tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59970329751476918052024-02-18T22:36:47.549-05:00the modern yogini blogs onI LOVE finding ways to bring the ancient wisdom of the Yogic system into the modern multitasking world that is todayAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-33858907077313189202012-08-15T12:46:00.004-04:002012-08-15T12:47:54.042-04:00THe open heart and the modern Yogi (ni)HI friends!<br />
<br />
Today I want to share my blog post with you:<br />
<br />
It just got published on the Elephant Journal, am very excited<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/08/the-open-heart-and-the-modern-yogini-rana-waxman/" target="_blank">The Open Heart and the Modern Yogi (ni)</a><br />
<br />
<br />
check it out!<br />
<br />
om shanty shanty shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/" target="_blank">Rana</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-64335573210734172222012-07-31T14:40:00.000-04:002012-07-31T14:40:32.383-04:00YOGA as Therapy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxnYPA0UAFmrPcbRdFoWzJAYrSLvHHUSWItVN9opJp3xgJG4WUST-aKeiuisv-pQj8B2yMBcEYMbxPPwqOeIhVuYHvSNLhW6yhrO6tzxE5LzRM7K06PIi3HDJN-v9QZRsHifibNj3QXfg/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxnYPA0UAFmrPcbRdFoWzJAYrSLvHHUSWItVN9opJp3xgJG4WUST-aKeiuisv-pQj8B2yMBcEYMbxPPwqOeIhVuYHvSNLhW6yhrO6tzxE5LzRM7K06PIi3HDJN-v9QZRsHifibNj3QXfg/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div>
<i>“Yoga Therapy is the
process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and
well-being through the application of the teachings and practice of
yoga” <b>– International Association
of Yoga Therapists (definition 2011)</b><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>“It’s well known that
stress can contribute to back pain and that yoga reduces stress. Yoga, however, approaches this in a way
unfamiliar to Westerners. We
believe our minds cause our bodies to move, our brains sending signals down
nerve pathways to our muscles.
And, of course, that’s true.
However, in yoga, the opposite also applies. The state induced by yoga in our bodies calms our minds.” – <b>Loren Fishman, MD, and Carol Ardman, </b> <u>Yoga for Back Pain<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
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<i>“The key to right
teaching is in the adaptation of yoga to the individual, not the individual to
yoga” – <b>T.K.V. Desikachar</b>, <u>The
Heart of Yoga<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
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<i>“Tension is your
body’s way of getting attention” – <b>Mukunda
Stiles</b>, <u>Structural Yoga Therapy<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiup2kabmKG6dJv56rVwIBESO4mIF48Q9Cz7x4NMhbK2AQWdBMOK_12odBcwdqsC5_j7SR7dIOUvjmQzC3HRqBIuTnwRPaTpI9VS1QnK9GSSY7zwuDSWXXplXCPWTdF_-tCcJ-Nx-keMmRB/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiup2kabmKG6dJv56rVwIBESO4mIF48Q9Cz7x4NMhbK2AQWdBMOK_12odBcwdqsC5_j7SR7dIOUvjmQzC3HRqBIuTnwRPaTpI9VS1QnK9GSSY7zwuDSWXXplXCPWTdF_-tCcJ-Nx-keMmRB/s1600/images-3.jpeg" /></a>The word “<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">stress</a>” has become so common today and is at the
root of many diseases starting with anxiety, backache, cardiopulmonary
disorders, diabetes, discomfort, hypertension, insomnia, pain, and essential
contentedness and en-joy(mo)ment of life. There are different things you can do about it, from conventional to alternative medicine, which is where the system of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga </a>is placed as a therapeutic discipline since it is a powerful tool for <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/workshops.php" target="_blank">healing the body and relaxing the mind</a>. More and more scientific research has pointed out the numerous benefits.</div>
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The 3 Causes of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">stress</a>: </div>
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-<b>Physical</b> -whether you have undergone a trauma, an injury or
from sport-specific or other movement patterns that do not reinforce good
posture and alignment. </div>
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-<b>Mental/emotional </b>–whether you are unable to relax, sleep,
understand yourself, and make nourishing and supportive choices</div>
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-<b>Biochemical/environmental</b> – whether your mood is affected
or you are involved in circumstances that unbalance you</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLHeKU3ANDvF498utLDIuqcOqXSt582WbHl79b0IKqd3h7vdoFQwRWyPpticw4dmH9zIQ-kZdxy6C8tVOMJ7jAdRJb-xgkNRqzQgZ6uALdmq78uVpSoF840sFw17BmaQpDFIvI7X12k9S/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLHeKU3ANDvF498utLDIuqcOqXSt582WbHl79b0IKqd3h7vdoFQwRWyPpticw4dmH9zIQ-kZdxy6C8tVOMJ7jAdRJb-xgkNRqzQgZ6uALdmq78uVpSoF840sFw17BmaQpDFIvI7X12k9S/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a>That being said, homoeostasis/equipoise/balance is the
natural state, which <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> -when used <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">therapeutically</a>, is designed to help you reconnect with. Perhaps you have been for a massage, a chiropractic or physio therapy session where the practitioner has given you 'homework' on how to live in your body with better ease and alignment. Well, <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a>, when used therapeutically, is a unique and
proven process of treating the person as a whole, not just a series of
symptoms. If you are
experiencing pain, discomfort, restricted movement, “stress” and the inability
to find inner peace, we can explore the use of breath, improved posture,
movement, meditation, affirmation and <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">deep relaxation </a>to bring you back to your
unique state of symmetry.</div>
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Essentially, I work with all the tools of the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga system</a>
to find the practises, which will empower you to move towards healing and
enhanced quality of life. I
start the first <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">one on one Yoga session</a> with a comprehensive and confidential
assessment of your history, lifestyle and musculo-skeletal patterns and design
a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">Yoga program</a> to meet your needs where you are. It is not about doing the same things as 10 other people in a class. It is personal and productive in different ways. In a class setting though, you would be encouraged to practice appropriately for you, whether that meant skipping something or doing it differently than someone else. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXuHy8R-rtIDdMTLth00-LRHu9ggFLwGOsPlO4Uz66XBiVvSO3cOlAIYJzIweofVKVxEyoy_EbeP40kk_QKo4wUBZhAghGGFeriWUjj6PrBYcPSjuF8EKHwdewg5hc9YSBJd_wLelmWJu/s1600/postures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXuHy8R-rtIDdMTLth00-LRHu9ggFLwGOsPlO4Uz66XBiVvSO3cOlAIYJzIweofVKVxEyoy_EbeP40kk_QKo4wUBZhAghGGFeriWUjj6PrBYcPSjuF8EKHwdewg5hc9YSBJd_wLelmWJu/s320/postures.jpg" width="320" /></a>I continue to realise the tremendous potential, <u><b>accessibility</b></u> and
transformative power of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a>, not only in working therapeutically with clients
for over 17years, but also through personal investigation and introspection. I
teach from a place of professional enquiry, study and intuition gleaned from
my passion to make sense of modern life in the context of this wonderful system
of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a>. I believe we need to keep the self-reflection part of the practice, and grow and develop into the highest form of this Self that we can be. As such it is such a sustainable and wonderful therapy - I look at it as essential vitamins for body, mind, soul.</div>
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Om shanty shanty shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-12696905722186532632012-07-11T15:22:00.001-04:002012-07-11T15:22:06.730-04:00free time and the modern yogi(ni)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAf7wwO3J-riAVCTtyuVri6oDe_4KyCOUL_qvV_qMoet8BWu_lp7JiNtDCEmYEKjrsbHRpdI3jOQv8RKUbOsvQhIRUWAWYr_p-BGFVOD-i-_OSDLhrklKKMCs9bhA8farSiNX6gPcWzS1/s1600/IMG_0321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAf7wwO3J-riAVCTtyuVri6oDe_4KyCOUL_qvV_qMoet8BWu_lp7JiNtDCEmYEKjrsbHRpdI3jOQv8RKUbOsvQhIRUWAWYr_p-BGFVOD-i-_OSDLhrklKKMCs9bhA8farSiNX6gPcWzS1/s320/IMG_0321.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>"viveka-khyatir-aviplava hana-upayah"</i><br />
<i>"The means of attaining cessation is the unceasing vision of discernment" - <u>Yoga Sutra 2:26</u></i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"The first thing to do is to introspect. Take stock of yourself and your habits, and find out what is standing in your way" - <b>Paramahansa Yogananda</b>, <u>Where There Is Light</u></i><br />
<i><u><br /></u></i><br />
<i>"Stillness is not the same as a void in activity, it's more like a stabilizing strength" - <b>Daniel J. Siegel</b>, <u>The Mindful Brain</u></i><br />
<br />
Time off is relative I think. Some folks get an entire summer "off", some take a week or 2, some have long weekends. For parents with children, is there really such a thing? If you are self-employed, what does this mini expression actually mean? If you "<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">can never relax</a>", as some people have expressed to me then is time "off" really valuable or any different than time "on"? As well, what are we taking time "off" of? It seems to me that the expression is dependant on one's <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">mind-set</a>. And that, dear friends, is what the <a href="http://ranawaxman.blogspot.ca/2012/02/8-steps-of-yoga-ashta-anga.html" target="_blank">system of Yoga</a> can help you with. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">A relaxed mind can travel through time and space with more ease.</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHv69seM5vJmelaTW-fzrnqSpmey3t2x53pbIKMlZu5I5EMAmWArChvKudX1zxp4FcQ5S_AKBt_795pgw-6EmtdVTBqTHLDhVdFtbaaQvSRPwyWHSeiAnOlqlPH2uOMRx192QoBm-s1Ki/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHv69seM5vJmelaTW-fzrnqSpmey3t2x53pbIKMlZu5I5EMAmWArChvKudX1zxp4FcQ5S_AKBt_795pgw-6EmtdVTBqTHLDhVdFtbaaQvSRPwyWHSeiAnOlqlPH2uOMRx192QoBm-s1Ki/s1600/photo.JPG" /></a></div>
So far it is a working summer for me, so time off is full of things I need to do, which I try to balance with things I want to do and also not to let this short season go without being outside and just enjoying fresh air and sunshine. One thing I have really been reflecting on therefore is how to take time off while you are still in the midst of being on-duty. Not in the sense of spacing out, but rather, taking a little break from one thing here and there to change the routines up and hopefully experience a newness within the daily flow. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">A relaxed mind can travel through time and space with more ease.</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_SeG3Ai5E00QhOLQB_ipzwfuJuumHYMdiBQVzri753jrakZ3IpRsq0gNHid-gaku95gp1RDT3_ef1Qadh4eH620gmWFOxJQ25zPmjiO_eK-3GiviLVWH86EZLrLHWogFlO443tieBXao/s1600/Image+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_SeG3Ai5E00QhOLQB_ipzwfuJuumHYMdiBQVzri753jrakZ3IpRsq0gNHid-gaku95gp1RDT3_ef1Qadh4eH620gmWFOxJQ25zPmjiO_eK-3GiviLVWH86EZLrLHWogFlO443tieBXao/s1600/Image+2.jpg" /></a></div>
Here are a few examples:<br />
<br />
-take a break from social media for a day or two or more<br />
-turn cell phone OFF not to vibrate<br />
-skip one thing in your routine, to see if you miss it<br />
-change your routine, whether the path you walk or change an activity<br />
-do less of something<br />
-do more of something else<br />
-try a new <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">yoga posture</a><br />
-try a new pranayama, or if you haven't read this here before, learn how to <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relax</a><br />
-cut out one <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">yoga posture</a> from your daily flow or -try the same posture but just try it a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">new way</a><br />
-take a break from sitting a lot by standing and shaking your legs out<br />
-periodically close your eyes or look away from the computer and take a few easy breaths<br />
-<br />
-<br />
-<br />
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the blank spaces are for you to print this up and add your own to the list<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCKH5whmp76YgD9_z15MD5Lr7B-U-pKH9Dk13czR5OzCn05hfZJp3tkHYJwK_qySMzTcO9ztDeAB-SKXSoRJ8UoYmt8Go-_9NGHx_BOVc4GzdaHW5ewoJ7B8AWpMrD8wJe7wApOk0Shwm/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCKH5whmp76YgD9_z15MD5Lr7B-U-pKH9Dk13czR5OzCn05hfZJp3tkHYJwK_qySMzTcO9ztDeAB-SKXSoRJ8UoYmt8Go-_9NGHx_BOVc4GzdaHW5ewoJ7B8AWpMrD8wJe7wApOk0Shwm/s320/IMG_0320.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Balance is organic and is created and re-created constantly in the process of taking time off from doing all the same things all the time. What you call habits are things that may have worked last year or month but right now, are outdated. The only way to tell is to give yourself space. Space can be physical - which is what taking a vacation does, it changes your location. Space is also visceral- mental/emotional/spiritual. I just took a two week hiatus from writing. I felt I had nothing new to say, and in stopping, waiting for inspiration, I saw what was right in front of my nose. I just needed a little break. This cue is now food for the blog so it obviously worked for me. <br />
S - stop<br />
T - take a breath<br />
O - observe<br />
P - practise<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVDhbOE3-8f4i2VuIO9p0tEalKK6fYQWgLxOkdnpYry0F-P59Bd1i8RDRcpZohiEP7YgR3S8ac-r_ffvOasl_UTrQSGeRjASdVXttIf8l6mZvn_pLqiCOkBFhRoDl7RD6ViQ_pohlicj2/s1600/3761654-silhouette-of-woman-in-standing-yoga-pose-with-sunrise-in-the-background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVDhbOE3-8f4i2VuIO9p0tEalKK6fYQWgLxOkdnpYry0F-P59Bd1i8RDRcpZohiEP7YgR3S8ac-r_ffvOasl_UTrQSGeRjASdVXttIf8l6mZvn_pLqiCOkBFhRoDl7RD6ViQ_pohlicj2/s1600/3761654-silhouette-of-woman-in-standing-yoga-pose-with-sunrise-in-the-background.jpg" /></a>Now some people find it hard to give themselves space. They have perhaps internalised that <a href="http://ranawaxman.blogspot.ca/2012/05/silence-empowers.html" target="_blank">silence</a> is scary, and that being busy is a great thing while not being busy is a sign of laziness. I would just say that even a computer will 'bomb' if all the programs are running full speed all the time. I actually think short brain holidays are the key to health and wholeness. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> based breathing exercises can be fantabulous for this! <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">Stress </a>shortens us - the muscles, the temper, the breath... I like to think of space as feeling of expanding, of freedom, and options. Try now, slow exhales slow exhales slow exhales...<br />
<br />
Let me know how it goes!<br />
Om shanty shanty shanty, Om peace peace peace<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-43392456673664815522012-06-27T17:01:00.000-04:002012-06-27T17:01:57.745-04:00worry and the modern yogi(ni)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dwGvWXNN8abw7SPXCzbhdkswUz6cg8oZlmJ5tLUjH1EL64uwyvDC5zxbaZx__IeIgbOpX4cqqTXq6-V-XC7xBJQn2iSluQ6sEjk50FJsJvVxIj2X560V8VAvSl2fqJFgZVJv8iLhFalD/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dwGvWXNN8abw7SPXCzbhdkswUz6cg8oZlmJ5tLUjH1EL64uwyvDC5zxbaZx__IeIgbOpX4cqqTXq6-V-XC7xBJQn2iSluQ6sEjk50FJsJvVxIj2X560V8VAvSl2fqJFgZVJv8iLhFalD/s1600/images-4.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Worry<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If worry ever changed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Anything,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It could be worth a lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But, it only serves to wear you <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And spoil what you have got.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">That awful thing you’re <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Worrying
about <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">may just simply disappear,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">what ultimately unfolds in time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">may not justify your fear…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> It<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Never helps to worry about<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">What you cannot rectify.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Your worry will never change <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> The
facts,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you worry until you die.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Try to use your worrying time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For constructive thought and deed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> You<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Might as well throw your<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Worries
out,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">They are things you do not<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><u><i>-unknown</i></u></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfHpbV5fi-8sPCnInYpXUj0N6SdlXHFm4GDDDGP58FZnNUC0eWY6binukigigk2Ogvj5g9ENc5D-V_Q1S_YOKkkomwcMcjrvYkTmMM0nhAyxkM1C0JzZ69ZcvgSTrIdAUGq7gS-9yRo19/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfHpbV5fi-8sPCnInYpXUj0N6SdlXHFm4GDDDGP58FZnNUC0eWY6binukigigk2Ogvj5g9ENc5D-V_Q1S_YOKkkomwcMcjrvYkTmMM0nhAyxkM1C0JzZ69ZcvgSTrIdAUGq7gS-9yRo19/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The opposite of worry/fear/anxiety </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">is prayer/trust/surrender. If you are in panic mode, you are definitely triggering the flight or fright/sympathetic nervous system which = the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">stress response</a>: When you are in peace mode, you are triggering the parasympathetic nervous system which = the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxation response</a>. Ease and/or disease, we are equipped for both. The one we give more attention and effort to will get stronger, you know that...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The average person is on the first side of the fence, and walks around sleep deprived, with rapid or shallow breathing, jittery nerves and queasy stomach, not to mention a mind cluttered or organised around a worry list. I am not going to tell you that there is a magic wand to make worry go away but you can adopt strategies to bring your mind under control. This should not be underestimated since the mind is responsible for conjuring the worry up in the first place. I realise when you see pictures of people 'doing' </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">YOGA</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> that it may be hard to figure out how it all works, why all the fuss about starting Yoga and how it ties into training the brain, so here are a few details. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMREE86aasgSPih_54Pxb_6fXg6kSoaA8Xi92RyxIS8kVJRY1uUF8IN4LSdcKyjTwtbpgNgu0Wy7yx-zxUsWQW5KIJOZuWiaSkefWi1UOXn91bHJxSmIP01LhWngKR02hNs5fGf8kn0g9/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMREE86aasgSPih_54Pxb_6fXg6kSoaA8Xi92RyxIS8kVJRY1uUF8IN4LSdcKyjTwtbpgNgu0Wy7yx-zxUsWQW5KIJOZuWiaSkefWi1UOXn91bHJxSmIP01LhWngKR02hNs5fGf8kn0g9/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We use <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">postures</a> and breathing to tame the busy mind, cultivate the meditative mind, and build a mindfulness about our attitudes in life. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We weed our gardens, try to be nourished and nourishing</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We practise first things first </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We practise LET GO and LET GOD</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We try to balance out the GO GO GO </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">with a bit of GO WITH THE FLOW</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We don't always know the answers and sometimes accept not knowing everything for awhile</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We let the worries be the hecklers at the comedy show, we try to use their lines to improve our material :-)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">ha ha ha ha</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We practise <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> not to escape but to help illuminate the way</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We meet ourselves where we are, whether on the mat, adding a prop to support us, or by accepting ourselves as we are </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We neutralise <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">stress</a> as it comes up...this does not mean sweeping things under the rug</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-We learn that we can face our emotions and thoughts and see what's what without necessarily being disturbed, in fact, this objectivity helps us make new, empowering, positive, nurturing choices and see options open up (<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=4839732023063904655" target="_blank">see Pratyahara</a>)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Well, the list would go on. I hope this segway helped take your mind away from a few worries, give you perspective on them, and invigorate you to see the light, as it were ;-)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Why not take a moment now to bring your palms together in front of the heart, into Atmanjali Mudra (gesture of prayer)? Affirm that you are grateful for this moment and connect with your heartbeat and the rhythm of your <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxed</a> breathing. Feel it as a moment of peace, harmony, balance, repose, silence, and the heart's desire. As a result, you may feel more clear and rested so you may want to do it more often...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Let me know how it goes,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Om shanty, shanty, shanty (shanty = peace by the way)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">it's a process...dive in...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-46178297058286864762012-06-21T13:36:00.000-04:002012-06-21T13:36:48.990-04:00Prevention or Cure? Headaches and the modern Yogi(ni)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj877j6stvC4qG6u4mh5uYbrQ-PFVb0SDTudG6EVx3he_nOftjV8M167hLcNyQfJu4zofa-fbMg0avrP06NVUuvrYP9Xq8zTxPfP_8AuTRAnY78cRhZwrNfGMr4RubYNA0RPKMrCahjXuOc/s1600/photo+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj877j6stvC4qG6u4mh5uYbrQ-PFVb0SDTudG6EVx3he_nOftjV8M167hLcNyQfJu4zofa-fbMg0avrP06NVUuvrYP9Xq8zTxPfP_8AuTRAnY78cRhZwrNfGMr4RubYNA0RPKMrCahjXuOc/s1600/photo+copy.JPG" /></a></div>
