What is a Mudra?
- A holy gesture
- A symbol
- Mystic position of the hands
Benefits:
- Balances mind, body, and spirit
- Prevents and treats depression, tention, anxiety, and illness
- - Please note that this is a complement to your regular treatment, not a replacement
- By activating pressure points and setting your intention mudras can create a state of awareness or consciousness. ”I AM.”
- Can stimulate healing of a physical and an emotional nature
(via 365daysyoga)
I have a soft spot in my heart for yoga. And boobs. And how both yoga and boobs play lead roles in women’s lives. Below, one yogis tale of how her practice affected her endowment.
In the past “huge breasts” were definitely one of my identifying characteristics—along with “hilarious”, “charming”, “brilliant” and “humble”. I was a 32F and I never really thought about it.
Now, thanks in part to my yoga practice (including lots of upper body strengthening with…
Pinup queen Marilyn Monroe does Dhanurasana!
(Source: smokingcoffee)
(Source: 365daysyoga)
I recently had, what I first thought as, the unfortunate pleasure to ride the subway with a crazy homeless man. I was on my way to teach a yoga class early one morning, listening to my iPod, trying to wake up, thinking about how my class would go when this old, rotund guy in patched up overalls a la Ragtime starts belting out “New York, New York.” At first I did what any New Yorker would do and rolled my eyes at him—he was scream-singing it! Even though I was wearing those earbuds that you have to insert INTO your ears, I could still hear him crystal clear. That’s how loud he was. I didn’t want to make myself deaf by trying to turn up the volume on my electronic device, so I tried to ignore the situation.
But then he got to the part that goes “If I can make it here, I’ll make it anywhere” and I couldn’t help but smile. It inspired so much hope in me. I mean, taking the song at face value, yeah, living in New York is rough—if you can figure out how to make life work here, you can pretty much go and live anywhere. But I kept thinking about the lyrics to the song and realized that this guy, screaming this song wildly out of key—he’s making it, in his own way. He’s as happy as a clam singing to strangers in a subway car about the city that he lives in. And that’s when I realized that we are all are making it. Even trying to make it, we’re making it. Just going about our day, trying to attain whatever goal it is, be it big like a career change, a home change, or small, like just going to the grocery store to get some food to make dinner. So next time you feel like you’re struggling with something or frustrated that it’s taking you longer than you expected to reach a certain goal, just remember that in that moment you are still making it, you are on your way.
Once I thought about that, I realized that it was pretty much the perfect way to start my day so I turned off my iPod and listened to him until he got off—at Bedford Ave! Hopefully he inspired a couple more people in Williamsburg that day…
An excerpt. Love the idea of feeling a negative thought through sensation of the body before the thought manifests itself.
Ahimsa is often translated as non-violence or non-hurting. Pattabhi Jois (my go to guy for the most austere and conservative interpretations) notes in his book, Yoga Mala, that ahimsa is “no injury at any time for any reason, including in word or thought.” So, the practice of ahimsa is not only to not hurt anyone or anything to the best of our ability but also to not think hurtful thoughts. When I practice ahimsa, I need to eliminate injurious thoughts, potentially judging or critical thoughts- not only of another but of myself as well.As a long time yoga practitioner, I am interested in the guidance of yoga as applied to all aspects of my life. As Desikachar says, “we can understand yoga as a process of examining our habitual attitudes and behaviors and their consequences.” Just with the intention of ahimsa as one of my vows, I have the ability to work with my mind-stuff, watching the thoughts roll in, examining them for worthiness. I’ve found with my practice of ahimsa that I can generally catch a physical sensation just prior to the formation of an injurious thought, or, a thought that does not embody the qualities of ahimsa. Being aware of this physical sensation I can often stop the thought before it forms.
On a recent visit to Greenhouse Holistic, Nancy Allen shared a new pranayama technique she learned from the Dalai Lama to help focus the mind. Straight from the horse’s mouth (in this case, His Holiness), follow these steps to help quiet the chatter in your brain before sitting down for meditation:
Originally written for Yoga City, reposted here.
Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to practice alongside that wooden box reminiscent of a mini organ or accordion: the harmonium. The instrument has been making its way to the head of the class on a regular basis these days as teachers have been relying on the sounds and vibrations to accompany opening chants. “The tone and sustained quality of the instrument has a very meditative almost trance-like effect on the listener,” says Seth Lieberman, who teaches at Brooklyn’s Loom Studio and Greenhouse Holistic. For studios that have been without, many are seeking to add one to their ambiance, and teachers are eager to learn how to play. The new It commodity of the yoga set, we couldn’t help but wonder why and how the harmonium has suddenly been drawing in so many faithful fans.
Invented in Paris in 1840s, the harmonium made it to India by way of the British occupation; missionaries intended to use the instrument to help lead church services, but because it was small in size and relatively easy to learn how to play, it became popular among natives. With its history so steeped in spirituality, it seems natural that the instrument was adopted by Indian culture to accompany their own spiritual practices.
