When Enlightment Goes Wireless: Yoga and Technology Play Nice

There was a time when the term Yoga brought up images of enlightened yogi's in complicated asanas that looked like odd and perhaps even dangerous contortions to the layman. But recent years and the embrace of the ancient practice by mainstream culture has transformed visions of aging yogis into shapely young yoga instructors leading class fulls of equally fit students through a regimen of poses delivering less enlightenment and more strength training. How did it happen? How did a 5000 year old discipline become so trendy and well, watered down? Now a new wave of business' are taking advantage of the Yoga craze, and bringing it to the next level of mass culture by launching the ancient practice to the edge of modern technology - using new platforms to deliver ancient wisdom.

Just today it was announced that Vodafone is offering a package wherein the user can download unlimited Yoga videos featuring Indian celebrity Shilpa Shetty in one hour. The pack also contains a step-by-step procedure for each Asana right on your little handy. Not quite sure how one is suppose to really get into a pose and "tune inward" to experience to benefit of the posture, while keeping pace with your handheld. But mobile operators in India seem to believe in the idea signing on in rapid order.

Then there is "Let's YOGA!" (Konami, $20), for you Nintendo DS handheld game console. The "wellness game" offer a virtually unlimited number of Yoga workouts that can be taken on the go. The game feature a rather uninspiring animated yogi model (that they sell you on by telling you can you dress the animated model how you want) who is suppose to jump start your yoga practice. I remain skeptical.

For those of you less on the go, and more tied to your keyboard, there is My Yoga Online.com, an online destination that offers a wide array of video taking you from individual postures to entire yoga classes. The video are actually pretty good. Granted nothing can replace doing a practice with a great instructor (unless you are confident enough to go solo), the site is a nice resource to simply introduce you to certain poses that then you can integrate into your practice.

Who knows how much technology is actually inspiring folks to get down on their mat, reconnect, get centered and embrace a yoga practice in their life? Perhaps these new "wellness content plays" are more impactful in terms of marketing the idea of yoga and inspiring an interest in the discipline. Eventually to truly understand the benefits of yoga, one must completely "unplug" and tune in - not simply get wired up or wireless. At some point the only content that one should focus on in Yoga, is the content of one's inner self.

Asana practice - Yoga Poses and Positions

"Hatha Yoga is not the ultimate goal. Hatha Yoga makes us aware that the body with its inestimable qualities is everything that we have in life; for we enter this world naked and leave this world naked. For that reason we must get the best out of our body. The more we strive to unfold the perfection's of the body, the more quickly our mental capacities unfold: power of concentration, memory, will-power and resolution. The blessing of Hatha Yoga is threefold; health, well-being and long life."

Selvarajan Yesudian.

The physical techniques of Yoga are the stepping stones to meditation. According to Patanjali, Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind.

In the beginning the primary prerequisite to peace of mind is posture. yoga poses are practiced to gain steady posture, health and lightness in the body. All yoga poses are intended to directly or indirectly quiet the mind. The majority of Asana have been devised to build up different parts of the body and to develop the strength required by the more advanced physical disciplines. The purpose of the yoga poses is to recondition the system, both mind and body, and to develop the nervous and glandular systems.

Yoga is a method that aims to achieve the maximum results with the minimum expenditure of energy. The different yoga poses have been devised to bring a rich supply of blood to the brain and to the various parts of the spinal column. The yoga asana work by stretching, bending and twisting the spinal column in different directions to promote the health of the nerves.

When the body is purified, Prana (vital energy) can be conserved and the individual becomes healthy and conscious.

Endurance is of the utmost importance in all of the Asana work.

All excess moisture needs to be eliminated from the body, especially from the joints. The less moisture present, the easier the postures become and the body is subjected to less pain.

Regularity in yoga asana practice is an absolute necessity if one wishes to realise the full potential of the Yoga process. If the foundations of a building are not correctly laid, the superstructure will fall down. So too, if a student of Yoga has not gained a certain degree of mastery over the yoga poses he/she can not successfully proceed to the advanced disciplines.

Yoga is a direct experience of the vast interrelatedness of all life and of all things. You will feel at peace at the end of a yoga asana class because there is a natural realignment of your body which leads to a natural realignment of your perception of life and of who you are.