Namaskar jan 2017

namaskar A VOICE FOR THE YOGA COMMUNITY OF ASIA

YOGA IN PALESTINE Two Hong Kong yoga teachers volunteer to teach in the West Bank............................................p18

YOGA & IVF How to support your fertility treatment with your yoga practice ...........................................p33

Nigel Marshall in Pinchu Mayurasana, photo by Linda Rahmat

January 2017 HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA Three yoga teachers explain how this ancient text is still relevant and helpful today..........p36

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NAMASKAR

NAMASKAR - JANUARY 2017

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR How many people are trapped in their everyday habits: part numb, part frightened, part indifferent?

To have a better life we must keep choosing how we’re living - Albert Einstein This year I intend to make ample time for contemplation. On the routine how to teach my kids to be kind, what yoga sequence to teach next Friday, how best to support my parents, as well as more esoteric topics such as how I, and we as a society, are living.

On the cover - Nigel Marshall takes a break from the photo shoot with a bit of Supta Virasana. Nigel leads a

Here are some recent new items which I found interesting and frightening: 1. Humans have triggered the Anthropocene era in which we are permanently changing the plant life, wildlife and even rock and soil layers of our planet 2. It is likely elephants, giraffes and cheetahs will become extinct in our lifetime.

3. Bee are now an endangered species.

4. The smartphone generation has resulted in a decrease in human’s attention span from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. That’s less than a goldfish’s 9 seconds.

5. One in 5 adults over 80 suffer dementia; by 85 years old, it’s 1 in 3.

The most challenging part of this resolution is making the time, and keeping that time clear of other activities. Only then I can pause and contemplate the traits I exhibit which, if expanded to a society level, could contribute to above conditions.

I may not be able to impact the world in any significant way, but if I can make change in myself and educate and inspire those I come into contact with to do the same, together we could make some progress.

If this is an interesting proposition to you, consider using the articles here in Namaskar to prompt your own contemplation. Certainly this issue offers a wide range of thoughtprovoking subjects. From our dristi on the ancient yogic text Hatha Yoga Pradipika; to two yogi’s journey to teach yoga in Palestine; to how to asses if you’re ready to lead your first yoga teacher training; to how to adapt your practice in preparation for in-vitro fertilization and; to transforming each meal into a meditative experience.

The fifth item on the list above prompted our dristi for April – Yoga and Dementia. A casual investigation reveals what a massive global issue this is already, and how it will impact our world in the future unless a solution is found. We are interested to learn how we can support dementia suffers with yoga asana, pranayama or meditation; how we can adapt our yoga practice to prevent developing dementia ourselves, and; how yoga can contribute to world with so many dementia sufferers. If you have experience or knowledge of this subject, and would like to contribute, please send me an email fgairns@netvigator.com Finally I wish to record my thanks to the regular volunteers of Namaskar – Angela, Carol and Wai-Ling. Their tireless commitment to this magazine goes unnoticed by readers, but it critical to the success of Namaskar.

I wish you a peaceful and joyful start to 2017.

ABOUT NAMASKAR ADMINISTRATION Carol Adams, carol@caroladams.hk NEWS EDITOR Wai-Ling Tse, wailing.tse@gmail.com CIRCULATION Angela Sun, angela.sun@gmail.com

Mysore programme at Pure Yoga in Hong Kong.

In This Issue DRISTI - HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA LITTLE LAMP OF HATHA YOGA 36 DETOXIFICATION IS KEY 40 ANCIENT ANSWERS 41

SPECIAL FEATURES YOGA IN PALESTINE 18 Two yoga teachers see what it’s like to live and practice in the West Bank MEANING OF NAMASKAR 21 What to think & feel when you bring your hands together at your heart MINDFUL EATING 25 Extending your meditation practice into life READY TO LEAD A YTT? 27 Things to consider before you launch your first teacher training ASSISTING FERTILITY WITH YOGA 33 How to adjust your practice to support your fertility treatments SOUND OF THE GONG 34 Why you should take a gong bath

REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS KULA UPDATES, WORKSHOPS, RETREATS, TEACHER TRAININGS PHOTO ESSAY MYTHOLOGY BOOK REVIEW RECIPE DIRECTORY

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Namaskar provides a voice for the yoga community in Asia and around the world. The publication is an opportunity for practitioners on a yogic path to selflessly offer their knowledge, learnings and experiences with others.

Articles and photographs in Namaskar are contributed at no charge. Advertising income covers production, distribution, administrative costs and discretionary contributions to selected charities and causes.

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

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

About 5,000 copies are printed and distributed for free to yoga studios, teachers, fitness centres, retail outlets, cafes and yogafriendly outlets. Mostly distributed in Hong Kong, with 1,500 copies mailed to readers in 32 other countries.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Frances Gairns, fgairns@netvigator.com

January 2017

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CONTRIBUTORS CHARU RAMESH

teaching yoga in 2000, following in the footsteps of his parents. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and has a great interest in the scientific aspects of Yoga, Yoga for psychological and mental health, mantras and yoga philosophy, particularly Bhagavad Gita. www.yogapoint.com

JEAN BYRNE

HERSHA CHELLARAM

Charu is a classical homeopath, I Ching interpreter and a life guide.

She studies Buddhist Psychology, and teaches dharma classes at The Still Space (www.thestillspace.org) & Asian Spiritual Classics (www.ascsg.org). rameshcharu@yahoo.com

Jean is the co-founder of Mindful Birth: Yoga for Pregnancy Birth & Baby, Spectrum of Life Yoga Teacher Training and owner of the Yoga Space in Perth, Australia. She has designed the first Spectrum of Life training that will launch in Hong Kong in March 2017. www.yogaspace.com.au

GABRIELLE MCMAHON Hersha has studied under the guidance of Sri Swami Satchidananda since she was a child. She has taught yoga and meditation for over 15 years around the world and offers the following teacher training programs: 200hour, 500-hour, Prenatal & Children’s Yoga, and continuing education programs. www.hershayoga.com

Mehtab is the author of three books on the Gong, Gong Yoga, and Gong Therapy that have appeared in seven international translations.

He has trained hundreds of yoga teachers, sound healers, and therapists worldwide in how to play the gong for transformation and healing. www.gongteacher.com MOISES MEHL

GANDHAR MANDLIK

Dedicated to integrating yoga and mindfulness practices, Janet has served as an international teacher, trainer and retreat leader since 2006. She holds a master’s degree in Buddhist studies, has presented at Tedx and is the author of the Chinese book “Living with Yoga and Mindfulness” www.janetlau.com

Linda picked up her first DSLR camera in 2007 and since it has been her constant companion on travels. She discovered Mysorestyle yoga in 2012, and her love for yoga and photography gave birth to her photo project “Pranascapes” which blends yoga pose with the urban landscape. linda.rahmat@gmail.com MAS VIDAL

Gandhar is the Director of International courses and of the YogaPoint Ashram. Originally an electrical engineer, he started 4

MEHTAB BENTON

LINDA RAHMAT

JANET LAU Gabrielle’s life work is Yoga, Meditation & natural living. She created BeBliss 10 years ago and works holistically with groups and individuals inspiring them to live their best life. gabrielle@bebliss.com.au

Yogi, mystic, and practitioner of Ayurveda, Mas offers certification training programs throughout the USA, Asia, and India. Mas enjoys teaching integral yoga classes, offering health and wellness lectures and giving workshops that embrace core Ayurvedic principles. He is the founder/ director of Dancing Shiva Yoga Ayurveda, an international nonprofit educational organization and center based in California. masvidal@dancingshiva.com

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Moy is a yoga teacher and advocate of the raw vegan food lifestyle.

The head chef of nood food, he was inspired by his grandmother, who was an agro-ecologist, vegetarian, soy and raw food pioneer, yogi and writer in their

home Mexico City. He qualified as a certified Raw Vegan Chef and is studying for a Master’s Degree in Raw Vegan Spiritual Nutrition. chefmoy@allnood.com

namaskar

NIGEL MARSHALL

Now on-line at: www.issuu.com/namaskarasia

TINA BARRAT

Back issues still at: www.issuu.com/caroladams Nigel is a KPJAYI Level II Authorised Ashtanga Yoga Teacher. He has been teaching Mysore style Ashtanga Yoga for over a decade, in the UK and all over Asia. Nigel has been teaching a Mysore programme at Pure Yoga since 2013. Prior to starting yoga practice in 2001, he was a long term practitioner of Advaita Vedanta-based traditional Indian philosophy and meditation. Nigel.marshall@pureyoga.com

Tina designs recipes, cakes and desserts at Maya Café in Hong Kong. Inspired by her French chef grandmother and pioneering health food fanatic mum, Tina has been hooked on raw food for five years.mayacafe5@gmail.com

SWATI PANDEY

VALERIE FANECO

April’s dristi:

Yoga & Dementia For this dristi, we are looking for several articles about the role yoga can play in preventing, delaying and/or alleviating the myriad conditions related to dementia: • What is dementia & what are the main types of dementia?

• How is dementia viewed from an Ayurvedic perspective • Which styles of yoga asana, pranayama or meditation can prevent or slow the decline of dementia?

• Have you experience working with dementia suffers? What’s worked, what hasn’t?

• What are the main issues facing the carers of dementia suffers & how can yoga help them?

If you have knowledge or experience with this subject and are interested in contributing, please email me at fgairns@netvigator.com to discuss the angle you would like to take.

Contributions are also welcome on other topics. Final articles are welcome before March 10.

Swati practices Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and is an avid student of yoga. supratim.swati@gmail.com TIA SINHA Tia teaches yoga asana, philosophy and Tibetan Buddhist techniques of meditation and translates Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s teachings and books into Hindi.

Onlytia2@yahoo.co.in

Valerie is a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, teacher trainer certified in the tradition of T.Krishnamacharya under supervision of his son T.K.V. Desikachar. She translated Frans Moor’s commentary of the Yoga Sutra into English in 2012. She lives in Singapore and runs courses and works as a yoga therapist. www.beinginyoga.com January 2017

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KULA

Updates

HONG KONG

New Store for Hanuman Yoga clothing brand Hanuman has moved to a new location at Block A, 5/F 58 Peel Street, Hong Kong. Opening hours are Monday – Thursday 1 – 8 pm & Friday by appointment.

For more information www.hanumanyogaclothing.com

life. Held every Wednesday 89:30pm.

and what to do when the mind just will not keep quiet.

For more information www.amitainstitute.com / www.picer.com / (852) 2167 8661

For more information hershayoga.com

Pranic Healing Sessions Jordan, Kowloon Experience Pranic Healing, a no

Gong Relaxation for Self Love 21 January (7-8:30pm) Celebrate international hug day with a chanting meditation followed by deep relaxation to the sound of the largest meditation gong collection in Asia.

For more information info@reddoors.com

New Moon Gong Meditation 27 January & 27 February (78:30pm) A short chanting meditation followed by deep relaxation to the sound of meditation gongs.

New Venue for Prana Yogam Yogaraj and his team have moved to a new location at Flat C, 7th Floor., Tai Chi Court, 132-134 Austin Road, Tsim Sha Tsui (Jordan MTR Exit D).

For more information (852)94588242 / pranayogam@gmail.com / www.facebook.com/pranayogam

Self-Attunement Meditation Amita Institute, Central A community assisting people, for the past two decades, in unbinding themselves from their inherent program to help bring about real change to a persons’ 6

touch, no drug energy medicine technique to obtain relief from many psychosomatic ailments such as headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, insomnia, hypertension, menstrual cramps, stress, and depression. Free Pranic Healing sessions held every Thursday 67pm and Twin Hearts Meditation on every Friday 10-11am.

For more information hkpranic@gmail.com / whatsapp (852) 6233 2674

Meditation for Beginners 17 January Suitable for a complete novice or a struggling meditator, learn the secrets of mastering the mind

For more information info@reddoors.com

Meditation lecture by Venerable Dhammadipa 4, 11, 18 & 25 February Hong Kong University Czech born Venerable Dhammadipa is a meditation master and scholar. His teaching emphasizes that one starts training in virtue, which lays the foundation for training in tranquil mental states (Samatha) and then developing wisdom by direct seeing of the nature of reality (Vipassanâ).

Understanding and practice of the Buddha’s teaching is

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Venerable Dhammadipa will be lecturing at Hong Kong University

inseparable and should be realized for the sake of all sentient beings.

For more information hkucbs@hku.hk

Singing Bowls Sound Bath 10 & 27 February, 13 & 31 March, 10 & 28 April Luxe Nova Everything in the Universe is made up of energy. In the time of new moon and full moon, the energy vibration is particularly potent. This vibration can affect each of us at different level. Some people feel more emotional or lethargic; some people may even be on the verge of turning into a werewolf. Instead of being influenced by the energy, we can take control by creating a sacred space for ourselves to work with this moon energy vibration. Join Heidy 7 – 8 pm for the monthly New Moon and Full Moon Quartz Crystal Bowls Sound Bath For more information www.luxenova.life

Full Moon Gong Meditation and Relaxation

community classes and socially responsible events, with the long-term aim to partner up with neighbourhood businesses to offer perks for members.

