological crisis in which the fate of our entire planet hangs in the balance. The philosophy of Yoga, with its reverence for all life and its recognition of universal consciousness as the root of all existence, provides us with the spiritual wisdom that can help us solve this problem in a conclusive and enduring manner. Unfortunately, most modern Yoga practitioners approach Yoga mainly as a physical or personal discipline and do not look into its ecological relevance and help unfold its transformative power for the benefit of the planet as a whole.

A yogi pays attention to his food, his breath, his body/mind and goes within. But no matter how profound the meditative state he attains, he returns again and again to this world. This world, too, is an arena of Yoga. If a yogi is not aware of environmental issues, who will be? If a yogi does not make a disciplined and thoughtful use of resources, who will?

At this time, on one hand, perennial sciences like yoga are being reduced to the level of mere fitness industry, and on the other the world is seeking solutions to the current millennium of ‘inconvenient truths’ facing the entire life kingdom of the planet. It is the perennial that will solve the problems created by the short-term minds. Yoga has perennially taught the virtues like a-parigraha, non-grabbing, santosha, contentment, ahimsa, causing neither hurt nor harm to any living beings (sarvatha sarvada sarva-bhutanam: in all manners, at all times and in all conditions) and not even plucking a blade of grass without a prayer.
One who follows the path of meditation naturally and intuitively develops these qualities; the recent discoveries in neuroplasticity show that the meditation practices change the very structure of the human brain whereby one takes joy in altruistic qualities and acts and needs no dependence on external objects to possess in order to find satisfaction.

Only such innate satisfaction will lead us towards not grabbing, not harming nature—our very nature. This is the green message of Yoga.

Some folks expressed their indignance at having their nose rubbed in the unpleasant facts of global warming, planet-wide pollution, and the Sixth Mass Extinction. Scientists have for decades now warned us of the dire inue to turn a blind eye to the mounting evidence so as to conveniently pursue their current self-indulgent way of life. Unfortunately, they appear to include Yoga practitioners. I would like to urge those with a conscience to be open to the available evidence and change their life accordingly.

The Indian government tries to stop people to patent ancient yoga practices. So officials are filming hundreds of yoga poses and translating ancient Sanscrit texts. Next month they plan to send the results to patent offices around the world. It’s an outgrowth of a project called the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, which was originally created to fight patents on traditional Indian medicine — like turmeric for wound healing, which received a U.S. patent that was later withdrawn after India objected.

“Yoga is collective knowledge and is available for use by everybody no matter what the interpretation,” said V.K. Gupta, head of the digital library, which was set up by the ministries of health and science. “It would be very inappropriate if some companies try to prevent others from any yoga practice, even if they call it some other name. So we wanted to ensure that, in the future, nobody will be able to claim that he has created a yoga posture which was actually already created in 2500 B.C. in India.”

“This collection is very successful in preventing wrong patent information, but it is available in 34 million pages,” Gupta said with a chuckle. “We are trying to shorten the yoga catalog to make it very easy for the world to understand.”

Yoga wars, as they are known, started in 2004 in Beverly Hills when Calcutta-born yoga master Bikram Choudhury claimed as his intellectual property a sequence of 26 postures that his students performed in a room heated to 105 degrees. He attempted to collect money from smaller studios offering “Hot Yoga” classes.

We already dedicated several articles to the Yoga potent related wars. Two articles were dedicated to Bikram Choudhury and the case when he patented in his honor his own yoga style- Bikram’s Yoga, that  he copyrighted and franchised.

Please follow this link to read full article about Bikram Yoga.

He created and successfully runs already 7^th Annual Bishnu Charan Ghosh International Yoga Asana Championships.

This man became millionaire in a very creative way. Entrepreneurial Hindu managed to patent in his honor his own yoga style- Bikram’s Yoga, that  he copyrighted and franchised.

Bikram Choudhury view of yoga is different to what ancient yoga represents. He views Yoga as a SPORT. The future goal is just fantastic – bring Yoga to the Olympic pedestal.

Furthermore, Choudhury began notifying yoga instructors several years ago to the effect that they must attain a license from him to teach Bikram yoga. Choudhury also began demanding that yoga instructors seek license from him just to use the term ‘Bikram Yoga’.

We all know yoga is relaxation and not like stressful exercises ?! Bikram Choudhury  states that you come to yoga classes to Suffer.

If the Asana is practiced in HOT ENVIRONMENT (temperatures about 105 degrees Fahrenheit) as it is done in some styles of Yoga, the heart rate, respiration rate and blood pressure increases, though muscles expand and one can stretch the body more, this may harm the muscles. Ideally the Yoga should be practiced in normal environmental conditions.

