I received an email the other day, forwarded from a friend which says 5 mins to breathe away your headaches.
I've tried meditation to send the qi way up to the head to free up blocked channels, but that usually takes easily 30 minutes a session to feel any effect at all. And soon it comes back.
This one was worth trying, I thought.
For Headache:
Close the right nostril, and breathe through the left nostril.
Right nostril represents the Sun ( for energy ) and left nostril represents
the Moon ( for cooling ).
I had the opportunity to put this to test, and true enough, it could provide relief.
Separately, if one feels tired, one can try breathing through the right nostril to energize one's body.
Happy Breathing.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Recession - Stay Positive with Yoga
Yes, the talk of the media for the past year had been US economic slump due to subprime issues, credit crunch, unemployment and global economic crisis. Those who used to have jobs suddenly were retrenched, while those who were still holding jobs were getting insecured.
The level of unsettling feeling, stress, depression and anxiety had been on the rise.
Most of our stress and tension is shown as symptoms by the accumulation of acid and toxins in our body that makes us feel lousy. Can't sleep, mind too restless, peace of mind is an almost unreachable territory. Cheer up .. let's practice yoga !
I was told that the spine which is the main transporting channel of all messages is THE MOST important "backbone" in yoga. Try arching backwards gently ( not forcefully ) based on your own flexibility as in cobra pose or in the sun salutation pose and you will be surprised at the feel of "release" of tension from the spine.
Can't sleep ? Try the abdominal breathing exercise. You can just lie down ( corpse pose ) with eyes close. Breathe in slowly and feel the stomach rise. Then exhale slowly and you'll feel your stomach contract. Try to mentally say "in" and "out" to keep the mind focus, and away from the worries. It is VERY IMPORTANT to relax the facial muscles...by "unfrowning" and having a soft smile to relax. Before you know it, after some 20 cycles or so, you'll be ZZZzzzzzz.... Our class loves this part the most.
OK, it does not solve the financial problems, but it solves a much bigger and significant problem - your wellbeing, physically, mentally and emotionally. With that taken care of, opportunities become more apparent even in the midst of crisis.
Stay positive with yoga. Good luck !
The level of unsettling feeling, stress, depression and anxiety had been on the rise.
Most of our stress and tension is shown as symptoms by the accumulation of acid and toxins in our body that makes us feel lousy. Can't sleep, mind too restless, peace of mind is an almost unreachable territory. Cheer up .. let's practice yoga !
I was told that the spine which is the main transporting channel of all messages is THE MOST important "backbone" in yoga. Try arching backwards gently ( not forcefully ) based on your own flexibility as in cobra pose or in the sun salutation pose and you will be surprised at the feel of "release" of tension from the spine.
Can't sleep ? Try the abdominal breathing exercise. You can just lie down ( corpse pose ) with eyes close. Breathe in slowly and feel the stomach rise. Then exhale slowly and you'll feel your stomach contract. Try to mentally say "in" and "out" to keep the mind focus, and away from the worries. It is VERY IMPORTANT to relax the facial muscles...by "unfrowning" and having a soft smile to relax. Before you know it, after some 20 cycles or so, you'll be ZZZzzzzzz.... Our class loves this part the most.
OK, it does not solve the financial problems, but it solves a much bigger and significant problem - your wellbeing, physically, mentally and emotionally. With that taken care of, opportunities become more apparent even in the midst of crisis.
Stay positive with yoga. Good luck !
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Yoga for The Restless ?
Despite all the yoga craze right now, not many people actually fancy this slow-motion twisting and bending exercise as their choice of a fitness regime, a workout. There are simply those who just can't stand yoga ... the restless ones. It is just impossible to stay quiet and "do so little" when compared to other high-impact sweat-till-you-drop exercises. "Doesn't burn enough, can't lose weight, too slow to see results ..."
Is Yoga for you ? Is there a particular profile of people who would suit yoga better ? What good is all that stretching, bending, seemingly impossible balancing acrobatics do when you can't even touch your toes, you may ask. What on earth are we supposed to achieve by being super-supple and flexible .. do we want to look like those age-old yogis that when we age, pride ourselves to bend like seasoned young gymnasts ?
A lot of times, it is a misconception to think that yoga is just about stretching the impossible postures. The postures or asanas are just a physical form to take your mind away from what's stressing you to focus on the present and your breath. It is a form of destressing, regardless of how inflexible you are. There is no measurement of perfect 10 when let's say you finally mastered folding your legs in a full lotus sitting position. Neither are you less perfect when you can only do a half lotus.