As Westerners have become increasingly intrigued with Eastern religions and philosophy, the harmonium has penetrated our vernacular—and our yoga practice. Opening chants aside, many teachers play the tunes of kirtan (call-and-response chanting usually accompanied by a harmonium) heavy hitters like Krishna Das and Jai Uttal to help set the tone and rhythm of class. ”The effect the drone of the instrument has and chanting along with it is very centering, balancing, and meditative, which brings us to a place to practice asana in a more present, connected way,” says Lieberman, who has led donation-based kirtans at Greenhouse Holistic in hopes to raise funds for a harmonium for the studio.
A trained pianist, the instrument literally fell into his lap during his yoga teacher training a few years ago, and it took him all of 20 minutes to figure out the basics. Before long, he was playing regularly, eager to learn more of the instrument’s nuances. He was quick to pick up the box and start playing, but, Lieberman adds, “my understanding of the instrument took much longer.”
That’s the thing about the instrument: It may seem easy to play, but it takes time and patience to really understand how the keys, reeds, bellows, and stops work together to create its distinct sound. “Some people feel they’ll just ‘pick it up,’ but then don’t want to put in the time and it becomes a piece of furniture, and that discourages me,” says Paul Gruen, a harmonium instructor who also teaches yoga at Om Factory and Yogamaya. Just like learning yoga or anything we want to be good at, “it takes practice and dedication,” Gruen explains.
But what is it about the harmonium that makes a yoga studio its perfect home? “I believe it started with a certain amount of exoticness,” says Gruen. “I think yoga studios feel it gives them some level of authenticity and some kind of connection to the ‘ancient’ practice,” he adds, reiterating that the instrument only made it to India in the late 1800s. It might not be so ancient, but it definitely has a way of leaving a lasting impression on a class.
And anyone who frequents a class that is accompanied with some sort of music can attest: The sounds and rhythm a teacher chooses to play helps facilitate a mind/body connection. “I think it’s another avenue toward evolution,” says Marko Galjasevic of the Yoga Room in Queens, who led his own crusade to obtain an H box for his studio after falling for the instrument during his teacher training much like Lieberman. “We exercise the body with asana, making it stronger and more flexible. We exercise the mind with the breathe, controlling it hence calming the senses. Both are difficult to do, but ultimately are for our benefit. I believe the same thing can be done with music. We exercise the spirit with song.” Since the Yoga Room acquired its very own harmonium two months ago, Galjasevic has eschewed the iPod playlists he once relied on to help lead his Vinyasa classes for his newfound friend to help create a more sacred space for students to practice in.
Alex Schatzberg, who teaches at YogaWorks, Yoga Vida, and Brooklyn’s Go Yoga, believes that sound vibration is something everyone can easily connect with. “It’s a straight-forward tool for accessing the subtle body.”With only a few months’ experience under his belt with the instrument, Schatzberg still likes to use the harmonium at the beginning of class to help set the tone and bring his students into a particular frame of mind.
Cobble Hill Yoga’s Naomi Jaffe recently released her record of traditional chants accompanied by the harmonium and guitar, Prabhujee. She agrees with Schatzberg: “I find that in my own teaching, it helps to set a tone for the class, and brings people into the space,” she says. “It’s helpful for making that transition onto the mat and into a certain mindset.”
But getting a class to chant with the harmonium may not even be necessary to get students into the aforementioned mindset. Sometimes all it takes is the utterance of one syllable. “The first thing I’ll teach is how to Om with the harmonium,” says Gruen. “The sound of the instrument adds depth and harmony to your voice. It’s inspiring to start or end a class with it. That may be all a yoga teacher needs. The sound of the instrument will naturally bring the voices together and your Om can be very powerful.”
While Western music is anchored to specific notes, chords, and rhythm, Gruen points out that Eastern music is different. Known as Sargam, their system is based on the voice. “That means my comfortable ‘SA’ (the first note of the Sargam scale) and your comfortable ‘SA’ could be entirely different notes,” says Gruen. “Whichever ‘SA’ is given to the musicians then that’s the note they base the musical piece on. It’s a floating system.”
Maybe it’s this loose understanding of music that makes the harmonium appealing. Or maybe it’s the purr of the instrument that accompanies a chant or Om that really resonates with teachers and students alike.
“Yoga is about discovering your true self, atman,” Schatzberg says. “I think the vibrational sound of the harmonium can help us to get in touch with the subtle body. When you find something universal like sound vibration, you can start to realize the greater and more subtle connections between all beings, and start to see yourself as a part of something bigger.”
Do you feel the vibrations?
Kinda can’t believe I have never seen this King of the Hill episode as it’s one of my favorite shows EVER. Who knew the cigarette-puffing, beer-guzzling Dale Gribble could get all bendy on the yoga mat, mudras and all?
Though I have to admit, this image is a bit, ahem, disturbing. Hopefully you are not eating while visually consuming this post. My sincerest apologies if you are.
(Source: thatsasinine, via fuckyeahyoga)
A place to contemplate how the practice of yoga has affected one yogi's life both on and off the mat. Created by Jessica Mahler
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