Chances are you've practiced lion's breath in one yoga practice or another. It's a powerful pranayama or breathing technique that helps to release stress and tension. Lion's breath is practiced most commonly in lion pose, or simhasana.

Simha means “lion” in Sanskrit and, according to B.K.S. Iyengar, it is dedicated to the man-lion incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Practicing simhasana and its accompanying lion’s breath is a great way to scare off your inner demons and inject some humor into your yoga practice.

Lion’s breath can be done in any asana by beginner and advanced yogis alike. Although it is traditionally done in tandem with it’s namesake pose, it is also commonly practiced seated in vajrasana (thunderbolt pose). On days when I need a little extra boost, I'll do lion’s breath in downward-facing dog to blow off steam.

How to Do Lion’s Breath

• Start by coming into vajrasana by sitting on your heels with the top of the feet on the ground and the sit bones resting on the heels.
• Bring the hands to the knees, palms facing down, and spread your fingers wide, keeping your middle finger pointed straight ahead.

• Check in with your upper body making sure that your head, neck and torso are extending in a straight line.
• Engaging mula bandha and uddiyana bandha, lift yourself up off your heels a couple of inches.
• Then, lean your torso forward and straighten your arms. Make sure you are mindful not to lock your elbows once your arms are straight.
• Bring your drishti (gaze) to your third eye (the center between your eyebrows).
• As you open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue as far as it will go toward your chin.
• Now exhale strongly while making the sound of a fierce roaring lion.
• Don’t be shy! Let your inner lion roar and watch as negative thoughts and emotions run for their lives!

ReadL: The Power of Breath: An Introduction to Pranayama

The Benefits of Lion’s Breath

There are many benefits associated with practicing simhasana and lion’s breath:

• It can free us from negative emotions allowing us to feel more grounded and centered.
• It is a powerful energizing breath that awakens the body and calms the mind, helping to expel pent-up anger, frustration and stagnant physical energy.
• It helps us invoke a fiercely courageous attitude, and face our lives with a renewed sense of pride, dignity and bravery.

It Clears Energy Blockages

In one of the most definitive texts on Hatha yoga, the ancient "Hatha Yoga Pradipika," it is stated that simhasana, along with siddhasana, padmasana and bhadrasana, are the most important seated asanas to master. This is because these four asanas are key to accessing the subtle body and pranic pathways in the body by clearing energy blockages in the nadis.

The nadis are a network of thousands of energetic pathways in the subtle body through which life force flows. Simhasana in particular helps yogis access the three bandhas: (or energetic locks): mula bandha, uddiyana bandha and jalandara bandha.

These bandhas are important because they work as pranic gateways to control the flow of life force energy through the nadis. Clearing away energetic blockages by learning to regulate the movement of prana through the bandhas is a powerful way to bring about health, restore inner balance and, according to some, develop yogic powers (or siddhis).

One of the ultimate goals of the Hatha yoga tradition is to awaken kundalini shakti, which normally lies dormant at the base of the spine. Awakening this kundalini energy leads to ultimate liberation, but in order to achieve this liberation, yogis need to learn to focus and control the movement of prana.

Read: Kundalini Shakti: The Meaning of the Sleeping Serpent

It Stimulates the Throat Chakra

Simhasana stimulates the throat chakra (visuddha), which is the center of communication and self-expression. Activating the throat chakra encourages the movement of prana in the kurma nadi. This nadi originates at the muladhara region at the base of the body and travels up into the base of the throat.

The kurma nadi helps to regulate feelings of groundedness and stillness. Lion’s breath clears out any pranic blockages, freeing prana to flow unobstructed through the kurma nadi. This action leaves us feeling deeply centered in our body and helps quiet the chatter of the monkey mind. It also dispels negativity and clears emotional blockages.

Read: Balancing Visuddha: How to Realign Your Throat Chakra

It Relaxes Facial Muscles

On a physiological level, simhasana works to relax our facial muscles, from our throat, nose, eyes and ears. It engages the platysma muscle, a thin broad band of muscles that runs from the top of the chest over the collarbones and up to the top of the chin.

It tones the face and neck, making it an excellent anti-aging asana! Engaging the platysma also works to strengthen our vocal chords and by increasing circulation to the throat region, it helps us to develop a rich sonorous voice. Some yogis also claim that it cleans the tongue and can clear the breath.

Unleashing Your Inner Lion

As you can see, lion’s breath is an incredibly effective breathing technique for energizing your yoga practice. I recommend it anytime you’re feeling down, have low energy or are feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of modern-day life. It’s a great way to liven up your practice and bring a smile to your face.

So go ahead, what are you waiting for? Unleash your inner lion!

The post How to Practice Lion’s Breath appeared first on Yogapedia.

In the ancient language of Sanskrit, breath is life and is known as prana, or life force energy. This sacred energy enters us with every inhale and exits with every exhale.

It’s a powerful current of healing that we can access in each and every moment, particularly when we’re feeling waves of stress and anxiety.

Considering the current state of our world, and the fact that most of us are having to isolate ourselves and drastically change our daily routines, a lot of us are experiencing much larger and more frequent waves of stress and anxiety than before.

The ancient yogis developed sophisticated breathing techniques known as pranayama, which work to relieve stress and balance the nervous system. Some techniques are incredibly simple, while others are a bit more complicated.

Yet, each and every one of them helps us to slow down, to drop into our bodies and become grounded in present moment awareness, which naturally helps us release tension that we might be holding onto in the body and/or mind.