Apart from training the mind, the asanas coupled with proper breathing is said to detoxify and improve the condition of your internal organs. The slow moving flow simply is intended to slow you down and to make you more aware of your internal being - away from the external stimulants and noise we are often surrounded with. Physical, mental and emotional health is what one gets through the practice of yoga.
Yoga is most suitable for the restless as well as the patient ones, the healthy-bodied as well as those who are inconvenienced in their movement as it is gentle and you adjust based on your own flexibility.
Yoga has a bigger following among the females than the males. My husband is one who just couldn't appreciate the slow motion fuss and just watches as I do my regular rounds. Every morning he wakes up to a stuffed head and when time permits, he would go for a good 10 minute run to sweat it out and unstuff his head. I suggested he tried out the sun salutation, just 3 rounds. Incredible ! The miraculous 5 minutes were good enough to clear his mind and give him a jumpstart ! He is converted ! He has never stopped since.
Yoga is for you when you open up your mind to start enjoying it.
Is Yoga for you ? Is there a particular profile of people who would suit yoga better ? What good is all that stretching, bending, seemingly impossible balancing acrobatics do when you can't even touch your toes, you may ask. What on earth are we supposed to achieve by being super-supple and flexible .. do we want to look like those age-old yogis that when we age, pride ourselves to bend like seasoned young gymnasts ?
A lot of times, it is a misconception to think that yoga is just about stretching the impossible postures. The postures or asanas are just a physical form to take your mind away from what's stressing you to focus on the present and your breath. It is a form of destressing, regardless of how inflexible you are. There is no measurement of perfect 10 when let's say you finally mastered folding your legs in a full lotus sitting position. Neither are you less perfect when you can only do a half lotus.
Apart from training the mind, the asanas coupled with proper breathing is said to detoxify and improve the condition of your internal organs. The slow moving flow simply is intended to slow you down and to make you more aware of your internal being - away from the external stimulants and noise we are often surrounded with. Physical, mental and emotional health is what one gets through the practice of yoga.
Yoga is most suitable for the restless as well as the patient ones, the healthy-bodied as well as those who are inconvenienced in their movement as it is gentle and you adjust based on your own flexibility.
Yoga has a bigger following among the females than the males. My husband is one who just couldn't appreciate the slow motion fuss and just watches as I do my regular rounds. Every morning he wakes up to a stuffed head and when time permits, he would go for a good 10 minute run to sweat it out and unstuff his head. I suggested he tried out the sun salutation, just 3 rounds. Incredible ! The miraculous 5 minutes were good enough to clear his mind and give him a jumpstart ! He is converted ! He has never stopped since.
Yoga is for you when you open up your mind to start enjoying it.
Yoga Ban for Muslims
No intention to tweek the religious chord .. just a perspective..hopefully not ISA worthy!
It was only in recent years that Yoga has been enjoying great popularity despite having been around for decades, that is the traditional practice of yoga. The marketing force played an important role in transforming traditional yoga to the emerging trends that appeals more to the younger generation, eg. hot yoga, bikram yoga and comes with young instructors in nice costumes - you wish you can be like one of them with regular practice. Yoga has become an "industry" feeding lots of yoga studios, producing more and more trainers' programs and growing lots of yoga instructors. Many jumped into the bandwagon whatever the reasons.
The popularity is growing far too much for comfort, at least to certain religious authorities that start to scrutinise the practice. And to declare that yoga is HARAM ( forbidden ) to Muslims certainly shocked the whole yoga and non-yoga communities ! I am not a Muslim, but somehow I can understand why the religious authorities are uncomfortable. Most yoga practices are not just asanas ( postures ) but also emphasizes on meditation. Calming the mind is a constant message put out; and through meditation, one learns to achieve this. In Buddhism, ( and maybe even in Hinduism, if I may assume ) deep meditation if practised well can bring one into glimpses of its past lives and its karmic cycles. IF indeed, a Muslim yoga practitioner achieves this, doesn't this confuse the poor soul of what to believe ? His faith on the Almighty God, the belief of Hell / Heaven after life could be utterly shaken. Of course, that is a big IF. Not only in Islam, some churches have also imposed a ban on yoga to its followers.
