Jivamukti is a physically vigorous and intellectually stimulating style of yoga that has transformed the lives of thousands. Follow Sharon Gannon she guides you through an inspiring yoga flow that is demonstrated by David Life and Sharon. In 1984 Sharon Gannon and David Life created the Jivamukti Yoga Method, which is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. The JY Method emphasizes vinyasa, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting and meditation as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism and political activism.

The Jivamukti Yoga Method is taught worldwide in Jivamukti Yoga Schools in New York, Berlin, Munich, London, Toronto, and Detroit. The Jivamukti Yoga method is recognized by TIME magazine as one of the nine major methods of hatha yoga taught in the world today, and is featured in the acclaimed documentary, “What is Yoga?”.

About Sharon Gannon
In 1984 Sharon Gannon and David Life created the Jivamukti Yoga Method, which is a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings. The JY Method emphasizes vinyasa, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting and meditation as well as animal rights, veganism, environmentalism and political activism.

Preview a free sample or download: Transform Yourself with Jivamukti Yoga

Work can fulfill us or deplete us. And since we spend easily half our waking hours on the job, our occupation affects our longevity and health. If we learn how to explore the full potential of our ayurvedic constitution (prakriti), we can design our lifestyles accordingly, reaping maximum success from our labors and increasing our levels of energy, joy, and vitality.

Our prakriti is comprised of three doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha. Although some people have dual or tri-doshic constitutions, most of us have one dominant dosha. Here is how the doshas play out at work and some ayurvedic advice on how to regain balance if your job is dosha-aggravating.

Read more about your dosha and how to achieve a more fulfilling work lifestyle.

Watch a yoga video preview of In a Heartbeat Vinyasa

About Clara:
Clara originates her practice and teachings from New York at the Jivamukti Yoga Center. She received her certification at Sonic Yoga NYC with Lauren Hanna and Jonathan Fields in 2003. Her unique sense of sequencing is influenced by teachers Shiva Rea, Lauren Hanna, Stacey Brass (Laughing Lotus), David Life (Jivamukti) and from her background in dance.

A very interesting paper was published in European Spine Journal this month entitled Altered Breathing Patterns in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients. Rousell and his colleague’s research proved that patients with chronic low back pain often experience altered breathing patterns while performing movements involving the core muscles. This is relevant for anyone who moves and has low back pain! Let’s define each of the patterns that were considered impaired: click here to read full article

Many western teacher training schools, while they introduce this philosophy will braise over the philosophy of yoga and delve right into asana (postures), as this is what we are mainly teaching to students, though this too, is changing. Though an appropriate approach for most people wanting to learn how to be a yoga teacher, the yamas and niyamas are not first and second in the list of limbs randomly.

Yama, the first limb of yoga or ethical discipline, is similar to that of the great commandments, transcending creed, country, age and time. These rules of conduct, or yamas are: ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (continence), and aparigraha (non-coveting). It is the lack of attention paid to the yamas that lead to mental and emotional suffering, and it is this suffering that turns many onto a yogic path, first via asana, and then through the practice of meditation, or control of the mind.

The Niyamas, to outline the difference, are rules that govern individual conduct, while the yamas are universal. There are five niyamas called: saucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (austerity), svadhyaya (study of self) and isvara (dedication to the lord).

For the sake of exemplification, let us use satya to make the connection from the mat to the yamas, and how we conduct ourselves in daily existence. Satya, or truth, is the highest rule of conduct or morality. If the mind thinks truth, if the tongue speaks truth and if one’s life is based on truth, the person becomes fit for the union with the infinite, which really, is yoga’s ultimate path (as opposed to increased flexibility!) Truth is not limited to speech alone. There are four sins of speech: abuse and obscenity, dealing in falsehoods, telling tales and ridiculing others. The ancient Chinese proverb, “he who controls his tongue has attained self control in a great measure” comes to mind when speaking of satya and how we live it.

When attempting to live a life without falsehoods satya seems to be almost non-existent due to the many masks we wear when doing business, in our personal affairs, or even when existing among our own family members. The truth can be only found within an individual. To live a life with truth is to live to its ultimate peak. It may be easy for a person to believe or justify that they are living with integrity by coming to yoga classes, but it goes much further than the physical practice. A life lived with truth, when no one is watching, creates ripples of positive actions, which in return leads to positive karma, which in turn reduces mental and emotional stress.

Many times, a lie, even one not meant with malice causes anxiety to us, as we wonder why we said we would do something when we really had no intention of doing it. Perhaps we have exaggerated a skill on a resume and then fear that the interviewer will check on this fact by asking us, causing us to extend the truth or the lie, or that a reference will be called and we worry about what that person will say about the exaggeration on the resume.

