Namaste Ashiya yoginis!

As a teacher I feel that in class there is a constant opportunity for role-reversal, and I always find myself looking at the students as my teachers. This month too, some of the students provided me with the idea of looking into balance as the topic for October’s yoga. After reading up on it and thinking about it, I realized that balance is a much more complex topic than I thought. I would like to share some of my findings with you.

As I was delving into the world of balance, I started wondering: What exactly does it mean to be balanced? We know that we need to eat balanced meals, have a good balance between work and family and lead balanced lives. But what does this mean, and what does it have to do with yoga?

One of the most popular types of yoga practiced today is Hatha Yoga. We looked into this yoga a few months ago, and said that the word Hatha comes from the Sanskrit words for Sun (Ha) and Moon (Tha). We live in a world of dualities, of opposites always acting on each other, and we always find ourselves somewhere in between opposing forces. Hatha Yoga is a system designed to bring balance and ease out the tension between these forces. Ying/Yang, Hot/Cold, Male/Female, Work/Rest. Latching on to either of the extremes usually has detrimental effects, but staying flexible and flowing in between the extremes brings peace and happiness.

Yoga itself is a systematic practice that helps the body/mind/soul find balance through asana, breath work and meditation. With a regular yoga practice, your body will constantly find its own way of reattaining balance. The key word here is reattain. Our lives are not static. Things are always changing and moving, as we do. This means that balance is not something that can be attained and kept. The moment you find a sense of balance in your life and you try to desperately cling to that, you will find that things around you keep changing and suddenly, one day, your hard-earned balance is now an imbalance. Distressing? It doesn’t need to be. By cultivating a regular practice, you will develop a sense of connection to both your inside and outside worlds, and you will learn how to flow with the times and re-adjust yourself so that you can always reattain balance.

On the yoga mats, I believe that we can express this philosophy of balance through asana. By physically practicing to reattain balance in your body, you will find that it spills over into your mental and emotional worlds, bringing balance there too. Balancing poses are challenging and often frustrating. Mastering it could take a lifetime, and on the way there you will fall. Many times. By letting go of that frustration and self-judgement, we can learn to slowly work our way towards better balance. And there’s nothing more satisfying than finally being able to hold a pose that’s been eluding you for weeks or months, even years!

Even physically, balance is a complicated process. To attain and keep your balance, you use the brain, the nervous system, the eyes, the vestibular system (in the ear) and many muscular systems. In October’s class we will focus on the core or stability, and the legs/arms for strength. Some of the postures we will be doing will include:

Seated balancing poses: Adept pose (Siddah asana), Boat Pose (Navasana)
Arm balancing poses: Crow Pose (Bakasana), Peacock pose (Mayurasana)
Standing balancing poses: Eagle pose (Garudasana), Half moon pose (Ardha chandrasana)

In our end-of-class meditation this month, we will focus on a meditation that balances the chakra system.

Have a fantastic October, and see you on the mat!

Namaste,
Marilu

Do you like the idea of camping? Sleeping under canvas, cooking breakfast over a camp fire, the fresh air of the outdoors revitalising your body? Sounds good, doesn’t it? But really, in all honesty wouldn’t you prefer a thick mattress, breakfast brought to you on a tray and central heating? If so, then maybe you should try glamping – a recent trend in the UK. Glamping, if you are not familiar with the term, is shorthand for ‘glamorous’ and ‘camping’ or, as it is sometimes referred to, luxury or boutique camping.

Go to a typical Glampsite and you will find state-of-the-art tents, yurts and teepees all equipped with electricity and heating. No need for your old sleeping bag either; snooze in comfort on a full-size air or spring mattress. Get all the benefits of the great outdoors but in complete comfort – now that sounds REALLY good!

Unsurprisingly, glamping can be a bit more expensive than traditional camping but you get what you pay for: a fabulous combination of opulence and the open air which will keep everyone in the family happy – and that (let’s be honest) is the most important thing.
Camping will never be the same again!

This is one of my favourite glamping tents. It looks like a cosy, little UFO!

Check out these links to specialist glamping websites:
Go Glamping | Luxury camping holidays and vacations around the world
Canopy & Stars ? luxury camping and glamping holidays, from yurts to treehouses

Enjoy!

Hello Yoginis!

Can you believe it’s already September? Time seems to be going by faster and faster every year!

Recently, all over the world we have been experiencing an increase in strange weather patterns. Hurricanes and typhoons have been appearing all over the globe, often causing chaos in many people’s lives. Nothing in the path of a hurricane or typhoon stays untouched, it ruffles everything it passes over.

What fascinates me most about hurricanes is that, in the middle of all the chaos and unrest, there is a quiet, calm centre in the hurricane where the wind is perfectly still and the sun shines as bright as a summer’s day. So what can we learn from hurricanes?

We can learn to be the eye of the storm, the tranquil centre when everything around us is a big mess of wind and rain in our life. Whether you are in a meeting, with your family, trying to find a parking space, or preparing for an actual hurricane, you might find yourself in a situation where everything around you starts whirling out of control and falls in with the stream of chaos. In this situation, are you going to hop onto the unstable wind, or will you be the calm centre of the storm where the sun always shines?

