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Arm Asana: Eka Pada Swastikasana I
26 Wednesday Sep 2012
26 Wednesday Sep 2012
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25 Tuesday Sep 2012
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20 Thursday Sep 2012
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This posture is dedicated to the great Sage Vamadeva.
From downward facing dog.
Go to pigeon pose.
Sit on the (right/left) hip
Bend your knee
Draw your front heel (right/left) close to your groin/Perineum.
Make sure that your upper body is straight and perpendicular to the floor.
Bend your back leg and bring your back foot particularly close to your front foot.
Hold your front foot with your hands and draw your soles together.
Hold the pose for 10 breathes or longer.
Benefits
This is an excellent posture to make the hip joint more flexible and to work on abdominal muscles.
The thighs and the gluteus muscles are stretched to their fullest degree and helps in strengthening and keeping these muscles supple.
12 Wednesday Sep 2012
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One of my favorite poses. Try this and share your experience. Namaste. ^_^
How:
Depends on your entry
Tip toe balance
1. Draw your (left/right) knee to the floor. Let it touch the surface of the floor.
2. Bring your hands together to prayer pose.
Standing Half-bound Lotus
1. Do the same thing as stated above.
2. Lower your self a little close to the floor(bend your standing leg), place your (right or left) foot on top of your opposite thigh.
3. Lower down your knee (right or left) to the floor.
BENEFITS:
strengthens the leg muscle and knee joints
CAUTION:
Avoid doing this pose if you have knee, leg, foot injuries.
28 Tuesday Aug 2012
This is such an interesting at the same time a challenging pose. It takes a lot of practice to be able to do this pose. This arm balance is part of the third series in Astanga Yoga. Pattabhi Jois calls this pose as Visvamitrasana B. Koundinyasana II is also called as the Albatross Pose, Hurdlers pose or One-Legged Arm Balance. The English Translation of the sanskrit name Eka pada Koundinyasana is one-Legged Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya.
Your way in to this pose depends on your entry say for instance Adho Mukha Svanasana or Lizard pose.
first option
– From downward facing down
– Lift one leg (right or left) behind you to one legged dog.
– Swing or draw your leg (right or left) close to your (right or left) elbow.
– Rest your leg (right or left) on top of your (right or left) arm.
– Then you can adjust yourself in this stage.
– If you are ready, you can start bringing your back leg (either right or left)
off the ground.
– Lean forward to balance your self perfectly.
– Lift your head and look forward
– Allow your breath to flow.
another option: the lizard pose (Utthan Pristhasana)
– If you are in lizard pose
– Straighten your arms
– Then square your elbows. Similar to the crow elbow. Strong and stable.
– Bring your back knee (left or right) off the floor. Use you back foot to
balance your self.
– Then flatten your front foot (right or left) to the ground.
– With your squared elbow- bring your (right or left) arm under your (right or
left) bended leg. Then slowly bring it out
for you to be able to rest your leg on top of arm.
– Lift your chest until your torso is parallel to the floor.
– If you are confident now. Slowly lean forward and straighten your front leg
at the same time lift your back leg as
high as you can.
– Lift your head and look forward
– Allow your breath to flow.
There are other ways to go into Koundinyasana II as well such as:
– Visvamitrasana
– Kala Bhairavasana
– Warrior poses
Benefits
Strengthens the arms and wrists
Tones the belly and spine
Balance
Concentration
develops abdominal strength
hamstring flexibility
Contraindication
avoid doing any arm balancing yoga postures if you have any wrist or lower back injury
Enjoy your practice. Namaste. ^_^
17 Friday Aug 2012
Posted Yoga, Yoga Philosophy
inDukkha means suffering, pain, anxiety, and unhappiness-something negative that exist because its part of being human. However, these sufferings does have an end according to Buddha.
Suffering comes from different directions. You can see it in other people’s lives. They are the product of our decisions and actions. Suffering here does not solely mean the disease we acquired from smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day nor the abdominal pain we get from drinking. One thing is for sure, suffering is part of our existence. But it is up to us on how we deal with it.
