58-Sunday

Krishnamurti on Blogging
The Book of Life

If you find it difficult to be aware, then experiment with writing down every thought and feeling that arises throughout the day; write down your reactions of jealousy, envy, vanity, sensuality, the intentions behind your words, and so on.

Spend some time before breakfast in writing them down—which may necessitate going to bed earlier and putting aside some social affair. If you write these things down whenever you can, and in the evening before sleeping look over all that you have written during the day, study and examine it without judgment, without condemnation, you will begin to discover the hidden causes of your thoughts and feelings, desires and words....

Now, the important thing in this is to study with free intelligence what you have written down, and in studying it you will become aware of your own state. In the flame of self-awareness, of self-knowledge, the causes of conflict are discovered and consumed. You should continue to write down your thoughts and feelings, intentions and reactions, not once or twice, but for a considerable number of days until you are able to be aware of them instantly....

Meditation is not only constant self-awareness, but constant abandonment of the self. Out of right thinking there is meditation, from which there comes the tranquility of wisdom; and in that serenity the highest is realized.

Writing down what one thinks and feels, one's desires and reactions, brings about an inward awareness, the cooperation of the unconscious with the conscious, and this in turn leads to integration and understanding.

Namaste

56-57 Inspirational Quotes by Gandi

I want freedom for the full expression of my personality.
-Mahatma Gandhi

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
-Mahatma Gandhi


Namaste

53-55

Im losing count of the days. I find myself not wanting to write on my blog after working 9-5 during the day, practicing yoga from 530-7 after work then making dinner or cleaning up from 7-830. By 9pm I'm pooped and ready for bed. The blog is the last thing on my mind lately. I'm still practicing daily with ease but putting it down on paper is so difficult for me. AHHHH. I wish writing came easy to me.

Last night I treated myself to a night off from the studio and decided to watch and practice along to a DVD I have had for sometime now by SEan Corne. I have never watched it for whatever reason and last night seemed like the perfect opportunity. The hubbie and the dog went to run some errands after work and I had the living room all to my lonesome. I highly recommend this DVD to beginners wanting a intro to yoga practice and it's breathing methods. Its called Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Uniting Movement and Breath by Sean Corne.

Namaste

52- A powerful message

A properly executed vinyasa practice can help break the habit of viewing the world around us as a collection of objects or viewing life as a series of distinct events.

It mimics the way nature works-always moving, changing, curvy. Events in nature do not just happen, they unfold, they develop. Thus in our vinyasa practice, we do not "do" standing forward bend, then upward-facing dog, then downward-facing dog in a choppy, static way, but rather we let each asana unfold into the next, the way a seed unfolds into a stem, then into a bud, then into a flower, then back into the earth to nourish the next generation.

When asanas, the sequence of changes, are woven together with breath and conscious intention, we align ourselves with the continuous flow, the undulating rhythm, of the universe.
-Sharon Gannon of the Jivamukti Yoga Center

50-51 A weekend of yoga

Saturday morning was spent practicing yoga along side some good friends. On Saturday afternoon my hubbie and I headed up to Encinitas for a work shop presented by Tim Miller at his Ashtanga Yoga Center. The intimate workshop was 3 hours long and it was based on "Remembering Who We Are" and all proceeds went to the Sean O' Shea Foundation here in SD. This foundation is in rememberance of a young man who lost his life at a young age a few years ago in a tragic car accident. There mission is is, "to empower youth through yoga, nutrition and optimistic teachings that help to develop life skills that can enable youth to take responsibility for their life, develop respect for themselves and others, and have confidence in their own potential." seanosheafoundation.org

The workshop was lengthy and we covered a lot of pertinent, insightful information within those few hours from Tim. Below is his email that describes the workshop.

The traditional purpose of the practice of yoga is self-realization--to awaken, recognize and remember our true nature. All of the different methodologies of yoga are intended to facilitate this process. There is something inherent in the human condition that creates a kind of "spiritual amnesia," causing us to forget our essential self. Without some kind of intervention we are trapped in the endless cycle of samsara (conditioned existence), which causes the mind to spin in unceasing, repetitive cycles, creating suffering for others and ourselves. When we are under the spell of samsara we are unable to penetrate the layers of our conditioning to perceive the essential self and experience the grace, peace and joy of yoga (union).


