Food, the art of nourishment

Yoga means union. So if for some reason you have to skip yoga asana practise, it doesnt mean you cannot do yoga. Food is a great way to practise.

The art of eating is given great importance & rightly so. Food is nourishing our body, sustaining our outer being. Naturally its very important. There is a "right" way to eating, so let me detail it out here.

Firstly, timing is crucial. The first meal of the day, breakfast needs to be had as early as possible. Before 8 30 am. Lunch, the heaviest meal, should be when the sun is hottest. About 12 to 1 pm.
An evening snack at 4 or 5 pm. Dinner, the lightest meal, should be around sunset & surely before 8 pm.

Next comes quantity. The ideal way is that fill half stomach with solid food, one fourth with liquid & one fourth empty meaning air space. Over eating is strongly discouraged.

Now comes quality of food. The food should be procured locally as this will in harmony to the environment of the area where you are located. The local produce will reflect the need of the environment. Thats why in hot places one can find water intense, alkaline fruits & vegetable. Likewise, in cold climates one gets a lot of earthy, root vegetables. Tea grows in moist places as it is astringent or drying in nature.
Also, quality implies the freshness of food. A meal needs to be eating soon after it is prepared as it begins to lose energy, nutrients & vitality. We all know that fruits & vegetables loose their crispness & deacy on storage. Eating such food will not be nourishing.

The next important factor is the attitude or the mental state whilst eating. One needs to eat in a clean space, thanking Providence for the food & focussing entirely on the act of eating. If you do so you will notice the variety of flavours, smell & definitely enjoy the meal much more. On the other hand if you eat while watching TV
or talking, the food will be virtually tasteless.
Its important that you eat in a happy mood en joying the meal. This will certainly translate into perfect digestion resulting in good health & well being. Also, when you eat mindfully your stomach will signal you when it is full & you can avoid overeating.

These are just a few pointers, try them in the yoga sadhana!!

What is love

Once there was a young crocodile. He was lying on a log in a river, basking in the sun. He had a very serious look on his face - it’s a very intense business, being a crocodile! Crocodiles have a long history to live up to - as carnivorous predators, cold-blooded assassins, and direct descendants of the dinosaurs. This crocodile was pondering his great responsibility when all of a sudden, a beautiful red butterfly landed on his nose.

At first, he was indignant. Couldn’t she see that he was deep in thought, that he was contemplating serious matters? But she seemed oblivious, and every time he breathed, she would float up in the air and then gently return, caressing his nose with her velvet-soft wings. Then he’d breathe again, and up she’d go, and then gently she’d come back.

This became like a meditation for the crocodile, and the energy changed completely. He was mesmerized by the butterfly’s beauty and softness, and the energy of love began to grow between them. A happiness spread through his being. He was no longer a crocodile, and she was no longer a butterfly. They were one, in the union of love.

When humanity puts away its differences and comes back to the perfection of union, we will experience harmony and peace on this planet. But first, it must begin with our own hearts.

The ideal world is found within. There is nothing to change outside - we need only to heal ourselves.

Adapted from: Why Walk When You Can Fly, by Isha (New World Library, 2008).

Marvellous nature

These Bridges are not built - they're grown !!

In the depths of northeastern India, in one of the wettest places on earth, bridges aren't built -- they're grown.
Grown from the roots of a rubber tree, the Khasis people of Cherapunjee use betel-tree trunks, sliced down the middle and hollowed out, to create "root-guidance systems." When they reach the other side of the river, they're allowed to take root in the soil. Given enough time a sturdy, living bridge is produced.
The root bridges, some of which are over a hundred feet long, take ten to fifteen years to become fully functional, but they're extraordinarily strong. Some can support the weight of 50 or more people at once.

One of the most unique root structures of Cherrapunjee is known as the "Umshiang Double-Decker Root Bridge." It consists of two bridges stacked one over the other!

Japan too has such awesome creations............

Tickle yourself

Laughter is the GPS system of the soul, Sparks says. “Humor offers a revolutionary yet simple spiritual paradigm. If you can laugh at yourself, you can forgive yourself. And if you can forgive yourself, you can forgive others. Laughter heals and grounds us in a place of hope. It fosters intimacy and honesty in our relationships with each other and with God.
And isn’t that what grace is all about?”

From Ode Magazine

Freedom, beauty

No matter how old you get, remember what it was like to be a nine-year old girl. Remember the feeling of freedom. If you’ve already forgotten, do a cartwheel. You can so still do one. Savior that feeling. Wake up with it every day. You’ll stay young until the day you die.

