Yo Joan

Dear Wynne,

Non-Violence is the first step of Yoga practice. The simplest thing would be to get another job, but this does not solve the problem, unless of course, you left with kindness and love toward your boss. Think of him as the kind and loving soul he is. The rest is a mask. We are all kind and loving souls, but some of us wear heavier masks than others. Some of us have no idea how to remove this mask.

Emotional violence can escalate in the same way as physical violence but it’s often subtle and not obvious. There are so many people walking around who have been so utterly beaten emotionally they hardly know how to function in ways that are kind and caring. The emotional violence has beaten their spirits and killed their sense of joy. They have been injured, some even killed, but they manage to walk around fooling people they are alive and well.

Again, you need to see your boss as the kind and loving soul he is. This internal shift in awareness is not an easy process. In fact, many people simply give up. It is so much easier to label someone and explain away differences in this way. An internal shift of awareness is difficult for we all wear masks. You must look deeply and see through your own mask to the kind and loving soul you are. When you truly see your own beauty, the beauty around you will overwhelm you. You will be overwhelmed by love, kindness, and joy – even toward your boss. This understanding comes from deep within and shines through your eyes to him. Whether he is in your presence or not, without any words spoken, he will know your heart is filled with kindness toward him. What you need is a transformation in how you view him. This transformation begins with how you view yourself.

Let your light shine, Wynne.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Brent,

Thank you, will try my best to clarify...

1) The chills sound positive to me. Beautiful expression of energy at work...

2) The structure was meant to be open, which means that each person is different in how they study and apply principles. There is no wrong or right way in this regard. I would suggest finding a pose you love and then applying the various elements to it... then finding a pose you do not enjoy and see if you can apply the elements to it. Sometimes we love certain poses because we are comfortable in them, whereas we need to explore poses we are not comfortable in to see how we can become comfortable.

It is certainly my honor....

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Sam,

I'm happy you found the techniques worthwhile. My emphasis was on 1)Balance 2) Stress Reduction 3) Meditation.

For balance: Alternate nostril breathing. (Nadi Shodhana) Breathe in slowly thru one nostril, close it off, and breathe out through the other. No rush, take your time.

For Stress Reduction: 4/8 breaths. Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for eight. A mantra such as Alleluia can help to extend the exhale of breath as well.

For Meditation: Object of Beauty. This meditation is done by closing your eyes and visualizing parts of nature you think are exceptionally beautiful. 

Let these images melt into you as you begin to see this beauty inherent within you.

If I can help you further, Sam, please do let me know. It was a great joy for me to teach at the conference this past July, particularly as one of the ending sessions ... for in yoga, the end is really the beginning...

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Warren,

Firstly, let me say to everyone reading this that I did not pay you for those comments about the CIG book, but I do appreciate them;-) Everything old is new again. Yoga is a full body work-out and also a comprehensive lifestyle approach, so when it is departmentalized like this, aka "face yoga", it's just plain difficult for me to fathom. I think I'll simply suggest pranayama - and perhaps a more kundalini inspired practice. This is a practice with a large focus on breathwork. Pranayama cleanses and purifies the body. Since the focus is on the breath, which mainly comes through the nose on your face, this would be my recommendation. A simpler, less stressed face is something we can all strive for. Through the study of yoga, this is found from healing/rejuvenating from the inside out, rather than the outside in.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Mick,

There are several books on the market now specific to partner poses, but partnering poses is really an artistic venture.  I referred to several poses in the CIG books that can be done with a partner.  These discoveries came out of working with a teacher.  Yoga was meant as a solitary pursuit.  It can be wonderful when you find poses where partners can each benefit from the stretch simultaneously, but that is what it then becomes – a stretch.  Yoga is the union of body and mind.  One body and mind.  Yet as this unity takes place, we discover how deeply and intimately connected we all are.

So, to circle back to your specific question, I have not read any of the new Partner Yoga books on the market so cannot really refer one.  Let me know if you discover one you love!

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Dennis,

Here is an exercise for you:  Take out a pen and paper and reflect on the answers to these questions.  Write each answer down.

1) Visualize yourself loosing control.  What would happen if you lost control?  What does this mean specifically?

2) How would a loss of control scare you?  What do you fear happening?

3) How could you loose control in meditation?  What might happen to you if you did?

4) How would this loss of control in meditation affect your day, your life, the life of others?