Many medical experts all over the world have raised concern over the excess strain exerted on muscles in Hot environment (temperatures about 105 deg. F). In this environment there is always a danger of muscle or ligament stretched beyond biological limit and may get Damaged.

In a lot of cases, Bikram himself causes the controversy. He’s a performer and he really likes to poke people, show them their weaknesses, show them their anger and their reactionary nature. And on another level he knows controversy sells product, and he is very much a marketer. It’s just not appropriate to violate people’s personal philosophy all the time. It’s just not right. There are already too many differences in the world that create misunderstandings, and I think Bikram sometimes perpetuates that.

Have you ever heard about Guinness Record of marathon in yoga? You will be surprised but there are individuals among yogis who strive to appear in a The Guinness Book of Records!

A Canadian yoga teacher on Tuesday claimed to have created a Guinness record by performing yoga non-stop for 32 hours. The current Guinness Record of marathon yoga is 29 hours and four minutes. But yoga instructor Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow, 28, on Tuesday claimed that she has completed her 32-hour yoga marathon at her Om West yoga studio in Pointe Claire Village on the Island of Montreal.

Pending Guinness World Record certification, she said, she holds the record for the longest yoga marathon. Guinness records need at least six people to be present at the venue of the event all the time to authenticate them. During her yoga marathon, the Canadian also raised money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation which is working to combat AIDS in Africa. Before undertaking the yoga marathon, she completed 108 surya namaskars, or sun salutations, for 108 consecutive days. “August 3 is my final day of this 108×108 project. It has been an unbelievable adventure so far and a profoundly transformational experience.

I have learned from so many great yoga teachers,” she said. “To complete this journey, on August 2 and 3, I am exploring what it would be like to do a prolonged practice and in doing so, have decided to challenge the Guinness World Record for longest yoga marathon, which is 29 hours and 4 minutes. This record has never been attempted by woman nor by a Canadian. My goal is 32 hours,” the Canadian said.

Moreover Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow – yogi and founder of West Island wellness centre OM West – has embarked on a muscle-achingly crazy mission this summer: 108 sun salutations for 108 days. She’s doing it to bring the yoga community together, challenge herself and raise money for charity.

Like the US, yoga has also become very popular among Canadians in recent years. Major cities like Toronto and Montreal boast a large number of yoga centres.

For some extremists, working out just to keep the flab at bay is no longer enough, and a growing number of people are adopting the “more is better” celebrity approach. Many workouts rival those of elite athletes in terms of frequency, intensity and duration, following the theory that greater effort equals a better return in terms of anti-ageing, disease-fighting and fat-minimising benefits. But do daily three-hour workouts really help to hold back the years? Experts warn they won’t, and claim that extreme exercise can put your health at risk.

Women who reduce their body fat too drastically often suffer from poor circulation and develop lanugo, a fine layer of hair, as the body tries to keep warm. They are also at risk of exercise amenorrhoea, when periods are disrupted, a warning sign that oestrogen levels have plummeted. This can temporarily affect fertility and, since oestrogen is vital for bones, a woman may start losing bone mass, putting her at risk of osteoporosis.
A woman’s skin becomes thinner and less elastic with age as collagen and oestrogen levels drop.

Weight training and cardiovascular activity such as running tightens and shortens the muscles while yoga lengthens and builds functional strength.

No need to damage your body, instead I suggest you to slow down and prolong your life by natural approach such as Yoga exercises and meditation.

Experts advise doing some form of strength training at least twice a week to keep metabolism running efficiently.
Practicing yoga develops strength and endurance, enhances your focus, improves your balance and increases your performance in every aspect of your life. It works the whole body synergistically, working every joint, muscle and fibre improving all of your bodies functions.

Yoga is the best medicine for preventing injuries and aiding muscle recovery and repair. When the muscles and surrounding tissues are lengthened and relaxed during yoga asana (Sanskrit word for postures) it creates more room for blood to flow.
This in turn attracts more oxygen to the area helping muscles to heal and grow, making them more effective for your next workout (and less sore in everyday life). As an added bonus yoga also helps to flush lactic acid from the system. The squeezing and releasing motions the yoga postures create invite the good stuff in and push the bad stuff out.

Meditation research has shown that yogic disciplines can favorably affect the body in the direction of better health and consequently a longer life.
That meditation and pranayama can lower the whole tone of body function and thereby slow down the inner working of the cells by acting on the central nervous system, is in line with both the scientific and yogic theories of aging. By slowing breath and metabolism we can slow the cellular clock, delaying the aging process. Yogic techniques seem to be the key. Just how much we can slow down aging at a cellular level remains to be seen. That yoga can slow breathing has already been shown, and its effects are profound.

Yoga has become a widespread practice during the last 30 years. Misconceptions of this ancient method have kept people from trying yoga classes. Here you will learn that yoga is not just lessons on postures but a foundation of observance of principles put into effect to live life in harmony in today society. If practiced, regularly and with proper understanding, it can greatly benefit all aspects of life

Myth no.1: You have to be really flexible to do Yoga.
Most common images associated with yoga are of people either standing on the head or being fixed in positions you wouldn’t dream of reaching. But don’t fret, they might be pro at yoga but “one of the basic principle of yoga is ‘Shanai, Shanai’ or ‘take it slowly’. You aren’t expected to touch your toes or twist your neck in the beginning. Do only what you are comfortable with. There is no ‘ideal’ level of flexibility; it differs from person to person” she says.

Myth no. 2: Asanas + Prananyam = Yoga
relaxation and yogaThough it is partly correct, Yoga is much more than Asanas or postures. Postures along with breathing exercises definitely improve your health and lifestyle but they are not the ultimate destination of yoga. “The aim is to have better self understanding and gain self acceptance. There are eight components of Yoga- Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahaar,dharana, dhyaan and samadhi which look into overall lifestyle and even behavior. These aspects have not been focused upon a lot by the teachers but it wrong to reduce yoga to fitness” Meena Joshi strongly believes.

Myth no.3: Yoga provides magical cures
Just starting yoga and expecting all the ailments to vanish isn’t going to work. Yoga is very good for maintaining good health and taking care of the nervous system. But you really have to be consistent to reap all the benefits of yoga. So don’t put away your medication as soon as you start yoga, take proper medical guidance before doing so.

Myth no.4: Doing yoga is all about spiritualism
Though Yoga was founded by the rishis, it is not bounded by religion nor has it to be adopted only by those interested in spirituality. Yoga can be adopted by anybody with or without religious inclination. Yoga can provide the much needed relaxation and peace in today’s hectic lifestyle. So, yoga is more relevant for you and me than a person already away from every day cares.

Myth 5: Yoga is only for vegans
You don’t have to be or become a vegetarian to practice yoga. Plain and simple. In fact, eat all the red meat you want. It’s actually good for you.

Myth 6: Yoga is a low impact exercise routine and therefor risk free.
One should note that yoga is not a safe and gentle or “low impact” routine. It can be extremely challenging on both your body and your mind, and if you have an instructor that is not conscious of your body’s physical limitations, it can be hazardous to your health. You can pull muscles, cause aggravated back injuries, and can even cause nerve damage.

Western science offers three approaches to treating sex problems: (1) psychological counseling to improve the relationship, (2) sex therapy to correct erotic misconceptions and encourage whole-body sensuality, and (3) for men, medications to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation. Meanwhile, another less publicized approach also shows tantalizing benefits, yoga. Classic yoga has eight components, but American practitioners typically focus on two: meditative breathing (pranayama) and movement (asanas). A growing body of research shows that yoga is good for sex and may even prevent and treat sex problems. Great sex begins with deep relaxation, which concentrates blood in the central body where it’s available to the genitals, instead of being directed to the limbs, which happens when people feel stressed (the fight-or-flight reflex). As deep relaxation becomes sexual arousal, the arteries that carry blood into the genitals open (dilate), and extra blood flows into the penis and vaginal wall. In men, this extra blood produces erection, in women, vaginal lubrication and increased clitoral sensitivity.

Anything that reduces anxiety/stress or elevates mood improves sexual function by aiding the deep relaxation fundamental to lovemaking. Yoga is deeply relaxing. Indian researchers assessed anxiety in 50 medical students, who then began practicing yoga. Their anxiety levels plummeted. Other studies show that yoga reduces levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, and elevates mood. Palo Alto, California, sex therapist Marty Klein, Ph.D, recommends yoga. “Stress contributes to sex problems and sex problems cause stress. This can become a vicious cycle. Yoga reduces anxiety, so it enhances sex and helps prevent and treat sex problems.”

Beyond deep relaxation, sex requires robust arterial blood flow. Anything that improves arterial blood flow improves sexual function, for example, regular, moderate exercise. Exercise has also been shown to help prevent and treat ED. University of California researchers enrolled 78 sedentary older men in a walking program or a vigorous exercise class. After nine months, the strollers reported a slight decline in sexual vigor, but those in the exercise class reported less ED and greater sexual satisfaction.

