Gazing Inward: Yoga for Your Eyes

YOGA JOYFUL LIVING

Sacred Body
Fearless Mind
Tantra’s Essential Practice

Breathe Easy
20 Ways to Heal Allergies

Restorative Yoga
Real Hope for Chronic Pain

In Food We Trust
Beyond Local and Organic

A Conversation with Rod Stryker

Enlightened Ego
Identity in Meditation

spring 2010 ■ published by the himalayan institute ■ yogaplus.org

 Professor Langdon
Unveils A New Symbol

Professor John Langdon, widely credited as the founder of the contemporary

ambigrammic art form and whose name and work have been used by Dan Brown in
his bestselling novels, has devised an ambigram representing the concept of advaita or
non-duality.
Effectively meaning ‘not two’, advaita reveals that the nature of both ourselves and the
universe is essentially One.
The Book of One by Dennis Waite, from which Professor Langdon drew his inspiration,
is essential reading for those wanting to investigate the ancient wisdom of advaita.
Utilizing both classical and contemporary sources, The Book of One provides a
comprehensive overview of this teaching.
Dennis Waite is a distinguished writer in the field of advaita. His previous work,
Back to the Truth: 5000 Years of Advaita, is already a modern-day classic.

The extensively revised, 2nd edition of The Book of One is available to buy from Amazon

for more information, visit www.advaita.org.uk

www.arthmediasolutions.com
 CONTENTS

SPRING 10
YOGA+JOYFUL LIVING MAGAZINE . ISSUE 109

Cover: Yoga teacher Katrina Amato

photographed by Jasper Johal
©2010 jasperphoto.com
 +FEATURES

30 Sacred Body, Fearless Mind:

Living Tantra (Part 2)
Harness prana shakti—the inner divinity—with a potent tantric
practice that will charge your mind with vitality, insight, and the
power to heal. By Pandit Rajmani Tigunait

36 In Food We Trust
Industrialized food harms the earth and our bodies. Thankfully,
there’s a wave of passionate innovators who are growing a healthier
food culture, one radish at a time. By Jake Miller

42 Untying Our Wings:

The Way of Non-Attachment
Through the practice of dispassion, we can loosen the knots that
keep us earthbound—and soar to new spiritual heights.
By Eknath Easwaran
+DEPARTMENTS

CONSCIOUSNESS YOGA IN ACTION

18 Points of Practice 5 A Yogi’s Legacy
The Enlightened Ego Remembering Swami Satyananda
By Rolf Sovik Saraswati (1923–2009)

48 Yoga Sutra 2.15 54 Skillful Action

Original Pain Confessions of a Meditator
Translation and commentary By Irene Petryszak
by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait
JOYFUL LIVING 96 From the Sages Himalayan Institute
9 Yoga Threads Isha Upanishad (verse 1) MEMBER SERVICES
Your guide to eco-shopping, local Translation and commentary 6 HI View
banking, and springtime ayurveda; by Swami Rama President’s Letter
plus Rod Stryker on his practice
70 HI Bulletin
16 From Our Kitchen PRACTICE News for Members
Delightful Dhokla 22 Heart of Hatha
73 Program Guide
By Jon Janaka Apana Vayu: The Anchoring Breath
March–July 2010
26 Total Health By Sandra Anderson
Yoga and meditation seminars, retreats,
Natural Allergy Relief 52 In Practice teacher training, and more
Polina Plotnikova / Getty Images

By Carrie Demers, MD Gazing Inward: Yoga for Your Eyes

By Jennifer Allen Logosso ETC.
58 Asana Solutions 4 Editor’s Note
Yoga for Chronic Pain
By Kelly McGonigal
7 Mailbox

