Yoga instructor Manoj Kaimal led a class of 70 students in releasing the tensions of their daily lives, and explained how each yoga movement or stretch was aimed at opening their hearts and minds.

“We are always so caught up in life, but with yoga I can take away the frustrations and fears of one’s life and grant pure awareness, which opens [one’s] eyes to the plight of others,” Manoj said.

He also explained yoga principles of compassion, and lectured the class on how they could make a difference in the lives of others.

The event, organised by Manasa Yoga, charged a minimum contribution of RM25, with the proceeds going to Red Cross Japan.

To help bolster the fund, stalls selling second-hand and yoga-related goods were also set up.

Manoj said this was the second event that had been held for the Japanese cause within the last two months.

“At Manasa Yoga, we try to do this every two months even if there is no major crisis,” he said.

He said they usually contributed the proceeds to an orphanage in India.

Students like property developer Selvam Selvarajah were happy to help out for a good cause, and get some exercise at the same time.

Selvam, who has been practising yoga for the past seven years, said the event was really effective, and also served as an opportunity to meet new friends.

He has been practising yoga for the past seven years.

Performance by senior yoga students held at Hotel Saujana Kuala Lumpur. (Picture – Selangor Times)

Ima Mohamed and Rowena Baker said the event demonstrated that people could do something collectively.

“Yoga teaches numerous good traits such as being charitable, and it is something that spills over into your daily life,” said Rowena.

Both Ima and Rowena have been practising yoga for the past eight years. They used to jog, but injuries forced them to make a switch.

Among the beginners in the class was sales and marketing officer Marisa Saud. She found the class quite challenging but said it was very different from other activities she had tried, such as pilates.

Marisa added that the class made a difference to her physically and spiritually, and she felt more empathy for the Japanese people.

The event closed with lunch and performances by senior students, as well as another performance by the Shudokan Institute of Aikido.

Manasa Yoga collected about RM12,000 for the day, but they are keeping the fund open to donations until May 15.

About 70 participants practising yoga during a special class organised by Manasa Yoga. The event was held at Hotel Saujana Kuala Lumpur on May 2 to raise funds for Japan quake victims. (Picture – Selangor Times)

They will later hand over the donations to the Japanese Chamber Trade and Industry, which will then present it to Red Cross Japan.

For more information on how to contribute to the fund, visit Manasa Yoga’s website at www.manasa-yoga.com.

Originally published in Selangor Times

If you step into any fitness centre or browse online, you’ll see a variety of yoga classes being offered. From chiyoga, yogilates, yoga dance to trance yoga and yogarobics, a new permutation of yoga is being discovered every day, much to the horror of traditionalists.

Still exercise and sweating do provide health benefits, so perhaps some form of yoga is better than nothing at all.

These days, even people who’ve always wanted to take up yoga but cannot because of physical limitations or want to correct their skeletal and muscular alignment, have an option to consider — chair yoga.

It was yoga exponent B. K. S. Iyengar, the man responsible for introducing yoga to the West, who pioneered the art of using props in yoga as an aid for the sickly and for those who find it difficult to get on and off the floor. He encouraged the use of blocks, chairs, straps, bolsters and other objects to help practitioners alleviate their ailments such as backaches and insomnia.

Iyengar, who wrote Light on Yoga, considered the bible of yoga among practitioners and translated into 17 languages, was listed as among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2004. Now, Iyengar’s prop-aided yoga approach has finally arrived in these shores.

Manoj Kaimal, who founded Manasa Yoga with his wife Sandhya, recently conducted a workshop on chair yoga called Alambana — The Practice of Yoga with Support. Eager students thronged his studio at the Yoga Life Mind & Body Center in Petaling Jaya, Selangor to learn new ways of doing yoga.

Chair yoga is one of the gentlest forms of yoga. There are no complicated maneouvres or complex movements in a chair yoga class. In this type of yoga class, you can do standing, seated and prone postures. The benefits of using props are many.

