2. Sex is a natural antihistamine. It can help combat asthma and hay fever. No one ever gets a stuffy nose during lovemaking.

3.  Lovemaking can burn up calories.

4. Sex tones up just about every muscle in the body, and it’s more fun than swimming twenty laps.

5.  As recently demonstrated at the University of Michigan, orgasm increases estrogen.

6.  Sex is around ten times more effective as a tranquilizer than Valium.

7.  Kissing encourages saliva to wash food from the teeth and lowers the level of the acid that causes decay and plaque buildup.

8.  Sex relieves headaches by releasing the tension that restricts blood vessels in the brain.

9.  Gentle, relaxed lovemaking reduces your chance of suffering dermatitis, rashes, and blemishes. The sweat produced cleanses the pores and makes the skin glow.

10. Orgasm cuts pain by half without changing sensitivity.

You are perfect right now. There is nothing to change. Transformation is simply re-arranging what’s already inside. It’s the act of trying to cultivate healthy choices and remove toxic patterns that no longer serve you.

Differentiate intention and goals. Intention is a path or practice that is focused on how you are “being” in the present moment. Your attention is on PRESENT. You set your intention based on understanding what matters most to you and your heart’s desire. Setting intention is a process. It is something you live by every day. Goals help you make your place in the world. They make you more productive. They are your dreams. The results of your efforts in reaching a specific goal may be successful or unsuccessful. There is no room for disappointment if you don’t succeed in reaching a goalas long as you are rooted in your intention. For example, say my intention is to create more clarity and stay focused. One of my goals is to get published. For this goal, I set a time to write, work with an editor and keep sending my material to different publishers. I am staying focused on one subject, which is part of my intention, and writing helps me to organize my thoughts, therefore cultivating clarity, which is also part of my intention. In this way, I am not attached to the results – I am focused on the process.

Why January? Actually, you can start any time, but January is a good starting point. Most successful companies re-allocate budget, resources, etc. at the turn of the year. Imagine yourself as the CEO of You, Inc., crafting the road map for the upcoming year. It doesn’t have to be January, though–our bodies are changing daily with cells re-generating every second. The important thing is to have a plan when you begin so you can stay on track.

Take a pro-active approach and create a road map for yourself. It might take you a few weeks to put your intention into action, so it is easier to break things apart and focus on a small portion at a time. I recommend this approach.

Action Plan

1. Set your intention. If you are interested, here is mine as an example: I am cultivating more focus and clarity in my life so I can make an accurate assessment of the present moment. I am eating well and exercising to support my body. I practice yoga to support my mind. I read to feed my intellect. I write to support my creativity.

2. Where you are right now? I wanted to know what I eat, how it affects my mood, where I spend my time. You can download my template, if you’d like, and use it as is or modify it to what works for you. You can also use a notepad and a pen, artist’s paper and colored pencils—whatever works.

Download Log Template.

Consider tracking yourself for a few weeks before going any further so you can see where you are right now.

3. What went well this year and why? A side benefit of this exercise is that you see how much you’ve accomplished. In case you’re curious, my list this past year included the following things (among others):

• My daily morning yoga practice helped me to stay focused.
• Keeping a log of what I eat, activities and my menstrual cycles helped me to observe unhealthy patterns.
• Cooking food at home made me feel better and I was able to save money.
• Co-organizing the “Yoga and Outdoors” retreat was amazing.
• I wrote for elephant journal and made “Top 10 Blogger” twice.
• Pilates classes and Pilates certification made me stronger and more knowledgeable.
• I traveled to Colorado to hike, study and climb.
• I conquered skiing my first blue trail in Vermont.
• I organized my class plan using the system I implemented.
• I studied with my teachers Guta and Chase Bossart and took workshops with Kausthub Desikachar, Rod Striker, Richard Freeman and Gary Kraftsov.

4. What did not go well this year? The purpose of this exercise is not to critique but rather see the events you have control over and how you can prevent getting off track. This is a list of events that didn’t go as planned:

• Overbooking my day with too many activities.
• Taking group yoga classes.
• Not sticking to my schedule.
• Not having an exit plan.
• Losing focus on what’s important.
• Binging.

5. Make a list of categories that are important in your life. Here is my list:

1. Teaching Yoga (group yoga classes, yoga outdoor retreats, teaching privately and therapeutically)
2. Education (complete Pilates certification, working towards Yoga Therapy)
3. Writing
4. Health and Fitness
5. Travel
6. Business
7. Relationship

6. Now think of three to five goals for each category.

Anything too vague is not a specific goal: “I want to be happy” or “I want to do more yoga” or “I want to be healthy” are all examples of vague goals. We all want to be happier, healthier and richer! This process requires each goal to be specific. Remember: Your success is in your hands. Why would you want to be vague about it?  When writing your goals, don’t forget your intention.

