Free Yoga at the Bedford Public Library!

The Bedford Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library has kindly opened their auditorium for free yoga classes taught by yours truly.

Who:
You and I
Readers and Yogis alike

What:
Free "all-levels-welcome" yoga class

When:
Saturday June 26th and July 31st
10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Where:

Bedford

496 Franklin Avenue 

between Jefferson Ave. and Fulton St.

Brooklyn, NY 11238

t. 718-623-0012

How: 

RSVP  before the day of class at digyoga@gmail.com or call 347.542.8710

Take the C or Franklin Shuttle train, car, bike, foot, and sheer determination

Why:

Because it's free and it's good for you

*Please wear appropriate attire (clothes you can stretch in) and supply your own mats. If you absolutely cannot bring your own mat, please email me and I'll see what I can do. Also, be sure to hydrate well before class and do not eat at least two hours prior--small servings of fruit is probably okay.

What's New in June?

Back to the Tuesdays at the Irondale 

         

   We have some great news! We are back at the Irondale for Tuesday night classes. Again, we thank the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church for housing our classes during  the interim. 

June Focus: Systems

    A healthy environment depends on the integration of all systems functioning in harmony and relationship. We know that when we look at global environmental issues, it is necessary to observe how systems interact, rather than looking at problems only in isolation. For instance, how does geology affect the weather?

     Similarly, in many yoga classes, we talk about only a number of systems such as the respiratory (breath) and muscular or skeletal, but rarely see the effect of one upon another. We would like to expand and "yoke" the systems into a coordinated whole.

     In this series, we will survey and guide each class in reference to a chosen system that functions in the body, so that we can examine and experience the asana with a different kind of awareness than we are probably accustomed.

These are some of the systems we will look at:

• Respiratory
• Digestive
• Nervous
• Circulatory
• Reproductive
• Endocrine

May Focus: The Koshas The five koshas or "sheaths" are layers that encompass the self. In most yoga practices we deal with only the physical or superficial body. This month, we will dig into the more subtle layers that we inhabit. Each week we'll explore one kosha: 1. Annamaya - Physical 2. Pranamaya - Vital/breath 3. Manomaya - Mind 4. Vijanamaya - Wisdom 5. Anandamaya - Bliss Come find out more...

*Tapas, Svahdhyaya, Isvarapranidhana

"Through my efforts, I gain the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”~ Anonymous

*Tapas, Svahdhyaya, Isvarapranidhana

effort, self-study, surrender

Kriya yoga is every “cleansing action” that we can actually practice and comprises these elements:

·      Tapas: tap means to “blaze, burn, and shine”; conscious ardour to achieve goal; it is austerity and self-discipline; practices such as asana and pranayama that can help us to remove blocks and tensions, in vocal, physical and mental aspects; it keeps the body fit through heat and cleansing; must not cause suffering; Iyengar says, “Life without tapas is like a heart without love.”

·      Svadhyaya:  sva means “self” and adhyaya means “inquiry” or “examination”; searching, asking questions, looking into ourselves; other translations include the study of texts and repeating mantras; “The person practicing svadhyaya reads his own book of life, at the same time that he writes and revises it.” (Iyengar)

·       Isvarapranidhana: action not motivated by outcome; we know we have done our best

“The goal of yoga is to encourage us to be a little better than we were before...by making an effort and by practicing patience. When we do this we will not see ourselves as beset by so many problems.  Our efforts may change in intensity, but over a period of time we will gradually experience progress.  We must actively seize every opportunity that helps us progress.” ~T.K.V. Desikachar

The Heart of Yoga

Earth Day Expo 2010 at Habana Outpost!

Dig Yoga will be at Habana Outpost today for Earth Day events and re-opening celebrations, come through if you are out and about!  And if you haven't been to Habana Outpost before, we definitely recommend that you check it out.  They are truly green.

757 Fulton Street (at S. Portland) http://www.habanaoutpost.com/

Santosha – contentment

Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have. ~ Unknown

Santosha (Santosa, Samtosa) pertains to our mental activity (e.g. study, knowledge),

physical effort, pain, and well-being; and how we earn our living and what supports us.

·        Contentment connotes self-sufficiency

·        Not coveting more than you have; renunciation of the need to acquire

·        Not suffering because you think you are lacking something

·        Having a mindful and openhearted approach to yoga asana practice for both easy and challenging poses

·        Understanding the power of your emotional state and not passing it on to others

·        Contentment can mean falling in love with your life, and appreciating the richness it has to offer

            The “real meaning” of santosha is “to accept what happens.” This does not simply mean that we need to pretend we’ve had a lobotomy and take on a passive, apathetic or emotionless role in our lives.  Rather, when things do not go the way we plan or when something bad happens, instead of bemoaning our personal grievances, we can practice santosha by trying to learn from the situation.

Santosha is about ourselves; about what we have and what he have been given.

There is no end of craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment. ~ Swami Sivananda

Riches are not from an abundance of wordly goods, but from a contented mind.~ Muhammad

My crown is in my heart, not on my head, Nor decked with diamonds and Indian stones, Nor to be seen: My crown is called content: A crown it is, that seldom kings enjoy. ~William Shakespeare

References:

Desikachar, T.K.V. The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice. Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1999.

Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Yoga. New York: Schocken, 1966.                 

Mishra, Ramamurti S. M.D. The Textbook of Yoga Psychology. New York: Baba Bhagavandas Publication Trust, 1997.

Niyamas

Niyamas are rules of individual conduct and self-discipline.

1.    saucha – purity

2.    santosha – contentment

3.    tapas – ardour or austerity

4.    svadhyaya – self- study

5.    Isvara pranidhana – dedication or surrender

Saucha – purity

When cleanliness is developed, it reveals what needs to be constantly maintained, and what is eternally clean. What decays is the external. What does not is deep within us.

~ Yoga Sutra II.40 ; Translation by T.K.V. Desikachar

Purification or cleanliness is of 3 kinds:

(1) Physical – purification of body and it’s organs, including clothing and surroundings;

(2) Vocal – right use of words;

(3) Mental – right thinking

Cleanliness is key in supporting an individual’s health.  We purify the body by practicing good hygiene and by practicing yoga asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing techniques), which detoxify and oxygenate the body from the inside out.

Some things you can do this Spring in the spirit of Saucha:

• Donate clothes and other household items to your local charity
• Clean out your fridge, closets, and drawers to make for good, clear, light space
• Review your diet; get rid of foods that make you feel dull and sluggish
• Evaluate your relationships, or job and shed what is negative

Physical considerations for cleanliness include the food we take in and the place we practice. Food is taken for sustenance “to promote health, strength, energy and life.” We literally are what we eat.  Just as the cellular material from food metabolizes and assimilates to our body’s cellular makeup, the quality and energy of the food affects us energetically.  When one becomes clear and views the body as the vehicle of the soul, it will be guarded well.  Also, the place where we practice should be quiet, “clean, airy, dry and pest-free.”

            Because the body and mind are directly connected, when one purifies the body, one also purifies the mind of emotional and intellectual agitations.  The process of cleansing reveals the radiance that underlies an accumulation of material consumption, impure action, intention, thought, and speech that we can burden ourselves with.  Often it is our own afflictions and actions that become obstacles to clear sense perception; hence, the ability to have real cognition or see reality clearly as it is. Of course, I don't intend to say that we must be indoctrinated in the ways of yoga philosophy, but I suggest we glean from it this notion as passed down from the lineage of Krishnamacharya, that recognition of confusion is a form of clarity. And "when one is benevolent, one sees the virtues in others and not merely their faults...then one is ready to enter the temple of her own body and see her real self in the mirror of her mind.”