yoga Archives - Yoga Bodi Magazine

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

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There can be a tendency for Yoga practitioners and students to feel discouraged when a naturally gifted dancer, gymnast, martial artist, or even long-time yogi, performs an advanced asana with little effort. Instead of feeling envious and inadequate, you should send praise. Every individual is different with a different path to yours, born with a different body to yours, different training, psychology, biochemistry etc. So what if someone is born with elongated joint capsules and their extraordinary range of motion is fire. You and I may have to work at it, but the goal of Yoga is not the asana as you should know, it’s the journey to and through the asana, and all things require practice.

Many students who have extraordinary flexibility admit they struggle with other aspects of Yoga, such as the student who just can’t focus and meditate, or whose strength needs work, or their balance, their phobias, or limited knowledge of the yoga flow that is most beneficial for the body or specific body part.

Yes, many Yoga practitioners have a competitive mindset, some beginners never start because they get intimidated in a yoga class. But this perspective is limited in and of itself. It’s fear-based and serves nobody. Competition is healthy if you are competing against yourself. The best 100-meter athletes in the world, try to beat their own record times.

Remember that Yoga means “union.” In simple terms, we can say union of mind, body, and spirit. Competition against others is informed by the ego, and the ego is just a part of your personality. The ego resists union for its own survival. The ego is our social mask and does not want to share anything, so be aware when your ego is calling the shots and determine whether it can sit one out, and let your higher mind kick in to coast you along, unaffected by your environment and simply stay focused on your goal.

Articles/Yogis

2022 How to Set Goals

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Are you set for anything that 2022 brings? Here is some inspiration to guide you.

What do goals represent? These are representations of your visions about yourself and your future. Goals should be achievable and realistic. These kinds of goals allow you to put them into practice or at least do some activities that allow you to monitor your progress. However, more is involved in just merely setting realistic goals. In order to achieve your goals, you must take action and exert effort in reaching them.

Setting objectives; what you want to do. Think about the steps you want to take.
Strategize and take risks; Brainstorm, write things down, have an outline, a vision board, a list, a journal, a calendar, a mind map and understand what and how and why and when relating to your goal. Create action items using the objectives and get those tasks done. Focus on being productive. Taking risks means that you are ready to learn new things and challenges that will help you in the long run. Spend time plotting all the possibilities, both the pros and cons before you begin.
Act in accordance to your goals. Be in the right frame of mind. Move as though you are in the goal and it’s finished. Leave no room for self-doubt. Stay focused and task orientated. Manifestation will come quicker when you believe it before you see it. Know and visualise yourself achieving the goals and that’s half the battle.

What if you’ve tried goal setting and failed? Setting goals means that you are acknowledging and identifying any limitations and that you are ready to work your way up towards overcoming those limitations to be a success, professionally or personally.

Some goals may require needing assistance from others. Relying on others might create resistance if there is a conflict or not enough true investment in your goal by the other person(s). But don’t give up. Collaborate with like-minded people who would benefit from the collaboration, where working on your goal might serve to work on their goal too.

Minimize or avoid distractions if possible so you can focus. Have a clear vision of you achieving those valuable goals. If you have to switch off your phone, switch off email notifications. Sit in silence or put on music, whatever works to keep you focused and in the zone. If the goal means something to you, you will maintain focus and motivation. If you are vying for promotion in your workplace, it is important that you see yourself already in the position you want. If you are aiming for a personal or educational goal, make things happen by planning and doing things related to that. If you are trying to hold Bakasana (Crow pose) but you keep face planting, strategize how to better practice mentally and physically to stick that asana. What do you need to overcome the fear, gain more strength and balance? No matter how difficult the goal appears to you, it is attainable. You got this!

Wellness

Lionize

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You are formidable. Never doubt you.

Confidence is a birth right. Inner standing that you should, by your very existence, be self assured and possess courage, be bold, have faith in yourself as a spiritual being given you have the gift of physical life and although there will be plenty of trials and tribulations throughout your life’s journey to throw you off your game and how you conduct yourself, you must keep the faith that your connection to all that is, you and all things, is the key.

