The sequencing of postures is a science, set up so that each asana provides a necessary foundation for what follows.
We always begin with the sun salutations and standing postures to generate heat and connect with the breath. The first half of the primary series (which begins after the standing postures) is mostly forward bends,working the hamstrings, hips, and back. The middle section focuses on flexibility and the third part combines more flexibility with strength postures. The finishing postures are the same regardless of what series you are practicing. They are restorative postures designed for cooling down, balancing out the body, and integrating the effects of the practice.
The best way to form a sequence is to build slowly. Keep your expectations small and start with say, 20 minutes. Do this for a week and then add 10 minutes.
So the sequence builds from week to week.
Primay standing postures are the first 5 postures: Padangustasana, Padahastasana, Trikonasana, revolve, Parsvakonasana, revolve and Prasaritta Padottanasana A.
This is a very good way to start a home practice. The first 5 postures are very good at creating strength, flexibility and awareness. When these get easier, you can add more of standing.
For seated postures, I would do Dandasana and Paschimottanasana A and go right to finishing.
Finishing. I would do some basic backbends, one forward bend, one shoulderstand, one plow, one fish, reclined twist and savasana.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Men in my yoga classes
Women like classes more than men as many men prefer to work out by themself. Women really are more social.
Men do not like to do something new that is unfamiliar, especially where good looking women can do it better than they can. Men genetically need to look physically strong and competent to women as well as to other men.
Many yoga classes are taught by women for women. Men do not (generally) want to do things like tuck their tummy or sculpt their butt. If you throw in some chatarungas, most men will not object to the hip opening. I think that it is important to include poses that are challenging as well as poses that are easy for all students. These are often different because of gender, as well as many other factors. Many yoga classes are taught by white women for white women and there is often a lack of men and other races because they feel excluded. This has nothing to do with Yoga, but rather with the teacher's paradigm or training.
Many yoga teachers' classes are filled with crystals, chakras, chanting, incense, and a variety of New Age hocus pocus that some women like, but most men try to avoid whenever possible.
Many men (and women) cannot think outside the cultural stereotypes that say that men should be strong and women should be flexible. We do not yet have a strong cultural stereotype that says both men and women need a balance of strength and flexibility, because neither is worth very much without the other. Frankly, most men need yoga and most women need weight training instead of the other way around.
My classes are more physical than verbal and men often prefer this. If the class is more athletic, it will attract more men as well as the more athletically inclined women. This also appeals to women who have lost their youthful athleticism, as they see it returning with practice and enjoy both the increased energy as well as the relaxation.
Many men have not yet figured out that there are a great variety of Yogas out there and if they were to look around a little, they would see that there is probably something that fits their unique needs pretty well.
Most of the men in my classes come for one or more of the following reasons:
Their wife or girl friend made them. Many really like it and keep coming even if the wife/girl friend stops.
They realize that stress is killing them and have heard that yoga is good for stress and are willing to give it a try.
They have back pain and have heard that yoga can help.
An athletic coach or health care professional recommended it.
They see other men that they know and/or respect doing it.
They have been doing yoga somewhere else for a while and are familiar with the benefits.
Men do not like to do something new that is unfamiliar, especially where good looking women can do it better than they can. Men genetically need to look physically strong and competent to women as well as to other men.
Many yoga classes are taught by women for women. Men do not (generally) want to do things like tuck their tummy or sculpt their butt. If you throw in some chatarungas, most men will not object to the hip opening. I think that it is important to include poses that are challenging as well as poses that are easy for all students. These are often different because of gender, as well as many other factors. Many yoga classes are taught by white women for white women and there is often a lack of men and other races because they feel excluded. This has nothing to do with Yoga, but rather with the teacher's paradigm or training.
Many yoga teachers' classes are filled with crystals, chakras, chanting, incense, and a variety of New Age hocus pocus that some women like, but most men try to avoid whenever possible.
Many men (and women) cannot think outside the cultural stereotypes that say that men should be strong and women should be flexible. We do not yet have a strong cultural stereotype that says both men and women need a balance of strength and flexibility, because neither is worth very much without the other. Frankly, most men need yoga and most women need weight training instead of the other way around.
My classes are more physical than verbal and men often prefer this. If the class is more athletic, it will attract more men as well as the more athletically inclined women. This also appeals to women who have lost their youthful athleticism, as they see it returning with practice and enjoy both the increased energy as well as the relaxation.
Many men have not yet figured out that there are a great variety of Yogas out there and if they were to look around a little, they would see that there is probably something that fits their unique needs pretty well.
Most of the men in my classes come for one or more of the following reasons:
Their wife or girl friend made them. Many really like it and keep coming even if the wife/girl friend stops.
They realize that stress is killing them and have heard that yoga is good for stress and are willing to give it a try.
They have back pain and have heard that yoga can help.
An athletic coach or health care professional recommended it.
They see other men that they know and/or respect doing it.
They have been doing yoga somewhere else for a while and are familiar with the benefits.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Meditation's spiritual roots
Although many ordinary folks are meditating these days (including, quite possibly, people you know), the practice wasn't always so readily available. For centuries, monks, nuns, mystics, and wandering ascetics preserved it in secret, using it to enter higher states of consciousness and ultimately to achieve the pinnacle of their particular paths.
Highly motivated laypeople with time on their hands could always learn a few techniques. But the rigorous practice of meditation remained a sacred pursuit limited to an elite few who were willing to renounce the world and devote their lives to it.
How times have changed! From Beat Zen in the '50s and the influx of Indian yogis and swamis in the '60s to the current fascination with Buddhism, meditation has definitely become mainstream, and its practical benefits are applauded in every medium, both actual and virtual. (Have you ever checked out the Web sites devoted to meditation?)
Meditation has been studied extensively in psychology labs and reduced to formulas like the Relaxation Response (a simple technique for diminishing stress). Yet it has never entirely lost its spiritual roots. In fact, the reason meditation works so effectively is that it connects you with a spiritual dimension, which different commentators give different names, but I like to call simply being.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
The summit of the meditation mountain
When you reach the summit of the meditation mountain, what do you see? If we can trust the reports of the meditators and mystics who have climbed the mountain before us, we can declare with some confidence that the top of the mountain harbors the source of all love, wisdom, happiness, and joy. Some people call it spirit or soul, true nature or true self, the ultimate truth or the ground of being (or just being itself). Others call it God or the Divine or the Holy Mystery, or simply the One. There are nearly as many names for it as people who experience it. And some spiritual traditions consider it so sacred and powerful that they hesitate to give it a name.
As for the experience of reaching the summit, seasoned meditators use words like enlightenment (from ignorance), awakening (from a dream), liberation (from bondage), freedom (from limitation), and union (with God or being).
An old saying likens all these words and names to fingers pointing at the moon. If you pay too much attention to the finger, you risk missing the beautiful moon, which is the reason for pointing the finger in the first place. Ultimately, you need to experience the moon -- or in this case the summit -- for yourself.
Of course, you may have no interest in lofty states and experiences like enlightenment or union. Perhaps you bought this book simply because you want to reduce your stress or enhance your healing process or deal with your emotions. Forget about the Holy Mystery -- a little more clarity and peace of mind would suit you just fine, thank you very much!