Suffering (or unsatisfactoriness) can be distinguished in three types:
1. Suffering of suffering: this refers to the most obvious aspects like pain, fear and mental distress.
2. Suffering of change: refers to the problems that change brings, like joy disappears, nothing stays, decay and death. *remember that the only constant thing in this universe is CHANGE.
3. All-pervasive suffering: this is the most difficult to understand aspect, it refers to the fact that we always have the potential to suffer or can get into problematic situations. Even death is not a solution in Buddhist philosophy, as we will simply find ourselves being reborn in a different body, which will also experience problems.
Then what causes human to suffer?
Our mind is the primary reason why we have all of these sufferings. Remember that our mind is one powerful source. Again, the reason that we experience suffering comes ultimately from our mind. According to Buddhism, our main mental problems or root delusions are: ATTACHMENT, ANGER and IGNORANCE. Because of these delusions, we engage in actions that cause problems to ourselves and others. With every negative action (the karma) we do, we create a potential for negative experiences.
Attachment
– Buddha explains that our attachment to life keeps us in cyclic existence or samsara, which does not bring us continuous happiness. Because we will get stuck to the cycle. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that surround us, but also the ideas,knowledge and -the things that we perceive.
– if we are attach to things and we don’t see it that way-its difficult to identify the cause of the problems
– Do you think a person will be happy if that something special (which he is attached to) will be gone?
Anger
-..all of our actions have consequences.
– When we are ignorant about somethings – as in lack of understanding or knowledge to the nature of the thing/situation, we get angry especially when we can fully understand what’s happening.
– Thus, when other people did something unpleasant to us, we tend to do the same thing to others.
– when there is pain, their is suffering. The absence of happiness.
– Little did we know that the feeling of anger that we may have for something or someone has also an impact onto our own well-being. Thus, a never ending feeling of anger will lead us to heart attack and other heart dilemmas which is also another suffering for us and our family, hence it will greatly affect them as well.
– ignorance and attachment could result to anger. How? imagine yourself totally attach to something, you tend to do many things (usually-not the good one) just to keep that special thing. When that special thing is totally gone, how will you feel? not just sad of course.
Ignorance
– if we are not having a complete or an unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding about our self, mistakes, the nature of things that we are involved in, the things that are happening around us- we tend to engage ourselves to troubles that are mostly modifiable and preventable. Thus, things repeat again and again especially if we don’t reflect on it and learn from them.
Ignorance, anger and attachment are connected to each other. One results to another.
Then the question is, what will cease our sufferings in this life? Have you heard about the four noble truth which Siddhartha taught?
“This is the most positive message of Buddhism: although suffering is always present in cyclic existence, we can end this cycle of problems and pain, and enter Nirvana, which is a state beyond all suffering. ”
The truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety, stress)
– As in, to understand/to accept/to admit/to recognize that there is a problem/suffering
– identifying problems/sufferings.
The truth of the origin of dukkha
– identifying the cause of the sufferings
– if we can’t point out the problem, like a cycle-it will repeat over and over again, thus it will lead us to another layer of sufferings and problems. To be able to solve the problem we must identify the underlying cause.
The truth of the cessation of dukkha
– The solution
– How to remove the suffering/how to solve the problem?
– How? though Nirvana as in the elimination of suffering/ freedom from those negative thoughts, feelings, worries, troubles
and the like.
The truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha
– the ways to eliminate the suffering
– how? through the Eight Fold Path
15 Wednesday Aug 2012
Posted Yoga, Yoga Philosophy
inTags
creativity, Inspiration, meditation, Opening the Chakra, Personality Traits, well-being, wisdom, yoga
More than one school of thought or beliefs, is centred on the use of color to enhance mental and physical well-being. One of the best known, is the Hindu system, expressed in the Sanskrit word “chakra”, or “wheel”. Once associated with the chariot wheel, it later became linked to the “Wheel of Light”, equivalent to the Sanskrit word which means ““spinning wheel of energy”, the practice of enlightening and healing the body through its seven centres of energy.
