Namaskar - Apr 2016 (1)
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namaskar<br />
A VOICE FOR THE YOGA COMMUNITY OF ASIA <strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong><br />
BUILDING A YOGA FARM<br />
A former banker now on the yogic path to building<br />
a self-sustaining yoga community...................p19<br />
FROM POSTURES TO PHILOSOPHY<br />
How to make that first step from practicing yoga<br />
to living yoga.................................................p22<br />
FAMOUS YOGIS<br />
Meet four yoga teachers who have profoundly<br />
influenced our practice today.......................p28<br />
Renee Lee in Natarajasana, photo by Melinda Juang
2 NAMASKAR
NAMASKAR - APRIL <strong>2016</strong><br />
LETTER FROM<br />
THE EDITOR<br />
As I get older , I understand<br />
“letting go” is more a key to<br />
happiness than “having more.”<br />
On the cover - Renee is a yoga teacher based in Hong<br />
Kong. reneejqk@yahoo.com.hk<br />
When practicing yoga asana we have the<br />
opportunity to identify our physical tension,<br />
mental turmoil and emotional blockages.<br />
Then when we are ready, we can practice different approaches to alleviating them. Yin yoga has<br />
been invaluable for me in the process of identifying, then working on letting go of various<br />
muscle tensions, negative or critical thought patterns and selfless and self-protective<br />
emotions.<br />
Chloe’s interview with noted yoga teacher Carlos Pomeda offer us insight on the link between<br />
Hatha yoga and personal growth. Laurence’s journey from working at a bank in Singapore to<br />
creating his own self-sustaining yoga community in Portugal is inspiring to say the least. How<br />
many people have the courage to take that step off the ledge of financial stability into the abyss<br />
of the unknown.<br />
Chan updates us on the evidence that meditation can ward off Alzheimer’s and dementiarelated<br />
illnesses. In an article particularly for yoga teachers, Jacqueline proposes a less<br />
considered form of ahimsa.<br />
Famous Yogis, our dristi this time proved to be a popular one with contributors. As we<br />
received more articles than usual, we have saved some for July. Those famous yogis covered<br />
are ones you will have heard of, and some you perhaps haven’t. Daniel, Gaelle, Hersha, Karen<br />
and Paul introduce us to the teachers of their lineage inspiringly.<br />
When we think of meditation, sitting in padmasana with eyes closed may come to mind, such<br />
as those photographed by Melinda Juang on pages 14 - 15. However, there are lots of way to<br />
meditate: chanting can be very meditative; starting unblinking at a candle, walking slowly in<br />
circles; and even colouring, if done mindfully! Adult colouring books are all the rage these<br />
days, with supporters claiming it helps to reduce stress, increase creativity, So just for fun,<br />
we’ve included an image for you to colour on page 13.<br />
In This Issue<br />
DRISTI - FAMOUS YOGIS<br />
B.K.S. IYENGAR 28<br />
SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA 31<br />
SWAMI KUVALAYANANDA 32<br />
SHRI YOGENDRAJI 34<br />
SPECIAL FEATURES<br />
SWISS BANK TO YOGA FARM 19<br />
Former banker on his way to building a<br />
sustainable yoga farm & retreat in Portugal<br />
YOGA & ALZHEIMER’S 22<br />
Some evidence that yoga can ward off early<br />
onset dementia<br />
FROM ASANA TO PHILOSOPHY 22<br />
Carlos Pomeda’s advice for taking that first<br />
step off the mat<br />
AHIMSA WHEN TEACHING 27<br />
Some ways for yoga teachers to practice nonviolence<br />
in the studio<br />
REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS<br />
KULA UPDATES, WORKSHOPS,<br />
RETREATS, TEACHER TRAININGS 6<br />
PHOTO ESSAY 14<br />
MUDRAS IN BRIEF 39<br />
BOOK REVIEW 39<br />
FESTIVAL REVIEW 40<br />
RECIPE 45 & 47<br />
DIRECTORY 48<br />
Scan and email me your finished artworks (fgairns@netvigator.com), and we’ll think of<br />
something fun to do with them.<br />
ABOUT NAMASKAR<br />
ADMINISTRATION Carol Adams, carol@caroladams.hk<br />
NEWS EDITOR Wai-Ling Tse, wailing.tse@gmail.com<br />
CIRCULATION Angela Sun, angela.sun@gmail.com<br />
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Frances Gairns, fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong> provides a voice for the yoga community in Asia and<br />
around the world. The publication is an opportunity for<br />
practitioners on a yogic path to selflessly offer their knowledge,<br />
learnings and experiences with others.<br />
We welcome unsolicited submissions, therefore the opinions<br />
expressed within these pages are not necessarily those of <strong>Namaskar</strong> or<br />
its volunteers.<br />
Articles and photographs in <strong>Namaskar</strong> are contributed at no<br />
charge. Advertising income covers production, distribution,<br />
administrative costs and discretionary contributions to selected<br />
charities and causes.<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong>, is published quarterly in January, <strong>Apr</strong>il, July and October.<br />
About 5,000 copies are printed and distributed for free to yoga<br />
studios, teachers, fitness centres, retail outlets, cafes and yogafriendly<br />
outlets. Mostly distributed in Hong Kong, with 1,500 copies<br />
mailed to readers in 32 other countries.<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 3
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
BOBSY<br />
Chloe was born in Hong Kong,<br />
moved to Australia, then to the<br />
UK. She returned to Hong Kong to<br />
work after university and teaches<br />
yoga and ballet to children.<br />
chloe.yy.yates@gmail.com<br />
DANIEL FONSECA<br />
Hersha is an authorised Integral<br />
Yoga Raja Yoga Teacher Trainer<br />
and provides lectures and courses<br />
on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.<br />
info@hershayoga.com<br />
JACQUELINE OSPOVAT<br />
LAURENCE MANCHEE<br />
Bobsy is a long-time ecoentrepreneur<br />
living in Hong Kong.<br />
The founder of MANA!, he is<br />
committed to raising<br />
environmental awareness in all<br />
project he undertakes.<br />
bobsy@mac.com<br />
CHAN CUDENNEC<br />
Daniel is the Co-founder &<br />
Headmaster of Wise Living Yoga<br />
Academy an affiliated center of<br />
The Yoga Institute in Chiang Mai,<br />
Thailand.<br />
info@wiselivingyoga.com<br />
GAELLE FOULON DAFFNER<br />
Originally from South<br />
Africa, Jacqueline, a Certified<br />
Iyengar Yoga teacher has been<br />
living and teaching in Singapore<br />
since 1999.<br />
ospovatjax@gmail.com<br />
KAREN LAM<br />
Laurence (with partner<br />
Kimberley) is a yoga teacher<br />
struggling to keep up his yoga<br />
practice, reduce his carbon<br />
footprint and be as healthy and<br />
stress free as possible.<br />
www.keelayogafarm.com<br />
MELINDA JUANG<br />
Chan is the founder of and holistic<br />
practitioner at SOL Wellness, a<br />
body-mind wellness centre in<br />
Hong Kong. Chan is a certified KRI<br />
Kundalini yoga teacher www.solwellness.com<br />
CHLOE YATES<br />
Gaelle studies life and yoga always<br />
and teaches yoga at Yoga Central -<br />
Iyengar Central and around the<br />
South Side. gaelleinla@yahoo.com<br />
HERSHA CHELLARAM<br />
Karen is the Manager/Teacher at<br />
Yoga Central-Iyengar Central, and<br />
happy to share and explore yoga as<br />
a subject with any interested<br />
parties, any age group.<br />
yogacentralhk@gmail.com<br />
KRISHNAA KINKARIDAS<br />
Krishnaa lives in London. She<br />
studied with B.K.S. Iyengar in<br />
Mumbai and Pune and now runs<br />
classes in London and teaches<br />
‘Sanskrit and Mudras for Yoga’ for<br />
Yoga Alliance and British wheel of<br />
Yoga trainee teachers. She has<br />
written nine books on Bhakti Yoga.<br />
kinkaridasi@hotmail.com<br />
Melinda is a Taiwanese living in<br />
Hong Kong. A freelance yoga<br />
teacher, writer and photographer.<br />
She believes that every single<br />
4 NAMASKAR
photo taken is not meant to be<br />
perfect but certainly evolving along<br />
a path to a personal calling.<br />
melinda.juang@gmail.com<br />
NATALIE MACAM<br />
MICHA CHAN<br />
Micha was introduced to Yoga in<br />
2001 and was certified through the<br />
Yoga Vidyapeetham University, in<br />
India, under YogVidyaGurukul. He<br />
currently teaches at Flex Studio<br />
and Physical, and leads 200-hour<br />
Classical Hatha Teacher Training<br />
in Cantonese.<br />
yogahcim@yahoo.com<br />
Natalie is a yoga teacher at Agoura<br />
Power of Yoga and Malibu Beach<br />
Yoga, California.<br />
www.tigerwaveyoga.com<br />
PAUL DALLAGHAN<br />
namaskar<br />
Now on-line at:<br />
www.issuu.com/namaskarasia<br />
Back issues still at:<br />
www.issuu.com/caroladams<br />
MOISES MEHL<br />
Ashtangi Paul is the founder of<br />
Samahita Retreat in Koh Samui,<br />
Thailand. He is currently preparing<br />
for a Ph.D. dallopaul@gmail.com<br />
WAI-LING TSE<br />
July’s dristi:<br />
Famous Yogis, part 2<br />
As we had received many articles on this dristi, we will run it again<br />
in July. We have space for one or two more articles. If you would<br />
like to contribute on any famous yogis other than the ones<br />
mentioned in this issue and the ones we will present in July,<br />
please contact fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
Moy is a yoga teacher and advocate<br />
of the raw vegan food lifestyle.<br />
The head chef of Nood Food., he<br />
was inspired by his grandmother,<br />
who was an agro-ecologist,<br />
vegetarian, soy and raw food<br />
pioneer, yogi and writer in their<br />
home of Mexico City. He qualified<br />
as a certified Raw Vegan Chef and<br />
is studying for a Master’s Degree in<br />
Raw Vegan Spiritual Nutrition.<br />
chef moy@allnood.com<br />
Wai-Ling compiles the Kula<br />
section of <strong>Namaskar</strong>. She teaches<br />
and practices yoga, mindfulness<br />
and yoga therapy.<br />
yogawithling@gmail.com<br />
If you would like to contribute an article on this subject, or others,<br />
to <strong>Namaskar</strong>, please email Frances at fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
with your thoughts first. That way we can let you know if another<br />
contributor is already covering that angle. Final articles are<br />
welcome before June 10.<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 5
KULA<br />
Updates<br />
HONG KONG<br />
Free Yoga Classes<br />
for Indonesian<br />
Domestic Helpers<br />
Victoria Park, Causeway Bay<br />
Free weekly Yoga classes led by<br />
Lin Taran and Monita in<br />
Indonesian on Sundays at 10am.<br />
For more information<br />
whatsapp (852) 9338 8931<br />
Union Yoga from<br />
Singapore opens<br />
in Hong Kong<br />
Union Yoga Ayurveda from<br />
Singapore, has recently opened a<br />
branch in Hong Kong at Flat 7A,<br />
11 Cheung Shun Street, Great<br />
Wall Factory Building, Kowloon.<br />
Union focusses on yoga therapy<br />
classes and teacher trainings.<br />
For more information<br />
www.unionyogaayurveda.com.hk<br />
unionyogaayurvedahk@gmail.com<br />
Kirtan with Dipa<br />
13 <strong>Apr</strong>il (7:30-9pm)<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
A special evening of Kirtan<br />
and heart songs with Dipa from<br />
Ubud, Bali. Kirtan is primarily a calland-response<br />
type of meditationoriented<br />
chanting. The ancient<br />
practice of Yogesvara (The Yoga of<br />
Sound) is a deep and meaningful<br />
practice where universal sacred s<br />
ounds of mantra guiding into the<br />
heart for a return to self-love<br />
and intimacy that begins with<br />
the person and extends out into<br />
the world. Cost: HK$150.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com /<br />
(852) 2544 8398<br />
Kirtan in Central<br />
15 <strong>Apr</strong>il<br />
LuminusLink, Central<br />
25 <strong>Apr</strong>il, 30 May & 27 June (7-<br />
8:15pm)<br />
Alive Wellness, Central<br />
Held on Monday evenings in<br />
Central in two locations. Cost is<br />
HK$120 per person. To book a<br />
space at LuminusLink contact<br />
mcrodenbeck @gmail.com or<br />
Alive Wellness (852) 2541 8600 /<br />
info@alivewellness.hk<br />
Free Public<br />
Lectures on<br />
Spiritual<br />
Knowledge with<br />
Shweta Sean<br />
Clarke<br />
20 <strong>Apr</strong>il (7-8:30pm)<br />
Ruby Reflections Bookshop and<br />
Resource Centre, Sheung Wan<br />
24 <strong>Apr</strong>il (7-8:30pm)<br />
Life Management Yoga Centre<br />
(LMYC), Tsimshatsui<br />
Hosted by the Spiritual Science<br />
Research Foundation (SSRF) ,<br />
some of the topics covered<br />
include: chanting techniques to<br />
attain calmness of mind; where<br />
we go after death and how to help<br />
Shweta Sean Clarke<br />
6 NAMASKAR<br />
our departed ancestors; spiritual<br />
techniques to manage stress and<br />
anger; and seven powerful<br />
spiritual self-healing techniques.<br />
For more information<br />
(852) 2504 1333 /<br />
www.SpiritualResearch<br />
Foundation.org.<br />
Spirits in the<br />
Material World<br />
with Sravaniya<br />
DiPecoraro<br />
21 <strong>Apr</strong>il (2:30 - 4:30)<br />
Alive Wellness<br />
A discussion of the similarities<br />
between the 5,000 year old<br />
Bhagavad Gita and the 19th<br />
century Spiritism found Allan<br />
Kardec. HK$50.<br />
For more information<br />
www.alivewellness.hk /<br />
(852) 2541 8600.<br />
Kirtan at<br />
International<br />
Yoga Institute<br />
22 <strong>Apr</strong>il & 27 May (7-8:30pm)<br />
International Yoga Institute,<br />
Tsimshatsui<br />
An evening of kirtan followed by a<br />
light vegetarian dinner. Cost is<br />
HK$100 per person (includes<br />
dinner).<br />
For more information<br />
Connie/Sitarani (852) 2369 6696<br />
/ whatsapp (852) 9022 1445<br />
Real Stone<br />
Yogawear<br />
launches Spring<br />
collection<br />
Sai Ying Pun<br />
Japan’s Real Stone yogawear will<br />
showcase their <strong>2016</strong> Spring<br />
series in their new showroom in<br />
Hong Kong. Their collection<br />
of yoga outfits, mats and<br />
accessories are for women who<br />
enjoy a Yoga lifestyle. Their<br />
designs are inspired by the<br />
forest, with the theme of<br />
connecting people with nature.<br />
For more information<br />
(852) 3151 7069 /<br />
www.realstone.jp /<br />
info@r-more.com.hk /<br />
www.facebook.com/realstone.hk<br />
International Day<br />
of Yoga at<br />
Iyengar-Central<br />
June<br />
Iyengar Central, Central<br />
Free classes offered at Iyengar-<br />
Central in honour of this day.<br />
Send an email indicating your<br />
interest in areas of learning.<br />
For more information<br />
yogacentralhk@gmail.com<br />
New Yoga<br />
Sadhana Class<br />
with Yogananth<br />
Andiappan<br />
Anahata Yoga, Central<br />
This is an intensive 120 minutes<br />
class to deepen your yoga journey<br />
and to explore your limits.<br />
Suitable for seasoned<br />
practitioners or teacher training<br />
students and graduates. Nonmembers<br />
are welcome.<br />
For more information<br />
www.anahatayoga.com.hk /<br />
enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk /<br />
(852) 2905 1822
Kelsea Bangora &<br />
Jessica Williams<br />
join Flex<br />
Jessica joins Flex Central with<br />
two new classes including led<br />
Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow.<br />
Jessica has been teaching yoga<br />
for over 10 years, and has a<br />
background in wellness.<br />
For more information<br />
(852) 2813-2212 /<br />
info@flexhk.com /<br />
www.flexhk.com<br />
Kelsea Bangora<br />
Kelsea joins Flex One Island<br />
