First step – Learn how to meditate

First exercise – breathing visualization

Read these simple guidelines – to put these fallowing steps into practice and they will become quite comfortable and as a habit to you.

In your meditative space (area), do light up a candle and your favored and pleasant incense.

Then, before all other things, put in center of your mind a meditation for the next 10 to 15 minutes.

 No phone calls, no disruption, nothing from the outer world. Imagine that every moment, in which you practice mediation, is your golden chance, that you make a progress in your spiritual journey.

Every attempt, every time you do it, is always a little bit closer to your goal.

To the aim which you have set for yourself.

This will help you feel sincerity and to value your meditation exercise.

Sit comfortably with spine straight, to preserve alertness and keep your eyes half-opened, not wide opened, but half open, half closed.

This is called the lion meditation and allow us to focus the mind better.

If this is too hard for you, you could also close your eyes, but try firstly this method, since it has many advantages.

When creating a relaxed atmosphere, also music is desired.

Music has this advantage that could easily take our mind from thinking, and could easily take us into meditation mood.

Later, I assume, you would prefer silence. Just as a suggestion, flute is an excellent instrument for meditation.

In this exercise we will learn how to calm our mind with meditation, and by concentration on the breath.

If possible, it’s better to breathe through your nose.

To not lose courage, when your mind will be as washed away or when there will be an infinite number of thoughts running around in your mind.

This is totally normal at the beginning, at your start of meditation. Later on, you will teach yourself how to sweep away your thoughts.

Breath and mind are closely connected, and when you direct all your attention on breathing, your mind will slowly gather and focus.

Let all the other thing go, – the only thing that exist is a breath, the river of life energy, which in constantly flowing.

Within the breath feel a sense of calmness quality. If you imagine, than on tip of your nose is a strip, your breath is so calm down, that strip in hardly moving.

For a few minutes try to deepen the sense of calmness, breath is a very quiet move, and the mind slowly becomes more quite and your body motionless. 

Observed a current pause, at the end of your inhale breath, just before you exhale, at the end of your exhale breath, just before you inhale again, and try to extend this moment of calmness between each inhale and exhale breath.

In this way, the breath becomes a little deeper, slower and peaceful and prepares us for deeper breathing.

Now you can focus on different qualities of the inhalation, one after another.

The first is peace – when you breathe in, feel and imagine as you are inhaling peace in all parts of your being.

When you exhale, imagine that you are exhaling all the opposite from the peace – restlessness, stress, negative thoughts or feelings.

If it will help you, you can imagine that you are inhaling a clean, white light purity and peace. Exhale breath is gray from impurities or thoughts.

I would suggest, making it easier for you, that you focused on breath and quality of peace.

Feel how each breath pulls you into little more inside, in the beautiful interior space.

The best is the simplicity – the less thoughts and ideas we have in our mind, the better it is.

After a few minutes you will feel as you are breathing in a cosmic energy from the space, which purifies and feel with energy all your beings.

With each inhale, through your body is flowing a river, the river of life force and cosmic energy, which is replacing the fatigue, stress, negative thoughts.

Imagine that you are exhaling all negative qualities. Then you breathe in a quality of joy and happiness.

Feel how it expands inside you, flowing through you – imagine that even your face is smiling.

In next post I will fallow up some more advices for practicing meditation.

Yoga Asana, Prayer on one leg, as we also call the asana presented on the picture on left, improves body posture, movements’ coordination and concentration.

Furthermore also strengthen mental concentration and release tension.

It has a good effect on people with knees and ankles pain, which is caused by gout.

It’s a good benefit to those with good body condition and scarce. But, do not get me wrong, it’s also recommended for all people, no matter the age.

The only thing is, that you are aware of your abilities, and that you listen to your body.

To avoid eventual injury, you must be careful, not to lean your bend leg to your other knee.

Lift the leg as high as you can, but please do not exaggerate to get into ideal position, as you will soon lose balance.

And this wouldn’t be good for your body. No tension is good. If you are practicing yoga, do all postures to the limit you still feel comfortable in.

The final position in which you insist, do adjust to your current skills.

