A yoga magazine from the 80s

I found a whole stack of these relics carelessly discarded  on my mother's book shelf - how they got there is a mystery. This is the cover of one of the yoga mags from the 1980s and as you can imagine, it is a gem of a treasury  with articles on yoga therapy. This cover displays a depiction of the mooladhara chakra, with its bij mantra, lam. 

Come alive with crane pose

The psychological state of a physical pose has always fascinated me. There are two sides to this: specific psychological states require specific asana and specific asana superimpose a specific state mind. For example, if I find myself feeling out of balance or un-grounded, maybe even nervous a little, then a certain set of balancing asana help me immensely - because they work  my nervous system and give me the poise I need. one of my recent favourites has been bakasana or crane pose. 

I have pondered totem symbolism and what it means when we seek out our power animals. I understand now that the animal poses in yoga are somewhat similar in that they help us to inherit some of the spiritual qualities symbolised by the animals and birds. I love bird poses of late as they symbolise freedom, poise and even focus and balance, like in the case of the crane. The shamans of ancient times have always talked about getting messages from nature. ..... they called it animal medicine or spirit teachings because they actively engaged with the spirits of nature.

The crane as a totem bird: crane medicine heralds life, health and awakening of the spiritual self. Crane medicine helps us integrate in such a way as to walk life's journey with courage and speak our truth with completeness. It teaches us to stand in balance as we wait for life to unfold before our eyes, and remain focused on soul's destiny. The essence of the crane's teaching is to fly high in unison with the wind, regardless of it's direction. 

I find this such a wonderful contemplation to do in shavasan soon after practicing crane pose. Indeed, it reminds me to go with the flow (resistance is a waste of energy), to fly with the wind and to become comfortable with the bobbing nature of life.

I have gratefully borrowed this image from google images. 

Dealing with issues of self worth: a simple yoga exercise

This is a new theme for me as a teacher and practitioner of yoga - the issues around a lack of self worth. People often say to me that all they want is to feel safe and loved and accepted in their own skin. What does this mean really and what does it have to do with yoga? What this means is that people suffer a deep sense of rejection no matter who they are or where they come from. Everybody has at one time or another felt a lack of self love. And then we develop so many blocks and problems around this central theme. 

Self love and self worth: How much do we value the person inside ourselves? How would we know? I am amazed time and again by the way we give our inner most feelings about ourselves away through our speech and the words we unwittingly use. This is however, only an outward manifestation. As for  what is inside, honesty is the best policy!  From my own experience, I find that evolution is possible only after i honestly and truly acknowledge and accept the specific personal issue that I am faced with. a lack of self love and self worth is so often rooted in childhood and so we all have a little child inside us that is trapped in space and time. Can we release that little child and offer our innate adult healing wisdom to him or her? Yes. Yoga is a way to do just that. 

Yoga as a healing tool:  our memories are etched into our cells and get mirrored back to us as many things - take body image and weight as an example. weight issues are as much emotional as they are physical and that is why they say deal with all your negative emotional baggage if you want to loose weight. Granted weight problems can be physiological in nature as well, however, the power of releasing negative baggage is only too obvious. why would i carry a sack full of things i dont need and dont serve me when i undertake a journey? travel light, right?

I find that yoga greatly improves my sense of self worth because it enables a deep release in my body and mind. it gives me the basis to explore my body and my mind so that I can leave the mat feeling recharged on all levels. It keeps me in good shape physically and mentally. Not just that, i love my practice, i love that i do it everyday and i simply love how it makes me feel, and then when i say i love and accept myself, it usually rings true. and this spills over into the rest of my life......

Practicing non-attachment

If there is one thing that really bugs me, it's my yoga time being snatched away from me by people or incidents that require urgent attention, usually for something not very important. This morning was one such occasion when I had to sacrifice my yoga time. Well, I said to myself, let me try practicing a different kind of yoga today. What if I just went with the flow without thinking negative thoughts? Then what would happen? What if I were to attend to whatever needs attending to in a non-judgmental way? What difference would that make to my state of mind?

