Your Yoga Practice

[Bridgette]

I'm curious to know how often and how long you practice yoga/meditation.

[cyclezen]

Originally Posted by Bridgette

I'm curious to know how often and how long you practice yoga/meditation.

hmmm
in fall/winter I generally succeeded in doing 3 'class' practices a week, and 2 short home sessions focused on overall suppleness and stretching, if at what seems like the end of the 'home' sessions I find myself ready for a meditative period, thats cool.
Otherwise I don't try for some set time for meditation - I catch it when it seems right - usually about 3, sometimes 4 times a week.

Now that we're in Daylight savings time, and I'm finally feeling a little stronger after an injury which really set me on my butt, I'll be looking to a min of 4 days of cycling a week (a bit less than prior years) and around 2 'class' practices a week (home stretching 'practice' at least 3x a week, usually after a ride). With real focus on stretching and suppleness - the cycling really locks up the hips and back if one doesn;t do something to counter that.
Classes are all 1 1/2 hr length, home practice is usually 35 to 45 min.
Meditation is usually under an hour.
I'm starting to feel a little 'short' on reading time...
...I could never had keep this kinda schedule when the 'kids' were in the house... but i miss them terribly ;-(

what about you? what and how do you juggle? I'm curious also...

[Hubert]

I so envy those who can meditate an hour ... I do daily 10-15 minutes in the early morning, and it is still tiring - physically. (Postural issues)
Asana ... I do them every second day, mostly in the afternoon, not a full set but specificly adressing my issues ... mostly restorative poses, lying on my back. Total amount of time dedicated between 30-60 minutes.
Pranayama, restorative, lying on my back, 10 full breaths with mild internal and external retention, before going to bed.

I also do some light weight training twice a week, as I am skinny, and it complements asana well.

[justwannabe]

hubert, you can always use a chinesse meditation bench. I make mine myself, total cost less then a buck, 2x6 and nails. OVer time as I have setteled down on the bench I have made lower and lower ones. Now when I am loose I can sit on my heels, when I am tight I still use the bench.

for me I practice meditation 6 days a week 2x a day and asanas 6 days a week once or twice, I find it helps me to center myself and since I started doing the mediton, I do a breathing practice then a mantra. then settle into meditation. That is how I role I plan on doing the meditation continuosly because I desire to not miss the seventh day.
seeker
seeker

[yogiforlife]

I practice Yoga around 5-6 times a week, usually at least 45 minutes of Asana, sometimes I'll go as far as an hour fifteen, hour twenty and I'll meditate between 5-15 minutes depending on time restraints and how I feel. I jog about every fifth day and prefer not to do Yoga the day after. I also work in some light weights 2-3 times a week.

[Pandara]

Hi,

I start in the mornings with meditation 05:00 - 06:00 and then half an hour of yoga stretches and a few asanas and another half hour of devotional yoga.

In the evenings I present yoga classes and on Thursdays I go to my own teacher for yoga and instructions.

I skip the yoga every second morning and usually either do some swimming or do some weights to keep the muscles toned.

[Hubert]

I found an image of a chinese mediation bench, but frankly, I have no idea how it's supposed to be used.
bench

For meditation, I cannot do days in a row, sitting in sidhhasana (my favourite), as after a week my knees start to hurt, I do it every second, or third day, and the other days I try vajrasana using a pillow, or just simply sitting on a chair without a back ... what kind of makes keeping balance a problem.
My aim in asana is to correct my posture and open my hips to be able to do more siddhasana.

[Fin]

Originally Posted by Pandara

Hi,

I start in the mornings with meditation 05:00 - 06:00 and then half an hour of yoga stretches and a few asanas and another half hour of devotional yoga.

Hi Pandara,

Do you meditate immediately after waking up (for 1 hr)?

I find I am too sleepy when I wake up. So I need a bit of activity before I can meditate else I will dose off, very easy for me. I find 20mins of meditation immediately after Yoga asanas, is ok for me.

Would you suggest meditating upon waking?
Thanks.

Love,
Fin

[Pandara]

Hi Fin,

I think it is more a personal thing. I am of no use after about 20:00 at night. I start to wake from about 04:00, so by 05:00 I am actually wide awake and ready. I like that time of the morning so it is best for me to meditate then. I am also at now for more than 12 years so it is second nature. I don't dose off like I used to in the beginning and I also gradually increased my sittings over the years.