11 February (7-8:30pm) Chanting meditation followed by deep relaxation to the sound of meditation gongs.

For more information www.kitayoga.com / nikita@kitayoga.com / (852) 5323-1978

For more information info@reddoors.com Ajahn Brahm

Meditation with Kirtan 20 February & 13 March IMI Central This session offers a unique blend of Meditation with Kirtan where the usage of gentle mantras will help you develop a simple mindfulness or meditation practice.

For more information events@imi.com.hk

Cristina Rodenbeck leads Kirtan at Pause/ SOL Wellness and IMI Central in Hong Kong

Ajahn Brahm’s Hong Kong Teaching Tour How to Live Happily Everyday 21-29 March Born in London and graduated with first class honours in Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University, Ajahn Brahm is currently the Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Serpentine, Western Australia and The Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA), among others.

He will be giving various public and private talks, offering fullday workshops and leading a retreat. He will explain how to maintain happiness even when everything is falling apart around us. In particular, that happiness is a choice and we can choose not to allow anyone, or any misfortune, to take away our happiness.

For more information www.bodhinyana.com

Kita Yoga Opens Kirtan at Pause/ SOL Wellness Central 24 February & 24 March Pause/SOL Wellness, Central Join Cristina Rodenbeck for Kirtan at her new location in Central, 7 – 8:15 pm.

For more information cristina@manipurawellness.com

Sheung Wan Kita Yoga is a newly-opened cosy neighbourhood studio with a strong focus on building a sense of community for the students, teachers and like-minded businesses in the area.

Their classes are capped at 12 people, so students get individualized attention. Each class includes asana practice together with pranayama and meditation. Their teachers also have backgrounds in nutrition, life coaching and Reiki, which will later be offered in workshops. These will include speaker series and creative events where yoga is combined with other art forms.

They will also be offering free

HKU Master of Buddhist Studies In Search of Sustainable Happiness September The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Now inviting applications for September. Topics range from the history and doctrines of different Buddhist traditions to contemporary Buddhism and Buddhism as applied in counselling, palliative care and psychotherapy, with particular reference to current scholarly research. Closing date of application: round 1: 3 February, round 2: 15 March.

For more information www.buddhism.hku.hk / (852) 3917-2847 / buddhism@hku.hk

Evolution - Asia Yoga Conference 8 - 11 June Hong Kong Covention & Exhibition Centre The 10th AYC promises to be something special. This year it brings some of the most senior international yoga teachers to Hong Kong.

conferences/15th-si-con.html Registration deadline is 15 April.

INDONESIA

7th annual Celebration of Life, Art, Yoga, Music, Dance A Thon 18 March 18 Desa Seni, Bali An event to raise funds for Ayo Kita Bicara HIV, Bali Peduli, Bali Rainbow Community, Yayasan Kerti Praja. This will be a day of community, art, yoga, music and dance, uniting like-minded people and businesses on this island to come together and spread the joy of life.

For more information events@desaseni.com

BaliSpirit Festival 19 - 26 March Ubud, Bali Join this annual festival of interactive workshops & seminars, a lively community market & healing center, a children’s activity zone, yoga classes and vibrant night time programs of live Bhakti and world music concerts, set among the picturesque rice-fields of Ubud, Bali.

For more information www.balispiritfestival.com

For more information www.asiayogaconference.com

15th International Association of Buddhist Women’s Conference 22 - 28 June This year’s theme is “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange & Social Action”.

Entry is by registration only. www.sakyadhita.org/

January 2017

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KULA

Workshops

HONG KONG

Gong Workshops with Gong Master, Mehtab Benson 28 January-4 February The series begins with a two-day intensive on ‘how to play the gongs’ for those who have never approached a gong before.

Followed by three days of how to play a gong during Yoga classes, suitable for all Yoga teachers, and the last workshop is gong therapy. No experience necessary.

For more information info@reddoors.com

All Night Gong Puja-rama 4-5 February Imagine floating on a bed of sound in Yoga Nidra for 10 hours.

Can learn to play gongs beforehand so you may join the other gong players who play in rotation all night long, or join simply to enjoy. Continental breakfast is included. Starts at 8pm on Saturday and ends 6am on Sunday.

For more information info@reddoors.com

Bhagavad Gita Module 2 with Sravaniya DiPecoraro 10 February-17 March Alive Wellness, Central 10-hour certificate course, held every Friday (7-8:30pm).

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Mehtab Benton will be at Red Doors in Hong Kong

For more information whatsapp (852) 9856 0799 / info@lifepath.am / www.lifepath.am/bg-module-2

Full Moon All Night Gong Pujarama 11-12 March Can learn to play gongs beforehand so that you may join the other gong players who play in rotation all night long, or join simply to enjoy. Continental breakfast is included. Starts at 8pm on Saturday and ends 6am on Sunday.

For more information info@reddoors.com

Inner Engineering with Isha 16-19 March Inner Engineering is an opportunity to engineer an inner transformation that deepens your perception, bringing about a dimensional shift in the very way you look at your life, your work, and the world that you inhabit.

83, he travels the world to bring communities together bridging cultures through spiritual free jazz including gongs, drums, vocals and more. One Love is the house band of Red Doors Studio brought together to uplift and transform through soundscapes.

For more information info@reddoors.com

For more information (852) 5920 0385 / hongkong@ishafoundation.org / www.ishafoundation.org/hk

Dynamic Alignment Workshop with One Love Concert Carrie Owerko with Guest Don 24-26 March Iyengar Central, Central Conreaux Carrie is a New York-based 17 March Don is a Gong Master, Yogi and world peace activist. At the age of

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Senior Iyengar teacher, known for her fun and playfulness in

class. Workshop - 2.5hr x 5 sessions.

For more information yogacentralhk@gmail.com

Tai Qi & Qigong workshops & classes with Matthew Cohen The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan 24 - 26 March Sacred Energy Arts Yoga for stress reduction and anxiety - 24 March, 7:30 - 9 pm Sacred Energy Arts Yoga Balance and Flow - 25 March Yoga - Tai Chi Fusion - 25 March Sacred Energy Arts Yoga & Tai Chi Class at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park - 25 March, 910:30am Five Element Qigong Workshop 26 March (1:30-4:30pm) Silent Disco Sacred Energy Arts Balance & Flow Yoga at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park - 26 March, 5:30-7pm For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / info@yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398

questions before the workshop.

For more information yogacentralhk@gmail.com

For more information yogacentralhk@gmail.com

Raja Yoga Foundation Course

For more information hershayoga.com

Teach & Practice with Discernment with Stephane Lalo

Art of Inquiry with Carrie Owerko Iyengar Central, Central 27 March 2-5pm Iyengar Central, Central Carrie will share her experience and understanding in teaching yoga. Topics are highlights only and each participating teacher are welcome to email their specific

3 May 1-4.30pm Iyengar Central, Central Stephane will share his understanding and experience in teaching yoga. Topics are highlights only and each participating teacher are welcome to email their specific questions before the workshop.

For more information yogacentralhk@gmail.com

21 April-26 May Alive Wellness, Central 10-hour certificate course, held every Friday (7-8:30pm).

Cost: HK$1,800 For more information whatsapp (852) 9856 0799 / info@lifepath.am / www.lifepath.am/bg-module-3

Iyengar Yoga & Wall Rope with Stephane Lalo

A Taste of Esalen 3-5 February Tactus Studio, Turin, Italy Introduction to SpiritDance SoulSong, Esalen massage, and Touching Essence.

SINGAPORE

Stephane Lalo

Yoga philosophy teacher Srav DiPecoraro

ITALY

For more information www.movingventures.org/ tasteofesalenitaly / Tactus@Cumtactus.it

18-22 April Become well versed in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and learn how to apply this science of the mind to transform your personal and/ or professional life. This course is the pre-requisite for the Raja Yoga teacher training.

Bhagavad Gita Module 3 with Sravaniya DiPecoraro

Iyengar teacher Carrie Owerko

morning classes plus advanced led Iyengar Yoga practice.

Deepen Your Practice with Matthew Exley & Maria Couanis 10-12 February Yoga in Common In Matthew’s classes, you will move from a base of Kriya Yoga, connecting you to a deeper experience and the subtle aspects of Kriya to the more gross aspects of slower Vinyasa movements, leading to a calmer mind and a cleaner body. This opens up the stillness and awareness of the inner dimensions of yoga. Maria’s practice is drawn to Yoga Nidra and she brings the love of this practice to her students.

For more information www.yogaincommon.com

Level I - Insight Yoga TT Intensive Yin/Yang Yoga & Mindfulness Meditation with Sarah Powers 4-13 October Pure Yoga Hong Kong This intensive will deepen one’s ability to teach/practice both a receptive Yin style and an active flow or Yang style of yoga with an interest in promoting a conducive inner environment for meditation.

Joan Hyman

29 April-1 May Iyengar Central, Central Stephane is a Marseilles based Senior Iyengar teacher, known for his sincere and seasoned practice and teaching. Workshop - 2.5hr x 5 sessions.

For more information sarahpowers.com/ iyi/schedule-2017/level-iteacher-training-intensiveoctober-2017/

29 April & 3 May – Level 1-3 January 2017

Weekend Intensives with Joan Hyman 3-5 March Kate Porter Yoga, Singapore Join Joan, Director of teacher trainings for Wanderlust who 9

draws upon the study of Ashtanga, Iyengar, Ayurveda, and meditation. With over 20 years of experience in leading retreats, trainings, and workshops worldwide, Joan collaborates with teachers who are experts in their field of study with the goal to create an eclectic training program for students at any level.

For more information www.kateporteryoga.com / www.kateporteryoga.com/ classes-fees/mastering/

Anatomy & Baptiste Yoga teacher Trish Corley

Yoga Anatomy with Dr. Trish Corley 20-21 May Gain a clear understanding of yoga anatomy and put it into action on the yoga mat.

The workshop consists of interactive lectures with anatomical models and illustrations and is integrated with full asana practices. Have

fun while practically applying the knowledge of human anatomy to your own practice and/or your teaching.

For more information www.newangleyoga.com

KULA

Retreats

Yoga Assists with Dr. Trish Corley 27-28 May Empower your practice and your teaching by discovering how to assist over fifty yoga postures. As a student, you will gain an understanding of alignment and the possibilities of the poses. As a teacher, you will learn how to confidently assist students and empower them to experience their own greatness in each pose. Your hands already have the power to support and the workshop will give you the guidance to do so!

CHINA

For more information www.newangleyoga.com

For more information 21454450@qq.com

TAIWAN

INDONESIA

4-week Body Awareness with Ann Lu

A Taste of Esalen 5-12 May Hangzhou, China A series of introductions to SpiritDance SoulSong, Touching Essence, Esalen massage, and holotropic breathwork.

SpiritDance SoulSong Retreat

28 May, 4,11, 18 June Space Yoga, Taipei Drawing from her trauma therapy training, Ann will lead you to explore ways to connect and deepen your somatic awareness. This meditative way of working not only is the portal to a balanced nervous system and relieves stress, it also is the key to resolve trauma, help you heal, and develop emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

2-9 April Mimpi Menjangan, Bali, Indonesia Ellen Watson and Daphne Tse will help you discover your body as a musical instrument to find joy, healing and self-expression through the world’s oldest spiritual practices of singing and dancing.

For more information www.spiritdancesoulsong.com / contact@movingventures.org

For more information www.withinspace.com

Hotel Komune Bali Lisa’s 5 days/4 night retreat comprises early morning meditation, sunrise Vinyasa pracitce and an evening restorative practice.

For more information www.pure-yoga.com PHILIPPINES

Getaway to Palawan with Clayton Horton 29 April - 4 May The Nest El Nido Beach Resort Join Ashtanga teacher Clayton Horton in El Nido, Northern Palawan for six days of yoga in paradise.

Days will start with asana, meditations and pranayama.

Afternoons you will be free to enjoy the island, while in the late afternoons there will be restorative practices and teachings. And evenings will be focussed on fun and entertainment.

For more information www.pure-yoga.com SRI LANKA

Yoga & Hula Hoop Retreat 1-8 April Tallala Resort, Sri Lanka Eight days of holistic and playful hula hoop, dance and Yoga. All levels are welcome.

Lisa Mak

Bali Yoga Retreat with Lisa Mak 7 - 11 June 10

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For more information info@divine-light-yoga.com / www.divine-light-yoga.com THAILAND

7-Day Samkhya-

Yoga Retreat 12-18 February; 30 April-6 May; 4-11 June; 9-15 July Wise Living Yoga Academy, Chiang Mai People often speak about Yoga without realizing that it forms an integral part of a composite Samkhya-Yoga Philosophy, the oldest philosophical system in the world. Includes theory and practice of Yoga techniques and vegetarian meals in residential basis.