Here is the list of my goals:

Teaching Yoga: group yoga classes, yoga outdoor retreats, teaching yoga privately and therapeutically.

• Goal: Polish my yoga class plans.
• Goal: Make a case study for privates.
• Goal: Create digital content.

Education: complete Pilates certification and work towards Yoga Therapy.

• Goal: Find therapy teacher training or take workshops.
• Goal: Study for Pilates test and find time to sub or teach 25 classes.
• Goal: Memorize the first chapter of Yoga Sutra.
• Goal: Read Bhagavad Gita.

Writing

• Goal: Polish my writing skills.
• Goal: Get published in Yoga Journal.

Health and Fitness

• Goal: Stop binging and worrying about weight and body image.
• Goal: Cultivate the strength to do a forearm stand.
• Additional Goal: Conquer Longs Peak.

Travel

• Goal: Go to Colorado.
• Goal: Skiing trip.
• Goal: Yoga conference.
• Additional Goal: Visit a new place (Vancouver or Portland).

Business

• Goal: Advertise.
• Goal: Blog.

Relationship

• Goal: Spend quality time with my boyfriend.
• Goal: See my family.

7. What do you need to do every month? This is not a rigid plan, but a road map. Remember: We all have time constraints and priorities. If there is not enough time, consider removing some of your goals. You can download my goal-setting worksheet or create your own.

My 2012 Road Map Overview:

• January – reflection, ridding of clutter, creating a road map (theme: New Year, old me)
• February – study for Pilates test, look for a therapy training program, digitize (theme: Study, submit material)

• March – create digital content, explore new studios, see how many days I have and if I can go to CO in June [yes – teaching in Boulder Prana, Yoga Hiking], skiing trip (theme: My first unprofessional video)
• April – spring cleaning, explore new studios, prepare for outdoor yoga trips (theme: Spring is here!)
• May – yoga and rock climbing trip (theme: Change of season)
• June – write about yoga and outdoors (theme: Magnificent outdoors and maybe trip to Boulder)
• July – yoga hike (theme: My next unprofessional outdoor video)
• August – yoga hike (theme: Summertime)
• September – maybe India or Colorado, Longs Peak (theme: Wild West, I love you)
• October – Halloween, final yoga hike (theme: Did you look up and see the colors?
• November – Thanksgiving, no over-eating, quiet holidays (theme: Time to slow down
• December – go on vacation on 12/31, if still living in NY

Try to look at your goals and review yourself every month.

In conclusion, I have a successful career, an amazing relationship, passion and good health. I consider myself lucky, but also give myself a lot of credit. If I hadn’t changed my patterns, the best-case scenario is that I would’ve been dead, but the worst-case scenario is that I could’ve been very sick and unhappy. I have to admit, sometimes, I lose focus and chase my own tail. Other times, I am super-focused and only sky is the limit. I seek for help and have met a lot of good people who took me the places I needed when I needed it. My daily yoga practice helps me to maintain my sanity while my planning process helps me to work towards goals.

Don’t underestimate what you can do in an average year! Set your goals high! I know, right now, you may be saying, “Wait until you have kids,” or “I am not good enough.”  STOP! This is your fear talking. Welcome it and let it go. Take some time to go through all the points of this exercise, and you’ll thank yourself later. You can also create your own points. Write it out, send it to your friends, do whatever it takes to commit to your plan!

What do you have to lose? What if this is best year of your life? It can be.

Growing up, I always thought that marriage was the most “retarded” ordeal. My parents were married, but they were such a bad fit for each other. My relatives and neighbors were married, but always arguing, never happy.

The word “divorce” was like bad karma in our “old-school” society. People would stick together in misery till death tore them apart. This was the way. I mostly thought myself a freak for not understanding it. It created a lot of confusing impressions and beliefs in my mind.

Or what I now refer to as, Samskaras.

Luckily, by the time I moved to NY, my parents were done torturing each other and me in the process. My dad was living in Brooklyn and my mom was a millions miles away. I really didn’t want to stay with my dad, but my choices were limited, but looking back, I am really grateful that I did despite all the challenges.

A few years went by and I established myself in my new environment. Deep inside, I still did not believe in marriage and I still felt there was something fundamentally wrong with me. Then again, not only I was influenced by the people around me, but I also had some new role models: Hollywood’s happily-ever-after romantic comedies!

