Yoga Meditation.
by J. Zimmerman.

A best book read in 2007.

Check our disclaimer.

Consult your physician before you embark on any exercise program.
Yoga poses (for example) are not suitable for everyone.
This and associated Web pages are not intended as advice or assurance to any specific reader
regarding his or her ability to perform an exercise program safely.

If you do decide to begin, you should
(1) wait an hour or two since your last meal; and
(2) warm up your muscles before stretching them with Yoga.
To warm up, walk briskly, jog, dance salsa, have a pillow fight, jump jacks, or chase the cat.
But warm up for at least 5 minutes.

Pick from these great topics:

Avoiding injury.
Calorie Karma. The secret use of other people's momentum in weight loss.
Easy start on your fitness.
Nordic walking.
Pilates.
Pilates DVDs.
Pilates Specifics - some basic exercises.
Reiki.
Yoga asana.
Yoga meditation.

Yoga Meditation

Yoga includes

Yoga asana (poses).
Yoga dhyana (meditation).
Yoga pranayama (breathing).

Books:

A Year of Living Your Yoga by Judith Hanson Lasater

Judith Hanson Lasater

A best book read in 2007.

A book of daily aphorism, spoken by Judith Hanson Lasater over thirty years of Yoga classes and jotted down by her faithful student and scribe Kathy Vasquez. Lasater adds a suggestion of how to put each aphorism into practice.

Light-handed, unpreachy, and delightful.

Also see our book log entry.

Suggestions by Lasater for using the book include:

Start anytime.

Read the aphorism each day such as on waking or before lying down to practice Savasana ("basic relaxation pose").

Reread each daily aphorism and reflect on your practice before you fall asleep.

If you miss a few days, just start from today.

Some samples:

Day Aphorism How to apply the aphorism to your life

January 1 "Living well is not about being calm; it is about being present." "For five minutes today, practice just being present with your emotions without reacting to them. Notice how they come and go."

February 2 "Being ourselves is what others really want from us." "Wholeness is found not only in the special moments of being lost in an exquisite sunset or feeling the perfect balance of stillness in meditation. Every moment of your life can be just as whole if you allow it to be so. Today find the treasure in the most mundane moments. How did it go?"

March 3 "To understand union, you must understand separation." "Union with another can only occur when we fully occupy our place in the world. Let yourself expand to fill your place, so that they coming together with loved ones can be that much sweeter."

April 5 "Believing I am right fuels separation and anger." "Righteous anger is redundant. I can never be angry when I accept that I am wrong. Today when you feel irritated or angry, pause and identify the thought that fuels your belief in your rightness."
See also April 2007 blog.

May 4 "To change the body affects the mind." "When we change the body, we affect the mind, whether by asana, breathing, or meditation. Before you practice, spend some quiet moments noticing the state of your mind; at the end of your practice do the same."

June 5 "Growing old is not a mistake." "We live in a youth-oriented culture. We are given the message that growing older is to be avoided. Today celebrate your age, whatever it is. (If it's your birthday, Happy Birthday!)"
See also June 2007 blog.

July 10 "Standing on your own two feet is the most important asana." "Stand on your yoga mat and stand in Tadasana (Mountain pose). Make your feet parallel, ask your thighs to roll inward, slightly lift your breastbone, while slightly dropping your chin. Like a mountain, root your feet into the earth, but let your heart soar to the heavens. Breathe five slow breaths. Now take this openhearted rootedness in your life."

August 11 "Being curious is a high state of being." "When you are curious, you're not sure you know, you're a little empty, and you're willing to learn. These qualities bring you into the present. And being present is at the heart of practicing yoga. What are you curious about today?"

September 4 "Despair is anger turned inward." "Despair is an emotion built on thoughts. The next time you are feeling down about your life, ask yourself this question: Am I feeling trapped, as if there is no choice in my situation right now? Thinking you are stuck can stimulate and contribute to depression. Get up and go for a brisk fifteen-minute walk right now. Focus on the myriad choices life actually offers you."

October 14 "We are attached to difficulties." "Our tendency is to focus on what is wrong with a pose. What can you celebrate in this pose today?"

November 1 "Don't confuse ambition with discipline." "Discipline is not supported by ambition but by consistency. When you practice yoga today, focus on consistency and not on forcing yourself to do more, just for the sake of your ego."

