India’s ancient system of medicine offers simple practices you can do Day & Night to balance your energy and boost your health tradition recommends a routine of morning and nighttime practices collectively known If wAkIng uP Is A stRuggLe, midday finds you crashing and you’re restless and alert at bedtime, it may be time to reset your clock. According to Ayurveda, yoga’s 5000-year- old sister science, one of the keys to good health and feeling great all day long is living in tune with nature’s cycles. Literally and energetically, that means rising and setting with the sun. To help you align your system more closely with the cycles of nature, Ayurvedic as dinacharya. These rituals are designed to give you calm, focused, sustainable energy to support meditation, yoga, and everything you do throughout the day. “When I do my dinacharya, with a calm sense of presence. there’s a sense that I’m taking The evening ones will help you really good care of myself,” to wind down for a restful says Kathryn Templeton, sleep. Movement, such as founder of the Himalayan yoga asana and meditation, Institute’s Ayurvedic yoga is also essential to dinacharya. specialist training program in Consider incorporating the US and an Ayurvedic asana before breakfast and practitioner. “My ability to meditation in the morning meditate, teach, parent and and evening. practise feels steadier and Choose one or two of easier. And I experience more these practices to start off peace of mind.” with and, after a week, take To get yourself back in note of your energy levels and sync, make over your daily your mood. Then add a few routine with the simple more practices and repeat Ayurvedic practices on the the observation process. following pages. The morning Over time, these practices practices are cleansing and may become as routine as energising; they’ll infuse you brushing your teeth. By Shannon Sexton photography by Trinette Reed & Chris Gramly APRIL 2014 Yogajournal.com.au 5 1
shine According to Ayurveda, the predawn Rise hours are dominated by vata dosha, a subtle energy that actually makes it easier to get out of bed. Waking before sunrise fills you with vibrant energy for the rest of the day. On the other hand, if you wake up after sunrise, a time dominated by kapha’s heavy, earthy energy, you’re likely to feel sluggish. Predawn is also considered an auspicious time of day because its atmosphere is still and quiet, making it easier to turn inward and meditate, says Templeton. To flush out any germs, pollen, Rinse dust or congestion that have accumulated overnight, try jala neti, a nasal cleansing technique that rinses the sinuses with warm saline with the aid of a teapot-like vessel called a neti pot (see neti.com.au). Jala neti is a nice prelude to a morning pranayama or meditation practice. According to yoga tradition, it equalises the flow of breath between the nostrils and balances the ida and pingala nadis – two energy channels that pave the way for inner exploration. Pour a cup of warm water (sterilised or distilled) into a neti pot. Add 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon of non- iodised salt (kosher or sea salt), stirring until it dissolves. Insert the spout into your left nostril, lean over the sink and tilt your head slightly to the right so the water flows through the sinus passages and out of the right nostril. Gently blow your nose and repeat on the other side. When you’re finished, lie on your back, tilt your head back and put a few drops of warm sesame oil or ghee (clarified butter) in your nostrils. Ayurveda recommends Cleanse a practice called tongue scraping to remove the coating that appears overnight, which contains ama, or toxins, said to eventually cause illness. Using a tongue scraper, gently comb your tongue from back to front several times. Rinse the scraper between sessions. Doing this before you brush your teeth is thought to SHOT On LOCATIOn AT SOLAGe CALISTOGA; STyLIST: JASMIne HAMeD; HAIR/MAKe-UP: LISA STRUTz/AUBRI BALK InC. stimulate the digestive response and get your body thinking about its first meal. Before you brush your teeth, eat, Sip or drink coffee, mix the juice of half a lemon in a cup of warm water (with an optional pinch of rock salt and 1 ⁄2 teaspoon of honey) and drink up. According to integrative medicine specialist Dr Valencia Porter, this drink flushes the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract and stimulates your agni (digestive fire) so you’re ready to metabolise breakfast. 52 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
Massage According to Ayurveda, massaging your body with warm, pure oils promotes detoxification and moisturises skin – especially in the drier autumn and winter months. It also stimulates circulation and quiets the nervous system. Treat yourself to a 10-minute abhyanga, traditionally performed in the morning. Dr Porter suggests standing on a towel in your bathroom with warmed, organic, cold-pressed sesame oil at the ready. Using circular strokes, begin with your scalp, followed by your face and neck. Apply oil to your palms as needed and work your way down one shoulder, arm, wrist and hand, using long, up-and-down strokes along your limbs and circular strokes on your joints. Repeat on the other side. Massage your chest and back and then gently massage your abdomen in a clockwise direction. Rub your hips in a circular motion and massage one leg at a time, using long strokes on your leg bones and circular strokes on the joints. If you have time, relax and let the oil soak in for 10 to 20 minutes. Then, standing on a wet towel in the shower to prevent slipping, scrub off with a mild cleanser. (Don’t want to put oil on your scalp or face? you can use your dry fingertips instead.) APRIL 2014 yogajournal.com.au 5 3
unwind Infuse As night falls, light a stick of incense or a sandalwood and vanilla candle. Or Dim As the add a few drops of these aromas, in sun goes the form of essential oils, to a warm down, lower the lights bath. From an Ayurvedic perspective, in your home to signal says Dr Porter, these scents have a to your body and mind calming, balancing, grounding effect. that the frenetic pace “When we consistently associate of the day’s activities these aromas with a particular state is coming to an end – of being, such as relaxation, we and that it’s time to create a memory in the brain,” she stop being “on.” says. “The next time we breathe in According to modern these aromas, our neurophysiology Ayurvedic experts like remembers that state of relaxation.” Dr Porter, that means minimising screen time Soothe “There are several on your electronic marma points, devices for at least an or Ayurvedic pressure points, on the hour before bed, too. foot that correspond to the entire Wind down by reading body,” says Hilary Garivaltis, dean something uplifting of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda in or spending time with Massachusetts, US. “Doing a foot your family or friends. massage, you can relax the entire body in just a few minutes.” Wash and dry your feet. Apply warmed, organic, cold-pressed sesame oil to one foot at a time, using your palms to rub the sole from heel to toe in small circular motions. Repeat on the top of the foot. Massage the ankle, followed by the sides of the foot. Interlace your fingers between your toes, gently push the foot to flex and point and make clockwise and anticlockwise circles. Beginning with the little toe, rub each toe gently and apply a little pressure in the webbing. Finally, pull each toe slightly and put on clean cotton socks to sleep in. Savour Before bed, heat a cup of organic whole milk until it boils. Add a pinch of ground cardamom, nutmeg (spices that, in Ayurveda, are said to promote sleep) and cinnamon (to aid digestion). Let it cool a bit and add honey to taste. Warm whole milk is used in Ayurveda as an insomnia remedy. Don’t drink milk? Sip chamomile, valerian or lemon tea. 54 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
Breathe To calm yourself for sleep, or before you sit for evening meditation, spend a few minutes doing Nadi Shodhana (also known as alternate nostril breathing). This cleansing breath practice calms the nervous system and, on a more subtle level, opens and balances the sushumna nadi, an energy channel that quiets and steadies the mind. Place your right thumb over your right nostril to close the airway. Inhale through the left nostril and then use your ring finger to close off the left nostril. Lift your thumb and exhale out of the right nostril. Breathing in through the right nostril and putting your thumb over your right nostril again, exhale out of your left nostril. This completes a single round; try to do 5 to 10 rounds per sitting. “This practice helps you transition from activity to stillness,” relaxing the body and mind, Dr Porter says. Shannon Sexton is a regular contributor to yoga Journal. Her poems and creative non- fiction have been anthologised in five books including the series Stories From Where We Live. APRIL 2014 yogajournal.com.au 5 5
