Monthly Archives: January 2013

The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Part 1 – Yama)

Leave a reply

Yama – Self-restraint, self-control and discipline (aka, the 5 don’ts of Yoga)

Yama is the foundation of yoga.  It is the first step in the Eightfold Path (the 8 Limbs) of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Yama tells us what to avoid doing because it would bring harm to the individual and others.  The observance and practice of yama disciplines the five organs of action; the arms, the legs, the mouth, the organs of regeneration, and the organs of excretion. It is quite natural for the organs of action to control the organs of perception and of the mind. Whenever the mind intends to bring harm to something and the organs of action refuse, no harm will be done. Therefore, Yama is regarded as the foundation or root of the tree of yoga.

Patanjali considered the Yamas to be great, mighty and universal vows. He instructs us that they need to be practiced on all aspects of our being (meaning; actions, words, and thoughts) and that they are not confined to class, race, gender, time or place.

Yama outlines the moral, ethical and societal guidelines for students of yoga and the practicing yogi. These guidelines are all expressed in a scientific and positive manner, thus becoming dynamic descriptions of how a yogi behaves and relates to the world when fully immersed in the experiential unitive state of yoga, called Samadhi. For those of us who have yet to achieve such a pure state, the Yamas are still highly appropriate and valued guides to help us consciously lead a more moral, ethical and honest life.

Yama: The Five Don’ts of Yoga:

  1. Ahimsa – Non-violence
  2. Satya – Non-lying (truthfulness)
  3. Asteya – Non-stealing
  4. Brahmacharya – Continence (celibacy)
  5. Aparigraha – Non-coveting

In a very practical sense, observing and practicing the Yamas eliminates, or at least reduces the accumulation of negative karma as well as preventing the draining of our energy caused by leading a false and/or unconscious life. When practicing the Yamas we’re promoting a healthier, holier and more peaceful life while simultaneously raising our awareness, strengthening our will and increasing our power of discernment. Engaging these practices is formidable task, although by doing so we fortify our character, improve our personal relationships, and further our progress on the spiritual path to the yogic union between the individual self and the universal self.

Related article, click on: Patanjali’s Eightfold Path (the 8 Limbs of Yoga)

Check back soon for “The Eight Limbs of Yoga (Part 2 – Niyama)”

Patanjali’s Eightfold Path (the 8 Limbs of Yoga)

Leave a reply

In his classical yoga treatise, Raja Yoga, Patanjali ordered yama and niyama before asana and pranayama on the eightfold path. But most contemporary students learn asana first, and oftentimes they learn asana outside the context of the other essential limbs on the tree of yoga. If you teach hatha yoga in isolation or without reference to the other limbs, it can be difficult to integrate the teaching with traditional yoga philosophy and science. As said by Swami Gitananda Giri; “…Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga is ‘no option yoga’. Simply performing asanas and pranayama without the higher aspects of yoga is fruitless”.

In his Yoga Sutras (Raja Yoga) Patanjali compiled 195 sutras (concise aphorisms) that are essentially an ethical blueprint for living a moral life and incorporating the science and practice of yoga into that life. In these Yoga Sutras, the eightfold path is collectively called “ashtanga” in Sanskrit, which literally means “eight limbs” (ashta-eight, anga-limb). These eight steps serve as basic guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They function as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct through self-discipline, directing attention toward one’s health and helping the student to recognize and acknowledge the spiritual aspects of their own nature.

These eight limbs of Patanjali intertwine like the branches of a tree in the forest. They aren’t commandments (although they sometimes sound like them), laws, or hard and fast rules. They are simply Patanjali’s suggestions for living a better life through yoga.

In future articles I will go into details of each individual limb, including each one of the five Yamas and Niyamas. Here’s a list of the eight limbs of Patanjali.

  1. Yama (5)
  2. Niyama (5)
  3. Asana
  4. Pranayama
  5. Pratyahara
  6. Dharana
  7. Dhyana
  8. Samadhi

Stay tuned – more to come…

5 Positive Lifestyle Changes for the New Year (Part 5)

Leave a reply

Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life.

