tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81326318437785792602026-01-28T16:02:25.642-08:00Shanti, Shanti, ShantiI Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-34805420311810561522010-07-20T21:54:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:54:12.625-07:00

"Traditionally it is said that for a real practitioner, it's not the negative experiences but the good ones that bring obstacles. When things are going well you have to be especially careful and mindful so that you don't become complacent or over confident...What we have to learn in both [yoga] and life, is to be free of attachment to the good experiences and free of aversion to the negative ones

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-32518699924975841992009-06-10T22:03:00.000-07:002012-01-10T15:01:11.229-08:00

Did you know that human beings are about 70% water? Like all things of a watery nature, we are affected by the phases of the moon. Full moons occur when the sun and moon are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle.The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-91774789305090543222008-09-15T13:31:00.000-07:002008-09-15T13:47:08.062-07:00

Here we will share what inspires us on our personal yogic paths; poems, books, articles, artwork, and information we find enriching. It is also a way for us to connect with you outside the classroom, update you on workshops, retreats and events. We have learned so much writing these articles and feel so grateful for the opportunities to share these practices with all of you. Thank you for reading

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-86259060713642860542008-07-05T12:54:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:28:32.208-07:00

There are so many tools and ways for us to travel toward a state of yoga or union, and mantra practice (chanting) is a wonderful tool for some. Traditionally one chants a mantra 108 times in one sitting. Although it might seem daunting and quite challenging to commit to this practice (especially because it can take almost an hour with certain mantras), it is quite powerful, leading the

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-6787688051964291112008-07-05T12:46:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:30:28.803-07:00

My balance article last month (about our physical balance during a yoga class) led me to think about deeper levels of balancing. Centering and balancing the energies is one of the main intents and benefits of yoga. This affects the gross, physical body (regulating the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system), and more importantly, the subtle body."Nad" means

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-3387137172298295092008-06-17T14:13:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:31:07.820-07:00

Prāna is our life-force energy or "that which is infinitely everywhere". There are 5 directions of prana flows called vayus, which translated means winds. These flows are very helpful in our asana practice. If we can feel what the 2 main vayus are in a particular pose, it seems to become more balanced and essentially easier.Prana vayu is the flow of energy upward (also relating to the upward flow

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-51891792700255602162008-06-17T14:08:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:31:19.122-07:00

We're not naturally symmetrical beings, and our actions make us even less so. We may be stronger on one side but weaker on the other side. Similarly, we can turn our head or twist our spine more in one way than the other. We can bend forward with ease but not backward.All of Yoga, really, is about the balance of opposites--sun-moon, male-female, yin-yang, left-right, front-back, inhale-exhale,

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-58686140921408357542008-06-17T13:59:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:31:32.184-07:00

The word Yoga literally translated from Sanskrit means "to yoke" or "union": union of the small, or ego self, with the Divine Self. It is believed that the Ultimate Truth of our existence is always this state of Yoga. Yoga is a state of being, therefore we can't really "do" yoga. What we can do are practices like asana (posture), pranayama (breath work), and meditation that bring us closer to

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-45741750831733910192008-06-17T13:13:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:31:45.725-07:00

Although different yoga teachers wind up their classes in different ways, many teachers chant mantras to keep the energy and blessings acquired through the practice with us, as well as bringing in a sense of offering. Most teachers close by chanting OM (which Nicole wrote about in depth in last month's newsletter); here's a bit more detail about some other closing invocations.In the Buddhist

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-68071561346924159552008-06-16T12:56:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:31:59.038-07:00

It is wonderful to have a Sangha--a shared community--where we come to practice yoga and meditation. However, in order to really develop the ability to see thoughts clearly, and to live in our bodily experience, it is important to cultivate a daily meditation practice at home.No matter how large or small a house or apartment is, a sacred area can be created that you care for and respect. Having

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-54713020616358939732008-06-16T12:54:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:32:17.939-07:00

Several people have shared with me that the most challenging part of their first yoga experience was chanting OM at the beginning and the end of class. It can bring up images of a bunch of religious fundamentalists swaying back and forth worshipping a cow or something.So what is the purpose and meaning of this practice? What should we think about as we vocalize this sacred sound?It is said that

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-91391875911077087182008-06-16T12:47:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:32:56.935-07:00

The word "Metta", from the Pali language (also known as "Maitri" in Sanskrit) is defined as "loving-kindness". A Metta Practice can be done as a formal meditation, and can also be applied throughout a yoga class, or just during your regular day.To experience the formal practice of Metta meditation take a comfortable seat, or rest on your back (in Savasana). Close your eyes, and allow yourself to

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-40678340514914900932008-06-16T12:33:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:33:13.560-07:00

Our body is a good body. It may have its aches, pains, and quirks, but all in all, no part of it is "bad". Being sensitive to thoughts like, "I have a bad (fill in the blank), I can't do it as well as they can", or "I'm so inflexible", and consciously changing these thoughts to positive ones like, "I'm strong, I'm present", and "I love my body", will allow the body to heal itself. Here are a few