By the time I turned 23, I was ready. All I needed was to find someone who would love me and take care of me. After dating quite a few men, I believed that I was not capable of loving anyone, but I was determined. Before too long, I found a “perfect” match. We dated for four beautiful months. It was almost like a Hollywood movie: the flowers, the gifts and the romance…and then he proposed. We went to city hall and got married. The marriage procedure felt like signing a bail for someone in the NYC 17^th precinct – so amusingly ridiculous.

We rented a small one bed-room apartment. And my suffering began. I always had my own space, not always a whole room, but at least my own bed. Sharing a bed really put a toll on me. My ex was an amazing and really kind, which made things even worse. Everyone told me that this was how it was and that it was the best for me, I tried desperately to figure out what was wrong. I felt like an unhappy freak in a “happy” marriage. Everything that looked perfect outside felt wrong inside. I was really struggling to make things work.

In the second year, my marriage became a complete bad habit. I was a mess. I started drinking and going out. I had no strength to end the relationship, but instead dragged it out. I was ready to transform my life probably for a long time, but didn’t have the tools. I did horrendous things and was constantly swimming in my own tears and lies. I even went to see a shrink, who instantly wanted me to start taking useless pills. I tried to improve my health and spirits by quitting smoking, eating well and exercising instead. I even took a few yoga classes. My ex eventually started talking about splitting up. It was the final push. After a quick notary public stamp for $500, our marriage was over. I was very lucky! It was a clean split up.

I was free again. I got my own apartment and I was finally living happily ever after. I still did not believe in meeting the right partner. So, newly single, I went on a dating marathon. I met a boy in Miami and one in NY. I was flying back and forth, drinking, parting but I still was not happy.

Know yourself first.

Changing these patterns or samskaras was not an accidental process. It became a daily work to create a healthier and happier me. I’ve decided to clean my act. I had my freedom, but I was still deep in the mud. First, I started by cleaning up my apartment and my office. I bought a ton of self-help books. I remember my physical therapist recommended “The Power of Now”  and another friend the “Feng Shui” books for cleaning. I rebounded. I started taking more yoga classes and reading mind-opening books. Somewhere along the lines, I realized, there was no right or wrong. I don’t have to get married or subscribe to anything I don’t agree with because the society, family, friends or TV said so. I stopped drinking and finally quit smoking. I stopped looking for a mate to solve my issues. There was no pressure. I was done with marriages for good. My life was improving. I went hiking for the first time in my life – I felt so alive!

New healthy relationship.

Suddenly, I encountered my old friend, Ron. We went out for lunch. I told him that I was not married anymore, but not rushing into a new relationship. Trust me, it was difficult. He was handsome, smart and simply charming. We were both so scared of hurting ourselves, but decided to take a risk! Our romance was amazingly real. We both shared the same outlook on spirituality and existence. There was a deep connection between us from the start.

Nearly 10 years passed and we are still together – happily not married. I really love and like him. I would not be where I am today if he was not by my side. Ron motivates me to pursue my dreams. He is my best-friend and my partner. Naturally, we had some ups and downs over the course of our lives. We were able to work through the issues which made our relationship stronger. This experience made me realize that the only way to have a fulfilling relationship with others is that I need the ability to know and have the internal relationship with myself.

Here is my top 8 list of how to make it work:

1) Communication. Your partner cannot read your mind and actually experiences life differently than you do! One of my teachers: Dr. Jeffrey Rubin introduced me to listening in on one of his meditation classes. We were paired and had to really listen to another person’s short story and then re-tell it to the person to see how good of a listeners we were. It’s really amazing how much you learn when you listen. Set time daily just to communicate!

2)  Have a separate account. Because it is important to have independence and your own discretionary money. Money can ruin a marriage. In fact, it seems to be the number one problem in marriages, and the number one cause of divorce. Don’t hide your spending habits from your partner. I typically consult my partner on big financial decisions, but the final word is mine.

3) Have your own bedroom. Not only is it more common than you think, separate bedrooms are being suggested for couples whose marriages aren’t doing so well as a way to improve their relationship! In couples therapy? Have some bumps in the ol’ marriage … maybe you should call your contractor instead of your shrink! According to a 2001 survey by the National Sleep Foundation, more than one in ten (12%) married Americans sleep alone. Additionally, “Lower marital satisfaction impacts sleep habits according to the poll.

4) Be yourself. Have your own friends, interests and hobbies. I am yoga freak while my boyfriend has only tried it twice. When I first got into it, I wanted to drag him along, but neither of us had a good time. So yoga is my cup of tea, not his. He loves music and gardening. Having our own ‘things’ makes the relationship more interesting. So, try something new and share your experience with your loved one.

