In an earlier post, I had talked about the ‘mindfulness yoga’ workshop at Yogaville that I attended some time ago. In one of the sessions at this workshop, we practiced what is commonly called “Yin Yoga”. In this style of yoga, the emphasis is on mindfulness while practicing the asanas which are [...]]]>

In an earlier post, I had talked about the ‘mindfulness yoga’ workshop at Yogaville that I attended some time ago. In one of the sessions at this workshop, we practiced what is commonly called “Yin Yoga”. In this style of yoga, the emphasis is on mindfulness while practicing the asanas which are generally held for a long duration (several minutes). So, I decided to follow this practice of long hold times in a few of my recent classes. We practiced some of the simpler poses like the forward bends, gentle back bends, some side stretches and twists and held each for about 2 to 3 minutes. The feedback has been very encouraging and most of the students seem to have enjoyed these sessions. There are a few who had some difficulty holding the poses. At the end of this post, I will provide excerpts from some of these feedback emails that I received.

One of the key components of these long-hold poses is ‘mindfulness’. The term ‘mindfulness’ or ‘awareness’ is a very important concept in yoga where we stay totally focused on the present moment and don’t allow the mind to drift away. When we develop this practice of mindfulness during the asana or the pranayama session, over time we learn to carry the same attitude off the mat into our daily lives.

In order to understand the concept of mindfulness better, it will be instructive to understand how we can look at ourselves in terms of the ‘five koshas’ (five sheaths). I have explained the koshas in detail in a previous post. Here, I will just provide a brief summary:

1. Annamaya Kosha (Food Sheath): the physical body composed of the five elements – earth, water, fire, air and ether. This is the ‘touch and feel’ part of the body – the skin, the musculature, bones etc.
2. Pranamaya Kosha (Vital Energy Sheath): The sheath sustained by ‘prana’ or the air we breathe. It is further sub-divided into five pranas – prana, apana, udana, samana, vyana.
3. Manomaya Kosha  (Mind Sheath): This is the ‘antahakarana’ (the inner instrument) consisting of the cognitive mind, the intellect, ego and the storehouse of memories and past impressions (called ‘sanskaras’).
4. Vijnanamaya Kosha (Intellect/Intuition Sheath): This sheath provides us with capacity to discriminate between good and bad etc and is the source of intuitive wisdom.
5. Anandamaya Kosha (Bliss Sheath): We experience bliss or inner joy when we can transcend our ego.

In the practice of mindfulness, our primary focus is on the first three koshas. While holding a pose, we become aware of the impact of the stretch on the physical body, on the quality and depth of our breathing and on the mind in terms of any emotions or feelings that we might be going through. Here are some simple guidelines to follow while holding poses for a long time:

At the Physical Level (Annamaya Kosha)

When beginning to get into a pose, apply the proper breathing for the intended movement. For example, when getting into a forward bending pose, synchronize the bending with deep exhalation. At the end of exhalation, continue with your natural breathing cycle. At this point you begin to use the body’s innate intelligence to guide you as to how deep you want to go into the pose. First, scan the body from toes to head and become aware of all parts of the body which are feeling the stretch. At the first sign of resistance, pause any movement and wait for the muscles to relax. When we hold the pose for a long time, some of the connecting tissues and muscles can loosen up. If that happens and you feel that the body is inviting you to go deeper, you may accept the invitation. Once again, at the sign of next resistance, stop any movement. We need to be truly respectful of any messages and signals that we receive from the body without letting our ego to interfere.

It is very important to understand that we are making the effort to recognize our edges (that is we challenge ourselves to find the next edge) while stopping the movement when we find that edge. Once we find the edge, we need to stay perfectly still until we receive the next invitation from the body for further movement. Here we have to keep in mind the definition of asana according to Patanjali (sutra 2.46) – Sthira Sukham  asanam (an asana must be firm/steady and comfortable). If we can train ourselves to stop at the edge, we can stay without pain for a long time. We are merged with the pose – we become the pose.

