Daily Words of Wisdom

Thanks to Heather Walton in California for typing all these words of wisdom from Yogi Tea bags. I took the liberty to omit two of them, due to word choices that didn't resonate with me. Several of the ones below touch my heart deeply, and my hope is that you, too, will gain from these reminders of who we are and how to live.

"The purpose of life is to enjoy every moment."

"Delight the world with compassion, kindness and grace."

"Laugh because that is your purpose in life."

"Happiness is every human beings birthright."

"Real happiness lies in that which never comes nor goes, but simply is."

"Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light."

"Bliss cannot be disturbed by gain or loss."

"Compassion has no limit. Kindness has no enemy."

"Appreciate yourself and honor your soul."

"Grace brings trust, appreciation, love and compassion."

"Love is where compassion prevails and kindness rules."

"An attitude of gratitude brings opportunities."

"Recognize that the other is you."

"Life is a flow of love; your participation is requested."

"Where there is love there is no question."

"The best way to life is to be, simply be."

"When you know that all is light, you are enlightened."

"Your head must bow to your heart."

"Your greatness is not what you have, it's what you give."

"Your greatest strength is love."

"Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything."

"All that is needed is surrender and gratitude."

"The soul is projection. Represent it."

"To be calm is the highest achievement of the self."

"There is nothing more precious than the self."

"The universe is the stage on which you dance, guided by your heart."

"There is no love without compassion."

Dare to Love When You Think You Cannot,

Kris
www.TotalHealthYoga.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Ashtanga Yoga - Jois leaves the world of form

Thanks to Nadine Fawell for bringing it my attention that Sri K Pattabhi Jois passed away on May 18, 2009 after gracing this earth for over 90 years.

Jois studied with Krishnamacharya, the father of most yogas today. Taking his own views on hatha yoga and using the knowledge he had acquired, Ashtanga Yoga was born.

Today Ashtanga Yoga is one of the most popular styles in America. While questing for a style that suited me over the last decade or so, Ashtanga was one of the paths I followed for a brief period. Although it did not speak to me personally, the impact Jois had on the world and thousands of people is commendable--his dedication and strength, admirable.

I know that my next practice--regardless of what style I choose--will be dedicated to this devoted and much loved man.

Namaste,

Kris
www.TotalHealthYoga.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Japanese Yoga

A friend and I have been emailing about the authenticity -- or lack thereof -- in many of the world famous yoga teachers today. I wonder if those that have fame and appear to have lost the true meaning of yoga and living a life of ahimsa (non-violence) began with inner peace and the challenges of being in such high demand threw them or if they never really "got it" to begin with.

The teachings found in Japanese Yoga by H. E. Davey align with what my heart tells me is true. This book crossed my path quite unexpectedly which makes it all the more divine.

A month or so ago, my son's Japanese class requested that I come in to teach them some yoga. After making sure they understood that Yoga was from India, and not Japan, I agreed. While investigating to see if there was any correlation between Japan and Yoga, the name Dr. Nakamura Tempu came up. He is known as "the father of yoga in Japan." Davey's book provides an interesting, if not fascinating, story of Dr. Nakamura's life.

I am only about a quarter of the way into the book, but so far it's very impressive and rings true to me. Here are a few excerpts that will give you an idea of the foundational mindset and attitude behind this style of yoga:

"I absolutely reject [the role of guru or spiritual authority]. To look to another for the truth is to miss the Way of the universe that's eternally right before our eyes. It's to attempt to see through the eyes of another person, and it is destined to result in delusion--the follower believes he's seen the truth, but he's only seen a reflection of the truth at best, and the leader believes he or she is doing something right because of the worshipful attitude of the followers." (pg 11)

"[We] are one with the universe, we are therefore imbued with the energy of the universe (ki in Japan, prana in India), and, as a result, we can learn directly from the universe itself." (pg. 27)

"[The] body acts as a reflection of the mind." (pg. 44)

The premise is that truth is only known when you experience it yourself. Davey continuously stresses the reader to perform the exercises repeatedly to see for yourself what is happening. The exercises I've used so far are about discovering for yourself the power of the mind in the body.

It's refreshing to find a teaching that truly guides the participant so that they may discover for themselves what is true instead of claiming it must be true because some yogi with a lot of experience or even an ancient text says so.

To finding your own inner guru,

Kris
http://www.totalhealthyoga.com/

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Is Ear Candling Safe?

Is ear candling safe? Being into complementary and alternative medicine, I decided to try ear candling. It felt odd and was fun in a strange "let's-do-something-different" kind of way, but I really wondered if all the crap left in the candle could possibly have come out of my ear. Reputable sources claimed great concern over this procedure and warned against doing it. On the other hand, folks working at the local health store said it helped them greatly over the years.

So I decided to run an experiment to uncover the truth regarding this practice. The nice clean glass below served as the inside of a nice clean ear.

Next I placed the ear candle over the cup and lit it--just as you would do over your own ear if you were so inclined to use ear candles. The first thing I noticed was a large amount of sooty smoke filling the glass (our ear for this experiment). When it was done here's how the glass looked (remember this is what could be left inside your ear canal.

To give you a better picture, here's a clean spoon.

Now here's the same spoon after scooping out the gunk from the bottom of the glass (this is the junk left in your ear after candling).

Additionally, ear candling proponents claim that the inside of the candle will suck up the wax from your ear thus cleaning it out. To "prove" this, you can cut the candle open and see all the supposed ear wax. Below is a photo of the ear wax that was sucked up.

Of course, the only problem with this is that wasn't even over an ear!! But rather a completely clean glass!

So take my advise and stay away from this detrimental hoax.

In good health,

Kris
http://www.totalhealthyoga.com/

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!