October 2007 - Yoga Tap

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Yoga Tap - October 2007

My Routine: 5. Surya Namaskar - my 'simple' version

October 30th 2007 03:24

The first time I took a look at the Sun Salutation, I realized that it would take a long time to remember all the different poses that go into the sequence. I opted on excluding it after getting no further than the first two poses on a couple of occasions, and then dropped it altogether for a while. One Saturday, I took an extra Yoga session, just to try out some new postures and tried again. I simply could not remember the sequence of movements, nor how the breath went with them, and decided not to bother. My routine is relaxed, slow and graceful, rather than fast and aerobics style as are some yoga routines. Maybe it is my age, or maybe my style…

I eventually decided to incorporate the Sun Salutation sequence partially, and came up with the following mini-version for my own use

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My Routine: 4. Simhasana

October 26th 2007 16:39

From the half Lotus position, I will unfold my legs and roll around until I am kneeling, seated on my heels. I will then take a few deep, slow preparation breaths before continuing into the Lion Pose. If you are doing Simhasana without following this routine, you simply need to position yourself so that you are sitting on your heels, and then obtain a steady breath. Placing your hands on top of your knees, palms facing down and fingers gently extended, keep your spine straight.

Inhaling through your nostrils whilst keeping the mouth closed is the first step. Secondly, lean slightly forward, open your mouth and push as much air out from your lungs as you can in a forced exhalement. As you exhale, sound out an 'AHHHHHH' resonance. Whilst exhaling, look as far upwards as you can, stretch the extension of your fingers, and poke your tongue out and downwards, stretching it also. You should stay in this position as long as you are able before replacing your tongue and closing your mouth, and then inhaling through your nostrils as you sit back up straight and look forwards again, also relaxing the stretch on the fingers

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My Routine: 3.5 Spinal Twist

October 22nd 2007 14:57

As of this week, I have started to add a new posture to my routine. I first tried the regular spinal twist asana, but got in such a tangle with my legs and arms that my spine did not feel any benefit whatsoever, whilst my arms and legs felt the pose. Therefore, I browsed through two manuals, then decided to incorporate the pregnancy version instead. Over the past few days, I have been slotting the new asana into various places of my routine, and have concluded that the best place for it is right here, after I have done my eye warm-ups.

Whilst still seated, keeping the head and back upright, place your right hand on your left knee and turn towards your left, reaching out behind with the left hand. Place the left hand onto the floor behind you and hold the pose for a few breaths. Twist back to the front, and repeat with the left and right reversed. If done properly, you should feel the spine twist equally from top to bottom, rather than just at the waist or another point

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My Routine: 3. My neck, shoulder and eye warm-up

October 17th 2007 17:01

The next part of my personal routine involves the neck, shoulders, and eyes. My neck usually makes some rather alarming noises when moving. I put this down to decades of living with extreme tension and stress, and also spinal degeneration and misalignment due to improper posture and exercise during youth. Most days it is only noisy, but sometimes I have to take my neck exercises very slowly and with far less enthusiasm, as I experience a stiffness that could easily lead to pain rather than gain.

If I am having a stiff-body day, or a little sore from excess gardening or a bad position during sleep, I may alternate legs at this point. Stretching both out in front, then changing the leg involved in Lotus to Easy pose, and vice versa. I have read approximately a half dozen different versions of how one should go about warming-up the neck, shoulders, and eyes. I have found what works best for myself due to trying them all out

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My Routine: 2. Kapalabhati~Pranayama (breathing)

October 12th 2007 17:37

On most days, after the initial relaxation, mind-wipe, and preparation of Savasana, I will continue my routine by slowly rising into a seated position. It is suggested in those manuals which I have so far read that you use the Easy pose, AKA Sukhasana, or the alternative of the Lotus pose for pranayama practice. I tend to go halfway between the two. I will bend in one of my legs as if I am to enter the full Lotus pose, but I usually only enter the half Lotus, leaving the other leg tucked underneath as in Easy pose. I will then spend a few moments performing the first yogic breathing exercise that I learned, Kapalabhati.

Initially, take a couple of full deep breaths in the seated position of your choice. Both inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils, keep the mouth closed. Then begin, by inhaling once more. As you exhale the next time, sharply pull in your abdomen, raising the diaphragm. The contraction of the abdominal muscles will force the air out from your lungs, assisting a quick but full exhalation. Relaxing your abdominals, let air flow back into your lungs in a slow inhalation. You do not need to worry if you make a noise when exhaling, as this is a rapid movement which sounds often accompany. Inhaling should remain silent, however. Inhale and exhale in this manner twenty times. Try to retain a regular rhythm. The next step is to take one full and slow breath, followed by holding the next inhalation. Retain the breath in your lungs for as long a time as you can comfortably manage, then exhale slowly. (For me, this is not very long, as I am far better at holding exhalation than inhalation!) Repeat the entire procedure three to six times. Once finished, take two easy, regular full-breaths

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Posted By: sandeye - Category: No Category

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My Routine: 1. Savasana~Corpse pose~S-flop

October 10th 2007 17:18

Savasana, alternately known as the Corpse pose - or in my personal terminology as the 'S-flop' - is generally performed at both the start and end of a Yoga session, along with sometimes being used as a relaxing break midst routine. It is one of easiest positions for the majority of people to attain - unless, like me, you suffer from sinus problems, where nasal drainage can sometimes cause discomfort in your throat region when lying on your back. In this case, it is advisable to perform the Frontal Corpse pose as an alternative. Basically, you just lie upon the floor! It is, of course, not quite that simple; positioning the body, breathing, and relaxing all play a major part. I personally use this position three times in my regular session. It is used at the very start, the very end, and as a break between my standing and lying down poses. Further commentary on Savasana will occur in My Routine: # 7 & 17.

