namaskar Jul 2010

namaskar A VOICE FOR THE YOGA COMMUNITY OF ASIA

Tapas Tokyo Cambodia

JULY 2010

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Inside JULY 2010

Dristi Tapas

Special Features

Volun uf olunttary S Suf ufffering, 10

Growing Back, 15 If you think

Clayton explains this niyama in simple terms.

you’ve gone through difficult times, read this article by Isabelle for some perspective.

Fir trumen oga, Firsst Ins Instrumen trumentt o off Y Yoga, 11 For Paul, tapas is almost the starting point of a yoga practice.

Yoga for Special Kids, 17 Yoga is proving to be a powerful therapy for a group of Autistic kids in Hong Kong, says Sanjukta.

Tan tr a on T ap as antr tra Tap apas as,, 12

Yamas at Work, 19 A good

Yogi presents Satyananda Sarasvati’s prespective on tapas.

Oppo sit eo ux ury Opposit site off L Lux uxury ury,, 13 Ron gives lots of real life examples of tapas.

Regular Contributions NEWS, WORKSHOPS, RETREATS & TEACHER TRAININGS, 5 MYTHOLOGY IN A MINUTE, 9 TEACHER’S VOICE, 22 TEACHER TRAINING REVIEW, 35 HATHI YOGI, 37 DIET, 38 RECIPE, 40 BOOK REVIEW, 43 CROSSWORD, 45 TEACHER & STUDIO LISTINGS, 47

introduction to the first limb of Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga, the yamas. And how Jeanne applies them in her life.

Philosophy in Class, 21

Benjamin explains how and why teachers should infuse yoga philosophy into their classes.

The Kitchen Sink, 25 In this first contribution from the U.S. & Australiabased Spiritual Research Foundation, Sharon shares what she learned washing dishes.

Alexander Technique, 27 Valerie finds an Alexander Technique tip helpful in her yoga practice.

Yoga in Tokyo, 28 Inna tells us about the Japanese yoga scene.

Carlos Pomeda, 33 Leah caught up with this respected meditation teacher at this year’s Asia Yoga Conference.

Stillness within, 37 How Gricia has been inspired by a photograph of her teacher.

About Namaskar Namaskar provides a voice for the yoga community around Asia. The publication is a vehicle for practitioners on a yogic path to share their own knowledge, learnings and experiences with others.

Namaskar, is published quarterly in January, April, July and October.

We welcome unsolicited submissions, therefore the opinions expressed within these pages are not necessarily those of Namaskar or its staff.

Namaskar is distributed at no charge through yoga studios, fitness centres, retail outlets, food & beverage outlets and other yoga-friendly locations throughout Hong Kong and elsewhere.

For more information, to contribute or to order Namaskar, please contact:: Carol, News Editor & Administration carol@caroladams.hk Wai-Ling, News Editor & Copy Editor wailing.tse@gmail.com Joanna, Copy Editor & Writer jomwilliams@hotmail.com Frances, Editor & Publisher fgairns@netvigator.com /+ 852 9460 1967

Deadline for October 2010 issue: September 15, 2010 3

As the summer heat starts to rise (in Hong Kong at least), it seems fitting we introduce tapas as our dristi. Sometimes translated as heat, this niyama had been unclear to me till now.

Thanks to four guys, much more knowledgeable than I, who explain tapas in four very different ways. I hope after reading the perspectives by Clayton, Paul, Ron and Yogesvara you will also a clearer understanding of what tapas is, and its role in your practice.

namaskar

In this issue, there’s a nice balance of articles for new practitioners: Jeanne’s article on yamas at work, Tia’s introduction to yoga’s most spiritual mountain Arunchala, Inna’s report on the Tokyo yoga scene, Sharon’s lessons learned at the kitchen sink and Gricia’s personal story of inspiration, as well as articles for those with more experience. The interview with meditation teacher Carlos Pomeda by Leah and Benjamin’s suggestions for how to introduce philosophy into your yoga classes, should inspire teachers and those deeper into their practice.

For serious inspiration and possibly a few tears, read Sanjukta’s article on yoga for special needs kids and Isabelle’s story on how yoga is healing children, particularly one girl, in Cambodia. I suggest you have a box of tissues handy when you get to this latter one.

Stories like Isabelle’s remind me the world is much bigger and sometimes darker than my beautiful little bubble. And while there are tons of stories of people who endure hardship, the fact these practice yoga as I do, connects me to them more strongly.

Namaskar helps connect and inspire yoga practitioners from different backgrounds around the world. In support of this, can I ask those of you who may be traveling overseas this summer to take a couple copies of this magazine. Please share them with the yoga studios you visit and tell them they can receive the magazine for free if they like it. They just have to email me to be added to our distribution list.

Thanks to everyone for their generous contribution to Namaskar. Particularly to Nigel Gregory who photographs most of our covers, and to Paul Dallaghan and Yoga Thailand for providing the venue and practitioner-models for the cover of this issue.

I wish you a happy and healthy summer.

FRANCES GAIRNS Editor & Publisher

SOMETHING TO SHARE? If you have something to share with the yoga community in Asia and elsewhere (we distribute around the World), please email fgairns@netvigator.com

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NEWS

SUNSET YOGA FOR CHARITY The 3rd ‘Sunset Yoga by donation’ class was held on 12 June at Repulse Bay beach, Hong Kong. It was attended by almost 50 people. The event was blessed by the cool sea breeze and the beautiful energy of all present. The class was taught by volunteer teachers Megala K. and Sally Fong.

The aim of this donation-only class is to create a charitable giving community in Hong Kong and spread yoga to the community. Money collected fromo the class was donated to Hong Kong Cancer Fund.

This event is held once a month in Hong Kong and all proceeds collected will be donated to a local charity. The next class will be held on 24 July, all are welcome!

For more information on Facebook or email Wai-Ling at wltse11@yahoo.com or Frankie at befrankiechan@yahoo.com.

YOGA FOR FREEDOOM Hong Kong yoga teacher, Tingting Peng, recently led a class at the W Hotel’s BLISS spa to raise awareness and money for the children of Nepal Orphan’s Home.

Originally planned for the hotel’s poolside, inclement weather forced the event indoors, where participants were able to relax in the hot tub and world class spa after practicing the balancing series.

To show their support, Hong Kong based label tanya-b presented its latest yogawear, offering 10% of the day’s profits to Tingting’s cause.

The Nepalese orphanages provide food, shelter and education to over 100 street children, including young girls rescued from child prostitution throughout Nepal.

Aside from raising money to sponsor a Nepali orphan, TingTing is actively sparking a change in awareness through yoga events in Hong Kong.

Donation-based Yoga for Charity classes continue with lunchtime sessions for athletes at CityLinks during July and August. Also watch out for a bootcamp + yoga programme tailored to those wanting to make real changes in their body and mind.

For more information email: tingting@sukhasamui.com or visit www.nepalorphanshome.org.

NEW DIRECTOR OF THE IYENGAR YOGA CENTRE OF HONG KONG For the past 11 years Linda Shevloff has been the studio Director and has been fully immersed in that role. Recently, the Directorship has been passed to George Dovas.

every last Friday evening of the month. It’s a complimentary event open to all.

For more information call +852 2971 0055.

FLEX STUDIO ON THE MOVE Flex Yoga and Pilates studio will move to a beautiful new studio in Wong Chuk Hang, near Aberdeen in Hong Kong, offering four times the space of its current Stanley location. Flex Stanley will close after classes on 17 July, and the studio will reopen in the Regency Centre in

George Dovas is Iyengar Yoga Center of Hong Kong’s new director

Artist drawings of Flex’s new location in Wong Chuk Hang

George is a well respected Iyengar Yoga teacher who has been part of the studio for almost 10 years. Besides teaching part-time at the Centre, he also had a career as a manager and instructor in a large fitness company. Now George will be leaving the fitness field to run the Centre.

Linda will be in and out of Hong Kong more regularly in the next few years. She will still be affiliated with the Centre and continue to teach some programs there.

MONTHLY KIRTAN AT PURE YOGA, HONG KONG Kirtan is a Bhakti Yoga practice of chanting Sanskrit mantras with music. Mantras carry sound vibrations that have a powerful healing effect on all levels of our being.

Chant and unite with others in yoga for the heart - a musical meditation journey held on

Raising money and awareness for Nepali orphans were (standing l to r) Sandra Leung, Kathy Wu, Tina Chu, Katie Ng, Andrew Cassim (kneeling l to r) Carina Ho, Monisha Daryanani, Tingting Peng, Jenny Wu

Wong Chuk Hang on 16 August, with FlexKids commencing in September.

training studio - Retail boutique for Tulaa and other items - Café and waiting area

The new location with 4,500 square feet of space will offer: - Pilates Mat/Yoga studio - Allegro studio - Pilates Apparatus private

Flex will offer more yoga classes, at morning, lunchtime and evening times.

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WORKSHOPS

For more information www.asiayogaconfernce.com or info@asiayogaconference.com.

Ana Forrest effortlessly demonstrates her power and grace at AYC

As a result of the expansion, Flex Studio is looking for full or part time staff for Business Management, Marketing & as instructors.

For more information call +852 2813 2212 or visit www.flexhk.com, Flex Yoga & Pilates Studio, 1st Floor Regency Centre (Phase II), 43 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen EVOLUTION ASIA YOGA CONFERENCE This year’s conference brought over 2,800 visitors from Asia and across the globe. Students from Hong Kong, China, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and other countries attended the workshops and lectures by 30 instructors.

As well as classes, the conference offered free community events, a Trance Dance party, Yogaid Charity event which raised HK$35,000 and a dramatic demonstration

by Ana Forrest.

Visit http:// www.asiayogaconference.com/ 2010/gallery2010/index.php for photos from the event.

Next year’s event, 9 – 12 June 2011, marks AYC’s 5th anniversary. Registration starts January 2011.

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108 SURYA NAMASKAR FOR CHARITY Art of Living is organising a charity event Sunday, 25 July from 10 am – 1:30 pm at Aldrich Bay Community Hall, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The event is supported by mYoga, Maggie Tan, Praveen, Yogaraj, Abhyaas and Renu Parayani.

People of all ages, walks of life, ethnicities and religions, are welcome to join this celebration of Guru Poornima the full moon day dedicated to the sage Vyasa and gurus in general.

Participants may be sponsored to attend weekly practices on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and/or participate on the Sunday by completing as many cycles as possible. The enrolment fee is HK$108.

Monies will be donated to the food bank at the Fresh Fish Traders School in Kowloon.

For more information call Prema +852 6343 2910, Lai Fong +852 9829 9001, Art of Living Center +852 2311 2298.

NIA AT YOGA ROOM The Yoga Room in Hong Kong is now offering classes in a practice called Nia Technique.

It is a blend of Dance, Martial arts, Tai-Chi, yoga, meditation and body therapy. Nia builds internal and external strength including strengthening bones, joints, muscles and breathing, through movement we find health. The classes are taught by Tracey Fenner a Certified Nia Blue Belt, and the first Nia trainer in Hong Kong.

For more information www.niahongkong.com

BRYAN KESTPOWER YOGA WEEKEND WORKSHOP Pure Yoga, Hong Kong 10 - 11 July Bryan Kest’s Power Yoga Master Class is a well-rounded, flowing asana practice integrating mental practices that enhance everyday living.

For more information www.pure-yoga.com KIDS SUMMER WORKSHOP- FIND YOUR FOCUS The Yoga Room, Hong Kong 12, 14 & 16 July Students will learn to move and breathe to calm their minds, stimulate their brains and focus their thoughts. Cost: HK$900.

3 - 6 yrs 2 – 3:30 pm 7 - 12 yrs 3:45 – 5:15 pm For more information +852 2544 8398 or www.yogaroomhk.com FULL MOON SERIES WITH NEIL IRWIN The Yoga Room, Hong Kong 25 July Aquarian Acceleration: The powerful technologies of Kundalini Yoga provide the perfect tools to deal with the stresses and challenges of these fast changing times. Cost: HK$500, time 2 - 6 pm For more information +852 2544 8398 or www.yogaroomhk.com BUILDING DAILY HOME PRACTICE WORKSHOP Jakartadoyoga Studio, Jakarta, Indonesia 31 July - 1 August Learn to build an energizing home practice 45 and 90 minutes with Ann Barros.

For more information +62 21 3100071 or +62 888 967392 or www.jakartadoyoga.com

SUMMER TEENAGE BEGINNERS YOGA WORKSHOP Yoga Mala, Hong Kong August This workshop will be taught in English and Chinese. It will introduce the primary series of Ashtanga Yoga.

Course A: 2 - 6 & 9 - 13 August Course B: 16 - 20 & 23 - 27 August Time: 4 – 5:30 pm Cost: HK$1,200; Early bird HK$1,000 pay by 23 July For more information info@yogamala.com.hk or +852 2116 0894 ASHTANGA WORKSHOP WITH RICHARD FREEMAN Space Yoga, Taipei, Taiwan 6 – 8 August Discover the thread of nectar with Yoga Master, Richard Freeman, as he guides you through a deep exploration of the basic thread of form, breathing, and movement upon which the classical series of postures in the Ashtanga Vinyasa system is strung.

For more information visit www.withinspace.com ASHTANGA IMMERSION WITH RICHARD FREEMAN Space Yoga, Taipei, Taiwan 10 – 15 August Join Richard Freeman in this six-day immersion. Daily philosophy lectures will include a general overview of the Bhagavad Gita and a general discussion on teaching.

For more information www.withinspace.com JUDY KRUPP WEEKEND WORKSHOP Pure Yoga, Hong Kong 20-22 August Judy will help you recognise the restrictions and imbalances that prevent you from being able to flow with ease and grace.

RETREATS For more information www.pure-yoga.com ANUSARA IMMERSION WITH DESIREE RUMBAUGH Space Yoga, Taipei, Taiwan 1 – 5 September Desiree Rumbaugh will leading part I of a three-part Immersion; The Immersion training is for any level. It is very beneficial for those who want to advance their practice and it is also a requirement for anyone who wishes to teach Anusara Yoga.

For more information visit www.withinspace.com ASHTANGA WORKSHOP BY ALEX MEDIN Yoga Mala, Hong Kong October & November Popular Ashtanga teacher Alex Medin is tentatively booked to return to Hong Kong for two workshops: 30 & 31 October (Weekend Workshop); 1 - 5 November (5 days of Mysore).

For more information info@yogamala.com.hk or +852 2116 0894 ANUSARA YOGA WORKSHOP WITH CHRIS CHAVEZ Hong Kong 5 – 7 November Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher Chris Chavez will be teaching a series of Anusara Workshops in Hong Kong. His playful yet practical personality makes his teachings accessible, fun, and inspiring.

For more information www.yogaprojects.com or +852 9711 4040

SEEDS OF YOGA HOLIDAY RETREAT Ubud, Bali, Indonesia 28 August - 5 September Come to join Clayton and Claudia on the Island of the Gods - both returning to Bali to offer you this unique Yoga Holiday Retreat. Ashtanga Vinyasa and restorative yoga classes, meditation, yoga philosophy, healthy food and plenty of time to just relax, rejuvenate and explore Bali!

For more information www.seedsofyoga.com YOGA THAILAND RETREATS Koh Samui, Thailand September - October Paul Dallaghan: Yoga for Body, Breath and Mind Claudia Jones: Yoga and Your Health & Detoxify Body and Mind Hillary Hitt: Dharma Healing Fasting with Yoga Stephen Thomas: The Essence of Yoga Clayton Horton: Yoga Sustainable Practice Elonne Stockton: Yoga Insight into Practice For more information www.yoga-thailand.com ASHTANGA RETREAT AT MOUNTAIN YOGA RETREAT CENTER Beijing, China 18 – 25 September Treat yourself to an amazing week of yoga and relaxation in a countryside retreat atmosphere, far away from the business, stress and fast pace of the city with master teacher Clayton Horton at Mountain Yoga Retreat Center.

For more information www.fine-yoga.com

WILDLOTUS RETREAT WITH PATRICK CREELMAN Kamalaya Resort, Koh Samui, Thailand 1 - 7 October Join Patrick for a playful and progressive seven days of yoga at the stunning Kamalaya.

For more information www.pure-yoga.com ECO-YOGA & ECO-ADVENTURE RETREAT IN SOUTHEN THAILAND WITH CLAYTON HORTON AND DAVID LUREY Private Island of Lao Liang, Thailand 6 – 13 November Treat yourself while refining your personal practice and reconnecting with your true nature. This will be a unique and empowering week of ecoyoga and eco-adventure on the gorgeous private island of Lao Liang in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of Southern Thailand. Clayton and David will create a dynamic week of morning asana practices to open the body to harmonize with the magical nature of this tropical paradise which has long been the locals’ secret spot.

For more information visit www.leelatravel.com YOGA FUSION RETREAT IN NORTH THAILAND Kaomai Lanna Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand 22 – 27 November An immersion into a fullspectrum of yoga practices including Anusara, philosophy, Tantra, Pranayama, meditation, ritual, mandala, kirtan, music, voice, touch and more with three unique teachers sharing their passion.

Jonas Westring, founder of Shantaya Yoga & Bodywork School, Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor, Physiotherapist, ERYT 500, and specialized in Therapeutic Bodywork.

Emil Wendel’s long years of residency in Nepal and India have brought about a passion for yoga, in particular the aspects of breath and meditation techniques in both the Buddhist and yogic traditions.

Geoffrey Gordon has been practicing yoga, meditation and kirtan for over 35 years. He became a true pioneer in both the kirtan and world music community working closely both live and on recordings with Ram Dass, Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, and Bhagavan Das since the 1970s.

Find more information visit www.shantaya.org; www.beyond-the-asana.com; or www.geoffreygordon.com ASHTANGA YOGA RETREAT IN GOA, INDIA Purple Valley Retreat Center, Goa, India 27 November - 10 December Led by Clayton Horton, mornings will begin at 6:30am with brief seated breath work, followed by Mysore style classes in which students work through the series at their own pace with individual instruction, adjustments and encouragement from the teacher. Beginners will be taught with individual attention and will be guided posture by posture through the series. Afternoon sessions, 4-6 pm, will consist of restorative asana, Q&A, breath work, yoga philosophy, meditation and kirtan chanting & music.

For more information visit www.yogagoa.com

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TEACHER TRAININGS ANN BARROS & THE ART OF SEQUENCING TEACHER TRAINING Jakartadoyoga Studio, Jakarta, Indonesia 2 - 4 August With four sessions on sequencing asanas and two on hand-on adjustments.

For more information +62 21 3100071 or +62 888 967392 or www.jakartadoyoga.com PILATES MAT CERTIFICATE IN THAILAND WITH ORY AVNI Koh Pangan, Thailand 16-21 August In this course you will learn the Pilates fundamental method for mat exercises, including the new exciting standing Pilates routine.

The fee for both courses – US$ 1,000 including study materials, test, and certificate.

Advanced registration is required, minimum 6 participants to open course.

For more information enquiries@yogaretreatkohphangan.com PACE YOGA TEACHER TRAINING Space Yoga, Taipei, Taiwan 11 September – 3 October Adnan Tahirovic and Basia Going will lead this Yoga Alliance certified 200-hour teacher training. It is a comprehensive full-time course covering asanas, the related human anatomy and movement patterns, as well as a cross-section of required knowledge, including pranayama, meditation, major yogic texts, philosophy and psychology of teaching. This unique training will focus on making the theories real and

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relevant to our growth as teachers, with time spent learning to read bodies and skillfully adjusting students.

For more information visit www.withinspace.com TEACHER TRAININGS Boracay Island, Philippines September, February & May 26 September - 10 October (100-hours Level One training) 13-25 February 2011 (100-hours Level Two training) 1-28 May 2011 (200 hours) For more information visit www.boracayyoga.org YOGASANA 100-HOUR TEACHER TRAINING Hong Kong 1- 16 October This is a two-week full-time training to deepen your practice and transform your life. Open to students who have a sincere desire to undergo an in-depth study of asana, pranayama, anatomy and more. Recognized

by Yoga Alliance USA. For more information www.yogasana.com.hk; info@yogasana.com.hk or +852 2511 8892 RADIANT CHILD YOGA TEACHER TRAINING WITH AMANDA REID Shakti Healing Circle, Hong Kong 1 - 3 October Radiant Child Yoga progamme is secular, with no affiliation to any particular religious beliefs, making it suitable for all children.

This intensive workshop is designed for Yoga teachers, parents, school teachers and therapists who would like to share the gift of Yoga with the children in their life.

Internationally recognised and able to be used as continuing education credits with Yoga Alliance, RCYP is full of ideas and inspiration, information and experience covering children’s development; Yoga for children from babies to teens; using Yoga in a school environment; considering children with special needs; games, relaxations, meditation, visualistion, songs and more.

RCYP Levels 1 and 2 are delivered over the Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday. RCYP1 and 2 qualify as 20 credit hours for RYT 200 (registered yoga teacher, 200 hours) and continuing education credits through Yoga Alliance. Cost: HK$5,000 (includes $1,500 materials: 1 teacher training manual, 2 books, 4 CDs, 1 DVD and 1 workbook) For more information +852 2521 5099 or www.shaktihealingcircle.com VIBRANT LIVING YOGA TEACHER TRAININGS Ubud, Bali 10 October – 7 November (300-hour Level I course) 12 – 26 November (500-hour Level II Module) Breathe, sweat and transform with Daniel Aaron, Simon Borg-Olivier, Dena Kingsberg, Rusty Wells, Edward Clark, Dave Stringer, Alanna Kaivalya, Emil Wendel, Geoffrey Gordon, Ron Reid with Marla Meenakshi Joy, Kathy Clark and more special guests.

These Yoga Alliance RYT certification courses present a phenomenal, comprehensive curriculum from challenging asana to enlightening philosophy, uplifting live music to organic, gourmet living foods.

Ubud-based, Vibrant Living Yoga Teacher Trainer, Daniel Aaron

The 300-hour Level I course is for people of all levels; and Level II Module is a unique and powerful opportunity to dive much deeper, in an intimate program specifically designed for the intermediate practitioner and practicing teacher.

For more information and registration email ytt@radiantlyalive.com; call +62-81 337823719 or visit www.radiantlyalive.com 4-DAY INTENSIVE TEACHER TRAINING KIDZYOGA IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM Prince Hotel, Hong Kong 19-22 October The KidzYoga way, 4-day intensive experiential training will equip anyone who wants to bring yoga to students of all ages in schools!

Mythology in a Minute With educational-based yoga tools and techniques, participants will learn how to seamlessly integrate yoga in the classroom, PE, and start a Yoga Club, that will foster beautiful minds, healthy bodies and compassionate students.

This teacher training is perfect for parents, school teachers, yoga teachers, nurses, OTs, PTs, and child-focused professionals. Yoga experience is beneficial, but not a requirement for this training.

Fee: Early Bird- Register before September 15 HK$7,500. Regular HK$8,500.

For more information visit www.kidzyoga-asia.com ASHTANGA-BASED TEACHER TRAINING Pure Yoga, Hong Kong 31 October – 21 November This comprehensive training led by Dylan Bernstein roots its curriculum in Ashtanga Vinyasa in the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, South India. The course provides traditional yoga practice in a modern setting that offers health, happiness, peace and awareness of one’s true self. Trainees will graduate prepared to teach and with a comprehensive understanding of Yoga and with deeper meanings for their own practice. Topics include: Asana, Teaching Methodology, Yogic Lifestyle, Anatomy, Global Yoga Philosophy, The Yoga Tradition For more information please visit www.pure-yoga.com 500-HOUR ADVANCED TEACHER TRAINING Absolute Yoga, Koh Samui, Thailand 14 November – 18 December A Yoga Alliance recognised course broken into seven different teaching modules,

each with a different teacher: Michel Besnard, Carlos Pomeda, Michelle Lam, Sara Avant Stover, Nora Mangiamele, Lucas Rockwood and Macarena Aguilar.

Arunachala

For more information www.absoluteyogasamui.com/ yoga-alliance-500-hour/; +852 2511 8892 or info@yogasana.com.hk CENTERED YOGA TRAINING Yoga Thailand Retreat Center March 2011 Led by Paul Dallaghan in its 11th year, both Foundation and Advanced Training courses are Asia’s most respected and longest running Yoga Alliance Registered program both at the 200 and 500 levels. Now accepting applications for the Foundation Level March 2011 course.

For more information www.centeredyoga.com

Tia Sinha

Once upon a long, long time ago, the two gods, Brahma and Vishnu got into a heated argument. In the Hindu pantheon, gods often behave like mere humans! Brahma argued he was more powerful than Vishnu while Vishnu argued he was more powerful than Brahma. In the absence of a “mirror, mirror on the wall” that could tell them who was the most powerful of them all, Brahma and Vishnu decided to enlist the services of a referee, none other than the powerful Shiva himself.

To test their might, Shiva flung a beam of light on earth. He asked the two sparring gods to find the end of the beam. Whoever found the end of this vertical beam of light and returned to Shiva first, would be declared the more powerful of the two. While Vishnu assumed the form of a wild boar and chased the bottom of the beam, burrowing deep within the earth, Brahma flew up on his graceful swan, intent on finding the top of this beam. The race went on for years and years. The beam was so long, the ends just could not be found.