To review part 1, click on: Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

To review part 2, click on: Improve your dietary choices

To review part 3, click on: Find a daily activity that insures you’re getting enough exercise.

To review part 4, click on: Pick one habit or trait that is detrimental to your health and eliminate it.

Here’s part 5…

5. Find a practical technique to reduce stress in your life.

Did you know that a recent scientific study conducted by cellular biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton at Stanford University concluded that “over 95% of all illnesses occur because of stress in the body’s autonomic nervous system”?

Also, did you also know that stress can seriously accelerate the rate at which you age because of the incredible and excessive strain it puts on your body?

Many of us have never considered how dangerous stress can be to our health and very few of us make a conscious effort to manage stress in such a way that it doesn’t take over our lives.

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. A normal stress response won’t harm you, and is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts negatively affecting your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life, including major damage to your health that can lead to these negative conditions:

  • Heart palpitations
  • Panic and anxiety attacks
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness
  • Depression
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Spastic colon
  • Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
  • Chronic fatigue Syndrome (constant tiredness)
  • Chronic and migraine headaches
  • Insomnia, frequent waking
  • PMS – Premenstrual tension

It’s not unusual for excessive stress to change your personality and affect the way you interact and deal with other people. Problems like anger, irritability, aggressiveness, verbal abuse, mood swings and road rage can be brought or exaggerated if there’s too much stress in your life. So, when stress gets out of hand, it’s time to find some practical ways to slow down and get your stress levels back to normal.

Here are eight free suggestions for you to try; they are simple stress-reducing activities you can do right now to help lower your stress levels:

1. Get away from your TV – There’s too much drama there that is unrelated to your real life, plus watching the news for long periods of time can cause depression and increase your stress levels.

2. Deep breathing is an easy stress reliever that has numerous benefits for the body, including oxygenating the blood, which ‘wakes up’ the brain, relaxing muscles and quieting the mind. Breathing exercises are especially helpful because you can do them anywhere, and they work quickly so you can de-stress in a flash.

3. Get outside and go for a walk. Weather permitting, take time to reconnect with nature and enjoy the sense of space that surrounds you when you’re outdoors.

4. Practice a simple meditation technique. Meditation affects the body in exactly the opposite way that stress does, it restores the body to a calm state, and this helps the body repair itself, preventing new damage, plus it shields you from the effects of chronic stress.

5. Spend time with a friend, meet them over a cup of coffee or join them for lunch. Often times, a few minutes in the company of someone you love and trust can make a huge difference in the way you feel. Never underestimate the power of human contact and friendship, especially if you’re having a difficult time.

6. Listen to some relaxing music. When dealing with stress, the right music can actually lower your blood pressure, relax your body and calm your mind.

7. Spend some time at the local library or your favorite bookstore: This is a great activity to help you relax, and who knows, it might get your creative juices flowing again!

8. Take a hot detoxification bath. Mix ¼ cup of baking soda and ¼ cup of Epsom Salt (or Sea Salt) and add to a very warm water bath while it is filling. Soak for 20 – 30 minutes. After the soak, scrub the skin gently using a natural fiber and pure Castile Soap. Shower to rinse well and follow with a brisk towel rub. You will feel like a new person, guaranteed.

Let’s hope at least one of these free stress relief activities has spoken to you in a helpful way. Try one, two, or all of them and notice how much your stress has lessened.

5 Positive Lifestyle Changes for the New Year (Part 4)

Leave a reply

Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life.

To review part 1, click on: Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

To review part 2, click on: Improve your dietary choices

To review part 3, click on: Find a daily activity that insures you’re getting enough exercise.

Here’s part 4…

4. Pick one habit or trait that is detrimental to your health and eliminate it.

Bad habits often have a huge effect on your life and what makes these habits so challenging and hard to change is the reality that they usually aren’t based on well thought out choices and decisions, so using logic to eliminate them is oftentimes unproductive. Think about it; for instance, everyone who smokes cigarettes knows without a doubt they are bad for them, but that knowledge doesn’t help them much when the try to quit. They require a bit of strategy to overcome.

