namaskar A VOICE FOR THE YOGA COMMUNITY OF ASIA
PEACE FOR PARIS Paris-based yoga teacher shares her approach to re-establishing peace in her city......................p21
MATH & MINDFULNESS Yoga teacher and math teacher, explains how one surprisingly helps the other............................p28
Janet Lau in Garudasana, photo by Pure Souls Photography, Vancouver
January 2016 PATANJALI’S YOGA SUTRAS Five different perspectives on this influential yogic text.....................................................p32
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NAMASKAR
NAMASKAR - JANUARY 2016
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Love what you do, be happy with what you have.
On the cover - Hong Kong-based yoga and mindfulness teacher Janet Lau leads workshops, retreats & teacher trainings around the world. www.janet-lau.com
These words kept appearing in my mind over our Christmas holidays in the pristine, snowy mountains of Whistler, Canada. So it’s my resolution for the new year and you’re welcome to use if you haven’t made one already. Imagine what a seismic shift there’d be in the world, if even 10% of the world’s population chose this intention for the year! Like so many things, easier said than done. Hopefully the articles in this first Namaskar of 2016 will give you some cause for reflection. Though they cover a broad range of subjects, all are inspiring and informative. The dristi is on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, arguably the most influential ancient text. In keeping with the tradition of teachers unpacking the Sutras for students to understand, Andy, Dylan, Hersha, Inge and Shannon open some of the Sutras for us. Hope they prompt you to discover more for yourself. From my own experience, although it can be tough going at first, it becomes clearer with each repetition. And read different translations as some are more appropriate for first-timers, and others definitely more sophisticated. All the articles in this issue are terrific - from Cassandra’s idea of fighting violence with positive words; Cristina’s introduction to Kirtan; Joanna’s exploration of the chakras; Kim’s work with Irish charity HOPE in India; Manu teaching kids to use mindfulness to improve their math and; Sarah’s evolution of Yin yoga. And keep going to the back of the issue to where we keep our “gems” - Anthony, Head Chef at Mana! the slow food restaurant in Hong Kong, tells us how we can love kale; Krishna teaches us about Mudras; Tia reviews books and introduces us to yoga-related mythology; Margaret shares a training she attended and; Barbara introduces us to a new music album. Thanks to all the contributors, advertisers as Carol, Wai-Ling and Angela for their tireless work. Together we’ve set the bar high for future issues of Namaskar.
ABOUT NAMASKAR ADMINISTRATION Carol Adams, carol@caroladams.hk NEWS EDITOR Wai-Ling Tse, wailing.tse@gmail.com CIRCULATION Angela Sun, angela.sun@gmail.com
In This Issue DRISTI - YOGA SUTRAS FACT FROM FICTION What did Patanjali really write and mean PURITY & PLURALITY Patanjali helps use clarify our thoughts A NOTE ON PATANJALI Sutras which awaken our own inner healer A MOST HELPFUL SUTRA Sutras 1.33 easy to read, hard to do QUESTIONING THE SUTRAS A platform from which to look deeper
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SPECIAL FEATURES CREATING HOPE 19 Irish charity helping children in India PEACE FOR PARIS 21 After the violence, what can be done? CHAKRAS & YOGA SUTRAS 23 What Patanjali teaches us about the chakras WHY CHANT? 25 How does Kirtan work & where can you try it YIN YOGA 27 Great for the body & the mind MATH & MINDFULNESS 28 How yoga can help kids be better at math REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS KULA UPDATES, WORKSHOPS, RETREATS, TEACHER TRAININGS PHOTO ESSAY FEATURED TEACHER MUDRAS IN BRIEF MYTHOLOGY BOOK REVIEW TRAINING REVIEW ALBUM REVIEW RECIPE DIRECTORY
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Namaskar provides a voice for the yoga community in Asia and around the world. The publication is an opportunity for practitioners on a yogic path to selflessly offer their knowledge, learnings and experiences with others.
Articles and photographs in Namaskar are contributed at no charge. Advertising income covers production, distribution, administrative costs and discretionary contributions to selected charities and causes.
We welcome unsolicited submissions, therefore the opinions expressed within these pages are not necessarily those of Namaskar or its volunteers.
Namaskar, is published quarterly in January, April, July and October. About 5,000 copies are printed and distributed for free to yoga studios, teachers, fitness centres, retail outlets, cafes and yogafriendly outlets. Mostly distributed in Hong Kong, with 1,500 copies mailed to readers in 32 other countries.
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Frances Gairns, fgairns@netvigator.com
January 2016
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CONTRIBUTORS ANDY WILLNER
Barbara is a Chicago-based yoga teacher and writer. barbara.passy@gmail.com
Dylan wanders, practicing and teaching via www.stillnessinaction.com. dylanyo@gmail.com
Joanna is a meditation teacher based in Tokyo, Japan and a former resident of Hong Kong. http:// joannamary.com
HERSHA CHELLARAM
KIM DOHERTY
CASSANDRA KISH
Andy teaches yoga at Pure Yoga in Hong Kong. andy@pure-yoga.com ANTHONY DAMICO
Cassandra, founder of Vidyaa Yoga, curently lives in Paris, France. She offers yoga/surf retreats in Baleal, Portugal - Yoga Surf Sleep Eat. cassandrayogaparis@yahoo.co.uk
Hersha is an authorised Integral Yoga Raja Yoga Teacher Trainer and provides lectures and courses on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. info@hershayoga.com
CRISTINA RODENBECK INGE SANTOSO
Anthony is the Executive Chef of MANA!, a Hong Kong slow food restaurant. Originally from the United States, he received a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of North Texas after which he earned further culinary training at The Culinary Institute of America in New York. anthony@mana.hk
Cristina is the founder of Manipura Wellness Practice and Wellness Practitioner at IMI Hong Kong. mcrodenbeck@gmail.com
BARBARA PASSY
DYLAN BERNSTEIN
Kim is an Artist Facilitator who works in a variety of setting with various age groups. With a background in second-level Art Teaching, Facilitation and the Principles of Art Therapy, Kim establishes a safe, friendly and creative environment in which art flourishes and development. www.facebook.com/ kim.dohertyart KRISHNAA KINKARIDAS
Inge is a Certified Kundalini Yoga Instructor. She has studied the philosophy of yoga and practise asanas at various yoga schools, i.e. Iyengar, Ashatanga, Shivananda. She has studied also Tibetan and Zen Buddhist Philosophy and Meditation. whitetara2000@gmail.com JOANNA PEARCE
Krishnaa lives in London. She studied with B.K.S. Iyengar in Mumbai and Pune and now runs classes in London and teaches ‘Sanskrit and Mudras for Yoga’ for Yoga Alliance and British wheel of Yoga trainee teachers. She has written nine books on Bhakti Yoga. kinkaridasi@hotmail.com 4
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MANU VERMA
For the past 20 years, Sarah has been living in the USA, Europe, Asia and Australia. Recently she has returned home to the UK. Her greatest love has been her yoga journey and meeting Sarah Powers which changed the direction of her life. She now teaches her own Yin & Yang Yoga Teacher Training for Advanced Teacher Trainings and has opened her own home studio. sarahyinyoga@gmail.com SHANNON FRANCIS
Manu teaches yoga and maths. He loves to find what makes the individual kid tick and then uses that to make the complex world of mathematics more comprehensible and relevant to him/her. www.HKmaths.Guru, Manu@HKmaths.Guru.
namaskar Now on-line at: www.issuu.com/namaskarasia
MARGARET RIGNELL
Living in the jungles of Malaysia for several years, Shannon balances her dry, technical career with an exuberance in yoga. She is the author of The Tiny Hatha Yoga Philosophy. farmer@peafarm.net
Back issues still at: www.issuu.com/caroladams
April’s dristi: Famous Yogis
TIA SINHA
Ideas include: • Biography of a notable yogi from the past • How different yogis influenced modern yoga • Yogis to consider: Gorakhnath, Paramashansa Yogananda, Swami Vivekananda, Krishnamacharya, Krishnamurti
Margaret attended the 2015 Spirit Dance Soul Song teacher training, and continues to sing and love life in West Sussex, England. mrignell@gmail.com SARAH CORBETT
If you would like to contribute an article on this subject, or others, to Namaskar, please email Frances at fgairns@netvigator.com with your thoughts first. That way we can let you know if another contributor is already covering that angle. Final articles are welcome before March 10.
Tia spends most of her time in retreat in Himachal, teaching yoga asana, philosophy and Tibetan Buddhist techniques of meditation and translating and editing for Lamas. onlytia2@yahoo.co.in
January 2016
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KULA
Updates
Kundalini Yoga HKU Master of Classes Buddhist Studies – SOL Wellness, In Search of Central Sustainable Kundalini combines breath, mudra, eye-focus, mantra, body Happiness locks, and postures to balance HONG KONG
The HKU Master of Buddhist Studies programme is inviting applications for the new intake in September 2016. Topics of study range from the history and doctrines of different Buddhist traditions to contemporary Buddhism and Buddhism as applied in counselling, palliative care and psychotherapy, with particular reference to current scholarly research. Closing Date of Application: March 15, 2016 For more information www.buddhism.hku.hk / (852) 3917-2847 / buddhism@hku.hk
Pilates / Yoga Instructor Openings Yoga Privates is an exclusive provider of private Yoga and Pilates sessions across Asia since 2008. We are looking for registered, experienced instructors to join our team. Please email your CV to info@yoga-privates.com For more information www.yoga-privates.com or (852) 6504 4280
Live Kindly, Love Wisely & Die Freely: AjahnBrahm’s
the glandular system, strengthen the nervous system, expand lung capacity, and purifiy the blood. It brings balance to the body, mind, and soul. 5 Classes are available weekly: Tuesdays 5:30-6:45pm; Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 11am-12:15pm. For more information on info@sol-wellness.com / (852) 2581 9699
Online Course for Teachers Your Fab Yoga Life is an 8-week on-line course starting this month to help yoga teachers thrive. Participants will be taken through a series designed to help new or seasoned teachers identify their special gift, develop their approach and refine their message. For more information www.yourfabyogalife.com
Gong Puja-rama 23-24 January (930pm-6am) Red Doors Studio, Wong Chuk Hang Be surrounded in an envelope of continuous gong playing as you float into yoga nidra for 8 hours. Incredible healing, rejuvenation and peace guaranteed. For more information info@reddoors.com
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Small Batch Morning Mysore Practice with Dylan Bernstein
Dylan Bernstein
1-29 February and 5-30 June Hong Kong For more information dylanyo@gmail.com
Kundalini Yoga Fest 20 February (9am-6pm) Red Doors Studio, Wong Chuk Hang One day of experiential workshops offered by the Kundalini Yoga teachers’ community to introduce these powerful techniques. You will leave with an appreciation and understanding of Kundalini Yoga and practical tools you can put to use immediately. For more information info@reddoors.com
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Hong Kong Teaching Tour 28 February-9 March Born in London and graduated with First Class Honours in Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University, AjahnBrahm is currently the Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Serpentine, Western Australia and The Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA), among others. He will be giving various public and private talks, offering fullday workshops and leading a four-day retreat. For more information www.bodhinyana.com/
KULA
Workshops
CHINA
Mindfulness in Yin Yoga Intensive with Sarah Powers Ajahn Brahm
Kirtan
BaliSpirit Festival
29 February Alive Wellness Join Cristina Rodenbeck for monhtly Kirtan on the last Monday of every month in Central, 7 - 8:15 pm.
29 March - 3 April Ubud, Bali Now in its ninth year, this is an annual celebration of yoga, music and dance.
For more information info@alivewellness.hk
For more information www.yoga.org.hk / life@yoga.org.hk
For more information www.balispiritfestival.com THAILAND
INDONESIA
Celebration of Life Desa Seni 26 March A day of community, art, yoga, music and dance, uniting likeminded people and businesses on this island to come together and spread the joy of life. There will be two shalas, as well as lawn and pool-side events happening simultaneously from 8 am to 8 pm. The studios will host yoga and dance classes, where the pool/lawn will host music, fashion shows and art classes. Participants have the freedom to go back and forth between studios, stay in one studio, or take a break at the pool. Lunch will be served for two hours. For more information info@desaseni.com
YogaCoreCycle program at Samahita Retreat KohSamui Designed to encourage you to work on your optimal health and wellbeing, not only physically but also emotionally and mentally. YogaCoreCycle combines cardio and specific strength training, alongside yoga poses, breath work and meditation practices to help you achieve this balance. YogaCoreCycle is a fully inclusive one rate package that includes the full program of Yoga and fitness activities, food, and accommodation. Available for stays of a minimum of three days or longer. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com/ fitness-programs.html
To make “Busy Executives” recognize the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual benefits of Yoga so as to strike a balance between work and life. Workshops are held alternately in English and Cantonese. Topics include: - Reflection Technique to Let Go - Power Nap for Deep Relaxation & Vitality - Physical & Mental Purification for Clarity - Witness Attitude Training Enhancing Acceptance - Concentration Exercises for Creativity and Productivity
2-6 March Yoga Yard, Beijing Each session will include a lecture, yin yoga session, seated meditation practices focusing on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, as well as discussion time. Included will be handouts and suggestions for reading. You must have a basic understanding of Yin yoga in order to attend, as this will not be covered in this course.
Finding Consistency, Joy and Happiness on and off the Mat with Nora Lim
Free Yoga Workshop for Busy Executives
23 January (2-5pm) The Yoga Room, Sheung wan As a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings, Jivamukti Yoga is grounded in the original meaning of the Sanskrit word asana as “seat, connection” - relationship to the earth. Explore how the five tenets of Jivamukti Yoga; nonharming (ahimsa), devotion (bhakti), sound and deep listening (nada), meditation (dhyana) and sacred scriptural studies (shastra) serve you in finding sthirasukham on and off the mat.