Well, the truth is, you're going to follow the same path no matter how high up the mountain you want to go. The basic instructions remain the same -- but you get to choose your destination. Among the most popular stopping places and promontories en route to the summit are the following:
As you can see, these way stations are actually major destinations in their own right, and all of them are well worth reaching.You may be quite content to stop halfway up the mountain, after you've reduced your stress, improved your health, and experienced greater overall well-being. Or you may feel inspired to push on for the higher altitudes that the great meditators describe.
As for the experience of reaching the summit, seasoned meditators use words like enlightenment (from ignorance), awakening (from a dream), liberation (from bondage), freedom (from limitation), and union (with God or being).
An old saying likens all these words and names to fingers pointing at the moon. If you pay too much attention to the finger, you risk missing the beautiful moon, which is the reason for pointing the finger in the first place. Ultimately, you need to experience the moon -- or in this case the summit -- for yourself.
Of course, you may have no interest in lofty states and experiences like enlightenment or union. Perhaps you bought this book simply because you want to reduce your stress or enhance your healing process or deal with your emotions. Forget about the Holy Mystery -- a little more clarity and peace of mind would suit you just fine, thank you very much!
Well, the truth is, you're going to follow the same path no matter how high up the mountain you want to go. The basic instructions remain the same -- but you get to choose your destination. Among the most popular stopping places and promontories en route to the summit are the following:
- Stronger focus and concentration
- Reduced tension, anxiety, and stress
- Clearer thinking and less emotional turmoil
- Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
- Support in kicking addictions and other self-defeating behaviors
- Greater creativity and enhanced performance in work and play
- Increased self-understanding and self-acceptance more joy, love, and spontaneity Greater intimacy with friends and family members Deeper sense of meaning and purpose
- Glimpses of a spiritual dimension of being
As you can see, these way stations are actually major destinations in their own right, and all of them are well worth reaching.You may be quite content to stop halfway up the mountain, after you've reduced your stress, improved your health, and experienced greater overall well-being. Or you may feel inspired to push on for the higher altitudes that the great meditators describe.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Friday, August 21, 2009
the Bikram(hot) Yoga lineage
Bikram Yoga is an offshoot of the Kriya Yoga lineage. Bikram’s guru, Bishnu Ghosh, was trained at the Ranchi School for Boys which was founded by his older brother, Paramahansa Yogananda, author of “Autobiography of a Yogi.” Paramahansa Yogananda was an early and major contributor to the introduction of hatha yoga to the West.
Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury is the founder of the worldwide Yoga College of India. Born in Calcutta in 1946, Bikram began Yoga at the age of four with India’s most-renowned physical culturist at that time, Bishnu Ghosh, the younger brother of Paramahansa Yogananda (Author of the most popular book on Yoga, The Autobiography of a Yogi, and founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles).
The Ghosh/Bikram lineage of physical culture hatha yoga. The Yoga Challenge is a system of hatha yoga based on a series of 84 classic asanas originating from a series codified between the 5th and 10th century AD, by the Nath sect.
Followers of the Nath believed “the main objective of hatha yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activities and processes of the physical body, mind and energy. When this balance is created, the impulses generated give a call of awakening to the central force which is responsible for the evolution of human consciousness. If hatha yoga is not used for this purpose, its true objective is lost”. [Swami Muktibodhananda Saraswati, Commentary, 1985 translation, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Yogi Swatmarama]
Bikram, accomplished student of Shree Bishnu Charan Ghosh, is founder of the Yoga College of India and author of Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class. He was trained at Ghosh’s College of Physical Education, (est. 1924) in Calcutta, India. In the late 1960s he was sent to Japan to establish a school and teach their method of yoga. In the mid-1970s, he established a school in San Francisco, then settled in Los Angeles near the headquarters of Yogananda, his teacher’s brother.
Sree Bishnu Ghosh, Bikram’s teacher, was trained at the Ranchi School for Boys founded in 1917 by his older brother, Paramhansa Yogananda, who later founded the Self-Realization Fellowship and authored Autobiography of a Yogi. Bishnu became a physical culturalist and worked with Swami Sivananda Saraswati to develop a system of hatha yoga asanas for health and fitness, based on the original classic 84 postures. He established Ghosh’s College of Physical Education in 1924, in Calcutta, where his son, Bishu, is now the director.
Paramahansa Yogananda founded the first “yogoda” (hatha-raja yoga) school in Ranchi, Bihar, India, in 1917. Today, there are many schools of yogoda throughout India that provide training in physical, moral, mental, and spiritual ideals for youth. Yogananda was a pioneer, sent to America in 1920 by his teacher, to introduce kriya yoga. His book, Autobiography of a Yogi, continues to inspire millions of people around the world.
Sri Yukteswar, Yogananda’s teacher, established several ashrams in India to teach kriya yoga, and authored The Holy Science. He was a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, the first non-sadhu to learn kriya yoga.
Lahiri Mahasaya was initiated into Kriya yoga (raja-yoga) by Babaji Nagaraj in 1861. Babaji was a “sanyasing” or “sadhu”, but Lahiri lived the normal life of a householder and worked for the Indian government. He inspired hundreds of people to practice kriya yoga during his lifetime by demonstrating that it was possible to keep self-realization without giving up city life.
Sivananda’s teachings originate from Yogi Matsyendranath, regarded as the first human teacher of hatha yoga. Matsyendranath’s chief disciple, Gorakhnath, was guru to Yogi Swatmarama, who compiled the wisdom and techniques of hatha yoga in the Hatha Yoga Pradipikas.
Unlike Buddhist and Jain scriptures, and Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika does not impose yamas and niyamas (self-control, rules of conduct and observances). Yogi Swatmarama considered them to be more religious than spiritual. He was also aware that trying to follow yamas and niyamas created more mental stress than peace of mind. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika advocates discipline and purification of the body through hatha yoga, which will develop self-discipline and self-control and, ultimately, induce natural spiritual development.
Bikram practiced Yoga at least four to six hours every day at Ghosh’s College of Physical Education in Calcutta. At the age of thirteen, he won the National India Yoga Championship. He was undefeated for the following three years and retired as the undisputed All-India National Yoga Champion.
At seventeen, an injury to his knee during a weight-lifting accident brought the prediction from leading European doctors that he would never walk again. Not accepting their pronouncement, he had himself carried back to Bishnu Ghosh’s school, for he knew that if anyone could help to heal his knee, it was his teacher. Six months later, his knee had totally recovered. Ghosh was a celebrated physical culturist and the first to scientifically document Yoga’s ability to cure chronic physical ailments and heal the body.
Bikram was asked by Ghosh to start several Yoga schools in India. The schools were so successful that at Bishnu’s request Bikram traveled to Japan and opened two more. He has since brought his curative methods of Yoga therapy around the world.
Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury is the founder of the worldwide Yoga College of India. Born in Calcutta in 1946, Bikram began Yoga at the age of four with India’s most-renowned physical culturist at that time, Bishnu Ghosh, the younger brother of Paramahansa Yogananda (Author of the most popular book on Yoga, The Autobiography of a Yogi, and founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles).
The Ghosh/Bikram lineage of physical culture hatha yoga. The Yoga Challenge is a system of hatha yoga based on a series of 84 classic asanas originating from a series codified between the 5th and 10th century AD, by the Nath sect.
