Power Your Practice with Basics of Yoga

Nikita Gupta, Mumbai

At yoga studio, we receive many enquiries frequently from new yogis, particularly for weight loss. New yogis, here, mean who have very little knowledge (basic) about the tradition of yoga and its practices.

As the yoga teacher, we get the opportunity to converse with many kinds of people, specifically on phone.  Sometime we enjoy the conversation; sometime we don’t know what to say to the person on other side of receiver.

Asking precise questions is the key to get right information but many new yogis fail to put their curiosity and confusion in defined questions.

To understand their queries, we need to ask back few questions. Some of them get intimidated by our questions. But it is actually required if a new yogi wants to make the informed decision.

Though all information is available at the fingertip, very few take the trouble to go through it before making an enquiry. Without sufficient knowledge (basic), some new yogis expect the answers what they want to hear, not the right information. However, only correct information can actually help you to make a right decision. 

 Let me share excerpts from a typical telephonic conversation which goes like this:

“Do you teach power yoga or normal yoga?” asks New Yogi. (Here normal yoga means traditional yoga--hatha yoga.)

“We teach hatha yoga.”

“What is that?”

“Hatha yoga, is traditional form of yoga, a physical branch of yoga is called hatha yoga.”

“Can weight loss happen with traditional yoga?”

“Yes, you can lose the weight!”

“How many kgs (kilograms) I can lose in a month?”

“I can’t tell you this on phone now as I don’t have any idea what kind of lifestyle you are leading, your health issues if any and most important I haven’t seen you yet,” the teacher responds.

Many new yogis don’t find this answer from the yoga studio very encouraging as they just want absolute details of forthcoming results of their practice which they haven’t started yet. So new yogis, you may find such answers not so sweet but the teacher wants to help you to find what is best for you. Before thinking of joining a yoga class for weight loss, many try extreme dieting and few weight loss programs and then they think trying out yoga.

So we understand you want to enroll yoga class out of need, not out of love. But some basic research on different types of yoga on the internet will land you in the yoga studio which is best for you. You will be able to ask exact questions and the high possibility that you will receive accurate answers from the teacher who may suit you. 

Considering your major enquiries and misunderstandings, we are providing you very basic details of yoga (physical) practice. First and most important, every type of yoga (physical form) which is practiced on the mat is Hatha Yoga only. Iyengar Yoga, Asthanga Yoga (Mysore style), Bikram Yoga and even Power Yoga are all forms of hatha yoga. Lord Shiva is considered as the Adi Yogi—the first yogi. Matsyendrnath is known as the founder of hath yoga and the author of Hathayogapradipika, the ultimate guide of hatha yoga.  

Let’s understand in brief the difference between various types of hatha yoga.

What is Power Yoga?

The term power yoga was coined in 1990s. The American yoga teachers  Bryan Kest and Beryl Bender Rich recognized  as the originator of Power Yoga. This type of yoga mostly focuses on ultimate physical fitness and hence typical power yoga session will be more asana oriented than inclusive one with various practices like asanas, pranayamas, chanting and relaxation.

Power Yoga has its root in Mysore Style Ashthanga Yoga which was developed by K Pattabhi Jois. The founder of Power Yoga took few lessons of yoga from K Pattabhi Jois. You can learn more about the concept of power yoga and its origin here… http://www.poweryoga.net/history_of_power_yoga.html.

The power yoga taught in Indian yoga studios follow different styles. You may find that somewhere it is combined with aerobic exercises while some studios choose to conduct sweaty sessions, dominated by Surya Namaskaras, in the dark room without fans and are air conditions. You will find very few studios follow the original style of power Yoga.
Everyone is developing peculiar style of Power Yoga by combining various physical activities with the yoga practice.

What is Mysore style Ashtanga Yoga?

 As I mentioned earlier, this Asthanga Yoga (Mysore Style) was developed by K Pattabhi Jois. The earliest references suggest that Ashthang Yoga is recorded by  Sage Vaman Rishi in the text Yoga Korunta and then it was passed on to Guru Ram Mohan Brahmchari, who shared it with his disciple T Krishnamacharya. And K Pattanhi Jois received it from Krisnamacharya. Learn more about its history and lineage at http://kpjayi.org/the-practice/.

Now K Pattabhi Jois's daughter R Sarswati and her son Sharath Jois are taking Ashtanga Yoga tradition forward. You will find very few Ashtnaga Yoga (Mysore) teachers in your city and these teachers are listed on their website www.kpjayi.org.
You need lot of diligence to practice Ashthanga Yoga (Mysore Style) as it tests your patience, willpower and body's limitations.

What is Asthanga Yoga Marg?

The Ashthanga Yoga Marg is a comprehensive concept. It includes eight steps of yoga; Yama (restraints), Niyama (observances), Asana (postures), pranayamas (breathing exercises),  Pratyahar (control over five senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhayn (meditation) and Samadhi (meeting your consciousness). Asanas are one of the limbs of Ashthanga Yoga. This type of yoga is not limited to the session of studio but you have to follow it at many levels in your life.http://www.ashtanga.com/html/background.html.

What is traditional yoga?

The traditional yoga is yoga by Patanjali, which is also known as Raj Yoga or classical yoga or Patanjlai Yoga or Ashthanga Yoga. But when you actually enquire of traditional yoga at studio, you are referring to only physical practice. The physical dimension of yoga is known as hatha yoga. And hatha yoga is not only limited to asanas but it also includes kriyas, pranayamas, bandhas and mudras too.  The clarity of concepts is very important as we pass the information to someone else and we are passing it wrong. People with wrong information are more dangerous to the tradition of yoga than who don’t know anything about it. https://superyogis.blogspot.in/2016/04/understanding-hatha-yoga.html

Can traditional yoga (hatha yoga) help you to lose weight?

