Viewing entries tagged
body

1 Comment

Follow the mist

Keep your mind opened to possibilities

Ever-changing, I seem in this moment to be in the middle of a silent breath between states.

Just as there are many forms of life, I notice that it is common for people to tag a style of being in the world, which then closes them off to other inspirations that could come spontaneously, from afar or from within.

There is a misty quality to knowing I am on the right path, regardless of the unknown.

I follow the mist........

follow your own truth

There are uncountable ways to grow and evolve. Each has his or her own way, and to follow another's way is to not fully engaging with one's own inner guidance. I am influenced by many modes of thought but always, in the end, I follow my own visions. 

In fact, my yoga practice has taught me this as well.

1 Comment

Comment

Discipline: A spiritual practice

disciplined mind

I just returned from a Bikram yoga class. What sticks with me is not the power of enduring the heat, but the power of discipline to control the mind.

Bikram yoga, unlike the Vinyasa Flow yoga which I have 13 more years of experience with, has many rules that are not necessarily inherent in many people. In my life and in my yoga practice I am used to living organically, letting my life take me in a flow. When I am practicing yoga alone, I have no plans in advance for my practice. I let my yoga practice take me.

Sure, there is discipline required with many styles of yoga, such as Ashtanga. But the movement inherent in this active style, where you generate your own heat, and move your own prana makes for a more organic practice inately.

Back to Bikram. What I feel in these classes is the necessity for discipline, as I'm led along a distinct path and how the discipline itself becomes the spiritual practice.

 

stay present

It is important to notice where the mind goes in any yoga practice, but in Bikram it is more about needing to stay with the group, listen to the teacher on cue, not close your eyes, drink water only when told, rest in savasana over and over, to name a few

Comment

1 Comment

Life is a journey: Don't forget to be inspired

Life is a journey. I intend to make it worthwhile.

Be inspired

With regards to this journey it is not important what the venue, physical activity, or endeavor, or even the goal. What we make of our experience is what counts. What matters is the lessons that remain with us after we have completed whatever it is we do and how we integrate this knowledge in our hearts back into the society in which we live. It is a true life meditation to keep lessons we learn inside us and never let the magic die.

1 Comment

Comment

How to find your true power through injury

Without yoga ability, I learned

It is through an injury which brought me over my physical edge and left me unable to do my yoga practice and function in my life, that I was able to see my true power and find my true courage!

It was as if I quickly was shown what life would be like without the blessings I currently take for granted: my capable and amazing body. Through a significant injury I questioned, in a desperate way (as if the injury could be permanent), how can it be possible for me to maintain even a basic means of living? I learned how.

Our path teaches us lessons

I knew it was my path. Our path always teaches us lessons. So I tried to see this injury was a gift and I surrendered to it...

With my neck and twist intensive yoga practice I've come to rely on periodical chiropractic neck adjustments from an amazing man—a yogi, in fact—so that I could continue to do the yoga poses which brought me to the most spiritual places that were unheard of before I learned how. They truly are the key to me.

Comment

Comment

Why I love twists in yoga

Wring it out

My favorite yoga poses involve twists. The twisting action "wrings out" the toxins from the body. They feel so good! A good twist will move the fluid in the sacrum, crack a few joints and release a shot of prana quickly through the body that can easily be felt. An "ahh" or a smile is a natural reaction.

Twists are not just for yoga though. I do twists along with other activities as well to bring me into a sort of balance. I even choose a twist as my one yoga pose while taking a break from intense computer or desk work.

Twists feel especially good when I'm on a long hike, using the same muscle groups constantly, leaving me feeling a bit tight. I feel an immediate change in my posture and stance afterward, as the twisting action really balances me out.

So, stop what you're doing now and get on the ground and do a twist! You won't regret it.

Namaste.

 

© 2010 Yoga Robin®

Comment

Comment

Embodying our experiences

Embody all of your activities

Whether it be through yoga or through other means of moving the body such as hiking or surfing, our experience is embodied when we let our body absorb the essence of the movement allowing it to sink in to who we are. It is here that we no longer think with our mind and our ego, but feel with our mind-body. Here is where the magic begins.

