According to a statement from the group: “From asanas named after Hindu Gods to the shared goal of moksha to the common pluralistic philosophy, the Hindu roots of yoga seem difficult to deny.  Yet, more often than not, many Western yoga practitioners are aghast at the very suggestion that the cherished “spiritual practice” of yoga is firmly grounded in Hindu philosophy.”

Apparently, Hindu scholar Aseem Shukla and “New Age” mega-guru Deepak Chopra have been engaging in a Great Yoga Debate on the Washington Post’s On Faith Blog about whether it is legit to practice yoga without acknowledging the practice’s Hinduism.

Shukla writes: “Hinduism, as a faith tradition, stands at this pass a victim of overt intellectual property theft, absence of trademark protections and the facile complicity of generations of Hindu yogis, gurus, swamis and others that offered up a religion’s spiritual wealth at the altar of crass commercialism.”

Chopra fires back: “If you strip away his sour mood and questionable assumptions, I think Shukla’s real lament is like that of Jews who see the young fleeing from the old ways and Christians sitting in half-empty churches. To him it could be said what is often said to these other religionists. Maybe it’s you who haven’t found a way to keep the temples, synagogues, and churches full. That’s a very different matter form the millions who are finding a spiritual path on their own, outside organized religion.”

WHOA GUYS. CHILL.

Honestly, for whatever reasons it is that someone finds yoga, I think it would be most appropriate for them at that given time. If they want to lose weight, so be it. If they want to exercise, so be it. If its a last ditch effort to find peace and quiet within themselves, so be it. Whatever the reason, whatever the season, nobody should be cut off from Yoga.

Without having to mention names on who ‘patented’ Yoga moves, isn’t this campaign by the American Hindu Foundation running along parallel lines of what was done? You want to cut off the excess ‘fat’ on Yoga, but over time, this ‘fat’ could very well turn into muscle. And who are we to judge their reasons for doing yoga?

I do believe there is a time and place for the Hindu philosophy. In fact, I would say that when we practice yoga with the philosophy in mind, it adds so much more richness and texture to the fabric of yoga which we choose to wrap ourselves in.

All In Good Time.

Yoga believes in non-harm. By inference, yoga wants to do good. If doing yoga can help someone, versus NOT doing yoga and having the person either not get better/get worse, wouldn’t it be harming someone if we stopped someone from doing yoga? I believe that Yoga is good for EVERYONE. Its just a matter of finding the right yoga to suit your condition at each phase of one’s life. Restorative, pre-natal, post-natal, ashtanga, hathaa, yin, pranayama…. the list could go on if I start adding the more modern additions such as power yoga, dynamic yoga, yoga balance, gentle yoga……

Many roads lead to Rome, we need to open our arms and hearts to accepting that differences aren’t always a bad thing.

The Sun Salutation is a prayer in motion. It allows us to use the body as an instrument of higher awareness, so that we can receive wisdom and knowledge. Surya namaskar consists of a sequence of twelve postures performed continuously and combined with synchronized breathing. Each position counteracts the preceding one producing a balance between flexions and extensions.

In Hindu mythology, the sun god is worshipped as a symbol of health and immortal life. The Rig Veda declares that “Surya is the Soul, both of the moving and unmoving beings”. The Sun Salutation originated as a series of prostrations to the sun. Traditionally, it is performed at dawn, facing the rising sun. In time, each of the twelve positions came to have its own mantra, celebrating aspects of the sun’s divinity.

And the benefits?

It activates almost all the glands of the endocrinal system. Because of this internal activation, the pancreas, adrenal, thyroid, pituitary and some other glands begin to secrete their respective hormones in normal way.

Surya Namaskara corrects disorders of the pancreas, liver and cure constipation, wind troubles, indigestion, acidity, intestinal disorder. It takes away extra weight of abdominal area. It strengthens the spinal cord, energizes the inner cells and activates the whole nervous system. It allows us to use the body as an instrument of higher awareness, so that we can receive wisdom and knowledge.