Here I'll share how to get instantly in tune with your body and mind when you're feeling stressed, then I'll offer three breathing techniques to try that will help dissipate your anxiety.

Start With Mindfulness

Most of the time, we don’t even know we’re breathing. We breathe automatically and without notice.

Switching over to a conscious breathing pattern instantly changes everything. We become mindful of our breath, and in doing so, we begin to relieve the kind of anxiety that accompanies an unaware way of moving through the world.

Many of us have an unhealthy pattern of holding our breath–especially when we’re stressed.

By getting the prana moving freely through the body, we can move that stress out of the body and relieve anxiety in the process. When you’re feeling anxious, it’s important to bring your attention immediately to your breath.

Use it to tap into the life force energy within you and surrounding you.

The Universe is here to guide you and protect you in times of struggle, and when you bring your awareness to your breath, you can connect to this sacred life force energy.

Read: The Power of Breath: An Introduction to Pranayama

When you get deeply present with your breath, you slow the chaos of your mind, which is where most of our stress resides. Although, stress also gets lodged into our tissues, which is why movement linked with breath is so good for releasing it.

Getting attuned to your breath also relieves anxiety by bringing awareness into the present moment. The breath is always and forever happening in the present moment–nowhere else.

When we become rooted to the present, anxieties are more likely to lift because the present moment is generally a safe one.

We’re not likely to be running from tigers in the African savanna or dodging bullets in warfare. The present moment is exactly as it should be, and dropping into this space is a great anxiety reliever.

Read: 3 Mindfulness Techniques to Help You Break the Strings of Negative Thoughts

3 Yogic Breathing Techniques to Try:

1. Complete Yogic Breath

One of the best ways to relieve anxiety with your breath is by utilizing the complete yogic breath.

For this type of breathing, bring your awareness to your breath and inhale to a count of four.

Now, hold for a count of four.

Exhale for a count of four, and then hold for a count of four.

Again, inhale to a slow count of four. Hold for a slow count of four. Exhale for a slow count of four, and hold for a slow count of four.

You can do this as many times as you like, or until you begin to feel the anxiety melting slowly away.

Read: Breathe Easy With These 5 Yogic Breathing Exercises

2. Nadi Shodhana

Breath control is at the heart of the ancient yogis’ superpowers, and they knew that in order to harness super levels of consciousness, they would have to become masters of their breath.

Another powerful technique they devised, which balances the nervous system, is the one known as nadi shodhana.

This is the one where you plug your right nostril while inhaling through the left, and then plug the left nostril while exhaling through the right. Then you inhale through the right, keeping the left nostril plugged, and then plug the right nostril while exhaling through the left.

Doing this with the eyes closed while focusing internally on the third eye is a great way to relieve anxiety, balance the nervous system, and become centered within your breath.

Read: Hidden Magic: The Power of Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

3. Abdominal Breathing

This is another simple yet profound breathing technique for anxiety relief. You can do it anytime, anywhere–perhaps before a stressful event or important exam.

All you do is place your hands on your belly and inhale into it, feeling the expansion as you inhale and the contraction as you exhale.

Try slowing the breath down so that you have six or seven deep inhalations and exhalations per minute.

Doing deep breathing for 10 minutes naturally soothes your nervous system, calms the mind, and even lowers blood pressure.

Read: Dirgha Pranayama: An Introduction to 3 Part Breathing

Befriend Your Breath

Regard your breath as your best friend and ally. It’s there for you whenever you need it and the more awareness you bring to it, the better it will work for you.

Ease tension and anxiety with your own life force energy, and experience greater levels of self-trust and self-awareness as you do.

The post How to Release Anxiety Using Breath appeared first on Yogapedia.

This is because in dharana we work with cultivating a single point of concentration in preparation for meditation (dhyana).

In yoga, we can use drishti in two ways. The first is by physically placing the gaze onto a specific point in our external environment, such as onto our hands or feet. This helps us find balance and focus in all asanas.

The second way we can use drishti is to help guide our awareness inward, which helps us steady and settle our mind. By guiding our eyes to rest on a specific point, we build concentration and eliminate distractions from our surroundings.

After all, where your gaze goes, your attention and life force energy (prana) follow.

Whether we are using our drishti to move attention inward or as a physical point of focus, it is a directed gaze that is soft and gentle in quality rather than an intense staring.

There are nine drishti in yoga, and in the Ashtanga yoga tradition, each asana has an associated drishti point.

You may already be familiar with some of them; for example hastagre drishti, which is used in utthita trikonasana (extended triangle pose) when we gaze up at the tips of the fingers of our extended hand.

There are a total of nine drishti. This article will cover their focal points and which asanas they are commonly used with.

Knowledge of the various drishti is a valuable addition to your yoga and meditation practice. Play with each one, try them out in your next yoga class and see if they help you find balance more easily and drop more deeply into your practice.

Read: Using Your Drishti to Improve Focus

Angusthamadhyam Drishti

Angusthamadhyam drishti rests on the middle of the thumb, between the thumb nail and first joint.

Asanas that commonly use this drishti are utkatasana (chair pose), urdhva hastasana (upward salute), and virabhadrasana A (warrior one pose).

Nasagra Drishti

Nasagra drishti rests on the tip of the nose. We use it most frequently in chaturanga dandasana (four-limbed plank pose) and urdhva mukha svanasana (upward-facing dog pose).

