Friday, October 28, 2011

Yoga Cyclopaedia - Volume II


This book presents the complete scheme, scientific & traditional foundations of Yoga Education based of the Attitude Training & Conceptual Learning as encouraged and pioneered by The Yoga Institute of Santacruz, Mumbai - India (the world's oldest organised Yoga institution) as method for holistic teaching and learning.

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Yoga today is being studied at the conscious level of information and physical skills. The subconscious education of the "Four Positive Bhavas of Buddhi" (of Samkhya Philosophy) is completely missed out and unknown by the Yoga Teachers.

The Yogic processes generate, even if transiently, certain wholesome subjective experiences:

 Aklista Vrttis or non-afflictive mental modifications

It is from these experiences that one builds up a healthy personality. 

Today when we are looking for an alternate education, we may as well think of some of these higher concepts, available to us in these programmes of education. There is already a movement in Western countries towards affective and trans-personal modes of learning besides humanistic education.


Yoga education goes deeper than these attempts and can as a result take care of a wider area of the human personality in comparison to the present materialistic modes of education. These Yogic Procedures & conceptual Activities have been tried at the Yoga Institute, Santa Cruz, now for over 92 years on school children and adults. The results have been incredibly satisfying.

"This book comprehends essential literature for Yoga Teacher interested on a Systematic Program, Methodology & Didactics on Yoga Education for both the Child and the Adult. I highly recommend it!"

- Daniel Fonseca
Wise Living Yoga Academy
Co-founder & Headmaster

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Wise Living Yoga Academy conducts Yoga Teacher Training Courses (200 hours) following the Methodology & Didactics of The Yoga Institute of Santacruz. The course is recognized by The International Board of Yoga - India and accredited by Yoga Alliance - USA (RYS-200 Level).

Please follow the links to know more about our YTT course 240 hours in 2012:

- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Bali, Indonesia
- Yoga Teacher Training Course in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Namaskar!!!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to understand Yoga


Let’s discuss a bit of Yoga Philosophy? So, what do you think about starting by the definition of Yoga?


What is Yoga? - explained by Daniel Fonseca

Daniel Fonseca an ardent Yoga teacher, a Brasilian national and co-founder of Wise living Yoga Academy, a faculty teacher along with his Indian wife Jeenal Mehta in the world's oldest Yoga organisation The Yoga Institute of Santacruz, Mumbai - India. Daniel and Jeenal both conduct Yoga Teacher's training in India, Thailand, Brazil and Bali. They have trained thousands of International Yoga aspirants, children, corporates, people with health problems, pregnant women and so many different types of people coming from different walks of life.

For more info you can visit http://www.wiselivingyoga.com/

And as of now read the authentic view on Yoga, explained by Daniel!

Nowadays Yoga has become well-known by the practice of Asanas (Phisical Education), and, in this sense people go on subdividing Yoga, classifying it in ways such: Iyengar Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and so forth. Therefore Yoga became reduced to a system ofPhysical Training or Exercise and the Yoga subdivisions are nothing but the different styles in which these exercises are practiced and are named over their promulgators and advocates.So.. is it all about Yoga?

Not really!!! Yoga is a Ancient Science and taking it as sole physical exercise is a misuse of knowledge as it is stated in theHatha Yoga Pradipika and as we will have a chance to discuss in a future post.

The purpose here is to clarify what Yoga really is and by this, offer some basic guide-lines (in posterior articles) to allow Yoga enthusiats to become more aware about how their practices should be done if they really want to practice Yoga.

Sage Patañjali
Sculpture of Sage Patanjali
by Natalia Rosenfeld
www.nataliasculpture.com
So let’s see how Yoga is defined by it’s foremost and authentic exponent, the Sage Patañjali. In the Yoga Sutras, a classical work, Patañjali has compiled and systematized the knowledge regarding to the Philosophy of Yoga. This means that he has not created anything new. He has only organized and presented the knowledge in a systematic form, so that less evolved souls could follow the disciplines and attain the benefits of their application.

The Yoga Sutras comprehend195 aphorisms (tersely sentences, but vigorously expressive observations containing a general truth) through which the Yoga Philosophy are expounded. In the first sutra Patañjali declares that from that moment Yoga is going to be explained for the benefit of all.

