Awareness of bundha

Start praciting in this afternoon, with such great sun light today. Quiet and calm with Bach's chello solo No. 2, 4, and 6. My favorite!

Today I focus my bandha, both Uddiyana and Mula Bandha. Acctually I was insipired by a video clip I saw on Youtube, a yogini practicing Pincha Maruyasana. She mentions when hopping into pose, bandha could help as a brake, to help you stand still in the pose. I try to feel my bandha since my simple warm up dogs. In my previous practice, I hardly pay attention to see if my bandha is there or activated. That's because Anusara training, I guess. In Anusara style, mula banhda will naturly happen when you do inner spiral and then outer spiral. So, never heard an Anusara teacher mentioned "hold your bandha" or any cue about bandha during class. In Anusara, as long as you apply 5 Universal Principles, the bandhas happen by itself. This idea is very different from other style of yoga, expecially for Ashtangi, bandha is one of the key elements in practice.

Anyhow, I still do my practice applying Universal Priciples, just pay more attention to "feel" my bandha. This enhances the awareness in my lower belly. I do feel the lightness! Especially while doing handstand, I was like floating into pose. I just jump into the pose without support from wall, and stay in the air for a few more seconds longer than I ever experienced before. I feel lightness also in downdog, plank and chanturanga. I also try to practice Pincha Maruyasana in this way. Though I didn't success due to the tightness in left shoulder, but I do feel the lightness again!

It seems to me that, bandha is there, just when I pay more attention to it will give it more power!! That is always the power of awareness!

John Friend 來說說

I haven't been in John Friend's class. But all the Anusara classes I have been with all the Anusara Certified teachers, I believe are all at a satifactary level and highly inspiring!

腋下該做的事

＂腋下＂在瑜珈課中，女生除了要記的刮腋毛之外，腋下這各部位還要注意什麼？？
Hollow the armpit! 這句話，你可能在一些Anusara的課, 或是一些注重身體順位的老師口中有聽過． 但是，若是直翻作"挖空你的腋下", 你會做什麼動作?

這個指令常會在Anusara的課中聽到, 尤其在Downward facing Dog 下犬式或是一些需要將手舉到頭側的動作, 甚至是在許多手平衡的動作中會聽到．＂挖空腋下＂, 聽起來怪怪的, 好像大概知道要怎麼做,但是，也不確定自己有沒有做對....

要是我，我會說＂把腋下拎起來＂！這樣有比較懂嗎？

這各指令的主要目的就是，把上臂骨的頂端往後帶．啊問題來了，很多人不知道上臂骨是哪裡？還有就算知道，該怎麼帶啊？ 所以，這各指令＂把腋下拎起來＂好像比就讓人做得到，至少我在教課時的實驗效果不錯．

再想多一點，問什麼上臂骨要往後帶啊？上臂骨的學名叫肱骨，肱骨頭連結到肩胛骨的盂肱關節,也就是連上所謂的shoulder gridle肩帶. 這個盂肱關節是各球窩關節, 球窩相對說是很淺的. 這樣的好處就是造就了肩膀這各關節的活動度是全身所有關節最大的, 當然也同時帶來缺點, 就是穩定度相對的小.

肩膀是個複雜的多關節，再加上可以活動的靈活度，讓肩膀這個議題可以十分複雜．這篇，就單純來說說這個上臂骨往後帶這個動作．上臂骨頂端往後帶可以幫助肩關節可以更穩定回到shoulder socket. 而為何跟腋下有關呢? 腋下在這裡我們指的是inner armpit, 這點剛好大約是胸大肌之下,和肱二頭肌的短頭的起點. "拎起腋下"這個動作剛好讓肱二頭肌啟動帶動肱骨頭往後帶, 使肱骨頭"旋進來"盂肱關節內.

在Yoga As Therapy這本書中所利用到的sutra, 也就是作者根據Anatomy Train這本書所衍伸出的, 根據Myofasia筋膜的聯繫, 在身體上的許多"脈", Yoga As Therapy引用Front Arm Sutra 這條脈, 這條脈在背後有廣大的闊背肌和圓大肌，在前側有胸大肌．前側的胸大肌基本上帶領＂push"的力量, 而背後的闊背肌和圓大肌則是"pull"的力量, 這個在背後的力量平衡前側的push的力量, 將肩胛骨穩定貼回到身體．這前後身體平衡的力量，尤其在手上舉過頭，再加上負重的動作，如手倒立時，就像是雙腿在站立時，穩定住骨盆的力量一樣的穩定住肩膀！
這前側和後側的肌肉剛好集合在腋下！兩邊力量平衡時，腋下是有凹洞的．

在手到立，如果肱骨頭是往前推的，肩膀就緊張且有壓迫感，而且身體也會容易變成Banana形狀.