“The health of all organs is directly proportional to the volume of blood flowing into it but the circulation of blood tends to diminish with age. Yoga postures done on props really improve this flow, without straining the skeleto-muscular body,” explained Manoj to a packed audience.

Occasionally, in the quest to perfect certain postures, the student might work too hard, hence blood flow is concentrated on the muscles instead of the organs. With the chair, the muscles don’t have to be strained and blood is able to flow smoothly.

“Even for healthy and regular practitioners, props are a blessing in many ways. Since the practitioner can stay longer, one can really take time to contemplate and connect to the bio-mechanical as well as the energy aspects of the pose,” said Manoj.

Chair yoga is gaining popularity worldwide, especially among seniors in retirement facilities and adult daycare centres. Students learn different yoga postures, breathing techniques, meditation and ways of relaxation. Chair yoga can also be useful for those who are not flexible, have weak muscles or are recovering from an ailment.

Best of all, it’s suitable for all levels and ages.

Basically, all you need is a sturdy chair with no lower back support and a mat with traction to ensure the chair stays in place. The class usually begins with the student sitting on a chair and bending forward to stretch the back muscles. Because the chair is used to support the spine, the student does not have to worry about injuring himself or not being able to touch the toes. Eventually, the class progresses to more difficult exercises like arm and leg balances, depending on the level the student is at.

To those who’d dismiss doing exercises on a chair as child’s play, I’d say think again. It’s definitely not as easy as it looks, especially the arm balances. Chair yoga can also be challenging for those who want to try out difficult postures, as it requires strength and mental willingness.

“Props make entering and staying in an advanced posture more accessible. It enables you to stay longer in the pose and allows you to contemplate deeper on the subtle nuances. Eventually, you are able to enter a deeper state, both physically and mentally,” said Manoj.

Unfortunately, many yoga students think they have mastered the art after twisting themselves into a beautiful pretzel.

“Sometimes people are stuck in doing asana (poses) because all they want is to achieve the ultimate pose, which defeats the purpose of doing yoga,” said Manoj.

“Yoga is much more than that. You have to get in touch with the simple present and learn to tame the mind. When you get there, the feeling can be quite strong. It’s like ‘going home’. Most of the time, we support ourselves on temporary identities based on our job, skills, responsibility, etc.

“We are so neurotically dependent on other things; for example radio or Facebook. We relate and identify with the thoughts, concepts, images and narratives of the mind, but never relate to or know ourselves in the silence and emptiness of mind,” he added, quoting the Sufi poet, Rumi, ‘What good is knowledge, if it does not lift you above your self?’

Source: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2010/10/2/lifeliving/7127076&sec=lifeliving

Today, yoga is practised by millions worldwide. While many associate it with the latest fad at the gym, it’s actually an ancient practice that connects the mind, body and spirit through different body postures, controlled breathing and meditation. Yoga originated from India as a discipline to get a deeper understanding of oneself and subsequently, the universe.

Manoj Kaimal, founder of Manasa Yoga, explains: “We’re made up of four bodies — the physical body, the energy body, mind and the intellect. From a yogic viewpoint, health in its truest sense is a state of balance in all four bodies.” The physical body is kept healthy through a regular routine comprising various postures called asanas. We nourish our energy body through the breath or prana. Breathing exercises called pranayama teach us proper breathing so all cells are oxygenated and the energy body can be radiantly alive.

Yoga teachings also stress on the importance of being constantly aware of one’s emotional and mental states at all times.

“An imbalance in any of the four bodies will affect the overall health of a person. If he approaches the practice just from a physical angle, body-strengthening asana practices won’t benefit his overall health as he may face an unstable emotional state due to his attachment of getting into a difficult posture which he can’t achieve.

“Appreciation of the body is crucial to cultivating a positive relationship with it. Many of us are too critical of our physical body, judging it to be too fat or too old,” says Manoj.