64 Books & Media

 EDITOR’SNOTE

Yoga+ JOYF U L L I V I NG
spring 2010 issue 109
founder
Swami Rama
editor
Natalya Podgorny
From the inner city to the White House, from editor at large
the farm stand to the kitchen table, Americans are adding Shannon Sexton
a healthy serving of mindfulness to their meals. Last year’s { editorial board }
Rolf Sovik, PsyD
lauded documentary Food, Inc. showed scores of viewers Rod Stryker
the darker side of agribusiness, while First Lady Michelle Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
Deborah Willoughby
Obama promoted healthy eating on Iron Chef and planted
managing editor Crystal Ketterhagen
a high-profile organic garden on the South Lawn. She had senior editors Sandra Anderson,
plenty of company—43 million vegetable gardens sprouted Irene Petryszak
across the country last spring, up 19 percent in just one assistant editor Jancy Langley
editorial assistant Kathryn Heagberg
year. More and more, we’re looking at the food on our plates and in our shopping contributing editors Anna Dubrovsky,
carts and contemplating how it affects our health, environment, and society. Linda Johnsen, Doug Keller, Carrie Demers, MD
I snapped out of my own food coma four years ago. For longer than I care to { art }
admit, I’d been an unconscious vegetarian, subsisting almost exclusively on frozen creative director Jeanette Robertson
art director Barbara Gerhardt
vegetables and imitation meat products. But when I found myself working in the senior designer Jacqueline Bogdan
organic garden at the Himalayan Institute, my relationship to food was turned on design associate Darlene Clark
contributing designer Stephanie Lora
its wilting ear. production coordinator Vincent Tedeschi
Early spring kicked off my schooling in the art of growing and connecting with photo editor Loreda Everett
what we eat. We tilled rye and other cover crops into the soil as “green compost.” photographers Jagati, Maureen Cassidy,
Andrea Killam
We seeded Lincoln leeks and Cipollini onions in the greenhouse and transplanted
{ business office }
them into nutrient-rich beds. We dug up parsnips that had wintered over, and executive director Matthew Douzart
watched asparagus shoot up through the earth. After weeks of anticipation, we marketing director Todd Wolfenberg
business manager Zachary Ketterhagen
harvested armloads of Royal Oak Leaf lettuce and Italian Wild arugula. circulation manager Laura Brownell
But what truly awakened my appreciation for nature’s bounty was communing advertising coordinator Jennifer Wood
with friends and fellow seekers—praising a new salad dressing or discussing the { patrons }
miracle of mycorrhizal fungi—while eating this fresh wholesome food in our din- Dada Doulatram Boolchand
Ramesh Daryanani
ing hall. This experience of sharing, of building community around food, is the Harshadbhai Desai
thread connecting the five visionary food advocates profiled in Jake Miller’s feature Beverly Foit-Albert
(page 36). Whether they’re crusaders of food justice or farmers on a spiritual mis- Indru Malkani
Manu Sawilani
sion, these voices of the edible revolution are united in their effort to nurture a food
{ advertising }
culture as healthy as biodynamic bok choy. Goodfellow Publishers’ Reps.
For us aspiring yogis, the collective shift toward health and sustainability for- 510-548-1680
tifies our own awareness of how intimately food connects us to the web of life. Deena E. Brown, ext. 305
E-mail deena@gpr4ads.com
When we eat food close to its source—fresh, unprocessed, locally and sustainably
Geoff Goldstein, ext. 302
grown when we can get it—the richness of its prana, its life force, is palpable. And E-mail geoff@gpr4ads.com
as Pandit Rajmani Tigunait illustrates in his feature (page 30), increasing and con- Marketplace and Classifieds
centrating prana in our bodies is the key to a fruitful practice of tantra. Liz Dalbianco, ext. 301
E-mail liz@gpr4ads.com
Speaking of fruitfulness, Yoga+ recently won a Folio Eddie award for the third
{ subscriptions }
year in a row—a gold one at that—so you can be sure there are plenty more seeds Phone 800-253-6243 ext. 4
of authentic knowledge in this issue for you to sow in your own practice and share E-mail subscriptions@yogaplus.org
with a community of fellow seekers. Bon appétit! ■ yogaplus.org/subscribe
Published by the Himalayan Institute
Kathryn LeSoine

