Yoga makes the mind supple

Be. Where. You. Are. Exhale. Sink into your body, let go, and relax.

How do you relax in a pose that is causing you discomfort, right? Relaxing in a pose is all about getting comfortable with your discomfort. It’s a mind over matter stance. Pain as we all know, is a given. Suffering, however, is a choice. I say this because asana is not merely about getting the body into poses. Those poses are a lot more than a pantomime of Sanskrit words.  The practice of asana has made my body flexible, no doubt, but it has contributed to my life in a much more deep and important way – it has made my mind flexible. The term “open minded” then is worthy of contemplation. They say that asana opens the body, and I agree. Yet, what does asana do to the mind – it opens it up too. This happens because asana, in order for it to be comfortable demands your mindful attention to the body. Asana has taught me above all to go with the flow, to go where the energy flows .

Consider this mat scenario: A part of the body trembles when uncomfortable in a pose - which one of us has not experienced this while practicing yoga asana? This is the body asking us to pay attention to it – a communication of sorts stating an inherent need for integration and embodiment. The same is true of balancing in a pose. Does the body sway a little, shake a little, get out of balance and topple sometimes? What then is balance? It is certainly not the body’s ability to stay still. It is the mind’s ability to stay still with a swaying body. Balance  then is not the absence of movement. It is presence in movement. And that is why I specially love balancing asana. They impact the body and mind through the neurological process involved in the balancing act. My yoga teacher used to remind us of the toning effect of balancing poses on the nerves, the spine, and so the mind.

Pain, yoga and pain in yoga

Pain is a signal from the body that something is out of sync, that prana has been vitiated and the vital energies have been disturbed. Sometimes, asana helps relieve pain, sometimes not. Pranayama on the other hand, has a remarkable impact on pain and so does yogic breathing – rightly dubbed “yogic tranquilizer”. However, pain during yoga is another ball game altogether. Never do an asana to the point of pain. This was cardinal rule number one taught to me by my teacher. Always feel relaxed in a pose. Cardinal rule number two. Always accept where the body is, in other words, be where you are. Cardinal rule three. No two people can do the same asana in an identical way. Similarly the same asana will affect different people differently. Same with pranayama. Your body gets out of a practice what it needs at that moment. So better be with it , and go where it goes. Love it. Leave it. And accept that the best place to be in a pose is where you actually are.

Yoga can be taken anywhere. Your practice is done at the very spot in which you find yourself at any given moment. Even on the sidewalk.

Bring your mind to your body and your practice begins right then. 

Yogic Alchemy

Of all yoga practices known to me so far, pranayama is my favourite. And of all the pranayamas, Ujjayi tops the list. Here’s why: The word Ujjay means victorious in Sanskrit. One is not entirely certain why this particular pranayama is called that, but I imagine it generates so much prana, one has little choice but to conquer one's health with it. And precisely because of the high energy state of mind that results from the practice of Ujjayi, it is also been given the name psychic breath. Ujjayi has a special place in yoga therapy – it can effectively treat stress-related conditions and psychosomatic illnesses.  It also releases endorphins and has a deeply sedating effect, especially when one is in pain. It is an awesome pregnancy practice and has far reaching effects during labour, and in the healing process after birth.

Ujjayi has a direct impact on the carotid sinuses located just behind the ear lobes, on the neck. These little pulsating organs are responsible for managing the body’s blood pressure, making this a more than ideal practice in the treatment of high blood pressure and related problems. It is a cure-all for the heart, including heart break and grief. It is a lovely practice for the anahata chakra (heart center) and the vishuddhi chakra (throat center) . This pranayama impacts the mind with such immediacy and here is why I asscoaite it with alchemy.

This tranquilizing effect of the practice, I have experienced several times. I have come to Ujjayi  in a state of confusion or anxiety, maybe even depair and I have found that its effects were immediate and transforming. Literally like turning base metal into gold.

The transformative effects of Ujjayi are so tremendous, my teacher used to say that it is possibly the only breathing techniuque in yoga that can transport prana from one part of the body to another – and so healing a hurt, broken or affected body part or system is guaranteed with Ujjayi. The same applies to emotional crises, anxiety, stress or even seasonal affective disorder for that matter. I find it instantly raises my vibration and makes me happy-for-no-reason-in-particular.

Ujjayi is true alchemy in action and one of the  lesser known techniques for metamorphosis  in the truest sense of the word.  

