Articles

Sciatica is a painful condition characterized by symptoms ranging from sharp pain through the lower spine, a stabbing sensation in the buttock, to knee or ankle pain, or even numbness or burning in the leg. Sciatic pain is common in individuals with lower back problems, the obese, pregnant women, and the elderly. Yoga can, however, provide relief from this condition which causes temporary but acute pain in nearly every adult at some point in their lives; sciatica can however cause debilitating pain if left untreated.

Online learning has exploded over the last 5 years and is now a widely recognized and accredited way to learn just about anything – from woodwork, to car repair, to massage and yoga is no exception. Recent video technology makes it simple for anyone with a computer and a camera to put their teachings on the worldwide web.

What is meditation - most of you have heard of it, some of you may have even tried it - but for many of us it is an alluring part of Eastern spiritual practice, though it is not solely a spiritual endeavour. The word meditation often conjures images of an Indian sage in a loincloth or a vision of the Buddha seated in serene contemplation; the image is one of stillness and composure. Yogis, Zen Masters, Taoists have all meditated for millennia.

A human being can survive without food for 40 days or more; can survive without water for up to a week, but we die if we do not have air for more than 5-10 minutes! In today's society we do not take the time to breathe properly: I mean, we REALLY do not take much time to notice IF we are breathing, let alone take the time to observe the quality of our breath. We rush from here to there; grab fast lunches on the fly and rush to the next task, panting in our hurry to get to our destination. When we do breathe it is often a shallow breath, concentrated in the upper chest- more closely resembling the breathing pattern of panic or flight.

The supreme relaxing and meditative technique of yoga nidra is not sleep but being aware and alert throughout. Tuning in through chanting of ‘Om’, the aspirant relaxes in savasana. In the stillness within (antarmouna), he repeats to himself his objective for life (sankalpa).

Scientists in India and the UK are looking into the India's ancient system of medicine; Ayurveda in search of a cure for Alzheimer's disease.

According to researchers, Ayurveda boosts mental alertness in the same manner as the conventional drugs. An improvement in memory and concentration was noted in Alzheimer’s patients with the help of plants used in Ayurveda. 5 plants frequently used in ayurvedic medicine were studied by scientists from King's College, London, and Jadavpur University in Kolkata. Brahmi, one of those plants was found to act in preventing the collapse of neurotransmitters and helped improving memory and concentration in Alzheimer’s patients, the most common form of dementia.

The practice of yoga as outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali encompasses exercise, meditation and ritual for the whole body and spirit. The eight limbs of Classical Yoga address our relationships with others, with ourselves and with the Divine. The eight stages of the limbs of Classical Yoga are known as Ashtanga Yoga (ashta = eight and anga = limb) beginning with ethical conduct and progressing through asanas, breathing exercises; and finally meditation practices that lead to spiritual ecstasy and consciousness through self-realization and union with the divine.

For most of history humans have squatted to have a bowel movement. In fact, if you watch children still in diapers you will see them squat naturally when they have a bowel movement. Most unfortunately this good, natural behaviour is unlearned with the beginning of potty training around the age of two.

What's Wrong With Sitting?

While the majority of the world (two thirds of the population) still squats to defecate, the western world with its sitting posture has some of the highest rates of bowel and colon related diseases including:

A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.
- William Blake "Auguries of Innocence"

The second Yama in yoga practice is Satya, which means Truthfulness of speech, thoughts and deeds. As with many yogic practices, Satya can be difficult to maintain when you also consider the first yama, Ahimsa (non-harming, non-violence).

Honesty is considered a virtue in just about every corner of our society; but we cannot deny that most of us lie every day, usually a variation one of the following two commonplace types of 'lying':

Namaste and welcome to the practice of yoga!

Yoga is the union of the mind, body and spirit expressed in motion, sound, meditation and community. This ancient practice of asanas (poses), meditation and breathing will enrich your life, deepen your knowledge of your Self and open your spirit toward the world around you.

Karma. Most people have at least heard the term, whether or not they actually understand it. What is Karma? Simply put, karma is the law of cause and effect; the rule of consequence. It is the Universe's way of keeping track of what you still need to learn.

Last article in "Karma: the universal rule of consequence", we established karma as being the 'sandbags' that keep the soul trapped in the cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation. Karma, both 'good' and 'bad', keeps the soul from breaking free of this cycle and rising up to Nirvana, the state of enlightenment/freedom. We also established that in order to break this cycle, one must first stop gaining karma, and second, get rid of the karma that one has already gained throughout one's lifetime. The question we left off with was "How?".

The world is energy, and energy affects energy. This very principal is why yogis pay special attention to their diet. Yogis break food down into three categories: rajasic, tamasic, and satvic. The categories describe the effect that that particular food has upon the mind and body when ingested. As a result, according to the yogi, one can tell a lot about the temperament of a person based upon the foods that they prefer.

Flexible or not, balancing poses are a challenge. And even after years of practice, there are still some days when I can't seem to hold my balance to save my life. Those are the days I learn an awful lot about myself.

Balancing poses are a yogic gift. They are physical illustrations of your state of mind. To hold one's balance, one must be present in the body... here and now, moment to moment. A wandering mind cluttered with thoughts and needless chatter cannot produce a body perfectly in balance. Balancing poses are the ultimate meditation in motion.

Self Esteems resides in the Third Chakra, also known as the Manipura Chakra ~ Manipura means City of Jewels and it is here that our treasure trove of power resides. Ahimsa (non -harming) is at the foundation of yoga practice and yogic lifestyle, and ahimsa begins with not harming your Self. Negative self-talk, poor nutrition, poor exercise habits, drug/alcohol abuse and addiction are all very self destructive and run contrary to the practice of Ahimsa.