Every third Saturday of the month (330-630pm) Life Management Yoga Centre, Tsimshatsui
For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
For more information yogayard.com/en/Sarah2016.htm HONG KONG
January 2016
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Introduction to Gong Workshop 23-24 January (930am-5pm) Red Doors Studio, Wong Chuk Hang You will learn the basics of playing these powerful healing tools. Emphasis is on practice and developing confidence to play in the puja. Bring your own gong or use the house collection. For more information info@reddoors.com
Records are the individual soul records of each individual from the time of its inception to present day. They are one of the most powerful healing, empowering and selftransformational tools available on the planet today to help us remember our oneness with Spirit and to know that we can choose action instead of re-action in our lives. HK$5,800 per level; or HK$9,300 for both. For more information calistahgoh@gmail.com / (852) 6743 5000
Workshop on the Female Menstrual Urban Shamanism Cycle with with Ernesto Ortiz Corinne Konrad
30-31 January The menstrual cycle has lots to teach you once you allow yourself to reconnect with it. Getting back in touch with your cycle is a very down-to-earth and easy accessible way to learn more about yourself and the cycles of nature as well as the powerful connection between you and mother earth. You will recognize that all you need to know is already within you, you just need to listen.Open to women only. For more information www.rawandrich.com/e/courses / corinne@rawandrich.com
Akashic Records workshop with Ernesto Ortiz 5-7 February - Level 1 ~ initiation 12-14 February - Level 2 ~ practitioner Alive Wellness, Central Akashic Records contain all the imprints of the past, present and future possibilities. Within these 8
19-21 February Shamanism is a world view based on the belief that everything in the universe is connected and interdependent. It therefore involves a deep respect for the natural world and its ecosystem. Regardless of where we live and which culture we have grown up in, Shamanism is our ancestral spiritual heritage. Noted artist, author and healer, Ernesto is recognized in the holistic, health and metaphysical field as an inspiring facilitator, teacher and therapist. Cost: HK$5,800.
and use these postures as a platform to launch into various arm balances and inversions. The nuts and bolts of our practice include courage, clarity and mindfulness. With all the tools in hand, we transform ourselves into gravity-defying machines.
Yoga Central-Iyengar Central Create interest, space and discipline in a classical Iyengar Yoga style to practice and apply Yoga philosophy.
For more information www.pure-yoga.com
INDONESIA
Form, Fun & Functions Workshop with Carrie Owerko
11-13 March (10am-1pm & 35:30pm) Carrie’s second visit to Hong Kong to share her philosophy to bring joy to yoga practice after Yoga with Chair in 2015. All levels are welcome, but students with 6 months Yoga experience preferred. Early bird HK$3,000 until 15 February. For more information yogacentralhk@gmail.com
Enter the Mandala Desa Seni 18 - 23 June: Buddhas, Goddesses and the Magic of Awakening The basic premise of Tantra in all its forms is that we are already at heart a fully awake being and that everythingwe experience is sacred and to be employed on our journey toward enlightenment. Join us as wetake a journey with five Buddhas and five Goddesses, and begin to allow them to help us wake up to theboundlessness of our eternal nature. Led by Angela Perez & Bernd Windhofer. 25 June - 1 July: A Journey Through the Tattvas, the Playground of Consciousness. The tattvas are the elements or qualities of consciousness through which we experience our senses, ourselves and our world. From the realm of the ethers to the depths of the earth, we have a boundless creativethread of frequencies to experience each other, life, and ourselves. Led by Jessica Kamell, Daphna Dor& Manuela Herreros. For more information, info@desaseni.com TAIWAN
Iyengar Yoga Bring Yoga Home Workshop with Workshop with Peter Scott: Stephane Lalo Alignment-Action and Resistance 9-10 April Space Yoga, Taipei Deepen your understanding of precise alignment with Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher, Peter Scott. You will experience how to achieve an intelligent balance between movement and resistance and apply it to different asanas as you advance your practice.
For more information calistahgoh@gmail.com / (852) 6743 5000
The Mechanics of Inversions & Arm Balances with Marysia Do 27-28 February – Pure Yoga In this workshop we will refine the mechanics of basic postures
For more information yogacentralhk@gmail.com
25-28 March (9am-12noon & 14pm)
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For more information www.withinspace.com
KULA
THAILAND Ashtanga Samasthitihi in Immersion and Every Pose with Workshop with Richard Freeman Chuck Miller
Teacher Trainings
10-24 January Samahita Retreat, KohSamui Experience the present moment and adjust the practice to your present condition. Explore how to gather the wisdom that enables you to trust your inner voice. Learn to let that inner voice guide you through the ever-changing sea of Samsara (cycle of existence).
11-17 April Space Yoga, Taipei Explore the ingenious linking of the physical practice with Yoga’s deep philosophical background with Richard Freeman, one of the world’s leading Ashtanga teachers. Through his humorous and metamorphic teaching style, you will gain a new degree of freedom, technical skill and compassion to your every day practice. For more information www.withinspace.com
Special Advanced Iyengar Class with Peter Scott 21 April Space Yoga, Taipei Suitable for students with an established Yoga practice who can do Sirsasana (headstand) for 5 minutes and can push up into UrdhvaDhanurasana (wheel pose) with straight arms. It is a complete practice and poses covered will challenge you and deepen your knowledge of asanas. A perfect opportunity to elevate your practice safely and effectively with Iyengar Yoga. For more information www.withinspace.com
For more information www.samahitaretreat.com/sr-inevery-pose2016.html
Yoga Workshops with JaniJaatinen 19-20 March Lullaby Yoga Bangkok - 19 March: Beginners Yoga (1030am-1230pm) Focus on basic asana, alignment and breathing techniques. - Hip openings (230-430pm) Release tightness, tension, and pain in the hips and a vinyasa sequence leading towards deep hip openers. - 20 March: Arm Balance (1030am-1230pm) Learn to protect your joints, create freedom and strength in hip, neck and shoulders, strengthen and lengthen the muscles and create space in these areas. - Forward bends and inversions (230-430pm) A balance between strength and softness. Strengthen the core, release the lower back and direct the breath. For more information (662) 6777470-1 / info@lullabyyoga.com / www.lullabyyoga.com
AUSTRALIA
Part-time TT by Byron Yoga Centre As well as full-time residential trainings, Byron Yoga Centre will be offering part-time courses in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Byron Bay. The part-time courses run over six weekends in 6months. There will be time between to complete the online components, integrate your learning and undertake your practical teaching experience. For more information www.byronyoga.com / admin@byronyoga.com CHINA
Vinyasa TT at Joey42, Guangzhou with Dario Calvaruso Part I: Wed 6 - Sun 10 April Part II: Wed 16 - Sun 20 Aug Part III: Wed 7 - Sun 11 Dec For more information events@pure-yoga.com. HONG KONG
108 - TT NavakaraGa Vinyasa Mala with Dario Calvaruso 108hr Accredited TT Programme Pure AST Hong Kong Part I: 22 Feb - 12 March Part II: 2-21 May Part III: 6-25 June
Baptiste Live Your Yoga Teacher Training with Tryphena Chia 25 March – 4 April & 22 April – 2 May – Pure Yoga Hong Kong Discover for yourself how Baptiste Yoga and the Baptiste Methodology apply both on and off the mat through yoga asanas, meditation, discussion, personal inquiry, contribution, community building, hands-on coaching, assisting and teaching practice. For more information www.pure-yoga.com
200-hr Hatha Yoga TT with Ann Da Silva 26 March-3 April - Module I: Teaching Fundamentals 25 June-3 July - Module II: Refining the Teacher The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan A comprehensive program that will deepen your practice, inspire you to find your own inner teacher, and empower you with the knowledge and foundations to teach Yoga. Module I and II can be taken separately. This program will be conducted in Cantonese, with a Chinese teaching manual and crossreferenced to Sanskrit names whenever needed. For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
For more information events@pure-yoga.com. January 2016
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200-hr Advanced Hatha Yoga TT with Yogananth
lectures, practicum, your own research, observation of classes, teaching practice and assignments.
200-hour foundation training. Training modules can be taken individually without joining the full program. Graduates of full 300-hr program will qualify as RYT500 with the Yoga Alliance. For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
200-hr Foundation & 300-hr Advanced Yin Yang Vinyasa Yoga TT with Janet Lau 27 June-9 July - 110-hr Yin Yang 27 July-6 August - 90-hr Living our Yoga 6-12 November - 60-hr Healing our Hearts The Yoga Room, Sheung wan A one-of-a-kind program for those who do not just want to teach, but also be able to transform themselves inside and out so that they can share the experience with others. Using the essence of mindfulness teachings, spiritual teachings from different lineages woven into the Yogic teachings and your everyday life, these training modules will help you learn to be a humble student and an authentic teacher.
5 April-20 June Anahata Yoga, Central This course focuses on intermediate and advanced poses, their possible modifications and variations, and teaching and demonstration techniques. With the aim to challenge practitioners to advance in their practice by exploring the limits of their body and overcoming them, as well as to develop their knowledge of the body in order to better understand every joint and muscle nuance in the poses. For more information www.anahatayoga.com.hk / enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk / (852) 2905 1822
Pre & Post-natal Yoga Teacher Training with Samantha Chan 11-20 April – Pure Yoga Hong Kong This course is delivered using a combination of face-to-face 10
For more information info@yogaroomhk.com / www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
Birthlight Baby Yoga TT Level 1 & 2 with Marion O’Connor
For more information www.pure-yoga.com
300-hr Advanced Yoga TT 30 April-8 May - Yoga Therapy TT 10-18 September - Yin & Restorative Yoga TT Master Curriculum (Mandatory): from 15 July (rotational) Conducted in Chinese, this TT is suitable for Yoga teachers with
28 May-1 June (8am-5pm) Anurati, Causeway bay The practices pioneered by Birthlight were inspired by Amazonian parents and by the tradition of infant massage in India, which have been amalgamated and adapted to suit the needs of Western parents. Focusing on the wellbeing and the mutual enjoyment of babies and their parents from birth to the third year, including special babies. Using touch, movement and sound/voice and rhythms interactively. Baby Yoga imparts principles of non-violence, quiet
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observation and self-awareness, respect, acceptance and compassion, which are qualities needed in early parenting years. For more information happykidultyoga@gmail.com / (852) 9765 3592, www.facebook.com/ happykidultyoga / www.birthlight.com/training/ baby-yoga-teacher-training
Birthlight Toddler Yoga TT with Marion O’Connor
2-3 June (8am-5pm) Anurati, Causeway bay Toddler Yoga offers a structured base for parents to exercise and have fun with their children promoting strength, flexibility, balance and relaxation to contrast with energetic activity. Suitable for certified baby Yoga teachers, sure start staff, health visitors, baby massage instructors, early years instructors and certified children’s Yoga teachers. For more information happykidultyoga@gmail.com / (852) 9765 3592 / www.facebook.com/ happykidultyoga / www.birthlight.com/training/ smart-toddler-yoga-training
200-hr Vinyasa Yoga TT with Wai-Mei Yeung & Robert Boswell from Barefoot Yoga Studio Module 1: 31 July-9 August Module 2: 10-19 August Grand Jete Dance Centre, HK Join this life transforming training to deepen your practice and learn to be a Yoga teacher
with your true voice. You will learn philosophy, energy, alignment, sequencing, hands-on adjustment and teaching skills. Focusing on both theory as well as practice of teaching. You can either join Module 1 only or the full training.
JAPAN
THAILAND
Insight Yoga TT Intensive with Sarah Powers
Yin & Yang Yoga TT & Study Immersion with Simon Low
18-26 March Under The Light Yoga School, Tokyo The intensive will be divided into three sections: 18-20 March: Yin Yoga Intensive 21-23 March: The Architecture of a Yoga Pose and Hands On Adjustments 24-26 March: Mindfulness in Yin Yoga
For more information enquiry@onewellness.com.sg TAIWAN
For more information www.facebook.com/ yoga.teacher.training.hk.barefootyoga / barefootyogadavis.com / (852) 9686 8124 INDONESIA
SpiritDanceSoulSong TT 7 April-5 May DesaSeni Resort, Canggu, Bali A practice of Yoga “off the mat,” SpiritDanceSoulSong brings the oldest spiritual practices of singing and dancing into the modern world, encouraging students to discover their body as a musical instrument to discover vibrant and radiant health. For more information www.MovingVentures.org / mary@movingventures.org
Family & Kids Yoga TT by Rainbow Kids Yoga
SINGAPORE
4 March-17 April The course is both theoretical and practical. Students are required to attend classes, posture clinics (focusing on 54 basic and advanced asanas) and lectures on pranayama, kriya, human anatomy and the history of Yoga.
Mindfulness and Yin Yoga TT with Michelle Chu 4-13 March and 18-27 March Space Yoga, Taipei This 80-hour course taught in Mandarin will guide you into a deeper, complete practice and teaching to compliment your active asana practice with passive yin and mindfulness practices. For more information www.withinspace.com
108 - TT NavakaraGa Vinyasa Mala with Dario Calvaruso 16 - 30 April Pure Tower Taipei 108hr Accredited TT Programme For more information email events@pure-yoga.com.
3-30 April Serenity Villas( KohPhangan A 200-hour women’s Yoga training that explores the depths and beauty of Yoga plus a supplementary exploration of devotional Kirtan, voicework, sacred dance and Tantra. For more information lorrainetayloryoga.com
For more information www.underthelight.jp/e/ index.html
Tatva Yoga’s 200hr Hatha Yoga TT
Sacred Journeys into Yoga
7 February-6 March Samahita Retreat welcomes The Yoga Academy’s Yin and Yang Yoga Teacher Training and Study Immersion, with Yoga Alliance US 200 and Yoga Alliance UK 200-hour accreditation. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com/ simon-low-tt2016.html
50-hr level 2 Yin Yoga TT with Sebastian Pucelle 5-12 March Lullaby Yoga Bangkok This Training is for teachers and dedicated practitioners with at least 2 years of yoga experience . Prior experience in Yin Yoga is not required but you need a keen interest in anatomy, Qi theory, philosophy and meditation. The training includes Yogic, Taoist and Buddhist concepts to contemplate and interpret the essential message of these different traditions. Cultivating an awareness of all the different aspects of the individual, combining body/mind perception as a practice to positively influence, modify and transform one’s health and consciousness.
