Namaskar - July 2016
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namaskar<br />
A VOICE FOR THE YOGA COMMUNITY OF ASIA <strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
STARBUCKS YOGA<br />
More styles of yoga is not necessarily better,<br />
suggests one yoga teacher.............................p19<br />
PARENTING & YOGA<br />
How learning to teach kids yoga can help you be<br />
a better parent................................................p24<br />
FAMOUS YOGIS, PART II<br />
Meet five teachers who have helped define the<br />
yoga we know today.....................................p28<br />
Christina Mae Borges in Gomukhasana variation, photo by Melinda Juang
2 NAMASKAR
NAMASKAR - JULY <strong>2016</strong><br />
LETTER FROM<br />
THE EDITOR<br />
Amazing teachers are all<br />
around, if only we are willing to<br />
see them.<br />
On the cover - Originally from the US, Christina has<br />
been studying and practicing yoga for 6 years. She<br />
teaches in Hong Kong at Yoga BamBam or Blue Door<br />
Studio. christinaborges45@yahoo.com<br />
This issue is dedicated to A.T., an amazing woman<br />
who passed away, symbolically, on the<br />
International Day of Yoga, 21 June.<br />
Though not a teacher in the usual sense of the word, she nevertheless taught and inspired<br />
those knew her, especially during the last nine months of her life. She had been diagnosed with<br />
terminal cancer and given just three months to live. She could have given up. But no, she faced<br />
the illness head-on, embarking on traditional as well as alternative therapies. She tripled the<br />
time the doctors had given her, which gave her the time to prepare her husband and four<br />
children for life without her. She planned her own funeral down to the last detail so they would<br />
not have to deal with it, while grieving for her.<br />
One lesson yoga teaches to take care of ourselves so we can take care of those around us, as<br />
A.T. did so selflessly!<br />
I hope the dristi articles herein about famous yogis prompt you to reflect on how you can<br />
inspire by example. And while you might not find the courage of A.T, or as well known as<br />
Pattabhi Jois, Sri Sri Anandamurti, Milrepa, Naropa, Tilopa, J. Krishnamurti or Adi<br />
Shankaracharya, you can help and inspire in your immediate circle.<br />
Children’s yoga teacher and mother of two, Jenny, share her own experience of how teaching<br />
kids has helped her be a better mom. Astrologist and yoga philosophy teacher, Srav suggest the<br />
stars may explain why people from very different backgrounds seem so similar.<br />
Andy Willner lays down the proverbial gauntlet, with his strong opinion on the proliferation of<br />
different styles of yoga diluting the traditional yoga teachings. If you have a different<br />
perspective which you’d like to share, please email me fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
Thank you to all our other contributors for graciously sharing their experiences and<br />
knowledge with our community. Hope you have an inspiring summer.<br />
In This Issue<br />
DRISTI - FAMOUS YOGIS<br />
PATTABHI JOIS 28<br />
SRI SRI ANANDAMURTI 31<br />
MILREPA, NAROPA, TILOPA 32<br />
J. KRISHNAMURTI 34<br />
ADI SHANKARACHARYA 34<br />
SPECIAL FEATURES<br />
STARBUCK’S YOGA 19<br />
Are all the differents styles of yoga hurting or<br />
helping the tradition of yoga?<br />
BANDMEMBERS & BHAKTAS 22<br />
Could the commonality between rockers and<br />
yoga devotees be in the stars?<br />
YOGA & PARENTING 24<br />
What one kids yoga teacher has learned about<br />
being a better parent<br />
REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS<br />
KULA UPDATES, WORKSHOPS,<br />
RETREATS, TEACHER TRAININGS 6<br />
PHOTO ESSAY 14<br />
MUDRAS IN BRIEF 40<br />
BOOK REVIEW 40<br />
RECIPE 46<br />
DIRECTORY 48<br />
ABOUT NAMASKAR<br />
ADMINISTRATION Carol Adams, carol@caroladams.hk<br />
NEWS EDITOR Wai-Ling Tse, wailing.tse@gmail.com<br />
CIRCULATION Angela Sun, angela.sun@gmail.com<br />
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Frances Gairns, fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong> provides a voice for the yoga community in Asia and<br />
around the world. The publication is an opportunity for<br />
practitioners on a yogic path to selflessly offer their knowledge,<br />
learnings and experiences with others.<br />
We welcome unsolicited submissions, therefore the opinions<br />
expressed within these pages are not necessarily those of <strong>Namaskar</strong> or<br />
its volunteers.<br />
Articles and photographs in <strong>Namaskar</strong> are contributed at no<br />
charge. Advertising income covers production, distribution,<br />
administrative costs and discretionary contributions to selected<br />
charities and causes.<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong>, is published quarterly in January, April, <strong>July</strong> and October.<br />
About 5,000 copies are printed and distributed for free to yoga<br />
studios, teachers, fitness centres, retail outlets, cafes and yogafriendly<br />
outlets. Mostly distributed in Hong Kong, with 1,500 copies<br />
mailed to readers in 32 other countries.<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 3
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
ANDY WILLNER<br />
take care of her 9-year-old son.<br />
carol@caroladams.hk<br />
CLAYTON HORTON<br />
Yoga, a school focused on<br />
children’s yoga in Hong Kong.<br />
info@geckoyoga.com or<br />
www.geckoyoga.com.<br />
KRISHNAA KINKARIDAS<br />
KELLY FIELDING<br />
Andy teaches yoga at Pure Yoga in<br />
Hong Kong. andy@pure-yoga.com<br />
ANGELA SUN<br />
Clayton teaches Ashtanga yoga at<br />
Pure Yoga in Hong Kong.<br />
clayton@pure-yoga.com<br />
DYLAN BERNSTEIN<br />
Kelly has been in the world of raw<br />
food and vegan cuisine for almost<br />
10 years. Initially training with raw<br />
chef Elaina Love in Ubud, Bali, she<br />
has worked in raw and health food<br />
establishments in Australia,<br />
Canada, Indonesia, the U.S. and<br />
Thailand.<br />
info@bellaandbhakti.com<br />
Krishnaa lives in London. She<br />
studied with B.K.S. Iyengar and<br />
now runs classes in London and<br />
teaches Sanskrit and Mudras for<br />
Yoga for the Yoga Alliance and<br />
British Wheel of Yoga. She has<br />
written nine books on Bhakti Yoga.<br />
kinkaridasi@hotmail.com<br />
MAHADEV<br />
KIM ROBERTS<br />
Angela takes care of the<br />
distribution and circulation of<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong>. Originally from New<br />
York, she has been practicing yoga<br />
for 10 years. She currently teaches<br />
privately.<br />
asunwellness@gmail.com<br />
CAROL ADAMS<br />
Dylan has helped foster Ashtanga<br />
practice in Hong Kong, teaching<br />
here for the last 7 years. He now<br />
also runs a seasonal program at<br />
Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research<br />
Center. Additionally, he continues<br />
to travel and teach around the<br />
globe. www.stillnessinaction.com<br />
JENNY SMITH<br />
Kim is a graduate of Naropa<br />
University’s M.A. Contemplative<br />
Psychology program and a student<br />
of Ashtanga yoga and Dharma since<br />
1992. She spent 15 years living in SE<br />
Asia and now makes her home in<br />
Crestone, Colorado. She coaches<br />
yoga teachers via Skype, and is the<br />
founder of Your Fab Yoga Life e-<br />
course.<br />
www.toolsforevolution.org<br />
Mahadev is a spiritual teacher of<br />
the Vedanta philosophy. He<br />
mostly travels around Southeast<br />
Asia, holding sessions and retreats<br />
in different places<br />
www.vedantaspiritualretreat.com<br />
MARY DIMEGLIO<br />
Carol takes care of the <strong>Namaskar</strong>’s<br />
administration, advertising and<br />
billing. She works from home<br />
which gives her the freedom to<br />
Jenny is a yoga teacher, yoga<br />
therapist and founder of Gecko<br />
Based in Philadelphia, US, Mary is<br />
a certified teacher of SpiritDance<br />
4 NAMASKAR
SoulSong.<br />
mary@movingventures.org,<br />
www.spiritdancesoulsong.com ,<br />
www.movingventures.org.<br />
MELINDA JUANG<br />
Prabhupada in 1971 she has studied<br />
yoga with senior teachers in the<br />
Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois<br />
traditions. She taught hatha yoga in<br />
Taiwan and Hong Kong where she<br />
also conducted teacher trainings.<br />
www.LifePath.am<br />
TIA SINHA<br />
namaskar<br />
Melinda is a Taiwanese living in<br />
Hong Kong. A freelance yoga<br />
teacher, writer and photographer.<br />
She believes that every single<br />
photo taken is not meant to be<br />
perfect but certainly evolving along<br />
a path to a personal calling.<br />
melinda.juang@gmail.com<br />
MONO XIAO<br />
Mono is based in Shanghai and<br />
photographs yoga, music,<br />
performance, culture and<br />
portraits, both documentary and<br />
commercial.<br />
monoxiao@gmail.com or<br />
www.monophotocenter.com.<br />
SRAVANIYA DIPECORARO<br />
Tia spends most of her time in<br />
retreat in Himachal, teaching yoga<br />
asana, philosophy and Tibetan<br />
Buddhist techniques of meditation<br />
and translating and editing for<br />
lamas. Onlytia2@yahoo.comin<br />
WAI-LING TSE<br />
Wai-Ling practices and teaches<br />
mindfulness, therapy and is Kula<br />
editor for <strong>Namaskar</strong>.<br />
yogawithling@gmail.com<br />
Now on-line at:<br />
www.issuu.com/namaskarasia<br />
Back issues still at:<br />
www.issuu.com/caroladams<br />
October’s dristi:<br />
BEYOND ASANA<br />
For this dristi, we are looking for articles on how yoga asana<br />
practitioners can start to practice the philosophies of yoga in their<br />
lives.<br />
• What has worked for you?<br />
• What hasn’t worked and why?<br />
• Are certain teachings easier to incorporate than others?<br />
• Are certain teachings more important to practice than others?<br />
• Which texts are more helpful on this progression?<br />
• How your non-yoga community reacted when you’ve tried to live<br />
your yoga teachings off the mat?<br />
If you are interested in contributing on this subject, please email me<br />
first on fgairns@netvigator.com to discuss your theme.<br />
Contributions are also welcome on other topics. Final articles are<br />
welcome before September 10.<br />
Srav is a yogi, an astrological<br />
consultant and medium. Initiated<br />
by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 5
KULA<br />
Updates<br />
CHINA<br />
SpiritDanceSoul<br />
Song Classes<br />
25-31 <strong>July</strong><br />
Zhipu Holistic Health Centre, Fuzhou<br />
Ellen Watson and Daphne Tse will<br />
help you discover your body as a<br />
musical instrument through<br />
singing and dancing.<br />
For more information<br />
contact@movingventures.org /<br />
(86) 591-88888388 /<br />
(86) 13705001842<br />
For more information (852)<br />
2363 1112;<br />
info@breathesmile.org;<br />
www.breathesmile.org<br />
Yoga Fest and<br />
Hanuman<br />
Carnival<br />
9 June<br />
Central<br />
The Hong Kong Chinmaya<br />
Foundation’s (HKCF) Sundown<br />
YogaFest was a free event, held at<br />
the Central harbourfront<br />
The HKCF, a registered charity<br />
in Hong Kong, is a part of the<br />
Chinmaya Mission, a global nonprofit<br />
organization with a<br />
mission to share the ancient<br />
wisdom of the Hindu scriptures<br />
for spiritual growth and<br />
happiness, enabling individuals to<br />
become positive contributors to<br />
society.<br />
For more information<br />
www.chinmayamission.com<br />
The Joy of<br />
Devotion Yoga<br />
Music Concert<br />
with Giridhari<br />
Swami<br />
16 <strong>July</strong> (3:30-5:30pm)<br />
Sheung Wan Civic Centre<br />
Organised by the International<br />
Yoga Institute, cost HK$50 per<br />
person.<br />
Naam Yoga<br />
Classes in Hong<br />
Kong<br />
October<br />
The Landmark Mandarin<br />
Oriental, Central<br />
Led by Anastasia Williams,<br />
Naam Yoga involves a synthesis<br />
of yogic asana (movement),<br />
mudra (hand postures), breath,<br />
rhythm, stretching, acupressure<br />
and vocal vibration infused with<br />
Universal Kabbalah. Anastasia<br />
also specializes in Harmonyum<br />
Healing, a unique gentle form of<br />
bodywork that helps connect<br />
physical, mental, emotional and<br />
energetic intelligence,<br />
consciousness and collective<br />
functions.<br />
For more information (852) 2132<br />
0011 /<br />
www.mandarinoriental.com/<br />
landmark/spa/<br />
Monks from Plum Village blesseing the newly-opened Smile and Breathe Mindbody<br />
Wellbeing Centre in Hong Kong<br />
HONG KONG<br />
Breathe and Smile<br />
Mindbody<br />
Wellbeing Centre<br />
Sham Shui Po, Kowloon<br />
The Breathe and Smile Mindbody<br />
Wellbeing Centre opened on 10<br />
April with the aim to promote the<br />
wellbeing of individuals, families<br />
and society through offering<br />
professional and clinical services<br />
that integrate the mindfulness<br />
practice of Plum Village tradition<br />
founded by Zen Master Thich<br />
Nhat Hanh.<br />
alongside the Hanuman Carnival<br />
to celebrate Indian culture with<br />
over 250 people coming together<br />
for 108 sun salutations, 108<br />
chants and 1008 seconds of<br />
guided meditation.<br />
Bringing families and the<br />
community together to have fun,<br />
explore the joy of balance and<br />
movement and to experience an<br />
inter-connectedness of spirit.<br />
The carnival, which saw over<br />
7,000 people attending through<br />
the day, featured free interactive<br />
games, story telling, live<br />
entertainment, a vegetarian food<br />
festival and an ethnic shopping<br />
village.<br />
For more information Rai Kaun/<br />
Sitarani (852) 2369 6696 /<br />
whatsapp (852) 9022 1445<br />
Kirtan at<br />
International<br />
Yoga Institute<br />
(IYI)<br />
29 <strong>July</strong> (7-8:30pm)<br />
International Yoga Institute,<br />
Tsimshatsui<br />
Enjoy an evening of kirtan<br />
followed by a light vegetarian<br />
dinner. Cost is HK$80 per<br />
person (includes dinner).<br />
For more information Rai Kaun/<br />
Sitarani (852) 2369 6696 /<br />
whatsapp (852) 9022 1445<br />
Yoga, Music &<br />
Meditation<br />
Festival<br />
1-5 October<br />
Cheung Chau Island<br />
This festival combines Yoga and<br />
Meditation with workshops on<br />
natural health, spirituality and<br />
ecological living. Guided by 25<br />
experienced teachers from<br />
different continents to<br />
synchronize body, mind and<br />
spirit. Offering vegetarian food,<br />
performances by musicians,<br />
singers and dancers and even a<br />
yogic wedding.<br />
For more information (852)<br />
6487 9875 /<br />
meditationcentre.hk@gmail.com /<br />
meditationcentre.hk/events<br />
6 NAMASKAR
