Random Thoughts

It is time to sit back and examine myself thoroughly. My intentions, my expectations from myself, my responsibilities, my (lacking) ambitions.Time to introspect, friends!

I have been reading "Anne Of Green Gables". As a result Anne's trait rubbed off on me. This morning while coming back home after teaching yoga, I let my imagination run wild. I let myself imagine my life as a very occupied and respected yoga teacher and of course a very "in demand" teacher as well. There was a yogic air about me ;) not the snobbish kind but very pleasant, peaceful kind. Some gifted individuals could see my aura too.

Here I am.Sitting at the dining table in the air conditioned comfort of my home. I am back from India, almost 2 weeks ago. The trip was good but it left me unsatisfied on so many different levels.

I was browsing the templates for the blog. I was bored of looking at the same dark background of my blog and wanted a little color added to it. A little activity in other wise routine life. It's pathetic that something as trivial as changing a blog template could be my idea of making life interesting and could be highlight of my weekend.

Past couple of months have been like this. Real drag. I have been busy all along with kids activities, work, teaching yoga and everything else but doing it over and over and over day after day…well, you get the idea.

I have noticed that every couple of years this cycle repeats and then I realize that I have to make a trip back home to recharge my batteries.

Then calling up a few travel agents and shopping around for tickets starts. As soon as tickets are purchased the mind gets busy planning finer details. How many days at in-laws place and how many days with parents. The same negotiations year after year. I will always feel that I did not get enough time with my family. There is not point in even trying to find any solution for this problem.

The way my vacation is spent is also very set in its ways.

Go meet all relatives and extended family and have small talk.

Try to get out of a few such if possible. Eat lunches and dinners with them. (These are the times I secretly feel happy to be living thousands of miles away. Not having to attend baby showers, naming ceremonies, threading ceremonies, wedding showers, weddings seems priceless)

Take the same old gifts for everyone.

Shop for sarees, fabric and get the salwar suits stitched and buy a couple of readymade clothes.

Visit the same old food joints and restaurants.

Visit book stores and stock up on books.

Catch a movie or two in the multiplexes.

Squeeze some time in to meet friends from school, college, my first job. There is a certain satisfaction (ok call me sadist now) when I come to know that even my close friends who live in the same town hardly meet each other. I feel better thinking I am not missing out on much.

So, this time around we decided to change things a little. We are going to visit Himachal Pradesh and enjoy some sight seeing. Hopefully we will do this on all our trips in future.

Before I know it, it is time to come back to my adopted homeland.

I never shed tears leaving India for some reason. I am always ready to come back. I feel great when I come back to my cocooned life "here" after the sensory overload "there".

The huge and clean bathrooms, electricity that hardly ever goes out, maids that do show up on scheduled time (even though it is not a daily luxury that I can afford), the artificially heated or cooled air, uninterrupted high speed internet connection; I drown in such little pleasures of American life for next couple of year until those very comforts start to make me feel miserable and my heart starts to ache for India trip.

Some things never change. I think I am absolutely ready for a change or am I?

Every India trip I see a lot of changes there. New big malls, subway, McDonalds, KFCs popping up everywhere. That bothers me a LOT. I am not ready for that kind of change. More about that may be when I come back from India.

In the mean while let me know if Gandhi said anything about the change the change that you do not want to see in the world!

Now attempting to answer Amanda's questions

This all started when I read the link posted on metta yoga's page on face book.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2010/04/shukla_and_chopra_the_great_yoga_debate.html

"Shukla responds, April 28 : Dr. Chopra, honor thy heritage"

I agree fully with what Mr.Shukla writes in this particular response. I simply can not divide the philosophy/science of yoga with hindu way of living. They are so closely intertwined. Implying that Mr. Shukla has fundamentalist agenda is a huge accusation and to me it did not seem that way at all.

Yoga indeed is for All of the humanity people from all religions. Having said that it does not hurt to acknowledge its origins.

I grew up in India, I never saw my grand mothers practice physical yoga postures at all but they always talked about reincarnation, karma and attaining moksha. To me these are concepts in sanatana dharma. I know that the great seers/sages/rishis in India did not coin the term Hindu but the way of life they prescribed and what was passed down in vedas/upanishads/Geeta/puranas are the roots of yoga philosophy AND that is the path / life style adopted by people who later came to be known as Hindus. They are very Hindu scriptures IMO.

