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<strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
A Voice for the Yoga Community in Asia <strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />
IN THIS ISSUE<br />
Change • Stress<br />
Kleshas • Joy<br />
Photo courtesy of Nigel Gregory<br />
ngstudio@mac.com
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
EDITOR’S NOTE<br />
In this Issue<br />
Franc<br />
ances s Gairns<br />
The dristi for this issue is Change and the cover photo by<br />
Nigel is an upside-down image of Jon changing from<br />
Prasarita Padottanasana to Adho Mukha Vrksasana. I<br />
watched with admiration as his feet floated gracefully off<br />
the ground and up into a handstand – no muscular force or gritting of teeth,<br />
just the smooth, unobstructed flow of prana. Just how I would like to move<br />
through the changes in my life.<br />
We have three interpretations of the dristi: Angela takes a straight-forward<br />
approach, enlisting the experiences of three yoginis; Paul explores the<br />
subject from the perspective of yogic philosophy and David Bowie while;<br />
Frank introduces the Buddhist perspective. And what is sometimes the<br />
result of change for many of us, stress, is examined by Laura and Vinod<br />
introduces us to Kleshas.<br />
I hope you will read the contributions of Ann, Clayton, Elizabeth, Ivy,<br />
Jennifer, Jyothi, Julie, Mira, Sara, Tia and Valerie. Everyone who<br />
contributes to <strong>Namaskar</strong> is on a path of personal transformation, and<br />
through sharing their experiences and observations, hopes to enrich our<br />
community.<br />
We welcome Yoga Journal to the Asian yoga community. The publication’s<br />
Hong Kong and Thailand editions are now available on news stands, and I<br />
hope you will pick up a copy next time you see it.<br />
Dristi Change<br />
Impermanence..............................................................5<br />
Transformation....................................................................7<br />
Dharma Door of Change....................................8<br />
Special Features<br />
Stress.......................................................................11<br />
Kleshas.......................................................................14<br />
Upward facing dog.............................................17<br />
Book review........................................................22<br />
Moon days...........................................................23<br />
mYoga teacher training...................................24<br />
Mysore Travelogue...........................................26<br />
Book review........................................................26<br />
Practicing cold...................................................29<br />
Joy.........................................................................30<br />
Regular Contributions<br />
Yoga News.............................................................3<br />
Teacher’s Voice....................................................11<br />
Hathi Yogi............................................................32<br />
Crossword ..........................................................35<br />
Kids Yoga.............................................................33<br />
Teacher & Studio listings................................39<br />
And finally I encourage you to embrace the change in your lives with Jon’s<br />
ease, grace and fluidity.<br />
Note to Teachers & Studio Managers<br />
If you would like to list your details in the back page of <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
throughout <strong>2007</strong>, please send your payment to guarantee your listing will<br />
appear in April, June & October <strong>2007</strong> issues:<br />
Individual teacher HK$500 or Studio HK$1,000<br />
Please make your cheque payable to:<br />
Yoga Services Ltd<br />
c/o Frances Gairns, G/F, Flat 1, 12 Shouson Hill Road West, Hong Kong<br />
Something to Share?<br />
If there is something you would like<br />
to share with the yoga community in<br />
Hong Kong and elsewhere (we<br />
distribute around Asia and even<br />
further), please email<br />
fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
2
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
YOGA NEWS<br />
Yoga Kitchen in Hong<br />
Kong<br />
Yoga Fitness has long been feeding<br />
students’ spirit, and how they’re<br />
feeding stomachs too, with the opening<br />
of Yoga Kitchen. The brainchild of<br />
studio owner and yoga teacher Yvonne,<br />
Yoga Kitchen serves a healthy menu of<br />
vegetarian and non-vegetarian food<br />
and drinks. They also offer take-away<br />
and delivery service. The Yoga Kitchen<br />
is at 5/F Sea Bird House, 22 – 28<br />
Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong<br />
and serves lunch, afternoon tea and<br />
dinner. It is open noon – 9 pm daily. For<br />
more information +852 2851 8353,<br />
www.yoga-fitness.com<br />
New Iyengar teachers<br />
in Hong Kong<br />
There are three new Iyengar-certified<br />
teachers in Hong Kong: George Dovas,<br />
Kristine Hodge and Randa Westland all<br />
received their Introductory II<br />
certification in the summer. Linda<br />
Shevloff was re-certified as Senior<br />
Intermediate I. With six certified<br />
Iyengar teachers, The Iyengar Yoga<br />
Centre of Hong Kong now has the<br />
largest group of Iyengar teachers in<br />
Asia.<br />
Bhutan an Yoga Retr<br />
treat<br />
at<br />
Ming Lee, certified Iyengar teacher and former chairman of the Yoga Society of<br />
Hong Kong leads a retreat to the mountain kingdom of Bhutan February 17 – 27.<br />
The 11-day yoga and meditation retreat includes twice daily yoga and meditation,<br />
intertwined with visits to Buddhist temples, attendance at the Punakha Dromche<br />
Festival and much more. Participants will stay at the Metropolitan Hotel in<br />
Bangkok and the exclusive Uma Paro in Bhutan. For more information<br />
bhutan@yogawithming.com or www.yogawithming.com/bhutan.<br />
AcroYoga at Yoga<br />
Central, Hong Kong<br />
AcroYoga, a blend of the spiritual<br />
wisdom of yoga, the loving kindness of<br />
Thai massage, and the dynamic power<br />
of Acrobatics, will be offered by Minhee<br />
Cha at Yoga Central from February. The<br />
practice cultivates trust, connection<br />
and playfulness and aims to bring<br />
individuals into a state of union with<br />
themselves, each other, and the divine.<br />
Also new at Yoga Central is a “DIY”<br />
home practice workshop held by Ivy<br />
Hung. The workshop helps student<br />
select appropriate vinyasa and<br />
sequences to practice at home, or while<br />
travelling. There’s also a series of<br />
monthly workshops held by various<br />
instructors to help students deepen<br />
their practice. For information<br />
www.yogacentral.com.hk<br />
New Instructors at<br />
Yoga Central, Hong<br />
Kong<br />
Minhee Cha lives in Hong Kong, but was<br />
born in Seoul, Korea. She started<br />
practicing yoga in Hong Kong and<br />
received a teaching certificate in India.<br />
She has studied many styles of yoga<br />
and says she currently favours<br />
AcroYoga, which she teaches at Yoga<br />
Central and Amico Studio in Hong<br />
Kong. superyogini@yahoo.com<br />
Minhee Cha<br />
DanceMeditate at Yoga<br />
Senses, Hong Kong<br />
DanceMeditate is a new programme<br />
which combines pranayama, dance,<br />
yoga nidra and somatic therapy in<br />
order to achieve health, joy and peace.<br />
The once weekly classes will start<br />
Saturday, <strong>January</strong> 20 and take place at<br />
Yoga Senses, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong<br />
Kong. For information<br />
contact@dancemeditate.com<br />
Iyengar Workshop,<br />
Hong Kong<br />
Birjoo Mehta, an advanced Iyengar<br />
practitioner from Mumbai, India, will be<br />
presenting a series of workshops<br />
entitled “Removal of Contortions to<br />
Reach a Pose” at the Iyengar Yoga<br />
Centre, <strong>January</strong> 25 - 28. For<br />
information<br />
www.iyengaryogahongkong.com<br />
Ivy Hung is a yoga teacher, adventure<br />
athlete and Ayurvedic practitioner. She<br />
has studied with Bryan Kest, Max<br />
Strom and Krishna Das, John Friend<br />
and Sharon Gannon. Her classes blend<br />
vigorous vinyasa with balancing, twists<br />
and restorative poses and are<br />
structured to lead students into a fully<br />
state of consciousness. Her own<br />
practice is rooted in the Iyengar<br />
lineage. climbingivy@earthlink.net<br />
3
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
YOGA NEWS<br />
AcroYoga at Pure Yoga,<br />
Hong Kong<br />
February 23 - 25 sees a two-day<br />
AcroYoga workshop at Pure Yoga<br />
presentedd by Jason Nemer and Jenny<br />
Sauer Klein, co-founders of AcroYoga.<br />
For information www.pure-yoga.com or<br />
www.acroyoga.org<br />
Yoga and Pilates,<br />
Bali<br />
Heather Shalabi and Ann Gowing will be<br />
leading a retreat to balance and restore<br />
the body and mind at the Como<br />
Shambala Estate in Ubud, Bali,<br />
February 18 – 24. The programme offers<br />
3 hours of Pilates complemented with 2<br />
hours of yoga daily. For information<br />
res@cse.comoshambala.bz, +65 361<br />
978 888<br />
About <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
ar<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong> provides a voice for the yoga<br />
community around Asia. The publication is a<br />
vehicle for practitioners on a yogic path to<br />
share their own knowledge, learnings and<br />
experiences with others.<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong>, is published by Yoga Services Ltd,<br />
quarterly in <strong>January</strong>, April, July and October.<br />
We welcome unsolicited submissions,<br />
therefore the opinions expressed within<br />
these pages are not necessarily those of the<br />
Yoga Services Ltd.<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong> is distributed at no charge through<br />
yoga studios, fitness centres, retail outlets,<br />
food & beverage outlets and other yoga<br />
friendly locations throughout Hong Kong and<br />
elsewhere in Asia.<br />
Iyengar Workhop,<br />
Jakarta<br />
“Healthy Living with Iyengar Yoga” was<br />
held at Jakarta International Club, 24 -<br />
26 November by Ming Lee. Close to 40<br />
people, from first timers to yoga<br />
teachers, attended. Riana Singgih, a<br />
long-time student and owner of the<br />
newly-opened yoga studio, Yoga Light,<br />
gave guidelines for healthy eating to<br />
complement their yoga practice.<br />
Teacher Training at<br />
Pure Yoga, Taiwan<br />
The Foundation - Preparing to Teach is<br />
a four-week, full-time teacher training<br />
course in Taipei led by Stephen<br />
Thomas. It will immerse students in all<br />
aspects of yoga and develop their skills<br />
in the fundamentals and methodology<br />
of teaching Hatha yoga, March 19 -<br />
April 14. For information www.pureyoga.com<br />
Yoga Thailand<br />
As well as retreats and classes held<br />
throughout the year at Yoga Thailand,<br />
Koh Samui, in August, there will be an<br />
opportunity to take your yoga<br />
understanding and practice to the next<br />
level with a two-week course on the<br />
main texts of Hatha Yoga with O.P.<br />
Tiwari and Ashtanga Yoga with Paul<br />
Dallaghan. The course will be from<br />
August 12 – 25 and counts towards Yoga<br />
Alliance’s 500-hour certification.<br />
Immediately afterwards, August 25 –<br />
31, there’s a rare opportunity to study<br />
in a small group with Ashtangi Richard<br />
Freeman. And if you’re planning ahead,<br />
mark your diaries for an Advanced<br />
Anatomy course with Neil Barker and<br />
Paul Dallaghan <strong>January</strong> 6 – 20, 2008.<br />
For more information www.yogathailand.com<br />
Popular Hong Kong teacher returns to India<br />
One of Pure Yoga’s most popular teachers, Varun Veer returned to New Delhi in<br />
<strong>January</strong> to open his own yoga and Ayurvedic studio. His students organized a<br />
farewell dinner, at which he shared the following advice: “There are three things a<br />
yoga practitioner and teacher must follow. First, one must follow a pure<br />
vegetarian diet. Second is to improve your yoga, you must practice daily at a<br />
specific time. Third is focus and concentration. I strongly advise during class,<br />
music is not to be used as this alone is already distraction in and of itself. Silence<br />
is the best tool to calm the mind. If you follow these three principles strictly, your<br />
five bodies (Physical, Pranic, mental, wisdom and bliss body) will come to be in a<br />
total balanced state.”<br />
For more information, to contribute or to<br />
order <strong>Namaskar</strong>, please contact:<br />
Frances, Editor<br />
fgairns@netvigator.com / 9460 1967<br />
Jenny, Deputy Editor<br />
jenthomas@netvigator.com / 9889 2022<br />
Deadline for April <strong>2007</strong> issue:<br />
March 15, <strong>2007</strong><br />
Varun (4th from right t seat<br />
ated) with studen<br />
udents s at his far<br />
arewell ell par<br />
arty<br />
4
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Dristi Change<br />
Impermanence<br />
Angela Jones<br />
Humans are funny creatures. While we know<br />
intellectually that all aspects of our life are<br />
fleeting, even the gift of life itself, we crave<br />
solidity, reliability, rocks on which we can rely,<br />
people we can count on.<br />
We want the reassurance of things remaining the same. We<br />
rage when lovers leave us, when friends move away (even<br />
though this is a constant in Hong Kong), when cherished<br />
landmarks collapse into dust. We find ourselves shocked<br />
when people die, even though death is the most predictable<br />
part of life.<br />
We fight age and even our yoga practice is drawn into this<br />
battle. But our bodies are subject to the laws of nature and<br />
are also changing constantly.<br />
Yoga teaches us that to deny all things must change, is to<br />
sentence ourselves to a lifetime of unhappiness. It is not<br />
change that’s the problem, rather our reaction to it – clinging<br />
to the ankles of that which is cherished even as it strides out<br />
the door.<br />
“Impermanence is the<br />
nature of the human<br />
condition” - Buddha<br />
We should instead cultivate gratitude and appreciation for<br />
this precious life, exactly as it is, as well as non-attachment<br />
and equanimity. As one who is very early on in her spiritual<br />
path, I know all too well that this is the hard part! We’ll hear<br />
from three yoginis who are a little further on.<br />
Two of the most major transitions of our lives can be when<br />
we lose a parent or become one. Hong Kong-based yoga<br />
teacher Nealy Fischer writes of the highs and lows of<br />
motherhood and discovers they’re both parts of the same<br />
ball of silly putty.<br />
Nealy Fischer<br />
“Today felt like one of the longer days of my life. I woke up<br />
at 5 am with a stiff neck. So stiff it took me a couple of<br />
minutes to figure out how to manipulate my body out of bed<br />
to begin feeding the kids and addressing the morning<br />
tantrums. The beauty of my role as a mother today felt<br />
temporarily concealed.<br />
“Yet when my son kisses me good night and tells me he<br />
loves me it’s as if the cloud lifts. Remembering the moments<br />
of cloaking are temporary (terrible twos don’t last forever!)<br />
allows me to be fully present in knowing that this too shall<br />
pass.<br />
“The amount of effort we exert in our asana directly relates<br />
to the level of freedom we experience in any pose. We<br />
ground down to rise up and this boundary is what allows us<br />
to experience the bliss of the extension more fully. We pulse<br />
with the flow of our breath and acknowledge the divine<br />
power behind it guides our offering through each<br />
movement.<br />
“When I was in labour with my five-year-old son, I recalled<br />
my mother’s words of wisdom. She always gave a blessing<br />
of thanks at the moment of intense pain for the gift of the<br />
baby she was about to receive. (I forgot this piece of advice<br />
5
Linda Shevloff<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
in my own labour!) The contrast in the transition from<br />
intense pain to incredible joy in one single moment is what<br />
makes our lives so rich.”<br />
Linda Shevloff, of the Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong,<br />
has been practicing yoga for more than 30 years. Through<br />
good times and bad times, yoga has been a constant<br />
practice and a stabilising influence in her life.<br />
From her early childbearing years, when she wanted to be<br />
able to restore her body after pregnancy, to her many years<br />
working in high schools in Canada, when yoga provided her<br />
focus, yoga has been a constant companion.<br />
More recently Linda injured her shoulder and required some<br />
serious surgery. “I had to change my practice every week<br />