At the Breath Level (Pranamaya Kosha)

While holding the pose, our effort is to keep the breath very calm, soft and steady. Any physical pain or movement can result in making the breath unsteady. So, physical comfort and stillness go hand-in-hand with stillness of the breath. If our breath becomes uneven, hurried or labored, we need to go back and make adjustments to the pose so the breath becomes calm again. You may either breathe your regular breath or use the “ujjayi” breath. You may also practice slightly deeper than normal breath. However, try to keep the breath soft (almost soundless).

At the Mind Level (Manomaya Kosha)

As mentioned above, we need to become an observer of our mind as well, constantly watching the thoughts, feelings and sensations arising in the mind. Patanjali, in his yoga sutras (sutras 2.52 and 2.53), tells us that steadiness of the breath leads to steadiness of the mind preparing us for ‘dharana’ (concentration)  . By steadying the mind, we can dive a little deeper into our consciousness and get a glimpse of our true nature. In yoga literature, our true nature (called the ‘purusha, ‘soul’ or ‘atma’) is compared to the bottom of a lake and the mind is like the waves in the lake. If the water of the lake is disturbed, the waves prevent us from seeing the bottom of the lake. When the water is still, we can look deep into the water. In the same manner, to get a glimpse of the soul, we need to try and still the mind.

When we practice holding the poses for long periods of time by following the guidelines mentioned above, our yoga experience becomes a source of joy and fulfillment.

I am giving below a couple of excerpts from the feedback received from the students on the long holding sessions (names withheld at the request of the students).

“I felt deeply relaxed, and had to focus to drive home after class.  The slow deep movements helped me focus deeply on my muscles and body parts that were working and stretching and to fully engage them.  I was in trance while doing the movements, not pushing myself, just moving and breathing. At one point when you said to be aware of my mind, I had an awareness of my soul and deep focus within. There was a brief encounter of limitlessness.  I was very tired after class and went to bed early, although I kept waking up every couple of hours, I slept longer than usual.”

“We both (me and my husband) enjoyed yesterday’s variation of Yoga class. Those longer stretches definitely helped to build awareness of the body and actually helped to relieve anxiety I had that day. This morning I felt pleasant light sourness in some of muscles that made my morning yoga practice even more enjoyable. I feel like muscles that did not have opportunity to participate before finally got chance in these exercises.”

I welcome your comments.

A student to Bankei (Japanese Zen master):

‘Master, I have an ungovernable temper – how can I cure it?’

‘Show me this temper,’ said Bankei, ‘it sounds fascinating.’

‘I am not angry right now,’ said the student, ’so I can’t show it to you.’

‘Well then,’ said Bankei, ‘bring it to me when you have it.’

‘But I [...]]]>

A student to Bankei (Japanese Zen master):

‘Master, I have an ungovernable temper – how can I cure it?’

‘Show me this temper,’ said Bankei, ‘it sounds fascinating.’

‘I am not angry right now,’ said the student, ’so I can’t show it to you.’

‘Well then,’ said Bankei, ‘bring it to me when you have it.’

‘But I can’t bring it just when I happen to have it,’ protested the student. ‘It arises unexpectedly, and I would surely lose it before I got it to you.’

‘In that case,’ said Bankei, ‘it cannot be part of your true nature. If it were, you could show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you – so it must come into you from the outside. I suggest that whenever it gets into you, you beat yourself with a stick until the temper can’t stand it, and runs away.’

Another Buddhist saying, "Holding on to anger is like holding burning hot coal in your hand. Before you can hurl it at someone else, you are getting burned yourself".

So, what is the remedy? If you suppress it, it will explode it at a later time and cause much more damage. We need to transform or sublimate it. How? Next time you get angry, don’t throw it at someone else; just jog around the blog a couple of times, or beat the pillow insane or shout it out in your backyard. It will eventually melt away and in future, a similar situation is less likely to get you angry.

Remember the famous shlokas in Bhagvad Gita (shlokas 62 and 63 in chapter 2) usually referred to as ‘The ladder of fall’, "when we think of objects, we develop attachment to those objects. From attachment to those objects, desire is born. When desire is born, our mind gets agitated to fulfill that desire. When we cannot fulfill the desire because, others are coming in our way, we develop ANGER. When we become angry we get deluded. The delusion leads to memory loss. It is a common experience that when we become angry, we develop the loss of memory. We start seeing all sorts of things in our adversary which are not there. When there is a loss of memory, we lose the discriminative capacity as to what is right and what is wrong. When the discriminative capacity is gone, we perish mentally." 

