Monday Yoga: Standing on One leg, 1

Human beings can do a lot of things,
many of them fairly stupid,
and some
marvellous and we don't even know it:
such as standing on two feet.

Lo and behold,
Why stop there?
How about standing on one leg?

Turns out
yoga
in its quest to help us clarify what this
body thing
body mind thing
focusing and attention thing
is all about
has a bunch of one legged postures.

And great:
every time we walk
we are one legged
for a little while.

But
in yoga,
we hang on one longer.

So, let's take the simplest
and make one set of clarifications
this week
and some more next week.

The pose:
Tree
Vrikasana

How to do it:
You know,
but just in case:

Stand on one foot,
bring the sole of your other foot
to your ankle
or your calf
or your thigh,
or bring your ankle of the up foot,
across the standing up leg thigh.

Anyway: there you are on one foot,
and the hands?

In prayer pose:
at heart
or above your head.
Or arms parallel above your head.

Okay,
then you stay there awhile,
and if you want to get fancy,
close your eyes and stay there.

Good:
the affirmation:
"I am calm. I am poised."

Fine.

And to clarify:
try this.
First experiment with your two legs
and discover which side does Trikonasa better.

Then do it on the "second best" side again,
and see how it is,
and specifically notice:
where is your hip joint?

Then lie down.
Stand the foot on the ground/ floor,
of the "second best" balancing leg.
Leave the "first best" leg lying straight and
it will just do nothing for awhile.
So we'll call this "second best" leg,
the Leg.

Now: imagine where your hip joint
is for the Leg.
Hint: it's not at the outer edge we
call our hips.
Nor is it in the crease where our pants
make a fold, in the groin area.
So where is the hip.
Find out.

Move the Leg, with foot in place,
the knee to the right and left.
Slowly.
Search for where the hip joint is.
Really slowly.
Take rests.
Do this again.

As usual for Mondays,
the rest of this is at Clarifying Standing on One Leg, #1

ciao,
chris

Monday Yoga: Tadasana, Mountain Pose

Yoga on a Monday:

Tadasana

This one is
"simple"

and oh, so beautiful

Stand with your feet firmly planted
on the ground

bring your eyes to the horizon
go a little below
and a little above


see if you can find a position for your neck
that leads your eyes to being directing parallel to the Earth
to the Earth


But let's not
be so simple
with the simple

let's explore some more:::::

The affirmation here is:
I stand ready to... connect with my Highest Self
or
I stand ready to obey Thy least command
or
I stand ready to live in the Here and Now
or
I stand ready to live life to the full

you pick


the rest of the posting
can be found,
as usual on Mondays,
over at
Tai Chi Yoga Weight Loss Health Blog

Yoga for a Monday: Vira 2

Warrior II
or Virabhadrasana II
or
Vira 2:

This a sweet pose
for strength
and joy
and connection to Earth
and to our Heart
and to the Bigger Universe.

In DNA (Discovery, Nature, Ananda/Awareness) yoga,
we are up to all sort of variations:
lean "too far" forward,


lean "too far" back


To read,
this posting in its complete form
please continue
at Tai Chi Yoga Weight Loss Health blogspot
(each Monday we'll do something about yoga or tai chi)

Panic, Email not working

and who
said
it
was supposed
to
"work"

and maybe
"not working"
is just
what i
need
for
a

while

each
breath:

aware
or not

what
a sweet choice

for amusement
i think i'll take a
quick
look at
ananda2007.blogspot.com

Spiritual Yoga, Paths to Heaven

DNA YOGA:
DISCOVERY
NATURE
ANANDA

Move safely.
Use the brilliance of the Feldenkrais Method® to discover more ease.
Include spiritual and emotion affirmations, as part of the practice.
Rest between each pose.
Meet outdoors, connect to Nature inside you and outside.


SEVEN PATHS TO HEAVEN:

DNA Yoga
Wake Up Feldenkrais
The Work of Byron Katie
Nature Connection, Permaculture
Slowing Down
Happiness
Now

What kind of yoga is the Yoga I'll be teaching?

One way I've started to call it is
DNA yoga.

Discovery, Nature, Aware/ Ananda Yoga

D.
Discovery,
for taking advantagege of my training
(4 years of the "basic" training,
and then another 700 hours beyond that)
as a Feldenkrais Practitioner.

The Feldenkrais Method®,
is a method of learning to
think,
move,
feel better,
via
being more aware,
and taking the emphasis
off of "getting it done,"
or "getting it Right,"
or "making progress,"
and bringing us back to a state
of learning
and discovery,
the state we were in when we were young
and a genius, say from birth to a couple of
years old.

See my
What is the Feldenkrais Method? One word, two word,,, one sentence, two sentence, and so on, brilliant little collection
of ways to look at the method.

Anyway,
working with me
in either DNA yoga,
or "regular" (which means wildly creative and transformative)
Feldenkrais "work,"
or in the Work of Byron Katie,
and
you can be delightedly assured
that,
Discovery will be there
deep and firm in our joint unfolding.

Okay,
that's discovery.

