YogaWithLuc

Note to my students

2009-12-23T11:02:00.001Z

Dear All,

I have hugely enjoyed our yoga sessions together over the past few months. I sincerely hope you got something out of it too.

Yoga isn't for the faint-hearted. It can bring intense joy. But it may also present us with parts of ourselves we'd perhaps rather not see. But in the end, practicing yoga can help us become a better person.

So the key word here is practice. I've tried to emphasise this throughout the courses. This hasn't been my "thing"; it was recognised already in a 2,000+ year old seminal text on yoga through the concept of "abhyasa":

"Abhyasa means cultivating the lifestyle, actions, speech, and thoughts, as well as the spiritual practices that lead in the positive direction (rather than going in the opposite direction, away from the positive, and towards the negative)." [source]

I hope you feel that you have learnt more about some of the tools to practice yoga: movement, breath, and mental attitude.

As most of you are aware, I'll be traveling in India for 3 months early in the next year. I hope to see you again in the spring.

I will leave you for now with a few words that have been attributed to J. Krishnamurti. Interestingly, J. Krishnamurti studied yoga with TKV Desikachar, who has been hugely influential in the way that we've been practicing yoga amongst ourselves in Reading.

"We were saying how very important it is to bring about in the human mind the radical revolution. The crisis is the crisis in consciousness, a crisis that cannot anymore accept the old norms, the old patterns, the ancient traditions, and continuing what the world is now, with all the misery, conflict, destructive brutality, aggression and so on. Man is still as he was, is still brutal, violent, aggressive, acquisitive, competitive, and he has built a society along these lines.

What we’re trying to do in all these discussions and talks is to see if we cannot radically bring about the transformation of the mind, not accept things as they are but understand it, examine it, give your heart and your mind with a thinking out a way of living differently.

But, it depends on you not somebody else, because in this there is no teacher, no pupil. There’s no leader. There’s no guru. There’s no master, no savior. You are the teacher the pupil, the leader, the guru of everything and to understand is to transform."

—J. Krishnamurti

Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Peaceful New Year to all of you.

Luc

Yoga and the mind

2009-10-26T10:45:00.002Z

One email I received not long ago said the following:

I am so inconsistent in terms of living a disciplined lifestyle. Using two yoga classes I recently participated in as an example. On the first class I turned up on day three of a water fast. On the second class I turned up after eating to excess just prior to the class. This is a good example of knowing I can be disciplined, but also being very inconsistent.

The example above is just in relation to a yoga class, but on a wider scale this relates to my whole lifestyle. I can stick with something in a very disciplined manner, but when I have a relapse its not a minor relapse, but a major one.

Putting this in context of Patanjali's "Eight Limbs of Yoga", I feel that in terms of Yama & Niyama I could improve a lot. If only I could be surrounded by peers aware of this, I feel I could be a better person and my yoga would improve.

I'd like to eventually explore other limbs: pratyahara, dharana, dhyana & samadhi, but get frustrated knowing I've been unable to do well enough in terms of yama & niyama.

What advice can you suggest please?

My reply was along the following lines:

I think you're hitting the nail on the head as to what Yoga is about. It's not about the physicality, it's about the mind.

The situation you're describing, ultimately, is rooted in the mind's activities: The "will power" (the fasting) as well as the "won't power" (the over indulgence).

It's something most people are struggling with albeit different things for different people. For one it's food, for another it's power, or money.

The Yoga Sutras (where the eight limbs are listed) say: "Yoga is the containment of the minds activities." (YS 1.2) The word 'containment' is key here.

Yoga is not about a cessation of the mind by applying some incredible will power. Yoga is not about arresting the mind in the literal sense. We can't just "stop the mind". Only when we die the mind comes to a complete halt.

What we can do, however, is create conditions that are conducive to us containing the mind.

Aiming to have a proper diet & nutrition, finding something to be passionate about, having proper sleeping patterns, and of course a regular yoga practice are just a few things that help us create the environment for the mind to be calm, centered, and clear.

We can't stop the flow of a river's water. We can create banks around the river to steer the flow in the right direction.

Then, with patience and practice, things are more likely to change. I've blogged about this recently (click here). You may find it interesting to read.

Practice is not just what happens on the mat; arguably, practice is what happens during every waking moment. And practice does not mean having to be perfect.

Practice is practice; the effort to be in a better place.

I've heard my teacher use a wonderful quote on various occassions: "Abstinence is easier than temperance", adding with a smile: "Just have a little piece of chocolate". What a great way of putting it . . .

This article has been written with the consent of the sender of the email. You're more than welcome to Comment on this article on-line. To do this, please open the following link in your web browser: http://tinyurl.com/yjneutg

Athens Marathon 8 November 2009

2009-10-12T14:56:00.031+01:00

If you're crunched for time, all you need to do is read this blue text. In short: I'm running a marathon soon and I've chosen two charities to raise money for. I would be grateful if you could sponsor me. Click on the links below and click "Donate". It's easy, quick, and totally secure (also for international transactions). Many many thanks!! Luc

Friends of the Earth

Paul D'Auria Cancer Support Centre

Great, I'm delighted you are able to spend a bit more time with me here :-)

So here's the story:

Five years have passed since I ran my one and (so far) only marathon. Now finally the time has come to do it all again!

Just two days into my "Sporty Forties" I'll be running the Athens Marathon on Sunday 8 November 2009.

This is a hugely important event for me personally. Having faced several injuries, it has taken me over 4 years to get where I am now.

My training in the last 6 months has been phenomenal. Even though I've been running for as long as I care to remember, I've learnt more in this period than ever before.

