In the Shade of the Yoga Tree - A Living Context for Practice

"The living context for practicing various yoga branches is not to flee one's existence, but to realize the profound experience of one's path." Author "Namaste'."

Without false modesty, pride, or preconception we greet kindred spirits along the path, meeting them eye-to-eye and toe-to-toe because we are all concurrently students and teachers. While individuals experience life through different personalities, we share weighty truths allowing us to recognize one another. I know you as I know myself; all of us wish to give and receive respect; all of us hope to lead lives of security, not only in the material sense, but stepping forth into this universe secure in who we are and the works we accomplish; all sojourners desire love. My first teacher - poet, yogi, and mystic - Eden Ahbez, gifted the world with his song, Nature Boy. Many listen to the song failing comprehension that his lyric, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return, " is the call of a mystic who refers to 'love' in its broadest sense - the ability we have to recognize and value our connection with others and our universe. Realizing these truths, we bond across great divides of land and sea transcending culture and language. "Namaste'," meaning to say, "Your energy and my energy, honored as one energy."

Our multifarious existence proceeds from a single subtle energy force, and the yoga tree, planted and nurtured by this energy, manifests itself through varied branches. Over five thousand years ago in northern India, the universe gave birth to the yoga tree blossoming into Buddhist branches, Hatha, Kriya, and Pranayama branches, Bhakti, Gnani, Kundalini, and Tantric branches, and fresh branches of Power Yoga developing in the West as we speak. Each branch evolves as an offshoot of the tree, and every branch exhibits its own style or energy frequency. Which branch do you practice? Whichever style you find yourself committed to, you are practicing 'subtle energy manipulation'.

Like my adventurous friends and teachers before me, Eden Ahbez and Arleta Soares, I am an energy maverick - a shaman learning and practicing styles from all over the great tree. Studying for thirty-five years accustoms one to leaps of faith in the nature of a single underlying spiritual energy or as Buddhists say, "one's true face."

The foundation of all yoga is energy. Understanding The Law of Subtle Energy Return is imperative and of great aid in the quality of our practice. Subtle energy return is that tie which binds us to an infinite universe unborn as the one undifferentiated energy and born as the manifested variety of energy frequencies composing our world.

Refining individual energy frequencies and accomplishing a living return to the undifferentiated source is the purpose of yoga practice. Applying The Law of Subtle Energy Return, we seek to balance and evidence our individual energy frequency to reflect that energy of which we are manifest - the one original energy: our higher self or infinite mind, that which whispers to us when we are alone, ineffable spirit. The Law of Subtle Energy Return states that the energy frequency we manifest in our lives is the frequency of energy the universe returns to us. Through yoga we arrive at the notion that standing alone in front of our cave in the Himalayas and shouting any strange sound, that sound is precisely what will be echoed back; we learn energy manipulation, as those hermits in their lonely spiritual mounts learned and practiced for thousands of years. The Law of Subtle Energy Return refines The Mind, Body, Spirit Connection, and with practice this connection grows clear, direct, and powerful. The Mind, Body, Spirit Connection allows us to form a completed cycle of communication between the finite and infinite.

"Yoga is an art, a science and a philosophy. It touches the life of man at every level, physical, mental, and spiritual. It is a practical method for making one's life purposeful, useful and noble. ... ...Yoga helps to keep one's body and mind in tune with the essence, the soul, so that all three are blended into one. ..." B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

If you're sensing karmic law peeking around the tree, you are correct. However, I find the term karma largely misunderstood and incorrectly practiced. I believe this is in part due to 'karma', the word's, superficial western definition of "As you sow, so shall you reap." The Law of Subtle Energy Return, as a title, gives us a brief description and an immediate sense of arena. The title does not originate with me, but arrives via ancient Taoist doctrine.

Learning The Mind, Body, Spirit Connection, we appreciate that yoga, as a wholistic lifestyle, affords us space to practice through our material bodies and mundane individual minds a linking with infinite mind, the spirit.