The yoga sutras of Patanjali offer us a map to navigate the path of self-realization. Drawing from his more than 30 years of practice and study of the yoga sutras, Tim will offer insights regarding how the philosophy of Patanjali and the methodology of Ashtanga yoga come together. In this workshop we will explore how the fundamental practices of Ashtanga yoga--ujjayi breathing, vinyasa, bandha and tapas--are designed to take us beyond the surface layers of conditioning into the heart of our true nature.

I am almost positive that Tim offers workshop's like these quite often. I recommend one of his workshops to anyone practicing yoga, wanting to maybe start practicing or just wanting to give back to the community? Meeting Tim for the first time was very cool. His presence as a teacher of yoga was very grounding, compassionate, lighthearted and real.

Shanti

48-49 Meditation and Cultivating Compassion

This beautiful meditation helps us see others and ourselves through the eyes of the heart. Take a few deep breaths and rest your hands tenderly on your heart as you softly repeat the following phrases:

May I remain in peace and let go of expectations.

May I acknowledge my anger, fear and sadness without thinking it makes me bad or wrong.

May I offer unconditional attention and care to others, knowing it may be met by indifference or anger.

May I find the inner resources to truly be able to give freely.

May I be filled with compassion and loving kindness for myself and all beings.

Namaste

42-47 Practicing at home

This past week has been difficult when it comes to fitting in an hour and a half practice. We have had our fantastic In-Laws in town visiting for my super duper hubbie's 40th Birthday. So I have been sneaking in yoga sessions in our back yard for 20-40 minutes for two days. On some of the other days when I couldn't make it to the yoga studio after work i would indulge myself with some helpful back, hip and hamstring stretches in my bedroom.

This morning I had a follow up visit with my Ayurvedic physician, Dr. Kulreet Chaudry. She has been teaching me so many helpful ayurvedic dietary tips over the past few months for my particular body type/dosha. I have been following her advice on a day to day basis now for a few months and all the herbs have been working like a charm for my digestion, low back and well being in general.

I have been seeing her for the past few months for numerous digestive issues that I have been having over the past 10-12 years. I finally had had enough with western medicine's weak attempts at treating only my signs and symptoms and not revealing the root of my problem. Masking the issues with pills was not going to make my tummy better. So I finally made the executive decision to put my faith in her and Ayurveda (yoga's sister science). So far I have seen such great results that I would recommend her to anyone.

http://vimeo.com/8669004

41- Happy Valentine's Day Weekend!!

Valentine's Day is right around the corner!! This past week has flown by.

I finally have found out from my doctor that my MRI was negative. YEAH!! So that tells me that I have a muscle imbalance on the right side of my lower body that is causing all of my back pain?

I WILL figure out how to balance out my right and left side no matter what. How long it will take is the real question? I guess I will just have to practice more patiently, become more aware in my poses while also allowing my body & mind to find the happy gentle spaces in each posture. And those are just a few of the things within each posture that need constant work. I also need to stop obsessing over the injury. I find myself constantly trying to adjust in each posture to find that happy, painless space in my low back/hip area. I know "that space" exists hiding deep beneath my steel rod hamstrings and tight a** hip flexors and extensors. I'm still a bit frustrated as you can tell, but still determined.

Until next time..

Bhakti

39-40 Practicing Ahimsa on the mat

What does it mean to practice ahimsa (non-violence) on our yoga mats?

For many of us, it means backing off and learning to let the competitive ego go. Have we learned not to compare ourselves to others? A good yoga instructor will always encourage you to listen to your own body, work at your own pace, modify as you need, and keep your judging eyes off your neighbor, who very well might, as they say, be a contortionist.


Learning not to compete with ourselves is a more nuanced and difficult skill. This means not comparing today's practice and experience to yesterday's, not having expectations that we will always be able to match, if not beat, our previous performance. The beauty of yoga and what connects it so closely to the art of meditation is that it allows us to be present with ourselves in each moment. Allowing us to not bring in our memory of yesterday or expectations for tomorrow. This is why it's called a practice.

Namaste

36-38 Gratitude Reflections

This past weekend was perfect in every way. I even enjoyed the rain! Friday evening and throughout the weekend I thought of things that I am grateful for....

