Yoga is the effort full path, which entails a road with inescapable obstacles, plateaus, and setbacks. When we are facing a challenge, it is easy to disregard the valuable opportunity we are also presented for gaining new inner knowledge.
On this Corona wave of almost everyone making their own little training videos, online yoga classes, and self-marketing plus more, I have been forced to stop and think what’s my role as a Teacher in all of this. What my niche is, if I even have one?
You know those times when you hear the call of the sea? I have heard that loud call many times in my life. It’s an almost begging call I feel coming from deep within the lower thickest layer of my skin urging me to be by the sea. Ironically, I am not a deep sea creature.
What I practice is a form of mind training called Ashtanga Yoga. It’s is not the only form, but it is the form that resonates with me. Now, what’s the difference between that form and other physical forms; such as: acrobatics, training at the gym, or any other forms of physical exercising? Aren’t they a form of mind training too?
“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”
~William Barclay
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The Ashtanga Yoga methodology has two styles of practice. These are: Guided classes and Mysore style clases.
Dearest Zürich, my sweet home away from home,
Thank you for the very special day you gifted me by the lake today. You displayed such manners by granting me my favorite weather, a bright sunny day that is warm, yet not hot or humid.
There are times I come across certain practitioners that would love it if there was a magic pill they could take to “achieve” a particular pose(s) and avoid being challenged, so they can “quickly” move on to, ironically enough, the next challenging pose.
Just last night, I was pondering on how blessed I feel to count with the guidance and support of some of the most amazing humans in my life, whom I hold so dear in my heart, and just earlier this morning, I came across the most poignant message below:
Sadhana Pada, second chapter, of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. 2:46 "sthira-sukham-āsanam". Asana is the third limb of the eight limbs of yoga and the one that's mostly known in the west, for it is the physical aspect of yoga.
On June 3rd, 2010 I read an MSN article that reported the case of a homosexual man in Africa, who had died from aids. What was more tragic was that this man’s corpse was dug out of his grave, tied up by the ankles to a pickup truck, and dragged all around his small town to finally be dropped at the door’s entrance of his father’s house. I was outraged!
“Life is short. People are not easy to know. They're not easy to know, so if you don't tell them how you feel, you're not going to get anywhere, I feel.” ~Nina Simone
How I feel? Still a little…
What if I told you that I am a Bogi, not a Yogi? Bogi, in a yogic sense of the word, having origin in sanskrit, means those who enjoy worldly pleasure very much. Ahem! (Guilty ✋️)
The recurring theme of all my much pondering these past few days has been about the many patches of realization I received throughout the weekend: the many enlightening messages, talks, and signs that brought to light how small I have been playing all along in an unfortunate (for me) effort to abide by the rules, not to discomfort anyone, not to rock the boat.
Hello Halloween! Lift your legs off the floor and support your middle back with the palms of your hands while keeping the elbows in parallel towards each other. Activate the abdominal wall to help maintain the weight of the legs. Keep the legs straight and active, and point the feet. Invite a feeling of lightness that reaches the entire body up towards the ceiling, and breath, deeply.