Yes, you can lose the weight with hatha yoga too. You can sweat while practicing hatha yoga too. Yoga doesn’t work directly on your fat but it works on your inner mechanism. The whole energy changes and you become more vigilant of diet and your whole lifestyle. Even physical form of yoga can build poise in you and make you more balanced and focused person. All the postures performed in yoga are with breathing sequence.

Surya Namaskras can work as the cardio exercise if done faster. Sun Saluations will strengthen and toned your body if you take time to stop in every posture. Along with weight and inches loss, you may lose your ample amount of stress.

With hatha yoga practice, your stiff shoulders will become active and mobile. The backache will settle down. You will feel more energetic throughout the day. It will increase your quality of body and mind which will result in quality life too. So you will receive much more than you expected. But some patience and faith is required. The fact is that you have not piled up extra pounds overnight and not built stress level in a day so you need to give few months to see some profound changes in yourself.

What is Iyengar Yoga?

The Iyanger Yoga, developed by B K S Iyengar, is very meticulous form of hatha yoga. The late Shri B K S Iyengar put lot of time and efforts to build distinct style of hatha yoga. This form of yoga is favored by intermediate level students. This type of yoga gives lot of focus on alignment. The props like ropes, belts, blocks and bolsters are used to make all alignments more precise.
http://www.yogajournal.com/category/yoga-101/types-of-yoga/iyngar/

What is Hot Yoga/Bikram yoga?

The term Hot Yoga and Bikram Yoga are interchangeable. This is very popular form of hatha yoga in US, was developed by Bikram Choudhary. The sessions are arranged in the pre heated room at 40 degree Celsius. Approximately 26 postures and two breathing exercises performed in every session which are structured by Bikram Choudhary in his distinct way. The only teachers who learn and complete nine weeks course with Bikram, are, allowed to teach hot yoga.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikram_Yoga

What is Yoga Therapy?

Yoga therapy is advised for the patients or specifically for individuals suffering from some chronic pain. For example, a person with Thyroid Disorder has to practice asanas and pranayamas that will stimulate his thyroid glands. An individual with high blood pressure or cardiac ailments may need to avoid few yogic practices completely depending on the seriousness of his condition. Yoga therapy requires much more knowledge and understanding of ailments and yoga. It is always advised to take yoga therapy from a trained certified teacher.

Note: You can practice yoga on the mat without any basic knowledge too, but the adequate information will make you feel more confident of your practice and the whole Yoga Tradition.

Seven Chakras: Science Meets Spirituality

Abhilasha Kale, photography by Sameer Kulkarni

I assume you feel fresh and energetic post your yoga session. That’s the way one should feel after yoga session. I also consider that you are a well informed yogi and you know the reasons behind good happy feelings which you experience following your yoga practice—happy hormones like oxytocin, endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine are released during your yoga practice. What stimulates the flow of hormones during the practice? Hormones can stream comfortably and joyfully with a better flow of energy in the body. The asana and pranayama practice works as the fuel to your body, allowing your energy to travel more freely and quickly throughout the body.

The positioning of seven chakras in a human body, in the spine, was confirmed by ancient yogis when the concept of modern science was not even conceived. We will surprise to know that all seven chakras are located close to seven major endocrine glands, which regulate levels of essential hormones in our body. It shows the great understanding of body mechanism on yogis' parts.

Our energy body (Pranamaya Kosha) is one of the five bodies of us. Prana means breath which equals to pranic energy. According to Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga, our presence is not limited to our physical body (Annamayakosha) but we have four more bodies— Pranamayakosha (Energy Body), Manomayakosha (Mental Body), Vijnanamayakosha (Intellectual Body/Wisdom) and Anandamayakosha (Bliss Body/ Consciousness)—five sheaths overlapping each others like onion layers. Prana (energy) flows throughout our subtle bodies—all sheaths.

This prana (energy flow) is governed by seven major energy centers which are called chakras. Our body, however, is the home to 114 chakras—out of these two are outside physical body. Like whirlpools, the chakras rotate at the speed of light in a clockwise direction. Activating and balancing the chakras considered as the one of the paths which helps you to realize your higher self or to connect your spiritual sel. You can call it enlightenment, kundalini awakening or simply a connection to the divine universal energy. 

The blockages in the chakras don’t allow you to live your life in fuller terms. What can obstruct a free flow of energy in our body? A positive energy flow is disturbed by a negative one. From where does this negative energy come from? It enters through our feelings/emotions in the physical body.  Though we all seek a simple and joyful life, we come across mess in the life from time to time. Intense emotional experiences and uncontrollable devastative life events bring with them sadness, guilt, fear, anxiety, depression, attachment, grief and hatred. These unhealthy emotions don’t allow energy to flow smoothly in a person’s body. Hatha Yoga (asanas, pranayamas, kriyas and mudras, please refer to Hatha Yoga post http://superyogis.blogspot.in/2016/04/understanding-hatha-yoga.html) counteracts negative energies and stabilizes the chakras, stimulating them to spin rhythmically.

Let’s understand the significance of each chakra, an endocrine gland associated with it and the feelings that may paralyze that respective chakra. The awareness of emotions motivates us to work on them and clear the disturbances in our energy flow. Depending on your capability and comfort, you can choose to practice any yoga techniques—hatha yoga, meditation or simply beej mantras to remove these blockages. Apart from above mentioned means, there are many techniques that can be used to open our chakras.
  
MULADHAR CHAKRA (ROOT CENTER)

Endocrine Gland & its Functions: This chakra associated reproductive glands—ovaries in women and testes in men, which secrete sex hormones. Ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone, helps developing breasts and regulates menstruation. Testosterone is produced by testes, promotes production of sperms and maintains sex drive.
Element: Earth
Sense: Smell
Beej Mantra: Lam

Significance: Muladhara chakra is the foundation that supports our survival instincts, so we need to keep this center strong and stable. Our lower body; includes legs, the base of spine and feet are governed by this center.  It gives you energy to meet your core needs easily.This is the base of our kundalini, the source of our energy—in the form of sexual energy. The journey towards higher spiritual self begins here. Your kundalini rises to the top (Sahasrara Chakra) as you start unblocking your chakras one by one.

