Archive for the ‘yoga’ Category
Diary: the Anatomy of Yoga
Filed under: ashram, diary, teaching, TTC, yoga | Tags: anatomy, asana, exercise, sivananda yoga, teacher training, yoga
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during lectures we sit in the traditional Indian way, without chairs. photo: Katalin Kurko
Harvard University did a classification of different body types and how they utilise their bodies. This technique was adopted by Swami Vishnudevananda who took it a step further with a more precise classification. We use a plumb line to look at our posture in profile. Both in the beginning and in the end of the course we take photographs of ourselves against a grid. My mother commented that my posture was very straight once I
Plumbline photo week 4.
came back from a 3-months yoga retreat in Sweden . This time it was really intersting to view people who are relatively new to yoga and how much 4 weeks affected them !
Today we discussed sitting postures and how important it is with flexibility in the hips if you are going to sit in a meditation posture, especially in full lotus and half lotus. If one have big strong thigh muscles there should be a big cushion under the buttocks so that the knees comes down to the ground WITHOUT STRAIN ! One has to be careful since in the beginning of a sitting your knees may touch the ground. Later on in the sitting you start to feel pain in the knees and then it is really a signal that your buttocks should be higher up on a cushion. There should never be any pain in the knees when doing meditation !
Keeping the muscles and tendons flexible throughout life can be done with yoga and that will slow down the aging process. Yoga can be a very gentle way to keep a good health and when I saw my grandfather doing the bridge position at an old age it made an imprint in my head that exercise will give you a long and healthy life.
yoga is to go with the body and accept limitations and to come back to a natural state of well being.
Sivanda yoga and why I like it
Filed under: ashram, meditation, religion, TTC, Uncategorized, yoga | Tags: ashram, meditation, sivananda yoga, teacher training, yoga
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the Italian group performing during the talent show. Theme: A tamasic yoga teacher and his class ( who wants his students to worship him ). photo: Katalin Kurko
Sivananda yoga is a complete form of yoga which contains everything you need to go on a deep spiritual journey. Ultimately you will get the realisation that we all are one and all religions leads to the same goal. It is possible for every person to become an instrument for God, whichever god you have an inclination to follow . Maybe you will not become a saint in this lifetime but this form of yoga contains a step by step approach to become a more humble and non violent person.
Maybe you have noticed that hatha-yoga as practiced in the west has a tendency to become dry and it feels like something is missing. The missing part is the spiritual/religious part. Through yoga it is possible to transcend the physical limitations and become enlightened. Sivananda yoga teaches chanting, philosophy as well as physical postures. There is a strong emphasis to make the asanas in an anatomical correct manner and the teacher corrects your posture in a very hands on approach.
here comes a short description on the different practices we do:
chanting/mantra - is something you cannot understand completely on a logical level. It is something you have to experience. Example: You sit in a meditation posture with your eyes closed and repeat the word Om. The vibration is going very deep into your existence. Since I am sceptical person I see it is like a scientific research. What kinds of emotions comes up when I chant “Om Namo Narayana” for example. Can it really be so dangerous to chant for world peace ? 
asanas - is to physically prepare the body for sitting in a meditation posture. Getting rid of tension. there is are many books available for asanas and it is already very well known in the west
pranayama - is to clear the nerves in the body through breathing exercises and prepares the body for true meditation. The ability to focus is greatly enhanced.
meditation- is to sit in a meditation posture and first focus on the posture and notice the body from inside. Then focus on the natural flow of the breath. The goal is to make the mind one pointed . When stillness is reached we can get to the bottom of the lake. The lake represents our subconsiousness and when the waves stop we transcend time and space.
karma yoga – is to do practical work like sweeping floors, cooking etc. The goal is to do this without expectation. Selfless service to the benefit of others.
Yoga to children the Sivananda way
You can go to the Sivananda centre in Austria for a shorter vacation with your daughter/son but there will be no special lectures for children and there is no special childcare when you are in class. Teaching to young children is different but children have the same kind of experiences as adults and age is not a big factor. Something they stress here, Sivananda Centre Austria, is that we are first of all a student of yoga even when we teach to others. The most important thing is to keep up our own sadhana, practice and study philosophy etc.
First you get experience with yoga as a student and then you get teaching in how to teach it. The last step is to specialise your teaching towards old people, children etc.
