Different Personalities.

Many successful women today admit to having different personalities to better accommodate their career and personal life. Onika, or the better known Nicki Manaj is a fictional, yet bad ass character, and Beyonce with her "Sasha Fierce" for on stage performances. These women, are bad ass, professional and are madly respected, which leads me to believe there take on a split personality isn't a bad idea.

Early on in this fall semester, I struggled to work, be a full time student, and be a girlfriend/ best friend to my nearest and dearest. I felt spread too thin and decided to cut something out. I quit my job and took one class off my schedule to reduce my workload. I wasn't happy with my decision. I wanted so bad to accomplish everything, and do them all well. I lost my motivation to succeed in everything I've worked to accomplish thus far. However, my mission isn't complete. I still need to graduate and figure what I'm going to do with my life! Perhaps I should take into account what other successful ladies have done. Have a ambitious face for my career/ school life and a softer/ honest face for love life and friendships.

In my free time I've been practicing a lot of self meditation and have generated a lot of energy and focus back on myself. This made me realize I've been doing some things wrong in my life and have taken for granted other parts. I'm in love with the man in my life, but I'm lethally optimistic of our relationship. So much that I've been putting effort in for the both of us. Doing that has literally drained me physically and emotionally. Realizing this, however, has relieved so much weight off my shoulders. My focus now is to sit back and observe his actions and offer my 50% of the relationship. We're at a crossroads in our relationship and I hope he makes decided to step up his game. If I don't receive the love I know I deserve, then that'll be my sign to let it go, despite the heart ache.

" We need to teach our daughters the difference between. A man who flatters her and a man who compliments her. A man who spends money on her and a man who invests in her. A man who views her as property and a man who views her properly. A man who lusts after her and a man who loves her. A man who believes he is gods gifts to women and a man who remembers a woman was gods gift to man and then teach our sons to be that kind of man."

The shoulderstand cycle

The shoulderstand cycle concentrates prana on the neck and upper spine area and this in turn brings great benefit to the lower back- since any work at one end of the spine is automaticaly reflected at the other end. To successfully come to a shoulderstand I find i physically have to pull my shoulders down and stretch my neck up, away from my shoulders, while still lying in the corpse pose.

The more I practice asanas poses, the less I need to use my arms to support my body. Having strong back muscles and good concentration help keep me balanced in the shoulderstand cycle. The biggest lesson of inverted poses is to demonstrate to view legs as a balancer as well as weight bearing objects. In both the shoulderstand and headstand, the leg variations change your perception of balance and alter the way your weight is distributed.

Yogi Diet Plan

A major component of health and well being is the foods an individual consumes. Protiens, carbs, vitamins, and fats are the fuel and energy source for all human beings alike. As a competitive swimmer and student, the foods I consume are extremely important. Whether it's a begal to power me through a five hundred freestyle race or bowl of oatmeal to fuel my mind to ace an Economics paper!

Swimmers have long practices and long competitive seasons. They need to eat 3,000 to 6,000 calories per day during training.Carbohydrates should make up the greatest part of a swimmer’s food plan. During training and the competitive season, swimmers need 2.3 to 3.6 grams of carbohydrate
per pound of body weight per day. When choosing carbohydrates to eat, it is very important to stick to complex carbohydrates. These are foods such as potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, rice and oatmeal. These carbohydrates are important for weight loss and maintenance because they are converted to sugar much more slowly by the body. This will prevent slowing the metabolism.

Swimmers need 0.55 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. You need more protein at the beginning of the season when you are adding and strengthening muscle. Good sources of protein include fish, chicken, turkey, beef, low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, nuts, and soy. Swimmers need at least 0.45 grams of fat per pound of body weight per day. Choose heart-healthy fats, such as canola oil, olive oil, and nuts. Many swimmers don’t pay much attention to fluids because they are surrounded by water! However, the environmental conditions of swimming—the warm pool water, warm air temperatures, and high humidity—can lead to dehydration in less than 30 minutes. Dehydration can hurt the performance of even the most fit swimmer.

The practice of Yoga should be complemented by the right kind of food in order to fully benefit from what Yoga has to offer. We need to nourish our mind and body to keep us alert and energized throughout the day. Yoga Diet is an essential aspect of Yoga practice. In the unmanifested uiverse, energy has three qualities, known as Gunas, that exist together in equilibrium: Sattva (purity); Rajas (activity, passion, the process of change); and Tama (darkness, inertia) Once energy takes form, one quality of the three predominates. For example, take an apple on an apple tree, some of the fruit is ripe( sattva) some ripening( rajasic) and some overripe( Tama). No matter which qualitiy prevails, an element of each of the other two will always be present as well. The three Gunas encompass all existence, all actions. In all people one of the three Gunas has superior strength and is reflected in all they do and think.