For more information (66) 825467995 / info@wiselivingyoga.com / www.retreats.wiselivingyoga.com

Charlotte Douglas

and many traditional practices and techniques, will be diving deeper into Yoga as the Bhagavad Gita will be explained in the view of the Four Paths of Yoga, namely Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga.

Includes theory and practice and vegetarian meals in residential basis.

invigorating Yoga practice, as well as nourishing the body with delicious food, rest the mind and soul in the surrounding nature and finish each day with a deeply restorative and relaxing evening practice.

For more information (66) 825467995 / info@wiselivingyoga.com / www.retreats.wiselivingyoga.com

Finding Emotional Balance & Freedom

Yoga, Pranayama & Ayurveda Retreat with Lana Yoga Tour 28 January-7 February Lavanina 18 - 25 February Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui Lana leads students through an exploration of hor yoga asana, pranayama, ayurveda, nutrition and meditation are interconnected. And how to apply each of these to everyday life.

Originally from Finland, Lana has practiced yoga since 2001 and taught Ashtanga since 2004.

For more information www.samahitaretreat.com

14-Day Samkhya & Bhagavad Gita Retreat 12-25 February; 30 April-13 May; 4-17 June; 9-22 July Wise Living Yoga Academy Chiang Mai Other than the study of Samkhya

Eco-Logic Resort, Pak Song, Elysia Resort, Koh Samui and Sukhumvit Bangkok Travel and Yoga through the city, beaches and rainforests of Thailand.

For more information info@divine-lightyoga.com / www.divine-lightyoga.com

Yoga & Meditation with Charlotte Douglas of Love Life HK 24-28 March Chiang Mai Unwind the body, mind and soul with Charlotte, an experienced Yoga teacher and Yoga therapist.

Starting the day with a gentle meditation before moving into an

For information (852) 6680 0340 / charlotte@lovelifehk.com

6-12 April; 27 April-3 May; 22-28 June; 31 August-6 September; 2-8 November Explore your emotional habits and learn to respond to life’s challenges healthily, guided by Kamalaya’s life enhancement mentors Rajesh Ramani, Smitha Jayakumar and Sujay Seshadri.

Having been immersed in monastic lifestyles in India for over a decade, all of them are experienced teachers with a strong background in ancient Asian philosophies.

For more information www.kamalaya.com

Yin & Yang Yoga with Simon Low 13-17 April; 19-23 October; 7-11 December Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa Join Simon for this immersion in

January 2017

Simon Low

Kamalaya’s nurturing environment with daily Yin and Yang Yoga practice, ideally complemented by nourishing cuisine and selected wellness treatments For more information www.kamalaya.com

Spiritual Heart Meditation Retreat 8 - 10 June & 10 - 12 August Akasha Yoga Academy, Koh Pangan A retreat focussed mostly on meditation, but with yoga asana practice as well.

Led by German yoga teachers Burkhard Langemann and Kirsten Reiss.

For more information www.akashayogaacademy.com 11

KULA

Teacher Trainings

AUSTRALIA

New Modular Trainings in Byron Bay Byron Yoga Centre This new 50 and 25-hour modular trainings are designed to be standalone specialty course and also to be applicable as part of 200, 300 or 800-hour certificates. Choose from Yin Yoga, Remedial Yoga, Yoga for teens, adjustments and corrections and advance asana.

For more information www.byronyoga.com

Rainbow Yoga 200 & 300-hr TT 1 – 28 April Byron Bay Rainbow Yoga is a style that recognizes that happiness is within us and all around us. The TT includes 12 specialisations to teach people at all stages of life.

For more information www.rainbowyogatraining.com/ 200300hour HONG KONG

Kidding Around Yoga TT

Accessible Prenatal Yoga TT 6-17 March This training explores classical, dynamic and adaptive Yoga practices to suit any ability across all trimesters, and covers important details for labour and postnatal rehabilitation. Includes Yoga philosophy and anatomy.

For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / info@yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398

learn to cultivate harmony within and without. Modules can be taken together or seperately.

For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / info@yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398

Ayurvedic Yoga Massage Training with Ananta Girard

For more information hershayoga.com

200-hr Hatha Yoga TT (Chinese) with Ann da Silva & Keiki To 1-9 April & 27 May - 4 June The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan This training will deepen your practice, inspire you to find your own inner teacher, and empower you with the knowledge and foundations to teach Yoga effectively and confidently.

Conducted in Cantonese.

For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / info@yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544-8398

11 & 25 February Learn interesting and fun ways to share this ancient practice with children aged 2-17. Founded by Haris Lender, kids will be laughing their way to peace and mindfulness.

300-hr Advanced Yoga TT (Chinese) with Ann da Silva & Keiki To

For more information hershayoga.com

29 April - 7 May, 30 September 8 October The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan

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Suitable for yoga teachers with 200-hour foundation training.

Training modules can be taken individually without joining the full programme.

4 - 7 March & 9 - 12 March The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan Ayurvedic Yoga Massage (AYM) combines traditional Indian deep tissue therapy and assisted Yoga stretching. AYM emphasizes deep strokes given with hands and feet, and therapeutic adjustments derived from Iyengar Yoga.

For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / info@yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398

200-hr Foundation & 300-hr Advanced Yin Yang Vinyasa Yoga TT with Janet Lau 19 June – 1 July, 19 - 29 July, 23 29 October, 8 - 17 December The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan Suitable for those who are ready to teach, already teaching, or those who want to gain more clarity of their life purpose and

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Sarah Powers

Level I - Insight Yoga TT Intensive with Sarah Powers 4-13 October Pure Yoga Learn to teach and practice a receptive Yin style and an active Yang style yoga leading to a conducive inner environment for meditation.

For more information sarahpowers.com/iyi/schedule2017/level-i-teacher-trainingintensive-october-2017/

INDONESIA

For more information www.breatheinlife.com/ trainings/julia-ytt-2017/welcome / chris@breatheinlife.com

SpiritDance SoulSong TT with Ellen Watson & SINGAPORE Daphne Tse 200-hr Hatha 2-28 April Yoga TT Mimpi Menjangan, Bali Ellen Watson and Daphne Tse will help you discover the skills and confidence to spread joy, healing and self-expression through movement and sound.

For more information www.spiritdancesoulsong.com / contact@movingventures.org

3 March-16 April Tatva Yoga This Yoga Alliance accredited course covers both theory and practice. Students are required to attend classes, posture clinics (focusing on 54 basic and advanced asanas), lectures on pranayama, kriya, human anatomy and the history of Yoga.

ITALY

Touching Essence Certification 200-hr Vinyasa Training with Yoga TT with Ellen Watson 27 January - 2 February / 15 - 27 Trish Corley

For more information enquiry@onewellness.com.sg

May Tactus Studio, Turin Touching Essence is a multisensory healing arts practice that combines touch, smell and sound.

For more information www.movingventures.org/ touchingessenceitaly / Tactus@Cumtactus.it

5 May - 4 June New Angle Yoga This training is based on Baptiste YogaTM. Trish is a US licensed physical therapist and Yoga teacher accredited by the Yoga Alliance. Through the practice of yoga and self-exploration, you will gain the tools to confidently lead yoga classes and to access new possibilities in your practice, your teaching, and your life.

For more information www.newangleyoga.com TAIWAN

150-hr Yoga Therapeutics Advanced TT with Hart Lazer Julia McCabe

TT with Julia McCabe 19 April - 10 May Amalfi Coast, Italy Teaching since 2003, Julia’s style infuses over 13 years of practice and study with many teachers during her time spent teaching in Asia and Canada. Including Ashtanga, Anusara, Forrest Yoga, as well as pranayama with Sri Tiwariji and most recently Kundalini.

24 February - 5 March, 17 - 23 May, 1 - 10 December Space Yoga, Taipei In addition to the physical, musculoskeletal therapy, this training includes in-depth material that helps with healing the nervous system, organic system, mental and emotional layer of your being, as well as various disorders and illnesses.

For more information www.withinspace.com

Three-Year 300+ hr Iyengar Yoga Introductory I &II TT with Peter Scott

transformation and exploration.

Taught mostly in Mandarin, it will feature Carlos Pomeda teaching yoga philosophy.

22-28 March, 19-25 July 6-12 April, 17-23 September 2018 5-11 April, 14-20 September 2019 Space Yoga, Taipei Experience Peter’s distinctively respectful and nurturing training method.

THAILAND

For more information www.withinspace.com

10-day Mindfulness & Yin Yoga TT with Michelle Chu 10-19 March Space Yoga, Taipei This 80-hour training will guide you into a deeper, complete practice and teaching to complement your active asana practice with passive yin and mindfulness practices. This course is taught in Mandarin.

For more information visit www.withinspace.com

Iyengar Yoga Junior Intermediate I TT with Peter Scott 30 March-2 April, 27-30 July 16-18 April, 10-14 September 2018 Space Yoga, Taipei This two-year programme prepares students for the Iyengar JI I assessment. Also suitable for those who have completed the Iyengar Introductory TTC, who are not yet certified or want to be a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.

For more information www.withinspace.com

200-hr TT with Heidi Chen April and May Space Yoga, Taipei Heidi will bring the philosophy and knowledge of yoga to life in this training. As you deepen your practice and gain teaching skills, you will also be guided to experience your own inner

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For more information www.withinspace.com

200-hr Classical Yoga TTC 12 February-10 March; 30 April26 May; 4 June-30 June; 9 July to 4 August Wise Living Yoga Academy, Chiang Mai A full immersion experience in traditional Yoga studies in an “Ashram-like” environment. All programs are residential and include vegetarian meals.

For more information (66) 825467995 / info@wiselivingyoga.com / www.teachertraining. wiselivingyoga.com

Children’s Yoga 95-hr TT 26 February-7 March / 21-30 April Eco-Logic Resort A playful, therapeutic approach to children’s Yoga and mindfulness.

For more information info@divine-light-yoga.com / www.divine-light-yoga.com

200-hr HathaVinyasa Yoga TT 5 March - 2 April; 7 May - 4 June; 2 - 30 July Power of Now Oasis, Bali Led by Myron D’Mello, Mallika Savalkar and Phoebe Waters, this training is a fusion of Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa Flow with philosophy, pranayama, kriyas, and meditation. Focusing on the in-depth understanding of Yoga philosophy to support students in developing awareness of their practice and spiritual journey.

Philosophy will be translated into practical tips to impact daily life.

For more information info@powerofnowoasis.com

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PHOTO ESSAY

A SIMPLE LIFE

In a complex conflict PHOTOS & TEXT BY LINDA RAHMAT

The Israel-Palestine conflict makes regular headlines; an ongoing struggle since the state of Israel was established in 1948. I have always wondered what it would be like to see the country for myself.

When my friend and yoga teacher Nigel Marshall proposed the idea of volunteering at a local yoga community in Ramallah, Palestine, I jumped at the idea. Nigel and another yoga teacher Dale Hoole taught yoga, while I documented our journey through photography.

For this photo essay, I walked the streets of the occupied territories of the West Bank, photographing the local people and scenes. In addition, I organized yoga asana shoots, as part of my ongoing “Pranascapes� project.

Beyond the news stories, rarely are the Palestinians presented in the context of everyday life. The vision outsiders might have of Palestine is bleak and more often than not reduced to politically fatigued news.

Rather than portraying Palestine as such, I wanted to focus on the simplicity of everyday-ness, a more human story. Despite living under military occupation, the people I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with continue to live their life with utmost positivity. The Palestinians are extremely warm and friendly people who exercised kindness towards us everywhere we went. Their smiles and laughter go far beyond the conflict.

The rise of yoga in Palestine has also brought about a powerful tool to combat political and personal struggle. From my conversations with local yoga teachers, what they hope for is more international yoga teachers to visit Palestine and teach.

I see two direct benefits to this; firstly to help cultivate a very important emerging yoga scene. And secondly to help spread the message internationally that Palestinians deserve a decent life too.

They want the yoga world to know teaching in Palestine is an incredible gift.

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KARMA YOGA

VOLUNTEERING IN PALESTINE

Ashtanga & Ujjayi in the West Bank

BY NIGEL MARSHALL

In October 2016, I went to Palestine with two friends, Linda Rahmat and Dale Hoole.

I am a supporter of the Palestinian cause and I was deeply affected by the appalling destruction in the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict.

Increasingly, I wanted to directly contribute in a positive and meaningful way, and thus the idea to try to go there and teach. There is a fledgling yoga scene in Palestine, and after reaching out to a few people in the yoga world, I soon connected with volunteer teachers from Farashe Yoga studio in Ramallah, a city in the West Bank of Palestine. I was very touched when I heard even utilizing very simple breathing and awareness techniques, is proving to be enormously helpful to the people who are suffering under the occupation.

