I am of the opinion that yoga instructors should not give any advice regarding diet, vitamins, rajas, tamas, chakras and gem stones. For one, yoga instructors are not qualified in that field. So, why spew out some half baked knowledge(?) to the poor students. Anyone can be an instructor in a couple of weeks or weekends. There are online ayurveda courses which can get you certified in no time, so one can say cool words like doshas, rajas, tamas and kapha.
This is Bhagiratha, a king who did tapas to bring Ganga to earth. He did one tapas after another to bring Ganga down, as there were so many hurdles on his way. He is a king and his ancestors had been turned to ashes by a sage. Bhagiratha wanted to bring them back to life and the only way to do that was to ask Ganga to flow over the ashes.
It is only when correct practice is followed for a long time, without interruption and with a quality of positive attitude and eagerness, that it can succeed.
In Bangalore, load shedding means power or electricity cuts. Most people in Bangalore do not depend on electricity at all. By this I mean, if there is electricity, fine. If not, it is still okay. While I was traveling in Kerala, people would tell me about the power cut of 30 minutes, like it was a big deal. I did not bother to tell them I can live without electricity, after all I have lived in Bangalore where a 5 hour cut is not abnormal. Now that it is time for me to move, I have to deal with a different type of load shedding. I have to face the difficult question of what books I need to take with me. I have only so much space for a very few books. Every time I move, I have to face the downsizing. Even though I have done it a few times, it is still tough every single time.
There is so much yoga jargon that one hears, the entire thing feels so fake. I have gotten somewhat used to the yoga speak, more or less. I came across a hilarious writeup Yoga speak for dummies , written by an ex yoga fanatic.
One thing that feels way too artificial is the topic of kundalini mixed in with tantra and sex. First of all, the word sounds funny to me. And then there’s always the quantum physics and karma being brought in. (more…)
I will save this for the future. In my next life, if I am born a human again- may be I will try this.
The more I think about it, I should not have been so shocked about it in the first place. For the signs were all there, it had just not registered somehow or subconsciously I had hoped India was above all this. But, no. India adores white people. I cannot find a font size to get the word adores highlighted adequately. So, I will just let it go.
White people are actually mini celebrities especially in places like Kerala. The way Indians gush while speaking to the white people is sickening to the stomach. I was always aware that fair skin is what is considered beautiful. I remember having conversations with my male friends in my teens that they wanted to marry a girl so fair and had a complexion like cheese. I always wished them they would find their cheesy girl. I somehow thought in 2009, such things would have gone away. I was taken aback to what extent it is practiced by common Indians everywhere.
In a Kalari class, one can often hear the gurukkal say that one must embody the spirit of an animal. It is so beautiful to watch the students who have been practicing for a few years to see this in action. The way they stay and move in a pose is exactly like an animal, ready to charge. There are a lot of poses in Kalari based on animals. Sort of similar to yoga in that way, but it is done with more vigor and precision is given a lot of importance. After all, one is getting trained to fight, not meditate. One of the poses is based on the form of a lion called Simha vadivu.
A non-yogi friend of mine asked me if there is an asana named after donkey or a rat. I thought the question was funny and thought about it more. Most of the animal stretches that have been copied to yoga are animals that are inspiring. The animal that we adore the most and copy is the svana or the dog. Upward facing and downward facing dog poses, probably the only animal that inspired two asanas. It is another matter that the poor dogs have to learn yoga from humans in the US of A. I guess why we do not have a donkey or rat asana is that they don’t inspire us so much.
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