Bringing awareness to the mat

Bringing awareness to the mat is a practice in itself. What do you want out of your practice today? This question is worthy of introspection. So much of what you get out of your practice depends on what you bring to it. Why are you stepping on the mat? Is it just for exercise or is it for something more? In either case, it is important to state your intention, or at the very least, become aware of it. This simple act has the power to transform your practice. Sometimes we don’t even realize how mundane and predictable the time we spend on the mat has become. Even yoga can becomes a mechanical activity. A simple affirmation at the start or a coming into awareness can make the difference. Now let us say you state your affirmations and step on your mat. How do you carry the practice through on the same note? As always, you can rely on your breath for this. Your breath helps you stay focused and aware. It grounds you and gives you poise on the mat.

Start with a simple stretch –Tadasana, also called the palm tree pose. It is deceptively simple and appears to have nothing much to offer. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Stand with your feet hip width apart, interlock your fingers, take your hands above your head, palms facing upwards, inhale, rise up on your toes and stretch your arms towards the ceiling. As you inhale and stretch, you visualize your hands reaching skywards, trying to touch the sky. As you stand on your toes, trying to balance and stretch you are simultaneously keeping your vision on a spot at eye level, on the wall opposite you. You are now aware of multiple things - the stretch from your toes to your fingertips, the spot that your eyes are focused on, the visualization and balancing. You are also holding your breath. So many things are going on all at once, but it is effortless for you. Now as you exhale, let go of the pose and relax.

Now stand with your eyes closed, hands by your sides, shoulders totally relaxed and breathe through the soles of your feet. When you breathe through a particular body part, you try visualizing sparks of light going in and out of that part as you inhale and exhale. So in this case, as you inhale, you visualize sparks of light entering your body through the soles of your feet and as you exhale, you visualize them going back into the ground. Do this for five whole breaths before you move on to the next asana. Repeat Tadasana as many times as you like. At the end of every asana session, it is important to do shavasana.

Tadasana is a beautiful practice. Just practice it, in all its dimensions for five whole minutes. The asana stretches your body from top to toe. You get a lot out of that stretch. Do it slowly and with complete awareness. Inhale and stretch. Your breath is getting into the spaces created by that stretch. It is making its way into your joints. It is irrigating your muscles. Now exhale! The few seconds you spend balancing in that asana has a good effect on your nervous system. Balancing asana always impact the nervous system, toning the nerves and relaxing them, so that you feel relaxed as well. Combining visualizations with asana also have far reaching effects. Visualizations are very empowering because they have a calming effect on the mind, and if practiced with awareness, can take you to alpha brain activity.

Tadasana tones the leg muscles and improves balance. The stretch improves blood circulation to the parts stretched, especially the abdomen.

Asana also has the power to touch you spiritually. If this potential is to be tapped, then awareness becomes all-important. Your breath becomes your most trusted ally. When you break down your practice and analyze the benefits, you will be simply amazed at how much you just packed into one asana. But remember, awareness is the key to unlocking the doors to a fulfilling yoga practice, whatever the initial intention.

Please also read shavasana - the corpse pose

Fighting Winter Blues With Yoga and Deep Breathing

The cold has a way of hemming us in and keeping us down and out, but only if we let it. One way to fight the blues even before they creep up on us is to pull that mat out and do some light stretching, punctuated by deep and aware breathing. Often this is the point at which motivation starts to run out and a feeling of lethargy starts to take over. You have spread your mat out on the floor, even stood on it. Now what?

How often do we feel such a profound lack of inspiration to exercise, made worse by the darkness and cold outside? It’s so much easier to just curl up on the couch with a drink or worse, potato chips, turn on the TV and keep sinking deeper into the comfort and warmth of that situation. However, fighting the guilt later will be more difficult than fighting the weariness in the moment. So it’s a good idea to push oneself into the first couple of stretches. After that, it gets easier to work out.

As you stand on the mat, contemplate the importance of physical and mental fitness. Where do you place it on your priority list? If you consider it a high priority, you're not alone. However, external circumstances often cloud our judgement and we decide to shelve a regular fitness routine in exchange for some fleeting comfort and indolence.

Affirmations are a great way to get going. Try saying something like, “I love myself enough to take care of my body” or “I completely accept myself and my body.” Choose an affirmation which states your personal desires and repeat it often.

Using affirmations can help to break the barrier between sedentary and active. The exercise that follows will help improve brain function, making your days far less difficult. According to the yogis, stretching coupled with deep breathing improves blood circulation and sends newly oxygenated blood to the brain. Any yoga book which acts as a detailed index of yoga asana (especially if written by a Yogi) will bear testimony to that.