Finally, an exhausted Vishnu gave up the search and returned to Shiva, admitting defeat and acknowledging it was Shiva who was the most powerful of them all. Meanwhile, Brahma, flying ever higher, came across a flower. Assuming that the top of the beam of light was near, Brahma rushed back to Shiva and triumphantly declared to Shiva that he had found the top of the beam. This was a lie! Brahma’s lie, incidentally, explains why there is only one great temple in India devoted to Brahma, while temples devoted to Vishnu abound.

The infinite beam of light came to be revered as an agni linga. The place where it touched the earth was none other than the glorious mountain, Arunachala. Around this sacred mountain, considered an embodiment of Shiva himself, sprang up the city of Tiruvannamalai in southern India.

Tia studies Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamshala and teaches Hatha Yoga to the nuns of Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s nunnery.

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Dristi Tapas

Volun olunttary Suf ufffering Clayton Horton

tapas is the hard work involved in any transformational process

WHAT IS TAPAS? A MYSTERY TO the lazy… a magic ingredient for the evolving yogi….accomplished athletes, yogis and musicians know it well.

Tapas is traditionally defined as to burn or to glow or a method to produce energy…or a process which illuminates the imperfections of one’s own personality Tapas is listed as one of the five niyamas or observances, which one of the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga from the Patanjalim Yoga Sutras. In many commentaries, tapas is often defined as austerity, penance or discipline. Simply put, tapas is the hard work involved in any transformational process.

A more esoteric perspective of tapas is, voluntary suffering for one’s own purification and development. This intentional suffering is one in which we place ourselves in a situation in which the heat of the moment begins to cook our entire being, physical body, mind and sense organs included.

By consistent, hard work, unhelpful or negative samscaras (habits), kleshas (root afflictions) are forced to surface in our awareness and then discarded, burned, released and purged. Ahimsa (nonviolence) and vairagyam (dispassion) have their place in one’s life and practice, but we all need to do some authentic “housecleaning” to see the brilliance of jewel of the Self shine forth.

One simple example of tapas is sitting in a sweltering hot sauna to sweat out toxins.

Another example is B.K.S. Iyengar’s saying,

“the posture begins when you are ready to come out of it. Doing the hard work of staying in the asana even though our legs are shaking and our breath is becoming unsteady is what is required for us to develop core strength and stability.

Tapas for mental development or purification could be regarded as training our minds to concentrate on one thing for an extended period of time. This Tapas-ia of the mind involves harnessing the verve and inspiration to let go of our limited Self-concepts and unhealthy negative thought patterns.

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali begins his discussion of sadhana or spiritual practice by saying along with svadyaya (study of the Self) and isvarapranidhana (surrendering to the divine), tapas is a necessary ingredient for any authentic yoga practice (YS 2:1).

Without tapas we never make it onto the mat or meditation pillow.

Thinking about yoga, planning to do yoga, talking about yoga is wonderful, inspiring and easy. Doing the work is another. Going deeper into our practice consistently to get stronger and to get clearer glimpses of our true eternal nature is hard work. To taste the fruit of our practice is a great source of real joy and peace. Learn to schedule and manage your time. Prioritize work, play, eating and practice to create a balanced, healthy and joyful life for yourself.

Clayton is director of Greenpath Yoga. www.greenpathyoga.com

When the body develops the power to endure hardship and when the mind does not get easily upset by lack of physical comfort, one becomes qualified for practicing yoga Swami Hariharananda

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First Instrument of Doing Yoga Paul Dallaghan

TAPAS IS MOST COMMONLY translated as austerity, attitudes characterized by severity or asceticism or extreme plainness and simplicity. We hear much of it today with European countries making their austerity budgets, with less spending, more taxes, reduced pay for public sector and strong debt controls.

Tapas is the first word of Sadhana Pada (YS II.1), the second chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. In a sense it is the first instrument of yoga. It is mentioned as a Kriya Yoga, a technique for yoga and thus can be considered actual physical practice. There are two other elements involved in Kriya yoga, namely Svadhyaya and Ishvara Pranidhana, self-study and surrender. It is often interpreted that if tapas is the physical practice, svadhyaya is the verbal practice and ishvara pranidhana is the mental practice, all constituting instruments of doing yoga.

Tapas is also mentioned in the second limb of Ashtanga, as a niyama (YS II.32). It is not mere repetition, but revealing the two sides of tapas and its importance in development. Tapas follows shaucha (naturalness), and santosha (contentment), in the niyamas. Once comfortable with yourself and content with yourself and what you have in life, your practice will have less chance of developing into a calculated or selfish approach to what you want, and you will not become miserable and give up your practice.

If tapas as a kriya is doing, then tapas as a niyama is the attitude. If you know you are going to finish and gain something from it, it is not considered tapas. To discipline yourself purely for self growth and endure

the difficulties that come with it, keeping an even mind without any prospect of material reward can be considered tapas.

Very often heat is associated with tapas, as that is part of its literal translation, to burn.

Why was this word chosen to represent “austerity”? According to Hemachandra, tapas purifies the jiva, (the spirit), as fire purifies gold. If we observe the physical world we note the agent of change is heat or fire. Here we find our actions, practices and attitude build a purifying heat.

We can look at tapas as practices which channel prana inward, away from mere sense indulgence, thereby concentrating the force within, which results in heat and purification on the physical and subtle levels. The body and senses will refine and the attitude will mature. This happens as your practices direct energy away from preconditioned patterns and habits to a place of integrity within.

wonderfully rich in common sense. Vyasa, the primary commentator on the Yoga Sutras, states we have are a mass of impressions from many actions and afflictions across time and form. The only way to weaken and remove the force of these impressions, which rule our current life is through austerity, action and attitude.

If you are honest with yourself you can see you have much mess to clean up in your life. And if you are interested in inner selfdevelopment then it is a requirement to work on yourself. Tapas is that first instrument. You can call it “ascetic observance which should only be practiced as long as it purifies the mind and makes it pleasant without injuring health” (Vyasa paraphrased by Swami Veda Bharati).

Patanjali does not give much explanation of tapas other than its outcome. He states (YS II.43) “From tapas (ascetic practice), through the elimination of impurities

our actions, practices and attitude build a purifying heat In time you will notice heat building inside, close to the sacrum, behind the pubic bone and going up to the navel. Your body transforms and becomes light, your senses follow your will, not the other way round, and your attitude becomes open and increasingly unselfish.

Asanas, pranayamas and sitting techniques, the most common forms of today’s yoga, are primarily tapas. And they are excellent tapas practices. The teachings also advise certain fasts or at least discipline over eating food; from discipline over speech to a complete observance of silence; service of the Guru; sexual discipline and; a full observance of truth.

It has been said pranayama is the best tapas.

However, they are not to be forced or done to an extreme where they cause a physical or mental disturbance. This is unhealthy and imbalanced. Tapas is healthy, just not comfort driven.

So why do this? What’s the need for it?

Yoga is not a harsh science nor a path forcing you to do things you don’t want to do. On the contrary, Patanajali is

there occurs mastery over the body and senses.” Thus it is clear tapas brings the body and senses to a state of excellence.

Tapas is mentioned in many other yogic texts including many of the Upanishads and the Vashishta Samhita. From all of these it is clear tapas is the attitude which the yogis are advised to adopt towards their physiological needs, meaning to be endured and to appeased without leading to mental or physical disturbance.

Simply, the purification of mind, senses and body through actions and attitude (that do not indulge the senses or encourage any counter-productive, preexisting conditions), is necessary for anyone intent on self growth and the path of yoga. This is tapas and it’s the first instrument of doing yoga, both as a means and an end.

Paul is director of Centered Yoga and Yoga Thailand in Koh Samui. www.yoga-thailand.com, www.centeredyoga.com

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Dristi Tapas

Tan tr a on T ap as antr tra Tap apas Yogesvara Sarasvati

GRATITUDE TO MY GURU’S GURU, PARAMAHAMSA SATYANANDA SARASVATI (“Swamiji”) who recently took Mahasamadhi [the act of consciously and intentionally leaving one’s body at the time of death] and is largely responsible for re-invigorating the tradition of classical Tantra and Hatha Yoga in our modern context.

In Swamiji we find the expression of a real Swamiji writes, “The beauty of the Hatha tried and true yogi – fully established in the Yoga Pradipika is that it solves a very great view, methods and ultimate fruit of problem faced by every aspirant. authentic yoga practice. In his authoritative commentary on the seminal text, the Hatha Swatmarama completely eliminated the Yoga Pradipika by Swami Swatmarama, yama (moral codes) and niyama (selfSwamiji deals adeptly with the topics of restraints) which are the starting points in tapas, yama and niyama – subjects that have the Buddhist and Jain systems, as well as in become associated with so much of Patanjali’s raja yoga” (and the majority of modern commercial yoga. commercial yoga today). Swamiji continues, “the contention is that you have to first

When one tries to impose lofty codes of moral conduct on a body in disharmony, one’s practice actually becomes a hindrance perfect yama and niyama, otherwise asana and pranayama may fail to give desirable results.” But, yogis have long been aware of the “practical difficulties every person faces in relation to yama and niyama.

Moreover, yama and niyama have more to do with religion than with a person’s spiritual life.”

He continues, “often we observe that when we try to practice self-control and discipline, we create more mental problems in our mind and personality… Therefore, before you practice self-discipline and self-control, you must also prepare yourself.”

The non-dual Tantrik perspective is amoral and cares only about desirable results (freedom) and appropriate responses. We do not judge aberrant behavior because we know it is simply the result of imbalanced chemistry in the body/mind/spirit. We understand one cannot practice yama and niyama to be able to practice hatha yoga and pranayama, but rather one must practice hatha yoga and pranayama to be able to express appropriate behavior in response to one’s environment.

Swamiji questions, “Why do you fight with the mind first? You have no power to 12

wrestle with the mind, yet you wrestle with it, thereby creating a pattern of animosity towards yourself.” When one’s desires and impulses are at odds with their moral ideas of how things should be, “there are not two minds, there is one mind trying to split itself into two. One mind wants to break the discipline and the other mind wants to maintain the discipline. You can find this split in everybody. When this split becomes greater, then we call it schizophrenia.”

It is said the mind is most difficult to tame, and the body is more accessible for practitioners to work with. When one tries to impose lofty codes of moral conduct or harsh disciplines on a body that is in a state of disharmony then one’s practice actually becomes a hindrance rather than the tool of liberation yoga is intended to be.

Swamiji says, “this danger was clearly realized by the authorities and masters of hatha yoga. Therefore, they said, first discipline the body,” then, one will effortlessly express the inherent human virtues of compassion, wisdom, unconditional love and respect – the yama and niyama will take care of themselves.

Otherwise, when one tries to force discipline and control on the mind through codes like yama/niyama, the ten commandments – the result is what Swamiji calls “spiritual schizophrenia.”

This is obviously a far cry from the original intention of hatha yoga, which is “for those who wish to ascend to the highest stage of yoga, raja yoga (i.e. total enlightenment).”

Yogi is the co-founder of Energy of Mind Therapy (www.energyofmindtherapy.com ), the practice of psychotherapy that draws on Tantra, Yoga and Aryuveda. He lives in a community of Tantrik yogins, along with his wife and child, at the rural Thai retreat center: Kailash Akhara - home of Adi Yoga (www.adiyoga.com )

Tapas, the Opposite of Luxury Yogacharya Ron Katwijk

TAPAS TRANSLATES INTO THE practice of austerity. Austerity is the continuation of the practice of contentment (santosha): Tapas or austerity is a matter of being content, keeping a sense of satisfaction, even when you find yourself in difficult situations.

The word tapas literally means “strength”, indicating that practicing austerity is in fact power training. Through the practice of austerity you develop an enormous power and good health. As a result the peace within you will deepen increasingly and the power of Atman, which is the Self or the soul, will manifest itself through you more and more.

Austerity has a relative meaning: It is the opposite of luxury and has to be filled in by each person individually by looking at what is practically necessary for you.

Pay attention not to become fanatic or extremist: When you push austerity too far you harm yourself and you may get hurt.

This goes against the principle of Ahimsa (non-violence).

Austerity is your ability to withstand cold, heat, hunger, thirst, uncomfortable places and heavy exercises and so on.

Every activity that can help you to maintain your strength and warmth is an exercise in austerity. Practicing tapas teaches the body again to maintain itself, leading to a natural rehabilitation process.

If you are not really hungry then do not eat. When you eat, eat so much or little that you still feel a little hunger. Eating too much food blocks the good (celestial) energies from circulating. Those celestial energies serve as spiritual food. To eat less gives a feeling of utter strength, not only because it gives you a feeling that you are in control and independent; also the physical and mental bodies recover and become stronger. Keep in mind also that too much eating is a habit and an addiction.

