Logging on to take virtual yoga classes from your home may have been a big change in your practice you hadn't planned for. And practicing yoga in a studio definitely has its advantages; a dedicated space, a defined schedule, community, and a sense of environment. Being at home can have its own set of advantages too! Here's some ideas to help you recreate some studio elements and some only-at-home bonuses you can use to enhance and customize your home practice.
Practicing aparigraha would leave you remaining whole, yourself, content at the root of it all as having people, things, and beliefs are all added blissful enjoyments and experiences. Even if they last for a lifetime, we are not truly defined by these connections and enjoyments. We are only defined by ourselves, our connection to our inner world, and to whatever our truth may be at any given moment and set of circumstances. Even with that, we are consistently changing with the food we eat, the air we breathe, the ideas and experiences we have, and the overall disposition we take.
Since our vital energy is that which creates us, makes us, and gives us purpose and life experiences broadening the scope of practice beyond sexuality is important for our culture and day to day living, especially with the state of local, national, and global affairs. Therefore, extending to all vital energy usage, this yama is the knowingness of when to take opportunities and also when to say no to those that will not serve you or the individual(s) that are offering them, which ties into the few yamas (ahimsa, satya, asteya) that we've covered previously. Some may even look at it as the practice of moderation and not indulging in an excess of any one thing to avoid burn out and depleted vital energy.
Freedom comes from within.
Photo by Kelsey White
In past articles, we've explored Ahimsa and Satya, the first two yamas from the text "The Yoga Sutras". Today we'll discuss and take a look at asteya. Asteya is the practice of non-stealing. It is the respectful observance of sources that have contributed to your life or surround you in written, spoken, energetic, or situational exchange.
One way you can think of this practice as utilizing the academic use of bibliographies to ensure that you are giving proper credit to those who have introduced or developed the information that is presented to you in life. Another way is to respect the time and energy of yourself and those around you. Practicing asteya enables us to honor the community we come from and interact with in our lives, while simultaneously lifting each other up energetically instead of eroding the very forces that sustain and build us all.
Asteya, when practiced well, can physiologically affect individuals, including yourself. When we practice asteya, we are able to positively support brain chemistry including our serotonin and dopamine levels. These two chemicals are related to doing a good job and value or stature. The more we practice giving people the credit they deserve, the more we help elevate their level of self-worth, value, and appreciation and the less likely individuals will experience chemical imbalances that result in symptoms like depression, anxiety, and social fears.
Be aware of asteya in:
Photo by Mary Wrightson
Ask yourself:
Enjoy taking a deeper look within and starting to become aware of your patterns and habits. As always, if you need support or assistance in working with this topic and construct in your life, please contact us to set up an energy or coaching session with one of our professionals so you can live beyond limit and start living the life you'd like to live.
Not all teachers are created equal and there are. Not all trainings that are "Yoga Alliance" certified are credible or complete in how they're taught and what they require "certified teachers" to demonstrate before getting out and teaching people in groups and one on one. With all of the trainings, certifications, styles, and advertising on the web or in magazines it's hard to know what to look for and how to identify whether or not you're in good hands, so we've made a few pointers for you to be able to feel informed about the studios, teachers, and environments you place yourself within.
Overall the most important things when you're looking for a yoga instructor are:
We hope this guide helps you target the teachers who will be able to best help you deepen your practice. We support the new teachers who are working to develop their knowledge base and ability to teach and guide students, but recommend those with a bit more training and experience to ensure a safe, supportive, and powerful environment to help you know your investment in yourself is going to be well worth the efforts and professional attention.
Have questions or need help finding the right teacher for you? Shoot us a message at katew@livebeyondlimit.com or use our Contact page to receive some support.
Pura Vida. Pure Living. Bliss. Existing in your perfect consciousness and authentic expression. Yoga. Perfectly connected and balanced mind, body, and spirit.
Our life experience and consciousness is defined by how many things change in our lives, and I'm going to encourage that you embrace a heck of a lot more change and a lot less strict routine to heighten your life experience and be more aware, present, and balanced. Once we get in a rut in our practice, our life, our activities and thoughts we create what we call in yoga samskaras. These are patterns and pathways our energy takes and the more defined and determined the samskara, the more limited our awareness and experience as our brain creates neurological pathways to reinforce behaviors, perspectives, and thought patterns.
To live pure, or free of these binding patterns we must be consciously aware and open to the constant flux the universe exists within. When we open our minds to what more there can be, the brain is happy to create new pathways for the infinite potential of experiences in existence.
