What You See is What You Get

What You See is What You Get

by | Apr 22, 2013 | Humour, Yoga practices

At the optometrist today, I caught myself wanting to cheat. If I squinted I could just about see one line more on the eye chart, and that would have kept me at the same vision reading as 18 months ago.
What is that kind of behaviour? In the end, I didn’t fudge my exam, thank goodness. But, after I left the optometrist, I had to reflect on the feelings that came up for me.

I noticed that I was competing with myself so I would get at least as good a score as last time. […]

Do You Do Yoga as Exercise?

Do You Do Yoga as Exercise?

by | Apr 21, 2013 | Gardening, Humour, Upper back & shoulders, Yoga Therapy

I hear countless conversations, read articles and hear lectures about how yoga is not just a physical exercise system. We’ve all heard them. We’ve even said such things ourselves.
Still, it’s a hard habit to break, that is, considering yoga as a way to improve fitness, flexibility, and strength. Of course, those are great benefits that asana practice (postures) can provide.
However, it’s far easier for me to go into the Yoga Shed to do an asana practice  than sit down and do pranayama (yoga breathing) and meditation. Sometimes I even have to make myself do savasana. […]

What You See is What You Get

How Elders Thrive and Not Just Survive

by | Apr 18, 2013 | City Life, Community, Health, Wisdom, XCommunity

Ten years ago, almost to the date, we six seniors held a meeting with flip chart and textas with the intention of generating a vision of another way of doing retirement and old age. Let’s face it – prospects of living in retirement villages or moving to the country sans old friends are less than appealing.
So, today is a very auspicious anniversary because our dream has been realised.
Not that we are old yet. Oldish. […]

Remedial Yoga in a Holistic Context

Remedial Yoga in a Holistic Context

by | Apr 17, 2013 | Healing, Health, Philosophy, Wisdom, Yoga practices, Yoga teaching , Yoga Therapy

In this morning’s yoga class there were six students: one with a pinched neck nerve, one with a strained rotator cuff, one with dodgy knees, one with an arthritic ankle and elbow tendonitis, one with a sore back, and one ‘normal’ (at least for the time being).
In looking at a group ‘remedially’, I saw a collection of ailments. Looking through the holistic lens of yoga, I saw students who are totally fit to practice yoga according to their ability.
For my money, I believe everyone should adapt yoga according to their individual needs and constitution. […]

What You See is What You Get

Inconvenient Convenience

by | Apr 16, 2013 | Science/Skepticism/Technology

 
I was talking on skype today to my sister who’s about 10 years older than I. There are any number of things in her life that she’s have trouble dealing with, one of them being bureaucracy. At her advanced age, she has to have more and more of these sorts of bureaucratic transactions, with health funds and inconvenient government departments.
I’m willing to listen to her complaints up to a certain point because I imagine myself in her place. […]

Work Begets Work

Work Begets Work

by | Apr 15, 2013 | Humour

Source: time-warp-wife.blogspot.ca via Emily on Pinterest

 
I was forced to be off-line through the day today (Monday), when I usually write two blog posts.
I didn’t know what to do with myself.
I could have gone for a swim at the beach. Or phoned  a friend to have coffee. Or, pulled out this month’s book club selection and curled up for a good read.
But I did none of the above. […]

One for Your "Back Saver" File

One for Your "Back Saver" File

by | Apr 14, 2013 | Yoga teaching 

Several years ago I did a workshop with a well-known Sydney physiotherapist who was a practitioner of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. She schooled us in how to assess ourselves for any back problems we might be suffering. […]

Side Wise

Side Wise

by | Apr 10, 2013 | Anatomy, Side-bending, XPoses, Yoga practices, Yoga teaching 

Source: etsy.com via Alison on Pinterest

 
This week I came up with a sequence I enjoy doing and teaching. The theme is all about stretching the sides of your body, particularly hips, waist, rib cage, shoulder blades and arms.
Somewhere along my yoga travels, I heard an expression that I like: ” the sides of our bodies are the lonely parts”. I get that. If you think of all the ways a body can move – bending forward, backward, rotating – then, sideways bends are most unfamiliar movements. […]

What’s the Invisible Ingredient That Yoga Schools Offer?

What’s the Invisible Ingredient That Yoga Schools Offer?

by | Apr 9, 2013 | Community, Health, Pleasure, XCommunity, Yoga teaching 

Source: blogs.yogajournal.com via LINDA on Pinterest

 
I think yoga schools miss the crucial bit of information in their advertising that explains why yoga class attendance can be so enticing. It’s not because of building a body beautiful. And not because all stresses will be dissolved in the arms of savasana (yoga relaxation) at the end of each class. And, it’s not even because any annoying ailments or injuries with which you arrived will miraculously be cured by doing yoga postures.
The thing that is so enrolling about good yoga schools is invisible, in a way. […]

Practice Makes Pleasure

Practice Makes Pleasure

by | Apr 8, 2013 | Philosophy, Pleasure, Yoga practices, Yoga Sequences, Yoga teaching 

Source: yoga.in via Allied on Pinterest

 
I can tell when students in my classes have taken up doing home practice. I’m such an old hand at figuring this out that I can even guess at how many practices a week they do.
What is it that gives them away? Well, these students are continuously improving in their poses. How quickly they evolve is in direct relationship to how much personal practice they do.
Another thing is the high level of attention these yoga practitioners have when they attend classes. […]