John Scott (left) and Dario Calvaruso (right) are just two of the many yoga teachers participating in photographer Richard Pilnick’s project to create an online resource for high<br />
quality, large format photographs of yoga asana.<br />
Pilates / Yoga /<br />
Personal Trainer<br />
Openings<br />
Yoga Privates provides private<br />
Yoga, Pilates and Personal<br />
Training sessions across Asia.<br />
They are looking for registered,<br />
experienced instructors to join<br />
their team.<br />
For more information visit<br />
www.yoga-privates.com /<br />
info@yoga-privates.com / (852)<br />
65044280<br />
INDIA<br />
India Yoga Trip<br />
19-30 October<br />
Mumbai, Risikesh, Vrndavan<br />
Organised by the International<br />
Yoga Institute in Hong Kong,<br />
cost HK$12,500 including<br />
accommodation, 3 vegetarian<br />
meals per day, transportation,<br />
visa and insurance (excludes air<br />
ticket).<br />
For more information Rai Kaun/<br />
Sitarani (852) 2369 6696 /<br />
whatsapp (852) 9022 1445<br />
SWITZERLAND<br />
European Union<br />
of Yoga<br />
Conference<br />
21-26 August<br />
Zinal<br />
With presenters from around<br />
Europe, the theme of the<br />
conference is the state of wellbeing<br />
known as Svastha in<br />
Sanskrit. With guests of honour<br />
A.G. Mohan and family.<br />
For more information<br />
www.europeanyoga.org/<br />
congress<br />
UNITED KINGDOM<br />
Yoga Photograph<br />
Kickstarter<br />
Campaign<br />
International Yoga photographer,<br />
Richard Pilnick is launching a<br />
kickstarter campaign to fund the<br />
creation of a global resource of<br />
yoga photographs (free for<br />
viewing and downloads) of all<br />
known yoga asana.The aim is<br />
community based, to share and<br />
showcase yoga postures and<br />
make them available to view on a<br />
global scale.<br />
John Scott, Laruga Glaser, Danny<br />
Paradise, Dr Ronald Steiner and<br />
many others are participating in<br />
the project which hopes to build a<br />
community who believe Yoga is an<br />
integral part in transforming<br />
society today.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaphotography.com /<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 7
KULA<br />
Workshops<br />
CHINA<br />
Holotropic<br />
Breathwork<br />
8-10 <strong>July</strong><br />
Shanghai<br />
This technique<br />
uses the breath to allow access to nonordinary<br />
states of consciousness<br />
to find healing and wisdom.<br />
For more information<br />
11287514@qq.com / (86) 137<br />
8891 2655<br />
A Taste of Esalen<br />
Massage & Dance<br />
with Ellen Watson<br />
12-14 <strong>July</strong><br />
Shanghai<br />
The practise includes<br />
Esalen Massage, Touching<br />
Essence, SpiritDance SoulSong,<br />
5Rhythms, breath work<br />
and sounding.<br />
For more information<br />
11287514@qq.com / (86) 137<br />
8891 2655<br />
SpiritDance<br />
SoulSong<br />
Weekend Workshop<br />
16-17 <strong>July</strong><br />
Shanghai<br />
Through singing and dancing,<br />
learn to find joy, healing and selfexpression<br />
by discoverin<br />
g your body as a musical instrument.<br />
For more information<br />
11287514@qq.com / (86) 137<br />
8891 2655<br />
HONG KONG<br />
A Guided Study on<br />
the Yoga Sutras<br />
with Sravaniya<br />
DiPecoraro<br />
23 September-11 November<br />
(Every Friday: 7-8:30pm)<br />
Yoga Central-Iyengar, Central<br />
25 September-13 November<br />
(Every Sunday: 4:15-6pm)<br />
In-Motion Studio, Tsim Sha Tsui<br />
An overview of the Yoga Sutras,<br />
explore the Eight limbs<br />
(Ashtanga) of Yoga, summary and<br />
revision . Fee: HK$2,400<br />
includes handouts, excludes<br />
textbook: Light on Yoga Sutras<br />
by BKS Iyengar.<br />
For more information Karen<br />
yogacentralhk@gmail.com /<br />
Sravaniya info@LifePath.am /<br />
(852) 9856 0799 /<br />
www.lifepath.am<br />
Hammock Yoga<br />
for Teens with<br />
Cindy<br />
5 <strong>July</strong>-9 August (Every Tuesday:<br />
3:30-4:30pm)<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
For 11 to 15 year old teens<br />
to explore Yoga, learn<br />
mindfulness and self-regulation<br />
strategies to help them to develop<br />
both mentally and physically.<br />
Cost: HK$1,080 for whole<br />
program; HK$220 per drop in<br />
class.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com / (852)<br />
2544 8398<br />
Yoga & Art For<br />
Children with<br />
Priscilla<br />
First Workshop: 11, 13, 15 <strong>July</strong><br />
Second Workshop: 18, 20, 22<br />
<strong>July</strong><br />
9-10:30am (5-8 year olds); 11am-<br />
12:30pm (9-13 year olds)<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
This workshop allows students<br />
to explore their bodies, work on<br />
focus and balance, and find joy<br />
expressing through art. Through<br />
a mix of Yoga, mindfulness<br />
exercises, games, stories and artmaking,<br />
students will learn more<br />
about themselves and connect<br />
with others. Cost for each<br />
workshop HK$850.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com / (852)<br />
2544 8398<br />
Dharma Yoga:<br />
Body Aware Yoga<br />
Intensive - Rose<br />
Erin Vaughan<br />
22-24 <strong>July</strong> – Pure Yoga Hong<br />
Kong<br />
Rose Erin Vaughan, MSAc, is an<br />
experienced Acupuncturist,<br />
Trigger Point Therapist, and<br />
Yoga Tantra Teacher. She has<br />
studied thousands of hours with<br />
Master Yogi Dharma Mittra and<br />
other renowned healers.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
“I Care” Practice -<br />
Sin Hee MaCabe<br />
2-7 August – Pure Yoga Hong<br />
Kong<br />
Forrest Yoga designates a spot in<br />
the body that needs attention or<br />
healing. In this yoga practice, Sin<br />
Hee will teach practitioners to<br />
experience contentment by<br />
bringing caring energy to the<br />
breath and poses. This will<br />
soften habitual gripping places<br />
and succeed in deepening the<br />
practice.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
A Weekend of<br />
Mindfulness with<br />
Janet Lau<br />
3-4 September<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
Learn to understand the<br />
motivation behind your actions,<br />
strengthen your awareness, and<br />
develop equanimity to help you<br />
face the challenges in<br />
life. Includes Yin Yoga,<br />
meditation, lecture and selfreflective<br />
exercises.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com / (852)<br />
2544 8398<br />
Ashtanga Yoga<br />
Second Series<br />
Intensive -<br />
Clayton Horton<br />
24-25 September – Pure Yoga<br />
Hong Kong<br />
Curious about the Intermediate<br />
Second Series of Ashtanga Yoga?<br />
Been Practicing the Primary<br />
Series for a while and ready to<br />
move on?<br />
This workshop is for students<br />
who have been practising the<br />
Primary Series and are looking to<br />
progress and deepen their<br />
practice to the next level.<br />
8 NAMASKAR
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
INDIA<br />
5-Day Spiritual<br />
Workshops for<br />
Rapid Spiritual<br />
Growth<br />
8-12 <strong>July</strong>; 22-26 August; 20-24<br />
September & 4-8 October<br />
The Spiritual Research Centre<br />
and Ashram, Goa<br />
The Spiritual Science Research<br />
Foundation (SSRF) and the<br />
Maharshi University of<br />
Spirituality are hosting these<br />
workshops in Goa which are open<br />
to all. They provide a forum to<br />
participate in an intensive<br />
program which paves the way for<br />
deeper insights about oneself and<br />
to help get direction for rapid<br />
spiritual growth.<br />
For more information<br />
www.spiritual.university/<br />
workshop/<br />
www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org<br />
INDONESIA<br />
Morning Mysore<br />
& Immersion with<br />
Dylan Bernstein<br />
September <strong>2016</strong>-January 2017<br />
Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research<br />
Center, Bali<br />
Dylan will host daily Mysore<br />
practice and five-day<br />
immersions.<br />
For more<br />
information ashtangayogabali.com /<br />
dylanyo@gmail.com<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
Anatomy<br />
Connections -<br />
Yoga Anatomy<br />
with Dr. Trish<br />
Corley<br />
29-30 October<br />
New Angle Yoga<br />
Gain a clear understanding of<br />
yoga anatomy and put it into<br />
action on the yoga mat. The<br />
workshop consists of interactive<br />
lectures with anatomical models<br />
and illustrations; and integrated<br />
with full asana practices.<br />
For more information<br />
www.newangleyoga.com<br />
Trish Corley leads anatomy and yoga<br />
workshops in Singapore<br />
Assist & Empower<br />
- Yoga Assists with<br />
Dr. Trish Corley<br />
5-6 November<br />
New Angle Yoga<br />
As a student, gain understanding<br />
of alignment and the possibilities<br />
of the poses. As a teacher, learn<br />
how to confidently<br />
assist students and empower<br />
them to deepen their experience<br />
in each pose.<br />
For more information<br />
www.newangleyoga.com<br />
TAIWAN<br />
Advancing<br />
Practice the<br />
Iyengar Way with<br />
Peter Scott<br />
30-31 <strong>July</strong><br />
Space Yoga, Taipei<br />
Learn the unique methods<br />
created by BKS Iyengar that<br />
makes the advanced poses<br />
accessible and safe.<br />
For more information<br />
www.withinspace.com<br />
Ashtanga Yoga<br />
Summer Camp<br />
with Adarsh<br />
Williams<br />
2-5 August and 9-12 August: 4-<br />
day Intensive<br />
6-7 August and 13-14 August:<br />
Weekend Workshop<br />
Experience Ashtanga with Adarsh<br />
and take away practical lessons<br />
you can immediately implement.<br />
Learn to master the primary<br />
series, go deep into the<br />
intermediate series, incorporate<br />
the latest movement research<br />
into your yoga practice, and<br />
integrate the Eight Limbs into<br />
your daily life.<br />
For more information<br />
www.withinspace.com<br />
Easy Breezy Yoga<br />
Sutras with Janet<br />
Lau<br />
20-21 August<br />
Yoga Journey, Taipei<br />
Learn the Yoga Sutras in the<br />
simplest term, and how to apply<br />
them into your daily lives so that<br />
we can live a more harmonious<br />
life with yourself and<br />
others. Class will be conducted<br />
in Mandarin.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogajourney.com.tw/<strong>2016</strong>-<br />
janet-lau-workshop/<br />
Unlocking<br />
Therapeutic<br />
Wisdom with<br />
Doug Keller<br />
23 September - Philosophy Talk:<br />
Understanding Tantra as a Hatha<br />
Yogi<br />
24-25 September - Weekend<br />
Workshop<br />
26-30 September - 5-day<br />
Immersion<br />
SPACE Yoga<br />
Go beyond the physical aspect of<br />
the practice and explore asana as<br />
mudra - an enhancement of<br />
Australian Iyengar teacher Sue Scott will be in Taiwan<br />
energy that contains therapeutic<br />
and meditative insights. Discover<br />
the craniosacral perspective on<br />
the bandhas to the sushumna and<br />
chakras, and their role in our<br />
emotional life and well-being.<br />
For more information<br />
www.withinspace.com<br />
Full Spectrum of<br />
Iyengar Yoga<br />
with Sue Scott<br />
12-13 November: Weekend<br />
Workshop<br />
14-18 November: 5-day<br />
Immersion<br />
SPACE Yoga<br />
An opportunity to study all the<br />
essential Iyengar principles with<br />
Senior Iyengar teacher, Sue<br />
Scott. Establish a solid<br />
foundation as a new student to<br />
Iyengar Yoga. If you are<br />
experienced, gain clarity and<br />
deepen your understanding of the<br />
intricacies.<br />
For more information<br />
www.withinspace.com<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 9
KULA<br />
Retreats<br />
AUSTRALIA<br />
Retreat to Byron<br />
Bay<br />
Offering 8-day and now 5-day<br />
retreats that includes Yoga and<br />
meditation classes, wellness and<br />
philosophy sessions plus time to<br />
relax by the heated mineral salt<br />
pool. Also individual massage<br />
treatments and vegetarian food,<br />
much of it grown on site in their<br />
organic gardens.<br />
For more information<br />
wwwbyronyoga.com<br />
Francesca Regala leads a retreat to<br />
Cambodia with Lee Grane<br />
CAMBODIA<br />
Sadhana of Self<br />
Discovery: The<br />
Yoga of Myths and<br />
Virtues<br />
27 October-1 November<br />
Navatu Dreams Resort & Spa,<br />
Siem Reap<br />
Led by Francesca Regala and Lee<br />
Grane. Includes Yoga classes and<br />
group discussions, daily trips to<br />
temples of Angkor, round trip<br />
airport pick up, accommodation<br />
and breakfast.<br />
For more information www.<br />
sadhanaofselfdiscovery.com/<br />
cambodia-retreat<br />
HONG KONG<br />
PranaVidya Retreat<br />
with Swami<br />
GyanDharma<br />
30 September-4 October<br />
Salesian Retreat House, Cheung<br />
Chau<br />
Swami-ji will teach every<br />
morning on how<br />
to understand PranaVidya, and<br />
apply this knowledge into<br />
practice in the afternoon.<br />
Plus Q&A session as well as<br />
mantra chanting and kirtan at<br />
night. In between there will be<br />
asana, pranayama, meditation and<br />
Yoga Nidra practice. Swami<br />
GyanDharma is based in the UK,<br />
he has practised Yoga for 40<br />
years and travels around the<br />
world spreading Yoga knowledge.<br />
For more information<br />
wellness@hkcf.org<br />
Urban Retreats<br />
with Landmark<br />
Mandarin<br />
Oriental<br />
7-9 October and 14-16 October<br />
The theme of these two retreats<br />
will be ‘Vitality and Vibrancy in<br />
the Modern World’ and ‘Courage,<br />
Confidence and Self-<br />
Love.’ Includes morning and<br />
afternoon yoga sessions, access<br />
to the hotel’s spa heat and water<br />
facilities, use of yoga mats and<br />
props, morning smoothies and<br />
lunch.<br />
For more information (852) 2132<br />
0011 /<br />
Swami GyanDharma (l) will be leading a retreat on Cheung Chau in Hong Kong<br />
www.mandarinoriental.com/<br />
landmark/spa/<br />
INDONESIA<br />
Finding the Path<br />
to Wholeness and<br />
Joy with Bernd<br />
Windhofer<br />
24-29 August<br />
Desa Seni, Bali<br />
Bernd will lead a wide variety of<br />
practices, including yoga asana<br />
and pranayama, chanting, and a<br />
cycle of meditations designed to<br />
open the heart fully and without<br />
reservation.<br />
For more<br />
information info@desaseni.com<br />
Tantra Retreat for<br />
Couples with<br />
Angela Perez<br />
21-25 September<br />
Desa Seni, Bali<br />
Relationships can be powerful,<br />
deeply connecting and<br />
transformative places for you to<br />
evolve, if you learn to cultivate<br />
and expand your soul union.<br />
Offering tools for you to find<br />
your way through the challenges<br />
that arise in the relationship,<br />
discovering several Tantric<br />
techniques to facilitate a deeper<br />
connection with your partner.<br />
For more<br />
information info@desaseni.com<br />
5-Day Vedanta<br />
Spiritual Retreats<br />
with Mahadev<br />
16-21 September; 14-19 October;<br />
18-23 November - Lombok<br />
23-28 September; 21-26 October;<br />
25-30 November - Bali<br />
Suitable for people who<br />
are drawn to attaining selfrealisation<br />
or enlightenment, are<br />
confused about what to do in<br />
life, want to be able to open their<br />
hearts and love better; and want<br />
to know more about what deep<br />
spirituality is and how it works.<br />
Includes Vedanta philosophy plus<br />
chanting and meditation.<br />
10 NAMASKAR
For more information (852)<br />
9338 8931 /<br />
www.vedantaspiritualretreat.com<br />
JAPAN<br />
Touching Essence<br />
Island Retreat<br />
6-8 August<br />
Niijima, Tokyo<br />
Learn Touching Essence,<br />
inspired by Esalen Massage. All<br />
levels of experience welcome.<br />
Taught in English, with an<br />
experienced Japanese translator.<br />
For more<br />
information holiken.net /<br />
esalen@holiken.jp<br />
THAILAND<br />
YogaCoreCycle<br />
Flexible dates, available all year<br />
Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui<br />
Samahita Retreat welcomes all to<br />
join their all-inclusive, integrated<br />
yoga and functional fitness<br />
program YogaCoreCycle. It<br />
combines cardio and specific<br />
strength training, alongside yoga<br />
poses, breath work and<br />
meditation practices to help<br />
achieve this balance.<br />
For more information<br />
www.samahitaretreat.com<br />
50-Hour Samkhya<br />
Yoga Intensive<br />
10-16 <strong>July</strong>; 23-29 October; 27<br />
November-3 December<br />
Wise Living Yoga Academy,<br />
Chiang Mai<br />
People often speak about Yoga<br />
without realizing it forms an<br />
integral part of a composite<br />
Samkhya-Yoga Philosophy, the<br />
oldest philosophical system in<br />
the world. Includes theory and<br />
practice of Yoga techniques; and<br />
vegetarian meals.<br />
For more information (66)<br />
825467995 /<br />
info@wiselivingyoga.com /<br />
www.retreats.wiselivingyoga.com<br />
100-Hour<br />
Samkhya &<br />
Bhagavad Gita<br />
Intensive<br />
10-23 <strong>July</strong>; 23 October-5<br />
November; 27 November-10<br />
December<br />
Wise Living Yoga Academy,<br />
Chiang Mai<br />
In addition to the study of<br />
Samkhya and many traditional<br />
practices and techniques, will<br />
also explore the Four Paths of<br />
Yoga, namely Raja, Jnana, Bhakti<br />
and Karma Yoga as explained in<br />
the Bhagavad Gita. Includes<br />
theory and practice; and<br />
vegetarian meals in residential<br />
basis.<br />
For more information (66)<br />
825467995 /<br />
info@wiselivingyoga.com /<br />
www.retreats.wiselivingyoga.com<br />
Yoga & Holistic<br />
Healing Retreat<br />
with Anouk Prop,<br />
Tracy McDonald<br />
& Manuel Molina<br />
de la Torre<br />
24 September - 1 October<br />
Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui<br />
Presenting several different<br />
modalities – tools – for helping to<br />
deal with our “shadow side,” and<br />
the past traumas, issues and<br />
emotions that we hid away in<br />
places in our physical body.<br />
These tools will always serve to<br />
help you process things as they<br />
come up for you, through yoga<br />
Arm balance specialist David Tilston will be at Samahita Retreat<br />
practice, bodywork, etc<br />
• Craniosacral<br />
• Somatic Experiencing<br />
• Reiki<br />
• Chakra Balancing<br />
• Family Constellations<br />
• Communication Skills<br />
• Movement Therapy<br />
• Art Therapy<br />
• Polarity Therapy<br />
For more information<br />
www.samahitaretreat.com/yogaholistic-healin-retreat.html<br />
Marilou van Hoek will be teaching at<br />
Samahita Retreat<br />
Connect to the<br />
Essence of your<br />
Practice with<br />
Marilou van Hoek<br />
15 – 22 October, <strong>2016</strong><br />
Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui<br />
This week will re-treat you from<br />
your daily life away from<br />
distractions and busy-ness,<br />
immersing in your practice,<br />
giving you all the opportunity to<br />
effortlessly forget time and<br />
space to rebalance and reconnect<br />
with your body, mind and spirit.<br />
free, while Tuesday and Thursday<br />
evening there is Meditation.<br />
For more information<br />
www.samahitaretreat.com/<br />
essence-practice.html<br />
From the Ground<br />
Up:Inversions &<br />
Arm Balances<br />
with David<br />
Tilston<br />
15 - 22 October<br />
Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui<br />
This week long retreat<br />
is designed to build confidence<br />
on your hands, allowing you to<br />
add inversions and arm balances<br />
to your practice, regardless of<br />
experience. Utilising various<br />
props you will be shown how easy<br />
it is to support yourself and<br />
work up into handstand, arm or<br />
forearm balance whilst<br />
maintaining a strong awareness<br />
of the breath. Upon leaving<br />
Samahita a structured practice<br />
guide will be prepared for you to<br />
continue your inversion and arm<br />
balance journey at home.<br />
For more information<br />
www.samahitaretreat.com/<br />
inversions-arm-balances.html<br />
Angela Perez will lead a Tantra Retreat at Desa Seni in Bali<br />
The mornings will start with<br />
chanting, kriyas and simple<br />
breath work (pranayama) which<br />
will be followed by Ashtanga Led<br />
class. Afternoons will be a mix of<br />
lecture and discussions on<br />
topics, explorative and playfully<br />
learning asanas, restorative yoga<br />
and pranayama. Wednesday is<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 11
KULA<br />
Teacher Trainings<br />
HONG KONG<br />
300-hr Advanced Yoga TT (in<br />
Chinese) with Ann da Silva and<br />
Keiki To<br />
Master Curriculum (Mandatory):<br />
from 15 <strong>July</strong> (rotational)<br />
10-18 September - Yin and<br />
Restorative Yoga TT<br />
29 April-7 May 2017 -<br />
Pregnancy Yoga TT<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
Suitable for Yoga teachers with<br />
200-hour foundation training.<br />
Training modules can be taken<br />
individually without joining the<br />
full program. Graduates of full<br />
300-hr program will qualify as<br />
RYT500 with the Yoga Alliance.<br />
training by Yoga Point HK and<br />
Yoga Vidya Gurukul (India)<br />
in Cantonese. Yoga training and<br />
knowledge from the ancient yoga<br />
scriptures and a specially added<br />
30+ hours of practical Karma<br />
Yoga to give service to the<br />
community.<br />
For more information Micha<br />
(852) 9344 8589 /<br />
yogahchim@yahoo.com<br />
Pre- & Post-natal<br />
Yoga Teacher<br />
Training with<br />
Samantha Chan<br />
7-16 November – Pure Yoga Hong<br />
Kong<br />
This training offers an in-depth<br />
review of the anatomy and<br />
physiology of pregnancy, labour<br />
and birth. Trainees will gain<br />
extensive experience with asanas<br />
well suited to pregnant women<br />
and a thorough understanding of<br />
contraindications during<br />
pregnancy.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com / (852)<br />
2544 8398<br />
300-hr Advanced<br />
Yin Yang Vinyasa<br />
Yoga TT with<br />
Janet Lau<br />
27 <strong>July</strong>-6 August - 90-hr Living<br />
our Yoga<br />
23-29 October and 8-17<br />
December 2017 - 150-hr<br />
Mindfulness Yoga<br />
6-12 November - 60-hr Healing<br />
our Hearts<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung wan<br />
Designed for those who do not<br />
just want to teach, but also to<br />
transform themselves inside and<br />
out so that they can share the<br />
experience with others. Using the<br />
essence of mindfulness and<br />
spiritual teachings from different<br />
lineages woven into the Yogic<br />
teachings and your everyday life.<br />
For more information<br />
info@yogaroomhk.com /<br />
www.yogaroomhk.com / (852)<br />
2544 8398<br />
Iyengar teacher Brian Legere will be at<br />
Pure Yoga in Hong Kong and Taiwan<br />
Alignment,<br />
Adjustment 200-<br />
hr TT with Bryan<br />
Legere<br />
1-27 August – Pure Yoga Hong<br />
Kong<br />
The 200-hour yoga teacher<br />
training is about learning what<br />
yoga has to offer that can enhance<br />
your everyday life. You will learn<br />
yoga anatomy and philosophy.<br />
You will be introduced to Asana,<br />
Pranayama and meditation.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
250-hr<br />
Classical Hatha<br />
Yoga TT with<br />
Micha Chan<br />
September<br />
Flex Studio<br />
Micha will lead this first<br />
Jimmy Barkan brings his own form of hot<br />
yoga to Hong Kong<br />
Barkan Method<br />
Hot Yoga Level 1<br />
14 September – 1 October – Pure<br />
Yoga Hong Kong<br />
This training is designed to<br />
certify students to teach The<br />
Barkan Method Hot Yoga<br />
Sequence. Students will learn:<br />
Yoga Posture Alignment,<br />
Anatomy, History,<br />
Communication Skills,<br />
Philosophy and Basic Sanskrit.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
This course is delivered using a<br />
combination of face-to-face<br />
lectures, practicum, your own<br />
research, observation of classes,<br />
teaching practice and<br />
assignments.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
50-Hour Yoga for<br />
Kids TT with<br />
Jodi Komitor<br />
25-27 November for 2-7 year<br />
olds<br />
28-30 November for 8-13 year<br />
olds<br />
The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan<br />
A practical and experiential<br />
environment, filled with live<br />
demonstration classes, lesson<br />
planning opportunities and<br />
ready-to-use teaching tools.<br />
Including age-appropriate poses,<br />
animated breathing exercises,<br />
guided visualizations, thematic<br />
classes, child development<br />
principles and behaviour<br />
management techniques.<br />
For more information<br />
12 NAMASKAR
www.yogaroomhk.com / (852)<br />
2544 8398<br />
INDIA<br />
Level 2 TT with<br />
Julie Martin &<br />
Emil Wendel<br />
20 November-17 December<br />
Brahmani Yoga, Goa<br />
Daily immersion into the depths<br />
of asana, philosophy, Pranayama<br />
and meditation. Through<br />
practice, interaction and<br />
feedback participants will learn<br />
to integrate skills and knowledge<br />
beneficial not only for teaching,<br />
but also for an advanced<br />
understanding of Yoga.<br />
For more information<br />
www.brahmaniyoga.com/yogateacher-training/level-2-yogateacher-training-julie-martinand-emil-wendel<br />
INDONESIA<br />
The Collective<br />
200-hr TT<br />
2-30 October<br />
Desa Seni School of Yoga, Bali<br />
Led by teachers in different<br />
traditions of Kundalini,<br />
Ashtanga, Vinyasa Flow, Anusara,<br />
and Hatha to share, educate,<br />
nurture all those interested in<br />
becoming a teacher or deepening<br />
their practice.<br />
For more information<br />
info@desaseni.com<br />
Esalen Massage &<br />
Bodywork 175-hr<br />
Training<br />
16 October-9 November<br />
Mimpi Menjangan, Bali<br />
Led by Ellen Watson and Jessica<br />
Fagan, this style of massage is<br />
known for its long, integrating<br />
strokes, and for deep relaxation<br />
that supports the body’s natural<br />
ability to self-heal.<br />
For more information<br />
www.movingventures.org /<br />
contact@movingventures.org<br />
Specialized Esalen<br />
Massage Training<br />
10-15 November<br />
Mimpi Menjangan, Bali<br />
Advanced training<br />
with Ellen Watson. Suitable<br />
for anyone who has completed a<br />
certified massage training with<br />
them or has an equivalent level<br />
of experience or qualification.<br />
For more information<br />
www.movingventures.org /<br />
contact@movingventures.org<br />
MYANMAR<br />
Roots to Wings<br />
200-hr TT<br />
Immersion<br />
1-22 October<br />
Inle Lake, Myanmar<br />
Join Tristina Kennedy and<br />
Michael Fong to discover how the<br />
path of Yoga deepens and expands<br />
your life. Completely commit to<br />
your practice and absorb the<br />
beauty and richness of Myanmar.<br />
For more information<br />
www.yangonyogahouse.com /<br />
www.tristinak.com<br />
PHILIPPINES<br />
200-hr Hatha<br />
Vinyasa Yoga<br />
TT with Bruce<br />
Chung & Steve<br />
Roberts<br />
19 September-15 October<br />
Cebu City<br />
Develop the essential s<br />
kills to intelligently sequence a<br />
nd deliver yoga classes to all stude<br />
nt levels. Key topics include:<br />
teaching methodology, posture<br />
clinics, anatomy, and philosophy.<br />
You will develop a teaching voice<br />
unique and authentic to you,<br />
and graduate with a portfolio<br />
that showcases your development.<br />
For more information<br />
asanayogamovement@gmail.com /<br />
www.asanayogamovement.com/<br />
overview.html<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
Power to Lead:<br />
Vinyasa Yoga TT<br />
with Dr. Trish<br />
Corley<br />
14-23 and 29-30 October; 5-6 and<br />
12-13 November<br />
New Angle Yoga<br />
Based on Baptiste Yoga, through<br />
the practice of Yoga and selfexploration,<br />
gain the tools to<br />
confidently lead Yoga classes and<br />
to access new possibilities in<br />
your practice, teaching, and life.<br />
For more information<br />
www.newangleyoga.com<br />
TAIWAN<br />
Pre- & Post-natal<br />
Yoga Teacher<br />
Training with<br />
Samantha Chan<br />
19-28 September – Pure Yoga<br />
Taipei<br />
This training offers an in-depth<br />
review of the anatomy and<br />
physiology of pregnancy, labour<br />
and birth. Trainees will gain<br />
extensive experience with asanas<br />
well suited to pregnant women<br />
and a thorough understanding of<br />
contraindications during<br />
pregnancy.<br />
This course is delivered with<br />
face-to-face lectures, practicum,<br />
your own research, observation<br />
of classes, teaching practice and<br />
assignments.<br />
For more information<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
Alignment,<br />
Adjustment 200-<br />
hr TT with Bryan<br />
Legere<br />
7 November – 3 December – Pure<br />
Yoga Taipei<br />
The 200-hour yoga teacher<br />
training is about learning what<br />
yoga has to offer that can enhance<br />
your everyday life. You will learn<br />
yoga anatomy and philosophy.<br />
You will be introduced to Asana,<br />
Pranayama and meditation.<br />
For more information<br />
Paul Dallaghan at Samahita Retreat, Thailand<br />
www.pure-yoga.com<br />
THAILAND<br />
200-hr Yoga TT<br />
10 <strong>July</strong>-5 August; 23 October-18<br />
November; 27 November-23<br />
December<br />
Wise Living Yoga Academy,<br />
Chiang Mai<br />
A full immersion experience in<br />
traditional Yoga studies in an<br />
“Ashram-like” environment.<br />
They provide a foundation on<br />