With even greater subtlety someone may withhold information or feelings on what they really want from their partner for fear of rejection, ridicule, or guilt due to societal conditioning. Think of a time where you wanted to be held, to make love, or have your partner know a secret you would not want to share. Withholding can also be considered an untruth. Once the body has become so open through yoga practice, the chakras in the body also open wider, allowing us to speak with more confidence, clarity and our true intentions. Speaking and acting with satya can then open a couple to true intimacy through communication, and we all know that communication is key for success in relating not only to our partners, but to all beings.

The truth is that we are here as a spirit, in human form, trying to release ourselves from the wheel of samsara or suffering. The ancient yogic scriptures speak of truth and give us practical methods to release the hold of human desires. All we have to do is to experiment with their methods and observe the results. Try a day of saying exactly what you mean, politeness aside, and asking also for what you want, exactly for what you want. Also practice the art of being who you really are, which is not someone who does things they do not really want to do. Observe the results. Repeat.

About the author:
Satyama Lasby is a hatha yoga instructor with over 10 years experience teaching in Canada, India and Guatemala. Certified in Integrative Yoga Therapy, her influences come from Sivanada and Agama Yoga studied in Kerala and Rishikesh respectively. Satyama worked and taught at the Osho International Meditation Resort in 2009 where active meditations and level of interpersonal relating changed her entire outlook and approach to work and life. She loves to serve, dance, teach and touch.

Currently residing in Whistler, Satyama’s dharma is to bring meditation to people’s lives. She works to manage a yoga wear company called FRUV Freedomwear. She intuitively paints kundalini energy spirals, rides her bike and makes students smile. “It starts on the mat, but it real bliss occurs when your yoga and meditation become connected to every spontaneous moment.”

Click to watch a free yoga video sample of Power Yoga for Beginners

About Jesse:
Jesse Enright has been a student of Yoga for eleven years and an instructor for the past nine. He began his studies with Sivananda Yoga before exploring the more dynamic Ashtanga Vinyasa, the detailed alignment of Iyengar and the comprehensive intelligence of Vijnana Yoga.

He has studied and practiced under senior instructors in India, Australia, Canada and the U.S. Jesse was a full-time instructor at the Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto for five years and completed their one-year teacher training program before moving to Vancouver in 2002. Jesse credits his excellent teachers and his training in anatomy and postural analysis for his detailed, informative style of instruction.

His classes blend the challenge and flow of vinyasa with deep alignment and a lighthearted approach.Jesse Enright has been a student of Yoga for eleven years and an instructor for the past nine. He began his studies with Sivananda Yoga before exploring the more dynamic Ashtanga Vinyasa, the detailed alignment of Iyengar and the comprehensive intelligence of Vijnana Yoga.

About Kristin McGee:
When Kristin McGee moved to New York City from Pocatello, Idaho, in 1994 to pursue a career in acting, she never imagined she’d end up a fitness celebrity. Her hip approach to Pilates and yoga have made her a fitness icon - she’s been on Good Morning America, featured in Self and Shape, and the star of numerous fitness DVDs, including the popular MTV Yoga line.

Watch a free pilates video sample of Pilates for Beginners

When we are born we breathe in, when we die we breathe out. The space between these two breaths holds the entirety of our life experience here on Earth. While the body that houses our spirit passes away, in some ways the light of our soul never stops burning just as the light of the sun never actually stops shining. From our limited perspective we are not able to see the daylight on the other side of the globe after sunset and it can also be hard for us to accept the eternal nature of our soul. In order to gain the perspective necessary to feel the eternal peace at the core of all life you must transcend the mundane and see everything from an elevated vantage point.

Yoga teaches that the way to cross the bridge into these more rarefied states of being is through the vehicle of the breathe. Working with the breath while practicing yoga can not only be challenging, but also sometimes frustrating. Only a very accomplished practitioner can successfully coordinate complex movements with their calm, controlled breath. When I first started practicing yoga I was more interested in the end result of the posture than the subtleties of the breath. In fact it took me years before integrating pranayama, or breathe control, into my daily ritual. Only after my teacher, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, directly taught me the method of pranayama was I willing to go to this powerful place within. I have now come to understand that without the breath there is in fact no yoga and I am now as inspired by the breath as I am by the postures, if not more. Accomplished postures, acrobatic movements and floating handstands are all just tricks without the steady focus on the breath that is the heart of yoga.

