Yogzilla

Nata - Dance; Raja - The King

M. Jaikishan will be missed.

I was quite surprised to find that my Bhujangasana has improved so much, all of a sudden. I was not even working on it. Then I figured out it is a side effect. I have been practicing a lot of upward facing dog in the Surya namaskar. So it made me wonder if I need to practice both. Can I avoid the somewhat boring Cobra?

One of my teachers had mentioned that upward facing dog was like Golden Gate bridge.  You balance only with your hands and the tops of the feet. The rest of your body is suspended between this strong support of the hands and the feet. What a great visual! This image stuck with me forever, for there are not too many things more beautiful than GG bridge.

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अनुभूतविषयासंप्रमोषः स्मृतिः ॥ ११॥

anubhūtaviṣayāsaṃpramoṣaḥ smṛtiḥ

Memory is the mental retention of a conscious experience.

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By Kausthub Desikachar

Yoga: too big to fit into one style, Faith in Healing Interview with TKV Desikachar

I was spell bound at the spectacle that beheld me. A couple of years ago, I was invited to witness a baseball match in San Diego. Never having watched one before, I presumed that it was one of those super bowl matches, and was all excited at the prospect. I accepted immediately and soon the day arrived. My hosts were busy preparing for the game – packing lunches, water and other things that they may come in needy. Soon we left and were on our way to the “stadium”. It turned out to be a park with loads of picnic benches around and we soon occupied those “treasured seats” with the best-promised view of the game. When the teams soon arrived, and play began, it was the moment when I turned pale with shock. The game was between “Iyengar Yogis” and “Ashtanga Yogis”, and it was probably one of the most aggressive sports matches I had ever witnessed. The animosity between the two teams went beyond just the game. This pained me deeply. Read more »

This film was made in 1938. Sri Krishnamacharya was 50 years at that time.

Can a yoga teacher be fat? I could not help thinking about this, when a fat teacher, sort of obese, taught a class at a yoga ashram in India. He was supposedly the guru and the face of the ashram. The class was okay, but I was not used to this style. He was mostly seated on a chair and he walked around once or twice. Before he taught this class, I was told many times that this guru was going to teach on this particular day and the energy of the class was going to explode. We were primed up to this class. I felt no explosion of any sorts.

I wouldn’t ask for my money back for the class, that’s just about how much I liked the class. I like my teachers lean and inspiring. That way, I know they are practicing their yoga, they are grounded and in touch with yoga and are not just talk. Isn’t the body a telltale of one’s yoga practice? Read more »

I absolutely loved this film by Nina Paley. I agree with Nina, why is Rama the perfect man? Awesome work, Nina!

Thanks Papi, for the link.

Q. What does the red dot on the forehead indicate?

Recently, I read in a local newspaper, that an Indian woman wearing the kumkum was stopped by the Israeli security at the airport, suspecting the red dot to be a bomb trigger. This was a first for me. If it were a bomb trigger, would anyone display it so prominently on the forehead.

Anyway, I have been asked one too many times as to what the red dot was on a forehead. I have been asked this question by the bums in Haight, San Francisco to the most seasoned yogis. So, I must address this. Read more »

अभावप्रत्ययालम्बना वृत्तिर्निद्रा ॥ १०॥

abhāvapratyayālambanā tamovṛttirnidrā

Deep sleep is when the mind is overcome with heaviness and no other activities are present. Read more »

In the west, Surya namaskars are generally associated with building heat and sweat. If you want a sweaty class, just add in some Surya namaskars at the beginning, is what I was told. This probably was one of the reasons that I did not like Surya namaskars apart from the fact I could not do a Chaturanga before. I used to think, if I need to sweat, I could easily run up and down the hills of SF. This was quite unsettling as I always felt there was more to this.

Then I ended up at KYM, where one can find the real explanation to all things Yoga. One of my teachers at KYM mentioned that Surya namaskar is a complete exercise. Read more »