Nasagra is also used regularly in inversions like adho mukha vrksasana (handstand) and backbends like chakrasana (wheel pose), as well as in seated meditation poses like padmasana.

Hastagram Drishti

Hastagram drishti rests gently on the hands or tips of the fingers.

Examples are utthita trikonasana (extended triangle pose) and utthita parshvakonasana (extended side angle pose).

Parsva Drishti, Left and Right Side

In parsva drishti our gaze looks either to the left or right side of us. This gaze is considered to be two different drishti, depending on which side we are looking toward. It usually follows the movement of the head in a spinal twist.

For example, in both utthita parsvasahita and ardha matsyendrasana (half lord of the fishes pose) depending on which direction you are twisting in, left or right, the gaze would match the direction your head is moving in.

These two drishti can be thought of as an extension of your spinal twist, your gaze continuing the spiral of the body beyond the crown of the head.

Urdhva Drishti

Urdhva drishti looks upward or outward as in virabhadrasana B (warrior two pose) and has an expansive feeling of gazing out into infinity.

It is an all-encompassing gaze, fearless and compassionate when needed, just like a true warrior.

Read: The Triumph of Love: The Significance of the Warrior Poses

Nabhi Chakra Drishti

Nabhi chakra drishti brings the gaze to the center of our being, the navel.

Each time we come into adho mukha svanasana (downward-facing dog), we bring our gaze to our navel.

This is the area where the manipura chakra resides and is a powerhouse of energy. Nabhi chakra is also known as "the magic circle" in Sanskrit.

Read: 3 Drishti Every Beginner Should Know

Padayoragram Drishti

We use padayoragram drishti when we bring our gaze to our feet or the tips of our toes as in janusirsasana (head-to-knee pose) as well as in most forward bends.

This allows the spine to lengthen and helps remind us to extend fully from our hips all the way out through the crown of the head rather than rounding our lower back.

Bhrumadhya Drishti

This drishti resides in the middle of the brow at the third eye center. We use bhrumadhya most commonly during meditation practice. It can be used with the eyes half open or closed.

The purpose of this gaze is to bring our awareness inward, raise our consciousness and to awaken kundalini. It is said to stimulate the optic nerves, sharpen concentration, and calm the mind. It is also used in in matsyendrasana (lord of the fishes pose).

When we incorporate the use of dristhi into our yoga asana and meditation practice, we are disciplining our focus so that we can more easily channel our awareness and consciousness.

Read: Balancing Your Ajna: How to Realign Your Third Eye Chakra

We use drishti to help stabilize the mind, find physical balance and enter more deeply into spiritual union with the Divine.

Dhyana is the last of the yogic limbs before entering into samadhi or enlightenment, so you can see why it’s important to add drishti to your yoga tool box.

The post The 9 Drishti of Yoga appeared first on Yogapedia.

Ama is a Sanskrit word used in Ayurveda and translates to “un-cooked,” “un-digested” and “raw.” In simpler terms, it refers to anything that has not been fully metabolized by the body and dampens our inner agni (energy). In Ayurveda, a buildup of ama in the body is believed to be the root cause of illness. One of the ways Ayurveda prescribes clearing out excess toxicity is by practicing daily oil pulling. Built up ama on the mouth walls, teeth and tongue is literally pulled out and the toxins eliminated.

Here are the top five health benefits you’ll get from practicing this daily cleanse.

Top 5 Benefits of Oil Pulling

Naturally Whiter Teeth

We all love a bright white smile and pulling oil can naturally improve the luster and health of your teeth by reducing the amount of plaque buildup. It is a natural and much safer alternative to teeth bleaching strips. Another perk? By eliminating harmful microorganisms and flushing out excess mucus you’re also eliminating bad breath!

Choose organic cold-pressed organic coconut oil for pulling because it contains high levels of lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium-chain fatty acid that is strongly anti-microbial. It's a safe and healthy way to fight bacterial growth and neutralize harmful bacteria. For extra white teeth, try adding a pinch of turmeric to your oil beforehand.

(More on this wonder spice in 5 Reasons Why Yogis Love Turmeric.)

Better Oral Hygiene

Your mouth is one of the first places toxins and bacteria enter the body. By pulling oil, bacteria and toxins are literally pulled out between teeth, tongue, tonsils and the surrounding gum tissue. A major culprit in tooth decay and gingivitis is the bacteria, Streptococcus mutans. Gingivitis, a common form of gum disease, is responsible for inflammation of the gums. Routinely pulling oil has the benefit of reducing inflammation and preventing future periodontal disease.

Clearer Skin

Another benefit of oil pulling is that it's especially effective against the bacteria, P. acnes. Yep, you guessed it, the type of bacteria responsible for acne and breakouts. Oil pulling works to clear your skin by removing toxins in your blood stream. This naturally reduces the toxic load in your mouth and all the surrounding tissue, including the skin on your face. Oil pulling is even said to heal skin issues on the rest of your body too, such as rashes and eczema.

(In addition to clearer skin, try Ayurveda's 5 Best Kept Beauty Secrets.)

Headache Relief

Headaches are a sure sign that there is a buildup of toxins in your body. As weird as this sounds, oil pulling can actually help reduce headaches in progress and prevent future headaches by eliminating the toxins responsible for them in the first place. Headaches are often triggered by exposure to chemical or toxic particles; oil pulling reduces this by decreasing exposure amounts.

Heart Health

Coincidentally, Streptococcus mutans is known to release a type of toxin into the bloodstream that can lead to several cardiovascular diseases. The culprit is increased inflammation from the toxins that Streptococcus mutans releases. So, keep your heart healthy and pull some oil!