South offering Teen Yoga in<br />
the afternoon, and a stretch and<br />
release practice in the evenings.<br />
On Friday mornings, she leads a<br />
new, dynamic Vinyasa flow<br />
designed to challenge seasoned<br />
practitioners. Trained in New<br />
York under Master Charu, with a<br />
dance background, Kelsea brings<br />
a refreshing blend of classical<br />
asana with functional movement<br />
to her classes.<br />
Jessica Williams<br />
Donation-based<br />
Yoga Classes at<br />
Flex for<br />
International Day<br />
of Yoga<br />
21 June<br />
There will be donationbased<br />
yoga classes offered all day<br />
in both Flex studios in One Island<br />
South and Central. All yoga<br />
classes will be pay as you wish,<br />
with proceeds going to Free to<br />
Run’s Hong Kong Chapter. Flex<br />
will also host a very special<br />
evening class at One Island South<br />
with one of their favourite yoga<br />
partners.<br />
For more information<br />
(852) 2813-2212 /<br />
info@flexhk.com /<br />
www.flexhk.com<br />
Seeking Yoga/<br />
Pilates Instructors<br />
Yoga Privates is an exclusive<br />
provider of private Yoga and<br />
Pilates sessions across Asia since<br />
2008. They are seeking registered,<br />
experienced instructors to<br />
join their team.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yoga-privates.com /<br />
info@yoga-privates.com /<br />
(852) 6504 4280<br />
Abhijata Iyengar<br />
MALAYSIA<br />
Iyengar Yoga Asia<br />
Convention with<br />
Abhijata Iyengar<br />
4-8 May<br />
Kuala Lumpur<br />
Abhijata Iyengar, granddaughter<br />
of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar will<br />
be teaching at this five-day Asian<br />
convention. The theme is<br />
“Understanding Iyengar Yoga”<br />
based on the unique features of<br />
Iyengar Yoga, namely precision,<br />
sequencing and timing.<br />
For more information<br />
iyengaryogaconventions.com /<br />
info.iyahk@gmail.com /<br />
yogacentralhk@gmail.com<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
Singapore Yoga<br />
Teacher Sangha<br />
Ongoing<br />
Immerse yourself in a supportive,<br />
inclusive, respectful, and<br />
collaborative space for Yoga<br />
teachers of various styles who<br />
are based in Singapore. An<br />
opportunity to gather, share and<br />
learn from one another. An open<br />
forum to discuss teaching yoga, a<br />
place to share resources, ask<br />
questions, give answers and build<br />
community. Events are free but<br />
RSVP is essential.<br />
For more information<br />
www.LisaDevi.com/Sangha /<br />
SingaporeYogaTeacherSangha<br />
@yahoo.com.sg<br />
TAIWAN<br />
Special Advanced<br />
Iyengar Class with<br />
Peter Scott<br />
21 July<br />
Space Yoga, Taipei<br />
For students with an established<br />
yoga practice who can do<br />
Sirsasana (headstand) for 5<br />
minutes and can push up into<br />
Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel<br />
pose) with straight arms. It is a<br />
complete practice and a variety of<br />
poses will be covered that will<br />
challenge you and deepen your<br />
knowledge of asanas.<br />
For more information<br />
www.withinspace.com<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 7
KULA<br />
Workshops<br />
CHINA<br />
Inversions & Arm<br />
Balances with<br />
Dylan Werner<br />
29 <strong>Apr</strong>il - 1 May<br />
Pure Yoga<br />
Dylan is an inversion & arm<br />
balance specialist. He also<br />
focuses on yoga strength training<br />
and body weight movement.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
HONG KONG<br />
Meditation Workshop<br />
with Kirti Daryanani<br />
16 <strong>Apr</strong>il (3-6pm)<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
Befriend your mind and<br />
connect with your inner teacher<br />
through the process of earnest<br />
introspection. Learn four ways<br />
to improve your meditation<br />
practice and 10 ways to help<br />
reduce common distractions in<br />
your meditation practice. Lastly<br />
studying the map of the mind<br />
and use two simple practices<br />
outlined in the scriptures to<br />
better understand the unconscious<br />
mind. These methods in turn<br />
will help attain the keys to<br />
working with thoughts (and<br />
emotions) that are bound to<br />
arise during meditation. Cost:<br />
HK$600.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com /<br />
(852) 2544 8398<br />
Inversions & Arm<br />
Balances with<br />
Dylan Werner<br />
6 - 8 May<br />
Pure Yoga<br />
Dylan is an inversion & arm<br />
balance specialist. He also<br />
focuses on yoga strength training<br />
and body weight movement.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
Workshops with<br />
Gokulacandra at<br />
The Yoga Room<br />
21 May (9:30am-12noon) -<br />
Arm Balance Workshop<br />
21 May (3-5:30pm) -<br />
Forward Bend & Inversion Workshop<br />
22 May (9:30am-12noon) -<br />
Twists Workshop<br />
22 May (3-5:30pm) -<br />
Advanced Workshop<br />
Join 2 workshops:<br />
HK$1,200; 3 workshops:<br />
HK$1,700; and 4 workshops:<br />
HK$2,200.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com /<br />
(852) 2544 8398<br />
Svastha Yoga of<br />
Krishnamacharya<br />
Holistic Health and an<br />
Integrative Approach to Yoga<br />
Therapy with Dr. Ganesh Mohan<br />
10-14 June (8am-4pm)<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
Introducing the most effective<br />
aspects of traditional Yoga and<br />
Ayurveda combined with modern<br />
medicine. Specific guid elines for<br />
different conditions and general<br />
treatment principles will be<br />
detailed, empowering you to safely an<br />
d effectively address disabilities and<br />
ill-health through Yoga. This<br />
Yoga Therapy program is<br />
delivered in 7 intensive modules.<br />
Each module may be attended<br />
independently.<br />
Certificates will be issued for<br />
each module. Early bird price by<br />
29 <strong>Apr</strong>il HK$6,500; Regular<br />
HK$6,900.<br />
For more information<br />
info@yogaroomhk.com /<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com /<br />
(852) 2544 8398<br />
Ayurvedic Yoga<br />
Massage Training<br />
AYM-ARYM with<br />
Ananta Girard<br />
11-12 June - Level 1 –<br />
Foundation Course<br />
13-14 June - Level 2 –<br />
Deepening Course<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
Ayurvedic Yoga Massage AYM-<br />
ARYM combine s modern Yoga<br />
Therapy and traditional deep<br />
tissue massage. It originates<br />
from Yoga and Ayurveda. AYM-<br />
ARYM therapy emphasizes deep<br />
tissue massage given with<br />
hands and feet and on assisted<br />
Yoga-based stretching<br />
derived from Iyengar Yoga.<br />
Ayurvedic Yoga massage helps<br />
yoga students to attain more<br />
comfortable Asanas and<br />
Pranayama. The AYM-ARYM<br />
method can also help Yoga<br />
teachers to provide safe and<br />
effective adjustments to students,<br />
to help en courage correct body<br />
alignment and prevent/release<br />
pains and aches. Cost for each<br />
level HK$3,400.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com /<br />
(852) 2544 8398<br />
Energy Healing<br />
Workshops with<br />
Rahul Bharti<br />
13 June - Self Grounding and<br />
Defragmentation<br />
14 June - Introduction to Chakra<br />
Healing<br />
15 June - Self Shamanic Journey<br />
16 June - Tibetan Singing Bowl<br />
Healing<br />
18 June - Self Healing and<br />
Grounding<br />
19 June - Chakra Healing and<br />
Energy Balancing with Tibetan<br />
Bowls<br />
Rahul has been an energy healer<br />
from an early age. He has<br />
received transmissions in the<br />
arts of healing from learning and<br />
living with healers in India,<br />
Thailand and Sri Lanka. You will<br />
learn the different methods<br />
Rahul has practised in his life<br />
andand sharing of his knowledge<br />
through both theoretical and<br />
practical experience.<br />
For more information<br />
ancientmassagehk.wix.com/<br />
rahulbharti/<br />
ancientmassagehk@gmail.com /<br />
(852) 5321 1196<br />
Ancient (Yoga)<br />
Massage<br />
International<br />
Certificate Course<br />
with Rahul Bharti<br />
24-27 June - 20-hr Certificate<br />
28-29 June - 6-hr Advanced<br />
The Ancient (Yoga) Massage<br />
Certificate course provides the<br />
complete theoretical and<br />
practical knowledge required to<br />
perform a 1.5 hour Ancient Yoga<br />
Massage. Through tuition and<br />
practical massage techniques and<br />
hands-on practise, you will learn<br />
to relax into working with the<br />
flow of energies in the body. The<br />
classes run four hours a day and<br />
8 NAMASKAR
include completion of the<br />
massage instruction handbook as<br />
well as practical technique with<br />
the massage.<br />
For more information<br />
ancientmassagehk.wix.com/<br />
rahulbharti/<br />
ancientmassagehk@gmail.com /<br />
(852) 5321 1196<br />
INDIA<br />
5-Day Spiritual<br />
Workshops for<br />
Rapid Spiritual<br />
Growth<br />
The Spiritual Research Centre<br />
and Ashram, Goa<br />
The Spiritual Science Research<br />
Foundation (SSRF) and the<br />
Maharshi University of<br />
Spirituality are hosting 5-day<br />
Spiritual Workshops in Goa<br />
which are open to all. It gives you<br />
a forum to participate in an<br />
intensive program which paves<br />
the way for deeper insights about<br />
oneself and helps one to get<br />
direction for rapid spiritual<br />
growth.<br />
For more information<br />
www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
Inversions & Arm<br />
Balances with<br />
Dylan Werner<br />
13 - 15 May<br />
Pure Yoga<br />
Dylan is an inversion & arm<br />
balance specialist. He also<br />
focuses on yoga strength training<br />
and body weight movement.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
Dylan Werner<br />
TAIWAN<br />
Alignment in Hot<br />
Yoga with Adam<br />
Armstrong<br />
Adam Armstrong<br />
14 and 21 May<br />
Space Yoga, Taipei<br />
In this four-hour theme class,<br />
learn in-depth how to apply<br />
Anusara’s five Universal<br />
Principles of Alignment to the<br />
classic 26 postures and breathing<br />
exercises commonly known as<br />
Bikram Yoga.<br />
For more information<br />
www.withinspace.com<br />
Inversions & Arm<br />
Balances with<br />
Dylan Werner<br />
20 - 22 May<br />
Pure Yoga<br />
Dylan is an inversion & arm<br />
balance specialist. He also<br />
focuses on yoga strength training<br />
and body weight movement.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
Iyengar Yoga<br />
Workshop with<br />
Peter Scott<br />
30-31 July<br />
Peter Scott<br />
Space Yoga, Taipei<br />
Learn to penetrate your<br />
awareness to where body, senses,<br />
organs of action, mind and<br />
intellect work together to give<br />
lightness of body and calmness of<br />
mind.<br />
For more information<br />
www.withinspace.com<br />
Ashtanga Yoga<br />
Summer Camp<br />
with Adarsh<br />
Williams<br />
2-7 August; and 9-14 August -<br />
Intensive and Weekend<br />
Workshop<br />
Experience Ashtanga like never<br />
before with Adarsh and take away<br />
practical lessons you can<br />
immediately implement. Learn to<br />
master the primary series, go<br />
deep into the intermediate series,<br />
incorporate the latest movement<br />
research into your yoga practice,<br />
and integrate the philosophical<br />
keys of the Eight Limbs into your<br />
daily life.<br />
For more information<br />
www.withinspace.com<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 9
KULA<br />
Teacher Trainings<br />
AUSTRALIA<br />
One-year TT for<br />
International<br />
Students<br />
11 May, 19 August and 7<br />
November<br />
Byron Bay<br />
Byron Yoga Centre offers the<br />
fully accredited 800-hours<br />
Certificate IV course - one of the<br />
highest qualifications in yoga<br />
teaching in Australia and<br />
internationally. The one-year<br />
part time option qualifies<br />
participants for an international<br />
student visa allowing students to<br />
live, work and study in Byron<br />
Bay. Students attend 2 days per<br />
week and can work for up to 20<br />
hours each week with the 12<br />
month international student visa.<br />
For more information<br />
www.byronyoga.com<br />
Non-Residential<br />
60-hour Yoga<br />
Alliance TT with<br />
Sarah Powers<br />
23-30 November<br />
Sydney<br />
Deepen your understanding of<br />
the experiential, philosophical<br />
and practical application of Yoga<br />
and meditation. Suitable for<br />
those with at least two years of<br />
practice and have attended a<br />
prior teacher training course, if<br />
you intend to teach this material;<br />
though not essential for those<br />
interested in simply cultivating<br />
their own practice.<br />
For more information<br />
www.sarahpowers.com/iyi/<br />
schedule-<strong>2016</strong>/insight-yoga-<br />
teacher-training-november-<br />
<strong>2016</strong>/<br />
HONG KONG<br />
300-hr Advanced<br />
Yoga TT (in<br />
Chinese) with Ann<br />
da Silva<br />
30 <strong>Apr</strong>il-8 May - Yoga Therapy<br />
10-18 September - Yin and<br />
Restorative Yoga<br />
29 <strong>Apr</strong>il-7 May 2017 -<br />
Pregnancy Yoga<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
Suitable for Yoga teachers with<br />
200-hour foundation training.<br />
Training modules can be taken<br />
individually without joining the<br />
full program. Graduates of full<br />
300-hr program will qualify as<br />
RYT500 with the Yoga Alliance.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com /<br />
(852) 2544 8398<br />
108 – NavakaraGa<br />
Vinysa with Dario<br />
Calvaruso<br />
2 May – 2 October – Pure Yoga<br />
Hong Kong<br />
Dario Calvaruso<br />
NavakaraGa Vinysa is a method<br />
developed by Dario Calvaruso<br />
over 20 years of study, practice<br />
and researches. It is the first<br />
systematised methodology for a<br />
tailor-made vinysa yoga practice<br />
and teaching.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
200-hour Yoga TT<br />
Certificate Course<br />
10 May-30 June<br />
Anahata Yoga, Central<br />
This course gives yoga<br />
practitioners, enthusiasts, and<br />
aspiring instructors the chance<br />
to deepen their self-knowledge of<br />
yoga philosophy and improve on<br />
various aspects of their practice.<br />
It is an open-level training<br />
programme, suitable for those<br />
who have done little yoga as well<br />
as those who have put in years of<br />
practice.<br />
For more information<br />
www.anahatayoga.com.hk /<br />
enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk /<br />
(852) 2905 1822<br />
Kidding Around<br />
Yoga TT with<br />
Hersha Yoga<br />
11-12 May<br />
Platform Events, Sai Ying Pun<br />
Kidding Around Yoga (KAY) is a<br />
vibrant international community<br />
dedicated to sharing the complete<br />
science of yoga, music games,<br />
activities, arts and crafts and<br />
more with little yogis. The twoday<br />
training accompanies online<br />
training and a lifetime of support<br />
by KAY staff and the KAY<br />
community. Open to anyone who<br />
wants to work with kids.<br />
For more information<br />
info@hershayoga.com<br />
Kidding Around Yoga<br />
(KAY) TT<br />
14-15 May (1-7:30pm)<br />
Flex Studio, One Island South<br />
Led by Haris Lender, Foun der<br />
of Kidding Around Yoga (KAY);<br />
cost is US$650. Learn creative<br />
instruction in meditation,<br />
breathing practices, relaxation,<br />
poses, games and activities,<br />
stress management for kids, how<br />
to run a kids Yoga day camp, kids<br />
