namaskar A VOICE FOR THE YOGA COMMUNITY OF ASIA
PAIN If you have pain in your practice, maybe it’s a sign to pay more attention.....................................p20
Tryphena in Gomuhkasana, photo by Philippa Ho
PAIN Physical, mental or emotion pain, in yoga it’s all duhka..................................................................................p26
November 2018 PAIN Meet two women who’ve transformed their pain into something beautiful.....................p29
2
NAMASKAR
NAMASKAR - NOVEMBER 2018
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Pain is inevitable, the suffering is optional.
Who so eloquently penned this? Karen Casey, American meditation and wellness writer, Haruki Murakami, Japanese author, Buddha or someone else? No matter. My thanks to Quinn Taplin from Samadhi Bali for inadvertently suggesting “pain” be the dristi for this issue. We received so many contributions on this subject, they constitute virtually the entire issue. To any readers out there having a hard time just now, read on and you’ll discover you are not alone. Please try to open yourself to a tiny sliver of inspiration from the writers’ experiences and suggestions. This issue concludes my sixteenth year as editor of Namaskar. While it is my pleasure and honour to continue, I am also very open to passing on my part as editor and publisher. If you’re thinking about it, here’s some criteria to consider: you want to contribute to the yoga community; you have experience writing and editing; you know basic desktop publishing; and you have about 50 hours of time, four times a year for which you don’t need to be paid. If this sounds interesting, please contact me for more information on fgairns@netvigator.com Namaskar is the culmination of many people’s time and work. Apart from the writers whose faces and biographies you see on the next page, there are a few volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes. My thanks to Carol Adams for coordinating the advertising and billing; Wai-Ling Tse for compiling and writing Kula; Angela Sun for managing the circulation and subscriptions and; Joe and Anny at Lien United for printing, packing and delivering the magazine to you.
On the cover - Tryphena Chia, a teacher at Pure Yoga in Hong Kong. Tryphena sees the yoga mat as a playground. tryphena.chia@pure-yoga.com
In This Issue DRISTI - PAIN PAIN IN YOUR PRACTICE THE MAGIC OF PAIN PAIN & YOGA PAIN, CONSTANT COMPANION STRESS, FEVER & A BROKEN ANKLE PAIN IS A FRIEND TRANSFORMING PAIN INTO ART DEEPENING INTO LIFE & PRACTICE EVOLVE INTO PRACTICE TRANSFORMATIVE YOGA VOYAGE PAIN IS YOUR ALLY
20 22 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 32 34
REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS KULA UPDATES, WORKSHOPS, RETREATS, TEACHER TRAININGS PHOTO ESSAY MUDRAS RETREAT REVIEW TRAINING REVIEW DIRECTORY
6 14 36 39 42 48
All that remains is for me to wish you a joyful end to 2018!
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
November 2018
CONTRIBUTORS
ANA FORREST
GABRIELLE MCMAHON
James is a yoga teacher, focusing on yoga philosophy, from the United Kingdom who teaches around the world. jamesrboag@gmail.com JOSE CALARCO
Ana is a medicine woman, author, and creatrix of Forrest Yoga since 1975. www.anaforrest.yoga ANDY WILLNER
Gabrielle’s life work is yoga, meditation and natural living. She created bebliss 10 years ago and works with groups and individuals inspiring them to live their best life. gabrielle@bebliss.com.au
student of Ashtanga yoga and Dharma since 1992. She spent 15 years living in South Asia and now makes her home in Colorado, where she is finishing her second book, Toward A Secret Sky. www.KimRoberts.co
HANSAJI YOGENDRA Jose is a song man, artistic director and ceremonial leader, with a long association with the arts for the last 25 years, particularly in Australia. www.descendance.net
KRISHNAA KINKARIDAS
JULIE CHOI TREPKAU
Andy teaches at Pure Yoga in Hong Kong. andy@pure-yoga.com GABRIEL AZOULAY
Dr. Yogendra is the director of the Yoga Institute, Mumbai, the world’s oldest organised yoga centre. She is also chairperson of yoga certification committee for Quality Council of India, president of International Board of Yoga; and senior vice president International Association of Yoga Therapists. www.theyogainstitute.org JAMES BOAG
With an advanced degree from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Gabriel has over 20 years of yoga practice and teaching. www.gabeyogacademy.com 4
Julie’s first encountered yoga was in 1992. She discovered Ashtanga Yoga in 2001 with Michel Besnard in Hong Kong, and began making trips to Mysore to study at the feet of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, R. Sharath Jois and R. Saraswathi Jois, and is grateful to have received teaching Authorization from KPJAYI. She now lives is in Encinitas, California, with her family. mousebell@gmail.com KIM ROBERTS A graduate of Naropa University’s M.A. Contemplative Psychology program, Kim has been a devoted NAMASKAR
Krishnaa lives in London. She studied with B.K.S. Iyengar and now runs classes in London and teaches Sanskrit and mudras for yoga for the Yoga Alliance and British Wheel of Yoga. She has written 15 books on Bhakti Yoga. kinkaridasi@hotmail.com MARGARET VAN
Margaret teaches Mindfulnessbased movement courses. An anthropogist by training and lover of languages, Margaret is interested in fine-tuning her teaching to students from diverse backgrounds. vanmayfung@gmail.com MARK FLINT
Loves to read, write and yoga. Formerly a journalist, Stephanie is a yoga instructor and writer. Besides teaching yoga, she continues writing health and wellness articles for newspapers, translated “Peace “ written by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche into Chinese, and wrote the Chinese version of “Living with Yoga and Mindfulness” by Janet Lau. http:// yogastephanie.blogspot.com/ stephaine125@gmail.com
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VALERIE FANECO
Now on-line at: www.issuu.com/namaskarasia Mark is a KPJAYI authorized yoga teacher living with his family in Mysore, India. He is also author of “Yoga and Diet cured my Arthritis,” available on Amazon. ifa_international@hotmail.com QUINN TAPLIN
Back issues still at: www.issuu.com/caroladams A yoga therapist and teacher trainer certified in the tradition of T. Krishnamacharya, Valerie has been teaching for 18 years, training teachers for 10 years. She translated Frans Moors’ commentary of the Yoga Sutra into English. She lives and works in Singapore. www.beinginyoga.com YANA FORTEP
January’s dristi:
Prana What is prana? Is prana the same as chi/qi? What’s prana got to do with my yoga asana practice? What does prana feel like in our body? How can I improve the quality of prana in me? Are there different kinds of prana? If you’d like to contribute on this topic, please email fgairns@netvigator.com with the idea for your article.
Quinn is a student and teacher of mind-body awareness. He has well over 1000 hours of training in Ashtanga, Iyengar, therapeutic, restorative yoga and bodywork. He travels yearly to India and Bali. quinn@samadhibali.com
Contributions are also welcome on other topics. Final articles are welcome before December 10.
STEPHANIE NG
Yana is a singer and a songwriter living in Hong Kong. philarmony@gmail.com
November 2018
KULA
Updates
HONG KONG
Self-Attunement Meditation PICER, Central For the past 20 years, this community has been assisting people change their lives. Held every Wednesday 8-9:30pm HK$100. First timers HK$50, can arrive at 7:30pm. Room 2502, Winsome House, 73 Wyndham Street, Central. Call to reserve a space. For more information www.picer.com / (852) 2167 8661
ready to face life’s challenges again. For more information (852) 6903 5956 / fredricqg@yahoo.com
The Power of Practise 19-23 November (7-8am) The Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong, Sheung Wan Start the day with a one-hour led practice. Cost: HK$120 per day For more information info@iyengaryogahongkong.com/ iyengaryogahongkong.com
17 November Ark Eden, Lantau island Inipi is the traditional American Indian Lakota ceremony of purification, and a sacred time to release the old and unnecessary, while revitalizing body, soul, and mind. It is a physical and mental cleansing in a sweat lodge to come out into the world refreshed and 6
Yogathon 15 December Iyengar Yogasala, North Point Join Yogasala in celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of B.K.S. Iyengar, with all day classes. All proceeds from this event will be donated to the Bellur Trust, a charity with the vision to serve the village of Bellur with the necessities such as clean drinking facilities, education and health care. Suggested donation: HK$100 per session; or HK$400 for a whole day pass. For more information admin@yogasalahk.com / www.yogasalahk.com / (852) 9071 0230
The late B.K.S.Iyengar
Lakota Inipi Ceremony
Viv joins Flex
Charity Talk BKS Iyengar Centenary Special 29 November (7-8pm) Iyengar Yogasala, North Point A sharing of the life and study experience with B.K.S. Iyengar. Suggested donation HK$200. For more information (852) 9071 0230 / www.yogasalahk.com
Dilys joins Flex
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New Classes & Faces at Flex Saturdays Power Vinyasa with Viv Kan Viv’s Yoga journey began in 2010 when she discovered Yoga was more than just a physical practice - it was the mind-body connection that became an essential part of her life. She plans to spread her love for holistic wellness to inspire and motivate everyone to truly live their best self.
Fly High with Dilys Ariel Yoga - Wednesdays (6:45pm) Back Care -Thursdays (12noon)
spotless washrooms, plus a separate kid’s play area. They offer 200-hour Yoga teacher training courses and two-day retreat residential programmes. For more information www.theyogainstitute.org TAIWAN
Dilys is a AntiGravity fitness onestar instructor trainer. She began her AntiGravity Fitness and yoga journey in 2014 and fell in love with the technique that helped her be more connected to her body, mind, and spirit. For more information www.flexhk.com
4th Garden Gathering 7-9 December Sai Yuen Farm, Cheung Chau island This is an outdoor camping event for women and children featuring over 70 wisdom sharing sessions by Hong Kong and Asia’s leading women in wellness. They are a growing community of inspirational, compassionate, and supportive women, with the common purpose of fostering conscious evolution and with gratitude and respect for mother earth. Special international featured guests, Bibi McGill, Beyonce’s former music director and lead electric guitarist, and Tara Judelle, founder of Embodied Flow. The organisers are kindly offering a 15% discount (not including accommodation) to Namaskar readers, please quote the promo code:
NAMASKSARGG4. For more information thegardengathering.com / info@thegardengathering.com
Talk on Vedanta: The Missing Piece with Ramanand Patel
New Iyengar Yoga Classes The Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong, Sheung Wan Additional classes have been added to their regular class schedule: Level I: Tuesdays, 6-7:30pm with Susie; Thursdays, 4-5:30pm with Anna and Saturdays, 10-11:30am with Devika Level II: Wednesdays, 11:00am12:30pm with Susie For more information info@iyengaryogahongkong.com/ iyengaryogahongkong.com
Ramanand Patel
11 January 2019 Space Yoga, Taipei
INDIA
Opening of The Yoga Institute, Goa The Yoga Institute in Goa launched to make classical Yoga available to more people. It is an abode of holistic wellness for self-discovery and selfimprovement. The Goan styled residential quarters are equipped with the latest amenities and
Vedanta consists of many of the important concepts critical in Yoga studies. Deepening the understanding of this part of the Yoga spectrum may help you connect the dots of many ideas of Yoga philosophy. For more information www.withinspace.com
November 2018
THAILAND
YogaCoreCycle Samahaita Retreat, Koh Samui Available throughout the year Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui YogaCoreCycle combines cardio and specific strength training, alongside more traditional Yoga postures and breathwork taught from an authentic lineage, and meditation practices to help you achieve this balance. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
KULA
Workshops
CHINA
A Heart-Centred Energy Workshop Xi’an This workshop aims to offer an opportunity to learn new life principles while receiving leadingedge treatments, and be able to see and understand the energy that affects you in every moment. For more information www.picer.org HONG KONG
Post-Natal Recovery & Repairing Diastasis with Nicole Serje Flex Studio, Central and One Island South 12 November Participants are individually assessed for abdominal separation, and guided through key core-strengthening exercises to help bring back abdominal muscles for those with diastasis. 19 November Advance the basic practices from the previous session. Continue to learn new and effective techniques to feel renewed strength and control for studio workouts or at home. For more information www.flexhk.com
The Time of Your Life 30-Hour Yoga Immersion with Marysia Do 8
14-18 November Pure Yoga Hong Kong Marysia’s style is both pragmatic and playful, to gain instant accessibility into advanced asanas. Ideal for students wanting to elevate their practice and teachers wanting to expand their knowledge.
