Category Archives: modern yoga wisdom

cultivating inner Strength

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inner strength

inner strength

cultivating inner strength through yoga practice; “Make a firm decision: Whatever happens, I will be happy, I will be strong, God is always with me”. Very affirmative. Maybe you can’t digest all of it, but the sentiment behind the words is very inner strength building. Yoga is a multi-dimensional practice aimed at quieting the mind so that we can live a healthy, balanced life, make informed choices, and face our circumstances with flexibility and resilience…..but it is a very conscious process. We have to use discipline in many areas and as much as possible, remind ourselves that when we are challenged, we often have reserves that if we tap into, if we decide to tap into, we can rise to the challenge with softness and strength, stability and ease.

We tend to think of strength as brute force, but I think it is more of an integration (mindbodysoul). I just read an article in Psychology Today in which the author says;  “a strong person has great capability at facing challenges. Being strong means having the resources, the mental skills, and the physical capabilities to confront difficulties of all kinds. When you are strong, you have the ample excess of energy and stamina, so that when facing a challenge that depletes you of energy and inner strength, you still have enough left in you to act”

After reading this, maybe you can come to see that the softer sides of yoga ~ pranayama, relaxation, restoratives, meditation, all help to cultivate inner strength

lesson from the bhagavad gita

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lesson from the bhagavad gita: “yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self”

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the core texts in Hindu tradition. According to Mohandas K Gandhi, ” self-realization is the subject of the Gita, as it is of all scriptures. But its author surely did not write it to establish that doctrine. The object of the Gita appears to me to be that of showing the most excellent way to attain self-realization. That which is to be found, more or less clearly, spread out here and there in Hindu religious books, has been brought to the clearest language in the Gita…That matchless remedy is renunciation of the fruits of action”

All kinds of people “do” yoga for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes I see people fervently chasing flexibility as if it was something you could just get and that’s that. Yoga practice has a lot of aspects to it. We get into the body through postures but that isn’t the end of the journey. I wrote a blog on how to make self-reflection fun. One of the things I said was If you see only the small self, your journey can be mired by insecurities and stress. When you elevate and nourish the perception of self, you are likely to feel that everything on the journey happens for a reason. I call it “research and development.”

Getting to know who you are in your body will give you a sensitivity to yourself on your mat. If you take this skill-set with you, you are all the wiser off the mat as well

join the conversation on twitter : #liveyouryoga

 

bhagavad gita

Healthy habits

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Favouhabitsrite quote of all-time

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit” ~ Aristotle

Healthy habits: creating healthy habits and encouraging positive transformation is built into the yogic system

I think I also read ‘we form habits then they form us’. As a Yoga professional, I see Yoga as much more than fitness, it is self-transformation (agree with Joel Kramer)…As a balanced system and practice, gives us tools to substitute comfort for tension, peace for panic, and emotional perspective instead of blockages.

What are some of your healthy and unhealthy habits? Are there any you would like to change? Day to day life loads our system with obvious and subliminal stress which depletes our energy and leads to restlessness and fatigue, among other issues. Asana and pranayama become yogic tools to benefit us by releasing tension  and bringing us to a state of conscious relaxation ~ being aware and also, relaxed. In this state, we tend to make better choices. One of the most interesting things I have read is a statement by Gary Krafstow, that “asana practice is not fundamentally about the asanas, but about the practitioner…As a tool of personal transformation, asana can function at many levels of our human system.”

 

The wisdom of yoga sutra 1.2

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yoga sutra 1.2

“yoga is the stilling of the changing states of mind”

We tend to associate the mind with its mindstuff, or thoughts. We even think about our thinking. Sometimes this gets a little compulsive. We even think about postures.
So what is Patanjali referring to in yoga sutra 1.2

Yoga is a practice that balances and consists of maintaining a balance between a quiet mind that is ‘still’, meaning the thought waves are calmed, and the awake and present state where we are able to notice and observe what we are doing. In that balance, the chaos and drama of thoughts rushing around on so many levels about so many things is controlled and directed (one-pointednes).

the word ‘mind’ here is composed of the psyche, the intelligence, thoughts, sentiments, emotions, so it is a broad term here, and can be both subconscious and conscious. When your mind is in the yoga state (yoga mind, I like to say) all the disharmony and disturbance that the mind was previously engaged in is replaced by a harmonious state that is purified and not distracted or subject to the sufferings of the monkey mind.

Does your yoga practice change the way your ‘mind’ feels, and do you take this transformation into your daily life ? #liveyouryoga

yoga sutra 1.2

yoga sutra 1.2

surrender yoga and meditation

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surrender yoga and meditation

Our word of the day and cause for reflection is the sanskrit wrd, “ishvara pranidhana” which means surrendering to the Supreme. While this may be somewhat too mystical for the average stressful day, I get that, but there are some pretty practical connotations that you can derive. First of all, I say it pretty often, but, we need some kind of balance between doing and being, or letting go. I am all for being tenacious but at the same time, some patience, and some allowing of things to unfold is also necessary. Do your best, let G-d do the rest.

