I Think, Therefore I Am Not

The important thing is not to think much,

.

but to love much;

.

and so, do that which best stirs you to love..

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{Saint Teresa of Ávila}

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~ Love & Love from Yoga Gypsy ~

Little Is More

A little knowledge that acts

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is worth infinitely more than

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much knowledge that is idle.

.

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{Khalil Gibran}

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~ Love More Ways from Yoga Gypsy ~

Seek and You Shall Not Find

When someone is seeking. . .

it happens quite easily that

.

he only sees the thing that he is seeking;

that he is unable to find anything,

unable to absorb anything,

because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking,

because he has a goal,

because he is obsessed with his goal.

Seeking means: to have a goal;

but finding means:

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to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal.

{Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse}

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.

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~ Love & Found from Yoga Gypsy ~

No Problem = No Yoga

Face the problem, not go around it.

Tackle the problem, not avoid it.

Otherwise there is no Yoga.

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.

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~ Love All Ways from Yoga Gypsy ~

Is Your Corn Real?

If we dig precious things from the land,

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we will invite disaster.

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{Hopi}

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~ Love & Corn from Yoga Gypsy ~

To Infinity & Beyond!

Masters can and often are known to cross over into other dimensions of Time and Space when they no longer are needed here on this third dimension.

By definition, they have conquered all of the lessons that a third dimensional planet can teach as a “schoolroom of life.”

These lessons include the understanding and mastering of... unconditional love; patience; kindness; forbearance; temperance; spiritual discrimination; proper government; tolerance; practising the silence of meditation; the transmutation of all personal Karmic debts; the ability to materialise any material object from the universal ethers and the ability to heal with the mind or with a single touch to void the pain of another sentient being.

Their humility is true and rarely will they say,

“I am a Master.”

They are servants to all.

{The Akashic Records}

~ In Infinite Loving Memory of Master Sivaram ~

The Secret of the Golden Flower

Count your age only from the moment when you start living consciously and fully alert.

When each act has the flavour of consciousness, then you are coming closer to home.

Otherwise you are going further and further away.

~ Love & Timelessness from Yoga Gypsy ~

Heptachord During Eating

There are many exercises related to eating.

One of them involves being aware of one's physical sensations while eating.

Be aware of these designated points on the face and body:

1. Eyes while looking at food as it is lifted towards the mouth.

2. Nose while smelling food before putting it in the mouth.

3. Mouth while chewing food.

4. Throat while swallowing food.

5. Chest while food descends.

6. Solar Plexus while food arrives in stomach.

7. Navel when the meal is finished.

Breathe into the navel and sense the energy radiating to the extremities.


~ Love & Endlessness from Yoga Gypsy ~

Did You Know?

He who knows, does not speak.

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He who speaks, does not know.

.

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{Lao Tzu}

~ Love & Infinite Stillness from Yoga Gypsy ~

くずかごに頭を

Life is but a passing dream, but the death that follows is

eternal.

{Maester Seymour-Guado}

~ Love, Life & Death from Yoga Gypsy ~

Shall We Dance?

~ Love & Dancing from Yoga Gypsy ~

The Art of Peace is medicine for a sick world.

There is evil and disorder in this world, because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one source.

Return to that source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger.

Those who are possessed by nothing possess everything.

{Ueshiba Morihei}

~ Love & Peace from Yoga Gypsy ~

Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Two monks debated about a flag waving in the wind.

One monk says: "The flag moves."


The other says: "The wind moves."


Dajian Huineng, hearing the conversation, says:

"It is not the wind that moves.

It is not the flag that moves.

It is your mind that moves."

{The Gateless Gate, Case 29}
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~ Love & Mountain from Yoga Gypsy ~

We Are Life

Labour is blossoming or dancing where

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The body is not bruised to pleasure soul.

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Nor beauty born out of its own despair,

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Nor blear-eyed wisdom out of midnight oil.

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O chestnut-tree, great-rooted blossomer,

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Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?

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O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,

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How can we know the dancer from the dance?

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.

{William Butler Yeats}

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~ Love & Infinite Oneness from Yoga Gypsy ~

Meeting Remarkable Men

Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by

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those who could not hear the music.

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{Angela Monet}

~ Love & Dance from Yoga Gypsy ~

Have A Heart

Our first teacher is our own heart.

{Cheyenne}

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~ Love & Heart from Yoga Gypsy ~

Got It? Drop It!

