Archive for the ‘yoga’ Category

teaching yoga in austin

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

http://yoga.kaanchan.net/austin

sankalpa: intention, resolve

well, this sankalpa is about to make full circle (and a half). the seeds of yoga were planted in me by swami vivekananda (of ramakrishna order, via his printed lectures)  in nepal around 1998. in austin i took classes and began making steps to become a yoga practitioner and teacher. during this last trip to nepal i became an accredited teacher in Satyananda Yoga. and now, if i can gather enough students, i’ll be teaching in about a week! it only took 10 years :)

i smile recalling a saying from Swami Satyananda – “all may fail but the sankalpa will not fail” (i’ll have to look up the exact wording…)

oh yeah, if you know anyone in austin interested in learning fundamental yoga practices, point them here: http://yoga.kaanchan.net/austin

aum

peace

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Idea: Request local libraries to subscribe to Yoga Magazine

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

*This post is a work in progress. Comments will be read and integrated as applicable.*

Background: Yoga Magazine shares yogic knowledge and content on a monthly basis. The content is searchable online in addition to the standard paper format. Articles range from personal, direct from masters, research, and more.

Goal: The intention of this effort to persuade local libraries to purchase a subscription to this journal. If, for whatever reason(s), the library will not purchase a subscription, the next goal is to have them accept a donated subscription.

Approach: In the context of Austin, TX, there are two main library types. One is the public library system and the other is the university library system. The first appeals to the general public and the latter to a scholarly or academic audience. In both cases the approach is the following:

  1. Find out if a subscription is already purchased.
  2. If a subscription is not in place, inquire about procedure for requesting a journal/subscription. Two common ways discovered thus far are:
    • Send a proposal to the periodicals librarian for the library.
    • Make an online request via the libraries websiteIn both the above cases, it is useful to have a proposal which outlines the benefits library users will gain by having this journal available. The proposal should correlate how the magazine content addresses the audience’s needs and even the libraries’ intentions (research library may differ from public library, for example). Proposals which have been written and sent so far can be found here – <todo: insert link for past proposals on GoogleDocs>. Be sure to include contact/purchase options if the proposal passes.

Challenges: todo

Outcomes: todo

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Cleaned the inside-outside of this donut we call a body

Friday, March 20th, 2009

Our body is like a donut in that a hole runs through the center of it – mount (&nose) to anus. The entire inner lining can be viewed as the outer surface. Now we clean the exterior surface of our bodies pretty regularly, so why not this tube that runs through us? It actually contains some of the grimiest stuff <imagine the grime at this point until I insert some pics :) >.

There is a yogic cleansing technique, or shatkarma, called laghoo shankhaprakshalana. It involves drinking salt water, doing specific exercises, and after three rounds, sitting on the toilet. All the water will come out. Not in the form of urine but straight from the anus! It’s pretty amazing.

The second stage involves drinking salt water then regurgitating it immediately,  either by abdominal muscle control or with the aid of a finger.

Finally, the nasal passages are irrigated with the help of a neti pot.

By the end of the process, which takes about an hour or less, your cleaned end to end.

We performed the cleanse this morning as the weather is warm and suitable for the practice. The body feels very light and clean. I ate breakfast at 7am and passed it out at 6:30pm, fully digested!

– Please don’t take the description above as steps to do it yourself. The cleanse should be done under the guidance of a qualified and experienced teacher! Aum

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Do you know yourself?

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Do you know yourself? Can you recognize yourself if your were to walk by you on the street? Or if you overheard a conversation between you and another? How?

Try this experiment:

  1. Sit in a comfortable position. Feel that the base of the body is supported, spine drawn upwards, shoulders relaxed, head balanced on neck.
  2. Take a moment to feel into the entire body; moving through it part by part if that helps.
  3. Then become aware of your breath. Feel it moving in and out of the nasal passages. Watch it with the attitude of an observer, as if noticing it for the first time. Don’t try and change it in any way (and don’t not try to change it either). Just let it be and watch.
  4. The experiment begins from this point…
  5. See your self in your mind. Which details show up? Can you see your body? Are you wearing clothes? Can you see your face? What color are your eyes? Does the you within the mind have density?
  6. Say something. Does it have a voice? Is it the same you hear when you really speak?
  7. Does it feel emotion?

I think we can recreate ourselves within the mind to the degree that we know really know ourselves. Like an expert potter molding clay with eyes closed; the final product product will reflect his oneness with that he is working with.

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We are as seasonal as a tree

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

The seed of divinity is within me. It has been planted deep and has taken time for the firsts signs to show. When my leaves are sprouting and my flowers in bloom you praise me. When my leaves are dry and fallen you blame me. I am that same tree undergoing constant change. I have seasons too. Know that I am developing always. May I have patience to see this truth in others and with others to see this in me.

Om.

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Use music software to create your yoga classplan

Sunday, January 18th, 2009

Existing music software already does a great job of allowing a user to create multiple playlists. Additionally, you can also rank, rate, share, and manage the playlists in a variety of ways. Why not use this type of software to store class plans. Each song represents a practice and length of time. Another tool would be needed to create custom lengths. Take a source file with the practice name (vocal) then pad with silence for desired time.

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