The chakras are related to the seven basic energy centers in the body. Each of the chakras correlate to a major nerve ganglia branching out from the spinal column. In addition the chakras are correlated to colors, sounds, body functions, and much more.
According to Buddhist/Hindu teaching all of the chakras should contribute to a human’s well-being. Our instincts would join forces with our feelings and thinking. Some of our chakras are usually not open all the way (meaning, they operate just like when you where born), but some are over-active, or even near closed.An imbalance in the Crown Chakra may be felt as lack of purpose, loss of meaning or identity, mental illness, and senility.
BEAUTY, CREATIVITY, INSPIRATION, WISDOM
Violet
The 7th Chakra
Location: crown of the head
Related organ: brain
A.K.A: Sahasrara
Endocrine gland: pineal gland.
-Personal Identification with the infinite
-Oneness with God. Peace. Wisdom
PETALS: The crown chakra is known as the Thousand Petal Lotus. When it is clear and open, it is our own personal Stargate, or vortex, into the higher dimensions.
NOTES AND MANTRA: The musical note for this chakra is B and the Mantra is Om (aum) or “ee” (Ti) as in bee.
SENSE: Our multidimensional and extrasensory senses are ruled by the seventh chakra. Once this chakra is opened, our sense of empathy and unity expands. When we raise our consciousness, we experience another person, place or object as if we are inside of them or as if we are in them. It is important, then, that we remember that with this power comes responsibility. We should activate these senses only to provide help or healing.
Compassion is the main sense that develops as our crown chakra opens. We have two kinds of compassion:
Crown Compassion, which is more about perception and communication, and Heart Compassion, which is more about emotions and empathy.
GEMSTONES: like amethyst, clear quartz, diamonds, moldavite, and peacock ore are perfect for bringing the crown charka into alignment and balance.
Associated problems: depression, Parkinson’s disease, Schizophrenia, Epilepsy, seniledementia, Alzheimer’s, many mental disorders, confusion,dizziness and muscular and skeletal diseases, skin problems, exhaustion that does not have a physical root
Violet relates to self knowledge/spiritual awareness. It is the union with your higher self, with spirituality, and your higher consciousness. Disease can result with an imbalance of energy in this chakra, either too much or too little. The violet energy connects us to our spiritual self bringing guidance, wisdom and inner strength and purifies our thoughts and feelings giving us inspiration in all undertakings.
positive aspects of violet
– a reverence for all life
– self sacrificing in the service of others
– idealism
– an ability to see the appropriate route for the benefit of the higher self
– the ability to see the big picture in the stream of Life
– self-sacrifing
– kindly and just
– selflessness
– strong mentally
– creativity
– Enhances artistic talent and creativity.
– PERSONALITY TRAITS: humanitarians, Inspirational leaders, visionary
negative aspects of violet
– no concern for others
– feelings of superiority
– lack of contact with reality
– lack of direction
– over-reaction to sensory stimulus and environment
HOW TO OPEN:
1. Sit cross-legged.
2. Lay your hand before your stomach. Let the little fingers point up and away from you, touching at their tops, and cross
the rest of the fingers with the left thumb underneath the right.
3. Concentrate on the Crown Chakra and what it stands for, at the very top of your head.
4. Silently, but clearly, chant the sound “NG” (yes, this chant is as hard as it looks).
5. All this time, your body should now be totally relaxed, and your mind should be at peace. However, do not stop concentrating on the Crown Chakra.
6. This meditation is the longest, and should take no less than ten minutes.
SUGGESTED MEDITATION
1. Take twenty deep breaths while visualizing above your head a bright white light that goes from the top of your head and runs down through your spine, down through your tail bone and out of your tail bone into the earth beneath you.
2. Imagine the light traveling down; down through the earth until it reaches the center where the white light becomes the fire at the center and becomes an anchor, anchoring you to Mother Earth keeping you grounded, safe, and secure within yourself.