Classical Yoga philosophy and<br />
practices, including meditation,<br />
asanas (postural training),<br />
pranayamas (breathing<br />
techniques) and simple kriyas<br />
(cleansing techniques). All<br />
programs are residential and<br />
include vegetarian meals.<br />
For more information (66)<br />
825467995 /<br />
info@wiselivingyoga.com /<br />
www.teachertraining.<br />
wiselivingyoga.com<br />
An Education in<br />
Yoga: Foundation<br />
Level I<br />
6 August – 3 September & 29<br />
October - 26 November<br />
Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui<br />
A one-month residential<br />
trainings, preceded by precourse<br />
assignments and<br />
preparation. This is an<br />
immersion in a focused learning<br />
environment — live the practice.<br />
For more information<br />
www.centeredyoga.com/yogateacher-training.html<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 13
PHOTO ESSAY<br />
DANCE & THE<br />
ART OF TOUCH<br />
At BaliSpirit<br />
Festival <strong>2016</strong><br />
TEXT BY MARY J. DIMEGLIO, PHOTOS BY MONO XIAO<br />
For nine years, yogis, seekers, dancers and musicians from around<br />
the world have gathered in Bali, Indonesia, to share asana,<br />
movement, sound and healing during the BaliSpirit Festival.<br />
World-renowned teachers and performers attract a dedicated<br />
international tribe to the festival every year.<br />
A major sponsor of the festival, MovingVentures proudly shared<br />
Esalen Massage and Touching Essence, teaching the art of<br />
touching others with care and presence. While in SpiritDance<br />
SoulSong workshops, the ancient medicine of song and dance<br />
came to life as ecstatic festival-goers discover their bodies are a<br />
musical instrument. This moving meditation invited students to<br />
realize physical and metaphysical fitness by exploring their breath<br />
and opening their heart.<br />
In a safe space, the throat chakra opens. Natural pranayama<br />
invites sound from all parts of the body, opening space, new<br />
vitality and balance.<br />
14 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 15
16 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 17
18 NAMASKAR
OPINION<br />
STARBUCKS YOGA<br />
More styles, Less depth?<br />
BY ANDY WILLNER<br />
Server: How would you like your yoga today?<br />
Miss Anorexic: Reeeeaaaallllly hot, otherwise<br />
I just can’t get a good sweat going!<br />
Server: Any cream with that?<br />
Miss Anorexic: No thanks, I come here twice<br />
a day to lose weight!<br />
Server: Next please, how would you like your<br />
yoga today?<br />
Mr Agitated: Yogalates for me with extra<br />
foam.<br />
Server: Certainly Sir. We do have to charge a<br />
bit extra for Yogalates with extra foam.<br />
Mr Agitated: No problem. My mind adores<br />
the extra foam, it’s great to feel all stirred up<br />
after yoga, otherwise it just feels so boring<br />
and still!<br />
Server: Next please, how would you like your<br />
yoga today?<br />
Mr Distracted: Hmmm, what would you<br />
recommend?<br />
Server: Well, today’s special is Meditation<br />
with Pranayama.<br />
Mr Distracted: Oh, I don’t really like<br />
meditation, I can’t sit still, and as for<br />
Pranayama, I already breath all day, I don’t<br />
think I need any of that. How about some<br />
Vinyasa level 5 with really loud music?<br />
Ok, the above scenarios are fictitious, but<br />
sometimes contemporary yoga seems like<br />
going to Starbucks. Not just because of the<br />
myriad styles of hatha yoga, but we now have<br />
a complete smorgasbord of hybrids -<br />
Acroyoga, Yoga Sculpt, Crossfit yoga, Aerial<br />
yoga, Naked yoga (yup, classes being offered<br />
in New York), Glow In The Dark yoga<br />
(hopefully never to be combined with Naked<br />
yoga!), Rage yoga (where u can swear your<br />
head off and scream a lot), Broga (for men<br />
only) the list goes on.<br />
So maybe it is time to take a pranayamic<br />
breath and ask ourselves what actually<br />
constitutes Yoga, and what has become of it<br />
in the rush to consumerize this ancient<br />
practice.<br />
The oldest surviving definition comes from<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 19
20 NAMASKAR
Let them come to real yoga once they are ready,<br />
rather than dumbing it down<br />
to the point of being unrecognizable.<br />
the Katha Upanisad around 700BCE, which<br />
defines yoga as “holding the senses steady”.<br />
Roughly 200 years later, Panini defined yoga<br />
as samadhi, which literally means “bringing<br />
everything together”.<br />
Down the chronological line, the Bhagavad<br />
Gita written around 200-300 CE talks of<br />
yoga being “skill in action”, or how to act in a<br />
manner that does not give you more karma,<br />
“balance/evenness” and “separation of the<br />
union with pain” - which refers to the pain<br />
caused by samsara (the cycle of birth, death,<br />
rebirth).<br />
Subsequently in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras we<br />
find yoga defined as “stilling/restraining the<br />
movements of the mind”. There are several<br />
more definitions of yoga in the historical<br />
texts, but I think this is sufficient to highlight<br />
an important point: there are no definitions<br />
stating Yoga to be “getting more flexible and<br />
stronger”, “losing weight”, “improving<br />
cardio”, “gaining greater self confidence<br />
(read: ego)”, “performing amazingly difficult<br />
poses to impress those around you”.<br />
My teacher, Carlos Pomeda, talks about Yoga<br />
being the pursuit of freedom from our<br />
conditioning (karma). We try to deconstruct<br />
our identity, not switch one with another.<br />
Hopefully we come realize this pure blissful<br />
consciousness is our fundamental nature. It<br />
seems obvious to most genuine yoga<br />
practitioners that seeking this connection<br />
can only begin to take place if we internalize,<br />
which requires introspection and a lot of<br />
patience, since for most this journey of<br />
discovery is a long one.<br />
So I return to the original enquiry whether<br />
the “Starbucks yoga” of today is really<br />
leading students towards this path.<br />
Moreover whether all the hybrids are Yoga at<br />
all, or rather an entertaining form of<br />
exercise!<br />
I suspect this statement may have some<br />
practitioners leaping off their mats in<br />
defense of their hybrid, but to assert an<br />
activity is truly a Yoga practice, there needs<br />
to be some genuine link to the purposes of<br />
Yoga as outlined above. When yoga practice<br />
is all about performing rather than<br />
informing, is it Yoga? I argue not. If we define<br />
yoga as anything that incorporates poses<br />
resembling asana, without any regard of the<br />
true purpose of performing asana – which is<br />
to prepare the body for a journey to restrain<br />
the fluctuations of the mind - then we risk<br />
diluting and trivializing this wonderful and<br />
ancient art/science/philosophy. When the<br />
by-products of yoga practice such as<br />
improved strength, flexibility, balance<br />
become the raison d’etre for attending yoga<br />
classes, then we have, in the 21 st century,<br />
stolen a wonderful tradition and altered it<br />
beyond recognition to fit the cultural tastes<br />
of our times.<br />
This article does not permit the time or space<br />
to address every hybrid individually, so I<br />
shall focus on a couple that are relevant to my<br />
own personal experience- martial arts and<br />
aerobics/fitness training. I taught and<br />
competed in martial arts for many years<br />
before discovering Yoga, and I would<br />
challenge anyone to argue that the ultimate<br />
goals of martial arts and Yoga are equivalent.<br />
Even slow moving forms of Tai Chi are<br />
focused on precise bodily movement to<br />
enable ones chi (prana) to move effectively<br />
and thus enhance ones physical and mental<br />
health, but there is nothing stated in any of<br />
the leading tai chi organizations’ literature<br />
that refers to the spiritual goals of yoga.<br />
Let me also take a moment to address<br />
possible objections to my contentions:<br />
Argument 1: hybrids attract newcomers, who<br />
might not otherwise discover yoga as they<br />
would not choose to attend a hatha yoga<br />
class. Whilst newcomers might indeed try<br />
one of these funky fusion offerings, it is<br />
misleading to suggest it bears any<br />
resemblance to Yoga.<br />
To me this argument does not hold water -<br />
taken to its logical conclusion one could call<br />
anything Yoga - “xyz-yoga” maybe circusyoga,<br />
soccer-yoga, train spotting-yoga saying<br />
it will open the door for participants to<br />
discover the real practice of Yoga. If it does<br />
not look, feel, smell, taste or sound like Yoga,<br />
then it probably isn’t Yoga. If people are not<br />
ready for a real Yoga practice, that’s fine. Let<br />
them come to real Yoga once they are ready,<br />
rather than dumbing it down to the point of<br />
being unrecognizable.<br />
Argument 2: sankalpa (intention) behind the<br />
activity, not the activity itself, is what<br />
determines whether it is Yoga or not.<br />
Absolutely! The intention of both teacher and<br />
student is very important. Is a hatha yoga<br />
class really Yoga if practiced with wrong<br />
intention? But when hatha yoga, which has<br />
been tried and tested for hundreds of years,<br />
is practiced with right intention then the<br />
fruits of that practice flower in the way the<br />
student thinks, speaks and acts, both within<br />
and beyond the yoga studio. This ultimately<br />
assists them in their evolution towards selfrealization.<br />
The recent trend towards various hybrid<br />
yoga practices offers nothing additional in<br />
assisting students in this journey.<br />
How does wearing florescent tubes round<br />
your wrists in a dark room enhance one’s<br />
inner journey? How does focusing on a<br />
partner in Acroyoga assist you in the<br />
introspective journey of Yoga? It might help<br />
the practitioner develop trust in others, but<br />
so does rally car racing where the life of the<br />
driver is in the hands of the navigator reading<br />
the map, but nobody calls it “Rally Car Racing<br />
Yoga”. How does using weights to sculpt<br />
your body whilst forming shapes that<br />
simulate yoga poses lead the practitioner<br />
away from the most superficial of koshas<br />
(layer of being), the physical kosha?<br />
I contend they do not, and are merely<br />
marketing gimmicks to attract the modern<br />
man/woman, with a very short attention<br />
span, looking for the next cool fad.<br />
In conclusion, saying anything that brings<br />
people into the yoga fold is beneficial, as<br />
these students will eventually find their way<br />
to a deeper understanding is wrong. Those<br />
within the yoga community who value the<br />
origins and essence of Yoga should be<br />
skeptical that this misrepresentation of Yoga<br />
will lead students towards the path of selfrealization.<br />
If what is being taught has<br />
nothing to do with Yoga other than the label<br />
of the class, then it is unlikely students will<br />
find their way through these classes to any<br />
deeper understanding, and in so doing we<br />
perform a dis-service to genuine Yoga.<br />
When you add caramel, cocoa powder,<br />
whipped cream, marshmallow, rainbow<br />
sprinkles and mint flavouring to your coffee,<br />
there comes a point when it is no longer<br />
recognizable as coffee. Let’s wake up neo-<br />
Yogis and smell the coffee...the real coffee!<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 21
ASTROLOGY<br />
BAND MEMBERS & BHAKTAS<br />
Astrology & Bhagavad Gita Intersect<br />
BY SRAVANIYA DIPECORARO<br />
I cannot get over how many of my god<br />
brothers were musicians before they took<br />
up Krishna consciousness or Bhakti yoga.<br />
And that’s not all. For the past quarter<br />
of a century, whenever I have looked at the<br />
birth horoscopes of any god brothers<br />
and sisters, I have noticed nearly all of us<br />
have Neptune in aspect with the<br />
Sun or Moon in our charts.<br />
What has one got to do with the other? As an<br />
astrological counselor and student<br />
of Vedic philosophy, connecting the dots is<br />
something I do regularly. If you are<br />
up for it I can explain the energetic<br />
connection between these two seemingly<br />
unrelated things.<br />
THE INFLUENCE OF NEPTUNE<br />
“On the psychological level,” says astrologer<br />
Liz Greene, “Neptune reflects our<br />
need to lay down the lonely burden of<br />
material existence and experience the<br />
bliss of union with something greater.”<br />
Sounds like a concise description of the<br />
urge toward self realization, doesn’t it? And<br />
with this energy flowing through<br />
one’s identity - as aspects to the Sun or Moon<br />
indicate - the chances are good this<br />
motivation will be a dominant theme.<br />
Don’t get me wrong. I do not mean Neptune<br />
is causing this but, rather, that<br />
those bhaktas were each born at a particular<br />
time for a purpose. I am reminded<br />
of Bhagavad-gita where Lord Sri Krishna<br />
tells Arjuna (6.41-43):<br />
“The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many<br />
years of enjoyment on the planets of the<br />
pious living entities, is born into a family of<br />
righteous people, or into a family of rich<br />
aristocracy. Or he takes his birth in a family<br />
of transcendentalists who are surely great in<br />
wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this<br />
world. On taking such a birth, he again<br />
revives the divine consciousness of his<br />
previous life, and he tries to make further<br />
progress in order to achieve complete<br />
success, O son of Kuru.”<br />
In other words even if one cannot achieve the<br />
perfection of yoga in one lifetime one will get<br />
another chance to take up where he or she<br />
left off, and be drawn to it naturally.<br />
Since the conjunction is most intense<br />
indicator of the energy dynamic, I will share<br />
some of those excerpts from noted<br />
astrological authorities.<br />
SUN CONJUNCT NEPTUNE<br />
“You like to pretend and create worlds in<br />
your mind in which you can do anything you<br />
want. But it is very important to learn the<br />
great difference between the world that you<br />
create in your mind and the one outside that<br />
you share with others. If you train your<br />
creative mind properly, your fondness for<br />
fantasy can help you produce significant<br />
poetry, art or music.” - Robert Hand<br />
“When your attention is focused on art,<br />
poetry, music, or drama you are extremely<br />
