Yoga

               This past week I took a yoga class at the studio where I work, Solid Ground Yoga.  I have taken classes in the past but had not taken one since we did our lectures on the different yogas.  After listening to the information gone over in lecture I went into the yoga class with a different view of what I was about to do. 

                Since I have practiced yoga in the past I have always been aware of the benefits that it provided.  In addition to the physical benefits that yoga gives you, there are many other things that a practice provides.  One of the main things that yoga is known for is stress relief.  With the combination of the stretch that the poses provide, peaceful music and pleasant lavender aroma it is easy to see how stress could just melt away.  The one thing that Solid Ground Yoga is known for is ending each session with savasana, deep relaxation.  This is a wonderful five to ten minute period in which you lay peacefully with a lavender eye pillow over your eyes.  When this period of relaxation is over you feel amazingly refreshed and rejuvenated.

                One of the other things that yoga helps with is grounding.  It is easy for people to get caught up in the crazy world that we reside in.  With the demands of life (work, family, etc.) it is easy to get out of touch with reality.  In addition, it is easy to put emphasis on the things that do not really matter and stress out about them.  This takes us away from the present moment and makes us feel like we are never fully connected and in touch with things in our lives.  Yoga helps center you through breathing and really connecting the breath to the movement and the posture itself.  It is amazing that something so simple as breathing can bring you back down to earth and make you feel in the present. 

                Overall, yoga is a wonderful practice and has a ton of benefits.  From increased endurance and flexibility to stress relief and the connection to the present it is clear that yoga is wonderful for you.  I know that I will continue to practice and feel the benefits of yoga.

Experiential Field Trip - Zen meditation at Ekoji Buddhist Sangha

           Today I visited the Ekoji Buddhist Sangha and practiced Zed meditation.  I decided to bring a friend with me so we could experience this together.  As we were pulling up to Ekoji I was shocked that it was in the middle of the Fan in a house that looked just like the others surrounding it.  The only thing that set it apart from the residential houses was a little sign over the front door.  I thought it was interesting, and kind of great, that they do not advertise with a huge sign like a lot of other worship centers do. 

            As we walked up to the building we were not really sure what to expect.  The moment we stepped through the door it was like we had entered a different world.  The noise and stress of the outside world seemed to melt away into something more simple and quiet.  We were told to take our shoes off and wait for someone to come over and explain the process.  We were led upstairs and were shown the different meditation rooms.  We ended up at the Zen room and were given some instruction about Zen meditation.  We ran through the postures and how the meditation is done so that we would have a clue as to what we were doing when we went downstairs and did the real thing. 

            I am VERY glad that we had the instruction before going to meditate!  Once downstairs, we were led to a cushion, sat facing the wall, lowered our eyes to a 40 degree angle and started the quiet seated meditation… which lasted 30 minutes! Now, it might seem like it would be easy to sit still and do nothing for that amount of time but it sure is NOT.  The whole point of Zen meditation is to connect with the current moment and only feel what you are feeling in that exact moment. 

            After the seated meditation a bell rang and we all stood up and did a standing meditation for 10 minutes.  The standing meditation required that we walk slowly around the room in a circle.  Okay, by slowly I mean that I moved 12 feet (at the most) in 10 minutes.  It was SLOW!

            The overall experience was very positive.  The instruction we had before the actual meditation was extremely helpful and informative.  The meditation in and of itself was like nothing I had ever experienced.  I do not think that I have ever felt that at peace and quiet.  Overall, it was a great adventure and I will definitely go back to do Zen meditation in the future!