Adore Yoga Blog

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