<i>"Almost all experts agree that prevention of osteoporosis is more effective than treatment" - <b>Loren Fishman, MD, and Ellen Saltonstall</b> , <u>Yoga For Osteoporosis</u></i><br />
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<i>"According to yogic texts, regular practice of Pranayama prevents and cures diseases" - <b>B.K. S. Iyengar</b>, <u>Light on Pranayama</u></i><br />
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<i>"heyam duhkhamanagatam: Future suffering should be avoided" -<b>Patanjali</b>, Sutra 11.16, <u>The Essence of Yoga</u> by <b>Bernard Bouanchaud</b></i><br />
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<i><b>STOP</b> - take a breath, exhale completely</i><br />
<i><b>LOOK</b> - inside, be aware</i><br />
<i><b>LISTEN</b> - for guidance, the voice of instinct or just common sense</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFmGP5smDvEekLGQ89Nl3lXacXGW-dTR2VmLAsmzeKIuy6UxKJ9ArwwJVsRUxdfcMyH6yWdFd2kE_LzPcMEIBkrb4dylIri7UWyQFGAwxbXIN7DDWCjMRiblePez1hMa8yyIBBdIzGXNJ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFmGP5smDvEekLGQ89Nl3lXacXGW-dTR2VmLAsmzeKIuy6UxKJ9ArwwJVsRUxdfcMyH6yWdFd2kE_LzPcMEIBkrb4dylIri7UWyQFGAwxbXIN7DDWCjMRiblePez1hMa8yyIBBdIzGXNJ/s1600/photo.JPG" /></a>Today for some reason three words are playing in my head like an old LP (not CD, those LPs when they got stuck on one track kept playing and playing and playing). Those words are STOP LOOK LISTEN. I think my first exposure to STOP LOOK LISTEN was in childhood. Perhaps someone was teaching me about crossing the street and how to prevent getting run over. Excellent tip! Today's drivers just roll through.<br />
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I was reflecting on why STOP LOOK LISTEN is so important, asking myself what makes them so relevant and the one reason I return to is PREVENTION. The oldest saying in the books, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is another way of suggesting that healthy food choices can prevent disease. I can recall quite well, years ago taking a course on self-defence. The one thing the instructor repeated was that so many attacks could actually be prevented. Do not walk on the street alone at night if you do not have to. Avoid talking on your cell phone while walking alone on a street because you will be distracted. Firemen also talk about prevention. Leaving a candle burning is an invitation to fire. Daily life has different situations where if you are mindful and take precautions you will find yourself out of harm's way. Hopefully.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd7vhwTg6vx1jtoXfWUL4GcO2m_EwghKqjwadX6xinGgZsn-tSK311BQhbI7s08JU23-MNyUOx8eBtJqnN_tfYGXsJO9dZZ55ERaLzOat84WOL57Ue3GhB5rO478djZheP5ejVVF54wkF/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfd7vhwTg6vx1jtoXfWUL4GcO2m_EwghKqjwadX6xinGgZsn-tSK311BQhbI7s08JU23-MNyUOx8eBtJqnN_tfYGXsJO9dZZ55ERaLzOat84WOL57Ue3GhB5rO478djZheP5ejVVF54wkF/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div>
In the health field, which is what <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">Yoga Teachers</a> are considered to work on, we often see people when they are in recuperation - from <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">injury, disease, burnout</a>. We are looked to as "fixers". I am against the word 'fix'. I can facilitate, using the tools and techniques I know, but if I have anything to say about it, I would rather talk about PREVENTION here rather than 'fixing' or 'curing' once something has already happened. It really does not do too much to overwork and <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">overstress</a> your back, go through 6 months of back pain and then look for a one hour patch up. You, the practitioner, need to <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">join me</a> on the health field. You need to become pro-active and participate in a very <a href="http://ranawaxman.blogspot.ca/2012/06/awareness-and-summer-yogini.html" target="_blank">self-aware</a> way. It is really each one of us that has it in our power to create the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">conditions necessary</a> to prevent injury, disease, burnout. Some circumstances, like inherited patterns of illness, trauma, and whatever your life blueprint unfolds, are not to be belittled. This is merely a way to address taking responsibility for what you can, when you can, if you can. A call to inspired action, if you will.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaADP91U0kjw56czU5Q86s2ix-gY-CAvHE6UbU3IyWT63tb9ruSHxv9WkNt6_weQpz9iF-fciWgEp9ewrkOyOdtFAlCGJUCuOTGY6zZr9SasR5hKsSUP66M76F-aC88lZzqkdXbKhsQX7s/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaADP91U0kjw56czU5Q86s2ix-gY-CAvHE6UbU3IyWT63tb9ruSHxv9WkNt6_weQpz9iF-fciWgEp9ewrkOyOdtFAlCGJUCuOTGY6zZr9SasR5hKsSUP66M76F-aC88lZzqkdXbKhsQX7s/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a>, when practised as a system: on the mat and off the mat, can help you identify patterns and habits, make changes where you need to through improved awareness, and re program your nervous system to learn to <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relax, cope and handle</a> what is on your plate of life. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">Yoga </a>offers an <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">alternative</a> to drug therapy which may reduce symptoms but not take away the root cause. I am going to offer you one example, because it is such a frequent complaint and I have worked with many a sufferer. Headaches.<br />
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It is safe to say that the neck is the superhighway between the head and the heart. This path can be affected by stress/emotions which can impede proper breathing (tension headaches). <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">Relaxation is soothing</a> to this kind of headache, as are certain breathing exercises which reinforce peace over panic. Headaches caused by muscle contraction are pretty frequent as well and often are a result of poor posture (whether sitting or standing) which affects the entire spine and often people just describe it as upper back or shoulder pain because these areas get knotted up. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> offers many remedies. I would say the best one is actually that people learn to self-correct, so that in any given situation, you can adopt a better aligned posture and/or use a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">specific yoga flow</a> to neutralise and diffuse stress, strengthen weak areas by waking them up, as well as quiet the overworked ones. Balance! In terms of migraines, as these are caused by vascular changes in the circulation to the brain, these we will put to the side for now. If you suspect you suffer from them, steer yourself to a health care professional.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDkAuXu7WYoi8hTScSQbwkugCNgDchZ4l02aiLnVCUVAhETDi_ujp6yJTJqJSvvcm-W4g94dYkdt4Wt32ciMl-lBCOq5sBE4GFkb6Cng02obUt__4IEIOjHkdqkmffEH0Jims-OvvvESt/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDkAuXu7WYoi8hTScSQbwkugCNgDchZ4l02aiLnVCUVAhETDi_ujp6yJTJqJSvvcm-W4g94dYkdt4Wt32ciMl-lBCOq5sBE4GFkb6Cng02obUt__4IEIOjHkdqkmffEH0Jims-OvvvESt/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a>Sometimes headaches are triggered, for example, if I eat anything with MSG, I get a headache. When I read without glasses, I get a headache. To prevent this from happening, I try to keep my eyeglass prescription current, and I read ingredient lists where possible. <u>Prevention is part common-sense, I think, but here are 7 tips:</u><br />
1-if you are repeating the "<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">what a pain in the neck this is"</a> mantra, write down what the "this" is - information can steer you to make changes where indicated or learn to breathe and accept.<br />
2-if you slump in your chair, learn to sit well (I always do this with people!)<br />
3-if you hold a telephone with one ear, get a headset or use hands free<br />
4-if you drop your head forward or tilt the chin too far up, either position strains the neck...bring yourself into neutral by gazing at the horizon, as if someone were lifting you from behind the ears and line those ears up over the shoulders<br />
5-if you favour one shoulder when you carry a purse/computer bag/suitcase, switch it up, get a backpack, lighten the load, do a few releasing shoulder shrugs<br />
6-if you are a stomach sleeper, know that this is the best way to tighten up and seize up...<br />
7-if you drive a lot, try not to round yourself forward over the steering wheel.<br />
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There is a difference between comfort and complacency. I believe an examined life gives one opportunity to make new choices, ones that support whatever your best and healthiest life can be. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/17297.Marianne_Williamson" target="_blank">Marianne Williamson</a> says, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." I like this message. It makes me ask the question, is there anything I can do better? Is there any area I can make improvements? Are there any moments I can let go deeper?<br />
I know I can STOP LOOK LISTEN anytime...<br />
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Let me know how it goes,<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2079800415">Om Shanty Shanty Shanty,</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-35285227506157299882012-06-15T15:07:00.000-04:002012-06-15T15:07:01.739-04:00Sound and the modern yogi(ni)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRc7__uBxrb__J7h8w9hCzb5hvSTBnjgNzThG26O2Weu4qqOO9eJMd9RnqHqPcEfB3H0hdB6UWWeAl3NcF5C9rA7qNP_ToipSKoma_r66ICifxcEHSp_cGg9RFuuskXvNo_d0y39nW0ZXL/s1600/Image+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRc7__uBxrb__J7h8w9hCzb5hvSTBnjgNzThG26O2Weu4qqOO9eJMd9RnqHqPcEfB3H0hdB6UWWeAl3NcF5C9rA7qNP_ToipSKoma_r66ICifxcEHSp_cGg9RFuuskXvNo_d0y39nW0ZXL/s1600/Image+3.jpg" /></a></div>
<i>"Dhyana (meditation) means absorption. It is the art of self-study, reflection, keen observation, or the search for the Infinite within. It is the observation of the physical processes of the body, study of mental states and profound contemplation. It means looking inwards to one's innermost being. Dhyana is the discovery of the Self" - B.K.S. Iyengar, <u><b>Light on Pranayama</b></u></i><br />
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<i>"Sound can change our entire life's course in an instant. Words spoken in anger can cause permanent problems between a husband and wife, or parent and child. The throb of a well-tuned motor can engender such satisfaction in an amateur mechanic that a whole new career path suddenly opens before him. A word of encouragement from a teacher at just the right time can inspire a student for many years to come." - T. Ashley-Farrand, <b><u>Healing Mantras </u></b></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">Each one of us has a story about where we find ourselves at this moment in time, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. We have questions perhaps, or are seeking clarity, improvement, or a new momentum. These crossroad moments are when we either give up, get addicted to something, or embark on a new spiritual discipline (a method) as a way to focus our </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">attention</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';"> on the healing/growth process. In the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga system</a>, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra" target="_blank">mantra </a>discipline is a great spiritual tool, as the repetition of the mantra (japa) brings concentration and <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxation to the mind</a> which is often racing around in negative thinking patterns, thus depleting our vital energy/creativity/decision-making ability. <b>We are all leaders of our own lives</b> and we need all the focus we can tap into in order to be able to do the mundane and the miraculous. It can be a full time job in itself but discipline and consistency pay off. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">You do not need to know when, so trust it, do a little work, <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relax,</a> wait. Even if you are "not interested in <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a>", you can be interested in the power of sound. You know some sounds resonate as peaceful, some can be abrasive, some energizing. With a mantra, sound is used as a healing tool; as the mystic Sufi master Vilayat Inayat Khan states, "The practice of mantra kneads the flesh of the body with sound."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">There are many mantras to choose from, either from your favourite CD, a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/links.php" target="_blank">resource</a> book or you may seek the traditional approach for guidance from your <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">Yoga </a><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">Teacher</a>. Focus on one mantra during your practise. </span><span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">Through repetition the mantra will rest in your heart and repeat itself even when you are not formally in your practise time. </span></div>
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<u><b>Tips to try this out:</b></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">*Begin by stating to yourself your <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intention</i> </b>– your starting point problem, question, or desire. You may initiate a new journal and either write it or sketch it in a way that is clear to you or fold it up and put it in a special place where it will remain for the duration of your discipline. Perhaps you will create a special healing space such as an altar with your favourite incense, a lovely candle, an inspiring picture or figurine or crystal. This will also be the place where you come to practise your discipline each day, your sanctuary. The painting in this photo is by one of my students, <a href="http://www.juliasheppard.ch/Julia_Sheppard_paintings.html" target="_blank">Julia Sheppard</a>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">She painted it for me and it is a most special touchstone on my desk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">-Now that you have prepared the foundation for your discipline choose the approach that appeals to you:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">*Repeat the mantra as often as possible over a 21<u>-day period</u>. This means using the windows of time during your day to chant your mantra. It might also mean a regular interval in your day where you are conscious of your mantra practise during more formal sessions. Intention, Attention.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwt8py8jg80LCufPUZ1xgG3DWkEPZlW-bjpZi7Dp8UwdmRhDEiJR1TVst3rHfIVjdeY2OKqqlX8GfaOJfeaoKCsYCa9CcALUKV0yrHC-UK8eIGZposZcdmHbTbWLIbVikL7hyphenhyphenufrjarLJ/s1600/86872-Royalty-Free-RF-Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-Meditating-Businessman-Sitting-On-The-Floor-In-A-Yoga-Pose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwt8py8jg80LCufPUZ1xgG3DWkEPZlW-bjpZi7Dp8UwdmRhDEiJR1TVst3rHfIVjdeY2OKqqlX8GfaOJfeaoKCsYCa9CcALUKV0yrHC-UK8eIGZposZcdmHbTbWLIbVikL7hyphenhyphenufrjarLJ/s200/86872-Royalty-Free-RF-Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-Meditating-Businessman-Sitting-On-The-Floor-In-A-Yoga-Pose.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">*Use the classical <u>40 day discipline</u>, and set your practise at the same time, upon rising in the morning and before going to bed in the evening. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">This is your sacred time to practise without interruption. In the classical sense, a 40 day discipline is one where you repeat the same mantra every day for those 40 days. As with everything else, the more attention you apply to your intention, the more dramatic the results. This is one reason for the classical twice a day ritual. Determine for yourself in a spacious and focused way how much time you will devote to your practise. And hey, if for you, the modern yogi(ni) this is when you are on a walk, sitting at your desk, in the car at a red light, and you only get in 5 repetitions, that is always better than 5 negative or worrisome thoughts. <b>Don't judge, practise!</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizj0qul_-SxPmUrilg-zO43OdFIeZ6wHsTyyqfCibFf9MEbRoh3aNAv1iY8Jlksxlvy5Dh5JM_V85XkQPzCtNGiw0nA6nabq9ONVMx8i6W93qtVw9Uufp8xUgIatffscri31i3sbGn5suC/s1600/images-13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizj0qul_-SxPmUrilg-zO43OdFIeZ6wHsTyyqfCibFf9MEbRoh3aNAv1iY8Jlksxlvy5Dh5JM_V85XkQPzCtNGiw0nA6nabq9ONVMx8i6W93qtVw9Uufp8xUgIatffscri31i3sbGn5suC/s1600/images-13.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">If you wish, set aside a special mala or rosary that you will use for this specific practise until you have completed your discipline. Either place it in your sacred space or wear it. Most malas have 108 beads, as the Vedic teachings state there are 108 principal astral channels leading from the heart in the subtle body out to the rest of the subtle body. Saying your mantra 108 times sends energy into each of these channels. Using a mala keeps your energy focused on your <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5997032975147691805#editor/target=post;postID=2589957111749201492" target="_blank">meditation</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPaPA4sf_4od_2tJW_auGIyOpt85dz3GB9WincufqvOtD5DU3J5pzhtGxblA5Iz2nBSlmb2tjwg5loFbUMRj-Nh7bKBFlDxhAXKHMpPC-4BNBph7BV6gQehOVLm_qiV0FKQQV3LFxLnj5/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPaPA4sf_4od_2tJW_auGIyOpt85dz3GB9WincufqvOtD5DU3J5pzhtGxblA5Iz2nBSlmb2tjwg5loFbUMRj-Nh7bKBFlDxhAXKHMpPC-4BNBph7BV6gQehOVLm_qiV0FKQQV3LFxLnj5/s1600/photo.jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">Once you have started on this silent journey, there will be <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">consequences from your effort</a>.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">Tensions may ease or arise, obstacles or irritations may come up as you clear through resistance and negative energy patterns, doorways may open.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">You will be faced with the choice always to move through, open up, recreate new internal energy patterns or give into those parts of the self that do not seem to want to change and grow.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">Knowing that this is a natural part of the voyage, <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relax into your practise.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">Engage your <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=1429813383485466407" target="_blank">peaceful warrior spirit</a> and if it is within your ability, give yourSelf to the process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">At the end of your discipline, take a look at your original intention and notice in how many ways this first inspiration has been positively affected.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';">Let me know how it goes! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om" target="_blank">Om</a> shanty shanty shanty</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Stone Sans OS ITC TT-Semi';"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana </a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-35236099992142960752012-06-10T09:32:00.000-04:002012-06-10T09:32:18.675-04:00Awareness and the Summer Yogi(ni)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH9O_Y9qR_PkWm4qjNZV1GO0wR1CnjUF5lPBwMCTHprv8ut9Mc2VYxuEZorTqpsyXLGyJwsCdL38mue8ROi13izlx-M4atyAvbdyFv7SH2OR2Zhuh-9Cqk3L_mCYFq65LPC9qFmaL_m_6/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH9O_Y9qR_PkWm4qjNZV1GO0wR1CnjUF5lPBwMCTHprv8ut9Mc2VYxuEZorTqpsyXLGyJwsCdL38mue8ROi13izlx-M4atyAvbdyFv7SH2OR2Zhuh-9Cqk3L_mCYFq65LPC9qFmaL_m_6/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a><br />
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<i>"If we want to make changes or improvements in our lives, we must first become conscious of what is going on now. Learning to pay attention is the foundation for the development of a relationship with ourselves." - <b>Rachel Schaeffer,</b> <u>Yoga For Your Spiritual Muscles</u></i><br />