In the same vein, cut or potted flowers are never a waste of money. Because every time we glance at them, they remind us how much beauty there can be in the world.

Yoga goal

The ultimate goal of yoga is the uniting of the individual consciousness to the universal consciousness. What does this mean in lay terms??

For most of us this translates into a healthy mind & body. Its a state of harmony which you feel within your body. Every part of your being feels good. You feel good about who you are, good abt what is happening around you & are excited about your life. Here joy is a constant state.

If eating a peice of chocolate takes you to such a place, well thats yoga! If you can be in such a place most of your day then you live a yogic life.

Sattwa, Rajas, tamas – Our mind stuff

There are 6 windows or philiosophy’s in Indian culture. One of these is Samkhya, on which the Yoga Sutra is based. According to samkhya philosophy, there are 3 constituents of the matter. Sattwa (purity, harmony, lucidity), Rajas (energy, passion), Tamas (inertia, darkness). All 3 form the mind. When Tamas predominates we are dull, distracted, obsessive & indulgent. When rajas is higher we are restless. When sattwa predominates one is cheerful, easily concentrated & clear. In such a state of mind one displays positive qualities of dharma or self discipline, jnana or knowledge which is wholesome & fulfilling, leading to wisdom. Vairagya or a relaxed objective view of life & aishwarya or a strong will.

Yoga is a self discipline where one tries to remain in the sattva state. A lot of factors affect the state of our mind. The key remains in our awareness of which state we are in at any moment. The simplest way to monitor our mind state is the way we feel. Our emotions are the signals which guide us. When we feel good feelings we are cheerful, excited, open, understanding, have a great attitude towards life & prone to act wisely. This is the result of sattwa pre dominance. One has a loving feeling for all living things.Take the flip side. When we feel bad its like the entire world is against us. Anger, lethargy, obsession, jealousy, self pity are all result of tamas & rajas being higher.

We can change from one state of mind to another through firm, decisive yet simple acts. Firstly, we need to be aware of how we feel. If any negative feeling is on, try to think of something great like listen to your favorite music, think of something you really love. A pleasant memory can refresh the mind or think of a cherished goal. Try what works for you & keep it handy.

Food affects our mood. Lethargy after a heavy meal indicates tamas dominance. When you have an empty stomach, you tend to snap & feel grouchy. Eating light meals every 3-4 hours are a great way to keep your mind in a happy state. Eat your favourite thing but in moderation. Chocolate is a classic case. A little bit can elevate you to a fantastic mindset yet indulgence can leave you slothy & feeling bad about yourself. Even a healthy meal if over eaten leads to tamasic state.

So, which state are you in right now – tamas, rajas, or sattwa? Cant figure it out – how do you feel now? That will guide you.

Having stated all the above, know that all rajas & tamas are important. Rajas makes us active, tamas makes us sleep – both important activities of our life. As everything in life, every mind state has a place in our life. The thing is to be aware & decide if the current mindset is in your best interest. If not, then its very much in your hands to change that!

Emotions, the hidden link

According to Zhuang Zi, one of the greatest Taoist philosophers from the 4th century BC, "We need emotions and feelings because how could we exist as individuals without them?"

It is important to say that, under normal circumstances, emotions are not causes of disease. Like rivers, emotions are forms of energy that need to flow, to circulate and to express themselves. They are intrinsic parts of us; they are our identity and the manifestation of our humanness. The typical serene image of Buddhist monks totally exempt of emotions does not correspond to reality. They do experience emotions; they are vibrant and jovial, like Soggyal Rimpoche, a famous Tibetan Lama known as "The Laughing Tibetan". Serenity does not mean lack of emotions, but the control of them. When someone is serene, he is not disturbed by emotion, or if he is disturbed he is easily able to find his balance again.

It is normal to experience a variety of emotions during the day: anger while driving to work; fear in the dentist's waiting room; worry about a school test; sadness at the news that someone in the family has died; joy at the birth of the first child, etc. It is basically impossible to live and to be part of this world without experiencing emotions, which, provided that they are transitory, have little significance to a Chinese medicine therapist. However, whenever there is a predominance of one or more emotions, they could become pathogenic factors and deserve close attention.

According to ancient Chinese texts: "Anger injures the liver; joy (excessive) injures the heart; grief and sadness injure the lungs; worry injures the spleen; and fear injures the kidneys." This statement is based on the theory of the Five Elements. However, the Chinese also consider pensiveness, shock, hatred and guilt as disease-causing agents as well. In addition, certain emotions can affect more that one organ, such as sadness affecting the lungs and the heart. As a matter of fact, all the emotions manifest themselves indirectly through the heart, which is the "Seat of the Mind", according to Chinese medicine.


