Welcome to our Living
Practice – Summer 2003
Editor’s
Letter with Megan McCarver
All Yogas
are One by Raven Cohan
Long Hours
at the Computer May Be Hazardous To Your Health by Sam Dworkis
Yoga for
Writers by Megan McCarver
Yoga is Child’s
Play! Yoga Guidelines for Kids by Rana Kirkland
Yoga
Journal’s Contributed Featured Pose: Garudasana (Eagle Pose)
Website Review by Dr. Kev
Music
Review by Megan McCarver
A Note from YogaEverywhere
Yoga Classified
and Events
Namaste precious
family, teachers and friends,
What a joy and privilege it is for me to address all of
you. We have really created a strong
global community that I appreciate, applaud and embrace. Thank you for your
presence, participation and kind blessings.
I have been struggling with the changing times recently,
and I had a big dream I’d like to share. I was facing a natural pool of clear cedar
water, glowing with earth tones of amber and auburn. The dawn colors painted
the big sky, reflecting the divine universe. I was in a blissful state of being
witnessing a timeless moment of eternity. I turned and behind me was the I-405,
a very busy freeway in
Always my
love and great appreciation for your interest. My plans are to launch a new
section entitled Yoga for Singers this fall. Please stay tuned. Thank you.
My love to
you, your family and your students,
Megan
McCarver
“Recognize the power of mind, respect the power of mind. And also recognize the
Power behind the power, the ocean holding the wave. Recognize yourself as the
ocean, with your stories, your feelings, as waves. Waves can be beautiful or
terrifying, but always they return to
the ocean. Every wave always is made up of the ocean. No wave can ever be
separate from the ocean. Waves of thoughts, waves of emotions, waves of
sensations, waves of events, are all made up of consciousness. And all return
to consciousness, while never being separate from
consciousness. And if this becomes another story, let this go, and see what is
true."
- Gangaji,
who is of the lineage of the beautiful Ramana Maharshi and a direct disciple of
Poonjaji (Papaji). She is a teacher of
the path of Jnana yoga - self inquiry.
All Yogas are
One By Raven Cohan
Beyond any one country or culture's boundaries are the teachings of Yoga.
Qigong is a Chinese Yoga derived from the earlier term, Tao Yin, and that is
preceded by Shamanistic dances and stretches that can date back to 20,000 years
according to some accountings. Tao Yin now mostly refers to the stretches
similar to Hatha Yoga.
We in the
West are tending toward Name-Brand loyalties. We often won't try anything but
Borden's milk if we were raised on it. "Mom used to serve it to me,
and I will serve it to my kids, too!" We do this with our religions,
philosophies and other core belief systems. Are we practicing this belief
system with our yoga practice too?
A tendency we have is to stick to one way, and beyond simply sticking to it, we
often can tend to get superior about it. Why?
1. We
are clannish
2. We are
egoistic.
3. We
are insecure.
4. We
are followers of trends.
5. We
like simpler solutions.
Looking at the other side, we had best be cautious as newcomers to mix
practices together. We often do not understand at the onset of our
studies, and even in years of analyzing one approach, how much has already been
invented and shared for thousands of years in the various Yoga systems in the
many cultures that exist. The key word is "Invented." Every asana we
learn is created for one body type and then shared with a family and a clan and
a village and a country. Someone finally figures out another creative way
to make that exercise work better for their body type, and a new system is
created. It is important to stay open to the teachings with great compassion
for ourselves and those surrounding us.
The more I read and study with the dozens of teachers I have had and the two
main teachers whose wings I am under in Qigong and Tai Chi, I realize I know
"nothing" and yet, somehow I feel better connected to the knowing of
"everything" in the Tao. That inspires me to share more
information with which we will evolve and grow. Even after twenty-three
years, I genuinely feel amazed by how much we can keep learning!
I would
like to share this Mantra manifested to:
"Everything/Nothing.
Particle/Wave.
Remember/Forget.
Thank You. Surrender. Compassion.”
Raven Cohan is a Certified Healing/Universal Tao Instructor since 1983 teaching
in
Long Hours at
the Computer May Be Hazardous To Your Health by Sam Dworkis
As both a
neuromuscular therapist and a yoga teacher for 28 years, I'm guilty as anyone
for sitting at my computer without taking a break. When I'm working on a new
article or developing new content for my website, I become so focused that I
won't move for hours.
Evolutionarily
speaking, sitting for hours at a computer is not what nature intended and it
stresses your body whether you feel it or not. As such, your body's
response to this, or any other stress, is soft-tissue contraction and eventual
pain.
