Friday, August 24, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
How Yoga Changed My Life
When I was in the initial stages of my recovery, I started taking yoga – somewhat reluctantly. In my fast-paced, workaholic days, I only valued fast-paced workouts – I felt like yoga would be too slow and boring. Yet I was curious about the benefits of yoga for eating disorders recovery and stress reduction. Not sure where to begin, I did some research on local studios and types of yoga. If you’ve ever looked into yoga before, you are probably familiar with what I found – about a dozen different styles, all purporting different benefits.
Selecting My Style
So how did I decide which type was for me? Well, given my penchant for the moving quickly, I selected Ashtanga yoga. It was described as a vigorous style of yoga, which appealed to my – at the time – aerobic-oriented snobbery. Somehow, I roped my husband into going with me, so I had moral support as I entered into this mysterious realm of incense, chanting music and relaxation.
Something’s Afoot
The first thing I remember worrying about was having to be barefoot. I’d never been a big fan of my feet, so I was feeling pretty vulnerable about airing them to a roomful of students. This simple, silly realization was one of the first awakeners for me. My husband could care less about feet or any other of his body parts – wouldn’t even think twice about it. And here I was, spending mental energy on worrying about baring my feet in class. The awakener was how much mental energy I was spending on worrying about body parts in general. This intense focus and sometimes, fear, of judgment about my body was a major contributor to disordered eating patterns.
In order to move forward with yoga, I had to let go of this fear of my showing my feet. And after the first few classes, I did. I even started to like my feet – once self-judged as wide and stubby – they soon became valued for their stability in balancing poses. It wasn’t just my feet that I started valuing though – it was my body overall. As I moved my body, synchronized with my breath, I became aware of my strength, my flexibility and my courage to try new things. With each new pose, or variation on a pose, I took new risks – that I might fall, do it wrong – and more often, find a new level of grace in my relationship with gravity.
Coming Out of My Shell
I went in as a shy, quiet student and found myself blossoming in class. Yoga is like body-centered psychology. It takes dedication and commitment to a practice, even if you feel like you “can’t do it right” or “aren’t good enough.” With commitment comes advances – but the key is: you “stay on your own mat,” comparing yourself with only your SELF. So here I was, so used to comparing myself to others (another component of judgment), giving this up as I stepped on my mat. I forced myself to keep my eyes focused for concentration and balance, looking at no one to see if I was “good enough.” And leaving my judgment at the door, I felt free to be more of who I really was.
Selecting My Style
So how did I decide which type was for me? Well, given my penchant for the moving quickly, I selected Ashtanga yoga. It was described as a vigorous style of yoga, which appealed to my – at the time – aerobic-oriented snobbery. Somehow, I roped my husband into going with me, so I had moral support as I entered into this mysterious realm of incense, chanting music and relaxation.
Something’s Afoot
The first thing I remember worrying about was having to be barefoot. I’d never been a big fan of my feet, so I was feeling pretty vulnerable about airing them to a roomful of students. This simple, silly realization was one of the first awakeners for me. My husband could care less about feet or any other of his body parts – wouldn’t even think twice about it. And here I was, spending mental energy on worrying about baring my feet in class. The awakener was how much mental energy I was spending on worrying about body parts in general. This intense focus and sometimes, fear, of judgment about my body was a major contributor to disordered eating patterns.
In order to move forward with yoga, I had to let go of this fear of my showing my feet. And after the first few classes, I did. I even started to like my feet – once self-judged as wide and stubby – they soon became valued for their stability in balancing poses. It wasn’t just my feet that I started valuing though – it was my body overall. As I moved my body, synchronized with my breath, I became aware of my strength, my flexibility and my courage to try new things. With each new pose, or variation on a pose, I took new risks – that I might fall, do it wrong – and more often, find a new level of grace in my relationship with gravity.
Coming Out of My Shell
I went in as a shy, quiet student and found myself blossoming in class. Yoga is like body-centered psychology. It takes dedication and commitment to a practice, even if you feel like you “can’t do it right” or “aren’t good enough.” With commitment comes advances – but the key is: you “stay on your own mat,” comparing yourself with only your SELF. So here I was, so used to comparing myself to others (another component of judgment), giving this up as I stepped on my mat. I forced myself to keep my eyes focused for concentration and balance, looking at no one to see if I was “good enough.” And leaving my judgment at the door, I felt free to be more of who I really was.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
OM SHANTI.
These two words represent the essence of the teachings of Raja Yoga. "Om" means "I am a soul" and "Shanti" means "Peaceful". Hence "I am a peaceful soul". Yet how long can I maintain being a peaceful soul? If I look back over the last 24 hours, is this what I have been?.
Probably the situation has been a very difficult one. In my search for peaceful satisfaction in life, I have been trapped by peacelessness, which has influenced me so much that I have moved so far away from my natural consciousness of peace.
Through the teachings of Raja Yoga, the soul is able to achieve its natural state of peace very easily. The name of Raja Yoga, the soul is able to achieve its natural state of peace very easily. The name of Raja Yoga has been used for a long time, many centuries in fact, although these teachings have only recently emerged, and are quite revolutionary. They explain very simply the most fundamental information of all that of who I am and what I am.
RAJA YOGA - can be defined in a number of ways. The word "Yoga" simply means "Union", and the word "Raja" means "Supreme", "King" or "Master". Raja Yoga is the king of all yogas because through it I can become sovereign. But, of what? Not over others, because that would be artificial. The power that I gain, that I now seek, is the power of control over my own mind, because it is my mind that has been creating sorrow and distress.
MY AIM - is to become the master of my own mind, even to master my own personality, and of course to be the master of the physical costume - my body.
The first subject of Raja Yoga is also the one that leads us to the last - that of not merely who I am, the soul, but of soul consciousness. The final stage of achievements through Raja Yoga, in which souls are free of all negative influences and have reached a state of perfection, is based entirely on this first lesson of soul consciousness.
These two words represent the essence of the teachings of Raja Yoga. "Om" means "I am a soul" and "Shanti" means "Peaceful". Hence "I am a peaceful soul". Yet how long can I maintain being a peaceful soul? If I look back over the last 24 hours, is this what I have been?.
Probably the situation has been a very difficult one. In my search for peaceful satisfaction in life, I have been trapped by peacelessness, which has influenced me so much that I have moved so far away from my natural consciousness of peace.
Through the teachings of Raja Yoga, the soul is able to achieve its natural state of peace very easily. The name of Raja Yoga, the soul is able to achieve its natural state of peace very easily. The name of Raja Yoga has been used for a long time, many centuries in fact, although these teachings have only recently emerged, and are quite revolutionary. They explain very simply the most fundamental information of all that of who I am and what I am.
RAJA YOGA - can be defined in a number of ways. The word "Yoga" simply means "Union", and the word "Raja" means "Supreme", "King" or "Master". Raja Yoga is the king of all yogas because through it I can become sovereign. But, of what? Not over others, because that would be artificial. The power that I gain, that I now seek, is the power of control over my own mind, because it is my mind that has been creating sorrow and distress.
MY AIM - is to become the master of my own mind, even to master my own personality, and of course to be the master of the physical costume - my body.
The first subject of Raja Yoga is also the one that leads us to the last - that of not merely who I am, the soul, but of soul consciousness. The final stage of achievements through Raja Yoga, in which souls are free of all negative influences and have reached a state of perfection, is based entirely on this first lesson of soul consciousness.
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