During practicing and holding in this asana, direct your look in one point, which should be in high level of your eyes and in front of you.

Similar to other asana postures in Hatha yoga, also Eko Pada Pranamasana Sanskrit name is not chosen by accident but describes its purpose and main features.

Eka means only-one (one), Pada means leg, and Pranam could be a name for prayer.

That’s way a lot of times this asana is also called “Prayer on one leg stand”.

This asana is classified as posture asana, which balances body and spirit.

Yoga master, Kostas Tselioa, has also give some instruction by practicing this asana, as a lot of people have trouble by maintaining standing posture, while they are just standing still, and also when they walk or sit.

Often they gain hanged shoulders, or even lean forward, and consequently poor posture eventually becomes habit.

Usually they become aware of, that they are not standing upright until someone doesn’t remind them of that or, more often when difficulties arise, especially back pain.

The correct posture consolidates with muscles exercise to gain strength along the spine and abdominal muscles.

Moreover, this gives small brains possibilities to control movement of the body and to try to maintain balance in body posture.

According to experience of Eka Pada Pranamasana helps us to balance function of nervous system and improves body coordination.

On a strictly physical level, with this asana we consolidated ankle and knee flexibility and increase the power of leg muscles in general.

Due to written above this posture is also a good benefit for people, which have problems with gout, joint inflammation, often have a sense of stiffness in the legs, cold feet or suffer from other problems in the lower limbs.

During practicing this asana direct your sight towards one point in the room.

Do select your point in eye level, where the distance should be between one and two meters from the point where you are standing.

Calm, focused look and deep, strong and steady breathing helps us helps to relax and calm the mind.

Any anxiety and tension in the mind and body cease out spontaneously, as they are totally focused on posture practice and holding asana still.

How you practice?

Get into standing position; feet should be slightly apart, but not so much that would be aligned with the shoulders, arms are next to the body.

Set us your body upright; you can you imagines that you are grabbed by a giant, who gently pull up your head up.

But do not over do it. Relax the shoulders and upper back.

When you stand still and stable, select the item or object in front of you at your eye level.

Look still at this object. When you are ready, bend the right leg and grab the ankle with your right hand, slowly try to lean foot to the internal part of left leg thigh.

The more flexible you are, the faster you will succeed, and on top of that, you will easily put your leg higher.

During movements do not draw back your look from your selected point.

When your foot is places in the inner part of your other knee, try to push your right knee out as much as possible, so far that the right limbs is almost aligned with the left side.

With your right hand hold your foot in the ankle, as long as possible, that you still keep balance.

When you are stable in this position, slowly abandon hand grip, raise it in front of the  height of breast, at the same time also raise your left hand and put your hands together in praying position.

Keep the position as long as you can, breathe calmly, deeply and constantly, and do not move look from selected point.

For the start it will be enough, that you stay in position for few minutes.

Strive to leave posture peacefully and pay attention, when you are losing your balances, and try to finish your pose calmly, before you lose balance.

Otherwise, there’s a chance you will fell on both of your legs.

It’s recommended that you go from asana to the starting position as slowly and calmly as you can.

No fast movements and chasing your balance are recommended.

First of all, pace your hand beside body, then release your bend leg and slowly put it on the floor.

After you do the same with the other leg. You should never forget, to do all postures on both sides, never just one.

Even though, you will notice, that sometimes is harder to asana with one side than the other.

These are just barriers in our head, and will eventually disappear.

Do hurry slowly

Even though this asana looks very easy, a lot of people find it, while start practicing, quite hard to do it.

As it’s hard to keep balance for a long time in this posture. Important is, that you practice in harmony, and you don’t go into next phase, until you become very comfortable in posture you arte practice.

You will easily keep your balance if you keep your sight pointed in point in front of you.

For beginning out your leg up high as much as you can, but do not over do it, otherwise you will lose your balance.

For start it will be enough, that you place your bend leg beside your other leg, so that your fingers are barely touching the ground.

Eventually, you’ll put it higher.

Be careful, however, that you don’t rely your foot on your knee to hard, because you run the risk that you will be injured.

Eka Pada Pranamasana is suitable for people with good body condition and also for those with less body condition.

