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Hello Joan,
I've long been interested in yoga, and recently picked up the Complete Idiots Guide to Yoga (4th Edition) with the intent to start learning (as a class is currently not viable financially). I am very pleased with the book and have read it cover to cover, but I'm still unsure on a couple of points.
1) The first time I tried Mountain Pose, I immediately got the 'chills' crawling up my back, shoulders and head with each inhale and crawling down my back with each exhale…and this happens every time in each pose. Is that to be expected? Is that prana at work or just a by-product of healthy stretching?
2) The organizational structure of the book left me a little confused as how to proceed. Am to practice each pose until I get it right, then add the breathing until I get it right, then the mudras, then the mantras, and so on in layers? Or am I supposed to practice each pose with all elements combined before moving on to the next pose?
Thank you, will try my best to clarify... 1)The chills sound positive to me. Beautiful expression of energy at work... 2)The structure was meant to be open... which means that each person is different in how they study and apply principles. There is no wrong or right way in this regard. I would suggest finding a pose you love and then applying the various elements to it... then finding a pose you do not enjoy and see if you can apply the elements to it. Sometimes we love certain poses because we are comfortable in them, whereas we need to explore poses we are not comfortable in to see how we can become comfortable. It is certainly my honor....
Thank you very much for your time,
Brent
Hello Brent,
Namaste,
Joan
Dear Joan,
I have been practicing yoga for 2 months. I go to a class at the gym once a week and supplement with your book (I like your tone and style) to teach myself what I can't learn from my group class. Yoga has really changed the quality of my life. I sleep so much better now and sometimes after a session, I feel like I just gave myself a good all-over-body massage. In addition to these physical benefits, I now also want to try to practice the niyamas to have a healthier mind and spirit. Overall, I've found that yoga has helped me maintain a healthier outlook on life but I still struggle a lot with trying to get rid of negative energy that can overwhelm me sometimes when I encounter unhappy people who feel the need to be unpleasant.
For example, I have a boss who has a very arrogant and egotistical side to him who is the master of passive aggressiveness. When he talks to me or e-mails me, he feels the need to pepper his remarks (even when they are positive) with little jabs to belittle me. When this happens, I get so irritated and I hate this negative energy that seems to wash over me. I take deep yoga breaths and keep telling myself that I need to just let these remarks roll off my back but I'm afraid I have not been very successful. This just happened today and I had a difficult time concentrating on my work so I decided to e-mail you to see if you have any advice. How can yoga help me with this?
As you are finding, its not necessarily easy practicing yoga. In fact, the postures are the easiest part. The internal self is the most difficult to change. The external world is in a constant state of flux, whether its communications with your boss, the political wheel, or any number of ways of the world. Emotional violence can escalate in the same way as physical violence but it is often subtle and not obvious. There are so many people walking around who have been so utterly beaten emotionally that they hardly know how to function in ways that are kind and caring. The emotional violence has beaten their spirits and killed their sense of joy. They have truly been injured, some even killed, but they manage to walk around fooling people they are alive and well. You are sensitive. You see what is happening. The simplest thing would be to get another job, but this does not necessarily solve the problem. The only way it would solve the problem is if you left with kindness and love toward your boss. Do not leave your job thinking of him the way you wrote to me. Think of him as the kind and loving soul he is. The rest is a mask. We are all kind and loving souls, but some of us wear heavier masks than others. Some of us have no idea how to remove this mask. What you say will not change your boss. If you judge him and tell him how you think he needs to change or be, it may even irritate him more. If you leave your job by telling him off, it may release some temporary steam for you, but it will not shift the negative energy. In fact, it will expand upon your negative energy. Again, you need to see your boss as the kind and loving soul he is. Leave with kindness and love. When this internal shift happens within you, you may even end up staying. This shift in awareness is not an easy process. In fact, many people simply give up. It is so much easier to label someone and explain away differences or arguments in this way. An internal shift of awareness is difficult for we all wear masks. You must look deeply and see through your own mask to the kind and loving soul you are. When you truly see your own beauty, the beauty around you will overwhelm you. You will be overwhelmed by love, kindness, and joy -even of your boss. This understanding comes from deep within and shines through your eyes to him. Whether he is in your presence or not, without any words spoken, he will know your heart is filled with kindness toward him. What you need is a transformation in how you view him. This transformation begins with how you view yourself. Let your light shine, Wynne.
