5 Elements
Reclining Bound Angle Pose, also known as Supta Baddha Konasana, is a gentle yoga pose that can help you relax, relieve stress, and improve flexibility in your hips, thighs, and groin. In the Iyengar Yoga method, this pose can be taken to another level with the use of props like bricks on the back and head.
Read more “Supta Baddha Konasana – Reclining Bound Angle Pose”
Ayurveda
My goal was to retreat at a small and isolated place on the south face of Gokarna. I booked a small room in a very simple homestay at Belekan Beach, and after arriving at Om beach, I took a walk through Half-moon Beach, and Paradise Beach (also known as Full moon) to my destination.
Read more “Gokarna”
5 Elements
Buddhist psychology offers a rich and nuanced understanding of the nature of the mind and the path to liberation from suffering.
Read more “Buddhist psychology, form and sound”
Hindu
Vashist is also the name of a village located in Manali, India. The village is famous for its natural hot springs, which are believed to have healing properties, and is home to a temple dedicated to Yogi Vashist.
Read more “Yog Vashista”
5 Elements
I often enter book stores and search whats ever is in my mind, but there are days, which I just go inside the store and take a look around all that is exposed. In one of those situations, I got to know the Book about Yoga and Chakras: “Yoga-Welten – Energie des Chakren” By Gabriela Haenseler, auf Deutsch, Natürlich!
Read more “A beautiful book about Chakras”
Blog
Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Sakya Muni Buddha, is one of the most revered figures in Buddhism. His enlightenment at Bodhgaya, in the state of Bihar, India, has transformed the spiritual landscape of the world.
Read more “Sakya Muni Buddha”
Blog
Tilopa in on the left, he appear in the Thangkas with a fish in one of the hands and a red belt to support the sitting position. This painting shows as well Chakrasambhava and Vajravarahi.
Read more “Tilopa, Naropa and Guru Yoga”
Blog
Are you a devotee of Krishna? a Hare Krishna as many people call? There is no need to be a Vaishnav for worhip Vishnu, we all do once we start to learn Yoga properly, mainly when it comes to the lecture on Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.
Read more “Bhakti in an App”
Blog
The Kalachakra Tantra is a highly significant event in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This event was supposed to take place in the first days of 2016, but due to the health status of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, it was postponed. Finally, it took place in Bodhgaya in the first days of January 2017, and it attracted around 200,000 participants and visitors.
Read more “Kalachakra Tantra 2017”
Blog
It is commonly believed that the Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama or Sakya Muni, was not the first Buddha. In fact, there were six Buddhas who preceded him, making him the seventh Buddha.
Read more “The 7 Tathagatas – Saptatathāgata”
Blog
Dalai Lama on the purpose of life, happiness, love and compassion.
Read more “Compassion and the Individual”
Ayurveda
Nath Sampradaya is a spiritual tradition or school of Shaivism, which is a major branch of Hinduism. It is primarily associated with the Nath yogis and is known for its emphasis on yoga, tantra, and the worship of Lord Shiva.
Read more “Nath Sampradaya”
Blog
Samadhi can mean simply “single-pointed concentration.” However, once it becomes mystified, it can open the door to a much wider way of seeing reality, or even “another reality” in itself.
Read more “Samadhi”
Blog
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is a well-known Tibetan Buddhist teacher and meditation master. He is the author of several books, including “The Joy of Living” and “In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying.” He is also the founder of the Tergar Meditation Community, a global network of meditation centers and study groups that promote the practice of meditation and mindfulness.
Read more “Mingyur Rinpoche – a wander Yogi”
Blog
If you want to benefit from a medicine, you need to take it. Similarly, if you want to benefit from meditation, you need to practice it. But what exactly does “practice” mean when it comes to meditation?
Read more “Meditation: Above All, a Matter of Practice”
Blog
From the Buddhist point of view, enlightenment comes in two main types: full and partial. The fully enlightened achieve the highest stage of liberation – they become a Buddha or achieve Buddhahood.
Read more “Enlightenment, what is this?”
Breath
As you breathe in, cherish yourself.
Dalai Lama
As you breathe out, cherish all Beings.
We all have heard about the importance of the air we breathe, we are most already conformed with the levels of pollution we are inhaling and producing, but there is more related to the air we breathe we should be aware of which is not only about the quality of the air, but the quality of our breath.
Breathing is what connects us with our main energy source, Air or Oxygen! This is what holds us alive and nurtures our bodies, minds, and all kinds of activities we perform as long we have life force.
Let’s do a small observation and reflection:
just take a moment to consider how long a person can be thirsty or hungry? Now ask what about being without oxygen? How long can you stay without breathing, how long you can survive without air?
