Nature Curing Nature & People Curing People

Dear Hurricane Irene,

I know a lot of people were scared of you, me included, but I have to say I get what you did. The big you, the earth Mother, nature. Like three things you did, really.

First, we sure needed some rain, what with months of burning forest along the Outer Banks. And also, the leaves on the trees were going to fall off soon for fall anyway, so you were almost just aiding the process. The power outages definitely lead to some real quality time spent by families together without the noise of the world. And those of us that evacuated and were lucky enough to do so with the ones we love got a cuddly weekend away because of you.

Then there were all the people that came out to help others. Cut down a neighbor's humongous tree trunk so that they could get into their driveway. Help clear branches and leaves, broken class, from the yard so that kids can play. Sweep up debris so that at least a mom can look out her porch and see a bit of peace! Even spending time with kids so that they have something fun to do helps people out.

Finally, you are a stark reminder that this is really just stuff. I know that people lost a lot of things that they put their energy and time into building, into making their surroundings comfortable and livable and happy. And it made me sad to see their faces when it was (almost) ruined. And it takes one to know one. Shoot, I love living in a place filled with beauty and love, a place put together, a home. It puts me at ease and helps maintain peace, inside and out. It's just that if all else goes, that is just stuff. We are lucky enough to be safe and have the love of our people and animals and beings.

Nature curing nature. People helping people. Well if that isn't yoga off the mat I simply don't know what is.

Peace.

And I just realized the title of this post is redundant. Awesome.

:)

Viniyoga...what IS that?

Yeah, seriously.

According to the American Viniyoga Institute it's a trademark name for the comprehensive yogic pathways (asana, pranayama, bandha, sound, chanting, meditation, personal ritual and study). The prefixes vi and ni plus yoga is an ancient Sanskrit term that implies differentiation, adaptation and appropriate application. From what I understand (shh) it was created by Gary Kraftsow whose approach evolved from the teachings transmitted by T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar of Madras, India.

What's up in the September Yoga Journal

There is a pretty cool set of poses in the following sequence. I'd like to try em! Not with my private (yoga session) today, though. To each their own, and this set is definitely better geared toward a limber or just open yogi(ini).

• Malasana (squat pose)
• Marichyasana I (one legged forward fold)
• Baddha Konasana (cobbler's pose)
• Upavistha Konasana (wide angle forward fold on ground)
• Kurmasana (tortoise pose) - go from upavistha konasana to sliding hands underneath legs. Look like a 5-pointed star! Torso through chin on earth. Knees pointing up to sky.

Isometrics - food for thought.

Well it's the opposite of food. Since it's about working out. But anyway I've heard this word forever, and would really love to know its "true" definition. I say the "true" like that because I'm looking online for answers. C'est la vie. My mom used to do these types of exercises in front of the TV when I was little. Then there was the pilates craze, of which I was a part. And now (well always but now for the public) yoga. So I thought they were just flexing and holding your muscle strength without full extension or contraction of a joint. Is that right? I don't know, so I looked at wikipedia.

From what I understand, there are isometric exercises and dynamic exercises. While dynamic exercises are slightly better than isometric exercises at enhancing the twitch force of a muscle, isometrics are significantly better than dynamic exercises at increasing maximal strength at the joint angle.

There are also overcoming and yielding isometric. Yielding is when the joint and muscle are in a static position held by resistance. An example of this is a bench press when you're holding the bar at a given spot even though you could go higher (or lower) and you're "feeling" the burn. In yielding isometric, one is pressing the exact amount of pressure necessary to negate the resistance, neither falling below or above it. Overcoming is when the joint and muscle are up against an immovable force. An example would be pressing the bar up into some type of resistance contraption that prevent you from pushing any higher (could be the length of your arms). In overcoming isometric, one can continue to exert more and more force, but the "bar" won't move.

Isometric exercises:

• Are a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction.
• Are static exercises that typically use the body's own structure and ground for resistance.

Healing Energy and Love

There is an abundance of healing energy and love to be sent to those in need. I have been sending all of mine to the wives, children, parents and other loved ones of the heroes from the tragedy in Afghanistan on Saturday. August 5, 2011, the single deadliest day for American trooops in Afghanistan since the "war" began. Over thirty servicemen, Navy Seals and others, left their bodies that day in war. War times. Their helicopter was shot down by the enemy in the middle of the night. They had come in to save the day and end the battle when ground troops need assistance. They had won, and were on their way out. A rocket hit their vehicle, and they didn't make it home.

To me, this is a reminder to be present. To live your dharma. Well to know your dharma by following your heart. You can only listen to your heart when you take away a lot of the blockages covering your heart and intuition. This is where yoga and meditation come in.

These men were following their dharma. I don't think you could have placed them in any other vocation. Their loved ones say they would have done it all over again. And I just got the chills.

Let us be grateful. Let us celebrate their contribution to our lives and our freedom. Let us send healing energy and love to their loved ones, their wives their brand new babies their parents. Let them know we're all in this together, and we feel their pain and we take it away.

Love and light to all, no matter the inevitable suffering.