How
intensely you react to stress is a function of overall health, previous
injuries and illness,
genetics (your basic constitution), and age. Increased stress adversely affects
your ability to perform physical and mental tasks, and affects overall health.
With prolonged computer work, soft-tissue contraction usually occurs in the
back, shoulders, and neck - those areas that support the torso, arms and head.
Prolonged sitting is uncomfortable at best, and potentially dangerous at worst.
It promotes poor posture, which then elevates stress; which then increases
overall discomfort and pain, which then further compromises posture.
In order to
circumvent this vicious cycle, I highly recommend using a wide elastic belt
that supports your back and belly. The elastic support I personally use is
similar to that worn by construction and warehouse workers to protect their
backs from the stress of
lifting and bending.
Because
it's enormously helpful in reducing the stress of prolonged sitting and because
it helps to reduce fatigue, the elastic belt interrupts that insidious cycle of
poor posture leading to increased stress and ultimately to increased pain.
Of course,
everyone knows it's vitally important to get up as often as possible and simply
walk around for a few minutes. When up, you can do something that's enormously
helpful yet it only takes literally a minute.
Do some
very gentle leg and body stretching; such as the various table stretches shown
in the Recovery Yoga section of my free yoga-educational website www.extensionyoga.com . I cannot
over-emphasize the huge benefits these simple and quick-to-do exercises
provide.
The website
also details the physiology and mechanics that, as counter-intuitive as it
appears,
explains why these gentle exercises yield far superior results than deeper
stretching - and why they are extraordinarily beneficial if you are in
chronic pain.
Prolonged
computer work also adversely affects your eyes. Eye dryness notwithstanding,
the muscles that control eye movement and focusing are constructed similarly to
all the other muscles of your body - only they are smaller and more delicate.
Prolonged monitor use causes eye-muscle fatigue and eventual eye irritation.
It's therefore helpful to occasionally look away from your computer monitor and briefly focus on other objects. Looking elsewhere reinforces the argument for leaving your desk as often as possible – because walking about requires your eye muscles to change their (focal) length and hence, helps to alleviate eyestrain. Thus, when you get up periodically, you get two-for-the-price-of-one: You lessen stress and you relax your eyes.
Sam Dworkis, MA, LMT, is author of ExTension (Simon & Schuster 1994) and
Recovery Yoga (Random House 1997). He teaches individuals and small groups in
Yoga for
Writers by Megan McCarver
Yoga is
very useful to writers who spend anywhere from two, four, even eight hours a
day sitting in front of their computer. Yoga means union or relationship with
your body, mind, self, others and spirit. Yoga practice brings your minds
attention to your breath, thus facilitating more calmness, freedom and less
stress. The body follows the breath reminding you of your natural state of
being. In this state we can celebrate our boundless creativity as our
birthright.
Yoga is for
everybody, being any size, shape or age. Sure, we like to associate yoga as a
“pretzel twisting practice with chanting for the new age trend setters”,
however, American Yoga today is very accommodating to every body’s needs and
limitations. Take the first step to find a teacher that you like, cultivate
trust and have fun. Common areas of tension for writers or cubicle dwellers are
the muscles surrounding your eyes, jaw, neck, shoulders and lower back.
Here is a
common cycle of tension due to long writing hours with no relief eventually
causing writers block. It begins with unnecessary tension in your
neck/shoulders, jaw and tongue. Breathing tends to be shallow and often the
mind is distracted by your physical tension, “the grip around your collar”, or
the “burden of the world’s worries on your shoulders”. Energy flow is obviously
blocked by unnecessary tensions causing minimum production.
So, writers
block sets in. Then our analytical / judgmental mind begins and our emotions
surface, perhaps anxiety, fear, doubt, even panic. We get stuck! Many eastern
traditions encourage practioners to embrace their obstacles. Writer’s block can
be your friend.
Seven Easy
Steps to Embrace Writer’s Block
1.
Recognize you have a writers block. (“I am stuck”)
2. Breath
(Observe each individual inhale and each individual exhale).
3. Name
your most present emotion which surfaces.
4. Inhale
that emotion, exhale that emotion. Stay open to the next emotion which lies
underneath the current emotion.
5. Remember
everything changes.
6. Continue to breathe and notice how you feel.
7. Keep
practicing, nature abhors voids!
Inhale
slowly, feel the precious moment, exhale completely, what a creative moment it
is!
Yoga
reduces stress, tones the body, improves flexibility (mentally and physically),
and strengthens your immune system. It is a life changing practice teaching us
how to embrace change and age gracefully. We are always changing, yet many of
us have difficulties accepting change. Yoga can be a useful tool teaching us to
move gracefully allowing and embracing change, our physical bodies, our mental
states and surrounding environment.
