Hatha Yoga Tree Pose
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- Category: General
- Published on Sunday, 28 October 2012 20:10
- Written by Admin
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Instructions for Practicing Hatha Yoga Tree Pose:
Stand up straight. Have your eyes open and find a point to focus on. Gaze steadily at this point as you practice this pose. This will help you keep your balance and also help you develop the power of concentration and mental focus.
Now lift up your right leg by the ankle and place it high up on your left inner thigh. Place it as high as is comfortable. Release your ankle after you have steadied yourself. (The illustration shows the leg on the calf, but if possible you want it high up on the inner thing, with the knee pointing out to the side).
Now bring the palms of your hands together in Namaste Pose and bring your arms over your head trying to keep your elbows as straight as possible. Hold the pose steadily while breathing long, deep and slow.
After half the time, switch legs.
Duration for Hatha Yoga Tree Pose:
1 – 3 minutes / side. If 1 minute is too much you can start with 15 seconds and build up from there as well.
Benefits of Hatha Yoga Tree Pose:
- Excellent for building physical balance and agility.
- Strengthens your legs.
- Builds mental focus and the power of concentration.
- Good for flexibility of the hips and shoulders.
Practice Tips & Modifications for Hatha Yoga Tree Pose:
There are several modifications to Tree Pose and let me share 2 of the important ones with your here.
- Hands in Namaste Pose: Instead of bringing your hands over your head, have them in Namaste Pose (Prayer pose) at the level of your chest. This is perhaps the most basic version of Tree Pose.
- Foot In Front: Instead of having the sole of your feet on the opposite inner thigh, instead have the entire foot up high on the front of the opposite thigh. So the left foot would sit high up on the front of the right thigh as an example.
Karma Revised - Part I
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- Category: General
- Published on Wednesday, 08 August 2012 18:14
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Karma is a universal law encapsulated in the statement “as you sow so shall you reap”. It can be found in almost every holy book, often referred to as the Law of Cause and Effect, or the Law of Karma. Newton discovered that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, which Albert Einstein confirmed.
It is also important to remind oneself that this principle affects every area of my life. Karma literally means action. At every moment we are presented with a choice – to choose good over evil, to be kind or rude, to move slow or fast, to make things simple or complicated and so on. And depending on what action we take, we receive the return of that. It’s that simple! Do good and you get something good in return. Give love and you are showered with love.
Don't Just Expect, Reflect
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- Category: General
- Published on Saturday, 19 November 2011 18:32
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We live in an imperfect world and yet expect our relationships to be perfect! We want people; friends, family, cousins, colleagues, bus drivers, traffic attendants, almost everyone, to be flawless – but it’s a tall order to ask for, isn’t it? And we conveniently forget that we ourselves are not perfect. Overcoming our ego and accepting others ‘warts and all’ or as they are, is a very big part of living in harmony. Trying to change others is not.
We anticipate that when we agree to do something with someone, it should happen like clockwork. Well not always. Hope for the best but expect to be ready to change gear at any moment. The less we demand of others, the more friction-free and happier our relationships will become.
People are intuitive and can pick up when we are trying to change them, control them, or fix them! We love people, but at the same time, we love molding them as if clay and believe that perhaps a slight comment here, a remark there and a jerk in jest, will put them into ‘shape’. Anyone sensing that you are out to change them will resist and most likely run in the opposite direction.