This thought process led me to a perfectly fruitful half hour of "other" work, off the mat. Just by choosing to alter my way of thinking in that moment, I changed the way I felt about loosing that precious time with myself, and what is more, I came away feeling good as well.

The moment I realised that I could choose my reaction to a given uncomfortable situation, things automatically felt better. The fact that non-attachement to the practice was one of the choices was liberating and choosing it, even more so.

Practicing yoga is a multi dimensional thing. It is not just about the routine of asana - I have said this so many times before, but then it is one of those things that cannot be said enough times. Yoga is about connecting to the self, to the moment and being truly present at all times.  It was an a-ha! moment for me knowing that off-the mat yoga could start with not being attached to my practice the way I know it. I was saved from thinking this is the only way I know to practice. Phew! what a relief.

Practicing yoga can take many forms: karma yoga  is an example - working for the sake of work with no attachment to the results. And working for the sake of work by letting go.

Yoga: contortions, distortions and misunderstandings

I recently read an article in The New York Times about the dangers of yoga entitled How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&).

Let me play devil's advocate for a second and say, "yes, it can". Indeed, anything taken to the extreme, has the seeds of the opposite sown in it. And so it is with yoga too. Too much of a good thing.......

Still, the very idea that yoga is dangerous is preposterous. That said, the way in which we practice an age old science can contribute to it being a boon or a bane, so the responsibility lies on the practitioner and the teacher. I have been practicing yoga regularly for nearly 2 decades now and have taught for almost as long and I have neither experienced an injury myself nor have I had any one of my students report a yoga injury.

Now let’s get down to basics. What is yoga? It is a way of life at best and a tool for wellness at worst, depending on what one wants out of it. So this leaves one with the question: how much responsibility is one willing to take for one’s own body? Any tool has to be used correctly in order to get the desired result. If not,  there are consequences to be faced. Either way, this calls for introspective awareness on the part of the user. No point blaming the tool when things go awry. 

 Yoga has become a distorted fitness program with the idea that anyone who ever so much as got on that mat must be flexible, fighting fit and sexy. This is a big impediment to the practice and teaching of yoga. Classical yoga is never taught in a way that makes the body feel bruised or abused. It is a gentle, deep acting wellness path that paves the way for one’s evolution as a human being. In fact, the term “yoga injury” is so alien to authentic yoga teachings, that the fact that it has found a place in common parlance is disconcerting to say the least.  Every asana or in fact every yoga practice, is contraindicated for certain states of body and mind. This is the warning sign that practitioners are not meant to ignore. 

 Yoga is an esoteric science and a sacred art from an ancient civilization. It has now become a multi-billion dollar commodity worldwide and what is more, anybody who teaches yoga gets the title “yogi”. I think yoga injuries come from forgetting to be present. So if you have what you think is a yoga injury, then stop abusing your body and start practicing yoga. It is not about striking the perfect pose or getting it perfectly right  - because that could end up being a royal pain in the asana. It is about getting into your own skin and feeling well in it. Yoga is not an endurance test or a test of your ego. It is about letting go, breathing easy, accepting, and embracing the moment as it is. Never hold an asana for longer than the body says it can. Listen to the body, for it will tell you what it needs and more importantly, what it doesn't need. My much-loved and very wise yoga teacher used to say that yoga is the art of listening. He also taught us that the practice of yoga was 50% breath observation and 50% common sense! 

And finally, here is a note to the aspiring yoga practitioner: Do yourself a favour and don’t learn yoga from books, and for heaven’s sake, evaluate your teacher like your life depends on it, because just maybe, it does. 