In particular, its impact on the acquisition and consolidation of mental alertness is very good and welcome to all.

Moreover, also is good for strengthening confidence and our will.

Yoga master Talios have once remind himself about one occasion, when he called up his yoga teacher to let him know, that due to his bad cold, he won’t come to practice yoga this day.

His teacher asks him, whether is he now, when talking to him in the Eka Pad Pranamasana?

He replied that of course not, since he is not feeling well. Teachers advised him to go into posture, and soon he will be able to come in yoga studio to practice.

On the same day he felt better already, and he went to yoga studio, just like the teacher had announced.

Yoga practice and different types of yoga

In general there are four different types of yoga (for different types of human characters).

In the West, the most popular is »Hatha yoga«, which for different types of human characters can be defined by five fundamental principles.

In general we know four diferent practice of yoga

• KARMA yoga (yoga with altruistic action)
• BHAKTI Yoga (the way of dedication and with selfless love)
• JNANA YOGA (yoga of wisdom and comprehension)
• RAJA YOGA (knowledge of managing body and mind)

There are four fundamental practices of yoga.
Later on, especially in modern world, some yoga masters have combine different ways of yoga, and remodel and transformed it with a Western world.
Quite known “modern” yoga is also Asthanga Ainyasa Yoga.

But today I will write a bit more about general facts about yoga practice, good positive effect on our body and health.

But we should forget that each “way of practice” suits certain individuals, their temperament and personal attitude to life.
That’s way we could sometime here people explaining that in certain yoga practice they just find themselves and can’t imagine going to some other practice.

Although, me, as a yoga practitioner for numerous year now, would recommend to expand you thinking and being with trying out also other practice, maybe one day, at the right moment.

It’s always good that we explore all our possibilities, try new thing, and see if they suits us or not.
As for me, I am dedicated to Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga practice for some years now and I love it.

I can feel something is missing if some days go without practice. But for some time now, I notice, that I can do yoga practice while I am working in the garden, vineyard, go for a long walk, cycling… in all these things.
It is just important that I find that little peace in me.

Enough about me, let me introduce you a bit more thins wonderful thing, called Yoga.

All four ways of practicing yoga leads to the same goal; spiritual development, to deep spiritual knowledge and spiritual truth of life (the internal experience of growing awareness, wisdom and contact with us) and various forms of exercise.

Learing should be gradual and going step by step.

RAJA Yoga (Royal Yoga) is a method which monitors the waves of thought, thereby changing their mental and physical energy into spiritual.
This is the youngest »path« of practice. It is also called Ashtanga Yoga (yoga with eight steps practice).
In Raja yoga is also included most well-known yoga in the West countries, named Hatha Yoga.

The things that we could achieve if we are able to observe what is happening in ourselves are; cognition of our mind, nature of human being and minds.
The Raja yoga science offers us the way to observe our inner world. Studying Raja yoga does require neither faith nor religion.
It teaches us, Not to believe in anything, which we haven’t discovered for ourselves or haven’t been our own experience.
Nevertheless, it requires much time and continuous exercise. This is partly physical, but mostly mental exercised.
Spirit is simply part of the body and the finest works in the body, and vice versa.
If the body is feeling sick, consequently also our spirit is being the way our body feels.
If we are healthy, the spirit remains healthy and strong.
For most people, the spirit has a great influence on the body, with other words, means it is not developed enough.
Raja Yoga teaches that the outside world only robust aspect of the internal, subtle world.
Between mind and material is only apparent distinction, the reality is only one.
The aim of all science is to find unity, one from which all originates.
Raja yoga approach comes from the inner world, to study internal nature, and then manage the whole, both internal and external nature.

To Raja yoga also belongs type of Yoga, called Hatha Yoga.
This is also a general path or technique which leads us to physical health, mental clarity and spiritual enlightenment.
Practicing Hatha Yoga combines Asan (postures), Kriya (purification of body art), PRANAYAMO (breathing exercises), concentration and meditation.

