Iyengar Yoga Workshop

Jawahar Bangera
Jawahar Bangera is a senior teacher based in Mumbai, and has been a student of BKS Iyengar since 1969 – and is “still a student,” he says. Jawahar has been teaching yoga for almost three decades, and travels regularly all over the world to teach and hold workshops. He graced the IYCM studio four years ago, and it is with great pleasure that we welcome him back to teach at the Institute once again. - Iyengar Yoga Center Manila

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Sept 14-20. Same week as John's. But schedule looks perfect as they have an afternoon session, 2-4:30pm. I can attend John's mysore in the morning in Alabang... go to Makati for the Iyengar workshop... then get ready for John's workshop in the evening at 6:30.

Ok... maybe I should stock on pain relievers and liniments if I'd do this.

Should decide soon.

Got the details from Phil Yoga Network egroup.

Om.

Shameless plugging...

July issue of [M] Life and Living in Mindanao.

Photos by Bob Mata.

Model: Ehem...

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I haven't read the article though. My friend Fritz mentioned that he was interviewed for this issue. He teaches regularly at South Studio in Davao.

Fritz was a member of the first batch of Team Yoga, a SEA Games medalist for Sport Aerobics, Les Mills certified instructor, and a certified UP Pep Squad alumnus. Trained by Bela Lipat in Ashtanga, taught in Yoga One in Cebu for several years, before deciding to come home to Davao.

Fritz completed his 200-hour yoga teacher training from Fitness First Asia.



More of Bob's photos here.

Belgium 2000

Can't believe I was here in the past.

9 years ago to be exact.

The Atonium in Belgium.

Thanks Mop-petite.

The Basic Practice

Download the guide sheet from the Yoga Manila website (Basic program and Suryas).

And we won the Battle of Katipunan.

The Old Shalas

...

...

There are 5 kinds of mental modifications which are either painful or painless. They are right knowledge, misconception, verbal delusion, sleep and memory. (YS I:5-6)

When a mental modification of an object previously experienced and not forgotten comes back to consciousness, that is memory. (YS I:11)

Because I love the Philippines...

...I want to support locally-made products. Here are two of my favorites:

Heaven's Cure Body Oil
Available in lavender and patchouli... good to use before practice... or if you're practicing before teaching, spray a little and you'll smell fresh and clean... you're students will love it ;-)

Human Heart Nature Shampoo
Mandarin!!! Check their official website here. Some of the links aren't working though.

Plant-based diet, organic products, positive mindset, peaceful relationships... these are all part of the holistic lifestyle.

May there be peace, peace, and perfect peace.

Namaste.

Last night at the shala...

... was a perfect opportunity for the regulars to experience a Sivananda class.

I'm not usually very strict regarding following the moon day tradition as most of the students here don't really practice 6 days a week. Based on my experience, I feel the subtle effects of the moon days more when I do my full practice regularly (meaning 6 days in a week). I've split my practice to keep it under 2 hours since last month.

2 of those who attended the class last night decided to continue their ashtanga practice and 1 of them said she felt a bit heavy during practice. Coincidence? I told her to make a record of those days when she'dl feel either heavy or really light and strong. Chances are, those days will fall +/- 3 days around moon days.

Image from www.astronomyindia.org

Last night was special. It was a new moon plus it was the day of the longest total solar eclipse
in 2009.

Bolo Satguru Sivananda Maharaja Ki! Jai!
Bolo Swami Vishnu-Devananda Maharaja Ki! Jai!

Exactly one year ago...

I was Singapore on my way to Mysore.

Went to Sentosa Island with college friends Marnie, Ingrid and their bugay.

Ate Japanese green tea ice cream while exploring the city.

Went to Chinatown.

Went to a Buddhist Temple in Chinatown.

Asked for guidance...

protection...

and light.

May there be peace... peace... and perfect peace.

Namaste.

(I think I lost my mobile phone again. Om.)

Sri Pattabhi Jois World Tour 2000

Gratitude and dedication to all my teachers who've guided me in this journey.

