Categories
Healthy Activities Healthy Living

Shin Rin Ryoku

A creek with lovely water sounds … and a tree stump making a perfect meditation location.  The air is fresh; sounds soothing; colors are vibrant yet relaxing.

My late father would have enjoyed the sounds of water flowing down this creek by the path nicely shaded by groves of 1000 years old redwoods.

Happy Fathers Day !

Categories
Healthy Living

To the Beach

Did you see this article called  “Spending 2 hours a week in Nature Promotes Health & Well-Being”? 

Been doing Doga out in nature for quite a while  … as our puppy had taught us that very finding before it was official scientific study.  Whether to the Beach or to the Forest, we find this time in nature to be so precious.

So where to this summer – to the Ocean?  or to the Mountains?  To the Forest? & when unable to get to those places physically, transport yourself in mind and spirit guided by your local lovely yoga teachers.  Namaste:)

Find more sand dollars to deposit into your spiritual bank through the practice.  When we do, we are truly rich … so richly blessed.

Down-&-Upward facing dog poses are hard to capture …

up & down I go …

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana

So fun chasing after this Shiva …

 

 

Sending you all love from magical Northern California:)

Categories
Healthy Living Yoga

Yoga citta vritta nirodha

It’s good to invest in yourself.  It’s not about consumerism and materialism but … it’s about how much you value your health.  When you have the mat, props and whatever investments into the practice, it’s harder to walk away.  We are basically frugal beings and not wasteful.  So to avoid being wasteful, once we invest in the basics of good quality mat (equivalent to quality shoes for runners) and your comfortable yoga wear, we are more committed.  More committed, more invested we are in … ourselves.  So for that reason, I wish I had a yoga wall installed by Jason Cull in our home !  But next best thing might be that we can just run over to the local yoga studio with friendly staff and teachers who warmly welcomes you.

The Great Wall at Yoga Health Center – just hanging out !

Great Wall is Great for our Backs (& mind:)

Did you know the heart health – (gentle) yoga link?  Here are some articles by reputable Universities:

John Hopkins Medical – Click Here;

Harvard Medical School – Click Here;

Niroga Institute – an article co-written by Kaiser researcher MD Ai Kubo who is also a well known yoga teacher in East Bay – Click Here:)

There are counter-indications with some yoga poses and also some styles of yoga are not suitable for those living with a heart disease as the yoga referred to here are more gentle in nature.  Again, yoga is NOT a cure of course but the practice is beneficial in that it awakens and boosts the healing powers that resides within each of us.  At least, that’s my belief from witnessing the befores and afters.

Taught 3 classes yesterday – First class, mostly vinyasa; second, a Yoga Wall class where I served as a sub for a Iyengar style teacher I highly respect. ; then third class, a gentle combo yin class.  Seemed like an ideal day where different styles of yoga addressed what needed attention in each.   I especially appreciated a student in the vinyasa class who shared with me how much she missed her yoga teacher of 10 years who moved to Hawaii and how excellent this teacher was.  She raved about this teacher from her past – and while probably no-one likes to be compared as that pokes at our insecurities, I actually felt happy that she shared her thoughts.  All I had was gratitude for her past teacher I don’t even know who no longer teaches locally … as this student’s first yoga teacher, this teacher implanted this student’s seeds – this love for this practice.  How cool is that !??? I felt this responsibility to not let this student down.  Still, I cannot teach what I don’t practice so … back to the mat.  Maybe one of the teachings should be that of “impertinence” and acceptance of stages in one’s timeline and how to best adapt, learn and grow.

Trying to get away from saying such ??? things as …

I used to be able to do this or that (insert – yoga pose).

I often hear that from students but I myself caught myself saying the above – such a losing statement.  So you used to be able to bring your toes behind your head and bind this and that.  That’s nice.  How good was that really for your body? And mind?  Did it lead to quieting the chatters in your mind or did it lead to elevating your ego? (or to a massage table and a doctor’s office?)  It’s one thing to challenge ourselves and feel joy in achieving our goals … it feels great to witness our own transformations.  So we set those intentions and vow our affirmations to lead us to our higher self … but it’s another to lament the lost or past glories or be stuck and attached to past laurels.  What’s past is past; what’s lost is lost … or is it?  Today is a new day.

So today, it’s about today.  It’s about now.