A course for beginners focussing on breath, standing postures, backbends, forward bends, alignment and sprinkled with mindfulness and philosophy.

Venue: Yoga Shala studio, 13 Bain Street, Richmond Hill

Times: Monday’s and Thursday’s, 7:15pm to 8:30pm

Starts: 14th September 2015 until 1st October 2015

Fee: R600 for six classes

Teachers: Alan Waite & Bruce Masters (alternate evenings)

Contact: bruce@yogashalastudio.co.za or mobyaw@gmail.com

DATES: 28 July to 2 August 2015
TIMES: Tues to Fri: 19h15 to 22h15, Sat: 1700 to 22h00, Sun: 09h00 to 14h00
COST: R850 (regular), R500 (pensioners and full-time students), R0 (repeaters)
VENUE: Yogashala, 13 Bain Street, Richmond hill
To register: http://www.artofliving.org/za-en/program/718

So, what is it about exhalations that are so relaxing? Exhalations take a lot less effort than inhalations, sometimes no effort at all; the posture itself moves the air out. When we die, the breathe will cease after an exhalation as soul leaves the expired body. Sighs are exhalations of relief, a little anxiety and exertion being released.

But how’s this for an explanation: every time we breathe out, the heart slows down. You might not notice it when you are running a marathon or in a particular powerful vinyasa, but try this: next time you’re at the gym spinning watch your heart rate or near any other heart monitor when you breathe out at least twice as long as you breathe in. It is a reflex between your circulatory system and brain stem called respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). The receptors are in aortic and carotid sinuses.

It is important to breathe through the nose to receive the most benefit out of this reflex. Research shows that RSA reduces the workload on the heart, and combined with slow, deep, abdominal breathing can lead to euphoria during exertion. The Tarahumara Indians in Mexico, long distance runners, trained with pebbles or water in their mouths to force them to learn to breathe through their noses. Your yoga instructor will remind you to breathe through your nose.

Benefits of nostril breathing are:

• more efficient gas exchange in lungs and cells
• decreased lactic acid
• increased nitric oxide – immune boosting molecule produced in sinuses
• increase alpha wave frequency – bliss feeling
• less stress and exertion perceived while exercising
• greater endurance
• more parasympathetic activity – rest, digest and sex

In conclusion, breathe through your nose always. Use ujjayi breathe while exercising, even if it isn’t yoga. Your health (eg. less sinus infections), stamina and feelings of well-being will improve. You might even snore less…

References:

1. H.David Coulter. Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, A Manual for Students,  Teachers, and Practioners. Body and Breath Inc, 2001
2. http://lifespa.com/finally-research-nose-breathing-exercise/

Beginner’s Course

with Tamaryn Sutherland

In this beginner’s workshop you will be introduced to the fundamentals of Ashtanga Yoga Mysore Style and the Primary Series with Tamaryn Sutherland. The focus will be on the essential nasal breathing, sun salutations and basic asanas to help you build a sustainable and joyful daily practice that you can develop and take with you anywhere.

Venue: Yoga Shala (13 Bain Street, Richmond Hill)

Fri, 10th April: 18:00 – 20:00

Sat, 11th April: 10:00 – 13:00

Sun,12th April: 10:00 – 13:00

Spaces available: 12 participants

Cost: R650 for the full weekend workshop

If you register and pay before 3rd April 2015, you pay the early bird price of R550.

You can find out more about Tamaryn and Mysore Style here: http://infiniteashtangayoga.com

To register contact: bruce(AT)yogashalastudio.co.za or doyoga.tamaryn(AT)gmail.com

Yoga philosophy shouldn’t be about abstraction or fanciful theories about the nature of reality (although that can be fun for the monkey mind), but rooted in personal experience in living a harmonious lifestyle. Before we get caught in a tangent of fanciful yoga eloquence, let’s bring it back to the yoga room.

If yoga is going to work for you, you don’t want to be injured. And injuries do happen. You lose your focus in an unfortunate moment, and there you go, you’ve hurt your sacro-iliac joint falling out of scorpion pose, twisted a knee or torn a hamstring. Injuries are caused by over-stretching, over-straining and even over-breathing. This brings us to our first yoga guideline of the Yamas (‘nurturing principles) on the Eight Fold Path (‘ashtanga’): Ahimsa (non-harming).

                     By abiding
                   in nonviolence,
                   one's presence
                creates an atmosphere
              in which hostility ceases.
                      - Yoga Sutras 2:35

The Yoga Sutras elaborate on asana:

                    Yoga pose
                   is a steady
             and comfortable position

              Yoga pose is mastered
             by relaxation of effort,
             lessening the tendency
             for restless breathing,
        and promoting an identification
             of oneself as living
                    within
          the infinite breath of life.

