Yoga

Past Memories - Episode 1

Short Introduction
From 31st Dec 2002 to 21st Sept 2003, I had maintained a website hosted by my ala mater because SOC students happen to have an account and space to host their own stuff. And for that period, I recorded quotes, poems, book reviews. Basically what I am blogging about nowadays. Haha shows that my interests never change much. After I graduate, I archived these pages hoping to host them on my Geocities site. But I never got around to do it because I got lazy. And the archive folder was lost till recently when I saw it again. I guess it is abit weird to host them into my Geocities site because I rarely maintain that site unless it is for my neopetting purposes. I decided to refurnish abit and blog these memories. Thus begin my journey to my past...

31st December 2002
Seriously I do not know what have I actually been doing this hols... and it is one month i.e. about 40 days I think ... sighz... I'm such a slacker.
Oh well, I did have some progress on something though.... I started exercising this month... Whew.. finally after stopping to exercise since I no longer have PE liaoz, I am starting to do sit ups lately.... and soon progressing to YOGA. Hopefully that will last...

Yoga is not like any physical exercise. It is performed slowly and with a great awareness of your breadth control. You will feel invigorated, not tired. It is not to develop muscles but to promote the well-being of the mind, body and spirit.

Yoga philosophy concentrates on the present. Though there is a need to plan ahead, but not projecting yourself into hypothetical situations. In yoga, people are encouraged to be responsible, dependable and honest, but not futuristic.

Here are some pointers I wish to share with you to minimize stress

* Take criticism
* Have goals
* Be open
* Clarify areas of disagreement
* Live in the present - here and now
* Work and act methodically
* Consider the choices
* Acknowledge your weakness
* Stay neutral and detached
* Have good time management
* Prepare yourself for important tasks
* Do not be intimidated by your boss

FREQUENT YAWNING!!
A signal that your body is striving for more oxygen to enter the bloodstream.
Remedy : Breathing exercises
Comments : Just remember to inhale through your nose. This is fundamental for yoga. Make outward breadth twice as long as the inward breadth.

9 types of yoga :

1. lyengar yoga - uses bench, sand bag etc
2. Ashtanga yoga or Power yoga
3. Vinlyoga
4. Kripalu yoga - 3 steps : a) posture b) mediation c) posture & mediation (if I did not mis-translate this sentence)
5. Integral yoga
6. Bikram yoga - done at 34-5 degree Celcius, quite sweaty
7. Ananda yoga
8. Kundalini yoga
9. Somatic yoga

What is positive thinking?

* Water off lotus leaf - When the raindrops land on the lotus leaf, they roll off genly and fall into the water without wetting the leaf
The leaf is completely unaffected by the rain. So also, the events of this world have no ultimate effect on Brahman, or the Absolute. A cinema screen offers a similar analogy. Despite the play of light and shadow upon it, it remains unchanged and unaffected.
* The pot and space - The space does not change when the pot breaks
The space inside a pot is unaffected by the pot. Although the vessel appears to separate the space 'inside' from the 'outside', this is only an illusion. When the pot is broken, what was 'inside' and what was 'outside' are seen to be the same and they have undergone no change at all. In the same way, the individual self may seem to be limited by the mind and body, but in reality, it is one with the Supreme.
* The sun and reflections - Many reflections but only one truth
Although the Sun may be reflected in an infinite number of vessels, ponds, and lakes, there is still only one Sun. Despite the many reflections of Brahman, there is but one Reality. It is only Maya, the illusory power of the Universe, that causes it to appear as many.
* Gold and ornaments - Try to perceive the essence
Although golden ornaments come in diverse shapes and forms, they are all gold in essence. Likewise, there are various kinds of pots - big, small, round, narrow - but all of them are only clay. Although we see the various forms of he world, all is in essence Brahman. There is one underlying Reality that appears in all shapes and forms.
* The snake and the rope - Illusion may make a rope appear as a snake
When the mind is deluded by Maya (veils of illusion), the world appears to be real. It is only when the light of meditation shines that we truly perceive the reality.

What is happiness?
Happiness, the blissful state, come from within your own self.

Searching for Sweetness
A man went to visit his guru, and when he arrived he found the teacher sitting in the yard in front of a massive pile of hot chilli peppers. The teacher was eating the chillies, one by one. Tears of pain were running down his face and he was sobbing "This is terrible", over and over. When the man asked his guru why he was doing this, the teacher replied, "I am looking for the sweet one". His actions exemplify the way in which most of us spend our lives. We should know from past experience that "the sweet one" does not exist, but we continue to search for our happiness in external objects. However, the sum total of all the pleasures of the physical world are nothing compared to the blissful state of meditation.

Looking in the Wrong Place
Once, an old woman dropped her needle. A passer-by saw her searching in her garden and offered to help. After looking for some time without success, the kind stranger asked the woman exactly where the needle had fallen. He was amazed to learn that she had dropped it inside the house. "Then why are you looking out here?" he asked. "You will never find it." She replied that her house was too dark, so she was looking outside, where there was more light. Most of us are like that woman. We are looking for our lost happiness where the bright lights are, but it isn't there to be found.

FIY

* Yoga and Pilates are 2 different things.
* Yoga has 5000 history and originates from India.
* Yoga only allows breathing through nose i.e. mouth is shut. This is to keep the body warm, thus obtaining peace and calm in mind.
* Yogalates = Yoga + Pilates (makes up a total of 1 hour)
* Chi Ball = Yoga + Pilates + Qi Gong + Taiji theories. Actually is just a special ball which allows you to relaxed... need to do more research on this though. (I WANT THIS!!! SIGHZ WHERE TO GET IT?????)

Acknowledgements :

* YOGA FOR BUSY PEOPLE by Miriam Freedman & Janice Hankes
* Yoga . Pilates by Lee Anne (Bella Fitness - Jan 2003 issue)
* Yoga Mind & Body' by Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre - all those inspirational stories