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the yoga PLANET love the PLANET S L P E C I A big and small 21 ways yoga is revolution changing the world Yoga in the West has never been more vibrant and passionate – or more widespread. In 2014, the practices of yoga inform the way we work, play, eat festival fun and educate our children. Yoga inspires how we give 01 What started as a small, grassroots back, how we take care of ourselves, each other and movement has reached global the planet. Yoga is a part of how we celebrate, and it’s a proportions. Yoga festivals have popped tool that helps us heal. With hundreds of thousands of up in spots as unlikely as Dubai, Turkey Australians practising yoga – from professional athletes and Bermuda. The trend shows no signs to schoolchildren – it’s easy to take for granted how of slowing. New festivals are popping up intertwined the practice has become with modern life. all over the country – not just in Byron Yoga today is not exclusive. It doesn’t judge. No Bay. Last year saw the inaugural Bondi matter who or where you are, you can practise yoga and Yoga Festival at Sydney’s most famous benefi t from it. And yoga’s cultural impact is not just beach location, while this year the exciting, it’s vital to the growth of the practice. Read famous Wanderlust festival comes to on for some of our favourite ways yoga has become an Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland (see inseparable part of the way we live. page 90 for more info). APRIL 2014 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU 5 7
Guests at Salamander Resort & Spa warm up with yoga in the stables before doing poses on horseback 02 secret sauce Purists may scoff, but from karaoke and painting to surfing 04 and stand-up paddleboarding, yoga lovers know that yoga match combining yoga with just about any other activity makes it better. Why? “It comes down to being mindful and Yoga studios bring people together, remembering to breathe,” says Angela Nuñez, equestrian but it can feel taboo to strike up a yoga teacher at Salamander Resort & Spa in Virginia, US. conversation with the person on Nuñez’s yoga on horseback classes deepen guests’ the next mat. Enter Spiritual Singles experience of interacting with the horses, and of their own Australia & New Zealand (spiritualsingles.com.au) – an online bodies and breath. “Being present is so important,” she says. dating service created exclusively for singles who value a healthy, holistic lifestyle, including yoga and PhOTOgRAPhY: COURTESY SALAmANDER RESORT & SPA; ILLUSTRATION: DAN BRANSFIELD; FACINg PAgE: CINDY LOUghRIDgE meditation. Check out the site to see 03 stories while you’re there. And word is how it works, and read some success spreading – even RSVP.com.au has anatomy is hip a section for single yogis now. Thanks to teachers like Leslie Kaminoff (yogaanatomy.net) and David Keil (yoganatomy.com), you can study anatomy in-depth at home and at your own pace. Online courses make a once- technical topic accessible and relevant. Keil, who teaches yoga anatomy all over the world, says that it isn’t just about the alignment. “Yoga is about building a relationship with yourself, and anatomy is another layer of that understanding. We learn a lot about ourselves when we look at how we relate to the structure of our postures.” And that’s just cool! 58 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
green eats Practising yoga and eating green go together, and chefs are now catering to an ever-increasing number of diners who want high- quality, sustainably-prepared cuisine. BodyMindLife studio in Sydney’s inner west (bodymindliferozelle.com) recently opened Egg of the Universe – a “living wholefoods cafe” that celebrates the seasons. Patrons can enjoy a yoga class, followed by a meal made with sustainably sourced and organically-farmed local produce. Studio owners Harry and Bryony opened the cafe after “lamenting the mainstream’s approach to health food” and being “inspired by the traditional understanding of true wholefoods”. APRIL 2014 yogajournal.com.au 5 9
06 sustaining the future Since its founding in 2007 by yoga teacher Paige Elenson, Africa Yoga Project has put more than 70 formerly homeless Kenyan youth on a sustainable career path by training them as yoga teachers and supporting them in teaching thousands of free yoga classes in their communities. The vision of the program, which also offers professional career skills training, is to give young people the tools to build a better future. “Yoga is a way to help someone find what’s inside them, to see what’s possible, and to transform their life,” says Elenson. 60 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
yoga for wellbeing Service-minded yogis are seeing growing opportunities to give back. Yoga teacher and registered psychologist Michael de Manincor founded the Yoga Foundation (theyogafoundation.org.au) in 2009 – it offers yoga-based health promotion programs for people experiencing hardship or disadvantage, such as people living with cerebral palsy and their carers, people suffering from mental illness, the elderly, kids in the juvenile justice system and Indigenous Australians. FACING PAGE: PHOTO PROVIDED BY AFRICA YOGA PROJECT; PHOTOGRAPHY THIS PAGE: TOP: CINDY LOUGHRIDGE. ILLUSTRATION: DAN BRANSFILED 07 more than a guilty pleasure If posting yoga photos and following your favourite teacher 10 A PROP FOR EVERY on Instagram inspires you to get on your mat every day, that’s a good thing. Last year’s #fallinlovewithyoga challenge, spear- BODY headed by yoga teachers Kathryn Budig (@kathrynbudig), Amy Back in the day, props weren’t Ippoliti (@amyippoliti) and others, gave participants a theme to widely available. Then they were express through asana, such as “share” or “happy heart.” By day one-size-fits-all. Today, they’re nine of the 10-day challenge, yogis had posted more than 9500 more customised than ever: photos. Find and share yoga selfies and connect with new Jade’s extra-wide and extra-long communities with popular tags such as #yogaeverydamnday, mats accommodate those who are taller or broader shouldered; #instaomcrew and #earthbodyyoga. Three Minute Egg’s curved blocks contour to your spine for more comfortable, ergonomic support 08 STRETCHING THE in reclining poses; and YogaPaws relieve wrist pressure and keep BOUNDARIES OF FASHION mat-less yoga students from slipping. Check out the full array Yoga clothes just keep getting more streetwise and fashion of yoga equipment available at forward, with designers like Vivienne Tam, Betsey Johnson EMP Industrial’s website – and Stella McCartney, celebs like Tara Stiles and labels like empind.com.au – and at iYoga lululemon and adidas designing yogawear that takes you Props: iyogaprops.com.au. from the studio to dinner and beyond. APRIL 2014 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU 6 1
Balamain Wests Tigers sweat it out at Bikram Yoga Five Dock 14 making peace A handful of yoga teachers are offering teacher trainings in the middle East to bring the peace-giving power of yoga to the conflict-ridden region. Baptiste Power Yoga instructor Ruthie goldman’s Olive Tree Yoga Foundation held a free training for Palestinian women in Bethlehem last year. Yoga teachers trained by Anahata International (in partnership with West Bank studio Farashe Yoga) now teach in villages 11 yoga’s global ambassadors Whitwell’s heart of Yoga Peace and refugee camps. And mark Project has brought 100 students The South Sydney Rabbitohs do yoga – so do the hawthorn hawks and England’s national rugby in North America. With no illusions team, as well as Olympians and American NFL players. In from Israel and Lebanon to trainings that yoga will lead to the next peace the world of professional sports, yoga is a sanctioned part accord, goldman says, “Whatever we of regular training programs. “Professional sport has can do to provide people with hope become very much a mind game,” says Yoga Lounge’s Nisha and respite is peace work. To have an hour of freedom, an hour when you Srivastava, yoga teacher for the English rugby team. “A lot can be yourself, that is a miracle.” of the men I teach think yoga is all about being flexible, but it isn’t. It’s the mindfulness that helps the players so much.” 12 get yoga goes something 13 to uni back The studio isn’t the only place to study yoga. The Yoga Institute (yogainstitute. Yoga’s many benefits are com.au) on Sydney’s lower north shore PhOTOgRAPhY TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF BIKRAm YOgA FIVE DOCK; BOTTOm RIghT: TANYA hABjOUqA now so well-known, offers a Diploma and Advanced Diploma a number of health of Yoga Studies and Teacher Training; insurance suppliers while the Australian Yoga Academy in are offering rebates Melbourne (australianyogaacademy.com) for yoga classes (see offers an Advanced Diploma in Yoga yogaaustralia.org.au/ teaching, as well as certificates in yoga-and-healthfunds everything from Advanced Pranayama to Ayurvedic Healing. for more information and to see if your health fund offers rebates). 62 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
