Namaskar - Jan 2010

namaskar
A VOICE FOR THE YOGA COMMUNITY OF ASIA JANUARY 2010
Pratyahara
Mixed Up
Healing Anger

2

Inside
JANUARY 2010
Dristi Pratyahara
Be an Insider, , 10
Kim teaches us how to look inward.
From Prana
anayama ama to
Prat
atyahar
ahara, a, 11
Paul explains what pratyahara is.
On Contentment, 12
Joanna’s blindfold experience helps open
her eyes.
Mantr
tra, 13
Sankirtana uses mantra to move inwards.
Mind instruments, 14
Hersha show us how to find our Eden.
Regular Contributions
NEWS, WORKSHOPS, RETREATS & TEACHER
TRAININGS, 5
POEM, 16
TEACHER’S VOICE, 26
HATHI YOGI, 26
TEACHER TRAINING REVIEW, 33 & 39
WORKSHOP REVIEW, 35 & 37 & 41
DIET, 42
RECIPE, 43
BOOK REVIEW, 44
CROSSWORD, 45
TEACHER & STUDIO LISTINGS, 46
Special Features
A School for Life, 16 Peter tells us
about a school in Bali uses yoga to help
children find inner strenght.
Forget not your Diet, 19 Bobsy
explains how our food choices are affecting
our environment.
Softening, 21 Softening in times of
intensity on and off the mat has helped
Tanya.
Authenticity, 23 Alex asked what
does it mean to be authentic.
Mixed up Monsters, 27 Why it’s
better to stick to one school of yoga,
explains James.
Spiritual on the Road, 31 Leah is
reminded that the world is big, and we are
small.
Janet in Baddha Trikonasana variation
About Namaskar
Namaskar provides a voice for the yoga
community around Asia. The publication is a
vehicle for practitioners on a yogic path to share
their own knowledge, learnings and experiences
with others.
Namaskar, is published quarterly in January,
April, July and October.
We welcome unsolicited submissions, therefore
the opinions expressed within these pages are
not necessarily those of Namaskar or its staff.
Namaskar is distributed at no charge through
yoga studios, fitness centres, retail outlets, food
& beverage outlets and other yoga-friendly
locations throughout Hong Kong and elsewhere.
For more information, to contribute or to order
Namaskar, please contact::
Carol, News Editor & Administration
kambotam@netvigator.com
Wai-Ling, News Editor & Copy Editor
wailing.tse@gmail.com
Joanna, Copy Editor & Writer
jomwilliams@hotmail.com
Frances, Editor
fgairns@netvigator.com /+ 852 9460 1967
Deadline for April 2010 issue:
March 15, 2010
3

My dear friend Yogiuday lives alone half the year in a remote area of British Columbia,
Canada and the other half in an ashram in Rishikesh, India. He is vegan and eats only food
he prepares himself (some he even grows), he rises everyday before sunrise for two hours
of meditation, pranayama, chanting and asana. He spends most his days studying,
gardening, walking, exploring and, when in India volunteering at an orphanage.
Surely he’s closer to pratyahara (withdrawing from the sense) than me with family, living in a
big city, squeezing in my practice where I can, scrambling just to get through each day.
namaskar
I was eager to learn how he’s doing with this. While the critic in me could discount his
feedback, “his life’s nothing like mine, how can anything he’s learned help me?” My open
mind acknowledges there’s enough similarity in the human state of mind to seriously
consider the lessons he has been exploring for years.
Five other yogis, Kim, Paul, Joanna, Sankirtana and Hersha, who have also made changes
in their lives so they have time to study about these things, generously share their
observations on this very challenge. I hope they will be of help to you.
In fact much of this issue is filled with articles about personal observations and opinions.
Thank you to Tanya, Leah, Alex and James. There are also more workshop and teacher
training reviews, courtesy of Val, Rani, Daphne and Christina, than ever before.
Undoubtedly another indication that yoga continues to grow.
Fortunately it’s not just commercial growth, as you will learn when you read Peter’s article
about a school in Bali.
Food features more than usual, with Bobsy’s update on the relationship between eating
meat and our environment, Paul’s article on the importance of food in our spiritual
growth and Moosa’s comforting winter recipe.
Thanks to all the other contributors and to Janet, on the cover, for representing
photographically the challenge we city dwellers face pratyaharically-speaking
Namaskar has long wanted to move to recycled paper. However the price of doing this
would mean we could not pay to distribute 4,500 copies of the magazine. If we were to
increase our advertising rates enough to pay for this, lots of smaller studios which are so
important to the spirit of yoga would not be able to advertise with us. If you have a longterm
supply of 80 gsm recycled paper at less than market price, which you would be willing
to spare, please email me on fgairns@netvigator.com
We’d also like to make our past issues available online as pdf documents and ask any reader
interested in donating web hosting services to also please contact me.
Finally, I hope the year has started well for you and I look forward to receiving any
suggestions you have for improving Namaskar.
4
FRANCES GAIRNS
Editor
SOMETHING TO SHARE?
If you have something to share with the yoga community in ASIA and elsewhere (we
distribute around the World), please email fgairns@netvigator.com

NEWS
FAREWELL TO SWAMI
SATYANANDA SARASWATI
1923-2009
At midnight (Indian time) on
5 December 2009, Swami
Satyananda left his body while
doing Japa (mantra
meditation) with a smile on
his face. Swami Satyananda was
the founder of the famous
Bihar School of Yoga in India.
Swami Satyananda imparted an immense amount of light, peace,
health, wisdom and compassion in all his disciples, all the teachers
he trained, all the students who ever took a class, learned a practice,
or picked up one of his books. He authored over 80 best-sellers
and classical texts on yoga and spiritual life. The practices that he
brought to life have been tremendously instrumental in our
understanding of yoga and while he will be missed, he will live on
in the minds and hearts of those who he touched.
Swami Satyananda was born in Almora, Uttar Pradesh and met his
Guru Swami Sivananda in 1943 in Rishikesh and stayed with his
Guru and was initiated by him into the Dashnami order. He
served his Guru’s mission for 12 years in many capacities and
completed several international and national tours to promote the
teaching of yoga. In July 1963 after his Guru passed away, Swami
Satyananda established the headquarters of his mission in the
Munger city of Bihar. In the subsequent years, he set up the Bihar
School of Yoga, International Yoga Fellowship Movement,
Sivananda Math and the Yoga Research Foundation. He renounced
teaching in 1988 to take up the lifestyle of a Paramahamsa
sannyasin (enlightened renunciate) and after settling in the small
village of Rikhia, he led a life of meditative seclusion.
BREAST CANCER FUNDRAISER,
HONG KONG
Zobha Yoga and Fitness
Apparel sponsored the second
Annual Breast Cancer
Fundraiser at Pure Yoga Central
in Hong Kong last October.
The charity class, Karma Yoga:
Vinyasa Flow was led by
Wendy Wyvill, a Zobha Circle
of Grace Member.
With 104 participants, the Class
raised HK$ 40,273 to benefit
the Hong Kong Breast Cancer
Foundation. Zobha donated a
Classic Tank for each
participant.
This year in addition to the
practice, there was a talk and a
self-care demonstration by
Breast Cancer Survivor and
Yogi Amy Tadalis. She
graciously shared her experience
and the importance of early
detection and self -
examination. Below, Wendy
shares her experience of leading
the class and what it has meant
to her.
“I have taught thousands of
yoga classes over the years. All
give me such inspiration and
empathy for our bodies and
our souls. As I watch students
go through their own process
on the mat, wringing out
toxins, emotions and physical
burdens, I always reflect on the
act of community. We come
together, purge together and at
the end of class hopefully we
feel a little bit lighter in the
mind, more open in the heart
and more inspired in our
spirits.
This act of a healing practice
came to light during the karma
class I taught last month for
Breast Cancer Awareness. It
was the second annual class I
have led at Centrium Pure
Yoga. The class was donation
only and 104 generouslysupporting
yogis came to their
mat to support such a cause.
This class was inspired by
Zobha, and I have the honor
to be apart of its Circle of
Grace. Other Circle of Grace
Members/Yoga Teachers led
similar classes around the globe
during the month of October.
What a cool feeling to be doing
something so positively
proactive while knowing others
are doing the same on the
other side of the world.
May we continue to become
Yoga teacher Wendy Wyvill (far right) at an Annual Breast Cancer
Fundraiser
aware of the things that serve
and inspire us, and may we
always hold a light for those in
need.”
IYENGAR YOGA ASSOCIATION OF
SOUTH EAST & EAST ASIA
(IYASEEA)
With the blessing and approval
of Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar,
the Iyengar Yoga Association
of South East & East Asia
(IYASEEA) was officially
formed. In his letter, Sri B.K.S.
Iyengar wrote “I am happy to
associate my name for this
Association, as lots of people
are sincerely and devotedly
practicing my method and
propagating it since years.”
The purpose of IYASEEA is
to propagate the art, science and
philosophy of yoga in South
East and East Asia according to
the teachings of Sri B.K.S.
Iyengar. Furthermore, the
IYASEEA aims to support the
community of yoga teachers
and students living in Asia and
studying the yoga teachings of
Sri B.K.S. Iyengar.
IYASEEA is also responsible
for maintaining the standards
of teaching of Iyengar yoga in
Asia. The association will coordinate
regular assessments
and manage the certification
process of those wishing to
teach. The assessment and
certification processes enable
teachers to remain up-to-date
and help maintain the validity
of their teaching certificate.
Countries and cities included in
IYASEEA are Brunei,
Cambodia, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Laos, Macau,
Malaysia, Myanmar,
Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
IYASEEA will also arrange an
annual Iyengar Yoga
Convention which will be held
in a different member country
each year. The first IYASSEA
convention will be held in
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Singapore 24 - 25 April 2010.
For more information visit
www.iyengaryoga.asia or
email Ganesh Krishnan on
comm_pr@iyengaryoga.asia
LMYC CELEBRATES 11 YEARS IN
HONG KONG
To celebrate it’s 11 th year, Life
Management Yoga Center
(LMYC), a non-profit classical
yoga centre affiliated to The
Yoga Institute Mumbai, is
launching its Kids Special class
on Wednesday 13 January 2010
at 5.15 pm, and the new basic
course on 15 (9:30 am and
7pm), 16 (3:30 pm) and 18
January 2010 (7:00pm). Free
trial class on first visit. Kids
class is HK$480 per quarter or
HK$1,100 for 3 quarters.
Basic course is HK$50 per
class, HK$1,200 for 24 classes
or HK$3,333 annual fee.
For more information visit
LMYC, 35 Kimberly Road,
11/F Kimberly House, TST,
Hong Kong ww.yoga.org.hk
or call +852 2191 9651
English/ 6349 0639 Chinese
PURE YOGA PARTNERS WITH
YOGA CLASSICS INPUT PROJECT
10 December 2009 marked the
beginning of a partnership
between Pure Yoga and the
Yoga Classics Input Project
(YCIP). YCIP is a division of
the Asian Classic Input Project,
a non-profit organisation
launched in the US in the late
80’s, and has successfully saved
thousands of ancient yoga
books. Their mission is to
ensure that the esoteric texts
and teachings of the ancient
yoga scriptures are physically
recorded and preserved. With
the partnership, Pure Yoga will
illustrate its support for YCIP
and the origins of yoga,
broaden awareness of YCIP,
and expose interested parties to
YCIP’s donation mechanisms
for financial support.
To kick off the partnership, an
event was held at Pure Yoga
with their teachers, and John
Brady and Geshe Michael
Roach, the Executive Directors
of YCIP. They elaborated on
the details of the partnership,
and showed a video on the
connection between the ancient
yogic texts and how they have
shaped modern-day yoga.
Teachers gained insight into the
purpose, history and yoga
lineage of this partnership, as
well as details on donation
methods and the forthcoming
workshop and class series to be
held in May 2010.
For more information about
YCIP www.yogaclassics.org
YOGA RETURNS TO FLEX IN
JANUARY 2010
In celebration of its fifth
anniversary and after
renovation of the studio, Flex
is offering yoga again. “Yoga
has always been at the spiritual
heart of the studio, and we
have missed the presence of
yoga classes since space
constraints forced us to cut
back on group classes. The reconfiguration
of the studio
allows us to once again offer a
broad range of group classes,
including yoga for adults and
children,” says Flex Director
Heather Thomas Shalabi.
The studio welcomes back
some familiar instructors
including Helena Chiu and
Laura Walsh, and introducing
two new teachers, Gro Butcher
and Tara Chellaram. Together
they offer a selection of yoga
classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays
and Fridays. The schedule
balances different styles of yoga
to cater for a diverse clientele
including the Fusion class
which is a blend of pilates and
yoga, pre-natal yoga, children’s
yoga, Iyengar style Hatha yoga
and Ashtanga inspired Power
Flow.
minutes with a maximum of 8
participants at a drop-in price
of HK$250. Packages for 5 and
10 classes are available.
Children’s yoga classes are 60
minutes, with a maximum of
10 participants. Classes are sold
in packages of 8 for HK$1,850
and drop-in price of HK$240.
For more information call
+852 2813 2212 or email
info@flexhk.com
YOGA CENTRAL WELCOMES
CHARLES TSE
Charles Tse, aka Carlos, is a
Yoga Alliance registered teacher
who started practising yoga 12
years ago. He has recently
received training in one of the
best yoga lineage institutes in
Chennai, India
(Krishnamacharya Yoga
Mandiram). He also has over
two decades of alternative
health practice experience,
including Tai Chi, Chi Gong,
Transcendental Meditation and
Zen Meditation. He teaches
private and group classes.
For more information visit
www.midoyoga.com.
BI-LINGUAL YOGA CLASSES AT
YOGA CENTRAL, HONG KONG
Charles and Karen will conduct
bi-lingual yoga classes starting
from January 2010.
For more information visit
www.yogacentral.com or call
+852 2982 4308
YOGA FOR PRE-MENSTRUAL
SYNDROME
mYoga teacher, Shirley Tse led a
workshop using yoga to
alleviate the symptons of PMS
recently as part of mYoga’s
Women’s Health Specials. The
workshop was held at their
studio in Causeway Bay.
For more information on
future workshops, call +852
2576 9990
Gro Butcher joins Flex’s yoga
Helena Chiu returns to Flex
Laura Walsh is back at Flex
6
Adult yoga classes are 75
NEW ROLFING CLASS AT COMO
Yoga Central’s Charles Tse