Excerpted from Anger Goes Up, Fear Goes Down: Emotions and the Hidden Link

Peanuts

"My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet im happy. I cant figure it out.
What am i doing right?" - Charles Schulz

Shavasana - The Corpse pose

"The best sign of a good shavasana is a feeling of deep peace & pure bliss. Shavasana is a watchful surrendering of the ego. Forgetting oneself, one discovers oneself". - B K S Iyenger

Shava means corpse. Here the body lies on the floor face up & completely relaxed., while the mind is alert The eyes are shut, arms by the side, palms up, body motionless. The mind moves from the toes to the head relaxing each body part. There are 16 "marmasthans" or sensitive body parts where one holds tension. There are relaxed systematically in shavasana.

The influence of this asana is incredible. Shavasana gives the experience of symbolic death & points to the need to be born anew.

In shavasana, passion, egocentricity & self importance is kept aside. Rest acquires a new meaning. There is a need to surrender, just BE. The body at rest can do its repair work. shavasana gives relief to the mind from driving forces & emotions. The effects are profound .

How are we using the time that remains? This is one qustion surely to surface. On analysis, we can find meaning & definition to our REAL goals & dreams. Let the inner self guide you, rather than just go after things that are socially considered as goals worth achieving.

Shavasana is a very important asana & make sure you keep atleast 10 minutes of its practise daily. You can do it independently, prabably in the evening after coming from work or just before falling asleep.

Joy & detachment

The credo of the true self is joy with detachment. The joy comes from no longer having to cling to a small, defended territory. The detachment comes from having such wide awareness that everything is at once yours and not yours.

Adapted from The Deeper Wound: Recovering the Soul from Fear and Suffering, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2001).

Circus trip

Last evening i went to watch the circus at Bandra Reclimation. This being my first visit, it was very engrossing & amazing to watch such marvellous feats. The flexibility, talent & sheer daring on display was awesome. Kind of inspired me to try on postures aswell.

Having said that, i couldnt help but think of flexibility, gymnastics & their connection to yoga. well, gymnastics is a physical sport whereas yoga is got to do with disciplining the mind. We use the body in asana as a medium to reach, teach & control the body & the mind. In this process we have tremendous benefits on the body viz great health, improved strenght, flexibility.

The posture to become an asana, one needs to stay in it for some time. This time depends on your level of comfort- 30 seconds or 2 minutes. You decide how long to hold the asana with comfortable breathing. If the breath is disturbed the stay in the asana is quite pointless. Benefits go along with smooth breathing.

so try holding 1 posture for a longer time & see it go beyond just the physical level. Listen to the thoughts that surface. Explore them & learn something about yourself :)

Asana defined

Sage Patanjali is the person who gathered all the available knowledge of yoga & systematically put it together. He is the author of The YOGA SUTRA, a set of 198 aphorisms. It is divided into 4 chapters.

In the second chapter Patnjali defines asana as "sthiram sukham asanam". This means a steady, comfortable posture is an asana. In the entire Yoga sutras only 4 sutras are related to asana. 5 sutras are dedicated to prayanama.

And most of the yoga practise done these days are simply about asana & pranayama.

How do u feel now

It is so important to know how you feel. Just this evening i was to go out with my sisters shopping. But out of the blue, i felt tired, even angry for no apparent reason. So plans were shelved, i just drove back home. So, i did shavasana & later sipping tea i realised that i was feeling unappreciated in my earlier work & this set a spiral effect on my mood & my body felt drained out. Lack of energy, lack of interest. Had i realised this earlier, perhaps i could have just laughed it off with my loving sisters.

The key here will be, as always, be aware of your thoughts & feelings.

Fantastic food

Yesterday i went to matunga to sample the south indian fare & it was worth all the efforts!

I ventured into Arya Bhavan, opposite station (central). The interior was a bit different from our regular udipi joints, brighter. The service was great as was the food.

Pranayama - The basic

Because the breath is the most tangible manifestation of prana–the power of consciousness–a person with disturbed breathing is bound to be unhealthy, while a person with balanced breathing will have little or no room for disease. Breathing has a potent influence over the functions of our nervous system, brain, and thought process. To ensure a healthy body and a clear, calm, and tranquil mind, we must establish a healthy and balanced breathing pattern. That is the purpose of pranayama practices.