By reflecting on these answers, I am asking you to face your fears through the power of your pen.  I would suggest you find a mediation teacher who can also help you explore the answers to these questions further.  Your fears can be brought up in a loving and supportive environment with a meditation teacher.  The company of others on this path will soften some, if not all, of your fears.

Because you state you read my book, you know that meditation can be approached from various directions.  Whatever direction you approach your mediation study from, the first step involves developing focus through concentration.  There are many exercises that can be done to develop focus.  Some examples are:  Mantra (sound repetition), hatha yoga (yoga postures), breath awareness, sense withdrawal, candle gazing, etc.  These types of practices develop awareness.  Awareness brings us into deeper states of meditation.

Meditation is not loosing control.  Meditation is developing awareness.  Meditation is not controlling.  Meditation is freedom.  For me, Meditation is like tuning a harp.  It takes time to tune a harp.  I could play the harp without tuning it, but the sounds will be dissonant.  I will not be able to master my playing of the harp this way because I will not be aware of the sound of the strings until I actually strike them.  Some notes may sound strange to my inner ear.  My mind will hear something different than what I am playing.  My harp and my mind will not be in sync.

If I tune the harp before playing it, I can play melody that can take me into deeper and clearer expressions of the music I hear within.  With practice and time, this music becomes not only an expression of me, but it becomes me.  There is no separation between the music and myself.  For me, playing the harp is an exercise in meditation.  It is a private experience that I cherish.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Heather,

Yoga helped me in my singing bit it wasn’t a matter of singing higher notes; it was a matter of finding and expressing my inner voice.  The clearer the inner voice is, the clearer the outer voice becomes.  Mercury Chakra is the energy center of the throat region and is the seat of our communications and expressions.  So, certainly poses that can open the throat region, such as Shoulder Stand and Fish Pose, can be beneficial to singers.  Yoga can help actualize any gift you have.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Jason,

Wait at least an hour after eating lightly. For heavier meals, wait a little longer.

It doesn't sound silly at all to do a yoga workout twice a day. I would recommend an energetic workout early in the day, and a more reflective one later in the day to calm the body for a restful sleep.And as your body recharges in your sleep, your dreams will bring you into deeper awareness and understandings. May this increasing awareness help you to realize your heart's desires. In my humble experience, when dreaming's through - dreams come true.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear El,

I don't know enough about your situation to answer this fairly. It sounds like you've lost a tremendous amount of weight in a short amount of time. It is not normal to shake in the poses. I would recommend you consult your medical doctor.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Sue,

You aren’t necessarily doing anything wrong.  Why do you think the legs are crossed on top of the thighs in the Seated Meditation pose of Lotus?  It anchors the body down and keeps the meditating monks from falling over when they fall asleep!  Many people get sleepy when they attempt to meditate.  It’s important to honor the body.  Perhaps if you get drowsy, your body is clearly stating to you that you need more sleep?

Remember this easy slogan of mine:  Feeling down, move around.  Feeling great, meditate.  The time to meditate is when you are feeling great and rested.  This will give you the chance to fully experience what meditation is or can be.  When you mediate, have a candle or an object of beauty to use as your central focus.  Many people use a picture of a form of divinity meaningful to them.  The important point to remember is – meditation occurs when you merge with your object of meditation.  This is why it’s important to have something beautiful you want to merge with.

I wish you well, plenty of rest and sweet dreams so that your meditation practice can be especially meaningful for you.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Chris,

What a wonderful question to start out the New Year.  Thank you!

The practice of yoga leads to meditation, so it is wonderful to have a question like this come up that helps us explore the ultimate purpose of the study of the yoga postures.  Meditation is most often taught with the spine erect.  The main reason being that is easier to maintain awareness when the spine is erect.  It is easier to fall asleep when lying down and thus loose consciousness and go into a dream state rather than into a meditative state.

However, you mention that you have studied TM (Transcendental Meditation).  This form of meditation uses mantra (repetition of sound) as a way of deepening consciousness.  You say you have been studying this for approximately 15 years.  You also say that you have been finding success in your meditation practice when in corpse pose.  I am not sure what this exactly means, but I assume you are feeling good about the direction your meditation practice is going while in corpse pose.  Corpse pose (Shavasana) is a pose of relaxation where the body is lying flat on the floor with the palms resting upward.  I encourage you to explore further what is happening to you in Corpse pose that is making you feel good about your meditation practice.  Here are some questions to help you:

Are you remaining conscious in Corpse Pose?

