Proprioception is the ability to feel where your body is in space, even with your eyes closed. Most people with bad posture or dysfunctional movement patterns aren’t aware of what they are doing wrong, and their lack of awareness prevents them from making changes. The regular practice of asana, however, steadily builds the ability to perceive what your body is doing. Body awareness is part of the larger concept of awareness that is central to all yoga practice. With awareness comes the possibility of making different choices. As you become more aware to internal processes, you become more likely to notice subtle symptoms of serious disease at a stage when it may be more susceptible to treatment. Yogic awareness also allows you to tap into emotions earlier, to recognize, as Buddhists put it, “the spark before the flame.” This gives you more chance not to react impulsively out of anger or fear, to analyze feelings before a cascade of biochemical events sweeps you aware and you do something you might regret later. (source: Timothy McCall, M.D.)
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Resources
Reading Room
- Autobiography of a Yogi
- Bikram Yoga, Bikram Choudhury's Book
- Bringing Yoga To Life – The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living – by Donna Farhi
- Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
- Foundation
- Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language, Symbols, Secrets & Metaphors
- In An Unspoken Voice – How The Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness – by Peter Levine
- Intuition, Knowing Beyond Logic by Osho
- Live in a Better Way by Dalai Lama
- Living, Loving & Learning by Leo Buscaglia
- Striking Thoughts – Wisdom for Daily Living – by Bruce Lee
- The Deeper Dimension of Yoga by George Feuerstein
- The Four Agreements
- The Four Elements of Change
- The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikarchar
- The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen
- The Reflective Life by Ken Gire
- The Sacred Yes
- The Seeker's Guide – Making Your Life A Spiritual Adventure
- The Untethered Soul
- The Way We're Working Isn't Working by Tony Schwartz
- The Wisdom of Insecurity
- Yoga & Ayurveda, Self-Healing & Self-Realization by David Frawley
- Yoga Gems by Georg Feuerstein
Movies