'Normal' running was complemented with regular Yoga sessions, a paleolithic diet, the application of mental imagery, breathing exercises, and numerous barefoot running sessions. Running developed into a fascinating practice.

I'm now fitter than ever before. The picture on your right-hand side was taken yesterday 11 October 2009 just after I ran a Personal Best of 1:38:31 at the Henley-On-Thames 1/2 marathon (just over 21 km / 13 miles).

Much more importantly, though, is the fact that through the forthcoming marathon I'm raising money for two charities.

The charities I'm running for are:

The choice is yours. BUT if you find it difficult to think in terms of "either/or" (I certainly did!), why not follow me in my footsteps and support BOTH?

Donating is easy, quick, and totally secure (also for international payments), and I'm convinced your contribution will go a long way.

Just click on the above links, and follow the steps on the page(s).

Here's why I chose to run for Friends of the Earth and the Paul D'Auria Cancer Support Centre, two fantastic charities:

I feel strongly about climate change and environmental protection. I've made considerable personal lifestyle changes over the years to minimise my own impact on the planet.

Over the past two years I have been driving a couple of international grassroots initiatives at the company I work for to help bring about a shift in employee mindset.

So I am delighted to be raising money for Friends of the Earth. They are the world's largest grassroots environmental network and they campaign on today's most urgent environmental and social issues.

They challenge the current model of economic and corporate globalisation, and promote solutions that will help to create environmentally sustainable and socially just societies.

Friends of the Earth is an international network of environmental organizations in 77 countries.

And while you're at it... you can fill out the Friends of the Earth's Climate Petition here http://www.foe.co.uk/climatetalks/petition.html
The Paul D'Auria Cancer Support Centre is in dire financial straits and has an urgent need for funds in November in order to continue its work.

Undoubtedly the Centre's difficult situation is linked to the global economic recession, and it's sad to see this charity struggle even though there's a greater demand for their services than ever before.

With so many lives affected by cancer, this charity must be able to continue the work they are doing giving support, information and complementary therapies to people with a cancer diagnosis, their carers and relatives, and sending volunteers into people's home when they are too poorly to travel.

My good friends Gary and his wife Pauline work at the Centre in London and I have a good insight into the integrity with which the Centre's work is conducted. I know that all your generous contributions are in very good and capable hands. I feel privileged to be in a position to help and I hope that you will join me.

Thanks guys, and

Take care,
Luc

Practicing Yoga 'Off the Mat'

2009-09-23T10:01:00.003+01:00

Each week I provide my group class students with what I call a 'suggested home practice'. This, I —and my students— find, is greatly contributing to getting benefits from Yoga. Here's the final practice of my 10-week Summer Course. It's all about practicing Yoga 'off the mat'.

I've been thinking about would be an appropriate final 'suggested home practice' of the Yoga Summer Course 2009.
So far, all home practices were to be done On The Mat, so to speak. This week's practice is one for Off The Mat (one could argue this is where the rubber hits the road!). Pick any of the ideas below that speak to you.
Here goes:
Try to be mindful of the breath at different times during the day. Perhaps a good moment is when you're in traffic, waiting for a red light to turn green. Or at work after finishing your lunch break; a few breaths with a very gentle ujjayi can perhaps feel like the perfect 'dessert'? ;-)
As you move about during the day, try to carry yourself with ease. We don't just 'do postures on the mat' - we do postures all day long! How can you improve your own posture and reduce unnecessary tension in your body as you go about your day?
Develop awareness of your own mental state. If you're feeling busy or rushed, then surely somewhere in you there's a place that's at least a little bit calmer? I'm not talking mystical stuff here. But if the head is busy, perhaps your feet (by way of example) don't have quite the same sensations, so try to project your awareness there.
Finally, I'd like to thank everyone for attending classes this summer. For me, meeting you has certainly contributed to making my summer most enjoyable. I sincerely hope that you've been able to take away a few valuable ideas from this course and feel that you understand Yoga a bit better.

Yoga For Runners Workshop

2009-09-21T13:31:00.020+01:00

Please join me in Reading's first Yoga for Runners Workshop on Saturday 5th December 2009 at 10:00-11:30 a.m.

The Yoga For Runners Workshop aims to let runners experience how Yoga can help run with more ease and mindfulness.

My name is Luc Glasbeek and I'm an experienced long-distance runner and Yoga teacher. Over the years I have found that Yoga is tremendously beneficial for my running. It helps me in terms of

Faster post-run recovery
Increased body awareness
Fewer stress-related injuries
Better mental focus

I'm pretty sure that without Yoga my results would either be worse than they are today, or I'd be sitting at home struggling with a nagging injury! But at the age of nearly 40, I'm still going strong, happily doing around 40-50k a week.

I'm keen to share my knowledge about running within a Yoga context with other runners.

The Yoga For Runners Workshop is structured along the same basic 3 steps that I also recommend to my running Yoga students:

Step 1 — Yoga Warm-Up
In the comfort of a warm and peaceful space, we'll go through a specific Yoga sequence to prepare the mind, breath, and body for a short run outdoors.
Step 2 — Meditative Run.
Then we'll do an easy group run from the venue in Central Reading along the Kennet & Avon Canal, enjoying the fresh December air. This is all about running with full awareness, rather than running fast.
Step 3 — Yoga Cool-Down.
We're finishing with a restorative Yoga sequence to slow down the body and mind after the physical effort. You're likely to feel very good at this point!

To request a registration form for the Yoga For Runners Workshop, please email me at Info@YogaWithLuc.co.uk. Cost: £15. Venue: Reading Quaker Friends' House + outdoors. A reasonable level of fitness is assumed for all participants.