The magic of working with the breath means that when you control the breath you have access to all five koshas, or bodies-physical, mental, emotional energetic and spiritual. Our breath is an action that is controlled by both conscious and unconscious action and therefore gives us access to both the conscious and subconscious mind. The regulation of breathing has an enormous impact on whether we are able to remain calm, healthy and balanced. It is through long, deep inhalation and exhalation that we stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system’s ability to calm down, more commonly known as the Relaxation Response. Nasal breathing deepens the state of relaxation, whereas open mouth breathing sends a signal of distress and panic to the brain. The deep ujjayi breathing taught in Ashtanga yoga stabilizes the heartbeat during strenuous activity, strengthens the cardiovascular system, triggers the Relaxation Response and keeps the mind totally focused within the present moment.

My teacher always said that the yoga practice is a breathing practice and that the postures are “just bending”. Keeping your attention on the breath is one of the main points of yoga and without this careful attention to the breath yoga would just be another form of exercise. Yoga brings you into a deeper relationship with yourself by twisting the body into uncomfortable positions and asking you to breathe while you gaze at a single point of attention. The level of complexity necessary at any given moment is enough to stop the mind and create a long pause between the otherwise steady stream of thoughts. The depth of the breath ensures that all the multiple layers of your being are fully present and integrated.

Yoga teaches that the equalization of the length of the inhalation and the length of the exhalation is of high importance while practicing. In doing so both sides of the consciousness are balanced. The inhalation can be correlated with receiving, taking in and activity, while the exhalation can be correlated with releasing, giving and restfulness. For postures that are challenging or painful and require greater flexibility it might be useful to focus temporarily on the exhalation. For postures that are challenging but require great strength it might be useful to coordinate the lifting motion with an inhalation in order to maximize the power of the breath.

Perhaps the greatest challenge of the yoga practice is that you are asked to maintain a calm, steady breathe while the you move through increasing levels of difficulty. It is hard to remember to breathe when a posture is so hard so that all you want to do is hold your breath. When things are difficult, fearful, painful and frustrating there is a natural tendency to hold the breath. But if you stop breathing you stop your life energy. It is important to keep breathing especially when the postures test your physical and emotional limits. One of the main manifestations of proficiency in a series of postures is not merely the ability to perform them well, but actually the ability to breathe deeply and steadily while holding the postures. When you learn to breathe freely while attempting difficult asanas you are also practicing the kind of deep relaxation that will help you in difficult life situations. Sometimes two long deep breaths can avert an escalation of argumentation between friends or partners. With yoga practice taking a breath to pause the train of torment will feel more and more natural over time both on and off the mat.

If you do your practice with the focus solely on the attainment of asanas you will most likely sacrifice the breath for form. Yet the ends do not justify the means in yoga. More to the contrary, the means in and of themselves are the ends. Yoga is about the journey and the process and if there is not space to allow a deep inhalation and exhalation to be your guide in yoga, there might never be space for you to be calm in your life. The goal of life is not merely to make it as quickly as possible to the last breath, but instead to enjoy the whole glorious ride along the way. If you let go of the need to achieve you will discover that you already have all the peace you really need inside yourself, in between the inhalation and exhalation.

About Kino MacGregor
Kino MacGregor is a small business owner (www.miamilifecenter.com), yoga teacher and freelance journalist who has produced two yoga DVDs and is currently working on her first book, Inner Peace, Irresistible Beauty to be released late April 2009. For complete details please see www.ashtanga-awareness.com.

I use the term biological debt to refer to a state that the body goes into after energy from stimulation has dissipated. Often brought about by eating refined sugar or drinking coffee to gain energy in the short term, biological debt is a state of fatigue.

For long-term health and vitality, we need to understand the difference between two types of energy: one obtained from stimulation, the other from nourishment. As a general rule, the more processed the food is, the more stimulating its effect will be on the nervous system, and the less nourishing. In contrast, the more natural and whole a food is — raw and sprouted being the best — the less stimulating and the more nourishing it will be.

Because of our insatiable desire for quick, convenient energy “on the go,” our streets are crammed with coffee, donut, and fast food establishments. This solves the convenience problem and offers a short-term energy solution through stimulation. However, it does nothing to help with the payment inevitably required by the body if this route is taken regularly. The body can subsist on stimulating, nutrient-absent food only so long before becoming either exhausted or sick –and where the body goes, the mind is sure to follow.

Click to read full article Learn to Eliminate The Biological Debt

Extended periods of sitting seem to be an occupational hazard in today’s information age. Even if you have good posture habits and the best ergonomic chair, your body will need a break to release muscle tension, stress, and stagnation in the joints. Fortunately, it’s easy to adapt some yoga postures for the office, allowing you to reap the benefits of hatha yoga without ever leaving your chair. Treat yourself to a five-minute break with this revitalizing sequence.

Click to learn a series of easy yoga exercises that are designed for the workplace: Yoga Break