Tag: Berlin Yoga

Yamas and Niyamas Part 2

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Yamas explained by English Yoga Berlin

In our last blog introducing Yamas and Niyamas, we started to explore a few of the non-physical aspects of yoga. Many people find our English yoga classes in Berlin during their search for fitness or physical rehabilitation. However, because yoga has such mentally and emotionally restorative effects, many people find that over time they are able to not only make peace with their own bodies but with the world around them.

With a total of 10 ethical guideposts (Yamas and Niyamas have 5 each), Asteya is the third Yama, and it means ´not stealing´. This is a more complex concept than the translation conveys. Was Patanjali  talking about stealing a loaf of bread to feed yourself or your family? We believe Asteya is not about stifling need, it is about restraining greed. Asteya guides students to ask themselves: do I really need this? Am I hoarding materials goods out of fear, or taking out of honest need? Can this body, ecosystem or relationship sustain my demands upon it? Asteya challenges us to believe that there is enough in the world to feed us all, if only we can learn to share.

Where do you take, or give, more than your share? What is the effect of this behavior on yourself and your community?

 

Brahmacharya is the fourth Yama, and one of the most widely misunderstood. It  is translated into English as ´celibacy´, but can also be looked at as a ´conscious use of energy, especially sexual´.

The sexual energy can be seen as a sacred force that should only be used responsibly and wisely. Because pleasure, desire and attraction are such powerful feelings that can bring great pleasure, they can be used to manipulate, violate and hurt people very, very deeply. Instead, it challenges students to make their sexual decisions consciously, in a way that feels good for everyone involved.

How could you live your sexual life with more honesty, integrity and pleasure?

Aparigraha is the last Yama, and it means ´non-comparing´. This Yama is about jealousy, and acceptance. Patanjali recognized that the human mind has a tendency to compare, in order to understand. In our Kreuzberg yoga classes we often tell students to observe without analyzing. Unfortunately, this tendency easily slides into envy and jealousy, because, as we all know, ´the grass is always greener on the other side´. Aparigraha guides our focus back to where it should be: our own sphere. Envying other people is distracting and depressing. In asana practice, this means that, even if your neighbor can do the poses perfectly and you feel like a penguin with two left feet, you practice keeping your focus on your own body and your own experience. You let jealousy arise if it needs to, and you also let it dissipate when it has run its´ course. You measure yourself by the only real standard that you have- your own.

How have envy and jealousy affected your life?

 

Yamas and Niyamas, Part 1

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In Patanjali´s classical texts about yoga, he outlines eight parts of a yogic practice. These parts can also be referred to as “limbs”. The most widely known limb of yoga is Asana practice– the practice of physical postures. In our Berlin Yoga Classes, we understand the value of going beyond the physical. This series is therefore dedicated to 2 other limbs of Patanjali´s eight-fold path: Yamas and Niyamas.

knowledge growing out of the yoga sutraYamas and Niyamas are the first two steps of yoga that Patanjali discusses in the Yoga Sutra. They are ethical, behavioral and spiritual guidelines for living. There is a lot of room for interpretation with the Yamas and Niyamas–because of basic translation issues (some concepts are very tricky to twist into English!). Because these guidelines are designed for yogis to personally interrogate, observe and experience in the context of their own lives, they aren´t considered ´rules´. These concepts are given to students of yoga to contemplate and potentially incorporate into their everyday lives.

Ahimsa is the first Yama, and it is most commonly translated as ´non-violence´. This is what Gandhi used to drive the British out of India. It´s also what we use in yoga, when we decide not to push beyond our limits. Ahimsa is about kindness, compassion and strength. It recognizes an ancient spiritual law that is echoed in many traditions- that violence leads to more violence- and proposes that we, as yogis, begin to halt that cycle by stopping it within ourselves.

What does non-violence mean to you? Where do you already practice it in your life? Where could you be a little kinder to yourself?