The sages did not claim yoga to be Hindu because it was for all who wanted to practice it.Those seers were not so narrow minded. I can not separate it from teachings that were imbibed in me.

“Sarve Bhavantu Sukhina ,

Sarve Santu Niramaya

Sarve Bhadrani Pashyantu ,

Maa Kaschit Dukha Bhagh Bhavet”

May all be happy;

May all be without disease;

May all have well-being;

May none have misery of any sort.

(you all know this one in the yoga world)"

are considered hindu prayers BUT do they ask happiness for the followers of this path alone? Hell NO.It is a prayer for entire spectrum of living beings not just humans. Something that is and was intended for the universe can't be and should not be tied down to any religion. But, be grateful to where it came from.

Indian govt.has not patented yoga postures in the past but now I hear that they are going to do it. I think they have no choice but to do it . They are driven to that action. Good for them I say.

I remember growing up, reading about some US based company trying to patent turmeric and India won that case in international court. For centuries billions of people are using turmeric in daily cooking knowing its health benefits and then why should they let some foreign company own the knowledge?

I am only thrilled to see so many westerners practicing yoga and reading about it and writing books on yoga. I am trilled because it is a part of my upbringing and heritage. I don't need any royalty from anyone. I just want people to enjoy its abundant benefits without copy writing or trademarking. The knowledge and wisdom in vedas, upanishadas, Geeta is for ALL of us but please dont deny its roots in sanatana dharma.

I found a nice article explaining how yogic breathing(pranayam) works.

http://www.sakthifoundation.org/Air_how_works.htm

I have compiled a few things from my notes and books for you to read.

Breath

Prana means breath, respiration, life, vitality, wind, energy.

Ayam means length, stretching, expansion or restrain.

In simple terms it can be explained as yogic breathing exercises.

How do we breathe? We all breathe in 3 parts

• Inhalation – Inspiration (puraka)
• Exhalation – Exhalation (rechaka)
• Retention – Holding the breath (kumbhaka)

Physical Aspect: In the first stage of breathing, the diaphragm descends causing the abdomen to expand filling in the lower part of lungs. In the second stage intercostals muscles expand the rib cage filling the middle part of lungs with air and lastly our collar bones lift up filling air in the top part of the lungs.

Simple Breathing Techniques

Abdominal Breathing – Laying on your back in corpse pose breath slowly and deeply.

Make proper use of diaphragm.

Feel your belly rise as you inhale and feel it sinking as you exhale.

Full Yogic Breathing – Sit with your legs crossed and back straight.

Keep one hand on abdomen and one on your rib cage gently.

When you inhale, feel the belly expand first then the rib cage and then chest.

As you exhale observe the lower lungs emptied first then the middle and top part at the end.

There are also many other yogic breathing practices namely, Bhasrika(bellows breathing), kapalbhati(breath of fire/skull shining), Anulom-Vilom(alternate nostril breathing/nadi-shodhana),Bhramaree(sounds like bee humming), sitkaree, sitalee .

Hints and cautions about practicing pranayama

Prana should be tamed more slowly and more gradually than lions, elephants and tigers.

• One should gain sufficient proficiency in Asanas and gain strength and discipline arising there from.
• Practice on an empty stomach. Evacuate bowels and bladder before your practice.
• Allow at least 6 hours to elapse after a meal before practicing pranayam
• Preferably should be done in the early morning or after sunset.
• Sit in a comfortable posture with back absolutely erect from the base of the spine to the neck.
• Practice in a clean airy place
• No strain on facial muscles. Tongue should be kept passive. Eyes should be closed to keep the mind from wandering.
• Measure your own capacity and never exceed it.
• Asanas should not be practiced immediately after Pranayama
• Never practice when exhausted.

So, I finally got the "Enlighten Up" movie from Netflix last week. I had read about it in the yoga blogosphere a LOT and was very curious to watch it myself.

Some times we grown ups unnecessarily complicate things and make it sound too complex. I have to share conversation I had last night with my 6.5 year old dear daughter who will be addressed as DD in the rest of this post.

Its been a long gap since my last post.

Arriving to this space after a long gap. The last post of this year. Days just keep crawling but years fly by. Time to reflect on the past year.

The Yoga Saga Continues....

