Tree of Life: The TRUNK

Tree of Life: The TRUNK

Yoga is not a religion. It does not replace religion, but is a wonderful complement. Yoga welcomes all religious backgrounds or none at all. It teaches that we are spiritual beings in human form. Our bodies are a temporary vehicle through which we are having a human experience that should edify our souls. It teaches LOVE.

Yoga philosophy believes that each of us has a soul - ATMAN. We also have the mind and body. Our true identity can only be found when these are blended into one unified whole: Holistic. This is the TRUNK of yoga, the foundation. As branches extend from the Tree of Life, the branches of yoga extend from this grounding principle. This includes the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 200 A.D.

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Balasana | Child's Pose

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Tree of Life: The ROOTS

Tree of Life: The ROOTS

The ancient science of Yoga has been discovered by archeologists in multiple ancient civilizations. The geographic vastness in which some of these civilizations existed apart from each other is so amazing! Somehow they all practiced a form of yoga. This includes ancient India, China, Tibet, and also Mayan cultures all the way on the South American continent - Oceans away from Asia. They each created a system of yoga and passed down the practice from teacher to student from generation to generation.

The Indus River Valley civilization was the first, however, to fully develop the mind/body/spirit science and preserve it into the 21st century. The birth date of yoga is between 3,000 - 1,900 B.C.

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Balasana - Child's Pose

Sun and Moon

Just like the sun and moon, everything has an internal source of energy. In our bodies, the sun and moon occupy opposing halves similar to the concept of yin and yang. The moon represents the left energy channel (ida nadi) and the sun represents the right energy channel (pingala nadi). Our goal is to achieve and maintain BALANCE between both.

"As above, so below. As without, so within."

Halasana - Plow Pose

Halasana - Plow Pose

• Stretches the spine
• Stimulates the abdominal organs
• Stimulates the Thyroid gland
• Balances throat chakra

Yoga is Yoking

Yoga

The meaning of the Sanskrit word yoga is "yoking" or "connecting." Yoga is basically a state of interconnectedness, where we exist in everything and everything exists in us. In our asanas, we take the shape of a fish, boat, tree, dog, and/or cat (etc) to feel more deeply connected with all of the life around us. These poses urge us to dissolve the separation derived from ego, along with fear, isolation, and cynicism. Oh heavens, we are ONE.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesleybray/1457924951/sizes/z/in/photostream/

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Yogic Thoughts on Food

Yogic Thoughts on Food
The first limb of The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is yama and the very first point of yama isahimsa, non harming of yourself and others.  Many yogis apply this to their diet by not harming their bodies by ingesting unhealthy foods and also by choosing to be vegetarian so as to not harm another creature.  Yoga's holistic perspective also enlightens us to realize that anything strong enough to preserve food for an ungodly amount of time is likely harmful.
While I'm not sure I could ever fully commit to becoming 100% vegetarian myself (turkey sandwiches are my staple!), I do think that the baby steps towards this concept are very significant.  I'm trying to eat less meat throughout my week.  Americans greatly compromise their health by mistakenly thinking we need meat with every meal.  If I can cut back to only eating meat 2 or 3 times a week, or even deciding on a hard-boiled egg (unfertilized, never would've been born anyway) instead of a hamburger, then I am making tremendous progress.
The fabulous thing about yoga is the absence of judgement.  We all have our own journeys, are curious about different things, and will move in the direction of change when we are ready.
Peace & veggies.


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Meridian Yoga II

Meridian yoga works to activate and balance the different energy systems, both of mind and body.  There are 14 different meridians, or energy pathways.  Originating in Chinese medicine, stimulating the meridians yields physical health and mobility, peace and joy of the mind, and a connectedness to the creative infinite.  It is scientifically proven to be the safest and most effective way to elongate the muscles and increase a range of motion.  It includes PNF/Resistance stretching, Shiatsu techniques (acupuncture meridians using finger pressure, not needles), increasing circulation of chi energy, and breathing exercises to activate prana.
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The Purpose of Sun Salutations

The Purpose of Sun Salutations
Sun salutations lengthens and strengthens, flexes and extends the main muscles of the body while creating a prana flow of energy throughout the system.  It involves a rhythmic stream of breath while reaching towards the sky in mountain pose (tadasana), falling gracefully into a forward fold (uttanasana), raising up halfway with a flat back parallel to the earth, and repeating the flow.  You should feel heat rising evenly throughout your body with an invigorating, refreshing calm.
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Ujjayi Breathing

Ujjayi Breathing
Ujjayi (victorious) breathing should be both energizing and relaxing.  Patanjali explains that the breath should be both dirga (long) and suksma (smooth).  Try opening your throat at the base of your neck and feel your breath cooly brush down your trachea.  Imagine sipping your breath in through a straw.  Gently pull your breath in on inhalation and gently push your breath out on exhalation sounding like the sound of ocean waves rolling in and out.  It should feel invigorating and calming.  It's proven that when under stress we do not breathe correctly.  Our breath is short and we deprive our cells of oxygen, thus giving us headaches among other sometimes more serious ailments.  Oxygenating your cells with deep, intentional breathing is good for your body, mind, and spirit.  Happy breathing, everyone!
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I'm Being Healthy!

