ae9fe2 No.186
Use this thread to report in on your daily/weekly/monthly practices.
I chart mine in excel to watch my progress and to make sure I am hitting all eight limbs (or that I will, I haven't gotten there yet).
Today I have already done a few quick asana before my pranayama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rAZH9S5w2I
After Pranayama I did a few minutes of pratyahara.
Still need to do a full asana set today as well as dharana. Also need to research dhyana and samadhi techniques.
ae9fe2 No.205
Did 15 minutes of pranayama + pratyahara this morning.
ae9fe2 No.236
YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.
I've been forgetting to update this thread.
Yesterday I had a decent asana flow (see attached YouTube) but my pratyahara and dharana were just miserable. Very mentally perturbed yesterday, just couldn't settle into the breath and flow, couldn't quiet the mind or let it settle. Meh. C'est la vie.
I'm about to go do my first pratyahara + pranayama session break. Lunch break will be asana and pranayama. Last break should be dharana and pranayama.
ae9fe2 No.326
Saturday was my one day off a week from asana/meditation. Spent it with family, so I guess I still count yama and niyama. :)
Did some asana and pranayama yesterday, which naturally leads to some amount of pratyahara and dharana, but did not focus on those two specifically. Still trying to get in a swing on these lower six limbs before getting up to dhyana and hopefully samadhi.
Today: 15 mins pranayama + pratyahara. 30 mins asana + pranayama. 15 mins pranayama + dharana.
Updated my chart, attached.
ae9fe2 No.332
Felt like my practice yesterday was pretty good. I think I'm ready to start really getting more serious about asana, as I've always believed in the inherent connection between body and mind, but now as I grow with yoga it becomes a whole new level. Clearing out the energy paths of the body, whether that is something spiritual (chakras) or merely material (circulation, lymphatic system), helps considerably in meditation. It sounds kind of obvious (I believe the entire point of the asanas was to aid in meditation) but it is good to reflect on, especially when I see it in my own practice.
I'm trying to really connect the pranayama, pratyahara, and dharana while going through the asana, all of which I think fulfills the yama and niyama. Concentrate the awareness internally on the breath and the body as I work through the poses. Maintain it, and return to the breath/body when the mind wonders. It's tough, just like meditation is tough at first. But it connects all six of these limbs together, even when I go and work on each one individually, I bring them back together and it is a stronger whole.
It's like having a wooden cart with eight wheels. I can work to make each wheel as smooth as possible, but it's only when trying to move the cart as a whole do you really get a feel for what needs work.
ae9fe2 No.335
Practice yesterday felt good again, I'm getting back into the swing of meditation which is sorely missed.
I'm definitely ready to start branching out into more serious asana, but for now while I have my current routine, I'm trying to focus on gently getting as deep as I can into each pose. I'll need to balance this out later for the places I am missing (like the hamstrings).
I am really liking this page as far as mental information downloading goes: http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-intro.htm
ae9fe2 No.336
I think it's a good sign that I am doing pratayahara correctly when I don't even hear my end-of-meditation alarm go off! :P
ae9fe2 No.341
I'm going to switch it up a little today. I'm feeling ok with pratyahara but I know my dharana definitely needs work.
Plan for today:
1st break: 12 min Breath, Sound, Body Meditation @ http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
Lunch: Asana + pranayama
2nd break: 9 min Loving Kindness Meditation @ http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
ae9fe2 No.342
>>341
I have to say, I wasn't much of a fan of 12 min Breath, Sound, Body Meditation @ http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22. Too much talking, then too little talking.
ae9fe2 No.357
Meditation today was less focused on each limb and more on integrating all of them that I've been working on together.
Guide:
http://www.swamij.com/stepsmeditation.htm
TL;DR
1. Stretch the body
2. Scan the body, relax
3. Pranayama, breath control
4. Pratyahara + dharana leads to dhyana
Steps:
http://www.swamij.com/oneline-yoga-meditation-world.htm
World -> Senses -> Body -> Breath -> Mind -> Silence
ae9fe2 No.358
>>357
Forgot the chart. July looks pretty good now that it is in the books. I'm being harsher to myself in regards to the yama/niyama. Just trying to hold myself accountable and up to a higher standard.
