"I absolutely love Yoga"!!! Ever wonder why we 'Yogi's' seem to be more mild mannered than 'non-Yogi's'....well..is it built in? Learned?
I was first introduced to Yoga by my father. It all started when I had some 'night terrors' as a child. I used wake up in the middle of the night screaming and scared. At first, I thought it was from nightmares. But every time I would wake up I couldn't seem to remember my dreams! I would just wake up in a cold sweat.
Went through some evaluations and tests...and all agreed that I had no psychological illness just a bit of everyday stress, that I would need to learn to manage. All it was...as my father explained it to me was -- I needed to learn how to relax and learn the basics of 'meditation'.
"Meditate"??? Hmmm, no idea what that meant~! At 6 years old...what??
Growing up, I watched my father do the headstand. He always had his eyes closed and would stay in several other poses for minutes at a time. At first, I thought it was the strangest thing ever. He finally convinced me to try it.
I first learned ... the 'Staff pose'~Dansana. He told me to have both eyes closed.
My father told me, "Say a prayer and say it twice...( say it loud or to yourself).. "
He told me, "listen to your voice, your breathing...and slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. At first I thought this was so strange and weird. I was one of those kids that had to have music on, at all times!
Beginner Yoga poses ~click on this link for some 'How to...poses'
He was so patient with me...we practiced it together every single day until I could clearly hear my breathing... learning other poses and sleeping well every night. All of a sudden, the night terrors were gone!! Maybe I was stressing myself out for no apparent reason.
I did this every night. This practice not only helped me sleep, but it helped me through all these years deal with sleepless nights.
To date, I practice Yoga at home at least once a week. It is a part of my life that I shared with my father and will continue to share with my loved ones.
Yoga has been around for years, from Vinyasa to Bikram.
I recommend the Yoga Tree : http://www.yogatreesf.com/
But for all those who are curious on how to be a Yogi...you don't need to be flexible or extremely athletic to be one. Do a "child's pose"...hear your inner soul, it is all about learning to relax, meditate and concentrate on yourself.
Thanks Dad!
Namaste