Key risk factors for heart disease (smoking, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure) all damage the arteries and reduce blood flow to the genitals. Several studies show that yoga reduces risk of heart disease by improving arterial blood flow. Indian researchers urged 42 men with heart disease to eat a heart-healthy diet. Some also began practicing yoga. A year later, the yoga group lost significantly more weight and had lower cholesterol and fewer angina attacks. Similar studies show that yoga helps treat diabetes and high blood pressure. Because yoga improves the health of the cardiovascular system, it’s no great leap to suppose that it improves sexual function and helps prevent and treat sex problems.

Yoga also improves orgasm. Orgasm involves rapid contractions of the pelvic floor muscles that run between the legs. In Western medicine, Kegel exercises strengthen these muscles and intensify orgasm. (To do Kegels, contract and relax the muscles that squeeze out the last drops of urine.) In yoga, the pelvic floor muscles are known as moola bandha. Yoga strengthens them, providing benefits similar to Kegel exercises.

Finally, one Indian study suggests that yoga helps cure premature ejaculation (PE). The researchers offered men with PE either a daily one-hour yoga routine or drug treatment. The yoga group reported significantly improved ejaculatory control.

India has cataloged hundreds of yoga poses in an effort to block entrepreneurs and companies in other countries from getting yoga-related patents. Yoga is a centuries-old technique of exercising, breathing and meditating that has gained in popularity in recent years and grown into a huge industry.

The yoga postures or “asanas” have been documented by New Delhi’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library following a three-year effort by a team of yoga gurus, scholars and other experts.

After scrutinizing ancient Sanskrit texts they have made video recordings of nearly 900 poses, which are widely used by those teaching and practicing yoga. It aims to record at least 1,500 poses.

Yoga is regarded as a Hindu exercise that involves both philosophy and fitness. India says yoga has been practiced in the country for over 6000 years, and cannot be patented by others.

Their worry stems from hundreds of yoga-related patents and trademarks issued in recent years by Western countries where yoga is becoming increasingly popular. The fact that so many people want to own a copyright on yoga highlights the extent of commercialisation yoga has slumped to.

V.K. Gupta, who heads the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, says the ancient knowledge of yoga is “collective knowledge” and is available for use by everybody.

“It would be very inappropriate if some individuals or some companies try to appropriate this knowledge and prevent others from practice and use. We believe we will be able to do the authentic conversion of the ancient yoga texts and make it accessible to the international system so that all the piracy and other issues get prevented,” Gupta.

The information compiled on yoga is being translated into English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese, and being sent to patent, copyright and trademark offices around the world.

Gupta says this will prevent yoga-related patents from being granted on the basis that they are original. Patents are given to those who invent or discover something new. Yoga has grown into an estimated $250 billion industry.

Yoga is not the only ancient knowledge India is seeking to protect. The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library is also compiling a massive database of traditional medicines and ancient remedies that it wants to protect from being patented in other countries.

India says other countries are cooperating in the initiative. New Delhi has signed agreements with patent offices in the United States and Europe to help protect its traditional knowledge.

The government says in the past year more than one dozen patent applications with the European Patent Office, which concern Indian systems of medicine, have been withdrawn or set aside. This includes one for a skin cream based on melon extract and another for a medicine based on pistachios.

Yoga “On” and “Off” the Mat:

Within the past few decades there has been a new invention, that of the yoga “mat”, which is made of some sort of synthetic rubber or plastic material. This has lead to the idea that “yoga” is practiced “on” such a mat. Since the mat is designed to be used for physical postures or asanas, its invention has even further led to the distortion of yoga. Along with the invention of yoga “on the mat”, there has been a subsequent invention of yoga “off the mat” to describe the “other” form of yoga. Google presently reveals 82,300 results for a search of “yoga off the map”. While it is good that people are doing other such practices, the mere fact that “yoga off the mat” has come into vogue implies that the default position of real yoga is “on” some synthetic “mat”. This is just one more example of setting aside the ancient tradition of authentic yoga for the sake of promoting the modern distorted yoga through all of the yoga business channels.

The goal of Yoga is Yoga: The goal or destination of Yoga is Yoga itself, union itself, of the little self and the True Self, a process of awakening to the preexisting union that is called Yoga. While it is not the intent of this article to give a final or conclusive definition of the term  Yoga–which can be described in different ways–it has to do with the realization through direct experience of the preexisting union between Atman and Brahman, Jivatman and Paramatman, and Shiva and Shakti, or the realization of Purusha standing alone as separate from Prakriti. The mere fact that one might do a few stretches with the physical body does not in itself mean that one is headed towards that high union referred to as Yoga.