Blockages: Located at the base of spine, this root chakra is blocked by fear, anxiety and doubts. To activate this chakra, you must face and surrender your fears and anxiety. Fears need not be very big, even a simple constant fear of failure in the exam, can put your muladhar off the track. But if you have studied hard enough you don’t need to worry about it. Just allow your results to unfold to you and be ready to accept them.

SWADHISHTHAN CHAKRA (THE SACRAL CENTER)

Endocrine Gland & its Functions: Adrenal glands are linked to the sacral centre which regulates our immune system and manages gastrointestinal functions.
Element: Water
Sense: Taste
Beej Mantra: Vam

Significance:  Swadhishthan can be translated as “one’s own abode”. Here “swa” means self and “stan” stands for dwelling place. The second chakra Swadhishthan located exactly below your navel centre takes care of all fluid movements in your body. This chakra is involved with sensuality, sexuality, creativity, joy, emotions, intimacy, and desires. Your circulation, urination, menstruation, orgasm and tears are taken care by this chakra.  Your sacral region, area of sexual organs, sacrum, lower back, womb, urinary bladder and kidney function nourished with Swadhishthan’s energy.

Blockages: You can access all kinds of pleasures and joys with the energy of Swadhishthan.  But a feeling of guilt doesn’t allow you to enjoy your life. We all feel guilty some or other time. But a continuous self-guilt will not allow you to celebrate any moment of your life. So first understand what do you blame yourself for? Accept the reality and forgive yourself. A very basic guilt of eating sweets when you are following a weight loss regime, can make you very irritable with own self. That sweet or chocolate pastry may not add any pounds to your body, but your guilt will certainly. The research has proved that when you release blockages in your mental/emotional body, you can shed weight  more easily.

MANIPURA CHAKRA (SOLAR PLEXUS)

Endocrine Gland & its Functions: Pancreas produces insulin, which maintains our blood sugar levels.
Element: Fire
Sense: Sight
Beej Mantra: Ram

Significance: The third chakra, Manipura, is located at the solar plexus, little above your navel centre. Manipura means "city of gems” and refers to a special kind sights—vision of your eyes as well as vision of your mind. This is also known as the “power centre” as you can manifest all your desires though this chakra. The Manipura governs our digestion and metabolism.

Blockages: It is blocked by a feeling of shame. You can unblock this chakra with the power of self-esteem and willpower. A feeling of shame doesn’t allow a person to rise in life. He always stays in abyss. Accepting and loving all aspects (dark, grey or white) of you is the key to find balance in this center, which is easier said than done. But you can gradually open this chakra with backward bending asanas, performed against the gravitational force, which helps you cultivating willpower.

ANAHATA CHAKRA (HEART CENTER)

Endocrine Gland & its functions: Thymus gland plays a vital role in regulating immune system.
Element: Air
Sense: Touch
Beej Mantra: Yum

Significance: Anahata chakra, the heart center, is the core of our being. The word Anahata mean “unstruck”.  The unstruck sound is known as Anahadnaad, manifested at heart chakra. It is known as primordial sound, which is beyond words. Located close to thymus gland, it takes care of your heart, upper chest, and upper back. The heart chakra governs the soft powers of life; love, affection, harmony and peace.

Blockages: This center is blocked by grief—the sadness you feel when you miss or lose somebody very dear or when your loved ones hurt you, or somebody breaks your faith. Feel the grief, accept the realities and practice asanas that will stimulate flow in your heart chakra, specifically asanas that promotes chest expansion, shoulder opening and neck tension releasing.

VISHUDDHI CHAKRA (THROAT CENTER)

Endocrine Gland & its Functions: Thyroid glands associated with this center regulate body temperature and metabolism.  It also plays a part in bone development by controlling calcium and phosphorous levels.
Element: Ether/Space
Sense: Sound
Beeja Mantra: Hum

Significance: The word shudhhi means “purification”. It’s a purification center of your body and mind, which helps you to express your true self. Your communication whether through speaking or writing, through music or dance or painting, is originated and refined here. The work on this chakra can make you a powerful person in any chosen area. It maintains health of neck, throat, jaw, mouth, vocal cords, larynx, thyroid and parathyroid glands. 

Blockages: Truth is the nature of this chakra. The lies hamper the balance of this chakra.  Lies are not only what you tell others, but lies which you tell yourself too. When you pretend things, behave and act as someone else, you are just closing your Vishudhha Chakra.   Accept your realities, good and bad, will pave the way for true empowerment. The empowerment which takes place in you when you accept the way you are, easily accept your flaws and effortlessly express your potentials.

AJNA CHAKRA (THIRD EYE CENTER)

Endocrine Gland & its Functions: Pituitary Gland produces hormones and governs the function of all five glands and regulates emotions and intellect. Many hormones like growth hormones, prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormones and oxytocin are produced by this gland.
Element: light
Sense: Sixth sense that includes clairvoyance and intuition.
Beej Mantra: Ma

Significance: The word ajna means command and that’s why it is known as the “command center”. The location of this chakra, third eye, is the place where the two main energy channels, ida and pingala, meet.  Ajna chakra is the seat of the mind, of conscious and unconscious awareness.  It governs your thoughts, dreams, imagination, and vision. You can visualize the past and imagine wonderful picture of the future with Ajna Chakra. It cultivates your Sixth sense includes clairvoyance,  clairaudience, telepathy, intuition, dreaming, imagination, and visualization.

Blockages: It is troubled by illusion—means realities which don’t exist. The illusion of separation puts out of rhythm.  We are all connected to each other. There is no separation.

SAHASRARA CHAKRA (CROWN CENTER)

Endocrine Gland & its Functions: Pineal Gland secretes melatonin, which regulates biological cycles including sleep.
Element: Thought
Sense: It takes you beyond all senses, closer to higher consciousness.
Beeja Mantra: Om

Significance: The word means Sahasrara means thousand. This chakra is depicted by a white shining lotus of thousand petals, which signifies higher consciousness, infinite being, kundalini awakening, pure bliss and enlightenment. Located at the crown of the head, Sahasrara Chakra connects us  with the divine energy or universal consciousness. It connects to you to your higher self. This is full expression of yoga—the unification of being with action of universality with individuality.