Followers of the Nath believed “the main objective of hatha yoga is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activities and processes of the physical body, mind and energy. When this balance is created, the impulses generated give a call of awakening to the central force which is responsible for the evolution of human consciousness. If hatha yoga is not used for this purpose, its true objective is lost”. [Swami Muktibodhananda Saraswati, Commentary, 1985 translation, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Yogi Swatmarama]
Bikram, accomplished student of Shree Bishnu Charan Ghosh, is founder of the Yoga College of India and author of Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class. He was trained at Ghosh’s College of Physical Education, (est. 1924) in Calcutta, India. In the late 1960s he was sent to Japan to establish a school and teach their method of yoga. In the mid-1970s, he established a school in San Francisco, then settled in Los Angeles near the headquarters of Yogananda, his teacher’s brother.
Sree Bishnu Ghosh, Bikram’s teacher, was trained at the Ranchi School for Boys founded in 1917 by his older brother, Paramhansa Yogananda, who later founded the Self-Realization Fellowship and authored Autobiography of a Yogi. Bishnu became a physical culturalist and worked with Swami Sivananda Saraswati to develop a system of hatha yoga asanas for health and fitness, based on the original classic 84 postures. He established Ghosh’s College of Physical Education in 1924, in Calcutta, where his son, Bishu, is now the director.
Paramahansa Yogananda founded the first “yogoda” (hatha-raja yoga) school in Ranchi, Bihar, India, in 1917. Today, there are many schools of yogoda throughout India that provide training in physical, moral, mental, and spiritual ideals for youth. Yogananda was a pioneer, sent to America in 1920 by his teacher, to introduce kriya yoga. His book, Autobiography of a Yogi, continues to inspire millions of people around the world.
Sri Yukteswar, Yogananda’s teacher, established several ashrams in India to teach kriya yoga, and authored The Holy Science. He was a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, the first non-sadhu to learn kriya yoga.
Lahiri Mahasaya was initiated into Kriya yoga (raja-yoga) by Babaji Nagaraj in 1861. Babaji was a “sanyasing” or “sadhu”, but Lahiri lived the normal life of a householder and worked for the Indian government. He inspired hundreds of people to practice kriya yoga during his lifetime by demonstrating that it was possible to keep self-realization without giving up city life.
Sivananda’s teachings originate from Yogi Matsyendranath, regarded as the first human teacher of hatha yoga. Matsyendranath’s chief disciple, Gorakhnath, was guru to Yogi Swatmarama, who compiled the wisdom and techniques of hatha yoga in the Hatha Yoga Pradipikas.
Unlike Buddhist and Jain scriptures, and Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika does not impose yamas and niyamas (self-control, rules of conduct and observances). Yogi Swatmarama considered them to be more religious than spiritual. He was also aware that trying to follow yamas and niyamas created more mental stress than peace of mind. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika advocates discipline and purification of the body through hatha yoga, which will develop self-discipline and self-control and, ultimately, induce natural spiritual development.
Bikram practiced Yoga at least four to six hours every day at Ghosh’s College of Physical Education in Calcutta. At the age of thirteen, he won the National India Yoga Championship. He was undefeated for the following three years and retired as the undisputed All-India National Yoga Champion.
At seventeen, an injury to his knee during a weight-lifting accident brought the prediction from leading European doctors that he would never walk again. Not accepting their pronouncement, he had himself carried back to Bishnu Ghosh’s school, for he knew that if anyone could help to heal his knee, it was his teacher. Six months later, his knee had totally recovered. Ghosh was a celebrated physical culturist and the first to scientifically document Yoga’s ability to cure chronic physical ailments and heal the body.
Bikram was asked by Ghosh to start several Yoga schools in India. The schools were so successful that at Bishnu’s request Bikram traveled to Japan and opened two more. He has since brought his curative methods of Yoga therapy around the world.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Prepare yourself as a bikram(hot) yoga teacher
Bikram teacher training is predicated on your ability to recite a particular set of words so that you can be certified as a teacher. You asked for some ideas on how you could best prepare yourself. Here are mine:
Teaching people a yoga class is not a recital, it is a individualized narrative said in the moment to a unique set of students with unique needs. While using the prescribed dialog is the way that Bikram uses to certify you, I do believe you can better prepare yourself so that learning his dialog is even easier, and more importantly makes more sense to you in the process.
Before I went to training, I honestly didn’t realize that I would be asked to just memorize the pages. I thought I would be learning the poses in a different more holistic way. So what I did was listen in class, and even taped a couple of classes with permission from my teachers of course, and I went home and pieced together my own kind of narrative. I literally typed out my own class.
My own pre-work made me understand the poses inside out. I found that a large proportion of people at training got caught up in trying to memorize the exact words and because of it they found it really difficult. They would mostly get stuck and not remember the next line. They weren’t making the connection between the poses and the ‘dialog’. That happens a lot when you try to memorize something without having a ‘hook’ for your memory. What often happens is you start to blurt out your words, get distracted somehow, and then wham, the next word gets lost. You can’t remember that word, you can’t remember the words before because in your memory you have linked everything into one long recital (pose by pose). Find a way to KNOW what you are reciting. When I understood the poses (which is easy when you have the passion!) then memorizing that particular set of words becomes a cinch.
So ...
1 Construct your own class based on what you have been taught, pose by pose
2 Break your poses down into process. For example, how to set-up, how to enter, what to do in the pose, how to release.
3 Only once you have finished your homework, go to the ‘dialog’ and read it. It will be infinitely more easy to learn.
4 Here’s the clincher: If you lose your way while reciting your dialog at training (and most people do at some time or another) you will KNOW where you are at, can pick up with your own words. This flow will keep your mind moving and you will remember the ‘dialog’ words and flow back into them seamlessly.
5 When you leave training you will be a better teacher.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Pose to help treat shoulder, neck and back strain
Here are a few stretches you can do while at work to help loosen up those tight areas.
Neck Rolls
Sit with a straight but relaxed spine. Adjust the head so that you feel like it is sitting on top of the spine by slightly moving the head back and bringing the chin down slightly. Roll the neck slowly in one direction and then in the other. Let the weight of the head move the head around. Do this very methodically so that you go slowing through tight spots and work out areas of tension.
At least one minute in each direction.
To end: After this exercise, sit quietly and be with the sensations in your body and spine.
Benefits: This exercise removes tension in the neck and stimulates the thyroid.
Side Twists
Sit on the heels. Place the hands on the shoulders, fingers in front and thumbs in back. Inhale, twist to the left. Exhale, twist to the right. Twist your head to each side as well. Gradually feel an increased rotation in your spine. Keep elbows parallel to the ground, allowing the arms to swing freely with the body. This exercise can be done standing up,
Continue 1-2 minutes or 26 times.
To end: Inhale center, hold the breath, apply rootlock, exhale, relax and feel the energy circulate, especially at the level of the heart.
Benefits: This exercise opens up the heart center and stimulates the upper spine.
Side Bends
In Easy Pose, clasp hands behind neck in Venus Lock (fingers interlaced) and bend straight sideways at the waist, aiming the elbow toward the floor beside the hip. Inhale as you bend left, exhale right. Don’t arch or contract the back. Bend sideways only. This exercise can be done standing.
1-2 minutes or 26 times.
Benefits: Side bends stimulate the liver and colon and increase spinal flexibility.
Shoulder Shrugs
Still on the heels or in easy pose, shrug both shoulders up on the inhale and down on the exhale.
1- 2 minutes.
To End: Inhale up, hold, apply rootlock, and relax.
Benefits: This exercise loosens up the tension in the shoulders and relaxes upper back
These poses are not from your Bikram Dialogue but, when done properly, are exrtremly beneficial as well.