15 oh baby Prenatal yoga is just the first step for mums at a new crop of yoga centres offering women a home base during one of life’s biggest transitions. Studios such as Brisbane’s Yogababy (yogababy.com. au), melbourne’s Bliss Baby yoga (anadavis.com) and Sydney’s jivamukti Yoga (jivamuktiyoga.com. au) serve mums from pregnancy through to early childhood with pre- and postnatal yoga and mums and bubs (or dads and bubs) yoga. “most mums come for the PhOTOgRAPhY: ©iSTOCK.COm/ALEKSANDARNAKIC teacher Sarah Longacre exercise component,” says prenatal yoga Ehlers. “But they find a community that supports their commitment to a healthy, conscious birth.” APRIL 2014 yogajournal.com.au 6 3
world’s yoga School days The entire community watched with bated breath last year as the Encinitas, California, school yoga for heroes district defended itself in Yoga can bring calm to those who face life-and-death situations court against a group of on a daily basis. Yoga teacher Debby Kaminsky has taught yoga parents who claimed the and breathing practices to more than 400 firefighters during basic training. And Lisa Wimberger teaches meditation techniques to district’s yoga program police to help them process their emotions. “First responders often violated separation of church experience traumatic situations, and when they get home it’s hard to be a normal parent and state laws. The court or spouse,” says Kaminsky. “Yoga can help them refocus on the present moment.” found in favour of the school at school. “Children learn to 18 office (yoga) system, but the real victors are the kids, who gain calm and focus by practising yoga space connect their body, mind, mindfulness practices are known to be an effective way and breath, and develop the to manage workplace stress, and new research shows they may also boost companies’ bottom lines. The cost of mental PhOTOgRAPhY: ©iSTOCK.COm/CEFUTChER; ILLUSTRATIONS: DAN BRANSFIELD (3) tools they need to deal with stress to Australian businesses is more than $10 billion stress,” says kids yoga annually, according to Safe Work Australia. But a 2012 study teacher Courtney mcDowell. by Aetna health insurance showed that employees who participated in mindfulness meditation and therapeutic “And they need to practise yoga were less stressed and more productive. Corporations it, just like every other are starting to catch on. Organisations such as At Work academic category.” Yoga (atworkyoga), holistic Services group (holisticservices. com.au) and Wellbeing at Work (wellbeingatwork.com.au) are now in demand to bring the calming influence of yoga and meditation to Australian workplaces. 64 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
acting for the earth Yoga practice can inspire and fuel environmental activism. Vinyasa yoga teacher Brock Cahill founded the ocean conservation group Kurmalliance in 2010 after seeing the suffering of sea turtles and 21 other wildlife in the Deepwater horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico. Named for Kurma, the turtle incarnation of Vishnu who saved the world from a flood, the Free as the air group raised $40,000 to purchase a biodiesel powerboat to collect plastic trash off the At its essence, yoga is free California coast. “Yoga is a catalyst. It helps to all: you can practise you to wake up and recognise your connection outside, at home or in to the whole,” says Cahill. “And once you do, your office and you can you can’t sit on the sidelines and watch.” incorporate yogic principles into your everyday life. dial y for yoga 20 ILLUSTRATIONS: DAN BRANSFIELD (2) genre, the mystery novel. “What makes yoga such an appealing as simple as taking five Some days it might be Yoga has infiltrated yet another classic literary conscious breaths while subject to write about in this way is that in the end, it’s just people, with all of their foibles and weaknesses. It’s very fertile soil for a you’re standing in line at writer,” says Neal Pollack, yoga teacher and author of Downward the supermarket. You are Facing Death. Whether titles like Death in a Difficult Position and Corpse Pose (by Diana Killian) are a satire on the yoga scene or free to set yourself free. just good fun is yours to decide. DVD NEW BALI SALE! RETREAT award winning fusion Teacher Training Well Being Retreats • Byron Bay, NSW and Tuscany, Italy • Tuscany, Italy • Yoga Alliance certified • Be inspired, rejuvenate and relax • Correspondence with under the Tuscan sun! International best face-to-face practicum • With master Teacher Trainer and selling & award-winning • Benchmark training since 2000 founder Louise Solomon • DVDs • Instructional DVD • Learn to teach safe and effective • Option to combine the Teacher Training and retreat multi- levelled classes • Books and PDF downloads • Available online or call us to order See website for more details and a class near you. Over 650,000 DVDs Join us on 02 66 872 031 [email protected] sold worldwide! Facebook www.yogalates.com.au
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Joy to the world Let the symbolism behind the pose Natarajasana inspire you to stand strong the beauty of working towards in your centre while life whirls around you a difficult pose is that, in the best of circumstances, the desire for the form of the pose eventually falls away. As we celebrate the start of a new year Natarajasana requires open hips and shoulders and back- ModeL: eLiNore coheN; styList: LyN heiNekeN; hair/Makeup: ivaN MeNdoza/workgroup and a return to shorter days, it’s a ¿tting time to reÀect on the bending ability beyond the cycles of beginnings and endings that make up every aspect of reach of most mortals. our existence. One of the great symbols of this constant cycle whether or not you ever of change is the image of Shiva Nataraja, the King of the Dance. take the final pose, we hope Shiva Nataraja is portrayed in Hindu mythology as the aspect of these images inspire you with the transformation possible Shiva whose ecstatic dance of destruction lays the foundation through devoted practice. for the creation and sustenance of the universe. Depicted the following poses are just in southern Indian art dating back to the 10th through 12th one way to sequence toward centuries, Shiva Nataraja dances at the centre of the wheel of Natarajasana. practise the samsara, a cosmic ring of ¿re that symbolises the eternal cycle poses accessible to you now of birth, life and death. after a thorough warm-up. The name Shiva derives from a Sanskrit root that means then, with attention to building strength, balance and agility, “liberation”, and liberation or freedom is what the dancing you may be able to add the four-armed Shiva Nataraja expresses. He can’t stop the passage more difficult poses over time. of time or the ¿re that surrounds him, but he can ¿nd bliss amid along the way, the fire of the the chaos. His dreadlocks shake as he balances on the demon practice may leave you free of avidya, or ignorance. In one of his hands, he holds a drum from desire for the final pose, as you embody steadiness and on which he beats the passage of time. Another hand holds joy in your own shiva’s dance. continued on page 70 by Alanna Kaivalya Photography by Wari Om APRIL 2014 yogajournal.com.au 6 7
wArrIOr pOSe I Virabhadrasana I 68 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
Anjaneyasana lOw luNge For instruction on these and other poses, go to yogajournal.com.au mONKey gOD pOSe Hanumanasana APRIL 2014 yogajournal.com.au 6 9
continued from page 67 a conch shell, recalling the power of the sound of Om that reverberates through the universe. In a third hand, the flame of vidya, or knowledge, reveals the internal light of our true nature. One of Shiva’s right hands is held up in Abhaya mudra, a gesture of fearlessness. It’s the fearlessness that comes from knowing one’s own transcendent nature – that though the mortal form you inhabit will change and die, there is an energy within you that will continue on, like the pulsation of an atom or the light from the supernova of a dying star that reaches earth with its beauty. wheel; the hub that stabilises him Shiva’s heart is the centre of the within the great cycles of cosmic change. The image is a reminder that you, too, can live from your centre and dance, celebrating life’s ups and downs, knowing that a part of you is connected to all the pulsations of time and space. Natarajasana (lord of the Dance pose) is an homage to this idea that you can be steady and joyful at your centre while change happens around you. when you make the shape of the pose, you embody both the wheel of samsara and the hub. As you settle into this backbend, balanced steadily on your standing leg – your heart lifted and open – feel free to reach a hand forward in one of several positions. either hold the hand up in a “stop in the name of love” kind of gesture that is the equivalent of the gesture of fearlessness that Shiva uses; or join the ¿rst ¿nger and thumb in Jnana mudra, the yogi’s “okay” symbol. Or simply turn the palm up in a gesture that eka pada signi¿es you are ready to surrender to the change that is afoot. urdhva Dhanurasana Yoga teacher Alanna Kaivalya’s new book Sacred Sound: Discovering the myth ONe-leggeD upwArD bOw pOSe and meaning of mantra and Kirtan is available at Amazon.com. 70 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
