Category Archives: Yoga

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The Fourth Path – Karma Yoga (Action)

The Fourth and final of the major paths of yoga is Karma Yoga, or the yoga of action. My understanding of the word karma is that it translates most literally as “habit.” You do not have to believe in reincarnation or anything like that to look at this principle because it really doesn’t need to be related to that. This path, karma yoga, involves doing actions in the world that benefit others. Plain and simple, it is about allowing yourself to do things you might not normally do, to offer service. Placing ones primary attention on the giving of all actions to the benefit of others is a path not entirely foreign to those outside of India. It could be said that Mother Teresa was a karma yogini, or that Martin Luther King, Jr. was. It is the level at which a person performs selfless service. Many people around the world have demonstrated inspiring acts of service to others without regard for themselves.

One can perform actions of any of the various paths (raja, jnana, bhakti, karma) of yoga without needing to dedicate oneself solely to that path of yoga – as a way of directing the whole life.. Raja Yoga seems to be a blend of all the various paths, and includes hatha yoga, jnana yoga, bhakti and karma yoga for sure. When I was in my studies for becoming a yoga teacher, we were taught raja yoga and about the other three. Bhakti yoga was offered as an option without pressure to actually participate, though we were given the opportunity to ask questions and be taught by those who have chosen bhakti yoga as their path.

Karma yoga often takes the form of doing actions that others may not want to perform, but would appreciate your doing. Opportunities for karma yoga at the ashram where I studied included washing dishes, cooking, cleaning the dorms, gardening and weeding, cleaning, and repairing various equipment or facilities. Karma yoga could mean offering ones life to serve others in any way that you can see. Holding the door for someone when you are in a hurry, cleaning the bottom of the trash can when the bad has ripped and it is smelly, mowing the lawn and fixing the plumbing all can be acts of selfless service. You can offer these, without complaint or even a discussion, by simply seeing it as a moment to act for the good of others, with no desire to benefit yourself.

That is the key. It is meant to be giving up your own desire to benefit from your action.

Swami Satchidananda, the root teacher of Integral Yoga, talked about how the apple tree is a good example of a karma yogi. It offers so much fruit and never complains that others are the ones who receive the benefits of its fruits. He suggests that we also should be able to give of the fruits of our actions without thinking we should be the ones benefiting. “Don’t eat the fruits of your life. Instead, offer them to others.” He suggests that we are not meant to be the ones who benefit from the fruits of our actions.

So, even if you do not choose to dedicate your whole life to the path of karma yoga, you can offer an action each day. Choose to do something you wouldn’t normally want to do, and offer it selflessly. You can also choose one thing that you want, and decide to refrain, selflessly, as an act of giving to others.

To see more about karma yoga and the other paths of yoga:

http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/fourpaths.html

 

Yoga pose of the Day: Do something nice and don’t wait to see how it is received.

Yogic thought of the Day: I allow my efforts to go out and be in the world. I do not need to benefit from my own efforts.

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Yogi diet: Do you know where your sugar is hiding?

The Confluence Countdown, a blog I have been following for quite some, time put out a really great post today. You can find it below for your perusal. In this article there is a link to a recent study concerning calorie, and specifically sugar consumption in the United States. Worth a read, if you ask me.

Honestly, thinking about what % of food you eat that has added sugar would be a nice step. Think of the portion on your plate, and how many plates you eat in a day… it adds up quickly. If you can add a piece of fruit, or a sweet vegetable instead of that pop tart, or packaged food, it can really add up, too. 9 days to a new habit, 21 days to make it well established. Consider that you could nurture yourself, mother yourself, for Mother’s Day by choosing to eat for your health.

Making the % of foods containing added sugar that you consume lower is a great way to begin to eat for health. In yoga we want to make slow changes and allow the body to adjust to them. In this way, we will not set off quick reactions in the body. You can make the change slow and lasting. :)

The article:

Yogi diet: Do you know where your sugar is hiding?.

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108 Sun Salutations!

108 Sun Salutations Summer 2013

When: Saturday, June 15th at 11:00 a.m.

Friends and Family Arrive for party 12:30 p.m.

 

Practices:

Wednesdays and Saturdays

Wed. 6:00 p.m.

Sat. 2:00 p.m.