Sounds frggin incredible. I’m gonna hit the mat now

1) Pranamasana (Prayer Pose)

Stand erect with feet together and join the palms in the center of the chest in the style of Indian salute and inhale. Then exhale and push the hands down straightening and lowering the arms until the elbows touch the sides.

2) Hasta Uttanasana (Raised Arms Pose)

Crescent moon pose.

Now breathe in deeply and raise the arms above the head and extend the spine backwards arching the back from the waist and moving the hips forward. Let the eyes follow the hands while relaxing your neck. Do not bend hands from the elbows.

3) Padahastasana (Hand to Foot Pose)

Re leasing the breath bend forward from the waist and place the hands on the floor besides each foot.  Knees should remain straight, should not be allowed, to bend.

Relax with your head and neck in a bending pose. Breathe out completely.

If you cannot touch the ground, then let your hands go only as far as they can.

4) Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose)

Now breathe in and put your weight on the hands stretch the right leg behind like a stick resting on the toes. Bend the knee and place it on the floor with your weight on the left foot and arch the spine backward. Lift the head and neck first up and then back. Roll the eyes up. The left foot remains between the hands.

5) Parvatasana (Mountain Pose)

Exhale and bring the left foot back in line with the right. Lift the hips up high like a mountain. Push the heels and head down and look at the toes with the head down between the arms.

6) Ashtanga Namaskara (Salute With Eight Limbs Pose)

Put the knees down first and then bring the chest down. See that eight parts of the body are touching the floor including two feet, two knees, two hands, the chest and the chin or forehead. Sashtang means eight limbs and dandawat means paying homage by touching the floor. Make sure the hips are slightly raised above the ground. Inhale and exhale in this position. Keep the feet together.

7) Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Lower the pelvis and abdomen to the floor. Inhale and stretch the toes on the floor. Raise your head slowly up, arch the spine and neck and look up. Keep your legs together and the elbows alongside the body slightly bent and keep the shoulders down.

Parvatasana (Mountain Pose)

Exhale and wiggle your toes forward allowing your feet to rest on the soles while your raise the hips as your did in number 5.

9) Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose)

Inhale and bring the right foot forward and assume pose number 4 exactly as before. This is the same as posture number 4, with the leg positions reversed.

10) Padahastasana (Hand to Foot Pose)

Exhale and bring the right foot forward. This is the same as posture number 3.

11) Hasta Uttanasana (Raised Arms Pose)

Inhale and stretch up in a standing pose with your arms up and bend backwards

This is the same as posture number 2.

12) Pranamasana (Prayer Pose)

Exhale and stand erect bringing the hands back to the center of the chest with palms together. This is the same as posture number 1.

Now you have completed one round of surya namaskar. Maximum of 4 rounds can be done. Once you start doing the Surya Namaskaar, make sure to continue it regularly for at least ten days to observe its beneficial effects

Asanas such as like Tadasana (Mountain pose), Makrasana (Crocodile Pose), Veerasana (Hero Pose), Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) and Vrikshasana (Tree Pose) work great for the treatment of joint pain in your knees.

To practice these yoga poses for knees, simply follow these simple steps listed below…

Tadasana

Tadasana:

1. Stand upright
2. Hold your feet firmly on to the ground
3. Straighten your back
4. Breathe slowly
5. Inhale and exhale as it relaxes your body
6. Stay in this posture for sometime

Makrasana

Makrasana:

1. Sit upright
2. Fold your legs like in lotus position
3. Hold both of your toe tips with your respective hands
4. Try to lie on the ground with your legs still in this pose
5. Touch the ground with your head
6. Hold on for sometime
7. Slowly free the posture

Veerasana

1. Begin with the cat pose with both your knees and the hands on the ground
2. Slowly sit back with your legs folded inwards
3. Bring your hands back and keep them folded near the stomach
4. Inhale deeply
5. Exhale slowly
6. Relax

