Of course your just a spring chicken

Most people seem to be frozen in the "I'm a spring chicken" phase and the whole aging thing is a life-time away. Well one day when you wake up and your body's not moving as good as it use to, you realise I'm screwed - a fully aged chicken whos body aint moving so great. A bit of yoga along the way is a good solution to help keep some movement in those joints and muscles.

Recently I had a bout with fatigue - my mind was sound but I just couldn't really get the energy to move. For the first time I really felt imprisoned in my body (well the second, the first time was when I had a broken ankle). I started to really think about handicaps, diseases and age - to have a strong mind but not be able to move. Terrible.

Well, we can stop the effects of the natural inevitable aging process with a lot of things - we hear about movement/exercise, eating, low stress, and DIET. But flexibility and constricted movement can still happen with those things.  Yoga is a good solution or way to really have control and freedom of movement.

 

WHO: is clearly everyone :)

WHY:

When people ask why I do yoga and like yoga - I just like being able to move. Something feels great about being able to correct your posture and touch your toes (gives control over the body) - this was something I found even before yoga; at the gym I'd always stretch and work on flexibility.

HOW:

Yoga is about 3 things at first: Effort, Concentration and Balance.

Its a systematic twisting, bending, balancing - restricting and constricting muscles as well as creating new flow of blood to areas of the body. Relaxing your mind while you engage all other vital organs, skeletal and muscular, strengthen and cleansing as you detox.

You become more aware of what your dealing with - your body, and yours patterns of movement and alignment. 

Soon enough you'll see the connection to spirit.

WHAT: benefits

 

Physiological:

- Movement of Joints: increased flexibility and range of motion

- Parasympathetic Nervous System (some types of yoga more than others): rest and relax function. 

         SLUDD: sexual arousal, lacrimation (tears), urination, digestion and defecation

Toxin Release

             - within organs, flushing new blood and oxygen to all areas of the body

             - through sweat: breathing (pranayama) helps heat up the body; for sweat and malleability

Creates Strength - like most exercise

     - muscle

     - organs (lungs, heart, etc)

Stronger grip

Hand-eye coordination improves

Better posture

More resilient and higher endurance

Psychological Benefits

Mental

- Concentration

- Peace of mind

Used to help things like depressions and anxiety

Depth perception improves

Concentration and attention increase

 

Biochemical Benefits -
I'm not sure how this works yet, looking into it as it is very interesting....

Glucose decreases

Sodium decreases

Total cholesterol decreases

Triglycerides decrease

HDL cholesterol increases

LDL cholesterol decreases

VLDL cholesterol decreases

etc 

Info found here:

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/beginnersguide/yogabenefits.asp

WHEN: is clearly now.
Start slow - whats once a week for an hour, nothing if it means control and movement. 

Lesson today: find the vinasya within a posture

Four definitions of vinyasa:
1) the linking of body movement with breath
2) a specific sequence of movements used to transition between postures
3) setting an intention or goal for a personal yoga practice and taking necessary steps
4) a type of yoga class

2 facets of posture - pose and repose

Pose: just doing the physical posture -or artistic assumption of a position

Repose: finding perfection in the pose and maintaining it. Reflecting in it with intelligence and dedication.

During the "repose" process you can react to the teachers queues by adjusting your posture, moving, breathing and getting in touch with the body as well as the mind during it.  You can think about previous lessons learn in other classes, try to absorb within to see if you can adjust naturally without too much thought.

One of my teachers explained this as the vinayasa within each posture. A posture is never static - there will never be perfection. The principle of the asana practice (one element of yoga) is that its not necessary an attainable goal but rather a journey (a step in preparation for mediation and eventually enlightenment).

Continued movement of physical and mental - with the goal of stillness. A dichotomy or contradiction, however I find this irony poetically beautiful....

Experience aint a window, can be a door

A good little thing to consider and think about - do you muddle what you gain from an experience with the actual experience? There are things that you could gain but forget due to the memory of how you felt, what you went through, who you were with, etc.
There are things you can always take away from anything you do but sometimes we get lost in the memory of what the mind perceives, we just need to remember to look at a situation from different angles.  It could be good, bad or ugly but its all a learning game.

This was an ahhh-ha moment I had today.  I was lost in a particular experience I had while living and working abroad. Instead of focusing on what I gained, I was focused on what I dislike and generalised to a broader "thing" (not a full disclosure moment).

Open the door vs confuse your memory as a window to a past experience. Think about it.

What a story!!

This incredible story shows the power of yoga and the human spirit. Nothing is impossible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448&feature=share

Lessons in a creative, concise, and printable way...

What a great, little creative display of all the life lessons I always crack on about. Its easily digestible. Love it. Really hits all the key things for life - encapsulates purpose and how to find happiness now.

This is print worthy for a little daily reading and reminder....



What's this OMing about?

 

OM Symbol

I know that people not into the yoga spiritual thing get a little weirded/intimidated by the whole OMing thing. But its just a connection point before and after yoga - almost like an integration from and to the craziness of life. 

The OM is like slapping the mind into the present - like "yo ok we get there are lists of do, things I want, what i shouldve did, will do, and blah blah blah. but for this next hour I am just going to stop thinking and take control back from the little voice. Focus on my body and me!"  Its me time.

More about da OM:
OM or AUM - the sound or vibration of creation. A universal sound, "no word can be uttered without the symbolic sound of thes three letters a, u, and m."

A is the opening of the mouth, U is the crux of the sound and M is the closing of the mouth.

HOW:
Take a deep breath in and on the exhale start the OM or AUM -  the A is short, U is longest, the M (mouth closed) is short with the 4th element at the end of the breath is the silence. Doesn't really matter what it sounded like but the lower the frequency the closer to the the actual sound.

