Tag Archives: meditation

Bringing your life into focus

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Bringing your life into focus with your yoga practice

“Life is like a camera. Just focus on what’s important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives and if things don’t turn out, just take another shot”

The other day on the blog we talked about drishti which translates to focus, or gaze. I think when we are well-rested we tend to see things in a more positive light than when we are exhausted. Yoga practice can be very replenishing, especially if you balance out your practice with restoratives and quiet time.

People whose attention is all over the place can benefit from simple mindfulness practices and our breath is an excellent tool. You will find that just spending a few minutes (I have a 5 minute practice on my CD)  following your inhales and exhales is quite powerful and transformative. It may be challenging to keep your focus on your breathing, thoughts can be strong distractions, but stick with the exercise and reap benefits over time. Attention follows awareness. We tend to lead busy lives that speed us from one thing to the next and then collapse from fatigue, which is all we can then focus on. Let’s try to cultivate new habits, move into the holiday season with equanimity and face 2015 with a great outlook. Join me this weekend for a PeaceFULL workshop !

focus

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

Word of the day is drishti

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Word of the day is drishti “or focused gaze, is a means for developing concentrated intention. It relates to the fifth limb of yoga (pratyahara) concerning sense withdrawal, as well as the sixth limb dharana relating to concentration.”

drishti

drishti ~ focus, gaze

 

Sometimes we practice asana with eyes open, sometimes, eyes closed. When we focus with open eyes, this focus is called drishti, or gaze.  It is a soft and diffused gaze rather than a hard stare. Many classical poses have drishti points, and some pranayama techniques also call for a specific position for the eyes, such as the “third eye” area between the eyebrows, or, at the tip of the nose.

A classical yogic meditation techinique is Candle Gazing, where you maintain a soft eye focus on a candle flame. The focus helps to calm the mind, via the eyes. We are a very visual culture (think TV, Ipads, movies etc) and if you ever watched a crime show thinking you were relaxed, you should periodically check your heart beat because often the seeing is actually stressing the system. This doesn’t mean don’t watch your favourite crime show, just be aware that there is a powerful effect going on in your nervous system.

A nice way to “reset the eyes, erase the mind” is to palm the eyes after your meditation or relaxation. This technique is a way to relax the eyes, and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. You rub your palms together to generate warmth then bring your palms gently over closed eyes

Find Peace This Weekend in Jersey City

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Find Peace This Weekend in Jersey City cause I am teaching an all new restorative yoga class …   peace – do you find it elusive?

Finding Peace In Jersey City

Restorative Yoga Class Jersey City  ~ Restorative Yoga: This is exactly what is being recommended as a Yoga practice to promote recovery. Whether you are an athlete and find it hard to rebalance from high energy workouts, or whether the daily grind leaves you worn out, restorative yoga is fast becoming the new go-to practice.  This is a series not to be missed as it promotes flexibility and the rest and digest mechanisms necessary for optimum health.  Learn strategic prop supported “being” and “still” asanas that deepen your experience of yoga.  Whether you are new to yoga, looking to refine your yoga practice, or balance out an active existence, this series will give you the opportunity as well as provide you with relaxation and breathing techniques to combat the stresses of daily life. The class is a 1 hour 35 minute format, and will also cover pranayama and savasana. Come chill! Here’s the link to the calendar:  https://ranawaxman.com/calendar/

Not convinced? check this out “Their findings showed that the restorative yoga practitioners lost significantly more subcutaneous fat over the initial 6 months of the study period, and kept losing it during a maintenance period with less direct supervision. There was no significant loss of visceral fat in either group.” and the following article which stresses the crucial role of recovery: “Without question, yoga provides excellent opportunities for recovery. But restorative yoga—a specific, passive style of this popular mind-body technique—can be of particular use to fitness professionals with stressed-out, maxed-out clients. Here are practical strategies for introducing restoratives into your client’s everyday routines to promote recovery and relaxation…Restorative yoga combats fatigue, balances tight muscles, reduces overtraining injuries, speeds recovery from illness or injury, and reduces depression and anxiety”

 the dance for peace

 

mindfulness quotes

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mindfulness quotes

This is a fantastic quote. “Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.” ~ Pema Chodron

