Yoga @ MindSay

OCTOBER 2-3, 7:30-9:30 PM - Meet renowned spiritual teacher and author Lama Christie McNally as she returns to Los Angeles to introduce her newest book, The Tibetan Book of Meditation, and shares two days of rare and beautiful teachings on how these profound practices can transform the mind and open the  heart.

ABOUT LAMA CHRISTIE MCNALLY - Lama Christie is a professor of spiritual studies and a translator of Tibetan and Sanskrit classical monastic texts. She co-authored The Essential Yoga Sutra, How Yoga Works and The Eastern Path to Heaven. She is an accomplished practitioner who has spent six years of her life in silent deep meditation and is one of the first American women to be recognized as a lama.  Lama Christie trained in India and Nepal and has received extensive instruction in all the texts required for a Geshe degree (traditionally a 20-year course of study).  She is co-founder of Diamond Mountain University, a revolutionary effort to provide a classical monastic education to Westerners from all walks of life, free of charge.  In 2003, she completed a traditional three-year silent meditation retreat with her spiritual partner, Geshe Michael Roach.

DATE/TIME:  October 2-3, 2009,  7:30-9:30 PM
LOCATION: Mahasukha Center, ACI-LA (Asian Classics Institute of L.A.)
ADDRESS:  6512 Arizona Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90045

The Tibetan Book of Meditation is a synthesis of all the great Tibetan commentaries on meditation.  It is a comprehensive guide to transforming one’s meditation practice from ordinary to extraordinary.  The book begins with wisdom from a profound ancient teacher, Master Kamalashila, and continues with teachings carried through by a long lineage of Tibetan masters, right up to the great modern day Lamas.  Lama Christie combines her own insights and experience together with ancient wisdom, to teach today’s practitioners how to transform their meditations into a practice that can bring them ultimate happiness.

ABOUT THE MAHASUKHA CENTER
Mahasukha (Sanskrit for “great bliss") is the home of the Asian Classics Institute of Los Angeles (ACI-LA).  The Center provides a wide range of courses, including guided meditations, Buddha dharma, teachings on spiritual partners, workshops by nationally known yoga teachers and informal talks on a variety of subjects.  The Center is a place for people to connect through study, practice and events such as Dharma Flicks evenings, debate nights, dinners and more.  All classes and events are open to the public and offered on a donation basis. All are welcomeSee aci-la.org for events and pod-casts

TO LEARN MORE about the Asian Classics Institute of Los Angeles, Lama Christie McNally, The Tibetan Book of Meditation and Diamond Mountain University, and for information about events or downloadable podcasts, please visit the following links:

aci-la.org     
aci-la.org/mg -podcasts.html
DiamondMountain.org
TibetanBookofMeditation.org

I know I'm gonna sound like a broken record (look it up, young'uns), but I seriously don't know why I haven't been blogging.  It's not like I can't think of plenty of inane things to jabber on about.  I guess I just don't have the motivation to sit and put them into coherent sentences.

I've been under a good bit of stress, lately.  Work has been a nightmare... dealing with meetings, new policy changes (which affect preparation for said meetings), a huge conference in DC coming up in a month, adjusting to another new boss, etc.  I leave work a lot more drained than I used to.

I really need a massage.  I tend to "store" my stress in my neck and shoulders, and lately I've had a lot of shoulder pain.  I'm like a walking bundle of knots.

Emotionally, I could be better.  I know I've written before about my chronic weight battle, and how last year I'd hit the lowest weight I've been since high school.  I dropped a total of 75 pounds from my highest weight, which would've been in early '05.  Well, since I started on Prozac, I've put back on 20 of those pounds.  A not uncommon occurrence, I understand.  And because I track what I eat, I can easily look at my notes and see that I'm eating more than I was pre-Prozac.  But I guess I've just been hungrier.  Okay, no guessing, I know I have been.  Not sure how to explain that.

I know I need to exercise.  Wish I just didn't hate it so much.  I'm going to start doing yoga again.  Lorelei and I made a half-hearted effort at this, several years ago, but it didn't work out well.  I just got a highly rated set of DVDs of yoga for beginners, but I guess I wasn't thinking too clearly when I bought them.  This is one of those times when not having a TV is problematic.  Sure, I can use the DLP projector for them, but the problem is then I have to wait until it's dark outside... or invest in blackout curtains.  Closing the blinds and putting things up over the windows just doesn't darken the room enough.  Still... nothing wrong with doing yoga in the evenings, I guess.

Okay, maybe this is why I don't blog.  It's a bummer.

So... let's switch to positive things...

Going to see The Kimberly Trip tonight.  Last Friday, Kimberlina and I finally had our sushi dinner from the contest I won.  It was a lot of fun.  She's very sweet.  The other day, I sent a text message to her husband, Jeffry, letting him know that Cheap Trick was going to be doing a show in May at the Dixon Mayfair.  He suggested we all go together.  So if I can swing the funds, I'll do it.  I've never seen them live, and Jeffry says they put on a hell of a show.