Learning to embrace PMS at mYoga’s Women’s Health workshop
SHAMBHALA
Singapore
Rolfing is a form of bodywork
that fine tunes the body via a
system of structural integration
through fascial restoration. It is
a holistic recovery and rebalancing
form of bodywork
especially useful for those who
are in stationary postures and
positions for extended periods
of time like cubicle workers and
constant jet-setters. It is also
beneficial for those suffering
from constant joint pain or
other stress-related conditions.
Personalised 60 to 90 minute
sessions with qualified Rolfer
administers are offered.
For more information call
+65 6735 2163 or email
singapore@comoshambhala.bz
YOGA YOGA OPENS NEW TSUEN
WAN STUDIO
The new Yoga Yoga Tsuen
Wan studio opens in January
2010 and is located on 8/F, City
Landmark 1, 68 Chung On
Street, Tsuen Wan. This studio
offers yoga and dance classes as
well hot yoga and sauna
facilities.
For more information call
+852 2866 8169
IYENGAR LEVEL 3 CLASSES WITH
PETER SCOTT
Yoga Central, Hong Kong
28 January and 4 February 2010
7 - 9 pm
For more information visit
www.yogacentral.com or call
+852 2982 4308
NEW YOGA SANCTUARY OPENS IN
COSTA RICA
When it opens on 31 January,
Blue Osa will offer yoga
students and spa goers the
opportunity to practice, rest
and recharge in one of the
world’s most beautiful and
secluded jungle beaches.
Located on Costa Rica’s Osa
Peninsula, Blue Osa will open
with 11 rooms, sleeping up to
26 people.
The yoga studio sits above the
resort and offers panoramic
views of the ocean and
mainland beyond. It can
accommodate 40 students. As
well as a dedicated yoga studio,
Blue Osa has a spa, pool and
pool pavilion, gym, restaurant,
private beach, and private
garden. The retreat center is
open to all people, though the
main target is the gay market.
For more information email
aaronstar@blueosa.com
INTRODUCTION TO SHAMATHA
SITTING MEDITATION
Oriental Spa, Landmark
Mandarin Oriental Hotel,
Hong Kong
Sundays 7, 14, 21 and 28
February 2010 from 6:15-
7:15pm
Shamatha, in Sanskrit, means
peace. The practice of
shamatha meditation is a
simple method using the
breath and awareness in order
to focus the mind. The practice
of sitting meditation is the
foundation of the Buddhist
teachings. It is also a powerful
tool for calming the mind, and
need not necessarily be practiced
within a religious context.
There will be an explanation of
basic techniques, guided
meditation, and a period of
silence, in order for participants
to experience the effects of the
practice. There will be
discussion time at the end.
For registration and more
information email lmhkg-
SpaConcierge@mohg.com
or call +852 2132 0011
AYURVEDIC COOKING COURSE –
HEALING, PREVENTION AND
HEALTH CARE
Ayurvedic style of cooking is a
method of personalizing food
for the healing process for
individuals, and a rational way
to prepare food according to
the dietary need of an
individual based on different
body types. In Ayurvedic
Cooking Course I (ACCI)
participants will learn the
fundamental theory of
ayurvedic principles of cooking,
lifestyle, eating and simple
dishes. Ayurvedic Cooking
Course II (ACCII) will be an
indepth study and practice of
course I, with more advanced
immersion of theory and
methods. Students will also
learn how to deal with health
problems through diet, prepare
a diet plan according to body
constitution, and learn about
substitutes for refined
products, recipes and home
remedies. Personal counselling
will also be provided.
Course Dates/Times: ACCI 6 -
11 March 2010 and ACCII 13-
18 March 2010 2:00-4:30pm or
7:00-9:30pm
Course fees: Early bird (on or
before 10 February 2010): ACCI
HK$1,500/ACCII HK$2,000
/ ACCI+ACII $3,200
On or after 11 February 2010:
ACCI HK$1,900/ACCII
HK$2,400 / ACCI+ACII
HK$3,800.
For more information visit
www.artofliving.org.hk or
call Sylvia Luk on +852 6103
2227.
THIRD BALISPIRIT FESTIVAL
Ubud, Bali
31 March to 4 April 2010
Held over 5 days and 4 nights,
the BaliSpirit Festival combines
over 95 yoga, dance and music
workshops with inspiring
nightly world music concerts.
This annual celebration brings
to Bali a wealth of talented and
respected creative masters from
around the world. As well as
merging the indigenous
cultures of Indonesia in the
spirit of learning, collaborating,
and celebrating its creative and
spiritual diversity.
For tickets and more
information visit
www.balispirtfestival.com
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WORKSHOPS
EVOLUTION - 4 TH ASIA YOGA
CONFERENCE
Hong Kong, China
14 - 17 May 2010
This is Asia’s largest annual
yoga event and includes
complimentary events and
more than 120 classes and
styles for practitioners of all
levels. Classes taught by world
renowned masters including:
Dharma Mittra, Ana Forrest,
Seane Corn, Ganesh Mohan,
Carlos Pomeda and many
more.
Teachers from Asia include
Patrick Creelman, Michel
Besnard, Govinda Kai, Yogi
Vishveketu, Paul Dallaghan
and Sudhakar Dheenan. It will
also house Asia’s largest
exhibition of yoga products.
For more information visit
www.asiayogaconference.com
SEEKING PRIVATE YOGA
INSTRUCTORS IN HONG KONG
Yoga company looking for
instructors for private classes in
Hong Kong and Kowloon.
Send your CV to
yogaprivate@gmail.com
HONG KONG STUDIO AVAILABLE
FOR HIRE
Large and small dance studios
are available for hire from
February 2010. Suitable for yoga
or meditation, long or short
term are welcome. Studio on
Austin Road, Kowloon.
For more information call
Judy on +852 9142 4063.
WORKING TOWARDS YOUR
BACKBEND - MIND & BODY
PROGRESSION
Yoga Central, Hong Kong
29 January - 1 February 2010
10:30 am – 1:30 pm & 3 – 6
pm
Peter Scott is back to conduct
intensives on backbends.
For more information visit
www.yogacentral.com or call
+852 2982 4308
BEYOND ASANA: TRAINING THE
MIND WITH ASHTANGA YOGA
Oriental Spa, Landmark
Mandarin Oriental Hotel,
Hong Kong
Saturdays 6, 13, 20 and 27
February 2010
10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Workshops led by Kim
Roberts using the foundation
technique of Shamatha sitting
meditation, and teaching how
the asana practice of Ashtanga
yoga can serve as a tool to
develop and stabilize
meditation practice. Awareness
will be developed in both the
traditional seated meditation
posture, as well as during
movement into yoga postures.
Students will be shown
methods for addressing
various issues that can arise at
different stages of the practice.
In conjunction with the
Saturday classes, participants are
invited to a Sunday evening
meditation which includes basic
instruction and discussion.
For registration and more
information email lmhkg-
SpaConcierge@mohg.com
or call +852 2132 0011
has studied with Mr. B.K.S.
Iyengar throughout his life and
used to give asana
demonstrations for Mr.
Iyengar. He has taught
workshops in the UK, Israel,
South Africa, Hong Kong and
Canada. Three hour classes cost
HK$700, two and a half hour
classes are HK$600. Register for
the whole workshop to get
10% discount off the total
price.
For more information visit
www.iyengaryogahongkong.com
PILATES WORKSHOP AT THE YOGA
ROOM
Hong Kong
28 February 2010
3:30 - 6 pm
Learn how to improve your
posture and strengthen your
core with Pat England, certified
pilates polestar instructor.
For registration and more
information call +852 2544
8398 or visit
www.yogaroomhk.com
MEDITATION IN MOTION WITH
GOVINDA KAI
SPACE YOGA, TAIPEI
5 - 7 March 2010
Experience a thoroughly
engaging exploration into
meditation and yoga
philosophy in a way that you
have never experienced before
with Govinda, a certified
Ashtanga teacher.
For more information visit
www.withinspace.com
Yoga teacher, sound engineer
and musician, Jack Harrison
SPANDA YOGA MUSIC WORKSHOP
WITH JACK HARRISON
SPACE Yoga, Taipei
21 March 2010
Align with spanda, the creative
pulse of the universe, in this
yoga music workshop with Jack
Harrison, an experienced
Anusara-inspired and Ashtanga
teacher. You will learn to use
sound and music as a
meditative technique.
Combined with yoga postures
and breathing, it becomes a
powerful tool to get in touch
with our real selves.
For more information visit
www.withinspace.com
ACTIVE ISOLATED STRETCHING
AND YOGA WORKSHOP
SPACE YOGA, TAIPEI
10 - 11 April 2010
Adarsh Williams will lead a
unique workshop that
incorporates the therapeutic
method of Active Isolated
Stretching in the asana practice.
You will learn how to work
with the body’s natural
intelligence to safely isolate,
stretch and strengthen all
muscles, making postures
easier and more refined.
For more information visit
www.withinspace.com
IYENGAR YOGA WORKSHOP WITH
BIRJOO MEHTA
Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong
Kong, Hong Kong
24-28 February 2010
Birjoo Mehta is an advanced
senior practitioner of Iyengar
yoga from Mumbai, India. He
8

TEACHER TRAININGS
RETREATS
100-HOUR TRAINING WITH MICHEL
BESNARD
Shenzhenm China
20 January - 4 February 2010
Yoga Alliance certified 100-hour
Ashtanga Yoga training with
Michel in U Yoga, Shenzhen,
China.
For more information visit
www.uyoga.com.cn or
www.yogasana.com.hk
ADVANCED HATHA YOGA TRAINING
AT ANAHATA YOGA
Hong Kong
30 January - 7 March 2010
This intensive training with
Yogananth Andiappan takes
teaching yoga postures to new
limits and let students set new
heights in the advanced Hatha
Yoga practice.
For more information visit
www.anahatayoga.com.hk or
call +852 2905 1822
200-HOUR VINYASA YOGA
TRAINING WITH MICHEL BESNARD
Koh Samui, Thailand
1 - 29 March 2010
With over 30 years of practice
and teaching experience, Michel
(E-RYT 500) stands out as one
of Asia’s most experienced and
knowledgeable voices. He
combines the power of
Ashtanga and alignment of
Iyengar to deliver a solid
foundation for aspiring
teachers.
For more information visit
www.teachvinyasayoga.com
or www.yogasana.com.hk or
email
info@yogasana.com.hk
200-HOUR TRAININGS WITH
CLAYTON HORTON
1 - 30 May 2010, Boracay
Island, Philippines
18 July - 15 August 2010, San
Francisco, California, USA
For more information visit
www.greenpathyoga.org
200-HOUR PART-TIME TRAINING
AT ANAHATA YOGA
Hong Kong
This course is accredited by the
prestigious M.S. University in
India and Yoga Alliance.
This part-time course is
suitable for dedicated students
who require a flexible class
schedule. The course starts on 3
May 2010 and lasts for 10
weeks.
For more information visit
www.anahatayoga.com.hk or
call +852 2905 1822
KIDZYOGA IN SCHOOLS TRAINING
Hong Kong, China
17 - 20 May 2010
This KidzYoga 4-day intensive
experiential training will equip
anyone who wants to bring
yoga to students of all ages in
schools. With educationalbased
yoga tools and
techniques, participants will
learn how to seamlessly
integrate yoga in the classroom,
PE, and start a Yoga Club, that
will foster beautiful minds,
healthy bodies and
compassionate students. This
training is perfect for parents,
school teachers, yoga teachers,
nurses, OTs, PTs, and other
child-focused individuals.
Tuition cost is HK$7,500 for
early bird and HK$8,500
regular.
For registration and more
information visit
www.kidzyoga-asia.com or
call +852 9861 6227
Kim invites you to join her in
Bhutan
CHANGE YOUR MIND -
YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREATS
WITH KIM ROBERTS IN BHUTAN
Zhiwa Ling Hotel, Bhutan
23 - 27 April 2010, 7 - 11 May
2010, 21 - 25 May 2010
Inspired by the natural beauty
and spiritual heritage of
Bhutan, this retreat teaches
how training the mind to be
present is not a chore or
something that requires
superhuman discipline - it is
simply to appreciate what is
right in front of us. Yoga
serves as a tool to stabilize
meditation practice, which
helps us to develop the ability
to be fully present and peaceful.
Daily programme includes yoga
and meditation sessions,
outings to significant
landmarks in Bhutan, as well as
vegetarian meals and spa
treatments. Morning practice
will be more invigorating, while
evening practice will consist of
restorative poses and seated
meditation.
During the day, various
excursions to local cultural and
religious sites will be arranged.
Optional 3-day excursion to
Gangtey is available during 21-
25 May 2010.
For more information on
Zhiwa Ling Hotel in
Bhutan’s peaceful Paro
valley visit
www.zhiwaling.com For
more information on the
retreat visit
www.papayayoga.com/
zhiwalingretreats or email
papayayoga@gmail.com
YOGA RETREATS WITH CLAYTON
HORTON
16 - 23 October 2010, Yoga
Thailand, Koh Samui,
Thailand, www.yogathailand.com
6 - 13 November 2010, Lao
Liang Island, Thailand,
www.leelatravel.com
20 - 27 November 2010,
Somatheeram, Kovalam, India,
www.leelatravel.com
Clayton offers several retreats,
workshops and teacher
trainings this year
9

Dristi Pratyahara
Be an Insider
Kim Roberts
10
RECENTLY I WAS INVITED TO GO
on an all expense paid vacation to a tropical
beach in Mexico. Of course, I accepted.
Then I started having nightmares. I noticed
my breathing get shallow when I thought
about it, I noticed my thoughts making
excuses for the disruption it would cause in
my schedule and the commitments that
would have to be broken.
I realised I didn’t want to go. I don’t
particularly like (or dislike) Mexico, I was
attracted just because of the glittering carrot
of a free holiday and because everyone is
supposed to like tropical vacations. It turns
out I would rather spend that time
practicing with my teacher in India. But to
get to that point of admitting it to myself,
much less to others, who will no doubt
not understand my choice, it took several
weeks of internal chaos. I was trying to
convince myself I wanted to go.
It is quite easy to go through life guided by
outer signs. Our family guides us toward
our station in life, peers urge us to conform
or rebel in certain ways, some of us look to
fashion magazines to know what to wear,
the evening news advises us whether or not
to bring our umbrella tomorrow.
Only a man who knows
how to unlock the
treasures of the inner
world, can dare to
renounce the
outer one.
Lama Govinda
It creates fewer waves to go through life
doing what others expect of us. Some of
us are so good at it we have convinced
ourselves that what we should do is
actually what we want to do. We look
around to see what everyone else is doing
to make our own decisions about how to
proceed along this path called life.
Even spirituality these days has fallen prey
to peer pressure. We look outside to find
clues to stay on a path that will lead us
inward. How does my practice look? Is it as
good as my neighbor’s? Am I following
the rules of how and when to practice? The
only problem with this is if you are
looking outward at the path that is
pointing inward, then it is arguably no
longer a spiritual path.
So we have to learn to look inward. The
Tibetan word for Buddhist is nangpa, which
translates as “insider.” It doesn’t mean an
insider in the sense of hanging with the
cool crowd. It means one who has turned
her attention inward; one whose allegiance
has shifted from outer to inner reference
points.
Our sense perceptions keep us connected
with the outer environment: we taste with
the tongue, see through the eyes, hear with
the ears, smell through the nose, feel the
body. But the mind is also a sense faculty -
we perceive thoughts through the faculty
of the mind. In fact, without the mind to
translate our experience of the other five
senses, we might not be so caught up in
the external world. Birdsong would just be
an experience of sound, without the label
and mental image of a bird with its
associated memories.
Ego is that mechanism that reacts to and
embellishes these experiences, which we
attribute to outer circumstances. We prefer
certain sensations to others, which creates
desire and aversion. We form our selfimage
based on how our environment
reflects itself back to us. People praise or
blame us, events make us happy or sad,
our efforts bring fame or anonymity, we
become rich or poor.
Most of us spend our lives striving for the
positive side of these dualistic perceptions.
But why not strive to understand that this
very ambition is what leads us to suffering?
Wealth can turn to poverty overnight, our
comfortable situation can dissolve instantly,
as for praise, fame and good reputation,
one wrong word out of your (or someone
else’s) mouth and your good name is gone.
How do we loosen the grip of these
pressures to conform to an accepted
standard of living? We may practice yoga
and meditation for years and years, but if
we are still looking outside for answers,
then what is the point of practicing? Aren’t
we practicing to develop self-awareness, or
Self-awareness, which is ultimately egoless?