Trikonasana

Trikonasana:

1. Stand upright
2. Spread your legs
3. Balance your body in this posture
4. Slowly touch your one hand on the ground
5. Take the other hand up in the air
6. Stay in this posture for quite sometime
7. Release from the posture

In Yin Yoga, poses are held for an extended amount of time, anywhere from 3-8 minutes. These poses when practiced at home, can go on for an even longer amount of time. The reason for this is because practitioners of Yin yoga believe that long hold poses help to regenerate the Fascia. The Fascia is a thin layer of fibrous tissues which wraps around all our muscles and organs, and everytime we injure it, it causes minuscule tears. By maintaining a long hold stretch, the fascia is believed to strengthen and regenerate itself. When taken in this light, the joints of the knees are also believed to be able to strengthen and rejuvenate the synovial fluids which are lost and worn out over time.

Breathing exercises when practiced along with these postures help to provide relief from the acute pain in the joints. These exercises involve the lower limbs and provide relief from the knee pain. The breath exercises provide the desired oxygen to the muscles so it helps them rejuvenate and refreshes the mind as well as body.

These exercises should however be stopped if it causes strain to any part of the knee. It should be practiced in a very cool and comfortable manner in order to provide great flexibility to the knee movement and at the same time, make the muscles in and around the knee strong.

Hello Yogis! Some of you might’ve heard of Laughing Yoga by now. Some of you might have even tried it out. If you haven’t, you can read about it hee-hee-hee-here!

It is basically a form of Pranayama, a breathing exercise. When we take a deep bellyful of air in during a hearty laugh, we are nourishing our airways with fresh oxygenated blood. This is in contrast to the ‘dead air space’ that gets stuck in the middle of our airways when we breath in the shallow manner that we do, on a day to day basis.

So just to kick start our weekend, I thought I’d post this hilarious video of a laughing Yogi. Watching him laugh, seriously makes me laugh too. I’ll have to admit though, I’m not sure if I’m laughing WITH him, or AT him. But nevertheless, a laugh is a laugh, so let’s laugh on!

(make sure you watch till the end!)

Past experiences like family break-ups, the death of someone close, traumatic memories of sexual assault, or maybe even a seemingly harmless childhood taunt, might have spiraled out of their control, so when all seems lost, they retreat to instilling control over what they are able to exert their authority over. And diet, would be one of then. Perfection then, would be controlling the mind over their body’s wants.

While they might have open hips, a pose like a lunge, or a heart-opening backbend, might create a panicky or tearful feeling. Ali Buckman, a clinical social worker and yoga instructor who specializes in eating disorders, remember one client with an eating disorder. She couldn’t get through a class because she would break down in tears every time. But she kept returning, making it through a little more each class. By taking baby steps everyday,  she learnt to release the tight ‘control’ she had over her food consumption habits. Her breakthrough came when the class tried supported handstands against the wall. “She was able to trust that I wouldn’t let her fall,” Buckman said.

A calm and focused mind has a better chance of reducing the harmful effects of an eating disorder. Yoga is proven to reduce depression and recreate a state of balance and well being. Different yoga practices encourage heightened levels of self esteem and promote a positive view of one’s body. This is a critical factor in eating disorders and has been shown to significantly increase recuperation and healing.

By eliminating self-judgment, yoga establishes a strong connection between mind and body, allowing the two elements to work together to minimise negative effects. Anorexia affects one’s body’s energy level and reduces the bone density, creating unwanted negative effects at a physical level. Regular yoga also increases the overall fitness level of the body, giving it a good chance of fighting illness.

Pigeon Pose

The yogic system identifies eating disorders as a problem related to the first chakra. Different poses are used to restore balance in the system. They include: pigeon, locust, staff, and many more. Strengths and courage can be increased by using grounding postures such as mountain, goddess, standing squat, and prayer squat. The postures reestablish the strong mind-body connections and help overcome many physical obstacles. Most back bending poses help reduce depression and forward bends usually calm the spirit and minimize the effects of anorexia.