Neck Rolls
Sit with a straight but relaxed spine. Adjust the head so that you feel like it is sitting on top of the spine by slightly moving the head back and bringing the chin down slightly. Roll the neck slowly in one direction and then in the other. Let the weight of the head move the head around. Do this very methodically so that you go slowing through tight spots and work out areas of tension.
At least one minute in each direction.
To end: After this exercise, sit quietly and be with the sensations in your body and spine.
Benefits: This exercise removes tension in the neck and stimulates the thyroid.
Side Twists
Sit on the heels. Place the hands on the shoulders, fingers in front and thumbs in back. Inhale, twist to the left. Exhale, twist to the right. Twist your head to each side as well. Gradually feel an increased rotation in your spine. Keep elbows parallel to the ground, allowing the arms to swing freely with the body. This exercise can be done standing up,
Continue 1-2 minutes or 26 times.
To end: Inhale center, hold the breath, apply rootlock, exhale, relax and feel the energy circulate, especially at the level of the heart.
Benefits: This exercise opens up the heart center and stimulates the upper spine.
Side Bends
In Easy Pose, clasp hands behind neck in Venus Lock (fingers interlaced) and bend straight sideways at the waist, aiming the elbow toward the floor beside the hip. Inhale as you bend left, exhale right. Don’t arch or contract the back. Bend sideways only. This exercise can be done standing.
1-2 minutes or 26 times.
Benefits: Side bends stimulate the liver and colon and increase spinal flexibility.
Shoulder Shrugs
Still on the heels or in easy pose, shrug both shoulders up on the inhale and down on the exhale.
1- 2 minutes.
To End: Inhale up, hold, apply rootlock, and relax.
Benefits: This exercise loosens up the tension in the shoulders and relaxes upper back
These poses are not from your Bikram Dialogue but, when done properly, are exrtremly beneficial as well.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Yoga class vs home DIY ?
Hi there,
I took a yoga course (10 lessons) and deliberate about whether going to the next course in January or do it alone.
On one hand I'm not sure if it's necessary paying money for another course, on the other hand it's certainly fun practising it together.
A mentor is also a big advantage of a course.
I'm really not sure what's the better decision.
What do you think? Are you going to a course or practise yoga for yourself?
I think that Hatha yoga probably is the best yoga style to start with. In my opinion its the style that serves as a great introduction to yoga, as it is the slowest, calmest style. After that you can move onto Vinyasa or Bikram or Power, or whichever you prefer - or just keep on with Hatha, if you choose to do so.
As for the actual class vs. dvd issue, I would also recommend you to go to yoga classes first. I think its important to have an instructor teaching you the correct asanas (especially if you end up moving onto the toughest ones, such as deeper backbends or handstands and headstands - definitely asanas that you shouldnt try on your own at first!!), Classes can help you get the most out of each new pose without straining your knees, shoulders, etc. Some teachers will even do occasional one-on-one sessions to help you design a home practice program to meet your needs. and once you've had enough practice with that, you should move on to practice yoga at home on your own, or with help of online videos or dvds.
Above all, do give yoga a try. It's the best! Im just starting to practice yoga again after a break of many months, and it really is just great stuff (even though my muscles are having a rather tough time re-adjusting to all the stretching!) Anyways, good luck and I hope this was of some help!
I took a yoga course (10 lessons) and deliberate about whether going to the next course in January or do it alone.
On one hand I'm not sure if it's necessary paying money for another course, on the other hand it's certainly fun practising it together.
A mentor is also a big advantage of a course.
I'm really not sure what's the better decision.
What do you think? Are you going to a course or practise yoga for yourself?
=====================
As for the actual class vs. dvd issue, I would also recommend you to go to yoga classes first. I think its important to have an instructor teaching you the correct asanas (especially if you end up moving onto the toughest ones, such as deeper backbends or handstands and headstands - definitely asanas that you shouldnt try on your own at first!!), Classes can help you get the most out of each new pose without straining your knees, shoulders, etc. Some teachers will even do occasional one-on-one sessions to help you design a home practice program to meet your needs. and once you've had enough practice with that, you should move on to practice yoga at home on your own, or with help of online videos or dvds.
Above all, do give yoga a try. It's the best! Im just starting to practice yoga again after a break of many months, and it really is just great stuff (even though my muscles are having a rather tough time re-adjusting to all the stretching!) Anyways, good luck and I hope this was of some help!
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Flux's First Bikram Yoga Class
Just came back from my first Bikram Yoga class. It's the first of it's kind on Northern England and I joined the throng of excited people anticipating their first session.
Firstly the obvious comment on the heat- a studio heated to 40 centigrade or 105 fahrenheit. It wasn't a problem for me, I think perhaps because I grew up in a very hot climate I tolerate the heat well, so it was just lovely and pleasant and though it takes a lot for me to sweat I did eventually. They have installed a special heating system that maintains the correct balance of humidity and temperature, using heat exchange technology to reduce energy consumption and supply fresh air. So it never felt stuffy and stifling.
I found the postures tough, and the they were particularly challenging for my inflexible shoulders and back. I like that BY is not dynamic, and that there are no handstands, headstands or shoulder stands. I think these sorts of postures are really rather tough even for many intermediate practitioners and I think removing them from the series of postures makes this style very accessible to all levels, and less dangerous. I also do so much CV work already, I want a yoga class that doesn't involved jumping around.
It's very different to many styles I have practiced and the teacher, though strict was funny and irreverant and clearly knew the system inside out.
We ran over by 25 minutes which made the class almost 2 hours, I left feeling sticky, stretched out and with so much energy I have no idea where to put it Let's see if it's just beginners high. I've got unlimited usage for 10 days, it's going to be lovely warm sweaty week here in freezing wet Manchester.
So a big thumbs up but I need to do it more to form a firmer opinion.
As a disclaimer I think there is a lot of snake oil bullshit around this method, and a lot of unsubstantiated health claims and I am very aware of that. I'd like to see some research into how this does actually affect the body, so far it's all anecdotal. I feel great though!
Firstly the obvious comment on the heat- a studio heated to 40 centigrade or 105 fahrenheit. It wasn't a problem for me, I think perhaps because I grew up in a very hot climate I tolerate the heat well, so it was just lovely and pleasant and though it takes a lot for me to sweat I did eventually. They have installed a special heating system that maintains the correct balance of humidity and temperature, using heat exchange technology to reduce energy consumption and supply fresh air. So it never felt stuffy and stifling.
I found the postures tough, and the they were particularly challenging for my inflexible shoulders and back. I like that BY is not dynamic, and that there are no handstands, headstands or shoulder stands. I think these sorts of postures are really rather tough even for many intermediate practitioners and I think removing them from the series of postures makes this style very accessible to all levels, and less dangerous. I also do so much CV work already, I want a yoga class that doesn't involved jumping around.
It's very different to many styles I have practiced and the teacher, though strict was funny and irreverant and clearly knew the system inside out.
We ran over by 25 minutes which made the class almost 2 hours, I left feeling sticky, stretched out and with so much energy I have no idea where to put it Let's see if it's just beginners high. I've got unlimited usage for 10 days, it's going to be lovely warm sweaty week here in freezing wet Manchester.
So a big thumbs up but I need to do it more to form a firmer opinion.
As a disclaimer I think there is a lot of snake oil bullshit around this method, and a lot of unsubstantiated health claims and I am very aware of that. I'd like to see some research into how this does actually affect the body, so far it's all anecdotal. I feel great though!