One of Sivanandas disciples wrote a good book about yoga:
Yoga Education For Children (Paperback) by Swami Satyananda Saraswati (Author)
the mystical journey continues
Filed under: ashram, diary, religion, teaching, TTC, yoga | Tags: ashram, journey, meditation, retreat, sivananda yoga, teacher training, yoga
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photo: Katalin Kurko
This path of yoga is something that feels true on a deeper level. Finally I get answers to many of my questions. We had evening lectures with an Indian philosopher this week . After a long day of lectures I reach a state which is close to dreaming and I see very vivid pictures in my head.
Part of the lecture was something like this:
… A woman goes to hairdresser for 3 hours. She comes home and her kid comes up to her and drag in her hair. It is alright ! the mother have love for the child. In the same way our love for god makes us accept all the things around us even the things that are not so pleasant …
The focus is clearly on Vedanta and hinduism but there is also room for other religion. Sivananda, The founder of this yoga tradition wrote a prayer which includes Jesus , Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna etc. and he described these people as very good teachers on the spiritual path. The teacher on this level has realized the underlying truth about reality and now he spend his time to communicate this teaching to his fellow man.
the main goal of this school is not to make us yoga teachers but to make us into messengers for peace throughout the world ! a messenger who understand the difference between being a spiritual seeker and a religious fanatic
High Altitude Yoga in Austria
Filed under: diary, TTC, Uncategorized, yoga | Tags: asana, sivananda yoga, teacher training
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photo: Katalin Kurko
photo: Katalin Kurko
When the weather is good we do asanas and pranayama outside. The view of mountains and the fresh air makes it easy to feel good and healthy. I remember the Sivananda ashram in Uttarkashi, India as a very positive experience. Now it feels like visiting an old friend, this school is part of the same organisation and I get the same good feeling. After many years with different types of yoga I understand why they do as they do here. The teacher make a joke sometime and everybody is laughing and the next moment everything is serious again. I used the possibility to consult with a Swami, spiritual teacher, yesterday and this was a very nice experience. The teachers address the problems you may encounter as a student or as a teacher. They pinpoint it accurately and we, the students , cannot help but to laugh about it. I am very happy with my TTC ,teacher training course, here in Austria !
Book review: Træk Vejret (Breathe)
Filed under: book, review, yoga | Tags: boost your brain, breath, death, health, meditation, self help, yoga
Leave a Comment I came across a book by Stig Åvall Severinsen which I really think deserves an English translation. If you saw The Big Blue back in the 80′s and still wonder how a person can build up the physique and will power to hold the breath for such a long time YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK ! In the Big Blue there are some references to yoga techniques and to my knowledge this is the first attempt ever to go through this in such an scientific way !
Inspired by the Big Blue I decided that pranayama, breathing exercises from yoga was really something I wanted to go deeper with. To my surprise I discovered that retention of the breath came without effort after Nadi Shodan. I followed the ratio given in Prana Pranayama Prana Vidya and slowly over several months I gradually increased the ratio. I simply did not feel the urge to breath as frequently as I do normally. At first I was a bit scared by this fact and I was scared that my brain would get damaged by the lack of Oxygen. As well as counting the nadi shodana I counted the time I performed this natural breath retention afterwards. I did not really believe my counting was accurate because I simply did not think it was possible to hold the breath for such a long time without being an elite athlete. To make sure I was counting on a correct speed I took a loud clock and I counted in my head at the same time as the clock was ticking. After 2 minutes I was excited about how easy this was. I noticed movements within the body but I continued. I passed 6 minutes and now I was really chocked I had the fear that I will actually die from this. Aft
er 7 minutes I stopped and it took quite a long time for my breath to get back to normal.
In my life there were a lot of things that really took energy and focus and I remember this moments of breath retention as really peaceful and it was like I was recharging my batteries in some way. During this period it was extreme how many things I was able to deal with at the same time. My personal belief is that I would have been totally burned out in this period if it was not for the Nadi Shodan. When I look back at this period I amazed how good timing it was. My father was going through a very though time and I visited him a lot, my girlfriend since 2 years decided to leave me, I had extra responsibilities on top of my study at university etc. Some years earlier just one of these things would have got me totally paralysed. I totally admit that this was a very emotional period and I cried many evenings etc. but it was like I got extra power to go through this from the Pranayama.
Now several years later when I read this book I understand what processes actually happened in my body and the fact that the author is named Stig makes it extra intense since that is also the name of my father. had I read this book at this point I think I would have continued with my practice but back then I had a lot of worries that it was dangerous what I was doing etc.