Yoga is not about perfecting the poses. Its about helping one find peace within themselves.

Yogis: Unsuspecting groomsmen under the mercy of a yogi bridesmaid

Location: Amber Gardens, Singapore

“As one of the tasks that the groom and groomsmen had to accomplish before gaining access to receive the bride in the room, they had to solve a puzzle whilst holding the Tree pose!”

But that’s exactly why some psychotherapists are using yoga as a mental health tool: The physical poses can lead to unexpected emotional breakthroughs.

For trauma survivors, recognizing that the body, mind and spirit are all connected – and must all be treated as a holistic entity – can be lifesaving. The Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the USA is now using yoga to help soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Center for Contextual Change (CCC) in Chicago uses yoga therapy for a wide range of situations, including trauma stemming from sexual abuse and domestic and family violence, chronic pain, depression, relationship issues, anxiety, grief and eating disorders. In Cambodia, Nata Raj Yoga uses yoga therapy to rehabilitate victims and survivors of sexual trafficking.

More often than not, the client feels disconnected from his/her body, said psychotherapist Dee Crowley, a yoga instructor who uses meditation, breathing practices and assisted or supported yoga postures with her clients at the CCC. Yoga, which means “union” by one definition, can help pull things back together.

“A lot of trauma survivors disown their body; they don’t feel safe,” Crowley said. “In the beginning it’s about breathing, being able to go inward to focus on how the body is feeling. Do they feel their hands? Their hips? Are they aware their feet are connected to the ground? Once they feel supported, their legs and feet are firmly rooted, then we can begin doing other work. It’s a very slow, respectful process.”

One does not have to be traumatised or seriously ill to reap the mental health benefits of yoga. All it takes is a willingness to get on a mat and the courage to listen to your body’s often-strange language. Initially, the connection may seem weak, or non-existent for that matter. But with time, when we start listening to our body, and tuning in to the subtlety of what it has to say to us, we start to appreciate the little pleasures in life.

We start live life being more Present. And being Present, is definitely a step towards acknowledging what has happened, and then, one can move on to healing emotional scars.

but never to your action’ fruits.

Act for the action’s sake.

And do not be attached to the inaction.

Self-possessed, resolute, act

without any thought of results,

open to success or failure.

This equanimity is Yoga.

Bhagavad Gita, 2.47-48

The art of Non-Attachment. Just exactly what is that? By Krishna’s explanations, it would be to perform an action, without having to worry about the outcome, so long as one’s intentions are pure and good. (Yes, yes, I know. The definition of pure and good is highly subjective, but let’s leave the picking apart of this argument for another time. I’m here to talk about non-attachment!)

Well, non-attachment is something that I often struggle with. Sure its easy to tell someone to not worry about things like whether the rain is going to pour on the clothes they have just left out in the sun, or to stop fretting about their weight, or things like whether they made a good first impression with someone they just met. But whether I can internalise this piece of advice when it comes to my own life, that’s a lot trickier!

I’ve been told that if I’m not careful, I could easily grow old and become a really naggy old hag So I guess my tendencies are already there! Now, its a matter of whether I can let go of my worries, and trust that with whatever I have just done, is done with the best efforts and intentions. Finally, I need to TRUST that whatever happens, is the best thing that can happen.

The loss of the Ego. The release of the Self. The letting go of the I.

To learn to trust that some greater force out there is orchestrating a story line that will enrich my life’s dharma and karma. And then to loosen that deathly grip of control, and leave some room for Lila to occur…

Balasana is the sanskrit name that we use for Child’s Pose. So by a stroke of genius inference, Ananda would probably be referring to… Happy?

