Hans Overturf: Veteran Yogi
Hans Overturf is a man dedicated to following every aspect of exercising because he believes strongly in the power that comes from living a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Just like every successful and busy financial planner, it is inevitable that the professional and personal lives of Hans Overturf coalesce to encounter the daily stresses that life presents. Therefore, it is only fitting that Hans Overturf turn to an outlet that would counteract his everyday anxieties.
Hans Overturf practices Yoga as a method of maintaining a healthy body and mind. By being a Yogi (a practitioner of Yoga) Overturf is able to take part in an activity that allows him to stay fit, as well as relieve his worries by performing the various physical and mental aspects of the exercise.
Yoga is an important exercise to Hans Overturf because it provides him, along with other like-minded, health-conscious people, with the powerful tools necessary to deal with everyday challenges, optimize health, and improve their general outlook on life. By incorporating Yoga into his daily routine, Overturf has discovered that the exercise has proven to be one of the most efficient ways in helping him relieve stress, be more productive, and have a more positive attitude with whatever obstacle he encounters in life.
As a result of performing Yoga regularly, Hans Overturf has been able to bolster his health by improving his immune system, improving his physical stamina, and strengthening his memory. Through yoga practice, Hans Overturf is additionally more able to direct his focus and concentration, enhance his flexibility and physical strength, better his breathing, and reduce headaches, bodily pain, and muscle tension. Yoga has the distinct advantage of instructing its practitioner lessons on how to be more effective in managing stress, and how to become more productive and motivated. Yoga also teaches its student how to maintain the ability to be more creative, make wiser choices after prolonged meditation and deliberation, and increased energy, mental attentiveness, and clarity. Through the combination of both the physical and mental aspects of Yoga (the postures along with the meditations) peace of mind and a clearer consciousness are possible.
A few of the Yoga postures and methods that Overturf borrows from for daily routines include Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Bikram Yoga. By practicing each form, Overturf is able to explore a variety of Yoga styles that are beneficial to his mind and body.
Iyengar Yoga is a form of Yoga mainly known for its utilization of various exercise tools, such as belts and blocks, as aids in performing postures. Other props used in Iyengar are: chairs, straps, pillows, and even sandbags. With these props, Iyengar practitioners are able to make up for a lack of flexibility, which is especially useful for people suffering from back or joint problems. In addition, Iyengar is known as one of the more popular styles of Yoga as it is the most common style that beginners start off with, and the form that is often visited by those who haven't recently performed any type of physical exercise. Iyengar benefits include muscle toning, the elimination of tension and a lessening of chronic pain. Furthermore, with proper execution of Iyengar Yoga, people strengthen the weaker areas of their bodies and allow the tighter zones of their physical selves to open and stretch, allowing the body to return to its proper alignment. By practicing Iyengar, the Yogi will not only have a general knowledge of classic Yoga poses, but also a knowledge of the basic fundamentals of how each posture is done if or when they decide to practice another style.
Ashtanga Yoga is a style often known as “Power Yoga.” It is also the kind of Yoga that is most commonly performed by athletes, as the emphasis of the exercise is less on meditation but more on increasing strength and stamina. The poses of Ashtanga Yoga have been noted to be far more advanced than those performed in other styles, with the Yogis tending to move faster from one pose to the next in order to try to build strength and flexibility. Ashtanga is appropriate for almost anyone in reasonable physical condition. However, it is generally warned that those who are new to Yoga should avoid the exercise since the workout can be far too demanding. The Yoga style often first takes the practitioner through a warming up of the body to "activate" the muscles. Then the Yogi moves from one pose to another in a continuous flow while combining breathing techniques of inhalation and exhalation with their movements. Some of the poses in Ashtanga involve a combination of standing, seated, backbends, inversions, balancing, and twisting poses into sun salutation poses which include a standing forward bend, upward dog, and downward dog poses, among others. Along with the poses and various techniques, Ashtanga also requires that the location of the exercise program be warm or heated to avoid strains. As a result of the heated environment, muscles attain the ability to be more flexible.
Bikram Yoga is a style of Yoga that is done in a hot room that is 40ºC or higher. It has been said that the exercise was meant to reproduce the experience of the workout in the temperature of India— the birthplace of Yoga. The classes for this exercise are guided by specific dialogue and focuses on 26 postures and two breathing techniques. The session usually lasts for about an hour and a half and unlike Ashtanga, all people of all levels, ages and body types are welcome to practice. Even though the exercises can be extremely physical and intense, the excruciating workout can be highly rewarding. Bikram Yoga heats up and stretches muscles, ligaments and tendons in the manner in which they should be stretched. In keeping up with this practice regularly, anyone can expect to have their symptoms of disease and chronic pain in the body removed.
With these various Yoga styles, Hans Overturf is able to maintain a healthy body. However, in order to maintain a healthy mind and attitude, Overturf also explores various meditative practices of Yoga, such as: Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja.
As a financial planner, it is crucial that Hans Overturf be able to practice good judgment and wise decisions. For this reason, he practices Jnana Yoga—the Yoga of Intellect. This style of Yoga is a meditative and philosophical practice that is meant to sharpen one’s mind through logic and intellectual thought. Jnana Yoga focuses on the part of the human mind that relentlessly tries to know and understand the nature of things in life; therefore this exercise involves a lot of reflection and meditation. Under Jnana, each Yogi is ultimately in search of absolute knowledge and higher states of consciousness.
Bhakti Yoga is the exercise known as the Devotion to Divine Love. This form of Yoga is done through reflection and meditation; with the Yogi focusing on the emotional bond that practitioner can have with the Divine. Through this exercise, the Bhakti Yogi aims to experience an overwhelming and permanent feeling of blissful selflessness, and a tremendous amount of love towards the higher powers. Furthermore, this form of Yoga incorporates a number of universal principles that are also widely known in other world religions; thus the practice of Bhakti Yoga also serves as an open act and prayer that allows believers to experience their absolute manifestation of love towards the diving being in which they believe.
Karma Yoga is the Yoga that requires the exercise of creating a life through moral actions on a regular basis. This consistent attitude and way of living then allows the follower to become closer to enlightenment, the ultimate and holy spiritual Communion with their Divine deity. In acting out of Karma Yoga, the practitioner is able to control his or her deeds and channel their minds, hearts, and efforts towards their devotion to duty without the need to be rewarded—an approach that is also known as dharma. In living a life of magnanimity, Yogis like Hans Overturf can acquire salvation and fully understand the purpose behind their lives.
Raja Yoga is the exercise known as the development of the mind through the act of meditation. Through meditation, the Raja Yogi is able to further understand his or her acquaintance with reality and achieve a sense of personal freedom. This particular form of Yoga is an exercise that stems from the strengthening of the mind, which then leads to reaching enlightenment. Through meditating on a regular basis, Yogis like Hans Overturf are able to direct their life force towards setting the mind and emotions into a balance of personal peace and enlightenment.