If you’re new to yoga meditation, you’ll be frustrated because it seems impossible for your mind to be still. It’s crowded with thoughts, and the more you try to eliminate those thoughts, the more tense you become. Meditation seems an impossible skill to learn.

However, the very fact that you even recognize the thoughts you’re having as THOUGHTS is an immense achievement. Most people identify with their thoughts completely: they just don’t recognize that their essential self is not their thoughts.

Just say “thinking”

Because it’s so difficult to recognize thoughts as thoughts, if you do recognize a thought, just say to yourself “thinking”. You’re labeling what’s going on in your mind.

“Thoughts on Thinking” says:

An old Chinese Zen Master once said, “Some of you are taking me literally when I say, ‘Don’t think,’ and you are making your minds like a rock. This is a cause of insentiency and an obstruction to the Way. When I say not to think, I mean that if you have a thought, think nothing of it.”

Read the complete article: it will help you to recognize that thinking is natural, impossible to eliminate, and is part of your meditation. You’ll stop taking your thoughts so seriously, and this is one of the rewards of yoga meditation.

[tags]yoga meditation, thinking, thoughts[/tags]

If yoga is new to you, the best way to learn is to find a good yoga teacher. However, the growing popularity of yoga has meant that many instructors look on yoga as just another form of physical exercise – they have no real understanding of yoga, and may even allow students to injure themselves,

“Meditation Expert Offers Advice on Avoiding Bad Yoga Teachers” describes the red flags you should watch out for with a yoga teacher:

“Another red flag is if the teacher expects the class to be able to get into poses without walking and talking students through the steps, or encourages injured students to do poses that will aggravate the pain.

‘Teachers should keep students’ injuries in mind when they are choosing poses,’ Desjardins said. ‘They should choose poses that won’t stress injuries, but will still challenge the uninjured students.’”

So how do you find a good yoga teacher?

The best guide is other students. If friends recommend a teacher, and if you can see that yoga has helped them – they’re kinder, more relaxed, and are less stressed – then this may a sign of a good yoga teacher.

On the other hand, if a yoga teacher is recommended by students who focus solely on how much weight they’ve lost, or how hard the yoga teacher makes them work in class, or have been injured in a yoga class, then this teacher may be one you should avoid.

[tags]learn yoga, yoga teacher[/tags]

When you’re discovering yoga, it can seem as if there’s an unending number of supplies you need: a mat, blanket, props, bolsters…

This isn’t so. You can practice with just a towel on a carpeted floor.

Perhaps the most often used yoga supply is a yoga mat which is useful in helping you to be steady while moving and holding individual asanas. Mats are available just about anywhere, and if you’re starting out a standard “sticky” mat is all you need.

A blanket is also useful, to relax when you finish with the yoga exercises, and for the shoulder stand and other inverted poses.

Can’t get into a pose? Props like blocks and belts are useful here, while you develop the necessary strength and flexibility to hold a pose.

You may also consider getting a bolster, which is a round cushion, and comes in useful in various poses.

However, remember that essentially a towel is all you need – and you can even do without a towel – so don’t get too worried about yoga supplies, they’re minimal.

If you’re attending a yoga studio, your yoga instructor will give you a list of what she considers essential for her class.

[tags]yoga supplies, mat, belt, block, clothing[/tags]