Suryia Namaskar

Worship toward the sun was one of mans first and most natural forms of inner expression. In the Rig Veda, the first Veda, the sun is described as; “the remover of all weakness, healer of all illness. Lord of all the stands and goes. He slays the demons and guards the worshipers. We meditate in the adorable glory of the radiant sun. May he inspire our intelligence.”
Practicing Suryia Namaskar from a yogic point of view awakens the solar aspects of an individual’s nature and releases this vital energy for the purpose of a higher awareness. In ancient days, this exercise was a daily routine in daily spiritual practices, it should be practiced early morning preferably facing the sun, and at the beginning of every asana class. For a stiff person, the sun salutations are a boon to bring back lost flexibility. Most beginners will find the body is stiff because of muscle tension, tightness in the tendons and toxin deposits in the joints. There are 12 spinal positions combining many of the benefits of asana and pranayama, they bring movement to the whole spinal column and great flexibility to the limbs and can be practiced by everyone. The inner mood with which the sun salutations are done is of great importance, the mind must be quiet, calm and focused, being aware of every change that takes place in the body, with practice the awareness will grow and you will find a great beauty within the salutation.
On a physical level, during the exercise blood is distributed to all the organs, circulation increased and all lethargy expelled. Digestion is improved and the spinal nerves toned. The nervous system is regulated, eyes become bright and glowing appearance of good health is gained.
There is no age limit to practice suryia namaskar and the benefits can be profound, so get up in the morning, take a shower, roll out your mat in the direction of the sun and off you go.
Om Mitraya Namah – prostrations to him who is affectionate to all.
Enjoy Suryia Namaskar
Smiling from the heart
Om.

Beginnings

At any beginning, of a class, a lecture or any personal Sadhana (spiritual practice) we chant the Dhyana Slokas to help to tune our minds to the Divine and its different aspects. It is said that a saints life is one long prayer, but we don't need to consider ourselves a saint to initiate anything toward a devotional practice. Chanting this prayer helps us become an instrument a channel for a higher purpose and helps to remove the ego. As in any practice we first invoke Lord Ganesha (Gajananam) to remove all the obstacles on our path, then we ask Subramanya to give us strength and destroy all negative forces both internally and externally that are surrounding us. We pray to Saraswati to bring us divine knowledge and creativity before we make the prayer to the Guru, all the guru's to guide us always, to be with us and bring light. Finally we invoke the Divine Mother Durga; Narayani to bring auspiciousness for everything we do, to make like the saint our life one long prayer.
You can listen to the Dhyana Slokas sometimes referred to as Gajananam here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baL8xKD3lgg
Happy Chanting
Om shanti shanti shanti
:-)

Yoga Now

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are the standard text on yoga; it is one of the six Darshanas or systems of philosophy in India. Sutra meaning a thread, they are given so we can remember what is in the scriptures more easily. Patanjali gives us the practice of Raja yoga meaning 8 limbs. The royal path to realization, that of complete mind control through the use of the Yamas (restraints), Niyamas (observances), Asanas, Pranayama, Pratyhara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi- complete bliss. He teaches us to remain in the present moment and to remove our suffering by clearing the ‘crowds’ in our mind, but we must feel a need for change to be ready for this. Patanjali was not the inventor of yoga; yoga has been there since the beginning of creation, it comes from God or Hiranyagarbha; the cosmic mind of cosmic intelligence, the sum total of all the subtle bodies, the highest created being through whom the supreme being projects the physical universe. Patanjali, as a realised sage, received the knowledge from Hiranyagarbha and wrote it down for the whole of humanity.
The first sutra in the first chapter reads; ‘Atha yoganushasanam.’
Atha; an auspicious beginning also we can say Om, atha yoganushasanam- all the instructions are in keeping with the scriptures. One who has discovered that there is no solution to suffering from the outside world and wants to turn their awareness inward, where all knowledge exists, they have felt a need for change, this person is ready for yoga.
We should be able to surrender realizing whatever is there or is happening to us is just an opportunity to learn and grow, we should learn to like everyone instead of waiting for them to like us. If we can change the way we think then we are ready for yoga, if something seems very difficult but we know that from that situation we can gain knowledge then it is not difficult at all.
Atha imparts a blessing for someone who has discovered the limitations of an outer existence, who knows there is no real or permanent happiness from worldly objects, whom has the maturity, empathy and compassion to turn inwards. Join me on the mat on our inward journey and discover your true self on the path to eternal bliss.
Smiling from the heart
Om shanti
Thank you Mario for the photo; me and SwamiJi whilst training on the ATTC.