13-15 May Lullaby Yoga Bangkok A comprehensive, intensive and practical certification course suitable for anyone who loves working with kids, and loves yoga. Be prepared to practice and learn to teach yoga while laughing, dancing, playing and singing! Specifically for Yoga teachers wanting to specialize, and educators wanting to bring the benefits of Yoga into their classrooms. Also for parents wanting to find new ways to connect with their children and family, and share a healthy, fun, and non-competitive movementbased activity. For more information (662) 6777470-1 / info@lullabyyoga.com / www.lullabyyoga.com
For more information (662) 6777470-1 / info@lullabyyoga.com / www.lullabyyoga.com
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KULA
Retreats
INDIA
Conversations in Yoga - Satsanga Yoga Retreat
regarding techniques used. The course offers advanced yogic modules of Mantras, Mudras and Yantra construction. For more information
INDONESIA
Transformation: A Yoga Retreat with Angel Dong & Shiva Wang 23-27 February – Villa Boreh Beach Resort and Spa, Bali Two incredible guest teachers – Shiva and Angel will lead a series of daily detoxification yoga and meditation practices at Villa Boreh Yoga Retreat Centre that will connect you to your heart. For more information www.pure-yoga.com
Pamper Yourself Yoga-Pilates Retreat
1-9 February Goa, India Led by Emil Wendel with Vidya Rao (Classical Musician), AnoukPetzoldt (Asanas) and guest teachers. This retreat is designed to immerse the practitioners into both a stimulating postural practice, and the magic that lies beyond the physical aspects of Yoga. Starting before dawn, there will be classical Indian recitals with Vidya Rao, then Pranayama and meditations, followed by asanas that are shared between Emil and Anouk. The afternoons combine seminars on applied philosophy and background information 12
www.beyond-the-asana.com / conversationsinyoga@gmail.com
Immerse Yourself in the Magic of Rishikesh with Linda Newman 17-25 September Located on the banks of the sacred river Ganges you’ll be surrounded by spectacular forested hills, historical temples and famous ashrams. Retreat includes twice daily yoga with meditation and pranayama. For more information www.pystyles.com
31 March-4 April Dragonfly Village, JL. Raya Ubud Time to deeply reconnect and rediscover your mind and body with Karen Dew and Vincent Chow who are both well-trained Yoga teachers with a passion to share! . This retreat will be a profound experience to reenergize your life in an active way, developing a healthy, happy and connected state of being to live a full and happy life.. For more information happykidultyoga@gmail.com / (852) 9765 3592 / www.facebook.com/ happykidultyoga
The Path of Love: Dancing with Rumi, Hafiz, Rabia and Other Sufis
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7-17 April DesaSeni Resort, Canggu, Bali To explore beyond the poetry of Rumi and other great Sufis, in an immersion into Sufi mysteries, using dance, song, Yoga, meditation, mudras and other consciousness practices. These ancient healing practices will be combined with the most current findings in neuroscience, as you learn to use your brain’s capacities to fulfill your heart’s desires. For more information www.MovingVentures.org / mary@movingventures.org
Mindfulness Yoga & Sound Retreat with Janet Lau, Jasmine Hui & Jennifer Tang DesaSeni, Bali 5-10 June Feeling tired of work or never had enough time for yourself? Join Yoga teacher Janet, sound therapist Jasmine and Jennifer into a journey of mindfulness yoga and sound. Submerge in yoga, meditation practices and healing sound of singing bowls to rediscover your true self. For more information www.janet-lau.com / retreat@janet-lau.com
Morning Mysore & Monthly Immersions with Dylan Bernstein September-December Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research Center, Bali
For more information dylanyo@gmail.com
experience to accompany you wherever you are.
MYANMAR
For more information www.samahitaretreat.com/ private-retreat-yoga-10-daysvinyasa-hatha.html
Yoga Retreat in Bagan with Dario Calvaruso
24 - 29 March 2016 Aureum - Bagan, Myanmar For more information email events@pure-yoga.com. THAILAND
A Special Journey into Yoga For Women more present in the world through the help of a calmer mind. Practising to observe oneself in any given moment without demands or expectations. You will be led through a variety of yogic practices to support the process of directing your attention towards the inside rather than the outside. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com/ guest-teacher-sarayogaretreat2016.html
7-14 February Samahita Retreat, KohSamui For most people the first meeting with Yoga is usually a physical experience. However, the traditional goal of Yoga is to increase people’s ability to be
TURKEY
Morning Mysore and Immersion with Dylan Bernstein April YogaSala, Istanbul For more information dylanyo@gmail.com
24-28 February – Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa, Thailand Enjoy a weekend of wellness and self-care this winter. Take some time out from your busy life to recharge your batteries and regain your inner peace in a place where you can relax, contemplate and reconnect with yourself.
Samahita Retreat, KohSamui This retreat focuses on the foundation and the essence of the practice of Ashtanga yoga: subtle workings of the breath and how the practice is designed to guide you towards the state of meditation, on and off the mat. In addition to deepening an established practice the retreat gives inspiration and practical tools to build up a daily practice, or re-establish a regular practice after a break.
Deepen your practice with Sara GranströmThorsson
For more information lorrainetayloryoga.com / www.samahitaretreat.com/ special-journey-yogawomen.html
For more information www.blackmatyogi.com
Escape to An Exquisite Eden with Samrat Dasgupta
Ashtanga Yoga - A Vinyasa & Hatha Breathing Yoga Immersion Practice with with Carole Mikko Seppinen Revelly 10-17 January
For more information www.samahitaretreat.com/ mikko-retreat-2016.html
21-28 February Samahita Retreat, KohSamui A retreat for women to discover a more feminine and graceful approach to AshtangaVinyasa Yoga. Incorporating fire ceremony, kirtan, and sacred dance, learn how to honour your body with kindness and compassion.
mind and spirit Yoga retreat at the beautiful Yogarden nestled in the fishing village of Bophut. He will lead you in a variety of pranayama, meditation and asana practices twice daily with a balance of both yin and yang style classes, which is suitable for practitioners of all levels.
For more information www.pure-yoga.com
Retreat with Dhugal 21-25 July KohSamui Come join Dhugal for a body, 13-23 February Samahita Retreat, KohSamui An immersion implies sinking entirely into a new or different environment to the one you are accustomed to. This immersion will enable you to disconnect from daily preoccupations, and also to deepen your knowledge of Yoga. It will therefore be sustained and complete. Come home with more understanding of how Yoga can help you in your daily life and allow this unique January 2016
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PHOTO ESSAY
YOGA ART
Sharing your Passion BY VARIOUS NAMASKAR CONTRIBUTORS
Whether through facebook, Instagram or other channels, seems like everybody’s sharing photographs of themselves with their community. In case your creative juices are running low when you take that next picture, here’s some inspiration. We scoured the Namaskar archives and share some photos we thought fun, cute or interesting. If you have an idea for a photo essay on these pages, please email fgairns@netvigator.com
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January 2016
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January 2016
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NAMASKAR
KARMA YOGA
CREATING HOPE
Combining Yoga & Love BY KIM DOHERTY
Words do not do justice to the diversity of Kolkata or to my experiences when there. On arrival in Kolkata the scale of the poverty soon becomes apparent, looking out the windows from the safety of my bus seat a very different world is on view to the one I left behind 24 hrs previously. My journey to Kolkata had begun when I heard about the Hope Foundation and decided to travel with them to share my love of yoga and wellness on their Yoga for HOPE initiative. Yoga for HOPE was established in 2009 to raise funds for The Hope Foundation, an Irish charity working with vulnerable children in Kolkata, India. Over 250,000 children are forced to exist on the streets and in the slums of Kolkata without food, shelter or protection. The Hope Foundation (HOPE) was established in 1999 by Irish Humanitarian Maureen Forrest to help these children. Having experienced the benefit of yoga in my own life I was eager to share my knowledge with the children and carers in the HOPE homes and so I found myself surrounded by yogis on a bus in Kolkata in October 2014. WE SHALL OVERCOME Our first visit was to a children’s home and were greeted with smiling children who literally took me by the hand and showed me around their home. The children attend school and are cared for by the house mothers in the home as if they were family. We visited girls and boys homes as well as intervention centres during my time there. We were lucky to be there during Foundation Day, an annual celebration of the establishment of the Hope Foundation where over 700 children performed. This year it was HOPE’s 15th anniversary. Everyone there could not help but be touched by deep joy during the celebrations. It was amazing, the children are very proud of Kolkata and to listen to the national anthem and the words “we shall overcome” was particularly powerful. While the focus of the trip was to share my love of yoga and art with the children, I began to understand that part of my role was also to bear witness to the place and people of Kolkata. While I felt I made some impact on the people and children I meet, the money I fundraised was of equal,
if not more, importance and it was seeing where this money went that provided the greatest impact for me. WITH THE SKY AS THEIR ROOF The moments that are etched most deeply in my heart are those I experienced on the Night Ambulance visits. Imagine if you can, working in Blanchardstown and living under the M50 surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of people. That is how adults and children live under the concrete highways in Kolkata as well as on the streets. The benefit of the highway is that it is a roof. Here I met four babies less than one month old. Some of the saddest images I saw were the feet at the edge of a footpath. I looked at the size of their feet and identified a Mammy, Daddy and guessed the ages of the other children sleeping with the sky as their roof. I found the noise arresting to the senses and, yet here these people slept. TREAT THEM AS PEOPLE At the dump, the dwellings are all made from rubbish. Having seen people sleeping on the streets I begin to look at them more positively as they, at least, have a shelter of some description. Those in the most worrying situations are those on the street. With the aid of the social worker, I spoke to a woman who was 65 years on the street. In monsoon season she stays in the subway until 10.30pm after which time she has to stand against the wall as the water is knee to thigh deep. So for monsoon season she does not sleep! I also spoke with a lovely girl who was 18 years old and it was like we had known each other for years, chatting about silly girly things. Most of the people on the street speak English, especially the younger people, and so they offer you the side of their bed or make a space for you to sit and talk. Her second son was in the HOPE hospital having an operation for his feet. Her toddler was on the street sleeping with her, as was her husband. She was keen to tell me it was a “love marriage” and not an arranged one. The people were so friendly and it means so much to them when we stopped to talk to them, look them in the eye and treat them as people. In Kolkata they are not seen as people.
January 2016
THE GIFT OF A FLOWER That same night we visited one of the train stations. Both the station and carpark were full of people with people even living in the station itself. I began talking to a little boy with broken English, his brother was asleep. He was next to a trolley of paper flowers. His father handed me a flower that was obviously his produce. He was handing me a piece of his livelihood for just speaking to his little boy, so humbling. I still have that flower. This is just a sample of the beauty and desolation that live side by side in Kolkata. There were many more instances such as these and I met wonderful people who, unfortunately, are not treated as equals. The gap between the rich and the poor is clearly illustrated in the sight of emaciated people literally carrying the well-dressed rich on their rickshaws. It was moments such as these that showed me the importance of HOPE. They support over 60 projects including education, child protection and children’s shelter. I am deeply indebted to the people who supported my journey to Kolkata and my time with Yoga for HOPE. To see the great work being done by HOPE in Kolkata was really touching. Not only was I able to contribute to the experiences of the children through yoga and art, I was also able to see first-hand where money is spent and see the benefit it brings to those living in poverty in Kolkata. HOPE provide a holistic approach to development which includes working with the children, their families and the community in Kolkata. They really are changing lives and I am honoured to have been part of the change. The Yoga for HOPE trip includes a workshop with a Yoga guru, an opportunity to experience Pranic Healing, take part in an introductory course and sightseeing in Kolkata. For more information www.hopefoundation.ie/events/hope-yogafor-children-2015/ susan@hopefoundation.ie To find out how you can support HOPE and to keep updated on HOPE’s work in Kolkata, visit www.hopefoundation.ie and follow HOPE on Facebook and Twitter.
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OPINION
FINDING PEACE IN PARIS
Focus on the positive BY CASSANDRA KISH
Since I live in Paris and it is just 12 days since we had an attack of terrorism, I thought it appropriate to approach a subject that seems to be avoided by everyone. The link isn’t immediately evident. It revolves around how we see each thing. The idea is that we attract that which we think about. When we think positively about yoga and the world and we do things that we love, we attract more of that. On the other side, when we think and discuss horrible events and we feel fear for the future we attract more of that. There are numerous examples since we have begun fighting against obesity, heart disease, diabetes, terrorism etc. all of these things have gotten desperately worse. The thing that we give attention to, grows. Exponentially.
limitations - none, zip, zero. And no I don’t care what your age is, nor do I care about your injuries or abuse you suffered. Because all those things can be looked at in two ways they can define us as victims or they can be used as a platform to launch us into a
I truly believe what we think, we attract. Yes it is basically the Secret or Abraham Hicks or the many others who promote the law of Attraction.. So, right now there is a major portion of the French population and the world who are talking about the atrocities that happened here and around the world. It is unthinkable to spin these events in a positive manner, so all the talk, which is negative, is brewing up more events that vibrate with the same energy, ie. more terroristic attacks that scare the bejesus out of everybody.
On Friday, 13 November 2015, a group of people, armed with Kalishnakov machine guns and bombs simultaneously entered the “Stade de France”, a popular restaurant in the 10 arrondissement called “le petit Cambridge” and the Bataclan concert hall, where an American metal band were playing to a sold-out crowd.