Natalya Podgorny, Editor

editor@yogaplus.org

4 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 AYOGI’SLEGACY
Swami Satyananda Saraswati (1923–2009)
It is with great respect that we observe the passing of Swami
Satyananda Saraswati, a renowned spiritual teacher and the
founder of the Bihar School of Yoga in northeast India, who left
his body at midnight on December 5.
Though Swami Satyananda lived and taught in India for
much of his life, his influence and scholarship has reached
around the world. His many books—Four Chapters on Freedom:
Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sure Ways to Self-
Realization, and Kundalini Tantra, among others—have been
anchors on the bookshelves of devout practitioners since he be-
gan publishing nearly 40 years ago.
Born in 1923 to landowners in Almora, India—a small city
near the northern Nepali border—Swami Satyananda began
practicing yoga at the age of 15; at 19, he found his way to
Courtesy of Bihar School of Yoga
Rishikesh, where he met his guru, Swami Sivananda Saraswati.
After 12 years of sanyas training, Swami Satyananda began trav-
eling extensively throughout India as a parivrajaka.
Following Swami Sivananda’s death in 1963, Swami Sat-
yananda established his headquarters in Munger, and put
his travels and studies to use as a teacher and a leader. He
Tune into
Your
Inner Peace
6DWFKLGDQDQGD $VKUDP¥<RJDYLOOH® Buckingham, Virginia (150 mi. SW of Washington DC)
founded the influential Bihar School
of Yoga—an ashram and teaching
facility well known for publishing
translations and commentaries of tra-
ditional texts—and Sivananda Math,
a philanthropic organization that pro-
vides scholarships, infrastructural de-
velopment, and food aid in rural India. It was during this pe-
riod that Swami Satyananda wrote and translated prolifically
before retreating to a life of meditative seclusion as a parama-
hamsa in 1988, where he remained until his passing.
As his disciples report, Swami Satyananda took maha
samadhi, the final great union with undifferentiated Con-
sciousness, while doing japa, or mantra meditation, with a
smile on his face. To commemorate this occasion, followers
and friends performed a shodashi puja—a 16-day ritual wor-
ship. Though Swami Satyananda Saraswati’s physical pres-
ence has left the world, his devotion to yoga philosophy, prac-
tice, and education leaves an enduring legacy for which we
are profoundly grateful. ■
Transforming Lives
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yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 5

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6 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
HIVIEW
Here in the foothills of the Poconos, the sun’s crossing of
the celestial equator—the beginning of spring—brings dramatic changes. As
March gives way to April, refreshing rains and soft breezes herald winter’s end.
Water cascades down sloping fields, cleansing everything in its path. The debris
is carried into the streams, and sediment gradually settles, revealing sparkling
clear water and brightly hued vegetation.
In ancient cultures, these springtime events contributed to a rich mythology.
The Greeks told of Persephone, who was carried off to the underworld for half
the year, but whose reemergence brought forth new life and abundance. The
Romans celebrated the goddess Flora, a name that now signifies plant life. The
Teutonic celebration of the deity Eastre (a name related to Easter as well as to
the hormone estrogen) signified renewal and fertility. And the ancient Persians
worshipped the sun god Mithra at the vernal equinox, hoping for redemption.
While some of this mythology is preserved in current religions, much has
vanished—and seems unlikely to return. Historically, myth was commonly
interwoven with superstition, sometimes resulting in fanaticism and bigotry.
Worse, myth was taken for science and governed people’s lives at the expense
of common sense.
But myth also acted—and continues to act—as a bridge to a higher reality.
It connects us with personal spiritual truth. In this sense, the advent of spring
is a metaphor for purification, redemption, renewal, and growth.
Encased in a climate-controlled office, it’s
easy to lose touch with the grand passage of
spring. Becoming oblivious to nature’s rhy-
thms is as great a misfortune as being too wed-
ded to the mythology about them. Spring is a
benediction. During its passage, purification
and renewal surround and infuse us, bringing
the promise of transformation.
Here at the Institute, the great themes of
spring are already at work. For some, the no-
tion of purification means spring-cleaning,
both within and without. For others, this is a
time for the renewal of rituals and practices
that winter has dulled or buried. And for still
others, there is redemption in the air—atone-
ment for unwise actions and the opportunity to cast off unproductive habits.
Here’s hoping that you will find time for a leisurely walk in the full radiance
of spring light; that the sun’s rays will warm your spirit; and that in one mythi-
cal way or another, spring will blossom in your mind and heart. ■
Rolf Sovik
President, Himalayan Institute
Andrea Killam
 MAILBOX

From asana questions to green suggestions, readers respond to our winter issue.
Deborah Willoughby’s article, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” left me glowing; I felt as though
I genuinely connected with her experience. I, too, have struggled as a spiritual pil-
grim—often impatient and restless with my practice, striving for a peace that
seemed elusive. That peace has come to me slowly, in stages. Ms. Willoughby’s
richly articulated article rang true: pilgrimage to sacred sites may connect us to the
Divine; but in the end, when the pilgrim is ready, she can realize the sacred any-
where—be it halfway across the globe or in her own backyard.
Shirley Lindbergh, New Haven, Connecticut