We decided to go there to try to help, and a teaching plan was formulated. Our work in Palestine was to be given pro bono; we would ask for no fees and would manage our own travel expenses and accommodation.

Additionally, we organised and – with the help of some generous contributors - paid for a shipment of 40 Manduka Pro mats to be sent from Hong Kong to the yoga community in Ramallah.

Prior to our visit, Ramallah had been aptly described to me as the “bubble of apparent wealth and freedom in Palestine” and when, with great enthusiasm, we finally did arrive there, we found it to be a relatively comfortable and cosmopolitan city. Ramallah currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of Palestine, until such time as the control of Jerusalem is returned to the State of Palestine.

We worked with the teachers at Farashe and we taught workshops and daily classes.

Classes included three-hour afternoon/early evening Mysore sessions held at BeIt Mysore - the only dedicated Ashtanga Yoga program in Palestine, established four years ago.

Our daily schedule was very full; in addition 18

Nigel leads a group of Palestinian yoga students through Parsvokonasana

to practicing and teaching, we explored the occupied territories. We visited the occupied city of Hebron, and were deeply disturbed at the state of things there. A few hundred illegal settlers, many of whom are US citizens, have been enticed to live in Hebron, with the promise of cheap housing and an easy life. Dreadful measures are being undertaken to maintain this unnatural situation, and existence is made an absolute misery for the 300,000 Palestinian population.

One disgraceful example is settlers who live above the local market place routinely throw bricks, garbage and even human waste onto the Palestinian shoppers below. Israel has declared parts of Hebron constitute a closed military zone. In those areas, Palestinians have been forcibly removed from their homes and their businesses have been shut down. Palestinian residents in Hebron are subjected daily to repeated body searches, and have to obtain permits to move through the many military checkpoints in the city NAMASKAR

centre. Even the Palestinian civilians’ lives are routinely at risk in Hebron; many of the settlers casually stroll around town with automatic rifles over their shoulders, and are additionally “protected” by an entire brigade of Israeli soldiers.

We also made it to a peaceful protest in the village of Bel-Ain, where the local villagers have been demonstrating weekly for more than a decade the theft of their farmland. In the past some of these demonstrations have been broken up by Israeli forces in very violent ways. On one occasion a protestor died from having a high-velocity teargas canister shot directly at his chest. Luckily for us, there was no tear gas fired that day, but we experienced first-hand what it was like being ousted from one’s homeland, and treated like a criminal and a terrorist.

The attitude of a rational and humane person witnessing the appalling conditions the Palestinians have endured for over 50 years must surely be one of contempt and condemnation, and of extreme revulsion

towards those who perpetuate or support this reprehensible situation. Desmond Tutu famously said conditions in Palestine are “far worse” than anything he witnessed in Apartheid South Africa. And John Dugard, who is widely regarded as the father of human rights in South Africa, recently stated,”I think it’s very clear that apartheid is practiced within the Occupied Palestinian Territories…”

And indeed, the 30-foot high concrete separation wall, Israel has illegally erected around vast swathes of Palestine, which has armed watchtowers and checkpoints, is often referred to as “The Apartheid Wall”.

We experienced this hideous wall, and it’s devastating effects on the communities it bluntly cuts through, almost everywhere we went in Palestine.

Yoga practice is helpful for everyone. But particularly in times of crisis, engaging in a steadying activity is crucial to re-balance and re-attune ourselves to whatever the situation demands. The people of Palestine are permanently in a crisis situation; their existences are controlled and threatened by outside forces that are entirely negative and destructive to them, and their basic human rights are rendered non-existent. Human

rights groups are unanimous in condemning what Israel is doing in Palestine. Most recently, the UN, on 24 December 2016, unanimously demanded an end to Israeli settlement building on Palestinian land.

One of the ways Palestinians are asking the world to support their non-violent struggle for basic human rights, is via the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

BDS works to end international support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law. And I strongly believe the yoga teaching community should acknowledge the principles of BDS apply to them also. So I hope to see from the yoga world that fellow yoga teachers will support the Palestinian struggle for justice, and apply these principles themselves, by travelling to teach in Palestine instead of Israel.

Politics has never been my passion.

However, what is being done to the people of Palestine, outrages me to the point where I cannot dismiss or marginalise it as simply politics. Equally, the apparent indifference, or worse; tacit agreement, to the current plight of the Palestinians, by such a very large number of people, I also find disgraceful.

In Sutra 1.33, Patanjali states “…one should

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cultivate… equanimity toward the wicked”. It is my understanding this is an injunction to try to keep the mind as undisturbed as possible. However, it seems to me among many in the yoga community, this philosophy of equanimity is often incorrectly conflated with being passive and indifferent to social injustice, and to excuse a kind of selfishness in oneself. I simply don’t believe what Patanjali meant in this sutra, is one should take no action in the face of moral outrage.

To quote Palestinian Ashtanga Yoga teacher, Mira Shihadeh, “Expressing moral outrage is not politics. Politics is silence, neutrality, indifference or justification for what is”.

We took a lot of photos, and shot a lot of footage in Palestine; street scenes, teaching sessions, portraits, interviews, and yoga asanas in the streets. The photos will surface via social media, and in Linda Rahmat’s excellent ongoing “Pranascapes” Instagram project.

The video footage will begin to see the light of day soon, in a project that has the working title of “We Will Win! Ashtanga Yoga Palestine”, via the YouTube channel and FB page, Nacho’s Films.

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PHILOSOPHY

THE MEANING OF NAMASKAR

So much more than hello

BY GANDHAR MANDLIK

The first thing that comes to mind when we think of yoga is Namaskar. Both hands joined together to greet a person, or to become humble and express the gratitude and respect to the Universe. What is the purpose of this Namaskar?

IMPORTANCE OF HANDS IN DAY-TODAY LIFE Hands have played a very important role in our evolution as human beings. Almost all our actions use the hands, such as daily activities of cleaning, washing, writing, holding (small objects to big objects), driving, using instruments etc. But other than these expressions there are other aspects such as emotions, gestures, communication, greetings, touching, arts and music which also involve the hands.

STRENGTH OF HANDS Hands have very sensitive nerves which allow us to feel the temperature of the object (hot or cold), hardness or softness, wet or dry etc. Hands can do very delicate work as well as hard work. The muscles of the hands and fingers are so strong as to hold the weight of the body.

BRAIN & HANDS It is very interesting to know the right hand and left hand are controlled by almost 50% of the primary motor cortex and the remaining 50% is used for the remaining body parts.

The area of the cortex used for the hands is huge, which is an indication of the importance of the hands in an evolved human brain. So when we use our hands consciously we are activating 50% of our cerebral cortex (mainly motor cortex). All higher functions of the brain such as thinking, planning and decision-making involves the cortex, so to control these executive functions the hands can play a key role and that is the purpose of Mudras. To control the state of mind and to make it peaceful, concentrated, creative and imaginative mudras have always been used in Yoga.

It is very well known now that when we are stressed or angry or anxious or depressed, the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated via the Amygdala – Hypothalamas – Pituitary Gland – Adrenaline Gland. Stress hormones are released as a result (cortisol, adrenaline, nor adrenaline etc.). This is called stimulation to the HPA axis, but this can be deactivated by deactivating the amygdala and stimulating the frontal lobe which is the cortex.

NAMASKAR FOR REDUCING STRESS, ANXIETY & DEPRESSION When we are practicing the mudras, our focus is on hand gestures which activate the cortex and brings more blood to the frontal lobe, reducing the blood flow to the amygdala. This deactivates the stress response which reduces stress, anxiety and depression. This is most essential for concentration and a peaceful, positive state of mind.

When we are stressed or anxious our palms sweat and are often cold. This is called total peripheral resistance which reduces the peripheral blood circulation and increases the core circulation. The muscles in our hands are also tensed and some people even feel hand tremors. In Namaskar mudra we are trying to minimize the heat loss by joining both palms together and warming them. We January 2017

are trying to stabilize the hands and minimize the tremors. So Namaskar can surely help in reducing anxiety, stress and depression.

OVERALL HEALTH & WELL-BEING In Namaskar Mudra the left hand touches the right hand and the fingers and palms also touch each other. The left hand is connected to the right brain and right hand to the left brain. In Namaskar position, the left brain and right brain (motor cortex) are activated and synchronization between the two hemispheres of the brain is increased. It is well known that left and right brain synchronization is very important for overall health and wellbeing. Good health of the immune system and other systems in the body is the result of good synchronization of brain hemispheres.

ANGER, EGO, HUMBLENESS & RELATIONSHIPS Namaskar is useful for reducing anger, aggression, hatred and jealousy as the amygdala is deactivated. When we greet someone we should not have any anger as it will negatively affect the relationship. When the anger is not there, the ego is also not there. Becoming humble is the purpose of this mudra and being humble and peaceful is the strong starting point of any relationship.

MARMA POINTS & ACUPRESSURE POINTS In the palms there are a few important marma and acupressure points which are connected to the heart, lungs, immunity and reproductive system. In Namaskar mudra these points are pressurized which is beneficial for these core organs.

RELIGIONS & NAMASKAR Other than Hinduism there are so many other religions which have given importance to Namaskar. Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, Shinto in Japan and Sikhism have used Namaskar mudra for prayers where humility, concentration and peace of mind are important.

Let us all do Namaskar while chanting mantras and meeting people.

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When it comes to meditation, many of us have the image we must be sitting on our meditation cushion, palms on our laps, our eyes closed, with a peaceful look on our face.

But meditation is more than that. It is a state of mind in which we bring our focus on the present moment with a receptive and nonjudgmental mind. With enough practice, it will give us some peace and various insights about life. Understanding how life is everchanging in turn leads us to stop identifying ourselves with the changes we encounter through life.

MEDITATION

ANYONE CAN MEDITATE ANYTIME

Even when eating a carrot

BY JANET LAU

So with this understanding, meditation can be practiced any time. In fact, the more we practice aligning our mind to the present, the stronger we become at it.

Here I share with you a method of practicing mindfulness while eating which I have learned from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

LOOKING AT YOUR EMPTY BOWL My bowl, empty now, will soon be filled with precious food.

Beings all over the Earth are struggling to live.

How fortunate we are to have enough to eat.

According to the United Nations, nearly 800 million people in the world do not have enough food live a healthy life. This gatha is to remind us to be grateful for the food we have, as we vow to search for ways to help others who suffer from hunger.

SERVING & EATING FOOD In this food I see clearly the presence of the entire universe supporting my existence If you look at a piece of broccoli deep enough, it contains the whole universe. Without the sun, the broccoli would not be on our plate; without the cloud, there would be no water to nourish this plant; without the earth, there would not be a place for the broccoli to grow from; without the farmer, the plant would not be so beautifully harvested; without the driver, we would not have the plant with such convenience; without the chef, we would not be able to enjoy such wonderful tasty food. So the broccoli contains everything inside it.

to the food that is inside your mouth. Chew until the food becomes liquefied, which takes about 20-30 times of chewing, and this practice can lessen the workload for our digestive system.

Be mindful to only chew the carrot, not your projects or your worries. Your carrot is present for you and you can also be present for your carrot. If you are occupied with your worries or your sadness, you can practice mindful breathing for a while until you can be present to your food. Spend time with your food, every minute of your meal can be a happy and joyful moment. Not many people have the time and opportunity to sit down and enjoy a meal like that, let our food reminds us how fortunate we are.

FINISHING YOUR MEAL The meal is finished.

My hunger is satisfied.

I vow to live for the benefit of all being.

A lot of times we rush to the next thing as soon as we finish our food. Instead, spend a few minutes being grateful for the food that nourished you just now. Also, remember everything that came to be that gives you such moment of contentment. We can practice to show our gratitude before we ate as well as the entire process of eating and after.

The more we practice this way, the more our peace will shine upon everyone around us.

This spreads peace and joy to others who have yet to learn about peace and joy.

Lastly let your practice adapt so it is always enjoyable, and never stressful. For beginners, you can invite your friends and family to practice mindful eating with you once a week. Slowly, as your mindfulness practice become more deeply rooted, you can start to expand your practice.

Before you start eating your meal, pick up one piece of carrot without putting into your month right away. Look into the carrot and see for yourself that it contains the sunshine, the rain, the love and a lot of hard work by many others. Once you can see the interconnectiveness of the carrot, then you can slowly place it into your month, chew it and taste it with mindfulness. Take your time to eat, just taking one bite at a time, put down your utensils so that you can be fully present Thich Nhat Hanh

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FOR TEACHERS

ARE YOU READY TO OFFER A YOGA TEACHER TRAINING?

You are a student first and foremost

BY HERSHA CHELLARAM

Deep in the forests of Buckingham Virginia, the Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville began a teacher training without their Guru, Sri Swami Satchidananda in his physical form.

