MyLifeYoga

When T. Krishnamacharya was young he heard from his father that the great 9th Century sage, Nathmuni, was their ancestor. Among the texts Nathmuni composed was “Yoga Rahasya” (Yoga Secrets). Unfortunately this was lost by the time T. Krishnamacharya was born. The knowledge of his connection with yoga set T. Krishnamacharya on the path to learn and go deeper into yoga. The path that T. Krishnamacharya took eventually lead him to the mountains of Tibet and would lead to a worldwide revival of yoga. But before all this happened, something remarkable occurred that led to the re-discovery of the lost texts of Nathmuni on Yoga Rahasya.

When T. Krishnamacharya was 16 he decided to go on a pilgrimage. He decided to visit an ancient place called Alvar on the banks of the river Tamraparani. In this town there is temple that houses a tamarind tree that is supposed to be more than 5000 years old. When T. Krishnamacharya reached the temple he met an old man sitting at the entrance who directed him to first take a dip in the river before entering the temple. As he came out of the river, after his bath, Krishnamacharya lost consciousness and collapsed. Next he found himself in a trance like state, in the middle of a mango grove where an old sage was seated under a tree with his disciples.

Prostrating before this old sage, Krishnamacharya requested for the teachings of Yoga Rahasya. The old sage immediately began to recite verses of Yoga Rahasya in a sweet voice that Krishnamacharya listened intently. The next thing that Krishnamacharya remembers is waking up on the banks of the river. As he looked around he saw that the mango grove had disappeared and so had the old sage and his disciples. But he could remember all the verses that he had been taught! Excited that he had re-discovered the lost texts of Yoga Rahasya he rushed back to the old man sitting at the temple entrance. When the old man heard his story he said, “Son, you are blessed, you have received the teachings of the Yoga Rahasya from the sage Nathmuni himself! Please first go and offer your prayers inside the temple and then go home.” Krishnamacharya immediately rushed into the temple. However when he came out he could not find the old man. Continue reading →

Lizzie Velasquez was born with a rare genetic defect. This does not allow her to form normal muscle and fat tissue like most of us. Consequently she weighs only 60 pounds. Her condition is so rare that only two other people in the world have it.

At one point in her school she was dubbed as the “world’s ugliest woman”. There are web sites that have been dedicated to make fun of her. In spite of all the pain and grief this condition has caused her, Lizzie has come to accept and embrace it. She shows that it is possible to rise above pettiness and hostility. Her example shows us that no matter what the challenges, they can be overcome. Lizzie is now a published author and a motivational speaker. By her everyday actions of kindness and her indomitable spirit, she shows us that she indeed is very beautiful. If you also think Lizzie is beautiful please like and share, and let the message of her story spread.

Related:
Lizzie’s web-site
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Mind-blowing revelations about yoga come to me often from my own experience and probably because of having been at it for a while. They are definitely not mine, personally, but a combination of having read a scripture, or a text from a wonderful teacher or old-time-sage, and what happens to me in daily life as I live in this time and age in the midst of a city like New York and surrounding areas.

Someone asked me in Quora this morning right after savasana and before pranayama: What are some mind-blowing facts about yoga? What a great question!

It blows my mind when I glimpse at yoga’s underlying intelligence which enriches my own life and makes me useful, as well as how it brings me happiness and peace. But that is not enough, I wanted mind-blowing!

Yes, yoga is not just about the poses and blah blah blah, that is not mind-blowing any longer, we all already knew that. So let’s dig a little bit deeper.

Here are 9 things that blew my mind about yoga “lately”. What blew your mind? Tell me in the comments or in Twitter.

1- Flexibility is of the mind not the body. The first time I heard Pattabhi Jois say those words I was stunned, especially because he said it with no extra words, in a very simple way: “Body is not stiff, mind is”. It blew my mind because, like every person I encounter nowadays who tells me that they cannot touch their feet and therefore will not do yoga, I had never looked at it that way.

It shifted the way I related to yoga poses, I had not realized that even though we have a body with limitations, proper breathing, alignment, and patience can work miracles in any-body and yes, even those who think they will never be able to touch their feet in a forward bend, will, eventually.

2- Measuring Life-Span in Breaths. Not Years. Once we break away from the conventional tacit agreement we all follow, by which our life-span is measured in years, and change it to how many breaths we have left instead, then every one of them becomes important, critical, and something that we used to take for granted becomes now the center of attention.

Yogis are connoisseurs of the breath, they treat it like the fine and rear treasure it is, they study it and aim at making it smooth, long, and peaceful. Yoga is a breathing practice. Continue reading →