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<i>"I imagine how a chemist would write the equation for mindfulness: concentration + calm + equanimity + rapture + energy + investigation = mindfulness." - <b>Sylvia Boorstein, </b> <u>Don't Just Do Something, Sit There</u></i></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga is a practical methodology for lifestyle management.</a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">While touching one’s toes in a forward bend is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5997032975147691805#editor/target=post;postID=4839732023063904655" target="_blank">not the goal</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5997032975147691805#editor/target=post;postID=4530931053124124096" target="_blank">body awareness </a>is definitely a learnt skill and side benefit of the practise of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a>. People have different degrees of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception" target="_blank">proprioception</a> and this can also improve with time spent on your mat. This being said, even new awareness about the body is not the whole picture. You may not look at awareness as a “muscle” you need to strengthen, but it is invaluable and can definitely get stronger as we train our brain in new ways, opening up neuropathways. We talk about mindfulness as a practise, so it can really be integrated as you roll up the<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank"> yoga</a> mat and walk into your daily life - better health, decision-making, creativity, safety, are some of the pluses.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> <b>Here are a few opportunities to practise “I am aware of:” </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of your fingers when you are cutting veggies for salad</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware when you are driving, where is your car vis a vis other cars</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of whether your body is making any unusual noises </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of whether your body is expressing certain signals of pain or discomfort</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of your energy level</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of where your wallet or purse is vis a vis your person</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of who is in your 2 foot bubble and your instincts about it</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware when you are in crowds (festivals etc) of where people are holding their cigarettes, especially if you are walking with children, obviously, be aware of your children in crowds (no brainer)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of the weather in order to bring an umbrella, dress a certain way, wear sunscreen</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of rules at airports and <a href="http://www.ctic.co/2012/04/airport-travelers-urged-to-keep-eye-on.html" target="_blank">watch your personal belongings</a></span><br />
-be aware of any noises your car is making<br />
-be aware of where you put the keys to your house, car, office, gym locker</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of your thoughts, attitudes in any given moment or about a certain situation</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of your habits and whether they are good for you</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of your weaknesses and strengths</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of whether you are sitting near a bee or wasp or other biting/stinging creature (my niece is great at this one!)</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of the flowers or nature that is near you</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of how much you have not how much you want</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">-be aware of the sounds around you, the smells</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTJ0-DZvemd6En6vFBX_6v7quj7_RnVxyzuCNVBXV61yCPKrTy_NAE1TSYO9swwxHm0VY7ku8lWT3uK90B6uzkur_oiisVPXxcHS4-22ys6kgydCz9W339-SpvQrqZTmYSRs18FO9y618/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTJ0-DZvemd6En6vFBX_6v7quj7_RnVxyzuCNVBXV61yCPKrTy_NAE1TSYO9swwxHm0VY7ku8lWT3uK90B6uzkur_oiisVPXxcHS4-22ys6kgydCz9W339-SpvQrqZTmYSRs18FO9y618/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; clear: left; color: black; float: left; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">I am not suggesting living in or acting from fear, rather, moving towards your instincts. People are generally looking for “fixing” situations once they happen. Prevention can be far more interesting, and I think awareness is part of its foundation. It can definitely start on the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">yoga mat</a> but it does not end there....</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_564077219"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_564077219"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_564077219"><br /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SZEx5qTkAOdO8xJ0_Z43tez2Qr9xcHDIDAb1NdKtaMy5m8WrWQ_qWr_Qq5E6JSdoL-yERbETfb0y2xrTmKcf145XnHyhF8v3dkmDdi7lqH9sk3hxbM9_BNxVWYDCBAivQxevL2mpc54K/s1600/images-8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SZEx5qTkAOdO8xJ0_Z43tez2Qr9xcHDIDAb1NdKtaMy5m8WrWQ_qWr_Qq5E6JSdoL-yERbETfb0y2xrTmKcf145XnHyhF8v3dkmDdi7lqH9sk3hxbM9_BNxVWYDCBAivQxevL2mpc54K/s1600/images-8.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Three things you can also try:</div>
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<b>1-</b>When you walk through a crowd, can you do it without getting bumped into or bumping into others? </div>
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<b>2-</b>Simply close your eyes for a moment and be aware of your breathing. Taking a few seconds to pause helps you to reconnect to the inner voice. <a href="http://ranawaxman.blogspot.ca/2012/05/silence-empowers.html" target="_blank">Great guide</a>.</div>
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<b>3-</b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5997032975147691805#editor/target=post;postID=8434679641686900156" target="_blank">Start a relaxation practise</a>...there are different levels of awareness...yes, being aware of awareness itself...deep and meaningful step towards realising your "true nature" of peace and light. The Sufis say "God lives in the details".</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://ranawaxman.blogspot.ca/2012/03/yoga-and-safety.html" target="_blank">Stay safe</a>, and let me know how it goes </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Om Shanty, shanty, shanty,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-19356248565082143482012-06-04T17:26:00.001-04:002012-06-04T17:26:17.631-04:00Avoidance and the Modern Yogi(ni)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKByG0xg4h8DmjdCXtgUJ6wZ12YthiUmAPhwO2hdULb2P1oKczvtS-ftd9Z5D_AeL6Q7NoXepAW3U6zNNms3l5VhXGlTgFUuyZaraYvf8ci2jDw7dec8LgBcoqd2DNj4Cp3GJUKVCODMky/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKByG0xg4h8DmjdCXtgUJ6wZ12YthiUmAPhwO2hdULb2P1oKczvtS-ftd9Z5D_AeL6Q7NoXepAW3U6zNNms3l5VhXGlTgFUuyZaraYvf8ci2jDw7dec8LgBcoqd2DNj4Cp3GJUKVCODMky/s1600/photo.JPG" /></a><i>"if you have a problem in your body, your body will naturally move away from it in order to avoid pain and discomfort"- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LiveBetterFeelBetter?ref=ts" target="_blank">Dr. Jason Skolar</a>, chiropractor.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"tapah-svadhyaya-Isvara-pranidhanani kriya-yogah:</i><br />
<i>In order to practice being whole, an inner fire, constant study, and a devotion to things spiritual are required" - <u>Patanjali Sutra 11.1</u>, translation Kofi Busia</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>"By practicing yoga with a warrior's courage and an infant's vulnerability, we can embrace stiffness and flexibility, likes and loathings, the sunlit and moon-shadowed" - Ronnie Paul, <u>Yoga With An Attitude</u>, <b>Yoga International Magazine</b></i><br />
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It has taken me awhile to process my 21 day trikonasana (triangle pose) challenge. As a Yoga teacher, I will tell you it is neither my first nor my last. I hold the belief that I cannot teach what I have not yet practised, so I often put myself into these challenges, to see what I can learn and at some point, my experience as a student of myself usually becomes fertiliser for teaching others. I also believe consistency, ritual, and repetition are <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=4270373191460615344" target="_blank">foundations of transformation</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXNboh-v7l6hjJxSBf1x0-D4uQQeWBHvkmjH6ENKHnS5VtYq1o4HKQmwAd_ErIffK9J1V9EMkmGWOXfn8fonhllF-habuqskZwA1dtoBRBMq2XV5g3kS7QAoReBf5D5D-PSAApjVB97Om/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXNboh-v7l6hjJxSBf1x0-D4uQQeWBHvkmjH6ENKHnS5VtYq1o4HKQmwAd_ErIffK9J1V9EMkmGWOXfn8fonhllF-habuqskZwA1dtoBRBMq2XV5g3kS7QAoReBf5D5D-PSAApjVB97Om/s1600/images-3.jpeg" /></a></div>
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I would probably never have written about this except I just recently saw a video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_blank">"never give up" </a> which is about one man's journey into transformation through <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a>....and I thought, yes, this is what it is all about. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">Not about "achieving the perfect pose</a>", but about getting into the whole journey and persevering, moving past "can't". There is always something we can do on and off the mat, and finding it and focusing on it is very transformative/productive. Watch the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_blank">video</a> - you will understand. And then there is a student of mine who insisted I take pictures before and after a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">one hour private yoga class</a>. You can see such change that maybe all of you who do not believe that your tensions can be teachers, that your tightness cannot be released, that <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a> is only for the already <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=1971103214798788862" target="_blank">flexible</a>, maybe you will give it a go. Below on left is before, and on right is after -one one hour session (<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">yogatherapy</a>).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGYJrXOkKrWXctNbCQ1Gyd0SUk4_c4i4zY_zGJqHX2qVpTSfhKArXwbovwqNy5p8FDdxIj31o8hWESWJjpKm9EMn4AFLF6s0zSx5_JypQp5jKC5L7cq6iXy3gbHvh51JjpjztKNWFHUIk/s1600/photo+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGYJrXOkKrWXctNbCQ1Gyd0SUk4_c4i4zY_zGJqHX2qVpTSfhKArXwbovwqNy5p8FDdxIj31o8hWESWJjpKm9EMn4AFLF6s0zSx5_JypQp5jKC5L7cq6iXy3gbHvh51JjpjztKNWFHUIk/s1600/photo+3.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPa79fR67cKVkd1Fv3FJZ970MiNaKAYYxmvS3zvSFrakRMueLacH84s8PPpVDx7AT4lryvhHHEA9VxwHN7YdtyRunYAWCmh0qs659EdICbri2FgRpYMmePhAsBJY93FrMgDoExPq7U0Id/s1600/photo+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPa79fR67cKVkd1Fv3FJZ970MiNaKAYYxmvS3zvSFrakRMueLacH84s8PPpVDx7AT4lryvhHHEA9VxwHN7YdtyRunYAWCmh0qs659EdICbri2FgRpYMmePhAsBJY93FrMgDoExPq7U0Id/s1600/photo+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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What initiated the challenge this time was being in a workshop where we were asked to go into a posture we hated. Hello! Right away I groaned and did a very lopsided and uncomfortable trikonasana. I did not even bother to pretend my heart and mind were with me, I just grimaced on the inhale and complained on the exhale. It was not very NAMASTE. Needless to say, I had avoided including this posture in any and all of 17years + of daily practise.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-iI5y3icIA0cSv2JcxWvnwkEge-c3XpY_tGYD5LbSH6Ibk4jQr-NqZBP2LHke69xf4MBFsdPLfsEszB33dzCvL5Ic3CnNX6Ecn4NiOrsbbbQrb89xE6msUf_L0YhXki2otsV-EnfRe8L/s1600/images-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-iI5y3icIA0cSv2JcxWvnwkEge-c3XpY_tGYD5LbSH6Ibk4jQr-NqZBP2LHke69xf4MBFsdPLfsEszB33dzCvL5Ic3CnNX6Ecn4NiOrsbbbQrb89xE6msUf_L0YhXki2otsV-EnfRe8L/s1600/images-5.jpeg" /></a></div>
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I do feel that avoidance can be a good thing: Montreal potholes, touching fire, walking alone on a dark street, foods that trigger bad reactions, negative and non-nurturing circumstances, driving on an empty gas tank, texting and driving, gossipping, being in the sun without sunscreen, forgetting water on a long walk...This however was a different kind of avoidance, of just letting myself get blocked by my own tightness instead of setting out on an exploration to overcome and understand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7vCe6s5s5LWoabRczMyMCHWeluQZXZ0mExZz-29N3l8yhzbw8Za9NAoIBUz5BmdfPJXVwWxgvt7YoZ99_sG4AMOorzbXk2tHMptkhuxLrk1RkVpLG4xbGGcLe6dgI9yXoKMT2szDPVtR/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7vCe6s5s5LWoabRczMyMCHWeluQZXZ0mExZz-29N3l8yhzbw8Za9NAoIBUz5BmdfPJXVwWxgvt7YoZ99_sG4AMOorzbXk2tHMptkhuxLrk1RkVpLG4xbGGcLe6dgI9yXoKMT2szDPVtR/s1600/images-4.jpeg" /></a></div>
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At any rate, several variations later we had worked out a way I could try the posture, and at least breathe through the discomfort. My first <i>reaction</i> was jeez why bother! I just want to feel good, but - my first <i>response</i> to that was, hmmm, let's investigate why it isn't comfortable. That is what I felt I needed to do. I mean - really - it is one of the<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank"> classical standing postures </a>and has all these benefits- who in their right, meditative mind would not want all this? :</div>
-elongates and strengthens your spine<br />
-brings flexibility to back muscles<br />
-tones legs<br />
-helps balance liver, kidney, spleen function<br />
-powerful pose that can help build strength/determination.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKZVJzp5sAfNV_cnNYWhf4fOLaF5cFvNim8r2nWq4Zs7MLwkROSIr7GQuI5fewmkcn2V-WZgPUndFqM587AV8yUhqxbhdrgVLOitkB02QQsIQPJFHDee2YKp1D12eUjSR8ubOvx_tB5E0/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKZVJzp5sAfNV_cnNYWhf4fOLaF5cFvNim8r2nWq4Zs7MLwkROSIr7GQuI5fewmkcn2V-WZgPUndFqM587AV8yUhqxbhdrgVLOitkB02QQsIQPJFHDee2YKp1D12eUjSR8ubOvx_tB5E0/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Week 1 was not too easy. I hated trying to breathe into a very uncomfortable right hip. I hated being tight. I thought I should be a model for Yoga Journal not feeling like the only Yogini on earth to be leaning on a wall in order to get to the other side of this investigation. However, I kept at it, making sure I was warmed up enough to hold it for about 1.5 minutes per side, breathing comfortably and steady on my feet. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">Relaxed while monitoring and being aware of tension is VALUABLE</a>. I learned a lot about pain signals and discomfort. These are important cues for instinct management in daily life, don't you think? <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=4530931053124124096" target="_blank">The body has a language of its own</a>, and the breath is a barometer of<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank"> stress</a>/emotions. The thoughts and feelings that surfaced were interesting to me, and I journalled a lot to bring <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">stored tension to light.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rz-huyCdjzm7thn85tr6Jt3CtCG77lZXmU480ZLZ_uU8zGNUIEXlddpg9WqmlWdjQcHBsH0dpo1kDAci-qI6MXA0wYUGQYisGJn8TIPmjWPWFEi8xD-7SEpay-ZqXrCYmhlESSn9Tw5m/s1600/IMG_0197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rz-huyCdjzm7thn85tr6Jt3CtCG77lZXmU480ZLZ_uU8zGNUIEXlddpg9WqmlWdjQcHBsH0dpo1kDAci-qI6MXA0wYUGQYisGJn8TIPmjWPWFEi8xD-7SEpay-ZqXrCYmhlESSn9Tw5m/s320/IMG_0197.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Week 2 was less physically uncomfortable. I moved from the wall variation to the support of two blocks. I discovered I had been trying to move into it with the wrong part of my anatomy because of certain weaknesses. I discovered that what propels me forward is not focusing on my strengths, but improving these weaker, tighter parts with <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=4839732023063904655" target="_blank">ahimsa (loving kindness)</a>. I found that bit by bit the body was opening its doorways. There was a moment when I thought ok, well I got what I came for, let's move on...but 21 days means just that. Onward.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7O-8ZcPe5jG6KCe9a4Zg3ju6QTk5iwBZNUlEeuIyobSc9L7TnqtY5WFq4fpW4bKATdEL1TwlZOdLZJbNOE6QXnDn0f0iS2P8f4rDlfyWbF1ptigOqCWBooopDCGzQ2l9G3ES9nAnwD9B_/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7O-8ZcPe5jG6KCe9a4Zg3ju6QTk5iwBZNUlEeuIyobSc9L7TnqtY5WFq4fpW4bKATdEL1TwlZOdLZJbNOE6QXnDn0f0iS2P8f4rDlfyWbF1ptigOqCWBooopDCGzQ2l9G3ES9nAnwD9B_/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Week 3 was so informative. I had a rhythm by then, my body looked forward to the stretch, and I noticed my mind, not having to focus on tension -past, present, future- experienced the sense of meditation in motion where you are not so much "doing" the posture as "being" it...I call it effortless effort. Frankly, I have better mobility than ever and have let go of so much tension, I feel much freer overall.<br />
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I have arrived at the point where I can leave the discipline of 'having' to do this posture, and now am staying present when I practise, not simply to what variation will work for me, but whether it is a necessary choice in that moment. I think avoiding based on laziness, fear or 'certainty' of failure is not an option for me. My tensions have been the bearer of some great wisdom for me. I wish for you the same positivity on your<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=4270373191460615344" target="_blank"> journey of transformation</a>. Stay safe,<br />
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Om shanty shanty shanty,<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-7665740257213786112012-06-01T09:09:00.001-04:002012-06-01T09:09:40.389-04:00Staying Fit With Cancer, a Guest Blogger's Approach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oESQnNxEtoPIxpCoizaJtZomv-N2zm2xm25Qq-Rak2DZZyxaMrquzlbop0Qqq2l35Wdjxrmod6DiSfgYQYfYte98DbWIdh8lDnLQx76YZT9570Ajhyphenhyphenx2iKbzIjZ5uxHxZ_xBfhSi0dG6/s1600/872465936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oESQnNxEtoPIxpCoizaJtZomv-N2zm2xm25Qq-Rak2DZZyxaMrquzlbop0Qqq2l35Wdjxrmod6DiSfgYQYfYte98DbWIdh8lDnLQx76YZT9570Ajhyphenhyphenx2iKbzIjZ5uxHxZ_xBfhSi0dG6/s320/872465936.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dear readers, I am happy to share with you an email and article written by <a href="http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/david/" target="_blank">David Haas.</a><br />
He recently contacted me and I am honored and excited to post this on his behalf. Cancer has touched my personal and professional spheres in different ways - perhaps yours too- and<br />
awareness is healing on many levels - support, prevention, cure..<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #525252; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Hi <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/" target="_blank">Rana</a>,</span><br />
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I stumbled across your blog and noticed the great content on your site. I am wondering if you allow guest posts because I recently have been researching and writing about how beneficial cancer support networks and also staying physically fit is to people going through treatments, in remission, and even family members of cancer patients. I believe an article on one of those two topics would mesh with your blog very well and also benefit your readers tremendously. This is an important message to get out there so please let me know if you would be interested in seeing it and sharing it with your readers.</div>
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Thank you for all you do in making a difference,</div>
