I just got back from a yoga shoot and it was so much fun! (www.fluidframephotography.com) I'm excited to see the shots.
Still in escrow with our house. As of today, we are split down the middle: should we continue with escrow and just get reamed on this deal? Or, should we step back, address some issues, and put the house back on the market at a later date? Is getting reamed (but moving forwards and completing an action) better than dealing with putting the house back on the market? Who knows. Mercury is still in retrograde and I attribute the limbo nature of the whole matter due to the limbo nature of the planets and our inner energetic bodies at the moment. Either way, there are advantages. Either way, life shall continue to expose us to greater adventures.
In other news: I am working on getting my old yoga blog back up and going so that I don't keep posting my yoga themes up here. Same with my yoga twitter page, which has been sorely inactive for a long time, now.
Getting ready to move, packing, staging the house, and looking for a new place have all taken up every spare second of my time for the last few months. It's a completely invasive process, kinds of like working on a reality TV show.
Right now, though, I am back in the moment. Enjoying a crisp organic Gala apple while Kaia naps.
Life is pretty good.
Friday Feel Goods: Being a Yoga Model, Iced dark chocolate mocha from Peet's Coffee. Ocean Breezes. No traffic on the 10 going west this morning OR heading east back home this afternoon (yeah!) Quiet, clean house.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sauca: Cleanliness
Today's class focuses on the first of the Niyamas, of which there are 5. The Niyamas are attitudes to cultivate towards ourself, or how we treat ourselves.
Sauca (pronounced "sow-chah") is the act of avoiding inner and outer impurities. Physical cleanliness is the first step in achieving awareness of one's self and one's exterior. A person who eats poorly, abuses one's body and does not maintain the basic acts of washing oneself is a person who can not be ready to experience the higher levels of consciousness that meditation and self-introspection offer. It all begins with something simple: basic cleanliness. In addition to bathing, washing up in the mornings, and brushing our teeth, the yogis believe that yogic cleansing kriyas (actions) are necessary to free the body of the accumulation of mucus, dirt and bile that cause dis-ease. Some of these kriyas are:
- neti (cleansing the sinus passages with a neti pot or a saline rinse)
- nauli (a breath, organ-muscle movement technique)
- trataka (gazing at an external object as a way of developing concentration and stimulating our chakras)
- kapalabhati (breath of fire, a cleansing breath involving rapid, short exhalations)
- dhauti (various internal cleansing, such as stomach cleansing, eye cleansing, etc)
- basti (more specific cleansing of the colon, such as a colonic)
After maintaining cleanliness of our bodies and our environments, sauca may be extended to internal emotional, mental and spiritual cleanliness. Are we organized, efficient beings, or do create stress by being messy? Do we harbor negative energies and toxic thoughts, or can we move through life without accumulating emotional toxic dirt? One very common method of maintaing a clean internal container is by the repetition of mantra. I am personally not a huge mantra teacher, but I'd like to share with you one of my favorites, the Gayatri mantra:
AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.
Of the many translations, one of the more accessible ones (to me) says: "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". The mantra is also a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur).
And that, my dear friends, is just the beginning of sauca.
I'll see you soon!
Yoga Love,
Aria
Sauca (pronounced "sow-chah") is the act of avoiding inner and outer impurities. Physical cleanliness is the first step in achieving awareness of one's self and one's exterior. A person who eats poorly, abuses one's body and does not maintain the basic acts of washing oneself is a person who can not be ready to experience the higher levels of consciousness that meditation and self-introspection offer. It all begins with something simple: basic cleanliness. In addition to bathing, washing up in the mornings, and brushing our teeth, the yogis believe that yogic cleansing kriyas (actions) are necessary to free the body of the accumulation of mucus, dirt and bile that cause dis-ease. Some of these kriyas are:
- neti (cleansing the sinus passages with a neti pot or a saline rinse)
- nauli (a breath, organ-muscle movement technique)
- trataka (gazing at an external object as a way of developing concentration and stimulating our chakras)
- kapalabhati (breath of fire, a cleansing breath involving rapid, short exhalations)
- dhauti (various internal cleansing, such as stomach cleansing, eye cleansing, etc)
- basti (more specific cleansing of the colon, such as a colonic)
After maintaining cleanliness of our bodies and our environments, sauca may be extended to internal emotional, mental and spiritual cleanliness. Are we organized, efficient beings, or do create stress by being messy? Do we harbor negative energies and toxic thoughts, or can we move through life without accumulating emotional toxic dirt? One very common method of maintaing a clean internal container is by the repetition of mantra. I am personally not a huge mantra teacher, but I'd like to share with you one of my favorites, the Gayatri mantra:
AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.
