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The Cure to Loneliness: Finding a Guru

...Many people ask me if I can recommend where they should study yoga on their travels to the birthplace of this ancient Indian philosophy. I humbly admit to them that I have never been to India. My gurus are in New Yorkand they are American.

Most people are surprised at this admission. They question me regarding this. After all, if I am a yogi, shouldnt my guru be an indian man? Well, the gurus of my gurus are indian men, but in my case, I look into the soft brown eyes and pale skin of my gurus when I bow before them.

Its funny. yoga has taken such a hold in America, yet some misconceptions are still etched in the practice. For example, we think yoga is practiced in hot rooms just because it is hot in India; we have this image in our minds of ancient yogis practicing warrior two and sun salutations, and we think that in order to be a true guru, your nationality matters.

In this day and age of yoga, its evolution has taken a major turn, one towards the west. More westerners are doing yoga today, at least the practice we define as yoga, than Indians. There is a saying now that there is more yoga on the lower east side of Manhattan than there is in all of India. Westerners have taken yoga to the next levela level of fitness, industry, and fashionyet many yogis still try to remain close to the roots of yoga.

One of the ways that yogis strive to remain closely tied to the true purpose of the practice is by tightening their grip on what they think is most classical, the finding of a guru. This is, in my opinion, the most important piece of yogic philosophical principles. While the west has shaped yoga and turned it into an amazing practice that many people need right now, the on...more

learn The History Of Yoga

...nough, takes place on a battlefield. This location is often interpreted as a metaphor for the many distractions present in our turbulent world. Prince Arjuna had put himself in a difficult position, where he must fight parts of his family and friends.

Symbolically speaking, this frustration conveys that prince Arjuna wanted some advice on how to fight the bonds that tie him to the material world, in order to set himself and his soul free. krishna explained that it was Arjuna's destiny and task to face this situation. He then moved on to explaining to Arjuna how he could emerge from the battle victorious, by outlining a detailed yogic path for the prince to follow; Through devotion (bhakti Yoga), a keen mind (jnana Yoga) and by giving up the ego (karma Yoga), spiritual freedom (moksha) could be attained.

Needless to say, the Bhagavad Gita is a complex work, and is meant to be studied, pondered upon and then studied some more. It is interesting reading in order to learn the history of Yoga though.more

Could a Blind Man Become a Yoga Teacher?

... room, to assist, a student would get the best of both worlds.

This is why we have laws that protect all of us from discrimination. Sometimes, we think that common sense should rule our society, but as you know, it does not always work that way. Everyone should make an honest effort to understand others.

We do not have to agree on every issue, but different viewpoints, that work together, make a healthier and creative world around us. If a blind man has a desire to become a certified Yoga teacher, who has the moral right to refuse him?

Copyright 2006 Paul Jerard / Aura Publicationsmore

Yoga Clothes Need To Move With You, Your Favorite Jeans Will Not Do It

...A pair of jeans and a button up shirt and the full lotus position is not a pretty picture and worse still, if you do get there, getting back to your start position could be worse. Your normal street clothes are not what you want when practicing the art of yoga. Your body builds up in flexibility while you are doing yoga and so must your clothes. They must be able to move with your body and the more advanced you get with your yoga positions, the more movement you need in your clothes.

To start, you don't need to go out and buy yoga specific clothes, you could even have suitable pieces in your wardrobe already. It is so important that you practice your yoga in something that you are comfortable in when performing the various positions. Your yoga clothes need to support, move with the body, not ride up leaving bare skin exposed to the elements.

You will probably find there are clothes in your wardrobe that will suffice for t...more

posted by 85793 @ 9:43 AM