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Communications - March, 2006.
Here you will find regular
communications from Vikasa Yoga that Ash sends out. Weekly emails include a recap
of what we did in the day's class. If you are new to Yoga, you are advised
to seek advise from a medical professional and learn from an experienced
yoga teacher before attempting any routines you find herein or on this site.
Use it at your own risk. You will find most of the routines gentle,
refreshing and rejuvenating. Read
precautions
before you start a practice. The purpose of making available these letters
on the web is for the convenience of those attending classes at Vikasa
Yoga and as a service to others who come across it. Names, where
applicable, are changed to respect privacy.
To Download Audio Files, right-click on links in the
weekly messages at the top-right corner of the message and choose 'Save
Target as' to save the file to a location on your computer. Then play the
file with your favorite media player installed on your computer or
download it to your portable MP3 player.
Click
subscribe to subscribe to weekly communications.
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These days where
multi-tasking is considered an essential skill, have
you taken the time to just sit down and let go of it
all? At the end did you miss anything during at all?
In all likelihood, you wouldn't have and would have
emerged much calmer and clearer. Nothing works
for efficacy as much as clarity; clarity is a
result of deep calmness within.
Nothing
what you do is too small:
During his speech at Gettysburg,
Abraham Lincoln, spoke just 273 words while taking
about 2 minutes to finish it. Earlier, Edward
Everett had given a keynote speech recounting all
of the civil war in over 2 hours. After the spech,
Lincoln turned to a friend and said 'That speech
won't scour! It is a flat failure and the people
are disappointed.' There was little applause by the
crowd after listening to a long speech earlier.
Edward Everett wrote him
a letter, telling him, 'I should be glad if I could
flatter myself that I came as near to the central
theme of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in
two minutes.' Those 273 words became the most
famous speech an American president ever would make.
Moral of the story: Don't think whatever it
is you are doing is small in any way. Continue to do
what you believe in. You need a super calm mind to
fully realize your potential. Practicing Yoga is a
sure-fire way to such Self-realization.
See you all this Saturday,
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March 22nd 2006
Class Audio
files 03/18/2006 9:00 AM
Namaste,
Upcoming Holidays: Please note there will be no Yoga classes
on April 15th (Saturday).
Last week we practiced 'Ajapa japa'. Japa is defined as
repetition of a mantra (sacred sound). Ajapa is spontaneity. Ajapa
japa is spontaneous repetition of a mantra, there is no effort is
such repetition. The repetition of the mantra results an incredible
one-pointedness and mental fluctuations are soothed away (Yoga and
Kriya - Swami Satyananda Saraswathi).
Why does a mantra bring about one-pointedness? If you analyze a day
in your life, you will see that there are times when you are
focused. The rest of the time the mind wanders pointlessly. Such
wandering only tires the mind and it becomes more and more difficult
to concentrate. With the uttering of the mantra, the mind is held
from such straying. The mantra also constantly reminds you of the
power that results in keeping the fluctuations of the mind to a
minimality.
Are you wondering, did I miss my most important Yoga class? Fret
not. The mantra is simple and that is the beauty of it. Mentally
utter the sound 'So' (S-o-o-o-o) as you inhale and the sound 'hum'
(H-a-m-m-m-m) as you exhale. These sounds are the natural sounds you
would hear when you breathe. Also 'So' means Him and 'hum' mean the
'I' within you. Thus you are constantly saying 'I am He' and
recognizing the power that resides in you. Think of this exercise as
positive re-inforcement in you; it is only more divine.
Hope you benefit with this technique as much as I do. Click class
audio link above to find an audio version of last week's class
(3/18/2006 09:00 AM) on the page.
See you all next week,
Ash Aragam, RYT
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March 16th, 2006
Namaste,
We all know that half an hour's worth of Yoga
practice makes you feel so much better. Yet, few of us can establish
a home practice that is key to sustaining the benefits. There are a
lot of reasons in today's liefstyle that keep you from the practice.
While the list can be long, the question is what can we do to help
set up a practice? Here are some tips.
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Keep your goals achievable. Don't aim for 30 minutes of practice daily. Aim
for 5 mins to start with. Once you feel the difference this
short practice can make, it becomes easy to delve into the
practice.
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Surround yourself
with the things that motivate you - this is a
common advice given to keep up your energy. Do the same with
Yoga! Keep one of those ubiquitous mats in sight in your
family/living room. The sight of it should tempt you into a
stretch.
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Read about Yoga: A good magazine like Yoga International doesn't cost much
but about $20 per year. There is so much to read in an issue
that such reading will take more than a few weeks to cover and
hence will be a constant motivator.
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Do you have a personalized home page with your favorite portal.
Then
subscribe to news feeds
about Yoga, health, body/mind - any category that instigates you
into thinking about Yoga.
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Get your spouse/partner/family/friends involved:
Going to a Yoga class with your spouse may not be always
possible. But knowing the benefits, urge your spouse to take a
class. Likewise get your kids, friends to attend a class or two.