Relying on yourself to be your best ally, your best friend, your partner in the game of Earthly life. This confidence, is not arrogance, conceit or ego, but a higher minded intimacy with oneself that no matter what life throws at you, you are connected to all that is, you are important and you have every right to be here. Move through the world with that inner standing acknowledging that every single living creature on this planet, be it a jellyfish, ant or a tree has the same rightful legitimacy to live and move according to our diverse and unique paths.

Wellness

Thrive

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As each beat of your heart and breathe you take maintains your existence in this world, make sure to not just live, but thrive.

How many of us are truly living our best life? Are we existing? Are we living? Or are we thriving? To thrive means to grow vigorously, prosperously to flourish, to bloom…

If you watch the natural world, it thrives. We may think that other people or things outside of ourselves will enable us to flourish and without that external aspect, we cannot do it on our own. Money, relationships, careers, clothes…all external details to which we sometimes believe we need first before we can truly be alive in this world. It starts with an innerstanding that we each have everything we already need and that everything else is a bonus or a tool, a means to something. Throw caution to the wind and take steps to guarantee yourself to be thriving.

Wellness

Victorious

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When you do only your very best, you will be victorious.

There are so many ways to be successful in something, from the smallest win to the largest, it all depends on your goals and the steps you take for the win. We are surrounded by messaging that suggests that only some can be winners, or that you in order to be considered a winner, you must buy what other so called winners in society, have; an expensive car, watch, phone, house, shoes, clothes etc.

It takes some inner-standing and discernment to not allow the social program to get the best of you, to instead believe in yourself to be the winner just by being alive, and that everything that follows your birth are sets of circumstances designed to expand your spirit, your soul, your consciousness which is another way to say you are already victorious by birth and death alone, so just enjoy the ride!

Wellness

Vibrant

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All beings on this abundant & diverse planet are born with the gift of physical life. Be in awe of your existance and of others. Only then will you truly value the gift of life.

Are you living your best life? Is your life vibrant with things that make you happy, joyful, grateful? No matter your situation, find the way to vibrancy. Aim to do one thing that creates bliss in your day, your week and do that thing consistently. You owe it to yourself to be blissed out, not stressed out. Open your heart chakra and let the vibrant you out. Your heart should be about to burst with elation. Put music on that makes you dance, sing a song that makes you joyful, go somewhere and do something that lights up your world. Be around people who love you and make you laugh. Be that vibrant thing.

Wellness

Elevate

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Be bigger than your surroundings. Imagine yourself to be so large you eclipse the tallest building… then bow in reverence, to yourself and all that is.

How often do we rise above our circumstances? You hear people say, just rise above it, be the bigger person, but what does that really mean? It means that despite the situation, no matter how it impacts you emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically you are going to need to lift yourself out of “it” and transcend and levitate out into space where “it” doesn’t impact you.

In fact, you truly feel beyond all of it to the point where you have gratitude for whatever it is, that allowed you to transcend it because it made you grow and expand your consciousness so much that you are grateful, you chose to sail over it. Not ignore it or avoid it but have the ability to discern that it is not in your best interest to engage with that which impacts you negatively. Learn from it, elevate and be in gratitude for the experience showing up to show you what you don’t want.

Articles

The Benefits of Having a Flexible Attitude

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Life is full of challenges, and many times we have to stop what we are doing to completely switch gears. Having the ability to be versatile, and developing a flexible attitude will go a long way in adjusting to the ebbs and flows that life will inevitably bring. When life or work seems too frustrating to deal with, all we may need to make it work is an attitude adjustment.

When we focus on fighting the obstacles that challenge us, we waste time and energy that could be used more productively if we only learned to “go with the flow” a little more often. If we switch our thinking, viewing obstacles and challenges in a different light, we can be successful in achieving so much more. We will also expend less time and energy if we aren’t fighting against a current. This energy can then be focused elsewhere.

By implementing the following five helpful tips for developing a flexible attitude, you can find better ways to proceed through life, allowing yourself to flow a little more smoothly through its many ups and downs.

Embrace change

Change is necessary to get anywhere in life, and embracing it takes a lot of courage and strength. After all, change brings us into new experiences, and often the unknown is scary for us. The change also brings a good omen, in that life is not remaining stagnant, but rather moving forward in different directions. We should allow life to carry us off into these directions so we can experience a different point of view, appreciating more what we do or don’t have.