Depression, Addictions with Dr. Ganesh Mohan 16-20 November The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan Traditional Yoga and Ayurveda combined with modern medicine. Specific guidelines for different conditions and general treatment principles will be detailed.
For more information www.pure-yoga.com/hongkong/ workshop/detail/736
For more information info@yogaroomhk.com/ www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
Yamuna Body Rolling for Pelvic Floor & Prolapse with Yamuna Zake 16 November Flex Studio, One Island South There are so many reasons why the pelvis becomes restricted. Both the physical and the psychological experiences of each person can greatly affect the health of the pelvis and the internal organs located here. The pelvis receives a great deal of weight bearing through life, causing a slow progressive tightening and compressing into the pelvic area. Over time this will limit freedom of movement and cause congestion and a decrease of circulation in the pelvic area. For more information info@flexhk.com / (852) 2813 2212
Svastha Yoga with Ganesh Mohan Therapeutic Foundations Program - Module 5: Yoga Psychology/Mind: Yogic Mindfulness, Cognitive Changes,
Core Flow Alignment with Duncan Wong 24-25 November The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan Inculdes wave motion and counter movement muscle dynamics, intermediate “X” core arm balance mechanics, handstand variations in a vinyasa flow with elements of partner work. Plus basic Mudra hand pose structures, exploring the powerful practice of hand mudra flow structures and intermediate back bend Mudra play. For more information info@yogaroomhk.com/ www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
Movement Artist II with Angela Lohse 24-25 November Pure Yoga Inspired by Yoga and infused with dance-like movements, introducing a practice that takes you a few degrees outside the traditional framework of vinyasa flow. Learn how to transition NAMASKAR
from one asana to the next by linking the poses with unique transitional-based movements. For more information www.pure-yoga.com/hongkong/ workshop/detail/769
Iyengar Yoga Workshop with Manouso Manos 28-30 November Yogasala, North Point Methodical in his teaching, Manouso lays a solid foundation and progressively refines each of the asanas. His sense of humour and sensitivity shine through as his dynamic and challenging teaching style moves his students beyond their perceived limits. For more information www.yogasalahk.com / info@yogasalahk.com / (852) 9071 0230
Forever Young Face Yoga Workshops with Veronica Wong The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan 1 December - Introduction to Face Yoga Method 2 December - Forehead, Neck and Jawline 8-9 December - Tension and Trauma Release Exercises For more information info@yogaroomhk.com/ www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series with Clayton Horton 1-2 December Pure Yoga Clayton aims to inspire and inform your personal practice with this fundamental exploration of breath, movement and dristhi (gazing point). Detailed explanation of traditional Sun Salutations, standing, seated, back bending and finishing postures will be given. For more information www.pure-yoga.com/hongkong/ workshop/detail/766
Balancing Strength & Flexibility in Vinyasa with Jason Crandell 7-8 December Pure Yoga This workshop is the culmination of many years spent revising elements of vinyasa yoga in order to create a more balanced and sustainable practice. For more information www.pure-yoga.com/hongkong/ workshop/detail/744
A Weekend of Further Education with Stephen Ewashkiw 25-27 January 2019 The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan
25 January - Adventure Yoga Master Class 26 January - Analysis: Pose Improvement Part 1 (Standing poses) 27 January - Analysis: Pose Improvement Part 2 (Handstand practice) Helping to review, refine, and realign your asanas to form a deeper connection to the practice. For more information info@yogaroomhk.com/ www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
time national and 2013 world asana champion. Jared has studied extensively with Dharma Mittra, Ana Forrest, and Mary Jarvis. He has decades of practice in Ashtanga, Bikram, Dharma, Forrest, and Iyengar yoga, and combines all disciplines together in his Vinyasa series. For more information www.pure-yoga.com/hongkong/ workshop/detail/742 SINGAPORE
Wuo Tai – The Dance of the Fascias with Damian de Bastier 4-8 February - Module 1: Articulations 11-15 February - Module 2: Myofascias Samadi Bali, Bali Wuo Tai is a poetry of movement which blends Thai massage, dance and osteopathy. Highly therapeutic, this dance of the fascia’s will invite you to balance your systems and lighten your burden. For more information damien@samadibali.com/ www.samadibali.com
Jared Mccann Yoga: JM Vinyasa, Hips+Inversions & Backbends 28-31 March 2019 Pure Yoga Jared McCann is an international Yoga teacher with an advanced ERYT 500 designation. He is a two
30-Hour Yoga Immersion with Marysia Do 10-11 November Pure Singapore Marysia’s style is both pragmatic and playful. Gain instant accessibility into advanced asanas. Ideal for students wanting to elevate their practice and teachers wanting to expand their knowledge. For more information www.pure-yoga.com/singapore/ workshop/detail/704 THAILAND
SelfEmpowerment Seminar 27 November Cube 7, Chiang Mai Sacred Place delivers selfempowerment seminars about self-discovery, personal development and self-actualization in cities across Asia. Their seminars are an opportunity to learn about the impact society has upon our inner foundation and how to develop the mental resilience and inner authority to
November 2018
create the lifestyle you want. For more information www.sacred-place.com / enquiries@sacred-place.com TAIWAN
Deepen & Refine Your Asana Practice with Hart Lazer & Ramanand Patel 12-13 January 2019 Space Yoga, Taipei 12 January - Hips, Groins, and Forward bends 13 January - Sunday: Backbends and Inversions Hart and Ramanand will take turn teaching and assisting to create a powerful and lively environment for learning. Seemingly simple but critical components of the asana practice will be covered. For more information www.withinspace.com
Light On Twists with Hart Lazer & Ramanand Patel 14-18 January 2019 Space Yoga, Taipei Each day will include general asana and pranayama practice with emphasis on twists, which is often misunderstood by Yoga practitioners. Twists in various categories of poses will be explored indepth, including standing poses, forward bends, backbends and inversions. For more information www.withinspace.com
KULA
Retreats
finding their inner power between mind and body. For more information info@yogaroomhk.com/ www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
Sarah & Ty Powers
AUSTRALIA
Yin/Insight Yoga and Inquiry Silent Retreat 17-20 January 2019 Govinda Valley Retreat Center, NSW Led by Sarah and Ty Powers, you will practice Yin/Yang Yoga, pranayama, mind training, and methods for awakening the heart.
Samadi Living Yoga Retreats with Damien de Bastier & Andrea Drottholm 23-29 December Samadi Bali, Bali An Ashtanga and life coaching retreat offering you a time to reflect, create closure and open to the possibilities ahead. The retreat is part of a conscious lifestyle series, where the socpe of the practices and tools you learn will extend beyond the Yoga mat to help you to embrace the fullness of life. For more information info@samadibali.com/ www.samadibali.com
For more information sarahpowers.com/iyi/schedule2019/yininsight-yoga-silentretreat-january-2019/
Strength, Spirit, and Inner Power Retreat with Kat
10
THAILAND
Making sense of the Senses
Samkhya-Yoga Retreat
15-21 February 2019 Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre, Mysore According to Yoga we have 11 senses, and we use them all the time to perceive the world around us. Control of the senses forms an essential part of Yoga called pratyâhâra. Join Valerie Faneco and Nrithya Jagannathan for a week of Yoga, meditation and Vedic chanting to explore this topic.
25 November-1 December; 6-12 January 2019 Wise Living Yoga Academy, Chiang Mai Samkhya-Yoga Philosophy is the oldest philosophical system in the world. The retreat includes theory and practice of Yoga techniques, vegetarian meals in residential basis.
For more information www.ekayogainstitute.com ITALY
Bespoke Curated Retreats with Samacitta Retreats 3-10 August 2019 Samacitta curates bespoke retreats in Italy and worldwide. They can also help Yoga teachers host tailor-made retreats. A bodywork retreat in the countryside of Umbria near Spoleto specifically for Esalen certified and registered bodywork/massage practitioners to come together to practice with each other. Open to all Esalen persons. The retreat will be in Rieti, close to Rome with a vast outdoor deck and inside shala.
INDONESIA
23-27 November Bagus Jati, Ubud, Bali A retreat that empowers you to find your inner strength within your practice by developing powerful qualities to cultivate wellness, healing, and strength. Suitable for all levels of practitioners who are looking to strengthen their practice by
INDIA
For more information life@samacitta.com / www.samacitta.com / www.samacitta.com/what-wedo/ Damien de Bastier & Andrea Drottholm
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For more information (66) 825467995 / info@wiselivingyoga.com
Samkhya & Bhagavad Gita Retreat 25 November-8 December; 6-19 January 2019 Wise Living Yoga Academy, Chiang Mai Besides the study of Samkhya and many traditional practices and techniques, students will be introduced to the Bhagavad Gita from the four paths of Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. Includes theory and practice, and vegetarian meals in residential basis. For more information (66) 825467995 / info@wiselivingyoga.com
Yin & Yang Yoga with Simon Low 6-10 December Yoga immersion in Kamalaya’s nurturing environment with daily Yin and Yang Yoga practice, complemented by nourishing cuisine and selected wellness treatments.
KULA
Teacher Trainings
For more information www.kamalaya.com
Christmas & New Year Retreat 22-29 December; 29 December-5 January 2019 Paul Dallaghan and his team share a range of Yoga practices, core strength work and cycle classes, in this YogaCoreCycle program. Covering a number of practices that you can learn to take home, including sitting meditation forms, focused breath work that develops into a pranayama practice, and the physical Yoga practice of asana. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
Yin & Yang Yoga Retreat with Simon Low 5-12 January 2019 Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui Each day will include a predominantly yang morning practice with afternoon yin and restorative Yoga. Throughout the week you will share, chant, come together for meditation and benefit from study sessions to deepen your Yoga knowledge and experience, especially in the fields of anatomy and physiology, psychology and philosophy. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
Embracing Insights of the Embodied Form with Richard Freeman
& Mary Taylor
CHINA
13-26 January 2019 Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui Daily asana, meditation and chanting practices will be couched in the context of the Bhagavad Gita. Grounded in your
7-31 December Pure Yoga, Shanghai Andrey Lappa has lived and travelled most of his life in eastern countries: India, Nepal, Tibet, China and Mongolia. During his travels, he developed his skills with teachers such as B.K.S. Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, as well as learning from other teachers in the East. For more information www.pure-yoga.com.cn/en/ shanghai/teachertraining/ andreylappa/universalyoga/ index.php
Richard Freeman & Mary Taylor
own physical experience, prana and relationships, they will follow Arjuna’s progression through the story to tap into the timeless insights of the text that point the way to navigating life’s inevitable difficulties. This retreat is growing directly out of their current work on writing about the Gita as it applies to everyday life. For more information: www.samahitaretreat.com
A Retreat for Women with Eka Yoga Institute 16-21 May 2019 Healing Sanctuary, Koh Pangan Learn practical tools and a mindful approach to the transformations of menopause, for women in their 40’s and 50’s. For more information www.ekayogainstitute.com
Universal Yoga TT with Andrey Lappa
HONG KONG
95-hr RCYT Yoga Rangers Kids TT (Chinese) with Ann, Keiki & Toby 23-25 November (Level 1) 26 December-1 January 2019 (Level 2) Glo Yoga Academy Developed by Ann da Silva, Keiki To and special needs teacher Toby Siu, Yoga Rangers is a Kid’s Yoga teacher training for the Asian market, addressing the unique challenges children face here. Aims to teach how to teach children core values, develop better emotional and social intelligence, as well as empower special needs children with better sensory-motor control and selfcare skills. Training will be in Cantonese with a Chinese teaching manual.