Grasping a single branch, Hatha Yoga is not merely a series of asanas - yoga postures - for the body. Each asana issues a direct command utilizing the body in a two-fold manner: first, by purposely performing, using full consciousness, a new movement the body is unaccustomed to, we establish a break from our personal history of heretofore limited movement. Sustaining a back-bend with chest thrown upwards and outwards, our limbs stretched and head upside-down, at that moment we are - as a side benefit to our conscious activity - feeding our unconscious mind a groundbreaking picture of its world. For this reason, it is critical that we practice Hatha yoga with our eyes open. Yoga is freeing one's self of history.

Secondly, along with this amazing upside-down picture, the unconscious mind receives the command information that we are capable of this expanded experience. The difference between the unconscious and the conscious mind is that the unconscious is not capable of making a judgment call; it accepts what it is given at face value. This acceptance is the first step in the process of refining energy through The Mind, Body, Spirit Connection because the unconscious reports to the conscious mind this new truth, which in turn reports this truth to the body, and the body seeks to balance the energy picture by establishing different parameters fitting its new knowledge. Taking this knowledge of the two laws - energy return, and mind, body, spirit connection - outside of the yoga studio and into our lives expands our abilities to meet goals and impact our world. Yoga is finding one's power to be at home in the universe.

"Yoga takes the doing out of our spiritual quest ... BEING present through a daily practice of yoga brings us balance of body, mind and spirit. Yoga is 'everymans' path of transformation to wholeness." Reverend Arleta M. Soares, U.R.M.

Mind and body evolving together refine energy - they manifest that energy frequency born of the one original universal energy, the infinite mind. The universe returns infinite mind energy and spiritual communication succeeds. Practicing yoga asanas is an expansion of consciousness meditation. Indeed, all yogic movements, controlled breathing, visualization, and mantra follow The Mind, Body, Spirit Connection accomplished through The Law of Subtle Energy Return.

If "Namaste'" is yoga's spoken greeting, "Sah aham," is yoga's interior attitude. This piece of hoary Sanskrit means, "Eternal spirit I am."

Through a balanced yoga practice of physical and mental meditation, and seeking to maintain an intelligent, responsible, and compassionate bearing that deep truths connect us all, we arrive at an understanding that the mind does not reside in the brain, but rather throughout and beyond the body extending itself further than the manifested universe to the infinite. Existence, as an event of The Mind, Body, Spirit Connection, and The Law of Subtle Energy Return, even while alive in the body, is a constant cycle of return to the source; while our bodies are not immortal, our true natures are eternal. Sikh master, Yogi Bhajan, and lecturing author, Dr. Wayne Dyer, have both expressed the timeless truth that we are not human beings seeking a spiritual experience, but actually spiritual beings having a human experience.

In this excerpt of The Sunflower Sutra, a poem by Allen Ginsberg, the poet sits by a dirty, rat infested riverbank, one imagines poor, hollow-eyed, and downtrodden by the almost impossible task of a commitment to spiritual, poetic survival under the weight of an overbearing steel and concrete metropolis. Allen forcefully delivers his sermon on this condition of remembering the spiritual in the midst of the human experience to the ghost of his deceased best friend, Jack Kerouac:

"...Poor dead flower? when did you forget you were a flower? when did you look at your skin and decide you were an impotent dirty old locomotive? the ghost of a locomotive? the specter and shade of a once powerful mad American locomotive? You were never no locomotive, sunflower, you were a sunflower and you Locomotive, you are a locomotive, forget me not!

