Yoga..... - Personal Development for Smart People - Steve Pavlina

I am not practicing Yoga, Taoism appeals more to me for the moment.

What has Yoga meant for you?

I am currently writing a paper about Yoga. While studying both the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the books of Eliade (one of the most prominent figures in the history of religious ideas and beliefs), I discovered many things about Yoga I had no idea about.

I found out I didn't know what Yoga is, and neither did most of the people who practiced it.
Yoga is the cessation of all mental processes. (Patanjali). Other translations: Union (Yoga) is the annihilation of all modifications of consciousness.

The follower of the Yoga system tries to stop all the movements of consciousness, and in so doing, he is able to transcend the human condition and become one with his true self, Purusha, which is eternal and absolute, in relation only to himself.

What has been your experience with Yoga?


Last edited by bluedragon; 12-21-2009 at 06:59 PM.

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Los Angeles News - Bruno Mars splashes out $3.3m on fancy Los ...

Los Angeles News.Net Thursday 26th July, 2012

Bruno Mars has bought a mansion in Los Angeles for a whopping 3.3 million dollars.he 26-year-old singer is now moving to the trendy Laurel Canyon area that has been home to a host of celebrities, including the likes of magician Harry Houdini, music icon Frank Zappa and macho sex symbol George Clooney.

The R and B crooner certainly seems to have plumped for luxury when it came to selecting his new abode, which was reportedly purchased by a blind trust on his behalf.

The mansion has three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and sits on a generous 4,064 square feet, the Daily Mail reported.

People visiting the home are greeted by eight, chunky Calcutta marble columns, a style that was much favoured by eminent 19th century Glasgow architect Alexander 'Greek' Thompson.

Custom-made eleven-foot tall double front doors open into a small foyer, which then lead to a large open plan living, dining and kitchen area.

The house has been covered in chocolate coloured hardwood floors and long walls of floor-to-ceiling retractable glass panels, allowing for the spectacular views of the San Fernando Valley.

A minimalist firebox in the formal living area makes it a cosy place, while an enormous sky light and floating, built-in buffet bar makes the dining area a complete delight.

And it appeared that Mars is something of a connoisseur, as the room also has a special refrigerator to keep his wines at the perfect temperature.

The compact, but expensively-equipped center island kitchen has a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows which look out on the front motor court, a double-wide fridge-freezer, stacked double ovens, and a two-seat snack counter.

There is also room if the singer decides to indulge himself by building a car collection, as a walled and double-gated motor court at the front can easily parks three or four cars, while a three car garage and driveway around the corner offers off-street parking for up to six more cars.

The service areas, that is tucked into a corner between the kitchen and the direct-entry garage, includes a guest bedroom with private attached bathroom, a separate office, and a laundry facility with convenient slop sink.

The mansion also has a well equipped backyard with deep, shaded overhangs, an outdoor bar and a dark-bottom swimming pool surrounded by decking.

According to Real Estalker, property records for the sleek and low-slung houses show that it was purchased for 3,254,000 dollars. (ANI)

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Yin vs. Yang Yoga? - Yoga Forums

Greetings Yulaw,

Quote:


1) There is no Chinese Yoga no matter what anyone tells you. There was never any yoga that was or is indigenous to China and I have come across a few in Yin Yang Yoga and (of course) Taoist Yoga that make such claims. Which leads me to; there is no Taoist yoga that came from Taoists in China.

Thank you for sharing your opinion, which is...just another opinion. Not that others may not share it, but when you assert some sort of authoritative posture, as in "no matter what anyone tells you" then I'd like to see you back up your assertions. Wikipedia is not error-free, but it seems very reliable in many areas, and so far, it still has an article about Taoist Yoga (I don't have enough posts to embed the URL here - just search "Taoist Yoga" there) which contains supportive references, which your comment lacks.

Furthermore, other teachings from India flowed into China and evolved there and co-mingled with teachings already extant there, Buddhism, for example. Why couldn't this have occurred with yoga?

This doesn't necessarily undermine your point that what is being taught as "Yin Yoga" is not, as you appear to suggest, some sort of non-Chinese invention. But your statement, as I interpret it through my own reality tunnel, could use some clarification.

Your other point about (Zink's) reputation based on "rumors" raises concerns about how you may have reached your other conclusions. Humans, even the greatest, most inspirational ones, can be found (by at least one person or another) to have flaws and failings. I don't know much about Paulie Zink (less than you seem to, obviously), but I think many of us might know of a few teachers who remain inspirational and helpful, despite any scandals that might have cropped up around them--Osho, Chogyam Trungpa, Yogi Bhajan, and many, many others.

