Jewels of Yoga

Traditionally, yoga practices were emphasized and encouraged more for children and renunciates than for people with families.  It has always been known that concentration is better cultivated in an environment with fewer distractions.  Those fortunate people who have a separate space in their homes for yoga practice have an avantageous arrangement.  It really is best to do yoga in the same place every day, in a room that is set aside for yoga, without distractions.  If there is not space in your home for a separate yoga area, you can create one on a daily basis, by speading your yoga mat on a clean, swept hardwood floor or on a clean carpet.  Place a plant, a symbol of an inspirng teacher or spiritual figure , or a flower in a place where your eyes will land frequently during your yoga practice, to remind you of what you are doing and to what you are aspiring.  When you are finished with your practice, if your space is a temporary one, return your mat to the closet, and return the pictures to their normal place, and this act will make your space, though temporary, a sacred and special one that will support your own yoga goals.

Do you currently practice yoga daily, every few days, weekly or once in a while? Do you want to have a steady practice? How can you find the time? And, once making the time, what should you do?
A balanced yoga practice includes addressing the body, mind and spirit. In the next few days, I will be posting the elements of a balanced practice and how to fit them into your busy life.    If you would like to take a yoga class that includes a balanced practice, please visit the Jewels of Yoga website at www.jewelsofyoga.com

Did you know that the great yoga teachers, such as Krishnamacharya, gave different types of yoga practice for different individuals at different stages of life?  when Krishnamacharya taught young people, he taught a very athletic and acrobatic style of yoga.  When he taught older people, he gave them gentle, slow postures.

Many of the “schools” of yoga we are familiar with in this country are derived from the students of just a few teachers.  Krishnamacharya of Mysore taught both foreigners and women, two groups of people who, with traditional yoga masters, were barred from learning yoga.  Among his more renowned students are B.K.S. Iyengar, and the late Pattabhi Jois and Indra Devi.  Another yoga master who trained many teachers was Sivananda of Rishikesh, a medical doctor turned guru, who encouraged many of his monks to come to the West to share the knowledge of yoga.  Sivananda trained Vishnudevananda, Swaqmi Radha, Swami Chidananda, Satchidananda, and others.  These teachers, in turn, trained many students all over the world.

One of the things that may prevent yoga teachers from teaching what used to be basic asanas, may be fear of hurting students and fear of resulting liability.  This fear is based somewhat on reality.  My experience in yoga classes as a student has convinced me that improperly applied “help” from a teacher, in any asana, including the simplest or most basic, can cause injury.  The lightest, helpful touch is often all a student needs, a gentle nudge, so the student can move in his or her own way to perfecting the pose.  This helpful guidance is really a form of energy work from teacher to student.

Welcome to my yoga blog-site.  Here is where I will write about those yoga issues and ideas that are on my mind from time to time.