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Meditation Posture
Meditative postures or meditation seats are the body positions or asanas, usually sitting but also sometimes standing or reclining, used to facilitate meditation. Best known in the Buddhism, Buddhist and Hinduism, Hindu traditions are the Lotus position, lotus and kneeling positions; other options include sitting on a chair, with the spine upright. Meditation is sometimes practiced while walking, such as kinhin, doing simple repetitive tasks, as in Zen Samu (Zen), samu, or work which encourages mindfulness. Postures in the ''Yoga Sutras'' The ''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' describe Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga), yoga as having eight limbs, one being asana, the meditation seat. The sutras do not name any asanas, merely specifying the characteristics of a good asana, stating: The ''Sutras'' are embedded in the ''Bhasya'' commentary, which scholars including Philipp Maas now believe are by the same author; it names 12 seated meditation asanas, possibly all cross-legged, includin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sukhasana
Lotus position or Padmasana ( sa, पद्मासन, translit=padmāsana) is a cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha yoga, and is widely used for meditation in Hindu, Tantra, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. Variations include easy pose (Sukhasana), half lotus, bound lotus, and psychic union pose. Advanced variations of several other asanas including yoga headstand have the legs in lotus or half lotus. The pose can be uncomfortable for people not used to sitting on the floor, and attempts to force the legs into position can injure the knees. Shiva, the meditating ascetic God of Hinduism, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and the Tirthankaras in Jainism have been depicted in the lotus position, especially in statues. The pose is emblematic both of Buddhist meditation and of yoga, and as such has found a place in Western culture as a symbol of healt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zafu
A ''zafu'' ( ja, 座蒲, ) or ''putuan'' (, pronounced ) is a round cushion. Although also a utilitarian accessory, it is best known for its use in zazen Zen meditation. Name Although ''zafu'' is often translated as "sewn seat" in American English, the meaning of the Japanese kanji, 座蒲, is different. ''Za'' (座) means "seat", and ''fu'' (蒲) means reedmace (cattail, ''Typha'' spp.). A ''zafu'' is a seat stuffed with the fluffy, soft, downy fibres of the disintegrating reedmace seed heads. The Japanese zafu originates in China, where these meditation seats were originally filled with reedmace down. The words ''zabuton'', ''zafuton'' and ''futon'' are closely linked. The word ''zazen'' meaning "seated meditation" or "sitting meditation" is also closely linked. In western usage, ''zafu'' refers to a meditation cushion, and ''zabuton'' refers to the cushioned mat upon which a zafu is placed. Construction Typical zafus are about in diameter,Introduction to Buddhism and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vertebral Column
The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord (a flexible rod of uniform composition) found in all chordata, chordates has been replaced by a segmented series of bone: vertebrae separated by intervertebral discs. Individual vertebrae are named according to their region and position, and can be used as anatomical landmarks in order to guide procedures such as Lumbar puncture, lumbar punctures. The vertebral column houses the spinal canal, a cavity that encloses and protects the spinal cord. There are about 50,000 species of animals that have a vertebral column. The human vertebral column is one of the most-studied examples. Many different diseases in humans can affect the spine, with spina bifida and scoliosis being recognisable examples. The general structure of human vertebrae is fairly typical of that found in mammals, reptiles, and birds. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Savasana
Shavasana ( sa, शवासन; IAST: ''śavāsana''), Corpse Pose, or Mritasana, is an asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise, often used for relaxation at the end of a session. It is the usual pose for the practice of yoga nidra meditation, and is an important pose in Restorative Yoga. Etymology and origins The name Shavasana is from Sanskrit शव ''Śava'', "corpse" and आसन ''Āsana'', "posture" or "seat". The alternative name Mritasana is from Sanskrit मृत ''mṛta'', "death". The earliest mention of the pose is in the 15th century '' Hatha Yoga Pradipika'' 1.32, which states in the context of a medieval belief system that "lying down on the ground supine, like a corpse, is called Shavasana. It eliminates tiredness and promotes calmness of the mind." The name Supta Padangusthasana is from Sanskrit सुप्त पादाङ्गुष्ठासन ''supta pādāṅguṣṭhāsana'', from सुप्त supta, "reclined" and पादा ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Downward Dog
