The breath is something that all yogis talk about. It is the background sound of everyday life. Some quotes:
“Most of us remember the exuberance of our own early youth when we breathed with relaxed open bellies and as a result had an almost limitless supply of energy. Then we began to learn and develop poor breathing patterns. Now, as adults we find ourselves looking for ways to reawaken this experience of aliveness.”
Donna Farhi, The Breathing Book.
“First of all, become aware of how your body is breathing – where it is inviting the breath to enter. Each asana challenges our habits of breathing in a different way. With each posture, discover the particular challenge it is making to your old patterns of breathing and allow yourself to release your resistance to it. Yes, the resistance will be there- we always resist change (that is part of the nature of maya).”
Healing Yoga
Swami Ambikananda Saraswati
Yoga has a lot to say about food, on a superficial level it can seem like it is all about eating certain things or excluding other things from your diet. Sivananda yoga has a reputation for encouraging people to be veggie and not to eat garlic or onions (too stimulating). Jivamukti yoga encourages people to exclude meat from their diet for ethical reasons if not health.
I like the approach which says, ‘work it out for yourself’.
Just been reading Vanda Scaravelli’s book, ‘Awakening the Spine’.
In the same way, yoga will be accepted by the body when it is done without resistance. The wave along the spine is like the melody in music. When the beautiful flow of extension is in action, this wave (felt along with the magical attraction of gravity) will help the body find the right adjustment in the performance of the various movements.”