To begin, simply lie on the floor on your back. Attempt to obtain a symmetrical position, and try to keep your back entirely touching the floor, if you can. To physically perfect the asana, you should firstly adjust your legs. Leaving them straight, place them slightly apart, then twist from the hip until the feet fall slightly sideways. Next, do likewise with your arms, keeping them straight, placing them slightly apart from your trunk, and then twisting gently from the shoulder until they fall into a relaxed position. Your palms should face upwards and your eyes be closed. Then, move your head, until your neck aligns correctly with your spine

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What exactly is Yoga?

October 8th 2007 16:51

The majority of people initially view Yoga as a bunch of exercises, generally performed in a class, and often upon a mat. These asanas are only one part of the physical world of Yoga however, and there are other aspects as well. To understand Yoga in its entirety, one should consider all the pieces, and not just the most famous. There are eight main segments involved with a complete study of Yoga. Conveniently, this is known as the eight-limb path of yoga. This octagon, portraying the various Yoga facets, covers physical, mental and spiritual matters.

The Yamas and Niyamas are each a list of five items, and they deal with our lifestyle and attitude. The Yamas cover the moral restraints, which should be considered by a full Yoga practitioner, if not the beginner or physical fitness freak. They are much akin to Buddhist beliefs, and include Ahimsa - nonviolence, Satya - truthfulness, Asteya - nonstealing, Brahmacarya - moderation, and Aparigraha - no hoarding. The Niyamas are a group of observances. They include Sauca - purity, Santosa - contentment, Tapas (not the edible type!) - enthusiasm and seriousness, Svadhyaya - self-study, and Isvara-pranidhana - devotion to the divineness within. These aspirations need to be considered if you aim to make Yoga a way of life, rather than just an exercise routine

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How I got interested in Yoga

October 5th 2007 17:07

On vacations from elementary school, I would mostly hang about the house with my Mother. For two or three years she took up yoga, hoping that it would make her fit, thin, and less grumpy. Changing her diet from mars bars and donuts to organic vegetarianism made her fit - yoga failed. Cancer turned her thin - yoga failed. My growing older and being less of a strain on her turned her less grumpy - once again, the yoga failed. The reason I think yoga did not work for my Mother is that she did not participate in its entirety, merely the exercises. Additionally, her only practice was watching a short TV show that was shown regularly at the time. She had no choice as to what time she practiced, as it was in the days before owning a VCR. She additionally had to deal with my presence on school holidays, and guilty as I feel in my own middle age, at the time I did not realize what a pain I was being. I believe that had she participated in breathing and theory in addition to following a few asanas shown on a TV show, yoga would have worked as well for her as it does for me.

I recall being a terrible distraction. I know that I wanted to watch the young man with his two thin, bendy women on TV almost every time my Mother turned it on. Each time they demonstrated an asana, I would instantly throw my body into the pose perfectly, much too quickly to gain any personal benefit, just showing off that I could do it. I usually managed the advanced positions, but obviously, in my haste and carelessness, found no benefit in my achievements. My Mother suffered also. Not only had she to try to keep up with the TV, watching it as best she could from various positions upon the carpet on the lounge floor, listening as best she could over my endless chattering, and jumping from one girl, to another, to the man, as they demonstrated both the advanced and simplified options, but she also had to try to perform the moves herself. If my Mom could follow the audio/visual on TV, and keep her mind off my chattering and showing off, she still could not relax, or deal with the asanas properly. She used to be exceedingly out of shape, and find it difficult to get part way into the easier versions of most poses. Whether the TV mentioned breathing and other matters than postures or not, I do not recall, but my Mother could hardly cope with just trying to move her legs and arms correctly, therefore yoga did nothing much for her, mainly because of me, but partially due to the form she took it in

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Introduction to this blog

October 3rd 2007 17:10

Hi, my original blog was transferred to a domain site, so I had a spare blog lurking about. I was finding that people still visited, but as there were nolonger posts any, I felt I ought to do something with it. Rather than ask someone to throw it away, I thought I would start a different blog…

I already blog about the San Francisco Music scene on my Orble-hosted domain blog at www.sanfranciscomusicnews.com and the local Illawarra birds here is my other Orble blog. I took a look at the other areas of my life that might be of interest. I might try a blog about being a writer, only there are tons of those around, so it would not really make much impact. I could start a blog on my Buddhism. I have recently taken it up and read a lot of books on the subject, but once again, there are so many places already dealing with this religion. Perhaps home schooling my son would be a better topic? But then, he is sixteen, and in one year, he will be getting work and not an education. This left me with fantasy league baseball, organic gardening, cooking from scratch, or yoga. I decided on the yoga

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