“Yoga is serenity.”
–Bhagavad Gita (400 – 300 B.C.E.)
The Bhagavad Gita (or just Gita) is a sacred Hindu scripture – essentially a summary of Hinduism and a guide for (Hindu) life. I have never read it, but I like its definition of yoga. This phrase reminds me that simplicity is usually the best answer. The serenity and peace I feel on my mat should be present in the rest of my life as well.
Today’s yoga (I try to do a short session almost every day) was a 20 minute podcast from YogaDownload called Hip Opening Flow #2. I started working my way through every 20 minute podcast they have online (they start way back in April 2007) last week and I am on the fifth one now. This should take me a while as I don’t plan on doing more than one new one each day. The Hip Opening Flow #2 was quite peaceful and calm (serene) but decimated my hips. I hold tension in my hips. Do you? Apparently it is a common place to hold anxiety and negative emotions.
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Yoga is serenity now!! I love the zen like calm I feel after a session. Better than any drug I have ever tried. 🙂
does that stuff ever make you bloated? i haven’t eaten it for awhile because i was fearing ti was making me bloated. but i love love love it.
@carin: now that you mention it… yes. i think it does. i never put it together before now though.
Yoga is something I’m starting to do more of as I attune to the aliveness within my body and treat it with more loving kindness than ever before.
I totally hold stress in my back, and in my gut, too. When I get super stressed or anxious, my digestive tract cramps up; now THAT causes bloating! 🙂
i saw that in the grocery store the other day! is it any good?
@cc: To be honest, it’s way overpriced. It was like $4.50 for this thing and it’s gone in one sitting. I’ve bought it a couple times before but I’m not going to get it again because I think it’s making me bloated anyway! And I think I would rather have an apple with peanut butter.
I need to do a little more yoga every day! I know how much better it makes me feel. I have had amazing yoga classes lately though and am loving my yoga friends and teachers more and more.
I love hip openers, many of my teachers are runners and we’ll have entire classes of nothing but leg stretches. It’s crazy how much more I can stretch when I thought I was already flexible! I tend to hold a lot of tension in my back and shoulders so I love heart opening classes and twists are great for those of us with incompetent digestive systems.
How is that ice cream? I debated grabbing it the other day at WF but I always question my motives when it comes to something so “diet-y” and challenge myself to stay away from them. I figure if I want something low cal I love banana soft serve and it’s cheaper (I did grab a pint of so delicious pomegranate choc chip and some coconut ice cream sandwiches instead!! woohoo!)
@Gaby: To be honest, it’s way overpriced. It was like $4.50 for this thing and it’s gone in one sitting. I’ve bought it a couple times before but I’m not going to get it again because I think it’s making me bloated anyway! And I think I would rather have an apple with peanut butter.
Hi Maggie,
I really didn’t think this Arctic Zero stuff was very good. But LOVE YogaDownload.com! Although I’m a little annoyed…I’ve done every single vinyasa and power class at least twice. This morning I did hip opener #4, lovely.
@clare: yeah, I am actually not going to buy it anymore! it is so expensive and not worth it. I think I’d prefer a nice piece of fruit or a bowl of oatmeal instead anyway. 🙂
i hold stress in my neck and shoulders. i’ve tried that arctic freeze a couple years ago and it tasted like a protein shake. i found it too icy 🙁
@melissa: yes, definitely too icy – and too bloaty. I haven’t bought it since this post! I realized it was making my stomach issues worse, ugh.