African Americans and Yoga

When I look around me, I see many people embarking on the journey of yoga.  Yoga is a great way to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and stay fit.  In the back of mind however, always remains the thought "how come more African Americans do not practice yoga"?  In our African American culture many times we confuse yoga with religion, and indeed yoga can be a spiritual experience practiced by some religions, but yoga in and of itself is not a religion.  The work yoga comes from the Sankrit meaning to yoke, to unite, to join. 

Yoga truly helps the individual to unite the mind, body and spirit together in ways that increase overall mindfulness and well being.  When many people think of yoga, they think of India, but actually yoga was practiced in Ancient  Egypt, North East Africa  as well, it was called Kemetic yoga and was practiced for about 10,000 years. Kemet means black, or black land and was called this because of the early inundation of the Nile River which caused the rich silt to overflow its banks.

  According to the Kemetic yoga association:  There is universal consciousness that is beyond the scope of the normal realm of consciousness, or individual reality of people. Hence, the practice of yoga is a personality integration method that allows human beings to bind their individual transitory reality with the universal consciousness. The universal consciousness is stable and unchanging, unmoving, therefore, it is the substantial reality while human beings are existing in transitory phenomenon. When this process is accomplished one can say that they have experienced the way things really are or have experienced reality; universal consciousness.

Yoga is the practice of binding individual consciousness with universal consciousness. This individual reality that you are experiencing is actually only a small reflection of your true nature and yoga is the practice of how to achieve the knowledge of one's abiding and immortal aspect.

 

I enjoy teaching yoga, and sharing it with others.  I hope that everyone who reads this post, will at least explore yoga in some detail and allow it to bring peace, clarity and healing.  Watch my short yoga video below!  Enjoy.

 

 

 

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRvBt-IYoVU

Make It a Mindful Day

Peace of mind, joy and contentment are all difficult to come by in today's harried world. We are often inundated with appointments, responsibilities and an abundance of mental chatter. Many people do not know what it feels like to just be. Busy people often long for the freedom that accompanies inner peace, but they just don't know how to slow down, relax and listen to the small still voice inside. If you are one of those people who have heard how yoga can help you relax but still have not tried it, I invite you to explore.

 Yoga really will help ease your mind and soothe your body so that the connection to inner peace can be re-established. In practicing yoga, you will truly feel like that tree planted by the rivers of water firmly rooted and not moved by every negative wind that blows.  Today, take the time to reflect, to just be, take the time to slowly enjoy your breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Make time for a small break in the middle of your day just to reflect.  The importance of how powerful these mindful moments can be are often underestimated.  Studies show that over 80% of all doctors visits are stress related.  Stress can cause serious help problems if left unchecked, and often we remain unaware of stress effects until it is too late.  The good news is that we are often in control of how we react to the very stressful moments that arise in our daily lives.  For your own wellness, take the time for you and make it a mindful day.

The Importance Of Holistic Exercise

It is 5 am and I would rather just get a little more sleep, but I have come to enjoy the feeling that I get from my morning exercise . Sometimes I do a bit of yoga and then lift some weights, but the important thing that I am doing is taking the time out for personal development which not only affects my body but my mind as well. There is something quite empowering about making the choice to exercise, not because I have to or because I was told to but because I know it is adding wellness to my life. In our society, we tend to think that if you are not a member of a health club or gym then you can not really get a good exercise program going, but this is absolutely untrue. Some of the best workouts I have had was when I just put some music on and let my self go with the flow of the music, this was what I would term a holistic workout.

Taking the time to engage in 20 minutes of yoga is also very good for your mind as well as your body and will also lift your spirit as well. To me, exercise should not only revitalize your body, but stimulate your mind and spirit as well. Holistic exercise in the morning gets your mind and body in balance with each other and serves to prepare you for your day. Once you start this practice you will immediately begin to reap the benefits that holistic exercise will offer. Holistic exercise is light that will guide your day and once you light it, it will not go dim.

The more you practice holistic exercise, the brighter your light, the more energy you will have. Good health will only come when there is communication between each part of our body and mind, in essence when our cells communicate with each other. Holistic exercise promotes harmony of the body and mind. Another important aspect of holistic exercise is that it helps to reduce stress. With regular practice, you will strengthen the nervous system and build up immune response. Are you in need of just a bit more creativity? Holistic exercise will fan those dormant flames of creativity within you and create a spark of excitement and inspiration. Today, take the time for yourself, take just a moment to engage in holistic exercise, dance to some music for 20 minutes, take a walk with some relaxing music on your ipod, meditate, do yoga or tai chi; the point here is to explore holistic exercise in all it's many forms. You can start today, even if you have never done it before. You can start your day with that spark of energy and creativity that you deserve!