Bali Oh Bali - Part 1

The Bali Island is full of legend and stories. I have spent 5 days 4 nights in that island last week. It was a great trip and me and my husband manage to tour most of the island part except west bali. It was really an unforgetable experience with so much things presented to us. The dolphin watching, spa & massage, fantastic food such as grilled pork, grilled duck, pork sate, spicy fish and rice.

Day 1: We reached the denpasar airport around 1:30pm. The custom was not so crowded and after we collected the luggage, we head to the exit door and looking for the driver that we have hired. Sila was holding a paper with my husband name written on it. That how we recognige the driver. We know nothing about the driver at all except his name. So these 4 days definitely have given us a chance to getting know him more. We checked in to the hotel, Melasti Beach Resort & Spa at 3pm and there was a welcome drink being served. Most of the hotel here serve that. Our next 3 hotels also doing the same. After dropping us at the lobby, we managed to catch some time with Sila on the tour details for the next 4 days. The room is quite small but the hotel compound is big and it stretch up to the sandy beaches, winthin walking distance. There are 2 pools available, garden pool and the one near to the bungalow lots. Our room is quite near to the street so you can hear those motorbikes sounds on the streets. Not much time to unpack since tommorrow have to checkout early. The legian beach waves are great and nice. Definitely the best place for surfing. The waves so strong and continuously beating on the beach. After a stroll on the beach, we heading to hunt for our dinner place. Our driver has suggested Warund Madek, which has quite a history there. At first we thought we could walk to the restaurant. So we walked from one end to the other end of the road  but not able to find it. Then we boarded on a taxi that drived us smoothly there. The street in legian & kuta areas are really narrow and mostly are one way. It's more like a lane rather than road.

My husband ordered a drink called 'Arak Madu' & he suggested me to order 'Arak Atap', both are local drinks. And for main dishes, I have nasi goreng special and him have the nasi campur. My husband kept asking me to try on the local drinks. After he took almost half of the 'Arak Madu' drink, he kept complaining that he felt very dizzy. Must be the drink I guess..haha. Luckily I didn't take it though I just sipped few drops of it. After dinner, we walk along legian street, doing some window shopping since this is the 1st place so we thought there might be great bargain on other places. After walked through 2 streets and my husband stopped at one of the DVD store to take a look. Suddenly all black out and no electricity on the whole street. But we continue to walk since there are still people mostly westerner walking along the street. I was impressed by the safety along the street. Nothing bad can be happening at all. The people there are very friendly and nice. Truely an amazing experience. After the street, we turned into a small lane and heading to the beach after asked for some directly from the hotel guard standing outside.  So we walked along the beach to go back to the hotels. We passed quite a number of hotels where guests are having their dinner on the wooden board with strong wind.

Day 2: We have the breakfast around 8pm. The breakfast was very simple, not much choices but the ham are very nice and soft. We checkout at around 9am and Sila was already there waiting for us.

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The Happiest Tree

Last few week I have bought some yoga related books from acmamall.com. The books arrived while I was away to Bali island. So when I was back immediately I opened the parcel and I took out the books. One of it it's about kid yoga story - The Happiest Tree. When I took it out from the pack, my youngest saw it and he kept asking me to read for him. So I told him it will be the bedtime story.

So when it was bedtime, I read the story to him. The drawings in the book quite vibrant the color and it managed to attracted my son attention. He was playing with his toy, wandering around on the bed while I was reading it. So I try to change my voice tone in order to attact his attention. Kids are very sensitive to sound. Everytime when I changed my tone, he walked near to my and listen to it with full attention. But I didn't bother about him but keep on reading. I know he is listening though he is playing with his toy. Then it came to the last page of the book where the picture on the page showing few kids are sitting in lostus pose with hands on the knee, with eyes closed for meditation. So I was thinking why not I try this with my son as well.

So I showed him the page and saied to him 'Why not we try this ?'. Then I crossed my legs followed the picture on the book in lotus pose and put my hands on the knees. He came near to me, sat down and trying to cross his legs but he really don't know how. So I gave him a helping hand trying to move his legs and cross it. Then I put his hands on the knees. He was doing it without any resistant. I was amazed by this. I didn't push him at all but he is the one that want to try for it.

When I said close the eyes but he did't want it. That's fine for me.

After that we have some fun time together with yoga poses. In fact he is the one we leads the poses and it was funny. First he did the butterfly pose and keep flipping his hands in front of his chest. So I sang out 'Fly Fly Fly Butterfly' song while we moved our knees up and down. He enjoyed it very much and keep laughing. Then next I showed him sitted forward bend with both legs extended in front. I said raised up your hands up high, bend down and touch your toes. He was enjoying it too and we repeat if for few times.

It was really fun to see kids in yoga poses. It can be very fun and enjoyable if you know how to make it 'fun' & 'attractive' to the kids. Hope one day I am able to organize such classes to the kids and show to them yoga is fun to play with !

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Our Deepest Fear

Our Deepest Fear
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, 'who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?'
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of the Universe.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There is nothin enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of the Divine that is within us.
It's not just in some of us: it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson

When I Look Back Into The Time

It's almost year end, another milestone to be marked on the achievement listing. These few days my mind keep lingering with some questions : How much I have achieved based on my last year plan ? How far I am close to the plan ? Do I still stick to the same planning ? Would I feel regret if the plan it not being carried and I have lost faith into it ?

I think for me, my very own personally thoughts, I will feel regret if the plan is not being carried out. It's only one in a life time that I can carry it out and the best time to do it is now but just keep waiting for nothing to happen. Action is required in order to start on something and see some changes. Life still goes on as usual but how to break through it and make some changes it's the most challenging part. Stick to the way it is now or make a change. Everything is up to you to decide. No one else have the right to interfere your decision. But you must be bold, persistent and self-motivated in order to make the changes.

I don't want to feel any regret at all when I get old and looking to my past time. Nothing shall be regret whey I look back.

Namaste !

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Busy Days

I have been busy for last few weeks. I really missed the meditation much. I think it's time to get back on track again as it has been quite some time i have stopped on the practise. Sometimes I feel like need to really step back again to really look at the life i want. My son is going to standard one next year and I have started to think about his growth and how much time I need to spend with him. I wish I can spend more time with him starting from next year. I have planned for this since last year but until now still progressing towards it. My goal still haven't achieved.

I think next year will be a good year to make a move for me.

Time do fly and don't let it fly and pass by without anything !

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Get Hip

(Adapted from yogajournal.com)

Learn proper alignment in Pigeon Pose and enjoy a safe and sweet hip opener.

By Natasha Rizopoulos

Yoga handles stiff hips in a variety of ways, but most directly through a family of poses that are known loosely as "hip openers." Some hip openers increase the external, or outward, rotation of the femur bone in the hip socket. Others lengthen the psoas muscle, a primary hip flexor connecting the torso and legs that gets chronically shortened in our chair-bound society. Pigeon Pose is an extremely effective hip opener that addresses both areas, with the front leg working in external rotation and the back leg in position to stretch the psoas.

Pigeon is actually a variation of the advanced pose, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (One-Legged King Pigeon Pose). The two poses share similar alignment in the hips and, more important, an imperative to be approached thoughtfully and consciously. Most practitioners recognize that One-Legged King Pigeon is an advanced backbend that requires precise alignment. Yet many of us are likely to thoughtlessly fold into the forward-bend variation of Pigeon, which can put a lot of stress on the knee and sacrum. To avoid injury, I approach Pigeon by first doing variations that will open the hips gradually and safely. Once your hips are open, you'll be able to craft a well-balanced Pigeon that benefits your hips and lower back. If you practice it consistently, you'll notice more ease in your lower half as you sit, walk, and stand.

Thread the Needle

One of the best ways to open the hips and prepare for Pigeon is through a supine modification called Eye of the Needle (sometimes called Dead Pigeon). I teach this pose to first timers and practice it myself on a regular basis. As you move through this and the next variation, and then toward the final pose, make sure that you alternate sides so that your body can unfold evenly and progressively.

To begin, come onto your back with your knees bent and your thighs parallel and hip-distance apart. Next, cross your left ankle over your right thigh, making sure that your anklebone clears your thigh. Actively flex your front foot by pulling your toes back. When you do this, the center of your foot will line up with your kneecap rather than curving into a sickle shape, which can stress the ligaments of the ankle and the knee.