1. My health
2. My loving husband
3. Our dog
4. A loving family
5. Supportive friends
6. Scott Papek (yes you get two shout outs)
7. My job & co-workers
8. Dessert (anything that is sweet)
9. My strength both internally and externally
10. A space to practice yoga
11. A king size bed
12. Having a valentine comes Valentine's day;)
13. Smelling freshness in the air after it rains.
and the list goes on.......

What are you thankful for?


Namaste

35- Herbal Healing

A scratchy throat snuck up on me this morning and got worse as the day progressed at work. On my way home I stopped at a local Aromatherapy store that I have been eyeing for a few weeks now. I figured today was the day to check it out and to help find something preventative to keep the evil bugs from invading the rest of my respiratory system. Hoping to somehow soothe and kill,kill, kill the bacteria that had made it's way into my body I purchased (per recommendation) some Echinacea Goldenseal. What is that and what does it do, you might ask? Well I was informed that .....

Echinacea may be taken for acute colds, flus, fevers, and infections. Of most importance is the dosage and frequency. It is most effective when taken every two hours until some symptoms are relieved. The dose is then reduced to three times daily for a week to ensure complete recovery and optimal immune function. A dose is two tablets or capsules (usually around 500-1000 mg of the ground herb), 40 drops of the extract, or 4 to 8 ounces of a strong tea made from the ground root. Often you will feel relief within hours.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is also effective for infections. It soothes the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract during the congestion and inflammation of colds and flus. Its active component, berberine, has a broad spectrum of antibiotic and immune stimulating activity. Combined with Echinacea, it has a potent immune enhancing and congestion reducing action.


Fingers crossed that this method of prevention works alongside some Ayurvedic remedies???

Namaste and stay healthy

34- Practice,practice, practice

Last night I definitely had a fight with myself as to whether or not I was going to go to class versus a home practice? I definitely laid on the floor pondering for a good five minutes while my husband unpacked his car after coming home from work. The thought of getting on my mat was just AHHH!!!! Not NOW!!

Why is that? I love practicing yoga! Once I’m on my mat, I never want to leave. I think that as much as it’s good for me (and it’s very good for me), it’s such a mindful practice that I’m forced to address problems or issues that I’m not always in mood to deal with in that moment – that tight spot in my shoulder. Why is that there? My mind, why is it racing instead of being here now? My breath, where did it go?

But as many times as I’ve felt less-than-thrilled to hit the mat, the number of times I’ve left feeling disgruntled with my practice is few. Yes, sometimes it feels like a chore instead of a beautiful, moving meditation. But that’s ok. I made the effort, and part of being mindful is being aware of those feelings.


Namaste

33-Violence vs Non-Violence within the body

After practice tonight I began to think about what to blog about? Since my back aches are still in the forefront of my mind I decided to pick up The Tree of Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar. As I opened the book nonchalantly and looked at what page and chapter I had randomly come across I noticed it was exactly what I had in mind when I grabbed the book! Iyengar's chapter on Effort, Awareness and Joy! Sweet. What a coincidence:)

Iyengar in his book on page 44 (another well known form of yoga focusing on alignment) speaks of violence that sometimes occurs on one side of the body more so than the other. He attributes this to overworking the cells, muscles and fibers. I have found that in the Ashtanga tradition this is more prominent due to always beginning asanas and salutations with the right side of the body, never the left.

Matthew Sweeney, who I have spoke of before even states in his Chandra Krama "Moon Sequence" that beginning or stepping forward in asanas and salutations with left side of the body first activates the feminine qualities in each of us: the right side represents the masculine and analytical aspect of the body. Hmmmmmmm? I think he is on to something here......He also believes and it has been proven that his "Moon Sequence" can assist with undoing and right-sided aggravation that can occur through the repetition of the traditional Ashtanga practice.

So if your finding yourself having muscle imbalances as you continue to practice, ask yourself.

Why am I getting pain at this moment?
Why do I not get the pain at another moment or with another movement?
What have I to do with this part of my body?
What do I have to do with that part?
How can I get rid of the pain?
Why am I feeling this pressure?
Why is this side painful?
How are the muscles behaving on this side and how are they behaving on the other side?