according to the condition of my shoulder. Yoga allows me to<br />
overcome life’s obstacles and to be centred.”<br />
“We come to glimpse what<br />
the masters say the true<br />
attitude to change can be:<br />
as if we were the sky looking<br />
at the clouds passing by.” -<br />
Sogyal Rinpoche<br />
Linda points out the aim of a successful asana practice is<br />
the balancing of the three gunas – qualities present in all<br />
beings, but varying in amount. They are: Sattva (purity),<br />
Rajas (activity/change) and Tamas (inertia).<br />
When travelling in Rajasthan, I experienced this balance in a<br />
very tangible way. My two travelling companions were not<br />
yoga practitioners, but would occasionally accompany me to<br />
early morning classes.<br />
We enlisted a teacher for a 7 am class on our first morning<br />
in Jodhpur. Knowing of my friends’ inexperience, the teacher<br />
sensitively set for us a mediation/pranayama practice<br />
instead of the usual asana.<br />
After one hour focusing on our breathing on a restaurant<br />
rooftop, we opened our eyes to watch the clouds pass<br />
overheard – and that was all. Days on the road negotiating<br />
buses, trains, heat and touts fell away. That morning’s<br />
practice was the most relaxing of my life and we three were<br />
utterly transformed and at peace. What a difference an<br />
hour can make if we are truly present!<br />
Through our practice, we can deal with the changes that<br />
must occur in our lives with greater grace. For some, yoga<br />
can even grant the strength to effect changes and gain a<br />
self-confidence that flows into other aspects of life.<br />
Pure Yoga’s Ocean Liang has been practising for about five<br />
years. She found the strength and inner clarity granted by<br />
her yoga practice gave her the courage to move into her<br />
own apartment for the first time.<br />
“My first move out was a quiet celebration of finally<br />
becoming a yoga teacher, something I’ve wanted so badly.<br />
From my practice, I have experienced my own individuality<br />
and started to search for silence from within.<br />
“Living by myself, I feel positive about solitude and still feel<br />
connected with a community of people. Not that I don’t like<br />
having people around, it’s more about the enjoying my own<br />
solitude as well.<br />
“Funnily enough, now I’m living on my own, with more<br />
freedom, I seem to be more disciplined. I guess this is true<br />
independence.”<br />
Angela is a Hong Kong-based journalist from New<br />
Zealand. She’s s been practicing for fiv<br />
ive e year<br />
ars s and<br />
rec<br />
ecen<br />
ently underwen<br />
ent t Pure e Yoga’<br />
oga’s s fir<br />
irst t teacher training<br />
course, which “didn’t kill me, so it must have made me<br />
stronger!”<br />
6
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Dristi Change<br />
Transformation<br />
Paul Dallaghan<br />
The one thing certain in life is that everything<br />
changes. This is a keystone of Buddha’s<br />
teachings, part of many other philosophies<br />
and even modern physics. “Ch-ch-chchanges”,<br />
sang David Bowie in his rock classic, eulogizing<br />
the temporary nature of all he was experiencing.<br />
Everyone reaches moments of transition, a shift from what<br />
they’re doing now to something they might wish to be doing.<br />
Many students find themselves in transition brought on by<br />
the process of yoga itself. In fact the majority of students I<br />
have met at trainings say they are “in transition”.<br />
What does this transition, change, transformation mean?<br />
Roget (thesaurus and dictionary) defines it as “the process<br />
of passing from one form, state, stage to another”.<br />
Everything is in a state of flux, and all we know is constantly<br />
changing. Yet, as Bowie puts it, “the days flow by but still<br />
they seem the same”. In a sense letting us know how little<br />
we actually observe and see. “Time might change me but I<br />
can’t change time” is the plight of us all, once opportunity<br />
has passed us by.<br />
Transformation takes that even further. It is defined as the<br />
action of “changing form, appearance, condition, function,<br />
especially in relation to potential or type”. This would imply<br />
a certain level of involvement in the transition process.<br />
Taking the perspectives of ancient philosophy, the Buddha’s<br />
teachings and even modern poetic rock ‘n’ roll, we can<br />
perhaps gleam a few nuggets to help us:<br />
• change is inevitable, “pretty soon now you’re going to<br />
get older” (Bowie)<br />
• transition then is continuous and lifelong<br />
• we can, and even should, participate in the changing<br />
process, the transformation<br />
• the best way to engage in this transformation is to be in<br />
the moment of each activity or thought we have.<br />
The yoga philosophy of Sankhya recognizes transformation<br />
and offers tools for it. Parinaama or transformation, means<br />
a change occurs where there is no going back. In practical<br />
terms the behavioural patterns of an individual have been<br />
so affected by changes in the nervous system (due to<br />
correct practice and living) that this person’s outlook and<br />
behaviour are altered so they actually consider themselves<br />
to have grown or changed.<br />
The other major Indian philosophy, Vedanta, uses the word<br />
“vivarta” to define transformation. Here the belief is our<br />
true nature is divine and can never be changed. And it is<br />
only our illusion that appears to be changing.<br />
Affecting a positive and uplifting growth so we come closer<br />
to our true self is a goal of yoga, regardless of which<br />
philosophy you subscribe to. On a daily basis we must find<br />
some practical ways to help us remember our divine nature.<br />
Christians have the Novenas, a festival built around<br />
transformation which includes nine days and nights of<br />
prayer. In India, there is the Navaratri (nine nights) festival,<br />
a celebration of the Holy Mother. The first three nights for<br />
removing the old, stale, stagnant, of no use to our growth<br />
(tamas), the second three nights for building the new, and<br />
raising a new level (rajas) and, the final three nights for the<br />
result, which is transformation (sattva).<br />
I have always found this description apt for the process in<br />
yoga. Initially there is a period of cleaning and clearing out,<br />
which could go on for years. In practical terms, this feels like<br />
aches, pains, emotional outbursts, and toxic releases from<br />
the body. It is best handled by understanding there is a<br />
process of clearing, and watching it happen while continuing<br />
with practice under an appropriate teacher’s guidance.<br />
When much of the old stagnation decreases there is room<br />
for growth of the new. This is experienced as delicate nerve<br />
changes causing temporary trembles throughout the body.<br />
One gets more and more subtle and sensitive before<br />
becoming more durable. One feels the movement of prana<br />
through the body, and sees what is happening on the mental<br />
level. Depending on how one lives, this could go on for years<br />
or even lifetimes, until the complete transformation, a<br />
return to our true nature, is experienced. Along the way one<br />
identifies some key points to stop and recognise “I have<br />
7
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
transformed, I am not the person I was. My behaviour has<br />
changed, my outlook is different, my heart is bigger, my<br />
mind is clearer.”<br />
“If you feel in transition,<br />
embrace it.”<br />
Nature provides the best example. A garden uncared for<br />
grows wild and full of weeds. We cultivate it, first removing<br />
the weeds. Then new flowers and plants start to grow. A new<br />
life is experienced in the soil. Along the way sections of the<br />
garden are transformed and beautiful, but still the work<br />
goes on until the entire garden is transformed and in it a<br />
beauty only nature can offer.<br />
As we have said change is inevitable. What is the<br />
alternative? The garden left untended grows weeds, a plant<br />
in its own pot left abandoned will wither. Without any direct<br />
participation, the outcome follows a downward path - decay.<br />
Though our bodies will age and deteriorate, it need not be<br />
the case for our heart, mind and soul, which are our<br />
essential nature. Thus the teachings of yoga tell us to<br />
participate in our growth and here are the tools.<br />
It is not easy, but is anything worth having, easy? Let it be<br />
earned through self effort. If you feel in transition, embrace<br />
it. Learn the practices in a correct way and give yourself to<br />
them. Embrace your growth and participate in it. Do so by<br />
being with each breath, by being tuned into every little thing<br />
that you do. Be in the moment and do your best. Get up<br />
each day and do it again. You will get stronger, the feelings<br />
of insecurity will pass. A new inner light starts to shine as<br />
you experience your transformation a bit at a time. And<br />
above all, be grateful for what you have, everyday the<br />
opportunity to participate in this change and growth. Think<br />
and thank each day the source of the practices you have<br />
been given to help you through this transition. Love the<br />
process, the doing and the change.<br />
Paul aul is the Direct<br />
ector or of Cen<br />
enter<br />
ered ed Yoga oga Instit<br />
titut<br />
ute e & Yoga<br />
oga<br />
Thailand www.cen<br />
enter<br />
erdy<br />
dyoga.<br />
oga.com om (for training info o and<br />
Paul’<br />
aul’s s work<br />
orkshop schedule<br />
chedule), ), www.yoga-thailand.<br />
oga-thailand.com<br />
om<br />
(yoga oga retr<br />
treat at cen<br />
entr<br />
tre e on Koh oh Samui, Thailand)<br />
Dharma<br />
Door of<br />
Change<br />
Pob<br />
obsa a Frank Jude Boc<br />
occio<br />
cio<br />
A teaching common to Buddhist and Hindu<br />
Yoga traditions is that avidya, most often<br />
translated as “ignorance,” is the root cause of<br />
suffering (duhkha). It literally means, “not<br />
seeing.” In his Yoga-Sutra, Patanjali echoes the Buddha when<br />
he says, “Ignorance is the seeing of that which is eternal,<br />
pure, joyful and the self in that which is ephemeral, impure,<br />
sorrowful and not-self.” After years of practice, I’ve come to<br />
think of ignorance not merely as a lack of knowledge, but as<br />
an almost willful ignoring of reality. Today, we use the term<br />
“denial.” Let’s face it; we know things change. We know we<br />
are changing. Yet, in much of our daily lives, we act in ways<br />
that seem to be a desperate attempt to deny this reality!<br />
The Buddha encouraged developing insight into change<br />
(anicca) because it serves so well as a door into his central<br />
teachings: the truth of suffering (duhkha), its causes and its<br />
cessation; insight into non-self (anatta) and the realization<br />
of the emptiness of a separate self (shunyata); and the<br />
understanding of the “thusness” or “suchness” (tathata) of<br />
all things. These insights are not meant to be philosophical<br />
reflections, but a genuine seeing and experiencing. We are<br />
challenged by the Buddha to use impermanence, the reality<br />
of change, as the ground of practice.<br />
Often it is said because of change there is suffering. But<br />
suffering doesn’t have to be the result of impermanence,<br />
nor is it inextricably tied to it. The real cause of our<br />
suffering in the face of change, is our attachment to what is<br />
8
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Dristi Change<br />
by nature impermanent, not impermanence itself! And our<br />
attachment is based on ignoring – denying – reality as it is.<br />
But if we truly wish to affirm and celebrate life, we must be<br />
willing to affirm and celebrate impermanence.<br />
One of the practices offered by the Buddha to cultivate<br />
awareness and insight into impermanence is “The Five<br />
Remembrances.” Here is a variation of a version taught by<br />
Thich Nhat Hanh that I’ve practiced with for well over a<br />
decade:<br />
The Five Remembrances<br />
1. I am of the nature to age. There is no way to escape<br />
aging.<br />
2. I am of the nature to have ill-health. There is no way to<br />
escape ever having ill-health.<br />
3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape<br />
death.<br />
4. All that is dear to me, and everyone I love, are of the<br />
nature to change. There is no way to escape being<br />
separated from them.<br />
5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape<br />
the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground<br />
upon which I stand.<br />
If we look at impermanence superficially, we might conclude<br />
it is a negative aspect of life. “The Five Remembrances”<br />
may seem at first like nothing more than a grim list of<br />
things we will lose. But, in fact it is a medicine, perhaps bitter<br />
at first, which is a kind, compassionate, truthful reminder of<br />
the wonder and miracle of life as it is. Change is inherently<br />
neither negative nor positive. It just is. This is the<br />
“thusness” of things as they are. Impermanence is not a<br />
mere aspect of life, but its very essence! Without change,<br />
life would be impossible. “Never changing life” is, and can<br />
only ever be, a vacuous concept.<br />
When we use “The Five Remembrances” to look deeply in<br />
order to embrace the reality of change in our body-mind,<br />
environment, and relationships, we no longer take anything<br />
for granted. We begin to loosen our attachments to the<br />
ephemeral phenomena we have clung to, and realize the<br />
very grasping and clinging are painful in themselves! We<br />
come to see for ourselves the problem is not that things<br />
change, but that we try to live as if they don’t!<br />
As you contemplate “The Five Remembrances,” notice in<br />
yourself any reactivity they provoke. Do so without judging,<br />
interpreting or suppressing. Let whatever arises rest in<br />
awareness until it shifts and passes away. Aversion may<br />
arise, and that is okay. Stay with your breath and observe<br />
the sensations in your body that accompany the mental and<br />
emotional reactivity. You may be surprised to experience a<br />
sense of relief as the energy put into denying and hiding<br />
from the truth of impermanence is liberated to move<br />
through your body-mind, allowing for great ease.<br />
One example of how this practice has informed my<br />
relationships is that when I find myself becoming embroiled<br />
in conflict, with my partner or a friend for instance, I look at<br />
them and imagine how we will both look in 100 years.<br />
“The real cause of our<br />
suffering in the face of<br />
change is our attachment to<br />
what is by nature<br />
impermanent, not<br />
impermanence itself.”<br />
Immediately, the situation is defused, and a more skillful<br />
way to deal with the conflict naturally arises. (Often I just<br />
want to hug them!)<br />
If we understand the self to be an entity that persists over<br />
time, a deep understanding that all things are in constant<br />
transformation will lead to a clearer view that all “things”<br />
actually lack such an unchanging, substantiality. Now, when<br />
people hear this teaching about non-self, many mistakenly<br />
think the Buddha is saying we do not exist. His meaning is<br />
rather that we do not exist in the way we imagine ourselves<br />
to exist. Even the consciousness of self we take such pains<br />
to bolster and protect is not an independent and separate<br />
entity; it is a process in constant flux, conditioned by<br />
everything else that is also undergoing constant change.<br />
This is what is meant by “emptiness” (shunyata). Emptiness<br />
is not a “thing” that exists separately either. Emptiness<br />
means we, you and I and all phenomena, are part of the<br />
9
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
ever-changing universal process, not separate solidly<br />
enduring “things.”<br />
Impermanence also leads us through the Dharma Door of<br />
“signlessness.” The reality of the thusness of all that exists<br />
is beyond the concepts and verbal expressions (or signs) we<br />
use to attempt to describe reality. All categories of thought<br />
and expression are signs. They are the models and maps we<br />
use to navigate through the world, but they become traps if<br />
we forget they are maps, and not the territory!<br />
A common analogy used to describe the signless nature of<br />
“...we can free ourselves<br />
from the constriction of<br />
attachment so we can live<br />
fully present in each<br />
moment of our life...”<br />
reality is the relationship between the wave and water.<br />
Waves can be tall or small, rising and falling; these are all<br />
“signs,” specific traits of specific phenomena. If we identify<br />
