8 Million Stories: Yoga To (Most Of) The People

When you’re a bartender in the city and even your wildest friends start lifting their eyebrows at your behavior, you know it’s time for a priority shift.



My friend Pinky and I stopped drinking around the same time, after an epic weekend that spanned Valentine’s Day (which was spent with a bottle of Jameson’s in a closed-down bar) and Mardi Gras (a party that lasted beyond the morning hours). I don’t know how Pinky spent her Valentine’s Day, but the upshot was the same. We had to cut it out. At least for a bit. Not that we wanted to.

“Imagine how much money we’re going to save!” said Pinky, which led to a discussion about clothes, shoes and handbags. “Just think how much sleep we’re going to get,” I rhapsodized, and we talked about the beautifying benefits of sleeping, especially in one’s own bed and pajamas, after having removed both makeup and contact lenses. All seven nights a week. “Getting up early!” she mused. “Going to museums!” I squealed. We were excited about our fresh take on life.

At brunch we tried to dismiss the cocktail menu. “You know what’s good? Bloody Marias, with nice tequila,” I couldn’t help noting right after I ordered a grapefruit juice. Pinky pulled me out of waxing sentimental by ticking off the celebrities at her last AA meeting. She told me with relish which ones are attention whores. Being sober is fun and easy, I lied to myself. Though I could never go to an AA meeting again; it’s too much like being at a dive bar with no alcohol, no jukebox and no darts, and believe me that’s no place you want to be—with or without celebrities.

Though it goes against everything else in my life, I decided to try yoga. I smoke a lot of cigarettes. I like beer, Kraft macaroni and cheese and donuts. Yoga seemed to me something young white people adopted and just look ridiculous doing—something culturally and spiritually meaningful which, when taken out of context, just looks terrible. Like wearing rosaries around one’s neck, or riding a Vespa anywhere but in Italy. Or camouflage fashion.

Yoga To The People is located in the middle of the block on St. Marks Place between Second and Third avenues. I snuck in though the residential door three minutes before class. There are three floors of classes, and if you’re running as late as I was, maniacally smiling, ridiculously goodlooking people in sweats shoo you up to the third floor. There you can place your shoes on a rack and toss a few bucks into the Kleenex box by the door.
I could never go to an AA meeting again; it’s too much like being at a dive bar with no alcohol, no jukebox and no darts.

The instructor, who looked like the reincarnation of a French movie star or maybe a snow leopard, gently prowled the room in bare, manicured feet and cast his dark eyes on our efforts as he guided us through a 60-minute set of stretching, twisting, balancing and groaning.

I started the set by kicking the guy in back of me in the head as I tried for what is called a forward warrior. I kept my eyes on the girl ahead and to my right, who seemed to be something of a master. She flowed through every instruction with grace while I stumbled after her, looking forward to going back to what’s called the child’s pose—just sort of curled up on the ground. I’d be fine just staying like that for an hour, so I could laugh silently to myself when the instructor said, “Lead with your heart.” If I let my heart lead, I thought, we would be in a bar right now. The guy in back of me groaned as if he was giving birth to twins.

My grade school giggles were quickly silenced as we were guided through a complicated pose that had me holding hands with myself through bent legs. The girl in front of me managed to do this and look like an off-duty ballerina. I looked like a mental patient. This was supposed to make me feel better? It did not. I’d have preferred a Heineken. C

http://www.nypress.com/article-21171-8-million-stories-yoga-to-%28most-of%29-the-people.html

Now Shilpa Shetty's 'Yoga' DVD in Tamil

After the success of Shilpa Shetty's "Yoga" DVD in Hindi, English and Malayalam, it will now be released in Tamil.

"We want these DVDs to reach out to the masses so that people can actually understand the value of yoga in their life and lead a healthier life," Hiren Gada, director of Shemaroo Entertainment, said in a press release.

Fitness freak Shilpa had taken intensive training from Yoga trainers Shiv Kumar Mishra and Vinayak Dixit.