To practice austerity you can challenge

yourself to withstand uncomfortable places like swamps full of mosquitoes and deserts, or to sleep in the snow in a little tent. Remain positive and adapt to the situation you are in. Stay in control and organize yourself. However, when things really do not seem to work out anymore and you cannot stand the suffering you just leave and go to another place, knowing that you tried your best but then made the sensible decision that you did not want to push it too far.

In general people in industrialized countries pamper themselves to such an extent that they become weak and susceptible to all kinds of diseases. This is the result of indulgence in comfort and luxury. However, like in the practice of non-desire, do not get this wrong: it is not wrong to create a level of comfort for the basis for your development. The keyword here is “sensible” and the use of common sense: if you live on the second or third floor of an apartment flat and you use the elevator to go up and down you are not using common sense. Use the stairs.

Tapas brings you physically and mentally into perfect condition. As a result you will feel incredibly good overall.

Withstanding mockery, hatred, gossip and so on, is also a form of practicing austerity.

Withstanding uncomfortable asanas to rehabilitate your physical being makes you very strong and leads to physical perfection.

Yoga practice is based upon this principle of austerity.

People who do not understand the principles of tapas might think it is masochism.

A strong adjustment in Eka Pada Sirasana torture or luxury?

TAPAS IN WORDS Try to avoid angry or bitter words or any kind of words expressing strong, negative emotions.

TAPAS IN DEEDS Do not avoid difficult situations. Try to withstand them and make a sport of it.

Difficulties are your teacher and overcoming them is highly spiritual. The most courageous and heroic people of history always end up being quiet and spiritual.

Originally from Holland, Ron has studied and taught yoga for over 26 years. For 13 years he has lived in Korea, where he set up Magic Pond Yoga School. He was conferred the grade of Yogacharya in 2009. He has received an honorary membership from IYF and is their honorary secretary and representative for Korea. www.magicpond.co.kr/en/

Mental practice of austerity is silence. It is a way to learn to feed yourself mentally and spiritually. It leads to feeding yourself with celestial powers. You become stronger, talk less and you will become more efficient in using words. Silence is the most difficult exercise in austerity.

TAPAS IN THOUGHTS Try to have the least thoughts possible.

Dharana or concentration helps with obtaining this goal. Do not let other people’s bad use of language, like insults bring you out of balance.

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Karma Yoga my way to the yoga center that is lush with foliage, fruit and birds.

Children come to the studio from slums for weekly Kids Yoga classes and poke at the guppies that live in the fish ponds in the front yard after class. Teenagers from an organization that cares for young women rescued from human trafficking circles come for yoga therapy to reclaim ownership their bodies.

These young people arrive at the studio for the first time bundled up in jackets and long trousers to protect themselves from the world, and after a few weeks can do backbends and shoulderstands, they are stretching out their arms and legs without feeling endangered, and they are confident and beautiful in sleeveless shirts and shorts. Two hundred and fifty kids come to yoga every week to reclaim their right to grow.

One of the many tall trees in Phnom Penh slated to be cut down

Gr owing B ack Gro Back Isabelle Skaburskis

A BRANCH FELL ON SOMEONE’S CAR, SOMEONE WHO mattered, and the governor of Phnom Penh was outraged at the tree’s impertinence. To reassert his mastery over all things living, he ordered the tall trees in Cambodia’s capital to be cut down: 100year-old Cannonball Trees were felled outside the temples; Boddhi Trees with trunks fat as elephants were taken apart until they were nothing but a stump wide enough for a family to sit on and eat their lunch in the burning sun.

I train a group of young adults, aged 17-28, to teach these classes.

To open space for others to grow, first they have to manage their own pain and fears; and as an optimistic young yoga teacher myself, I was sure yoga could help them build their capacity to open to their darknesses and let these pains out of their bodies and minds.

As a team, we spent as much time talking about mental and spiritual healing as we did practicing physical postures and breathing, and one day a door opened for Rattana, 19, and she told me about being raped by her cousin when she was nine. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs and told me when she was 14 she was sick to death of seeing her family miserable with poverty, and she felt sorry for her mother who always tried to make it work and never made it work. She went to a brothel to borrow some money to help the family, and established terms of repayment, and every time she got close to paying off her debt they told her she owed more.

Rattana’s voice went from soft to loud, and her eyes were tearing but she kept speaking, increasingly oblivious to the people around her—myself and two other girls she lives with at Transitions Global—and I was beginning to understand why it was so hard for her to speak gently to others or touch the kids with kindness when giving adjustments. She talked with increasing rapidity as if to get it all out; she talked of gang rape, when two young men hired her for the night and then took her to a cemetery where eight of their friends were waiting. I understood where the cigarette

To reassert his mastery over all things living, he ordered the tall trees in Cambodia’s capital to be cut down The National Museum, an elegant historic building across the street from my house, dug in its heels and refused to chop the trees to the base. The foliage protected the wine coloured walls of the museum and offset the golden spires of the Royal Palace nearby.

But the Governor is not one to accept resistance and one by one they cut off the branches, leaving naked trunks and a shrunken museum.

Every day I make my way to a group of young adults I train to be community leaders, yoga teachers and entrepreneurs. And each day, I pass by men with power saws and bandanas over their faces on

burns on her thighs came from. She said the police raided the brothel when she was 16 and they threw her in jail with criminals and they beat her for being a broken girl and then she was picked out by an NGO and sent to live with other girls who reminded her of herself: miserable, angry and used up. She leaned her head on her arms; the other girls in the room with comparable stories had blank faces, one clutched at her temples and said she had a headache. Then Rattana looked up and said she had a new life now, it was like one book was closed and a new one was open and everything was changed. She had a new family at Transitions, she 15

had a job, she had respect, she was a new person now.

I spent the rest of the week in a daze of information I didn’t know how to process, and I handled it like they do. I put it away, there was nothing to do about the images I now had in my head: I could not afford to let my own confusion and weakness show to these young people who trusted me to lead them somewhere safe. I made it through the week and on my day off I laid out my yoga mat at home, and stretched and cried.

A few of the little yogi trees sprouting up around Phnom Penh

like the trees outside my window, these girls will grow their leaves back and over a lifetime, they will grow new branches and fill the sky

While I was on the mat, the chainsaws across the street started up again; they had been silent all week. They had pruned all the lesser trees back to their trunks and that morning they started on the biggest one that would send helicopter pods flying in through my window, scratched loose by playful squirrels. I had been telling myself they would not be cutting that one; surely the beauty of that particular tree was too much even for them to miss; surely someone would take note at some point of the value of life in this city of poverty, barbed wire, rust and wretchedness. The bandana-faced men went up in machines and spent the greater part of the day sawing off branches thicker than my body and letting them crash to the earth. There were no birds anymore, the sky looked naked and raw, and every time they put their saws into wood I heard the screech and groan that is the negation of life, the destruction of innocence that comes not from hatred but from blindness. Every branch they cut was to my ringing ears the sound of boys in this country raping my girls, unable to see life in the bodies they push down, unable to see the beauty in their faces. Humanity without sensitivity to beauty, beings without the ability to cherish life, are machines; cold, growling, insensible power tools that let colour and life crash to the ground.

My girlfriend came over to my house that day and sat with me. I told her what I heard outside my window, behind the curtains I pulled across in futile attempt to stop the growing exposure of empty sky. She held my hand and I cried. She didn’t say anything to try and make me feel better, because there is no feeling better when you see human beings erasing life from this planet, draining it out of nature and from other human beings. She held my hand and she sat with me and she shared with me her love.

And that is all I can do for my girls, too; I cannot cleanse their minds and bodies of the knowledge they have incurred by being born girls into a poor society, nor can I expect that from yoga. I can hold their hands, though, and share with them my love and my art; and I can believe that like the trees outside my window, these girls will grow their leaves back and over time, a long time, a lifetime, they will grow new branches and they will fill the sky.

Isabelle is the founder of NataRaj Yoga, Cambodia’s first yoga studio, and her students have gone on to form Krama Yoga, a Cambodian yoga therapy NGO. Isabelle specialises in trauma therapy yoga for children and young women who have grown up in abusive environments of generational poverty and war trauma www.yogacambodia.com and www.transitionsglobal.org

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POSTSCRIPT Three months ago, Rattana’s family had their land stolen by their village chief and they had no recourse to the law; again, her family faced dire consequences, homelessness with five dependent children.

For a second time in her life, Rattana reached out to the people around her and took out a loan to help her family, and at 20 years old she bought a piece of land for them to live on. And this time, to pay off her debt, she teaches children the value of life, how to breathe and move and stand proud, and by example, she shows them that the innate tendency of life is live.

Karma Yoga

Yoga for Special Needs Children

with special needs? It helps increase cognitive and motor skills in those with learning and development disabilities. It helps improve concentration and reduces hyperactivity. It improves physical strength, balance and confidence. Above all, it is a therapeutic intervention they can participate actively in. In a group setting, it also gives them an opportunity to practice social skills.

Sanjukta Sharma

I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THE principles of yoga are universal. It applies to everyone whether you are an advanced practitioner, or a person confined to a wheelchair. With that in mind I set about teaching children and young adults with special needs the benefits of yoga therapy.

Yoga speaks its own language which connects us irrespective of our differences

MANTRAS AND MUDRAS When I first started out, I harboured doubts about how effective they would be. How mistaken I was! The children respond so well to the music, and the rhythmic actions do help in opening up learning receptors. The chanting and rhythmic hand movements help to also enhance better motor coordination and concentration as it engages the brain. Yoga stimulates all the areas necessary for development.

Last month I conducted a workshop in New Delhi for mothers who have children with special needs, teaching them the benefits of yoga therapy . The children had been diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, Autism, Sturge-Weber syndrome, etc. At the end of the workshop the mothers walked up to me and said how much empowered they felt, and one even said “I now have some hope.” Another said yoga was demystified for her.

Whether it is a non-verbal child with Autism, or a child with emotional disorders, they have been able to reach out and communicate through the language of yoga. Everyone succeeds, and it is a very small step towards building a more inclusive society.

Sanjukta is a Special Education teacher in South Island School in Hong Kong and also teaches yoga to special children.

So how do you teach a child with Autism or Down’s Syndrome deep breathing? How do you teach a child with cerebral palsy the principles of alignment? How do you show someone who is visually impaired the graceful movements of cat cow stretches?

The answers were all in the practice. Yoga transcends all barriers – physical, intellectual, emotional, and I found my special students were my gurus. Yoga speaks its own language which connects us irrespective of our differences.

Yoga isn’t about being in the perfect pose.

For special needs children, yoga helps them feel more comfortable in their bodies, develop more body and breath awareness, improve hand to eye co-ordination, and learn self regulation.

A young lady with cerebral palsy tried hard with support to get out of her wheelchair simply to try “Tadasana.” Later when I asked her which was her favourite pose, she replied, standing up. I could not help blinking back tears when I realised a simple act like that gave her a such a sense of personal empowerment.

What benefits does yoga provide to people

Sanjukta with a few of special yoga therapy kids

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Yoga 101

Pr acticing Practicing Work Yamas at W ork Jeanne Lim

I’VE BEEN LIVING TWO SEPARATE lives. As a yoga practitioner, I do my practice on the mat and more or less try to adhere to the yamas- the yogic principles of social discipline - when I interact with a roomful of yoga souls.

How hard can that be? Everyone is beautifully yogic, so it is easy to put on my best yogic behaviour as well. There are never insects to kill and seldom any nasty people to avenge within the confines of the studio walls. We happily chant about prostrating to the Supreme Guru for good knowledge, self awakening, and great happiness. So I live in that blissful realm for an hour or so every day.

But stepping outside to the real world, my best yogic resolve is quickly forgotten. With crazy drivers willing to run you over, fellow pedestrians pushing you off the sidewalk, co-workers shuffling office politics down your throat, and generally a city that celebrates money as the “Supreme Guru”, it seems like yamas are very out of place, a thought which gives me the perceived right to be judgmental, critical, and even vengeful. But yoga is as much, if not more, a practice in life as one done on the mat.

Yamas are meant to be a set of internalised principles that direct how one interacts with the world, not a set of etiquette used only when one is with a chosen group in a chosen place. To live the principles, we need to practice every moment in our lives, on and off the mat. Confining our yama practice to the mat and within the safety of the yoga studio is an easy way to live a blameless yogic life, but it is not a consummate one.

energy outside of work.

Actually, I believe the work place is one of the best places to practice yoga. Yamas are supposed to be practiced and validated when interacting with others. Business is built on the relationships between people—people from all walks of life and from diversified backgrounds. But what does it take to practice yoga in business? The learning comes from the yama itself:.

AHIMSA Non-violence and non-harming. Not abusing or harming others physically is usually not too difficult in the work place, since violence in the workplace is not a common occurrence (I hope this is true in your case). But it also means not harming others in our mind. How many times have we said hurtful things to others, or lost patience with those we dislike?

