So summer draws to a close.

There’s a chill in the air. The evenings are longer. The energy changes.
We naturally start to become more contemplative as our bodies prepare for the cold dark days of winter. Our appetite begins to change to desiring warm filling meals rather than light ‘excitable’ salads and such.

Equinox and solstices

When the student is ready, the guru appears!

2 years ago, on a yoga retreat, I was introduced to an awesome teacher who changed my life. A petite brunette, with perfect posture, Barbara Wren has been teaching for decades and is longtime principal at The College of Natural Nutrition in Devon, UK.
Her quietly spoken and perfectly annunciated talks, belied the radical content and revolutionary ideas behind them.

We were in a beautiful old farm house near Oxford. 30-40 yoga teachers and students from all over UK and Europe. Sitting on the chairs, the sofas, the arms, the floor, cross legged, or stretched out. Sometimes napping, as the density of information and intensity of ideas, coupled with the early morning meditations, overcame our attention and interest.

I took yards of notes. I button-holed Barbara at dinner and in the hallways.
The information she gave us was SO joined up! It really resonated with me.

So much so that I have set out on my own quest for understanding, which has continued to this day.
Taking me into increasingly ‘unconnected’ and bizarre places, on the www!
Which all turned out to be totally connected, relevant and fascinating!

Barbara teaches on nutrition and physical homeostasis.
Everything that happens to your body (and mind, but thats another article!) has an effect, and its all cumulative.

Where it starts

So, poor nutrition in your mother’s womb, lack of the protective colostrum in breast milk and the ongoing antibodies Mum produces specifically for you; early weeks vaccinations; medical intervention.
And this is all just to start!!
This sets up an ongoing situation where your body struggles to maintain integrity, tries to create a strong immune system, but creates fertile ground for acute and then chronic illness which, more and more, is the life we lead.

Barbara’s theory of ‘everything healthy’, is, that there is a chain of events, with inevitable consequences.
The mysteries of why people move towards ME, MS, arthritis, mental illness, cancer, are not mysteries at all.
She teaches the importance of the profile, a detailed history of how you grew up, what you ate, what drugs you were given, how childhood diseases were handled.

The pathway towards illness, with its particular gateways and milestones, plays out over and over, becoming more and more familiar each time it is mapped. Each one of us is individual, and our life stories unique, but it soon becomes plain that the more of the milestones you have accumulated, the more likely you are to suffer debilitating and possible lethal illnesses.

Unless you are a qualified MD, you are not allowed (sorry! I thought I lived in a country with free speech, but evidently not!!).I repeat, not allowed to talk about ’causes’ of cancer etc, let alone ‘cures’.
As if the MDs actually had the cures!
The MDs hold the answers to the whys and wherefores. Or not!
The papers constantly spout the latest bit of theory of this cause that, that causes this.
Dont eat this, eat that, and next week, dont eat that, eat this!
No wonder we are all confused, and gradually fall back to the pre packaged meals, processed everything, international input and quick and easy anything.

A typical profile

In our childhoods we suffer acute illness, fevers etc. If we take the vaccinations and the suppressing drugs, we mess up the delicate, but powerful, development of our immune system, that bastion of protection which is our most important gift for the lifetime.
In early adulthood, if we get onto the pharmaceuticals, they clag the system.
Pain relief, hay fever, contraceptive, antidepressants.

Later, the chronic problems begin. We spend more and more time at the doctor’s surgery.
We bring home more and more drugs for this and that. I remember clearing out my mum’s medicine cabinet when she started with the naturopath, a hair-raising experience in itself!

In the meantime, the food we eat is denatured, the water is chlorinated, the toothpaste fluoridated, the air polluted. The electromagnetism increases daily with, not only the electric grid surrounding us, but phones, masts, wireless pc networks, all operating at 100s of mHz compared to the human optimum of 4-12 mHz!

Our God-given equipment

Our natural systems are immaculate! Balanced, self- monitoring, powerful and self- sustaining. If we trust our selves, the very gift the Universe has given us, we naturally overcome the attacks of microbes, fungis, viruses, bacteria.
In childhood, our mothers milk and then natural locally- grown food supports the development of our immune response. Bacterial attack challenges, but the mature maternal immune system provides immunity, and after 2 yrs, our own develops.

