Sunday 8 January 2017

Simple Breathing Practices -1 : Observation of the Natural Breath

Meditation is one of the important parts of our yoga practice in long term, but it's not possible to be successful on this easily. It takes time to maintain a regular and efficient meditation practice.

First of all you should be able to stay for at least couple minutes (and eventually maybe an hour or more if you're lucky to get there) without moving around so your body should have a good physical condition to keep staying upright.

You should feel comfortable with keeping the eyes closed eventhough this is not a must as there are some kind of meditations that you can do with open eyes or lowering the gaze... Keeping the eyes closed is one of the struggles that we have in our mind, it's not physical , it's a mental obstacle.


If these kind of things put you off doing meditation maybe you should start from the beginning.


I'll be talking about according to my own experiences and my own struggles here.


Most of people thinks meditation means having nothing in mind, not thinking about anything, so you have a blank mind which is impossible. This point deserves to be a seperate topic therefore I'll leave this here.


Begin with simple breathing practices...


ps: Read below script couple of times before hand to get familiar with so you will not need to check it durin g the practice.


I would like to remind that we will be observing the natural breath in this practice to be aware of the qualities of our own breath so don't push yourself to breathe deeper or longer in any way.



1. Observation of the Natural Breath at the Nostrils and taking it down to the navel...

You just need 4-6 mins a day ( or in two days) for 2-3 weeks.

preparation:

Find a comfortable seated posture; cross legged or kneeling or sit on a chair with the back straight.
Have the hands resting on knees or thighs, preferable eyes closed, or gazed down.

practice:

*** Draw your awareness inward, ignore all other noises/things around you. Prepare your mind for the practice. Make sure there is no tension in any part of your body and gently begin to observe your natural breath at the nostrils through below questions/awarenesses...


 1) Is there any blockage in your nostrils? Can both nostrils take same amount of air? 


·      2) How is the pace of your breath? Is it too fast or too slow or somewhere in between? 

·      3) How is the depth of your breath? Is it shallow or deep? It’s okay if it’s not deep,  you are just observing the breath. The natural breath. 

·     4) Can you feel the temperature difference between inhale and exhales? Which one is warmer, can you identify ?

·     5) Is there a noticeable difference between the length of your inhalation and exhalation? Or are they equal? 


*** Now, bring your awareness to the throat and upper chest by keeping your natural breath.

·     1) Is there any vibration in your throat? Do you force it ? Remember! You don’t have to force anything, it’s just the natural breath.
·     2) Are your shoulders still relaxed?
Shoulders and upper chest should remain still. They don’t need to move up and down with your breath.

*** Now place your left hand on to the ribcage and right hand on to the tummy, just below the navel.
Bring your awareness to the ribcage, to your left hand.
·     
      1) Can you feel the very gentle movement here. The expansion as you inhale and relaxation as you exhale.
Stay here and observe this gentle movement for couple breaths.

Imagine the breath flowing in the lungs.
Remember it’s just the natural breath. Do not force it in any way.

*** Move your awareness down to the tummy, to your right hand.
·      1) Can you feel the expansion as you inhale and relaxation as you exhale?
Your tummy gets bigger as you inhale and then gets smaller as you exhale!
Observe the movement for couple more breaths here.

Finally, become aware of the whole breath. Imagine the breath flowing from the  nostrils to the navel. The cycle of the natural breath.
The gentle movement of the natural breath. (...)
Slowly release your hands onto the knees.


Gently open your eyes and let them get used to the day light.

namaste


sources: Farhi Donna, the Breathing Book Good Health and Vitality Through Essential Breath Work is one of my main sources when I do my breathing practices...



Sunday 1 January 2017

FAQ about yoga

1. I'm not flexible can I still practise yoga?

- Absolutely yes you can practise yoga, yoga is not about being flexible or too strong. Yoga is a lifestyle and there are different types of it. I'm sure you'll find a suitable style for yourself, just give it a try.

Also I teach modification for each asana (posture) so you can stick with any modification you like to start with.
Yoga is for everyone, also can be modified for each body types and personal needs/limitations.

2. What is yoga?

- Yoga means "unity". Our focus with these practices is to unite our body, mind and breath.
Yoga is a kind of lifestye, it's about taking care of your own body and mind.

3. What shall I wear for practising yoga?

- Soft and comfortable clothing would be just fine, preferably the ones made of cotton.
I don't recommend anything too baggy as it can prevent you move freely.


4. Can I keep my socks on during the practise.

- If you keep your socks on you might find difficult to be grounded or to find the balance in practice therefore it's always good to take the socks off.
You can then put them on during relaxation.

5. Do I need a special equipment?

- The main equipment that we use is a mat. So if you have your own mat, pls bring it as I've got only couple of extra.

You may also need block and strap which will be provided by me.

People also love to cover themselves with a blanket in relaxation, so you can bring your own blanket/throw even a beach towel...


6. Can I eat before class?

- Allow at least 2 hrs between having a light meal and yoga class, and at least 4 hrs if it's a heavy meal.

You can eat as normal after class.

7. I'm a religious person but not a Buddhist or Hindu...

Yoga is not a religion, it's a lifestyle, being healthy and about taking care of your own body. 
Yes, it is possible to find similar things between yoga and these religions but yoga doesn't dictate any of these (or other) religions. 



Wednesday 28 December 2016

TimeTable


    
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About Me

I have been practising yoga since 2010. I had an overwhelming life when I first started yoga. Especially my day job was full of surprises and stress which doesn't allow me to relax anytime.
I needed to find something relaxing to let go of the things, I was living in Istanbul then...
One day I attended a kind of "new/intro to yoga" class at YogaSala with a friend of mine. so I've been practising ever since that time.

I'm now a student teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga who is looking for to finish the course in March.
My training is mainly on Hatha Yoga which focuses on the coordination of physical practice (asana) and breathing.

As we always mention, yoga is not about being so flexible or strong it's a lifestyle which transforms your mind and soul as well as the body.

so "If you can breathe, you can practise yoga" Krishnamacharya

namaste!