with a particular wave, then we will feel happy or sad<br />
according to the sign. But if we can touch the nature of the<br />
wave – that it is water – then we go beyond the signs. When<br />
we touch the signless in our own lives, we go beyond fear,<br />
attachment and suffering.<br />
In fact, another name for the “signless” is nirvana, which is<br />
the extinguishing of all our notions and ideas about reality.<br />
To touch the suchness of water, we must go beyond the sign<br />
of the wave. To touch our suchness, we must go beyond<br />
attachment to our particular signs. And just as the wave<br />
need not add to itself any water – after all, it already is<br />
water, we cannot take away or add to the true nature of all<br />
that is – we do not need to add or take away anything in<br />
ourselves. We do not seek liberation outside ourselves or<br />
our experience. For already, just as it is, the awakened<br />
nature is fully present. The tenth century Vietnamese<br />
Master Thang Hoi was asked by a student, “Where can we<br />
touch the world of no-birth and no-death?” He responded,<br />
“Right here in the world of birth and death.”<br />
Here is the paradox of “The Five Remembrances”: only by<br />
touching the relative truth of birth, ageing and death can we<br />
enter into the realm of no-birth and no-death. Because all is<br />
in flux, we cannot point to a time when there is an absolute<br />
beginning or ending. Birth and death are also signs.<br />
We do not cultivate awareness of impermanence as a<br />
practice of grim endurance, but rather so we can free<br />
ourselves from the constriction of attachment so we can<br />
live fully present in each moment, realising the freedom and<br />
inner peace we all seek is already present here and now.<br />
For some, the idea of nonattachment may sound cold and<br />
unappealing, but this confuses nonattachment with<br />
indifference. What is truly lifeless and bitter is the<br />
experience of attachment based upon the denial of change,<br />
since when we are attached in a clinging and grasping way,<br />
what we are attempting is to freeze and hold fast the<br />
elements of our life. When we do this, we squeeze the very<br />
vitality and juice (rasa) out of life itself. Imagine grasping<br />
tightly a marble in your outstretched hand. Squeeze it<br />
tightly so you experience the tension throughout your arm<br />
and perhaps even in your body, breath and mind. Then,<br />
holding your palm upright, open your hand. You are still in<br />
contact with the marble, holding it lightly, without clinging.<br />
What feels better?<br />
Through our clinging attachments, we create what the<br />
English poet William Blake called “mind-forged manacles,”<br />
binding us to the limiting views of my body, my lover, my<br />
family, my possessions, my ideas. When we see, through<br />
insight into impermanence, the truth of no-separate-self<br />
(emptiness), and that in fact we extend beyond every limit<br />
we have created for ourselves (signlessness), we see our<br />
life is not really our own, but that we belong to all of life<br />
itself (suchness).<br />
A fitting conclusion is as the Buddha said: “When one<br />
perceives impermanence, the perception of no-self is<br />
established. With the perception of no-self, the conceit of ‘I’<br />
(asmita) is eliminated, and this is nirvana here and now.”<br />
Frank is a yoga teacher<br />
acher, , interf<br />
erfaith minister<br />
er, , member of<br />
the Tiep Hien Order of Tich Nhat Hanh, and student of<br />
Zen Master<br />
er, , Samu Sunim. He travels wherever er invit<br />
vited,<br />
offering workshops and retreats. judekaruna@aol.com<br />
10
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Special Feature<br />
Str<br />
tress<br />
Laura a Walsh<br />
Stress! The mere word<br />
is enough to raise our<br />
shoulders to ear level<br />
and heart rates to their<br />
threshold. In today’s fast paced world,<br />
it’s rare to find anyone who isn’t<br />
stressed out for one reason or another.<br />
But having or feeling stress isn’t a<br />
modern phenomenon. It’s been around<br />
for as long as we have. What has<br />
changed are the reasons why we’re<br />
stressed, otherwise known as<br />
stressors, and how we cope.<br />
One of the more popular reasons<br />
people in the West have taken up yoga<br />
is because of how it helps control<br />
stress levels. Even those people who<br />
don’t “do” yoga have linked the<br />
concept of “lowering stress” to yoga,<br />
thanks to the advertising industry. But<br />
Teacher’s Voice<br />
Ivy Hung<br />
What is your most<br />
challenging asana and<br />
why?<br />
Vrksasana, Tree Pose with a soft<br />
receptive inward drishti. Tree Pose is a<br />
fundamental posture that can be<br />
safely practiced by absolute beginners<br />
as well as the most advanced students.<br />
The anatomy of the posture is part<br />
Tadasana, part balance, and part hipflexors<br />
opening and leveling as in<br />
according to health experts, pretty<br />
much any type of exercise is going to<br />
help people cope better with stress. So<br />
what makes yoga such a powerful tool?<br />
At a basic level, stress loads the body<br />
internally, including the central nervous<br />
system, hormones (endocrine),<br />
respiratory, cardiovascular and immune<br />
systems. It doesn’t matter if the<br />
situation we’re facing is negative or<br />
pleasant, the biological response is the<br />
same whenever we feel or experience<br />
stress. Pretty much the whole body<br />
becomes involved. Our muscles tighten,<br />
breathing becomes deep and fast,<br />
heart rate rises, blood vessels<br />
constrict, blood pressure rises,<br />
stomach and intestines halt digestion,<br />
we perspire more, the thyroid gland is<br />
stimulated, more saliva is secreted,<br />
blood sugar rises, our sensory<br />
perception increases and hormone<br />
glands are stimulated to release<br />
hormones including adrenaline and<br />
cortisol (making us stronger and able<br />
Supta Padangusthasana to the side,<br />
but on the vertical plane. Firmness of<br />
the standing leg; grounding of the heel;<br />
even levelness of the pelvis; sternum<br />
up and skyward; chest expansive with<br />
full equal inhalation and exhalation;<br />
shoulder blades rotating away from<br />
each other, down and away from the<br />
ears. And, that final instruction and<br />
secret tip of fixing our gaze to a focal<br />
point on the floor or at the wall, to help<br />
guide our balance. We are all too<br />
familiar with that determined laserbeam<br />
gaze, the projection of will and<br />
to run much faster). Described by<br />
Walter Cannon of Harvard University in<br />
1932 as “fight/flight/freeze”, this<br />
physiological response to stress is in<br />
fact a survival technique humans have<br />
used for thousands of years.<br />
In 1956, Hans Seyle, a Hungarian<br />
endocrinologist, took Cannons<br />
description of stress a bit further. He<br />
identified two types of stress - good<br />
stress, called eustress, and bad stress<br />
called distress. While eustressors tend<br />
to motivate and inspire, distressors can<br />
cause all sorts of physical problems<br />
such as depression, anxiety,<br />
hypertension, heart disease, cancer,<br />
chronic fatigue, headaches and<br />
insomnia. In 1956, Seyle wrote that<br />
stress is “essentially the rate of wear<br />
and tear on the body.” However he also<br />
recognised the need for some stress or<br />
arousal so the heart, skeletal muscles,<br />
lungs, nerves, brain and other tissues in<br />
the body stay in good shape. “Stress<br />
only becomes a problem”, explained<br />
attention that almost burns a hole in<br />
the wall with our focus. Or is that fear<br />
of swaying and falling? Years ago, I<br />
had the good fortune of re-learning<br />
Vrksasana with an intuitive teacher in<br />
Los Angeles, to practice the asana with<br />
“an inward, receiving gaze”. To allow<br />
the pose to come into being without the<br />
pollution of the ego in disguise as will or<br />
focus; to keep our gaze soft and<br />
receptive in Tree Pose, as well as when<br />
off-the-mat in our daily life. Next time<br />
in Vrksasana, try softening your gaze,<br />
continues on page 38<br />
11
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
12
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Seyle, when there’s a discrepancy<br />
between the “perceived” demands<br />
made on someone and that person’s<br />
capacity to meet those demands.<br />
Today stressors tend to come more<br />
from psychological threats, and less<br />
from physical ones. Yet the<br />
physiological reaction of the body<br />
described above is the same as if there<br />
were a man-eating animal near by. The<br />
problem is there are very few<br />
situations in modern life where you can<br />
“fight, flight or freeze”. Running away<br />
screaming or picking a physical fight<br />
not the same thing as mentally<br />
preparing for a sporting event or a big<br />
presentation at work. It’s always<br />
negative and studies have shown those<br />
who negatively rehearse (ruminate)<br />
over a lengthy period of time are more<br />
prone to depression. The key idea here<br />
is it’s never about an event in the<br />
present.<br />
Emotional Inhibition<br />
The second maladaptive coping<br />
mechanism is emotional inhibition or<br />
the “stiff-upper-lip” syndrome. Show<br />
no emotion, hide all emotions inside<br />
“...accepting things for what they<br />
truly are and not being too attached<br />
to expectations...”<br />
be either up or down. Initially – when<br />
dealing with stress - they feel they<br />
can’t cope. Then they feel better after<br />
awhile but their mood goes back down<br />
again.<br />
Avoidance/Denial<br />
The final maladaptive coping<br />
mechanism is avoidance or denial. It’s<br />
the refusal to accept anything has<br />
either happened or is wrong. People<br />
using this skill will often blow up over<br />
very small matters. The two adaptive<br />
skills, detachment and rational<br />
thinking, both involve removing all<br />
emotional attachment. One of the best<br />
ways to do this is to visualize the<br />
stressful situation and then project it<br />
70 years into the future. Time helps to<br />
take away the emotion. The trick is to<br />
become detached right away.<br />
with someone in the office, for<br />
example, is just not socially acceptable<br />
behavior. Most situations benefit from<br />
a calm, rational, and controlled<br />
approach. As a result, man has<br />
developed cognitive methods to deal<br />
with modern stress. Six are<br />
maladaptive - meaning they don’t<br />
really work and just cause us more<br />
stress in the long run. These include<br />
rehearsal, emotional inhibition,<br />
aggression control, benign control or<br />
impulsivity, emotional coping and<br />
avoidance or denial. The two adaptive<br />
coping mechanisms are rational coping<br />
and detachment.<br />
Rehearsal<br />
Of the six maladaptive skills, rehearsal<br />
is probably the most powerful and<br />
devastating. It’s when we repeat, in<br />
our heads an emotionally upsetting<br />
event either in the past or future. It’s<br />
and just “soldier on”. But in reality, a<br />
problem shared is a problem halved.<br />
Aggression Control<br />
Aggression control is the third one and<br />
is specific to anger. This means you<br />
hide your anger inside until you<br />
explode and either hurt yourself or<br />
someone else.<br />
Impulsion<br />
The fourth, benign control is how<br />
impulsive you are. Unlike rehearsal<br />
where you are thinking of everything,<br />
constantly going over the negative<br />
consequences of your actions – past of<br />
future – impulsivity involves very little<br />
thought.<br />
Emotional Coping<br />
Emotional coping is when someone<br />
uses only their emotions (not always<br />
logical) and thus their moods tend to<br />
While working with incarcerated sex<br />
offenders in the UK, Dr. Richard<br />
Masters, a psychologist now with the<br />
University of Hong Kong, developed a<br />
technique of “mental weight training”<br />
to stop the prisoners from rehearsing<br />
or ruminating. His formula is simple;<br />
stop-relax-listen. When you find<br />
yourself rehearsing, you yell, “stop”<br />
inside your head. This causes you to<br />
clear your mind. Next is to make your<br />
body totally relax, even if that means<br />
slumping at your desk. And of course,<br />
breathe. Finally, and the most crucial<br />
according to Masters, is to listen to any<br />
sound around you. This brings you back<br />
to the present and stops you from<br />
being in the past or present. The basis<br />
behind this technique is to train your<br />
mind to focus on the present. And<br />
since your mind is a muscle, it can be<br />
trained.<br />
continues on page 14<br />
13
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Ayurveda<br />
Kleshas<br />
Vinod Sharma<br />
Ayurveda, the science of life, explains<br />
material creation and the numerous species<br />
of life. It says all creation is influenced by the<br />
three gunas, or modes of nature: Sattva Guna<br />
(mode of goodness), Raja Guna (mode of passion) and Tama<br />
Guna (mode of ignorance).<br />
At the individual level, in addition to these three modes of<br />
nature, each individual is influenced by three main doshas:<br />
Vata, Pitta and Kapha and three malas (waste products):<br />
stool, urine and sweat. According to Ayurveda, when a<br />
person is mainly under the influence of sattva guna, and his<br />
three doshas and three malas are in proper proportion, he<br />
will enjoy good health. However if he is under the influence<br />
of raja or tama guna, and the three doshas and/or malas are<br />
imbalanced, he becomes easily affected by any or all the<br />
three kinds of miseries: Adi Daivik, Adi Bhaotik and Adi<br />
Atmik.<br />
In this article, I will focus on the three kinds of miseries and<br />
the causes of these miseries, the kleshas.<br />
There are three kinds of miseries:<br />
1) Adi Daivik - miseries which are caused by higher entities<br />
eg., planets, constellations, demigods, and nature such as<br />
floods and earthquakes;<br />
2) Adi Bhautik - miseries caused by the people around us<br />
eg. family members, neighbors, friends, relatives.<br />
3) Adi Atmik - miseries which are caused by one’s own body,<br />
mind and misused intelligence.<br />
The Vedas say of the three, the most harmful is Adi Atmik.<br />
Even if a person has very good astrological influences in his<br />
life, and enjoys strong support from friends and relatives, if<br />
his health is not good, he will not be able to take full<br />
advantage of the favorable situation he has been blessed<br />
with. Due to ill health, he may feel miserable and therefore<br />
make others around him feel miserable as well.<br />
“When we identify with our<br />
body...our thinking<br />
becomes narrow and<br />
limited”<br />
It is interesting to note the causes of the other two miseries<br />
are also individual oriented, i.e. they are caused by an<br />
individual’s own wrong thinking and misdeeds. This will<br />
become clearer when we analyze the causes of these<br />
kleshas.<br />
Stress<br />
continued from page 13<br />
So what does all this have to do with<br />
yoga? It was while listening to Michel<br />
Besnard during a recent teachertraining<br />
lecture that I realised how<br />
similar yoga was when it came to trying<br />
to control the mind. “Don’t involve the<br />
mind”, explained Michel. “According to<br />
your conditioning you respond to your<br />
senses, i.e. smells, sights, sounds. But<br />
don’t make the sight bigger, the sound<br />
more shrill or the smell stronger”, he<br />
added. Michel explained furthered, “it<br />
14<br />
doesn’t mean you stop seeing, hearing,<br />
smelling or feeling an emotion. It<br />
means you don’t make the issue or<br />
sensory input or feeling worse or<br />
better by thinking about it.”<br />
It all comes down to accepting things<br />
for what they truly are and not being<br />
too attached to expectations and<br />
results. In other words, stop<br />
rehearsing and be in the present<br />
moment. And how do we do that? It all<br />
comes back to acceptance. We can<br />
either follow Dr. Masters technique or<br />
“practice yoga with awareness”, says<br />
Michel. Sravaviya DiPecararo, a<br />
veteran yoga teacher and author says<br />
it’s “about going with the plan:<br />
surrender”. And as Sharath<br />
Rangaswamy once told me, “just<br />
practice and everything will be good.”<br />
Laura is a freelance fitness writer<br />
currently living in Hong Kong.<br />
Before she began her journey on<br />
the yoga path, she was a triathlete,<br />
runner and adven<br />
entur<br />
ure e rac<br />
acer<br />
er. . It was<br />
while pregnant four years ago, that<br />
she became enamoured with yoga<br />
and now w practic<br />
actices s regularly<br />
egularly.