How to Pull Oil

Now that you know some of the amazing health benefits of Ayurvedic oil pulling you’re probably wanting to try it yourself. Right after you wake up and before you've had anything to drink or brushed your teeth, take a spoonful of the coconut oil and put it in your mouth. It may take a few seconds for the oil to fully dissolve. Once it does, gently begin swishing it back and forth in your mouth. Play with sucking the oil between your teeth and along the walls of your mouth. Start with five minutes each morning, building up to the optimal 20 minutes over the course of a few weeks. This will give your body a chance to adjust to your new routine, and your taste buds to the new texture. After your timer goes off, spit the oil out into a trash can or paper cup. Avoid spitting the used oil into your sink as it will clog your pipes over time. Above all, do not swallow the oil in your mouth! It will be full of the toxins you are trying to eliminate. When you’ve spit the oil out, rinse your mouth with warm water, then floss and brush your teeth with a natural non-fluoridated toothpaste. If you have a tongue scrapper, use it now. Your mouth will thank you and feel oh so fresh!

Adding this simple Ayurvedic ritual to your morning is an easy way to incorporate a daily detox to your lifestyle. Along with a plant-based sattvic diet, regular meditation and yoga practice, you'll be well on your way to healthy living.

(Continue reading for Panchakarma: How to Prepare for Ayurveda's Most Complete Cleansing and Detox System.)

The post Top 5 Benefits of Ayurvedic Oil Pulling (Plus How to Do It) appeared first on Yogapedia.

Here we'll explore how aversion comes about in the first place, then ways to handle such experiences in a more positive way.

How Aversion Manifests

Aversion can manifest in the subtlest of ways. Recently, I was invited to dinner with friends at a restaurant where I had previously had a poor experience with the food. Despite my initial hesitation, I accepted the invitation and decided to go anyway. As I walked into the restaurant and greeted my friends, I felt my jaw clench and my shoulders tense in anticipation. I noticed I was having a full blown internal conversation with myself about how the food had sucked last time and how it was probably going to suck this time. It was similar to a panic attack, but about food! In retrospect, it sounds ridiculous, but there it is. What I was experiencing was a strong sense of aversion.

The reason aversion is so powerful is that when we attach our personal identity to our likes and desires, our mind becomes rigid and inflexible. Not unlike it’s sister klesha, raaga, or attachment, aversion is a grasping on to our personal preferences. It is rooted in a deep desire to avoid repeating painful experiences. This fear and rigidity can prevent us from experiencing life fully. It pulls us out of the present moment and throws us into the churn of our thinking mind. This can happen subtly and without drama, manifesting itself in the most benign of situations. Think about the last time you had to file your taxes and you waited until the first week in April to get them done, despite swearing that this year you'd file early. Doing your taxes is not an inherently enjoyable task for most of us. We are averse to it because it's just no fun! Most of us can easily find an example of aversion arising in our lives on a daily basis.

(More on The Nature of Fear & 5 Not-So-Scary Solutions.)

How to Handle Aversion

Mindfulness Training

The goal of yoga isn’t to obliterate aversion. Personal preferences are natural and part of what makes us human. According to the Yoga Sutras, even the most advanced yogis experience remnants of kleshas even after years of mastery. The aim of mindfulness training is to instead begin to notice more and more that sensation of internal pushback when things don’t go our way. Mastery is in acknowledging that aversion is arising within us, giving it an internal nod of recognition and then consciously choosing our actions. Our intention as yogis is to free ourselves from having our choices controlled by these thoughts and feelings. Awareness and mindfulness training will break the cycle.

(Find out why The Art of Mindfulness Is a Masterpiece of Moments in the 'Now' (5 Tips on How).)

Withhold Judgment

In extreme cases, aversion leads to judgment. Judgment leads to dehumanization of individuals, which then leads to dispute, hatred and war. By categorizing people or situations as fundamentally good or bad, we continue to foster a false dualistic image of reality.

Nothing is ever entirely good or inherently bad. Think about the Chinese symbol of yin and yang, or the Hindu union of Shiva and Shakti. Where there is light there is also dark; where there is dark there is also light. Where there is male there is feminine; where there is feminine there is male. We cannot have one without the other. Human existence is a spectrum of experiences, but when we fall into the trap of believing this, we end up promoting our own suffering.

Use Discernment

I am not advocating universal acceptance here. There is still discernment happening. This is to say that if we witness something that we feel a strong aversion to, we shouldn’t blindly accept it and do nothing. No. This would be a misunderstanding of the principle of aversion. However, when our personal opinions become obstacles to compassion, we end up living our lives out of fear-based patterns instead of fully in the present moment. Our resistance to pain or discomfort keeps us stuck in the past. This is what we are seeking to change when we begin to feel our preferences begin to influence our view of the world.

Acknowledge Aversion and Attain Inner Freedom

Through yoga and meditation, we can begin to train ourselves to become aware of our aversion to people and situations. By tapping into our awareness of dvesha and bringing our attention to our personal preferences as they arise, we can begin to cultivate a habit of non-judgment and create space for a more flexible mindset. This is where our true inner freedom lies.

(Read on for Be Brave, Be Free: 2 Yogis' Philosophy on Achieving Inner Freedom.)

The post Exploring Aversion (Dvesha): 3 Ways to Better Handle This Unwanted Feeling appeared first on Yogapedia.