Try these strategic tips to help get you rid yourself of these habits and get your life and health back on track:

Replace a bad habit, rather than simply trying to drop it. You must have felt some benefit to the habit or you wouldn’t have allowed it to become a part of your life. Consider substituting something positive as a replacement for that which was given up. Examples: When craving a cigarette, sit down and breathe slowly and deeply, visualize yourself inhaling smoke rather than clean air, you’ll be amazed at how effective that can be. If you are in the habit of being a couch-potato after dinner, instead of plopping down in front of the TV, take the dog for a walk or find some other semi-pleasurable chore to engage. Use your imagination, you’re bound to come up with some sort of practical substitution.

Don’t take on too many things at once; deal with one challenge at a time. Perhaps you’ve decided you want to quit smoking, improve your diet and start an exercise program…all that would be overwhelming and you’d probably cave on all three. Pick just one; give yourself a month or so. Then, once you have a handle on that, add another one and give that a month.

Have patience with yourself; don’t be in such a hurry. Think how happy you’d be if you could get rid of your four worst habits. By dealing with one habit at a time as recommended above, that’s only four months, which is a relatively short time if you consider how long you’ve had each habit.

Learn to recognize the triggers that prompt bad cravings and/or your addictive tendencies and remove them. If your intention is to improve your diet, get rid of all the junk food in your house and go to the bathroom or simply walk away when those tempting TV commercials come on. Most habits don’t have a much of thought behind them, they’re a lot like reflexes without sensory stimulation they have little power.

Tell any friends who may be sympathetic and supportive. These friends can help you reach your goal by reminding you should you stray from your purpose.

If you’re going to start a regular exercising regime, be consistent; schedule yourself so that you do it at the same time each day. Many find this to be much easier than trying to exercise 3 or 4 times a week.

Stay motivated, keep reminding yourself that there’s no better feeling than knowing you have control over your life. Your self-esteem will soar as you realize you’re a victor and no longer a victim of your bad habits.

 

5 Positive Lifestyle Changes for the New Year (Part 3)

Leave a reply

Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life.

To review part 1, click on: Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

To review part 2, click on: Improve your dietary choices

Here’s part 3…

3. Find a daily activity that insures you’re getting enough exercise.

Studies show that low to moderately intense activities can have some short and long-term benefits. If done daily, they may help lower your risk of heart disease. Activities such as pleasure walking, climbing stairs, gardening, yard work, moderate housework and dancing help, but ask yourself, is that enough? By engaging in more vigorous exercise, you can greatly improve the overall fitness of both the heart and lungs, which provides much more consistent benefits for lowering heart disease risk plus a host of other physical advantages such as better digestion, elimination of toxins, improved liver and kidney function and weight loss, to name a few.

Many people are now discovering (or rediscovering) the awesome benefits of regular, vigorous exercise; activities like swimming, brisk walking (or hiking), running, or working out at a gym or fitness center. These forms of exercise are generally called “aerobic,” meaning the body uses oxygen to produce the energy needed for the activity. An aerobic exercise will elevate your heartbeat (cardiovascular) and makes you sweat, and contrary to popular belief, Yoga IS an aerobic or cardiovascular exercise and can condition your heart and lungs if performed at the proper intensity for at least 20 minutes, 3-4 times a week. Ashtanga Yoga, Hot Yoga, Power Yoga are perfect examples.

So, you don’t have to train like a professional athlete or marathon runner to become more physically fit! Any activity that gets you moving around, gets you heart beating and causes you to break a sweat will work, and even if it’s done for just a few minutes each day it’s better than exercise at all. For sedentary or inactive people, the trick is getting started. Once started, exercising in the company of other like-minded people will keep you on track and motivated.

