Yoga, Health, and Wellness Articles + Recipes

Am I full of it? I love Sun Salutations. I love doing them exactly the same way every day. I don’t need to be creative with them. But why is this? When asked about keeping up a yoga practice, I often say “consistency is what really matters. don’t worry about duration or intensity, just do something every day.” When asked about sequencing one’s practice for home or a classroom environment, I’ll defend the power of simple movements repeated several times with breath taught over many classes over complicated choreography that’s shifting and changing from one moment to the next and never repeated again from one class to another. If asked why, I’ll say “repetition of simple movements with breath is what will help the nervous system and mind relax, too much new and complicated will just stimulate and potentially lead to new stress.” I say these things, know them intuitively to be true, but beyond tradition (yoga sutras definitely emphasize repetition and consistency, and the movements of sun salutes are very much present in Eastern prayer tradition) really haven’t had much to back it up. But I think I’m beginning to get a clearer picture.

Paying bills, taking care of kids, going to work… life can be very stressful at times to the point you feel like you just want to scream. With the various events that happen throughout the course of the day the mind can begin to race constantly wondering what to do. If you’ve been feeling bogged down lately, or have perhaps been over thinking every scenario happening in your life, then it may be time for you to come to terms with reality and find true peace of mind.

What is Vedic Astrology? Jyotisha, or Vedic astrology, is the ancient astrology of India. It has an unbroken lineage going back over five thousand years. Jyotisha is derived from the Sanskrit word Jyoti meaning “light”. Thus, Jyotisha is often referred to as the science of light, for it helps us to see the past, present and future clearly as well as giving us insight into who we are and how to best actualize our potential.

I continually ask myself and reconsider what I’m actually doing and teaching others to do in asana. I often refer back to the great teachers on what they have to say. Beyond the mechanics of making shapes, there is, for me, a profound process under way.

You know, my life has always followed this crazy rhythm. And it hasn’t always been in time with everyone else’s. However, what I’m learning is that it’s been in Divine time and very often, in time with the Moon.

The absolute pressing question to me right now is “What am I willing to sacrifice?” This isn’t about some self righteous asceticism but rather about prioritising my yoga practice. I’ve been at it long enough to know that yoga, which for me means postures, flow, study, and meditation, makes me feel sane and happy. But I also work a lot, try to have an active social life, and need some sleep somewhere between all that. My schedule is often irregular. I say all this not because I think I’m exceptional, but rather because I think I’m just like everyone else.

There is an interesting book, "The Healing Power of Meditation" I’ve been reading about meditation and it’s effect on the mind and body. It’s a collaborative piece written by multiple experts in the fields of Psycholoy, Buddhism, and health professions, such as neurology. In the portion of the book that talks about meditation and emotion, it describes the process the human body, and mind, goes through when experiencing an emotion. Emotion is a fast response and usually subside. When we say we’ve been “feeling bad all day” what we’re doing is revisiting the same emotion, over, and over. We think the whole day has been “bad” when we really are just thinking about the same thing that gave us that emotion, calling for the response again, and again.

The very thought of meditation triggers memories of failed best intentions to quiet my mind. I have a very noisy mind.

When you meditate, I want you to be hopeless. It may sound strange, but I simply want you to lose that need to drive forward that we all have. Instead of focusing on expectations and outcomes, I want you to witness what’s going on in your mind at this moment.