I think people tend to come to their yoga practice with expectation, maybe you don’t feel so great in your posture, you have low energy, you feel so stiff that you can’t do simple things around the house, your nerves are frayed, whatever the case. Then you show up for practice and want all that to change. My teacher always said, “you are perfect as you are”. It’s a pretty powerful concept, but I think when you befriend yourself, aches and pains included, it softens your perspective and your grasping for change. No chase is needed. Practice will transform you over the course of your practice.

I believe when the mind is relaxed, all necessary transformation can take shape. Starting from compassion and loving kindness (maitreya) is a good beginning for anyone’s yoga practice; the word “Maitreya” means : ” (Metteyya in Pāli) is derived from the Sanskrit word maitrī (Pāli: mettā) meaning “loving-kindness”, which is in turn derived from the noun mitra (Pāli: mitta) in the sense of “friend”

mindfulness quotes

who are you?

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

meditation for beginners

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meditation for beginners:

If you are just starting out on a yoga-meditation-stress relief plan, this quote may be informative to your practice: “Meditation is not to escape from society, but to go back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting.  With mindfulness we know what to do and what not to do to help.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Contrary to some belief, stress relief via mindfulness practices does not mean that you get to hide from stress or necessarily avoid it altogether. Yoga is actually a system designed to help cultivate the inner witness, that place beyond the noise of the busy mind. Just focusing on the present moment and its wholeness, gives us this gift of returning to our inner peaceful core. This in turn gives us the ability to breathe and calm ourselves during stressful times, get objective, or just respond from a better place, even make healthier choices in the beginning.

If you are struggling with the postures in yoga, you can check out a short but sweet practice on my YOGA MIND cd, called “5 minute mindfulness retreat” which will help you learn how to focus. Awareness really is the building block for the deeper states of meditation; it tends to evolve with patience and practice, not by chasing it or trying to push aside reality. the important thing is not to be the drama you are watching, but rather, associate with the peaceful witness.

meditation for beginners

meditation for beginners

acceptance quotes

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Acceptance quotes:

Acceptance quotes can be used in your quiet sitting time when your mind is freer of the habitual thoughts that bind itWherever freedom comes embrace it… This one is lovely; “When I accept myself, I am freed from the burden of needing you to accept me.” Sounds like the path to integrity if you ask me!

In yoga, the word jivanmukti means “spiritual release or salvation achieved while still alive”. We best experience this freedom when we are still, quiet, relaxed, and in a state of flow. This being said, if you cultivate this state of mind, it is easier to then foster a sense of self acceptance.


acceptance quotes

positive words for Wednesday

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Positive words for Wednesday: These positive thought are free. You become what you think so please take more than one inside your consciousness. Building an affirmation practice is simple. Choose one that resonates. Set yourself up for quiet sitting. I have some set up tips on my CD, along side with a very easy breath meditation. Once you are focused, that is, once the loudness of the thinking rain is quieted, use your affirmation like a mantra to build positivity and train your brain instead of being sidetracked by it or sabotaged. Really, when you think of all the thoughts you have, if you can’t get to a totally zen place in a quiet meditation, at least replace old and tired thoughts with positive words.

Eventually, the positive vibes will help you just BE, natural, comfortable and your best version of yourself. That is pretty good. Think I will hashtag this #WisdomWednesday. Join me.

positive words for Wednesday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Positive words for Wednesday: These positive thought are free:

I communicate with love

Every moment is a profound opportunity

Consider How Very Fortunate You Are

Give yourself the gift of being joyfully you

Complain less, breathe more

Be a part of life, not afraid of it

Make the choice to let go of negative thoughts

Let Be, Let Go, Let see, Let flow

You are a walking, breathing wonder

You have a beautiful soul

Give thanks for another day of loving