Therefore, yogic stretching, for example, is a low impact exercise, which irrigates the muscles and joints with new blood, but more than that, it stimulates a relaxed and clear thinking head. Research shows that memory and cognition remains healthy in adults who exercise regularly. Exercise supposedly aids in the release of neurotransmitters (such as serotonin and norepinephrine) that are responsible for relief from pain, both physical and mental.

This suggests that mild depression can simply be exercised away. What is more, it even generates fresh neurons, keeping the brain bright and alive even as it ages. According to M K McGovern in his paper titled The effects of exercise on the brain, exercise often makes us “feel good” because it stimulates the release of endorphins, the feel-good secretion stored in the brain, responsible for generating the high that we feel after a good workout.

According to the same paper, at a physical level, exercise is meant to help in the absorption of calcium and so keep your bones healthy and strong. The flush of new blood into the digestive system ensures the optimal functioning of organs controlling digestion and elimination. A sound digestive system usually makes for a healthy body. Getting the heart going with dynamic stretching keeps it healthy and pumping.

They really mean it when they say exercise stimulates good health. And a case of winter blues that most of us tend to suffer can definitely be alleviated by exercise.

The question is how far is one willing to stretch in order to safeguard the health of one’s body and mind?

Meditation: a natural way to health

Meditation has long been considered an esoteric practice, far removed from the realities of the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. Meditation is a practice done to help ground us in the realities of the world. According to Sri Aurobindo, one of modern India’s most renowned yogis, spirituality is not the flight of consciousness away from matter, but the flight of consciousness into matter. 

Meditation (or the meditative state) is the natural outcome of yoga and other spiritual techniques and the ultimate aim of these practices is to reach a state of complete conscious awareness, also known as bliss consciousness. The term bliss consciousness is a complex one and even enlightened masters have not attempted to describe that state to us. Nevertheless, meditation, once practiced on a regular basis will manifest obvious benefits both on a purely physical level and on an intellectual, emotional, and spiritual level.

The improved health that one inevitably notices upon sticking to a regular meditation practice is something one cannot ignore. Whether you start off a healthy meditator or come to it for health reasons, you will notice enhanced physical well being right from the beginning. Lustrous skin and sparkling eyes will be the first to appear, simultaneously embedding other permanent changes within the body.

Meditation makes it possible for cells to receive fresh oxygenated blood consciously and anything done consciously is bound to have profoundly positive effects. The regular and sustained practice of meditation makes one more efficient, proactive, confident and energetic. It boosts concentration and will power, making achievements in a chosen field more easily possible. Overall it makes for success, at whatever level one perceives and desires it.

Meditation has also, of late become a beacon of hope for the terminally ill, and those with diseases that could potentially hinder their normal functioning on a day-to-day basis. The scientific community as well has grown to accept it as a valid way (that is scientifically verifiable) to improved health and well-being. Yogis claim that it can go so far deep into the system of the practitioner as to even alter the genetic make up of the individual.

Some of the obvious benefits of practicing meditation include:

1.Decrease in the rate of respiration
2.Improved blood circulation and relaxed heart rate
3.Lowered blood pressure in cases of hypertension
4.Reduced muscular aches and pains
5.Increased rate of healing in convalescing patients
6.Reduced stress and reduced reactivity when confronted with stressful situations, at the mental, emotional and physical level 

Effects of Meditation on Health

Making meditation a part of your daily health and fitness regime is a proven method to experiencing expansive wellness. How does meditation impact health? This question has merited attention from the scientific community and what the Yogis of ancient India have been saying for centuries is now accepted as scientific fact. Meditation is more than just an aid to enjoying wellbeing. While it is certain to bring about a state of inner harmony, both physical and mental, meditation really is a state of being, a way of life. That said, to be in meditation is different from practicing mediation and this article aims to explore the benefits of a regular practice of meditation.

The term meditation, simply put, refers to a group of techniques that help manage thoughts, thinking patterns, emotions and consequently, the mind-and-body’s reaction to stressful situations. These methods are characterized by how they are practiced and applied, and most of them, if not all, have common elements among them. Take mindfulness for example or breath awareness. These two are commonly practiced as meditation, especially in the Buddhist tradition. Mindfulness meditation takes the practitioner through a journey of awareness – awareness of thoughts as they arise, awareness of breath in relation to emotions as they arise, awareness of bodily sensations as they arise, take it a step further and you will even be practicing awareness as you walk, eat, clean or cook.