July is the best month yet for asana, pranayama, pratyahara, and dharana. Yay! Hopefully everything is closer to 100% next month, and I think it is time to really research dhyana and add that limb to the mix (intentionally at least, I assume it is already "hidden" in what I am doing).
ae9fe2 No.369
1st break today: 15 minutes of pratyahara + dharana + dyhana. Trying to take this up a level, went about as well as I expected it to.
Lunch: Some asana, pranayama.
2nd break: 15 minutes of pratyahara + dharana + dyhana.
ae9fe2 No.372
YouTube embed. Click thumbnail to play.
Meditations today went ok.
First break was a little more hopeful than realistic, although it wasn't totally a waste of time.
Lunch today went actually pretty good, my Baddha Konasana is getting better, I might just get those knees to the ground sometime in this life. My goal is to get into full lotus position eventually.
Last break was also…just ok.
I'm going to try tomorrow to go pratyahara + dharana first break instead of shooting to go directly to dhyana. Then asana and pranayama at lunch. Last break will focus on dhyana.
ae9fe2 No.377
Yesterday was a total write-off. No real yoga done except yamas and niyamas.
Today is going better, pratyahara and dharana meditation already went well. Looking forward to asana and then later dhyana. Attached an updated chart, I found some older info on previous months this year and added August numbers so far this month.
ae9fe2 No.403
I'm still sticking with my routine, morning pratyahara and dharana. Lunchtime asana and pranayama. Afternoon dyhana.
Meditation this morning was ok. I was more aware of myself drifting off into thought and continuously brought my mind back to the inner-world and my breathing. I'm using a concentration on breathing as my technique, for a number of reasons. Most of all because that's how I've been meditating for years, but it is also recommended in a number of texts, and, well, you've always got your breath with you. :)
This allows me to meditate even while working, sitting in meetings, waiting in line, etc. Just come back to the here and now, focus on the breathing, be mindful of the body and the sensory input (whether I choose to allow all six sense gates to be open or try and close them off). I have a timer set on my computer to remind me to focus on the breath and stretch every 30 minutes.
I have to admit I am proud of my progress so far. Self control and self mastery have always been goals of mine.
ae9fe2 No.407
Feeling very dull minded today (Mudha). Meditation this morning was easily distracted. Lunchtime asana/pranayama helped. Hopefully afternoon meditation is better.
Glad to see my percentages staying high in August.
ae9fe2 No.409
Today is at least an improvement from Mudha (dull) mind to Vikshipta (distracted) mind. Although my "monkey mind" really does dictate my behavior more than I'd care to admit. But that's why I'm here, that's why I do yoga, that's why I meditate. To overcome my self.
Haven't done any specific techniques yet today, just wanted to come here and post that thought.
ae9fe2 No.410
Practice today is going ok. Not bad, not phenomenally good.
Really need to learn to focus better, really drill down on concentration meditation more.
ae9fe2 No.413
Meditation this morning was pretty good. Lost concentration a number of times, getting caught up in exterior sounds or trains of thought, but I was able to bring myself back to my breath again and again. Trying to continue this through the day, I really should start a meditation session first thing in the morning, or at least first thing at work.
I tried to follow this, and end up at the breath level for concentration on the breath:
http://www.swamij.com/oneline-yoga-meditation-world.htm
Interesting read on concentration vs mindfulness (TL;DR do both):
http://www.swamij.com/mindfulnessconcentration.htm
ae9fe2 No.422
Didn't do Dhyana Friday, Saturday was planned off, but yesterday was another crap-out day. Didn't get anything Yoga done.
Today hasn't been much better. Meditation game weak. Asana and pranayama helped. Here's to hoping my afternoon dyhana today is ok.
ae9fe2 No.425
Feeling good about my practice today.
