My 'Om' Away from 'Home'

Even non-practitioners have strong opinions on the subject of yoga: “ I   know I would find yoga very boring .” “ I hate to stretch .” “ The smell of incense makes me nauseous .”  “ I already know how to breathe .” 

Until this September, I’d never considered practicing yoga seriously.  I am a daily runner, but I saw myself as someone who was absolutely hopeless at all physical endeavors, unless they involved no more coordination than putting one foot in front of the other, and repeating the process until the activity was complete. 

I decided to take a free yoga class, mainly because I thought I could pick up on a few moves that I could do myself at home, to improve my fitness.  Yoga didn’t seem like something that was worth making an investment in—time-wise, or financially.

Everyone else at the free class had previous yoga experience. Immediately, when I realized that I was the only person in the entire room incapable of doing headstand, I had a flash of insight that this ancient activity was not something I could casually pick up based upon a trial class or two and some DVDs rented from the library.  My “I’m not going to pay a lot for this yoga” attitude evaporated, and eventually I obtained a monthly unlimited pass at the recently-opened Evenflow Yoga. 

I am lucky to have begun practicing at  Evenflow Yoga , located in Long Branch’s Natural Health Center, only a few blocks away from my home.  Evenflow’s large picture windows offer a view of the beach, and while the ocean skyline is often a source of cursing and stress for so many in the area this time of year, I can use it as a point of focus as I open up my body into Warrior II.

However, even if it was not in a beautiful location, I would still go to Evenflow.  Slowly, day by day, I have found myself accomplishing things I believed were impossible, small and large—sitting without back pain, shaving ten minutes off my morning run, riding a horse without (as much) fear, reminding myself to take a deep breath and actually doing it.

Teachers, far more so than location, are what draw students to a yoga studio.  Much like an actor, a great yoga teacher can take the energy ‘temperature’ of an audience and tailor the practice to the immediate needs of a class of specific students.

I have seen Evenflow’s owner Christian Valeriani adapt his language and attitude to a room full of college kids looking to use yoga to further their sport and in another class help seasoned practitioners gain new confidence in handstands and arm-balances.  Another of my favorite teachers Dina Crosta, teaches classes in Anusura, a form of yoga based upon the principles of ‘alignment, attitude, and action’ and the idea that all human beings have the right to improve their lives and physical confidence.

Breath of Fire: Powerful Kundalini Yoga Breathing Exercise

What Is The Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama:

The first Yoga breathing exercise we will explore lies at the heart of Kundalini Yoga practice, it is the  legendary Breath of Fire Yoga Pranayama.

As mentioned above this breathing exercise is absolutely essential to the practice of Kundalini Yoga.  The roots of this pranayama are impossible to trace but I would like to thank my teacher Ravi Singh under whose expert guidance I learned this technique.

Tools Required for Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama:

Just your nose .

Benefits of Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama:

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