Thursday, 4 September 2014
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
5 Things You Should be Learning in Yoga Class (but Probably Aren’t).
I took classes several times a week for years, always paying attention to my teachers, but some seriously important information about yoga was simply never discussed.
When I went through my teacher training eight years after my very first yoga class, I was shocked to realize that I actually had no idea what yoga really was about: not only had I been practicing in ways that were more harmful than helpful for eight whole years, but I felt like I had missed out on experiencing something deeper.
I’ve since learned of yoga’s potent powers, which can be attained if we practice correctly and understand the target we’re after. When we dedicate so many hours to yoga every week, shouldn’t we be making the absolute most of it?
Whether you’re a beginner or have an established practice, here are the principles no student should miss:
1. Practice yoga on an empty stomach.
Firstly, this means waiting four hours after a heavy meal and at least one hour after a light meal (such as fruit). Our digestive systems need a lot of energy to function properly. It follows that redirecting that energy to yoga postures can disrupt digestion. And since digestion is the cornerstone of health, practicing yoga on a full stomach could negate the health benefits you’re after.
Secondly, don’t drink anything a half hour before or after your practice. It’s also not a good idea to sip water throughout a class (although styles like hot and bikram yoga that induce sweating may advise otherwise).
2. The best time to do yoga is in the morning before breakfast.
This is when your stomach is inevitably empty- as it should be when doing yoga. It’s also a way to prevent injury. Our bodies are naturally more stiff when we first wake up than at the end of a day’s activity making it unlikely to overstretch. Morning joint and muscle stiffness will begin to subside as you develop your practice.
The two hours leading up to sunrise, named brahmamuhurta in Sanskrit, are especially conducive to yoga and meditation. This is when the atmosphere is pure and quiet. The mind is relatively empty of thoughts, alert and fresh. You may feel more determined to take on challenging asanas (yoga postures) in the morning than you do at the end of a long day.
The second best time to practice is around sunset, when yoga can relieve fatigue from a hard day’s work. It’s a wonderful way to relax and unwind. However, an evening practice will limit you as some yoga postures and breathing exercises are too invigorating and stimulating to do before sleep.
Though morning and evening are best, yoga can be practiced at any time of day as long as you adhere to the guidelines on eating and drinking. It may not be realistic for you to wake up at five AM to do yoga. You will benefit no matter when you choose to practice, so find a time that works for you and be consistent, practicing around the same time every day. Yoga will naturally become part of your daily routine as regularity creates discipline.
3. Each yoga posture has a purpose and benefits.
Even those who have never practiced yoga know that it makes the body flexible. However, this is only one of its many physical effects. Yoga’s benefits go far beyond flexibility, reaching the deepest layers of the body.
Every asana, or yoga posture, has a physical purpose. Each one targets some area of the internal body; stimulating organs and glands so that they properly function, strengthening muscles, or improving joint mobility. They bear effect on all body systems: nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, digestive, respiratory, urinary and reproductive.
Many asanas target the spine in some way. After all, yogis say that you’re only as young as your spine is healthy. Most yoga postures make the spine strong, supple, and flexible; all the while improving circulation and nourishing the nervous system.
A well-rounded yoga sequence will have positive effects on the entire internal body.
Yoga might strike an uninformed student as an obscure game of twisting and convoluting the body, but once you know the vast physical benefits of the poses, you’ll probably be more enthused to continue your practice.
4. We can get so much more out of yoga than just exercise—it’s actually a spiritual practice.
Yoga is undeniably a phenomenal form of exercise. It improves the functioning of all body systems without putting unnecessary stress on the body. It’s powerful effects are not limited to the physical, however; nor is its ultimate goal restricted to the body alone. Yoga is a science with a spiritual aim, meant to bring us to a higher state of awareness.
Yoga is considered a sadhana, or spiritual practice. It’s not simply exercise but a deep, vast science that traditionally incorporates many practices to raise consciousness and awareness. Traditional yoga includes poses and postures as well as ethical codes for living, meditation, breath control, ritual, mantra and pure diet.
It teaches us how to harmonize our bodies with mind and soul. Yoga is concerned with the inner self, a higher consciousness, and the goal of self realization or enlightenment. Yoga’s ultimate aim is to guide us to true happiness and everlasting bliss.
If you only do yoga for a workout and aren’t interested in it’s spiritual effects, your practice will still have a positive influence on your health. But it’s important to know that a greater yogic philosophy exists should you choose to learn it in order to make the most of your practice.
5. Practicing with awareness is imperative.
This includes being conscious of the sensations throughout the body, the posture itself, the synchronization of breath with movement, and noticing any thoughts or feelings that may arise. In the beginning it may feel like asanas are only concerned with the physical because they focus on movement of the body, but when done with awareness they influence and harmonize all levels of being- physical, mental, emotional, psychic, pranic (life force) and spiritual. It’s tempting to let the mind wander to all manner of affairs when you’re practicing, but being mindful and observant is essential to receive yoga’s maximum benefits.
It would be a shame to miss out on yoga’s greatest effects. Knowing how and why to practice make all the difference in taking yoga from a workout to a means of being our best selves, inside and out.
Via Julie Bernier
Reference:Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. Monday, 1 September 2014
9 Rules Every Yoga Teacher Should Follow.
9 Rules Every Yoga Teacher Should Follow...
Nine simple things that every yoga teacher can do to make class a little bit more awesome.
Rule 1: Pay Attention to me!
