Shanghai Yoga Healthy Lifestyle

Namaste Yogis.

Happy days from us here at Yoga Space.

Have you ever heard of Tonglen meditation? This is a buddhist practice where we try to become more compassionate and more connected with our own suffering, and the suffering of others. The world is full of suffering, and we can choose to be aware of it. Sometimes when people ask me for money on the subway, I look them in the eye, and I tell them no. Often it seems people become uncomfortable with the methods of those who are asking for our money. They seem to try to use our compassion against us, and make us feel guilty for their difficulty.

Following is an excerpt from Pema Chodron on the Shambala website.

“We begin the practice by taking on the suffering of a person we know to be hurting and who we wish to help. For instance, if you know of a child who is being hurt, you breathe in the wish to take away all the pain and fear of that child. Then, as you breathe out, you send the child happiness, joy or whatever would relieve their pain. This is the core of the practice: breathing in other’s pain so they can be well and have more space to relax and open, and breathing out, sending them relaxation or whatever you feel would bring them relief and happiness. However, we often cannot do this practice because we come face to face with our own fear, our own resistance, anger, or whatever our personal pain, our personal stuckness happens to be at that moment.”

When we are aware of the difficulty and suffering that occurs in the world, we can cultivate compassion and become more caring people. When more people care about others, and are willing to recognize the suffering of others, the world becomes a more beautiful place full of deeper love and joy.

Namaste yogis.

Are you enjoying these long days of summer?

Do you know that July 22 will have the longest solar eclipse the
world will see until June 13, 2132? For about 6 and a half minutes (if
the skies are clear) we will have a total solar eclipse in Shanghai.
So get your eyewear ready, because if you look directly into the sun
this day, you may never see again. REALLY!

When we think summer in Shanghai, we think sunlight and air
conditioning, but we also think heat. In traditional Chinese medicine,
this is the season of the fire element - the expansive yang heat,
moving outward, growing, and characterized by brightness and activity.
All of this hot energy calls for cooling, and in summer cooling foods
should be at the forefront of our meal plan. Salads (both vegetable
and fruit) make perfect sense here, with vegetables like cucumber
being perfectly suited to offset the summer heat. The cooling fruits
like melons also bring with them an unusually large amount of water,
helping us stay hydrated in the high temperatures. Cold soups and
fruit smoothies also make good sense during summer. The addition of
fish or tofu chunks to a cooling summer salad will help maintain
protein supplies during the active summer months.

A few meals each week that keep our own fire element well tended to
should also be considered. Fresh peppers (like cayenne pepper) are
abundant during this season, as are fresh ginger and horseradish root.
Dotting our menu with some of these spicier seasonings would be a way
to preserve our own fire element in this season of fire.

The bright, light and heat of summer is pretty much the opposite of
stagnation and sluggishness. Summer is not the time for heavy foods
that bog us down. Heavy meat consumption, whole milk and dairy
consumption, egg consumption, and fried foods do not make sense here.
Lighter foods are the key - especially leafy greens, fruits, and
grilled fish (if you need that meat protein). We should also remember
the mint teas, like spearmint or peppermint. These fresh mint leaves
can also make wonderful cooking additions to salads or soups.

Namaste Yogis,

How about the heat we have recently found in Shanghai? Summer has arrived and has brought authoritatively air conditioning in my taxi rides. No more cool breeze in my hair, the summer hibernation has started, and will only get stronger through the end of August.

It is a great time to come to Yoga Space and do some yoga, and for the brave, we will have our hot yoga classes at all the normal times.

This week, I would like to talk about the greatest modern proponent of Hatha Yoga. We recently said goodbye to Patthabi Jois. You may have also heard of BKS Iyengar. Some other modern teachers you may have heard of are TKV Desikachar, Srivatsa Ramaswami, AG Mohan, or Indra Devi. All of these teachers have had profound influence in the world of Yoga, and are responsible for so much of the cultural phenomenon that yoga is today.