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Bikram(hot) Yoga Experience
by MelissaBrooklyn
Bikram yoga is an amazing way to get an overall workout. Flexibility, strength, muscle development and mental health are all by-products of this workout.
I recently started doing Bikram and I love it. I have been a gym rat for years. I would weight train for an hour a day and run 3-5 miles and in a year I lost 35 pounds. That's not a whole lot considering I was spending between 1.5-2 hours at the gym 5 days a week.
In my first week of doing Bikram, I lost 2 lbs (4 sessions), I found emotional and mental clarity for the first time and I found myself truly challenged. Just by being in the room you are challenging yourself. Once you incorporate the poses you begin to physically challenge yourself.
Based on the tourniquet theory; increased temperature creates a higher heart rate therefore creating higher oxegenated blood. By cutting off circulation to one part of the body and releasing the pose you are allowing more oxygen to the body and detoxifying amongst other benefits.
I definitely think it is important to change up your workout out every 6-8 weeks, so I wouldn't say doing Bikram every day forever is the way to go, but try it for a week and see what happens.
Many of the studios (in NYC any way) offer an intro week for the price of one class so you can go as much as you want in that first week. Some offer intro months that are up to 50% less than usual.
There is also something called the 30 day challenge that offers a free month after completing 30 consecutive days (serious commitment!). Finally, some offer work study; you work a few hours and can go to yoga as much as you want.
For me, its about a commitment to myself. Don't go out on Friday night and spend $60 on booze; that's 3 classes. Make choices that benefit you and you can afford it.
I did camel pose for the first time yesterday. I have spinal degeneration. I was told by the doctors that I would be crippled by the time I'm 40. I'm 28 and I'm bending in ways I have never before been able to. For me, that's worth new clothes and fancy dinners.
Bikram yoga is an amazing way to get an overall workout. Flexibility, strength, muscle development and mental health are all by-products of this workout.
I recently started doing Bikram and I love it. I have been a gym rat for years. I would weight train for an hour a day and run 3-5 miles and in a year I lost 35 pounds. That's not a whole lot considering I was spending between 1.5-2 hours at the gym 5 days a week.
In my first week of doing Bikram, I lost 2 lbs (4 sessions), I found emotional and mental clarity for the first time and I found myself truly challenged. Just by being in the room you are challenging yourself. Once you incorporate the poses you begin to physically challenge yourself.
Based on the tourniquet theory; increased temperature creates a higher heart rate therefore creating higher oxegenated blood. By cutting off circulation to one part of the body and releasing the pose you are allowing more oxygen to the body and detoxifying amongst other benefits.
I definitely think it is important to change up your workout out every 6-8 weeks, so I wouldn't say doing Bikram every day forever is the way to go, but try it for a week and see what happens.
Many of the studios (in NYC any way) offer an intro week for the price of one class so you can go as much as you want in that first week. Some offer intro months that are up to 50% less than usual.
There is also something called the 30 day challenge that offers a free month after completing 30 consecutive days (serious commitment!). Finally, some offer work study; you work a few hours and can go to yoga as much as you want.
For me, its about a commitment to myself. Don't go out on Friday night and spend $60 on booze; that's 3 classes. Make choices that benefit you and you can afford it.
I did camel pose for the first time yesterday. I have spinal degeneration. I was told by the doctors that I would be crippled by the time I'm 40. I'm 28 and I'm bending in ways I have never before been able to. For me, that's worth new clothes and fancy dinners.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Qualities of a good Yoga Teacher
Is the teacher is trained to teach, by a teacher ?
Is the teacher practices yoga for a while, and everyday ?
Is the teacher knows the pillars on what yoga is reposing ?
Is the teacher as this quality of amphatie ?
Is the teacher seems to guide you or only is showing things around ?
- Expert knowledge of their subject,their own practice.
- A knowledge of general anatomy or applied anatomy.
- Ability to teach without performing
- Living the yoga you teach
A Yoga Teacher should have clarity of thought and patience while teaching. He/She should also practice Pranayama and Meditation everyday to increase his/her own mental balance and to store up huge amounts of Prana in the body.
- Teaching from the heart rather than the mental or the vital.
- he ability to communicate in a way that cannot be misinterpreted.
- Mastery of the language in which they teach.
- The ability to both look and see.
- The ability to both hear and listen.
* A Yoga Teacher should be devoted in his/her teaching and should be motivated to perform this duty for the sake of spreading the traditional Yoga system in the community to help others achieve greater physically and mental well-being, rather than doing so purely for monetary gains.
* A Yoga Teacher should impart the knowledge in a safe and harmonious manner so that students can achieve optimal results.
* A Yoga Teacher should be punctual in class and encourage the students to do so as well. No one should be allowed to attend the class after warm-up exercises have been completed. A teacher should follow all the rules of teaching for the safety of the students. As such, no Yoga Exercises should be performed without first doing the warming-up exercises and no one should leave the class without having done the relaxation exercises. Ignoring these rules can be detrimental to health.
* A Yoga Teacher should communicate clearly and proficiently in class so that students have a thorough understanding of the important concepts of Yoga.
* A Yoga Teacher should explain the benefits of each Asana to students to encourage them to perform the posture properly and effectively.
* A Yoga Teacher should always inquire if students have any physical or psychological problems right at the start of each class so that necessary precautions can be taken to ensure safety in the class.
* A Yoga Teacher should be able to arouse curiosity in students and encourage them to ask questions in class. A good teacher clears the students’ doubts and encourages them in their Yoga path by answering these questions sincerely with a smile rather than being irritated by them.
* A Yoga Teacher should always follow the moral ethics of Yama & Niyama and encourage the students to follow these principles in their daily lives so as to bring about calmness and other positive effects to their lives. This will ultimately help remove stress, which is the maim cause of all psychosomatic disorders.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Teaching Yoga. Exploring the teacher-student relationship
I want to let everyone know about an excellent book that deals with many aspects and responsibilities of being a Yoga teacher. This book is: "Teaching Yoga. Exploring the teacher-student relationship" by Donna Farhi. Donna discusses the many roles that a Yoga teacher can have in teaching Yoga, and deals with a lot of ethical issues centered around Yoga teaching. A number of the types of problematic issues brought up in recent posts are talked about. This book is very unique in its focus and I would highly recommend it to everyone!
This book should be required reading for any yoga teacher training. Not only does it bring up good ethics questions and promote discussion, it lays a foundation for how teachers should teach (and why they should - or shouldn't).
I've long felt that yoga in the West is seen as simply a form of exercise. But true yoga is so much more - it is a lifestyle, it is a belief system, it is the earnest undertaking of a practice to not only better yourself, but the world as a whole. I love that this book lays that out as a central tenet for teaching yoga: that you, as a teacher, are responsible to not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk. Teachers are living examples of the true spirit of yoga for their students - this book inspires us to act like it.
