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Wednesday, November 14, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Challenge Yourself
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To go deeper into your practice of yoga, it is necessary to challenge your body-mind-spirit on occasion. Use these four powerful techniques in combination or by themselves to challenge yourself further.
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga for Fatigue
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We all have experienced common bouts of fatigue as a normal response to over-exertion, emotional stress, boredom, or lack of sleep.This common experience of low energy and/or motivation can usually be alleviated through proper rest, exercise, stress reduction and nutrition. Yoga is an especially effective treatment for fatigue as it combines movement, rest and stress reduction with the cultivation of prana (life force energy) and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and renew response).
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Thursday, April 19, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga for Anxiety
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While anxiety (feelings of worry, fear and tension) is a normal reaction to stress, a constant state of anxiety or excessive levels of anxiety is a primary symptom of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are quite common, affecting about 18 percent of American adults, and are complex in nature, most likely occurring as a result from a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological, and developmental factors. While the traditional treatment of anxiety disorders with medication and Psychotherapy is effective, the stress reducing effects of yoga and meditation can reduce excessive levels of stress and anxiety, and can greatly enhance the effects of traditional therapies.
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Monday, March 19, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Therapy for Colds and Flu
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While we all are bound to suffer from the occasional cold or flu, the practicing yogi/yogini is less likely to come down with the sniffles, and when he/she does, tends to have a much faster recovery rate. This is true because of yoga’s known abilities to regulate the immune system, keeping it strong and healthy to withstand infections, and yoga’s ability to boost immune function with specific yogic practices.
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Friday, January 19, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga for Insomnia
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Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, and/or feeling tired upon waking. Acute insomnia (lasting from one night to a few weeks) is the most common and is usually caused by stress, hormonal changes, and/or emotional problems. Fortunately, the stress reducing, calming and natural balancing effects of yoga make it a perfect remedy for mild and acute insomnia, and along with good sleep habits insomnia can often be prevented or quickly cured.
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Saturday, October 14, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Cultivating devotion through the Puranas
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The most revered and pertinent texts in the Bhakti Yoga tradition are the Puranas, the ancient stories of the Indian gods and goddesses. In Bhakti Yoga the devotional aspect of yoga is emphasized, in which the practitioner develops faith and unconditional love to become united with the Divine. This faith and love is cultivated through the Puranas personalization of the Devas (gods and goddesses) with vivid and entertaining myths, stories and legends. The Puranas also serve to detail the spiritual practices and modes of worshiping and invoking the universal energies encapsulated in the Devas.
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Sunday, September 10, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga for Purifying Mind, Body and Spirit
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Purification (shaucha) is a central aim of all the yogic practices, and is the first principle of self-discipline (niyama) in Patanjali’s eight-limbed approach. The yogis have discovered that impurities in our internal body adversely affect our state of mind, and prevent the attainment of real wisdom and spiritual liberation. Through the yogic practices of asana, pranayama, tapas and shatkarma, the body and the mind become cleansed and our spiritual development is accelerated.
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Thursday, July 20, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga with common injuries
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We often bring injuries with us into our yoga practice – both from pushing ourselves too hard in yoga and from overworking our bodies in other exercise or daily activities. Yoga can provide a therapeutic tool for healing and recovery from an injury – but it can also be an impediment to healing or even worsen the injury. By adhering to some simple guidelines we can safely practice yoga with an injury and utilize yoga to support the healing process by activating the body’s lymphatic system and by improving local circulation.
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Sunday, May 14, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Shiva, the Three-Eyed One
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With over 100 different names attributed to him, Shiva is known to have the most complicated symbolism, qualities and representation of all the Hindu deities. Overall, Shiva is revered for three primary roles: the ideal yogi, the destroyer, and the doer of good.
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Saturday, April 15, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga for a Perfect Posture
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Due to sedentary lifestyles and poor habits in daily activities, many Americans tend to have poor posture, exhibiting the traits of kyphosis, an excessively rounded upper spine, and lordosis, an excessively arched lower back. Because of its emphasis on proper posture, yoga can help reverse abnormal curves in the spine, correcting both the “hunchback” curve that occurs in postural kyphosis and the “swayback” curve that occurs in postural lordosis. And since posture has been found to affect every system in the body, yoga’s efficacy in creating optimal spinal alignment will also improve one’s overall health and well-being.
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Sunday, March 12, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Krishna, the Prince of Love
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Krishna has become the one of the most referenced forms in the devotional and ecstatic practices of bhakti yoga. Krishna is said to be the eighth and most important avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, and is depicted as a hansom blue colored deity with a crown of peacock's feathers, playing the flute. His peacock's feathers are a symbol of beauty and knowledge, and the flute represents the calling for God and symbolizes a pure, open heart.
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Tuesday, December 13, 2005 by Timothy Burgin
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Ganesha: the Elephant Headed Prince
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With an elephant head and a round potbelly, Ganesha is perhaps the most popular and best known of the Hindu deities. Ganesha is most notably known as the “remover of obstacles” but also resides over the realms of wisdom, luck, doorways, the household and writing.
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Tuesday, November 15, 2005 by Timothy Burgin
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Focusing on a Drishti
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A drishti (view or gaze) is a specific focal point that is employed during meditation or while holding a yoga posture. The ancient yogis discovered that where our gaze is directed our attention naturally follows, and that the quality of our gazing is directly reflected in the quality of our mental thoughts. When the gaze is fixed on a single point the mind is diminished from being stimulated by all other external objects. And when the gaze is fixed on a single point within the body, our awareness draws inwards and the mind remains undisturbed by external stimuli. Thus, the use of a drishti allows the mind to focus and move into a deep state of concentration. And the constant application of drishti develops ekagraha, single-pointed focus, an essential yogic technique used to still the mind.
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Thursday, October 13, 2005 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga for Heart Health
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According to the American Heart Association, coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, causing about 1.5 million heart attacks each year. Recent research has shown yoga and meditation to reduce blood pressure, lower the pulse rate, improve the elasticity of the arteries, regulate heart rhythm, and increase the heart’s stroke volume. Yoga, in short, is good for your heart.
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Sunday, September 11, 2005 by Timothy Burgin
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Unlocking the Mystery of Om
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Om (also written Aum) is the oldest and most sacred sound found in yoga, Hinduism and Buddhism. Not only does Om represent the entire universe, known as Brahman, it is also said to be the source of all creation. Om represents all time: past, present, and future; and is beyond time itself. Om represents the eternal oneness of all that is, and thus represents the ultimate goal of yoga: to become unified in body, mind and spirit.
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Thursday, June 16, 2005 by Timothy Burgin
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The Power of Mantra
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A mantra is a word or series of words chanted aloud or silently to invoke spiritual qualities. Chanting is used as a spiritual tool in virtually every cultural and religious tradition. In the yogic tradition a mantra is a Sanskrit word that has special powers to transform mind, body and spirit. Translated, mantra means, “that which when reflected upon gives liberation.” Mantras are unique mystical formulas of sacred syllables, which were originally revealed to the Rishis (seers or sages) in the deepest states of meditation. Mantras were one of the earliest components of yoga and are quite possibly the first type of meditation that was developed.
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