Anatomy & Ashtanga Yoga: Healing Series

Healing the Total Body: Where Western Anatomy Meets Eastern Spiritual Science

Healing Series, part 1 

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You transfix me: You are my chakras

you are balanced. i live with you.

You are a work of art. It’s not easy but you do it. You live true to who you are and know it. When you are open, chakras, in my yoga practice, I don’t question it. 

dear chakras, you help me walk with strength, enchanted. i’m open to each of you as you arrive, speak and feel. i know who you are…

-->> chakra article moved to here.

I'm a rebel… I close my eyes in Bikram Yoga sometimes because it helps me see

eye closed and seeingDo you hear me now? Probably not if your eyes are opened, focused in the mirror in your yoga class.

I am here, eyes closed yet wide opened. I am listening to my own chakras, which speak louder with colors through darkened eyelids.

Yoga brings me there, not my own eye contact with myself in the mirror.

© 2013 Yoga Robin® 

Of course it works: On believing

visions of purple

Of course it works to believe. And to dream in purple...

While in savasana, your yoga sleep at the end of your practice, not that you should be asleep and dreaming, but concocting or envisioning a dream-come-true will suffice. The energy created during a powerful yoga practice that preceded it could bring you to your knees metaphorically.

It could leave you speechless, silent and in awe, even allowing you to follow yourself up an elevator to look down upon yourself from above. This clarifying space is where all that truly matters is illuminated for you to gaze upon. In solitude.

glow inside me, show me my dream

dreams that come true

If you see a purple light at the crown of your skull while in your savanana, it's a sign of the seventh chakra and connection to the spirit world. A most blissful state of being, it opens to a world where anything is possible. This is where magic comes from. If you can imagine this state of mind as a small flame flickering that never goes out, then you will be forever changed when reaching this state.

Its presence could quite possibly be preparing you for something.

...because your dream just came true...

© 2013 Yoga Robin®

Whispering words to your soul

poetry of the body

As yoga speaks the poetry of your body, words speak the poetry of your soul. Yoga and words complement each together. Any type of activity can also be a way of living your yoga.

there are no mistakes

No stranger to a community of poets and those who like to verbally relay their words to others? Many have a vibrant and active lifestyle to go along with this love of words.  

Like the wind off a clear blue lake blows its answers to the mountains, take time to whisper the secrets to your heart. Listen to every touch with your sacred ears. Sit with the words as they write themselves. There are no mistakes. It is all yours. You write it to share, so that you can touch something other than the normal, regular you. 

As you move the prana in your body, and work through the chakras, you experience your purpose in the moment. Through your desires, your energy and your heart, you will most likely find the soulful words whispering to you gently. 

continue moving

Continue moving and you eventually can surrender to that which you've activated, feeling it clear out all that gets in the way of knowing your true intuitions and spirit connection.

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Hiking as a path to your self: Living yoga

Living yoga via hiking

Hiking on a sunny day... turning to sunset. It is my favorite time up on the mountain.

image @ Cora Varnes

I can watch the day sunlight culminate from warmth to secretive, from life-giving to artistic. With that change comes a change of heart too.

Hiking is a type of yoga for me, as I pay attention to my breath in the same way as I do on my mat. Living yoga outside of yoga class is the true test of a healthy yoga practice anyway. Hiking is part of having a well-rounded yoga life for me.

If I take an intention with me, it unravels with every step. I can even go through the various chakras as I climb, balanced together with music of the soul. What's most important in order for me to make my hike into a yoga adventure is silence—not necessarily inner silence but literal silence (i.e., no orating any words). This can be done with a partner as long as this is agreed.

Another important factor is breathing through my nose, using what we call in yoga the ujjayi breath. It is done throughout an Ashtanga practice. This breathing is done by making a sound in the back of the throat. Some people like to refer to Darth Vader from Star Wars when describing it.

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Making the perfect yoga music playlist for a dynamic yoga practice

Music and yoga paired

For making the best yoga playlist, from my experience it's all about the chakras—the energy centers located along the spine and in the head connected by channels which funnel energy throughout the body...

During a phenomenal yoga practice your mind, body, heart and soul move through the whole chakra spectrum, ideally starting at chakra 1 and progressing upward to chakra 7. Therefore, it creates a moving and dynamic yoga practice to have the music emulate this journey.

For a 90 minute practice, or I prefer a 108 minute practice...

Chakra 1) is about being grounded and survival mode. It's at the base of your spine. It's all about plugging your feet in the earth and allowing the grounding force to connect us to the energies that empower our being. Chose one song that is tribal in nature like drums or Tibetan.

Chakra 2) is about sexuality and creativity. Its focus is in the lower abdomen. It's about feeling that inner craving and sexuality within yourself and transforming it to inner fuel. Chose a couple songs that stir this part of your nature.

Chakra 3) is about momentum, getting moving, making things happen, and feeding our self-esteem. Its focus is in the solar plexus—below the ribcage. Chose fast songs that make you really want to move. You will remain in this chakra for longer than the prior two so, chose 3-4 songs.

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Yoga, what you do for me: A poem

poetic reality of yoga

you help me find my pure state of mind
you help me burn away layers of chatter with my fire
you help me fill gaps in ways that i can't get filled by anything
you help me stop fighting with myself within
you help me change energy into fuel
you help me open my eyes to see myself honestly
you help me witness patterns so they melt
you help stir the dust inside me
you help me open my heart
you help my mind become more fertile so it grows like grass
you help bring me to another plane of existence
you help me transform time
you help me float, fly, breathe under water in my imagination
you help me take a stand against my inhibitions
you help me find ...


the deepest parts of myself without fear...

you help me love my body

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