This was in 2002 and happened to be my first yoga teacher training. Sri Gurudev (as he was fondly known) had just left his body and we were all grieving. I had planned to spend six weeks with him but had to accept that it was going to be a different experience.

From 5 am until 9 pm, the teacher training was intense and raw for the trainers too.

Being at the ashram at this transitional time allowed for the most profound shifts to occur. Realisations bubbled up about my past and future. I felt vulnerable and completely frightened about facing the changes I needed to make.

Just then, the teacher training ended and I was thrust back into my old life, left to fend for myself in preventing old thought patterns to reemerge. Without Gurudev in his physical form, integrating back into the outside world was tough. I ruthlessly ended old friendships, quit my job and went on an additional year-long search in South India to find myself.

Over the next 15 years, I have gone through many more trainings and spiritual development programmes, each one unique and transformational. The journey has been worth it because I have found deep peace, resilience and inner-strength that has carried me through many extreme life challenges.

When I was authorised to become an Integral Yoga Teacher Trainer, I went within to find a

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place authenticity — a part of my experience that was relevant and meaningful. Here’s what I have learned and continue to share.

ASANA IS ONLY PART OF A TEACHER TRAINING Teaching asana is straight forward and while the study of anatomy may be tricky, it’s not too difficult to learn safe practice. Integral Yoga’s (IY) 200-hour training respects the limits of the body as a method for progress.

Foundational asanas lay the right groundwork for moving into advanced postures. Too many students favour how a pose looks rather than how it feels. The challenge is in training others to experience yoga internally and teach it to their future students. This is an essential component of yoga — the complete practice — yet only few

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Staying humble and dedicated are signs of a great yoga student and a great yogi. teachers share this in a classroom experience.

TO BE AN EXCELLENT YOGA TEACHER, FIRST KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A YOGI These are the wise words of my Guru. In fact, this is why his teacher trainings required students to uproot their lives and go and live at an ashram for a month. IY’s approach to yogic living set the bar for the standards of teacher training since the 1960s, and was adopted by the Yoga Alliance when it was founded. Hong Kong trainings are not held at an ashram, but the essence of ashram life is still present. Students learn humility and service are the starting points of a transformational journey. Without a willingness to shift attitudes and live selflessly, personal growth cannot happen.

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT IS ESSENTIAL While asana respects the body’s limits, inner-exploration ventures outside a student’s comfort zone to shift old conditioning. This transformational aspect of yoga is experienced through IY’s Six Branches. Students must learn to challenge their fundamental beliefs and release their past stories. Only then can they create

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meaningful reconnection with the universe (or any individual expression of Divinity). In that space of vulnerability, students can reveal their authentic selves. Only then are they prepared to transmit the teachings of yoga to others.

STUDENTS NEED SUPPORT TO INTEGRATE NEW REALISATIONS INTO DAILY LIFE If we do not learn to live compassionately or be non-judgemental, yoga will always be a point of contention with those we love. The mistakes I made were so valuable that I pledged to support students in their quest to integrate the teachings into their personal lives. Through mentoring and group support over 10 months of training, students experience the very real results yoga delivers.

Graduates have said this aspect of the training was key to healing their bodies/ minds, mending broken relationships, and changing their lives for the better.

A SANGHA IS THE MOST VALUABLE ASSET FOR A TEACHER TRAINEE The friendships made at a teacher training can be life-long, and these can be maintained by regularly attending sangha or spiritual

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community. Integral Yoga’s Hong Kong community practices together weekly and serves the Hong Kong community frequently. We have grown into a family over the years, where each member supports one another in a loving and non-judgemental way.

Many students lean on the sangha in times of need and it has provided them with strength and encouragement to keep going.

200 HOURS ARE JUST THE BEGINNING, & THERE IS NO END TO GROWTH Many students emerge from a teacher training with enthusiasm and a wealth of knowledge to share with the world. This is fantastic, but it is just the beginning.

Constantly learning and growing is key to staying inspired and authentic. My body and mind are totally different from 15 years ago. I have seen how the mind can easily trick us into going back to our old egotistic nature, if we are not careful. If any part of our physical vitality or mental peace are absent, we always have the chance to start over. We are all evolving in this journey together and all start at different points. Staying humble and dedicated are signs of a great yoga student and a great yogi.

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FERTILITY

YOGA & ASSISTED REPRODUCTION

Soften to support the fertility process

BY JEAN BYRNE

Yoga is a wonderful way to prepare the body for pregnancy. It helps reduce stress, balance hormones and can help us feel well in body, mind and spirit.

Yet sometimes, no matter how much yoga we do, or how healthy we are, we may find ourselves struggling with infertility.

Infertility is the failure to become pregnant after 12 months of unprotected intercourse when no other issues are present (and you are in your 20s or early 30s).

For any women menstruating, in her early 30s or younger, and otherwise well - if you do not conceive in the first 12 months of regular intercourse, then go see your doctor. If you want a family, and time is not on your side, see if there are any issues to be addressed.

If you have already begun treatments it is time to reflect on how our yoga practice can support and nurture us during this process.

Even though there are myriad benefits from exercise, once we begin In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) consider moderate, rather than high intensity exercise. While exercise keeps us healthy, too much high intensity exercises in the years prior to IVF may not be helpful.

A study published in Obstetrics and Gynaecology explains women who exercised 4 hours or more per week for 1–9 years were 40% less likely to have a live birth and were almost three times more likely to experience cycle cancellation and twice as likely to have an implantation failure or pregnancy loss than women who did not report exercise.

For those of you who love Restorative or Yin practices, as long as you follow the pregnancy modifications, there is little reason to change what you are doing. Your body and mind will be nourished and the stress positively impacted by your practice.

If you are practicing high intensity yoga such as Ashtanga, Power or Hot Yoga such as Bikram, reassess what you are practicing and how your practice might be modified during IVF or other fertility treatments.

to medium intensity slightly improve their chances of natural pregnancy. While we can’t know absolutely the implications of high intensity yoga or exercise during fertility treatments, it makes sense to pull back a little. Remember your body is working hard to produce eggs and make a baby!

It can be difficult to change your exercise routine. However, the beauty of yoga is that it can be adapted throughout our life to support and nourish you, no matter what you are going through. The change in intensity is not forever. Hopefully you will soon be pregnant. And after your baby’s birth you can return to your high intensity exercise, or if you do not conceive, when you are finished with fertility treatments you will be able to return to your previous levels of activity.

My advice for women practicing yoga and undergoing fertility treatments is to find the space to soften your practice. IVF is very stressful and can bring lots of joy or heart ache. Having our head in the right place can help us on this journey.

Further, women are likely to blame themselves if they have a failed IVF cycle, or are unable to conceive for whatever reason.

We don’t want to look back and wonder if yoga was a contributing factor to our lack of IVF success. The following suggestions are to guide you through this difficult time, however they do not replace the advice of your health care provider or your experienced yoga teacher. Practicing with a teacher during this time can help you learn how to transform your practice into a less dynamic, but soft and nourishing practice.

ADVICE ON YOGA PRACTICE DURING IVF OR FERTILITY TREATMENTS • In the months leading into your IVF cycles if you have a normal Body Mass Index scale back on high intensity yoga practices.

Start to be more gentle and less forceful, reduce the amount you are sweating, try to keep a steady and even breath during your practice. Tune into your body, you may notice the effects of your cycle, become attuned to when you ovulate.

• While the research is far from clear in this area, a Danish study suggests lean women who change their exercise from high intensity

Once you begin a fertility cycle, do very gentle, pregnancy-appropriate yoga. The hope is you will have successful pregnancy, so begin practicing as if you are now.

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Include meditation and visualisation daily to help with your stress levels. Develop a soft pranayama or mindfulness practice.

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Once you start injecting hormones, honour the intensity of this process with a ritual. A nice cup of tea, a delicious juice, inject in a quite space. Use your practice to help you remain centred. By now the physicality of your practice has lessened greatly. Vinyasas are few and far between, but you can opt for longer holds in less strenuous positions, and move between the positions with the breath. By now you have dropped all twisting postures, inversions, postures which require jumping or unstable movements, intense forward or backbends.

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Egg Removal: Allow yourself some time to practice meditation or pranayama on the morning of your retrieval. Do this in the hospital bed while you are waiting!

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Embryo Transfer: If you are lucky enough to reach this point, again practice pranayama or meditation on the morning of transfer to keep your nerves in check. This will be an emotional time. Refrain from any physical yoga in the days following, but maintain a seated or laying meditation / relaxation practice

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The 2 week wait - torture! Try restorative yoga with pregnancy modifications. Gentle, passive stretching, breathing and lots of relaxation!

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6 weeks: Pregnant! Congratulations. Be sure to find a wonderful pregnancy yoga class with an experienced teacher.

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6 weeks: Not Pregnant. Devastating! But you have done everything you could, nourished your body and mind, and ultimately there was no more you could have done. Now be kind to yourself, and respect the changes the IVF have put your body.

Slowly and gently return to your practice.

Yoga can be a wonderful way to support the body and mind during IVF. Be sure to seek the advice of your health care provider before taking up new forms of exercise, and when you should practice yoga. Even without asanas the other limbs of yoga can nurture us on this journey.

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PRACTICES

THE SOUND OF THE GONG

Healing & Transformation

BY MEHTAB BENTON

The gong has been involved in every kind of human activity, from the earthly to the ethereal. In Buddhist monasteries, gongs call the attention of the gods. In ancient Greece, they open the realm of the dead. In Borneo, they are beaten to frighten away storms. In Ceram, gongs are given as wedding gifts. In Assam, they are used as funeral pyres. During war, gongs intimidate enemies and gather troops. In peace, they celebrate festivals and accompany dances.

The gong has played an important role in ceremonies, rituals, and inner journeys among all the world’s peoples. Deaths, births, marriages, and initiations were all accompanied by the sounding of the gong.

More than simply a musical instrument, the gong has been used as an agent of transformation.

From the purely physical, to the emotional

and spiritual, the sound of the gong can promote a positive change in the listener. In addition to yogis and yoga teachers, doctors, music therapists, psychotherapists, and researchers have used the gong as an adjunct to their healing modalities and have seen its therapeutic benefits in their students and patients.

The applications for Gong Therapy as part of the complementary healthcare field are limitless. The gong has always been used to mark and ease life transitions, so we are seeing its use by midwives before and during the birthing process and by hospice nurses for end of life patients.

The gong has been used since the early 1970s for treatment of addictions and for those in recovery programs. Psychotherapists are reporting beneficial results for patients who suffer from depression, anxiety and anger. In

Mehtab Benton leads a gong session

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Sweden the gong is part of a medical yoga program and in Greece there is interest and acceptance of its use in the nursing profession. Children with special needs, disadvantaged youth, and students with learning disabilities have responded favorably to its use in the classroom.

The gong and gong therapy is becoming accepted in Western culture, much like yoga achieved in the late twentieth century, as a benign and affordable way to enhance physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Yet the potential audience for gong therapy exceeds that of yoga and many other alternative healing modalities. Its entry requirements are small – we only have to relax and listen - and its healing power comes from the sound that has awakened the human consciousness throughout the ages – the Sound of the Gong.

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DRISTI - HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA

LITTLE LAMP OF HATHA YOGA Guiding us for 700 years

BY VALERIE FANECO

DETOXIFICATION IS THE KEY Similarities between HYP & Ayurveda.................................................40 36

ANCIENT ANSWERS TO MODERN QUESTIONS How HYP helped me..............................................................................41

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Yogis sought to be in good health, to reach the highest state of development in the mind.

Hatha-yoga is familiar to millions of people who use it to describe the kind of yoga they practice, yet there seems to be a great deal of confusion about what it really is. The Oxford English dictionary defines it as “a system of physical exercises and breathing control used in yoga”, and some schools interpret it as a very strong practice of postures combined with powerful techniques of purification. A closer look into it reveals it is a multidimensional system, a map of how the ancients understood our structure long before the development of modern science.

The Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika was composed around the 15th Century AD and is one of the greatest classics on the subject. It is divided in four parts: chapter I is about working with the body (asana), chapter II is about working with the breath (pranayama), chapter III is about combining body, breath and energy in special positions with energetic seals (mudra), and chapter IV is about the experience of the inner sound as a meditative practice (nada).

In that era diseases were often fatal and life expectancy was low. Yogis sought to be in good health, not for the sake of being physically fit or supple, but to reach the highest state of development in the mind. The pursuit of this freedom is the work of hathayoga, and the freedom itself is called rajayoga, meaning “royal” yoga because it is about finding the master in one’s self, when the goal of hatha-yoga is accomplished.

Therefore, it is said hatha-yoga is “the ladder to reach raja-yoga”, the means to an end.

MAVERICK YOGIS The author of the Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika was Svatmarama, a sage who may have belonged to a group called the Kapalikas. These ascetics devoted to Shiva used human skulls as begging bowls, hence their name, “skull men”. They were known as eccentrics because the techniques they practiced were rather extreme compared to those of the orthodox Brahmins who taught yoga then.

