Yoga
My Hindu name is Gajendranathan, which means King of the Elephants. It was bestowed upon me by my Guru, Yogiraj Swami Bua Ji, Maharaj of Hatha Yoga.
I teach Traditional Yoga as taught to me by Guru. My Guru’s teachings will experience the many benefits of Hatha Yoga along with the more esoteric benefits of Karma, Bhakti and Jnana Yoga.
What is Yoga?
According to Swami Bua Ji, Yoga is Thee Union of Polarities. It is the ceasing of Duaita (duality).
What is Hatha Yoga?
It is a scientific way of moving the different parts of the body. Its goals are to ensure a long, healthy life and self-realization by perfecting the body. This leads to and, indeed, requires the purification and liberation of one’s Prana, which by definition includes the elimination of all Karmic debt.
What makes Yoga as taught by Yogiraj Swami Bua Ji unique?
Swami Bua Ji gained untold experience and as a direct result, he has distilled down the vast universe of Hatha Yoga to all you need to achieve a state of optimum physical and energetic health.
Swami Bua Ji believes in trying to obtain the optimum balance between flexibility and strength. My routines, based on all Swami Ji has taught me, will challenge your body and mind in all ways. In order to meet this challenge successfully, I will help you develop your body, mind, will power and spirit using both ancient, time tested methods and cutting-edge developments.
What are the benefits of practicing Yoga regularly?
The benefits bestowed on us by a regular practice are many and varied. Yoga maintains physical, mental and emotional health. There have been many well documented scientific studies performed recently here in the West which have shown over and over again that practicing Hatha Yoga contributes to:
- Increased Strength, Flexibility and Mobility
- Improved Balance Increased Bone Density
- A greater understanding of how your Internal Energy (Prana, Qi, Ki) moves in your body
- The Optimization of our Circulatory, Immune, Endocrine and Lymphatic Systems Reduced Stress and its many symptoms
- An Increased Positive Out Look on Life
- Improved Self Discipline An overall Healthier Life Style, including lessening weight problems and eating disorders
These are just some of the many wonderful benefits that can come automatically with just the regular practice of the asanas (postures)of Hatha Yoga. You do not need to learn or practice the breathing techniques of Pranayama, the internal cleansing techniques of the Kriyas and the spiritual aspects in order for you to become healthier and stronger.
What is Pranayama?
The term Pranayama means different things to different people. To some, it means learning various forms of breathing. Others believe it is the art of controlling our internal energy. However, Swami Bua Ji taught me that to truly understand Pranayama, one must truly understand the essential nature of all things. Pranayama in its ultimate form is Union or Yoga.
Our classes are designed to help you travel whichever path you have chosen to achieve your goals.
How many kinds of Yoga do you teach?
I offer many kinds of modalities. While all of them are based on the same principles, each one has its own distinct flavor and will emphasize different aspects of your body for physical improvement.
- Hatha Yoga Classes offer all the benefits with its comprehensive routine.
- Rope Yoga Classes enable the student to push his/her limits using their own self-knowledge and feedback as their guide.
- Hindu Wrestling Exercises, Indian Clubs* and Smart Calisthenics Classes offer the student a great way to improve their flexible, functional strength using their own body weight and light props.
- Thai Yoga Sessions enable me to open up your Nadiis (energy channels) and increase your health and flexibility.
Note*: Indian Clubs are exercise tools that resemble bowling or juggling pins. Exercises utilizing Indian Clubs maybe the best available for increasing the strength and range of motion for your shoulders, rotator cuffs, forearms and wrist. They provide dynamic, functional strength and flexibility.
Qigong
Qigong (Chi Gong) is the skill of using your internal energy at will.
Your Internal Energy can be used to heal and maintain yours or even another’s well-being, to aid your Martial Art Skills or to help unlock and focus your artistic skills, such as, painting and music.
Performed properly, Taijiquan (Tai Chi) and the circle walking of Bagua practice are moving Qigong.
Therefore, the primary focus of our Qigong are the standing, sitting and lying down postures; and, their focus is on Energy Retention, Cultivation and Healing. These are also complimentary to our moving Qigong Disciplines.
Regular Qigong (Chi Gong) practice has been shown to:
- Improve balance
- Lower high blood pressure.
- Strengthen the immune system.
- Improve the function of the respiratory system.
- Strengthen our muscles and sinews.
- Increase the flexibility of our muscles and the range of motion of our joints.
Most people who say they practice Qigong, refer to their performing certain actions at a specific time. While this means they practiced a specific form of Qigong at a certain time; I believe that we are always doing Qigong. Everything we do is Qigong.
The difference is that most of it is low level Qigong. Much of it is even performed at the subconscious level without the use of Yi (mind intent). Therefore, I stress the fact that Everything we do is Qigong and Everything else I teach: Taijiquan, Ninpo, Jujutsu, Weapons, An Mor and Yoga, even the Personal Training for Western Sports and General Fitness.
For example, breathing: Most people do not think about how and when they breathe. Consequentially, due to the stress and imbalances in our lives, most of us do not breath correctly. We must relearn your instinctive knowledge and from that base, we must examine, expand and improve our breathing skills in order to provide ourselves with the necessary Qi (Chi), calmness and control of our emotions which is required to facilitate our evolving to higher states of being. Once we consciously acquire this skill, we should not let it pass back into our unconscious. We must let it remain a conscious skill.
Some of the Qigong Techniques I teach are part of the basics commonly taught in most schools. Others are more advanced and require the student to be more advanced.