What if we could see these acts in a neutral manner ? If we could see them as neutral then the up shot is we would not be sending Kalishnakov vibes into the Universe and very possibly we would see less situations of hard core violence.
This group of people opened fire and/ or detonated bombs they had strapped to their bodies in very public places. They succeeded in killing 130 people and terrorising 75 million French people, who until recently had not experienced modern terrorism. So the people who planned and carried out the attacks on innocent people, did so in an effort to further their personal cause. Unfortunately their message was lost in the gravity of their acts. I can honestly say no one has any idea what the objective of this was. Maybe to show they have power, maybe to show we should never let our guard down. I don’t really have any idea. But let’s get to my point of why I am chucking Yoga and terrorism in the same article. I wake up at 5 am to practice yoga to further my personal cause, which, by the way, is that I want the world to know we have no
People join clubs, take classes, start businesses, have families all to say something about who they are, and following this theory, the group of people who committed these acts in Paris wanted to send a message…. but they failed.
The planning of the attacks as well as the actual attacks were basically this group of people’s way to get their message across. They must be seriously pissed off to need to speak this loudly, but that is where they are (were). We also have no idea what they have lived, which can be a big factor..
wonderful life. If that is not your belief watch TED Talks videos by Sean Stephenson, Sam Berns and maybe Nick Vujicic, and suddenly your life looks pretty good. Anyway the point is my personal Yoga practice, my business, videos, all my work is meant to put vibes out into the Universe that say “Yes you can!”
January 2016
I am in no way lessening the horror of what is happening on the planet. But I refuse to spin it as the end of the world, because I have no interest in attracting more of the same. So this article is a “shout out” to all Yogis. If there is a subject you can’t spin positive, stop thinking about it and definitely don’t engage in a conversation about it. Our lives as yogis are about spreading peace, so let’s get to it.
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YOGA PHILOSOPHY
CHAKRAS & THE YOGA SUTRAS
Connecting us with Celestial Bodies BY JOANNA PEARCE
A chakra can broadly be described as a wheel of energy that exists within your subtle energy body. There is some debate as to the number of chakras that a human being has in their energy field, depending on your school of thought. However, the general consensus is there are seven major chakras. Why is there a debate about the number of chakras and where did the concept of the chakra originate? It was these questions that led me to study the ancient texts. The earliest written record of the chakras is in the Vedas, or more specifically in the Artharva Veda. After the Vedas, the chakras are mentioned again in the Upanishads where they are described as psychic centres of consciousness. In the yoga sutras, some of the chakras are mentioned in Vibhuti Pada as areas in which we should focus our attention through our samyama practices. B.K.S. Iyengar describes samyama as the “art of integration through concentration, meditation and profound absorption”. SUN, MOON AND POLE STAR Sutra III.27 guides us to begin our journey to the esoteric body with samyama on the sun. I thought this was fascinating as we also begin our asana practice with sun salutations. B.K.S. Iyengar draws a lovely interpretation of this sutra. He says “The light that shines from the seat of the soul is the sun of life. It passes through surya nadi at the gates of surya chakra and illumines the seven states of awareness in the yogi’s consciousness”. In III.28 we are advised to perform samyama on the moon to gain knowledge of the star system. Knowledge of the sun, the moon and the star systems are rarely mentioned in the context of modern chakra studies which often begin with the root chakra. Before we start working our way up from the root chakra or down from the crown chakra, depending on your point of view, we first need to understand the galaxy of which we are a part. As B.K.S. Iyengar says, “Man’s body epitomizes the entire structure of the great universe”.
The following sutra, III.29, describes samyama on the Pole Star to gain knowledge of your destiny. The word dhruva used to describe the Pole Star can also be interpreted as the tip of the nose. When we bring our awareness to the tip of our nose in our meditation practice we are connecting with the Pole Star and thus deepening our ability to understand our destiny. THE NAVEL III.30 is where we see the word ‘cakre’ specifically mentioned. It came as no surprise to me that it is included in the sutra regarding samyama on the navel. Most, if not all, studies of the human energy field show that our energetic powerhouse is in the navel. In Chinese Qigong it is called the ‘Dantian’ and the Japanese call it the ‘Hara’. It is here that all our energy channels, called ‘nadis’, converge. This sutra advises us we can gain knowledge of our whole body from samyama on the navel. This explains why yoga practitioners are often described as navel gazers! THE THROAT III.31 and III.32 provide some interesting insight on how we can use the throat as a focal point in our yogic practice. We are introduced to one of the main nadis or energetic channels of the body: the kurmanadi. Located at the pit of the throat, kurmanadi derives from the word kurma meaning tortoise. We can achieve the steadfastness of a tortoise by practising samyama on the throat. B.K.S. Iyengar’s commentary explains, “The tortoise draws its head and limbs into the shell and does not come out, come what may. He remains in his shell, his emotional centre undisturbed,
CHAKRAS AT A GLANCE Colour Sanskrit/English Muladhara/Root Red Svadhisthana/Sacral Orange Manipura/Solar Plexus Yellow Anahata/Heart Green Visshudha/Throat Green Ajna/Third Eye Indigo Sahasrara/Crown Violet January 2016
Bij Mantra Lam Vam Ram Yam Ham Om Silence
under all circumstances. He has developed emotional stability, the prerequisite of spiritual realization.” THE HEAD, THE LIGHT AND THE HEART III.33 and III.34 describe how we are able to have visions of the ‘siddhis’ or enlightened beings through samyama on the light of the head. In this way, we can receive knowledge and guidance from spirit. To finish our exploration of the chakras, III.35 describes how the heart is the place that will lead us into awareness of our consciousness. Whilst the yoga sutras give very little detail as to the precise location of the chakras and mention only four: the navel, the throat, the heart and the crown of the head, I found it fascinating to consider the possible interpretations. I also marvelled at the insight to include the star systems in the quest to discover the subtle energetic body. These verses have certainly added to the mystery of the chakras and the more I read them, the more questions I have!
E l e m e n t Lotus Earth 4 Water 6 Fire 10 Air 12 Sound 16 Light 2 1,000
Petals Related Gland Ovaries/Testes Pancreas Adrenals Thymus Thyroid Pituitary Pineal 23
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KIRTAN
WHY CHANT?
Together We Are One BY CRISTINA RODENBECK
“When I am feeling pure joy, Kirtan sustains that feeling. When I feel challenged by a person or experience, it raises my energy and clears my thoughts. When I attend our monthly Kirtan sessions, the energy of the group raises me to another level.” explains Melissa Shadforth, a devoted Kirtan attendee.
WHERE DOES THE ENERGY COME FROM? Mantras were originally written in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language. The Sanskrit alphabet has a strong energetic and vibrational component—it is said that the words, when chanted, create a powerful vibration in the body, affecting a person’s mind and spirit.
regained my life balance. As a mother, my latest most gratifying moment was to unexpectedly hear my daughter gently chant mantras in the backseat as we drove home one evening. And once again, I received powerful affirmation: together, we are one.
KIRTAN AROUND ASIA HOW DOES THE HEALING TAKE PLACE? When you pronounce mantras in the vibratory language of Sanskrit, you are pressing meridian points on the roof of the mouth with the tongue (like sending keyboard code into a computer). This code is sent to the hypothalamus, which in turn sends it to your pineal and pituitary glands. Your glands chemically interpret these messages to bring about certain changes: breaking bad habits, cleansing the garbage stored in the subconscious mind, creating new more positive life habits and attitudes. Well-known Kirtan chanter Satnam Kaur
Fellow chanter, Catarina Lilliehöök attests, “Kirtan is a way of reaching inside to find strength and inner joy through beautiful tones and vibrations of the sacred wording. A sense of ease and lightness fills me when we chant together – followed by a sense of elation afterwards.” Kirtan continues to capture the hearts of people across Asia and the world over. If you’re new to Kirtan, it’s important to understand the depth and soul of this ancient practice to truly appreciate its beauty.
WHERE DO THE CHANGES TAKE PLACE? The ancient sacred chants contain powerful renewing, transformative and healing energy that helps us reconnect with the Divinity that resides within all of us. In my personal journey as a committed Kirtan chanter, I have experienced many gratifying and fulfilling moments: I met my goal in creating a sacred haven so I could share my passion with others; I have the pleasure of witnessing others embrace and treasure Kirtan as much as I do; and I have
CHINA Beijing Mountain Yoga Org has regular Kirtan on Saturdays and on special yoga retreats www.mountain-yoga.org Shanghai Pure Shanghai offers special Kirtan events. www.pure-yoga.com INDONESIA Bali Spirit Festival, Ubud, Bali Mar 29- Apr 3, 2016 www.balispiritfestival.com Yoga Barn leads weekly Kirtan classes www.theyogabarn.com/ Anand Ashram Ubud has daily chanting as part of their regular schedule www.ubudashram.org HONG KONG Alive Wellness offers monthly Kirtan www.alivewellness.hk Pure Yoga www.pure-yoga.com
WHAT IS KIRTAN? Kirtan, a form of devotional chanting of mantras that originated in India, is a traditional practice that allows people to access inner peace, calm, connection, and mindfulness state. Singing is the heart of Kirtan where our voices merge together to become One Voice.
SINGAPORE Singa Satsang offers regular Kirtan at Civil Service Club www.singasatsanga.com Meetup Group http://kirtan.meetup.com/cities/sg/singapore/ Central Sikh Temple & the Silat Road Sikh Temple have regular Kirtan at weekend ceremonies www.sikhs.org.sg
WHAT ARE MANTRAS? Mantras are sounds or words that help you to gain greater control of your own mind. Man means mind and Tra is the wave or movement of the mind. Well-known Kirtan chanter Krishna Das
January 2016
Pure Yoga has specical Kirtan events www.pure-yoga.com 25
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Gosh how we yogis love to be in with the know, to keep up with the latest buzz words, new alignment cues, fresh insights, catch all phrases that hit the mark – we literally thirst for knowledge and strive for excellence. It’s a never ending journey. So why now Yin ?
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We know about fascia, the new buzz tissue that has us all quivering to become anatomists.
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We know about chi, the invisible energy force that moves along these mysterious pathways called meridians.
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We know we house emotions in our tissues, some of them buried and repressed and held in our protective armour.
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We know we need time, space and deliberate attention in which we can learn more about ourselves, uncover what’s there and to be able to meet what is ours to meet, whether it’s restoring our energy levels or simply time to pause and reflect and see how busy our minds are and how we are actually feeling.
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We know we need to learn to relate to ourselves a whole lot better and to learn to be more at home with ourselves. But maybe what’s not so clear is how we uncover deeply engrained feelings or wounds that have been held or buried for years and for that we need skilful inquiry, we need borrowed insights and we need to learn this from ‘those who know’ so we are able to deal with what we might discover. What we do begin to see after starting an inwardly-drawn practice such as Yin is even our feelings have tones. And if we get attuned to the subtleties of these tonal moods, we can prepare ourselves with the right antidotes. Always in the mix would be compassion, love, kindness, empathy and unconditional friendliness towards ourselves. Learning to forgive ourselves is perhaps one
of the ultimate gifts we can give ourselves. Only once we have forgiven ourselves can we then begin to forgive others too. Neuroscientists have shown the reaction in the brain is the same whether someone else has been kind to us or if we have been kind to ourselves. So we can literally learn to give this gift to ourselves. The brain doesn’t know the difference. So we can learn then to set the tone of our practice and create this field of loving awareness no matter what mood we are in. For me Yin started with the delights of the deep physical releases and the luxury of time Yin afforded in which investigation could begin. The body and breath work was wonderful. Yes this was Yin, to a degree. But what of the rest of me? My embattled mind felt soothed and nourished when I left a class, or even taught a class. But then came back to wherever it was I was at, in that moment of my life. Always an underpinning of sadness, a feeling of discontent, a threshold I had not known was my default position or the way I grew up. I wasn’t allowing myself to be happy or feel the joy I so longed to feel.
YOGA STYLES
YIN YOGA EVOLVING
From Body into Mind BY SARAH CORBETT
And why was that ? I mean I had everything or so it seemed. My City career at one point, a spate as a young Eurasian model, a degree in Business, a marriage, eventually, a beautiful child, money, health, another beautiful child, yoga, classes, more classes, full classes….. and so the list went on. So fast tracking here in my quest for more knowledge, I wanted to get to the bottom of this and simply stop blaming this feeling of ‘not enough.’ My long time teachers and mentor Sarah and Ty Powers, respectively, encouraged me to do the Hoffman Process as I was insisting on gaining my full Insight Yoga Institute qualification. The Hoffman Process was an entry into learning about the Psychological Enquiry element of the course. Sarah Powers had only endorsed a handful of people in the world. I simply had to be one of them. I’m
Yin Yoga teacher Sarah Powers
January 2016
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still not. I looked at the Hoffman criteria and thought ‘No way, none of this applies to me’. I had had a happy childhood after all and I loved my parents. I wrote and told Sarah this immediately and she simply replied “I would not delay.” Hoffman taught me why I operated in the way I did and I traced every personality trait back to my childhood, I met my parents as children, I attended their funerals and I saw the anger and dissatisfaction that lay buried and met what was mine to meet. I found my voice. We all found our voices. This wasn’t about trauma therapy. This was about uncovering our essential deepest nature. It’s something the Buddha taught so long ago but what I discovered is that we need both. We need Yin Yoga to go deep into the crevices of our mind, to see what’s really there, we need to stimulate stagnant chi that’s stuck in the emotional tissues of our organs but we also need the tools with which to do this and for that we need to be able to speak, write, share, visualise and to find out how to do all this we need to first learn how. Hoffman isn’t the only way. But it was the deepest experience I’ve ever had and it has helped reorganise my mind, how I now think, how I can now operate in this world more skillfully. Knowing I have felt the pain of disconnect, the pain of unlove, the pain of loneliness and heartache, and knowing now all others have felt this too. Yes life presents challenges and it is difficult at times. Often. A lot of the time. But our reaction to our feelings is everything. How we learn to relate to them, to soften to them and to connect with them without being afraid and without turning away. Not being afraid to go deep into the heart of our feelings, how to counter them and how to manage them. Resilience is built upon practice and with practice our confidence in ourselves grows as we learn to trust ourselves more fully and navigate through the tide of our emotions, knowing they will pass and they too are not permanent. We won’t always feel this way. This is Yin Yoga to me. It’s simple. It’s complicated. It changes. It evolves. Like everything we know. Yin isn’t just about a good old stretch, though this does feel pretty good if that is what you’re there for and that is all you know right now. Everything in its own time. So go on, go and live your life to your fullest potential, dare to dream again and when you’re on your mat in your deepest safest stretch, give credence to the teachings of those who have walked the path before us and know because this practice has helped them, maybe it can help us too. It certainly seems to be working for me now. I can’t explain Yin any other way because this is the only way I know how now.