November 2018
For more information www.gloyoga.com / (852) 9888 2400
Pre- and PostNatal Yoga TT with Samantha Chan 19-28 November Aims to teach pre-natal practices to help aspiring pre-natal yoga teachers teach their students to tune into the needs and changes of pregnancy and promote relaxation and suppleness. For more information hk.pure-yoga.com/en/taipei/ teachertraining/samanthachan/ prenatalyoga/index.php
200-hr Yoga TT Certificate Course 26 November-13 March 2019 Anahata Yoga, Central Aims to provide practitioners, enthusiasts, and aspiring instructors the chance to deepen their knowledge of Yoga philosophy and improve their practice. An open-level training, suitable for those who have done little Yoga as well as those with years of practice. For more information www.anahatayoga.com.hk / enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk / (852) 2905 1822
Kuchipudi TT with Hari Om 30 November-10 December Pure Yoga Suitable for both regular students and first-time participants (knowledge of Kuchipudi
KULA
More TTs basics is compulsory). It will empower students with enhanced learning, expressions, rhythmic aspects and theoretical knowledge. Practice of tattukali and taalam will be included. Course highlights will be the practice of Ardhanareeswaram and experimenting with choreography of various rhythms. For more information www.pure-yoga.com/hongkong/ workshop/detail/772
300-hr Advanced Vinyasa TT with Jason Crandell 30 November-19 June 2019 Pure Yoga Provides an integrative, expertlevel education in vinyasa Yoga technique, anatomy, teaching methodology, and comparative philosophy. Giving you the tools to teach skilfully, think critically, and uncover a teaching path that is true to you. For more information hk.pure-yoga.com/en/hongkong/ teachertraining/ advancedvinyasajasoncrandell/ index.php
AntiGravity AIRbarre with Tamar Begum 15-16 December This extensive aerial dance conditioning program challenges the body and mind beyond the vertical plane and up into the air! For more information info@yogaroomhk.com/ www.yogaroomhk.com / (852) 2544 8398
14 February-1 March 2019 Anahata Yoga, Central Suitable for Yoga practitioners aspiring to teach Yoga to pregnant women. Students are taught how Yoga may be practiced during various stages of pregnancy and early motherhood. Learning the anatomical, hormonal, and muscular changes that occur normally in a pregnant body, and how Yoga can help promote a smooth pregnancy. For more information www.anahatayoga.com.hk
200-hr Vinyasa Yoga TT with Tryphena Chia 21 February-7 April 2019 Pure Yoga Tryphena has spent the last 10 years studying with Baron Baptiste, assisting him in trainings from Kenya to New York. This TT is based on the “Journey Into Power� sequence created by Baron Baptiste. Afterwards students should be confident to teach a 60- and 90minute Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga class and be comfortable and confident applying hands-on assists to students. For more information hk.pure-yoga.com/en/hongkong/ teachertraining/ tryphenavinyasa/index.php
30-hr Vinyasa Flow Sequencing with Joan Hyman 28 February-3 March 2019 The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan For more information www.yogaroomhk.com
100-hr Prenatal 300-hr Yoga Yoga TT Certificate Course Therapy TT 12
4 March-14 June 2019 Anahata Yoga, Central Explore the principles of Yoga therapy and Ayurveda and their various applications in daily life. Understand the body, its functions and how to address common ailments through various yogic practice and Ayurvedic diet principles. For more information www.anahatayoga.com.hk / enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk / (852) 2905 1822
Yoga & Meditation TT with Kapil Rajiv 16 March-5 May 2019 Pure Yoga This committed and disciplined training gives students a comprehensive grasp of the knowledge and teachings of Yoga and meditation. Enlivens the philosophical concepts through relevant practice and experience. For more information hk.pure-yoga.com/en/hongkong/ teachertraining/ 4dteachertraining2019/index.php
Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Baby TT with Michelle Papa & Dr Jean Byrne 23-31 March 2019 Pure Yoga Pre-natal and post-natal yoga teaching is one of the most rewarding experiences you may have as a Yoga teacher. Pregnant women are very dedicated to their practice, and women often feel physically and emotionally vulnerable during pregnancy and the post-natal period. For more information NAMASKAR
hk.pure-yoga.com/en/hongkong/ teachertraining/ mindfulbirth2019/index.php
Unveil the Teacher within with Samrat Dasgupta 30 March-13 May 2019 Pure Yoga The 200-hour programme is about learning through practice and strongly adheres to an experiential approach to learning. Involves developing discipline through practices and rituals to discover a deeper understanding of who you are, and find your dharma through Yoga and its influence on your spiritual development. For more information hk.pure-yoga.com/en/hongkong/ teachertraining/transformation2019/index.php
Vinyasa Yoga TT with Angela Lohse 5 April-2 June 2019 Pure Yoga Fluid Flow is a course designed to prepare its participants to become teachers and aims to give you the skill set and experience it takes to be confident in your abilities to teach. For more information hk.pure-yoga.com/en/hongkong/ teachertraining/ fluidflow_vinyasayoga/index.php
200-hr Foundation & 300-hr Advanced Yin Yang Vinyasa TT with Janet Lau 17-23 April 2019 - 60-hr Speak Your Truth 150-hr Mindfulness Scheduled
for 2020 The Yoga Room, Sheung Wan This is not just a teacher training for Yoga practitioners, but also a life-transforming program for anyone who seeks to understand more about oneself and life. Each module can be taken as a bundle to prepare yourself as a RYT200 or 500 under Yoga Alliance or individually for personal interest. For more information www.yogaroomhk.com
Bali Sound Healing Training
For more information www.withinspace.com
December 2018 and February 2019 Shervin Boloorian from Bali Sound Healers Collective is planning a joint sound healing immersion with percussionist, master flutist and sound healing maestro, Pepe Danza. Plus a 10day sacred sound and healing voice training programme at the Yoga Barn ith experienced Bhakti Yoga teacher, Gregory Kaps.
Universal Yoga TT with Andrey Lappa
INDONESIA
100-hr Embodied Mindfulness TT with Tina Nance 16-30 November The Yoga Barn, Bali Immersion into embodied trauma release techniques and mindfulness awareness practices of Yoga, Buddhism and beyond, through moving and seated meditations, Yin,Yang and restorative asana, Yoga Nidra, Buddhist psychology and breathwork. For more information www.tinanance.com
200-hr Yin TT with Joe Phee & Joe Barnett 27 November-20 December Ubud, Bali Study with Yin Yoga founder, Paul Grilley’s most senior assistants. Core modules: Yin Yoga theory and practise, anatomy of Yoga, chakras and meridians, fascia study: science and research, sequencing and teaching methodology. For more information yinspirationyinyoga@gmail.com / www.yinspiration.org
For more information soundhealingbali@gmail.com SINGAPORE
Eka Yoga Institute Foundation 200hr Diploma 14 November-14 June 2019 Cluny Court, Bukit Timah Road A comprehensive programme to learn Yoga as a practice, philosophy and healing modality, in the respected and authentic method of T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar. Includes one-week retreat in Mysore, India. For more information www.ekayogainstitute.com TAIWAN
150-hr Advanced TT Level I with Hart Lazer Space Yoga, Taipei Term 1 - 15-24 December Term 2 - 25 February-6 March 2019 Term 3 - 11-20 August 2019 Builds on a 200-hr Yoga Alliance registered training and is designed to strengthen and deepen your understanding of Yoga and your role as a Yoga teacher.
20 December-24 January 2019 Pure Yoga, Taipei Andrey Lappa is one of the most influential Yoga masters of the post-Soviet countries. He has lived and travelled most of his life in eastern countries: India, Nepal, Tibet, China and Mongolia. During his travels, he developed his skills with worldfamous teachers such as B.K.S. Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, as well as learning from other teachers in the East. For more information www.pure-yoga.com.cn/en/ shanghai/teachertraining/ andreylappa/universalyoga/ index.php THAILAND
200-hr Classical Yoga TTC 6 January-1 February 2019 10 February-8 March 2019 Wise Living Yoga Academy, Chiang Mai Full immersion in Yoga studies in an Ashram-like environment. Providing a foundation on classical Yoga philosophy and practices, including meditation, asanas (postural training), pranayamas (breathing techniques) and simple kriyas (cleansing techniques). Programmes are residential and include vegetarian meals. For more information (66) 825467995 / info@wiselivingyoga.com / www.teachertraining. wiselivingyoga.com
November 2018
Advanced TT in Chi Kung & Restorative Yoga with Simon Low 17-24 March 2019 Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui In between the morning and afternoon practice sessions, Simon and the Yoga Academy faculty will offer teachers and interested students training in Chi Kung for Yoga practitioners and restorative Yoga for stress related conditions, healing, health and happiness. This week is also offered as a retreat option which includes morning and afternoon classes, without the study sessions in between. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
200-hr Education in Yoga with Paul Dallaghan & Centered Yoga Team 4 May-1 June 2019 Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui A one-month residential training which includes precise training in asana and the vinyasa system, classical training in pranayama and approximately 100 hours of additional training beyond the basic requirements of Yoga Alliance. For more information www.samahitaretreat.com
PHOTO ESSAY
ESCAPING TO TRANQUILITY
Osho Tapoban Nepal WORDS & PHOTOS BY GABRIELLE MCMAHON
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Before returning to my busy life in Australia, I was looking for a silent and mindful environment in Kathmandu, where I could integrate the experiences of my pilgrimage to Lake Mansarova and Mount Kailash, Tibet. Set in the lush hills of Kathmandu, Nepal, Osho Tapoban quickly takes you away from the noise, dust and busyness of downtown Kathmandu to the tranquility of lovingly-attended gardens and lawns. It’s easy to forget the outside material world as you step into a maroon robe and blend in with the sea of people moving around. The simplicity of the maroon/white attire, well-structured daily programme and deep meditation opportunities offers a wonderful place to learn and grow your practice. There are plenty of places to sit quietly and go deeper into your personal practice - Osho Samadhi (where Buddhist saint Nagarjuna attained his ultimate Enlightenment 2,000 years ago), the Shivapuri Baba Silence Temple, beside the river, in the meditation hall or around the grounds on the grass. Personally, I found the spiritual energy at the Shivapuri Baba Temple very deep and uplifting. The centre is a balance of stillness and activity which allows each to discover the practice they are best suited to. It is a happy and relaxed community of people who laugh and connect with each other during the programme breaks. My daily mindfulness practice included climbing approximately 200 steps between the dining and meditation hall, passing by statues including Buddha, Shiva, Ganesha, Shivapuri Baba and quotes by Osho. I can’t wait to return and immerse myself again into the many opportunities for deep meditation.
November 2018
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November 2018
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November 2018
DRISTI - PAIN
PAIN IN YOUR PRACTICE? Pay more attention to yourself BY QUINN TAPLIN
The magic of pain...22 Pain & Yoga...24 Pain my constant companion...25 Stress, fever & an broken ankle...26 Pain is a friend...28 Transforming pain into art...29 Deepening into life & pratice...30 Evolve into practice...31 Transformative yoga voyage...32 Pain in your ally...34 20
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photo by Mwangi Gatheca on Unsplash
November 2018
I felt inspired to write on yoga and pain because I observe and receive feedback from students with fatigue, reoccurring injuries and disturbances in mind and emotions. Firstly, pain is not to be ignored in your yoga practice or daily life. Pain is one of the best story tellers and teachers of emotional, physical and energetic levels. Pain is vital source of information of our body ability to function safely and effectively. More often than not, we are caught up in the doing actions to complete an end goal, and far less in the feeling state to witness and experience the journey. Western society is familiar with hiding true feelings and abilities to express and communicate. Most of us naturally fall into the demands of our busy world, crouched over our cellphones entertaining one of the major issues of this day and age: lack of attention to the here and now. Life is never normal for someone suffering any kind of pain. In fact, over 100 million American’s suffer chronic pain. I think it’s mostly due to being unaware of daily habits and lack of attention to the present moment. Suffering through life is difficult and bears heavy burdens. A key physical benefit of a yoga practice is to correct posture; more specifically aligning the spine. However if the practitioner never evolves out of the doing phase, a host of misalignments can occur especially if repetitive movements reinforce the problems.