Yoga birthday parties and so<br />
much more. KAY has a unique<br />
approach to teaching children’s<br />
Yoga and a series of original<br />
music created by their tight knit<br />
family of teachers and trainers.<br />
Suitable for anyone who works<br />
with kids on any level.<br />
For more information<br />
kiddingaroundyoga.com/kidsyoga-teacher-trainings/schedule/<br />
hong-kong-2/<br />
Upeksha<br />
Immersions & TT<br />
with Lawrence<br />
Pradhan, Carlos<br />
Pomeda & Ross<br />
Rayburn<br />
25 May - 18 November<br />
Pure Yoga<br />
Upeksha Yoga intends to provide<br />
a bridge between the practitioner<br />
and their highest purpose.<br />
Igniting the fire and awakening<br />
the intelligence within is the<br />
objective of this programme.<br />
Building confidence by having the<br />
necessary tools to become a good<br />
teacher. This is a 200-hour<br />
programme, broken down into 5<br />
10 NAMASKAR
parts. Each part will run for 5<br />
days, each day will include 8<br />
hours of yoga practice and<br />
studies.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
Evolve Yourself<br />
Counter Flow<br />
200-hour Teacher<br />
Training with<br />
Marcus Leung<br />
4 June-31 July<br />
Pure Yoga<br />
This programme will analyse the<br />
concept of Counter Energy and<br />
provide practical tips on how to<br />
harness it to make your practice<br />
more fluid, your body more<br />
balanced in strength and<br />
flexibility, and make weight<br />
transfer during your practice<br />
more effective.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
200-hr & 300-hr<br />
Yin Yang Vinyasa<br />
Yoga TT with<br />
Janet Lau<br />
27 June-9 July - 110-hr Yin Yang<br />
27 July-6 August - 90-hr Living<br />
our Yoga<br />
23-29 October and 8-17<br />
December 2017 - 150-hr<br />
Mindfulness Yoga<br />
6-12 November - 60-hr Healing<br />
our Hearts<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung wan<br />
This programme is for those who<br />
want to teach, and those who<br />
want to transform themselves<br />
inside and out so they can share<br />
the experience with others. Using<br />
the essence of mindfulness and<br />
spiritual teachings from different<br />
lineages woven into the Yogic<br />
teachings and everyday life, these<br />
training modules aim to help<br />
participatns learn to be a humble<br />
student and an authentic teacher.<br />
For more information<br />
info@yogaroomhk.com /<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com /<br />
(852) 2544 8398<br />
200-hr Vinyasa<br />
Yoga TT with<br />
Wai-Mei Yeung &<br />
Robert Boswell<br />
Module 1: 31 July-9 August<br />
Module 2: 10-19 August<br />
Grand Jete Dance Centre, HK<br />
Participants will learn<br />
philosophy, energy, alignment,<br />
sequencing, hands-on adjustment<br />
and teaching skills. Focusing on<br />
both theory as well as practice of<br />
teaching. Option to join Module 1<br />
only or the full training.<br />
For more information<br />
www.facebook.com/<br />
yoga.teacher.training.hk.barefootyoga<br />
/ barefootyogadavis.com /<br />
(852) 9686 8124<br />
Classical Hatha Yoga<br />
TT in Cantonese with<br />
Micha Chan<br />
September<br />
Flex Studio<br />
Senior instructor Micha will lead<br />
this training in Cantonese.<br />
Certification will be issued<br />
directly from the Indian ashram<br />
Yoga Yidya Gurukul<br />
(www.yogapoint.com) and<br />
training will be hosted by Flex<br />
Studio.<br />
Micha Chan<br />
For more information Micha<br />
(852) 9344 8589 /<br />
yogahchim@yahoo.com<br />
THAILAND<br />
95-Hour<br />
Children’s Yoga<br />
TT Intensive<br />
March and July<br />
Eco-Logic Resort<br />
Divine Light Yoga offers 12 days<br />
of creativity, connection and<br />
playfulness. For yoga teachers,<br />
educational and healthcare<br />
professionals interested in<br />
exploring the therapeutic,<br />
holistic world of children’s Yoga<br />
and mindfulness. 30% of all<br />
tuition fees will be donated to the<br />
Thai Child Development<br />
Foundation.<br />
For more information<br />
info@divine-light-yoga.com /<br />
www.divine-light-yoga.com<br />
200-hour Yoga TT<br />
Course<br />
1-27 May; 5 June-1 July; 10 July-5<br />
August; 23 October-18<br />
November; 27 November-23<br />
December<br />
Wise Living Yoga Academy,<br />
Chiang Mai<br />
A full immersion experience in<br />
traditional Yoga studies in an<br />
Ashram-like environment. This<br />
course provides foundation on<br />
Classical Yoga philosophy and<br />
practices, including meditation,<br />
asanas (postural training),<br />
pranayamas (breathing<br />
techniques) and simple kriyas<br />
(cleansing techniques). All<br />
programs are residential and<br />
include vegetarian meals.<br />
For more information<br />
(66) 825467995 /<br />
info@wiselivingyoga.com /<br />
www.teachertraining.<br />
wiselivingyoga.com<br />
200-Hr Yoga<br />
Alliance TT<br />
5 June-10 July<br />
Wild Rose Yoga Studio, Chiang<br />
Mai<br />
This training aims to be an<br />
empowering, experiential and<br />
integrative alignment-based<br />
Hatha and Vinyasa style training.<br />
Participants will be guided by a<br />
supportive community as they<br />
unveil the yoga teacher within, in<br />
this comprehensive training with<br />
progressive teaching practice.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pranaya.org /<br />
pranayayoga@gmail.com<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 11
KULA<br />
Retreats<br />
AUSTRALIA<br />
Special Solstice<br />
Retreats<br />
Byron Bay<br />
Byron Yoga Retreat Centre is<br />
offering special winter solstice 3<br />
or 8-day retreats starting 17<br />
June. This is an amazing<br />
opportunity to reconnect to self<br />
at an auspicious time and<br />
celebrate the solstice on 21 June.<br />
The retreats are a flexible<br />
program of Yoga, meditation,<br />
wellness session plus time at the<br />
beach and relaxing by the heated<br />
pool. Much of the food is grown<br />
in the organic gardens and can<br />
enjoy delicious vegetarian<br />
food. Tap into the natural rhythm<br />
of the universe and allow the<br />
magic of unseen forces to<br />
revitalise your mind, body and<br />
spirit.<br />
For more<br />
information www.byronyoga.com<br />
INDONESIA<br />
P.L.A.Y Retreat<br />
with Tryphena<br />
Chia<br />
23-27 June<br />
Sukawati, Bali<br />
Tryphena invites participants to<br />
“come away to beautiful,<br />
mysterious and relaxing Bali to<br />
P.L.A.Y! PLAY like a kid again.<br />
LOVE yourself, your life, and life<br />
itself.”<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
PHILLIPINES<br />
Yoga Vraja Eco<br />
Village Trip<br />
29 <strong>Apr</strong>il-2 May<br />
Manila<br />
Organised by the International<br />
Yoga Institute in Hong Kong, the<br />
cost of this trip is HK$8,500<br />
including accommodation, 3<br />
vegetarian meals per day,<br />
transportation, insurance, and<br />
air tickets.<br />
For more information<br />
Connie/Sitarani (852) 2369 6696<br />
/ whatsapp (852) 9022 1445<br />
Inner & Outer<br />
Reflections with<br />
Francesca Regala<br />
Francesca Regala<br />
10 - 15 November<br />
Dumaguete Island<br />
A 5night/6day retreat to deepend<br />
participants’ knowledge of yoga<br />
as a path to wellness and well<br />
being. Asana in the morning, with<br />
pranayama, meditation and<br />
philosophy in the evenings.<br />
For more information<br />
francescaregala@gmail.com /<br />
+63 9178098174<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
The Mandala of<br />
Wisdom Retreat<br />
with Lama Marut<br />
12 NAMASKAR<br />
Lama Marut<br />
& Cindy Lee<br />
26-30 May<br />
Bintan Agro Beach Resort<br />
A retreat on the ”Five Buddha<br />
Families”. Learn techniques of<br />
transforming the stresses of<br />
everyday life into an opportunity<br />
for deeper connection, insight<br />
and love. Retreat schedule<br />
will include daily dharma talks,<br />
kirtan, Yoga and meditation as<br />
well as creative activities and<br />
plenty of personal time for<br />
relaxation and reflection.<br />
For more information info@ascsg.org<br />
/www.asc-sg.org<br />
THAILAND<br />
Hula Hoop and<br />
Yoga Retreat with<br />
Turning Circle<br />
and Divine Light<br />
Yoga<br />
16-23 July<br />
Vikasa, Koh Samui<br />
A unique retreat offering daily<br />
hula hoop classes, Yoga workshops<br />
and meditation, for<br />
absolute beginners and advanced<br />
hooping yogis.<br />
For more information<br />
www.hoopingyogis@gmail.com<br />
50-Hour Samkhya<br />
Yoga Intensive<br />
1-7 May; 5-11 June; 23-29<br />
October; 27 November-3<br />
December<br />
Wise Living Yoga Academy,<br />
Chiang Mai<br />
People often speak about Yoga<br />
without realizing it forms an<br />
integral part of a composite<br />
Samkhya-Yoga Philosophy, the<br />
oldest philosophical system in<br />
the world. Includes theory and<br />
practice of Yoga techniques; and<br />
vegetarian meals in residential<br />
basis.<br />
For more information<br />
(66) 825467995 /<br />
info@wiselivingyoga.com /<br />
www.retreats.wiselivingyoga.com<br />
100-Hour<br />
Samkhya and<br />
Bhagavad Gita<br />
Intensive<br />
1-14 May; 5-28 June; 10-23 July;<br />
23 October-5 November; 27<br />
November-10 December<br />
Wise Living Yoga Academy,<br />
Chiang Mai<br />
In addition to the study of<br />
Samkhya and many traditional<br />
practices and techniques, will<br />
also be exploring the Four Paths<br />
of Yoga, namely Raja Yoga, Jnana<br />
Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma<br />
Yoga as explained in the Bhagavad<br />
Gita. Includes theory and<br />
practice; and vegetarian meals in<br />
residential basis.<br />
For more information<br />
(66) 825467995 /<br />
info@wiselivingyoga.com /<br />
www.retreats.wiselivingyoga.com
Pick up some colours and let your creativity flow with this colouring page!<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 13
“I sat half-lotus on the beach, and<br />
gently watched the waves breathing<br />
Two birds swiftly flew across my<br />
eyes followed them but I did not<br />
turn my head.” - Anonymous<br />
This poem expresses the spirit of<br />
meditation beautifully. Articulating<br />
how we meditate in real life,<br />
becomingaware of what is<br />
happening around us, and<br />
yet,staying undisturbed.<br />
According to the Heart Sutra, a<br />
famous sutra inMahâyâna<br />
Buddhism, Buddha entered a deep<br />
meditative state, Samadhi, while<br />
the Bodhisattva Avalokitawas<br />
giving a speech on the essence of<br />
the wisdom gone beyond. At the<br />
end of Avalokita’s speech, Buddha<br />
arose from Samadhi and was able<br />
to confirm and express his<br />
thoughts of the words of Avalokita<br />
clearly.<br />
According to the eight limbs of yoga<br />
defined in the Yoga Sutra by<br />
Patanjali, Samadhi is the highest<br />
spiritual state of consciousness. It<br />
was evident that even in Samadhi,<br />
Buddha wasmindful of<br />
hissurrounding world rather than<br />
being disconnected from it. This<br />
demonstrated that transcendental<br />
awareness is not an escape of<br />
reality, however it is actionwith<br />
deep stillness.<br />
There are scientific studies that<br />
prove meditation can help people<br />
physically, mentally and<br />
emotionally; and most importantly,<br />
it can bring harmony in your<br />
relationships with others. Even<br />
though we all feel refreshed and<br />
calm after a meditation session, the<br />
purpose of meditation is beyond<br />
being self-focused and not meant to<br />
isolate oneself from the reality.<br />
The ultimate goal is to be<br />
meditative in stillness, in action,<br />
and in real life. Are you willing to<br />
try this on?<br />
14 NAMASKAR
PHOTO ESSAY<br />
MEDITATION IN REAL LIFE<br />
Finding Stillness: Everyday,<br />
Anywhere<br />
PHOTOS & WORDS BY MELINDA JUANG<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 15
16 NAMASKAR
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 17
18 NAMASKAR
OFF THE MAT<br />
FROM SWISS BANK TO YOGA FARM<br />
Building a self sustainable Yoga<br />
community<br />
BY LAURENCE MANCHEE<br />
Kimberly and I met in Hong Kong back in<br />
2012. I was working at Credit Suisse and<br />
Kimberly was teaching at an international<br />
school. Our jobs paid well but of course<br />
involved hard work, long hours and chronic<br />
stress. This all paid for expensive rent, overpriced<br />
organic food and eating at<br />
restaurants; a lifestyle to which we were<br />
accustomed but which left us both<br />
desperately wanting more.<br />
Our first trip to a self-sustainable yoga<br />
community in Argentina in 2013 was like the<br />
missing piece of the puzzle. We thrived in an<br />
environment where nature, yoga and<br />
sustainable, organic living were integral to<br />
our everyday lives. We knew immediately this<br />
was what we wanted our lives to be and on<br />
that very trip, we began fantasising about<br />
how we would make the transition from cityliving<br />
to setting up our own farm and yoga<br />
retreat.<br />
During our stay at ‘Eco Yoga Park’ in<br />
Argentina, we realised yoga isn’t just about<br />
asanas. The community members there<br />
practiced Karma yoga daily where they would<br />
put positive intentions into all of their<br />
actions. One of the members mentioned<br />
when he changed our sheets, he would focus<br />
his mind entirely on what he was doing in the<br />
hope it would be more comfortable for the<br />
guests who slept there that night. We loved<br />
his good intentions, despite the fact it was<br />
below zero each night and not actually that<br />
comfortable! The stay also introduced us to<br />
sound healing and meditation, as well as<br />
more practical skills such as natural building<br />
and reusing waste materials. We were more<br />
inspired with each day that passed.<br />
Over the next year we visited many other yoga<br />
retreat centres around Asia. As our yoga<br />
practice evolved, so did our understanding of<br />
how different sustainable communities were<br />
organised and run effectively. However it<br />
was the incredible people we encountered<br />
who motivated us more than anything. They<br />
shared ideas about how we could take the<br />
leap of faith and start a yoga farm one day.<br />
Their enthusiasm and encouragement for<br />
our project remain invaluable to this day.<br />
Eco Yoga Park in Argentina<br />
In 2014, I was drawn to another selfsustainable<br />
yoga community in Portugal. At<br />
Rainbow City, we woke up at sunrise,<br />
practiced yoga together, worked on the farm,<br />
buildings and land, and ate organic, homegrown<br />
food. Their philosophy was, “I would<br />
rather enjoy my days and take a little longer<br />
to complete each project rather than finish<br />
them faster but not enjoy myself”’. This<br />
resonated with me deeply. I’ve only ever lived<br />
in London, Hong Kong and Singapore; I’ve<br />
never known anything other than a fastpaced<br />
life, but I know instinctively that it’s<br />
not for me.<br />
The guys at Rainbow City had bought a field<br />
just 8 months previously and they had<br />
already installed running water from a<br />
borehole, a cesspit for the toilet and some<br />
lovely eco-dome buildings. They took us to<br />
visit land nearby to show me what was<br />
available. In that area of Portugal it is<br />
possible to buy 10 acres for about SGD<br />
70,000. All I had wanted to do for three years<br />
