Snatam Kaur Video

For Snatam Kaur Events & Kirtan visit  http://www.snatamkaur.com/ You can download her music on itunes or from http://www.spiritvoyage.com/.  Lyrics from http://www.lyricstime.com/           

Jeff...Whats Your Dosha?

This yoga dosha evaluation is for Jeff. Your scores are V2-P7-K1 a strong pitta profile for your physical constitution. The body/ mind scores are very even with  only marginal variability or evidence of imbalance. I've been waiting for a profile like yours because it invites me to look introspectively. Those of us who share this type of profile know how important it is to take the time to nurture ourselves...but we seldom do anything about it. We are too busy being strong, helping others, doing more. With our pitta minds in a hyper rajasic state (that's the energy of "just do it" noted in a previous post on the gunas) we can fool ourselves into thinking more is more. The challenge for a balanced pitta is take his or her raw energy and harness it for a higher purpose. The method for achieving it is by injecting consciousness into everything you do.

In the summer time when it is especially hot pitta needs to avoid extended periods outdoors. Excessive heat and physical exertion aggravate pitta and can make your kapha (earth ) feel heavy. For yoga to be effective and therapeutic for you it should address langhana (cooling) poses with emphasis on grounding and centering. A series of invigorating Ashtanga Sun Salutations performed with ujjayi (victorious) breath where the exhalations are lengthened. This pranayama (breathing technique) has physiological benefits of reducing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and increasing tidal volume or capacity for respiration's. There are numerous videos on you tube you can practice with although a personal relationship with a qualified teacher is advisable whenever working with yoga's more subtle practices. Mentally focusing on the heart, both the physical and the emotional during the practice to help soften the sometimes harsh side of pitta.

A long savasana meditation utilizing tense/release to relax every part of the body systematically and in isolation. Accompanied by Gayatri mantra and chant...and many walks in the Moonlight with your beloved wife. Jeff is an outstanding certified personal trainer, contact him for safe, effective, one on one personalized training at 786.439.9498 http://www.chizeled.net/

"Thy Will Be Done"

Namaste,

Luli

Sources...

The ultimate source of information compiled on this blog is attributed to the One primordial Light.

This blog is intended to be a general overview of the numerous yogic teachings and disciplines as they relate to teachers/students of yogasana. The science of AyurVeda is a holistic practice involving nutrition,  therapeutic massage and oils, ritual purification processes, and yogasana (use of the yoga postures) to both achieve and maintain good health. The information I am presenting should serve as a guide for students to increase self awareness and help them select a competent teacher. Our western "one size fits all" approach to yoga at the gym may not always be the most beneficial model for the student on the physical, emotional, or spiritual levels.

I apologize in advance for any errors in omission (or otherwise) in any of the posts. I welcome and encourage dialog and correction from qualified sources. Some of the images on the blog are "royalty free" google images, if I have accidentally violated any copyright please inform me lulichandra@gmail.com and I will remove it.

Waiver
The yoga sessions, audio classes, or videos posted on this blog are intended for specific individuals. You must obtain medical clearance from your physician prior to embarking on any fitness program to ensure your safety. A certified yoga teacher is required to ensure proper form and alignment for protection from injury. The health or fitness advice published on this blog does not negate the need for the services of a qualified medical professional.

    

The Gunas

According to the Hatha Pradipika guna represents a quality of nature, a threefold capacity of manifest Shakti (feminine principle or prakriti). The three gunas are tamas, rajas, and sattva reflecting the polarity in nature with one pole being static (tamas) a second being active (rajas) and the third representing a balance point. The gunas are archetypes of our mental state as well as our physical. The activity expressed in the natural world or earth is an expression of the gunas and our mood swings, ups and downs, and variable points of view from minute to minute, day to day and year to year. The purpose of yoga is to bring awareness of these fluctuations so we can control them.

Tamas is related to inertia, lack of movement, gross matter. It is required for manifestation of all material substance but it can also represent resistance, stubbornness, and apathy in the human mind. It is our fight or flight response where we close up and go under towards the shadow side of our repressed emotions.

Rajas represents movement, activity, productivity and drive. It is prevalent in our Western culture as we are encouraged to "just do it", go for it, and multitask in almost every aspect of our lives. Rajas is competition and win at any price. It is the fight aspect of fight or flight.

Sattva represents the central column energy which balances tamas and rajas. Where our desire to connect with ourselves, nature, and each other arises. It is the feeling of doing enough, having enough, and peace and harmony. There is no lack in sattva and as a result there is clarity, intuition and light.

When considering the doshas we must integrate knowledge of the gunas in order to assess the mind/body state of  the student. We can then create a practice which will benefit the sincere practitioner on many levels.

Namaste,

Luli    

Tamar...Whats Your Dosha ?