Equanimity, or total acceptance, is the basis
of egolessness. When we draw the sensory
awareness inward, we stop giving so much
importance to whatever it is that the senses
convey to us. Its not that we stop hearing
or seeing or feeling, its simply that we no
longer come to a screeching halt in order to
create a story out of those bits of
information. Our allegiance shifts to the
background beyond the display of the
phenomenal world. Then we can listen to
ourselves.
This process of shifting allegiance takes
time. In my Mexico dilemma, I needed
outside help to see what was happening
internally. I asked one of my teachers for
advice. While we are still learning to listen,
sometimes our internal truth is more
obvious to those who know us well. This
is why we have teachers and sangha, our
fellow practitioners, to help show us the
way to listen to our hearts. But ultimately,
the source of deep wisdom is only to be
found inside. Be an insider. Listen to
yourself.
It is not wisdom to be only wise
And on the inner vision close the eyes
But it is wisdom to believe the heart.
Santayana
Kim Roberts leads yoga
and meditation retreats in
Bhutan. Papayayoga.com
From Pranayama to Pratyahara
Paul Dallaghan
PRATYAHARA IS TAUGHT AND DISCUSSED IN MANY TEXTS ON YOGA AND
related philosophies. In this article, I attempt to offer a simple and workable
understanding of it.
The most popular reference to pratyahara is as one of the eight limbs (ashta – angas) as
presented by Patanjali. He describes it as the fifth limb and later refers to these five limbs as
part of external yoga (bahiranga yoga):
sva-vishayasam-pra-yoge chittasya sva-rupanukara ivendriyanam pratyaharah
YS II. 54
When the senses cease their contact with the objects in their realm, they become assimilated
with mind-field’s nature, a withdrawal, known as pratyahara.
Pratyahara is not so much something you do, but
something that happens, primarily an outcome of
pranayama and mindfulness practices.
As it is related to objects of the outside world it is an external limb of yoga, yet it is the
bridge to the final three internal limbs of dharana, dhyana and samadhi.
In a nutshell, when the energy of life, prana, has been managed skillfully through
pranayama, energy is concentrated within and does not travel to, or leak out of, the sense
organs. Even though the organs remain as part of the body, the force behind it which
causes the contact with the outside object, is withdrawn. You no longer waste energy
outward. This is a process cultivated over time until it becomes a true nirodha, or control of
chitta vrittis, all the subtle activity, and one is moved to a deep internal state.
At the beginning of the Yoga Sutras Patanjali uses nirodha to explain how yoga is achieved.
This nirodha is a channeling or controlling and the means to do this are given under abhyasa,
repeated practice, and vairagya, non-dependence or non-attachment. A high level of vairagya
would be similar to a perfected pratyahara. This comes from your continuous effort to
work on yourself. To watch your thoughts and behavior, treatment of others and yourself,
manage, ideally skillfully, the energies of the body and breath, will, in time, refine the
internal energetic process of life and lead to a greater control over the senses.
For Patanjali pranayama brings about the state of pratyahara which, when perfected,
culminates and concentrates the energy at the base of the spine, without any further
outward stimulation through the peripheral nerves or sense organs. The practitioner has a
deep internal experience he calls dharana. In tantra and hatha it is called the experience of
kundalini, stimulating our true potential energy thereby raising consciousness.
Your world consists of the things you come in contact with. How much you are pulled by
them will cause you to feel free or trapped, joy or misery. Your experience of the world is
directly based on your contact with it. This is why two people in similar circumstances can
have very different experiences. You can try to understand the other’s plight, and your
higher sense will appeal to their circumstance and feel compassion, but ultimately you are
only experiencing all you come in direct contact with. When you go into a true deep sleep
where does this world go? It does not cease. Only your contact with it does. At the point
of pratyahara one has mastered the ability to indulge in the world, via the senses and mind
activity, or withdraw and gain, as it were, an inner growth.
11

Pratyahara is really a
practice of awareness,
mindfulness and
self-discipline.
As pratyahara refines, the practitioner goes from a mini experience of it in concentrated
moments to a heightened awareness and mindfulness at all times throughout the day. In
such a case the outer object is noticed, the sensation within is observed, the capacity to
withdraw is present and integrity is preserved. Early on, an effort to withdraw is required
but over time there is an automatic internal centering and the possibility of distraction or
temptation is minimal. This does not mean you become boring but rather a champion
over your desires and sensual pulls. You can still enjoy the activity of the senses as need be
in life. You eat chocolate, enjoy it! But are you pulled strongly to eat it every time you see it
or think about it?
Pratyahara is really a practice of awareness, mindfulness and self-discipline. For this to
occur, you need support and grounded strength. This is the guidance and advice from the
first four limbs; how you live and how you manage the energies of life. If you are making
an effort to live peacefully, honestly and respectfully, and practice a daily routine of
techniques that are based on a sound tradition, the result will be an increased level of
awareness. From there the advanced techniques of pranayama will bring about a more
complete pratyahara.
The heightened awareness of the mind’s functions and the continual practice of
observance on it, as is taught in various vipassana traditions, will lead to the activity of the
mind, the energy or prana, being inwardly concentrated. The flow out of the senses is
reduced and in the moment of deep experience it is temporarily stopped, or withdrawn so
the senses receive no output. As a result, the mind does not make contact with the external
object. When this happens, the energy within will cause such concentration that the only
outcome would be dharana, an awakening of the potential energy.
Life functions through the senses and wants to pull us out all the time. The yoga process
says, “oh man, turn within”. Upon living clean, honorably mastering the practice, especially
the flow of the breath, such a shift in the flow of internal energy can occur that it is not
automatically pulled outward but managed within.
As the practitioner continues to refine this, a tremendous sense of inner strength, as well
as calm and peace, arises. It is not a state of leaving the world but rather a capacity to better
handle the world and ultimately be of more help to others. However, the only way is
through a form of self-practice. It does not magically appear it is earned. Love, care and
attention can ensure that. Patience, enthusiasm and perseverance bring it about over time.
Perform your daily practice with a sense of connection and feeling, and
throughout the day try to observe your thoughts, words, actions and
desires. Don’t suppress them but build the awareness. This is why you
need care and patience. Be happy!
Paul is director of Centered Yoga and Yoga Thailand on Koh Samui.
yoga-thailand.com / centeredyoga.com
Awaken your Senses
Joanna Pearce
HAVE YOU WORN A BLINDFOLD?
One of my friends gave me a wonderful
treat for the senses when she put a
blindfold across my eyes. She fed me
delicious foods such as banana and
mandarin segments. The texture of the
fruits tickled my lips before juicing up my
taste-buds. She whispered uplifting phrases
into my ears and played sweet music in the
background. My nose experienced
delightful aromas as she held bottles of
fragrance below my nostrils. She massaged
my hands with essential oils and I melted
into the plethora of sensory experience.
In this modern world we are all too easily
led by sight, arguably our most powerful
sense. We are bombarded with bright neon
lights of the city and visual advertising
brands. Our eyes are so powerful that when
we try to close them for meditation we
can’t help but open them now and then for
a quick glimpse of our surroundings or the
person in front of us. We are so attached to
our sense of sight we find it difficult to
ignite the remaining four. In yoga, we often
12

Dristi Pratyahara
Prat
atyahar
ahara a through Mantr
tra
Sankirtana dasa
IMAGINE YOU ARE FLOATING IN A
liquid the temperature of your own body.
You are not aware of light, odour, taste or
noise. You are without external sensual
perception, though you are left with
enough oxygen to breathe comfortably.
You are alone with all the experiences
gathered in your mind from your lifetime.
How would you perceive this situation?
In the 1970’s, stimulus reduction devices
called “Samadhi Tanks” were created. Such
tanks provide conditions similar to what
yogis achieve when they close the doors of
the senses, diverting their energy from the
external to the internal. They then realise
their identity is not the body or the mind,
but eternal conscious beings.
This process is technically called pratyahara
the fifth limb of the eight limbs of the
Astanga Yoga system.
Pratyahara is derived from prati, “just the
opposite”, and ahara, “acquiring”. Presently,
our senses are engaged in acquiring worldly
beauty. “Just the opposite” means
retracting the senses from outward beauty
to see internal beauty. Seeing can also be
taken as hearing, specifically the Omkara
sound from within. For this purpose all
the other senses are withdrawn from
external activity. The mind will become
situated in trance, or samadhi, fortified by
conviction and already purified through
pranayama (the fourth limb).
Whenever there is contact with the senses,
the mind is involved and therefore
pratyahara has much to do with mind and
consciousness. Once the modifications of
the mind are set right, it is not necessary to
make any extra effort to control the senses.
An analogy given in the yoga sutra by Srila
Vyasadeva is of the queen bee (our mind).
When she flies, all the bees fly (our senses)
and when she sits, all the bees sit around
her. Hence, proper mindset is crucial.
The mind, like a sponge, absorbs
everything it comes in touch with. In the
Bhagavad Purana, one of the four saintly
Kumaras tells King Pritu: “When one’s
mind and senses are attracted to sense
objects for enjoyment, the mind becomes
agitated. As a result of continually thinking
of sense objects, one’s real consciousness
almost becomes lost, like the water in a lake
that is gradually sucked up by the big grass
straws on its bank” (Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.22.30).
The example is very appropriate. If a lake
is surrounded by long grass, the waters dry
up. Similarly, when material desires increase,
the clear water of consciousness dries up
and one’s original state of consciousness
vanishes.
I find the experience with mantra essential
for pratyahara. The word man-tra means to
extract (tra) from the mind (man) those
things that are unnecessary. In the early
Pratyahara is derived
from prati, “just the
opposite”, and ahara,
“acquiring.”
talk about reaching a balanced state. Should
we not apply this balance to each of our
five senses as well?
Pratyahara is often described as ‘withdrawal
of the senses’ but perhaps we should first
explore what exactly we are withdrawing
from? By choosing to turn down the
volume on the most dominant sense, we
turn up the volume on the remaining ones.
Playing with a blindfold is just one
example of how we can have fun with
awakening our senses. Another exercise you
can try is the silent disco! At a music festival
in England there was a tent housing a
silent disco. People could choose to either
wear wireless headphones to hear the
music, or wear no headphones and dance
to their own inner beat in a silent room.
Try it at your next party!
There is so much pleasure to be had when
we awaken our senses. It is part of our
experience with the human body to be
touched by another, to smell a sweet
flower, to taste delicious food, to listen to
good music and to open our eyes to
beautiful smiling faces. I encourage you to
blindfold a friend today and give them the
gift of sensory experience!
Joanna is a freelance
yoga teacher based in
Hong Kong. You can
follow her blog at
www.englishroseyoga.wordpress.com.
She is also a volunteer
writer and copy editor for
Namaskar.
13

