No Comments// Posted in meditation by Alice on 11.05.09.
I purchased a singing bowl last year, but haven’t been able to master it. Due to the lack of time committed, but also I have noticed it is not very thick nor symmetrical. (it wasn’t very expensive)
I love the designs on this bowl imported from the Himalayan region!
A cushion would be the perfect complement!
No Comments// Posted in Health, Self, Wisdom, Yoga by Alice on 09.30.09.
Shift Your Perspective
To radically shift your outlook, break out of your regular routine. Go a different way to work, try a new food, take a class from a yoga teacher you’ve never studied with before. Then notice how one seemingly simple change affects the way everything else appears to you. “Our whole world is basically what we perceive,” says Frank Jude Boccio, a meditation teacher and the author of Mindfulness Yoga. “The opening verse of the Dharmapada—an anthology of quotes attributed to the Buddha—says, ‘We create the world with our thoughts and our perceptions.’ This means that the only thing we know about this world we are living in is how we perceive it.”
To show how changeable our perceptions are, Boccio directs his students to visit a store and try on a hat that they would describe as “not me,” then notice how wearing it changes the way they feel. “Even without looking in the mirror, just having the hat on changes your perception of your reality in that moment,” Boccio says. Changing your perspective, whether it’s as dramatic as taking a trip to another country or as mundane as taking a different seat at your dining table, can make you more aware of how conditioned your perceptions are. This awareness can soften your attachment to your perceptions, says Boccio, and open your heart to change. “Seeing the conditioning of perceptions is an essential aspect of the yogic path of liberation,” he says.
via: Yoga Journal
No Comments// Posted in Health by Alice on 09.11.09.
We are planning a winter concoction of
pear
cucumber
kale
Cucumber is rich in silica, a mineral that strengthens connective tissues, like tendons, muscles, cartilage, bones, and ligaments. It is also reported that silica is good for hairgrowth,complexion,skin elasticity, and fingernails.
It is important to use cucumbers which do not require peeling because you lose much of the silica and other beneficial properties which are in the skin of cucumber.
Cucumber Juice For Healthy Skin And Hair | Medindia Blogs.
No Comments// Posted in Yoga by Alice on 09.08.09.
Smith Rock Vinyasa from alice noyes on Vimeo.
No Comments// Posted in Yoga by Alice on 09.03.09.
Its so inspiring to find other yoga lovers with a camera and a love for the wild outdoors.
Images from: Sunsinger’s Flickr
2 Comments// Posted in Self, Wisdom, Yoga by Alice on 08.31.09.
As I pulled out onto 47th ave for my morning commute today, a cyclist ahead of me had a Virgin Mary card tied to her backpack. The stylized, Medieval style that you can find on candles, low riders, etc. I love it!
Immediately ‘Ave Maria’ popped into my head and serenaded me all the way to the office. Memories of 8am Mass at St Monica Elementary school popped into my head, wiggling, squirmy kids in pews, kneeling until their backs ache while stern eyes of teachers and nuns kept whispers and giggles to a minimum.
I then pondered whether Druid schools exist any more. Recently, I have been quite taken with ancient Celtic literature, mainly around the time of the Roman Invasions into Albion, or the British Isles. The sacred priestesses and their worship of the Goddess. The naturalistic homage to the trees, springs, wind and soil.
In one of the novels, the captured hero, Caradoc (known as Caratacus) and his family are taken to Rome for trial and in an unexpected twist, are allowed to live, as prisoners of Rome, yet in luxurious splendor. One of the daughters becomes involved with the persecuted followers of The Way, which was spread by the well known man called Jesus Christ.
Which leads to contemplation of the politicization of religion as the “Roman” Catholic Church wielded power through the centuries, creating an entire Holy Roman Empire, monotheistic patriarchy, which in turn persectured every other religion in Europe and turned its greedy eye toward the rich lands of Persia, modern day Iran/Middle East. My how things change.
But, back to the point of this contemplation. After graduating from St. Monica and moving onto a public high school, my contempt for organized religion slowly gathered fire. Studies of English and History in college combined with a father thoroughly obsessed with the Roman Empire and all things historical created an educated opinion about the failings of religion, God and all the silly believers. Yet I didn’t feel like an atheist. More agnostic. Confused.
Then. YOGA. First, the body. Then the mind. Then the spirit opens. I found an author that was able to reconcile my dispassion for Catholicism and my newfound calmness of spirit.