From Wikipedia: "Anger, in its strong form, impairs one’s ability to process information and to exert cognitive control over their behavior. An angry person may lose his/her objectivity, empathy, prudence or thoughtfulness and may cause harm to others.There is a sharp distinction between anger and aggression (verbal or physical, direct or indirect) even though they mutually influence each other. While anger can activate aggression or increase its probability or intensity, it is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for aggression."

Anger is recognized as one of our most powerful enemies. It is one of the six negative tendencies usually mentioned in our scriptures – kaama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (arrogance), matsarya (jealousy). All these are a result of a strong negative ego (ahankara), an ego that prevents us from recognizing the real truth. According to sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, by practicing the eight limbs of yoga, we can develop a keen sense of discrimination which will help us go past the ego and make us realize our true self. Patanjali also gives the concept of “pratipaksha bhavana” or the “opposite attitude” (Sutras 2.33 and 2.34) which can help overcome any negative tendency. By recognizing that these negative thoughts are the cause for infinite misery and unending ignorance, one can develop this opposite attitude. For example, when you feel angry, you may be able to develop compassion and sympathy by invoking this “opposite attitude”.

I am very fond of tropical fruits like mangoes, pineapple, banana, pomegranate, [...]]]> I would like to share with you a recipe for making a highly nutritious and healthy fruit smoothie. This recipe is really easy to make yet the results are just delicious. This has been my most favorite drink for breakfast over the years.

I am very fond of tropical fruits like mangoes, pineapple, banana, pomegranate, papaya etc. In general, I am what you can call a "fruitaholic" – I just like all types of fruit, including apple, pear, grapes, strawberries and all the rest. For my typical fruit smoothie, I just gather all the fruits that I have in my refrigerator. I wash the fruits thoroughly, core the needed ones like apple and pears and put them in the blender. My most common mix of fruits consists of mangoes, pineapple, grapes, oranges, banana and strawberries. To this mix I add a cup of home-made non-fat yogurt and let the blender do its job. I personally don’t enjoy getting grape skin in my mouth so I end up running the whole thing through a filter and put it all back in the blender. Now I add some nuts to the mix – almonds, cashew, walnut/pecan nuts etc. I blend the whole mix one more time and voila! the most delicious and nutritious drink is ready to be devoured.

As I mentioned, I like most fruits in my smoothie. However, there are two that I found do not render great taste in the smoothie – papaya and melon (even though I love eating them otherwise). I tried these a couple of times but now I have decided not to use them.

Instead of yogurt, you may also like to try fat-free/low-fat milk or soy milk.

To really enjoy the drink, I drink it really slowly, one sip at a time, enjoying the taste of the crunchy nuts and of course all the fruits that are in there. Please try this recipe and let me know how you like it. Along with this drink, I also have a piece of toast made of home-made multi-grain bread. I will share the recipe for the home-made bread in another post.

Do you have a favorite breakfast drink or another favorite recipe? Please share your recipe with us.

In this post, I would like to get back to the practice of asana and discuss one of the very commonly practiced asanas called Veerabhadrasana  (वीरभद्रासन) or the Warrior Pose and its three variations. This is a powerful and energizing pose, especially useful for strengthening the leg and thigh muscles.

Veerabhadra [...]]]>

In this post, I would like to get back to the practice of asana and discuss one of the very commonly practiced asanas called Veerabhadrasana  (वीरभद्रासन) or the Warrior Pose and its three variations. This is a powerful and energizing pose, especially useful for strengthening the leg and thigh muscles.

Veerabhadra was a mythical warrior, created by Lord Shiva from the strand of his hair to fight against King Daksha. Shiva was married to Daksha’s daughter, Sati who had married Shiva against the wishes of her father. Daksha, in order to take revenge against Shiva, organized a grand yajna (a sacrificial ceremony) in which he invited all the important and not-so-important gods except Shiva. Humiliated at this insult, Sati burned herself in the sacrificial fire. On hearing about it, Shiva was enraged and created Veerabhadra who eventually fought against and destroyed Daksha and his armies.