All the great masters say this, that one day you have to drop the method.

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And the sooner you drop it, the better.

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The moment you attain, the moment awareness is released in you, immediately drop the method.

.

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{Osho}

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~ Love & Let Go from Yoga Gypsy ~

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving he can outwit nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

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{E. B. White}

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~ Love & Respect from Yoga Gypsy ~

Are You Here?

Yesterday a memory.

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Tomorrow an illusion.

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Today is all that exists.

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Live Now. Be One with All.

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One is All. All is One.

.
Zen wa Ichi. Ichi wa Zen.

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~ Love & One from Yoga Gypsy ~

To Surf Or Not To Surf

It is scary. And it takes courage.

To move from the known to the unknown.
To find out what you are made of.
To know who you really are.

The choice is here.

To make a commitment.
To jump into the waters.
To ride the wave.

To go with the flow.

Or just stand on the beach. And watch.


~ Love & Surf from Yoga Gypsy ~

Stop Stealing

Only after the last tree has been cut down.

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Only after the last river has been poisoned.

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Only after the last fish has been caught.

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Only then will you find you cannot eat money.

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{Cree wisdom}

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~ Love & We from Yoga Gypsy ~

Know Nothing

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True knowledge exists in knowing that you know

.

nothing.

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{Socrates}

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~ Love & Clarity from Yoga Gypsy ~

ऎकपाद प्रसरणासन

Eka-pada Prasaranasana (The Lunge)

It's one of those words that Peter Thomson would describe as "a kid knowing full well how to spell 'banana' but not knowing when to stop."

This posture stretches the small intestine and the seminal vesicles.

With regular practice, The Lunge helps in correcting constipation and diseases of the liver. Thinness of the semen is also adjusted. Diseases of the throat are also relieved.

This video depicts Prasaranasana (with arms raised) as part of the Sun Salutes.

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~ Love & Lunge from Yoga Gypsy ~

Who can make the muddy water clear?

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Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear.

.

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Who can secure the condition of rest?

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Let movement go on.

.

.

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And the condition of rest will gradually arise.

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~ Love & Stillness from Yoga Gypsy ~

प्रकाश

This entire universe of which we speak and think is nothing but Brahman (Infinite Consciousness).

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Brahman dwells beyond the range of Maya (illusion).

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There is nothing else.

{Adi Shankara}

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~ Love & Consciousness from Yoga Gypsy ~

The Work

When one's body revolts against work

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(physical or mental),

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fatigue soon sets in;

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then one must not rest

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for it would be a victory for the body.
.

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When the body desires rest, don't;

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when the mind knows it ought to rest, do so,

.

but one must know and distinguish

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language of body and mind,

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and be honest.

.

{Georgiy Ivanovich Gyurdzhiev}

.

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~ Love & Work from Yoga Gypsy ~

はいく

Pluma a fuego. Feather to fire.

Fuego a sangre. Fire to blood.

Sangre a hueso. Blood to bone.

Hueso a tuétano. Bone to marrow.

Tuétano a cenizas. Marrow to ashes.

Cenizas a nieve. Ashes to snow.

.

~ Love & Harmony from Yoga Gypsy ~

Don't Wait Till You Are Perfect

The Yoga Sūtras explain that whether you are young or old, healthy or ill - if you can overcome obstacles such as inertia and laziness, you will be contented and at peace.

Inertia is the tendency of the mind to resist change.

.

Human beings are creatures of habit. The older we get, the harder it is to make changes and break negative habits.

Starting Yoga can be one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome. This is especially so if you have not been exercising or you are coping with a medical condition.

You may think that you have to get fit before practising Yoga.

.

The beauty of Yoga is that it is for everyone - physical postures can be adapted to your needs with a qualified and trained teacher.

As you pick up Yoga, you embrace change as you learn to move with the ebb and flow of life.

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You break down old patterns.

.

You awaken new neuromuscular pathways in the brain.

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You experience increased freedom and mobility.

With regular practice, the physical postures become steady and comfortable.

.

This is the essence of "Asana".



~ Love & Begin from Yoga Gypsy ~

Make Up Your Mind!

So the mind is the maker and the mind is the destroyer.

On one side the mind is making you and on the other

.

side it is destroying you.

You must tell the destructive side of the mind to keep

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quiet — then you will learn.

{Yogacharya Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar}

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~ Love & Rise from Yoga Gypsy ~

Sight Right Light

There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets

.

in.

