Archive for the ‘sivananda yoga’ Tag
what is yoga ?
Filed under: diary, religion, teaching, yoga | Tags: exercise, running, sivananda yoga, yoga
Leave a Comment When I hear a teachers who talk about the importance of keeping up the yoga tradition I react with mixed emotions. First of all Yoga was mentioned the first time roughly 2500 years ago. In the Katha Upanishad it refers to a state where you gain control over the senses and the mental activity stops. This leads to a supreme state. In the old texts there is no reference on how this is done practically and this is where the confusion starts. A marathon runner can gain control over the senses and by that his mental activity stops. There are many roads leading to yoga. Yoga has come to describe the travel when in fact it was first used to describe the goal/final state. Ha-tha yoga describes union of polarities and this has come to mean a series of physical postures. There is no way with higher value than the other and that is where some “yoga traditions” get into problems. You see ha-tha yoga school who claim that they have secret initiations from the original tradition. In my opinion there is something suspicious about secrecy and I want to practice something that has been proved by scientists. There is nothing secret about ha-tha yoga and it is a tradition in constant change . When you see thin male yogis in India wearing a loincloth and a smiling women in leotards they both claim to follow the original tradition. 200 years ago practically no women did ha-tha yoga at all. Traditionally only men were initiated into this kind of training and Sivananda (roughly 100 years ago) described how he introduced ha-tha yoga to women in India, they had great difficulty doing it in their Sari and some other outfit had to be worn. In India ha-tha Yoga was only taught to a selected few in and this was controlled partly by the caste system. Yoga for women has developed through trial and error in the last 100 years. Here is where my concern about secrecy come to mind again. We must let doctors, physiotherapists and scientists look at Ha-tha Yoga and evaluate it and be open to their findings.
Since most of the ha-tha yoga tradition is based on an oral tradition and it was written down not so long time ago there is big room for change and adaptation.
Ha-tha Yoga spread out of the small circles and became a mainstream activity. Ha-tha Yoga became something that is available through CD, DVD, internet, training in group, personal training etc.
method: translating yoga material to Danish
Filed under: diary, idea, teaching | Tags: learning, sivananda yoga, teacher training, yoga
Leave a Comment Since I want to pick material from several books in different languages I have come up with this workflow:
- Scan text material from books. any scanner will do and I have an old HP Photosmart.
- Use a free OCR, Optical Character Recognition software to get this scanning into a textfile. I use an online solution and I did a quick test today and it came out all right.
- Once the text is in digital format I can use google translate or the FoxLingo plugin ( Mozilla Firefox browser) to get the text into Danish.
- the last step is optional and that is to use a text-to-speech service to get the text into audio.
In the next few days I will use this service to get the basic Sivananda class into Danish.
review:Sivananda TTC in Austria
Filed under: TTC, ashram, diary, religion, teaching, yoga | Tags: asana, ashram, sivananda yoga, teacher training, yoga
Leave a Comment Can you really learn yoga in Austria ? During my stays in India I have been terrible ill and that is the reason why I went to the yoga teacher training in Austria. Sleeping on health mattresses and eating food featured in the Michelin guide proved to be a winner. If you are looking for ascetic living and military discipline you have come to the wrong place. What you will find is open minded teachers in a picturesque setting .
staff versus students. According to Swami Atmaramananda football is part of the vedic lifestyle photo: Alessandro Califano
The teachers, swamis are approachable at all times and there is room in the schedule for your personal questions. If this is your first time in an ashram, a religious hermitage you maybe find the theory part of the course abstract and hard to grasp. This is not a course to deepen your Sadhana, personal practice but rather to deepen your knowledge around yoga philosophy. Each day you are to hand in a handwritten summary and by the end of the course there is a 3,5 hour exam.
Different experts in Astrology, Philosophy and Cranial Sacral Massage
Sri Venugopal Goswami reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam. photo: Katalin Kurko
gave guest lectures. The most scientific one was Dr. Annika Waldmann, nutritionist lectures on the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. In the breaks there was a chance to get personal counselling/treatment from, an astrologer, a physiotherapist and a massage
therapist. I got a very good treatment from a physiotherapist specialised in yoga.
One evening there is a movie night and we get to see Swami Vishnu-devananda, “The Flying Guru” and when the swamis talk about him they come alive. They talk about his flight over the Berlin wall and the great preparation that went int
o the project. The essence of the teaching is that we are ambassadors of peace.
The yoga lectures are taught in a way that suits me perfect. The teacher walk around during class and give the students help/corrections to find the right alignment.
