Reflections on Inner Landscapes...
Today was another Maui postcard day…30 students spread their towels on the lush plush green lawn. The extremely low tide due to full moon exposed the lava and fishponds close to shore. The air was calm, quiet and gentle matching out bodymindspirits. Inhaling our surroundings, our eyes closed, we gently breathed into our own inner landscape filled with mountains, oceans, sky, sun, the beauty of nature again matching our surroundings. Breathing and stretching from within, we begin to sense an unlimited expansiveness. Eyes closed takes away distractions and physical markers that we think we need our body to reach. Instead, seeing within allows the body to seek and find its own natural level of a comfortable stretch effortlessly.
Enjoy the journey inside and out…..
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
YOGA NUGGETS & MUSINGS
Each week I will be posting some “YOGA NUGGETS “-small tidbits of information- or YOGA MUSINGS – ideas and concepts to ponder- about Yoga and how it complements Life.
YOGA NUGGET
Breathe, Breathe in the Air….
Today was a picture perfect Maui Morning…the sun high and bright, the air a delicate warm with gentle to hardly any breezes..Finally, the wind has calmed. And so did our Spiritually Mindful Bodies as we BREATHED in the wonderful Ocean air…...Breathing is the foundation of life and so it is with Yoga. Using 3-part breathing gives one a fullness in the body as we fill the abdominal area like a balloon, then follow the breath as it flows up through the center of our body expanding the ribcage and then the lungs…The lungs inflate expanding the chest. On the exhale, the air flows out of the lungs with the sensation of a balloon deflating, ribs contract and the abdominal muscles compress into the lower back. This helps relieve low back tension as well. Continue this breathing pattern for several rounds keeping an equal inhale and exhale rhythm. Counting helps keep you focused on your breathing.Notice the difference with eyes opened and eyes closed.
Enjoy your breath….it is one of the most precious Gifts of Life.
YOGA NUGGET
Breathe, Breathe in the Air….
Today was a picture perfect Maui Morning…the sun high and bright, the air a delicate warm with gentle to hardly any breezes..Finally, the wind has calmed. And so did our Spiritually Mindful Bodies as we BREATHED in the wonderful Ocean air…...Breathing is the foundation of life and so it is with Yoga. Using 3-part breathing gives one a fullness in the body as we fill the abdominal area like a balloon, then follow the breath as it flows up through the center of our body expanding the ribcage and then the lungs…The lungs inflate expanding the chest. On the exhale, the air flows out of the lungs with the sensation of a balloon deflating, ribs contract and the abdominal muscles compress into the lower back. This helps relieve low back tension as well. Continue this breathing pattern for several rounds keeping an equal inhale and exhale rhythm. Counting helps keep you focused on your breathing.Notice the difference with eyes opened and eyes closed.
Enjoy your breath….it is one of the most precious Gifts of Life.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A Whale of a Yoga Day
Although the winds were blowing, it was overcast and cool, the students braved it to come to class. You knew who were the tourists; they were wearing shirts and shorts, and the residents were in sweats...it was so funny. We were rewarded by watching whales breach...their own style of yoga....
Saturday, April 10, 2010
DVD "Yoga for EveryBody" with Gylian is HERE
Aloha My Dear Friends:
IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENEED….. My DVD “Yoga for Every Body” with Gylian is available. I am so thrilled and excited about it.
The DVD title, “ Yoga for Every Body”, evolved from watching the variety of different body types, sizes, shapes, ages, and abilities of everyone coming to my FREE Integral Hatha Yoga Class every Wednesday morning outside on a lush green lawn by the ocean on Maui. My approach to Yoga is gentle yet challenging. We focus on breathing rhythms and through the breath one can stretch into the pose finding that comfortable plateau for their own body. From beginners to advanced yoga practitioners, everyone seems to find their own level of yoga.
“How come free?”, everyone asks. A year ago, when the economy went bust, so did my business along with the rest of Maui. I was teaching Yoga 2 nights a week, not enough for bread and butter. Feeling stressed along with everyone else, I had plenty of time for my own yoga practices. Fortunately, I live on Maui in a beautiful condo directly on an expansive lawn leading out to the ocean. My “yoga on the green” was infusing me with a peaceful life for a few minutes each day.
