Yoga

Mac seems to have up and died, freezing then a grey screen when you try to restart. Just a file icon in the Center of the screen with a question mark, lost and confused amongst the shades...Run to the light Mac, run to the light.Was just testing the Blogsy app for Ipad but it doesn't seem to actually post oh well.Problem with Blogging from ipad is that you can't scroll through a longish post to edit, small posts then, not a bad thing perhaps.Here's what I was trying to test Blogsy with, a video of Tim Miller performing some Advanced series adjustments at his place in Encinitas, doesn't this tempt you to make the trip?No sign of any devil worshiping that I can see.Perhaps that trial is not such a bad thing, some parents clearly have genuine concerns perhaps this will, hopefully, put many of their fears to rest and also make us pause and reflect before running around like a Minotaur in a labyrinthine china shop.That said back when I was a schoolteacher in a little Christian Prep school I once added an S to the Religion class I was supposed to be teaching and taught the kids about Buddha....didn't go down well, so I can't talk.Have a nice holiday weekend if you have one where you are, me I'm sick and trying to decide whether to go into work, just a viral throat infection, can breathe more freely now and even swallow...just about, but M. Is giving me a hard time about staying in bed...Two days in bed is long enough, full practice yesterday, if you can practice then you can work.

Sunday - nada. Monday - hours class, lovelyTuesday - nadaWednesday - hours class, lovelyThursday - 45min DVD, lovelyFriday - hours class, lovelyThe word lovely is pretty much a meme to my friends and family and I (yes, I know all words are memes to everyone, strictly speaking, but you get my point). Just to point out that the overuse is endemic in my life.Finally on Friday I felt a bit fitter, recently even those 3A and 3Bs at the beginning have been heavy going. I have high hopes for keeping a good practice over the weekend. Although I'm very busy, I'll have my early mornings to myself.

after my visit to the Huangguoshu Waterfalls in Guizhou, i returned to the province's capital Guiyang. getting there from the town of Anshen, i caused a little incident on the bus. the day of returning, i thought i would be efficient and buy a ticket for the return to Guiyang. tickets sometimes get sold out early and you cannot obtain fare once that happens. so it's better to buy the ticket early. that morning i intended to do some sightseeing in a nearby ancient town. i was sold an 8:20am ticket, the time when i showed up to buy the ticket. thinking nothing of it, i went about my sightseeing and arrived at 3:00pm to depart for the capital. one thing is to take a bus earlier than the time on the ticket, another is to board after the ticket time expired. i sat comfortably in the front of the bus, but bus station attendants had to sort out my situation and give me a replacement ticket, plus ask the person whose seat i took if he did not mind sitting in another seat. i received some compassion for being a foreigner. well anyway, after more experience in other provinces i have learned that some areas are more strict in observing that people board the bus with the time printed on their ticket, and some areas are more lax. the center of Guiyang is crossed by a river. in a plaza there is a large statue of Maoit seems to point across the street, where there is a gigantic underground Walmart, covering an entire square, complete with a Louvre-like glass pyramid. along the river there is a temple. in front of it I joined Chinese in dancing.the temple architecture contrasts with the modern architecture around it, similar to Jing'An Temple in Shanghai. contrast of historical architectural roof details and contemporary architecture roof details the landmark at the center of the river is the Gongnan Pavilion, preserved from the Ming Dynasty, from1665, kept intact for 340 years. Gongnan Pavilion is part of the complex of Cuwei Garden, a former Buddhist temple on the side of a wooded hill. currently the facilities are used for poetry readings and drama shows.view of the city skyline from a pavilion in the temple groundswalking north, i headed to another Ming era citadel, located on a hill.there was a scale model of the complex on displaydriving around the city, i noticed a new sports stadiumdetails in the historical buildingspeople exercising by the river

5 weeks to go until I give up every thing I've been used to over the past 7 years, my house, good job, steady income, stability, routine... to concentrate on my Ashtanga Yoga practice for 1 year. Nothing else to get in the way, just me and my practice in new surroundings throughout the world.But I have to admit, The thought is keeping me up at night...I'm not sleeping more than 4 hours per night, the rest of the night is me, my mind and impending scenarios, stories, of what is yet to happen. Am I really worried or is it the current practice of second series which is sending my mind (notwithstanding my hips) completely out of control? I've given up my morning meditation practice as I'm driving myself crazy. I'm running from the reality of what I have chosen for myself. So what now? The only thing I can think of is to turn to Patanjali, the sutras.. Yoga Sutra 1:31:~ Dukha-daurmanasya-angameja-yatva-shvasa-prasvasa viksepa sahabhuvah ~- When they (sickness, apathy, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sexual indulgence, delusion, lack of progress and inconsistency) arise once may experience distress, depression, or the inability to maintain steadiness of posture or breathing.duhka, griefdaurmanasya, anxiety, worryangamejayatva, unsteadiness of the bodyshvasa prashvasa, irregular inspiration and expirationvisepa-sahabhuvah, (are) accompaniments of distractionsBut no, I'm not being able to rest in the hear and now Patanjali, I'm stressed, I can hardly practice without thinking constantly throughout and worrying about leaving behind the stable life I had. Giving up what is perceived as a comfortable life is difficult. I'm stressing out, my mother's worried that I'll have a nervous breakdown before I even leave...and then there's the extra worry of leaving my Mum on top of everything else.... But it's only 1 year Mum, one year out of hopefully 60+ years we'll have together. That's what I keep telling her....There is nothing else I want to do in my life at this very moment than what I have been planning for, for the past 18 months. It will be done, but mentally these next 5 weeks are going to be mentally effing hard.