This is a great quote on this theme: “Meditation is a surrender, It is not a demand. It is not forcing existence your way. It is relaxing into the way existence wants you to be. It is a let-go” ~ Osho

I think asana is a good mirror for us. This is one reason I like to use props. We can find just the right amount of effort and ease when we know how to support ourselves in yoga poses, rather than being only effort, so that the overworked areas can release and the under worked areas can develop. In addition, the restoratives are great teachers for surrender, because they reinforce the relax and digest mechanisms rather than recruit only strength and effort. Learning to do just the right amount, and let-go just the right amount, we start to feel, I think, more balanced. When all we do is push, when we don’t get what we are pushing for, the two things that happen are, unhappiness for not ‘getting’ it, and a closed door to what we aren’t pushing for but could potentially be even better. Yes, this requires trust. More on that another time. meanwhile, check out my meditations.

surrender and yoga

surrender and yoga

today’s wholeness quotes

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today’s wholeness quotes:

wholeness quotes

wholeness quotes

 

This quote inspired me today: There is an Indian belief that everyone is a house of four rooms: a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual room.  Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not complete.

I looked up the word, wholeness, and it sounds a lot like a balanced yoga practice; “Containing all components; complete”. If you have not already read that there are eight limbs of yoga, check out one of my past posts. It is mainstream just to look at yoga as cardio. It can certainly be that, but also much more. 

Mainly for today I will say that sometimes, in a busy life, our activities are used as tools of mass-distraction.  Whether it is cramming a day full of work, shopping, gym, hobbies, gossip, whatever it is to fill time and avoid whatever is percolating in the subconscious.
wholeness quotes

yoga and wholeness

Sometimes during practice  and you are finally face to face with your body, breathing into every nook and cranny, bringing light and awareness everywhere, whatever you may have swept under the mat can jump out at you.  What you can do if this happens is not try to pressure yourself to relax, but rather honour the wholeness of the moment, take another breath, and just focus on the moment and task at hand.

 

 

yoga for balance

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yoga for balance : The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind (I would add, and your breath) . Who are you when you begin your yoga mat time? Do you notice any imbalances or is it just when you start moving? Is there anything you can choose to do in the rest of your day to bring balance of any kind to yourself? We tend to think of balance in yoga as standing on one limb – yes, this is a part of it, however, I think the quote below sums the situation up nicely. In case you don’t know, BKS Iyengar passed away recently. His style is alignment oriented, as opposed to flowing from one posture to another. This is incorporated into the yapana® style, which you can find in my classes or work with me privately.

yoga for balance

Balance: Evenness Is Harmony

Through yoga one can begin to develop a perfect balance between both sides of the body. All of us begin with imbalances, favoring one side or the other. When one side is more active than the other, the active side must become the guru for the inactive side to make it equally active. To the weaker side, we must apply attention. We must also show more care. We show keener interest to improve a dull and struggling friend than for an eager and intelligent one. In the same way you have to show yourself this same compassion and act on the weaker side of the body while taking pleasure in the achievement of the active side. ~ BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga

Monday meaningful quotes

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Monday meaningful quotes:  A precious human life by His Holiness the x1v th Dalai Lama

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it, I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry, or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can”

What I love about these words is the celebratory nature. we spend a lot of time evaluating the good and bad of each day, often times, focusing on the burden or stress of the day, the sloshing of the daily grind, and the tasks on our plate. This goes beyond that.

Who inspires and motivates you to stay uplifted and purposeful? Do you have a morning wake up routine that puts you in a positive frame of mind? I have developed a few practices that are stand-alone or add-on to your yoga practice, your coffee break, your commute. Check out my Yoga Mind cd for a portable window into peace and positivity, two building blocks of a purposeful day. And print a copy of this beautiful piece that is written by someone whose intention is to elevate.

meaningful quotes

modern yoga wisdom

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modern yoga wisdom

modern yoga wisdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my all-time favourite quote: “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope” ~ Thomas Merton.

I think yoga practice helps us organize ourselves and perhaps teaches us about adaptability. One of my teachers once remarked that water is stronger than steel. Our minds usually want to be in charge, especially when we are faced with unknowns. It is easier said than done to embrace these moments with courage, faith and hope. How do we do that?  Sometimes just taking a few moments to relax the wandering mind will calm you down enough to see possibility. Try it by following some of my guided practices. In fact, before you begin, write down one situation where you are stuck – either mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Then take at least 20 minutes to do a relaxation practice. After you are finished, check in to see whether the situation is as acute or slightly diffused.

Yoga for movement

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Yoga for movement : This quote is so motivational! “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward”.

The way yoga fits into this quote for me is that, as a yoga therapist, I meet and teach a bouquet of students, all kinds of bodies, and all kinds of mindsets. I watch transformations and “ah-ha” moments. I believe that the less we chase a yoga pose, the more it evolves for us. I believe in stages and steps and that each place we are at is where we are supposed to be.The skills you learn in yoga practice are huge, and hugely transformational. People tell me they stand up straighter, they drive with more ease, walk with less pain.

Maybe you are one of the people who think you aren’t flexible enough. I hear this excuse a lot. Guess what? Gains can be made in terms of mobility and agility at any height, weight and age. Take the heart of this quote to your consciousness.

The beauty of using yoga as therapy is that there is always a “can” do whether you need to modify, or adapt, and then you can relax where you are. If you are not sure what this means, a private yoga lesson will clarify 🙂

yoga for movement