This book made me interested in taking a seminar with Stig and learn about the special techniques he talk about in the book ! As always I recommend learning yoga and breathing techniques from an experienced teacher.
books mentioned in this article:
Prana Pranayama Prana Vidya by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
Træk vejret by Stig Åvall Severinsen
crying like a baby in the arms of the lord
Filed under: christianity, diary, teaching, yoga | Tags: love, running, teacher training, TTC
Leave a Comment After a late run on the beach this night I feel at peace today. I felt a lot of sadness the last few days since my loved one is back in her home town and I am here and whatever I look at I see her in front of me but I can not physically touch her. I am participating in yoga teaching training in Austria next month and after that it is white space. It feels like a very big step to start to teach in a foreign language, German, right now and maybe this will change during the course. The biggest group I have taught in yoga was 8 people in India and the next step is to teach for a full class of 25-50 people. I know I should start this step by step but right now I cannot think about this as a compromise. I want to become a full time yoga teacher. There is no other option. Like a candle flame of concentrated light I am focusing on this. My whole body is trembling with the thought of throwing myself into this. Will I die ? Do I have to live in celibacy ? Up to now I have done yoga teaching on a voluntary basis. To live I need money to pay the bills and it feels natural to take this step. I do not know why it is such a big step to charge for a lesson. Maybe it is putting pressure on me to be professional in my teaching. To strictly divide up my private life and the yoga. It feels more like the yoga have been growing in me for years and now it wants to get out of my body and it want me to work as a transmitter. It feels like an explosion from within and I have no other option. I cannot explain in a logical way and it feels like a very lonely road since my old friends are not so interested in this. Yoga feels like something I have been hiding and now all of sudden I want to show the world. I am grateful for all the people who support me in this and you mean a lot to me !
yoga will boost your ability to learn a new language
How can this be true ? I have made a series of experiments where I lay down on the floor with my eyes shut in Shavasana and I listen to a podcast from Deutsche Welle. My girlfriend was really surprised that I could speak so good german when she arrived yesterday. I feel that when I lay down and relax the words are drifting through my mind in a relaxed way. I have no tension and my whole awereness is focused on the words arriving from the speakers. it is the opposite and trying to learn a language !
10 Great Reasons to Use a Camcorder in Yoga
Filed under: diary, idea, review, teaching, Uncategorized, video, yoga | Tags: asana, learning, review, yoga
Leave a Comment - Professional athletes have done this for years to improve performance.
- Make it look graceful. You will see all these small movements you do which takes away from the grace. Trust me it will look better and feel better when you do not wiggle your toes in the lotus pose
- You can notice any imbalance in your body and correct it. As long as it is not in the skeleton and than it was good you saw it anyway so you can talk with a doctor
- Having a personal trainer costs a lot of money and camcorders are constantly dropping in price and even a webcam will give you some feedback.
- You have the possibility to upload to sites like Youtube and get comments from all over the world.
- You can very easily go back and see your own progress over time.
- It is a chance to accept yourself on how you look and the way your body is.
- A cheap way to get an out of body experience
- Share your experience with your friends and family
- It is fun
Chiropractic visit and x-rays
kyphosis - an increase in the thoracic curve. photo from x-ray original: johan flod
I went to a chiropractor today and it was very interesting. He made an x-ray of my back and we talked about training, yoga etc. My body have a skeletal construction winch is in a certain way and for example some of the discs in my back are not formed as they should be. The unbalance in my skeleton system makes my muscles work harder to correct for this.
my legs are equally long and the imbalance is in the spine itself. in the chest area the vertebrae are not shaped as they should and I have a tendency to compress my chest area forward. The lower backs first vertebrae is tilted to the left and that makes my lower part of the spine go to the left.
it was a big relief to see the x-rays and see how my spine actually looks in a relaxed posture. I was expecting a lot of sounds from my body when he started the treatment but there was almost none.I was recommended to sit in a chair which have this special rest for the knees and is called a kneeling chair. I am a bit sceptical about the kneeling chair since wikipedia basically says it is a failure.
I recommend people who have problems with their back to get a total check done by a doctor or chiropractor. It is
scoliosis - a lateral curvature , side twist. photo from x-ray original: Johan Flod
also important to understand the difference between relaxation in the muscles and how your skeleton looks. yoga will help your muscles to relax and that is much needed in between physical activity. The perfect examples you see in yoga magazines are people who also had the help from good genetics to start with. No matter how flexible you are the hard parts of the bone will not change.
At an early age I got interested in Buddhism and the prince who left his kingdom in the search for truth. How can I apply this story to my own life ? to be able to sit I took up the study of yoga. Is there a contradiction between yoga and science ? Sure we can get a theoretical understanding through books, but without the experience we are stuck. Why is it so hard to practice non-violence when the mosquito is landing on my neck ?