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KIDS YOGA
MATH & MINDFULNESS BY MANU VERMA
I hardly come across a kid who is super excited about maths! Usually maths is a struggle, both for kids and their parents alike. Fortunately, mindfulness can ease this tension and make life a little more enjoyable. Here are five great ways to get started: LEARN A MUDRA A mudra is a gesture that symbolizes an idea or thing. It can be something you turn to to find your rebalance and composure. A powerful mudra I recommended to my student Claire, was of bringing the tips of the index finger and thumb together. Claire was smart and hardworking and, most of the time, very well prepared for the test. But as she would enter the examination hall she would feel “test anxiety” - confusion, forgetting the formulas, sweating of the palms etc. So the mudra, to her, symbolised “a sense of orientation.” She had to perform it before she entered the room, as she would start reading the next question and every time she felt like she was almost going to forget the formula! It worked really well and she did feel more streamlined. She even did well on her tests. Hopefully she can use the mudra approach in the future to handle some other problem areas in life as well. WRITE LEGIBLY Not all of us can write beautifully, but with practice we can all write legibly. This is very important when it comes to maths. My foremost recommendation, having seen and helped hundreds of students write better, is this: Get your child to make his/her handwriting twice as big! Small handwriting and crunched up numbers lead to only one thing - more mistakes. The handwriting should also be bold. If your child uses a pen, I recommend a 0.7mm gel pen; if he/she uses a pencil, go for 2B or 4B. Writing should start from the left margin red line every single time. You will have to constantly remind your child about these things, since bad handwriting habits take long time to break. I have taken so many students from failing grades to a very solid solid B+ simply by having them write better. And if they studied the way I had NAMASKAR
instructed them they made A’s. LEARN TO OBSERVE PATTERNS Patterns are everywhere. The better you get at observing the patterns, the easier your life will become! The simplest kind of patterns we observe in maths are the multiplication or times tables. The way to understand the times table of 2 would be to identify the pattern of adding 2 to each successive number as you go down the table. Times tables are the foundation of maths and if your child is really good at them, he/she will rule the subject! USE COMMON SENSE Use everyday examples to teach your child how to use common sense. It’s a habit. Being good at computation is important, but it’s even more important to find ways to check if the answer you are getting is correct. “It takes 20 mins for Carl to walk a mile. How long will it take for him to walk 2 miles?” After doing some calculations, my student Ally replied, “10 mins.” Then I had her use her common sense to check if the answer was correct. I asked,” If Carl doesn’t change his speed, wouldn’t it take him longer to walk a greater distance?” She said yes. She realised that she had reasoned 20/2 instead of 20x2 and understood her own mistake. GUESSTIMATE “Guesstimating” is a great way to check if your answers are correct. For example, say your son has been asked to do 20/2.1 using long division. What he knows is that greater the divisor, the smaller will be the quotient. He knows 20/2=10. But since 2.1 is greater than 2, the quotient will be less than 10. And since 2.1 is only slightly greater than 2, the quotient should be only slightly less than 2. So guesstimating will suggest an answer of say 9.4-9.6. If he is getting an answer that is wildly different, say 94.5 or 8.6, then he will immediately know that he has made a mistake and that he needs to rework the problem. CONCLUSION Mindfulness works wonders during the regular school schedule, and the test!
FEATURED TEACHER
DANA FLYNN US teacher Dana Trixie Flynn will be at BaliSpirit (29 March - 3 April, www.balispiritfestival.com). She kindly shares her thoughts on integrating the Yoga Sutras into class. HOW DO YOU WEAVE TEACHINGS FROM PATANJALI’S YOGA SUTRAS THROUGH YOUR CLASSES? The first thing I love to do is sing them out loud, they are easy and super fun to chant, especially the shorter ones...atha yoga nusasanam, sthira sukham asanam, ...yogas citta vritti nirhodaha... They may be short but they are jam packed with meaning and as we study them and learn more about ourselves we unleash their power to transform our life. We look into each sutra as a divine snapshot of where we are at and where we are at is constantly shifting...They become a cosmic mirror for self understanding and self discovery. Sutra means thread and we thread this wisdom into our lives, one breath at a time. WHICH SUTRA(S) HAVE BEEN MOST HELPFUL TO YOU? Another name for magic is repetition..so I chant and study these and myself again and again..so I can feel the blessings and practicing helps me to remember how these sacred tools can inspire my day, keeping me grounded and connected to my heart. 1. Atha yoga nusasanam: now is the time of your life...right now. stirrum sukah asana..may my seat, my life. my attitude be steady and joyful., exploring the sweet balance..moment to moment...gotta have the joy pop on through. 2. Yogas citta vritti nirhodaha...Be the witness not the judge... A day of judging is a painful day, yoga reminds me to be the witness..to watch the mind do its crazy thing but not identify with the thoughts, emotions or personality that cover my soul. The soul is eternal, so I practice identifying with my Divinity. Like I said practice. Never give up, always let go! WHICH TRANSLATION IS YOUR FAVOURITE? The Essence of Yoga: Reflections on the Yoga Sutras by Bernard Bouanchaud, a student of Desikachar. January 2016
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January 2016
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DRISTI - PATANJALI’S YOGA SUTRAS
YOGA SUTRAS Sorting Fact from Fiction BY ANDY WILLNER
PURITY & PLURALITY To help clarify thoughts............35 32
NOTE ON PATANJALI The Inner Healer......................36
MOST HELPFUL SUTRA Four keys for four locks.............37
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QUESTIONING THE SUTRAS Springboard for imagination......39
January 2016
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Andy takes his favourite Sutra with him everywhere, reminding him to live mindfully
Given how virtually every lineage of modern day yoga and most yoga teachers refer to the Yoga Sutras, it is important to grasp what Patanjali was trying to teach us...and to debunk a few modern day misconceptions that were never prescribed in the actual sutras. (Note all transliterations and translations used in this article are taken from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Edwin F. Bryant). There are only four chapters (padas) in the Yoga Sutras and the first chapter very explicitly lays out the purpose of the text, namely to attain the state of samadhi. In this state of extremely deep meditation, the practitioner goes beyond the mind so thoughts become inactive and exist only in potentiality. With this stillness of mind, consciousness no longer focuses its awareness on external physical or mental objects through our intellect (buddhi) but instead turns its awareness onto itself. Patanjali neatly defines yoga in Ch.1 v.2 as “yogas citta-vritti-nirodhah,” which means ‘yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind’. [As a footnote, some Tantric commentators prefer the word ‘restraining’ rather than ‘stilling’, given that maybe better reflects what we achieve in meditation]. Why do we need to restrain/still the mind? Because the mind is still an aspect of prakrti (matter and energy within this universe), so it continually pulls us towards the external world, whether via the physical senses or through our imaginings. Hence for purusa (usually translated as our ‘soul’) to focus its awareness purely on itself, all other objects of awareness need to be removed. Patanjali then goes on to explain there are five different types of mind ranging from the agitated (kshipta) to the restrained 34
(niruddha) and not surprisingly each of those mind types will need a different approach or process to achieve the state of samadhi. So the first misconception is Ashtanga Yoga (the Eight Limbs of Yoga) bring about samadhi...this is untrue. Samadhi is a state that is ultimately everyone’s natural state, but this is disguised by our ignorance (avidya) of our true nature. So ashtanga yoga is one of the processes available to clear out the blockages that inhibit us from recognizing our true nature. It is by no means the only process referred to in the sutras, indeed kriya yoga is highlighted before ashtanga yoga; each process is offered as a methodology somewhat like a menu i.e. try this and if you don’t like it then try that, and then that... and if none of these work then try whatever does! Whilst on the subject of ashtanga yoga it is also worth pointing out that the first two limbs, restraints (yamas) and observations (niyamas), have nothing to do with ethics and morality. In the context of the sutras the yamas and niyamas are simply practices that will assist us in our journey towards samadhi; Patanjali makes absolutely no normative statements about whether you should or shouldn’t do something in order to be a better person and act in a more socially responsibly manner....his only goal is the pursuit of samadhi. Another misconception with ashtanga yoga is that the eight limbs are sequential and the practitioner should start with the first limb and graduate through each subsequent limb. All eight limbs should work simultaneously, indeed, the only sequentiality Patanjali outlines is within samadhi itself, where there are different levels culminating in the highest NAMASKAR
form of nirbija-samadhi, in which as mentioned before purusa is aware of nothing but itself. I should now like to turn briefly to my favourite sutra, which also happens to highlight another misconception regarding the tradition behind the sutras: “maitrikaruna-muditopeksanam sukha-duhkhapunyapunya-visayanam bhavanatas cittaprasadanam” which translates to “by cultivating an attitude of friendship towards those who are happy, compassion toward those in distress, joy towards those who are virtuous, and equanimity toward those who are non-virtuous, lucidity arises in the mind.”Ch.1 v.33. Some people argue, possibly for political reasons, the yoga sutras were written by Patanjali as part of the Vedic tradition and yoga comes from the Vedas....but this just does not stack up with a mountain of academic evidence, which demonstrates yoga pre-dates the Vedas. Indeed the sramanas, that include the non-Vedic traditions of Buddhism & Jainism, with their emphasis on renunciation, karma and moksa (not part of the Vedic vocabulary), clearly had a significant influence on Patanjali as evidenced by the above passage. The four qualities this verse refers to – maitri, karuna, mudita, upeksa – were taken from Buddhism, in which they are known as the ‘brahma-viharas’ or ‘abodes of Brahma’. Moreover, the terminology used by Patanjali of ‘purusa’ and ‘prakrti’ come from Samkhya philosophy, which borrowed these terms from Jainism. The reason I personally love this passage is it
DRISTI
PATANJALI, PURITY & PLURALITY
Invitation to Clarify your Thoughts BY DYLAN BERNSTEIN
speaks to the reader about a way of leading one’s life ‘off the mat’ with mindfulness, in order to help attain that state of samadhi. Although Patanjali lived at a time where those following the yogic path were mainly renunciants, we can still apply this sattvic (pure) way of living to our modern day lives, in which we interact with and are fully engaged in the world in a positive manner. A final point worth making is the yoga sutras read independently of any commentary are sometimes difficult to unravel, as they are typically pithy aphorisms that beg further explanation, hence the plethora of commentaries written. Recently, per my teacher Carlos Pomeda, there is mounting evidence the Yoga Sutras were written later than had been previously thought and Vyasa, who wrote the first commentary on the Yoga Sutras, might well have been Patanjali himself commentating on his own work! If this is indeed the case, then it is likely the Yoga Sutras were written sometime between 325-450CE, not 200CE as typically quoted (or even 200BCE as quoted by some who get confused with a completely different fellow also called Patanjali, who did not write the Yoga Sutras). This would also give even greater credibility to Vyasa’s interpretations within his commentary, given he would have clearly understood what the author wished to impart. So next time you open up the Yoga Sutras for a bedtime read, keep in mind it is really a very practical guide book on how to attain samadhi for anyone, and we need to meditate, not just practise asana, if we wish to connect with our purusa and achieve the ultimate goal of yoga: realisation of the Self.
As you have surely already realized, it’s an interesting moment on planet Earth. Amongst all the other news-worthy and historic happenings, we are living through yoga’s most popular era. Never before have so many practiced some form of yoga, meditation and related fields.
being mistaken for some kind of central text on what yoga is and how one must practice it. Personally, I do find this Sutra an immaculate and invaluable guide towards genuine practice. But I certainly didn’t begin my practice in the 80’s strictly following the teachings of Patanjali.
Indeed, as this yoga culture has spread globally, it seems we are in the process of agreeing upon a patron saint of yoga. The half-serpent deified form of Patanjali has begun to adorn many thousands of studios and altars and has popped up in the prayers, studies and teachings of millions of modern aspirants.
I’m also quite conscious of the fact all humans, and specifically practitioners, seek a central source, an authority and a dogmatic set of instructions on what is right and wrong. We should watch this tendency within ourselves and within our communities; it often leads to suffering.
