Tag Archives: yoga

Stillness and Yoga

Posted on by

Stillness: there is a relationship between stillness and the practice of yoga

be still

be still

Sometimes we think of stillness as lack of movement, but stillness can be a very quiet place, while nonetheless, hosting a lot of healing activity. For yogis, the first pose for ‘stillness’ is corpse pose, which is a wonderfully restful pose for the sympathetic nervous system. It also relieves fatigue and restores balance. Yes, it is also used to manage anxiety, but for some people, unaccustomed to practice, you may find it easier to fidget than lay still. Many insist it is the hardest pose to master. It is also the most important.

Savasana is not the same as napping or lying on the sofa, which tend to distract or dull the mind and senses. If you are watching a scary movie, it may even cause your blood pressure to rise, so not a great remedy if you are already super stressed out. Savasana is more like tuning in. It provides the brain, which communicates nonverbally to all the systems of the body, a chance to hear itself, which in turn, promotes healing. So the next time you think of skipping this crucial part of yoga practice, be still, close your eyes, let everything relax, and just let your mind stand off to the side, as you watch your breath for a few moments then just let go. Try it out. You may learn, or un learn something. Check out my Yoga Mind cd for some guided practices and set up tips or learn how to customize your session

 

meditation for beginners

Posted on by

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

smile breathe move

Posted on by

smile breathe move: these 3 cues can inspire your yoga today

1. Smile – research shows that smiling actually benefits the brain. That simple mona lisa moment activates neural messaging that turns on the endorphins and happiness molecules. This mechanism is what helps fight off the stress molecules, so the minute you turn your frown upside down, the feel good neurotransmitters (dopamine, endorphins and serotonin) are all released. This induces the relaxation response which can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and potentially act as a pain reliever.

2. Breathe – the breath is the link between the mind and emotions. For basic tips, I invite you to download the YOGA MIND cd. Diaphragmatic breathing is associated with the relaxation response as well.  Learning to breathe properly can lengthen life span, slow the heart rate, decrease blood pressure, and help you maintain a calm inner state during stressful situations. Good breathing increases energy, helps overcome headaches, helps restore emotional/mental balance, and helps decrease anxiety and sleep disorders

3. Go slowly. Well, mindfully and at your own pace. Everyone is unique so you need to learn to know and trust what you are feeling, and move from that place.

smile breathe move

smile breathe move

today’s wholeness quotes

Posted on by

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 breathing

Posted on by

yoga breathing:

yoga breathing

yoga breathing: try my YOGA MIND cd

“Breathing, the process of taking air into and expelling it from the lungs, is caused by a three-dimensional changing of shape in the thoracic and abdominal cavities” ~ Leslie Kaminoff, Yoga Anatomy

Yoga breathing is three dimensional. Does this sound like you or does your breath feel stuck, shallow, short, or are you not even aware of your breathing at all? I created the YOGA MIND cd with all of you in mind (no pun intended). You are busy, have limited time, you may get to a yoga class but not really get in depth instruction. You want to practice though, and find it easier with guidance. The cd is available for you on ITUNES so that you can put it directly on your ipod or phone. Perfect calming for those moments in the dentist office, before a meeting, after your home yoga practice, or with your significant other.

If you think all breathing practices are the same, click here and stay tuned for my workshops in 2014. You can also take private yoga lessons with me

creating your own rope wall

Posted on by

creating your own rope wall:

below is an awesome rope wall – not all studios have them, not all studios want them. When you understand the traction you get, not to mention the assistance with alignment…sigh…

rope wall

I live in an apartment and as you can see (and imagine) I have an extensive yoga prop collection. I do not over decorate, preferring to have wall space for practice. I would love to have a yoga rope wall set up, however, it is not feasible.

rope wall

Creating your own rope wall can be done using a door knob. You first have to get it out of your head that it isn’t perfect, but it is totally awesome as a simulation. The next thing you need to get is a 10 foot yoga strap with a D-ring buckle.

Check out my yogatherapyproplove store on Amazon for all the utensils of the trade. Before you tie the belt fold it in half. Then cover the door jam with the belt and take each long end around each of the door knobs and underneath. After that, you can fasten the ends. It may slip but that is ok, just fiddle with it. In this photo I left about a two foot loop. I then lay on my back and crossed my ankles, resting them in the loop for about two minutes per side – you switch the cross of the ankles mid way. There are a number of poses that can be done with this set-up. If you are in Jersey City or Hoboken, you can contact me for a private yoga lesson and we will set you up. Enjoy!

yoga for balance

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

yoga and resistance

Posted on by

yoga and resistance:

Do you ever stretch in a pose and come across a sensation where the body/mind won’t budge? Did you ever have to get moving on something (like a project) and meet with a reluctance to begin, or a lack of impetus and focus to sustain the project once you have started it? One definition of resistance is “a force that tends to oppose motion”. I like that, as it pretty much covers the physical, mental, emotional components of life, and I see life as a moving meditation.

yoga and resistance

Sometimes we hold ourselves back from positive change, especially when things are unfamiliar. Sometimes we refrain from pushing ourselves into a yoga pose because the resistance is a closed door, and we know busting through willfully will likely lead to injury. There is certainly a spectrum of what is appropriate. In fact, our immune system is the best example of resistance in that it is built to ward off sickness and disease. A good question to ask oneself is whether there is some kind of fear lurking in the mind that is preventing and sabotaging our potential new growth, purpose, or path. Certainly, deepening one’s awareness, one does come face to face with revelations and truths that staying distracted can camouflage.

The mindfulness built into yoga can help. I chose this quote because I think acceptance is key. Know who you are, honour yourself, and choose to challenge yourself purposefully bit by bit. Accepting where you are takes the resistance out of the moment, and may teach you a thing or two about what, if anything, is standing in your way of moving forward or beyond

 

yoga humor

Posted on by

yoga humor :  Where do you find your funny bone? At the end of your humerous! Actually, the funny bone is not really a bone . According to Wikepedia

“the ulnar nerve is a nerve which runs near the ulna bone. The ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint is in relation with the ulnar nerve. The nerve is the largest unprotected nerve in the human body (meaning unprotected by muscle or bone), so injury is common. This nerve is directly connected to the little finger, and the adjacent half of the ring finger, supplying the palmar side of these fingers, including both front and back of the tips, perhaps as far back as the fingernail beds.

One method of injuring the nerve is to strike the medial epicondyle of the humerus from posteriorly, or inferiorly with the elbow flexed. The ulnar nerve is trapped between the bone and the overlying skin at this point. This is commonly referred to as bumping one’s “funny bone“. This name is thought to be a pun, based on the sound resemblance between the name of the bone of the upper arm, the “humerus” and the word “humorous”.

Pictured below, this is a yoga pose called “extended side angle”  (Utthita parsvakonasana) provides a nice opening for the side body, and stretches out the entire pinky finger side of the arm…

yoga humor