Dristi Pratyahara
morning when it is still quiet and after a
good rest, one can chant and listen carefully
to the sound of the mantra.
The consciousness is
usually alert to the
sound and pays no
attention to any other
sensual perceptions.
One enters a state of full absorption, not
of the external reality, but rather of a
personal eternal relationship with the
“Param-Brahman” or the Absolute Truth
from which everything is generated
(Bhagavad Gita 10.12). This daily practice
equips one to handle all kinds of challenges
life inevitably offers, without falling prey to
unwise actions in mind, words and deeds.
The extreme opposite of pratyahara is
atyahara. Ati simply means “too much” of
ahara (collecting or acquiring). In other
words, it means too much sensual life. The
entire world is in a crisis because of
atyahara. What is a healthy balance? In this
modern age can we find a balance between
withdrawing (pratyahara) and worldly life
and still be progressive in yoga? Is there a
golden middle to advance towards samadhi
and also live in the here and now?
The Yogi interacts with the phenomenal
world like a steward carrying out his job
without any undue sense of ownership or
any sense of separate selfish enjoyment.
They understand everything belongs to the
original source, including their own self.
14
This form of pratyahara is technically
known as “Yukta Vairagya” or the practical
renunciation through karma yoga. Karma
yoga brings about the attainment of
purified consciousness and ultimately
results in complete freedom from dualities.
Through karma yoga one acts according to
one’s natural position and thus is in
harmony with the universal laws, thereby
safeguarding the eco-system of this planet.
From my own practice I suggest the four
following steps for pratyahara:
1) Rest early to rise early, ideally one and a
half hour before sunrise.
2) Use the early morning hours for mantra
meditation which equips you with purity
and strength of mind.
3) Read the yoga scriptures daily to learn to
see things in relation the Absolute.
4) Make an honest living and give liberally
to a worthy cause to counteract the atyahara
tendency.
These steps work for me and they will for
you too. Personally I also get much
guidance from reading the Bhagavad-Gita.
And fate willing, we can share more
through Namaskar. Om Tat Sat.
Sankirtana holds a
degree as yoga
teacher from the
Vrindavan Institute for
Higher Education. He
works with a travel
agency in Bejing
taking Chinese
students to Rishikesh,
Bodhgaya and other
holy places in India.
Sankirtana.lok@pamho.net
Senses: The
Instruments of
the Mind
Hersha Chellaram
OUR WHOLE LIFE IS BASED ON
experiences - success and failure, pleasure
and pain, love and loss. They become
relevant and understood via the mind’s five
key instruments - the senses. Through our
senses, we are able to experience a variety of
sights, sounds, smells, tastes and
textures. Our world is like a beautiful
Garden of Eden, given to us to enjoy.
The only problem is many of us do not
view our world as Eden. The nature of our
minds encourages us to be fearful,
possessive and overindulgent. This stems
from a legitimate intention to find security
and happiness, but without the right
understanding, we are misguided and
venture away from our peace. The practice
of Pratyahara - controlling the senses or
withdrawing the senses - is a tool to help
retrain the mind to enjoy life to its fullest.
The story of Genesis symbolically parallels
this concept. Adam and Eve were given the
entire Garden of Eden to enjoy. However,
they were tempted to eat the fruit from the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil. Although they were given this
knowledge to see life’s dualities, this
knowledge ‘banished’ them from seeing
the beauty of Eden.
Symbolically speaking, they were no longer
able to experience the cosmic consciousness
behind the entire creation. This story
simply illustrates one of our basic human
traits - when temptation comes in, we lack
self-control on many levels. This lack of
control leads us astray from finding our
true happiness. The practice of yoga’s eight
limbs (Ashtanga Yoga) provides a means
to reunite our individual consciousness
with the cosmic consciousness, and
experience our Garden of Eden once
more. Pratyahara, the fifth limb, is a practice
to help us along the way, but involves strict
discipline and self control.
Most of us are not even aware of our

senses, except when they become the vehicles of fulfilling our desires. We all have a great
love for some object - a taste, a smell, a feeling - and have a constant desire to experience
this over and over again. We do not even need to have the object physically in front of us
to desire it. Just a thought is enough to create an impression in the mind and the desire to
experience it once more. For many practicing yogis, the notion of discipline and control
seems quite contrary to the goal of yoga, which is liberation. The discipline is necessary.
Sri Swami Satchidananda explained this concept simply: “The mind is a chariot and our
senses are like the five horses. If we do not control the reins, the horses will be allowed to
run all over the place, making the chariot a very hazardous place to be. By taking a firm hold
of the reins and disciplining these horses, we are able to direct the chariot to a designated
destination.”
Withdrawing the senses is a practice that leads us inward to understand the workings of
our minds. All types of yoga practices lead us toward meditative states. Through
meditation we can then understand and control our own minds. Sit down quietly for a few
minutes and observe how much the mind bounces from one thought to the next.
Controlling the mind is not easy or straightforward. With time and dedicated practice, we
can develop the ability to observe our thoughts. We can clearly see how our thoughts reflect
the current situations in our lives. The next stage is to let go of the thoughts that do not
bring us closer to our inner peace. We can start by controlling the external influences,
creating boundaries in which the mind can run. The same way a trainer allows a wild horse
run around in an enclosure before putting on a saddle and reins. Like a wild horse, the
mind will protest and try to escape or throw off the disciplinarian, but eventually it calms
down. Working to control the senses is an indirect way to steady the mind.
There are many practices that help withdraw the senses from the external world, bringing
consciousness inward. The Hindu temples of India are a good example of how Pratyahara
is practically applied. Walking into a temple, the sounds are of chanting and bells ringing;
the smells are of incense and flowers; the sights are of incredible architecture and ornate
deities; the worship service involves offering many different items to the deities that you
touch; and finally the offering is usually something to eat. All the senses are engaged in the
ritual of worship.
In our modern, urban society, the practice of observing fasts brings discipline to our
diets. The food we eat is a major causative factor of today’s diseases. Screening and limiting
what we watch on television, read on the internet, or hear on the radio, helps to steady our
minds. How we decorate our homes influence our minds as well. One of the best practices
is silence, known as Mouna. Many times, we speak before we think and can cause harm to
others and even ourselves. Not only does Mouna help us control what we say, it turns us
inward completely to observe our minds.
All practices of Pratyahara are meant to bring the mind inward. No spiritual practice
should cause harm to anyone. Pratyahara is one of the most misunderstood limbs of
yoga. Many practicing yogis take their discipline to the extreme, where they deny many of
their fundamental needs for the sake of spiritual practice. I have witnessed many yogis
withdraw from the world completely, denying themselves of any possible pleasure they
might experience. The true practice of sense withdrawal is to bring us inward and at peace,
while joyfully living in the world; being a full member of this existence; and embracing our
humanity. Yoga practices of all kinds boil down to one key theme: having an easeful body,
a peaceful mind, and a useful life. Like a trained horse, our minds are free to wander about
the Garden of Eden, to places that bring us closer to understanding our
true nature - total peace and supreme joy.
The practice of
Pratyahara is a tool to
help retrain the mind
to enjoy life to its
fullest.
Hersha has studied yoga under Sri Swami Satchidananda since she was a
child. She is certified in Integral Yoga’s Basic and Intermediate Hatha,
Raja Yoga, Prenatal Yoga and Cardiac Yoga. She offers a programme
called Corporate Karma, designed to bring ethics to the workplace. She
has recently become a full-time mom and is experimenting with mom and
baby yoga. www.hershayoga.com www.corporate-karma.com
15

Dristi Pratyahara
Inside Looking Out
Wendell John A. Frando
I wish that I could see
more of that ethereal face of yours,
not only when light strikes its surface,
but even in the midst of darkness.
I wish that I could hear
that symphony that you are playing
beyond its broken notes and rests,
beyond the capacity of my limited hearing.
If I could only touch this,
this moment of play that you do
and hold it in my hands for a while -
(If only I had that ability)
Karma Yoga
Sat
atyagr
agraha, aha, a School
for Life
Peter Lloyd
NESTLED WITHIN THE VILLAGE OF UBUD IN BALI,
Indonesia lies a remarkable school and living experiment
promoting a yogic lifestyle. You would hardly tell you were so close
to the busy village, surrounded by beautiful trees, bamboo, running
river, a cooling breeze and a stillness far away from the tourist
traffic.
The name of the school Satyagraha – the same name Ghandi gave
to his movement – meaning ‘Truth Force’ (Living a life in truth) in
Sanskrit, has been set up to live and embody yogic values.
Currently the project consists of an organic garden, herbal garden, a
school for yogic philosophy and physical asana (posture) practice
and a beautiful Wantilan Structure (Balinese style house).
For I am a limited beholder of beauty,
and my senses can only take me as far.
and because, there is more to you than this,
an outward manifestation, an interpretation.
But I can be here, inside looking out;
beyond the colors and sounds everywhere,
beyond the limitations of my senses,
and embrace you from where I am found.
for in this seat of clarity and understanding,
even the blind can see, and the deaf can hear.
that even in the midst of darkness and silence,
there is truth in every touch of reality that I hold.
The Satyagraha school’s main building made of bamboo in
traditional Wantilan style
A poem for Malyn. Wendell is from the Philippines,
but is currently working in Hong Kong as a dancer.
All through the project are deeper meanings revealing living yogic
principles. The garden for instance is not just a source of organic
nourishment, a healing herbal apothecary but also is a plot given for
free to villagers for flowers to be grown for temple offerings. In the
old days woman were able to go into the fields to pick the flowers
themselves, now they have to go to the markets and buy them.
Food is seen as a medicine so children learn about not just the
healing properties of the plants but also the very act of how we
harvest them and whether that can be done with love and care.
Everything in the project is free for the local villagers, and they are
asked to contribute back to the project in a ‘receive 10 hours give 5
hours’ ratio. As all land sales for foreigners in Indonesia are
leaseholds the project will return to the village for them to carry on
looking after the land and taking care of it in the future. Everyone
16

who works there is encouraged to practice yoga at least 3 times a
week so that it becomes a living place of practicing the philosophy
of yoga. The food is all vegetarian with soya milk.
The school for yogic philosophy and studies allows village kids an
extra curricular deepening into the Hindu religion. In addition to
Asana practice, studies include working on the land, showing how a
life based on yoga can work and teaching life skills ‘giving them a
centre into their authentic selves’.
The Wantilan traditional bamboo structure, Indonesia’s largest and
tallest Balinese bamboo house made was with a mixture of
bamboo, palm leaves, ylang ylang roofs, and river stones. All the
flooring, steps and structures are made from bamboo. It’s a
stunning building, full of beautiful artwork, large river stones and
lots of bamboo in various functions as well as luxurious pieces of
Balinese wood craftsmanship.
The inspirations for the house are again multifold; to demonstrate
sustainability in all of its building materials and that it be rented
out to guests when the founder is away which will then pay for the
The centre is set up by the Breath of Hope Foundation, a non-forprofit
educational oragnisation. Therese Poulsen the founder of
Breath of Hope, says of the charity’s vision that “it is really serving
the understanding that life is our practice. And within the practice,
we have an opportunity to look in the mirror and take
responsibility and act accordingly.”
Having taught children in the US, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia for
many years she learnt that yoga can strengthen children emotionally,
physically, giving them a greater sense of control, direction and
concentration over their lives. “The future of our world depends on
our children. Here we can make the greatest change.”
In 2004 after the Tsunami in Sri Lanka the foundation went to
serve those most traumatised by the disaster. “Through the practice
of asthanga yoga, the children were able to find an inner strength
and find spiritual nourishment that will never desert them”. She
added “We work in orphanages, abused young woman refuges,
deaf schools; where we trained children and teachers to guide the
children through the breathing, poses and meditation as well as the
psycho-social system that comprises the practice. In such gentle
activity, the children experience the comfort of their own being –
many for the first time – and awakened possibilities beyond their
current suffering. As strength of body and spirit are rekindled in the
child, pervasive anxiety and hopelessness give way to a growing
sense of well-being.”
One of the gardens at the Satyagraha school
running of the school. There is no Air Conditioning, it’s all sliding
doors like a tree house in capturing the breeze, offering the sense of
living in flow with nature which the organic feel of the wood and
stone also bring out deeply.
The whole project has been blessed by the Hindu High Priest of
Bali, Ida Pedanda Gede Made Gunung, and he also helped in
placing all the deities, shrines, buildings and a healing garden.
Currently Breath of Hope trains teachers to bring the practices into
the classroom has worked with over 13,000 children and hunderest
of teachers in Sri Lanka teaching them the 21 month course
(interspersed with a 3 month break in the middle for integration)
and there are schools in Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai in
Thailand, Bali and one year ago they started to work in Germany.
For more information, breathofhope@gmail.com or
www.breathofhopefoundation.org
Peter is an Interfaith Minister, Findhorn Fellow, and
editor of Holistic Asia and Positive News
magazines. His asana practice has disappeared
these days but he does like singing kirtan, though
those next to him would prefer him not to. e:
peter@holisticasia.com
Healing through Yoga
On June 29 th 2008 Therese was intentionally hit by a car in Sri
Lanka, a result of the convoluted politics of the country. She has
used her yogic techniques to help heal her body and in particular her
hand which very damaged and is now documenting her recovery to
show scientifically the efficacy of yoga as a healing modality.
17

18

Yoga Off the Mat
Oh Yogin for
orge
get t not t your diet!
Bobsy
FIFTY ONE PERCENT OF ALL THE
world’s green house gas emissions come
from our diet! Insane, mad, unbelievable,
scary? Hell yeah!
Would you ever cook 20 plates of pasta, eat
one and chuck the other 19 into the bin?
How about emptying 25,000 litres of clean
drinking water down the drain before
drinking 1 litre of water? Of course you
would not!
Wrong! This is what eating 1 kilo of meat
does in today’s world, and it is a fairly
conservative estimate. The alarming list of
statistics, facts and figures goes on and on.
I run out of words to describe this insanity
going on right under our noses (literally)
day in, day out. Our natural resources, our
eco-system, our planetary stability, our
health and our right to a sustainable future
are under severe attack. This is what we are
doing collectively as a global species every
day to provide cheap meat, dairy and
seafood to our insatiable appetites.
This alarming trend is increasing not
decreasing as China and the rest of Asia
want to eat more of these foods as a sign
of development and civilisation. We are the
script writers and the audience alike.
Last March we officially launched our
campaign “Save The Human!” It was based
on a 2006 report from the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organisation called
“Livestock’s Long Shadow”. The report
stated that 18% of all green house gas
emissions are from the production of meat
and dairy. This statistic was scary enough
for us to launch a campaign in the midst of
our busy lives here in Hong Kong.
However, that percentage was too
conservative.
According to the most recent report, called
“Livestock and Climate Change”,
published by Robert Goodland and Jeff
Anhang for the World Watch Institute,
livestock industries are responsible for 51%
of all the world’s green house gases and the
figures are rising.
The fact our diet, something so intimate
and personal to us, is the number one
cause of pollution, torture, misery,
suffering and injustice is hard to swallow. It
is not “they” who are responsible. It is not
the “big nasty corporations and industries”
or the “governments”. It is us. You, me
and our loved ones are the root cause of
this and it is hard to accept.
I understand this clearly and always make
an effort to state it in my talks and school
visits. Don’t take my word for it. Do your
own research, scratch the surface and find
out for yourselves. The information is out
there. Use your judgement.
The United Nations climate conference
took place in December 2009 in
Copenhagen, or as we like to call it
“Hopenhagen”. This was an unprecedented
effort to combat climate change by the
world community and arguably a last
chance to reverse the inevitable collapse of
our civilization as we know it.
As yogis and yoginis we are closer to the
truth and we access deeper levels of
awareness. This is what our yoga teaches us
and this is what we aspire to be in our daily
lives. We need to apply our yoga and act
accordingly. We need to share this truth
with our community and our students in
creative ways if we are to see the change we
need to see in the world today. We are
blessed with the power to make a
difference. This is most effective when we
choose to benefit the entire planet and all
her beings.
For more information visit “Save The
Human!” on Facebook and Youtube.
Bobsy is a social
entrepreneur and
environmental crusader.
He owns Bookworm Café,
Life Café and is director
of Positive News.
livestock industries are
responsible for 51% of
all the world’s green
house gases
19