Some of these techniques were not revealed to everyone but reserved to selected members of this hierarchical society. A typical example of this is samantrakapranayama, literally “the control of life force by working with mantras in breathing”.

Mantras are positive affirmations or phrases pregnant with meaning; their repetition helps 38

to focus the mind but also to measure the length of the breath and to acquire certain qualities embedded in the vibrations of their syllables. This practice had profound effects on the practitioner so mantras were prescribed with caution.

Since such refined techniques were a no-go for the majority of people, spaces were left open for a few “maverick yogis” to come up with alternative methods. And since some of those methods were radical and controversial, it is likely they had to hide to practice them.

LIGHT & SHADOW What does the name ‘Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika’ mean?

‘Hatha’ is composed of ‘ha’ and ‘tha’ which mean ‘sun’ and ‘moon’ in Sanskrit. They symbolize dual forces in Nature: activity and calm, strength and comfort, inhalation and exhalation, etc. Ancient yogis considered the union of these forces as the platform of Selfrealization.

‘Pra’ conveys the idea of something good. A ‘dipika’ is a lamp. Back then lamps were fuelled by oil so their light was not necessarily very bright; they brought light to some areas but left others in the shade. So ‘pradipika’ means “a lamp that sheds some positive light”.

The name gives an important clue: the HathaYoga-Pradipika is not comprehensive so it should not be read as a manual and it was never meant to replace direct instruction. It only presents some aspects of the hatha-yoga system. Certain techniques are described with abundant details but others are not. A few asymmetrical techniques are described on the left but not on the right.

Why is it so inconsistent? We cannot be sure.

Perhaps the author assumed his readers were already well informed. The HathaYoga-Pradipika was probably compiled for experienced yogis who worked under the eye of their teacher. The author even occasionally contradicts himself, admits others “do it differently” or “call this by another name.” Opinions about yoga already differed in those days!

This confusion and the metaphoric NAMASKAR

description of many techniques fuelled a great deal of misunderstanding in the modern yoga community. The promise of spectacular results may have led some people to try out radical methods that have for the most part become irrelevant in modern times. An example of such methods is the shat-kriyas, the six cleansing techniques described in chapter II, some of which are now considered invasive and even violent.

In Svatmarama’s time it was already essential to be taught hatha-yoga techniques by a competent teacher, as he says explicitly a number of times throughout the text. In some cases he says: “Do it like this”, and later adds: “But you must always follow the instructions of the guru”. This aspect of Hatha-Yoga is crucial but too often ignored: the “good” teacher (sat guru) knows the student, has his best interest at heart and can adjust yoga’s tools based on the climate, season, location, and many other factors.

Boys became disciples of a master around the age of 7 and lived with him until they were young men. In this gurukula - a kind of boarding school - they studied the Vedas and practiced yoga under the guidance of a master. They also learnt to live by certain rules, cooking, eating, and performing mundane duties like cleaning the toilets.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRANA Yoga practice works with the energy (prana) to purify all the systems, including the mind and the way it operates.

In this domain the Yoga-Sutra identifies five problems preventing the mind from functioning well: confusion, ego-ism, craving (I want), rejection (I don’t want), and fear.

These behaviours are regarded as “toxic waste” to be gotten rid of or at least diminished because they obstruct the path to Self-realisation. In hatha-yoga it is believed the most direct and efficient way to cleanse ourselves is to work with our breath (pranayama). It is even said the practice of pranayama alone can yield extraordinary results.

ANATOMY OF A YOGI The removal of obstructions to let energy circulate freely is a central idea of the HathaYoga-Pradipika. To explain this we can compare the person to a sprawling

Janet Lau in Camatkarasana (Wild Thing)

metropolis where the suburbs are connected by a wide network of roads that criss-cross, overlap, and intersect.

The suburbs represent our vital functions and the roads represent a network of channels called nadis. The big intersections are cakras (energy centres). The job of the nadis is to carry energy everywhere. When we are healthy these paths are free of obstructions and our energy is distributed in just the right amount to support the physical systems and the subtle mechanisms like sensory perception, the ability to listen, remember, etc. Hatha-yoga texts tell us we have thousands of nadis but that they are not all equal. Some hatha-yoga texts say we have 72,000 nadis, or 86,000, or 108,000.

Three nadis can be looked upon as “prana highways”. They are called ida, pingala, and sushumna. Ida and pingala are lateral channels originating at the base of the trunk, respectively left and right of the centre; they run from there to the space in the centre of the head between the eyebrows, but they do not go up in a straight line. Their paths curve like U turns, left to right, right to left, crossing one another. Sushumna, the central nadi, is the only one that runs a straight course all the way up.

These three channels intersect in “hubs” the cakras. Incidentally, if we link this with modern anatomy, all of this happens along the spine, the axis of our body and “superhighway” of our nervous system.

Everything would be fine if prana moved smoothly and if it were balanced in each part.

This would be the equivalent of complete health, from yoga’s point of view. But for the majority of people prana does not move well; in some cases, it does not move at all.

The problem becomes a little more complicated because when prana is stuck the toxins accumulate. Think about a big traffic jam turning into gridlock. Toxic matter can be blocked in any part of the system, creating knots in other parts. Toxic matter here does not just refer to physical impurities but also to a negative mind-set, as indicated earlier.

SMOOTH TRAFFIC The Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika, being a very symbolic and poetic text, describes this stuck energy as a coiled snake – Kundalini. The aim of hatha-yoga is clearly stated: the coiled snake must be “un-coiled”, knots must be undone, blockages must be removed so prana can move unhindered. Once it starts moving, it flows in all channels and eventually, as the yogi gains more expertise in the practice, it is directed in the two lateral paths. Finally it enters the middle path (sushumna).

Because the entrance of this middle path is symbolically located at the base of the trunk, behind the base of the spine, the metaphor suggests Kundalini, the coiled snake, is asleep in the entrance. The Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika lists a number of techniques focusing on the lower abdomen and lower back to “awaken” the snake, which means to unlock this area and help energy move in that space. In hathaJanuary 2017

yoga, Kundalini’s slumber at the entrance of the sublime middle path is the symbol of heaviness and ignorance (tamas), in contrast with the lightness and radiance of wisdom (sattva) cultivated by the yogi.

Obviously, these flamboyant metaphors only serve to illustrate a message: it is actually prana, the life-force, that has to be unleashed. It is prana that enters the “royal” path and moves inside it. The end of the process is the merging with Pure Consciousness, a state of wholeness impossible to describe, where the mind is completely dissolved. It does not cease to exist but it is obsolete because it has fulfilled its purpose.

Although this process may seem esoteric, we should attempt to understand it from the perspective of yoga rather than from a scientific viewpoint. Prana and the mind are not tangible entities like organs or muscles.

We cannot see these mysterious dimensions but we know they exist because they manifest as breath and thoughts.

If the movement of prana is restricted, it is of no use to us. Likewise, if the mind down is bogged in all sorts of negative behaviours, it is of no use to us. What the yogis of the past discovered is still true today: working with prana helps to refine the mind, and both of them are instruments of our liberation.

This is the message of hatha-yoga.

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Nauli

DRISTI

DETOXIFICATION IS THE KEY

Lessons from Hatha Yoga Pradipika & Ayurveda

BY MAS VIDAL

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP) is a unique text of the Nath yogis that enumerates some interesting methods for purifying the body.

chapter prior to the last chapter on samadhi (liberation) indicates the importance of a clean body to attain spiritual freedom.

Swami Svatmarama, the chief disciple of Swami Goraknath authored it during the medieval period. Evidently, Matsyendranath, founder of the Nath (synonym for Shiva) cult along with Goraknath understood clearly the importance of mind-body purification as requisites for spiritual evolution and thus created a six-fold system (shat-karma) of detoxification.

This article highlights the correlation the detoxifying actions described in chapter two of the HYP with those mentioned in the main Ayurvedic text, Charaka Samhita.

This popular yoga text is composed of four chapters. In brief, the first chapter deals with postural yoga (asana); chapter two deals with the six actions of purification (shatkarma and pranayama); chapter three describes the physical gestures and energy locks (mudras and bandhas), and chapter four discusses spiritual liberation (samadhi). The placement of the shatkarmas (purification practices) in the second 40

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Interestingly, the HYP methods have much in common with those used in Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science of self-healing. Similarly, Ayurvedic mastermind Charaka, devised a five-fold system (pancha karma) for purification of the doshas (vata, pitta & kapha) to improve the mind-body relationship.

The concept of detoxification, which boldly appears in both yoga and ayurvedic systems, demonstrates a long history of interconnectedness between the two sciences.

While yoga is mostly a science focused on expansion of awareness or consciousness

The most important consideration [is] detoxification ... occurs slowly as a ANCIENT lifelong process ANSWERS TO MODERN QUESTIONS How Hatha Yoga Pradipika helped me Live my Yoga DRISTI

beyond the illusions of the material world, Ayurveda has mostly been centered on healing of the physical body as it embraces the science of tri-dosha, which follows the biological forces of air fire and water.

CAUSES OF TOXICITY The Vedantic concept of maya holds that this world appears as an illusion that produces desires that perpetuate the cycles of birth and death (samsaras). The Buddha proclaimed suffering is an inevitable part of life and is the direct result of samsara, which leaves us with the residues of samskaras (seed-habit tendencies). Samskaras can be of three types, pure (sattva), active (rajas) and dull (tamasic). The later two are responsible for producing toxicity in the body as a result of poor eating habits and imbalanced daily and seasonal lifestyles.

The most important consideration of Ayurveda with regards to detoxification is healing occurs slowly as a life-long process, because health and wellness are not merely focused on the physical anatomy and systemic functions, but includes increasing present moment consciousness of the mind, emotions and purification from patterns not in accord with natural evolution.

The HYP lists six main factors that create toxins in mind-body complex and thus create the need for purification. “Overeating (increases kapha), exertion (loss of ojas), talkativeness-gossip, adhering to rules (pitta), being in the company of common people (society) and unsteadiness (vata) are causes which destroy yoga.”

SIX YOGIC PURIFICATION ACTIONS The HYP enumerates six purification practices that yogi’s can implement for internal cleansing of the body and mind.

Although it is important to note these practices are quite austere and require training or supervision by a trained yogi.

These are kapalabhati (pranayama), neti (nasal cleansing), dhouti (stomach cleansing), nauli (abdominal undulations), trataka (eye and nerve purification), basti (enema).

Each of these focuses on areas of the body where the doshas accumulate and creates obstacles for the expansion of consciousness. Kapalabhati pranayama is one of the best exercises for removing congestion and dullness from the sinuses and mind. Neti requires flushing the nose with water or other methods which include use of a cloth, milk or ghee. Neti is a powerful

practice for improving respiration in general, but more importantly it helps the lungs expand to the fullest capacity, a key factor for enhancing meditation. Dhouti involves swallowing a long cloth or drinking large amounts of salt water to induce vomiting.

These first four actions are mostly aids in reducing kapha from its sight in the stomach, lungs and upper respiratory tract.

Nauli is also an important practice to release pitta from its sight in the small intestine and mid-abdomen in general. Trataka purifies the eyes of excess pitta, as the radiant glow of ghee induces the eyes to tear, flushing out the tear ducts, thereby cooling the eyes and brain where heat rises from excess fire in the gastro intestinal tract. Basti is a strong way to cleanse the rectum and lower colon of excess vata, where apana (downward prana) is commonly blocked.

Three of Ayurveda’s five (pancha karma) actions are the same as the yogic practices of nasal cleansing, enemas and stomach cleansing. The key point is yogic purification addresses crucial sites where doshas accumulate. Most importantly, both yoga and Ayurveda detoxification were designed with awareness of the two main physical areas with very subtle mystical sensitivity. These being the base of the spine where the nadis (subtle pranic channels) are linked and at the top of the nose at the spiritual eye, both of these areas are controlled by apana vayu (descending prana) and udana vayu (ascending prana), the main forces responsible for controlling the mind and attainment of Samadhi (liberation).

PHYSICAL PURIFICATION LEADS TO SPIRITUAL FREEDOM Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” a reminder the body is the real physical temple of God, although, for that consciousness to exist, the body must be clear of impurities of the doshas.

The six-fold system of the HYP aligns perfectly with the ayurvedic intention of removing the obstacles of the doshas. Both yoga and Ayurveda recognize the importance of integral healing with such purifying practices, however Ayurveda provides more detailed wisdom on maintaining balance of the body according the seasons and various stages of life, along with diet and uses of herbal medicines that can bring much efficiency to anyone’s hatha yoga practice.

The balance of yoga and Ayurveda is sure to bring success if practiced with regularity and according to ones doshas and karmic code.