The word hatha itself indicates the objectives of exercise: ‘ha’ means ’sun’, ‘tha’ and ‘moon’, ‘hatha yoga’ is a technique that allows practitioner to balance his solar and lunar energy, and create restoring harmony in the body and mind with balancing the solar and lunar, male and female, active and passive aspects of the individual. This is not possible to achieve without merging breathing and meditation with physical postures.

Five basic principles of yoga

1. CORRECT Exercise (practice and exercise of body postures – Asana). Asana work systematically on all parts of the body; increases flexibility and muscle strength, increase and maintains flexibility of joints and spine, stimulates functioning of the heart and circulatory, modulates the function of glands and other internal organs, improves the awareness and ability to concentrate and regulates the functioning of the nervous system.

After practice, we feel very relaxed and full of energy. Each asana has three stages: the capture retains and abandonment of position. All three are performed as single, continuous movements.
The essential is the retained phase position, which we extend with regular exercise and afterward it’s performed more and more relaxed.

2. CORRECT breathing (breathing exercises – Pranayama). With the help of breathing exercises, we learn how to breathe more deeply and accurately.
Learning to be aware of breathing and the fact that the body, mind and breathing are inextricably connected.
Any anxiety or tension in the mind cause the breathing alters its natural rhythm and depth.
Moreover, with knowledge on influencing to our breathing, we can calm down the mind.
Practicing yoga breathing helps to restore physical strength and control our mental state, because it’s energetically and mentally calming down and balances.

3. CORRECT methodically relaxation (consciousness relaxing) correct exercises can relax the whole body and restore energy supplies.
The real deep relaxation must be threefold: physical, mental and spiritual.
Again it’s very important awareness and the fact that only we could consciously and thoroughly relaxed our self, with our mind.

4. The right food / nutrition. Means that the right diet is a healthy balanced diet, based on natural food.
The body of such human remains light and flexible, with calm spirit and resistance to disease is strengthened.

5. Positive thinking and Meditation, helps to get rid of negative thoughts and calm down the spirit.
Meditation is an integral and important part of yoga exercises!
Contrary to the belief of many, meditation is hard work, which takes a lot of perseverance, discipline and will.
Only with proper and regular exercise, we could achieve the desired effects; inner peace, developing compassion, kindness and love.

With proper deep meditation we can cleanse the mind of negative samples, blind reactions and finally achieved a state of mind, which no longer depends on external influences, as it stays and remains balanced in every situation.

Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is a system or method which is thought in Mysore city in southern India, in country Karantaka, by yoga master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
The physical aspect of Ashtanga yoga is based in ancient material, mainly Yoga Korunti.

Yoga master Sri.T. Krishnamacharya have take over this method from his spiritual teacher Rame Mahan Brahmachari.

Sri.T. Krishnamacharya is also known as a father of modern yoga, which later he turned over to his bellowed pupil and student Sri K. Pattabhi Jois-u.

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois has, through many rigorous years of yoga practice and learning with his teacher and also studying old Indian materials at the university, developed Ashtanga yoga system as is known today.

At the same time, after studying, he becomes a teacher at university, where he thought yoga knowledge.

Meaning of Ashtanga yoga in Sanskrit language is “eight partial yoga« (eight means »astau«).

It refers to the sutra Patanyali yoga (aphorism), to yoga psychology and eight parts or eight levels, which are leading to the path of your-own-accomplishment.

There eight steps are:

• Yame ( 5 principles of self-controlling)
• Niyame ( 5 principles of self-observing and discipline)
• Asana ( body positions)
• Pranayama (breath control and breathing)
• Pratyahara (emotions control and to look into yourself)
• Dharana (concentration)
• Dhyana (meditation) and
• Samadhi (contemplation and self-realizing / to reach your goals).

The system of Ashtanga yoga is primary focused on the third stage of Patanyali yoga and asana. A regular and consistent practice, which enables us better understanding of first two steps of yoga practice.

Practicing Ashtanga yoga on a daily basis you will gain more strength in the body, which will help you to maintain your body healthy, and gradually bring deeper effect on your mind and consciousness.

Moreover this will with the time become base for advanced practice for Ashtanga yoga. Individual and mentally awareness of yoga teaches us gradually about practical applications yam and niyam. Without them, yoga is just another way of physical recreation or relaxation.

