Pilgrimage to India 2012 test blog

Testing out my ability to post blogs on my FB page in preparation for posting my India Travelogue.
December 27th to February 29th John and I will be making our 4th pilgrimage to India. Beginning with a month of study at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in the city of Pune, four hours south of Mumbai, followed by a car trip to visit the spectacular Ellora and Ajunta Caves outside Aurangabad. Next we will go by overnight train to spend three days in the Holy city of Varanasi followed by another overnight train trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal; a short drive to Vrindavan, city of Temples for two nights and touring of temples; then a short train trip to Delhi.
After two nights in Delhi we head 240K north to Old Japur in the foothills of the Himalayas for 3 more weeks of Yoga and then home. Whew!
I plan to blog and post pictures the whole way. I hope to convey to you the essence, as much as possible, of our journey.

The picture posted here was taken by John at the Ajuna Market in northern Goa in 2003. This tent market goes on forever, taking you into another world of cross India cultures and arts. We fearlessly entered into this market and gradually wondered how we would find our way back out! No wonder Matt Damon as Jason Bourne hid out here for months with his girlfriend, only to be found in the opening scene of The Bourne Supremacy.

Antaratma Sadhana yoga weekend with Fr. Joe Pereira

The third annual yoga weekend in Chester with fr. Joe Pereira was a wonderful success. Thanks to Margie and Glen we even got Fr. Joe out for a lovely evening sail.

Close to 40 yogis from as far as Newfoundland, Atlanta and Montreal converged, yukta, in our sweet village to share yoga, delve deeply and open their heart chakra. Below are a few highlights.

Antaratma Sadhana - Fr Joe began with a talk on what distinguishes Iyengar yoga. He spoke of intentionality in our practice - a mindful practice that draws us inward. Antaratma means inward towards the Atman, this is the deepest layer of sadhana (practice). having accomplished Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pratyahya and pranayama the sadhaka (practitioner) moves to the final three limbs of ashtanga yoga - Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Fr. Joe aimed to take us to this level of sadhana by way of...
The Agony and the Ecstacy! With each asana sequence this theme remained constant.

Cardiac sequence. Fr. Joe deomstrates in Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana atrial and ventricular opening. Reference was made to descend the mind from the ajna and visuddhi chakras to the anahata chakra.
The third stage with head resting treats the kidneys.

"The forearm muscles are the "reflector" muscles of the heart and the calf muscles are the second cardiac muscles."

Prostate health sequence. Purvotanasana and Baddha konasana with dowling pressurizing perinium. Ardha yogabandhasana

Anatomy & Yogasana I & II Maui Retreat

Since 2005 I have been offering the A&Y workshops internationally as well as travelling to Maui HI. This winter for the first time I put the two together as a retreat style program. Located "upcountry" the Banyan Tree House in Makawao is a lovely older plantation style Inn with a beautiful Iyengar style yoga studio. This was the perfect environment for our practice/study, away from the distractions of the beach but only by a short drive, allowing participants to spend afternoons beachside when time allowed.

The group was made up of registered massage therapist-yoga students and a yoga teacher all from Canada. During the course of the week our study progressed from the muscle and bones to the breath and mind body benefits of the asana practice. Throughout the week the topic of samskara's was repeated. Particularly how, with intentionality, we can replace negative imprints with positive in our yogasana practice. As it states on my website home page "Through the practice of yoga we intentionally create an impression or imprint upon ourselves, mind, body and soul, that can affect our samskara's (impressions left by past or current habits that influence our behaviour) and can profoundly influence the direction of our lives". The last day working in pairs participants administered medicinal yoga practices to one another as a way of sealing the experience.

Then we all went sailing/whale watching- that's good medicine!

Fortunately for us my daughter Lyra is a professional cook and she was our fabulous caterer providing nourishing meals prepared with love. Below is a recipe she provided for our supremely yummy dinner one evening.