So I grabbed up the skeleton thick sunflower and stuck it at my side like a scepter, and deliver my sermon to my soul, and Jack's soul too, and anyone who'll listen,

-We're not our skin of grime, we're not our dread bleak dusty imageless locomotive, we're all golden sunflowers inside, blessed by our own seed & hairy naked accomplishment-bodies growing into mad black formal sunflowers in the sunset, spied on by our eyes under the shadow of the mad locomotive riverbank sunset Frisco hilly tincan evening sitdown vision." Allen Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems

We are all microcosms of the macrocosmic infinite energy. We contain all of the elements, qualities, and possibilities of the infinite. However, we are wrapped up simultaneously in the throes of an often earth shattering human experience. We forget our true eternal nature. Living a complete yoga life does not mean escape from our condition. One does not practice a yogic lifestyle with attachments such as creating good karma. Through yoga, the infinite bud within each of us is encouraged to flower, and by this blooming process, we naturally return to the source. Yoga practice, in the context of our mortal journey, is the art and science of standing steady yet unattached with one foot in the finite world and the other foot in the infinite world of spiritual energy; realizing the infinite through the finite, the absolute through the relative, the spiritual through the mundane is our condition. That nirvana - final liberation - is found in the midst of samsara - the cycle of existence - is a given across the panorama of Eastern thought.

"The meaning of our self is not to be found in its separateness from God and others, but in the ceaseless realization of yoga, of union." Rabindranath Tagore

The living context for practicing various yoga branches is not to flee one's existence, but to realize the profound experience of one's path. Practicing in this fashion is the art of grounding one's self, sometimes referred to as centering, and pragmatically speaking, taking the time to learn this bit of sobering philosophy is balancing and invaluable in all areas of our journey.

Finally, yoga imparts natural balance in our lives through The Universal Law of Homeostasis; both the infinite and manifest aspects of creation proceed because homeostasis demands energy seek refinement through establishing a direction towards balance flowing within limitations. Hatha Yoga expresses this balance by repeating asanas equally on both sides of the body, while Pranayama Yoga seeks to increase the collection and flow of prana (refined energy) by equalized breathing exercises through both nostrils simultaneously or consecutively, and sitting meditation devotes a portion of practice to balancing or clearing the chakras (energy centers or blockages depending on your school of thought) and equalizing energy meridians flowing within the body or issuing from the body. All of these yogic modalities are practiced as an east-west force crossing the planet's natural north-south energy lines. Completing a yoga session where we have created statements of balance to the unconscious mind, The Mind, Body, Spirit connection responds and we feel relaxed and balanced. As our practice matures, we carry this natural balance into our daily lives.

"...Who fasts and sleeps under the stars Who wears ashes sitting in eternal meditation So long as this one doubts, he will not find freedom. ..." Buddha

Yoga is a leap of faith in the one energy - from what we know of the finite to what we do not know and cannot say about infinity. Namaste'.

Thank you for your comments!

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Living in Optimal Health - Stress-Free Living For Optimal Health and an Attitude For Success

Living in optimal health means nothing unless we have learned to live stress free and have an affirming attitude for success. That affirming attitude is directly link to our acknowledgment to our true and authentic self. Stress is simply a manifestation of resistance against creative energy. Creative energy is the power of our true and authentic self. This resistance against creative energy causes ill-health to our mind, body and spirit.

So let's take a moment to discover how we can live stress-free for optimal health and develop an affirming attitude which leads to creativity and success.

One of the best tools we can use for living stress free for optimal health is getting our bodies in motion or simply put...exercise. Exercising not only puts our muscles to use, but it also allows chi or energy to move about our bodies. Stagnant chi or energy can cause stress because there are disruptions to our creative energy flow.

Don't think so? Think about how many times you've sat at your computer desk for hours. During this time, your shoulders get cramped, your eyes are stressed, and your back starts to ache. The moment you get up and maybe jog in place, touch your toes, stretch your arms towards the ceiling and twist your waist from left to right, you begin to feel a release as if the blood in your body has begun to circulate again. Guess what? It is. This is what exercise does for the body. Exercise gets the blood circulating. And when your blood starts to circulate, chi is no longer stagnant. With this release, your brain cells reactivate which sparks creativity. This creative spark feels wonderful and results in an affirming attitude.