"Yoga is a management system for our body, mind and soul. It is the most holistic approach to life that I have ever come across. It strengthens, tones and cures your body. Yoga has had a spectacular impact on my life," she said.



http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?Section=Movies&ID=ENTEN20100139572&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&keyword=bollywood

Poses and postures

Our family lived in Mysore for generations, but my father Krishnamacharya came to Madras in the early 1960s at the request of some of his yoga students. I came to Madras to see my father and ended up never leaving, attracted by his work. I began to learn yoga from my father, and started teaching as well at a time when the practice of yoga didn't have the respect it enjoys today.

Teaching yoga was not seen as a serious profession. A turning point in the popularity of yoga was when I started teaching J. Krishnamurti, the famous philosopher. A Frenchman who had taken lessons and whose health had improved suggested that Krishnamurti learn yoga from us. So, on January 1, 1966, I began teaching him asanas.

Krishnamurti's foundation was in Vasant Vihar, a huge building on Greenways Road. It was very calm and quiet there, even with thousands of people coming to listen to his lectures every day. I would teach him in the morning for 20 minutes before he gave his talk, and then again in the evening. Sometimes, I would stay behind and listen to his lecture as well. I remember, every time I arrived for a class, he would be waiting with a rose in his hand to receive me in the portico!

He was so pleased with the improvement in his health that he began to advise those who came to him to practice yoga as well, and yoga became more and more popular in the city. I began to accompany Krishnamurti when he travelled in Europe, and several of his followers there, Indians and foreigners alike, became my students.

More people started coming from abroad to learn yoga. One of his followers, Gerard Blitz, the founder of Club Mediterranee, brought an entire group from Europe who stayed here and studied yoga in 1967.

Suddenly, I had a lot more students and became very busy. Through Krishnamurti, Rukmini Devi Arundale also became my student — she had been unwell and was having difficulty walking. I would go to Kalakshetra at 7 a.m. and teach her. Her health improved as well, and she decided that everyone at Kalakshetra should have yoga lessons. That practise continues to this day.

Initially, we lived in a small apartment in Gopalapuram. In Mysore, we had a huge house with large grounds filled with mango and papaya trees, so it was quite a change! Later, however, we purchased a large property (close to where Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram is located today).

At that time, the area was full of flies, which was a source of annoyance to everyone. You see, people used to tie up their cows in small huts, milk them and sell the milk there. But after we started construction, the flies went away; the people in surrounding areas were very glad!

I taught yoga from a room in that house for quite some time. The Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram trust was founded in 1976 with a mere Rs. 1,000, and we later moved to new premises. But I continued to study with my father, whom I had absolute belief in, until the day he died in 1989.


http://beta.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article406116.ece?homepage=true

Sadhguru's 7-day yoga programme from May 12

JAIPUR: Sadhguru's Coimbatore-based ISHA Foundation will organise a seven-day programme on ISHA Yoga the peak of well-being' for the first time in Hindi between May 12 and 18. The programme will have two sessions of three-hours each at Shri Rajput Sabha Bhavan, C-22-AB Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme.

Swami Rijuda, trained yoga teacher and volunteer with the foundation, highlighted the importance of the Inner Engineering (yoga)' in life. He said yoga can cure seasonal diseases and bring relief to people. Yoga has a solution to all mental and physical problems especially the ancient Shambhavi Mahamudra which incorporates different breathing patterns and recitation of verses. This refreshes the body and soul, he said.

"The participants develop a stress-free life and a good relationship at work, home, community and with one's self. Along with enhanced productivity, creativity and efficiency, yoga can cure chronic diseases like asthma, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, back pain, obesity etc," added Swami.

A newly-elected sarpanch, Chavi Rajawat, in a press conference, shared her experience with ISHA Foundation. Rajawat said, "In Rajasthan, women, specially in the rural areas, have to do a lot of physical labour. This, coupled with harsh weather conditions, make them vulnerable. They fall prey to various diseases."

Attending a workshop on Inner Engineering' has drastically changed my life and I am sure it can do so to all those rural women who work very hard to make both ends meet. The workshop can change one's negativity into positive energies.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Sadhgurus-7-day-yoga-programme-from-May-12/articleshow/5789927.cms

Lose Weight by Practicing Yoga?

While some forms of exercise have an excellent reputation for producing positive results, when it comes to weight loss the most obvious physical benefits of yoga include loosening of muscles that have been tightened by inactivity, tension, and stress. Although some forms of yoga may not raise your heart rate enough to burn the necessary calories to lose weight, it also depends on the type of yoga you select and how frequently you practice it.

