Welcome to the Living Practice – June 2002
Letter from the editor
How God Answers the Soul by Mechthild of Magdeburg
Yoga
Promotes Self-Responsibility for Chronically Ill and Injured People by Sam
Dworkis
Website review by Dr. KEV
Ayurveda "Sister Science of Yoga" Origin of
Natural Healing by Vijay Kumar
Healthy Habits by Megan McCarver
A Restorative Yoga Fairy Tale by Debbie Grossblatt
The Kabir Book – translated by Robert Bly
Monthly
Music Review, "Where Music and Silence Meet" by Paritosho
May’s Featured Pose: Setu Bandha contributed by Yoga Journal
A Note From Yogaeverywhere
Yoga eVents
Past Issues of the Living Practice
Dear
Lovely viewers,
Thank
you for your generous support. Here is my exciting news: because YogaEverywhere
is so frequently used by yoga practioners all over the world, we are transcending
into the category of a “Yoga Portal”. Since October of 2000, operating costs have
gradually increased due to our rapid growth, but I am dedicated to keeping our
site free to all. That is the beauty of this site. In the next months you will
see a slight redesign of our YogaEverywhere home page to include a “Yoga Store”
and “Yoga Vacation” page. With these two new additions, I hope to support
YogaEverywhere’s growth and eventual add even more free yoga sequences that you
can incorporate into your home practice in our “Yoga Practice” section. Keep
looking for them and let me know what you think of our updates.
Thanks
again for your interest and devotion to the Living Practice and YogaEverywhere.com.
With
love,
Megan
McCarver
How God Answers
the Soul by Mechthild of Magdeburg
It is my nature that makes me love you often,
For I am love itself.
It is my longing that makes me love you intensely,
For I yearn to be loved from the heart.
It is my eternity that makes me love you long,
For I have no end.
Yoga
Promotes Self-Responsibility for Chronically Ill and Injured People
by Sam Dworkis, MS, LMT
If you are chronically ill or injured, this article is for
you. You know the feeling of losing more than your health; you know what it
feels like to lose control, almost certainly your joy, maybe your independence,
and possibly even your mind.
In spite of everything you’ve tried and after all your
doctors’ testing, prodding, pulling, and poking, you still feel terrible. Maybe
you’ve been diagnosed, maybe not. You still feel awful.
When your doctors say you need to take a medication or you
need to do a therapy: you comply. After all, what choice do you have? You just
want to feel better.
You know you should be more involved in your health
maintenance and recovery, but after all you’ve tried, you just got worse. So
now, as you awake each morning having dreamed of being healthy, you begin
feeling a profound sadness as your mind clears. And as your day progresses, you
feel even worse: both physically and especially emotionally…because you are at
a loss for what to do next.
For when you’ve lost your health, you’ve lost your sense of
self.
I know
exactly how you feel. I developed MS eight years ago, and after practicing
and teaching yoga for nearly twenty years, I felt like my rug had been pulled
out from under me. As my health declined, I desperately tried to reverse the
effects of my illness. But it seemed like the harder I tried, the worse I felt;
and after struggling for a couple of years, I became depressed and basically
quit yoga. I even tried going to the gym, but the more I went, the worse I felt
and I finally resigned myself to a life of disability.
But then, something remarkable happened. I was asked to
teach yoga to an incomplete quadriplegic and even though I had retired from
teaching, I reluctantly agreed.
Teaching her was a Godsend, because it taught me to look at
yoga from an entirely different perspective. I learned how to do yoga; not try to do it as I had previously. This may seem like an
insignificant difference, but it is actually quite profound and had a dramatic
affect upon us both.
Now back at work, I teach these techniques to everyone; from
chronically ill and injured people to world-class athletes; and all with
significant results.
Appropriate yoga, especially for those who are chronically
ill or injured, begins with basic breathing techniques that connect directly
with the nervous system and influence feelings of control.
Working with this chronically injured person taught me that
significant results are obtained by appropriately doing what you can do; not about trying to do what you can’t.
Appropriate yoga establishes and embellishes mind-body connections that
facilitate emotional and physical integrity, and are precursors to improved
health.
In fact, this approach to yoga is so easy that most people
find it difficult to comprehend, much less do. Building upon what you can do establishes foundations for
things that follow and facilitates feelings of regained control. It is all
about learning how to maximize potential and minimize liability.