Another important tool for optimal health and stress free living is the practice of meditation and yoga. Many people see yoga as exercise, but yoga is truly a science, a science which uses the anatomy of the body to move energy and chi to promote vitality, strength, concentration, present-moment awareness, and higher consciousness. Yoga coupled with meditation puts the universal law of purpose and intent into motion and guides the creative process. As the practitioner moves through the asanas (poses), he or she is in an affirmative state which not only aligns the spine, but aligns energy, thoughts, and eventually actions. Accordingly, with the power to promote vitality, stress is no longer a factor. Stress cannot live where vitality breeds.

Drinking water and maintaining a high-water content diet promotes fluidity and the suppleness of our bodies. To experience optimal health and stress free living, it is a great practice to drink plenty of water and maintain a high water content diet. This can be accomplished by drinking plenty of pH balanced water, eating raw fruits and vegetables, juicing, and preparing fresh fruit smoothies.

In recent decades, our markets are being filled with processed foods which have no water. These foods tend to rob water from our joints and muscles. As a result the body becomes rigid and this leads to stress. By juicing fresh fruits such as apples, melons, kale, turnips, and celery, preparing avocado, agave nectar, and mango smoothies, or eating a fresh salad made with spring greens, avocado, fresh lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onion, we put this nutrient-rich water back into our bodies. This water promotes flexibility and fluidity. As a result, our organs perform better and our excretory system removes metabolic waste and toxins at an appropriate rate. When our excretory system performs in optimal health mode, we feel light, our organs are not stressed. This leaves room for our minds to use energy for creativity instead of fighting off toxins.

This leads to another wonderful tool for stress free living and optimal health, the dynamic duo of fasting and detoxification. Unfortunately for many, the idea of fasting and detoxification brings up feelings of depravity. However, this is absolutely erroneous. Fasting and detoxification is a process of cleansing, replenishing, and restoration. In the process of cleansing for example, during a juice fast, the body is being cleansed of toxins, parasites, and metabolic waste including incrusted bile and fecal matter. This cleansing process gives the digestive system a chance to rest and this energy can be used for creativity which leads to an affirming attitude. And isn't an affirming attitude much better for our emotional and mental state?

Accordingly, while addressing our emotional and mental state, another practice which promotes optimal health and stress-free living involves our connection to nature. Nature is such an innate part of us and many of us who lead busy lives forget our connection with nature. Taking our lunch in the park, sitting on a park bench and feeding the birds, walking the dog, planting and gardening, or just standing on our front lawn taking a deep breath allows us to connect with nature. Connecting with nature is a surefire way to relieve tension and stress both emotionally and physically. This connection with nature reminds our bodies on a cellular level to enjoy life, to see abundance all around us, and that we are very much a part of the continuum. With this reminder, we understand there is no need to stress.

And just what is an affirming attitude? Our attitude is an indicator to how we see life. An affirming attitude sees the good in life and therefore draws the good from life experiences. Remember, in order to develop an affirming attitude the way in which we see life, we must let go of all that leads to stress and start to practice those things that allow us to experience joy, elation, love, affluence, peace, and order.

Stress is merely a signal that we are holding on to things which do not affirm our true and authentic self. By practicing those things that help us maintain good health and stress free living, we develop an affirming attitude. This affirming attitude leads to direct alignment to creative energy. And when we are creating goodness, we will live in optimal health.

Carmellita M. Brown is a Visionary Spiritual Teacher, Success Coach, Writer, Online Publisher, and Wellness Coach. She is the instructor for two word-class online courses Abundance Training 101 and Lose Weight While Becoming a Wellness Coach. As an independent online publisher, she is the publisher of the inspirational article directory, Headline Your Life. Her mantra and philosophy as a Success Coach is Live Well, Live Wise, Live Wealthy. As an empowering message to her audience, she often states in her writings: "If we have the vision, the Universe will make the Provision."

Fibromyalgia - Living Your Best Life - Part 3 - Exercise

If you are anything like me, exercising when you are in pain is the last thing you want to do. However, over the years I have learned that without incorporating exercise into my daily routine, I experience more pain. Even while sitting, I am constantly adjusting positions to keep my body from having a "pain freeze", which is what I call the body's stiff and sore reaction when arising from sleep or sitting too long.