The fever, scary though it is, is our way of burning out intruders. Each fever we successfully negotiate strengthens our ability to manage the next. As long as our brain is kept cool, the internal heat is not dangerous. To bring down the heat with supressants, rather than just wet towels, interrupts and ultimately destroys our energetic ability to burn.

Interestingly cancer victims, AIDS sufferers, and even IVF children, all have significantly lower base body temperatures than is normal. And Barbara said that the ‘normal’ body temperature today is a few degrees lower than when she was first nursing!!?

The interruption of the natural processes, and input of external poisons, threatens the health and well being of the system. The liver signals the toxification and overworked, stashes the toxins in fat it lays down.

Where? Well girls, it’ll be legs, hips, later bellies, arms, and of course internal organs.
Guys? Well, on your gut! That hard, persistent belly of the western man, is a direct result of toxofication.
Visceral fat, surrounding heart, kidneys etc, pushes out the belly, so, even with no love handles, the waistline extends and extends.
Fat is your liver’s way of protecting you from poisons in the blood stream!
Thank you Oh Liver!!   Protector of my heart and brain, saviour of my life and sanity!
I jest not!

If the toxification continues, your body’s attempts at damage-limitation will be overwhelmed by the onslaught of poison. Which is why, after physical illness, comes mental deterioration. As the body fails to cope, the toxins get to the most vital organs of heart and brain, and after that anything can happen.
The body is sophisticated in action, simple in overall operation, and once you get it straight, relatively simple to fix.
Not easy, simple.
Like any machinery, if you keep it clean, use it regularly, keep it properly supplied with fuel and lube, it will function well for decades.
Barbara was chronically ill when she was younger, but now joins in and keeps up with our yoga sessions with the 20 yr olds!

14th September, colds season!

So, now, 14 September 2011. One week to the autumn equinox, and my son and I have colds.

My son is a good example. No vaccines, no drugs in 12 years, good food, regular exercise.
( Oh and many arguements about McDonalds, PlayStation, chocolate, sugar etc. We are not immune!)
But he has never been ill! A few fevers, which I anxiously waited out, a few localised infections, but no constant colds and visits to the doctors, no Ritalin, no Calpol. Just ongoing energy, growth, intelligence and liviliness.

The yoga retreat 2 years ago was in August. Barbara spoke about the Equinox coming up.
2 months later, I went to another weekend retreat where she was speaking.
Many of the same attendees were there.

‘Who has been ill, since August?’
I realised that Matt and I had had colds and flu, which was very unusual especially for him.
‘We have just had the equinox!’
The penny didnt drop.

What is going on?

So, now it has, let me share with you.
Every year we have 2 equinoxes, when the night and day are the same length.
The crossing over of the energy from mostly light to mostly dark, and vice versa.

This shift of energy changes the planet as a whole and its energy, relative to south or north of the equator, and distance from the poles.
It also effects our energy.
At equinox, the energy flips.
This energetic shift, throws out junk at a cellular level, into the bloodstream and lymph, and hopefully out of the body. It is a 6 monthly opportunity to clean and clear the accumulation of rubbish which has settled in for a cosy ride.

Whooops! You thought you could move into my body? sorry chum, house move time, and out you go!
Whooa! Spring clean, autumn sort. Ready for summer, ready for winter, I feel better, energised, strong.

If you support your body’s natural mechanisms, with natural local foods, suitable for your body and blood type, herbs, positive and empowering thoughts, and exercise regularly at an appropriate level, you will go through the natural cleanse of the equinox with a few superficial coughs and colds and maybe a temperature.
Especially the use of cleansing techniques like hydrotherapy, enemas, deep breathing, which are powerful and gentle, encourage the body to slough off rubbish.
Your skin will be clearer, your silhouette sleeker, your energy levels higher.

But if you supress and poison further, the output from bloodstream to excretion will short circuit, the liver will repackage all that junk, back into the fat, back into the cells, back into all the nooks and crannies it was hoping to clear.
Instead of clearing at equinox, in October the acute problems could increase, by November the chronic conditions worsen, the arthritis, the ME, the MS.
By Christmas the mental problems are in full swing, the depression, anxiety, even the psychoses.

By Spring time the body is really ready for a clear out.
Come March, the sniffles begin, the headaches, the aching joints.

Again you have a choice, to clear or to supress.
But if you dont understand what goes on, if you believe the advertisements and common wisdom and buy the over the counter cold tabs, you beat your body down again.
Even more toxified, more weighted down.
You move into summer with hay fever and other allergies, you are tired, listless, a bit hopeless and desperate.
You take up Zumba, you have a facial to clear the pimples. You make new resolutions as the days lighten.

