Adore Yoga Blog

One of the key concepts of yoga is “Ahimsa”, or ‘do no harm’. Before so much as unrolling a yoga mat, every yogi is asked to contemplate how this concept translates into everyday life.

 

When I discussed this subject recently with some of my students, they came up with the most wonderful suggestions for incorporating this philosophy into their daily lives. One said that she practised Ahimsa when she carefully trapped a house spider and set it free in the garden (instead of squishing it!) Another said that she tried not to say anything hurtful or condescending to her children. A third believed that by not eating meat she was avoiding doing harm to animals.

 

My students came up with lots of creative suggestions for incorporating Ahimsa into their daily lives. But we often overlook one of the most important ways in which we can avoid doing harm to other people. Our lifestyle choices.

 

It’s not always comfortable to think about it, but every decision we make has a consequence. Whatever your opinion on the climate change debate, the truth is that the lifestyle habits of developed countries have a dramatic impact on the poorest people in the world.

 

Yoga is the process of cultivating mindfulness, of being aware of our every action, thought and behaviour. This starts on the sticky mat with attention to alignment, breath and mind-chatter. But what we do on the mat is simply a way of practising these vital life skills so that we can take them with us when we get off the mat and go into the world. Is it really practising yoga to agonize over our alignment in Trikonasana, then fail to apply the same degree of attention to our consumer choices?

 

If we do not cultivate mindfulness in all areas of our lives, we are not incorporating the teachings of yoga into our daily lives and our practise on the mat loses it’s meaning.  The concept of Ahimsa is important in helping us observe our behaviours and develop a keener understanding of what ‘mindfulness’ really means. How mindful are we of how we impact other people and the environment through our lifestyle choices? Here are a few areas in which we can practise cultivating mindfulness in practical and useful ways.

 

Food choices: On average, Australians waste 136kg of food per person per year. When we chuck food scraps or ‘out of date’ items in the bin, it’s goes into landfill and gives off methane, which is 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than what comes out of your car exhaust. But it’s not just the food you see in the bin that is wasted. It’s also the massive amount of resources that went into producing, storing, processing and transporting it. Aside from the environmental implications, it’s also sobering to discover that over 2 million Australians a year rely on food relief.

 

Assessing whether we really need all the food we buy is a good starting point when tackling this subject. Then exploring ways to recycle any food waste that we do inadvertently create. My daughter’s school has a thriving veggie garden and all our household scraps make their way into the class compost bin where the worms (aided by the children!) turn leftover banana skins, apple cores and the green bits of the carrots into food for the strawberries, root vegetables and herbs that grow in the school grounds. There are lots of affordable, compact and easy to use back yard (and balcony) composting systems available these days.

 

Clothes: There are some well known clothing brands that actively discourage trade unionism in developing countries to avoid paying award wages to their workers. If we’re practising Ahimsa, we might want to consider the provenance of our clothing next time we grab a fashion bargain. It just doesn’t seem right to do yoga in a pair of pants that were manufactured at the expense of a struggling family in neighbouring Indonesia.

 

Water: Practising Ahimsa can help us be mindful of how our water use impacts future generations of Australians. It’s not just a question of using the economy setting on the dishwasher or watering the garden after 4pm. Did you know it takes 50, 000 litres of water to produce 1kg of beef (to put this into perspective, it takes just 500 litres to grow 1kg of potatoes)? Now, I’m not a vegetarian, but that figure made me question how much meat we really need. It isn’t immediately obvious, but it dawned on me that cutting down on meat consumption could be seen as practising Ahimsa on lots of levels – environmental, humanitarian and personal health.

 

Stuff: There’s a lot of ‘stuff’ that we neither want nor need, yet a lot of resources go into making it. I became keenly aware of this at Christmas as I considered gifts for my family. Whether it was the gift itself, the packaging, wrapping or the resources that went into all three, I realised that my gift buying decisions had a tangible impact on the environment. Using recycled wrapping, making our own cards from recycled resources and buying gifts that everyone really wanted were some of the ways we tackled this issue. I’m sure you can think of plenty more.

 

There are many, many ways in which practising yoga can have a direct and positive effect on the world we live in. Cultivating mindfulness and practising Ahimsa when we make consumer decisions are important steps in learning to live sustainably.

 

Sources and Resources

http://foodwise.com.au/

http://www.oxfam.org.au/

http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/index.aspx

From Term 2, we are encouraging students not to bring plastic water bottles to class. Why?

 

• Over 400,000 barrels of oil is used per year in Australia to manufacture the plastic to make the bottles

• Out of all plastic bottles only about 30% are recycled

• Tap water costs 1 cent per litre compared to bottled water which costs $2.53 per litre

• It takes seven litres of water to make a one litre water bottle

• There are 200 billion litres of bottled water consumed worldwide

Source http://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/Say-no-to-plastic-water-bottles/

http://www.bottledwateralliance.com/ 

Try one of the funky stainless steel bottles instead, or grab a drink from our studio tap using the cups provided. It’s the little things that count – thank you!

Nik and the Team at Adore

Yeah, that was me. For years, I talked about doing meditation. I read books and articles about it, told others how good it was and even bought a meditation cushion. But I never got around to actually meditating. I tried to concentrate on those breathing exercises at the end of my yoga classes, but my mind kept wandering off to domestic tasks, jobs left undone, shopping lists to write etc. etc. etc.

 

Then I trained to be a yoga teacher and there was no hiding place – I simply had to sit down and do it! I tried various styles of meditation: walking, seated, concentrating on the breath or an object, mantra repetition – the lot. After several months of yoga teacher training, I still couldn’t keep my mind still for more than a few minutes. It was frustrating and embarrassing – how could I ever be a yoga teacher if I couldn’t even meditate? Then my teacher told me something that changed my experience of meditation forever.

 

She said that the objective of meditation was not to make the mind go blank. When we meditate, we are not trying to have ‘no thoughts’. Hallelujah! “Think of the mind as a naught puppy”, she said one day. “It has no discipline and it’s your job to teach it how to come to heel.” Yes, my mind was just like one of those young dogs you see in the park, pulling it’s owner over as it bounds off in every direction, chasing after endless distractions. “The trick is”, she continued, “to catch your mind when it wanders off, just like you would catch that naughty puppy. Then, gently, bring it back to concentrating on the meditation. And you keep on doing that until your mind learns a little discipline, just like the puppy.”

 

All of a sudden, the focus of my meditation practise changed. Instead of trying to keep my mind a ‘blank’ and beating myself up whenever I had a thought, I realised that the point of the practise was to ‘catch’ the mind when it wandered off. Of course thoughts are going to crop up. That’s what the mind does – it thinks! To try to stop it thinking is a recipe for frustration and failure.

 

So, next time you try to meditate, lighten up. It’s ok to have thoughts. The trick is to notice when you have them, then gently bring your mind back to concentrating on the meditation. Here’s an easy meditation practice to get you going:

 

1. Sit comfortably, using a chair or leaning on a wall if that helps you to sit in comfort with a tall spine.
 
2. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Watch the movement of breath in and out of the body for a few minutes.
 
3. Now bring your attention to the sensation of the breath passing over the tips of the nostrils. As the breath enters the body, it feels cool against the tips of the nostrils. When you exhale, the breath feels warm and moist as it passes over the tips of the nostrils.
 
4. Keep your attention focused on the passage of the breath over the tips of the nostrils. Eventually you’ll notice that your attention has wandered. Acknowledged that your attention has wavered (even allow yourself a little smile!), then gently bring your mind back to focusing on the breath. 
 
5. Keep going for about 5 minutes. Try this practise every day and gradually build up till you can sit for 30mins at a time.

If you'd like to try a yoga class with a meditation component, I'd recommend the following Adore classes, which are taking bookings now:

Tues 9.15am Avenue Rd
Thurs 9.15am Military Rd
Sat 4pm Avenue Rd
Sunday 8am Military Rd

  Posted by Nikola Ellis

Ego,Yoga and to be a little more specific Asana's worst nightmare!!
 
