Category Archives: modern yoga wisdom

Word of the day – Ahimsa

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Word of the day – Ahimsa

Ahimsa is the first of 5 Yamas, or universal practices of Patanjali’s eightfold path of yoga and deals with one’s ethical standards and sense of integrity. Ahimsa focuses in on our behaviour and how we conduct ourselves in life. Much like the expression, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, this yama focuses on our behaviours and how we conduct ourselves off the yoga mat. There is a component that is integrated into practice time as well.

Ahimsa – Compassion for all living things

The word ahimsa translated, literally means not to injure or show cruelty to any creature or any person in any way. It is very common to hear the word, Ahimsa in conjunction with eating meat, however, it is more broad than that. It is also more than a lack of violence towards the self as adapted in yoga. We often, as teachers, try to steer students into navigating postures with ahimsa, following safe alignment and range of motion.

ahimsa

Ahimsa also means kindness, friendliness, and thoughtful, compassionate consideration of other people and things. Giving back the library book on time and in good condition you borrow for example.

The word implies doing our best to extend a friendly spirit. Today I was given a really warm welcome at Base gym NJ and it made me reflect on this. I am subbing at 9:00 am and surely the students were expecting another teacher, but they opened up to the Yapana® style and to me, so – thank you for showing me such kind welcoming!

 

 

Guru

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Guru – today’s blog will focus on the word, guru. If you do a google search for the word, even Wikipedia will tell you there are multiple uses or connotations. It is really interesting to see before you look up a word, what weight you already give it in your mind.

the guru

Traditionally, the meaning of the word, guru, is “teacher”, or “master. I have chosen this photo today because the imagery is beautiful at reminding us not to ignore our inner teacher, our inner guidance system.  Rolf Sovik says, “The guru is the living light that dispels the darkness of spiritual ignorance. The light is none other than the Self within us”.

Truly powerful words. We live in a very visual and digital age where so often the search for looking ‘right’ even in asana, takes precedence over how we feel in what we are doing. I say give up speed and go with mindful movement. I am a fan of explicit cues as a teacher, but also like to leave students with inquiries so that each student can find their yoga with their own navigation system as much as with good alignment and understanding that it is my job to provide.

yoga and health quotes

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yoga and health quotes: “Happiness is the highest form of health”. What are your thoughts on this ? I think the Dalai Lama is reminding us that inner happiness is the most nourishing lifestyle choice. He is not referring to constantly seeking outside oneself, but rather, to feeling a sense of peaceful fulfillment. Negative thinking steals joy and robs us of our health. The yogis were smart, promoting the breath as link between mind and body, realizing and steering us to calm our minds, improving our mood we seem to improve our health.

In the yogic system, the word for contentment is ‘santosha’ which is one of the niyamas. The path to health is a blend of balancing or re-balancing your body, calming the mind, and learning to breathe calmly through challenges. There is also the personal component to health, making the most nourishing choices, and organizing your life to be meaningful to you. I like this quote because it emphasizes that happiness is with (in) reach.

Cultivating contentment, as I have written before is an art form. I think, at the level of asana, one can be very mindful about how one moves, sensitive to creating conditions for comfort and ease rather than over doing, or, over-stretching. Yesterday at Base, we broke down upward facing dog pose, and the response was great. By breaking the challenge into simplified steps, we found an uplifted backbend instead of a shortened and compressed one.

yoga and health quotes

yoga: touch peace

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yoga: touch peace

Today is a day to touch the peace within using the breath as guide. Breathing softly in and out through the nose, while being aware of your breath, even for a moment or two, can help you access your inner peace.

yoga: touch peace

I teach an array of people from athletic to desk-bound, so many different bodies, unique needs. The common denominator is just carving out some peace for oneself. I call it cultivating the Yoga Mind – yes that is also the title of my CD. There are certainly ways to do yoga poses that open and strengthen, but the softer sides of practice can help with the mind and emotions, perspective and attitude. You can always catch yourself thinking or worrying, and then re-set by returning to your breath. The breath is your tool for cultivating your peaceful inner core.

peace

Just writing a birthday card (Papyrus) and inside is this mini quote…below. It is so sweet that just breathing and reading it, I feel better. Hope this for you too!

touch peace

“Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and savor each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of everyday. The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation” (papyrus)

Satya = truthfulness

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Word of the day: Satya = truthfulness

the respect for truth encompasses different forms of communication (words, gestures, writing); “to thine own self be true”

and is defined in the Mahabharata (according to Bernard Bouanchaud in The Essence of Yoga) as “Truth should be told when agreeable, should be said agreeably, and truth should not be said that does harm; however, never lie to give pleasure”

I think taking some of the speed out of some aspect of your yoga practice and (in general) the day, keeps us honest, less impatient, less inclined to hurt ourselves or others.. Above all else, living mindfully keep us living in truthfulness as we cultivate a symbiosis between thoughts and actions.

To practice this, you may enjoy:  5 Minute Mindfulness Retreat and join me on Facebook and Twitter with #liveyouryoga

SATYA - truth

The Process Of Yoga

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Ancient Wisdom… as a Yoga Therapist I can tell you that there are definite ways of using yoga poses to heal different conditions, aches, pains, and postural mal-alignments. If you are not sure what that means but it sounds right to you, you can book a private yoga class with me. I am now located in Jersey City.    Sometimes it is just a question of doing something in a new way, or un-doing some of your old ways…

 

Krishnamacharya wisdom

 

Recycling The Past

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Has anyone made mistakes? Do you find you dwell on the past or learn from it? This is a great piece of art from MOMA  and a common expression when you are on the yoga mat and begin a pose, you are tight, need to adjust, OOF….. you never want to do that again! So what do you do? It’s interesting to see what our styles are when encountering resistance or when taking a decision that isn’t right for us. So what can you do?

OOF

Using mindfulness to bring yourself into the present moment, have some objectivity about what you did, how you could do it better, then let it go as you are now prepared for what lies ahead. This is the gift of savasana in our practice, it helps us to integrate and assimilate and then see the gift of the new moment we are in

mistakes as portals

 

 

 

Daily Dose of Wisdom

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Such a perfect snippet of wisdom…this is a time of renewal for many of us…so exhale long and deep and let go the challenges of winter.

If you are trying to fit in some healthy self-reflection, read this before you walk, or do a yoga session, let it simmer into your consciousness. Make sure to relax after and/or do some yoga based calming  breathing. Read it again. See which line springs out at you and then practice that for awhile. Re-building blocks

 

rebuild life