Maintaining this alignment, pull your right knee in toward your chest, thread your left arm through the triangle between your legs and clasp your hands around the back of your right leg. If you can hold in front of your shin without lifting your shoulders off the floor or rounding the upper back, do so; otherwise, keep your hands clasped around your hamstring or use a strap. The goal is to avoid creating tension in the neck and shoulders as you open the hips, so choose a position that keeps your upper body relaxed. As you draw your right leg in toward you (making sure to aim it toward your right shoulder and not the center of your chest), simultaneously press your left knee away from you. This combination of actions should provide ample sensation, but if you don't feel much, try releasing your pubic bone down away from your navel toward the floor. This will bring a bit more curve into your lumbar and should deepen the hip stretch.

Boost Your Bird

This variation moves more in the direction of the final shape but uses blankets to help maintain alignment. Come onto all fours with your hands shoulder-distance apart and about a hand span in front of your shoulders. Bring your left knee forward and place it on the floor just behind and slightly to the left of your left wrist, with your shin on a diagonal and your left heel pointing toward your right frontal hipbone. Now bring your attention to your back leg: Your right quadriceps should squarely face the floor so that your leg is in a "neutral" position—you want to avoid the common pitfall of externally rotating the back leg. Establish this neutral leg by tucking your right toes under and straightening your right leg so that the thigh and knee come off the floor. Lift your right inner thigh up toward the ceiling and move your right frontal hipbone forward so that it is parallel to your left frontal hipbone. You want to have your hipbones square toward the front of the mat. As you roll your right hipbone forward, draw your left outer hip back and in toward the midline of your body. Its natural tendency will be to swing forward and out away from you.

When the hipbones are parallel in Pigeon, the sacrum is less likely to be torqued, and you can practice the pose without straining your low back. Maintaining this hip alignment, shimmy your right toes back slightly and then point them so that your right thigh releases to the floor. Move your left foot and shin toward the front of your mat, aiming for your shin to be parallel to the front edge, and flex your foot the way you did in Eye of the Needle to protect your knee.

Now observe your left outer hip. If, after you square your hips, the area where your thigh and buttock meet doesn't rest on the floor, you need to add a blanket or two underneath. This is crucial to practicing the pose safely. If the outer hip doesn't have support, the body will fall to the left, making the hips uneven and distorting the sacrum. Or, if the hips stay square but your left hip is free floating, you'll put too much weight and pressure on the front knee. Neither scenario is good!

Get Even

Instead, use your arms for support as you organize your lower body. Adjust so that your hipbones are parallel to the wall you're facing and your sacrum is even (meaning one side hasn't dipped closer to the floor than the other) and place however many blankets are necessary to maintain this alignment beneath your left outer hip.

Place your hands in front of your left shin and use your arms to keep your torso upright. For the final version, keep moving your left foot forward, working to make your left shin parallel to the front edge of your mat. Make sure that in doing so you maintain the alignment in your hips and sacrum, continuing to use blankets if necessary. The left leg will be in external rotation, the right leg in neutral—each position giving access to a different type of hip opening. The right leg will stretch the psoas and other hip flexors, and the left side will get into the group of rotators in the buttocks and outer hip.

It's common to experience intense sensations in the left hip as the femur rotates outward in the hip socket. (For many people, this is in the fleshy part of the buttock; for others, it's along the inner thigh.) Some feel a stretch along the front of the right hip as the psoas lengthens. You do not, however, want to feel any sensations in your left knee. If you do, this variation is not for you! Return to Eye of the Needle, where you can safely open your hips without strain.

If your knee is sensation free (hooray!), extend your torso forward across your left shin, walking your arms out in front of you and releasing your forehead toward the floor. Fold forward only after you've spent time checking your alignment and paying attention to your body. Your left knee will be to the left of your torso (with the left thigh on a bit of a diagonal), and your flexed left foot will be just alongside the right side of your rib cage. As you fold forward, turn your attention inward. We tend to hold this version of Pigeon longer than more active postures, so see if part of your practice in this pose can be to stay mentally focused once you have settled in. In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali defines practice as "effort toward steadiness." In these extended, quieter holds, you get to explore this idea, tethering your sometimes scattered attention by following the breath as it moves in and out, finding stillness as you open and expand.

Pose Benefits

Increases external range of motion of femur in hip socket
Lengthens hip flexors
Prepares body for backbends
Prepares body for seated postures such as Padmasana (Lotus Pose)

Contraindications

Knee injury
Sacroiliac issues

Supported Handstand

Finally I managed to perform the handstand without the wall support. It was such a great achievement to me and I feel totally amazed by the body and the energy flow.

It was Saturday afternoon when I was in the yoga center. I accompanied my niece to the center for astrology reading offered by my yoga teacher. She asked me before during my usual yoga class what I am going to do while waiting for my niece in the course. So I said it should be fine for me to hang around in the near by area or do some reading in my car.

So she offered to open the yoga center for me to practice yoga or sleep or do whatever I want in there. So me in the yoga center by myself. Of course I was ready with all my yoga gear. It's not easy for me to find time for yoga practice at home recently. So I just grabbed this golden oppoturnity to do yoga by myself, alone in the center.

It was a great feeling in there. So I started with 15 minutes of meditation sitting on the mat. At first it was quite difficult for me to settle down but after about few minutes, then i slowly settle my breath & my eye lids became more relax. I can feel my pelvis floor dropped and in relaxed position. After that I performed few sets of sun salutation, then triangle pose, warrior I & II. I managed to do the pigeon pose as well but still leg split seems not possible yet as my pelvic & thigh still not flexible enough. But I know time will come when I can do it.

Then I thought of why not try on  the handstand pose. So I moved the mat near to the wall and started with dolphin pose for a while. After that I raised up my knee and toes. The 1st attempt seemed not working. So I tried to contract my tummy and tuck in my tail bone then raised up the leg slowly. At the same I relaxed my neck my looking forward upside down. Then here I was just supported by the strength from arm and head, I am able to lift up the legs. Then I raised up the legs slowly since afraid of losing balance from the arm & head.  My mind keep wondering when can my leg reached the wall. I don't feel any pressure at all on the legs or any tighness on the pelvic or other parts of the body. Then finally i reached the wall, meaning I was able to keep my legs straight up.

I think the shoulder stand helps a lot before I performed the handstand pose. It helps to open up the pelvic and build up a balance strength around tummy, hips & thighs.

But i just need to get the right hold of it then I am sure I can do it again and again. The clue is practise more !

Namaste !

Feel Blessed With Whatever You Are Having Now

Seeing other people conditions and situation, you will feel more blessed compare to others. This awareness is quite important in order to bring one's self realization and spiritual understanding to the next level. All the things in this world happen due to our own action or karma. In buddhism, nothing happen without any cause or purpose. Cause and effect is what we observe most of the time when something happen. Realize this and you shall know and understand how the life work for you and how to make it work for you.

Get Hold On To It ...

Feeling lack of energy during yesterday yoga class. Feel an emptiness inside. I am not sure why I felt so. Does it mean I am losing my passion of life ? Or just a temporarily running out of inspiration. I am not able to use the strenght I have like previous classes. Feeling losing of connection with my teacher too. Well, I guess in know the reason. It has been quite some time I didn't go for meditation, a meditation session longer than 20 minutes. Ok, that's the source of all this things.

I shall maintain the meditation back again starting from today. Picking up something new can be as easy as ABC but maintaining it is the most difficult part.

But I am still feeling the same way. The sky still looking very bright and beautiful each every day. I can see those clouds moving and turning and feel the earth turning around. I am sure you will experience the same if you meditate enough.  Everyone in this world here have the same right to raise up their spiritual awareness.  Seeing the unseen and feeling the unfeel.

It's just another 'Good Morning' greetings in The Truman Show !

Free Your Pelvis

(Taken from yogajournal.com)

Strengthening your side waist muscles may not eliminate your love handles, but it will unlock your pelvis and protect your lower back.

By Julie Gudmestad

Recently a student asked me how to strengthen his side waist muscles. It is a good, and perennial, question, even if his motives are suspect: What most people asking this question really want to know is how to reduce the "love handles" at their side waists. Unfortunately, research has shown that spot reducing just doesn't work. My student's question is still a good one, though, because the side waist muscles (also called the flank muscles), along with the front abdominal, lower back, and buttock muscles, are crucial in supporting and stabilizing the lower back and pelvis.