And N.
NATURE.
I'll be having classes outdoors as much a possible.
All this hiding inside four walls,
cutting ourselves off from blue skies
and real earth,
and grass and
soil
and wind
and the elements:
nonsense.
Insanity.
How can we be sane
in a world
when we are always cut off from the world.

that's part of the NATURE part.
Another part:
Discovering what our human nature is.
To feel.
and to sense.
and what is the difference?
To make sense of something,
what does that mean?
To live in gravity.
What does that mean?
To have breath of which we can be conscious
or unconscious,
what does that mean?

A
as in awareness is perhaps the most
amazing aspect
of being human.
That or, L
love.

Awareness is crucial to real learning,
and helps us grow younger,
and makes the gains easier
and quicker,
and makes this changing and getting better
stuff more like a game,
than the usual grunting away often
found in yoga practices.

Also,
A
is Ananda Yoga

Ananda yoga
is how I was trained
and certified at the 200 hour level
required by yoga alliance.
(compared to 800 hours for the "basic Feldenkrais" training).

Ananda yoga is about
being relaxed
and sending spiritual energy up your spine.
If that doesn't make sense,
it's about being relaxed,
even in the midst of efforts
and continually bringing awareness inside of yourself.

One way it does this is with affirmations.
For example,
the affirmation in what's called "Child's Pose"
(Balasana)
is
"I relax from outer involvement
into my inner haven of peace."

This not only accentuates and deepens
the posture,
but gives a big hint at what Ananda yoga is about.

Another posture,
warrior 2, Vira II,
Virabhadrasana II,
is a strong and joyous pose.
Its affirmation is,
either
(my version)
"I open gladly to the strength and glory
of being Alive."
or
the official version,
"I joyfully manifest
the power of God."

So
A
could be about Affirmations.

So, come to a class,
you'll love the affirmations.

And between poses
you rest,
and say the affirmations again.
This isn't about getting sweaty
and using yoga like going to the gym.

This is using yoga
for spiritual and emotional strengthening.

Though,
with the Feldenkrais
and awareness emphasis,
A
for
Awareness,
you will get more flexible,
much more readily
and EASILY,
than in normal,
do a bunch of postures
and always fuss with DOING IT RIGHT,
and never slow down
and really learn yoga.

This is yoga to learn,
to transform,
to enjoy,
to connect.

Deeply.
To yourself,
to others,
to the Earth,
to Spirit,
to your Higher Self.

Coming Soon: DNA Yoga

Well,
just what the world needs, right,
a new form of yoga?

And then,
again,
in a way,
this is a return to the ancient form of yoga,
and perhaps it is exactly what the world needs.

And what is the ancient form?
A search for inner stillness
and inner peace
and inner connection
to Something Higher,
either in ourselves
or in the Universe.

Ananda (the A in DNA) Yoga,
is all about connecting to this Higher.
The intension is the concentrate on
sending energy up the spine
to the area of the front brain
called the third eye.

To help this along
every pose
has an affirmation attached:
With calm Faith I open to Thy Light.
I am calm and poised.
I joyfully manifest the power of God (my Higher Self)

and so on.

DNA

Discovery.
As in taking advantage of how Moshe Feldenkrais
re-explored how children learn,
by "mistakes:"
and variations
and experimenting
and being in the process.
Yoga is often so dreary with its
emphasis on
This is the Right Way.

The Right Way
may indeed be a fine way,
but if the human being
can't discover and know that
for herself or himself,
it's just one more Rule
that is pushing us around.

So, DNA yoga will be about discovery.

And N,
Nature.
As much as possible,
classes will be outside,
bare feet on grass, for
the standing poses.

As much as possible
the class will be about not
Doing it Right,
but discovering
what it is to be a human being,
a breathing
and living in gravity
and having awareness
human being on this planet earth.

A
for Ananda Yoga.

A for
Awareness.

a delight.
a way out of our misery
a way back to ourselves.
a way to wake up
to the glory of life.

Call me
if you have a time
you'd like this
DNA yoga to be taught.

707-996-1437

'
Also:
weekend workshops'
will be set up
to combine DNA yoga,
Feldenkrais
and the Work of Byron Katie

Talk about transformative possibilities.

Wow.

Home again, home again, jiggidy jig

Sunset from Plane, PDX to OAK

(And is it true,
I ever left Home?
See, as always,
TheWork.com)

Last phase off and
did
dad
done
last night,

Into a plane,
after sharing a taxi ride to the Portland
Airport with Sandy Buckhart
an old time Feldie
and even older time Physical Therapist,
who has made it one of his life's missions
to bring the wisdom of Feldenkrais to the PT world,
and the scientific rigor of the best of PT to the Feldie world.
(see FunctionalRehabilitation.Com)

So,
on the plane
we head south,
and that left the sunset on
the right,
where I was sitting at the window.

La, la,
Sweet Marlie
picked me up
and then home
for the first time since June 30.
Fun.

So,
what was Ananda?
A marvelous place.
A spiritual yoga.
A wonderful group of people.