Blockages:  Your journey from Ajna to Sahasrara may take longer as we all have many attachments--attachment with loved ones, attachment with place, people and many materialistic things.  There is nothing wrong if you are attached to loved ones but it may come in your higher path. The practice of detachment will take you closer to higher self. Detachment doesn’t mean staying away from your near ones but you give them freedom to choose to do what they want. You give yourself freedom to love without any expectations.  Meditation will help you to get detached from your loved ones and love them eternally. 

References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StrbppmsZJw
Book: Swami-Satyananda-Saraswati---Asana-Pranayama-Mudra-Bandha

Can you Restore Balance in your Thyroid with Yoga?

Thyroid disorder has become common like cough and cold. You are either a person having some issue with your thyroid gland or you know at least a half dozen of women in your social circle with thyroid problem. Even men can have issues with their thyroid but women are more prone to it than men. Why thyroid is so rampant today? Medical specialists believe that this is a by-product of our wrong lifestyle and habits. The blame, off course, has to put on sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices.

Thyroid is a very important endocrine gland that regulates our both physical and mental health.  This butterfly shaped gland, located in front part of the neck, secretes T3 and T4 hormones which regulates our metabolism and also secretes important brain chemicals like endorphins, dopamine and adrenaline. The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, situated in the brain, control the thyroid. Pituitary gland, in turn, produces Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). The thyroid gland and TSH shares an inverse relationship—the high level of TSH results in an underactive thyroid gland (Hypothyroid—the gland produces too little hormones) that slows down the process of metabolism resulting in weight gain among people suffering from it. And the lower level of TSH induces hyperactivity in the gland (Hyperthyroid—the excess secretion by the gland), means extreme weight loss. 

Hypothyroid is more prevalent than hyperthyroid.  Along with weight gain, a person with hypothyroid may have accompanied symptoms like hair loss, dry and brittle hair, joint and muscle pains, water retention, depression and menstrual disorder. 

The problem in thyroid gland can have adverse impact on your energy center too, particularly in throat chakra (Visudhha Chakra). The major seven chakras are associated with our endocrine system. Thyroid Glands represent the fifth chakra Visudhha.  This energy center takes care of vital functions like communication and expression. A problem in expressing and communicating, thoughts and feelings, may dampen your self-confidence and a person may slip into a depression mode too.

A very easy treatment is available today. You can take thyroxin orally every day and set your problem. But this is not a solution. You may have to continue these pills for your lifetime. The dependency on pills may be so much that if you miss your doses for few days, your body and mind will start showing off all critical symptoms again. But discontinuing your medicine is not going to take anywhere.  Yoga can definitely help you to reduce your dependency on medicine.  There are many cases that many people have put their thyroid glands on balanced modes with yogic practice without medication. But such a decision must be taken always in consent with your physician or endocrinologist.

A person with hypothyroid can maintain a normal level of TSH by adapting a healthy lifestyle and practicing yoga regularly along with proper medication. Yogic practice is not limited to asanas. You have to work on four major pillars of yoga; Ahar (Diet), Vihar (recreation, asana practice, rest, and relaxation), Achar (Routines & Discipline) and Vichar (Constructive thoughts, change in mentality) to get the best for your thyroid.

Here are few crucial guidelines for food choices and yogic postures which can put your Thyroid glands in a corrective mode.  

As the food, so the mind

Underactive thyroid may create some vitamin and mineral deficiencies in your body according to nutritionists. So observing food vigilance will give you surprising benefits in the long run. Yoga believes, “As the food, so the mind and as the mind, so the man.” Follow some simple food guidelines given below mindfully, not blindly.  Always rely on locally grown seasonal food.
• Iodine plays a significant role in functioning of thyroid. It can be taken through water, iodized salt, sea vegetables, mushrooms, spinach, and garlic.
• Thyroid glands cannot utilize iodine without vitamin B. Vitamin B is found in dairy products, seeds, brown rice and bananas.
•  Zinc is needed to convert T4 into T3. You can get enough zinc through walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, spinach, kidney beans, flax seeds, lima beans, peanuts,  brown rice and the dark chocolate.
• You can rely on dried figs, dates, dark leafy green vegetables, nuts and whole grains for adequate intake of iron.
• Vitamin A is available in plenty in all orange colored fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, red pumpkin, papaya, dried apricots and beet root.
•  You can strengthen your immunity with vitamin C through citrus fruits like orange, lemon, sweet lemon and Indian gooseberry.
• Avoid soya products as soya is high in isoflavones, which are goitrogens—food that doesn’t allow thyroid glands to function properly.

Feel Body, Experience Healing

How can yoga help your sluggish butterfly gland to fly high? Some of these asanas put a gentle pressure on your thyroid while few increases blood flow to thyroid and pituitary glands—induces more hormone secretion by these glands.

Arzoo Bansal, Mumbai

Ustrasana (Camel Pose)
Limitations: spinal disorder, cardiac problems, severe arthritis, piles, varicose veins, hernia
Instructions:• Sit down in vajrasana.
• Place palms on the ground near your feet.
• Breathe in and slowly lift the pelvis, push your buttocks up, form arc of your body throwing head backwards.
 • Remain in this position for 5 to 10 seconds. Come back to the normal position breathing out.

Marjarasana (Cat Cow Pose)
Limitations: Avoid in case of severe knee pain or knee injury.
                                                                   Instructions:

Ketaki Poddar Sule

• Knee down on all fours. Keep your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees directly beneath your hips.
• Inhale and push your waist and push your torso up. Look up.
• Exhale and curl your back and tuck your chin to the chest.
• Repeat it 4-6 times.