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
According to the Sutras of one of the greatest yogis,<br />
Patanjali, there are mainly five kleshas:<br />
Avidya<br />
(ignorance): Avidya is the opposite of Vidya which is derived<br />
from the root word “Vid” which means “to learn”, “to<br />
acquire knowledge/skill”. So Vidya means knowledge or<br />
know-how and Avidya means ignorance. It is said living<br />
entities are immediately influenced by ignorance when they<br />
enter this material creation and due to that influence, they<br />
forget their divine nature, qualities and their relationship<br />
with the Divine. According to a famous Ayurvedic physician,<br />
Charaka, the main cause of disease is this Avidya or<br />
forgetfulness of the relationship between the minute spirit<br />
soul and the Supreme Spirit. This klesha leads to the second<br />
klesha.<br />
Asmita<br />
(false ego): This means to identify oneself with one’s<br />
physical structure or existence. In other words limiting one’s<br />
vision to the bodily concept and not understanding the<br />
existence or presence of the spirit within the body. This kind<br />
of mentality gives rise to the concept of “I”, “Me” and<br />
“Mine” which gives birth to the third klesha.<br />
Raga<br />
(attachment): When we identify with our body (in this<br />
context; comprising the physical body, senses, mind,<br />
intelligence and ego), our thinking becomes narrow and<br />
limited and we start developing an attachment to our body,<br />
as well as to relatives and friends who help us satisfy our<br />
mental and sensual desires, giving us pleasure and<br />
comforting our false ego. But material creation is<br />
conditioned in such a way that these pleasurable and happy<br />
moments do not last long, and we are easily bored by things<br />
and people who give us pleasure. Then we start a new<br />
search for new things of pleasure. And that attachment to<br />
experiencing new pleasures gives rise to the fourth klesha.<br />
15
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Dvesha<br />
(envy/hatred): This is the opposite of the previous klesha,<br />
Raga. When we develop an attachment to something or<br />
someone, we want to possess that object or person. If<br />
someone then gets in the way of us possessing that<br />
particular object or person and causes some kind of obstacle<br />
in our desire, we develop hatred for the person causing the<br />
obstacle. On the other hand, when we see someone else<br />
possessing the objects we desire but cannot get, we become<br />
“...through mantra therapy<br />
and meditation... one can<br />
...not be affected<br />
negatively by the kleshas”<br />
consumed by envy. So in both cases we suffer, even though<br />
the nature of this suffering is more psychological.<br />
Abhivinesha<br />
(instinctive clinging to worldly life and fear of death due to<br />
attachment to the body): This klesha is the sum total or<br />
result of the previous four kleshas, and is applicable to<br />
almost every creature in existence. Everyday people are<br />
born, they grow old, they fall sick and eventually they die.<br />
But due to our Avidya, Asmita and Raga, our desire to live<br />
and always have a young, healthy and beautiful body is very<br />
strong. Generally no one wants to die, no one wants to grow<br />
old and no one wants to fall sick. But this is the law of<br />
nature, applicable to all species of life. As mentioned in the<br />
Vedas, these four changes - Janma (birth), Mrityu (death),<br />
Jara (old age) and Viyadhi (disease) are facts of life in the<br />
material world, which no one can stop. This helplessness,<br />
and the fear of losing one’s life, causes so much<br />
disappointment and suffering.<br />
Besides these five main kleshas , three additional kleshas<br />
are mentioned in Ayurveda:<br />
Kama<br />
(desire to enjoy the senses): This is one of the main causes<br />
of suffering. Generally people translate Kama in one word -<br />
lust, which is restricted to sexuality. But in Sanskrit, Kama is<br />
a term rather than a word. It includes all kinds of desires to<br />
enjoy sense objects and all the efforts made to satisfy the<br />
senses. It is said when our desires are fulfilled, we get<br />
attached to those sense objects which help satisfy the<br />
senses. That attachment causes another klesha called<br />
Lobha.<br />
Lobha<br />
(greed): This is the desire to accumulate sense objects which<br />
satisfy our senses. Due to greed, we tend to become<br />
selfish and self centered. It is interesting to note this<br />
mentality causes weakness of the nervous and digestive<br />
systems. In Ayurveda, greed is one of the main causes of<br />
constipation and insomnia. Due to greed, a person develops<br />
the habit of holding on to things and sense objects, this kind<br />
of psychology also affects physiology. As a result, the<br />
excretory system also holds back waste matter and toxins<br />
meant for excretion, thus causing constipation. Also on a<br />
subtle level, greed causes an individual to think and plan to<br />
possess and guard the sense objects, and the person always<br />
lives in fear of losing those objects - this kind of psychology<br />
is the root cause of sleepless nights or insomnia.<br />
Krodha<br />
(anger) : This is the third klesha caused by unfulfilled kama.<br />
When kama or desire is not fulfilled, an individual becomes<br />
frustrated, upset and angry. This anger, according to<br />
Ayurveda causes a host of health problems such as acidity,<br />
ulcers and high blood pressure.<br />
From the above information, we can see how kleshas and<br />
miseries are interlinked. Now the question arises: how do<br />
we deal with these miseries?<br />
One way is through mantra therapy and meditation, which<br />
helps an individual elevate his consciousness and evolve<br />
spiritually. Then one can rise above the bodily concept of life<br />
and not be affected negatively by the kleshas, which are a<br />
fact of this material world.<br />
Vinod has been an Ayurv<br />
yurvedic practitioner and yoga<br />
instructor for 20 years. He welcomes feedback and<br />
suggestions. marketing@ayuryoga-intl.com<br />
16
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Asana<br />
Avdo Mukha<br />
Svanasana:<br />
Upward-facing<br />
Dog<br />
Valerie Wils<br />
ilson Trower<br />
Upward-facing Dog is a<br />
tricky asana (posture):<br />
it looks so easy but it’s<br />
very difficult for many<br />
students to do well. Many students,<br />
especially those who have just begun to<br />
practice, seem to miss the details of<br />
this pose and hurt themselves - usually<br />
in the lower back.<br />
I enlisted the help of my very flexible<br />
friend Catherine from Planet Yoga, who<br />
as you can see from this pictures can<br />
practice this pose incorrectly without<br />
hurting herself. But being less flexible<br />
than her, I would be in pain for several<br />
days if I tried this, so please follow the<br />
correct pictures and don’t copy the<br />
incorrect ones! They are included so<br />
students can have an idea where they<br />
are going wrong. Hopefully by seeing<br />
photographs of someone making the<br />
same mistake, students will realise<br />
areas they need to work on.<br />
Most yoga manuals tell students how to<br />
do something, not how not to, and point<br />
out common mistakes: as you read this<br />
Correct: a great pose for<br />
a less flexible student or<br />
a beginner. . Elbows<br />
slightly bent, held close<br />
to o the body, , looking<br />
forwards.<br />
article, think about your own practice<br />
and what you might improve.<br />
Michel at Yogasana really unlocks this<br />
pose. His advice begins with the<br />
preceding asana if practising Sun<br />
Salutations in the Ashtanga sequence:<br />
“Push your heels back in Chaturanga<br />
dandasana (the Plank pose).”<br />
This secret allows students to move in<br />
to the pose from the correct position.<br />
This is critical as the pose is a very<br />
precise personal triangle created by<br />
the length of the student’s arms; the<br />
position of the hands; and the flexibility<br />
of the back. All these elements must be<br />
Correct: a great<br />
pose for a more<br />
flexible student.<br />
Elbows are slightly<br />
bent and Catherine<br />
is looking forwards.<br />
in the right place for the student to<br />
practice the pose as well as they can.<br />
This is slightly different for each<br />
student, depending on their body<br />
proportions and abilities.<br />
The right way<br />
Examining Catherine’s correct form, we<br />
see her:<br />
• feet are pressed into the mat (not<br />
just her toes)<br />
• feet are hip-width apart<br />
• knees are straight and lifted off the<br />
mat<br />
• spine is bent a little, but not<br />
excessively<br />
• fingers are spread and pressed flat<br />
in to the mat<br />
Correct: a great pose for a flexible<br />
or practiced student.<br />
Shoulders are back<br />
and down away from<br />
ears. Catherine is<br />
looking up.<br />
• elbows are straight and close in to<br />
her body<br />
• shoulders are pressed down and<br />
backwards<br />
• collarbones are lifted and forwards<br />
• neck is lengthening away from her<br />
shoulders<br />
• looking ahead<br />
The wrong way<br />
Many students do not get the most<br />
from this pose because they don’t take<br />
time to work out where their hands and<br />
feet should be. Many start with their<br />
hands too close to the shoulders<br />
instead of beside the ribs. When they<br />
lift up, their shoulders are too far<br />
forwards in front of their hands and in<br />
an attempt to correct the asana, they<br />
squeeze the lower back usually at the<br />
L5/SI joint, at the top of the pelvis<br />
where the pelvis meets the spine,<br />
forcing their shoulders back.<br />
To a casual observer this may appear<br />
to improve the pose but as Clint who<br />
teaches Ashtanga Yoga explained:<br />
“Students should work on opening their<br />
hips and shoulders as they develop<br />
their practice. If the shoulders are<br />
squeezed together it stops the spine<br />
from moving, and if the hips are<br />
squeezed, the lower back is squeezed.”<br />
The second most common mistake is to<br />
take the total weight of the body on to<br />
17
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
18
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Incorrect: arms are<br />
over extended<br />
(straightened) but<br />
shoulders are not.<br />
the arms and shoulders. The body<br />
weight should be evenly spread<br />
between the hands and the feet. Many<br />
beginners do not have sufficient<br />
strength in their upper arms to lift their<br />
body weight, and by concentrating all<br />
their weight in their arms they collapse<br />
their chests, hanging their body weight<br />
off their shoulders. This is easily<br />
spotted as the distance between their<br />
ears and shoulders is reduced. Allowing<br />
the elbows to remain slightly bent close<br />
to the body, whilst pushing the<br />
shoulders back and down, helps to<br />
correct this. Trying to push the<br />
shoulders back whilst the arms are<br />
straight is almost impossible. It is<br />
important that the elbows remain close<br />
to the body as the asana also becomes<br />
impossible if the elbows are allowed to<br />
stick-out, pushing outwards to the<br />
sides.<br />
Teachers’ Tips<br />
Kim at The Landmark Mandarin<br />
Oriental shala advises to “open the<br />
heart,” as this pushes the shoulders<br />
back and own, focussing the student’s<br />
attention on the breath which<br />
otherwise becomes short and shallow.<br />
Very-new beginners should note, this is<br />
not the Cobra pose (Bhujanga) in which<br />
the knees and hips are on the mat. I roll<br />
the legs of my pants up to show the<br />
position of my knees off the mat, when<br />
I demonstrate this pose.<br />
Michel recommends students think<br />
through a list of points as they practice<br />
the asana which becomes quicker with<br />
practice. These are his directions from<br />
feet to head:<br />
• Front of feet straight and flat on the<br />
mat; feet hip-width apart; toes are not<br />
turned in,<br />
Incorrect: back is<br />
squeezed to force<br />
back in to an upright<br />
position. Her elbows<br />
are locked and her<br />
shoulders are<br />
forwards.<br />
• Knees straight and off the mat,<br />
• Hips relaxed; spine not excessively<br />
bent,<br />
• Hands flat on the mat; elbows<br />
slightly bent; shoulders pushed open,<br />
down, and back down the back,<br />
• Collarbone pushed forwards,<br />
• Head balanced on the spine; looking<br />
ahead.<br />
Ashtanga students may find this<br />
requires they hold the asana for more<br />
than one breath until this becomes<br />
automatic. Gradually the time taken to<br />
self-correct this asana becomes<br />
Incorrect: shoulders<br />
are not opened,<br />
opening her shoulders<br />
would widen her chest<br />
and open her heart.<br />
shorter and with regular practice,<br />
students will be able to move in to the<br />
asana immediately.<br />
The benefit as Alex, who teaches<br />
Ashtanga yoga, explains: “The most<br />
important nerve pathway in our bodies,<br />
the Sushumna, in is the central axis of<br />
our spine. Upward-facing dog and<br />
Downward-facing dog are excellent<br />
postures in which to feel our spine - and<br />
the layers of obstruction encapsulated<br />
in them. When we first begin to<br />
practice Up-dog we may feel<br />
uncomfortable, as though our spine is<br />
about to break in the middle. But as we<br />
move slowly and awaken the<br />
receptivity in our spine we will<br />
eventually be able to lengthen from<br />
within. All the external muscle we work<br />
in yoga practice will sooner or later<br />
deplete us, but if we are able to turn<br />
our gaze inward and feel the upward<br />
Incorrect: Shoulders too<br />
close to ears. Lower back<br />
squeezed to look right,<br />
but less flexible students<br />
could hurt themselves<br />
like this.<br />
movement of energy from within, then<br />
we are truly practicing yoga. Upwardfacing<br />
dog is extremely valuable in this<br />
process: as we allow the Prana (energy)<br />