YOUR GURU, YOUR TEACHER, YOUR GUIDE The role of a skillful healer is to entertain the patient while nature takes over. There are many different processes a practitioner may take to heal oneself. Some work on the outer layers to heal the body, to work on the mind. Then there are those who heal the mind, which in turn heals the body. Ralph Waldo Trine wrote “In Tune with the Infinite,” “A true healer is a teacher which keep his students well instead of attempting to make them well after disease comes on; and still beyond this there will come a time when each will be his own physician” Health is a consistent rhythm where affliction is the inconsistent tone. Like a beautifully constructed orchestra, all the bodily systems need to sync and function together to create harmony and flow. More often than not, the cause and cure of pain and disorder is within us, we are our own jungle physician. Almost all conditions of ill health in some way have been related to our patterns of thought. A pattern of thinking counterproductive to health. If there is pain in a pose, let’s shine a new thought in our minds and bring awareness to developing curiosity. Pain is not something we should endure nor avoid, let it be your biggest teacher without letting it create more stories in your mind. If we look at the bigger picture of pain, it’s part of our everyday lives whether it be a physical, emotional, or intellectual conflict. If we develop techniques by understanding and developing a relationship to pain, we can begin to integrate
it into our daily lives instead of having pain be a goad for continued struggle. PAIN IN PRACTICE If you feel strong pain in a pose, try shifting yourself within it. By this I mean moving around it, backing out of the pose, or going completely inside it to understand which movements will bring a deeper understanding of what is happening to cause such sensations. By shifting your body and awareness, you begin to connect the dots and build new patterns of competence that allow you to move with ease and synchronization. It’s very common for most of us to avoid pain because it creates a sense of fear, but it is often this void that sends us further difficulties within other postures and habits in our lives. The more you play and experiment with ‘pain’, a greater understanding will come to the different qualities of pain. Some pains inflict more injuries and some are opening you. Daily practice turns experience into knowledge, and knowledge into wisdom. The more you practice, the more familiar you can make the distinction with more and more awareness. The key that fits the hole here is time with skillful action of awareness. Stay patient and trust your journey. Pain in all genres will teach you all you need to know. Accept softness rather than forcing hardness. Bitterness will turn to sweetness. Explore, enjoy the process and allow yourself to be your most powerful healer.
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THE MAGIC OF PAIN
Ashtanga hurt my knee but gave more freedom
It was at the end of my first month with Tim Miller practicing Ashtanga yoga. The late Rich McGowan, rest his soul, was helping me in Marichiasana D. A complicated posture where one leg is in half Lotus while the other leg is bent up and you twist. Rich and I had been working together throughout the first month of my experience and on this day I was feeling extremely warm. Rich was pulling on my arm to get it to wrap around the leg. We were enjoying the fact my body was having more freedom. With a sense of an accomplishment, the sense of feeling like I’m getting there slowly and surely, I left the morning practice feeling high on yoga. You can imagine my surprise when I woke up the following day, with pain in my knee. Rich and I had overworked my knee caps.
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Here, I was a yoga teacher in Encinitas, Southern California and I can barely bend my knee in poses like pigeon or chair. Even standing postures like Warrior One or Warrior Two were a struggle. It was a shock. Especially when the pain did not subside the following day. In fact, the pain wouldn’t subside for almost a month, and after the first week I simply vowed to accept my situation. Shockingly at the end of the first month, I woke up one day and the pain was gone. Not only was the pain gone, my knee was experiencing a tremendous amount of freedom. In fact my knee was almost fifty percent more flexible than before the pain. This experience, early on in my daily practice, taught me my body can actually go through
A true healer keeps his students well, instead of making them well after disease comes on
photo by Rawpixel on Unsplash
intense pain, and come out with more range of motion. I learned sometimes pain is needed to move beyond a limitation we have at the moment. It seems sometimes we have to suffer in order to open up. We only have to go back and remember the experience of childbirth, though in fact, most of us don’t remember that. You would have to call up your mother. And she will tell you the most joyous experience of having you as her child, was preceded by the most excruciating pain ever possible. This balance of pain and freedom is very interesting and very tricky, because one can easily move from pain to injury. If you find balance between taking the body beyond its limited range of the moment, you can be surprised with the benefits you have when the pain is gone.
However please be cautious, make sure your yoga teacher is experienced and has had their own painful moments in their practice so they’re able to support you. The Isa Upanishads points out when you face your fear, it will disappear. For many hours and days I feared I would never regain normal function in my knee. That first month is still my most memorable experience of transformation and reminds me sometimes pain is our greatest ally. Sometimes pain is our greatest teacher, pointing out where we were not mindful, and helping us live with more awareness, presence, acceptance and joy. One of yoga’s main goals stated in the Taittiriya Unpanishad is “we come from joy, through joy life is sustained, and to joy we return.” May your practice and life be filled with joy. November 2018
photo by Asdrubal Luna on Unsplash
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PAIN & YOGA
Note to Self BY JAMES BOAG
Pain is inevitable. Pain is an intrinsic and necessary part of the human experience. Pain helps protect us. It can be our friend. Yes, pain and suffering can beat us down, if we let them. But by working with them skillfully, we can be less pained by the trials of life, and transform difficulty into opportunity. Life is suffering. So have said the masters of many traditions. Patanjali is very clear about this: all is pain to the wise. Life is change, and we humans know it, but still we get attached to things being a certain way. Deep down, even as we are savouring things we find pleasurable, we know they will not last. So even that which brings pleasure, carries the germ of pain. (Yoga Sutra II.15) In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna also makes it very clear: the experience of pleasure and pain is inevitable. (II.14) 24
At first glance, this can seem rather bleak and even depressing. However, yoga is the practical school of Indian Philosophy. Patanjali goes on to make clear we can avoid pain that has yet to come. Krishna remind us pairs of opposites: pleasure and pain, heat and cold and all the rest; come and go. Our challenge is to be steady amidst it all. If you can find this steadiness, Krishna tells us, you can reveal the deathless essence that underlies all the comings and goings, you can penetrate through your fears and savour this life, here and now, fully. HOW TO GO ABOUT IT? First let us not delude ourselves, pain is inevitable, part of the game. However, this doesn’t mean we are helpless and hopeless when faced with it. When something is inevitable, don’t get upset about it, instead be as steadily as you can, so you can respond to it as skillfully as possible.
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Early in the Gita, Krishna distils the way of practising yoga in the world: Sukhadukhe same krvta labhalabhau jayajayau Tato yuddhaya yujyasva naivam papamavapyate (II.38) Which I translate as: Practising evenness (yoga) in gain and loss, in triumph and defeat, in pleasure and pain: this is the way to act in the challenging world and not be tainted and bound by your actions. In other words, pain and suffering are inevitable. Life is constant change and we cannot always get what we want. However, we do not have to be so pained by this reality! We can choose to suffer less in the face of life’s inevitable ups and downs. How? By practising yogasana. I don’t mean just going to yogasana classes or dropping into a favourite yoga posture when pain
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Constant Companion starts to manifest. No, I mean by cultivating the attitude of yoga: balanced, skillful, pragmatic, open and responsive. I mean by drawing on all our resources, and so resisting falling into the easy but often counter-productive and self-sabotaging familiar patterns of our habitual reactions. Mitigating pain with yogasana: - The posture with which we meet the world - The attitude we adopt in the face of change One of the Sanskrit words for pain is dukham, literally: difficult space. Its opposite, sukham - agreeable space. In the Indian system, the kham, or space we exist in contains sound, movement and vibration. Sukham then can be understood as a space where there is a good vibration; dukham, or pain, one in which the vibrations are somehow dissonant. Yogasana is defined classically as the state of awareness that is at once sthira - steady, and sukham - easy. In other words, the seat, platform or foundation state of yoga is when the field of our awareness is a place of sustainable good vibrations: a field of robust, resonant harmony that makes us less susceptible to being thrown up and cast down by the inevitable ups and downs of life. SO HOW TO PRACTICE? Krishna in the Gita (II.47) makes this clear: • You are the sovereign of your actions. • Your experience is your responsibility. • You have no control over the outcomes of your actions. • However, you do know that certain types of action can be relied upon to bring painful results. So, pay attention, notice how your attitude and actions affect your experience and do not be the cause of unnecessary pain. Perhaps you you have been a contributor to your own suffering. This recognition is tortuous, but it’s also empowering. So take the opportunity, accept the gift it offers, and reform yourself: dig in for the painful work of overhauling your habits, examining your belief structures and limiting ideas. And remember, it is worth it. And really, there is no alternative. The way out of self-sabotage is not avoidance. The way out is really through. As Krishna goes on to say,
don’t think that not acting, staying in your tent, or retreating from the arena is even an option. No, yoga is the path of the hero. THE PATH OF THE HERO, THE WAY OF THE HEROINE You are a human being, so you are going to experience hardship and suffering. But as a human, with your miraculous gifts of awareness, you can refresh your perspective, reset your ways of looking and recast your suffering into a means for useful growth. Yes, you do experience being torn and fragmented, yet you can muster your will, your insight and your diverse capacities to weave greater harmony into your life and expand its tapestry to include and reconcile more of who you really are. But this requires heroism, known in Sanskrit as virya - the quality of a vira. This word vira is very beautiful, and of great significance in yoga. Vira denotes both human being and hero/heroine. It means the human being who has the courage, persistence and fortitude to wrestle with all (including the painful, difficult parts) in a merciful, pragmatic and wise way. So, practice virasana - the posture/attitude/ way of being that allows you to be fully who you are: to face and integrate all your shades, the whole spectrum of who you are. And, practice how you want to feel. Everything is training. We get good at what we do a lot. So, when you take recourse to yoga technique, make very sure you are not inviting unnecessary pain and suffering. Make sure you are actually inviting what you really want to feel. When we take recourse to yoga techniques, we are practising for the rest of the day, for the rest of our life. So make sure you are setting yourself up to move through life in a graceful way, that will make you less susceptible to being ravaged by the vicissitudes of fortune. When you practice yogasana, do not practice straining and struggling! Rather, practice that beautiful, balanced ‘posture’ that marries alertness and relaxedness. Practice the attitude that allows harmonious connection and communication between all parts of you. Practice reinforcing the ways of whole system integration and spacious awareness. Practice the heroic work of reattuning your system to meet the reality of today as skilfully as you can. November 2018
BY MARK FLINT As a sufferer of Rheumatoid Arthritis pain as been constantly in my life. I consider myself cured of the disease but sometimes if I go a little too much off course on food choices the aches and pains increase. I stopped taking allopathic medicine almost 30 years ago which included pain killers. I see pain as the bodies signal something is wrong, it should not be ignored or blanked out by pain killers. I can honestly say most times when I get on the mat in the early morning the first couple of Surya Namaskar I feel pain in my weak points which is my wrists or my hands. I work through this discomfort believing in the breath with a focused mind to control the pain, knowing by working my joints and connective tissue I am reversing the impact of the degeneration which is happening as a part of this disease. I know well any pain I feel in practice is nothing compared to the rheumatic pain I would feel if I was lazy and did not continue to practice and allowed the disease to take a grip of my body. I practice and teach Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga and we hear people say pain is part of the practice! But it does not have to be that way, don’t push so hard you break or tear muscles, respect your body and go to the edge of the pain barrier, not into the pain, and do not expect to do today what you did yesterday, every day and every practice is different, modify if necessary and remember “practice, practice all is coming.” Choose a practice you enjoy that is sustainable for yourself, you should feel joy when you step on your mat, this is your time for yourself, your special space to nourish your body mind and soul.