Simhasana (lion pose)
Limitations: Avoid sitting in Vajrasana in case severe knee pain, injury or recent surgery.

Instructions:
• Sit on the mat in Vajrasana with some gap between your knees.
• Rest your palms on the floor in front of you.
• Set your gaze between your eyebrows.
• Inhale through and simultaneously open your mouth wide while stretching your tongue out with ‘haa’sound.
• You should feel that your tongue is coming out from your throat.
• Exhale and take your tongue inside. Close your eyes and palm them for few seconds.
• Repeat 2-3 times.

Abhilasha Kale, Mumbai

Matsyasana (Fish pose)                                          
Limitations: Avoid in case of neck injury.
Instructions:
• Lay flat on the floor with your hands resting by side.
• Inhale and lift your chest up off the floor towards the ceiling. Rest on the crown of your head to extend the position.
• Keeping breathing normal, balance on your crown. And hold the posture for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Breathe normally and release your neck and shoulders.
                                                                      • Traditional matsyasana is performed in padmasana.

Dhanashree Arolkar, Mumbai

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Limitations: Avoid if you are suffering from serious back pain or back injury.

Instructions:
• Lay flat on the stomach with your forehead resting on the mat; bring your palms close to your chest.
• Inhale and push your palms down. Raise your chest off the floor and look up. Hold for  5 to 10 seconds.
• Exhale, and release your asana. Breathe normally. And then repeat 2-3 times.

Vasanti Gada, Mumbai

Urdhva Dhanurasana/Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)
Limitations: Avoid in case of spinal injuries, cardiac conditions, myopia, hernia,   piles and abdominal inflammation. 
Instructions:• Breathing normally, lay flat with knees bent and feet as close as possible to your hips. Keep your feet in line with your hips.
• Place your palms beside your head facing down and fingertips facing towards your feet.
• Inhale, and lift your head and rest crown on the floor. Now raise your shoulders, chest, lower back and hips as high as you can.
• Straighten your arms. Breathe normally, and hold for as long as you can.
• Exhale. Slowly rest your crown on the floor first and then your shoulders, chest, lower back and hips.
• Relax and breathe deeply.

Olaf Verbeek

Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand)
Limitations:  Avoid if you are pregnant. Don’t practice in case of neck injury or severe neck pain, menstruation, and diarrhea.
Instructions:
• Lay on your back on the mat. Let your arms rest on the floor alongside your body.
• Give hand support to your buttocks and push your body straight up in the air. Keep your shoulders on the floor. Try to keep your body perpendicular to the floor. Breathe normally in the final posture and stay in the pose from 5 seconds to 2 minutes as per your capability. You can hold this position longer as you progress in your practice.
• To exit from the pose, just exhale and bend your knees and softly  rest your  feet on the ground.

Halasana(Plow Pose)
Limitations:  Avoid if you are pregnant. Don’t practice in case of neck injury or severe neck pain, menstruation, and diarrhea.

 Instructions:
• This pose usually done after Sarvangasana. From shoulder stand go into halasana slowly. In sarvangasana bend from your hip joints slowly and put your toes on the floor and beyond your head.
• Keep your legs straight and together. And your upper body should be perpendicular to the floor.
• Keep giving support to your back torso with your hands. When you get comfortable in the position, ou can release your hands and stretch them behind on the floor.
• Stay in this posture from  5 seconds to 2 minutes as per your capacity.
• When you are coming out of asana give hand support to your lower back and slowly bend your knees and gently land your upper body on the floor.

PS: Please note that some of the yogic postures described in this post are intermediate ones. So those who are new to Yoga should practice under the supervision of a trained Yoga Teacher.

 

Bonding Over Meditation With Sharon Good

 

 

 

New York based Life, Career and Creativity Coach Sharon Good shares her experience with meditation. As the president of Good Life Coaching Inc, Sharon’s job is to help people achieve their creative and career goals, as well as living healthier, more enjoyable lives. She understands that you cannot light the another's path without brightening your own. A regular practice of Transcendental Meditation has helped her to illuminate her own.  

Q. What has attracted you towards meditation practice?
Sharon: Stress! I was getting too stressed by daily life demands, and I needed a way to slow down and go within. My hope was to improve my health and quality of life.

From how many months/years are you practicing meditation? What kind of meditation do you practice? Do you practice every day?
Sharon: I practice Transcendental Meditation. It’s only been 10 months. I practice it every day, as prescribed in the TM training, and really enjoy it.

What is meditation to you? What’s your understanding of meditation?
Sharon: On a surface level, meditation is a time to calm the mind and body, taking it away from the daily stresses of life. I understand that meditation goes a lot deeper than that, and that it can also deepen your spiritual connection.

Can you share your experience with the meditation practice? How did you overcome initial blocks in meditation like difficulties in concentrating as frequency of thoughts is high in the early phase?
Sharon: It’s still fairly new for me, so feel like I have a long way to go in developing my practice. I still have a lot of distracting thoughts. When I notice them, I just bring myself back to my mantra. I’m still new to a meditation practice, so I don’t know if the thoughts will diminish or not.
Would you like to share any special experience which you had during your meditation practice?
Sharon: I do enjoy when I’m able to focus for a few minutes. It’s a lovely, relaxing feeling. I always come out of meditation feeling more relaxed and refreshed, even when I have a lot of distracting thoughts.

What changes meditation practice has done to your personality/attitude/profession/interpersonal relationships, according to you?
Sharon: I’m much calmer when faced with stresses in life and in my work. I’m able to release the upset much more quickly and not take things so seriously.

Do you recommend meditation to others? Why?
Sharon: My feeling is that everybody needs some way to de-stress. For some, it is meditation, for others it’s dancing, walking in nature, gardening, doing yoga or chi gong, singing – whatever helps them detach from the everyday stresses and focus on something they enjoy.
You can reach Sharon Good at sharon@goodlifecoaching.com
 

Navel: Your Connection To Cosmos

“You may be right but my gut feeling says that I shouldn’t trust that person.” Does this statement sound familiar? Most of us take decisions through brain logics. Many times we make wrong decisions with the help of rational mindset. But the decision taken out of gut feeling, most often turns out to be right. What’s this gut feeling? And from where does it arise?  This gut is nothing but your navel plexus, called nabhi in Sanskrit.

