Monday! Today we will learn a little about yoga, which I just started practicing in earnest.
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Monday:
BadKitties
Tuesday:
ejoanna
Wednesday:
Caedy
Thursday:
art ah zen
Friday:
FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:
Dave in Northridge
Sunday:
loggersbrat
Yoga has been around for a very long time.
The classical techniques of Yoga date back more than 5,000 years. In ancient times, the desire for greater personal freedom, health and long life, and heightened self-understanding gave birth to this system of physical and mental exercise which has since spread throughout the world. The word Yoga means “to join or yoke together,” and it brings the body and mind together into one harmonious experience.
The whole system of Yoga is built on three main structures: exercise, breathing, and meditation. The exercises of Yoga are designed to put pressure on the glandular systems of the body, thereby increasing its efficiency and total health. The body is looked upon as the primary instrument that enables us to work and evolve in the world, and so a Yoga student treats it with great care and respect. Breathing techniques are based on the concept that breath is the source of life in the body. The Yoga student gently increases breath control to improve the health and function of both body and mind. These two systems of exercise and breathing then prepare the body and mind for meditation, and the student finds an easy approach to a quiet mind that allows silence and healing from everyday stress. Regular daily practice of all three parts of this structure of Yoga produce a clear, bright mind and a strong, capable body.
Source
There are many different forms of yoga, actually over 100, and varying degrees of difficulty. I tried "power yoga" several years ago. It was a "flow" class using hand weights. It hurt my back too much, so after two months, I gave up. Dh loves Bikram yoga, which is done in a room heated to at least 100 degrees. I cannot stand heat and humidity, so that is not for me. I looked at Hatha yoga and Kundalini, then decided that Iyengar was the best fit for me. It is a series of gentle stretches that eventually tones your muscles, and builds strength and flexibility. Here are the poses of Iyengar yoga:
These are the basic poses that I do. This is Iyengar yoga.
The
history of yoga spans many centuries, and is far too broad for me to cover in this diary, but I will mention that yoga is not a religion. It's more of a ... philosophy, perhaps, or a sort of enrichment of one's life. It goes beyond mere exercise.
One of the most remarkable Yoga scriptures is the Bhagavad-Gîtâ (“Lord’s Song”), of which the great social reformer Mahatma Gandhi spoke as follows:
When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad-Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies—and my life has been full of external tragedies—and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita. (Young India, 1925, pp. 1078-79)
In its significance, this work of only 700 verses perhaps is to Hindus what Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is to Christians. Its message, however, is not to turn the other cheek but to actively oppose evil in the world. In its present form, the Bhagavad-Gîtâ (Gîtâ for short) was composed around 500 B.C. and since then has been a daily inspiration to millions of Hindus. Its central teaching is to the point: To be alive means to be active and, if we want to avoid difficulties for ourselves and others, our actions must be benign and also go beyond the grip of the ego. A simple matter, really, but how difficult to accomplish in daily life!
I only started my practice two weeks ago. I happened to stumble upon
"Yogawoman" on TV, and watched it, fascinated. What hooked me was the woman who started yoga quite late--maybe around my current age?--to correct her posture. Her back was straight and strong. My posture, possibly as a result of 30+ years of wearing very high heels, is terrible. My hamstrings are tight, and my spine pretty inflexible. I CAN touch my toes while standing, actually, but I can't get my head anywhere near my knees. And I can't touch my toes while sitting upright.
So...I didn't want to take a class. I'm shy around strangers, I don't hear too well, I am often late, and I am not flexible. Yet. I went to Target and bought this DVD. I already had a yoga mat, blocks, and ties. I do my yoga in the morning, after coffee but before breakfast, usually in my pajamas. I am still on the first DVD. Patricia Walden has a lovely, soothing voice, and the pace is perfect for a stiff, cranky beginner. She is featured in "Yogawoman," as well. She began practicing yoga to help with her depression. Here is a link to a video of Ms. Walden doing backbends on her 60th birthday:video (Embedding has been disabled.)
Even though one of my best friends from high school is a yoga instructor in Miami (she went to India and studied for two or three months about 20 years ago), and has been telling me of the benefits for years, (and I went to one of her classes the last time we were in Florida), I really didn't "get" yoga until now. I am, for one, much more conscious of my posture. I can stand in "Mountain Pose" while waiting on line at the post office. I am trying to breathe better.
I love it. It's worth taking the time every day. When I can't do it, I miss it. It hasn't improved my disposition, but it WILL improve my posture and tone my muscles. Of this, I am sure :)
Bunnies doing basic yoga poses :)
Happy Monday! I have a mammogram appointment, I think. Will check in when I can. Damn IPhone calendar stinks.
9:08 AM PT: Transformation: