Monday, January 31, 2011

Ka Chi!

Chi, Qi, Ka, Ahhh

meridian lines
acupuncture points
acupressure points
The earth has ley lines
The galaxy has homeostasis

The good thing about Healing - when you're about to give up, folks, is this - if you are willing (no matter how much resistance, fear, inner/outer criticisms may show up) to meet the healing, the spark of healing will send the body to homeostasis. Always. We always reach for homeostasis, the balancing and re-booting of a system towards health and balance.

To re-boot our system, we need to get to a deep relaxation, then the neurological, bio-chemical, electro-magnetic systems synapse for homeostasis.

This is what gives me faith in even the most dire healing circumstances I've met.

Balance is a continually changing energy.

Enjoy!

Remember: it is a life-death-life continuum
a life-letting go-rebirth continuum

Here's a nice article from Robert Moss on our Inner Winds click here

photo: Moon Mask & Treasure Box Series: lastor

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Courage CouerAge Heart Strength

I think my wish for each and every one of us for 2011 is Courage.

Courage to be who you are
Courage to speak with your voice
Courage to be kind
Courage to share love
Courage to be brave
Courage to embrace your vulnerability
Courage to show your strengths with grace
Courage to heal
Courage to release pain and put a better dream in its place
Courage to take time for yourself
Courage to find new music, new places, new friends, new foods, new books, new art
Courage to have fun!

Do some heart exercises - I can show you how

Heart Harp: lastor

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Lura Quotes Los Angeles Times 15 March 2005

Rene Lynch quotes Lura Astor
At the time, I was teaching at Equinox Fitness Center, Caltech and other workshop sites, out of Pasadena, CA

... adopting a more laid-back approach to fitness may get you closer to your goal by encouraging consistency. Some people can't face the thought of a long, hard aerobics class after a long, hard day at work, so they skip their workout entirely. A kinder, gentler class can be an attractive lure.


That's a philosophy embraced by Lura Astor, who teaches a twice-weekly class at Equinox Fitness club in Pasadena called "Simply Stretch." It draws on a mix of Tai Chi, yoga, core body work and what she calls "body re-education movements" designed to counteract hours spent hunched over a keyboard or gripping a steering wheel.

"People think, 'If I'm going to go to the gym I need to be running, running, running; lifting, lifting; and burning calories,' " said Astor, who believes that attitude is misguided. Taking time out to gently tend to a body that has been over- or under-worked or is just plain tired is time well spent, she said. "I tell students that you have to create a balance."

Students say they walk out of her class standing taller and feeling relaxed. "I feel really great afterward," said student Tania Nasir, who has been taking Astor's class for about two months to help nurse a back injury. "I sense a difference in my posture, and my abs really feel it too. So you are working out."

High-end clubs like Crunch and Equinox aren't the only ones catering to this growing demand for alternative exercise options.

slideshow: Moon Dreams lastor

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Earth Throbs

















The word sidereal hit the news this week.

The word derives from Latin:
a star, a constellation.

Here, from a chapter from Lyall Watson's 1939-2008 wonderful book, The Dreams of Dragons: Riddles of Natural History
1987







The Arteries of Earth

Precisely every 12 sidereal hours - that is, hours set relative to the earth's movement through the galaxy, and not about its own axis - the earth throbs.

The cause remains mysterious - it may be something to do with lunar and solar tides - but the effect is clear. The pulse of our planet beats regularly, once every 11 hours, 57 minutes, and 57.3 seconds, earth time. And its effect can be felt more strongly in Rome than in Geneva.

Is this ch'i, bubbling up through cracks in the planet? Probably not. But it is evidence at least of the existence of a global rhythm that has local peculiarities.
....Gravitational anomalies produced by the variable thickness of earth’s crust mean that there are differences of as much as 100 meters in the mean level at various places. There is a trough, almost a hole, south of India and another great dent in the area that has come to be known as the Bermuda Triangle. And there are equally permanent hills around Iceland and Hawaii, and in the Sea of Japan.



An awareness of natural rhythm is .... part of our birthright. A gift from Mother. With one ear to the ground, you can almost hear her great heart beating. It is a very comforting sound.


photos: Lura Astor helping bring Tai Chi Chuan to Las Vegas 1980s one breath at a time

courtesy of: Tai Chi Chuan Club

Friday, January 14, 2011

Yoga and Wine

Living in Wine Country 

QUESTION: What does a yoga practitioner and a bottle of wine have in common? They both Breathe.
 
Research confirms that drinking

gives same benefits as yoga !


Savasana
Position of total relaxation

Also called the corpse pose

Balasana
Position that brings the sensation of peace and calm










 


Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
This position calms the brain and heals tired legs

Marjayasana
Stimulates the midriff area and the spinal column

Halasana
Excellent for back pain and insomnia


Salambhasana
Great exercise to stimulate the lumbar area, legs, and arms



Dolphin
Excellent for the shoulder area, thorax, legs, and arms


Ananda Balasana
This position is great for massaging the hip area


Malasana
This position is for ankles and back muscles




Teacher's Disclaimer: anyone who knows me knows that I get high on life, body work, teaching, laughter and the study of smells. In the above photographic depictions, I recommend the non-abusive way to enLIGHTening your body-mind-spirit-emotions ... if you have any genetic predispositions towards alcoholism ... stay away from the bottle. And, while you can drive after yoga, have someone else drive after you've been imbibing. Also, there are more homeless than ever, so help out in your community. 

photos: I don't yet know who to credit