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<a href="http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/david/" target="_blank">David Haas</a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Staying Fit With Cancer</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no doubt that being diagnosed with cancer is one of the most difficult and trying times in a person's life. For many, there are visions of pain, suffering, and a sense that life is over. It is extremely important to recognize that this is far from the truth. Having a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxed </a>and positive mindset is a very important aspect of dealing with cancer and it can go a long way in helping you fight it. Today, modern medicine has helped many survive cancer after being diagnosed. Thinking positively and relying on modern medicine are just as helpful as it is to stay physically active. Many studies have found that exercise can aid in recovery and even keep cancer from returning.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have just been diagnosed with cancer, there is undoubtedly some uncertainty and fear in your life. It can be difficult to acknowledge the diagnosis. If you led a healthy and active lifestyle before your diagnosis, continuing this behavior will be one of your best defenses. At this early stage it can be helpful to find a support group to guide you through any <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">emotional stress</a>. This will help you to continue daily life and maintain your healthy exercising habits. However if you do not already exercise or practice <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a>, beginning to do so will ultimately help in the fight against cancer. The <a href="http://www.emaxhealth.com/1506/51/34310/yoga-benefits-cancer-patients.html" target="_blank">benefits</a> of exercise are immense. Over time, blood pressure will decrease, endurance will increase, <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">stress</a> will minimize, and energy will be higher.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7QjNGi1Mguvj_K5IHONktZ663pK24RdFPoo44KrdRn_iMIoZTUKLvwnCDG8ApnbwzkNzWUbLvAGT3mlhHV9bWS_KxavmGvMhByulVYXfFyiUdZXxFiK5jJdEF5SkWJM5lbybd6RzIAR9/s1600/images-14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7QjNGi1Mguvj_K5IHONktZ663pK24RdFPoo44KrdRn_iMIoZTUKLvwnCDG8ApnbwzkNzWUbLvAGT3mlhHV9bWS_KxavmGvMhByulVYXfFyiUdZXxFiK5jJdEF5SkWJM5lbybd6RzIAR9/s1600/images-14.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going through treatment and surgery to treat your cancer no doubt take a toll on the body. These combined with the symptoms of the cancer, make staying physically fit a low priority. For example, <a href="http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/" target="_blank">people with mesothelioma</a>, cancer of the lungs, abdomen, or heart, experience symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath. Combining this with chemotherapy and radiation can make exercise very difficult. It’s important to maintain a positive attitude and remember that <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">exercise</a> has health benefits that include increasing your chance of becoming a cancer survivor.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYq-P1KKqG_35cePvpKbI45ZyL09SSVFn8E2_DZYCJ7TQo-m22Yzx0-Xgesl8W1Hc-qP6ZjIbEDRuTOfYteFjojB5WaP8Q0mKOdqvs0TRZiVmFVQIWQIgOEPFzc7sFNEW4-MkBxsLq2AG/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYq-P1KKqG_35cePvpKbI45ZyL09SSVFn8E2_DZYCJ7TQo-m22Yzx0-Xgesl8W1Hc-qP6ZjIbEDRuTOfYteFjojB5WaP8Q0mKOdqvs0TRZiVmFVQIWQIgOEPFzc7sFNEW4-MkBxsLq2AG/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are a cancer survivor, one of the main priorities in your life is to stay in remission. Surviving cancer is a huge accomplishment. Celebrate by keeping your body fit and remaining healthy. Studies show that maintaining fitness not only helps prevent cancer, but keeps it from returning as well. Start off slow. Some light stretching or <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a> might be a good way to start. Then you can work your way up to more rigorous exercises. Ideally, you should <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html" target="_blank">aim for doing both aerobic and strength training exercises</a>. Therapy and treatments make you fatigued and you lose a muscle as a result. Aerobic exercise increases endurance and boost energy, combating fatigue. Strength training exercises increase muscle mass and help combat osteoporosis. Any way you look at it, the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">benefits</a> of exercising are tremendous. Take charge of your life and your body and help it stay cancer free.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your body is a wonderful machine that deserves special maintenance and care. Staying fit is an excellent way to help your body function at its peak, maintain higher levels of energy, and combat symptoms of cancer. Chances are that your doctor will recommend an active life style whether just diagnosed with cancer or in remission. Listen to your doctor and all of the scientific studies. If you do, chances are that the exercise will help you in keeping cancer from coming back.</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-14298133834854664072012-05-29T10:24:00.000-04:002012-05-29T10:24:37.365-04:00Transition and the Modern Yogi(ni)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglo7HtLZo_d-By_titFvQV8BOobTNFO9Y33N_HW81MlhTJ3WlftJKJyhW83ytFR5Wglm4-Bb2XYvFqbsPkXPW5zUQVsE4L0LcRW4gZe2WzpvXvv6h9_Rwk9NgQva2-uLLu_Yx_0uGpkCP3/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglo7HtLZo_d-By_titFvQV8BOobTNFO9Y33N_HW81MlhTJ3WlftJKJyhW83ytFR5Wglm4-Bb2XYvFqbsPkXPW5zUQVsE4L0LcRW4gZe2WzpvXvv6h9_Rwk9NgQva2-uLLu_Yx_0uGpkCP3/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
<i>anitya-asuci-duhka-anatmasu-nitya-suci-sukha-atma-khyatih-avidya: Ignorance is the confusion of the temporary with the permanent, the pure with the impure, anguish with the pleasure of being, and the relative with the absolute - Patanjali: Sutra 11.5, B. Bouanchaud, <u><b>The Essence of Yoga</b></u></i><br />
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<i>"If you are doing anything big and worthwhile in life, you are going to flush up some uncomfortable feelings" - G. Hendricks, K. Ludeman, <u><b>The Corporate Mystic</b></u> </i><br />
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<i>"It takes a brave heart to deeply accept that everything changes" - Judith Lasater, <b><u>Living Your Yoga</u></b></i><br />
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I ran into someone today and after I asked "how are you?" this person blurted out: "I'm in transition". From the intonation, I got the feeling that the transition zone was perceived as a place of uncertainty and unease. A separate sphere of struggle.<br />
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As we parted, I reflected on the conversation and my first thought was, we are always in transition or in contact with it in one way or another. Nature is our first mirror; sunrise to sunset, waxing and waning moon, conception to pregnancy to birth, childhood to adulthood to death, seed to tree, seasons. We witness transition on a daily basis, but when in a new phase, there is a tendency to feel lost and sometimes very worried - "when will this be over?" "how will I do it?"...we become one with the confusion of foreign circumstances instead of with an inner knowingness that 'this too, shall pass' because it is part of the whole. Then somehow, we are prepared or we prepare ourselves, we cope, master, muster, muddle and make it. This despite not always having the end in sight. <br />
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I see <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">students</a> through life transitions and feel quite privileged to witness huge transformations. For some people, feeling lost or not at the next step of the journey, provides an opportunity to seek reconnection or new aquaintance with inner guidance. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">The system of Yoga</a> is really an awesome choice for this; from the internal practice of meditation to the external attitudes towards self and environment. If you are faced with the transition from marriage to divorce, job to job-seeking, breakdown to breakthrough, grief/panic/loss to equanimity, insomnia to inner rest, finding a way to be peaceful and at ease in the wholeness of your present moment provides a clarity and inner strength, a resilience and an inner resourcefulness that anchors you. And, let us not forget, surrender...<br />
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I know it is not always easy. I think about this every March because here in Montreal, the crocuses and tulips start to peek through the ground which is not always fully thawed. How hard it must be for these flowers to sprout and be colourful amidst the gray of our not always finished winter. Yet, they push forward and it all works out. I am sure not all of them bloom but for the most part, Nature has both the challenge and the reward of growth built in. <br />
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We kind of have to be warriors in life. Spiritual Warriors. This is not a reference to fighting per se, but certainly to perseverance, and determined inner strength. Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose) in its variations actually refers to the dialogue in the Bhagavad Gita, and is more of an ideal for the practitioner, who exhibits bravery in the battle with the universal enemy of self-ignorance (avidya), which in the Yoga system, is seen as the ultimate source of our suffering - if we only felt at one with where we are and who we are without feeling disconnected from the Source...<br />
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<u>Ten things you can try if you are in a transition are:</u></div>
1. Practise "let go and let God" - show up, do your best, let the universe do the rest...<br />
2. Simulate - who is it or where is it you want to be? what are the attributes you can simulate now?<br />
3. Inhale full, exhale with the Aaahhh sound...deep sighs help to train you to hear your own voice<br />
4. Before you go to bed at night say thank you for one thing<br />
5. Practise listening to what you are hearing as guidance (buy kale, go to the gas station, update CV, say hello to someone, connect on Linkedin, whatever it is that comes up: witness, hear, listen and act.<br />
6. Get out and do one new thing, movement of any kind trains your brain that you are not stuck<br />
7. Try a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxation practise</a><br />
8. Sometimes if you are in transition, less advice is better, or just the 'right' advice...it's OK to be protective of new growth<br />
9. Honour and accept yourself as you are where you are...there is usually a beginning, a middle and an end to each cycle before a new one starts<br />
10. Try <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">YOGA</a> :-) the whole system, but for now - a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">little experiment</a>, it does not have to look like the photo:<br />
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<u><b>Simplified directions for Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana1) </b></u><br />
-stand tall and straight in Mountain Pose, legs parallel<br />
-step one leg forward, while keeping the back leg straight, rooted through the heel, and slightly angled<br />
-exhale and bend front leg without lunging forward<br />
-keep spine vertical<br />
-inhale raise arms to align with ears or where comfortable for your shoulders or just resting them<br />
-tuck pelvis under, and by pushing into feet, feel the upper body become light and free as you reach up through fingers<br />
-breathe steadily for about 10 breaths, comfortable in balancing with one leg forward, and the other leg back then repeat on other side...process by standing still after...<br />
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how did that feel?<br />
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Om shanty shanty shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-16060376573268718772012-05-23T13:14:00.001-04:002012-05-23T13:14:11.054-04:00zen and the art of summer living<i>"A healthy life is a life in balance. Yoga practise offers an opportunity for learning about dynamic balance. Maintaining mind-body balance provides the best platform to make karmically correct choices, enabling you to perform actions in the most efficient way. A life in balance is a life in dharma, for every action supports the evolutionary flow of life in which minimal resistance and maximum success are generated" - Deepak Chopra, <u><b>The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga</b></u> </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNY-ug1kHpsYu0e79qLUEa7YymUIFFrhMQLSgGLVryZjH72l3zn6VQFNXnQh8M3SdqLaFcSA24bpWknTsMTOhOHe6fDzML8_W6mlCO3sfzBGWBOpkSm-8miv3OPDuU-4ggRvXNfubyrTnK/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNY-ug1kHpsYu0e79qLUEa7YymUIFFrhMQLSgGLVryZjH72l3zn6VQFNXnQh8M3SdqLaFcSA24bpWknTsMTOhOHe6fDzML8_W6mlCO3sfzBGWBOpkSm-8miv3OPDuU-4ggRvXNfubyrTnK/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Every summer I get new<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank"> business</a> as people injure themselves from some preventable situations...so I have decided to give some simple tips to keep everyone out of as much trouble as possible. Life is so much easier if you do not ignore your weaknesses and/or add a bit of mindfulness to break out of auto-pilot.<br />
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To all you <b><u>gardeners</u></b> out there, if you have knee problems, spending a full day on your knees may not be the best thing without some kind of padding underneath you. Even folding a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a> mat or gym mat and placing it under your knees can be good, you can hose it down later. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVv9zoWF28IRTH5xn47xRX2DKPWV80dIXfABxyAqV-Zcy3OzJyi16wwdegSn5h76k2uzRT4I1sqXOmhku0mCjMFSkgbigUaLMM9FJVsS07BV-l1AulnuD67cuwqB8lWnj0CNoLHL-KMCQ/s1600/8213659-green-yoga-mattress-isolated-on-white-background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVv9zoWF28IRTH5xn47xRX2DKPWV80dIXfABxyAqV-Zcy3OzJyi16wwdegSn5h76k2uzRT4I1sqXOmhku0mCjMFSkgbigUaLMM9FJVsS07BV-l1AulnuD67cuwqB8lWnj0CNoLHL-KMCQ/s1600/8213659-green-yoga-mattress-isolated-on-white-background.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><u>Golfers</u></b>, I do not play but I did get a student to bring in a golf club so I could watch him swing it, and I do believe some <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a> beforehand can limber up the spine and truly focus you for game time. It also helps with all the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">self-criticism</a>.<br />
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<b><u>Cyclists</u></b>, I love my bicycle...but seeing people without a helmet makes me nervous. It is a law here in Montreal. It is more life affirming to wear one than to be cocky and say "nothing is going to happen to me without one"<br />
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<b><u>Swimmers</u></b>, well <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a> has definitely changed my strokes for the better, much more open in the shoulders, and I am also a great breather. What I highly recommend is getting comfortable with a slower exhalation. Panic is not a swimmers BFF, you want to learn on-land how to stay <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">calm </a>before you go into a pool, lake, ocean or go snorkeling...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGyGeU9k9tL89chIFivbkoWQN3008G7wM_w-KPG3nS0OMMw32UDB5tz4F9lq1YaIw7PdNkVsUAkp8dgmnAvBHC3stnnudrybMKtLxo0k5n_70gv5KxH1mXBeOJ34xYZH7orT4tTGBYPQo/s1600/images-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGyGeU9k9tL89chIFivbkoWQN3008G7wM_w-KPG3nS0OMMw32UDB5tz4F9lq1YaIw7PdNkVsUAkp8dgmnAvBHC3stnnudrybMKtLxo0k5n_70gv5KxH1mXBeOJ34xYZH7orT4tTGBYPQo/s1600/images-6.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Barbeque</u></b>-er's, yumm! What can I say about overeating, it is fun, but with the heat, too much food, and spillover stress, the digestive system may not take kindly to it. Enjoy yourself, but practise watching for when you are full, then pack it up as leftovers. Everyone wants to know how <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">yoga </a>can help with weight loss - well this tip is numero uno.<br />
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<b><u>Walkers</u></b>, I love walking. Great way to connect to nature, hear yourself think, get some quiet time.<br />
You can try a walking meditation, just slowing it down with nature's music, listening to your breathing, and going step by step...<br />
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<b><u>Flip Flop</u></b> wearers, gotta love flip flops, just know they have no support so feet, knees, lower back are not going to happy...at least find a way to safely elevate your legs, do foot circles to keep joints limber<br />
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<b><u>Joggers</u></b>, posture-wise, let the hips do the running - having rounded doopy shoulders adds unnecessary pressure to your spine plus likely slows you down. Activity should be balanced with rest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUCjchLdlqMiyeaDugzNZDIkeR2s2SKRzG6lFjGXTDKva7WveFUFNnDL_SEdsj-pP3qBgkWaEmXZTJlzPaSL1qyssHdclRZfDH2M5kkGhD4t55256iTsCdNqxuOXrG2UUwhs7Dl4DO7Rx/s1600/Sunset+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUCjchLdlqMiyeaDugzNZDIkeR2s2SKRzG6lFjGXTDKva7WveFUFNnDL_SEdsj-pP3qBgkWaEmXZTJlzPaSL1qyssHdclRZfDH2M5kkGhD4t55256iTsCdNqxuOXrG2UUwhs7Dl4DO7Rx/s320/Sunset+.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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To all you "<b><u>I want to <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">meditate</a> </u></b>but have no time"ers - there is nothing like watching a sunrise or a sunset, or rainbow. Nature is always giving us moments to feel grateful, open, priviledged. Instead of looking, try seeing. Meditation cultivates the witness, psychological distance, emotional balance and lots of great stuff. If you are given the opportunity, take it instead of turning your back on it.<br />
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Stay hydrated.<br />
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Be <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">optimistic</a> and prepared. There is nothing like a deck of cards, a notepad and pen, a book, magazine or article...<br />
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Watch your purse or wallet. You can trust your family and friends, but in a foreign country stay present and alert.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">Use summer time which is typically a '<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxed</a>' season, to actually learn how if you don't have an on-going practise. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">Relaxation</a> is not being a couch potato, contrary to popular belief...there are tips, <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">techniques</a> and tools but it is safe for everyone and actually everyone needs it. Yes, even you.</span><br />
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Even writing down a wonderful experience is positive, and perhaps will serve you in your visualisation practise. Some people call it a gratitude journal, you may find you want to blog - I don't know, but if it feels creative, likely it is a good option.<br />
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Happy summer<br />
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Om shanty, shanty, shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-45309310531241240962012-05-18T15:14:00.000-04:002012-05-18T15:14:50.440-04:00Body Language and the Modern Yogini<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnjby4jwnE1RkxnysrqjMAPybZAZm6yrFzNuo_s0JiV6t6eLCq7m1boclBXqEzyD0I-2VWWAnMyBOhUbPwMNBsNY7-0fPL_TKEM3qSCYZaG5BlZv3rWA3FbEqGVOMMBu79Pk-ifcK5asf/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnjby4jwnE1RkxnysrqjMAPybZAZm6yrFzNuo_s0JiV6t6eLCq7m1boclBXqEzyD0I-2VWWAnMyBOhUbPwMNBsNY7-0fPL_TKEM3qSCYZaG5BlZv3rWA3FbEqGVOMMBu79Pk-ifcK5asf/s1600/images-4.jpeg" /></a><i><br /></i><br />
<i>"Pain has a definite way of getting our attention. It is difficult to deny deep pain. All our attention goes to that place. Yet in deep sleep it seems to go away or lessen." -Nischala Joy Devi, <b><u>The Healing Path of Yoga </u></b></i><br />
<i><b><u><br /></u></b></i><br />
<i>"Mindful awareness has this great capacity to free us from the self-imosed limitations of our fears and thoughts." - Tara Bennett-Goleman, <u><b>Emotional Alchemy</b></u></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJilUH6xjMb3mNpdEwCOtglsj44p864i9cdfPXIhRwA5tR9bUtYo0aCWoHDtyBzCl12oqjDEOHw9OGC0cqkokBly8V_GPS8O9zhpx1PTfcmieeZcW9Oks8Ekk-05YnnYWb6wOaZycJSbh/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJilUH6xjMb3mNpdEwCOtglsj44p864i9cdfPXIhRwA5tR9bUtYo0aCWoHDtyBzCl12oqjDEOHw9OGC0cqkokBly8V_GPS8O9zhpx1PTfcmieeZcW9Oks8Ekk-05YnnYWb6wOaZycJSbh/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div>
Learning to listen and respect your body is a process that requires patience and compassion. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">I taught yoga</a> to a marathoner recently and one of the things I said was, the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">physical practise of asana </a>is not mind over matter, like pushing yourself to excruciating lengths to cross a finish line. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga </a>is mind in matter, the breath and focus on synchronicity between breath and movement is a holistic involvement. Our honesty and authentic self is revealed through this practise and we listen inwardly. If our hamstrings say, "I am too tight, this is my edge", we respect them, and back away a bit. We learn to distinguish pain from discomfort, and it is not always straightforward. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">Pain</a> can be sharp or dull, an ache, a "NO" and it can be quite uncomfortable. It can be a symptom of a health concern you should get checked medically, and it can be psychological and emotional, stored in the body and masquerading in your neck, lumbar spine, hips... Discomfort can feel like tightness with possibility. With a bit of stretching, focused breathing, an intention to move into comfort, some discomfort can shift. It is really personal as well. You may see glimpses until you get the full picture, as it is a process.<br />
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People initially confuse <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">listening to the body</a> to listening to the mind with all its frenetic "I shoulds"...With time, you become inwardly sensitive, and a connoisseur of sensations. How deep you go is relative to what you feel, and to what you know.<br />
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How to hear the messages from your inner guidance system can be a practise on its own, with rewards that spill over into daily life, as instincts are key to positive, nurturing choices, to our health and to our safety.<br />
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Here are some points to consider being attentive to:<br />
1. Make notes of anything in your life that is difficult, painful, joyful, and notice how your breathing, heart rate and other bodily sensations respond to each of these.<br />
2. Pay attention to what your body feels like. For example, do you feel fluid, numb, like crying, stuck?<br />
These feelings are your body's wisdom; clues in your inner guidance system.<br />