20

Perspective
Soften into Intensity
Tanya Boulton
YOGA CHANGES US INDIVIDUALLY
and collectively. It may not be right away,
but it is a practice of self reflection,
discovery and growth that brings us closer
to who we are.
It is a journey of great
courage, and it
requires softening,
strengthening and
letting go.
We step onto the mat with everything we
are; past, present, future, the to-do lists,
anxieties and insecurities. On top of all
that, we morph our bodies into these crazy
shapes. There are lots of layers to unravel
and discover.
We start to create a union with ourselves,
looking in rather than out. We start asking
new questions, feeling new parts of our
bodies, and touching parts of our souls we
never even knew existed.
So how do we work with, rather than
against, the shift taking place? How do you
treat the person you face day in and day
out? The relationship we have with
ourselves is the most important, and is the
most difficult. While we may love to point
fingers at partners, colleagues, friends, and
family, the truth is we must look deep
within our own hearts at the relationship
we have with ourselves.
For many years my practice with filled with
intense struggle. Why can’t I do this or that
pose? Before I knew it, my jaw clenched,
my breath was short and I was struggling
at the edge of every posture.
Looking back, these were elements of
internal struggle, too much effort and not
enough letting go. I finally took the advice
of some amazing teachers to work
compassionately and patiently with myself.
This was the first time I actually felt what it
is to soften into the intensity. I became my
own ally in the practice; and pretty soon my
jaw relaxed, my breath deepened and my
practice became somewhat struggle-free and
more enjoyable.
I’m not saying it’s easy, and I’m still
constantly challenged. But creating a space
to allow the intensity to flow, and create
softness around it, rather than hardening is
what helped me become present to the
experience taking place.
Life is about staying open to the
experiences we like and Steve dislike. I Merkley never quite
realised this until I had to deal with death
on a personal level. The overwhelming
emotions of losing someone close to you
shine some of life’s most valuable lessons.
It was the loss of my father two years ago
that taught me this; my first reaction was
seclusion, shutting down, and ignoring the
experience. Not until much later did I
realise to live and heal, I would have to
soften into the intensity of this experience.
For me, it was a matter of softening into
intense grief and sorrow, holding the space
and breathing into it, allowing the feelings
to flow rather than shutting down. Only
then did I move towards healing and life.
Being present just
takes stopping for a
moment and taking the
time and space to feel.
Many yoga teachers talk about experiences
on the mat being parallel to those off the
mat. This is true if we are willing to feel in
our practice and daily life, work
compassionately with ourselves and move
our focus inside. This takes a conscious
relaxation and letting go. We really can’t
realise the parallels on and off the mat if
we aren’t conscious and present to what is
going on. If we are jumping from thought
to thought, working unconsciously in daily
life or on the mat, it’s difficult to see what’s
really taking place before us and within us.
Conscious relaxation and letting go can be
one of life’s most challenging experiences.
But the experience is worth the challenge.
When we are focused on looking inside -
be still, quiet, and relax into the present
moment of a pose or life challenge - we
may not like what we see or feel.
Nevertheless the focus is about being
present to exactly what is in front of us and
inside of us. If we soften into life’s intense
moments whether joy, sorrow, worry, or
laughter, then we can work
compassionately with ourselves and
ultimately with others.
Tanya is a freelance and
private yoga instructor in
Hong Kong and is
launching her own yoga/
casual clothing line.
tanyaboulton@gmail.com
21

22

Perspective
What is Authentic?
Aerin Alex O’Malley
I’VE BEEN BOMBARDED BY THE WORD AUTHENTIC
lately, both in advertising for Yoga schools and the dissemination
of wisdom, idiomatic sayings: “Learn to teach Authentic Yoga.”
“Open yourself to personal well being authentically”. “If your
intention is authentic, we can change the world with love”.
This is akin to saying the world we’ve created is not real or
authentic. In the context of yoga teacher trainings, behaviour, or
style of yoga, there is an inherent judgement required by the
speaker putting down style and process choices. It’s exclusionary. It
creates a “better than” situation where none need exist and seems
the antithesis of the spirit of yoga.
I am reminded of a yoga teacher who said “If you are not a
vegetarian, you are not a true yogi”. I read this to be, “you are not
authentic”. It’s insulting and says unless I follow your path, I am
not on the good one myself. There are many terrific reasons to be a
vegetarian. But it’s egotistical when applied as definitive, authentic
definition of yoga.
I know Hindus, who are vegetarians and who eat chicken. Are the
vegetarian Hindus more authentic than those who eat meat?
Do all of these folks using the word authentic in their advertising
and teachings have a direct line to the beginning of yoga? What
makes one more authentic than the other?
By using the word authentic in this context, are you covering up
your lack of study, of truth, of expertise, and at the same time,
insulting the competition and clientele by underestimating their
need and right to make informed and educated choices? I recognise
there is a need to distinguish oneself in such a saturated industry
and I am hopeful that Yogis will continue to grow and positively
affect the energetic body of human kind with out insulting our
growing community.
I propose a challenge to the Yoga Community. Let’s define the
word as it pertains to us. Let’s reach beyond the smallness of
ourselves and get past judging being “better” than the other. Yoga
in its most broad definition (in English) is Union, the yoking of
breath to body, of soul to the universe.
We, particularly in the West, would do ourselves a favour to
demand more transparency in consumerism. To those of you
brave enough to take on the label of “teacher” or “master”, I issue
the challenge to be clear and transparent about your teachings, your
practice, your offerings to all of us. Those who
resonate authentically with individuals will
prevail.
Alex splits her time between India and San
Francisco, running teacher trainings, workshops,
private, studio and corporate classes.
alex@meeturfeet.com
23

24

25

Teacher’s Voice
Marksim Karki
Marksim is a certified yoga teacher from
the Sivananda tradition and taught in India
for over 7 years. He is currently teaching
at True Yoga (True Fitness) in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. He continues to learn
and teach yoga with enjoyment and without
judgement.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST CHALLENGING ASANA
AND WHY?
Savasana – Corpse pose. During my practice
of over 12 years I have only truly
experienced savasana a few times. After every
practice, it’s good to do savasana for 5-10
minutes to regain our energy balance. The
feeling after savasana is not the same every
time, it depends upon the state of the
mind. Our mind is constantly thinking
about the external and it’s unable to relax.
We may be physically stable but mentally
unstable. Stabilizing the mind is not easy.
What I gained from savasana is not just
relaxation, it’s the feeling of emptiness
beyond relaxation. The conscious mind,
but without thought, completely detached
from physical awareness.
The first time I did savasana for about 45
minutes (Yoganidra), I just slept! Doing
savasana for more than 20 minutes is not as
easy as we think. One day I experienced the
feeling of emptiness in savasana. It is
something I have only experienced very few
times, but it’s hard to describe. There is no
awareness of my physical body and no
thoughts in my mind to disturb that state.
It’s similar to when we go to sleep, we
don’t know when we will reach the state of
deep sleep, the dreamless state. Because the
nature of our mind is whenever it achieves
something or becomes comfortable, it
never remains there. Whenever I am
comfortable in savasana it’s always a
challenge for me to go beyond the physical
boundaries to get to that dreamless state.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THIS ASANA?
A lot! I used to think savasana was just a
relaxation pose so I created a barrier in my
mind that stopped me from going deeper.
My awareness remained only at the level of
relaxation and not beyond. When I finally
gained a deeper level of experience, I
realised I was my own barrier. After that I
was much more mindful when doing other
asanas. It’s like when you hear a proverb or
words of saints, you grasp its meaning
according to your own maturity, experience
and level of understanding of life. Once
your level of understanding grows, the
same words will have different and deeper
meaning than before. So when we make
the judgement that savasana is just
relaxation, we create our own boundary.
Once we cross these borders and detach
from such limitations, we can experience
something more profound plus the joy of
the pose.
You cannot judge an asana from its
external look, savasana looks easy but to
really experience it is very difficult. This
applies in our practical life as well. We can’t
judge someone as good or bad only by
seeing them. But often we determine
someone on first impression and later we
realise we were wrong. This applies to
myself too. I learned not to overestimate
or under estimate any posture, person or
situation. I also learned each and every pose
is limitless. I now try to apply the
experience I gained through the practice
into my practical life. After many years, I
have learned that living in this world is the
practice, not just doing the postures.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF
YOUR PRACTICE?
Keeping up a regular practice. I was more
regular in my practice when I was a yoga
student, mainly because I am lazy.
Regular for me means to practice at the
same time every single day. Some days the
time varies and some days I skip my
practice. Once I became aware of this and
corrected myself to avoid making the same
mistake again. Luckily I became a yoga
teacher and through teaching I am
constantly in touch with this thought. I
also realise yoga is not just about an hour
of practice but it’s a way of life.It’s an
ongoing process, that’s never-ending. It
gives new meaning in my life and enables
me to handle daily situations easier. Still,
doing my personal practice regularly is quite
challenging but that challenge helps keep
me motivated.
26

Practice
The Mixed Up Monster
ers
James Figueria
THERE IS A SAYING THAT “LIQUOR
before beers has no fear. Beer before liquor
never sicker”.
This little saying tells you if you’re going to
be out partying, drink the stronger stuff
first and then move to the less hard alcohol
so as not be completely hung over in the
morning. In other words, don’t mix your
drinks. I wish there was a similar saying for
the practice of yoga.
Maybe “method before practice all can
happen, practice before method deadly
hazard” I don’t know something like that.
You can tell I’m no poet.
The point is don’t mix
your yoga.
In the last four years I have met at least two
dozen students who just go from yoga
class to yoga class and teacher to teacher,
never really understanding what they are
doing. Students ask me for advice on their practice and then argue that’s not what they were
told by another teacher from a completely different method of yoga.
I have also met teachers practicing and teaching sometimes more than five types of yoga.
One student/teacher I met some years ago told me she had been teaching for two years. I
asked what kind of yoga she was studying. She said hatha yoga, yoga therapy, vinyasa flow,
prenatal yoga and she had taken a hot yoga teacher training. I’m not kidding!
I understand when yoga crosses cultures things are bound to change because beliefs are
different, society is different and people think differently. But there is something to be said
for the traditional method of learning and sticking with one teacher for a period of time.
Let me put it this way. If you wanted to study martial arts first, you would think about
what kind of martial art you want to learn. Then you would go to class and try it out, if
you felt some kind of connection with it you would stay and learn more.
If not, you might go and try another one. However you would most likely not go to two
or three different martial art classes at three different locations and then say to the teacher
of Kung Fu “that’s not the way I learned in Karate class”. Why? It’s because they are
different! Both different, but with the same basic goal. Such is yoga! Many paths, one goal.
In most yoga texts you will find two bits of advice:
1) Find a teacher because yoga can not be learned from books or DVDs.
2) Practise uninterrupted for a long time because yoga is experiential not intellectual.
Following a method with a teacher is the only way to gain understanding of what you are
doing. Find the method that feels right for you. Try it out for three four months and then
see how you feel and if you want to try another, it’s okay.
Then there are those who teach two or more different styles of yoga and like I said before
there are very few teachers in the world who know and understand enough about yoga to
do such a thing. Even such a teacher has had a teacher who has guided them to that point.
It’s true through yoga anyone can develop a greater sense of self awareness. However, it
takes discipline. The same discipline that takes, to become accomplished in any walk of life.
It also takes a mentor or teacher, one who has been travelling down the same path you are
on. There may come a time when we outgrow our teacher, but that only means your
teacher has done a good job of guiding you.
I once sat in on a teacher training course as an observer. I listened to a soon-to-be yoga
teacher trying to explain Trikonasana. When he finished, the host asked me for comments.
So I asked him two things:
1. what method was he using?
2. what did he want the student to understand?
As he scanned his notes for an answer, I told him the answer wasn’t to be found there. If
you had no method to follow and no teacher to learn from, then you are just handing out
information without understanding.
The host then asked me if I would like to address the group, almost as if she wanted me
to make a point she had been trying to make herself. “OK!” I said, “If you don’t mind.”
(She didn’t have to twist my arm too hard) “Pick a style, find a teacher and have a daily
practice in the method” was what I told them.
27

If you had taken away anything from this
article, let it be this. Yoga is best learned
from a teacher of a particular method. The
aim in yoga is to bring one’s thoughts
under control, to be able to develop mental
clarity. Each method of yoga goes about
this in a slightly different manner. Each
method is a branch on a tree feeding from
the same roots. Find a teacher of any
method you like, one is not better than the
other. There is no better, there is only effort
but that’s another article.
Stop mixing methods. One style, one
teacher. Learn it well. Discover all there is,
then, grow from there. If you have no
teacher near you, find one. There are a
number of qualified teachers living and
working in Asia now. Teachers who have
put years into learning a particular method
of yoga and is still learning. Finding a
teacher and develop a working relationship
with them can only be helpful.
A few tips if you are looking for a teacher:
First: Find a teacher who has a regular
practice in the method they are teaching.
Like I said… there are teachers out there
teaching one thing and doing another.
Next, it’s best to go to a yoga school not
gyms or clubs that offer classes often, (but
it’s not always so, don’t have a cow if you
teach in a gym) they are taught by people
with no practice of their own.
To start at a place that offers many kinds of
yoga is fine, but once you find yourself
interested in a particular style, seek out a
proper school, a place that specialises in a
particular style. That way you can be 98%
sure correct method is being followed.
Find a teacher you feel safe with, someone
you think is looking out for your best
interest even if they are not the most
seasoned teacher. There are many teachers
who want to prove they are good teachers
by throwing out tons of information and
showing how beautiful their practice is. A
good teacher cares about the progress of a
student only. Remember yoga is about
your own experience.
Lastly! You might have to travel a bit to
find your teachers, I had to go halfway
around the world to find mine, but when
you do, it’s worth it!
If you want to run a marathon you learn to
run steadily, so you don’t do sprint drills.
If you want to learn ball room dancing,
you stay out of hip-hop classes.
If you want to learn Kung Fu then Judo
class would be a mistake.
If you want to learn yoga then the new
Kung Fu-vinyasa-flow, hot-pole class
may not be a good idea.
James is Director &
Principle Teacher of The
Yoga Shala, Singapore.
He is an authorised
teacher from Ashtanga
Yoga Research
Institute(AYRI)Mysore,
India. He has over 25
years of teaching
experience behind him..
www.theyogashala.com.sg
28