Sam Dworkis, MA, LMT, is author of
ExTension (Simon & Schuster 1994) & Recovery Yoga (Random House
1997) and conducts yoga seminars nationwide. To learn more about how yoga
works, or to contact Sam, log onto his educational website www.extensionyoga.com.
Website Review
Questions about alternative health… visit
National Center for Complementary Alternative Medicine (at
the National Institute of Health)
Ayurveda "Sister Science of
Yoga" Origin of Natural Healing by Vijay Kumar
Ayurvedic Concept: Ayurveda is a symbol of two words. Ayur means life and
veda means knowledge. Collectively, it means science of life. It is a system of
medicine, which deals with natural plants, herbs and minerals. Ayurveda
represents a way of healthy living and brings our body close to nature. It
gives more stress on nature, precautions and habitat. Ayurveda has long
discovered a complete science of healing disease with the help of plants, herbs
and minerals. In Ayurveda system of medicine, herbs, minerals, metals and other
natural elements are used. According to Ayurveda, the universe is
composed of five basic elements, namely, earth, water, fire, air and ether.
As human body is similarly constituted as the universe, there is fundamental
harmony between the universe and man. Ayurveda based on the theory
of "Tridosha": Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is
combination of two elements of the universe, air and ether. Pitta is an amalgam
of fire and water Kapha is a combination of earth and water. According to this theory,
the Tridosha
remains in the balanced state in a healthy human body. When this balance is
disturbed, it results in disease. Ayurveda says, true medicine is one,
which cures the disease without causing any side effect. Whereas chemical
formulations/medicines do not cure the disease, but remove the symptoms, the
suppressed disease may give side effects. Ayurveda is a natural way of healing and
more compatible with our body.
According to Ayurveda, health is the natural state of body, mind and soul. When
the natural state comes in contact with unhappiness, it means a body is
diseased. Ayurveda prescribes a regular diet along with medicine because diet
is as important as the remedy, since the former helps to restore the balance as
much as the latter. Ayurveda gives emphasis on the carrier and food habits.
Ayurvedic system of healing takes time to fix any problem as the problem is
fixed from the roots and the basic cause of the problem is eliminated. So
that's why Ayurvedic herbal products are supposed to be taken with confidence,
regularity, and should be used for a long time.
For more info click here www.herbsforever.com
As we are one of the worlds oldest ayurvedic herbal companies devoted to the
wellness and happiness of mankind by providing well- balanced herbal formulas
since 1932. If you wish to buy any thing click buy online and you will
get 50%introductory discount automatically.
Healthy Habits by Megan McCarver
Hi YogaEverywhere viewers ... if you
have not already incorporated these in to you life style, try these three tips for
thirty days and they may become healthy "habits" you’ll want to
keep!
1. Even though nature abhors vacuums,
your drapes, rugs and closets love them! Spring has sprung quickly into summer
time! So please, continue cleaning out you closets and removing your
"stuff" that you haven't worn in the last year. There are very eager
and kind people wishing to wear your old shirt or jacket. Remember, you cannot
experience abundance with out letting go.
2. Chew your food! Although you can
write and send a message to a friend on the east coast in a matter of moments,
refueling our bodies take time. The process of preparing food, chewing your
food and swallowing your food is invaluable and should not be rushed.
3. Twinkle twinkle little star ...
every evening when you see your first star, make a wish. Also try writing down
your wish and put it under your pillow on the eve of a full moon. Just remember
to be clear and focused because your wishes can come true when your happy,
healthy and holy at heart!
Megan is the founder and creator of www.YogaEverywhere.com
She presently teaches privately to students in the LA area and is available to
teach yoga for corporate seminars and retreats. Her specialty is introducing
people to the yoga community in a gentle and kind fashion and working with the
senior spiritually matured population.
A Restorative Yoga Fairy Tale by Debbie
Grossblatt
Greetings! Have you ever felt so fatigued or stressed that you could not
find the energy to practice the most basic yoga postures that you learned in a
Level I class? Have you ever looked at the schedule from your favorite yoga
studio for a class to restore your mind and body into an aligned relaxed
natural state, in which self healing may occur without effort, and suddenly
noticed the words Restorative Yoga following an Iyengar Level II class. The
description on the flyer says one-hour class to restore the body and the
mind. Now you ask yourself, "What is restorative yoga and how can it
work to reduce chronic stress?"