在下犬式時, 更要注意到,從食指根部下壓，也就是虎口貼地，從這裡沿著手臂內側往上，延伸到腋下，把腋下拎起來，幫助肩胛骨貼回身體，不會有＂翅膀＂浮起來．　

甚至在Plank平台式時，常聽到的melting your heart＂心放軟＂,其實就是和＂腋下拎起來＂的用意是一樣的，只是在plank這個重力方向好像不太容易做到把腋下拎起來, 但是比較容易做到心放軟....

這些好像只有Anusara課中, 才會聽到的指令, 其實是意義深遠的!!!

The total solution is "being present"

I am trying manage this blog in both English and Chinese from now.
Life is Taiwan is wonderful, I got nice parks, nice food, nice people around my place, except the most important one. I was wishing to develope my career here, but my heart is there. I cannot really focus.
But recently I practice, or at least trying to practice, the "being present" mind, which I found is very helpful. I found I could really enjoy more what I was doing, and be more aware of everything happening then. Savor for more!
The book "A New Earth" focus on the "ego" and "Being". The awakening is the moment of identifying your "ego". The total solution is being present! (I am reading the Chinese version, so not sure if I am using the exact words as the author did.) Being present allows you to be fully aware, so your mind could be sharply enough to identify what you are doing is out from your ego, or not! Right at the moment you could identify your ego, your ego lose it's power! Then you are at present!!! This sounds like so easy, but the trick is can you be so keen to do that!?

Anusara的師資要求

不管我在台灣或清邁的Anusara研習課或是Immersion, 最常被問到的問題就是Anusara的師資認證要如何取得? Anusara的師資系統極為嚴格，且和美國Yoga Alliance的師資認證不太一樣，也就是說若是你已經有了RYT200，但是沒有完成Anusara協會規定，還是沒法取得Anusara師資。

Anusara教師資格分為兩層, 第一級教師稱為Anusara Inspired, 第二級資深老師稱之為Anusara Certified. 只有Anusara certified 老師可以開Immersion 或是 teacher training等專業課程, 也只有上Certified老師的時數可以被列為第一級Inspired的累計時數。　在去年初時Anusara協會重新調整第一級師資, 更為嚴格要求更多的受訓時數和審核制度（見下方清單）。這就是原本我已經要完成之前的要求規訂了，但因為這樣的變動，使我又再苦苦追求中.... 因為別說在台灣了, 在亞洲擁有Certified資格的Anusara老師真的很少、很少！這幾年，有比較多老師飛來亞洲了，但是大部分是去香港、星馬、或泰國。這就是我為何要飛到清邁去"拜" (敗?)一下的原因！　今年有進步啦，台灣會來Jonas和 Desiree，也許還會有另一位，我正在邀請中！！　關於這些certified 老師的名單，可以從Anusara的網站上去查詢.

當然，學習若只是目標導向，那會成為too atached，可能去上課只是為了最後的文憑，那可能會錯失了欣賞旅程中的美景，學習也未必可以完全。而且，其實其他一些Anusara老師的課，也是精彩且可以學習很多的，如Patrick 和Chris老師的課。若是以為了純粹學習，只要是好老師的課，都應該去上，只要是保持Open to Grace的心，和口袋的co co 準備好！
共勉之~~
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Anusara Inspired師資資格
必須跟從certified 教師學習Anusara yoga至少兩年
必須至少有兩年的教學經驗(任何瑜珈派別皆可)
必須完成200小時Anusara 課程
必須完成50小時的Anusara師資訓練課程
必須完成至少100小時的Immersion 深入研習課程
必須研讀規定的教材(Anusara Yoga Teacher Training Manual 和John Friend的Teacher Training DVD)
當你以Anusara Inspired 師資資格教課時,不得混雜非Anusara的教學方式
必須由一位Certified教師審核你的一堂教課內容