I've long felt that yoga in the West is seen as simply a form of exercise. But true yoga is so much more - it is a lifestyle, it is a belief system, it is the earnest undertaking of a practice to not only better yourself, but the world as a whole. I love that this book lays that out as a central tenet for teaching yoga: that you, as a teacher, are responsible to not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk. Teachers are living examples of the true spirit of yoga for their students - this book inspires us to act like it.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
To plan a path towards Yoga teacher
The length of time between beginning the study of yoga and teaching yoga varies greatly from individual to individual. I some cases, you'd practised yoga for over 20 years before becoming a yoga teacher. Others may make this transition quite a bit sooner. However, my recommendation would be to take more time to work through the postures in detail, before attempting to teach them. Along these lines I would recommend studying Yoga yourself with a competent teacher. Also, consult with this teacher as to their opinion when it might be appropriate for you to begin teaching yourself. If you study regularly with a competent Yoga teacher, they get to know you and your abilities. Hence, they can help you decide when the time would be right to begin teaching. Remember that teaching yoga postures is different from a personal Yoga practice. You need to understand each posture in quite a bit of detail to be able to give appropriate cueing and instructions to the students. This would also include aspects of Yogic breathing, meditation practices and principles of posture sequencing. Prior to teaching, it would be important to obtain some training on the practice of yoga teaching and yogic philosophy. Here, signing up for a yoga teacher training course would be a necessary step. In this respect, the yoga teacher training course can provide a thorough, in depth, and convenient way to obtain this training. You can find information on the internet regarding these course.
While it is not too early to begin to plan a path towards Yoga teaching after 1 month of practice, it ds take more time to develop the knowledge and experience base to be a competent teacher. Also realize that Yoga learning is a lifelong process as it is an immense subject. Although practising now for 23 years, I am still learning! Nevertheless, I would strongly encourage you to pursue your passion but with the skills necessary to be compenent teacher.
While it is not too early to begin to plan a path towards Yoga teaching after 1 month of practice, it ds take more time to develop the knowledge and experience base to be a competent teacher. Also realize that Yoga learning is a lifelong process as it is an immense subject. Although practising now for 23 years, I am still learning! Nevertheless, I would strongly encourage you to pursue your passion but with the skills necessary to be compenent teacher.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Thursday, August 13, 2009
A Dynamic Yoga
1. It is due to the veil of ignorance that you have forgotten your real essential nature, the Sat-Chit-Ananda state. It is not at all necessary for you to renounce the world and run to some Himalayan cave to regain your lost divinity. Here is an easy Sadhana by which you can definitely attain God-consciousness, even while living in the world amidst multifarious activities.
2. You need not necessarily have a separate Meditation Room or fix some time for meditation. Close your eyes for a minute or two once in every two hours and think of God and His various Divine qualities such as mercy, love, joy, knowledge, purity, perfection, and so forth during work, and mentally repeat: “Hari Om,” or “Sri Ram,” or “Ram Ram,” or any other Mantra
according to your taste.
3. This should be done even during night whenever you happen to get up from bed to micturate or on any other account. Though you are not in the habit of getting up from sleep, you should do this practice at least occasionally when you slightly change your posture during sleep. This sort of habit will come only by repeated practice.
4. Feel all along that the body is a moving temple of God, your office or business house is a big temple or Vrindavan, and all activities such as walking, eating, breathing, seeing, hearing, reading, etc., are offerings unto the Lord. Work is worship. Work is meditation, when done in the right spirit.
5. Work for work’s sake without any motive without the idea of agency (I am the doer, I am the enjoyer), and without expectation of fruits. Feel that you are an instrument in the hands of God and that He works through your organs. Feel also that this world is a manifestation of the Lord or Visva Vrindavan and your children, wife, father, mother and other relations are the images or children of the Lord. See God in every face and in every object. If you develop this changed angle of vision and Divine Bhava by protracted and constant practice, all actions will become Puja or worship of the Lord. This is quite sufficient. You will have God-realisation soon. This is a dynamic Yoga. This is an easy Sadhana. Hereafter do not bring your old lame excuse: “Swamiji, I have no time to do spiritual practices.” Even if you practise this dynamic Yoga for three months, you will become an entirely changed being altogether. Realise right now your identity and intimate
relationship with all beings, with ants and dogs, elephants and tigers, Muslims and Hindus, Jews and Christians. There is only a degree of difference in manifestation or expression. All forms belong to God or Saguna Brahman. When you look at a tree or a shrub, a Sikh or a Muslim, endeavour to behold behind the veil of form, the real hidden Consciousness. If you do this for some time, you will feel inexpressible Joy. All hatred will cease. You will develop Cosmic Love or unity
of consciousness. This will be a magnanimous experience.
6. Write daily for half an hour in a notebook your Ishta Mantra observing Mouna and
without turning to this side or that. Write down in bold types on slips of paper:
- SPEAK THE TRUTH
- OM COURAGE
- OM PURITY
- I MUST REALISE GOD NOW
- TIME IS MOST PRECIOUS
- I WILL BE A TRUE BRAHMACHARI BRAHMACHARYA IS DIVINE LIFE
- I AM AN EMBODIMENT OF COURAGE,PURITY, MERCY, LOVE AND PATIENCE
and fix them in the bed room, dining hall, front room and verandahs. Keep some slips in your pocket and diary also. This is an easy way for developing virtuous divine qualities.
7. Here are some Mantras, formulae, for effecting ungrudging and total self-surrender.Repeat them mentally several times daily with Bhava: “O Lord, I am Thine, All is Thine. Thy Will be done. Thou art everything. Thou doest everything.” This practice will remove egoism and mineness and the idea of agency also.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Different paths up the same mountain
Imagine that you're getting ready to climb this mountain. (If you live in the Netherlands or the midwestern United States, get out your National Geographic for this one!) How are you going to get to the top? You could take some climbing lessons, buy the right gear, and inch your way up one of the rocky faces. Or you could choose one of the many trails that meander up the mountain and take a leisurely hike to the summit. (Of course, you could always cheat and drive your car, but that would ruin my metaphor!)
Although they all end up at the same place, every trail has its unique characteristics. One may take you on a gradual ascent through forests and meadows, whereas another may head steeply uphill over dry, rocky terrain. From one, you may have vistas of lush valleys filled with flowers; from another, you may see farmland or desert.
Depending on your energy and your motivation, you may choose to stop at a picnic spot en route and while away a few hours (or a few days) enjoying the peace and quiet. Hey, you might enjoy it so much that you decide not to climb any farther. Perhaps you'd rather climb one of the smaller peaks along the way instead of going the distance to the top. Or you may prefer to charge to the summit as quickly as you can without bothering to linger anywhere.
Well, the journey of meditation has a great deal in common with climbing a mountain. You can aim for the top, or you can just set your sights on some grassy knoll or lesser peak halfway up the slope. Whatever your destination, you can have fun and reap the benefits of just breathing deeply and exercising muscles you didn't even know you had.
People have been climbing the mountain of meditation for thousands of years in different parts of the world. As a result, topographic maps and guidebooks abound, each with its own unique version of how to make your way up the mountain -- and its own recommendations for how to hike and what to carry. (To get a sense of the range of meditation materials available these days, just check out the shelves of your local bookstore or the Web pages of your favorite online book source.)
