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Category Archives: Yoga as Therapy
YOGA as Therapy
“Yoga Therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practice of yoga” – International Association of Yoga Therapists (definition 2011)
“It’s well known that stress can contribute to back pain and that yoga reduces stress. Yoga, however, approaches this in a way unfamiliar to Westerners. We believe our minds cause our bodies to move, our brains sending signals down nerve pathways to our muscles. And, of course, that’s true. However, in yoga, the opposite also applies. The state induced by yoga in our bodies calms our minds.” – Loren Fishman, MD, and Carol Ardman, Yoga for Back Pain Continue reading
free time and the modern yogi(ni)
“viveka-khyatir-aviplava hana-upayah”
“The means of attaining cessation is the unceasing vision of discernment” – Yoga Sutra 2:26
“The first thing to do is to introspect. Take stock of yourself and your habits, and find out what is standing in your way” – Paramahansa Yogananda, Where There Is Light
“Stillness is not the same as a void in activity, it’s more like a stabilizing strength” – Daniel J. Siegel, The Mindful Brain
Time off is relative I think. Some folks get an entire summer “off”, some take a week or 2, some have long weekends. For parents with children, is there really such a thing? If you are self-employed, what does this mini expression actually mean? Continue reading
worry and the modern yogi(ni)
Worry
If worry ever changed
Anything,
It could be worth a lot.
But, it only serves to wear you
Down
And spoil what you have got. Continue reading
The Open Heart & the Modern Yogini.
photo: breahn
“A weak or concave chest indicates a depressed, sad or helpless attitude, which can be uplifted by deep breathing.” ~ Deb Shapiro
The other day I was talking to a friend, also a yoga teacher, about the expression “open your heart—lift your heart.” It is a great cue to get students to expand the rib cage and drop the shoulders away from the ears. Especially in back bending asanas, we want to lift up through the mid torso and ribs to avoid compression in the lumbar spine, and to bring more breath and energy into the lungs and heart. This encourages a shift from shallow breathing and also enhances lung capacity. Continue reading
Prevention or Cure? Headaches and the modern Yogi(ni)
“Almost all experts agree that prevention of osteoporosis is more effective than treatment” – Loren Fishman, MD, and Ellen Saltonstall , Yoga For Osteoporosis
“According to yogic texts, regular practice of Pranayama prevents and cures diseases” – B.K. S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama
“heyam duhkhamanagatam: Future suffering should be avoided” –Patanjali, Sutra 11.16, The Essence of Yoga by Bernard Bouanchaud
STOP – take a breath, exhale completely
LOOK – inside, be aware
LISTEN – for guidance, the voice of instinct or just common sense Continue reading
Sound and the modern yogi(ni)
“Dhyana (meditation) means absorption. It is the art of self-study, reflection, keen observation, or the search for the Infinite within. It is the observation of the physical processes of the body, study of mental states and profound contemplation. It means looking inwards to one’s innermost being. Dhyana is the discovery of the Self” – B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama
“Sound can change our entire life’s course in an instant. Words spoken in anger can cause permanent problems between a husband and wife, or parent and child. The throb of a well-tuned motor can engender such satisfaction in an amateur mechanic that a whole new career path suddenly opens before him. A word of encouragement from a teacher at just the right time can inspire a student for many years to come.” – T. Ashley-Farrand, Healing Mantras
Each one of us has a story about where we find ourselves at this moment in time, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Continue reading
Awareness and the Summer Yogi(ni)
“If we want to make changes or improvements in our lives, we must first become conscious of what is going on now. Learning to pay attention is the foundation for the development of a relationship with ourselves.” – Rachel Schaeffer, Yoga For Your Spiritual Muscles
“I imagine how a chemist would write the equation for mindfulness: concentration + calm + equanimity + rapture + energy + investigation = mindfulness.” – Sylvia Boorstein, Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There
“I imagine how a chemist would write the equation for mindfulness: concentration + calm + equanimity + rapture + energy + investigation = mindfulness.” – Sylvia Boorstein, Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There
Avoidance and the Modern Yogi(ni)
“if you have a problem in your body, your body will naturally move away from it in order to avoid pain and discomfort”- Dr. Jason Skolar, chiropractor.
“tapah-svadhyaya-Isvara-pranidhanani kriya-yogah:
In order to practice being whole, an inner fire, constant study, and a devotion to things spiritual are required” – Patanjali Sutra 11.1, translation Kofi Busia
“By practicing yoga with a warrior’s courage and an infant’s vulnerability, we can embrace stiffness and flexibility, likes and loathings, the sunlit and moon-shadowed” – Ronnie Paul, Yoga With An Attitude, Yoga International Magazine Continue reading
Staying Fit With Cancer, a Guest Blogger’s Approach
Dear readers, I am happy to share with you an email and article written by David Haas.He recently contacted me and I am honored and excited to post this on his behalf. Cancer has touched my personal and professional spheres in different ways – perhaps yours too- and awareness is healing on many levels Continue reading