Guruji108 0 Report post Posted February 3, 2008 It is important not to forget that real yoga is purely spiritul and requires no physical effort besides chanting. Since everything is spiritual, taking the higher path to produce wellness and health in our lives is most desireable. Of course that highest path is outlined in Srimad Bhagavad-gita and the rest of the Vedic yogic scriptures. Also we want to produce overall health in our lives, not just that which is limited to one area. By working with the transcendental energies through disciplinary yoga, our minds can control matter on a much higher level. That makes everything work the way its is supposed to in terms of the body, mind and spirit relationship. This is also why one should have the aid of a good guru to guide. Yoga done wrong can be dangerous and can cause adverse effects on your overall health. Some of these side effects as are follows: Adversely effecting your muscles and cause heavy pain and internal bleeding. Some yoga poses can even lead to fracture or ruptures of delicate bones. This case is especially true if you have delicate or brittle bones. Ruptures like these can take months to heal and might sometimes even need surgical intervention.Some yoga poses can even lead to adverse gastric problems in some individuals. Most people complain gastric symptoms to be associated with hatha yoga postures. This is especially true if you do not perform all yoga asanas in a particular sequence. Some of the yoga poses are so complex that even experts don't understand them properly. For instance the kundalini yoga. Yoga poses like these done wrong can have adverse effect on you mentally. This is known as the kundalini syndrome. The possible side effects on kundalini syndrome are pseudo death, psychosis, pseudo psychosis, confusion, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, sadness, suicidal thoughts, urges to self-mutilate, homicidal urges, arrhythmia (irregular heart beat), exacerbation of prior or current mental illness, insomnia, inability to hold a job, inability to talk, inability to drive, sexual pains, temporary blindness, and headaches. Even if you practise yoga under a instructor, chances are that he or she is not fully aware of the techniques and might give you wrong instructions. So you need to be super careful if you even consider attempting these advanced yoga forms. Shakti Karma Bhakti Yoga International Society Guruji108 thisispk.org support@thisispk.org Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theist 1 Report post Posted February 3, 2008 People can get hurt doing any kind of excercise. It goes without saying,or should, that one should get proper training in any system before excecuting it. I think your post above is highly unbalanced and alarmist when looking at hatha yoga. In the last couple of decades hatha yoga classes have literally exploded across the US and these problems are not being seen even by beginners. Of course the real purpose of yoga is spiritual and these classes don't touch that realm but the health benefits from hatha yoga are undeniable. I know many people who ignored the benefits of physical excercise in preference for just chanting and they all regret it now that they are in their 50's and 60's and are fat out of shape etc. which makes their sadhana that much more difficult. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indulekhadasi 0 Report post Posted February 3, 2008 Very true, theist prabhuji. Your sense of pratical application and reasoning is unparalleled. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guruji108 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2008 Yes, I do realize that all forms of yoga are beneficial. However, I have noticed that mamy people apporach it like its some kind of game. That is the mentality that can get a person hurt, especially with something like yoga that can be dangerous. It is common knowledge in the medical community that many of the Hatha Yoga breathing excerises can be dangerous if done incorrectly. I dont mean to sound alarmist. I only want people to understand that yoga is not a game , it should be taken seriously like any other religious path. Ultimately it is concerned with more than the physical and the material world. I am not suggesting that people merely chant and live unhealthy lives otherwise. I encourage people to follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga as much as possible. No meat eating, no elicit sex, no intoxication, and no gambling. One reason why people are getting so fat in the later years is because of too much meat eating and too much beer consumption. We dont typically see very overweight vegetarians. As we can see, not following the precepts of the higher forms of disciplinary yoga that create unhealthy lifestyles. I do agree with you that if done properly, physical yoga can be very beneficial for the physical health. People need that now more than ever. However, the risks should be known. Guruji108 thisispk.org;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites