Art of breathing, way of life (2)

In the hands of an experienced teacher, the risk of injury is minimal to none. “You don’t breathe through the nostrils. These are not shallow, gasping breaths. You breathe from deep within you. It is meditative; it quiets the mind.”

The core muscles are engaged as you move into and hold each pose; even the eyes have to be fixed at a distinct point as the pose is held. Muscles are lengthened and the joints are moved into full motion. As the poses progress into more movements, the breath must remain calm. Hold a pose a little longer to catch more air.

“Yoga has a balancing effect. You learn to be still and be more peaceful. Everyone, without exception, can learn how to be still.”

Mysore class

Mysore is similar to a freestyle dance. Each moving at his/her own pace so there’s no pressure to catch up with the person next to you. A teacher and an assistant help students execute the asanas properly if needed.

Everyone is doing the same thing but bringing in different experiences. Some  go further,  while others remain on their specific level. Everyone does different things but works together so best to achieve the  goal—to relax the mind and achieve peace.

“We call it self-practice. The benefit is being surrounded by all these energy. Being close to somebody who knows more rubs off on you. It’s a beautiful thing to be next to somebody who inspires.”

 “Yoga is a skill that you can bring wherever you are. Nobody can learn the eight limbs in his/her lifetime. You learn and practice it your entire life.”

Ethical Dilemma – 2

Exploitation of any kind in yoga couldn’t be farther from the intended goals of the practice.  Yet unsavory headlines calling attention to teachers’ moral lapses have prompted yogis and students alike to question where things went wrong.  Whatever the causes, one thing is certain:  The thought of yoga heading down anything less than a spiritual path has stirred the winds of change in the community.  Yoga associations are revisiting the topic of ethics in earnest, clearly defining their beliefs and emphasizing ethical training of instructors.  National organizations, schools, and studio owners have begun drafting behavioral codes, compiling structured grievance procedures, and soliciting the help of legal advisers to factor in the applicable laws.

 

Amid all of this activity, a larger question has surfaced:  If ethical violations are really to be reduced,  has the time come for all yoga teachers in the United States to abide by a single code of ethics?  And if it has, can everyone agree on one (or even the idea of one), or would creating such a code cause more problems than it would solve?  How the community ultimately works through these issues will have a profound impact on the future of yoga in America.

 

Ref:  Stuart Bradford

Power Yoga for Every Body – 1

Good morning friends.  Some don’t believe that Yoga is a good power for our body.  They said that yoga is hard to perform.  Maybe at first you will you will have a hard time to follow, but as you continue practicing it, you will see the big difference in your life.  It helps a lot.  Like me I’m practicing yoga for a long time.  And it helps me a lot.  I will share you something about “power yoga” and I know you will like it.

 

The phrase “Power Yoga” generally signifies two schools of yoga.  Originally, it was coined as a synonym for Pattabhi Jois’s Ashtanga Yoga, to make it sound more appealing to an American audience.  But over the past few years, it’s also come to be applied to a fairly an amorphous, physically challenging style that consists of a flowing sequence of asanas (although unlike in Asthanga, the poses are done in no particular order).

 

This particular brand of Power Yoga, from Boston teacher Barbara Benagh, is closer to the latter school but actually doesn’t fit there very well.  The typical Power Yoga video isn’t terribly concerned with the finer points of the asanas: it’s primary goal is to keep things hopping sweatily along to build strength and endurance.

 

Ref: yogajournal

Vision Quest – 6

Good morning friends.  I just left my part 6 of my Vision Quest last 2008, so let me continue the last part here now.

 

 

The Quest

 

For some people, a quest may be encased in a religious experience—for others, it might be a crisis or a dramatic change in person al circumstances, such as a birth or death.  And while religion is the spark that lights the fire within some individuals, it can also imposed a limiting structure with rules and belief systems that interfere with true personal growth—especially  when the distinctions between religion and spirituality become blurred.

 

We believe that our purpose in being here is to grow spiritually.  We do this in a variety of ways—none of which are better or lesser than others; but, rather, are chosen by us because we are at various stages of spiritual unfoldment.  The goals of peace, integrity, clarity, compassion and in particular, the balance between mind and body through personal and spiritual development are essential to spiritual development, regardless of the particular path one chooses to follow.  Spirit [God] is equally present in the job as in the remote mountainside.”

