Peace

As the holiday season is upon us, it makes me more aware of the meaning of peace. We are a world in turmoil, economically, politically and socially. How do we achieve peace in such a turmoil? A reading from the 14 Dalai Lama helped me to remember that each and everyone of us must be at peace with ourselves, so that we can extend that peace to others.

"I believe that to have world peace we must first have inner peace. Those who are naturally serene, at peace with themselves, will be more open towards others. I think this is where the very foundation of universal peace lies." by The 14th Dalai Lama

November 2008 yGuide Yoga Newsletter

Table of Contents

1. Pranayama Practice
2. Cleansing Your Nasal Passages with Jala Neti
3. Book Recommendation

Pranayama Practice

Let's review a couple of pranayama techniques which may or may not be familiar to you. Even if you are a regular practitioner of pranayama, it can be beneficial to take a moment to revisit the techniques, because sometimes we can have additional insights during a review.

Ujjayi Pranayama

This breath is known as the psychic breath as it leads to subtle states of mind. The Sanskrit word means "victorious". The breath is a tranquilizing breath as it soothes the nervous system and calms the mind. It is also a warming breath as it heats the body. This breath is profoundly relaxing and can help to relieve insomnia and aid recovery from a cold.

Sit in Sukhasana (Easy Pose). Relax your whole body and your face. We are going to get a feel for making the audible sound at the back of the throat while doing Ujjayi breath by doing a little exercise we will call the "ha" thing. Take a nice inhale through your nose. Exhale with your mouth open and say "haaaaa" in the back of your throat. This sound is the sound you want to make when you are doing Ujjayi breathing, except you want to make it with your mouth closed.

Now inhale again through your nose. This time exhale through you nose with your mouth closed and make the "haaaaa" sound at the back of your throat. Practice a few times with your mouth open and then closed to get a feel for making the audible noise at the back of the throat. You should hear an audible noise at the back of your throat that my sound a bit like Darth Vader or a soft snore of a baby. The audible breath shouldn't be too loud, but just loud enough for you to hear it or perhaps someone sitting very close to hear it.

** Contraindications ** If you are suffering from heart disease, do not combine this breath with locking your bandhas or with breath retention.

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Kapalabhati Pranayama

Energizes the mind for mental activity. It can remove sleepiness in preparation for meditation. Purifies the Ida and Pin Gala nadis (subtle passage in which the prana moves). The Ida is the nadi that terminates at the left nostril and the Pin Gala terminates at the right nostril. It balances and strengthens the nervous system as well as tones the digestive organs.
The Sanskrit work "Kapal" means cranium or forehead and "bhati" means light, splendor, perception or knowledge. So it is a practice which brings a state of light or clarity to the frontal region of the brain. Be sure to practice on an empty stomach 3-4 hours after meals. You can perform this at any time of day. You can practice it after an asana practice and before meditating.

Sit in Sukhasana (Easy Pose). Keep your spine straight and your hands resting on your knees in Jnana mudra. Relax your whole body and your face. Close your eyes. Exhale and empty your lungs. Take an inhale slowly and deeply through your nostrils filling your belly 3/4's full with air. Exhale with intention by contracting your abdominal muscles and release the air from your belly. Think of it as a "snap" of the belly toward the spine. Don't strain as you do this. You are forcing your exhale and your body will automatically take care of the inhale. Let your inhale happen passively. Your body will naturally respond to the forced exhale with an inhale. Just let it happen. There should be no effort to inhale. It is spontaneous. Repeat as rapid breaths in succession for 10 breaths. This completes 1 round of Kapalbhati Pranayama. Practice 3-5 rounds. Be sure to use your abdomen and not your chest for this breath work. You can increase the number of respirations from 10 to 20 as your abdominal muscles become stronger.

When you have completed your rounds, release the breath and sit comfortably breathing naturally. Become aware of the feelings you are having. You may feel emptiness and calm.

** Contraindications ** Should not be practiced by anyone with high blood pressure, vertigo, heart disease, epilepsy, stroke, hernia or gastric ulcer.

