Sivananda Yoga
Sivananda Yoga, which was named after the teaching of Swami Sivananda, is a form of hatha yoga. The training focuses on preserving the wellness and health of the practitioner.
People who teach this style of yoga must all be graduates of the training course in Sivananda Yoga. The students who take this Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course vary widely in age and their degrees of ability.
Unlike Ashtanga Vinyasa, which is yoga’s more athletic program, Sivananda training centers around frequent relaxation as well as emphasizing full, yogic breathing.
Method
The Sivananda training method tries to retain the body’s vitality, retard the decaying process and lessen the chance of getting a disease by naturally and simply cultivating the body.
The philosophies of Sivananda training are summarized in five basic principles:
- Proper breathing or Pranayama
- Exercise or Asanas
- Relaxation of Savasana
- Diet: A vegetarian diet is recommended. The yogic diet is limited to sattvic foods and you may not have any rajasic or tasmasic foods.
- Positive thinking and meditation or the practice of Vedanta and Dhyana
A training session typically begins with each practitioner resting in Savasana. Everyone begins with Anuloma Viloma and Kapalabhati and precedes with rounds of Surya namaskara.
This is all before starting with the standard program that takes into consideration the twelve basic asanas. The average session runs for about 90 minutes.
The traditional program is usually left up to the flexibility of the instructor. This allows for some
variation which is important so as not to allow sessions to become boring for the participants.
