Pilates & Yoga

[destiny]

I love yoga!!! I take a class 2x a week and also try to incorporate Bikram weekly. It's intense but very, very worth the rewards. I like to say yoga is my religion- I absolutely love it.

[Starblossom]

I took out a book on Power Yoga and learned some moves about a year ago, I really loved doing it but then I became preoccupied with weight-training and cardio. I miss yoga so I've been trying to relearn some of it...my job totally kills my back, and at the end of the day I do a couple yoga moves to stretch everything out and re-energize.

[zoebird]

i practice yoga every day. i've done this for most of my life. currently, i dont' take any classes, but i teach full time and own my own studio. Of course, it's closing in two months--long story and not my doing, the building sold to a montessori school--but i still teach all the time.

yoga is basicly my whole life. :)

as for pilates, i practiced it a number of times with teachers in their training program. i greatly disliked it. it was like yoga in many ways (pilates took a lot from yoga, then added specific western things). it does exactly what it is supposed to do--so pilates is great and does what he set out for it to do--but it's just not my thing. I find it to be too "fitnessy"--which is fine. I know people who love pilates and don't like yoga because yoga is too mental/spiritual and not physical enough. But, the truth is, they come from the same origin. ha!

for working abs, particularly lower abs, work mula bandha and uddiyana bandha (root and flying up lock). I think the yoga journal web site has articles about them. If not, look into it. In pilates, these locks are called your "girdle"--and pilates got it right from yoga (and the pilates breathing came from yoga too--ujjayi pranayama). Pretty cool huh?

anyway, they're cousins and i recommend both practices for great physical and mental health. :)

[bad]

i love yoga and pilates! i do them when i can but i dont have a yoga class anymore :cry: and no money for book :idea: oh i could check out the library i haven't been their in years whoo yay libray outing score!

[Life2k]

I am totally out of shape and 54 years old. Would Pilates be effective on me or just put me in traction?

[zoebird]

pilates probably won't hurt you--if you get good instruction. as always, i'd recommend yoga first, but hey, i'm a yoga teacher! LOL

anyway, good instruction will get you into really great shape in no time (with proper diet and some cardio). it's a really great system that really works--if you do it right. :)

[HorseGal]

I am totally out of shape and 54 years old. Would Pilates be effective on me or just put me in traction?

The wonderful thing about pilates is that you can modify your poses if you, for instance, have a bad back, or neck, or knees, etc., and yet, you still get great results from the different exercises. Mari Windsor is 50+ years old herself (the woman behind Windsor pilates).

Yoga is much the same in that it can be used by people of all ages who want to get into shape! :) I'd definately reccomend both to you!

[Vicky]

i just bought a yoga mat, now i gotta buy a video and i can start !

[zoebird]

i wish my video was finished with production--or even really started! ha! (still negotiating).

anyway, i'd suggest mine. :) in absence of that, i can't suggest a thing. many are good, some are not. i would go withYoga Journal's series. they're good. everyone seems to like rodney yee.

[Lelena]

I love pilates I do it when I get a chance. I don't do yoga though for religous reasons. I use a tape for pilates, which I had a hard time finding. Most tapes had yoga incorparated with pilates.

[zoebird]

lelena:

i like your nick. that's nice. :) i would like to ask, or pry, if it wouldn't bother you, what religious prohibitions you have about yoga. is it specific elements? is it your specific religion? just curious.

for many people, myself included, yoga is another spiritual discipline that adds to the discplines that we have in our own faith practices. for example, many christians practice prayer, scriptural study, group worship and meditation (from a christian perspective). Some christians choose to add the practice of yoga techniques to their spiritual disciplines. The same is true of many christians, muslims, buddhists, neo-pagans and the like. Similarly, i have met other christians who do not do yoga because they believe that yoga and meditation are not religious disciplines that christians should participate in because their origin is not judeo-christian.

i'm just curious. :) if you don't want to get into it, that's cool too. :) be well and happy!

[Lelena]

zoebird, I don't have a problem answering your question. Basically yoga has religious orgins of which I do not agree or practice. Also in my religion we do not believe in empting the mind with things like the kind of meditation that you do with yoga or trances.

I like your nick too, where did you get it?