There is no failure only experience

Everything is continually changing; matter cannot stay in the same state, not even for a moment. Having just returned to Kathmandu after completing my advanced teacher training; a months long intensive course with Swami Govindanada in India, I am sitting trying to sum up the whole experience. It was such a profound time that I’m not sure I can even attempt to put into words. I have been truly blessed by having the opportunity to spend time with such amazing Guru’s and fellow yogi’s, that have started me on my journey of learning Sanskrit, going deeply into Vedanta philosophy, studying the yoga sutras of Patanjali, having the chance to practice advanced pranyama techniques and ‘break your bones’ Asana! It was physically, mentally and spiritually challenging and I can honestly say I loved every minute of it delving deeper and deeper into my practice. I felt such joy, peace and of course sometimes pain. All those lessons learnt on the mat can be put into practice in our daily lives and how we look at things. When we eat a tomato from the tomato’s point of view it is destruction, but from our point of view it is construction. So many seeds have been sown in that precious time and have given me an overwhelming amount to work on, which is wonderful. There are many asana which are still a great challenge to me, but that never ends, when we believe we have mastered one there is always the next step, but facing the challenge in our yoga practice helps us to face the challenges of everyday life with patience and grace. There are no failures, only experience and from that experience we can keep growing. I hold my times in the Ashram close to my heart like a treasure, but I can’t stay there forever, I have a husband and classes to run, nothing can stay the same. There is only one thing that is unchanging; absolute consciousness, existence, knowledge and bliss. Satchidananda. The eternal law; that pure bright light is the only thing that doesn’t change, we as human beings cannot stay the same, we are changing every second, but that existence, knowledge and bliss resides within us all. We have to go through the battleground as Arjuna did in the Bhagavad Gita, to find it, but it is there. We don’t have to go anywhere to get it, it is already there, but we have to learn how to find it with earnest hard work and patience. We have to step back from being involved in the situation to see the solution. One who knows himself has no need to worry about himself, changing is the nature of the world.
Where do we start looking? On the Mat!
New timetable of classes as below, look forward to seeing you all,
Smiling from the heart
Om.
Monday- 8.30-10am Sivananda open class, Yoga Mangala studio max 3 persons
5-6.30pm Gentle Yoga, Yoga Mangala Studio max 3 persons
Tuesday 4.30-6pm Sivananda open class, the British School Kathmandu, unlimited
Wednesday 9.30-11am Pranyama and meditation, Yoga Mangala Studio max 4 persons
5.45-7.15pm Sivananda open class, Yoga Mangala Studio max 3 persons
Thusday 9.30-11am Gentle Yoga, Yoga Mangala Studio max 3 persons
4.30-6pm Gentle Yoga, Yoga Mangala Studio max 3 persons
Friday 8.30-10am Sivananda open class, Yoga Mangala Studio max 3 persons.
PlEASE BOOK IN FOR YOUR CLASS IN ADVANCE DUE TO LIMITED SPACE, OM SHANTI

On This Day

On this day it will be my last blog post of 2011, and I will leave you with two beautiful pieces of text. Wishing you all a wonderful festive season, congratulations to my practitioners here in Kathmandu for battling on with your practice through these cold days, I honor you all. And may the whole world find Peace and Harmony; Om Loka Somasta Sukhino Bhavantu

On This Day by Swami Chidananda
Mend a quarrel. Search our a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in a word or deed.
Keep a promise. Find the time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologise if you were wrong. Try to understand. Flout envy. Examine your demand on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate, be kind, be gentle. Laugh a little more.
Deserve confidence. Express your gratitude. Worship your God. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the Earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still again, and speak it still once again.

The Importance of Yoga by Swami Sivananda
Life today is full of stress and strain, of tension and nervous irritability, of passion and hurry. To remove physical, mental and psychological tensions, our ancient seers of India, not of India merely, but of humanity as a whole, perfected the system known as 'Yoga'. Yoga is an exact science. It is a perfect, practical system of integral education, education not only of the body and the mind or the intellect, but also of the inner spirit. Yoga shows you the marvellous method of rising from badness to goodness, and from goodness to godliness, and then to eternal divine splendour. It is the art of right living. The Yogin or Yogini who has learnt the art of right living is happy, harmonious and peaceful. He or she is free from tension. Yoga is complete life. It is a method which overhauls all the sides of human personality. To live in God, to commune with God is Yoga.