Sometimes people try to strengthen the flank muscles by weight lifting. Standing and holding dumbbells, they side-bend to the left, use the right flank muscles to lift the torso back up, and then repeat the action to the other side. I'm not very enthused about this exercise because it creates compression in the lower back. With so many people past the age of 40 showing at least the beginning stages of arthritis in the lower back, further compressing it really isn't a good idea.

However, I can enthusiastically recommend strengthening the side waist by the practicing of Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). But, you might ask, isn't Trikonasana a side stretch? Actually, when properly done, no. (At least, not with the Iyengar approach that I teach; some other yoga styles regard Triangle differently.) In fact, the line of the torso from the side waist to armpit should be flat, not rounded up toward the ceiling, and it is the contraction of the flank muscles that keeps it flat.

Engaging the Side Waist Muscles
Let's take a look at the muscles that comprise the flank. The quadratus lumborum sits deep in the back waist, attaching to the top of the pelvis and traveling up to the last rib and the sides of the lumbar vertebrae. When the quadratus lumborum contracts, it pulls the pelvis and rib cage on the same side closer together. The abdominal obliques also help this action. The external obliques originate on the lower ribs and insert on the pelvis and the abdominal connective tissue; the internal obliques originate on the pelvis and insert on the lower ribs and abdominal connective tissue. Some of the obliques' fibers are nearly vertical between the pelvis and ribs, so they perform a similar action to quadratus lumborum except on the front side of the body. (For more information on the obliques and also an illustration, see the "Anatomy" column on twists in the January/February 2003 issue of Yoga Journal.)

When you bend to one side, your flank muscles on the opposite side must lengthen. To feel this action, stand up and place your hands on your waist. If you bend to the right, you can feel with your right hand that the right waist is shortened so that your ribs and the top of your pelvis nearly touch. You can also feel that the left waist, ribs, and flank muscles are lengthening and curving, and that quite a gap has opened up between your ribs and the top of your pelvis.

As you practice Trikonasana, the two sides of your spine should lengthen nearly evenly, so there is no curve in your torso. For example, if you do Trikonasana to the right, your left ribs should stay flat and the space between your right ribs and right side of the pelvis should stay open, which helps prevent compression of the right side of your lower back.

To keep your left ribs and waist from lengthening and curving excessively when you do Trikonasana to the right, your left flank muscles must contract to pull the ribs and pelvis closer together; this is how these muscles are strengthened in Trikonasana. The quadratus lumborum and the lateral fibers of your obliques bear a large load. To understand how this works, you must consider how gravity pulls on your torso. The weight of your torso is about half of your total body weight. When you are upright, that weight is centered over the bony structures of the pelvis and legs, but as you begin to tip to the side, much more weight must be held up by your flank muscles. And all this good strengthening work is happening without compressing your lower back.

To get the maximum strengthening benefit for the flank muscles, however, you must also create the proper movement of the pelvis. If the bowl of the pelvis stays upright and you bend to the side, all of the bend must come from the spine, and one side of your back will lengthen while the other side shortens. If, on the other hand, the pelvic bowl tips to the side, the spine can actually remain relatively straight as it becomes more parallel to the floor. This tipping movement seems to be a challenge for many students when learning Trikonasana. One reason for this difficulty is that tipping the pelvis to the side is not a movement you use in your everyday activities, so that it's just not in your movement repertoire. Another limiting factor is tightness in the hamstrings, on the backs of the thighs and adductors, on the inner thighs. These muscle groups originate on or attach to the sitting bones. If they are tight and short, the ability of the pelvis to tip to the side will be limited.

If you do have tight hamstrings and adductors, you would be wise to stretch them before working on Trikonasana. An excellent way to open up the range of motion that you will be needing for Trikonasana is to practice a supported version of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) with your leg out to the side, instead of in front of you. Stand with the right side of your body a few feet away from a chair, so that your left leg is directly under your left hip, and put your right foot up on the chair seat. A chair seat is generally about the correct height to use if you have moderately tight legs, but if you are a little more flexible, you might be able to use a higher prop. Whatever height you do use, make sure that your pelvis is level; if you put your foot up too high, your right pelvis will be higher than the left. Also make sure that your foot and your kneecap point to the ceiling. To open your right hip, stand tall and gently rotate your abdomen to the left. Take care that you don't let your right knee turn forward; keep it pointing toward the ceiling. The gentle stretch that you feel in your right hamstrings and/or inner thigh, if you practice this pose regularly, will make it easier to tip your pelvis sideways in Trikonasana.

Extending Your Triangle Pose
Now let's integrate all these awarenesses into Trikonasana. Stand with your back against a wall and position your feet near the wall with your right foot turned out and your left foot turned in. (Using the wall as a prop is not mandatory, but it is a very valuable tool for learning the correct movement of the pelvis.) Your right buttock should be lightly touching the wall, however your left buttock should not. If you force your left buttock to the wall, your ability to tip your pelvis to the side will be severely limited. So allow the left pelvis to stay forward a little during your transition into Trikonasana; this position also helps keep your right knee properly aligned, with the kneecap pointing over the center of the foot. Now place your right hand at the right hip joint, which is the crease at the top of the thigh where it joins the pelvis. Inhale, and as you exhale, apply pressure with your right hand so that your right hip and thighbone slide to the left. You will be able to feel your right buttock slide on the wall, your pelvis will tip to the right, and your hamstrings and adductors will lengthen.

As you are tipping into the pose, it's a good idea to stop, even if your hand isn't on the floor, when you begin to feel a significant stretch in your right hamstrings and adductors. If you continue to move down into the pose, the tight leg muscles will stop the movement of the pelvis and all further downward movement of your upper body will come from compressing the right ribs and waist and rounding the left side of the torso.

So stop when the right-leg stretch becomes significant, then place your hand on your shin, ankle, or a block, and focus on lengthening the right ribs away from the right thighbone. This action will open up the right side of your waist and your lower back; you may also help increase this opening if you visualize your entire spine lengthening from your tailbone to the base of your skull.

As your flank muscles start to become stronger, you can also integrate this balanced lengthening of both sides of the spine into several other sideways standing poses, like Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose), and also Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose).

Although the standing poses are best known for the excellent work they provide for the legs and hips, remember that they can also contribute to the strength of your torso muscles. Because strong torso muscles can help stabilize your lower back and protect it from injury, standing poses can make a critical contribution to your overall health.

A licensed physical therapist and certified Iyengar Yoga teacher, Julie Gudmestad runs a private physical therapy practice and yoga studio in Portland, Oregon. She regrets that she cannot respond to correspondence or calls requesting personal health advice.

Teaching Meditation To Children

Introducing children to yoga, meditation, and spirituality is one of

the greatest gifts we can give them. It can set their future on a
nourishing and creative course. As teachers, we need to know how to
present this knowledge so that children of different ages will receive
the most benefit from it.

By Swami Shankardev Saraswati, Ph.D.

When we teach meditation to children, we need to choose age-appropriate
techniques that foster their total growth and development. The word
"meditation" is an English term for a wide range of practices and
techniques. Meditations for children cannot be the same as those taught
to middle-aged business people or spiritual aspirants seeking higher
knowledge. Rather, in this context, meditation is a process that
supports the growth of the body-mind of the child, fosters the
development of each child's own unique personality, and supports
creativity and expression.

Meditation techniques for children can help them relax and focus better
during school, so that they can concentrate and memorize more
effectively. From the spiritual perspective, good meditation techniques
teach children self-awareness, encourage them to be themselves, and
help them face life with greater belief in their potential.

There are three broad age groups that we need to consider when teaching
yoga to children: those below the age of eight years, children between
the age of eight and puberty, and post-pubertal teens.

Meditation for children below eight years

From the point of view of yogic physiology, children below age eight do

not need much formal meditation training. It is more important for
these children that their parents learn yoga and meditation and carry
yogic principles into their homes. Children absorb the energy of the
environment. If their parents practice some form of self-development,
their children will grow up in a healthier, more relaxed and aware
environment.

Parents need to practice meditation techniques that increase their own
capacity for awareness in the midst of their busy lives, so that they
can be more present and available to their children. The child needs to
know that a parent is really interested in them, is really listening to
and attending to them. At the same time, parents need to learn how to
allow children to be themselves and to foster each child's own unique
being and abilities.

