Hello everyone,

This is our sixth issue and I am still amazed at how much work it takes to put together and email this little newsletter. I am very happy to be sending this issue out to over ten thousand subscribers! Thank you all for supporting this newsletter and YogaBasics.com.

Namaste,

Ten Secrets of Authentic Breathing

Print out this list and keep it handy for quick reference.

Yoga Heals a Family's Spirit
Yoga helps a 12-year-old girl struggling in school improve her grades and self-esteem and brings her whole family closer together.

Our yoga sticker page is up and running in our yoga store. Check out our cool glittery Hindu god and goddess stickers and our custom-printed OM stickers. This page also serves as a visual guide to the most common Hindu dieties, with descriptions of their spiritual qualities and symbolism. Check them out here.

The yoga Q + A section will be offline for a week or two while we reinvent it as something much more cooler and accessible. Save those questions or email them to me.

Creating Inner Focus with Pratyahara

Pratyahara is the pivotal point in the practice of yoga where the path leads from the exterior to the interior landscape of the body. Pratyahara translates directly as “sense withdrawal” and is the fifth limb or branch of an eight-staged yogic approach to the unification of body-mind-spirit. By withdrawing our attention from the external environment and by focusing inwards on the breath and sensations, we still the mind and increase our awareness of the body. With this awareness and focus we can move deeper into the practice of yoga, learning to move through our limitations, fears and expectations. The key to practicing pratyahara is observing the body, breath and sensations as a detached witness, as if you were watching and feeling someone else’s body. Used with compassion and discipline, pratyahara enriches the practice of yoga and leads to deeper stages of concentration and meditation.

Healing Yoga by Swami Ambikananda Saraswati.

Healing Yoga explores the connection between yoga and the chakras, the body's energy centers where our spiritual and physical well-being emanate. Each chakra is explained and several yoga postures are illustrated to restore balance and harmony and to maintain vitality in each of these energy centers. Full-color photos illustrate the asanas, breathwork, mudras, visualizations and mantras for each chakra. Healing Yoga also includes a section on yoga for specific ailments, ranging from high blood pressure to depression. My only disappointment with this book is that only the first five chakras are explained, leaving the sixth and seventh unmentioned. For more info or to buy Healing Yoga, click here.


Gardens of Eden by Putumayo.

I’ve always liked the Putumayo world music compilations. From their beautifully illustrated covers to the wonderful and exotic music collected from all over the globe, they are truly delightful. Gardens of Eden is the best collection yet. It is a bit mellower than previous collections, making it great to use during a yoga practice. Eighty percent of this CD is amazing and truly transports you to a “garden of eden,” a place of happiness and peace. The other twenty percent is still very good and does not distract from the rest of the collection. I would buy this CD just for one of the many astounding tracks like Midal, Makola, To a Beloved, and Tautai e. To have a listen or to buy Gardens of Eden, click here.

Self Healing Retreat in Long Island NY, July 24-29, 2001.
Self Healing Retreat: restorative yoga, breathwork and meditation. Everyone welcome. More info at www.iytyogatherapy.com, email or call 800 750 9642

web releaf: plant a tree for free!
the rainforrest site: donate land for free!
the hunger site: donate food for free!
working for change: free tools to change the world!
build a school: help build schools in developing countries for free!
the ecology fund: fund ecology projects for free!
planet save: save the rainforest with e-mail!

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