Yoga

[liza118]

Hi everyone,

I just wondered who here practises yoga regularly as a supplement to mindfulness meditation. Would anyone recommend it, and if so, which particular type - I'm aware there are several 'strains' of teaching (Iyengar, Hatha). I am keen to learn where the overlaps are with what we are learning in our mindfulness programs, and thought asking here would be a good start!

Thanks.

[BioSattva]

Jon Kabat-Zinn incorporated Hatha yoga into MBSR.

Personally I practice a simple Chinese yoga system to open my hips and shoulders - it has taichi aspects and direct practical applications.

Maybe someone else is aware of the differences and subtleties between the different Indian yoga traditions if that's what you are after, or else I am sure the info is available somehwere online.

[JonW]

Hi Liza.
I swear by Mindfulness Yoga, an excellent book, highly recommended.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindfulness-Yog ... ndful+yoga

[Gareth]

I am trying to integrate Iyengar yoga into my daily routine, because in truth, my body mindfulness is quite poor. It's very important though, especially for someone with a chronic health condition like me.

[piedwagtail91]

i practice hatha yoga most days. i have an experienced paid for class/teacher on one day, and my ex therapist who's a newly qualified yoga teacher and long time mindfulness teacher, on another, the rest is down to me.
i do it mindfully and always with ahimsa in mind!
it's the first thing i've done that i haven't used to damage myself, and after a couple of injury free years am pretty pleased.
i find that it does help me a lot with developing a non-striving attitude.
it you're try to get your nose to your knee there is always a great tendency to try to push that little bit further to do just that, risking injury.
being mindful and not striving helps to prevent that or at least makes you aware of the thoughts that lead that way, so it develops patience as well!

[calm_one]

I do Forrest Yoga, I think its based on Hatha Yoga developed by Ana Forrest. I enjoy it and try to be mindful when doing it. I do always feel better after it.

It's probably the longest form of mindfulness I do. And the breathing is great too.

Only been doing it a couple of months I can already see me getting better at it.

[GianKarlo]

Yoga classes are full of little comments and insights that smooth over life’s rough edges and change the way we see ourselves. But today’s “aha!” experience is often swept away in the flood of tomorrow’s activities. Write it down...

[JonW]

That's excellent advice, GianKarlo.

[westmoquette]

I think an awful lot of yoga taught in the west has moved very much towards the physical fitness side of things - especially the kind of yoga you find in gyms. Mindfulness, gentleness, compassion, and exploration are some of the very central tenets of yoga that (unfortunately) often get overlooked. That Mindfulness Yoga book sounds great!

The Buddha taught that there are four foundations of mindfulness: mindfulness of the body, sensations, the mind, and thoughts. On this spectrum, physical yoga leans more towards the body and sensations, where still meditation/mindfulness leans more towards the mind and thoughts - although they both contain aspects of all four. What he's saying is that basically anything done in the spirit of mindfulness (washing the dishes, running, counting the breath) can lead us to somewhere deeper.

I teach zen yoga - a style based on the philosophy of Zen Buddhism (rather than the more traditional Indian/Hindu foundation). Mindfulness is very much emphasised, together with building our relationship with the ground/earth, flexibility of the spine, opening our energy meridians, ultimately leading to an experience of no-mind/emptiness/oneness/meditation.

Tai chi and Qigong are also really worth-while looking into. They can appear slow and boring from the outside, but they're both very internal practices. I know people who practice Qigong who can break bricks over their heads!!

[Nat]

Maybe you should find it yourself. You can find Hatha Yoga classes (as well as the other types) here http://playenable.com/s/activity-Hatha%20Yoga-in-london-uk

I hope it helps