5) Make a conscious commitment to eliminate blame, criticism, and invalidation. Instead, find things to praise your partner. I always remember to tell my boyfriend how proud I am of him for even doing the small stuff like watering plants. And if something bothers me, I thrive to communicate it in a non-offensive and compassionate manner.

6) Recognize and admit when you’re wrong.

7) Be each other’s best friend.

8) Have fun together.  For us it is simple things: quiet homemade meals, cuddling, listening to the music, taking a walk in the park. We also both love to ski and enjoy vastness of the mountains.

And remember, don’t settle! The true love exists. You just have to find yourself first.

Please share what makes your relationship’s success!

Courtesy of YogaDawg Howls

Hopefully, as you read this article you’re not being overwhelmed by competing in the holiday season frenzy. I am not against rituals and gift giving, but the idea of celebrating a particular event on the specific day is not appealing to me anymore. However, this attitude could generate resentment or negativity. To avoid this, I try to find a path of compassion and understanding while staying true to myself.

With this in mind, I don’t say no to holidays, but keep the commercialism to a minimum. I have opted out of sending paper cards and have signed up  with an on-line service in order to send my greeting cards. I have asked my family and friends not to exchange “things”, but to share experiences. There are many options, from seeing a movie to going to a yoga class or a spa.

So what about you?  The most important thing is to make sure that you are acting on your own believe system and not blindly following the mainstream. Take a moment and feel. What does this holiday season really mean to you? Remember, there are many ways to conduct your life, many paths to follow. If you feel the “traditional” holiday experience is dragging you down, you might want to consider creating new and healthy traditions.

Here I have summarized my top eight rules of how to stay centered, not only during this holiday season,  but  throughout the year.

1) Be present or, as Ram Das said, “Be Here Now.” When you eat, just eat. When you chop carrots, focus on chopping carrots. When you wash your hands, just wash your hands. Turn off the TV when you’re eating. If we could pause and steadily observe realities instead of comparing how things could or should be, then life would be like a fairy tale. Like children, free of our old patterns, we can enjoy life. I have to clap my palms at least 100 times to remind myself to be present. Sometimes it works…

2) Get some extra rest, even if it requires skipping your favorite show or dinner with friends. This is essential to our health and well-being. We lose focus, become irritable, and can’t function in the world if we don’t get enough sleep. I have a huge sign (Sleep: 8:30 pm) next to my bedroom. I try not to get sucked into the Internet or reading and I don’t eat during the two hours before I go to bed. It is amazing how this one simple change can affect your life.

3) Nourish your body with life-giving, high-energy foods: juices, seasonal vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and dark chocolate (try sugar-free, raw). Pay attention to what you eat and how it makes you feel. Enjoy simple homemade meals. Try not to overindulge. If you have to choose, eat alone rather than in a bad company.

4) Start you day with warm water and lemon. After sleeping through the night the body’s tissues are dehydrated and need clean, pure water to filter out toxins and improve energy production in the cells. Have some warm water with fresh lemon to help your body oxygenate and maximize enzyme function. (Additional Benefit: lemon is known to stimulate the liver’s natural enzymes. This assists the liver in the process of dumping toxins,  such as uric acid, and liquefying congested bile ducts). Continue sipping throughout the day.

5) Take an Epsom Salts bath. The two main components of Epsom salts are magnesium and sulfate. Magnesium helps the body regulate activity in over 300 enzymes. It plays a role in energy production, muscle control, and elimination of toxins. Pour two full cups and soak for 15 minutes. See the benefits for yourself!

6) Nourish your mind by meditating. My meditation practice is very short and sweet. Most importantly, I do it daily. It gives me a direct pathway into my own heart and mind. For a few seconds, there is peace and tranquility. Try to sit for a few seconds and visualize elements in nature (the sun, the ocean, or mountains). Meditation helps us to gain the insight that being in the “Now” is a condition of freedom that exists beyond our patterns.

7) Have fun. Dance, take a new class, or read a fun book. I have to ensure I incorporate fun things into my routine. I spend so many hours on the computer, with the rest of my time spent focusing on yoga. With not much time left over, I still try to do something fun every day.

8) Dream often. Being a big dreamer doesn’t mean that you walk around with your head in the clouds. It means that you’re seeking a purpose for your life and it means that you’re becoming fulfilled in the process. For this, you need a path and a methodology. To me, yoga is a science of reaching your true dreams. I always carry a notebook and write down my ideas when they come to me. I try to count my blessing and at the same time imagine what my life path could be.

Consider reading about the first two dimensions: Annamaya and Pranamaya prior to this article.

