PDF Posted on 21 January '10 by CarsonZi, under Blog Posts. No Comments.
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Posted on 4 January '10 by CarsonZi, under Blog Posts. No Comments.
What is Yoga?
Namaste Friends!
Recently I was asked by a friend to explain to him exactly what “Yoga” is. I was trying to explain to him about how Yoga was a great method for learning to end suffering in our daily lives when he asked; “How exactly are some stretching exercises going to help me learn to stop suffering!?” So I figured perhaps it would be a good idea to write a blog post on what “Yoga” is, and how it can help us stop suffering.
The word “Yoga” is an ancient Sanskrit word that means “yoke” or “to join”. But what exactly are we “joining” with the practice of yoga? Yoga teaches us to join the subject and the object, the observer and the observed, the small self with the larger Self. The small self is what most of us think of as “me”….this is our ego, our conditioning, our biases and beliefs….the things we think we are. The larger Self is an unbound awareness or pure consciousness that lies under our “thinking mind” and permeates all of existence….there is nothing that is not a manifestation of Pure Consciousness. When the mind is still, we are able to rest in pure consciousness….and the essential nature of consciousness is Blissful Silence. It is a storehouse of peace, bliss, and creativity. This is why in the Bible in Psalms it says “Be still and know that I am God”….to access the Divine all we have to do is know how to be still.
So how do we learn to “be still”? Well, with yoga practices. But “Yoga” is not what many of us in the West think of as yoga. Yoga is much more then stretching exercises, although it is that too. Patanjali, the Indian sage who wrote “The Yoga Sutras” outlines an eight-limbed path that is Yoga. One of those limbs is asanas or yogic postures/stretching exercises. But there are 7 other limbs! There is much more to yoga then just stretching the body. The word “asana” means “seat”….the purpose of the asanas is to stretch the body so that it is comfortable to sit for a period of time in meditation. Meditation is how we learn to still the mind. With the practice of meditation we learn to go past the thinking mind into that great storehouse of Bliss……Inner Silence. When we learn to still the mind for specific periods of time during the day (with a consistant meditation practice) we find that as we go about our daily lives we begin to react to Life a little differently then before we started a meditation practice. We find that the things that used to really bother us, don’t really bother us so much anymore. We find that we have more “space” to see our mind’s tendencies and we are given the option to not react as we instinctually would. This is the beginning of the end of our suffering. When we tap into that storehouse of peace that is Inner Silence/Pure Bliss Consciousness with a daily meditation practice, we begin to be able to choose to not suffer over things that used to cause us endless suffering. We begin to see that all suffering is an option. As the old saying goes “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”. With a consistant daily meditation practice we start to see that all suffering happens when we believe our thoughts…thoughts about Life and the way it “should” be. We begin to see that Life is perfect just the way it is, and that fighting with reality is a lost cause. As Byron Katie says in her book Loving What Is, “When you argue with reality, you always lose – but only 100% of the time”. She goes on to say that “The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is”. And a consistant daily meditation practice allows us to begin to see that “what Is”, is just perfect….how could it be any other way!? 
So, yoga is much more then just stretching exercises…..it is a set of practices designed to help us find peace within ourselves….a way of realizing that everything we could ever want, everything we could ever desire, we already have….we already ARE. Everything we could ever need is already inside of us. It is just a matter of getting in touch with, and coming to Know, That which we each and all are….Pure Bliss Consciousness.
I wish you all a Happy and safe New Years….may we all come to Know and rest in our True Nature.
Love,
Carson
Posted on 30 December '09 by CarsonZi, under Blog Posts. 1 Comment.
Posted on 18 December '09 by CarsonZi, under Products. No Comments.
Class Schedule Updated
Class Schedule recently updated!
Click the Class Schedules tab at the top for details.
Email me at carsonzi@blissedyoga.com or call 1-403-606-9464 to register today!
Posted on 18 December '09 by CarsonZi, under Class Schedule, Recent Updates. 1 Comment.
Posted on 10 December '09 by CarsonZi, under Products. No Comments.
Private Lessons Available
I am now available to offer private yoga lessons in the comfort of either your own home or in mine. The cost is $70 for a private yoga class but this is on a sliding scale…..no one will be turned away due to a lack of funds.
These classes also include an optional 20 minute Thai Yoga Massage at the end of each class. Each class is approximately 1.5 to 2 hours in duration depending on you. In these classes we will work on finding out exactly where you are at in your Yoga practice, and designing a custom practice suited to you and your personal desires/goals/physique and other factors as well. A great way to become comfortable with Yoga without having to set foot in a Yoga studio or feel judged by others around you.
Everyone deserves to Know through personal experience the benefits of Yoga, and if you are the type of person who is shy or intimidated by going to public classes, then perhaps this is the option for you.
To schedule your own Private Yoga Lessons please contact me at carsonzi@blissedyoga.com or call me at 1-403-606-9464. I look forward to working with YOU!
Namaste
Posted on 6 December '09 by CarsonZi, under Private Lessons. No Comments.
Class Descriptions
All classes are pre-registered only and are $120 for the full 8 week program. Cost includes two “Advanced Yoga Practices” books. There is 1 class per week per program.
Class 1: “Beginners Yoga: Finding Inner Silence”
In this class we will learn how to properly align the body so that we gain the most from even the ”simplest” postures, as well as a powerful breathing technique called “Spinal Breathing Pranayama” and the core of all Yoga, “Deep Meditation”. We will also learn what “energetic overload” is, how to identify it in ourselves and some prudent “Self Pacing” methods to combat this should you ever begin to experience overload. We also discuss Kundalini, Tantra and Enlightenment.
This class is a prerequisite for the other classes offered.
Class 2: “Intermediate Yoga: The Next Step”
In this class we will learn a few of the more intermediate Hatha postures, the common Mudras (bodily manipulations) and Bandhas (energetic locks), and a powerful practice combining the last 3 limbs of Yoga (concentration, meditation and absorbtion) called Samyama. We will also learn a bit about yogic “cleansing methods” called Shatkarmas. We also take a more indepth look at Tantra and discuss some of the energetic effects of ecstatic conductivity (Kundalini) as we learn practices that directly stimulate this dormant energy.
This class is a prerequisite for the Advanced Yoga class.
Class 3: ”Advanced Yoga: Merging with the Infinite”
In this class we will be learning a few of the more advanced Hatha postures, an esoteric (formerly secret) mudra called Kechari Mudra, Cosmic Samyama (advanced Yoga Nidra), some Left Hand Path Tantric practices to harness the power of the human sexual essences, some powerful Self Inquiry methods as well as some often misunderstood Shatkarmas like Amaroli therapy. We will also delve into a more advanced version of Spinal Breathing Pranayama call Bastrika Pranayama. Not for the faint of heart or the closed-minded 
To register for classes please contact me at carsonzi@blissedyoga.com or call me at 1-403-606-9464. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Namaste!
Posted on 6 December '09 by CarsonZi, under Class Descriptions. No Comments.
Hello! My name is Carson and I am a Hatha Yoga Teacher (RYT). I teach a blend of postures, breathing exercises and meditation helpful for finding Inner Silence.
