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Yoga Tips

CarlCarl
edited July 2005 in One Body, Breath, and Mind
[cite] MultiFaith:[/cite]... I am under the impression that it is a philosophy, but I have heard others call it a religious path with a system of deities...

I find this dual aspect very wide spread. In the case of religion, we have a profoundly subtle mysterious universal world-view which all religions pretty much share in common, though articulate and express differently. Then we have instinctive human nature (tribal politics and other emotions) with all its nitpicking and squabbling.

For example, Christianity certainly doesn't reflect the teaching of Jesus to any great extent. Same is true for Taoism and all the rest. We have the ideal, the vision, on one hand and then we have our selves - needs and fears, and all that entails.

My motto is, don't judge a religion by what its followers do or say (or don't do or say). Each of us must separate the wheat from the chaff for ourselves :)

Comments

  • CarlCarl
    edited December 1969
    The essence of Hatha Yoga is symbolized in the name Hatha - Ha (sun) and Tha (moon).
    You bring two opposite qualities to bear on each posture: relaxation (Tha) and effort (Ha). Noticing how you do this as you do a posture is all you need to 'know'. Believe it or not, it is just that simple.

    The body will tend to either relax or effort itself naturally. For example, when you are doing a forward bend your knee caps can tend to relax and your face can tend to tighten. Your task is to notice what you tend to do naturally, and do the opposite. That probably sounds bizarre and un-natural, eh? Think of this process as no different than when [chref=64]the sage desires not to desire[/chref]. Desiring not to desire is going against what comes naturally, i.e., the original desire.

    So, in the example above, doing the opposite of what comes naturally means 'tighten' your knee caps and 'relax' your face. Relax what involuntarily tenses and tense (put effort into) what involuntarily relaxes (goes lazy). The graceful ability to be more passive in action, and more active in passivity helps you maintain overall equilibrium throughout life.

    Naturally, there are potential problems with this approach, all of which stem from going to extremes! Watch your emotions,... a gentle and gradual approach plays a fundamental role in this process. This is something you return daily to face for the rest of your life. There is no hurry, but do seize the moment... it is all you truly have.
  • CarlCarl
    edited September 2006
    Are you sometimes tempted to skip your yoga (or what ever your daily 'rut' is) and just get on with it - the day? This is a [chref=53]by-path[/chref] most of us have. In fact, though, '[chref=56]ruts[/chref]' such as this are how we can outflank life. This may sound odd at first, until you consider life a low level war of sorts. In war, the reason a superior general wins battle after battle is that he is able to outflank his opponent. Ironically though, his first opponent is his own [chref=37]desire[/chref]. Thus, to win a battle, a commander must first drop the [chref=15]desire[/chref] to 'just get on with it', and in patience be as [chref=64]be as careful at the end as at the beginning[/chref]. We are our own worst enemy in life. This same principle applies to all of life really, e.g., investing in the stock market, raising children, diet...
  • CarlCarl
    edited December 1969
    A Simple Secret To Success In Yoga
    Every day do at least ONE posture, like Utthita Trikonasana (extended three angle posture). See posture #3 , on page 13. This 'less is more' approach can, in the long run, lead to what you truly want out of life, both in yoga and in general.

    I've suggested this to people having a problem keeping up a daily yoga routine. Doing just one posture takes only a minute or two; nothing could be easier! Yet, curiously, I've never known anyone capable of doing this. This may be due to our generally 'all or nothing' approach to life. The irony is that doing just one a day consistently is a way of [chref=56]letting our wheels move only along old ruts.[/chref] It is a step along the 'middle way', the 'golden mean'.

    The fact is that we are just so driven by our 'more is better' biology that returning to 'less' is almost impossible for us to put into practice. The Tao Te Ching points to this clearly in, [chref=70]My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice, yet no one in the world can understand them or put them into practice.[/chref]

    This is a very sobering dilemma indeed.
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