29

30

Perspective
Musings of a Spiritual Traveller
Leah Kim
THERE ARE FEW EXPERIENCES IN
life more inspiring and invigorating to me
than travel, especially when to a different
part of the planet. I’m in the air en route to
Sydney. This is my first time venturing
south of the Equator, and I feel like a child
on Christmas Eve.
What is it about travel that is so enriching
and simultaneously unravelling? For me, it
isn’t sightseeing or the usual tourist
activities. In this day of Google Earth and
travel shows, it’s so easy to visit various
world landmarks virtually. I’m not
interested in seeing the generic or the
generically-deemed sacred. I’m interested in
visiting the sacred within myself. Just as
different people bring out different aspects
of us, different places serve as reflections to
uncover inner truths that otherwise might
not have been coaxed into awareness.
In this way, travelling is a deeply spiritual
experience for me. Sure, it’s fun and
interesting, and often delicious, but so
much more important than all of that is
the opportunity to get to know myself
better. To me, that’s what it means to be
‘spiritual’…having a relationship with
yourself. Making a conscious effort to
understand all your layers, to own and
embrace every part of you that is ‘good’
and ‘bad’, and to then earnestly serve the
world from this place of truth and clarity.
As I gaze out of the plane window at the
magnificent sky, the sun shining its everpresent
light on the layers and layers of
clouds, I am filled with awe for this
breathtakingly beautiful place we are blessed
to call our home, our Mother Earth. I am
reminded of how small I am in the context
of the planet…not small in a selfdeprecating
way, but in a way that
overwhelms me with respect, reverence and
gratitude that I get to be a part of this
amazing project of Life.
I am also reminded of a notepad I had as a
child. This notepad had a cartoon with
personified potatoes on it, and the caption
read “In the big scheme of things, we’re all
just small potatoes.”
When I bought that notepad, I had no
idea what that saying meant. I’ve never
been particularly good with American
clichés, as we didn’t use them in my family.
So I assumed it was nonsense, like the
nonsensical sayings you often find on
Asian stationery (e.g. purple bloom’s fancy
in the morning bear). But now I
understand what seemed to be gibberish
was a rather poignant and layered lesson.
We are all small potatoes rooted in our
shared earth and supported by Mother
Nature, with the not-so-small purpose to
contribute to the flourishing of all forms
of Life. And all of our seemingly
enormous yet ephemeral problems
themselves are small potatoes when
considered in the context of all things, in
the big scheme of unconditional love and
life so abundant.
Leah is a native
Californian yogini living
and loving in Hong Kong.
She loves exploring the
planet, connecting to the
Big Mind, breathing in and
out. www.beyoga.org
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31

Yoga Business
32

Teacher Training Review
TT enjoys some assistance in “Ouchasana”
Adv
dvanc
anced ed Hatha Training
from the Heart
T.T.Ho
AS I WAS CHECKING OUT WEBSITES
for a part time Teacher Training, I came
across the Advanced Hatha Yoga Teacher
Training at Anahata Yoga in Hong Kong.
So inspired had I been by Yogananth
Andiappan, since his coffee table book,
“Yoga from the Heart”, I registered for the
training without haste. I am glad I did!
We were an intimate group of 10 students,
who had Yogananth’s undivided attention
over the six-week, 200-hour course. He
selflessly shared his experience with us,
giving us a good understanding of the
asana, alignment, benefits,
contraindications as well as modifications
and hands-on assists. Also introduced
during the course were pranayama, kriyas
and mudras.
Anyone who has looked through
Yogananth’s extraordinary book of 400
asana, will immediately know he is a master
of poses. Despite this, in person he is very
down-to-earth and does not show off.
Quite the contrary he makes all students
feel at ease trying the poses.
We learned a variety of advanced poses
categorised into several series which we
practised during the training. Each was
systematic with a warm up sequence leading
into each series. Physically and mentally,
Yoganaath ensured we were all well
prepared to take on the challenge – never be
scared to try and experience. Yogananth
always suggested modifications as well as
advanced variations for each asana.
This training was definitely not for
beginners. Most of the poses were very
challenging, and certain poses were
impossible for some practitioners. In
addition to the class practices, we had self
practice and take other classes, so we would
learn about different styles of yoga and
teaching methods.
Through this training we came to
understand how little we knew, and that in
turn drove us to deepen our knowledge
and maintain a consistent practice. I also
learned yoga is not confined to the practice
in the studio, but encompasses what is
beyond the mat – attitude, thoughts,
behaviour and lifestyle.
As one of my fellow trainees said that “this
training definitely broadened my
understanding of yoga practice and its
philosophy. I become calmer and less
emotional. I truly experienced what it
means by “yoga as a way of living”. The
regular practice of yoga reduces my physical
and emotional stress, and also makes me a
better person.”
TT was introduced to yoga in 2003,
initially focusing on hot yoga but has since
practised Acroyoga, Anusara, Ashtanga,
Hatha, Power Vinyasa, Yin Yang, under
different masters. Apart from this training,
he recently completed the teacher training
certification course by MS University in
India. Currently, he is pursuing a Master
degree in Yoga. tt@barbariandesign.com
33

34

Workshop Review
The Language of f a Teacher
Dr Valerie Wilson Trower
ALEX MEDIN REMAINS A POPULAR
teacher here, although he left Hong Kong
for his native Norway last year. He returned
to Yoga Mala to lead a well attended
workshop, which I sat in on. In this article,
my aim is to record Alex’s words as he led a
shortened Ashtanga practice.
After thanking Yoga Mala, Alex reminded
us of the breath in the Ashtanga Primary
sequence: Focus on the exhale.
The workshop began with a chant, a series
of Pranayama exercises, and a reminder that
“Yoga doesn’t want you to become Hindu:
yoga is unity in diversity. It makes us see
how the patterns of our minds work.” In
the shortened Ashtanga 1 practice, he broke
down the Sun Salutation sequence in to
parts, reminding everyone to focus on the
breath, and “Sun Salutations are the most
fundamental thing about the practice.”
Reminding students not to add in-between
breathes during the practice, he observed to
achieve this “might take 10 years, or
whatever, but it doesn’t matter.” The
achievement was still worth it, despite the
length of time it took.
As a seated observer, I was surprised when
the humidity and heat of the room rose
significantly on the third Sun Salutation A,
as though the students were collectively
emitting energy as they warmed up. Again,
Alex reminded students of their breath,
“learn how to exhale properly and the
inhale will come by itself.” As the students
progressed to Sun Salutations B, he
explained “unfortunately, the progression
[of the sequence] means students forget
about the beginning. The more you can
take time over Sun Salutations: the better
your practice will be. Rushing ahead will
not help,” and “slow and steady is better.”
In Down-dog he reminded everyone “not
so much effort, just feel the breath,”
adding “yoga is about skill, steadiness, and
activity, but it is also about development,
the right receptivity: to breath a little better
with what is. Relax.”
then you will fail.”
I particularly liked his next comments
about being in the moment, “release the
effort. There is nowhere else to go but in,
just trust that. Yoga is to be explored, right
here, right now,” and: “Sometimes there is
more to be gained by taking it slow. That
brings us closer to yoga than intensive
ambition for physical perfection.”
As the practice progressed Alex repeated
several of the phrases for which he is well
known: Keep it steady, calm; Explore the
gentle receptively in the midst of the
challenge; Feel the elevation from within;
Take a step back from all your ideas and
ambitions of how you would like to be,
just be your deeper self, free from any
identity of name and form.
As I copy these words from my notes, I
can hear Alex’s voice. His guidance for
Warrior 1 was interesting and helpful “be
strong like a tank from the hip down; from
the waist: be like a flower.”
Alex mimicked not stretching properly as a
wobbly student, reminding the students
not to “try too hard to be good because
Alex helps a student feel the lightness in Sirasana
35

I also loved this “it is easier to relax the
arms, than all of the ambitions that drive
us. Believe me, to work in a non-ambitious
manner will certainly bring you much closer
to yoga than just jumping around.”
And I remember having hearing this often
“We can just relax in to the simplicity of
being. Just relax in to the here and now.”
Part way through the sequence, as the
repeated vinyasa began to tire some
students, Alex empathised “these vinyasas:
they are a real challenge and can be a real
pain. It”s tiring and difficult, but take it as a
challenge to find a new the strength from
within. The vinyasa creates more energy in
your system.”
Alex led the twisting asanas (postures) with
more oft repeated observations, which his
students will know and recognise: “to take
Mari D in one inhalation is difficult, but it
is possible with practice,” or “inhale: and
create length and expansion from within,”
and “just empty the breath, and now
exhale a little further.”
Alex suggests spending 20 to 30 breathes
in each pose in the finishing sequence.
Whilst many of us practice that in the
headstand, it had not occurred to me to try
this in the other poses.
Alex also gave good advice for those who
practice before hurrying to work “take
proper time in the finishing postures to
allow the practice to sink in,” and
suggested “if you are tired after work, let
yourself unwind with a few finishing
postures.” Again, we were reminded of
some of the suggestions for practice, which
Alex uses often. I hope readers can “hear”
Alex leading the practice through the
closing asanas: “relax the intensity and the
effort,” and “create greater expansion to the
breath, ” and “now, just relax and let the
body be,” and finally “allow the spine to
find a natural lengthening from within.”
And as students relaxed in to savasana, the
Corpse pose, at the end of the practice “let
the body and mind be, explore that steady
focus from within that does not change
and is not subject to decay.” “That
sweetness is sweeter than sugar.”
Alex finished the morning session with a
lovely explanation, I have copied the first
part and the last sentence in full: As we
learn to centre the energy of the breath, it
becomes easier to centre the mind. What is
left when you are able to still the
fluctuations of the mind; is the purity of
Spirit. The purity of consciousness, that
sees that observes and sees all the
impressions and sensations in our mind
yet is eternally indifferent to them. So now,
just let your body and mind go, rest back in
the indestructible and feel the support
from all around.
Dr V holds a doctorate in
Historial and Critical
Studies from the London
College of Fashion, The
University of the Arts,
London. She practices
Ashtanga yoga, Mysore
style and leads Hatha
yoga stretches for the Siddha Meditation
Path.
36

Workshop Review
Master Duncan Wong: Belie
elieve e the Hype
Christina Morrison
WHY DOES DUNCAN WONG SEEM
to have unlimited energy? Because he is not
self-serving! This selflessness is exactly
what this master demonstrated in his
recent series of workshops in Hong Kong,
6 - 8 October 2009.
Madonna, Sting, Demi Moore, Bjork and
other high-flyers with brains and hearts in
the right place (and, more importantly, let’s
not forget: wallet!) can’t be wrong, and
guess what? They are all Master Wong’s
past students. Take a deep breath and
prepare to be transformed.
Heaven and Earth last
and last. Why do they
last so long?
Because they are not
Self-Serving!
Lao Tzu 6000 BC
Far from the high-energy image he is
associated with, this photo of Duncan is
from http://thewitcontinuum.wordpress.com
Back at Dickson Yoga, in the heart of the
funkiest area in Tsim Sha Tsui’s shopping
mecca, we waited with bated breath for the
Master to appear. Straight from what
yogic-biographers have called his (by reason
of VIP client requests) “extreme jetsetting”
lifestyle, yet fresh from a retreat in
the mountains of Japan, Duncan comes
bounding into the room. He is glowing
with health and with the face and body that
seem to come from good intentions of
37

cosmic love and light, covered in a mix of ancient-style tattoos and
hip retro body art images, Master Wong’s energy is infectious.
His enthusiasm literally lights up the room as he gets the music
pumping with his state-of-the-art sound system and block-rockin’
beats! Think Snoop Doggy-Dogg meets Enya and you are on the
right track musically. Put simply, yoga with Duncan is never boring,
that’s for sure. The well-lit, beautifully decorated studio vibrates
with the atmosphere of adrenaline-filled ether as a team of
strangers take to their mats and mysteriously, with those tentative
first smiles at each other across the crowded room, become One.
The power of positivity oozes from every pore of Master Wong’s
time-defyingly toned physique as he takes the students through a
range of moves that combines a mix of traditional yoga with
aspects of martial arts and even some funky moves that seem to
come from the heartbeat of New York City’s hottest dance colleges.
This is just part of the experience that is a Duncan Wong
workshop; be prepared to learn aspects of Thai therapeutic
massage and little-known esoteric tips which benefit not only yoga
teachers but regular students alike. “Remember that every adult is
really just a baby, that has grown up a little,” says Master Wong as
he gently yet firmly lifts my ribcage into a soothing yet powerfullystretching
position. “So when you approach your students to help
them into an asana,” he continues, “sometimes you can imagine
you are helping a small baby to get comfortable, you know, lifting
the baby up and then placing it down gently so it can settle down
for a nap, and such.”
The students gather around to watch as Master Wong
demonstrates on various students the way to reach the deepest
points of any asana, while safely and effectively massaging them
and adjusting them into states of almost chiropractic and definitely
Patanjalic bliss of a grounded, safe and calming nature.
The workshop comprises three days with a selection of intensitylevels
and class-content. Choose from a rigorous flow-style mix for
extra sweat-value or Thai-massage inspired technique-perfecting
sessions to suit everyone from semi-experienced to seasoned
students and yoga teachers. Know that whichever workshop you
choose, life will never be the same again as Master Wong reminds
us to keep a “Kind mind, with a Smart Heart.”
While Master Wong’s style may seem confronting, challenging and
the same time exhilarating and encouraging, one may wonder if
one is ‘ready’ to take the challenge of a Master Wong workshop.
However as we leave the workshop, with a feeling of total
inspiration, it’s good to remember that as they say, “When the
student is ready, the teacher appears.”
Christina is a Hong Kong-based writer and
teacher. She first studied with Master Wong in
Shanghai.
38

