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Saturday, April 12, 2003 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Rx for Asthma
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Asthma is a chronic condition effecting over 20 million Americans that causes acute attacks of coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness. Modern medicine has no cure for this disease and 90 percent of asthmatics rely upon pharmaceuticals to prevent and relieve symptoms. The symptoms of asthma are created by a narrowing of the lung’s airways that become further constricted by an increase of mucus and inflammation in their lining. Asthma can be triggered by allergies, exercise, cold air, pollution and stress. |
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Wednesday, March 12, 2003 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Rx for Sciatica
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The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body, originating from the sacrum and traveling down the back of the legs to the toes. Compression of the sciatic nerve can cause one sided numbness, tingling or pain in the sacrum, buttock and back of the leg. The nerve can become compressed for several reasons, most commonly from a herniated disk in the lower lumbar spine. Inflammation, stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) and tight piriformis muscles (deep muscles in the buttocks) are other common causes of compression. |
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Wednesday, January 15, 2003 by Timothy Burgin
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Tapas - Yogic Will Power
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The yogic practice of self-discipline is called Tapas and is one of Patanjali’s five niyamas, the personal observances that create the foundation of yoga. Basically, Tapas is doing something you do not want to do or not doing something you want to do and will have a positive effect on one’s life. Tapas should be something simple and small enough to become successful at but should also be difficult and challenging enough to engage the will. |
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Sunday, December 15, 2002 by Timothy Burgin
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Yogic Secrets to Holiday Bliss
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The practice of yoga gives us valuable tools in managing the stress and anxiety through the holidays. Practicing meditation, pranayama, pratyahara and sakshin allows us to be calm, centered and in control of our normal unconscious reactions to holiday stressors. Meditation allows the mind to be calm, centered and relaxed and is a quick and effective way to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety before, during and after stressful situations. Pranayama is yogic breathing techniques that can be used anytime to calm, energize, harmonize and tranquilize the body. Pratyahara cuts off external distractions and draws the focus of the mind inwards to our bodies’ core. Sakshin is a detached state of consciousness, where we witness life events and have the perspective to choose how to respond to them. |
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Wednesday, November 13, 2002 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Rx for Arthritis
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Arthritis is a real pain, usually a very intense pain in one or more joints of the body, effecting almost 20 percent of the population. One of the most important therapies for treating arthritis is exercise, and yoga is one of the best types of exercise for this condition. Arthritic joint pain is a big discouragement to do any exercise or move the body at all, but without exercise the joints become stiffer and lose range of motion that exacerbates the progression of the disease. There is no known cure for arthritis, but several studies have shown yoga effective for reducing and even eliminating the symptoms of this disease. |
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Tuesday, October 15, 2002 by Timothy Burgin
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Emotional Release through Yoga
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Feeling stuck and inflexible in a yoga posture may be more than just tight hamstrings; it could be some old feelings holding you back. Unexpressed emotions become stored and held in the body and, over time, create physical tightness, stress, tension, and sometimes pain. Yoga is the perfect tool to release emotional tension in the body and to experience the healing that comes with this release. There are many tools that we can use within a yoga practice to uncover deeply stored emotions, bring them to the surface, and let them completely release from the body. |
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Monday, August 12, 2002 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga Rx for Headaches
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Yoga not only provides relief for the pain and cause of headaches, but can also prevent headaches from occurring in the future. |
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Tuesday, July 16, 2002 by Timothy Burgin
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Improving Memory and Concentration
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There are many yogic techniques that stimulate the brain and nervous system to improve memory and concentration. Dharana, the sixth limb of yoga, is a state of focused attention used during asana, pranayama and meditation. Dharana trains the mind to become clear, focused and one-pointed. |
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Saturday, June 15, 2002 by Timothy Burgin
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Yoga and Pregnancy
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Yoga physically, mentally and emotionally prepares one for the birth of a new child and supports both the mother and child throughout the pregnancy. |
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Tuesday, January 15, 2002 by Timothy Burgin
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Healing Depression with Yoga
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It is common to feel the blues from time to time, and when this happens it can be healing to simply feel and be with your emotions. Acute feelings of depression can be sign that your body needs rest and your mind needs a break. Take a nap, read a book, let yourself be lazy and accept what you are feeling. If you are experience depression for more than a few days, however, you may need to take action and work on moving through it. |
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Wednesday, November 14, 2001 by Timothy Burgin
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Breathing in Asana
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Our natural tendency is to hold the breath or use stress induced breathing while holding a posture. This creates stress in the body. To create relaxation, breathe slowly and deeply in all of the asanas. There are several ways to breathe in asanas, and these will differ with teacher and tradition. I like to emphasize different breathing techniques or pranayamas while holding different postures. |
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Saturday, May 19, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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The Upanishads
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While the Vedas are considered the most sacred and treasured texts of India, it is the Upanishads that transferred the wisdom of the Vedas into practical and personal teachings. The word Upanishad literally means "sitting down beside” and the collection of Sanskrit texts known as the Upanishads are thought to be the direct teachings received at the foot of the ancient Indian sages. In these sacred texts we see an internalization of the sacrifice and worship extolled in the Vedas and a deeper understanding and exploration of the internal world of mind and spirit. |
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Monday, February 19, 2007 by Timothy Burgin
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The Five Niyamas of Yoga
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The second limb of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga system contains the five internal practices of Niyama (observance). These practices extend the ethical codes of conduct provided in his first limb, the yamas, to the practicing yogi’s internal environment of body, mind and spirit. The practice of Niyama helps us maintain a positive environment in which to grow, and gives us the self-discipline and inner-strength necessary to progress along the path of yoga. |
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Friday, December 15, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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The Five Yamas of Yoga
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At the beginning of Patanjali’s eight-fold path of yoga lays the Yamas: the moral, ethical and societal guidelines for the practicing yogi. These guidelines are all expressed in the positive, and thus become emphatic descriptions of how a yogi behaves and relates to her world when truly immersed in the unitive sate of yoga. While we may not strive to reach such a pure state ourselves, the Yamas are still highly relevant and valued guides to lead a conscious, honest and ethical life.
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Sunday, November 12, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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The Hatha Yoga Pradipika
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What is commonly considered Yoga in the West is in actuality just one of the many paths of Yoga, and is technically called Hatha Yoga. The oldest and most widely used ancient text on the physical practices of Hatha Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. This book was composed in 15th century CE by Swami Swatamarama and is derived from older Sanskrit texts, the teachings from well-known teachers and from Swatamarama's own yogic experiences. The main goal of this text is to illuminate the physical disciplines and practices of Hatha Yoga and integrate these with the higher spiritual goals of Raja Yoga (meditation). |
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Monday, August 14, 2006 by Timothy Burgin
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Sankhya's Map of the Universe
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Sankhya philosophy, one of the oldest and most influential of the six systems (darshans) of Indian thought, has had a profound impact on the beliefs, values and concepts used in the practice of yoga. At the time of the Buddha, Sankhya philosophy revealed a detailed map of the universe to serve as a guide towards realizing the unitive state, the ultimate goal of yoga. Sankhya philosophy divides the universe into 25 distinct yet related principles called tattvas. The tattvas are guideposts to orient ourselves within the map and to see what we experience as separate concepts are truly part of a larger whole. Acknowledging and understanding these tattvas refines our discrimination, affirms our consciousness and brings us towards self-realization. Patanjali drew heavily upon Sankhya philosophy in the development of his Yoga Sutras, and many of the practical methods and techniques of yoga rest on Sankhya’s philosophical foundations. |
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