Safer Backbends?
Though the article “Safer
Backbends” by Doug Keller
mainly focused on how to
align and support the pel-
vis during backbends, for
tadasana he recommended
that “the pelvis be locked
into a stable, unmoving posi-
tion at the sacroiliac joints...
by slightly scooping the tail-
bone down and forward.”
However, in a teacher-
training session, Judith
Lasater once demonstrated
how tucking the tailbone in
tadasana actually weakens
our standing posture. She did
a simple experiment that I
did with my students after
reading your article: I asked
one of my students to stand
with the tailbone tucked
down and forward (counter-
nutated). I stood behind her,
pulled down on her shoul-
ders, and her knees buckled.
Then I asked her to stand
with her tailbone pushing
back and her pubic bone
moving downward (nutated).
I pulled down on her shoul-
ders, adding more of my
weight than previously, and
couldn’t budge her. If such
a simple experiment can
prove that standing in
tadasana with the pelvis
nutated adds to the body’s
physical strength, why are
many of us still teaching our
students to stand with the
tailbone tucked down?
Cecilia Micallef
Brighton, Queensland, Australia
Keep in mind that nutation and
counternutation refer to the sub-
tle action of the sacrum, not a
gross movement of the pelvis. To
isolate and position the sacrum,
the practitioner needs to engage
the actions of mula bandha, as
described in the article. Since the
sacrum is nutated when neutral,
a slight counternutation (or
“scooping of the tailbone”)
is appropriate to stabilize the
sacrum in tadasana and provide
support for an upright spine. If,
however, one dramatically tucks
the tailbone down and forward,
thereby tipping the top of the pel-
vis back, it will result—as you
rightly pointed out—in a de-
stabilized posture.
Doug Keller
Hands-on Assists
Thank you, Katherine Pew,
for your article, “A Yoga
Teacher’s Guide to Adjust-
ments.” I have been teach-
ing yoga regularly for almost
two years and I am still re-
luctant to physically assist
my students. My training
included many assisting
techniques that have helped
with my own practice, so
I know I have the skills to
give hands-on adjustments.
With every class I become
better able to read students’
bodies. Thank you for shar-
ing the insight of a skilled
teacher and inspiring me to
take my teaching one step
further and become more
hands-on.
Cherie Ebert
Idaho Springs, Colorado
Eco-Mat Awareness
Thanks for the well-orga-
nized piece on greener yoga
mats (Yoga Threads)—I
just gave up on my old one
and was having trouble
making sense of all the new
options. It would have been
nice to know a little more
about where each mat was
made and the emissions
involved in the process;
maybe as more yoga prac-
titioners and prop compa-
nies realize the importance
of sustainable manufactur-
ing, more information will
become available. Until
then, keep us in the loop! ■
Gael Naly
Montecino, California
We love hearing from you!
To prove it, we’ll send you
a free relaxation CD if we
print your letter. E-mail us at
mailbox@yogaplus.org or
send your comments to Mail-
box, 952 Bethany Turnpike,
Honesdale, PA 18431.
Please include your full
name, address, and phone
number. We may edit your
letter for length and clarity.

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 7

8 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
 YOGATHREADS Deepen your practice, inspire your life

The Seeker’s Gift

Yoga teacher Rod Stryker doesn’t stay in
one place (like his home in the mountains
of Colorado) for very long—he keeps his
body moving, from Miami to Maryland,
Seattle to Charlotte, and everywhere in be-
tween. But seated in a sunlit room on a fall
day in Pennsylvania, it’s clear from his
steady blue eyes that, despite the geo-
graphic staccato of his teaching schedule—
his mind remains still and calm.
“I’ve always had a sense of what was
waiting for me,” says Stryker, who, at the
age of 19 began an ambitious homespun
practice that quickly became a life calling.
He spent several months struggling alone
with B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Yoga before
finding himself, for the next 17 years, learn-
ing and teaching with Mani and Alan Fin-
ger in L.A., where he discovered something
that has sustained his practice all these
years: the “germ,” he calls it—that driving
force to follow the yogic path. “It was the
biggest gift they gave me.”
After that seed was planted—then nour-
ished by travel abroad and 15 more years

