Joshua, Luna and Jaya appear at 3:30 into the video.
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"You take it, practice many years, then shanti is coming...no problem"
"Bliss is where I am found." |
In recent years I have found two things that have been life changing and have changed my outlook on life in general. They are naturism and yoga. Each has a philosophy behind them that I find appealing and I have found many common threads between them so it seems natural for me to combine them where I can rather than embrace them separately.
I agree that clothing is essentially an outer façade, an expression of our personalities. And naturism is about shedding our fears and anxieties about our bodies and embracing body acceptance. Speaking for myself, I find that when I’m freehiking somewhere or enjoying a day at a nudist resort, I’m living in the moment, my worries and cares fade from my mind. I experience that when practicing yoga. To me, merging the two makes sense.
Her first paragraph here is old news for nudists. I agree that naked yoga could very well encourage a new appreciation for the physical, mental and spiritual aspects your yoga practice. Yes, nudity can be a distraction you’re not accustomed to it but people usually get comfortable with the nudity rather quickly and it’s no longer a big deal. I often find clothing in a clothed yoga class to be distracting with the “mysteries” subtly hidden. Out in the open, there is no mystery and the distraction isn’t so evident. Even when unclothed, we can still have “modesty and respect” for the body. I was glad to see a positive article about naked yoga by a relatively well-known yogini. Many objections to it come from our society’s inability to separate nudity and sex or our ideas about body image which brings about the yuck factor — “I don’t want to see somebody’s bare ass in Down Dog!” There are also objections that naked yoga takes away from the sacredness of the practice. Like anything else, the sanctity and sacredness of your practice largely depends on the intention and the attitude you bring into it. I have the same reverence for the teachings and the practice wherever I practice and however I’m dressed (or not). It’s my practice and it has taught me to observer and listen to my body.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it to the group meditation or the slow flow class this morning since I had to get my beloved on a flight. But after watching her successfully get through the airport security, I was able to get home in time to change and make it to Sri Yoga Center in plenty of time. It was good to be back in the Sri Sangha again after a couple of weeks away due to the holidays. While my beloved is away, Sri Yoga will probably be my home away from home. I’m looking forward to the Svadhyana Intensive being taught by Lila Lolling. (And I want to ask her a couple of questions about the Hatha Yoga sequence she taught during the Yamas & Niyamas workshop.) I’m also looking forward to the Core and Weekend series. The Heart opening series on Tuesday evening looks interesting too but I really need to work on my core and the weekend series is at a convenient time. I’m sure I’ll do the Heart Opening series soon. My Sankalpa for this year is to get back on track with improving and maintaining my health. Yoga, especially a strong personal practice, is a major part of accomplishing it. I think this is going to be my year for yoga. Last year was pretty good but this year is going to kick ass. Namaste Padawan Yogi Has it been a year already? I closed out 2010 and began 2011 with yoga at the Sri Yoga Center‘s New Years Eve Satsanga, closing out the year with kirtan and japa then starting the new year in silent reflection and meditation. 2011 was an incredibly full year for me filled with workshops, kirtans and studies. For the first part of the year I enjoyed the Sunday morning Sanghas, discussing the Yoga Sutras and other topics. I began taking Abigail and sometimes Nick to kids’ yoga classes which fell by the wayside later on due to conflicts with my schedule. I attended a couple yoga workshops. In February I attended a Jivamukti workshop taught by Anna Ferguson from World Peace Yoga. The Jivamukti approach is a bit different from what I’m used to but it was a good workshop and I got a lot out of it. In December I attended weekend Yamas and Niyamas workshop with Lila Lolling. She brought a different perspective to it from the Sivananda tradition. I really enjoyed the asana portion of the workshop which consisted of a traditional Hatha Yoga practice, so much that I’m using it as the basis for my home asana practice. The year was a good one for kirtan. The kirtan that had the most profound effect on me was