Imagination is when you picture something without the facts.
This is yet another important activity of the mind. Science, arts, poetry depend on imagination. It can also act through dreams, emotions and feelings. Past experiences stored in memory often contribute to this activity. Visualization too is related to imagination. For most things to be attained, visualization plays an important role. (more…)
When I decided to take a break from work, I thought that I could do Yoga 24×7, buzzing with om all the time. I have definitely studied a lot of yogic texts and have improved my home practice significantly. When I was working full time and living in SF, I would attend a yoga class almost everyday. I was quite regular even when I was working. I would so look forward to finish my work and get to the mat.
Now that I am not working, I have all the time at my disposal. I am not sure if that is such a good thing. Having so much free unstructured time does not mean that I am ‘doing’ more yoga. I think I am doing just as much when I was working full time.
Sometimes, when I get on the mat in the mornings, I get this feeling that I should read Sri Krishnamcharya’s books for the thousandth time to see how his practice was in Tibet. I need to figure out the specifics of a Kalari pose, was it 75 degrees or 90 degrees between the spine and the legs? Or how can I get the special powers as described by Patañjali. I think I should learn to levitate. (more…)
I used to buy Yoga Journal when I was a yoga novice. I subscribed to the magazine for a year and soon realized I did not want it. But, this magazine charged me $120 on my credit card for the next year when I did not even choose to extend. I could not talk to anyone on their support as there really was no support. The call would get redirected to some cowboy magazine and I lost all that money. I am happy yogadawg has made this awesome video. Check it out.
Misconception is that erroneous knowledge not based on the actual appearance of the object.
Patañjali says the most frequent activity of the mind is misconception. I like this sutra. Just when I was typing out what I had understood from the class, I got confused between inference (from the previous sutra) and misconception. Clarity is the ultimate goal of yoga, so I refer to the dictionary for precision. Its getting better now. (more…)
I am moving from Patanjali’s India to the current day. Fast forward, some five thousand years. This is a review of one of my favorite books Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani. All of you yogis and others that claim to be interested in India and is beyond the curiosity of what is the meaning of the red dot on an Indian woman’s forehead will find this book interesting.
This is Nandan Nilekani’s first book. But, it is brilliant for someone who is not a writer and is a business entrepreneur. He says if he had not met Narayan Murthy, he would have been a techie (boring!) living in New Jersey suburbs (boring boring!), taking the train to Manhattan. Am I glad he met Narayan Murthy and that he wrote this book.
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