Breath Gives Life

living yoga, ayurveda,sadhana & natures earthy ways

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    • How meditation can help
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  • Home
  • About Carmen
  • Yoga – the practice
    • Heart to Heart – Why i teach yoga
    • Starting Yoga for Good Health & Calmness
    • Yoga Nidra – Anyone can do it
    • Private Yoga facilitation with Carmen
    • The role of yoga in cancer
  • Learn to Meditate
    • How meditation can help
  • Yoga videos
  • Testamonials

Inspiration

abundant.earth abundant.earth. edible weeds recipes abundat.earth ancient awakening awareness ayurveda ayurveda upper clutha Ayurveda with carmen Cha Dao cultivate discipline daily routine deep listening dinacharya EcoHaven ethicalfarming fat-hen saag gentle yoga for good health & calmness health kriya yoga maori meditation Mountain Spirit Retreat natural law nature wisdom no way Hollyford highway organicfood ritucharya self development self realisation shamanism simple sourdough spiritual musings staple recpies the holy cow true happiness wanakacommunityyogawithcarmen Wu De yoga yoga for cancer yogainthecommunity yogainthecommunitywithcarmen yogateacherwanaka yoga wanaka yoga with carmen

Yoga for Good Health & Calmness

practice with Carmen twice a week
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Ayurveda

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Meditation

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  • ayurveda and old age
    ayurveda/self care,  yoga

    Ways to support your Yoga practice as you get older

    carmen / March 8, 2021

    The ripe age of 65 marks the transition to “old age” if, we are lucky enough to live this long!! Ayurveda views this stage as the age of Vata dominated by the element…

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  • yoga beyond asana
    purposeful living,  Uncategorized,  yoga,  yogainthecommunity

    Yoga beyond Asana

    carmen / February 10, 2021

      Each Summer i take an 8 week break from facilitating a gentle yoga for good health and calmness practice in my local community. I relish this time, not because i don’t enjoy…

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  • breathgiveslife
    ayurveda/self care,  purposeful living

    Energy into Nature – the Autumn influence of Yama Damstra

    carmen / June 5, 2020

    Autumn,  wrapped up,  hats on, we head outdoors catching the last of the lingering light.  Forest foraging for fungal friends, their timely presence favored to boost immunity & moods for the  Winter season. …

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  • meditation/sprituality,  yoga

    The odd relationship: Yoga and a consumer culture

    carmen / September 21, 2019

    At  the inaugural international conference on yoga for holistic health in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned against turning yoga into a commodity.  He stated: “Turning yoga into a business will…

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  • breathgiveslife
    meditation/sprituality,  purposeful living,  Wanakacommunityyogawithcarmen

    Living the wisdom of the Tao – The rainmaker, a taoist proverb

    carmen / September 15, 2019

    Friends, when grace falls and maya takes hold,  call wisdom. Free all thoughts from stress and pressure, then aim.  Aim for everything that gives life to life. Use  words and thoughts wisely, tools…

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  • purposeful living,  yoga

    How Vrksasana supported a return to health

    carmen / August 21, 2019

    How we experience nature is not the same for all of us. For some, the mystical nature is to be feared and others a resource to be exploited. Both delusions which stem from…