9
YOGATHREADS practice
The Seeker’s Gift Living Yoga
(continued)
How to Nap like a Yogi

Previous page: Crystal Ketterhagen; This page: Andrea Killam; Model: Stacey Galloway; Top by Lily Lotus
of study with Pandit Rajmani Tigu-
nait, the teacher who he says catalyzed When travel (or everyday life) wears you down, a simple variation of yoga nidra
his spiritual progress—Stryker ma- (yogic sleep) taught by Swami Rama can help you restore your energy. This practice
tured as a practitioner and as a teacher helps you settle into a profound state of rest while remaining alert at a deeper level of
in his own right. Along the way, he’s consciousness. By drawing your attention to your heart center, you will become a
silent witness to your sleeping body and mind.
seen the popularization of yoga; the
birth of four children (two sets of
twins!); and the genesis of ParaYoga—
his own integrative, scripturally based
1 Choose a room where you will not be disturbed. Sit on the floor
against a wall, stretching your legs out and crossing one ankle over the
other. Cup your palms in your lap and, with your eyes closed, either
style of teaching that combines yoga, allow your head to hang forward or to rest against the wall.
meditation, ayurveda, and tantra. His
students, numbering in the thousands,
work diligently to weave ParaYoga
2 Feel the relaxed movement of your breath, letting it
flow easily and smoothly. Then observe 3 to 5
breaths at the nostrils, to center your mind.
practices into their own lives all over
the country. “Some day,” he reflects, “I
would like to look back and think that
I helped seat something of significance
3 throat
Next, one by one, rest your awareness (and
breath) at the eyebrow center, then at the
center, and finally the heart center.
in the West.”
But even if years have passed and
his name and legacy have become ubiq-
4 Keeping your awareness at the heart center,
quietly resolve to let your body and mind
sleep for a specified length of time (say, 10
uitous in the American yoga commu- minutes). Trust your mind to awaken you
nity, it’s easy to discern the precocious when that time has elapsed.
19-year-old in Stryker: his steady reso-
nant voice, the fierce determination
in his eyes—the essence of a spiritual 5 Asthe(butyoumerest
sleep, continue to be aware of
sensation of the breath
no mantra). You are simply
seeker, still making his journey.
letting your body sleep, with
—Jancy Langley
awareness.
Listen to Rod Styker’s advice for
new yoga teachers and watch a
slideshow of his Art of Asana series
6 Stay in this state until your mind
wakes you up. Then slowly shift
your head and stretch your
at yogaplus.org/stryker. body. Draw your attention out-
ward, opening your eyes into
your hands and then to the
In Sanskrit room around you. >>
Nidra
⁄≤ÆŸ̊
Nidra means “sleep.” The prefix
ni- indicates restraint, downward
motion, and the collection of things
spread out. When we
sleep we settle down,
draw the mind away
—Rolf Sovik

from the senses, and rest

our focus inside. Yoga
nidra is sleep infused with
awareness.

10 yoga + joyful living

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yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 11

YOGATHREADS wellness
To Your Health
Homemade Ginger Ale
Tired of ginger tea? Try this tasty soda recipe. The pungent heating qualities of
ginger can help keep spring colds at bay.
Combine 1/2 cup of freshly grated ginger, 1 cup of cane sugar, and 4 cups of water
in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 9 minutes. Cool and strain.
To serve, add about a 1/3 cup of this ginger syrup to a chilled glass. Top with seltzer
water and garnish with lime. Adjust proportions to taste. Serves 4 to 6. Refrigerate
leftover syrup for later; the flavor intensifies.
Variations: To create extra zing, cook ginger with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom,
or a few cloves. Adding 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the cooking ginger imparts
a subtle earthy flavor. A splash of cream before serving makes it
dreamy. —Ruby Wells
In the Pantry
Ginger
Spicy, soothing, and invigorating, gin-
ger is something of a miracle. This
rhizome has kapha-balancing properties
that have long been appreciated by
ayurvedic practitioners. Recent studies
have validated its most common use—
treating nausea. But ginger has many
more facets: it is believed to aid diges-
tion, assuage rheumatoid arthritis,
help clear ama (toxins), lower blood
sugar, reduce cholesterol, and improve
circulation. It is known in ayurveda
as “the universal medicine.” —R.W.
12
Everyday Ayurveda
The 12-Hour Fast
According to ayurveda, the body is
programmed to direct its energy to-
ward cleansing and assimilation in the
hours just before midnight, when agni
(digestive fire) is weakest. To support
this process, ayurvedic physicians rec-
ommend refraining from late-night
snacks and going to bed around 10
p.m. By fasting for 12 hours every
night—between dinner and breakfast
(7 p.m. to 7 a.m., for example)—you
free your body from the burdens of
meal-related digestion so it can con-
duct mental, emotional, and cellular
cleansing in a more concentrated way.
Clock on plate: Glenn Frank / iStockphoto.com; Ginger: Julie Toy / Getty Images
The 12-hour fast also respects
agni’s daily waxing and waning cycle
which, according to ayurveda, corre-
sponds to the rising and setting of the
sun. That’s why it is wise to eat a
healthy breakfast in the morning, eat
your largest meal at noon when the
sun is the strongest, eat a lighter din-
ner as the sun is waning, and then al-
low your stomach to rest until the sun
comes up the following day. This fast
supports metabolism, prevents accu-
mulation of ama, normalizes weight,
and combats kapha imbalances (which
are common in the spring). >>
—Shannon Sexton
YOGATHREADS one world
Conscious Consumer Spirituality in Action