This pose is an excellent stretch if your inner thighs are feeling tight. If you’re feeling somewhat stressed and fatigued, this pose is also good for you. I’d say the playful nature of this position when I’m lying on my back with my legs high up in the air reminds me of my my golden childhood days, and it effortlessly eases me into a more relaxed state.

Getting into the pose…

1) Lie on your back. As you exhale, bend your knees towards into your belly.

2) Taking a deep breath in, grip the outsides of your feet with your hands. If holding your feet directly with your hands is not possible, loop a belt over each sole and pull downwards on both ends of the belt.

3) Open your knees slightly wider than your torso, then bring them up toward your armpits.

4) With each ankle directly over the knee, have your shins are perpendicular to the floor. Curl your toes back and flex your heels. Gently push your feet up into your hands (or the belts) as you pull your hands down to create a resistance.

5) Lengthening your spine, try to draw the thighs in toward your torso and down toward the floor. Relax your tail bone toward the floor and lengthen the base of your skull away from the back of your neck. Stretch your spine.

6) Hold the pose steadily for 30 seconds to one minute. Then release the feet back to the floor with an exhale and rest for a few breaths.

Godfrey Devereux, 2001

In an essay written by Jennifer Juckel on using Yoga as Therapy, she clearly formulated an idea of how various forms of yoga can be tailored to fit the various reasons why people choose to do yoga. What was once a male dominated practice in India some 5000 years ago, has shifted to encompass a larger following of females in our modern day society, than males.

Many people start off doing yoga as a way to keep fit, lose weight, spend time with their friends or just to meet new people. Athletes may embark on the yogic journey as a way to heal from injuries, or just to keep their limbs supple. Many pregnant women try pre-natal yoga as a way to prepare themselves for a more natural form of exercise during their pregnancy. Those who are physically challenged may decide to try yoga as a way to remain agile in spite of their handicap. Patients suffering from depression, anxiety attacks, eating disorders may also find some peace when they put themselves on the mat and start doing yoga. Despite the diversity of the groups that I have mentioned before this, the common thread that is felt in all the different groups is that as they progress, the more subtle energetics of yoga starts to mesh with their day to day life.

The teachings of yoga by Swami Vishnu-devananda speaks of the 5 points of yoga being

1. Proper Exercise (Asanas)
2. Proper Breathing (Pranayama)
3. Proper Relaxation (Savasana)
4. Proper Diet (vegetarian)
5. Positive Thinking (Vedanta) and Meditation (Dhyana)

and the 4 paths of yoga being

1. Jnana Yoga (The Yoga of wisdom or knowledge)
2. Raja Yoga (The Yoga of Self control)
3. Bhakti Yoga (The Yoga of Devotion)
4. Karma Yoga (The Yoga of Action)

However, without even having to go too deep into the philosophy of yoga, many people start to feel a sense of calm and ability to remove clutter from their mind once they get themselves onto their mat and start practice. The ability to focus on breathing while in poses which require concentration and stamina encourages the mind to be still. When this is accomplished, distractions naturally melt away and you become totally engaged with your body and mind.

“Western medical philosophy is based on Cartesian philosophy, which sees the mind and body and two distinctly separately functioning entities, with the emphasis being on proven facts. On the other hand, Eastern medicine looks upon the mind and body as one entity, and recognises a deficit in one aspect affects the other.”

For all the merits that allopathic medicine have yielded, the double edged sword of such an ability to zoom in on the pathogens and remove it, is that it has forgotten to see the body as an organic entity. Delicate like the eco-system, one cannot simply remove a ‘problem’ with a quick-fix pill, a plaster or surgery! What may start off as a digestion problem may have its roots traced to an emotional disturbance, sinusitis could be a result of a weak immune system, back problems could stem from a bad alignment of one’s feet, or their posture… the list goes on!

I could go on and on and on… But rather than bore you into into a Sava, HAHA, here’s a good essay that is extremely well-written. Well, in my humble opinion, that is! ENJOY!