/yoga/ - Yoga

Day 1

I started this about 5 minutes after I woke up this morning. Usually I have the habit of cracking my neck and back right when I get out of bed, but since I discovered this board and happen to come across this specific thread just last night, I wanted to do something substantial for my body, and to ease into asanas instead of cranking my body right away. For now, asanas are all I have desire to work on. I understand that asanas are just a platform to prepare a part of your self for meditation, but I have selfish and vain reasons for starting out in this way, and I am alright with being honest to myself about this. I want to be strong, yet aethesticly slender, and get there soley by relieing on my body weight. I hope to gain strength where it has been lost before, and stengthen my positive outlook on my body as a whole. What I put into my body will now matter more than it ever has. I am at an average when it comes to self-discipline, but I want to strengthen that where possible. Over all, Day 1 is a success and I am now prepared to move forward.

>>234

Glad to hear it!

You sound very self-reflective and self-honest, which I think is a good thing!

Don't beat yourself up for only focusing on the third limb asana as in reality, it hits all 8 limbs at once. You are being good to yourself, good to others (yama and niyama), focusing your breathing (pranayama), focusing on what is going on internally physically and mentally (pratyahara), as well as concentrating (dharana). If you devote this time to God, then you hit Dhyana as well, and eventually these will all set the causes and conditions necessary to reach samadhi, which is the general goal of Yoga but maybe not for yourself. Maybe it is?

Just take it a day at a time, stick to your goals and resolutions and you'll be fine. If interest in focusing on another limb comes in time, then it does! If it doesn't, then it doesn't! :)

I tried to make a thread for each limb, so if curiosity strikes you, check 'em out!

Namaste!

Day 2

With following this challenge through, I'm thinking I will begin each day within a few minutes of waking up. Although it's not close to being proficient, I'm beginning to develop a sense of self awareness and the emotions that attach with it. Yesterday I was not present through out my day; I was in constant concentration on what would come of tomorrow and the challenges that awaited me. There was no concentration of the challenges that faced the day. I want to find a way to center my self in times of stress because unfortunately, I don't know how to do that, and I can see where It hinders me. This morning my balance was challenged by a certain pose, (I have no idea what it's called) but I had my left arm extended along with my right leg and vice versa. The pose was based on my knees, but I was still shaky despite that. I might repeat the challenge later on in the day to strengthen my practice and see what I missed today. Day 2 is a success.

I appreciate the affirmations, I'll be carrying myself through out the day a little more easier than expected because of them. As for now, my goals mentally are minimal, or slightly non existent because I don't know what set goals look like in terms of mentality. I have a friend that is going to work with me on codependency starting later on today, I just have to make the call. This is a huge flaw I have and has hindered me from even attempting to focus on anything spiritual. Perhaps as I carry on through these challenges and work to release the mental blocks I own, I will find enthusiasm in the other limbs as well. I like that I cover a lot of them through asanas, which I feel is a great start for me being a more centered person. (Again, I don't know what that looks like). Thank you for making separate threads for each of the limbs, I'm glad this gives me opportunity to strike curiosity within my own time.

>>325

No problem, I'm glad not to be alone on this board anymore. lol!

But keep at it: the benefits often don't come as quickly as we would like, and when they do, it can be such a gradual process it is hard to notice. That is why I think check-in threads and journals are important, we should keep track of how far we have come!

You sound like you would really benefit from some simple awareness meditation on the breath. Have you ever tried that? Even 5 minutes a day really starts to add up over time! Worth considering! :)

Namaste!

Day 3

I was sleep deprived and tired yesterday. I still did my practice, but I didn't post it here. There was reluctancy in completing day three which came from lack of sleep an just over all feeling out of place. I'm glad I have this stability of practice to look forward to, when other aspects of my life don't. Day 3 was a slow and unimaginative success.

Day 4

This day's practice was much more fruitful than yesterday's. I felt my lower back pop as I went into child's pose, and the sensation was close to bliss. Although, yesterday and today, I didn't start in the morning. More towards the afternoon actually, which I find my self not enjoying as much. I didn't feel much of a challenge today, but more of a release and understanding of my body. I have been eating a lot of candy and junk food in the past two days and I need to cut that off quickly if I want my body to be in the best condition it can possibly be in. Day 4 is a success

The benefits that could be gained mentally has already begun to flower. Awareness meditation seems like something I would be willing to try, I'm very interested! I can also see where that would potentially benefit me in my practice and in being among stressful scenarios. I appreciate the suggestion you made for me. It seems to be one that would do nothing but benefit me.

>>330

Some days it really pays off immediately to do yoga, like when you get a good pop like that. :)

Other days are like day 3, even for me and I've been meditating for years. Sometimes you just "go through the motions" but even then, it still helps. It still changes your inner-workings, the practical functions of your body and mind still respond, even when you don't "feel it". Just stick to it the best you can!

If you want to try out meditation, I think guided meditations are a great way to start. I'd suggest the 10 minute one from Sam Harris here:

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/mindfulness-meditation

As I personally like his voice, respect him as a neuro-scientist/Buddhist, and 10 minutes is a perfect length of time. Fit it in on a break at work, between classes, whatever, you know?

UCLA has some free ones as well, although I haven't reviewed them yet:

http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=107

Feel free to come back and ask any questions! Meditation can be a little weird at first (turning the mind back onto itself. Aware of your own awareness. Concentrating on your own concentration. You'll see!).

Namaste!

