Saturday, July 31, 2010

Practicing 8 limbs

There are 8 limbs in Yoga and in Muay Thai. I don't really practice elbows much though, since they're illegal in NY. 
YOGA:
  • Yama :  Universal morality



  • Niyama :  Personal observances



  • Asanas :  Body postures



  • Pranayama :  Breathing exercises, and control of prana



  • Pratyahara :  Control of the senses



  • Dharana :  Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness



  • Dhyana :  Devotion, Meditation on the Divine



  • Samadhi :  Union with the Divine



  • MUAY THAI:
  • 2 Elbows



  • 2 Fists



  • 2 Knees



  • 2 Shins
    = 8 limbs





  • Wednesday, July 28, 2010

    Reverse Namaste

    I find that training in Muay Thai creates a caved posture in my chest which is HORRIBLE for my shoulders/back. My muscles get terribly locked up and I need to maintain some backbends and heart openers in my everyday life. Eagle arms and reverse prayer mudras seem to do a lil something.

    Monday, July 26, 2010

    Ustrasana

    BTW I LOVE back bends. Camel Pose is great for heart-opening, increasing flexibility in the upper spine and chest.
    This pose deals with trust and surrender. Trusting your unconscious to express through the mind and body. You are physically opening the heart/chest area as well as the emotional and psychological heart. The head is thrown back in surrender and you're opening your heart towards the direction of the heavens.

    The goal here is the try to keep your hips aligned above your knees. This can sometimes cause strain in the lumbar spine if you force your pelvis forward too much. A good way to counter balance this is to bring the thighs slightly back towards the lower legs, taking pressure off the lower spine.

    Unused collage art.

    I just felt like putting up the ones that didn't make the cut.

    Sunday, July 25, 2010

    Working on Mayurasana

    I LOVE this pose, but have not yet mastered it. This is what my peacock looked like 7 months ago.



    There are so many variations and ways I've seen people teach this pose. The way I first learned it to start sitting between heels, with knees as wide as possible. Bring hands together about 5-6 inches in front of you, fingers facing forward, bring elbows together and engage abs. Come forward bringing belly on top of the elbows, knees bent at first and toes touching. Bringing the chin forward. Eventually trying to lift the legs up. Different variations to this are...bringing the elbows into the hip bones to balance there. Or having the hands, fingers facing towards you. I never do it with fingers facing towards you but many people do it like this. Also, annoying...guys can sometimes do this pose real easily bc of their tendency to have better upper body strength. Lately, I have been trying to balance more on the hip-bones and since I have been practicing albatross more, I seem to find the balance there.

    A great tip for Mayurasana that was taught to me by one of my instructors, was "Peacock Push-ups". Which is to sit with knees wide. Take a few deep breathes, then come forward and not necessarily try to hold the pose, but just come forward and lift the legs as much as you can, come down, sit back down in the same position and repeat. Try 5 at first and then leave the pose alone until next time.

    Cool things about this pose that make me love it: Symbolically it represents having lightness with your past. Which is something we all need to learn. Peacocks also have the unique ability to digest poison. As the peacock pose is said to strengthen your digestive system. I've experienced on a few occasions when I've had an instructor hold my legs up as I hold the pose and I feel the bubblies in my tummy -definitely working my digestive system. The pose also asks us to deal with the challenges of the pose itself -To digest the perceived difficulty of the pose as well as the doubt of oneself or poison in order to achieve it. So as I have said, its not so much about achieving what we believe is to be the "complete pose" as much as it is about dealing with the self-doubt and realizing that it is as practice and a journey. So to swallow the doubt and the perceived difficulty, we are ultimately achieving lightness. Keep working on it!

    Friday, July 23, 2010

    The question of drunk Yoga

    Maybe after an excessive Sunday brunch, you are feeling a little tipsy and you want to regain your balance, so you stumble into Yoga class? This is not me btw, bc I don't drink alcohol AT ALL. But I am just saying hypothetically, that some people might find themselves here? Easy enough...let's consult our common sense and just agree that its not polite and/or a good idea.

    Well someone thought it was, and they thought it was rude they got turned away from the Yoga studio when drunk!

    Thursday, July 22, 2010

    News flash! Lazy people everywhere have just wasted their time walking around in VERY ugly shoes!

    Yeah you've seen these ugly shoes. I think some of them even look dangerous to walk around in but hey, lazy people will always need an easy way out! Ok am I being judgemental? YES. I am so not Yogi when it comes to being judgemental, but it is, what it is. So here is the article talking about how these shoes don't do really do anything that they claim to.


    Five Points in TONY this week!

    This morning I ran before Muay Thai class...and was confused about it being so early, my being so tired and holding pads for a south paw.

    In other news, the academy is in this week's TONY!

    Wednesday, July 21, 2010

    Side Angle. Bind and Twist.

    Got my balance back today...well some of it...

    Tuesday, July 20, 2010

    Colored Sand

    I thought it was chalk. Union Sq Park.

    Sun Salutations.

    I suggest everyone start their day with atleast 5 Sun Salutations...I did not. Very regretful. Need balance!

    G Magazine MA

    Monday, July 19, 2010

    Backbends

    Vivienne Westwood X Melissa shoes. What's cool about Melissa shoes is that they are 100% recyclable! They are made of melflex, a hypoallergenic, recyclable, flexible PVC. Which makes them super comfy though I will tell you its hard to straighten your legs in a back bend in them because in heels you tend to slide more.

    Thursday, July 15, 2010

    ...however I will be watching!

    Being Asian-American I can't NOT watch this show when it comes out...but I am not sure how I feel about it yet besides the fact that I think they deserve penises on their faces. We shall see...
    More on why they get the peanox face.