Yoga For Peace & Health
Class notes  

"Peace and Health Cafe.com" wants to share its Yoga For Peace & Health class notes with all. We hold the class on Wednesday evenings in Greenwich, CT, and enjoy a little over an hour of deep relaxation; yoga teachings, asanas (movement) to wake up every cell and circulate the blood; and practice pranayama (breathing) to bring oxygen into the body and move our life energy to keep us balanced. We listen to sacred music, too!

Yoga is a way of life, to be practiced every day.

This special Yoga For Peace & Health class notes page reminds students of some of the lovely wisdom from each class, and we hope you enjoy this page. Stay and visit the "Cafe!" 

http://www.peaceandhealthcafe.com/yogagreenwichct.html 

Photo portrait upper right: Paramahansa Yogananda 

Paramahansa Yogananda on Simplicity   

  

A Simpler Life Is a Happier Life 

"Happiness is not dependent on external circumstances; rather, it is to be found in the simpler joys of life, and most of all in the ever new bliss of deep meditation.... 

Be happy by clinging to the simple, true, and lasting soul-joys. They come by deep thinking, introspection, spiritual inspiration, and meditation."

My "Occupy Wall Street" Experience on Oct. 9, 2011

Everyone's been asking what the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters want. Just read their signs! My husband Serafino and I went to downtown Manhattan yesterday to Zuccotti Park/Liberty Square near Wall Street to see for ourselves what's going on. It was exciting to be there among so many different types of people who want our current system favoring the rich to balance more in favor of the 99% of Americans who want a middle class way of life -- "The American Dream" -- that made America the envy of the world. Enjoy my slide show at "Peace and Health Cafe!"

http://www.peaceandhealthcafe.com/ows-slideshow.html

The Movement is Peaceful

Most of you have heard by now about the "Occupy Wall Street" protests in downtown Manhattan, the movement that is mobilized against the corruption in our government and corporate sector leading to the impoverishment of most while enriching the fewest. Thus far the protesters have been peacefully practicing civil disobedience as utilized successfully by Mahatma Gandhi and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., with the NYPD exhibiting rather "thuggish" handling of the citizens exercising their right to assemble in public.

Without too much judgment, it is quite plain to most people in this country that our form of government and society has been pretty much "maxed out" by legalized and unregulated greed on a scale the world has never seen. Indeed, it is unsettling the entire world's economies and societal stability. A lot of power, isn't it?! Being able to turn the world upside down. So, without too much effort, most people agree there are huge problems that are perhaps now so huge that no one knows how to fix them. That's why people are finally taking to the streets because they "are mad as hell and not gonna take it any more." Certainly natural!
Tentacles of this rampant and unchecked greed include more than our financial and economic picture, but reach into the food we eat, water we drink, air we breathe, our educational system, municipal services, employment, health care, security and personal freedom. In fact, just about EVERYTHING in our lives. It's all on the edge, precariously perched and ready to free fall. 

Many of us are nervous, unsure how to affect "revolutionary" change, have one toe in the "Occupy Wall Street" crowd. I am about to pull my bank accounts out of Wells Fargo and open accounts instead in my local bank. If it's "all about money," I suggest we withdraw our money from the market. How else can we hurt the goliaths who are turning us into serfs? If we want a one-two punch, we could stop paying taxes to the government. But that would take a lot of people to make an impact and most of us are too afraid that we'd go to jail. Fear is one thing holding us in the serf position, the 99% of us who are not vasals or lords or masters of the universe.

But, go peacefully, and hold your head up high. The People shall prevail. Have faith. Do your part. Join the movement. Keep Gandhi and MLK in the forefront of your mind. 

Download Occupy Wall Street's Declaration made public on September 29, 2011 on my web site, www.peaceandhealth.com (on right side of home page, by the peace apple).

You Are Already Peaceful

Greetings again, my dear readers, and thank you for being here. Thank yourself, too, because you have taken the time to "read a few good words," as Goethe advised, and this is a gift you give yourself. This is when you find peace inside yourself.