** Note ** If you experience any pain or dizziness, stop the practice and sit quietly for some time. When the sensation of pain or dizziness has passed, you can try the practice again with more awareness and less force. If it continues, you need to consult a yoga teacher for guidance.

Click Here to Purchase Poses Available in yGuide Yoga Software with Great Yoga Poses II

Cleansing your Nasal Passages with Jala Neti

Fall is in full swing and winter season is just around the corner, so as the season changes, we can all be more susceptible to colds, flu and sinus issues. Jala Neti is also recommended for sinus sufferers, allergy sufferers and frequent travelers. Daily practice of cleansing your nasal passages can prevent sinus congestion and reduce your susceptibility to colds and other respiratory infections. Cleansing your nasal passages keeps the little passageways that lead from the sinuses into the nasal cavity from collecting dried mucus. Dried mucus may obstruct the passageways to the sinuses and create an environment conducive to sinus problems.

With jala neti you use a warm, mildly salty solution to help dissolve and wash away mucus, accumulated dirt, pollen, mold spores, bacteria and viruses which helps the mucous membrane to function properly by freeing the sinus passageway openings. The saline solution is poured into one nostril and then it will flow out the other nostril. I know it sounds contrary to everything you were taught about keeping water out of your nose when you learned how to swim, but adding the salt to the water makes the water more dense and compatible with the mucus membrane. It really does flow in one nostril and out the other quite easily. It may feel a bit strange the first time, but after you have finished, you will notice immediate results.

Into the Scented Garden neti pots and aromatic neti salts are designed to provide you with a comfortable, pleasant and effective experience from nasal washing for better health. There is a starter kit which comes with a pot, small salt and detailed instructions (with pictures) for practicing jail neti.

Click Here to Review and Purchase Neti Pots and Aromatic Neti Salts

Book Recommendation - Science of Breath, A Practical Guide by Swami Rama , Rudolph Ballentine, M.D and Alan Humes, M.D.

It is perhaps hard for us in Western cultures to think about a book entirely about breath, but this book is written in a very clear, interesting manner as it presents both the Eastern concepts surrounding breath and the Western medical understanding of how our breath works. If you are curious how some of the yogic breathing practices might actually work, this is a book that can answer your questions.
When you are in a yoga asana class, you probably hear the teacher instruct you to use a certain breathing practice as you do your poses and to pay attention to your breath. Your breath is your barometer which tells you how you are doing in your asana practice and it helps you connect the mind and the body. For instance, if you can’t breathe smoothly while doing your asana practice, like ujjayi breath during an Ashtanga vinyasa class, then it is an indication that you need to rest in child’s pose and regain the flow of your breath.
I enjoyed reading this book and it gave me a deeper understanding about the significance of breath in my yoga practice and in my life. As Swami Rama states, “Controlling the breath, is a prerequisite to controlling the mind and the body. “

Click Here to Purchase Science of Breath on Amazon

Newsletter by Leslie Ottavi

Love

I have been on vacation visiting family and friends. It has been wonderful and I have been filled with love. So the following quote hit home with me as I work to overcome my own discontent with more love and compassion for others.

"Love is the only answer to hatred." -- Dilgo Khyentse Rinposche

Compassion

As you may have guessed, I am into the readings of the 14th Dalai Lama. Here is a wonderful quote about how to develop compassion.

"Compassion can be roughly defined in terms of a state of mind that is non-violent, non-harming and non-aggressive. It is a mental attitude based on the wish for others to be free of their suffering and is associated with a sense of commitment, responsibility and respect towards others.
In discussing the definition of compassion, the Tibetan work tse-wa, there is also a sense to the word of its being a state of mind that can include a wish for good things for oneself. In developing compassion, perhaps one could begin with the wish that oneself be free of suffering, and then take that natural feeling towards oneself and cultivate it, enhance it, and extend it out to include and embrace others."

The 14th Dalai Lama

Emotions

I read this quote from the 14th Dalai Lama about emotions and was struck by the truth of it.