2. Envision a new outcome

If we go through life expecting things to go as they always have, we can never open ourselves up to the possibility of great things. When our expectations don’t arrive, we will be lost, not knowing which way to turn. If we can imagine our actions having different outcomes, we can be prepared for whatever life may bring us, good or bad. Opening our minds to new outcomes will also help us plan for when those outcomes are realized.

3. Enjoy the journey

Key to making our attitudes more flexible is learning to look past the goal of getting something accomplished, and enjoy the trip along the way. If we constantly focus on doing something, achieving something, or acquiring something, we lose sight of ourselves and who we are being. Enjoying ourselves along the way to our goals will allow us to remain flexible in the steps we take to arrive at their completion or our final destinations.

4. Explore different options

When trying to reach a goal, why not try a new way of getting there? Developing a flexible attitude will be simple if we can practice being flexible in the choices that are important to us. Learning to step out of the box and choose a different path, or option, will often lead us to the new outcomes weíve been envisioning.

5. Emotionally detach from the outcome

It is easy to become frustrated at times, but emotionally detaching from the situation will allow us to take a look at our options more carefully and objectively. Acting in response to difficulties is far different than reacting, and the former is the more productive choice. When a challenge arises, take the time to decide how to act, instead of reacting with rash behavior.

Remaining flexible throughout life may make you feel like you are loosening the reins on your goals and values. That is not the case, however. If we can stay flexible and adapt to change, we may find ourselves better off than we ever could have imagined.

Articles

Why You Should Give Gratitude

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Gratitude, a quality that is a must to live a good life. A quality that makes both the giver and the receiver happy. Somebody helped me and I forgot about it. Somebody helped me and I remembered it and said thanks. What is better? Many of us forget to thank. We take everything for granted. We take help as our right.

How many of us express gratitude towards mother Earth for allowing us to live on it? How many of us express gratitude towards the great Sun for giving us its light and warmth? How many of us express gratitude to water for hydrating us? How many of us say thanks to flowers for making us feel positive? Most of us take these for granted. We don’t express gratitude to our own bodies to survive in this world. Gratitude has a great vibration. It makes one who expresses gratitude feel very good due to the frequency contained within the word, this was scientifically proven by a Japanese scientist, Masaru Emoto, and his book 2004 New York Times Best selling book The Hidden Messages in Water.

Try saying the word ‘Gratitude’ and you will find your heart filling with warmth. We usually take for granted the people closest to us. In our fast-paced society, people are forgetting the art of saying thank you. By receiving thanks, the recipient feels appreciated and of value.

Why should we miss even the smallest opportunity to express gratitude for small and big things in our life? It costs us nothing. But it is invaluable. Even the smallest aspect of our lives deserves gratitude.

Life is already a mind field of complex situations, emotions, and events. It’s tough for all of us. There is little charm left for many of us in the routine of work, eat, sleep, repeat. That is why giving gratitude brings an appreciation even in the mundane. Like a rainbow in the sky, an expression of thanks and gratitude decorates the heart of the giver and the recipient.

The way rain quenches the dry earth, gratitude quenches the desires of hearts to feel good. It quenches the thirst of the hearts to be loved and experience belonging and a sense of value. Let us all express our heart-centered gratitude and make our beautiful Earth a better place.

Articles/Yogis

Pavanamuktasana – Wind Removing Pose

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Pavan means wind, mukta means relieve or free and asana means pose. This asana is similar to many other yoga poses based on nature. It is being used to foretell the strength and power of the wind from within. It helps in removing the toxic gas present in your body. It creates space for fresh air in the body to create maximum utilization of the bodily resources.

This yoga pose aids the digestive system. Releasing your stomach of the excess gas in the abdomen and the intestines can therefore function better due to the removal of the gas, helping to relieve constipation massaging the colon.

The use of legs, hands, and hips strengthens the hip muscles. People who suffer from sciatica and joint pains find relief in this asana. It releases the muscles of the lower back and helps to separate the spinal column, creating space, less compression from sitting, and an environment of relaxation for your body.

