TablaYoga

Loyalty

2009-12-03T18:45:00.001-08:00

Animals most certainly have a sense of loyalty.

Identity and the Ocean

2009-11-29T08:28:00.000-08:00

The mind is like the Ocean. As such, one can reside in different levels of the ocean. One can spend much time on the surface of the ocean and become identified with the waves. If the weather is rough, the water gets choppy and such is the condition of the mind. If the weather is calm and graceful, the mind is peaceful and happy. However, when one dives deep beneath the surface of the waves, a beautiful space is discovered.
It is a place unaffected by the weather.
It is a place deep and calm.
It is a place where blissful consciousness naturally exists.
This blissful consciousness is who I am on a profound level.
It is a place beyond identity, beyond illusion, and beyond the chaos of the world.

Return to Mother Ocean.

Asana: Padmasana

2009-11-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

Benefits:
Calms the brain
Stimulates the pelvis, spine, abdomen, and bladder
Stretches the ankles and knees
Eases menstrual discomfort and sciatica
Consistent practice of this pose until late into pregnancy is said to help ease childbirth.
Traditional texts say that Padmasana destroys all disease and awakens kundalini.

Contraindications and Cautions:
Ankle injury
Knee injury
Tension in the hip sockets
Padmasana is considered to be an intermediate to advanced pose. Do not perform this pose without sufficient prior experience or unless you have the supervision of an experienced teacher.

Asana: Supta Padangusthasana (reclining big toe pose)

2009-11-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

Benefits:
Stretches hips, thighs, hamstrings, groins, and calves
Stimulates the prostate gland
Improves digestion
Relieves backache, sciatica, and menstrual discomfort
Therapeutic for high blood pressure, flat feet, and infertility
Strengthens the knees

Contraindications and Cautions:
Diarrhea
High blood pressure: Raise your head and neck on a folded blanket.
Headache

'Correct' Practice

2009-11-16T23:20:00.000-08:00

Before beginning anything, it is extremely helpful to know why you are going to do it, and what the aim is. When it comes to hatha yoga, at a certain stage it is possible to get into a state whereby one just kind of dissolves into the 'river of prana.' If this is the aim, great- be the river. If not, don't let your mind wander. At a certain point one can easily slip into imagination and discursive thought without realizing it. This can subconsciously affect us in more ways than we know. Karma is complicated. Be aware of your thoughts and how they affect others.

Levels of Language

2009-09-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

There are levels to language, just as in anything else. There is dualistic language, and there is unified language. Dualistic language occurs when ego arises, and will always be present when one is trying to be right, or trying to win the upper hand. With the existence of this ego, the opposite comes into play- or battle (in western psychology). From an energetic perspective, when there is less energy available for someone, it is easier to fall prey to dualistic thought. Also, if somebody else is established in dualistic thought, then they may unconsciously, or consciously, try to pull you into their dualistic thinking. This is where it is necessary to stay centered-at the space of the turn- and if one can do this, then a unified field is created.

Class

2009-08-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Full practice

2009-07-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

Every single time I give myself the time to do a full yoga practice, I am so grateful for it. To exert oneself in the practice enough so that heaviness is transformed, sweating occurs, and lightness takes its place in savasana, is more or less the complete practice. I am going to make an intention to go through this cycle at least once a day, in some form or another.

What is Yoga?

2009-06-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

The question 'what is Yoga' is constantly evolving for me. At the beginning it was merely stretching and asana practice. Now it's becoming increasingly simple, and more expansive.

Yoga is compassion.

Zen and the Art of Dirt Biking

2009-04-06T08:20:00.001-07:00

Yoga practice should be like dirt biking. You don't have to go super fast to have a good time. In fact, going super fast will mean that you will inevitably hit a bump or a rock the wrong way, and find yourself in the dirt. There are times to hit the throttle and get a blast of exhiliration on the acceleration- but do this when the path is clear. Uphill climbs can be really intense, and it is easy to fall off. It can be real scary, so either don't go up them, or fully commit to the climb. Take it easy when going downhill, and remain smooth on the throttle, especially on turns. Get to know your bike and its language- the sounds it makes. Listening will enable you to keep the bike running smoothly. Think of the bike as your body- learn to listen to what your body is telling you and actually heed what it is telling you! When the bike is overheated, give it a rest. When it is cold, give it ample time to warm up. Be courteous to others on the trail and help out when someone is stuck or in trouble- while dirt biking you will inevitably find yourself in a similar situation(this is just in the nature of dirt biking), and it's REALLY nice when someone helps you out of the mud.