Another teacher you may have heard about is Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. He was a tremendously influential teacher of Hatha yoga and is considered by many to be the father of modern yoga. All of the teachers who were previously mentioned, were students of this great man. Patthabi Jois’s Yoga is called Asthanga and Srivatsa Ramaswami was one of the earliest proponents of Vinyasa yoga. TKV Desikachar made a whole school of yoga based on the idea that there is no one size fits all approach and tailored yoga practices for individuals based on their abilities and conditions. Most people have heard of Iyengar yoga. Indra Devi opened the (probably) first yoga school in Shanghai in 1939. AG Mohan worked with Desikachar and pioneered the approach tailoring asana and pranayama practices along with ayurvedic medicine for individual conditions.

All of these teachers have helped us here to learn yoga. We can also thank Krishnamacharya for our teacher training here at Yoga Space Shanghai. Our students are 4^th generation students of Krishnamacharya-BKS Iyengar-John Friend-Ben and John. All of the students are learning a lot and deepening their practices, and we are so thankful to our teachers for teaching us so that we can teach what we have learned.

Om Namah Sivaya.

Namaste Yogis,

Happy Spring from all of us here at Yoga Space.

Our Teacher Training is starting Wednesday June 3rd, and we are very happy that we have so many dedicated students aspiring to deepen their practice and look toward the possibility of sharing their love of yoga with others.

This week I would like to talk about the beginner’s mind. Beginner’s mind is an idea that according to Wikipedia, “refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a fresh beginner in that subject would.” This idea gives us a perspective where we do not expect that we know. When we practice Beginner’s mind, we allow ourselves to be more attentive to others, and their points of view.

Shunryu Suzuki a Zen master and the author of Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind says “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”

When we practice Beginner’s mind, we take into our experience that which is offered to us. When we are with a teacher who is teaching us, we listen to what the teacher says. If the teacher suggests a practice for us to do, we do it. If there is a teaching that we are studying we study it, to learn what the experience of the teaching will bring us.

It is virtuous to not know and to say that I do not know. It is knowledge if I understand that I will not know everything I want to. It is wisdom if I know nothing, and to practice Beginner’s mind.

Enjoy the leaves, the flowers, and the rain in Shanghai. There lies beauty quite simply.

Namaste Yogis,

Hello from Yoga Space Shanghai!

There are only 3 spots left in the June Teacher Training, so if you have been considering it, do not hesitate, we will stop registration when 20 people are signed up, we are already looking ahead to the next one which may start in November or December.

We also have a special guest teacher Sudhakar Acarya coming to us all the way from Sweden to teach us his style Rajadhiraja yoga. This class is free for all members

We are so excited to have the wonderful spring weather this week. Good air ;-), and a comfortable temperature and humidity. The best
part is that the mosquitos have still not come out yet (at least not
in full force).

As we are here and feeling the seasons changing and deeply effecting our bodies, do you ever wonder of a way to help ease those allergies? We have the thing for you for you.

The Neti Pot is one of the best change of weather tools. It is this wonderful little pot which you can use by adding some salt to
slightly warm water, and then using the saltwater solution to clean out your nose. To do this you can put the spout of the pot up to one of your nostrils, so the saltwater can go through and come out the other side. Voila comfortable breathing yet again! If you cannot find a Neti Pot, look for a low cost teapot (glass or plastic may be best).

Some benefits of the Neti Pot are its ability to relieve allergies, asthma, headaches, sleep problems and can help anyone who lives in any
city in the world in these ways and many more.

My Neti Pot helps my nose to feel more comfortable, and also helps me and many people all through the world breathe easier.

Happy breathing from all of us here at Yoga Space.

Namaste Yogis!

Hello from your favorite yoga studio in Shanghai.

Less than 3 weeks until the Yoga Space Teacher Training Course starts, and only a few days left to get the discounted rate, so come in and sign up

Have you noticed it is starting to feel like summer? It is a good time to get together with your friends, and get out to that new vegetarian restaurant called Annamaya on Taojiang road. It is the first vegetarian restaurant in Shanghai that I have found to get some good lentils.

It is also a good time to get together and have a potluck dinner when everyone brings a dish to share.

In yoga when we get together with a group of people and practice yoga we call it a Kula. In Buddhism a similar idea is called a Sangha. The idea of a spiritual practice is often thought to be one of solitude. A yogi goes off to a cave and meditates by himself for years, right?

