Yoga Off The Mat

I decided to write this post since I am still feeling some pain from the burn which I got while doing some ironing yesterday.

We often hear our teachers reminding us about awareness as well as keeping our focus when we are doing the yoga poses.

But do we realize that it is just as important to practice awareness as well as keeping our focus when we are off the mat.

Often, we injure ourselves when we are not focused on the task at hand as it is often in the case where we are doing one thing while our mind is thinking about something else. We also tend to make more mistakes in our work due to lack of awareness and staying present. 

Even though when we are on the mat, we have learned to be mindful, once we are off the mat, how many of us really practice this mindfulness? It is because when we are off the mat, we forget the real meaning of yoga.

“I love the asanas but the Real Yoga comes when I flow off the mat.”

National Yoga Month - The Time for Yoga

September is the official National Yoga Month (a national observance designated by the Department of Health & Human Services of USA) designed to build awareness of yoga's proven health benefits and provide people with actionable guidance and tools to enhance their own well-being. (from Yoga Month website). During National Yoga Month participating yoga studios in USA offer ONE WEEK FREE YOGA to new students.  

National Yoga Month is going global this year by unifying the entire yoga community with The Time for Yoga, a global community yoga practice. Yoga Month invites all yoga studios, teachers and students to unite on September 30 for a worldwide yoga practice.  

At 7 p.m. local time on September 30, yoga students of all experience levels are encouraged to practice yoga as an international observance and the culmination of Yoga Month. A one-hour yoga practice will be followed by savasana beginning at 8 p.m., and a 15 minute meditation for universal peace and well-being at 8:15 p.m. By participating during your own local time, a wave of yoga will take place around the globe.

Calling all yoga studios in Malaysia, be part of the first annual Time for Yoga Global Community Practice by organizing a free yoga practice on 30 September 2011 at 7 pm in your studio.  You can register your event with Yoga Month at YogaMonth.org/events and also post your event here. 

Namaste. 

Inspiring Yoga Teacher

Read more about her thoughts on yoga, fashion and inspirations in an interview with her posted at Spoiled Yogi.

Going to an Advanced Yoga Class

Recently some practitioners asked me whether they should attend an advanced yoga class at the studio I am practicing at.    The studio offers multi-level classes which include Hatha and Yin Yoga which is termed to be for beginners onwards while the advanced classes are Flow, Ashtanga Led and Dynamic.

I find that usually practitioners who have just started their yoga practice for a few months are curious about what is being taught in the advanced classes that is different from the beginners class. And to them going to an advanced class means they will get to do the more difficult and challenging poses like arm-balancing and inversions such as headstand and handstand.

I have often seen these practitioners going into an advanced class without realizing that they are not yet ready for the advanced class.  This is not because they cannot do the difficult and challenging poses as they have the flexibility in their bodies, but because they have not learned to use their breath.  Their practice ends up being all over the place as they could not concentrate on the teacher’s instructions when their breathing starts to get shallow.

On the contrary, they are practitioners who have been practicing for quite some time, who feel pressured to go to an advanced class as they feel that they should be able to do the difficult and challenging poses although they feel comfortable just going to the beginners class.

So, when do you know you are ready for an advanced class?

When you have been practicing with awareness – concentrating on your breathing in the poses as the breath will be the most vital element to take you through a 90-minute advanced class.

When you want to deepen your practice as the challenging poses in the advanced class will help you to confront your insecurities and learn to overcome your fears as doing the poses will make you realize how you deal with the challenges in your life.

When you are well-versed in the poses especially the Sun Salutations sequence if you are going to the Ashtanga Led class, as you will be doing five Sun Salutations A and three Sun Salutations B at the very start of the class.  If you don’t even know the sequence, you might end up feeling lost and it will affect the rest of your practice.

And having the humility to go down into child pose when you are tired and cannot keep up to the pace of the class.

Going to an advanced class does not mean that we are an advanced practitioner as our yoga practice is constantly evolving to change and transform our lives.

Setting Your Intention : 108 Words To Live By

A prayer of motivation and dedication written by Benjamin Riggs, Spirituality Editor - Elephant Journal.

(taken from Elephant Journal)

I am practicing yoga when I am...

Heart of Yoga

Taking Flight 

You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life? - Rumi 

Control Your Destiny 

There is no truth except the truth that exists within you. Everything else is what someone is telling you. - Neale Donald Walsh

Achieving Balance 

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you - Lao Tzu