December 27 "A healthy ego is not the problem; attachment to what ego wants is the problem." "Spend a few minutes today contemplating the difference between ego and egoism. A healthy ego creates your ability to have clear boundaries; egoism is an unhealthy attachment to having it your way all the time."

Poses and sequences referenced in the book include:

Savasana (basic relaxation pose).
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog).
Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation).
Tadasana Mountain pose).
Utthita Trikonasana (Extended triangle pose).

Avoiding injury

June 2002 Consumer Reports lists 12 ways to avoid injuries. The list includes:
- Stretch before and after exercise.
- Warm up and cool down with a pulse elevated 15 beats/minute (i.e., only slightly) above resting.
- Progress gradually.
- If you have to lay off for a while, restart at 50% (or less) of where you were before.
- Hydrate with 2 or 3 cups of water in the 2-3 hours before exercising. Sip during exercise. Replace all lost fluid after exercise is complete.
- Get good shoes.
- Let old injuries heal.

Best books read. New book read. Reviews of Harry Potter books.
Basic Buddhism. On How to Write Poetry. Handwriting. Learning Spanish.
Poetry - Learn How to Write Your Own.
Forests of California and Trees of the World.

Day	Aphorism	How to apply the aphorism to your life
January 1	"Living well is not about being calm; it is about being present."	"For five minutes today, practice just being present with your emotions without reacting to them. Notice how they come and go."
February 2	"Being ourselves is what others really want from us."	"Wholeness is found not only in the special moments of being lost in an exquisite sunset or feeling the perfect balance of stillness in meditation. Every moment of your life can be just as whole if you allow it to be so. Today find the treasure in the most mundane moments. How did it go?"
March 3	"To understand union, you must understand separation."	"Union with another can only occur when we fully occupy our place in the world. Let yourself expand to fill your place, so that they coming together with loved ones can be that much sweeter."
April 5	"Believing I am right fuels separation and anger."	"Righteous anger is redundant. I can never be angry when I accept that I am wrong. Today when you feel irritated or angry, pause and identify the thought that fuels your belief in your rightness." See also April 2007 blog.
May 4	"To change the body affects the mind."	"When we change the body, we affect the mind, whether by asana, breathing, or meditation. Before you practice, spend some quiet moments noticing the state of your mind; at the end of your practice do the same."
June 5	"Growing old is not a mistake."	"We live in a youth-oriented culture. We are given the message that growing older is to be avoided. Today celebrate your age, whatever it is. (If it's your birthday, Happy Birthday!)" See also June 2007 blog.
July 10	"Standing on your own two feet is the most important asana."	"Stand on your yoga mat and stand in Tadasana (Mountain pose). Make your feet parallel, ask your thighs to roll inward, slightly lift your breastbone, while slightly dropping your chin. Like a mountain, root your feet into the earth, but let your heart soar to the heavens. Breathe five slow breaths. Now take this openhearted rootedness in your life."
August 11	"Being curious is a high state of being."	"When you are curious, you're not sure you know, you're a little empty, and you're willing to learn. These qualities bring you into the present. And being present is at the heart of practicing yoga. What are you curious about today?"
September 4	"Despair is anger turned inward."	"Despair is an emotion built on thoughts. The next time you are feeling down about your life, ask yourself this question: Am I feeling trapped, as if there is no choice in my situation right now? Thinking you are stuck can stimulate and contribute to depression. Get up and go for a brisk fifteen-minute walk right now. Focus on the myriad choices life actually offers you."
October 14	"We are attached to difficulties."	"Our tendency is to focus on what is wrong with a pose. What can you celebrate in this pose today?"
November 1	"Don't confuse ambition with discipline."	"Discipline is not supported by ambition but by consistency. When you practice yoga today, focus on consistency and not on forcing yourself to do more, just for the sake of your ego."
December 27	"A healthy ego is not the problem; attachment to what ego wants is the problem."	"Spend a few minutes today contemplating the difference between ego and egoism. A healthy ego creates your ability to have clear boundaries; egoism is an unhealthy attachment to having it your way all the time."

Yoga Meditation. by J. Zimmerman.

Yoga Meditation

Judith Hanson Lasater

Avoiding injury

Yoga Meditation.
by J. Zimmerman.