to rise from within we feel a new<br />
energy within us. This is not a quick-fix<br />
but with daily practice, student’s<br />
digestion improves; shoulders drop; the<br />
chest opens; and a glowing lightness is<br />
felt within. When our hearts fully open<br />
up to life, life embraces us in a new<br />
way.”<br />
19
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
20
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
21
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Patrick who practices Anusara yoga<br />
and leads yoga at Pure Yoga, suggests<br />
the Camel (Ustrasana) as a helpful<br />
pose to focus a student’s attention on<br />
Incorrect:<br />
elbows are too<br />
far away from<br />
the sides of the<br />
body.<br />
generally recommended to students<br />
with back problems).<br />
Like Kim, Patrick also sees the pose as<br />
“leading with the heart,” and suggests<br />
an adjustment where a partner sitting<br />
in front of the practitioner places the<br />
soles of his feet on the front of the<br />
student’s shoulders whilst holding a<br />
strap around the student’s back and<br />
under their arms. This has the effect of<br />
opening the shoulders and lifting the<br />
back.<br />
the lower back and that there is only so<br />
much that can be squeezed. He adds:<br />
“Think about a string pulling the top of<br />
head upwards.”<br />
Incorrect:<br />
arms and<br />
hands are too<br />
far in front of<br />
the body.<br />
opening the chest and practicing the<br />
backward bend of the spine to improve<br />
Up-Dog, (please note, Ustrasana is not<br />
Book Review<br />
Finally, the last word on this pose is<br />
from Jon who teaches Ashtanga yoga:<br />
his advice is to open and curve the<br />
upper back and open the shoulders. In<br />
his experience people try to squeeze<br />
Valerie follo<br />
ollows s the Siddha<br />
Meditation path, teache<br />
aches s at mYoga<br />
oga<br />
and practic<br />
actices s Mysor<br />
ore e at Pure e Yoga.<br />
Laugh Your Way to<br />
Knowledge; Dance Your<br />
Way to God, by Dayal<br />
N. Harjani<br />
22<br />
Sar<br />
ara a French<br />
Spiritual wake-up calls<br />
can be dramatic or<br />
mundane. Siddhartha<br />
Gautama began big, by<br />
abandoning his high life as a prince. In<br />
contrast, my path started with an<br />
outbreak of eczema. Dayal Harjani’s<br />
initiation fell - literally - somewhere in<br />
between.<br />
In the late 1970s he suffered a slipped<br />
lumbar disc. In 1985 he fell eight feet<br />
off a horse. And in 1994 Mr. Harjani, a<br />
Hong Kong-based exporter of<br />
garments and textiles, developed<br />
ankylosing spondylitis, an incurable<br />
inflammation of the spine. The<br />
prospect of life in a wheelchair<br />
depressed him. He lost weight. His<br />
muscles and joints deteriorated. He<br />
developed an inner-ear disorder. And<br />
those were just his medical problems,<br />
with them came financial and<br />
interpersonal troubles.<br />
This, he says, is when his “battle with<br />
life” began. He sought alternative<br />
therapies, including acupressure,<br />
homeopathy and pranayama. He<br />
became a student of metaphysics and<br />
mysticism. It paid off. The spondylitis<br />
has been arrested, and a wheelchair is<br />
no longer in his future. Laugh Your Way<br />
to Knowledge; Dance Your Way to God<br />
continues on page 36
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Special Feature<br />
The Pull of the Moon<br />
Clayton Horton<br />
In the Ashtanga tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi<br />
Jois (Guruji), both full and new Moon days are<br />
regarded as holidays on which asana practice<br />
is not recommended. Guruji explains this is<br />
because when the Earth, Sun and Moon are in a straight line,<br />
universal energy is much stronger and the possibility of<br />
injury is greater. Injury during this period is often more<br />
intense and takes longer to heal.<br />
Our bodies are made of over<br />
70% water and so we are<br />
subject to the gravitational pull<br />
of the Sun and Moon much like<br />
our oceans. The month’s<br />
highest tides are during full and<br />
new Moons. During a full Moon,<br />
the Sun is in opposition to the<br />
Moon and Earth is found<br />
between them; we see the Moon rise in the East as the Sun<br />
sets in the West. Usually 14 days later, we experience a new<br />
Moon in which the Sun and Moon are conjunct. We do not see<br />
the Moon when it is new because it is in between the Earth<br />
and the Sun. Sometimes the new moon is referred to as the<br />
dark Moon. The day after this new Moon, we will see a small<br />
sliver of the Moon after sunset.<br />
After the new Moon, the Moon will be waxing and collecting<br />
more light from the Sun day by day until it<br />
becomes full two weeks later. After the full<br />
Moon, the Moon is waning, appearing smaller<br />
and smaller, day by day.<br />
During the full Moon cycle, pranic energy<br />
(prana vayu) is dominant. This pranic energy<br />
is upward moving, towards the head and north<br />
pole of the spinal axis. This period sees an<br />
increase of internal fluid, physical energy and<br />
possible over stimulation of body and mind.<br />
During the new Moon cycle, apranic energy<br />
(apana vayu) is dominant. Apranic energy is<br />
downward moving towards the south pole of the spinal axis.<br />
This period is decreasing and eliminating in nature.<br />
Individuals experience a loss of internal fluid, dry, stiff<br />
muscles and joints, decreased physical and mental energy<br />
and can often appear moody or lethargic. Due to this<br />
downward dominant force of the new Moon, this is the<br />
optimal time for farmers to plant their crops. The uplifting<br />
and flowering time of the full Moon is optimal for<br />
transplanting and harvesting.<br />
In traditional cultures, new and full Moon periods are<br />
favourable times for rituals, auspicious beginnings and<br />
endings, more intense<br />
“Our bodies are ...over 70%<br />
water and so we are subject<br />
to the gravitational pull of<br />
the Sun and Moon much like<br />
our oceans.”<br />
internal sadhana (spiritual<br />
practice), ceremonies and<br />
important decision making.<br />
Astrologers are forever<br />
watching the Moon to predict<br />
and schedule important<br />
calendar dates for the most<br />
advantageous times for<br />
signing contracts, weddings,<br />
birth and death. Women are often much more cognizant of,<br />
and sensitive to, the Moon cycles due to the Moon’s direct<br />
connection to their menstruation cycle. This is the natural<br />
sacred cycle of fertility and creation itself.<br />
Living in highly industrialised areas, human beings generally<br />
become less attuned to lunar cycles. Often, we do not see<br />
the rising or setting of the Moon if we live in an area with tall<br />
buildings. We do not rely on lunar light for night vision as our<br />
ancestors did. We are frequently tuned into<br />
Moon Days <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>January</strong> 3 & 18<br />
February 1 & 17<br />
March 3 & 18<br />
April 2 & 17<br />
May 2 & 16 & 31<br />
June 14 & 30<br />
July 14 & 29<br />
August 12 & 28<br />
September 11 & 26<br />
October 10 & 25<br />
November 9 & 24<br />
December 9 & 23<br />
the cycle of a 9-5 workday and a 5-day<br />
work week more than anything.<br />
Tuning into, witnessing and perhaps even<br />
celebrating the lunar cycles of the full and<br />
new Moon is a way for us to connect to the<br />
internal cycles of our own bodies as well as<br />
the macrocosmic dance of the Earth, Sun<br />
and Moon. So look out for the Moon<br />
tonight.<br />
Clayton is the director of Greenpath<br />
Yoga Studio (www<br />
www.gr<br />
greenp<br />
eenpath<br />
athyoga.<br />
oga.or<br />
org)<br />
g)<br />
in San Francis<br />
ancisco.<br />
23
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Teacher Training<br />
mYoga Teacher Training –<br />
What an Experience!<br />
mYoga held its first teaching training programme in<br />
collaboration with US-based YogaWorks from October 16 -<br />
November 10, 2006. The 200-hour progamme was<br />
conducted by Kim Haegele.<br />
Below are two trainees’ personal experiences:<br />
Jennifer Hui<br />
I was very excited when I decided to take the 200-hour Yoga<br />
Works teacher training course. This was to be my first yoga<br />
training and something I’ve been thinking about doing for<br />
years. The training also gave me an opportunity to get away<br />
from the routine of my working life. More importantly, it<br />
gave me a chance to learn; so much more than I could have<br />
ever imagined.<br />
Throughout the 20-day training, we began with a two to<br />
three hour asana practice. It was grueling but it helped to<br />
bring calmness, happiness and energy to my whole day.<br />
After the practice, we continued with lectures in subjects<br />
such as anatomy, class sequencing, philosophy, verbal<br />
scripting and posture laboratories. The course was very<br />
intense; especially for those who had to go back to work<br />
after the 10-hour training day! With the homework, I only<br />
managed to get about five hours sleep every night. Despite<br />
this, when I woke up each morning, and looked in the mirror,<br />
there was a smile on my face and I always went to the<br />
training feeling perky!<br />
From the daily practice and training, I got to know more<br />
about my body’s strengths and weaknesses. I also got to<br />
know more about my mental strengths and weaknesses. We<br />
were taught how to work with the gunas in our asana<br />
practice. In doing so, I have been able to deepen my practice<br />
both physically and mentally. During the course I developed<br />
a profound interest in the philosophy of yoga. I particularly<br />
enjoyed reading the course textbooks - The Yoga Sutras of<br />
Patanjali (translated by Swami Satchidananda) and The<br />
Heart of Yoga by T.K.V Desikachar. Both these simple and<br />
beautifully-written books led me to see my “true self” a<br />
24
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Cour<br />
ourse e presen<br />
enter<br />
er, , Kim Haegele<br />
little clearer - to acknowledge the good<br />
and bad things about myself.<br />
All the joyful learning and experience<br />
I’ve gained from the training can be<br />
attributed to Kim Haegele our Yoga<br />
Works teacher-trainer. We were very<br />
blessed to have had her. She is a<br />
generous, gracious lady and must have<br />
the world’s most enormous bank of<br />
patience. I’m very grateful have gotten<br />
to know a group of amazing people who<br />
are passionate about yoga. The<br />
students came from varied<br />
backgrounds, but by the end of the<br />
course we were one big happy family.<br />
The end of the course was an<br />
emotional time. We all wanted to keep<br />
going on our Yoga Works teacher<br />
training journey together! Although the<br />
course is over and we’ve returned to<br />
our normal routines, we get together<br />
whenever we can.<br />
The 200-hour training course was been<br />
an amazing time, definitely one of the<br />
most beautiful chapters in my life. And<br />
I’m looking forward to doing 300-hour<br />
Yoga Works advanced teacher training<br />
in the near future!<br />
Elizabeth Lai<br />
Kim Haegele was the deciding factor<br />
for me to take the Yoga Works teacher<br />
training course. She is a patient,<br />
enthusiastic, knowledgeable and caring<br />
yogi who brought us the appropriate<br />
training required for a yoga teacher.<br />
The intensive nature of the course was<br />
beyond words. Everyday from October<br />
16 to November 10, was like a full-time<br />
job, plus there was reading and<br />
homework to fill our evenings and<br />
weekends.<br />
The course drew in participants from<br />
varied backgrounds – from veteran<br />
yoga teachers, yoga practitioners,<br />
personal trainers and aerobic<br />
instructors. Although we came from<br />
different backgrounds, we worked as a<br />
team towards the success of the<br />
course. We unreservedly shared our<br />
experiences, chipped in when clarifying<br />
concepts and understanding, and<br />
comforted each other in times of<br />
stress.<br />
The yoga philosophy, taught us to<br />
embrace the need to calm our mind to<br />
reach self-actualization and joy. How<br />
much better life can be if we can<br />
achieve this ultimate goal! The asana<br />
workshops and practice teaching<br />
workshops were particularly good, as<br />
we practiced what we learned in<br />
assimilated class environments.<br />
The practical examination was<br />
challenging, yet self-fulfilling and<br />
rewarding as we moved into our first<br />
step of teaching. It was, in a whole, an<br />
experience worth taking if your aim is<br />
to acquire the knowledge to become a<br />
yoga teacher.<br />
Yoga teaching is a rewarding career<br />
and this certification provided us the<br />
first stepping stone into the field. From<br />
now on, it is up to us to continuously<br />
brush up on our knowledge, expertise<br />
and enthusiasm to carry on our yoga<br />
journey.<br />
25
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Special Feature<br />
Mysore<br />
Travelogue<br />
Jyothi Fong<br />
I fantasised about<br />
Mysore, the source of<br />
Ashtanga yoga, ever<br />
since my first teacher<br />
training with David Swenson four years<br />
ago. I had heard horror stories about<br />
people getting sick in India, and I mean<br />
really sick. Why go to this extreme, as<br />
if Hong Kong isn’t extreme enough. Yet<br />
my heart yearned for an authentic<br />
experience with the Guru. And I was<br />
full of curiosity about the origins of<br />
yoga and India itself - a magical and<br />
surreal place.<br />
But back in May I was at the lowest<br />
point in my life. I had to make a<br />
decision whether or not to go back to<br />
the corporate world or to dedicate my<br />
life to yoga. I asked myself: If my life<br />
were to end in just one day, what would<br />
Book Review<br />
I most desire to do? The answer was<br />
yoga, yoga and more yoga!<br />
My Guru, Sri Swami Satchidananda,<br />
emphasizes being calm and easeful<br />