Dear Dhanashri, It has come to our attention that a Mr. Govinda Vishnu from Pasadena, Texas, is contacting yoga studios and schools throughout the country, both YA registered and unregistered, implying that he represents or acts on behalf of Yoga Alliance. We understand that persons contacted by Mr. Vishnu are told that the type of yoga they teach is not a pure form of yoga, is a violation of YA'sCode of Conduct and that YA will be bringing a lawsuit to close their studio or school. Yoga Alliance has also been advised that Mr. Vishnu claims to represent an organization named Gitanjali International, which he claims is the supreme authority of yoga and the only official yoga registry in the United States, Canada, South America and Europe. He further asserts that if those he contacts do not comply with his demands he will bring legal action against them. Mr. Vishnu is not affiliated with Yoga Alliance in any manner. His unwelcome and misleading communications are of deep concern to us. We are exploring our options with law enforcement authorities in Texas and at the Federal level regarding Mr. Vishnu's statements and threats. Should Mr. Vishnu make contact with you please contact me on our toll free number 888-921-YOGA (9642) to report the incident, and should you feel threatened by him please contact your local police department. Sincerely, R. Mark Davis President & CEO

I have been following Linda's yoga blog for a few months and have been reading a few other yoga blogs(American) along the way.

I see a lot of things written about the yoga in the west . There are arguments and counter arguments. There is actually a debate going on about American yoga, the branding of yoga in different styles.

I could not stop laughing after reading a comment on Brenda's blog post . The commentator mentioned that during a discussion after a yoga class a gentleman(who is from India but living the USA for over 20 years)said that

“You Americans make everything so dramatic! It’s only stretching.” I really agree with that comment, about dramatizing things. Sure YOGA is much more than stretching, as you go deeper in your practice, you move from just the asana practice towards more meditative aspects of YOGA. But the key is, as a teacher, one should be able to dilute the YOGA dose at the level of one's students. Giving students the knowledge they are ready for, gradually.

If a YOGA class does not involve pranayam or meditation session it is still YOGA. Just like explaining kids about an apple falling from a tree is physics and teaching astrophysics/ nuclear physics to Ph D students is still physics.

I grew up in India, attended YOGA classes taught by my Aunt, by Iyengar teachers too. I came across couple of different styles of YOGA but never ever witnessed any such arguments/discussions/debates about YOGA not being YOGA just because teachers do not give a dose of spirituality. There wasn't any kind of one-upmanship. There were no lulu lemon yoga clothes(now this may be a case of sour grapes, since I simply can't afford those :), but on a serious note, even if I had disposable income I would not feel comfortable wearing those things ).Forget the fancy YOGA clothes, I had not even seen a yoga mat back home.

When I voiced my opinion on Linda's blog post, she said that because in India, yoga is just yoga, there is no need to make it sexy. SO, all this debate/discussions/style/formats/philosophy of yoga just to make it sexy? Who would have thought! Can't really argue with that one. Let the saga continue…To each its own!

Last week had been quite busy at home. It was the last week of my parents visit. My younger sister also was visiting along with her husband. We had a full house. Lot of talking(even snapping at each other), lot of cooking, lots of eating out, lot of shopping.

The last few days of parents or in-laws visit are always hard on many levels. I wish I could say that their trip was really nice and very memorable in every respect. They really had a wonderful time and they are looking forward to the next trip already. It would be really nice not to have any regrets about my own behavior with them in past 7 weeks. Sadly, it is not so. Sure they enjoyed their visit. Sure I enjoyed getting a break from cooking, cleaning, bathing and dressing up kids etc. But, in my heart I know that they were not exactly happy. I used to snap at them for seemingly insignificant reasons. It must be really trivial things because I do not even remember any particulars of the various incidents. They are my parents and I know they will easily forgive me and wont hold any grudge whatsoever. But that does not take the guilt away.

I keep on analyzing my behavior and in theory I completely agree with my husband that our parents are not getting any younger and we have to let go of the little annoying things that they do or say. It is not possible for them to change themselves at that age. We have to adjust and accommodate . I think I know all the theory of it but just have a hard time putting it in practice. When I try to adjust and accommodate and try not to snap and yell, I tend to go in my own shell and become aloof. So, when will that time come when I can HAPPILY, CHEERFULLY adapt to my surroundings?

I want my family to get the BEST of me and not the worst. I DESPARATELY need to learn to put others need before my own needs. I need to learn to let go of all the sarcasm, bitter and hurtful comments , self centered attitude and practice LOVING KINDNESS.

I am at the starting point right now and hope I never ever come back to the square one.