One meditation technique can be used with children in this age group,
however. A modified practice of yoga nidra is a deep relaxation
practice in the Corpse Pose (Savasana). In this practice we cannot ask
the children to feel individual parts of the body, but rather we work
with awareness of larger parts. For example, we may playfully instruct
the child in body awareness by saying, "Feel that you are a statute
until I count to 10. Now bend your elbows and now straighten your
arms." We give similar instructions with the legs and may ask them to
wiggle their toes, and so on. This takes their awareness through the
body.

Once children have developed a little body awareness, we can teach them to listen to and follow outside sounds, or to visualize imaginary realms, or we can read stories that stimulate their imaginations.

Meditation for children from eight to puberty

By the age of eight, a child's fundamental personality has formed and his or her body begins a process of preparing for puberty. Changes begin to occur in children's brains around the age of eight, and these changes reach a peak during puberty. When we teach meditation to this age group, our main aim is to support balanced physical and mental development. This helps the child be better mentally prepared for the onslaught of feelings, desires, and urges that arise during puberty. It also supports the child's ability to take in knowledge at school, and to develop a relaxed focus and good memory.

Eight-year-olds in India learn three practices to foster total physical, mental, and spiritual development. These are Sun Salutation for the body, alternate nostril breathing for the brain and mind, and mantras for the deeper mind and spirit. These practices can slow the onset of puberty and balance its effects by acting on the subtle channels that flow in the spine. Mental development then has time to catch up to physical changes.

Yogic physiology explains how this occurs. A child's physical changes during puberty are under the control of pingala nadi, the spinal channel that carries prana, the life force. Mental development occurs under the control of ida nadi, the spinal channel that carries psychological force. Excessive stimulation of the physical channel alone, as tends to occur in the normal social environment, causes imbalanced development and can make puberty a rough process. The yogic practices taught children at this time stimulate both channels equally, to stimulate physical and mental growth at the same time.

The practice of Sun Salutation balances the life force, prana, preventing it from becoming jammed up in the sexual centers (swadhisthana chakra). One note of caution is to teach children only asanas that are playful and that do not put too much pressure on the endocrine system. Never hold the major poses for extended periods, as they will overstimulate the physical systems and can cause imbalanced development.

Alternate nostril breathing is a pre-meditative practice that balances the flow of energy in both ida and pingala. This pranayama directly affects the physical and mental systems by balancing both sides of the brain. Do not teach breath retention to children. Simply get them to observe the flow of the breath in on one side and out on the other, alternating sides. This will calm and balance them.

Mantras are the main meditative practices taught to this age group, as they powerfully affect the brain and its development. The main mantra taught is the Gayatri mantra. This mantra has 24 syllables, each of which stimulates a different part of the brain. Gayatri is the mantra to stimulate our intelligence.

All of the practices listed above, including yoga nidra as detailed for younger children, will support a child's ability to learn, to take in and digest information at school, and to develop individual interests.

Post-puberty

Our students in the post-pubertal stage of adolescence can engage in more classical forms of meditation. We can teach them techniques that further support their mental development, for example, so that they can stay relaxed and able to concentrate during these most important learning years.

Again, one of the best practices to teach is yoga nidra. This time we can use the adult form, rotating the awareness through the body parts and then taking awareness deeper into the breath and mind.

Visualization techniques are wonderful for this age group, and techniques that develop memory and mental power are particularly useful. For example, we can ask a child to visualize an imaginary blackboard and ask them to see themselves writing the letters of the alphabet on this board in colored chalk. Or in this day and age, to visualize a computer screen and see themselves creating their own computer game, following their hero through any story they want to create.

Breath meditations are useful for helping students who are at home studying. It is important for students to remain relaxed and receptive, and to take regular productive and relaxing breaks from study. They can, if they wish, use that time to mentally review their work.

Dr. Swami Shankardev is a yogacharya, medical doctor, psychotherapist, author, and lecturer. He lived and studied with his guru, Swami Satyananda, for ten years in India (1974-1985). He lectures all over the world. Contact him at www.bigshakti.com.

Five Prime Hindu Deities - Ganesha

(From About.com)

Ganesha — the elephant-deity riding a mouse — has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses.

The Lord of Success
The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.

Significance of the Ganesha Form
Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.

The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.

How Ganesha Got His Head
The story of the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana, goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.

However, there's another less popular story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana: Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata for a year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. When a son was born to her, all the gods and goddesses assembled to rejoice on its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God), was also present but he refused to look at the infant. Perturbed at this behaviour, Parvati asked him the reason, and Shani replied that his looking at baby would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati's insistence when Shani eyed the baby, the child's head was severed instantly. All the gods started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought back the head of a young elephant, and joined it to the baby's body, thus reviving it.

Ganesha, the Destroyer of Pride
Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. "All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief," says D N Singh in A Study of Hinduism. "He is both the beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus."

Ganesh Chaturthi
The devotees of Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas', and the festival to celebrate and glorify him is called Ganesh Chaturthi.

Body Detoxification

Our body needs to be detoxified from time to time due to toxins accumulated in our body. Toxins can come from air, water, or even food that we take. Nowadays lots of unnatural things have been used in order to promote the production of either fruits, vegetables or poultry. Things that are unnatural to the body if being consumed, will remain as toxins in our body.

Nature have the best ingredients when it come to that. Recently I was introduced by my friend an organic food supplement, which I consider it's a gift from the earth. I tried on it and it really works. It is consist of 28 types of vegetables, fruits and herbs with high content of fibre. It helps to cleanse out toxins from our body by cleansing unwanted waste from the colon, and at the same time provide nutrients to it.  Based on the principle of naturopathy, our body is the best doctor for ourself. The body know how to cure itself and how to get rid of bacteria, virus or other harmful stuff in our body if it is functioning at the optimum level. I truely believe in this and our body is the best creation from God.

Our body can be acidic or alkaline depends on what we feed into it. The best PH for our body is alkaline, meaning not too acidic. If our body getting too acidic condition, it will promote an environment for harmful substance to live in and our immune system will not be able to function properly.

Green food such as vegetables, fruits are the best sources of food that will neutralize our body acidic conditions. If we maintain the body at its optimum perfomance, our body will not fail us.

After taking the organic drinks for 1 month, my body become lighter and don't feel tire so easily. My complexion also brighter. My husband no longer have constipation problem. His back flaw marks also vanished.

I am not sure this product can get from US or not. But if you are interested, maybe i can figure it out.

The Fisherman's Tale

A good story to share out :

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish & asked "How long it took him to catch them?"

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer & catch more?" asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs & those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, & take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer everyday. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?" asked the Mexican.
"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one & a third one & so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants & maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village & move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there U can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican?
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
Well, my friend, that's when it gets really interesting, "answered the American, laughing.

"When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks & make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife & spend your evenings doing what you like and enjoying your friends."

"With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what I am doing now. So what's the point wasting twenty-five years?" asked the Mexican.

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life...you may already be there.

A Buddha Face In The Sky

This morning although the sky is gray and gloomy, when i was walking out to my car and rushing my son to go into the car, i saw a view in the sky in front of me. Those gloomy clouds formed a mountain view. I immediately called my son to see it and he is impressed by the view as well. It looks like exactly a range of mountains with 2 visible peaks, running smooth from one side to another.

When i drived out from the house, me and my son still admired at the incredible view that we saw. Then suddenly I saw a buddha face, seeing from the left side angle with visible eyes lid, nose and mouth curve line formed from the mountain range. It was very impressive view in deed. Maybe it's my imagination playing the tricks but believe me, I did see it with my own eyes.

Well, that's a good sign at least. Again I must say "Amidst the darkness there comes a stray of light shining through, giving path to the brightness". Nothing is difficult or can drive you towards the darkness as long as your will is strong and firm.

Namaste !

Karma, Purpose And Balance

I went back last friday to watch The Matrix: Revolution. Initially plan to watch from episode 1 but i couldn't find it.
I was totally impressed by the movie. Although I have watched it before but i didn't get the message the movie trying to convey. In the scene where Neo was lost and trapped in between human world and the machine world, he met one indian couple with an adorable daughter waiting at the train station for transportation back to the machine world. Then there's a conversation between the man and Neo. Neo asked him a question 'You believe in karma ?'; then the man anwswered by saying 'Yes, Karma is a word, just like love'. Then the man said 'Every one of us serve a purpose here. When my purpose here completed, i have to go.' A very touching dialogue.

This is similar to the world here. Each individual human serve a purpose in this world. And It's our mission to find that purpose, work towards it with a balance and accomplish the mission. Once our mission is done, we have to go back to the source, it can be Allah, Jesus, Buddha or other religious source. Everything has a beginning and an end.