Downward Dog Pose or Downward-facing Dog Pose, also called Adho Mukha Shvanasana ( sa, अधोमुखश्वानासन; IAST: ''Adho Mukha Śvānāsana''), is an inversion asana, often practised as part of a flowing sequence of poses, especially Surya Namaskar, the Salute to the Sun. The asana is commonly used in modern yoga as exercise. The asana does not have formally named variations, but several playful variants are used to assist beginning practitioners to become comfortable in the pose. Downward Dog stretches the hamstring and calf muscles in the backs of the legs, and builds strength in the shoulders. Some popular sites have advised against it during pregnancy, but an experimental study of pregnant women found it beneficial. Downward Dog has been called "deservedly one of yoga's most widely recognized yoga poses" and the "quintessential yoga pose". As such it is often the asana of choice when yoga is depicted in film, literature, and advertising. The pose has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
20170208 Meditation-stool
Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese magazine), a Japanese magazine Novels * ''Seventeen'' (Tarkington novel), a 1916 novel by Booth Tarkington *''Seventeen'' (''Sebuntiin''), a 1961 novel by Kenzaburō Ōe * ''Seventeen'' (Serafin novel), a 2004 novel by Shan Serafin Stage and screen Film * ''Seventeen'' (1916 film), an American silent comedy film *''Number Seventeen'', a 1932 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Seventeen'' (1940 film), an American comedy film *''Eric Soya's '17''' (Danish: ''Sytten''), a 1965 Danish comedy film * ''Seventeen'' (1985 film), a documentary film * ''17 Again'' (film), a 2009 film whose working title was ''17'' * ''Seventeen'' (2019 film), a Spanish drama film Television * ''Seventeen'' (TV drama), a 1994 UK dramatic short starring Christien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoga Journal
''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events and materials such as DVDs on yoga and related subjects. The magazine grew from the California Yoga Teachers Association's newsletter, which was called ''The Word''. ''Yoga Journal'' has repeatedly won Western Publications Association's Maggie Awards for "Best Health and Fitness Magazine". It has however been criticized for representing yoga as being intended for affluent white women; in 2019 it attempted to remedy this by choosing a wider variety of yoga models. Beginnings ''Yoga Journal'' was started in May 1975 by the California Yoga Teachers Association (CYTA), with Rama Jyoti Vernon as President, William Staniger as the founding editor, and Judith Lasater on the board and serving as copy editor. Their goal was to combine "the ess ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Cushman
Anne Cushman (born c. 1964) is a teacher of yoga as exercise and meditation, an author on the intersection of those topics long thought to be distinct but now widely called Mindful Yoga, and a novelist. Her novel ''Enlightenment for Idiots'' was named by Booklist as one of the top ten novels of 2008. Life Cushman obtained her bachelor's degree in comparative religion at Princeton University in 1984. She completed Spirit Rock Meditation Center's 2-year "Community Dharma Leader" and its 4-year "Dharma Retreat Teacher" training courses. She directs the mentoring element of the Mindfulness meditation teacher certification program at Spirit Rock, where in 2007 she and dharma instructor Phillip Moffitt founded the first multi-year Buddhist meditation training for yoga teachers. She has taught around a hundred yoga and meditation retreats and trainings. She notes in her book ''Moving into Meditation'' that "the fusion of yoga asana and Buddhist meditation—once viewed as heretical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gurdjieff
George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (; rus, Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев, r=Geórgy Ivánovich Gurdzhíev, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪd͡ʑ ɡʊrd͡ʐˈʐɨ(j)ɪf; hy, Գեորգի Իվանովիչ Գյուրջիև; c. 1866–1877 – 29 October 1949) was an Armenian philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, and composer of Armenian and Greek descent, born in Alexandropol, Russian Empire (now Gyumri, Armenia). Gurdjieff taught that most humans do not possess a unified consciousness and thus live their lives in a state of hypnotic "waking sleep", but that it is possible to awaken to a higher state of consciousness and achieve full human potential. Gurdjieff described a method attempting to do so, calling the discipline "The Work" (connoting "work on oneself") or "the System". According to his principles and instructions, Gurdjieff's method for awakening one's consciousness unites the methods of the fakir, monk and yogi, and thus he referred to it as the "Fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baddha Konasana
Baddha Konasana ( sa, बद्धकोणासन ; IAST: ''baddhakoṇāsana''), Bound Angle Pose, Butterfly Pose, or Cobbler's Pose (after the typical sitting position of Indian cobblers when they work), and historically called Bhadrasana, Throne Pose, is a seated asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. If the knees rest on the floor, it is suitable as a meditation seat. Etymology and origins The name comes from the Sanskrit words बद्ध, ''Baddha'' meaning "bound", कोण, ''Koṇa'' meaning "angle", and आसन, ''Āsana'' meaning "posture" or "seat". The name Baddha Konasana is relatively recent, but the pose is medieval, as the meditation seat Bhadrasana (from भद्रा ''Bhadra'', "throne") is described in the 15th century ''Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā'' 1.53-54. Description From sitting position with both the legs outstretched forward, hands by the sides, palms resting on the ground, fingers together pointing forward, the legs are hinge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