We are multidimensional beings. The Pancha Maya model covers teaching about the human system based on the teachings found in Tattriya Upanishad and recorded in Vedas. The teachings had the same mind blowing effect on me as when I first heard the Bhagavad Gita.  Imagine sages lived in the isolated mountain peaks, sitting in deep meditation, listening, hearing and receiving to transmit the messages into a poem or a chant. Later, these chants were organized into Veda. They passed on from teachers to students. It’s been going on for several thousand years. And now I have a privilege to immerse myself into the text, wow!

The main point behind this model is that the feelings of disease whether this is fear, anxiety, anger, or whatever else it might be, correlate to unproductive behavior, negative thinking and non-attentive mind, short shallow breath and for the body to stop functioning well. Our main focus is how we can bring the system back to function or back to balance. We need to cultivate the attentive mind. The appropriate action at the right time will result in balance.

Manomaya – the intellectual training. What kind of training do we have? What that means is the carpenter, philosophers or doctor have a certain mind and it gets trained to think in the specific ways. Hence that training influences the way we perceive, understand and do things.

The Veda is a collection of statements and hymns that were heard in the state of a deep meditation. These statements were organized into four groups based on the content. The four Vedas are the bases for this model: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.

The Rig Veda is the Book of Mantra with hymns to deities.

Yajur Veda is the Book of Ritual which consists of hymns and various comments. It has the detailed instructions to how to do the sacrifices.

The Sama Veda is the liturgical collection of melodies. It has the same hymns as Rig Veda but with more melodic sounds.

The Atharva Veda is the book of spell and healing remedies. The science of Ayurveda comes from this Veda.

Let’s review the five elements of the Manomaya bird model.

The head is called: Yajurveda and signifies how you live your life. When something significant happens or when you want something to happen, you perform a ritual.  According to this tradition, there are sixteen rituals to be done during the individual life – with three of them happened when you’re not on this planet and a few after you have said your final farewells. You can say, we have holidays – we get together to stuff ourselves and get drunk! Why bother performing rituals? Since we’re dealing with the mind, drinking won’t do any good. On the other hand, the rituals are sacred and you treat them with reverence or care. It requires the attentive mind. Vedic chanting is a big part of the ritual. There is a strong feeling in it. You are not only focusing the mind, but change also the quality of your system. As that happens, you go throughout your life paying more attention to a special events. With increased attentiveness, you increase your success in acting correctly in the important situations in your life.

The two wings are the Rgveda – spirituality and Samaveda – art. After you’ve taken care of life, you have spirituality and creativity. Those are the wings that move the intellect. If somebody does not have a creative outlet in their life, then there is no soul, no painting, no poetry and no dancing. That’s a broken wing. The creativity helps reason. As for the spirituality, there is a mystery in life. The acknowledgment that there is something is greater than ourselves and is also critical for the proper intellectual thinking. We need to take into account that there are forces bigger than us.

The tail: Atharvangirasa – is what balances you. If something goes wrong you need to know how to handle it. Know your “magic” formulas and medicine when you get sick.

The central body of the bird is Adesa, meaning instruction. If we break down the word: A – means continuously and Desa is a place. You learn continuously at the place. Just another way of saying, listen and observe. In our times, we tend to listen for five minutes and we become experts or jump into conclusions. Forget about the past. Go on! Invent something new. Young and beautiful rule, screw the old…In Sanskrit purva means several different things. It means what’s in front of you and it means the past. So as we face the future, other cultures face the past. There is an acknowledgment that we’re standing on the shoulders of people who developed the science and created the society in a certain way. In this model, you can learn so much if you can spend time with someone who is doing what you want to do instead of trying to re-invent the wheals.  The respect for old age and the mentor-ship is in decline.

Our world might be different from the ancient one, but we are still the same monkeys running around asking the same questions, trying to leave our lives. If we can just chill out and learn how to listen and observe, we can develop the ability to maintain attention. It will require some open mindfulness and desire to receive instructions. It can help us to develop our intellect and have a better understanding of  our lives.

In life before yoga, my fitness regime always included some forms of the cardiovascular or aerobic exercise.  I used to take hip-hop classes, box and run.

With the new routine and a tiny bit more time, I wanted to add some ‘cardio’ training to my life. There are mixed views about aerobic workouts. Some say it strains the heart and other say it makes it stronger. I don’t subscribe to either. I believe in middle path and common sense (even thought, I don’t always seem to follow either).

In any event, I’ve missed dancing and I’ve decided to take Zumba in my local gym.  To my surprise, I couldn’t follow the rhythm or keep up with the class. From my yoga practice, I am well aware not to throw in the towel. Besides, the class was really fun.