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STRESS, FEVER & A BROKEN ANKLE
It’s all duhka BY VALERIE FANECO
Recently my husband broke his ankle, then a few days later our daughter was diagnosed with glandular fever. Both of them are now in some physical pain but they are also extremely frustrated. I am trying my best to help them but that ends up being stressful for me! It has built up to the point where last night I hardly slept because I was worried about my daughter, so I ended up checking on her every two hours, and of course when I woke up I was just as tired as they are. In the end, everyone in the family is either sore, tired, grumpy... or all of it at the same time! In this example, the situation brings a combination of physical and emotional pain to a couple of people (them), and a combination of mental and emotional distress to another (me). In Yoga, all of this is called duhkha - suffering. HELP! The basic idea of yoga philosophy is we suffer because our human mind doesn’t function very well. In Samkhya (India’s earliest Vedic system that gave yoga its theoretical background), the first word of the first verse is - significantly - duhkha. Based on Samkhya, yoga evolved to focus on two main principles: understanding how the mind works, and offering solutions to suffering. Several references in ancient texts indicate yoga was gifted to humans to help them eliminate suffering (duhkha). Symbolically, this important idea is also expressed in the name of the sage Patanjali, the first one to compile yoga’s teachings circa 300 BCE: according to a legend Patanjali “fell down” on Earth (pat) in the hands of humans who had their hands joined in prayer (anjali), to ask the gods for help. GET ME OUT OF HERE In Sanskrit, duhkha means restriction (duh) and space (kha), so the general meaning is “pressure in a constricted space”. An accurate description of pain! Many expressions in English reflect the same idea: negative emotions put a weight on your chest. You feel stuck when you can’t find a solution to a problem and you hold your breath when you are in physical pain. These experiences 26
are described as duhkha, with various degrees of intensity, from a speck of dust in the eye to the grief of losing a loved one. Kapila’s Samkhya tells us pain has three sources. One comes from within (adhiatmika): we produce it ourselves or we aggravate it. One comes from other creatures, including animals (adhi-bhautika). And one comes from things beyond our control such as natural causes and some diseases (adhi-daivika). However, sometimes our negative experiences have more than one source: if you are bitten by a dog the direct cause is external, but if you had teased the dog first, your action is the indirect cause. A FOUR-LEGGED STOOL Patanjali’s Yoga-Sutra explains the causes of suffering. In chapter II, he says they fall under four categories: - change (parinama), - craving for experiences we have liked and want to repeat (tapa), - habits and conditionings (samskara), - and finally the constant fluctuations of three forces (gunas). Among these four categories, the first three are pretty straightforward. Who never had mixed feelings about a new job, moving to a new school, or getting older? There is potential of suffering in any transformation; sometimes we dread the change yet to come, and sometimes we are impatient for it to happen. Additionally, there may be conflicting feelings which in turn produce more confusion, leading us to hold back on making a decision. Fear often lies at the bottom of it. For the second category, the expression “burning desire” is a close translation of the Sanskrit tapa. Desires can consume us or make us blind. We can be in so much distress if we don’t get what we want, when we want it! Of course, it is fine to have some desires and aspirations. In its wisdom, yoga framed these ones into a different concept: kama is the healthy pursuit of pleasure, coherent with our role in life and place in society. THE FORCE OF HABITS When we are conditioned to behave in a NAMASKAR
certain manner repetitively, yoga calls it a samskara. From small unconscious habits to sheer addictions we have many layers of samskaras. Some are harmful, some are beneficial, and some are pretty neutral. Even the way we brush our teeth follows a certain pattern. Deep conditionings influence our approach to work, how we study, take exams, speak to our children, the list is endless! Scrutinizing our samskaras 24/7 would drive us crazy but according to Patanjali it is healthy to study them from time to time, investigate how they began, and let the old ones go if they are not useful or starting to produce duhkha. GOLDILOCKS’ PORRIDGE The fourth potential source of pain is probably the most fundamental one. It is commonly referred to as the “fluctuations of the three gunas”. These forces are always operating and have the potential to create problems, no matter how careful we are. They work at all levels, mixing or taking turns to influence our thoughts and actions. They can be compared to the three bears’ porridge in the eponymous tale: one is cold, one is hot, and one is just right. Tamas (the “cold” one) is the force of inertia and cohesion. When it is in balance it helps to consolidate things, supporting our intellect and our body. But when tamas is excessive it makes us sluggish or confused. This is the force that slows us down and puts us in deep sleep. Its timing has to be right: if you are confused when you need to be focused you could make a bad decision that will put you in a difficult position later on. Rajas, the “hot” one, is the opposite of tamas: movement and action are its positive qualities. When excessive, it manifests as impatience, anger and the inability to focus. We are usually under the influence of rajas all day long since the very nature of our busy life demands it. The last force is sattva and, just like Goldilocks’ favorite porridge, it is “just right”: its attributes are clarity, calm, focus,
photo by Tom Pumford on Unsplash
harmony, a non-judgmental attitude... Sattva’s influence on the body translates into health at all levels. On the mental plane, a fully sattvic mind is very hard to attain because it is totally free of confusion and identifications. This is a state yoga practice tries to promote as often as possible. Whenever there is an imbalance of these forces or if one takes over at the wrong time, it is a source of stress, therefore suffering: being sleepy (tamas) when it is time to be intellectually or physically active (rajas and sattva); being hyperactive or restless (rajas) when it is time to rest. IT IS WHAT IT IS Most of the time life requires a healthy blend of these three functions, depending on the time and what we are up to. Of course we can try to cultivate an all-round sattvic attitude
stemming from our practice, but it does not mean rajas and tamas are bad: they are part of our make-up and we need them, but at the right moment and in the right proportions. Neither excess nor deficiency is desirable when it comes to the gunas if we want to follow Patanjali’s sound advice and “avoid the sorrow that has not yet been produced”, or (as it is said in the Bhagavad Gîta) to “disconnect from what binds us to suffering.” Having said that, being in yoga is no guarantee we will remain shielded from pain. Some troubles cannot be avoided and we have to face them because they are often the fruits of our past actions. Yoga is not an escape from reality! I leave you to reflect on this while I return to take care of my husband and daughter.
November 2018
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PAIN IS A FRIEND
And a Messenger BY KIM ROBERTS Pain is a sign something is out of alignment in our body, our relationships or our mental patterns. Sometimes it’s obvious - our spine was pushed too far in the wrong direction for example, or our shoulder popped out of its socket.
angry. Emotional pain alerts us to something that needs our attention. It can be interesting to discover where these emotional wounds resonate in the body. Physical pain is a clear indication we’ve either overexerted ourselves, or some weakness has been revealed. It’s a wake-up call that something is out of alignment. GOOD PAIN VS. BAD PAIN It’s important to distinguish between “good pain” and “bad pain.” Good pain is when we’ve expanded our existing limits to reach a new level of strength or mobility - we’re sore because we did a long hike. Bad pain is when we surpass our limits to strain or damage the structure.
But sometimes pain is more elusive. We might feel vaguely sad whenever we meet a certain person, or we have a nagging feeling of dread when we wake up. Pain presents an invitation and an opportunity to grow.
During my more intense years of my Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice, Pattabhi Jois and his grandson Sharath would advise me to work through - and essentially ignore pain. I was often surprised when I had a persistent kink in a joint or muscle to discover after a few days of painful Ashtanga practice the issue would work itself out.
From a psychological viewpoint, pain is a message that something in our circumstances is out of balance. Pain alerts us to situations and habits that no longer serve our wellbeing, or when we need to step up and accept the challenge to grow.
But this was not always the case. I had an injury I ignored for so long I eventually needed surgery. So the approach to working with “good pain” and “bad pain” is very different. A general rule is this: lean into good pain, and back off of bad pain.
We might feel guilty when we disappoint someone. Our heart breaks when we lose a loved one. Or a rude gesture leaves us feeling
EMOTIONAL & PHYSICAL PAIN ARE LINKED As a psychotherapist, I have spent many hours helping people deal with painful situations. I often urge my therapy clients to stay with difficult feelings and experience the sensations on a purely physical level. But to wallow in sorrow or to seethe in anger is similar to pushing beyond your physical limits. There is a point beyond which it is no longer helpful to stay with the sensations - or the story - of emotional pain.
we practice to learn the appropriate response to the pain life inflicts
At that point, it is best to do something different. Pain is a message for us to stop and pay attention. Body and mind are linked, so working with one essentially means working with the other. Trauma, whether physical or emotional, gets stored in the body as muscle memory. Prana gets stuck in the system and hardens into psychic knots, or “granthis” which then manifest as physical and psychological events that may plague us until we unravel the memory. DON’T FIGHT PAIN When we push against something that is already out of alignment, out of harmony, we increase the discord. Pain alerts us to discord, dis-harmony, or dis-ease. The key is to work with pain, not against it.
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Working consciously with physical pain can provide insights into how our habitual patterns may be harming us. When I injured my hip on a strenuous hike years ago, I ignored the pain until I couldn’t any longer. I could barely walk for the first year or two, but even though I curtailed certain activities and strenuous asanas, I kept trying to force the injured joint to function. Nine years, an MRI informed me that I had a torn labrum. I needed surgery to repair it. If I had listened a bit more closely, I could have saved myself nine years of suffering. I’ve learned the middle path is usually the right approach. Sometimes it’s appropriate to ignore pain and wait until the right circumstances to attend to it. Other times it is important to stop what we are doing and deal with the issue in the moment. PAIN IS NOT A PROBLEM. IT IS A MESSENGER We’ve heard it before: pain is part of life, but suffering is optional. We can’t simply tell ourselves we won’t feel pain anymore— unfortunately it is sometimes part of life. But we can learn to view pain as an ally rather than an enemy. Only a good friend tells us the hard truths. If we are fixated on a certain outcome, pain might feel like a barrier to getting where we want to go. Instead, we could choose to look at pain as a signpost pointing us in a different, more appropriate direction. We could ask ourselves: · Are we forcing things to a painful point? · Do we rush mindlessly through our routines? · Do we need a little push now and again? · What message is our pain trying to send? HOW CAN YOU CREATE SPACE TO HEAR ITS MESSAGE? When we relate to pain cleanly, without adding insult - or strain - to injury, we may hurt in the moment, but then we let go. We learn to stay present and move on from negative experiences more quickly instead of dragging pain around with us. My sense is this is why we practice: to learn the appropriate response to the pain life inflicts. We learn to relate to pain cleanly, meaning without the added layers of judgment or reaction that might prolong the pain unnecessarily. Wisdom is not about creating a perfect life that will shelter us from pain. Becoming wise means accepting the present moment, knowing our limits and responding appropriately to pain when it arises.
DRISTI - PAIN
TRANSFORMING PAIN INTO ART
Anyone can do it BY YANA FORTEP
Everyone experiences pain. Physical or emotional. Some of us more, some less, some have a resistance to pain, some are very sensitive to it. One thing we do know it is the most unwanted thing in our lives.
I didn’t sleep all night thinking about Syv, her pain, my pain and how to get rid of it lest it slowly poison me and become my killer. The next day after returning to Hong Kong, while my husband was with friends and my son was asleep, I opened my white piano, gently touched the smooth keys and started playing my emotions. I cared not about the music theory, I put all my feelings, all my pain into the creative moment, into sounds. I freed myself. I allowed myself to be as I am, to be naked without any musts or don’ts.
