Practicing yoga while listening to Native American Indian music
I just finished a yoga session that I performed while listening to some Native American Indian music, specifically a CD named "Songs from the Fourth World". I turned off all the lights, closed the blinds (and of course it's still light here in Alaska), and set up the speakers around me, and listened to the songs while working the different poses.
I managed to aggravate my ailing stomach, but other than that, this was really a very peaceful and wonderful way to practice yoga, and close out the day.
"Yoga survivor" t-shirt
As I deactivate my Facebook account, the ironic thing is that I'm moving information I posted there privately out here in the public. One thing I wanted to post here is an idea I had for a t-shirt last summer. The phrase is very simple, "Yoga Survivor". The idea came to me based on (a) my own struggle with some Yoga poses, and (b) a drawing I saw of several Yoga students who had bandages for various injuries, broken bones, canes, walkers, etc.
You need to trust your environment while meditating
A thought occurred to me last night as I was meditating, and it's very simple: You have to be able to trust your environment when you're meditating, or you won't be able to get into a deep meditative state.
The female to male yoga student ratio
Just a fleeting observation here, but I wonder why the ratio of female to male yoga students in the classes I have attended is so high? My guess is that on average there are eight female students for every male student, but it may be a little lower, perhaps 5 to 1.
But even at that rate I wonder why so many more women are open to yoga than men? Is it just this area (Kentucky), or is there something about yoga that attracts more women than men?
Yoga, and staying aware
As I'm getting ready to move back to Alaska soon, I found myself paying great attention to my yoga instructor's words during class last night. At one point she said something like this: "A part of yoga is about spreading your awareness throughout your body. So when you're in a pose, don't think about just the part we seem to be working on, but also go back and check your other body parts. Are your feet planted firmly on the floor? Is your weight balanced evenly? Are you maintaining length in your stretches? How is your breathing? Is your face relaxed?"
A nice yoga and meditation rhythm
After getting away from meditating in the mornings, I've finally gotten back into the habit/groove lately. It has taken a little while to get comfortable again, but this morning was the first morning where I had the old feeling that I didn't want to stop. Until today I've been thinking more about things like discomfort, pain, and that I should really get to work, but this morning I finally got back to the peace I'm used to.
Near vibration/OBE experience in yoga class
Just a quick note here that I came close to having the vibrations start during yoga class tonight when we did the "corpse pose" at the end of class. I could tell they were getting very close to happening, so I kept myself from relaxing any more, moving my arms and head several times.
I would love to be able to do this at the end of every yoga session I do at home (experience the vibrations and have an OBE), but at a class I don't want to freak out the rest of the class members, lol.
Consciousness endures
Ah, a nice morning of pleasant dreams, a terrific way to start any day. I was glad I could reach over, turn off the alarm clock, and go back to sleep until the dreams were over. I may not be incredibly wealthy, but many times I do think I am a fortunate person.
That being said ... the real reason for writing today's post is this quote from Iyengar's book, "Light on Life":
"What mind is and does dies with us. But consciousness is that aspect of mind, the envelope of continual awareness, which endures ..."
Leo Tolstoy's "The Three Hermits"
While on my retreat last week I finished a book titled Autobiography of a Yogi, and in that book the author shares a summary of the story The Three Hermits by Leo Tolstoy, and I'd like to share an even more abridged version of that story here:
On an island there lived three old hermits. They were very simple people, and didn't know complicated prayers. In fact they knew only one: "We are three, Thou art Thee, have mercy on us." In spite of this one and only prayer, the hermits were said to have created many great miracles.
Three nights at the TMBCC
I just spent the last three days (Thursday night through this morning) staying at a retreat cottage in the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center (TMBCC), formerly known as the Tibetan Cultural Center, and thought I'd leave a few notes here about the experience.