"If we lack inner discipline and we let all the emotions that go through our heads come out, on the pretext that they must be expressed, we will reach a point of considerable excess and may even have difficulty in respecting the laws of our country. Human emotions have no limits, and the strength of negative emotions is infinite."

October 2008 yGuide Yoga Newsletter

Hips, hips and hips. This month's newsletter is going to focus on opening our hips. We all know our body is an intricate system and so many functions are interrelated so let's begin with a brief review of the pelvic bowl which is comprised of our two hip bones and sacrum. The sacrum is the lowest four main segments of our spine. One purpose of our pelvic bones is to link the spine with the thighs, legs and feet, so it is no wonder that when we do poses to open our hips, we are usually also opening our backs, legs and feet. It also works in reverse, when we open our backs, legs and feet we are usually also opening our hips.

Let's take a look at Janu Sirsasana A, head to knee pose, to open our hips and see how it also opens our back, legs and ankles. First, let's look at a picture of the pose.

Now let's give it a try so you can feel the opening in your own body. Begin by sitting on your mat.

1. Park the heel of the right foot securely in your groin. The sole of your right foot is positioned into the inner left thigh. You thighbones are creating a 90-degree angle. The left leg is straight. Toes pointing upward.
2. Inhale your arms up towards the sky.
3. Exhale forward bend clasping both hands to the left foot. Bring the right ribs forward feeling a gentle twist through the waist as to lengthen both sides of the spine equally.
4. Inhale look up with straight arms and straight spine.
5. Exhale full forward bend, extending your spine out over your left leg. Bring your right ribs forward and keep your shoulders away from ears. Hold for 5 Ujjayi breaths. As you are here, feel the stretch in the right hip and the stretch in the hamstring. You may also be able to feel a stretch in your calf, ankle and the bottom of your foot. Breath into the areas where you are feeling the stretch.
6. Inhale look up and switch sides. Notice the differences between one side and the other.

As in all forward bending positions, we want to avoid rounding out the spine. So the focus is chest to knee and not head to knee. We also want to bring awareness into the right hip. Creating opposing forces of energy, we ground out through the right hip as we pull forward and down through the right ribs. This alignment would be contraindicated for people with sacroiliac problems. In this case, instead of creating opposing forces of energy between the hip and the ribs, allow your hip to travel energetically in the same direction as the ribs. This will minimize the torque which can aggravate the sacroiliac area.

Now, let's try a squat, Malasana. When I was doing my teacher training, we did Malasana for 3-11 minutes. I can tell you that extended squatting really opens the hips and low back. First a picture of Malasana.

1. Stand in Samasthiti in the center of your mat and face the long edge of the mat.
2. Step your feet to a wider stance, more than hip-width, with your toes out.
3. Inhale your arms over your head keeping your gaze forward.
4. Exhale full forward bend taking your hands to the floor in front of you.
5. Take an inhale while you are in your forward bend.
6. Exhale begin to squat by lowering your pelvis toward the floor to a comfortable but strong position. Keep your knees in the same direction as your toes.
7. Inhale your hands into Namaste (prayer position). Feel yourself lengthening your spine out of your pelvis to the top of your head as if someone has a string on the top of your head pulling you toward the ceiling. You should feel a nice stretch in your inner thighs/groin area. Hold this pose for few breaths up to several minutes. You decide!

Squatting opens your pelvic area and hips. It also can help relieve lower back discomfort and stiffness. You can also try this pose with the wall and with a block so that you can relax into the pose. It is a more passive variation than a freestanding pose.

As you do your regular practice, take the opportunity as you a breathing into your pose to really feel not just the obvious areas where you are opening your body, but the more subtle areas too.

Namaste,

Leslie Ottavi

Past yGuide Yoga Software Newsletters

We are very excited about our new venture into blogging for our newsletters and other articles! This post is to provide links to our two most recent past newsletters.

September 2008 yGuide Yoga Software Newsletter

July 2008 yGuide Yoga Software Newsletter