You are not your job, body, aches, illnesses.
You are not your thoughts, words, actions.
You are not your beliefs, emotions, feelings.
You are the stillness in the center of your being.
You are the expanse that connects you beyond the physical.
You are inner peace, love, and compassion.
Yoga gives you this experience. So that you know in your heart that you are more than most of us ever imagined. It is no longer a philosophy or theory. It's a Truth that you can find inner peace in.
For many of us this may be felt as simple relaxation, which is great, and for some a shift in how we see the world takes place. Like all things, one response is not better than the other--just different.
We'll use tennis ball massage and a sensation meditation this week to encourage each of us to find more meaning in "who you really are."
Namaste,
Kris Kramer
http://www.totalhealthyoga.com/
http://www.totalhealthyoga.blogspot.com/
Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The Miracle of Breath Awareness
Ironically when we forget about "trying" to go deeper in a pose and instead focus solely on the fullness and depth of our breath, then we end up going further in the pose! An added bonus of staying with the breath is calmness of the mind and more compassion in our hearts.
A wonderful way to begin using the breath, and a great review at any time, is to lie on your back and support your entire torso with 2 or 3 blankets. Create a small pillow if that is comfortable for you. Keep the knees bent.
Place your hands on your belly, just above the navel, and observe the breath here. Do NOT force the breath by intentionally pushing the belly out; rather it's a soft belly that allows the diaphragm to descend down and seem as if the belly is filling. After 4-6 breaths here, move the hands and awareness to the lower rib cage. Repeat 4-6 breaths while guiding the breath beneath the hands. Finally, bring the hands to the upper chest, just below the collarbones, and experience the breath here (without force).
If the breath felt foreign in any of these three parts, keep your hands on that area and practice breathing here. This may take minutes of days. Work on it every night just before going to sleep, especially if the area of challenge is the belly.
Once you can feel the breath fill all three areas comfortably, then on one inhale take the breath from the belly to the mid chest to the upper chest. Exhale in the opposite direction. Initially the breath distinctly moves into three separate parts. Eventually it will flow like a wave. This is when the magic of breath begins to be realized.
Namaste,
Kris Kramer
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
http://www.TotalHealthYoga.Blogspot.com
Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
A wonderful way to begin using the breath, and a great review at any time, is to lie on your back and support your entire torso with 2 or 3 blankets. Create a small pillow if that is comfortable for you. Keep the knees bent.
Place your hands on your belly, just above the navel, and observe the breath here. Do NOT force the breath by intentionally pushing the belly out; rather it's a soft belly that allows the diaphragm to descend down and seem as if the belly is filling. After 4-6 breaths here, move the hands and awareness to the lower rib cage. Repeat 4-6 breaths while guiding the breath beneath the hands. Finally, bring the hands to the upper chest, just below the collarbones, and experience the breath here (without force).
If the breath felt foreign in any of these three parts, keep your hands on that area and practice breathing here. This may take minutes of days. Work on it every night just before going to sleep, especially if the area of challenge is the belly.
Once you can feel the breath fill all three areas comfortably, then on one inhale take the breath from the belly to the mid chest to the upper chest. Exhale in the opposite direction. Initially the breath distinctly moves into three separate parts. Eventually it will flow like a wave. This is when the magic of breath begins to be realized.
Namaste,
Kris Kramer
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
http://www.TotalHealthYoga.Blogspot.com
Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
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