Though I was there to see family, I also had to get some work done and had been promised a newly installed high speed internet connection to do so. After 12 hours of driving from Austin to Santa Fe, my neurotic self began to emerge, needing to get online and start writing.

The pink adobe house was completely off the grid. The fact that there was now Wi-Fi was a miracle. The home itself was filled with years of collected art, exotic textiles and gorgeous paintings by the artist in residence. It was an inspired place, an homage to creativity and beauty.

Outside the silence is so vast you could hear the wind coming off distant ridgelines. There was no sound of electricity, no drone of an air conditioning unit turning on and off, no traffic noises. Just pure rare silence. A writer's paradise. A yogi’s solace. A creative's dream.

(Lost in Noise? Find Yourself in Silence and Reboot Your Connection With the World)

But I wasn’t there for the magic. Nor was I there under the premise of recharging. I wanted to write and check things off my content creation to-do list. Okay, so maybe I did want to relax, a little. Maybe cool off in the aluminum horse trough that was set up as a cold plunge when the temperatures exceeded 100 degrees in the baking afternoons. The first few days were great. I logged into my work, knocked out a few items and got my habitual Instagram fix. Then the Internet went down.

Collectively, my family spent more than three hours troubleshooting, trying to get the Wi-Fi back up, but it was useless. No one could figure out what had happened and, because we were so remote, the Internet provider — which was really a co-op of other frontier dwellers — could not assist us for several days. So, I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I called my husband who is the head digital marketing honcho of a software company based in Texas. After I explained the situation to him, he laughed. I could hear his grin all the way through the crackling phone line. “Well,” he said “what did you do out there before there was Internet?” As I searched for alternatives, my mind pulled a total blank.

I had completely forgotten. What was it I had done before Internet had come to the boondocks? Be? No, that couldn't have been it. That was crazy, who just is anymore these days? I had just meditated a few days ago, hadn’t I? Didn’t that count? The truth was I was disconnected and I felt as if one my legs had been amputated.

My mind paced back and forth, restless and unsettled. As I felt into my body, I could sense the tightness in my chest and belly and the tension in my shoulders. In that moment all I could think about was how I had to get online. Not being able to connect was unacceptable.

I was a long-time yogi, a meditator, a student of Sanskrit. Why was I pulling a blank? It’s not as if I didn’t know. On an intellectual level, I got that what I was feeling was aversion. I was out of practice in the art of simply "being" and I had fallen into the modern day rut of constantly "doing." Truly being in the present moment was uncomfortable because I had to slow down and address my feelings of discomfort and impatience. My inner monologue went something like this: "Great, now I won’t be able to log my freelance hours. People will think I’m a flake. I won’t be able to update my resumé. Can’t order that birthday gift for my daughter off Amazon. Won’t be able to check my Instagram feed." And so on. A tiny voice in the back of my mind suppressed a laugh. There was so much noise in my mind that I had muffled my inner wisdom.

(More on the seemingly uncomfortable practice of Exploring Aversion.)

But as the sun made it’s way across the cloudless sky and the Internet silence stretched, something started to happen. A subtle change — at first, almost imperceptible — began to slip in. My body began to naturally still itself. At first I wasn’t consciously aware of it, but my shoulders began to leave their perch around my ears and drop down my back. My mind became calmer and the whirlwind of thoughts, the vritti, slowed. I took a seat on the wide flagstone patio outside the house. I felt the stillness expanding and heard the hummingbirds dart through the air in search of nectar. I saw the brilliant clarity of the turquoise Southwest sky. The wind blew through the pinion trees and I marveled at the innate peacefulness of raw nature. In that moment I realized that it was going to be okay. I could tap into the ever present nurturing stillness beneath the surface of my mental noise. I was unplugged.

I remembered the words of a sadhu I had met in India who had asked me, “If everything is on the Internet, then what’s left in you?” I contemplated those words. What was left in me was what Buddhists call the luminous ground of being, or in yogic terms, Brahman. This ground is the pure, unadulterated experience of reality as it is. It is the being-ness that underlies all the mental chatter.

My inner wisdom smiled at me from its ground of being. It had never left. I had needed to break from technology and reconnect to nature’s own ever-present broadband service. Laughing at myself, I grabbed a towel and, with renewed surrender, headed for the cooling waters of the cold plunge.

(Read on in Accompany the Divine Play of Nature and Connect With Nurturing Mother Earth.)

The post A Tale of Unexpectedly Unplugging, Freaking Out and, Finally, Reconnecting With My Inner Wisdom appeared first on Yogapedia.

“Judging a person does not define who they are, it defines who you are.” -Anonymous

When we give our mind over to the inner judge and jury, those around us begin to sense that it’s not safe for them to be vulnerable with us. Their trust diminishes and our relationships remain superficial. We armor our heart against the experience of true intimacy that comes from baring our soul, warts and all, to another human being. Learning to embrace who we are and becoming comfortable in our own skin is a gift we give not only to ourselves, but, ultimately, the world at large. When we communicate to those around us that the space we hold is one of acceptance and love, others can find peace in themselves and feel that it is safe to relax.

(Read more on this in Vulnerability and Bravery.)

Buddhism's 5 Moral Precepts

In Buddhism, there are five main moral precepts. They first originated as a set of behavioral rules for monks and nuns living together in communities. They are: non-harming, not taking what is not freely given, not gossiping or lying, abstaining from intoxicants and abstaining from sexual misconduct. These are similar in many ways to the five yamas of yogic philosophy: ahimsa, asteya, satya, brahmacharya and aparigraha.

