Namaste'

Whether Honoring the light in you, or Bowing to the divine in you, Namaste, or the more formal Namaskar, is a salutation - oftentimes a 'hello' or 'goodbye'. In the west, you will find it, hear it, speak it at the end of yoga classes. Recently, the company that makes Manduka yoga mats ran a campaign and presented a collection of what namaste means to individuals, with the notion 'Namaste takes practice. How do you practice it beyond the edges of your mat?'. How can you Feel it, Be it, Share it, See it.
It's just great, and here is one that I really enjoy:
"I practice namaste by talking not texting / loving not lying / caring not swearing / giving not gossiping / blessing not blaming / helping not hurting / serving not stealing / connecting not condemning / and honoring not bothering." ~ Jill L.
Nice to see bits of yamas & niyamas peering out at us :)

Lower Stress

NPR's Science Friday had a segment a few weeks ago on Meditation and the effect it had to lower stress. This was noted by the decrease in cortisol in the body, the stress hormone. The specific technique used, was to have the person meditating stay as completely present as they could. One typical way is to focus on the inhale-exhale breath or even count the breaths, along with other ways such as visualization.
It was suggested as a daily routine, and the results were significant and long lasting.
It made us realize what a 'routine' we have with the Astanga practice ~ a set sequence we come to regularly, in which we not only watch the body and breath, but we ultimately count the movements of the body and count the breaths ~ an absolute meditative practice to keeping the mind present.
Learn it, be it.

Liberation

Currently teaching in Philadelphia, amazing authorized Astanga teacher David Garrigues writes, "I don't think enough people realize what kind of fire, grit and intensity it takes to crack the small self open and access the hidden treasure of fearless freedom within".
Whoa - this is love talking - this is true practice talking.
The particularly powerful practice of Astanga yoga can indeed help to provide the fire, the grit, the intensity - and it doesn't have to kill you, but will absolutely make you stronger on all levels of being. You approach the practice on a regular basis. You take it slowly, diligently & steadily. You let it meet you where you are, but with the deliberate practice to reach beyond the current level with each repeated attempt. You treat it as a discipline, not an adventure.
Within discipline and integrity there is freedom. The act of being present lets you abandon your past and embrace your future, whatever may come. Through practice we allow ourselves to destroy the previous iteration of our self, clearing the way to express our true nature, our true self.