Tuesday 19 February 2013

Sleep Yoga and meditation for deep relaxation and rejuvenation

Sleep Yoga guided meditation

If you have been to a yoga class you will have experienced some yoga nidra before. Some teachers begin the class with yoga nidra as well as practise it at the end of the yoga class. In the final yoga relaxation part of most yoga sessions the teacher will invite all the students to lie on their mat in sarvasana, dead body pose. The students are then guided through a well planned sequence of deep peace relaxation talk, this settles the healing energy and helps everyone to unwind.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Relax Renew Replenish yoga nidra session I would strongly advise you do so. It is a very, very blissful relaxing experience not to be missed. The teacher will talk you through a routine in which you will be asked to pay attention to your breath and also pay keep a gentle awareness onattention to what is going on throughout your body. There is so much to it, I don't really want to spoil it for you, so my advise would be to pop along to a class when you can and immerse yourself in the experience.

I will just say that you will notice the tension you are holding in your body and be able to let it go, exhale it away on your outward breath. You will also notice your breath slowing and deepening, developing into a rejuvenating deep smooth wave of breath as you inhale and exhale. 


Students have commented that  they were not sure if they went to sleep or not, but were aware that they experienced a deep sublime form of relaxation, a state of heightened awareness while still being mindful of hearing everything the teacher said, including following the instructions at the end to stretch through fingers and toes. They were incredibly bemused by the fact that the hour spent lying on their yoga mat doing essentially nothing went by in a flash.

Yoga nidra is an excellent remedy for insomnia and anxiety. A number of students have shared the fact that they suffered from insomnia for years but after yoga nidra they were able to fall asleep happily in their beds and sleep for 7 - 8 hours or more.

We do have Yoga Nidra Cd's available for purchase if you are unable to come to class on a regular basis, just ask about them when you come and see us.


If you would like to find out more about the practice of  yoga meditation you can contact us. Leave a comment and your details below, we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Check out our Yoga timetable for an activity and time that suits your schedule. Rsvp, by going to our facebook page, yogameditationstudiopalmbeach  we are ready and willing to help. See you in class.

Namaste

Yoga Palm Beach

Saturday 2 February 2013

Lei Making Lesson - Yoga Palm Beach

The History And Traditions of the Hawaiian Lei


The lei custom was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by early Polynesian voyagers, who took an incredible journey from Tahiti, navigating by the stars in sailing canoes. With these early settlers, the lei tradition in Hawaii was born.

Leis were constructed of flowers, leaves, shells,seeds, nuts, feathers, and even bone and teeth of various animals. In Hawaiian tradition, these garlands were worn by ancient Hawaiians to beautify themselves and distinguish themselves from others. The Maile lei was perhaps the most significant. Among other sacred uses, it was used to signify a peace agreement between opposing chiefs. In a Heiau (temple), the chiefs would symbolically intertwine the green Maile vine, and its completion officially established peace between the two groups.
 
A Custom of Aloha

Airport Lei Greeting With the advent of tourism in the islands, the lei quickly became the symbol of Hawaii to millions of visitors worldwide.During the "Boat Days" of the early 1900s, lei vendors lined the pier at Aloha Tower to welcome malihini (visitors) to the islands and kama'aina (locals) back home. It is said that departing visitors would throw their lei into the sea as the ship passed Diamond Head, in the hopes that,like the lei, they too would return to the islands again someday.

Today, visitors can easily bring back the nostalgia of old Hawaii by ordering a traditional flower lei greeting for their arrival at the airport. Greeters welcome visitors with a warm “aloha” and adorn them with beautiful fresh leis. It's a wonderful way to begin a Hawaiian vacation.Wearing leis at a wedding.
 
Lei Etiquette

There are very few "rules" when it comes to wearing a Hawaiian lei. Anyone can wear one, anytime - there need not be an occasion. It is perfectly fine for one to purchase or make a lei for themselves. It is common for locals to have a nut, seed or shell lei on hand to wear on special occasions. And hats are often adorned with flower, fern or feather leis.

There are, however, a couple of "unspoken rules" one should know when receiving a lei for the first time. A lei should be a welcomed celebration of one person's affection to another. Therefore, always accept a lei, never refuse. The proper way to wear a lei is gently draped over the shoulders, hanging down both in front and in back. It is considered rude to remove a lei from your neck in the presence of the person who gave it to you, so if you must, be discreet.

Graduation leis

Lei giving is a regular part of any special occasion such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and graduations. It is not uncommon for a graduating senior to have so many leis around their neck that they can no longer see!

Lei or Leis?

The Hawaiian language does not distinguish between singular and plural. Therefore, the proper way to say the plural form of lei is actually just “lei.”

Leave a comment or fo here for more details on our classes


 Lei making class

During frangipani season only.

If you would like to learn how to make on of these amazing fragrant leis leave a comment or go to our facebook page to get more details on this or our classes.

Namaste
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