I feel one of the best ways to describe things to a person is with a sense of touch. So to explain a full complete breath let us stand in tadasana and place one hand on the lower belly and one on the lower back, starting to inhale from the bottom of the pelvic floor, feeling the belly expand forward like a Buddha belly and maybe shifting the hands to the sides to feel ribs expand sideways as well. Take a pause if necessary then continuing to fill up the lungs bringing one hand onto mid belly and one onto chest imagining filling up the mid belly, seeing and feeling how the breath is continuing to expand and to lift the chest upwards. Pay attention that with further breathing you should feel that the collar bones are expanding sideways opening up the chest thus achieving a complete breath capacity. To exhale relax and lengthen the breath to at least match the length of the inhale or possibly longer, applying different techniques when appropriate. There is no perfect kind of breathing and depending on standing, laying down prone or supine or inverted position, breath will happen differently. However, it’s important to remember that exclusively using chest breathing as a primary way of breathing is a bit too laboring for the body, so one should try to fill up the lungs from the bottom up

When we were babies, we used diaphragmatic (Buddha belly) breathing way more, also because our chest didn’t fully develop. Our lungs drop oxygen into our bloodstream more at the area closer to our belly, like an apple tree drops apples into the river from the sagging lower branches. Remember, gravity can be your best friend when you explore your breath and stay mindful of it.

Exhale completely, take a full yogic breath and then let it all smoothly out. Namasté.

Literally translated, “vinyasa” means “to arrange” or “to place in a special way”. But often, it is simply translated as “flow.”  In our practice the vinyasa or “flow” is a sequence that is done a number of times to warm up our body and improve cardiovascular fitness.  It encourages us to link our physical postures to our breath.  The sequence is also practiced to alleviate depression.  It is said to bring health and vitality to the body and sunlight to the spirit.  It’s a great way to start the day.

The flow consists of a series of four poses that are actually a part of a larger sequence called Surya Namaskara; Surya meaning “sun” and Namaskara meaning “salutation.”

Excerpt from Surya Namaskara by Swami Satyananda Saraswati:

“Surya namaskara is a practice [or series] which has been handed down from the sages of vedic times.  Surya means “sun” and namaskara means “salutation.”  In ancient times the sun was worshipped as a daily routine because it is a powerful symbol of spiritual consciousness.  Worship of the outer and inner sun was a religio-social ritual which attempted to placate those forces of nature beyond man’s control.

Surya Namaskara is a well known and vital technique within the yogic repertoire.  Its versitality and application make it one of the most useful methods to induce a healthy vigorous, active life and at the same time prepare for spiritual awakening and the resultant expansion of awareness… Surya namaskara is almost a complete sadhana in itself, containing asana, pranayama and meditational techniques within the main structure of the practice… It can be easily integrated into our daily lives as it requires only five to fifteen minutes of practice daily to obtain beneficial results remarkably quickly.

The rhythmic sequence reflects the rhythms of the universe, such as the twenty four hours of the day, the twelve zodiac phases of the year and the biorhythms of our own body.  The rhythmic superimposition of this form and energy on our present body-mind complex is the transforming force which generates the nucleus of a fuller and more active life and a greater appreciation of the richness of the world we live in.”

We hope to see you on Sunday at 5pm!

If you have any questions or know you’re coming please email us: info at hoshyoga.org

Kyle & Becca

However, I am not always kind to my body. Not that I’m intentionally beating myself up, sometimes I just sleep the wrong way and wake up with a stiff neck or after a long day of skateboarding and falls, my spine and back don’t feel that great. As a practitioner of yoga my first response to these feelings is, “Let’s stretch them out,” but for some reason in this off-mat stretching, I am less compassionate to my body and listen less.  My mind tends to do all of the talking; telling my body to do this or do that, without even asking if that’s what my body needs.  I stretch and strain thinking that that the more I twist my head to stretch the side of my neck, the sooner and better I will feel.  Wrong. That’s just not how our bodies were made. If I had listened to my body even a little I would’ve heard my neck saying, “ow, do you feel that pinching sensation, that can’t be good, ease up!!”

This is one of the reasons it’s important to practice listening to the body and cultivate awareness on a yoga mat, so that we can bring this skill into other areas of our lives.  It is especially important to listen to our bodies while on the mat.  If we ignore the signals, we can start to place a lot of strain on the body, especially in certain poses, which is counterproductive to our yogic goal. Even if some poses become more routine, like the surya namaskar (sun salutation) series, which seem to demand less of the body, if I stop listening to my body I will notice that if I don’t diligently engage my core when pressing up into urdhva mukha svanasana (upward facing dog) after a while my lower back senses discomfort.  My breathing can be occasionally forced and labored too. I tell myself that I am being focused and breathing with intent, but if the ujyai breath is so forceful that it begins irritating the throat, that can’t be good either.

So try lending an ear to your body—being extra mindful next time during your yoga practice of what it means to push a little beyond your edge as opposed to leaping past it.  Also listen to your body during your daily practice of life.  Start with the small things: noticing your breath while you’re your walking to the subway, trying not to slouch so much when sitting at work.  Your body will thank you. Just listen.