was start my own sustainable community,<br />
with my girlfriend Kimberly, and what was<br />
initially just a pipe dream was starting to<br />
become a viability.<br />
The next step for us was to qualify as<br />
certified yoga teachers, so later in 2014,<br />
Kimberly and I went to Sampoorna Yoga in<br />
Goa, India to do our 200-hour Yoga teacher<br />
training in Ashtanga Vinyasa. Doing a teacher<br />
training really opened up opportunities for<br />
us. Firstly we made around 40 life-long<br />
friends who all continue to inspire us with<br />
what they are doing around the world. We<br />
also had the pleasure of meeting and getting<br />
to know Rishi Sudhir who was a huge<br />
inspiration for us on the Philosophies of<br />
Yoga. Above all else, we learnt the value of<br />
meditation; and that we needed to do more!<br />
Back in Singapore, I was already a part-time<br />
personal trainer, helping people get back into<br />
shape, achieve sporting goals or rehabilitate<br />
injuries. However, after the completion of<br />
my yoga teacher training I began<br />
incorporating more yoga into these sessions<br />
and started teaching some classes at Kate<br />
Porter Yoga under my mentor, Lisa Low.<br />
Teaching yoga opened up a whole new world<br />
to my practice. I spent time planning classes<br />
and in preparation for each one, I would<br />
study more anatomy and alignment and<br />
spend time practicing the flows which led to a<br />
solid daily practice.<br />
My yoga practice started to improve very<br />
quickly because after 10 years of practice, I<br />
finally knew what I was supposed to do.<br />
Before then it really was just a workout.<br />
Kimberly also started teaching yoga in<br />
Singapore where her classes turned out to be<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 19
quite popular; she even ended up having to<br />
turn some down. It is interesting to see that<br />
now yoga is becoming more accessible, more<br />
people from all types of backgrounds are<br />
attracted to it.<br />
We did further excellent teaching courses<br />
with the likes of Chuck Miller, Noah Maze<br />
and Kino McGregor on their visits to<br />
Singapore which has really enriched our<br />
teaching as well as our personal practice.<br />
Each course has made me realise there is so<br />
much more to learn. I always thought I was<br />
quite knowledgeable but what I have realised<br />
is this was based on my own body and the<br />
injuries I’ve had over the years; the range of<br />
body-types, injuries and individual quirks<br />
out there are innumerable.<br />
At times I feel it will take me a lifetime to<br />
learn just a fraction of what I would like to<br />
about anatomy, physiology and nutrition. I<br />
reassure myself at these moments that this is<br />
the western, “achieve-more” mentality<br />
creeping back in. In these moments of selfdoubt,<br />
I try to call on everything I have learnt<br />
from meditation and yoga, and reassure<br />
myself that we can never know everything;<br />
that I am on the right path and am exactly<br />
where I need to be.<br />
The following summer in 2015, we made a<br />
commitment to ourselves to research the<br />
opportunities to buy some land in Portugal<br />
where we would establish a farm, grow our<br />
own food, generate our own energy and<br />
create no waste. We had already been<br />
practicing growing food in Singapore. Each<br />
herb and vegetable I tried died the first time,<br />
sometimes the second and third time too, but<br />
after each attempt I learned a bit more from<br />
various Facebook groups and online forums,<br />
and eventually we managed to grow quite a lot<br />
on our city rooftop.<br />
Growing our own food was both relaxing and<br />
rewarding. Most people I meet in Singapore<br />
or Hong Kong say that they do not have green<br />
fingers; well if you’re one of them, then I say<br />
there is no such thing as not having green<br />
fingers! Everyone needs to go through the<br />
learning process of plants dying, learning<br />
from it and then trying again. Our society is<br />
so detached from nature that we have been<br />
persuaded that we are not capable when in<br />
fact, with effort, every single one of us has<br />
the innate ability to live independently.<br />
Late in 2015, we both handed in our notices<br />
to our employers with solid plans to start a<br />
self-sustainable community and yoga retreat<br />
centre in Portugal. I had planned to quit for<br />
over a year but officially handing my in notice<br />
was a huge relief and I felt incredibly free. We<br />
have had an enormous amount of<br />
encouragement and praise for getting out of<br />
the rat race, and it made me realise that so<br />
many people want to do the same.<br />
I write this having finished my full time job,<br />
and whilst doing an 11-day fasting detox in<br />
Thailand. This is to regenerate our bodies<br />
and our lives before I head off to Cambodia<br />
to teach yoga for one month at Angkor Zen<br />
Gardens in Siem Reap. In <strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> our new<br />
lives will begin in Portugal where we will<br />
learn how to run our own eco-yoga farm and<br />
retreat centre. Who knows what the future<br />
has in store for us, but I am extremely excited<br />
to be on this new path.<br />
For more information<br />
www.keelayogafarm.com /<br />
laurencemanchee@gmail.com<br />
20 NAMASKAR
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 21
HEALTH<br />
FIGHT ALZHEIMER’S<br />
WITH YOGA &<br />
MEDITATION<br />
Changing brain structure<br />
BY CHAN CUDENNEC<br />
Research led by Dr Dharma Khalsa Singh,<br />
MD (President and Medical Director of the<br />
Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention<br />
Foundation in Tucson, Arizona)<br />
have shown it is possible to prevent and<br />
reverse early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease<br />
(AD) with the practice of Kirtan Kriya for 12<br />
minutes daily for eight weeks.<br />
What the good doctor found is that brain<br />
scans show better blood flow to the part of<br />
the brain called posterior cingulate gyrus<br />
(PCG) that is responsible for episodic<br />
memory retrieval. This is solid evidence that<br />
Kirtan Kriya reduces the risk of dementia.<br />
The brain can change with better connections<br />
with cells and even grow new brain cells<br />
(neuroplasticity and neurogenesis) with<br />
Kirtan Kriya.<br />
Dr Dharma Khalsa Singh, MD is a specialist<br />
in anesthesiology for cardiac surgery and<br />
obstetrics, TCM & Acupuncture, Mind/body<br />
medicine, anti-ageing medicine practitioner<br />
and also of advanced kundalini yoga and<br />
meditation for four decades. He is based in<br />
New Mexico. A doctor who is truly holistic<br />
and understands the body a spiritual being<br />
having a human experience. Thus the body<br />
needs a multi-dimensional approach to be in<br />
balance and recover completely.<br />
In his research, he advocates the four pillar<br />
way to wellness. They are:<br />
1. A Mediterranean-style diet which is mainly<br />
plant based<br />
2. Stress management<br />
3. Physical movement<br />
4. Spiritual fitness<br />
Items 2-4 can be accomplished through yoga<br />
and meditation. Each of the above activity<br />
reduces the risk of cognitive decline.<br />
“For the 50% of us who are likely to develop<br />
dementia in later life, the name of the game is<br />
prevention. There is no pill, no magic bullet.<br />
Lifestyle strategies like diet and exercise are<br />
of enormous benefit. The practice of<br />
meditation especially Kirtan Kriya is<br />
emerging as a powerful tool for optimizing<br />
brain capacity and improving mood” says Dr<br />
Karen Koffler M.D. Medical Director,<br />
Carillon Hotel and spa, (formerly Canyon<br />
Ranch)<br />
For more information<br />
www.alzheimersprevention.org<br />
Two-thirds of those suffering from<br />
Alzheimers are women.<br />
Alzheimers is the sixth leading cause<br />
of death in the US.<br />
One in six people in the UK over 80<br />
suffer dementia.<br />
One in three older people will die of<br />
dementia-related illess.<br />
22 NAMASKAR<br />
PHILOSOPHY<br />
HATHA<br />
YOGA: A<br />
SPRINGBOARD<br />
INTO YOGA<br />
PHILOSOPHY<br />
Taking the<br />
first step off<br />
the yoga mat<br />
BY CHLOE YATES<br />
At the last Asia Yoga Conference in Hong<br />
Kong, I had the pleasure of spending time<br />
with yoga philosophy and meditation teacher<br />
Carlos Pomeda. I wanted to know yoga<br />
practictioners can start to delve into the<br />
philosophy of yoga.<br />
HOW DOES HATHA YOGA RELATE TO<br />
THE PHILOSOPHY OF YOGA?<br />
Originally it is very much part of the Tantric<br />
tradition. It’s a system with several layers to<br />
it in which the asana is only the first in a<br />
series of many steps to get to meditation.<br />
The end goal of Hatha yoga is meditation, it’s<br />
always been. Because it’s within meditation<br />
that we dive in to our own being and find out<br />
whom we really are. So from the very<br />
beginning Hatha yoga has had this depth, but<br />
it’s only just very recently that it’s being<br />
taught separate from meditation. In many<br />
ways now we are coming full circle, more and<br />
more people are discovering meditation<br />
through Hatha yoga and it becomes a natural<br />
progression.<br />
You already have a Hatha practice and feel<br />
wonderful,and then you discover there is a<br />
whole world behind the hatha yoga practice.<br />
It’s very much built into the character of yoga<br />
itself.<br />
WHAT SHOULD YOGA ASANA<br />
PRACTITIONERS TRY TO LEARN ABOUT<br />
YOGA PHILOSOPHY?<br />
No matter what yoga tradition or branch of<br />
yoga you practice, the ‘what’ is always the<br />
same and that is the big question of existence<br />
‘who am I?’ ‘Who am I, really?’ The body is a<br />
male or female body but the soul; the<br />
consciousness within is neither male nor<br />
female. The body is a certain size, a certain
after you start clearing out your<br />
system from all the accumulated<br />
stress, you start feeling different<br />
inside, a more centered,<br />
happier sense of self<br />
Carlos Pomeda<br />
age but the consciousness within has no age<br />
or size. So really if you think about it, the<br />
most intriguing question we can ask<br />
ourselves is ‘who am I, really?’ What is that<br />
consciousness? What is that essence? I think<br />
if you practice hatha yoga, just like if you<br />
practice any other branch of yoga, that’s the<br />
one ultimate question.<br />
WHAT CAN YOGA ASANA<br />
PRACTITIONERS LEARN ABOUT THE<br />
PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS OF YOGA<br />
FROM THEIR PRACTICE?<br />
Very naturally I think what’s happening is<br />
people experience that Hatha yoga goes<br />
beyond the mere aspect of fitness, the<br />
flexibility and the health is built in. The<br />
principals that Hatha yoga works on are the<br />
manipulation of prana (vital energy in the<br />
body) that in turn triggers all sorts of very<br />
profound results within the person, even if<br />
you don’t know it.<br />
When you do your asana correctly, what you<br />
are doing is you is influencing the flow of<br />
prana in different parts of your body, and<br />
that results in a number of benefits. The<br />
most important of those benefits is the<br />
clearing of all the tension, all the accumulated<br />
negative impressions and memories stored<br />
all over the body. It’s something that happens<br />
on a very profound level and for anybody who<br />
takes their practice seriously knows this<br />
deeper aspect of Hatha yoga. Even if they<br />
don’t know exactly what they’re doing, as<br />
long as they apply the method correctly they<br />
will be experiencing these benefits.<br />
What happens after you start clearing out<br />
your system from all the accumulated stress<br />
is you start feeling different inside, you start<br />
having a more expanded sense of self, a more<br />
centered, happier sense of self. The moment<br />
you start discovering that, it becomes the<br />
door for ‘what else does Hatha yoga have to<br />
offer?’ Then you can go deeper, not only in<br />
asana but learning a little bit of pranayama<br />
and adding that to your practice, learning<br />
more about mudras, bandhas and then of<br />
course meditation.<br />
In fact the original Hatha yoga tradition had<br />
very specific methods of mediation, but<br />
whatever method of mediation you learn you<br />
find it is a natural progression of the asana<br />
practice. As long as you are doing it properly<br />
and following the teachings and methods, you<br />
will experience the benefits and that in turn<br />
will lead you into a deeper search at some<br />
point when you are ready.<br />
HOW CAN YOGA ASANA<br />
PRACTITIONERS INCORPORATE THE<br />
PHILOSOPHY INTO THEIR PRACTICE<br />
AND THEN FURTHER INTO THEIR DAILY<br />
LIVES?<br />
Once you have this pillar of meditation, it<br />
becomes the central axis around which you<br />
can then base the rest of your day. This is<br />
what gives you the center; it’s what connects<br />
you to your essence.<br />
Once you have that, the next step in<br />
everybody’s life, the next challenge so to<br />
speak, is how to integrate this with being<br />
active, with the world and so on. And I think<br />
there the most important thing is not to<br />
create a false dichotomy between ‘my<br />
practice’ and ‘the rest of my life.’<br />
We only have one life and what we need to do<br />
is first of all not to create this separation.<br />
Secondly is to simply allow what we find, the<br />
centeredness, deeper peace, clarity and<br />
serenity within ourselves, and just allowing it<br />
to spill over naturally into the rest of your<br />
day.<br />
In the beginning of course, we’re going to<br />
forget, we’re going to get back into our old<br />
mental patterns, but the more we make the<br />
practice a presence in our lives, the more we<br />
create reminders for ourselves and the more<br />
the integration happens naturally. Here I also<br />
find in addition to your practice, you keep<br />
studying and reading, even in a small way,<br />
even if you just read a little bit at night before<br />
you go to sleep, it’s more about the<br />
continuity and the presence of the practice in<br />
your daily life. The more you develop that,<br />
the stronger your practice becomes.<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 23
24 NAMASKAR
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 25
26 NAMASKAR
FOR TEACHERS<br />
LEARNING WHILE TEACHING<br />
Subtle lessons on ahimsa for teachers<br />
BY JACQUELINE OSPOVAT<br />
The first word yoga is “Ahimsa”, meaning<br />
non-violence, or cause no injury, do no harm.<br />
In all major religions there is a reference to<br />
living a non-violent life.<br />
When we hear the word violence we<br />
immediately think of physical violence but<br />
there are so many other ways to be violent:<br />
words, actions, tone of voice, volume of voice<br />
and looks, for example, who has not heard<br />
the expression ‘If looks could kill’? Violence<br />
can be very subtle and take many forms.<br />
TONE OF VOICE<br />
Just our voices alone can be violent or harsh.<br />
The tone we choose; whether we keep it<br />
strident and aggressive, or whether we<br />
choose to have it carrying clearly yet gentle.<br />
Nobody enjoys being shouted at, this just<br />
