raevisita:

A quote from my yoga teacher this morning.

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(via fuckyeahyoga)

(Source: tarathebear)

thisisthepeacetrain:

Gyan Mudra, by emmoon77.

(via thisisthepeacetrain-deactivated)

“The breath is what MAKES YOGA WORK.  It is the link between your external, tangible, gross body, and your internal, intangible, subtle body.”

iamyoustudio:

No wind=No sail.  No Breath=No Yoga.

If you have ever stepped foot on a sailboat, you know that sailing without wind is literally impossible.   You cannot move, and you do not move.  And if there is a solid wind initially, allowing you move gracefully across the sea with an elegant tilt, and then out of no where it stops, your sailing stops, in a bad way.   Immediately the sails flop down and start to clank against the mast.  The ropes get tangled.  The boat starts to rock, and maybe even do a little 360.  You go no where.  You get no where.  You are totally stuck.

The wind in sailing is akin to the breath in yoga.  Without the breath, there is no yoga.  It is impossible.  It does not exist. 

The breath is what MAKES YOGA WORK.  It is the link between your external, tangible, gross body, and your internal, intangible, subtle body. 

The breath moves, molds, and makes the subtle body into the you you are, and the you you see, feel, and live through via your external body.  The breath feeds every cell of you,  those that compose your muscles, your mood, and more importantly, those in the mind.  

When you try and practice yoga without the breath, you will end up like a sailboat without the wind at sea. Your body will move without elegant ease or direction.  Your muscles will feel limp and cranky.  And above all,  the ropes of thoughts swinging through your mind will be come tangled.  You will feel stuck, as opposed to floating gracefully through your day, which is likely why you “went to yoga” to begin with.

If there is no wind, there is no sailing.  If there is no breath, there is no yoga.  Only Indian gymnastics on a factory made rubber mat. 

 So next time you do your yoga, don’t let yourself spin in circles and go nowhere.  Make sure, instead, that you BREATHE, breathe so you can sail through your day, your life, your YOU.

More on this in coming weeks….. 

iamyoustudio:

DAY 1: BREATHE.

Why?  The breath is single handedly the most important aspect to your body, health, yoga practice, and LIFE.  Studies in both Eastern AND Western medicine have shown that a steady breath can transform your body in every way, from stress relief, to boosting your immune system, to curing injuries and sicknesses, to increasing productivity and metabolism, and more.   The positive ramifications of steady, guided breathing are exponential when combined with a single pointed focus, also known as meditation.

So on this first day of 7Days & 7Nights to a NEW YOU, we will start with learning how to breathe, and dare I say, meditate…..

How?

-Find a comfortable seat, place your palms face up or face down on your thighs. You may want to sit on a blanket, a block, or some books, so that your hips are above your knees, thus allowing your spine to elongate and muscles to start to relax. 

-Close your eyes and relax the muscles of your face and shoulders

-Bring your attention to the tip of your nose, with your eyes closed.  It almost feels cross-eyed.

-Start to breathe, inhaling and exhaling out of your nose, lips lightly touching.   Maybe your tongue curls up the roof of your mouth, maybe not.

-Stay here, without fidgeting, as best you can

-If you want to take it further, start to count your breath, until you reach 10 without your mind straying.  If you lose count or start to think of dinner, go back to 1 and start again.

Try to sit and breathe for 1 minute a day, every day.  And then from there increase to 2-5 minutes.   It likely is not as daunting as you think!

What sort of challenges did you encounter when trying to sit and breathe?

(via moveyourbooty)

thedailybody:

inhale: chest opener

Breathing can be confusing, especially because there are many different ways to do it. My recent teacher instructed us to let the ribcages expand away from the center.

숨 쉬는 방법이 여러 가지가 있기 때문에 헷갈리기 쉽다. 최근 선생님은 “숨을 들이마시면서 늑골이 벌어지는 것을 느끼세요.”라고 했다.

freshgypsy:

note to self:

B-R-E-A-T-H-E

i.n.d.e.e.d.

(Source: onelonelyteacup, via freshgypsy-deactivated20120406)