(More on The 5 Yamas According to Patanjali.)

In our Western Zen tradition, these precepts have been further refined to more intentional and aspirational vows. Within this context, not gossiping is understood as the precept known as "Speaking of Others With Openness and Possibility." Judgment, of others (and self), falls under this precept. It usually occurs as a mental conversation we silently engage, or externally in the form of gossip in a group setting. The San Francisco-based Zen Abbess Diane Eshin Rizzetto discusses this precept in her book, “Waking Up To What You Do.” She says,

“Studying the ways in which we discuss the faults of others can reveal much about the ways in which we place walls between ourselves and the world in general. By creating this separation, we encourage the specialness of me. Feelings of inadequacy, imperfection, fear, and shame may be temporarily assuaged, but they are only pushed aside to reappear at another time.” -Diane Eshin Rizzetto

When we discuss the faults of others, we are passing judgment on them based on our expectations of how we think they should behave or what we think they believe. When we do this, we are simultaneously disowning that shadow part in ourselves that finds it’s own reflection in those faults. When we take up the way of speaking of others with openness and possibility, we learn to see ourselves with the same level of acceptance we hold for others. In practical terms, this means pausing before we launch into an inner dialog about, not just the faults of others, but our personal shortcomings as well.

Finding Beauty in the Broken

There is a beautiful practice in Japan when a tea cup or bowl is broken and it's called kintsugi. All the broken shards of pottery are carefully collected and the bowl is repaired by gluing the pieces back together. Gold lacquer is then used to highlight the cracks and fissures in the bowl, making them gleam in the light. The goal of this technique is to acknowledge and venerate the beauty in the broken. It elevates the bowl from a broken bowl to a work of art. This can be taken as a metaphor for mindful living.

When we feel broken, sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we are less than, less capable of weathering the ups and downs life throws our way and feeling ashamed. We think being broken isn’t okay. In kintsugi, the Japanese believe that what is broken and put back together is stronger and more lovely than it was before. It even has it’s own philosophy — kintsugi life — similar to that of wabi sabi: We are all human; therefore, we all suffer. However, our imperfections, our very brokenness, is what can make us exquisitely beautiful. This is one of the rewards of practicing this Zen Buddhist precept. When we learn to embody this precept, we make peace with ourselves, learning to view our own actions and missteps with openness and possibility.

(Read on in Moving Beyond Failure.)

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Detoxing Through Diet

During the cold winter months, we nourish ourselves by eating rich foods that insulate our body. It’s natural for us to put on an extra pound, but when spring comes around, we want to switch to eating foods that are lighter and allow us to shed weight in preparation for the summer months. Ayurveda considers spring to be a season where kapha dosha dominates and advises us to eat light, warming foods that are easy to digest. We can do this by increasing the amount of sattvic foods we consume. Bitter roots, such as dandelion greens, chard and kale, are great at cleansing the liver of toxins. Turmeric and ginger can help stoke our inner fire and get our digestive system back in order. (Learn more in 5 Ayurvedic Recipes to Stoke Your Inner Fire.)

Drinking tulsi tea will also support the detox process. This healing ayurvedic tea is made from holy basil leaves and is an excellent blood purifier and detoxifier. (Read about The Healing Powers of Tulsi Tea.)

Another way to help your body detox is by getting your lymphatic system to drain properly. Our body's lymphatic system is like a detox superhighway, and receiving a lymphatic massage is an effective way to jump start this process. Spring is a great time of year to consider a short fast, such as a juice fast, or going on a mono food diet like eating kitchari for a week. Avoid sugar and heavy or fired foods that are difficult to digest and hold little nutritional value. (Learn how to make this Simple Kitchari Recipe.)

Asanas and Breathing Exercises That Detox

There are many asanas in yoga that will help you rid your body of toxins. The most effective are those that directly stimulate the liver, kidneys, digestive system and lymph. Here are a few versions of each that you can try at home.

Forward Folds

These pose compresses the body’s digestive system and increase both the flow of blood and lymph into and out of the liver. Examples of forward folds include: uttanasana, head-to-knee pose and big toe pose.

Twists

All asanas that have a twisting component are great for stimulating the digestive system and helping the colon to eliminate more effectively. Eagle pose, though not technically a twist, is another option for compressing our extremities and flushing out toxins. Examples of twists include: half lord of the fishes pose, noose pose, and revolved triangle pose.

Inversions

Inversions great for moving lymph through the body as well as energizing the mind and flushing out congestion in the head. Examples of inversions include: headstand, shoulder stand, legs-up-the-wall, handstand, and halasana. (Learn more in 10 Benefits of Inversions.)

Pranayama

Oxygenating the blood helps purify the body and moves toxins out through our exhalations, sweat, and lymph. One of the most effective pranayama breathing exercises for this is kapalabhati, or shining skull breath. Kapalabhati works by rapidly oxygenating the cells in the brain and clearing out stale air in our lungs. It increases the flow of prana (life force energy) to our subtle body and lifts our mood, clears our mind and increases our energy level. (Learn about The Practice of Pranayama.)

Renewing with Mindfulness and Meditation

While detoxing our body is an important aspect to spring cleaning, clearing out the clutter of our mind is equally beneficial. There are two ways we can do this. The first, and one of my favorites, is by enjoying a digital detox. Just like we can go on a juice fast for a few days to start our spring detox, we can also unplug from our devices, smart phones, social media accounts, Netflix and habitual email checking to gain a fresh perspective on life and what matters most to us. Unplugging also assists with anxiety and nervous disorders, as the constant bombardment of information ceases and one is left to simply work on themselves. (Read more in The Joys of Unplugging.)