Thanks!
Wynne
Dear Wynne,
Namaste,
Joan
Dear Joan,
I know you will not remember me but I was present for your session, Meditation and Yoga at the YOPDN (Young Onset Parkinson's Disease National) Conference in Chicago. It was great to see some simple practices to focus on stress, etc.
As the coordinator of the information and referral center here in Iowa, I would enjoy sharing what you shared with us in that session. Do you remember what you shared? I wish I could well enough to share it with others...
By the way I am still placing my finger on one nostril and breathing in...it is great for focusing.
I'm happy you found the techniques worthwhile. My emphasis was on 1) Balance 2) Stress Reduction 3) Meditation. For balance: Alternate nostril breathing. (Nadi Shodhana) Breathe in slowly thru one nostril, close it off, and breathe out through the other. No rush, take your time. For Stress Reduction: 4/8 breaths. Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for eight. A mantra such as Alleluia can help to extend the exhale of breath as well. For Meditation: Object of Beauty. This meditation is done by closing your eyes and visualizing parts of nature you think are exceptionally beautiful. Let these images melt into you as you begin to see this beauty inherent within you. If I can help you further, Sam, please do let me know. It was a great joy for me to teach at the conference this past July, particularly as one of the ending sessions ... for in yoga, the end is really the beginning...
Namaste
SAM
Dear Sam,
Namaste,
Joan
Dear Joan,
Firstly let me say what a fabulous book, "The Idiot's guide to yoga" is. I bought it about two months ago and have never looked back. I was amazed at how energized I have become and at the same time more relaxed. The book is brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to start out Yoga.
So now to my question: I am a 21-year-old guy from South Africa and recently we have been bombarded with articles in magazines about a new craze of facial yoga in America. Unfortunately your book does not cover this and I was wondering if you could point me to a good website that I could get some of these facial yoga techniques from to add to my daily routine.
Namaste,
Warren
Firstly, let me say to everyone reading this that I did not pay you for those comments about the CIG book, but I do appreciate them;-) Everything old is new again. Yoga is a full body work-out and also a comprehensive lifestyle approach, so when it is departmentalized like this, aka "face yoga", it's just plain difficult for me to fathom. I think I'll simply suggest pranayama - and perhaps a more kundalini inspired practice. This is a practice with a large focus on breathwork. Pranayama cleanses and purifies the body. Since the focus is on the breath, which mainly comes through the nose on your face, this would be my recommendation. A simpler, less stressed face is something we can all strive for. Through the study of yoga, this is found from healing/rejuvinating from the inside out, rather than the outside in.
Dear Warren,
Namaste,
Joan
Dear Joan,
I am a yoga newbie... been doing poses for stress etc since March of this year. I used to weigh 300lbs and I have about 40 more to go. Anyway, my question is when I'm meditating I just cross my legs, (easy pose) is it normal for the body to shake a little while you're meditating or is it just that I'm not used to doing it and it'll go away in awhile? Or maybe my weight? Thanks for listening...
I don't know enough about your situation to answer this fairly. It sounds like you've lost a tremendous amount of weight in a short amount of time. It is not normal to shake in the poses. I would recommend you consult your medical doctor.
Later,
El
Dear El,
Namaste,
Joan
READY...SET... WAIT 60 MINUTES!
Dear Joan
I have one question, what is the minimum amount of time for digestion before doing yoga? I love the Idiots guide to yoga. I was lucky enough to buy it from Costco because the next time I went to Costco they didn't sell it anymore. Does it seem silly to do a yoga workout twice a day or is one workout just fine?
Namaste,
Jason
Dear Jason,
Wait at least an hour after eating lightly. For heavier meals, wait a little longer.
It's silly that Costco no longer has the book, but it doesn't sound silly at all to do a yoga workout twice a day. I would recommend an energetic workout early in the day, and a more reflective one later in the day to calm the body for a restful sleep.
And as your body recharges in your sleep and your dreams bring you into deeper awareness and understandings, may your heart's desires be realized for when dreaming's through, dreams come true.
Yours in peace,
Joan
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