Of the many translations, one of the more accessible ones (to me) says: "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". The mantra is also a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur).
And that, my dear friends, is just the beginning of sauca.
I'll see you soon!
Yoga Love,
Aria
More on: Aparigraha, focus on breath
Aparigraha is translated as non-possessiveness, non-exploitation, not taking conscious advantage of another living being, non-hoarding and non-greed.
Most teachings of aparigraha focus on neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth: hoarding, being key. A more subtler aspect of Apargraha is the concept of non-attachment. As soon as we become attached to something, we close off other avenues of possibility and begin to exist in a very narrow field of focus.
One of Aparigrha's most practical applications is the practice of breathwork or pranayama. An example:Stop what you're doing for and hold your breath, right now. Hold it for a little bit longer. Now let it go.
You probably felt tense and edgy from that. Now, take a small inhale. Hold the breath a split second, and let it go completely.
Now, take a really long, super deep inhale. Hold the breath for 5. 4. 3. 2. 1....inhale just a sip of air more. And now, let it go.
Ahhh, now that felt great.
That is a quick example of the difference between being unconscious with our breath, and holding it (as most of us are apt to do under stress) and breathing consciously, which is so much more powerful
Remember, it's not really what we do (or don't do.) It's how we do it. It's being conscious in our actions.
Most teachings of aparigraha focus on neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth: hoarding, being key. A more subtler aspect of Apargraha is the concept of non-attachment. As soon as we become attached to something, we close off other avenues of possibility and begin to exist in a very narrow field of focus.
One of Aparigrha's most practical applications is the practice of breathwork or pranayama. An example:Stop what you're doing for and hold your breath, right now. Hold it for a little bit longer. Now let it go.
You probably felt tense and edgy from that. Now, take a small inhale. Hold the breath a split second, and let it go completely.
Now, take a really long, super deep inhale. Hold the breath for 5. 4. 3. 2. 1....inhale just a sip of air more. And now, let it go.
Ahhh, now that felt great.
That is a quick example of the difference between being unconscious with our breath, and holding it (as most of us are apt to do under stress) and breathing consciously, which is so much more powerful
Remember, it's not really what we do (or don't do.) It's how we do it. It's being conscious in our actions.
Aparigraha: Non-attachment
Aparigraha is the last of the five Yamas (attitudes towards others) and attachment is the word of the day.
The Yamas, remember, constitute just the first limb of yoga. so after this week, we still have limbs seven limbs of yoga to go, with the second limb being the Niyamas, or attitudes towards ourselves, of which there are also five!
Back to attachment, or Aparigraha which is translated as: non-possessiveness, non-exploitation, not taking conscious advantage of another living being, non-hoarding and non-greed.
The most common lesson of aparigraha is to neutralize the desire to acquire and hoard wealth: hoarding, being the key word, here. One can acquire abundance in the form of wealth, but if we hoard it, we lose touch with our true state of existence and become so wrapped in things, that we become ferociously attached to them, which leads to more greed, more hoarding, etc. I would imagine that most of us aren't too guilty of being greedy, possessive, and exploitive and we probably recognize these tendencies quite easily.
What interests me is what we may overlook is the more subtler of these aspects: non-attachment. Without an emotional attachment to things, we wouldn't feel the urge to act in a greedy, possessive, exploitive manner. This lesson is easily extended to the physical practice of yoga. A beautiful example is our breath. When we hold our breath, we actively prohibit the experience of a new breath, preventing us from moving easily from asana (pose) to asana. The same applies to physical, material things; inner, emotional states of mind; and even larger, societal beliefs.
Anything that we hold onto without actively examining to see if we truly need it, can prevent us from experiencing the present moment.
And really, that's what it's all about: living in the present. May we all enjoy each moment, without feeling attached to what we are experiencing, so that we may truly experience the beauty of the next moment, about to engulf us in its joy.
See you real soon!
Lotsa Love,
Aria
The Yamas, remember, constitute just the first limb of yoga. so after this week, we still have limbs seven limbs of yoga to go, with the second limb being the Niyamas, or attitudes towards ourselves, of which there are also five!
Back to attachment, or Aparigraha which is translated as: non-possessiveness, non-exploitation, not taking conscious advantage of another living being, non-hoarding and non-greed.
The most common lesson of aparigraha is to neutralize the desire to acquire and hoard wealth: hoarding, being the key word, here. One can acquire abundance in the form of wealth, but if we hoard it, we lose touch with our true state of existence and become so wrapped in things, that we become ferociously attached to them, which leads to more greed, more hoarding, etc. I would imagine that most of us aren't too guilty of being greedy, possessive, and exploitive and we probably recognize these tendencies quite easily.