The recent series I presented here on "Peace and Health," was dedicated to the topic of Breathing. Breathing is something we all do, don't we? Ha ha. We take it for granted, but when we are conscious of it, aware of it as an actual act, we see we can utilize it to calm us, invigorate us, focus us. The same thing with peace, or what I'll call Inner Peace.

We all have Inner Peace inside of us. We were each born with it. So many people think that Inner Peace is something we "achieve" by "working at it," or a state of being that we will "arrive at" sometime in the future. The simple fact is it resides in you already and is the sanctuary you crave, the oasis, the calm in the midst of the storm, the balm that soothes your wounded soul. You might use your conscious Breathing to slow down to the point where you can access your Inner Peace.

Inner Peace is the bliss you feel from knowing that all is well, that your life is perfect just as it is, that you are required to be nothing more than who you truly are, a freedom that now is all there is and now is perfect and tranquil. From here you can move out into the world having been reminded of your core, that you are strong, and you can bring your peacefulness and happiness and contentment into the world and share it, spread it.

Your Inner Peace is already inside of you, always at the ready, an endless store, whenever you need it. It's there. This is how the world can become a place of peace instead of struggle, distrust, and sometimes war. We are all born peaceful beings and only need to be reminded!

Please stop by the "Peace and Health Cafe" for some strong coffee, soothing tea, biscotti, or just to chat! http://www.peaceandhealthcafe.com/

Breathing Project 4: Balancing Your Halves

I have enjoyed sharing with all of you this Breathing Project at "Peace and Health, and have heard from a number of you about being more aware of the importance of breathing consciously. To review, we have cultivated Awareness, Raising Our Energy, Smoothing Out the Kinks, and now we'll Balance Our Halves.

Balance in Mind and Body

We're now at Step 4, where we will bring the two halves of ourselves into balance and harmony. Each of us has duality, the good and bad selves, the happy and sad selves, the patient and stressed selves. Today's breath is called Alternate Nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana in Sanskrit, meaning to "purify the nadis" or energy passageways. Nadi means "little river"). It's a breath for clarity in mind, and balance in body.

You will find a number of excellent videos showing Alternate Nostril breathing on YouTube.

How To Do This Breath

Sit in a comfortable upright position with your spine tall and yet relaxed, with eyes gently closed. You will use the right hand to close each nostril as follows: Close the left nostril with the ring and pinky fingers of your right hand and breath in through your right nostril. Close your right nostril with the thumb of your right hand and exhale through your left nostril. Inhale through your left nostril. Close your left nostril with the ring and pinky fingers again and exhale through your right nostril. You toggle back and forth from nostril to nostril, in and out. Your breaths can be long and smooth, breathing fully in and out.

Kundalini

If you want to go further, here is an introduction to Kundalini yoga. Breathing in through the right nostril, which is the warm sun or masculine channel, imagine the breath coming up from the base of the spine on the right side to the top of your head. Exhale down the left side, which is the feminine or cooling moon side, of the spine back to the base of the spine. Inhaling and exhaling, trace your breath up and down the spine on either side, activating the warmth of the sun on the right and the coolness of the moon on the left. In Kundalini yoga, at the base of the spine is a coiled serpent who is awakened and enervates your "little rivers" of energy. As you do this breathing pattern, your breathing eventually synthesizes from at first tracing up and down each side of the spine to finally flowing up and down the center of the spine. This is the harmony you will enjoy as you spend time in the Alternate Nostril breathing.

As always, I enjoy hearing of your experiences trying these breathing patterns. This one is very old, and effective. Don't forget to "drop by" for a FREE GIFT from the Peace and Health Cafe!

Breathing Project 3: Smooth Out the Kinks

By now, you are taking luxuriously deep breaths often, right? Step 1 of the Breathing Project focused on Awareness, and Step 2 on Raising Your Energy. In Step 3, we'll focus on using the breath to Smooth Out the Kinks. In Step 4, to come, we will send our breath, intentions, and energy into the world.

