najayama yoga

najayama yoga
artwork by michelle bellerose

NAJAYAMA YOGA: THE YOGA OF ALERT OPPORTUNITY

I'm a novice yoga teacher (CYT200) involved in an on-going synthesis of structural anatomy, bodywork, spontaneous movement and shaking, posture strikes, and lone wolf exploration with qi (differentiated somatic energy) and reiki (undifferentiated universal energy).

The goal is not perfection, glory, or achievement, but long burn presence in the moment, ease in the body and the response-ability of mind which create the space and grace for growth, change, and understanding.

bhujangalika: not the usual music for yoga

michelle bellerose is a certified yoga and qiqong teacher and composer of original music for movement and restoration. advocating a slower, more mindful approach to mat work and the self-responsible harnessing of inner serpent force. the practice, principle and cultivation of this mindful harnessing she's called NAJAYAMA YOGA. she also writes a blog on holistic arts and sciences called MAVERICK MEDICINE BABE.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

self-awakening yoga...

"Self-Awakening Yoga (SAY) helps to develop discriminative wisdom by introducing yoga-movement inquiries that originate from internal sensory conversations. All systems of hatha yoga begin with attention to the body through the physical practices of postures and pranayama, but most do not provide transitional steps for turning to the wisdom of prana for entering into our creative, evolutionary capacities, which lie beyond the form of a rote practice. It is helpful to leave a few minutes at the end of a yoga practice to allow your body to be moved by prana, as a way to receive the benefits of the practice at a deeper level of self. But merely providing the time is not sufficient for bridging the modes of practice. I have repeatedly observed that yoga practitioners who are comfortable and familiar within a structured sequence of practices have a difficult time when asked to enter into a spontaneous flow of movement guided by inner promptings. Oftentimes the response is to simply repeat the same familiar routine.

The inquiries of SAY offer an experiential bridge designed to guide the practitioner through the developmental stages that are encoded within the body's memory from birth. While inquiring into the body's primal movement patterning and focusing awareness on the inherent sensations that arise in moving, the practitioner has the opportunity to access the flow of prana that animates the body.

SAY is based on the intention of opening channels of communication between the mind and body for the purpose of learning what the body has to teach us about the workings of prana, and to ultimately turn to the wisdom of prana as our trusted friend and inner guide."


from Self-Awakening Yoga by Don Stapleton

Sunday, January 19, 2014

yoga techniques in buddhism...

"The Yogacara school, which flourished after the fifth century, reaffirms the necessity for the yogic experience; to destroy the phenomenal (i.e. the "profane") world and regain the unconditioned, it is easier to "withdraw to the center of oneself" through meditation and ecstasy than to undertake to annihilate the world through analysis." [Mircea Eliade]

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

thought of day...

I don't need any condition, food or drink to be at peace and comfortable. I only need to be completely in my body, to move, to breathe, to make sound and be touch.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Reacting With Anger

"When someone insults us, we usually dwell on it, asking ourselves, ‘Why did he say that to me?’ and on and on. It’s as if someone shoots an arrow at us, but it falls short. Focusing on the problem is like picking up the arrow and repeatedly stabbing ourselves with it, saying, ‘He hurt me so much. I can’t believe he did that.’ Instead, we can use the method of contemplation to think things through differently, to change our habit of reacting with anger. Imagine that someone insults you. Say to yourself, ‘This person makes me angry. But what is this anger?’ It is one of the poisons of the mind that creates negative karma, leading to intense suffering. Meeting anger with anger is like following a lunatic who jumps off a cliff. Do I have to go likewise? While it’s crazy for him to act the way he does, it’s even crazier for me to do the same."

Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The Utterly Visionary Quality Of Love ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Love is very noble, elegant, beautiful, resourceful and utterly visionary. Being utterly visionary has a touch of humor and a lot of fearlessness. It is the foundation of mahayana. You are willing to jump in, and you are entirely free from panic. You have long-lasting vision and effort. Bodhisattvas, mahayana practitioners committed to helping others, are known as warriors because they are visionary. They are not confused, and they do not shy away from others.

Chögyam Trungpa

from the book "The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion: The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume Two"

on how to deal with difficult people...

Here is Rinpoche's response for dealing with difficult people:

"Do not think about things like that. There is no benefit in grasping and thinking about it. You have to let it go. Everything follows the law of karma naturally, there is nothing we can change about it by thinking about it much. If your family members treat you bad in this life, it is the result or karmic creditor of your own past actions. We are responsible for our own karma, we ourselves have created the causes for all our experiences. Enemies, obstructors, mischievous relatives, etc. are only conditions but not the cause. Moreover, the past is gone, it doesn't exist any longer, we cannot change the past, we have to let it go, so do not think about this. What is more important is that which is actually in your hands, the future. Thus you should rather give rise to love and compassion in order to ensure a happy future. If you think about others' faults you will only get angry and resentful. Think about their qualities and stop thinking about their faults, then love will arise. If you can't stop the thoughts, think of Tara and recite her mantra. The Buddha said, "Perfectly tame your own mind, this is the Buddha's teaching." The Buddha did not say, "Perfectly tame someone else's mind." You have to purify your own mind. If you cling to these thoughts of resentment and frustration again and again, you form a habit, and this habit will manifest before you in the Bardo in the form of a delusive perception which is the projection of your own mind, just like a TV show. This is what creates hell, it is the projections of one's own anger and resentment. Let go of it and make an effort to cultivate love. The only thing you should hold on to is love. Then you have no fear when you die, you will be born in the higher realms and slowly attain enlightenment. So do not worry about the faults of others, rather purify your own faults."

From Garchen Rinpoche