Natarajasana is a reminder that you, too, can live from your centre and dance lOrD Of THe DANce pOSe Natarajasana APRIL 2014 yogajournal.com.au 7 1
ammaji’s devotion An intimate conversation with Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani Interview by Diana Timmins Worldly, warm and wise, You were initially interested in studying Zen in Japan; what Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi steered you toward yoga? “I don’t think I had even heard the word ‘yoga’ before I left on a sabbatical Bhavanani – affectionately from my position as a PhD Scholar and Teaching Assistant at the University called Ammaji by her of Minnesota (US) to travel through Europe in 1965. I spent nine months in devotees – has touched Crete (Greece) while preparing to travel to Japan. There I picked up a book countless within the vast a friend left behind called Teach Yourself Yoga. It contained profound thoughts that struck my soul deeply, such as, ‘Yoga is becoming conscious yoga network. in every cell of your body’. I was enamoured with these ideas, changed plans Born and bred in America and began the overland trek to study yoga in its homeland of India in 1967.” before relocating to India at the age of 25, she is both What made you fall in love with India so much that you never wife and senior disciple of returned to America? “Perhaps it was the light, which gave such an enchanted magic to absolutely the late Yogamaharishi everything. Maybe it was the sacred smell of the earth, which I had never Dr Swami Gitananda experienced elsewhere. The simple and natural lifestyle, the exquisite Giri Guru Maharaj, who sensitive customs of daily life, the sense of holiness hovering around even pioneered the popular mundane activities; there was nothing that was not ‘familiar’ to me. I felt like someone who had come home after a long, weary exile. Receiving my Indian Rishiculture Ashtanga citizenship in 1992 was one of the happiest days of my life.” (Gitananda) Yoga system. Ammaji has many other When did you meet and marry Dr Swami Gitananda (Swamiji)? strings to her bow, including “I met Swamiji at Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry in October, 1967. He being an acclaimed radiated the most cheerful liveliness. I felt absolutely at ease with him, and accepted that this was my path and he was my guru. I joined his yoga teacher author and adviser to the training course and we were married soon after on February 25, 1968. I was Government of Pondicherry firstly his disciple, and secondly his wife; that was always our relationship. (Southern India) for its After our marriage, we spent 10 days in a cave in the Himalayas. We didn’t Annual International Yoga speak or eat the entire time, and that was our honeymoon. Swamiji was 30 years older than me, and as a swami he wasn’t supposed to marry. We faced Festival. She is also director a lot of opposition initially, although the marriage justified itself over time.” of the International Centre for Education and Research Why was Swamiji called the “Lion of Pondicherry”? (ICYER) at Ananda Ashram, “He was called this for many reasons. Later in life, he looked like a powerful which recently hosted her lion with long hair and flowing beard. He had a booming voice like a lion’s roar, and burning intensity which was often interpreted as ferocity. His roar 70th birthday celebrations, was a protection for an immensely sensitive inner life. Many misunderstood which were attended by this aspect of his personality, because a common misperception is that many worldwide followers. the guru spirit is always soft, gentle, kind and permissive. Swamiji said, ‘a kick in the back end will take you further forward than a pat on the back’. 72 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
“ Yoga is such an elastic word; it can be stretched to contain universes” Clockwise from top left: Ammaji with a young admirer; in a moment of relaxation; with Swamiji; teaching a yoga class back in 2004. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ICYER AT ANANDA ASHRAM, PONDICHERRY APRIL 2014 yogajournal.com.au 7 3
Left: Swamiji and Ammaji; below: Ammaji in July last year His only desire was that his students should change and grow, and he was prepared to use whatever means there was an incredible transformation encounter? was necessary to achieve that. The last year of his life, Swamiji did become softer. From when he began to totally fast on water on 15 November, 1993, to his exit from his body on 29 December, 1993, of the lion into a lamb.” challenges do students “The greatest problem students have is learning to live with themselves Your son, Dr Ananda Balayogi without distractions or excuses, Bhavanani, sustains the Gitananda and within a structure based on tradition by presenting to a the Three Rs: regularity, rhythm worldwide following; what hopes and repetition. The Ashram is do you hold that Ananda’s children a confined space and ego often will continue these teachings in brushes against ego. Adjustability the future? and flexibility must be cultivated “Ananda has carried his father’s tradition daily. One must learn to do into this generation brilliantly. He things not because they are has refined the teachings and made easy, pleasurable or profitable, but them more digestible for modern man. because it is right to do them. There is such an elastic word; it can be stretched Swamiji’s young grandchildren, Anandraj no escape from oneself in the Ashram. to contain universes. I think there is a and Dhivya Priya, are brought up in the One comes face-to-face with tendencies wrong way to use this old Sanskrit word. Ashram atmosphere and immersed in the of character (Vasanas), which one could One must test one’s understanding teaching in the very air they breathe. I hide from in ordinary dissipated life. of its meaning by reading scriptures am consciously trying to guide them so After some months, one learns to be more like the Upanishads, Puranas, Itihasas, they will not only follow their grandfather comfortable with who one is, qualities of Yoga Sutra and Bhagavad Gita. Asana and father’s footsteps, but be able to carry character begin to develop, and Ashram and pranayama is only the tip of the PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ICYER AT ANANDA ASHRAM, PONDICHERRY the teachings to an even greater height. living becomes easier.” iceberg. Yoga is a way of life and a state Is that not the law of evolution: that of consciousness in which one grows the father should see the son move even The understanding and practice moment by moment into an expanded higher than himself?” of yoga often differ between east field of higher, sublime consciousness.” and west; do you believe there is ICYER hosts people from various a wrong way to approach yoga? Visit icyer.com and gitananda-australia.org nationalities for annual residential “Yoga has come to mean whatever the for details regarding Gitananda Yoga teacher teacher training; what common person who utters the word wishes. It is training and events. 74 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
expert advice ask the expert Digestive and spinal problems can be relieved through regular yoga practice and breath work. Expert Mel McLaughlin advises Q tighter side of your spine and lungs actually stretches I was diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age and underwent surgery when I was 14 years old. the intercostal muscles on that side and creates greater Now in my early 30s, I still suffer from quite lung capacity, so I encourage you to focus on this type of a prominent curve of my spine and feel I am breathing as you go through the following set of postures: lacking a lot of movement and flexibility. I’m wondering what would be the best poses for gently look up and drop your belly down, tilting your me to help with my scoliosis. 1. Cat and Cow Pose. On all fours, breathe in as you pelvis forward and breathing out to round into your back, The best yoga postures for a body that is balancing out pushing into your hands and shins and drawing your navel a scoliosis in the spine are those that work on stretching to your spine. Repeat this six to 10 times to gently open the tight muscles that are compensating for the and relax your whole spine. asymmetrical imbalance and strengthening the muscles 2. Janu Sirsasana (Head to Knee Forward Bend). that are weak and stretched on the opposite side. It’s Extending the leg of your convex side and reaching across important to note this is not an attempt to straighten with the concave side arm on the opposite side towards your back but rather to give it a better relationship to its the extended foot will lengthen and stretch the muscles own natural “neutral” within your body and bring back a on your concave side. Inhale to lengthen the spine and degree of movement and flexibility. exhale to bow over the extended leg. Stay for 10-15 In addition, focus on keeping a balanced, equal weight breaths and only do the one side until you feel a change between both of your feet and legs to support your spine. in the lengthening of the tight muscles on that side, then You should also strengthen your abdominals – if these begin to incorporate the other side. You should always are weak the back muscles compensate and work harder. spend longer on the original side for balance. Breathing as deeply as possible into the concave/ photography: ChrIS aNDrE; MoDEL: JaSoN CraNDELL 76 yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
