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Weekend Reading: Yoga Books With a Spiritual Flare

FitSugar — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:00:00 -0700

There are so many books out there on yoga, It seems like every yoga instructor in the world has written a book. Many of them contain the same information about the same postures. It gives people the impression that yoga is just a form of exercise, and that's all.

Yoga is so much more. It's all about the emotions and sensations that come from turning your awareness inward. It's about listening to your inner voice, and about expanding your heart.

The thing that is so amazing about yoga is that it's been around for thousands of years and it has an astounding and rich history.

All of these books listed below are wonderful reads if you are looking to learn more about the spiritual and historical aspect of yoga.

Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann (available through Amazon for $11.53) is one of the 1st books I picked up. It does illustrate postures, but it also focuses on using the practice of yoga as a way to meditate, and listen to your inner heart to find guidance and support.

If you want to see the others, then read more

Open Body: Creating Your Own Yoga by Todd Walton is a beautiful book. There are amazing artistic drawings of postures and delicate words describing how to tap into your emotional and creative self through yoga.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, was translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda and is a complete manual for the study of the spiritual practice of yoga. It's a must-have for people wanting to learn about the foundation and basis of yoga. Get it for $10.68 through Amazon.

The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice by T.K.V. Desikachar is available through Amazon for $13.57. This is an exceptional book written by the son of the great Krishnamacharya, who by the way, taught Sri BKS Iyengar (founder of Iyengar yoga) and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (founder of Ashtanga yoga). That alone should inspire you to pick up this book. It describes so much about the study of yoga, and in the back, even includes the complete text of the Yoga Sutras.

I hope these books help to explain more about the important aspects of yoga. It's not just about twisting yourself into a pretzel and standing on your head. It's about listening to the voice within, becoming aware of and experiencing the truth, wisdom, and love inside your heart, and sharing what you discover with the world.

Yoga Unites the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Fit Community — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:30:08 -0800

Barefoot chick from our Yoga Stretch and Tell community group wants to know what the practice of yoga means to you, and posted this:

I know most people do yoga to relax and tone their body and I think that is wonderful just of itself. But yoga [as defined in Sanskrit, the language of origin] actually means a union of mind, body, and spirit.

Besides the health and physical benefits does anyone also get into the spiritual aspect of yoga, or the meditative component of clearing your mind of thought? If you incorporate the spiritual dimension into your yoga or would like to talk about that part of the total yoga experience, I would enjoy hearing from you.

Have any questions or stories about yoga that you want to share? Join our Yoga Stretch and Tell community group and join the conversation! If you don't practice yoga, be sure to take a look at our other community groups - there's something for everyone.

Mindfulness: It's Not Just For Spiritual Woo-Woo Types

TresSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:30:00 -0700

Imagine taking a morsel of food, say, an almond, and savoring it very carefully, giving it your full attention. If someone told you that doing everything you can with that kind of attention would help reduce your stress level at work, relieve bodily symptoms like back pain, and keep you from bad habits like smoking, you might think they were nuts.

Yet that’s exactly what the practice of mindfulness does say practitioners like Buddhists, and increasingly, there’s clinical research to back it up.

What is mindfulness? It’s the act of being aware of the moment - of what you’re thinking and feeling, both emotionally and physically, from one moment to the next. There can be a spiritual component, but anyone, regardless of their religion, can benefit.

Awareness of the moment is supposed to move us away from both regret for the past and anxiety about the future. And in addition to those thoughts that often cloud our mind, throw in a job full of emails, ringing phones and irritating co-workers and the modern person’s stress levels are sky high. To hear about a study proving its effectiveness in reducing stress, read more

When stressed-out historian and former professor Lillian Waugh at West Virginia University was invited to participate in a study on mindfulness, she was part of the group that was taught techniques to cultivate it - yoga poses, breathing methods and stretches. Waugh's group improved in ways that the other group, who were only handed informational pamphlets on stress, did not. Her group had significantly fewer daily hassles, psychological distress and significantly fewer medical symptoms as a result.

"We taught them how to recognize sources of stress, how stress impacts them, and then what they could do to come out of the vicious cycle of stress reactivity," says lead researcher Kimberly Williams.

I’ve practiced meditation pretty regularly for about year, and although I can still be a stress case, thanks to that simple idea - just to pay attention to the moment without panic - I can get myself out of almost any overwhelming moment if I remember what to do. Just because something is simple, however, doesn’t mean it’s easy. But if practicing mindfulness techniques can relieve all those stress symptoms, it’s definitely better than lighting up, drinking or freaking out.

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Do Tell: Do You Have Some Kind of Spiritual Practice?

DearSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:30:00 -0700

In our own way, most of us regularly express reverence, humility and kindness. These qualities take many forms and can be called by many names. Do you believe in God? Belong to an organized religion? Practice an Eastern religion, or a Westernized version of one? Do you pray? Meditate? Set an intention every new moon? Love and honor the natural world?

