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Imagine!

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skate

Sometimes, as you watch a diver pause to become centered just before lifting off, can you feel that moment of readiness in your own body? And as the diver takes off, body in perfect alignment, do you feel that dynamic tension and release in your own body? Can you feel inside yourself what it would be like to samba like Cheryl Burke or skate like Kristi Yamaguchi? Can you imagine it? Imagination can make us step outside the routine of our lives and take action to manifest the potential … [Read more...]

Category: Health Tags:

Siddhis: The Magical Powers of Yoga

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monk

I first heard of the siddhis when I was in college studying the philosophy of yoga. It was also the first time I heard of yoga. In my philosophy course, I learned that one of the side-effects of yogic pursuits was distracting "powers" that seemed to just crop up at a point when the yogi was really getting proficient at the various yogic practices (not necessarily hatha, or physical yoga). I got excited when I heard about them. Then I was informed that these powers were a distraction because … [Read more...]

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Tableau of Aspiration

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stanton

Many names of yoga poses come about because the sight of the pose brought something to mind for the viewer. Many of them make good sense, like the cobra and the lion poses. But others, like the warrior poses, have been a challenge to work my brain around. These poses don't look warlike to me. But recently, I began thinking of warrior in the Don Juan's terms. That is to say, one who lives every moment consciously and with courage. In that case, Warrior I is a tableau of the warrior's … [Read more...]

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The Eightfold Path: Aid on the Spiritual Journey

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stanton

Since being reintroduced to the eightfold path, I find that I have been practicing some of its elements without realizing it. This is the final of six columns devoted to exploring their value in today's world. Pratyahara Pratyahara is "removing the tentacles of consciousness from the world." We detach our attention from the world outside of us and let go of our thoughts about these externals. By concentrating on your breath to the exclusion of all else, you have already begun the practice of … [Read more...]

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The Eightfold Path: Aid on the Spiritual Journey – Part 5

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stanton

Since being reintroduced to the eightfold path, I find that I have been practicing some of its elements without realizing it. This is the fifth of six columns devoted to exploring their value in today's world. Isvara Pranidhana (surrender to God) - I've seen it translated "dedication to God" or dedicating one's actions to God. This is a big virtue in Christianity, too. A great line I found on beliefnet.com is: "By holding onto that which in any case is forever slipping through our fingers, we … [Read more...]

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The Eightfold Path: Aid on the Spiritual Journey – Part 4

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stanton

Since being reintroduced to the eightfold path, I find that I have been practicing some of its elements without realizing it. This is the fourth of six columns devoted to exploring their value in today's world. Santosa (contentment) - It's difficult for a person in the midst of stress and striving to be able to meditate or to have his or her mind become "one-pointed." This means that we need some level of contentment in order to practice meditation. B. K. S. Iyengar, one of the major … [Read more...]

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The Eightfold Path: Aid on the Spiritual Journey – Part 3

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fruit_lemons

Since being reintroduced to the eightfold path, I find that I have been practicing some of its elements without realizing it. This is the third of six columns devoted to exploring their value in today's world. Aparigraha ("You shall not hoard" or "You shall not covet"). Hoarding (or coveting what one doesn't need) shows poverty of spirit and indicates one does not have faith in God (Goddess or Great Spirit). The net result of practicing aparigraha is a life of simplicity with only those … [Read more...]

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The Eightfold Path: Aid on the Spiritual Journey – Part 2

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yoga

Part Two: Continuing with the Yamas Since being reintroduced to the eightfold path, I find that I have been practicing some of its elements without realizing it. This is the second of six columns devoted to exploring their value in today's world. • Satya ("You shall not lie"). Mahatma Gandhi said, "Truth is God and God is Truth." Lies take away bits and pieces of the self and leave you hollow and disconnected. They propel you into living a life of fantasy and take you away from authentic … [Read more...]

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The Eightfold Path: Aid on the Spiritual Journey

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yoga

Part 1: Beginning the Journey For most of my association with yoga I found the eight limbs of the eightfold path from Patanjali's Yoga Sutra more confusing than useful. Since I've been reintroduced to them, I've discovered that I've been practicing some of them without realizing it. It seems to me now that if we peel away some of the cultural overlays, that the eightfold path has gifts to offer those of us in the West. This is the first of six columns devoted to exploring their value in … [Read more...]

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Enhance your immunity with Yoga

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yoga_seaside

You can't avoid them even if you have the elaborate germophobic habits of Monk. They are on every doorknob, faucet handle and hand you shake. They are already in your body, biding their time until your defenses fail. I acknowledge the right of germs to exist. It's a right I claim for myself, after all. I even acknowledge their right to do what they have to do to survive. That doesn't mean I need to make it easy for them. Yet, the protection provided by all of the antibacterial products in the … [Read more...]

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Begin with a Full Breath

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breathe

Is there stress in your life? To paraphrase Zorba the Greek, "Life is stress. Only death is not. To be alive is to open the door and look for stress!" But the idea is valid. Stress is the signal that we have opportunities to grow or that we need to make changes in our lives. You've heard in all kinds of media and, possibly, from your doctor, that stress is bad for your health, as well. True enough. So how can we make use of the lessons and opportunities stress points out to us and minimize … [Read more...]

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The Joining

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The term "yoke" implies two animals connected to one another side by side with some kind of mechanical contrivance so that the animals, whatever their own desires and aspirations, pull together in the same direction. It didn't used to bother me when the word Yoga was translated as "to yoke" or "to yoke together." When I began taking Yoga classes, it made sense to me in terms of Hatha Yoga that we yoke body and mind together so they pull together in the same … [Read more...]

Category: Life

My First Real Christmas

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When I was little, I lived in a tiny town in Montana. Despite being staunch Christians, my parents didn't believe in celebrating Christmas, because there is no certain knowledge of when Christ was born. The year my brother started school, they gave us presents for New Year's so that when other kids asked us what we got for Christmas, we would at least have presents to talk about.That was the year my mother broke her back in a car accident in the spring. After that, my brother and sister and I … [Read more...]

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Loved by a Dog, Love Like a Dog

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Motivational speaker and writer Andy Andrews told the story of how his wife treated her dog better than she treated him. He asked her about it and she said, "Well, I've known him longer." But Andy watched their interactions and began to realize that when she came home, even if she'd only been gone an hour, the dog acted as though the sun had come out after years of rain. He'd come running, no matter what he'd been doing, and he wouldn't just wag his tail. He wagged his whole body. In … [Read more...]

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When the Levee Breaks

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A levee that lacks integrity washes away in the aftermath of a hurricane. The purpose of that levee is to hold back the water and to keep it from washing away people, culture and history. Without integrity, it cannot fulfill that function, and its reason for being is lost along with the lives it was meant to preserve.Just like the levees that failed New Orleans, each of us has a reason for being, a purpose that will fulfill us. But that purpose can only be fulfilled if we have integrity. Without … [Read more...]

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