But the solution is not to beat ourselves up, not to work harder with meds and creams and regimes.
The solution is to release, let go and trust. Trust the awesome mechanisms of your body/mind.

Relax, release, understand.

My suggestions

Eat simply- local food, with a similar energy pattern to your own.
Cut out processed foods, including sugar and salt.
Breathe.
Listen to your body
Cut down your drug intake, investigate natural therapies like herbalism, homeopathy, flower essences, hydrotherapy, naturopathy – many of these are cheap, safe and can be done at home with little kit and caboodle.
Do gentle exercise and get back in touch with your 5 senses, even your 6 senses!
Dont believe anything the drug companies tell you- they want you endlessly sick so you (or the NHS) keep buying their products
Read Barbara Wrens book ‘Cellular Awakening’ and investigate her wonderful solutions. Wonderful solutions passed down to us by generations of our forebears who were strong, knowledgeable, and in contact with the ground we live on and all its bounty.
Be positive and creative.

Welcome your own rising star!

Barbara’s main theme is that each one of us suffers if we do not express our uniqueness, our talents, abilities, opinions and wisdom.
Nutrition is a first step towards self-discovery.
Cleaning up so we can see and feel clearly.
Allow our authentic voice to ring through, our authentic presence to empower our day to day life.

Be who we are, with courage, passion and integrity.
Becoming fearless, we empower those around us to do likewise.

Each one of us carries within the sparks, not of potential greatness, but actual, realised greatness.
Once we stop dancing to the corporate tune, go into quietness and discover our own beautiful melody, we shine.
The light literally transmits from clean cell, to clean cell, causing our heart to open, our love to grow, our intellect to resonate with every other intellect in the Universe.

If one of us dares to let that light shine, like a candle set on a candlestick, or a great city on a hill, it is apparent to all, and some may even see it and be ready to start shining too!

So today I wish you the very best Equinox season. Be brave as you read and assimilate. Learn more.
Recognise the resonances and take action.

If you are ill, this is the pathway back to health.

If you are tired, this is the way to energy.

If you are frustrated with your life and path, go within, find your sweet melody and begin to hum it gently, till it fills your body, your mind, your heart, and then your life.

Life is worth living, Truth is worth sharing. Wounds can heal, hurts can be resolved.
The future is bright.

Namaste! Om mani padme hum!
Dinah

No weapon formed against us shall prosper – Isaiah 54:17

Hari Om, Yogistas!

Lets explore the body/mind/spirit complex you call home!

photo credit: tibchris

When we look at a body, Somebody, what do we see?
The physical body, the attitude and expression they convey, and the energy they generate.

The basic body structure is created by the muscles.
The muscles build up in layers, connect to the bones, and create a compact, powerful machine, covered and protected by the skin and fat layers.
The overall musculature of the body is a highly sophisticated and complex piece of superb engineering, allowing movement across multiple planes in gross and fine control. (Grand or tiny movements – to you and me!)
The strength, tone and balance of musculature, create the look, but also the feel of a body! So for the person IN the body it affects the way they feel, their energy levels, their posture, and of course their self image!

Humans are generalists, we are able to walk and run for considerable distances; we’ve got strong flexible arms, hands capable of grasping all sorts of objects to use them in different ways.

We are built to climb, hang, jump and contort into all sorts of shapes and positions.
This is achieved both by having strong major muscles groups, but also myriad small and tiny muscles which allow for adjustments, balance, holding limbs immobile or with small incremental movement.
We also have all those tendons, bits of cartilage and gristly bits that lend support, cushioning and extra flexibility and protection to joints all over the body.

The face especially, has loads of small muscles which allow us to speak, eat, and make a hundred different facial expressions to express every nuance of feeling we are wanting to communicate.

Finding balance and Wellbeing

In order to have a good general sense of wellbeing, the health and comfort of our muscles is key.

We need to find a balance between inactivity and overdoing it. We need to come from a place of neutrality; so activity, whether mild or extreme, flows smoothly, and finishes where it began, in neutrality.

The body in neutral is not 100% relaxed. Muscles work in opposition, and as long as you are up and about, they are constantly balancing and rebalancing, one against another.

So standing, sitting, lying, each position has its own relative relaxation. The key is to do as little as possible!

For most of us though, inactivity does not equate to being relaxed, but rather a chronic state of readiness that has dulled the body’s ability to respond either quickly, seamlessly or joyfully. That is to say, because we fail to release fully following any activity, we carry habitual tensions in the body tissues, which send contradictory messages of what is required, forcing our finely-tuned reactivity to dull down and tune out!

If we sit all day, drive home and then sit all evening, there is a lack of contrast in activity, so we are neither comfortably relaxed, nor in full play of muscular magnitude. Gravity and low-level daily activity, keep a level of tone, but strong firm, sleek muscles only come from daily stretching, power work and release. And well-being comes from the regular pulse between high-level activity, and quiet release.

What kind of exercise?

All kinds of exercise are good for the body.
Swimming and walking are great all-rounders.
Sports are good.  But their downside is, that, typically, their goal orientation, and focus away from the sensations of the body, mean there is a tendency to develop imbalances in order to do the sport, and also, potentially, injuries.
So golfers, focusing on their swing, and the trajectory of the ball, unknowingly create tensions and imbalances in their body which they then fail to release after the game and they then live with.
Exactly the same with gardening (Hey thats not a sport!!
No, but you certainly notice those imbalances when you have spent the day weeding!)
Running is controversial, as so many people run on roads. Good shoes are essential, and attention to warm up, cool down and posture.
Gym work, like weights, aerobics and other classes all have pluses and minuses.

All these activities challenge the body in different ways, and none facilitate balance!
Done mindfully, any activity can be good: fun, uplifting, strengthening, aerobic, calorie-burning. But almost without exception we can each benefit from the practise of yoga to rebalance and retune our bodies to mitigate and minimise problems, and allow us to enjoy our sport even more.

A well-managed body will be strong and toned, so that sudden and unexpected movements, like tripping on a kerb, don’t rip and tear the muscle or fascia, but are able to stretch and flex to cushion the body from an accident, without injury, whether in sport or our daily life.

But why yoga?

Yoga is extraordinary in its versatility and range. Regardless of our need, those yogis in their caves, (you’ll hear a lot about these guys from me!) these old yogis with long beards and bad pants and nothing to do all day but chant and contort, they have found a way to fix it!

If you have an achy bit and you can’t find a way to stretch it out or ease it, they have the answer! Somehow they can fold, twist, extend and hold you, till that bit is addressed, stretched, released and, at last, it can let go and let you get on with your life!!

Hundreds of different poses are there for us to choose from!

To challenge the strength of various parts – upside down poses are good for strengthening necks; all-fours or hand balances strengthen wrists and arms; leg lifts challenge the abdominals; and all the standing poses develop strong balanced legs, co-ordination and good posture.

To develop balance – standing on one leg( in 50 different variations!), hand balances again, inversions, side lifts.

For flexibility – twist your arms in wierd contortions, afterwards twist your body into similar contortions, then do the same contortions while standing up and balancing. Closing your eyes is optional, and far more difficult!

Then you have endurance! I have been in classes where we simply held our arms horizontally in front. . . .
For 25 minutes! Whew!

And now . . . Relax!!

The different aspects of healthy muscles include strength, flexibility and resilience, but most important is the ability to release fully once the need for strength, flexibility and resilience is over.

We may not even notice, but tension and stiffness build up over years, as muscles forget how to let go.
We sit a certain way, stand, carry a bag. Our muscles do what’s required, but we don’t tell them when they can let go.
So they hold patiently and obediently. We have forgotten them. But they are still holding.
And then we use them again, so they get used to the work but never come back to neutral.

This is why we can tell what people do, from their body shape. And I don’t necessarily mean body development like weight lifters and such.
I heard a story of a chap who was a bus driver. His route was full of left turns, and he did it for 40 years!
He left his body to science, and when they examined him, they discovered his chest muscles full of diagonal striations where the constant turning of the large steering wheel had set up lines of stress for the left turn, that had never been released, or balanced by right turning!

We are creatures of habit. We cross our legs the same way, step up with the same foot, focus on our stronger hand, eye. We carry our bag on the same shoulder, frown with the same expression.

Yoga stands alone, as a holistic body/mind/spirit practise.
Yoga challenges all our conceptions about effort.
Not the heaviest weight, the most reps, the sweatiest towel!
Not man of the match, fastest, strongest, highest, longest.

Yoga is Unique!