Do tell, ladies, do you observe some kind of spiritual or religious practice? If you're comfortable, please tell us what it means to you.

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Spiritual Fitness Wear - Celebs Love the Message

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:30:00 -0800

Celebrity fans of Spiritual Fitness Wear include Madonna, Geena Davis, Kim Basinger, Drew Barrymore, Ashley Judd, Eva Mendes (as shown here), Jessica Biel, Kelly Preston, and Kirsten Dunst just to name a few. Each tee sends the important message that beauty comes from within.

This line of motivational clothing was designed to remind you to believe in and have patience with yourself.

They offer unique and powerful affirmations that remind you to be happy with your whole person - and to never compare your insides with anyone else's outsides.

They encourage you to have freedom from the mistakes of the past, and all judgments of the future. They allow you to accept your little imperfections, because they make up who you are.

They were even used as a little positive encouragement on The Biggest Loser. Want to see? Go ahead and read more

Phrases like "I Rock," "Image is Nothing," and "Never Give Up," appeared on their shirts. A few motivational words were always close at hand, and it really paid off. Check out this guy's before and after picture.

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Blessed Be Thy Water

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:15:39 -0800

I love pure drinking water just as much as the next person. However, I think California-based Wayne Enterprises might be taking the whole water trend a step too far with their new Holy Drinking Water. They claim that the water - which is blessed by priests in the company warehouse - makes you good. They also have a disclaimer for sinners:

Warning to sinners: If you are a sinner or evil in nature, this product may cause burning, intense heat, sweating, skin irritations, rashes, itchiness, vomiting, bloodshot and watery eyes, pale skin color, and oral irritations.

If you think that Holy Drinking Water is the only product on the market, then you may be surprised to hear that they actually have some competition. Spiritual Water - is it just me or does their website look thrown together? - is offering well-designed bottles that contain full-colored images of holy persons and symbols, along with prayers in English and Spanish. There are 10 different versions - each with its own message and image - including Balance Water, Focus Water, and my own personal fave: Formula J' Water. Spiritual Water also donates ten cents from every bottle sold to The Spiritual Foundation for children in need.

What do you guys think? Is it really necessary, or is it just some folks who found their niche market?

You Asked: Is My Lack of Spirituality Going to Tear Us Apart?

DearSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:30:00 -0800

Dear Sugar,

My boyfriend and I got sober together and have been dating, clean and off drugs, for over a year now. He uses a 12-step program to maintain his sobriety and is a highly spiritual person. I do not use a 12-step program, nor am I religious or spiritual. We are obviously very close, but every few months, I will confide in him about an issue or problem occurring in my life, and he will respond by saying that the only way he knows how to live is by doing the 12 steps. It's almost like he can't be of any assistance to me if I won't do it his way, and it always turns into an argument.

Most of the time we get along great and are the best of friends, but this issue of his spiritual program versus my lack of one comes up monthly, and it makes me think it's something that is always on his mind. How can I stay open with him and confide in him without worrying about being attacked? - Unsupported Sasha

To see DearSugar's answer, read more.

Dear Unsupported Sasha,

Let me first applaud you and your boyfriend for your year of sobriety - that's no small feat, so congratulations! Since you both took different approaches to getting sober, I can see how that could cause some confusion in your relationship, but at the end of the day, he needs to understand that what works for him might not work for you, and vice versa. What matters here is that your chosen methods work, so if you're feeling deep down that he resents you for taking an alternative approach, something's got to change.

Since life isn't perfect, you're both going to continue to experience bumps in the road, which is why it's so important that you feel safe and secure when opening up him. Since these conversations usually end in an argument, I suggest you broach the subject unattached to an issue or problem you're facing. Ask him if what you're feeling is true, and if he does have a problem with your lack of spirituality, and if that problem is a difference he can't accept, you two just might not be right for each other. I understand that you love and care for him, but it's important that you put your needs and your sobriety first. Hopefully laying it all out on the table will give you both some clarity, but when all is said and done, follow your instincts on this one. Good luck to you.

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Dear Poll: Are You Spiritual?

DearSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0800

If you've been watching Oprah lately, you know that she's been spending a lot of time talking about spirituality, something that she considers to be the "most important foundation of anyone's life."

Spirituality comes in many different forms and it affects everyone uniquely, but whatever form it takes, it usually enables you to be the best version of yourself. With that said, being spiritual isn't for everyone, so what I want to know is . . .