My daily exercise program consists of stretching and aerobics. For stretching I use yoga positions after a warm shower or bath in the morning. The warmth of the water loosens the body and makes stretching less painful. If I am pressed for time in the morning and have to delay yoga, I use a large heating pad to warm my body before stretching. I purchased a 2 foot heating pad and it great for relieving aches.

Most exercise programs recommend warming up before you start any exercise program and slowly working into a routine. I think this advice is very important for those of us experiencing chronic pain. A couple minutes a day is beneficial. Above all, listen to your body. If it is too painful, ease back on a particular movement or remove it from your routine. Also, focus on your breath; make sure that you are taking in deep nourishing breaths. I used to hold my breath during yoga positions. Allowing your breath to flow in and out alleviates body tightness.

Stretching

Yoga (originating from India) is a type of meditation, which joins physical and mental disciplines together, which involves certain postures, controlled breathing, and mental focus. One website recommends Viniyoga or Hatha yoga exercises for those experiencing Fibromyalgia.

I was familiar with yoga and had determined that it was something that I could not do. However, a Physical Therapist and yoga trainer at a clinic I frequented felt it would help me. When he suggested incorporating yoga into my day, indescribable and frightening images entered my mind. What I did not know is that there are variations for each position. I was taught 8 different positions that were customized to my ability. I practiced each day until I reached 20 minutes per set; never pushing myself beyond what I was able to do comfortably. I was really impressed by how much better I felt in body, mind, and spirit.

People who experience chronic pain will recognize the benefits attributed to yoga from the list below:

- decreased muscle pain

- increased muscle strength

- greater endurance and stamina

- mood regulation and relief of depression

- improved sleep

- improved concentration

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese form of martial arts, which reportedly was used to train for strength, balance, flexibility, and speed. Tai Chi is also attributed with the same benefits as yoga. My experience with Tai Chi has been watching others and trying to follow a video. I have not received any personal training. Tai Chi movements can also be adjusted to fit each person's ability.

The thing I love about both of these exercises is that they can be done at home without any special equipment and appear to bring benefit to one's entire being. All that is required is loose clothing, patience with self, and willingness to continue. I would highly recommend beginning with personal instruction to learn correct form.

I recommend taking a few minutes to stretch throughout your day. Reach your arms up above your head as if touching the ceiling; slowly tuck your chin to your chest and roll your body down as if you were going to touch your toes, then allow your head and arms to hang loosely; cross your arms in front of your chest as if your were giving yourself a big hug. If you feel a lot of pain while stretching; pull back on the stretch a bit. Next time you may be able to stretch further.

Aerobics

Swimming is a great full body aerobic routine for those experiencing Fibromyalgia. Some communities have aquatic centers, which teach water aerobics that are designed for those experiencing chronic pain. Community centers, YMCA, colleges, and local schools may also offer programs.

Walking is also good. You can swing your arms and even march part of the time. If you are a fair weather walker, Leslie Sansone has several DVDs for in door walking routines. I have also walked inside a covered mall.

I experience neuroma in both feet and never know when it will flare up. Therefore, most of my aerobic routines are enjoyed inside my home. Using indoor programs at home allows me the freedom to pause at anytime, work at my own pace, eliminates the energy of preparing to go out, and driving myself to and from. I have a mini indoor trampoline, which is great for low impact jogging. Recently, my husband and I purchased an adjustable elliptical machine, which I use on the lowest setting. I began at 5 minutes and continue to add minutes. At this writing I can comfortably do 15 minutes per set.

"The Oregon Health and Sciences University has specific Fibromyalgia videos available":

- Stretching and Balance

- Stretching and Relaxation

- Aerobics

To my knowledge there is not an exercise routine that works for all. Fibromyalgia is unpredictable and experienced differently by each person. From years of experience and research, the best advice I can give is to continue to pursue what works best for you.