3. When you experience a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">bodily sensation</a> such as "gut reaction", back pain, a headache, a stomach ache, pay attention to it. Are emotions such as anger or fear connected with any areas of your body? When a sensation arises, stop, lie down, breathe and wait with the emotion or sensation - what insights come up through this process?<br />
4. Notice how you routinely talk to yourself. Do you chastise or appreciate when you look in the mirror? Are you hyper critical or do you give your body positive messages, and gratitude. Your body digests meals, breathes in and out, and your heart beats 24/7...Cultivate a positive chain between your inner mental dialogue and the rest of you.<br />
5. Understand that <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">you risk your health</a> when you consistently undermine your body. Burning the candle at both ends, worrying incessantly, food choices, activity choices, friendship choices...it all affects our system as a whole.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwexGXDRIwpystLCrXaCwIZE8lypyK3N9rTfRinRK_Sk2PZUkk-UtnLWEheXYIKYuqVPVl6ETcAk-cIBv71TGx5IzLzQsjWkoe4Z3QByoY7YjAaDGo04vhIi_2vasMLy943mKXt4Bs4sCM/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwexGXDRIwpystLCrXaCwIZE8lypyK3N9rTfRinRK_Sk2PZUkk-UtnLWEheXYIKYuqVPVl6ETcAk-cIBv71TGx5IzLzQsjWkoe4Z3QByoY7YjAaDGo04vhIi_2vasMLy943mKXt4Bs4sCM/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
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You can start the unconditional love and acceptance for yourself by:<br />
1. Standing in front of the mirror, affirm: "I accept myself unconditionally right now. I love my body and I love myself just as I am". Try this 2 times a day for 21 days.<br />
2. Learn how to breathe to create inner calm. A simple practise is to inhale to a slow count of 3 or 4, exhale to a slow count of 6 or 8 (adjust as needed). Try this minimum 5 minutes per day for 21 days.<br />
3. Remember that the "attitude of gratitude" is what brings an inner and outer smile. About 90% of our bodily functions take place without you the personality telling it how to do the job. Acknowledge that your body today grew from a glint in your parents eyes, and is quite a miracle.<br />
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You are beautiful inside and out, let me know how you progress!<br />
Om shanty shanty shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-57562866144320403752012-05-11T20:53:00.003-04:002012-05-11T20:58:00.755-04:00Challenge and the Modern Yogini<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfOUQs12UBNwKsJu43fe-FMvGyWoT_0D5_2IvfhfXNEIX9GBz8kCIXflajwbUBda5CtB_uAjbjUjvqGaDZfZRxkvaO0HoFo6RzxLn0ERM_btCWT3_elQRcFMehaOjJ0omiU3lWdTAmj_A/s1600/images-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfOUQs12UBNwKsJu43fe-FMvGyWoT_0D5_2IvfhfXNEIX9GBz8kCIXflajwbUBda5CtB_uAjbjUjvqGaDZfZRxkvaO0HoFo6RzxLn0ERM_btCWT3_elQRcFMehaOjJ0omiU3lWdTAmj_A/s1600/images-6.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Aversion is the consequence of displeasure</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>duhkhanusayi dvesah" -Patanjai- Yoga Sutra 11.8</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Repulsion, or aversion, is based on past experience and the mental permeation that follows it. Whether conscious or not, it remains sealed in the memory, taking no account of the way the situation has evolved". - Bernard Bouanchaud, <u>The Essence of Yoga</u> </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Consistent asana and meditation practice will improve the way your energy flows, and this will change the way you experience yourself - transforming the way you perceive and relate to the world" - Erich Schiffmann, Yoga: <u>The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness</u></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><u><br /></u></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"This pose elongates and strengthens your spine, brings flexibility to your back muscles, increases circulation to your pelvic region, and tones and improves functioning of your reproductive and digestive organs. It also calms your mind and relieves anxiety and nervous tension - Patricia Walden: <u>The Woman's Book of Yoga and Health</u></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I decided to start a 21 day <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php">YOGA</a> challenge of Trikonasana, triangle pose. It is an <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php">asana</a> I never cared for, never really felt it had any place in my daily practise. I realise since I started it that one of the reasons for avoiding it was some big discomfort in the right hip. The path of avoidance led to a huge compensation on the left side, and pretty interesting weaknesses and muscular restrictions on the right. Hmmm. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first I must admit, the dialogue in my mind was pretty much: "what is the point of this?!" "It's not <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php">yoga</a> if you aren't breathing!!" and basically lots of re-focusing on steady breathing and finding the point where I felt I was opening my body, not in dramatic ways, but just a bit of light, like when you open the curtains in a room. I have to say, I am practicing bit by bit and my body and attitude are really changing. The tension is lessening. I warm up well for it, and use the variations with support (wall, blocks) that make me feel as organic in the challenge as possible. I find a place I can <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php">relax</a> into. My teacher calls it effortless effort, like Nature...crocusses pushing up through cold soil, know how, somehow, to break through the earth even when it is still cold from winter.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I actually heard my weaker side thank me for discovering it, and I heard my body laugh, "<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php">the issues are in the tissues!!"</a> So true. I find there is a way to go through a challenge without <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php">stressing</a> yourself more, you know? Do your best, go step by step, honouring yourself each step of the way. I do not chastise myself for what I do not look like in a posture, or what I cannot do. I do not compare, compete or contrast.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However...I had a conversation with a close friend who is going through some really tough circumstances which are triggering his insecurities.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was saying things like "I just can't do it! I am not good at it! I want to give up!" How interesting that my challenge on the mat parallels and illuminates what we go through in daily life. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People say "Be positive!" "Focus on the positive" "Play to your strengths"...All good, but somehow not holistic. I find that pushing our weaknesses away just makes them weaker. Our strengths compensate and can create huge imbalances for us. I prefer to just do my best with what I have, see if I can improve, delegate or get support (like we do with yoga props) if it will help me. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like to try everything I can to improve and reach higher. I am not really type A I think, just an excellence seeker. I also believe there is always an "I can do it" in there even if my way is not the same as someone else's. I am fine with being unique. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you are too. I hope you find a safe way to reach inside and find the strength and light to observe an area of yourself or your practice that</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">can be improved, opened, honoured, accepted, stretched, breathed into, nourished. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me know how it goes...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Om shanty, shanty, shanty </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php">Rana</a></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-25899571117492014922012-05-07T09:03:00.000-04:002012-05-07T09:03:47.050-04:00Silence Empowers.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_ad8TZhMmrAio48XncKEm3SGk4zrPJ4lLZkjBneUDYGqsDaLyEDPfA3bxeVws3rjGHZ6AmHtGeQUEF6_M11NGhKTgrAF2X6aDv0q0i1w1nN6lTWF_ZbhI7GOd0NstvSRbsazsgYtsaFL/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_ad8TZhMmrAio48XncKEm3SGk4zrPJ4lLZkjBneUDYGqsDaLyEDPfA3bxeVws3rjGHZ6AmHtGeQUEF6_M11NGhKTgrAF2X6aDv0q0i1w1nN6lTWF_ZbhI7GOd0NstvSRbsazsgYtsaFL/s1600/images-4.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<i>"Close the eyes gently and look down within at the heart without hardening the eyeballs. This inner observation or feeling is most revealing" - B.K.S. Iyengar, <u><b>Light on Pranayama</b></u></i><br />
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<i>"The feeling of stillness is peace and the feeling of peace is joy. Therefore, come back to the center and feel the joy. Do this frequently throughout the day" - Erich Schiffmann, <b><u>Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness</u></b></i><br />
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<i>"When all desires are in peace and the mind, withdrawing within, gathers the multitudinous straying senses into the harmony of recollection. Then, with reason armed with resolution, let the seeker quietly lead the mind into the Spirit, and let all his thoughts be silence - <b><u>Bhagavad Gita</u></b></i><br />
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Sometimes hearing takes place without listening...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are a parent, you might relate. You tell your kids to brush their teeth. They say "ok", so you know they heard you, but you have to repeat it in escalating vocal tones until you are at 10 and then they tell you "I heard you, you don't have to yell". So yes, their sense organs, function but this did not translate into listening. Sometimes as a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php">Yoga teacher</a> I give directions 3 or 4 times. I know I verbalised them, but somehow, they are not being followed. Segway to the expression "red flag" which deserves honourable mention here as well. You know, those times when your instincts are whispering/telling/screaming at you to buy those stocks, sell those stocks, fire employee x, don't date Mr./Miss Wrong ....and what attention do you pay? Well, you don't. Why is this? Noise surrounds us and then <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php">penetrates</a> us until our minds are speeding faster than a tweet. Silence is a visitor when we go to sleep, unless our dreams are active, then we don't wake up <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php">rested</a>. We need to carve it out as a practise to reap its <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php">rewards</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHxP9pYLjt4ptZBNBbaKy_RBsl8_JcuTVgD50rYeawx6UBO8NCl9fTtKqk4hau14b1T3jmW0dRmmjrG5NewqjEIStZf9OjlHpa8GRm-UkYScIMKtslJlfRIfmMIVSPUcOgL5vtUUyLXCE/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHxP9pYLjt4ptZBNBbaKy_RBsl8_JcuTVgD50rYeawx6UBO8NCl9fTtKqk4hau14b1T3jmW0dRmmjrG5NewqjEIStZf9OjlHpa8GRm-UkYScIMKtslJlfRIfmMIVSPUcOgL5vtUUyLXCE/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I am not anti-music or talking - I am just pro-silence. Here is why:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Silence fosters CREATIVITY. New ideas are not found in a brain juggling a gazillion thoughts. An over-worked brain just leads to thinking within the box, and confusion. When the mind is still, there is no box. Inspiration floats in this freedom..</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Silence builds confidence. If you go mindfully and give yourself time to trust your instincts and listen to your own voice, you empower yourself. The "shoulds" of a noisy brain are distracting you from being in charge of yourself.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Silence <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php">rests</a> the brain and body. Growth hormones and endorphins circulate and percolate in deep, dreamless sleep, meditation, and these are silent states. Your body does not uses words to heal from injury, DNA knows what to do. It got you this far.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Silence invites "being". We are called human beings not human doings. We are active enough, let's balance it out.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Silence anchors us in the present. Life is chaotic enough. Feed the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php">stressful</a> thoughts and that will grow. Nourish a silent inner core and you will be resilient through tough times, peace will guide your attitude.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Silence is your BFF. You get to know your Self, get in touch with your own emotions. You don't have to wear a mask in silence. Pretty <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php">relaxing</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Silence promotes listening. A good listener, hears you and 'sees' you through the ears. It is a compassionate understanding that starts with the self, and then builds healthier relationships. Even if the most unhealthy relationship you have is with potato chips and you really want to break up but don't know how.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. Silence is your GPS. Answers to all your questions are found in the light of silence.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are too busy talking and thinking a mile a minute, you will only <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php">feel lost</a>. Feel Found.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-aYQJWDCjgK0126zufajWfj0G1aozlF0jnkEnpyYnaep1wKiyd7Jt4jdpHf958-IlRbbeOPcy8j26sC-1GhFB8NciP8EPwIy5cQwTzAIXcl48IfT13qJcaZ0w1MJYtRRVeAyplsq4JbB/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-aYQJWDCjgK0126zufajWfj0G1aozlF0jnkEnpyYnaep1wKiyd7Jt4jdpHf958-IlRbbeOPcy8j26sC-1GhFB8NciP8EPwIy5cQwTzAIXcl48IfT13qJcaZ0w1MJYtRRVeAyplsq4JbB/s1600/images.jpeg" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to? I realise it is hard when you live with people. You may have to get them on board; can you start with 3 to 5 minute plan? Sit quietly, breathe softly and give your breath all your attention, do not generously follow thoughts or emotions, follow the stillness. Or, take a walk in nature with no music for the first 3-5 minutes. Do not turn on the car radio for the first 3-5 minutes. When you wake up, turn the radio off and just do your thing to the tune of your heartbeat. Try this for one week. See what grows, and let me know!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Om shanty, shanty, shanty,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php">Rana</a></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-34211126286313646472012-05-01T11:08:00.000-04:002012-05-01T11:08:50.197-04:00Gentlemen, this Yoga blog is for you<i>"Intuition is a direct signal from your deepest self that you are navigating from your true center" - Gay Hendricks, PH.D /Kate Ludeman, PH.D, <u>The Corporate Mystic</u></i><br />
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<i>"People with high levels of personal mastery do not set out to integrate reason and intuition. Rather, they achieve it naturally - as a by-product of their commitment to use all the resources at their disposal. They cannot afford to choose between reason and intuition, or head and heart, any more than they would choose to walk on one leg or see with one eye" - Peter Senge, quote, </i><i><u>The Corporate Mystic</u></i><br />
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<i>"Yoga is both a systematised body of knowledge and a practise. There are many reasons why a person might choose to practise yoga; in broad terms, the purpose of yoga is to reduce disturbance and return an individual to his or her inherent peace and power" - T.K.V. Desikachar, <u>The Heart of Yoga</u></i><br />
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<i>"Yoga is the ability to direct and focus mental activity" - Patanjali Sutra 1.2, Bernard Bouanchaud,</i><br />
<i><u>The Essence of Yoga</u></i><br />
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Recently I interacted with two men in their 40's, both sleep-deprived, dads, business owners, high stress, back- pained, more sedentary than they would like kind-of-guys. Conversation turned to me and the question came up, "What is Yoga anyway? I see it everywhere, but isn't it just for women?" Before I could exhale, they started already with the excuses: "I'm not flexible anyway".<br />
I had already written a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=1971103214798788862">blog on flexibility</a> but jeez, give a woman a chance to express herself ...hahaha...<br />
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So before we begin, gentlemen, this blog is for you. In fact, I found a little video titled "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nscEebjaLBQ&feature=related">Real Men Do Yoga</a>"...check it out, and then get back to us here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgP6Cppf_Mt2XF4JaUPSEoSDAuHFYjB2qgAoYwf5M_MfPievxpqIEOQKYAR_RN0d6zPXE4zIBq4WjZeHqNfEJTfKsRSCcPXE7yiEZOEFJOimt3crl85PEha0LqH28G4lyZI8gJHGdMnX8/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgP6Cppf_Mt2XF4JaUPSEoSDAuHFYjB2qgAoYwf5M_MfPievxpqIEOQKYAR_RN0d6zPXE4zIBq4WjZeHqNfEJTfKsRSCcPXE7yiEZOEFJOimt3crl85PEha0LqH28G4lyZI8gJHGdMnX8/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" /></a><br />
So, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #93c47d;">what is yoga</span>? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga">Yoga</a> emerged in India as one of the 6 philosophical systems in Hindu thought. You are probably familiar with football handbooks, instruction manuals for electronics, the Bible, Koran, Torah...well, the Yoga system as we know it also comes with rich text on how to connect with oneself using different techniques and practises. As quoted above, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_S%C5%ABtras_of_Pata%C3%B1jali">Sage Patanjali</a> is credited with codifying yoga, the meaning of the word being "to unite". <br />
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Primarily, it is path to mastery over the modifications of the mind. You know what that is about, the mind channel surfs from sports to comedy to tragedy to stocks to surfing the net to sports scores to what can I eat, what did I eat...ongoing melodrama. The practise of Yoga brings us back to the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php">comfort of stillness</a>, which heals as well as allows us to tap into our instincts and creativity. We build focus. Just as a lumberjack clears a Forrest of trees, the practise of Yoga allows our mind to find its quiet home. If you don't remember how that feels, it is a great reason to start practising.<br />
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Since the body is what we are given to travel with on our journey through time and space, we keep it fit, strong, clean inside and out. It is sort of like driving a car, you need to keep the car serviced, filled with gasoline, and when you drive you need to be relaxed and aware at the same time to use your reflexes and see in all directions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmk4ZnC0tAbl4IiNfhVRDj007QCrcFpvOHQc5SrA6OLsSM3hnozHPUKzHp8LcTX0FCHqKovNrMEE8iRLPAtN5FU-3ikjkg477JCReImprn-m0WHV_6y40Q1odq3baS7SywRuHzxZqBPJJ/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmk4ZnC0tAbl4IiNfhVRDj007QCrcFpvOHQc5SrA6OLsSM3hnozHPUKzHp8LcTX0FCHqKovNrMEE8iRLPAtN5FU-3ikjkg477JCReImprn-m0WHV_6y40Q1odq3baS7SywRuHzxZqBPJJ/s200/images-4.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">Is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: #38761d;">Yoga just for women</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">? The grandfather teachers were male, actually. There are now men and women students and teachers. I have taught and do teach many men. Actually, I think with all the new scientific information on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php">relaxation, meditation</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php">Yoga</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php">Therapy </a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">as helpful for prostate cancer, cardiac disease (Dr. Dean Ornish), back pain, insomnia, cancer, not to mention all the <a href="http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-2190/NHL-Star-Tim-Thomas-Credits-Yoga-for-Success.html">sports stars</a> who credit <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php">Yoga</a> for improved athletic performance, men are taking a more proactive role in their own preventive and curative health care. It also brings us more in touch with our emotions, so maybe that is something that men do when they are ready, like in a transition...just throwing it out there. Maybe women talk about it more. I would think it would be an amazing change for a man to put the whole competitive, performance, rational self aside for a slice of time and just BE, breathe, feel a sense of comfort and inner strength that the<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_2134186158"> </a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php">flight or fright response</a> does not provide</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4q7qVpChRMTUZCoDZMVjcBtum2-vYCsU3_kHFjNcP1sCFfhI4wlu4GWV_X6snniAzrfpypZ3vPTJ7yU4_Ed2C9fwgKRluf2KS2Ps1vxS6ZryDiVgrGvRPDUVw-kzks6ylQusZLp9skrQr/s1600/images-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4q7qVpChRMTUZCoDZMVjcBtum2-vYCsU3_kHFjNcP1sCFfhI4wlu4GWV_X6snniAzrfpypZ3vPTJ7yU4_Ed2C9fwgKRluf2KS2Ps1vxS6ZryDiVgrGvRPDUVw-kzks6ylQusZLp9skrQr/s1600/images-5.jpeg" /></a><br />