with one’s mind and life. That we need<br />
to integrate all aspects of yoga, the<br />
physical asana, and other branches,<br />
such as karma yoga (selfless service)<br />
and bhakti yoga (devotion). I realised a<br />
dedicated life of yoga was what I have<br />
always been looking for.<br />
So I packed up my bags and left my old<br />
life behind for three months of<br />
Ashtanga and Mysore. Leaving Hong<br />
Kong, I felt like a real pilgrim who would<br />
soon be in a sacred land far, far away.<br />
My ex-colleagues packed me an<br />
emergency gift pack, filled with the<br />
magical remedies for all sorts of<br />
conditions – travel sickness, mosquito<br />
bites, sun burn, depression and food<br />
poisoning. Mother touched my heart<br />
too. She bought me another<br />
emergency pack filled with medicine<br />
and other goodies to help me on my<br />
pilgrimage.<br />
I went with a vow to give whatever it<br />
takes to make India a worthwhile trip.<br />
Somewhere inside, a voice said “if I<br />
Pattabhi Jois<br />
want transformation to take place, I<br />
would need to shed layers of old<br />
paradigms - my culture, beliefs, values<br />
and habits, and surrender to<br />
experiences and open up to Mother<br />
Earth and India.<br />
The Raz<br />
azor<br />
or’s Edge<br />
dge, , by W.<br />
Somer<br />
omerset t Maugham<br />
Tia Sinha<br />
“The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass<br />
over;<br />
thus the wise say the path to Salvation is<br />
hard.”<br />
The title of Maugham’s book was inspired by this quote<br />
from the ancient Sanskrit text, the Katha Upanishad.<br />
Set in the first half of the twentieth century, Maugham’s<br />
classic tale is the story of Larry Darrell, a privileged, young<br />
Chicagoan. After a heart-wrenching incident during the war,<br />
Larry’s mind turns inwards. He begins to question what<br />
many take for granted, such as is this all there is to life and<br />
what are we here for?<br />
Disregarding social disapproval, Larry travels to Paris, a<br />
coalmine, Bonn, a monastery, and through a circuitous route<br />
to India. His search ends when he meets Shri Ganesha, jnana<br />
yogi Ramana Maharshi, in southern India.<br />
continues on page 36<br />
26
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Located in the southern state of<br />
Karnataka, India, Mysore is a hub for<br />
Ashtangis passionate about yoga. Here<br />
you see advanced students gathered<br />
together in one room, practicing yoga<br />
as if a performance. It was difficult not<br />
to watch others practice when I was in<br />
the shala. One particular student<br />
caught my attention while in Adho<br />
Muka Vrkchasana with one arm beside<br />
his body. But that wasn’t what<br />
impressed me the most. It was the<br />
ease and fluidity of his practice that<br />
caught my attention. The way he<br />
moved through his sequence was like<br />
art, like dancing with total ease.<br />
It was in Mysore that I experienced<br />
perfection. One cannot expect it to<br />
happen instantantly. First there is the<br />
knowledge to develop into a skill. In<br />
between comes practice. As Pattabhi<br />
Jois says “Yoga is 99 percent practice<br />
and 1 percent theory.” I realised the<br />
wisdom of this through my daily<br />
practice in Mysore. Like a flower that<br />
takes time and tending to blossom, so<br />
does one’s practice. According to Sutra<br />
14 of the Yoga Sutras:<br />
Practice becomes firmly grounded<br />
when:<br />
Well attended for a long time; without<br />
break; with all earnestness.<br />
One cannot truly understand this<br />
unless one has experienced this in real<br />
life. Perfection applies to all spheres of<br />
life, whether it is performing our best<br />
at work, giving the most to our<br />
relationships, or simply being present<br />
at any given moment. And practice<br />
becomes even stronger when it is done<br />
with dedication, devotion, faith and<br />
above all, patience.<br />
Mysore retains old-world charm<br />
The most challenging part of my<br />
practice was not the practice itself but<br />
waking up before the sun rises. On<br />
weekdays, I start practice at 6 am and<br />
on Sundays at 5 am. I remember the<br />
months back in June when it was all<br />
dark at night and I needed a torch to<br />
find the shala. Guruji would start<br />
opening prayer and all the students<br />
started their practice under his<br />
guidance.<br />
Nowadays, Guruji no longer adjusts<br />
students, except drop backs. Although<br />
my relationship with Guruji was short,<br />
his presence was intense and I will<br />
never forget him calling “one more”<br />
with his sharp voice, still strong at the<br />
age of 91. It is difficult to describe<br />
Guruji in words. His students say his<br />
presence emanates and touches their<br />
heart. It certainly did mine.<br />
Typical Schedule<br />
The Ashtanga asana practice is from 5<br />
- 7 am or 6 - 8 am. Only two hours a<br />
day of asana, so what else can you do<br />
with your time? Don’t worry, there is<br />
loads to do in Mysore. Here’s a typical<br />
day’s schedule:<br />
6 - 8:15 am Practice with Sarath<br />
and Guruji<br />
8:15 - 8:30am Drink a coconut outside<br />
Shala/ Coconut at<br />
Coconut Stand<br />
8:30 - 9 am Shower<br />
9:15 - 11:15 am Breakfast and friends<br />
gathering at Tina’s<br />
11:15 – 1 pm Nap/ Read a book from<br />
Krishnamurti and/or<br />
Ken Wilber<br />
1 - 3:30 pm Lunch at Sandhya’s<br />
House<br />
4 – 6 pm Painting classes/make<br />
clothes at Badshaw’s/<br />
dance classes/ coffee<br />
break at Coffee Day/<br />
swim in the River/ Sun<br />
Tan at Regalia<br />
5 – 6 pm Ashtanga yoga practice<br />
revision with friends<br />
6 - 7:30 pm Light meal of fruit<br />
7:30 - 8:30 pm Talk about yoga or<br />
watch the World Cup<br />
with friends<br />
8:45 pm Lights out, sleep<br />
In and Around Mysore<br />
On Moon days, which are the new and<br />
full moons, Ashtangis do not practice<br />
asana [Ed note – see The Pull of the<br />
Moon page 21]. Just as the moon<br />
influences tides, it affects us and we<br />
can become very sensitive<br />
physiologically, mentally and<br />
emotionally. Here are some things to<br />
do in Mysore on Moon days:<br />
1) Sightseeing at a Tibetan Village<br />
(three hours from Mysore)<br />
2) Visit the Tea Plantations, famous<br />
continues on page 37<br />
27
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
28
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
My Practice<br />
Practicing<br />
Cold<br />
old<br />
Julie Choi<br />
Stepping onto my mat at<br />
the crack of dawn was<br />
never my favorite thing<br />
to do. I always felt<br />
slightly deprived after yanking myself<br />
from my warm cocoon at an hour so<br />
premature it was almost unkind. I<br />
preferred practicing at say, 7:30 am,<br />
maybe even 8, when the sun was<br />
already illuminating the morning’s<br />
activities. In Hong Kong it is relatively<br />
warm year-round, so you need only<br />
courage to leave the bed, not to brave<br />
arctic conditions on the way to and<br />
during practice.<br />
Northern Germany in mid-November, is<br />
a different story. For starters, my<br />
internal rhythm has shifted later into<br />
the day, for daylight now doesn’t start<br />
until about 8:30 am. Combine this with<br />
rain, wind and 4 degrees Celsius, and<br />
snuggling deep under the eiderdown is<br />
the compelling choice.<br />
The pervasive chilliness also affects<br />
which foods I crave. In the balmy<br />
climes of tropical Asia, I loved copious<br />
amounts of Thai green papaya salad<br />
and frequent visits to XTC on Ice.<br />
Here, the last thing I want is a raw<br />
salad (though ice cream still gets the<br />
green light). Instead, I want warm<br />
bread, and lots of it.<br />
When sunlight peeks meekly through<br />
the clouds, I extract myself from bed<br />
and prepare my practice space in the<br />
living room by turning the radiator up<br />
high and blasting the space heater next<br />
to my mat. Then I put on practice<br />
clothes (no longer chosen for their<br />
sweat-friendliness), with two pairs of<br />
socks, a t-shirt and turtleneck sweater.<br />
My new bread-heavy diet doesn’t<br />
facilitate a light or flowing practice, and<br />
most Ashtangis would sympathise with<br />
the significance of the pre-practice<br />
evacuation. Although all else may be<br />
ready, this often means that practice is<br />
further delayed. I try to make use of<br />
the wait with naulis, warm water with<br />
lemon and a cup of milky coffee.<br />
Finally the room is warm enough and I<br />
begin to breathe. Heat soon rises and<br />
spreads from deep within my body. My<br />
“...this practice holds up a mirror<br />
which serves as a microcosm of my<br />
life off the mat.”<br />
protesting, reluctant mind succumbs to<br />
the quiet, steady vibrations of my<br />
breath with a sense of gratefulness.<br />
By the end of the standing poses, my<br />
whole body, except my feet, is warm,<br />
but the chilly air outside my body is<br />
close and heavy.<br />
As I continue, I take note of the effects<br />
of the minimal amount of sweat. The<br />
air around me so cold, the breeziness<br />
of the space heater actually cools me<br />
Julie’s s chilly practic<br />
actice e spac<br />
ace<br />
down. As I sweat, I feel even colder.<br />
Every pose seems just slightly less<br />
available, and I feel the stiffening and<br />
weighing down effects of the weather.<br />
Despite the obvious challenges to<br />
practicing this way, there is an honesty<br />
to it as well. I am not able to fool<br />
myself into thinking that anything<br />
remains the same, or there is a<br />
formulaic conclusion to wondering,<br />
questioning, investigating, discovering,<br />
and refining. In the midst of the<br />
moment-to-moment swings of my<br />
personality, I am gently and<br />
persistently reminded this practice<br />
holds up a mirror which serves as a<br />
microcosm of my life off the mat. And<br />
sometimes, if I am extra watchful, I can<br />
even catch a glimpse of my Self.<br />
Julie has been studying yoga since<br />
2000. After apprenticing with<br />
Michel Besnard, she left her<br />
corporate life for more time<br />
learning, practicing and teaching<br />
yoga. She moved ed to Germany, , in<br />
November<br />
ember, , and is gradually making<br />
friends with the cold weather<br />
ather.<br />
29
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Special Feature<br />
Joy<br />
Ann Gowing<br />
Sometimes in life, if you’re lucky, you’ll meet<br />
an amazing soul. A person who truly inspires<br />
you to the point that they are constantly in<br />
your thoughts, and just your memory of<br />
them, brings a big smile to your lips.<br />
You may not know them that well – or for that matter speak<br />
their language, but who cares! In my case, it was laughter<br />
that was the connector. And what has stayed with me since<br />
that meeting is a deep sense of joy – especially when I speak<br />
or think of this divine person.<br />
“He radiated vitality,<br />
prana, joy, love and<br />
happiness in an allencompassing<br />
toothless<br />
smile...”<br />
Attending a personal retreat this year in India, I was staying<br />
in an ashram in Rishikesh with 10 other students. We were<br />
all in India seeking further transformation on our personal<br />
paths and were under the beautiful guidance of our teacher<br />
Yogi Vishvketu.<br />
Vishva had arranged for a dear old friend and yogi to travel<br />
from Delhi to teach our morning practice. That day at 4:30<br />
am I woke up and followed my normal routine of getting my<br />
sleepy self over to the meditation hall. After an hour’s<br />
practice of bhakti yoga (devotional chanting) and<br />
meditation, we came to our asana and pranayama practice.<br />
The visiting Swami had arrived from Delhi the previous<br />
night and I could now hear his footsteps coming up the<br />
stairs. I could hear the laughter of Vishva and the Swami.<br />
The door opened, all our eyes turned to the door, Vishva and<br />
the Swami entered. Is this guy for real? All us students<br />
30
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
The Joyful Swami Ji<br />
looked at each other, we all looked at the Swami, he looked<br />
at us, Vishva looked at everybody and then we all just<br />
laughed! In had walked a yogi gnome! His face glowed, his<br />
body was lean and his eyes truly sparkled. He wore simple<br />
orange robes, wooden flip flops, carried only a small metal<br />
tin and wore a hat - but oh what a hat!!<br />
He radiated vitality, prana, joy, love and happiness in an allencompassing<br />
toothless smile that captivated our hearts in<br />
that very second. How often in this modern life do you meet<br />
someone who captures your heart in this way?<br />
When we had all somehow managed to stop smiling and<br />
smirking, we settled and sat for practice. No fear of<br />
shyness here, just a high sense of body confidence as Swami<br />
Ji un-robbed to reveal the smallest of knickers (great<br />
English word meaning underwear), took off “THE” hat and<br />
begun his teachings.<br />
Right now I am laughing in the middle of the airport lounge<br />
(yes – out aloud – so people are assuming there is something<br />
wrong with me) whilst I type this. Smiling to myself as I<br />
recall that morning session that took us on a roller coaster<br />
of laughter and life.<br />
Practice begun and we were off: pranayama, lots of smiling,<br />
agni sara kriya, laughter, sun salutations, laughter, up, down,<br />
real laughter, asana, more laughing, breathing exercises<br />
laughing, lion’s breathe, uncontrollable laughing and tears by<br />
now, up side down, laughing, then, to cap it all off, would you<br />
believe it, laughing mediation (at this point, it was a huge<br />
relief to laugh hysterically).<br />
As we sat in silence at the end of our practice, I took a little<br />
peek at Swami Ji and was not at all surprised to see him<br />
looking straight back at me with a grin that spoke a<br />
thousand words. In that moment, all my expectations about<br />
how my yoga practice should feel were shattered. Swami Ji<br />
