Namaste

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Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:41:07 -0700

who we are and what we have to give.

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:33:27 -0700

who we are and what we have to give.

I got asked how one learns the Sanskrit ames of yoga poses, and I made this list of some terms that someone may find...

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:53:03 -0800

I got asked how one learns the Sanskrit ames of yoga poses, and I made this list of some terms that someone may find...:

I got asked how one learns the Sanskrit ames of yoga poses, and I made this list of some terms that someone may find helpful so here they are:?

you learn them

most of them you can kind of put together when your learn some sanskrit though

eka = one

dwi/dve = two

trini/tri = three

asta = eight (you don’t see the other numbers in names much)

anga = limb

sirsa = head

bhuja = shoulder

pada = foot

hasta = hand

parsva = side

kona = angle

baddha = bound

janu = knee

prasarita = spread

pravritta = revolved

utthita = extended

adho = downward

supta = reclining

urdhva = upward

so for example ‘eka pada sirasana’ = one foot head pose

urdhva prasarita ekapadasana = upward spread one foot pose (standing splits)

some are named after animals - chakora = rockdove, kapota = pigeon, kurma = tortoise, baka = crow

others are named after sages, especially advanced poses and arm balances- like koundiyasana, astavakrasana, eka pada galavasana, visvamitrasana, durvasana, and so on

almost without exception the english names are direct translations of the sanskrit

sometimes the ones with sages have other names, for example eka pada galavasana is flying pigeon, but usually those really only have sanskrit names

Photo

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:15:03 -0800

fuckyeahyoga: Occupy Wall Streets.

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:50:45 -0800

fuckyeahyoga:

Occupy Wall Streets.

Yoga for People. Not for Business.

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:33:06 -0800

“Can yoga be owned? We and many others, including the government of India, consider yoga and its asanas to be Sacred and Traditional Knowledge. The moment anyone wishes to “own” a yoga sequence, we have to pause and look very deeply at the far reaching ramifications this claim has for all yoga and all people, everywhere.

This is not about being against one man; this petition asks you what you are for. It’s about whether yoga asanas and the sequencing of asanas that are part of Traditional Knowledge will remain in the public domain for everyone to use, for everyone to teach, and for everyone to practice.

What does the world look like if yoga is owned? Less yoga for less people? Less awareness, more confined consciousness? How does this privatization of yoga affect the students who have found a potentially life-saving and life-affirming practice through yoga? What happens to the communities all yoga studios serve? Instead of practicing sacred knowledge, yoga becomes property—a business not a community. Something bought and sold rather than something shared. A market rather than a union…

For more information visit www.yogatruth.org”

Sign Petition here: http://chn.ge/uSueHf

Om Mani Padme Hum

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:06:35 -0800

Tibetan Buddhist Mantra pronounced: “Ohm monny padmay hoom”. This mantra can be interpreted in many different ways by different practitioners. My favorite interpretation:

“ It is very good to recite the mantra Om mani padme hum, but while you are doing it, you should be thinking on its meaning, for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast. The first, Om symbolizes the practitioner’s impure body, speech, and mind; it also symbolizes the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.

The path is indicated by the next four syllables. Mani, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method: altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love.

The two syllables, padme, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom.

Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable hum, which indicates indivisibility”

Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.”

— Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

"namaste"

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:34:11 -0700

“Nama” means bow, “as” means I, and “te” means you.

In the simple “Namaste” gesture lays the timelessness of India, the mother culture of the world. Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another.

via health.indianetzone.com

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Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:44:19 -0700

"Think of your sense of self, the ego, as a knot in a string. When the knot comes undone, you might..."

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:53:26 -0700

“Think of your sense of self, the ego, as a knot in a string. When the knot comes undone, you might understand that the knot never existed. It was just a tangle of string.”

- the divine guru

Chrisandra Fox. Looking forward to her second lecture and class...

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:01:12 -0700

Chrisandra Fox. Looking forward to her second lecture and class on Assisting Techniques.

vegansaurus: This Saturday, September 24th, from 11am - 3pm on...

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:03:54 -0700

vegansaurus:

This Saturday, September 24th, from 11am - 3pm on Octavia Street between Hayes and Fell, the SF SPCA is having a street party! There will be tons of awesome rescue organizations on hand to adopt from, all the pet arts and crafts and treats that a crazy cat or dog lady* could desire, vets and trainers to ask questions of, a dog kissing booth (buy that love!), music, raffles, and an all around barking good time. I don’t know what barking good time means but I felt compelled to write it so, a barking good day to all! See your animal loving asses on Saturday, let’s party!

*I write lady but I mean person. Crazy cat ladies come in all genders!

"When I read the Bhagavad Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems..."

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:03:03 -0700

“When I read the Bhagavad Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous.”

- Albert Einstein

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Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:22:18 -0700

Indian Gov't Says No One Can Claim Copyright on Yoga Asanas

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:13:00 -0700

NEW DELHI: India is all set to give hot yoga a cold shoulder.