Guys, you are everyday heros and you do have dreams for yourselves, I know it. Whether it relates to business, relationships, sports, family, weight loss, getting in shape, swinging a golf club, playing hockey at +55..it doesn't matter the reason. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php">Yoga as a system</a>, not a sport, makes us feel better, think better, lead a better life from the inside out.<br />
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So put aside what you think you know, so that you can experience all there is - perhaps schedule<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php"> a private class</a> that suits your schedule, start at the beginning, and go with your new flow...<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php">Yoga</a> is for everyone. I would love to teach you,<br />
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Om shanty shanty shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php">Rana</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-55291533143273759082012-04-27T21:03:00.000-04:002012-04-27T21:03:25.357-04:00Yoga as Flow, Flow Yoga, Vinyasa, Flowing Practice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtXWdiRm0AGq_fc8yOP9ekSvx7Dj6NqYynxSLriXnVM2eV3ga2CVWPKaOrJKPg3G6wk8AJ8Mz8JcI49hO-Rul5JiF9A-pnXvQK51hNY18sST76Zlms-BO3IwfQY7E37Jfy6nDwZo2SAje/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtXWdiRm0AGq_fc8yOP9ekSvx7Dj6NqYynxSLriXnVM2eV3ga2CVWPKaOrJKPg3G6wk8AJ8Mz8JcI49hO-Rul5JiF9A-pnXvQK51hNY18sST76Zlms-BO3IwfQY7E37Jfy6nDwZo2SAje/s1600/images-3.jpeg" /></a>"<i>the <b>flow</b> experience is typically described as involving a sense of control - or, more precisely, as lacking in the sense of worry about losing control that is typical in many situations of normal life" - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: <u>FLOW</u></i><br />
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<i>"<b>flow</b> describes well the sense of seemingly effortless movement" </i><i>- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: <u>FLOW</u></i><br />
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<i>"Vinyasa yoga teaches us to cultivate an awareness that links each action to the next - on the mat and in our lives" - Shiva Rea, <u>Yoga Journal</u></i><br />
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<i>"Vinyasa is, I believe, one of the richest concepts to emerge from yoga for the successful conduct of our actions and relationships" - T.K.V. Desicachar, <u>Health, Healing and Beyond</u></i><br />
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<i>"Practicing the postures progressively, we gradually achieve more steadiness, alertness, and overall comfort" - </i><i>T.K.V. Desicachar, T<u>he Heart of Yoga</u></i><br />
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I was recently sent the question; "What do you think of vinyasa?"...Those of you who know me by now are probably laughing, "that's it, here she goes, it's never a one word answer, it's always a blogpost!" Correct! Very layered subject. I mean, look at the above photo. Phases of the moon, sunrise/sunset, the flow of seasons, a flower blossoming, birthdays...these all reflect underlying patterns of fluidity and transformation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsk4g1PBeRf1pHC4-FEig_oBRCwE9idYanvUAPVU51BtY8-dH1GN2F447F0G_O0vXYB1S_P5yud1-WQT4ETRjKNb2XJRo4MCc-QZzIKastG3XmPlx_TOYwCpYP_vtoTr4CkrvCtYbv-WN/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsk4g1PBeRf1pHC4-FEig_oBRCwE9idYanvUAPVU51BtY8-dH1GN2F447F0G_O0vXYB1S_P5yud1-WQT4ETRjKNb2XJRo4MCc-QZzIKastG3XmPlx_TOYwCpYP_vtoTr4CkrvCtYbv-WN/s1600/images-4.jpeg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcZ_IZ2zg5I6gATchoCNqz6mv98ZjQOFxvSRPojQPLPIlAW-sAKJpqXUb7370AmbVcFymUhF3CJcBe9gqsv44oimZE0roitRjZFJjT-XJBtiLWaEyvA5mb6yZ3JdzZcxVAtemPi10uVmj/s1600/images-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcZ_IZ2zg5I6gATchoCNqz6mv98ZjQOFxvSRPojQPLPIlAW-sAKJpqXUb7370AmbVcFymUhF3CJcBe9gqsv44oimZE0roitRjZFJjT-XJBtiLWaEyvA5mb6yZ3JdzZcxVAtemPi10uVmj/s1600/images-5.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-KHYblfaIrdXtkqcCVXCHtfKDzw42dVuc3N1dzTN34Hap7rvWAWd_5X7A2iFSckwuHbJ7CDz5X9YiIqrNtKs4F-mdKDKyUh5m4B7FR-d104kGTvl1XhEW9B-ChORf1_rxJBP2ak6O7YS/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-KHYblfaIrdXtkqcCVXCHtfKDzw42dVuc3N1dzTN34Hap7rvWAWd_5X7A2iFSckwuHbJ7CDz5X9YiIqrNtKs4F-mdKDKyUh5m4B7FR-d104kGTvl1XhEW9B-ChORf1_rxJBP2ak6O7YS/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a>The word "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viny%C4%81sa" target="_blank">Vinyasa</a>" is a derivative of the Sanskrit term, <i><b>nyasa</b></i>, which means "to place" and the prefix, <i><b>vi</b></i>, which means "in a special way". Musicians will relate to this, as the sequencing of notes forms a melody. In the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> world, we talk about sequencing of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">postures</a>, for example, if you are planning to teach a challenging <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">asana</a>, to properly ensure students are warmed up, move through a counterpose and then <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">rested for integration</a>. As <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga </a><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">Therapists</a>, we assess the the needs of a student, and choose a progressive approach towards meeting these needs. We also understand the concept in terms of a flowing sequence of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">asanas</a> linked with breathing - Sun Salutations are a good example. <br />
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Here is a little sequence to try now: inhale as you stretch your fingers wide, exhale as you <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relax </a>them..Then try exhale open fingers and inhale close them...then just opening and closing. Did one way feel more mindful? Usually we inhale to expand/open, exhale to relax/contract.. This simple exercise shows you how there is a deep mindfulness built into sequencing. Also, how when you do it the first way, it feels so comfortable and opening that you get absorbed in a steady stream of consciousness (flow).<br />
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Foundational to the system of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> , is that vinyasa, or "artful sequencing" as Shiva Rea calls it, is intended to apply to our daily life as well. Whether this means something simple as brushing your teeth after a meal, setting up your appointments so you have scheduled some time for your own peacefulness, saying "thank you" to someone for cooking you the perfect dinner, "job well done!' after your team completes a project at work. The approach of the practise of vinyasa is to honor each of the stages and understand how each step builds a foundation for the next one. Preparedness and mindfulness go hand in hand. Consistent Yoga practise builds this in your consciousness, and evolves it in your life, the way a seed grows, forming roots, into a tall tree.<br />
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You can't take the next step before being aware of where you are starting from, so every action plan begins with this question. This is what I would ask the man who sent me the email. What is your physical, mental, emotional starting point. Then, be open to the honest answers that are generated from your own inner guidance system. This will help you create an action plan for wellness - on or off, the yoga mat.<br />
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Om shanty, shanty, shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-9364584874579049202012-04-20T21:03:00.001-04:002012-04-20T21:03:34.376-04:00Where do I fit into YOGA? asks one reader...Q/A with the modern yogini<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><i>"yoga is the ability to direct and focus mental activity" - Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.2</i></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">"Yoga is a holistic system that affects multiple variables simultaneously. There are hundreds of different tools in the yoga toolbox that can be combined in an almost infinite number of ways" - Timothy McCall, M.D. : <u>Yoga as Medicine </u></span></i></div>
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Hi friends, today I received an email question from a male reader that I thought I would share with you. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b><u>Question</u></b>: Is there any place for weightlifting, treadmills, elliptical, etc. in the world of yoga? Because the impression of yoga is that it's all about stretching, flexibility, breathing, etc - to the exclusion of all of this other bodybuilding stuff. - In other words, is it true that if yoga were "east" and bodybuilding were "west" then do we go by Robert frost's poetic line "East is east, west is west, and the twain shall never meet"?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">That's my question. JLB</span></span><br />
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<b><u>Answer:</u></b> <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> means union. The West understands <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> as a discipline of the body whereas the body is only part of the equation, it is a discipline of the mind; when the body is freer of tensions and fit (purified from within) through all the 8 steps of yoga, one has more ability to feel positive, contemplate life from a 'higher', more compassionate perspective. Practising physically trains you to concentrate, and has enormous benefits that many athletes or weekend warriors find improve their mobility and so on, as well as heal from (and prevent) injury therefore <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> is an inclusive system that says follow your bliss, mindfully and moderately and be happy. I hope this answers you- it is certainly a huge topic - I have several blogs which go into other aspects </div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b><u>Question:</u></b> so in other words if one is an athlete or bodybuilder or such, yoga is a compliment to their normal training routines. It adds an edge to their weightlifting, or cycling or whatever they normally do. Is that what you're saying?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZLB4XXBsKM_3GBbDNXJD7HxZzvRcg_93KcN9P5QRxUxveKlMMUEx-yAfijj7u2yFpGLtCvfcWw5MkweZfnGwWK5zAhub1vDRsTSIpdi-zqDTkREJb-Ryq20hEtcH0ThJoZyAm91qa_l5/s1600/images-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZLB4XXBsKM_3GBbDNXJD7HxZzvRcg_93KcN9P5QRxUxveKlMMUEx-yAfijj7u2yFpGLtCvfcWw5MkweZfnGwWK5zAhub1vDRsTSIpdi-zqDTkREJb-Ryq20hEtcH0ThJoZyAm91qa_l5/s1600/images-6.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>Answer:</u></b> focus, <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxation</a>, positivity and improved joint mobility are good for everyone - that being said there are many styles being taught and it is important for the practitioner to find a style that is safe, comfortable, appropriate...</span><br />
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Hope this is useful...om shanty shanty shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-84346796416869001562012-04-14T17:59:00.000-04:002012-04-14T17:59:16.889-04:00Relaxation and the Modern Yogi(ni)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHpB3AQLK_z3j7956d5Brf54tA-MXYs30c1u7EqlEb99rlEUiPVPOAmksJsxwasPGd7Yfta5r7fR91d7A4f_7RLrVUodex7Ag2jqI6w3N8VY4iQmhW87PfWBhhyLxCbpq0muPvAb_lAKY/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHpB3AQLK_z3j7956d5Brf54tA-MXYs30c1u7EqlEb99rlEUiPVPOAmksJsxwasPGd7Yfta5r7fR91d7A4f_7RLrVUodex7Ag2jqI6w3N8VY4iQmhW87PfWBhhyLxCbpq0muPvAb_lAKY/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div><i>"The antidote to stress is relaxation. To relax is to rest deeply" -</i><br />
<i>J. Lasater: <u><b>Relax and Renew</b></u></i><br />
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<i>"<b>Sava</b> in Sanskrit means a corpse, and <b>asana</b> a posture. Thus <b>savasana</b> is a posture that simulates a dead body, and evokes the experience of remaining in a state as in death and of ending the heart-aches and shocks that the flesh is heir to. It means relaxation, and therefore recuperation. it is not simply lying on one's back with a vacant mind and gazing, nor does it end in snoring. It is the most difficult of yogic <b>asanas</b> to perfect, but it is also the most refreshing and rewarding" - B.K.S. Iyengar : <b><u>Light on Pranayama</u></b></i><br />
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Today I thought I would write about the jewel of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a> poses, Savasana, also known as corpse pose or <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxation</a> pose, a posture of classic importance both on the mat and with spill-over side benefits in daily life off the mat. We all know that racing around from one activity to the next can build up into a frenetic and <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">stress-based</a> approach to life. In this "place" we do not usually have much appreciation of life, fatigue and grumpiness edge our sense of peace and objectivity. I always teach <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">various techniques</a> because I believe a relaxed person copes better with everything, apart from the fact that after a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">yoga class</a>, it is necessary for the body/mind to integrate and assimilate all the energy from the flow of postures, breathing and everything that was generated.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFa10CwPM0Cw0X0i-ycJpM_iEB5g2PrSM1S1MGzy95OI3Y9Ldn5txh8wMlJrsnSKqBCIKkGUwLaeDvaIBiqOPcICDe7_-K7v9FT0sIL8Ax7kkpg30yQJTHfzpCVtjXPmvZ-6PBkV7VHhN/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFa10CwPM0Cw0X0i-ycJpM_iEB5g2PrSM1S1MGzy95OI3Y9Ldn5txh8wMlJrsnSKqBCIKkGUwLaeDvaIBiqOPcICDe7_-K7v9FT0sIL8Ax7kkpg30yQJTHfzpCVtjXPmvZ-6PBkV7VHhN/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBa6s8EK6avLRWcsDvvM_Z-Q5Vfomfl4S9EwbCHr-XFSaAVmwjo0CZZHN4hCSwGjKco0NTPDnFfjBy0VQT704CRilL_u1Un896aRFiaq8vMQV3bHzKZYb2KMW5vAsyBGmwlEmRdQ3WsP1z/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBa6s8EK6avLRWcsDvvM_Z-Q5Vfomfl4S9EwbCHr-XFSaAVmwjo0CZZHN4hCSwGjKco0NTPDnFfjBy0VQT704CRilL_u1Un896aRFiaq8vMQV3bHzKZYb2KMW5vAsyBGmwlEmRdQ3WsP1z/s320/images-3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The great thing about <b><i>savasana</i></b> is its simplicity, although you can spiff it up with a few pillows or cushions, a chair or bolster for those of you who have stiff backs. The other thing is it is great for everyone. In fact, take a look at some of the benefits of regular practise and check off the ones you may want to add to your recipe for life and healthy, balanced, living:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- improves your breathing,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- reduces stress hormones,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- slows down heart rate and blood pressure,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- relaxes your muscles</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- increases energy and focus,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- combats illness,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- relieves aches and pains,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- heightens problem-solving abilities,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- boosts motivation and productivity</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Century Gothic', Arial, Verdana; font-size: 12px;">- increases happiness, by releasing dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and other immunomodulators to change brain chemistry</span> <br />
Sound good? Well usually the hardest part of trying anything new is to set aside a period of time, and to remove your expectations (and your shoes). In the beginning, or even for those students who have regular yoga practises, we all have days where the mind just does not want to cooperate. That is OK. Practise anyway. Some people build to a 15 minute zone. Start where you are, but do start. You may want a timer, a "do not disturb sign", turn off cellular phone etc. Common sense stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcm_x4tSsmVt7lekXrAdbCrRRvLhVuPo1Zed9AqCdQ7qW5i748bLiGUKxhf106tbk1pViHRkHt2q-_5vMeE32EsCY_G4LgcjuPybBaIWEXgHOAPVtCGJ8j9btVmuIV0diipkvtOS66fsq/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcm_x4tSsmVt7lekXrAdbCrRRvLhVuPo1Zed9AqCdQ7qW5i748bLiGUKxhf106tbk1pViHRkHt2q-_5vMeE32EsCY_G4LgcjuPybBaIWEXgHOAPVtCGJ8j9btVmuIV0diipkvtOS66fsq/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a><br />
Here is a pretty easy place to begin the journey.<br />
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-Get ready by settling in on the floor, with any support you require.<br />
-Invite stillness and silence as if they were old friends, with grace and gratitude.<br />
-Relax the body - moving your awareness up from feet to head, then down from head to feet.<br />
-Ask your breath to settle, as you allow the body to take the support that is under it.<br />
-Continue to be aware of your breath. <br />
-Thoughts and emotions may surface, that is OK, but do notgo with the drama. <br />
-Without pull or push, receive the inhale and let go with the exhale.<br />
-Keep feeding the calm waves of breath and let your mind relax into this state.<br />
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Remember it is called a "practise" so practise...<br />
Om shanty, shanty, shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-6704833505583331062012-04-07T16:57:00.001-04:002012-04-07T17:04:46.550-04:00Yoga and the Emotions (part 1)<div class="MsoNormal"><i>"We crave solace and comfort. We long for freedom-not the freedom from our lives, but the freedom we can find within our lives"</i><br />
<i>"Yoga can also challenge you by bringing you face-to-face with your emotions-not always an easy place to be" - Patricia Walden : <u>The Woman's Book of Yoga & Health</u></i><br />
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Well, it is another blogpost where I do not offer <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">asana</a> breakdowns and <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=4085361649763739863" target="_blank">benefits</a>. I would much prefer to have you in a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">class</a>, face to face, and evaluate your needs with you. There are umpteen ways to do each posture. Some with support of bolsters, blocks, straps, some just easing into gravity, some intensifying your reach with your own body weight…..</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrSM878JAkrWpcuW4mGHIwryyZCxZb_FqfupbWA3R4U2zthC2XcPpqSE_OzncdD3E27TFazRJufFoHkQII6cpKPUf4xMPOjV_wroAjbcft2p2GVwW1igbjBon50qwbCVPnCIVJljDZj2E/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrSM878JAkrWpcuW4mGHIwryyZCxZb_FqfupbWA3R4U2zthC2XcPpqSE_OzncdD3E27TFazRJufFoHkQII6cpKPUf4xMPOjV_wroAjbcft2p2GVwW1igbjBon50qwbCVPnCIVJljDZj2E/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>What is “right”? Pain, of course, and confused breathing are both indications that the “how” of what you are doing and possibly the “what”, are not working…Find comfort and steady, relaxed breathing. Wait, sense and feel, some unfolding of your body, tune in. I like this, it works for me. I find generally that <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxation </a>is under-rated, yet it is foundational to a clear, focused mind (which you need to cut cucumbers for a salad, drive a car, watch the stock market, your children etc etc), sleep well, digest your food, steer clear from diseases.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Now, as you do this part of your practise, you may or may not follow every direction a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">Teacher</a> gives in a class, you may love and or hate some of the flow, you may or may not experience emotions that you do not come across in any of your other activities, sports, past-times. This is what I will touch on today. Yoga and the emotions. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkegGBlnyyjK1bW4DFg-7el2VDu1nPj__Nu0C3Qs-3_UtDYpxLPNuuOJfAr6uk8qHVtDy-L8cT4OloSiotnoQUlHb1KWyO0FcbIYzOKcdtWHYRhKdHtYog3jroZ_Vr4BjOvPa7gGqkw_LL/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkegGBlnyyjK1bW4DFg-7el2VDu1nPj__Nu0C3Qs-3_UtDYpxLPNuuOJfAr6uk8qHVtDy-L8cT4OloSiotnoQUlHb1KWyO0FcbIYzOKcdtWHYRhKdHtYog3jroZ_Vr4BjOvPa7gGqkw_LL/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" /></a>Sometimes, in spite of demonstrating, giving verbal directions, hands on assistance, and clear directions with enough time and space to go at their own pace, a student will complain to me while in class that a posture or flow is too hard, even when the posture is brought to their needs, or they feel there are too many directions, or they do not know when or how to breathe. These are all great questions to be answered. Mainly for today I will say that sometimes, in a busy life, our activities are used as tools of mass-distraction. Whether it is cramming a day full of work, shopping, gym, hobbies, gossip, whatever it is to fill time and avoid whatever is percolating in the subconscious.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_hvH4nTrkEOudX8usdyblpYATSxsOUiBZIT11rVgQpiEQQYLd-G1kvs9X6ehgtY21k1JmMXokFLSY0o-3V_oQs0MtZks6kFC1WN_dRps25S3fIjK2ConL04xiArIp1Slo40E7-8wd3cY/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_hvH4nTrkEOudX8usdyblpYATSxsOUiBZIT11rVgQpiEQQYLd-G1kvs9X6ehgtY21k1JmMXokFLSY0o-3V_oQs0MtZks6kFC1WN_dRps25S3fIjK2ConL04xiArIp1Slo40E7-8wd3cY/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">However, time on the mat is different. You know <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> means connection – right? Well as a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">psychosomatic practise</a>, what that means is that the thoughts you are having all day (for example: “I have too much to do” “this is too much for me” “I can’t take this anymore”…) find their way into your cells, muscles, glands. In short – the issues are in the tissues. This can mean that when you are finally face to face with your body, breathing into every nook and cranny, bringing light and awareness everywhere, whatever you may have swept under the mat can jump out at you. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVA-097TN6PB_QCAjx_5esRYIe6yXu7KHNC6z9nRzwSuA0KFhKudmVr18hOL2q9xo91scACdFNSyUAb_97k95eXjh7afMVMOrVZ_NnutnSj43QX0BdTuo1I3MpWkOoQOUvKzbN3LPHUXpW/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVA-097TN6PB_QCAjx_5esRYIe6yXu7KHNC6z9nRzwSuA0KFhKudmVr18hOL2q9xo91scACdFNSyUAb_97k95eXjh7afMVMOrVZ_NnutnSj43QX0BdTuo1I3MpWkOoQOUvKzbN3LPHUXpW/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a><br />