About the teacher: Luc is a Reading-based Yoga Teacher. He has a keen interest in running; he did running workshops with Danny Dryer, author of the highly-acclaimed book “ChiRunning”, and Catherine McKiernan, London, Berlin, and Amsterdam Marathon winner. Since 2005 Luc has been studying and practicing with Paul Harvey, one of the UK's foremost Yoga authorities. Luc has also studied with Srivatsa Ramaswami, a Yoga Master from India. Luc is a certified NLP practitioner. More recently he started exploring barefoot-running. Visit www.YogaWithLuc.co.uk.

Yoga in Modern Life

2009-09-21T11:34:00.025+01:00

Sometimes I get the most interesting questions on Yoga and how it relates to our modern, busy lives. Here's part of one recent conversation I had with a prospective student. I had never met or spoken with him before. The conversation took place entirely via email.

He raised the following points:

Can Yoga, help in part, to bring a peace and relaxed attitude to daily life? But not that we immediately rush straight back into the 'rat-race of life' after the sessions, and so forget everything we've just covered!

We may have to do some things quickly, but surely we just whisk through life 'on the surface' if we feel we have to all things as quickly as possible? At times I get stressed trying to do everything NOW.

Would you agree—whether we do Yoga or whatever, or no Yoga, rushing through life doesn't help with harmony, balance, or similar things? I would be glad of any thoughts you may have as a brief reply.

Here's the (slightly edited) response I gave:

These are fascinating times. Most of us are struggling to keep our head above the water, being frantically busy for most part of the waking day, and sleep-deprivation is a given. The 'rat-race of life' seems a fitting term to use indeed.

Yet, the amount of television that the average person in the UK is watching is 4+ hours per day. Most of us lead sedentary lives. We've grown accustomed to have everything we want to be readily available, Now. To a large extent we've become slaves of our own desires and are addicted to entertainment.

One of the possible 'uses' of Yoga is to act as a 'counter posture' to life. A Yoga practice—not necessary a strong physical one; there can be many different forms—can help us to put life in more perspective and help develop our awareness.

Arguably, in our technocratic, materialistic world where we live cut off from nature and ourselves, our awareness is quite low. Indeed, growing, or restoring, our awareness seems to be an important part of the lives of many Yoga practitioners—me included!

So, yes, after a Yoga practice we may find that we instantly rush to our next appointment. But the first awareness that this is happening, already is progress of some sort.

The next step may be to plan the evening after a Yoga class—create space, plan to spend some peace and quiet, for instance without a television turned on or having to read the newspaper. The beauty of silence is best appreciated without noise around us...

And then a next stage could be to have a grounded start in the morning after a Yoga class—e.g. taking a few minutes to do some Yoga to move the body after a night's rest and taking time to enjoy a wholesome breakfast as opposed to consuming a RedBull energy drink, or strong coffee, 'to pick us up'.

Perhaps one day a student who usually arrives at a Yoga class feeling exhausted from the day—or from life even—is noticing that she arrives at the class feeling strong and calm. Then the Yoga practice can help us to go deeper.

Gradually, "Yogic ideas" can be welcome additions to or substitutes for certain habitual patterns and help us live a healthier more meaningful life. This won't be an overnight shift, but rather a gradual evolution. Our habits have formed over many years and are deeply rooted in our mind and body. On the latter, I like the phrase 'history is biology'.

More likely than not our journey will be littered with setbacks and confrontations with the aspects of ourselves that we rather not wish to face... But in my view that's a relatively small price to pay for personal growth.

Many of us, however, are impatient and want 'quick fixes' without having to put in much effort. Unfortunately there are plenty of people around who are willing to offer the proverbial snake oil. The reality is that only through consistent practice, we'll be able to progress.

Several interesting points came up as the conversation developed, so I could go on for longer! I hope to publish another article about 'Yoga in Modern Life' in this newsletter's next edition.

Luc

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Stretching back 25m years

2009-08-07T13:17:00.007+01:00

A few (again loose) thoughts on barefoot running - and its possible links to yoga.

In order to understand ourselves we have to know our evolutionary history.

Humans are not self-made creations dietarily, but rather have an evolutionary history as anthropoid primates stretching back more than 25 million years, a history that shaped their nutrient requirements and digestive physiology well before they were humans or even protohumans. In homonoids, features such as nutrient requirements and digestive physiology appear to be genetically conservative and probably were little affected by the hunter-gatherer phase of human existence. [Katharine Milton - Hunger-gatherer diets, a different perspective]

In terms of diet and nutrition, there's an increasing awareness that if we emulated the diet of our early ancestors, we'd be able we might be able to avoid "diseases of civilisation".

I would argue that an Ayurvedic diet, popular amongst yogis, needs to be cross-checked against our inborn (genetic) dietary preferences as well. (If it is compliant, an Ayurvedic approach to what and how we eat can be very beneficial, particularly because it works with the idea of doshas.)

A similar argument would apply to exercise.

It seems fair to say that strenuous physical effort was part of the everyday lives of our early ancestors.

In the book "Born to Run" it is argued that the human species survived because it was able to run long distances.

This obviously is in stark contrast with the Western sedentary lifestyle. And we all seem to agree on this point.

What fewer people argue, however, is that it is also going against the yogic idea that focused aerobic exercise is not needed to obtain physical health or well-being.

Perhaps it is no surprise then that India, where yoga originated thousands of years ago, bore few athletes.

Abhinav Bindra became the first ever individual Olympic champion of India. This took place as recent as 2008, at the Men's 10 metre air rifle event.

Lack of regular strenuous exercise increases the risks of civilisation (obesity, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes). A yoga practice alone offers insufficient cardio-vascular benefits.

