Newsletter November 2022
In this issue:
Essential message of Bhagavad Gita (part 2)
In part 1 of the article, we looked at the historical background and the events that lead to the Kurukshetra war. As we saw, Arjuna, on seeing all his relatives, cousins, teachers, elders etc. across the battle line, refuses to fight and lays down his bow and arrow. He feels despondent and dejected and finally requests Krishna to show him the right path:
Arjuna seeks Krishna's guidance
"I am totally confused about what my duty is, I have lost my mental balance and unable to decide what is right and wrong, and am feeling weak. As your disciple, I request you to please guide me and tell me with certainty as to what is best for me." (Gita 2.7)
The message of Gita begins with verse 11, Chapter 2. The rest of the Gita is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna wherein Krishna unfolds the "wisdom of life". Of course, the main thrust of Krishna's message is to convince Arjuna that, being a member of the warrior class (kshatriya), it is his duty to fight the war to uphold dharma and root out evil. In the course of his message, Krishna talks about a large number of topics related to life, death, the soul, our duty in life, how to attain salvation and many more.
Read more ....
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
Samkhya Karika study group, 2nd and 4th Saturday
Ashtanga yoga fundamentals with Jessica
6 week workshop
Tittibhasana (firefly)
In this class, we'll focus on breathing correctly and moving mindfully through the fundamentals of Ashtanga Yoga.
I will guide you through an exploration of surya namaskar as well as the standing and finishing portions of the Ashtanga yoga method as traditionally taught by Sri K Pattabhi Jois from Mysore, Karnataka.
Some level of fitness is preferred but no experience is necessary. Beginners are welcome!
- What: Ashtanga Yoga Foundations
- When: Thursdays, starting November 10
- Time: 6:30-7:30pm EST
- Zoom access: zoom link will be provided upon receipt of registration and payment
- What to wear: comfortable clothing
- Instructor: Jessica Vyas (Authorized L1, Mysore, India)
- Cost: $80 (venmo: @jvyas; Paypal: jessicavyas@gmail.com, cash or check)
- To register: fill out the registration form, providing information in all the fields, and submit it online.
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
Even a world apart, some experiences with yoga are universal, professor finds
For the past seven years, Dr. Natalie Bourdon, associate professor of anthropology and women’s and gender studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been researching the ways in which race, nationality and gender intersect with yoga practitioners’ experiences of empowerment and ideas of selfhood. Her work takes place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Nairobi, Kenya.
Read more ...
Yoga is the number 1 fitness class in North Dakota
According to a new study done by Fitness Volt, the most Googled fitness classes in each state has yoga taking the top spot as the most popular fitness class in the country.
Yoga is the most searched-for fitness class in 16 states, including North Dakota, California, and South Dakota.
Read more ...
A New Study Suggests Yoga Helps Lessen RA Symptom Severity
Rheumatoid arthritis is second to osteoarthritis as the most common form of arthritis in the United States. This debilitating chronic auto-immune inflammatory disease continues to make millions of people suffer.
While it has remained incurable, it is worth noting that it is actually preventable. There are also many ways to manage this disease, and these include engaging in activities like yoga. A study was carried out and published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience.
In this research, it has been found that yoga as an adjunctive therapy aids in the treatment of this chronic inflammatory disease.
Read more ...
Unique partnership leads to new yoga program, assessment tool, music for children with disabilities
For 30 minutes a day, a dozen children meditated, read, sang and bounced around a room in the Beyond Learning Center in Depew. This was not your typical physical education course; this was a yoga class for children. The students at the school were participating in the K-2 Let’s Move project, a study led by researchers in the Graduate School of Education to examine the effects of yoga on self-regulation and motor skills among K-2 children with developmental disabilities.
Yoga and mindfulness-based programs for children are known to build body awareness, decrease anxiety and assist stress management, says co-principal investigator Catherine Cook-Cottone, professor of counseling, school and educational psychology.
Read more ...
Yoga, Other Mindfulness Practices Improve Blood Sugar in Type 2 Diabetes
Patients with type 2 diabetes achieve much better control of their blood sugar if they participate in mind-and-body-practices such as yoga, a new study shows.
While past research has been done specifically for yoga, this study, published online recently in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, also looked at the benefits of other mind-and-body practices for these patients, including qi gong and meditation.
Read more ...
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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