The root to most injuries related to the practice of Asana as we are forever trying to better ourselves without regards to patience and what we are really capable of doing!!
The best way to stop Ego from guiding our practice is to realize that Asana is not about being flexible but is to be able to guide our practice with the element of the breath so the breath helps us find our boundaries and our limits and once we have found them to learn to respect them.
Flexibility doesn't come overnight and is such a secondary benefit to the practice of Asana as what we are really trying to do is to bring our mind into stillness whilist binding the mind and the physical self by using the element of the breath.
Drishty and the bhandas also helps us integrate the inner physical self!
So next time you practice remember these basic concepts and hopefully injuries will be a part of the past

Namaste
Maurice Eberlein

I get cranky when it’s too hot. It starts off with tiredness and generally feeling like everything’s too hard. Then something flips my switch and I’m off. Raging. Normal pre-schooler behaviour suddenly becomes an unbearable provocation and I find myself giving my 5 year old a roasting for the terrible crime of drawing on her little brothers hand with texta. So what happens to me when the temperature rises? And is there anything I can do to keep calm? The answers can be found in Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science (Ayurveda = ‘Science of Life”). Ayurveda tells us about the three doshas or 'constitutions' - Pitta, Vata and Kapha.

 

Pitta dosha is made up of fire and earth elements. It is this fire element that can get out of control during the summer and bring out the firey behaviour that my poor children have been witnessing!  My constitution is mainly Pitta, but we all have a bit of Pitta in our make-up and these hot summer days can aggravate any of us if we find our Pitta dosha getting out of balance. Here’s a run-down of Pitta characteristics and some tips for keeping that fire in check during the hot weather!

 

Characteristics of Pitta

Pitta-dominant people are often of average or athletic physical build and have fine hair (often blonde or red) that tends to early grey. They have a strong, robust appetite and metabolism. A balanced Pitta is blessed with a sharp intelligence and an amazing ability to organise people and events. The Pitta dosha is made up of the elements of Fire and Earth and the fire side of Pitta can quickly get out of control if the dosha gets out of balance through poor diet or lifestyle choices. Flashes of anger and jealousy may flare up if Pitta dosha isn’t kept cool and balanced. You may not be Pitta-dominant, but in the hot weather, or if you live a lifestyle that aggravates Pitta, you can still experience the same symptoms.
 
Disease Patterns of Pitta
Pitta-dominant people are more likely to suffer from ‘heat’ related conditions – inflammatory diseases, fevers, rashes, burning sensations, ulceration, sore throat, and irritations such as conjunctivitis.
 
Lifestyle tips to keep Pitta dosha balanced
Things to avoid: Too much heat aggravates Pitta dosha, so avoid saunas and steam rooms and  take special care during the summer months to stay cool.  Make sure you exercise during the coolest part of the day (no jogging at lunchtime!) Strong, spicy, stimulating foods are not recommended (ie. Chillies, garlic, raw onion, coffee, salt) and oily food or acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus fruit should be avoided. Pittas function best on a predominantly vegetarian diet, so keep consumption of red meat, chicken and eggs to a minimum.
 
Things that balance Pitta dosha: Try eating ‘cooling’ foods. This doesn’t mean ice-cream! In Ayurveda, cooling foods and spices include fresh vegetables and fruit, cinnamon, coriander, fennel and cardamom and coconut milk. Cooling yoga practices when you get overheated are extremely helpful - there are lots of poses and breathing techniques specifically designed to balance Pitta dosha. Try some seated forward bends and start to focus on gently lengthening your exhalation (always check with a qualified teacher before practising at home).
 
Pitta dosha health check:

• Avoid excessive heat
• Exercise during the cooler part of the day
• Eat cooling foods and avoid spicy foods
• Try some gentle, cooling yoga poses such as seated forward bends

By Nikola Ellis

Yoga provides us with a complete framework in which to achieve happiness. After all, the ultimate aim of yoga is samadi – or salvation – endless bliss.

It is more than asana practice. It is more than meditation – those these are a great start! The great sage Patanji – often credited as being the ‘Grandfather of Yoga’ set down this framework within ‘8 limbs’.

