1.Ritam cha svadhyaya pravachanecha Ritam means clarity of teachings. So, let us intend to have clarity about the teachings which are taught, especially in the light of what is skilful and wholesome and what is not. Let us practice awareness and detect the various patterns playing out, and let us intend to cultivate wholesome ones. In asana practice terms, Manasa students should intend to clearly understand the teachings, such as the Kcc, cobra and cat principles. In philosophy terms, let us clearly understand the ‘shakti madhye mana krtva’ teachings.

2.Satyam cha svadhyaya pravachanecha   When we start to succeed in applying the ritam, the understanding from teaching, into our lived life, then it becomes truthful living, where intentions and actions get aligned. Let us practice svadhyaya whether we are able to apply the intentions.

3.Tapascha svadhyaya pravachanecha Tapas.. effort.. let us put in great efforts.. in this context, the scripture is talking about dietary discipline.. let us intend to practice some form of discipline, such as fasting once a week, or month, or go on a short fruit diet once in 3 months, or so on.

4. Damashcha svadhyaya pravachanecha Dama refers to practice of controlling the sense organs, and preventing unwholesome energy flow. In simple terms, it would also mean, perhaps refraining from wasting time by excessively watching tv, or purposeless internet surfing.. and so on.. as well as good control over organs of actions such as the tongue, preventing harsh speech etc

5. Shamashcha svadhyaya pravachanecha Shama is control of the mind, which naturally stems from awareness of mind rather than identifying with the mind.Then we can objectively see its habitual reactivities, its prejudices, stubbornness, addictions, cravings and so on.Then instead of getting defensive or reactive, we can accommodate these patterns, soften around it (instead of getting clenched and caught), and respond from an understanding of it, rather than react from an identification with it.

6.Agnayashcha svadhyaya pravachanecha   Agni means fire, and from an internal perspective, strive to become aware of what fuels our thoughts, words and actions.. right now, you are about to take an action, or about to engage in a thought.. observe, what is fuelling it.. what is the intention, motivation, aspiration.. these are the fires.. observe, perceive, understand, discern.. Also know that the body is partly fire.. the body is warmth, the body is energy.. let us do svadhyaya of this fire principle

7.Agnihotram cha svadhyaya pravachanecha This refers to an action done, honouring this fire principle. So for us it can be sun salutes, it can be kapalabhathi, agnisara kriya, navasana practices etc.

8  Atithayashcha svadhyaya pravachanecha athithi refers to a guest. So, in one way, this is about being aware of how we treat guests. In this regard, from mental perspective, guests refers to thoughts, passions etc which enters our awareness on a daily basis. Some guests have kind of usurped our awareness.. practice svadhyaya of what enters our awareness.. acknowledge, accommodate, soften, releaze.. as well as openness to unexpected experiences

9. Manusham cha svadhyaya pravachane cha This refers to svadhyaya of our actions in the light of its effects on the whole community.. in simple terms let us intend to be more empathetic to other living beings, our planet etc.. let us intend to reduce plastic, reduce using paper, recycle etc

10, 11, 12- prajascha svadhyaya pravachanecha; prajanascha svadhyaya pravachanecha; prajatischa svadhyaya pravachanecha These three refers to svadhyaya practices even while being in the full swing of family responsibilities. Let us intend that though we are squeezed for time due to different householder responsibilities, we can still practice svadhyaya, which is study and awareness. Also, in a direct sense, those who are dealing with children, let us be very aware of our speech and actions with them, let us be responsible to guide them, and let us also share our various observances with them, be receptive to them etc. And these 12 aspects of svadhyaya, when practiced, verily this becomes a great tapas. tad hi tapas, tad hi tapas.. that is tapas, that is tapas see you all soon.. happy new year again..  let us continue the journey with renewed vigour..

Namaste

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Hi everyone,

Yoga For Japan Tshirts are now available at Studio 2 of Manasa Yoga. Please get yours this week and wear it to our YOGA FOR JAPAN event at Tropicana Golf & Country Resort happening this Sunday April 17. The Tshirts are only RM25 each and every cent from the sale of each Tshirt goes to Red Cross Japan!!!

We are now into the third day of the Astanga week, and i hope you are enjoying the practice.

Remember to keep things simple in astanga. A few points I want to tell you,
in astanga the focus is on moving with vinyasa, which means breath linked movement. So don’t waste or stop the flow in between, to elaborately prepare for entering a position or anything. like marichi c or parivrta parsvakona, dont do any fancy stuff.. just exhaling twist and go, and then shift gaze to gazing point, breathe. That is all.

The steady gaze is important, and be mindful of that. it is not that you should really squint your eyes for nose tip gaze, but just a point behind you in line with nose tip, and just keep it steady.

 
All straight legged forward bends, the gazing point is foot. some of you are so habitually accustomed to dropping head and looking at a point behind knees, that you are forgetting to look a bit forward. Please remember.

