User:Akorn015/Power Yoga

Power Yoga
Power Yoga strikes a balance between the originating values of yoga (Sanskrit, Pāli: योग, /ˈjəʊɡə/, yoga) found in India and North American societal demands for physical exercise.

Power yoga aligns with the Hindu Philosophy of Asana (Sanskrit: आसन), a portion of Aṣṭānga yoga or otherwise known as the Eightfold Path developed by the Buddha. Later re-interrupted by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. The style focuses mainly on ones physical ability and development but holds true to yogas principle value of enlightenment. Power Yoga students, although often unaware in Western societies, are participating in action that seeks to harmonize the mind, body, and spirit.

Power Yoga has been argued to be the fundamental style of Hatha yoga that allowed for culture acceptance but also the popularity of yoga in North America. It was stated in a YIAS survey that 30 million people are practicing yoga based directly out of the United States. . This statistic does not pertain just to those who are practicing Power Yoga but to the practicing of every form of Hatha Yoga;


 * Ashtanga
 * Anasura
 * Brikrham
 * Iyengar
 * Kirpalu
 * Kundalini
 * Svaroopa
 * Sivanada
 * Bharta
 * Moksha

All of which are classified as Hatha Yoga as well as asana practice due to there usage of; physical movement, breathe work (pranayama) (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम prāṇāyāma) and meditation.

Power Yoga is often practiced within the conditions of Hot Yoga to further develop the physical body.

The development of Hatha yoga occurred after traditional Hatha yoga practices had already emerged in Western cizilivations. These original forms of Hatha yoga did not gain popularity in the West until the late 1900’s with no knowledge of yoga in Western civilizations prior of 1893. The spike in the popularity in yoga has been correlated to the health crisis in the North American countries. Its popularity has also been tied to its usage in North American to aid and find solutions to such problems and disorders as; anorexia nervosia, bullimia, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, injury,

The interest in physical exercise helped fuel the rise of modern hatha yoga in America, as many teachers began to focus on the asana side of yoga, one of the conditions of Ashtanga Yoga or the Eight Fold Path of Yoga. With the rise of popularity in yoga and a demand placed by yoga students for a highly physical practice the style of power yoga developed. The specific teacher or creator of power yoga is debated among yogic circles as there was a tendency and movement to enhance the physicality of yoga among all teachers from their students to appeal to the Western society.

Power Yoga is typically performed in the same conditions of Hot Yoga.