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{Leonard Cohen}

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.

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~ Love & Sight from Yoga Gypsy ~

I Am That, I Am

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
.
committed citizens can change the world.
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Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
.
{Margaret Mead}

What?

To give the Old City of Jerusalem a "virtual world hug".

When?

On 6th April 2008 at 12:00 hours Eastern Time.

Where?

Here. There. Everywhere.

Why?

For thousands of years Jerusalem has been in conflict; many are of the view that it will someday initiate peace throughout the world.

How?

If you have seen "The Moses Code" or read the book, then you know what to do.

If not, here is a simple explanation:

• Create the emotion of peace within your heart.

You may choose to remember a time in your life when you experienced great peace.

Or you may imagine the people of this world living together in complete harmony.

• As you breathe with this peaceful energy, focus on the words "I AM THAT" as you exhale.

• Say or think the words "I AM" as you inhale.

Imagine yourself standing outside the walls of the Old City, hand in hand with the other people of the world offering this peaceful energy and love through you.

Who?

You.

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~ Love & That from Yoga Gypsy ~

Never Forever

Eternity is till time expires.

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~ Love & Truth from Yoga Gypsy ~

Why Do You Yoga? (Part I)

Happy is the person who knows how to distinguish

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the real from the unreal,

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the eternal from the transient,

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and the good from the pleasant

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by his discrimination and wisdom.

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{Yogacharya Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar}

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.

Practise Yoga for the understanding, not for the asanas.

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~ Love & Gratitude from Yoga Gypsy ~

The Secret

... is that there is no secret.

.

.

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Choose a positive thought.

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The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time.

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Thoughts affect not only the mind but the body also.

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~ Love & Infinity from Yoga Gypsy ~

See You Soon

If something is hard, do not drop it.

It is an invitation to yourself.

You cannot protect yourself from yourself.

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~ Love & All from Yoga Gypsy ~

Smṛti

स्मृति

.

.

Continuous awareness of the present without judgment.

.

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I often receive questions from friends, students and strangers. On being healthier. On being happier.

.

Almost everyone wants fast solutions. Quick fixes.

.

Yet most are ignoring the very instant answer they have.

.

To accept and to live the present moment.

.

Your mind is taxed with so many questions, you have no time to enjoy the answers that are right in front of you.

.

Your happiness, your health starts with this answer.

.
Be aware of now.

.

Be mindful.

.

Your past is gone. Your future is not yet here.

So what exist between them is the present moment.

.

The here, the now, the present that connects what was and what will be.

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Your past was a series of present moments which brought you to this present moment.

.

Your future will be a series of present moments linked to this present moment in which you are now living, being, observing, aware or unaware of.

.

Mindfulness is being continuously aware of this very moment. And not judging, reflecting or thinking.

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Each breath is replaced by the next breath.

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Each present is followed by the next present.

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This is your present (pun intended).

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~ Love & Laugh from Yoga Gypsy ~

Downside Up

Inside Out.

~ Love & More from Yoga Gypsy ~

Who Are You? (Part I)

Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which

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we do not see.

.

{Martin Luther King Jr.}

When did you last spend time with yourself?

Just yourself.

When was the last time you heard the sound of silence?

Just your inner silence.

Sound of silence.

Music of monkey mind.

Remember Who You Are.

~ Love & Listen from Yoga Gypsy ~

Go Off The Mark To Find The Mark

Those who never make mistakes lose a great

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many chances to learn something.

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{Dogen Zenji}

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~ Love & Learn from Yoga Gypsy ~

Every Breath You Take

The mind is the king of the senses.

And the breath is the king of the mind.

The nerves become the king of the breath.

{Hatha Yoga Pradipika}

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~ Love & Breath from Yoga Gypsy ~

Little By Little

Take one step at a time.

Don't settle for less.

Just continue to climb.

.

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~ Love & Letters from Yoga Gypsy ~

Краснода́р

How apt.

Красно means 'red' (or 'beautiful') and дар, 'gift'.

With exactly six years to go until the opening ceremony for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Aleksandr and Denis gifted their way to us as we are in receipt of another red gift in Southeast Asia.

V Bananovo Limonnom Singapure and love life laughing.

To Ivan and Michel, lose a little luggage.

You may find yourselves then.


