Niyana ; Patanjali sutras

Niyama View this email in your browser

We continue with the Patanjali Sutras  and the second Limb                  Niyamas - The Yogic way of living The foundation limbs of Patanjali’s eight-fold path of yoga, yama and niyama, create a solid foundation and strong container for the yogini to move into the deeper stages of yoga with focus, inner-strength, and success. Practicing the Yamas and Niyamas is a journey and process. Take one step, one Yama or Niyama at a time and proceed with compassion and without worry of perfection. As Swami Sri Kripalvanandaji said, ” When you pick one petal from the garland of yamas and niyamas, the entire garland will follow.” The practice of the five niyamas ask us to embrace cleanliness and contentment, to purify ourselves through heat, to continually study and observe our habits, and to surrender to something greater than ourselves. Shaucha (purification) is a central aim of many yogic techniques, and is the first principle of Patanjali’s five Niyamas. The yogis discovered that impurities in both our external environment and our internal body adversely affect our state of mind, and prevent the attainment of real wisdom and spiritual liberation. The practices of asana, pranayama , kriryas and meditation cleanse and purify the body and mind, as well as strengthening their capacity to maintain a pure state of being. We also consciously work at surrounding ourselves with a pure environment (including food, drink, friends, entertainment, home furnishings and transportation) to not add any external impurities back into our bodies or minds.  Practice Clearing the mind and Focus   : Candle Gazing Samtosha (contentment) is not craving for what we do not have as well as not coveting the possessions of others. The yogis tell us that when we are perfectly content with all that life gives us, then we attain true joy and happiness. It is easy for the mind to become fooled into thinking that we can attain lasting happiness through the possession of objects and goods, but both our personal experience and the teachings of the sages prove that the happiness gained through materialism is only temporary. Practicing contentment frees us from the unnecessary suffering of always wanting things to be different, and instead fills us with gratitude and joy for all of life’s blessings. Letting go of the EGO. Practice : Spring clear out Tapas (asceticism) is a yogic practice of intense self-discipline and attainment of will power. Basically, Tapas is doing something you do not want to do that will have a positive effect on your life. When our will conflicts with the desire of our mind an internal “fire” is created which illuminates and burns up our mental and physical impurities. This inner fire can also be used as a source of spiritual energy; the yogis say the sole practice of Tapas can lead to the release of kundalini and attainment of enlightenment. Tapas transforms and purifies us as well as enables the conscious awareness and control over our unconscious impulses and poor behaviour. Tapas builds the will power and personal strength to help us become more dedicated to our practice of yoga . Practice : Nadi Shodhana balance IDA and PINGALA  connect with your will power Svadhyaya (self-study) is the ability to see our true divine nature through the contemplation of our life’s lessons and through the meditation on the truths revealed by seers and sages.  Life presents an endless opportunity to learn about ourselves; our flaws and weaknesses give us the opportunity to grow and our mistakes allow us to learn. Examining our actions becomes a mirror to see our conscious and unconscious motives, thoughts, and desires more clearly. The yogic practice of Svadhyaya also involves the study of sacred and spiritual texts as a guide to our interior world where our true self resides. Self-study requires both seeing who we are in the moment and seeing beyond our current state to realize our connection with the divine. Practice : Leading to questions “WHO AM I” Ishvara Pranidhana (devotion) is the dedication, devotion, and surrender of the fruits of one’s practice to a higher power. This Niyama fuses two common aspects of yoga within it: the devotion to something greater than the self and the selfless action of karma yoga. Patanjali tells us that to reach the goal of yoga we must dissolve our egocentric nature and let go of our constant identification with ourselves. To do this, our yoga practice and all of the benefits we may receive from our practice must be seen as an offering to something greater than ourselves. Through this simple act of dedication we become reminded of our connection to our higher power, and our yoga practice becomes sacred and filled with grace, inner peace, and abounding love. It is an invitation to stop clinging and therefore to learn to trust ourselves.   Practice : Be in stillness , even if it is just a few minutes a day