However, I worry if at some point we may go too far. All scholars agree we know very little about Patanjali’s life and timeframe, referring only to interpretations of his Yoga Sutra to infer what may have been taught. It’s also worth noting he was never so revered as he has become today. This vital point is wonderfully illuminated by David Gordon White in his 2014 book, The Patanjali Yoga Sutra: A Biography. This well-researched and caustically critical examination of the modern Patanjali cult is quick to point out we have little evidence Patanjali was ever worshipped as the deity of yoga we now assume him to be. For example, we have almost no ancient Patanjali statues or ceremonial objects. Indra, Shiva, Shakti, Ganesh, Buddha and countless others have long been immortalized in stone and bronze. But all of the Patanjalis being bowed to each day are quite new. Another valid concern around the modern deification of Patanjali is his Yoga Sutra is January 2016
When I listen to Patanjali, I don’t hear hard rules. In fact, I hear quite the opposite: an invitation for yogis to clarify their own principles, practices, and boundaries. For example, many interpret ahimsa to mean we must abide by vegetarianism. Yet I notice Patanjali does not simply say, “You shall not eat meat.” Instead, I find working with Patanjali to be a much more interactive and broadly explorative practice. By struggling within the challenges and impossibilities of pure ahimsa, I’m forced to define my own integrity and keep a watchful eye to maintain consistent honesty with my actions and my own higher beliefs. Patanjali does not instruct us to worship a particular deity, he allows us to choose one. Patanjali does not instruct us to use any specific object for concentration, he states any useful object may be employed. Similarly, I think adherents to Patanjali’s philosophy would do well to consider it based in plurality and not simply a trail map detailing a single path towards truth. 35
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A NOTE ON PATANJALI
Awakening the Inner Healer BY INGE SANTOSO
The Patanjali Yoga Sutra is certainly venerable. We have found translations in Arabic and Javanese, dating back about a thousand years. (Both of these translations only include the first three pada, a good hint the Kaivalya Pada was a later interpolation.) Clearly, the Sutra itself was certainly treasured and spread far and wide. Nowadays, we can find hundreds of differing translations, all coming with a different perspective and bias. I delight in looking through many differing translations and perspectives – I value plurality and openness towards views that might even be in opposition to my own. Cynicism is another method of inquiry I find to be a valid exploration of truth. By challenging the common assumptions and herd mentality, individuals can help cleave away illusions. Being cynical about modern yoga practice and the Patanjali cult is an easy road for us to walk, and actually will provide some valuable insights. But once we go so far as to disregard the paths others have chosen, we lose the essential teaching of Indian wisdom schools: plurality. Choosing to diligently study and worship Patanjali is a beautiful choice. I think honoring that choice as an exertion of freedom is far more empowering than taking it for granted as “the thing to do.” Not blindly assuming Patanjali to be the ultimate truthspeaker that makes our practices relevant, nor by cynically discarding his teachings due to their vast popularity, the real work of introspection and integration may take effect.
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Legend has it, Patanjali was an incarnation of Ananta, A Svayambhu or Enlightened Being, the thousand-headed ruler of the serpent race. The Legendary Ananta has the job of guarding the deep treasures of The Earth. Patanjali’s name came from his desire to teach and enlighten those on Earth. He fell (Pat) from Heavens and landed in the palm (Anjali) of Gonika, A Saintly Woman, His Mother. (International Teacher Training of Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan, p. 45). Patanjali focused on three areas: 1. Language and Grammar 2. Ayurveda, Science of Life and Health 3. Yoga and Classical Dances Together, Patanjali’s three major focus areas encompass humanity’s development as a whole, in thought, speech and action. His treaties on Yoga is called Yoga Darsana which means “Visions of The Soul.” The effect of Yoga is to reflect corrections of thoughts and actions which guide to observation of the inner self. (Ayurveda Retreat Center Conoor Manual, p 10). I came across Patanjali Yoga Sutras a while back ago in an Ashtanga Retreat Center in Tamil Nadu, India. While feverish with stomach ache, the teacher made us memorize an long Sanskrit sentence: “Yoganganustanath asuddiksaye jnanadiptih avivekakyateh”. The meaning of this sentence is “by dedicated practise of the various aspects of yoga impurities are destroyed, and The Crown of Wisdom radiates glory. The sadhaka then becomes innocent and free or pride, The Beatitude.” Patanjali sums up the effects of yoga in this one sutra. Yoga can cure or lessen our physical, mental, moral and spiritual sufferings. Perfection and success are certain only if one practises with love and whole-hearted dedication. (Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by BKS Iyengar, p.132134). NAMASKAR
Self Discipline or Tapas burns away impurities and kindles the sparks of Divinity. Self Discipline destroys all impurities, perfecting the body, mind and senses so consciousness functions freely, attains Divinity. Ahimsa cannot be properly understood without reference to Tapas. Tapas is the inner Himsa or violence by which we created the possibility of the outer ahimsa or non violence. Tapas is burning inner zeal and austerity which makes possible compassion and forgiveness towards others. (Light on Yoga Sutras Patanjali, p. 147). Other Sutras, I would like to discuss here pertain to Asanas. “Sthira Sukham Asanam” Asana is perfect firmness of the body, steadiness of intelligence and benevolence of spirit. Whatever asana is performed, it should be done with a feeling of firmness, steadiness and endurance in the body; goodwill in intelligence of the head, awareness and delight in the intelligence of the heart. This is how asana should be understood, practised and experienced. Performance of asana should be nourishing and illuminating. The meditative asana should be cultivated by the fibres, cells, joints and muscles in cooperation with the mind. Asanas should be performed without creating agressiveness in the muscle or the skin cells. If asanas are performed correctly there should be the rhytmic flow of energy and awareness evenly throughout the channels of the body. The effect of correct asana is to put an end to the dualities or differentiation between the body and the mind. None of the pairs of opposites can exsit for the Sadhakas [practitioner] who is one with body, mind and soul. When body, mind and soul unite in a perfect posture, The Sadhaka is in a state of beatitude. In that exalted position, the
DRISTI
THE MOST HELPFUL SUTRA
Four Locks & Four Keys BY HERSHA CHELLARAM
mind which is at the root of perception, loses its identity and ceases to disturb him. There is no longer joy or sorrow, heat or cold, honour or dishonour, pain or pleasure. This is perfection in action and freedom in consciousness. (Light on The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, p. 152).
awakening of the inner healer. That any spiritual practise or study should never loose compassion, joyfulness and good will. Step by step practise with persistency and right efforts, yoga practise in general should never lose the aim of yoga darshana or the visions of the soul.
Another Sutra explaining asanas is the following: “Prayatna saithilya ananta samapattibhyam” Perfection in an asana is achieved when efforts to perform it become effortless and the infinite being within is reached. The Sadhakas is firm in his postures when efforts are no longer needed. In this stability he grasps the physiology of each asana and penetrates within. He gains relaxation and extension of the body and consciousness. He is immersed in boundless state of oneness which is indivisible and universal. (Light of Patanjali Yoga Sutras, p. 150-151)
As I studied Patanjali Sutras first within the practise of Ashatanga Yoga, I would like to mention about awakening the inner healer as stated in the beginning prayer, translated as: I bow to The Lotus Feet of The Gurus. The Awakening happiness of one’s own Self revealed Beyond better, acting like The Jungle Physician Pacifying delusion, the poison of Samsara.
In summary, I like to mention the awakening of the inner healer as stated in the beginning prayer of Ashtanga Yoga in relation to The Patanjali Sutras Eight Limbs in general. Although different schools of yoga widely concur on and apply the Integration of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs, The Eight Limbs as translated meaning Astali Angani referred to Ashtanga Yoga. As I first studied Patanjali Yoga Sutras in conjunction with Ashtanga Yoga, I would like to note any spiritual practise should be practiced at the same time with the
Taking the form a man to the shoulders, Holding a conch, a discuss and a sword, One thousand a discuss heads white To Patanjali I salute. (Patabhi Jois, Ashtanga Yoga Institute) The first paragraph speaks about awakening the inner healer when delusions are pacified. Everytime I practise Ashtanga Yoga with mindful awareness and self surrender to the Light, my spine feels a bit taller, and my chest feels more open to calmly go from one posture to another. So, practising Ashtanga Yoga specifically and Yoga in general, in my experience can change also the attitudes toward daily life. Doing the tasks of life one by one more patiently and calmly with my heart more open to embrace life.
Perfection in an asana is achieved when efforts to perform it become effortless and the infinite being within is reached. January 2016
“By cultivating attitudes of friendliness towards the happy; compassion towards the unhappy, delight in the virtuous and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff can retain its undisturbed calmness.” The quality of our relationships influences our stress levels. Sri Patanjali — the author of the Yoga Sutras — explains how to stay calm amidst all relationships. He simplifies them in to four personalities: happy, unhappy, virtuous and wicked. Sri Swami Satchidananda calls these the “four locks.” They refer to the behaviours of others, but block us from equanimity due to the emotions they trigger within us. The keys to unlocking them are: friendliness, compassion, delight and disregard, respectively. They are attitudes that are to be cultivated with practice and patience. FRIENDLINESS TOWARD THE HAPPY While this seems straightforward, it’s not so easy to practice. Jealousy is a relationshipkiller and the main reason why we cannot be happy for others who are seemingly better off. Envy arises when we compare ourselves to others in matters of success, romance, and popularity. Turning jealousy into admiration requires humility, but allows the freedom to pursue friendship and find a source of inspiration. Perhaps through a friendship, those we admire may reveal the secrets to their success or show us the grass is not always greener. Trust is one of the most important factors in any meaningful connection. If it is not there, we might need personal space to gain perspective. Acknowledging jealousy is an opportune time to self-reflect on our personal goals and fundamental values. We know we are completely different from anyone else and can make better use of our 37
Hersha with some of her Yoga Sutra translations
The keys to unlocking them are: friendliness, compassion, delight and disregard, respectively. energies if we focus on enhancing our own skills and best qualities. Friendliness toward the happy applies to yourself too.
a community around us, we may find the meaning and purpose that we’ve needed all along.
to remove yourself or the offender nonviolently, in order to protect ourselves and loved ones from harm.
COMPASSION TOWARD THE UNHAPPY It is so easy to get caught up in our own or another’s suffering and feel there is no way out. Depression and anxiety are epidemics in our society. Many of us are mildly depressed but are too busy to acknowledge it.
DELIGHT IN THE VIRTUOUS Humanity is obsessed with the notion of perfection and we become quick to judge others who make mistakes. Looking for the worst in others or expecting perfection disconnects us from seeing the most amazing things that humans are capable of — kindness.
Wickedness is like a fire. Being too close means getting burned and charged emotions fuels it further. Wicked people exist to gain power over others. Starve the offenders of any attention and their power subsides. Their own words and actions will be enough to destroy them.
Applying compassion to a person who is depressed means being empathic — having the ability to understand feelings of another within their personal frame of reference. True compassion is without judgment or the need to fix anything, and does not require you to pick up a person’s slack. All unhappy people need a good listener and sincere acknowledgement of their feelings. Crying is such an important coping mechanism, but fears of being judged, vulnerable and weak prevents a person from doing it. Tears release significant amounts of stress hormones out of your physical body. Compassion to yourself or others gives you that safe space to return to balance. Unhappy people tend to socially isolate themselves but crave connection. Applying compassion means finding courage to step out of the safety of the darkness and redirect the depression into something creative or constructive. Some of the world’s best authors, songwriters, artists and activists suffered greatly. If we can try something new, different or engage in what we love with 38
Cultivating delight means opening our hearts to others and appreciating all that is good. Mistakes do not take away from how good we can be. Rather, it’s the way we learn to get better. Kindness is contagious. Positive reinforcement will likely make a person want to continue doing great things over and over. Try delighting in a child’s wonderful behaviour. Try it with the nit-picking voice inside your head. The most rewarding feeling we can get is when we step out of our comfort zone to help a person in need. Appreciating the remarkable people in our lives helps us see how lucky we really are. We need a special kind of awareness to notice the virtuous souls that walk among us, to notice what is right in the world. We will find great peace and hope when we do. DISREGARD TOWARD THE WICKED In order to master this attitude, we must start with rejecting the deceitful relationships we encounter. Our first duty is NAMASKAR
Ignoring someone is not the same as ignorance. We need a strong mind to observe a situation without taking things personally. We need courage to stick to our ethics, a sense of community to rally together resources, and self-awareness to respond appropriately. We cannot make any excuses for wicked actions, but we can lessen the violence by acknowledging unhappiness and applying compassion where needed. Some of the most violent events in our modern world has prompted the most incredible acts of kindness, and gives hope and strength where it is greatly needed. This particular Sutra prompts many questions and grand discussions by students wishing to apply it to a particular situation in their lives. The short form is intentional, as it keeps the Sutras open to personal interpretation. The important thing is that you try applying the tools to your life. You will see results, no matter which version you read or where you begin.