Or even willed negative things to happen to an annoying colleague or competitor?

SATYA Truthfulness. This includes telling the truth both literally and in meaning. “White lies” are justified as insignificant so we do not count them as untruths. But where do we draw the line? Is the justification based on our tolerance of our own actions, or the impact it has on the receiving end? And how do we draw that line?

ASTEYA Non-stealing. Most people don’t steal at work, at least in terms of what is considered stealing. But this also means not taking that which is not given. How about taking a pen home, claiming more than was spent on an expense report, and “stealing” other people’s limelight?

BRAHMACARYA Sexual responsibility and restraint. Sexual harassment includes both physical and mental.

And some would say mental harassment is even more damaging than physical harassment.

APARIGRAHA Abstention from greed. This means not coveting that which is not ours and not making unnecessary acquisition of objects that are not essential to one’s life. In business, where the raison d’etre is about profits, one often walks the fine line between greed and making a deserved profit. The key is to covet that which we have earned in an honest manner and in the right mindset.

Living the yamas at work are surely a challenging endeavour. But the real practice is in learning and striving, one day at a time. This is all we can, and need, to do.

Jeanne is a yoga practitioner and certified teacher. She works in the IT industry and is currently studying the history and philosophy of yoga as part of a five-year Traditional Yoga Studies course led by Georg Feuerstein.

In all the years I’ve practiced yoga, I’ve seldom brought my “yoga life” to the office. I work in the IT business where things happen at internet speed and everything is about productivity, effectiveness, and results. Yoga, if ever this topic comes up, is seen as “that new age thing” or a physical exercise for Type A personalities who need to burn off some 19

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For Teachers

Bringing Philo y in oga Clas Philossoph ophy intto a Y Yoga Classs Benjamin Finnerty

YOGA IS A PHENOMENA OF MODERN CULTURE. WITH its roots in prehistoric India, and millions of practitioners in cities across the world, there is no sign the modern yoga movement is slowing down. With countless styles of yoga in gyms, health clubs, culture centers, meditation centers, office buildings, and of course yoga studios, how can it all be yoga? Sometimes it seems there are enormous irreconcilable differences that make one kind of yoga different than others, but still it is always called yoga. Most people have their favorite style, with many students powerful advocates, trying to convince others of why their teacher or their style is the best.

The truth is, all yoga styles have a common thread. Even as far back as the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras, there is an underlying sense of moving toward greater freedom that crosses cultures, body types, and gender, that has for centuries brought people to this practice. Krishna taught Arjuna that Yoga is: evenness, skill in action, and separation from contact with pain. Patanjali wrote that Yoga is the cessation of the movements of the mind. Kashmir Shaivism teaches that each of us are the play of Shiva and Shakti, the light of being, and the awareness of being.

with all the variation, philosophically infusing our yoga classes has no limitations by dogma, rules, or styles (unless you teach under a specific style that allows certain philosophies, but not others in classes). To study philosophy means simply to look into the journey we are on, and find common denominator’s amongst our differences that give us themes for our classes. This can be from a traditional text of Tibetan Buddhism, Judaism, or yoga.

Underlying all religions, is a philosophical foundation is based on finding deeper freedom in our lives. Our themes do not necessarily need to come from traditional texts. One of my friends teaches at in Hong Kong. I attended one of her classes when the theme was based on a concert she had attended previously, and how inspired she was from the artist’s performance regardless of the low attendance.

When we find philosophy in our everyday lives, this is Steve Merkley usually easy for people to relate to.

STEP 2: INTEGRATE First and foremost students are coming to most yoga classes for the workout. If we are going to bring philosophy into our classes we need to understand that many of our students may not be open to religious ideas. So we can first look at our student body, and see what our demographic is. If we are teaching yoga to a strongly Muslim population, we may consider not trying to teach ideals that are very Hindu in orientation. Sometimes the best way to connect to peoples’ hearts is a great poem or story. The Ramayana, Rumi, and Caroline Myss all have inspiring stories to teach us. There are countless self-help books with ideas most of our students could benefit from understanding. Whatever kind of philosophy we use, it must bring together the group creating depth and unity so we are doing yoga with the words we use.

if we bring philosophy into our yoga classes, it gives a sense this is more than a group exercise class

Anusara Yoga teaches that we are Cidananda, the supreme consciousness that is always and forever absolute auspiciousness, combined with the highest creative power that is always in a state of dynamic and unbound freedom called svatantriya. Bikram Yoga teaches to sweat ourselves to a cleaner body and mind that will feel, look, and move with greater ease and freedom in our lives.

If all this is yoga, then how can we bring different ideas to our teaching, to our students, and into our lives? How do we introduce a stronger philosophical foundation to give deeper meaning and greater freedom in our lives? Of course if we can bring philosophy into our yoga classes, it gives a sense to the students that this is something more than a group exercise class.

I find many students a little uncomfortable with some presentations of Yoga philosophy they feel somewhat mystical.

But if we break down the deeper philosophical concepts into something we can actually relate to, then our students will find greater meaning in our teachings, and we may also find a deeper sense of accomplishment as teachers of yoga. The greatest part about this accomplishment in yoga, is that what it brings about cannot be described in words, but certainly it can be called freedom.

STEP 1: STUDY If we want to bring a deeper sense of philosophical teaching into our yoga classes, we must first have a deeper understanding of philosophy in our lives. The greatest part about modern yoga is

STEP 3: GET POETIC This can be very difficult for many of us, especially if we have very logical and straight line kind of minds. Rodney Yee is one of my favorite teachers for his use of poetry. His classes are always so full of beautiful words that give a great depth of understanding of the body, and feel beautiful to think about. We can talk about the breath as expansion and contraction, or we can find allusions to the ocean’s slow rise and fall like every wave of our breath comes in, and slowly moves back into the ocean of prana. We can talk about softening our groins, or we can talk about the deep open space where our legs meet our torso and finding the intelligent receptivity here. John Friend often tells me to lovingly hug the muscles to the bone. In every way that we are using our voices in our yoga classes, we can probably find ways to be more poetic with our words.

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Teacher’s Voice Geor ge Do vas George Dov

break down the deeper philosophical concepts into something we can relate to, our students will find greater meaning STEP 4: SEQUENCE When we are bringing philosophy into our yoga classes, we should have sequences that can be connected to the philosophy we are trying to present. If our theme is the celebration of our innate freedom, and the joy of embodiment, it may be a good idea to do something dynamic. Strong vinyasa, backbends, arm balances all may have deeply celebratory themes. In the same way if we are moving into forward bends, we can talk about the benefits of becoming quiet, or perhaps we could talk about the quality of tapas, and how it takes real strength to hold poses with integrity for a long time.

STEP 5: INTERWEAVE In my Anusara training, we often talk about the spiritual sandwich.

As you may imagine the spiritual sandwich is full of yoga poses in the middle, with a little spiritual filling in the beginning and at the end. While this is a great way to begin bringing a deeper meaning into our yoga practice, it can often leave the students feeling a separation between the work in our bodies, and the philosophy the teacher is trying to present. It may take a long time to get really good at this, but there are a lot of ways that it can be practiced, like looking at the clock and every 20-30 minutes bring up the theme again. Another way may be to take specific poses that embody the theme, and remind the students when it is time to teach those poses.

STEP 6: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE When we as yoga teachers are trying to bring more depth into our teachings, we must try all sorts of different ways. As yoga teachers we are here to inspire, to create and to embody a deeper sense of freedom and joy. John Friend explains the three most important qualities of being a teacher as: soft heart, sharp mind, and vibrant body. When we are trying to deepen our philosophical foundations as teachers, we use these three qualities to be the best teachers we can be. Teaching with sensitivity, compassion, intelligence, strength, and coordination, infused with philosophy to present some amazing yoga classes to all those who are fortunate enough to cross our paths.

Benjamin is 34 years old, and for more than three years has being teaching Anusara yoga at The Orange Room and Yoga Space in Shanghai, China. His inspiration comes from amazing students, the sun that always shines, and his teacher John Friend. benjaminfinnerty@gmail.com

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WHAT IS YOUR MOST CHALLENGING ASANA AND WHY? All asanas are challenging in one way or another.

Along the path of practice, various asanas have challenged me physically and mentally. As my practice has developed, my “most challenging” asana has changed. As my body has changed, the “most challenging” asana has changed. As circumstances in my life have changed, my “most challenging” asana has changed.

One of my current “most challenging” asanas is Kurmasana. My body does not want to hold that pose - my mind wavers and it’s challenging to find stillness in the pose.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THIS ASANA? This was a pose that I once used to do with relative ease. This has taught me that the body is always undergoing physical changes and what once appeared “easy”, may appear “challenging” tomorrow. It has taught me not to think of poses too much in the context of “easy/challenging” and instead to learn the lesson that is for me from each of the asanas.

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF YOUR PRACTICE? To still the fluctuations of the consciousness - some days they are like a raging river!

Born in Sydney, George Dovas is an Iyengar yoga teacher who has been living in Hong Kong for 10 years. He recently become the owner and Director of the Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong. He teaches asana classes and conducts discussions about yoga philosophy in the Yoga Sutras. george@iyengaryogahongkong.com

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Spiritual Research Foundation

Lessons learnt from the Kitchen Sink Sharon Clarke Sequeira

FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE LIVED IN the ashram, I have wondered why the kitchen, which daily feeds 250 to 300 seekers (of spiritual growth), has only one kitchen sink. But I maintained an attitude of learning and tried not to comment on what I felt could have been done more logically…. but the question never went away from my mind.

How could it? Every time one was at the sink trying to wash dishes for two hours or so, someone would gently intervene and request to fill a small container of water, or rinse their hands between cooking, or they needed the sink as they felt like a cup of tea, the seeker about to chop cilantro would bring her colander to rinse the leaves and the one who wanted to churn buttermilk would require the sink as well, and so the flow of users remained uninterrupted!

So the heap of dishes would get washed at a staggered, but even, pace that took into account all the interruptions. No one ever questioned the absence of another sink.

One kitchen sink was accepted as a way of life. Everyone was content.

I tried to align myself with everyone, always thinking that a couple more sinks would have been the more efficient way to go.

Suddenly, only a couple days ago a new understanding suddenly nudged into my consciousness. I began to realize this sink was God’s ‘Divine Design’! I had been

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Alternative Therapy using my limited intellect all this while. But Spirituality is beyond the intellect. So I had to look beyond the illogical scenario and see the real purpose that this kitchen sink was fulfilling. I realized God did not merely want dishes to be washed. He wanted to create divinity within seekers.

Falling Do wn tto oS Down Sttand Up

This sink put one on the spot as it had the potential to precipitate the flaws within one – the slightest bit of irritation could easily be perceived by the interrupting seeker who now stood right beside one. So one’s patience had to develop and one’s love had to develop too, so each interaction was gentle and friendly, and even sublime.

And so it does. Try this: Sit on the mat, bend your knees so your feet are planted firmly on the mat close to your body and wider apart than your hips. Then, as you inhale, move your head and upper body forwards between your bent knees, and keeping your hands off the mat, push your weight slightly forward and upwards (and heels down in to the mat), and there, you have stood up without using your hands! Effectively, what you are doing is ‘falling upwards.’

The kitchen sink interruptions have served as a time to nudge the other and say something uplifting, share some advice or correct a mistake like ‘you have the tap open too wide, you‘re wasting water’. Washing dishes for those two hours was really merely an excuse for the big picture which was that each of us was getting a chance to be washed up and sorted out on the inside.

Our Kitchen Sink has given us practical lessons on how to be in complete acceptance mode and has even got me to learn how to go beyond my intellect.

Without this divinely orchestrated discomfort, where would we have got this almost laboratory-like situation that induces internal transformation?

Sharon is a former model and Miss India. At the very height of her success as a model, she gave up her career to focus on being a motivational speaker and helping others to achieve happiness from within. Sharon has been doing spiritual practice since 1988. www.SpiritualResearchFoundation.org & hongkong@spiritualresearchfoundation.org

Valerie Wilson Trower

SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED TO PRACTICE YOGA, A YOGA TEACHER taught me the art of standing up from a seated position on the mat without using my hands. As she said: “it just looks more elegant.”

I often ask students to do this at the beginning or end of a Hatha yoga practice. It makes a gracious beginning or ending to a practice.

I had not realised that is a practice used in Alexander Technique until I met an Alexander practitioner recently. Explaining how to do this from a chair, he commented I seemed to have learned to do this very quickly!