By this, does it mean there is fear that the truth could be found in one's mind ? The human mind is a very powerful thing.
It was only in recent years that Yoga has been enjoying great popularity despite having been around for decades, that is the traditional practice of yoga. The marketing force played an important role in transforming traditional yoga to the emerging trends that appeals more to the younger generation, eg. hot yoga, bikram yoga and comes with young instructors in nice costumes - you wish you can be like one of them with regular practice. Yoga has become an "industry" feeding lots of yoga studios, producing more and more trainers' programs and growing lots of yoga instructors. Many jumped into the bandwagon whatever the reasons.
The popularity is growing far too much for comfort, at least to certain religious authorities that start to scrutinise the practice. And to declare that yoga is HARAM ( forbidden ) to Muslims certainly shocked the whole yoga and non-yoga communities ! I am not a Muslim, but somehow I can understand why the religious authorities are uncomfortable. Most yoga practices are not just asanas ( postures ) but also emphasizes on meditation. Calming the mind is a constant message put out; and through meditation, one learns to achieve this. In Buddhism, ( and maybe even in Hinduism, if I may assume ) deep meditation if practised well can bring one into glimpses of its past lives and its karmic cycles. IF indeed, a Muslim yoga practitioner achieves this, doesn't this confuse the poor soul of what to believe ? His faith on the Almighty God, the belief of Hell / Heaven after life could be utterly shaken. Of course, that is a big IF. Not only in Islam, some churches have also imposed a ban on yoga to its followers.
By this, does it mean there is fear that the truth could be found in one's mind ? The human mind is a very powerful thing.
Can Yoga Cure Headaches / Migrains ?
Being classified as totally intolerant of NSAIDs painkillers for even a simple headache or fever, eg no Paracetamol, Brufen, Ibubrufen, Ponstan and some antibiotics unless I am prepared to look like an alien without nosebridge with eyelids so swollen and streched out the little eyes could hardly open, as an allergic reaction to these drugs. Then, have to take anti-histamine to drain out the excess fluids causing the swell. That would take about 24 - 36 hours to subside. It is totally no fun at all.
So it became my lifetime mission to search for a cure - if possible a natural therapy without further risk of developing another drug allergy to counter my migrain.
Hence, that was one of my reasons for turning to yoga. But it wasn't quite yoga that provided the cure. I found my cure quite by accident. It was one of those yoga sessions where the guru was emphasizing on practicing more meditation regularly. So, during one of my home practice session, despite an emerging migrain coming on slow, I thought I would just sit quietly and concentrate on my breathing. In about 30 minutes, to my astonishment the migrain disappeared ! Just Zap, gone, can't feel anything. But the joy was shortlived as an hour later, it returned and got worse due to exposure to sunlight, change of temperature. That night, still with a lingering migrain, I did my meditation for 30 minutes and voila, again my migrain disappeared.
Had a good night sleep and woke up to a wonderful morning the next day. In retrospect, I believe it was qigong breathing that I experienced that cured my migrain. I could feel the sensation, kind of bloated feeling in the head that completely wiped out the pain. Though this does not prevent the migrain from coming back, at least every time I feel an onset coming, I would sit for 30 minutes to keep it in control. And it works, without drugs !! Happily.
So it became my lifetime mission to search for a cure - if possible a natural therapy without further risk of developing another drug allergy to counter my migrain.
Hence, that was one of my reasons for turning to yoga. But it wasn't quite yoga that provided the cure. I found my cure quite by accident. It was one of those yoga sessions where the guru was emphasizing on practicing more meditation regularly. So, during one of my home practice session, despite an emerging migrain coming on slow, I thought I would just sit quietly and concentrate on my breathing. In about 30 minutes, to my astonishment the migrain disappeared ! Just Zap, gone, can't feel anything. But the joy was shortlived as an hour later, it returned and got worse due to exposure to sunlight, change of temperature. That night, still with a lingering migrain, I did my meditation for 30 minutes and voila, again my migrain disappeared.
Had a good night sleep and woke up to a wonderful morning the next day. In retrospect, I believe it was qigong breathing that I experienced that cured my migrain. I could feel the sensation, kind of bloated feeling in the head that completely wiped out the pain. Though this does not prevent the migrain from coming back, at least every time I feel an onset coming, I would sit for 30 minutes to keep it in control. And it works, without drugs !! Happily.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Yoga & Qigong
Two of the oldest civilizations in the world are in Asia - China and India. Both are the most populous countries and have brought to the modern world its art of living well through its distinct traditional medicinal practices and the importance of a balanced well-being. India has its ayurvedic medicinal practices utilizing Indian Herbs and massage. China has its Chinese Herbs and acupuncture/acupressure methods in creating the balance health.
