14 Jun
2013
6/14 Quote:
“Before you’ve practiced, the theory is useless. After you’ve practiced, the theory is obvious.”
– David Williams
Tag Archives: Practice
12 Jun
2013
Ujjayi Pranayama
What is Ujjayi Pranayama? (also referred to as Ujjayi breath)
Many beginner students often ask, “What is this strange Ujjayi Pranayama breathing technique?” As a beginning yoga practitioner, it might seem odd that some of your fellow students sound like Darth Vader while they’re practicing. Here’s the explanation:
In Sanskirt, the word ujjayi means victory. Ujjayi or victory breath is a type of pranayama (controlled breathing) in which you breathe in a constant, even rhythm through both nostrils, holding your glottis partially closed.
Yes, when done “correctly,” it can sound like Darth Vader although some advanced practitioners are able to silently utilize the Ujjayi breath.
This method of breathing can be easily learned within just a few practices.
You can practice Ujjayi breath throughout the entire Ashtanga yoga series and other yoga practices if you want to increase the lucidity of your practice.
As a great teacher once taught me, there’s really no reason to open the mouth during a yoga practice. The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating & drinking. (Intuitively, this makes sense as our noses have the ability to filter air whereas our mouths do not)
Here is a video of Kino McGregor teaching Ujjayi Pranayama:
Benefits of Ujjayi Pranayama include:
- increased concentration during practice
- more inward focus
- less distractions
- released tension
What benefits have you felt while practicing Ujjayi Pranyama?
11 Jun
2013
Meditation is a Lucid Practice
One of the better feelings one can come across is “pure meditation.” The closest I get to “pure meditation” is during savasana at the end of a yoga practice. Letting go of everything and being one with world is an awesome feeling.
Over time, I know meditation will aid in destroying ignorance, hate, and greed. From the practice, a great path emerges.
Many including myself at times have been led to believe that happiness can come from worldly fulfillments. When you are one with yourself, what job or material possession really matters?
When I get up from meditation, I see what really matters: the eternal gift of life. Nature starts to speak to me. Little things that I take for granted fill themselves up with beauty. I begin to see God in a lot of different places. I begin to see Love and Truth.
Do you have similar realizations during meditation and/or savasana?
-BL
1 Jun
2013
5/31 Quote: K. Pattabhi Jois
“With practice, all is coming.”
~ Krishna Pattabhi Jois
30 May
2013
Mitchel Bleier Yoga Practice
http://sarasyogajoint.com/mbyoga/asana1.mp3
“I’ve been practicing yoga since I was 18 and teaching since I was 19. In truth, my entire adult life has been shaped and influenced by yoga; by great teachers, practices, conversations, relationships, successes and failures. Now I am 35, and I would rather have my work speak as my credentials. So here you go, a free class to download and form your own opinions of me.” ~Mitchell Bleier
28 May
2013
The First Limb of Yoga – Yama
What is the first limb of yoga according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras?
Yama is first limb of yoga and it is as important if not more important as the asana (physical postures).
“Practice of asanas without the backing of Yama and Niyama is mere acrobatics.” -B.K.S Iyengar
The Yamas: Ethical disciplines. The Yamas represent a series of “right living.”
The Yamas are comprised of five principles that Patanjali listed in his Yoga Sutras:
1. Ahimsa: Nonviolence. The yogi sees all beings in the Self and the Self in all beings and therefore opposes violence and loses all fear. The yogi is stern with himself when dealing with his own faults but gentle with the faults of others.
2. Satya: Truth. Truth is God and God is Truth. Satya presupposes perfect truthfulness is thought, word, and deed. When the mind bears malice towards none, it is filled with charity towards all. The man firmly established in truth gets the fruit of his actions without apparently doing anything. God the source of all truth, supplies his needs and looks after his welfare.
3. Asteya: Non-stealing. Goes past not only taking what belongs to someone else. The yogi should reduce his physical needs to the minimum, believing that if he gathers things he does not really need, he is a thief. While other men crave for wealth, power, fame or enjoyment, the yogi has one craving and that is to adore the Lord. He who obeys the commandment Thou Shalt Not Steal, becomes a trusted repository of all treasures.
4. Brachmacharya: Life of celibacy, religious study and self-restraint. It is the battery that sparks the torch of wisdom. Without experiencing human love and happiness it is not possible to know divine love.
5. Aparigraha: To be free from hoarding. The yogi should feel that the collection of things implies a lack of faith in God and in himself to provide for his future. The yogi trains his mind not to feel the loss or the lack of anything. Then everything he really needs will come to him by itself at the proper time. Keep the mind in a state of equilibrium. Develop the capacity to remain satisfied with whatever happens to you. To those who worship Him alone with single minded devotion,which are in harmony with Him every moment, He brings full security. He shall supply all their wants and shall protect them forever.
Descriptions are from Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar.
How do you incorporate the Yamas into your daily practice on and off the mat?