By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Thai Yoga Promiiwihan Sii refers to the four divine states of mind. Our Thai teachers taught us that if you do not have all four of these things, you are sick and in need of therapy. If all four divine states are not apparent in your life, there’s something that is imbalanced within you.
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Thai Yoga Vipassana is not passive and introspective. Thai Yoga Vipassana is active and extraverted. It is the idea of meditation in a dynamic form. In other words, Vipassana almost always has an element of movement of some kind. Some examples are slow walking or meditating while practicing Thai Yoga we work on someone on the mat or doing a traditional Vinyasa. Working on another person in a thoughtful, deliberate, and conscious way while following the breath is a form of Vipassana.
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Thai Yoga Samatha is the same or Dharana. It means calm, abiding meditation. When I go into savasana and corpse pose and do my extension and go into my breathing and calmly abide, I am doing Samatha meditation. I’m using the Asana to facilitate it.
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Thai Yoga Wai Khruu or paying respect to the teachers (Pratyahara) means to give credit where credit is due. Make acknowledgment a way of life. We also look at Thai Yoga Wai Khruu as the practice of spiritual copyright, of emotional, mental copyright. It’s the idea to give credit where it’s due.
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Breath science is the facilitation of the five Pranas. We will learn a little later that prana is a word, but there are many kinds – Udana, Samana, Pranaprana, Vyanaprana, Apana etc. When we use the word Prana, in general, it is considered generic. There are different things we can do to bring emphasis and explore these different kinds of Prana. It is very valuable to do so. Learning how to breathe may be one of the most important things a person can learn.
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Asana is practical exercise for yourself and others. When I say exercise, I mean literally to exercise. We have moving centers. We have different centers inside of us like emotional, intellectual, moving and instinctive centers. There are four different kinds of centers. Each of these different centers requires different kinds of input, stimulation, food and efforts to balance them.
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Niyama is a good way of life externally. Bring love into the world. Practice external consideration. It also includes use of chants, mantras, study and charity. Do good things or practical generosity. The concept of Niyama is that now I’m taking what I’ve been working on as far as internal qualities and I am generating a practical expression of that.
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
Yamas are good way of life but from an internal expression. Not expressing negativity and thinking good thoughts or generating boddhicitta. We have two parts here: thinking good thoughts and generating boddhicitta and not expressing negativity on the other hand. The concept of yamas is to question: how do I intentionally craft a thought life that will generate a good way of life in the external? How do I do it internally? Think good thoughts. In order to think a good thought and not express a negative one, you have to know the difference between them. As far as thinking good thoughts we have to have ideas of what is a good thought. Continue reading Thai Yoga Yamas
By Anthony B. James DNM(P), ND(T), MD(AM), DPHC(h.c.), DOM, RAC, SMOKH Academic Dean SomaVeda College of Natural Medicine and Thai Yoga Center (SCNM).
When we talk about SomaVeda Integrated Traditional Therapies® and SomaVeda® Thai yoga, we are also talking about it as being based on a code of ethical conduct. It’s not just a system or methodology of healing. It is the art of being. So, how do you practice the art of being? We say that there are basically eight things that you want to incorporate in your life in some way, shape or form in order to have a noble or ethical way of life as a healer. Our iteration/ formulation of the Thai Yoga Eight Fold Path is based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. The Yogic Eight Fold Path is literally called “Ashtanga” which means the “Eight Limbs”. We additionally incorporate understandings found in the Theraveda Buddhist Noble Eight Fold Path (ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo) adapted to our particular work and practice as healers, therapist and Doctors of indigenous traditional natural medicine.