Meditations that focus on breath awareness will have you watching your breath and using that awareness to traverse the bridge between body and mind, thereby exploring the connection between the two. In either case, the idea is to slow the mind down, increase the space between two thoughts and ultimately slip into that space to experience meditation. Along the way however, your health gets a major boost and your intellectual and cognitive functioning gets a significant upgrade as well. Life will be experienced at a whole new level, time will expand and you will start to feel like there are more than 24 hours in a day. The most amazing thing is you will find yourself happy for no reason.

Why does this happen?

According to meditation masters, these practices impact the body and mind in certain ways: when you breathe with awareness for example, your mind suddenly fires less thoughts at you because aware breathing leads to slow rhythmic breath, which in turn leads to calm mind and similarly aware breathing means deeper, slower breathing which again means better oxygenated blood and lowered blood acidity from stress and other factors (stress releases chemical by products into the blood causing it to become highly acidic and this creates the body to become unwell) and this overall means a healthy human being.

With the dedicated practice of meditation, the flight or fight response is more in the control of the practitioner. While the mind will be more clear and agile from fewer thoughts bombarding and clouding it, the body will become calm and responsive rather than reactive.

A well-integrated fitness routine should consider the fitness of the mind as an important adjunct to workouts. A sound mind will invariably lead to a healthy body and vice versa. Any fitness routine worth its salt must explore the mind-body connection and encourage wellness first, and fitness next.

Finally, a word of caution: any meditation practice is always best taught by an experienced meditation teacher. There are also instances where meditation is not meant to be practiced such as in cases of clinically diagnosed depression, for example (unless under the expert guidance of an enlightened master). It is worthwhile doing a bit of homework and finding a good teacher before delving into these practices.

How does meditation really work?

There is scientific evidence to prove that meditation has physiological implications that originate in the brain and translate into healing, relaxation and overall wellness. One of the first things that the practice of meditation (Yogis always differentiate between practicing meditation and being in meditation – the latter takes a lot of practice!) does is it creates alpha waves in the brain, which means we are inducing a state of dream-like relaxation, consciously.

Next the amygdala, a region in the brain responsible for triggering the flight or fight response, and thus creating a surge of biological reactions in the body, according to one study is more robust in its response to stressful situations, in people who meditate regularly. This means there is less reactivity to stressful situations, and therefore better health.

This study also attempted to find neural evidence of how mindfulness meditation, for examples, changes the structure of the brain. Mindfulness meditation, a technique taught in Buddhist traditions to remain in the present by observing sensations and thoughts as they arise is known to lessen the amygdala’s hyper startle response, and activate the ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex. This means delayed or significantly lessened activity in the amygdala when confronted with stressful situations and more versatile activity in prefrontal cortex and so more creative ways of dealing with the stress.

Again scientific research has found that the left frontal region of the brain (the part responsible for lowered states of anxiety and positive feelings) of meditators has 50 percent more electrical activity. Meditation gives such an overall feeling of wellbeing that its impact on enhanced immune functioning must be emphasized.

All that said, not all scientists agree that there is conclusive and hardcore scientific evidence to prove that meditation works to improve brain functioning and health. They do agree, however that meditation does work.  Meditation techniques are a dime a dozen. There are those ones that are very commonly practiced (amongst those who take to meditation) and still others that are relatively underutilized.

Some lesser-known practices:

Mantra Meditation: The word mantra literally means “revealed sound”. It is a combination of sacred symbols which, when repeatedly pronounced (japa), bring the mind of the practitioner into a state of deep introspective quiet. Mantra is usually done under the guidance of a teacher or guru, especially if it is an initiation into mantra japa. Usually a bead mala with 108 beads is used as an aid to count the number of times the japa is repeated, preferably till the end of the mala. Mantra japa is a very powerful form of meditation, especially for the dynamic mind. The sound vibration created by the mantra can slice through thought and bring the mind to the present. Mantra according to certain yogic traditions, works the anahata chakra or the vortex of energy in the sternum and close to the heart.Trataka: Trataka means “ steady and uninterrupted gaze”. The object upon which to fix the gaze can be chosen by the practitioner. A sacred symbol or an object that represents the sacred cosmic vibration to the individual can be used for this practice. The most commonly used “object” for trataka is the candle flame. The candle flame represents the constant impermanence, which in real life we seem to be un-accepting of. Trataka works the ajna chakra (the centre of intuition and knowledge), also known as the third eye, and situated between the two eyebrows.Chakra meditation: Charkas are whirlpools of energy located along the spine (invisible to the eye), and also called psychic centers. They represent levels of energy and spiritual development and each chakra can be developed through meditation practices that involve chakra visualization and breathing. Chakras supposedly guide the optimal functioning of the organs in whose field of action they tend to be located. For example the anahata chakra is located close to the heart and is responsible for the proper working of the organs and glands in that region. Chakra meditation therefore, is a way to bring healing and wellness into the body and mind because of the way charkas can influence the organs in the body. 