The second way to detox our mind is through meditation. When we learn to mindfully watch our thoughts as they arise and allow our inner spaciousness to grow we are make room for new, more beneficial thought patterns. Spring is the perfect time to start a meditation practice. Think of it as a second chance after New Years. The best way to begin meditating is slowly. You can take the metaphor of a blossom opening over the course of a few weeks. Start with a goal of five minutes each morning and work your way up to 20 minutes everyday. Morning is a good time to meditate because it will set a positive tone for the rest of your day. (Learn how in Meditation 101.)

Just like spring is the time of year when nature renews itself, it’s also a natural time for us to detox our body and mind. Take advantage of this opportunity to do a little self care and bring your body back into balance with nature's rhythms.

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When we live in a culture that places a premium on this particular body type, and we don’t fit the mold, it can be challenging to find acceptance of our own bodies. We may be older, heavier, shorter, wider, or not as bendy as some of the yogis that grace the glossy covers of yoga magazines and Instagram feeds. It can be easy to fall into the trap of self-judgement and sink into feelings of worthlessness.

The irony, of course, is that the practice of yoga is supposed to help us transcend our ego and ultimately find unity with the Divine. Yoga is a process by which we learn to uncover our higher Self and recognize that ultimately we are Brahman, and as such, perfect just as we are. (Learn more in So’ham. I Am That.)

In the spirit of reclaiming yoga as a tool for transformation and not as a yardstick of self-judgement, we have put together several suggestions and exercises to help you reconnect with the inherent beauty of you.

Appreciate the Miracle of You

Appreciation for the amazing things your body does is the perfect starting point in developing a deeper love for yourself. Here’s are just three of the many miraculous feats of renewal your body performs on a regular basis.

Think you’re the same person you were a decade ago? Your body completely regenerates all of its cells, that’s right folks, all of them, in a 7 year period. That means, today, all the cells in your body are completely different from the cells that were there 7 years ago!

Even more amazing is that your skeletal system, all the bones in your body, renew themselves completely every 3 months. That means all new bones four times a year!

As the largest organ in your body, your skin makes up approximately 16 percent of your total body weight. It is the single biggest barrier against bacteria and viruses and renews itself completely every 28 days.

As you reflect on the amazing feats your body performs you can begin to cultivate a little more gratitude for this house you live in. Thank your body for everything it does.

Your Body, Your Home

Take a few minutes and think about all the things you use your body for on a daily basis.

For example, if you’re a mom, that includes chauffeuring the kids back and forth to school, making breakfast, or caring for a sick parent. If you’re a yoga instructor, that means demonstrating asanas to your students in class and physically holding space for them. Your body is your home, it takes you from place to place, through your life and allows you to accomplish all the things you do. It’s your soul’s primary residence.

Next, ask yourself, what have you been doing to care for your body in return? Do you schedule time for meditation or do you have a mindfulness practice? Do you exercise regularly, or do any other type of body-mind centering practices like pranayama or tai-chi? What about food? Have you been eating foods that fuel your body?

Become a Compassionate Observer

If you like to journal, carve out some time on a daily basis to jot down your thoughts and feelings about your body. Your body is your emotional memory bank. It can be an incredible teacher if you know how to listen and what questions to ask it.

A powerful journaling exercise is to keep a log of all the thoughts and feelings you have about your body image. Simply write them down in your journal. It helps to have a place dedicated specifically to this exercise. Remember, a journal is a safe space for you to express your vulnerability.

At the end of the week, review your body thoughts and look for patterns. There will usually be a couple recurring themes. Identify what thoughts keep coming up for you and begin to bring awareness to those thoughts as they arise in your day-to-day life. If you can, look for triggers that set those thoughts into motion. As you get more practice witnessing those thoughts as they arise you will be able to have more freedom around how you choose to react to them.

For example, you may have the persistent thought: “I hate the stretch marks on my belly!” You are now aware that it’s a thought you ruminate about on a regular basis and that it no longer serves you. Now, experiment with flipping the thought on its head. Look for a creative affirmation, even if it’s tiny, to be grateful to those stretch marks. For example, “Thank you skin for helping keep my baby safe and in place while it grew in my belly for 9 months.”

Over time, you will find it easier to overwrite negative thinking patterns with uplifting ones. This particular journaling exercise can be applied to any negative recurring thought pattern. (Read more in Finding Beauty in the Broken.)

Connect With a Body Scan

Another way to foster self-love and understanding is to connect with your body through a body scan meditation. You can do this meditation anywhere, even on the subway. Start by taking a deep breath and feeling the air travel into your lungs. Feel your diaphragm rise and fall. Feel deeply into your belly. Allow your belly to soften, let it pouch out. Bring your awareness to your feet and explore the sensations you feel. Get granular in your exploration. What sensations can you feel between the creases of the skin on the soles of your feet? Continue in this manner all the way up your body, ending in the crown of your head. When your done, take note of how you feel versus how you felt when you began the meditation. Did you discover any places that felt numb? Or places where you were surprised to find tension? Send those places some love and gratitude. Make a mental note and explore the feeling tone or bhavana next time you sit down to write. This meditation can be used a prelude to the above journaling exercise. (Learn more in Discovering Yourself Through a Body Scan Meditation)

Find Body Positivity Heros

Lastly, seek our others who are champions of body positivity in our community. There are many yogis and yoginis out there who are vocal advocates for accepting our bodies as they are. Look for them locally, there are body positive yoga studios popping up all over the United States. They’re even on social media! Many of them, like Jessamyn Stanley @mynameisjassamyn and Anne Guest-Jelley @curvyyoga speak openly about their own journey to body acceptance. These yoginis can be a great inspiration to all of us on the path to self-compassion and self-acceptance. Seek them out and make them part of your tribe.