[zoebird]

lelana:

thanks for answering my question, i know that it can be a difficult topic for some people.

i think the biggest reason that people have a problem with yoga and meditation from a religious stand point comes not from the actual practices themselves, but rather from a misunderstanding of how one communicates those practices. Many people consider meditation a "emptying of the mind" and the word "empty" denotes an idea that there is nothing there. YOu may remember the scripture in the gospels where jesus says that an empty house invites demons to enter, so when you clean house, invite jesus in. that's not a direct quote, but a bit of a paraphrase obviously, and i think it applies here.

the difference is that meditation is not about "emptying the mind" so much as it is about "focusing" the mind and clearing it of clutter. In the tradition, the unfocused mind is often called "monkey mind"--because it bounces from thought to thought, feeling to feeling, basicly it's cluttered! When the mind is calm, and/or focused, then you can be present and be truly open to the experience with the divine. In yogic meditative practices, we use breathing, asana (poses), and meditation to focus on God/Universe. This is how it can be used as a practice for any religion at all--because it just depends upon where you set your focus. Also, i know that meditation has long been practiced in both western and eastern traditions for thousands of years. Usually, it's more of a language barrier than it is a problem with the actual practice.

As for your first concept, that one i can definately understand. I can see why a person would say, i disagree with the orgins, so i disagree with the practice. I certainly have no problem with this kind of assertion. Some people do consider it an inherent practice of hinduism, buddhism, or vedanta, and do not want to participate in those elements. I am a universalist myself--finding truth in most religions, and practing what i see as appropriate for my own spiritual development and relationship with God--and i certainly have no problem with someone forgoing certain practices for any spiritual or religious reason. :)

as for my name, i'm named after my parakeet. Her name was Zoe and she was SUPER COOL! she was smart and interpid and i loved her very much. Zoe bird was always very loving. she loved to interact with people and sit on your shoulder or finger or head or back pocket. She also loved to hang upside down in her cage. This is rare for parakeets.

One day, she was riding on my husband's back pocket and he wasn't paying attention. he took out the trash and when he "banged" down the lid, she flew away. I was terribly sad.

then, 6 months later, i was watching the news and saw a strange little article about an elder couple who had been brought into the hospital for treatment after they'd gotten sick because their heating system didn't work (it was winter). They refused to leave the house without their bird, and there was no place for the bird to go. THe hospital kept the bird in an area where it was away from patients, but safe for the bird, and the elder couple would get to visit with her.

At the end of the show, they were showing the antics of the bird, and she looked like zoe bird. I thought "how cute is that?" and then, the bird hung upside down and did her little trill! I was like 'oh my goodness, i think that's zoe!" the next day, i went to the hospital to visit the couple.

i found out that they had found the bird in their garden, which was only 2 blocks from my apartment. the elder lady was working in her garden when a parakeet landed on her head. She walked into the house with the bird on her head, and then the bird went and made herself comfortable in one of the decorative bird cages that the lady had. So, they kept her and named her chloe.

they said that she was the light of their life--so funny and friendly. They told me about her antics and i recognized them. and then they let me see her. I definately think it was my zoe. of course, i didn't tell them this. I just figure that Zoe needed to go and light up someone else's life. She was happy and healthy, and i was glad that she was still alive and in a home that loved her. I also found it interseting that they named her "chloe" which is so close to "zoe"--they even called her "chloebird" as i called her zoebird! crazy, right?

grace of god, i think. :)

[one_sweet_world]

don't mind my dropping in :hi: lol

i'm interested in doing pilates and/or yoga (i really wanna tone up). there's no gym/studio around here that i'd be able to go to regularly for them, and i'd rather practice in my own home so videos and dvd's look like the best way for moi.

i know Winsor Pilates is a reputable name so i'll go with that. i'm guessing they have vids for starters and more progressed people. oh well, you've gotta start somewhere, right? lol

as for yoga, does anyone know the name of a good vid?

from what i've heard, you don't need much to do yoga or pilates. the room i intend to use is carpeted...do i still need a mat?

thanks for the help, loves!

*zoebird, sweet story! very nice of ya to let zoe/chloe (lol) fly into the hearts of more people :o



-Rocky

[HorseGal]

If you're going to be doing your yoga/pilates on carpet, you wouldn't NEED a mat, unless you're having problems with slipping, or if your carpet is uncomfortable to lie on (ie is scratchy or nubbly or something).

If you don't want to get a mat, another solution is to use a large cushy towel on the floor over the carpet as your "mat".

Ta!
Emily

[SaladDays]

i wish my video was finished with production--or even really started! ha! (still negotiating).

That's really cool! Let us know when that materializes. :rockon:

[Lelena]

zoebird:
what a sweet story about your bird! She must have been very special.