In order to stop self-styled yoga gurus from claiming copyright to ancient `asanas’, like Bikram Choudhury’s Hot Yoga — a set of 26 sequences practised in a heated room — India has completed documenting 1,300 ‘asanas’ which will soon be uploaded on the country’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), making them public knowledge.

Around 250 of these `asanas’ have also been made into video clips with an expert performing them.

According to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ( CSIR) and Union health ministry’s department of Ayush, “once the database is up online, patent offices across the world will have a reference point to check on everytime a yoga guru claims patent on a particluar `asana’.”

CSIR’s Dr V P Gupta, who created TKDL, told TOI, “All the 26 sequences which are part of Hot Yoga have been mentioned in Indian yoga books written thousands of years ago.”

He added, “However, we will not legally challenge Choudhury. By putting the information in the public domain, TKDL will be a one-stop reference point for patent offices across the world. Every time, somebody applies for a patent on yoga, the office can check which ancient Indian book first mentioned it and cancel the application.”

Nine well known yoga institutions in India have helped with the documentation. “The data will be up online in the next two months. In the first phase, we have videographed 250 ‘asanas’ — the most popular ones. Chances of misappropriation with them are higher. So if somebody wants to teach yoga, he does not have to fight copyright issues. He can just refer to the TKDL. At present, anybody teaching Hot Yoga’s 26 postures has to pay Choudhury franchisee fee because he holds copyright on them,” Dr Gupta added.

TKDL will have photos and explanation of the postures. Dr Gupta said, “A voice-over will also point out which text mentions the posture. The information will be available in several international languages. We have screened through several ancient books like Srimad Bhagwat Gita, Vyas Bhashya, Yogasava Vijana, Hatha Praditika, Gheranda Samhita, Shiva Samhita, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Sandra Satkarma to exactly document all known `asanas’ and yoga references.”

Till now, it is estimated that the US patent office alone has issued over 200 yoga-related copyrights. Experts say yoga has become a $225 billion market in the West. Americans supposedly spend about $3 billion a year on yoga classes.

Yoga is a favourite among Hollywood stars. Oprah swears by it and so does Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Gwenyeth Paltrow, Jane Fonda, Tina Turner, and Angelina Jolie.

The TKDL, which has 30 million pages of information, has been created to prevent those living abroad from claiming patent for existing knowledge.

by Kounteya Sinha via Times of India

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Sat, 06 Aug 2011 20:01:17 -0700

sculpture created by Paige Bradley

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:44:00 -0700

sculpture created by Paige Bradley

Yoga: 5 Facts You May Not Know About 'OM'

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:13:00 -0700

Yoga: 5 Facts You May Not Know About 'OM':

By Melanie Levine

1. The sound of OM encompasses all words, all sounds in human language

OM is a matrix of all sounds, when in its diversified form gives rise to all words used in language.

Linguistically, all audible sounds are produced in the space within the mouth beginning at the root of the tongue and ending at the lips. The throat sound is A, and M is the lip sound; and the sound U represents the rolling forward of speech articulation which starts at the root of the tongue, continuing until it ends in the lips.

To pronounce OM correctly, remember, the sound vibration is pronounced “oom” as in home.

2. AUM and OM

In Sanskrit, the sound “O” is a diphthong spelled “AU”. A diphthong is the blending of two vowel sounds where both are normally heard and make a gliding sound. As a result, the difference between OM and AUM is simply one of transliteration.

3. AUM represents the 3 Fold Division of Time

            A – is the waking state
            U – is the dream state
            M – is the state of deep sleep

At the end of AUM is a pause, a silence. This represents the state known as Turiya, or Infinite Consciousness

4. The visual symbol represents the meaning of AUM

The symbol OM visually consists of three curves, one semicircle, and a dot.

The large bottom curve symbolizes the waking state, A.
The middle curve signifies the dream state, U.
The upper curve denotes the state of deep sleep, M.

The dot signifies the fourth state of consciousness, Turiya.

The semi circle at the top represents Maya and separates the dot from the other three curves. It signals to us that it is the illusion of Maya that is an obstacle to realization of the Highest.

5. OM is associated with Ganesha

The physical form of Lord Ganesha is said to be that of OM. The upper curve, of OM, is identified with the head or the face of Ganesh. The Lower curve his belly. The twisted curve, on the right side of OM is the trunk.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-2776/5-Facts-You-May-Not-Know-About-OM.html

"All Yoga is Good Yoga"

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:00:06 -0700

“All Yoga is Good Yoga”

- :)

"Human beings are made up of three components: body, mind and soul. Corresponding to these are three..."

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:46:24 -0700

“Human beings are made up of three components: body, mind and soul. Corresponding to these are three needs that must be satisfied for a contented life: the physical need is health; the psychological need is knowledge; the spiritual need is inner peace. When all three are present, there is harmony.”

- Yoga: The Iyengar Way