Only those we awaken can see the truth !

The Matrix In The Real World

That night after my yoga class, I sat down with my yoga teacher and we have a great chat about spiritual topics. She mentioned to me about those green symbol pattern appeared on the beginning of "The Matrix" movie. It was half kana characters based on the wikipedia explanation. They are downward-flowing green characters. This code includes mirror images of half-width kana characters and Western Latin letters and numerals. Very impressive to me as i still can recall back that scene with these symbols.

The story it's about the machine world versus awaken human race. The machine world has conquered the human world and using human as its main source of energy power through their brain waves. The machine has created a virtual world in order to keep the human brain active. Well the part that attracts me is Neo character, an awaken human in the machine world. Neo awaken from the virtual world that the machine have created. And he is identified as 'The One' who shall save the human race from the machine manipulation. An awaken human in the machine world.

I saw a similarity between the machine world versus human race and our real world versus spiritual world. The difference is that the machine world is a dark forces to the human race, but the spiritual world is the brightness that shine through our real world. It's kind of drastic comparison. Neo has been awakened from the machine world and he tried desperately to save others via the virtual world. But is this suppose to be ? Why he want to awaken and save others ? Maybe he has been destined to be a human kept inside a tube by the machine.

Well, awaken not neccesary means that you have achieve something great and you are done with your life. My yoga teacher reminded me that night. She said "Each one of us has our own purpose here in this world. Just enjoy whatever has been revealed and given to you in this world. Stay firm and be fearless and you shall find your own purpose and know what you need to do. Accumulate your power inside and wait for the right time to come. You should be able to achieve what you want in future."

Now i only realized what she mean in these words this morning. I shall enjoy whatever I have now and blessed with and learn how to live at now, rather than think of future.

I missed The Matrix movie story very much. Plan to watch the 3 series of the movie tonight.

A Book By Sharon Gannon & David Life

Finally i am able to read this book: Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul
after borrowing from my brother in law. I was truely impressed by the preface written by Sting and the first 2 chapters really capture my attention and drive me deeper in understand how the world work and self realization as intrepreted from yoga sutra and vedanta.

David and sharon has explained truely from the original source of yoga based on the Patanjali Sutra and Upanishad vedanta.

Some that I have learned via the book :
Gunas
- Sattva
- Rajas
- Tamas

5 Koshas:
- Annamaya Kosha
- Pranayama Kosha
- Manomaya Kosha
- Vajnanamaya Kosha
- Causal Body

Brahman
Atman

Well I guess this is just the beginning of my journey into self-realization. Nothing I can say but I am so luckly to be blessed with such an wonderful gift from the great master.

Namaste !

Joy To The Moon !

Enjoy the stability of gravity's pull and the freedom of flying in Revolved Half Moon Pose.

By Tias Little (Taken from yogajournal.com)

You may be familiar with the caution "Avoid practicing yoga on the full or new moon!" This tradition of observing "moon days" stems from the belief in the Ashtanga system that practicing at either extreme of the lunar cycle leaves you vulnerable to injury. One theory is that because the body consists mainly of water, you are affected, like the ocean's tides, by the moon: On full-moon days the pull of the moon is so strong that your prana (life force) moves upward, leaving you
feeling headstrong and liable to push yourself beyond your limits; on new-moon days, the pull of the moon is so diminished that you find yourself lacking motivation. The ultimate time to practice, then, is during the middle of the lunar cycle, when the moon is a half circle and your prana is balanced. You can observe for yourself if this is true. Regardless, conceiving of the moon this way can provide helpful imagery for Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana.

Half Moon Pose
and its twin, Revolved Half Moon Pose, represent, to me, the middle ground between the emptiness and fullness of the moon. As one-legged balancing poses, they require a steady stream of prana in the legs and
feet to keep you grounded, and as deep twists, they require a steady
stream of prana through the upper body to keep the torso soaring. The
balance of energy is precisely calibrated. Learning them requires both
considerable strength and patience, but if you use the support you need
and if you keep your mind spacious, you'll find that they are
rejuvenating and restorative. They build a sense of ease and equipoise
while being energizing and dynamic. In the sequence to come, you will
enjoy a tremendous earth-bound pull while you feel the levity that
comes with free balancing. See if you notice the stimulating effects of
the Half Moon poses as well as their cooling, rejuvenating benefits.

Before You Begin

Revolved Half Moon Pose demands a lot from the hamstrings, pelvis,
sacrum, and lower back. It also requires considerable core strength.
Awaken and warm up your torso and legs before you practice the pose;
start with Sun Salutations and a series of standing poses like Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose), Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle), and Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch). If you are fatigued, do Supta Padangusthasana
(Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) and Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved
Abdomen Pose) to refresh the nerves around the pelvis, sacrum, and
lower back. Also, be sure that you are steady in Tree Pose, the first balancing pose to learn before venturing into this sequence.

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)

To balance gracefully in either of the Half Moon poses, it's
essential that you build a solid foundation in the feet, legs, and
hips. Doing so requires patience and resolve, but once you've got this
underpinning, you'll grip less in your diaphragm and rib cage. Your
upper body will be light, and instead of being bound by gravity, you'll
feel as though you are soaring above the earth, like a great hawk.

Enter Half Moon from Triangle Pose. Stand sideways on your mat with your feet four feet apart. Turn your right foot out so that it is parallel to the side of your mat. Angle the back foot in slightly. Inhale and reach your arms out like that huge hawk, then exhale as you extend to the right, pitching your pelvis powerfully toward your back leg. Keep your torso long as you place your right hand on your shin.

From there, place your left hand on your left hip, bend your right knee, and take a small step in with your back leg. Place your right hand directly below your right shoulder just to the outside of your front foot. Straighten your right leg as you lift your left leg off the floor to hip height. Push through the sole of your left foot, as though you were pressing it against a wall.

Now, look down at your standing foot and make sure it's still parallel to the edge of your mat. This foot typically turns out, pitching the standing leg off its axis and disturbing the equilibrium of the entire pose. To counter this tendency and to keep yourself upright, you need to find the plumb line of the pose, in this case the line running up your inner leg from your heel all the way to your inner groin.

To engage your inner leg, press the mound of your big toe down as you lift your arch. Stretch, spread, and activate the toes. The outer hip of the standing leg tends to splay out to the side in the Half Moon poses. To prevent this, draw in the center of your right buttock and pull the greater trochanter (the big bony knob of the outer hip) into your body. As you draw your right hip in, shave its outer edge back, like a carpenter planing a piece of wood. Then stay for a few breaths, noticing how it feels to have your standing leg set.

To complete the shape of the pose, stack the upper hip atop the lower hip. Without disturbing your standing leg, spin your chest up toward the ceiling as you reach your left arm up. Slowly take your gaze toward your left hand.

Spread the wings of your diaphragm and your inner chest cavity with soft, open breathing. As you stay in Half Moon for 5 to 10 breaths, go for the feeling of flying while staying in one place. If you fall in any direction, fall upward! Come out of the pose by lowering your back leg into Triangle Pose, and then switch legs.

Parivrtta Supta Padangusthasana (Revolved Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose)

In any balancing pose, the body naturally shifts and sways until it finds a still point. When these micromovements occur in the Half Moon poses, your standing leg and hip have to be responsive and resilient to prevent you from going off kilter. To make your hip joints more resilient, you can strengthen the muscles and connective tissue around them in standing poses like Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III) and stretch them in a pose such as this one.

Lie on your back and press your left foot into a wall. Reach your right leg up toward the ceiling. Catch the sole of your right foot with a strap, holding both ends of the strap in your left hand. (If you are more flexible, grab the outer edge of the right heel with your left hand.) Extend up through your right heel to stretch your Achilles tendon, calf muscle, and hamstrings. If this feels intense, you are not alone. Think of it as a hamstring puja (devotional ritual)!

From there, hook your right thumb into the outer crease of your right hip and drag it away from your waist. This provides space for your abdomen to turn. Then take your upper leg 6 to 10 inches to the left, across your body. Bring your right arm to the floor, palm facing up. Pause there and observe the stretch into the outer flank of your hip and leg. You may feel your entire outer leg quake and tremble, but develop your staying power and aim breath into the area, visualizing bright red oxygenated blood flooding into your hip. Hold for 5 to 10 breaths or longer, and then bring the leg back up toward the ceiling, let go of the strap, and switch to the other side.