Yoga is not a one-size fits-all form of exercise. It is a practice that fits
everybody regardless of age or condition at the time that they want to
practice. The student must find a style that most fits their personality or
their needs to get the greatest benefit. If you go to a bookstore or look on
the web under "yoga", you will see a vast collection of yoga books
and styles. The styles most frequently mentioned are Ashtanga, Bikram, Iyengar,
Kripalu, Kundalini and Viniyoga as these are the most popular in the West. All
of these styles have their own philosophical basis as conceived by their
individual creator. One in particular, Iyengar (B.K.S. Iyengar of Pune, India)
conceived of yoga as an art and a science in which props can be used to assist
the student in performing a posture regardless of his/her limitations or
condition. Consequently, restorative yoga, which relies heavily on props such
as blankets, cushions and pillows as well as the floor, is rooted in the
Iyengar tradition.
I believe that restorative yoga was really the brainchild of a blanket and
bolster manufacturer in India who was facing bankruptcy and suffered from great
worry and stress. Fortunately, he practiced Iyengar yoga and thought, well if I
can use blocks, straps and chairs why can't I use my blankets and pillows to
heal myself? And so he did. Using his sturdiest blankets, his finest
pillows and the floor, he created a soft comforting environment allowing his
body to heal. Once his stress was reduced, he focused on getting out the
message about his discovery to the thousands of townspeople. People flocked to
his tiny shop to buy the blankets and bolsters and very soon he was able to pay
off his debts and reduce his stress completely. Sounds like a yogic fairy tale
and maybe it is, but this little tale may be closer to the truth than we
know.
Lying on the floor enveloped in pillows and blankets in Savasana creates the
feeling of expanded space and peace, thus reducing chronic stress. Thus, yoga
therapy promotes natural healing. Dr. S. V. Karandikar of Pune, India (who
studied with Iyengar) observed, "As we grow older our body shrinks and the
spaces between the body tissues and the skeletal joints decrease. This
anatomical distortion leads to physiological dysfunction, resulting in
pathological changes. The regular practice of yoga stretches and strengthens
the different muscle groups and creates space in the body. This helps to bring
back to normal the physiological functioning of the different anatomical systems,
which enables nature to re-arrange and repair the diseased parts of the body
the natural way."*
In Judith Lasater's book, Relax and Renew (See my online review at: www.yogavoices.com), this Iyengar trained
yogini demonstrates in words and pictures how the reader can set up a
restorative practice at home or away to travel to the state of relaxation by
"quieting the gross movements of the body." Let me warn you that this
style of yoga is not about doing. It is about actively relaxing so that you can
lose sense of time and place to allow a wonderful sensation of peace to
permeate your whole being.
In one of my recent Sunday morning yoga classes I taught legs up the wall
(Viparita Karani) at the opening of my class while the students practiced the
diaphragmatic three-part breath. By lying still on a soft mat, inverted on the
floor with the heels of the feet touching the wall and focusing on the breath,
my students had the opportunity to just let go and relax prior to the hour-long
class. The results of this simple posture were evident to me, as the students
appeared more relaxed and alert while fully enjoying the present
moment.
Debbie has studied yoga since 1991and is affiliated with Susquehanna Health and
Wellness in Timonium, Md. She graduated from the Integrative Yoga Therapy
teacher training in 1997 and interned with two local nursing homes and the
International Association of Yoga Therapists in San Francisco. Her classes
focus on precise biomechanical alignment, increased strength and awareness as
well as the management of stress. If you want to learn more about yoga
therapeutics or discuss a private IYT session, you may call Susquehanna Yoga at
410/953-7798 ext 4 and leave a message. www.yogamaryland.com
The Kabir Book – translated by Robert Bly
Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat.
My shoulder is against yours.
You will not find me in stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms
nor synagogues, nor in cathedrals:
Not in masses, nor kirtan, not in legs winding around your
own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables.
When you really look for me, you will see me instantly...
You will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Kabir says:
Student, tell me, what is God?
He is the breath
inside of breath.
Monthly Music Review, "Where Music and
Silence Meet" by Paritosho
Yoga Sanctuary by Shiva Rea is an instructional yoga CD
double set which has been around for years--and has stood the test of
time. The set presents two practices--Solar and Lunar--energizing and
relaxing--that can be used by both beginner and advanced students alike.
Many students find the need for a CD to take with them when they travel or to
complement their yoga classes at home, and Shiva has created a good tool to
use. Shiva is national known and respected. You can learn more about
Shiva Rea at www.shivarea.com