the Chants for Ma kirtan led by Michael and Melissa at Sri Yoga Center on Mother’s Day. It was a simple kirtan but my heart really opened up and I was overcome with emotion. In June I accompanied Michael and Melissa to World Peace Yoga in Cincinnati for the Jubilee Kirtan and Hafla. Michael and Melissa led the kirtan accompanied by Christopher Cox and Doug Kreitzer. One of the highlights was the World Peace Tribal Belly Dancers who really got the kirtan swinging. I attended two more kirtans in July. SRI Kirtan played at Sri Yoga and featured several songs from their Live Your Love CD. By the end of their set, one could definitely feel a positive shift in the energy. About a week later, I went to Yoga Springs for a Karen Johns kirtan. She had us do the final chant while in Savasana which was an interesting experience. There were other events blending music with yoga. In August Girish visited Sri Yoga and played as Melissa led an asana class. About a month later, the Bhakti Vinyasa Project returned to Sri Yoga with Luna and Joshua playing cuts from One Shared Heart as Katy Knowles led a vinyasa flow class choreographed to the music. A few days after that, Luna and Joshua held a “Soul of Voice” workshop with a small kirtan in which Melissa received her first harmonium lesson. The highlight in my year of yoga was the 100-hour Yoga Studies Program taught be Michael and Melissa. It was a preparatory class for teacher training covering the Yoga Sutras, subtle anatomy, asana, sequencing, pranayama and meditation. Three of the five students who completed the course went on to take the teacher training course. Later in the year I took part in a Yoga Studies Intensive focused on finding balance. This course expanded on some of the concepts from the Yoga Studies Program and took them a bit deeper. Next year should be another great year for my yoga practice. I’ll starting off with Lila Lolling’s Svadhyaya Intensive. Some of the offerings on the winter schedule also look interesting, such as the 6-week Weekend Flow and the Core Flow series. There are also the drop-in Yoga Flow classes with Melissa on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I want to make 2012 the year my practice really takes off in a new direction. Namaste Padawan Yogi I really enjoyed last weekend’s Yamas & Niyamas workshops with Lila Lolling at Sri Yoga Center. I came away with a deeper understanding of the restraints and observances and took a deeper look inside to see where I am in embracing them in my life. In pondering the journal inquiries, I had to look deep inside myself and face things that I would have rather avoided but needed to be faced. On both Saturday and Sunday, the day began with Lila leading a traditional Hatha Yoga practice based on Swami Sivananda’s Surya Namaskar and 12 basic asanas. I enjoyed the practice and the short Savasana between the poses. It was quite different from the Vinyasa Flow to which I’m accustomed but it was a great experience. My home practice has been sporadic with various sequences but the Hatha Yoga practice looks to be a good foundation. I am looking forward to Lila’s Swadhyaya Intensive next month at Sri Yoga Center. Namaste Rod Stryker reminds us that true yoga is alchemy for the mind and has little to do with the shape of our body. I feel fortunate and very grateful that when I stumbled into yoga, I found two teachers whose style was influenced by Rod Stryker’s Parayoga. Like most people, I began to do yoga for the physical benefits of asana. However, I was aware that yoga was a holistic approach to physical, mental and spiritual well-being and I suspected I might be attracted to its spiritual aspects. Since then, I’ve explored yoga well beyond asana. I’ve discovered and enjoyed kirtan (Bhakti Yoga), attended numerous workshops, studied The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita, and taken an interest in Ayurveda. I’ve got The Upanishads and several other books on my “to be read” list. My study of yoga has affirmed, clarified and solidified many ideas I’ve carried for many years and opened my mind to other views and concepts. I’m forever grateful to Michael and Melissa at Sri Yoga Center for opening the doors to the world of Yoga for me. Namaste
Have a Blessed Thanksgiving Day. On this day of thanksgiving, I would like to express my gratefulness for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. I’m grateful for family, friends, teachers, health, yoga and other blessings, too numerous to recall. I’m grateful to those who came before me for they have all made a contribution and helped to shape my destiny. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Namaste, Padawan Yogi |
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