According to Hathayogapradipika there are 72,000 nadis in the navel centre so it has a very close connection to nervous mechanism. It is considered as the second brain in modern physiology. Our journey in this world starts from nabhi. When we come out of mother’s womb, we are connected to our mother through an umbilical cord which works as the nutrition carrier for us. Fear fills this region as soon as this umbilical cord cut at the time of birth. So since birth, fear arises in this region. It’s the seat of our emotions and energy.  We feel the fear in our gut, nabhi.  That’s why we use phrases like butterfly in my stomach to describe panic. You have to develop abhay—fearlessness--It helps you to listen to your second brain’s voice which works closely with the heart. This voice is also known as intuition or the sixth sense.

Yoga Sutra, yoga’s ultimate guide, mentions nabhi (navel plexus) is the mean to achieve knowledge of body. Yoga Sutra has total 160 verses which are divided into four parts Samadhipad, Sadhanapad, Vibhutipad and Kaivalyapad. A 29th sutra from vibhutipada; नाभिचक्रे कायव्यूहज्ञानम् (nabhichakre kayavyuha jnanam), says through a technique samyama (control) on the navel centre, one can get the knowledge of whole body. This knowledge can be absolute understanding three doshas of vata, pitta and kapha and also three gunas sattva, rajas and tamas. Yogic techniques like breathing and meditation can be used to relax the tension from navel center. The Sufis and Tao masters believe that we are all connected to cosmos. Our navel center connects us to cosmos. That’s the reason their entire work is on centering the navel.

However, here, we are exploring the technique ‘sound’ through which you can observe Samyama and activate your navel centre. How can sound help you to balance your navel center? Rivesh Vade, Sound Healing Master, in a candid conversation with us, discusses in detail different aspects of navel centre and its activation through sound.

What’s the significance of navel centre?
Rivesh Vade: Navel is the centre of our body. Nave means centre. This centre governs an energy flow in our body. We have three centres in our body—brain, heart and navel. A recent study has discovered that our heart has neurons as well. That’s the reason so many people get intuitions. For ages people gave importance only to a single centre which is brain. The more we spent energy and time on thoughts and logics, more we lose connection with the navel and the heart.

However, nowadays few have started operating from the heart—love.  But the use of heart centre alone is as risky as the exclusive application of brain. Your love may be taken for granted. And you may experience a heart break. A use of navel centre along with heart gives you support.

Today people are confused and lack clarity in thoughts.  Loads of information is available to them at one click. But they can’t make right choice as clarity is not there. More you operate from brain, more you lose the connection with your energy centres. You tend to fall sick as your energy supply becomes inadequate. Small events can disturb and make them depressed. And the moment you work on your navel, your life is totally different.

Why did you choose work on activation of navel, not heart?
RV: There are many who are working on the brain already. As I said before, some have started working on the heart too. Mind techniques are used in some workshops to train our brain and feel good. I also learned these mind techniques since childhood. I experienced the change the way I used to carry self, in my career and many other aspects of life. Along with the sharpness of mind I noticed that anger, jealousy, fears and doubts are also started raising their heads in me. I tried a mind technique of positive affirmation. I repeatedly told myself that I am not jealous but it didn’t work at all. Even many times I felt that I am a bad person and don’t deserve to be spiritual. I lost self respect and love.

Moreover, purposely I avoided exploring spirituality as I always thought spirituality has some association with religion or rituals.  But I wanted to come out of these self destructive feelings. At the peak of bad and sad feelings, I met an accident that changed my life dramatically. With wounded body I felt so good, grateful and fearless. Something I tried for 17 years happened within a moment. What was exactly happened? Something hit into my navel during the accident and that hit was so strong that it removed all my fears. From that moment, the graph of my spiritual and financial progress has just moved up. 

I wanted to understand why this happened to me. After few months I got a revelation of arrow and bow—a bow with one end tied and one end loose. Here an arrow was nothing but the heart, tied end was brain whereas untied one was navel. If we launch an arrow with a loose end bow, it would hit back to you only. That’s why one who tries to operate just from the heart, has been badly hit in his life. It hurts you because your lower end is not tied. Hence, the moment the lower end is tied, it will hit in a right direction. I shared this revelation with my Guru. He said since it is revealed to you, it will get downloaded to you.

I started working on navel with the sound. Gradually I learned the connection between the sound and DNA. Our body is made up of DNAs. And the body’s centre is navel. So I focused on DNAs for navel activation. People who have done navel activation are out of fear and jealousy. They experienced miracles in their life. Singles wanted to marry from long time, tied the knot very soon after the activation. Women, who tried all means to conceive, were blessed with a baby. Many landed their dream jobs and assignments.

What do you exactly do in the workshop?
RV: This is not magic, but pure science. It occurs due to change in frequency. We work with the sound. A workshop is designed in such way such that it lasts for two days. We do cleansing on first day of workshop--we work on person’s emotions, make him relaxed and settled. We produce some sounds because which navel activation takes pace. And after that navel activation, they are no more feeling jealousy. They may not get disturbed by competition. You need to know where you need to be. That understanding comes through the knowledge of navel. That’s the reason manifestations start to happen. An individual feels highly energetic and enthusiastic. He gets the clarity in thoughts. He becomes free from restlessness and irritation.

How DNA & navel centre function together?
RV: Ancient practice says that all 72000 nadis meet in our navel. Our bodies held up together by sound—sound nothing but the frequency. Our DNA vibrates at particular frequency. Our DNAs inherit almost 60 to 70 % patterns of decision making, beliefs, diseases, saving money, earning money and relationships. We not only carry patterns from our parents but also from our ancestors whom we don’t know. These patterns are stored in a form of frequency in our DNAs. These frequencies can be altered for the best with the right frequencies. That process is nothing but navel activation. Japanese people believe this is the ocean of energy. It means it has tremendous energy it can burn anything—diseases, impurities and negativity.  Our ancient Rishis used to burn karmas so that they can reach samadhi.