A few of the Breathing Techniques I teach are:
- Buddhist Breathing, also known as, Belly or Diaphragmatic Breathing
- Daoist breathing, also known as, Reverse Breathing
- Interval breathing: 1 (inhalation) to 1 (exhalation), 1 to 2, etc., in-stop-out, in-in-stop-out, etc. Breathing with long controlled inhalations and exhalations
- Skin Breathing, Kidney Breathing and Bone Breathing
Our breath and our emotions are inexorably linked. One of the cornerstones of most Zen/Ch’an traditions is the emphasis on watching your breath all the time. This will always keep us mindful of our internal state.
Most of us know that anger can control our breathing pattern. However, the reverse is also true. Our breathing pattern can control our anger.
For example, let’s consider an angry tirade: How many of us actually make a conscious decision to become angry and then proceed with full mindful intent to voluntarily become angry? Not many of us, I am sure.
It is our Qi (Chi) that has enabled us to generate so much emotional energy. We have let it rise up without giving any thought to the process. If we could consciously slow, divert or stop this energy flow, our anger would begin to fade away. This process will enable another, less energy consuming emotion to emerge.
This is the basis of “counting to ten” when angry. While you are counting out loud, your mind concentrates on the next number. This pushes your unconscious mind into the background and deprives your anger of its energy source. In addition to this, if you count slowly and out loud, your exhales will be at least as long as it takes you to say the word. The duration of your inhales will then tends to slow down to match that of your exhales.
Your anger then automatically calms down in sync with your breathing. As your breathing sifts from your chest to your lower abdomen, your energy sinks. As your energy sinks, your emotions recede. When the veil of your emotions lowers, you can see things more clearly. You are then in a position to make a mindful decision.
All of our actions should be within the realm of our mindfulness all of the time. Then you will be performing Qigong all of the time.
As you can see, purifying your heart’s desires is an important part of the process of learning Qigong. Qigong has much in common with what most people call meditation.
You may be able to become skilled at meditation without doing Qigong; but it is very hard to become skilled at Qigong without becoming proficient in at least some meditative techniques.
All of this is not as impossible as it may seem. Difficult–maybe. Impossible–Absolutely not!
Medical Qigong is more specific than other forms of Qigong. Here, you will learn the specific Qi Meridians and reservoirs and how to balance them by removing blockages, deficiencies and excesses of Qi throughout your whole Body, Mind and Spirit.
You can even learn how to project your Qi into another to help them resolve the same kind of Energy related issues. In China, these kinds of Qigong are used to treat All forms of medical conditions.
I can show you how to begin and how to continue on this journey.
Personal Training
As a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, I will provide the knowledge and training protocols you need to become stronger and more flexible while improving your balance, aerobic capacity and motor skills. This will automatically alter your body’s fat to muscle ratio.
Because I train movements and not muscles in isolation, you will train in a way that you will enable you to use what you learn in your everyday life as well as in competitive events.
Using any one of or a combination of our many training modalities, we will address your physical imbalances and shortcomings, the effects of aging and any dis-information or bad habits you have acquired.
We will explore how to lose weight, and how to keep it off.
We will train your mind as well.
Training smarter is always better than training simply harder. The Right Outlook coupled with the Right Information will go a long way to getting you where you want to be.
There is great detail of information on each of my pages; but, in a nutshell here they are:
- NASM Personal Training, including Medicine Ball, Stability Ball, Band & Balance Training, Pylometrics and Body Weight Exercises
- Yoga
- Hindu Wrestling Exercises, Body Weight Training and Rope Yoga
- Pilates
- Martial Arts & Self-Defense
- Plyometrics
- Indian Clubs (my tennis & golf clients love these).
- Kettlebells
I believe so strongly in my ability to Over Deliver what I Promise that All of my Classes and Sessions are backed by my Personal Guarantee:
If you ever feel that you did not receive more value from any of my classes or sessions than you paid for, just let me know there and then and that class or session will completely without Charge to you (this guarantee may be invoked twice by the same person. After that, it will be obvious that there is no need for us to spend time together).
For a more detailed look at each of these modalities, please continue below.
What is the difference between Fitness Training and Sports Training? And which is appropriate for me?
At very high levels of performance, there are can be major differences between Fitness Training and Sport Training. However, for most of us, the first and sometimes the only difference is one of purpose. If you want to increase your level of fitness, health, wellness; to look and feel better, become stronger, quicker and more flexible, then fitness training is for you.
Since becoming fitter increases our speed, strength and endurance; it will improve our performance in most activities. Therefore, Fitness Training will act as Sports Training for the majority of “Weekend Warriors.”
Pursuing specific Sports Training without having the appropriate level of fitness may not only be a waste of time and money, it can be a recipe for injury!
However, if your fitness level is already quite high and you need to Improve Your Performance in a particular sport to as high a level as possible, then Sports Training, aka Athletic Training, is what you need.
In other words, Fitness Training is more general and flexible (no pun intended). Since it is more concerned with general Bio-motor Skills (Core Strength, Speed, Endurance, Power, Timing, Coordination, Balance, etc.), there is more leeway as to what types of training, intensity, scheduling and lifestyle are appropriate. All of these factors are determined by what you want to accomplish and from what point you are starting at.
No matter who you are, these attributes are indispensable. This makes General Fitness Training appropriate for almost everyone.
Sports Training is more predetermined by the particular sport you wish to excel at and by how great an improvement you want in a particular time frame. A swimmer needs a different routine than a body builder. If you want to compete in a tournament in 3 months, you will have to follow a rigid schedule. If you just want to enjoy your weekend round of golf more, your schedule/routine will resemble a general fitness program with added specificity for Golf.
Sincerely,
Gary Giamboi