At the new Park on Sprague (near Garfield)  - if rain, go to the Dance Factory

 

Practice Schedule:

(Date – How many Sun Salutations)

May

11th – 25

15th – 36

18th – No Practice with Teacher (can meet on your own if you like)

22th – 40

25th- 45

29th – 50

 

June

1st – 62

5 th- 75

8th -80

12th -95

15th – 108 *** Party at 12:30 p.m. Please invite friends and family. Bring Food :)

 

Helpful suggestions to help the body adapt:

Use a mantra.

Get plenty of rest. Eat for health.

Be sure to take one day off each week, from any exercise. If you must miss a practice, or several, you should feel like you can keep up with the schedule at home and join us when you are able.

If you begin to feel pain, please acknowledge it and honor your body. Stop, and do what you need to.

Many changes happen to the body during this process! It is normal to have some soreness that goes away within 2-3 days. If you need to rest, even during practice, do. Be cautious and ease into the practice. You will get there.

It is recommended that you also do another day or two of Sun Salutations on your own during this process so you can help the body to acclimate to the practice.

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No Joy – No Gain

Sometimes we think that steady effort is pain. We think of the adage ”No pain, no gain.” Do we not? We think, “I have to muster up the resolve somewhere inside to do it anyway” and then wonder why we have no joy once we are actually doing the work. Half-way through a project, any project, you can decide you wish you hadn’t chosen it if you start to feel it is a burden rather than cherished time. But this is not hard. What our challenge is is this: can you move your own mind to be more creative than that? Can you find a way to apply yourself so you do not get lost in the habits of the mind? Can you approach whatever is in front of you with more joy than that? This is the real work, isn’t it?

In yoga, we do not approach pain the same way you might in other practices. We are not looking for a smarting pain. But sometimes the pain we experience is actually more about the emotion of not wanting to feel intensity. This we can work with. You only add to your experience of pain if you treat the work you do like it is drudgery and a chore. Do you tend to let go of the creative aspects to how you approach what you are doing? Thinking of how you move, how you do the work, and how you apply the mind can make a huge difference in your experience of any process. It isn’t the work itself that is a problem. In fact, the work itself has absolutely nothing to do with how you experience the process of doing the work. Your habits of how you approach the work does.

Once there was a time I remember, when I did 35 sun salutations. The day before I did 31, and I was really thinking I would go for 41 the following day. But, I was also aware of the fact that my body was still in the soreness phase with this increased repetition. I wanted to apply effort, but I also found it important to honor my body, and what soreness means. So I did’t want to push too hard. Just to push hard enough required a sort of balance.

What was interesting was this: I decided I would just continue to do the movements once I got to about number 20, and my body started showing some signs of fatigue. The mind jumped right in and started thinking “hmmm… maybe its okay if I don’t finish so many today. There is always tomorrow.” I had to remember that thinking something doesn’t make it true, and I needed to try to relax, see if I could enjoy.

I closed my eyes, while still doing the sun salutations. Can you believe –  a whole different world came into my experience. It was really one of those beautiful moments in yoga practice, where you realize there is more going on than the mind is really able to think about or process. I felt peace, and was able to use my thinking to count, but my emotions were not with the counting. This is the step that is so critical, right? My emotions were not invested with the thinking mind. My emotions were right with the feelings of, well, movement, and how much it felt like dancing. There is a joy that can come out as we do yoga. It felt so good to just be with the movement. Let the mind veg out with the counting and have my feelings/sensations take the lead for a little while.  If you are going to dance with a sense of drudgery – why dance? I mean, can you imagine someone on American Idol singing with a sense of obligation? The same is true with yoga, or cooking, or anything that we do.

Take a deep breath when you feel you are pushing yourself into the painful drudgery mindset, or the boredom of that “have to” sense of mind. Remember why and what this practice can be. There is something beautiful in the human psyche that is always available, if we will just bring our attention to it. All that we do can be done with a little creativity, if you decide to take that challenge.

Honestly, I can’t wait to get back to the mat. With the beginning of 108 Sun Salutations starting soon, I mean, what would happen if I thought about it like this:

No joy – no gain.

Really.

Maybe it will be difficult to make every single aspect of life about joy – but it will sure be more fun to try than not.

Poses of the Day: 10 – 15 Sun Salutations (try to do this each day this week, if you can)

Yoga thought for the Week:  What brings joy in this moment?