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If you love and practice Yoga,
consider teaching
Yoga for a group you know or at a church/temple or gathering.
This helps yourself sustain a practice while benefiting others.
With half an hour of meditation we barely touch
the surface of Consciousness. The great Yogis of the past have all
spent a significant part of their life in getting to know this
awareness. With such an awareness, life becomes so crystal clear.
Setting up a personal practice is a beginning.
See you all this weekend. If you cannot make it,
you don't have to miss Yoga; spend 10 minutes during the weekend
practicing whatever you recall.
Regards,
Ash Aragam, RYT
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March 9th, 2006
Class Audio
files 03/04/2006 9:00 AM
10:30 AM;
Plymouth
Balvihar 03/05/2006 3:00 PM
Namaste,
The second Yama or restraint
that one needs to practice as part of Self-realization or Yoga is
the practice of Satya or Truth. Truth
not only applies to speaking, but also implies practicing truth in
action and thoughts. If you practice or do things that you shouldn’t
be doing, such acts result in your covering up and speaking the
non-truth. Gurudeva (Spiritual Guide)
Bodinatha speaks of three different
forms of
non-truth – one that arises out of fear as in the case of a
child being afraid of admitting a mistake; speaking falsehood to
entertain others; non-truth that has a purpose to cause harm to
others.
On a contrary note, non-truth when intended to prevent harm is
considered a practice of truth – like when you need to save a person
from pending personal danger. Talk to your children and give them
examples of these different types of truth to instill in them a
sense of right/wrong about truthfulness.
A common question that is heard among Yoga
teachers is how Yoga can cure common cold.
A practice of Yoga Kriya (kriya
means action) is ‘Jala
Neti’. This is the process of cleaning
the nasal passage with salt water. Jala
Neti – pronounced ‘ja-la
nay-thi’ – is one of the ‘Shatkarmas’;
the six methods of cleansing the body. You need a
Neti Pot this is a small pot with
a snout, the tip of which is meant to fit in a nostril. You prepare
warm water and add a teaspoon of common salt for every 30 oz of
water. This is best practiced near a sink. Tilt the head to a side
so that one nostril is pretty much horizontal. Insert the snout of
the pot into the nostril and let the water flow out of the other
nostril. You will have to keep the mouth open to permit breathing.
Initially you will find some discomfort. The addition of salt
reduces the discomfort of water getting in touch with the nostril
lining. Practice Jala Neti using the
other nostril also. Daily practice will help clean the nostril
passage of resident dirt, bacteria and hard-lined mucus and
stimulates the nerve endings in the nasal passage. You can find
detailed instructions and more information
here.
Click to find
audio version of your classes last week. Your referrals help
sustain my practice of Yoga and I hope that more people benefit from
my classes. You can get 7 weeks of classes FREE by referring a
qualifying person.
See you all next week,
Ash Aragam, RYT
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Ahimsa or Non-violence:
The first step of Raja Yoga is the practice of Yamas or
restraints. In chapter II of the Yoga Sutras, Sage Patanjali
describes the yamas as Ahimsa (Non-Injury), Satya (Truth), Asteya
(Abstention from stealing), Brahmacharya (Continence) and
Aparigraha (Abstinence from avariciousness). Of these Ahimsa, is
to abstain from injury or violence. Many people consider violence
as something inflicted on others. But ahimsa, when correctly
practiced, also covers practice of non-violence on oneself. Thus,
if you make a mistake don't blame yourself. By staying calm and
analyzing the mistake you will realize the cause of the mistake so
that you don't repeat it. Everyone, with no exception, makes
mistakes - however, small or big. Recognizing it without blaming
yourself and moving on is something you need to master.
Cleansing the physical body
is an important part of Hatha Yoga. With a healthy body it is
easier to conquer the mind. One of such cleansing techniques is
'Lagoo Shanka Prakshalana'. The word lagoo
translates to light and Shanka to 'conch' or shell. Prakshalana is
to wash thoroughly. The intestines is considered a shell with its
cavernous and coiled shape. The technique is intended to encourage
normal functioning of the intestines.
The technique should be practiced on
an empty stomach early in the morning. You prepare six cups of
warm water (1 cup = 8 oz) and add 2 1/4 teaspoons of salt to it
and completely dissolve the salt. Drink two cups and practice 8-10
times of the following asanas (described briefly below) that we
practiced in the last class.
- Toe raise with hands up
- Side bend with arms up
- Standing (churning) wheel - swing
arms as you twist to each side
- Seated squat twist
- Cobra with a twist
In all the above asans, the idea is to
work the intestines/tummy. Repeat the two steps 2 more times. The
salt water and the moving of the intestines acts as a natural
laxative to cleanse the digestive system. The salt in the water
creates a high osmotic pressure, much higher than pure water,
preventing absorption and allowing the salt water to flush through
the system. Note: If you have any heart
conditions, check with your doctor for an opinion.
Regards and see you next week,
Ash Aragam, RYT
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Copyright (c) Vikasa Yoga 2004. All rights reserved. |
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