I was able to stretch my hands over my toes the other night, that was really neat. I don't think I've ever been that flexible in my entire life, even when I was doing martial arts!
Meditation feels like it is getting back on track to where I was before my hiatus. Getting better about remembering to check back in to the moment throughout the day as well.
ae9fe2 No.428
Feeling pretty good about my practice lately. Nothing super special, just small daily baby steps forward. I'm glad to be on this wave of momentum.
ae9fe2 No.430
Hmmm, two weeks in a row of weak Friday practice, intentionally taking Saturday off, and then not finding time on Sunday. I need a better routine.
I think from now on yama, niyama stay at 100% erryday level, but I'm going to try and add pranayama, pratyahara, dharana and dhyana to the daily. I'm only going to take asana off once a week, and maybe Sunday instead of Saturday. And even then, I might just end up doing asana-light on my day "off" if I need to, just to keep the momentum.
ae9fe2 No.432
It's funny when my monkey mind doesn't want to do yoga and wants to be lazy. It's always untrue. I do want to do yoga, and I always feel better afterwards.
Meditation is getting better. Feeling pretty good at this point in time.
ae9fe2 No.434
Feeling pretty good today, I'm determined not to peter-out like I usually do on Fridays. I also want to make sure I hit everything but asana tomorrow if time allows.
Meditation is getting better, asana is starting to flatten out. I think I'm ready to start tackling more challenging asana.
ae9fe2 No.436
Had a good session last night as well as today. August is in the can! Pretty proud of myself for the best month of yoga I've ever done. Here's to working at making September even better!
ae9fe2 No.439
Practice is going well, I feel. It is strange to watch your own mind at times. To see it battle against itself. Very dissociative.
I'm sad that http://www.swamij.com/ has been down for a few days. :(
ae9fe2 No.444
Practice feels like it is going well. In some ways, this is the most flexible I think I've ever been in my entire life. :)
Meditation game is getting better, I like the guided meditation remix I made.
ae9fe2 No.447
Three day weekend…Saturday was planned off, although I wanted to meditate. Did not. Sunday and Monday were also total write offs.
I'm not tripping over it or making a big deal out of it. I'm here today, I'll be meditating and doing yoga today. :)
ae9fe2 No.452
Practice yesterday went well, despite the three day hiatus. Trying to remain mindful of my breath throughout the day. Trying to remind myself to relax. Trying to remind myself to focus.
ae9fe2 No.454
http://www.swamij.com/ is back up! Yay! :D
Meditation this morning went well. I'm kind of visualizing my day as a dark length, and mindfulness meditation moments are like spots of light along that length of darkness. The more mindful and focused I am, the larger the light. The longer this state is maintained, the larger the light.
How long can I maintain that light through the day?
How bright can that light get?
What would it be like to carry that light all day, from waking in the morning til sleep at night?
What about maintaining it through the sleep cycle?
ae9fe2 No.461
Practice is going ok. Didn't get any yoga done yesterday, went out on the lake instead. :^)
ae9fe2 No.464
Practice is going well, I need to start getting more diverse in my asana I think, but overall I think I am making progress and am happy with the path so far.
ae9fe2 No.466
Meditation is going up and down. Sometimes it is really easy to get into the flow, to visualize and everything. Sometimes its like trying to keep a child with ADHD on task, silly monkey mind.
Asana too, feels like I am plateauing. Need to step up my game.
ae9fe2 No.469
Got some yoga in yesterday, instead of a total waste of a Sunday again! Yay! Go me!
ae9fe2 No.470
Routine yesterday was pretty off, no asana, no second meditation. Hmm. Gotta get back on the horse today.