Most yoga teachers really like yoga and also happen to be very good at it. These traits, however, do not mean that I’m taking your class to watch you be awesome. If that’s what I was seeking, I’d flip on your youtube channel. Please don’t forget the real, live, disgustingly sweaty people right there behind you. So, goddamnit, pay attention to us!
The best teachers strike a balance between showing off their mad skills and watching students struggle to get the little things right. They use their strength and ability to demonstrate or highlight certain aspects of a pose rather than to show off a one-handed side crow headstand that they’ve been working on in their Super-level eight goddess class.
If I leave class thinking, “Wow, that teacher was sooo good at yoga,” then something went horribly wrong. I should walk by the treadmills on my way out of the gym thinking, “Wow, I am freaking awesome at yoga. Suck it, runners!”
Rule 2: Introduce yourself to your students:
Loyal readers of mine will remember that I’m working on introducing myself. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t introduce yourself to me first.
All it takes is a one second conversation in which the teacher comes over and says, “Hey, I’m [insert hippie name]. Have you done yoga before? Any questions? Namaste, bro.” Boom. Instant openness and camaraderie.
However, since we’re preaching mindfulness here, just remember to be mindful of your junk:
3. Ignore Anything You Weren’t Supposed to See.
Look, things happen in yoga classes. Like the time I saw the entire left ball of the guy practicing next to me. Or how every time I jump from a standing fold into a push up, my shirt flies up a little bit, exposing the lower portion of my back (aka the upper portion of my ass). Look, I realize that the teacher is going to see everything that’s going on down there. Maybe he or she will even give it a once or twice over to size me up. Totally cool. There’s just no need to draw attention to the fact that I’ve got a little hair down there. Or that my love handles make twisting poses slightly more difficult.
How about we just agree to keep a few things between us?
In other words, maybe the moment my naked back and partially naked ass are exposed is not the best time for you to do that adjustment. You know the one. It’s when you grab my hips and pull them back or rest your hand on the sweaty small of my back and push with all your might. Yeah, save that for my first down dog. Just before the sweating starts.
I suspect we’ll both be happy with that agreement.
4. If you’re gonna Om, Om loudly.
At first, I admittedly did not like chanting “om.” Now, I can tolerate it. Maybe sometimes it’s kind of nice. Oh whatever. You caught me. I like it. So what. This isn’t the place for judgment.
Listen up, teachers: If you’re going to start with an Om, then do so with gusto-mmmm. Trust me, the class will follow your lead. But if you are timid and mousy with your om, then guess what? Your class will be quiet and timid and self-conscious when they holla’ back.
Also—and this is admittedly quite selfish of me—I’m 100 percent tone-deaf, so if you say it loud and say it proud, then I can join in without others noticing that I am the discordant MF’er ruining spiritual bliss.
5. Remember my name and use it.
We’ve already agreed that introductions are key. Well, that’s the easy part. The hard part is remembering those names and then using them throughout class. A deftly timed “Nice job, Bikram,” or “Sweet crow, Baba,” or “Pull your hips back, Tara” really pulls those people into the class.
But surprisingly, even when the teacher refers to someone else by name, I find that I try harder.
I’m all, “I want that too.” “Hey look at me!” “Don’t you think my crow is good?” “I’m trying so hard over here, you guys!”
Even a “whoa, looking a little sweaty, Rob” wins me over. Or, if you want to ignore rule three, I’ll even take an “I can see a little bit of your ass crack, Rob. Pull up your pants, you disgusting slob.”
6. Go easy on the Rumi, okay?
Oh wow, you studied at an Ashram in India! And then you memorized all of Rumi’s quotes? You don’t say! That’s amazing!!! Sincerely.
But you know who doesn’t even know what an Ashram is? Guess who never took English 101 in college and doesn’t understand “quotes”? Oh yeah, that’s right! This guy.
That doesn’t mean you have to give up on Rumi altogether. What it means is that you should feel free to explain things to me. Even the stuff that seem painfully obvious. Because when you say a quote and then say, “well that speaks for itself,” what I’m thinking is “No. That doesn’t speak for itself. I hate this stupid class. I don’t get it. Wah wah wah poor me.”
While I’m thinking that, I’m sitting there nodding my head pretending to look like I have the slightest clue what you’re saying. Then I start thinking, “Damn, I bet she smoked a toooonnnnn of a pot in college. That’s so hot.”
7. Come On, Speak English.
For the first three months I practiced yoga, I mistakenly thought every Sanskrit word meant Savasana. For any non-yoga people reading this, Savasana is a made up word that literally translates to “lie on the floor while thinking about everything you were supposed to do today but didn’t.”
Yoga teachers of America, you know how to fix that problem? Just speak English. We all understand English (except the Latvian woman who sometimes comes to that Vinyasa flow class on Wednesdays), so everyone will be on the same page when you say “Do crow.”
An added benefit: You may avoid that tattoo in Sanskrit. The one you think means, “Peaceful Warrior” but actually means, “judgmental douchebag” Oops!
8. Be Considerate of Your Diverse Class When Giving Instructions.
So what if your class is usually all hot limber women? I’m here now, and I’d like to feel welcome, too! In order to make everyone feel at home, yoga teachers should give instructions that are mindful of the entirety of the class, not its largest component.
So no more “put this block under your bra strap,” or “you should feel a good stretch in your vagina.”
9. Make Class Fun!
This goes without saying, but if I’m having fun, I’m not thinking about how much I hate the teacher for all of the horrible painful things she’s making me do. So make it fun.
One incredibly east way to make yoga more fun is by sharing this post with everyone you’ve ever met. And then following this blog at www.robpollak.com or on facebook.
By Rob Pollak.
Friday, 29 August 2014
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