I'm being healthy!
Please check out Kris Carr's website giving advice on healthy eating, spiritual wealth, and happiness.  She was diagnosed with an incurable cancer and through eating raw vegetables and actually following all the food rules we're now aware of she is healthy again!  I tried her veggie shake recipe (with my own spin) including cucumber, celery, carrots, okra, pear, peach, spinach, vanilla yogurt, natural oatmeal, and crushed ice.  It was surprisingly delicious and I feel great! Yum!  Cancer prevention tastes pretty good!!

Mountain Pose - Tadasana

Mountain Pose - Tadasana

• Spread your toes and plant all four corners of your feet solidly beneath you.  Imagine roots growing out of the soles of your feet grabbing deep into the earth below you.
• Lengthen and lift your straight spine and feel your head floating evenly above you. 
• Tuck in your tailbone as if you were carrying a full bowl of water in your hips you do not want to spill.
• Pay subtle attention to your breath.
• Expand your side ribs with each inhale and let your roots grow deeper into the earth, sucking in earth energy.  Exhale and soften your belly.  Feel energy flowing in through the crown.
• Allow your in-breath and out-breath amplify svaha ("Hail" or "So be it")
• Accept each inhale as a divine blessing and with each exhale surrender to the present moment.
• Feel a sense of weightlessness and connectedness with all beings and all energies in the universe.

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Downward Facing Dog

Downward Facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svasana

• Releases and lengthens neck and spine
• Calms & stimulates the mind and CNS
• Balancing
• Strengthens shoulders & arms
• Cleanses and massages internal organs
• Tones the sciatic nerve
• Improves the flow of blood & prana to thyroid, thymus, pituitary, and pineal glands
• Stimulates the Endocrine system
• Improves strength of spine and increases bone density in the spine
• Stretches shoulders, wrists, ankles, and hamstrings
• Stimulates the 4 upper chakras

Buy on ETSY!

Asana

3. ASANA: The third limb of The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
Asanas are the exercise postures of yoga.  Mountain pose, tree pose, child's pose, happy baby pose, warrior I, warrior II, downward dog, and plank are all examples.
Patanjali compares the asanas to resting like the cosmic serpent on the waters of infinity.  Asanas prepare the body for meditation by freeing the body and mind from tension and restlessness.  Then you can meditate on the infinite.
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The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali

The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
This eightfold path of yoga describes the Hatha yoga we practice today:

1. Yama- non-violence, truth, non-stealing, non-lust, non-possessiveness, honesty
2. Niyama- purity, contentment, austerity, study of sacred text, awareness of divine
3. Asana- postures, exercise positions
4. Pranayama- life force or energy
5. Pratyahara- withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana- concentration
7. Dhyana- uninterrupted meditation
8. Samadhi- absolute bliss, enlightenment

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Patanjali

Patanjali, a humble physician, lived sometime between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. and is considered the father of modern yoga.  He compiled 195 sutras or concise aphorisms called The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, which is a fundamental text on the system of yoga, yet it does not describe postures or exercises.  Rather, it is a guide to help you cultivate body, mind, spiritual awareness, achieve a meditation practice, and ultimately attain enlightenment.

Asana

Asana
Originally meant the seat of yogi's.  In the Yoga sutras, Patanjali suggests that asana is "to be seated in a position that is firm, but relaxed" for extended, or timeless periods.
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Yoga Teacher Training - Day 3

Yoganize Teacher Training - Day 3
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Yoga is not simply an exercise, a work-out, or even a meditation.  Yoga is a state of mind- a stillness of our thoughts; a quietening.  It releases us from stress and illness, bringing us back to our pure existence.  We maintain a practice to achieve this state of mind by focusing on the body, mind, and breath.  We arouse a sense of peace, harmony, and balance.  We feel centered when we are calm and we quell any trace of Ego.  It is in humility that we connect with the divine light in ourselves.
Yoga encourages:

• movement that works to relax the body
• relaxation to quiet our frantic minds
• chanting to arouse and release emotions
• meditation to center the spiritual elements

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Hatha Yoga

• Consists of 8 limbs of practices.
• Branches that need attention and exploration.
• Hatha yoga is practiced in the West.  "Ha" meaning sun and "tha" meaning moon, thereby uniting pairs of opposites.
• Haṭhayoga is translated by the Monier-Williams dictionary as "a kind of forced Yoga or abstract meditation (forcing the mind to withdraw from external objects.
• Swatmarama introduces his system as preparatory stage of physical purification that the body practices for higher meditation or Yoga. It is based on asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques, also known as shatkarma). Hatha Yoga became popular in the west beginning in the second half of the 20th century, and is often referred to simply as "Yoga" in the context of health and physical exercise.

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