Opening ourselves out to Face the World

Opening ourselves out to Face The World View this email in your browser

Ustrasana yoga  - Camel Back bending Asana - Turning ourselves out to face the world.They are stimulating and extroverting. As they expand the chest , they encourage the inhalation to embrace life. These are dynamic postures require strength and energy to move towards them Contraindications and Cautions     •    High or low blood pressure     •    Migraine     •    Insomnia     •    Serious low back or neck injury Beginner's Tip Beginners very often aren't able to touch their hands to their feet without straining their back or neck. First, try to turn your toes under and elevate your heels. If this doesn't work, the next thing to do is to rest each hand on a block or chair legs with the seat towards your waist. Position the blocks just outside each heel, and stand them at their highest height (usually about 9 inches). If you're still having difficulty, get a chair. Kneel for the pose with your back to the chair, with your calves and feet below the seat and the front edge of the seat touching your buttocks. Then lean back and bring your hands to the sides of the seat or high up on the front chair legs. Benefits     •    Stretches the entire front of the body, the ankles, thighs and groins,     •    Abdomen and chest, and throat     •    Stretches the deep hip flexors (psoas)     •    Strengthens back muscles     •    Improves posture     •    Stimulates the organs of the abdomen and neck Modification and Props Ustrasana can be a very difficult pose for the neck, especially if your shoulders are tight. Use blocks or a chair.. In pregnancy use a chair with the seat next to the sacrum, arms holding the legs and open the heart centre. Theraputic Applications     •    Respiratory ailments     •    Mild backache     •    Fatigue     •    Anxiety     •    Menstrual discomfort Preparatory Poses     •    Bhujangasana     •    Dhanurasana     •    Salabhasana     •    Setu Bandha     •    Supta Virasana     •    Urdhva Mukha Svanasana     •    Virasana Follow-up Poses     •    Dandasana     •    Dhanurasana     •    Sarvangasana     •    Setu Bandha     •    Sirsasana     •    Urdhva Dhanurasana     •    Virasana         Before practicing come in touch with your foundation and with this asana will be your knees. I like to place the long side of a block on my sternum to encourage the cage ( thoracic spine supporting the block lightly with your hands) to open and the the lumber spine not to contract too much. With back bends we need to open the cage, therefore Ujjiah breathe is important here. Backbends require exhalations to move into. As you breathe towards the block the cage opens as the sternum lifts, starting the beautiful and safe arch of the spine. Step 1 Kneel on the floor with your knees hip width and thighs perpendicular to the floor ( can use a blanket under the knees). Rotate your thighs inward slightly, narrow your hip points, and firm but don’t harden your buttocks. Keep your outer hips as soft as possible. Press your shins and the tops of your feet firmly into floor. At this stage use the block to access how you are feeling, the inhalation towards the block allowing the cage to widen. If all ok. Repeat with out the block, but visualise that it is still there and move to step 2. Remember to use child pose as a modification when needed Step 2 Allow the hands to rest along side the body, can practice with toes tucked under. Use the breath to guide you as you allow the sternum  and tail forward towards the pubis. Make sure though that your front groins don’t lean backwards. To prevent this, can use a block in between thighs back. Inhale and lift your heart by pressing the shoulder blades against your back ribs. Step 3 For the time being keep your head up, chin near the sternum, and your hands, either in pray next to Anahata , over the head to encourage the flanks of the body to open or arms along side the body. When you feel you are ready ,allow the hands to move toward your feet. Can have the toes tucked under, flat or to have a chair behind you and allow the hands to touch the chair legs. Beginners probably won’t be able to drop straight back into this pose. With the inhalation move towards touching the feet ,simultaneously while keeping the thighs perpendicular to the floor. Step 4 See that your lower front ribs aren’t protruding sharply toward the ceiling, which hardens the belly and compresses the lower back. Release the front ribs and lift the front of the pelvis up, toward the ribs. Then lift the lower back ribs away from the pelvis to keep the lower spine as long as possible. Press your palms firmly against your soles (or heels),or chair, with the bases of the palms on the heels and the fingers pointing toward the toes. Turn your arms outwardly so the elbow creases face forward, without squeezing the shoulder blades together. You can keep your neck in a relatively neutral position, neither flexed nor extended, or drop your head back. But be careful not to strain your neck and harden your throat. Step 5 Stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute. To come out bring your hands away from your feet, props ,apply mulha and Uddiyana Bandha. Inhale and lift the head and torso up by pushing the hip points down, toward the floor. If your head is back, lead with your heart to come up, not by jutting the chin toward the ceiling and leading with your brain. Take your time.  Rest in Child’s Pose for a few breaths. Deepen the Pose You can increase the challenge of Ustrasana by performing the pose with your thighs, calves, and inner feet touching.