Yoga is about listening to your body.
Working into the pose, allowing the pose to do for us what only it can do.
Allowing the muscles to gently lengthen, giving them time, moving smoothly, slowly.
Thinking about what you are doing, rather than how you look, or what everyone else is doing.
Its about listening to, and then gently challenging the voice inside that says ‘You cant do this, its stupid and who would want to do this anyway?’
Its about exploring, sensing, allowing yourself to enjoy the pure sensation of the move, like a child, with curiosity and wonder.

Our most favoured pose is savasana, basking in the release of a class well done!
We lay on the floor, letting all the stretch and effort drain away.
Allowing the floor to support us, there is no need for us to hold onto anything.
Letting go of holding our limbs, our hips, our head, – especially our head!

We can’t release easily until we have practised (you ARE joking I hear you say).
But regular practise, releasing in savasana, scanning through the body, progressively releasing every tension you become aware of, (only to scan again, and release again,) creates a response in the muscles of deeper and deeper relaxation.

When I teach I use the same phrases and words, to begin, to close, between poses.
This programmes the listeners to develop this response even more quickly, so their muscular memory, (triggered by my words,) reminds them of last time I said those words and their ‘then’ state of release.
So they start this ‘now’ relaxation at a slightly deeper level, so they can now release even more.
This is the way to reclaim the natural ability to be chilled out, with every muscle benefitting from the free flow of blood, energy and deep deep calm!

This is why you lay on the hardest of floors and have the most comfortable, peaceful,delicious time.
You could stay there all day, but when you get up you feel excellent.
Energised, light, centred!

Ommmmmmmmm! Yoga!

Raj’s blog on Spiritual Nourishment – Oh Poor Addicted Me

Dear Raj,

you really see clearly and say it like it is. ( not always pretty, hey!)
We are addicted, individually, corporately, globally.

But now. I see us all very differently.
Our bodies, wonderful bits of kit.
Our minds, awesome processors of infinite capacity.
Our spirits, boundless, powerful and precious.

But we are living in the darkness of (sometimes willful) ignorance; the corporate lies that debt is best, quantitive easing will fix the problem etc.

The greatest fear is that we are not small and limited and inconsequential, but that we are great, powerful, and therefore, somehow responsible to make the changes we fear we are unable to make. So we stay small in our minds and habits and allow ‘the norm’ to predict our ways.

We are all One. We are all powerful. We are all beautiful.

Heaven v Hell

The picture of Hell is of a huge dining table, piled high with beautiful, delicious piles of food. Every diner has his knife and fork. Every diner has his plate.
Every diner is starving, looking at the food, salivating. The room is quiet, dispairing.
The knives and forks are 3 foot long!!

The picture of Heaven is also a huge dining table, piled with gorgeous plates of delicious food, constantly being eaten and then replaced by beautiful helpers, smiling and laughing as they bring out new delicacies.
The diners are also smiling; eating, talking, laughing.
Every diner has his own plate, his own knive and fork. Each knife and fork is 3 foot long!!

In Heaven each diner uses his knife and fork to feed his partner, facing him. They take it in turns to serve each other. They share the experience; of choosing, picking up the food, eating. The server watches his partner as he eats the mouthful he just gave him. Sometimes he talks to him, as you might to a baby you are feeding, ‘how is it? Is it nice?’. But it is all done in collaboration, in the moment. Sharing, paying attention, giving first, receiving second.

All the great gurus tell us Love is the answer. It is the only answer.
Until we focus on the giving, and the needs of each other, nothing works.

The time is now. The selfishness is proving itself to be unsuited to the task.
Taking produces fear, rioting, consequences.
Families have been starving in refugee camps for decades due to wars over oil, land, power, corruption, even of the aid money they are supposed to receive.

So What Now?

We must love our neighbour in order to meet our own needs.
Feed each other to get the sustenance we crave.
That is why we have addiction.

We fear to take the step of those random acts of kindness, because we feel our needs will not then be met. But our souls crave to be generous. So we pump ourselves with our drug of choice. (i am just about to go get my coffee by the way – so no moral high ground here!)

We allow the ground swell of society to dictate our actions.

Our buddha nature longs to show itself, be itself. To give, to love, to be fearless, to be expansive. Only then will our cravings be met. Not by the caffeine hit, the careless liaison, the buzz of the drug, all of which numbs our soul.

Our frustration, confusion, our questions, our concerns, all are answered, satisfied by our connection with source energy, which knows all, provides all, accepts all.