I'm teaching YM's Intro to Ashtanga program tonight. If everyone who signed up shows up, they'll be getting a full "mysore" experience on their first day... that is... only 3-5 inches in between mats. :-p

Om.

Is Ashtanga an aerobic activity?

My mind is not into discussion at the moment so I'll just present the data:

ACSM recommended training recommendations for aerobic exercise:

• Intensity: 50-85% heart rate reserve (HRR) or 60-90% maximum heart rate.
• Duration & Frequency: At least 20 minutes of continuous or intermittent vigorous exercise performed 3x a week, or 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise performed 5x a week.

HR data of a 32-year old male regular practitioner performing the basic ashtanga program:

• Recommended aerobic training intensity: 120-168 beats per minute (HRR)
• Data recorded using Polar F4 model.
  

• Duration of exercise: 38 minutes 23 seconds
• Time in recommended training intensity: 3 minutes 28 seconds
• Average heart rate: 95 beats per minute
• Maximum heart rate: 123 beats per minute
• Total calories burned: 154 calories
• Calories/minute: 4 cal/min
• MET: 4 METs

The basic ashtanga program performed by subject was as follows:

• Surya namaskar A 5x
• Surya namaskar B 3x
• Padangusthasana-padahasthasana
• Trikonasana A and B
• Parsvakonasana A and B
• Prasarita Padottanasana A, B, C, D
• Parsvottanasana
• Uttitha hasta padangusthasana A, B, C
• Ardha baddha padmottanasana
• Utkatasana
• Virabadharasana A and B
• Paschimatanasana Prep, A, C
• Purvottanasana
• Baby backbend (urdhva dhanurasana prep) 3x, 10 breaths each, resting 5 breaths in between
• Paschimattanasana
• Yogamudrasana
• Padmasana
• Utpluthih

Summary & Points to consider:

• Time in recommended training intensity is less than 10% of the total exercise duration. Thus the performance did not reach and did not maintain minimum intensity to be considered aerobic training.
  
• Total exercise time exceeded the minimum duration per session but intensity did not.
• The performance of asanas is a skill and movement economy can be a factor in the low heart rate record as the subject is a regular practitioner.
  
• The data might not be the same if the same program was performed by a novice practitioner.
• In the previous study, the training intensity in the heart rate monitor was not set because the investigator was only interested in the caloric expenditure of a led vs a mysore practice. (I believe I didn't realize that it has a mute mode and it kept on beeping because the hr wasn't reaching the target zones so I had to set it to a resting hr level.)
• Looking at target heart rate range, the performance of a basic ashtanga program does not seem to provide the minimum stimulus to elicit cardiorespiratory response. (target hr range, 50-85% HRR, was calculated based on age and resting hr of the subject).
• Interestingly, however, that looking at the METs, 4 METs is already considered moderate intensity (recommendation is 3.5-6 METs for moderate intensity). MET was derived based on the cal/min and subject's weight.
  
• Does this mean that ashtanga is an aerobic activity? Based on heart rate, no. But it is an activity which has an intensity high enough to provide health benefits.
  

The Philippine National Dance: Tinikling

When one attends the yoga vacation program at the Sivananda Ashram in Neyyar Dam, every Saturday night is talent night. It is a night where participants can showcase their talents and share something about themselves, their culture, and their spirituality.

When I was there last year, a group of ladies performed Sufi dance while one Persian lady delivered a poem by Rumi and shared a part of her spiritual journey. A man from France delivered a speech about the environment and how we can help protect Mother Nature. And the guy from the Philippines taught his friends from Belgium, India, Ireland, Japan, nUK, US and Australia how do dance the tinikling. There was no music to accompany the dance so they just followed the rhythm of the bamboo clicking.

Here's a video of the tinikling as performed by the UP Filipiniana Alumni Dance Group during their Japan tour in 2003. Before yoga, there was dance.