The intensity of hatha yoga may be too low to provide a training stimulus for improving cardiovascular fitness. Although previous research suggests that hatha yoga is an acceptable form of physical activity for enhancing muscular fitness and flexibility, these data demonstrate that hatha yoga may have little, if any, cardiovascular benefit. [Clay et al]

The yogic counter argument that the heart is used "differently", and that the heart-rate should be kept as low as possible, seems to lack a scientific basis.

In other words, everyone needs exercise, yogis included.

Because barefoot running is part of our essential being, it is the ideal form of exercise for yogis.

Why running barefoot - an existential point of view

2009-08-04T10:56:00.004+01:00

How about the following...?

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the
essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary.

I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and
Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave
close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.

For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."

Page 41 of Gutenberg's classical text.

Barefoot running and Yoga

2009-08-03T15:33:00.005+01:00

I am into running big-time. Have been for many years, with the occasional bout of inactivity. I'm also into Yoga, as you're probably aware by now... For a long time I've seen running and Yoga as two separate areas. Over the past 1-2 years the boundaries began to fade. And now, I can safely say that in the space of just one weekend (or rather: one single run, to be exact) these boundaries that stared me in the face for such a long time, disappeared as it finally hit me: it's all in the feet.

In this post I'm collecting some loose thoughts, almost as if it's a stream of consciousness... I'm hoping to publish a decent article out of it in a good Yoga magazine at a later stage.

Background: I read this book "Born To Run" and it made an excellent point about how we're treating the feet when they're caught in these small coffins called shoes. Shoes completely turn the dynamics of your feet up-side down and inside out. Muscles that should be strong are weakened, bones that should be left along are supported, and forces that should be absorbed hit you a lot harder instead. The result: injuries, injuries, and even more painful injuries - and not surprisingly most people make an ugly face when you mention the word running!

So I went out for my first barefoot run last night. A tender calf muscle I'd been struggling with for 2 days did not bother me in the least. I felt light, completely in control of my movement, energetic and immediately felt muscles working in what seemed to be the perfect way. It was exhilarating!

I knew I'd hit on something that my running would benefit from greatly.

But when I got on my Yoga mat this morning (after another barefoot run I was very eager to put in in the early hours) I immediately felt the difference. My stance was more firm, there was a lot more action, proper action all the way from the soles of my feet to above my knees, and a pleasant sensation in the nerves at the bottom of my feet. As if they'd been awakened.

It just had to be because of the barefoot running... Here's the logic. The running works the muscles in the right way, the way nature intended it. It strengthens all sort of small muscles (which help with balancing) and builds flexibility. The movement improves the circulation and activates the nerves, again helping with balance and awareness.

Not wearing shoes removes the artificial barrier between the feet and the ground, works around getting the wrong support from the shoes, not to mention the lift in the heels that makes most people heel-strike.

Barefoot running naturally tilts the body forward, so that there's a mid-foot landing on the feet rather than a heel-strike. The mechanics are so fundamentally different, one would have to feel it, rather than try to intellectually grasp it...

But I can assure you it was the first time in my life that I heard the beat of a drum, a tribal drum, fast, as I was accellerating on the final stretch this morning. I felt I had the light-footedness of a rabbit being chased by it's hunter... Strange the images that come to mind when moving as a single, flowing unit.

Now many Yogis are no different from everybody else in that they spend the day with their shoes on. And shoes, well, they inhibit just about everything. Not surprisingly, our feet are week, fragile, sensitive in the wrong places, and so on and so forth. This has a huge impact on the quality of Yoga postures. Standing postures can't be done well if the feet aren't ready and engaged properly. Many seated postures (dandasana, pascimatanasana, janu shirshasana, maha mudra), too, would be negatively affected by foot and lower limb weaknesses and imbalances.

Spending 20'-60' on the Yoga mat everyday isn't enough to undo the negative effects of wearing shoes all day. The feet would still be understimulated and overcompensated. Instead, we'd need to let nature take its course - and allow the feet to express themselves by moving quickly and freely, taking your weight and propelling you forward. In other words: give them a break and go for a run, outdoors, in the fresh air.

So I'd recommend Yoga practitioners to go out for a barefoot run first thing in the morning on the wet grass. At least a couple of times a week, 5' for starters might do the trick. If you're like me, you'll feel the difference, and you'll begin to think differently about your own (and your student's) feet and footwear.

Similarly, as the Yoga gets better, the running will get better too! Before long you'd get on an upward spiral...

How little awareness we have...

2009-07-07T10:35:00.006+01:00

My friend Gary passed this on - makes you wonder....

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.

During that time approximately 1,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.

45 minutes:
The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.
He collected $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ....

How many other things are we missing?

Here's a Washington Post article about the event. And a video on YouTube.
Luc

Workshop "Yoga and the Art of Mantra"

2009-07-07T10:26:00.006+01:00

My teacher Paul Harvey is running a workshop called "Yoga and the Art of Mantra". Here are some details and interesting reflections in his own words:

Just to let you know that the upcoming weekend will be BWY IST registered and will count for 15 BWY CPD points.

Also the focus of the weekend will not be Sound and Mantra from the Vedic Chanting viewpoint and with it the obvious application limitations within many teaching situations.

Instead the focus of the weekend will be from the viewpoint of Yoga practice and will explore the learning and teaching (if of interest) of sound and mantra within Yoga situations such as group classes, 121’s, workshops, etc.

Thus the weekend will focus on how our Yoga practice and teaching can be given breadth and depth through the appropriate application of Sound and Mantra to existing Yoga situations.