The only issue I have with this way of teaching yoga is the chanting in sanskrit in the beginning and at the end of the class. Swedish and Sanskrit are miles apart and it reminds me of the time when the church had all the prayers in Latin. Why not start the yoga lesson with words that an ordinary citizen can understand ? Words in his own language that have the same meaning.
swami Keshavananda is demonstrating Neti - nasal cleansing. photo: Alessandro Califanos
Without people dedicating their life to serve others this education would not exist. The swamis have made the choice that the whole world is their family and when you see what Swami Vishnu-devananda did during his lifetime you get a clear proof what dedication and love can accomplish.
Diary: the Anatomy of Yoga
Filed under: TTC, ashram, diary, teaching, 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: TTC, ashram, meditation, religion, 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.
the mystical journey continues
Filed under: TTC, ashram, diary, religion, teaching, 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: TTC, diary, 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 !
Practice: Being Grateful
Filed under: diary, exercise | Tags: ashtanga yoga, dalai lama, learning, life wisdom, sivananda yoga, thankfulness
Leave a Comment To be grateful is something that almost all of the great self help coaches, Priests and Dalai Lama are telling us to be. Yet it is so hard and so easy to forget. I will try to practise this today and it will be a total mix of everything. I am grateful for Dalai Lama who is writing in an easy way how we can live a more peaceful life. I am thankful that I right now have the possibility to live the life I really want to live. I really appreciate that I have all the clothes I need and that I have a computer to type on. I am thankful for all the workers who put an effort into getting me this wonderful piece of equipment. I really appreciate all the wonderful teaching I have recieved from my parents, all the teacher I had at elementary school, Sven my kick boxing coach, My Judo teacher who introduced me to meditation when I was 11 years old, Satyananda who is writing all this wonderful books, Janakananda and his very practical approach to yoga, Omananda , the teachers at Chalmers Technical University, Dalai Lama, Timothy Ferris and his book who really taught me that it is possible to live life exactly as you want and still be of service to other people, Annete Simmons and her really nice book on how to write interesting stories, Jeff Howe and his very inspiring book on how we can collaborate on an even bigger scale now due to Internet , Andreas Öberg who really inspired me to think outside of my limiting beliefs, Per Ekengren who really opened my eyes on how to save money and use resources even more efficiently at the same time, Neil Natura who really taught me to believe in myself, Neil Strauss and his great teaching on how you can evolve in how you handle social situations, all the people I have met who inspired me in a situation where I did not expect to be inspired, Susanna and Jens and their very hands on approach to helping you to do the postures right in Ashtanga Yoga, All the wonderful yoga teachers, Anna, Turiya, Omananda, Sita, Anananda, Agnidara, Lisbet etc.
Review: Yoga Teacher training in the North of Sweden
Filed under: ashram, meditation, review, yoga | Tags: 2007, ashram, review, sivananda yoga, teacher training, yoga
Leave a Comment Satyananda Yoga Sweden offers a 2 years yoga teaching training course. First i think it is misleading to say it is a 2 years course since the amount of teaching is just 2 months roughly.
The price is 80.8 Euro each day you stay in the Ashram ant the total for the course is 4672,364 Euro (58 days at the ashram). Just for the fun of it I made the comparison between the prices in India and in Sweden
Course in Yogic Studies – Four Months in Bihar Yoga Bharati, Munger, India is 1,200 Euro
4 Months at the Satyananda Ashram in Sweden would cost roughly 9720 Euro ( 120 days times 80.8 euro ).
The teacher training started with a week of introduction and we all got together in this big house in Bollnas, Sweden and cooked food together and off course did yoga. We had discussions as part of the schedule and the teaching training was only on theoretical level during this week. No hands on classes where you hold lectures to each other. They were clear to point out that the teaching was not supposed to be curing illness but rather to give relaxation and relieve stress. I felt in general that i was doing postures which would be great if I was 80 years old and had sever problems with my back. I was sitting in the padmasana posture one day and our main teacher told me that this posture is not good for the knees. This was a big suprise to me since I know people in India sit in this posture for months in a row. In general i did not feel that I was learning anything new regarding yoga and regarding the actual teaching part I was very alarmed that we did not actually held any lectures to each other. All of this was a bit alarming since I was paying 484 Euro for this week and I actually lost income because I was away from work. Maybe I am bit hard here but if it is an introduction week you should at least get a taste on how it is to teach to a group of people. We got copies from the Asana, Pranayama, Mudra , Bandha book and in general they were referring to different books by Satyananda. During this week I felt that I was doing practices that maybe are good if you are a total beginner but I for sure missed my daily program which I usually do at home.
The staff were friendly and the course was held in a very nice old swedish building. A lot of friendly people in the group and in general it was a very nice atmosphere in this place.
To sum up I think this is a great course for beginner since they can learn from the classes and they are happy with the level. If you want to go deep with your personal sadhana or want to become a full blown yoga teacher on all levels I think there are much better courses availible.
I do not write a full review of it because I only took part in the introduction week and I never enlisted for the full teaching course.
more info: satyananda yoga sweden (text in Swedish)
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 ?