Yoga Haribol Club

A group of earnest students and professors were bonded together by their search for peace and real happiness. And with their sincere search, they found what they were looking for. They found it in the yoga lifestyle. It is in this spirit that the Yoga Haribol Club exists.

Yoga Haribol Club is a non-stock, non-profit, non-sectarian organization duly recognized by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Yoga Haribol Club is an organization of young people, driven by the knowledge that in order to achieve lasting peace, we must first have peaceful individuals. Only then can we have a peaceful world. We must thus find peace from within by first realizing who we are. And this can be done through yoga.

Visit their official website at yogaharibolclub.com

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Our organization aims to bring and share the values and importance of Yoga Lifestyle among the La Sallian community

Programs Offered:

• Hatha Yoga Session/Courses
• Seminars and Classes on:
• Vegetarianism and Health
• Environmental Awareness and Preservation
• Yoga Meditation
• Yoga Philosophy
• Personal and Social Issues (Drugs, Divorce, Suicide, Crime, Etc.)

Activities:

Weekly Hatha yoga session
Venue - Open space most preferably under shade of trees,

Vegetarian Food Fair
Usually conducted once a month.

Group Discussion and Group Meditation
Members and interested students drop by our "tambayan" and participate to discussion regarding yoga philosophy and social issues and also join the group meditation usually with musical accompaniment

Seminars
Different organization usually invites us to facilitate seminars they are interested to.

Outreach Program
Members participate to different outreach programs of the club (visiting rehabs, "bahay ampunan" & depressed areas, conducting children's program , seminars & livelihood programs in different barangays).

Workshops
Members are able to enhance their different expertise and so utilize it in student service.

Joint projects with other organization
Outbound trails, tree planting projects, yoga camp, environmental and health awareness, outreach programs

Source: http://www.dasma.dlsu.edu.ph/organizations/cso/yoga/index.asp

Yoga Sutras Q&A (Chapter 2)

While chapter 1 (part 1; part 2) of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali talks about yoga, how to achieve it through various techniques, and the different types of samadhi, chapter 2 deals with practice.

What constitutes yoga in practice?

• Tapas (accepting discipline as means for purification), svadhyaya (study of spiritual or inspiring books), and isvarapranidhana (surrender to the Supreme Being, in whichever form we acknowledge this being) constitute yoga in practice. - YS II:1

How can tapas, svadhyaya and ishvarapranidhana help us in the practice of yoga?

• They help us minimize obstacles and attain samadhi. - YS II:2

What are these obstacles?

• There are five obstacles in the practice of yoga: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, and clinging to bodily life. - YS II:3

What is ignorance?

• Ignorance is the field of the others mentioned after it, whether they be dormant, feeble, intercepted, or sustained (basically the reason for the other 4 obstacles). It is regarding the impermanent as permanent, the impure as pure, the painful as pleasant, and the non-Self as the Self. - YS II:4-5

What is egoism?
Egoism is the identification, as it were, of the power of the Seer with that of the instrument of seeing, which is body-mind (Satchidananda, 1978). - YS II:6
It is to perceive the seer and the seeing as one (Maehle, 2006).

What is attachment?

• Attachment is that which follows identification with pleasurable experiences. - YS II:7
  

What is aversion?

• Aversion is that which follows identification with painful experiences. - YS II:8
  

And clinging to bodly life?

• It flows by its own potency due to past experiences and exists even in the wise. - YS II:9
  

All these obstacles, whether dormant, feeble, intercepted or sustained should slowly be gotten rid of. Only then are we ready to go further (Satchidananda, 1978, p93).

How?

• In subtle form, these obstacles can be destroyed by resolving them back into their primal cause which is the ego. In the active state, they can be destroyed by meditation. - YS II:10-11

Reference: All are from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Commentary on the Raja Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda unless otherwise specified.

To be continued...

Krishnamacharya in 1938 with Yoga Sutras

Thanks to Yogakayak for sharing these videos on youtube.