 

There are many benefits experienced by people who get regular physical activity, here’s a few…

Exercise helps you feel better because it:

 

  • gives you more energy
  • helps you cope with stress
  • improves your self esteem and self-image
  • increases your resistance to fatigue
  • counters anxiety and depression
  • enables you to relax and feel less tense
  • improves your ability to sleep more soundly
  • provides an easy way to share an activity and an opportunity to meet new friends

 

It helps you look better because it:

 

  • shapes & tones your muscles
  • burns off calories to help lose extra pounds or helps you maintain your desired weight
  • helps control your appetite
  • reduces the appearance of cellulite
  • improves your posture
  • Gives you a healthy glow (from increased circulation)

Additionally, aerobic or cardiovascular exercise fights the onset of age-related disease, lifts your spirits and sense of well-being, increases your lung capacity so you can take in more oxygen, boosts circulation to deliver nutrients to cells and skin, lowers inflammation, and, for many, is said to be the ultimate stress reducer.

5 Positive Lifestyle Changes for the New Year (Part 2)

Leave a reply

Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life. To review part 1, click on:  Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

Here’s part 2…

2. Improve your dietary choices

Everyone who knows Rae Indigo knows quite well she practices and promotes a plant-based (vegan) diet, and ultimately recommends that for all her students. Rae leads retreats worldwide, including diet & nutrition programs that provide students with the knowledge, experience and skills to use proper food choices to transform their lives from the inside out, deliciously, enjoyably and with purpose.

Knowing that it is very hard to instantly (and completely) switch over to a plant-based diet, this article will share some simple ways that anyone can use to improve their diet. Anyone who practices these habits and incorporates them into their daily lives will vouch for their benefits. Here are 7 ways to get you started and headed in the right direction…

1. Eat a colorful diet. And this doesn’t mean different colors of candy. Make it a habit to include at least five different colored foods (preferably fruits and veggies) a day into your diet. Some suggestions…Instead of the standard American breakfast of eggs, home fries and bacon, make a smoothie in your blender with a banana, some blueberries, strawberries, OJ and almond milk. For lunch, toss some salad greens with grated carrot, tomato and bell pepper strips. For a mid day snack, have an orange or an apple. For dinner, baked butternut squash filled with blanched peas and carrots and some brown rice on the side.

2. Exchange or eliminate refined sugars and sweets. Candy and most sweets are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other additives that are bad for your health. So when your sweet tooth is calling, satisfy that craving with items that are naturally sweet. Stock your kitchen with dried fruits, homemade trail mix or cacao bits. Make sure you have plenty of fresh, seasonal fruit in your fridge (like peaches, apricots, grapes, berries or cherries). Melon kabobs are a quick and easy sweet snack for the whole family. Without sacrificing your health, you can still indulge your sweet cravings by snacking sensibly.

3. Prepare more meals at home. Preparing raw dishes or cooking at home not only saves you money but it also keeps you in complete control of what you are putting into your body. You are certain of all the ingredients that go into the dishes that you make. If you learn to plan ahead, the task of cooking at home becomes a joy, and it doesn’t need to be time consuming either. By using recipes that give you several days’ worth of meals you won’t have to slave over the stove for hours every day.

4. Buy locally and eat seasonal foods, selecting organic fruits and veggies whenever possible and/or practical. By shopping wisely you’ll find there are a variety of different fruits, vegetables and grains that are available at different times throughout the year. Whenever seasonal produce is available, you not only save money (since items aren’t overpriced due to importing costs), but you also get more flavor. This practice keeps you from getting bored and sustains your motivation to eat well, allowing you to consume a variety of different and beneficial nutrients.

5. Start a small indoor container garden. Growing your own food is a great way to add variety and flavor to your meals during the off season when your outdoor garden is asleep. Going outside to pick a few fresh things to add to your meal is very rewarding, but for many this is not possible all year ‘round. Depending on the amount of room you have (and window space), you can grow anything from tomatoes and peppers, radishes and lettuce, chives, parsley and herbs, and even if you have limited space, sprouts are always a nice addition. Not only do the things you grow taste amazing, they’re practically free.

6. Buy things like grains, beans, lentils, and seeds in bulk. Perhaps start a coop with like minded friends. In most cases this will help you save money, reduce waste, and keep your pantry well stocked. Having these items on hand you can quickly put a healthy meal together, helping you to resist the temptation to get take out.  They key is to remember what you have and occasionally rotate your supplies so they don’t go to waste.