Warrior 1 Step-by-Step

1. Come to a standing position at the top of the mat.
2. Step the right foot back, spreading the feet about 3 to 3.5 feet apart.
3. Keep the inside edge of the front foot parallel to the side edge of the mat. Turn the back foot about 45 degrees toward the front foot.
4. Press the back heel firmly against the mat so the back leg is not sagging at the knee.
5. Make sure that the shoulders and hips are parallel to the front wall.
6. Make the effort to bend the front knee so that the knee is directly above the ankle and try to keep the shin vertical. Also, try to lower the pelvis so the left thigh becomes parallel to the floor.
7. Now, begin to raise the arms and bring them up overhead. Keep the palms facing each other, shoulder width apart with the elbows straight. Make the effort to lift the shoulders and rib cage upward. You can continue to look straight ahead or optionally look up at your hands.
8. If it doesn’t bother your back, you may try to create a gentle arch in the spine by pushing the shoulders slightly backward.
9. Try to hold the final pose for about 10-12 breaths. Maintain gentle, relaxed breathing while in the pose. Your awareness should stay with the stretch in different parts of the body making sure that you don’t over-stretch at any time. Also, keep observing the quality and depth of your breath.
10. To come out of the pose, slowly bring the hands down by the side of the body and relax the knees.
11. Switch the position of the feet and repeat the above steps.
12. Finally come back to the comfortable standing position.

Warrior 2 Step-by-Step

1. Come to a standing position at the top of the mat.
2. Step the right foot back, spreading the feet about 3 to 3.5 feet apart. After some practice, you will be able to make adjustments to the distance between the feet to get into the optimum position.
3. Keep the inside edge of the front foot parallel to the side edge of the mat. Turn the back foot about 45 degrees toward the front foot.
4. Keep the back heel firmly pressed against the mat so the back leg is not sagging at the knee.
5. Turn the body to face the side wall. In the final position, the heels, buttocks and the shoulders are all parallel to the side wall and aligned vertically.
6. Make the effort to bend the front knee so that the knee is directly above the ankle and try to keep the shin vertical. Also, try to lower the pelvis so the left thigh becomes parallel to the floor.
7. Stretch the arms and bring them into a horizontal position (parallel to the floor, at the shoulder level) with the fingertips pointing away from you, palms facing down.
8. Look over the left shoulder.  Maintain the torso in a vertical upright position. Avoid the tendency to lean the torso over the bend leg.
9. Try to hold the final pose for about 10-12 breaths. Maintain gentle, relaxed breathing while in the pose. Your awareness should stay with the stretch in different parts of the body making sure that you don’t over-stretch at any time. Also, keep observing the quality and depth of your breath.
10. To come out of the pose, bring the arms down, straighten the bent knee and slowly switch to the other side.
11. Repeat the above on the other side.
12. Finally come back to the comfortable standing position.

Warrior 3 Step-by-Step

1. Warrior 3 is a variation of the Warrior 1 pose wherein the back leg is lifted and the body is balanced on one leg.
2. Start by bringing the legs in the same position as Warrior 1. Keep the inside edge of the front foot parallel to the side edge of the mat.
3. Gradually, begin to shift the body weight to the front foot. Stretch the arms out in front, parallel to the floor  and fingers pointing away. Throughout the pose, try to maintain the arms in this horizontal position. Keep the hands shoulder width apart, palms facing each other.
4. Slowly start lifting the back leg off the floor. As you are lifting the back leg, begin to straighten both the legs. While you are raising the back leg, continue to bend forward.
5. In the final position, your body assumes the shape of the letter “T” with the torso and the back leg horizontal and thet front leg vertical.
6. The key point of awareness is the position of the hips with respect to each other. There is always the tendency to misalign the hips with one hip higher than the other. Our effort is to keep both the hips at the same level.
7. Maintain the final position for about 10-12 breaths or as long as comfortable. Maintain gentle, relaxed breathing while in the pose. Your awareness should stay with the stretch in different parts of the body making sure that you don’t over-stretch at any time. Also, keep observing the quality and depth of your breath.
8. To come out of the pose, gradually lower the back leg down and finally comes up to a comfortable standing position.
9. Repeat the above steps for the other side.

