Liberated Yoga
Yoga is for everyone!
Archives: 2017
Dharma: I am a Door...
Albeit a narrow one. This entry is, in a way, about my Dharma the way I see it, or my purpose in Life, and in another way, about Chakra One, which governs our ability to feel sustained by our environment, to be provided for by the universe, to feel that we have a right to be here. By examining these things I feel aligned with the Universe, and I invite you to conduct a similar analysis of your Dharma and see how it aligns with the larger scheme of things. Let's begin with Chakra...
Yoga for the Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is our first line of defense again illness: once the invading forces gain access inside the body, it is here that the lymphocytes mobilize to neutralize the invaders. Yoga has long been recognized for its ability to boost the immune system, not just on the physical, but also on the psychic level - our ability to keep healthy not only the body, but also the mind. What is the lymphatic system and how can one activate and nourish it? Lymph is a clear, slightly yellowish...
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Moving from the Core
My Core Integration WS is scheduled for October 14, and here I will lay out some ideas I base my approach on. Integration. What does it mean to have a pose well integrated? I have been structuring my classes in such a way as to allow gradual and deep integration of various aspects of the core into one cohesive whole. I have become really interested in this since I was introduced to Pilates five years ago. Before Pilates, I could get by in my Yoga practice because I wa...
Body as a Sacred Vessel
The soul is sacred. By inhabiting your body, it makes the body sacred as well. It helps to see the body as a vessel for the soul - it creates a sense of reverence and a responsibility to maintain the vessel. Don't cook foul food in your vessel - it will leave unsightly gunk caked on the inside and produce a foul odor. Instead, put only wholesome food and pure water, and cook over gentle fire of your Ujjayi breath. As any pot that begins to smell of the food that ha...
Yoga Alignment: Neutral Pelvis
Neutral Pelvis is one of the most important alignment cues in my teaching and personal practice. In previous posts we talked about the few alignment points one needs to pay attention to have a safer Yoga practice and to be more confident doing Yoga at home. We discussed neck and shoulders, and now we are moving on to the pelvis. Our daily lives and genetics predispose us to certain deviations from neutral that can contribute to tension and weakness of the postural muscle...
The Many Dimensions of a Human Being
The Pancha Mayas or the Five Sheaths Do you agree that there is more to you than meets the eye? That you are more than just this flesh and bones? We have feelings, thoughts, memories. Our awareness of these other dimensions of reality is what makes us different from animals. It is our unique privilege to have the ability to perceive reality beyond our senses, and by denying ourselves this privilege we violate something sacred – our right to fulfill our full po...
Open Your Heart
One definition of a Yogi is someone who has space around the heart. An open, yet well-balanced heart is capable of giving and receiving love freely, with no strings attached, yet has healthy boundaries and knows when to say "no." In our Yoga Asanas a lot of attention is often given to back bends - partly to counteract the "slouchy" posture a lot of us are carrying, partly to give back to the heart some of that open, spacious feeling. Part of the reason why we are such a slouchy ...
Fascia - The New Frontier
Have you heard of fascia lately? I have been fascinated by the latest research that is coming out in this exciting new field. Fascia is connective tissue which wraps around and surrounds every structure of the body: bones, muscles, organs, everything. Think of it as a saran wrap-type of material - it is not stretchy or flexible, it is very thin, and everything in your body is connected to everything else via fascia. Some believe that's why reflexology (foot massage) ma...
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When does a muscle need to be "released" and when does it need to be "stretched"?
Because muscles can be in different states, such as locked short or locked long (which means they are usually weak and dehydrated due to poor circulation), stretching a muscle that feels "tight" is not necessarily a wise thing to do as a matter of default. When muscles are out of balance due to postural and movement habits, they pull too much on some bones, not enough on others, preventing better alignment in both Yoga poses and daily life. What we want is a strong muscle, one that can both elo...
Ageless with Yoga
Reading ancient Yogic texts time and again I come across statements that Yoga adepts can cheat and escape Death itself. One has to take these kinds of statements as metaphors, of course, but I do believe there is truth in this, as I have begun to feel the rejuvenating effects of my own Yoga practice - I am not afraid of getting old, as a matter of fact I look forward to it with great joy and anticipation. Being older has many benefits, such as experience, wisdom, and free tim...