The Alexander technique is an alternative medical technique, a discipline which focuses on body co-ordination and mental awareness (not unlike yoga in this respect). Founded by F. Matthias Alexander in the 19th century, it was initially developed as a technique to enhance his acting skills. Practitioners use hands-on techniques to help clients’ physical problems on a one-to-one basis without prescribing repeated exercises, and seek to teach people not to use undue physical effort as they move. Freedom, efficiency, and patience are the guiding principles (again, much like a yoga practice). Over time, practicing Alexander technique methods can help with physical pain and chronic disabilities. It is thought this works by helping patients deal with pain as it assists clients’ stress management abilities.

Thinking of the yogic principle of Tapas, particularly the ‘commitment to practice’ part, you can see how practice of this very small addition to your practice: standing up from sitting by ‘falling upwards’ and not using your hands, takes practice, and that this can be completed successfully by anyone who tries. It certainly embodies the concept of Tapas. A small beginning, but a step on the path to a deeper regular yogic practice: try it.

My thanks to Bob Graham for introducing me to an Alexander technique practitioner.

Valerie holds a doctorate in Historial and Critical Studies from the London College of Fashion, The University of the Arts, London. She practices Ashtanga yoga, Mysore style and leads Hatha yoga stretches for the Siddha Meditation Path.

NAMASKAR LISTING AND DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES FOR 2010 (IN HK DOLLARS) Outside back cover $20,000 210 mm x 297 mm Inside front cover $2,700 210 mm x 297 mm Inside back cover $2,200 210 mm x 297 mm Full page $1,700 210 mm x 297 mm 1/2 page $1,000 188 mm x 137.5 mm horizontal / 90 mm x 275 mm vertical 1/4 page $550 90 mm x 137.5 mm 1/8 page $350 90 mm x 63 mm Teacher listing $500 (January - October 2010) Studio listing $1,000 (January - October 2010) Advertisements should be submitted as high resolution (300 dpi) tif files (no pdf or ai files please). Advertising fees are payable in Hong Kong dollars only to: Namaskar c/o Carol Adams, 1/F 46 Leung Fai Ting Lower Road, Clearwater Bay, Hong Kong For more information contact Carol on (852) 9137 9992 /kambotan@netvigator.com or Frances (852) 9460 1967 / fgairns@netvigator.com 27

Yoga Travels

Tok yo Y oga oky Yoga Tradition & Modern Inna Costantini

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO PRACTICE IN one of the most modern, expensive and cutting-edge city in the world? Tokyo has for years been a trend-setting, buzzing capital, a hub for business, technology and consumer culture, attracting foreigners, tourists and the masses to its belly like a vortex running on adrenaline. Coffee can vending machines appear on virtually every street corner, station platform and parking lot, providing a quick fix solution to a demanding and hectic lifestyle.

Shibuya, Ginza and Ueno – epic, buzzing districts, always seem to appear in visitors’ snapshots of Japan, in the same way as London is famed for Piccadilly Circus and Big Ben. Media reports only reinforce this post-modern, stereotyped view of Japanese culture, so when I told friends I was off to investigate the yoga scene in Tokyo, I was greeted with some quizzical looks. Japan is certainly famous for its aesthetics, zen temples and spiritual roots, but yoga is a far more recent import.

Although as a practice, yoga has been around for many years, the big boom started in 2004, when yoga became trendy in most parts of East Asia – following a global trend partly set by people like Madonna or Sting. But that boom only lasted for a couple of years in Japan – by 2006, the few large yoga centers like Bikram Yoga had to close or downsize to adjust to falling numbers. The smaller, independent studios remained active and even grew with a smaller but more dedicated student base, some of whom having traveled or studied abroad, wanting to take their practice to another level. The current student base still remains fairly young, with a typical class consisting of a majority of 25-35 year old women, but there has recently been an increase in Japanese men joining classes.

The fact that Yoga Journal just launched a quarterly edition in Japanese, should indicate that interest for yoga is here to stay, 28

Jogajaya teacher and owner Patrick Oancia (center)

with a shift towards integrating yoga lifestyle into a modern environment.

Different from many Asian cities, all the studios I visited in Tokyo were small (one room, holding up to 20 people on average), due to high rents and lack of space, but not surprisingly, all were extremely clean – students diligently spraying their mats after class wiping off every speck of dust or drop of sweat, tidying props and bolsters, in a typically respectful and dutiful manner.

MINDFULNESS IN JAPAN’S CAPITAL My quest for places to practice yoga in Tokyo started in the West side of the city, in Ebisu, a quiet yet trendy and up-market area. It is also home to YogaJaya, one of Tokyo’s leading independent studios.

Opened by Patrick Oancia in 2004, and neatly tucked away in a residential back street, YogaJaya is a peaceful abode to all things yoga. A small reception on the ground floor acts the shop, information desk and meeting point.

I was greeted with a smile as I registered for Patrick’s busy Friday evening dynamic class.

We all started by quietly sitting, while Patrick slipped in and led an extended breathing sequence. Core strength and arm balances happened to be the theme of the day, so we went straight into a playful, sweaty and hard session, but Patrick gave each student help and attention as if in a workshop.

Browsing the schedule after class, I felt reassured to see handstand practice wasn’t a Japanese studio specialty, but rather a oneoff special: YogaJaya offers much more variety. Patrick pointed out that although dynamic styles are very popular, classes and workshops do range from gentler styles to meditation and pranayama with renowned practioners.

But, as I asked Patrick after the class, is the yoga approach here, typically Japanese?

How are students’ general attitude to life reflected in their practice? (Tricky question to answer when the class is a mix of men, women, foreigners and teacher training students).

Japanese culture, he tells me, is on a very broad level, clearly regimented, structured and competitive. This is why at the start, dynamic practices like Astanga really kicked off. As a discipline, Astanga is systematic, organized and structured, which fits well with an ordered and controlled Japanese way of life. Students are generally dedicated and disciplined –often to the extreme, which is why they love this system.

But aspects of a culture that can sometimes be extremely dogmatic never came across in my tour of Tokyo – and I saw fewer yoga fanatics than in London.

Yoga Jaya has always shifted more towards other forms of yoga – they offer less Astanga classes to balance the schedule with other styles like Hatha Vinyasa, Yoga Focus

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classes and special courses. Class dynamics vary, taught with an emphasis on alignment, breath awareness and mindfulness.

Patrick is a thinker and an activist. His dedicated yoga practice goes far beyond setting up and running one of Tokyo’s leading yoga studios – he has a vision for Yoga in Japan. (Highlighted in a recent video: http://www.yogajaya.com/films/ yogajaya_vision_small.mov).

The Teacher Training courses, workshops and classes held at YogaJaya reflect this vision whilst seek to provide an environment for people to explore their own practice; speaking eloquently and with passion, he encourages students to develop awareness and find their own way, by “working with different metaphors to find their potential in real life and become unified to the active life.“ Rather deep insight for a Friday night but I liked his style, approach and the space.

MORE SHIBUYA-YOGA Next stop, Hiroo station. Still in the heart of Shibuya, is Tokyo’s latest arrival, Yoga Tree studio. Running up four flights of stairs (I found out there was a lift on my way out!) after a somewhat confusing train journey through Tokyo, it felt like entering a sleek, intimate, yoga haven. I was late so missed the start of Michael Glenn’s Vinyasa Flow class, but was greeted with a smile as I lay my mat down at the back.

Michael, who opened the studio in 2009 (thanks to a slump in the property market, making spaces like these more affordable in central Tokyo), teaches in a calm and gentle manner, focusing on alignment, breath and body awareness. Students in this (English) class were mostly foreign but Yoga Tree attracts people from a mix of backgrounds, age, gender and levels.

reluctant to overly promote his studio, new classes and workshops. He believes in letting the space “grow organically”, develop in its own terms – and this is exactly how Yoga Tree feels like – a peaceful, calm and open space with what it seems, a steady, harmonious future ahead.

OTHER PLACES Tokyo does offer a variety of other places to practice- Sun Moon Yoga, Lotus8 and Prana Power to name but a few. Each has its place in the capital, and each of them seems to offer a selection of Dynamic, Hatha and Restorative classes in both English and Japanese. Iyengar fans can pay Rajay Mahtani (Iyengar Certified) a visit in one of her central Tokyo classes (http:// www.rajay.org/yoga/tyc.html).

Yoga Tree offers a variety of styles

The website Hello Yoga gives an honest overview of the main studios and practical information on each place.

So yoga shopping in the capital of Japan could be an activity in itself, but this time, my tour stops here.

Yoga Tree’s variety of classes and styles maintains the ‘belief that yoga is a big umbrella that offers something to everyone’. The schedule reflects this view: from traditional Hatha to Astanga, Vinyasa Flow, Yoga for Runners and Restorative – taught in both Japanese and English- there is definitely something here for everyone.

COSTS Tokyo is a notoriously expensive place to be and yoga classes reflect this costly lifestyle. Drop-ins vary between 2,500-3,000 yen (about GBP 20 on average per class), but cheaper options are available for residents or long-term stayers. Some studios like YogaJaya for instance, offer introductory discounts (half price for the first class). They also run daily open practice between 8.30-10 am for space-deprived Tokyo-ites wanting to roll out their mat and practice freely in a dedicated yoga place – a good concept for busy cities.

Having worked for years in advertising, Michael believes in letting the studio find its own space in the capital: he remains

CLOSING THOUGHTS Has yoga in Japan evolved in a way of its own, taking some typically Japanese traits?

Yoga in one of the world’s most hectic, cutting-edge cities definitely has a place, rooted for many years but only fairly recently emerging into people’s daily lives.

While yoga practice here is a fairly new phenomenon, it is leaving space to grow deeper roots and open up to new realms.

Training teachers locally is one first step, a task that YogaJaya is deeply committed to.

Tokyo may in fact not be a number one destination for spiritual quests, but on a next visit to Japan’s capital, you can definitely feel safe in the knowledge you can roll out your mat, practice, breathe and find a welcoming yoga community, no matter which path you choose to take.

USEFUL INFORMATION Hello Yoga Run by yoga teacher Dylan Robertson, this is the website for Tokyo’s English speaking community, providing information on classes, workshops, teachers, and articles. http://helloyoga.com/ Yoga Jaya 1-25-11-2Fl. Ebisu-Nishi, Shibuya Ku Tokyo, 150-0021 Ph: +81-(0)3-5784-3622 http://www.yogajaya.com Yoga Tree Tanaka Building 4F, 5-5-1 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-0012 http://www.yogatree.jp/ Eco Nikko A retreat centre in the heart of Unesco World heritage site of Nikko, two hours north of Tokyo. They run some classes and retreats in a stunningly peaceful and Buddhist temple setting. http://econikko.com/

Inna is a freelance writer and yoga teacher based in London and Asia. Since embarking on an intensive Ayurveda and Yoga teacher training in Goa, she has been sharing her passion for yoga and environmental issues on and off the mat – and across the globe. inna@brahmaniyoga.com www.brahmaniyoga.com

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Profile

Once a Swami, Always a Swami Leah Kim

THE ANNUAL ASIA YOGA CONFERENCE HAS THE AMAZING EFFECT OF YOKING TOGETHER WONDERFUL teachers and students from around the globe, all onto our little island of Hong Kong. I was especially aware of this feeling of global unity whilst talking with meditation and philosophy teacher, Carlos Pomeda. Originally from Spain, he is now based in the US and travels the world to share his teachings on the ancient yoga tradition of India.

Carlos’ first steps onto the yogic path were much like the rest of us. As a young teenager, he found himself with many unanswered questions. In 1974, he happened upon a yoga flyer, and shortly thereafter, a meditation poster. He quickly became a student of both yoga and meditation, and felt a most welcome sense of familiarity in these ancient disciplines.

He also found he could explain things he could not explain before.

Sooner than he expected, however, Carlos hit bottom; he could not go deeper in his understanding. It was at about that time someone told him about his guru. This is where his spiritual path diverged from that of the average modern-day yogi. He attended a weekend transformation workshop and was amazed to find how close he felt to this guru, closer than he felt to his own father.

On being initiated by his guru, Carlos recalls, “It was an experience of coming home. There was an immediacy of remembering that was so potent that I wondered how I could have forgotten the state of bliss and perfection I am always in.

I knew whatever else I would do in life, this residue of knowingness would always stay with me. The initiation gave me a sense of who I am.”

The initiation also served as his entrance into monasticism. Knowing he still had a lot of work to do in finding himself and sharing his experiences and insights with others, Carlos took his monastic vows.

“Those 18 years were my formative years; they shaped the rest of my life. I look back upon my life as a monk with great fondness. I finally had time to learn and a context in which to study. Sometimes I studied for 12 hours a day. I gained deep insight from the practices; they grounded what I was learning.”

Carlos went to university for a Master’s Degrees in Sanskrit and Religious Studies.