And now, backroll is something we are doing for perhaps first time in the weekday classes.  It is important you go easy on that. some of you are rolling on the back of the neck, which is positively injury developing, and some of you kind of twist to side, which is also not advisable. Let me just type down a few points.

As you are rolling back, there should be a good curling action, as if you are curling yourself into the shape of a ball; the knees should be bent during your intitial backrolls. Curl the pelvis towards torso, and as knees go just beyond the line of the head, that is the time you have to actively push off the hands, as if you want to straighten the elbows fully, as well as driving through the toes towards the direction you are rolling. At this point the legs straighten.

You should not put the feet down in halasan, and then try to lift. because then, unless you are very strong, you will roll through the back of the neck.

And if you find that the weight is not transferring on to hands, and you are not able to roll off the push of the hands, then dont do the full roll. just roll back, press through the hands, stretch back through the feet.. and then roll to front and do a normal jump back.

Shanai, shanih.. slowly, slowly.. or as Pattabi Jois would say, ‘do your practice, and all is coming’.

• Lie  on your stomach with the forehead down on the floor (pronation ) with the hands underneath your shoulders for beginners, or besides your chest for intermediates, and eventually by the sides of your waist
• Draw the front top of your upper arms and the outer collar bones strongly upward away from the floor so that your upper arms become reasonably parallel to the floor as well as to each other.
• Your feet are kept hip-width apart. The outer thigh energy should be flowing down towards the mat so that the little toe area is reasonably grounded.
• As you inhale, lengthen the back of your arms down towards the elbows and then towards the wrist; simultaneously pulling up through the front arms and inner arms pits
• Tilting the front pelvis upward and continuing to press down through the back arms, straighten the arms, lift the shins, knees, thighs and pelvis off the floor.
• If you feel that you can arch more but you’re limited by short arms in proportion to the upper body, then use two blocks under the wrists.
• Focus on linear flow of energy as you lift the sternum away from the navel.
• Focus on lateral broadening flow of energy as you broaden the collar bones
• Focus on spiralling energy by rotating the inner arms out, and outer thighs down
• Drawing the sides of the chest and the top of the sternum into you,   gently lower the head backward, provided you have no neck injuries.
• Work on the combined effort and intelligence of pelvis, lumbar spine and the shoulder girdle so that the sternum aligns on a vertical plane with the floor.
• Focus on good long inhalations to complement the physical efforts
• Remember to keep the face and eyes soft.

• Step your feet out to a nice, wide stance.
• Turn your right foot out to the right, so that it is parallel to the outer edge of your mat.
• Turn the left foot in as much as you have to, so that you feel the left hip in line with the right hip.  Awareness of the position of your hipbones relative to each other is something you have to deliberately cultivate in the beginning so that eventually it becomes almost automatic. And for this purpose you can keep your hands by the hips, and your right hand to gently pull back the right hip.
• All four corners of the both feet are making even contact. However if your hips are tight, the back foot might not physically ground very well, but yet, with your awareness keep energy flowing down.
• Now gently bend the front knee so that it is as parallel to the floor as possible, with the knee, pointing forward, lined up directly over the heel.
• Be careful that the knee doesn’t splay out to the left or right.
• Again focus on drawing the right hip and right chest back, along with drawing forward the left hip and rib cage.
• Back leg inner thigh muscles are active and lifting. Knee is straight but not locked.
• Keep the left inner foot’s arch continually lifting
• Now gently raise the arms over head, but at the same time drawing down the inner shoulder blades away from the sides of the neck
• Draw the shoulder blades firmly into the back ribs, so that arms can move a bit back ward.
• If you have no neck problems, gently lower the head backward so that you can look upward.
• Left buttock moves under. Equalize the weight on each leg. Feel the power of your legs as they support and ground you.
• Chest is lifting, collar bones broad and sternum long. Mentally assume the role of the mighty warrior with his valiant heart. However, maintain the softness of the front ribs without allowing them to jut out too much which can compress the lower back.
• Keep your face and throat soft and breathe evenly and freely.
• Later,  inhale, straighten your right leg, and repeat on other side.

• Step out to the right, hands shoulder height, toes pointing straightforward. Check that the hips are totally square, in one line with the front of the body. (Like the first movement of Trikonasana.)
• Turn the left foot slightly inwards.  Then, with awareness, turn the right foot out parallel to the edge of  the mat (ninety degrees), making sure the turning-out action is actually taking place at the acetabulum (where the top of the thigh bone fits into the hip socket). If this is done correctly, the hips will remain square.
• Check if the hips are still square and the body is still upright. Now, pressing the outer edge of the left foot firmly, direct the energy downwards into the mat. This will result in a rebound energy in the right leg that enables it to bend   laterally (as in Parsvakonanasa).  Strive to keep the  right upper thigh parallel to the mat; maintaining the right knee and heel  in one line. At this point, there is a tendency for the body to shift towards the right as well; DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN.
• Maintaining a straight body on the hips that are still square, turn the head towards the right and gaze softly at your index finger.
• Feel the front arm pits gently ascending while the back armpits are descending equally.
• The collar bones are broad, and the lower shoulder blades are drawing towards each other keeping the upper blades broad.
• Once in the pose, work at the energy lines; the inner thighs of both left and right legs are rotating outwards and upwards, buttocks are firmly drawn in (as opposed to jutting out towards the back).

Repeat the sequences on the left side, applying the same focus on the points discussed above for the right side.

Working on Virabhadrasana II reminds us that even the simplest asana (eg. Child pose) can be enlightening when we apply vitarka and vichara into every movement.  Immerse into the spirit of the pose; can you feel just a touch of  the warrior’s nobility, uprightness and unwavering stance for justice and fairness?  This is the spirit that drives us to care for those who need our support, fellow beings and helpless creatures like turtles who are facing the risk of extinction.  Read Rowena’s story to find out how you can play the role of ‘warrior’ in protecting the turtles in the Pulau Tioman sanctuary.

From Warrior I to Warrior III

• Step your feet out to a wide stance. Turn your left foot slightly in and right foot completely out, with its outer edge parallel to the edge of the mat.
• Become aware of the hips and focus on squaring them – drawing your right hip back and your left hip forward.
• Focus on grounding strongly through your outer left foot while keeping the inner arch lifted.
• Assess the angle of your upper body, making sure it is totally perpendicular to floor, and not leaning towards the front.
• Keeping the body in this position, slowly bend the right leg, If your groins are tight, you might not be able to bend deep. You then need to be patient. Otherwise bend the knee until it is right over the heel.
• Sweep the arms overhead and let the palms completely touch each other.
• This is Warrior I. Stay here for a few breaths, gazing towards the finger tips without over compressing the neck.
• Now slowly lean forward, and take the upper body as parallel as possible to the floor.
• Shift your weight forward by radiating energy to the front through the torso and arms, so that body weight falls almost completely on your right foot:
• Then, with the left leg feeling light, radiate energy backward and upward through it, which will lift it upward, while simultaneously straightening the right leg as well.
• Keep the left foot dorsiflexed, so that the left toes and knee point as downward as possible. This will ensure that the left hip doesn’t go higher than the right. You may keep your arms shoulder width.
• Keep the right front thigh muscles firmly drawing up and right hip strongly pressing back.
• Extend evenly to the front, to the back and to the earth. Eventually your arms, shoulders, rib cage, hips and left leg all will be in one level.
• Through regular practice, once this starts to happen effortlessly, your awareness will drop into a silence which is filled with energy as well as a subtle joy.
• Once you come down, repeat on the other side.

May you balance all the challenges that you may come across in 2009, likewise!

Namaste

Benefits

• Strengthens the ankle joint, calves and thighs.
• Stretches the groins and inner thighs.
• Improves focus and balance.

THINK – When you bend over, what is happening? We are all born of earth but we seldom bow down to it in respect and humility. In this action of bending down and focusing on grounding points, we are attuning to the fundamental energy of earth.

• Let your mind systematically scan your body, integrating awareness with the skin, muscles and bones along the feet, calves, thighs, hips, torso, etc.
• Try to let go at the hips, and elongate the sternum towards earth. Consciously and deliberately, surrender.
• Be totally aware of the even foundation at your feet. Now slowly start to straighten the legs. What happens? Your mind will be attracted only towards that goal of straightening the legs, and this will shake and disturb the energy at the foot and the buttocks.
• So while you use energy to express itself in the outer action of straightening the legs, use intelligence and energy  to prevent the buttocks from moving backward and don’t allow weight distribution at the feet to fall only onto the heels.
• When you straighten the legs strongly, the front thigh muscles strongly contract; because of this, energy rises up the front leg and into the bone. But you should practise what we call sama darshanam or equal vision, to attain the state of samatwa or equalness. So shift your awareness to the inner thighs. Pull energy up there too, and suck the area to the bone with equal intensity as that exerted at the front of the thigh. Do the same with the upper outer thigh as well.
• Now release the hands, and using the hands on the mat, work the whole hip and lumbar spine area towards getting the pelvic tilt of the knee-chest-chin position of  the Sivananda sun salute – buttocks strongly pressed upward with the lumbar spine well drawn in and chest cavity vertically lengthening.
• Maintaining that action, slowly flatten the palms if possible.
• Then again, scan and rescan the body.

THINK – Is the sensation at the inner ankles the same as outer ankles? How about left inner thigh and right inner thigh? Create sameness; integrate the parts with the whole, and the whole with the parts.

THINK - Now while you are observing and doing all this, think about who is observing, who is doing. What is the source of both this observer and doer? What is the link between your thought of doing and the consequential action? Where is the hidden intelligence behind this neuro muscular network?

Hidden intelligence is pervading each and every cell in us. Let us surrender to it through our effort.

May our effort awaken the inner energy, may our self-study make us aware of the inner presence, and may our humble devotion attune us fully to it.

Namaste and shanthi