Sattvic foods is the purest diet, the most suitable one for any serious student of yoga. It nourishes the body and maintains it in a peaceful state. And it calms and purifies the mind, enabling it to function at its maximum potential. A sattvic diet thus leads to true health: a peaceful mind in control of a fit body, with a balanced flow of energy bewtween them. Sattvic foods include cereals, wholemeal bread, fresh and veggies, pure fruit juices, milk, butter and cheese, legumes, nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds, honey and herb teas.

Rajasic foods are very hot, bitter, sour, dry or salty. They destroy the mind- body equilibrium, feeding the body at the expense of the mind. Too much rajasic fod will overstimulate the body and excite the passions, making the mind restless and uncontrollable. Rajasic foods include hot substances, such as sharp spices or strong herbs, stimulants, such as coffee and tea, fish, eggs, salt, and chocolate. Eating in a hurry is also considered rajasic.

A tamasic foods diet benefits neither the mind nor the body. Prana, or energy, is withdrawn, powers of reasoning become clouded and a sinse of inertia sets in. The body's resistance to disease is destroyed and the mind filled with dark emotions, such as anger and greed. Tamasic items include meat, alcohol, tobacco, onions, garlic, fermented foods such as vinegar, and stale overripe substances. Overeating is also regarded as tamasic.

Daily Meditation

As apart of the Yoga curriculum, my yoga instructor required to preform at least three minutes of mediation practice daily. My practices have a tendency to run for a total of five minutes. I fail to always set an alarm, I think,subconsiously, I dont want to come out of my meditation:] I've experimented with my meditation practices. Sometimes I'll practice it outside, others in a dark room with candels, or just while laying in bed before going to sleep. I literally feel a weight lifted from my mind, eyes, and shoulders when I come out of meditation.

There have been several studies in the past, linking meditation to brain health, a recent study has once again proven this fact. The study, conducted by the Massachusetts General Hopital, Boston, revealed that meditating on a daily basis, can contribute to improvement in brain health, with the results beginning to show itself in a few months time. The researchers followed the pattern on 16 participants, who undertook a mindfulness-based stress reduction, which included relaxation exercises, simple stretches, apart from meditation for about 30 minutes a day.
The MRI scan, taken eight weeks later, showed considerable gray matter density growth in areas of brain that involved learning and memory, sense of self and emotional regulation, and empathy and compassion, in comparison to the control group.People have explicitly reported that they feel a lot better as they appear less stressed when they meditate.

A Psychology Instructor at Havard Medical School, Sara Lazar, said that this is sufficient proof that it is actually meditation that makes the difference and the reports reveal that participants who followed meditation practice also slept better, had less pain, less anxiety and depression, and better sense of well-being.



In your meditation today....

May your body be still and comfortable....

May your head, neck and trunk be aligned....

May your breath be smooth, slow, serene,
and with no pauses....

May the flow of thoughts in your mind
not disturb you....

May your meditation today bring you peace,
happiness and bliss....

Yoga Breathing

When the Breath wanders, the mind is unsteady, but when the Breath is still, so is the mind still.Breathing is life. It is one of our most vital functions. One of the Five Principles of Yoga is Pranayama or Breathing Exercise which promotes proper breathing. In a Yogic point of view, proper breathing is to bring more oxygen to the blood and to the brain, and to control Prana or the vital life energy. Pranayama Yoga also goes hand in hand with the Asanas. The union of these two Yogic Principles is considered as the highest form of purification and self-discipline, covering both mind and body.

In our respiration process, we breathe in or inhale oxygen into our body, going through our body systems in a form of energy to charge our different body parts. Then we exhale carbon dioxide and take away all toxic wastes from our body. Through the practice of Pranayama, the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide is attained. Absorbing prana through breath control links our body, mind, and spirit.

But life is full of stress. Because of the daily work, family, or financial pressures, we tend to ignore our breathing. Thus, it tends to be fast and shallow. The use of only a fraction of your lungs results to lack of oxygen and may lead to different complications. Heart diseases, sleep disorders, and fatigue are some of the effects of oxygen starvation. Therefore, the negative energy of being restless and troublesome leads to lesser prana inside the body. By practicing deep and systematic breathing through Pranayama, we reenergize our body.

Pranayama teaches us the proper way to breathe. We became used to breathing from our chest, using only a fraction of the lungs, not knowing that this unhealthy and unnatural way of inhaling may lead to several complications. With yoga breathing, we increase the capacity of our lungs, bringing more oxygen supply to the body to function well. We learn how to breathe slowly and deeply - the right way. Pranayama reduces the toxins and body wastes from within our body. It prevents one from acquiring diseases.Pranayama helps in one's digestion. With the proper way of breathing, one's metabolism and health condition will start to improve.Pranayama develops our concentration and focus. It fights away stress and relaxes the body. Controlling one's breathing also results to serenity and peace of mind. Pranayama offers a better self-control. Through concentration, one can better handle temper and reactions. Mind can function clearly, avoiding arguments and wrong decisions. Moreover, self-control also involves control over one's physical body.