creative and inspired. There is a mystical<br />
quality to your artistic expression that sets it<br />
apart from that of the average person. You<br />
have special gifts, but you must have training<br />
in order to use them constructively … You<br />
should choose a profession that will provide<br />
you with sufficient freedom to use your<br />
creative abilities… In such professions as<br />
education, medicine, social work and religion<br />
you would derive as much benefit as those<br />
you serve. It is important to remember that<br />
you must face life’s realities, which are<br />
unusually abrasive to your sensitive nature.<br />
Do not project unrealistic expectations, or<br />
you will be unnecessarily disappointed.” -<br />
Robert Pelletier<br />
MOON CONJUNCT NEPTUNE<br />
“You are very sensitive to the emotions of the<br />
people you are with. You pick up their moods<br />
and make them your own, so it is very<br />
important to be with people who are good for<br />
you emotionally.<br />
You are a dreamer and not very practical,<br />
preferring to sit by yourself and play in your<br />
private fantasy world. Your vivid imagination<br />
makes these daydreams quite real to you. But<br />
you should be careful not to retreat into your<br />
little world every time you want to avoid the<br />
problems of the real world.” -Robert Hand<br />
“You are inclined to offer assistance to<br />
anyone who seems to need help. …Your latent<br />
ability should find an outlet through publicoriented<br />
work, such as service and welfare,<br />
nursing, working with the mentally retarded,<br />
or rehabilitation of the handicapped.<br />
… Learn to accept people at their level of<br />
development and do not give them attributes<br />
they have not earned or deserved. You can<br />
express your imagination in artistic pursuits<br />
- designing, painting, music, or poetry.”<br />
-Robert Pelletier<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
It is fascinating to me that art, music, drama<br />
and religion all bask in the same dream-like<br />
illumination of Neptune. Of course it takes<br />
more than merely that one facet to manifest<br />
positive creativity in one’s life. A wellaspected<br />
Saturn, for example, can make all<br />
the difference between a successful yogi and<br />
a homeless drug addict.<br />
Yoga is to the individual what religion is to a<br />
group. Practice or sadhana is<br />
something a person has because it is<br />
something he does regularly, and the<br />
transcendental principles reveal themselves<br />
to one who perseveres. It starts with<br />
the guidance of a bonafide teacher and can be<br />
encouraged by the good association of others<br />
on the path.<br />
As for Bhakti yoga, Krishna says (BG 9.2),<br />
“This knowledge is the king of education, the<br />
most secret of all secrets. It is the purest<br />
knowledge, and because it gives direct<br />
perception of the self by realization, it is the<br />
perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it<br />
is joyfully performed.”<br />
That means it’s fun. It would have to be to<br />
have gotten all those guys to trade in their<br />
guitars and drumsticks for chanting beads.<br />
22 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 23
KIDS YOGA<br />
MINDFUL PARENTING<br />
Yoga Lessons Beyond the Mat<br />
BY JENNY SMITH<br />
As a children’s yoga teacher, I’ve shared yoga<br />
with hundreds of children. And every<br />
experience has taught me more about being<br />
present and focused as a teacher and parent.<br />
As a teacher, the present moment awareness<br />
practiced through my mediation translates<br />
into being flexible with my class plans if they<br />
don’t match the needs or abilities of the<br />
children in front of me. This flexibility<br />
develops with the understanding that our<br />
students are never the same, changing due to<br />
growth spurts, more or less school work or,<br />
busier social lives.<br />
As a parent, this present moment awareness<br />
is reflected as I stop what I am doing to<br />
actively listen to my children, and support<br />
them, as they share their day with me -<br />
respecting their courage to try a challenging<br />
new activity; admiring their personal<br />
expression through arts and crafts;<br />
commending their achievements in sports<br />
and play.<br />
The life skills we seek through yoga are not<br />
perfection, but an understanding of how we<br />
are right now, and what we can do to support<br />
our mind, body and spirit with the resources<br />
we have. This is what parents need to guide<br />
their children on a day-to-day basis and steer<br />
themselves through the landscape of<br />
parenthood. Just when you think you’ve<br />
mastered being a parent, something new<br />
presents itself that unsettles you, tests your<br />
patience and pushes you into unchartered<br />
waters!<br />
Children are born natural yogis, they are in<br />
samadhi when they enter the world. They are<br />
not aware of their hands or feet, let alone<br />
ego! As a yoga teacher who works with all<br />
ages, I see how the loss of connection to our<br />
innate state of present moment awareness at<br />
a young age affects older children. Yearning<br />
for what others have; seeking approval from<br />
others; or the changing educational systems<br />
influences our children. For all these reasons<br />
yoga can enhance children’s lives, by teaching<br />
them tools for life and by enhancing family<br />
life.<br />
Caring for family and friends, creating a noncompetitive<br />
community, while remaining<br />
aware of your inner voice and needs, are<br />
some of the benefits a parent can learn from<br />
a yoga practice.<br />
Working and living with children is never the<br />
same and always enlightening. Yoga practice<br />
becomes more of a lifestyle than a mat-based<br />
regime. Your meditative practices soon<br />
become real time in the hectic pace of<br />
parenting, consciously focusing on your<br />
breath and calming your mind for example,<br />
while dealing with the 5pm nightly toddler<br />
temper tantrums. Moving mediations can be<br />
invaluable when you’ve been called in to the<br />
school due to a child’s incident.<br />
The stillness and silence experienced while<br />
on your yoga mat is always there and your<br />
ability to find that peacefulness in unsettling<br />
circumstances takes your yoga to a whole<br />
The life skills we seek through yoga<br />
are not perfection, but understanding<br />
how we are right now<br />
new level. Linking mind, body, spiritual<br />
practices in how you conduct yourself on and<br />
off the mat, in and out of your classes, with<br />
or without your family, means that life<br />
becomes your teacher.<br />
Here are some more tools and practices I’ve<br />
developed teaching children yoga and being<br />
mum to two incredible children (and my<br />
most important teachers).<br />
1. Family yoga is one activity you can share<br />
with every family member. From mums and<br />
dads with young babies, toddlers with older<br />
siblings, children with grandparents, teens<br />
guiding their parents through new poses - the<br />
combinations and opportunities are endless.<br />
2. Use a combination of partner poses and<br />
yoga games, to build strength and flexibility<br />
and teach mental concentration and body<br />
awareness.<br />
3. For working parents who can’t bring their<br />
children to class, try family yoga time in the<br />
evening or weekend to practice together.<br />
4. Time allocated to bedtime stories can<br />
include Thai yoga massage, guided<br />
visualisation and yoga story books.<br />
Yoga is an innate state of being, interconnectedness,<br />
balance and feeling at ease,<br />
whether in challenging yoga poses or<br />
parenting situations. Savasana takes on an<br />
entirely different meaning, as you connect<br />
within and listen to what worked, what<br />
didn’t, how you can support your inner guide<br />
and how you can be fulfilled in all you do.<br />
24 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 25
26 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 27
28 NAMASKAR
DRISTI - FAMOUS YOGIS<br />
PATTABHI JOIS<br />
1915 - 2009<br />
BY DYLAN BERNSTEIN<br />
SRI SRI ANANDAMURTI<br />
The path of bliss........................31<br />
THREE KAGYU YOGIS<br />
Milrepa, Naropa & Tilopa....... ..32<br />
J. KRISHNAMURTI<br />
Anywhere to everywhere.........34<br />
ADI SHANKARACHARYA<br />
The World Guru........................34<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 29
Shri Krishna Pattabhi Jois has become one<br />
of yoga’s great icons. His pictures hang in<br />
thousands of yoga shalas and homes around<br />
the world and his sayings have become<br />
memes, jewelry and yes, even the requisite<br />
yoga tattoo.<br />
Pattabhi Jois’s fame is well earned. The<br />
course of yoga has been forever changed by<br />
the teachings of Jois, his students and his<br />
students’ students. In fact, I think that only<br />
today are we are only beginning to see the<br />
magnitude and spread of his influence.<br />
K Pattabhi Jois, or Guruji as he is known by<br />
his students, lived a life bordering on the<br />
mythic. In full disclosure, I have told and<br />
discussed his story many times. Any student<br />
of Indian thought will realize the power of<br />
story. The more we tell it, the grander it<br />
becomes. I’ll do my level best to keep it<br />
straightforward and concise on this page.<br />
Pattabhi was born in South India in 1915 – on<br />
the night of Guru Purnima. This is the annual<br />
full moon that celebrates the Guru principle<br />
which guides us towards spiritual wisdom.<br />
He was born into a Brahmin family and<br />
learned Hindu rites and rituals. He was very<br />
attracted to the study of Sanskrit and the<br />
Vedic philosophies. From a young age, his<br />
family would encourage him to focus on<br />
chores instead of his esoteric leanings.<br />
At the age of 12, young Pattabhi witnessed<br />
and met Tirumalai Krishnamacarya at one of<br />
the elder’s travelling yoga demonstrations.<br />
Jois immediately undertook studies with<br />
Krishnamacarya. Krishamacarya left town<br />
after a few years and Pattabhi was<br />
temporarily separated from his Guru.<br />
At the age of 15, Pattabhi ran away from<br />
home, fearlessly and farelessly hopping the<br />
train to the city of Mysore. He arrived with<br />
two rupees and two good friends. Soon he<br />
was reunited with his Guru,<br />
Krishnamacarya, and would remain his<br />
devoted student for decades to come.<br />
Pattabhi Jois quickly went from student to<br />
adjunct professor to full professor to leader<br />
of the Sanskrit College in Mysore. He taught<br />
Sanskrit there for 35 years.<br />
During the 1970’s, around the time he retired<br />
from academia, Jois devoted more time to<br />
running a full-time yoga shala. More and<br />
more Western students were attracted to<br />
India and specifically to the man many of<br />
them would simply call Guruji.<br />
The method he taught emphasizes linking<br />
breath and movement in a discriminating<br />
way. The series of postures is linked by<br />
connective transition sequences built from<br />
Sun Salutations. The pedagogy also relies<br />
heavily on self-practice, monitored and<br />
assisted by a teacher. This “Mysore-style”<br />
has been named after the city. Instead of<br />
calling his methods Pattabhi Yoga or Jois<br />
Yoga, Guruji named the system Ashtanga<br />
Yoga. He clearly was referencing the<br />
meditative teachings of the Patanjali Yoga<br />
Sutra. When asked how he’d developed this<br />
system, he would consistently refer back to<br />
Krishnamacarya, Patanjali and other<br />
venerated scriptures and traditions.<br />
In short, the West deeply embraced his yoga<br />
practice. During the 1990’s, the core of<br />
Ashtanga spread to many fledgling styles of<br />
yoga. The breathing system and the related<br />
art of connecting postures became a<br />
mainstay of most modern asana practice.<br />
Today, even teachers who aren’t particularly<br />
aware of Pattabhi Jois’s life happen to be<br />
teaching techniques greatly influenced by his<br />
method.<br />
He passed from the worldly life in 2009.<br />
Many of us can remember where we were.<br />
We can recall the ceremonies that we led and<br />
participated in honoring the transition.<br />
Amazingly, the mainstream media failed to<br />
note the importance of his contribution at<br />
the time. The New York Times took days to<br />
publish an incomplete obituary. Similarly,<br />
the living Pattabhi avoided excess attention,<br />
instead allowing the practice to inform the<br />
students.<br />
Pattabhi Jois was an ardent scholar of<br />
Sanskrit traditions. However, in his later<br />
years, he would encourage us to remember<br />
practice as the most important aspect of<br />
yoga. Many of his most celebrated turns of<br />
phrase refer to this prioritization.<br />
Yet the memes and one-liners all fall short of<br />
encapsulating the light which Guruji brought<br />
forth. That light is to be experienced by the<br />
individual. The practice itself is the real<br />
teacher and that legacy is carrying itself<br />
forward, gaining momentum each day.<br />
Yoga is an internal practice, the rest is just a circus.<br />
K. PATTABHI JOIS<br />
Samahita Retreat in Thailand is strongly influenced by Pattabhi Jois, photo by Nigel Gregory<br />
30 NAMASKAR
DRISTI<br />
SRI SRI ANANDAMURTI<br />
1921 - 1990<br />
BY CLAYTON HORTON<br />
Sri Sri Anandamurti was born Prabhat<br />
Ranjan Sarkar in Bengal, India. At a very<br />
young age, he displayed signs of great<br />
spiritual wisdom and intelligence. His<br />
amazing life and work has proven to be a<br />
profound contribution in the fields of<br />
philosophy, science, natural health, social<br />
theory and yoga. He authored over 200<br />
books and his blend of historical perspective<br />
and social commentary has inspired social<br />
activists seeking progressive alternatives to<br />
capitalism and communism.<br />
In 1955, Anandamurti founded Ananda Marga<br />
(Path of Bliss) in India with the twin<br />
purposes of spiritual progress and social<br />
change. Ananda Marga soon became a multifaceted<br />
organisation of over one million<br />
followers worldwide with different branches<br />
dedicated to the uplifting of humanity<br />
through education, disaster relief, welfare,<br />
the arts, health, and ecology, Ananda Marga<br />
has founded hundreds of children’s schools<br />
worldwide with ashrams, yoga studios and<br />
health centres in over 130 countries.<br />
PARAMA PURUSHA, BIOPSYCHOLOGY<br />
& MICROVITA<br />
Adjusting the ancient science of Tantra Yoga<br />