In 2005, medical researcher set out to do a medical study on the weight-loss effects of yoga. With funding from the National Cancer Institute, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle led a trial involving 15,500 healthy, middle-aged men and women. All completed a survey recalling their physical activity (including yoga) and their weight between the ages of 45 and 55. Researchers then analyzed the data, teasing out other factors that could influence weight change. The end result found that yoga could indeed help people lose weight.

Several forms of yoga that incorporate muscular strength and cardiovascular flexibility are; Bikram yoga, Power yoga, Ashtanga yoga, and Vinyasa yoga. Power Yoga is the American interpretation of Ashtanga yoga, a discipline that combines stretching, strength training, and meditative breathing. But power yoga takes Ashtanga one step further. Many of the poses (also called postures or their Sanskrit name, asanas) resemble basic calisthenics – push-ups and handstands, toe touches and side bends – but the key to power yoga’s sweat-producing, muscle-building power is the pace. Instead of pausing between poses as you would in traditional yoga, each move flows into the next, making it an intense aerobic workout.

If you are too intimidated to go to a yoga class an alternative is to rent or buy a yoga video. Once you feel more confident practicing the poses, try finding a yoga studio close to where you live. An excellent way to experience the different forms of yoga is Passport to Prana. This is your ticket to some of the best yoga classes in your city. The passport entitles you to one yoga class at each of the participating yoga studios. As the New Year approaches why not give yoga a try and feel the benefits – both physical and mental – that this ancient practice provides.


http://www.fitnessgoop.com/2009/12/lose-weight-by-practicing-yoga/

Yoga to cure asthma

An attack of asthma can be a fearful and exhausting experience. People who suffer from the disease

have a chronic inflammation and a narrowing of the airways in their lungs. We can survive for days

without water, food or sleep, but our breath is the sustaining force of life. The following yogasanas

will help you to keep a check on asthma. Usually all asthmatic patients breathe incorrectly. We will

start by learning some breathing exercises. Lie down on your back and relax your body.

Put one hand on the chest and the other on the abdomen. Close your eyes.

Inhale deeply and as you inhale make sure that your abdomen rises up and not your chest. Most

people breathe from their chest but here you must breathe from your abdomen. When you exhale

and feel your abdomen going down. Repeat 10 - 15 times.

The same exercise can also be done while sitting. Chronic asthma patients might feel some difficulty

in doing the exercise lying down.

Stand up straight and interlock your fingers and stretch your arms over your head.

Inhale and stretch and as you exhale bend to your side. Be very gentle make sure you don't twist

your spine. Repeat it on the other side as well.

Sit in Vajrasana but with knees apart. Put your hands on the ground with your palms facing inwards.

Tilt your body to the front so that you feel the pressure on your arms.

Lift your head up, arch your back, open your eyes and inhale.

As you exhale open your mouth and stick your tongue out and make a roaring sound but without

applying too much pressure on the vocal chords.


Sit in Vajrasana and lie down with the support of your hands. Stretch the arms over your head and

relax and breathe deeply. Please make sure you do not do these asanas when your symptoms are

acute. You must consult a doctor before doing these exercises.


http://goodtimes.ndtv.com/PhotoDetail.aspx?ID=1466&Title=Yoga+to+cure+asthma&AlbumType=PG

Bending yoga to fit their worship needs

Many Christian and Jewish yogis are incorporating prayer and religious teachings into the practice. 'It allows us to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual,' one leader says.Christian pop music played quietly in the background as instructor Bryan Brock led a recent yoga class at the nondenominational Church at Rocky Peak in Chatsworth.

Incorporating prayer and readings from the Bible, Brock urged his class of about 20 students to find strength in their connection to their creator through yoga's deep, controlled breathing. "The goal of Christian yoga is to open ourselves up to God," he said. "It allows us to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual."

The instructor then recited the Lord's Prayer while his students moved slowly through a series of postures known as the sun salutation.

Such hybrid classes, which combine yoga practice with elements of Christianity or Judaism, appear to be growing in popularity across Southern California and elsewhere.