January 2017

BY GABRIELLE MCMAHON

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (HYP) has been an excellent resource for answering many questions I’ve had during my years of yoga practice. Using Swami Muktibodhananda’s 2009 translation of HYP as my reference, I offer my own interpretation to readers.

“Your body’s changing” a friend told me.

Lovely to hear, even though I didn’t start yoga to improve my physical appearance.

Rather it was the sheer joy I experienced in class, and the break it gave me from my stressful career. Fortunately I had been learning about the power of the ego in yoga class, so didn’t get too taken by the flattery.

SO WHAT IS THIS PRACTICE FOR? For those with a dedicated practice, it is possible to go beyond the simple by-products such as a slimmer body, healthier glow, positive attitude or realization of higher mental potential.

The abilities which come to us are not the end goal, but rather in chapter 1, verse 2, HYP reminds us to “use the power for good.” The gifts along the path to enlightenment should not distract us from experiencing the universal spirit.

Through my yoga career, I’ve tried many different practices and systems. Though I always come back to the original practice my guru taught me.

SHOULD I TRY MANY STYLES? “The highest state of raja yoga is unknown due to misconceptions [darkness] created by 41

there are many ways of reaching the goal as there are individuals in the world. varying ideas and concepts.” This quote from HYP chapter 1, verse 3 seems to recommend we stick with one style rather than dabbling in lots of different styles.

Many of us are tempted to move to different styles of yoga or different teachers when we don’t agree, understand or are impatient with our existing practice or teacher. Such is the prevalent behavior of our society, My guru would often say to me “with the grace of your guru you can enlighten.” I wondered about this, as I thought I was the one doing all the work.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A GURU? The guru is mentioned several times in HYP, namely chapter 1, verse 1 & 14, and in chapter 4, verses 8 & 9: “…yoga should be practiced in the way instructed by the guru.” Fortunately I already had a living guru to give me the lessons and knowledge I needed to progress along the path. I offer him respect and a deep sense of love and devotion.

And there’s further clarification on where that path leads “he reflects the brilliance of your spirit and what you see in him is actually your own self.” Which I have understood to mean that there is a guru within me as well.

But even under the guidance of a guru, this has been a challenging journey, full of ups and downs, stops and starts.

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO KEEP UP OUR PRACTICE? HYP speaks of six obstacles to yoga, yoga being the union of the pranic and mental energy flowing in the body. To achieve this, it is stated in chapter 1, verse 15 that we “… must avoid all activities which waste energy and distract the mind.”

These activities include overeating, over 42

exertion of the mind or body, talkativeness, adhering to rules, being in the company of common people and finally unsteadiness.

Overeating is seen as a major obstacle, as it makes the mind and body sluggish and one’s energy goes towards processing and removing the toxins rather than to progressing in your practice.

Around this festive period, it is important to be mindful of where our precious energy goes. The consumption and processing of food, being overworked, over exercised, over stimulated and over conversed, can limit our potential to rise to higher spiritual thinking and being, when we need it the most!

I always wanted to be successful at yoga, and thought if I could do Padmasana (Lotus Pose), that would be a great achievement. So as a new student I asked my teacher “how long before I can sit in Padmasana?” He answered “…if you practice Badhakonasana (Butterfly Pose) every day for three months you should be able to do it.” I practiced it for a few weeks along with other morning poses for my yoga teacher training. However I saw little progress, I lost hope, focus, was lazy, I’m not sure, but I didn’t continue the recommended pose.

HOW CAN WE SUCEED? My initial enthusiasm waned, the gains were not coming quickly enough for me when I realised I had to put more effort into it and persevere. I was holding myself back.

Chapter 1, verse 16i talks of “Courage, NAMASKAR

perseverance and faith go hand in hand…”

This was my first lesson in respecting that yoga is a journey, it can take a whole life time and I learned to develop a positive attitude, to persevere and to have an unshakeable faith in my practice that I was going in the right direction. I quickly learned to have greater discrimination over the company I kept, as well as in all my daily activities – eating, talking, and material possessions. It’s still a daily work in progress.

AND WHERE ARE WE GOING? If “samadhi …eliminates death and takes one to the greatest bliss of Brahma,” (chapter 4, verse2) then why are we not all practicing with dedication and determination? Why do many of us start and not continue our practice? Maybe because we can’t imagine what a state of bliss might be like and how it would add value to our lives.

It requires qualities we may be still developing: determination, dedication, correct practice, time, after all “…there are many ways of reaching the goal as there are individuals in the world.”

Maybe we can focus on the process of raising our consciousness by the things we do each day, take advantage of the opportunities presented to us to be better people. To be kind and compassionate in our daily activities, to be patient with our families and co-workers. To have compassion for ourselves as well. To live mindfully is a stepping stone to discovering that greatest bliss within us. This is living our Yoga.

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Lord Vishnu did bless her though with the boon that the gods would be with her forever and that her stone form would be a sacred and powerful form. That stone is believed to be in present day Gaya in Bihar.

The seated twist, Mareechi Asana is named after Sage Mareechi. Mareechi symbolizes great power, wisdom and the cosmic force of creation.

MYTHOLOGY

THE SAGE MAREECHI

BY TIA SINHA Sage Mareechi (Marichi) is one of the seven Brahmarishis. These were seven great sages also known as ‘Saptarishis’, the Sanskrit name for the constellation, the Great Bear.

Sage Mareechi was one of Lord Brahma’s sons.

Legend has it that Mareechi was also one of the ten ‘Prajapatis’. These beings were created by Brahma from his own mind to help him create the universe. They were therefore also referred to as ‘Manasputra’ or sons born from the mind.

Dharmavrata was confused about her duties to her husband and her duties to her fatherin-law. In order not to offend her father-inlaw, she stopped washing her husband’s feet in order to attend to Lord Brahma. Sage Mareechi did not appreciate the unfinished business of washing of feet.

Enraged, Sage Mareechi cursed Dharmavrata. The curse turned Dharmavrata into a stone forever. (Some husbands can be truly charming!) Even Lord Brahma, Dharmavrata’s powerful father-law could not undo the curse as Sage Mareechi was so powerful. Even Dharmavrata’s meditations and entreaties, in the form of a stone, to Lord Vishnu could not help her.

The Sanskrit name Patanjali is a compound word made of the prefix pat which means “to fall”, and the word anjali, which refers to the gesture of placing the hands together, slightly hollowed, usually in reverence, supplication or offering. Patanjali therefore means “one who fell into hands placed in reverence”.

The story of his birth is itself a great teaching. Anjali mudra brings both the hands together, symbolizing the union of the left and right sides of the body. These represent the two poles of duality, prana and citta shakti, or yin and yang; complementary forces in the inner and outer universe that come together into wholeness when we perform this gesture.

In most yoga classes we bring the hands together, palms touching at the heart, but anjali mudra can also be done with the hands held out, open and slightly apart, as shown in the image. The slight hollowing of the palms represents our inner emptiness, letting everything go to create space for offering and receiving. When our inner and outer being comes together in this way, whatever we offer is sacred and whatever we receive is divine.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says: Whatever is offered to me with devotion – be it a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water I accept that devotional offering.

(Chapter 9, verse 26)

Great power & a bad temper

Another legend tells us about Sage Mareechi’s short temper. One evening, the sage came back exhausted from the forest where he had gone to collect some wood and flowers. He asked his wife Dharmavrata to wash his feet. While the obedient wife was washing her husband’s feet, out of the blue, Lord Brahma happened to pay them a visit.

great sage, composing a range of texts including the Yoga Sutras as well as important commentaries on the system of Ayurveda and Sanskrit grammar.

MYTHOLOGY

LESSONS FROM PATANJALI Receiving the Divine Offering

BY CHARU RAMESH There are many myths surrounding the birth of the sage Patanjali. In one of the myths, his mother was a skilled yogini, who desired a son to whom she could pass on her wisdom and knowledge.

One morning she was praying at the river, with her hands placed in anjali mudra filled with water that she was offering to the Sun. As she raised her hands and made her offering, a tiny snake fell into her cupped palms. She accepted him as a gift from the heavens and raised him as her son, calling him Patanjali. Patanjali went on to become a January 2017

Thus it is not what is offered which is important, rather how it is offered. In the space of offering, I can let go of my agendas, my desires, my sense of me, and out of this letting go, a pure and clear offering can be made. At the same time, the process of pure giving invites me to surrender and be an empty vessel, and somewhat paradoxically, allows me to receive whatever comes my way.

I can then trust that whatever the universe gives me will be what is best for me and accept it gratefully, just as Patanjali’s mother accepted the snake that fell into her hands and her life.

The attitude of open-heartedness with which I made my offering is the same attitude that allows me to receive reverentially what comes back to me from the universe. And what may at first seem like a surprising gift turns out to be one that has the potential to change not just our lives but those of countless others.

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creatures, we have still in the last one hundred years, managed to fly. How? Not by breaking the laws of nature, but through a deeper understanding of the laws of nature.

So the technology we are going to explore in this book is a small part of the much deeper science that eventually enables an adept to take the very process of life and death into his or her hands.”

Sadhguru is the founder of Isha Foundation, India. He is sought after by prestigious global forums today such as the United National Millennium Peace Summit, The Australian Leadership Retreat and the World Economic Forum.

INNER ENGINEERING – A YOGI’S GUIDE TO JOY

That path is still with us as a living tradition of meditation practices that cultivate love (maitri in Sanskrit), compassion (karuna in Sanskrit), sympathetic joy (mudita in Sanskrit), and equanimity (upeksha in Sanskrit). Together, they are known as the Four Immeasurable attitudes or the Brahma-viharas in Sanskrit and Pali.

Brahma means ‘heavenly’ and Vihara means ‘abode’ or ‘home’. When we cultivate these four qualities, we establish love (the wish for oneself and all beings to be happy), compassion (the wish for oneself and all beings to be free from suffering), sympathetic joy (delighting in one’s own happiness and the happiness of others) and equanimity (our ability to live free from clinging attachment to some and aversion to others) as our home.

By Sadhguru REVIEWED BY SWATI PANDEY

Sadhguru shares how each one of us can design our own destiny and gives tools for us to be able to do so. Given the human mechanism is nothing but a composite of body, mind and energy, he shows how to work on these layers and re-wire ourselves so joyfulness becomes a sustained state of being in us.

He says: “Although we are wingless 46

“Spiritual practice, by uprooting our personal mythologies of isolation, uncovers the radiant, joyful heart within each of us and manifests this radiance to the world. We find, beneath the wounding concepts of separation, a connection both to ourselves and to all beings. We find a source of great happiness that is beyond concepts and beyond convention. Freeing ourselves from the illusion of separation allows us to live in a natural freedom rather than be driven by preconceptions about our own boundaries and limitations.”

The Buddha described the spiritual path that leads to this freedom as “the liberation of the heart which is love.” He taught a systematic, integrated path that moves the heart out of isolating contraction into true connection.

BOOK REVIEW

Sadhguru’s latest book “Inner Engineering – A Yogi’s Guide to Joy” is a must read for yoga practitioners or just for anyone who “seeks”.

Born to a non yoga family, a father who is a physician, Sadhguru shares his own journey of self transformation in the first part of this book. A skeptic by nature and logical in his approach, his moment of enlightenment left him ecstatic and baffled. He shares how this changed his experience of life and kindled the desire to bring this experience of joy and bliss to the whole world. The content of this book does not come from books or scriptures, it comes from direct experience.

The book is thought-provoking, rich with insights, answers and methods. There is also a small chapter dedicated to what yoga means.

Instead we often contract, fear intimacy, and suffer a bewildering sense of separation. We crave love, and yet we are lonely. Our delusion of being separate from one another, of being apart from all that is around us, gives rise to all of this pain. What is the way out of this?

BOOK REVIEW

LOVINGKINDNESS, THE REVOLUTIONARY ART OF HAPPINESS

By Sharon Salzberg REVIEWED BY TIA SINHA Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being, something that needs our love.

- Rainer Maria Rilke In Sharon Salzberg’s words, “Throughout our lives we long to love ourselves more deeply and to feel connected with others.

NAMASKAR

In this beautifully written book, Sharon Salzberg shows us how to develop lovingkindness in our hearts. Great love or lovingkindness, according to Buddhism, is the wish, “May all beings be happy and have the causes of happiness”. The practice of lovingkindness or metta in Pali affirms and honours a core goodness in ourselves and others, and every being’s wish to be happy.

Metta is the ability to embrace all parts of ourselves, as well as all parts of the world.

Metta is its own support, and thus it is free of inherently unstable conditions. Metta occurs in timelessness. Metta takes us outside the realm of time, expectation and disappointment.

She discusses the two root meanings of the Pali word metta. One is the word for gentle.

Metta is likened to a gentle rain that falls upon the earth. The rain does not select and

choose – “I’ll rain here, and I’ll avoid that place over there.” It simply falls without discrimination.