Personal Yoga Practice

Personal Yoga Practice

Satya is the second Yama, and it means ´truth´. Satya urges us to be honest with  ourselves, and with others. In asana, we practice Satya when we listen to our body and, again, respect its limits. Maybe that backbend looks terrific, but if it doesn´t feel good, Satya guides us to come out of it and rest with awareness in child´s pose. Less glamorous, maybe, but more honest and, in the end, better for you! It also means being honest in our relationships with others- saying ´yes´ only when we really mean it, and saying ´no´, with kindness, when that is the truth. Satya is challenging, because the truth is sometimes hard to hear and even harder to say.

What do you think about honesty? Are you ever dishonest with yourself, and do you understand why?

 

Mastering the Monkey: Is Peace of Mind Impossible?

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“You don’t think thoughts but rather thoughts think you.”

The mind often creates a natural barrier to inner peace. If you were to sit down, right now, and say to yourself, “For the next 5 minutes I will only think of a star,” you would find it is impossible to do so. The nature of the mind is for it to wander, to work with associations and to jump from thought to thought. In some ways, that’s its job. And in others, it ends up keeping most people feeling restless.

The mind is often compared to a monkey- jumping from one branch to another with no control.

Let’s follow the “monkey” and use the example above of focusing on the star; soon, I realize that the star reminds me of all the falling stars I have seen in my life. This thought brings me onto all the wishes I have made on those stars. That, in turn, makes me think of unfulfilled wishes, which reminds me that I’m unhappy. When I think about being unhappy, that tenses up my chest. Feeling the tightness in my chest reminds me that I have to buy an inhaler for my asthma- and why am I unhappy anyway?…

This is how the mind works. Within just a minute or two of thoughts, I have not only had mental fluctuations but I also have had emotional reactions from serene to sad. Every emotional reaction has produced a physical reaction, in this example my chest tightening, which has taken me through so much in such a short period of time.

My yoga teacher used to say, “When the mind can be fixed on the same thing for 3 seconds- that is called attention. When the mind can be fixed on the same thing for 12 seconds- that is called concentration. If you can concentrate 12 times (12 sec x12=144 seconds) then THAT is called meditation.”

Practicing concentration techniques are very important for one to feel centered and grounded. Meditation is a great tool to make the most of the minds power by making sure it is not wasting it’s energy. In our berlin yoga classes, we practice these techniques by observing the body during the Asanas, by using the practice of Tratak and through Yoga Nidra. Because the mind if so important, it is vital to learn how best to use it. Once we have mastered these techniques, then we will be able to take the practice to a more advanced level in which we can find a way to master the monkey!

What is Drishti- Part 1

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Drishti´ is a Sanskrit word that has several levels of meaning. Most simply, it can be translated into English as ´the gaze´. In Asana practice, your Drishti is the place where your eyes rest- looking forward over your middle finger in Warrior II, for example, or to the navel in Downward Dog. In this sense, Drishti is a very tangible and useful anatomical tool. Where your gaze rests is a pretty good indicator of the line your neck and spine are following.

Often yoga teachers will remind you of your Drishti point during classes so that you can self-correct your pose. Sometimes teachers will also ask you to direct your gaze into your body, or bring your Drishti point inside. Traditionally, Drishtis are external, but the concept behind an internal focus point is just the same- it helps you to quiet the mind, increases concentration and relaxation, and allows your attention to flow into whatever you are focusing it on.

Each Asana has a Dristhi point. All in all, there are 9: both thumbs, the tip of the nose, the palms of the hands, to the sky, to the left and right side, the navel, the toes and the middle of the eyebrows. Practicing a variety of Drishtis helps to strengthen the muscles and nerves around the eyes, as well as providing a point of focus and concentration in each posture. Dristhi is associated with the fifth limb of yoga, Pratyahara, which concerns the use of the senses. Drishti can be practiced meditatively as a way of literally ´seeing what is right in front of you´ and focusing the senses on reality and away from illusions and neuroses.

One of our main goals in our Berlin yoga classes is to educate people about the benefits of our practice. We believe that by making yourself more centered and focused you are better equipped to make an impact in the world around you. For more info about our Hatha Yoga in Berlin or Vinyasa Yoga, check out our yoga in English schedule.

