Archive for the ‘Pranayama’ Category

Limited Edition Photo-Documentary Book Captures Daily Life and Lessons Learned

In Buddhist Indochina, Especially Myanmar. 100% of Profits from Book are Redirected to Educate Children in South East Asia.

 “It reads like a journal, the intimate record of a journey and the meanings [the author] discovered. His inclusion of the Buddhist teachings feels more like an act of personal realization than a need to preach some pre-established dogma or illustrate a point.”

~ Peter Clothier, author and blogger, The Huffington Post and The Buddha Diaries

Documentary photographer Alan Brigish has just released his second limited edition coffee table book, Breathing in the Buddha: A Photographic Exploration of Buddhist Life in Indochina. This carefully crafted compact-sized (8×10-inch) book of images and commentary pulls in readers both familiar with and new to Southeast Asia and the Buddhist philosophy practiced by most of its inhabitants and then hones in on Burma (Myanmar), the focus of the vast majority of the book.

The book’s luminous images and extended captions tell two parallel stories. The first explores the daily life of predominantly Buddhist people in three cities each in the countries of Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, and then reflects the author’s extensive travels throughout Burma. The second story is the author’s exploration of the Buddha’s teachings and how they impact on people’s lives. As Peter Clothier explains, the author’s “point-counterpoint strategy [of] image and text, narrative and teaching…creates the rhythm that moves the reader through the book.”

Brigish examines the notion, contrary to most Western thinking, that human beings can find fulfillment and contentment even when they lack property, material well-being, and freedom itself. Nonetheless, Breathing in the Buddha does not romanticize or lecture about deprivation or suffering. “Breathing in the Buddha is about a deeply personal experience,” notes the author, “about the realities of a world not seen by many and very much misunderstood. My inclusion of the Buddhist teaching is more about clarifying what I experienced than about preaching.”

100% of the profits from the sale of the book are being donated to well-established educational projects in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Nepal. “I believe that the true Buddhas are the living ones,” comments the author. “When people can learn to live with their suffering day in, day out, year in, year out, they are transformed into Buddhas. The Buddha is alive and well and represents real hope for the future of our troubled world. We can help to make a difference by helping to pay for education.”

Breathing in the Buddha may be purchased at http://sites.fastspring.com/brigish/product/buddha  Note: $50.00 of the cover price can potentially be deducted from U.S. tax returns.

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Breathing in the Buddha: A Photographic Exploration of Buddhist Life in Indochina by Alan Brigish, Nonfiction; Hard cover; $99.50; ISBN: 978-0-615-33749-4

Author: Alan Brigish is a South African-born documentary photographer who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 40 years. Since 1997, he has documented his travels in 26 countries, mainly in the developing world. He works exclusively in digital still photography.

By Michelle Cross

If you have read my other articles on the breath, you will understand a little more about the importance of the breath, so let’s relate it to your yoga postures – asanas. Asana in Sanskrit means steady pose. When practicing any posture there are three ways for the posture – moving into the posture, holding it – this is where the steady pose comes into affect, and then moving out of the posture. And each of these stages of the posture you synchronise with the breath to achieve the most benefit. You allow the breath to surround the movement, so you initiate the breath and then make the movement.

- When you inhale, the body opens and expands

- When you exhale, the body folds or contracts

So in the beginning try to allow the breath to guide you to the length of the movement, for example, if you are raising you arms as you inhale and you do not have enough breath before you reach you goal of having your arms raised fully, then you can pause, breath then exhale as you lower your arms. In time and with practice your breath will naturally become longer. Allow your breath, your friend and now your teacher to guide you. If your breath is strained in any way this is the time to release the posture.

- Inhale when moving into back bends e.g. cobra

- Exhale when moving into forward bends e.g. forward bend

- Exhale when moving into side bends e.g. triangle

- Exhale when moving into twists e.g. half spinal twist

Breath and holding postures

When you have become more aware of your breath and using it to come into and out of postures you start to hold the posture for longer without holding, straining or retaining the breath. If the breath does not feel right for you, it is time to come out of the posture and relax for a moment. In time holding a posture allows you to experience the intimate connection between your body, breath and mind. The breath is the link between the unity of the body and mind, which is Yoga.

Michelle Cross

http://www.yogarelax.co.uk

http://www.michellecross.co.uk

Michelle Cross teaches Hatha Yoga and is passionate about assisting people to find their own Yoga within, leading to health, wellness and abundant happiness.