According to Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutra, pranayama is the mastery over the flow of inhalation and exhalation. The practice of pranayama begins with cultivating awareness of how our inhalation is followed by exhalation and how our exhalation is followed by inhalation in an uninterrupted flow; how an interruption in this flow disturbs our cardiac function; how a pause, jerk, or noise in the breath disturbs our thought process; and how chest breathing stresses our lungs. Before we attempt to gain mastery over our breath, we need to become aware of the distinction between a healthy way of breathing and an unhealthy way of breathing. In the initial stages, we have to make a conscious effort to cultivate this awareness. Through sustained practice we eventually reach a point where healthy breathing becomes automatic.

Diaphragmatic breathing is the foundation for a healthy breath. We inhale and exhale in response to the expansion and contraction of our lungs. Our lungs expand and contract in response to the movement of our diaphragmatic muscle. When the diaphragm contracts, it moves downward, filling the lungs with air. When the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, the lungs deflate, causing us to exhale. In short, the movement of the diaphragm is the main cause of inhalation and exhalation. Our modern lifestyle—long hours sitting in cars, in chairs, and on couches, along with pervasive anxiety, fear, and stress—weakens our diaphragm and disturbs its natural cycle of movement. Establishing healthy breathing, therefore, begins with strengthening the diaphragm and restoring its natural movement. One of the best ways to accomplish this is the practice of abdominal breathing or Yogendra Pranayama IV.

Abdominal Breathing
Lie on your back. The legs are slightly apart. Bend the knees, place the feet hip-distance apart on the floor and let the knees rest against each other. Place right hand on the navel. Relax the body and feel the breath flowing in and out. Be aware of the abdomen rising and falling and let the breath flow without pause.

The hand will focus your attention on the abdomen. Let the hand rise and fall naturally with the breath. There will be some effort involved while inhaling, but there should be no strain. The inhalation and exhalation should be about the same length. Make sure you are breathing quietly through the nose.

After about five minutes, remove the hand. Now pay attention to the rise and fall of your abdomen as you inhale and exhale. Sit up after a few minutes.

You can start with three or four minutes a day and increase to 10 minutes. You can also increase the weight by keeping a hard bound book as your diaphragm gets stronger and the movement becomes more effortless. Eventually this will reset the natural cycle of your diaphragm’s movement, making your breath deep, smooth, even, and free of jerks, noise, and pauses. After a few months, you may want to add deep diaphragmatic breathing.

Yoga mudra

This is my favorite posture as it makes me feel so calm & peaceful. To stay longer in the pose you can hold your hands behind the back & relax elbows & shoulders.

As the name suggests this is the symbol of yoga as it unites, harmonises the body to mind & spirit. Yoga means joining, uniting the three aspects of our being into one thought, idea, place. In yoga mudra the dominate thought is of vairagya. Vairagya is a broad concept. It means to be in the mindset of relaxation after doing your efforts, duties. This relaxation comes when you have done your job to the best of your ability & have left it to the Higher power with full faith that the result of your efforts will be in your best interest, for your greater good. There is no worry or anxiousness towards the outcome. So one can let go mentally & physically, relax.

In other words, vairagya comes in when you have done your part & surrendered to the Universal will in good faith. "Whatever happens i can now accept because i know its for my best"

Practise Yoga Mudra when you need to quieten an angry, confused or disturbed mind. When you are low on patience, yoga mudra to the rescue :)

On the physical level as well the effects are marvellous. This asana gives a wonderful massage to all the internal organs aiding assimilation & movement. Its perfect for faulty digestion, constipation & all urogenital related problems.

The variations are twisting to the sides so as to give a boost to peristalsis movement. Try practising it in padmasana. If you cant do this try it in ardha padmasana ( one leg up on thigh & the other down). Change sides to get maximum benefit.

Give more to yourself

It feels wonderful to be complimented, right !! It simply makes our day, everything seems rosier, we may think about it & probably tell a loved one.

what I'm trying to bring to mind is this, why do we not compliment our self? why wait to hear it from someone else? I mean, we are always doing something - lets look carefully & recognise the wonderful things we are doing, how gorgeous we look right now or what an amazing chain of thought?

We are one way in which the universe is expressing it self right now. lets be aware & enjoy it, NOW !!

Acceptance & Gratitude

Just to continue yesterday's theme - when you really accept things, people with all your heart, you cant fail to notice that you feel thankful for having that thing in your life. It might just be a small experience in your life which you cribbed abt but if you have tried saying its ok & go on with your life, it might happen that you notice that something good came from that very experience. Think abt it !

Acceptance

Acceptance is the first step on yoga.

Acceptance of your self & your world.