But don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing bad with that. The important thing is, that every individual listen to himself, and his body. … and on the end, to not forget to thank your body for doing asanas the best he could.

For Ashtanga yoga is significant so called Vinyasa, which means the relationship between movement and breathing. Each ansana (yoga position) have defined number of vinyasa (movements and breathings), with which we go into or finishing the pose.

During the practice is very important that we keep focus on tristhana and focused on the three points of the mind as follows: proper yoga position (asana), breath focus (pranayama) and point-oriented view ( drishti).

During the practice we perform so called “ujjayi breath« which is a special form of pranayama and mean in total translation “the winning spirit”.

The effects of ujjayi breathe are; strong concentration and mental focus, strong internal heat which accelerate the elimination of body toxins or material surplus through accelerated sweating.

All this brings ease to the body and clear-headed thoughts.
Besides tristhane there are also important accurate and whole exercises.

During the exercise we should pay attention to energetic barriers, also named Bandhas. If you are beginner with Ashtanga yoga I would very much recommend visiting yoga studio, where you will learn about proper breathing, which is main thing with Ashtanga – and also with practice you will automatically learn to work on bandhas, as a lot of pupils forget to work on them.

Just a short explanation about bandhas – to activate and work on bandhas during your practice, you will manage to keep good energy which your bodies produce with yoga practice. Try and you will feel the difference.

Moreover, is very important to do your practice correctly – if asanas are not done properly, you can do more hard to your body then good. Therefore, listen to me, and start doing your home practice after you visit yoga studio for practice.

A bit more about asana – Asana is traditionally divided into three or more accurate six final components.

The first or also called primary series (Yoga Chikitsa or “yoga therapy”) has a strong effect on refining the body, then also stimulates and regulates function of vital organs and very important endocrine system. With practice we also develop strength and flexibility for physical and mental body.

The second or intermediate series (Nadi Shodana) has influence on n strengthening and smooth functioning of nervous system, also effect the vital energy flow, also named Pranayama. Furthermore also have influence on mental body, our consciousness and balances emotions or emotion.

Advanced series (Sthira Bhaga) is divided into A, B, C and D, often marked also with numbers from 3 to 6. These are advanced levels, which contain more complex asanas. This requires a lot of patience, modesty, higher awareness and inner strength.

With advance practice are developing vigorous aspects of yoga practice, and there a few of them who gain that state.

Maybe I haven’t mentioned before, but Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is recommended for those, who have already practice yoga before (hate yoga, kundalini or have some experience with meditation – is definitely not recommended for beginners in yoga).

I recommend starting learning certain series step by step, and please do not rush your body into asanas, rather wait and listen to your body, and you will know when to continue in more difficult position.

To conquest one series from above mentioned, could take few years, depending of your body, your discipline and practice. Everyone has its own way. But on the end… we are the one, that all depends on; also from our body and mental discipline, which we put into our yoga practice.

During practice we need to strive to correct performance of asanas and higher integration before mentioned techniques and elements of asanas. With correct asana performance is developed ability of higher mental focus, concentration and meditation.

More important than acquisition of doing certain asanas is regular exercise and our effort, which we put into. Due to the complexity of doing certain asanas yet first series sometime represents a big challenge. It could be for few years or for eternal. To continue on next series should be gradual and in accordance with our yoga teacher.

Traditionally Ashtanga yoga have been daily practice, which has been performed in the morning and at the sunrise, six days in a week, except Sunday and when there was a fool moon or no moon. Since Ashtanga yoga is quite physically hard, we can do practice as our body tells us (you can adjust it to your daily activity).

Daily exercise allows us that our body gets used to certain level of physical activity and over the time it becomes less strenuous exercise. It daily reinforces self-reflection and self discipline, which consequently means higher self-awareness and our surroundings.

Today, most Ashtanga practitioners aim to exercise every day with one day break. Doing exercise at changing moon positions is also your personal decision.

As I mentioned before, is much recommended for beginners to practice at yoga studio, where you will gain basic knowledge of performing asanas. Later on, you can start with Mysore practice (individual practice in group) also at yoga studio or try out group practice.

Namaste.