Need Balance?

Sarah Sutton’s recent “Yoga Balance Routine” video is one of the best I’ve seen. She offers nearly ten full minutes in a series of poses that specifically addresses balancing. She eases into each pose gently and offers helpful commentary along the way about how to approcah each of them. What I really like about this video is that it is presented in a split-screen format so we can see the pose from two different angles at the same time.

What a Headstand Can Teach You

This recent blog was poignant and I thought I’d share it with you. It involves a person (gender is not revealed) who was in conflict about pretending to disagree with a friend on a particular issue. It made them feel “out of alignment.” The blogger took this concept to the mat while doing a headstand. Something about the pose was slightly out of alignment, and he/she took a spill as a result. This got me thinking about the life lessons that asanas can teach us. We know, in yoga, never to do what doesn’t feel right, and isn’t the same true about life? If we push a pose or try to copy what the person on the mat next to us is doing, it can throw us out of alignment and cause physical damage. Just like not being true to ourselves can cause another kind of damage. See itsallaboutyoga.com.

Should The Whole World Embrace Yoga?

Guru Swami Ramdev is a really popular guy in India. His number one television show has made him a household name. Recently, he was enormously well-received in London and Texas, and his next stop is Vancouver. The Haryana, India native was called “A sophisticated yogi of the digital age” in a July 26 article in the Vancouver Sun. His mission of bringing the ancient practice of his native land to the rest of the world is gaining him enormous popularity through his media presence and DVD sales. He says that yoga is much more than asana and pranayama; he says it includes meditation, concentration, and even renouncing worldly possessions. He also makes the bold claim that yoga can cure cancer. The article sheds light on this dynamic yogi who’s making strides everywhere he goes. See canada.com.