Are you able to relax more in Corpse Pose than in Seated Pose?

What happens differently for you in Corpse Pose than in Seated Pose?

Why is meditation practice more effective for you in Corpse Pose?

If your body is strong, as a regular yoga posture practice inspires, the relaxing qualities you find in Corpse Pose can be transferred into your seated practice.  For Example:  As you are seated, relax your legs, relax your arms, relax your torso, and relax your face.  Soften your breathing.  Release your thoughts.  Focus your mind on a mantra or object of devotion.

All the yoga poses lead to meditation, including Corpse pose.  It is wonderful you are finding this process of meditation in Corpse Pose (Shavasana).  Meditation while lying on one’s back is difficult for many people.  Most loose a conscious state of mind and fall asleep and so are not able to maintain the awareness needed for meditation in this position.  The next step for you, Chris, is to try and find this meditation when the spine is upright, and ultimately for your meditation practice to be a part of your regular movements in the world.

Wishing you, Chris, and all who are reading this (and even those who are not) a new year filled with every deepening and expanding moments of peace.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Chloe,

Yoga is stress reducing.  Yoga works in harmony with the balance of your body and thebalance of nature.  We spend much of our life fighting nature, trying to control it.  For example, gravity is constantly pulling at us.  Yoga says, Yes to Gravity!  Yoga plays with it.  It befriends gravity.  It helps us understand we can actually move our bodies in various directions and gravity helps in the movements.  We don’t fight gravity, we say, ‘Welcome!   Let’s be friends!’  So, if your’ looking for an oasis of peace in a stressful world, the study of yoga can help to create this serene oasis.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Clint,

I’ve never heard of Zhan Shaung, so I can’t help you on that one, but allow me to quote myself from our book to help you on your first question.  I know this is odd to quote myself, but we have three editions of the book.  I’m not sure which one you have.  We get better with each new edition in getting a clearer definition of this Yoga Yama of Brahmacharya.

“Being virtuous means holding the opposite sex in high esteem and nurturing respect for someone you love.  It also means holding yourself in high esteem and refusing to let your body be swayed by its every whim, desire, an want, whether that desire is for the person or for power or for a pound of Hershey’s Kisses.  Refusing to let your body be swayed by desire certainly doesn’t preclude sex, a good promotion, or chocolate, for that matter.  Instead, this Yama encourages the kind of restraint, and attitude toward those things we tend to desire that will help keep our minds clear and focused.  Desire in itself is not negative.  It is only when desire takes over as the driver of your life when you might run into trouble.  Yoga helps to put you, the real you, back in the drivers’ seat.”

Although no particular mention is made to specifics such as “making out,” in the yogic sense our minds are as important as our actions.  As we beautify our minds, we’re more open to giving and receiving love.  There’s no harm in loving another person.  Contemplate your feelings for the other person.  Contemplate their feelings for you.  Know that you want the best for them and for you.  Let these simple contemplations guide your actions.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Sue,

I’m a believer too;-)

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Darren,

There are many variations on fasting.  Many cultures and traditions support the use of fasting as a way to increase spiritual awareness.  A common sense approach, which is the Yoyoga way, would say that fasting helps one to prioritize differently.  If you are not thinking about or planning your meals, you will have more time and ability to focus on spiritual concerns and questions.  This does not work for everyone, in fact, I dare say, it does not work for most.  Most people are overwhelmed with feelings and sensations of food when they fast, so fasting really makes them focus on food even more.  They just count the minutes till their fast ends so they can eat again.  Their time fasting is spent dreaming about the delicious next meal.  Even so, fasting can help us to become aware of this, and to see how clear our focus of concentration can be.  If one is able to focus so clearly and strongly on food, imagine the possibilities if the focus could be placed elsewhere!

For this reason, I agree with the many traditions that support fasting one day a week as beneficial on spiritual levels.  If a full day is not possible, then one morning, or one evening, or simply eating less that day.  I recommend a juice fast, so as not to completely starve the body.  I do not recommend a fast for people with serious health concerns or those who are taking medications of any sort.