[Hubert]

I feel honoured to visit a forum with so many select people. It really is a blessing.

[justwannabe]

here hubert,
Portable Meditation Bench - Deluxe Bamboo Meditation Bench
that is a bench
and here
Meditation Techniques(Methods)
go down to botttom and look at vajrasana the last picture on the right
your butt is on the bench and your feet are underneath you. the bench is at a slight angle.
if you need any more insight on this feel free to ask, for me it has helped a lot
seeker

[Bridgette]

Recently I have become quite involved in my practice. Usually at 5 am I wake up have a cup of strong tea and then a 15 minutes of meditation and 45 min. of yoga. If I'm not working I then do a "nap time" yoga at about 2:00 when my son goes down for his nap. That's about 30 mins. And every night I do one hour of meditation.

I'm amazed how much time you can find once you reorder your life. I thought "hmm...I have time to over-eat, smoke, and procrastinate, I have time for yoga" (BTW I don't do any of that anymore!) and I live such a busy chaotic life and still find so much me-time. I notice yoga has been now spilling over to every facet of my life. Even my 2 year old is doing downward dog (to be mommy) now!!!!!

BTW, Tubeseeker, Thank you for the meditation bench idea! I gave the idea to my fiancee and once we get the spare bedroom turned into my yoga room he's going to make me one!

[justwannabe]

your welcome bridgette, I take 3 pieces of 2X6 One of them is about 12 inches long and that is my seet. I then cut the other two at about a seven degree angle, then I nail the seat on tops of the other two and i have a seven degree surface to sit on. I would recomend that you have him make them very cheap and inexpensive because as you sit on the bench and loosen up, you can make another shorter bench, loosen up some more and make it shorter until one day you can sit on your heals. and that is one of the four main meditative postures it seems.

In my practice I have found that the more sitting time I do the more relaxed I am and the deeper my poses have gone with much less time on my poses. I used to spend and hour or so in asanas and 10-20 minutes in pranayama, meditation, etc.. Now 2 times a day I spend 15-30 minutes in asanas and a half hour or more in pranayama, meditation, mantra

[Marco Carvalho]

I pratice every day. I do Swásthya Yôga. The pratices take 1 to 2 hours and are in this format:

1 - Mudrá (gestures to access certain archtypes, in hatha exists mudras made with the body, in swásthya mudrás are only made with hands)
2 - pújá - allmost in manasika (mental)
3 - mantra - kirtans and japa...
4 - pránáyáma
5 - kriyas
6 - ásanas (using two position selection criteria that leads in asanas made stand, sitted, laid and inverted... with backspine flexed foreward, backwards, sidewards and spined. To have full balanced work. In ásana I use certain kind of pránáyámas and chittasya (a kind of thinking to build archtypes that helps our progress)
7 - yôganidrá
8 - Samyama - concentration, meditation and (if you can) samádhi.

This is what i do every day

[moth]

On Saturday morning I have an hour and a half class which I love. I'm sort of sad when it’s over and wish I could find the time for more classes. But I work four 10-hour days with a 45 minute commute each way. I come home, say hi to the family, grab something to eat, get ready for the next day's work and then...finally...I do 20-30 minutes of asana followed by 30-40 minutes of meditation. Asana at home, without the class, is a little boring. For me, it requires a lot of will power, but on most days, I'll do it anyway. I enjoy meditation more and it comes easier. (Maybe it’s all those years of painting.) After this "yoga hour," I read for awhile until I fall asleep and then start all over again. I do this 6 days a week.

But on Saturday night, I don't do anything. Instead, I watch a movie and eat a bowl of ice cream.

[Fin]

... I hope the Saturday Ice cream is in the company of your dear ones ...

[stargurl84]

Originally Posted by Pandara

Hi Fin,

I think it is more a personal thing. I am of no use after about 20:00 at night. I start to wake from about 04:00, so by 05:00 I am actually wide awake and ready. I like that time of the morning so it is best for me to meditate then. I am also at now for more than 12 years so it is second nature. I don't dose off like I used to in the beginning and I also gradually increased my sittings over the years.

I'm the same way....I always get up before 6am every day of the week. It is so peaceful in the morning with the sun rising and no distractions. I'd say I probably do about 5 or 6 hours a week.