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| From YogaPragma |
Yoga and Being in the Present... One thing I've observed is how most of us spend our lives keeping ourselves physically attractive and acquiring material things, first to attract a mate, then to 'keep up with (and surpassing) the Joneses'. I found myself trying to impress people; teachers, business colleagues, family and friends, with many of them long passed.
The Only Guarantee in Life is Change...Along my life experiences I've observed how how we deal with change appears to largely define who we are as people. Some people are stuck in the past, some in the present, and some focused fully to the future. My yoga practice has me focused on the present, mindful of the future. Fact is we have no way of knowing what the future holds for us; hopefully we live healthfully to 100+, or life shortened by disease or natural disaster.
Why Are We Here?.. This is one of the main questions that holds people back in life. In the Big Picture no matter how advanced we become as a people we will always be seeking the answer to that eternal question. I've always known my purpose is to appreciate life, do my best for my family and friends, and do for others/volunteer work.
Religion and Spiritual Practice(s)... I've always been fascinated how religion and spiritual practices
have been used to separate people, even been the motivation for taking lives. In my observation all/most religious and spiritual practices have a common thread, 10 commandments in the Judeo/Christian practices and and the Yama/Niyama as the first 2 limbs of 8 in the Hindu yogic tradition; rules of how we treat ourselves and others. I also expect if/when we discover life on the other side of our universe we will find a common DNA link demonstrating we are not as different as
some think we are.
Yoga on and off our Mats...While most people tend to find yoga through their physical asana practice, just as important is how we live our lives off the mat. Therefore part of your daily practice can be appreciative of and doing for others. One of the
biggest debates in yoga is about Ahimsa, non-harming. Some people interpret it in a way they become vegetarians or vegans, not harming animals. Others have another view, Kosher or Halal,
being respectful of the animals that we consume. From my perspective people have to do what is best for them as individuals and be respectful of others. Judgment of others could be interpreted of a violation of Ahimsa.
Please share your thoughts?
By Allen Barkus. Allen has been practicing Ashtanga yoga since 1998 and teaching since 2004. His initial teacher training was with David Swenson and has been the student of Manju Jois since 2004. Manju, along with his father, introduced Ashtanga/Vinyasa yoga to America in 1975. His studies focus on Healing Therapy. He is available in Philadelphia for private lessons and clinics and travels around the world teaching clinics. www.AshtangabyAllen.com