had just taught me a big lesson that morning, a lesson of joy<br />
and how to bring more of it in to my yoga practice and my<br />
life. And oh what joy, we had been laughing for nearly two<br />
hours! I left the yoga hall that day feeling totally uplifted<br />
and extremely positive. My heart was smiling.<br />
Reflecting about happiness later that day, my thoughts were<br />
of Hong Kong and how when I walk around town I often<br />
smile at others or sing along to my music when I am happy. I<br />
then think about the people who live in this highly stressed<br />
city and how they look upon me as either mad, wacky or<br />
strange and how the smile is very rarely returned. But, at<br />
least today my heart feels renewed to witness such a being<br />
with such happiness in his life and who is not embarrassed to<br />
share it!<br />
During our class, Vishva had been loosely translating Swami<br />
Ji’s instruction (when he himself could stop laughing), but<br />
Swami Ji had already managed to learn some vital cuing<br />
skills “up”, “down”, “ok”. He was just so totally with it –<br />
unlike any senior citizen I have ever seen in my life! Oh, did I<br />
mention he was 96 – yes 96! I was gob-smacked at this<br />
guy’s youth, with a personality and mannerisms to match<br />
that of a teenager, who was this guy and what was he on? It<br />
was simple. He was on Prana – pure Prana. I later found out<br />
that most mornings he rises at 2 am and performs 5,000<br />
pumps of Kapalabhati (breath of fire). I also found out more<br />
about this bundle of energy when we asked some group<br />
questions later – here are two of those questions:<br />
“...all my expectations<br />
about how my yoga practice<br />
should feel were shattered.”<br />
Q: What gives you the most joy in your life?<br />
Swami Ji: Emptying my bowels every morning. No toxins<br />
inside my body – no mental or physical blockages/<br />
constipation, only a sense of feeling purified. (I had<br />
expected love or something, so more tears and laughter at<br />
this response from the whole group!).<br />
Q: What diet do you follow?<br />
31
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Swami Ji: Just juice (we were to witness this the following<br />
morning when he bought pure wheat grass for our<br />
breakfast! Not sure where he had picked it, but we chewed<br />
the grass to take a couple of mouthfuls of not-so-nice<br />
tasting juice). Live on juice were his strong words! Only take<br />
one small meal a day and eat lots of salad. No detox<br />
retreats needed here for Swami Ji!<br />
This radiant yogi has helped many people find health and<br />
joy in their lives in Delhi and has himself led a married life<br />
and fathered children. This man, this beautiful soul, has<br />
lived life with such vigor and gratitude, that I felt ashamed<br />
of my sometimes lack of gratitude for life, my negativity<br />
and my stamina for living.<br />
For me, Swami Ji is the embodiment of yoga. Never before<br />
have I felt, experienced or understood the meaning of real<br />
joy - of laughing out loud for no reason but to just laugh, of<br />
living life so simply. To give, to laugh, to be blessed with life.<br />
I am sending this article to Swami Ji in the hope that he<br />
understands how he has touched my heart and inner-being<br />
forever. To have shared a practice with him and experienced<br />
his path of joy. More over, he does not dress up in hip yoga<br />
clothes or carry a yoga bag or even worry about this yoga or<br />
that yoga. He just lives it, day in day out for over 50 years,<br />
and guess what? He’s going to continue for a long time as<br />
he reckons he will live to 150 years old – go Swami Ji!! He is<br />
my inspiration.<br />
Swami Ji leads Ann and Danny in yoga practice<br />
So, back at the airport on a sad day in my heart - I am<br />
leaving Hong Kong (my home of 14 years) to live and work in<br />
Singapore, I think to myself “what did I not do before I left”.<br />
I instantly thought of Frances and the article I promised to<br />
write for her on this remarkable yogi I had met in India. So, I<br />
started writing the article, and guess what, it has totally<br />
eradicated my sadness. Instead I sit here smiling, thinking<br />
of all the positive changes and challenges that are coming<br />
my way. And how I have been blessed to have experienced<br />
and been part of the amazing energy of Hong Kong these<br />
part 14 years, remembering all the friends that have come,<br />
gone and will remain.<br />
PS I later learned Swami Ji’s name is Yogananda (not to be<br />
confused with Paramahansa Yogananda) and the reason for<br />
the hat - that amazing hat; to further channel energy up to a<br />
higher plane of course!<br />
Ann can be found teaching yoga in Singapore at<br />
COMO Shambhala (www<br />
www.como<br />
omoshambhala.b<br />
shambhala.bz)<br />
32
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Kids Yoga<br />
Yoga at the Asian<br />
Children<br />
en’s s Festiv<br />
tival<br />
al<br />
Mira Binzen<br />
During the Asian<br />
Children’s Festival in<br />
Singapore, children were<br />
introduced to yoga<br />
through the stories of ancient Indian<br />
myths associated with certain yoga<br />
poses. The Children’s festival promotes<br />
the joyous learning of Asian culture for<br />
children, so Indian mythology seemed<br />
the perfect topic. Stories are an<br />
excellent way to engage children in a<br />
yoga class. The asanas are named<br />
after many different animals and<br />
intriguing characters to which kids can<br />
easily relate.<br />
More than 30 children ages 4 - 11 years<br />
gathered for the class held at the<br />
National Library. Only a few raised their<br />
hands when asked who had tried yoga<br />
before. They were told there are two<br />
important things to know about yoga.<br />
One is that it feels really good. The<br />
other is that it’s lots of fun.<br />
All the kids came into a squatting<br />
position, squeezed knees to exhale<br />
then stood up breathing in to fill up<br />
their balloon bodies. Once the balloon<br />
was full, it was time to let it all out and<br />
everyone fluttered loosely to the floor.<br />
Giggles erupted and the fun had begun.<br />
The first myth was of Lord Surya, the<br />
sun. Considered the source of light,<br />
heat and knowledge, yogis practice sun<br />
salutations to invoke his blessings and<br />
wisdom. The laughter grew as round<br />
A forest full of yogic trees<br />
after round the children’s sun<br />
salutations went faster and faster and<br />
faster…and then slowed down through<br />
the last round.<br />
Then they were wish-fulfilling trees. In<br />
ancient times these magic trees grew<br />
on earth. People had no need for<br />
possessions as they could simply wish<br />
for whatever they wanted. In tree pose<br />
they felt their roots grow deep<br />
grounding them into the earth as they<br />
considered all the gifts trees still give<br />
today; shade, fruit, a home for animals<br />
and birds, as well as stability for the<br />
earth herself.<br />
The children were then asked if they<br />
were ready for another story. “Yeah”<br />
30 voices shouted in unison. They then<br />
heard of the beautiful princess<br />
Draupadi who lived in ancient India. Her<br />
father, King Draupada, wanted to find a<br />
suitable match for his daughter so he<br />
decided to hold a contest. “A coloring<br />
contest?” one boy shouted out,<br />
revealing the inner workings of a sixyear-old<br />
mind.<br />
It was an archery contest, and so the<br />
children stretched their bodies into<br />
Dhanurasana, the bow pose, to<br />
represent the bow made especially for<br />
this contest.<br />
The story went on. One by one, several<br />
men strode up to the bow only to<br />
return disappointed. Then a handsome<br />
stranger approached the bow, easily<br />
lifted it and quickly shot five arrows<br />
through the eye of the fish. With<br />
delight, Draupadi garlanded the winner<br />
who was in fact Arjuna, the greatest<br />
archer in all the land.<br />
Again they stretched up into the bow<br />
pose, the children lifting even higher<br />
than before.<br />
Then it was time to rest. The last story<br />
was of a special magic carpet. As each<br />
child relaxed on the floor they were<br />
continues on page 38<br />
33
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
34
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Tia’s Crossword<br />
Across<br />
1. Sanskrit term for affliction on the<br />
path of yoga. (6)<br />
3.A knot in the body or mind that<br />
blocks the free flow of energy or prana<br />
and distorts our view of reality. (7)<br />
9. Fishy asana. (6)<br />
11. Indian epic starring Lord Krishna. (11)<br />
13. Thirteenth century Sufi saint and<br />
whirling dervish whose poems burn with<br />
feverish, ecstatic love for God. (4)<br />
14. Jumble ‘hard dash’ to give Sanskrit<br />
for faith in God. (8)<br />
15 & 19 DOWN. Summer City? No!<br />
Stand absolutely still for this asana!<br />
(4,6)<br />
17. Swan posture. (9)<br />
22. …-knowing, ...-seeing, ...-powerful,<br />
...-loving, such is the nature of the<br />
human soul and the nature of God. (3)<br />
23. In the Bible, Salome’s Dance of the<br />
Seven ... could be a reference to our<br />
journey homewards, uncovering the 7<br />
sheaths of ignorance surrounding and<br />
hiding the soul. (5)<br />
25. Egoism, an affliction on the path of<br />
yoga that arises when we identify the<br />
soul with that which merely reflects the<br />
soul. (6)<br />
26. Yoga philosophy talks of the … of all<br />
creation. (7)<br />
28. Attachment to pleasure, another<br />
affliction on the path of yoga. Hint,<br />
classical Indian melody. (4)<br />
29 & 7 DOWN & 8 DOWN. Vietnamese<br />
Buddhist monk and author of Peace is<br />
Every Step. (5,4,4)<br />
30.The pranayama, Nadi ... refers to<br />
purification of energy channels in the<br />
body through alternate nostril<br />
breathing. (8)<br />
31. Right knowledge based on<br />
scriptures, one of the 3 kinds of right<br />
knowledge according to Patanjali. (5)<br />
32. Energy channel starting from the<br />
right nostril and ultimately ending at<br />
the base of the spine. Has a warming<br />
effect and is also called surya-nadi,<br />
after the sun. (7)<br />
33. Enlightened asana! (6)<br />
Down<br />
1. Tortoise pose. (9)<br />
2. German spiritual master and author<br />
of The Power of Now and A New Earth.<br />
(7,5)<br />
4. Indian epic starring Lord Rama, Sita<br />
and Hanumana. (8)<br />
5. Dancing Shiva asana. (8)<br />
6. Energy channel starting from the<br />
left nostril and ultimately ending at the<br />
base of the spine. Has a cooling effect<br />
and is also called chandra-nadi, after<br />
the moon. (3)<br />
7. See 29 ACROSS & 8 DOWN<br />
8. See 29 ACROSS & 7 DOWN<br />
10. Five aspects of one’s behaviour<br />
towards others, Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya,<br />
Brahmacharya & Aparigraha comprise<br />
the first limb of yoga known as ... (4)<br />
12. Sanskrit prefix meaning bound. (6)<br />
16. Past impression stored in the mind,<br />
affecting our behaviour and distorting<br />
our view of reality. It leads to a<br />
conditioned, automatic way of thinking<br />
and responding to the events of life<br />
around us. (8)<br />
18. Mind in Sanskrit. (5)<br />
19. See 15 ACROSS<br />
20. Boat asana. (4)<br />
21. Five aspects of one’s attitude<br />
towards oneself, Shaucha, Santosh,<br />
Tapa, Svadhyaya & Ishvara Pranidhana<br />
comprise the second limb of yoga<br />
known as ... (6)<br />
24. Vatayanasana was inspired by this<br />
swift animal. (5)<br />
27. Restful corpse asana. (5)<br />
29. Buddhist goddess of universal<br />
compassion whose mantra is ‘om tare<br />
tuttare ture svaha’. (4)<br />
30. Adho Mukha Vrikshasana is<br />
commonly known as the ... stand. (4)<br />
Solution on page 39<br />
35
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Continued here<br />
Dance your way to God<br />
continues from page 22<br />
is the product of that journey.<br />
Mr. Harjani has cast his own alter ego<br />
as the novel’s protagonist, Daduzen, a<br />
Hong Kong businessman turned Indian<br />
ascetic. The story begins when three<br />
of Dadu’s grandchildren drop by the<br />
ashram along with nine schoolmates<br />
from America, Britain, France and<br />
Spain. Dadu, rishi extraordinaire,<br />
begins tutoring this eclectic group.<br />
It’s an ambitious undertaking, as the<br />
dozen acolytes are starting from<br />
scratch. But Dadu dives in with vigour,<br />
distilling several millennia of spiritual<br />
thought into 10 mind-altering days.<br />
Lessons cover the meaning of om;<br />
divine joy; devotional love (bhakti); the<br />
causal, astral and physical bodies;<br />
subliminal activators (samskaras); will;<br />
nonattachment; reincarnation; karma;<br />
dharma; spiritual maturity; mantras;<br />
meditation, and much, much more.<br />
Unfortunately, Mr. Harjani attempts<br />
more than he is able to deliver. He is<br />
obviously devoted to his material and<br />
well read - chapters are sprinkled with<br />
quotations from Indian scripture and<br />
philosophers the world over - but his<br />
presentation is unsystematic and<br />
necessarily superficial. All of the<br />
explanations here can be found in more<br />
readable and thorough versions<br />
elsewhere, often in the very works he<br />
cites.<br />
There are other problems. The book is<br />
self-published by Mr. Harjani’s export<br />
firm, Jianni Enterprises, and does not<br />
appear to have been edited. The<br />
punctuation is variable and unorthodox.<br />
The prose is overwhelming (“Dadu was<br />
stunned as bubbles of emotion surged<br />
into his throat to a torrential choke but<br />
his eyes exposed a tranquilizing joy<br />
with a trickling tear”). Finally, Mr.<br />
Harjani indulges not only his urge to<br />
cast himself as the hero, but also his<br />
desire to get the girl - not just once, but<br />
three times! So be warned: this book<br />
is a tough slog.<br />
But Mr. Harjani is a man of many<br />
projects (three completed manuscripts<br />
sit in his drawer), and his next<br />
enterprise just might be a winner:<br />