Watching me one day, my partner Kimo suggested I give a class on the lawn. If I was able to feel a brief sense of relaxation and peace from my yoga practices, maybe this would help others at this time. Since I was feeling the financial pinch, when even $5 was too much to spend, I decided to give the class for free to whomever showed up. Putting up a handmade sign on the dune at Waipuilani Park; placing a free ad in the local Maui papers and bulletins, and posting handmade flyers in all the condos along South Kihei road that I was offering a FREE Integral Hatha Yoga class, began a wonderful experience of being in the spirit of giving and sharing.
People were skeptical at first. “Are you sure it is free?” Yes, absolutely. Then comments, “ I can’t do yoga, I’m too old…. I’m too stiff… “I am not athletic”… “I never did yoga”…. “I did yoga for years and stopped.” I impressed upon them that the Yoga I teach is gentle breathing and stretching. “We all have our own level of yoga inside. Go slow and be gentle on your body. If nothing else, join us and breathe in nature’s beauty. It is ALL FREE.”
Tourists from last year have returned, grateful for the classes still being here; Residents who have been coming regularly and newcomers alike, all leave with broader smiles. The experiences of meeting all these wonderful people from the mainland and locally, and the progress of the students in their practices has been so rewarding to me as well as to them, my spirit soars every Wednesday morning like an eagle in flight.
Of course, this couldn’t have happened without 2 dear friends, Nick and Judy who introduced me to Swami Satchidananda and Integral Hatha Yoga in 1970.
Aloha & Mahalo hugs to you all. And a big welcome to those newcomers joining the class whether it be on the green or on the screen…Enjoy your journey to finding your own level of yoga.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi, Om …Peace, Peace, Peace….. Keep Smiling…
IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENEED….. My DVD “Yoga for Every Body” with Gylian is available. I am so thrilled and excited about it.
The DVD title, “ Yoga for Every Body”, evolved from watching the variety of different body types, sizes, shapes, ages, and abilities of everyone coming to my FREE Integral Hatha Yoga Class every Wednesday morning outside on a lush green lawn by the ocean on Maui. My approach to Yoga is gentle yet challenging. We focus on breathing rhythms and through the breath one can stretch into the pose finding that comfortable plateau for their own body. From beginners to advanced yoga practitioners, everyone seems to find their own level of yoga.
“How come free?”, everyone asks. A year ago, when the economy went bust, so did my business along with the rest of Maui. I was teaching Yoga 2 nights a week, not enough for bread and butter. Feeling stressed along with everyone else, I had plenty of time for my own yoga practices. Fortunately, I live on Maui in a beautiful condo directly on an expansive lawn leading out to the ocean. My “yoga on the green” was infusing me with a peaceful life for a few minutes each day.
Watching me one day, my partner Kimo suggested I give a class on the lawn. If I was able to feel a brief sense of relaxation and peace from my yoga practices, maybe this would help others at this time. Since I was feeling the financial pinch, when even $5 was too much to spend, I decided to give the class for free to whomever showed up. Putting up a handmade sign on the dune at Waipuilani Park; placing a free ad in the local Maui papers and bulletins, and posting handmade flyers in all the condos along South Kihei road that I was offering a FREE Integral Hatha Yoga class, began a wonderful experience of being in the spirit of giving and sharing.
People were skeptical at first. “Are you sure it is free?” Yes, absolutely. Then comments, “ I can’t do yoga, I’m too old…. I’m too stiff… “I am not athletic”… “I never did yoga”…. “I did yoga for years and stopped.” I impressed upon them that the Yoga I teach is gentle breathing and stretching. “We all have our own level of yoga inside. Go slow and be gentle on your body. If nothing else, join us and breathe in nature’s beauty. It is ALL FREE.”
Tourists from last year have returned, grateful for the classes still being here; Residents who have been coming regularly and newcomers alike, all leave with broader smiles. The experiences of meeting all these wonderful people from the mainland and locally, and the progress of the students in their practices has been so rewarding to me as well as to them, my spirit soars every Wednesday morning like an eagle in flight.
Of course, this couldn’t have happened without 2 dear friends, Nick and Judy who introduced me to Swami Satchidananda and Integral Hatha Yoga in 1970.
Aloha & Mahalo hugs to you all. And a big welcome to those newcomers joining the class whether it be on the green or on the screen…Enjoy your journey to finding your own level of yoga.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi, Om …Peace, Peace, Peace….. Keep Smiling…
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