Q head to knees for five breaths; release. TEACHER I have been diagnosed with acute gastritis and am currently being This relieves accumulated gas in your treated for it, medically. I would stomach, and it also tones your digestive system and lower back. like to know if there are any yoga positions that I can include in my Supta Vajrasana (Reclining Hero Pose) beginner’s routine that will relieve 3. Vajrasana (Hero Pose). Advance to DISCOUNT or help cure my symptoms. over time if you have no knee or lower To honour all the amazing Yoga As gastritis leaves us with feelings of back issues. teachers out there doing a inflammation and gas, yoga postures to Kneel down with your toes touching fantastic job of bringing Yoga help relieve these physical symptoms and heels apart sitting on your feet; knees to the people... help harmonise, balance and comfort can be apart. Rest your palms on your the body. Likewise, the stress-reducing thighs and keep your spine lengthened benefits of a regular yoga practice, and relaxed. Breathe slowly and deeply including breath work, are wonderful through your nose. ways to calm your mind and body and Optional: recline all the way back, lying restore balance. over a bolster. Knees can separate further. Stress can decrease digestive ability 3. Savasana (Corpse Pose). This is a and increase stomach acid, making great stress buster. Lie down comfortably your condition worse. Any postures on the floor on your back, with arms out that address the yin muscle meridian and legs stretched out and slightly apart. (highways of chi energy in the body that Enjoy the benefits of being still, quiet closely follow acupuncture lines) of the and aware in your body with relaxed actual stomach/spleen – which runs in breathing for five or more minutes a day. the fronts of your thighs, hip flexors and Other great asanas to consider abdomen – are also particularly helpful, are Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), either using compression or stretching Salabhasana (Locust Pose), Salamba techniques. Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand), Halasana (Plow Pose) and Balasana (Child’s Pose). Try these daily: An experienced teacher can guide you in 1. Begin lying down comfortably on your doing these safely. back on the floor, and with your hands Practising regularly and with loving on your lower belly, take three deep belly attention, you can get great results. breaths. Let your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe. Let your mind calmly follow your breath. Mel McLaughlin is a Sydney- 2. Pavanamuktasana (Wind-Relieving based Power Vinyasa and Pose – you might want to practise this Yin yoga teacher who also one alone). Hug your right knee towards runs workshops on the Art of your chest and deeply breath six times. Assisting and Yin yoga practice Change legs and repeat. Now hug both and theory. (bodymindlife.com) legs to your chest together and hug your WRITE Do you have a question about your TO US AND yoga practice? Send it to us! The best questions will be published and win WIN! including a set of CDs featuring audio an Australian Yoga Journal prize pack, home yoga classes and music to practise CALL OR EMAIL US TO PLACE YOUR ORDER to, plus a yoga mat bag. Email editor@ Kits and Bodha clothing not included. yogajournal.com.au (with “Ask the Expert” in the Teaching qualitfication required. OFFER ENDS 15 MARCH 2014 subject line) or write to us at PO Box 81, St Leonards NSW 1590. Please include your full name, address and phone number. TEL 02 8005 0538 www.ecoyogastore.com.au [email protected] APRIL 2014
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home practice light up Start your day on the right note with energising poses that support your immune system and fill you with a sense of well-being By Claire Missingham phoTogrAphy: MIChAel wInokur; Model: ClAIre MISSInghAM; STylIST: lyn heIneken; hAIr/MAkeup: CASSIe ChApMAn/ArTIST unTIed the practice mind-body bene¿ts key focal points According to Tantric texts, the Imagine the space between your In our first hours out of bed, we hridaya (heart) centre is a space in naturally move slowly. To get you collarbones and sternum as a triangle going in the morning, this sequence throughout your practice. To keep the upper chest, just behind the heart awakens and opens the shoulders, chakra, where purity is thought to the triangle from collapsing inward, move the shoulders back and the reside. Chest openers let you tap upper chest, hips and thighs bit by bit breastbone up. Consider using silent into this heart space, opening and builds up to energising backbends. Some yogis believe these chest affirmations to align your mind you up to compassion and kind- towards a positive day ahead. openers stimulate the thymus gland, heartedness, acceptance, courage and your emotions. an important part of the immune system that sits under the breastbone. Yogajournal.com.au 7 9 APRIL 2014
home practice befoRe you begIn Take 3 rounds of Surya namaskar (Sun Salutation), breathing deeply 2 AnjAneyASAnA low lunge 1 Adho MukhA SvAnASAnA and slightly elongating the downwArd FACIng dog poSe Step your right foot between your hands. exhalation until the breath is even, Come into Adho Mukha Svanasana. drop your left knee to the mat and raise rich and steady. Inhale and silently Internally rotate your inner thighs your arms alongside your ears. See that say, “My wellness is my focus today”. and broaden your sitting bones. exhale your right knee is aligned over its heel exhale and say, “My whole body is and then draw the belly back softly. and that your pelvis is neutral. Take filled with an energising life force”. Breathe in the pose for 5 to 10 breaths. 5 deep breaths here. repeat poses on other side 5 through 8 6 hIgh Lunge vArIATIon 7 vIRAbhAdRASAnA III 8 ARdhA MAtSyendRASAnA keeping your back leg very strong and wArrIor poSe III, vArIATIon hAlF lord oF The FISheS poSe straight and your hips aligned, interlace Inhale, shift your weight onto your right exhale, release your hands to the mat. your fingers behind you. Aim to open your leg, straighten your right knee and raise Bend your knees and place the left one chest as much as possible as you press your your left leg to hip height, left toes facing outside your right heel to sit. Bring your left clasped hands back and up, away from the down. Breathe here for 5 breaths, using elbow outside the right knee. Take 5 breaths. tailbone. Take 1 deep breath. your clasped hands for balance. Then repeat poses 5 to 8 on other side. 12 APAnASAnA kneeS-To-CheST poSe 13 bAddhA konASAnA 14 PASchIMottAnASAnA on your back, take your hands to your Bound Angle poSe SeATed ForwArd Bend knees and squeeze them into your chest to Bring your feet together, open your knees extend the legs forward and flex your feet. neutralise your spine. relax the full length and press outer thighs down. Take your wrap the first two fingers of each hand of your spine, especially your midback, into hands behind you. press your sitting bones around your big toes. Inhale; lift your heart. the floor. Breathe deeply for up to 10 down, open your chest and inhale as your exhale; lengthen your spine. keep the upper breaths before sitting up. chin slightly lifts. Stay for 5 to 10 breaths. chest open while you enjoy 10 breaths. 80 Yogajournal.com.au APRIL 2014
repeat poses 1 through 4 on other side 3 LIzARd Lunge vArIATIon 4 utthItA tRIkonASAnA 5 hIgh Lunge exhale, bring your hands to the mat and exTended TrIAngle poSe Come to standing. Step your left leg back turn your right foot out. Bend your left knee Turn your right foot in. Come onto your left into a lunge, right knee over your right heel. and reach your right hand back to your left toes, straighten both legs and spin your left raise your arms alongside your ears. foot, squeezing it toward your seat. Turn heel down. right hand rests on mat; left lengthen the sides of your waist, open your your chest open and back. Stay for 5 hand reaches up; chest spins open. Take 5 chest, draw your tailbone under and keep breaths. Then release your left foot. breaths. Then do poses 1 to 4 on other side. your back leg strong. Stay for 5 breaths. 9 SuPtA vIRASAnA 10 uStRASAnA CAMel poSe 11 uRdhvA dhAnuRASAnA reClInIng hero poSe kneel with your shins hip-distance apart. upwArd Bow poSe with a bolster placed lengthwise behind with your hands on your hips, engage lie on your back. with feet on the mat and you, sit down between your heels. recline the quadriceps and glutes and bring your hands by your head, press down firmly to lift onto your forearms and then onto the tailbone under. lift your ribs, creating space into the backbend. Internally rotate upper bolster. extend your arms overhead. Take between them. Arch up and back and reach thighs. keep your tailbone long. enjoy 5 10 breaths, then slowly come up. for your ankles or feet. Stay for 5 breaths. breaths, come down and repeat twice more. 15 goMukhASAnA 16 SIddhASAnA AdepT’S poSe to fInISh Cow FACe poSe, vArIATIon Sit with your right leg in front. with an lie down to take Savasana (Corpse Sit up, bend your knees and stack the open chest and tall spine, bring your pose) for at least 5 minutes. right knee on top of the left. hold the hands to rest on your thighs or knees, big toes with your first two fingers and palms down. Close your eyes and enjoy 10 root down with the sitting bones. Sit slow breaths and a final affirmation, such for 3 breaths before switching legs. as “Today I will do all things with love”. APRIL 2014