What interests me is what we may overlook is the more subtler of these aspects: non-attachment. Without an emotional attachment to things, we wouldn't feel the urge to act in a greedy, possessive, exploitive manner. This lesson is easily extended to the physical practice of yoga. A beautiful example is our breath. When we hold our breath, we actively prohibit the experience of a new breath, preventing us from moving easily from asana (pose) to asana. The same applies to physical, material things; inner, emotional states of mind; and even larger, societal beliefs.
Anything that we hold onto without actively examining to see if we truly need it, can prevent us from experiencing the present moment.
And really, that's what it's all about: living in the present. May we all enjoy each moment, without feeling attached to what we are experiencing, so that we may truly experience the beauty of the next moment, about to engulf us in its joy.
See you real soon!
Lotsa Love,
Aria
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
The Five Yamas (Attitudes towards others and the world around us)
APARIGRAHA is #5 of #5.
The Five Niyamas (Attitudes towards ourself)
Asana (Physical Postures)
Pranayama (Breath Exercises)
Prathayara (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Enlightenment)
APARIGRAHA is #5 of #5.
The Five Niyamas (Attitudes towards ourself)
Asana (Physical Postures)
Pranayama (Breath Exercises)
Prathayara (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Enlightenment)
Bramacharya: Non-lust
Our focus today was Bramacharya or non-lust, about not giving in to our ego's desires. Bramacharya asks us to cultivate awareness, to seek the truth.
The opposite of bramacharya, or Lust, drops us deep into the bucket of confusion. Instead of feeling aware, we don't feel safe in our own skin, anymore. We begin to compare ourselves to others, which leads to an over/underbalance of ego.
Lust can be in all manners and forms: not just sexual, but emotional lust, or lusting after power, as well. Lust is sneaky: it creeps up on us in the guise of passion, but it's the direct opposite.
Passion inspires. It leads us to create all manner of beautiful things. Lust can only exist in a vacuum that drains all of our energy away.
I have found this week's Yama, or attitude towards others, a particularly interesting one because the overall picture is so far beyond just physical, romantic lust. It really extends to who we are on a core level. If we cultivate passion in our lives, we cultivate joy and awareness and a sense of inner power. This is truly being grounded in who we are. And with this, we become the attractors of other people of like mind. And the process spirals as it continues to extend itself into every aspect of our lives. When we cultivate passion, we feel grounded, safe and inspired, which frees us up to share our energy with others.
How do you remain passionate and not lusting? Do something that you love, at least once a week. It's so important to being truthful to who we are.
Let's stay lifted and rise above the muck of confusion.
Aria
The opposite of bramacharya, or Lust, drops us deep into the bucket of confusion. Instead of feeling aware, we don't feel safe in our own skin, anymore. We begin to compare ourselves to others, which leads to an over/underbalance of ego.
Lust can be in all manners and forms: not just sexual, but emotional lust, or lusting after power, as well. Lust is sneaky: it creeps up on us in the guise of passion, but it's the direct opposite.
Passion inspires. It leads us to create all manner of beautiful things. Lust can only exist in a vacuum that drains all of our energy away.
I have found this week's Yama, or attitude towards others, a particularly interesting one because the overall picture is so far beyond just physical, romantic lust. It really extends to who we are on a core level. If we cultivate passion in our lives, we cultivate joy and awareness and a sense of inner power. This is truly being grounded in who we are. And with this, we become the attractors of other people of like mind. And the process spirals as it continues to extend itself into every aspect of our lives. When we cultivate passion, we feel grounded, safe and inspired, which frees us up to share our energy with others.
How do you remain passionate and not lusting? Do something that you love, at least once a week. It's so important to being truthful to who we are.
Let's stay lifted and rise above the muck of confusion.
Aria
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
The Five Yamas (Attitudes towards others and the world around us)
BRAMACHARYA is #4 of #5.
The Five Niyamas (Attitudes towards ourself)
Asana (Physical Postures)
Pranayama (Breath Exercises)
Prathayara (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Enlightenment)
The Five Yamas (Attitudes towards others and the world around us)
BRAMACHARYA is #4 of #5.
The Five Niyamas (Attitudes towards ourself)
Asana (Physical Postures)
Pranayama (Breath Exercises)
Prathayara (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Enlightenment)
Asteya: Non-stealing
Hi Gang,
Today's class focus is on Asteya, part 3 of the 5 Yamas, or attitudes towards others and the world around us.