As much as I enjoy Vedic chanting personally I feel trying to include aspects of it within Yoga teaching brings us back to the question raised years ago now by TKV around the mixing of Yoga and Hindu religious practices/hymns. I agree running Vedic chant groups is great and working with the ganam or Upanishad unique, but limited in today's ‘soundbite’ society.

For example I do see, especially in the area I live where the posters now even use the heading ploy – oh no not another sound group/workshop – that there are many sound/singing groups.

This implies that the interest is there but it seems to need to be both eclectic and relatively easy to learn, unlike Vedic Chanting which for a student especially one without sounding experience can be a matter of years of practice and extra study to get to a self confident stage to practice alone.

We already have our hands full getting students to work with Asana let alone Pranayama and then to add Vedic Chanting to the mix in terms of time and learning capacity let alone the cultural ‘overtones‘ that colour the subject.

My wish is to explore how sound and mantra can be applied and incorporated into group and 121 Asana and Pranayama practice without needing to learn or be involved in the usual Vedic chanting processes.

Hence my opening aim with Yoga as the reference within which soundwork sits.

This is why it will qualify as a full IST as it will be a registered BWY training module aimed at equipping you both personally and professionally with extra skills to your Yoga bow.

Details can be found on http://www.yogastudies.org/public_html/downloads/Mantra%20CPD%20July%202009.pdf

Luc

Yoga for Runners

2009-05-16T11:04:00.012+01:00

I've done a lot of running in my life. My first run was around the age of 5 or 6. Since then I must have run thousands of miles. Frankly, I never bothered to count. I just enjoyed the movement, the fresh air, and increasingly the spiritual aspects of running.

In the summer of 2004 I was suffering from a persistent shin-splint injury which didn't even allow me to run across the road to catch a traffic light...

This was a very frustrating time and I could see my dreams of running a marathon that year get more unrealistic by the day.

But an intensive Yoga practice that summer helped me to restore the balance in my body. Soon I was able to go out for a run. Quite a revelation!

With less than 3 months training under the belt --during which time I also moved from The Netherlands to live in the UK-- I completed the Athens Marathon in 4h19m. A truly amazing experience...

Without Yoga this simply would not have been feasible. (Those who followed Paula Radcliff's performance at the 2004 Olympics will know that it's a pretty punishing track in terms of hills and temperature.)

I discovered ChiRunning in 2005. This technique has helped me tremendously in developing an efficient running style that minimises the impact from running on the body. ChiRunning is a very 'yogic' way of running.

At the same time I took on a serious study of Yoga with some of the finest people I could find. To this day I spent 1-2 hours each day refining / deepening my Yoga practice.

With this combined Yoga & running experience I feel I've arrived at a point where I would like to share my expertise.

I'm now offering Yoga for Runners on an individual basis. This allows me adjust the Yoga to the needs of the individual. More information can be found here.

Please drop me an email at info@YogaWithLuc.co.uk if you're interested in this. Also feel free to leave me a Comment to this blog post.

Luc

NLP and "quick fixes"

2009-05-06T13:32:00.003+01:00

Yoga isn't about the physical. It's about personal change, in which the mind plays a vital role. So, as yoga practitioners, our interest ought to be focused on "mind training" rather than "body sculpting".

I recently had a conversation with a friend about Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). This is a Western approach which aims to change people's minds rather quickly.

One of the aspects that my friend was disagreeing with was Richard Bandler's (one of the founders of NLP) claim to be able to make "quick fixes". I reflected on this last night whilst cooking a lovely dal, and decided to drop my friend an email with some of my thoughts:

I must admit I've been reflecting on this idea of "quick fixes" since yesterday. Surely it's a message that sells, Bandler's bank account would agree to that.

But then also... perhaps it is true that under certain circumstances the brain is learning very quickly. An experience that lasts as little as a few seconds can "mark us for life". I vividly remember the moment I underwent a full anasthesia to have my tonsils removed. The smell of the gas; the increasingly blurry vision; the fading sounds. I was about 3 years old at the time.

'High speed learning' I imagine would be naturally linked to painful / traumatic experiences (with a view of avoiding history repeating itself?). But if we could somehow trigger the same mechanism to set positive (behavioural / thinking) patterns where somehow irrational ones have settled, perhaps that could fast-track our development tremendously.

I think this is what Bandler is after. This is controversial not least because many therapists need their clients as a source of income. One could argue whether the term "quick fix" is the right one (probably it isn't) but as a concept it sounds rather promising for a layman like me.

Just a few random ideas... I hope to be more knowledgeable in a few months time.

And here's my friend's response

I think you have a good point about the speed involved. Actually I don't have any problem with that - for certain problems, and as you point out, for certain traumas a quick "solution" might be effective by being more memorable.

I was thinking more about the use of the word "fix" than about "quick". Bandler seems to use that term all the time - to the point where I got the message that it was all about fixes - i.e., superficial - rather than ever going below the surface. Of course there are times when things just need to be "fixed", but a problem with NLP is that it seems that it seems to view all of life as quick fixes. Not to mention making a buck or two.

Being married to a therapist who doesn't want to make much money from clients, I agree that there is a danger in prolonging therapy for selfish reasons, but my own experience is that the better people are pretty careful here.

Luc

Meditation reading

2009-04-23T16:28:00.004+01:00

A prospective student has an interest in meditation and asked whether I could recommend any reading.

I'd like to share my answer below:

If you would like to develop a meditative practice there are many possibilities, depending on your interests and where you are in life. I think it's a bit difficult to work with a general approach from a book.

So in my view it's best to work with a teacher on an individual basis. In yoga as I know it, the journey would involve a lot of 'energy' work, going from the gross to the subtle. It's a multi-year journey.