There is a wide range of benefits from regular yoga practice, including: ■ Lower blood pressure and pulse rate; ■ Improvement in function of major body systems such as gastrointestinal, circulatory, respiratory and immune; ■ Better quality of sleep; ■ Increased body awareness resulting in intuitive understanding and respect for the body; and ■ Balance in hormones and neurotransmitters, which induces a positive outlook on life and stable emotional state.

Manasa Yoga focuses on the mind (manas) and its entire practice revolves around redirecting the mind away from its tendency to identify with only the body, getting it to stretch towards the underlying spiritual reality. Manoj says: “One of the primary objectives of yoga is to be aware of the present. At Manasa Yoga, we guide students to be present in each moment of movement, hoping that they bring this awareness to their daily lives. “Clarity and wisdom will come when we realise the wholesome and unwholesome tendencies within. As we learn to discern, we can then make conscious choices and steer towards wholesome states such as compassion and joy.” So, during classes, the yoga instructors don’t do the asanas, but instead walk around the room to assist students to move into the various asanas. This way, students won’t form a rigid picture of what an asana must look like as different individuals have different levels of flexibility and strength. Students are taught to respect their bodies, to listen to their natural body language, and to not push themselves too much as that may cause unnecessary injuries.

Indian-born Manoj was introduced to yoga by his grandfather from a tender age of eight. A voracious reader with an inquisitive mind, he read the works of Swami Vivekananda and Swami Sivananda while other children his age were busy reading storybooks or playing with their peers. He studied yoga with Guruji Pattabhi Jois in Ashtanga Yoga Research Centre in Mysore. He’s also trained in the B.K.S. Iyengar School of Yoga, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta and by other teachers.

An accountant by profession, Manoj came to Malaysia in 1997 to work as a project manager. But life took an interesting twist three years later and he was inspired to set up the yoga school Yoga Life Mind & Body Centre in SS2, Petaling Jaya, with wife Sandhya. He has been sharing his knowledge on yoga by contributing articles to local newspapers and magazines. He has also been invited to speak at scientific and yoga conferences locally and abroad, including the International Yoga-Ayurveda conference in Rishikesh, India, set for February next year. At present, the 39-year-old is conducting a course with Dr Sivalal Sadasivan for Monash Medical University students on the application of physiology and neurophysiology to evaluate how yoga can contribute to one’s health and well-being. You can meet him at the Q&A session titled Everything You’ve Always Wanted To Know About Yoga But Didn’t Know Who To Ask at 8pm on Friday at The Violet Flame, Bangsar. Call 03-2095 9868 or email info@thevioletflame.com.my to book your seat.

Originally posted in NST: link

Most of us who have been with Manasa for awhile or have joined the last yatra to Rishikes in 2008 would have met and known Kasia. Currently living in Kenya, Kasia continues to practice and teach Manasa Yoga. She was recently featured in an interview where she talks about her practice, her family, as well as her love for Manasa. Click on the following link to read her interview.

http://www.andsoiwhisper.com/2010/02/about-background-most-of-my-yoga.html

Latest news: On FEB 28th 2010, Kasia taught a charity class in Kenya where she managed to raise USD 500. The money raised will be sent  to Red Cross USA so that it can get to the people in Haiti.

Manoj Kaimal comes from a family, who has long been entrenched in the various traditions of yoga. He had his first exposure and tutelage under his grandfather, Mr. Sridhara Kaimal. Later, he took the teachers training certification from the Sivanada Ashram in Kerala. This was followed by frequent trips to Mysore and Pune, from where he received direct understanding of the great systems of Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Iyengar Yoga. 

In the year 2000, Manoj along with his wife Sandhya opened their own yoga studio in SS2, PJ. Along the years the husband and wife team has taught yoga to thousands of students.They describe their practice and teaching as Manasa, meaning, with mindfulness.