and Vedic culture to meet the needs of this<br />
age, he developed a scientific and practical<br />
philosophy. The core of his philosophy<br />
combines Self-realization and social service<br />
with an emphasis on continuously<br />
recognising Parama Purusha, the divine<br />
consciousness in and around us.<br />
Anandamurti is well known for his work on<br />
Biopsycology which explains how the<br />
traditional tantric science of chakras<br />
(wheels) with their subtle energies, are<br />
related with the body through nerve plexi as<br />
physiologic counterparts, influencing the<br />
associated endocrine glands with the<br />
neuroendocrine system and the psychic part<br />
of the body. Ananda Marga yoga asana is<br />
based on the principle that the basic 50<br />
propensities (vrttis) of the human mind can<br />
be brought into balance by working with the<br />
hormonal secretion of the glands and sub<br />
glands that are expressed by the chakras.<br />
In 1986, Anandamurti introduced the theory<br />
of Microvita. His theory struck at the heart<br />
of conventional physics and biology, by<br />
pointing out that the basic buildings blocks<br />
of life, Microvita, are emanations of pure<br />
consciousness. He predicted Microvita<br />
would unite physics, biology, and<br />
mathematics towards an understanding of<br />
the true nature of the universe.<br />
SADHANA, 16 POINTS & THE SUPREME<br />
COMMAND<br />
Anandamurti describes Sadhana (spiritual<br />
practice) as “the transformation of fearful<br />
love into fearless love”. In the AM system,<br />
meditation is done twice daily, Devotees are<br />
initiated by an Acharya and taught meditation<br />
with six different lessons or levels of<br />
progression. Each lesson is increasingly<br />
more complex as the mind is brought into a<br />
more subtle state with breath, mantra,<br />
chakra awareness, visualisation and ideation.<br />
He developed a system of Sixteen Points to<br />
be followed daily; a system of spiritual<br />
practices to help initiate balance within the<br />
physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of life.<br />
The Supreme Command is read aloud at all<br />
Dharma Chakras (communal meditation<br />
gatherings) and states ‘by practicing sadhana<br />
twice a day regularly, the thought of Parama<br />
Purusha (divine eternal consciousness) will<br />
certainly arise in the minds at the time of<br />
death; their liberation is a sure guarantee….”<br />
MUSIC, DANCE & CHANTING<br />
A lover of music and the arts, Anandamurti<br />
wrote over 5,018 mystical song poems during<br />
his lifetime. He placed high priority on the<br />
devotional practice of Kirtan as a means of<br />
transcending the ego and connecting with the<br />
eternal love of the universe.<br />
SOCIAL SERVICE, KARMA YOGA &<br />
PROUT<br />
P. R. Sarkar (Anandamurti’s psuedonom for<br />
academic publications) brought great<br />
importance and attention to Karma Yoga<br />
(selfless social service) as a means of<br />
liberation. In 1958 He developed the<br />
Progressive Universal Theory or PROUT, as<br />
a response to immense government<br />
corruption in India. The Proutist economy as<br />
described by Sarkar is a form of cooperative<br />
and decentralised economy that looks more<br />
at the collective welfare rather than for<br />
profit. “Progressive Utilization” stands for<br />
the optimisation and maximum utilisation of<br />
natural, industrial and human resources on a<br />
sustainable basis for the entire ecosystem.<br />
Today, PROUT is gaining much attention<br />
worldwide as citizens of the world are<br />
recognising the increasingly large<br />
distribution of wealth between the wealthy<br />
and the poor; and the need for sustainable<br />
and Earth friendly communities.<br />
In 1963 He introduced AMURT (Ananda<br />
Marga Universal Relief Team) to render<br />
immediate relief from the disasters of fires,<br />
floods, typhoons, earthquakes and war.<br />
In India during the Indra Gandhi era of the<br />
1970’s, Ananda Marga’s social activism<br />
gained much momentum and attention.<br />
Anandamurti was falsely imprisoned and was<br />
poisoned in an attempted assassination by<br />
the prison doctor. After fasting on only one<br />
glass of milk per day for five years in a<br />
protest against false accusations and his<br />
attempted murder, Anandamurti was<br />
released from prison when Indira Gandhi<br />
was voted out of power.<br />
Today the wisdom and teachings of Sri Sri<br />
Anandamurti lives on through the works of<br />
his organisation. Ananda Marga has its<br />
headquarters in Ananda Nagar, India.<br />
Ashrams, schools, orphanages and health<br />
clinics are worldwide.<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 31
we all start with human obstacles<br />
to deal with,<br />
but we all possess<br />
the seed of enlightenment<br />
top right Tilopa, right Naropa, above Milrepa<br />
32 NAMASKAR
DRISTI<br />
THREE KAGYU YOGIS<br />
Milrepa, 1052 – 1135, Naropa, 1016 -<br />
1100, Tilopa, 988–1069<br />
BY KIM ROBERTS<br />
When I was a graduate student at Naropa<br />
University, we studied the lives of Tibetan<br />
yogis. These legendary stories are such an<br />
integral part of the spiritual education in<br />
Tibet they have a name for them: namthars.<br />
Namthars of the great Indian and Tibetan<br />
saints serve as examples for how to heal<br />
from the affliction of believing everything<br />
your mind tells you. Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa,<br />
Milarepa and Gampopa—the forefathers of<br />
the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism—<br />
worked through their particular<br />
circumstances through trials and<br />
tribulations to wake up from the dream of<br />
delusion.<br />
These men were real people with real<br />
suffering. Marpa had calluses on his bottom<br />
from sitting in meditation for so long. His<br />
student Milarepa performed back-breaking<br />
physical labor, building towers out of stone<br />
and then tearing them down, over and over<br />
again, until he got it right, and that was after<br />
killing off half of his family.<br />
Milarepa’s father died, leaving him and his<br />
mother to the mercy of greedy relatives who<br />
stole his inheritance. Milarepa left home to<br />
study sorcery to avenge his mother’s loss.<br />
While his evil aunt and uncle were throwing a<br />
party (using the riches from the inheritance<br />
his father had left to him) to celebrate their<br />
son’s marriage, Milarepa summoned a deadly<br />
hailstorm that killed most of the party,<br />
including his aunt and uncle.<br />
So Milarepa became a mass murderer.<br />
Despite this heavy karma, because of the<br />
strength of his devotion and the power of the<br />
yogic practices, he became one of Tibet’s<br />
greatest yogis and saints.<br />
To me this was so encouraging, because<br />
haven’t we all done things we wish we hadn’t?<br />
Another of the stories that intrigued me<br />
most was the story of the great Buddhist<br />
saint and scholar Naropa.<br />
Naropa was an Indian prince born in the<br />
11 th century, who became one of the most<br />
famous scholars of his era. One day as he was<br />
studying the Buddhist texts, an old hag—the<br />
deity Vajrayogini in disguise—appeared to<br />
him and asked if he understood what he was<br />
reading. He answered, “yes,” and the woman<br />
seemed pleased. Then she asked if he<br />
understood the real meaning of what he was<br />
reading. Wishing to please her, again he<br />
answered yes, and she threw a fit. He didn’t<br />
understand the inner meaning at all.<br />
So Naropa quit his prestigious position at the<br />
university to search for a guru who could<br />
teach him the inner meaning. He finally found<br />
the man who would become his guru, Tilopa,<br />
eating fish heads by the side of a river.<br />
Naropa asked Tilopa to be his teacher, but<br />
Tilopa refused and ran away.<br />
Finally, Naropa caught up with Tilopa, who<br />
was sitting on a high cliff. Again he asked<br />
Tilopa to be his teacher.<br />
Tilopa said: If you were really desperate and<br />
determined to learn about the teachings, you<br />
would jump off this cliff without any<br />
hesitation because you would be able to<br />
understand how important it is to follow the<br />
commands of your master.<br />
So Naropa jumped. He broke every bone in<br />
his body. When Tilopa found him later, he<br />
instantly and magically healed Naropa’s body.<br />
But still Tilopa would not accept Naropa as a<br />
student.<br />
Naropa spent years trying to convince Tilopa<br />
to become his teacher. He was tested in every<br />
possible way to prove his worthiness as a<br />
student. Naropa was so hungry for a<br />
teacher’s guidance that he stole food for<br />
Tilopa, got beaten for it, and still came back<br />
for more. After twelve years of this kind of<br />
abuse, Naropa was destitute, but<br />
determined. Once again he asked Tilopa to<br />
give him the profound teachings.<br />
Tilopa said: You are not yet pure enough to<br />
be introduced to the nature of mind! In a fit<br />
of fury, Tilopa removed his slipper and<br />
slapped Naropa’s face so hard that Naropa<br />
fainted and attained a state of realization.<br />
When he awoke, Tilopa lovingly explained to<br />
Naropa why he had to be so wrathful and<br />
subject him to so much suffering.<br />
He said: Your negative karma could not be<br />
purified by your own effort alone. Only by<br />
actually experiencing hardship could you<br />
purify the negative karma that prevented you<br />
from realizing the ultimate nature of<br />
Buddhahood. In this way you were able finally<br />
to overcome the conflicting emotions and<br />
experience realization.<br />
It’s like trying to clean a rusty tin can. The<br />
rust—our delusion—is so rough that trying to<br />
remove it with a soft cloth would take ages,<br />
lifetimes. The quick way to remove the rust is<br />
to find another substance even rougher than<br />
the rust, like steel wool. If you rub the can<br />
with this, then the rust can be removed.<br />
Similarly, the negative karma obscuring the<br />
true nature of mind cannot be removed by<br />
softness or gentleness, nor can the<br />
achievement of realization occur if a teacher<br />
is overly kind. Sometimes harshness is<br />
needed to wake up to reality—to see what<br />
we’re not seeing.<br />
These stories brought home the truth that we<br />
all start with very human obstacles to deal<br />
with in this life. But with dedication to<br />
practice and the guidance of a great teacher, it<br />
is possible for all of us to wake up from the<br />
delusion of conditioned existence, because we<br />
all possess the seed of enlightenment.<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 33
DRISTI<br />
J. KRISHNAMURTI<br />
1896-1986<br />
BY MELINDA JUANG<br />
J. Krishnamurti was once asked if practicing<br />
Yoga could awaken kundalini. Instead of<br />
replying with a yes or no, he invited the<br />
audience to think about what Yoga actually is.<br />
He explained Yoga in the past was to live a<br />
holy and moral life. As far as he was<br />
concerned, the “Yoga” in modern times is<br />
more like an exercise, which is practiced in<br />
order to not only have a healthy body but also<br />
to force, discipline, and control, in order to<br />
increase energy. J. Krishnamurti expressed<br />
we could do this kind of Yoga exercises for a<br />
whole lifetime and still would not awake<br />
spirituality within. He stressed higher energy<br />
can only come when there is absolutely no<br />
sense of the Self, which is in constant conflict<br />
and therefore energy-draining.<br />
If we imagine the human mind as a tree<br />
nurtured by the soil of past experiences, J.<br />
Krishnamurti goes to the root of the<br />
question rather than giving a direct answer to<br />
the symptomatic tree leaves of our<br />
conditioned mind. His scientific approach by<br />
carefully observing the nature of our thought<br />
processes provides a simple point of view,<br />
not persuasive in the beginning, but<br />
penetrating if you allow him to go further.<br />
For that, it requires great attention and<br />
sensitivity to the consciousness, which is<br />
meditative in essence; only in this, can we be<br />
free from our known conditionings and make<br />
new discoveries in the unknown.<br />
Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in a small town<br />
in south India and went on to be one of the<br />
greatest Indian philosophers. Proclaimed by<br />
many, Krishnamurti was to be the World<br />
Teacher. He was adopted in his youth by Dr.<br />
Annie Besant, then president of the<br />
Theosophical Society.<br />
In 1929, despite the grand title and standing,<br />
he renounced his role and returned all the<br />
money and assets that was donated for the<br />
work. From then on, he travelled<br />
throughout the world giving talks and<br />
holding discussions on the things related to<br />
our daily life. The purpose of his teaching is<br />
to set men unconditionally free through the<br />
understandings of their own minds. He<br />
believed that “Truth is a Pathless Land” and<br />
people cannot find it by relying on any<br />
organization, authority, knowledge or even a<br />
Guru. From his viewpoint, truth is<br />
unlimited, unconditioned and<br />
unapproachable by any known path. J.<br />
Krishnamurti stood for everyone to begin<br />
finding the truth from within as a result of<br />
sowing this seed will lead them to whatever<br />
was truly in their heart.<br />
What is the connection between<br />
Krishnamurti and Yoga? He is not a Guru in<br />
a traditional sense and even disregarded the<br />
stature of being one; however, his teachings<br />
are all about how to live a conscious life with<br />
total freedom. He had learned Yoga from<br />
several teachers including B.K.S. Iyengar. He<br />
not only practiced asana and pranayama<br />
regularly, but most importantly, lived Yoga<br />
throughout his life.<br />
Despite of disagreement and criticism on<br />
Krishnamurti’s way of teachings, Osho made<br />
a comment on his death:<br />
“…If you hear him, if you allow him, if you<br />
open your doors to him, he is pure fire. He<br />
will burn all that is rubbish in you, all that is<br />
old in you, and he will purify you into a new<br />
human being. It is risky to allow fire into<br />
your being—rather than opening the doors,<br />
you immediately close all the doors...”<br />
In the name of Yoga, we may agree on the<br />
same principle but decipher it differently<br />
depending on our experiences and<br />
knowledge.<br />
I found it very interesting that some<br />
