This is one of my favorite stories. It teaches us the importance of cultivating equanimity in the face of life’s ups and downs, to find a calmness within ourselves. Being able to be “non-reactive” to the negative aspects of life will help us remain calm, balanced and experience the inner joy. As Swami Satchidanda often said, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf!”
Here is the old story of a farmer and his horse:
A farmer’s most valuable asset is the one horse he owns. One day it runs away. All the townspeople commiserate with him, “Oh, what terrible luck! You’ve fallen into poverty now, with no way to pull the plow or move your goods!” The farmer merely responds, “I don’t know if it’s unfortunate or not; all I know is that my horse is gone.”
A few days later, the horse returns, and following it are six more horses, both stallions and mares. The townspeople say “Oh! You’ve struck it rich! Now you have seven horses to your name!” Again, the farmer says, “I don’t know if I’m fortunate or not: all that I can say is that I now have seven horses in my stable.”
A few days later, while the farmer’s son is trying to break in one of the wild stallions, he’s thrown from the horse and breaks his leg and shoulder. All the townspeople bemoan his fate: “Oh, how terrible! Your son has been so badly injured, he’ll not be able to help you with the harvest. What a misfortune!” The farmer responds, “I don’t know if it’s a misfortune or not: what I know is that my son has been injured.”
Less that a week later, the army sweeps through town, conscripting all the young men to fight in a war…all except for the farmer’s son, who is unable to fight because of his injury.
We never know what life brings us and what those final consequences will be of each of those highs and lows in life. But wouldn’t it be nice to learn to surf those waves? To stay balanced and smooth instead of constantly reacting to those ups and downs? That is what “living in equanimity” will bring us – the ability to accept life’s mysteries and the uncontrollable nature of things for what they are and to learn that the only thing we can control is our own reaction to them.
~ Excerpts taken from a Yoga Journal article “Calm Within” by Frank Jude Boccio
Exercise Stability Balls can be used in many forms of exercise – whether it’s Yoga, Pilates, or Fitness workouts. What some people don’t know is that these same balls are not only used for Prenatal Yoga, but in preparation for delivery of a baby. Hospitals and birthing centers incorporate “Birthing Balls” as part of their birthing preparation classes. This video will give you some ideas as to how this may be done.
When following along with this video, have your Yoga Ball / Birthing Ball, a Yoga Mat, and even a folding metal chair available to try some of these exercises.
Following is the fourth video in our series of Prenatal Yoga on a Ball. Each have run about 10 minutes long. To make one continuous practice, watch each of the last four Tuesday videos for a nice practice. In today’s video, Sara shows us a side stretch and some gentle backbends on the ball. You’ll need a yoga bolster and a Yoga Ball for this portion of the video series.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this series. Even if you aren’t pregnant, you may enjoy trying some of these yoga poses on the stability ball, or even to learn how to incorporate a yoga bolster into your practice.
A Prenatal Yoga Video on the Ball continues in this third of four videos. Please visit the last two Thursday videos if you haven’t watched those yet. In this 9-min section of an ongoing Prenatal practice, you will need 1-2 Yoga Bolsters and a Yoga Ball.
The following Prenatal Yoga video using a Yoga Ball is the second in our four-part series. If you missed last week’s video, you may wish to start with that 10-minute video before watching this 9 1/2 minute continuation of this practice offered by Sara Varona.
In today’s practice you will practice doing the ever-so-important-for-pregnancy squats in which you will use the Yoga Ball, but you may also wish to add a Yoga Bolster, Yoga Blocks, or a Yoga Blanket if you struggle with doing squats with your heels flat on the floor. This is also a great time to use Yoga Wedges which will offer that stable, sloped angle to raise your heels and still have the necessary support.
In addition to squats, you will perform some arm-strengthening exercises – perfect practice for carrying your new baby!
Over the next several weeks we are going to offer several videos on Prenatal Yoga. This is the first of four videos from Sara Varona. In these videos, Sara recommends having a Yoga Ball, 1 or 2 Yoga Bolsters, and a small pillow to rest your head in Savasana.
For this first video, all you’ll need is the Yoga Ball. Yoga Ball manufacturers provide sizing charts to allow you to choose the right size based on your height. You’ll find this information on each of our product pages. Primarily you will want a ball that will allow you to sit with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
Yoga Balls are also called Stability Balls, among many other terms, and can be used in many exercises – not just for these prenatal yoga poses. These poses can also be performed by anyone just to add some variety to your practice.
Before starting this video, I’d recommend turning up the volume on both your computer and the video itself, and find a nice quiet room. The one drawback to this series was the volume being slightly too low.
This video is just the first 10-minutes of her entire practice – so don’t leave yourself unbalanced, be sure to do the Warrior II and Side Angle on your opposite side, too! And come back next Tuesday for more of Sara’s Prenatal practice.
The following short video offers a very brief introduction to awakening the Kundalini within us.
My Yoga Online has yoga videos that you can download if you are a member (monthly membership fee). Thought we could share this with you since some people might like having the variety of videos available.
Here is a sample video of one that they have for beginners using a Yoga Ball.
Beginner Yoga on Ball
Whenever you feel like you could use a burst of energy, take a few moments practicing Breathe of Fire. Here’s a short introduction explaining how to perform this pranayama technique. Click on the image to start the video.
Breathe of Fire
Adding props to your yoga poses will help you to stay in poses for a longer period of time to achieve their benefits. In this example, you’ll be shown how to practice Bridge Pose supported by either a yoga block or a yoga blanket(s). When setting up the block, play with the different heights to see which is most comfortable for you. Sometimes you’ll find you can raise the height after being at a lower level for a few breaths. Same with the blankets – some days you might want two, other days one blanket may be right for you.
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