Asana of the Month Gahruedahsanna

(gah-rue-DAHS-anna) Garuda = the mythic “king of the birds,” the vehicle of Vishnu. The word is usually rendered into English as “eagle,” though according to one dictionary the name literally means “devourer,” because Garuda was originally identified with the “all-consuming fire of the sun’s rays.” Props : Can use a block to balance leg that will cross over. This is also advisable if you are Pregnant.   Stand in Tadasana. Bend your knees slightly, lift your left foot up and, balancing on your right foot, cross your left thigh over the right. Point your left toes toward the floor, press the foot back, and then hook the top of the foot behind the lower right calf. Balance on the right foot. The Pelvis needs to be in alignment and the Knee that is crossed in line with the navel. If this is challenging then use the block. Remember to leave the ego off the mat. Stretch your arms straight forward, parallel to the floor, and spread your scapulas wide across the back of your torso. Cross the arms in front of your torso so that the right arm is above the left, then bend your elbows. Snug the right elbow into the crook of the left, and raise the forearms perpendicular to the floor. The backs of your hands should be facing each other. Press the right hand to the right and the left hand to the left, so that the palms are now facing each other. The thumb of the right hand should pass in front of the little finger of the left. Now press the palms together (as much as is possible for you), lift your elbows up, and stretch the fingers toward the ceiling. Focus in between the eyebrows and the colour Purple. Allow the breathe to guide you. Can Breathe in 4 counts and breathe out 4 counts Stay for 15 to 30 seconds, then unwind the legs and arms and stand in Tadasana again. Repeat for the same length of time with the arms and legs reversed. Pose Information Sanskrit Name Garudasana Pose Level 1 Contraindications and Cautions Students with knee injuries should avoid this pose, or perform only the leg position described in the Beginner's Tip below. Modifications and Props Beginning students often find the balance in this pose very unstable. As with all standing balancing poses, you can use a wall to brace and support your back torso while you’re learning to balance. Deepen the Pose Look at the tips of your thumbs once you're in the full pose. Typically the thumb tips point a little bit off to the side of the upper arm. Press the mound of the upper thumb into the bottom hand and turn the thumb tips so they point directly at the tip of your nose. Theraputic Applications Asthma Low backache Sciatica Preparatory Poses Adho Mukha Svanasana Gomukhasana Prasarita Padottanasana Supta Virasana Supta Baddha Konasana Upavistha Konasana Virasana Vrksasana Follow-up Poses Garudasana is usually sequenced near the end of the standing pose series. The arm position in the pose is particularly useful in teaching how to widen the back torso in inverted poses like Adho Mukha Vrksasana and Sirsasana. Other follow-up poses might include: Gomukhasana Utkatasana Vrksasana Beginner's Tip Beginners often find it difficult to wrap the arms around until the palms touch. Stretch your arms straight forward, parallel to the floor, while holding onto the ends of a strap. Follow the rest of the instructions stated in step 2 above and keep the strap taut between your hands. Beginners also find it difficult to hook the raised-leg foot behind the standing-leg calf, or block and then balance on the standing foot. As a short-term option cross the legs but, instead of hooking the raised foot and calf, press the big toe of the raised-leg foot against the floor to help maintain your balance. Benefits Strengthens and stretches the ankles and calves Stretches the thighs, hips, shoulders, and upper back Improves concentration Improves sense of balance Variations Here's a challenging variation of Garudasana. From the pose as described above, exhale and lean your torso into a forward bend, pressing the forearms against the top-leg thigh. Hold for a few breaths, then come up with an inhalation. Repeat on the second side.

New Class : Gong Bath : Workshops

                              New Class :  Gong Bath :  Workshops

New Class: Tuesday 1st Septemeber 20:30 - 21:30

Baptist Church Wellington Road

GONG BATH 

16th October & 4th December

United Reformed Church

So, what is a gong bath? Quite simply, it's sound therapy. You lie on a mat in a darkened room filled with other 'gong bathers'. The person or people giving the session play the gong, sound bowl, wind chimes and various other instruments for over an hour. The vibrational sound and frequency of the gong takes you into a deep meditative state. Once finished you chant and leave feeling energised and cleansed.

If you think that sounds amazing, there's more. The gong bath takes you into such a deep meditative state, strange things start to happen. I felt like I had been blown across the floor by the first crescendo of the gongs. I hadn't, but such is the power of the sound bath. My meditation involved a lot of water. I saw fast flowing water and concentric circles galore. The gongs kept going. I felt like I wanted to get up and dance. And then we started to come down. The gongs were less frantic, we were brought back into the room. The gongs ended. We sat up and chanted. It was over.

                                      Prenatal Partner Workshop 26th September 

                                                         

"When the contractions started proper Steve and I found the skills we had learnt during the partner class so valuable, and my breathing exercises helped to keep me clam and focus my energy in the right place"

 

"The yoga positions and breath really helped in the first part of my labour and my husband even piped up 'Remember to think about the flame' (that we did at the couples session ) which was a really useful focusing technique". 

                                  Yoga Workshops  : 14th November , 5th December

Prana, Bhandha , Liberation

Wordless Wednesday

                                                     WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

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                                                    STILLNESS SPEAKS

Wordless Wednesday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY