namaskar A VOICE FOR THE YOGA COMMUNITY OF ASIA
HELPING NEPAL RECOVER One charity helping rebuild in Nepal, one temple at a time...........................................................p17
Marco Aicardi, photograph by Richard Pilnick
FEELING LOST? It’s okay, just go with the flow says one yoga and meditation teacher.........................................p31
July 2015 THE GITA Four explanations & perspectives to clarify this oft misunderstood subject...........................p32
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NAMASKAR - JULY 2015
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha, Sauca, Santosa, Tapas, Svadhyaya, Isvarapranidhana
On the cover - Ashtanga vinyasa teacher Marco Aicardi
Most readers will be familiar with these five yamas and niyamas given in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as a guideline for ethical thought and action.
(http://ashtangagokarna.weebly.com) welcomes students to his yoga sala in Gokarna in the winter months. And in the summer months he leads retreats around Europe.
In This Issue
And we can even follow them quite well when the teacher talks about them in class. Maybe we can even keep them in heart and mind as we enter the changing rooms. But how to apply them consistently when so much of the world seems to operate from a completely opposite perspective? Do you notice yourself starting to speak negatively when surrounded by others who are complaining? Does your usual contentment with your life waiver when you flick through a magazine and see ads of excess? Do you justify a little white lie about a colleague because you might get that promotion?
DRISTI - BHAGAVAD GITA THE GITA Wisdom through the ages, for all SONG OF NOW Arjuna shows us the way THE BACK STORY What happened to lead up to The Gita
So here’s my challenge - before reading this issue any further, remind yourself what each of the yamas and niyamas means (at the bottom if you need a reminder) and repeat them to yourself a few times. Say it out aloud or say it in your head. Let them sink in and then go ahead and read these pages.
SPECIAL FEATURES REBUILDING NEPAL 17 One charities efforts to restore Nepal’s national temples, post-earthquake CHARITIES IN NEPAL 19 Listing of some charities focussed on Nepal THREE FACES OF REFUGE 20 Yogini on retreat finds humanity in Greece YIN YOGA 23 Two simple poses accessible for all PARTNER YOGA 27 Connecting, communicating FINDING YOUR VOICE 29 Observations of a teacher on the process of becoming a teacher FEELING LOST IN LIFE 31 Why it’s okay to not know what to do
If you contribute to Namaskar as a writer, photographer, advertiser, volunteer, printer, distributor, do the same thing before you make each contact with the magazine. Make this an opportunity to practice those qualities, taking comfort and support in the knowledge others are too. I’ve been doing this exercise when coming to this issue and I thank you Joseph for the idea. A recent conversation with you prompted me to re-consider my approach to Namaskar. And practicing this yama niyama meditation myself before starting work each time reminds me how fulfilling it is to serve as its editor. I’m honored to meet so many generous contributors, enriched by reading about their experiences and learning, grateful to advertisers paying on time, and encouraged by how well Namaskar is received around the world. Contributors to this issue live in Australia, France, Hong Kong, India, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States! And readers of Namaskar are spread even further. But regardless of where we live, we are connected through these pages, just as we are through yoga.
REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS KULA UPDATES, WORKSHOPS, RETREATS, TEACHER TRAININGS PHOTO ESSAY MUDRAS IN BRIEF MYTHOLOGY BOOK REVIEW RECIPE DIRECTORY
32 35 36
6 14 39 40 43 47 48
(Non-violence, Truthfulness, Non-stealing, Celibacy, Non-attachment, Purity, Contentment, Austerity, Self-study, Surrender to God) ABOUT NAMASKAR ADMINISTRATION Carol Adams, carol@caroladams.hk NEWS EDITOR Wai-Ling Tse, wailing.tse@gmail.com CIRCULATION Angela Sun, angela.sun@gmail.com
Namaskar provides a voice for the yoga community in Asia and around the world. The publication is an opportunity for practitioners on a yogic path to selflessly offer their knowledge, learnings and experiences with others.
Articles and photographs in Namaskar are contributed at no charge. Advertising income covers production, distribution, administrative costs and discretionary contributions to selected charities and causes.
We welcome unsolicited submissions, therefore the opinions expressed within these pages are not necessarily those of Namaskar or its volunteers.
Namaskar, is published quarterly in January, April, July and October. About 5,000 copies are printed and distributed for free to yoga studios, teachers, fitness centres, retail outlets, cafes and yogafriendly outlets. Mostly distributed in Hong Kong, with 1,500 copies mailed to readers in 32 other countries.
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Frances Gairns, fgairns@netvigator.com
July 2015
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CONTRIBUTORS ANDY WILLNER
Dona is a Manila-based Yoga educator and ecstatic dancer. She is passionate about women’s health and initiates discussions on menstruation so we can stop passing on the collective shame to our daughters and granddaughters. dtestaban@yahoo.com
JANET LAU
JUNE CHAN
HERSHA CHELLARAM
Andy is a yoga practitioner and teacher. As a student of Tantric philosophy, he looks to incorporate Tantric roots of yoga into the asana practices to give context to the postures. andy.willner@pure-yoga.com CASSANDRA KISH
Hersha is an Integral Yoga teacher offering classes, workshops and teacher trainings in Hong Kong. hersha@hershayoga.com
Dedicated to integrating yoga and mindfulness practices, Janet has served as an international teacher, trainer and retreat leader since 2006. She holds a master’s degree in Buddhist studies, has presented at TEDx, and is the author of the Chinese book “Living with Yoga and Mindfulness” www.janet-lau.com
From Hong Kong to Singapore and now living in Sydney, June is living her dream with yoga. www.bodyworkwithjune.com KRISHNAA KINKARIDAS
JEANNE LIM
JAMES BOAG
Cassandra, founder of Vidyaa Yoga, currently lives in Paris, France. She offers yoga/surf retreats in Baleal, Portugal - Yoga Surf Sleep Eat. cassandrayogaparis@yahoo.co.uk DONA TUMACDER-ESTEBAN James teaches integrated yoga programmes: classes, courses, retreats and intensives; around the world, including on the Gita, and regularly gives courses studying chapters of the Gita direct from the original Sanskrit text in Mysore, India. www.jamesboagyoga.com
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Jeanne is a yoga practitioner and certified teacher. She completed the five-year Traditional Yoga Studies course led by Georg Feuerstein and is currently studying for a PhD in integrated and holistic health at the Energy Medicine University. She works in the IT industry. yogajeanne@gmail.com
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Krishnaa lives in London. She studied with B.K.S. Iyengar in Mumbai and Pune and now runs classes in London and teaches ‘Sanskrit and Mudras for Yoga’ for Yoga Alliance and British wheel of Yoga trainee teachers. She has written nine books on Bhakti Yoga. kinkaridasi@hotmail.com
MOOSA AL-ISSA
Moosa is Executive Director of Life Cafe and Director of Just Green Organic Convenience Stores in HK. Moosaalissa@gmail.com
SIMON LOW
Simon has been teaching for over 24 years. He is the principal of The Yoga Academy, was co-founder of Tri-Yoga in London and creator of a Yin Yoga App for iPhone from the App Store. yoga@simonlow.com TIA SINHA
RICHARD PILNICK
namaskar Now on-line at: www.issuu.com/namaskarasia Back issues still at: www.issuu.com/caroladams
Richard was introduced to photography at a very young age by his father, an engineer who spent many years working away in Asia and the Far East. Richard’s work has been exhibited in various locations, most notably in the National Portrait Gallery and as part of the “Taylor Wessing photographic portrait prize 2013.” www.richardpilnick.com
Tia, who spends most of her time in retreat, teaches yoga asana, philosophy and Tibetan Buddhist techniques of meditation. onlytia2@yahoo.co.in
October’s dristi: Travelling Yoga Teacher
WAI-LING TSE Ideas include: • Pros & cons of being a travelling yoga teacher • How to build your profile as a travelling yoga teacher • Staying grounded while flying 100 days a year • Travelling Yoga Teacher 101 (basics you need to know) If you would like to contribute an article on this subject, or others, to Namaskar, please email Frances at fgairns@netvigator.com with your thoughts first. That way we can let you know if another contributor is already covering that angle. Final articles are welcome before September 10.
Wai-Ling teaches and practices yoga and mindfulness, therapy and is Kula editor of Namaskar. yogawithling@gmail.com
July 2015
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KULA
Updates
Some of the teachers of the outdoor yoga event at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, Hong Kong form a human YOGA to celebrate the first International Day of Yoga, 21 June. Photo by Ivanna Vivcharyk
International Day HONG KONG Kirtan at of Yoga International 21 June The first International Day of Yoga Institute Yoga was celebrated around the world on 21 June, also the Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere). Many large-scale outdoor yoga events were organised. Perhaps most notable was the 35,000-person-strong yoga practice led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Modi had been one of the principal lobbyists for the United Nations to establish this day. The resolution, which was passed in 2014, had 175 co-sponsoring nations, including the US, China, UK, France and Germany, the highest of any UN resolution of such a nature. For more information www.idayofyoga.org
7 August (7-8:30 pm) IYI, Tsimshatsui Free Kirtan night followed by a light vegetarian dinner. For more information Connie/ Sitarani (852) 2369 6696
Yoga & Indian Culture Carnival 23 August (10am-6pm) International Yoga Institute, Tsimshatsui Yoga, vegetarian snacks and Indian Culture Carnival. Free admission and all are welcome. For more information Connie/ Sitarani (852) 2369 6696
An impressive turnout, despite cloudy and sometimes rainy skies, in Hong Kong for the first International Day of Yoga. Photo by Ivanna Vivcharyk.
Seeking Yoga/ Pilates Instructors Yoga Privates is an exclusive provider of private Yoga and Pilates sessions across Asia since 2008. They are seeking registered, experienced instructors to join their team. For more information
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www.yoga-privates.com / info@yoga-privates.com / (852) 65044280
Core+ opens in the heart of Stanley Stanley Core+, a beachside boutique fitness studio aims to offer
Lisa & Louise have opened Core+ in Stanley, Hong Kong
Southside residents a unique fitness experience close to home. They work with clients to stretch their endurance to its optimum, awarding them with a heightened self-esteem, health benefits and renewed sense of inner harmony. The studio offers private and group session of all types with expert instructors who customize the program to suit individual and group fitness needs. A few of the programs they offer are Pilates, Barre, TRX, Yoga, private training, Zumba, children’s dance, pre and post natal. For more information (852) 2785 9266 / info@coreplus.com.hk INDIA
Traditional Yoga Festival 29 January-2 February 2016 Yoga VidyaGurukul, Trimbak, Nasik Organised by Yoga VidyaGurukul which was founded in 1978 by YogacharyaVishwasMandlik as a non-profit organization. Individual - US$200 per person. The price includes accommodation, food, conference material and training (on all sessions). A yoga teacher can bring their students or those interested in yoga and yogic lifestyle. For more information gandhar@yogapoint.com / yoga@yogapoint.com / www.yogapoint.com
INDONESIA
for faster spiritual progress.
Anandamaya Wellness Festival
To register and for more information www.ssrf.org
18 - 20 September Jakarta A festival of Yoga, Pilates, Meditation, Healing, Music, Dance and Food.
SINGAPORE
Featuring teachers from the US, UK, Australia, the Netherlands, as well as Indonesia. For more information www.anandamayawellness festival.com MALAYSIA
Free Lectures by Spiritual Science Research Foundation 25. 27, 30 August & 2, 3 September On topics such as the importance of spiritual practice in life, tools
Embracing Community with Fellow Yoga Teachers Singapore Yoga Teacher Sangha is supportive, inclusive, respectful, and collaborative space for yoga teachers of various styles who are based in Singapore to gather, share, and learn from one another. It will be an open forum to discuss the many facets of teaching yoga, a place to share resources, ask questions, give answers and build community. This is a free gathering with the intention of leaving you richer in spirit than when you entered. For more information SingaporeYogaTeacherSangha @yahoo.com.sg / LisaDevi.com/ Sangha
Free Lectures by Spiritual Science Research Foundation 18, 19, 20, 22 August On topics such as the importance of spiritual practice in life, learning to overcome karma, spirits of ancestors. To register and for more information www.ssrf.org
Jphn Ogilvie will be among the international teachers at Anandamaya Wellness Festival in Indonesia
July 2015
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Workshops
AUSTRALIA
John Ogilvie brings a taste of Byron to Sydney 19 July-17 October Byron Yoga Centre founder, John Ogilvie will teach a series of five workshops in a variety of venues and yoga studios around Sydney between July and October. These workshops and masterclasses are open to all levels, from those just starting their yoga journey to teacher training graduates and experienced teachers. For more information byronyoga.com CHINA
Ashtanga Immersion with Dylan Bernstein 1-6 December YogaLife, SeaWorld, Shekou Go deep into your practice by dedicating 4 hours every morning to vinyasa, inversions, backbending and pranayama. For more information dylanyo@gmail.com / withinyoga.com HONG KONG
Iyengar Yoga Level 3-4 & Teachers’ Workshop with Peter Scott 13-14 August Yoga Central Using the wall to practise and learn advanced poses. For more information yogacentralhk@gmail.com
The Mechanics of Sitarani (852) 2369 6696 Inversions & Arm Workshops with Balances with Stephen Marysia Do Ewashkiw 22-23 August Pure Yoga Learn how to refine the mechanics of more basic postures and use those postures as a platform to launch into various arm balances and inversions. For more information www.pure-yoga.com / events@pure-yoga.com
Tap Into Gratitude: EFT & Mindfulness with Falguni Mather 26 August; 23 September SOL Wellness, Central Held every month, this is an experiential and interactive workshop using EFT and mindfulness to explore, cultivate and deepen your sense of gratitude. The goal of the workshop is to embrace gratitude as a way of being, and to notice how this simple practice can reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety. For more information (852) 6444 0952 / Falguni@Dynamic Energy Flow.com / www.DynamicEnergyFlow.com
Yoga, Body, Mind & Soul Workshop 12 September (10am-5pm) International Yoga Institute, Tsimshatsui Covering yoga asana, pranayama and Bhagavad Gita For more information Connie/
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The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan 9 October - Twist The Night Away A two-hour practice-centred class beginning with a short talk, leading into mantra practice, breath work (pranayama), and 75 minutes of asana, ending with meditation. 10 October - Inversion Conversion (aka Core, Blimey) Breaking down the key areas of the body needed to focus on for inversions. 11 October (morning) - The Practice A three-hour asana practice that will bring together the work from the weekend in a focused, challenging class, playing with some poses not usually covered in public classes. 11 October (afternoon) - Reflect & Restore Gives you time to process the work from the weekend, with time for meditation and contemplation, along with a restorative asana practice giving your body and mind time to digest how you feel. For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
Know Your Body; Know Your Pose Workshop with Janet Lau 15 November The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan
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If you want to learn more about your body, or if you have ever wondered why certain poses are always a challenge for you, you will have your mysteries solved in this workshop. Even if you are just starting your yoga practice, it is always good to understand your body so you learn more about the potentials of your beautiful body. For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398 INDONESIA
Mysore and Immersion with Dylan Berstein 20-24 July Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research Center, Bali Dylan will host daily Mysore practice and offer a five-day immersion. For more information ashtangayogabali.com / dylanyo@gmail.com
Christmas Ashtanga with Dylan Berstein 8 December-8 January 2016 Ashtanga Yoga Bali Research Center, Bali Come and celebrate the turn of seasons with morning Mysore and a full five-day immersion over the Christmas holidays. For more information dylanyo@gmail.com / www.stillnessinaction.com
TAIWAN
Special Advanced Iyengar Yoga Class with Peter Scott
Dylan Bernstein will be leading workshops & teacher trainings around Asia
PHILIPPINES
Ashtanga Yoga with Joanne & Mark Darby 21-27 November The Temple Shala, Station 3, Boracay Daily Mysore and morning workshops. For more information karina.galang@gmail.com / (63) 918 906 8331 SINGAPORE
Pranayama: The Power of the Breath Module I - September (10 hrs) 2 November (10 hrs) 3 - FebruaryMarch 2016 (15 hrs) Being in Yoga Pranayama is a vast discipline that enables yoga practitioners to access the deep layer of energy within the self. Ancient yogis described a number of techniques, yet not all should be
practiced by everyone at all times. Three modules will be offered for a total of 35 hours. For more information beinginyoga.com / beinginyoga@gmail.com / (65) 9830 3808
For more information www.withinspace.com
SRI LANKA
Dylan Bernstein at Ulpotha 2-16 August Unplug and rejoice! Twice daily yoga, Ayurvedic treatments and vegetarian, organic, local cuisine make up the days and nights at this sustainable ecological community. There is a luxurious lack of electricity, connectivity and productivity... which allows for remarkable yoga practice and natural living. Open to all! For more information www.ulpotha.com
24 July SPACE YOGA, Taipei This special class is for students with an established yoga practice who can do Sirsasana (headstand) for 5 minutes and can push up into UrdhvaDhanurasana (wheel pose) with straight arms. It is a complete practice and a variety of poses will be covered to challenge you and deepen your knowledge of asanas. It is a perfect opportunity to elevate your practice safely and effectively with the refined Iyengar methods.
Refine your practice with Iyengar Principles with Peter Scott 1-2 August SPACE YOGA, Taipei Elevate your practice and gain a better understanding of outer, physical alignment and be introduced to the principles of inner alignment that allows you to develop your awareness with more subtle details.. For more information www.withinspace.com
Yoga for Emotional Wellness with Ann Lu 28-30 August SPACE YOGA, Taipei Stresses in our daily lives that go unchecked can adversely affect our emotional and physical health. Learn how to specifically use various yogic tools to manage our moods, balance our nervous system, and literally reshape our brain to have lasting changes on our well-being. For more information www.withinspace.com
Nourishing our seed of Mindfulness with Janet Lau 29-30 August Yoga Journey, Taipei Understanding how the practice of mindfulness, meditation, and yoga can help us heal our body from the very root. Practising mindfulness-based yoga, sitting meditation, journal exercises and sharing to deepen the understanding of yourselves, train your concentration, and take care of your emotions. When you can take care of yourself with love and care, transformation follows. For more information www.yogajourney.com.tw
Asana, Pranayama, Ayurveda with Sudhir Tiwari 19-25 September SPACE YOGA, Taipei Study, practise, and experience Yoga and Ayurveda. Learn how to apply it to your daily life. The sessions will include pulse check, constitutional analysis, asanas, pranayama, chanting, meditational techniques and discussion on yoga and ayurveda. Time permitting, participants will also have an opportunity for personal consultations. For more information www.withinspace.com THAILAND
Tantra Fundamentals 17-22 August Participants will study the Tantric orgasm and how to develop it through the understanding and practice of Tantric techniques like sublimation, retention, transfiguration and more. These techniques will be supported by a relevant practice of Hatha Yoga to enhance sexual vitality and sublimation of sexual energies. For more information www.agamayoga.com
Mark & Joanne Darby will be in Borocay, Philippines
July 2015
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Teacher Trainings
AUSTRALIA
Certificate IV in Yoga TT 16 August Byron Yoga Centre Byron Yoga Centre offers this fully accredited 800 hours course - one of the highest possible qualifications in yoga teaching recognised in Australia and internationally. Also Byron Yoga Centre has launched a 12 month Cert IV - students attend 2 days per week, so it is ideal for international students as it meets the requirements for a 12-month international student visa. For more information www.byronyoga.com
Insight Yoga TT with Sarah Powers 8-15 November Sydney This is a 60-hour Yoga Alliance training. Each day will include two hours of Yin Yoga, two hours of Yang Yoga, and two hours of Mindfulness Meditation. For more information www.sarahpowers.com/iyi/ calendar/calendar-2015/insightyoga-teacher-training-november2015/ CHINA
The Energetics of Excellence: 100hr Advanced TT with Patrick Creelman 13-23 August Pure Yoga, Shanghai This training is designed to empower and educate 10
experienced teachers to the next level of their own teaching. Learn how to own the space of each classroom, empower your voice when speaking in front of an audience, and find your deeper purpose of being as a teacher. For more information www.pure-yoga.com / events@pure-yoga.com HONG KONG
200-hr Vinyasa Yoga TT with Wai-Mei Yeung & Robert Boswell Full-time: 3-28 August; Part time: 29 July-30 August Grand Jete Dance Centre Join this Yoga Alliance accredited life transforming training to deepen your practice and learn to be a yoga teacher with your true voice. You will learn philosophy, energy, alignment, sequencing, hands-on adjustment and teaching skills. There are 4 weeks full time course and 5 weeks part-time course to choose from.
Jo breaks it down at her Yin Yoga TT
For more information www.hershayoga.com
Yin Yoga TT with Jo Phee 5-9 September Join senior Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer Jo on the Theory and Practice of Yin Yoga, anatomy of Yoga, Chinese medicine and fascia study.
For more information www.facebook.com/ yoga.teacher.training.hk. barefootyoga / barefootyogadavis.com / (852) 9686 8124
For more information www.yinspiration.org / hazeltsui@gmail.com
200-hr Integral Yoga TT with Hersha Chellaram 50-hr CET Hot 4 September Yoga TT with Integral Yoga creates a safe Tomasz Goetel environment where students can nurture their personal development, become a knowledgeable and professional Yoga teacher, and develop a spirit of selfless service. This is a parttime course over 10 months.
14-20 September The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan Be introduced to a classic practice, which incorporates approximately 95 exercises. The training is for experienced
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students and teachers, not suitable for beginners. Graduates with a current RYT200 certification can use the Certificate towards obtaining their RYT500 and E-RYT registration. For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
Embrace - 200-hr Part-time Hot Yoga TT with Frances Gairns 5 September - 20 December Pure Yoga Experienced Hot Yoga practitioners welcome. A training grounded in the Hot Yoga practice, which provides structure for teaching basic Hatha and Vinyasa practices. Trainees will learn about the basic postures with
modifications, relevant anatomy, yoga history , philosophy, how to teach compassionately and safely. For more information www.pure-yoga.com / events@pure-yoga.com
The Energetics of Excellence: 100hr Advanced TT with Patrick Creelman 17-27 September Pure Yoga Empowering and educating experienced teachers to the next level. Learn to own the space of each classroom, empower your voice when speaking in front of an audience, and find your purpose of being as a teacher. For more information www.pure-yoga.com / events@pure-yoga.com
Living Yoga Therapy TT with Chandrika Gibson & Garrett Lane 29 September-8 October Pure Yoga This course brings together the therapeutic indications and techniques given in classical yoga texts with the latest in yoga therapy research and evidencebased practices from other health professions. For more information www.pure-yoga.com / events@pure-yoga.com
85-hr Prenatal Yoga TT with Ann da Silva The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan Suitable for yoga teachers, midwives, doulas and other health professionals who are interested in teaching yoga to pregnant mothers. Participants must have completed a 200-hour basic teacher training or have at least three years of yoga practice.
October 2015 & February 2016 An in-depth training that will take a small group deep into yoga. Daily Ashtangapractice and plenty of homework ensure you grow as a practitioner, student, teacher. One hundred hours over 10 days in late October, one hundred hours over 10 days in late February. For more information dylanyo@gmail.com / www.stillnessinaction.com
THAILAND
Tantra Living Yoga Fundamentals Therapy TT with and Rebirthing TT Chandrika Gibson 27 July-18 October and Garrett Lane Agama A program for self-development,
LEVEL II: Advanced Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga TT 28-30 October For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
For more information www.pure-yoga.com / events@pure-yoga.com
INDIA
Advanced TT in the Tradition of Krishnamacharya
LEVEL I: Prenatal Yoga TT 19-23, and 26-27 October
Level 2 TT with Julie Martin & Emil Wendel 30 November-27 December Brahmani Yoga, Goa Through a daily immersion into the depths of Asana, Philosophy, Pranayama and Meditation, Julie and Emil will guide you to unfold as a practitioner, a teacher, and a yogi. This program is registered with the Yoga Alliance at 300 hours which allows participants to upgrade to YA 500. For more information: www.brahmaniyoga.com/ teacher-training/level-2-teachertraining-julie-martin-and-emilwendel
Yin Yoga TT 27 November-12 December Ubud, Bali 100-Hour Yin Yoga training with Sebastian and Murielle Pucelle. For more information www.with-yinyoga.com NICARAGUA
300-hr Yoga Alliance TT with Julia McCabe 1-28 October Los Cardones Eco Lodge Asana, pranayama, meditation, teaching methodology, anatomy and more.
For more information www.withinspace.com
SINGAPORE
25 July-3 August Pure Yoga This course brings together the therapeutic indications and techniques given in classical yoga texts with the latest in Yoga therapy research and evidencebased practices from other health professions.
INDONESIA
TT with Dylan Bernstein
For more information www.juliamccabe.com / www.loscardones.com
January 2016-June 2018 Being in Yoga This two and a half years’ program (500+hours) is registered with Yoga Alliance. It offers in-depth training in yoga for teaching and personal evolution, and an introduction to yoga as a complementary healing system. The course syllabus was set under the direct supervision of TKV Desikachar. It allows time for students to experience subtle changes and integrate them under guidance of the mentor. For more information beinginyoga.com / beinginyoga@gmail.com / (65) 9830 3808 TAIWAN
Rainbow Kids Yoga TT 2-4 October SPACE YOGA, Taipei A comprehensive, intensive and practical certification course, perfect for anyone who loves working with kids, and loves yoga. This fun-filled course will provide you with immediate tangible knowledge and tons of fabulous ideas to create original, captivating and fun yoga experiences for kids of all ages.
July 2015
offering comprehensive training. Intended to help you transform into the best version of yourself. For more information www.agamayoga.com/ttc/attc/
Lullaby Yoga Vinyasa TT 28 September-4 October Phuket Learn to create safe and inspiring yoga classes and deepen your own personal practice. For more information (662) 6777470-1 / info@lullaby-yoga.com / www.lullaby-yoga.com
Lullaby Yoga Pre & Post-Natal Yoga TT (RPYT) 26 October-1 November Lullaby Yoga Sathorn, Bangkok This training is limited to 15 people only. Early bird price: 35,000THB; regular price: 48,000THB. For more information (662) 6777470-1 / info@lullaby-yoga.com
An Education in Yoga 31 October - 28 November Samahita Retreat This comprehensive training covers the covers yoga in its entirety, helping to expand your base of understanding and give you the tools to begin the process of sharing yoga with others. We aim to make the course challenging, yet appropriate for this level. It is a 200 + hour foundation course. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
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Retreats
4 nights accommodation, all yoga classes, 3 vegetarian meals per day and one free massage per person. All levels of yoga practitioners are welcome.
AUSTRALIA
Yin/Insight Yoga Silent Retreat with Sarah & Ty Powers
For more information www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
18-21 November Sydney, Australia Join Sarah and Ty Powers on this residential silent retreat with teachings of Insight Yoga - an interweaving of Yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and Transpersonal Psychology.
Yin Yoga & Meditation Retreat with Jo Phee & Joe Barnett
For more information www.eventbrite.com.au CANADA
Yoga, Nature & Raw Food Retreat with Sarah Zandbeek & Julia McCabe 11-13 September Elk View Lodge, Fernie, BC For more information www.juliamccabe.com / www.elkviewlodge.com HONG KONG
Yoga Beyond Asanas Retreat with Swami Gyan Dharma 30 September-4 October Salesian Retreat House, Cheung Chau Swamiji will be teaching every morning on how to understand our mind and cultivate awareness, and apply this knowledge into practice through meditation in the afternoon. He will also lead Q and A session as well as mantra chanting and kirtan (call and 12
Julia will be leading a retreat in Nicaragua
response) at night. In between, there will be asana, pranayama and Yoga Nidra practice. Swami GyanDharma is a profound yogi who has practised Yoga for 40 years. Based in the UK, he travels around the world spreading Yoga knowledge. His direct and practical teaching as well as mantra chanting with harmonium has moved and inspired many. For more information wellness@hkcf.org
28 November-4 December DesaSeni Resort, Bali An intensive retreat on Yin Yoga, Chakra Meditation, Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga Nidra and Meridian Nidra. For more information www.yinspiration.org / info@yinspiration.org
THAILAND
‘Falling In Love With What Is’ with Lorraine Taylor & Bruno Mushotoku 6-11 July Serenity Villas, KohPhangan Slow down and discover the power of Yoga and Self Awareness to uncover any patterns that may be holding you back from living in joy and freedom. Exploring the nature of the mind and emotions through talks and practices, and to have an awareness of its basic structures to be more aware of its workings and how it effects your experience. For more information www.lorrainetayloryoga.com / www.despertarlaconciencia.org
Retreat with Julia McCabe 7 Days to Vitality: 1-8 November Cleansing & Yoga Los Cardones Eco Surf Lodge, Nicaragua Retreat with Tracy McDonald For more information
INDONESIA
Back to Spirit & Nature Yoga Retreat with Nora Lim & The Yoga Room 30 September-4 October Naya Boutique Retreat Homestay, Ubud, Bali Journey into Yoga philosophy and asana to strengthen your connection with your true nature of bliss and happiness. The price includes flight, airport transfer,
www.juliamccabe.com / www.loscardones.com
Amy Arman will be at Samahita Retreat
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& Summer Dien 22 - 29 August Samahita Retreat Detoxing is great for those in a transition in their lives. It provides clarity to make major life decisions and/or start on a more positive path that honors you and what is right for you in your life. When you detox, you consciously call into your life what you want and release what doesn’t serve you. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
Integrated Yoga Practice with Daniel Stringer 29 August - 5 September Samahita Retreat This is an opportunity for anyone to explore yoga in more depth in a relaxing and revitalizing environment. Hong Kong-based teacher Daniel will share his passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of yoga. We will explore and integrate the layers of Self experienced through our asana, pranayama and meditation practices. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
Relax & Restore with Amy Arman 22 - 29 September Samahita Retreat How the practice can and should have a restorative effect. Whether you are doing breathwork or asana/poses and vinyasas/movement with breath, the entire practice should support all the systems of the body. Learn how to soften the practice and find this subtle aspect, touching a deep sense of calm and inner peace. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
Yin & Yang Yoga Retreats with Simon Low 24-28 September; 17-21 December Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa Yoga immersion in Kamalaya’s
Dorien Israel will be at Samahita Retreat
nurturing environment with daily Yin and Yang Yoga practice, complemented by nourishing cuisine and selected wellness treatments. For more information www.kamalaya.com
Yoga & Belly Dance: Movement On and Off the Mat with Natasha Devalia & Dorien Israel 26 September – 3 October Samahita Retreat Yoga in the morning and in the late afternoon there’s a move off the mat into the belly dance session with Natasha. She will teach elements of both Egyptian style as well as Tribal Fusion style belly dance that she has been introducing into her dance repertoire. After some basic drills which will be repeated daily, she will introduce some short choreography to give space to some flow and fun with the dance routines. To allow for further individual expressivity, there will be time for free movement to different music. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
ourselves and the world around. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
Love Food & Yoga with Anthea Grimason 17 - 24 October Samahita Retreat You will discover how to enhance your energy through food that suits your own body type. You will get to enjoy the healthy, delicious food on the Samahita Retreat buffet whilst going deeper into the practices of yoga. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
Retreat
3 - 10 October Samahita Retreat Together we will explore yoga as a physical practice and how to incorporate yoga into life, aiming for a more holistic approach in order to gain insight into
For more information www.shantaya.org
Living a Life of Joy Immersion Retreat with Carlos Pomeda & Andy Willner 12-17 November The Spa Resort Chiang Mai You will have the opportunity to delve more deeply into your meditation, pranayama and asana practice, as well as explore the wonders of the Bhagavad Gita incorporating a Tantric understanding based on a commentary by one of the great Tantric sages, Abhinavagupta! For more information www.pure-yoga.com
Anthea Grimason will be at Samahita
Building & Deepening a Practice with Integrity with Rachel Grey
experience in a multifaceted approach that combines the best of Anusara, ISHTA, yoga biomechanics and therapeutics where transformational heartoriented yoga teaching is transmitted.
Yoga Fusion Retreat & Therapeutics Immersion with Jonas Westring & Ulrica Norberg Retreat: 25-31 October; Therapeutics: 1-7 November Koh Yao Noi, South Thailand Join two teachers with more than 50 years combined yoga
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Healing our Body, Heart, & Mind Retreat with Janet Lau 22-28 November The Spa Resort, Chiang Mai If you are going through hardship with work, health, relationships, or career, this is an indication of your heart yearning for attention and healing. This retreat offers a well-rounded program exploring ways to apply a meditative yoga practice in your everyday life, learning to take care of your body and emotions, and cultivate a steady and calm mind. For more information www.janet-lau.com 13
Indian Baba, January 2014
GOKARNA, INDIA
Finding myself, through the lens BY RICHARD PILNICK 14
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I traveled to India for a few months with the intention of gaining perspective on myself and my work after a few years in the fashion industry. I’d been a photographer for many years, but never really knew what it was I photographed, that was until I found Gokarna. A three day trip ended up being a month in this beautiful Indian village, Gokarna had my heart and I met one of my guardians, Sad Eyes. Captivated by the people and the faces, both locals and Western travellers, I built a studio on the beach to capture the beauty of this village through the eyes of the people. Sad Eyes, waited patiently, with no communication, and no idea of what was happening, to present himself for a portrait, this was the first portrait printed back in England, it was then I realised I was a portrait photographer. After spending a year on the road with my cameras, we ended up moving to Hong Kong, living there for 18 months, during which time I got sucked back into the fashion industry. My wife and I sat back and decided ‘Gokarna’ was calling. We packed all our belongings and sent them on a boat back to England, and flew to India. I felt I was home, everything seemed to be the same, even the guests house remembered us - ‘you, camera.’ Armed with the prints from the previous visit, I went through the village finding the faces, and handing out prints and a couple of books. People were fascinated, so I built a studio in the village for a continuation of the project.
Ganesh, just before he left for Bali, January 2014
Days later I met Shiva Shankar, mesmerised by his body and the movement of yoga, armed with a couple of portraits, I asked if we could shoot. His eyes lit up, he was so excited. We built a studio in his Shala and began shooting, it was feeding my soul like a meditation, although I didn’t know anything about meditation then. The whole process was a joy, from building the studio, loading the film, choosing and composing the asanas to the single frame taken of each asana. This journey continued back in London with my printer, watching the beauty unfold for a second time in the darkroom.
Sad eyes, my guardian, one day we will meet again, January 2009
My latest visit to Gokarna in January 2014 was as profound as before with another portrait project, this time on the rocks overlooking the beach. This journey was more of a personal journey within, I found my yoga practice. I’d practiced a few different forms of yoga, but this was my first Ashtanga class. As our previous teacher Ganesh went for a 2-week trip to Bali, we were left in the capable hands of Marco. I fell in love instantly, I suddenly understood yoga, the sequence, the breath, the movement mediation, everything about the practice. Every trip to Gokarna I take the portrait of Sad Eyes, hoping to meet him once more, in a village where everyone knows everyone, no one remembers ever seeing him. So I ask myself, was he really there, or just my guardian helping me find my way?
Anon, the village studio, January 2012
Marco, the Ashtangi who introduced me to Ashtanga in January 2014
Shiva Shankar, my first ever yoga photography, January 2012
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KARMA YOGA
ADOPT-A-TEMPLE
Rebuilding Nepal’s Architectural & Spiritual Heritage BY JEANNE LIM
On April 25 a shattering 7.9 earthquake laid ruin to large areas in central and mid-west Nepal, followed by a second 7.6 quake just three weeks later on May 12. The effects on the Kathmandu Valley were devastating and of unimaginable proportions. Five board members of the Himalayan Consensus were in Nepal as part of the relief response to this tragedy that underscores the fragility of the Himalayan region, which is now the front line in the battle against climate disruption. The Himalayan Consensus Institute is leading a project to rebuild the temple-studded Durbar Square and adjacent Royal Palace. I spoke to Laurence Brahm, Founder of Himalayan Consensus Institute about the vision and impact of this restoration project as well as the supporting fundraising program “Adopt-A-Temple”. WHAT IS THE HIMALAYAN CONSENSUS AND WHAT DOES IT DO? Himalayan Consensus is a fresh economic paradigm for protecting ethnic diversity and local identity through community empowerment, emphasizing the fight against climate disruption. The Himalayan Consensus Process convenes multistakeholders across the region from civil society, business, finance and government in seeking solutions to the challenges of this region. We view civil society as offering innovation to challenges, but business and finance are needed to scale the response. Government support is necessary throughout. We see the crisis in Nepal as an opportunity to put in place certain systems for water, energy infrastructure and heritage maintenance to benefit Nepal and possibly position the country as an example of positive response in the region. CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE “ADOPT-A-TEMPLE” PROGRAM? The temples of Patan’s Durbar Square have been icons of Nepal for centuries. They serve as heritage identity. Moreover, restoring the temples will employ local craftspersons in the community who are either Newar or Shakya clans. The Shakya are the same descendents of the family of the historic
Buddha “Shakya-muni.” By restoring the temples we will provide to these families, rehabilitate the heritage, put craftsmen and artisans to work, build hope through rebuilding. From an economic perspective, these temples are tourism symbols at the core of Nepal’s economy. To be practical, we are taking it site by site so the concept is “Adopt-A-Temple.” If a group, organization or individual wants to adopt the project, they will have a personal connection with that particular temple and all that goes into bringing it back. July 2015
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEMPLES YOU ARE LOOKING TO RESTORE? The temples represent the spiritual identity of Nepal. They are energy centers. The temples also represent community gathering places and direct link to the cultural heritage and identity of Nepal’s people. Temples in Patan dedicated to Shiva and the Shaki power Teleju are core to the energy vortex of the Kathmandu Valley. There is also a special merger of Buddhism and Hinduism in Patan that exists nowhere else. They are in total 17
sync and represent a fusion and entanglement of these energies, which are now being understood as the very foundations of quantum physics. So the temples of Patan connect with all of us. HOW WILL THE RESTORATION BENEFIT THE NEPALESE ON AN IMMEDIATE, PRACTICAL LEVEL? Heritage restoration and preservation embodies identity, community, empowerment of local craft artisans, and revival of sustainable tourism serving as a main source of income for Nepal. The revival and reconstruction of the temples will create immediate employment for the crafts artisans who are now unemployed with the loss of tourism; it will benefit entire families, giving directly to the community a sense of re-empowerment. These temples are Nepalese icons and a main draw for tourism which is the mainstay of Nepal’s economy. Resuscitation of the temples will revive Nepal’s heritage tourism. YOU MENTIONED THIS HAS LONGERTERM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON THE WORLD. EXACTLY WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP? As donor organisations and institutions seek to alter Nepal’s economy, the Government strongly believes Nepal should develop a
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green economy with heritage-culture and environmental tourism as the foundations rather than industry, as some outside advisers have suggested. Hyper industrial growth is the cause of glacial melt in the Himalayas and acute disruption of water flow patterns that sheer rock and affect the earth’s plates giving rise to disasters like the one Nepal now faces. The Himalayan Consensus Process is about finding economics that makes sense for a place. This region is fragile. The models and approaches from outside will not work. The disaster of this recent series of earthquakes is directly connected with the melting glaciers, shifting water systems that create new pressures and sheering on the rock and sediment structures. The Himalayas for all their grandeur and symbolism of strength represent a very fragile eco-system. HOW CAN SOMEONE PARTICIPATE IN THE “ADOPT-A-TEMPLE” PROGRAM? Help donate funds toward one of the temple projects. And then participate by watching the temple you have helped rebuild, become what it once was – itself. POST-INTERVIEW UPDATE On June 12, the first “Adopt-A-Temple” fundraising event was held in Hong Kong. At a fundraising dinner at the Kee Club, Laurence gave an update of the situation in
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Nepal as reported by board members of Himalayan Consensus who are on-ground, and showed a video that illustrate the scale of destruction of temple buildings. The goal of the dinner is to raise a modest sum from the attendees that issufficient to restore a small temple called Sulima. Sulima is historically said to be the oldest temple in Patan, with carbon dating going back to the 13th Century. It was the site where an accomplished tantric guru named Gayabaji practiced and taught. The site would involve community participation as they are caretakers of the temple but have no response capability in light of the earthquake disaster. Securing sufficient funding to completely rebuild one temple would enable the Himalayan Consensus team to start engaging the Nepalesegovernment and local communities on a first project, which would establish the foundation to broaden the restoration initiative to include other temple structures. For more information please visit www.himalayanconsensus.org
KARMA YOGA
HOW & WHERE TO HELP IN NEPAL
Supporting Charities at the Frontline
At the watering hole, photo by Richard Wright
Boudhanath Temple Prayers, photo by Richard Wright
Hong Kong-based Richard Wright had visited Nepal many times for trekking and fallen in love with the country and people. So in the aftermath of the earthquake, he and his fellow trekkers, wanted to help. So they combed through their best photographs from all their trips and put together a small exhibition/sale in Hong Kong. Their photos were displayed at and on sale from Patagonia in June 2015. All proceeds going to Nepal recovery programmes. Another, and perhaps easier, way to help is to donate to one of the many charities already working in Nepal. Here are some for your consideration: AmeriCares - emergency response and global health organization. CARE - humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, which has a long-established presence in Nepal. Catholic Relief Services - international humanitarian agency of the Catholic Church in the United States, which maintains field offices in Nepal. Direct Relief - provides international medical assistance. GlobalGiving - charity fundraising website that has set up a fund specifically for Nepal relief efforts. International Relief Teams - humanitarian organization that specializes in disaster relief. Operation USA - LA-based international relief agency, has had operations in Nepal since the mid-1980s. Oxfam - confederation of NGOs Save the Children - International NGO dedicated to promoting children’s rights and providing relief and support to children in developing countries. Seva Foundation - US-based nonprofit known for its work treating blindness, with a long-running presence in Nepal. UNICEF - United Nation program dedicated to helping children in developing countries. World Help - A Christian faith based humanitarian organization that works in the developing world. July 2015
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THE THREE FACES OF REFUGE
Human Stories from Greece BY DONA TUMACDER-ESTEBAN
I write this in memory of what I witnessed and experienced while on a Yoga retreat with my Yoga elders Angela Farmer and Victor Van Kooten in Eftalou, Lesvos, Greece. So I may never forget. 1. THE DANCER Kaeli and I decided to walk to town. Lukas and Becky had already gone ahead on their borrowed bikes, and Diane in a cab. It was my first time to go to the harbor where the refugees waited for their bus ride to the camp an hour away. Curiosity welled inside me, and excitement of being able to offer Seva and practice Karma Yoga. I was slightly disappointed when I got there. We were too late. Sandwiches were made and served. A man was showing Becky videos on his phone. He documented his family’s exodus – through the mud, walking on their knees for several hours, sleeping in dark, damp, cold places. I was curious and went up to them to watch his videos. I met his little girl with big bright eyes. After viewing the footages, Becky suggested we drum and dance with them. Crazy, I thought. While I have done this many times in the past – spontaneous drumming, dancing, jamming – this time, I was glued to the ground wondering if it made sense or was even appropriate. But Becky, that beautiful soul, was so compelling that I stepped out of my inhibition and doubt. Lukas and I approached the group of men with the 16year-old boy translating our request for them to sing some of their songs to us. Surprise with a dose of wariness was evident on their faces. Perhaps no one has ever asked them for a song before (only more money). They were hesitant at first, but our persistence and Becky’s orchestration shook the shyness from all of us. A few minutes later, they were singing their songs while we clapped and drummed on empty beer crates and other found objects. Lukas followed their rhythm, and through this, showed them we accepted and respected them for who they are. Kaeli led us through Amazing Grace. Becky and I danced to their songs. And Kaeli 20
Dona (left) with two ladies she met in Greece
danced the salsa to music from an ipod, earning a deserved “she’s so beautiful” from one of the young men who seemed nervous to watch. We alternated between song and dance, them and us, until it was all of us together. The crowd grew and everyone, including the women who were initially shy to mingle, clapped along. For a moment, I forgot why they were there in the first place. Judging from their joy, they may have forgotten, too, and remembered what it was like to be fully human again. 2. THE CHILD “There are many kids. Maybe you can hold some of the babies to give rest to their mothers,” Becky said when we saw her on the road to the harbour in Molyvos. I walked towards the women and their children taking refuge from the sun under a tree. What greeted me today was the sweetest smile of a beautiful 6-month-old baby, completely unaware of their situation. In my mind, I called her Sara. I stretched my arms towards Sara and she immediately accepted. Her mother was just so willing to let me carry her child. Perhaps she was tired, perhaps she sensed one mother’s understanding and compassion towards another, perhaps she herself needed to be carried through all this. Sara’s long finger nails dug into my cheeks as she flashed that smile full of present moment joy. Her eyes were bright with future potential. NAMASKAR
In the evening yoga class, as I fell deep into a world where nothing and everything co-exist, I saw Sara and her infinite possibilities. In one, she was well dressed, fed, living in a modest apartment with her mother, her father at work. In another, she was on the streets sitting and playing on top of a cardboard box which was her bed the night before, her mom begging for small change. The reality is I’ll never know what happened to baby Sara after I gave her back to her mother and walked away from the harbor. I do know that something happened to me. I woke up. 3. THE MOTHER Her eyes bore the fatigue, the pain, the uncertainty. She fell harder into my arms, much harder than her actual fall when she missed the step going down to the street that will lead her family to Molyvos. Her husband and 2 children, hurriedly picked up the baby she almost dropped. I felt her body weight on mine, half trying to pick herself up, half just wanting to collapse. I looked her in the eyes, held her face in my hands, and wiped her tears. I held my stare, speaking to her through my eyes, telling her to be strong, to awaken the mother, the warrior, the lioness who will do all to keep her Pride. Through that unbroken stare, we spoke and reached an understanding. I felt her strength come back, she gained composure, took her baby from her husband once again, gave her baby her breast, and continued to walk to Molyvos.
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YOGA STYLES
THE YIN CROWD
Offering Body, Mind & Breath for Health & Healing BY SIMON LOW
Yin Yoga has become associated with a wide variety of passive, predominantly nonmuscular practices and teachings. With roots in the earliest of yoga’s teachings, the commercialisation of Yin Yoga is a relatively recent phenomenon – at least as far as its label is concerned – in the ever-broadening spectrum of studios’ and teachers’ offerings. The rising popularity of Yin Yoga is a direct human response to the ever-increasing need for rest, recovery, personal reintegration and realignment with the rhythms and cycles of nature, from which we have become increasingly divorced. Individuals have discovered, through direct experience, the immense value of this more peaceful and gentle approach for body, mind and breath. Yin Yoga is an essential balancing medium to an active, muscular yang practice, with limitless variations of how its teachings can be shared and applied. Of the many benefits that Yin Yoga offers, I regard those that affect the brain, mind, consciousness, emotions and the nervous system more important than those focusing on the body’s flexibility, which is often, unhelpfully, the primary rationale for yoga practice.
in body – the two always impacting on the other. It is for the above reasons I emphasise the more passive, slow, restorative approach to Yin Yoga. I also recommend students approach the deeper stretches around joints and connective tissues with great care and respect to the human form. Excessively enthusiastic long-held stretches can result in unhelpful over-stretching of ligaments and de-stabilisation of joints. Ultimately, I approach Yin Yoga primarily as a meditation practice during which we have the time and space to offer body, mind and breath an elixir for health and healing at the deepest levels. In this article, I offer two asana to be approached with a yin attitude. They offer an accessible ground for inner enquiry into our breath, mind patterns, emotions and energetics. These passive asana offer fertile ground for positively affecting the brain and its processes, not least of which are its innate
Patanjali’s Yoga-Sutra opens with atha yoga anusasanam or ‘now come the teachings of yoga’. A useful re-interpretation may embellish this meaning as ’yoga is about now’, about this moment, about being present within each moment. Patanjali’s opening verse implies ‘these teachings are for now, for this day and every day since their inception’. Concentration (dharana) within the practice, with the stillness of body and mind cultivated, can lead to a deep sense of meditative awareness and sustained presence (dhyana). An ever-widening range of scientifically researched benefits of meditation (e.g. neuro-plasticity) impact on the brain and thus every aspect of our being toward wellness and potential longevity. The variety of asana offer a range of anchors for the mind for ongoing inner enquiry and for our journey towards peace of mind and calm
cleansing and rebalancing processes, as in the lymphatic system. July 2015
Simon demonstrates the three stages of Pretzel pose
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approach the deeper stretches around joints and connective tissues with great care and respect
Please follow carefully the guidelines for entry and exit and stay attentive to the influence of the form of the asana upon your breath. Be equally aware of the influence of gravity and your breath on your physical experience and the ever-evolving form of the asana. Whenever your mind wanders, come back to the breath and return to sensing your body’s ongoing dialogue with gravity and breath. Stay present, progressively cultivating a state of dynamic stillness, or presence. PRETZEL POSE 1. Lie on your right side, bring your right hip to where the floor meets the wall. 2. Swing your legs up the wall and align your spine, shoulders and pelvis. 3. Dorsiflex your ankles, spread your feet open, then relax your legs and ankles. 4. Remain with your legs inverted for a minute or two, then spread your legs wide for another minute or two. 5. After a few minutes, flex the knees and hips and place both feet against the wall. 6. Push with the feet to send you back along
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the mat until your body is shin’s length from the wall. 7. Outwardly rotate and abduct your right hip and place the dorsiflexed right ankle to the left of the left distal femur. 8. Relax the ankle, hip and shoulders completely. 9. Allow your breath and the shape of the asana to work together to open your right hip environment. Focus your calm breath into the right hip, as if your lungs had been relocated at the hips. 10. Remain here for 3-5 minutes. 11. Repeat on the left side. SLEEPING MERMAID 1. Place a bolster down the centre of your mat and bring your right hip to the near end of the bolster. 2. Position your right leg at 90 degrees to the bolster and rest your left leg just below the right leg, with the arch of the right foot offering a resting place for the left ankle. 3. With your hands on either side of the bolster, dorsiflex the feet, engage the pelvic floor, and lengthen through the spine as you inhale. 4. As you exhale, rotate the thoracic spine and fold down along the bolster. Take 2–3 breaths to complete the rotation before coming to relax completely along the bolster, with the head turned in the opposite direction from the knees. 5. You may need to rest on the right side of the head until the cervical spine is ready to accept the full rotation of the spine. 6. Remain here for a minimum of 5 minutes, breathing into the kidneys, pelvis and hips. Notice the movement of the diaphragm within the torso. 7. Repeat both sides.
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YOGA STYLES
PARTNER YOGA
When Two Become One BY JUNE CHAN
Whether in a 200-hour teacher training in Goa or a kids and family yoga course in Hong Kong, partner yoga has been special for me. Connecting and bonding to whomever I was partnering with. The energy within oneself can be shared by connecting hands and feet. Nothing is more powerful than bonding between a group of strangers sitting in a circle, sharing the first touch - knee to knee and palm to palm. Our hands are gifted with healing powers. Right hand gives energy and left hand receives. This is my ritual to start every partner yoga class, to connect the group. When it comes to practicing yoga with another person, a simple neck stretch can become a beautiful moment of surrender. As we sit back to back and tilt our heads back and rest one side of the ear on our partner’s shoulder, we take in the support. At the same time we share our support. With the comfort of this pose, we simply surrender and
breathe in to the stretch. As much as we try to surrender in asana, sometimes it’s just hard with the physical challenge. During tough poses, we have to constantly keep in touch with our body to prevent forcing which could cause injuries. The same principle works in partner yoga. As one person sits in butterfly pose, the other person aids by pushing and pulling simultaneously. Our feet push to our partner’s shins to stablise the pose and our hands hold on to their wrists to pull them forward. The key connection is our hands. We wrap our fingers to each other’s wrists to communicate. The first reaction of overstretch is the grasping of our fingers. This sends the signal the stretch is too forceful and the partner has respond by releasing slightly. Alternatively, our partner can keep leading the stretch through the response of our hands until it comes to an understanding the stretch is just right. The
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exploration of different poses open up a whole new channel of communication between two people. This foundation builds up the quality of trust. Partner yoga can take us out of our comfort zone bold poses. My favourite looks like two L shapes forming a closed box. This pose not only requires trust, but also communication. Getting to the pose involves one person on the back and the other facing head to feet to grasp on the ankles. The support begins when the base lifts the other person’s ankles away from the floor. Together we count to three and simultaneously push and lift up into the L shape. Both partners have to work equally hard to achieve the end result and this doesn’t happen without strength, trust and communication. There are endless possibilities in creating partner yoga poses. As creative as you can be, the core of this practice is to experience union.
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FOR TEACHERS
FIND YOUR VOICE
Live your Life Fully & the Teaching will Come BY CASSANDRA KISH
So you find yourself in front of 40 yogis who have very deliberately placed themselves on their yoga mats in front of you. They are anticipating a good yoga class and each one has a completely different idea what a good yoga class is. Where do you begin? What do you say? Do you introduce yourself and give a bit of your history? Do you proudly announce “practice and all is coming?” What is a good point to launch a great class? Most follow in the footsteps of others, which isn’t a bad idea. We figure out where we want to go as a yoga teacher and we look at others who have already arrived in that place and we emulate them. In the case of new teachers, I say this is a decent choice. When you first start teaching you might struggle to be comfortable in front of people, or you might find it difficult adjusting one person and at the same time calling out the next posture in the sequence, which actually becomes a source of fun after you get it down. But using the sequencing, the words and the style of someone else is only a stepping stone. It is a step towards finding your own words, your own style. In the beginning of our yoga journey we remember the things that resonate with us. Then we begin to memorise facts and the things we remember because they resonate with us. The things we have memorized get chucked into our arsenal named “stuff known.” Then we begin to teach and we gain real life experience. The information we have learned now begins to change form. I have seen this stage go two ways: 1. The teacher stands by the things he/she has learned and pushes the students to conform to what the teacher believes to be true ie. The information learned. 2. The teacher starts separating the information that gives a desired result from
when you have struggled and survived, and you love your life - now you have a huge audience the information that doesn’t actually render a desired result for their particular market. Neither is better or worse, it is a choice. Sometimes the person who is emulating someone else, becomes a huge success. The problem is the originator of a style, a sequence, a way of speaking and adjusting has arrived at this point because all he or she learned about yoga is flowing through the teacher’s history, through each and every life experience of that particular person. The information is given life and color when a rich life history infiltrates it. Also, a factor is the person’s opinions about the world, the postures, the music, the people who are in class, all re-shape, bend and twist the information with energy. And the teacher seems to be speaking words, but what you are getting is a lifetime of experience. The class is coming through the teacher’s personal history. An entire lifetime of perception This happens usually after the teacher has allowed himself to be a conduit for the information, which can take years. Becoming a conduit for the information is letting the ideas come through you. I know it is hard to understand, but when the words come from your brain, you are repeating what you have learned. When the ideas show up in your head and you use your vocabulary to send the ideas out of your mouth in a way the students will understand, you start answering questions with brilliant answers. Questions and answers you have never studied or discussed before, but the exact answer that particular person needs, comes to you, you feel completely plugged in.
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In general, when you reach this level of teaching, you don’t mind what people think of your class. Rather you are completely confident you delivered a 100% class and now it is finished. I have seen people who use teaching yoga as a way to re-create themselves. In theory it seems like an effective way to move away from your past. You can be a teacher who seems to have begun life upon becoming a teacher and teach an awesome class. The other side of the coin is the person who allows their past - every victory, every failure, every betrayal, every joy - to pass through their current reality and sift through into their teaching. This is the class that changes lives. I don’t know anyone who has not suffered or struggled, and for some reason we put much effort into convincing others we have had perfect lives. But think about this yoga teachers - if you do you close yourself off to the majority of people. We want to believe we associate with people who understand us, so I am not in any way saying announcing your life history is the appropriate road to take. What I am saying is when you have struggled and survived, and you love your life - now you have a huge audience. Now you are practicing a 5,000-year-old technique with roots in both religion and medicine. “I can get through my divorce, I can get through my child’s problems, I can survive money problems, I can learn a jump through, I can learn to hold a handstand.” This is all the same stuff. On the mat as off, apply yoga tools, delve, be, love, handstand. Become the best teacher possible - live your life, find your voice! 29
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PHILOSOPHY
FEELING LOST IN LIFE
Going with the Flow of “Don’t Know” BY JANET LAU
At any point in time, we are letting go of the old and acquiring the new. Sometimes you don’t let go so much, but other times it can be a big letting go. During these times you find the old knowledge (ie. how you used to function) no longer serves you. Though you still have yet to adopt a new way of being, during this transition, it’s normal to feel “lost”; you are simply changing systems within you. And the more you flow with the process, the quicker you can get settled with the changes. Otherwise you hold onto the old and you find yourself “stuck” in between times, dimensions, understanding and consciousness. Trust that you always have the answer. It’s just that often you forget, you get caught up thinking, “I thought I’ve got it, but how come it’s not working anymore?” Actually, when you are in the middle of your confusion, you are really opening up, dropping what you knew, what you expect to know. It’s not so pleasant for you now because you are
expecting to know! However, to know is all about the past, and the secret of the universe if that it’s always changing. How could you know something when it’s constantly changing? I guess what you may be looking for is to be at peace while not-knowing. Once you accept you really don’t know, and that’s all you have, and will ever have - the peace comes. You literally becomes at peace with the don’tknow. And eventually you start to have fun with it; you no longer take it personally about not-knowing and you don’t rush to others trying to explain yourself, because there is no such need. You settle, you change from becoming to simply being. Just like right now, you look back at the times when you freaked out and you can now laugh at yourself for taking things so seriously. Remember, you don’t change anything outside but only the inside, and your whole world starts to shift.
The more you run around looking for answers, the more you come back to the same answer. Each time you return to the starting point, you remember a little bit more and the answer hits you deeper. You continue with this process until one day you fully remember. That’s why the teachings say “the answer is within.” However, without seeking, your answers won’t hit you so hard. So no, you don’t have to seek, but seeking gives you a deeper understanding. Everything in your life comes from your imagination. It’s a matter of what you believe, and what you believe is simply your projection. Learn all about your projections and you will have the answers. This is how everything works - how we create our own reality. It’s a simple truth, yet complex and profound. I am glad you have come so far.
Janet in Uttitha Hasta Padagustasana, photo by Edmond Leung
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DRISTI - BHAGAVAD GITA
THE GITA Timeless Wisdom for all Worldviews BY ANDY WILLNER
THE SONG OF NOW Learning about the Arjuna in each of us..................................................35 32
THE BACK STORY What events led up to The Gita ............................................................36
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The Gita does not present a system of philosophy. It offers something to every seeker after God, of whatever temperament, by whatever path. Eknath Easwaran
The Bhagavad Gita (lit: Song Of The Lord) is a small part of the epic Mahabharata and is only 700 verses long in the revised versions typically used by most commentators. It is often just referred to as the Gita. It is believed by scholars to have been written between the fifth and second century BCE. Despite its relative brevity, it has become one of the most famous Indian stories of all time with celebrated Westerners, such as Herman Hesse and Aldous Huxley, finding timeless truths in its pages, and Mahatma Gandhi calling it his “spiritual dictionary”! It does not attempt to offer a specific philosophy (which is maybe why Classical Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra schools all claim that the Gita supports their arguments!) but rather acts as a guidebook for Self realization, which is why this text remains so relevant to all people of all cultures and world views even in contemporary times, which maybe explains why there are nearly 2,000 translations into over 75 languages including around 300 in English. It can really be viewed as a synthesis of different ideas and concepts such as dharma (duty) and yogic paths (karmaaction, jnana-knowledge and bhaktidevotion) to moksha (liberation). THE STORY The Kuru king, Dhritarashtra, who is blind, asks his Secretary, Sanjaya, to narrate the battle between two of his family clans the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The story is written as if Sanjaya was able to hear the conversation between Arjuna, a Prince within the Pandava clan and his charioteer, who just happens to be Lord Krishna, as it turns out. Arjuna begins to have second thoughts about going into battle against his cousins as he is overcome with emotion at the thought of killing his brethren. Initially Arjuna gives his explanation for why he does not want to fight but gradually Krishna counters these arguments, and once Arjuna surrenders himself to Lord Krishna he begins to understand the different aspects of
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yoga and has his misconceptions gradually erased as to any conflict between these approaches. THE CONVERSATION There are 18 chapters in the Bhagavad Gita which are typically parcelled into three parts based on the commentary of Madhusudana Sarasvati, an influential sixteen century CE philosopher in the Advaita Vedanta tradition: the first six chapters relating to karma yoga, the next six relating to bhakti yoga and the final six relating to jnana yoga. Two extremely important concepts are thoroughly explored in the text, namely dharma and moksha, so we shall look at these in greater detail below. DHARMA This is a difficult word to translate and is often translated into English as “duty” but in essence means “to do what is right”. It is in fact the first word of verse 1 in chapter 1, in which King Dhritarashtra refers to the battle location, Kurukshetra, as the Field of Dharma with the implication that truth will triumph. Many commentators including Mahatma Gandhi considered this battlefield to be an allegory...for him the battlefield was the soul, and Arjuna represented man’s higher impulses struggling against evil. Within the general concept of dharma lies svadharma, which is the specific dharma relating to each individual, hence we each have our own path that we should follow, and it will differ for every person. Swami Vivekananda, famous for bringing Indian philosophy to the West in the late nineteenth century CE especially Vedanta and Yoga, considered svadharma as the key element within the whole text and went so far as to say that one shloka (verse) on svadharma incorporates the whole message of the Gita: “Do not yield to unmanliness, O son of Prith. It does not become you. Shake off this base faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies!” (2.3)
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Interestingly Gandhi took the concept of svadharma away from social order based on one’s position in society, which is how it is presented in chapter 18 of the Gita, and modernized it to incorporate the concept of swadeshi (self sufficiency), which focused on one’s duty being towards those nearest to you by birth and situation. Hence this idea was utilized by him and other Indian Nationalists to work towards Indian independence through such means as boycotting British goods. MOKSHA As mentioned earlier, karma, bhakti and jnana yoga are all highlighted within the Gita, and a synthesis of the three margas (paths) provides an optimal route to moksha (liberation), but each path can in itself lead to liberation...although the different schools and commentators disagree somewhat on the exact meaning of liberation, but that discussion goes beyond the parameters of this short introduction to the Gita! a) Karma Yoga: Whilst not considered the ‘highest path’, karma yoga is offered as a practical approach to liberation. Here we are required to act but without attachment to the fruits of our labour, and the Gita provides some illuminating definitions of yoga, which are less ‘control’ focused than some found in other works such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Gita talks about “skill in action” Ch.2 v.50, “evenness of mind” Ch.2 v.48, “separation of the union with pain” Ch.6 v.23 as examples of yoga. b) Bhakti Yoga: many scholars believe that the Gita presents bhakti yoga as the highest and easiest method of attaining liberation. Indeed Krishna makes clear: “Those who make me the supreme goal of all their work and act without selfish attachment, who devote themselves to me completely and are free from ill will for any creature, enter into me”. (Ch.11 v.55)
DRISTI
THE SONG OF NOW
And the Glorious Opportunity of our Human Life BY JAMES BOAG
c) Jnana Yoga: This is depicted as the most difficult, steepest path to liberation, renouncing both desires and actions. In a Tantric interpretation, we would regard this jnana as realisation of unity within diversity: “when one actually perceives the expansion and diversity of all life forms as situated in the unity of material nature; thereafter at that time the Ultimate Truth is attained” (Ch.13 v.31) FINAL THOUGHTS Most of the commentaries have been written by followers of the Vedanta tradition such as Shankara, Bhaskara and Ramanuja with an emphasis on the relationship between Atman (soul) and Brahman (ultimate reality), so when one is reading a commentary it is important to be aware of the philosophical background of the commentator. There are also modern commentaries written by some of the leading lights of the Indian Independence Movement, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, with a heavy emphasis on karma yoga. Finally, I should highlight my all time favourite commentary by the renowned Tantric scholar, Abhinavagupta, who lived in the tenth century CE. Whilst enjoying the study of different schools of thought, I feel obliged to point out the Bhagavad Gita was written to address ordinary householders, not for aesthetics to learn methods of control. Similarly, Tantra was also directed towards all groups irrespective of social status, education and gender, and as such I believe that a Tantric interpretation of the Gita is the most appropriate. For those wishing to delve a little deeper I should highlight the excellent book by Douglas Brooks called “Poised For Grace: Annotations on the Bhagavad Gita From a Tantric View.” In addition, Carlos Pomeda also offers illuminating Tantric insights into the Bhagavad Gita in some of his lecture series.
A long time ago, in a situation that challenged him like he’d never quite been challenged before, a human being felt torn. He didn’t know what to do. The techniques, ways and patterns that he had always relied on up to that point were no longer inclusive enough to rely on anymore. If he pressed on in the old ways, he realised he would just destroy that which was dearest to him. Yet if he did nothing, he wouldn’t feel any better; doing nothing would also only bring the destruction of all he held dear. Who is this human being? This is Arjuna, the kcatriya or warrior (but we might just as readily translate this Sanskrit term as protector of the field/guardian of the whole) who is the student in the amazingly practical Bhagavad Gita. His teacher is KrishGa, which we can translate as the ‘Dark, Mysterious, Alluring One’. KrishGa, as a noun, literally means dark or black. This noun is derived from the verb Kris - to attract/to pull or draw towards. Arjuna is a seasoned warrior, a veteran of many campaigns. As the Gita opens, he appears decisive, in command: “Take me between these two sets of armies and let me see with whomI must deal in this bloody business of war,” he tells Krisha, his charioteer. Arjuna, expert warrior, is going to cast his focused, warrior’s awarenesson the reality of the battlefield, as it is, before and around him. Yet when Krisha does drive the chariot out in between the two armies, and Arjuna sees the reality, as it is, Arjuna’s hairs stand on end, his throat parches dry, his bow falls from his hand, and he collapses. His bow falls: the weapons - the tools, the techniques, and the skills which he has previously honed and deployed with great efficacy are no longer enough. He collapses: when the structure he has relied on all these years seems impotent to serve his true needs, it knocks the wind (the life force, the vitality, the prana) out of him, July 2015
and brings him to his knees. So who is this human being? Arjuna is just each one of us, in that moment (those moments) where whatever we have done up to now brings us to a place where our recognition reaches deeper, broader, fuller than we have experienced before, and we don’t know how to proceed. The Gita reminds us this feeling of not knowing what to do is a normal part of the journey home to fullness, to enlightenment. As the light of our awareness reaches into those parts of ourselves – into those patterns or tendencies moored in the shadowland harbours of our psyche – that actually are blocking our wholeheartedness, and sabotaging our being fully present, it is only par for the course to feel overwhelmed, lost, torn, like we’re on our knees and don’t know which way to turn.
not knowing is a normal part of the journey to enlightenment But here it gets really interesting. In the dark about what to do, at a loss, Arjuna surrenders to Krishna, the dark one. After explaining why he feels so torn: pulled in different directions by his sense of duty towards his family, teachers, profession and position; Arjuna then acknowledges he does not know what to do! The familiar ways he does know cannot bring him clarity, and he asks Krishan for help: “I am confused about what course of action will really serve me and all around me, I don’t know what to do. I am your student, give me your shelter!” Then, 35
having surrendered to Krishna, the dark one, Arjuna says: “I will not fight”, and – crucially – becomes silent.
DRISTI
Faced with the unknown, feeling lost and overwhelmed, Arjuna (whose name also means the pure one, the seeker of pure intent) does not try to escape. He does not run away. He surrenders to the unknown and becomes still and quiet. And then… Krishna starts to teach. And then… when we are torn, when we don’t know what to do, but heroically, we muster the courage to stop, quieten and bring ourselves more fully into the present, new insights can come. In the space of this quiet presence, the lessons of all our previous explorations can come together in ways that bring forth new inspirations.
Giving Context to the Bhagavad Gita
When we are courageous enough to be steady, even in the dark of intimidating uncertainty, we are actually enlightening ourselves. In a certain way, we are training ourselves to stay steady and connected to the space of the centre even in the face of the unknown, even in the face ofthat which scares us. Further, this steady, quiet, uncomplaining not running away allows the types of learning that can renovate and expand the rules or structures we have previously been living by (and been limited by) in ways which allow us to draw more fully on the depths of our true resources. With Arjuna on his knees, Krishna, the voice of conscience, the voice from the dark, unknown heartland, speaks clear: “Get up! Stand up! You are a conscious being. As a conscious being,you have power. You have the authority to choose how you meet the constant change of the reality of life. So be the great warrior – the epitome of steadfast awareness - that you were born to be. You live and experience in the realm of Nature, which is always changing, but as you tune in more and more honestly to the ever-present gift of your animating consciousness, you can know your conscious, undying essence, right here, right now, in the thick of life, with all its challenges, all its comings and goings!” The Gita was first given long ago. Gita means song, Bhagavan (another name of Krishna which becomes Bhagavad when directly preceding Gita) means totality. This miracle, mirror-text encourages us to keep enquiring, to keep alert and ask ourselves where we may be compromising our integrity, where we may be ignoring our conscience. It was first sung long ago, but the harmony it teaches is innate within us all: the natural fruit of bringing all our powers, all our instruments senses, bodies, minds, emotions – into cohesion. This state need not be confined to some distant time or setting. Indeed, the only place is can ever be experienced is here, now. So rise, seeker of truth, get up, great one, stand up, and Be Your Whole Self! 36
THE BACKSTORY BY HERSHA CHELLARAM
The Bhagavad Gita is a book of Yogic wisdom and one of the essential scriptures of Hindu culture. Readers are often baffled as the Gita begins on a battleground. Warrior Arjuna, hero of the story, refuses to fight his family, only to have Lord Krishna telling him that he must. This seems contradictory to Yoga’s essential teaching of ahimsa or nonviolence. Why would a God encourage someone to kill his family? How is this Yogic wisdom?
King Pandu did not live long. After he died, the Pandavas lived with their uncle and hundred cousins. Each of the brothers demonstrated intelligence, skill and nobility. They gained the admiration of all. This ignited a terrible jealousy among the Kauravas. Virtue and vice cannot peacefully coexist, therefore the Pandavas decided to live away from their cousins and the kingdom was divided.
My first experience with the Gita was learning about the Mahabharata(a great Hindu epic) as a child. I had the great privilege to receive lessons through the storytelling tradition from the great teacher, Swami Swaroopananda of the Chinmaya Mission. Later in my young adulthood, I picked up the copy of the Living Gita book by Sri Swami Satchidananda. This translation brought the teachings alive. What was once a historical reference became a relevant guidebook to life. The Gita’s backstory and its symbolism provided the context and significance of the Gita’s essential teachings. It became an allegory of the conflicts that take place today, within our own minds.
The Pandavas ruled their kingdom justly. Their admirable qualities gained them respect and influence. The kingdom prospered to become the most powerful in the land. The Pandavas were able to perform a sacred ceremony declaring themselves Rulers of the Earth. This ceremony involved letting a beautiful horse free to roam other lands and kingdoms. If any person should stop the horse from grazing or try to control its movement, it was regarded as a challenge to the king. The ceremony was performed flawlessly. This triggered the Kauravas to plot against the Pandavas to destroy them.
To briefly sum up years of history, the story begins with two brothers who ruled a kingdom: the blind King Dhritarasthra and his fair-skinned brother, King Pandu. King Pandu was cursed not to have any children, but through his faith and virtuous qualities, he was blessed with five sons, known as the Pandavas. King Dhritarasthra had one hundred sons, with the eldest son named, Duryodhana. They were called the Kauravas. The blind king represents ignorance. Ignorance is the field of which many obstacles to self-realisation are born –– hundreds of temptations. The fair-skinned King Pandu represents sattva or innerpurity. This has nothing to do with race, but about virtues: 1) balanced mind; 2) discipline; 3) inner-strength; 4) neutrality; and 5) a spirit of service. NAMASKAR
The Kauravas invited the oldest of the Pandavas to a game of dice. While the Pandavas were not gamblers, they were obliged to participate. Due to cheating and trickery, Yudishtira, the eldest of the Pandavas, lost his wealth, possessions, his kingdom and even his wife. It was a shameful moment for all of them, but they accepted the conditions of their defeat, which was to live in the forest, in exile for 12 years. On the 13th year, they were to live incognito, untraceable by the Kauravas. If they were recognised, they were to repeat another 12 years of exile. Although it was a trying time for the whole family, they endured and succeeded. After the 13th year, they returned to their kingdom only to find it filled with corruption, crime and poverty. King Duryodhana flatly refused to return their kingdom and declared they would have to fight for it. The Pandavas had an obligation to reclaim their kingdom for
Just a small selection of the many translations available
an allegory of the conflicts that take place today, within our own minds the good of their people. Upon counsel with their elders and even Lord Krishna, they confirmed they had a just cause to fight and the law of righteousness on their side. Both the Pandavas and the Kauravas wanted assistance from Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna agreed to give one kingdom his entire army and the other just Himself as a counsel and charioteer, no fighting. Arjuna, the third brother who would lead the Pandavas into war, chose Lord Krishna. After Duryodhana received Lord Krishna’s army, he even plotted to kill Lord Krishna. He was unsuccessful. After that, Lord Krishna confirmed the necessity of the war. This brings us to the battleground of Kurukshetra where both sides stood on opposite ends ready to fight. Arjuna requested Lord Krishna to drive his chariot of five horses to the middle of the war zone to get a better look at the enemy. Arjuna saw his family, teachers and all those he grew up with as a child. He suddenly became confused and filled with despair, losing his will to fight. Here Lord Krishna begins the Gita.
This thousand-year-old war has not ended. It is happening constantly within our minds everyday. Arjuna’s anxiety, depression and fear of confrontation is something many of us have to deal with on a constant basis. We all need guidance to come out of it and face our worst enemies, whatever they may be. Duryodhana represents our impure ego, prone to jealousy, competitiveness and hatred. Arjuna represents our conscience. The chariot represents our physical body and the five horses represent our senses. Lord Krishna represents the inner-consciousness or wisdom that we can all tap into. Our battle is to confront our fears, our impure ego and the obstacles to our self-realisation. Lord Krishna’s sermon, the wisdom of the Gita is the guidebook to teaching us how win this war. It is the process by which we can achieve self-realisation or more simply, inner-peace. The backstory ends here, but in reading the Bhagavad Gita, this is where your journey can begin.
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IN BRIEF
MUDRAS Incorporating key verses from the Bhagavad Gita BY KRISHNAAKINKARI Chapter 2,verse 71 Vihayakamanyahsarvan Pumamscaratinisprhah Nirmamonirahanmkara Sa santimadhigaccati “A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives untouched by desires, who has given up “I, me and mine” and lives free from false ego, they alone attain True Peace.” The will required to reach this state of mind takes a little practice! A peaceful mind is needed to approach such peace! Mudra is, as we have been learning over the past year, a very useful and sharply honed tool to cut through the bondage of the selfish Ego. Mudras reward the quiet practitioner, fulfilling Sri Patanjalis definition of Yoga in his sutra 1,2, “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the consciousness.” They bring this goal closer, and are praiseworthy in their simplicity. MATSYA MUDRA (FISH MUDRA) Put your right hand on top of the left, both
Matsya Mudra (Fish Mudra)
hands palms facing down, fingers of both hands on top of each other at waist height with the fingers closed, hands flat and fingers pointing away from you. The two thumbs stick out at the sides. It is a common gesture symbolizing a fish.
aspirants progress and conceal the ultimate aim. The Matsya Mudra can help the aspirant to bridle their wandering senses, pacify the mind and develop a feeling of selfdesirelessness, just as a fish can swim easily to the other side of the lake. Practise for 15 minutes whenever necessary.
The universe, the world we live in now, is like a large lake which is full of our tendencies: desires, anger, infatuation, affection, attachment etc. They constitute a marsh wherein a person can get stuck. It can be an uphill task to release oneself from this marsh, for the tendencies hinder the
Chapter 9 verse 22 Ananyascintayantyomam Ye janaparyupasate Tesamnityabhiyuktanam Yogaksemamvahamyaham
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“The Lord speaks, “For those who contemplate on Me exclusively, who thus pay Me elevated homage, who are always linked to me in this way, I provide everything they need for the fulfillment of their Yoga” A Sankalpa is a firm resolve. Its quality is to effect Sri Patanjalis Yoga Sutra 1,2,the cessation of the fluctuations of the consciousness, empowering the embodied soul to make the appropriate decisions to attain enlightenment.
reciprocal angle of beneficence between the fists and the nose tip. Maintain for 15 minutes.
healthy sons and one daughter. But Gandhari’s saga of woe had actually just begun.
“Correct Practice fuels its own motivation”: Put together these three Mudras will be highly beneficial to all aspirants of Yoga in its original and purest state.
The eldest infant brayed like a donkey in her arms, an omen of disaster. Although advised by wise ones to abandon this unfortunate child who portended the end of the entire Kuru royal lineage, Dhritarashtra, consoling his distraught wife, would not hear of it. Thus was Duryodhana’s life saved.
Here the Divine Lord promises, in return for that undivided and very steady consciousness, to provide everything the aspirant needs whether that be physical facilitation or mental capacity.
MYTHOLOGY
The 100 sons were the Kauravas who, as they grew up, developed great hostility towards their five valiant Pandava cousin brothers. This enmity, with much plotting and conniving on the part of the Kauravas, involving, among other vile acts, public humiliation of Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandavas by attempting to strip her in court, attempted murder of the Pandava family and banishing them into years of exile, eventually led up to the Kurukshetra war, the climax of the epic, Mahabharata.
SANKALPAMUDRA (MUDRA OF RIGHT RESOLVE) This Mudra is very effective in cementing motivation and aim.
GANDHARI Blinded by a Mother’s Love BY TIA SINHA
It is very similar to Matsya Mudra. Place the hands and arms in the same way but this time the palms face each other and the thumbs are on top of each other. A small space is left between the palms. After a few minutes of maintaining this Mudra the palms become full of warmth and it seems a store of healing and uplifting energy is contained within the space. Maintain for 15 minutes.
Throughout the years when her sons were growing up, Gandhari chose to remain blind to their faults. Though in her heart of hearts, she knew that her sons, particularly Duryodhana had turned out to be wicked beyond belief, her feeble attempts to curb their wily ways came too late and fell on deaf ears. Poor Gandhari had to witness the demise of the entire Kaurava clan, with not a single one of her sons spared in battle. The Kauravas paid dearly for their wily ways.
A good conclusion to this Mudra is to rub the palms together, cup the eyes and breathe in deeply to imbibe that dose of brilliant energy. Chapter 10 verse 10 Tesamsatatayuktanam Bhajatampritipurvakam Dadamibuddhiyogamtam Yenamamupayantite “To those who are always connected and pay loving homage to Me I grant the understanding by which they can come to Me.” In the practise of these Mudras Buddhi yoga is both the sadhana (practice) and the phal (fruit). Here it is taught by applying the intelligence in a sustained and correctly directed connection, one can attain a state of mind which does not drop nor fail, through the Grace generated by such Divine Relationship. SAMBODHINI MUDRA (MUDRA OF GOOD INTELLIGENCE) The nature of this Mudra is to fully grasp the Divine Yogic Energy and keep it safe and stored within oneself. Make fists with both hands keeping the thumb tucked in under the four fingers. Put the fists together in front of Anahata Chakra (Heart) with the tucked-in thumbs upwards and the backs of the bent fingers touching each other. Tuck the chin down to create a 40
Gandhari was the wise and beautiful daughter of King Subal of Gandhar, present day Afghanistan. When she was still quite young, her father married her off to the blind king Dhritarashtra for political reasons. In order to share the fate of a husband who could not see, Gandhari bandaged her eyes forever with a strip of white cloth. Gandhari and Dhritarashtra’s first son was not only born long after the customary nine months since conception, but was also stillborn. Gandhari’s grief was compounded by her disbelief that boons given to her by Lord Shiva and the sage, Maharshi Vyasa that she would bear a hundred sons, had turned out to be false. (It’s besides the point that for a human mother to bear a hundred sons, or daughters for that matter, hardly seems like an enviable proposition, for obvious reasons that need not be spelt out). Maharshi Vyas came to her rescue. 101 parts of the lifeless infant were magically placed in 101 pots of ghee (clarified butter) and left to gestate. In two years, they yielded a hundred NAMASKAR
When the five victorious Pandava brothers who had also lost all their sons in battle, came to console her after the war, although overwrought with grief and burning with anger, Gandhari, knowing in her heart of hearts that her sons had got what they deserved and that righteousness and justice had prevailed, still blessed the Pandavas. The only casualty during this painful encounter was the eldest Pandava, Yuddhishthir’s big toe. Gandhari’s fiery gaze downward from behind her blindfold as the Pandavas stood sorrowfully before her, had the power to discolour Yuddhishthir’s toe and make it hurt. Krishna, however, did not get away so lightly. Blaming him for not averting the destruction wreaked by the war, despite the fact that he was the all powerful Lord of the Universe, Gandhari cursed him with a similar fate, that his entire Yadava clan would be wiped out in 36 years. Although Krishna refused to accept blame for that which was inevitable, he gracefully accepted the consequences of the curse. Gandhari symbolizes the blindness of a mother to the faults of her beloved children. Blinded by attachment, she failed to correct her sons’ behaviour in time, and when she did try, it was too late. Gandhari’s inability to
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face the truth her sons had turned out malicious and vicious, was tragically symbolized by the blindfold she had willingly worn as a young bride.
BOOK REVIEW
JATAKA TALES Retold by Ethel Beswick REVIEWED BY TIA SINHA This particular collection of the Jataka Tales comes in a small, slim book of shortened tales, retold in simple words. The Jataka Tales (Birth - Stories), of which there are 547, are tales told by the Buddha of his previous births as bird, animal, man. In each tale, the-life-that-was-to-be-the-Buddha, whether as bird or beast, whether as a crow or a quail, an elephant, antelope, stag, hare or man, displayed exceptional qualities of character - generosity to the point of sacrificing one’s body for a mere stranger and kindness even to those who harmed him mercilessly, as he played out his role in each birth as a Bodhisattva, animated by his firm resolve to find a way out of all suffering for all creatures.
The Jataka tales were recorded by the Buddha’s followers soon after his death. By describing his past lives, the Buddha impressed upon his readers one of his main teachings, that actions bring their due effects under immutable law, against which all prayers are unavailing. The author of this collection, Ethel Beswisk has used almost exclusively, the six volumes of the Jataka, translated from Pali by various authors under the editorship of Professor E.B. Cowell, Cambridge University Press 1895-97, 1901-1907. In this collection, Ethel has selected, shortened and retold with simplicity and style, 35 of those tales which, to her, were the simplest and most easily understood and which have a strong appeal to the higher qualities of humans. To conclude in Ethel Beswisk’s own words, ‘In these days when horror and evil seem to be our daily food, it seems good to turn to something which, while not ignoring evil or making goodness effeminate, will still give some basis of thought truly educative to human beings; something which will hold up an ideal as a pattern for life, and stretch our vision, so limited in terms of the various high-powered bombs, till we can see an infinite vista before us. Not an endless nothingness, or endless misery, not a
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snuffing out, but a life that lives for all time as a power for good, part of that everpresent, living company of the sages of the past and of the future. Though hatred can and will cease, love is immortal.’ Ethel Beswisk’s retelling of the Jataka Tales is exquisite. This is a book that grown-ups, those growing up and those who never want to grow up would want to return to again and again.
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RECIPE
SWEET POTATO, KALE & SAUSAGE FRITTATA
Meal-in-one, any time of day BY MOOSA AL-ISSA
PROCEDURE Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Crack the eggs in a medium size bowl, add salt and pepper, and stir with a fork or whisk till fully combined. Place a 14 inch non stick sauté or frying pan on a burner and bring it to medium high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and the sweet potatoes and toss every 30 seconds for 4 minutes till lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste Add the sausage, onions, garlic and oregano and continue to cook for 3 or 4 minutes till the onions are translucent and lightly browned. Add the kale and continue to cook and toss for one minute. Crumble in the feta cheese and give the mixture a final toss. Add two more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and then the eggs. Press the mixture down so it is equally covered with the eggs. Turn off the burner. Place the pan on the center rack in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before transferring it to a large serving dish. Cut into 6 large or 8 medium size pieces and serve warm or at room temperature with toasted bread or a salad.
It’s summer, it’s hot, and the last thing one wants to do is fire up the oven and turn one’s home into a sauna. But you know what? Sometime it’s worth it. Especially if you can make a great dish in one pan, and get a ton of meals out of it! This delicious frittata is equally good served for breakfast, lunch or as a light dinner. INGREDIENTS 1 dozen extra large free range organic eggs 300 grams sweet potato peeled, quartered and thinly sliced 1/2 bunch of curly kale spine removed and cut into bite size pieces 1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced 5 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced 2 Tofurkey vegetarian Italian sausage or alternative thinly sliced 200 grams goat feta 1 teaspoon dried oregano salt and pepper to taste 4 tablespoons olive oil
July 2015
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DIRECTORY
Guide to yoga studios & teachers
Alice Moulimois Personalized Yoga Instruction d: Hong Kong s: Traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa, Hatha, Mellow Flow, All levels, private and small group sessions, intuitive bodywork , Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consulting l: English, French t: +852 9822 6500 e: amoulimois@gmail.com w: www.alicemoulimois.com ANAHATA VILLAS & SPA RESORT Ubud, Bali, Indonesia s: group retreats, yoga for private & corporates. Yoga studio available for rent. l: Indonesian & English t: +62 361 8987 991/ 8987 992 / +62 21 70743366 f: +62 361 8987 804 e: sm@anahataresort.com / info@anahataresort.com w: www.anahataresort.com ANAHATA YOGA 18/F Lyndhurst Tower, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Yoga therapy, Yin and more. Groups & privates t: +852 2905 1922 e: enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk w: www.anahatayoga.com.hk ANANDA YOGA 33 & 34/F, 69 Jervois Street Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s: Private and Group Classes : Yoga Therapy (neck, shoulder, back, hip, knee and joints), Hatha, Power, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Detox, Yin Yang, Kundalini, Chakra Balancing, Pranayama, Meditation l: English t: (825)35639371 e: adm.anandayoga.hk@gmail.com w: www.anandayoga.hk Anna Ng Privates d: Hong Kong s: Hatha yoga l: Cantonese 48
t: (852) 9483 1167 e: gazebofl@netvigator.com David Kim Yoga E-RYT 500+, Senior YogaWorks and Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer; International TTs, Workshops & Retreats d: Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, Sweden, Norway, USA s: Yin Yoga, YogaWorks, Vinyasa Flow l: English, limited Korean t: +1 310 480 5277 e: david@davidkimyoga.com w: www.davidkimyoga.com BEING IN YOGA SINGAPORE 2 Turf Club Rd # 02-01(Turf Ciy, Singapore s: yoga therapy (customized personal practice), teacher training (Yoga Alliance RYS 500 hours+), in-depth yoga studies, small group classes for children and adults, workshops, sound meditation, Vedic chanting, continuing education for yoga teachers t: +65 9830 3808 e valerie@beinginyoga.com w: wwwbeinginyoga.com B.K.S. IYENGAR YOGA ASSOCIATION OF MACAU 174, Rua de Pequim, Edif Centro Com. Kong Fat, 7A, Macau s: Iyengar t:(853)2882 3210/6662 0386 e:yoga@macau.ctm.net w:www.iyengar-yoga-macauchina.com FLEX STUDIO ISLAND SOUTH Shops 308-310 One Island South, 2 Heung Yip Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong s: Vinyasa, Power, Detox, Hatha, Pre-Natal, Kids Yoga t: + 852 2813 2212 f: + 852 2813 2281 e: info@flexhk.com CENTRAL 3/F Man Cheung Building, 15- 17 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong
Kong s: Detox, Power, Pre-Natal Yoga t: + 852 2813-2399 f: + 852 2812 6708 e: central@flexhk.com www.flexhk.com Kathy Cook Retreats, workshops, privates d: Hong Kong, Bali & Thailand s: Iyengar (Junior Intermediate 2) l: English t: +852 6292 5440 / +62 811 387781 e:kcinasia@gmail.com w: www.yogawithkathy.com KUNDALINI AT SHAKTI 7/F Glenealy Tower, 1 Glenealy, Central, Hong Kong. s: Kundalini Yoga, Reiki healing, Coaching, Angel Cards. Also studio rental by day or hour t: +852 2521 5099 e: info@shaktihealingcircle.com w: www.shaktihealingcircle.com KUNDALINI @ SOL 16/F Tin On Sing Commercial Building, 41-43 Graham St. Central, Hong Kong s: Kundalini, Yin-Yang, Hatha, Men’s, Mindfulness, Yin destress yoga, meditation, holographic healing, cancer coaching, stress/insomnia relief, detox/weight management, complete mind-body-soul services. t: +852 2581 9699 e: info@sol-wellness.com w: www.sol-wellness.com Ling Yoga and Wellbeing Private Yoga Teacher Privates, Groups, Corporates, Free Yoga Community Event: Yoga in the Park with Ling www.meetup.com/ yogaintheparkhk d: Hong Kong, China s: Yoga Therapy, Sivananda, Hatha, Svastha, Mindfulness, Yin, Breathing (Pranayama), Guided Meditation, Total Relaxation (Yoga Nidra) l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin t: +852 9465 6461
NAMASKAR
e: yogawithling@gmail.com w: www.facebook.com/ yogawithling PAUSE STUDIO MUI WO S. Hatha, Yin, Yin-Yang, Aerial Yoga, Pilates, TRX, Regular Public classes, Private Tuition availale t: +852 9427 8647 e: pausemw@gmail.com w: www.pausemuiwo.com PURE YOGA Hong Kong 16/F The Centrium, 60 Wyndham Street, Central t: +852 2971 0055 25/F Soundwill Plaza, 38 Russell St, Causeway Bay t: +852 2970 2299 14/F Peninsula Office Tower, 18 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon t: +852 8129 8800 9/F Langham Place Office Tower, 8 Argyle Street, Kowloon t: +852 3691 3691 4/F Lincoln House, TaiKoo Place, 979 King’s Rd, Quarry Bay t: +852 8129 1188 2/F Asia Standard Tower, 59 Queen’s Road, Central t: + 852 3524 7108 Singapore 391A Orchard Road, #18-00 Ngee Ann City Tower A t: +65 6733 8863 30 Raffles Place, 04-00 Chevron House t: +65 6304 2257 Taiwan 151 Chung Hsiao East Road, Sec 4, Taipei t: +886 02 8161 7888 4/f Urban One, 1 Qingcheng St, Taipei t: +886 02 8161 7868 SADHANA SANCTUARY YOGA STUDIO 103 Penang Road Visioncrest Commercial, #05-01 / 03 Singapore 238467
t: +65 6238 9320 e: namaste@sadhanasanctuary.com w: www.sadhanasanctuary.com Facebook.com/ SadhanaSanctuaryYogaStudio/ SOULMADE YOGA & TEAROOM 40, Soi Chareonjai (Ekamai 12), Klongton-Nua, Wattana Bangkok 10110, Thailand s. Kripalu, Hatha, Prenatal, Workshops, Healing Arts (AuraSoma, Bodytalk, EFT) l. English, Thai, French t. +66 2 3814645 e. soulmadeyoga@gmail.com w: www.facebook.com/ soulmade SPACE YOGA s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Advanced, Flow, Yin, Yin Yang, Restorative, Hot, Yin/Meditation, Pranayama, Mat Pilates, Jivamukti, Universal, Myo-fascial Release Yoga and Yoga Nidra l: English, Mandarin w: www.withinspace.com An-Ho Studio 16 /f, 27 An-Ho Road, Section 1 Taipei, Taiwan t: +886 2 2773 8108 Tien-Mu Studio 5 Lane 43, Tian-Mu E. Road, Taipei, Taiwan t: +886 2 2877 2108 THE COLLECTIVE, DESA SENI SCHOOLOF YOGA Jl. Subak Sari, #13, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia s: Full service resort. Ashtanga, Anusara, Embodied Flow, Hatha, Kundalini, Tantra, Therapeutics, Yin and Yang, Vinyasa, Buddhist Meditation, Vedic Meditation classes on a regular basis. Teacher Trainings, privates, Intensives, workshops. Specialize at hosting retreats. t: +62 844 6392 e: info@desaseni.com w: www.desaseni.com THE YOGA ROOM 3, 4, 6/F (Studios) & 15/F (Office) Xiu Ping Commercial Bldg, 104 Jervois St, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Candlelight Yin, Yoga Therapy, Baptist Inspired, Mindfulness Yoga, Detox Flow, Pre-natal Yoga, Pre-natal Pilates, Mat Pilates and Kids yoga t: +852 25448398 e: info@yogaroomhk.com w: www.yogaroomhk.com TRUE YOGA Singapore 9 Scotts Road, Level 4, Pacific Plaza 228210 t: +65 6733 9555 10 Collyer Quay, Level 4, Ocean
Financial Centre 049315 t: +65 6536 3390 Taiwan 563 Chung Hsiao East Road, Section 4, 1st & 2nd floor Taipei t :+886 22764 8888 337 Nanking East Road Section 3, 9 & 10/F, Taipei t: +886 22716 1234 68 Gongyi Road, West District 12 & 13 /F, Taichung t: +886 43700 0000 s: Hatha, Power, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin, Gentle, Flow, Yoga Dance, Pre-natal e: operations@trueyoga.com.sg w: www.trueyoga.com.sg / www.trueyoga.com.tw Ursula Moser The Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong d: Central s: Iyengar Certified (Junior Intermediate III) l: English t: +852 2918 1798 / 9456 2149 e: uschi.moser51@gmail.com
namaskar 4 times a year 6,000 yoga practitioners 32 countries
WISE LIVING YOGA ACADEMY 198 Moo 2, Luang Nuea, Doi Saket, Chiang Mai, Thailand s: Classical Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Yoga Therapy t: +66 8254 67995 e: info@wiselivingyoga.com w: www.wiselivingyoga.com YOGA ALOHA 1/F, Fu Tak Building, 367 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Power Vinyasa, Gentle Flow, Core & Arm, Candlelight Yin, Yin Yang, Pre-natal, Kids, Restorative, small classes I: Cantonese & English t: 2565 7088 e: info@yoga-aloha.com w: www.yoga-aloha.com YOGA CENTRAL - IYENGAR CENTRAL 2C Welley Bldg. 97 Wellington St. Central, Hong Kong s: Iyengar Yoga classes only, suitable for privates, small groups & corporate wellness programs t: +852 2982 4308 e: yogacentralhk@gmail.com w: www.yogacentral.com.hk
DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES & SIZES Outside back cover HK$22,900 210 mm x 297 mm Inside front cover HK$3,200 210 mm x 297 mm Inside back cover HK$2,500 210 mm x 297 mm Full page HK$2,000 210 mm x 297 mm 1/2 page (horizontal) HK$1,300 180 mm x 133.5 mm 1/2 page (vertical) HK$1,300 88 mm x 275 mm 1/4 page HK$650 88 mm X 133.5 mm 1/8 page HK$400 88 mm x 66 mm LISTINGS Individual listing Studio listing
HK$580 HK$1,200
for full or partial year for full or partial year
PUBLICATION DATES, BOOKING & MATERIAL DEADLINES Publication date Booking Deadline Material Deadline January December 1 December 10 April March 1 March 10 July June 1 June 10 October September 1 September 10 NOTES Advertising materials should in black & white and submitted as 300 dpi high resolution .tif files (no pdf or ai files please) Listings should be submitted as text only (approx 35 words) PAYMENT Payments should be made in Hong Kong dollars to: Namaskar c/o Carol Adams, Flat 101, Block L, Telford Gardens, Kowloon, Hong Kong INFORMATION Carol +852 9137 9992 / carol@caroladams.hk Frances +852 9460 1967 / fgairns@netvigator.com July 2015
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