Is it possible to heal cancer and kidney patient through navel activation?
RV: People can be healed--not only for life threatening illnesses but it can be used to put your life back on the track. A person wherever is stuck, can come out of it with navel activation.

Is navel activation is possible with self help, without master’s guidance?
RV: The moment you start working on navel, you may get into some kind anxiety. Absence of proper knowledge and training you may touch the wrong point. For example, a wrong kind deep breathing may land up you in trouble.  So learning a right way from the right master is very essential.

Can you share some participants’ experience of navel activation?
RV: A boy called me last week from Bangalore to share miracle of his life. He was very happy that he got the job in one of the top ten IT companies in India. Previously he was employed with a small organization. He thought I did some miracle for him but it was he who did it. His frequency was changed. The changed frequency brought the changes in his life. Actually, he was very desperate before. People used to sense that he’s desperate. Now he is relaxed and calm. When you are calm, you are more productive, and companies prefer to hire efficient people.

Bonding Over Divine Sounds & Spirituality With Rivesh Vade

The system of yoga shares a close connection with the sound. Chanting is an integral to Yoga. You will hardly come across any yoga follower who has not recited OM during his yoga practice and not find it effective and enticing. Sound was used in healing from ancient times. Ancient civilizations like Egypt and Greek also knew the healing powers of sound. The ancient Greeks used the flute and the lyre for treating illnesses. Sounds can help to enhance quality of health and life. It can improve health and financial conditions, foster harmonious relationships, alleviate pain, reduce stress, treat depression, and create a better life.

The bond between sound and yoga goes much deeper when we learn the fundamental philosophy of yoga—Samkhya Philosophy. Yoga Sutra, highly recommended and celebrated yoga text guide worldwide by Patanjali is actually based on Samkhya Philosophy—one of the six ancient orthodox Indian philosophies. Samkhya teaches us about the components of the body, mind, and spirit—from the gross elements that make up the physical body to the more subtle elements of the mind and consciousness. Based on the understanding we gain from Samkhya, we learn yoga starting from the gross (asanas—physical level), moving next to the subtler levels of mind and soul through pranayama and meditation.  As per Samkhya philosophy, the five gross elements—akash (ether), vayu (air), agni (fire), jala (water), prithvi (earth) originate from five anmatras—subtle elements—shabda (sound), sparsha (touch), roopa (vision), rasa (taste) and gandha (smell) , which are related to each sense organ. Sound is the tanmatra of ether element which is first and vast in all gross elements related to ear.  The French Dr Alfred Tomatis from 19th century considered that the ear is the most important sense organ as it works as the body's balance organs and it is also the conductor of nervous system.

I listened to a well-known sound & frequency master trainer Rivesh Vade’s chakra balancing sound track few times which I found very relaxing. According to him, people who have attended his workshops and listened to his DVDs experienced transformational shift in their lives. He is an engineering post-graduate and done executive management from IIT Bombay and I was working with IT company before exploring the enchanting world of sounds. You may be now curious to know why he chose a offbeat path of sounds, how these sounds really work in the wellbeing of human being and above all yoga's connection with the sound.  A casual conversation with Rivesh Vade will give you few answers.

How did the career shift happen—from being an IITian to a Sound Frequency trainer?
Rivesh Vade: I met with a near death kind of accident around three years back. I was bedridden for 3-4 months. Those months were quite relaxed and happy though it was actually a painful situation. I was sure that something good is arriving in my life, and that good was nothing but the sound.  I utilized my compulsory rest time listening different sounds and music. And there was a moment when sounds started spilling their secrets to me. I found sounds very interesting and powerful.   Soothing and relaxing experience with sounds encouraged me to study it in detail through books and internet. You may need to study more if you want to help somebody through sound frequency. But things were happening really faster as I started getting specific details of sound in a very limited period. I felt that I have many masters in my body and that are imparting me knowledge of sound. 

How does it work in wellbeing or healing of the person? What’s the science behind it?
RV: We have different brain wavelengths. When you are restless brainwaves are more than 1400Hz and when relaxed lesser than that—lesser the brainwaves, well for your immunity and aura development. Sound frequency activates your brainwaves in such way that it creates happy hormones like serotonin, dopamine and which are very beneficial to mind body wellbeing. Dr Alfred Tomatis of 19th century believed that whatever frequency you are into you will get the same frequency in your voice too. However, we can consciously tune our voice to harmonious sounds.

How can weight loss happen with the sound?
RV: Weight loss is not about limiting food intake but it’s all about balancing the hormones. Hormones and emotions are interdependent. All emotions have different frequencies. So emotions may get manifested into losing our health, causing illness and weight gain. Thyroid is the gland which plays an essential role in weight management. Many women with weight issues have imbalance in thyroid hormone--hypothyroid. Sound helps you to activate this gland. It works at both emotional and glandular level. It also works at mind level. Many people have lost the weight because by tuning themselves to sound. It actually motivates you to go for physical activities and exercise to achieve weight loss.

How can it help in relationships?
RV: Sound can calm you. The moment you calm down, your inner equilibrium definitely shifted towards harmony. As I mentioned earlier all emotions have their own frequencies that get into our voice. Everyone can tune their voice tone for their wellbeing. For that I teach one exercise bio-tunings. You can tune your voice for better relationships, better finance. And we have been successful in this endeavor. Success is nothing but the frequency. Depressed and calm individuals have different frequencies. A successful person's voice tone is totally different--relaxed yet confident. At the same time when you listen to the voice of who's in struggle you can recognize he's in struggle. He may, however, show that he’s successful but you can note down restlessness in his voice which speaks louder than his words. He will attract same struggle again if he doesn't tune self to better frequency.