I do believe in meditating. But the way in which we do it is different. We meditate on particular things, such as my daily bible reading or a scriputal pricipal. It's the act of the phyical (postions, breathing) and meditation together which makes yoga different than just exercises and objectionable.
Plus of course as you mentioned about it's orgins which is steeped in pagan and supernatural rituals and beliefs.

I have never heard of universalists before. I live by the Bible and am very strict about everything I do. If it isn't in harmony with the Bible I don't participate or do it. Even what most people consider harmless like birthdays, holidays, etc. we do not do because either there is no scriptual backing or their origins are pagan.

I do appreciate your nonjudgemental attitude. Some people cannot perceive beyond what they believe. Whereas I have my own beliefs and believe in only one way, I realize everyone has their own mind and it's their right to choose. I can respect what I don't agree with. :up:

[zoebird]

lelena:

yeah, she was a cool little bird. :)

what your describing is not meditation, so much as a type of prayer--often called contemplative prayer, where one considers or thinks about one particular idea of scripture and lets the Holy Spirit guide one to deeper understanding. It is one of my favorite practices and has applications in many areas, not only helping one gain deeper understanding of how one should behave/proceed, etc. I thoroughly enjoy this process, but it is distinctly different from meditation. in the judeo-christian practices, meditation has "gone out of fashion" and probably did, for the most part, with the collapse of cloistered monastic life (which pretty much happened, i think, in the latter part of the middle ages, when monastaries became universities/learning centers and began to take on other educational roles). For many, meditation is considered an 'outsider' belief/practice, but it is still an active part of christian life for those who have the opportunity to learn of it.

i, too, believe in the bible and follow it, but i do not necessarily agree with the interpretations of many groups. i look to the history, time, and place of the scriptures, the reasons it was written, how and why, and what those holy people were trying to convey to their time and place, and the generations to follow. i've translated the text from hebrew and greek, as well as many non-canonical texts from both jewish and christian religions (often in hebrew, greek, and latin) which give the history and debate around the text itself, the ideas within, and how people then (and thus now) understand the text. It's a fascinating study, and something i thoroughly enjoyed. Today, i do not translate the text directly, though i often use my own translations when i do contemplative prayer.

Currently, i'm prepping to learn sanscrit--the origin language of the vedic cultures, birthplace of hinduism, jainism, sikhism, and buddhism--so that i can better understand those scriptures as well. i really love languages and cultures, and as i've read many english translations, i'd love to have access (from both an educational and a spiritual/contemplative aspect) to those scriptures as well. Of course, eventually i'll probably have to learn pali (an early buddhist scriptural language) to get access to more of the "newer" buddhist texts which surfaced sometime around 400 BCE.

other than simple curiousity, my understanding of scripture comes form a belief that God speaks to all peoples throughout all ages in ways that they can understand. cultural languages and symbologies cropped up, and yet universal truths came through loud and clear. When one culture says one thing, another culture often says the same thing in a different way. One culture houses the idea with one language or practice that makes sense according to their environment and social function, and another culture houses it in another way--and yet, IMO, both come from God and his love.

When i practice with the religious society of friends, often called quakers, they speak often about John 1:9 in which part of it says "the light that lights every man" and of course, extend man to "humanity" or "person" to include women. For them, and i say for me as well, even though i'm not "officially" quaker, this means that God resides in, and is part of, each person's life regardless of their awareness of it and speaks to them always.

So, as a universalist, i study, observe, and in truth adore, many different religions and can use that knowledge to illuminate my faith practice, to enhance my relationship with God as well as my understanding of myself and my purpose here. For me, there is no conflict between the bible and any religion or practice UNLESS the practice goes against the universal ideas of compassion, right action, lovingkindness, peace, etc.

the purpose of yoga is to develop these ideas through various practices that aid physical health and well being as well as mental and spiritual clarity. because of this, the practices do not conflict with the basic principles of the judeo-christian scriptures, even though they may conflict with certain interpretations of it.

again, i'm just explaining where i come from, and i certainly "get" your perspective too and can accept that. :)

as for birthdays, i'll celebrate others, but i don't often "celebrate" my own. of course, i always do something, and it's usually along these lines: i remember reading somewhere that there was a time in early, pre-roman judaism where birthdays were celebrated by the birthday person giving away many of his or her possessions (ie, purging or cleansing themselves of excess), as well as giving gifts to parents and those who raised the person to honor their love and protection. I thought that was a pretty cool way to celebrate a birthday, so it's what i do, generally speaking.

