Hi All! I'm hoping to be active on this blog again with lots of exciting stuff going on. Lots of electronic quirks causing issues at the moment. See you soon!
Monday, July 28, 2025
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Yoga in the Park Thornton, CO August 2018
Greetings Yogis!
Please see the following link for our Yoga class locations for the next two weeks. You may want to use the parking lot on York St and walk down, it's a very short walk. The parking lot off of 128th is small.
For the next two Saturdays, there will be one class that starts at 10:30 AM.
There will be class at 6:45 pm this coming Tuesday in the same location.
The Rec Center re-opens the Tuesday following Labor Day.
Many Blessings!
Vincent
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lake+Village+Park,+12900+York+St,+Thornton,+CO+80241/@39.9304992,-104.9599566,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x876c746e9697c517:0x53cc2ab33428971!8m2!3d39.9301676!4d-104.9553131
Lake Village Park, 12900 York St, Thornton, CO 80241
Monday, February 19, 2018
To chant or not to chant? That is the question
Should we teach chanting in Yoga classes?
Do you, as a Yoga student think chanting is too weird?
How about Yoga teachers: do you think it is too complicated or should be off-limits?
"No chanting, just yoga" is what the add for the newest branch of Bulldog Yoga one of the newest studios in Boulder, CO reads.
I wasn't sure what to make of this, not just because the website was slow and it took three tries to get it from giving me 404 responses, but because they quoted Beethoven and made other cool statements about feeling the power of music and about the "physical and mental rewards" that practicing yoga brings.
A studio chain in England called Yoga Convert made a similar statement about Yoga being an uplifting thing, and their version is chant-free.
I don't do a huge amount of chanting in my classes, but since I stared practicing almost 17 years ago, I've always felt that chanting had a natural place somewhere amidst the whole, big picture.
Simple chants, such as repeating "aum" or "aum shanti" do take on meaning to participants, but much of the value in such chanting is, intentionally, physical. I learned this long ago when training in YogaFit Level 3.
There weere at least 30 of us, and we began chanting "aum", and soon, we found ourselves with perfect timing-we chanted in absolute synchronicity. To describe with words the energy we felt would do it injustice; it had to be felt.
Yoga means union-of all things, all energies from all sources, of all people who participate together.
So while we might not do long chants as part of class, let's not lose this important connection.
Please do share your thoughts!
Blessings!
Do you, as a Yoga student think chanting is too weird?
How about Yoga teachers: do you think it is too complicated or should be off-limits?
"No chanting, just yoga" is what the add for the newest branch of Bulldog Yoga one of the newest studios in Boulder, CO reads.
I wasn't sure what to make of this, not just because the website was slow and it took three tries to get it from giving me 404 responses, but because they quoted Beethoven and made other cool statements about feeling the power of music and about the "physical and mental rewards" that practicing yoga brings.
A studio chain in England called Yoga Convert made a similar statement about Yoga being an uplifting thing, and their version is chant-free.
I don't do a huge amount of chanting in my classes, but since I stared practicing almost 17 years ago, I've always felt that chanting had a natural place somewhere amidst the whole, big picture.
Simple chants, such as repeating "aum" or "aum shanti" do take on meaning to participants, but much of the value in such chanting is, intentionally, physical. I learned this long ago when training in YogaFit Level 3.
There weere at least 30 of us, and we began chanting "aum", and soon, we found ourselves with perfect timing-we chanted in absolute synchronicity. To describe with words the energy we felt would do it injustice; it had to be felt.
Yoga means union-of all things, all energies from all sources, of all people who participate together.
So while we might not do long chants as part of class, let's not lose this important connection.
Please do share your thoughts!
Blessings!
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Saturday Yoga during Carpenter Rec Center Shut-down 10:30 am at Lake Village Park!
While the Margaret Carpenter Rec Center is shut down, I'll be hosting one Yoga class each of the next two Saturdays 9August 26 & September 2) at Lake Village Park in Thornton, across from the Eastlake Preserve.
Click HERE for directions!
Fee to attend is $5.00 per person.
Blessings!
Vincent
Click HERE for directions!
Fee to attend is $5.00 per person.
Blessings!
Vincent
Monday, July 3, 2017
Your Second Chakra-Creative Power and Energy
Creative people have many faces. We all have areas where we are able to be creative. Each of us also has passion; much depends on what we like or are exposed to in our lives.
The powerful, driving force comes from our second Chakra, or Svadisthana. The second Chakra is a powerful one, and the subject of mature discussion, as it also governs sexual energy.
When the second chakra is properly balanced, we are able to empathize, to initiate and create and to share sincerely with others. This kind of sharing includes willingness to foster connections with others that are mutually beneficial and empowering to all parties.
When the second chakra becomes imbalanced, the impact is especially apparent.
When it is overcharged, due to a spiritual blockage that prevents energy from flowing upward to the third chakra and beyond, one can become overly self-serving, will act shallow and fail to recognize emotional boundaries with the self and with others. Sexual energy can also build to an unhealthy level.
