Yoga and Meditation
Yet another famous person is singing the praises of yoga. In the Sunday issue of The New York Times Magazine, “Hip-Hop Guru” Russell Simmons confesses to practicing yoga and meditation every day. He also says he has read “The Autobiography of a Yoga” by Yogananda (although he claims he can barely read). (more…)
Posted on April 29th, 2007 in Yoga in the News, Yoga and Meditation, Benefits of Yoga, Yoga and Community
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Nico asks:
“I’d like yoga to get me into spring since the weather won’t cooperate–Saraswati do you think you need to be fairly strong in yoga practice to be able to properly meditate?” (more…)
Posted on April 19th, 2007 in Start Your Yoga Practice, Understanding Yoga, Yoga and Meditation, 30 Days of Yoga, Benefits of Yoga, Your Questions About Yoga
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Sleep is the best medicine. (And I don’t mean the medicated kind, despite the annoying pop-up ads that may find their way onto this web site. My apologies, I have no control over these ad searches but I repeat I do not advocate use of sleeping pills.) Even though we’re still not quite sure what happens during the sleep state, we know when we’ve gotten enough sleep to feel healthy. (more…)
Posted on April 11th, 2007 in Yoga for Emotional Health, Yoga for Healing Injuries, Understanding Yoga, Yoga and Meditation, Benefits of Yoga, Yoga for Every Day
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Every yoga pose (asana) can also be a meditation. These two functions of a yoga practice are often isolated. In fact, meditation can occur naturally while in one of the hundreds of asanas when you settle into the pose for an extended hold.
This does not mean hold your breath or hold till it hurts. The instruction to find a “comfortable, steady pose” is common in most schools of yoga. In this way each pose reveals itself to the practitioner. Experiencing a meditative quality while in sitting forward bend will feel very different from doing meditation while walking or sitting in lotus pose. (more…)
Posted on March 27th, 2007 in Understanding Yoga, Yoga and Meditation, The Poetry of Yoga
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You are your own best yoga teacher. While it’s true that finding a good yoga teacher is like falling in love, ultimately that “teacher” is you. The trust and enthusiasm you experience with a teacher who has you coming back for more is just your own desire for that knowledge. (more…)
Posted on March 19th, 2007 in Thoughtful Yoga, Start Your Yoga Practice, Understanding Yoga, Yoga and Meditation, Teaching Yoga, The Poetry of Yoga
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In many ways, the practice of yoga is an enactment of powerful symbols using your own body. “Symbols” however is not exactly the right word as the use of mantra, mudra and yantra serve more as guiding yoga techniques bringing us back to our original connection and into deeper states of being. (more…)
Posted on February 13th, 2007 in Understanding Yoga, Yoga and Meditation, Teaching Yoga
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Keeping a journal is a common enough practice these days. Artists often use journals as a way to remember inspirations and reflect on what they are experiencing. Similarly, starting a yoga journal can help you record and notice how your daily life is changing because of your yoga practice. (more…)
Posted on February 12th, 2007 in Thoughtful Yoga, Start Your Yoga Practice, Yoga and Meditation, The Poetry of Yoga
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I’ve written previously how devoting my breaths to the Durga mantra, Lakshmi mantra and Saraswati mantra has affected my life. (See my blog entries on Navaratri for September 23- October 2, 2006). (more…)
Posted on January 8th, 2007 in Thoughtful Yoga, Yoga for Emotional Health, Understanding Yoga, Yoga and Meditation, Teaching Yoga, Devotional Yoga, The Poetry of Yoga
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There are two ideas here: mantra practice and yoga practice. One may include the other, for example, OM is actually considered a mantra and you’ll frequently hear the sound of OM at the beginning and end of a yoga class. Perhaps you’ve also heard of or participated in chanting the Lakshmi mantra or Siva mantra. (more…)
Posted on January 7th, 2007 in Understanding Yoga, Yoga and Meditation, Teaching Yoga, Devotional Yoga
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