Join me for an afternoon of Jivamukti Yoga in Maui

PRACTICE AND NON-ATTACHMENT

 Practice & Non-Attachment have been my yoga focus lately.... 

As you practice asana or mediation, you may experience frustration, anger, joy, difficulty, ease, love, or any other thought or emotion. These are fluctuations of your mind and are not real or part of you because as soon as a feeling passes, a new one arises to cloud your mind. What is real is the steady and joyful true Self, unchanging and everlasting. The goal of yoga is to cessiate identification with the fluctuation of your mind to reveal your true Self. In order to cease from identifying with your thoughts, Patañjali prescribes practice (abhyasa), and non-attachment (vairagya). Abhyasa is the practice of siting with fluctuations while not letting them affect you, and allowing each thought to move through you as quickly as it came. Vairagya is the act of detaching from those fluctuations, being able to sit with them, let them pass, and not attach to them. It takes detachment to practice and practice to be detached, so the two must be practiced daily. Over time, consistent practice of abhyasa and vairagya will quiet the mind and allowing your true Self to shine through creating stability in joy in your inner world so that you can sit in mediation longer, find that deeper place in asanas, and bring you closer to the natural un-afflicted state of yoga. 

Yoga in the Poly Sci Department at UH

For my Undergraduate Senior Political Science Thesis, I blended the disciplines of Political Science and Yoga to prove how yoga is useful in modern times to create a better world, and I presented it as a yoga class. 

Yoga philosophy teaches that there is no “other”; what is happening in the world around us is a reflection of what is inside us. We have the power to create the world we live in. If we are not happy with what we see on a global, national, or local level, we can make changes by starting with ourselves and our role and connection to the greater world. Through a gentle vinyasa yoga class, we explored how yoga philosophy can help us understand the global food crisis at a local level. This sequence will offer a critique of the food system by demonstrating how the actions of Monsanto and the government are creating a sense of otherness in the world. It will also present a way in which individuals can promote positive change to the current food system and build a stronger connection between all beings on planet Earth using yoga. I argue that a yogic approach to food politics can restore the interconnectedness of all beings. This shift in consciousness has the power to make changes on a global, national, and local level.

Serenity is contagious

“We are not going to change the whole world,

but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds.

We can be serene even in the midst of calamities

and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil.

Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back.

And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy.

If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing?"

__Sri Swami Satchidananda

Practice in The Sand

"Establish a strong and joyful connection to the earth"-Yoga Sutra 2.46

I love practicing yoga with my feet in the sand. In Yoga Sutra 2.46, Patanjali says that one's connection to the earth should be strong and joyful. Taking my practice out into nature helps me find that connection. Sand isn't easy to practice in, I really need to engage all my leg muscles to find steadiness. Breathing in the ocean air and listening to the waves crash bring me joy. Where I find steadiness and joy in my practice, I also find gratitude, and then my asanas become offerings. This morning's practice at the beach, I offered to the earth. 

Yoga at UH!

practice for your body not your ego.

"Don't turn your head from side to side in shoulder stand, look up!!" It's amazing how many times I repeated that while teaching at a popular power yoga studio in Honolulu, and still nobody listened. Shifting eyes would look at their neighbor or themselves in the mirror. "Turning your head while in shoulder stand can injure your neck by adding strain to the muscles, vertebrae, and ligaments of the cervical spine"... still the mirror or the neighbor more interesting...
"Don't force yourself into a pose"
"use a block"
"use a strap"
Teachers say these things for a reason.

Yoga is becoming popular- more practicioners, more teachers. Everyone wants to challenge themselves (which is great) but everyone doesn't want to take it easy. Yoga is not a workout, it is a healing practice. Maybe a gentle Iyengar, Hatha, or Yin class is better for your body than a fast pased vinyasa class. "You have many lifetimes to do yoga" one of my teachers says, and he is right. Slow down, tune in, give your body what it needs, and seek out an experienced/knowledgable/educated teacher to help you!


Great Article from the NY Times on how yoga can wreck your body, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&emc=eta1