Week 3: Reality

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In January I was in Egypt my prayers reach out to the people of the region that they may find peace and some level of prosperity.  Last year I had set an intention to teach yoga in Libya, while I traveled there almost one year ago the plan didn't materialize due to the escalating violence; i.e. death of Ambassador Stevens.  So caught in limbo I ended up with a job in Connecticut, at lunch one day I saw a commercial space for rent and said "I can put a yoga studio there".  While that space didn't work out I continued to look and here I am... about to open a yoga studio!!!

Now I have a great many loose ends and yesterday was feeling anxiety so what did I do?  I said to myself: "At this moment everything is as it should be" over and over and over and over again. The anxiety passed, then I had a thought; what in the hell are you doing?  Wouldn't it have been easier to just keep doing what I've been doing? Well yes it would have.  But I have this inner drive and I wouldn't have been happy not knowing what I know now.  I have met some incredible people, people have come out of the woodwork to support me, imagine moving to somewhere where you know no one!  What is one of the most important assets of a yoga studio?  Teacher's; this is a shout out to the teaching staff at Manipura Power Yoga, thank you for reaching out and paving a new path for your journey.

Grateful.

Namaste, 

Aaron

At This Moment Everything Is As It Should Be

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I have a lot going on in my life, it is filled with things I need to do, people I need to help, some I have to take care of.  This can weigh me down along with the ins and outs of day to day life.  Continuing from the last blog post what I do to take care of myself when I experience these feelings is to go back to the recorded meditation I added to my last blog post. This is a great way to overcome anxiety and fear but it is also a pathway to radically accepting where I am today, right now.  If I practice this meditation daily, maybe twice a day, the acceptance that doesn't yet exist will show up.  This in turn creates space for other feelings as well as compassion and a desire to help others.  So take a moment to listen to the embedded meditation in the last blog post. Let us know what you think.

Link to last blog: http://aaron-warren-fv6s.squarespace.com/blog/2013/8/5/fight-or-flight 

 

Coming into your Power

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Yoga and fitness go hand in hand. When you add Power to yoga it changes from a sedentary type of stretching exercise to a physically demanding, fat burning workout designed to bring you into your body.  What does it mean to say “bring you into your body?” This statement is a key aspect of becoming aware of what you are experiencing at any given moment in a posture or pose.  For example to master the posture “Ardha-Chandrasana” a student will need to flex and open the toes of the raised foot, this in turn engages the core which enables the stacking of the hips.  Try this on in your next class, really focus and shift your vision internally and remember… breathe!

Namaste

YOGA for the Brain

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Yoga for the Brain: The benefits of yoga as it relates to the brain and the sympathetic nervous system.

1. Yoga reduces the levels of the hormone cortisol - the stress hormone that wreaks havoc on the body. This, in turn, "removes a barrier to effective immune function," thus helping to prevent illness.
2. Yoga boosts the levels of feel-good brain chemicals like GABA, serotonin, and dopamine. All responsible for feelings of relaxation and contentedness.
3. Yoga stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which calms us and restores balance after a major stress situation occurs.
4. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, “our bodies can better extract nutrients from the food we eat, and more effectively eliminate toxins because circulation is enhanced. With parasympathetic activation, the body enters into a state of restoration and healing.”

And Paula R. Pullen, PhD, Research Instructor at the Morehouse School of Medicine, studies yoga's effects on inflammation by looking at what's happening in the bodies of heart failure patients who enroll in yoga classes.  "...patients taking yoga have significantly improved levels of biomarkers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)."

She goes on to say "Yoga balances the body, the hormonal system, and the stress response. People tend to think of yoga as being all about flexibility – it’s not.  It’s about rebalancing and healing the body.”

We summarized this article from Forbes/Forbeswoman by Alice G. Walton. It's the first in a two-part series she's writing called "Penetrating Postures: The Science of Yoga" - check Forbes out for the entire series. And then check Indigo out for all the benefits of yoga!