7. Rather than one or two large meals a day, eat smaller meals multiple times a day. By eating small amounts of food throughout the day you’ll keep your blood sugar levels normal, preventing you from allowing your blood sugar get too low, which makes you feel like you’re starving, often leading to binge eating. This also helps you control your portion sizes keeping your stomach from being stretched. Most importantly perhaps, by eating regularly throughout the day you’ll keep your metabolism fired-up. In order for metabolism to continually burn calories it needs fuel.

Improving your dietary choices really isn’t all that difficult. As you can see, these seven small changes will improve your overall fitness, motivating and prompting you to continue to look for ways to further achieve your goal of an optimal state of health and wellbeing.

Stay tuned for part 3. – ” Find a daily activity that insures you’re getting enough exercise.”

5 Positive Lifestyle Changes for the New Year (part 1)

Leave a reply

Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life. Here’s part 1 of 5…

1.    Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

Cleansing can be compared to a knife that cuts away much superficiality, getting right to the heart of the matter. Effectively, a cleanse works on deeper levels than most of us realize because it is able to break up our daily patterns, those patterns upon which we have become so dependent (our comfort zones). When those patterns of pleasure or selfish indulgence are disrupted, we are left with our own internal resources. If those resources are bankrupt, then during a cleanse, you may come face to face with a vacuum that only your inner self (Self) can fill.

A proper detoxification program also applies pressure to the physical body and we may be appalled at how much the body will squirm and resist. But it is high time that the body be put in perspective with the role of our own inner (spiritual/essential) self. Cleansing dethrones and places the body under the jurisdiction of our will. It is this creativity of a freed will which lifts us above our animal instincts and releases us from the cages of our monotonous and empty routine.

Cleansing accomplishes two purposes. First, it will reveal how much the physical appetites have taken control of our emotions. And secondly, it will serve in breaking the body’s habitual cravings and the power they hold upon the will.

An extended cleanse (a week or longer) will invariably bring to the surface deep seated fears which affect thinking and decision-making. It does this by challenging that complex human instinct called self-preservation. This instinct has been created in every living thing on earth, including us. But we are able to choose to “recreate” ourselves, building a new life not to be controlled by old habits and base instincts. Because of our ability to make these life changing choices, we will have the power to recreate ourselves into a radiant being of a higher and grander design than that of our former life.

Cleansing compels us to face the chaos of our addictions, compulsive behaviors, depression and internal pain. It’s like pressing the pause button of life, and quietly observing how crazy and detached we have become to who we really are.

So, IMHO, a deep bodily cleanse will do much more than help us to detox our bodies and lose those extra pounds, it also clears our mind, purifies our soul and frees our spirit for a better reception of the healthy, spiritual life intended for us. This blessing is our birthright and all we have to do is remove the obstacles we have placed in our own way.

Set aside a day, a weekend, a week or even longer to recharge, rejuvenate, and renew yourself. Everyone can benefit from a good cleansing, especially following the holiday season and all its delightful indulgences. It’s a great way to jump-start your body for a more active life, a healthier life.

Keep in mind our bodies are continuously and naturally detoxifying every day. Detoxification is the normal process of eliminating and/or neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph glands, and even the skin. All the days of our lives our hearts beat nonstop and our lungs breathe in and out continuously; just so our metabolic processes also work continuously, attempting to dispose of wastes and toxic matter as fast as we accumulate it.

Despite all its efforts, the environmental toxins of modern-day life; the pollutants, chemicals, other synthetic substances, are more than the average body can handle. Whenever the body becomes overburdened and doesn’t know what to do with all these foreign substances, it will store them somewhere inaccessible to these regular elimination systems, and to keep us from getting poisoned those toxins start building up in our body fat.

It is common, at this time of the year to feel “congested” or “out of sorts” from too much food or the wrong kinds of food and you may want to consider a good detox program. If your energy seems low, if you’re feeling sluggish or maybe you’ve been taking some medications that have not yet been eliminated from your system, a detoxification regime will probably help you feel better, restoring your health and your sense of wellbeing.

 

Stay tuned for part 2. – “Improve your dietary choices.”