What type of yogi are you?

A common question new students generally ask me is what type of yoga should I practice or which of your yoga classes should I attend? My answer is usually it depends.

Some people may want fitness goals like to increase flexibility, others may want to relax or reduce stress, while others may want to feel a connection to the class or community.

Also, the teacher's style should be considered. Teaching styles range from supportive and comforting to militant and absolute. Perhaps you like a softer approach or really get motivated by a kick-your-butt, no-nonsense teacher.

Setting will also play a difference. Fitness yogis may attracted to the gym or community centers while the spiritual seekers may be attracted to a traditional yoga studio or place of spiritual significance like a church.

The emphasis of the class may also play a major role. Some classes heavily emphasize postures with little or no emphasis on breathing and meditation. Some classes may have no postures at all!

I found a fun yoga quiz on Yoga Journal, which man help you decide as a new student what type of yoga to explore.

I also recommend reading, Yoga Beyond Fitness: Getting More than Exercise from an Ancient Spiritual Practice, by Tom Pilarzyk. It also has a yoga quiz in the Appendix. This book is a part of the reading requirement for the advanced 300 hour yoga teacher training course with KCFitnessLink.

Meditatation from the Heart: Positive Affirmations

Last week I was listening to Pink's single, Sober, and the line "But how do I feel this good sober?" became stuck in my mind. I then thought back to an incident more than a decade ago in Ibiza when I woke up in a bathroom floor after passing out multiple times from days of non-stop partying and drugs. I never thought that my recreational partying was an addiction, and I remember calling a friend who commented that I had gone too far.


I've often thought back to moment several times when I see related events on TV shows or in the case of Pink's song. We often carry in life things, situations and people that we have a difficult time letting go of.
One way to release these negative thoughts or emotions is through meditation. You can remove these ideas by dwelling on the opposite—or positive affirmations—during meditation.


Meditation: Practice this meditation, if just a few minutes per day:
Begin in a comfortable upright sitting position. Support the posture with a wall or chair if necessary.


Allow your breath to flow naturally, keeping your awareness on your breath, the inhales, the exhales, any gaps, the tone, the sound, the quality or the sensations of the breath through the body.


Now, focus your awareness of your breath in your chest region. Stay here for several breathes.


Silently begin to repeat to yourself, "I forgive myself; my heart is open to receive"

My First Post: Divine Love Meditation

I wanted this first post to be special. I started this blog with the hope of sharing my daily insight into the practice that I love and that continues to shape my life--yoga. I will share with you a mantra that I have used in the six months extensively in meditation for attracting positivity and like-minded people, Aham Prema meaning I am divine love. It reminds me of the great power that lies in heart chakra waiting to be shared. Repeat this mantra during meditation, relaxation or off the yoga mat when needed.

Namsate,

Darryl