The new book is progressing very slowly, which is a drag, but on the positive side, I'm very pleased with the quality of the chapters.  I was a little surprised, and slightly amused, when I realized that I'm writing yet another coming-of-age story.  I'd thought I wasn't, since the protagonist of this book is, for a change, not a teenager.  But not everyone who's physically grown up is emotionally mature, and that's a large part of what this tale is about. 

I've been spending a lot of time on Facebook (and hardly any on MySpace).  I've reconnected with so many old friends, it's almost scary.  I have to be honest... I'd considered social networking sites to be largely a fad and rather pointless, but I've changed my tune on that. 

Okay.  I've complained enough for one day.  I think I'll go do some laundry.

Is Pilates dance? Aren’t dancing, Pilates and yoga all pretty much the same thing? The answer is definitely no.  Though all three of those types of activities can help you get in great shape. They’re all designed to tone muscles and exercise the body without adding muscle bulk like a body builder might. Pilates, dance and yoga are designed to lengthen and tone the muscles and strengthen the body that way, though concentrated movement. Another benefit is to lose weight and be healthier. See easy diets to help you get started.

Some people do use the term “Pilates dance” because of the fluid and graceful movements used in Pilates. Whether you’re exercising on a machine or doing the movements on your own, there is a rhythm and a flow to the movements that are like a dance routine.

Joseph Pilates, the creator of the exercises, studied dancers to create his movements so there is a definite dance element to the workout. Yoga also has very concentrated and controlled movements, but with more of an emphasis on holding poses and positions than Pilates. Pilates is more concerned with the movements you make than the positions you hold, though both are important.

Dance is concerned with movement, but can combine yoga-like poses and the intensity of Pilates movement to give you a great workout. If you enjoy Pilates, dance and yoga would probably also be exercises you enjoy. You may be able to combine all three or take separate exercises classes for each one, depending on what’s offered in your area.

Some yoga classes are more actively aerobic than others, almost like a type of yoga dance. So there may be classes offered in your area that are more like a type of Pilates dance instead of just one or the other.

As part of your regular exercise routine, Pilates or yoga dance type classes could be the perfect combination to get you the muscle toning benefits as well as the aerobic and fat-burning properties of dancing. Dancing is a little more high impact that Pilates or yoga, though some dance exercises can be very low impact and even tailored to those who need to take special care with their ankles or knees.

Pilates or yoga can really be ideal for almost anyone who wants to exercise. Certain aspects of Pilates can be modified, if necessary, should knees or other joints cause a problem, without making the exercises ineffective.

Yoga is very forgiving of such problems, too. Often someone with stiff joints starts doing yoga and only goes as far as possible or holds certain poses for a short time. The more yoga is practiced, the easier the movements become and the longer the person can hold the beneficial poses.

Dance requires a certain amount of control that Pilates and yoga can help develop, though when you’re doing it for exercise rather than performance, you should worry less about how you appear than how you feel while doing the exercises. Pilates, dance and yoga aren’t the same, but they can go hand in hand for great exercise, and developing balance and strength.

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Meditation learnt through Yoga brings in quick results and amazing power. Let me share with you how to master the art of meditation through Yoga.

We have learnt through so many sources that yoga has been a solution for many physical and mental problems. In this fast paced world, People are much more prone to stress. The stress is the beginning of all kinds of sickness. We have got an excellent medicine, “yoga” to get rid of all these problems.

Yoga cannot be performed without any formal training. In fact, the instructors teaching yoga have themselves has to be a well trained person. Yoga should be done with proper training and supervision. If the asanas are not performed as per the sutras, it may end up with complications.
Some asanas, if learnt among the groups, can be understood well. But, some asanas require individual training. Personal attention is required for some asanas.

As I have mentioned about stress. I will also say about some yogas which would help us to recover from stress, as I stress is the starting point of all problems. Once that is diagnosed and treated in the proper way we can prevent other problems. Stress generally starts with head ache. If you curtail the head ache in the beginning itself, the result of your treatment would be fruitful.

Meditation is the basic step in learning yoga. Similarly meditation can help you to come out of any type of head aches. There are different kinds of meditation. Once we start doing the meditation regularly, the headache can be controlled and other asanas can be practiced for permanent relief. In addition to yoga, if massage is also given with the natural herbs, the relief can be expected soon.

Now the yoga is spread in many parts of the world. Most of them undertake yoga for reducing weight. But actually speaking, yoga improves our health cent percent medically.

Check out http://www.yogapower.info for the best help in learning yoga and meditation online as the website teaches almost all the aspect of the divine science with a complete perfection and the instructions given on the site are very easy to understand and follow by those even totally new to the field.