Louise Fisichella...
Louise Fisichella has studied Comparitive Religions,Yoga, nutrition and health for over 30 years
Yoga Made Weezie
FOR YO-LIFETIME
Recently I was at a gathering of about a dozen or so people, of the three people who had tried Yoga all three said they had quit because it was time consuming. This is the exact reason why I feel compelled to Westernize Yoga. Many people feel that Yoga is a religious and therefore must be practiced in a certain way. Strange Eastern music, low lights, solemn concentration, plenty of very slow calculated movements………the list goes on as to what must be done to practice Yoga.
Forget ALL that! You can just do the movements without all the trappings. So, clear your mind of any pre-conceived ideas and Just Do It. The Sun Salutation is simply a series of stretches, done in a particular order as to make it flow, combine all major muscle groups, and stimulate glands and lymph to activate. That is why I prefer people do them in the morning. Although, after a particularly rough day I can do an extra set at night to undo the tension I have created during the day.
The truth is you can do a set of Salutation anytime, anywhere. All you need is a space 2ft by 5ft and 7minutes! I can do 10 sets in 7minutes at a reasonable rate. And what I define as a “reasonable rate” is your breath. I begin breathing as if I were walking at a steady pace and continue breathing at this same rate throughout the entire 10 sets. It’s easy and it works! You don’t need to chant magical songs and listen to foreign music performed on instruments you’ve never seen before, with incense burning, while waiting to become spiritually enlightened. This rigid perspective of Yoga won’t fit into our Western world. And it is not sustainable.
Sustainability is what we seek when learning how to take care of ourselves in this hectic, insanely fast paced world we live in here in the United States. Of all I do to care for myself Yoga is one of the things I see myself doing into the twilight years of my life. If you can’t touch your toes everyday until you die, you’re doing something wrong. Or you are neglecting to do something right. Why bother, some say. Well, I for one want to live a full and active life until that day comes when I die. Until then I want to be as free to move about, act on my physical being and enjoy every minute!!!!!!!!!
So, go down load “Yoga Man” and give the Sun Salutation another try. You can Westernize it in any way that works for you. Remember you don’t have to wear a turban, look like Gandhi, or say the Ohm, just touch your toes and relax into some great stretches. And, please feel free to contact me about your successes as well as your concerns!
As always you can e-mail me and I will help guide you towards more learning and exploration of alternatives to traditional Western eating!
Contact Louise at Go Figure Body Works
E-mail: Louise Fisichella
Return to Main Articles Page
