Cool Shares

The 5 Pranas and their Vayus

November 7, 2018 By Peter

Prana, their Vayus, and Pranayama

The ancient yogis discovered that the manifest universe is permeated and sustained by a matrix of etheric life force energy called prana.

They found:

a great pranic field, called maha prana, which sustains and creates universes
a milder pranic field within human beings that makes up our subtle system.

There are five types of prana in the human subtle system known as the pancha pranas. Pancha literally means five.

The vitality of the pranas directly relates to our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.

The most important thing for your yoga is desire!

September 30, 2019 By Peter

What is your desire for your yoga practice?

Yoga is a paradox - it is both a practice and a state of being. As a practice, we enter yoga for a vast array of reasons.

Maybe we have an aching body, or we're stressed, or maybe we want to be able to "do" all of the advanced asanas?

What ever the reason, invariably, if you're practicing yoga with a contemplative attitude, you will gain ever deepening insights into the nature of yoga and of self.

You will have moments where you enter the bliss and experience yoga as a state of being.

As your commitment grows these moments of bliss occur more often.

It's like the proverbial carrot that leads the donkey along on its journey!

Our shoutout to Her Works in Vientiane Laos

June 13, 2019 By Jules

Her Works in Vientiane Laos

Peter and I had the great fortune to live in Laos with our boys Fynn and Noah.

We feel so privileged how the Laotians opened up their hearts and homes to us and let us experience the joy of their - bo pen yang - lifestyle.

The shop in Vientiane which I gravitated to for ethnic art, textiles, women's clothing and accessories was - Her Works.

Not only for its unique beauty in Lao design and craftsmanship but, its ethical mindset to giving back to its community and supporting ancient artistic practices.

How to clear your mind & awaken your spine in 3 mins!

June 7, 2019 By Peter

Do this every morning to clear your mind and awaken your spine!

Many people aren't aware of this fact:

A large portion of society carries up to one-third of their lung capacity in stale breath. This is due to a combination of a sedentary lifestyle, poor posture, and insipid breathing habits.

Us yogis believe that carrying stale breath in the lungs is like carrying around the past. Stale breath trapped in the lungs contributes to low energy levels and feelings of depression and anxiety.

There is an ever growing mountain of evidence based research aligning with what we yogis have known for millennia.

Doctors and psychologists world wide are advocating more exercise and advise the use of breathing practices and meditation.

They're advising this because of the known benefits:

increased energy levels
a more positive mind set
elevated levels of happiness and feelings of joy

Traditional Surya Namaska

January 25, 2019 By Peter

A brief video tutorial on traditional surya namaska:

Surya Namaska, aka Salute to the Sun, has long been regarded in India for its many benefits.

It can be practiced in numerous ways depending on the desired outcome:

physical, ie, flexibility, muscle tone, weight loss.
mental, ie. clarity, focus.
emotional, ie, as a mood enhancer.
spiritual, ie, as a form of bhakti (devotion) and a precursor to meditation.

In this follow along tutorial I teach the movements of Traditional Surya Namaska without linking them to the breath.

Have you heard ever of Pawanmukatasana?

November 25, 2018 By Peter

What are Pawanmuktasana?

Not many people know about Pawanmuktasana because they’re rarely taught in modern yoga studios.

Which is a shame because they’re great for purifying the body and helping to establish the type of internally focused attention necessary for circulating prana.

Pawanmuktasana are a fantastically simple series of movements that lubricate the joints, tone the muscles, limber up the spine, and generally get the circulation moving.

More specifically, they are broken into two groups: