Here is a link to a fascinating article brought to my attention by my wonderful teacher Jean Grant-Sutton.
The article, "New Study Shows Yoga has Healing Powers" was posted in the National Geographic magazine and shares a very interesting study on how yoga can help reduce body inflammation and stress.
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Happy Spring! Happy Rebirth!
Happiness and Joy to you!!
"In the beginning was only Being. One without a second. Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos and entered into everything in it. There is nothing that does not come from him. Of everything he is the inmost Self. He is the truth; he is the Self supreme. You are that, Svetaketu; you are that"
- The Chandogya Upanishad, Chapter 6 verses 2.2-2.3
"The great teaching of the Indian
wisdom traditions is that everything in the universe- the stars, human
beings and all forms of matter- are a manifestation of divine
consciousness. Although we describe this consciousness by such names as
God, Brahman, Purusha, Buddha-mind, Tao or Spirit, it is beyond human
comprehension. Although it cannot be expressed by words or thought,
its nature is often described as infinite being, consciousness and
bliss."
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Gary Kissiah
"The living word or pure
consciousness - you are That. The reflection of the kings face - you
are That. There is nothing outside of yourself, look within.
Everything you want is there - you are That."
- Rumi
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The Eight Limbs of Yoga
Dharana
(concentration)By Mara Carrico
As each stage prepares us for the next, the practice of pratyahara creates the setting for dharana, or concentration.
Having relieved ourselves of outside
Having relieved ourselves of outside
distractions,
we can now deal with the distractions of the mind itself. No easy task!
In the practice of concentration, which precedes meditation, we learn how to slow down the thinking process by concentrating on a single mental object: a specific energetic center in the body, an image of a deity, or the silent repetition of a sound. We, of course, have already begun to develop our powers of concentration in the previous three stages of posture, breath control, and withdrawal of the senses. In asana and pranayama, although we pay attention to our actions, our attention travels. Our focus constantly shifts as we fine-tune the many nuances of any particular posture or breathing technique. In pratyahara we become self-observant; now, in dharana, we focus our attention on a single point. Extended periods of concentration naturally lead to meditation.
Try focusing/concentrating your attention on your breath; first you feel the
presence and observe it (pratyahara), hold your focus or concentration
on
the breath for a period of time (dharana), this leads to meditation
(dhyana).
So now you can work on these three sutras; Pratyahara
(withdrawal), Dharana (concentration) and Dhyana (meditation). It is not
an easy task to settle the body and the mind but, with patience and practice all it's possible!
practice # 5
Pratyahara
(drawing the senses inward)
By slowing down our sensory stimulus we are able to connect better with our physical and emotional bodies. As we reduce the outside "noise" or stimulus, we are able to more clearly hear and understand our "inside voices" and more able to connect and understand our patterns of thoughts, emotions and beliefs. The ultimate outcome of pratyahara is that the inner and outer world becomes one.
To learn more about pratyahara visit:
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Trikonasana
The three angles
(tri konas
in Sanskrit) of a triangle make it one of the strongest and most
stable shapes in nature. In triangle pose, there are three triangle
shapes made with the body: one with our legs and the floor, a second
one underneath the side of the body with the arm and front leg, and the
third connecting the top hand and the two feet.Trikonasana is usually performed in two parts, facing left, and then facing right. The practitioner begins standing with the feet one leg-length apart, knees unbent, turns the right foot completely to the outside and the left foot less than 45 degrees to the inside, keeping the heels in line with the hips. The arms are spread out to the sides, parallel to the ground, palms facing down; the trunk is extended as far as is comfortable to the right, while the arms remain parallel to the floor. Once the trunk is fully extended to the right, the right arm is dropped so that the right hand reaches the shin (or a block or on the floor) to the front (left side) of the right foot, with the palm down if flexed. The left arm is extended vertically, and the spine and trunk are gently twisted counterclockwise (i.e., upwards to the left, since they're roughly parallel to the floor), using the extended arms as a lever, while the spine remains parallel to the ground. The arms are stretched away from one another, and the head is often turned to gaze at the left thumb, slightly intensifying the spinal twist. Returning to standing, the bend is then repeated to the left.
Benefits
include: Opening of the throat, chest, shoulders and hips • Improvement
of digestion and circulation • Lengthening the spine • Stretching of
the groin, hamstrings, calves and arches • Strengthening of the legs and
torso.
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KQED Podcast
Listen to an insightful exchange between local yoga teachers discussing the recent controversial NY Times article "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body"