Understanding Sun Salutations

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If you have practiced any kind of yoga before, you are probably familiar with the Sun Salutation sequence. Many teachers begin their classes with a series of sun salutations, so it is one of the first things that most students learn.

But, what is a Sun Salutation?

Here is a bit of information about the history and practice of the Sun Salutation:

sun salutations in yoga kreuzberg

photo by Fern

The Sun Salutation (in Sanskrit, the Surya Namaskara–literally, the salute to the sun) is composed of 8 different asana, and 12 posture changes. Some asana are repeated in the sequence. The postures are performed with specific breath sequencing, which gives the sequence a rhythmic and meditative quality. In some traditions, students pause to chant a mantra in between Sun Salutations. The amount of Sun Salutations in a yoga class varies from teacher to teacher, but, for some, the ´daily limit´ is 108! In the Ashtanga tradition, solstices and equinoxes are celebrated with 108 Sun Salutations.

It is said that the sun salutations sequence was incorporated into yoga by yogis who were distressed by how their bodies atrophied during hours and hours of meditation. The Sun Salutation was discovered as an extremely efficient and meditative way of keeping the physical body healthy, which would allow the yogi to meditate with ease. This is because the sequence hits all of the major muscle groups in the body, stretching and strengthening the upper and lower body while simultaneously lengthening the spine.

If you are new to yoga in Berlin, or anywhere else for that matter, the sun salutation is a great asana sequence to begin practising at home. If you start performing three or four of them each morning, first thing after you get out of bed, you will see your flexibility improve significantly. This is also a great way to start the day quietly and touch base with your body and emotions. You can make the practice more challenging for yourself by slowing down your breathing and your movement. As always in yoga, practising with concentration and intention is the most important piece–try to keep your senses ´in ´ your body and you will be amazed at what benefits you feel from this ancient practice.


Berlin Yoga: Terminology Tuesday

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What is Bhramari?

Do you every feel like you are suffering from brain clutter? It doesn’t really matter what you do for a living. It makes no difference how you have set up your social structure. The mind is a masterful and intricate machine, assigned the all-important purpose of sorting through your influences and possibilities and helping you to make decisions. And frankly, sometimes, your mind can seem to have a “mind of its own”.

Part of what we do in our Berlin Yoga classes is attempt to give your mind a break. The premise being that with a little space, a little clearing, your mind will be able to work more harmoniously with your body and your soul. It’s hard to calm this busy machine down. But the practice of yoga is a wonderful way to regularly tune in to yourself in an effort to make peace with the world around you.

This week’s Terminology Tuesday is dedicated to a yoga breathing technique that helps to calm the minds sometimes obsessive thoughts. By explaining these yoga terms we hope to demystify this all important practice so that it may become a part of your everyday life.

Bhramari – is yet another form of Pranayama. The word Bhramari literally means “bee”. This breathing technique requires a humming sound while shutting your ears with your fingers. The sound effect created is very similar to the sound of a bee, making the name quite an accurate description. The after effect is a feeling of calm and wellbeing.

Berlin Yoga: Terminology Tuesday

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Pratyahara: withdrawl of the senses

Pratyahara: withdrawl of the senses

In this hectic world of ours we often suffer from overstimulation. Too many headlines, deadlines, voices in our lives and in our heads. There are things all around us that of course, deserve our attention. And so we organize our time and our minds to accommodate the overload- to do the best that we can in a world that just keeps on bringing new things to us, to worry about, work through, discover.

One of the best uses of practicing yoga is to find appropriate detachment from the world around us. Not to a point where we no longer know what is going on but to a point where we can selectively withdrawal from the overload our senses have to offer when it becomes vital for our benefit or even survival.

That leads us to a fine question for this Tuesday, what is Pratyahara?