 

In the end, setting out on a spiritual quest—may be less a choice than it is a necessity.  What often makes people begin a quest, is a feeling restlessness, and that something beyond is coming through to us, says Andrews.  Begin by seeing your intentions.  Set your intention to live a happier or fulfilling life.  Speaking strictly to that intention will lead us to being aware of guides or teachers around us,  someone who can help on the path.  Again, it’s essential to set your intention to reclaim your own happiness and connection with life.  I feel that the spiritual path to greater consciousness has been –part of the human experience forever, and always will be.

 

 

Ref: fityoga

Starting a good habit…

♦ Just get moving.  Taking action will create the momentum and positive results you need to keep going.

 

♦  Take baby steps.  If your goal is to exercise regularly, begin with 10 minutes a day.  If you’re in a reading slump, read one chapter.  Want to eat better?  Start with breakfast.

 

♦  Be consistent.  Any action is better than no action.  If you don’t have time for a whole workout, do a few stretches.  If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up—start fresh the next day.

 

♦  Keep a log of your progress.  You’ll see what’s working and what’s not.  It will also boost your confidence to see your achievements on paper.

 

♦  Reward yourself.  If you’re exercising regularly, get a massage.  If you’re eating right, treat yourself to a healthy lunch out with friends.

Ways to Lift Your Spirits – 2

Learn to Trust.  I used to have trouble seeing how gentleness and humility could lighten my load.  Instead, I thought I needed to learn confidence and courage.  Or time management and goal setting.  Or efficiency and effectiveness.  But God knows that the two greatest sources of stress in our lives are aggression and arrogance.  They make us think we can do more and control more than we really can.  Learning to be humble will take you to  deeper level of calm confidence than any time-management seminar ever could.  It comes from trusting God with the details of your life.

This is a process that takes time.  You didn’t develop your stressed-out, overloaded, hyper-drive lifestyle over-night, so you’re not going to change with one simple decision.  You will have to unlearn and replace old habits that cause you stress.  But God will give you the power to change if you trust Him.

America witnessed a remarkable example of Jesus’ formula for coping with stress a few months back in the case of Ashley Smith, which made headlines.  When faced with an incredibly stressful situation-being taken hostage at gunpoint by alleged rapist and murderer Brian Nichols-Ashley obeyed the words of Jesus, and likely ended a killing spree.  First she turned to Jesus for strength and urged her captor to do the same.  Next she explained that God’s purpose for Brian’s life was greater than his problems.  She calmly urged him to stop trying to control things and to surrender to God.  Finally, she served Brian breakfast in a gentle and humble an “angel from God”, and the crisis was defused.

It’s unlikely you’ll ever face the stress that Ashley did, but you’ll undoubtedly experience other sorts of stress this very week.  When you feel like giving up—look up!  And you’ll lighten up as well.

How you can go for it!

♥  USE YOUR FEAR.  Often, being afraid of failure or of looking like a fool holds us back from pursuing our dreams.  But fear can be a great motivator, too.  Imagine yourself ten years from now, still totally stuck and afraid.  How would it feel to still be letting fear keep you from achieving your dream?  Use the rear of that to motivate you to take action.

♥  START A DREAM JOURNAL.  Dedicate one to your goal—write about your thoughts and plans, jot down facts and phone numbers, and paste in pictures that inspire you.  Getting everything down on paper gives you momentum.  It makes your dream real before you even get started. 

♥  MAKE A TIMELINE.  Write down when you’d like your dream to come true, and give yourself a deadline for each step that has to happen along the way.  For example, if you want to take a big trip abroad with your kids,  decide when you want to go, then figure out when you’ll need to make reservations, earn money to pay for it, and so on.  Make a poster of your timeline and keep it where you can see it every single day.  You may not hit each deadline exactly on time, but having a time frame helps you keep your dream high on your priority list.

♥  DO ONE THING EVERY DAY.  No matter how busy you are, set aside five minutes each day to take one small step toward your goal.  Whether it’s a phone call or doing research on the Internet, take daily action so you don’t look up and realize another six months have gone by and you didn’t even try to make your dream come true.  Plus doing something, even if it’s small, is what will give you that sense of accomplishment that pushes you to do even more.