My fast recommendations are from a spiritual level, not from a physical one.  Our bodies need food as physical fuel, so I honestly do not believe that fasting can be justified on this level alone.  But, if we view fasting as fuel for our spiritual growth, I believe there is strong justification to offer a simple fast to the temple that houses our spirit one day a week.  In this time, read more spiritual texts, pray more, meditate more.  Use the time you would have used eating as a time to reflect on spiritual question, concerns, understandings.  When you come out of this fast, do not gorge on all the food you missed.  This defeats the fast.  Rather, drink some warm water with a pinch of salt or ginger, then an hour later, drink some organic juice.  Then a little later, have something light and healthy to eat.  This is the way to come out of a fast.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Ann,

I would follow your doctor’s orders.  However, you should understand that yoga helps to build bone density.  Many of the yoga poses are weight bearing.  It is an excellent program for seniors who are loosing bone mass through aging.  Since you have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you must be especially cautious of lifting too much weight in order to prevent bone breakage.  Your own body weight (which is what yoga poses work with) may be too much for you to handle now.  Take yoga classes with knowledgeable yoga instructors who can give you the personal attention you need.  When we are in large classes, the teacher cannot always attend to the special needs of the students.  If you choose to go to larger classes, tell the teacher of your concerns, but still go very slowly in the movements.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Jonna,

Thank you, young lady, for starting the year 2000 off to such a beautiful start.  EveAdamson (my co-author) and I worked hard on the book and your comments are deeply and sincerely appreciated.  I think Dr. Peale is cool too.  I have read his books.  I have never seen a Kung Fu movie tho.  Obviously, David Carradine packs quite a punch!

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Suza Francina,

Happy 1999!  What a great book you have written.  Thank you, dear!

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Ellen,

Thank you for the great tip!  I will check it out and hope other readers will as well!

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Angela,

It’s not the quantity of space, but the quality of space that is of utmost importance.  Have as little furniture and distractions as possible.  Is undo clutter cleared from your tiny, tiny space?  Keep the room clean?  As you are probably discovering many of the hatha yoga postures require a space that is only slightly larger than the length of your body.  As you continue opening your body, you will find that the space around you will joyously begin to open more too.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Shisha from Natick, MA,

My Sun is in Gemini in my 10th house.  My moon is in Pisces in my 8th house.  And my Ascendant is in Leo.  Now you will know me even better!  Thank you for your many kind words.  A yoga class with a flute…beautiful!

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Angela,

It’s not the quantity of space, but the quality of space that is of utmost importance.  Have as little furniture and distractions as possible.  Is undo clutter cleared from your tiny, tiny space?  Keep the room clean?  As you are probably discovering many of the hatha yoga postures require a space that is only slightly larger than the length of your body.  As you continue opening your body, you will find that the space around you will joyously begin to open more too.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Shisha from Natick, MA,

My Sun is in Gemini in my 10th house.  My moon is in Pisces in my 8th house.  And my Ascendant is in Leo.  Now you will know me even better!  Thank you for your many kind words.  A yoga class with a flute…beautiful!

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Charles,

Thank you for your letter.  Where is Stockton?

I understand your needs.  When a person finds something like Yoga and begins to see that it can be of such great benefit, the feeling of wanting to know everything about it rushes into consciousness.  ‘Lord grant me patience, but hurry!’

Yoga is a process.  Have you been slowly developing your asana or posture practice?  Have you found a yoga teacher in your area you can study with? Have you gone into the bookstore and found a yoga book to read that sparks your interest and keeps it there through the end of the book?  Charles, you have found an important key to learning, the excitement of the Mars Chakra that motivates one to action.  The enlightenment is in the persistence and dedication – Sun/Moon Chakra – leads one to wisdom.

Many blessings, Charles, as you continue on the inspiring and rewarding path.

Namaste,
Joan

Dear Monrie,

Thank you for your heart-felt letter.  My sincere condolences to you and your family for the tragic death of your nephew.

Violence is a part of this world.  A time to reflect on which came first…the inner world or the outer world?  Yoga teaches us that the ultimate control is within, even when the world around seems to be loosing control.

The question arises, ‘How can one possibly find bliss amidst unhappiness and tragedy?’ The yogic view would be to rid ourselves of judgments - Through this process, compassion develops, and in turn a more loving and less violent world.

In regards to children, yes, it would be wonderful to offer yoga classes for children at young ages.  Your ideas, I think, are right on!  Thank you for your letter, Monrie.  It is always a joy to see you in class and your beautiful persistent light.

Namaste,
Joan