DRISTI
QUESTIONING THE YOGA SUTRAS
A Springboard for our Imagination BY SHANNON FRANCES
From the first I learned about Patanjali I had questions. I was reading The Big Yoga Book by Anna Trokes about the historical background of modern yoga practice. She listed the yamas and niyamas from the Yoga Sutra in the context of moral and philosophical basis of yoga practices. My first impression was the eight-limbed yoga seemed similar to the eight-fold path taught by the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. What’s relationship between Buddhism and yoga? I learned much later several Western scholars had made the same observation and much scholarly attention has been given to the connection between Patanjali’s document and the teachings of the Buddha. Buddha was born a Hindu and practiced tapas, a form of yogic asceticism popular at the time, before teaching Buddhism. And since the fourth century BCE, yogacara, a yoga meditation practice, has been part of Buddhism. So which came first, Buddhism or yoga? Are they different packages for the essentially the same teaching or are they fundamentally different? Other than its existence, every historical aspect of the Yoga Sutra is in question. Once we accept an individual named Patanjali compiled information from various sources and called it the Yoga Sutra, we cross the border into speculation that is difficult to substantiate. There several documents attributed to Patanjali, and these are alluded to in the invocation chanted by many teachers of Iyengar yoga; “Let us bow before the noblest of sages Patanjali, who gave yoga for serenity and sanctity of mind, grammar for clarity and purity of speech and medicine for perfection of health.” At the end of his comprehensive and scholarly exploration into Patanjali and his Sutra, David Gordon White metaphorically throws his hands in the air with this statement: “… the book you have been reading is the reception history of a work that may or may not be titled the Yoga Sutra; that the author of that work may or may not have been
named Patanjali; and that that work may or may not have been the subject of an original and separate commentary by a person probably not named Vyasa.” Given all this uncertainty, I decided to read the text in question - at least in translation, as I don’t read any kind of Sanskrit. What better way to know about the document than to actually read it? I began looking for English translations and immediately encountered another problem: while searching for a translation that were reasonably reliable and understandable, I found no two translations seemed to be from the same original source. Here are three translations — chosen at random — of the first and best known line of the Yoga Sutra: • Now (begins) an exposition of yoga. • Now, after having done prior preparation through life and other practices, the study and practice of Yoga begins. • Yoga in the here and now: an introduction to the study and practice of yoga! Hmmm. You can see a general trend in the translations, but there is a pretty large discrepancy in the content. Considering this is one of the simpler lines, I began to wonder about the quality of any translation. It turns out, however, that the document is frightfully difficult to translate. The entire text contains four verbs and several of the words used in the text are not found in any texts that do not come after the Sutra. This is probably why the traditional wisdom says the Yoga Sutra cannot be understood without the aid of a qualified teacher, a gifted sadhu. In fact, there is a rich and boggling collection of commentaries for the Sutra, starting with the original commentary attributed to Vyasa (which might have been a pen name of Patanjali) that defined much of the content in more easily grasped language. The tradition continues: Ravi Shankar, the founder of The Art of Living also known as Sri Sri, begins his commentary about the Yoga Sutra by saying Patanjali categorized all people into four categories, depending on January 2016
whether they were happy or unhappy and performed good or evil acts. To me, this description seemed like an interpretive stretch. Of course, Sri Sri interpreted the meaning of the Sutra for his listeners. There is no need for a commentary to be literal, as long as it has meaning for someone. Eventually, I found a literal translation from Georg Feuerstein in which he fills in the blanks and explains why he chose the words he used for the translation. Upon reading his translation, I became convinced of two things: (1) I would never be able to understand the Yoga Sutra in any translation or, possibly, even in the original language and (2) most of the contemporary authors who write about Patanjali and his Sutra have, in all likelihood, never actually tried to read the whole text, but instead are recycling what other authors have said about the document. One of the most distressing modern omissions is of the Ishvara. Essential to the practice of Patanjali’s yoga is the devotion to a godhead larger than the universe, a separate and immutable Self that represents the Spirit untarnished by Matter. How can we talk about practicing eight-limbed yoga without talking about this specific god? Of course, there are interpretations that render Ishvara as an abstract concept representing a higher power. Nonetheless, I suspect it is the Westerner’s squeamishness that edits out everything that does not support a nice clean, intellectually acceptable spirituality. But if we are going to pick and chose to this extent, why even bother talking about the original document? Therefore, I would like to propose the option we do not read Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra as the historical keystone of modern yoga. Instead let’s read it, if we choose to read it, as a historical launch pad for the new invention of modern yoga, as a text to fire our imaginations and challenge our intellect, as an impenetrable mystery or as a piece of interesting pre-DaDa poetry.
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IN BRIEF
MUDRAS For the New Year BY KRISHNAAKINKARI I am very pleased the drishti of this month is the Patanjali Yoga Sutra and I cannot recommend a better book for a striving yogi. Verses 1.3, 1.12 and 1.13 reiterate the goal of and need for good practice. You may find it a challenge to follow these articles mentally. However, allow yourself to simply and calmly do them, and all will be become clear.
hands are held just away from the body, forearms and elbows also away from the body. Fingers lightly spread. The wrists are close and support each other. keep the chin tucked down into the well of the throat and a long back of neck. The breathing rhythm should very soon be regulated. So beneficial to the heart, this is a delightful mudra! PRITHVI MUDRA Having assessed the new horizons one needs still to keep oneself firmly grounded and balanced. Touch Mother Earth to bring stability and balance.
GARUDA MUDRA Garuda is the eagle who carries Sri Vishnu on his back. He flies high and is very sharp eyed. Both hands engage with each other and thus the united power of the brain and the five elements of which the body consists come together with purposeful resolve. Observation of birds in flight can bring a sense of freedom and of soaring high above one’s own troubles to enjoy the witness mode and explore new pastures. Here the mudra is held at the heart chakra, the element of which is air. The vata is harnessed, the heart and circulatory system are given space.
Practice for a few minutes can be very useful in lifting a dull state of mind and negative habitual thought processes. Enter this new year in an energised and focused state of mind and bring joy to those around you.
Optimistic and faithful practice of one’s chosen yogic discipline is bound to be fruitful. Practice should be as regular as time passing through day and night. We can go back to the original principle of selfdiscipline: “Anukûlasya saAkalpah:pratikûlasya vaYjanaA”, adopting the favourable and releasing the unfavourable. Pleasant is not always good and good is often unpleasant, but it becomes so with dedicated threading of the consciousness into the sadhana. It’s another New Year - time to take check of our lives going forward. This month brings three new mudras for this purpose.
Join the tips of the thumbs and index fingers. Place the tips of the middle fingers on the nails of the index fingers. Apply a gentle pressure. The ring and little fingers also curl into the shape made but are relaxed, not pressing down. The five fingers come together in an attractive shape best done in a sitting position with the thumb and forefinger circle side towards the face, resting the wrists on the knees.
MYTHOLOGY IN A MINUTE
SARASWATI Goddess of Wisdom BY TIA SINHA
It is nicely done standing, lying, kneeling or sitting on a chair with both feet on the ground. Touch the tip of the thumb to the tip and pad of the ring[earth] finger. The other 3 fingers are open but relaxed. Earth is the heaviest element of the body and it is very important. It also contains the sense of smell which may be enhanced and refined. When the senses are refined and dignified negative habits can also be transformed. UDANA MUDRA Udana is one of the five vayus which inspire the bodies most important functions. Udana moves upwards bring energy to the organs of sense: eyes, ears, nose, mouth and throat. These areas are all enhanced from the point of view of chakra energy as well as of the pineal, pituitary and thyroid glands. When the voice is purified it can uplift others and avoid being used in negative forms of speech. Its vibrations within song and mantra communicate evolutionary sounds to those around us. Udana vayu is the stimulus.
Cross the wrists at the heart chakra with the palms facing inwards. Either hand can be closer to the body.Wrap the thumbs round each other: they then form the eagles body and the fingers are like the feathers of the wings. Stand or sit with upright posture The
In ancient Indian scripture, Saraswati is depicted in three ways – as a goddess, as a river and as speech. As a goddess she is specifically the Goddess of Wisdom. Of the various versions of the story of Goddess Saraswati’s birth, one version is that Lord Brahma created her. He did so not out of a rib of a man, but rather more gently from his own mind, when it had sunk into complete peace after he had completed the creation of the three worlds. Skipping childhood altogether, Saraswati emerged as a curvy, well-endowed goddess clad in white, adorned with ornaments and cradling a Veena. Saraswati is always depicted playing a Veena, an Indian musical string instrument. However, much to her discomfiture, Brahma was smitten by Saraswati’s radiant beauty. When she tried to avoid his unblinking stare by shifting to his left, Brahma sprouted another head to his left so that he could
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continue to gaze at her. As Saraswati moved to his right, behind him and above him, Brahma sprouted three more heads with eyes fixed steadfastly on her divine beauty, A disconcerted Saraswati prayed to Lord Shiva for help. Shiva appeared before Brahma and admonished him for forgetting he was the creator and such behaviour did not become him. Aiming his trident, Shiva destroyed Brahma’s fifth head. A repentant Brahma begged Saraswati for guidance. Saraswati narrated the Vedas to him and granted him wisdom. She then married him. And Brahma’s heart’s desire was granted. Perhaps the lesson from this fable is if a man is foolish enough to be interested in a woman, she must first turn the fool into a wise man before relenting! Saraswati’s white clothes represent purity of thought. The simplicity of her appearance represents the truth that wisdom is beyond material wealth. The hints of blue in Saraswati’s attire reflect her form as a river and signify fluidity. The River Saraswati is a hidden river in India. Perhaps as a river, Saraswati symbolizes the Central Channel in the energy system of the human body. When prana or vital energy starts flowing through the Central Channel, wisdom, which is our birthright but usually remains dormant in most of us or during most of our lives, is awakened. As speech, Saraswati exists on the tip of everyone’s tongue. The goddess has the power to influence speech. So, if one has a tendency to put one’s foot in one’s mouth when one speaks, perhaps one should pray to Saraswati!
path to enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. He takes his companions through the key meditations that come with every stage. He then goes on to explain the medieval text on mind transformation (lojong in Tibetan), The Blade Wheel of Mind Reform written by the scholar, Dharmarakshita. Robert also leads tantric pujas at key points on the circumambulatory route around Mount Kailash. Robert explains the entry point into the Buddhist path, taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, as going for protection to the wisdom and compassion that is our birthright and henceforth refusing to be guided by the dictates of the confused, anxious, fearful and neurotic mind that rules our lives until our dormant wisdom and compassion are awakened. Robert goes on to explain, the four thoughts that, when meditated upon everyday, can turn one’s mind to Dharma practice. 1. reflecting on the rarity of having a precious human rebirth with its advantages and conditions conducive to spiritual practice; 2. impermanence of all phenomena, the inevitability of death, uncertainty about when death will strike and how at the time of death, none of our possessions, loved ones, experiences or fame will be of any use; 3. the infallibility of karma, how our unhappiness and happiness are the results of our own deeds and that the effects of our actions are never lost, even over lifetimes, but that the imprints of our negative actions can be burnt with spiritual practices and positive seeds that will result in genuine happiness can be planted in our mindstream; 4. the horrors of samsara, the various kinds of suffering that are inevitable just because we are born, without voluntary control, as sentient beings.
BOOK REVIEW
CIRCLING THE SACRED MOUNTAIN by Robert Thurman & Tad Wise REVIEWED BY TIA SINHA As the name suggests, this is a book about a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash led by Robert Thurman, Professor of Religion at Columbia University, New York and a.k.a actress Uma Thurman’s father. The book talks about a pilgrimage that is no ordinary journey to perhaps the greatest spiritual power spot on our planet. Guiding a small group of adventurers from various countries, Robert also lectures to his fellow travellers on the entire Tibetan Buddhist 44
Robert then elaborates on the traditional methods to generate bodhichitta, the extraordinarily altruistic wish to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings and guides his companions through meditations on emptiness. All of this, a mere preamble to the Blade Wheel. The Blade Wheel, in particular, shows us how to transform our habitual blaming patterns, the good old demoness, Dame Blame in our minds and take responsibility for all that happens to us, the good, the bad and the ugly. The text drives home the point that all that happens to us is the product of our own actions of this life and of previous lives. All the bad behaviour we face from others is due to our own actions boomeranging on us. Therefore, there really is no one to blame for what others do to us. It is our disturbing emotions (klesha in Sanskrit) and the harmful actions (karma in Sanskrit) that these disturbing emotions propelled us to commit earlier, that are to be blamed. But the prime culprits are the NAMASKAR
parents of our klesha and karma, our selfgrasping and self-cherishing thoughts. In other words, believing there is a separate, independent, permanent self or ‘I’ that exists of its own accord, and considering the needs of that self or ‘I’ to be more important than the needs of any other being and doing all one can to satisfy that ‘I’, even at the cost of harming others, are the prime reasons for our unhappiness. The Blade Wheel offers suggestions for new ways of thinking when faced with insults, betrayal and other undesirable behaviour from others, so that we can not only deal a death blow to Dame Blame, but smash the self-cherishing thought whenever it rears its head. The Buddhist teachings sprinkled throughout the book, already sparkling with Robert’s wit, unconventional style and his extraordinary ability to entertain, come alive with friend, fellow traveller and co-author Tad Wise’s vivid writing sprinkled with unusual similes and a stark, honest account of his attempts to apply these teachings to his own life. The book is as much about Tad’s inner journey as it is about an outer journey to and around a sacred mountain. And like any pilgrimage, it brings up Tad’s unresolved emotional pain. Tad’s honesty when trying to come to grips with and forgive his past that continues to haunt him all the way up to and around Mount Kailash, with his history of abandonment as a child, and alcoholism and womanizing as an adult, is heart-wrenching. Applying Robert Thurman’s teachings on the lojong text, the Blade Wheel of Mind Reform, Tad tries to stop believing the lies spun for the 39 years of his existence by demoness Dame Blame and take responsibility for his actions. And for his misery. Circling the Sacred Mountain is way up there in the writings on spiritual travel. It is wellwritten and racy. It is deep but never heavy.
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TRAINING REVIEW
SPIRITDANCE SOULSONG TEACHER TRAINING Softening a Brit’s Stiff Upper Lip BY MARGARET RIGNELL
open the chakras and, ultimately, find joy. We also learned about mudras and mantras, singing, drumming and other ways to raise people’s vibration. The greatest surprise for me was working with the voice. I’d had a few (very British) embarrassments around singing as a teenager. Singing and chanting every day for a month cleared those blocks and brought me into an amazing openness of heart and soul. Adding sound is a fantastic element in any journey of the senses. Since the training, while still dancing regularly, I have joined a gospel choir. I am
Daphne Tse & Ellen Watson
From the minute I first stepped on the floor of my first conscious dance class, an allwomen’s 5 Rhythms class, over seven years ago, I knew I was home. It combined the absolutely joy of shaking everything off with an uplifting sense of being at one with my body — possibly for the first time in my life! A clubber’s high without the drugs!
also assisting with an Alzheimer’s music group. Seeing them light up during a rousing chorus of “She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain” is a delight!
Completely hooked, I started exploring the world of ecstatic dance. I met Ellen Watson in Greece, where she was teaching a workshop on 5Rhythms and Rumi. As well as free dance, it included Rumi’s poetry, Sufi turning, Native American chanting and a myriad other ways to explore trance and ecstasy. It was my first introduction to the eclectic mind-opening Pick ‘n’ Mix that has developed into SpiritDance SoulSong.
