Food for Thought

by  Issac Herbert

"Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by acceptiong whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate."
-Zhuangzi









Namaste.

Food for Thought

"Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg."

-Navjot Singh Sidhu

Namaste.

Food for Thought

 by Issac Herbert

"Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were."

- Cherie Carter-Scott

Food for Thought

"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."

- Henry Miller

Food for Thought

"Being still and doing nothing 

are two very different things."

- Mr. Chen

The Karate Kid

2009

Food for Thought

 via

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention."

- Oscar Wilde

Food for Thought

 

 via

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction." 

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

NYC Marathon & Yoga for Runners

Today I had the privilege to watch amazing people run the New York City Marathon. They ran right by my house so I bundled myself up, bought a nice hot latte and stood on the corner of 138th and 5th avenue with hundreds of others to cheer the runners on - at this point they had 21 miles behind them and slightly more than 5 miles to go. I shivered for the runners as they passed by shirtless or wearing little more than a sports bra and underwear.
Amongst the serious runners were scattered interesting characters like Minnie Mouse, a member of Kiss, a swan, a man dressed in a neon pink one piece, a basketball player with a huge afro and probably many more if I had stayed until the end. It was great to see such a diversity of people running but also cheering - people from all walks of life showed up united by the display of such incredible stamina.

A marathon is 26 miles and 385 yards or 42.195 kilometers. The name comes from a event that took place in 490BC after the Battle of Marathon. A Greek messenger, Pheidippides, was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce the victory over the Persians. The story goes that Pheidippides ran the entire way without rest and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsing and dying.

To avoid death, the runners generally go through some pretty rigorous training. Although I have absolutely no intention of attempting their exploits, yoga does offer some choice exercises/stretches for runners. Here's a video:



Congratulations to all NYC Marathon participants.

Namaste!


________________________________________
References:
Wikipedia. Marathon.[On line 11/07/2010] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon

Breathing Exercise

via

I really enjoyed this breathing exercise Amy Elers led at the beginning of her Slow Flow Vinyasa class last Thursday at PURE. It's also great for calming an overactive brain before bed.

Whilst in your favorite seated position (or lying down in savasana), eyes closed, and arms relaxed. Breathe deeply. On an exhale, begin counting down from 50. Inhale 49, exhale 48, inhale 47, etc. This will focus your mind on your breath. If you should loose count, simply start over, on an exhale, from 50.
Once you reach 20, only count the exhales or complete breaths. Exhale 20, inhale, exhale 19, inhale, exhale 18, etc.. Continue until you reach 0 (or you fall asleep). Once you have focused your mind through this exercise, you may begin you practice by identifying the purpose or goal for your practice - why are you sitting on your mat today? Seal it by chanting one Om to the universe.


Namaste!

Mysore Yoga at Pure

October came around bringing with it not only a change in temperature but also a change in schedule. For the past two months I had stayed in the neighborhood not venturing far from the new flat. Practicing yoga with the Wii and a DVD from the library. September was yoga month and I barely took advantage of it, I did how ever sign up at Pure West, an amazing yoga studio on 77th and Amsterdam in NYC. This yoga palace offers many styles of yoga in a beautiful setting. It may cost a pretty penny (especially on a student budget) but the perks are great. Clean yoga mats, subscription to Healthy Living, great changing rooms with mouthwash, cotton swaps, razors, cotton balls, body cream, hair dryers, hair spray and hair gel . Huge clean showers with shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream and body wash. Oh and a steam room. (Although I'm not quite sure what to do with it.)


Now that I have sufficiently advertised the place, here is the first of many accounts of  the classes I try at Pure.

Mysore yoga is a breath-led individual Ashtanga Yoga practice originating from Mysore, India and popularised by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. As opposed to other yoga practices, Mysore teachers do not call out the poses (asanas), each student is taught the sequence individually or in a small group. Once learnt, the student practices at his or her own rhythm. The teacher walks around the room adjusting and encouraging students one on one. Mysore is a series of sequences that you unlock with practice. Each new sequence is more challenging than the last. The postures are linked together in the dance of breath, inhaling and exhaling through the asanas, this movement-breathing technique is called vinyasa.

At first I was a bit unnerved by the chaos going on around me. Everybody doing something different, but most of all everybody already moving. You see, as a beginner student you arrive for the last hour of the class because your practice is shorter (and you are thankful for it). So after being reassured several times that it was okay to walk in to an ongoing class an hour after it has started, I picked up my mat and tentatively made my way to an empty spot in the room. I unrolled my mat and stood in Tadasana and waited. I didn't wait long, the teacher, John Campbell, came around and introduced himself and the general concept of Mysore yoga. We then went through each sequence together once and he made me repeat them on my own 4 times with the occasional "Breath in" and "Breath out" prompted from afar.
The beginning sequences are easy enough, sun salutation A and B, followed by standing poses, and others that I can't recall right now. (It's a lot to learn in one practice.) The challenge at this point is remembering to breathe while you struggle to remember the next pose. "It becomes easier with consistent practice" John told me at the end of my practice as I sat panting on the front of my mat. The girl beside me was relaxing in Turtle pose (kurmasana) with her ankles crossed around her neck. Incredible. Ideally you practice Mysore Yoga 6 mornings a week (Saturday being a day of rest) and you don't practice during the 3 days of the full moon or the first 36hrs of your period. It is a commitment, but a commitment well worth your efforts.

I really enjoyed the autonomy of this practice and seeing all the different levels of what I will be doing one day, if I keep at it that is. I'm heading back tonight.

Namaste!