What you can do if this happens is</div><div class="MsoNormal">-have a private chat with your Teacher (I suggest you set up a meeting or email for this)</div><div class="MsoNormal">-breathe, be, relax instead of "following" or "trying"</div><div class="MsoNormal">-Honor your feelings</div><div class="MsoNormal">-tap into the Witness for some objectivity</div><div class="MsoNormal">-embrace the challenge as a way to move forward</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hope this helps!<br />
Om shanty, shanty, shanty, <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-42703731914606153442012-03-31T08:51:00.000-04:002012-03-31T08:51:01.976-04:00Yoga - Toolbox for Transformation.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsiaJJMsZQjMJ1VwInTlXHgyOLleJxm-nA363s81hsZPA6RZ9eG3xLFEPviSSuSgnsiR48QtTugjCYeAsdccDUqdT2qHvKeRXKa5uDuCzGffV-NFxZTsVBTC5rpkIN6DRAa6hOcuyvVl0/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsiaJJMsZQjMJ1VwInTlXHgyOLleJxm-nA363s81hsZPA6RZ9eG3xLFEPviSSuSgnsiR48QtTugjCYeAsdccDUqdT2qHvKeRXKa5uDuCzGffV-NFxZTsVBTC5rpkIN6DRAa6hOcuyvVl0/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The inner obstacles that disperse the mind are sickness, mental inertia, doubt, haste, apathy, intemperance, errors in judgement of oneself, lack of perseverance, and the inability to stay at a level once reached" - Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.30</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Personal transformation has always been Yoga's prime directive"- Gary Kraftsow</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"all of life is a continual process of refinement which allows us to see more clearly" - Donna Farhi</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's Spring and I am thinking about butterflies. What a wonderful species - they are classic examples of transformation in nature, having 4 life stages that unfold miraculously through their evolution. Butterflies make me think about the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=4839732023063904655" target="_blank">eight limbs of Yoga</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y1cdgmtUpMAGRIJZ5HuzXsKZdmMoXCHXXpxEor5M12w4Sphc0-t-2GcjnW64MzweudTROdmsaD2a3RtZYT3RaUkrG51MGBNQLMVl9quhLVL7YGg2Z38Qr-yHX5dBwPnPI10Gt8N_k1tr/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y1cdgmtUpMAGRIJZ5HuzXsKZdmMoXCHXXpxEor5M12w4Sphc0-t-2GcjnW64MzweudTROdmsaD2a3RtZYT3RaUkrG51MGBNQLMVl9quhLVL7YGg2Z38Qr-yHX5dBwPnPI10Gt8N_k1tr/s1600/images-3.jpeg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We come to <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> with a variety of circumstances and <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/psychosomatic.php" target="_blank">conditioned</a> behaviour - an ache in the back, a pain in the neck, an emotional upset, a tension headache, upset tummy, chronic health issues, a deep yearning for inner peace. It is a journey, this practise. Moments of breathing, stretching out the tightness in the muscles, going beyond thoughts and rational thinking to connect to an untouched well of joy, solace, calm. Whatever we felt stuck in one moment, dissolves, softens. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So important. Life is organic and always changing! Practise starts to break old cycles and re-patterns our brains, re-wiring us to feel free from the effects of old habits, pointing us in the direction of options and nourishing choices, newer and positive ways of being, thinking, feeling. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2xZcRpoLdsNtQ4eROjtN0cKuPD9MwppElXKjpNvfC0dNpAH_DWz9xJuwRSWBQbhdztn118InP2DnB7gQjWlzOq1ib8DN7LRXzAfC90NZE9WXf2xGoXNB5-c_kHYgUBMkYgVFa86VQtMR/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2xZcRpoLdsNtQ4eROjtN0cKuPD9MwppElXKjpNvfC0dNpAH_DWz9xJuwRSWBQbhdztn118InP2DnB7gQjWlzOq1ib8DN7LRXzAfC90NZE9WXf2xGoXNB5-c_kHYgUBMkYgVFa86VQtMR/s1600/images-4.jpeg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I hear students express desire to change but feelings that they "can't". Well, patience, perseverance, practise, surrender, acceptance - these are all part of the tapestry. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The crocuses and tulips that start as seeds under the frozen earth must endure a whole lot before they push up from under the defrosting soil. In an effortless effort, Nature unfolds herself.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spring, with its bouncy, alive energy gives us a great boost. So if you are feeling like you want to break free of something old that holds you back or hostage, here are a few tips:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Start where you are. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Do one thing different each day. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Remember to take slices of time where you close your eyes, focus on your inner world, breathe, be still. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interiorize your attention.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Cultivate personal practise. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wherever you are in your cycle, it is one of many, you will find your wings; Courage and Faith.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5irfK4vUIrWpxuV9rLUdWM0_c5fMq8zVWwKkpeTmWoXe_L69Vkw8kB89vHHokwAPWXnQ5dXNKPpq14uc0Mz7L-fjKqGLhi1zVW25jImzeCFXSxUOpOBg5b06GOOEUVTjB6LJ4nOiTEm6/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5irfK4vUIrWpxuV9rLUdWM0_c5fMq8zVWwKkpeTmWoXe_L69Vkw8kB89vHHokwAPWXnQ5dXNKPpq14uc0Mz7L-fjKqGLhi1zVW25jImzeCFXSxUOpOBg5b06GOOEUVTjB6LJ4nOiTEm6/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Om shanty shanty shanty,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/" target="_blank">Rana</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-3937297964819238062012-03-23T20:36:00.000-04:002012-03-23T20:36:07.605-04:00Spring: the season of the 'cleanse'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QfaTVKhWQrcqcYMefhAKljsS9hA4fb7EDBjc2IUuDwoUmIN5O8YGg1zwVahH3fhI5oqQxOVMtRyEHGDrSuDigAlPfdiT6i6qIzRasHJh73YBEQOLVbf881J9ut1O50UdRt-nDUX4Lyc_/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QfaTVKhWQrcqcYMefhAKljsS9hA4fb7EDBjc2IUuDwoUmIN5O8YGg1zwVahH3fhI5oqQxOVMtRyEHGDrSuDigAlPfdiT6i6qIzRasHJh73YBEQOLVbf881J9ut1O50UdRt-nDUX4Lyc_/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a></div><i>"Tapas: something we do in order to keep us physically and mentally healthy; a process of inner cleansing: we remove things we do not need" -T.K.V. Desikachar</i><br />
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<i>"Purity protects one's body and brings nonphysical relationships with others" -<u>Yoga Sutra 11.40</u></i><br />
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<i>"The yogi conquers the body by the practice of asanas and makes it a fit vehicle for the spirit. He knows that it is a necessary vehicle for the spirit. A soul without a body is like a bird deprived of its power to fly"</i><br />
<i>- Iyengar</i><br />
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<i>"The Liver is like a 'general' or 'planner' in charge of formulating strategies to serve the purpose and goals of the body-mind. Physiologically it has the most complex functions. It is responsible for detoxifying, filtering, nourishing, restoring and storing blood. In doing this, the Liver chemically counteracts foreign toxins that enter the blood and eliminates these through the bile, along with the waste of broken down cells" -Dr. Michael Tierra, Lesley Tierra: <u>Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine</u></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxADpGcNULaj7DD64vwEKocwoXSBW6C1XucNLP4_dM91MxuJ4boMhjyrdnmtveokG_GrgI4jGC_vF1ccRXYXhGjZbmC_1Y_gHTRyzYngng7q8996Xd9VkKck4qmdJJhB12mGZjYeyv6utG/s1600/3215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxADpGcNULaj7DD64vwEKocwoXSBW6C1XucNLP4_dM91MxuJ4boMhjyrdnmtveokG_GrgI4jGC_vF1ccRXYXhGjZbmC_1Y_gHTRyzYngng7q8996Xd9VkKck4qmdJJhB12mGZjYeyv6utG/s1600/3215.jpg" /></a>Food for thought, right! Spring seems to be informally "liver awareness" time. There is a lot of writing and talking about 'Spring Detox', 'Spring Cleaning', 'Cleansing'. So what does it all mean?<br />
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Some of it comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine. The <a href="http://taoism.about.com/od/thefiveelements/p/Five_Element.htm" target="_blank">Five Element System</a> begins with the Wood element, which is where the new energy first arises. Some of the positives associated with the element are growth and motivation, planning and organising. Some of the negatives can manifest as frustration, anger, depression. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70q5GSGANVDynmN6Vn4rprPJBXWuHAB76zt6-bZTyQgsOdJMh70uYe4bcMspctFb7kKRqfqNb2K9js8n7mt4JXMwGwbLxgU88TGzFShrZj39OpWES-9FoI_d0YsjgZXqYD4G5bWr8VAS0/s1600/chakra_man1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70q5GSGANVDynmN6Vn4rprPJBXWuHAB76zt6-bZTyQgsOdJMh70uYe4bcMspctFb7kKRqfqNb2K9js8n7mt4JXMwGwbLxgU88TGzFShrZj39OpWES-9FoI_d0YsjgZXqYD4G5bWr8VAS0/s200/chakra_man1.jpg" width="175" /></a><br />
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In the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yogic System</a>, we speak of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra" target="_blank">Chakra System</a>, and the Wood element corresponds with the Fifth Chakra which involves the Ether Element and relates to sound, vocalisation, and creativity, and your 'plan', or direction in life. The 'location' is at the throat, but, if things don't feel in sync, or you feel confused, or angry, it is said to correspond to disturbances in the liver.<br />
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For those of us who have a cold winter, Spring is the season where Mother Nature's Sunny smile makes things defrost, and blossom; the maple syrup runs, we shed boots, scarves, hats, sweaters. We re-organise our closets to find our lighter clothing. People often have runny noses, allergies are irritated with all the pollen in the air, and the body shifts into decongesting itself of excess mucous. Some people have been telling me they are exhausted, joints hurt, and they are feeling completely lazy. They may have an excess of mucous, and so the jump-start of a little extra cleansing may help.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTgUF2BnuFG6P53AUk3EbIgfpj6BktW-SWIx1hGd8e9mPa05790n3PcboAHHcxoU-Ku1h2-qIbUaRMkBrsJmI1Vfg33d13zgEifDaYMJjv1WgFi6QODIfDUSY5GNYOTYgz03kJpY_JbMP/s1600/spinnach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTgUF2BnuFG6P53AUk3EbIgfpj6BktW-SWIx1hGd8e9mPa05790n3PcboAHHcxoU-Ku1h2-qIbUaRMkBrsJmI1Vfg33d13zgEifDaYMJjv1WgFi6QODIfDUSY5GNYOTYgz03kJpY_JbMP/s1600/spinnach.JPG" /></a><br />
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Some things to try might be:<br />
- buy and eat more greens, and fresh food (pizza is not your BFF)<br />
(try my <a href="http://ranawaxman.blogspot.ca/2012/01/yo-greeni-smoothie.html" target="_blank">Yogreen-ie smoothie</a> or <a href="http://ranawaxman.blogspot.ca/2011/11/simply-imuni-tea.html" target="_blank">Simply Immuni-tea</a>)<br />
-wake up and do a bit of energising <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_therapy.php" target="_blank">yoga/pranayama practise</a> or walk outside to get some fresh AIR, listen to the birds, watch the new budding flora<br />
-sleep a little earlier, to wake up rejuvenated<br />
-make friends with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neti_(Hatha_Yoga)" target="_blank">Neti-pot</a><br />
-journal to get all these lurking negative emotions OUT<br />
-clean your closet and then give what you do not need to charity<br />
-remember that the meditative state of <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">relaxation</a> cleanses the mind!<br />
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Giving yourself a little extra support during any transition -Season or otherwise- is so positive. Just keep in mind that beyond all the recipes for Detox is the <a href="http://ranawaxman.blogspot.ca/2012/02/8-steps-of-yoga-ashta-anga.html" target="_blank">system of Yoga</a> itself, which supports cleansing and maintaining nourishing habits throughout the Year and no matter how green you eat, if you are not in touch with yourself emotionally, you will not be able to 'rest and digest'...<br />
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peace and positivity!<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-31323211681862794732012-03-17T07:52:00.000-04:002012-03-17T07:52:51.245-04:00mind-body connectionn<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s_O8hMP2wpO5sAGs4cO4G-D-6QqyofgOWTcUz4HAuRdiFS7yYpJUcTwfFS36GIXrxyn010ORpZRxZ3T0PnkfdzILmGi5BoQM4fksZfsmb-dO6LMTnR-ytNEPlE1BQRrkZJh_RDoP9Emi/s1600/images-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s_O8hMP2wpO5sAGs4cO4G-D-6QqyofgOWTcUz4HAuRdiFS7yYpJUcTwfFS36GIXrxyn010ORpZRxZ3T0PnkfdzILmGi5BoQM4fksZfsmb-dO6LMTnR-ytNEPlE1BQRrkZJh_RDoP9Emi/s1600/images-6.jpeg" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I just came across this text in a pile of papers, maybe someone emailed it to me...I am not the author but cannot find who wrote it so if you read it and know, give me a head's up; sharing it because it is a good reminder of our own power to inspire and be inspired, visualise, manifest, create. </span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></b></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">THE TONGUE CAN BE YOUR WORST ENEMY!</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life. What you speak about, you can bring about.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you keep saying <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you can’t stand your job</b>, you may lose your job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you keep saying, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you can’t stand your body</b>, your body may become sick.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you keep saying <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you can’t stand your car</b>, your car may be stolen or just stop operating.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you keep saying <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you’re broke</b>, guess what? You’ll always be broke.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you keep saying <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you can’t trust a man or trust a woman</b>, you will always find someone in your life to hurt and betray you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you keep saying <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you can’t find a job</b>, you will remain unemployed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you keep saying <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you can’t find someone to love you or believe in you</b>, your very thought will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you keep talking about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">divorce or break up in a relationship</b>, then you might end up with it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Turn your <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">thoughts</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">conversations</b> around to be more <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">positive</b>, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">power</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">packed</b> with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">faith, hope, love</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">action</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Don’t be afraid to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>believe that you can have what you want and deserve<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Watch your <u>Thoughts</u></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">, they become words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Watch your <u>Words</u></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">, they become actions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Watch your <u>Actions,</u></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> they become habits.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Watch your <u>Habits</u>,</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> they become character.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Watch your <u>Character</u></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">, for it becomes your <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Destiny.</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-indent: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Thought I would share this with you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In the search for Me</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">, I discovered Truth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In the search for Truth</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">, I discovered Love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In the search for Love</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">, I discovered GOD.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">And in GOD, I have found everything.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Be Blessed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Watch how your <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">circumstances and situations</b> begin to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">change</b> when <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">you change the way you speak.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Pass this on to as many people as you can, so they can change their lives too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Life is like melted butter…once things cool down, it can be reshaped.</span><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">enjoy </span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Om shanty shanty shanty</span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/" target="_blank">Rana</a></span></span></b></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-27945943471815592822012-03-10T17:42:00.001-05:002012-03-11T10:34:18.187-04:00yoga and the art of retail shopping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ex7noVDWK_DciTfiJ8aG0fUkSBtYttatWu-tYsA1sXLyDw2nzpi3V8IQ9GnkAScxiNw8fNag269EtYFjo04B7_lRF5M5WZ3v9HYPZ1Vui6sv7czKl2N3jnyQQEXUS8EE-beE7KV2M8Q7/s1600/kundalini+yoga+and+meditation%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ex7noVDWK_DciTfiJ8aG0fUkSBtYttatWu-tYsA1sXLyDw2nzpi3V8IQ9GnkAScxiNw8fNag269EtYFjo04B7_lRF5M5WZ3v9HYPZ1Vui6sv7czKl2N3jnyQQEXUS8EE-beE7KV2M8Q7/s1600/kundalini+yoga+and+meditation%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<i>"Intuition is soul guidance, appearing naturally in man during those instants when his mind is calm...The goal of yoga science is to calm the mind, that without distortion it may hear the infallible counsel of the Inner Voice" - Paramahansa Yogananda</i><br />
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Well, it has been another week of dazzling reflections on balancing career, deadlines, duties, wisdom, people and grace and how my Yoga practice sheds light on so many different areas, like a sunbeam....My <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php" target="_blank">last blog</a> was so intense I thought, I would try to write about something "cool", "light", and cheerful.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCOzcpTwi-FNnTW7g9TnhSicFrnLsrxvs-WXxiC6Q4B2JXuiAcB5C-cbbx-HSPoaUdV2shbaqBO8bcFtNqLfYwbN3u0pTzH86vXgycWFLysSYq6ijYOe2iQfZ4yio7O_mpbI2aJKqUlEM/s1600/chanel_chelsea001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCOzcpTwi-FNnTW7g9TnhSicFrnLsrxvs-WXxiC6Q4B2JXuiAcB5C-cbbx-HSPoaUdV2shbaqBO8bcFtNqLfYwbN3u0pTzH86vXgycWFLysSYq6ijYOe2iQfZ4yio7O_mpbI2aJKqUlEM/s320/chanel_chelsea001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I have seen a few blogs lately that talk about fashion, giving tips on what to buy, what to wear, how to wear it. Hmm. Fun. Let's put on the lip gloss and head straight for all THAT.<br />
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Of course, as luck would have it, I found a store that sells "YOGA jeans". Thinking I had entered nirvana already, I beamed at the salesgirl - "<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/" target="_blank">YOGA teacher</a>" here, sign me up! Started trying on....pair #1 - too big, we both agreed, pair #2 - uh, so-so, pair - #3, I didn't think so.... I wasn't that comfortable bottom line. I just knew they didn't maximise or minimise or whatever the rave was, it was not working on me.<br />
Now, the salesgirl was good, and she may have honestly thought I looked great, but she may also have had a slight agenda. A couple of other stores had cute things, but I realised, as I side-stepped the snow and ice here in the Montreal/March, that the season was not yet upon me for sundresses. I had a good time conserving money and chitchatting with people though.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSB_ZUo2kHRcinxiMl5mekAua_04yflscfqppw9-L0V0AeIbscd04FZz50uqxYmV0buTs8j0J4LS_w6rUA-jOyxx2ST8BF_MtE7fi7q5xEocwKzNEJUERRWH3TFPOWj7TDT5xn0ecceHD/s1600/Second-Denim-Yoga-Jeans---Jean-Machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSB_ZUo2kHRcinxiMl5mekAua_04yflscfqppw9-L0V0AeIbscd04FZz50uqxYmV0buTs8j0J4LS_w6rUA-jOyxx2ST8BF_MtE7fi7q5xEocwKzNEJUERRWH3TFPOWj7TDT5xn0ecceHD/s320/Second-Denim-Yoga-Jeans---Jean-Machine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>Here's what I loved. There are such great yoga lessons in retail shopping:</div>*Inward listening under pressure ! AUMMMM. <br />