experience ashram life A visit to Phool Chatti Ashram, Rishikesh, India By Samantha Glass The chalky, powder-blue waters of the River Ganges, where it spills out of the Himalaya and on to the epic range’s foothills in India, are deceivingly fast and treacherous. Ganga Mai (Mother Ganges) or the Holy Ganga – as it is referred to by most Indians – is a force to be respected. Here in the north its course is narrow, its speed and volume are powerful and people hang off chains to be cleansed by it. Hindus worship the sacred watercourse 82 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU APRIL 2014
love the PLANET PLANET S P E C I A L PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEXANDER RUCH; ILLUSTRATIONS THROUGHOUT FEATURE: ©iSTOCK.COM/FYECRYSTAL APRIL 2014 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU 8 3
experience that runs for 800 kilometres across India as storytelling.India overflows with Through the guiding emails of a goddess. As well as providing a source of intricately crafted artworks and Christine Maconachie, an Australian life for the millions that rely upon her spectacular religious ceremonies that woman who has been following the yogic precious gift to survive, the Ganges’ fast- represent Hindu mythology. They involve path since 1969, I find Phool Chatti moving waters are believed to purify the Gods and demons and – more often than Ashram. Maconachie, locally known as soul by absorbing a person’s impurities and not – a love interest. Given the stories have “Chrissi-Ji”, will volunteer in her third carrying them away. been passed down through generations season as a karma yogi in the upcoming I am drawn to explore ashram life in by storytellers, not writers, they also vary Indian spring of 2014. Having first visited Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India – depending on who is telling the tale. I was the ashram as a guest in 2013, Chrissi-Ji known dually as the Gateway baffled by the different incarnations of supports the local team in welcoming to the Himalaya and the Vishnu, the churning of the ocean of milk yoga devotees from across the world. World Capital of Yoga that led to the recreation of the universe, Now in her 60s, Chrissi-Ji says spending – while searching for a why elephants and tortoises would fight time in Phool Chatti Ashram has been the better understanding and why Garuda – the king of the birds greatest journey of her life: “It is simply of India’s exotic and a messenger between the gods and awesome to spend such quality time with men – would need to eat Vishnu’s arm like-minded people. We all learn and before realising he was divine in nature. grow with one another.” These fantastic stories have captured the hearts and minds of Indians for A FAMED OASIS centuries, proposing peace, the fight Famously known as the home of the against evil and a need to understand that Maharishi Mahesh Ashram where the we are all connected. Beatles are reported to have written The 84 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU APRIL 2014
A day at the Phool Chatti ashram Wake-up bell 5:30 am Meditation 6:00 to 6:30 am Chanting 6:30 to 6:45 am Neti Pot 6:45 to 7:00 am Cleansing Pranayama 7:00 to 7:15 am Yoga asana 7:15 to 8:45 am Breakfast 9:00 am Meditative Walk 10:30 to 12:30 pm Lunch 12:30 pm Tea Time after lunch Lecture & 3:00 to 4:00 pm Discussion For me, Phool Chatti stands out as an the tranquil surrounds begin to guide you Yoga asana 4:00 to 5:30 pm oasis of calm, beauty and simplicity. It’s towards reflection early in your visit. Pranayama 5:30 to 5:45 pm modest and, being located two kilometres At first glance, the ashram schedule from the closest town, it’s quiet – which appears gruelling. The day starts at 5:30am, Temple Pooja Sunset is something of a blessing in India. Its includes several yoga asana classes and a Chanting & after Pooja intimate and compact seven-day courses daily walk, and the evening meditation can Bhajans allow students to explore a range of yoga finish after 10pm. There is certainly no Dinner 7:30 pm and meditation styles while offering a time to be bored and sleep comes quickly Guided gentle introduction to ashram life. once your head reaches your hard, yet 8:30 pm – 9:00 pm Meditation The people are kind and the vegetarian somehow still comfortable pillow. cuisine is divine. On a warm afternoon, Each activity is undertaken with purpose White Album in 1968, Rishikesh has long the air is filled with the scent of the red and it’s not long before your footsteps been a magnet for gurus, sadhus, yogis and roses planted in abundance throughout slow, your vibration calms and you allow devotees. There are plenty of ashrams and the grounds. The racing water’s edge yourself to dive into self-exploration. The even more yoga centres to choose from in is just metres away. Languid walks will schedule starts slowly, building throughout and around the two small, grimy, fly-filled introduce you to birds, butterflies and the week to include lighter activities, such villages of Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula – more than likely – groups of playful as laughing yoga and the deeper spiritual in Rishikesh. monkeys. The gentle pace of people and rituals of Pooja (a sunset prayer ceremony APRIL 2014 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU 8 5
experience after which devotees float flower offerings down the river) and Kirtan (chanting hymns and singing). OPEN YOUR MIND Unlike some of the larger ashrams in the region, Phool Chatti does not have gurus with millions of supporters, vast and intricate temples, extensive yoga halls or hundreds of students in residence. I find visiting evening Pooja at the nearby and slightly ominous Parmath Niketan Ashram, where a giant Shiva statue sits guard over the riverbank, more enjoyable after participating in ceremonies at Phool Chatti. Having been guided through the rituals, I am better able to follow the proceedings amongst the larger crowds along the riverbank. Although prior knowledge of yoga is Chrissi-Ji says an understanding that the not required for a visit to the ashram, yoga path covers breathing, cleansing, chanting and meditation as well as the asanas is beneficial to your visit. But, she says the most important thing “is to have an open heart and mind”. With such an active schedule, meal- time is something to look forward to. The daily changing menu consists of a variety of mouth-wateringly delicious curries, the salads are fresh and I don’t come across anyone with an upset stomach. On day five, we received an insight into the eightfold path of yoga why the meals are so fresh and pleasing to the tastebuds. A tour of the ashram takes Through my short visit to a small, relaxed ashram, I also discover that the eight-fold us to the cow stables and here we find a path of yoga is an integral part of the Hindu religion. It may be a visit to temple, an handful of happy bovines. In the warmer offering to a God or a prayer at home but it is part of their everyday life. months they’re cooled by mechanical fans and are regularly soothed with daily 1. Yama (moral conduct) prana or breath, the subtle aspects — Bliss, Peace, sessions of music and chanting. Do not harm others or life currents in the body. Cosmic Light, Cosmic Why is the cow sacred to Hindus? covet. Be truthful. Sound, Love, Wisdom — 5. Pratyahara Why in the madness of an Indian city all-pervading throughout 2. Niyama (religious Looking inward, withdrawal street-scene do trucks and cars and the whole universe. observances) of the senses from external cyclists swerve around cows? The answer Purity of body and mind, objects. 8. Samadhi is quite simple: as is the case at Phool contentment in all The ultimate goal of the Chatti, the cow continues to offer milk 6. Dharana circumstances, self- eightfold path to yoga is Focused concentration; long after its calf requires it. discipline, self-study samadhi or absolute bliss. holding the mind to one (contemplation), and This is pure contemplation, thought or object. SILENT REFLECTION devotion to God and guru. superconsciousness, in 7. Dhyana which you and the universe Talking is discouraged, except with 3. Asana Meditation, absorption are one. Those who have teachers or over a cup of chai following Correct postures. in the vast perception of achieved samadhi are the lunch and evening meals. Meals are 4. Pranayama Control of God in one of His infinite enlightened. eaten in silence and with mindfulness. 86 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU APRIL 2014