Maybe. It is good to practice alone, and in fact we can learn so much in our own practice, but as social beings we are generally depend on others for our well-being. When our practice gets confused or we get lonely, we can learn so much from being in a community of like minded people. In Tantra yoga the Kula is a very important part of the practice. We come together to support, to learn from, as well as to teach each other.

As long as there are other people around us, we will always benefit from the skills we learn in groups.

We have been considering different ways to create more community at Yoga Space Shanghai, so please share your opinions with us. Send us an email at Yogaspacenews@gmail.com with any ideas you may have.

Om Namah Sivaya from all of us here at Yoga Space.

Namaste Yogis!

Hello from your favorite Shanghai Yoga Studio.

Have you heard Mark has returned? He has come to Shanghai feeling refreshed and focused and ready to teach you to enhance your yoga! Give a call ahead and book a class they are filling up fast!

How about this Spring weather. If you get a chance to spend some time in nature it is a great time to do it. Zhongshan Park is a great place on line 2 right next to the metro station of the same name. What about the Century Park? That place is actually easier to get to than the Zhongshan Park only 1 minute outside of the exit #1, and it is BIG!

The Huashan Green Area is a great place for Acro-Yoga in the grass, near the Hunan road on Huashan road. The Xujiahui Park still has the enormous chimney from the former factory there. Both of these parks are wonderful replacements for factories that used to be there.

There is also that wonderful Yan’an green space is next to the Yan’An freeway on the south side from Ruijin Road to Xizang Road, of course there are a few roads you need to cross on on that amazing walk with nature. Close by there is the People Park and People’s square, making this a wonderful spacious, centrally located park to enjoy some natural feeling surroundings.

Of course there is the Yuyuan Garden, and the Shanghai Botanical Garden Whatever your location there is a nice place not too far from you. These are only a few of the bigger places, but there are many spall parks in places near the Suzhou Creek, and all over our great Shanghai. This also include seeing the lily’s in Nanhui which is not close at all to the city center, but it makes a wonderful Saturday It may be a big like Century Park, or it may be small like the Jing An Park (also on line 2 on top of the subway station across Nanjing Road from the temple). Thich Nhat Hanh a Vietnammese Zen Buddhist master teaches us that it is very important to spend time in nature, so get out there and get refreshed before the weight of the Shanghai summer begins.

Om Namah Sivaya from all of us here at Yoga Space.

Namaste Yogis!

Happy spring from all of us here at Yoga Space. We have been seeing the sun and lstening to the birds are singing their praises. New life is sprouting as the buds and the flowers are springing out of the earth in a celebration of life. This is such a wonderful time to be in our favorite city.

It is also a great time to come down to our favorite yoga studio.

Coming up this weekend is our Anusara yoga workshop. Our teachers John and Ben will be teaching us about the Anusara yoga practice. This heart oriented practice will teach us to become stronger students, and get us aligned in our bodies as we enjoy a deep yoga practice designed for all levels of students.

As we are learning about new kinds of yoga and enjoying this season of re-birth, it is a great time to become more attentive to ourselves. Do you remember when I wrote you about the Yamas a short time back. The Yamas are a set of ideas to help us in our relationships with other people so that we are more aware of our impact in the world. The Niyamas are a set of ideas to help us better understand ourselves.

The five niyamas from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are:

1) Purity (saucha). A good way we can learn to practice Saucha is to be attentive and aware to our actions and thoughts, and search for the real intentions behind why we think and act as we do. When we really ask why, we can learn to see who we really are.

2) Contentment (santosa). This is very valuable when we learn to find contentment in those times when we have problems at work and in our relationships. When we learn to embrace these difficult times we are practicing Santosha.

3) Austerity (tapas). I get up every morning at 5:30 meditate and practice yoga. I try to be forgiving to my family even 10,000 times. I always try to see that I are seeking freedom in my actions. In this way I can practice Tapas.

4) Self-study (svadhyaya). This includes everything that a yoga practice is. Yoga is the study of the self.

5) Devotion to a higher power (isvara pranidhana). It is important to learn to surrender ourselves to something bigger. For those of you who know Anusara yoga, this is the first principle of a. Anusara yoga Open to grace. When we accept that we are not in charge of our lives find joy in the fact that we will not know what happens tomorrow or even 5 minutes from now. This is Isvara Pranidhana.

The Niyamas are a great way to learn more about who we are. In our yoga practice the Niyamas are where the real yoga study takes place. This yoga study goes beyond the mat and can come into our lives in all times and all situations.

Om Namah Sivaya from all of us here at Yoga Space.

Namaste Yogis!!

Have you signed up for the yoga teacher training at Yoga Space yet?  Remember space is limited, so make your way down to sign up now.  It is a great education and the price is exceptional.  Check out our website for more details.

This is an example of traditional Metta meditation translated from Cunda Kammaraputa Sutta where the Buddha taught about non greed, non ill will, and non delusion are the keys to mental purity.  This tradition has brought to us what we call Metta meditation or Loving Kindness meditation.  In this practice we start out recognizing things that are good with ourselves.  We start by meditating in a way as follows:

May I be free
May i be safe
May I be happy
May I be healthy.

If it seems difficult at first to practice this kind of meditation we can begin with just recognizing things about us that we like.  We can recognize things that we do, or we can see qualities of our person that are worth something for the world.

After we become proficient with meditation on our own freedom, happiness, safety, and health we start to bring this meditation to the people who are close to us.  We may choose to visualize our family or our friends.  It can be 1 person or a group of people.

May she be happy
May she be healthy
May she be safe
May she be free.

Slowly we meditate in this way and focus on increasing the people that we involve in this meditation.  Eventually we come to a place where we include our enemies, and the entire world.

May all beings be happy
May all beings be safe
May all beings be healthy
May all beings be free.

When we meditate in this way we are learning to love unconditionally.  When we learn to love unconditionally we can truly understand what buddhism teaches us.

Om Namah Sivaya from all of us here at yoga space.

Namaste Yogis!

How about this weather?  Spring has definitely arrived with all its changes.  Rain, warm, cold, sun and grey.  We have ourselves covered when it comes to weather here in our favorite city.

Well the time has come.  We have set the time frame for our 200 hour Yoga Alliance certified teacher training.  For all you who want to find a deeper immersion into yoga but keep your day job, we have just the thing for you.  Starting June 3, we will get up early every morning to practice yoga like the real yogis.  Monday through Friday we will have 3 hours of class from 6 am until 9 am where we will learn to deepen our yoga practice.  Saturday afternoons we will begin at 3.  There will be 3 weekends where the schedule becomes all day Saturday and Sunday for a more intensive study experience.   We will learn about the different elements of Yoga, Meditation, Pranayama, Philosophy, and general healthy living.

The teaching staff includes your Yoga Space teachers Ben and John for the main section of the teacher training.  Richard Brown from Body works Asia will be teaching the Anatomy.  We will also have a special guest teacher from Pure Yoga in Hong Kong Patrick Creelman for a whole weekend.  This will be limited to 20 students, so get here fast and apply to sign up while there is still room!

Contact us for more details, and to apply.

Do you remember when I was talking about the Yoga Sutras written by that Indian master named Patanjali?

In the Yoga Sutras newsletter I told you about the Yamas. These are practices of restraint in our actions dealing with other people.  The Yamas help us to become better in our relationships, and better members of society.  Below is a list of the 5 Yamas from Patanjali, and one of the ways they can be translated.  Traditionally there are as many as 10 yamas in some schools of Indian philosophy, but Patanjali is the father of modern yoga so here we look at what he wrote.

1. Ahimsa: Nonviolence. Not causing injury, harmlessness, not causing pain to any living creature in thought, word, or action. This is the first and most often quoted yama.
2. Satya: truthfulness; word, thought, and action, in conformity with the facts.
3. Asteya: non-stealing, non-coveting others belongings.
4. Brahmacharya: translates literally as divine conduct; we like to think of this as efficiency in using our energy.
5. Aparigraha: absence of excessive greed, not appropriating things that are not one’s own.

We use these Yamas so that we can be more positive in the influence on others in the world.  Our actions effect the entire world, so we learn how to be better in our relationships through our practice of the Yamas.

Om Namah Sivaya from all of us here at Yoga Space.