A possible path may be going from asana (to reduce a person's "rajas" - nervous energy), to pranayama (breathing exercises to reduce one's "tamas" - linked to apathy, inaction) to dhyana (meditation - working to better understand the object of meditation and allowing its properties to reflect on oneself).

'Spiritual development' is often linked to meditation, but it almost seems a bit of a misnomer, because what we're looking for in yoga is already there and can't be developed in the conventional sense.

Instead, yoga seems to be more concerned with removing the 'obscurities' that prevent us from seeing the reality as it is (avidya). The path I tried to describe above represents this idea.

Having said all of this, A Path With Heart by Jack Kornfield is a classic. You may find it useful.

Sorry to be so elaborate - I hope you'll find the ideas presented here of interest at least a bit!

Luc

The 'Easter Egg Design'

2009-04-10T13:49:00.009+01:00

I really needed some software to produce an advert for my upcoming Partner Yoga Workshop on Saturday June 20th.

Trying to keep the budget low and all that, I had a go myself, using a free image manipulation tool called GIMP.

It took some time to even get the basics right. The software is incredibly feature-rich.

But anyways, here's the result. You can click on it to see it enlarged.

Elena and I started referring to it as the 'Easter Egg Design'. I leave the symbolism in your safe hands ;-)

I've been inspired by the idea of word clouds. Elena helped me with the colours, being colour-blind I can't be trusted!

For the web, I kept the image low-res. But the version that I'll use is printed on photo paper in high quality, and it comes out razor sharp. Very neat.

I'm quite chuffed for a first-time design :) It's been a productive and fun Good Friday so far... And I'm sure there's more (and better) yoga artwork to come!

Luc

Sorry, no time for yoga

2009-04-02T10:50:00.004+01:00

We all feel pressed for time -- and often the yoga practice is that which ends up being sacrificed because "there aren't enough hours in the day".

Bearing in mind that a 20 minute practice only amounts to 1.38% of one's day, it can be argued that a lack of time often is not the real reason why people don't make it to the mat.

Mr. Iyengar made some strong statements on the subject in a '60 Seconds Interview', published on March 31st '09:

"To say there is no time is a nonsensical and stupid statement. You have time to chat, you have time to wait for coffee, you have time to waste hours at a party.

To say there's no time to take care of one's health and happiness is a ridiculous thing."
{source}

For me having the sense of "not having the time to practice yoga" is an indication that there's something else that isn't quite right.

So if I notice that feel like skipping a practice I ask myself questions around what I've been eating, the amount and quality of sleep I've been getting, my daily schedule, and my awareness in my yoga practice. This is bound to come up with ideas on how I live more fully and in a healthier way. The yoga practice somehow is a natural part of that.

Socks, mats, and other props

2009-03-25T15:06:00.003Z

Interesting to read the following in light of earlier comments (during classes that I was teaching) about taking off socks and doing standing postures directly on the floor:

There is a growing movement of ashtangis who are discouraging the use of mats for practicing Ashtanga Yoga. The theory behind the no-mat movement is that props “get in the way of practice” and since mats are props, they create a separation between us and the flow of our practice.

There are stories about how Ashtanga in the olden days was practiced without mats, directly on the floor - and the rougher the floor the better. Weathered yogis relate how they use to practice on packed earth (the dust creating some friction) or even gravel for the most advanced practitioners.

“It makes you feel closer to the earth, and does not bound your space. It is very liberating, and the gravel really toughens you up. I would not go back to mat yoga, it blocks my prana from flowing” commented a teacher who wished to remain anonymous for fear of litigation.

More and more Ashtanga yoga studios are going mat-less: will you be a part of this growing trend? [Source]

Ramaswami on the New Year starting in March

2009-03-25T14:45:00.004Z

Here's an abstract from Srivatsa Ramaswami's March Newsletter that I thought was interesting:

"In the olden Days, it is said that March used to be the first month of the calendar year. September was the seventh month as Sapta in Sanskrit is seven. October was the eighth and ashta is eight in Sanskrit. November and December were the ninth and tenth months, as nava and dasa are nine and ten in Sanskrit. So.., Happy New Year."

Very nice. Spring for many is a time of rejuvenation, growth, and new beginnings. Ramaswami's explanation makes so much sense for us Westerners...

Luc

Partner Yoga Workshop

2009-03-22T12:12:00.006Z

For a while I've been working on the idea of offering a Partner Yoga Workshop. I have now put together a 1-page workshop description (see here).

I'm excited about it!

I have yet not come across a partner yoga workshop in the viniyoga tradition -- so I think I've got a "first" here.

This is interesting mainly because it raises the question: is there a place for partner yoga in the viniyoga tradition?

I think there is. Viniyoga is taught to young children, and modified to make it accessible for them. Viniyoga is taught to very fit people (e.g. athletes) to help them perform better. There's viniyoga for pregnancy. And viniyoga is taught to the elderly or less able, because it enhances the quality of their lives.

The key words are: needs, objectives, and adaptation.

I think there simply is a need for couples to practice yoga; not as individuals, but as a couple (I'm expanding on this point in the flyer I linked to above). And viniyoga offers the flexibility to adapt yoga to the requirements of the practitioner, or -in this case- the practitioners.

Yoga is mostly practiced in splendid isolation. But it's also a wonderful practice to share.

I hope the workshop will be a success!

Last impressions

2009-03-20T21:37:00.011Z

In viniyoga yoga postures are often performed dynamically. This means that the breath and movement are synchronised.

As a general rule, expansive movements (where the chest is moving away from the legs) are done on an inhalation, and contractive movements (where the chest is moving towards the legs) on an exhalation.

One of the positive effects of dynamic posture work is that it makes the student very strong. Repeatedly moving in and out of a posture works the muscles over the full range. In viniyoga a particular asana tends to be repeated at least four times.