3. From this anchor visualize the color indigo, as a glowing ball of violet blue light at the top of you head. Check the shading of this color violet blue; check the emotions and feelings that you may be experiencing. Stay with this visualization for five minutes.
4. Afterwards write down what you experienced during this seventh chakra meditation. An important part of this exercise is to write down or journal your findings. Your journal doesn’t have to be formal – it doesn’t even have to be written in complete sentences! All it is, is a place for you to express what you are feeling. These meditations can strengthen each chakra center by visualizing its vibratory color. Write down your impressions leaving out nothing you observed and/or felt. You will find that as you write that you are exploring who you are, what you are going through, and how you are dealing with it.
WARNING: don’t use this meditation for the Crown Chakra if your Root Chakra is not strong or open. Before dealing with this last chakra, you need a strong “foundation” first, which the Root exercises will present to you.
10 Friday Aug 2012
Posted Yoga, Yoga Philosophy
inTags
Breathing technique, devotional practices, happiness, meditation, Postures, well-being, wellness, yoga, Yoga Ethics
The heart has six enemies which causes suffering and prevents the soul from shining. They are also the blockage to our chakras. They are the..
Kama- Desire and Lust
Krodha- Anger
Moha- Delusion
Lobha- Greed
Madha- Egoistic Tendency
Matsarya- Jealousy
They are not only causing us sufferings and dissatisfactions in life. Moreover, they form a habitual cycle that affects our wellbeing-physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. If we won’t do anything to eliminate them, the cycle will forever repeat itself thus the suffering will tag along with us wherever we go.
In Sikhism, they are called as the Five Thieves/Five Evils.
1. Kam (Lust,addiction)
2. Krodh (Rage,wrath,loathe,anger,grudge)
3. Lobh (Greed,materialistic)
4. Moh (Attachment/worldly infatuation)
5. Ahankar (Ego/pride)
They were believe to caused obstruction to the moral and spiritual path of the man. However, the word “evil” here may be understood to represent the connotation of Punjabi pap (sin), dokh (defect), or kilbikh (defilement).”
Here’s the detail..
-Anger has a great impact into out second center known as the Swadhistan Chakra.
-Greed affects the third center which is the Manipur Chakra. It does not only destroy our collective values but it will also create imbalance to our personality.
-Attachment suppresses the ability of the Anahata Chakra to shine. It lessens the power of the heart to love in a generous way. “Attachment is a lower and selfish form of love-it takes instead of giving, it is a cause and a consequence for a lack of inner security”
-Jealousy is the resentment against another person. However, because of this disposition the Vishuddhi Chakra will be prevented to glow. This kind of feeling will destroy human relationships.
-Egoistic tendency obstruct the opening of the six center which is called the Agnya Chakra. “When the Agnya clears the soul, the subject is no longer blinded or nisled by the projections of his ego. He is capable of settling into a deeper self-identity, a source of personal strength, confidence and resilience”
The antidote of the 6 poisons is called the 5 Klesas (Kleshas).
These are the tools which can help us overcome the culprits of our afflictions.
1. meditation
2. Breathing Technique
3. Ethics
4. Postures
5. Devotional Practices
In Sikhism, the five devils can be countered with these five virtues. These five steps will help the human overcome the sins or the five evils in their lives.
1. Sat (truth)
2. Daya (compassion)
3. Santokh (contentment)
4. Nimrata (humility)
5. Pyar (love)
“To be truly happy we must train them and gain control over our senses, our desires, and ultimately our minds”
“First we must identify and become conscious of these behaviors and tendencies in our thinking, then we can decide that we have to eliminate them. This decision is called a Sankalpa in Yoga where we make a resolute intention to integrate or eliminate something into our lives. In Yoga we have the beautiful practice of Pratipaksha Bhavana, “cultivating the opposites”, which helps us when we have these negative thoughts. It is this practice that we must then implement by turning our minds to divine thoughts and qualities.”
