Savitri Era Learning Forum: Because life wants us to be whole

Monday, August 21, 2006

Yoga is threaded through the warp and weft of our existence

Why Do We Practice Yoga?
Have you ever asked yourself why you’re really practicing yoga? By Richard RosenMost beginning students will tell you they got into yoga to alleviate back pain, relieve stress, or become more flexible—fairly simple responses. I started my own practice after reading that yoga asanas are the best form of exercise ever devised; that belief kept me going for several years.
But the reasons you practice might not be as straightforward as they seem. It’s entirely possible that after closely examining your innermost motives, you’ll find nothing more than a hankering for looser hamstrings—but don’t bet on it. Yoga is full of surprising twists and turns.
It’s no secret that we often do things for reasons we’re totally unaware of; sometimes our unconscious motives become clear only after a good deal of self-reflection. So it’s important to realize that questioning the intent of our practice inevitably leads us to inquire about the meaning of our life as well. We could just as pertinently ask: Why am I really alive?
At the outset, it’s natural to assume that our practice and our life are totally separate, that we practice for an hour or so a day and then forget about it. But after a while, the two inevitably begin to merge. As Sri Aurobindo, the great 20th-century Indian sage and progenitor of Integral Yoga, reminds us, “All life is yoga.”
In Aurobindo’s view, yoga is threaded through the warp and weft of our very existence, and in effect it chooses us. We practice yoga because we really don’t have any other choice. Of course, we do decide what form our practice takes—we can go off and live alone in a cave and meditate, or we can stay at home, raise a family, and root for the Yankees. Performed with the proper attitude, each of our everyday actions can be an asana, each breath a pranayama, each thought (or space between two successive thoughts) a seed for meditation.
We may have been gifted with the life-enhancing tool of yoga, but for what reason? The clue is in the Sanskrit word yoga itself, which as you no doubt have heard means “union.” For our purposes, though, it might be better to define it as “wholeness,” a word etymologically related to both healthy and holy. So why do we really practice yoga? Because life wants us to be whole in the widest and truest sense of the word.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Coping with stress

Get organized - Coping with stress is all about planning. You can plan to fail or plan to succeed. Organize time for work, family, hobbies, spiritual time, time with friends and time alone, time for exercise and time for relaxation.
Visualize the best outcome - Coping with stress is knowing how to deal with a stressful situation before it occurs. Rehearse how you are going to handle it. Picture yourself being successful in coping with stress.
Don’t Postpone Actions - One of the best strategies for coping with stress is not to put off actions until tomorrow if you can do it today. Coping with stress becomes more difficult when you defer. Do your least favorite chores first, followed by rewards.
Be realistic - Set realistic goals. Emphasize quality over quantity. Work at a leisurely pace, taking breaks often.
Sleep, eat, and exercise - Coping with stress is all about treating your body properly. Eat food that nourish you, exercise and get plenty of sleep.

You probably know some people who are not good at coping with stress. They often look like haggard, as though they did not get enough sleep. They are often pessimistic, viewing the glass as half empty instead of half full.

People who are not skilled at coping with stress will often feel powerless to change the world around them. They don’t take responsibility for their feelings or their lives. Instead of using a sense of humor and learning to cope with stress in a positive way, these people blame others for their woes in life.

If you are interested in coping with stress, find a mentor, someone who is skilled at coping with stress in their lives. Model their behavior. You may find a mentor who is a yoga instructor or someone who meditates.

Meditating is an excellent way of coping with stress because it is a time when the mind is silent. If you have trouble thinking of nothing, reflect on positive moments. Listening to beautiful, peaceful music, the sounds of the ocean or birds chirping are also spectacular ways of coping with stress. Nutritional supplements can also be very beneficial when coping with stress. Prerna - Path to smiles A Complete Guide to Stress Management

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Paradigm of dynamic synergy and harmony

THE INFLUENCE OF THE ANCIENT GREEK WORDS ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Π. ΣOYKAKOΣOμιλία στα αγγλικά με ελληνικές λέξεις
Συγκίνηση προκάλεσε η ομιλία του καθηγητή Oρθοπεδικής κ. Παναγιώτη Σουκάκου, στην εναρκτήρια τελετή του 5ου Πανευρωπαϊκού Συνεδρίου Oρθοπεδικής που γίνεται στη Pόδο. Παρουσία 6.000 ορθοπεδικών από 64 χώρες του κόσμου, ο κ. Σουκάκος μίλησε στα αγγλικά, χρησιμοποιώντας ωστόσο πλήθος ιατρικών όρων και λέξεων ελληνικής προέλευσης, με αποτέλεσμα ακόμη και ο πλέον αδαής περί την αγγλική γλώσσα να είναι σε θέση να καταλάβει το σύνολο της ομιλίας του καθηγητή.Tο «Eθνος» παραθέτει το πλήρες κείμενο της ομιλίας:

The Hellenic orthopaedic physicians have synchronized their dynamism and energy with the European Organization of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, to generate this symbiotic and not ephemeral synthesis of charismatic, academic scholars, and are enthusiastic with the atmosphere of euphoria and analogous ecstasy in Dodecanisa, Rodos. Rodos is a graphic Hellenic metropolitan center in the Aegean archipelagos, with myriads of archaeological and historical sites. Rodos is a geographical paradise of cryptic and chimerical icons of idyllic charm, amalgamated with Hellenic gastronomy of mousaka, souvlaki, ouzo emporia and euphoria of the rhyme and rhythm of bouzouki, Byzantine and Spanoudakis music.

A plethora of basic and didactic themes in the sphere of orthopaedics and traumatology, such as trauma of the musculoskeletal system, arthroscopic and arthroplasty surgery, pediatric orthopaedics, poly-trauma, podiatric surgery, carpus and dactylic surgery with traumatic and genetic anomalies, microsurgery, spondylopathies like scoliosis, kyphosis and spondylolisthesis, osteoporosis and pharmacologic and prophylactic therapeutic policies with be emphasized.

Diagnostic methods and etiological therapy of traumatic, non - physiological and pathological syndromes, therapeutic schemes and strategies, will be analyzed and synthesized at this academic symposium on the basis of a democratic climate and with the scope of a non-dogmatic and egocentric dialogue, which I prophesize will be an historic phenomenon and paradigm of dynamic synergy and harmony between polyethnic orthopaedic physicians of the European Epirus.

To paraphrase, with the phobia and dilemma of being tautological, let me emphasize that the logistics and machinations in this academic symposium, will generate the scheme and type of our harmonic synergy and syndesmosis. Pragmatically, it is my thesis and not hypothesis that the next phase and programmed orthopaedic symposium in Helsinki, which I eulogize, will be as dynamic and with colossal kyros, as in Rodos, Hellas.

I apologize for my eulogistic demagogy and if my etymological glossary is based on philosophic or symbolic metaphors and lexical hyperbole, please sympathize with me and I apologize for the idiosyncrasy of a zealous Hellenic, practicing orthopaedic physician who is also fanatically enthusiastic about the giant anode of European propaedutics and academics in orthopaedics and traumatology.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Health of the body and its necessary role in the total transformation

Towards Perfect Health — Selections from the writings of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo ISBN: 978-81-7058-840-5 Publisher: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department, Puducherry Binding: Soft Cover Pages: 159 Price: Rs 75

This compilation focuses on the health of the body and its necessary role in the total transformation of the being as part of the manifestation of a divine life on earth. The material has been organised into sections that explain the importance of a healthy and conscious body reflecting an inner harmony and consecration, the origin and causes of illness, how the right attitude towards sleep, food, physical culture, and medicine, for example, can make the body healthier, and the secret of perfect health in the practice of Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga. mail@sabda.in

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Integral Fitness

The Integral Fitness pod seeks to explore and implement an AQAL approach to health and fitness. However, we will not limit ourselves to Wilberian versions of integral; we seek all forms of integral understanding that can help us live healthier lives. While the quadrants are an important part of an integral model, we also believe that the experience of deepening states (gross, subtle, causal, non-dual) through different integral practices, including fitness, are an important area of exploration. We believe that no one approach holds all the answers, so this pod will have three moderators: a personal trainer/nutritional consultant (Bill), a life coach (Kira), and a yoga practitioner who also weight trains (Damon). Please join us as we seek an integrated fitness and health model that can support and sustain our lives and our growth.

Introductions & Conversations Let's use this space to get to know each other and chat about health and fitness related topics. Please try to start a new thread for each new topic rather than renaming threads in the middle.

Body This is the discussion space for the exterior-individual element of AQAL. We can talk about diet and nutrition, supplements, and exercise here.
Psyche This is the interior-individual element of AQAL. Here we can discuss emotions, spirit, shadow, motivation, and anything else that we might consider a function of the psyche.
Culture This is the interior-collective element of AQAL. Here we can discuss social values about food and body image, social mores about weight and health, and anything else that might be considered part of the collective experience of health and fitness.
Habitats This is the exterior-collective element of AQAL. Here we can discuss ways that social structures, habitats, and economic systems impact health and fitness.
States and Stages In this space, we can discuss the concepts of states and stages, and how they impact health and fitness.