Yoga Journal

For me, when my interest starts to get a little sluggish, my next issue will show up in the mail box. I think it is a cosmic plot!

The first thing I do I scan through and look at all the pictures. Just seeing those people in poses and showing off their fantastically fit bodies makes me want to jump up and do some postures too!

Then I read the articles and that really get me going. Sometimes, living in the day to day world, I forget about some of the yoga principles and how much they mean to my life. Reading through the articles reminds me of them.

I really like the recipes too. I know, that’s not usually what a guy likes, but I do much of the cooking at our house and I have gotten many great recipes and ideas from their “eating wisely” section.

I also love the “YJ Interviews” They often interview people who have been in yoga for a long time and it encourages me seeing these folks who are my age and still going strong!

If you are into yoga at all and are not a subscriber, I highly recommend you do so. It is well worth the money! Just the motivational factor alone is worth it.

Yoga Journal is the last word in yoga publications. Why miss a single issue?

P.S. Another magazine that I do not subscribe to, but I have seen many times and enjoy reading is Yoga and Health

I mentioned that my home practice has been falling down a little. My wife and I, mostly my wife, she loves this stuff, have been redoing our kitchen cabinets. She stripped the paint off and sanded them down. We are in the final stages now of cleaning up the mess!

A daily practice of yoga will keep you limber, strong, but most of all, in a good state of mind. I find that doing my yoga does something to me internally. It touches your spirit and your body.

An excellent book on yoga and what it can do for you is Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat. This is the book that I had to study for my teacher’s certification. It is an excellent book for an all around understanding of what yoga is and how to go about practicing it. Don’t let this one pass you by! If you are even half serious about practicing yoga for a good body, mind, spirit exercise, then I highly recommend Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat.

I have it fixed now and so I should be able to start posting again!

Instead, I spent some time this afternoon in meditation. I sometimes think I get almost as much from my meditation time as I do anything else!

You aren’t into meditation?

You really should be. There are so many scientific studies that show how beneficial meditation can be. Not only does it do wonderful things like lower blood pressure, but because you body gets to relax, it is able to heal itself and fight off diseases.

You Don’t want to sit on the floor like a pretzel?

Don’t worry! You really don’t have to do that. Many people don’t like it! You can even walk if you like that better!

Can’t you just give me the basics?

Yeah I could, but there is a wonderful book called Meditation For Dummies (Book and CD edition). The “dummie” books are some of the best at explaining things so that you can easily understand it.

This book is actually rated one of the best for beginners and those who have had a brush with meditation, but would like to learn a little more!

I love the early morning practice! It wakes me up and gets me started for the day. I have a good friend, Amy, from Yoga With Spirit, and she does not like to practice first thing in the morning. Now I will admit that my style of yoga, Kripalu, is a little more relaxed and meditative. Amy’s practices Ashtanga and it is a little more vigorous. Maybe that’s the difference!

Anyway, try to practice first thing upon awakening and see if you like it. I believe it is the best way to start the day!

How can yoga be effective for all those differing types of problems? It can be.

Yoga brings the person doing the practice to a place of calm and relaxation. The more they are relaxed the more the body is able to heal itself. This includes bodily healing and mental/emotional healing. All the people in class left with a sense of having been somewhere, having done something beneficial.

We all need healing of one sort or another. My wife is a Reiki master and she sees it all the time. Someone will come to her for a specific problem and leaves with something quite different having been dealt with. In yoga I see people who are so uptight they look like they could pop and when class is over, they are more relaxed and smiling.

Is there a reason to find a teacher and learn yoga? I would say there is. If you are wondering about the cost, then what is you life worth? Ask the instructor what they change and if there is any way to work with them. Many teachers are only in it for the money,but if they truly love the life yoga can give, they will find a way to help you.

I probably don’t practice like some twenty year olds. I probably practice harder than others.

What I have learned in my time studying this way of life, is that as you grow older, you begin to practice less hard and spend more time in meditation. I find that to be true in my life. Although I did not practice this morning, I did sit for nearly twice as long as my usual meditation time.

There is nothing wrong with this! As we age, we begin to find that doing a headstand for ten minutes may be good, but finding our center within the Universe is even better! I guess you could chock it up to priorities.

However you practice, I encourage you to always push the boundaries! It is how you grow.

As I reflected on this a bit, I realized that the difference was all a matter of attitude and nothing more. I just needed to shift my thinking from have to to want to.

When you do your practice, is it because you have to or want to?

Namaste!

The other blog, Life Change For You, is a blog about life change and how to go about it. It has taken a lot of effort and I hope to start being back here and talking about yoga a spirituality more very soon.

I beg you to check back now and again. I really want this blog to be of use to you. If you have comments or suggestions, I encourage you to send them to me. This has to be about you or it isn’t of any use!

Namaste!

P.S. I put out a new meditation CD that is downloadable. It is a guided meditation to help change and deepen your life. Check it out!

I think yoga and success are linked very well.

Why would I say such a thing? I mean isn’t yoga about purity and all that and success is, well, success means stomping on others and winner and loser.

I don’t think so.

Yoga is about learning about yourself, your body, mind and spirit. It is about learning to be a better you. Success is seen as something dirty, but it doesn’t have to be.

Success simply means that you work on something until you consider it successful. I worked on doing a headstand for a month or better, but I finally got to where I could do one. Success!! I felt great about myself and I felt successful.

Success doesn’t have to be evil.

I don’t think success needs to be a bad thing. It doesn’t need to stomp on others. Do you think of yourself as successful? If you do, are you an evil person? Do you not care who gets hurt as long as you get what you want?

I doubt it. If that is true, you need to work on your Yamas and Niyamas!

Yoga and success are great together. Use your training in yoga to give you the perseverance and strength to do the things you want to do!

Namaste!