How many times and how long one should listen to these sounds to get the best results?
RV: Tuning yourself once in a day is sufficient. You should continuously listen to it at least for six weeks. You can continue or stop after six weeks occasionally you can tune self.  A big shift takes place in a very first week but results are visible after six weeks.

Does it mean working on seven chakras would be enough if you want improvement in any area of life as they represent all emotions?
RV: Yes, seven chakras are related to all your emotions so you can have a good impact in all areas of your life. We don’t work on kundalini but on emotions attached with respective chakras. For example, if there is a blockage in muladhar chakra, feeling of frequent insecurity and fear overwhelms the person. We play the sound frequency which can remove the negativity around the root chakra. When these negative emotions are released one automatically gets into harmony. 

What kind of relationship yoga and sound frequency shares according to you?
RV: Yoga is the beginning of everything. Entire body is full of sensations (sanskaras). Sensations are nothing but the frequencies. You can recognize the touch of your near and dear ones. It is nothing but the frequency in terms of sensations. Many times we carry sensations from childhood and even from our ancestors. If they have been through some traumatic situations then you will feel the fear for no reason outside because that fear was trapped in your DNA. You may feel fear for very small reasons.

These fear sensations don’t allow you to grow spiritually. When in fear there is a change in your body--sometime you have butterfly in stomach or our palms and feet start sweating. Such sensations are neutralized with yoga. One has to remove all sensations if they want to reach higher goals. When a person sits in meditation; his sensations are suddenly more active. Same person, however, can watch 2-3 hours long movie without any disturbing sensations. All unnecessary negative sensations are removed with yoga. Everything starts with hatha yoga and ends with laya yoga. Sound actually helps us to reach directly to laya yoga.

Understanding Hatha Yoga

Hatha Yoga works on physical, psychophysical and psychological aspects and also known as the Physiological Yoga the Ghatsya Yoga. Gorakshnath, a disciple of Matsyendrantah is considered as the reformist Hatha Yogi of his era. He travelled across India to teach systematic Yoga—now known as the system of Hatha Yoga.  Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Sanskrit manual on Hatha Yoga was written by Gorakshnath’s disciple Swami Swatmarma. Shiva, however, is regarded as the originator of Hatha Yoga.

The term Hatha is derived from two Sanskrit root sounds ‘ha’ and ‘tha’. The sound Ha represents the solar flow in the right nostril (Pingla Nadi) whereas Tha stands for lunar flow in the left nostril (Ida Nadi). These sounds signify two opposite forces; positive and negative respectively.  Asanas, Pranayamas, Mudras, Bandhas and Satkarmas are together forms the system of Hatha Yoga.
Asanas (comfortable body postures) are developed to induce a new life and energy in every cell, glands, joint, muscle, gland and organ of the body. According to HathaYoga Pradipika, asanas should be practiced gaining steady and correct posture, health and lightness of the body.  It is said that with the mastery of each asana, the body and the mind both experience a rebirth. And that's why individuals practicing Yoga regularly look and feel more younger than their peers. Asanas improves concentration, co-ordination, and body awareness. Gorakshnath, one of the famous advocate of Hatha Yoga regarded the health and awareness of the body essential for the success in the world. He said, “A person cannot understand the world if he is not aware of his own body.”

Pranayama is a combination of two words—prana means breath and aayam means regulation; so pranayama can be translated as the regulation/training of the breath. Pranayamas bring about quick purification of nadis which is considered as the base of successful meditation. A person who breathes slowly and deeply is likely to have a long lifespan than a person who breathes quickly and shallowly. Yogis breathe slowly, rhythmically, and more efficiently than the average man, therefore they live longer.  Animals like rabbits and dogs breathe fast, hence their life lasts for10-15 years whereas tortoises and elephants live more than 100years who breathe very slowly and deeply. The Yoga tradition divides prana in the body into five parts—termed as Pancha Pranas; prana vayu (involves in functions like inhalation and respiration), apana vayu ( Governs exhalation, ejection of urine, reproduction), samana vayu (plays a vital role in the processes like digestion and assimilation of nutrients), udana vayu (speech, nervous systems and thoughts) and vyana (consolidation of vital energy and blood circulation).

Bandhas (energy locks) massage the internal organs, remove toxins, improves blood circulation and stimulates nervous system. Bandhas hold significance in awakening the kundalini shakti and also have a nourishing impact on subtle energy channels. There are four types of bandhas—Mool Bandha (Pelvic Lock), Udhiyana Bandha (abdominal lock), Jalandhar Bandha (chin lock), and Mahabandha (Three Bandhas performed together called Mahabandha).

Mudras (body gestures) develop awareness about flow of prana (vital energy) which is subtle body and consequently help him to achieve control over cosmic forces. The system of mudra includes many types of practices ranging from gestures of the hands to the complex methods of concentrating mind. Some of the important mudras are Gyan Mudra  (gesture of knowledge), Yoga Mudra (psychic union), Yoni Mudra (symbolically shutting down your five senses and concentrating inward), Khechri mudra (tongue lock), Mahamudra (great attitude), Vayu Mudra (gastric control posture), Prithvi mudra (the energetic posture), Surya Mudra (sun gesture) and Vajrolimudra (thunderbolt attitude).

Satkarmas (six purifying techniques) are designed and developed to cleanse and take care of organs which are not involved in performing of any asana—Dhauti, basti (Enema), neti (jalneti and sutraneti), nauli (churning out of stomach), kapalbhanti (skull Shining) and trataka. Dhauti can be further classified into vaman dhauti (vomiting), vasra dhauti (special kind of thread used to cleanse your food pipe), kapalrandhradhauti (forehead massage), karnrandhradhauti (ear cleansing).

Trataka means a continuous gaze at a specific object without blinking eyes is known as the Tratak—the practice improves eyesight, concentration and memory. Sun gazing, moon gazing, star gazing, candle gazing, thumb gazing, look at any tiny object and eye-to-eye look are few simple techniques of Tratak.