樂瑜伽 Shanti Yoga

The great B.K.S Iyengar (14.Dec. 1918～20.Aug. 2014)

the great yogi left majestically

my article linking︰

http://www.galaxyofyoga.in/mindfulness-yama-and-asana/

如何練習體位法 請參考連結

http://www.galaxyofyoga.in/mindfulness-yama-and-asana/

Energize your spine

Why keeping the spine erect is important？Our body's energy mainly flows by the spine. When we feel lazy and in the low mood, we bent our spine without awareness.

Anatomy of spine is divided into 3 major sections: the cer⋯⋯vical, the thoracic, and the lumbar spine. There are 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, and 5 lumbar vertebrae. Each vertebrae is separated by intervertebral disc which act as absorption and cushion between the bones.

Spinal flexion for a long time does not only crate the lower-back pains but limit the function of the respiration system which is due to the contraction of chest ribs. If you sit at the computer or drive car for long time, you may have a tendency for spinal flexion. If the spine is constantly in flexion, it will cause the problem of herniated disc, scoliosis, kyphosis, etc.

為什麼脊椎挺直很重要？ 身體的能量透過脊椎串流，懶散或心情低潮的時候，不自覺得就會彎腰駝背。

解剖學上將脊椎主分為三大部份︰頸椎、胸椎與腰椎，分別有7個、12個與5個脊椎骨，每個脊椎骨間有椎間盤，作用是在減少與吸收骨骼間的移動壓力。

長時間的前彎不僅會造成下腰疼痛，也會壓迫胸椎肋骨，影響呼吸系統功能。上班族長時間坐在椅子上，很容易養成前彎習慣，假如脊椎持續性的前彎，久了就會形成椎間盤突出、脊椎側彎與駝背等問題。

預防與治療脊椎前彎屈曲的體位法如下︰眼鏡蛇式、向上弓式、橋式、蝗蟲式與駱駝式等，練習這些體式時，須要注意要打開胸骨，將較多的注意力放在上後背的脊椎，而非下腰後部脊椎的延展。

Faith without fail

One of my students told me that his wife stop yoga practice because of her  yoga teacher died of cancer. She couldn't understand why a senior yoga teacher was unable to get away from serious illness.

Can yoga bring us health? That is definite true. How many people do really understand the essence of yoga? That is the question. Learning yoga is for self understanding and self realization. We live in the world of contradiction because we do not understand our real self. So we lose our balance of body and mind. Diseases and illness are only the by-products of polluted soul. That is the symptom of unbalanced mind.

Learning yoga is learning balance, that is, middle way. How to understand the middle way? We need to have the mindfulness and righteous perspectives. Yoga Sutra mentions that wrong perspective is one of the roots of pains. And pains can be prevented.

<信念與正念>

有次上完瑜珈課後，一位學生告訴我，他的太太本來學瑜珈一段時間，但在知道她的老師因癌症過世，相當震驚，感嘆一位終身學瑜珈的資深老師，怎麼也會罹癌呢？ 她就因為這樣而中斷瑜珈學習，多可惜啊！

學瑜珈一定會健康嗎？這是百分百確定地，但多少人真正了解瑜珈呢？練習瑜珈是為了解自己、自我了悟，我們因為不真正了解自己，所以常在矛盾中失去身心靈的平衡，其實學瑜珈就是學平衡之道，  也可說是學習<中道>。如何了解<中道>，這須要正知正念，瑜珈經提到，錯誤的見解是痛苦的來源之一，痛苦則可以避免。

雖說如此，但多數人認為瑜珈只是體位法，練體位法瘦身、改善體質等等，這些都僅是體位法的附加價值，體位法可以治療與防範疾病，這是肯定的，但疾病的根源還是來自心靈，心靈是身體的主人，意識是心靈的主人。有的人身體生病，心靈還是很坦蕩平靜，對痛苦釋懷，有的人身體強壯，心靈苦楚，生病不必然是苦，也是了解自己的另一種方式。當然了，身體罹病仍因個人業力而生，因果成就業力，業力從何而起，這倒是另一個話題了！