In exercise, India has yoga, China has Qigong each so different yet shares lots of commonality. Somehow the masters who originated these teachings found the same source of the human inner energy Qi although each may not know the other had existed. There are many branches of yoga as there are branches of qigong.
I once learned a qigong called ZhenQi Yun Xing literally means Circulation of Real Vital Inner Energy. Qigong essentially focuses on breathing exercise along the meridian that travels from "DanTian" ( in yoga, this is manipura) to the crown; as in the 7 chakras noted in yoga breathing during meditation. And there are also various other qigong practices that promotes active breathing (rapid and deep abdominal breathing ) similar to Kappalbadi in yoga. Combining both yoga and qigong practices is like blending the two best parts of Asia into one.
In exercise, India has yoga, China has Qigong each so different yet shares lots of commonality. Somehow the masters who originated these teachings found the same source of the human inner energy Qi although each may not know the other had existed. There are many branches of yoga as there are branches of qigong.
I once learned a qigong called ZhenQi Yun Xing literally means Circulation of Real Vital Inner Energy. Qigong essentially focuses on breathing exercise along the meridian that travels from "DanTian" ( in yoga, this is manipura) to the crown; as in the 7 chakras noted in yoga breathing during meditation. And there are also various other qigong practices that promotes active breathing (rapid and deep abdominal breathing ) similar to Kappalbadi in yoga. Combining both yoga and qigong practices is like blending the two best parts of Asia into one.
Bikram Yoga - McYoga ?
I was reading some yoga forums lately about bikram yoga with quite insightful opinions from all sorts ... it is either you hate it or you love it ! One interestingly called it McYoga, likening to the Americanised branding of Yoga, fixed set of asanas easily replicated to all over the world just like McDonald.
I do agree it gave me a very western flavour of yoga. The founder did a good job popularising it in fitness fanatic country USA. He understood what works for the American appetite - intensity, competitive, high energy and the feel-good after session. Put in a few challenging advance asanas make the student coming back again and again perfecting the 26 asanas. It ain't easy at all but very appealing to those up for the challenge. Those who have attended all sorts of yoga classes could well feel that this is the ultimate challenge !
I also agree that it doesn't really care about the philosophy side of yoga, well at least in my experience with the fitness centre, there was no time set aside for dialogues or exchange of yoga philosophy to talk about the spirituality aspect.
The teachers for one were not trained for such deep talks. They were well trained though to push you to maximum, MAXIMUM, MAXIMUM .. just like training for some competitive sports. Wait, they are no coach who understands your body as a sports coach would, so if you move with all the jest to the encouragement from the pretty instructor, you might be inviting injury. In fact, I was appalled that they would still motivate to push further even when you feel discomfort.
My take on this is, had Bikram Yoga started from India, it could well be condemned by all the traditional yogi gurus and may not see daylight at all. So, Choudhury Bikram, you are one smart Yogi !
I do agree it gave me a very western flavour of yoga. The founder did a good job popularising it in fitness fanatic country USA. He understood what works for the American appetite - intensity, competitive, high energy and the feel-good after session. Put in a few challenging advance asanas make the student coming back again and again perfecting the 26 asanas. It ain't easy at all but very appealing to those up for the challenge. Those who have attended all sorts of yoga classes could well feel that this is the ultimate challenge !
I also agree that it doesn't really care about the philosophy side of yoga, well at least in my experience with the fitness centre, there was no time set aside for dialogues or exchange of yoga philosophy to talk about the spirituality aspect.
The teachers for one were not trained for such deep talks. They were well trained though to push you to maximum, MAXIMUM, MAXIMUM .. just like training for some competitive sports. Wait, they are no coach who understands your body as a sports coach would, so if you move with all the jest to the encouragement from the pretty instructor, you might be inviting injury. In fact, I was appalled that they would still motivate to push further even when you feel discomfort.
My take on this is, had Bikram Yoga started from India, it could well be condemned by all the traditional yogi gurus and may not see daylight at all. So, Choudhury Bikram, you are one smart Yogi !
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)