Tofu & Stif Fried Veggies with Fresh Ginger

This is how the previous dish would look like if I didn't mix it with rice and noodles. The tofu is supposed to be adobo but I just marinated it the night before so the flavor hasn't sipped into the bean curd yet. This was lunch last Tuesday.

And what should I make this rainy Thursday? Maybe a simple oatmeal soup will do.

A Cup of Coffee or a Minute of Downward Dog?

• Calm the brain and relieve stress and mild depression
• Energize the body
• Stretch the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
• Strengthen the arms and legs
• Prevent osteoporosis

• Mild laxative and diuretic
• Stimulates alertness
• Can keep you awake when needed
• May reduce risk of diabetes

Sources:
Dr. Weil's Tip of the Day 7/14/2009
Reader's Digest Food

More on health benefits of coffee:
http://men.webmd.com/features/coffee-new-health-food

On Coffee and Yoga:
http://souljerky.com/articles/coffee_with_yoga_inspiration_a.html

Perhaps, yoga asana in your mug?

Place your order here.

Stir Fried Mixed Veggies with Fresh Ginger

The secret to this recipe is to add the grated fresh ginger just before serving.

Ingredients
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp carrots, julienned
A handful or two of mixed veggies (I used snow peas, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, fresh button and shitake mushrooms, baby corn, bokchoy)
A handful of fried tofu cubes
1 tsp chili garlic paste
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp vegetarian mushroom sauce
1-2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oil used in frying the tofu

In the oil, quickly fry the tomato, onion, garlic, chili-garlic paste and carrots until fragrant. Add the mixed vegetables and stir fry for a minute or two. Turn off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and return to heat. Stir fry for a minute. Add the freshly grated ginger, mix well and turn off heat. Serve with steamed organic red rice.

Because I already cooked the rice in advanced, it was already a bit cold so instead of reheating it, I mixed it with the stir fried veggies for a Mongolian-like treat.

The Xocolat brownie photo has to wait. M will send me her "Blondies" recipe so I'll use the Xocolat brownie photo to go with it. The brownie story will be unfolded soon. For the meantime, allow me to finish the rest of the brownies. ;-p

Try Cafe Xocolat's Taza de Xocolat for a really chocolatey treat. Get the small one if you still want to live... order the big one if you want to experience samadhi.

Noodles... noodles... noodles...

Because North Park didn't have vegetarian noodles on its menu... I made my own.

Honestly, how difficult can vegetarian stir fried noodles be?

It's quick and easy to prepare... plus it's a complete meal on its own. But because I'm a Filipino, I eat it with rice. :-p Nah... didn't do that today. I did that when I was in India because the Singaporean noodles that I ordered from Veg Park was too hot! Chili hot! The Pinoy solution is, of course, to "tame" it down with plain rice. Nice.

Ingredients
500 grams fresh noodles
1 small carrot, julienned
a handful of bean sprouts (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 heads (?) baby bokchoy
2 3x3in hard tofu, sliced and fried
2 tbsp vegetarian mushroom sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1-2 tbsp light soy sauce
Fresh ground black pepper
Some chili sauce/oil of your choice, optional

Instructions
Saute the garlic and onion over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Add the carrots, mushrooms bean sprouts, and bokchoy then stir fry for 60-90 seconds over high heat. Lower heat to a minimum and add the rest of the ingredients except black pepper. Mix well. Serve and top with fresh ground black pepper.

Hao chi.

Moon day...

citta vrittis... too many. Om.

Death by Chocolate Cake

The last of the Calea

Deep Dark Classic

Death by Tablea

Had my lunch from Bodhi at SM North food court. On my way home, I decided to check the Chocolat Deep Dark Chocolate Cake Shop just outside The Block. From the food court exit, just cross the street towards The Block and you'll see the Chocolat sign. Beside it was Bo's Coffee which was closed as they'll be moving near the garden area.

I just wanted to compare it to Calea so I bought a slice of the Deep Dark Classic. Being a supporter of local creations, I also bought a slice of the Death by Tablea. Remember that I'm also a fan of Tsoko.Nut Batirol, so anything related to Philippine version of hot chocolate drink is a must-try for me.