It was then that something started shifting

The Spanish swami, Carlos Pomeda

for him. He became aware “renunciation isn’t so much an external way of life, but an internal shift you make within yourself: the shift towards freedom.”

how I could have forgotten the state of bliss and perfection I am always in

This philosophical departure from the monastic idea of renunciation was marked by a feeling of separation. “I realized the same robes that protected and supported me also separated me from others. The relationships I had were based on the projections and expectations people had about me as a monk. Most people didn’t see me as a human being with my own inner journey and struggles. What kind of interaction is that?” As these internal shifts did not match his external life as a monk, he knew something needed to change.

Courageously and honestly, he penned his decision to renounce his renunciation in a letter to his guru. The response was an outpouring of love and immense support from his students and monastic family alike. The smooth transition out of monkhood confirmed his understanding that real yoga is an internal process, and 33

disrobing his robes has proved to be one less barrier to people hearing the truth of his message.

Teach from insight and experience, and not merely from tradition

And what is that message? Carlos advises each individual to follow his/her own calling.

“We are all at different points in our evolution and we all learn differently. The big question is, can you apply your practice to every moment in life?”

To the student on the spiritual path, Carlos speaks of practicing tapas, “Concentrate on being a student. Whatever you need will come to you. God is always talking to you, whether you’re in robes or not. Know that the first principle of being a student is being able to discriminate whom you’re learning from. Where is that teacher’s authority, where is that person teaching from? What are you after, the ancient exotic, or something deeper? If you persevere, and as long as you’re sincere in your practice, you will learn from everything you experience. Keep an open mind, and decide what works for you.”

To the teacher, Carlos reminds, “Your own journey is happening in your own unique context. Teach from insight and experience, and not merely from tradition. This does not mean to change yoga in any way you want. Be cautious of fundamentalism, which ignores the natural evolution of life, searching for the permanence of life where there isn’t any.”

Leah is a native Californian yogini living and loving in Hong Kong.

She loves exploring the planet, connecting to the Big Mind, breathing in and out. www.beyoga.org

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Robes or no robes, Carlos’ comforting, liberating wisdom is that of a great philosopher, guru, and sage. His presence is still that of a monk. When I express this to him, he chuckles and says, “If you ask my wife, she will say that I am still a swami.”

True to evolving with the times, Carlos offers courses over the internet, as well as meditation and scriptural retreats. [www.pomeda.com]

Teacher Training Review

Feeding m y my Spirit Rani Kamaruddin

IN MARCH 2010 SEATTLE WAS calling me: a quantum leap from the concrete jungle to the Forrest, Ana Forrest that is. The teacher training was intense and intensely rewarding on all levels. Ana created and held a sacred space, allowing us to explore, rediscover or uncover our capacities, acquire new skills and refine those that we already have, learn and teach ourselves and each other, heal and grow, together as a group and as individuals.

Never before had I felt so safe.

Rani (center) and friends from the Ana Forrest teacher training

We taught from day one and I felt permitted to be bold, messy, loud, vulnerable, strong, hilarious. I played my edges and had a lot of fun. As I wondered “how do I teach from the heart; how do I teach from me?” Ana answered my question, through the ceremonies, the feedback, but mostly by leading by example. It wasn’t about doing it perfect, it was about putting my spirit into the teaching; I had a blast! I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

We taught beginner workshops open to the public over the two weekends. The experience was amazing – there were about 20 students in every class, some with special conditions and injuries, there were seasoned practitioners and we even had first timers! I felt honored to have been part of people’s introduction to yoga and grateful for the trust they showed to us.

In every class, the energy was incredibly beautiful, even tangible as I put my hands on someone’s ribcage, I felt with my hands how the ribcage expanded with breath and how energy changed that person. I saw savasana from a new perspective and wholeheartedly felt it’s a gift to the teacher as much as it is to the student - yoga is a healing practice.

From the very beginning, we were assigned to “do one thing that brightens your spirit” as part of our homework. For me, it usually meant a walk of several blocks, skimming through the organic veggies section of a large supermarket or admiring the snowy tops of the Olympic mountains

on a sunny day. This year’s winter was mild on Seattle – flowers were blooming early March. I loved being connected to the simple things and realized how much I had missed the connection with nature.

I’d been on a quest for grounding for over a year and it was only in Seattle that I realized why it had been such a struggle.

For the last four years I had spent my days moving between skyscrapers, 30 floors above the ground, rarely touching the ground. No wonder I struggled to feel any connection with the earth! The little things of daily life were the things that made me content, nourished and grounded.

I did not realize the power of my homework “do one thing that delights your spirit, once a day… every day”, until day 11. During the ceremony that day, I was profoundly surprised and shocked by what I learned about my spirit. It was hungry and had been wandering in search of love.

Ana had me feeding my spirit ever since day one, but it took me ten days to discern it’s voice. Ana reconnected me with my spirit I have not experienced anything more powerful. This connection is what really grounds me to walk life’s paths in beauty.

Do something that delights your spirit, once a day, every day Ana Forrest

Rani directs and owns breatheUNLIMITED™, a company with the vision to empower people to live in wellness (www.breatheunlimited.com). Rani practices and teaches Forrest Yoga wherever she goes. rani.kamaruddin@gmail.com

From my window seat on the plane to Hawaii, a big rainbow appeared. Oh wonders of nature, I haven’t seen a rainbow in four years! This was no doubt an invitation to get on my windhorse and ride full steam ahead to do my part on mending the hoop of the people.

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Perspective

Stillness from Within Gricia Gan

alignment between the intellectual mind (thoughts), the emotional being (feelings) and the physical body (speech and action).

In our day-to-day human relationships, this means having an opinion towards someone, feeling the same about them and acting the same towards him or her. Hence if you like someone, you will feel happy around them and your actions will reflect how much you care for him or her. This sounds simple; however, if you review your personal relationships with the people in your life – your workmates, your boss, your friends, family and relatives - you will discover misalignments that may need adjustments or simple awareness.

WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS PHOTO, I immediately decided it was my favourite of Yogananth’s most recent shoot in Bali. He seemed surprised but I elaborated it’s because it captures the essence of yoga stillness within.

Yoga transformed my life; probably a comment you commonly hear from friends who practice regularly. As an athlete at school, I engaged in vigorous cardiovascular, strength and resistance training that naturally lead me to the gym.

Up until last year, I was still doing marathon, long hikes and mountain climbing in exotic locations. During all of these activities my body felt different to me, it felt highly-strung like an elastic that had been stretched to its snapping point.

All my muscles were tight and the majority of my joints were not properly aligned. As a result, I was living with an array of chronic pains that sent me to masseurs, doctors, physiotherapists, and eventually, Yogananth.

Hatha yoga has revolutionised my physical workout, eating habits, mental health and emotional being. As I write this today, I have never felt closer to the meaning of “being true to myself ”, something I used to struggle with. Being true to oneself, by my definition, involves a complete

For me, this alignment has been moving into place over time and the answers keep surfacing from within me as I practice regularly. Often after a satisfying practice, answers to doubts and questions in my mind reveal themselves. This profound clarity is a result of the internal alignment of my mind, heart and body. Over time, I feel this practice has given me a space where I can retreat to for silence and stillness when my mind is troubled with fear and doubt or when my own body physically challenges me.

This photo is the most powerful of the collection simply because Yogananth sat at the ledge of a 100ft cliff in Uluwatu, with crashing waves thrice his height behind him while posing in a variation of eka pada rajakapotasana. Even the photographer retreated inland a little, joking he was not paid enough to take this kind of risk!

after a satisfying practice, answers to doubts and questions reveal themselves Despite all this excitement and movement, within him and written on his face, I see and feel that his stillness is from within.

Gricia enjoys her daily yoga practice and is a graduate of Yogananth Andiappan’s 300-hour yoga teacher training.

She is a volunteer at the Yogananth Andiappan community: involved in organising events; taking photos and teaching.

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Diet

Could Candida Albicans be affecting your health?

Claudia Jones

MANY CANDIDA ALBICANS SUFFERERS ARE UNAWARE this is the cause of many of their seemingly unrelated health problems. Candida is a yeast present in all of us, yet when this yeast grows out of control it creates an imbalance in the body creating an acidic condition that weakens the immune system and leaves us open to disease. Left untreated, Candida Albicans can become systemic, spreading through the entire body and affecting our whole wellbeing. People suffering from illnesses such as AIDS and cancer often have a systemic overgrowth of candida yeast.

WHAT CAUSES CANDIDA? • Repeated use of antibiotics that kill off the friendly as well as the unfriendly bacteria in the body.

• Steroids and contraceptive pills that create a hormonal imbalance.

• Heavy metals in the body (from mercury fillings and environmental factors).

• Stress (resulting in increased cortisol in the body) • Worms and parasites • Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid),

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• Diabetes • A diet high in sugar and carbohydrates • Chronic constipation.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF CANDIDA? • Constipation/diarrhea • Abdominal gas and bloating • Headaches • Muscle and joint pains • Insomnia • Fatigue • Feeling spacey or foggy • Poor concentration • Depression • Genital itching You can complete a Candida Questionnaire which can give you a good indication of whether or not your problems are yeast related.

Blood tests and stool tests can also be used to determine whether you have Candida with varying degrees of accuracy.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I HAVE CANDIDA? To control the overgrowth of yeast and relieve symptoms, the balance in beneficial microflora needs to be restored. A strict anticandida diet needs to be observed, this means a sugar free diet, no

refined flour products or carbohydrates, no fermented foods including alcohol and no yeast. Plenty of probiotics are needed and cultured foods including raw cultured vegetables and raw organic apple cider vinegar to repopulate the friendly bacteria. You will need to keep your protein intake high, particularly animal proteins (fish, meat, eggs) which contain all the amino acids. Regular protein intake will help to keep blood sugar and energy levels balanced since carbohydrates have been taken away.

If you are a strict vegetarian a good source of protein is spirulina which can be purchased as a powder and added into juices or taken in capsule form. Vegetable intake should also be high, particularly green veggies which are alkalizing to the system, helping to counter the acidic condition created by the yeast. A good way to take the veggies is either steamed or juiced. Raw garlic is a very effective antifungal and should be included in the diet daily. Caprylic acid and Virgin Coconut oil (from which the latter is derived) are also effective anti-fungal agents and should be included in the antiCandida program.

Cutting sugar, yeast, carbohydrates and fermented foods from the diet mean that the candida has nothing to feed on and therefore must die. A strict anti-candida diet can keep the overgrowth and symptoms under control but may not fully eradicate the problem even after a number of months of following the diet. When restricted foods are reintroduced, symptoms may reappear. Only when one is symptom free for some time should attempts be made to reintroduce regular foods and only then one at a time so

that any reaction can be clearly observed. If the food does not cause a problem then it can slowly become a regular part of the diet again.

ANTI-CANDIDA DETOX A specific Anti-Candida Detox Program can help. A good program will target the problem from a number of angles to tackle the many possible causes of the overgrowth. At Samahita Wellness, a strict diet of green juices and green veggies is followed, along with plenty of probiotics, specific herbal tinctures, caprylic acid, citricidal and our special ayurvedic herbal detox formula. Added to this, detoxifying therapies, particularly colon hydrotherapy with specific anti-candida implants, far infrared saunas and the use of our anti-candida and parasite zapper ensure that multiple issues are addressed simultaneously. The anti-candida diet must be strictly adhered to following the detox program for the best results to be achieved.

DON’T DELAY! If you think your symptoms may be yeast related, it is important to get started on an Anti-Candida program as soon as possible. Not only will your symptoms be alleviated but you will stop the yeast overgrowth from compromising your immune system in the long term.

Claudia Jones is a committed student of Ashtanga yoga, Pranayama and Meditation. Claudia is Samahita Wellness’s Director at Yoga Thailand.

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Recipe

A Really Cool Summer Lunch Moosa Al-Issa

HERE’S A LITTLE TWIST on the usual soup and salad lunch combo.

Cold soups are super easy to prepare and lentil salads can be made a day in advance and still taste fresh and delicious for lunch the next day. Perfect!

Lentil Salad with Orange, Fennel & Mint INGREDIENTS 3 cups Green lentils 2 cups Celery finely diced 1 cup Carrot finely diced I cup Fennel medium dice ½ cup Red onion finely diced cup whole Mint leaves 3 Oranges, peeled, segmented, and cut into small pieces, reserve zest 3 tablespoons Lemon juice, reserve zest 1 cup White wine ½ cup Orange juice 2 tablespoons minced Ginger

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plus 1 “finger” Sea salt to taste ½ cup Olive oil 2 tablespoons Honey 2 small Bay leaves Black pepper DESCRIPTION In a small saucepan combine the lentils, water, white wine, bay leaf, a “finger” of ginger, lemon zest, orange zest and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil then turn the heat to medium low and cook the lentils for 40 minutes or until they are cooked but still firm.

Cool the lentils and remove the bay leaf and ginger.