*Can we check in with ourselves honestly in the moment, or do we need a walk around the block or a day to think about it?<br />
*Are we on budget, on<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php?id=6249536835682683825" target="_blank"> resolution</a>, and still focused on what the mission was for?<br />
*Did you really need a blouse but you are buying pants instead?<br />
*Are they a want or a need?<br />
*Is it a JUST GO FOR IT day?<br />
*Are you able to look in the mirror and love what you see, or is it all negative self-talk?<br />
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See, I think the beauty of the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga system</a> is that it turns us into confident, strong people who make nourishing and positive choices. Life, in this way, whatever you are doing, becomes an art form. Buyer Be(a)ware...Enjoy! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GLpMnyv6KO4jkQnrdkSRu06MQ8U1v0kE38vgqlU6o9wCfGXb4s4eTf4oTeRYE8_1py14wihJ4IrdgQr0H4bvKBZLEsQxgTaUd3c-GQO44PzLoXSqe0ipQib2uRHoYcMttGeyNM1JQh-c/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GLpMnyv6KO4jkQnrdkSRu06MQ8U1v0kE38vgqlU6o9wCfGXb4s4eTf4oTeRYE8_1py14wihJ4IrdgQr0H4bvKBZLEsQxgTaUd3c-GQO44PzLoXSqe0ipQib2uRHoYcMttGeyNM1JQh-c/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a><br />
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om shanty shanty shanty<br />
<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/" target="_blank">Rana</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-88749427977963174792012-03-02T22:13:00.001-05:002012-03-03T07:08:29.367-05:00yoga and safety<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Yoga has its origins in the search for the spiritual and in primordial questions about the meaning of life. The awareness that yoga is a spiritual practise whose roots are ancient gives our journey continuity, richness, and depth"</i> -Esther Myers</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"The problem with institutionalized yoga or textbook instruction is that the reality of a person's life situation is not taken into account...The key to right teaching is in the adaptation of yoga to the individual, not the idividual to yoga"</i> - T.K.V. Desikachar</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Yoga is not a standardised practise"</i> -</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> T.K.V. Desikachar</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLzaiYthnQ5Hv7ZSTrLYlccahLNWwXFOyPThVizAEp9gMO3Puq_7I8HJhtxDgspzJGcPSg-F4jjvbjVglVNF3y2xffU4dXx3KHRHMIIzAYsbPSiav0ujGR_WpBctrG1mGjOQk9-6BJkx1/s1600/_S070066_paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLzaiYthnQ5Hv7ZSTrLYlccahLNWwXFOyPThVizAEp9gMO3Puq_7I8HJhtxDgspzJGcPSg-F4jjvbjVglVNF3y2xffU4dXx3KHRHMIIzAYsbPSiav0ujGR_WpBctrG1mGjOQk9-6BJkx1/s1600/_S070066_paper.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lately much is in the news about yoga and safety. I have sat with this topic for awhile, wondering if I should leap into the discussion, pondering how to stay politically correct, and I have decided I have enough to say to bring this topic to the blog. In fact, you may want to go and get yourself a chai latte for this one. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Foremost, I think when you put <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> into a buffet of activities offered at gyms, and/or by people who are teaching a postural flow to students who want the physicality of a stretch coupled with a tinge of mind/body/spirit, the word safety SHOULD enter the conversation. Just as it would when you play any sport, lift any weight, run any trail, climb any mountain. Reducing <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a>, which began as one of the six <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophy" target="_blank">Hindu philosophical sc</a>hools, to just a physical discipline, almost makes it into a sport. Let's "do Yoga" rather than Let's "Be Yoga" reduces a lifestyle into an activity that you fit into a schedule rather than an ongoing meditation in motion. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcGPyFc7WE7l47gCCugIcRd3zqHEV2yWWVPDbe5BuDhq0sZqw7w-LTL-n3WUoLo0mvd6T3Yt_kQynliUeo1PnDm-p4pNpOG9Lh0uFkbGhyyqTHa4nC8emt7JDIdCEnxCmNpHQTNN_zHpH/s1600/11534351-yoga-meditation-in-lotus-pose-by-man-silhouette-with-moon-and-purple-dramatic-sunset-sky-background-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcGPyFc7WE7l47gCCugIcRd3zqHEV2yWWVPDbe5BuDhq0sZqw7w-LTL-n3WUoLo0mvd6T3Yt_kQynliUeo1PnDm-p4pNpOG9Lh0uFkbGhyyqTHa4nC8emt7JDIdCEnxCmNpHQTNN_zHpH/s1600/11534351-yoga-meditation-in-lotus-pose-by-man-silhouette-with-moon-and-purple-dramatic-sunset-sky-background-.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The word "<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">yoga</a>" has morphed over time, and especially in the West. It comes from the Sanskrit root <i>yuj</i>, meaning to "bind, join, attach and yoke, to direct and concentrate one's attention on, to use and apply". In this, its original sense, which you find in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, it means joining the individual soul with the higher Self, the Cosmos/God/Universe; it is a mystical union, rather than a "I have to twist myself into this crazy form and hurt my shoulder" kind of union..So if you follow this, and are getting injured in a yoga class, something isn't right. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc7UT9TYqIfTnkreT8KfnUALGdoTRhBV7qzu2xZg9lNCKCLML8yI7NL6T660gO_I9u3DEwq_Lw2Kf2w_6LZRuiz4GGkJcXIX-bggozXpemdn8SBw8FmbM5OSPRitiB3HVBnMSPPGX93cF/s1600/IMG_0201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc7UT9TYqIfTnkreT8KfnUALGdoTRhBV7qzu2xZg9lNCKCLML8yI7NL6T660gO_I9u3DEwq_Lw2Kf2w_6LZRuiz4GGkJcXIX-bggozXpemdn8SBw8FmbM5OSPRitiB3HVBnMSPPGX93cF/s320/IMG_0201.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always tell students, whether in a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">private class or group</a>, that they should listen to their bodies. I give clear directions, like a GPS, but if these do not resonate with the student, they should follow their own path of comfort, and steady breathing. <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">Asana</a> should make you feel better, open. They massage the internal organs, detoxify our system, stretch out the tensions. But they are only <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/blog.php" target="_blank">1/8 th of the equation</a>. Sometimes I have noticed, people just want to put themselves in jeopardy, get an adrenalin rush, and that's that. I will never forget someone insisting I teach him/her the headstand. I said, "you have neck issues, it isn't for you. I am showing you alternatives" but that was not the answer that this person wanted to hear. Many times this happens. Students forget what it is all about, and jump in. That isn't listening to your body, that is listening to your thinking "gotta do it" brain. We are all on the path, but we may be different shoe sizes, take different strides, alternative directions. Honour yourself.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenge is great because it stretches us but comfort and safety should not be underestimated. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are the part of your practise on the mat that helps you make transformations, nourishing choices and heal off the mat in your daily life (which is really important!) So ask yourself whether what you are doing is helping to foster growth and happiness, compassion, patience. Are you less angry and anxious? Can you relax better during stress? <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/stress_affects.php" target="_blank">Stress</a> is an overwhelming phenomena, so you may want to ensure that you are learning to <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">cope and relax</a> more than touch your toes.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQPc49fTdgFaSF8Jhd2pS4Ec0oO3sLm9tPT1Mn5Pa1GHbZVjZKfz9aeWdmD8jf2sNHfbEXsJYQr6TglDdVHADCwE3Dr4ebylDWzWd2c2cyofQhUDuXhgOp2OIfaFkshTYee6EiRhyYRVv/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQPc49fTdgFaSF8Jhd2pS4Ec0oO3sLm9tPT1Mn5Pa1GHbZVjZKfz9aeWdmD8jf2sNHfbEXsJYQr6TglDdVHADCwE3Dr4ebylDWzWd2c2cyofQhUDuXhgOp2OIfaFkshTYee6EiRhyYRVv/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/" target="_blank">teaching</a> over 16 years, and studying for longer. If I ever go to someone's class, I ALWAYS tell the teacher that I prefer verbal to physical adjustments. Last year, at a workshop, the Teacher was showing everyone a pose and my body just said "I don't think so!" and when she came over I said, "thank you but it isn't going to happen for me like that", we laughed. Some years ago, I wanted to try a posture and I needed supervision so I grilled the teacher, "will you be there, do you promise?!" When I felt sure, I did it. I also remember a teacher completely dissecting my posture in a workshop over ten years ago. I came h-AUM to my mentor and just cried. I always feel safe with my Teacher with a capital "T". You should too, but with open and mindful eyes, and a healthy respect for your own instincts. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will leave you with a few suggestions and questions to ponder. Safety is definitely something Yoga Teachers should put as a priority (may open a new blog for this later), but so should you. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-You are unique; three people in the same class have different needs. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-If you do <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/group_classes.php" target="_blank">Group</a> classes, find one that feels right and stay present on your own mat.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- If you have any health concerns, are new to Yoga</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or unsure about something, have questions, anything, take a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/yoga_session.php" target="_blank">private class or study privately</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">or if you go to a group class tell your teacher</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Are you going into a <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga </a>class with an old injury or weakness?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Are you easily distracted and miss directions?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Are you looking (secretly) to push yourself to the point of pain?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- If you practise on your own, are you organic in your flow, or do you do autopilot?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- A Teacher is a guide but your own knowledge and instincts should override outside directions and you can and should be able to skip/omit/modify/rest</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Go MINDFULLY, when in doubt don't, but go mindfully always</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Research...if your knees are stiff but you are dying to do the lotus pose, read and see if there are contra-indications (there are)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Be prepared to take a more appropriate class, than the one 'everyone' is doing</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Embrace your experiences </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfc9qLYUpn8kk9rZSDmV8T1fNdEKrK0Ps29kCK90XaCZ57dhMGq-b04qGv5eZ-4eK1laL-wa0f4RB7M2BG_4FaXhZC5ai8Xn8CWGypMWD2L9QhBNHqUev4RZKIEdxRqkFQqOG45En36xM/s1600/images-14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfc9qLYUpn8kk9rZSDmV8T1fNdEKrK0Ps29kCK90XaCZ57dhMGq-b04qGv5eZ-4eK1laL-wa0f4RB7M2BG_4FaXhZC5ai8Xn8CWGypMWD2L9QhBNHqUev4RZKIEdxRqkFQqOG45En36xM/s1600/images-14.jpeg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">Yoga</a> is a system, not a sport; most people need enough physical challenge to heal a tense body and calm a busy mind...the path of moderation and meditation awaits you...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">om shanty shanty shanty,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5997032975147691805.post-48397320230639046552012-02-26T08:48:00.000-05:002012-02-26T08:48:25.122-05:00The 8 steps of YOGA (ashta-anga)<div style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvi7SH8zlNdm2acBCB8oyTu77vKxcV9FWuwEOTeD9pxo6hX7xaP1D95-tqZvUQ-CRVqMLFF4tPVEWdjHAB5zeju6cmkmdtSOHAn8gWKvaqO670obNL4IGRUtBGL6SfeT6OLpu6qMKVyk1/s1600/Free-Meditation-Music.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvi7SH8zlNdm2acBCB8oyTu77vKxcV9FWuwEOTeD9pxo6hX7xaP1D95-tqZvUQ-CRVqMLFF4tPVEWdjHAB5zeju6cmkmdtSOHAn8gWKvaqO670obNL4IGRUtBGL6SfeT6OLpu6qMKVyk1/s320/Free-Meditation-Music.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">YOGA</a>:</b> From the Sanskrit, “yug”, to join or connect, the state of the mind when it is still, a union of body, breath, mind and spirit….</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">These 8 (ashta) limbs (anga) are cultivated with practise, progression, patience, surrender...in effortless effort one reaps numerous benefits in all areas of life; thus YOGA is a practical methodology for living a meaningful, happy and healthy life...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>1. The </u></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>YAMAS </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">(how we relate to others: our actions/thoughts/speech)</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">AHIMSA</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Consideration for all living things) qualities such as kindness, patience, tolerance</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">SATYA</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Right communication) qualities such as honesty in behaviour and thought, integrity, sincerity</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">ASTEYA </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">(Non-covetousness) not taking something that is not yours, reining in those desires so that you do not live in a constant state of unfulfilled desires.</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">BRAHMACHARYA</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Moderation in actions) Not indulging the senses above all else, rather channelling these energies to cultivate higher states of consciousness, celibacy as a tool for self-discovery</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">APARIGRAHA</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Non-greediness) Consider what are your true needs, as opposed to desires, instead of grasping, enjoy what you have.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>2. The </u></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>NIYAMAS</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b> </b>(how we relate to ourselves)</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">SAUCHA</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Purity) Cleanliness of body, mind, spirit, environment.</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">SANTOSHA</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Contentment) Accepting the present, feeling satisfied with what we have in this present moment, to the extent of being peaceful but not complacent, when times are tough to be able to keep one’s equanimity.</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">TAPAS </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">(Burning enthusiasm) Strong resolve and self-discipline</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">SWADHYAYA</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Self-study) turning attention inward leads to self-discovery </span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">ISHVARAPRANIDHANA</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Celebration of spiritual) Surrender to a higher power, and knowing that this omnipresent force lies within each of us</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkA4rLQmi18J6TvwTXqWxp3aCp1mqzo6x0_wnrH3D7KHbiB8sL5wEDLo6DGPk4aThm5YlvoJOUMZ03Fwks0HDdnVOEySyszxCE2NstQwERpL9lVQLbWro9QsfghkpM3AHasExodr-puMR/s1600/images-8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkA4rLQmi18J6TvwTXqWxp3aCp1mqzo6x0_wnrH3D7KHbiB8sL5wEDLo6DGPk4aThm5YlvoJOUMZ03Fwks0HDdnVOEySyszxCE2NstQwERpL9lVQLbWro9QsfghkpM3AHasExodr-puMR/s1600/images-8.jpeg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>3. </u></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><u> <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/postures.php" target="_blank">ASANA</a></u></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (postures) yoga Asana is a posture where you are externally still yet internally alive. To take part in asana practise is to use your body as a doorway through which to experience and remember the truth about who you are. Since we have a body we have an opportunity to use it as a tool. From the Sanskrit “seat” the English translation “pose”, implies that there is a “holding”, an action that requires effort and mental presence. By holding an asana we can integrate the body and mind; the breath is the link between the two. In fact, more than poise or some idea of “perfect’ posture, the breath should always remain graceful. The posture itself, according to the Yoga Sutra which dates back over 2000 years, should have the qualities of alertness and relaxation</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>4. PRANAYAMA</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b> </b>(Control of the life force/prana) Conscious regulation of the breath and prana, through different techniques</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5p6hEcf2fmWrKoBE7wXFe4rU738vFTkN4Uoy6sqyqbcQ6ytQBOZWVESU-fHEogKAhiTrTJXAAzgLmW9NyTQuiPHAyqbKsTg3cQcKZSS4H8M8xTbyGfuyfkWrUyV7I014VmjwD0YPLlae/s1600/images-12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5p6hEcf2fmWrKoBE7wXFe4rU738vFTkN4Uoy6sqyqbcQ6ytQBOZWVESU-fHEogKAhiTrTJXAAzgLmW9NyTQuiPHAyqbKsTg3cQcKZSS4H8M8xTbyGfuyfkWrUyV7I014VmjwD0YPLlae/s1600/images-12.jpeg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>5. PRATYAHARA</b> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Withdrawal of the Senses) The senses look outward and can be distracting and stress-inducing; learning to go within to find the calm inner sanctuary</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>6. DHARANA</b> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Concentration) To maintain a mind undisturbed in its focus requires mastery over it through practise</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><u>7. </u></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">DHYANA</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> (Meditation) One-pointed single focus around a subject. Quiets the mind, a state of restful alertness known to decrease blood pressure, decrease stress-related conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, asthma, insomnia, digestive problems etc. In Latin, “meditator” means “healing” and meditation practises is key in alternative medicine. Also, studies show meditation practises increase intelligence, memory, and decision-making abilities and slow the ageing process.</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>8. SAMADHI </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">(Bliss state) The goal of YOGA is to abide in this sense of Oneness, the mind is mastered and thoughts are stilled in this illuminated trance-like perception</span></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 11.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQGjiJndjfk6FrcnmA8Q2GK3XxO2g6MK6xqu7cf9AsMqxOgtoMQGcmUVVU1cKwUcnNOkrhkl70OygDlg7IarFnjeL4H53Rv03OJasEvIyhJj6jcgB1ayGLuNbwIrAap-bwVwxmlFEaY8F/s1600/images-9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQGjiJndjfk6FrcnmA8Q2GK3XxO2g6MK6xqu7cf9AsMqxOgtoMQGcmUVVU1cKwUcnNOkrhkl70OygDlg7IarFnjeL4H53Rv03OJasEvIyhJj6jcgB1ayGLuNbwIrAap-bwVwxmlFEaY8F/s1600/images-9.jpeg" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>YOGA</b> practise is like tending a garden. Allow yourself to be immersed in the organic and on-going journey, without judgement, criticism or expectations. You will reap the <a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/about_yoga.php" target="_blank">benefits</a>!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A few guidelines</span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;">-Leave a few hours after eating before practising postures and pranayama, so there is no competition with digestion</span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;">-Wear non-restrictive clothing; it is nice to cover yourself during relaxation</span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;">-It is not a competition; listen to your body, your own pace, and your own voice</span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;">-Rather than a sense of “perfecting” anything, use everything as practise and self-discovery</span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;">-Practise peacefully, allow yourself that time and space to “empty” your mind, turn off the cell phone, whatever it takes.</span></div><div style="font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;">-<a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/relaxation_response.php" target="_blank">Relaxation</a> is a process of conscious rest, and allows the subtle energies stirred up by the asana to be directed towards self-healing and to re-energise and re-balance the system, practise! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;">om shanty shanty shanty,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ranawaxman.com/contact.php" target="_blank">Rana</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382107677158307222noreply@blogger.com0