After you do the pose on both sides, repeat it, this time taking your right leg across your body and down onto a block so as to keep your sacrum level. (Taking the foot all the way to the floor makes the sacrum unbalanced.) You'll need to lift and pivot your pelvis so you can align your weight onto the outer edge of your left hip. Continue holding the strap (or your heel) with your left hand.

Stay here for 1 to 2 minutes as you reach through the inner edge of both heels. Firm your legs but keep your breath free and the diaphragm and internal organs fluid as you twist. The twisting action prepares you for the twist in Revolved Half Moon, which, because you'll be standing and balancing, will be much more difficult. So, focus on softening and releasing your abdomen while the floor supports the weight of your body. Also, use your exhalation, which gives the belly its power to churn and turn, to help you twist more deeply. To exit the pose, keep the right leg fully extended and swing it back upright. From there, release the strap and repeat the pose on the other side.

Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III)

The key to Revolved Half Moon Pose is to make the hip joint of the standing leg resilient so that it can bear the weight that's placed on it. If you haven't built enough strength in that hip, your leg will ignite with tension, leading to a meltdown. In this variation of Warrior III, you'll use blocks to support your upper body and a wall to take some of the weight off your lifted leg, helping you to strengthen and stabilize your legs, hips, and sacrum.

Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) with your back to a wall about a leg's distance away from it. Have two blocks handy. Fold forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), lift your left leg, and press your left foot against the wall at hip height so that it's parallel to the floor. Inhale as you lift your spine away from the floor and place one block under each hand. See that your hands are beneath your shoulders.

Just as you did in Half Moon, build your pose from the ground up. Spring the arch of your foot upward. Then press the outer edge of your standing leg inward toward your inner leg. Next, imagine zipping up a long zipper from your inner ankle to your inner groin to help you lengthen the inner shaft of your leg. Lastly, shave the outer edge of your right hip back toward the wall behind you. Stay here for a few breaths, making sure that the whole leg works evenly; no part of it should feel slack.

Bring your attention to your upper body. Slide the front of your spine, from just below your navel, toward your heart. Do this without hardening your belly or sucking it back and up. Simultaneously, elongate the two sides of your tailbone away from your lumbar, toward the wall behind you. These two actions create Mula Bandha (Root Lock), which awakens the deep life force in the body. (To learn more about Mula Bandha, see Bound for Glory.)

Stay here for 5 to 10 breaths, then step your left foot forward to meet the right and rest in Standing Forward Bend. When you're ready, take the right leg to the wall and do the other side.

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose)

Revolved Side Angle is an excellent preparation for the final pose, as it requires you to twist, but instead of balancing on one leg, you get to balance on two.

Stand sideways on a mat with your feet four feet apart. Pivot to the right so that your hips are square toward your right leg. Remember, in any spinal twist it is essential to lengthen before you revolve, or you risk compressing your spine. To create space in your torso, reach your left arm up as if you could touch the sky, and lengthen between your hip points and your left armpit. Pause here, taking several long breaths, then lift your back heel off the floor. Deeply bend your right knee, hook your left elbow to the outside of it, and press your hands together in Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal). Either stay here or take your left hand to the floor as you press your left arm to the outside of your knee. From there, take your right arm straight up, then reach it over your right ear, with your palm facing the floor.

If your right hip pops out to the side—which often happens if you have tightness there—keep your back heel lifted and drop your right sitting bone down. Also, extend the inner seam of your back leg strongly. If it collapses, it can jam your lower back.

Breathe deeply and lengthen your spine as you inhale. Twist as you exhale. Wrap the left side of your navel toward the inner right thigh. Avoid tightening your belly or locking your jaw. Stay for 5 to 10 breaths, then place your back heel down and pull out of the pose with your right arm before moving to the other side.

Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose)

Come back to Half Moon Pose, balancing on your right leg and hand. Then square your pelvis so that both frontal hip points are facing the floor, and simultaneously lower your left hand to the floor. When you move into the pose, keep the toes of the back foot pointing directly down toward the floor and extend out through the center of your back heel. If your left hip sinks toward the floor, lift that hip point and imagine you are balancing a cup of green tea on your sacrum.

Rest your right hand on your right hip and begin to align your standing leg as you did in the earlier poses: Spread your toes, press the mound and heel of your big toe down, and lift your arch. Pull the muscles of the outer leg in against the bone. Extend the shaft of your inner standing leg. At the same time, cut the outer right hip back toward the wall behind you.

Elongate your spine from the tip of your tailbone to the crown of your head. Then twist around the axis of your spine, allowing it to spiral up like a corkscrew through the whole spine and out the crown of your head. Eventually, you will twist enough that your upper body will be completely open the way it is in Half Moon—it's just flipped to the other side. If you're there, extend your right arm toward the sky. Otherwise, be patient, have faith, and keep turning your spine until you achieve length and breadth in the lungs, collarbones, and breastbone.

Stay here 5 to 10 breaths, aiming your inhalation into your abdominal cavity and into your kidneys. Relax your diaphragm and feel lightness and space around all your organs. Then bend your right arm, bring your right hand back to your hip, and slowly bend your right knee. Avoid collapsing into a heap! Be sure you have enough gusto to exit. To come out, reach your back leg down to the floor and retrace the pathway you took to enter the pose.

Once you've completed this series, do a long Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) and Standing Forward Bend. These poses restore the nerves around the neck and brain and bring a feeling of integration and congruency to the entire nervous system. Finish with a seated meditation or Savasana (Corpse Pose).

Tias Little's teaching is informed by his extensive study of Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga, combined with a master's degree in Eastern philosophy and in-depth study of anatomy and bodywork. His wife, Surya (pictured in this story), teaches yoga and directs the YogaSource studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Tias and Surya share the parenting of their two-year-old son, Eno. For Tias's teaching schedule, visit www.tiaslittle.com.

A Window In The Sky !

When I was driving to meet my friend yesterday evening, I saw the most wonderful scene in my life ever. I saw a window being opened in the sky, revealing a brighter and clearer sky. The sky is gloomy during that time. It truely amazed me and no words can describe the scene.  

I believe it's a good sight since a window that open to brighter sky appeared amidst the gloomy sky. Meaning in the middle of darkness, there will be a light that guide you to brightness. Sounds good to me.

Namaste !

Hanuman The Monkey God

"It was the greatest leap ever taken. The speed of Hanuman's jump
pulled blossoms and flowers into the air after him and they fell like
little stars on the waving treetops. The animals on the beach had never
seen such a thing; they cheered Hanuman, then the air burned from his
passage, and red clouds flamed over the sky . . ." (Ramayana, retold by
William Buck).

This pose then, in which the legs are split forward and back, mimics
Hanuman's famous leap from the southern tip of India to the island of
Sri Lanka.

(hah-new-mahn-AHS-anna)

Taken from yogajournal.com.

It was an great improvement for me when I managed to perform this pose, althought not 100% in the pose but at least 70% of it. I never thought that I can do this at all since my hips are quite tight. One thing I observed is that my hips is not symetry at all. My left hips seems more flexibile , compare to the right one. But I feel released and I am able to grab a feel of how it is like when in such a graceful pose. Definitely advancement will come and I shall be able to do it like the monkey god and wide split.

As coming back to my wheel bending, during my yoga session, I was able to perform the pose more easily after the gym ball practise. And it works for me by using the gym ball.

Namaste !

Yoga Fun Time...

It seems something not planned is better than planned.

Yesterday night my youngest son was making noises because he didn't what to sleep with us but with his grandmother. But I insisted he sleep with us because he will disturb my elder boy getting into sleep early. He has to attend school session the next morning.

So he was trying to walk here and there, playing hiding. Then I said to him let's do yoga together. Immediately he moved to his favourite pose, the downward dog facing with one leg kicking up. I did the pose together with him. After the pose, he immediately laid down, waiting for me to instruct him for the next pose. So I raised both legs towards the ceiling and he followed too. Such a cute boy ! But he still not able to perform the fish pose. But I totally amazed by him when he showed me the bridge pose, by lifting his butt off the floor. Is that amazing ? I never teach him about the pose but he can do it by his own. Kids really are good learners. Well, I guess I can start to really teach him some yoga poses now since he is good at immitating.

Namaste !