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It’s been a quiet week on IAYB! I ended up taking an unintended mini-hiatus while I’ve been focusing my energy on last minute details for Yoga Festival Montreal, the community-driven, fiercely local yoga event that I co-founded last year. The second edition goes down in just one short week, May 31 to June 2 (omg!). [...]

Desiree Rumbaugh Yoga: Yoga Break For Super Moms Desiree Rumbaugh Yoga: Yoga Break For Super Moms, see full length video here...http://myyoga.tv/v4ZB Hey Super Moms! We have a deal for you. If you can just ... From: myyogaonline Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 04:11 More in Howto & Style

Mara Branscombe Yoga: All For You Mamas Mara Branscombe Yoga: All For You Mamas. See the Full Length Video here...http://myyoga.tv/v4yx Mara Branscombe leads this special class for mothers, All For... From: My Yoga Online Views: 5 0 ratings Time: 03:03 More in Howto & Style

Many of us recognize the power that music has in our lives. It has the ability to deepen our journey, evoking both emotional and spiritual states of awareness. However if we look a little deeper at the power of vibration and sound itself, we see that there are forces at play that can greatly enhance the power of one’s practice. Such is the underlying philosophy of sound healing, or vibrational therapy. In this article we’re going to explore some concepts and techniques you can bring into your class to begin teaching students how to empower themselves through their own innate ability to use sound as a tool for self reflection, empowerment and healing. Use ‘Toning’ and Chanting to Help Your Students Create Strong Connections to Their Voice as an Instrument: We start where many classes start—the Om. Another word for the practice of chanting Om, or AUM as it’s also spelled, is called ‘Toning’. Toning is actually the practice of producing long, steady tones through any instrument. When done by the voice it slows down the breath, strengthens the diaphragm and chest, and relaxes the mind. To instruct students in toning, one must understand that good singers use their diaphragms to inhale and exhale, controlling the pace at which the air moves out of their lungs. This allows for tension to release from the neck and vocal chords area, which creates a more open instrument. Instruct your students to drop into some belly breathing, only using their diaphragms to activate deep breathing. Then, when it feels natural and engaged, have them begin singing long tones using the vowel sound ‘O’. Instruct them to do this for an extended period of time, encouraging them to lengthen their breath on the inhale and use their diaphragm muscles to slowly release the air while toning. If they need to take a break tell them to do so as and when they need to. The class can spend 5 minutes toning and at the end, silence. This produces a wonderful sense of euphoria and strengthens the connection to their voice as an instrument and meditation tool. Next, bring toning into the asana practice. At moments when it feels natural, have your class tone in a posture. Assuming the posture is open enough in the belly to allow for freedom of movement, have them tone their way into a deeper pose. It should feel as though by toning, the mind is relaxing and the pose is deepening. Try having them do it at a time when their not out of breath or working too hard… try it yourself and see when and in which asana it feels most natural to tone. Tone directly into different parts of your body that need attention, just as though you were singing to relax a child into beautiful slumber. See what arises when you do so… Introduce Instruments to Promote Deep Relaxation: Another technique used in sound healing is that of bringing instruments that resonate, or create long tones in direct contact with the body. For this the best instruments are brass bowls and didgeridoos. If you can get your hands on a brass bowl, try placing it on someone’s chest during savanna and gentling striking the bowl. After striking, rub the wand around the outer edge to produce a longer tone… the vibration will penetrate into the persons body and allow them to relax more deeply. If you can find someone who plays didjeridoo, or are adventurous enough to learn the basic tone yourself, bring that to class and use it in a similar way during savasana. Play the didjeridoo in close proximity to a person’s body while they lie in savasana. Quietly next to their ears, and more loudly near their body cavity. You don’t need to be circular breathing, which is harder… you can just practice your own long tones… when you run out of breath simply breathe in and repeat. Use Sound Frequencies As Powerful Amplifiers of Thought and Prayer: Finally, it’s an interesting study to look at vibration and how it relates to the Chakra system. Each Chakra h

This documentary came out a few months ago, but I just got around to watching it this week. This is the full length documentary, not just a trailer, that's been made available for free. You can click through to Vimeo to leave a "Tip" if you feel moved to contribute.Grab a cup of tea and settle in for some insightful interviews after a beautiful calming opening sequence. Bonus - a couple of cutie pup cameos.Why We Breathe - A Yoga Documentary from BackToAwake on Vimeo.