Cat pose (Majaryasana), Doward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) and Cobra (Bhujangasana) all can calm the second chakra down. Also, you can meditate on the color blue-use a a blue light or a piece of blue material to look at. One can modify Cobra into Sphinx pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)
If the second chakra is undercharged due to weak energy flow, one becomes emotionally cold, distrusting and overly sensitive.
Triangle pose (Trikonasana), Revopled Triangle pose (Parivrrta Trikonasana) and King Pigeon (Raja Kapotasana)-1st stage are all effective poses to help awaken the second chakra. You can also meditate on the color orange.
FIND PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF YOGA POSES IN THE ASANA INDEX AT:
http://yogadancer.com/
I have no affiliation with this site but it is a fabulous resource, so enjoy it and do donate if you can.
SOURCES:
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Your First Chakra...and Your Yogic Roots
We've all known some person who seems so perfectly grounded. They smile all the time and they seem to always attract positive attention. We're all capable of living in a blissful state; it all hinges on feeling grounded and emotionally balanced.
What we might not have known is that getting to this state of being isn't that hard. There are physical channels within our bodies which we need to trigger in order to create the needed energy and purge that energy that makes us feel stale.
The seven chakras are the major energy centers we're talking about. Various Yoga poses, or asanas can trigger response from our chakras and enable us to change and improve how we feel.
Your first chakra is called Muladhara, which loosely translates to "roots". It's located at the base of the spine.
When the first chakra is balanced properly, we feel good-specifically, we have an obvious sense of self-worth, feel connected to the Divine and see things as they happen in the present tense. We're able to learn from adversity and find the positive in any situation. We also feel able to give our attention to others in a positive way because we see ourselves positively and don't feel wounded.
Some benefits of a balanced first chakra include:
When the first chakra is imbalanced, blocked, suppressed, whatever you want to call it, it messes with our ability to recognize our ow self-worth and goodness.
We become driven in the wrong ways.
When the first chakra is weak, the workaholic takes over, and we keep working harder and harder but without a goal We think working harder and pushing ourselves will create self-value where we don't see it. We become self-serving in a desperate effort to bolster our feeling of weakness and we forget how it impacts others as well as ourselves.
When the first chakra is too strong, we become domineering, greedy and act dishonestly and may have violent thoughts.
Some indications of an imbalanced first chakra:
What we might not have known is that getting to this state of being isn't that hard. There are physical channels within our bodies which we need to trigger in order to create the needed energy and purge that energy that makes us feel stale.
Your first chakra is called Muladhara, which loosely translates to "roots". It's located at the base of the spine.
When the first chakra is balanced properly, we feel good-specifically, we have an obvious sense of self-worth, feel connected to the Divine and see things as they happen in the present tense. We're able to learn from adversity and find the positive in any situation. We also feel able to give our attention to others in a positive way because we see ourselves positively and don't feel wounded.
Some benefits of a balanced first chakra include:
- A well-functioning digestive system
- Trust in self and others
- A healthy drive that allows passion and ambition to be used constructively
When the first chakra is imbalanced, blocked, suppressed, whatever you want to call it, it messes with our ability to recognize our ow self-worth and goodness.
We become driven in the wrong ways.
When the first chakra is weak, the workaholic takes over, and we keep working harder and harder but without a goal We think working harder and pushing ourselves will create self-value where we don't see it. We become self-serving in a desperate effort to bolster our feeling of weakness and we forget how it impacts others as well as ourselves.
When the first chakra is too strong, we become domineering, greedy and act dishonestly and may have violent thoughts.
Some indications of an imbalanced first chakra:
- Issues with digestion; sciatica and back pain
- We fell mad at the world
- We feel worthless and avoid connecting with others
Various Yoga poses can help bring the first chakra into alignment. Keep in mind that some poses calm it down while others wake it up.
- Most forward folds awaken the first chakra (Muladhara), such as Uttanasana (standing forward fold), Paschimottanasana (sitting forward fold) and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (supported bridge) and help us remove stress and regain a sense of grounding.
- Child pose (Balasana) and Reclining Bound Angle pose (Supta Badha Konasana) help calm it down.
FIND PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF YOGA POSES IN THE ASANA INDEX AT:
http://yogadancer.com/
I have no affiliation with this site but it is a fabulous resource, so enjoy it and do donate if you can.
SOURCES:
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Curing Cold Feet
Many would like to go barefoot more often, but a common
complaint is shared by many who don’t…
“I would, but my feet get cold…”
Cold feet are the result of reduced blood circulation in the
feet. Our feet get compressed by our shoes and the blood vessels get
restricted.
Good news: this can be reversed and wildly improved upon…
Start by dong more Yoga....take a short, brisk walk in your shoes first to warm up
Remember something else that also helps.........Summer is here. Go barefoot all the time
at home, and especially on the patio and the walkway that’s warmed by the sun.
Keep a Yoga mat in a convenient place and do some poses throughout the day while doing chores etc.
Keep a Yoga mat in a convenient place and do some poses throughout the day while doing chores etc.
What else can help? …Shoes that bend with your feet when you walk......and mimic going
barefoot. My personal favorite are Xeroshoes. I was part of the original experiment that later led to their mass production. They are tried and true. Xeroshoes started the trend for barefoot sandals that has made many followers in the market, the selection is huge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)