yoga for everone

Kripa Raman demystifies yoga for you.

You have enrolled for a yoga class and are doing asanas and breathing exercises (pranayama). Are you practising yoga?  “Well, you cannot say `no’ but you cannot say `yes’ either,” says Philosophy professor A B Randeria, whose lecture series this writer once attended. Randeria teaches at the University of Mumbai and has studied in depth Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, a collection of aphorisms, (pithy observations containing truths or wisdom) on yoga, said to have been compiled around 400 CE.

REAL YOGA IS AN OCTATHALON

Randeria would say that you are strictly practising only a slice of yoga, which actually has eight limbs (ashtanga) consisting of:

yamas (ethical disciplines), ranging from ahimsa to aparigraha (not hoarding what one does not want, which implies lack of faith that the future will provide)

niyamas (rules of conduct, like cleanliness, truth);

asana (physical postures);

pranayama (breathing exercises);

pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses).

dharana (concentration on one object or thought)

dhyana (meditation, to put it simplistically)

And finally, samadhi, which is the culmination of the practitioner’s discipline; samadhi has been said to be an unflappable state of unbroken bliss, but those who have attained it have held it is completely beyond description, words being inadequate to explain it.

SIMPLIFIED YOGA FOR SIMPLE FOLK

Now, it goes without saying that not everyone is cut out to take his or her yoga practice all the way to Samadhi. Those who are drawn by a higher calling, and find that neither work, nor success, nor power, nor family fulfils them, may go off on such a quest. But for most us wading through a worldly life, a practical practice of asanas and pranayama, with some meditation thrown in, is all that is possible.

B K S Iyengar in his celebrated book Light on Yoga, says that asanas are not to be seen as gymnastic exercises. Done right, they bring lightness and an exhilarating feeling in the body as well as mind. They bring suppleness, balance, strength and endurance and vitality. Pranayama, the practice of breathing consciously, is said to calm the nervous system and prime the mind for meditation.

Yoga is not a competitive practice. One is not better than another at it. It does not make any sense to say someone is brilliant at yoga as it is not something to be achieved either. The method is more important than attaining the ultimate posture at any cost. You move towards the ultimate posture to the extent you can, and ONLY TO THE EXTENT YOU CAN.  In any asana, once you have stretched or bent to the extent you comfortably can, you hold the posture and breath in and out slowly several times (starting from say 3 and going on to 10 breaths) before you come out of the posture. The extent to which you can stretch or bend, and the duration for which you can hold your posture, will gradually increase with steady practice. One guideline for safety is that it is fine to feel slight strain, but not pain. This is why you must be close to your body and mind at all times, and never do yoga mechanically. Only you can know when strain becomes pain.

There is much debate about whether yoga really helps body and mind….there are scientific experiments which have demonstrated various claims of yoga, including the calming effect on the nerves of alternate nostril breathing (anuloma viloma) but that has not served to quell debate on the issue.

The proof of the pudding is finally in the eating….thousands have found their peace and health from yoga… and you can check whether you can too.  Practise it in a relaxed manner, be sincere, but not so serious that your jaws are clenched and your brows furrowed. Do it slowly, beautifully, enjoyably!

Asanas for daily practice

Sarvangasana (shoulder stand, said to be the mother of all asanas)

Lying on back, legs straight, arms close to body, raise legs until at right angles to ground. Support buttocks with hands and raise legs and bottom off the ground, gently keep pushing body up by “walking” your hands from your buttocks to your back, behind your waist. Come down by first lowering feet to 45 degree angle, safely and slowly.

Halasana (plough pose)

From shoulder stand, bring feet down towards the ground behind the head. Straighten knees.  Stretch out heels. Hold for 30 seconds, gradually increasing time up to two minutes

Matsayasana (fish pose)

Lie straight, on back. Place hands, palms down, beneath thighs. Push elbows against ground and lift your upper body so that you can see your toes. Now, with your weight on your elbows, bend back, place head on floor (there is no weight on the head, all the weight is borne by your elbows). This is a counter pose to the earlier two postures.

Paschimotasanasa (the forward bend)

Sit on floor, legs stretched out in front, feet together.  Raise hands, stretch your back high and lean forward to the extent you can, bringing your chest toward your thighs. Hold your toes or feet if you can. Never force this posture. Hold position for as long as you comfortably can, and slowly come out of it.

Bhujangasana (the cobra)

Lie on your abdomen, place hands flat on floor, fingertips in line with top of shoulders, elbows bent and held close against the body. Keep your chin on the floor. Gracefully arch your upper body off the ground. Remember, don’t place your weight on your hands which are only for balance, the arching is done entirely with the strength of your body. Hold position for a few breaths and slowly bring your chin back to the ground.

Shalabhasana (the locust)

Lying on abdomen, make fists of the hands and place them under your thighs. Inhale and lift your feet off the ground, as high as you can. Breathe normally and hold position. Bring your feet down gently.

Dhanurasana (the bow)

Lie on abdomen with forehead on floor. Bend your knees and reach back with your hands grabbing your ankles. Breathing in, raise head, chest and thighs off the ground. Your entire weight is on the abdomen now. Hold position for as long as you comfortably can before you come out of it.

Ardha Matsyendrasana (half spinal twist, beginner’s version)

Sit on floor with legs straight out. Bend the left knee, bring left foot over the right leg and place it flat on ground. Place left arm flat on floor behind back. Lift right arm over the left side of the left knee. Look over your left shoulder keeping your back and head straight. Repeat this with the right leg.

Trikonasana (the triangle)

Stand erect with feet three to four feet apart. Lift right arm parallel to right ear, feel the stretch on the right side of your body. Keep left arm on left thigh. Keeping the stretch, slide the left arm down the left leg, so your body bends to the left. Retain position. Repeat on the other side.

You have now bent your spine forward, backward, twisted it and given it a lateral stretch.

Savasana (the corpse)

The most difficult pose to do!  Lie flat on back, body straight, legs around two feet apart, feet falling outward, hands at 45 degree angle to body, palms facing upward, fingers curling naturally.  Bring your attention to the breath, which is regular, and not forced.  Completely relax. Come out of the position slowly, moving the fingers and toes first and stretching your limbs next. Turn to one side and sit up. According to yoga guru, B K S Iyengar, in good relaxation the energy flow is from the back of the head to the toes, and the body feels as if elongated.

Pranayama

Anuloma Viloma (alternate nostril breathing)

Sit cross-legged, hold down the forefinger and middle finger of the right hand, so that the thumb and the last two fingers are held up. Rest your thumb on your right nostril and the last two fingers on your left.  Keeping right nostril pressed, breathe in through left nostril for four counts. Close both nostrils, and hold breath for 16 counts. Keep left nostril closed and breathe out through right nostril for 8 counts. Now,  breathe in through right nostril for four counts, hold breath for 16 and breathe out through left for 8 counts. This is one cycle. Repeat four or five times.

Warning: when doing the asanas, progress at your own pace. If you can get to only one-tenth the way to a posture, that will do, as long as you hold position for some time. Your progress will improve gradually.

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YOGA CLASSES IN MUMBAI

There are many kinds, derivatives or hybrids of yoga that are taught today. They go by various names, Vinyasa, Swara, Kundalini, Hot, Bikram and so on. There are hundreds of private tutors and boutique studios too. But here are four institutes in the city that teach regular, middle-of-the-road yoga:

The Yoga Institute

Shri Yogendra Marg, Opp Railway Quarter Prabhat Colony, Santacruz East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400055. Phone:022 2611 0506 theyogainstitute.org

Arguably the oldest formal yoga institute in the world, established by Shri Yogendraji in 1918.

Runs regular, weekend, home tutoring and other classes.

Iyengar Yogashraya Elmac House, 126, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 022-24948416

Follows the style of the celebrated B K S Iyengar. Regular classes, special classes for people with special health problems, special classes for executives, and for police

Kaivalyadham Ishwardas Chunilal Yogic Health

43, Netaji Subhash Road, Marine Drive, Marine Lines, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400002. Phone:022 2281 8417 Established in 1936. Daily (except Sundays and public holidays) yoga sessions with the yoga teacher at the following times:– Men: 6.30 am to 10.00 am & 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm – Women: 7.00 am to 10.00 am & 4.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Special workshops for asthma back problems etc held from time to time

Yoga Vidya Niketan established by Sadasiv Nimbalkar Yoga Bhavan Plot no 14, Sector 9A, Vashi, Navi Mumbai 400703. Tel: 022-27669710 Also classes at Dadar, Vile parle, Matunga, Andheri, Goregaon, Ghatkopar, Mulund