Benefits

The following benefits are generally associated with all the three variations of the Warrior pose.

• Improves overall strength, balance and concentration
• Warrior poses are some of the best for stretching and strengthening the legs, arches of the feet, ankles, calf muscles, knees, hamstring and thighs.
• Improves blood circulation in the lower limbs
• Stretches the shoulders, rib cage, chest and the arms
• As you raise the shoulders up and back, the abdominal muscles and the back muscles are getting stretched.
• Therapeutic benefits for sciatica and osteoporosis

Contraindications/Cautions

• Avoid this pose if you have high blood pressure or heart problem
• If your shoulder hurts, then avoid pulling the shoulders too far out or up
• If you have neck problems, keep the neck in line with the spine rather than trying to look up at the hands in Warrior 1.
• If you have knee problems, try not to bend the knee to full 90 degrees in Warrior 1 and 2.

Here is an excerpt from an email that I recently received from a friend of mine.

"The last couple of months have been unusually busy (though not necessarily fruitful) for me at work. Days seemed to be packed with demands. The to-do list would often seem longer at the end of [...]]]>

Here is an excerpt from an email that I recently received from a friend of mine.

"The last couple of months have been unusually busy (though not necessarily fruitful) for me at work. Days seemed to be packed with demands. The to-do list would often seem longer at the end of a long work day than it had at the beginning. Problems and worries abounded. When I opened my eyes in the morning, my first thoughts were of the to-do list. I suspect that many people struggle with similar situations and the sensation of being terrorized by their to-do list. The list may be work related, but it may also involve taking care of children or parents, regular chores and even things that we impose on our selves like going to a yoga class. We begin to live our whole lives in a hurry, trying desperately to get it all done. Even if we can find a day off, we continue to feel hurried, walking quickly, cleaning the kitchen quickly, brushing our teeth quickly. The habit energy carries on. Perhaps there is a subtle realization that we are not really living in the present moment, that this is not working; but we don’t know how to stop, how to get off the tread mill, or even how to find some peace and happiness in the work that we are doing."

In his email, my friend suggested that in one of my blog posts I address the issue of the ever-expanding "to-do" lists that most of us are faced with. In today’s ultra-competitive and highly demanding work environment, most of us feel overwhelmed by "too much to do in too little time". Recent lay-offs have forced people to take on multiple responsibilities with one person carrying out the work that was previously done by two or more people. With increased amounts of time spent at work, it becomes a challenge to balance work and family life. It is easy to see how stress builds up under these circumstances resulting in problems at all levels – physical, physiological, mental and emotional.

I would like to share with you some thoughts on how best we can manage our time effectively using techniques influenced by yogic principles:

1. When we set goals, we need to keep the value of "satya" (truthfulness – one of the five yamas) in mind and only strive for achievable, realistic goals. By being truthful to ourselves and to others, we can stay stress-free.
2. We need to recognize that by striving to ‘over-achieve’, we are actually hurting ourselves, both physically and emotionally. By keeping the value of "ahimsa" (non-injury – one of the five yamas) in mind, we can prevent physical injury and emotional stress.
3. I think the most important of the yogic principles in managing time is "ishvara pranidhana" (surrender to Ishvara – one of the five niyamas). Ishvara Pranidhana involves surrendering the ego (ahamkaara) to a superior principle. By doing that we can continue to do our work (ticking items off the to-do list) without getting attached to any expected outcome of our work. We then develop a sense of relaxed detachment (vairagya) to the results of our actions and yet continue to perform the work to our utmost ability. In the Bhagavad Gita there is a famous shloka (Chapter 2, shloka 47)(“Karmanye va Adhikaraste’ Ma Pphaleshu Kadhachana.” – You have the right to action only, and not to its fruits). What this shloka implies is that we can only put our best effort in every action that we do, but are not the architects of the outcome. The outcome, which is controlled by a multitude of factors, is essentially inherent in the level of effort that we put in. By worrying about the outcome, we are actually depleting our energy which can otherwise be utilized to accomplish more actions.
4. Prioritizing the to-do list is very important. After the completion of each task, we may need to re-prioritize our list. However, it is important to tackle always the top item in the list at any time.
5. When confronted with a large to-do list, we tend to ‘multi-task’ – taking on more than one activity at the same time. We need to remember that the mind functions in a linear fashion only, even though it may appear to be otherwise. At any given time, there can be only one thought (called ‘pratyaya’ in yoga) in the mind. Similarly, to tackle our to-do list effectively, we need to linearize the actions so that only the most important action is the point of focus at that time. If distracted by other thoughts/activities, we are taking away our energy from the task on hand.
6. I found this website which I have found helpful in keeping the most important task in view. It presents an empty, clean page where you can add your to-do list. Once you are done with adding items to the list, it displays only the top item in bold letters. It is a strange site that has no links and no mention of the author etc. – just a clean empty page that constantly reminds us of the task at hand!
7. Practicing meditation on a regular basis can bring about clarity of thinking and a oneness of purpose. In Patanjali’s yoga sutra, meditation is the seventh of the eight limbs of yoga, and along with concentration (dharana) and samadhi, it has been used effectively by the yoga practitioners to attain a single-pointedness of the mind. This single-pointedness will help us stay focused on the task at hand and not get distracted by other thoughts/events.
8. When confronted with a common distraction like a phone call, a tweet or an email, there is a tendency to give up the current task and get engaged with the distraction. At that point, it is best to add any actionable item dictated by the temporary distraction to the to-do list and continue with the current task.
9. A regular yoga practice will help revitalize, energize and relax you. With renewed rejuvenation and a stress-free mind, you will be able to stay focused on the present task.
10. Just as we always make time for mundane but essential activities like brushing the teeth, paying bills, take out garbage, eat meals etc., we need to ‘make time’ for our top priority tasks.

I would love to hear from you as to whether and how you are able to manage your time effectively.

Nataraja (nata means a dancer and raja means the king or the lord), king-dancer, is the name of Lord Shiva (one of the trinity of Hindu gods – Shiva, Vishnu, and Brhma). In addition to being the dissolver of the universe, Shiva was also the Lord of dance and created over a hundred dances. Natarajasana [...]]]>

Nataraja (nata means a dancer and raja means the king or the lord), king-dancer, is the name of Lord Shiva (one of the trinity of Hindu gods – Shiva, Vishnu, and Brhma). In addition to being the dissolver of the universe, Shiva was also the Lord of dance and created over a hundred dances. Natarajasana – नटराजासन - is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Step by Step

(click on the blue arrow for audio instructions)

1. Come to a comfortable standing position with the feet together and arms alongside the body. Inhale, shift your weight onto your right foot, and, bending the left knee, lift your left foot toward your left buttock. Pull the right knee cap up to keep the standing leg straight and strong.
2. Reach back with your left hand and grasp the inside of the left foot.
3. Stretch the right arm in front and keep it parallel to the floor throughout the pose
4. Begin to lift your left foot up, and back by pressing into the hand with the foot, away from your torso. Try to extend the left thigh behind you and bring it parallel to the floor.
5. Raise the left foot up behind you as high as you comfortably can and keep bending forward slightly at the same time.
6. While in the final pose, make the effort to keep both the buttocks at the same level. Stay in the pose for about six to eight breaths
7. To come out of the pose, slowly release the left foot and the right arm down and come back to the original standing position.
8. Repeat the above steps on the other side

Nataraja Variation (with strap)

1. In order to provide additional stretch for the shoulders, you can use a strap.
2. Use the strap to hook the left ankle behind you and hold the strap from above your head.
3. Begin to lift your left foot up, and back by pressing into the strap with the foot, away from your torso. Try to extend the left thigh behind you and bring it parallel to the floor.
4. Stretch the shoulders up and back and keep bending forward slightly at the same time.
5. While in the final pose, make the effort to keep both the buttocks at the same level. Try to maintain the final pose for about six to eight breaths
6. To come out of the pose, slowly release the left foot and the arms down, release the strap, and come back to the original standing position.
7. Repeat the above steps on the other side