10 Friday Aug 2012
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Tiptoe Balance
..this is one of my favorite poses. Each and every soul in this universe, for sure, has their own personal favorite. What are yours?
..This pose helps improve our physical balance, concentration, strength and flexibility especially in the lower extremities including our hips, thighs, toes, knees as well as our ankles.
One foot (right or left) is resting on the (right or left) knee. This is quite challenging yet fun to do. Once you found your balance, lift your arm out over head while the other is resting on your waist/hips/the side of your torso.
You can do so many things with this pose. Knees pointing on different directions. Soles of the feet touching together.
These variations are obviously different from the second picture above. This time, the knees, inner thighs, heels, toes are touching together. The heels are lifted, and our derriere is resting just on top of the heels. If you want to add your eagle arms in this pose, go ahead, explore all the things that you can possibly do. 😉
This is the Ardha-Prapadasana (the half-bound Tiptoe poses) and its variation (preparation). This is also known as the Padangushthasana. At times, poses have more than two names.
Here’s another picture of the tiptoe balance variations. Bring your knee (right or left) on the floor. Once you are well-balanced, extend the free leg (right or left) and grab it with your thumb and your piece fingers. You can use your spider fingers to add support. Place them couple of inches behind you. If you can flatten your palm on your mat, go for it. You can also switch arms or legs to add more thrill. Wootwoow. ehem.. don’t hold your breaths while you are doing all of these. Yoga is not solely about the physical things you do with your body. It is the union of your mind,body, soul and your breath.
Enjoy. ^_^
06 Monday Aug 2012
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Balance strength concentration
..connecting one pose to another should feel like a dance that flows smoothly and naturally. Working on each body part is really important in a yoga class/practice. It is not just beneficial to connect Tip toe balancing to one legged Galavansana, but it is also challenging-mentally and physically-a good challenge for someone who wants to explore the possibilities.
Try these two great poses in your practice.
Tiptoe balancing pose
पादाङ्गुष्ठासन
Padangushthasana
Padangusththasana is an intermediate pose which strengthen your hips down to your legs, thighs, ankles and toes. This involves a lot of concentration on balancing. Going into a tip toe balance depends on your entry.
Balance Focus strength flexibility
Here’s the way in to the pose.
1. Go to a squatting position.
a. Right leg bent: creating number four using your legs. So, that’s right foot on top of the left thigh.
b. Left heel should be off the floor. Left heel must also be under your Perineum.
2. Place your hands into Anjali Mudra in front of your heart.
3. Spine (back, neck) should be aligned, straight and active.
4. Gaze: forward.
5. Stay in this pose for 5-10 breaths (actually depending on your preference) the longer you stay the more benefits you will get.
6. Do the same thing on the other side or otherwise connect this pose with your eka pada galavasana.
If you can’t balance yourself, you can use the wall to aid you with the balancing part. Modification of this pose is also essential.
Flying Pigeon
Eka Pada Galavasana
Eka = one, Pada = foot. The sage Galava was a student of Vasishta.
This pose is a combination of a hip opener and an arm balance.
From the tip toe balance pose, prepare yourself for the flying pigeon pose.
1. Adjust your leg (the one that is bent) until you are comfortable and ready to go to the next step which is to—
2. Plant your hands on the ground in front of you.
3. Make sure your arms are similar to the crow arms–bent. The bent leg (left or right) should be on top of your elbows.
-remember to hook your toes around the upper arm.
4. Slowly lean forward, shifting your weight into you hands, at the same time lift your heel off the floor into a baby eka pada galavasana.
-heart should be parallel to the floor.
5. Check your balance and slowly straighten your back leg (left or right)
6. Drishti: nose
7. Stay here 5-8 breaths or longer if you prefer.
After which you can go out of the pose once you are satisfied with your practice.
Enjoy your practice. I hope to hear something from you. ^_^ don’t hesitate to share your thoughts.
Namaste.
I haven't a clue what I'm doing, but I'm having fun doing it!
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Life from Southern California, mostly San Diego County
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