In the quest of spreading the message of Yoga, Manoj has been a regular columnist, first for ‘the Edge’, and then for three years for ‘the Star’. Sandhya has been featured in a 7 part yoga documentary in TV3. Manoj regularly gives workshops on different aspects of Yoga, including anatomy as well as the ancient scriptures, to instill the spirit of self-enquiry in each student.

To promote the value of yoga as a therapeutic science, he regularly gives presentations such as at a recently held Stroke Convention by the MHAS, High Blood Pressure Association of Malaysia, and most recently to the elite team of doctors at Monash Medical University. Both Manoj and Sandhya regularly conduct teachers training course, and so far has trained 90 highly trained students to become full fledged yoga teachers.

To continue reading, please download the PDF.

Originally published in YogaLife Magazine September 2007 (link)

 Yoga is a process or practice whereby we start to become more and more aware of our self- in terms of body, mind and soul. In Yogic philosophy, the body and the senses are viewed as the way of the universal mind or nature to feel, explore, understand and enjoy itself. Problems arise when somewhere in the process, the lure of the senses take our consciousness so much to the external world that we loose our connection with our inner self, and our minds start developing an identity as separate from the universal identity, and then this starts developing other attitudes of possessiveness.
 

Sandhya has been an ardent practitioner of yoga for the past 6 years. She has been helping her husband, Manoj, in the conceptualization of Manasa Yoga, a style of yoga which incorporates scientific body alignment methods, at the same time firmly grounded in the timeless philosophy of yoga as expounded in the various Indian scriptures. She teaches traditional yoga in its most authentic and original form from India. Malaysian professionals named this training as Hatha Yoga.

 As a practice it combines the different styles of sun salutes, the whole range of yoga postures with specific alignment techniques, breathing exercises and meditation techniques with the very clear yogic understanding that everything in this universe, including each one of us, is nothing but vibrations of one universal mind or consciousness. The whole practice is an endeavor for realizing and living in celebration of the infinite potential within.

 Hatha Yoga, the science of yoga which tries to harmonize the body, mind and soul by working through postures, breathing exercises, energy locks etc.

The approach is to connect :-

  First, the body with the mind through the hundreds of postures,

 Then the mind with the breath through the breathing techniques,
 And then the conscious mind towards the sub conscious and eventually to the super consciousness
        (through the various meditation techniques) .

What are the benefits of Hatha Yoga?

  The Inverted Poses counter the effects of gravity on the body organs.

 The Back Bending Postures improve the health of your heart and coronary system.
 The Forward Bends invigorates the digestive, absorptive and eliminative systems of the body.
 The Twisting Poses squeeze and benefit the pancreas, and has been founded to help in dealing with
        the effects of diabetes.
 The ‘Savasan’ Practice, like sleep, rejuvenates the system and allows nutrition to flow into the 
        cells.

There are a lot of people wondering if yoga is the best way to lose weight? Sandhya said that is not the right intention for yoga practices, it is about being present at the moment and mind focusing. When you’re practicing yoga, yoga improves breathing technique, balancing your hormone and your body. There is actually no exact way of stretching for your body because everyone has different body condition. The most important thing is to listen to your body during the process and make sure you breathe accurately. Sandhya said: “We will choose the specific yoga practice for every student to match their requirements by referring to their intentions.” The best effect will show if you can practice yoga everyday for one hour while she suggests not to have any meal or beverage two hours before yoga practice.Sandhya do not agree that laughter yoga and hot yoga as the traditional yoga practice.

If you practice yoga always, it helps to improve quality of sleeps and better postures. For those who always felt stress, definitely yoga practice may helps you to be more relaxed while being peace and calm inner. Even if you are pregnant, don’t worry, you are still able to continue your yoga practice. It is actually recommended, because it helps to improve your breathing skill and helps while you are delivering your baby. However, this is only for those yoga practices which are specially design for pregnant women.

Originally published in DyueLife.com (link)