Sri Yukteswar was a Spiritual Master of great sincerity and sought to direct his disciples through strict discipline. Yogananda said of his Guru that if he did not speak with such sincerity he would have had many more disciples. (Yogananda would take a more forgiving attitude “Yogananda” means “incarnation of divine love”)
Sri Yukteswarwas asked by Babaji to write a book showing the underlying similarities between Hinduism and Christianity. This book was called “The Holy Science” and is an in depth look at the underlying harmony between the Bible and Hindu scriptures.
In America, Yogananda founded the Self Realization Fellowship, which served as the organisation committed to his teachings. Yogananda also gave many lectures on spiritual themes throughout the country. Yogananda taught that although outer customs of religion may be different, the underlying principles are the same. He also taught that the essence of any religion and spiritual practice was the Love of God and to realize the true nature of your own divine Self. Yogananda also did much to show the underlying unity between Hinduism and Christianity, in doing so he helped bridge the gap between East and West.
Sri Yukteswar: “It is never a question of belief; the only scientific attitude one can take on any subject is whether it is true. The law of gravitation worked as efficiently before Newton as after him. The cosmos would be fairly chaotic if its laws could not operate without the sanction of human belief.”
No Comments// Posted in Self, Wisdom, Yoga by Alice on 07.22.09.
he told me he was only addicted to things that were good for him.
♥ true story!
Today I came across this lovely website: One with Intention Yoga.
Her Focus for the month is Addiction.
“The great way is not difficult for those who have no preferences.” -3rd Chinese Patriarch
Most of us spend the first part of our lives desperately trying to acquire an identity and the rest of our lives defending that identity. The definition of an adult, after all, is one who has stopped growing. Addiction is a suppression of our creativity-our natural youthful ability to grow and evolve.
We hanker after experiences that will reinforce a sense of who we are as not different from who we think we are. But the fact is that who we think we are has been decided by us; in other words it is not an absolute “something” set in stone. If we have programmed ourselves, through long-term habitual actions, to feel that we need certain stimulants in order to feel a sense of self worth, then our identity becomes inseparable from our habitual experiences. These stimulants can come from the outside, as in the case of alcohol, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, sugar, caffeine, chocolate, etc., which are referred to as exogenous chemicals. Stimulants can also come from inside the body. These internally produced chemicals are called endogenous chemicals, and they can produce a similar high as the exogenous chemicals. Some people are even said to be addicted to work, gambling, sex or other kinds of activities that can trigger the release of endogenous chemicals in the body.
The human body has receptor cells that have the ability to receive drugs like cocaine and heroin, as well as any other drug or substance that we are capable of being addicted to. It isn’t that we are biologically designed to become drug addicts. The fact is that our body is equipped with its own pharmaceutical laboratory that is able to manufacture the same chemicals internally that drug addicts crave from external sources. Any external drug that has an effect in our body works because it behaves like a similar internal chemical that is natural to us. Our body is able to recognize the external drug because our body already has its own receptors that were designed for the internal natural chemicals that we are able to manufacture ourselves.
One major problem with chemical addiction is that when you habitually rely on external means to feel good, your body’s own ability to manufacture those chemicals decreases, and you become more and more dependent on external means. A similar thing happens in the case of addiction to external activities or behaviors, like work or exercise-your body’s ability to manufacture endogenous chemicals when you are not working or exercising decreases. An addict has to go outside of him/herself to find a sense of wellbeing. Dependency is a never-ending search with debilitating results.
These kinds of addictions are counterproductive to the attainment of yoga, as they block a person from becoming truly happy, self confident, self reliant and whole. Addiction suppresses spiritual, emotional and physical development-retarding growth-keeping a person bound to staying the same. Addiction inhibits the blossoming of creativity, the potential for change and the evolution of consciousness.
When external activities are coupled with an intention to grow spiritually, however, they provide a means to consciously train your body to access your own pharmaceutical laboratory and help become free of chemical and other addictions. The practice of yoga asanas is a good example of this. Also, bhakti yogis actively cultivate what they refer to as an addiction to God, yet this “addiction” is not unhealthy, because it moves one closer to God and closer to the realization of who one truly is. Asana practice involves the stimulation of the endocrine system. Consciousness is chemical, and certain asanas stimulate specific glands in the body. These glands in turn secrete chemicals which have a profound effect upon our consciousness: Standing poses affect the adrenals; forward bends, the ovaries and testicles; twists, the pancreas and liver; backbends, the thymus; shoulderstand, the thyroid; child’s pose, the pineal; and headstand, the pituitary. Even though a person may practice yoga every day, it will never become an addiction like an addiction to chemicals or to work or gambling, because those kinds of addictions keep one the same and inhibit growth and evolution, whereas yoga provides a means to evolve.