I was thinking of changing back to three periods of meditation during the day and asana at night. I might try that today, I am feeling very stressed lately.
ae9fe2 No.473
So I went with three period of meditation yesterday (15, 30, 15) with pranayama, and did asana and a bonus meditation session (15 min) at home in the evening. It was really nice, I think I might try that again today.
ae9fe2 No.475
Didn't do asana again yesterday. Hmm. Meditation has been nice though, I do really like the 30 min lunch meditation.
d5a48e No.477
Took yesterday off as usual. Did some asana today but nothing more than that.
ae9fe2 No.479
Yesterday was a nice, full day of yoga including asana at night. Very pleasant day in that regard.
ae9fe2 No.481
So this month was pretty good. Not quite as high as last month but that's ok. I like doing three meditation sessions during the day and asana at night, I think that will be the new standard for me going into October.
ae9fe2 No.483
I seem to be slowing down a bit in my yoga lately, which isn't alarming but I am aware of it and noticing it. There are seasons and patterns in our lives. I haven't given up entirely or anything. :)
I'm looking forward to practice today. Friday was another throw-away day.
ae9fe2 No.484
Didn't do asana again yesterday. Not a total write off day, but I didn't make time in the evening like I know I should have. Oh well, that's in the past now.
Asana tonight! :)
ae9fe2 No.486
Got through my asana last night. That makes me happy. :)
ae9fe2 No.489
My practice is starting to slip, for real. I'm missing breaks and meditation sessions. I'm missing asana and I'm not stretching throughout the day.
But I made sure to get in my meditation this morning and it felt good. I'm going to do asana tonight for sure.
6a50ed No.490
ae9fe2 No.491
My game is off this month. I've kind of…lost momentum with yoga. Ironically, classes would be great for me right now!
I'm not stressing over it. Things in life come in seasons and waves. I'm on a down-trend with yoga now, but I'm sure it will pick back up again in the future, and it's not like I'm at zero yoga ATM.
ae9fe2 No.495
Did some asana last night, but no meditation yesterday. Practice this month seems light, but not completely given up.
Still enjoying more meditation throughout the day. I find my stress levels are much better and I'm able to take more on, mentally, without breaking down. More resilient.
ae9fe2 No.496
Did asana again yesterday, but not a full daily routine.
I'd like to try and get a full daily routine in today, 15 min meditation, 30 min meditation, 15 min meditation, asana at night.
ae9fe2 No.499
Did my asana yesterday, although I missed my second 15 min meditation session.
ae9fe2 No.501
Did my asana yesterday, and one session of pranayama/meditation. I don't know why I ever not do yoga, I always feel so much better afterwards.
ae9fe2 No.509
I seem to be the only regular on my own board, which is sad and lonely, but also somehow refreshing. I guess my own shit-posts don't stink?
Anywho, 2015 ended on a down note. Such is life. 2016 is looking up. Sun faced Buddha, Moon faced Buddha.
ae9fe2 No.536
This year is going pretty good so far! I definitely get more asana in during the sunny summertime.
6a50ed No.538
>>536
What do the percentages mean?
ae9fe2 No.540
>>538
I track my life activity data in excel. I think of it like journaling for nerds. I tend to lose focus and let me interests wander (I'm an INTP) so this helps me stay on track, stay focused.
Anyway, I track all eight limbs of yoga daily. So if I reasonably follow yama and niyama, I mark a 1 for that day. If not, I leave it a zero. I do the same for asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dyana, and samadhi. If i do them, 1. If not, 0.
Then I total it up for the month and track the percentage rates of success. What % of the days in January did I do dharana meditation? Over half, actually, 61%! How does that compare to the month before, December? An improvement! I only did dharana 48% of the days in December. What about the month after, are we seeing an upward trend from Dec to Jan to Feb? Yes! 79% of the time in Feb I did dharana meditation practices. That motivates me to beat 79% for this month, March! :)
Namaste!
6a50ed No.542
>>540
Interesting method. Is the chart supposed to be showing the data in the table? It doesn't match up.
ae9fe2 No.545
>>542
LOL, I didn't even see that, you're totally right. Excel, ugh.
Fixed.