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Starting your own yoga home practice can feel daunting. You might be asking yourself questions like, "When is the best time to practice, what asana should I practice and in what order?" What do you do when there’s no yoga teacher there to tell you which asana to flow to next? Should you incorporate a meditation practice as well or not? These are just a few of the questions we are faced with when deciding to commence a home practice. To help you jump start your own practice we have compiled a list of six home practice drafts get you inspired and push forward with creating the right sadhana for you.

Schedule a Time to Practice

Schedule a specific time for your practice each day and put it on your calendar. First thing in the morning is the traditional time to practice yoga. In Mysore India, home of Ashtanga yoga, yogis get up at 3 am every morning to begin their asana practice by 5 am. They practice during Brahma muhurta, otherwise known as the ambrosial hour to boost energy levels and connect with the Divine. To increase your chances of actually doing yoga, roll out your yoga mat the night before so it’s one of the first things you see when you get up. You can even set a reminder on your smartphone. Start with 15 minutes per day, then gradually build up until you have a consistent one-hour practice each day. (Read on in What Time of Day is Brahma Muhurta?)

Listen to Your Body

What yoga poses do you naturally love to do? Pick a handful of favorites, and start with those to get in the right mindset. Relish the time you have carved out of your busy life to nurture both your mind and body through the practice of asana. It’s a lot easier to step onto your yoga mat if you know that you’re going to be doing poses that feel good to your body. Some yogi favorites are; child's pose, sukhasana, happy baby pose, and supine twist.

Salute the Sun

Sun Salutations are the foundation sequence for all Ashtanga yogis. This is partly because sun salutations were historically done to salute the sun as it rose on the horizon. It was, and still is, a way to pay homage to the sun god and rejoice in the opportunity of rebirth that each new day holds. Sun salutations are an effective way to warm up the entire body, head to toe. The sequencing inherent in sun salutations is a time-proven way to get you invigorated for the day ahead. (Learn more in 8 Benefits of Daily Surya Namaskara.)

Explore a New Sequence

Here’s a beginner friendly one to get your started. Begin on your mat with cat-cow pose. It’s an excellent asana to warm up the spine first thing in the morning. Move into balasana or child’s pose from there and then into downward-facing dog. Take a few moments to breathe in down dog.

Peddle out your feet by bending one knee first and then the other. Come into anjaneasana (low lunge) on your right side. Breathe for two to three breaths and then switch to the left side before coming back into down dog. From there, walk your feet up into uttanasana before you come up to standing in tadasana (mountain pose). Bring your hands into prayer position at your heart center. Pause and breathe, stretching your arms out wide to each side and swooping them up overhead. Grasp the left wrist with the right hand. Extending through your side body stretch to your right, so that your left side lengthens. Breath, then come back up to center and switch sides. End in tadasana, hands at heart center. This low impact beginner sequence should take 10 to 15 minutes. (Learn more in How Do I Evolve My Sadhana?)

Meditate as Part of Your Sadhana

Spend a few minutes in seated asanas like butterfly pose and seated twists to warm up the low back and hips, before settling into baddha konasana for 10 minutes of meditation. You could add five minutes of alternate nostril breathing to help ground the body further before you begin meditating. Set a timer with a chime for 10 to 15 minutes and do a simple breath awareness meditation. On each inhale, feel the breath expand your diaphragm. On each exhale, feel the breath release through your nose. Meditation is the goal of yoga, so why not make it the focal point of your home practice? Remember, a home practice is not limited to asana only. (Learn this 10-Minute Meditation.)

Include Pranayama in Your Home Practice

Practice some yogic breathing exercise. Pranayama is very effective in helping us detox and clear out stagnant energy. It’s also surprisingly warming. Try kapalabhati, or shining skull breath to focus your energy and invigorate your body. To perform kapalabhati, start seated in an upright cross-legged position. Place one hand on your belly and inhale and exhale deeply. On your next inhale, breathe in through your nose until your lungs are ¾ of the way full. Using your hand as a gentle reminder, quickly and strongly exhale through your nose using the muscles of your diaphragm to expel the air. Let your lungs inhale softly and naturally on the inhale. Do this for a round of ten breaths, and then, pause to take a deep inhale and exhale. You can repeat another round of ten, working your way up to three or four cycles. When you're done, pause and allow your breathing to return to it’s natural state. Take stock of how your body feels. (Read about how Conscious Breathing Will Boost Your Yoga Practice.)

Play around with these suggestions and then choose one to commit to for the next 30 days. As your practice evolves, feel free to modify your home practice to suite your individual needs and preferences. Creating a home practice is all about consistency and experimentation. What you need will change from day-to-day, season to season. Having your own home practice gives you the freedom to adjust to your body’s needs in a way that is most beneficial to you. It’s also a wonderful stepping stone into other spiritual practices like having a daily sadhana. (Learn How to Create Your Own Unique Sadhana.)

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