Daisy, our teacher, played rhythmic Latin, Middle Eastern and other fun tunes.  She taught me a few dance steps and showed me how to use my hips and shoulders. It helped me to move with ease and I was able to really enjoy the class.  Daisy mixes some merenge, salsa, cumbia and reggaeton.  She is a really great teacher. Her energy level and well thought out choreography is amazing and still keeping my interested high.

So what are you waiting for? Join the party!

A couple of years ago, I’ve tried rock climbing with a lovely crew of Yoga Slackers for the first time. It was an amazing crystal clear and sunny day in Colorado. We kicked it off our day with 2 hour partner yoga to hike to the top of the mountains where everything was prepared for our “high gravity exposure”.

On the first climb, I was in the midst of the mountain reminding myself that not only I flew for 3 hours but also paid a top price to be here. I was in the midst of the mountain and I wanted it all to be over. But with not too much choice, I had to use my last life proven resort – my yoga practice.

In climbing, the goal is to move upwards, using the toes and fingers, along the lines of the rock. It requires a very strong degree of mental focus and physical strength and agility. You have to be present in each movement. You must make decisions, balance the body, assess the situation and take a step. Failure to maintain this balance means you can be in the danger of falling off the rock. At least, I found a good way to quite my chatter…

Even though you are with great teachers and your safety is their top priority, but still your mind is flooded with fear.  Anyhow, after my first climb, I wanted to go back home to my couch. I rested and contemplated for a few minutes. I am here and I should give it another try. On the second climb, I used my mat warrior sequence to balance myself, pranayama came handy when my mind was shouting at me that the rope will break at the top of the mountain and who do you think you are?! My climb became a meditative practice.

I stayed focused. I was present. I was able to enjoy it and came back down in one piece with a refresh sense of gravity and being on earth.

The following year I went climbing in the east coast for a few times. I was back in CO for the Yoga Journal conference to experience the Yoga and Rock climbing with Yoga Slackers again this year. As Pattabhi Jois said, “Practice and all is coming.” It says it all. I was still scared and nervous of the giant rocks, but I loved it and can’t wait to climb again.

Cause and Effect

It was a nice and sunny Saturday morning. I woke in a strange mood. I brushed it off equating my crankiness to my upcoming audition. Even thought I was not nervous since I have done it so many times, but nonetheless.

I practiced my daily morning yoga practice, followed by skin brushing, yummy cup of fresh java and delish green goddess smoothie, to instantly feel better.

I put on my flip-flops (which I never, ever wear unless I am on the beach) and ran off to the dance class. Nine am Saturday class is a very popular endeavor in the local YMCA gym. I had to wait for 40 minutes to get a ticket. I was 21^st out of 29 other Latin dance hungry folks. I was so exited! I got my ticket to hop up the stairs…as one of the staggered monsters hit me right in the middle of the joint of my right knee.  After all the hassle and bustle, even with my bleeding knee, I went on dancing. I came home with a swollen knee and an open bleeding wound. After a ton of icing, stitching and resting, I successfully auditioned and passed out.

Self-Loathing

A couple of weeks later, I was not able to take any classes, do my full yoga practice or even walk comfortably on my both legs, bending and extending my right leg was not an option. Not being able to exercise always puts me in a darker side of the room. To make the matters worst, I am flying to the Rockies next week where I supposed to go rock-climbing.  The trip witch I was looking forward to for the last six months. All that, gave me an excuse to self-loathing and a “keys” to a cookie jar.

I kept saying. I am hurt. My knee is making me miserable. I can’t go to class. Now, I ate too many cookies and my belly hurts. I gently halt my mind by re-focusing on pranayama and meditation practice so I was able to stop and reflect.

Reflection

Who is actually miserable? Am I my knee? Is my mind making the matters worst?

I felt embarrassed to self-pity for such a small issue. Thankfully, I am very healthy and my body is healing pretty quickly. As I was reflecting on duhkha (pain) issue, I pondered the meaning of it from one of the yoga sutras (YS II.5  antiyashuchi duhkhanatmasu  nitya shuchi sukhatman khyatih  avidya). Actually, this is one of the definitions of ignorance or nescience. Nescience is regarding the impermanent as permanent, the impure for pure, the painful as pleasant, and non-Self as the Self. Essentially, ignorance entails mixing the body with a soul. I am not my knee!

Mix this with our constant desire to get pleasure and avoid pain to get a clear path to the dead end.

As Tupac Shakur lyrically rapped:

One thing we all adore

Something worth dying for

Nothing but pain Stuck in this game

Searching for fortune and fame

Go on and Smell the Roses

There is a temporary inconvenience and my Self is not affected. I can’t predict how I will feel a week from now. If I can hike and climb than I will and if I won’t, I will still have a great time during my trip.  I came back to my balanced eating and adjusted my daily practice. Staying home, I was able to catch up with my studies, reading and closet cleaning. I’ve learned a lot about wounds and how to adjust a yoga practice for my students and myself. This turned out to be another great learning opportunity. I wouldn’t want to injure myself again and will try to pay more attention next time and not to run…but hey, life just is!