And in the very 2nd sutra Patañjali gives us the definition of Yoga as follows:


Obviously the knowledge of Sanskrit is necessary for grasping the meaning of the aphorisms. For that, we the help of different commentators and scholars, we can understand the above as follows:

yoga – union or joining (implying “means or use” and also “result”)
citta – the ordinary consciousness (personality-complex, including the different aspects of the mind, intellect, ego, emotions)
vrtti – the different states, fluctuations, modifications, behaviour
nirodhah – restraint, control, cessation

Yoga is, thus, Union achieved by restraining, leading to the cessation of the fluctuations of the ordinary consciouness.

But which Union is that talked about in here. I have heard Yoga students and practitioners repeating: Union of Body, Mind and Spirit. This is not wrong, but the sentence has already become acliché. Deeper insight into the subject is lacking. The 3rd sutraexplains clearly which Union Patañjali is talking about.


The translation of this sutra is:

tada – then, at that time (of Union)
drastuh – the seer, the self, the soul
svarupe – in its own, in its state
avasthanam – abide, dwell, get stablished, settle

Then, at that time (of Realization), the seer gets stablished in its own state.

Yoga is, therefore, a result: the state of union of the soul with it’s true essence; an outcome of the continuous practice of a system of disciplines. But Yoga is also the means through which this Union is achieved. In other words, Yoga is also the application or the course of discipline itself.

The next sutra explains what happen when the seer or the soul is not established in his own.


vrtti – the different states of the ordinary consciousness or the complex-personality (its fluctuations and modifications, moods and behaviour)
sarupyam – identification of, appearance of
itaratra – not at the state of realization, at other time, elsewhere

At all other times, the seer is identified with the different states of ordinary consciousness

In this state, it can not realise its own fundamental naturewhich is, by the way, divine in essence. That is the estate in which we normally live. We get identified with our body and mind and do not realise that we are a divine soul.

This makes me remind my childhood when I heard someone telling me that I had a soul and I was wondering what would be that thing. Later on I heard that the animals had no souls and I also learnt that when the Jesuits arrived in Brazil they believed that the indigenous peoples who lived there did not have a soul and that they could only attain one through the ritual of baptism. Today I think of what is more absurd: to think that the animals or the Brazilian Indians would not have souls or to think that we have one? The whole concept is wrong. It is not this “I” who has a soul. Not this body or mind that has a soul. But I am the Soul who uses the body and mind to operate in this material word and who gets completely identified to them (body and mind) in the states of ordinary consciousness.

Now the question is: are your Yoga practices helping you to realise your own divine nature, to achieve union, or are they making you more identified and attached to your body? If the latter is so, what you are doing is not Yoga.

Let's us practice real Yoga and get stablished in our own divine nature!!

Namaskar !!!

Wise Living Yoga Academy Team

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Hansaji at International Yoga Seminar in Ujjain


Namaskaar Yoga friends,

Daniel and I (Jeenal) were delighted to see our beloved Guru Shrimati Hansaji Jayadeva Yogendra inspiring hundereds of people with her charming personality, wise words of wisdom and her beautiful smile at the International Yoga Seminar at Ujjain, organised by Ujjain Life Society of Pt. Radheshyam Mishra. Hansaji was the Chief Guest Speaker of the Inaugration Ceremony. There were aslo other several eminent guests speakers present in the seminar who are great Yoga scholars and spiritual teachers as well.


She spoke beautifully on Yoga to the audience motivating them to follow the Yogachars (The 4 pillars of Yoga). Futher she spoke on life management, concepts such as Dharma (Duty) and Shraddha (Faith), Yogic eating habits and many other deeper aspects of human personality in relation with Yoga. Her speech had valuable and effective practical advices on life and lifestyle and were extremely appreciated by all the Yoga aspirants. Hansaji shined like a star, she looked beautiful inside out in her purple Indian Saree and a bright red bindi on her forehead. Her humble speech touched everyone's heart..she spoke with grace and power.

Every one and I myself, we all were moved when she concluded her ending note with wise words such as ''you have to continuosly flow in life, accept everybody in life, just see that everybody has it's own place in the world, go ahead and you will be really happy..blissful..we really do not need to put in so much effort to be healthy, we just need to become simple, make our food habits simple..make our thoughts simple"!!

Such a great personality..such a beautiful human, so humble gesture of namaste that she made as she bowed to everyone with humility and thanking the people.

Jai Gurudeva!! OM!!