When we become free of addiction, we can then feel what it means to have a body that is an instrument for happiness, ecstasy and bliss, and our body/mind system can do what it was meant to do-take us into new heights of experience beyond our wildest dreams.
No Comments// Posted in Yoga by Alice on 07.14.09.
Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita
The Yoga of Action
Renunciation and the Yoga of action both lead to the highest bliss; but of the two, the Yoga of action is superior to the renunciation of action.
3. He should be known as a perpetual Sannyasin who neither hates nor desires; for, free from the pairs of opposites, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he is easily set free from bondage!
COMMENTARY: A man does not become a Sannyasin by merely giving up actions due to laziness, ignorance, some family quarrel or calamity or unemployment. A true Sannyasin is one who has neither attachment nor aversion to anything. Physical renunciation of objects is no renunciation at all. What is wanted is the renunciation of egoism and desires.
4. Children, not the wise, speak of knowledge and the Yoga of action or the performance of action as though they are distinct and different; he who is truly established in one obtains the fruits of both.
5. That place which is reached by the Sankhyas or the Jnanis is reached by the (Karma) Yogis. He sees who sees knowledge and the performance of action (Karma Yoga) as one.
6. But renunciation, O mighty-armed Arjuna, is hard to attain without Yoga; the Yoga-harmonised sage proceeds quickly to Brahman!
7. He who is devoted to the path of action, whose mind is quite pure, who has conquered the self, who has subdued his senses and who has realised his Self as the Self in all beings, though acting, he is not tainted.
8. “I do nothing at all”—thus will the harmonised knower of Truth think—seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing,
9. Speaking, letting go, seizing, opening and closing the eyes—convinced that the senses move among the sense-objects.
COMMENTARY: The liberated sage always remains as a witness of the activities of the senses as he identifies himself with the Self.
10. He who performs actions, offering them to Brahman and abandoning attachment, is not tainted by sin as a lotus leaf by water.
11. Yogis, having abandoned attachment, perform actions only by the body, mind, intellect and also by the senses, for the purification of the self.
No Comments// Posted in Yoga by Alice on 06.26.09.
Natarajasana :: King Dancer Posture
With ha meaning sun and tha meaning moon, hatha yoga is commonly translated as the yoga that brings union of the pairs of opposites.
Excercising postures or Asanas in Hatha Yoga has two essential objectives. The first is that to practice any real meditation, one needs at the least one posture in which one can be perfectly comfortable for a longer period of time. The more such postures one can master, the better the basis for developing the inner meditation techniques.
The second objective of excercising asanas in Hatha Yoga is to bring health and energy to body and mind by opening the nadis. When such excercises are regularly perfomed, the path of hatha yoga is opened automatically, though one still has to follow it further.
The mere mastering of postures is no objective in itself, though mastering various postures certainly strengthens the power of will and concentration and the habit of not paying too much attention to the information input by the senses.
Thus practicing asanas in Hatha Yoga directly opens the path to Prathyahara and Dharana.
No Comments// Posted in Uncategorized by Alice on 05.19.09.
The process of getting to know the girls has presented its challenges as well as benefits. Seeing them develop a unique sense of confidence due to a connection to a particular yoga pose is very exciting. Conversely, when I know which students present more fo a challenge it almost creates more intimidation or at least anxiety for me in knowing how to work with this individual’s needs.
I enjoy the spontaneous questions and opportunities to share why I love yoga and feel that it is worth sharing. Most recently I fielded questions such as: “why do we even do yoga, its not like I lose any weight”. I replied that I find yoga’s health benefits in many ways, because it helps create new habits, and desire healthier food and activities. They started going off in all kinds of directions, “Are you a hippie? Do you smoke pot? Can those hindu guys really fly?” Fortunately there was a staff member volunteer there to redirect their less appropriate questions…
Adapting to a new style of teaching yoga, to students who are more or less willing than the usual “yoga crowd” has taught me a lot about making yoga accessible and its history understandable.
I enjoy the challenge of reaching them, they are always so happy after class, and even say things like “yoga gives me so much energy after class!” even when they are shuffling their feet and complaining on the way to class.
street yoga: changing lives // one breath at a time
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