Traditionally, the guidebooks describe a spiritual path involving a set of beliefs and practices, often secret, that have been passed down from one generation to the next . In recent decades, however, Western researchers and teachers have distilled meditation from its spiritual origins and now offer it as a remedy for a variety of 21st-century ills. Although the maps and books may describe the summit differently -- some emphasize the vast open spaces, others pay more attention to the peace or exhilaration you feel when you get there, and some even claim that there's more than one peak -- I happen to agree with the ancient sage who said: "Meditation techniques are just different paths up the same mountain." Here are a few of the many techniques that have been developed over the centuries:
Repetition of a meaningful word or phrase, known as a mantra
Mindful awareness of the present moment
Following or counting your breath
Paying attention to the flow of sensations in your body
Cultivation of lovingkindness, compassion, forgiveness, and other healing emotions
Concentration on a geometric shape or other simple visual object Visualization of a peaceful place or a healing energy or entity
Reading and reflecting upon inspirational or sacred writings
Gazing at a picture of a holy being or saint Contemplation of nature Chanting praises to the Divine
You find opportunities to experiment with many of these techniques, as well as detailed guidance in the practice of one in particular -- mindfulness -- beginning with your breath and then extending your meditation to every moment of your life.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Meditation: It's easier than you think
Meditation is simply the practice of focusing your attention on a particular object -- generally something simple, like a word or phrase, a candle flame or geometrical figure, or the coming and going of your breath. In everyday life, your mind is constantly processing a barrage of sensations, visual impressions, emotions, and thoughts. When you meditate, you narrow your focus, limit the stimuli bombarding your nervous system -- and calm your mind in the process. To get a quick taste of meditation, follow these instructions.
How did you feel? Did it seem weird to say the same thing or follow your breath over and over? Did you find it difficult to stay focused? Did you keep changing the phrase? If so, don't worry. With regular practice and the guidance of this book, you'll gradually get the knack. Of course, you could easily spend many fruitful and enjoyable years mastering the subtleties and complexities of meditation. But the good news is, the basic practice is actually quite simple, and you don't have to be an expert to do it -- or to enjoy its extraordinary benefits.
1. Find a quiet place and sit comfortably with your back relatively straight. If you tend to disappear into your favorite chair, find something a bit more supportive.
2. Take a few deep breaths, close your eyes, and relax your body as much as you can.
3. Choose a word or phrase that has special personal or spiritual meaning for you. Here are some examples: "There's only love," "Don't worry, be happy," "Trust in God."
4. Begin to breathe through your nose (if you can), and as you breathe, repeat the word or phrase quietly to yourself. You can whisper the word or phrase, subvocalize it (that is, move your tongue as though saying it, but not aloud), or just repeat it in your mind. If you get distracted, come back to the repetition of the word or phrase. As an alternative, you can follow your breath as it comes and goes through your nostrils, returning to your breathing when you get distracted.
5. Keep the meditation going for five minutes or more; then slowly get up and go about your day.
2. Take a few deep breaths, close your eyes, and relax your body as much as you can.
3. Choose a word or phrase that has special personal or spiritual meaning for you. Here are some examples: "There's only love," "Don't worry, be happy," "Trust in God."
4. Begin to breathe through your nose (if you can), and as you breathe, repeat the word or phrase quietly to yourself. You can whisper the word or phrase, subvocalize it (that is, move your tongue as though saying it, but not aloud), or just repeat it in your mind. If you get distracted, come back to the repetition of the word or phrase. As an alternative, you can follow your breath as it comes and goes through your nostrils, returning to your breathing when you get distracted.
5. Keep the meditation going for five minutes or more; then slowly get up and go about your day.
How did you feel? Did it seem weird to say the same thing or follow your breath over and over? Did you find it difficult to stay focused? Did you keep changing the phrase? If so, don't worry. With regular practice and the guidance of this book, you'll gradually get the knack. Of course, you could easily spend many fruitful and enjoyable years mastering the subtleties and complexities of meditation. But the good news is, the basic practice is actually quite simple, and you don't have to be an expert to do it -- or to enjoy its extraordinary benefits.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Yoga practice:Helpful Hints
1. Listen to your body. Only through your own internal awareness will you come to understand when to work harder or deeper and when to move more slowly.
2. The breath should always be louder than your internal dialogue.
3. Never force yourself into a pose, no posture is worth injury.
4. Take the ambition out of it. You are competing with no one.
5. Less is more with yoga. Take your time and build your practice slowly, there is nowhere to "get" to.
6. Set up a regular practice for yourself. Practice is the key to the entire science of yoga.
7. Enjoy your practice. Acknowledge and receive the gift you are giving yourself.
2. The breath should always be louder than your internal dialogue.
3. Never force yourself into a pose, no posture is worth injury.
4. Take the ambition out of it. You are competing with no one.
5. Less is more with yoga. Take your time and build your practice slowly, there is nowhere to "get" to.
6. Set up a regular practice for yourself. Practice is the key to the entire science of yoga.
7. Enjoy your practice. Acknowledge and receive the gift you are giving yourself.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Create a sacred space
Choose A Spot That Draws You Inward This is a time of focus. You acknowledge the space around you on which you are about to work. It should be quiet, with no interruptions. You pick a place for the feet and plant them, one by one, deliberately connecting with the earth beneath. Participation at this level is important, if the link between your body and the ground is formed there is a centered calmness.
Making a time and place for your yoga is essential for maintaining a regular practice. Choose a place which is warm and where there is enough room for you to move freely. It is helpful to practice at the same time each day, the optimal times being sunrise and sunset. Choose a spot that draws you inward.
Regular practice is the key to yoga. It is through practice that these seemingly impossible postures are mastered with comfort and ease within a reasonable time period. It is through practice that yoga becomes integrated in your life.
Practice
Decide how much time you have to practice each day (be realistic) and how many times a week. Begin all sessions with naulis, sun salutations, standing postures, sitting postures, meditation and finish with corpse.
Making a time and place for your yoga is essential for maintaining a regular practice. Choose a place which is warm and where there is enough room for you to move freely. It is helpful to practice at the same time each day, the optimal times being sunrise and sunset. Choose a spot that draws you inward.
Regular practice is the key to yoga. It is through practice that these seemingly impossible postures are mastered with comfort and ease within a reasonable time period. It is through practice that yoga becomes integrated in your life.
Practice
Decide how much time you have to practice each day (be realistic) and how many times a week. Begin all sessions with naulis, sun salutations, standing postures, sitting postures, meditation and finish with corpse.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Power Yoga: Yoga, American Style
Power Yoga: Yoga, American Style
Many of us may have developed a negative opinion of the word power in the 1980s. Power meant to control the people, places, and things around us. Having power meant having the most money, the most influence, the ability to get whatever material possessions you wanted, and the respect you wanted. In the 1990s, however, even the word power has evolved. The kind of power in Power Yoga isn't the kind used to conquer and subdue, or the kind used for personal gain. It isn't stepping on people to reach the top of some proverbial social, financial, or corporate ladder. Instead, it is the power to live fully, to be fully in our bodies, awake to the experience of life, to live as fully flowered human beings.
How do you get this kind of power? For many of us, it requires an altered point of view. Instead of looking from the outside in, wondering what's going on inside our bodies and spirits, we must look from the inside out. We must live in our bodies and in our souls, so familiar with who we are, how we move, how we feel, think, and live that we feel absolutely at home in our bodies and our minds, living and experiencing each moment of existence. We are not gross humans grasping for some higher spiritual existence in the next life, but powerful spirits who have chosen to experience humanity. If we don't experience it, we are missing a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth! We are missing our calling.
Power Yoga is a way to help move your perception inward so you can experience life in a more loving, energetic, and healthy way for the rest of your life.
