The practice has been really tough for me the last month. Lot's of resistance in my body (and mind...), and I've been really stiff. Yesterday was the first day in like a month that I actually felt light and had a good practice. Well, good in the sence of feeling like "wow", the pain and heaviness is gone!
Today, I had another small victory. Most of the blocks were taken. I ususally use four blocks to do my urdhva danurasana, needing the hight of two blocks to hold my hands on. I've tried before to to use only the hight of one block, but then I haven't been able to push myself up into the bridge. Lately the teachers have been giving people extra supported poses to help them open up in certain parts, so the blocks these days are always in use by someone else. Since there hasn't been any blocks free, I've been doing only half bridge pose lately. This is not helping me forward. So, today I thought that I have to try to get up without the blocks, starting with using the block on the high end. It worked! I then tried putting the flat side down, thinking it was going to be too low, but it worked too! This is a major step for me! A small, but big victory! Soon I'll be doing bridge pose without any props!
Today I feel content.
onsdag 25 mars 2009
söndag 15 mars 2009
Ten Most Important Sutras
I found an interesting and easy to understand article by Judith Lasater on the ten most important sutras.
And some wise words by Donna Farhi
And some wise words by Donna Farhi
Bramacharya
Moderation
To not indulge in sensory pleasure. Often interpreted as chastity, in its wider sense it´s more about moderation in all aspects of life. Too much of something is not good, but too little is not good either.
Take food for example. If you eat too much you will become obese, and with that all sorts of diseases may come. Eating too little can result in anorexia and malnutrition. And it also afects your mind. Becoming obsessed with something will definately take a lot of energy, and probably take you away from the things that really matter. It makes it harder to enjoy life, even though in the moment of indulgence, it might seem like that is exaclty what you are doing. Eating one peice of candy can be a way of enjoying life, but eating ten peices can make you sick. Never allowing yourself to have candy can be a way of not alowing yourself to enjoy life. It takes discipline to say no, and courage to say yes, and self reflection and mindfullness to realize where you need to practice moderation. When practicing moderation, you are also practicing ahimsa.
Moderation also applies to your yoga practice. I know, I'm a person who easily gives 110% to the things I enjoy doing, like yoga, and even though it is something good, it can become too much. I "burn" myself out. I get a back lash and then usually the pendulum goes in the other direction, and I need some time when I hardly do anything at all, just to recuperate. Then slowly, slowly the pendulum comes closer and closer to the middle, and I realize that it is easier and more wise to take the middle way. It takes less energy but gives more. But perhaps it is a process that is needed to go through. To go to the extremes before you can find moderation.
I´m sure you can find your own areas where you are indulging.
Moderation is the key to balance, and balace is necessary for finding happiness and health.
To not indulge in sensory pleasure. Often interpreted as chastity, in its wider sense it´s more about moderation in all aspects of life. Too much of something is not good, but too little is not good either.
Take food for example. If you eat too much you will become obese, and with that all sorts of diseases may come. Eating too little can result in anorexia and malnutrition. And it also afects your mind. Becoming obsessed with something will definately take a lot of energy, and probably take you away from the things that really matter. It makes it harder to enjoy life, even though in the moment of indulgence, it might seem like that is exaclty what you are doing. Eating one peice of candy can be a way of enjoying life, but eating ten peices can make you sick. Never allowing yourself to have candy can be a way of not alowing yourself to enjoy life. It takes discipline to say no, and courage to say yes, and self reflection and mindfullness to realize where you need to practice moderation. When practicing moderation, you are also practicing ahimsa.
Moderation also applies to your yoga practice. I know, I'm a person who easily gives 110% to the things I enjoy doing, like yoga, and even though it is something good, it can become too much. I "burn" myself out. I get a back lash and then usually the pendulum goes in the other direction, and I need some time when I hardly do anything at all, just to recuperate. Then slowly, slowly the pendulum comes closer and closer to the middle, and I realize that it is easier and more wise to take the middle way. It takes less energy but gives more. But perhaps it is a process that is needed to go through. To go to the extremes before you can find moderation.
I´m sure you can find your own areas where you are indulging.
