Category: Healthy Activities

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Healthy Activities Healthy Living

Our Amazing Heart

IMG_3558Original cause of my late father’s demise – if only I had known what I know today …sometimes when one is in eye of the storm, we just cannot see so well.
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So here are some take-aways from Cardiovascular System Module. We learned that usually issues with the heart is at the peak of the pyramid of other abnormalities or dysfunction that had not been addressed. It’s a culmination of issues unresolved such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, low HRV, Leaky Gut Syndrome, various heart disease. The heart literally aches:

When we are not Present
When we abandon love and care
When we are fragmented
When we are disconnected

All the above, AND when we are not equipped with tools and techniques to “self-soothe”. The heart disease is a manifestation at the peak of the pyramids of cumulative imbalances. For some, heart issues could be something one is born with. Luckily, those people tend to have built up the resilience, having lived with it from birth and not a malaise that developed as a result of lifestyle choices. Disease tends to find lodging in our body as a result of series of “infinite insults” we inflict on ourselves. While not all are self-inflicted, the body endures many insults to such degree that it stops cooperating. Only when we learn to HONOR and APPRECIATE our body, our inner healer re-emerges to aid us. It’s through self love, not by fearing, shaming, berating our body with all its flaws … but to HONOR and CELEBRATE this body made in the image of God. That’s the first step on the healing journey.
IMG_3653Why the reason you have to deal with chronic stress – Yoga gives you the techniques and tools to manage stress and energy level better.IMG_3648
Heart – Heart – Heart – One can’t help but marvel at this amazing organ, developed first in the embryo state, a central unique muscle organ that moves 5-6 liters of blood with each heartbeat. That’s with one heart beat, the entire blood volume is put in motion. I always knew the importance of the heart but marveled at the more astral energetic aspects of this beating heart …

We learned that:

“Heart is more powerful than the brain.”
& our
“Cells need downtime for recovery.”

Common sense? Apparently not put in practice for many of us, where the Heart is treated as a mere pump to “work out”. It’s way way more than just a pump:

(1) Heart is electrical conduction system with electric impulses and looked at as an energy body, has 5000 times more powerful seat of electromagnetic energy field than brain’s.
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(2) It is a seat of compassion, kindness and LOVE.

IMG_3560IMG_3564IMG_3566All systems within us, are integrated and inter-connected and affects our heart health.

* All photo credit to Niroga Yoga Therapy TT module Cardiovascular Health & Yoga. This is a very small portion … still reviewing the material to digest it all – Digestive System module is still far-off !!!

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Healthy Activities Healthy Living Yoga

“Sense of Wholeness”

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Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life,
where you do not feel like you are constantly trying to fit broken pieces together.
– B.K.S. Iyengar

Here’s an article – Click Here.

And this …
It’s what the monks have known all along.

little princeRemember Little Prince? The scientist shows up wearing traditional tunic and not taken seriously; the same scientist shows up wearing a Western suit and tie and he’s applauded by the intelligentsia for his presentation. Sometimes it takes Harvard Medical Study for validation … as yoga and meditation (one and the same as yoga is comprised of 8 limbs of which meditation is ONE of the EIGHT) are legitimate “alternative” or “complementary” medicine.

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Healthy Activities Yoga

Teacher = Student

IMG_2877IMG_2878I was once talking to a Japanese chef about his days-off and when I joked how lucky for his wife that he’s a chef.  Then he said he never cooked at home.  Instead his joy was to eat out at different eateries to sample what other chefs were doing for inspirations.  Then I recalled my late-father used to say if I wanted to write well, I needed to read a lot in that language.  If I wanted to stay bilingual, I needed to read a lot in both languages …. SO… that’s what I did and still do.

On a similar trajectory, whenever we take a vacation, I always find a yoga studio on our trips and take couple of classes. I remain always a student to learn from others.  A small studio – literally a “room” – in Tahoe City did not disappoint.  I am sure if I lived in the neighborhood, I would frequent this place.  The week night restorative yoga had about 12 ladies ranging from 20’s to 60’s.  Again, quite different from a restorative class in Vancouver, Tokyo, New York or San Francisco, E. Bay or S. Bay … each class is completely different even though it’s defined “restorative” –  It’s just a genre, like a category of a book, each book is completely different even if they are all shelved in same “mystery” or “travel” or “fiction” sections for that type of books.  I let go of my tendencies to critique and judge and just took it all in – with an open mind, everything nourishes:)  We all learn from each other and in the end … it’s about holding space for the students and allowing them to find their own inner teacher, the ultimate healer if it’s meant to be.

There’s the notion out there that “advance” means “hard” “tough” or “difficult” and therefore better – kind of the bitter the medicine, the better idea of the era I thought past – whereas if it’s gentle, caring and tender –  it’s not as good for your self-advancement. Really? Such a brainwashed mindset full of ego and rajasic thinking.  It’s not about hard=good or easy=bad, is it ?  Is bitter = potent and effective? ; sweet = Not ? I thought it was about tending to the temple altar within…  In fact, gritting your teeth and striving for perfection can damage your health – let’s lighten up. Challenge ourselves to journey inward, away from the distractions. It might be quite a bit more challenging than getting your toes to touch the whatever body parts of your choice.  If that comes with ease and comfort – our breath is steady and liberating.  Then, yoga works.