Tonight I got back from Pranafest, a yoga festival in Ashland, Oregon that’s been happening for 3 years. The festival was based around yoga, kirtan, music, and healing ceremonies, though the music was definitely secondary to the yoga and healing, which was interesting. I got to meet and experience a lot of amazing artists and … Read more
Samadhi is the 8th and final limb of yoga. Samadhi is a state of concentrated meditation that transcends the intellect, mind, and body and complete detachment from the physical world (meaning consciousness becomes detached from the body). This final stage of yoga is also known as enlightenment and can be achieved in Corpse Pose, after meditation … Read more
The Rectus Abdominis is a paired vertical muscle that runs from the xiphoid process at the bottom of the sternum, across the top of the 5th and 7th ribs and down to the pubic symphysis, pubic crest, and pubic tubercle below the hip-line. The two muscles are separated by the linea alba running down their … Read more
Part I Part II The Transversus Abdominis is the deepest layer of the abdominal wall, underneath the internal obliques. It stabilizes the mid-back and pelvic areas. Since it is the deepest layer of abdominal tissue, its function is important is activating the other muscles of the abdomen and stabilizers in the spine during dynamic movement. … Read more
The internal oblique is just below, or beneath the surface, of the external oblique. The fibers of the internal oblique run perpendicular to the external oblique; this cross-stitching of the muscles give the oblique a tremendous amount of stability and are extremely useful to the respiratory system in breathing and providing support for the organs … Read more
Everyone is full of shit. Yes, I am talking about fecal matter. Even Bryan Kest, Iyengar, Pathhabi Jois, and Patanjali. Hell, even Jesus Christ took shits. Every human that has walked this Earth has been and is, full of it. This doesn’t make what they achieved less significant, but it does set things into perspective. … Read more
The abdominal wall consists of four distinct muscles, the transverse abdominus, the internal obliques, the rectus abdominus, and the external obliques. These muscles form three distinct layers, with the rectus abdominus and external obliques on top. The transverse adbominus forms a kind of belt around the lower spine and the internal obliques stitch together up … Read more
Jainism is an Indian religion devoted to the practice of Ahimsa, self-control, and self-discipline and teaches that these are the pathways to liberation. Jainism is non-theistic, and modern Jainism is divided into two sects, Digambara and Svetambara. Jainists are renowned for their literacy and education and have the highest degree if literacy of any religious … Read more
A sutra is an aphorism, or collection of aphorisms in a manual or script from Buddhism, Hinduism, or Jainism. Siv means thread or line holding things together, which likely literally referred to the palm leaves used to write the manuscripts. This separates them from the Vedas which were passed down orally until recently. This form of … Read more