With yoga, we can learn how to mentally step out of a challenging situation and take control of our thoughts. We can learn how to become the calm eye of the storm.

For September, we are going to focus on power yoga. Power yoga is essentially Vinyasa yoga, but with an increase in the level. By doing and holding these challenging poses, we can learn how to make that mental shift into control and away from the temptation of chaos. By shifting your focus from the challenge / the chaos / the storm around you to the quiet calming feel of your breath, you can learn how to take control of your mind.

Power yoga is usually based around the sun salutation, but we will add some challenging poses into this. This month, we will explore binds and inversions we haven’t done before, as well as some challenging balance poses like Side Plank.

We will spend extra time in meditation this month too, learning how to quieten the mind and increase concentration focus.

You can’t control life.
You can’t control situations around you.
But you can control your breath.
And you can control your mind.

Namaste,
Marilu

月毎に行うポーズ名をご紹介します。レッスンの状況により多少変更することがあります。

This has been a very difficult year for Japan’s tourism industry. Since the earthquake and tsunami struck in March, the number of foreign visitors has fallen by 50 percent, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. With the crisis at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima not yet resolved, it is hard to convince travellers that now is a good time to make the trip to Japan. And yet, it is important to emphasise the positives, and encourage foreigners to look beyond this year’s problems and see Japan for the beautiful and special country that it continues to be. Ben Humphreys, a former colleague of mine, has written an article for The Mainichi Daily News (the English-language edition of Mainichi Shinbun), doing just that. Entitled “Eight reasons to travel to Japan”, Ben’s article explains what a foreign visitor can expect on a trip to Japan and why he loves the country so much:

Eight reasons to travel to Japan – The Mainichi Daily News

I recently returned from a trip home to visit my parents and introduce them to their grandchild. Airline troubles aside, it was very nice, thank you. And where exactly is my home, you ask? Well, that will take some explaining. I’ve been reflecting on the matter, and here is what I’ve realized.

Whenever Japanese ask me where I’m from, I’m at a bit of a loss. First there’s the bit about being American. Everyone knows the United States, expects it even, and I suppose that’s why this first part bothers me. Sure, confirming that I’m American usually brightens faces- a phenomenon quite unique to these islands. But sometimes I wish I could foil assumptions and avoid stereotypes by saying I’m from someplace else. I won’t dwell on the mixed blessings and curses of being an Americans though; we’re still far from finding my home.

Which part of the USA did I grow up in? I say the Northeast. America is pretty large, so this vague description rarely satisfies. I am reluctant, however, to volunteer the name of my state, as it leads to a lot of misconceptions. Revealing I’m from New York usually conjures images of glass and concrete canyons, rivers of yellow taxis, The Statue of Liberty (which is actually in New Jersey’s waters) Times Square and a host of other things, all metropolitan, cosmopolitan, and in my case, far from the truth. I am from New York, but not the one you might think.

You see, the above images fit New York City, emphasis on city. But above this city lies a vast and mostly rural land. New York State is nearly as large as all of Kanto and Tohoku combined. I doubt someone living in Nagano wants to be associated with a Tokyoite, and the same goes for me. My hometown is more than 200 kilometers north of New York City, but it might as well be a world apart.

So what city do I live in? Well, I don’t. The nearest Department store or train station is 45 minutes by car. The nearest bus stop or supermarket: 30 minutes. The nearest shop or traffic light is 15 minutes away. I can’t even see my next-door neighbor. My father pays property taxes to Stephentown. But, the post address is East Nassau. The school district is New Lebanon. So which is my hometown? I’m not sure.

Namaste yoginis,

We are well into the second half of the year and feeling the hottest part of summer. I always feel that summer in Japan is a very liquid season. Droplets of sweat, rain, steam and bottles of water to rehydrate… there’s a definite flow and liquidity to summer life.

In that spirit, we are returning to our original vinyasa flow yoga this month. Vinyasa, which means “breath synchronized movement”, can fall under many kinds of types of yoga. Most often, we take it from Hatha yoga though, and we just connect the asana (poses) to each other with smooth, liquid movements. The well-known Sun Salutation is the perfect example of a hatha flow sequence. Vinyasa always has breath synchronised to movement, and we will put extra focus on that this month. Always let your breath lead and your movements follow – not the other way around.

As we said last month, Hatha comes from the two Sanskrit words Ha and Tha. Ha means SUN, tha means MOON. This month, we will look for the first time at the lesser-known Moon Salutation (Chandra Namaskar), the complement and sister sequence to the Sun Salutations. Some of the asana included in the Moon Salutation are:

As for the Pranayama (breathing), we will be doing two sets of breathing exercises this month. At the start of our flow sequence, we’ll get our prana flowing with the standing deep breath, and end the lesson with the Skull Brightener Breath (Kapalanhati pranayama).

Keep cool… and see you on the mat!