creates defensiveness and resistance. Not<br />
only is the teacher committing a violent act<br />
with his/her shouting but he/she is inciting a<br />
negative reaction in the student.<br />
The pitch of your voice can also affect the<br />
energy of a class. Is it too high and strident,<br />
making it sound like you are shouting, or too<br />
low that nobody can hear? Either case can<br />
cause irritability and frustration.<br />
If you are teaching in a studio where there is<br />
loud music blaring which can be heard inside<br />
the yoga room, avoid adding to this by playing<br />
your own music and having to resort a<br />
microphone to call out your instructions -<br />
not the most stress free environment. The<br />
place where we practice our yoga should be<br />
clean, pure and quiet. (Saucha)<br />
CHOICE OF WORDS<br />
Choosing your words carefully is important,<br />
especially if you, the teacher, are having a bad<br />
day. You can’t let your feelings enter into the<br />
studio space in any form whatsoever. The<br />
second you walk through that door you smile<br />
and leave your personal feelings outside.<br />
Smiling and greeting people warmly has an<br />
incredibly positive effect not just on the<br />
students but on you your-self.<br />
Just imagine the response you will receive if<br />
you, the teacher, walk into the studio looking<br />
like thunder with no smile or greeting for<br />
your students and start barking out<br />
instructions like an army sergeant!<br />
What kind of atmosphere are you setting<br />
with an aggressive attitude? Not one that<br />
people will want to return to.<br />
Each word that is said can have an effect on a<br />
student, making things personal and picking<br />
on a particular student is in its own way a<br />
form of violence. Always try to find<br />
something positive to say to each student<br />
whatever their level and capabilities.<br />
HANDLE WITH CARE<br />
A yoga teacher should never say, for example,<br />
“you look like you can do better than that”<br />
and make adjustments that can lead to<br />
serious injury. Also, forcing students into<br />
unsupported inversions or backbends when<br />
they are fearful of these poses is not good<br />
practice. If you have a student who is<br />
convinced her head will drop off in ustrasana<br />
give her a supported pose so that eventually<br />
she loses the fear and can one day confidently<br />
achieve this pose without assistance.<br />
Do you really have to grip the part of the body<br />
you are adjusting tightly or will a light touch<br />
be enough? A gentle but firm guiding touch<br />
with a few carefully chosen words is much<br />
better than just grabbing and pulling or<br />
pushing things around.<br />
WHERE DO YOU PLACE YOUR HANDS?<br />
Some areas are inappropriate for you to be<br />
touching. It is better just to use words and<br />
indicate the area rather than touching it. So<br />
when it comes to inner groins for example,<br />
use words to describe the area or touch the<br />
area on your own body to be clear.<br />
Male teachers need to be extra sensitive. Not<br />
all women are comfortable being touched by<br />
men, and especially not in sensitive areas like<br />
the chest, groin or inner thighs.<br />
How long do your hands stay there?<br />
Do you have to use your hands all the time?<br />
You could use a blanket, a strap a belt or a<br />
block. With new students it is always best to<br />
approach them and inform them adjustments<br />
can possibly be made and ask whether they<br />
are comfortable with that.<br />
SACRED SPACE<br />
If during a class a sexual reference is made,<br />
however shocked you may be make sure you<br />
control your reactions. Gather the students<br />
around you and inform them these sorts of<br />
remarks are extremely inappropriate in a<br />
yoga class. Is it not taken for granted in a<br />
yoga class we have absolute trust and safety<br />
regarding gender issues? Considering the<br />
positions we end up in, we should feel safe.<br />
Keep sex outside of the building!<br />
COMPLACENCY<br />
Another form of violence is being a lazy<br />
teacher. Not adjusting a student in a pose<br />
where it is needed to the extent a student may<br />
injure herself is also a form of violence. In<br />
addition, not giving assistance in poses such<br />
as handstands could be viewed in this way.<br />
Appropriate assistance from the teacher can<br />
instil confidence.<br />
Ensure you are not pushing a student into a<br />
pose she is not ready for. Give them<br />
modifications to help them on the path to the<br />
final pose.<br />
A COMPASSIONATE APPROACH<br />
How we approach our own practice will be<br />
reflected in our teaching. Do we have<br />
patience and forgiveness for ourselves on<br />
our mats or do we push ourselves into poses<br />
we are not ready for? Are we just doing a<br />
pose to feel great that we accomplished it?<br />
Do we show off in the class?<br />
Practicing yoga encourages us to face our<br />
inner demons/darkness and deal with them<br />
compassionately. Negative thoughts of anger,<br />
shame, resentment, disappointment, fear all<br />
have violence embedded in them.<br />
The thoughts come, then as in the practice of<br />
meditation, let them go, it is in the holding on<br />
to these negative thoughts that the mind can<br />
brood and the violence takes root in our<br />
thoughts, words and actions.<br />
One of the greatest lessons of life I learned<br />
through my yoga practice has been to not be<br />
reactive, but rather responsive. To not allow<br />
the first impulse to take over, to not act out<br />
of anger or fear but out of knowledge and<br />
compassion gained through practice.<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 27
DRISTI - FAMOUS YOGIS<br />
B. K. S. IYENGAR<br />
1918 - 2014<br />
BY GAELLE FOULON DAFFNER & KAREN LAM<br />
SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA<br />
Trail blazer....................................................31<br />
SWAMI KUVALAYANANDA<br />
Teacher to gurus & politicians.......................32<br />
SHRI YOGENDRAJI<br />
The householder’s yogi.................................34<br />
28 NAMASKAR
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 29
The definition of a yogi is a man proficient in<br />
yoga. BKS Iyengar was not only proficient in<br />
yoga, he was a prolific yogi. Over his 70 years<br />
teaching yoga, he changed the way the world<br />
practices yoga, wrote best sellers like Light<br />
on Yoga, the modern yoga bible, converted<br />
thousands to his own system and inspired<br />
millions. And yet when asked about “Iyengar<br />
Yoga” he used to reply “you call it Iyengar<br />
yoga, I practice and teach yoga”<br />
Relentless practitioner, fierce teacher, joyful<br />
man…this article attempts to give a glimpse of<br />
who this timeless yogi was and why we, chose<br />
and continue to call him Guruji.<br />
Science and art: the practioner:<br />
Iyengar’s love of yoga was rooted into the<br />
fact he owed his life to his yoga practice:<br />
many times sick as a child, his body had been<br />
rendered weak when he started yoga at 15.<br />
“My arms were thin, my legs were spindly,<br />
and my stomach protruded in an ungainly<br />
manner,” he wrote. “My head used to hang<br />
down, and I had to lift it with great effort.”<br />
It is well known that his apprenticeship<br />
under his guru and brother-in-law<br />
Krishnamacharya was not easy and he would<br />
have had good reasons to give up: ignored,<br />
asked to concentrate on house chore and<br />
struggling with difficult physical condition,<br />
his destiny as a yogi did not seem so obvious<br />
in 1934!<br />
But he exemplified what he taught his entire<br />
life: that yoga is a path to transcendence<br />
which “enables man to rise above physical,<br />
poverty, frailty, despair” – Marian Garfinkel,<br />
Iyengar the Yoga Master. Zealous practice<br />
(tapas) together with Self study (Svadhyaya)<br />
and surrender (Ishvara Pranidhana) is one<br />
of the three pillars of Patanjali Yoga, the root<br />
of Iyengar’s teaching and practice.<br />
Practice was the nervous centre to Iyengar’s<br />
life and probably the source of his incredible<br />
longevity and energy. Even well in his 90’s his<br />
daily routine involved at least one hour<br />
pranayama before sunrise, three-hour asana<br />
practice in morning including inversions and<br />
supported backbends, and 2-3 hours<br />
reading/writing/researching into the subject<br />
of yoga in his library. He was incandescent<br />
with desire to learn and go as deep as<br />
possible into the science and art of yoga.<br />
His body was a laboratory which he<br />
experimented on with Asanas and<br />
Pranayamas. This gave him knowledge of the<br />
physical and physiological effects of each<br />
asana and their interaction through<br />
sequencing and timing.<br />
Practicing at the Ramamani Institute in Pune<br />
meant to come away with this image of Mr<br />
Iyengar marching through the practice room,<br />
dressed in his white dhotar, sweeping it off<br />
before coming into an opening supported<br />
backbend like a charismatic conductor or<br />
virtuoso, entering a stage.<br />
And virtuoso he was for he drew an<br />
incredible creativity from his own practice<br />
and teaching observation. This creativity<br />
manifested in one of Iyengar’s major<br />
contribution to our practice: the yoga props.<br />
Just like Magritte’s painted “this is not a<br />
pipe”, chairs, bench, bricks were not mere<br />
objects under Iyengar’s eyes but became<br />
tools to open our body and transcend<br />
physical limitations.<br />
Compassion and passion: the teacher<br />
If Iyengar’s practice was the brain of his life,<br />
teaching was its heart. Roaring, slapping,<br />
exerting…people used very strong words to<br />
describe Iyengar’s unique teaching style…to<br />
which he replied “I am awakening the<br />
dormant consciousness within you”. Iyengar<br />
was demanding because he knew first-hand<br />
how hard one has to work to “connect to the<br />
divine spark”. In return of their dedication<br />
and hard work he knew no limit to help his<br />
students: he would observe their difficulties<br />
in class, then in his own practice he would<br />
imitate those difficulties - often to the<br />
detriment of his own body - in order to<br />
understand how to help them come through.<br />
His medical abilities were legendary, treating<br />
inner ear dysfunction with headstand,<br />
broken back with backbend…he could<br />
dispense asanas and pranayama like a<br />
physicians dispenses medicines and potions.<br />
Iyengar teacher trainees are taught to “ be<br />
bold, be cautious” because ultimately Iyengar<br />
wanted the teachers to give their best while<br />
protecting the students from the teachers<br />
ego. Thus he created a worldwide<br />
certification system in order to transmit his<br />
lineage and produce quality.<br />
Joanne White writes about her first class<br />
with Guruji: “as soon as he started to teach, I<br />
felt my intellectual self completely let go. He<br />
spoke, I opened my mind and listened and my<br />
body listened and reacted. I realized I was in<br />
the presence of a master teacher”.<br />
Family, music and humor. The man<br />
It’s telling that Iyengar named his Pune<br />
Intitute, the fruit of his teaching success<br />
after his late wife. Ramamani. Together they<br />
battled poverty, raised six children and “<br />
lived without conflict as if our two souls<br />
were one”. Iyengar lived surrounded by his<br />
family until his death and was said to lavish<br />
his grandchildren with affection. Watching<br />
him and his granddaughter Abhijata teach the<br />
women’s class towards the end of his life<br />
made this love almost tangible: Bent over in a<br />
supported backbend, he would observe the<br />
class from his practice corner while Abhijata<br />
was teaching. Together they would have this<br />
incredible dance of the spirit where she<br />
would go to him, receive his advice, turn to us<br />
and teach. Love could be seen in their eye<br />
exchange, heard in their whispering and seen<br />
in Abhi’s mobilization to make her<br />
grandfather’s teaching passed on and<br />
through us.<br />
Marianne Garfunkel in Iyengar the Yoga<br />
Master describes him a “true renaissance<br />
man”, a lover of art, music especially whose<br />
latest Light on Yoga edition is prefaced by the<br />
virtuoso and his long time friend and student<br />
Yehudi Menuhin. Iyengar often spoke of yoga<br />
as being “like music. The rhythm of the body,<br />
the melody of the mind and the harmony of<br />
the soul, create the symphony of life and of<br />
Asana “, showing a profound communion<br />
between his yogic and musical sensibilities.<br />
Perhaps what is most surprising about this<br />
man who commanded devotion and respect,<br />
who could silent thousands of students by<br />
walking into a teaching hall was his<br />
simplicity, lightness of being and love of<br />
humor. Annette Bennings who interviewed<br />
him in LA describes him as laughing and<br />
chuckling when she asked “how important is<br />
a sense of humor for a yoga practitioner” to<br />
which he replied, “If there is no sense of<br />
humor, then life is not worth living.”<br />
We had the opportunity to experience his<br />
simplicity at the opening class of the China<br />
summit in 2011. Standing in front of<br />
thousands, Iyengar held a leaf and told us<br />
how, that simple leaf could be the very source<br />
of our practice since it could show us how to<br />
work our feet in every asanas. That man who<br />
published a commentary of the Yoga Sutras<br />
and was able to penetrate to the chore of his<br />
being could also humbly still bow and listen<br />
to nature.<br />
A yogi is a man proficient in yoga. Simple isn’<br />
it? Don’t we think of yogis as wise,<br />
extraordinary heros who achieves impossible<br />
traits? And yet, to look at Mr Iyengar’s life<br />
and his different facet, perhaps his<br />
dedication to simplicity made him a man as<br />
much as a yogi: a cup of coffee. family around<br />
and his two feet, spreading evenly like the<br />
vein of a leaf. He, summarizes it best in his<br />
last words: “Live happily, die majestically”.<br />
30 NAMASKAR
DRISTI<br />
SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA<br />
1914 - 2002<br />
BY HERSHA CHELLARAM<br />
The year <strong>2016</strong> marks the 50 th anniversary of<br />
Integral Yoga, a classical system of Yoga<br />
developed by Sri Swami Satchidananda.<br />
Affectionately known as the Woodstock<br />
Guru, he was the enlightening voice of East<br />
meets West in the 1960s. Originally from a<br />
small village in South India, Swami<br />
Satchidananda went on to give the opening<br />
address at the famed Woodstock Festival, to<br />
half a million young people — and at that<br />
moment ignited a movement of inner<br />
exploration that is thriving today.<br />
While Swami Satchidananda was not the first<br />
Guru to come to America, his message of<br />
mind-body-spirit integration accelerated<br />
awareness among Western culture and<br />
influenced many fields including science,<br />
spirituality, and humanitarian service.<br />
Although the hippie era of the 1960s faded,<br />
his influence shaped a generation and<br />
beyond, as more people than ever participate<br />
in the six-billion-dollar-a-year Yoga industry,<br />