For example, in your yoga practice, you may find yourself anticipating the next movement or breath pattern, but frequently the teacher asks you to do something different even though your anticipation had you starting something else, which suggests a lack of true presence and awareness of the moment.
If we live purely and consciously we can stay whole and present in the moment and learn to react to what is and not just what we are expecting. Our reactions then are based off of the current situation and not pre-existing knowledge and patterning giving us the opportunity to move outside of the samskaras and previous neruo-pathways to new pathways and the ability to grow and evolve in each moment.
In doing this, we often are able to free ourselves of pre-conceived ideas that bring stress and suffering to our being and the yamas and niyamas (the first two set of practices in the yoga system) become effortless in the process. By relieving unnecessary stressors from our lives, our physiology begins to shift and our fascia begins to relax. This enables the body to become more open and regenerate at a higher rate, which then leads to less discomfort and a greater range of motion in the physical practice of yoga and a more full experience off the mat in life.
To be present is to be whole. To be whole is to truly be yourself and not what others have tried to make you.
Give it a try and be surprised at what reveals itself to you in your experiences.
Yoga is the connection of the self to the self, to put it simply. It refers to being in sync with all aspects of yourself.
The word yoga means "to yoke" and refers to the yoking of mind, body, spirit, and emotion through practice and through life. While some may view the "bendy" postures and development of physical flexibility as yoga, they often time overlook the understanding of the self that these postures are designed to reveal and the flexibility that is gained through developing continuity of the self via practice.
Yoga traditionally has 8 limbs consisting of becoming aware and mastering how we interact with others, ourselves, our physical movement, our breath, internal awareness, focus, meditative capacity, and ability to be connected to peace and ease. Mastery of the self can only happen once we finally accept who and what we are, what we're driven to, what we find pleasure in, and all of our "shadows" from our past or present.
Live Beyond Limit and more traditional studios aim to teach you all aspects of yoga so you can enjoy more ease, abundance, and joy in life via the practice of working with yourself on all levels.
Yoga helps us learn to live fully, freely, and peacefully within ourselves and the world.
Research and practice show time and time again that mindfulness and living in the moment helps an individual to live with physiological and emotional stress.
According to studies and recommendations from Harvard, Oxford and UC Santa Barbara mindfulness and present living helps to reduce symptoms of stress, depression and addictions and enhances working memory and recall. Pretty cool huh? So why don't more of us partake in this wonderful practice? What does it even mean to "live in the now" or to practice being "mindful"? I get these questions a lot from clients and friends trying to minimize the chaos and unwanted events in their lives.
It's hard to live in the now because of the chemical and energetic imprints made as reactions to the stressors in your life. We are an overstressed and under-restored population as a whole. Chemically we should bounce back to resting states quickly, but with our culture and social structure/interactions we have a hard time getting away from the stressors.
It's hard work to stay positive and stay in the moment of each and every experience. It take practice....a lot of practice. Happy, realistic and optimistic people choose to be that way. They choose to focus on what they have and the things that are going well and use problem solving and stress management tools to cope and or change the things that are less than ideal.
In the moment individuals put the cup down and empty it after each interaction they have. Think of stress like this:
How much does a glass of water feel like it weighs? How much does it weigh an hour later? A week? A year? It progressively gets heavier and heavier and after enough time, your arm will give out from fatigue. That's just like you're body! (Thanks to whomever originated this parallel).
Therefore, if you have been in a stressful situation and you've left and moved on to the next event of your day, or the next day itself, forget about the stress source and focus on your new space and the tasks at hand. Cycling through the situation, replaying or planning the next conversation and or allowing yourself to feel awful will only distract you from your present task, rob your happiness and leave you less productive and less pleasant to be around.
Feel in the moment. Notice what you're feeling and when you're feeling it so you can start molding your situations to help you feel great. This is the practice of self-study or svadhyaya. Notice and change your perspective or walk away from the things that make you feel awful. Engage more frequently in the situations that make you feel free, joyful and celebrated.
Be aware. If things turn sour in a situation ask yourself "What happened? Am I being defensive? If so, why am I being defensive? Did the mood shift because of something I said or did? Do people move away from me or towards me?" Look to yourself in a situation first and foremost, and only if you realize that it wasn't you evaluate what you'll do about the company you're in to ensure that you are able to stay present, mindful and engaged in healthy relationships and actions.
Lastly, but certainly not least, focus on the good stuff that is happening in the moment. Every situation has two sides, so instead of stressing about the less than ideal conditions, enjoy the great ones. Enjoy your senses, nature, company and the things that surround you each moment.