Om Namah Sivaya
Seeing the divinity in each and every one of you
shanti shanti shanti
:-)

Shanti Couscous

A healthy and hearty meal for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients; (amounts depend on how many you are feeding!)

Couscous
Broccoli
Aubergine
Green beans
Almonds chopped
Dried fruit, apricots, raisins or both
Tangerine
Cracked black pepper
Sesame seeds
Ground coriander

Mix the couscous with the cracked black pepper, ground coriander, chopped almonds and dried fruit, add about the same quantity of boiled water as the couscous and cover, leave for about 3-5 mins.

Gently stir-fry your broccoli; aubergine and green beans, just before finishing cooking add a good quantity of sesame seeds.

Uncover the couscous and add the vegetables and lastly some chopped pieces of tangerine and mix it all up.
Serve with a delicious crunchy apple!

Saying a mantra before food is important for us yogis, as it neutralises the food and makes it an offering to the divine that dwells within you, making eating a more nourishing and beneficial experience rather than just for satisfying the senses.
Also any angry or cross emotions that are felt by the cook during preparation of the food would have been induced into the food by vibrations. By saying the mantra it harmonizes and purifies the food again making it a more wholesome experience and helps us with our journeys to find our true nature. The mantra you should use is as below:

Brahmarpanam Brahmahavir Brahmagnau Brahmanahutam
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam Brahmakarma Samadhina.

(Brahman is the oblation, Brahman is the offering, and he who always sees Brahman in action shall reach Brahman.)

Enjoy your Shanti Couscous!
Smiling from the heart. :-)

GuruKulam

Gurukulam means living with the teacher, Guru being teacher and Kula being home, this system belongs to a long line of guru's and disciples. From ancient time Guru's gave knowledge from word of mouth the great saints are part of this GuruKulam system, it is an unbroken chain, where the tradition keeps the teachings alive. Gods, saints, sages, masters and swamis are like rivers of knowledge with so many tributaries, through initiation there is a transfer of energy; the spark is given and then the knowledge of the student can grow through spiritual practice. To light a candle you need another candle so to speak. I have this system in my mind now, as I am preparing to journey back to India to my Guru; Swami Govindanada, to begin my advanced practice and teacher training on the 15th of Jan. It was a hard feat this evening as I said goodbye to my husband to go off on his Christmas dinner party with friends, knowing that the indulgence would be no good for my preparations even though there was a vegetarian option, staying home and lightly cooking my broccoli! But to go and embark on this course in its full glory of tradition, knowing everything that can be potentially gained from it, is a real privilege and I have to keep that in mind this festive season. Having recently been in touch with SwamiJI and him asking if I am preparing accordingly, I have to be strong, in fact as I told him I feel like I have been preparing for this since completing my first round of teaching training. Being a yoga teacher means living as a yogi, this means daily practice, asana and pranayama, daily meditation, daily Bagavad Gita reading and of course the yogi diet, as well as trying to keep up studies. How can I teach yoga properly and transfer that spark of knowledge if I am not living as yogi? So sometimes being a yoga teacher as much as it really is a wonderful and beautiful thing, it can also be a hard and lonely path, but it is my duty and one that I relish in.
I am so looking forward to being back with SwamiJi, receiving more purification and to follow his teachings implicitly as I know the benefits they will bring. However it is not good to just follow blindly, but from the practice there are sparks of light, awakenings, signs on the path that we are going in the right direction, knowledge is not all obtained all at once and yoga goes so deep the knowledge is a never ending fountain, so how can we expect to gain it all at once. No we have to keep on learning, it is said that a quarter of knowledge comes from the teacher, a quarter from fellow students, a quarter from oneself and the last quarter from time itself. So here I am my heart is open, my mind is open, with the Guru’s grace I hope for a very exciting learning experience that I can share with all of you, lets pass on the light.
With seasons wishes to you all,
Om Loka Somasta Sukhino Bhavanto
May all beings find peace and harmony
Om shanti shanti shanti
You can find Swami Govindanada at this site for courses and yoga vacations
http://www.sivanandapeetham.org/
nicky ☺