This is so much useful info in this article. It took me a while to put all the notes together. I am very exited to share it with you.  Again, I could’ve missed a thing or too…However, this would be mostly useful for a serious students or teachers with some experience, but even if you’re just curious see what stands out to you, read it, and may be come back to it later. Of course, it’s not the same as lecture, but if you ask me:-) this is as good as it gets!

We can have eyes, years, but there are no guaranties for clear perception. It reminds me of Gerry’s song: “Have 2 good eyes, but still can not see…” Pranamaya - is responsible of the Annamaya functioning.

Interestingly, the Sanskrit word Anna - means to nourish or not. What you eat can nourish you or not. What we take in can become part of us in a healthy proper way or it can be debilitating. This is a concept of the word Anna.

How prana flowing in the system is the second Maya. This Maya is represented as the bird model as well: Prana (head), Vyana (right wing), Apana (left wing), Akasa (holds it all together) and Prthivi (tail). It’s beautiful symbolical system and we can see how it can mean different things in different situations. Symbols are more open.

Prana means which nourishes us. Vyana is what’s circulation in our system.  Apana is elimination what we don’t need.

Prana is represented in triangle with levels. Prana is the first level, consists of Prana, Apana, Udana, Vyana, Samana.  The triangle helps us understand the system. This is only done to be able to talk about it. However, it’s not a dividable thing.

Prana (which is on top of the triangle) is the expression of purusa just like a sunlight is an expression of the sun. There is no sunlight without the sun. As we can say, in our system, without the soul, there is no prana.  It is is coming from a consciousnesses (or soul). That prana is almost captured by our body.  You can imagine it as a web in the spider. If the web is whole, spider can remain in the web.  As long as prana stays within certain parameters, it will retain the prana from the soul.  The end of the existence if when body can’t support the prana or the soul leaves.

The definition of a yogi is someone whose prana is entirely within their body. If we fine tune our antenna or our  container (body) then it will allow the prana to remain more in the system. In other words, it won’t defuse out, it will stay in our body.  The room is a different room when yogis whoes prana in captured in the body is present.

Besides that prana, there is a prana which comes from breathing. Hence a word  pranayama – the stretching or extending of prana.  In this case, prana means breath and life force.  We get prana from food. When we cook the food we should eat it before its cold. Cold food doesn’t have live energy.  Prana is also to what we linked to. When we go to the certain places, our energy changes.

It’s not enough just to take in.  We have to also expelled or eliminate. We can say, prana is what we take in, vyana is a distributor and apana is an eliminator.

Coming back to the head of the bird (prana), or the engine, it is what nourishes us.  The direction in which we are going.  The direction is what we connect to. Then the thing the actually makes the bird go is related to locomotion is assimilation and elimination.  Unfortunately, in our “civilized” society, we are not taught and don’t teach our children on the body functions.  For example, during the very young age if you sit on the toilet every morning, your bowl movements will flow easy and will promote healthy elimination. And the body builds the pattern. Here, we just take a pill…And as it was  discussed before, digestion is the first step is good body function.

The ancient yogis also have a concept of circulation – vyana. How does it happens? It’s a combo of both structure and space.  You can think of the fossil and a pipe. If there is no space – nothing will move. If you have too much pritivi (structure) then there is no movement.  If you have too much pritivi, you can’t fly.  In this idea, we have nadis - channels from which prana moves from it’s sourse to the places in the body. There are about 72,000 nadies in the body.  Our circulation goes to each and every cell in our body. So does the prana, mind, senses and emotions.  Any movement only possible by prana.  Any movement in the system is only possible by prana. Nadies are the channels by which prana moves throughout the system.  In order for the channels to work properly you have to have enough structure and space.

We can consciously influence the movement of the prana by asana and pranayama. One of the main reasons why we do asana is to affect the movement of prana in the system. In this way, yoga is very similar to Thai Chi (both work with energy).  When we do our asana practice, the results should be – to feel the flow of energy moving through us. And we should be moving in ways that facilitates that. We can think of the body as a metaphor for our American Flag. The flag is just a piece of fabric, but it represents freedom. The object is like a skin, but there is something in there around the object when we make contact with a skin, yet we can’t see it.  Our bodies are the same thing. It is a visible part of a much greater entity. We’re not doing asana just to stretch the limbs, we’re doing asana to facilitate the flow of prana through the system. And as it happens, everything is supported by this energy – it’s no longer just a muscular thing.  As you can see, it’s much more than just a physical movement.

