Month: August 2016

Mayurasana… gravity defying and floating ? If not possible due to stress to the wrists – carpal tunnel at risk* – and arms, lack of strength, no worries, there are modifications for us mortals, the non-gymnasts:) You can still get benefits of the modified version. Honestly, some of the acrobatic poses often showcased on facebook or magazine covers are not body-temple friendly …It’s like – Move Over, Spiritual Yogis, it’s the Olympics.

Just like seeing and hearing things that are not developmentally appropriate for kids or built&fusing/structurally unwise for some, some poses look cool but the risks do outweigh the benefits – some people may actually hurt themselves. When advance poses give a student an inspiration, a motivation to explore, that’s one thing, but if it makes students go into this turn off, shut down, inferiority complex or self-criticism and judgement mode, it’s not healthy. That’s when some drop yoga and take up pilates, barr class or dancing instead …Tai Chi, Qui Gong but please know there are deeper long lasting benefits when you practice yoga beyond the asanas (postures). Stick with it; that’s the key. Repetition is good for our neural pathways:)

Above photos is Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau … from 1970.

(Interesting to note : *women are three times more likely to get Carpal Tunnel syndrome than men …perhaps a flight, a form of flying using our “imagination” is more critical than the actual form…)

Another world leader here in Cobra …

But I love this the most – Trees ! Justin Trudeau with his wife and another teacher …growing a tree – a maple tree?

It’s been reported Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used to practice meditation at a Zen temple once a month for about five years from his resignation in 2007 to his comeback in 2012. It clears the mind; it clears the path.

Yet see the big stick the monk uses to correct if one deviates? Whenever one fidgets, wiggles, moves … whenever loss of concentration is obvious, a hit. SOOOO, that’s not my yogic way. The physical, asana portion (one eighth of the yoga methods) gets our body to release tension, coils and knots so that, we can meditate with more ease and comfort. The asana (physical posture taking) portion is just one aspects of yoga and done so that we can get to the ultimate goal of yoga – to still the mind and live in the here and now through meditation. Just sitting serenely counting the breath usually does not work for most of us with a physical body and an agitated mind.

Prime Minister, a yogi … so very cool.
& according to a beautiful Canadian yogini I met last week, his dad was also a yogi and a martial artist (judo?).
Soooo contrasting to our Presidential candidates, although it’s been reported that Hillary practices yoga – she must with all the stress she carries – and for that, she gets my approval:)
The joke is if a certain candidate becomes the President of the free world, Canada may have to put up a wall to block Americans fleeing, crossing the border into their democratic country.

Here’s a picture of the very first, original, flagship Lululemon store where yoga was taught upstairs from the retail store downstairs … The store has a down-to-earth feel which evokes the Height Ashbury Flower Children era-ish – 60’s “groovy” designs? Apparently they are moving into a larger, more updated and sleek store being built down the street.

It looked to be a happy place:)