Although we usually think and talk about muscles as being weak or strong, closer to the truth is that muscles are usually inhibited or facilitated, respectively. Inhibition is when neural input (from our nervous system) to the muscle has been down-regulated. Facilitation is the opposite, when neural input to a muscle is excessive or up-regulated. Facilitated muscles are often those muscles compensating for the loss of input into a movement pattern that should come from the muscle that is inhibited. […]
Monthly Archives: March 2015
Do Postures Have to Be Painful?
I was asked whether pain in asana should be accepted and if it’s worth going through a lot of pain at all? When does discomfort turn into pain, can it be balanced with the higher limbs or should it be avoided altogether?
There is a widespread misconception that postures should be painful. As a rule of thumb, postures should not be painful, which is something that even the ancient masters pointed out. Patanjali states in Yoga Sutra, “heyam duhkham anagram,” […]
On Depression
I am receiving more and more emails and reports from people who are suffering from depression. Most people think that it is a disease and that they have to change something. It is a phenomenon that was not around when I grew up. The WHO believes that in a few years 25% of health costs will be incurred by depression. I believe that our society is now breeding and producing depression […]
Is alone-ness the same as loneliness?
Is alone-ness the same as loneliness? What ate Janis Joplin? And what has it to do with finding in ones heart the heart of all beings? Why is the mystic the true friend and why being all-one enables you to commune with others out of freedom rather than out of need. And how does it relate to Yoga Sutra II.25?