Healthy
bodies support creative minds. Aches and pain short circuit creativity.
Creativity is flowing universal energy as like breath. Hatha yoga (sun and
moon) is the practice of opposing forces. For example the inhale compliments
and the exhale, backbends compliment forward bends. Our culture tends to be
quite extreme with great amounts of stress and deadlines. A yoga practice
softens the edges so that we can flow with breath, the grace of creativity.
With our eyes open and compassionate, we accept our true selves and practice
just being.
Megan
McCarver teaches Hatha yoga in the
Yoga is
Child’s Play! Yoga Guidelines for Kids by Rana Kirkland
Yoga is
quickly becoming the favorite form of exercise for millions of children. Kids
love to act like animals, crawl and roll around, lie on the floor, twist up
their bodies, stretch every which way and breathe in different ways. Yoga
naturally incorporates all of that--and more!
Parents and PE teachers from coast-to-coast are eager to introduce yoga to children
because they can quickly see the many ways this ancient form of exercise is
beneficial for kids: stretching prepares them for more active sports, breathing
properly helps their organs develop and simple meditation helps them learn to
focus their energy. Plus, most children are naturally
flexible and can do many poses soon after beginning yoga. This rapid success
gives them self-confidence and a positive body image.
But, like any form of exercise, yoga should be practiced properly to avoid injuries.
Fortunately this is very easy to do! Yoga has been around for centuries
and it has stood the test of time as a calming and natural form of exercise. Modern
teachers, such as Rana Kirkland, have refined yoga especially for children, and
teach it in a safe, easy way.
Simple Guidelines
for Kids
1. Children can begin doing simple yoga as young as age three, starting them on
a lifelong road of healthful exercise. As kids grow and develop,
they can attempt more difficult poses.
2. Wait at least 15 minutes after eating before starting your yoga class.
3. Be sure you have plenty of space around you to stretch out your arms and legs
4. Always exercise on a yoga mat or non-slip surface.
5. Do some warm-up stretches before attempting the yoga poses. (For
example, stand on your tiptoes and reach for the stars; bend over and try to
touch your toes; wiggle your arms, legs, hands and feet; gently twist your body
side to side at the waist.)
6. Only hold a pose as long as it feels comfortable. Young children shouldnąt
attempt to hold poses for long periods of time, 15 seconds to a minute per pose
is plenty. Older kids can gradually increase the length of time they hold
each pose.
7. Never overextend or strain to do a pose and only stretch as far as you naturally
can. Your body will become more flexible with time and practice.
8. Everyone does the poses a little differently. Enjoy the fact that your
tree has limbs that stretch to the sky and your friend's tree grows out long and
wide.
9. Yoga is non-competitive. Everyone learns and improves at their own
pace.
10. And, most important of all-- have fun and remember that yoga is child's play!
I Can Do...Yoga! A fresh, new video series featuring certified childrenąs yoga
instructor, Rana Kirkland. In the Beginners Level (ages 3 to 8) kids practice
their ABC's doing animal poses from Alligator to Zebra in addition to learning
stretching, breathing and simple meditation. In Level One (ages 6 and up)
kids build on their yoga basics and play "Guess That Animal Game." Available
at: www.icandoyoga.com .
Website Review
by Dr. Kev
YogaBasics, although a bit heavy on ads, is pretty much everything you want in
a yoga site. Some free instructional content plus a larger archive of lessons
if you want to pay a nominal fee to access them www.yogabasics.com .
YogaPassion is produced by a Bikram Yoga center in
Now here is
a gem of a site for you! A fine example if simplicity and effectiveness.
www.mkprojects.com/fa_TibetanRites.htm
The Five Tibetan Rites: Exercises for Healing, Rejuvenation, and Longevity By
Mary Kurus Copyright Mary Kurus 2001, All Rights Reserved.
No multimedia but a nice set of images with concise text. Every yoga website
should offer at least this much. There is a lot more at the site too! Many
thanks to Mary Kurus and Bob Silverman (www.ChiRoller.com
) for the "heads up!"
More online
yoga at yogaclass.com/links.html
.
Music Review
by Megan McCarver
Here is this month’s pick for your yoga practice music
collection. Yoga Sanctuary, a Guided Hatha Yoga Practice for Home and on the Road
with Shiva Rea. Music is gracefully woven in to the instruction by Lisbeth
Scott. Shiva instructional tone is compassionate, calm and clear. Her
transitions are smooth between each track allowing the listeners to select
options and modifications if desired. Really well done. I highly recommend it
for home practice. Five stars!
Name of CD: Yoga Sanctuary
By: Shiva Rea