We can carry our pain inside for years without understanding the reasons. We can bury our wounds very deep, thinking they don’t exist anymore but then they appear in the most inopportune moments, creating fear, panic, anger or a beauty. I am a singer and a songwriter originally from Russia with experience in different genres of music. I have had releases on major labels, my music plays on radio and TV. Four years ago I left everything and moved to Hong Kong for a new life. First years in HK I sang in different bands and different genres. But I couldn’t find a connection with musicians or my own nature. I was trying to find a new role as a creative person. At the time I was practising kundalini yoga, reiki, crystal healing to find out - who am I? How can I help people with my music? This summer I travelled in Japan where I was deeply touched by a unique dance of someone who inspired me to take a different track. The first time I met her, she was sitting on the wooden floor of a cosy bar in a popular ski resort in Japan, covered by a big burdock leaf, surrounded by flowers and candles. She wore a small black dress and pink stockings. No shoes. No movement. The music prepared us for something extraordinary. In half an hour the music became louder and unusual. She started to move her fingertips in a way which scared us a bit. This was not a regular dance, but a dance of an alien who trying to capture our fears, our emotions. She was bold and looked very happy. Next day I bumped into her at a hippie festival near Lake Toya and she shared her story. Several years ago Syv Bruzeau was in Singapore struggling with cancer and fibromyalgia. She was terribly sick and enduring incredible pain.
photo by Yasuyuki Shimanuki Syv Bruzeau channeled her pain into dance
So she moved to Japan to start a new life. “Did you heal yourself?” I asked. “Yes, I did,” she replied. I was so touched, the next day I went to the soba restaurant where Syv works making handmade noodles and got my own copy of her book “Standing Naked in Front of You. She writes about different stages of her pain and how she healed herself using art and unconditional love. When I saw her in the kitchen she was making noodles with four Japanese cooks. She gave me a generous smile and the book. It was a soft cover book of a hundred pages. She wrote it as a diary with different fonts and her own drawings. Tremendous pain and loneliness accompanied this woman on her way down. Exhausting weakness of body, mind and soul made her die emotionally and almost physically. As I was reading this I fell into my own deep wound. Her lines became my familiar story. Syv became my mirror. Together with Syv I dove deeper into my own pain, baring it to myself. It was as if Syv’s pain and mine became one, a black giant hole inside my chest. I couldn’t bare it, I cried in the cafe filled with laughing people. November 2018
I became Yana. Real Yana without any stage names, without fame, without wishing to be famous. I was genuine. I was happy to create beauty, I was happy to be naked with myself. And the lyrics came up in my head immediately. I started to sing a tender melody for her, for those who are struggling, explaining I can feel their pain, we are all one. I imagined how Syv could dance with shadows and lights, responding to my music, continuing the story, creating a beautiful video which could live forever. Imagine how many creative moments and art were born by pain? Countless, and each is priceless. Just as Syv and I, everyone can transform their pain into a creation. Whether dance, song, lyric, drawing, poem, design, knitting, dish, origami, you can create magic all by yourself. You can take turns and transmute pain into a delight, into a blessing, into art. Many famous artists and musicians used art therapy to heal themselves: Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, Freddie Mercury, Nina Simone. All creative persons use this amazing tool as a remedy. We just need to be honest with ourselves, need to be a clean slate, real, naked, to allow ourselves to be open for transformation. To allow beauty to come naturally by experiencing catharsis, by transmuting pain into a flower which will blossom and give us a sensation of love. And this love we can share with everyone.
DRISTI – PAIN
DEEPENING INTO LIFE & PRACTICE
& Children BY JULIE CHOI TREPKAU
I’ve been a student of Ashtanga Yoga for 18 years, and teaching for 15. I learned up to the middle of Advanced B before becoming mama to Baby Number 1 in 2008, and then to Baby Number 2 in 2011. I’ve spent seven of those years practicing alone in my living room, often in simplified snippets while I nursed and tended to two little ones as well as to my own postpartum self. In short, I’m no stranger to being out of my comfort zone, “playing my edges,” and yes, to pain. This quiet niggling in my left hip made itself known for the first time when I was in graduate school 19 years ago. I remember the crisp autumn morning in London as I walked to a morning seminar, when suddenly, my left hip felt as though it had slid sideways out of the socket. My heart lunged in alarm, and I instinctively drew the head of the femur in and up, causing my gait to stiffen unevenly. It went back to normal after a day and made only seldom appearances over the next several years. It reemerged in early 2012 when Baby Number 2 was four weeks old, with an aching tenderness that limited mobility, and I couldn’t stretch and breathe it away this time. What I thought was fleeting has become a full-time passenger with multiple personalities. It seeks my attention almost constantly, exhibiting varying degrees of drama both on and off the mat.
of breath and patience, of surrender. Because there are other days that delight, when my legs slide behind the shoulders, so smooth it feels almost preternatural. There are still days when it feels obvious again I was meant to do this.
mind conditioning. Here’s a scene I often revisit, because I know this was a crucial moment. Maybe I’ll even find The Answer here one day:
“Throughout the leg-behind-head and Tittibhasana sequences, I “mark” the poses with broad strokes of generalized shapes interwoven with deliberate, expansive breaths. My nervous system gradually reorganizes itself to recognize that all is well. This tenderness stage-whispers at me all the time though. Pay attention, it tells me, always pay attention. And I do. I’m uncovering evermore tangles to smooth, stories to blow away. I craft my all shapes moment-bymoment.”
“The contractions came gradually in the middle of the night, and I labor contentedly alone during the pre-dawn hours. By the time our midwife comes over, I am deep in transition. I am draped over the back of the sofa, crying those luscious tears women in this stage often do. She assesses me and then telephones the assisting midwife to come straightaway. Even she, the catcher of almost 900 babies doesn’t predict I will be revving at full pushing throttle for the next six hours. But what she does knows with more certainty than most is birth is the ultimate master class in surrender.”
Unnervingly, various parts of my body seek balance and attempt to compensate for this shapeshifter - tightening here, disengaging
“I can feel his silky little head with my fingers now, he’s just. right. there. Three final pushes and he slides out into my midwife’s
the Universe has gifted me with a vehicle to clear old samskaras and create new ones
On any given day in the last seven years, my Ashtanga practice looks something like this: Eka pada sirsasana, left side. I inhale and jump through to sitting, left leg hooked around left arm. I cradle the leg in the crook of my arm, handling it with a certain preciousness due an infant. I never know what mood it’s going to be in, and I welcome this feeling of spaciousness and possibility. I breathe and stay right here, open to it all. I lift my knee to my shoulder, extra effort needed to steady my halting breath. That sharp sensation tightens around my outer hip and glows hot in warning - it’s a protest. I know going deeper would be forceful, tinged with violence. I choose a gentler path instead, 30
there. Sometimes I have a limping, lumbering gait, the joint clicking as I swing my left leg Frankenstein monster-style forward. A geriatric heaviness leaks across my pelvic floor. I often awaken in the night, searching for a comfortable position, but for two years, that’s strictly flat on my back. I’ve become masterful at calibrating and I’m grateful for the equilibrium that has been painstakingly cultivated over the years of unpredictability and debilitation. Still, seven years of sensations hinting at deeply-buried stories are worth a soulful excavation. And so my mind tunnels back through memories, seeking out clues in the history of my bodyNAMASKAR
waiting hands. She lays him down carefully below me. I’m staring at him, motionless. I pick him up murmuring, “Perfection,” to myself, as I settle down on the sofa with my new son, snuggling into oven-warmed towels to nurse him for the first time. Deeply satisfied, I smile to myself, and assume my body will “go back to normal” soon.” A few weeks later, my son lays deep in newborn slumber at the front of my mat as I reacquaint myself with a body no longer growing another human. He’s the only drishti I seem capable of sustaining. I notice this familiar aching sensation burgeoning in my hip. I remember the old niggle, and assume it
will resolve itself. But weeks later, it’s still there. Plus, even as my hyper-mobile pregnancy body re-stabilizes, the haunting looseness persists. I get stuck in baddha konasana one too many times, having to exit manually using my hands. The sensation doesn’t go away and I start to limp and obsess.
photo by Franck V. on Unsplash
DRISTI – PAIN I’ve seen many specialists over the years. “Loose joints,” an orthopedic doctor once told me. “Or cancer.” A sports medicine doctor moved my leg this way and that, palpated all around the area, and declared my hip perfectly healthy, albeit “very flexible.” An MRI revealed nothing remarkable, and acupuncture helped relieve the inflammation but didn’t pinpoint the root. Chiropractors diagnosed a tilted and twisted pelvis which made my left leg longer than the other. Finally, a talented physical therapist who specializes in trigger point massage and energy work has shown me indispensable self-care methods that have brought much relief. However, no one has discovered the origin nor the cure. I realize I may be engaged in this dance for the rest of my life, and creating peace around that is an incredible practice. I know The Answer lies beyond muscle and bone. I know now that when movements and stillness are both fraught with limitation and pain, true and lasting solace is within me. So I turn the magnifying glass to my current and historical landscapes where hints of The Answer are revealed to me. I see the crux of this whole fascinating, tumultuous and tedious experience is simply this: the Universe has gifted me with a vehicle with which to clear away old samskaras that no longer serve, and create new ones that align with my evolution. The myriad manifestations of discomfort have allowed me to uncover a sweetness and ease in accessing acceptance with an open heart and a curious mind. “Advancing” further in fourth series hasn’t been interesting in years; the joyous discomfort of having children as well as the odyssey of my hip have proven to be far more captivating and effective sadhana. The practice on my mat is the microcosm, for truly deep practice is found everywhere else.
EVOLVE IN PRACTICE
Pain’s part of it BY STEPHANIE NG
A pain in the neck brought me to yoga. And ease with my breath keeps me here. Years as a journalist covering food and beverage and travel and lifestyles in Hong Kong and overseas took its toll on my body. Exciting and eye-opening days they were, but I was also overloaded and ignored the signals of chronic pain in my neck, shoulders and lower back. Until one day my body said stop – I was in so much pain I couldn’t move my hands. Now hands are a very important body part for a journalist, and I started visiting a chiropractor three times a week with desperate hopes of relief. But after a year, those visits were replaced by alternate days of yoga. Those early days practicing gentle yogasana and pranayama helped me regain much of my lost energy. As I started to feel a bit better physically, I decided to try some stronger yang styles. However I thought my lack of mental awareness could be more stressful than beneficial to my body. I thought I was destined to a slow and mostly static practice as I got older. Nevertheless I benefitted so much physically and found myself less stressed at work. As I become more committed to my practice, I November 2018
started to question yoga and life in general. “How is the physical practice related to becoming a better person?” I wondered how my beloved teachers could be so knowledgeable and strong, as well as humble and joyful. I discovered listening deeply and watching carefully helped bring better internal focus. Keeping my eyes steady also improved my concentration. My interest in yoga deepened with every workshop and short course I attended. To the point when I decided, in 2008, to join a 200-hour hot yoga teacher training. The practice is intense and calming at the same time. With more knowledge and better awareness I felt more confident with the stronger practices. Though I maintain a restorative and Yin-style practice as well. Though I started to teach Hot yoga, I soon found myself having to teach vinyasa classes. Which bring me to where I am right now, in the middle of Dario Calvaruso’s Navakaranòa Vinyasa Teacher Training. I connect to this practice through its emphasis on counting breath while in motion and stillness. I find better mental focus and body awareness than ever before as I connect to both pleasure and pain.
