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The Inner Voice
A weekly newsletter from Debbie Jensen-Grubb, RYT500
June 24, 2013 - Issue 40
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Quick Links
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This weeks reading can be seen here at The Daily OM.
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To access past issues click here:
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| The Daily Yoga Poses Poster | |
FREE Download as a Thank you for receiving my newsletter! Right click on the image
and save a copy to your files. Now open the file and print.
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| Greetings! |
Namaste (or namaskar) is used as a greeting in India. You can use it to mean hello or goodbye, much like Hawaiians use Aloha or Thai people use Wie. In Sanskrit (which is the language we use in yoga) it literally means 'I bow to you'.
As you can see from the beautiful picture above, there are many ways that this word can be understood. The way I interpret the meaning of Namaste is that it is a recognition
of one soul to another. As Swami Shivananda Giri explains it: "The Light of God in me sees and recognizes itself in you!"
It is a way of affirming that we are all one. We are all connected. When we treat someone with respect, we have treated ourselves with respect. When we treat another with disdain, we have treated ourselves with disdain. It is as simple as that and can be extended to all living things.
In yoga class we all work together, laugh together, moan and groan together, and support each other in doing the best that we can. So it is fitting that we all come together at the end of class and acknowledge that part of us that is always united, and that we will carry with us when we leave. Namaste.
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| Mantra | |
A mantra is a sound or phrase that aids in the concentration of meditation. It is a Sanskrit term and literally means 'instrument of thought'. Here you will find a suggested mantra to use during the week (from Louise Hay's 'Heal Your Body'). Just repeat it whenever you need a lift.
"I am Spirit, whole and free. I now allow my physical, emotional, and mental health to reflect this in every way! |
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Yoga Poses for Insomnia Relief
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 It is often said that sleep is the gate that opens the unconscious to a wide range of experiences. During sleep your senses become less active and you are free to enjoy faculties which lie dormant when you are awake.
But what if you can't sleep? How can your mind and body get some rest, as your soul enjoys dream experiences, when you can't get any shut-eye?
Yoga can help. In his article Dr. Michael J. Brews explains how multiple studies have now proven that yoga can help people get some sleep.
Yoga helps you to calm down. It gets you out of your monkey-mind and into the moment of the breath. It releases the stresses of the body so that you can relax, let go, and fall asleep.
Some of the best poses to do are twists (which release the spine) and forward bends (which allow you to turn within). Avoid backbends and vinyasana flows that wake you up. Alternate nostril breathing has also been proven to help you catch some Z's, as well as the 4-7-8 breath.
Just getting up and moving into some poses, instead of lying there, is enough to allow you to finally slumber away once you lay back down. So the next time you find yourself lying awake - don't count sheep, begin to count your breaths as you slowly twist and bow to your Spirit within. You'll find that you will then fall into blissful sleep and your Spirit can then play in all of the experiences of another world, awakening refreshed and renewed for another majestic day.
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| Rib-Tickler of the Week - hee hee |
A little girl asked her mother, "How did the human race appear?" The mother answered, "God made Adam and Eve and they had children and so was all mankind made." Two days later the girl asked her father the same question.
The father answered, "Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved." The confused girl returned to her mother and said, "Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?"
The mother answered, "Well, dear, it is very simple: I told you about my side of the family and your father told you about his."
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Nutrition Prescription - Soul Food
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 Soul food is just good-old-down-home cooking. It's the food that makes you feel like your mom had just dropped in to make you a meal from your childhood. Unfortunately that doesn't usually include anything that is really good for you! Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, and some sort of mouth-watering dessert. Are you hungry yet?
Of course we might have been able to eat all of these good foods when we were younger, full of energy, and our metabolism could burn up all of those calories, but not now. As much as we would like to enjoy them (and maybe every once in a while we can) keeping ourselves healthy no longer includes these kind of delicious foods.
As I was trolling the web I came upon some wonderful sites that offered alternatives and suggestions to these types of recipes that feed our souls as much as our bodies. In this one Tim Searles gives some good advice on how to alter your diet so that you can feel like you are still eating at mom's.
Here I found some recipes that come from the new African Heritage Diet Pyramid. This eating model was designed specifically from the diets of ancestral African-Americans, whose diet was actually much healthier than the one of today. By using 'heaps of herbs, spices, and savory sauces jazz up simple, healthful vegetable-focused meals, showing us that "healthy eating" also means great taste'.
Today, soul food is comfort food to many Americans -- it's the food we grew up with in our homes. And much like other types of comfort foods, many of our favorites are not the best for health, but with a little revamping, exchanging, and imagination we can still get all the flavor that reminds us of home, satisfying our bellies and souls while keeping us healthy all at once!
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Ponderings - Anjali Mudra
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To begin and end each yoga class we bring our hands together in front of our hearts and bow our heads, this is called a mudra. Mudras are hand gestures and means 'seal' or 'intention' (there are 108 of them). They are used to direct the flow of energy in the body. The mudra we use at the beginning and ending of each class is known as Anjali (meaning 'offer' or 'salutation') Mudra. Anjali Mudra is also known as Pranam Mudra, Namaste Mudra, or Prayer Position.
We present it with our hands in the center of our heart, this represents the balance and harmony between the right and left sides reunited at our center. The idea of this mudra is to bring us to our center and prepare ourselves for meditation, yoga, and being present...to the moment, to ourselves, to our breath.
Another interpretation is that one hand represents the higher, spiritual nature, while the other represents the worldly self. By combining the two, the person making the gesture is attempting to rise above their differences with others, and connect themself to the person they bow to. The bow is a symbolic bow of love and respect.
As Krishnamacharya, grandfather of Western yoga, explains it:
"This gesture signifies the potential for an intention to progress to it's greatest spiritual awakening. When done properly the palms are not flat against each other; instead the knuckles at the base of the fingers are bent a little, creating space between the palms and fingers of the two hands resembling a flower yet to open, symbolizing the opening of our hearts."
When our hearts are open we can receive the lessons of our yoga practice, feel the energy moving in our bodies, and connect with ourselves and those around us. We can feel the energy that joins us together to illuminate our fellowship here on earth.
The bringing of two hands together symbolizes union, and with a bow, it conveys humility, good-will, friendliness, and a heart-warming welcome. So whether you use the greeting 'Namaste' or the Anjali Mudra, alone or together, it reflects the same thing - we are all one in the Spirit from our heart. What a beautiful way to begin and end anything...maybe this day.
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Namaste said with Anjali Mudra is a beautiful way to acknowledge that we are all in this together, that we are not alone. It is a way of showing love and respect to another traveler on this journey of life. Sometimes just knowing this can give us the grace, strength, and peace for the journey ahead.
As C.S. Lewis wrote:
"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one."
Thank you!
Hugs and Namaste,
PS:
The Yoga Center of Columbia will be closed next week followed by the free class week. Therefore, there will be no Inner Voice newsletters for the next two weeks.
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Please join me in my next workshop...
Yoga Nidra
July 21, 2013
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
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