Coming back from a deep relaxation
I just came back out of one of those nice meditative experiences where I relax very, very deeply, and when I come out of it, it's just a joy to do something simple, like move a finger, and be amazed that I can move a finger.
Yoga helps me get into these states, both with all the stretching and focus during yoga, as well as the deep relaxation of the corpse pose at the end of a yoga session.
FAQ's
Q: Are you a Buddhist?
Technically, no. To be a Buddhist you have to take anywhere between 5-10 "precepts", and I can't in good faith vow not to kill things, specifically mosquitoes, flies, and some spiders. I'm also working on lust and intoxicants. :) I am a work in progress.
Q: Do you think your OBE's are real?
Yes, I do, but I'm always looking to prove this one way or the other. The card test that I have used several times is the best test I know of right now, and I've done very well on it.
Yoga Resources
I'm in absolutely no position to recommend Yoga books, as I have only read a few, but I'll be glad to share what little I know here.
In terms of Yoga training, practicing the poses, and trying to get them right, I believe "Light on Yoga" by B.K.S. Iyengar is considered a classic in the field. I often thumb through it as I practice various poses, and want to make sure I'm doing them right.
About
My name is Alvin Alexander, and this is my personal blog, primarily related to the topic of exploring human consciousness, with a few diversions here and there related to things like tequila, and life in general.
If you'll read my first entry on this blog, it describes an event that occurred when I was 16 years old, an event that would eventually change the course of my life. Almost every other entry in this blog is related to that one event, which has been reinforced by more than 100 subsequently similar events.
Practicing yoga with vertigo
The top of my head finally quit hurting about two weeks ago, but I've still been having problems with vertigo/dizziness. I don't know if this is due to the concussion, but they warned me it was a possibility. The only thing that really matters is that I've gotten tired of it, and I want to practice yoga again.
Chapter 3 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
This morning I took some time out to read a translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and I’m blown away by some of the verses I read in the third chapter. (I learned about this chapter of the Yoga Sutras while reading a book titled Tree of Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar.
Yoga, the natural way to lose weight
I’ve been getting back into yoga since the new year’s break, and this morning I just did my first side plank pose in my yoga practice. I didn’t go all the way up with my off leg, and I’m also glad to report that no one got hurt. :)
A new era in life?
This morning I woke up at a decent time, had a little coffee, then jumped into yoga workouts that lasted about ninety minutes. Afterwards a shower and breakfast I decided to re-organize the apartment one more time, this time making it more conducive to my yoga workouts.
Creating an OBE on demand
A very cool thing happened last night: I was able to create an out of body event on demand, which I haven’t been able to do before. I worked on setting it up the whole day (lots of yoga and meditation), then put a card out, laid down, and eventually had that feeling where I knew an out of body experience (OBE) was going to happen, so I relaxed and let it happen.
My senses changing even more after a yoga retreat
It has been a week now since I came back from my yoga retreat, and I want to write some notes here before I get sucked up into the business world and too far away from my feelings at the end of this trip.
I can’t seem to describe this properly, but my mini-enlightenment from last weekend — including discussions with very nice yoga students — involves how the Spiritual I (possibly “the soul”) relates to the Physical I, and from there to the rest of the physical universe.