Pranayama: Pranayama is the manipulation of the life force energy (or chi) using the breath. The idea is to acheive optimum health by manipulating the pranic rhythms of the body.

Pranayama has great health benefits. It is also helps one reach higher states of self awareness. It is usually practiced before meditation. However, pranayama is considered a form of meditation too. The practice of pranayama can help impact the mind is a way similar to meditation.

Speaking of prana, there are five types that govern the proper functioning of the body, namely prana, apana, vyana, udana and samana. 
According to tradtional yoga texts, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, there are two of these five that are significant on a physical, day-to-day level. They are prana, which flows upward and apana, which flows downward. The practice of pranayama is said to initiate balanced functioning of the body.

There are several categories of pranayama such as deep breathing, fast breathing, breathing with the use of sound and so on.

Some of the commonly practiced types of pranayama include
Nadi Shodhana or alternate nostril breathing
Anuloma-viloma, also alternate nostril breathing, done pscyhically (that is without using the mudra to manipulate the nostrils)
ujjayi or the hissing breath
brahmari or the bee humming breath
sheetali or the cooling breath
Bhastrika or the bellows breath

Pranayama is an efficient way to cleanse the body of waste. One important aspect of pranayama is breath retention. According to yogic literature, breath retention enables an increase in the flow of prana throughout the body, keeping it youthful and healthy in the process. However, breath retention is not to be practiced under certain circumstances including pregnancy and high blood pressure.

An experienced yoga teacher must be consulted before the start of any of the techniques discussed above.

Here, then is something for us to meditate upon:

Meditation done regularly can bring with it happiness, self-love, acceptance and most importantly, freedom from sickness and pain. Paradoxically, though, the yogis say that if true freedom is to be experienced, then one must first practice self-discipline and then meditation will spontaneously occur. 

Resources: 
Scientific studies discussing health benefits of meditation
http://www.billingsgazette.com/newdex.php?display=rednews/2003/02/13/build/health/a-meditation.inc
http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/why-meditation-works-neuroimaging-study-supports-ancient-buddhist-teachingsYogic studies discussing evidence of the health benefits of meditation
http://healthandyoga.com/html/research_papers/oca/om.asp
http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/meditation/stress_buster.html
http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/meditation/objectives.html
http://www.healthandyoga.com/
http://www.mandalayoga.net/index-newsletter-en-chakras_keys.htmlMeditation techniques
http://www.yogapoint.com/Hatha_yoga/trataka.htm
http://www.yogapoint.com/tantrayoga/mantrayoga.html
http://www.yogapoint.com
http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/news/mantra.html 

A yoga magazine from the 80s

I found a whole stack of these relics carelessly discarded  on my mother's book shelf - how they got there is a mystery. This is the cover of one of the yoga mags from the 1980s and as you can imagine, it is a gem of a treasury  with articles on yoga therapy. This cover displays a depiction of the mooladhara chakra, with its bij mantra, lam. 

Come alive with crane pose

The psychological state of a physical pose has always fascinated me. There are two sides to this: specific psychological states require specific asana and specific asana superimpose a specific state mind. For example, if I find myself feeling out of balance or un-grounded, maybe even nervous a little, then a certain set of balancing asana help me immensely - because they work  my nervous system and give me the poise I need. one of my recent favourites has been bakasana or crane pose. 

I have pondered totem symbolism and what it means when we seek out our power animals. I understand now that the animal poses in yoga are somewhat similar in that they help us to inherit some of the spiritual qualities symbolised by the animals and birds. I love bird poses of late as they symbolise freedom, poise and even focus and balance, like in the case of the crane. The shamans of ancient times have always talked about getting messages from nature. ..... they called it animal medicine or spirit teachings because they actively engaged with the spirits of nature.

The crane as a totem bird: crane medicine heralds life, health and awakening of the spiritual self. Crane medicine helps us integrate in such a way as to walk life's journey with courage and speak our truth with completeness. It teaches us to stand in balance as we wait for life to unfold before our eyes, and remain focused on soul's destiny. The essence of the crane's teaching is to fly high in unison with the wind, regardless of it's direction. 

I find this such a wonderful contemplation to do in shavasan soon after practicing crane pose. Indeed, it reminds me to go with the flow (resistance is a waste of energy), to fly with the wind and to become comfortable with the bobbing nature of life.

I have gratefully borrowed this image from google images.