In Support of You Living Your Best Life with Fibromyalgia,

Mel

Mel is a certified professional life coach, creator of ValuableYou Life Coaching, meditation leader, and assistant trainer for the on-line Art and Science of Coaching. Much of her work is global via telephone and internet. Her web site is http://www.valuableyou.com.

Resources:

http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org

http://www.myalgia.com (Oregon Health Sciences University)

Yoga Exercise For a Healthy Standard of Living

The principle of yoga is to help us attain our furthermost potential and also to provide an experience of everlasting health and happiness. The most unique characteristic of yoga is that, it is suitable for all aged group people irrespective of the gender and health. One can practice yoga anywhere and at any time. You do not even need any kind of special equipment to practice it. It is very easy when compared to the other form of exercises and it is very much enough if you are able to spend only a few minutes in the morning practicing yoga and you will be completely ready and refreshed for starting a new day freshly.

The fact that defines yoga uniquely from any other sport activities is that it refreshes your body, mind and the soul simultaneously. Where as the other form of exercise is primarily focused on maintaining a fit healthy body and building muscles. This is the uniqueness of the yoga that it not only concentrates on the physical fitness of our body but also concentrates on mental health and also as well as on your spiritual well being. There are about 12 different styles in yoga. Even though all these styles are commonly based on the similar kind of physical postures, each one of them has a particular prominence. The four most popular styles of yoga are- Hatha, Kundalini, Bikram and Ashtanga. Each one of these is discussed below as follows:

The Hatha is the most popular style of yoga in use. It acts as the underpinning of all other yoga styles. It follows a kind of technique where in you move the body parts in a slow and very smooth manner by doing many different poses which are often called as asanas. It serves the best for beginners of yoga practice. It involves only slow paced stretching along with few breathing exercises and meditation. Many classes at the start will integrate this form of the yoga style wherein you learn just the basic poses and some relaxation methods so that you adapt yourself to yoga as early as possible.

Another form of yoga is the Kundalini, which is a very ancient style of yoga that is in much practice only at the west of lately. The importance of this style is that it employs in breathing in conjunction with the physical body movement. This form of yoga gives more spiritual feel when compared to that of the Hatha and primarily focuses on balancing the energy in your body. But this form involves rapid movement of the body parts through different postures and concentrates more on breathing, chanting and meditation. In the Kundalini series style, each of the exercise is done according to specific breaths that generally do affect the poses intensively. The main goal in performing this exercise is usually to release the energy that is contained in the lower extremities of the body by moving it in the upward direction. Most of the beginners who are unknown about the yoga will normally find it more rationally and physically challenging when compared to the other styles. Basically Kundalini is more physically concentrated and is also considered as the most spiritual kind of yoga in practice compared to the other forms.

The next popular style of yoga is the Bikram which is often termed as the hot yoga as this is the only form of yoga that is normally carried out in a fiery environment. It is a sort of wide-ranging workout with all the mechanisms of fitness such as muscular strength and endurance, loss of weight and cardiovascular flexibility. The fiery room temperature is generally maintained at 95-100 degrees. The heat and energy expelled in this vital yoga mechanism allows us to release toxins through the sweat glands. Also this yoga form warms up the muscles and joints in turn increasing the flexibility. This kind of yoga is not suggested to pregnant women and for people who are suffering from heart problems and high blood pressure as it is very laborious. But it is highly recommendable for people who are injured as it serves a therapy in order to improve the injured limbs bodily fitness and the movement range.

Now the most popular among all the yoga forms is the Ashtanga which is often referred as power yoga. In Sanskrit, Ashtanga means 8 limbs which are referred to the 8 limbs of the yoga. Because of the steady movement of the various poses, this is style is physically challenging. Six of the different Ashtanga series are available and the student's progress depends on their own pace. It is a kind of vital and athletic form of style and is more suitable to people who are very independent in nature and posses a sense of order. But this type of style is not ideal for beginners of yoga who are not in an excellent physical state, as this requires one to jump while changing to the next posture.

So if you are planning to take up yoga, then try one of these forms for sure as a beginner. Each of the forms is defined uniquely which improves your mental and physical health.

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