The practice of metta, uncovering the force of love that can uproot fear, anger and guilt begins with befriending ourselves. The foundation of metta is to know how to be our own friend. According to the Buddha, “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” With metta practice we uncover the possibility of truly respecting ourselves.

We discover, as Walt Whitman put it, “I am larger and better than I thought. I did not think I held so much goodness.”

Confidence in our innate potential to be loving human beings empowers the cultivation of metta. Our potential to love is very real and is somehow not destroyed, no matter what we experience, all of the mistakes we might make, all of the times we are caught in reaction, all of the times we have caused pain, all of the times we have suffered. Throughout everything, our potential to love remains intact and pure.

Through practising metta in meditation and in daily life, we cultivate this potential.

entail the practice of all the Four Immeasurables in any given moment. And how ethics or non-harming conduct can be found in the Four Immeasurables, the Brahma-viharas, the heavenly abodes that are the revolutionary source of true happiness.

She discusses in depth, hindrances to cultivating each of the four Brahma-viharas and suggests concrete steps to overcome them.

This classic containing traditional Buddhist meditation techniques to open the heart is dotted with personal anecdotes from Sharon’s life as a student of meditation and later as a meditation teacher and with quotes from the creations of writers and poets who have influenced her, in addition to examples and quotes from Buddhist texts. This classic is a gem which one who is committed to opening their heart could easily visit and relish bit by bit every day for an entire year.

The very simple and practical meditation techniques explained here can become a part of one’s life and help one transform one’s negative mind into a positive, wholesome, allinclusive and joyful one.

Sharon also shares techniques to develop compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.

She devotes a chapter each to generosity and ethics. She shows us how generosity can

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LIVE & RAW EGG NOG

Guilt-free holiday favourite

Raw

RECIPES

RAW ALFREDO SAUCE WITH TRUFFLE OIL

BY MOISES MEHL, RAW FOOD CHEF, NOOD FOOD

INGREDIENTS Serves 5 shots of 60 ml 1 cup almond milk (250 ml) 1/3 cup cold pressed coconut oil (75 ml) ½ cup raw cashews soaked for 1 hr (60 gr) 1/3 cup fresh Thai Coconut Pulp 3 Tbs raw honey (75 gr) or (maple syrup for a vegan version) 1/8 tsp Turmeric powder 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 vanilla pod or 4 drops of vanilla extract METHOD Place all ingredients on a high speed blender and blend until fully emulsified. Place in small shot glasses and add a dash of cinnamon for decoration.

Keeps refrigerated for 2-3 days

For Zoodles or Raw Risotto

BY TINA BARRAT, RAW CHEF & INSTRUCTOR, MAYA CAFE

INGREDIENTS 300 gr cashew nuts soaked for 1 hour or overnight (drained and rinsed) 2 cups drinking water to cover cashew nuts in the blender 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp Himalayan salt 1/2 tsp Cracked black pepper 2 tbsp good Truffle oil METHOD Throw all the ingredients in the blender and process until smooth. Adjust the seasonning if necessary.

This sauce goes with zoodles (zucchini spagetti) or hot pasta and even works as veggies dip or anything calling for a creamy sauce, enjoy!

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DIRECTORY

Guide to yoga studios & teachers

ANAHATA VILLAS & SPA RESORT Ubud, Bali, Indonesia s: group retreats, yoga for private & corporates. Yoga studio available for rent. l: Indonesian & English t: (62) 361 8987 991/ 8987 992 / (62) 811 8748 910 / (62) 811 1442 233 f: +62 361 8987 804 e: sm@anahataresort.com / info@anahataresort.com w: www.anahataresort.com ANAHATA YOGA 18/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Yoga therapy, Yin and more. Groups & privates t: +852 2905 1922 e: enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk w: www.anahatayoga.com.hk ANANDA YOGA 33 & 34/F, 69 Jervois Street Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s: Private and Group Classes : Yoga Therapy (neck, shoulder, back, hip, knee and joints), Hatha, Power, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Detox, Yin Yang, Kundalini, Chakra Balancing, Pranayama, Meditation l: English t: (825)35639371 e: adm.anandayoga.hk@gmail.com w: www.anandayoga.hk Anna Ng Privates d: Hong Kong s: Hatha yoga l: Cantonese t: (852) 9483 1167 e: gazebofl@netvigator.com BEING IN YOGA – SINGAPORE Teaching yoga in the tradition of T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar. s: yoga therapy (customized personal practice), teacher training (Yoga Alliance RYS 500 52

hours+), in-depth yoga studies, small group classes for children and adults, workshops, meditation classes, Vedic chanting, continuing education for yoga teachers. Certified Teacher Trainer – Yoga Therapist - E-RYT 500 RYS 500 t: +65-9830-3808 e: beinginyoga@gmail.com w: www.beinginyoga.com B.K.S. IYENGAR YOGA ASSOCIATION OF MACAU 174, Rua de Pequim, Edif Centro Com. Kong Fat, 7A, Macau s: Iyengar t:(853)2882 3210/6662 0386 e:yoga@macau.ctm.net w:www.iyengar-yoga-macauchina.com David Kim Yoga E-RYT 500+, Senior YogaWorks and YogaWise Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer;International TTs, Workshops & Retreats d: USA, Japan, China, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, Greece s: Yin Yoga, YogaWorks, Vinyasa Flow l: English, some Korean t: +1 310 480 5277 e: david@davidkimyoga.com w: www.davidkimyoga.com FLEX STUDIO Island South Shops 308-310 One Island South, 2 Heung Yip Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong s: Vinyasa, Power, Detox, Hatha, Pre-Natal, Kids Yoga t: + 852 2813 2212 f: + 852 2813 2281 e: info@flexhk.com Central 3/F Man Cheung Building, 15- 17 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong s: Detox, Power, Pre-Natal Yoga t: + 852 2813-2399 f: + 852 2812 6708 e: central@flexhk.com www.flexhk.com

IYENGAR YOGA CENTRAL s: Boutique studio with Iyengar Yoga classes; flexible timings for corporate wellness, small groups, and privates l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin, French, Malay t: +852 2982 4308 e: yogacentralhk@gmail.com w: www.yogacentral.com.hk fb: Iyengar-Central MND STUDIO 7/F Tack Building, 48 Gilman Street, Central, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Yin, Therapy, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Pilates Equipped yoga studio for groups, privates, aerial yoga classes and workshops. t: +852 5400 8824 e: info@mndasia.com w: www.mndasia.com PURE YOGA China L6-615 iapm mall, 999 Huai Hai Zhong Road, Xuhui District Shanghai t: +86 21 5466 1266 Hong Kong 16/F The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, Central t: +852 2971 0055 25/F Soundwill Plaza, 38 Russell St, Causeway Bay t: +852 2970 2299 14/F Peninsula Office Tower, 18 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon t: +852 8129 8800 9/F Langham Place Office Tower, 8 Argyle Street, Kowloon t: +852 3691 3691 4/F Lincoln House, TaiKoo Place, 979 King’s Rd, Quarry Bay t: +852 8129 1188 2/F Asia Standard Tower, 59 Queen’s Road, Central t: + 852 3524 7108 Level 1 The Pulse, 28 Beach

NAMASKAR

Road, Repulse Bay t: +852 8200 0908 3/f Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Admiralty t: +852 8105 5838 Singapore 391A Orchard Road, #18-00 Ngee Ann City Tower A t: +65 6733 8863 30 Raffles Place, 04-00 Chevron House t: +65 6304 2257 Taiwan 151 Chung Hsiao East Road, Sec 4, Taipei t: +886 02 8161 7888 4/f Urban One, 1 Qingcheng St, Taipei t: +886 02 8161 7868 Ling Yoga and Wellbeing, Private Yoga Teacher, Privates, Groups, Corporates, Free Yoga Community Event: Yoga in the Park with Ling www.meetup.com/ yogaintheparkhk d: Hong Kong, China s: Yoga Therapy, Sivananda, Hatha, Svastha, Mindfulness, Yin, Breathing (Pranayama), Guided Meditation, Total Relaxation (Yoga Nidra) l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin t: +852 9465 6461 e: yogawithling@gmail.com w: www.facebook.com/ yogawithling RED DOORS STUDIO 21/f, 31 Wong Chuk Hang Rd s: Gong meditation and training, labyrinth facilitation and construction, kundalini therapeutic yoga and complementary practices to elevate energy. Multiple studio spaces available to rent. t. +852 21110 0152 e. info@red-doors.com w. www.red-doors.com SPACE YOGA s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Advanced, Flow, Yin, Yin Yang, Restorative,

namaskar Hot, Yin/Meditation, Pranayama, Mat Pilates, Jivamukti, Universal, Myofascial Release Yoga, Mindful Yoga, Rope Wall Yoga, Yoga Nidra and Yoga Therapy l: English and Mandarin w: www.withinspace.com An-Ho Studio 16 F, No. 27, An-Ho Road, Section 1 Taipei, Taiwan t: +886.2.2773.8108 Tien-Mu Studio #5, Lane 43, Tian-Mu E. Road, Taipei, Taiwan t: +886.2.28772108 Sravaniya DiPecoraro d:Hong Kong s: LifePath Yoga Philosophy, Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras; beginners and advanced; ACBSP disciple (1971), YA ERYT500, Sivananda Certified (1991) l: English and Mandarin t: +852 9856 0799 e: info@lifepath.am w: www.lifepath.am THE YOGA ROOM 3, 4, 6, 16/F (Studios) & 15/F (Office) Xiu Ping Commercial Bldg, 104 Jervois St, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Hot, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Candlelight Yin, Yoga Therapy, Jivamukti, Hammock Yoga, Mindfulness Yoga, Detox Yoga, Pre-natal Yoga, Pre-natal Pilates, Mat Pilates, TRX, Kids Yoga and Mum & Baby Yoga l: English, Cantonese t: + 852 2544 8398 e: info@yogaroomhk.com w: www.yogaroomhk.com KUNDALINI @SHAKTI 7/F Glenealy Tower, 1 Glenealy, Central, Hong Kong. s: Kundalini, Reik healing, life coaching, Shamanic healing, Ayurveda, Feng Shui consultations, Angel Cards t: +852 2521 5099

e: info@shaktihealingcircle.com w: www.shaktihealingcircle.com THE COLLECTIVE, DESA SENI SCHOOL OF YOGA Jl. Subak Sari #13, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia s: Full service resort, Ashtanga, Embodied Flow, Hatha, Kundalini, Restorative, Tantra, Therapeutics, Yin, Yang, Vinyasa, Buddhist Meditation, Vedic Meditation. Teacher Trainings, Intensives, Privates, Workshops, specialising in hosting retreats. t: +62 361 844 6392 e: info@desaseni.com w: www.desaseni.com

4 times a year 6,000 yoga practitioners 32 countries

TRUE YOGA Singapore 9 Scotts Road, Level 4, Pacific Plaza, Singapore 228210 t: +65 6733 9555 9 Scotts Road, Level 5, Pacific Plaza (Bikram Original Hot Yoga), Singapore 228210 t: +65 6735 9555

DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES & SIZES Outside back cover HK$25,000 210 mm x 297 mm Inside front cover HK$3,500 210 mm x 297 mm Inside back cover HK$2,700 210 mm x 297 mm Full page HK$2,200 210 mm x 297 mm 1/2 page (horizontal) HK$1,500 180 mm x 133.5 mm 1/2 page (vertical) HK$1,500 88 mm x 275 mm 1/4 page HK$700 88 mm X 133.5 mm 1/8 page HK$440 88 mm x 66 mm

Taiwan 337 Nanking East Road Section 3, 9 & 10/F, Taipei T: +886 22716 1234 68 Gongyi Road, West District 12 & 13/F, Taichung t: +886 43700 0000 s: Ashtanga, Bikram, Flow, Gentle, Hatha, Kids, Power, PreNatal, Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Dance w: www.trueyoga.com.sg / www.trueyoga.com.tw WISE LIVING YOGA ACADEMY 198 Moo 2, Luang Nuea, Doi Saket, Chiang Mai, Thailand s: Classical Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Yoga Therapy t: +66 8254 67995 e: info@wiselivingyoga.com w: www.wiselivingyoga.com

LISTINGS Individual listing Studio listing

HK$640 HK$1,300

for full or partial year for full or partial year

PUBLICATION DATES, BOOKING & MATERIAL DEADLINES Publication date Booking Deadline Material Deadline January December 1 December 10 April March 1 March 10 July June 1 June 10 October September 1 September 10 NOTES Advertising materials should in black & white and submitted as 300 dpi high resolution .tif files (no pdf or ai files please) Listings should be submitted as text only (approx 35 words) PAYMENT Payments should be made in Hong Kong dollars to: Namaskar c/o Carol Adams, Flat 101, Block L, Telford Gardens, Kowloon, Hong Kong INFORMATION Carol +44 75432 55886 / carol@caroladams.hk Frances +852 9460 1967 / fgairns@netvigator.com

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