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Indian Soul Food

Many of you know I have had some digestive issues over the years. There is a type of Indian food that settles the digestive system. Since we have talked about it in some of our yoga classes, I thought I would share a recipe. Note that there are changes to make if you have different body constitutions. I usually make mine without the ghee (clarified butter), and I substitute other types of beans for the yellow lentils when I can’t find them. It also makes the flavor really great if you dry roast the herb powders before adding them into the mix.

Here it is:  http://www.ayurveda.com/online_resource/kitchari_recipe.html

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The Mind Says You’re Bored (but you aren’t)

Which way did you see the cat spinning?

They say if it is spinning clockwise you are right brain dominant, counter-clockwise would mean left brain dominant. Some people can see both. See if you can switch back and forth at will!

What does this have to do with boredom? Well… I think even looking at this for a little while is fun for the right brain.

If you find yourself practicing yoga asana (poses), or standing in line at the grocery store, waiting for a friend, or going through any daily routine and the mind says it is bored, this is a time to wake up. Really, pay attention. Do you recall the difference between the right brain and left brain? The left brain has the language faculties and wants constant stimulation. The right brain is perfectly happy hanging out without language or structure, but often isn’t what holds dominance (especially in current culture in the West)  because it doesn’t have language. So… when you sit and meditate, the right brain will keep on chattering away, telling you this is boring and to do something else would be more stimulating, more fun.

You don’t always have to listen to the left brain.

Today, notice when there are moments that lack intellectual or verbal stimulation, and try to just relax. Let the left brain tell you it is bored, if it does, but remain aware anyway. Bring your attention to the other sensations in the body.

To review, the work of the right brain, pay attention to:

  • Where the body is in space
  • Sensations in the body
  • Emotional feelings
  • What you appreciate in a situation
  • Symbols and relationships between yourself and what is around you
  • The big picture instead of the details

When the left brain is bored to tears, there may be plenty of stimulation for the right brain. Bringing our awareness to these aspects of who we are, and our ability to increase our attention for these ways of being, can make our lives richer (a sense of meaning and belonging is felt in the right brain) and make our skills more well-rounded.

Have a good time with this one. And remember… if your left brain tells you it is bored, you don’t have to believe it.

Pose of the Day: Simple Seated Postion (5 -10 minutes of meditation)

Yogic Concept of the Day: If I think I am bored, it doesn’t mean all of me is. I can pay attention to other ways of experiencing the world around me.

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Develop Your Intuition – For Real

Art by: Vlado

The senses are  just naturally a part of us. I know we usually talk about having five senses, but if you have followed this blog in the last couple of months you have discovered there are more than five. Yes, you have ten (at least) senses. I actually discovered more (can you believe it?), but some of them will have to wait a little before I write about them.  Today I share a beautiful sense, that is actually often talked about, looked at askance by many, and generally “unsupported.” However, I bet you have had “experiences” with this one. You can label it as coincidences if you want to, I don’t mind. But, I know we all have the intuitive sense. Just like the rest of the senses, you can innately have this sense to a greater or lesser degree than others. You can also develop your palette of experiences to strengthen what you do have. It is natural.

Try this… think of three times you “knew” something before someone told you, you felt who was going to call, or you said something at the same time as someone else. Why do kids jinx each other when this happens? It certainly is because it is so weird. Synchronicity is just strange feeling because we can feel how we are synchronizing ourselves with others and with the world around us.

To develop synchronicity, intuition, we need to pay attention to how we relate and attend to what is going on around us.

Intuition is a combination of the senses. It is as if you can read the “constant feed” you get from all the senses and make really good predictions about what it all means. Just as the brain has to work to coordinate the various signals coming from all of the body so they feel like they are happening simultaneously, I believe some of us can go beyond this and begin to get an idea of what is likely to come next or a deeper sense of the meaning of what is happening currently.

If you are concerned that if you looked at your own abilities, you don’t have them. Stop thinking you have to get things right. No one has intuition that is 100% correct. No one has taste buds that are, either. People who can smell even close to that accurately get special high class jobs in the Perfume Lab in Eze, France that is responsible for something like 97% of the world’s perfume combinations/creation.  If you ever go to France, this is a great trip on the way to Monaco! (They have samples!) I loved visiting the shop! You cannot imagine how hard it is to get a job there. You have to have one of the 5 best noses in the world or something.

