Gayatri Mantra

Dear friends, I am sharing with you some information on Gayatri Mantra that I was able too organise and put together in this post. I have put some interesting pictures too. Hope you find it useful and interesting!!

GAYATRI MANTRA IN SANSKRIT AND ITS MEANING

ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।।

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

Gayatri Mantra (the mother of the vedas), the foremost mantra in hinduism and hindu beliefs, inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". The mantra is also a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur).

The Mantra Text Recitation of the Gayatri Mantra is preceded by OM(ॐ) and the formula bhūr bhuvah svah (भूर् भुवः स्वः), known as the mahāvyāhrti ("great utterance"). This prefixing of the mantra proper is described in the Taittiriya Aranyaka (2.11.1-8), which states that scriptural recitation was always to begin with the chanting of the syllable OM, followed by the three Vyahrtis and the Gayatri verse.[10]

Following the mahāvyāhrti is then the mantra proper, the verse RV 3.62.10:

In Devanagari:
तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं ।
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥

tát savitúr várenyam (there is a below 'n' and 'm' which is missing here)
bhárgo devásya dhīmahi
dhíyo yó nah pracodáyāt (there is a dot below 'h' which is missing here)

Word explanation :

◦om The mystical Om syllable
◦bhū "earth"prithvi
◦bhuvas "atmosphere"antariksha
◦svar "light, heaven"beyond antariksha
◦tat "that"
◦savitur devasya "of Savitr, the god" (genitives of savitr-, 'stimulator, rouser; name of a sun-deity' and deva- 'god' or 'demi-god')
◦varenyam accusative of varenya- "desirable, excellent, fit to be adopted"
◦bhargo "radiance, lustre, splendour, glory"
◦devasya "divine"
◦dhīmahi "may we attain" (1st person plural middle optative of dhā- 'set, bring, fix' etc.)
◦dhiyah nah "our prayers" (accusative plural of dhi- 'thought, meditation, devotion, prayer' and nah enclitic personal pronoun)
◦yah pracodayāt "who may stimulate" (nominative singular of relative pronoun yad-; causative 3rd person of pra-cud- 'set in motion, drive on, urge, impel')

(some dots below h are missing here in the above text)

Gayatri, the five-faced Goddess, is said to have domain over the five senses or pranas, and protects these five life-forces of those who chant the Gayatri Mantra. In her role as the protector, Gayatri is referred to as Savitri.

ORIGIN, BENEFITS AND CHANTING OF THE GAYATRI MANTRA

The Vedas are widely considered to be the source of all true knowledge, the word "Veda" itself meaning "Knowledge". Gayatri Devi also gave to mankind the "Gayatri Mantra", also known as the "Guru Mantra" or the "Savitri Mantra". It is one of the oldest mantras, and generally thought of as being amongst the highest and most powerful mantras of all. This mantra is therefore often referred to as "the Mother of the Vedas". In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna had proclaimed to Arjuna - "Among all the mantras, I am the Gayatri".

Rishis selected the words of the Gayatri Mantra and arranged them so that they not only convey meaning but also create specific power of righteous wisdom through their utterance. The ideal times for chanting the mantra are three times a day - at dawn, mid-day, and at dusk. These times are known as the three sandhyas - morning, mid-day and evening. The maximum benefit of chanting the mantra is said to be obtained by chanting it 108 times. However, one may chant it for 3, 9, or 18 times when pressed for time. The syllables of the mantra are said to positively affect all the chakras or energy centres in the human body - hence, proper pronunciation and enunciation are very important.

Chanting of Gayatri Mantra removes all obstacles in our path to increased wisdom and spiritual growth and development. The teachings and powers incorporated in the Gayatri Mantra fulfill this purpose. Righteous wisdom starts emerging soon after Japa (recitation) of the Gayatri Mantra is performed

BRAHMANICAL USAGE

In traditional Brahmin practice the Gayatri Mantra is addressed to God as the divine life-giver, symbolized by Savitr (the sun), and is most often recited at sunrise and sunset. It is believed by practitioners that reciting the mantra bestows wisdom and enlightenment, through the vehicle of the Sun (Savitr), who represents the source and inspiration of the universe. Recitation at sunrise every morning is part of the daily ritual. While often associated with outward ritual offerings, it can be recited more inwardly and without rites, a practice generally known as japa.

Links :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri_Mantra
http://www.eaglespace.com/spirit/gayatribywords.php

International Yoga Symposium in Sevagram

Namaste friends and Yoga enthusiasts!! Once again Daniel and I made a trip to the land of Mahatma Gandhi, Sevagram, and this time for an International Yoga conference. Well, we had the fortune to escort our beloved Guru, our teacher, Hansaji, to Mahatma Gandhi's Ashram. It was a moment of deep contentment and joy for me! So, let me narrate to you that what happened in this trip.

Dr. Harinath and his team from Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram (Wardha) had organized a major event, an International Symposium on “YOGism for Happy & Healthy Living and Aging with C.M.E on Management of Lifestyle Health Problems of Global Importance through Yoga, Meditation and Naturopathy. We were privileged to attend this conference as delegates amongst many a learned and experienced spiritual leaders and Yoga scholars from India and across the Globe. This conference served as a common platform for Doctors and Yoga enthusiasts to share their views on inculcating Yoga in the lives of a common man, in order to live a fulfilling life.

Our Director of the Yoga Institute of Santacruz Smt. Hansaji Jayadev Yogendra was invited as the Guest of Honor. She stood as an inspiring spiritual speaker, speaking beautifully on Yoga for healthy and happy living. She emphasized on the importance of the steadiness of mind, the ‘Purusharthas’ or the four motivations of life and the ‘Bhavas’ or the attitudes and feelings.

She caught the audience's attention in her other 45 minutes speech, which was very empowering but yet simple to understand. She spoke on subjects like Duty for a householder, anger management through Yoga, Bhagavad Gita, efficiency in work and building interpersonal relationships. Many questions came from the audience, and, of course this showed that the audience that consisted of yoga enthusiasts and eminent doctors across the world had been highly motivated by the simple and effective remedies of Yoga given by Hansaji in order to live a cheerful and happy life.

There were many scholars present as guests and speakers such as Dr. Nagendra from SVYASA Bangalore, Dr. Ramesh Bijlani from Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Dr. Shirley Telles from the Patanjali Yogapeeth Haridwar.

Our teacher from the Yoga Institute Dr. Shantaram Shetty gave a very informative presentation on Yoga for Cardiovascular Diseases – Research, Facts and Program. Other interesting subjects like Integrating Yoga into Rehabilitation was put across by Ms. Matra Majmundar from Rehabilitation Stroke Research Centre of USA. Integrative Medicine Movement and Yoga Therapy in the US was a highly informative presentation by Dr. Arti Prasad from UNM School of Medicine, New Mexico, USA. Dr. T.S. Ramakrishna from ISVARA Hyderabad spoke on the Impact of Food and Lifestyle on Performance suggestions based on Gita and Patanjali Yoga Sutra.

The conference was very informative and a learning experience for us. Resolutions were formed such as emphasizing the practice of Yoga to the patients by the Allopathic doctors. In all, the conference lead to positive resolutions and was a success.

Hansaji also stayed at the lovely Aarogyadham center, the same place where we provide the accomodation to our participants too. This place is surrounded by nature, flowers, birds and Amla or gooseberry fields. It was a great opportunity for us to escort Hansaji to the beautiful sights of Sevagram. Daniel and I, along with Hansaji, Taraben, Dr. Shetty, Dolly and Sangeeta visited Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram and the Museum, the exposition of Village handicrafts in Wardha and the Japanese Temple and the Buddhist Stupa. Sevagram and Wardha are places of beauty and immense knowledge and Hansaji was greatly in love with this place :-) Hansaji also visited the Pavnar Ashram of Vinoba Bhave.

To sum up, this has been a very enriching experience for us and we would like to give our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Harinath for organising such a conference.

Please note : We are again organising a 3 days Yoga, Spiritual and Organic awareness trip on 25th Jan 2011 to Mahatma Gandhi's Ashram. The accomodation will be on twin basis in the beautiful Aarogyadham Centre of Yoga and Naturopathy. Please contact me on +919821231306 for any further queries!

More on Sevagram

Sevagram has always been a special place to me. This is the place where Mahatma Gandhi built an Ashram and stayed for 10 years with Kasturba, Miraben and other followers. Till date the serene and the beautiful ashram is run by the followers of Bapu. You can visit the various Ashram huts which encase the belongings of Gandhiji and Kasturba. The huts still have plaques with Mahatma Gandhi's guidelines and instructions. A little away from Bapu's Kuti is Vinoba Bhave's Ashram situated on the bank of a river. He is also know as the walking saint of India. Since a few years I have been organising Yoga and educational trips to Sevagram in order to educate people with Indian history and to let them experience the significance Gandhiji's teaching like Ahimsa/Non-violence. It is altogether a different experience when you really visit the Ashram, see how Mahatma Gandhi lived, and when you contemplate on his life, you get to know that how powerfully and intensely he lived in a most practical, intelligent and an eco-friendly way. Daily at 6.30 in the evening the Ashram still continues to have prayers that Gandhiji used to recite, and till date they use kerosene lamps and diyas and no electricity at all! This is in a way a practice of non-violence.

Thank you and Namaskar! Jeenal

Shanti Mantras

Namaste friends and all the yoga aspirants!

I have been lately hearing to the Shanti Mantras and each time I hear to them, I feel tranquil and joyful. I suggest to buy a Shanti Mantras CD, one of it is 'The Chants of India by Pandit Ravi Shankar'. Play it while you are eating, just before you are about to sleep or even when you are cooking, doing your asanas or taking a shower. It is a very peaceful experience. I have got some information from wikipedia that I have shared below and it might be useful to you.

The Shanti Mantras or "Peace Mantras" are Hindu prayers for Peace (Shanti) from the Vedas. They are also recited at the beginning and end of religious rituals and discourses.

Shanti Mantras are found in Upanishads, where they are invoked in the beginning of some topics of Upanishads. They are supposed to calm the mind of reciter and environment around him/her. Reciting them is also believed to be removing any obstacles for the task being started.

Shanti Mantras always end with three utterances of word "Shanti" which means "Peace". The Reason for uttering three times is for calming and removing obstacles in three realms which are:

"Physical" or Adhi-Bhautika,

"Divine" or Adhi-Daivika

and "Internal" or Adhyaatmika

According to the scriptures of Hinduism sources of obstacles and troubles are in these three realms. Physical or Adhi-Bhautika realm can be source of troubles/obstacles coming from external world, such as from wild animals, people, natural calamities etc. Divine or Adhi-Daivika realm can be source of troubles/obstacles coming from extra-sensory world of spirits, ghosts, deities, demigods/angels etc. Internal or Adhyaatmika realm is source of troubles/obstacles arising out of ones own body and mind, such as pain, diseases, laziness, absent-mindedness etc.
These are called "Tapa-Traya" or three classes of troubles. When Shanti mantras are recited, obstacles from these realms are believed to be pacified.

Below is one of the Shanti Mantra that I have been hearing to lately. It is in Sanskrit and later translated in English.

ॐ सह नाववतु
सह नौ भुनक्तु
सह वीर्यं करवावहै
तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

om saha nāvavatu
saha nau bhunaktu
saha vīrya karavāvahai
tejasvināvadhītamastu mā vidvishāvahai
om śāntihi śāntihi śāntihi

Om ! May He protect us both together; may He nourish us both together;
May we work conjointly with great energy,
May our study be vigorous and effective;
May we not mutually dispute (or may we not hate any).
Om ! Let there be Peace in me !
Let there be Peace in my environment !
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !

I will post some more Shanti Mantras..in the mean time you can google it and hear it. It is easily available on net! Till then feel Shanti and get nourished:-)

Namaskaar..Jeenal

Teaching Yoga to Kids :-)

Every time I teach Yoga to kids I feel renewed. Teaching them is always a new experience to me. Even after teaching thousands of children till now, yet I learn something so different and new every time I come across a new child. I feel that every new kid brings with him or her a new expression, a new vision, a new idea and a new motivation for life.

In this month of November I taught for four days in two separate Children’s Yoga Camp at the Yoga Institute and I am so grateful to have this opportunity. I am always amazed to see the extraordinary abilities of these small and little ones. In one of the camp I started the camp by asking them “what is Yoga?” and I was so surprised by their brilliant answers...they said mam..’Yoga is concentration’, someone said ‘Yoga is meditation’ and another said ‘Yoga is a way to connect to God’…well these were the answers from kids who were around six to ten years old!! One little boy said with gleaming eyes ‘Yoga is to be wise’. Another kid said ‘Yoga is a way to cure diseases’!! After, I made them play a memory game standing in a circle where they were around 30 of them with around 10 trainee students. Everyone had to say their names aloud and then I asked the kids to give me at least 10 names. It was astonishing to see the kids come one by one and say out the ten names. Such is their memory!

The kids had a lot of fun imitating a tree, a lotus, a fish, a tiger, a snake, a rabbit, etc. It was a treat to see them do these asana with great enthusiasm. Kids have a tendency to get distracted and bored quickly if they do not feel involved and motivated by the teacher. So at every point I would encourage the kids by asking them questions and teaching the asana by putting them into a story. Kids are very imaginative, so it is great to make them imagine or visualize a story with animals and plants while making them do asanas.

I made them learn to say all the eight steps of Yoga with examples, stories and sharing. While teaching them Niyamas I asked them that how could we keep our mind clean, and trust me they gave marvelous answers to me. Like, ‘ by reading good things’, ‘by praying’, ‘by not seeing or hearing dirty things’ and one eight year old girl called Rayna with a cute bandana on her head said ‘ we should not think anything bad because germs can enter our brain then’. I found this answer so profound that it put me into thinking. Kids make things so simple and we adults sometimes make things so complicated. We all sang and danced, colored the Diyas, did potting of plants, played so many games, went for nature walk and did juggling. Thanks to all the trainee students of the Yoga Institute!

Every time when I teach, I learn. I learn to keep my heart and mind open. And I learn a lot to express, to feel, to imagine and to appreciate every time when I teach the little wonders of the world. They teach me to be patient, because to deal with children while making them do Yoga, especially the ones whom you do not know at all can be very demanding on your mind, as you have to forbearingly listen and answer to all their questions. But at the end there is a sense of achievement and joy that I get when I nurture them with moral ethics and value education. It is so much important to teach values and ethics to kids in a practical way to bring peace and love for the next generations to come.

As a Yoga teacher it is so essential to be aware and vigilant with your own behavior and moral conduct in order to educate the children whole heartedly. It is so insane to see when the kids are being exposed to alcohol and smoking by their own parents. Like the last night when I was eating out in a restaurant, I was deeply upset and stunned to see a father holding a glass of alcohol in front of his own five year old child. It has become so normal to drink and so normal to drink in front of children!! Sad. Very sad. We are already seeing so many serious problems in the world due to the consumption of alcohol, especially when we lose control over ourselves under the influence of alcohol. And sometimes children get adversely affected by this as their minds are so sensitive. But then, I know I have to practice the Parikarmas and alot of Vairagya! May we all get wiser for the welfare and the well being for ourselves and for our future generation.

The children do not know the difference of rich and poor, of black and white, till we adults teach them. Let’s teach them that being poor or rich does not make a person's character. It's about the values that we carry, the humility that we show and the love that we spread which makes a man's character. It is not about in which country you live, which liquor you have in your bar, which car you possess, how much jewellery you own, which skin colour you have or which parties you attend.

I thank my gurus and my parents to guide me to educate the little children with yoga ethics, values and lessons on morality. This will go a long way...I have faith that the good that they learn today will be passed on by them to the generations to come...and the cycle continues:-) forever and it is my responsibility, your responsibility and everyone's responsibility to educate each and every child around you.

Namaskaar!!
Jeenal

Testimonials

(Translated from Portuguese)

About Daniel's classes:

“It would be difficult to say everything I wish, but I’ll try to make it short. Simply [he was] my Guru in India; a person with whom I learned Yoga; excellent teacher; [he] rules in the subjects related to Yoga; with great ease [he] shares his knowledge, besides preparing marvelously his classes. Congratulations, thanks a lot for all you have done for me”.

About Jeenal's classes:

“Excellent teacher, very well prepared, [she] has great expertise on the subject and total control over  the class; makes good use of examples in accordance to the subject; taught exceptionally well how to prepare a good lesson plan;  showed us how to teach Yoga in diverse situations and also for different groups. Congratulations, thanks for everything”.

Rodrigo Ferreira Medeiros, Physical Educator – Brazil

Hey brother.. thanks a lot for given us these testimonials!

Hope you are doing great and spreading Yoga there in Brasil!

Missing you here in India !!

Big hug my friend.

Daniel

For more Testimonials please click here

Behind & Beyond - Concentration!

Trataka
Gazing at the  thumbnail.

In a classical point of view (Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga) the restraint of all mental modifications (vrittis) is Yoga. It has been generally recognized that without concentration, nothing is possible. Only upon the power of concentration, more then upon any other thing, depends the law of attracting, controlling and mastering life’s conditions. Concentration has been defined by the Yoga authorities as steadfastness of the mind where the same is bound in a specified locality. We know from experience that the mind is the last thing one can possibly control. Try to fix it on any object and you will find that it soon slides away. Like a mischievous monkey, the mind is very difficult to control.

Thus, concentration is one's ability to be totally focussed on any given task for a continued period to achieve perfection. Concentration is the essence of Yoga. So anything that promotes steadiness and integration of the mind can be considered as a yogic activity. To improve concentration we must firstly rid ourselves of negative tendencies by diligently restraining “animal behaviour” and adopting manners and attitudes those which are conducive to mental peace. Poor health, tension, anxiety, laziness, distractions and doubt are some of the hindrances in developing concentration. One's efforts are concentrated only when the mind is silent. Pranayama and several “coordination” asanas are very good for concentration. Also verbalising the word "Aum" is a very simple and powerful technique for developing concentration.

Padmasana
Practicing Breath Awareness

The yogi then proceeds to disassociate the mind from the physical senses which carry it into external objects. Through abstraction one can easily learn to draw away the mind from the senses and they can then be brought under the control of the mind.  After drawing back the mind from the senses, as in the case of abstraction, the Yogi proceeds further to concentrate his mind on specified objects. Failure to achieve mental concentration may be attributed largely to lack of primary control over the physical activities. Many students seem to believe that concentration is very easy and may be successfully taken up at any stage of Yoga study without the paraphernalia of physical training in this direction. It is however only through the continual practice of Yoga that it can ever be controlled.

In Classical Yoga, concentration is also the basis for meditation!

So.. what do you think. Can you sit quietly and observe your breath for around 30 minutes in a stretch? If you feel you cannot.. don't worry. Try and sit for 10 or 15 minutes initially. Soon I'll be posting more information on how can you prepare yourself to start the practice of conscious training in concentration & meditation.

Namaskar !!!

Happy Diwali

Dear friends,

Daniel and I wish all our students, clients, friends and all the lovely one's a very happy Diwali.

Diwali is a festival where people from all age groups participate. They give expression to their happiness by lighting earthen 'diyas' (lamps), decorating the house and inviting near and dear ones to their households for partaking in a sumptuous feast. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to God for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valor and fame.

On Diwali night, little clay lamps are lit in homes, but now a days colored electric lamps are also used. What is the significance of lighting a lamp? It is through the light that the beauty of this world is revealed or experienced. Most civilizations of the world recognize the importance of light as a gift of God. It has always been a symbol of whatever is positive in our world of experience.

To Hindus, darkness represents ignorance, and light is a metaphor for knowledge. Therefore, lighting a lamp symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces- wickedness, violence, lust, anger, envy, greed, bigotry, fear, injustice, oppression and suffering, etc.

A message which I would like to share with you is to say 'NO TO CRACKERS'. Care to make this world a better place to live in. I am sharing one of my painting to bestow mirth and positivity during this lovely occassion of Diwali.

Much Light :-)

Namaskar !!
Jeenal

Behind & Beyond - Pranayamas!

Breathing forms the most vital process of life-activity. This action keeps up till the time of death and, in the meantime, the blood is being purified and aerated through the lungs. All the organs of the body work in rhythm as long as they are kept supplied with pure blood from the heart. Moreover, few people know, and fewer still care to know that every change in the mental state is accompanied by a corresponding change in the volume, force and rhythm of respiration. Likewise, the yogis maintain that the rise and fall in the depth of respiration cause a corresponding change in the activity of the brain; and that such a continual interaction between the brain and the lung can be safely utilized for supra-physical and supra-mental achievements.

The best means for creating harmony and concentration within, therefore, is first to create harmony in breathing, and this could only be very effectively done through the various Yoga breathing methods. Therefore, Yoga takes aid of breathing essentially with a view to controlling the functions of bio-energy (prāna), and through such control, to gaining mastery over the mind. However, according to Yoga, the respiratory movements represent only a portion of the grosser activities of the life force (prāna).

In fact, deep breathing was originally confined to and associated with the process of concentration – during the period of the earlier Upaniṣads, about 700 BC. It was later introduced by the ancient practical Yoga teachers (like Yājñavalkya, Matsyendra, Gorakṣa and others) also as a hygienic and preventive measure against a number of diseases. Scientific Yoga, therefore, lays great stress upon the value of deep breathing, more so with regard to its nervous influence, and also as an aid to mental and psychic culture rather than to its healthful physiologic effects promoting longevity. He who only breathes half only lives half; but he who has mastered the art of breathing has control over every function of his being.

If you are new to Yoga and want to practice Pranayamas you should start with simple techniques for gaining more awareness and control of the respiratory muscles.

I'll talk more about this and describe some of these techniques in a future post. Keep in touch.

Namaskar !!

Testimonials

“Jeenal’s class made me more confident in public speaking. I love her passion to inculcate values in the minds of young children. She gave amazing insight on how to teach children of different age groups with examples and evaluation was incredible which helped us better our talks”.

“I absolutely love Daniel’s class. The asana class has helped me a lot even though I wasn’t extremely regular. His depth of knowledge even for the theory class is amazing and his way of teaching is very proficient. He makes learning more fun, I love his dedication and I hope to be able to practice everything he taught me. He is a great teacher and a person”.

Chinky Sainani, Student – India

For more Testimonials please click here

Yoga in Hong Kong

Namaste friends! Daniel Fonseca and I Jeenal Mehta conducted Yoga sessions on 4th and 5th October 2010 at the Life Management Yoga Centre (which also follows the tradition of The Yoga Institute of Santacruz) by invitation of Smt. Sangeeta Ahuja, during our visit to Hong Kong . Members of the Indian community and Chinese residents of Hong Kong attended the classes.

I conducted a special Yoga class for senior citizens where I taught Asanas following the Yogendra Rhythm of breathing and Simplified Yogendra Pranayamas followed by Om chanting and Shavasana.

Daniel conducted an intermediate Yoga class where he focused on intermediate group of Asanas like the Surya Namaskar and other Yogendra Asanas followed by Pranayamas and Shavasana.

In the above mentioned sessions, significance was given to body, mind and breath equally. Nowadays more and more emphasis is given to the physical aspect of Yoga leaving out the mental aspect. By inculcating the mental aspect during the Asana class reaps maximum benefit. Daniel and I both feel that it is very important to pay attention on the Attitude Training (Bhavas) while performing the Asanas as taught by The Yoga Institute of Santacruz.

Keep up with our blog for latest updates on our various workshops and activities. We'll be conducting a few more workshops abroad in 2011. If you wish to organise or host our Yoga workshops in your country then please feel free to share your ideas with us on info@wiselivingyoga.com.

Much light, Namaste - Jeenal

Behind & Beyond - Asanas!

When it comes to asanas, the definition is very simple, Asana is a posture, of course, but which type of posture? It is a posture where you are steady and comfortable, happy, and peaceful. If you are uncomfortable, if you are unsteady in a posture, then that would not be labelled as an Asana. Any fast movements would not be recommended nor considered as asana. But the point is: if the body is stiff or sick any posture could be uncomfortable for that person. So for such conditions, we have a few derivatives out of the main asanas to help that person; to add more flexibility, to see that muscles are toned up in these and those areas and so on. So the person will do some of these very simple derivatives and understand their effect in different areas of our body.

Have you ever observed that your body is not in the same position all the time? Note that the body gets into a different state, in different situations. Which are those factors affecting your body's relaxed and peaceful state? Stress is the main factor, but stress happens in different conditions, like: if you're tired or if you have not slept well; if you don't work at all, then the body becomes quite stiff; mental agitation plays a very big role; if you are suffering from some health condition, it affects you; your diet directly affects the system; if you don't eat at regular intervals or eat junk food, your body situation is different. So, people should start observing these things to develop that awareness, which is the aim of every asana.

In fact the purpose of asana is to get you into that steadier state. Now, that is possible only if you watch yourself regularly throughout the day and find out what is the condition of your body. See to it that you don't overdo or do less of certain things. As far as possible, organize yourself to have a good state, to feel healthy and in a good condition. So this is like a homework, that you have to start observing yourself every time you do anything in life. Suppose you don't find time to do a particular asana in a particular way, you don't have to feel bad about it. It is the idea behind asanas that is to be carried out; to develop awareness, sensitivity of self, and to watch self. You still have to eat your food, sleep, walk and go to work. Well, at those times, if you could develop a little awareness as to how you sit, how you stand, how you breathe, if just a little awareness is manifest, then the purpose of asanas would be served. Asana is not something which is only physical culture. It needs your attention, it needs your emotion, and it needs your caring.

Well... so let's practice with awareness and right attitude !!
Namaskar !!

What is Yoga really?

At WLYA, this is our approach to Yoga:

Yoga is intimately related to life and living. It is difficult to equate it with only one aspect of life – physical, intellectual, emotional, etc. though in Yoga all these areas are involved in different ways. In ancient times people experimented and arrived at certain modes of living, which they found more proper for leading one to a better life.

Thus, Yoga represents the way of life which endows perfect health in physical, mental, moral and spiritual levels. To achieve this great art and science of life, a comprehensive and practical system of self-culture has been formulated which brings harmonious development of one's body, mind and psychic potencies, that ultimately leads to physical well-being, mental harmony, moral elevation, self-confidence and habituation to spiritual consciousness.

The methodical study of scientific Yoga thus rightly begins with a disciplinary training of habits, actions, speech and thoughts in order to positively condition the mind followed with physical and postural training and rhythmic breathing to bring flexibility and muscular strength to the body. Then follows respiratory and nervous control that enables an individual to regulate his or her biological living by conservation and control of the bio-energy (prana). With this a higher level of immunity is achieved.

After physiological training comes the psychosomatic training with a view to controlling the external and internal senses which affect the equanimity and peace of mind. This is achieved through a series of graded physiopsychic efforts by relaxation, centralization, visualization, dissociation, introversion and meditation.

Through autosuggestion and contemplation on the negative and positive virtues a man can cultivate a universal outlook in his practical way of life rising above all the inhibitions and environmental influences common to human nature. Progressively the purity of the human nature and healthy mindedness is achieved through good physical health and control of the senses. It also includes methods of applied psychology, psychoanalysis, parapsychology, mental hygiene and therapeutics and psychic enfoldments with a view to ultimately awaken the human energy potential.

This is how they have practices of sitting in 28 ways, standing, bending, stretching, breathing, concentrating, quietening the mind and so forth. What unfortunately is treated as Yoga today is just some external aspects of Yoga, forgetting the attitude that goes with it.

Source: Text notes and book Yoga Sutras published by The Yoga Institute, Santacruz, Mumbai - India.

More about WLYA

Wise Living Yoga Academy is an educational body affiliated to The Yoga Institute of Santacruz, Mumbai – India, the world's oldest organized Yoga institution, which imparts Yoga Education and Lifestyle Principles of Classical Yoga, following the lineage of the late Shri Yogendraji – father of Modern Yoga Renaissance – direct disciple of Guru Pujya Paramahamsa Madhavdasji.

Our services comprehend of:

- Yoga Teacher Training Course (TTC) 240 Hours International Certification Program

Please visit the following website for complete information on our next Yoga TTC happening in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from 4th June to 2nd July 2011:

http://www.teachertraining.wiselivingyoga.com/

We also provide:

- Yoga Training & Counseling - Personal/Individual/Small Group

- Yoga for Organizations - Yoga Sessions, Seminars & Wellness Workshops

Classes, Workshops & Courses include:

•Conditioning & Meditative Practices

•Abstraction & Concentration Practices

•Respiratory Practices for Bio-energy Control

•Postures for Flexibility

•Yoga Physical Hygiene

•Yoga Mental Hygiene

•Relaxation Practices

•Yoga Meditation

 

For more information please contact us on:

Phone: (+91) 9821 231306 / 9821 505029 or Email: info@wiselivingyoga.com

Greetings !!!

Namaste every one,

We are very happy to launch the new blog of Wise Living Yoga Academy. This space is for everyone interested in Yoga and in Self-development. Here you'll be able to track our activities, see pictures from our last yoga camps and be attuned with our new projects. Of course you still can check out our website time to time and see what is new over there too :-)

Please keep in touch and always leave your comments.
Yours in Yoga,



Daniel & Jeena
Wise Living Yoga Academy - Co-Founders