Prepare the vinaigrette by combining the ½ cup olive oil with 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/3 cup orange juice, honey and the two tablespoons

of minced ginger, salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the lentils, carrots, fennel, celery, onion, orange, mint and vinaigrette and serve.

Moroccan Style Cold Tomato Soup INGREDIENTS 1 lbs Fresh tomato, cored and seeded, large dice 1 medium Cucumber, half large dice, half fine dice 1 cup Carrot juice fresh or bottled 3 tablespoon fresh squeezed Lime juice ½ cup Coriander, leaves only, ¼ whole leaf, ¾ medium chopped 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Smoked Paprika ½ tsp Cinnamon DESCRIPTION Combine in a blender the tomato, large dice of cucumber,

chopped coriander, lime juice and carrot juice and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse the mixture till almost smooth but with a little bit of the vegetable texture still present.

Bring a small frying pan to medium heat and add three tablespoons of olive oil, the cinammon, smoked paprika and cumin and fry for 1 minute. Turn off heat and reserve.

Portion the soup in four bowls, spoon half teaspoon of the spice oil on each, add a few coriander leaves and serve.

Moosa is Executive Chef and Managing Director of Life Café and Director of Just Green Organic Convenience Stores.

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Book Review Foundation o uddhis off B Buddhis uddhistt Meditation -by Kalu Rinpoche Reviewed by Tia Sinha

THE LATE VENERABLE KALU RINPOCHE WAS AMONG THE LEADING AND most revered Kagyu meditation masters of the twentieth century. He belonged to the Shang-pa Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He spent over 20 years in solitary retreat, several of these in caves, following the lineage of the great cotton-clad yogi, Milarepa.

Kalu Rinpoche’s pint-sized book of 50 pages explains four teachings that can motivate one to take up spiritual practice. These teachings, the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind towards Dharma, are common to all four sects of Tibetan Buddhism.

First, a precious human birth favourable for dharma practice, Is hard to obtain and easily lost.

I must make this life meaningful.

Of the six realms of existence, a human birth where one has the opportunity to practice dharma is the rarest. While hell beings are as numerous as dust particles of the earth, those who have a precious human birth with opportunities and blessings are like daytime stars. Having the opportunity to practice, yet waste this opportunity is more wasteful than, for example, a poor man finding jewels as many as would fill a house, makes no use of them and so loses them. Not making good use of the precious human birth will most likely lead to rebirth in one of the five other realms where suffering is even more intense than in human realms.

Second, the world and all its inhabitants are impermanent.

In particular, the life of each being is like a water bubble.

It is uncertain when I will die and become a corpse.

At that time, only dharma can help.

I must practice now with diligence.

If impermanence is contemplated, strong clinging to life diminishes. What do we take with us when we die? Neither riches nor enjoyment nor fame nor power. All gatherings of riches, enjoyment and splendour are in the end, dispersed. Those who have gathered together are separated.

In the end, those born, die. What then, is permanent in our lives? This holding to the impermanent as permanent is like existing in the delusions of a madman.

Tia, a student of Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamshala, teaches Hatha Yoga to the nuns of Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s nunnery.

Third, when death comes, there is no freedom, And karma takes its course.

Since I create my own karma, I should abandon all unwholesome actions And always devote my time to wholesome actions.

With this in mind, I must observe my mindstream each day.

Our thoughts shape our words and actions and our very lives. Kalu Rinpoche examines

the fruit of different kinds of actions.

From good or bad karma come the results of births in the higher or lower realms and their corresponding happiness and suffering. When the good and bad karma is mixed, various uncertain sorrows and comforts are experienced. It is thus imperative to weed out all thoughts that lead to suffering and to develop the thoughts that lead to joy.

Fourth, just like a feast before the executioner leads me to my death, Home, friends, pleasures and possessions of samsara Cause me continual torment by means of the three sufferings.

I must cut through all attachment and strive to attain enlightenment.

The importance of finding a reliable, qualified teacher of meditation and practicing meditation techniques that help us look in, dissolve our delusions and unearth humane qualities cannot be emphasized enough.

The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind towards Dharma may seem bizarre or farfetched to the average city-dweller. To some, they may even appear to be religious propaganda. However, the point is that genuine, lasting happiness can only result from sincere and sustained effort in training the mind. Training the mind to abandon all thoughts that are unwholesome and harmful and to develop humane qualities of generosity, patience, genuine concern for others and the wish to serve and benefit others without discrimination, a wish that arises from an all-embracing compassion.

Kalu Rinpoche’s clear and thoughtprovoking book is a precious jewel that can guide and inspire many. So, do we want to exist like robots, controlled by our unruly minds, deceiving ourselves that we are fine, or do we want to put our lives to good use and be genuinely happy? Enlightened masters across religions tell us that with effort, genuine happiness is possible.

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Tia’s Crossword Twisting Crossword

ACROSS

DOWN

A twisting crossword coming up. Sitting, standing, lying down or upside down, let’s try and twist a little. Promise there are no twists in this tale!

1, 11, 12 & 15 – Revolved tri angle pose. (10,3,4,5)

1.See 1 ACROSS.

1 & 2 ACROSS, 8 DOWN & 15 ACROSS – Twisted seated knee to head forward bending pose.

(10,4,7,5) 1, 5, 13 & 15 ACROSS – A revolved seated forward bend.

(10,9,6,5)

1 & 6 DOWN & 15 ACROSS – Twist to the side in shoulder stand. (7,8,5) 2 DOWN, 3 & 15 ACROSS – Stomach turning pose! (7,11,5) 4. See 14 ACROSS. 5. See 1 ACROSS.

1 & 9 ACROSS, 5 & 8 DOWN & 15 ACROSS – Twisted headstand? (10,3,4,7,5) 1 ACROSS, 1 DOWN, 12 & 15 ACROSS – Revolved side angle pose. (10,7, 4,5)

8. See 1 ACROSS. 10 & 15 ACROSS – Jumble ‘Cain is Mara? Ah!’ to give a seated twist named after yet another sage. (7,5)

3. See 2 DOWN. 5. See 1 ACROSS. 7 & 15 ACROSS – Noose pose.

(5,5) 9. See 1 ACROSS. 11. See 1 ACROSS. 12. See 1 ACROSS. 13. See 1 ACROSS. 14. 5 ACROSS, 4 DOWN & 15 ACROSS – A seated twist named after a sage whose name means Lord of Fish. (5,10,5) 15. See 1 ACROSS, 7 ACROSS, 14 ACROSS, 16 ACROSS, 1 DOWN, 2 DOWN, 4 DOWN or 10 DOWN !

16 & 15 ACROSS – Jumble ‘Aaa! Java has a brand!’ to give another seated twist named after a sage. (10,5) ACROSS 1. Parivritta, 2. Janu, 3. Parivartana, 5. Pashchima, 7. Pasha, 9. Eka, 11. Tri, 12. Kona, 13. Uttana, 14. Ardha, 15. Asana, 16. Bharadvaja DOWN 1. Parshva, 2. Jathara, 4. Matsyendra, 5. Pada, 6. Sarvanga, 8.

Shirsha, 10. Marichi SOLUTION 45

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Yoga Teachers & Studios Pascale Aline Private & Corporate s: stress, anxiety and trauma with vinyasa, hatha, yoga Therapy l: English, French t: + 852 6770 0241 e: yoga@canterel.com

AMICO STUDIO 2-4/F, 167-169 Hennessy Rd Wanchai, Hong Kong s: Hot, Hatha, Ashtanga l: English, Cantonese t: (852) 2827 9233 e: studio@amico.com.hk w: www.amico.com.hk

ANAHATA VILLA & SPA RESORT Ubud, Bali, Indonesia s: various styles, group retreats, yoga for privates & corporates.

Studio rental available. l: Indonesian and English t: (62) 361 745 3267 f: (62) 361 989 7804 e: promo@ anahataresort.com w: www.anahataresort.com Michel Besnard Yogasana s: Hatha Vinyasa l: English t: (852)2511 8892 / 9527 6691 e: info@yogasana.com.hk Tanya Boulton Privates s: vinyasa, core l: English t: (852) 6448 7310 w: www.tanya-b.com Kathy Cook Retreats, workshops, privates d: Hong Kong, Bali &Thailand s: Iyengar (Junior Intermediate) l: English t: (852) 6292 5440 / (62) 811 387781 e: kcinasia@gmail.com w: www.yogawithkathy.com Claire del Rosario Privates and Groups d: Hong Kong, Manila s: Anusara inspired, Ashtanga based, Yoga Therapy and Mantra Meditation l: English t: (852) 2881 0321 e: clairedelrosario@ymail.com

FLEX 1/F Woodleigh House, 80 Stanley Village Road, Stanley, Hong Kong (until 17 July) &

1/F Regency Centre (Phase II), 43 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aerdeen, Hong Kong (from 16 August) s: Iyengar, Ashtanga, Hatha Vinyasa t: (852) 2813 2212 f: (852) 2813 2281 e: info@flexhk.com w: www.flexhk.com

IYENGAR YOGA CENTRE INDONESIA Ruko Simprug Gallery Jl. Teuku Nyak Arif No 10W Jakarta 12220, Indonesia s: Iyengar t:(62) 21 739 6904 e:info@iyengaryogaindonesia.com w: www.iyengaryogaindonesia.com

IYENGAR YOGA CENTRE OF HONG KONG Room 406 New Victory House, 93- 103 Wing Lok St., Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s: Iyengar t: (852) 2541 0401 e: info@iyengaryoga hongkong.com w: www.iyengaryoga hongkong.com

IYENGAR YOGA CENTRE SINGAPORE 149B Neil Road Singapore 088875 s: Iyengar t:(65) 9052 3102 & 6220 4048 e:info@iyengaryogasingapore.com w: iyengaryogasingapore.com Hari Amrit Kaur (Kaldora) Privates, workshops d: Central, Discovery Bay s: Kundalini, Radiant Child Yoga l: English, Cantonese t: (852) 6428 5168 e: kaldora_lee@hotmail.com w: www.kundaliniyogahk.com Ming Lee Privates, workshops s: Iyengar Certified teacher l: English, Cantonese, Putonghua t: (852) 9188 1277 e: minglee@yogawithming.com

LIFE MANAGEMENT YOGA CENTRE Non-profit Classical Yoga School

d: Tsim Sha Tsui s: Patanjali yoga, Kids yoga, Seniors yoga, Corporates l: English, Cantonese t: (852) 2191 9651 t: (852) 6349 0639 (Chinese) e: life@yoga.org.hk w: www.yoga.org.hk Ursula Moser The Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong, Yoga Central, LRC d: Central s: Iyengar Certified l: English, German t: (852) 2918 1798 / 9456 2149 e: umoser@netvigator.com Anna Ng Privates d: Hong Kong s: Hatha yoga l: Cantonese t: (852) 9483 1167 e: gazebofl@netvigator.com

PURE YOGA Hong Kong 16/F The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street 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 Road, Quarry Bay t: (852) 8129 1188 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

REAL YOGA 545 Orchard Road #08-01 Far East Shopping Centre Singapore s: Hatha, Power, Ashtanga and Gentle Yoga l: English t: (65) 6734 2853 e: contactus@realyoga.com.sg

KUNDALINI YOGA @ SHAKTI 3/F Waga Commercial Centre, 99 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong s: Kundalini & Svastha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga Meditation, Reiki, Qigong t: (852) 2521 5099 e: info@shaktihealingcircle.com w: www.shaktihealingcircle.com George Dovas The Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong d: Sheung Wan s: Iyengar Certified (Junior Intermediate I) t: (852) 2541 0401 e: george@ iyengaryogahongkong.com

SPACE YOGA 26 / F, 27 An-Ho Road, Section 1, Taipei 106, Taiwan s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Anusara Inspired, Flow, Yin, Restorative, Power, Hot, Meditation, Pranayama, Virya Sadhana, and Yoga Dance l: English, Mandarin t: (886) 2 2773.8108 e: info@withinspace.com w: www.withinspace.com

THE YOGA ROOM 3/F Xiu Ping Building, 104 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s:Hatha, Ashtanga, Kids yoga, Meditation t: (852) 2544 8398 e: info@yogaroomhk.com w: www.yogaroomhk.com Wai-Ling Tse Freelance, Privates and Groups d: Hong Kong s: Sivananda certified, Hatha, Svastha Yoga, Anusara-inspired, Power, Hot, Yin, Pranayama and Meditation l: English, Cantonese t: (852) 9465 6461 e: wltse11@yahoo.com

YOGA CENTRAL 4/F Kai Kwong House, 13 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong s: Iyengar, Hatha Vinyasa, Acroyoga, Mat-based Pilates, Privates, Corporate and Studio rental available. t: (852) 2982 4308 e: yogacentralhk@yahoo.com w: www.yogacentral.com.hk 47

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