PS : I will be soon putting in more details about her speech and about our experience at the International Yoga Seminar in Ujjain. Namaskaar,

Jeenal Mehta

Friday, October 7, 2011

Yoga Cyclopaedia - Volume I


Books on Yoga provide an overview of spiritual yogic philosophy and teach how posture and breathing can reveal other aspects of human personality. You will find instructional books for all levels of practice, books to inspire and deepened your practice, books on the philosophy of yoga, books on specific forms of practice and more.

We will be regularly publishing in this blog, reviews of the main publications of The Yoga Institute of Santacruz, Mumbai, India, which has completed now over 92 year of  existence and guidance for serious students of Yoga education & research.

The first book we'll be presenting is first volume of a great work done by The Yoga Institute to collect and compile knowledge on traditional Yoga:


Yoga Cyclopaedia - Volume I

Yoga is becoming popular. But which is the kind of Yoga that is gaining ascendancy?

Is it the circus like asanas and complicated kriyas and magical incantations and mantras? Is it the Yoga of pretentious contemplation when the mind is not steady and is running after material desires?

This indeed is not Yoga.

A Yoga that can generate body awareness and steadiness and control of the physical body, a Yoga that can lead to control of our mind and take us further into the understanding of the deeper layers of the subconscious, are closer to the concept of classical Yoga as available in statements like:

 "yogah citta vritti nirodhah"

Yoga is a complete control of the workings of the mind. At The Yoga Institute, Santacruz, now in its 92nd year of existence, the objective of learning is self control and dedication of oneself to spiritual values. Teachers coming here are trained with these objectives.

Imbued with the true spirit of Yoga, changes are occurring in the community associated with the institute for many years. Students become introverted, positive, involved in duties and reaching higher levels of consciousness.

We should not forsake the spiritual base of Yoga that results in deeper understanding of life and an equibalanced state of mind.

The first volume of the Yoga Cyclopaedia deals with the subject of Yoga asanas in a very responsible way, describing the best type of asanas one should practice for perfect health and for creating a better state of mind leading to inwardness, balance and peace.

"This book presents us with the foundations of the Dynamic cum Static Asanas + Yogendra Rhythm of Breathing as prescribed by Shri Yogendra as the "Essentials of Yoga Physical Education". I highly recommend it!"

- Daniel Fonseca
Wise Living Yoga Academy
Co-founder & Headmaster


Saturday, October 1, 2011

2nd batch of Yoga Teacher Training Course, Chiang Mai - Thailand

Dear friends,

We are happy to inform you that the 2nd batch of International Yoga Teacher Training Course in Chiang Mai was successfully completed. The intensive Yogic immersion was positively challenging and of great benefits for everybody. Yoga Philosophy, Bhagavad Gita, Samkhya Philosophy, Yogic Lifestyle, Conceptual Activities, Yoga Sutras, Meditation, Asanas, Pranayamas, Kriyas, Anatomy and Yoga Methodology and Teaching Skills were the main disciplines being taught to the students in order to give them a solid foundation in Classical Yoga. Our intention is to be modest in spreading Yoga Education in a traditional and disciplined method and by going into the depth of Yoga to understand it from it's very roots. A detailed history, ideology and background of Yoga was thoroughly taught. Further the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali was systematically imparted and many Sanskrit words were been taught. Nowadays Yoga is getting distorted and glamorous or associated with luxury and fancy things and we really wish to reach thousands of young and old people who inspire to become genuine Yoga Teachers and teach them the Classical Yoga of Patanjali.

We had students from different countries and we wish them the best for their Yoga journey and hope that they help the people around them with Yoga. We are having our next Teacher Training in Chiang Mai in 2012 again. Please have a look at our photos below!!!

Daniel Teaching Ustrasana

Jeenal taking Anatomy of Human body

Morning Pranayamas with Daniel

Jeenal and the students during the Conceptual Activity class

Students learning the Warrior Pose - Virabhadrasana

Daniel teaching Bakasana

Certificate day - Elen (USA), Ziggy (Thailand), Beer (Thailand,) Denise (USA) and Antonie (France) received the Certification from Jeenal and Daniel.

Our next TTCs are schedule to happen in different countries in 2012. Please email us on info@wiselivingyoga.com for more information. Namaste!!


Yours in Yoga,
Jeenal and Daniel