It makes sense. All too often we scoff down a wonderful meal without tasting it or appreciating how it nourishes our bodies. We don’t always eat in consideration of the care that has gone into a meal’s preparation. At the ashram you’re reminded to think of these things. The focus on silence is also in consideration of your fellow yogis. Casual chit-chat when others are focused on self- reflection may not always be welcome. We so often seek peace and quiet and time to reflect. A visit to an ashram allows you this space. It allows you to refresh your body and your mind and to focus on you. I love music, especially live music, so my absolute favourite time of the day is during kirtan. Shortly after evening prayer, which is performed by the permanent ashram residents and local Hindus at the small yet colourfully-lit temple, kirtan is practised in the pillow-filled meditation hall. journey, I come out of kirtan grinning from ear to ear, gliding Each evening the vast majority of us sing our hearts out, chanting simple versus in Hindi, professing our connection to the universe and thus to each other. Backed by the shrill of dozens of shakers, hand cymbals, guitars, drums and a harmonium, our collective voices are barely audible above the din, providing me with the courage to participate loudly and proudly. Even on days when I struggle with my personal over the earth. It is an utterly uplifting experience. By the end of my stay, I leave India with a greater knowledge of Hindu mythology, even if its differing tales have tested my understanding, and a greater appreciation for a slower more thoughtful existence courtesy of my visit to Phool Chatti ashram. Fact file Getting there Fly – Delhi to Dehradun (45 minute flight, 20 min taxi to Rishikesh) Train – Delhi to Haridwar (5 hours + 30 min taxi to Rishikesh) Car – Delhi to Rishikesh (6-7 hours) APRIL 2014
expert advice ask the mentor Simon Borg-Olivier advises on ways to approach apparent leg length differences in students I was assisting in a restorative class today and noticed during Viparita Karani (with bolster) that many heels against the wall were uneven – one person’s leg was over an inch shorter than the other. What poses can teachers prescribe students to do at home to help with this realignment? When this pose is shown it seems to look perfect but in reality I wonder how many people are uneven? If a teacher perceives that a student has postures so that the leg lengths will feel regions around the lower trunk and hip. a difference in leg length while they have essentially the same on both sides for the Possible reason 3: the spine may their hips resting on bolsters in Viparita spine and trunk. be twisted with some type of scoliosis Karani (legs up the wall), it can be for a Possible reason 2: one of the hips and this may cause one hip bone (hemi- number of reasons. might be compressed, perhaps having pelvis) to be further away from the floor Possible reason 1: the bones of the lost a significant amount of hip cartilage than the other hip bone legs may be actually different lengths in In this case, the principles for reason In this case, it may be possible to each lower limb 1 can also be applied as stated above, but correct the problem by addressing the In this case, it is very difficult to correct the student would also need to address trunk and spine itself. The trunk and the problem. My recommendation is the compressed hip and emphasise spine need to be mobilised in four main that the student does their practice decompressing, lengthening and planes – forwards and backwards, left wearing at least one specially fitted shoe relaxing the compressed hip and perhaps side to right side, twisting to left and ILLUSTRATION: DONNA GRETHEN. BACKGROUND ILLUSTRATION: ©iSTOCK.COM/MXTAMA. that essentially increases the length of minimising weight bearing postures. It twisting to right and lengthening and that leg in the same way someone may is also important to enhance the flow shortening (although most people have wear this type of shoe for walking. If of blood through the hip region using enough shortening due to the effects they do not wish to wear this type of techniques such as long slow breathing of gravity). These spinal movements shoe while practising yoga because of with a mental focus on the hip, spinal and combinations of them can free up its limitations, a simpler alternative with movements and non-weight bearing hip the spine, and with persistent gentle its own limitations is to keep both knees circling movements. It is also important effort, they can often realign a twisted slightly bent, with the longer leg bent not to restrict the flow of blood through spine with significant positive results. more than the shorter leg, in all standing the hip region by over-tensing the The two keys to success with this 88 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU APRIL 2014
sort of work are to (1) emphasise the In each case where there is real movements of the spine and shoulders asymmetry (Reasons 1, 2 and 3), one and not overdo the movements of the strategy that may be used is to exercise hips and the neck in the beginning; and in a slightly asymmetrical fashion. If (2) use natural diaphragmatic breathing a posture, movement or breathing while moving the trunk and spine in exercise seems easier on one side than order to reciprocally relax the muscles of the other side, then a simple general rule abdominal exhalation, which people tend to apply while practising yoga is to do to over-use in order to hold their navel the more difficult side first, followed by towards their spine, and which often the easy side and then repeat on the easy WRITE TO make the spine rigid and tense. side again. In all this type of work it is US AND Possible reason 4: the student may important never to force any movement WIN! simply be sitting unevenly on the bolster and to always practise in a way that is and appear to have a leg length difference respectful and loving to yourself. In this case, there is probably no Do you have a question about problems with the hip – just a matter of Simon Borg-Olivier MSc teaching you’d like answered? Let us know! Published questions will rearranging the bolster. However, it is BAppSc (Physiotherapy) is a receive a FindYoga.com.au teacher worth the teacher noting if the student co-director of Yoga Synergy listing for one year, valued at $180. NSW 1590. Please include your full repeatedly does this (having one leg higher in Sydney, NSW. For Email us at [email protected] than the other) every time they do the information on yoga, yoga (with “Ask the Mentor” in the subject line), message us on our Facebook page posture. If they appear to have this habit therapy and teacher training, or write to us at PO Box 81, St Leonards every time, it may cause an imbalance in head to yogasynergy.com. the muscles of the trunk. name, address and phone number. FOUNDATION TRAINING COURSE YOGA THERAPY FOR KIDS AT THIS COURSE YOU WILL LEARN: AT THIS COURSE YOU WILL LEARN: All the components that make up great An understanding of yoga therapy and how it children’s yoga classes: Ages 3-8,9-12, 13-17 works The skills to be a good, engaging and inspiring The specific corrective exercises for the top 10 Kids Yoga teacher issues being faced by children and teens today: ADD, ASTHMA, DIABETES, COLDS, Teaching and designing classes that will leave CONCENTRATION, STRESS, BACK ISSUES, each and every child feeling happy, empowered DIGESTION, WEIGHT, DEPRESSION and believing in themselves How to deal with each condition on a physical, The privilege and opportunity of touching the mental and emotional level lives and making a difference for children The Zenergy Teacher Training Courses were developed with nearly 20 years of experience and over 10,000 hours of classroom time, teaching 1,000s of children of all ages. The founder of Zenergy, Loraine Rushton, was instrumental in bringing yoga into the Australian School System and is the featured teacher in ABC Television’s “Yoga For Children” DVD. Endorsed by IYTA 2014 COURSES TAKING PLACE IN: SYDNEY • SUNSHINE COAST • MELBOURNE • PERTH • ADELAIDE • BRISBANE Foundation / Advanced Courses Registered with YA 0411 163 198 www.zenergyyoga.com
