Nature call

Nature has all possible treasures in her chest, which helps us to take care about our skin, hair and our body.

Couple of months ago my friend shared a recipe which I tried and by now I definitely want to share it with you guys.

Face mask for all skin types

 Ingredients:

3 table spoons of oatmeal

1 table spoon of camomile leaves

1 table spoon of mint leaves

2 drops of tea tree oil

How to use

 Mix all the ingredients with warm water, give it a stay for 5 minutes and put on your face, lay down and rest for 15 minutes, than gently remove with warm water.

This mask removes dead cells and reddening, helps to avoid wrinkles appearance and your skin has baby softness for couple of days after this mask. 

Personally I really enjoy that 15 minutes and mix it with some perfect relax music and awareness of myself.

Hope you’ll enjoy it too.

94 years old Legend in Yoga World

There are so many yoga styles in all over the world, how about a little review for some of them which I practice by myself?

I’ll start with first yoga class in my life - Iyengar yoga style - I’m still into it for more than 4 years by now.

So, who is he – Iyengar? Why his method is so popular all over the world?

Sri BKS Iyengar was born in 1918 in India, he was 11^th child  in the family. Iyengar’s childhood is covered with all possible illnesses and diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and etc., what shows us wick health and wick immunity.

At the age of 15, his brother-in-law Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya invited Iyengar to Mysore for health improving through yoga practice. Step by step Iyengar learned asana practice, what took a positive influence for his health stability.

Three years later Iyengar moved to Puna and started his own teaching practice, by mixing different methods he offers to his students a very interesting approach…

“Yoga is for everyone” – you can hear this in every yoga class, but in fact in dynamic classes you rarely will see somebody, who is retired or somebody, who has just recovered from the injury or other health issue. In Iyengar class you will practice yoga next to all possible types of students, because Iyengar method use a lot of props to help students to build a correct posture and you will hear a lot of details about every pose.

Usually Iyengar class starts with Sukhasana posture, where you are organizing yourself for a practice. After that you will be offered to make 10-15 postures (some of them couple of times with different environment) and to finish your class you will take some pranayama in Savasana.

Teacher of Iyengar yoga usually builds their lesson according to the month plan:

First week (1-7 days of every month) – Standing postures

Second week (8-14 days of every month) – Forward bends and twists

Third week (15-21 days of every month) – Surya Namaskara and backbends

Fourth week (22-28 days of every month) – Rehabilitation postures, pranayama

29-31 days of every month – program under teacher’s consideration

How to protect your soul?

Such an interesting question... Kind of more about how to keep it clean and healthy and yes, I'm talking exactly about our mental health without any physical context...
We are representing ourselfs to the Universe as we are thinking about us, other people and everybody and everything in the surrounding. So, here is the question, how can we keep our mind clean and bright if everyday something very unpleasant happens?
The answer is very simple and probably stupid for some of you, just deal with it and let it go.

Couple of days ago I read very interesting story in Yoga Journal Russia and I want to share it with you. Maybe it will help somebody to understand what is really spoiling our lifes.

The story about what happens when you're keeping anger inside?

Once upon a time student came to his teacher with a question "What happens with you when you are mad at somebody?" and the teacher told him to try an experiment, tie a small bag on his belt and every time when student will be mad on somebody he should take a potate inside this bag...
A week later they met and student told his teacher that it's such a stupid idea. This bag, full of potatoes is huge, heavy and these potatoes started to decompose, which brings the proper smell inside.
Teacher told his student that this bag is his soul and these potatoes are his peaces of madness on the surrounding. So what happens with your soul when you're keeping anger on somebody? Your soul is getting spoiled and stinky.

Let's be careful with what we are doing and how we are spending our lifes

Don't worry, be happy and healthy!

Time for nature

Homemade nutritious mask for hair

Composition

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of castor oil

1 egg yolk

How to use

Mix all the ingredients for about 5-7 minutes than rub the mix into hair roots. 

Use the rest of the mixture on all hair length.

Take a showerhat and use a warm towel on it for 30-40 minutes than gently wash the mix.

Use this mask twice a week and two weeks after your hair will be like best Chinese silk

Mantra Om for every day of your week

A-u-m… a-u-m… a-u-m…

Sure this sound is well-known by almost everybody in this world.

Sacral sound, religious sound, universal sound and whatever you want to see inside.

For me personally this sound helps to organize myself before yoga practice and to keep the presence of your life in yourself.

So, here are some facts about this mantra.

What is a magic of Om?

Mantra Om consist from two letters, but three sounds and basically here they are:

Sound A symbolize the moment of awake in the morning, brings the energy forcing in your physical body.

Sound U symbolize the activity during usual day, which is basically the middle of calendar day, middle of moon circle, which keeps your energy awaken but calm and soft.

Sound M symbolize the moment of diving into deep dream while you’re slipping. Energy flows are soft and almost not noticeable.

Also you can consider the A-U-M as a life circle, beginning of life, middle of it and final chapter…

How to chant?

Take a comfortable sitting position (it could be Easy Pose, Hero Pose, Lotus Pose etc), prepare your body and close your eyes. Hold your posture for three breaths with your eyes closed. Keep your chin parallel to the floor. Inhale, exhale… Inhale and using your exhale start to chant A-U-M, inhale and on your exhale A-U-M and one more time. It could be three times or any number of times, which you can split by 9. Bring your hands to prayer, bring your chin to your chest. Neutralize your head and gently open eyes.

Benefits

Concentration

Increase blood oxidation  

Physical body prepares to understand your mind

Cold Cold Cold... Hot Yoga

Winter is here… Which involved huge risk to catch a cold or even a flu.

Here are some postures which will help to improve your immunity.

1. Downward Facing Dog (Sanskrit Adho Mukha Svanasana)

While you are doing you usual Downward Facing Dog take a block under your forehead, which will help you to relax the pressure in your head which is usual during the cold.

2. Child Pose (Sanskrit Balasana)

If your forehead is not comfortably reaching the mat place a bolster or blanket  under it and relax. This posture will help to release your nose and deepen your breathe.

3. Full Forward Bend (Sanskrit Uttanasana)

Stand in Mountain Pose and on your exhale dive down to your full forward bend, take a block under your head and relax.

This posture has the same advantage as Down Dog during the cold, helps to relax blood pressure and clean your breath.

4. Bound Angle Pose (Sanskrit Supta Baddha Konasana)

Very important to practice this pose in laying down position. This posture perfect to relax nervous system and lymphatic system and keep concentration on your wellness and health.

Tip from me: during risky period of season eat half of pomegranate everyday.

P.S. Merry Christmas everyone, be healthy=)

How are you doing that?

Cow Face Pose (sanskrit Gomukhasana) 

There are only 15 postures in first variant of Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gomekhasana is one of them. Although there is nothing to say about arms position, but in the present yoga practice we know what is our goal to reach here. One of my students asked me how are you doing that?

This posture could be very challenging for beginners,  follow the instructions and you will see a result..

Position

Start in Dandasana, sit on your sitting bones and extend your legs. Bend your knees and place your feet on the mat, slide left foot under the right knee to the outer side of hip, slowly cross the other leg over the left, placing the right knee on the top of the left and put your right foot to the outside of left hip.

Stretch your left arm up to the ceiling bend your elbow and place the palm approximately between shoulder blades, keep your elbow up but try to release your neck by returning your shoulder to shoulder socket. Extend your right arm to the right side parallel to the floor on the shoulder level rotate your arm to point your thumb to the floor and with one move slide this arm back to meet left hand. Try to create a safe lock between your fingers.

Be aware of additional backbend in lower back, keep your sitting bones on the mat and try to keep natural curve in lower back without any compression.

Props

If you have some problems with placing your legs to Gomukhasana position take a block and sit on it, with it your pelvis will be a little bit higher and it will help you to build correct posture.

If you can’t connect your fingers on your back take a strap and use it between your palms.

If you feel a lot of pressure for feet in this pose use a blanket under them.

Benefits

Excellent stretch for triceps and whole group of back muscles

Stretch for thighs and feet

Opening the chest

Concentration

Contraindications

Knees injury

Ankle injury

Shoulder injury

Neck injury