Here’s an interesting study: It found that an 8-week program of daily yoga, including asanas and pranayama, decreased verbal aggressiveness in the males and those under 25. More info here.
The Kirtan Kriya is an excellent meditation for brain health. Scientific studies have actually shown that this meditation can improve short-term memory. The following video gives an excellent explanation of how to perform Kirtan Kriya:
After watching the explanatory video, you can perform the meditation with her at the follow up video.
I was teaching a class at the gym this morning and a fire alarm went off. Thank goodness the students warned me there was a fire drill due at the top of the hour – for some silly reason, no-one at the front desk bothered to tell me, the teacher! But the alarm hit 5 minutes early and everyone missed their savasana. I can’t imagine what I would have done if I hadn’t been told it was just a drill. I guess the lesson is: Be prepared! Anything can happen in yoga class!
Over the years I’ve heard a lot of people saying that yoga changed their lives, to the point where it seems to become a cliche. I find for myself, however, that yoga has been instrumental in helping me achieve a greater peace of mind and contentment. I believe it’s a combination of two things, the regular exercise (which has been scientifically shown to be a mood enhancer, yoga or no), and the meditation.
For me, hatha yoga is not enough. Doing hatha yoga does provide stress relief and stirs up those good hormones that help with mood, but that in and of itself is not transformative. The kundalini yoga – particularly the mantras and chanting – seems to be the extra kick in the pants for me. To say that some of these mantras are magical sounds a bit over the top, but they really do seem to create massive shifts.
I can’t say I have reached enlightment yet – I still have my negative moments for sure. I still also react, but not as badly as I used to. (It used to be really really bad!)
So has yoga changed your life? If so, how? Do share!
I regularly check Craigslist for yoga jobs, and I see quite a few sleazy men posting looking for “personal trainers” or yoga instructors where the main qualification is the photo you send in. Here’s an ad I caught this morning. Note the triple emphasis ***on every line!!!***:
Sexy, Fit, Female Fitness Trainer or Sexy, Fit, Female Workout Partner (Beverly Hills)
***Seeking SEXY, FIT, FEMALE fitness trainer… or SEXY, FIT, FEMALE workout partner *** To train, workout, STRETCH, and assist former pro athlete with my workout.***
***You must be willing to workout outdoors (beach, park, etc) with me… we will…walk, jog, sprint, lift weights, do push ups, sit ups and ***YOU WILL NEED TO STRETCH ME OUT FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT MY/OUR ENTIRE WORKOUT***
***You should be very familiar with YOGA and or ASSISTED STRETCHING technique’s.***
*** You MUST submit a cover letter, resume and RECENT PHOTO/ PHOTOS of yourself… if you don’t have resume, please submit (a cover letter or cover e-mail and RECENT PHOTO/PHOTOS) of yourself OR YOU… WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR POSITION***
***I’m am seeking for a SEXY, FIT, FEMALE FITNESS TRAINER OR A SEXY, FIT, FEMALE WORKOUT PARTNER who is seriously into fitness and knowledgable about NUTRITION and STRETCHING.***
We would work together at least twice a week to start with….***ONLY RESPONSIBLE, SEXY, FITNESS MINDED LADIES WITH REFERENCES NEED APPLY***…THANK YOU
So it may take Gaiam Yoga Club to finally get me to try handstand. Well, I am trying it, but up against the wall in my hallway. Rodney Yee suggests climbing your way up into handstand using a door jamb, but my doors must be super narrow because there is no way I can fit into them that way. Maybe it’s an apartment thing? They seem to be normal size, but maybe that’s because I’m used to them now.
So my alternative is to place my back against one wall in my narrow hallway and walk up the other wall. I can’t seem to get both legs straight up at once, but I think that might have something to do with where my hands are placed. With the door jamb method, you are supposed to place the hands around either side of the jamb. In the hallway, the hands have nowhere to go except next to the wall.
Well, at least I’m getting somewhat vertical.
I am currently researching yoga therapy training programs. There do not seem to be an overabundance of them. I’m looking at various training options, from a weekend seminar that would provide CEUs towards Yoga Alliance’s continuing education requirements, to 300-hour programs that can lead towards a 500-hour RYT designation.
One thing that always boggles my mind with yoga: How so many programs are so expensive and require residential stays that would entail the trainee to stop working while taking the course. I wonder how many yoga teachers come from wealthy families or have spouses that take care of them. Who is able to pay all these fees while being unemployed for a month?
Of course, getting your certification done in a month instead of over the span of a year certainly has its benefits.
I have to weigh a variety of options – affordability, time that I’d have to take off to do the training, and how appealing the training is. But, I also want to be practical.
For example, the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy program looks absolutely fascinating, but it’s not really designed to teach about physical issues. You won’t be learning a lot about physical anatomy or ailments. Their idea of yoga “therapy” is more along the lines of yogic psychotherapy vs. yoga physical therapy. My healing mind is interested in this training, while my practical mind thinks I need more training in physical kinesthesiology.
On the other hand, I’m not sure if I want to learn the finer points of anatomy. Loyola Marymount University offers a certificate program in yoga therapy that handles all that hard “medical” stuff, but this seems more like something you’d learn because it’s good to know it, not because you want to know it. Like, you’d be happy you’d gone through the anatomy class once it’s over, but you’d be bitching the entire time you were in it. I’m still getting information on this program, however, since it’s local, somewhat affordable, and I know it’d be good for me.
At any rate, if you know of any good yoga therapy programs please share them in the comments!
Here’s a free video showing a simple chair yoga routine for people of varying yoga levels and abilities. Even if you think you don’t need the chair – try it. You may find you get some additional stretches in surprising ways.
A question to you all: When you see an article on a celebrity doing yoga, does it make you want to hit the mat more? Or do you have the opposite reaction, i.e., “Eeeuww, yoga has gotten so annoyingly trendy.” Or: “Great, I’ll never look like Cristy Turlington, so why bother.” Or is your reaction somewhat in-between?
I have an opportunity to write for a new online yoga publication, but the founder is obsessed with focusing on celebrities and gossip as a way to get more people doing yoga. I’m torn…I could use the money and writing credits, but I personally don’t find an excessive focus on celebrities to be appealing, nor is this the direction I want to see yoga go. However, I understand the desire to pander to the lowest common denominator to reach more eyeballs – said founder has a theory that celebrities will “inspire” others, and the more people who do yoga, the better.
Thoughts? Should I whore myself out in the name of trendy yoga gossip or what?
As they say…inquiring minds want to know…
Here’s an interesting news clip on an apparent rise in yoga injuries due to amateurs watching other amateurs teach yoga on the Internet. (Or, alternatively, amateurs trying to attempt the advanced yoga poses they see online.)
Read the rest of “Rise in Internet Yoga Injuries?” »