This is precisely what makes breath a very powerful tool. If on the one hand, this is the most ordinary of all body functions, in another hand, by doing it with awareness you are increasing the quality of your life. By adding a set of Pranayama Technics ti it, you will experience not only of high life quality but also lots of powers.
The Time to Breathwork is practice divided into two parts, the Pranayama part (breathing control), and the meditation. Both set up the mind to focus on one single object, the breath!
For that, you will get guided practices of:
Breathwork and Pranayama can be done by sitting or lying down. In case you have any injury in the lower back, knee, or spine, please let me know before the class start, so we can set up what is necessary for your being able to follow the class. Of course, all propose would be arranged, if available at the Yoga Studio. Preparation for executing the postures, and guidance to build it in a safe way, and as well alternatives for your personal case if necessary.
For a 2h to 2h30 Workshop format, Brahmari, Shikale / Shitkali, and others are added, as well as breath count control, the 4 stages of the breath, and attention to retention (Kumbhaka).
All the technics are transmitted to the attendants in a very simple and clear form. This is for everyone who wanna understand the breadth, take control over the breath, experience breath as an element of calmness and stillness. And use it on the daily basis to make life better. If you are new to Yoga or experienced will not play any role in this, all are welcome and this practice is indicated to everyone.
Most of my practices and classes are a combination of Sukshma Vyayama and Hatha-Yoga. We start practicing breathing work in standing. In the second block, we do some mix, Hatha Multslyle, no style, just prepare the body to sit quietly for a while and continue with the specific Pranayamas.
After the block of movements for preparation, we continue with the breathing program in sitting posture, this will increases our ability to sit and meditate, doing it frequently will increase the length of the practice session. You will get to sit calm like a Yogi if you have this motivation.
This Workshop has a more intermadiate without movement, for participants who wanna push themselves to the limit of siting at least for 60min for different Pranayama Technics in one single session, before going into any movement, meditation, or relaxation. This is a Special Class, and is more appropriate to those who alreary practice regularly, are Yoga-Teachers, or wanna join a Teacher Training Course, or in a similar level.
If you are interested in that one, get in touch, let me know, and let’s do it!
Now we dive into the time and we prepare to closure with a deep relaxation in Yoga Nidra. Again we set our focus on the body and breath. And to close the workshop, we use the Breath as an “Object for Meditation”.
With this in mind and a daily commitment, you will achieve the highest performance in many activities of daily life, in case you are familiarized with visualizations, you case use them in each pranayama practice. Self-healing, Sharping the focus, and faculties are just a few of the benefits to experience.
More energy for life and joy with small things will become features of your personality.
Practice to see it!
Namaste!
5 Elements
Namaste dear readers,
Hatha-Yoga for Strength, Vitalitat and Energy was initially a Yoga Special 90min class, extended to 2h and 2h30. I´ve been using to attend people with different needs since 2012 in Germany. This Class schema becomes a kind of manual I made to those who wanna workout for acquiring these features. This is “the base of all my experiences, made for all of you to experience”.
The concept is a mix of Sukshma Vyayama and Classic Hatha-Yoga, wich breath regulation in each posture and postures transitions, whats encreases the energy produced during the asana performance. Its take us to the level of using energy to concentration, meditation, and visualization.
Committed to transfer what I learn, pranayama becomes a must in all my classes, at least the more basic ones, any class will always start with Adham Pranayama or Yogic breath or the complete breathing, call how its call, its easy to do also for beginners. It`s can be done in sit or stand. Beginners and as well advanced practitioners, its 100% benefits warranty!
When questions coming out has to do with: How to apply those Yogic technics in daily life? We just need to observe and see that, the breath is within us all the time, breath happens without our effort, we just to observe it. Therefore the Pranayama is the easiest and fastest to apply in daily life, its means, as much as you can, remember you are breathing, do it mindfully, do it aware and awakened, do it consciously, better it’s quality. We just need to do it!
There is the reason I am so enthusiastic with Pranayama and Meditation, we just need to do it and we can do it all the time, any time, anywhere, no matter challenge the situation is, and of course, the benefits is there as well to be experienced by each practitioner.
In the more elaborated Pranayama Workshop, we do introduce participants to more pranayama technics like Anuloma-viloma, Agnisarakriya, Kaphalabhati and many others. But nor now we continue with just that one.
We will use that breath technic during the entire class and experience the presence in space, time and activity, entirely aware.
We expand our version of few rounds of Surya Namaskar including modifications and different Asana variations. Pranayama as the sessions begin, in Standing postures most recommended to squeeze mulabandha and when possible also uddhyanabandha. To get better benefits of the postures, we will hold for long periods of time while regulating the breath, we will practice from the basic to a wide variety of postures and transitions.