But again, you might have the makings of some sort of "valid point" - but I don't think you make it well by supporting it with rumor and innuendo.

I would enjoy hearing more from you on this topic, particularly some supporting data for point #1.

Thank you, Yulaw.

Respectfully...

Prem

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Yogasms On the Rise: Instructors Say Yoga-Related Orgasms Are Real ...

Yoga has long been known for its metaphysical benefits to mind and body, but devotees are talking openly about the orgasmic pleasure they experience during practice. Lizzie Crocker reports.

 | September 28, 2011 2:02 AM EDT

“The first time it happened to me I was in Sharon Gannon’s class at Jivamukti, and I was in forward bend,” says Kelly Morris, a yoga instructor with a cult following at the Shala Yoga House in New York City. “I was breathing and concentrating and suddenly, ‘Whoa!’”

At first, Morris was flustered and anxious that others in the class might have witnessed her, mid-yogasm. While most people who practice yoga don’t attend class with the intention of reaching the Big O, sometimes they get more than they signed up for.

There are other non-sexual activities that are said to induce orgasms, such as ecstatic birth, a trend that picked up steam several years ago and culminated in the 2007 documentary, Orgasmic Birth: The Best-Kept Secret. Across the country, it seems more and more women are discovering yoga’s “best-kept secret.”

In New York City, a woman who chose to remain nameless talked to The Daily Beast about experiencing a yoga orgasm at Pure Yoga, a fancy studio on Manhattan’s Upper East Side owned by the Equinox fitness chain. “I was in lotus pose, focusing on breathing and lifting the muscles of my pelvic floor,” she said. She wasn’t prepared for what happened after her instructor pressed his body against her back and synchronized his breath with hers, lifting her ribs as she inhaled, and pushing down on her thighs as she exhaled. “I was tingling all over!” she gushed. 

Yogasms

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The teacher, Marco Rojas, is a famous name in New York City’s yoga circuit. Toned and tattooed, Rojas gives classes that are often packed with women hoping to get some hands-on instruction. He’s not afraid to get up close and personal with his students, giving them a whiff of his patchouli body odor, and quietly urging them in his Venezuelan accent to “lift” this or “engage” that. 

But Rojas’s popularity goes beyond his sexy aura. He studied with yoga masters Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty and teaches a Vinyasa flow derived from Ashtanga, Hatha, and Viniyoga— three different schools of yoga that originated in India. His knowledge of the ancient practice, coupled with his dynamic approach to teaching, has elevated him to near-guru status. His intentions as a yoga teacher are to help students connect to their bodies and their inner selves. What happens beyond that is purely accidental.

“When we work with yoga, we go from the superficial to the subtle. We go inward,” he says. In doing so, one develops a sort of sixth sense, a heightened mental and physical awareness. “I have found that my faithful students have improved their ability to love themselves and ultimately, to give themselves pleasure,” he adds.

One of yoga’s goals is to strengthen the muscles in and around the genitalia, or the mula bandha. It’s like doing advanced kegels, but with an instructor’s guidance and the implementation of specific breathing techniques. Ideally, a yogi engages mula bandha throughout a majority of his or her practice, which is equivalent to heavy weightlifting for the genitals.

“We’ve long known that doing kegel exercises enables women to have more control over their orgasms and to have more intense orgasms,” says Tristan Taormino, author of The Secrets of the Great G-Spot Orgasms and Female Ejaculation.

Dr. TallTrees breaks down the physiology further: “When women engage their PC [pubococcygeus] muscles, the tissue around the g-spot swells, which can lead to climax.”

Even if they’re not yogasming in class, yoga students often claim significant improvement in the quality and quantity of orgasms they have during sex.

“One woman who attended a class where we focused a lot on mula bandha came back the next day and told me she was able to orgasm for the first time with her boyfriend of six years,” says Rojas, seeming slightly flabbergasted himself. “So yes, things can happen! To infinity and beyond.”

One might assume men are missing out on the fun—which may be true for in-class yogasms, but they see benefits, too. The key to engaging mula bandha is to isolate the perineum, a crucial area of sexual pleasure for women and men, according to South African tantric master Alan Finger, founder of ISHTA (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda) Yoga. When a man draws his sexual energy in, and up toward his navel, says Finger, he increases his ability to prolong his stamina in the bedroom.

Finger argues that men actually benefit sexually from yoga more than women. “The man starts at a disadvantage because his orgasm is outwards, which makes it briefer and shorter than a woman’s. But if he can engage mula bandha during sex, then he can prolong his climax and make the entire experience more powerful.”

Many modern yoga practices such as Hatha and Kundalini are rooted in Tantra, a spiritual movement defined in ancient Indian scriptures as an expression of joyous divine consciousness. Tantric scriptures say sex is vital for procreation, pleasure, and liberation. The musician Sting, a longtime yogi and advocate of Tantra, once claimed he and his wife had “seven hours of sex every night”. Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of Tantra is not solely to engage in the sex act for as long as possible, but to move sexual energy rooted in mula bandha throughout the body, ultimately leading to deeper ecstasy.

Yogis believe there are seven chakras—vortexes of energy, according to original Hindu texts—in our bodies, the first and second being the “sex” chakras located in the pelvic floor. By connecting to the root of those chakras and channeling them into the “heart” and “mind” chakras, one can experience an intensely meditative (and arguably spiritual) full-body orgasm. “It fills your being rather than just being something that happened in your genital boundary,” explains Finger.

It seems more and more women are discovering yoga’s “best-kept secret.”

For those who practice yoga to get a good sweat and take in the eye candy (tight pants, cleavage), sermons on spiritual enlightenment can be a turnoff. But for serious yogis such as Kelly Morris, one of only five senior Jivamukti Yoga teachers in the world and a devout Tibetan Buddhist, enlightenment is the guiding purpose of the practice. According to Morris, the yogasm isn’t just a fleeting moment of pleasure—it’s an expression of compassion, kindness, and enlightenment.

Curious why the Buddha is laughing all the time in some representations? It is because he’s been having an eternal orgasm ever since he became enlightened, which explains the permanent goofy grin on his face—at least according to one theory, says Morris.

It’s no secret that the mind is a powerful component of arousal—so powerful that it can bring about an orgasmic climax without physical stimulation. “If you can have an orgasm in your sleep, it’s certainly possible to have one in yoga class,” says Morris. “I’ve had women come up to me, usually very embarrassed and freaked-out, and ask, ‘Is this normal? Is this allowed? Is this irreligious?’ I do my best to reassure them that it’s natural. Then I tell them not to waste it, the way you have an ice cream and enjoy it and then it’s gone.”

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Got Lower Back Pain? Try Yoga

If you're suffering from back pain, then you'll be keen to find something to relieve the symptoms, and that could well be yoga.

I have friends who have been doing it for years for the sole purpose of relieving their chronic lower back pain.

Back pain is often caused by sitting for hours in the same position. This practice can cause stress on the spine and the surrounding muscles that then result in pain and stiffness. Discomfort might not be apparent until the damage has been done, and then it can take quite some time to improve flexibility. Hot baths and massage might help a little for a short period of time, but they won't do much to strengthen the back for a longer term solution.

There was also a recent study that discovered regular participants experienced significantly less pain than those who performed stretching exercises or used a self-help book. The yoga practitioners discovered how they could manage their pain.

There are many forms of yoga, but the styles that were reported to provide the best results when it comes to back pain are the Hatha, Iyenga and viniyoga types. The ideal number of poses per day is between 5 and 11. Add a guided meditation session and you should gain the benefits of less pain. The sufferers in the study were able to strengthen their lower back muscles and also enjoyed some positive spiritual or mental spin-offs. The study also gave hope for other body pain sufferers to be able to manage their pain.

If you are considering taking up yoga and you suffer from back pain, then it's important that speak to your medical practitioner before getting started. It is also recommended that you speak to a yoga instructor regarding their experience when it comes to lower back pain and poses. They could advise you on which poses will help you the most.

Why yoga helps back pain is attributed to being able to make the muscles stronger. It also increases mobility and flexibility. Oxygen is carried to the muscles and the meditative benefits can be superb. People who regularly meditate report less pain anyway, so in combination with yoga it will be even better.

Even practicing a few simple poses can make a huge difference. True health is also reputed to come from a flexible spine. Those with one will age better and will be able to be more active in the later years. Young people naturally have a spine that is flexible. As people age, less exercise is performed and the spine and lower back can stiffen up. Regular Yoga practice offers an opportunity to limber up the spine.

Even after a few weeks of practicing yoga, you can expect to enjoy a more elongated spine. You should also experience greater energy that may have lied dormant for years.

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