                  From that
        perfection of yoga posture,
                   duality,
  such as reacting to praise and criticism,
                    ceases
            to be a disturbance.
                      - Yoga Sutras 2:46-48

Ensure that you are not at the fringe of hurting yourself, never at practice at full capacity, allow for comfort in your practice. Beginners need to allow for much more comfort until they know how their bodies cope with asana. So the ‘perfect posture’ is marked by comfort and immersion in breath, and it is different for every one.

Always do your best. This is also one of The Five Agreements. In yoga philosophy it is called tapas (‘discipline’, third of the Niyamas ‘Personal Disciplines’) built on foundation of your non-harming attitude. Remember that your best is going to change for day-to-day based on nutrition, sleep, hormones, emotional and mental states. So be kind to your self if you’re having a bad day.

On tapas:

         Through the intensity of
      self-discipline and purification
            comes the dwindling
             of all impurities
             and the perfection
                of the body
                 and sense.
                     - Yoga Sutras 2:43

Be truthful (Satya -second yama) with yourself about your best effort. Are you slacking? Are you concentrating? Are you being lazy? Are you being mindful?

                 By abiding
               in truthfulness,
           one's words and actions
           are subservient to truth
       and thus whatever is said or done
       bears the fruit of that sincerity.
                      - Yoga Sutras 2:36

Be content (santosha – second niyama) with your flexibility and strength in your posture. Don’t give your body bad vibes about it. You’ve given the posture your best mindful effort, be okay with that. You’re gaining more flexi-strength by practising regularly. You are creating future health and current feelings of well-being.

               From contentment
                   one gains
               supreme happiness.
                       -Yoga Sutras 2:42

Yoga philosophy should be experienced, not believed. We read about the experiences of ancient rishi’s (seers)  that guide us to certain practices and lifestyle choices, they were the pioneers in the journey of greater awareness and should be revered as such, but don’t believe, every truth should be experienced on the mat and in present moment awareness.

*Yoga Sutra quotes from Mukunda Stiles’ “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”

Does yoga change everyone into a spiritual seeker? What effects/benefits do we expect from yoga?

Ever wondered how your bones move in yoga…

First is a documentary by Bhanu Bhatnagar, an Al Jazeera correspondent, titled ‘Who Owns Yoga?’ He sets out to answer this question by speaking to those who have adapted yoga to give it a more appealing and commercial aspect to it (copyright & patent). And to those who aspire to keep it close to its philosophical (and meditation) core. Is it Hindu? Is it spiritual? Is it just exercise?

Second is a little inspiring distraction… inspiring for the guys (Broga), distraction for others…

Third is something for the geeks, hip, music lovers & scientists (cymatics).

CYMATICS: Science Vs. Music – Nigel Stanford from Nigel Stanford on Vimeo.

And, lastly, for the traditionalists & lovers of mantra… turn it up!

Ayurveda (literally, ‘life-knowledge’) medicine categorizes human bodies into three ‘doshas’ (types): vata, pitta and kapha. Vata consists of air and ether; pitta, fire and water; and kapha, earth and water. Vata means ‘that which moves’. Within vata, air dominates over ether. So, too much air movement outside the body affects movement within. Vata relates to movement in the body: breath, muscles, heart, within cells, between cells and nerve impulses. Other characteristics include: cold, dry, light, subtle, mobile, sharp, hard rough, and clear. If you would like to know what your dosha is, here is a great resource: http://ayurvedadosha.org/doshas/ayurveda-dosha-test#axzz3I532iYsd

Vata is normally the first dosha to get out of balance, but it can also balance the other doshas when it is brought back into balance. Even if you are pitta or kapha dominant, a vata rebalancing practice with benefit you. The signs that vata has gone out of balance include: desire for heat (aversion to winter conditions), insensitivity to touch, constipation, dullness, skeletal pain, not enough sleep, poor sense of smell, dry cough, headache and restlessness (anxiety, panic attack, fearful).

Time to rebalance.

• Soft, slow, deliberate movements in asana, emphasis on long, cool, soft ujjaye breathing. Use great concentration in extending joints, creating space in your posture, softly!
• Eat sweet, sour and salty foods, rather than spicy, bitter and astringent (eg. apples, beans).
• Balance your lifestyle between working, eating, exercise and relaxation.
• Pranayama – ujjaye breath, anuloma viloma (alternate nostril breathing).
• Avoid the wind!