Tibetan Yoga represents a great way to keep your body in shape when you have limited time for a physical workout or limited space for a complete yoga routine. You can easily do the exercises in the space at the foot of the bed in most hotel rooms. If you are not used to exercise or have not been formally introduced to Yoga techniques of breathing and relaxation, then your first tip is to start out slowly. Start by performing one to three repetitions of each of the movements one time each day. Pay attention to what your body is telling you and do not strain or force any position that causes pain that indicates possible injury. A little soreness is perfectly okay but really you should start out slow enough not to have any physical hindrances the following day. You can practise these exercises anywhere you have room, but outdoors in the fresh air is best. Make sure to use a carpet, towel, yoga mat or padding to prevent discomfort caused from too hard a surface. The entire series of movements may be performed 2 to 3 times per day. As with all forms of holistic body work, sunrise and sunset are great times to be honoring your body with physical work. These are the best times to start your practice, but you may work them into your schedule as you see fit. For example; You want to work toward performing each of the Five Tibetan Rites 21 times. When you first begin, try to do 1 or 3 repetitions of each exercise. After a week, try to do 3 repetitions, then pause and try 3 more. You will certainly feel stronger in some of the movements than others. If you have trouble performing a complete set of 21, try to break it down into 3 sets of 7 repetitions with a pause between each set. Once you've achieved 21 repetitions of each exercise, you don't need to go on to more repetitions. These exercises are for restoring energy, not necessarily building strength. If you feel great after doing 21 repetitions of each movement, feel free to add another session later in the day to perform another set of 21 repetitions each. A specific breathing pattern is recommended with each exercise. If you feel tired or light headed while performing these movements, make sure you are not holding your breath.
Here are a few guidelines to keep you on track if you do not have a teacher to learn from:
1. Professional guidance is essential, especially in correctly understanding and applying fundamental principles. Teachers are very useful especially for beginners in helping them stay on the path and avoid misunderstandings.
2. Practice regularly in a clean and quiet place in nature, sheltered from excess heat, cold and wind. 3. Before you begin ensure that the stomach, bladder and bowels are empty.
4. Wear loose and comfortable clothes made from natural fibres. Remove all jewellery, watches and spectacles/glasses. For stability, always practise on a yoga mat or blanket, but not on a thick or large spongy mattress.
5. Make sure you have plenty of space to freely move around. Do not practise under a ceiling fan or near furniture.
6. Tibetan Yoga is practised to gain alertness, lightness and steadiness of the body and the ability to remain comfortable in a pose, in preparation for prolonged periods of time sitting in Tantric Meditation.
7. Your practice should be sensible and well structured. Do not over-stretch your limit. Do not strain. Be gentle and avoid injury.
8. Direct all your positive thoughts to yourself. Each exercise should be performed slowly with complete awareness of the body, breath and mind. Without total inner awareness the many benefits are reduced. Learn the awareness point for each exercise, whether it is part of the body, one of the corresponding chakras or energy channels, the breath, oneness, or emptiness.
9. Always breathe gently, smoothly and completely through the nose. Do not strain. It is extremely important to co-ordinate the asana with the breath. Each breath affects the intensity of the exercise. Forward bending poses lend themselves to holding the breath following exhalation. Backward bending poses lend themselves to holding the breath following inhalation.
10. Accept your starting point and progress gradually with a suitable and structured program. Avoid contortionism and gymnastic competition.
13. If you feel tired at anytime lie down and take a rest. At the end of your practice always lie down and relax for 10 minutes.
TIBETAN YOGA MOUNTAIN RETREAT
Living in Health and Harmony with the Natural World
PROSTRATIONS
Prostration is a gesture to overtly proclaim, “A state of being vastly greater than my present self exists. I truly admire and seek that condition for myself. Here is a symbol of it before me. Thus do I signify utmost honor and respect, both for the goal itself and all those who precede me to it.” Buddhism is more a practice than a faith, almost like a second career. We learn very specialized skills, including the use of many
tools. The largest class of these we lump together under the term meditation. For the most part these tools are rather subtle, delicate and specific of purpose, like an array of surgical instruments. We have introspective methods to scope out certain problem areas of the mind. Skillfully employed these can map out every tiniest grain and sliver of delusion yet remaining. Then we have only to deal with them, each according to its kind. Some might have to be rooted out by use of one tool or another. Others we might choose to cauterize in place. The more skillful operator even has a few rare and wonderful tools to transform them into something beneficial. All these many tools we have, each just right for a certain task. But what if the problem is really big? What if instead of instead of a minor negative karmic propensity, the problem we are needing to address is an iron-hard knot of ego? Sure, we could carve away at it with scalpel and a magnifying glass. But that might take a rather long time. And all the while it might be growing... In such a case, why not go at it with hammer and tongs: lock it down where it can’t escape, take very deliberate aim and pound away with a measured cadence until it is softened into a state of useful malleability? Do we have a tool for that? Of course we do.
And as with many excellent tools, this one has a secondary function also. Ego is pretty clever at hiding when it doesn’t want to be seen. Prostration helps us flush it out. All I ever have to do is barely two or three and up it pops, virtually shouting at me. “Hey, hey, hey!” says Ego, “What’s all this? It’s humiliating. Don’t do this. People are watching... Stop it right now!” And at that instant I know right where Ego is. I can see a really big chunk of it. How many hours would I have to sit for this kind full report? Having lured Ego from his lair, hopefully I am now a shade or two less vulnerable to assault from this deceptive and oh-so- powerful enemy. Ego would rather that I not know he exist. He much prefers to masquerade as me instead. When I make him show himself the veil is lifted. I can stare him in the face. We are by no means one and the same. This is very good to know. Prostration is bait that Ego simply can’t resist. It is one of his weakest points. And so, of course, that is where to best attack him, over and over and over again.
Prostrate toward the images on the altar whenever you first enter a shrine room. Prostrate also to the teacher, whenever he or she first enters after having taken a seat. Prostrate again before you leave, or after he or she leaves...but not on the final session of the final day of instruction.) At certain points during sadhanas, the rite may call for you to prostrate. In sitting practice with a group, sometimes one is not quite sure when to rise for the unabbreviated version. If you are seated near the front look for a cue from the leader. Or else just do what everyone else does. When alone do as seems appropriate. In Lam Rim practice at home I arise at the designated limb of the Seven Limbs Prayer since the text which Geshe-la assigned me to study some years ago suggests to do so.
At any rate, always do at least a set of three prostrations. Beyond that set a firm goal. You might count to a certain number: five, seven, twenty-one, twenty-seven, fifty-four or one hundred eight. Or you might set your goal in time: five minutes, ten minutes or half an hour. Holding both an imaginary cittamani and a mala may disturb your concentration. Counting aloud or visualizing some kind of tally will surely do so. For more than seven, I usually go by time: this at the recommendation of one of my early teachers, the Ven. Geshe Ngawang Jangchup. Rinpoche has not suggested otherwise, nor do I suspect that he might, else I would have sought clarification. Whenever there’s been opportunity for guidance, other, more vexing uncertainties have been at the surface of my mind. And this, I think, is an entirely proper way to engage in Dharma practice. We do just as well as we can according to the knowledge at hand. We cannot do it perfectly in any case. When we’re perfect there will be no need to practice. So if (or rather when) an error is uncovered, it doesn’t mean in any way that all before has gone for naught. We simply make yet another small adjustment and go on. Any journey of consequence will be marked by course corrections such as these.
PRAYERS FOR PROSTRATIONS