Yoga
I tried my first Yoga class
in 1987, and thoroughly disliked it - as far as I could see, it was nothing
but funless grind. For ten years I went to one or two yoga classes per year
and couldn’t stand it, year after year.
Weird that I kept going back, you might think, and
you’d be right. But as bizarre as it might be, there was a reason behind the
madness: I continued trying Yoga every year, despite my dislike of it,
because I was absolutely convinced that Yoga was something I needed. I
didn’t know precisely why, but in my heart I was certain of it (and I can
tell you now, that I was right - it just took me a decade to prove myself
right!).
Looking back, the mistake I made was going to the same Yoga school year after year, not realising that there are many different styles of Yoga and that one simply wasn't suited to me.
Then in 1997 everything
changed when I was given a flier for an Ashtanga Yoga centre
in Sydney called Yoga
Mat. I tried a
class and loved it! (Ashtanga is - as is all physical Yoga - Hatha Yoga
with "Ashtanga" simply being the 'brand name' of this dynamic and
challenging style of Yoga.)
Ashtanga involves set
sequences, so coming from Bellydance I was drawn to it immediately because it
felt like a choreography. These days I enjoy, appreciate and
participate in many different styles of Yoga, but it was via
Ashtanga that
Yoga finally made sense to me.
So, after my experience with some Ashtanga classes, I started practicing regularly. Almost 10 years later (in 2007) I did my teacher training certificate at Samadhi Yoga in Sydney (now Jivamukti Yoga Sydney - an offshoot of the original Jivamukti Yoga in New York City) and became a Yoga teacher.
Below are three audios of me chanting. Please find a quiet spot, sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and chant with me. You can also view these chants along with their meaning on YouTube if you click here: Yoga Chants. Namaste!
Yogic Wisdom
Yoga is much more than a physical practice - there's a whole philosophy behind it too. You can delve into this by reading some of the many books on Yoga out there. But to give you a taste, check out the Yoga quotations on this page: Yoga Quotations.
Yoga Gems by Georg Feuerstein
“...There are two kinds of doubt: destructive and constructive. Destructive doubt is habitual scepticism...Constructive doubt is intelligent questioning and fair examination. Those who cultivate that attitude do not...accept as valid the opinions of others...[they] base their conclusions on test and personal experience: the proper approach to truth.”
Jivamukti Yoga by Sharon Gannon and David Life
"It takes spiritual maturity to embrace difficulties and to see within them potential for enlightenment. The greatest spiritual growth can come from appreciating difficult times in your life and facing them fully with an open heart."
"Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu [is a powerful Sanskrit mantra which means:] 'May all beings, everywhere, be happy and free. And may the thoughts and actions of my own life contribute, in some way, to that happiness and to that freedom for all'."
"Your present situation is the solution, not the problem...because it's an opportunity for us to learn, though experience, how it really feels to suffer from a particular experience. By suffering we learn compassion, which brings us closer to all beings."
"We cannot change what we have done in the past and there is no point in feeling guilty about it. What we can do is start living compassionate lives right now."
The Eight Human Talents by Gurmukh
"To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee."
"Learn to give up blame so that you can find your own truth and live it."
Spirituality And The City by Katie Spiers
“Even if you’re not a mother yourself, each of us had one once! Many of the animals mistreated by farming are mothers. We take their milk, their eggs, and, most disturbingly, we take their children to kill and eat without a second thought... [Veganism] is an important part of a serious spiritual practice...”
Yoga is a journey of personal development.
To be inspired for the journey,
check out these pages:
Yoga Quotations
Yoga Articles
Yoga Photos
Yoga Videos
No human can do the following Yoga poses like a dog can, so I thought I'd sit this one out and let my dogs show you how they're done.
In the dog world, this is called 'Doga'!
This is Jake, showing how to execute a perfect Downward Facing Dog...
...and
a perfect Upward Facing Dog. Jake was 11 when these photos were taken. For
his size, that makes him around 60 years old, so it just goes to show that
you're never too old for daily Doga practice (or Yoga practice if you happen
to be human).
This is
the late Jordan in a classic
Doga pose: the Belly Tickle Posture. This is a
great pose for all Dogis, as it requires no experience and is very
enjoyable for Dogis and Yogis alike.
Jasmin
in relaxation (Savasana, or Corpse Pose).
And
finally, Jake (right) and Jasmin (left) in meditation.
Like I said before, I'll just sit this one
out. But, you can view photos of me executing various Yoga poses on
these two pages:
Yoga Quotations
and
Yoga Photos.