Tapping In

2009-03-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

So the esteemed Mr. Bruce Lee was all about transcending form. What? What does this mean? Well, in his own words, he once said "The highest Art is no art, the highest form is no form." Again, what? Ok, let's approach this with a bit more description. We've all felt times in our life when our physical bodies felt very dense, heavy, lethargic, or stiff. In these contracted states it's very difficult to see how one is to "transcend form". However, we all know through our own experience that the body is a bit pliable...it is when we begin to churn things up(perhaps through a workout of sorts), that we begin to open up. There are never-ending possibilities to the level of openness that we are capable of experiencing. It all depends on what your body and nervous system can handle, and what sort of grooves or patterns you have established within your bodymind. At a certain stage it is possible to lose all sense of self, and to enter into Tao; in essence becoming Tao. You are then in the Tao of _____. Could be Tao of skiing, Tao of Yoga, Tao of Martial Art, Tao of Music, Tao of Parenting, Tao of Drumming etc., etc. Really quite a cool concept when you think about it.

A brief overview

2009-03-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

'Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj meaning union or joining. It refers to the joining of our ordinary or limited self, called jiva with our higher consciousnes, referred to as Shiva, or the Inner Self. It includes practices that bring us to the direct experience of that state being within; it is a personal, experiential process. This process is one of re-identifying or recognizing, over and over again, who we are on a deep and unchanging level. It is a process of unlayering and continually letting go of all the misunderstandings that get in the way of experiencing our true nature. The analogy is often used that the Self is much like the radiant sun, which always shines but is overshadowed by clouds, which are our illusions and wrong understandings. The quality of this state of being is classically defined as sat-chit-ananda or being, consciousness and bliss. As we identify with this inner state, all sense of anxiety and separation fall away.

There are many forms or paths of yoga, all bring us to the same realization of the Self. We are attracted to a particular form according to our disposition, karma, and needs. Although they may appear different in form, in essence all forms of yoga involve the dissolution of the ego and all bring us to the heart of the Self. The paths of yoga include karma, bhakti, jnana, and raja. Karma yoga is a path of service and action. It purifies one by learning to act selflessly without expectation of return or personal gain. Bhakti yoga is a simple and direct path of devotion whereby one sees everything as an expression of the Self or love. Jnana yoga is the yoga of knowledge. Raja yoga is the path integrating all paths of yoga. Muraja yoga is a form of raja yoga which specializes in kundalini meditation (energy transformation), mantra, hatha disciplines, and Indian drumming. Hatha yoga is used as a means to cleanse, purify and prepare the mind and body for the higher spiritual disciplines. All of these processes of meditation, chanting, and hatha help to balance our energies in the subtle channels within the spine so that the dormant spiritual force awakens and rises upward to manifest its potential.'

2009-03-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

Music-Yoga practice

2009-03-01T19:38:00.001-08:00

For me, my music practice and my asana practice, are like two sides of the same coin. Essentially I trade off. At times when I am inclined toward drumming, I play the tablas or the Mridangam. When I am inclined towards an asana pratice, I move. This keeps me in balance. My body needs to rest after an asana practice, and my hands need to recoup and regenerate before I can practice drumming intensely again. So in this way I am not wasting time. Progress feels more consistent and stable, and this provides motivation to keep working. Hence the practice of 'Muraja Yoga'....'Drum Yoga.'

Transmuting

2009-03-01T19:37:00.001-08:00

Breaking down the body, transmuting the Tamasic, and then allowing the body time to heal, in the Sattvic form, is essential to the process. We must Consciously, mindfully, enter into the Tamasic, and tunnel into the grooves with rhythms to convert into the Sattvic phase. This involves all aspects of life, from diet, to asana and music practice, to whatever else you can think of. It is all incorporated.

Daily Hatha Vinyasa

2009-03-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

The practice orients itself to a daily hatha vinyasa practice, and preferably in a negative ion rich environment. This is really time for the river to meet the ocean, and for an opportunity to journey along the river of prana which flows within and all around us.

Common elements of a (MY) class

2009-03-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

Common elements of a Muraja Yoga class:
Movement meditation
Namaskars: Sun Salutation variations
Tabla/Mridangam accompaniment
chanting and music
Multi-dimensional sequencing
Mudra meditation and pranayama
Healing Savasana

Induce the Flow

2009-03-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

The various practices of yoga, such as moola bandha, kechari mudra, etc., regulate the nervous system. They harmonize the pranic forces in the body and equalize the quantity and effects of the positive and negative ions. More than that, they help you to attain a state of peace and tranquility without forcing the mind. All this is a result of having induced the flow of certain unused and natural chemicals of the body. Amrit is one of those chemicals and through a practice known as khechari mudra, it can be made to flow.