Also, in taoism, they have you count your years up to 60, and then when you turn 61, you start to count down (ie, you're 59 again, then 58, then 57 and so on). at the 60th birthday, you have an event where you open up your home to friends and family, and they take away all of your possessions except what you basicly need. i've been to a "party" like this, and it was really, really amazing. basicly, the home is stripped of everything, and then as gifts, you give back what she needs. For example, we took away all of the pots and pans, and then gave back the pots and pans as a birthday gift.

it's an amazing process and a deep practice of simplicity. i thought it was the coolest thing. Her parents where there too, both of which were both in their "20s" as the counting goes, awesome people too, and they were honored by the "birthday girl" with a celebration for their amazing life. I thought it was the coolest thing.

I know that it has "pagan" origins, but i just love the ideas here. Purging for simplicity is one of my favorite things to do. I do it 4 times a year, giving away many clothing items, books, magazines, etc, etc, etc. When i donate to the Good Will, i always stash a bit of cash in the pockets so that people in need get a little gift too. i often hope that the money goes out with God's blessing and will bring them what they need when they need it.

Ok, now i'm rambling. i'm in the middle of my summer purge (started on my birthday no less--july 11), and having a blast. For my birthday, i organized all of my baby pictures which my mom and dad had just thrown in boxes. Many of the copies were messy and ruined (sun damage and acid damage) so i had many of them reprinted, put them in small photo flip books and then in acid free storage boxes with labels. My mom LOVES labels and boxes. They were so thrilled. We're going to do my sister's for christmas.

seriously, now i'm really rambling. Do you like to purge too? :)

[veganprincess]

zoebird: that story about your bird was so beautiful. it made me think what a lovely person you really are. and then your most recent post just confirmed it for me. i admire you for your deep understanding and acceptance of people from all walks of life, and your quest to find your purpose on Earth. I think it's so cool that you're learning sanskrit - i'm now thinking that maybe i should too! i have often wondered why we are put on this Earth. I'm Buddhist and have read a small number of Buddhist books. I don't really know what my purpose is here, but I think that as long as I'm here I should try to do as much good for all mankind as possible. That's not figuring out very much, is it?
I practise power yoga and would very much like to read a good yoga book - about it's origins, it's purpose etc. what's a good book to start with?
also, i've tried meditation before but have not been very successful. i would like to try again but was wondering if you could give any pointers pls? I usually just listen to my breath and count with each inhalation/exhalation. and when a thought comes to my mind (which happens ALL the time), i entertain the thought, then remind myself to get back to my meditation.

[zoebird]

vp:

thanks for all of your kind words. There are many kinds of power yoga--do you know which school/lineage you practice (for instance, names of teachers like baron baptiste, brian kest, rodney yee, rod stryker, shiva rae)? if you know that, then i can understand which "type" of power yoga you practice and which books might work well for you.

a great book for just an overview of yoga is the "encyclopedia of yoga" written by georg feuerstien, phd. he's one of the foremost yoga scholars. the book is relatively short and gives a lot of great information. for asana information, i love iyengar's Light on Yoga which is a difficult text until you get the hang of it. Basicly, i keep a copy of this book with me in my classes AND a copy by the toilet in my bathroom. Every morning when i use the bathroom, i read one pose and think about it. Then, later i'll add it to my practice. When i'm teaching, i'll often refer to the book, use it to show students after class, and whatever else occurs to me at the time.

there are many really excellent books out there, so it'll probably be good if we just get a few more ideas of what you're looking for specifically. More philosophy? more asana? more mudra/meditation/pranayama? lots of books out there, and i'll help out however i can.

as for meditation, i can recommend two excellent books. One is buddhist: thich naht hanh's book called Meditation. The other is hindu/vedic: eswaran's book called Meditation. I like both of them a lot and have used them in teacher training and our meditation group.

following your breath, and counting them, is a good place to start. the thing that gets tricky is when you think about something (normal) and then you think about stopping your thoughts (lets get back to meditation!) and then you think about meditation (i'm sure i'm getting close now!). lots of chatter in there. There are a couple of different ways of working with this, and the most effective is to simply acknowledge the thought and let it float away. It usually does this on it's own when you acknowledge it without any judgement.

which school of buddhism do you practice?

