Yoga for the Dancer
My motto has always been: Yoga can be as hard as you want it to be, or as gentle as you need it to be. That's the beauty of Yoga; everybody can and should do Yoga. There are many reasons people do Yoga. It's as varied as the many different styles and schools of Yoga. Since Yoga was introduced to the Western World, it has undergone various adaptations. Today, Yoga is practiced for many different reasons by many different people. Some of the more prominent reasons are explained.
Yoga is an excellent way to cross-train and this is probably one of the most popular reasons Westerners practice. It's also the most radical revamping of classical, traditional Yoga. It's a revision of Hatha Yoga.....yoga as fitness training is concerned primarily with the physical body-flexibility, resilience, strength, endurance, and preventive medicine for injuries. This is usually the first encounter for newcomers. Fitness training is an excellent gateway to introduce Yoga, but eventually, some people discover that Hatha Yoga also includes moral and spiritual practices that are designed to lead to enlightenment. As my teacher, Richard Hittleman, always said, "Yoga is for those with ears to hear." From the beginning, Yoga masters have emphasized the need for a healthy body. But, they have always pointed beyond the body to the mind and other important aspects of well-being.
Have you ever thought of Yoga as a sport? Some do and particularly in some Latin American countries, but it is widely controversial. Its practitioners, always excellent athletes, master hundreds of extremely difficult poses to perfection and they demonstrate their skills in international competitions. Traditional Yoga practitioners criticize this new sport, although it could be regard as an art form. They feel that competition has no place in Yoga, and I personally tend to agree. Interestingly, this athletic orientation has promoted Yoga to new parts of the world. Let's just hope ego filled self-centered competitiveness is held in check.
Yoga therapy applies yogic techniques to restore health or full physical and mental functioning. The idea behind Yoga therapy is very old, but, its name is fairly new. Yoga therapy is a whole new professional discipline and requires greater training and skill on the part of the teacher. Yoga is usually practiced by people who don't suffer from disabilities or ailments requiring remedial action or special needs, however, Yoga therapy addresses these special needs. Recently several insurance companies began offering coverage of Yoga therapy as part of their alternative therapies programs.
Yoga as a lifestyle is gaining popularity. Yoga once or twice a week is certainly better than no Yoga at all. Yoga is certainly beneficial, but, you unlock the real potency of Yoga when you adopt it as a lifestyle. Living Yoga means you practice every day, whether it's physical exercises or meditation. Most importantly, applying wisdom of Yoga to everyday life is to live with awareness. Yoga has a lot to say about what and how you should eat, how you should eat, how you should sleep, how you should work, how you should relate to others, and so on. It is a total system of conscious and skillful living. You can start practicing this Yogic lifestyle today, just make a few adjustments in your daily schedule and keep your goals vividly in front of you. When you're ready, make further positive changes. Take it one step at a time.
Lifestyle Yoga is concerned with healthy, wholesome, functional, and benevolent living. Yoga as a spiritual discipline is concerned with all that plus the traditional ideal of enlightenment.....meaning discovering your spiritual nature. In Yoga, spiritual relates to spirit--your ultimate nature. The spirit is one and the same for everyone. It's formless, immortal, super conscious and unimaginably blissful. It is transcendental because it exists beyond the limited body and mind. You discover the spirit in the moment of your enlightenment.
All these reasons to practice Yoga share the cultivation of awareness= the ability to pay close attention and to be mindful, and relaxation=the conscious release of unnecessary and unwholesome tension in the body. Here's To Your Dancing Health!
The Camel
The Camel limbers the ENTIRE SPINE and PELVIS. It opens the CHEST improving RESPIRATION. It improves CIRCULATION. The Camel is also a great toner and strengthener for the NECK, THROAT, QUADS, ABDOMINAL and GLUT MUSCLES. You may want to work with the first pose for a while. When you're ready to go to the second pose, push your hips forward, this will give a deeper stretch in the THIGHS and strengthen the KNEES. Dancer and I disclaim any liabilities or loss in
connection with the exercise and advice herein.
a). Begin on your knees with a little separation between them. Use you hands to support your lower back, push your hips forward and arch your head back opening up your chest. Hold for 10-20 counts breathing normally. Relax and repeat. Proceed to #2 when you are ready.
b). Perform #1, but for your hold, lean back and grab your heels with your hands. Push your hips forward as you arch back, hold 10-20 counts. Relax and repeat. Conclude by counter-stretching your back......bring your hands forward on the ground, pull your back toward the ceiling, hips under and neck and head relaxed down.