Photo by: piyato

I once heard the most amazing discussion on NPR about Tracy May Adair who is a tasting expert for Folger’s Coffee. She was fantastic, and it sounded like her skill was so far above my own. It really can come across as almost magical! In fact, I recommend listening when you have a chance (Just under 4 minutes). Because of her very real mastery of a simple sense we all have, she can give you a good idea of what is possible with any of the senses. It is worth your time, because our senses are the only way we really get any information, have contact with others, or experience enjoyment. Adair actually says that smelling with such adeptness is “the same as learning a new color.” Can you imagine having that much skill with any of the senses? What is possible for mastery of one sense may be possible with all of the senses - or with this sense, intuition, which is the culmination of all the senses.

In yoga, we talk about the withdrawal of the senses as one of the key limbs of the practice (pratyahara). However, this is just one English translation of the word. It can also mean, control of the senses. The fact that during yoga practice we withdraw from the world around us to move our attention inward (dharana) and cultivate our inner perceptions of awareness does not mean that we are supposed to live in denial of the senses. Rather, we are encouraged to come to an understanding of what the senses are and what our right relationship with them (right use of them) can be. It is not contradictory to develop intuition and practice yoga. It is complimentary. Your ability to be aware of yourself in relation to all that is around you makes you a better yogi or yogini. But how you use your attention and skill in this regard can lead you into overindulgence or hyper-sensitivity, neither of which brings peace of mind, which is the purpose of yoga (yogas chitta vrtti nirodhah, Patanjali,Yoga Sutra 1.2).

So how can we develop the sense of intuition? If you are uncertain of your own skill, think of combining the senses, literally. Check through them to see what each sense gives you as you think on a particular subject, or experience a new situation. Try describing one sense using another, and how does that inform you? If it sounds difficult, it could be. If you have trouble multi-tasking, this is sort of like internal-multi-tasking. It requires practice. So does patting your head while rubbing your tummy!

Suggestions:

1. Consciously try to use all the senses as you go through your day. Just paying attention does something to wake them up.

The Senses are:

  • Smell
  • Hearing
  • Taste
  • Sight
  • Touch
  • Proprioception
  • Sense of Direction
  • The Music Sense (Musicality)
  • Sense of Time
  • Intuition (pulling the senses together)

2. Work on any of the senses that you find more difficult to use (go back through the suggestions of the poses from this week and try something each day, or at least each week).

3. Keep a notebook of your impressions and “feelings” about how things are going, and what may occur. You may find you pick up on more than you realize when you actually write them down.

4. Tell people your impressions as you get them. An example could be “I feel like you are worried about something. Is there anything I can do?” or “I wonder if it is going to be a long day.” Getting confirmation of your impressions helps you to pick up on them more clearly. As Adiar says, it’s like learning a new color. There is a reason we point to the colors as we name them for kids. All kids after the age of about 6 or 7 have to have exposure to a word about 200 times to have a clear sense of the word. This applies to all information and all people. So get confirmation.

5. Have a good time. This isn’t so serious. Learning is 90% play. So don’t worry if you are wrong about anything. The trick is to help the senses work in tandem, not to be a genius. Of course, let me know if you become one because of this! I would LOVE to do a story on you!

Yoga Pose of the Day: Revolved Triangle – Parivrtta Trikonasana

Yogic Concept of the Day: Let me see if I can blend my senses while I think on this, or work on this.

I hope you will have a truly enjoyable weekend!

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Special Presentation: Altrusa of Branch County (Wed. April 3)

I will be offering a special presentation at Altrusa of Branch County (in Coldwater, MI) on Wednesday, April 3rd at noon.

 

If you aren’t familiar with them, it may be worth looking into. This service organization is filled with a bunch of amazing women I have felt fortunate to meet here in town. They support international students, the beautification of the area, and support the local free clinic among other things. They seem to be involved in every area of local life, and in a good way! But even if you don’t live in Coldwater – or Michigan- you may be able to check them out. They are a worldwide organization!

Check out some facts about Altrusa International: http://altrusa.org/Who-We-Are/AltrusaFAQs.aspx

If you would like more information about our local group, you can contact them: http://www.altrusabranchcounty.com/contactus/contactustrial.htm

 

If you are in Altrusa – am looking forward to seeing you soon!

Altrusa Club Photo 2

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Do you Share this Sense with Shakespeare?