[veganprincess]

zoebird: thank you so much for your reply, and all your wonderful book recommendations! i will have to finish reading the books that i am currently reading before buying some of those you've mentioned though. at the moment, i think i will start with the philosophy of yoga, and meditation, then move on to other aspects later on.
unfortunately i am not very sure which "school" of power yoga i'm practising. how can i find out? should i just ask my instructor?
yes, you have just described why i find meditation rather difficult...:no:
i think i am a theravada buddhist. i say i think, because i am not too concerned with labels.....but yeah, i think it's theravada.
thanks for all your help!

[zoebird]

vp:

to find out which "school" of power yoga you practice, it is a good idea to ask your instructor. s/he should tell you with whom s/he has practiced or studied with, and where they studied, and so on. So, for example, when someone writes up an ad for a power yoga instructor, i'll go in and tell them that i took teacher training in baptiste style power yoga with bill, who is a close friend and student of baron baptiste. Similarly, i have studied astanga, also called power yoga, with beryl bender birch, one of the first american astanga instructors. for places who want a more soothing, or slower, form of yoga, i tell them that i practiced and apprenticed under a kripalu yoga teacher and an iyengar yoga teacher for five years before studying power yoga.

i also tell my students, when i first meet them, what my background is so that they know what to look for when they're travelling, looking for books, or just interested in trying different styles of classes. they'll know not to try a "baptiste style power yoga class" because they're already getting that influence. but, they may try a rod stryker or brian kest style power yoga class.

Your instructor should be able to tell you his or her experience and teachers, which will help you find books that will support his/her teaching style and enhance your practice both within and without class.

i think the best place to start, then, would be with the books that i mentioned before when it comes to studying philosophy and meditation. eswaran has a number of wonderful books, as does fuerstien, so those are good places to look for titles.

when it comes to theravaden buddhism, it is a very interesting system. You may be able to find a theravaden, or tibetan, buddhist center near you and find training in buddhist meditation and dharma from dharma teachers. if you can't find a center near you, then you could always look for a "church of interbeing" or a meditation group that is part of thich naht hanh's lineage. it's more "loose" than a buddhist center, but the ideas are still there.

personally, i love zen centers. of course, that would be because my buddhist background is in zen. :) there is a tibetan center near us where we go a couple of times a year for their fundraisers and traditional buddhist/tibetan art shows. it's a blast!

[veganprincess]

zoebird: thanks so much for your prompt reply! i'm sorry i've taken so long to get back to you though; i've been busy lately.

i will talk to my yoga instructor as you've suggested. i'm gonna miss the next class cos i'm going home to visit my parents, so it's got to be at next week's class.
one question: do you sometimes get frustrated when you can't do a pose? ok, well, maybe you don't have that problem now cos you're an experienced instructor, but i mean in the past when you were learning. i really want to do the poses that i can't. like bakasana. i just have not been able to do it. and i can't seem to roll down slowly on to my back using my stomach muscles (i do this in pilates but sometimes in yoga too). i feel a little embarassed about this actually, cos the whole class can do it! there's this other yoga pose that i could not do in the previous class, but i can't remember what it's called.

how do you get the discipline to meditate? i'm always too lazy or tired to do it, or i just forget. i'm terrible.

[zoebird]

vp:

it's no problem when a person gets busy--i get busy too. LOL

uhm, about practice. For me, there's always somewhere to go in an asana--something to learn. Frustration comes about though when we have a goal "i want to learn this pose!" and "i really want to get this pose!"--those are aspects of the ego. instead of focusing on the pose and what it looks like, look at what you can do (going toward the pose--modifications), and then put your whole soul into that modification. be with that version of the pose, relax into it and learn from it. when you do "get it" it will be a big gift--and i bet a suprise as well! the main thing is to not think about or worry about what other people can do, and work on what you can do and honor yourself for that.

Also, remember that there are over 6000 yoga poses. One of my teachers once told me, can't do a pose? don't like a pose? then don't do it. there are 5,999 others to choose from. And, eventually, you may come back to that pose and find that it wasn't so difficult or daunting afterall.

as for meditation, like yoga it just takes practice. start off with just a little bit. Set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes and just listen to your breath. Pick a time of day that works for you, and then over time increase the time to 5 or 10 minutes. Then, you may want to do 5 or 10 minutes twice a day, or three times. it increases on it's own. But it's easy enough to start with 2 oe 3 minutes (that's about a commercial break on the tv) and get into the practice of doing meditation.

be well and happy!

[clickman]

Since people are looking for centers for Buddhist studies... If you're in the Boston area, I know of the Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies. http://www.kurukulla.org/