Asteya is often translated as non-stealing. This yama, or life attitude is not just concerned about stealing physical objects, but also extends itself towards stealing other's ideas, or sharing information that isn't ours to share. For example, if I had confidential information and used it it to further my own sense of power, that is considering stealing.
For me, the overall picture here ties back to the very human and very common misperception of scarcity, rather than abundance. Instead of focusing on all that we have, we perceive life as one filled with a lack of things. The more energy we focus on feeling scarcity, the more we feel that we have the right to better ourselves at the expense of another.
According to modern science and ancient mystical practices, where our thoughts go, there our energy flows. In other words, the Universe will respond in accordance to what we output. The more we focus on lack, the more we experience it.
The opposite is also true. If we shift our perspective and start to see abundance, possibility, and openness in all things, then the Universe responds by allowing us opportunities we wouldn't have sensed before. We begin to sense pathways to greater things and realize that the more positive and abundant energy we put out, the more we receive in return. We also begin to realize that until we are ready to share our resources, we won't be receiving any help from anyone else.
Let's enjoy a flowing, abundant practice this afternoon!
Blessings,
Aria
Today's class focus is on Asteya, part 3 of the 5 Yamas, or attitudes towards others and the world around us.
Asteya is often translated as non-stealing. This yama, or life attitude is not just concerned about stealing physical objects, but also extends itself towards stealing other's ideas, or sharing information that isn't ours to share. For example, if I had confidential information and used it it to further my own sense of power, that is considering stealing.
For me, the overall picture here ties back to the very human and very common misperception of scarcity, rather than abundance. Instead of focusing on all that we have, we perceive life as one filled with a lack of things. The more energy we focus on feeling scarcity, the more we feel that we have the right to better ourselves at the expense of another.
According to modern science and ancient mystical practices, where our thoughts go, there our energy flows. In other words, the Universe will respond in accordance to what we output. The more we focus on lack, the more we experience it.
The opposite is also true. If we shift our perspective and start to see abundance, possibility, and openness in all things, then the Universe responds by allowing us opportunities we wouldn't have sensed before. We begin to sense pathways to greater things and realize that the more positive and abundant energy we put out, the more we receive in return. We also begin to realize that until we are ready to share our resources, we won't be receiving any help from anyone else.
Let's enjoy a flowing, abundant practice this afternoon!
Blessings,
Aria
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
The Five Yamas (Attitudes towards others and the world around us)
ASTEYA #3 of #5.
The Five Niyamas (Attitudes towards ourself)
Asana (Physical Postures)
Pranayama (Breath Exercises)
Prathayara (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Enlightenment)
The Five Yamas (Attitudes towards others and the world around us)
ASTEYA #3 of #5.
The Five Niyamas (Attitudes towards ourself)
Asana (Physical Postures)
Pranayama (Breath Exercises)
Prathayara (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Enlightenment)
Satya: Truthfulness
Today's theme is Satya, or truthfulness. Satya extends beyond what we in the West might consider merely telling the truth, and into the realm of telling the truth in a non-harmful manner. If we are in a situation in which telling our truth might harm another, Satya asks us to think before we speak and consider practicing the art of silence, instead.
All efforts to living a conscious, aware Life involve Satya, whether it be in the realm of yoga, work, friends or family.
For example there are days in which our body is begging us to take it easy, and if we listen to our body, we are rewarded with health and more energy. Sometimes, the opposite holds true. There are days when I wake up and think that I need to take it easy today. But, after my first down dog, my body is going, "AHHH, YES!, Fo for it! Go for it!" And the deeper I push, the more barriers I break through and the more grateful my body is that I didn't just take it easy. Taking it deeper than I might have initially thought is an example of Satya-- living a truthful life, living in truth to what my body needs.
The same applies to being available (energetically) to others. Oftentimes, we look at energy as something that we hoard or blindly give away.
Hoarding our energy is not living in awareness of Satya because it implies that there is a lack of energy to go around. We know from science that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, there is no such thing as lack. There is only the art of transformation, opening ourselves up to the current of energy all around us.
The reverse action also holds true. Sometimes, we give too much of our energy away and never replenish it.
Oftentimes, this occurs under the guise of responsibility: a promise to a friend, family member, or co-worker. In order to fulfill our responsibility in the face of no energy, we jack ourselves up with caffeine (or some other quick energy fix) so that we can do that which we said we would do. After we finish, we crash and eventually, feel worse. This is absolutely the opposite of Satya, because in "being responsible," we weren't being fully truthful. Not only do we deplete our precious energy levels, but we often feel resentful that we "had to do" this thing that we promised.
I invite you today to seek out your truth in your practice.
See you soon!
Blessings,
Aria
All efforts to living a conscious, aware Life involve Satya, whether it be in the realm of yoga, work, friends or family.