WHERE:
Through the OM we are connecting to the sound of creation. It has physiological impacts on the mind - brings stillness and peace of mind.  The vibration of the sounds can be felt in the body - A in the legs, U in the chest and M in the head - the energy can be felt through the body, try focusing on this. If you dont feel it, its a sign you have blockages in the body - physically, emotional and energetically. I can feel it in my chest and head but my legs are all kinds of blocked (which I was told by a Reiki master without him knowing that I couldn't feel the A vibration).
If anything its just nice to listen to and be in the room with. You will get the benefits even if you dont feel comfortable joining in. Which you don't have to. I tend to use it in everyday, like in a crazy heated situation just "hey guys lets just OM it out" - coined it.
Worked well in hectic unpredictable india...ie: the road is blocked due to an elephant stampede, about to miss a train, police want money so the bike tuk tuk can proceed, etcetc "just OM it out, OM it out...inhale deeply exhale completely"...ahhhhh. Lived to tell the tale.


WHAT: it means in India
As the symbol of the Hinduism religion it is the center piece of the country. Religion is infused in the fabric of this very big country.  Below is a picture that breaks down the symbol even more.


"The symbol of AUM consists of three curves (curves 1, 2, and 3), one semicircle (curve 4), and a dot.
The large lower curve 1 symbolizes the waking state (jagrat), in this state the consciousness is turned outwards through the gates of the senses. The larger size signifies that this is the most common ('majority') state of the human consciousness.
The upper curve 2 denotes the state of deep sleep (sushupti) or the unconscious state. This is a state where the sleeper desires nothing nor beholds any dream.
The middle curve 3 (which lies between deep sleep and the waking state) signifies the dream state (swapna). In this state the consciousness of the individual is turned inwards, and the dreaming self beholds an enthralling view of the world behind the lids of the eyes.

These are the three states of an individuals consciousness, and since Indian mystic thought believes the entire manifested reality to spring from this consciousness, these three curves therefore represent the entire physical phenomenon."


Other means respective to A U M (relatively):
I like thinking of OM as the creation, preservation and destruction (born, live, die), of ourselves and eventually our earth. The circle of life. The semi-circle is our body which is interpreting the physical experience and also is the connection to the inner-self, or the soul (the dot).

• Deity : Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.
• Action : Creation, Preservation, and Destruction.
• Seasons : Spring, Summer, and Winter.
• Periods : Morning, Midday, and Evening.
• Manifestation of Speech : Voice (vak), Mind (manas), Breath (prana).
• Power : of Action (kriya), of Knowledge (jnana), and of Will (iccha).
• Man : Body, Soul, and Spirit.
• Time : Past, Present, and Future.
• Stages of Existence : Birth, Life, and Death.
• Phases of the Moon : Waxing, Full, and Waning.
• Elements: rajas (action), tamas (stillness), sattva (peace)

Lots of deets:
http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/symbols/aum.htm

In India they always say the AUM has hundreds of meaning, one of which is God.

Not in the traditional western "man in a white beard" judging and being worship but rather God is everything, including us. We are one. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

90/10 in life and yoga

Now that I’m old and gray (but not quite in my rocker yet!), I look back on my life and think about things I wish I knew earlier. It would have made my life so much easier if I knew then what I know now. Here’s my list of things I wish I could turn back the hands of time to tell my younger self. Maybe it’s not too late for you.

http://www.positivelypositive.com/2012/01/14/50-lessons-i-wish-i-had-learned-earlier-blog/


"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

I just love this for so many reasons - its ring true on every level!

Reminds me of  what SK Pattabhi Jois says about yoga: "yoga is 90% practice, 10% theory"


My second fav is this one, and 3rd, 4th, etcetc. SO many good ones that can speak to you are different times in life.
Do what you love, not what you think you’re supposed to do.
Don’t forget to enjoy your journey!
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.
Making one person smile can change the world.
Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
What lies before us and behind us are tiny matters when compared to what lies within us.
As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”


I love putting these kinds of things on my blog (cause really lets be real I am the only one reading it) but I can always look back to see things that inspired and spoke to me along the way. So it doesnt get lost in the interweb, I guess I could pinterest it, its on my facebook, this digital era is something else...

Enjoy life more - step 1

My last post was deep and long on the path of yoga and happiness. But I wanted to explore something more tangible to start now. To evaluate ones life gets the ball rolling, helps start your vision toward enjoying everyday more.

I think this little exercise is easy - as least as a starting point. I do think the HOW or action plan can be hard to come up but everything is due time - create steps and this is 1.

Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare.
- Japanese Proverb

A good place to start is by making a list with the following key aspects of life:

• Work
• Family and Friends
• Physical Activity
• Recreation and Play
• Community Activities
• Spirituality
• Plans and goals

Are you satisfied in this area?
Do you feel happy with?
Do you do enough?
Do you have? do you want?
Why not? Am I doing anything about it?
Whats stopping me? Does someone else impact my happiness in this area?
Have I tried to do something in the last 6 months to change things?

If there are things missing, then create an action plan to improve in certain aspects:

 - get a resume ready, search online
- talk to someone new
- go for a walk
- get a new hobby
- volunteer a local soup kitchen
- contemplate lifes meaning
- make a 5 year goal life

 

A C T - clap clap clap -I O N (this is me revisiting an old highschool cheer) but its all about taking action. Even just writing down a list is a step in the right direction, putting it out in the universe you want/need change.

There are a ba-zillion self help starting points and books out there. I found the circle of joy and thought who doesnt want a little joy....why not post something around it.