Monday, October 25, 2010

Namaste - I bow to you

A word most of us wondered what it meant (and maybe still do), when we first heard it. Maybe it was in your first yoga class, maybe you heard it in a song, or maybe somebody greeted you with the word namaste. I use it at the end of my yoga class, and a lot of times I have new students asking me what it stands for.

Today, after visiting a good friend and borrowing some CDs to copy, I came up on this word again. This time a whole CD was devoted to this word! In its cover it had a beautiful description, and after doing some more research, I added on to the text... 

In much of the world, people do not shake hands when they meet. They may hug formally or kiss one another on the cheek, as in some parts of Europe and the Arab states. They may bow softly, eyes turned to the ground, as in Japan and China. One Hawaiian greeting consists of placing the nostril gently beside that of the person being greeted, a kind of sharing of the breath of life, or prana.

For hindus and now for many others as well, the greeting choice is namaste, the two hands pressed together and held near the heart with the head gently bowed as one says, "namaste." In Sanskrit namas means "bow", and te means "to you". Thus namaste means "I bow to you." The hands held in union signify oneness, the bringing together of spirit and matter, or the self meeting the Self.


The namaste gesture also acts like a simple yogic asana, balancing and harmonizing our energies, keeping us centered, inwardly poised and mentally protected. It closes our aura, shielding us physically. In keeping us from becoming too externalized, thus we remain close to our intuitive nature, our more expanded being. It draws us inward for a moment.*

It is an expression of happiness. It is compromised of the activities of the hands (mudras), the mouth (mantras), and the mind (yoga). Thus namaste is equivalent to meditation that depends upon the relationship between these three. Namaste could just be casual or formal greeting, a cultural convention or an act of worship. Namaste means a declaration of submission..

Therefore, Namaste is not just a word, but it is a feeling and expression in one's heart.

Namaste!

*Excerpt courtesy of Hinduism today, www.hinduismtoday.com

Monday, October 11, 2010

The five pillars of yoga

Right exercise - mostly yoga & spin

Right breathing - going back to my breath, and various pranayama exercises.

Right thinking - trying my best, and for the most part I'm good. But... Sometimes I do slip...

Right nutrition - love to shop good food, to cook for friends and family, to eat yummy healthy food! Now if I could just stay away from Swedish candy too...

Right relaxation - I love shavasana and most days I even fit a yoga nidra in for about 30 min:) At night though... It's nice and quiet, I can get all the million things that I want done accomplished, and oooops it's way past my bedtime again!!

Goodnight all!

P.S. Do any of these need more attention in your life? If so, aim to make changes that will get you there. Example, buy more fresh fruit and vegetables when you go food shopping the next time, do 10 more minutes of yoga every day or start a meditation class.
Good luck to you, good luck to me too! :)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Progress..

"Now, if it so happens that you have decided to progress and if you enter the path of yoga, then a new factor intervenes. As soon as you want to progress, you immediately meet the resistance of everything that does not want to progress both in you and around you. And this resistance naturally expresses itself in all the thoughts that correspond to it." - The mother

Ok, I'm back...

I will give it another try. I will try better this time. I'm not stuck in the house because of a blizzard. It's just a new beginning. Another start. Hope for a good one. Actually, I will make it a good one! Here we go!