Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk, is traditionally credited with introducing yoga to China in the 5th/6th century. He noted that the Shaolin monks were in poor physical health from sitting and meditating all day and needed to incorporate movement in their meditations for physical, as well as mental, well-being. Coming from the Indian subcontinent, he was… Read more »
Yoga
More than 2000 years ago, an Indian sage described yoga as “preventive, healing art, science, and philosophy” for the purpose of blending the mind, body, and spirit to achieve optimum health. Yoga is usually regarded as a practice most associated with healthy individuals. Some images portray yoga as a mystical, spiritual ritual associated with meditation… Read more »
Early in my yoga teaching career a student approached me after class with tears cascading down her face. My natural instinct was concern. She wrapped her arms around me and thanked me for a wonderful experience. With ambiguous feelings and trepidation, she shared her feelings as to why she was crying. We had performed several… Read more »
Witnessing children striking yoga poses is more than just cute; it can be the catalyst to a lifelong practice. Parents and schools are becoming aware that yoga benefits children physically, mentally, and soulfully. The practice is orienting children to a discipline that is rejuvenating for the body and soul. Yoga is playful and allows children… Read more »
Finding balance in our lives can be extraordinarily difficult. When looking at the quality of life of the few who stay committed to achieving a balanced, harmonious state, the benefits appear to outweigh the necessary effort. It sounds easy, but most of us realize the challenge in maintaining the nirvana called balance. Individuals who achieve… Read more »
September is Yoga Awareness Month. Most of us would admit that our muscles could use a little more stretching; however, we think ‘yoga is for the young, or for tree huggers, and my body could never do those crazy positions.’ But yoga is so much more than stretching, and how much you can do depends… Read more »
Just the other day I was having dinner with an old swimming buddy of mine, Mark Henderson, a former world record holder and Olympic Gold Medalist at the Atlanta Games. In other words, a phenomenal athlete. Sure, we talked about swimming. Then our conversation turned (quite unexpectedly) to yoga. Mark had begun practicing recently and… Read more »
“When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control the breath.” —Svatmarama, Hatha Yoga Pradipika The body can go weeks without food, and days without water or sleep, but can survive… Read more »