Now what I find is a useful mental focus point during a dynamic practice is to try and aim to make the last movement of a particular posture the best one.

So, lately I caught myself in group classes using phrases such as: "make the last movement in this posture your best one", or "take three more good breaths before we move on and make the third one your best so far".

The bhavana (feeling or mental cultivation) of 'saving the best for lest' helps to maintain one's attention at a consistently high level throughout the practice.

Furthermore, by deliberately trying to make the last movement the best one, we're committing to our 'muscle memory' a movement that is performed with awareness and skill, before moving on to another one where we apply the same principle again. This brings us into the realm of the 'recency effect', which is a known phenomenon in cognitive psychology.

So if you feel that the last movement of a particular posture is always a bit of a mental challenge, (you may be tired or absent-minded by that time), try to remind yourself that last impressions matter greatly.

N.b.:
Funny how these ideas arise - intuition and subconsciousness can play a major role - and only on reflection the wider implications unfold. It's one of the reasons why I love to write.

Triguna

2009-03-11T17:26:00.007Z

In last night's continuers class we briefly touched on the three gunas (triguna in Sanskrit). Just thought I'd provide a few pointers to further reading for those who are interested.

This section on Wikipedia briefly explains what the gunas are; look under prakrti ('the field', i.e. the phenomenal world around us, including us).
The gunas were already mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures. For instance, the Bhagavad Gita - which is approximately 2,500-2,300 years old- talks about the gunas especially in Chapter XIV (search the internet and various texts will come up).
But also the Yoga Sutras, the most authoritative yoga text, compiled by Patanjali, mentions the gunas. See for instance this section.
The gunas are also seen within the context of Ayurveda, the Indian system for well-being that is believed to be 5,000 years old. This brief article talks about sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic food.

So it is safe to say that the gunas have had (and still have) a profound influence on Indian thought.

Personally, I find the concept of the gunas very useful. I find myself thinking about my own energy states ("I'm feeling rajasic now, what can I do?") on an almost daily basis.

The gunas help me understand my own energy levels better, how I can balance them through food (of the physical, sensory, or spiritual kind) and how to better understand the world around me--and be a better yoga teacher.

Tamas isn't 'bad', and sattva isn't necessarily 'good'. The gunas have their own place in our world; it is only when these energies are out of bounds that they can cause havoc.

I am not aware of a Western equivalent to the gunas, which is quite interesting considering how far back the gunas go in the Indian system.

/* update 12 March 09:

Just received Swami Vivekananda's translation of the Yoga Sutras. On page 14 it says:

"Then there is the state called Sattva, serenity, calmness, in which the waves cease, and the water of the mind lake becomes clear. It is not inactive, but rather intensely active. It is the greatest manifestation of power to be calm. It is easy to be active. Let the reins go, and the horses will run away with you. Anyone can do that."

A good breath

2009-03-04T10:33:00.006Z

Invariably I am making references to the breath during my group classes and 1-to-1 sessions. A couple of weeks ago one student asked "how do you know when the breath is good?".

It's a great question.

When the breath is good, there is a different kind of awareness around the body and mind. The slow, purposeful, and smooth inhalations & exhalations act like a gentle massage. The whole body is involved.

With every breath, there is a sense of deepening and opening.

When the ujjayi technique is applied, there is a very faint sensation of rubbing in the throat. The flow of air is very even throughout the entire in-breath and out-breath.

Unnecessary tension in the body will 'melt' away. Areas that one may not have been aware of up to a certain point, are gently moving along with the rhythmic movements. One of my favourite areas to focus on is the area between the shoulder blades.

Then the mind will also experience a sense of calm as the mental chatter fades away. A calm mind requires a calm breath; they are are inextricably linked.

All in all, a sense of peace and tranquility will arise. Having 'a good breath' can have a profound effect on the individual.

Some may not yet have the patience to spend time with the breath. It's very subtle, and easily gets overlooked. But it's worth the effort.

Gazing points

2009-02-11T16:28:00.002Z

In two of my group classes this week I mentioned the importance of gazing points in the practice of yoga.

This means resting the gaze on single point somewhere in the room or doing this mentally with the eyes closed. In other words, the gazing is 'outside' or 'inside'.

The sanskrit name for gazing point is 'drsti'. It's a potentially complex area, but we kept it at a very practical level.

For a basic standing posture like samasthiti, the gazing point will be in front of one's body, a few feet away. For a lying posture like two-foot support (or 'dvipadapitham') the gazing point will be between the eye brows, with the eyes closed.

The effect of working with gazing points I feel is really positive. I notice that in a group class there is less unnecessary movement (e.g. looking around), more tranquility, more serenity. And the good thing this is a technique that is accessible for everyone.

From a teaching perspective I find it works well with two other attention points: focusing on the breath and being aware of the body.

So during a 'linking posture'—used to transition from one posture, or posture group, to another—I would speak along the lines of "...and now come back to the breath, your posture, and your gazing point".

These three areas support one another wonderfully well, like the legs of a tripod stool.

Practical visualisations

2009-02-09T13:28:00.007Z

I have found that simple visualisation techniques help my students learn yoga postures quicker and better.

It goes along the following lines:

Near the end of a session, I ask the student to sit comfortably in an easy cross-legged position with the eyes closed (I deliberately choose this active posture over the more passive "corpse" posture).
I provide a chronological summary of the class using lots of sensory references, e.g. linking to physical sensations, visual images, sound (the sound of breath). I believe that people are naturally 'wired' to understand this. So I say things like:

"Recall how you were flowing through the movement at an even pace."
"We worked on the breath in this particular posture. Its sound was very gentle, barely audible, yet purposeful."
"If you like to think in pictures, perhaps you can link a certain colour to the final opening posture in the sequence."

