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.