Lets take the case of your body. Acceptance of its strenghts & abilities as well as its limitations & lack. Very often with my students i have seen that they keep comparing with others or complaining of their shortcomings. Just pause & ask your self "How is that going to help?". ok, now think about this - if i get to know & understand my body & my mind, i can then begin to fashion it to the way i want to be. So, i need to spend time to gauge, understand & know myself. I can do this by observing, listening & feeling my body & mind. I can only do this if I am quiet enough to see, hear & feel. Now, if your gonna be thinking of a lack or about others, how will you do your own assessment?? while practising engage your entire being, body & mind, on what you are doing, feeling & listen carefully. This will not only give you valuable knowledge abt yourself but you will also enjoy the session.

Taking this concept further, try acceptance of your life- exactly as it is right now. Acceptance of everyone around you - your family, friends, neighbours, collegues, boss.

try this during your next session & see it you feel any differently. Happy practise!!

Hansaji of The Yoga Institute says that instead of trying to practise yoga for a n hour or so , try to bring in yoga practises through out your day. Like, when ever you need to bend down try squating in Utkatasana. Before beginning any new task try breath awareness for a minute. If you have been sitting for a while, get up and do some konasana or a hand to toe or padahastasana.
So, you can do practises through out the day and feel energised all day long. Also, you will not have to keep a speacial time slot for yoga !! This way you do not miss out on your practises.

Instead of finding time to practice Yoga, practice Yoga all the time.” ~ Bob Weisenberg

If you’re getting stuck in negativity, you’re likely to assume that other people feel the same way about you, and mostly that’s not true. People who really love you keep on loving you, even when you’re not loving yourself. The love you get is limited only by your ability to receive it.

It’s amazingly easy to shut someone else down. Without thinking about it we let pass countless occasions during the day when love makes a tentative appearance – in other words, we turn our backs on spirit.

Your beloved may start to say something nice or give you an affectionate touch or ask how you are feeling. Notice how often this seed isn’t allowed to grow, how quickly you simply cut the gesture off or take it for granted. In this way you limit the love you are receiving, rather than nurturing its faint beginnings.

Being shown a gesture of love is like being offered a portion of God.

Look into the eyes of your beloved and learn to believe that love is really there.

Adapted from The Path to Love, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press, 1997).

The secret by Rhonda Byrne talks about the law of attraction & how to use it to live a full life. This is also what yoga talks about. Things like filling up your mind with so much positive thought that there is no place for negative thought is exactly what Yoga is about.

The base is the same - be aware of your thoughts, control or direct them to what you want. Its an inside job - apply the secret or yoga technique - its the same !

Im learning pottery. Apparently, the basic step to learn this art is centering the clay with your hands. It means that one becomes a part of the clay then you can control it. Hmm, sounds a lot like yoga !!

About me

Hi, im nausheen.

Im a yoga instructor living, teaching & learning each day in this wonderful city of mine - Bombay (Mumbai). I am trained as a Yoga teacher from the The Yoga Institute, Mumbai. This is a beautiful course which includes 900 hours of practise. It in such a manner that one gets to understand Yoga - philosophy, technology and phisiology. Its a wonderful course which actually is a self development course. It stretches over 7 months (12 months in my case!) which gives you enough time to assimilate, digest & apply all that is been taught. Also, the teaching technique at the institute lets you develop at your own pace. I know, we all tend to be lazy & fool ourselves when it comes to important, inner stuff, yet i feel, the institute way is very effective.

I have also done my teachers training course from the Sivananda Yoga ashram at Trivandrum, Kerela. This again was a fantastic learning experience - right frm living in a dormitory with 50 girls from all over the world to waking up at 5 20 in the morning & the awesome practise sessions twiice a day!! Phew... i was so glad when this course was over. all in all a fab, hands on learning.

As for my teaching .......... i visit my students place & try to practise yoga for 75 minutes. I mostly teach individuals but have some lovely couples who practise together.

each session includes some quiet time to begin & quieten the mind. Then we start asana practise for about 50 minutes and end with savasana for 10 minutes. prayanamas follow for the remaining 15 minutes. Kriyas are also taught & encouraged to practise in the day.

I love this profession for the beauty that is yoga because it means so much to me. Yoga has brought meaning into my chaotic life. I was a furnishing consultant for 12 years and doing rather well. However, as time went by things seemed less interesting & left me dissatisfied. I happened to just go for a dance yoga workshop by Shamim Akhtar & loved it so much that i took a 7 day course at the Yoga Institute. Things snow balled & i landed doing the TTC & without even realising i had become a teacher at The Yoga Institute. For some reason people liked me & encouraged me to take classes privately. From then on i quit furnishing & yoga was on full time. I can now say that this is what i enjoy doing the most & love to help people do the same through yoga.