personalities studied under both J.<br />
Krishnamurti and B.K.S. Iyengar at the same<br />
time. As I see it, their teachings have the same<br />
quality in analytical thinking while pursuing a<br />
life of consciousness. In seeking of intuition<br />
and awareness, J. Krishnamurti believed we<br />
should examine and observe our mind closely<br />
to be free from the conditionings of the past.<br />
In traditional Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar used<br />
props innovatively and scientifically so<br />
practioners can have the same therapeutic<br />
benefits and develop an awareness within<br />
each pose without the physical struggle.<br />
Only with such awareness and sensitivity in<br />
every aspect of living, Yoga is the pathless<br />
path, starting from anywhere and leading to<br />
everywhere.<br />
DRISTI<br />
ADI SHANKARACHARYA<br />
788 - 820<br />
BY MAHADEV<br />
The realisations of the Guru Adi<br />
Shankaracharya made him peerless in his<br />
day, and the results of his work still form the<br />
foundation of deep spirituality in India today.<br />
He defeated in debate all the masters of all<br />
the other philosophies who preached from<br />
the point of view of knowledge, thus showing<br />
Advaita (non-dualistic) Vedanta to be the<br />
only accurate description of metaphysical<br />
truth, and thereby making clearing the way<br />
for seekers of Self-realisation.<br />
He also invigourated Shakta worship, in<br />
which the divine is seen in the form of the<br />
Goddess. By so doing, he presented a way to<br />
develop spiritually for normal devotees to<br />
whom the high ideals of non-dualism seemed<br />
out of reach, as well as describing technical<br />
devotional and meditative practices for<br />
advanced aspirants.<br />
As well as all this, he established four<br />
monasteries, one in each corner of India, to<br />
act as guardians and propagators of Vedantic<br />
knowledge. He took the dasanami lineages of<br />
sannyasa (renunciation) and reinvigorated<br />
34 NAMASKAR
Photo by Mitter Bedi and courtesy of Krishnamurti Foundation Trust England<br />
Krishnamurti believed we should examine our mind<br />
closely to be free from the conditionings of the past.<br />
them, associating each lineage with a<br />
monastery, his best disciples becoming the<br />
first heads of these monasteries.<br />
Shankara had studied the scriptures and<br />
been trained in spiritual disciplines, but<br />
knew Self-realisation was not possible<br />
without a Guru. Hence, when little more than<br />
a child, he took sannyasa, left home and went<br />
roaming around India, searching for one.<br />
In those days, there weren’t always good<br />
roads, and so he sometimes had to walk alone<br />
through pathless jungles. Eventually he heard<br />
of a Guru, called Govinda Bhagavatpada,<br />
whose abode was a cave by the River<br />
Narmada. He had reached the culmination of<br />
Vedantic realisation, and there seemed to be<br />
nothing left for him to do, so he went into<br />
longer and longer samadhis, which would<br />
eventually lead to him leaving the body.<br />
However, the knowledge came to him that he<br />
had to become the Guru of a Guru of the<br />
world. Unfortunately, that World Guru<br />
would only come after a thousand years.<br />
What to do for a divine seer while waiting for<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 35
he presented a<br />
way to develop<br />
spiritually for<br />
normal devotees<br />
a thousand years? He found the cave by the<br />
Narmada, blocked most of the entrance with<br />
a big boulder so he wouldn’t be disturbed and<br />
went into samadhi.<br />
People who peeped into the cave could see<br />
the famous seer was in samadhi, so word got<br />
around, bringing hopefuls from far and wide,<br />
seeking blessings or spiritual initiation. The<br />
trouble was nobody could get him out of<br />
samadhi, so they all left disappointed.<br />
However, as soon as Shankara peeped into<br />
the cave, Govindapada’s samadhi broke, he<br />
opened his eyes, and asked, “who are you?”<br />
Shankara immediately made up a beautiful<br />
song about the nature of the Self on the spot,<br />
which showed deep Vedantic understanding.<br />
That song, Nirvana Shatakam, is still sung in<br />
ashrams, temples and homes all over India<br />
even today. Govindapada’s spiritual feeling<br />
rose up higher, the atmosphere in the cave<br />
crackling, laced with spiritual power. He<br />
asked, “what do you want?” Shankara said he<br />
wanted Self-realisation.<br />
Govindapada stuck his foot out of the cave<br />
and told Shankara to worship it. Shankara<br />
brought the worshipping materials and did<br />
so with all his heart, all his mind, all his soul,<br />
and fell into the depths of realisation in<br />
samadhi. It worked so fast for him because<br />
the austerity he had done had opened up his<br />
mind, and his huge longing had permeated<br />
every corner of it, resulting in his<br />
surrendering all his mind to that foot of<br />
Govindapada, keeping nothing back for<br />
himself. The attracting power of the Self in<br />
Govindapada could then suck Shankara’s<br />
intellect into samadhi.<br />
Shankaracharya challenged Mandana Mishra,<br />
a master of the Purva Mimamsa philosophy<br />
to debate. The only person they could find<br />
that they both agreed was wise enough to be<br />
their referee was Bharati Devi, who was<br />
Mandana Mishra’s wife.<br />
Before the start of the debate, she said the<br />
purpose of the debate was to ascertain who<br />
was more established in Truth, and the loser<br />
would have to become a disciple of the victor.<br />
Then she garlanded both Shankara and her<br />
husband. Legend has it they debated for two<br />
weeks without stopping. Then, Bharati Devi<br />
ordered them to cease, announcing<br />
Shankaracharya the winner. There was a<br />
storm of protest from the audience, claiming<br />
Mandana Mishra hadn’t been decisively<br />
defeated from the point of view of logic.<br />
Bharati Devi repeated the purpose of the<br />
debate and indicated the garlands. After two<br />
weeks, the flowers of her husband’s garland<br />
had wilted, but Shankara’s were still as fresh<br />
as at the start. She said in her husband’s<br />
mind there had been some excitement, but in<br />
Shankara’s there had been none, hence the<br />
power of the Self, the Absolute Existence or<br />
Truth, had arisen unobstructed, hence the<br />
flowers had been nourished.<br />
The referee lost her husband, as becoming a<br />
disciple of Shankaracharya meant becoming a<br />
renunciant. He changed Mandana Mishra’s<br />
name to Sureshwaracharya, who went on to<br />
achieve great realisations, and became<br />
installed by Shankaracharya as the head of<br />
the most prestigious of the four monasteries<br />
he had set up, the one at Shringeri.<br />
The lineage of my own Guru, Sri Bhagavan of<br />
the International Vedanta Society, passed<br />
through the Shringeri monastery in South<br />
India, whose three lineages have the role of<br />
propagating Vedanta.<br />
36 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 37
38 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 39
40 NAMASKAR
IN BRIEF<br />
MUDRAS<br />
BY KRISHNAA KINKARI<br />
With life as a teacher we will all have learnt<br />
there are two types of souls. The scriptural<br />
word is they are godly or ungodly! One easy<br />
interpretation is there are takers and givers:<br />
the selfish and the selfless. Givers know one<br />
can receive only through giving.<br />
This is particularly relevant to being a yoga<br />
teacher: the Guru must give their knowledge<br />
to the student; but in that selfless giving<br />
much more is received. Being a yoga teacher<br />
is a vital role in today’s society; teaching our<br />
students, by example, to give generously,<br />
receive with gratitude and learn from every<br />
moment of life; introspecting and controlling<br />
our reactions to situations and guiding<br />
others on the Path to spiritual contentment.<br />
Indeed, giving is a great quality, but one must<br />
be sure to have correctly studied and<br />
responsibly understood the real essence of<br />
yogic teachings.<br />
The theme this issue gives two very simple<br />
mudras to perform, which in themselves are<br />
great guides. Their energetic focus leads to<br />
contemplation and all absorbing meditation<br />
on these aspects of giving and receiving. Since<br />
the performance of mudra is very personal,<br />
these “tools of transformation within our<br />
hands” take us deep into our hearts. The<br />
whole of the subtle body is cleansed and the<br />
inner bliss can shine out through the<br />
windows of the eyes and be carried in the<br />
speech to those whom we have the privilege<br />
of guiding.<br />
Two mudras are collected under the title of<br />
Upasamhara Mudra, which means gathering,<br />
fulfilling and completing.<br />
SINHAKRANTA MUDRA<br />
As if repelling an attack by a lion. There is<br />
also the aspect of repelling attacks from<br />
one’s own Ego and lower, selfish nature and<br />
need for recognition.<br />
Lift up both hands to shoulder level, in front<br />
of the shoulders with the fingers slightly<br />
separated and the palms facing outwards,<br />
elbows down. Keep the back upright, the face<br />
totally relaxed the lips soft and joyous and<br />
the breath long, smooth, even and full.<br />
Smilingly give of yourself to the world both<br />
near and far. Calm generosity.<br />
MAHAKRANTA MUDRA<br />
Invaded by the most excellent: imbibing the<br />
Highest Power.<br />
Simply turn the palms to face inwards. Same<br />
as above, hands just in front of the<br />
shoulders. Shower yourself gratefully with<br />
all the glories the world has to offer: this<br />
giving to yourself, imbibing the universal free<br />
and positive energy, subsequently makes one<br />
a better giver. Giving is a privilege!<br />
Take time, these mudras are extremely<br />
rewarding. The best formula would be three<br />
times a day for 10 mins each. Nature’s best<br />
medicine!<br />
BOOK REVIEW<br />
THE WHEEL<br />
OF LIFE (A<br />
MEMOIR OF<br />
LIVING &<br />
DYING)<br />
by Elisabeth Kubler-<br />
Ross<br />
REVIEWED BY TIA SINHA<br />
It is impossible to live life at the highest level<br />
unless you get rid of your negativity, your<br />
unfinished business... your black bunnies.<br />
I think modern medicine has become like a<br />
prophet offering a life free of pain. It is<br />
nonsense. The only thing I know that truly<br />
heals people is unconditional love.<br />
- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004)<br />
This is the incredible story of an incredible<br />
human being who dedicated her life to<br />
helping people deal with the anger and tears<br />
in their lives. Particularly those on the verge<br />
of death and children and prisoners stricken<br />
with AIDS. Elisabeth Kubler Ross, the world<br />
famous author of On Death and Dying is<br />
credited with starting the hospice movement<br />
in the USA to provide emotional and spiritual<br />
support to those on their deathbeds, often in<br />
cold, clinical, negligent and sometimes even<br />
hostile hospital environments. She is also<br />
acclaimed for her controversial work with<br />
people who had near-death experiences<br />
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross<br />
Born to a ‘typical upper-middle-class,<br />
conservative’ Swiss couple in Zurich,<br />
Elisabeth was the eldest of triplets. Her fight<br />
for an identity of her own, defying her<br />
autocratic father’s readymade plans for the<br />
lives of his children, began in school. Early<br />
on, when asked by her father to take her pet<br />
bunny, Blackie to the butcher and bring back<br />
the butchered bunny for dinner, she<br />
witnessed the cruelty that often comes with<br />
parenting by adults who have unresolved<br />
issues, their unfinished business and are<br />
thus blind and insensitive to the needs of<br />
their children.<br />
The shock and grief from this incident,<br />
suppressed as a child, were to surface many<br />
years later. As a child, she questioned the<br />
behaviour of the town’s Protestant minister<br />
who used to beat his children black and blue<br />
and send them to school hungry. When<br />
denied a chance to study medicine, and<br />
instead, expected by her father to help him<br />
with boring clerical work in his office,<br />
Elisabeth left home to work as a housemaid<br />
for a year, under harsh, exploitative<br />
conditions, eventually training as an<br />
apprentice at a bio-chemical research<br />
institute and working her way through<br />
medical school. These and many other<br />
experiences as a child and adult toughened<br />
her to make her own decisions about her life,<br />
abandoning the beaten path and forging her<br />
own despite tremendous opposition.<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 41
The only way we can find peace<br />
is to let the past be the past<br />
In her early twenties, Elisabeth worked with<br />
AIDS patients in a hospital in Zurich, realizng<br />
they had emotional needs that were every bit<br />
as dire as their physical requirements. “They<br />
craved friendship and compassion, which I<br />
could provide, and in return they opened my<br />
heart as wide as my eyes.” During World War<br />
II, after the Normandy landings in 1944,<br />
refugees streamed into Switzerland and the<br />
chaos and all her experiences at the hospital<br />
prepared her for what was to come. Poland.<br />
Elisabeth flung herself into relief work in<br />
war-ravaged Poland, visiting the erstwhile<br />
concentration camp at Maidanek where over<br />
300,000 Jews had perished. Many years<br />
later, in the U.S., she arranged the adoption<br />
of hundreds of AIDs stricken babies.<br />
Elisabeth describes the turning point in her<br />
life during her encounter with Golda, a<br />
survivor at Maidanek. Golda had said, “There<br />
is a Hitler in all of us... If I used my life, which<br />
was spared, to sow the seeds of hatred, I<br />
would not be any different than him. I would<br />
be just another victim trying to spread more<br />
and more hate. The only way we can find<br />
peace is to let the past be the past...If I can<br />
change one person’s life from hatred and<br />
revenge to love and compassion, then I<br />
deserved to survive,” she had said.<br />
In her memoir, Elisabeth writes about her<br />
marriage with a fellow medical student, four<br />
miscarriages and bringing up two children.<br />
And surviving divorce and several strokes.<br />
Elisabeth was a Bodhisattva in action, a<br />
pioneer in many fields and incredibly zealous<br />