Inversions are part of this compendium, like long relaxation in between, abdominal as last hard work, and Yoga Nidra. Those who don´t do headstand, can do a shoulder stand, those who both, can do something different. Relaxations everyone needs and enjoy after a peak of 50% of the class time past, start all to be about create space for relaxation.
A combination of work, contraction, and relaxation or expansion, is a key point to use this classes framework as a method for self-development, here we are working to put things in balance. Sides, hemispheres, extremes, organs, glands, elements and energies, are going to get into balance, far that is our work and will be the motivation and dedication of time. More that kind of practice or schema is used, more that balance can be produced, experienced and enjoyed.
After a little bit of small abs challenge, we go into more deep relaxation in Yoga Nidra, where again, the breath will mark important presence as a tool to be used to be present as the breath is, and train our ability to visualize. We travel from the bottom till the lower parts of the body, start with toes, going into the legs, abs and organs, head and face, relaxing each detailed and letting go with the out-breath whats non-deserved and unnecessary.
We will close it with a short session breathing meditation.
Then open a time and space for gratitude, let it go! and say goodbye!
I will be happy to see you there.
Namaste jee!
5 Elements
In that workshop, we work with the passive Yin energy by holding postures for relaxation for 4 to 5 minutes, between posture, we perform some technics to improve the effectiveness of the asana, which is the Yang characteristic of this practice. By doing so, we are setup the body, to be more receptive in the passive state.
This is a classical 2h Workshop, starting with breath work (Pranayama), going into the flow of Asanas, letting go the body in a passive state. Relaxation (Yoga Nidra) before end the class, and a final closure with the practice of the Om mantra recitation, a short appreciation to the practice, and thankfulness.
Yin-Yang, is a practice for increases your blood flow, and lowering the risk of heart attack, better respiration, improvement of bones health, regulation of adrenal glands, and boost the immunity system.
We do a few rounds of Surya namaskar too, we meditate most of the time lying down on the mat, we use stillness for concentration purposes. Actions like bandhas and particular pranayamas done during these classes are also Yang practices form. According to the level of each participant, particular pranayama can be recommendable, classes schema can be adopted to a particular need, if so I see.
The body needs relaxations as actions is needed, muscles can only relax and contract, the entire body must to be used, diversity in movements, asanas, relaxation postures, and meditation is key to a balanced flow of energy. As much a body is balanced, more the elements are balanced, more that person is near his or her nature. More you use your body to relax and to be active, the more the body performs its natural function.
There is time for all in this classe, to just be and feel joy, as well to do some movement and feel yourself whats ever comes. Feelings are impermanent and whats ever is so, will change from moment to moment according our habitual tendencies. That changes, are our object of attention during this practice as well, to observe how things changes in ourselves, like our body, has been changing through all the years, from the beginning till the end of the practice.
In Yoga, the asana practice has as goal, setup the body in pliable condition, to support the mind be focused in a single object, to seek samadhi, the single point concrentration meditation. For that reason, one needs to perform a long period of time in a particular postures, because of that many benefits become fruits of those practices. We should consider more the practice if we want more results, we do wanna be flexible, youth, strong, for that we need to practice accordingly.
In Yin Yoga we choose the more relaxed and use to put the body static and stable, to perform the 5min of practice in each side or posture, we can use the same amount of time or shorter like 2 or 3min, to a particular postures which require some action, or some breath exercise which will be also done with body movement, after this relax again in on postures, totally passive and allow the body and mind get the benefits of the switch.
Yin Yoga allow us to solve tensions and increasing body ability, we give time to fascia the works to a gradually and deeper work in the deep tissues. This optimize the energy flow in our bodies and allow as well to access these energies, with visualization and imagination. Perfection and mastering the posture is the method we use to balance and self-development during this workshop.
Here we are going to plug into Telluric and Cosmic energy to recharging our being with all the best intentions and authentic motivations, to keep life in balance and continuously develop ourselves.
knowledge about the Chakras System or previous practices using the Chakras is not required, but useful for knows how to use it.
in that workshop very often I use breathing meditation, the reason for using the breath as the object of meditation, is because the breath is always there, present within all of us, all the time, everywhere. Focus on the breath has enormous benefits, like increase the breath capacity, calming the mind and establish a connection with the subtle energetical body.
The meditation in the 5 senses are done when this workshop can take longer than 2h, at least 30min is required for this purpose. Let me speak in advance with the participants and see if this is wished.
Blog
I have the privilege to meet Mingyur Rinpoche in his first circle of Teachings after his 4 years of wandering retreat. Rinpoche left his Monastery in Bodhgaya in the middle of the night without informing no one about his destination and engage in a trip without almost nothing within himself a part of his body and mind. The process and result of this “adventure” you can read in his new book “In love with the World” as well as in the documentary “Wandering but not Lost”.
Read more “Joy of Living – Mingyurs Rinpoches Teachings on Meditation for all levels”