Some Christians call their versions of the discipline holy yoga or Yahweh yoga and some teachers urge participants to "breathe down Jesus." Jewish yogis, in turn, have developed -- and in some cases, even trademarked -- Torah yoga, Kabbalah yoga and aleph bet yoga, applying Eastern meditative movements to Jewish prayer and study.

Meanwhile, Californian Muslims who practice yoga have yet to merge it with the teachings of the Koran or worship of Allah, a local leader says. And there are skeptics within all three Abrahamic religions who question whether it is proper to integrate the Hindu-based spiritual practice into Western monotheistic traditions.

Rayna Mike said she was skeptical of yoga before she started going to Brock's class at the Church at Rocky Peak, an evangelical congregation. "I never did it before because I considered it Eastern philosophy and I didn't want any part of it," said Mike, a Bel-Air businesswoman.

Mike changed her mind when her trainer at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys recommended the yoga class, and she said the practice has improved her health while feeding her soul.

"You can go and sweat anywhere, but that's not the point," she said. "This is a beautiful thing. It's an answer to my prayers."

Brock completed a 200-hour accredited course in Phoenix designed by Brooke Boon, author of the book "Holy Yoga." Boon has trained nearly 200 Christian yogis, about a dozen of whom are teaching in Southern California.

"Christ is my guru. Yoga is a spiritual discipline much like prayer, meditation and fasting," Boon said in a telephone interview. "No one religion can claim ownership."

Some fundamentalist Christians distance themselves from yoga, saying it is inseparable from Hinduism or Buddhism and therefore dangerous, even blasphemous. Some Orthodox Jewish authorities warn that if practiced with all its Eastern components, including Sanskrit chanting and small statues of deities, it amounts to avodah zarah, or the worship of false gods.

For many religious Jews, Christians and Muslims, viewing yoga as a physical rather than spiritual practice solves the dilemma.

But Rabbi Avivah Winocur Erlick, a chaplain at Providence Tarzana Medical Center, says it is impossible to separate yoga from her Jewish spiritualism. About six years ago, Erlick began having intense spiritual experiences while doing yoga. She sought advice from a rabbi.

"He said, 'God has been trying to reach you all these years and he is reaching you through yoga," Erlick recalled. The rabbi challenged her to reconcile yoga with Judaism, which led to five years of study to become a rabbi. "For me, yoga is prayer," Erlick said.

Erlick, who is writing a book on the subject, says Jews have vigorously debated the issue for two decades. She counts 83 active teachers, mainly in the U.S. and Israel, who combine yoga and Judaism.

One is Californian Ida Unger, who draws on Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, to interpret yoga postures as Hebrew letters. Unger recently demonstrated her aleph bet yoga to seniors at Los Angeles' Milken Community High School.

"I was in a triangle pose and I had an epiphany. I was an aleph," Unger told the class, posing in the shape of the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

"In Kabbalah, letters are the building blocks with which the holy creator is channeled to Earth."

Unger chants shalom (peace) instead of om, and recites the daily Jewish prayer for awakening when she does the sun salutation.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs-yoga5-2010apr05,0,7708032.story

Yoga Draws Criticism

Yoga, an ancient meditative practice that posses its philosophical and spiritual roots in Hinduism in India, is widely adopted as an exercise for those suffering from depression or painful knee joints and even obesity.

Ever since it is tagged as the “wellness practice-of-choice” for aging baby-boomers and work-stressed yuppies, critics have not left it untouched with their rebuke citing the large numbers of injuries suffered by yoga students.

Recent years have witnessed surging number of charges revealing that self-styled yoga organizations and their elite teachers are preying on their students, making an attempt of substituting spiritual enlightenment with psychological manipulation, New Age “hucksterism,” and even cultic worship.

Famous yoga celebrities like Rodney Yee - who was charged in 2004 of having serial affairs with students- have triggered public authorities to call to impose stringent business regulations on the nation's estimated 5,000 yoga training centers.

The thriving industry attributes an estimated $6 billion annually. In fact, at least 18 million Americans practice is revealed to practice yoga on regular basis, reveals recent surveys, and another 25 million claims that they plan to in the coming year.


http://topnews.us/content/215102-yoga-draws-criticism