In <strong>January</strong> he debuts a yoga workshop<br />
that will draw on somatic disciplines<br />
(practices that seek a deeper<br />
connection with the body as a way to<br />
regenerate the spirit) pioneered by<br />
Americans Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen<br />
and Donna Farhi. He will be assisted by<br />
Bhavatarini Tang, an instructor at the<br />
International Yoga Institute, and<br />
Maggie Blue O’Hara, a co-artistic<br />
director of the All Theatre Company.<br />
The four-session workshop will combine<br />
breathing exercises, dance and<br />
meditation to achieve deep relaxation.<br />
Details: Saturdays starting <strong>January</strong><br />
20, , 6 - 8 pm at Yoga Sens<br />
enses s (11/F<br />
Bowa a House, , 180 Nathan Road, Tsim<br />
Sha Tsui). HK$1,500. . Inquiries:<br />
s:<br />
2782 2 7762, 2415 514<br />
148,<br />
8,<br />
contact@dancemeditate.com. A<br />
second workshop is planned for<br />
March.<br />
Sara was introduced to yoga three<br />
years ago and moved to a new level<br />
this past summer by spending six<br />
weeks practicing for two hours<br />
every weekday morning.<br />
The Razor’s Edge<br />
con<br />
ontinue<br />
tinues s from page 26<br />
Larry’s character is based on the life of<br />
a man who dared follow his heart,<br />
despite the risk others thought he was<br />
taking. He was a seeker of rare<br />
sweetness and uncommon character,<br />
intelligence, will and fire. He may<br />
remind readers familiar with the Katha<br />
Upanishad of young Nachiketa who<br />
confronted the Lord of Death with<br />
questions about life and death.<br />
What does Larry decide to do with his<br />
life when his questions have been<br />
answered? Does he use this<br />
understanding for personal gain,<br />
amassing wealth and gaining power<br />
over people? Does he become a guru,<br />
setting up a spiritual empire and<br />
becoming famous? Read on, the way<br />
the book ends will surprise you.<br />
The Razor’s Edge is a treasure,<br />
revealing in Maugham’s insightful,<br />
humorous style, the supreme passion<br />
that can grip the human soul.<br />
Related reading:<br />
Dialogue with Death<br />
(a a commen<br />
ommentary<br />
ary<br />
on the Katha Upanishad) by Eknath<br />
Easwaran<br />
A Search in Secret India by Paul<br />
Brunton<br />
Ramana Maharshi & The Path of<br />
Self-Knowledge by Arthur Osborne<br />
The Sain<br />
aint (an essay) by Somer<br />
omerset<br />
Maugham<br />
Tia worked as a producer for Star<br />
TV in Hong Kong. She is travelling<br />
for or a year<br />
ar.<br />
36
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Mysore<br />
continues from page 27<br />
for the white tea (A few hours from<br />
Mysore)<br />
3) Tour Chamundi Hill and the Mysore<br />
Palace<br />
4) Pamper yourself at The Windflower<br />
Spa & Resort<br />
5) Spend a Moon day weekend at the<br />
Ayurvedic Resort<br />
6) Play at Water Jungle Retreat -<br />
usually 20 - 30 people rent a bus<br />
together and go on a group field trip<br />
7) Clubbing at Planet X<br />
8) Drop by House Parties at various<br />
locations in Mysore<br />
If you are interested in going to<br />
Mysore, but worried about travelling<br />
solo – don’t. The last thing you will<br />
notice is that you are alone. In Mysore<br />
you’re constantly surrounded by people<br />
and you will meet people from all<br />
around the world who will give you<br />
contacts for places to stay, shop, eat,<br />
sightsee, etc. Online resources I found<br />
helpful are www.asanas.com.mx and<br />
www.mysore.yogaholidays.net<br />
Back in Hong Kong now during my<br />
morning practice, the left side of my<br />
body is still suffering from a swollen<br />
shoulder and hamstring. But yogis say<br />
there is a reason for things happening<br />
they way they do. Everything is in<br />
perfect synchronicity, and it’s all in the<br />
mind. I’ve convinced myself there is a<br />
reason why my left side is injured. And<br />
now I see it is a blessing because I<br />
understand how injuries and stiffness<br />
affects a student’s practice. It is all<br />
part of the process to develop of<br />
compassion and understanding of<br />
myself and others.<br />
Jyothi has been practicing for 7<br />
year<br />
ars s and teache<br />
aches s Vin<br />
inyas<br />
asa a Flow,<br />
Hatha, Hot, , Yin in and Gentle Yoga.<br />
Her training includes Integral<br />
Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga, Sivananda<br />
and Iyengar Yoga. She graduat<br />
aduated<br />
ed<br />
from om The Univer<br />
ersit<br />
sity y of Tor<br />
oron<br />
onto,<br />
Psychology and Human Resources<br />
Management. jyothifong@gmail.com<br />
37
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Ivy Hung<br />
continues from page 11<br />
moving it up along the wall in front of<br />
you to the ceiling, skyward to the<br />
infinite beyond… Be joyous in the<br />
strength and resilience of your swaying<br />
Tree Pose. Okay, shoulders relaxed<br />
and away from the ears, chin slightly<br />
tucked and neck long please!<br />
What have you learned from this<br />
asana?<br />
Tree Pose is a deeply revealing asana<br />
for me. There were times during<br />
periods of intense practice when I<br />
effortlessly flowed through advanced<br />
postures like jumping sequences,<br />
Virabhadrasana III or Astavakrasana<br />
(Eight-Angle Pose), but found<br />
Vrksasana with a soft inward drishti<br />
extremely challenging. The pose is a<br />
truly beautiful gift in its simplicity. It is<br />
an accessible posture to practice the<br />
act of just being, to surrender and<br />
honor the truth within. To practice<br />
Tree Pose with a non-projecting,<br />
receiving gaze is to learn acceptance<br />
moment-to-moment, to receive light<br />
and beauty from the Universe without<br />
projection of the self, to practice<br />
witness consciousness with inwardgazing<br />
eyes very much like ears that<br />
listen with infinite patience.<br />
What is the most difficult aspect of<br />
your practice?<br />
The most intriguing aspect of yoga<br />
practice for me is that “welcome-toyour-own-body”<br />
feeling I get whenever<br />
I flow into a much-practiced, familiar<br />
asana. For an experienced practitioner,<br />
discipline, tenacity, the study and<br />
application of anatomical principles<br />
aside, the ultimate challenge is to have<br />
a beginner’s mind and awareness in<br />
asana practice. As we gain strength,<br />
stamina and refinement in forms and<br />
alignments, it is easy to get lost in the<br />
pursuit of that perfect posture, in the<br />
exploration of our physical boundaries<br />
and firmness of will. But as we all<br />
know, there is no such thing as<br />
perfection in yoga practice. Outward<br />
precision is a mere servant of the ego,<br />
and yoga practice is really about union<br />
with the spirit within guided by the<br />
rhythmic cycle of the breathe. To<br />
experience a posture for the hundredth<br />
time just like the very first, without the<br />
burden of the past, old patterns or<br />
established knowledge, and free from<br />
expectations for the future. To<br />
practice with a beginner’s receptivity,<br />
to liberate the self from the limitation<br />
of the known, is the most intriguing and<br />
most difficult aspect of my yoga<br />
practice.<br />
Ivy Hung teache<br />
aches s at Yoga oga Cen<br />
entr<br />
tral al in<br />
Hong Kong.<br />
climbingivy@earthlink.net<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong> Listing and Display Advertising Rates<br />
Outside back cover HK$2,000 (210 mm x 297 mm)<br />
Inside front cover HK$1,800 (210 mm x 297 mm)<br />
Inside back cover HK$1,600 (210 mm x 297 mm)<br />
Full page HK$1,200 (210 mm x 297 mm)<br />
1/2 page HK$720 (188 mm x 130.5 mm horizontal)<br />
(92 mm x 265 mm vertical)<br />
1/4 page HK$430 (92 mm X 130.5 mm)<br />
1/8 page HK$300 (92 mm x 63 mm)<br />
Individual Teacher listing HK$500 (<strong>January</strong> - October <strong>2007</strong>)<br />
Studio listing HK$1,000 (<strong>January</strong> - October <strong>2007</strong>)<br />
Advertisements should be submitted as high resolution .tiff or .jpg format(no .ai files<br />
please). Effective July 2006, advertising fees are payable to:<br />
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ervices Ltd<br />
Children’s Festival<br />
continues from page 33<br />
told, “This carpet is woven of all your<br />
favorite colors with your very own<br />
beautiful design. On it you feel very<br />
relaxed and peaceful.” The room, only<br />
a moment earlier full of laughter and<br />
shouts of joy, was now silent. Even the<br />
most active children were able to<br />
become quiet as they were guided on<br />
this magical carpet ride to a very<br />
special place.<br />
Class ended the way it began, with an<br />
OM and the traditional greeting in<br />
India, Namaste.<br />
Mira is a yoga teacher and cofounder<br />
of Global al Family Yoga, a<br />
teacher training programme for<br />
children and families which will be<br />
offering trainings in Singapore in<br />
March. mira@globalfamilyyoga.org,<br />
www.glob<br />
globalf<br />
alfamilyy<br />
amilyyoga.<br />
oga.or<br />
org<br />
Many of these myths about yoga<br />
poses s are e in Yoga oga For Children en by<br />
Rajiv and Swati Chanchani.<br />
c/o Frances Gairns, G/F Flat 1, 12 Shouson Hill Road West, Hong Kong<br />
For more information call (852) 9460 1967 or email: fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
38
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • <strong>Namaskar</strong><br />
Yoga Teachers & Studios<br />
Phyllis Arthur<br />
Yogasana<br />
d: Wanchai<br />
s: Ashtanga<br />
l: English<br />
t: (852) 2511 8892<br />
e: info@yogasana.com.hk<br />
Michel Besnard<br />
Yogasana<br />
d: Wanchai<br />
s: Ashtanga<br />
l: English<br />
t: (852) 2511 8892<br />
e: info@yogasana.com.hk<br />
Kathy Cook<br />
The Iyengar Yoga Centre of<br />
Hong Kong, LRC, Privates,<br />
Workshops<br />
d: Hong Kong<br />
s: Iyengar (certified)<br />
l: English<br />
t: (852) 6292 5440<br />
e: kcinasia@netvigator.com<br />
Flex<br />
1/F Woodleigh House<br />
80 Stanley Village Road<br />
Stanley, Hong Kong<br />
s: Iyengar, Hatha Vinyasa Flow,<br />
Ashtanga, Children’s yoga<br />
t: (852) 2813 2212<br />
f: (852) 2813 2281<br />
e: info@flexhk.com<br />
w: www.flexhk.com<br />
Iyengar Yoga<br />
Centre of Hong<br />
Kong<br />
Room 406 New<br />
Victory House, 93 – 103 Wing<br />
Lok St., Sheung Wan, Hong<br />
Kong<br />
s: Iyengar<br />
t: (852) 2541 0401<br />
e: info@iyengaryogahongkong.com<br />
w: iyengaryogahongkong.com<br />
Ming Lee<br />
Privates, workshops<br />
s: Iyengar<br />
l: English, Cantonese,<br />
Putonghua<br />
t: (852) 9188 1277<br />
e: mleeyoga@netvigator.com<br />
Ursula Moser<br />
The Iyengar Yoga Centre of<br />
Hong Kong<br />
d: Central<br />
s: Iyengar (3 rd year teacher<br />
training)<br />
l: English, German<br />
t: (852) 2918 1798<br />
e: umoser@netvigator.com<br />
Cheuk Na<br />
Yogasana<br />
d: Wanchai<br />
s: Ashtanga<br />
l: English, Cantonese<br />
t: (852) 2511 8892<br />
e: info@yogasana.com.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 />
Pure Yoga<br />
16/F The Centrium<br />
60 Wyndham Street, Central,<br />
Hong Kong<br />
t: (852) 2971 0055<br />
25/F Soundwill Plaza<br />
38 Russell Street, Causeway<br />
Bay, Hong Kong<br />
t: (852) 2970 2299<br />
14/F The Peninsula Office Tower<br />
18 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,<br />
Kowloon, Hong Kong<br />
t: (852) 8129 8800<br />
Crossword Solution<br />
9/f Langham Place Office Tower,<br />
8 Argyle Street, Kowloon<br />
Hong Kong<br />
t: (852) 3691 3691<br />
391A Orchard Road, #18-00<br />
Ngee Ann City Tower A,<br />
Singapore<br />
t: (65) 6733 8863<br />
151 Chung Hsiao East Road, Sec<br />
4, Taipei, Taiwan<br />
t: (886) 02 8161 7888<br />
s: Hot, Power, Hatha, Yin,<br />
Ashtanga, Dance, Kids<br />
l: English, Cantonese<br />
e: info@pure-yoga.com<br />
w: www.pure-yoga.com<br />
Ahuja Sangeeta<br />
Life Management Yoga Centre<br />
d: TST and HK Island<br />
s: Classical Yoga ,kids,seniors,<br />
private<br />
I: English, Cantonese<br />
t: (852) 2191 9651<br />
e: life@yoga.org.hk<br />
w: www.yoga.org.hk<br />
Randa Westland<br />
Freelance<br />
d: Kowloon, Hong Kong<br />
s: Iyengar certified<br />
l: English, Arabic<br />
t: 9353 7910<br />
e: rwestland@hotmail.com<br />
Kitty Wong<br />
Yoga Senses<br />
d: Tsimshatsui, Jordan<br />
s: Iyengar style, Hatha<br />
from page 35<br />
Across<br />
1. Klesha, 3. Granthi, 9. Matsya, 11. Mahabharata, 13. Rumi,<br />
14. Shraddha, 15. Sama, 17. Hamsasana, 22. All, 23. Veils, 25.<br />
Asmita, 26. Oneness, 28. Raga, 29. Thich, 30. Shodhana, 31.<br />
Agama, 32. Pingala, 33. Buddha<br />
Down<br />
1. Kurmasana, 2. Eckhart Tolle, 4. Ramayana, 5. Nataraja, 6.<br />
Ida, 7. Nhat, 8. Hanh, 10. Yama, 12. Baddha, 16. Samskara,<br />
18. Manas, 19. Sthiti, 20. Nava, 21. Niyama, 24. Horse, 27.<br />
Shava, 29. Tara, 30. Hand<br />
l: Cantonese, English<br />
t: (852) 9438 9995<br />
e: 001.happy@gmail.com<br />
Connie Yan<br />
Yogasana<br />
d: Wanchai<br />
s: Ashtanga, Yin<br />
l: English, Cantonese<br />
t: (852) 2511 8892<br />
e: info@yogasana.com.hk<br />
Yoga Central<br />
4/F 13 Wyndham Street,<br />
Central, Hong Kong<br />
s: Iyengar, Hatha, Kids, Pilates<br />
t: (852) 2982 4308<br />
e: yogacentralhk@yahoo.com<br />
w: yogacentral.com.hk<br />
Yoga Senses<br />
11/F, Bowa House,<br />
180 Nathan Road,<br />
Tsimshatsui<br />
s: Hatha, Yoga Alliance<br />
Certification, Iyengar style<br />
l: Cantonese, English<br />
t: (852) 2375 7799<br />
e: cs@yogasenses.com<br />
w: yogasenses.com<br />
Yogasana<br />
3/F, Century Court<br />
239 Jaffe Road, Wanchai<br />
s: Ashtanga, Iyengar, Yin<br />
l: English, Cantonese<br />
t: (852) 2511 8892<br />
e: info@yogasana.com.hk<br />
w: www.yogasana.com.hk<br />
Want to list<br />
here?<br />
If you would like to include<br />
your details here, email:<br />
fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
$500 for individual<br />
teachers for the year<br />
$1,000 for studios for the<br />
year<br />
39
<strong>Namaskar</strong> •A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
40