Ananda 2007 yoga, fun, life and learning group

And we can't forget,
the river.

the waters near Ananda, plus Robert

And
the last phase
was Reed College,
a beaitiful spot
with shabby pretend healthy food,
lots of Feldie
wonderful people
including Annie Thoe,
an assistant trainer,
who is a fellow Nature Lover to the Max,
and a fine Garden
across the street.
One last pic
here,

Lake in beautiful Garden across the Way from Reed College,
in Portland, Oregon, site of this year's Feldenkrais Guild Conference

'cause all this computer time
is not being outside
time.

So
I'm back "home"
and was
"home"
so many times
thanks to being present
or great people
or waters
and land
and sweet moments
of stillness
or joy
or learning
or now
or pleasure
or
you know,
like
Living.


Love
to all and anyone reading this.

Stay tuned for the five
paths to happiness, peace of mind,
transformation,
and an overall
wonderful
Life.

Loving God

What if i didn't
believe in God,
especially the old testament
Rule and Regulation
and very
male
very punishment oriented
Dude

okay,
okay
i wouldn't be alone


and what if i had this feeling
of loving God,
in the God
as Life on Earth
way of Being

or the God
as Everything

or the God
as the Big Something
the Big Mystery
the Big Wonder
full
ness of
It ALL

can i do that?

i quess so

why not?


feels good
feels true

doing the affirmations
with the Ananda Yoga
and a little meditation
along with the yoga twice
a day
feels great

connecting to something
still
and quiet
and amazing

this is good

yes

The "Spunky" Group Leaves

Our class of 18 happy,
smart
healthy
and wise
souls

reportedly
the spunkiest
to come along yet,
good for "stretching"
our teacher's
boundaries,

has just finished
our "Last Breakfast"
together.

Is it true?
Seems like it.
And then
again,
can we absolutely
know?

Love is everywhere,
and geese,
deer,
dears,
sunshine,
friends,
learning
and laughter.

Good spiritual
work
good
spirits.

We are finished
with certification
and what is next?

I don't know.
WE don't know.

Not knowing
is
now
ing

life is
good

yes


we rise joyfully to meet each
new
opportunity

yes

and some links
created
via ananda2007.blogspot.com


>

The Power of Ananda Yoga Plus Wake Up Feldenkrais

The Feldenkrais Method, and Wake Up Feldenkrais
is superb at this:
allowing us
to come to the moment,
allowing us to train
and improve our awareness,
our brain,
and alongside that:
our grace and ease
in moving.

Yoga, of the traditional sort,
is pretty good at giving us
a guiding path of
how to place of bodies
in positions
that allow us to feel more full
of life,
a little more flexible,
more in tune
with how great it is to be in a body.

Ananda Yoga,
with an emphasis on affirmations
that accentuate and hone the poses
into arrows of direction,
directing our energy in
and up the spine
to our brain,
directing our attention
to higher emotions
(One, for example is,
"I radiate love and good will
to soul friends everywhere.")
and to
the Higher Nature in either ourselves
or some Higher Spirit (God??)
in the Universe.
(for example:
"With calm faith,
I open to Thy light.")

So with Ananda Yoga,
with not only have the body
and mental awareness of most yoga,
but we have a deep confirmation
and accenting of
the emotional
and spiritual basis of yoga.

And with a Feldenkrais companionship,
we have a deepening of
the immensely easy
and pleasurable
improvements in
awareness
and thinkng
and moving
that can come from a system based
on learning and discovery
rather than that old trap
of "Doing it Right."

What is Ananda Yoga?

Ananada Yoga is a style of yoga
that emphasized yoga as not just a way
of improving and toning our bodies,
but of creating conditions for a connection
to our Higher Selves,
and even,
if you have such a way of thinking in your life,
to God.

By use of affirmations in each pose,
that emphasize inherent spiritual tendencies of that pose,
and help channel the physical energy of that pose
to a higher place within our body
(to the area often called the Third Eye,
or in modern terms clearly understood as the frontal lobe
of the brain),
and a higher place within our feeling and spiritual self,
Ananda Yoga
allows us to come closer to
our Higher Self/ the Infinite/ God.

An example of an affirmation without the G word
might be,
"I am calm. I am poised." in Vrikasana, the tree pose.
An example of a G word affirmation might be,

"I joyfully manifest the power of God,"
in Warrior 2, Virabhadrasana 2,
getting in touch with the powerfulness of our lower body,
and the joy in our upper body,
and a connecting this all to something higher in us.
Call it God, or our Higher Selves,
this is the way that
Ananda Yoga
points.

Summer Learning

Just finished nine more days of training
with the amazing Anat Baniel.
See, if you wish,
Anat Baniel Method.

Today up to Ananda
for four weeks of yoga training
after which
I plan to return
and teach
DNA YOGA

Discovery
Nature
Awareness.

And on the 29th, of July,
the day the Ananda thing ends,
I'll get on a plane
and fly to Portland
to attend the
Feldenkrais Guild
yearly conference.

Back on the 4th
to attend a wedding
and hopefull come to Center of Universe Cafe.

Ciao
for now

and Marlie is
keeping going the
Monday Feldenkrais
create a miracle for yourself
classes.