This is a test. Our earthly physical experience is nothing more than a test of our spirit. We forget that we are more than our human experiences, our bodies, minds, and even the breath. We invest in agreements or relationships ( like our jobs) that no longer serve us out of resistance to change or fear; and when this happens we surely get our foundations rocked ! In one of Yogi Bhajan's lectures he pointed out how we all agree to the fact that we can not sustain life without oxygen or our breath. All yoga teachers say that breath is life and everyone agrees. He then skillfully reminds us of how we survived, grew, and thrived in our mothers womb without breathing  for nine months.

Choose your agreements carefully and be willing to discard them.

Tamar your quiz indicates a need for grounding for greater stability. When we are fearful we are operating from the Muladhara or Earth Chakra. The physical area associated with this center is the sacral plexus and our sense of smell. When out of balance this chakra affects our sense of safety and survival and may cause adrenal fatigue. Come in for a session this week and receive your personalized class.

Om shanti shalOM,                                                    

Luli       

Whats Your Dosha?

When Tamar expressed some concern regarding her stressful work environment I suggested that she come in for an evaluation. By the time we both got around it she had left her job and was feeling anxious. Her quiz showed a bidoshic constitution Pitta Vata (PV) and a vata mind/body imbalance. Tamar has a tall, slender vata physique and a sharp pitta intellect. Language is a natural gift (both PV traits) for her and she speaks Russian, Italian, English, and conversational Portuguese. She has lived in various European countries and is adaptable to change.

Vata requires expansion and freedom as well as stability. Tamar's old job had become too confining for her spirit. She seldom got outside, was confined to an office most of the day, and the energy of  her staff , with the exception of a few, was mostly negative provoking her pitta nature.

I will design a session focusing on the three lower chakras for grounding, ujayii pranayama, and Kundalini yoga mantra and chant. The practice will be adaptable for outdoors to foster a connection to nature and I will encourage Tamar to live fully, laugh often, and dance for artistic expression.

Sat Nam...     

Whats Your Dosha?

Hi Tamar...thank you for sending your dosha quiz results and visiting TheraPeeds with Alina today. I will review the results and post your assessment and suggested yoga routine designed to help bring you into balance and connection with yourself. I encourage you to come in and ensure that you are practising with the proper alignment and breathing technique for your specific dosha.

Look for additional pages to the blog soon which will include a contact page with services, fees, address, phone, fax etc...

Luli

   

What's Your Dosha?

 

An Introduction To AyurVeda

Ayurvedah (Sanskrit) is the ancient Hindu science of  natural health and medicine that has been practised for five thousand years. Ayuh, life, health + Veda, knowledge, lore... a part of the medical treatise summarized in the 5th Veda. The perfectly balanced human being does not experience disturbances in energy flow, since all levels function in harmony.

"According to the acharyas the mind of a person is qualified on the basis of the type of his repeated action; it is so because that quality must be predominating in him." Charaka Samhita Chapter 8:6  What we are wanting to know however, is how do we achieve balance in these modern times? The popularity of yoga is increasing rapidly in the West and just like everything else it is being packaged and in some cases diluted to a point where the very essence is absent. Yoga is an integrative technology and science of human development which provides a foundation for a spiritual journey and self awareness.  This self awareness we speak of relates to your authentic self  the Atman or soul.

Today we will begin an exploration of some of yoga's deeper practices that can help us to move closer to a state of balance, harmony, and well being. We will discuss the five elements, the three doshas, and langhana & brahmana.

The Five Elements: these are the building blocks of all matter including our physical bodies and they consist of;  Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. Langhana in the context of yoga postures refers to poses that slow down metabolism, relax the nervous system and create parasympathetic dominance to cool the body and ease the mind. Brahmana refers to poses that speed up metabolism, stimulate the nervous system and create sympathetic dominance, warm the body and activate the mind.

The Three Doshas: are archetypes of a human being related to the five elements. They represent your physical, mental, and emotional constitution and  characteristics. For yoga to be optimally beneficial the students dosha should be considered as well as many other factors including current health status, environment, emotional level,  and even the climate. Doshas are classified as Vata; a combination of air and space. Pitta; mostly the fire element but with some water. And Kapha; a combination of earth and water.
This is a simplistic explanation of course and as a precursor to yoga I recommend all students to discover their own archetypes by filling out a questionnaire on http://doshaquiz.chopra.com/ The results will enable you to determine if you are tridoshic, bidoshic, or single.

The results are not static in that our bodies, emotions, and environments change frequently through out our lives. I encourage students to retest and consult with me 4 times per year or whenever a life changing event (joyous or stressful) takes place. On my next post I will share details of an actual consultation and the personalized  yoga routine I created for them.

Namaste,

Luli