Om

Sanskrit symbol for Om (Aum)

Over the past few years I’ve heard people say they like yoga but they don’t like all that annoying chanting and spirituality. At the time it wasn’t appropriate for me to challenge their assumptions, even gently, so I let it go. Now that I’m doing a Yoga-related blog – yay! – I get to answer that concern.

Yoga coexists with one’s spiritual beliefs, or lack thereof. It is a science, and Om is, along with many other things, a technical tool for integrating and centering the mind. It is said, and I have tried this for myself successfully, that when one feels depressed & down in the dumps, chanting Om 50 times will relieve and refresh the mind, bringing one back to center. Caveat: I am not talking about clinical depression, which is a serious medical condition, rather the “blues” that can creep up when one is not ‘gardening’ one’s thoughts scrupulously. That being said, with a dedicated yoga practice over time I relieved my medically diagnosed/biologically-based depression to the point where I’ve been asymptomatic for the past 10 years (and counting)!

Sanskrit itself is a quite scientific language, in which the order of the letters corresponds to the area of the throat mouth or lips that the sound is made. The correct pronunciation is cl AH-U-M, and that series of sounds rises from the chest cavity through the back of the throat to the top of the mouth to the ‘mask’ (for singers among you) and up to the center of the forehead. This resonant energy rising through the body calms and centers the mind.

4th Pose in Surya Namaskar: Equestrian Pose

Position 4 in Surya Namaskar, sometimes known as Equestrian Pose

The fourth pose in Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) is sometimes called Equestrian Pose. From the previous forward bending pose in which we are standing with our hands on the floor on either side of our feet, fingers in line with the toes we inhale as we send one leg far back and put that knee on the floor. Both hands are still pressed and our spine is lengthening up and we are looking up with the chin up. In Surya Namaskar inhalations coincide with backward bending poses and exhalations with forward bending poses, so one can continually lengthen the spine in this posture and even visualize arching back, yet keeping both palms in contact with the floor. There is a very invigorating dynamic tension that is created through these harmoniously opposing movements.

I have seen people from other yoga traditions do this pose keeping the knee off the floor. As a warming up exercise I prefer the way I was taught and teach this, keeping the back knee on the floor. This allows a deeper stretch of the hip flexor and groin area and an easier lengthening through the chest and upper back, as there is no strain to balance and one can concentrate easily on the expansion of the pose throughout the inhalation.

Peace of Mind is Happiness

“Health is Wealth, Peace of Mind is Happiness. Yoga shows the way.” Swami Vishnudevananda

Here is a wonderful TED Talk about the power of meditation and control of the mind to achieve happiness. Enjoy!

Headstand

Headstand. Once you have it you can do it in a park, not just in a class

Headstand is a primary posture (asana) for optimum health. To learn the headstand you need to be healthy (strong and flexible enough). High blood pressure is a contraindication. Next thing you need is to develop a sense of where your body is in space when you are upside down (this is not automatic). Third thing you need is to get over the fear. Both 2 and 3 are developed through repetition.  Once you’re comfortable in the posture you can do it in a park, at the beach or wherever – your headstand will be there for you if you practice it regularly.  Enjoy!