meditate and read books from theEast. His<br />
translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is<br />
the world’s best selling version of this text —<br />
a testament to life and legacy.<br />
Swami Satchidananda founded Integral Yoga<br />
50 years ago and remains one of the most<br />
influential Yoga masters of our time. Integral<br />
Yoga is a holistic system whose goal was<br />
explained by Swami Satchidananda this way:<br />
“The goal of Integral Yoga, and the birthright<br />
of every individual, is to realise the spiritual<br />
unity behind all the diversities in the entire<br />
creation and to live harmoniously as<br />
members of one universal family. This goal is<br />
achieved by maintaining our natural<br />
condition of a body of optimum health and<br />
strength, senses under total control, a mind<br />
well-disciplined, clear and calm, an intellect<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 31
millions of lives have been lost<br />
in the name of God and religion;<br />
more than those killed by<br />
natural or manmade calamities.<br />
as sharp as a razor, a will as strong and<br />
pliable as steel, a heart full of unconditional<br />
love and compassion, an ego as pure as a<br />
crystal, and a life filled with Supreme Peace<br />
and Joy.”<br />
Integral Yoga has six branches of practice,<br />
five of which go beyond the popular physical<br />
practice of Yoga. Integral Yoga is inclusive<br />
and adaptive, emphasising that everyone’s<br />
birthright is to have “an easeful body, a<br />
peaceful mind, and a useful life.” Starting in<br />
the 1970s, Swami Satchidananda addressed<br />
many scientists and medical professionals,<br />
defining disease essentially as a state of “disease”<br />
that could be remedied and prevented<br />
by: a vegetarian diet; stress reduction<br />
through Yoga practices and philosophy; and<br />
selfless service. This holistic approach<br />
sparkeda revolution in evidence-based Yoga<br />
therapy treatment programs for cancer,<br />
heart disease, immune diseases, physical<br />
disabilities, PTSD, addictions and more.<br />
Integral Yoga is the foundation for Dr. Dean<br />
Ornish’s pioneering work in reversing heart<br />
disease, Dr. Michael Lerner’s Commonweal<br />
Cancer Help program, and Sonia Sumar’s<br />
Yoga for the Special Child, in addition to<br />
many more applications for specialised<br />
populations by numerous of Swami<br />
Satchidananda’s students.Integral Yoga<br />
advises on many of Yoga’s main accrediting<br />
bodies including Yoga Alliance and<br />
International Association of Yoga<br />
Therapists.<br />
In 1986, one of Swami Satchidananda’s<br />
grandest dreams became a reality. The Light<br />
Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS) was<br />
opened in Virginia. LOTUS is a place where<br />
people of all faiths (spiritual and secular<br />
alike) come together to pray, meditate or find<br />
peace in their own way. This beautiful temple<br />
— his gift to the world — is a perfect<br />
representation of his life work. In 2014, a<br />
second LOTUS opened in his birth village,<br />
Chettipalayam in Tamil Nadu, South India<br />
tocelebrate his 100th birth anniversary.<br />
Hospitals, clinics, schools, teaching centres<br />
and temples have all been opened in the name<br />
of Swami Satchidananda. He met with popes<br />
and presidents and spoke at famous<br />
cathedrals and great halls of learning. His<br />
message was simple: millions of lives have<br />
been lost in the name of God and religion;<br />
more than those killed by natural or<br />
manmade calamities. Improper<br />
understanding of religion causes this<br />
divide.We are all members of one universal<br />
family. Spiritual unity is the basis of all<br />
beliefs. If a person did not believe in God or<br />
follow religion, he simply advised to “make<br />
peace your God.”<br />
Today, there are over 30 Integral Yoga<br />
Institutes and Centres on six continents with<br />
international headquarters at Satchidananda<br />
Ashram — Yogaville® Virginia, USA. The<br />
Integral Yoga global community includes<br />
over 5000 Integral Yoga teachers, many of<br />
whom have become leaders in the changing<br />
paradigm ofmodern Yoga and healthcare, and<br />
making Yoga accessible to all people. His<br />
students have created Service in<br />
Satchidananda, a network of international<br />
charities to promote his teachings of selfless<br />
service, that support programs such as<br />
books on Yoga in prisons, food and supplies<br />
to the poor and to disaster stricken<br />
communities, providing education<br />
sponsorships to children around the world,<br />
and much more.<br />
Swami Satchidananda was the coolest Guru<br />
of his time. Even the most rebellious<br />
personalities would find peace in his<br />
presence. He was open and approachable and<br />
never limited himself to one organisation,<br />
nationality or religion. He provided spiritual<br />
guidance to thousands of people from the<br />
downtrodden to celebrities and world<br />
leaders. He recognised the unifying Spirit<br />
within each person and his life was always<br />
dedicated to the service of humanity. His<br />
beautiful message is that we can do this too<br />
and experience the real peace and joy that is<br />
our true nature.<br />
DRISTI<br />
SWAMI KUVALAYANANDA<br />
1883 – 1966<br />
BY PAUL DALLAGHAN<br />
Founder of Kaivalyadham Yoga Research<br />
Institute, 1924 and pioneer in scientific and<br />
literary research on yoga since 1917, Swami<br />
Kuvalayananda was a prolific, but largely<br />
unknown figure in yoga in the first half of the<br />
20 th century. Jagganath Gune, later to be<br />
known as Swami Kuvalayananda.<br />
A yogi par excellence, his work and teachings<br />
had profound influence on the entire yoga<br />
revival, understanding and subsequent<br />
teaching in India and worldwide. His modus<br />
operandi was to shrink from publicity<br />
around him and push the publication and<br />
promotion on yoga as a genuine spiritual<br />
practice, one of physical and psychological<br />
value. He was the teacher to Gandhiji of his<br />
yoga practices as well as the Nehru family.<br />
32 NAMASKAR
Other great yoga luminaries would also spend<br />
time with him or learn from him. Indra Devi<br />
started her studies with him, Krishnamurthi<br />
came for practice, Paul Brunton honored his<br />
wisdom, Swami Sivananda would send the<br />
first edition of every book he wrote to him,<br />
signed, “for my guru”, and Krishnamacharya<br />
made several trips to him at his institute for<br />
guidance in teaching and the practices, first<br />
urged by the Maharaja of Mysore before the<br />
setting up of the shala there.<br />
Gune was born in Gujarat in 1883. By the age<br />
of 14 both his parents had died and he was<br />
orphaned. He was fortunate to receive some<br />
help and be schooled in Pune. From there he<br />
studied Sanskrit at university level and<br />
becoming a gold medalist in it. By his late<br />
teens he had met his initial teacher<br />
Mannakrao. Mannakrao was one of the few<br />
masters of Indian martial arts, gymnastics<br />
and wrestling. Interestingly, incorporated<br />
into such a routine was the practice of asana,<br />
but not as a workout, as it most often is<br />
today, but as a powerful nervous conditioning<br />
practice, done separate to the physical<br />
workouts, with asanas held, promoting<br />
stability in body and mind and nurturing the<br />
body and its maintenance.<br />
Gune studied and practiced everyday with<br />
him, even running the vyayam (training hall),<br />
devoted to his teacher. For his own reasons<br />
by the age of 18 he had decided to remain a<br />
bachelor, as a sannyasi, dedicating himself to<br />
study, practice, and teaching. While Gune<br />
continued to train physically, practice asana<br />
separately, he was introduced to other<br />
aspects of spirituality. His nature was<br />
spiritually inclined and as he fulfilled his part<br />
in the world the subtle growth was going on<br />
inside. He had become a school teacher and<br />
eventually headmaster to a boys’ school in<br />
Gujarat. Here he lived in a small constructed<br />
hut, surrounded by a fence, that he had<br />
named Kaivalyadham (place of liberation) in<br />
1916. It was in his educating role and his<br />
active involvement with the Free India<br />
movement, that he became acquainted with<br />
other intellectuals and scientists of the day.<br />
They encouraged him to begin experiments<br />
on yogic exercises.<br />
The first study on yoga involved the practice<br />
of nauli, observed with physiological<br />
equipment and x-ray. One should keep in<br />
mind the time. WWI and its aftermath issued<br />
an explosion in scientific knowledge. The aim<br />
to study yoga was far from a self-serving<br />
approach of “yes, it works, everybody should<br />
do”, which is bad science, but rather one of<br />
let us understand yoga and its processes and<br />
by 18 he decided<br />
to remain a<br />
bachelor,<br />
sannyasi,<br />
dedicating<br />
himself to study,<br />
practice &<br />
teaching<br />
Swami Kuvalayananda (second from right) and Jawaharlal Nehru (far right) watch a Nauli experiment<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 33
purported effects better, thereby enhancing<br />
the explanation of it as is found in the texts,<br />
giving validation to genuine statements about<br />
yoga as well as weeding out much of the oversensationalized<br />
and fraudulent claims that<br />
had grown up around the practice of yoga.<br />
Gune blossomed into Kuvalayananda upon<br />
the meeting with his guru, the then 100+ year<br />
old master, Madhavadas, in Malzar, Gujarat.<br />
As is the case within a parampara, the teacher<br />
and disciple had a unique connection.<br />
Madhavadas instructed him in pranayama<br />
and internal practices, to a point of unique<br />
transformation, of which many of the texts<br />
describe but a dedicated few achieve in this<br />
current life. It was Madhavadas that<br />
requested him to not become a meditating<br />
recluse in the Himalayas but rather go and<br />
study the practices, introduce them to<br />
science, teach others. As is the nature of such<br />
a relationship, he followed his teacher’s<br />
words to the ‘t’, embarking on such a mission<br />
that influenced the appreciation and<br />
increased understanding of yoga in both<br />
India and across the world.<br />
With great effort but much inspiration,<br />
Kuvalayananda set about conducting studies,<br />
publishing a journal, establishing an<br />
institute, writing books, and, through<br />
government requests, setting the standard<br />
for yoga teaching nationwide. He was asked<br />
to produce yoga asana curriculum for many<br />
of the school systems.<br />
In some of these publications one finds the<br />
asanas detailed for a physical practice,<br />
involving jump back and through movements,<br />
and asanas as part of one’s overall spiritual<br />
practice, with savasana in between each<br />
asana. It should be noted these were<br />
published before the Mysore shala opened<br />
and before Krishnamacharya visited him. At<br />
that time the interest in India in physical<br />
activity especially included indigenous<br />
systems. These systems were influenced by<br />
foreign gymnastic movements, the burpee<br />
being one. So one started to find such<br />
movements, vinyasas, show up in asana<br />
routines.<br />
However, Kuvalayanada was very clear that,<br />
though wonderful physical practices, such<br />
movements were best in a physical training<br />
aspect and asanas done methodically,<br />
mindful, on the breath, were a part of yoga<br />
for spiritual means, as part of the meditative<br />
process, to be practiced separately. We find<br />
value in physical work out, value in asana,<br />
value in spiritual practices. The first books in<br />
English on yoga were penned by<br />
Kuvalayananda by 1930 and were found in<br />
Europe and America.<br />
The legacy of his parampara is the clear and<br />
traditional teaching and understanding of<br />
pranayama, one continued by his dedicated<br />
student, Tiwariji at the Kaivalyadham.<br />
DRISTI<br />
SHRI YOGENDRAJI<br />
1897 – 1989<br />
BY DANIEL FONSECA<br />
THE DISCIPLE MEETS THE MASTER<br />
It was an providential happening the meeting<br />
of Shri Yogendra (by that time a young<br />
college student named Mani Desai) with his<br />
Guru Pujya Shri Paramahamsa Madhavdasaji<br />
(a centenarian Yogi and a well-known saint of<br />
India).<br />
In his own words, he described the meeting:<br />
“On the night of Saturday 26 August 1916<br />
Ambalal and I set out for the Dharamshala of<br />
Madhav Baug. I had mixed feelings even as I<br />
was going there. As soon as I saw<br />
Paramahamsaji I felt that here was a great<br />
man. My early thoughts of belittling seemed<br />
to go away, as our eyes met. There was a<br />
feeling of complete understanding and I felt<br />
humble and greatly drawn to the Master.<br />
Madhavadasaji’s eyes were glued on me. This<br />
was on the night of the 26th. I prostrated<br />
myself at the feet of the Master. On the<br />
following day, Sunday, I went back. It was on<br />
this auspicious day that he initiated me into<br />
the trance experience – Samadhi. He praised<br />
my body and pure nature and appreciated<br />
the discipline and self control.”<br />
34 NAMASKAR
I know not how Nature disclosed her<br />
secrets to me, but I found knowledge<br />
pouring in rapid continuity<br />
like a waterfall.<br />
BECOMING A YOGI<br />
The young man would decide then to go with<br />
the master to his Ashram at the banks of the<br />
Narmada River in rural Gujarat. There he<br />
would spend about two years learning the<br />
secrets of Yoga in the traditional ‘Guru-<br />
Shishya Parampara (denoting the<br />
succession of teachers and disciples in<br />
traditional Vedic culture) relationship. In<br />
this tradition a true master would only<br />
impart the highest knowledge of Yoga to a<br />
worthy and totally dedicated student. So that<br />
was by no means an ordinary type of study.<br />
Under the direct guidance of his Guru,<br />
Mani’s mind became so still and his focus so<br />
sharp that all knowledge continuously surged<br />
to him. Of this extraordinary experience (a<br />
revelation akin to the Rishis receiving the<br />
Vedas) he soon later wrote:<br />
“I know not how Nature disclosed her secrets<br />
to me, but I found knowledge pouring in rapid<br />
continuity like a waterfall. My hands were too<br />
small to contain it. I cried. I struggled and<br />
extended my hands. I found some scattered<br />
drops. My palm is again empty, for I give<br />
them.”<br />
BRINGING YOGA TO THE WORLD<br />
True to his words, at the end of his formal<br />
training, and with the blessings of his Guru,<br />
Mani then returned to society to selflessly<br />
guide the common people on the practice of<br />
Yoga as the ultimate science for perfect<br />
health and path for self-development and<br />
spiritual awakening. He later became known<br />
as Shri Yogendra - the Father of Modern<br />
Yoga Renaissance.<br />
On 25 December 1918 he founded The Yoga<br />
Institute in Mumbai, the world’s first center<br />
to impart practical and scientific knowledge<br />
on Yoga to the general public. It was the first<br />
institute of its kind in the world, solely<br />