Teacher Training Review
Theory & Practic
actice of f Yin
Rani Kamaruddin
IF NOT FOR PAUL AND SUZEE
Grilley, it is unlikely we would not have the
Yin Yoga classes that are so popular today.
As Paul explained at a workshop at True
Yoga in Singapore last September, Yin
Yoga is not a brand of yoga. The name
“Yin Yoga” was adopted to identify this
style of practice and to distinguish this
practice from the mainstream yang style of
practices (e.g. power yoga, ashtanga yoga).
Where yang yoga practices are associated
with the lengthening and strengthening of
muscles; Yin Yoga focuses on stressing and
lengthening connective tissues, i.e. the
ligaments, tendons, bones, fascia and even
joints of the body that are not exercised to
the same degree of intensity in a more
active yang style of practice. Yin Yoga is not
a separately invented yoga system; it is in
essence a hatha yoga practice.
The sensations of feeling the difference of
working with muscles (Yang) or connective
tissues (Yin) is best explained by the
following experiment. First, contract the
muscles of your right index finger (a yanglike
movement), now pull the right index
finger with your left hand. The range of
motion in the joint is limited because the
muscles are doing their job to protect the
bones – there won’t be any movement
when you pull that finger. Now, relax the
finger and shake it out a bit. Then pull the
right index without contracting the muscles
and notice an indentation near the knuckle.
Without the muscle engagement the stress
is on the ligaments binding the joint. In
this position the ligaments are being
stressed; a yin-like practice. In a yin practice
we are searching for a sensation underneath
the muscles. With time one will acquire the
skills to differentiate the sensation in the
muscles from the sensation in the
connective tissues.
Stressing the connective tissues is necessary
to ensure it stays healthy and prevents
tissue degeneration (under use), which as
we age can lead to osteoporosis (low bone
mass). Another aspect to maintaining the
health of our connective tissues and joints
is the hydration thereof. Stressing
connective tissues stimulates fibroblasts
(which reside in connective tissue and hold
collagen to support the tissues which
inevitably diminishes with age) to produce
more hyaluronic acid; the biggest
contributor to hydration. It is rare to find a
yang pose that will stress the lumbar spine
like a five-minute yin seal pose. That said,
“nothing is absolute”, one is not better
than the other, but a healthy balance of the
two will lead to strengthening the muscles
while maintaining the health of our
connective tissues/joints.
As much as there is no prescription for
how a pose should look like or, as Paul
humorously teased us, “look around, so
you can compare yourself with others,
don’t feel your body, just try your best to
look like the guy next to you”, there is not
a prescription for how Yin Yoga should be
practiced or sequenced or how many
minutes in a pose makes an effective yin
practice – the connective tissues respond
better to long stresses or holds, but there is
“nothing magic about holding a pose for 5
minutes”.
Every body is unique in its range of
motion. It depends on what effect you are
trying to get from a pose. For example, if
the effect is targeted at the groin area,
dragonfly (straddle forward fold) gives the
groin as much stress as frog. Yin yoga can
be incorporated into any yoga practice or
sequenced in a way suitable for its purpose.
There are no absolutes, yin and yang
supplement each other.
This has been a minor scratch in what was
covered in our 5-day Yin Yoga Teacher
Training in Singapore last September. The
practice of Yin Yoga is many layers deeper
than I could have covered in this article.
“Yin Yoga – Outline of a quiet practice” by
Paul Grilley is available in Hong Kong
major bookstores. There is a wealth of
information on Paul and Suzee’s website
(http://www.paulgrilley.com) where you
will also find information on teacher
trainings, cool bone photos, informative
writings and DVDs.
Rani is forever thankful to
the teachers who
introduced her to yoga.
This article was coauthored
by one of her
first teachers, Dawnette
Hidley, who also attended
the workshop.
Rani.Kamaruddin@gmail.com
Stressing connective
tissues is necessary to
ensure it stays healthy
and prevents tissue
degeneration
The Terrific Trio of Yin Yoga, Paul & Suzee
Grilley and Stanley the Skeleton
39

Children and teens that practice yoga
have improved focus, strength and
coordination experts say…
Yoga teaches life skills that children of all
ages, culture and abilities can learn and
benefit from, including children with
special needs.
Parents and teachers in schools around
the world are finally realizing that children
and teens are under a tremendous
amount of stress from school work,
separation anxieties, performance
pressures, poor nutrition, peer pressure,
home life, exposure to negative images
from the media and injuries related to
sports and that kids yoga is a fun, healthy
and non- competitive way of dealing with
all of these sources of stress.
Grace Hetherington, the Program
Director and Head Teacher of KidzYoga
in Schools! and the teacher trainer for
Yogakids International in Asia, says there
is much more interest today in kid’s yoga
classes and kids yoga teacher training
workshops in Hong Kong and around
Asia compared to 2 years ago when
yoga was just for most Moms who want
to have healthy bodies and enjoy their
peace when their children are in school
and their husbands are at work.
40
Nowadays, many schools incorporate
yoga into their classrooms and physical
education classes. Grace trains school
teachers and child focused individuals
here and abroad, “Breathing Life into
Learning” from Kindergarten to Year 12,
as part of their Professional Day where
they can integrate yoga into their core
curriculum. KidzYoga in Schools also
runs Yoga for Kids classes as an after
school activity.
Grace believes that actively providing
instruction and education to students (as
part of their daily classroom/school
routine) about their bodies and their
health in an invigorating, FUN and
participative way through yoga will
encourage healthy lifestyle choices.
Yoga for kids is very dynamic! Animal and
nature sounds, music, lots of laughter
and movement, and an emphasis on
imaginative play set yoga for kids well
apart from grown up yoga.
Children to teens learn and benefit more
physically and mentally when the stress
is low and self-esteem is high! They get
fit inside and out plus they learn anatomy
and physiology, ecology, geography,
math, character education, physical
education, arts and much more while they
are practicing, more than what adults
learn in their own yoga classes!

Workshop Review
A Journey into Self
Daphne Symeonides
FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE WEEKENDS LAST OCTOBER
and November, a group of 10 explorers met with a youthful and
courageous guide to delve deeper into yoga. This article is an
attempt to describe that journey.
First of all are the facts which are easiest to tell. The workshop
‘Yoga - Many Paths to One Truth’ led by L. Shyam Narayanan was
organised into 12 sections of roughly three hours each. Each
session comprised of mantra chanting, philosophical lecture,
discussion and practice. From these ten students were the recently
retired to a youthful secondary student who ranged the whole
spectrum of experience.
Because we were such an intimate group, we engaged in deep
discussion and each explored the issues at our own level and from
our own perspective. And that’s when the journey got interesting.
We shared all sorts of ideas and beliefs and mostly we shared
ourselves. Within the first day, what was a group of relative
strangers suddenly began to change. We began to grow together
both in understanding and friendship. We went from ten separate
beings working on solitary understandings to an empathetic band
of souls thinking and working in unison. We began to embody
Shyam’s teachings.
Shyam (centre back) with the writer, Daphne (second from left at
front), and other yoga explorers
In a very short time, we forged a close bond. We were eager to
come to class knowing that we’d find a room full of souls on a
journey of self-exploration, each at our own point in that journey
but excited to be sharing it with like-minded travellers. Here is a
vignette to illustrate one part of our journey – we would get to
practice eventually each session.
At first we all focused on ourselves – ‘can I get this pose right?’ As
there were only 10 it was easy for Shyam to swoop in to help,
nudge or challenge us to push our own boundaries. But we still
held on to our selves and sense of ‘how am I doing?’ As the
sessions progressed, I began to feel a change, we began to loosen
up and not only try new things as individuals but take delight in
how others in the group developed. In every practice there would
be a pose that challenged or scared at least one of us. Shyam would
insist that the person try to push through the ‘fear factor’ and the
rest of us would watch, not in criticism or relief that it wasn’t our
turn but in true loving support. And then came the applause! We
learned to nurture and encourage each other and it was the greatest
feeling to be in a class like that.
It was Shyam’s skillful and inspiring story-telling, gentle coaxing
and persistent challenging that brought us all to a more thoughtful
and caring place in ourselves. As one of my fellow voyagers put it,
“Shyam gave each of us an option for the way of reflecting on his
words. He wanted to make sure every one of us could understand
his words, so everyone could make their own workable
interpretation to start reflection.” He showed us the path and
allowed us to walk it the way we needed to.
What we did in those three weekends was not just learn how to do
a handstand or understand passages from the sacred texts. What
we did, what Shyam led us to do, was become a community, a
warm, understanding circle of strength and compassion. We
became One, not ten, which is what the teaching was all about.
Daphne has been practicing yoga for over 7 years and when she is
not trying to breathe through double pigeon, travels where ever
she can and occasionally manages to find time to teach.
41

Diet
A Per
ersonal Approach to Food and Yoga
Paul Dallaghan
FOOD HAS A GREAT EFFECT ON
your body and mind. It can make or break
your inner development. If you watch
what goes in the mouth (eating) and what
comes out of the mouth (talking) that’s
80% of yogic practice and living.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika constantly
emphasises two points to practitioners:
your own will power and control over the
tongue.
42
Gandhi once said remarked that “true
happiness is impossible without true
health and true health is impossible
without rigid control of the palate. All the
other senses will automatically come under
our control when the palate has been
brought under control. And he who has
conquered his senses has really conquered
the whole world. “
The physical body is the combined effect of
the food you eat and the oxygen breathed
in. There is truth in the statement “you are
what you eat”, at least as far as the physical
body is concerned. Yet the yoga teachings
reveal, and experience will show, that food
creates thought.
Some foods (sattvic) will
encourage a calm and
clear state of mind.
Others can
throw the
system andmind into an
agitated (rajasic) or dull (tamasic)
state. For example, the effects from alcohol,
stimulating food, or heavy, stale and dull
food.
Swami Sivananda taught that “Food makes
thinking possible. Therefore the right food
is of paramount importance. You must eat
when you are in a cheerful mood. Do not
overload the stomach. By the purity of
food, follows the purification of the inner
nature.”
Food is a source of habit and upbringing
so you should not force a particular way of
eating or certain food types on yourself. It
is important to find the right approach to
eating. The bad habits formed over the
years need to be addressed, if health and
mental wellbeing are to be prolonged and
cultivated.
You do not have to be a vegetarian to
practice yoga though you might gradually
move to it over time.
The opening statement of the Yoga Sutras
uses the word “anushaasanam”. This implies
growth must arise within you, not forced
upon you, though discipline is required.
Yoga and meditative practices lead to a
subtle development and an inner
lightening. From this, a desire for a cleaner,
vegetarian diet may arise. Eating a balanced
diet will also help one purify, strengthen
and grow.
According to another smart guy, Albert
Einstein, “nothing will benefit human
health and increase the chances for
survival of life on Earth as much as
the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
Food should
support your
personal
practice and
how you live. It
should be
enjoyable and
tasty. It can heal
our “avidya”,
delusion and
ignorance, and can
help to overcome the ill
of “samsara”, conditioned
existence. Food is part of our yoga practice.
We take food not just as a preventative
medicine to aid the physical body but as a
tool in itself to aid in the growth of
consciousness. As Hippocrates advised “let
thy food be thy medicine.”
Paul is director of Yoga
Thailand on Koh Samui.
Samahita Wellness is a
part of Yoga Thailand,
providing a combined
approach to yoga and
wellness. www.yogathailand.com

Recipe
Healthy Comfort Food
Moosa Alissa
IT IS COATS-TO-WORK AND SOCKS-TO-BED
weather again and I can’t imagine cooking
or eating anything that’s not
warm, rich and comforting. I
think a perfect day of eating
during this season would be
porridge for breakfast, soup for
lunch, stew for dinner and tea
before bed. Risotto is basically a rice
stew, so it is incredibly important to
use a good quality stock, and ingredients
that are contrasting in color and texture but
harmonious in taste. With the help of some
simple techniques and timing the humble work
horse rice gets elevated to a center stage sophisticated
dish. This is risotto and I hope you love it!
ORGANIC BROWN RICE RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS, CHERRY
TOMATOES, GOAT CHEESE AND PISTACHIO
1 1/2 cup organic short grain
brown rice
1/2 lbs cherry tomatoes
1/2 lbs asparagus, peeled and
cut into 1 inch sticks
4 cups home made or store
bought vegetable stock
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/4 lbs French soft goat cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 finely chopped celery
1/4 finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic crushed
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 Lemon, juice and zest
Fresh ground black pepper
Sea salt
1. Shell and chop the
pistachio nuts. Reserve.
2. Heat a medium saucepan
to medium high heat. Add 2
tablespoons of olive oil and
the carrot, celery, onion and
garlic. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Combine the lemon zest,
rice and the vegetable mixture.
Add the white wine and
continue to cook and stir till
the liquid is absorbed. Add
two cups of stock and when
the mixture begins to boil,
lower the heat to low and cover
and cook for thirty minutes.
The goal is to bring the rice to a
point where it is slightly
undercooked.
4. Uncover the rice and raise
the heat to a medium low heat.
Begin to add the stock one half
cup at a time and continue to
stir the rice mixture till the
stock is absorbed. Repeat this
process, and on the last
addition of stock, cook the
mixture until it is a very soupy
porridge texture. The grains of
rice should still have a slight
bite but be fully cooked.
Reserve.
5. Heat a frying pan to
medium heat. Add one table
spoon of olive oil and the
asparagus, season with sea salt
and black pepper and after
cooking for 3 minutes add two
tablespoons of lemon juice,
the tomatoes and thyme and
continue to cook for 3 minutes.
6. Mix the vegetables into the
rice and then crumble the goat
cheese and carefully fold it into
the risotto.
7. Portion the risotto into
four warm bowls and add the
pistachios on top
8. Serve immediately.
Moosa is
managing
director and
executive
chef of Life
Café, Hong
Kong’s
original ecofriendly
organic whole food restaurant.
www.lifecafe.com.hk, +852
2810 9777, 10 Shelley Street,
Soho, Hong Kong
Crossword Solution
ACROSS
1. Matsya, 7 & 14 ACROSS.
Raja Kapotaasana, 8.
Dhanuraasana, 11 & 13
ACROSS. Setu Bandha, 13. See
11 ACROSS, 14. See 7
ACROSS, 16. Bhujanga, 18.
Shalabha, 19. Vaalakhilya
DOWN
2, 5, 10 & 8 ACROSS. Eka Pada
Urdhva Dhanuraasana, 3.
Dandaasana, 4. Laghu
Vajraasana, 5. See 2 DOWN, 6
& 17 DOWN Supta Bheka, 9.
Makara, 10 & 8 ACROSS.
Urdhva Dhanuraasana, 12.
Ushtra, 15. Chakra, 16.
See 6 DOWN
43