~ Love & Lost from Yoga Gypsy ~

Saṃskāras

संस्कार

Subtle impressions of one's past thoughts, behaviours and actions causing subconscious tendencies, patterns and habitual conditioning.

As we transit through to a new lunar year, we leave old patterns behind and momentarily enter an in-between space.

Just like the liminal space between an exhalation and an inhalation. This place can be unsettling; it is full of possibilities and choices.

Between these two breaths lies the secret to the world.

"It is not the past or the future, but the present that we should be living in." {Francesca}

Por ti... ¡Francesca!


~ Love & Present from Yoga Gypsy ~

The Whole Of Yin & Yang

To live requires energy and fearlessness, but we are brought up in a pleasure-hunting human race, and pain is something to be afraid of, to be driven away completely, to protect oneself from.

But it is the pain and pleasure - the duality - together that make the whole, the wholeness of life.

The more sensitive you are and the more you live from the depth of your being, the more vulnerable you are to life.

The more sensitive you are and the more capable of loving human beings, the more you will be hurt; there is more sorrow, there is more pain.

Psychological hurts, pain and sorrow accompany the sensitivity, intelligence and love.

Love and sorrow go together.

So, if there is physical or psychological pain, you live with it - not out of despair, not out of self-pity, not out of any weakness.

You live with it because it is part of life, it is an expression of life.

{Vimala Thakar}


~ Love & Life from Yoga Gypsy ~

Who Is The Question

Allow the shaking, don't do it.

Stand silently. Feel it coming and when your body starts a little trembling, help it but don't do it.

Enjoy it, feel blissful about it, allow it, receive it, welcome it, but don't will it.

If you force it, it will become an exercise, a bodily physical exercise.

Then the shaking will be there but just on the surface; it will not penetrate you.

You will remain solid, stone like, rock like within; you will remain a manipulator, the doer, and the body will just be following.

The body is not the question - you are the question.

{Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh}


~ Love & Silence from Yoga Gypsy ~

Thumbs & Toes

We look for some magic solution to make us all better, but none of us really know what we're doing.

And why is that so bad?

That's all we humans can do.

Guess. Try. Hope.

But, Justin, just pray you don't fool yourself into thinking you've got the answer. Because that's bullshit.

The trick is living without an answer.

I think.

{Dr Perry Lyman from "Thumbsucker"}

~ Love & Know from Yoga Gypsy ~

What Is Yoga (Part I)

It's refreshing to meet someone like Saiful. An ordinary person following his dream.

We connect through candour, mostly. Something I find lacking in many Orientals.

"What IS Yoga?", he queried.

Followed by, "It comes from India, right?"

WHAT IS YOGA

The word "Yoga" comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" - meaning to yoke, join or unite. This implies integrating all aspects of the individual - body with mind and mind with soul - to achieve a happy, balanced and useful life.

What is commonly referred to as "Yoga" these days is more accurately described by the Sanskrit word "Asana", which refers to the practice of physical postures or poses.

Many people think that Yoga is just stretching.

While stretching is certainly involved, Yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility.

This is done through the performance of poses or postures, each of which has specific physical benefits.

The poses can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose.

ORIGIN OF YOGA

Yoga's detailed history has many places of obscurity and uncertainty due to its oral transmission of sacred texts and the secretive nature of its teachings.

No one knows exactly when Yoga began, but it certainly predates written history.

We know that the classical techniques of Yoga began more than 5,000 years ago.

Stone carvings depicting figures in Yoga positions have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley dating back 5,000 years or more.

In ancient times, the desire for greater personal freedom, health and long life, and heightened self-understanding gave birth to this system which has since spread throughout the world.

This need has since re-emerged in our modern world.

There is a common misconception that Yoga is rooted in Hinduism.

On the contrary, Hinduism's religious structures evolved much later and incorporated some of the practices of Yoga. Other religions and cultures throughout the world have also incorporated practices and ideas related to Yoga.

In fact, in the book "The Yoga of Jesus", Paramahansa Yogananda reveals the hidden Yoga of the Gospels and confirms that Jesus, like other Christian saints, mystics of the East and ancient sages, not only knew Yoga but taught this universal science to his closest disciples.

In the indigenous pre-Polynesian Hawaiian culture, the only law that existed was that "We are One."

This concept of oneness in the Hawaiian culture served as the basis of compassionate living, since it was believed that all beings are interrelated. Anything done to one person is consequently done to the self as well.


~ Love & Oneness from Yoga Gypsy ~