organized to impart practical knowledge on<br />
Yoga on scientific basis; to cure the ailing and<br />
simultaneously collect clinical and laboratory<br />
data to establish the claims of practical Yoga<br />
as a science. He saw his life mission as to<br />
bring Yoga out of the forests and Himalayan<br />
caves and make it freely accessible to the<br />
masses - man and women, young and old, sick<br />
and healthy, people of all communities, in all<br />
parts of the world.<br />
He traveled to USA where he also established<br />
a center. There he went to lecture and<br />
perform research in cooperation with<br />
leading medical authorities and research<br />
institutions. Over 2,000 cases were treated<br />
and reported. X-ray was used for<br />
investigation on Neti, Dhouti and Basti (some<br />
of the purificatory yogic processes called<br />
Shatkarmas). Experiments were made on<br />
nervous system, bio-energy and therapy.<br />
Back in India, Shri Yogendra continued<br />
engaging himself in research in Yoga,<br />
particularly in the field of Yoga therapy for<br />
various ailments and devising modern<br />
methods to impart Yoga education.<br />
In 1927 he married Sita Devi, who tirelessly<br />
worked with him to spread the message of<br />
Yoga in India and abroad. He showed the<br />
world a ‘householder’ can be a Yogi, reviving<br />
a tradition dating to the Vedic period.<br />
THE LEGACY<br />
Shri Yogendra became a prolific writer. In<br />
1930 the Manuscript ‘Yoga Personal<br />
Hygiene’ was completed. It would become<br />
the first book to clarify intricate Yoga<br />
processes and techniques. People all over the<br />
world who were concerned with human<br />
values found his writings illuminative. The<br />
books ‘Hatha Yoga Simplifed’, ‘Asanas<br />
Simplified’, and ‘Hygiene Simplified’ written<br />
by Shri Yogendra along with ‘Yoga Physical<br />
Education for Women’ by Smt Sita Devi are<br />
of immense historical significance. They<br />
elucidate on less complex methods of<br />
performing Yoga techniques, making them<br />
safe to be taught and performed by the<br />
masses. These books were microfilmed in<br />
1940 and found a place in the ‘Crypt of<br />
Civilization’ (a time-capsule project by the<br />
Oglethorpe University in USA) and are now<br />
buried underground and are therefore a<br />
treasure for future generations to discover.<br />
The colossal work and enormous efforts<br />
done by Shri Yogendra to make Yoga<br />
scientific and available to the world were<br />
faithfully carried on by his son Dr. Jayadeva<br />
Yogendra and his daughter-in-law Smt<br />
Hansaji J. Yogendra, who are another two<br />
authentic Yogis. The Yoga Institute under<br />
their care and management has pioneered the<br />
teachings and the spreading of Yoga in many<br />
different ways: publications, events,<br />
research and practical training.<br />
In the 50s the Yoga Teacher Training<br />
programs were introduced and thousands of<br />
people have come from around to world and<br />
now share Yoga in its traditional way back in<br />
their countries. If the reader is not<br />
acquainted with the name and work of the<br />
Yogendra family and The Yoga Institute it is<br />
because of their complete altruistic, selfless<br />
and non-commercial approach to Yoga. At<br />
the Institute, Yoga is not talked about only in<br />
terms of postural exercises or ‘styles’. No<br />
surname, no Sanskrit word and no brand<br />
name were attached to the word Yoga. What<br />
is preserved and taught there is Classical<br />
Yoga in its purest form.<br />
Shri Yogendra emphatically emphasized that<br />
Yoga is a “Science of Living” and that every<br />
human being should be taught this science.<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 35
36 NAMASKAR
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 37
38 NAMASKAR
IN BRIEF<br />
MUDRAS<br />
Grounding Gestures<br />
BY KRISHNAA KINKARI<br />
We have all met many teachers throughout<br />
our lifetime! At least we should have done,<br />
because there is a lesson to be learnt from<br />
everybody and every situation that is given to<br />
us as part of the curriculum in this School of<br />
Life, an Akademi that we all attend.<br />
back of the right hand.<br />
• Use the left thumb to further reinforce<br />
the touch by resting on top of the right<br />
thumb.<br />
• The other four fingers gently embrace the<br />
whole of the right hand.<br />
• The other three fingers of the right hand<br />
are extended but relaxed.<br />
BOOK REVIEW<br />
A YEAR OF<br />
MINDFUL<br />
LIVING<br />
by Randi Ragan<br />
REVIEWED BY NATALIE MACAM<br />
Think of all the creatures that become our<br />
teachers when we assume their posture along<br />
with the great sages from time-honoured<br />
traditional scriptures ,like Vashishta,<br />
Valmiki, Bharadvaj, Marichi, Ashtavakra and<br />
others.<br />
Three qualities need to be present in the<br />
student: Patience, humility and clarity. After<br />
pondering upon the received teachings they<br />
can be absorbed into the innermost heart and<br />
then put into actions that are appropriate<br />
reactions to every day challenges. That<br />
strength is necessary and fundamental to<br />
yoga practice.<br />
This month’s mudras can help to facilitate<br />
the required mindset which arises from a<br />
regular and balanced practice as well as<br />
tranquil sitting.<br />
PRITHAVI MUDRA, THE EARTH<br />
GESTURE<br />
• Both hands palm up (rest them on the<br />
knees). Join the tips of the thumb and the<br />
earth (4 th, index) finger.<br />
• As usual, be sat comfortably and steady,<br />
breath is regular, deep and even.<br />
The earth element of the body is associated<br />
with the root, muladhara, chakra and its<br />
sense of smell. This mudra meditation can<br />
generate stability, nourishment for growth,<br />
and the patience and generosity needed for a<br />
fulfilled life.<br />
VAYU MUDRA<br />
• With the right hand, palm facing in, put<br />
the tip of the 5 th little finger to the ball of the<br />
right thumb.<br />
• Use the thumb to secure the touch by<br />
placing it over the little finger and<br />
maintaining the contact.<br />
• Put the left hand (palm in) round the<br />
Excess of the air element can lead to<br />
flatulence, belching, gurgling stomach etc,<br />
but mostly to the flitting of the mind which<br />
moves like the wind: we call those who have<br />
challenged memories and disturbed focus<br />
‘air-heads’.<br />
Our purpose here is to bring about a state of<br />
mind for unshaken concentration whereby<br />
the steadiness needed for the dawn of natural<br />
bliss and the capacity for undivided<br />
attention, keys to success in yoga and indeed<br />
in all aspects of life, are attained.<br />
Wind travels and is present everywhere and<br />
remains unburdened by its contact. Similarly<br />
one should be able to be in many situations<br />
but never negatively affected by them;<br />
perfecting the ‘witness attitude’<br />
DHYANI MUDRA FOR TRANQUILITY<br />
• With both palms up rest the right hand<br />
on top of the left palm with the fingers of<br />
both hands pointing to their opposite side<br />
(back of right fingers to palm heel of left and<br />
left fingers resting under the right wrist).<br />
• Touch together the tips of both thumbs.<br />
Keep the whole mudra comfortably in the<br />
lap.<br />
Thus all the elements are balanced and the<br />
consciousness is tranquil which thus invites<br />
clarity and patience.<br />
I have always felt in deepest peace when I<br />
have been immersed in nature and been<br />
always found the beauty in viewing everyday<br />
actions into divine rituals. This book had me<br />
at the first page.<br />
A Year of Mindful Living at its heart guides<br />
people to find the divine nature in daily<br />
actions, to connect to the full arc of nature’s<br />
seasonal transitions, and to live in rhythm<br />
with nature. The central organizing<br />
principle of the book is inspired by the<br />
Medicine Wheel, a central component of an<br />
ancient Native American symbol.<br />
The author, Randi Ragan, guides us to<br />
understand the full arc of nature’s seasonal<br />
cycles, how to live in accordance with the<br />
greater rhythms of the universe, and to move<br />
in unison with the natural cycles. She not<br />
only offers instructions on how to embody<br />
this with your daily life through story telling<br />
of ancient cultures, journaling exercises,<br />
guided meditations, rituals, and recipes, but<br />
also how-to tips for yoga, herbal healing,<br />
aromatherapy, diet and nutrition, natural<br />
beauty and self-care treatments, sustainable<br />
home living, and community activism all<br />
informed and organized by seasonal patterns<br />
within nature from various ancient and<br />
spiritual traditions.<br />
What I loved most about the book is how one<br />
can cultivate everyday tasks and objects in<br />
daily life into deeper meaningful purpose,<br />
and how we feed and nurture our bodies,<br />
minds, spirits, and souls can be an art in and<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 39
of itself. The author’s suggestions are<br />
merely just inspirations for one to develop<br />
their own sense of style, routine and rhythm<br />
unique to each individual.<br />
Randi Ragan says “Treating each day as an<br />
opportunity for sacred and holy ritual, and<br />
immersing ourselves in rituals of holistic<br />
living, are central endeavors in the pursuit of<br />
a more meaningful life.”<br />
FESTIVAL REVIEW<br />
ONE WORLD<br />
ONE FAMILY<br />
First International<br />
Traditional Yoga<br />
Festival<br />
BY MICHA CHAN<br />
Yoga VidyaGurukul (YVG) was founded in<br />
1978 by Yogacharya Vishwas Mandlik,<br />
inspired and guided by the spiritual master<br />
Swami Satyananda (a disciple of Swami<br />
Sivananda) of Bihar School of Yoga. YVG<br />
teaches Indian Traditional Yoga, which is a<br />
synthesis of Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga,<br />
Karma yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and is<br />
based on ancient texts of Patanjali’s Yoga<br />
Sutras (Ashtanga), Hatha Yoga Pradipika,<br />
GherandSamhita, BhagvadGita, Upnishadas,<br />
Vedas and Tantra.<br />
Since opening 38 years ago, YVG has<br />
established a presence in most Indian states<br />
through its Centers and branches, and has<br />
recognized centers to conduct Teacher<br />
Training Courses in Thailand, Australia,<br />
Hong Kong and Singapore. Today there are<br />
over 6,000 teachers working selflessly<br />
around the world.<br />
With so many teaching alumni and students<br />
scattered around the globe, Yoga<br />
VidyaGurukul wanted to bring “the family”<br />
together, hence they launched the<br />
International Traditional Yoga Festival (29<br />
January - 2 February <strong>2016</strong>). As most<br />
teachers teach in urban centres, YVG felt it<br />
important for those affiliated with their<br />
school to experience Indian ashram lifestyle.<br />
In addition to the beautiful natural setting of<br />
the ashram, the nearly 300 Festival attendees<br />
were treated to an amazing schedule of daily<br />
mantra chanting, asana practice, inspiring<br />
lectures and cultural performances by<br />
visiting VIPs, and incredible ashram food.<br />
Eighteen Senior Instructors taught daily<br />
asana andpranayama classes. Classes ranged<br />
from beginner to advanced levels, and<br />
included:Prana Flow, Thai authentic yoga,<br />
Sunrise/Sunset suryanamaskar<br />
practices,Inversion & balance, Yoga with<br />
music, Chakra flow, Kundalini, Yoga on<br />
Panchakosha (5-sheaths of the body) and<br />
other different aspects aimed at improving<br />
and balancing physical and mental health. In<br />
total, 25 people from Hong Kong joined the<br />
Festival, all students of Micha and Michelle.<br />
Many VIPs from India joined the Festival,<br />
including Dr. H R Nagendra, Chairman,<br />
International Yoga Day, Government of<br />
India, and ShripadNaik, First Minister of<br />
Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani,<br />
Siddha& Homoeopathy, Government of<br />
India.<br />
Finally, I must write about the food. From<br />
my view, the best food in the world! Meals<br />
are all cooked according toAyurveda recipes;<br />
in one meal, food should include solid food,<br />
liquid/watery food and the five elements<br />
which are:Aakash (Ether), Vayu (Air), Agni<br />
(Fire), Jala (Water) &P rithvi (Earth).<br />
It is amazing to think over 100 volunteers<br />
worked together to organize the Festival, and<br />
attracted over 250 seekers from around the<br />
world – all of whom stayed together in the<br />
ashram, truly embodying‘One World One<br />
Family.’<br />
40 NAMASKAR
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 41
42 NAMASKAR
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 43
44 NAMASKAR
RECIPE<br />
THE STORY OF THE LIFE SALAD<br />
This well-loved dish gets around!<br />
BY BOBSY<br />
We were all shocked and bummed out about the recent closure of the<br />
cafe, Life, in Hong Kong.<br />
Situated on the escalator in the heart of Soho with a 12-year history in<br />
that location, Life was a pioneer, serving some of the city’s best<br />
vegetarian fare at reasonable prices in quite generous portions.<br />
Life opened her doors back in <strong>Apr</strong>il 2004 as an off shoot of the iconic<br />
and pioneering Bookworm Cafe on Lamma Island - that small island that<br />
has given us so much from Yoga to Organic health food eateries to music<br />
festivals to name a few - and served the yogi and health conscious<br />
hipster community beautifully from its early days right until December 3,<br />
2009.<br />
Sadly Life closed her doors on December 12, 2015 for the last time.<br />
However, it kept its iconic Life Salad. Some good things don’t always<br />
have to change. Now, perhaps most readers don’t know the Life Salad<br />
which was initially called the ‘Life Live Salad’ for obvious reasons, was an<br />
off shoot of the original iconic salad in HK : “The Vegan Salad Bowl”. The<br />
recipes differ slightly but their spirit remains the same.<br />
Needless to say the Vegan Salad Bowl became our best seller and was<br />
enjoyed by many lucky Lamma-ites and tourists alike visiting on those<br />
very busy weekends. At only HK$65 for a large bowl it was a steal. The<br />
demand for such healthy food was growing substantially in HK and hence<br />
the move from Lamma to eventually open Life after four years of trying.<br />
So, all you Life Salad lovers out there, despair not because we are relaunching<br />
the same salad at MANA! Cafe on Pound Lane and we are<br />
calling it the MANA! Salad. It will be exactly the same recipe as the Life<br />
Salad and I am happy to share it with you below exactly as we used to<br />
make it.<br />
In a nutshell this is the history of this iconic Hong Kong salad:<br />
1. The Vegan Salad Bowl, the Grand Daddy of all salads in HK, circa 1998 -<br />
First created in the Bookworm Cafe by Bobsy & Sunshine.<br />
2. The Life Salad 2004 - 2015 - Modified and improved by Bobsy, Marian<br />
& Francois<br />
3. The MANA! Salad available now only at MANA! Cafe - reborn again<br />
due to popular demand and above all out of respect for this stellar salad.<br />
Here is the Vegan Salad Bowl as it was worded in the Bookworm Cafe<br />
Menu in 2000 - The Vegan Salad Bowl a generous bowl for salad lovers,<br />
