Many health conscious and curious folks are getting into yoga, and one can easily find classes that are beginner-friendly. However, buyer beware, this adaptation of a Hindu practice is less interested in the philosophical side of the act of doing yoga but rather it’s been built into America’s health-fanatic framework as a physical exercise in stretching and toning one’s body. Any self-reflection or acts of devotion are left up to the individual.
The following are some reviews of sites that can easily be accessed via internet and they include magazines, journals, and other web-related sites that are dedicated to spreading and practicing yoga. As you will see, many are very in-depth sites and are geared towards a western audience while some serve as quick summaries of yoga practice. Happy hunting.
www.santosha.com
Yoga Anand Ashram is a nicely designed online yoga resource
that offers about thirty individual yoga postures in a helpful step-by-step
format. The site also offers an orientation about doing yoga for
beginners. Extras include information on children’s yoga, meditation
essays, and random sutras that the web designers call “desktop inspiration.”
Santosha.com characterizes the 1,2,3 approach to yoga and is perfect for
those who are looking for a quick fix.
www.yogajournal.com
Yoga Journal’s website is quite plain and acts as more of an
ad for the actual magazine (that can be found on any major newsstand) and
offers subscription prices at 57% of what you’d be paying on the street.
Though you can’t read the articles online, the site offers little blips
on the current issue, such as one on reconciling yoga with your religion,
which shows that the magazine is attempting to be more than a forum for
pop culture. Still, it offers the usual, “Yoga for Healthy Abdominals”
and “A Guide to Yoga Vacations and Retreats.” The site also offers
back issue orders and a chance to order “Source 2001,” a directory of Yoga
Teachers across the nation and all things related to yoga including programs,
CDs, clothing, and equipment.
www.HinduismToday.com
“Affirming the Sanatana Dharma and Recording the History of a Billion-Strong
Global Religion in Renaissance,” this website boasts for the magazine Hinduism
Today. The website does not offer the latest issue but rather
the edition two months before. Still, it offers a daily news summary
from the Hindu Press International that can be accessed from all over the
world. The January/February 2001 issue offers an article on “Ashtanga
Yoga Class on the Beach,” and probably runs periodic pieces on different
yoga practices. However, Hinduism Today is an invaluable resource
for not only more journalist savvy interpretations of yoga but stories
that concern Hindu populations across the world. This includes lead
stories, politics, music, archaeology, devotion issues, editorials, and
highlights of what is going on for Hindus in different countries.
For someone who is interested in the bigger picture, this is the perfect
web magazine to check out.
www.evonline.net
Evolution Online Yoga Magazine is an example of how popular
yoga has become and how easy it is to log on and find out information on
it. The online magazine is based out of Hong Kong but with the intention
to reach an international market. Though the graphics are nothing
special, there is a very helpful rundown of Kriya, Raja, Hatha, Kundalini,
Ashtanga, Tantra, and other types of Yoga. They do a good job of
distinguishing between them and pay homage to the fact that these are positions
of devotion and they have individual meanings. The site even offers
a daily recipe such as today’s sesame vegetables.
www.yogacritic.com
An online magazine called Yoga Connoisseur opens up to your
average homepage. The magazine offers surprisingly detailed and long
reviews of yoga instruction books that you can find at bookstores or order
online with the direction of the magazine. This would be a great
resource for anyone looking for the right yoga book because after skimming
through some of the reviews it’s quite obvious that there are a variety
of books out there to suit different peoples needs, including a beginner’s.
Honestly, I didn’t know that you could do it but someone at Yoga Connoisseur
has gone and done it… They’ve reviewed Yoga Music CDs. Who knew that
there was an audience? The music is obviously geared towards those
who want to spice up their daily routine with titles such as “Yoga Music
of the Heart” and “HealthMusic Sleeping.” Reading reviews of Yoga
Music can be about as boring as listening to it, so I shall digress.
The site offers a select group of yoga positions with some personal historical
detail, though it lacks in quantity compared to other yoga web sites.
There are some classifieds and I guess you can advertise with them if you
want to. All in all, this site needs some work but it has its merits
in the book review section.
www.yimag.com
From all appearances, Yoga International is the Vogue
of yoga magazines. However, the site is limited to brief descriptions
of the latest issue and subscription services. The only thing that
makes this site unique to the printed magazine itself, is the Yoga Teachers
Guide where you simply enter your zip code and get a list of instructors
in your area. The articles look interesting and they offer the usual
mix of feature articles, “herbal secrets,” and practice tips.
www.yogaworld.org
This is an example of just how easy it is to go out there and set up
a site these days and spread the word about yoga. An individual by
the name of Graham Ledgerwood is responsible for this website that gives
basic information on eight types of yoga. He claims thirty years
of experience but it’s always important to keep in mind that because of
yoga popularity in America, almost anyone can claim to be an authority.
Nonetheless, he gives a rundown of three techniques (self-discipline, introspection,
and devotion) that one might use to gain a “glimpse” of higher consciousness.
The site then gives instruction in reaching a state of higher consciousness,
which seems a little cheap for someone working from a computer to be doing.
There are many sites like this out there and they are an example of the
quick fix American attitude towards yoga and other Hindu practices.
Use at your own caution.
