Healthy Living

Mythology and the Evolution of Asana

Posted by in Self Help

A momentary glance at yoga in the West… As the world shrinks and common mythologies become antiquated, asana takes on new dimension. During the time of our ancient ancestors, we lived among small numbers of people, and while the cosmos seemed infinite, the world around us remained confined and comprehensible.  As technology increased our understanding of the world and our capacity for travel, we began to see our planet as large and diverse.  We fought to preserve what we believed in and created rich stories to educate the younger generations…read more

Feb.02
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Dropping Expectations

Posted by in Art Of Yoga

Don’t let expectations ruin your experience of the beautiful unfolding of the Now. Human beings are smart creatures.  We see patterns and can develop and live by detailed rules and routines.  Establishing order can help us feel grounded and can create efficiency. But, expecting order can also create dissatisfaction and un-comfortibility when the unexpected rears its head. The naked truth is that we are a part of the natural environment and as such are subject to the chaotic whims of nature.  We don’t expect to control the weather, or at least we shouldn’t, so why…read more

Feb.01
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Inversions (Vol 1: Easy and Restorative)

Posted by in inversions

Need a change in perspective? Turn the world upsidedown.  Gotta love inversions!   A little bit about myself: In May of 2001 I broke two vertebrae in my cervical spine.  Yoga is one of the secrets to my incredible recovery.  In the last couple of months a discomfort in my body has revealed itself as a potentially pinched nerve (bone spurs from my injury).  In order to heal myself I am taking several months off of any “upper body intensive” asanas. Understand, I love being upside-down.  Inversions are my mind alteration…read more

Jan.31
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Fifteen Minute Fix (Vol III: The Body Scan)

Posted by in Fifteen Minute Fix

Fifteen minutes is plenty of time to check in with your body. I hear people say that they don’t have time to workout or practice yoga.  Usually when I push, I learn that people believe they need at least an hour free to move their body. It is very easy to make excuses for being sedentary. Instead, lets take every opportunity available to us, whether its five minutes or fifteen, and get the body moving. Every chance to check in with the body is useful.  Not only does physical movement get the blood…read more

Jan.28
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Jan.27
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Commit to a Plan

Posted by in Yoga

Decide what style of meditation you are practicing before you start your practice. There are many different forms of meditation.  It can be tempting to jump around during a practice.  Do your best to set up a plan before you begin and hold strong to it. My personal opinion is that most meditation styles take you to the same place.  Some styles are better suited to different personality types, settings, lengths of time in practice, and egoic restraints you are overcoming.  Nonetheless, if you decide to practice in a certain…read more

Patterned Response (Type A v. The Sloth)

Posted by in Self Help, Weight Training

Don’t give in to your patterns. Asana Practice: Ask yourself, are you the type of person who gives up too easily, or do you tend to over-work?  Today, notice your pattern and do the opposite. I am typically an over-worker.  In the last few months,due to injuries, I have backed off and I have tried to surrender and relax if I experience discomfort.  Today, for the first time, I noticed my body giving up before it needed to. My pattern changed.  I now need to guarantee that I am not surrendering…read more

Jan.26
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Jan.25
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The Power of Repose

Posted by in Asana Practice

When in doubt, lay down. Asana Practice: I attended Jason Bowman’s Alignment class at Movement Climbing and Fitness.  (See http://movementboulder.com/fitness/yoga/ for a list of yoga classes at movement, and check out Jason’s blog at http://www.evolver.net/user/openeyes). The class is designed to be slow in order to focus on a few key actions or poses.  Tonight the class focused on Warrior III, or Virabhadrasana 3, Shoulder Stand, or Salamba Sarvangasana, and Corpse Pose, or Savasana. My favorite part of the class was Jason’s attention on savasana and bringing the class’s attention to the nadis or meridian lines, which are the…read more

Yoga v. The Carpet

Posted by in Yoga Gadgets

If you’ve ever practiced asana on a carpet, you are probably aware of the excess pressure placed on the wrists.  Doing poses such as downward dog and handstand on soft surfaces  cause the wrist to sink below the fingers.  This causes compression and hyperextension in the wrist. In medical terms this problem is referred to as, axial loading or dorsal wrist impingement, and should be avoided. Over the years I have made it a point to live in houses with hard wood floors. Unfortunately, in my most recent abode, carpet is…read more

Jan.24
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Hanumanasana

Posted by in Asana Practice

There is a key to unlocking every asana. I’m close to touching the ground in a pose I was convinced I would never have the grace of experiencing…the infamous, Hanumanasana. I never judged my inability to do Hanumanasana, also known as asymmetric splits.  I was comfortable associating myself as an inflexible athlete and would joke that I was several lifetimes away from doing this pose. That was until I took Shiva Rea’s teacher training and learned how to open my hip flexor muscles. (See http://shivarea.com/teacher-training-welcome). Shiva is all about opening the…read more

Jan.23
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The Center of Stillness

Posted by in 365 Yoga Study

Place your awareness in the center of yourself.  When your mind is chattering and your ego is screaming for your attention, can you find the place that is unmovable?  Can you find the center of stillness? At some point in our practice there is a shift.  There is a moment where the voices telling us we feel this way, or should act this other way, no longer occupy center stage.  There is a moment in time where all the thoughts, feelings, and emotional states become mere characters in an ever…read more

Jan.22
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