When you think about what’s most important in life, what comes to your mind?  Breath.  Without it, we are all corpses.  When your done playing and having fun, chasing money around, working your life away so that you can come home, kick back and ease the stress of the fast paced working world with any number of intoxicants to choose from, what are we left with?

Fortunately more and more people are questioning this, that’s why people are turning to yoga.  It’s blown up in popularity to proportions out of control in the Western world, this is a fairly recent phenomena.  It’s applicable to us now, more than ever, in times of financial and ecological global crisis.

So get out there!  Walk into your local yoga school and sign up for a drop in class now, don’t delay.  If you like it, come back tomorrow for more.  Here’s a bundle to get you inspired with some interesting links and clips on yoga.

Yoga for Beginners

Yoga in America is awesome.  Imagine having the luxury of practicing in some of the best schools in the world, without the hassle of traveling to India.  The Master teachers are all here, and they teach in a language that’s easy to interpret.  Please refer to my bundle on yoga in America for a brief introduction to some of the best schools and teachers in the country.

Yoga in America

If a past time (or highly disciplined practice rather) wasn’t complete in and of itself, we also have top of the line accessories to keep you coming back for more.  For what would a game of golf be without the latest plaids, clubs, hats, shoes and cigars?  Yoga has become quite the styled out affair, from mats to attire, there are a number of different ‘conscious’ companies  producing some great prodcuts to help support your yoga practice.  Featured below is one such company, Lululemon.  I’ve put together a bundle on this one-of-a-kind company because they make gear that lasts, is practical both on and off the mats.  We at Empty Bamboo will be keeping a close eye on Lululemon for some fly new designs to come, keep up the good work y’all!  Peace, from the jungle baby…

Yoga is Life practice, the word Yoga means “to join”, “to come together”, or better yet the word comes from the Sanskrit root word “Yuj” which means to “yoke” or to “join”. Yoga is about Union. We must remember that performing asanas (yoga poses) is just one branch on the Tree of practice. As we develop our relationship to the Earth and Others through asana practice, our bodies become more attuned to the bigger picture.

Practice is always changing, we are always evolving in our lives. We must stay fresh, alert, and aware. Look for the signs of evolution, don’t get stuck in ruts, keep moving. Don’t stay in uniformity, at a certain point asana practice can become nothing more than body cherishing, as the 13th century text The Hath Yoga Pradipika reminds us, it doesn’t serve us as practitioners to get stuck in ruts, it just creates more vasanas (mental grooves) that are hard to get out of. Once a teaching is practiced and perfected, move on, keep climbing. The goal is Samadhi (Union, Ecstasy, Bliss) not Siddhi (Magical powers that are byproducts of practice, they are often hindrances on the path). Remember practice will become more refined as you travel on, it’s not about remaining in the classroom, on the mat all of the time. This is a luxury that not all of us have, in fact it’s necessary in the beginning to establish discipline, but after awhile like every bird it’s time to jump the nest and fly.

Practice imitates life, practice is life. The old Zen saying of “taking you’re practice from the mountains into the market place” is profound, this is what I’m talking about. It’s a Grand Illusion and a paradox that there is a separate time for practice, and the rest of the day and night is not practice. It’s true that we can “take to practice”, setting aside some time each day to sharpen and forge our bodies and minds, but ultimately practice has to become a 24hr. a day affair. In Good Faith…