Another Article On Sharon Gannon And David Life

Sharon Gannon & David Life talk about Yoga

Source

Sharon Gannon and David Life are among the most well-known and respected Yoga teachers in the USA today. Their success has, as some might say, put them in the category of Yoga Super-Stars, as a result many aspiring yogis have studied at their New York City Yoga studios. A practitioner in their Lafayette Street center once told us, “If David and Sharon are at the center they create more of a buzz than if a movie stars where attending class there.” Despite the sensationalism in regards to their current popularity, David and Sharon are dedicated to the authentic teachings of Yoga.

On Activism
Q: Do you feel that a Yoga practitioner should take an active role in today’s political climate, and what role should they play?

Sharon: To be political means that you care about others; the other beings with whom you share this world with. So being political is very much in line with the teachings of compassion, which are the foundation of the yogic teachings.

The goal of the Yoga practice is Samadhi (Yoga enlightenment, super-consciousness). What is realized in the state of Samadhi is the oneness of being. Yoga practices are methods to help us over come “otherness; to free us from the constraints of linear time and bound perceptions of three-dimensional space. As long as we perceive incorrectly, meaning we are seeing many and not the One, then we must relate to the others, who we are seeing in a certain way; a way which will bring us to more of a correct perception of reality. Others are there to give us the opportunity to grow. Others are our teachers. The world will either keep us in bondage, or provide us with the means to liberation. It is our choice in how we perceive the world. The world is the Divine Mother. It is only through Her blessings that enlightenment/liberation becomes possible. This is beautifully expressed in the following mantra from Chapter 11 of the Durga Saptashati:

Om sarva mangala mangalye shive sarvatha-sadhike,
Sharanye tryambake gauri Naranyani namo’sthu te

Which translates as: I salute the three-eyed Divine Mother, Narayani, who brings total auspiciousness and who fulfills the desire for liberation. Realization arises with Her blessing. She is the world itself. Only through the experiences of life can the soul be perfected. Honor this gift, your life, bow to Mother Nature.

So the project, we could say has to do with getting blessed by Her, creating a situation , creating a receptive vehicle in the form of one’s one body/mind complex to receive Her blessings. To live liberated is what the term jivanmukti implies.

Q: How can one become active without getting caught up in attachment, judgment or aversion?

Sharon: By practicing Yoga! Vairagya, the practice of detachment, renunciation will render the mind free of attachment, judgment and aversion. Stop blaming others!

Q: Do you think that becoming an activist can replace the goal of yoga, which is ultimately to realize God?

Sharon: One must actively pursue the goal of Yoga which is God realization. What this active pursuit involves is a clearing away of avidya or misknowing or misperception. Everything and everyone we see is coming from our own minds, which in turn is a product of our past actions; our karmas. Basically the Yogi is involved with cleaning up their own act. I suppose we could say that most activists today (I’m speaking of the ones who aren’t also Yogic practitioners) are concerned with cleaning up other people’s acts. To view the world as black and white, or the good guys vs the bad guys is a misunderstanding of reality.

Through Yogic practices you come to realize that it is all coming from your mind, that this whole world is being created out of the actions that you have done in your past. Well, when you begin to wrap your head around that one and embrace that concept it is a pretty heavy moment. You begin to contemplate the potential results of your actions. You know that however you treat someone will be the way that someone in your future will treat you. You begin to see the value in your actions. You can see the expensiveness of your actions. You begin to reflect on whether or not you can karmically afford certain actions. You look more closely into the conditioned automatic responses you may have to others who are being unkind to you. You certainly don’t get caught in the normal syndrome of waiting for other people to make things right in the world before you decide that you can be happy.

As His holiness the Dalai Lama has said, “Think of the problems in the whole world as your fault.” Implying that we are the problem, but at the same time we are the solution. To care for others rather than condemning them is in our own self-interest. His Holiness calls it “enlightened self-interest.” Many think of this idea of emptiness or looking at the world as well as others as coming from our own mind, from our own karmas as soley a Buddhist idea. Yes, Buddhists have recognized the importance of understanding emptiness or where things come from, but Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras also presents this idea to the Yogi very clearly here’s one example:

vastu-samye-chitta-bhedat tayor vibhaktah pantah (YS IV.15)

Which translates as: Each individual person perceives the same object in a different way, according to their own state of mind and projections. Everything is empty from its own side and appears according to how you see it.

The Art Of Bending...

I remember I have posted an article before, where I mentioned about wheel pose. My yoga teacher has made some comment on my tummy that it is too tight. In yoga, sometimes muscle strength not necessary will help you getting into the poses but the softness of your body will.

I finally found out what is the difference between these two when I am in wheel pose. I use a gym ball to help me to understand how's the tummy works when it is bend. So I tried to sit down on the ball and roll it towards my thigh and bend to the back by laying down my head and back on the ball. My head just hang there looking upside down. Then I try to feel the tummy with my hands. It's flat and soft and I can breath softly and properly. Well, it's feel no tension at all at the tummy/waist part. The muscle just seems relax and soft like a pillow. That's how I realized it. You are suppose to maintain the same softness in the wheel pose as well. So I tried to remember how's my pelvis movement and position, then apply the same bending 'feel' when I am in wheel pose. The result is amazing ! I don't any tighness on the hands or legs at all. And I just feel much easier to lift up and bend my body compare to before. I would called it as effortless bending.

In fact all the yoga poses are performed in an effortless mean, directly from your soul but not the body.

The key is the softness of your belly/tummy but not the strengthness of the muscle mass.

In yoga I guess self discovery and realization is truely very important in order to help yourself to grow and improve.
And I guess I am just too lucky to be borned with this nature.

Namaste !

An Interview With Jivamukti Founders - David Life & Sharon Gannon

Introduction to David Life and Sharon Gannon

(Article From about.com)

David Life and Sharon Gannon are the founders of Jivamukti Yoga,
which they have been teaching out of their New York City yoga center
since 1989. There are now Jivamukti centers and teachers worldwide.
This style, which blends vigorous vinyasa
practice with spiritual teachings, chanting, and an emphasis on how to
bring yoga's philosophy into daily life, is at the forefront of yoga's
current popularity.

Life and Gannon's methods are now even more accessible, thanks to their video Transform Yourself with Jivamukti Yoga. I was fortunate enough to be able to ask them a few questions about how Jivamukti began.

Yoga Guide (YG): How did you meet?

David Life : Sharon's band, Audio Letter, toured New York
City from Seattle in 1983. I [owned] Life Café in the East Village, and
it was a venue for new music, poetry, and art. We met when Audio Letter
played at the café.

Sharon Gannon : I was the vocalist/violinist in the
band. David was very nice to us and seemed to like our music. Later on,
he actually joined the band and played musical instruments he made
himself.

YG: How did you first encounter yoga?

David: In college, 1968, I took a couple of free yoga
classes that did not impress me at all. At the time, I was studying the
great yogi Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings of non-violence. I was
involved in protest actions against the Vietnam War and was inspired by
the Hindustani concepts of non-violent grassroots social change.

Tara Rose, one of the waitresses at the Life Café in New York, was a
yoga teacher and we started studying asana with her. In 1986, we began
yearly trips to India to study with many teachers like Swami
Nirmalananda, Pattabhi Jois, Shyam Das and others.

Sharon: In 1969, I went to hear a lecture about yoga by
Bob Freedie, who did psychedelic light shows in Seattle; he was a
devotee of Krishnamurti. That was where I got my first introduction to
the Theosophical Society. Sometime shortly after that, I got a book by
Richard Hittleman and did my best to follow the instructions and mimic
the poses pictured in the book.

During the seventies, while a student at the University of Washington,
I studied Indian music, dance, philosophy, and culture. The first asana
class I went to was in 1973 in Santa Cruz, California; I was not
impressed with the class and did not go back. The significant
experience with asana practice was with Tara Rose. We started to attend
her classes in the East Village around 1984.

YG: When did you realize that you were creating your own style of yoga? Was it a conscious decision?

David: Any yoga teacher can only teach the methods and
practices that worked for them. We had many great teachers who inspired
us with methods and teachings that served them well. We practiced yoga,
and our friends asked us to share the methods that resonated with us.
It was only after the fact that it came to be called Jivamukti yoga

Sharon: It was a conscious decision to call the style
Jivamukti, because we wanted a name which, when people said it, they
would connect to the aim of the practice, which is enlightenment.
Jivamukti is actually an American rendition of the Sanskrit word,
Jivanmukti, which means liberated while living. A Jivanmukta is one who
is liberated and lives to benefit the lives of others.