in diving into the midst of suffering and<br />
helping people deal with their unfinished<br />
business, drop their grudges and heal their<br />
hearts so that they could live more fully and<br />
happily and die peacefully. Hers was a life<br />
dedicated to serving others. She practised<br />
neither yoga asana nor fomal meditation. Yet<br />
she was a true yogini in action.<br />
To call Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ life inspiring<br />
would be an understatement. Her memoir is<br />
unputdownable, thought-provoking and<br />
heart-opening.<br />
42 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 43
44 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 45
RECIPE<br />
GREEN MATCHA CHEESECAKE WITH LIME,<br />
MINT & GINGER<br />
BY KELLY FIELDING<br />
This refreshing raw cheesecake is the perfect combination of flavorssweet<br />
and tart with a vibrant zing. Free from dairy, sugar and gluten it is a<br />
healthy and delicious dessert that is sure to please everyone.<br />
BASE<br />
1 cup dates, roughly chopped<br />
1 cup raw almonds<br />
1 cup desiccated coconut<br />
2 teaspoons honey<br />
2 teaspoons coconut oil<br />
METHOD<br />
For the base, process the nuts until they begin to break down.<br />
Add the dates, coconut, honey and coconut oil and process until the<br />
mixture comes together.<br />
Press the base into a spring form cake tin and set in the fridge.<br />
FILLING<br />
3 cups raw cashew nuts (soaked in water 2 hours)<br />
3/4 cup coconut oil<br />
1/2 cup lime juice<br />
1/2 cup coconut nectar<br />
1 teaspoon of vanilla<br />
Pinch of sea salt<br />
1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped<br />
A dozen fresh mint leaves<br />
3 green kiwifruit<br />
1 teaspoon of matcha powder<br />
METHOD<br />
Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy.<br />
Pour the mixture on top of the prepared cake base and refrigerate for 3-4<br />
hours or until firm.<br />
Decorate with seasonal fresh fruit to serve.<br />
46 NAMASKAR
RECIPE<br />
YOGI BREAKFAST<br />
BOWL<br />
BY KELLY FIELDING<br />
This is a beautiful bowl to enjoy in the morning to nourish and energize<br />
you for the day ahead. You can prepare the chia seeds the night before if<br />
you like to make it very quick and easy to prepare. It is perfect for a<br />
recharge after your morning practice!<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
3 tablespoons of chia seeds<br />
1 cup of coconut milk<br />
1 teaspoon of coconut nectar<br />
A small pinch of vanilla powder<br />
1 banana sliced<br />
1 kiwi fruit sliced<br />
A handful of fresh blueberries<br />
1 tablespoon each of desiccated coconut, flaked almonds, flax seeds,<br />
chopped dates, raisins and pumpkin seeds<br />
METHOD<br />
Prepare the chia pudding by adding the coconut milk to the seeds and<br />
whisking well. Allow this mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb,<br />
mixing frequently so it sets evenly and without clumps. Add the<br />
sweetener and vanilla and mix well to combine.<br />
While the chia absorbs, slice up your fresh fruit and set aside. In a small<br />
bowl mix together the desiccated coconut, flaked almonds, flax seeds,<br />
chopped dates, raisins and pumpkin seeds.<br />
When the chia is ready simply arrange the chia pudding, sliced fruit and<br />
the dried fruit, seeds and coconut in your bowl. You can drizzle with<br />
more coconut nectar or add a dollop of coconut yogurt if you desire.<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 47
DIRECTORY<br />
Guide to yoga studios<br />
& teachers<br />
ANAHATA VILLAS & SPA<br />
RESORT<br />
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia<br />
s: group retreats, yoga for<br />
private & corporates. Yoga<br />
studio<br />
available for rent.<br />
l: Indonesian & English<br />
t: +62 361 8987 991/ 8987 992 /<br />
+62 21 70743366<br />
f: +62 361 8987 804<br />
e: sm@anahataresort.com /<br />
info@anahataresort.com<br />
w: www.anahataresort.com<br />
ANAHATA YOGA<br />
18/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1<br />
Lyndhurst Terrace, Central,<br />
Hong Kong<br />
s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Yoga<br />
therapy, Yin and more. Groups &<br />
privates<br />
t: +852 2905 1922<br />
e: enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk<br />
w: www.anahatayoga.com.hk<br />
ANANDA YOGA<br />
33 & 34/F, 69 Jervois Street<br />
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong<br />
s: Private and Group Classes :<br />
Yoga Therapy (neck, shoulder,<br />
back, hip, knee and joints),<br />
Hatha, Power, Ashtanga,<br />
Vinyasa, Detox, Yin Yang,<br />
Kundalini, Chakra Balancing,<br />
Pranayama, Meditation<br />
l: English<br />
t: (825)35639371<br />
e:<br />
adm.anandayoga.hk@gmail.com<br />
w: www.anandayoga.hk<br />
Anna Ng<br />
Privates<br />
d: Hong Kong<br />
s: Hatha yoga<br />
l: Cantonese<br />
t: (852) 9483 1167<br />
e: gazebofl@netvigator.com<br />
BEING IN YOGA –<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
Teaching yoga in the tradition of<br />
T Krishnamacharya and TKV<br />
Desikachar.<br />
s: yoga therapy (customized<br />
personal practice), teacher<br />
training (Yoga Alliance RYS 500<br />
hours+), in-depth yoga studies,<br />
small group classes for children<br />
and adults, workshops,<br />
meditation classes, Vedic<br />
chanting, continuing education<br />
for yoga teachers. Certified<br />
Teacher Trainer – Yoga<br />
Therapist - E-RYT 500<br />
RYS 500<br />
t: +65-9830-3808<br />
e: beinginyoga@gmail.com<br />
w: www.beinginyoga.com<br />
B.K.S. IYENGAR YOGA<br />
ASSOCIATION OF MACAU<br />
174, Rua de Pequim, Edif Centro<br />
Com. Kong Fat, 7A, Macau<br />
s: Iyengar<br />
t:(853)2882 3210/6662 0386<br />
e:yoga@macau.ctm.net<br />
w:www.iyengar-yoga-macauchina.com<br />
Chloe Yates<br />
Private and Group Kid’s Yoga,<br />
Mindfulness and Meditation<br />
d: Hong Kong, Kowloon, New<br />
Territories and Outlying Islands<br />
s: Kid’s Yoga, Mindfulness and<br />
Meditation Mummy and Baby<br />
Yoga, Dance Therapy<br />
l: English, Cantonese<br />
t: 9543 1524<br />
e: chloe.yy.yates@gmail.com<br />
w: www.facebook.com/<br />
humblewarrioryogaanddance<br />
Corinne Konrad<br />
Luxe Nova 68 Wellington Street,<br />
Central, Hong Kong & home<br />
visits<br />
s:Pre and Post-natal yoga, home<br />
classes as boutique yoga classes<br />
for beginners<br />
t: +852 9633 5573<br />
e: corinne@rawandrich.com<br />
w: www.rawandrich.com<br />
David Kim Yoga<br />
E-RYT 500+, Senior YogaWorks<br />
and Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer;<br />
International TTs, Workshops &<br />
Retreats<br />
d: Korea, Japan, Vietnam,<br />
Philippines, Sweden, Norway,<br />
USA<br />
s: Yin Yoga, YogaWorks, Vinyasa<br />
Flow<br />
l: English, limited Korean<br />
t: +1 310 480 5277<br />
e: david@davidkimyoga.com<br />
w: www.davidkimyoga.com<br />
FLEX STUDIO<br />
Island South<br />
Shops 308-310 One Island<br />
South, 2 Heung Yip Road,<br />
Aberdeen, Hong Kong<br />
s: Vinyasa, Power, Detox, Hatha,<br />
Pre-Natal, Kids Yoga<br />
t: + 852 2813 2212<br />
f: + 852 2813 2281<br />
e: info@flexhk.com<br />
Central<br />
3/F Man Cheung Building, 15- 17<br />
Wyndham Street, Central, Hong<br />
Kong<br />
s: Detox, Power, Pre-Natal Yoga<br />
t: + 852 2813-2399<br />
f: + 852 2812 6708<br />
e: central@flexhk.com<br />
www.flexhk.com<br />
PURE YOGA<br />
China<br />
L6-615 iapm mall, 999 Huai Hai<br />
Zhong Road, Xuhui District<br />
Shanghai<br />
t: +86 21 5466 1266<br />
Hong Kong<br />
16/F The Centrium, 60<br />
Wyndham Street, Central<br />
t: +852 2971 0055<br />
25/F Soundwill Plaza, 38 Russell<br />
St, Causeway Bay<br />
t: +852 2970 2299<br />
14/F Peninsula Office Tower, 18<br />
Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui,<br />
Kowloon<br />
t: +852 8129 8800<br />
9/F Langham Place Office<br />
Tower, 8 Argyle Street, Kowloon<br />
t: +852 3691 3691<br />
4/F Lincoln House, TaiKoo<br />
Place, 979 King’s Rd, Quarry Bay<br />
t: +852 8129 1188<br />
2/F Asia Standard Tower, 59<br />
Queen’s Road, Central<br />
t: + 852 3524 7108<br />
Level 1 The Pulse, 28 Beach<br />
Road, Repulse Bay<br />
t: +852 8200 0908<br />
3/f Hutchison House, 10<br />
Harcourt Road, Admiralty<br />
t: +852 8105 5838<br />
Singapore<br />
391A Orchard Road, #18-00<br />
Ngee Ann City Tower A<br />
t: +65 6733 8863<br />
30 Raffles Place, 04-00 Chevron<br />
House<br />
t: +65 6304 2257<br />
Taiwan<br />
151 Chung Hsiao East Road, Sec<br />
4, Taipei<br />
t: +886 02 8161 7888<br />
4/f Urban One, 1 Qingcheng St,<br />
Taipei<br />
t: +886 02 8161 7868<br />
Ling<br />
Yoga and Wellbeing, Private<br />
Yoga Teacher, Privates, Groups,<br />
Corporates, Free Yoga<br />
Community Event: Yoga in the<br />
Park with Ling<br />
www.meetup.com/<br />
yogaintheparkhk<br />
d: Hong Kong, China<br />
s: Yoga Therapy, Sivananda,<br />
Hatha, Svastha, Mindfulness,<br />
Yin, Breathing (Pranayama),<br />
Guided Meditation, Total<br />
Relaxation (Yoga Nidra)<br />
l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin<br />
t: +852 9465 6461<br />
e: yogawithling@gmail.com<br />
w: www.facebook.com/<br />
yogawithling<br />
RED DOORS STUDIO<br />
21/f, 31 Wong Chuk Hang Rd<br />
s. Gong meditation and training,<br />
labyrinth facilitation and<br />
construction, kundalini<br />
therapeutic yoga and<br />
complementary practices to<br />
elevate energy. Multiple studio<br />
spaces available to rent.<br />
t. +852 21110 0152<br />
e. info@red-doors.com<br />
w. www.red-doors.com<br />
SPACE YOGA<br />
s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Advanced,<br />
Flow, Yin, Yin Yang, Restorative,<br />
Hot, Yin/Meditation,<br />
Pranayama, Mat Pilates,<br />
Jivamukti, Universal, Myofascial<br />
Release Yoga, Mindful<br />
Yoga, Rope Wall Yoga, Yoga<br />
Nidra and Yoga Therapy<br />
l: English and Mandarin<br />
w: www.withinspace.com<br />
An-Ho Studio<br />
16 F, No. 27, An-Ho Road,<br />
Section 1<br />
48 NAMASKAR
Taipei, Taiwan<br />
t: +886.2.2773.8108<br />
Tien-Mu Studio<br />
#5, Lane 43, Tian-Mu E. Road,<br />
Taipei, Taiwan<br />
t: +886.2.28772108<br />
Kathy Cook<br />
Wellness Retreats, Workshops,<br />
Private Groups and Privates<br />
d: Hong Kong, Bali & Thailand<br />
s: Iyengar Certified (Junior<br />
Intermediate III)<br />
l: English<br />
t: +852 6292 5440 / +62 811<br />
387781<br />
e:kcinasia@gmail.com<br />
w: www.yogawithkathy.com<br />
THE YOGA ROOM<br />
3, 4, 6, 16/F (Studios) & 15/F<br />
(Office) Xiu Ping Commercial<br />
Bldg, 104 Jervois St, Sheung<br />
Wan, Hong Kong<br />
s: Hatha, Hot, Ashtanga,<br />
Vinyasa, Candlelight Yin, Yoga<br />
Therapy, Jivamukti, Hammock<br />
Yoga, Mindfulness Yoga, Detox<br />
Yoga, Pre-natal Yoga, Pre-natal<br />
Pilates, Mat Pilates, TRX, Kids<br />
Yoga and Mum & Baby Yoga<br />
l: English, Cantonese<br />
t: + 852 2544 8398<br />
e: info@yogaroomhk.com<br />
w: www.yogaroomhk.com<br />
KUNDALINI @SHAKTI<br />
7/F Glenealy Tower, 1 Glenealy,<br />
Central, Hong Kong.<br />
s: Kundalini, Reik healing, life<br />
coaching, Shamanic healing,<br />
Bowen Therapy, Angel Cards<br />
t: +852 2521 5099<br />
e: info@shaktihealingcircle.com<br />
w: www.shaktihealingcircle.com<br />
THE COLLECTIVE, DESA SENI<br />
SCHOOL OF YOGA<br />
Jl. Subak Sari #13, Canggu, Bali,<br />
Indonesia<br />
s: Full service resort, Ashtanga,<br />
Embodied Flow, Hatha,<br />
Kundalini,<br />
Restorative, Tantra,<br />
Therapeutics, Yin, Yang,<br />
Vinyasa, Buddhist Meditation,<br />
Vedic Meditation, all on a<br />
regular basis. Teacher<br />
Trainings, Intensives, Privates,<br />
Workshops, specialising in<br />
hosting retreats.<br />
t: +62 361 844 6392<br />
e: info@desaseni.com<br />
w: www.desaseni.com<br />
TRUE YOGA<br />
Singapore<br />
9 Scotts Road, Level 4, Pacific<br />
Plaza, Singapore 228210<br />
t: +65 6733 9555<br />
9 Scotts Road, Level 5, Pacific<br />
Plaza (Bikram Original Hot<br />
Yoga), Singapore 228210<br />
t: +65 6735 9555<br />
Taiwan<br />
337 Nanking East Road<br />
Section 3, 9 & 10/F, Taipei<br />
T: +886 22716 1234<br />
68 Gongyi Road, West District<br />
12 & 13/F, Taichung<br />
t: +886 43700 0000<br />
s: Ashtanga, Bikram, Flow,<br />
Gentle, Hatha, Kids, Power, Pre-<br />
Natal, Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Dance<br />
e: operations@trueyoga.com.sg<br />
w: www.trueyoga.com.sg /<br />
www.trueyoga.com.tw<br />
Ursula Moser<br />
The Iyengar Yoga Centre of<br />
Hong Kong<br />
d: Central<br />
s: Iyengar Certified (Junior<br />
Intermediate III)<br />
l: English<br />
t: +852 2918 1798 / 9456 2149<br />
e: uschi.moser51@gmail.com<br />
WISE LIVING YOGA<br />
ACADEMY<br />
198 Moo 2, Luang Nuea, Doi<br />
Saket, Chiang Mai, Thailand<br />
s: Classical Yoga, Hatha Yoga,<br />
Yoga Therapy<br />
t: +66 8254 67995<br />
e: info@wiselivingyoga.com<br />
w: www.wiselivingyoga.com<br />
YOGA CENTRAL – IYENGAR<br />
CENTRAL<br />
s: Boutique studio with Iyengar<br />
Yoga classes; flexible timings for<br />
corporate wellness, small<br />
groups, and privates<br />
l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin,<br />
French, Malay<br />
t: +852 2982 4308<br />
e: yogacentralhk@gmail.com<br />
w: www.yogacentral.com.hk<br />
fb: Iyengar-Central<br />
namaskar<br />
4 times a year<br />
6,000 yoga practitioners<br />
32 countries<br />
DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES & SIZES<br />
Outside back cover HK$24,300 210 mm x 297 mm<br />
Inside front cover HK$3,400 210 mm x 297 mm<br />
Inside back cover HK$2,600 210 mm x 297 mm<br />
Full page HK$2,100 210 mm x 297 mm<br />
1/2 page (horizontal) HK$1,400 180 mm x 133.5 mm<br />
1/2 page (vertical) HK$1,400 88 mm x 275 mm<br />
1/4 page HK$690 88 mm X 133.5 mm<br />
1/8 page HK$420 88 mm x 66 mm<br />
LISTINGS<br />
Individual listing HK$610 for full or partial year<br />
Studio listing HK$1,270 for full or partial year<br />
PUBLICATION DATES, BOOKING & MATERIAL DEADLINES<br />
Publication date Booking Deadline Material Deadline<br />
January December 1 December 10<br />
April March 1 March 10<br />
<strong>July</strong> June 1 June 10<br />
October September 1 September 10<br />
NOTES<br />
Advertising materials should in black & white and submitted as 300<br />
dpi high resolution .tif files (no pdf or ai files please)<br />
Listings should be submitted as text only (approx 35 words)<br />
PAYMENT<br />
Payments should be made in Hong Kong dollars to:<br />
<strong>Namaskar</strong> c/o Carol Adams, Flat 101, Block L, Telford Gardens,<br />
Kowloon, Hong Kong<br />
INFORMATION<br />
Carol +44 75432 55886 / carol@caroladams.hk<br />
Frances +852 9460 1967 / fgairns@netvigator.com<br />
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 49
50 NAMASKAR
<strong>July</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 51
52 NAMASKAR