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-89267074625122826432008-06-12T13:03:00.000-07:002008-07-05T12:21:05.360-07:00

"The main way to practice is to see that your disturbing emotions and concepts exist only in relative reality. They do not exist in genuine reality, and ultimately they are self-liberated. See that it is the same for all contradictions and conflicting appearances-they exist only in relative reality; ultimately, their nature is self-liberated equality. So whatever manifests in your life, look

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-89009684636851080162008-06-12T12:33:00.000-07:002008-07-05T12:36:13.525-07:00

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-73971986976744823242008-06-11T14:04:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:29:52.911-07:00

Walking into any given yoga studio, one is often surrounded by numerous depictions of Hindu deities, often in the forms of statues or pictures. It is not uncommon for teachers to offer up an invocation to these deities before class begins or during an asana practice. However, the meaning behind the deities and their mantra is often unclear which can result in a feeling of discomfort for many

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-63194387118328115492008-06-11T13:01:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:33:35.398-07:00

Somewhere in between 3 different jobs, an attempt at a social life, and my resignation to the fact that sleep is indeed a necessary part of the day, I made it to my mat for my own yoga practice. I sat and began to draw my mind away from the noise of life and into an expansive quiet. Feeling the gentle rise and fall of my breath, my body resonating with this natural tidal pull, I began to notice

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-72479464216944609102008-06-11T12:51:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:34:03.075-07:00

There can be no doubt that winters in Seattle have made themselves famous; well known for dark days, driving rains, and perpetual sogginess, many of us cope by ducking into coffee shops, filling our bodies with warm grounding foods, and doing our best to fend off the wrath of winter's muse, the offending flu. It is the season paradoxically associated with slowing down and intimacy as well as cold

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-48662596497136034222008-06-11T12:10:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:34:28.890-07:00

You enter the room, pick the perfect spot to place your mat, roll it out as quietly as possible, sit down in Sukhasana (easy pose) and wait for the teacher to begin the practice. You have made a point of not allowing the circumstances of your day to get in the way of relaxing but now that you are here it feels like there is a tape recorder playing back the entirety of your day in your mind.

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-7094297267280686862008-06-10T13:03:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:35:07.260-07:00

According to Patanjali's 5,000 year old Yoga Sutras, asanas are just one of the 8 limbs of yoga. The limbs are, in order:1~Yamas (moral codes)2~ Niyamas (self- purification, observance)3~ Asana (posture, seat)4~ Pranayama (breath or life force control)5~ Pratyahara (withdrawl of the senses)6~ Dharana (concentration)7~ Dhyana (meditation)8~ Samadhi (bliss state, Super Consciousness)The first 4

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-40801555574542052582008-06-10T13:02:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:35:26.775-07:00

Satya~TruthfulnessWe love practicing asanas (postures), pranayama (breath control/life-force extention), and for some of us meditation because of how we feel afterwards. We simply feel good. And this is largely due to the ultimate intention of the practice which is to experience Wholeness and Union, literally Yoga. When working with the yamas, we have the same intent. While practicing satya with

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-85275478483993472432008-06-10T13:01:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:35:45.315-07:00

Asteya/non-covetousnessWhen working with asteya we are growing our ability to resist a desire for that which does not belong to us. We become aware that everything we truly need is present and therefore have no needs that aren't met. This applies to all aspects of not taking what is not ours - true generosity of thought, speech and action. Because of this non-covetous air created by practicing

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-34384187330156407342008-06-10T13:00:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:36:00.905-07:00

Bramacharya~moderationWe've now arrived at the forth principle, Brahmacharya, translated as moderation. Other modern understandings of bramacharya are non-indulgence or sense-control. In our culture we are bombarded by outside forces telling us in one way or another that the way we are at this moment is somehow not enough. We should buy this and have this and look like this and then we will be

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-25747087490995757012008-06-10T11:27:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:36:34.521-07:00

We have now arrived at the 5th and final yama:Aparigraha, or non-possessiveness.The image of the yamas are spokes on a wheel, rather than steps on a ladder. One yama builds upon the other, and at the same time, you don't necessarily need to begin the practice with the "first" yama: ahimsa.When we practice aparigraha, we use the skills we've cultivated through bramacharya so that we live satisfied

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8132631843778579260.post-87513136367987478162007-06-09T14:13:00.000-07:002011-01-28T20:07:14.295-08:00

Nicole FarmerNicole attended her first yoga class with her father and was so inspired by the experience that she began attending class every day. She was amazed at what the human body was capable of doing and encouraged at the joy she felt after every practice session. Her interest in teaching was sparked by her own teachers, Johnna Trimmer and Annabel Raab, who introduced her to the Kripalu

I Heart Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03040292601815573348noreply@blogger.com1