Do you use mudras during your yoga or meditation practice or even when you’re going about your day? Mudras are hand gestures or hand positions that have the purpose of channeling the body’s energy flow in a certain way.
This particular mudra – Gyan mudra – is one of the most widely used. The thumb and the index finger are touching lightly, making a circle, and the other fingers are straight.
Yoga isn’t only about the poses, but the poses (asanas, as they are known in Sanskrit), practiced with care, along with yogic breathing, can be beneficial for unifying mind, body and spirit.
According to Yoga International, “In the contemporary world where many of us are perpetually on the go, practice can slow us down and help us bridge disconnections between the body, mind, and breath. It can also be practiced to increase strength and flexibility, improve balance and core strength, and bring a sense of mindfulness into our everyday lives.”
Asana yoga is just one of the eight limbs of Yoga which are the following:
Of the 8 limbs of yoga outlined in Patanjali´s Yoga Sutras, the first two attract me the most. These are the Yamas and Niyamas, which I read about over and over and try to embody. It´s not easy, but it´s not impossible. It takes practice though.
The Yamas and Niyamas are the foundation for a way of life that enables us to assume responsibility for our lives, all of our lives, past, present and future.
I was always one of those type-A, go-go-go people. I enjoyed only the most powerful and challenging yoga flows. Otherwise, you´d find me weightlifting, running or swimming laps until my muscles couldn´t take it any longer. This meant that I sustained many injuries throughout my life. It also meant that I missed out on the benefits of slowing down.
Can you be joyful, no matter what is going on in your life? I believe you can. And no, I certainly don’t feel joyous all of the time. Yes, I’ve had my share of challenges, as most people do. However, during one of the toughest times in my life, when I woke up to being the single, broke and unemployed mami to two girls, then 4 and 7, I managed to find ways to lift my spirits—even if it was barely enough to get me through the day. Over time, these practices have helped me overcome depression and defeatist thoughts and have kept me going, despite the inevitable hurdles we all face at certain times.
We all have stressors in our life. Only in the last year, I´ve experienced a whole lot of grief and loss. Then there are other stressors I face at times like a client´s late payment causing cash flow issues, or the challenge of raising teens, close family members having health problems …
Although I practice yoga and mindfulness daily, there are some days where I just need an extra dose of it all. Today I could actually feel my stomach contracting and starting to hurt in response to a whole lot of stress, brought on by all of the above.
Recientemente completé mi formación para ser profesora de yoga (YTT-200). El curso en Heartwood Retreat Center incluía una introducción al Ayurveda. Hace algún tiempo que sufría de colon irritable, esofagitis y algo de reflujo, pero la medicina alopática que tomaba no lo solucionaba. Por eso pensé darle una oportunidad al Ayurveda, la antigua ciencia asociada al yoga que tiene como fin equilibrar el cuerpo, la mente y el espíritu, poniendo énfasis en cambiar el estilo de vida. Me apetecía desintoxicarme y tener una actitud más consciente con respecto a mi salud.
I’ve had quite a bit of grief and loss in my life in the past year, and yoga has helped me endlessly navigate these tumultuous waters.
Many of us spend a lot of time sitting and, sometimes, standing up to exercise and stretch is simply not an option. Here are five yoga poses you can do without getting up from your chair. Some of them can also be done in a tight airplane seat, like side twists and eagle pose. You may take each pose as far as you are comfortable, or hold back a bit and make it relaxed. Do them all in a sequence, or choose a couple for a when you´re feeling tired and tense.
The title of this post is exactly what I entered in Google search a few years ago after my first Yin Yoga class. I felt fine physically, but I was emotionally wiped out, dragged down by a heavy feeling that I couldn´t shake off. I was certain I would never go back to that kind of class again. Who wants to feel like crap after yoga?