Welcome to this Blog!
This is a place where I’d like to share and discuss topics that are connected to:
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yoga practice
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communication
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personal development
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health conscious life style
07/02/2017 The State of Flow – Yoga Self Practice
Why Self Practice?
If you are a teacher then you most likely know how it feels when you teach and teach and teach, but there is not enough time or inspiration to recharge the batteries. Or you travel a lot and you do not get the chance to go to a Yoga Practice regularly.
Everyone needs to nourish themselves so you can give and share again – as a teacher or any other professional.
The (Self -) Practice is a way to explore new ways and also to maintain your “repertoire”.
Here is a text I wrote after one of my “Tempelvisits” (that’s what I call the Self Practice).
I hope you enjoy it and get inspired to also roll out your mat!
“It’s morning,
I roll out my mat – my carpet, the ticket to the state of Flow.
I feel my feet , I breathe, I sense my body today –
it’s never the same, every day feels slightly different.
Sensing what my body needs
Now.
I make sound, I voice my breath –
I sense. I breathe.
Following the impulse inside.
The mat is the ticket to the temple.
In the beginning my mind often jumps allover the place, that ‘s what it does, the mind is a wild horse –
Lists of stuff to do, people to call, visions, ideas, wonders, doubts and fears.
I let it be and keep breathing and moving on my mat, sometimes ever so slowly, sometimes rhythmical and energetic.
The Body, my temple, tells me what to do and where to go in the journey.
I might follow the road map of a sequence, a guide line to follow.
The experience of many years of practice has manifested in a structure
inside that does not need more form because it IS inside of me.
As I progress moment by moment and stay true to listening and breathing I feel what will be the next step.
I do not have to think it up, it evolves, it arrives in the present, it IS a Present.
Also when I am still I am listening, especially then I am listening.
I open the radio station to receive. I am sending through intent.
—)))
After the practice I feel ready and open.
Organized and tuned from the inside to deal what needs to be dealt with.
Sometimes I feel vulnerable and fragile, but always from a place of honesty.
Facing what asks for attention and maybe also confrontation.”
————————-
Article in the NYT …on
How-yoga-can-wreck-your-body
and some reflections on this:
“Yoga is there for YOU, not for Your EGO…
Unfortunately now and especially with Yoga having become such a hype !- teachers as well as the practitioners scramble this easy rule up, with the result indeed : injuries and damage for the body.
In my opinion it’s more interesting (and more healthy!) to practice with intelligent and individual guidance. That involves the development of Selfknowledge on a physical, but -even more important on a psychologogical and emotional level: to distinguish and recognize when the practice is driven by EGO….
And we all have EGO’s!
More or less pumped up, be it the size of a elefant or a mouse metaphorically speaking, and the size might change also in relation to whom we are interacting with.
It’s part of being human.
Crucial is to learn to detect and distinguish when an action is motivated by Ego – and again in regard to Yoga to choose or change your attitude in practice.
and not to be – in the case of Yoga – a slave to the Asana!
My definition of a healthy practice technique (and that is for Yoga, Pilates, Dance or Sports) is that Technique is Applied Awareness in Action.
Practically speaking that means to have solid technical foundation of the basics, regular practice under experienced guidance before attempting to more “advanced” Asana’s like Sirsasana (Head Balance) and other inversions.
I agree totally with Black’s view that it’s a dance to recognize in each one what’s healthy and what not!
It involves layers of responsibility…
For the teacher:
To have the experience, the knowledge -and the compassion to guide a practitioner and support them wherever they are at, recognizing and respecting the student’s capabilities and limitations.
For the practitioner:
To know when to do and when not to do a certain move. To be honest and open with yourself and neither be blinded by shere ambition (ego!) or shying away with bloody excuses…
To have the trust to listen to the advice of the teacher.
The examples quoted in the article of B.K.S. Iyengar on Hyperextension of the neck in case of Halasana (Plowpose) are terribly rigid and quoted like that out of context for sure not healthy.
That does not take away that Iyengar practice in general is a solid and reliable foundation for a Yoga practice (otherwise it would not have become so popular around the world!).
I also totally agree that Yoga is not the Cure for everything.
I am happy that Yoga has become so popular, it’s a chance to grow self knowledge, tackle “ego constipation” and when done in a healthy way (!) grow old with grace.
Yoga and Pilates are excellent to complement for instance a vigorous sports Practice (like Tennis, Football, or Hockey, where fast movements – sprint and stop – sometimes repetitive movements (Tennis) cause one sided strain and injury on the body when done excessively.
Then indivually designed Yoga or Pilates practice can be extremly beneficial to counterbalance and heal these effects – Or even better: prevent them from happening!
There are so many different forms of Yoga (Yin, Restorative, Therapeutic Yoga, Vijnana Yoga etc pp) that by all means it need not be only Ashtanga or Iyengar.
All those styles have their strengths!
I recommend each person who’d like to practice Yoga to figure out for himself what suits him or her best for their body, age and life style. That requires curiosity and time to invest into different styles and get to know what is for you.
Or if they indeed do not do Yoga at all but go running , or walking or dancing or swimming or making love! – with the pleasure of enjoying life.
Or do Yoga and do some of the above….
And that’s why we need knowledgeable and wise teachers to guide them in that jungle!”
1)
Queen or Slave?
About the turning point of Royalty into Submissiveness
and vice versa?
a contemplation for all women and men
(Thanks to Jelena Voinov for inspiring me about this topic during a chat in the streets of Amsterdam)
In nature there are many species where the whole existance of males centres around impressing the females: Dances, Fights, Tarting up with exuberant outfits – all in the service to attract the attention of the woman.
– and all of course under the flag of keeping the race alive, the romantic or heroe like behaviour all under the primitive but essential goal:
sex = reproduction, life goes on!
Let’s transfer that to our human race:
Even though most of us are incredibly evolved and educated human beings and our primary goal is not only to stay alive and reproduce, in essence we (sometimes) might still behave the same -metaphorically speaking…
Imagine:
the early beginnings of a new love, the courtship phase, when everything seems to be possible, all doors are open…all possibilites lay ahead, time is never an issue, because the desire to be with is so strong that it overcomes all obstacles.
You are being spoiled, your man opens the door for you, he brings you your tea, champagne or coffee to bed, he runs a bath for you, cooks dinner for you –
does all that is in his power to be there for YOU– protect YOU and serve YOU.
then comes the turning point:
With getting to know each other better, maybe living together, maybe being absorbed in the care for the kids for instance the attentiveness wears off, and very often – the roles more or less gradually reverse:
then it is the woman who serves the guy, brings the slippers, prepares breakfast, cooks, organizes, keeps his back free, thinks for both and multitasks next to her regular professional duties -and he sits back – enjoys – and/or -in the worst case – takes it for granted.
Did you ever experience the same in one of your intimate relationships?
Why does this happen?
When does it happen?
What can you do to avoid it?
– and :
maybe most interesting of all:
what do WE do as women to allow this or even actively make this happen?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
if at any point we could easily swap between the roles-
to be there for each other as queens, kings, happy “slaves” and proud servants?
-if the “labels” would disappear altogether and all interaction was based on appreciation, honesty and discovering each other new every day!
(hint: when you wear your crown – literally or metaphorically – it’s much more likely you will be treated like a queen…!)
I am curious to hear what you think, feel and have experienced!
I’d love to hear your comments !
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