filled with our freshest selection of dark green leafy vegetables, roasted<br />
eggplant, shredded beetroot and carrot, walnuts , pumpkin and<br />
sunflower seeds, topped with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and a dollop<br />
of hummus. Served with warm wholewheat baguette. @ 65$<br />
Here is the Life Salad as it was worded in the Life Menu in 2004 - Life’s<br />
Live Salad with mixed leaves, sprouted organic chickpea dip, mixed nuts ,<br />
nutritional yeast, shredded carrot and beetroot, topped with mung bean<br />
and alfalfa sprouts. Served with home-made raw flaxseed crackers. @<br />
Small $60 Large $98<br />
THE RECIPE<br />
I have never been one for measurements and have always thrown<br />
ingredients in by instinct.<br />
• Take a bowl and fill it up three quarters of the way with your<br />
favourite mixed greens including rocket & baby spinach.<br />
• Shred the carrots & beetroot into very thin lines, Julienne style and<br />
place on top.<br />
• Roughly cut your cherry tomatoes and place next.<br />
• Chop your nuts coarsely and add sesame seeds. You want almonds,<br />
cashews, hazelnuts , pumpkin & sunflower seeds. Add them on top of<br />
your shredded veggies. About two handfuls. We are basically building<br />
layers here.<br />
• Place a handful of sprouted mung bean shoots on top.<br />
• Then add a handful of alfalfa sprouts.<br />
• A generous dollop or two of sprouted raw hummus goes on next. Or<br />
more if you need extra energy.<br />
• Finally sprinkle generous amounts of nutritional yeast all over the<br />
salad. You can go wild here! It is so yummy and healthy that you can’t go<br />
wrong with this food.<br />
• A raw flaxseed cracker came next. You can substitute this with any<br />
raw or not cracker of your choice. Finally drizzle generous amounts of the<br />
Life Salad dressing on your bowl.<br />
THE DRESSING<br />
• Washed and finely chopped basil, flat & Italian parsley , rosemary &<br />
thyme.<br />
• Add the herbs in a blender with extra virgin cold pressed olive oil,<br />
tahini, wholesome brown sugar, wholegrain mustard, fresh lemon juice,<br />
salt pepper & nutritional yeast.<br />
• Blend all together.<br />
Et voila you have the Life Salad. Bon Appetite!<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 45
46 NAMASKAR
RECIPE<br />
COCONUT CHIA<br />
PORRIDGE<br />
For a sweet &<br />
healthy start<br />
BY MOISES MEHL<br />
A satisfying nibbler for every kind of sweet-tooth—and it’s all raw,<br />
dairy-free and vegan, so guilt-free and nutrient-packed!<br />
WHAT YOU NEED<br />
1 High Speed Blender<br />
1 250ml Mason Jar<br />
1 Kitchen Knife<br />
1 Cutting Board<br />
5 Tablespoons<br />
RAW COCONUT MILK<br />
Ingredients<br />
300 ml Coconut Water<br />
100g Coconut Pulp<br />
1 drop Vanilla Extract<br />
Method<br />
• Place all ingredients into a high speed blender, and blend until<br />
smooth white texture occurs.<br />
• Refrigerate in a glass container. Shelf life chilled: 3-4 days.<br />
RAW COCONUT CHIA PORRIDGE<br />
Ingredients<br />
300 ml Coconut Milk<br />
30g Chia Seeds<br />
Method<br />
• Stir in the chia seeds with the coconut milk for around 2 minutes,<br />
avoid mixing any crumbs.<br />
• Set in the fridge for at least 15 minutes inside a glass container.<br />
• The longer the time, the more water the chia seeds will absorb.<br />
• Shelf life chilled: 2-3 days.<br />
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER<br />
Raw Coconut Chia Porridge Parfait (250 ml jar)<br />
Ingredients<br />
200ml Coconut Chia Porridge<br />
20g Strawberries<br />
30g Blueberries<br />
30g Mango Dices<br />
10g Cacao Nibs<br />
10g Coconut Flakes<br />
Method<br />
• Dice strawberries into 2-3mm thick slices and placing them at the<br />
bottom of the jar<br />
• Pour into jar around 1cm of Coconut Chia Porridge<br />
• Add the first fruit layer (blueberries)<br />
• Add second layer of Chia Porridge to cover<br />
• Add second layer of fruit (mango)<br />
• Add the last layer of chia porridge<br />
• Top with dry items (i.e. cacao nibs and coconut flakes. You may also<br />
add more strawberry slices, or mint, for decoration.<br />
• Shelf life refrigerated: 1-2 days.<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 47
DIRECTORY<br />
Guide to yoga studios<br />
& teachers<br />
ANAHATA VILLAS & SPA<br />
RESORT<br />
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia<br />
s: group retreats, yoga for<br />
private & corporates. Yoga<br />
studio<br />
available for rent.<br />
l: Indonesian & English<br />
t: +62 361 8987 991/ 8987 992 /<br />
+62 21 70743366<br />
f: +62 361 8987 804<br />
e: sm@anahataresort.com /<br />
info@anahataresort.com<br />
w: www.anahataresort.com<br />
ANAHATA YOGA<br />
18/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1<br />
Lyndhurst Terrace, Central,<br />
Hong Kong<br />
s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Yoga<br />
therapy, Yin and more. Groups &<br />
privates<br />
t: +852 2905 1922<br />
e: enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk<br />
w: www.anahatayoga.com.hk<br />
ANANDA YOGA<br />
33 & 34/F, 69 Jervois Street<br />
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong<br />
s: Private and Group Classes :<br />
Yoga Therapy (neck, shoulder,<br />
back, hip, knee and joints),<br />
Hatha, Power, Ashtanga,<br />
Vinyasa, Detox, Yin Yang,<br />
Kundalini, Chakra Balancing,<br />
Pranayama, Meditation<br />
l: English<br />
t: (825)35639371<br />
e:<br />
adm.anandayoga.hk@gmail.com<br />
w: www.anandayoga.hk<br />
Anna Ng<br />
Privates<br />
d: Hong Kong<br />
s: Hatha yoga<br />
l: Cantonese<br />
t: (852) 9483 1167<br />
e: gazebofl@netvigator.com<br />
BEING IN YOGA –<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
Teaching yoga in the tradition of<br />
T Krishnamacharya and TKV<br />
Desikachar.<br />
s: yoga therapy (customized<br />
personal practice), teacher<br />
training (Yoga Alliance RYS 500<br />
hours+), in-depth yoga studies,<br />
small group classes for children<br />
and adults, workshops,<br />
meditation classes, Vedic<br />
chanting, continuing education<br />
for yoga teachers. Certified<br />
Teacher Trainer – Yoga<br />
Therapist - E-RYT 500<br />
RYS 500<br />
t: +65-9830-3808<br />
e: beinginyoga@gmail.com<br />
w: www.beinginyoga.com<br />
B.K.S. IYENGAR YOGA<br />
ASSOCIATION OF MACAU<br />
174, Rua de Pequim, Edif Centro<br />
Com. Kong Fat, 7A, Macau<br />
s: Iyengar<br />
t:(853)2882 3210/6662 0386<br />
e:yoga@macau.ctm.net<br />
w:www.iyengar-yoga-macauchina.com<br />
Chloe Yates<br />
Private and Group Kid’s Yoga,<br />
Mindfulness and Meditation<br />
d: Hong Kong, Kowloon, New<br />
Territories and Outlying Islands<br />
s: Kid’s Yoga, Mindfulness and<br />
Meditation Mummy and Baby<br />
Yoga, Dance Therapy<br />
l: English, Cantonese<br />
t: 9543 1524<br />
e: chloe.yy.yates@gmail.com<br />
w: www.facebook.com/<br />
humblewarrioryogaanddance<br />
Corinne Konrad<br />
Luxe Nova 68 Wellington Street,<br />
Central, Hong Kong & home<br />
visits<br />
s:Pre and Post-natal yoga, home<br />
classes as boutique yoga classes<br />
for beginners<br />
t: +852 9633 5573<br />
e: corinne@rawandrich.com<br />
w: www.rawandrich.com<br />
David Kim Yoga<br />
E-RYT 500+, Senior YogaWorks<br />
and Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer;<br />
International TTs, Workshops &<br />
Retreats<br />
d: Korea, Japan, Vietnam,<br />
Philippines, Sweden, Norway,<br />
USA<br />
s: Yin Yoga, YogaWorks, Vinyasa<br />
Flow<br />
l: English, limited Korean<br />
t: +1 310 480 5277<br />
e: david@davidkimyoga.com<br />
w: www.davidkimyoga.com<br />
FLEX STUDIO<br />
Island South<br />
Shops 308-310 One Island<br />
South, 2 Heung Yip Road,<br />
Aberdeen, Hong Kong<br />
s: Vinyasa, Power, Detox, Hatha,<br />
Pre-Natal, Kids Yoga<br />
t: + 852 2813 2212<br />
f: + 852 2813 2281<br />
e: info@flexhk.com<br />
Central<br />
3/F Man Cheung Building, 15- 17<br />
Wyndham Street, Central, Hong<br />
Kong<br />
s: Detox, Power, Pre-Natal Yoga<br />
t: + 852 2813-2399<br />
f: + 852 2812 6708<br />
e: central@flexhk.com<br />
www.flexhk.com<br />
PURE YOGA<br />
China<br />
L6-615 iapm mall, 999 Huai Hai<br />
Zhong Road, Xuhui District<br />
Shanghai<br />
t: +86 21 5466 1266<br />
Hong Kong<br />
16/F The Centrium, 60<br />
Wyndham Street, Central<br />
t: +852 2971 0055<br />
25/F Soundwill Plaza, 38 Russell<br />
St, Causeway Bay<br />
t: +852 2970 2299<br />
14/F Peninsula Office Tower, 18<br />
Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,<br />
Kowloon<br />
t: +852 8129 8800<br />
9/F Langham Place Office<br />
Tower, 8 Argyle Street, Kowloon<br />
t: +852 3691 3691<br />
4/F Lincoln House, TaiKoo<br />
Place, 979 King’s Rd, Quarry Bay<br />
t: +852 8129 1188<br />
2/F Asia Standard Tower, 59<br />
Queen’s Road, Central<br />
t: + 852 3524 7108<br />
Level 1 The Pulse, 28 Beach<br />
Road, Repulse Bay<br />
t: +852 8200 0908<br />
3/f Hutchison House, 10<br />
Harcourt Road, Admiralty<br />
t: +852 8105 5838<br />
Singapore<br />
391A Orchard Road, #18-00<br />
Ngee Ann City Tower A<br />
t: +65 6733 8863<br />
30 Raffles Place, 04-00 Chevron<br />
House<br />
t: +65 6304 2257<br />
Taiwan<br />
151 Chung Hsiao East Road, Sec<br />
4, Taipei<br />
t: +886 02 8161 7888<br />
4/f Urban One, 1 Qingcheng St,<br />
Taipei<br />
t: +886 02 8161 7868<br />
Ling<br />
Yoga and Wellbeing, Private<br />
Yoga Teacher, Privates, Groups,<br />
Corporates, Free Yoga<br />
Community Event: Yoga in the<br />
Park with Ling<br />
www.meetup.com/<br />
yogaintheparkhk<br />
d: Hong Kong, China<br />
s: Yoga Therapy, Sivananda,<br />
Hatha, Svastha, Mindfulness,<br />
Yin, Breathing (Pranayama),<br />
Guided Meditation, Total<br />
Relaxation (Yoga Nidra)<br />
l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin<br />
t: +852 9465 6461<br />
e: yogawithling@gmail.com<br />
w: www.facebook.com/<br />
yogawithling<br />
RED DOORS STUDIO<br />
21/f, 31 Wong Chuk Hang Rd<br />
s. Gong meditation and training,<br />
labyrinth facilitation and<br />
construction, kundalini<br />
therapeutic yoga and<br />
complementary practices to<br />
elevate energy. Multiple studio<br />
spaces available to rent.<br />
t. +852 21110 0152<br />
e. info@red-doors.com<br />
w. www.red-doors.com<br />
SPACE YOGA<br />
s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Advanced,<br />
Flow, Yin, Yin Yang, Restorative,<br />
Hot, Yin/Meditation,<br />
Pranayama, Mat Pilates,<br />
Jivamukti, Universal, Myofascial<br />
Release Yoga, Mindful<br />
Yoga, Rope Wall Yoga, Yoga<br />
Nidra and Yoga Therapy<br />
l: English and Mandarin<br />
w: www.withinspace.com<br />
An-Ho Studio<br />
16 F, No. 27, An-Ho Road,<br />
Section 1<br />
48 NAMASKAR
Taipei, Taiwan<br />
t: +886.2.2773.8108<br />
Tien-Mu Studio<br />
#5, Lane 43, Tian-Mu E. Road,<br />
Taipei, Taiwan<br />
t: +886.2.28772108<br />
Kathy Cook<br />
Wellness Retreats, Workshops,<br />
Private Groups and Privates<br />
d: Hong Kong, Bali & Thailand<br />
s: Iyengar Certified (Junior<br />
Intermediate III)<br />
l: English<br />
t: +852 6292 5440 / +62 811<br />
387781<br />
e:kcinasia@gmail.com<br />
w: www.yogawithkathy.com<br />
THE YOGA ROOM<br />
3, 4, 6, 16/F (Studios) & 15/F<br />
(Office) Xiu Ping Commercial<br />
Bldg, 104 Jervois St, Sheung<br />
Wan, Hong Kong<br />
s: Hatha, Hot, Ashtanga,<br />
Vinyasa, Candlelight Yin, Yoga<br />
Therapy, Jivamukti, Hammock<br />
Yoga, Mindfulness Yoga, Detox<br />
Yoga, Pre-natal Yoga, Pre-natal<br />
Pilates, Mat Pilates, TRX, Kids<br />
Yoga and Mum & Baby Yoga<br />
l: English, Cantonese<br />
t: + 852 2544 8398<br />
e: info@yogaroomhk.com<br />
w: www.yogaroomhk.com<br />
KUNDALINI @SHAKTI<br />
7/F Glenealy Tower, 1 Glenealy,<br />
Central, Hong Kong.<br />
s: Kundalini, Reik healing, life<br />
coaching, Shamanic healing,<br />
Bowen Therapy, Angel Cards<br />
t: +852 2521 5099<br />
e: info@shaktihealingcircle.com<br />
w: www.shaktihealingcircle.com<br />
THE COLLECTIVE, DESA SENI<br />
SCHOOL OF YOGA<br />
Jl. Subak Sari #13, Canggu, Bali,<br />
Indonesia<br />
s: Full service resort, Ashtanga,<br />
Embodied Flow, Hatha,<br />
Kundalini,<br />
Restorative, Tantra,<br />
Therapeutics, Yin, Yang,<br />
Vinyasa, Buddhist Meditation,<br />
Vedic Meditation, all on a<br />
regular basis. Teacher<br />
Trainings, Intensives, Privates,<br />
Workshops, specialising in<br />
hosting retreats.<br />
t: +62 361 844 6392<br />
e: info@desaseni.com<br />
w: www.desaseni.com<br />
TRUE YOGA<br />
Singapore<br />
9 Scotts Road, Level 4, Pacific<br />
Plaza, Singapore 228210<br />
t: +65 6733 9555<br />
9 Scotts Road, Level 5, Pacific<br />
Plaza (Bikram Original Hot<br />
Yoga), Singapore 228210<br />
t: +65 6735 9555<br />
Taiwan<br />
337 Nanking East Road<br />
Section 3, 9 & 10/F, Taipei<br />
T: +886 22716 1234<br />
68 Gongyi Road, West District<br />
12 & 13/F, Taichung<br />
t: +886 43700 0000<br />
s: Ashtanga, Bikram, Flow,<br />
Gentle, Hatha, Kids, Power, Pre-<br />
Natal, Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Dance<br />
e: operations@trueyoga.com.sg<br />
w: www.trueyoga.com.sg /<br />
www.trueyoga.com.tw<br />
Ursula Moser<br />
The Iyengar Yoga Centre of<br />
Hong Kong<br />
d: Central<br />
s: Iyengar Certified (Junior<br />
Intermediate III)<br />
l: English<br />
t: +852 2918 1798 / 9456 2149<br />
e: uschi.moser51@gmail.com<br />
WISE LIVING YOGA<br />
ACADEMY<br />
198 Moo 2, Luang Nuea, Doi<br />
Saket, Chiang Mai, Thailand<br />
s: Classical Yoga, Hatha Yoga,<br />
Yoga Therapy<br />
t: +66 8254 67995<br />
e: info@wiselivingyoga.com<br />
w: www.wiselivingyoga.com<br />
YOGA CENTRAL – IYENGAR<br />
CENTRAL<br />
s: Boutique studio with Iyengar<br />
Yoga classes; flexible timings for<br />
corporate wellness, small<br />
groups, and privates<br />
l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin,<br />
French, Malay<br />
t: +852 2982 4308<br />
e: yogacentralhk@gmail.com<br />
w: www.yogacentral.com.hk<br />
fb: Iyengar-Central<br />
namaskar<br />
4 times a year<br />
6,000 yoga practitioners<br />
32 countries<br />
DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES & SIZES<br />
Outside back cover HK$24,300 210 mm x 297 mm<br />
Inside front cover HK$3,400 210 mm x 297 mm<br />
Inside back cover HK$2,600 210 mm x 297 mm<br />
Full page HK$2,100 210 mm x 297 mm<br />
1/2 page (horizontal) HK$1,400 180 mm x 133.5 mm<br />
1/2 page (vertical) HK$1,400 88 mm x 275 mm<br />
1/4 page HK$690 88 mm X 133.5 mm<br />
1/8 page HK$420 88 mm x 66 mm<br />
LISTINGS<br />
Individual listing HK$610 for full or partial year<br />
Studio listing HK$1,270 for full or partial year<br />
PUBLICATION DATES, BOOKING & MATERIAL DEADLINES<br />
Publication date Booking Deadline Material Deadline<br />
January December 1 December 10<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il March 1 March 10<br />
July June 1 June 10<br />
October September 1 September 10<br />
NOTES<br />
Advertising materials should in black & white and submitted as 300<br />
dpi high resolution .tif files (no pdf or ai files please)<br />
Listings should be submitted as text only (approx 35 words)<br />
PAYMENT<br />
Payments should be made in Hong Kong dollars to:<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong> c/o Carol Adams, Flat 101, Block L, Telford Gardens,<br />
Kowloon, Hong Kong<br />
INFORMATION<br />
Carol +44 75432 55886 / carol@caroladams.hk<br />
Frances +852 9460 1967 / fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 49
50 NAMASKAR
<strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2016</strong> 51
52 NAMASKAR