At the request of some students and friends, I made some quick videos with tips to develop your inversions. Let me know what you think, and I hope it help your yoga journey!
Also, be sure to steady yourself in the intermediate postures before moving onto the more advanced versions. I like to hold the intermediate postures until I can comfortably take 10 long breaths.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga start with the Yamas (ethical restraints) and the Niyamas (ethical observances). I consider the Niyamas to be how we relate to our Selves - with a capital S! The first of the five Niyamas is Saucha, or cleanliness. Saucha reminds us to treat our body as a temple, and honour our divinity with good hygiene. Staying healthy and clean in body and mind will improve our quality of life both on and off the yoga mat. In these times of flu fears, it's important to remember to keep our nasal passages functioning optimally. Many yoga practitioners use a neti pot daily to keep our sinus passages clear. This helps our nose to flush out any airborne viruses. A neti pot is a wonderful addition to your daily self-honouring ritual, and may be a vital preventative to maintaining good health this winter. Check out http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/Netipot/NetiPotGateway.aspx or ask me for more neti pot info. They are available at most drug stores and Jean Coutu.
Patanjali was an Indian mystic who first wrote down the ancient wisdom of the Himalayan yogis into the Yoga Sutras, concise threads of knowledge on how to live a life in union with God or Cosmic Consciousness. It amazes me how this ancient knowledge is so relevant in our world, society, families, and individuals today. Patanjali outlined an eight-fold path to living skillfully, and only one of these paths relate to asana practice - the classes I teach about the physical postures we take to strengthen and ease our bodies. Patanjali offers the physical asana practice as a tool to settle our bodies so we can sit comfortably for long meditations!
Of the eight-fold path, or Ashtang system of yoga, the first path towards a direct relationship with the Divine is Yama, or restraints. I consider the Yamas to be how we relate to the world. There are 5 Yamas, and the first is Ahimsa - or non-violence.