DRISTI - PAIN
TRANSFORMATIVE YOGA VOYAGE
For myself & others BY DR HANSAJI YOGENDRA
My early childhood days were spent in quiet, meditative contemplation and reciting verses from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita even my parents and friends were astounded. A strong foundation based on Gandhian principles shaped my beliefs of nonviolence and karma yoga while studying at school. Every action had to be done with a duty sense, full concentration, happily without likes and dislikes creeping in the situation, ‘egolessly’ and then done ‘desirelessly’ dedicating the fruits of labour to the Lord. In one of my school trips, they took us to clean a village, sweeping the dusty roads was done for an extended period. This started to irritate my lungs, and through that irritant, I started developing sinusitis and later asthma. My emotions changed to asthma pain because I was unaware at that time. My parents were caring, and they ran pillar to post in trying to help me to get rid of my asthma. Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda and even “yoga” at different Yoga centers were tried. Although this helped me to learn about different asanas and the difficult kriyas, but my asthmatic bouts persisted. Finally, one day I decided this should change. My independent spirit guided me to The Yoga Institute, where I approached Founder Shri Yogendraji saying “I want to get rid of my asthma, please help me. What should I do?’ Founder said, “Join the six months Yoga Teachers’ Training course.” While doing the course and listening to the talks of Founder and Dr. Jayadeva, I realised I was a very sensitive person. My emotions were hampering my progress. Gradually with
firm determination, I took charge of my life and applied all I was learning at the Institute, devotedly started practising, Abhyasa and let go -Vairagya Bhava. Inspired and renewed with positivity I decided to continue this learning and approached Dr. Jayadeva. Inspired by Dr. Jayadevas words, “A householder is worth a thousand sanyasis,” I found my calling and life partner at the Institute. Living in this house - The Yoga Institute where there were all the revered Gurus, I told my husband I needed help to function well. Perceptive man of few words quickly understood and offered to help out. I still remember how Dr. Jayadeva and I used to discuss everything that occurred during the day and would laugh at the twists and turns of daily living. We would then decide to do Nishpanda bhava, listening only at times and not reacting to anything. This helped a great deal for me to adjust. “Every transformation and pain in life teaches you. It gives you the strength to break out of your shell which encloses your understanding. Pain is momentary if you learn from it!” Learning yoga way of life at TYI transformed my personality and empowered me on how to reduce emotional suffering. I applied the new learning, changes and corrected my daily routines, yoga practices and kriyas. Simple tips like always keeping warm and comfortable, not exposing to too much fan or direct breeze, eating the right type of food (sattvic home cooked meals) at regular hours and finding time to relax and create.
Next phase of parenthood had its own joys and challenges. Caring for our son with a full sense of duty, love, compassion and selflessness accelerated my personal and spiritual growth. What about your asthmatic attacks? They had vanished and have never returned. Yoga transformed my life, and there was no looking back. Slowly I started to teach at the Institute. Slowly people started gravitating towards me with their problems. I tried to offer help and guidance as much as possible. “Every situation has a solution which was solved with a lot of love, faith, hard work, dedication, positivity and a calm mind.” Now, I try to help others on how to reduce pain through yoga. The family started growing, and more people kept coming to the Institute. Work is non-stop at the Institute and family has been growing since the last hundred years! Our social service initiatives are especially aimed at reducing pain in daily life and for the betterment of society; helping the underprivileged, special needs children (Physically and Mentally Challenged), marginalized communities especially women and children suffering from exploitation, abuse, malnutrition, HIV, AIDS, Juvenile programs, Women Rescue Programmes, Orphanages, contributed towards better living aspects of the slum inhabitants of Mumbai, clean beach transformation drive, wellness camps for various Government and Non-Government departments, economic empowerment of women through cutting-edge methods, education and programmes.
Every situation has a solution of love, faith, hard work, dedication, positivity and a calm mind 32
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Yoga means we go a step further back. In yoga we go to the cause. The cause of the pain is not the world. The cause of pain is us. Fredrick Lenz
Photo by Gabriel Matula on Unsplash
November 2018
DRISTI - PAIN
PAIN IS YOUR ALLY
And your partner for change BY ANA FORREST & JOSE CALARCO
Pain is always a sign that something needs to change; taking many forms, pain can be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual anguish. When we understand pain is the body’s way of communicating a need for change, we have a choice: A) Ignore the pain and continue as before, or; B) Acknowledge the pain and seek out what needs to change, which empowers us to evolve. IGNORING PAIN MAKES IT WORSE In pain, we disconnect from intelligence and resources. When pain takes over, we can default to numbing behaviors—alcohol, drug abuse, eating disorders—to stop us from feeling everything. FREEDOM FROM PAIN Decide to do whatever is necessary for healing. Instead of tightening around pain, breathe deeply throughout the day into the area holding pain. This clears pain chemicals. As the fog of pain and fear is rinsed from cell tissue, the next healing step appears. Take action. Use pain as an indicator of what needs to change. Learning how to work with, and heal, injuries and trauma is incredibly fun— moving out numbness and connecting to the rich spectrum of feeling, which includes your emotional body. As you start to work with powerful emotions and unravel the shards of pain, you gain insight and power. We teach you how to digest and release any emotional backlog, achieving freedom from pain. Here’s Ana’s personal example, teaching how to use pain as your ally: “My back tweaked from pulling my luggage off the carousel. In the middle of the airport, I was not in the mood to stop, as I was tired, irritable, and in a hurry to get to my next destination. All I had time to do was breathe into the tweak while driving away. Later, as I was doing my practice, I felt into and concentrated upon the sore place in my back. I used the stored irritable emotions in 34
there as a doorway...suddenly I was revisiting a horrific experience from early childhood. I tracked back through this familiar territory, and surprisingly found the origin of my back tweak hidden among many other injuries. The luggage incident was a trigger that helped point to a bigger trauma that still needed some attention. I started breathing into my back; that relaxed the muscles a bit. Then I had a big epiphany: As a little child, I just had to be in pain and endure. That is the level of a child’s ability to cope. But I’m no longer a little girl! I realized I needed to bring in who I am now to heal the source of this trigger—the wise Medicine Woman, injury specialist and yoga teacher with many resources. I gathered the gifts of wisdom from my decades of life. I brought in the ways of healing, support, resourcefulness and selfesteem I now have, that the little girl did not. My back had been holding this trauma for over 50 years. My self-respect—for who I have become —formed into a palpable shining liquid. I filled my back injury with that lustrous, liquid pearlescent energy. Then, my back began to unwind, feel good and lubricated. The realizations and actions gave me a new way to respond: To bring in this high quality of attention and self-respect viscerally into my pain creates a new beautiful process of healing. I reached a different level of epiphany and response. As a result, the child released the damage, grew up and integrated with who I am now— the adult.” HEALING STEPS You can get out of pain! In the case of injury (including emotional pain) ·Breathing deeply into the injury, ask, “when did I first feel this pain?” There may be multiple times this injury has cropped up in your life—embrace each of them—it’s all useful information. · Bring respect for who you are now into the injury. You have grown a lot since then. Honor that. Use deep breathing to soak in NAMASKAR
the new truths and fresh energy of your selfrespect. · Step away from old, limited paradigms you were living in when you first felt this pain. · Step into your wiser self—built with the truths of who you are today— revisiting the past self, frozen and isolated in the pain. Use the tools of your wiser self to liberate yourself. Welcome this newly-freed aspect of yourself into your present life. · Get curious...feel for the first shimmers of change. · Reinforce the new paradigm in daily living: Start by implementing deep breathing, active feet, and changing abusive, self-defeating thinking. GET SUPPORT An important part of working with pain is getting help from Wisdom Keepers. Work with people from whom you can gain new essential healing tools—Forrest Yoga teachers, bodyworkers, therapists, nutritionists. We want to work with you! Through smoke cleansing ceremony, revitalizing pranayama, healing asana, musical shamanism, Veganism, and new perceptions, we will guide you into healing. VIBRATIONAL HEALING Music is a powerful tool for healing pain. The Aboriginal People of Australia—the world’s oldest living culture—have used Sound Healing for more than 40,000 years, and still use sound as Medicine. Jose brings this ancient spiritual technology to our teachings as we combine Sound Healing with our own creative wisdom in our Ceremonies. FEAR AND PAIN Fear has a huge impact on pain. Unravelling your fears is part of your healing process. Take these actions to begin your journey through your fears and out of pain. Care enough to free yourself of pain!
November 2018
IN BRIEF
MUDRAS BY KRISHNAA KINKARI Sustaining one’s practice often challenges a sadhaka. Patanjali states [1/12] it is practice and renunciation that effect success in the yogic process. Mudras are a simple and straightforward way to pull oneself together, stay calm and perservere! Coupled with appropriate breathing, mudras can swiftly be uplifting.
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Stand erect but at ease with all ten fingers sensitively intertwined with each other. Arms at natural length. Shoulders, forehead and eyelids relaxed. • Stand and immerse yourself in the mellow of the balance of the all elements. Use long and strong rhythmic ujjaiyi pranayama. UTSAH MUDRA Utsah means enthusiasm and motivation. • Turn the palms over and squeeze all the fingers together in a strong clasp with the knuckles upwards and the palms pulled touching each other firmly. Clasp tightly and bring that clasp up to the heart. Breathe meditating on strengthening the heart,
These two mudras go a long way to taking the sincere soul towards joyous surrender and can transform the consciousness, whilst also helping the energy in the wrists, arms, neck, back of head and spine wherefrom the very comfortable state of upliftment can be pleasantly experienced. USHA MUDRA Usha means Dawn. It reflects the peace of the new day and forges a resolve to enter the day with clear and calm perception.
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before taking the clasp all the way up above the head with the elbows squeezing in and whilst thinking upwards. • Breath as in Part 1. Then unclasp and slowly bring the arms down in an arc wide to the sides with the tips of the thumb and forefingers touching and start the Usha mudra again. With the intention and resolve clarified and one’s personal space also cleared the day, month, year and life will be nourished and much more enjoyable!
November 2018
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RETREAT REVIEW
MINDFULNESS RETREAT WITH JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN & SHARON SALZBERG BY MARGARET VAN When I found out Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg, two teachers who brought mindfulness to the English-speaking world, were paired to teach at a retreat, I leapt for joy! I had listened to most of Joseph’s recordings and yearned to see him in person. Rumours Joseph was on the verge of retiring made me even more determined to go and I signed up for the three-night retreat in New York. The retreat “Experiencing Insight & Love”, was predictably over-subscribed. There were about 200 of us but thanks to the sprawling grounds and lofty heights of Garrison Institute (an ex-seminary for Catholic Capuchin monks) in Garrison, New York, space never felt like an issue. Accommodations were simple yet comfortable. Food was impressively fresh and delicious, with a creative vegetarian repertoire that delighted the palate as we ate in silence. Joseph and Sharon’s experience was apparent; they presented a programme that was accessible to beginners and engaging for
seasoned practitioners. Over three days they took us through the basics of what mindfulness is and is not. Teaching from the heart, they began every session with a talk sprinkled with personal anecdotes followed by various forms of lightly guided meditation: mindfulness of breath, mindfulness of thought, open awareness and loving kindness meditation. Even though these practices were not new to me, Joseph and Sharon’s impeccable teamwork, complementary styles and pedagogies were filled with wisdom and insight, making everything worth learning anew. Their humour reminded participants not to take the practice too seriously, tickling participants in the right places for them to realize everyone partook in the highs and lows of life’s journeys. For me it was the perfect opportunity to revisit and refine the practice. The following are some notes to share.
It is living in the present both internally and externally and being in the moment with a non-reactive mind. It is about becoming curious about every experience, including an uneasy mind, rather than drowning in it. Mindfulness is universally applicable. It allows us to see deeply into the nature of life, including change. We are 100% responsible for our mind. Abiding happiness resides in it.
WHAT IS MINDFULNESS? It is being here with whatever is here, in a different way. There is a spacious sense of possibility, rather than being locked in. It is about being able to be with emotions, making space and being creative in responding to them. It is about creating a pivot, just when an action is about to provoke us. Instead of reacting, we pause to ask: “How am I relating to my experience right now?” It arises from these conditions: -previous moments of mindfulness which act as a filter to strengthen our trust in the process. -a quality of perception that recognizes what’s happening with wholesome attitudes. This recognition comes in the form of our first noting (no need to deliberate on noting).
