Yoga will rock your world---in a good way! Your mind will become more focused as you practice awareness in various yoga positions. That present-minded awareness will eventually extend beyond the practice into everyday activities like speaking and eating. Maybe your fork will be in mid-air (or your tongue in mid-sentence) and you'll realize that you don't really want---or need---that next bite. So you'll lower the fork full of some delicious delicacy slowly back onto the plate and feel satisfied. Not full, but "half full" and satisfied.
Yoga will teach you to enjoy the sensation of "full enough" rather than the uncomfortable, over-stuffed sensation of a bloated and over-worked digestive system. It takes great awareness and discipline to yoke your body with your mind and your spirit in order to recognize when the stomach is in this balanced state of being. When you stop eating---or even shopping---at half full, you are practicing one of the yamas (or ethical disciplines in the eight limbs of yoga) called aparigraha (non-greed, collecting or hoarding). Stopping at "half full" also honors your body as the "temple of the Holy Spirit" by not over-taxing your digestive system. (Read I Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19, also II Corinthians 6:16.) Ayurvedic medicine, the sister science to yoga that literally means the study of life, teaches that in order for proper digestive action to occur in the stomach, it should be only half full of solids, one quarter full of liquids and one quarter of gas. When a glass is only half full, the other half isn't empty; it's half full of gases (air.) When we observe a half moon in the night sky, the other half hasn't gone anywhere; it's simply shaded by the earth.
Over-eating can be viewed as a lack of trust that nourishment will be available as needed. Slow down and eat with awareness! You'll find it much easier to recognize when you're "half full." Try to remember this yin and yang principle of opposites when you practice this week's targeted yoga position called "Half Moon Pose" or Ardha Chandrasana, which is safe for prenatal students.
Practice yoking with confidence that God is enough and you will be more than complete in Him! plf
Yoga will teach you to enjoy the sensation of "full enough" rather than the uncomfortable, over-stuffed sensation of a bloated and over-worked digestive system. It takes great awareness and discipline to yoke your body with your mind and your spirit in order to recognize when the stomach is in this balanced state of being. When you stop eating---or even shopping---at half full, you are practicing one of the yamas (or ethical disciplines in the eight limbs of yoga) called aparigraha (non-greed, collecting or hoarding). Stopping at "half full" also honors your body as the "temple of the Holy Spirit" by not over-taxing your digestive system. (Read I Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19, also II Corinthians 6:16.) Ayurvedic medicine, the sister science to yoga that literally means the study of life, teaches that in order for proper digestive action to occur in the stomach, it should be only half full of solids, one quarter full of liquids and one quarter of gas. When a glass is only half full, the other half isn't empty; it's half full of gases (air.) When we observe a half moon in the night sky, the other half hasn't gone anywhere; it's simply shaded by the earth.
Over-eating can be viewed as a lack of trust that nourishment will be available as needed. Slow down and eat with awareness! You'll find it much easier to recognize when you're "half full." Try to remember this yin and yang principle of opposites when you practice this week's targeted yoga position called "Half Moon Pose" or Ardha Chandrasana, which is safe for prenatal students.
- Physically---It is a good idea to prepare the body for "Half Moon Pose" or Ardha Chandrasana, which is an open-hip, standing and balancing posture. The best method to strengthen the legs unilaterally (one side at a time) is by regularly practicing the two positions from the last two blogs (February 23rd and March 2nd.) This rhythmic change of positions can be performed as a vinyasa flow (breath-synchronized movement) from "Triangle Pose" that exhales into "Side Angle Pose" and then inhaling back again to "Triangle Pose," and so forth.
- To move into "Half Moon Pose" from "Extended Side Angle Pose" with the right leg forward (or this may be transitioned directly from "Triangle Pose") the first step is to lower the left arm to the left hip on an exhalation, and then lower the gaze (drishti) to the right big toe. Next inhale to ground into both feet while extending the right knee forward beyond the toes of the right foot and moving the right palm about a foot beyond the toes of that foot. This forward movement can be aided by a gentle push off of the back left foot as the back leg lifts straight up and extends directly out of the hip during an exhalation. Be sure to engage the muscles of the standing leg as you ground firmly into all four corners of the right foot and inhale to extend the spine and stretch the left arm straight up over the left shoulder with active fingers. Since the standing foot, leg and hip are supporting the weight of the body it helps to engage the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles (the bandhas) and extend through the upper arm while grounding down into the standing foot to create a sense of lightness. Once the "Half Moon Pose" feels stable, you may slowly shift the gaze (drishti) up over the left shoulder to the left thumb. With each inhalation extend and broaden through the rib cage while rolling the top hip and ribs open. The spine can be extended by pressing through the ball of the foot as the lifted leg extends away from the crown of the head.
- Be sure to release back into "Side Angle Pose" from "Half Moon Pose" slowly by lowering the extended leg to the floor and the top arm back to the top hip on an exhalation as the bottom hand slides back toward the standing foot. Reverse sides by pivoting both feet to the left as the body moves into "Triangle Pose" with the left leg now in front and the right leg in back. Strengthen the left side by flowing back and forth from "Triangle" to "Side Angle Pose" before attempting "Half Moon Pose" standing on the left leg for an equal number of breaths. Always rest in "Child's Pose" and then "Corpse Pose" before ending your yoga practice.
- Mentally---Since balance is a key factor in "Half Moon Pose" it may help to practice against the side of a counter, a bed or a wall for security. Think of leaning against the wall or other prop as the training wheels of a bicycle that can be removed once there is enough confidence in your balancing actions. Remember that balance is an active verb, not a noun or unmoving state, that requires constant slight adjustments made with a focused awareness of every slight action. Once the body is able to balance comfortably on one leg with the upper hand extending and reaching while the lower hand is only a slight support to control the balance, you may practice holding the pose for 3-5 conscious breaths away from any support or prop. Smile in satisfaction of where you are right now. Develop confidence by slowly weaning yourself away from your prop, moving further and further away from it each practice session. Attempt to hold "Half Moon Pose" on each side for a greater number of relaxed but conscious breaths each time you practice. Relax your facial muscles and your mind.
- Spiritually---Build slowly and think "half full"...even if the pose is only halfway there. Practice trusting that progress will be made. Don't get greedy or impatient with physical results! You will experience contentment (santosa) when you focus on what you have and what you CAN do during practice! Practice feeling contentedly "half full" and focus on the more important yoking relationship with your Creator. Remember Jesus' words of wisdom in The Book of Matthew, Chapter 6:
Practice yoking with confidence that God is enough and you will be more than complete in Him! plf