So what is the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything?

Ecclesiastes, the preacher, says, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, drink thy wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy works. For God will bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil”.

There is only one truth, one joined-up reality we all participate in. There is no escape, no parole. We chose to be here. We chose our situation and predicament. Like participants in a game show we choose silly situations to test our abilities to overcome and highlight our weaknesses. We know we may be thrown off into the water (Wipeout!) but there is a prize and we want it! Just to show we can.

Let us remember this is all a game, we are willing players; growth, fame and hilarity are all possible; and lets not take it all so seriously!
When the stakes are high. It is still only a game. The prizes ephemeral, the ignominy only playful. All we gain is growth, wisdom, and relationship. When people are dying they always say, “Not work, not jobs, but loving my friends, giving my appreciation to the ones I love, being myself, doing my must-do dreams.”. Solomon was a wise old dude. Long dead, his legacy is ours for the taking.

Dont sweat the small stuff. Love your people. Be true to yourself. Life is short. The. lessons are valuable. We are all one. We are all one!!!

Hari Om, Yogistas!

I would like to introduce a short series about Yoga and how it effects us as we practice.

Yoga is known as a calming, refreshing, though sometimes challenging, practice of stretches, balances and twists. Typically synchronised with the breath, often including more esoteric practices like mudras and mantras.

Why do yoga?

People come to yoga for many reasons: to manage stress; because they have an injury and want something more gentle until they can continue their sport; they may do it because it sounds cool; because it’s offered as part of their gym package; they may have heard it’s good for a particular ailment.
In truth the multiplicity of styles of yoga  offer something for everyone.  (see My other articles – to come)
Up tempo dynamic yoga flow to music; hot yoga for a real work out; Iyengar yoga for precision and safety; Gentle or Chair yoga for the less active person; there is yoga with singing; yoga for sportsman; yoga for any age children; you name it!! Even laughter yoga!!

For those of us who have moved from newbie to yogi, yoga has a special place in our lives which no other discipline can encompass.

What is an asana?

The poses are called asanas. Asana means ‘sitting pose’, but has come to apply to all poses in the yoga canon.
Every pose is named after a natural thing that the pose resembles, or the name of a sanskrit god or sage to whom it is dedicated.
To our eye chandrasana may not look like a half moon, though bhujangasana can definitely be seen to resemble a cobra. The bow, the wheel, the cat, all have individual characteristics, and sometimes, just thinking of the name gives the practitioner more insight into how to do the pose better.
Poses may be referred to in sanskrit or english, and confusingly, some traditions use the same name for differing poses. But yoga is very old, and until recently, had never been standardised.

So what is so special about yoga?

I have written some short articles in this series, to look at what yoga actually does to us, that makes it all work so well! And be so effective!   And makes YOU feel so gooooooood!

What will yoga do for me?

You can find yoga routines for every type of ailment and requirement you can imagine.
To build bone mass, lose weight; for golfers, cyclists, runners, violinists; for depression, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes – the list goes on forever.
And they all work!
Yoga can be done almost anywhere, at home with a dvd, in a studio, on a beach, even on a boat.

So, I am not really trying to do a sales job on you, but I guess you can see I love this stuff, and I’d love to tell you why.

Bookmark to see each article as it is posted, Follow me on Twitter for notifications.

• Muscles – Yoga helps strengthen and tone your muscles. It balances oppositional muscles, encouraging release as well as stretch. It develops and maintains range of movement, working muscles evenly along length and breadth. You choose how hard you work!
• Bones – Strong toned muscles help build strong dense bones, with the important qualities of stability, shock absorption and density. Here’s how!
• Digestion – Turning yourself into a human pretzel has the added benefit of toning the smooth muscle of the digestive system. All that twisting and folding in the middle, energises and revitalises all your insides as you hold the pose a little longer!
• Circulation – Movement is key to health, vitality and well-being. A healthy heart, and good waste disposal system leaves you feeling light and energetic.
• Breathing – The most important and easy-to-overlook attribute is good breathing. We all do it all the time. But are we any good at it?
• Nervous system – We say, “Oh that make me nervous”, or “That gets on my nerves”. Can we do anything to soothe, calm and pacify those feelings? Can we tone the nerves as we work the rest of the body? Is that why yogis look so chilled?
• Glandular system – The endocrine system can all be a bit of a mystery to most people. “I know I have a thyroid and I want it to work properly, and I certainly know I have girly bits (or boyly bits), but not sure quite how they work or how to look after them properly”.
• Secrets of the skin, the eyes, ears, nose and taste buds. – How to soothe, tone, release and enjoy!
• Mysteries of the energy system – Chi, qi, prana – is it real? Where does it come from? Does it make a difference?
• Mindfulness, being comfortable in your own skin, accepting your own intrinsic worth, coming into your power!!