This exercise stimulates your liver, small and large intestine as well as the spleen. Pavanamuktasana helps to circulate the supply of blood to the abdomen.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas from this article and the site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility lies solely with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Articles

5 Tips to Keeping Active in Winter

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We all succumb to the cold with a lack of energy and a desire to just chill out, eat food for fuel and binge watch Netflix. Here are 5 tips you can consider to keep your health in good shape during the winter months.

Tip #1 Yoga or Pilates
Taking a yoga or pilates class, either online or at your local studio. Aim for a daily practice to keep you limber, tone, and zen during the winter months. Facilitating good health and inner peace.

Tip #2 Aerobics
An aerobics workout is a fun activity to keep you in shape, warm and increase your fitness. A recommended time is before your yoga practice, as your muscles will be warm and less prone to injury. Check out some 80’s Aerobics workouts, and get all the retro feels. Remember to have fun!

Tip #3 Go for a Walk
Going for a walk is always a great way to get yourself in motion. It doesn’t matter if it is a slow leisurely walk or a brisk walk, you will get cardio benefits from walking.

Tip #4 Play with your pets and or children
Do you have a cat or dog or a pet that could benefit too from some activity? Grab some string, or a ball etc, and play with your pets. It’s a good time to bond and show your furry family you appreciate their need for fun and exercise too. If you have children, you already know their love for activities. Try playing hide and seek, or other games that require movement and lots of fun.

Tip #5 Plant a Winter Garden
If you like to be active in the garden in the spring and summer then there is no reason why you should stop just because the temperature drops. A great idea to keeping active in winter is to plant a winter garden. There are plenty of things to plant no matter what your location, just do a little research on a winter garden for your region and you will be so busy tending to the gardening, you won’t notice how active you are.

Articles

Superfoods that get you moving

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It’s no wonder so many people suffer with constipation (4 million in the United States alone). Our diet of meat and processed food contains little fiber. Most of us are lucky if we’re getting in half of the 30 grams of fiber that we should each day. Without that bulk in our diet, it can make bowel movements practically immovable.

The human digestive tract was designed for unprocessed plant foods that are loaded with dietary fiber: beans, leafy greens, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables and whole grains. High levels of dietary fiber increase both the frequency and quantity of bowel movements, decreasing the transit time of stools, as well as the absorption of toxins from the stool.

Drink at least eight to twelve 8-oz. glasses of clean water per day. Hard, dry stools are a classic sign of dehydration. A good rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water when you wake up and then every hour after that.

Try adding some wheat or barley grass to your daily routine. Mix two to three teaspoons of a nutrient-rich blend of dehydrated wheat and/or barley grass in water, and have another serving later in the day. These drinks have a restorative action on the intestinal tract and are especially good for constipation.

As a supplement to a healthy, high-fiber diet, bran and prunes are particularly effective in relieving constipation. Whole prunes and prune juice possess good laxative effects. Eight ounces is usually an effective dose. A similar amount of aloe vera juice is also helpful.

Vitamin C rich foods can help as well, as they help with food and nutrient absorption. Try parsley, broccoli, bell pepper, strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts, as they’re all great sources of vitamin C.

Articles/Yogis

Benefits of Baddha Konasana -Bound Angle Pose

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Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) is also known as the Cobbler’s Pose because of the similarity to cobblers sitting position. It is an excellent asana that helps your groin and hip position. It is a forward bending asana that starts off from Staff Pose or Dandasana.

You have to bend your knees by bringing the soles of the feet together. This forward bending asana is very different from the other forward bending asanas. The focus area in this asana is to open the hip and help the pelvic area. This help to the pelvic area stimulates the reproductive organs which are of great help to women as well as men. The performance of this asana also helps in alleviating menstrual pain problems. It is very useful for assisting with childbirth if practiced regularly during the period of pregnancy. Also clears menopause-related problems.

Baddha Konasana stimulates the abdominal organs as well as the ovaries, prostate gland, bladder, and kidneys. It energizes your heart which improves blood circulation and provides the all needed help to your body. This asana stretches the inner thigh, groin, and knees which gives your body an agile and toned look. If you have problems like depression or anxiety this asana can help you overcome that problem. People with sciatica problems can also be treated by performing this asana regularly. It is a great asana because of its tremendous benefits for our aching and paining body. Known to be a therapeutic treatment for flat feet and similar other problems to be dealt by this asana.