Book Review
Healing Anger, The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective
by The Dalai Lama
Reviewed by Tia Sinha
A student of Buddhist
philosophy and practice at
the Library of Tibetan
Works and Archives,
Dharamshala, Tia teaches
yoga to the nuns of
Dongyu Gatsal Ling, the
nunnery founded by
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo.
44
HEALING ANGER IS A COMMENTARY
by His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama on
the sixth chapter of Shantideva’s Guide to
The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, on patience.
Shantideva, a realized Indian eighth century
monk from the celebrated Nalanda
University (the Harvard of medieval India
whose ruins are now a Buddhist pilgrimage
spot) penned, in about a thousand verses
in beautiful, poetic Sanskrit, a detailed,
practical, logical and sometimes cheekily
debated guide to an incredibly noble way of
life. Thirteen hundred years later, in these
times of rampant confusion and
unhappiness, Shantideva’s thoughts and
words are relevant even to non-Buddhists.
Shantideva’s message is universal and
immortal because it comes from a realm of
the mind beyond the coarse, everyday
thinking mind that lands us in so much
trouble. Shantideva’s words resonate with
truth, the wisdom of the sages.
Among Tibetan Buddhists, Shantideva’s
Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life is
dear to followers of all lineages and
traditions. A Bodhisattva is a person who
has vowed to rid his own mind of all
negativity and delusion, as many lifetimes
as it may take, so that he can be of
maximum benefit to others in relieving
them from all unhappiness. In short,
Bodhisattvas work towards their own
enlightenment so that they can lead others
to enlightenment. A ripe Bodhisattva,
having mastered his or her mind, becomes
a servant of all, including animals and
classes of beings that are invisible.
Walking the path of the Bodhisattva can
lead to an expansion of the mind beyond
its usual concerns of ‘I, me and mine’ to
include all sentient life forms. This is
altruism in it highest sense. When freed of
fetters that confine it to a limited worldview
arising from a wrong idea of who one is
and what life is about, one’s mind soars,
making a happy, meaningful life possible
for oneself and others.
Patience is considered the highest austerity
that a Bodhisattva can practice. Patience is
looked upon as an antidote to anger.
Shantideva defines patience as the ability to
maintain one’s equilibrium and not get
shaken or disturbed when faced with
difficulties of various kinds.
Shantideva’s chapter on Patience begins
with the verse:
Whatever wholesome deed,
Such as venerating the Buddhas and practicing
generosity,
That have been amassed over a thousand eons,
Will all be destroyed in one moment of anger.
Shantideva goes on to cite unhappiness as
the cause of all anger:
Getting what I do not want,
And all that hinders my desire –
There my mind finds fuel for misery;
Anger springs from it, oppressing me.
Shantideva stresses the need to develop
true causes of happiness. He examines
various situations in our daily lives that
provoke anger, such as when people hurt
or irritate us, when those we dislike succeed
or are praised, or when people create
obstacles to our spiritual practice.
Shantideva cites the law of karma to foster
patience and dissolve anger:
Why did I previously commit those actions
Because of which others now cause me harm?
Since everything is related to my actions
Why should I bear malice towards those
(enemies)?
Because of them, and through the exercise of
patience,
My many sins are cleansed and purified.
But they will be the ones who, thanks to me,
Will have the long-drawn agonies of hell.
Therefore I am their tormentor!
Therefore it is they who bring me benefit!
Thus with what perversity, pernicious mind,
Will you be angry with your enemies?
The Dalai Lama is the epitome of an open,
caring heart and a brilliant, clear mind. His
book, Healing Anger contains ancient
wisdom made relevant for modern times.
There is no danger here of getting lost in
philosophy. Healing Anger is indispensable
to all who have ever felt a twinge of anger,
hatred, hostility, jealousy, impatience or
irritation. So, is this book is for you?

Tia’s Crossword
A Back
ackwar
ard Bending Crosswor
ord
Perhaps the easiest crossword from Tia in years! Each clue of this
crossword points to a certain exhilarating backbending asana. You
may need to bend backwards to solve this crossword! In case you
need a hint, the solution is on page 43.
ACROSS
1.Jumble ‘May sat’ to give the
Fish. (6)
7 & 14 ACROSS. King of
Pigeons pose. (4, 11)
8. Bow pose. (12)
11 & 13 ACROSS. Bridge. (4, 6)
13. See 11 ACROSS.
14. See 7 ACROSS.
16. Cobra. (8)
18. Locust. (8)
19. Jumble ‘hail yak lava’ to
give thumb-sized heavenly
spirits that have inspired a deep
back bend. (11)
DOWN
2, 5, 10 & 8 ACROSS. Raise a
leg in this upward bow pose.
(3, 5, 6, 12)
3. Eka Paada Viparita ………,
the picturesque single leg
inverted staff pose. (10)
4. Small or beautiful
thunderbolt. (5, 10)
5. See 2 DOWN.
6 & 17 DOWN. Supine Frog.
(5, 5)
9. Crocodile. (6)
10 & 8 ACROSS. Upward Bow
pose. (6, 12)
12. Camel. (6)
15. Wheel. (6)
16. See 6 DOWN.
45

Yoga Teachers & Studios
Anahata Villa and Spa
Resort
Br. Umah Ayar Pejeng Kaja,
Tampak Siring, Gianyar, Ubud,
Bali, Indonesia
t: (62) 361 7453267
f: (62) 361 970093
e: advertisementpromotion@
anahataresort.com
w: www.anahataresort.com
Michel Besnard
Yogasana
s: Ashtanga
l: English
t: (852)2511 8892 / 9527 6691
e: info@yogasana.com.hk
Tanya Boulton
Privates
s: vinyasa, core
l: English
t: (852) 6448 7310
w: www.tanya-b.com
Kathy Cook
Retreats, workshops, privates
d: Hong Kong, Bal &Thailand
s: Iyengar (Junior Intermediate)
l: English
t: (852) 6292 5440 / (62) 811
387781
e: kcinasia@gmail.com
w: www.yogawithkathy.com
FLEX
1/F Woodleigh House, 80
Stanley Village Road, Stanley,
Hong Kong
s: Iyengar, Ashtanga, Hatha
Vinyasa
t: (852) 2813 2212
f: (852) 2813 2281
e: info@flexhk.com
w: www.flexhk.com
IYENGAR YOGA
CENTRE INDONESIA
Ruko Simprug Gallery
Jl. Teuku Nyak Arif No 10W
Jakarta 12220, Indonesia
s: Iyengar
t:(6221)739 6904 & (6281)110
7880
e:info@iyengaryogaindonesia.com
w: www.iyengaryogaindonesia.com
IYENGAR YOGA
CENTRE OF HONG
KONG
Room 406 New
Victory House, 93- 103 Wing
Lok St., Sheung Wan, Hong
Kong
s: Iyengar
t: (852) 2541 0401
e: info@iyengaryoga
hongkong.com
w: www.iyengaryoga
hongkong.com
IYENGAR YOGA
CENTRE SINGAPORE
149B Neil Road
Singapore 088875
s: Iyengar
t:(65) 9052 3102 & 6220 4048
e:info@iyengaryogasingapore.com
w: iyengaryogasingapore.com
Hari Amrit Kaur (Kaldora)
Privates, workshops
d: Central, Discovery Bay
s: Kundalini Yoga, Radiant Child
Yoga
l: English, Cantonese
t: (852) 6428 5168
e: kaldora_lee@hotmail.com
w: http://kaldora.wordpress.com
Ming Lee
Privates, workshops
s: Iyengar Certified teacher
l: English, Cantonese,
Putonghua
t: (852) 9188 1277
e: minglee@yogawithming.com
LIFE MANAGEMENT
YOGA CENTRE
Non-profit Classical Yoga School
d: Tsim Sha Tsui
s: Patanjali yoga, Kids yoga,
Seniors yoga, Corporates
l: English, Cantonese
t: (852) 2191 9651
t: 6349 0639 (Chinese)
e: life@yoga.org.hk
w: www.yoga.org.hk
Ursula Moser
The Iyengar Yoga Centre of
Hong Kong, Yoga Central, LRC
d: Central
s: Iyengar Certified
l: English, German
t: (852) 2918 1798 / 9456 2149
e: umoser@netvigator.com
Anna Ng
Privates
d: Hong Kong
s: Hatha yoga
l: Cantonese
t: (852) 9483 1167
e: gazebofl@netvigator.com
PURE YOGA
16/F The Centrium, 60
Wyndham Street, Central, Hong
Kong
t: (852) 2971 0055
25/F Soundwill Plaza, 38 Russell
Street, Causeway Bay, Hong
Kong
t: (852) 2970 2299
14/F The Peninsula Office
Tower, 18 Middle Road, Tsim
Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong
Kong
t: (852) 8129 8800
9/F Langham Place Office
Tower, 8 Argyle Street,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
t: (852) 3691 3691
4/F Lincoln House, TaiKoo
Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry
Bay, Hong Kong
t: (852) 8129 1188
391A Orchard Road, #18-00
Ngee Ann City Tower A,
Singapore
t: (65) 6733 8863
30 Raffles Place, 04-00 Chevron
House, Singapore
t: (65) 6304 2257
151 Chung Hsiao East Road, Sec
4, Taipei, Taiwan
t: (886) 02 8161 7888
s: Hot, Power, Hatha, Yin,
Ashtanga, Dance, Kids
l: English, Cantonese
e: info@pure-yoga.com
REAL YOGA
545 Orchard Road #08-01
Far East Shopping Centre
Singapore
s: Hatha Yoga, Power Yoga,
Ashtanga Yoga and Gentle
Yoga
l: English
t: (65) 6734 2853
e: contactus@realyoga.com.sg
Linda Shevloff
The Iyengar Yoga Centre of
Hong Kong
d: Sheung Wan
s: Iyengar Certified (Senior
Intermediate I)
t: (852) 2541 0401
e: linda@
iyengaryogahongkong.com
SPACE YOGA
26 F, No. 27, An-Ho Road,
Section 1, Taipei 106, Taiwan
s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Anusara
Inspired, Flow, Yin, Restorative,
Power, Hot, Meditation,
Pranayama, Virya Sadhana, and
Yoga Dance
l: English and Mandarin
t: +886 2 2773.8108
e: info@withinspace.com
w: www.withinspace.com
THE YOGA ROOM
3/F Xiu Ping Building, 104
Jervois Street, Sheung Wan,
Hong Kong
s:Hatha, Ashtanga, Kids yoga,
Meditation
t: (852) 2544 8398
e: info@yogaroomhk.com
w: www.yogaroomhk.com
YOGA CENTRAL
4/F Kai Kwong House, 13
Wyndham Street, Central, Hong
Kong
s: Iyengar, Hatha Vinyasa,
Acroyoga, Mat-based Pilates,
Privates, Corporate and Studio
rental available.
t: (852) 2982 4308
e: yogacentralhk@yahoo.com
w: www.yogacentral.com.hk
Wan
ant t your details
listed here in
2010?
It’s HK$500 per teacher and
HK$1,000 per studio for the
Calendar year. Please mail us
your cheque now to continue
your listing or start a new
listing. fgairns@netvigator.com
46

Taiwan’s Premier Yoga Studio
www.withinspace.com
2010 MASTER TEACHER SERIES
SPACE YOGA in Taipei has established a reputation as the premier studio for presenting Yoga in its deep
and authentic form. We continue to host top teachers from around the globe who share our vision and are
honored to serve as their home base for training events in Asia.
Govinda Kai
Mar. 5 - 7, 2010
www.lunaticmonk.com
Transformation through Meditation in Motion
Experience stillness in movement with certified Ashtanga teacher, Govinda, in this weekend workshop
and learn to minimize mental fluctuations to allow the primal power of the practice to fully manifest.
The workshop also includes a thoroughly engaging exploration into Yoga Philosophy in a way that you
have never experienced before.
Adarsh Williams
Apr. 10 - 11, 2010
www.smartstretch.com & www.ashtangapaloalto.com
Active Isolated Stretching & Yoga Workshop
Discover your intuitive sense of alignment in yoga with the therapeutic method of Active Isolated
Stretching. In this unique workshop, you will learn how to work with the body's natural intelligence to
safely isolate, stretch and strengthen all muscles, making postures easier and more refined.
John Friend
Apr. 23 - 25, 2010
www.anusara.com
Melt Your Heart, Blow Your Mind Anusara Workshop
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to join the founder of Anusara Yoga on his 2010 world tour. The tour will
be the most energetically transformative tour ever with an emphasis of accessing the deepest essence of
the Anusara method through its most fundamental principle. This is John’s only stop in Greater China and
Southeast Asia.
Stephen Thomas
www.stephenthomasyoga.com
May 27 - 31, 2010
The Bridge*
Propel your practice forward with this level 2, 40-hour Teacher Training. You’ll step up from the
foundation developed in your 200-hour training with more advancement and stability in asana and a
greater understanding of the practice from an energetic level. The course also includes special advanced
sessions on pranayama and Sanskrit.
Richard Freeman
www.yogaworkshop.com
Aug. 6 - 15, 2010
Workshop and Immersion / Teacher Training*
Imparting 42 years of yogic wisdom in his first teacher training outside of US, Richard will weave the
explanation of the practice with philosophical texts to give us an enlivening practice and enlightening
learning. Come and enjoy Richard’s whimsical charm and metamorphic teaching style for yourself.
*This event could be taken as part of SPACE’s 300/500 teacher training or as a stand alone immersion.
Need help with travel and accommodations in Taipei? SPACE would be happy to assist you.
email teachertraining@withinspace.com or visit www.withinspace.com
47

Upcoming Highlights
January–April 2010
Guest Teacher Workshops,
Teacher Trainings,
Programmes,
and Retreats
Michelle Ann Ricaille
30 & 31 January
Welcoming Baron Baptiste for
his premier immersion in Asia
Journey into Power Basic
Training Programme
1 February – 3 March
Ashtanga-Based Teacher
Training with Clayton Horton
and Dylan Bernstein
200-hr Yoga Alliance Certified
Programme
25 February – 7 March
Revitalise Yourself –
10-Day Detox Programme
with Michelle Ann Ricaille
6-28 March
Svastha Yoga of
Krishnamacharya: Teacher
Training with Ganesh Mohan
200-hr Yoga Alliance Certified
Programme
11-14 April
Jivamukti Class and Weekend
Workshops with Jules Febre
2-9 April
Barberyn Ayurveda Yoga
Retreat with Wendy Wyvill
9-18 April
The Mantras of Kundalini
Yoga by Maya Fiennes,
Pure Yoga Asia Tour
15-18 April
Cambodia Karma Yoga Retreat
with Michelle Ann Ricaille
Baron Baptiste Dylan Bernstein Clayton Horton Ganesh Mohan Jules Febre Wendy Wyvill Maya Fiennes
And many more! Please visit www.pure-yoga.com
48