I hope you enjoy the series. I am interested in your feedback, as well as suggestions for future posts!

Namaste! Yogistas. )

Voices harmonise in the deep calming quietness of the mantra.

In darkness the figures sit, shrouded in their shawls.

Stars shine out in the black of the morning sky.

Venus, a piercing spot, the moon, a heavy crescent of light.

The figures sit in silence.

Then, bowing, move to standing.

As the slow poses continue, the sky over the mountains lightens and brightens to pink,

then yellow and finally blue as the sun rises.

Maharashtra is one of the 12 holiest areas in India. Millions of pilgrims visit for the Maha Kumbha Shivaratri festival, take their ritual bathe and do pooja at the Shivalingam amidst chanting, and ringing of temple bells.

The ashram faces south, which is……

To read the rest of the article, CLICK HERE (or right-click, to download the PDF article to your computer)

[ Photographs to follow ]

To visit the website of Yoga Vidya Gurukul – Yoga University, India, CLICK HERE

Rules Of The Road, Indian Style

• ARTICLE I:
  The assumption of immortality is required of all road users.
• ARTICLE II:
  Indian traffic, like Indian society,is structured on a strict caste system. The following precedence must be accorded at all times.
  In descending order, give way to:
• Cows, elephants, heavy trucks, buses, official cars, camels, light trucks, buffalo, jeeps, ox-carts, private cars, motorcycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, pigs, pedal rickshaws, goats, bicycles (goods-carrying), handcarts, bicycles (passenger-carrying), dogs, pedestrians.
• ARTICLE III:
  All wheeled vehicles shall be driven in accordance with the maxim: to slow is to falter, to brake is to fail, to stop is defeat. This is the Indian drivers’ mantra.
• ARTICLE IV:
  Use of horn (also known as the sonic fender or aural amulet):
• Cars (IV,1,a-c):
  1. Short blasts (urgent) indicate supremacy, IE in clearing dogs, rickshaws and pedestrians from path.
  2. Long blasts (desperate) denote supplication, IE to oncoming truck: “I am going too fast to stop, so unless you slow down we shall both die”. In extreme cases this may be accompanied by flashing of headlights (frantic).
  3. Single blast (casual) means: “I have seen someone out of India’s 870 million whom I recognise”, “There is a bird in the road (which at this speed could go through my windscreen)” or “I have not blown my horn for several minutes.”
• Trucks and buses (IV,2,a):
  All horn signals have the same meaning, viz: “I have an all-up weight of approximately 12.5 tons and have no intention of stopping, even if I could.” This signal may be emphasised by the use of headlamps.
Article IV remains subject to the provision of Order of Precedence in Article II above.
• ARTICLE V:
  All manoeuvres, use of horn and evasive action shall be left until the last possible moment.
• ARTICLE VI:
  In the absence of seat belts (which there is), car occupants shall wear garlands of marigolds. These should be kept fastened at all times.
• ARTICLE VII:
  1. Rights of way:
     Traffic entering a road from the left has priority. So has traffic from the right, and also traffic in the middle.
  2. Lane discipline (VII,1):
     All Indian traffic at all times and irrespective of direction of travel shall occupy the centre of the road.
• ARTICLE VIII:
  Roundabouts: India has no roundabouts. Apparent traffic islands in the middle of crossroads have no traffic management function. Any other impression should be ignored.
• ARTICLE IX:
  Overtaking is mandatory. Every moving vehicle is required to overtake every other moving vehicle, irrespective of whether it has just overtaken you.
  Overtaking should only be undertaken in suitable conditions, such as in the face of oncoming traffic, on blind bends, at junctions and in the middle of villages/city centres. No more than two inches should be allowed between your vehicle and the one you are passing — and one inch in the case of bicycles or pedestrians.
• ARTICLE X:
  Nirvana may be obtained through the head-on crash.
• ARTICLE XI:
  Reversing: no longer applicable since no vehicle in India has reverse gear.