Think now of the difference between hiking for two full months along a medieval trail mimicking the ley lines of the stars above vs. reading a book about the transformation of such a journey or path. Think now of the difference between surfing in the Pacific Ocean feeling the pure power of nature as it carries you to shore vs. watching a movie of someone else doing this and reading about their feelings of the experience.

The outcome of the experience cannot be easily described in words. The nature of it has the power to teach that silence, breathing, and being present with the experience are the true transforming powers.

The more awesome experiences in our lives are probably the ones that brought up the most fear in advance. What becomes torturous is putting ourselves into situations that force us to feel what we fear most. Surrendering and challenging our fear through boldness is the way, however, to crack open the secrets inside.

"Leap and the net will appear" (Zen saying).

 

Comment

Comment

Finding truth

Where are we from?

I see the universal truth like a tiny speck of sand that I can collect in a treasure box. I can cherish the treasure like my own life. When I crave the truth I can open it up and select the most valuable grain. The truth is sand and we are all part of it. Each of us has a part of the truth. We are all parts of a whole.

This idea is freeing. I can feel this freedom easily if I go for a long walk on the beach on a sunny day and pay attention to how each grain of sand reflects the sunlight and can be like stars, and how people can be those stars. With this knowledge, how can I worry about being alone? It is not possible. I am the first and the infinity. To imagine this is unbelievable in ways. When I evolve, the world evolves with me. Looking up into the sky knowing this, I feel such an incredible presence.

Yoga has helped me find my self

To express this most precious part of myself I have turned to my yoga practice. It has led me on my path, as I surrender to all of the answers in my body. Spiritual and psychological meaning is trapped in my body until I move it. It is through the movement during the yoga asanas that I have been able to find truth

Comment

Comment

The sacred in everyday life

I follow my fire

The poetic fire in my heart will undoubtedly lead the way as I feel my way through life guided by its sacred energy.

I am an eater of the "poisonous leaves of the plant" (John Welwood) in order to truly feel, and then become immune, as I invite intense situations to exacerbate them in order to see my boundaries. In doing so, it unlocks the vitality contained in the poisons—that which can help me maintain my connection with the earth, my passion, and everyday life.

Unlock the poisons

In other words, I go straight into the fire. Ideally, I see my path in life as an ineffable river that simply flows as I follow my instincts, moving my body and mind as if I am escorted as a puppet on a Divine string.

I see the sacred everywhere

I feel this sacred subtle presence moving through me in many facets of life. It is inherent in the elemental composition of my body, in my Hatha yoga practice, in my angelically guided path, in my connections to other beings, in my connections to myself and in my connections the Divine itself where I feel deep love in my heart.

I speak internally to this reality as “you”, knowing that although I move within the boundaries of different covering of layers, they are all one. I experience a vibrant warmth when knowing overcomes me and I can feel that it is actually sacred and much larger than myself, and I feel as if I am without a buffer between myself and my true nature.

Comment

Comment

Starting or getting motivated for a yoga practice

New yoga class

Are you new to yoga and hesitant to begin? Do you feel like you are the only one left who has never tried yoga?

Do you let an injury hold you back, and tell yourself, "I'll start when it's healed"? Do you feel like it would be too difficult? Do you feel it would be too boring?

Do you tell yourself you are not flexible enough, not strong enough, not spiritual enough?

Whatever the reason, I am here to tell you that there is no good reason to hesitate. Yoga comes in all shapes and sizes. There is a yoga practice for everyone. Start today!

There is no better time than the present to invest in your mind, body, heart and soul....

 

© 2010 Yoga Robin®

Comment

2 Comments

Yoga, what you do for me: A poem

poetic reality of yoga

you help me find my pure state of mind
you help me burn away layers of chatter with my fire
you help me fill gaps in ways that i can't get filled by anything
you help me stop fighting with myself within
you help me change energy into fuel
you help me open my eyes to see myself honestly
you help me witness patterns so they melt
you help stir the dust inside me
you help me open my heart
you help my mind become more fertile so it grows like grass
you help bring me to another plane of existence
you help me transform time
you help me float, fly, breathe under water in my imagination
you help me take a stand against my inhibitions
you help me find ...


the deepest parts of myself without fear...

you help me love my body

2 Comments