Moderation is the key to balance, and balace is necessary for finding happiness and health.
lördag 7 mars 2009
Asteya
Non-stealing - Non-greediness - Non-coveting
The previous yama was truth, or honesty, and you can see how it it related to the next yama, non-stealing. If you have not cultivated honesty, perhaps it is easier to take from others what is not yours to have. Thus cultivating your truth and honesty will make it easier to perform this yama.
Not taking material things that are not yours is perhaps quite easy for most (honest)people. But this yama goes much further than that. Not only is it about not taking things from others, but also about not coveting. Coveting is a way of not being satisfied with what you have, and with what you don´t have. So this yama is related to santosha, contentment.
You can steal from others things that are intangible as well. Like someones time. Next time you are late to an appointment, think about the lack of respect this means for the other person. Taking someones energy. If you only talk about yourself and your problems with someone for example, never asking them about anything, you are actually stealing the other persons energy. Have you ever felt drained after meeting certain people? Then this person has probably taken your energy. Give people your full attention and respect, and this will not happen. Then you are giving, not taking.
Sometimes you can loose energy by coveting things that other people have. Like someones looks, job, relationships, house, money, fame or what have you. Take time to really think about what it is that you really want. Is it really those things, or does the feeling come from something deeper. A lack of self love maybe? Discontentment in general maybe? Instead, take that energy and direct it inward to cultivate the things that you already have. If you covet someones love relationship, realise that you already are full of love, and that you have the ability to express it, even though you don´t have a significant other. Express it to yourself, to your friends and family. To a stranger even! If you covet someones sucess, it probably has to to with the fact that this person is expressing what he loves and is good at. So can you. So instead of wasting energy on coveting, put that energy into expressing yourself.
On the mat; are you taking up someone elses space? Are you disturbing someones focus by sounding to much, or bumping into them?
In a conversation; are you talking so much that you don´t let other people say anything?
At work; are you taking credit for ideas that someone else has created?
At home: are you constanly buying new things, wanting a bigger flat, a new car, a better stereo and so on?
More wants more. Learn to distinguish between what is a healthy wish for something that is important for you, something that comes from the heart, and between desperately wanting things that are not sprung from within, but are perhaps a way of filling a gap for something else.
The previous yama was truth, or honesty, and you can see how it it related to the next yama, non-stealing. If you have not cultivated honesty, perhaps it is easier to take from others what is not yours to have. Thus cultivating your truth and honesty will make it easier to perform this yama.
Not taking material things that are not yours is perhaps quite easy for most (honest)people. But this yama goes much further than that. Not only is it about not taking things from others, but also about not coveting. Coveting is a way of not being satisfied with what you have, and with what you don´t have. So this yama is related to santosha, contentment.
You can steal from others things that are intangible as well. Like someones time. Next time you are late to an appointment, think about the lack of respect this means for the other person. Taking someones energy. If you only talk about yourself and your problems with someone for example, never asking them about anything, you are actually stealing the other persons energy. Have you ever felt drained after meeting certain people? Then this person has probably taken your energy. Give people your full attention and respect, and this will not happen. Then you are giving, not taking.
Sometimes you can loose energy by coveting things that other people have. Like someones looks, job, relationships, house, money, fame or what have you. Take time to really think about what it is that you really want. Is it really those things, or does the feeling come from something deeper. A lack of self love maybe? Discontentment in general maybe? Instead, take that energy and direct it inward to cultivate the things that you already have. If you covet someones love relationship, realise that you already are full of love, and that you have the ability to express it, even though you don´t have a significant other. Express it to yourself, to your friends and family. To a stranger even! If you covet someones sucess, it probably has to to with the fact that this person is expressing what he loves and is good at. So can you. So instead of wasting energy on coveting, put that energy into expressing yourself.
On the mat; are you taking up someone elses space? Are you disturbing someones focus by sounding to much, or bumping into them?
In a conversation; are you talking so much that you don´t let other people say anything?
At work; are you taking credit for ideas that someone else has created?
At home: are you constanly buying new things, wanting a bigger flat, a new car, a better stereo and so on?
More wants more. Learn to distinguish between what is a healthy wish for something that is important for you, something that comes from the heart, and between desperately wanting things that are not sprung from within, but are perhaps a way of filling a gap for something else.
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