The texture of the 2 Chocolat cakes is different from that of Calea. It has more moisture and almost melts in the mouth. The Calea cake is dense and eating the "icing" is like you're eating a chunk of melted chocolate bar. I won't really call it an icing but melted chocolate spread over the cake.

I only had a slice of both as I'm still going to have my afternoon nap. It should be eaten properly with freshly brewed Monk's Blend coffee from Bukidnon. Hence, I'll have it later for afternoon "tea".

Zzzzzzz...

The Yogi... The Monk

The body changes... but the Self remains...

The Self, has no beginning nor any differentiating qualities. Though it dwells in the perishable body, it is deathless; it is not the doer, nor is it at all affected by anything that is done.
- Bhagavad Gita XIII:30

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Or the camel?

Of Dark Raisinets and Prakriti

Had a wonderful satsang with the ladies after practice this afternoon.

I received an invitation from Allen to attend an ayurvedic cooking class tomorrow with Fr. Jason and that started our conversation on food and prakriti. (Sorry Allen, can't go. I made plans already).
In applying ayurvedic concepts in cooking, one needs to understand prakriti and doshas. Prakriti means nature or the natural form of build or constitution of the human body (Sundar, 2000), and doshas are characteristics or energies that make up one's prakriti. There are 3 types of doshas - vata, pitta, kapha. Most people are of 2-dosha type.

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Vata is dry, light, mobile, expansible, quick, cold, rough, clear and astringent in taste. So vata prakriti individuals tend to have dry and rough skin, are lightly built, quick in their mental process and initiation of action.

Pitta is hot, penetrating, slightly foul smelling, liquid, sour and pungent in taste. So pitta prakriti individuals tend to sweat a lot and tend to have a higher than normal body temperature.

Kapha is unctuous, smooth, soft, sweet in taste, stable, dense, slow, rigid, cold and clear. Kapha prakriti individuals tend to have soft limbs, slow gait and are slow to understand. The cold quality means that their agni or digestive power is low.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/folio/fo0010/00100240.htm

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I'm Pitta-kapha

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Prakriti test identifies you as a PITTA-KAPHA Prakriti

Since you display qualities of two doshas � Pitta and Kapha, Prakriti test identifies you as PITTA � KAPHA Prakriti. This means that in your Prakriti no dosha is predominant and yours is a two-dosha type Prakriti. Most people are two-dosha types.

The following are the characteristics of Pitta-Kapha Prakriti

Of your doshic balance, your physical traits show a Pitta domination, while mental traits are governed by Kapha. People with this prakriti usually are muscular, quite bulky and have excellent physical health.

They have reliable organizational ability, adequate drive to grow and have cascading energy levels.

They also have a fairly good level of endurance and emotional stability.

They are prone to recurrent respiratory track infection, pyoderma, skin infection, photodermatitis, wrinkling of skin, premature graying & hair loss etc�

They tend to adopt a very calculative approach towards their acquaintances.

They are likely to have conflicts with persons having equal caliber. However their peace loving, patient kapha prakriti helps them to prevent or resolve serious conflict.

Their charisma helps them gain acceptance as a leader among their followers.

People with Pitta-Kapha prakriti perform best in a field which exploit their calculative abilities and poses them too many challenges. Thus they can do well in the fields of Politics, Art, Defense, Sports, Financial analysis & Management, Personnel Management, HRD & Administration etc�

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Take the test here.

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Basically, one needs to know one's prakriti in order to know which food is not good for your type. There are certain fruits, vegetables and spices which may aggravate one of the doshas and bring it our of balance.

And where does the raisinets come in? Nowhere... I'm just eating it while I'm typing this entry. :-p

Om.

Focus... Surrender...

"Your life’s work is the assemblage of activities that allows you to express your intelligence and creativity, live in accordance with your values, and experience the profound joy of simply being yourself." - Read on here.