Pratyahara- means the withdrawal of senses. This is one of the eight steps of Raja Yoga and in our English Yoga in Berlin classes gets practiced through Yoga Nidra (yoga of conscious deep sleep), Pranayama (the breathing techniques), Tratak (candle flame gazing) and concentration on the eyebrow center. Pratyahara teaches us appropriate detachment which is necessary in order to attain inner peace through Raja Yoga. The word pratyahara comes from prati and ahara. Ahara means “food” or anything that we take into our body. Prati is a preposition that means “away”or “against”. Together it means turning away from external stimuli, and thus the withdrawal of senses.

Berlin Yoga: Terminology Tuesday

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Enlish Yoga in Berlin

As yoga becomes part of our daily lives, so do the most commonly used yoga words begin to enter our every day vocabulary.   I find it beautiful when different languages merge, overlap, get reclaimed and used by people of all cultures. In these globalized times, English is no longer a language just for the English speaking nations, but it is the language that most peoples of the world use to communicate with one another, the language that makes it possible for people of totally different cultures and realities to meet, to communicate, and to fascinate each other.

In my Hatha Yoga classes in Berlin I choose to teach yoga in English. I love to see people from different corners of the world come to our Berlin yoga studio to practice yoga together. I use a lot of Sanskrit yoga words accompanied by an English translation while I teach.  Sometimes though, because of Sanskrit having such a different pronounciation to English, yoga students don’t always learn the words correctly or their meaning. That is why I started Berlin Yoga: Terminology Tuesday, a blog where I explain the basic words used during the yoga class.

This week’s words are Anuloma Viloma.

Anuloma Viloma – is also a form of Pranayama or breathing technique.  Anuloma literally means “in a natural order or direction” and viloma means “produced in reverse order”.  The Anuloma Viloma breath requires one to breathe in through the left nostril and breathe out through the right, and then to reverse that process, breathe in through the right and exhale through the left.  The natural way to breathe for a healthy person who practices Pranayama changes every 1 hour and 50 minutes.  There is always one nostril that is predominant and can breathe easier then the other, and after that time-frame the predominant nostril changes. By practicing Anuloma Viloma we are balancing out that effect.

Berlin Yoga: Terminology Tuesday

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As a Hatha Yoga instructor in Berlin, I often use Sanskrit words during my yoga classes.  Sometimes I even like to take a pause after the sanskrit yoga word, and see if the older students know what I am talking about or if they are just waiting for the English translation.

In order to learn about yoga properly I find it important to aknowledge its roots in the Indian culture and the Sanskrit language. Taking the time to understand these words and their meanings makes your yoga practice a more complete experience and adds to the understanding of yoga and it’s origins.  That is why I started Berlin Yoga: Terminology Tuesday, a post where I explain the basic sankrit words used in my yoga classes. So in this blog I would like to explain the meaning of the word kapalabhati, a breathing technique we often use in the yoga class.

Kapalabhati –  is a form of Pranayama, or breathing technique. Kapala means “skull”  and bhati means “shiny” or “illuminated”. So Kapalabhati means “shiny skull”. It is a breathing technique we use to increase our Prana and clean out the air passageways before doing more advanced pranayama.

Berlin Yoga: Terminology Tuesday

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photo by Fern

photo by Fern

People still look confused in class sometimes when I use yoga terminology. That’s why I started English Yoga terminology Tuesday. I guess I could always just  use plain English in order to avoid these confusing moments, but as a person who enjoys looking up the etymology of words, how their meanings have evolved from what their original meanings were, and how words between different languages overlap- I would find it a shame not to introduce one of the oldest languages in the world in our classes (Sanskrit). So in this blog I would like to try and explain the meaning of one of the most common words used in my Berlin yoga classes.  What is Pranayama?

 
Pranayama – Prana means vital energy. People often confuse vital energy to mean spirit, or soul, or just the energy within a specific person. That is not the case. Vital energy is the energy you find in all living things. It’s the energy that gives life. This is found in humans, animals, plants, and some people even believe it’s found in stones.  Everyone and everything alive has prana. Yama means “control”. So pranayama is the “control of vital energy”. In yoga we learn how to control and manage our energy through breathing. So Pranayama is a series of breathing techniques that we practice in order to learn how to control, manage, direct or increase our vital energy.