Patanjali’s first limb of yoga: the yamas are wonderful guidelines for us all to live the best life possible. They are not a moral judgement, but a way for us to stop searching what we are always looking for: personal fulfilment, with the second advantage that followed correctly, they also benefit society. The result of not following these teachings is simply that we will continue to suffer. So, simple steps that if not followed will result in suffering? It should be a straightforward choice, but is very difficult to stay on the path.

The first yama is ahimsa, non-violence, or the absence of cruelty or harm. This refers not just to physical violence, but also to the violence of words or thoughts –either towards yourself or to others.

Really ahimsa seems to affect every practice of yoga, for example, practicing asana without paying due attention to ahimsa can vastly reduce the benefits the poses can bring. On your yoga mat, your drive for external achievement can show through in your asana practice. The other students cannot see your bandhas, or your breath, or your mental focus, but can see the length of your spine in downward dog, or how close your heels go to the floor. Although another student may be impressed at the end of the practice, it is you who lose out through the chance to gain the true benefits of an inwardly focused practice. Similarly, over forcing your body into a position that you are not ready for today can lead to injury. There is much benefit from easing off 10-15% from your asana practice, so that you stop externalising and start bringing your focus to another level.

There are four other yamas, which are: satya (truthfulness), asteya (non stealing), brahmacharya (moderation in all things, abstinence) and aparigraha (non covetousness). These other yamas all integrate closely with each other, but most of all with ahimsa, as neglecting to follow them results in your own suffering, which is surely violence to yourself.

For example, asteya and aparigaha are closely connected for if you didn’t covet something that you don’t have and don’t have the resources to procure, then you wouldn’t need to steal. Speaking on a purely physical sense, our culture values physical assets very highly, and therefore we set ourselves goals on attaining houses, cars and other material possessions. Even when we have enough, we work towards more, and we are so frightened to lose what we have accumulated that this causes suffering to both ourselves and others. We don’t want to give away more because we want it for ourselves. This causes suffering when this wealth accumulation is threatened, like with a huge drop in the stock market. All that we have worked so hard for seems to have disappeared, and this attachment can cause worry and discontent. This fear and worry can come through at work or at home through a snappiness and blame-game – ahimsa.

The second limb of yoga: niyama, has to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. While the yamas outline actions and attitudes we should avoid, the niyamas describe actions and attitudes that we should cultivate to find our balance and wholeness and to alleviate the suffering the yamas cause. The five niyamas are: saucha (purity), santosa (contentment), tapas (austerity), svadhyaya (self-study) and isvara pranidhana (devotion to the Lord).

I have found great assistance in my seeking of happiness through swadhyaya: reading many yogic texts and practicing many different types of yoga: meditation, asanas, bhakti, karma yoga etc. It has helped me to turn my outward focus on external achievement to look inward, face myself and evaluate my true Self.

The times in my life when I am most closely linked with my true Self is the when I have dedicated myself to studying and practicing yoga. Keeping the mind and body pure (saucha) through eating well, but not much, abstinence from alcohol and a daily yoga practice. I feel the fog lift. I work hard, and with devotion and have progressed well in my mediation practices, glimpsing moments of overwhelming peace and a connection with the whole universe.

My own pursuit of happiness seems inextricably linked with my commitment to my yoga practice. If I get lazy, or change my routine through travel or other obligations then my yoga practice falters and my attention to myself departs. So, I know, if I don’t practice saucha and drink one or two glasses more than I should of alcohol, I will feel ill the next day, and is difficult to do my yoga practice. I am therefore more distant from my true Self, and I feel disconnected and let small things become big obstacles and ruin my day. No yoga practice makes it easy to avoid the hard self-examination necessary to follow the niyamas, and makes it easy to fall back into the yamas.

Self-study has led me to knowing both myself and what the cause of my angst and frustrations are. It is slowly helping me create space for my happiness. I know that if I keep myself healthy, sleep and eat well, attempt to connect myself to a higher energy and devote myself to my yoga practice, I start to accept where I am as the right place to be and just enjoy.

By Rachel Walker