Become The Best Version of Yourself With This Ancient Practice
BOYT:You have a yoga practice you call ra’yoKa. What does the name mean and what is the concept?
Rainbeau Mars: Ra’yoKa means “integration through the sun.”
ra = sun
yok = integrate
ra’yoKa = integration of the sun
My journey through yoga, breath and movement has culminated in the creation of my own fitness system: ra’yoKa: Yoga for Sports. I designed ra’yoKa to enhance the fundamental principles of yoga with breath-centered flow, dynamic, explosive martial arts movements and core connection—with total body balance integration. It’s been a continuous cultivation through my own journey of self-discovery, and is deeply rooted in my understanding of yoga and desire to fully optimize my time on the mat. Ra’yoKa has transformed into a world-recognized fitness system that provides the tools to help each participant become the best version of the individual self.
Encompassing seven different levels created to harmonize the body and mind, ra’yoKa allows the participant to choose the level best suited for them—to balance a specific region and function of the body.
Enhanced by my study of core conditioning and balance training, in addition to a deep reverence and respect for martial arts, ra’yoKa was born to fill a void that was not yet discovered in the yoga community. (download the press release)
Visit www.rayoka.com for more about Rainbeau Mars Lifestyles (RML) and this transformative yoga practice.
BOYT:How is the ra’yoKa method different from other forms of yoga? Does it combine things you have learned from a number of practices?
Rainbeau Mars: The word “yoga” means “union” in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India, where yoga originated. It is the process of bringing together, “to join”, “to yoke”, as in the unification of the mind and body. This integration process optimizes the body/mind connection and conscious awareness reigning from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head and tips of the fingers, through breath-centered focus, alignment, and movement.
I’ve combined my influences from yoga styles like Hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, Anusara, Kundalini, Mantra, Yantra, Bhakti, Kirtan, and Seva combined with martial arts like Tae Kwan Do, Chi Gung, and Jeet Kune Do to create a truly innovative system uniting body, mind and heart.
BOYT:You talk about following the yoga lifestyle. What does this entail?
Rainbeau Mars:
What we do in our life or sport is affected by what we do in the kitchen.
What we do in our kitchen affects what we do in our bathroom and bedroom.
What we do in our bathroom and bedroom affects what we do in our garden and home.
What we do in our garden and home affects what we do in our life.
BOYT:Your new book 28 Days to YOUR SuperStar Glowpresents your ra’yoKa fitness system as well as tips for attaining a naturally healthy glow. What is the connection between yoga and a healthy glow?
Rainbeau Mars: Yoga has many health and beauty benefits in addition to the more obvious fitness advantages. Yoga has been proven to ease stress, increase focus and concentration, kick up metabolism, stimulate a healthy appetite, relax the mind, connect to the core and stimulate our lymphatic system to move out all the old toxins that no longer serve our most beautiful being.
BOYT:Can you give us an overview of your tips for a healthy glow?
Rainbeau Mars: I go into more detail in my book 28 Days to YOUR Superstar Glow, but here are a few of my favorite tips:
- Concentrate as if we already have and love our ideal body. Where our mind and attention goes, energy flows, so when we think nurturing thoughts of self-love and acceptance, we communicate to our unconscious that we are becoming the change we wish to see in the world.
- Take time each day to just breathe. Our breath is a reflection of our internal state, so the more that we can cultivate and deep, smooth, and connected breath, the more that we will experience these qualities in our daily lives.
- Love ourselves from head to toe. We tend to neglect that which is farthest from us, and in the case of our bodies this generally means our feet. The feet represent a map of the entire body through an intricate system of veins, meridians, and pressure points. When we can bring a healing intention to our feet, with sensuous footbaths, reflexology massage, pedicures, and yoga (where we are often instructed to press through the feet and separate the toes), we reciprocate that healing in all parts of our bodies and lives.
- Get re-connected to our food. David Wolfe said in his book Eating for Beauty that “Proper nutrition is an art. Every bite is a brush stroke painting the masterpiece that we are becoming.” I’m not saying to become obsessed about what we eat, but that there is a real power that comes from acknowledging all the ingredients that put our meals on our plates. From Nature’s elements, to the soil, to the farmers, to the market, to your kitchen/restaurant, to your mouth. Eating is such a sensual thing we really should be as discriminating about what we choose to taste as to whom we choose to kiss. When we start to grow our own food—whether on acres of land, at a community garden, or watering a pot of culinary herbs on the windowsill—and experiment with cooking more at home, we get to appreciate the relationship, the saying “We are what we eat,” even more.
BOYT: Are you primarily a yoga instructor or a teacher trainer?
Rainbeau Mars: As part of Rainbeau Mars Lifestyles, I offer my services as a health, beauty, and fitness expert, which allows me the flexibility to help my clients and students do whatever they do in life, only better.
Each program is personalized to the individual. Sometimes I’m asked to help makeover someone’s kitchen, or show them how to make quick and easy healthy recipes that kids will love. Sometimes I show people how to create more time for themselves and find the beauty in the choices we are free to make each day. Sometimes the missing link required for someone to take their lifestyle and practice to the next level is yoga and I love that I am able to offer that piece to them too.
I don’t consider myself either a yoga instructor or teacher trainer, but offer my service as both out of a sense of necessity. I believe that we are in a global emergency and that it’s time to wake up. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for—if not us, then who? If not now, then when? This is why I’ve developed an innovative teacher training system broken down into seven levels of ra’yoKa. With our semi-private in-depth intensives offered at RML Health Center, we cultivate the cream of the crop to be a leader’s leader, to spread our mission to communities around the world.
BOYT:You also design clothing. Tell us a little about that side of you.
Rainbeau Mars: I love that there are so many ways for people to express their unique beauty and I find fashion can play a big part in that. When I developed the Rainbeau Mars clothing line with Adidas, I really insisted that we use products that were going to be safe for us and safe for the planet. The apparel pieces within the collection are made from soft Tencel® fabric, a renewable raw material from eucalyptus wood harvested in Forest Stewardship Council-certified, responsibly managed forests. All prints are water-based and all trims are made from recycled materials. The apparel products also include a small amount of Elastane, which although not a sustainable fiber, is necessary to ensure great comfort, fit and performance—key elements in this performance yoga range. These clothes are soft, colorful and beautiful; a perfect way to reflect how we should feel about ourselves and the planet.
BOYT:What advice do you want to share with readers who want to transition to live the yoga lifestyle?
Rainbeau Mars: This particular tip is great for seasoned practitioners as well, but is especially vital to students interested in transitioning to live the yoga lifestyle, and that is to “love where you’re at.” Sometimes as eager students we get caught up in the destination and forget that the real lessons are in the journey. Each day is an opportunity to cultivate more health, fitness, and beauty in our lives. The key is to take it one step at a time and trust in your body’s intuition. The first rule of yoga is “Ahimsa”, non-harm, so we’re not allowed to hurt ourselves. As people experiment with different yoga DVDs, classes, and teachers, remember that everything mentioned in the class is an invitation or suggestion. When things get challenging, you’re always welcome to come back to what you’re familiar with, find center, and breathe from there.
About Rainbeau Mars
Holistic health and fitness guide Rainbeau Mars brings a lifetime of practicing yoga to her successful career as author and creator of numerous yoga DVDs, founder of the ra’yoKa fitness. As a highly sought after yoga instructor in Hollywood, Rainbeau’s clientele includes a multitude of A-list celebrities, models and moguls. For more information, visit http://www.rainbeaumars.com/
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