Many of us may have developed a negative opinion of the word power in the 1980s. Power meant to control the people, places, and things around us. Having power meant having the most money, the most influence, the ability to get whatever material possessions you wanted, and the respect you wanted. In the 1990s, however, even the word power has evolved. The kind of power in Power Yoga isn't the kind used to conquer and subdue, or the kind used for personal gain. It isn't stepping on people to reach the top of some proverbial social, financial, or corporate ladder. Instead, it is the power to live fully, to be fully in our bodies, awake to the experience of life, to live as fully flowered human beings.
How do you get this kind of power? For many of us, it requires an altered point of view. Instead of looking from the outside in, wondering what's going on inside our bodies and spirits, we must look from the inside out. We must live in our bodies and in our souls, so familiar with who we are, how we move, how we feel, think, and live that we feel absolutely at home in our bodies and our minds, living and experiencing each moment of existence. We are not gross humans grasping for some higher spiritual existence in the next life, but powerful spirits who have chosen to experience humanity. If we don't experience it, we are missing a wonderful opportunity for spiritual growth! We are missing our calling.
Power Yoga is a way to help move your perception inward so you can experience life in a more loving, energetic, and healthy way for the rest of your life.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Yoga secret:Prana
Prana is a subtle form of energy. Prana literally means "breathing forth" the universal life force. Through practicing asana and pranayama, prana is brought into and stored in the body, increasing vitality. Prana mainly flows through the body in the nadis, or nerve channels of the astral body.
Prana exists as a negative energy as well as a positive energy. Prana moves upward and apana moves downward. When the two unite at the muladara chakra (base of spine) kundalini (dormant cosmic energy) is awakened.
The most important nadi, or energy channel, (there are 72,000!) is the shushumna nadi which correlates to the spinal cord in the physical body. When kundalini is awakened it starts to move up the shushumna nadi, through the seven chakras toward higher states of consciousness.
In ashtanga yoga there are three locks (bandhas) that are engaged throughout the practice to prevent the dissipation of, and direct the flow of prana in the body, and convert it into spiritual energy. ?Jalandhara bandha prevents prana from escaping the upper body. ?Uddiyana bandha forces prana up the shushumna nadi. ?Mula bandha, when engaged, prevents apana escaping from the lower body and draws it up to unite with prana.
The chakras
From bottom to top the 7 chakras: 1. Muladhara chakra - at the anus 2. Svadhishthana chakra - at the genitals 3. Manipura chakra - at the navel 4. Anahata chakra - at the heart 5. Vishuddha chakra - at the throat 6. Ajna chakra- between and behind the eyebrows 7. Sahasrara chakra - at the crown of the head
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Yoga Tips:The breath of life
Feeding The Fire
In many languages the words for spirit and breath are the same. In Sanskrit it's prana, in Latin, spiritus, and in Hebrew, ruach. In Portuguese the word for taking in breath is inspiration, or spirit-in. They believe that an infant literally breathes its spirit into its body with its first breath. We breathe in life. Breath is the source of life and vitality. It is the spirit moving in rhythm in the body.
When the breath wanders, the mind is unsteady, but when the breath is still, so is the mind still.
The Victorious Breath .Ujjayi Breathing
Breath is the fuel that feeds the internal fire, gives it life, keeps the flame going. The vital life energy, prana, is controlled by the breath. In ashtanga yoga, ujjayi breathing (victorious breath) is used to enrich prana. By breathing through the nose, with the mouth closed, the breath is felt from the throat, producing a hissing sound. This sound of the breath keeps the mind focused. As the mind begins to wander, the sound of the breath keeps bringing you back home and away from the mumbling, bumbling mind. The mind becomes focused and calm as each pose flows into the next in concert with the breath. The breath is the link between body and mind.
Practice
Ujjayi Breathing
1. Sit in a comfortable meditative pose or lie in savasana. Become aware of the natural breathing process and feel the air passing down through the windpipe. Slightly contract the region at the back of the throat as you do when you swallow. Inhale and exhale through the nose with the mouth closed. Make the inhalation and exhalation long, deep and controlled. Practice full yogic breathing and concentrate on the sound. Begin practicing for 3 minutes and progressively work your way up to 10 minutes.
2. Practice as above, but fold the tongue back so that the tip of the tongue presses the back of the soft palate on the roof of the mouth.
3. As you inhale say "sa" to yourself and as you exhale say "ha." Repeat ten times. Inhalation and exhalation should be of equal duration, smooth and relaxed. 4. Notice your mind wandering as you practice breathing and keep bringing your mind back to the breath. 5. Focus on the exhalation. Notice where your breath normally stops. Increase the fullness of the exhalation.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
Monday, August 10, 2009
Yoga:Getting It Together
Separateness causes suffering and union creates freedom. Yoga is union. It is the separation from our Self, each other, nature, and from something greater or higher (be it God, universal consciousness, or whatever term you want to use) that causes the anxiety and chaos symptomatic of our times.
It is difficult for us to experience our natural connection with each other when we don't have that connection with our own Self. Yoga connects us with an inner wisdom, in which there is no doubt as to the connection of all things.
Now is the time for yoga. Yoga is a practical method of bringing peace and connectedness back into our lives. Because we are a reflection of our nervous system, the state of our nervous system dictates how we experience the world. If the nervous system is fresh and rested, the body will be healthy and the mind alert and comprehensive. As a result, our thought will be powerful and clear and our actions, which are manifested thought, will be successful and rewarding. Yoga strengthens and purifies the nervous system so it can reflect a greater degree of consciousness and our lives can become an increasingly positive force in the world. If the methods presented in this manual are practiced correctly the whole nervous system is revitalized, the body enjoys better health and more energy, the mind is rested and freed from the endless burdensome thought of future and past, and perception is restored to its primal freshness. We can actually gain back the connection to Self and others as we are released from the restricted thinking, dull mind, and negativity resulting from a strained, tired nervous system. The healthier our nervous system, the healthier our body, mind, thoughts and actions. The purpose of this manual is to make these techniques available to all who are interested in enhancing the quality of their lives from the most fundamental foundation, the inner source. The idea is to promote self-practice and self-responsibility, to offer a tool for reconnecting. This is the place where yoga truly begins in each of our own individual lives. Yoga helps you rise to the challenge of living.
It is difficult for us to experience our natural connection with each other when we don't have that connection with our own Self. Yoga connects us with an inner wisdom, in which there is no doubt as to the connection of all things.
Now is the time for yoga. Yoga is a practical method of bringing peace and connectedness back into our lives. Because we are a reflection of our nervous system, the state of our nervous system dictates how we experience the world. If the nervous system is fresh and rested, the body will be healthy and the mind alert and comprehensive. As a result, our thought will be powerful and clear and our actions, which are manifested thought, will be successful and rewarding. Yoga strengthens and purifies the nervous system so it can reflect a greater degree of consciousness and our lives can become an increasingly positive force in the world. If the methods presented in this manual are practiced correctly the whole nervous system is revitalized, the body enjoys better health and more energy, the mind is rested and freed from the endless burdensome thought of future and past, and perception is restored to its primal freshness. We can actually gain back the connection to Self and others as we are released from the restricted thinking, dull mind, and negativity resulting from a strained, tired nervous system. The healthier our nervous system, the healthier our body, mind, thoughts and actions. The purpose of this manual is to make these techniques available to all who are interested in enhancing the quality of their lives from the most fundamental foundation, the inner source. The idea is to promote self-practice and self-responsibility, to offer a tool for reconnecting. This is the place where yoga truly begins in each of our own individual lives. Yoga helps you rise to the challenge of living.
Posted by
Beacon Lee
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