Per Iyengar's instructions you should continue analyzing, and by analysis you will come to understand. Analysis in action is required in yoga. It is true that in analysis you dissipate energy at first. With time the energy becomes less.

Direction will come, and when you go in the right direction, wisdom begins. When wise action comes, you no longer feel the effort as effort- you feel the effort as joy.- Iyengar

Namaste

32-Muscle imbalances in yoga

I think that I have mentioned previously that I have been practicing yoga for about 4years now. I just began committing myself to the practice and way of life whole heartedly within the past year or so. Since making this commitment to the practice of Yoga I have also noticed that my commitments to other things surrounding my life have come to the forefront of my mind and consciousness. I find myself paying more attention to how my body feels on a day to day basis and honoring it not only during practice but off the mat as well. In doing so I have found that certain muscle imbalances have arisen in my right low back. I would estimate that this has been irritating me and my husband for about 6-9 months now! And I think that might be an under estimated guess at the time frame?

Most people ask how can that happen in yoga? Aren't you supposed to be all limber, dancer like and without pain? Without pain is ideal but I believe that as you begin to move through the asanas you began accessing areas in your body that have never been accessed before? Sometimes bringing about tension and pain. Other times these areas awaken without a problem and you continue going about your day to day life with no issues (lucky's).

I finally scheduled an MRI yesterday to hopefully find out what has been going on? I am really really hoping with fingers crossed that it is a muscle imbalance related to a tight psoas and hamstring muscles on my right side that has been causing the ongoing pain. I have been putting off this MRI for a while now because I was trying to figure it out on my own. But I was allowing my ego to get the best of me and I kept telling myself that I was a young 28 year old and it wasn't anything serious. But I would rather be safe than sorry and get the MRI done sooner than later. So that is what I did yesterday:) Results are pending.....

Like anything else in life I find myself having good days and bad days with my body, mind and spirit on the mat. But 95% of those days end up becoming good days after a few sun salutations and finding the rhythm in my breath. I find that my body is constantly rejuvenating itself within my practice. Sometimes my body decides that today is the day to release toxins that my body has been hoarding for whatever reason? Other days it is time to find muscles that have never been awakened prior to that days practice and the list goes on and on...Everyday on the mat brings something new to my life whether I have chosen in the past to realize it or not?

Utthita Trikonasana/Extended Triangle Pose





Parivrtta Trikonasana/Revolved Triangle Pose

31- Sunday Fun Day

There is just something to be said about spending your Sunday afternoon practicing yoga with fellow yogi's, shopping for new yoga attire (on sale of course), grabbing a bite to eat at the corner bistro and then later in the day deciding to leisurely take your time in the grocery store deciding what scrumptious vegetarian meal to make for dinner?

I would have to say it was a blissful Sunday in San Diego. Any day can be blissful but don't you agree that Sunday's have that laid back attitude about them? I love it:)

I encountered a great new teacher today at a local studio. I didn't feel like practicing alone this afternoon . So I jumped on the World Wide Web and found myself a Vinyasa 2-3 level class within 20 minutes of my house. I checked out the teacher's bio and thought this class would be a great fit for what I was looking to practice this afternoon.

Before class she began by handing out a sheet of paper with the Prayer for Enlightenment mantra we would be saying at the start of class. The handout provided translations for those that weren't familiar with the mantra. It also provided me and maybe others with some clarity to those verses that I have been chanting for some time now but was unsure of there true meaning.

Aum

Sahana Vavatu
Sahanou Bhunaktu
Sahaviryam Karavava Hi
Tejasvina Vadhitamastu
Mavidh Vishava Hi

Aum

Translation

May both of us together be protected.
May both of us together be nourished.
May we work together with great energy.
May our study together be brilliant and effective.
May we not hate or dispute with each other.
Om.


The class was quite challenging but I left there feeling relaxed and ready to conquer the rest of my Sunday afternoon with clarity. Thank you Rebecca for being creative with your teaching approach it was much appreciated. I will continue to work on my jump throughs this week, per Rebecca's recommendation.

Jump throughs from downdog have been something I have been struggling with for a while now, but maybe after this week I will have it conquered? Only time will tell....

Shanti