Meeting lethargy on the mat

Have you ever come to your practice thinking "here we go again.."? I have. Several times, in fact. Every so often, my practice borders on the mechanical and a predictable sequence gets put in place and somewhere in the middle, I will stop and let a lack of inspiration wash over me. Every one of those times I tell my self "this is okay, you are supposed to hit the low point now and then." There are yet other times when all I will do for a whole 20 minutes is a shavasan and a couple of stretches, in that order. First indulge the feeling of lethargy, then do a shavasan and then proceed to do 2 asana. and what is more, I call this my practice. The fact is, I feel refreshed after such a session mainly because I did not deny feeling the way I felt and actually went with what my body wanted - rest is the deepest sense of the word. 

Similarly, life can sometimes become too predictable and we get into a pattern of behaviour that we are afraid to let go of, even if trying something new and radical may prove to be good for us. All too often I find myself wondering what would happen if I did something in a different way than "normal"? this is where I find my yoga practice to be invaluable as it shakes up what is rigidly in place, not just physically, but also in a living life sense because nothing we think, feel or do is an isolated event, independent of everything else. You may even call it introducing an element of chaos into a seemingly well ordered system. Or a subversive attempt at challenging the established order. It may seem trivial at first but it builds energy which spills over into other areas of our life. This is why it is said that yoga builds our emotional immunity, and gives us the power to paddle on through the high tide. It gives us the ability to stand tall (come on, stretch that spine) and seek out our truth from the inner most layer of our being. 

So I try a new asana, a new way of doing a practiced asana or simply a new sequence altogether. This keeps my brain agile, my body fit and my spirit in good condition. It is well known that all our emotional experiences are held in our bodies, recorded into the network of nerves. Do you remember the last time you were anxious or upset or angry? Where did it hurt most? every emotion has a corresponding center in the physical body. In other words all emotion, positive or negative, is actually physical.

Feeling negative, whatever form it takes, especially when we step on the mat, is an incredible opportunity to confront our most deeply held feelings and put resolution to them  eventually or we will be forever doomed to drag the baggage. 

Exploring Different Types of Yoga

Time was when yoga was just yoga. It is not the case anymore as Yoga has spawned many different styles and “types” attributed to a lineage, a guru, a teacher or a modern-day version of a yogi. Of the numerous styles available today, I have chosen a few and put them together for a better understanding of the different types of yoga available.

Ananda Yoga: As the name itself suggests, ananda yoga is focused on developing bliss consciouness. In this style, yoga is done to increase prana to the brain and get the body ready for meditation.

Anusara Yoga: Anusara is a modern version of an ancient art. It couples a strict movement regime with a playful undercurrent and so encourages the practitioner to connect to the self.

Ashtanga Yoga: This is a system developed by Shri K Pattabhi Jois of Mysore whereby systematic sychronization of the breath and movement take place. It pairs pranayama with demanding asana practice and the asana itself are done in a flowing style of continuous movement called vinyasa.Bikram Yoga: This is the famous Hot Yoga. It is believed that the high temperature under which this yoga is practiced promotes flexibility, protection from injury and blood purification. Its founder, Bikram Choudury developed it so that it uses all aspects of fitness including strength, endurance, cardio, flexibility, and weight loss.

Hatha Yoga: This is the yoga that all other yoga styles come from. The word “hatha” means “sun-moon” and the aim of this type of yoga is to balance the solar and lunar energies of the body, also known as yang and yin. This is done through the practice of asana, pranayama and meditation.

Iyengar Yoga: This branch of yoga has been developed by master yogi, shri BKS Iyengar. It promotes stability, endurance, flexibility and strength while using the breath to propel the body's movements. It focuses on precision in body alignment and uses props to this end. It revolutionized yoga in a sense because it brought props into the picture. The aim was to help people assume poses that the body resisted by giving it a sense of security through props and thereby easing it into the specific pose.There are yet other styles that have come into their own and are now enjoying a good following. However, some of the most commonly practiced styles of yoga are the ones discussed in this article.

1. Mats Mats Mats2. I Love IndiaResources