YG: How did it evolve?

David: Organically. It grew quickly, but was always a
reflection of our personal growth and the larger cultural developments.
At some point, about 1997, we launched a program nationally to promote
Jivamukti (liberated living); we now work internationally to promote
non-harming lifestyles, political and social activism, and evolutionary
techniques through Jivamukti yoga. Our students teach all over the
world and have created centers in New York, London, Berlin, Munich,
Toronto, Vancouver, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Sharon: How did it evolve? It was definitely an organic
process. I mean, we didn’t wake up one morning and decide we are going
to be yoga teachers, we are going to create this method called
Jivamukti yoga, and we are going to rent a space and etc., etc. We were
artists who were also political activists, and we were trying to shift
the values of our culture through our art. We recognized pretty much
immediately that the ethical percepts of yoga were in line with our
activist views and aspirations, especially ahimsa and aparigraha.

Speaking for myself, I was always trying to find ways to speak out for
the animals and the environment in my art and, when I discovered yoga,
I saw that it could certainly provide space for this type of activism.
We began to incorporate a lot of yoga into the performances, and the
people who came to see those performances began to ask us to teach
them. It seemed to make more sense to teach people how to practice what
we were practicing than to let them sit in a theater or some place and
watch us perform some artistic rendition of it.

But I think with the meeting of our holy teachers, first in the form of
Swami Sankarananda and then later Swami Nirmalananda, Shri K. Pattabhi
Jois and Shri Brahamananda Saraswati, we received blessings and
encouragement which provided us with a tremendous dose of shakit which
instigated the unfoldment of the method.

YG: What was the yoga scene like in the early days in New York? Where people practicing at home or in yoga centers?

David: There was no yoga scene in 1983 in New York. Yoga
was neither popular nor practiced much. There was a small Iyengar
community, Sivananda and Integral
yoga centers. Norman Allen had begun to teach Ashtanga Vinyasa in the
70s in New York, and many of his students continued to teach.

Of course, Dharma Mitra was a teacher to us and many others in the
early days. It was a great time to experience the wonderful teachers
from India that brought the teachings to the west, like J.
Krishnamurti, Yogi Bhajan, Swami Satchidananda, BKS Iyengar, Vishnu
Devananda, Swami Dhayananda Saraswati, Brahmananda Saraswati, and
others, who were all in New York at some point.

Sharon: I am not a historian so I feel very inadequate
to speak on this subject, but I know that Swami Prabhupada came to New
York from India perhaps in the 1960s or 70s. He first came to Tompkins
Square Park, which is across the street from where we live in the East
Village. There is a large tree in the middle of the park, which is
always adorned with flower garlands, put there by Krishna devotees in
remembrance of the fact that Swami Prabhupada chanted the Hari Krishna
mantra around that tree on his first visit to America.

Our teacher, Shri Brahmananda Saraswati, started the Yoga Society of
New York in the 1960s. But when I moved to New York City in 1983, I was
not aware of it. The main yoga schools which I was aware of at that
time were the Sivananda Center, the Integral Center, Dharma Mittra’s,
and Swami Bua taught out of his apartment. I think there must have been
an Iyengar Center, but I never visited there. I don’t know if people
practiced at home or in yoga centers at that time.

YG: Was anyone teaching vinyasa-style yoga?

Sharon: Norman Allan, who was an early student of
Pattabhi Jois’s, taught Ashtanga yoga, I think in the 1970s in New York
City. I do know that he taught Swami Sankarananda because we learned
about Norman Allan through S. Sankarananda. Our first teacher in New
York City, Tara Rose, besides being a Sivananda trained teacher, was a
student of a man who had studied with Norman Allan. She incorporated
Vinyasa aspects into her classes. She taught us Vinyasa, for instance,
in the form of the Surya Namaskars from the Ashtanga system.

YG: Based on your experience training yoga teachers, what do you think makes a good teacher?

David: Three qualities:

1. Their good practice

2. Their good connection to a teacher who acknowledges them

3. Their good desire to serve others

Sharon: 1. Lineage, 2. Practice, 3. Other-centeredness

1. I think it is very important to acknowledge a
teacher and to have a teacher acknowledge you as their student because
the deeper teachings of yoga are transmitted from guru to student
energetically.

2. In order to teach others, you must continuously immerse
yourself in practice or you really can’t teach from a place of fresh
experience.

3. To be a good teacher, you must have a sincere liking for
other people. You have to like to be around other people -- not all
yogic practitioners like to be around other people. It [the teaching
experience] has to be not all about you. You have to want to put your
students before you. A good teacher lives for their students and is
only interested in facilitating the student’s enlightenment.

YG: Do you consider vegetarianism to be an important part of a yoga practice?

David: I consider vegetarianism as the traditional
keystone to a yogic way of life. It is an action that can lead to
liberation- the goal of yoga. However, I consider veganism as the
modern imperative, the translation, if you will, of the principles of
non-violence into action in the modern time where the implications of
violent living and animal industries are threatening the continued
existence of the earth.

Sharon: Vegetarianism, real vegetarianism, which means,
not eating animals and only eating vegetables [veganism] is the most
important aspect of a yoga practice. A vegan recognizes that animals do
not belong to us -- they are not ours to eat, to wear, to experiment on
or to use for entertainment or any other exploitive purpose. Our
present culture is based on the arrogant notion that the earth and all
other life forms exist for our human benefit. The enslavement of other
animals is considered normal in our culture.

The yogi who is seeking enlightenment knows that if they
themselves want to be free, then they cannot cause the imprisonment,
the enslavement of others. What does what you eat have to do with yoga?
Not everyone can stand on his or her head every day, but everyone eats.
The goal of yoga is enlightenment. What is realized in the enlightened
state is the oneness of being; the interconnectedness of all of life.

Traditionally, a yogi was an environmentalist and animal rights
activist. The lineage comes from Lord Shiva who was considered the
protector of the earth and all life forms. One of his names is
Pasupati, which means protector of the animals. A yogi is moving toward
enlightenment through living harmoniously with all of life. In order to
harm another you must objectify and separate yourself from that other.
As you do that, you become disconnected to the whole.

Yoga is a holy connection, a realization of the interconnectedness of
all of life. Through eating a vegan diet, you contribute to the
happiness and well being of others, yourself and the planet.
(continued)

Sharon (continued): Through making compassionate food
choices, you will begin to experience a diminishing of selfishness and
low self-esteem. You will feel more self-confident, as all the disease
associated with harming others is lifted from your daily life. What we
do to others will come back to us. If we want to be happy, then we
should not cause others unhappiness. If we ourselves want to be free,
then it seems to be we would not make a slave of anyone else.

Fundamental to the teachings of yoga are the teachings of karma. Karma
means action. The yogi begins to realize through the practice how
significant each thought, word and action really is, and how it affects
the whole community of life. How we treat others will determine our
reality. A yogi practices yoga to purify their karmas.

When we practice asanas, we come face-to-face with all of our
past relationships in the form of unresolved karmic residue, which is
actually what our bodies are made of. When you feel this through yoga
practice, you tend not to want to increase the karmic burden you are
trying to unload. You don’t want to continue to cause harm to others,
so you stop eating them and causing their enslavement and exploitation.
You literally want to become lighter -- more enlightened.

You begin to understand Patanjali’s sutra, Sthira Sukham Asana, which
means that our connection (relationship) to the earth and all other
beings (what the word asana means) should be mutually beneficial,
should be coming from a consistent (Sthira) place of joy (Sukham).

Being a joyous vegan makes your life happier because you get to
participate in increasing the happiness and well beings of others,
rather than their suffering and death.

A vegan diet is not one of deprivation, it is really the only
option available to those who want to be happy themselves and who want
to contribute to the happiness of others and the future life of this
planet. I consider myself a joyous vegan because I get to contribute to
the enrichment of this planet instead of its demise. Not only am I not
causing the degradation and death of farm animals, but I’m not causing
so much water pollution, deforestation, wildlife habitant destruction,
the sickness and death of wild animals, air pollution, or global
warming.

The United Nations has issued a report stating that the waste
emissions from animals raised for food contributes more to global
warming than all the car and truck emissions in the world. That’s the
real inconvenient truth.

Sharon Gannon and David Life’s first widely available DVD, Transform Yourself with Jivamukti Yoga is now for sale. More information available at www.AcaciaLifestyle.com.