Papaya Avocado Salsa & Passion Fish

Papaya Avocado Salsa

Dice:
1 small whole papaya
1/4 red onion
1/2 cucumber
3/4 avocado (add last)
Dressing:
1 tsp grated ginger
Juice of one lemon
2 tbs parsley

Salsa is a great accompaniment for a white fish especially marinated in fruit juice.

Passion Fish

Blend together
1 passion fruit
1 slice pineapple
Juice of 1/2 orange
• marinate wild Ono or other meaty white fish for at least an hour in glass (not metal) pan.
• place lemon slices on top (optional)
• drizzle olive oil and bake at 350

Safe and Healthy Forward Bends

Cooling and calming, forward bends are taught in some form in almost every yoga class. For beginner students forward bends can seem approachable because for one thing, they are not scary. However forward bends can cause or irritate an intervertebral disc injury, reduce circulation to the lower body and bring on a depressed mind state. As teachers, forward bends, especially seated forward bends, require more energy to teach as students become quiet and tamasic, often focused on their physical restrictions and discomfort. This is unlike the standing or back bending asana that invite in the breath and a state of empowerment. Why is this?

Beginning with looking at the more obvious annamaya kosa outer structure, tight, short hamstrings and gluteus maximus restrict forward flexion at the hip joints where we want the forward bends to initiate from. Not only are the hamstrings (sometimes known as the screaming hamstrings) extremely sensitive for many newer students to yoga but when short hamstrings pull on the ischial tuberosities forcing the pelvis into a posterior pelvic tilt the lumbar spine is consequently forced into hyperflexion. Add to this the beginners mind desiring to reach the finish line, in this case the feet, and a forced, painful pose ensues. What we want to see is an anterior pelvic tilt and, for those who are hyperflexible, the navel moves in and up towards the spine.

Now when we explore the pranayama kosa of this same pose what do we find? The flexed lumbar and thoracic spine are convex making the anterior trunk into a cave. The chest and abdominals are shortening. Can this person breathe? The diaphragm muscle is pierced by three structures, the descending aorta, the inferior vena cava and the esophagus. When the anterior torso is in a concave shortened position these structures become occluded (pressed upon causing them to close or partially close) resulting in reduced blood flow to the lower body and decreased return of venous blood to the heart. In addition pressure on the esophagus leads to heart burn and a hiatal hernia. The manipura chakra of personal empowerment is being compressed and the anahata heart chakra is closed and dropping hence a depressed mental state ensues.

How do you ensure students enjoy the cooling calming benefits of forward bends without experiencing the negative side effects?

1. To begin with seat students with short tight hamstrings on just enough height (firm blankets work well) that they can lift upwards from the base of the sacrum, creating a normal lumbar curve.

2. From this point, help them find their hips and how to bend from here and not from the waist. Holding down the tops of the thighs and bobbing forward a few times, keeping the torso firm and lifted, can help with this.

3. Use a belt to help them reach their feet or foot. This also will help keep shoulders from climbing up around the ears creating unnecessary shoulder tension. For students with very tight short hamstrings this may be their full pose in an upright torso position. And the healthiest position for their spine.

4. Next focus on lengthening the front torso while coming forwards. An instruction might be “Inhale and lift the lower front ribs to bring the collar bones forward” followed by “exhale and fold from the hips”. “Keep the arms drawn into the sockets” will also help to keep the chest open.
5. To understand drawing the arms into the sockets I sometimes have student’s supine on the floor and, with arms reaching towards the ceiling, I direct them to move their shoulders into the floor.

6. Discourage students from focusing on a finish line and encourage them to stay present in the process.

I find instilling in students that yoga is not goal oriented and that there is no finish line more necessary in forward bends than any other asana. It must be the sight of those feet seemingly so within reach that makes this concept the most difficult to grasp in these asana. But when I explain to my student’s the benefits for practicing the asana as I prescribe they listen and respond once they know there is a reason. With the correct adjustments and support if needed forward bends are transformed from distressing to meditative. The result is students breathe more fully, do not strain their backs and find their bliss.


Namaste, Leigh