Newsletter October 2022
In this issue:
Essential Message of Bhagavad Gita (part 1)
Two texts that are considered essential reading for a serious student of yoga are the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. You can read a basic introduction to the yoga sutras on my blog here. In the present article, I'll be presenting the essential message of the Bhagavad Gita.
Charioteer Krishna and Arjuna
Bhagavad Gita is a part of a large epic text called the Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata and Ramāyaṇa are two of the very significant epic texts in India. Most of the current social fabric of modern India is largely weaved around the message conveyed through the pages of these two texts. Even though a precise date as to when the Mahābhārata was written is not available, most historians tend to put the date around 3000 BCE. The text was written by Veda Vyasa and the scribe for the text is believed to be Lord Gaṇesha. It is known to be the longest epic poem written comprising of 100,000 verses.
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Weekly ongoing classes
As many of you are aware, I teach weekly ongoing yoga classes as per the schedule given below. These classes are offered both online via Zoom as well as in-person at my home studio.
Schedule:
- Monday: 6:30 - 8 PM (level 1)
- Tuesday: 6:30 - 8 PM (level 1)
- Wednesday: 6:30 - 8 PM (level 1)
- Saturday; 10:15 AM - 12:00 noon (level 1/2)
Instructor: Subhash Mittal
Registration: Fill out the registration form, providing information in all the fields, and submit it online.
Access: In-person at my home studio, or online via zoom. Zoom access will be provided upon receipt of registration.
Schedule and Fee: Please visit my website here for the current schedule and available payment plans. If you are a new student, the fee for the first month is $40.
How to pay: check, Zelle (use subhashmittal@gmail.com), Venmo (use 9199269717) or paypal (go to bottom of page)
Upcoming Programs
Yoga for kids/teens, 8-week session
- What: Yoga for Kids, Teens, 8-week Session
- When: Every Sunday
- Kids and teens (age 7+ years) 6:00 - 7:00 PM
- Starting: Sunday, October 9, 2022
- Access: Remotely via live video streaming; login info will be provided upon receipt of registration and payment
- Instructor: Disha Gala (dishagada2010@gmail.com; (408) 685-5154
- Fee:
- $80 - Zelle (4086855153)
- $85 - paypal (dishagada2010@gmail.com)
- Drop-in fee: $12;
- To register: fill out the registration form, providing information in all the fields, and submit it online
Samkhya Karika study group, 2nd and 4th Saturday
FREE yoga class, focus: pranayama and meditation
Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
Energize, revitalize and recharge your body, mind and intellect. Learn how to handle stressful situations, how to relax and calm your mind. I invite you to join me for a FREE, early morning yoga class as given below. In this class, we'll focus on Pranayama and Meditation.
- What: FREE yoga class; focus on Pranayama and Meditation
- When: Sunday, Octobrt 23 2022
- Time: 6:00 AM - 7:30 AM (US East Coast time, EST)
- In-person participation: at my home studio located at 206 Redwood Park Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560
- Zoom Access: Login info will be provided upon receipt of registration
- Instructor: Subhash Mittal
- Register here
The class will consist of:
- Light stretching, basic Surya Namaskara
- Pranayama (six breathing practices)
- Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation)
- Guided meditation
podcast channel
As you may be aware, I have been offering monthly workshops wherein I discuss various aspects of yoga philosophy. The main focus in these workshops is to discuss the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in some depth. In addition, from time to time, I also discuss concepts from the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and other related ancient scriptures. In order to preserve these talks for future reference, I have been making an audio recording of these discussions and sharing them with the participants. These audio recordings are now available on the podcast channel on my blog. You are welcome to download these audio recordings for your use. In addition, you can listen to these podcasts as well as subscribe to them on itunes as well.
youtube channel
As you would have noticed from many of the recent posts on my blog, I have been adding short videos of many of the commonly practiced asana and pranayama sequences. I strongly urge you to subscribe to my youtube channel and visit the channel frequently to get instructions for your own asana and pranayama practices. Please share the link to the channel with your friends who might benefit from these detailed video instructions.
I would love to hear your feedback and, of course, would welcome suggestions for future videos that you would like to see on the channel.
Yoga in the News
Daily 'breath training' can work as well as medicine to reduce high blood pressure
It's well known that weightlifting can strengthen our biceps and quads. Now, there's accumulating evidence that strengthening the muscles we use to breathe is beneficial too. New research shows that a daily dose of muscle training for the diaphragm and other breathing muscles helps promote heart health and reduces high blood pressure.
Read more ...
Knee Osteoarthritis: Yoga May Offer Pain Relief, Improve Physical Function
New research has found that people with knee osteoarthritis who took a 12-week online yoga program saw improvements in their physical function — at least while they were doing the course.
However, the benefits of yoga, along with people’s participation in the online classes, dwindled in the weeks following the end of the program. The results were published on September 19 in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine.
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What Science Says About the Yoga Habits That Slow Aging
"... What's more, research published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity indicates that performing 12 weeks of yoga actually slows down the aging of your cells. The yoga regimen in the study included 1 ½ hours of breathing, meditation, and physical postures for five days weekly over a 12-week span."
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Q and A: What's the benefit of yoga?
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am a mother of two, work full time and am also a breast cancer survivor. I know physical exercise is important, so I try to visit the gym a few times a week for weight training and to walk. A friend recently invited me to a yoga class. I have never thought about adding yoga to my fitness routine. What are the benefits, and how would I get started?
ANSWER: Yoga is a wonderful form of exercise that provides benefits that walking and strength training do not provide. In Eastern cultures, yoga is not seen as exercise, but rather "a moving meditation." In the Western world, many people know power yoga or vinyasa yoga, which are classified as exercise.
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Role of yoga and mindfulness in severe mental illnesses
Classical yoga, as enjoined in ancient literature, along with its proven scientific validation, evident in recent times, is now being accepted as the only comprehensive solution to all known existential maladies of the modern man, in general, and for psychic and psychosomatic disorders, in particular. With its psycho-physiological, psycho-neuro-immuno-endocrinal and transcendental implications, as evident through researches in yoga, the healing power of yoga is recognized beyond any iota of doubt today. The very roots of therapeutic yoga are available in Sanskrit yogic texts such as Hatha Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita. Being an inherent part of yoga, the phenomenon of mindfulness also plays a stellar role in therapeutic processes for severe mental illnesses.
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Have a question/suggestion?
If you have a yoga-related question, please write to me and I would do my best to provide an answer in a timely manner. I would love to hear your suggestions for future newsletter articles.
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