Until recently, the link between yoga and improved asthma was anecdotal, but unproven. But, a recent study out of New York University School of Medicine/Bellevue Medical Center has made a pretty good case. Researchers there found that asthmatics who practised Hatha yoga regularly for ten weeks reported a significant improvement in asthma symptoms and quality of life, and some were even able to reduce their controller medications.

There are two theories as to why this works. One is that as asthmatics are trained to be more aware of their breath, they recognize and treat symptoms earlier. The other is that deep breathing done during yoga trains the lungs, making them stronger and more functional.

The history of Yoga

In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism the word yoga means "spiritual discipline". People often associate yoga with the postures and stances that make up the physical activity of the exercise, but after closer inspection it becomes clear that there are many more aspects of yoga. It is an activity that has been practiced for thousands of years, and it is something that has evolved and changed overtime. Different factions of yoga have developed since its conception.

The origins of yoga are shrouded in the mists of time- for yoga is regarded as a divine science of life, revealed to enlighten sages in meditation. The oldest archaeological evidence of its existence is provided by a number of stone seals showing figures on yogic posters, excavated from the Indus valley and thought to date from around BC. Yoga is first mentioned in the vast collection of scriptures called the Vedas, portions of which date from the least 2500BC, but it is the Upanishads, which form the later part of the Vedas, that known Vedanta. Central to Vedanta is the idea of one absolute reality or consciousness, known as Brahman, that underlies the entire universe.

Around the sixth century BC appeared two massive epic poems- the Ramayana, written by Valmiki, and the Mahabharata, written by Vyasa and containing the Bhagavad Gita, perhaps the best known of all yogic scriptures. In the Gita, God or Brahman, incarnated as Lord Krishna, instructs the warrior Arjuna in yoga- specifically in how to achieve liberation by fulfilling ones duties in lifel. The backbone of Raja Yoga is furnished by Patanjali's yoga sutras, thought to have been written in the third century BC. The classical text on Hatha Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which describes the various asanas and breathing excercises which form the basis of the modern practice of yoga.

"The traditional purpose of Yoga, however, has always been to bring about a profound transformation in the person through the transcendence of the ego," (Feuerstein 3)

Tuesday

Today more than at any other time in the history or humanity, people in the West are facing stressed and tensions that beyond their control. Thousands and thousands are turning to tranquillizers, sleeping pills, alcohol and so on in a vain attempt to cope. In 1957 I arrived in America, sent by my master, Swami Sivananda. My Master said:"Go, people are waiting. many souls from the East are reincarnating now in the west. Go and reawaken the consciousness hidden in their memories and bring them back to the path of Yoga.

Yoga, the oldest science of life, can teach you to bring stress under control- not only on a physical level, but on mental and spiritual levels too. The human body can be compared to a car. There are five things that any automobile needs to run properly, whether it is a Rolls Royce or a rusty old car- lubrication, a cooling system, electric current, fuel and a sensible driver behind the wheel. In Yoga, the asanas or postures lubricate the body. They keep the muscles and joints running smoothly, tone all the internal organs, and increase circulation without creating any fatigue. The body is cooled by complete relaxation, whilst pranayama or yogic breathing increases prana, the electric current. Fuel is provided by food, water and the air you breathe. Lastly, you have meditation which stills the mind, the driver of the body. By meditating, you learn to control and ultimately transcend the body, your physical vehicle.

Anyone can practice yoga, no matter what their age, condition or religion. Young or old, sick or fit- all can benefit from this discipline. After all, everyone has to breathe, whatever their walk of life. And we all get arthritis if we eat the wrong food. You can learn to meditate on a flower, the Star of David or the Cross just as well as on Krishna or Rama. The object of concentration can be different but the technique remains the same. The first yogis sought answers to two fundamental questions- "how can i get rid of pain?" and "How can I conquer death?" They discovered that through asanas you can control the physical pain, through pranayama the emotional pain and through meditation you can come to a real understanding of who you are. Free from false identification with name and form, you can transcend the body altogether and find the Self which is immortal. So you see, though yoga begins with the body, it ends by transcending it.

In conclusion, I would like to tell to that yoga is not a theory but a practical way of life. If you have never tasted honey, no matter how often i tell you that honey is good for you, you wont understand until you try it. Put yoga into practice and you will see the benefit for yourself.

-Swami Vishnu Devananda