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Categories

A brief affirmation practice developed by Paramahamsa Yogananda

breath_gives_life
Pertinent words for powerful times. #beyourownlig Pertinent words for powerful times. #beyourownlight #clarity #freemind
solstice blessings #returnofthelight solstice blessings #returnofthelight
To feel disturbed is something we all have in comm To feel disturbed is something we all have in common. How do you find your way during these times? When we are uncomfortable naturally we want to find ease. The peace we seek during times of disturbed thinking: anger, frustration, anxiety, depression, pain, hurt, guilt, blame, criticism, is there. But will not be found out side of our self. The mind falsely thinks by controlling the outward experience it will be happy & free. To find the comfort in these times, we must respond in ways that naturally relax our body, access a quiet and spacious mind and open heart. If we are truthfully discerning at some point we begin to see that true freedom is through releasing attachment. Stay steady folks! #attachment #liberation #innerwisdom #yoga #naturelover
Friends & folk may be interested in learning about Friends & folk may be interested in learning about Yoga for good health & calmness – The Practice offered twice a week. Begins with simple techniques to develop the minds focused awareness: into the body and onto the breath. Observation of the layers of body, unite (yoga) the forces of the mind & breath then Yoga begins. Starting with the same techniques to calm ourselves, to set the foundation to practice from a place of neutrality, peace, awareness, and breathe consciousness. In this way the practice is aimed for anyone. With a sustained practice we dive into the more subtle layers of being (koshas) and attune to energy systems (chakras) beyond the physical. We are reminded to not add tension to our practice instead find our place of equanimity – (to be in the practice and not desire it to somehow be different from it is ). Common Techniques used include: Asana(physical postures) pranayama, (breath and prana development ) kriya’s (actions to cleanse and purify energy channels), mantra (to focus the mind) Nada ( inner sound) Mudra ( body & hand gestures ) affirmation, meditation, ayurveda, Yoga Nidra. The combination of these aid to draw our senses inwards, strengthen, nourish & cleanse the bodily systems & focus the mind. Designed to develop a greater sense of refined concentration & consciousness. When practised from this awareness: Asana (physical postures) become a vehicle for directing prana (vital energy) to parts of the body that require healing, while also building a radiant life force. It is the prana that heals, not the Asana itself. Without focused attention on the free flow of energy in the body and on the breathe, Yogasana simply becomes posturing and can result to increased fixation on the body, rigidity of the mind & emotions. http://abundant.earth/yoga-as-medicine/
Yoga is about connections: working with the mind & Yoga is about connections: working with the mind & body are crucial steps however a truly whole practice of yoga will guide towards wider & deeper magnitudes of connection. It is as much about the natural world and natural law, the earth & sky the source of all life, as it is about connecting to our inner life. #becomingayogi #choosenaturefirst #emotionalhealth #ethicalliving #liberation
Yoga: being a student, being a teacher. Above all Yoga: being a student, being a teacher. Above all is to attain a certain inner attitude. One that does not stop in the challenges of daily life: in all of our roles, but perhaps the most important one outside of our own inner attitude is the one cultivated towards our children. As a Mama, progress as a student of yoga is most often reflected in the gap between my practice and my relationship with my children: all children. How do we deal with powerful emotions & thoughts that arise in our relating with children? #Bhakti cultivating the attitude of love & devotion....armed with awareness, recognising our patterns, watching emotions. Then return to the source the state of being within all of us that is peaceful and quiet... (anandamaya kosha) the 5th level of the engagement of the soul. #practicepracticepractice #childrenarethefuture #personaldevelopment #becomingayogi
Ways to practice Yoga as we Age.The ripe age of 65 Ways to practice Yoga as we Age.The ripe age of 65 marks the transition to "old age" if, we are lucky enough to live this long!! Ayurveda views this stage as the age of Vata dominated by the element of air, when the body begins to dry out and vitality starts to decline. Joints stiffen, many suffer from forms of arthritis and nervous system disorders. Yoga asana is indeed a remedy to offset the maladies of aging. However it must be practised with right effort: includes the asanas chosen and attitude with which they are practised. A general rule with Yoga is how we practise rather than what we practice. To attempt to practice rigirous Yoga Asana in a class with 20 year olds, will generally not be helpful and is best left to the young Rather a more refined internal form of asana should be practiced that emphasises awareness of the mind. As we age the mind continues to develop as physical energy starts to decline and withdraw, thus it is considered a time of deep meditation, contemplation and reflection, yet it is necessary to practice Asana as a continued part of a general lifestyle regime. Asana approached in a slow steady and gentle way are generally considered the most effective as we age ( from the age of 48). Moving into a posture that is stable and firm with a strong focus of breathe creates a much deeper practice than focusing on body technique (which can increase the chance of hurting yourself and other negative effects) in this way the most simple movements applied with breath awareness. new blog up on website http://wp.me/p7fOXL-BV
Yoga...a generic term. Ayurveda refers to the rig Yoga...a generic term. Ayurveda refers to the right use & combination of herbs designed to support the mind & body as yoga. As we struggle through these chaotic and challenging times, we must seek to integrate the healing sciences. To unify the spiritual knowledge of cosmic consciousness. Which includes the vast knowledge of herbalism. I use herbs daily. For their special effects upon the mind and to support my body. The herb in this picture is gota kola. Which I grow, pick and eat straight from the plant all through out summer. A nervine, supporting the mind immunity and nervous system. Blood purifier, bitter and cooling. A revered herb in Ayurvedic healing. I grow as many herbs as I can in an ever expanding medicine garden which also helps to help preserve them. #ayurvedalifestyle #gotakola #goodgorthemind #holistichealing
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