Smoothing Out the Kinks like Gentle Waves

Think of a gentle wave washing over you, and that is how we will think about this soothing breathing pattern. You might wish to close your eyes for this breath (after reading, of course!). Breathe in through your nose imagining the breath coming up all the way from your toes to the top of your head. Then when exhaling through your nose, feel a gentle wave of water wash down through and over your body all the way past your face, your shoulders, chest, arms, belly, legs, all the way back down to your toes. As if you are being coated in warm water or light or a breeze, trickling down your inner body. (Visualize cool water or refreshing breeze if it's hot out and that seems more soothing). Imagine releasing all of the stress or tension your body has been holding onto. Feel your face, jaw, shoulders, all of your body relaxing as you wash the breath over you. Breathe in and out this way as long as you'd like.

Try this breathing pattern using "ujjayi" breathing. Ujjayi is Sanskrit for "victory breath" and is a standard yoga pranayama breath. You close your inner throat muscles half way, a half snore, so that your breath is audible. Your breath takes on an ocean-like sound. This builds heat in the body, raising your energy level and at the same time creating balance. Give your inhalation and exhalation the same volume level with ujjayi breathing.

After several breaths using the ujjayi breathing, go back to your normal breathing and see how you have smoothed out the kinks. You can open your eyes and go back to your day feeling refreshed and energized, having visited the shore of your deep and true inner sanctuary.

As always, stay in touch and tell me how you feel after Smoothing Out Your Kinks!

"Stop by" the Peace and Health Cafe for a cool herbal tea and chat: 

http://www.peaceandhealthcafe.com/

Breathing Project Step 2: Raising Your Vibes

We started the "Breathing Project" earlier this week with Awareness: Did you notice whether you were not breathing (unconsciously holding your breath) or actually breathing more often in a way that brings relief? This new awareness is important, so congratulate yourself! But here is extra credit: The point of the awareness is to bring yourself into the experience of the present moment, NOW, where life is lived.

Breathing Project Step 2 is about using your breath to Raise Your Energy, to raise your "vibrational level" as they say. Conscious breathing helps you exist in tune not only with yourself, but with the positive/higher vibration of the universe. Let's face it: You are most alive when breathing fully than when breathing weakly. 

Hiss Breath

This is a two-part exercise. First, I want to introduce you to a breath that comes from the Kundalini tradition of yoga. My hatha yoga teacher calls this the "Hiss Breath." Think of a snake (and if you explore more about Kundalini, you will discover the meaning behind the snake coiled at the base of the spine that awakens the chakra centers up towards the crown of the head). Take a deep, full breath in through the nose and then exhale while hissing, a long, strong hiss until you have fully exhaled. Now, here the key is to customize the breath for how you are feeling right now: If you are feeling wound-up, stressed, hyper and overly stimulated, then you want your hiss to be quiet, slow, calm. If you are melancholic, tired, exhausted and can't quite get going, then give your hiss breath all you've got, hissing strongly and with gusto. You can use this breath to wake you up or calm you down.

Whole Body Breath

Stand for this second part, as you will engage the whole body for this breath. Stretch up and back slightly while taking a big breath in, and then drop forward with slightly bent knees, sweeping your hands near the floor and behind your legs as you breath a strong breath out. Breathe in again as you sweep back up and back, and breathe out as you drop forward. Up and down this way. Always breathe in through the nose, but you can breathe out through your mouth if it is more comfortable. Or, you can swing your arms from side to side at shoulder height so you breathe in to the right letting right arm extend a bit behind you and left hand touches your heart, then swinging to the left so your left arm is extended and right hand touches your heart as you breathe out. So you are twisting from side to side gently, letting your head go with your arms. Allow your hands and fingers to fully stretch from side to side, too, and it is a great chest opener.

Here is a wonderful sequence that demonstrates the sideways breathing above, from Yoga Journal's Home Practice pages (immediately after opening seated position).

These breathing patterns (and there are many out there) bring needed oxygen into your body. It awakens you, allowing your energy and vibration to rise and expand. You are fresher, more alert, and have nice endorphins and fresh oxygen to help you feel a bit happier as you go out into the world in a healthy and positive way, attracting more positive energy and opportunities!

As always, write and let me know what you are experiencing.

Here is a closing quote, by T.S. Eliot:

   We shall not cease from exploration

   And the end of all our exploring

   Will be to arrive where we started

   And know the place for the first time.