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DC Spiritual Leaders Protest Torture Veto

CitizenSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:00:59 -0700

Members and supporters of the Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture dressed as detainees yesterday during a demonstration orchestrated to "demand Congressional action to stop torture" on Capitol Hill. President Bush's veto of HR 2082 over the weekend - a bill that would prohibit all US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, from subjecting detainees to waterboarding, stress positions, hypothermia, and other forms of torture - was at the center of their protest.
The protest calls attention to broader spiritual concerns that reach beyond the walls of the Pentagon. The faith-based group says that torture "violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions hold dear." In his veto of the "anti-torture" bill, President Bush was careful to point out that he wasn't vetoing in favor of a specific technique like waterboarding, but rather because of the need for secrecy surrounding our techniques. To see what he said, read more. Bush said,

Section 327 of the bill would harm our national security by requiring any element of the Intelligence Community to use only the interrogation methods authorized in the Army Field Manual on Interrogations . . . My disagreement over section 327 is not over any particular interrogation technique; for instance, it is not over waterboarding, which is not part of the current CIA program. Rather, my concern is the need to maintain a separate CIA program that will shield from disclosure to al Qaeda and other terrorists the interrogation techniques they may face upon capture.

The "spiritually-rooted" ceremony drew attention to the broader reaching faith-based concerns over tactics of war. Does President Bush have an obligation to publicly oppose methods like waterboarding? Do you agree with his reasoning behind the veto? Can a coalition of the faithful inspire different thinking about the way we think about war?

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Slow Sex Movement Guru: What Do Men Want?

TresSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0700

"The men who come to OneTaste are men who are so sick of having to pretend like they know what they’re doing."

This is the third in a four-part series of interviews I had with Nicole Daedone, who is emerging as the leader of the slow-sex movement and who founded the OneTaste urban retreat center in San Francisco. OneTaste invites men and women to learn about mindful sexuality by participating in workshops, yoga, and (for residents only) controversial "OMing" sessions in which men stroke women to orgasm during daily morning sessions. To read the third part of the interview with Nicole, read more.

TrèsSugar: Why do you think men come to OneTaste? Is it different from why women do?
Nicole Daedone: Everyone is coming to plug into the same thing. But there is a gender differentiation. My experience with most men is that they can sense that the kind of power that they have in our culture is a precarious thing. Because it’s not real, it’s not based on truth. It’s crumbling, right? We’re watching that everywhere, so most of the guys that I see who come in don’t really want to hold the power of sexuality. They don’t want to be the sole holders of this thing.

How we have sexuality set up at this point is a subject-object relationship and so it’s just inaccurate. Guys are thinking, “But I have power” and women are thinking, “But I’m the victim." We know that's not true; we want to find that right true relationship. The men who come to OneTaste are men who are so sick of having to pretend like they know what they’re doing.

TS: Regarding the OMing sessions, how does it help men to unload their sense of having to hold the power, as you put it, when they're touching women and bringing them to orgasm? I'm sure this is very misunderstood!
ND: The primary reason that it’s misunderstood is what I was talking about with the subject-object issue. If you look at it like something is operating on something, like “he is doing something to her,” you miss the point of what’s actually happening. It’s this amazing feedback loop, a kind of surrendering into a field of sexuality. Both people are plugging into something together and playing different roles in it.

TS: In tantric sex, there's an emphasis on eye contact. But in the article about OneTaste in the New York Times, the writer says there's a no eye contact rule. I think that could be misconstrued as something really anonymous and weird.
ND: There's actually no rule that you have to make eye contact. I’m saying, “Look, you don’t have to look into each other’s eyes.” I know that as a woman, I’ve done a lot more eye gazing than I was actually comfortable with and then what I’m doing is that I’m looking at him and wondering if I really look attractive. Then all of a sudden I’m contorting my face to make sure it looks attractive and then I’m no longer focusing on the sensation of no longer focusing on the attraction.

TS: There’s this idea that intimacy might only happen if you’re gazing into somebody’s eyes.
ND: I’ll have this experience with my boyfriend where my back will be to the door and I’ll feel him come into the room. That is such a subtle level of intimacy that we very often miss because we so rely on our visual sense. More what I’m saying is let’s take these things that we overly rely on and sometimes just be willing to not rely on those but not exclude them. I’m not interested in excluding anything, I’m interested in including more.

TS: For some women, male sexuality just feels toxic. I don't think it's inherently so, but perhaps becomes that way.
ND: I think that the reason it becomes toxic is because it doesn’t have counterbalance. I think that we have male sexuality that has grown up like this, and female sexuality that has grown up like this, and so I think it just gets out of balance and wonky.

One of the feminist things we can do today is say, “Hey, wait a minute. I’m responsible for this, I’m not being victimized by this sex that’s coming at me." I deal with these guys trying to find the tiniest spot on a woman’s body after however many years of having a woman not talk to them about their sexuality except to say, “No” or “I don’t like that,” or like “Ewww.” So these guys have as many issues as the women!