Wednesday

Yoga - To Force Or to Feel?

Most of us who do yoga yearn for more from the practice than just physical benefits--indeed, for more than just benefit to ourselves. But how can twisting our bodies, opening our hips, and straightening our legs make a difference in the wider world? How can lifting our chests help lift up this troubled planet?
Our asana practice can have a positive impact because it constantly asks us to become more sensitive, more conscious, more aware of ourselves--not just our bodies but also our minds, feelings, emotions, and our very nature. The real value of asana practice is that it can teach us to tune in and truly feel. As our sensitivity increases, life becomes more rich and enjoyable because we can taste the unique flavor of each individual moment. More important, we also become more aware of what moves us toward out dharma and what takes us away from it. This awareness makes us clearer and more peaceful, more able to elegantly handle life's endless dilemmas without feeling overwhelmed or fearful. As a result, we become more effective in all of our actions, and our presence begins to inspire and bring out the best in people around us.
The opposite of feeling is forcing. When we force, we cannot feel, and when we feel, we cannot force. The moment we start to force, we begin to lose awareness of the effect our efforts have on our nervous system, on the situation itself, and on the other people involved. Forcing makes us angry, inflexible, and intolerant; raises our blood pressure; and can eventually create heart problems. Feeling, on the other hand, makes us calmer, more receptive, more understanding, and healthier.
If we force ourselves into Ardha Matsyendrasana II (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose II), the spine will twist where it always has, where it needs the twist the least. In this pose, it is particularly easy to force the body while attempting to reach around the back and grab the shin. To the extent that the desire to do this comes from the ego's urge to satisfy itself--just to prove we can do this pose--it manifests itself as force. Feeling, on the other hand, allows us to tune in to the habitual tendencies of the body and sense which vertebrae are twisting and which are not. Cultivating feeling in Ardha Matsyendrasana II allows movement where there was stagnation, release where there was stiffness, and freedom where there was bondage.
Just as force and feeling are opposites, so are violence and awareness. We often get angry, and sometimes even outwardly violent, when a situation arises that is not to our ego's liking, rather than using it as an opportunity to become more aware. But violence inevitably breeds more violence. The more forceful and violent we are, the further we move from feeling and awareness; consequently, the more violent we become.
I believe much of the violence in our world comes from our lack of awareness, which has historically manifested itself as an unwillingness to see other people's point of view. When we pause and feel, we become more open and more receptive to the possibility that there are valid ways of thinking other than our own.
Sensitivity is often portrayed as weakness, yet it actually gives us the strength to lower our guard and say to an enemy, "Let's sit down and talk this through. How are you feeling? Why are you behaving the way you are?" People who have the security that comes with deep sensitivity and awareness have no desire to be violent; it is insecurity that contributes to violence. Through feeling, sensitivity, and awareness, we can bring insecurity and its resulting violence to an end.
What does all of this have to do with our individual practice of asanas like Ardha Matsyendrasana II? The awareness that we develop on the yoga mat, though seemingly small, affects all that is. As we become more aware in our yoga practice and in our lives, as we move away from force and violence and toward sensitivity, feeling and awareness, we change our individual consciousness and actions. In turn, these changes influence the consciousness and actions of everyone we meet. Slowly we shift the direction the world is taking. As we practice each asana, whether it be a challenging twist like Ardha Matsyendrasana II or a simple standing pose, we have the opportunity to become the embodiment of peace and to make our practice a prayer for harmony in the world.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1424058

4 comments:

Ayurveda Treatment said...

Asana practice have a positive impact because it constantly asks us to become more sensitive, more conscious, more aware of ourselves and not just our bodies but also our minds, feelings, emotions too.

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If you are still not convinced of all these benefits and about whether yoga is for you, now is the time to try it and find out for yourself how it can heal the mind, body, and spirit.

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james antol said...

Once you have decided to become a yoga instructor, you think you would get so many requests? Many women and men want to gain strength without gaining size. As we know, size is more stressful on the leg joints and heart. As a yoga instructor your mission is to help people maintain a long and healthy life.

Like most lifelong yogis will explain the original purpose of practicing yoga was not physical fitness or weight loss, but rather, yoga is a spiritual discipline that uses increased the physical body to achieve personal transcendence. Since the rapid proliferation of yoga studios around the world in the last two decades, but yoga has undergone a modernization which some of the most popular forms of yoga practiced as physical exercise, rather than as a spiritual practice.

The reasons why a spiritual discipline has been transformed into a most natural one, many, but it is almost certain that yoga probably not have become so popular if it were not for the benefits of firming your body, strength building, flexibility and aerobic improvements . Yoga instructors quickly realized that the proponent of a yogic lifestyle as a tool for better health and fitness would attract a number of practitioners.

Yoga does build strength. As beginners know that many of the positions are difficult to keep, and the muscles can begin to earthquake early in a yoga session. As the muscles fatigue and continue to work, they undergo a process where they are broken down and then built up again during the rest periods. This makes the body stronger.

Tips for Teaching Yoga to build strength

First Remind students to be patient. While weight training typically isolate muscle groups and allows individuals to bulk up and see results relatively quickly, yoga practice builds strength through body weight lifts and holds. In other words, the weight, a yoga student lifts his or her own, and it may take longer than a typical weight lifting routine to build strength, because it is a slower method designed to improve physical health over time.

Second Keep the flow quickly, so the muscles get less time to recover from a challenging pose. This will ensure that muscle groups fatigued faster and thus have to work harder in yoga postures.

Third As students progress in yoga, instructors can customize a series of movements by encouraging students to keep are longer and do more repetitions. Do more repetitions means that yogis will work the same muscle groups harder during a single yoga session, building more strength and endurance than they would with fewer repetitions.

4th Focus on balance, inversion and standing places to build the most strength. Remember, a yoga series will strengthen your body in balance, rather than isolating the legs one day and make arms the next, which is common practice in weightlifting routines.

Conclusion

As a teacher, you may be asked to yoga for sciatica, headaches and thyroid. We customize private lessons for students at all times. Yet we could easily start a workshop that deals with building strength. If it becomes popular, you have a new or seasonal class on the form. Becoming a yoga instructor creativity, consistency, study, and a lot of practice.Pantothen Reviews

Osteopaths Forest Gate said...

Most of us yearn to make the yoga for more than just the practice of physical benefits - yes, for more benefit than just about ourselves. But how can our bodies twist, opening our hips and straightening our legs to make a difference in the rest of the world? How can our breast lift help lift these troubled planet?

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