• Build your standing postures from the ground up
• Try lift the weight of your body up from your feet using your bandhas
• Find lightness in the postures by engaging abdominal strength and using your breath
• Holding your breath makes every posture harder, your body feels heavy.

• relieving stress and anxiety
• improving concentration
• increasing courage and determination
• act as an excellent tool to focus and still the mind
• strengthen the entire body

• Subtle body sensations - We can scan our body from head to toe or feel our breath expand into different parts of the body.
• Sights, sounds, smells & any other sensory impressions
• Emotions
• Thoughts in different modalities e.g.:  Verbal, Visual, Musical

• Planning, Sexual, Grandiose fantasies, Worrying
• The quality of our mindfulness
• Calm & clear or agitated or foggy or sleepy

• Freedom from physical ailments: aches and pains, illness.
• Vitality of body: enough strength to fulfill one’s daily needs for basic survival and to have enough energy left over for spiritual practice.
• Suppleness of body: enough flexibility and resilience to carry out one’s daily tasks without injury; enough freedom and poise in the body to undertake deeper spiritual inquiry.
• Equanimity and resilience of mind: a mind untroubled by aches, pains and illness that is calm enough to undertake self-reflection and focused enough to sustain an introspective mindset for extended periods of time.

• Bilateral symmetry: differences between the left and right sides of the body are minimized, creating symmetry and freedom of poise and movement.
• Balance between the front and back body: weight becomes distributed evenly through the shoulders, hips and feet, with the chest and abdomen, the upper and lower back broad and free, minimizing postural imbalances that put pressure on the spine and creating space and freedom for the internal organs.
• Elongation of the spine: the natural curves of the spine become decompressed and balanced relative to each other, creating freedom for the nerves that flow from the spaces between the vertebrae out into every part of the body.
• Freedom of the neck and shoulders: pain and tension are released and the head is free to balance properly on the neck, allowing for clearer sensory perception, coordination and control of movement.
• Calm and efficiency of poise: the “fight-or-flight” mechanisms of the nervous system are calmed and countered, reducing stress which in turn allows the body to heal itself.
• Freedom of the breath: the breathing mechanism is unfettered, promoting better organization and execution of the subtler and most vital chemical processes of the body, including cellular respiration, production of energy and removal of waste products.

1. Breathing: Without breath there is no life, both figuratively and literally. Freedom of the breath is the foundation of release, movement and expression.

2. Grounding: Gravity is not just a natural force inflicted on our bodies, it is the medium in which our bodies and perceptions develop. Surrendering to gravity and creating a relationship to the ground underneath us that supports us stabilizes the body, calms the nervous system and the mind and gives us a starting point from which to build and remake postural and movement patterns.

3. Reaching: Reaching is a complex action that we learn as infants that requires a sense of our foundation, a sense of direction and a clear intention. We reach from somewhere to somewhere, recruiting muscles and joints in the process.

4. Opposing: Yoga poses are externally static, but internally dynamic. Finding the equilibrium of body parts moving in careful opposition to each other creates lines of force within the body around which soft tissues, joints and organs can organize and open.

5. Wringing: the geometry of the body is complex and intricate and rarely linear. The act of wringing out the limbs and torso as if wringing the water out of a dish towel takes the idea of oppositional movement into three dimensions, deeply massaging the soft tissues of the body.

6. Widening: In the act of movement, we often find ourselves whittled down by focus to single-pointedness, reduced to awareness of only our intentions and goals. Even in stillness, our bodies are poised to move and react. Widening the planes of the body maintains a sense of the three-dimensionality of the whole being as we act, creating the difference between performance and spiritual discipline.

7. Softening: Enthusiasm and effort often lead to over-work. Just as some parts of the body are recruited and engaged, other parts must soften and lengthen. Otherwise we are acting inefficiently and wastefully, effectively working against ourselves.

8. Surrendering: Effort and action are only one side of the coin. Also necessary is release and surrender, both for the body and the mind. Without these we run the risk of  creating  more injury and stress, the opposite effect of what we are seeking.

9. Reflecting: The truly spiritual aspect of the practice is allowing enough time between experience and reaction for there to be the possibility of observation and contemplation. It is in that moment that we can learn, adapt and modify our behavior, creating change in our bodies and our lives.

Kazu offers the first of several healthy recipes of typical food served in her restaurant. All her recipes use traditional, natural and unprocessed foods, seasonal and grown locally.

Brown rice and normal white rice
One grain of rice just after cropping from a rice plant consists of 5 layers and 1 seed. brown rice is made after the first layer, the husk, is removed. White rice is made after 4 layers (bran) and the seed (endosperm) is removed.  Compared to white rice, brown rice has almost:

3 times the amount of fibre
3 times the amount of minerals
4 times the amount of Vitamin B1 and B2
Same amount of Protein

If you leave brown rice and white rice in different containers of water, brown rice starts to sprout in a week whereas white rice starts to rot.  Brown rice is the power of life.
Brown rice promotes better digestion and metabolism and is also primary in the macrobiotic diet.

Ingredients

Brown rice (2 cups), Natural Spring Water (3 ½ cups – 1.5 to 1.7 times to rice), black sesame (3 small spoons), sea salt (1 small spoon), coriander (2 stems), sunflower seed or walnuts (1 small spoon), Earthen Pot, Frying Pan

Instructions
1.    Wash brown rice in earthen pot and leave it in water for 1-3 hrs.
2.    Put the pot over the heat.  First with middle fire then, when it’s boiled, change the fire to small with the lid on to keep steaming for 40-50min.
3.    Increase the heat for 30 seconds then turn it off completely.
4.    Steam without fire for 20-25min.
5.    While steaming without fire, start to prepare topping.

• Heat frying pan with strong fire, then make the fire very small putting sea salt.  After 10-15 min when the water of salt is evaporating and the sea becomes yellowish, take it out.
• Grind sea salt.
• Fry black sesame in the heated frying pan.  After the sesame gets swollen and starts to smell, to take it out into the ground sea salt and continue to grind salt and sesame together for 15-20min.
• Cut coriander and nuts into small pieces.

6.    Scoop rice into the rice bowl and put coriander and nuts into the rice.
7.    Leaving a pinch of sea salt on the palm, start grasping the rice with both hands.  Palm facing diagonally each other and fingers crossing.
8.    At last, sprinkle sesame and salt over the rice ball.

If you use a pressure cooker, follow these instructions

• Never open the lid after until the rice has finished steaming.
• To keep the fire as small as possible while steaming.
• Amount of water should be observed.
• It is better to leave the rice in the water over night.
• Chew 50-60 times at first bite then at least 100 times at first 3 bites.  That saliva awakens rice to induce more nutrition.
• Change the topping as you like, such as Umeboshi (sour plum), Corn, Seaweed, Miso etc.

The basic goal of all the asana practice is finding and maintaining a comfortable padmasana (lotus pose) for meditation. There are a few key anatomical components and principles to finding this comfort. The foundation of the pose is the crossing of the legs and "sit bones" comfortably on the floor. With a firm foundation we find an upward energy and lift in the spine, which eventually becomes effortless.

Sitting in Padmasana
Finding your padmasana, much less a comfortable one is a difficulty for many people who practice yoga and meditation. It is difficult to quiet the mind when the knee, hips, back or neck are uncomfortable. Why is it so difficult? What is it that we're actually doing to our hips, knees and back anyway? What can I do to prepare my body for practices that require this posture?

All questions we've asked our teachers or ourselves from time to time. You must understand that yoga (coming from India) practically assumes that one can do lotus. On my trips to India I've observed young and old regularly sitting on the floor in lotus, half lotus or squatting. This lends itself to knees and hips that are ready and available for being crossed fully. Yoga is from a different place. On the contrary are our chairs, desks, cars and our "modern" culture that discourage something as simple as sitting on the floor.

So, what to do? By understanding the basic function of a couple of joints you may be able to save yourself some pain in the leg as well as the uh... back. We'll hopefully get to do a more focused hip and knee article later on but for the moment let's look at some basics around these joints.

There are three main joints in the leg, the ankle, knee and hip. They function together and movement at one often requires movement at another. The knee is at the center of this interconnected chain and therefore regulates the function of the leg as a whole. If the hip or ankles are tight, the force that is created in the leg often finds its way to the knee possibly leading to meniscus tears, or general pain and achiness. We can also use the functioning of the knee to help us focus and isolate the other joints, particularly the hip in lotus.

From dandasana bring your hands together in front of you with palms open and facing upward. Let your leg lift leg and place your foot/ankle into the palm of your hands (lower your hands and move them forward if needed). Now, relax your hip joint and allow your knee to slowly lower. A very important action happens as you do this, and that action is an outward or external rotation of your lower leg (shin/calf), which means your upper leg (thigh) has rotated outward as well. You may even need to exaggerate this action if you feel a pinching on the inside or outside of your knee by lifting your calf muscles out of the way as you flex (bend) your knee. Draw your heel towards your navel and take half lotus.

In any lotus type position, if you feel an excessive amount of pinching or pain simply lift your knee up toward the ceiling and you'll find the pain disappears. This is indicative of the force created by a tight hip joint being relieved.

• Developmental poses
• Baddha konasana
• Squatting
• Virasana

Upward and Onward
It may take some time to create a stable base for the spine to sit on in a lotus position. All seated poses rely on the "sit-bones" for foundation. These large boney areas are actually called the ischial tuberosities and are the inferior (lower) and posterior (back) part of the pelvis. The pelvic bowl has a major influence on the spine above it as it is connected to the sacrum (via the sacroiliac joint), which is base of the spine.

The pelvis is doing an anterior tilt when the pubic bone in the front heads down toward the floor. The pelvis is doing a posterior tilt when the pubic bone comes upward toward the ribs. If the hip joint and associated hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh are tight, when we sit on the floor our pelvis is pulled into a posterior tilt. If the hamstrings are looser then we find an anterior tilt or a neutral position coming more easily.

The tilts of the pelvis are also associated with the curve in our lower back (lumbar spine). An anterior tilt increases or exaggerates this curve in the lumbar and a posterior tilt reduces the curve in the lumbar spine. Over a long period of time the removal of this curve can be detrimental to the integrity of the entire spine and particularly to those very important and needed discs in the lumbar vertebrae which are the most common to dysfunction. Sitting in a car, office seat, or regular chair almost always removes the lumbar curve from our spine and is associated with a posterior tilt. Check yours now and see for yourself.

The effect of the loss of curve in the lumbar reduces the integrity and stamina of the muscle of the back and will affect the spine above. If in a seated position your pelvis is free to tilt forward in an anterior tilt, the lumbar curve is present you'll find a natural and comfortable energy that helps the rest of the spine above be comfortable for a longer sitting period. This is the reason for a small blanket or bolster under our sit-bones for meditation.

All asanas require a strong and stable foundation. Padmasana starts with the sit-bones on the floor and the legs comfortably crossed. With this foundation the spine comes to its natural alignment more easily and helps increase comfort as well as the movement of prana through a nice and easy breath. Take some time in the evening to do what I refer to as "homework" poses. Try virasana, baddha konsana, and a nice deep squat.

With the right preparation and some regularity of practice of the aforementioned "homework" poses you'll find more openness in the joints of the leg, a comfortable lotus and the ability to sit for much longer with more comfort for the ultimate yoga practice, meditation!

© 2005 Enlightened Practice Magazine Meditation Issue

Excerpts from: Juvamukti Yoga, practices for liberating body and soul

Meditation is not the same as prayer or contemplation. Prayer often means asking for something from someone other than yourself. Contemplation means to dwell on thoughts or concepts. Meditation means to listen within. To listen, you must stop talking. Trusting that everything is exactly the way it should be, the meditator rests in the timeless.

In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali answers the question: What is Yoga?

Yogash chitta-vritti-nirodhah
Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind

When you stop identifying with your thoughts, the fluctuations of the mind, then there is Yoga.

To practice meditation we must first practice pratyahara, drawing the five senses inward. Once we can sit down and draw inward without being distracted by the senses, we are prepared for meditation, which may happen spontaneously and naturally when the ability to concentrate the faculty of attention on one object and hold it there for some time has been mastered. We cannot make ourselves meditate. We can only make ourselves concentrate.

To develop our ability to concentrate, we have to learn to not allow our faculty of attention to become distracted by every thought that passes though the mind. It is the nature of the mind to think. Thinking is a form of talking. The mind is usually chattering on and on, and we are engaged in constant dialogue with this chatter. To interrupt, Patanjali recommends that we concentrate on something else – the flow of breath, for example. Let the mind go on talking to itself, but you disengage. This concentration is called dharana.

The various schools of meditation differ from one another primarily in the object chosen for concentration. This object may be elaborate or simple visualizations, a mantra, a candle flame, a mandala, or the movement of breath. Only through prolonged concentration can the experience of meditation begin to dawn. You cannot make yourself meditate, just as you cannot make yourself fall sleep. If you want to fall asleep is helps to create a situation that invites that shift into another state of consciousness. You brush your teeth, wash your face, put on your pyjamas, lie down in a comfortable bed, turn out the lights, close your eyes, and within a few minutes you are asleep… maybe.

Meditation is similar. It is an effortless state that can arise only after you have trained yourself to sit still and concentrate on one object without distraction. Even with all that preparation you may not be able to shift into the meditative, thought-free state. But through practice you do get closer and closer. You don’t give up on sleep if you have a sleepless night. The next night you try again. The same is true for meditation. Don’t give up – try again.

Excerpts from: Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom

The whole educative thrust of yoga is to make things go right in our lives. But we all know that an apple that appears perfect on the outside can have been eaten away by an invisible worm on the inside. Yoga is not about appearances. It is about finding and eradicating the worm, so that the whole apple, from skin inward, can be perfect and a healthy one. That is why yoga, and indeed all spiritual philosophies, seems to harp on the negative -- grasping desires, weaknesses, faults, and imbalances. They are trying to catch the worm before it devours and corrupts the whole apple from inside. This is not a struggle between good and evil. It is natural for worms to eat apples. In yoga we simply do not want to be the apple that is rotted from inside. So yoga insists on examining, scientifically and without value judgment, what can go wrong, and why, and how to stop it. It is organic farming of the self -- for the Self.

To reach and penetrate as far as the fourth sheath is a considerable achievement, but I would be doing the reader a disservice if I did not point out that considerable achievements also bring in their wake considerable dangers. An obvious one is pride -- not satisfaction in a job well done -- but a sense of superiority and difference, of distinction and eminence.

It is an obsession in our modern society to focus on appearance, presentation, and packaging. We do not ask ourselves, "How am I really?" but "How do I look, how do others see me?" It is not a question of, "What am I saying?" but, "How do I sound?"

There are those, for example, who perform polished, well-presented, highly attractive yoga asana. They are pleased with this, and with themselves, and are perhaps financially well rewarded for this outward excellence. When I was young, struggling to earn a living, to raise yoga in public esteem, to exemplify in my visible body the art and aesthetic beauty of yoga, I was always seeking to present asana in the best possible way, symmetrically, precisely, and in stimulating, coherent sequences. I was, when occasion demanded, a performer and an artist. This was my service to the art of yoga. But in my own personal practice I did not have this type of idea. I was concerned only to explore, to learn, to challenge, and to transform inwardly. Above all to penetrate. Yoga is an interior penetration leading to integration of being, senses, breath, mind, intelligence, consciousness, and Self. It is definitely an inward journey, evolution through involution, toward the Soul, which in its turn desires to emerge and embrace you in its glory.

You need a good teacher as guide so you will not hurt your body, overstretch, wrench, or nip the inner fibers, tendons, ligaments, mind, and emotions. This is yoga inadequately or wrongly practiced. I know; I have done it. But when yoga is only outward facing, exhibitative, and self-gratifying, it is not yoga at all. Such an attitude will deface and deform even the character you started out with. In class when pride rises or its complement, insecurity, as you look around at others, recognize it for what it is and send it on its way.

It is certain that there is much pleasure and satisfaction to be gleaned from life. Patanjali said the correct fulfillment of pleasure is an essential component not only of life but of liberation. But Patanjali also warned that wrong interaction with nature (where the afflictions or klesa still rule us) can bring about our confusion and self-destruction. The pursuit of pleasure through appearances, which I connect here to superficiality of intent, is quite simply the wrong way to go about things. To pursue pleasure is to pursue pain in equal measure. When appearance is more important to us than content, we can be sure we have taken the wrong turning.

The achievements of intelligence therefore also have their pitfalls, even more difficult to identify than the lure of the senses. We are only too ready to admit, "Oh, I can never resist chocolate." But how many of us would admit that we would willingly stab any colleague in the back in order to gain a promotion? We shy away from such self-knowledge as we instinctively feel that its ugliness lies closer to the Soul.

Most of us, at least in maturity, with or without yoga, fall into a dutiful routine, a comprehensive conduct of trying to "be good" and fearing the consequences if we are not. This is neither solution nor resolution, but it is a livable cease fire, or decency by dint of moderation. Controlling our desires is a continual pruning process, rather than a Damascene conversion.

Copyright © 2005 B.K.S. Iyengar

Excerpts from: Relax and Renew, (On Restorative Yoga)

Stress begins with a physiological response to what your body-mind perceives as life-threatening. For our ancestors, this may have been defending against the aggression of a hungry animal. For modern-day humans, this may be living with the fear of losing a job in a sagging economy, or the health crisis of a family member.

Whatever the stressor, the mind alerts the body that danger is present. In response, the adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, secrete catecholamine hormones. These adrenaline and noradrenalin hormones act upon the autonomic nervous system, as the body prepares for fight or flight. Heart rate, blood pressure, mental alertness, and muscle tension are increased. The adrenal hormones cause metabolic changes that make energy stores available to each cell and the body begins to sweat. The body also shuts down systems that are not a priority in the immediacy of the moment, including digestion, elimination, growth, repair, and reproduction.

These adaptive responses have been positive for the survival of the human race over thousands of years. For our ancestors, a stressful situation usually resolved itself quickly. They fought or they ran, and, if they survived, everything returned to normal. The hormones were used beneficially, the adrenal glands stopped producing stress hormones, and systems that were temporarily shut down resumed operation.

To his detriment, modern man is often unable to resolve his stress so directly, and lives chronically stressed as a result. Still responding to the fight or flight response, the adrenals continue to pump stress hormones. The body does not benefit from nutrition because the digestion and elimination systems are slowed down. Even sleep is disturbed by this agitated state.

In a chronically stressed state, quality of life, and perhaps life itself, is at risk. The body's capacity to heal itself is compromised, either inhibiting recovery from an existing illness or injury, or creating a new one, including high blood pressure, ulcers, back pain, immune dysfunction, reproductive problems, and depression. These conditions add stress of their own and the cycle continues.

THE RELAXATION SOLUTION
The antidote to stress is relaxation. To relax is to rest deeply. This rest is different from sleep. Deep states of sleep include periods of dreaming which increase muscular tension, as well as other physiological signs of tension. Relaxation is a state in which there is no movement, no effort, and the brain is quiet.

Common to all stress reduction techniques is putting the body in a comfortable position, with gentle attention directed toward the breath. Do these techniques really work? Scientists have researched the effects of relaxation and report measurable benefits, including reduction in muscle tension and improved circulation.

Among the first to study relaxation was Edmund Jacobson, M.D. In 1934, he wrote You Must Relax about the benefits of his progressive relaxation techniques. He reported success in using his approach to treat high blood pressure, indigestion, colitis, insomnia, and what he called "nervousness."

One of the foremost writers and researchers in the field of stress reduction today is Herbert Benson, M.D., who coined the phrase "Relaxation Response" to describe the physiological and mental responses that occur when one consciously relaxes. In The Wellness Book, he defines the relaxation response as "a physiological state characterized by a slower heart rate, metabolism, rate of breathing, lower blood pressure, and slower brain wave patterns."

David Spiegel, M.D., author of Living Beyond Limits, reports, "In medicine, we are learning that physical problems, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, can be influenced by psychological interventions, such as relaxation training. Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report recommending these non-drug approaches as the treatment of choice for milder forms of hypertension. Mind and body are connected and must work together, and this should be a powerful asset in treating medical illness."

Indeed, body and mind are connected. Relatively new in medicine is the specialty called psychoneuroimmunology, another way of saying that body and mind-or psyche, nervous system, and immune system-are connected. This specialist understands that the health of the psyche is reflected in, and partly created by, the health of the body, and vice versa.

Among those whose scientific study supports the body-mind connection is Dean Ornish, M.D., author of Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease. He studied those with atherosclerotic heart disease and concluded that daily periods of relaxation are essential in preventing further deterioration. Ornish also created a unique lifestyle program which includes diet, yoga, and meditation.

RESTORATIVE YOGA
The word yoga comes from Sanskrit, the scriptural language of ancient India, and means "to yoke" or "to unite." Dating back to the Indus Valley civilization of 2000 to 4000 B.C.E., yoga practices are designed to help the individual feel whole. Ancient yoga texts present teachings that include the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions of the practitioner. The physical aspects of yoga -- poses (asana) and breathing techniques (pranayama ) -- are the most popular in the West.

Traditionally, a yoga class or personal practice session begins with active poses followed by a brief restorative pose. In this book, I'll place the entire focus of practice on the restorative poses. The development of these poses is credited to B.K.S. Iyengar, of Pune, India. Author of the contemporary classic Light on Yoga and numerous other books, Iyengar has been teaching yoga for more than sixty years. Widely recognized as a worldwide authority, he is one of the most creative teachers of yoga today.

Iyengar's early teaching experience showed him how pain or injury can result from a student straining in a yoga pose. He experimented with "props," modifying poses until the student could practice without strain. Iyengar also explored how these modified poses could help people recover from illness or injury. It is because of his creativity that the restorative poses in this book-most of which have been developed or directly inspired by him-are such powerful tools to reduce stress and restore health.

I often refer to restorative yoga poses as "active relaxation." By supporting the body with props, we alternately stimulate and relax the body to move toward balance. Some poses have an overall benefit. Others target an individual part, such as the lungs or heart. All create specific physiological responses which are beneficial to health and can reduce the effects of stress-related disease.

In general, restorative poses are for those times when you feel weak, fatigued, or stressed from your daily activities. They are especially beneficial for the times before, during, and after major life events: death of a loved one, change of job or residence, marriage, divorce, major holidays, and vacations. In addition, you can practice the poses when ill, or recovering from illness or injury.

HOW RESTORATIVE YOGA WORKS
Restorative poses help relieve the effects of chronic stress in several ways. First, the use of props provides a completely supportive environment for total relaxation.

Second, each restorative sequence is designed to move the spine in all directions. These movements illustrate the age-old wisdom of yoga that teaches well-being is enhanced by a healthy spine. Some of the restorative poses are back bends, while others are forward bends. Additional poses gently twist the column both left and right.

Third, a well-sequenced restorative practice also includes an inverted pose, which reverses the effects of gravity. This can be as simple as putting the legs on a bolster or pillow, but the effects are quite dramatic. Because we stand or sit most of the day, blood and lymph fluid accumulate in the lower extremities. By changing the relationship of the legs to gravity, fluids are returned to the upper body and heart function is enhanced.

Psychobiologist and yoga teacher Roger Cole, PhD, consultant to the University of California, San Diego, in sleep research and biological rhythms, has done preliminary research on the effects of inverted poses. He found that they dramatically alter hormone levels, thus reducing brain arousal, blood pressure, and fluid retention. He attributes these benefits to a slowing of the heart rate and dilation of the blood vessels in the upper body that comes from reversing the effects of gravity.

Fourth, restorative yoga alternately stimulates and soothes the organs. For example, by closing the abdomen with a forward bend and then opening it with a back bend, the abdominal organs are squeezed, forcing the blood out, and then opened, so that fresh blood returns to soak the organs. With this movement of blood comes the enhanced exchange of oxygen and waste products across the cell membrane.

Finally, yoga teaches that the body is permeated with energy. Prana, the masculine energy, resides above the diaphragm, moves upward, and controls respiration and heart rate. Apana, the feminine energy, resides below the diaphragm, moves downward, and controls the function of the abdominal organs. Restorative yoga balances these two aspects of energy so that the practitioner is neither overstimulated nor depleted

Within the Bhagavad-Gita, Karma Yoga is mentioned as a spiritual discipline, which is based upon giving and service without the desire for rewards. We might also say that Karma Yoga points us toward supreme consciousness through selfless service and actions of giving.

The concepts of Karma Yoga should not be so difficult to practice, yet many people who understand the principle, still struggle with giving. There are many reasons for this. Therefore, let us take a look at the reasons why Karma Yoga may be difficult, and some of the inner workings within this discipline.

1. “How can I give to someone who is selfish?”

Some of us may have people around us, who would take everything we have, without acknowledging our actions of giving. These are difficult circumstances, but there are some solutions.

If your circle of friends is collectively selfish, you may be wasting your time, and it might be time to find new friends. When we are children, we might learn hard lessons about the children with whom we associate. We learn about being “guilty by association.”

If we are friendly with a band of thieves, we are presumed to be a thief as well. This is unfortunate, but if you constantly give to a person who does not appreciate your good intentions, you are likely wasting your time. Unless, you are a very forgiving person, it may be difficult to be a “fountain of unlimited giving.”

There are only a few souls, per century, who can manage to master the complete extinction of desire and suffering. To give is one thing; but to give everything you have is impossible for the vast majority of humanity.

Therefore, look inside of yourself and see what actions of giving you can live with. We know that giving is good, but we may not be one of the few enlightened souls of this century.

2. “When I give, how do I know it is going to a good cause?”

The act of giving is in itself a good cause. We do not know how services and funds of a charity are distributed.  In fact, if you walk outside of any public place, where people are soliciting for a charity, you don’t know if those people are working for a legitimate charity.

However, your giving of funds should be done with the best of intentions and should make you feel better. This brings about states of happiness. When you perform selfless service for a good cause, you most likely know much more about the legitimacy of that particular cause.

In summary, the act of giving, or performing selfless service, such as we know in Karma Yoga, creates inner happiness. At the same time, giving without pursuing a reward always comes back to you – even if it was done in secret. If you are concerned with the legitimacy of a cause, you may want to inquire further so that your time and efforts are not wasted.

We find ourselves in autumn with the smell of roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts filling the streets and each passing rain bringing us slightly cooler weather and a step closer to winter.  Although the onset of winter personally brings some feelings of apprehension, it’s a reminder for me that our lives are part of an ongoing continuum.  In fact, I have discovered it is this greater alignment with the earth’s natural cycles that promotes maximum energy and vitality throughout the entire year.  Our early ancestors relied entirely on seasonal foods, hunted and gathered locally, and although modern humans have developed the ability to manipulate our surroundings, we are no less connected to the world around us than they were.  It is nature’s way to produce and provide the energy needed to sustain local life and it is to our advantage to emulate early humans and eat what the earth naturally provides for us.  The changing seasons bring us an opportunity to realign ourselves with the natural cycles of the universe, which in turn, can provide greater balance and health during the cold season.

Energetically, winter is a time of contraction and our diets and activity levels ideally change to reflect this state.  We may find ourselves craving richer foods which provide our bodies with the extra energy needed for generating heat.  We may also discover that our bodies require additional rest as they work harder to protect us from the cold and maintain warmth.  Some people may find it perplexing to find the appropriate diet for their body during a particular time of the year; however, this does not need to be overly complicated.  Listening to the intuitive intelligence of our bodies and observing what grows seasonally can appropriately guide us.   
   
Seasonal eating is a main component of an ideal diet and wintertime is no exception.  The winter diet should be the heaviest and most warming of all the seasonal diets.  This is because cold weather causes an increase in our basil metabolic rate (BMR), which in turn raises our nutrient needs.  We should begin to shift away from the watery fruits and vegetables of summer to foods that require more time and heat to prepare.  Autumn harvests supply a variety of root vegetables, squashes, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds; all of which are wonderful winter foods.  Winter time brings increased dietary needs of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats and interestingly enough, winter squash differs from summer squash in that it has higher carbohydrate content.  Winter squash varieties include acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and my personal favorite, pumpkin. 
   
Pumpkin is an excellent source of nutrients and is extremely low in calories, containing only 49 calories per cup.  It is high in fiber, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and contains about 33% more potassium than a medium banana.  Potassium is an important mineral for maintaining electrolyte balance, protecting against hypertension, and promoting bone health.  Athletes and those regularly exercising also have increased needs for potassium due to losses from muscle during exercise and small amounts excreted in sweat.
Pumpkin seeds are also a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals and whenever I cook with pumpkin, I also roast the seeds separately for a delicious snack.  Pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein, healthy oils, and are rich in iron, calcium, and phosphorus.  Pumpkin seeds are also important for men’s health due to high amounts of zinc and the presence of the phytonutrients, beta-sitosterol and curcubitin, all of which help prevent and treat prostate problems.     
   
For a wonderful and simple winter dish, roast several vegetables together using winter squashes and root vegetables like burdock root, taro root, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Add in or substitute any of your favorite vegetables for those listed below.

Simple Roasted Vegetables for Winter

2 cups fresh, diced pumpkin
¾ cup sliced burdock root
¾ cup shiitake mushrooms
1 leek thinly sliced
½ red pepper cut into strips
½ yellow pepper cut into strips
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
Fresh herbs such basil, oregano, rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Toss the vegetables with olive oil and fresh herbs.  Roast in a baking pan for 40 minutes or until harder root vegetables have cooked.  Toss vegetables halfway through cooking.  Season with salt and pepper and serve with a grain such as brown rice or quinoa or as a side dish with fresh steamed fish.

Work alone is your privilege, never the fruit thereof. Never let the fruits of action be your motive, and never cease to work.... Be not affected by success or failure. This equipoise is called Yoga.

- Bhagavad Gita

Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.  - Sitting Bull

Here are some guidelines and realistic expectations for parents, who are considering Yoga for their children. For your child, Yoga is much more than a kid's fitness class. Just like adults - kids need time to learn to deal with life's daily pressures, too.

Make sure your child starts with easy postures, and be patient with your child's progress. Some beginner children can often be more flexible than advanced adult Yoga practitioners, but they don't know their own limitations.

Discover your child's real passions. When your child wants to go to Yoga class, it is much better than what you want for your child. This is not to say that you should avoid guidance. However, it is not advisable to push a child into a Yoga class, if your child doesn't enjoy it - no matter how popular Yoga may be. All children are different, and what is good for one of your children, may not agree with another.

Encourage your child to see the deeper benefits of Yoga: Learning to live within the moment, and appreciating the present situation, instead of focusing on desires, these are built-in mental assets of Yoga practice. Enhanced concentration skills are another benefit that will result in improved academic performance.

Look for a qualified Yoga instructor, who has experience in teaching children. Make sure the child's Yoga instructor has adequate experience.

Watch your child practice with his or her Yoga teacher, and make sure you are comfortable with the environment, policies, and safety guidelines. Rules and discipline policies are usually in place so that each child can learn Yoga and get the most out of their experience.

For your child's safety at home: Parents who are not familiar with Yoga, should not let their "beginner Yoga children" practice anything beyond beginner techniques, without a competent Yoga instructor's approval. Once your child's Yoga instructor gives approval of home practice, you are fine. This one safety factor should encourage parents to learn Yoga, practice with their children, and live a healthy life.

A smaller kid's Yoga class is actually better than a larger one. This insures that your child's Yoga instructor can pay close attention to each student during practice session.

Price should not be the top factor in choosing your child's Yoga teacher. Would you choose the cheapest dentist, clothes, or car? Very often, "you get what you pay for."

Lastly, with steady practice, you should expect to see your child gradually gain self-esteem, stress management tools, self discipline, enhanced academic performance, and improved athletic skills.

Learn the names of asanas (postures)

tittibha (tittibhasana) = firefly
ustra (ustrasana) = camel
kurma (kurmasana) = tortoise