November 2018
Garrison meditation hall
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November 2018
TEACHER TRAINING REVIEW
RELEARNING TO BREATH BY ANDY WILLNER “Respiration being disturbed, the mind becomes disturbed. By restraining respiration, the Yogi gets steadiness of mind” (Hatha Pradipika Ch.2 V.2) Earlier this summer, I took six weeks out and headed to Koh Samui, Thailand for a 300hour Advanced Teacher Training in Pranayama, Philosophy, Anatomy & Physiology with the Centered Yoga team led by Paul Dallaghan (who will be known to many of you as a contributor n to this magazine). I thought it might be of interest to those who are intrigued by the other aspects of yoga beyond asana to share my experiences at Samahita Retreat. The first module was Anatomy & Physiology and to be honest, I did not originally plan to take this module as I wrongly assumed it would just be another re-hash of biomechanics, which I first studied more than 30 years ago and nothing much has changed, appar-
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ently the knee bone is still connected to the thigh bone! It turned out Arielle Nash was actually teaching on Somatic Movement & Fascial Integration, which was extremely informative and interesting. A lot of the information she shared came from her research on more recent scientific literature, and I found the latest understanding of the complexities of our fascia to be fascinating, especially with regard to how our bodies develop improved flexibility and what type of stretching techniques are most efficacious.
result as noted in Ch.2 V.16 of Hatha Pradipika “When PraGayama, etc., are performed properly, they eradicate all diseases; but an improper practice generates diseases.” A simple example is kapalabhati (shining skull breathing). The technique
The next module was Paul’s introduction to pranayama and the physiology behind it. Being a bit of a geek I love to study ancient wisdom from the yogic sages, and appreciate it when modern science can validate what those sages were saying. Paul explained how different pranayama techniques impact our gut and brain via the autonomic nervous system, and how that in turn impacts our thoughts and emotions. He elaborated on why we should breath through our nose and eat through our mouths, and not vice versa for those who ingest ‘food’ through your nose! Hence the importance of correct technique in pranayama in order to get the desired Andy with O.P.Tiwari
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of hot water, a dhauti cloth and a jar of honey (helps you to swallow)! He patiently guided me through my gagging, eyes watering, nose running and profuse sweating, and slowly I did improve centimeter by centimeter. I have kept up practising vastra dhauti most days since finishing the training around six weeks ago, and I am now able to swallow around three metres in my allotted 15 minutes, which is a big improvement on 3 centimetres the first day! During those morning rituals, I was also able to ask Tiwari-ji questions on other topics and ancient hatha yoga texts, which was such a privilege to have this oneon-one time with him. The six weeks were pretty intense with long periods of sitting in meditation or practising pranayama, but I found as time went on, my body, and maybe more importantly my mind, adapted to remaining seated on a cushion for extended periods of time. Typically before this training my practice did not involve my sitting motionless for more than 30 minutes max, but during this training we sometimes sat for up to 74 minutes (I know ‘cos I checked my watch at the end of the practices), which definitely had my knees speaking to me...until my legs went dead and I could not feel anything. Funnily enough, now 30 minutes of sitting in siddhasana seems quite comfortable! My main take away has been on the critical importance of correct technique in pranayama and kriyas, probably even more so than good alignment in asana as the impact of poor technique can have serious negative consequences on one’s mental and physical health. As a teacher I feel better equipped to help students on their journey into pranayama after completing this excellent course.
Andy practicing dhauti
involves a pump or stroke from the lower abdomen which mimics an exhale to throw out the breath, which impacts the sacral branch of the parasympathetic (calming) nervous system. This correct action stimulates nerves from the sacral area that carry parasympathetic tone. However, if done poorly by pulling or pumping too high in the upper abdomen, then the opposite will occur, as we have a large bundle (ganglia) of sympathetic (fight or flight) nerves within the solar plexis area.
And no article (or Instagram post) would be complete without a quote from Rumi: “There is one way of breathing that is shameful and constricted. Then, there’s another way: a breath of love that takes you all the way to infinity.”
In the final module Paul was joined by his own teacher, Sri O.P. Tiwari of the Kaivalyadhama Institute in India. At 86 years old, Tiwari-ji retains a very sharp mind as well as being a lovely man! This module was only open to students who had completed the prior module with Paul either in the same training or an earlier one, as there was less explanation about the techniques and more focus on practice under the watchful eye of one of the greatest living pranayama teachers in the world. For me this fortnight was about refining the adjustments Paul had suggested to me in the previous module. In the afternoon we also had the opportunity to study in some depth the Hatha Pradipika, in which I gained new insights despite having studied the text on several previous occasions. One of the highlights came about somewhat by chance (or maybe it was my destiny). I had maybe foolishly decided I wished to learn the kriya called vastra dhauti, in which the yogi swallows a very long cloth (around 5 metres) into their stomach and then churns it around by doing Nauli, in order to eliminate excess phlegm from the stomach and the oesophagus. This is not something to just try at home by buying some cotton cloth without expert guidance! I had expressed my interest in learning this technique to Paul, who miraculously found one remaining cloth tucked away in the storeroom of the Samahita Retreat shop. I mentioned to Tiwari-ji I wanted to learn how to perform this kriya...to my surprise, he said “6.30am you come to my apartment and I teach you”, and that is what I did every day for the next week; I turned up on his doorstep with my bowl November 2018
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DIRECTORY
Guide to yoga studios & teachers
ANAHATA VILLAS & SPA RESORT Ubud, Bali, Indonesia s: group retreats, yoga for private & corporates. Yoga studio available for rent. l: Indonesian & English t: (62) 361 8987 991 / (62) 811 8748 910 / (62) 811 1442 233 f: (62) 361 8987 804 e:salesexecutive@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 1822 e: enquiry@anahatayoga.com.hk w: www.anahatayoga.com.hk Anna Ng Privates d: Hong Kong s: Hatha yoga l: Cantonese t: (852) 9483 1167 e: gazebofl@netvigator.com Ariel Tang Yoga & Healing d: Hong Kong, Asia E-RYT500+, Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer, Certified Jivamukti, Reiki Master Teacher; Teacher Trainings, Retreats, Workshops s: Yin, Jivamukti, Yin Yang, Anatomy, Meditation, Life Teachings l: English, Cantonese t: +852 91868225 e: info@arieltang.com w: www.arieltang.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 48
e:yoga@macau.ctm.net w:www.iyengar-yoga-macauchina.com David Kim Yoga E-RYT 500+, Senior YogaWorks and YogaWise Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer; International TTs, Workshops & Retreats d: USA, Asia, Europe, Australia s: Yin Yoga, YogaWorks, Vinyasa Flow l: English, some Korean t: +1 310 480 5277 e: david@davidkimyoga.comw: www.davidkimyoga.com FLEX STUDIO Island South Shops 308-310 One Island South, 2 Heung Yip Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong s: Vinyasa, Power, Detox, Hatha, Pre-Natal, Kids Yoga t: + 852 2813 2212 f: + 852 2813 2281 e: info@flexhk.com Central 3 & 4/F Man Cheung Building, 1517 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong s: Detox, Power, Pre-Natal Yoga t: + 852 2813-2399 f: + 852 2812 6708 e: central@flexhk.com w: www.flexhk.com YOGA CENTRAL-IYENGAR CENTRAL s: Boutique studio with Iyengar Yoga classes; flexible timings for corporate wellness, schools, small groups and privates l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin, French, Malay t: +852 2982 4308 e: yogacentralhk@gmail.com w: www.yogacentral.hk
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 Level 1 The Pulse, 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay t: +852 8200 0908 3/f Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Admiralty t: +852 8105 5838 7/F World Trade Centre, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay t: +852 8108 7889 Shanghai 615 iapm mall, 999 Huai Hai Zhong Road, Xuhui District t: +86 21 5466 1266 335 Plaza 66 Mall, 1266 Nanjing West Road, Jing.an District t: +86 21 6279 1119 Singapore 391A Orchard Road, #18-00 Ngee Ann City Tower A t: +65 6733 8863
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30 Raffles Place, 04-00 Chevron House t: +65 6304 2257 #06-02 Asia Square Tower 2, 12 Marina View t: 65 6100 8866 Taiwan 151 Chung Hsiao East Road, Sec 4, Taipei t: +886 02 8161 7888 4/f Urban One, 1 Qingcheng St, Taipei t: +886 02 8161 7868 Ling Yoga and Wellbeing, Private Yoga Teacher, Privates, Groups, Corporates, Free Yoga Community Event: Yoga in the Park with Ling www.meetup.com/ yogaintheparkhk d: Hong Kong, China s: Yoga Therapy, Sivananda, Hatha, Svastha, Mindfulness, Yin, Breathing (Pranayama), Guided Meditation, Total Relaxation (Yoga Nidra) l: English, Cantonese, Mandarin t: +852 9465 6461 e: yogawithling@gmail.com w: www.facebook.com/ yogawithling RADIANTLY ALIVE YOGA STUDIO Jalan Jembawan No. 3 Ubud, Bali, 80571, Indonesia l: English s: Radiantly Alive Vinyasa, Roll & Release, Qigong, Sky Yoga, Hatha, Ashtanga, Yin, Bhakti, Yoga Teacher Trainings, Yoga Therapy & Detox Programm, Healing sessions t: +62 (0)361 978 055 e: info@radiantlyalive.com w: www.radiantlyalive.com
namaskar SHAKTI HEALING CIRCLE 7/F Glenealy Tower, 1 Glenealy, Central, Hong Kong. s: Reiki healing classes, life coaching, Shamanic healing and workshops, Ayurveda, Feng Shui consultations, Angel Cards t: +852 2521 5099 e: info@shaktihealingcircle.com w: www.shaktihealingcircle.com SPACE YOGA s: Hatha, Ashtanga, Advanced, Flow, Yin, Yin Yang, Restorative, Hot, Yin/Meditation, Pranayama, Mat Pilates, Jivamukti, Universal, Myofascial Release Yoga, Mindful Yoga, Rope Wall Yoga, Yoga Nidra and Yoga Therapy l: English and Mandarin w: www.withinspace.com An-Ho Studio 16 F, No. 27, An-Ho Road, Section 1 Taipei, Taiwan t: +886.2.2773.8108 Tien-Mu Studio #5, Lane 43, Tian-Mu E. Road, Taipei, Taiwan t: +886.2.28772108 Sravaniya DiPecoraro d: Hong Kong s: Barefoot Philosopher Yoga, Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras; beginners and advanced; ACBSP disciple (1971), YA ERYT500, Sivananda Certified (1991) l: English and Mandarin t: +852 9856 0799 e: info@barefootphilosopher.press w: www.barefootphilosopher.press
THE YOGA ROOM 3, 4, 6, 16/F (Studios) & 15/F (Office) Xiu Ping Commercial Bldg, 104 Jervois St, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong s: Hatha, Hot, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Candlelight Yin, Yoga Therapy, Jivamukti, Hammock Yoga, Mindfulness Yoga, Detox Yoga, Pre-natal Yoga, Pre-natal Pilates, Mat Pilates, TRX, Kids Yoga and Mum & Baby Yoga l: English, Cantonese t: + 852 2544 8398 e: info@yogaroomhk.com w: www.yogaroomhk.com THE COLLECTIVE, DESA SENI SCHOOL OF YOGA Jl. Subak Sari #13, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia s: Full service resort, Ashtanga, Embodied Flow, Hatha, Kundalini, Restorative, Tantra, Therapeutics, Yin, Yang, Vinyasa, Buddhist Meditation, Vedic Meditation. Teacher Trainings, Intensives, Privates, Workshops, specialising in hosting retreats. t: +62 361 844 6392 e: info@desaseni.com w: www.desaseni.com 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
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