The forward bending asana helps in opening the back of the Anahata chakra. It can be greatly used for back pain problems. This asana should either be done in the beginning to open up the hips or at the end to relax your body. You should avoid doing this asana if you have a groin or knee injury. It is very important to perform this asana while sitting on a blanket as it gives support to your thighs. Take your time and sit in the position for a while. You can make this pose much deeper by adding variations to it. The can be done by stretching their arms out in the front with the palms on the floor and forehead placed on the ground by extending the spine.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas from this article and the site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility lies solely with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Articles/Yogis

7 Days To a Self-Improved You

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How many of us are truly flawless people, or living our fairytale life? What does that look like?

Do you compare yourself to other people, or lament what you don’t have?

So what does it take to step into the authentic version of yourself? Here is a 7 day challenge to move you towards living your ideal authentic self.

DAY 1

Know your purpose. Are you wandering through life with little direction – hoping that you’ll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time. This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there’s always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

DAY 2

Know your values. What do you value most? Make a list of your top 10 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for 2021 – check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn’t align with any of your top ten values – you may want to reconsider it or revise it. The number shouldn’t discourage you, instead, it should motivate you to do more than you could ever dream of.

DAY 3

Know your needs. Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Do you have a need to create, to practice self-care, to improve your health, to love or be loved, or achieve or be acknowledged for something? There are so many people in this world who live their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or depressed. List your top four needs and get them met. It’s never too late!

DAY 4

Know your passions. You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who have inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

DAY 5

Live from the inside out. Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us living in urban city environments, it’s hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. Try to find somewhere in your home and play some classical music. The frequency will soothe you.

DAY 6

Honor your strengths. What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three – if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know with others.

DAY 7

Serve others. When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose, and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit – your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done for them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that with endless rewards. The way forward is within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

Articles/Yogis

How to Marjaraasana – Cat pose

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Sit on your haunches with the knees and toes on the ground. Keep the palms on the floor in such a way that the distance between them is about the same as that between the shoulders, i.e. equal to the width of the back.

Keep the distance between the palms and the knees about the same as that between the shoulders and the hips, i.e. equal to the length of the torso. The distance between the knees should be the same as the width of the waist.

Turn the toes back so that the soles face upward. The distance between the soles should be the same as that between the knees. Relax the muscles in the trunk region and let the trunk descend under gravity. At the same time, let the neck and head curve backward as far as possible. Relax the stomach and close the eyes. Direct your attention to the entire body and practice conscious differential relaxation. Keep the mind engaged in pranadharana (consciousness of breath). This is the final posture of marjaraasana and maintain this according to your fitness capacity.

An extension of the above posture can be attained in the following manner: Staying in the final posture obtained above, open your eyes. Move the palms about 10-15 cms towards the knees. Curve the back upwards so that it shapes like an arch. Relax the neck and hang the head down. Draw the chin towards the chest and relax the abdomen, practice differential relaxation and then do prandharana. This is the final extension posture of marjaraasana- maintain it according to your fitness capacity.

Releasing the asana: Start by lowering the right leg by bending it at the knee, then rest the knee on the floor. Lower the head and make the back parallel to the ground, loosen it up and relax.

Benefits: The spine becomes flexible and supple; it helps to correct the functional defects of the back and spine. The health of the organs in the torso improves. You are relieved of backache and pain in the neck resulting from exertion. It also soothes the neck muscles and the lumbar region of the spine and invigorates the spinal nerves, improves blood circulation in the abdominal region thereby making digestive, respiratory and excretory processes. This asana is also useful in treating respiratory disorders.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas from this article and the site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility lies solely with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

YOGA ~ WELLNESS ~ HEALING~ LIFESTYLE

yoga

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

2022 How to Set Goals

Lionize

Thrive

Victorious

Vibrant

Elevate

The Benefits of Having a Flexible Attitude

Why You Should Give Gratitude

Pavanamuktasana – Wind Removing Pose

5 Tips to Keeping Active in Winter

Superfoods that get you moving

Benefits of Baddha Konasana -Bound Angle Pose

7 Days To a Self-Improved You

How to Marjaraasana – Cat pose

How to Approach Your Hatha Yoga Practice Plus Ivananda’s Hatha Yoga 12 Asana Sequence

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