Let’s talk about Uttanasana – lengthening or extending upward. Firstly, we inhale to set Jalandhara bandha to lengthen the upper the spine. As we move forward, it also prevents the head to compensate. The lengthening is the most important to align the cakras and for the space between them to be correct.  If there is not enough space, you put pressure on the organs and they don’t function well. In these regards, eastern model is very similar to the western thought. (One of my pilates teacher says all the time – “You are as young as your spine”.)

The practice of asana should help us to bring the spine in the it’s most ideal relationship and to create space and foundation.  Therefore, in Yoga asana, we should think in terms of functionality, not the form.  With correct Yoga asana, the prana flows freely. Your body becomes more solid and  functions better. Your fire becomes appropriate and your elimination becomes better. With this, what remains is what we want to remain.

Akasa means space. Metaphorically, akasa means consciousness. It’s the purusa – the souse.  Why does this body exists in the first place? It is build specifically for your purusa. The only way to get a purusa is to be born. In other words, the only way the spirit is able to function is by going and getting an “earth suite”.

Vayu (wind) is prana. It still space, but it’s movement. When we look at our body, there are things to go in and things to go out. The body is a transformer. It changes things. When you take a piece of wood, you put it into the fire; wood’s shape has changed.  When ancients were looking at the body, they see that something transforms things – they called it fire. It cooks the food and than assimilates into something else. There is fire in each of the dhatus. This fire changes the shape of this dhatu and transforms it into something else. There is fire in the eye which transforms light, shade into something meaningful. Suppose, we’re siting on the mountain, if you focus at something and that shift focus, our eye will change at it’s own accord.  We can say, the eye has it’s own digestion.

This completes the lecture on Pranamaya. More to follow.

This first blog will cover the Pancha Maya - 5 dimensional system to represent the human system. This is the heart of a yoga practice.  According to this model, we are comprised of five dimensions or layers:

• Annamaya – physical body
• Pranamaya – breath or life force
• Manomaya – intellect
• Vijnanamaya – personality
• Anandamaya – feelings which is the seat of bliss

Each dimension consists of 5 additional layers.  The system is presented as a bird model.  A bird is a symbol of freedom and can only fly when all parts are functioning properly.

Annamaya

Seven dhatus – different kind of tissues that hold the body

1. Rasa – Essence or Plasma
2. Rakta - Blood
3. Mamsa – Muscle
4. Meda – Fat
5. Asthi - Bone
6. Majja – Bone marrow and nerve
7. Shukra - Reproductive fluid

Rasa – Essense. We can compare it to a stew which is very light but cooks for a very long time.  It represents bodily liquid. The quality of liquids (whatever comes out: urine, etc.).  These fluids say a lot about what’s happening in the system. The essence is dependent on the balance of 5 elements: space, wind, fire, water and earth, with each element having it’s own qualities. Each of 5 tastes are the different combination of these elements. The taste of the food signals to the body how it will behave. Some argue, that decaf and regular coffee have the same affects because they have the same taste. The taste is the first step in the digestive process and the first step in creation of our tissues. Consequently, the first step at what we become. It’s not what you eat, but how it tastes that matters. All seven dhatus are inner-connected. In order to have a good reproduction, we need to have a good digestion.  The digestion is the foundation of the system. We are not what we eat, but you what not exert.

I also think it’s how, where and with whom you.  As my daily practice, I try to make my own food, not to talk during meals and to focus on food while I am eating it.  Even when I have to eat at my desk and the food was prepared the day or two before, I try to enjoy my meal and to fully focus on taste. It makes a huge difference.

Karana: eleven instruments or organs of actions, five organs of perception (touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing), and the mind and intellect.

Jnanindriyas- 5 sense of perception

1. Sabda – Hearing (the foundation) Sound – Space Element
2. Sparsa – Touch
3. Rupa – Form – Vision
4. Rasa – Taste
5. Gandha – Smell

Karmendriyas – represent the physical organs of action and the corresponding subtle organs.

1. Pani – the ability to comprehend, to grasp
2. Pada – the locomotion organ, Legs are the locomotion organs
3. Vak – the speech organ
4. Upastha – reproduce
5. Payu- eliminate

Every cell has abilities to digest, eliminate, reproduce and perceive. I think this level is, generally speaking, represents food, but not only food we eat, but also what we take it. The digestion slows down with negative emotions nearly as badly as eating a heavy meal. Interestingly, ahimsa - just like many other misinterpreted words – does not mean being vegetarian. This completes, the first and the “simplest” level. More to follow in the next 4 blogs.