Namaste,
Marilu

月毎に行うポーズ名をご紹介します。レッスンの状況により多少変更することがあります。

イマジン語学スタジオにて「英語でヨガレッスン」を始めて1年が経過しました。イマジンでは通常、毎週火曜日の朝と夜におこなっていますが、月1回のペースで、日曜日の午前中に芦屋市立大原集会所にてヨーガレッスンも始めました。朝にヨガをするとすっきりして、その日いちにちを気分よく過ごせる気がします。メンバーさんの中には iPhone で Marilu（ヨガ講師）の声を録音し、ご自宅でも練習されている方もいらっしゃいますが、毎日続けるというのはなかなか難しいものです。

今回は自宅でヨガをする私の友人から、動画が送られてきたので皆さまにご紹介します。
友人は2匹の猫を飼っていて、ヨガをしているときに・・・！　集中力が欠けてしまいますが、楽しそうで普通のヨガより体力がつきそうですよ。もう1匹の猫は、そんな二人を冷めた目で奥のソファから見つめています。面白いです。お見逃しなく！

Hello there yoginis!

We have made it into the second half of this year already. How has 2011 been for you so far?

July brings with it a sweltering, sticky heat… the sign that it’s now my favorite season in Japan: summer. Despite the discomfort that all this sweating might bring, summer is a season of celebration and relaxation. The heat seems to slow things down a bit, and it’s much easier for us to relax. If you take good care of yourself during this season, it can be a very healthy one. We tend to eat fresher foods, drink more water and yes, sweat out more toxins. So embrace the heat and come join us in the yoga class to help your body detox!

This month we’ll be taking a look at a very well-known form of yoga: Hatha Yoga. The term itself is sometimes confusing, as what most people know as “yoga” is in fact Hatha yoga. Other famous branches of yoga, for example Bikram yoga (hot yoga), Iyengar yoga and Ashtanga yoga all find their roots in Hatha yoga.

The word hatha comes from two Sanskrit words: HA (meaning sun) and THA (meaning moon). Hatha yoga is a system that helps the practitioner to confront and balance out opposites/dualities in the body and mind. We live in a world of duality: sun/moon, hot/cold, male/female, positive/negative, etc. According to the yoga system, any problems that come up in our bodies and minds are due to one aspect of these pairs being overactive, and the other underactive. Hatha yoga provides us with the tools to bring our physical, mental and spiritual systems back into balance, and in this balance we find health and happiness.

Traditional Hatha yoga focuses primarily on the asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing), in a slow, meditative set.

This month, we’ll be doing a relaxing, yet challenging set, bringing in a few balancing poses. The balancing poses we’ll be doing include Tree Pose (Talasana), Eagle Pose (Garudasana) and Warrior 3 (Virabradrasana 3). Then, we’ll be exploring quite a few floor-based poses like Butterfly pose (Baddha Konasana), Bow pose (Dhanurasana), Plough pose (Halasana) and Locust pose (Shalabasana).

Our Pranayama for this month will be a return to Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Sodhana), a calming way of breathing that is said to bring balance to the flow of prana (life force) in our bodies.

From my side, keep cool & namaste!

See you on the mat,
Marilu

月毎に行うポーズ名をご紹介します。レッスンの状況により多少変更することがあります。

The launch party for our latest exhibition went extremely well. Despite the rain, many people came, including a lot of imagine* members. The artist, Kazuhito Tanaka, was on hand to discuss his work and to show the gold-leaf filter he uses to achieve the dreamlike effect of his photographs. We were also very pleased to welcome back Itsuki Bakery. As always, his delicious food proved a sell-out success.

Check this website for information about our next exhibition, which will begin in September 2011.

In modern times, all martial arts claim to be methods of self-defense rather than violence. But how many martial arts can actually claim to have no offensive moves? There is at least one, and I began studying it with a Japanese teacher at the age of 13. It is called Aikido and its peaceful nature was one of the many reasons why I chose this art.

Aikido is a relatively recent addition to the world of martial arts. It was developed in the early 20th century in the Kansai region by Ueshiba Morihei. Ueshiba had trained in a variety of fighting arts since childhood and their influences are clear. However, unlike the other arts Ueshiba had mastered, his creation lacked the ability to initiate an attack.

Aikido is purely defensive, relying on the momentum of an attack. The more forceful the attack, the easier it is to redirect and control its energy through circular motions and clever body mechanics. The moves usually end in a throw or pin, but these are done so as not to hurt the attacker. Thus, Aikido is often referred to as the “Pacifist’s Martial Art.”

The techniques do not require physical strength or favor large statures, so Aikido is well suited to women and children. Because of this, I think Aikido could also be called, “Everyone’s Martial Art.” It is an art of equality that has become popular all over the world, and classes are often filled with interesting mixes of people.

The pacifist’s mindset is central to Aikido, which translates to “the way of harmonious energy.” Indeed, the teachings come paired with a highly developed philosophy. One learns to apply the principles used in training to their daily life, redirecting and neutralizing negative energy in personal and professional relationships.

There are no belt colors in Aikido. There are no competitions either. Aikido has no winners or losers. Defeating an opponent is not the way to victory. Avoiding and resolving conflicts before they take negative effect equals true victory in Aikido. If you are looking for personal victory, please consider trying this beautiful Japanese art.