For example there are days in which our body is begging us to take it easy, and if we listen to our body, we are rewarded with health and more energy. Sometimes, the opposite holds true. There are days when I wake up and think that I need to take it easy today. But, after my first down dog, my body is going, "AHHH, YES!, Fo for it! Go for it!" And the deeper I push, the more barriers I break through and the more grateful my body is that I didn't just take it easy. Taking it deeper than I might have initially thought is an example of Satya-- living a truthful life, living in truth to what my body needs.
The same applies to being available (energetically) to others. Oftentimes, we look at energy as something that we hoard or blindly give away.
Hoarding our energy is not living in awareness of Satya because it implies that there is a lack of energy to go around. We know from science that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, there is no such thing as lack. There is only the art of transformation, opening ourselves up to the current of energy all around us.
The reverse action also holds true. Sometimes, we give too much of our energy away and never replenish it.
Oftentimes, this occurs under the guise of responsibility: a promise to a friend, family member, or co-worker. In order to fulfill our responsibility in the face of no energy, we jack ourselves up with caffeine (or some other quick energy fix) so that we can do that which we said we would do. After we finish, we crash and eventually, feel worse. This is absolutely the opposite of Satya, because in "being responsible," we weren't being fully truthful. Not only do we deplete our precious energy levels, but we often feel resentful that we "had to do" this thing that we promised.
I invite you today to seek out your truth in your practice.
See you soon!
Blessings,
Aria
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
The Five Yamas (Attitudes towards others and the world around us)
SATYA is #2 of #5.
The Five Niyamas (Attitudes towards ourself)
Asana (Physical Postures)
Pranayama (Breath Exercises)
Prathayara (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Enlightenment)
The Five Yamas (Attitudes towards others and the world around us)
SATYA is #2 of #5.
The Five Niyamas (Attitudes towards ourself)
Asana (Physical Postures)
Pranayama (Breath Exercises)
Prathayara (Withdrawl of the Senses)
Dharana (Concentration)
Dhyana (Meditation)
Samadhi (Enlightenment)
Ahimsa: Non Violence
Hi Yogis,
So, there are 8 limbs of yoga. The Yamas, or attitudes towards ourselves and others, compromise the first limb of yoga.
There are 5 yamas, and Ahimsa is the first yama.
This yama (attitude) asks us to restrain from both physical and mental violence, and to practice acts of kindness to other creatures, as well as ourselves.
hmmm,.....let's put it into practice.
Love,
Aria
:-)
YOGA VOCAB of the DAY:
Yama = attitude towards yourself or others
Ahimsa = non-violence in both thought and deed. Kindness towards others AND ourselves
So, there are 8 limbs of yoga. The Yamas, or attitudes towards ourselves and others, compromise the first limb of yoga.
There are 5 yamas, and Ahimsa is the first yama.
This yama (attitude) asks us to restrain from both physical and mental violence, and to practice acts of kindness to other creatures, as well as ourselves.
hmmm,.....let's put it into practice.
Love,
Aria
:-)
YOGA VOCAB of the DAY:
Yama = attitude towards yourself or others
Ahimsa = non-violence in both thought and deed. Kindness towards others AND ourselves
Been a Long Time
It's been a long time since I've had the luxury of time. Even now, I look at the clock and count the minutes. 3 or 4 minutes until the babysitter gets back. And then, it's mama-time.
I teach yoga to an awesome group of folks over at MGM in Century City. Way back when, they asked me about the Eight Limbs of Yoga. I decided to include one aspect of the eight limbs in every week's lesson, with the intention of posting it up on here, as well. (ha!) In between now and then, we've had tons of family visit, gone on vacation (much needed break), put our house up for sale, and now we have a buyer (yay!) So, please forgive the time lapse. I hope to be a more productive blogger in the future.
Until then, the next 6 postings will consist of the first Limb of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, which has 5 parts, or branches, and the first branch of the second limb of yoga, which also has five parts or branches.
Yoga Love,
Aria
I teach yoga to an awesome group of folks over at MGM in Century City. Way back when, they asked me about the Eight Limbs of Yoga. I decided to include one aspect of the eight limbs in every week's lesson, with the intention of posting it up on here, as well. (ha!) In between now and then, we've had tons of family visit, gone on vacation (much needed break), put our house up for sale, and now we have a buyer (yay!) So, please forgive the time lapse. I hope to be a more productive blogger in the future.
Until then, the next 6 postings will consist of the first Limb of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, which has 5 parts, or branches, and the first branch of the second limb of yoga, which also has five parts or branches.
Yoga Love,
Aria
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