media news & reviews Our pick of the latest stuff to read, watch, listen to, download and get involved in food co-op and craft market, musical performances and a number of first- stage. Those looking for a full yoga class yoga sessions held at the main experience can upgrade to a Secure Your Spot option or premium ticket package. Check the websites for prices. FESTIVAL Wanderlust will feature an unparalleled mix of DATES: syd.wanderlustfestival.com immersive yoga sessions, cutting-edge Wanderlust in the City – Melbourne mel.wanderlustfestival.com musical performances, organic eats South Beach Reserve, St Kilda akl.wanderlustfestival.com and unique outdoor activities. Victoria Labour Day – Monday, March 10 Wanderlust, the world’s largest Line-ups will welcome renowned Wanderlust in the City – Auckland and fastest-growing yoga and music yoga teachers, lifestyle gurus and Lakeside Park, Western Springs platform, is inviting yogis to roll out leaders of green living, along with a Sunday, March 23 their mats across Australasia during broad range of top DJs, musicians and its debut series of Wanderlust in the performing artists. Wanderlust in the City – Sydney City, Downunder. Wanderlust in the City will offer The Domain, Royal Botanic Gardens Taking place in March at iconic several elements that are free to the Sunday, March 30 parks, the three day-long events general public, including an organic and her partner Ananda. As music into yoga classes with with Dale Nougher, one of the name suggests, Kirtronica outfits like Sydney based Australia’s first exponents of combines kirtan (call and duo The Future Sound of ambient/electronic music, to response mantra chanting) Yoga, combining a DJ set produce Rasa Mandala in 2012. with electronic dance music. featuring dance remixes of Kirtronica is reminiscent of Kirtan has blossomed on the popular artists like Moby and Rasa Mandala. Both Jaya and coat-tails of yoga’s growing Massive Attack with guided Carmella are seasoned kirtan popularity, with kirtan artists yoga and dance. singers with beautiful voices. BACKGROUND ILLUSTRATION: ©iSTOCK.COM/MXTAMA like Krishna Das and Jai Uttal The current trend to On Kirtronica, the result is a MUSIC Kirtronica headlining yoga festivals and combine kirtan with dance seven track CD of melodious Jaya Lakshmi with Ananda, winning music awards. music is the latest presentation mantras set to synthesised jayalakshmiandananda.com Australian yoga students of kirtan in the yoga world. beats, perfect as background Kirtronica is the latest album would be familiar with the In Australia, kirtan pioneer, music for an energetic, flow- from US-based Jaya Lakshmi trend towards bringing dance Carmella Baynie joined forces style yoga class. 90 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU APRIL 2014
WEBSITE routines, from a Wake Ten Minute Tone Up and Greet the Day Katie Brown, workout to an Evening tenminutetone.com.au Wind Down and Relax Time-poor parents can session. work out and relax at the There are also touch of a button, thanks to a routines for specific parts new online yoga and meditation of the body such as neck, website launched by mum-of-three, shoulders and abs. More workouts will Katie Brown. Brown is a senior yoga regularly be added to the site. instructor with the International Yoga As well as the exercise routines, Teachers Association and a well- there are 10-minute relaxations and Worth respected pregnancy, post natal and meditations – including the Rainbow your time baby yoga teacher. Relaxation – which is aimed at kids. Ten Minute Tone offers a variety Check out the website and take a free BOOK of yoga-based 10-minute exercise trial today. The gift of kindness Edgar’s mission, edgarsmission.org.au You might have read about Edgar’s Mission on page 46 (“Karma yoga”). MUSIC EVE It’s a not-for-profit sanctuary for Angelique Kidjo, Universal Music Australia rescued farmed animals. The mission Arguably one of the most powerful female was founded by Pam Ahern and singers of our generation, Grammy Award named after her first rescued pig, winning singer/songwriter/activist Angelique Edgar Allan Pig. The farm sanctuary Kidjo has released EVE, a vibrant new currently provides life-long love and collection of songs dedicated to the power care to over 300 rescued animals. of African womanhood, particularly those This beautifully heart-warming women she grew up with in her native Benin. book is a collection of photographs Produced by Patrick Dillett (David and stories of Edgar’s Mission Byrne, Fatboy Slim), EVE, named after residents, including Ruby the Kidjo’s mother, is a joyous musical ode to the pride, beauty and strength of adorable purebred sheep dog who African women and their worldwide socio-cultural influence. The recording wasn’t cut out for a working life; showcases Kidjo’s extraordinary musical vision as realised by remarkable Macho the alpaca who was rescued players as well as women’s choirs from several African villages in Benin and from a neglectful farmer; Burpy Kenya singing in a wide array of native Beninese languages including Fon, the movie-star pig; and Bubbles and Yoruba, Goun and Mina. Babe, the blind sheep. You’ll fall in Joining Kidjo on the CD is an exciting mix of new and well-known love with all of them. It’s amazing a musicians including Dr John, Rostamm Btmanglij (Vampire Weekend), far a little kindness can go. The Kronos Quartet and the Orchestra Philharmonique du Luxumbourg. All royalties from the sale of the book go to Edgar’s Mission. DVD Chakradance chakradance.com The world’s fastest-growing The DVD features with a closing meditation. healing dance practice now everything that happens in The soundtrack is also offers a dance-class-at-home a live Chakradance class, available as a CD, but this DVD. Blending free-form from the opening meditation extended-play DVD also dance with music created and warm-up through to the includes three additional to resonate with each of dances – each with guided tracks, as well as artworks by the seven major chakras, visualisations as voice-overs – UK-based artist Bill Brouard. Chakradance aims to liberate then into a session of mandala All the music was co-created and rebalance the energies art-making to help you by Chakradance founder flowing through your chakras, illustrate whatever feeling or – Sydney-born Natalie opening you to a deeper experience has come up for you Southgate – and Sydney-based experience of life. in the dances before finishing producer Dale Nougher. APRIL 2014 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU 9 1
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the ayj interview pure place, there was no alcohol, no talking, you just listened. I was about 10 or 11 and played my first song there. Now and then one of the older guys would teach me something on the guitar and then I started performing with them sometimes. How did you meet? Prem It was in 2000. We met at a party at the Crystal Waters Permaculture Village. We sat around the fire and peaceful sang songs to each other and laughed and laughed. Jethro was renovating his cottage, listening to my voice on the Tribal Williams, 40, met in 2000 and, after an intense ground Trance albums, before we met. When I walked in to that cottage, I just felt like I was at home. We got together that day and I’ve never left. Pioneers of the Australian ambient music How was Sacred Earth born? scene, husband and wife Jethro, 36, and Prem Jethro We initially went straight into music and busking and at the same time we took over my family business, the period of studying yoga and meditation, Sacred Earth Native Nursery. We went touring together but formed the devotional music duo Sacred Earth. after a couple of years, we decided we really wanted to be Prem’s soul-stirring voice, Jethro’s sublime yoga teachers and that music wasn’t for the long term, for family – we were playing late nights at venues where people musicianship and their songs about connection were drinking. We were living with this polarity in our lives. to the earth and spirit transport the listener to So I put my instruments away. But three weeks into the yoga a state of deep peace. Sales of their CDs have teacher training in 2002 we got roped into kirtan. topped 200,000, they’ve travelled the world Prem We stepped out of music and into studying yoga. There was a sense of connecting with that quiet place within playing their music and teaching yoga and they ourselves and doing lots of meditation and yoga and playing recently had a son together. Yet it is only in kirtan, so it went from that very egoic “here I am, hear me the past 12 months that Prem and Jethro have roar” to just being very contained. The music of Sacred Earth finally felt settled in the life they have made was born from that place, music that was very grounded and together. By Tamsin Angus-Leppan peaceful. I had to trust that – I’d come from this place that was all about hype and dancing. It was very different to What sort of musical training did you grow up with? what either of us had played before. We saw so many people Prem I was given a very grounded yet free upbringing, in touched on a deep level. Melbourne and Tasmania, but didn’t come to music till I was about 24. I’ve never had lessons. My brother was in a band What’s next for you? called Tribal Trance, so I sort of fell into music. Tribal Trance Prem Our baby is a bit older and the new songs have was a band full of boys with a lot of testosterone, drums started coming. We’ve just bought our first home and and didgeridoos – very primal – performing at markets and relocated back to the Sunshine Coast. We just did our first festivals. It gave me licence to explore and develop my voice; Bali retreats. We love our life. I sang my feelings in my own sort of language. Jethro In the last 12 months we have embraced that this is PHOTOGRAPHY: KOUKEI PHOTOGRAPHY Jethro I grew up in a household of musicians and my what we do in life. There’s no more wrestling with it. stepdad helped run a venue once a month in a little town called Cooran on the Sunshine Coast. You’d get quite To find out more about Sacred Earth, head to sacredearthmusic.com well known artists performing. Because it was such a 98 YOGAJOURNAL.COM.AU APRIL 2014
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