I allow space in between the words and sentences, to allow the student to 'fill in the blanks'.
I focus on the positives.
I allow a few quiet moments at the end, so that the student can reflect on the session in any way s/he wants.

This exercise takes about 3-5 minutes.

I belief there's great value in repeating the key points before closing the session. It's like reliving an experience but with the added benefit of hindsight.

It also always strikes me how much we've covered, even when dealing with a seemingly "simple" practice.

Then, once everything is given its proper place, I do a bit of pranayama. The mind will be even more clear now... It's such a wonderful way to end a practice!

I'm particularly keen to use this approach in 1-to-1 situations, although I might also do it in groups.

I am not sure if the Yoga Sutras are referring to this particular visualisation technique—however, I find it extremely helpful in any case.

Certainly the idea of visualisation is very common in sports, and that's where I learnt this skill myself.

If you're interested to find out a bit more, I can recommend "The Inner Game of Tennis". There's a strong yoga flavour throughout the book so even if you're not into sports it shouldn't feel to alien ;-)

Clear boundaries

2009-02-01T14:25:00.008Z

I have been on my yoga mat doing pranayama numerous times, and yet I keep discovering new things about the breath.

Interestingly, the ideas that arise are not just trivia. I find they have a real significance beyond the yoga practice itself.

Yesterday, for instance, I realised that the transitions between my in-breath and the out-breath weren't clearly 'defined'.

I observed that the muscular movements in my body weren't fully aligned with the actual flow of air through my nostrils. It was as if the body started to exhale when it was still mentally computing the inhale, and vice versa. Somehow the cycle got cut short.

Big deal!, one might argue. We'll survive. Yes of course. Now how did Federer do at the Australian Open? (Not too well apparently.) I for one, couldn't be bothered about these details, say, five years ago.

But it gets interesting when we experience how these mixed signals affect the mind. Is there ambiguity, confusion, energy leaking, a disturbance perhaps at a very subtle level?

And what does this breathing pattern say about one's stance in life? Are boundaries a bit blurry in other areas as well? Are we jumping ahead to the next task whilst barely having finished the previous one? Do we feel that we are in control of our lives?

The breath is a mirror.

The breath is a teacher.

I found that clearly marking the four core stages of breathing(inhale, pause, exhale, pause) had a strong and positive effect on the quality of my pranayama practice.

And these effects seemed to spill over to whatever followed the pranayama practice.

It's worth a try.

Luc

Balancing postures and the sound of breath

2009-01-26T12:41:00.007Z

Balancing postures have always been a challenge for me. Even a simple, dynamic tadasana, raising and lowering the heels and arms with the breath, for a long time I have considered difficult.

The fact that the ceiling where I live is too low to do this sequence—I'm quite tall—has always been a welcome reason to not do the posture ;-)

There are two aspects to balancing postures.

Firstly there's the technique. Inadequate technique will undoubtedly affect whether or not one is a bit wobbly in a posture.

But arguably attitude is the most important aspect.

The moment the mind goes astray, we tend to loose our balance. In this sense, balancing postures are a great tool to assess our mind's steadiness. But how to still an unsteady mind? How to be better at balancing postures?

I have found that focusing my attention on the sound of my breath has tremendously helped my concentration and hence, the quality of my balancing postures.

Once the attention is resting on the gentle and even sound of my ujayyi breath, I find myself moving in the posture very steadily.

It's delightful.

Luc

Gentle persuasion

2009-01-22T15:23:00.005Z

It is funny, but we can be very busy during our yoga practice, especially in between postures.

Going from, say, tadasana to uttanasana, we feel the urge to readjust our clothing, hair, glasses, and stealthily scratch our armpits, sip some water, readjust the lighting, open the window.

Oh, if we're on our feet anyways, we might as well give the soup a stir, look at that text message that came in a minute ago, and update the shopping list. The list can easily grow!

Innocent as this may be, the actual consequence is that our attention goes out the window. At a more profound level, our energy dissipates. It is directed outwards, rather than inwards.

The practice can feel counter-productive, and one may get off the mat in a rather frustrated mood. Some might even fall out of love with yoga, "because it doesn't work".

I've grown to see the inclination to do something other than yoga when you're supposed to be experiencing blissful states as the mind's final attempts to be at the center of attention.

It's a useful teacher. It tells me to focus on something other than the usual thought patterns (like the breath, or the bodily sensations), and the mind's "noise" will fade to the background.

A friend, who must have gone through similar experiences, once noted that "the mind is an unruly beast". Well, he's English and has a wicked sense of humour. I think the verdict need not be that harsh.

I think all it takes is a little bit of gentle persuasion. Soon enough, the mind will give in, and abide in a moment of peace and quiet.

That's where the yoga practice starts to bear fruit.

Luc

A personal learning tool

2009-01-16T15:29:00.002Z

I like to think that being a yoga teacher would allow me to be in a high-altitude, blissful state non-stop. The reality, however, is different. Each student comes to class with their own unique background, requiring a unique response from the teacher.

I need to set apart time and create space to think about what's in the best interest for the individual, the group, and yes myself too. So here as a teacher I need to have my feet firmly planted on the ground - just how I like to teach the various postures involving the feet!

As a teacher it's important to learn continuously. It's fun, and, honestly, there is no other way. That's where this blog comes into the frame. It's a personal learning tool.

I will use this blog to reflect on matters that occupy my mind. And hopefully, somewhere along the way, it may attract some readership, or spark off a lively discussion.

The blogging journey has begun! :)