Day 5

Today is a great day for awareness in my body. Breaking into my stretches was nice, other than my body being somewhat tense. Leading myself into practice in the morning noticeably changes how I want to conduct myself through out the day. I started writing down my life story last night, which is somewhat of an assignment given to me by my friend that wants to work on codependency and other things that block me mentally. I never realized how much energy and mental effort it takes to write down one's earliest memories, family, and significant events in life leading up to now, and I find it a little draining. This act of self reflection was extremely overwhelming for me and led me to have really strange dreams. The accountability of my practice this morning led me to a place that made it alright to self reflect. Day 5 is a success.

These resources act as intrinsic gifts for me, I will try out the meditation today and perhaps tomorrow as well. I'll let you know how the process went for me on Day 6. Thank you!

>>333

Thanks for the update, I love reading your story unfold. :)

I've thought about trying to write my life story before as well. I'm at least journaling for now, plus updating my yoga thread here.

Yoga and meditation allow us time to reflect on who we are. Knowing who we are today, along with who we were in the past, helps us shape who we want to be in the future.

What is the best version of "you"? :)

Namaste!

Day 6

Today's practice focused a lot on abdominals, and went seemingly fast. It took me awhile to get into the motion because I had a lot of distractions today; I live with other people. My patience ran a little thin today. I found my self being a little aggressive where it wasn't necessary, and I need to learn to channel that into passion because I feel that could lead to self destruction. Despite this, I did have a bright side to my flaw for the day. In addition to today's practice, I did an hour long session of ashtanga through this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2wYN1IhnXT4 . I was of course not able to do every pose, but I was able to do a majority of it, without too much struggle. I enjoyed the the temporary repetition and the true feeling of being in the moment gained from doing that session. My whole body was in a sweat and I haven't experienced something like that in months. I loved it. I'm anticipating muscle soreness, but it truly was worth it. Day 6 is a success

I tried the breathing meditation yesterday, and it awakened my senses for a good 2 hours after I was finished. My awareness to the environment around me heightened to a fine tune and I don't have many words to describe it, but it was somewhat beautiful. Thank you for that guided meditation, I would have never expected something that great out of it. I don't know what I'm to expect out of journaling my life story, but my friend told me it would turn out exactly the way it is supposed to be. Put simply, the best version of my self would be having the best possible awareness physically and mentally. I'm hoping to achieve that moving forward.

>>339

I'm embedding that YouTube video, thank you for sharing that. Which meditation did you do, exactly?

It sounds like you are making great strides! Your yoga strengthens your meditation, and your meditation strengthens your yoga. The body and the mind are not two separate things that operate independently, right? So training one or the other is good, but training both together is best. Martial artists and yogis have known this secret for centuries.

If I could make one suggestion from a meditative perspective: what if, instead of trying to control your aggression and trying to turn it into passion, you were just…present with it? Just observe it. What does aggression feel like in the body? Physically, what does your core feel? Your neck and shoulders? What is the mind doing during this all of this? Can you "step back" and watch your emotional state unfold? Watch your mind think? Can you observe thoughts without attaching yourself to them, in other words, watch your thoughts without thinking "these are my thoughts"?

Namaste!

Day 7

My body was sore this day, but my breath eased me through the practice. I didn't get to start when I would have preferred, but the effect was minimal. A lot of distractions today, but I still managed to stay centered and balanced; even after practice. Day 7 was a success.

I did the Sam Harris guided meditation, and the results astounded me. Reminding myself that the breath is my connection between my mental and physical state with following through the asanas helps me understand the position my body is put in on both sides. As for being present and along side with my emotions, I think that is something I could achieve. It seems like a new perspective entirely

Day 8

This day for me cleared my worries about my sore body. My breath is the common theme for me in the past two days, and I feel content despite knowing where my torn muscle fibers are and letting that hinder me. Day 8 is a success

Day 9

I now have concise motivation and reason to continue my practice after the challenge is over. I'm reluctant to pay for classes and mats, so I want to strengthen my home practice as much as my resources let me do so. My outlook on the life that presents itself infront of me is significantly more fuild, meaning I don't see as much obstacles as before. I have the ability to move myself forward while letting things unfold infront of me, physically and mentally.

>>364

You are making great progress!

What makes you think you need to spend any money? Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years without commercial yoga mats or commercial classes.

Once you have an understanding of what each limb entails and start really trying to work them, then the only thing you need is someone to check in with to correct things. Until that point, where you feel you really need a guru, I wouldn't bother spending a dime!

Keep up the hard work, I think you've already convinced yourself of the value in what you are doing, and started a positive upward spiral. I look forward to your updates. :^)

Namaste!

Days 10-14

My muscles are healed up and I can now fully enjoy the stretching aspect of my practice. It's taking time for my self without being selfish, and I can love my practice independently, without guilt. I have been searching for a consistent source of self improvement, and actually receiving what I have been asking, in detail of what I wanted for myself. My practice is beginning to become a possession that flowers over time. It feels as if I'm tending to a plant when I have been doing this without fail everyday. I fear lack of consistency when life gets more busy; I don't have tools to stay grounded when a wind storm picks up if that makes any sort of sense. Despite this I have had the dicipline to continue adding to a foundation that has just begun to settle. Days 10-14 was and is a success.

A lot of people pay for learning asanas and other limbs of yoga, and it comes accoss as the right thing to do, and paying for the service and knowledge gained from someone else willing to teach it. I'm not following the "right thing to do" which shouldn't matter, but I've realized this is a small mental blockage from achieving clarity.

>>385

I think what you and I are doing here, going "rogue" so to speak without a proper guru, can be dangerous, but doesn't have to be. Who taught the first yogis? Who taught Siddhartha Gautama Buddhism? Nobody, they figured this stuff out on their own.

Yoga is a method for knowing yourself. Who can do this for you? Only you can know the inner you, the true self. A guru helps, of course, but for now I think we are making good progress.

Your progress is encouraging!

Namaste!