Photo by: koratmember

Who doesn’t love music? But do you really know if you have the musical sense? People often enjoy music without being particularly gifted, able to play an instrument, or comfortable singing in public. There is a lot more to the musical sense than music appreciation. On our path to understand ourselves a little better in regard to “the other senses” – I wonder if you’ve even had the opportunity to find out if you actually have the musical sense.

To get a basic idea of what this is, I would recommend going here to play a little bit. It is a fairly short way to see if you can figure out what  the music sense is without giving a dissertation.

So now you should understand what is meant by pitch, timbre, time signature, and chords. Even if you have never played an instrument or learned some of the basics, the ability to sense music is actually a sense in the same way that smelling is a sense. Some people are able to get a better “feel” of it. Some people can’t smell much at all, but they can appreciate that it provides enjoyment for others. Some people can’t really hear tone or feel the natural connection to music that others do. Some people have the sense a little and can improve through decided effort and education (like developing a wider taste palette or experiencing new exposure to visual textures).

In fact, here’s a good question – can you tell when music ends in a funny way? Can you tell if it sounds “unfinished.” Being able to hear the ending of a song is a good clue about your musical sense. If a song ends in a way that “feels” unfinished – it isn’t what we call resolved. People either need to fix the resolution to fix the problem in the song, or this unresolved nature could mean something. It could be a little note to the listener about the meaning of the song, the purpose of the song, or provide emphasis on the final phrase of the song.   This is kind of like Shakespeare, actually, in how he would use iambic pentameter. He would keep the rhythm for a while and then mess up the rhythm when he was giving important information, or suggesting something of the emotion in its delivery. The rapper Eminem does the same thing! But, if you like Shakespeare, is it because of the meaning of the words? Or, do you like him because of the genius way he works the rhythm? This second reason is most assuredly due to your own musicality.

Photo by: Matt Banks

How does this play into our yoga practice? The concept of music with yoga is a point of disagreement in some ways. With many old-school purists, there would be no music during yoga, besides chanting. For some, chanting (a different sort of rhythmic talking that can often boarder singing. Some chants are made into songs, or even raps. ) should even be done after asana (poses) rather than being played during asana practice. In other groups, particularly here in the US, many people prefer to have music and/or chanting during class. I have found punk yoga, heavy metal yoga, jazz yoga, and rap yoga. Most gyms will have calm music playing for yoga music.

Why music in the West? I find a beauty in the silent class and in the class with music. For a serious practitioner, I would recommend really working with both to find your own relationship to how sound affects you and  why you would be using music. Like medicine, music in yoga asana could actually be abused, or create obstacles for the practitioner. I believe that many people in the West have difficulty self-regulating when it comes to their emotions. Music is a really great tool for calming and helping one to calm the mind, if used properly. It can be used as a crutch, though, by some people. If you feel you really need  music to practice yoga or “get to a deep space” in your practice, it is a good indicator that you may be using music to self-regulate rather than learning to do so on your own.

The possibility of using music as a mood booster is heightened if you are empathic in nature (intuitive), musically inclined (have the music sense strongly), or tend to be  swayed more by outside influences rather than by those which are internal. This is actually backed up by scientific research. So, I am hereby encouraging you to look into the nature of your own music sense.

See how strongly your music influences you, or how much your own mood influences your music choices.

Here are some cool ways to explore the music sense in your own life:

1. Take this test to help with research into musicality. The BBC Scientists are studying the music sense, and will tell you how you did. It takes about 25 minutes to finish. Be sure you have sound on your computer to take it. It is necessary. Let me know your results if you’d like! I am curious.

2. Play guess the type of music with your friends. Everyone plays something of theirs that is really different. If you don’t have friends to play with, play on Youtube and look into the music of other countries. See if you can find at least three (3) songs you like that you cannot understand the words to. (Post links in my comments! )

3. If you are intuitive or musically inclined, create a mood palette for yourself. Take a list of the emotions, such as this one, and try to make a playlist of songs for each mood. This could fill hours. Be sure to refrain from limiting the type of music you use, and reach out to friends or others online to fill in any blanks or areas lacking.

4. Try doing yoga to a different type of music than you normally would. See what the effects are. Do you feel different emotions? Do you have more difficulty or ease in certain asanas?

Yoga Pose of the Day: Sun Salutation (really work with the rhythm of the pose)

Yogic Concept of the Day: I can use today to see how various types of music may influence me, especially in my yoga practice.