SADIE NARDINI
I kept following my dancing feet towards the 5Rhythms training, which I am halfway through. However, when I saw Ellen was offering her first SDSS training in Bali, with singer Daphne Tse and guests, I was intrigued. I had never forgotten Ellen’s light, adventurous spirit and boundless enthusiasm and curiosity. At the training, we were a diverse mix of ages, nationalities and interests, but we shared a belief in the power of movement and breath to bring change to mind, body and spirit,
ALBUM REVIEW
deeper into center in many other ways as well. Alongside her yoga, two of her endeavors include her music and her book writing. Her debut album is entitled.”Salt and Bone”. Sadie explained the title, “It’s elemental: when the ocean is stripped away, only salt remains, and when a human is stripped away to dust, only bone. This name is a testament to the vulnerability it takes to create anything and to share my voice and to bare my soul—to the bone.” “Salt and Bone” includes tracks called “Blood Moon,” “Kryptonite,” and “Fire Ceremony,” and was released in November. Her song “Fire Ceremony” celebrates removal of obstacles and things we no longer need. The chorus cries out, “Light it up. Light it up. Let it burn through you. Let it go! Let it go!” Sadie punctuates this song with powerful lions’ or dragons’ exhales to show that using the breath strongly can help in the process too. There’s amazing energy and joy in this song (and in all the others). It’s a hymn to moving forward and to change. Sadie smiled and said, “Life is not just wine and roses. Have you noticed that yet? When we say ‘Ride the waves’, we mean it. Up and way down. I’m flying. I’m drowning. I’m somewhere in-between. And yet, there is a through-line and a plumb-line. It’s the strength of your inner wisdom and that ability that we can develop within ourselves to hold fast to that which is our truth even though things are going badly and you’re experiencing them.” As for physics and yoga, Sadie tied it all together:”For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. The deeper into your truth you go, the more you express it out. And the more you see your outer world change as if by magic to match it. The only work there really is how deep can you go with yourself—how strong, how centered.”
Find Your Doorway to Center BY BARBARA PASSY In physics, when an object is moving in a circle, it experiences centripetal force. That means there is some physical force pushing or pulling the object toward the middle of that circle. Otherwise, the object would move in a straight line. Centripetal motion signals a direction change and a movement to the core. Derived from Latin roots which mean “to seek center,” it’s a fascinating concept as well as a key to understanding the path of rockstar yogini and creatrix of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga Sadie Nardini. Sadie, whose home base is the US, dives January 2016
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RECIPE
MANA’S KALE SALAD
Super Green, Super Yummy BY ANTHONY DAMICO
It’s no secret we love our kale here. Our Kale Salad has been a MANA! community favourite since we opened and often considered a staple of our salad boxes. We put kale firmly on the culinary map in Hong Kong back in March 2012 by making it readily available at a very affordable price and the sales went through the roof! Today we go through more than 220kg a week on average and clearly need to think how to feed our growing demand when it exceeds the supply. Our homemade Lemonaise Dressing is just one of the many reasons why it’s such a popular salad. The possible health benefits of consuming this raw super green include better digestion, lower risk of heart disease, healthy skin, hair and bones, improvement of blood glucose control in diabetics, and even lower risk of cancer! KALE SALAD RECIPE Ingredients 1kg kale 90g walnuts, chopped Lemonaise dressing, to taste
Lemonaise Dressing Ingredients 30ml lemon juice 50ml Bonsoy soy milk 10ml apple cider vinegar 2teaspoon sea salt 1teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1teaspoon ground nutmeg 350ml sunflower seed oil METHOD Wash the kale in filtered water with 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Dry the kale and remove the stems. Reserve the stems, and tear kale leave into bite sized pieces Chop the kale stems into small pieces and combine with walnuts to mix in salad To make the Lemonaise Dressing combine the lemon juice, Bonsoy, apple cider vinegar, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg into a food processor or blender. Blend for 20 seconds to thoroughly blend all ingredients. While the blender/food processor is running, pour the oil in a drop at a time to start then, very slowly, increase the pour until all the oil has been poured. Season to taste. In a bowl combine the kale pieces, chopped walnuts, chopped kale stems, and the Lemonaise dressing (There will be extra for next time!) Add as much or as little dressing as you wish. And, finally, enjoy!
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DIRECTORY
Guide to yoga studios & teachers ANAHATA VILLAS & SPA RESORT Ubud, Bali, Indonesia s: group retreats, yoga for private & corporates. Yoga studio available for rent. l: Indonesian & English t: +62 361 8987 991/ 8987 992 / +62 21 70743366 f: +62 361 8987 804 e: sm@anahataresort.com / info@anahataresort.com w: www.anahataresort.com ANAHATA YOGA 18/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Yoga therapy, Yin and more. Groups & privates t: +852 2905 1922 e: enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk w: www.anahatayoga.com.hk ANANDA YOGA 33 & 34/F, 69 Jervois Street Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s: Private and Group Classes : Yoga Therapy (neck, shoulder, back, hip, knee and joints), Hatha, Power, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Detox, Yin Yang, Kundalini, Chakra Balancing, Pranayama, Meditation l: English t: (825)35639371 e: adm.anandayoga.hk@gmail.com w: www.anandayoga.hk Anna Ng Privates d: Hong Kong s: Hatha yoga l: Cantonese t: (852) 9483 1167 e: gazebofl@netvigator.com David Kim Yoga E-RYT 500+, Senior YogaWorks and Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer; International TTs, Workshops & Retreats d: Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, Sweden, Norway, USA s: Yin Yoga, YogaWorks, Vinyasa Flow 52
l: English, limited Korean t: +1 310 480 5277 e: david@davidkimyoga.com w: www.davidkimyoga.com
f: + 852 2812 6708 e: central@flexhk.com www.flexhk.com
BEING IN YOGA – SINGAPORE Teaching yoga in the tradition of T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar. s: yoga therapy (customized personal practice), teacher training (Yoga Alliance RYS 500 hours+), in-depth yoga studies, small group classes for children and adults, workshops, meditation classes, Vedic chanting, continuing education for yoga teachers. Certified Teacher Trainer – Yoga Therapist - E-RYT 500 RYS 500 t: +65-9830-3808 e: beinginyoga@gmail.com w: www.beinginyoga.com B.K.S. IYENGAR YOGA ASSOCIATION OF MACAU 174, Rua de Pequim, Edif Centro Com. Kong Fat, 7A, Macau s: Iyengar t:(853)2882 3210/6662 0386 e:yoga@macau.ctm.net w:www.iyengar-yoga-macauchina.com Corinne Konrad Luxe Nova 68 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong & home visits s:Pre and Post-natal yoga t: +852 9633 5573 e: corinne@rawandrich.com FLEX STUDIO Island South Shops 308-310 One Island South, 2 Heung Yip Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong s: Vinyasa, Power, Detox, Hatha, Pre-Natal, Kids Yoga t: + 852 2813 2212 f: + 852 2813 2281 e: info@flexhk.com Central 3/F Man Cheung Building, 15- 17 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong s: Detox, Power, Pre-Natal Yoga t: + 852 2813-2399
PURE YOGA China L6-615 iapm mall, 999 Huai Hai Zhong Road, Xuhui District Shanghai t: +86 21 5466 1266 Hong Kong 16/F The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, Central t: +852 2971 0055 25/F Soundwill Plaza, 38 Russell St, Causeway Bay t: +852 2970 2299 14/F Peninsula Office Tower, 18 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon t: +852 8129 8800 9/F Langham Place Office Tower, 8 Argyle Street, Kowloon t: +852 3691 3691 4/F Lincoln House, TaiKoo Place, 979 King’s Rd, Quarry Bay t: +852 8129 1188 2/F Asia Standard Tower, 59 Queen’s Road, Central t: + 852 3524 7108 Level 1 The Pulse, 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay t: +852 8200 0908 3/f Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Admiralty t: +852 8105 5838 Singapore 391A Orchard Road, #18-00 Ngee Ann City Tower A t: +65 6733 8863 30 Raffles Place, 04-00 Chevron House t: +65 6304 2257 Taiwan 151 Chung Hsiao East Road, Sec 4, Taipei t: +886 02 8161 7888 4/f Urban One, 1 Qingcheng St, Taipei t: +886 02 8161 7868
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Ling Yoga and Wellbeing Private Yoga Teacher Privates, Groups, Corporates, Free Yoga Community Event: Yoga in the Park with Ling www.meetup.com/ yogaintheparkhk d: Hong Kong, China s: Yoga Therapy, Sivananda, Hatha, Svastha, Mindfulness, Yin, Breathing (Pranayama), Guided Meditation, Total Relaxation (Yoga Nidra) l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin t: +852 9465 6461 e: yogawithling@gmail.com w: www.facebook.com/ yogawithling RED DOORS STUDIO 21/f, 31 Wong Chuk Hang Rd s. Gong meditation and training, labyrinth facilitation and construction, kundalini therapeutic yoga and complementary practices to elevate energy. Multiple studio spaces available to rent. t. +852 21110 0152 e. info@red-doors.com w. www.red-doors.com SPACE YOGA s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Advanced, Flow, Yin, Yin Yang, Restorative, Hot, Yin/Meditation, Pranayama, Mat Pilates, Jivamukti, Universal, Myofascial Release Yoga, Mindful Yoga, Rope Wall Yoga, Yoga Nidra and Yoga Therapy l: English and Mandarin w: www.withinspace.com An-Ho Studio 16 F, No. 27, An-Ho Road, Section 1 Taipei, Taiwan t: +886.2.2773.8108 Tien-Mu Studio #5, Lane 43, Tian-Mu E. Road, Taipei, Taiwan t: +886.2.28772108 Kathy Cook Wellness Retreats, Workshops, Private Groups and Privates d: Hong Kong, Bali & Thailand s: Iyengar Certified (Junior Intermediate III)
l: English t: +852 6292 5440 / +62 811 387781 e:kcinasia@gmail.com w: www.yogawithkathy.com THE YOGA ROOM 3, 4, 6, 16/F (Studios) & 15/F (Office) Xiu Ping Commercial Bldg, 104 Jervois St, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Hot, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Candlelight Yin, Yoga Therapy, Jivamukti, Hammock Yoga, Mindfulness Yoga, Detox Yoga, Pre-natal Yoga, Pre-natal Pilates, Mat Pilates, TRX, Kids Yoga and Mum & Baby Yoga
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Taiwan 337 Nanking East Road Section 3, 9 & 10/F, Taipei T: +886 22716 1234 68 Gongyi Road, West District 12 & 13/F, Taichung T: +886 43700 0000 Ursula Moser The Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong d: Central s: Iyengar Certified (Junior Intermediate III) l: English t: +852 2918 1798 / 9456 2149 e: uschi.moser51@gmail.com
KUNDALINI @SHAKTI 7/F Glenealy Tower, 1 Glenealy, Central, Hong Kong. s: Kundalini, Reik healing, life coaching, Shamanic healing, Bowen Therapy, Angel Cards t: +852 2521 5099 e: info@shaktihealingcircle.com w: www.shaktihealingcircle.com
WISE LIVING YOGA ACADEMY 198 Moo 2, Luang Nuea, Doi Saket, Chiang Mai, Thailand s: Classical Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Yoga Therapy t: +66 8254 67995 e: info@wiselivingyoga.com w: www.wiselivingyoga.com
THE COLLECTIVE, DESA SENI SCHOOL OF YOGA Jl. Subak Sari #13, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia s: Full service resort, Ashtanga, Embodied Flow, Hatha, Kundalini, Restorative, Tantra, Therapeutics, Yin, Yang, Vinyasa, Buddhist Meditation, Vedic Meditation, all on a regular basis. Teacher Trainings, Intensives, Privates, Workshops, specialising in hosting retreats. t: +62 361 844 6392 e: info@desaseni.com w: www.desaseni.com
YOGA CENTRAL – IYENGAR CENTRAL s: Boutique studio with Iyengar Yoga classes; flexible timings for corporate wellness, small groups, and privates l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin, French, Malay t: +852 2982 4308 e: yogacentralhk@gmail.com w: www.yogacentral.com.hk fb: Iyengar-Central
TRUE YOGA Singapore 9 Scotts Road, Level 4, Pacific Plaza Singapore 228210 t: +65 6733 9555 9 Scotts Road, Level 5, Pacific Plaza (Bikram Original Hot Yoga) Singapore 228210 t: +65 6733 9555
4 times a year 6,000 yoga practitioners 32 countries
DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES & SIZES Outside back cover HK$24,300 210 mm x 297 mm Inside front cover HK$3,400 210 mm x 297 mm Inside back cover HK$2,600 210 mm x 297 mm Full page HK$2,100 210 mm x 297 mm 1/2 page (horizontal) HK$1,400 180 mm x 133.5 mm 1/2 page (vertical) HK$1,400 88 mm x 275 mm 1/4 page HK$690 88 mm X 133.5 mm 1/8 page HK$420 88 mm x 66 mm LISTINGS Individual listing Studio listing
HK$610 HK$1,270
for full or partial year for full or partial year
PUBLICATION DATES, BOOKING & MATERIAL DEADLINES Publication date Booking Deadline Material Deadline January December 1 December 10 April March 1 March 10 July June 1 June 10 October September 1 September 10 NOTES Advertising materials should in black & white and submitted as 300 dpi high resolution .tif files (no pdf or ai files please) Listings should be submitted as text only (approx 35 words) PAYMENT Payments should be made in Hong Kong dollars to: Namaskar c/o Carol Adams, Flat 101, Block L, Telford Gardens, Kowloon, Hong Kong INFORMATION Carol +44 75432 55886 / carol@caroladams.hk Frances +852 9460 1967 / fgairns@netvigator.com January 2016
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NAMASKAR
January 2016
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NAMASKAR