Eco-Seals for Eco-Deals A Better Bank

These days, discriminating between greenwashed and genuinely green goods can be for Your Buck
tough. That’s where certifications come in handy—experts create standards that we
all understand. You may have heard of the basics (USDA Organic for food, LEED
for building materials, Fair Trade Certified for imports); here are some lesser-known
certifications to aid your eco-choices at the checkout line:

FSC The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies that all wood-derived
product parts start life in a sustainably managed, socially responsible forest.
Watch for their logo on paper, furniture, plywood, guitars, and more in
stores from Staples to Sam’s Club, or check their list of retailers at fscus.org.

Cradle to Cradle These standards evaluate a product’s materials from

birth to death and back, including what economists call “externalities”—
often hidden public costs like energy and water. Look up products—like
Aveda shampoo or Greenweave recycled polyester—at c2ccertified.com.
With all the buzz about the global eco-
EPEAT If there’s one thing our society depends on, it’s the PC—and it’s nomic slump, getting a local perspective
made of harmful stuff. EPEAT is a system designed to monitor computer on your own financial footprint can feel
manufacturers and encourage them to build more sustainable, less toxic ma- hopelessly complicated. Looking for a
chines. Search and compare the gamut of make and model at epeat.net; look way to get more involved and learn more
for their Gold, Silver, or Bronze certification when you’re ready to shop. about your money, where it goes, and
what it does?
Design for the Environment This EPA program carefully reviews each Join the wave of people rediscovering
ingredient in chemical-based products for household and en- a different kind of bank, often complete
vironmental safety—think with financial classes and even a commu-
paint, ink, detergent, nity cause: the local credit union—
solvents, and car- where you (the customer) are also

FSC symbol: ©1996 FSC A.C.; Cradle to Cradle Certifiedcm is a certification mark of MBDC; Woman:
care items. Find the shareholder (or “member”).
products they’ve Established by President Roo-
analyzed at sevelt in 1934 to “promote thrift
epa.gov/dfe and and thwart usury,” credit unions
watch for their are coming back in style, thanks
seal of ap- to their nonprofit cooperative
proval when structure, focus on local finance,

Chris Gramly / iStockphoto.com; Bank: ilbusca / iStockphoto.com

you hit the and often lower interest rates and
hardware higher returns. Since 2006, mem-
store. bership has increased by
4 million people, and
EcoLogo Oh, capital—the amount
Canada! You’ve of money available
brought us McIntosh red ap- for lending—has
ples, Mounties, and a simple user- risen 22%.
friendly eco-certified product database at Want to give co-
terrachoice-certified.com. EcoLogo’s life cycle operative banking a
assessments consider a balance of environmen- try? Find a credit
tal criteria, and label everything from area rugs union near you at
to engine oils. —J.L. culookup.com.
—J.L.
14 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
Events

Spring 2010
YOGA PILATES CONFERENCE &
SHOW: March 25–28, Toronto,
Canada; theyogaconference.com
Get moving, dancing, and singing!
Take workshops, attend lectures,
and watch demonstrations by dy-
namic yoga teachers, authors, and
music and movement artists like
Seane Corn, Rodney Yee, and Wah!.

YOGA JOURNAL BOSTON CON-

FERENCE: April 6–11, Boston, MA;
yjevents.com/boston
From tantra to yantra, hatha to heal-
ing, this conference zooms in on all
the most compelling topics in yoga
today. Along with yoga classes,
teachers and studio owners will ap-
preciate handy workshops like
“Greening Your Business” and “Stu-
dio Ownership 101.”

GREEN FESTIVALS: April 10–11,

San Francisco, CA; May 22–23,
Chicago, IL; greenfestivals.org
This bustling sustainability confer-
ence gets greener—and bigger—
every year. Come celebrate and learn
about new eco-products; hear from
activists and authors working for so-
cial and environmental justice; and
sample the best in vegetarian and or-
ganic cuisine with over 350 vendors,
125 speakers, and plenty of musi-
cians, filmmakers, and more.

AYURVEDA: COMPLEMENTARY
GLOBAL MEDICINE: April 15–18,
San Mateo, CA; ayurveda
-nama.org
The National Ayurvedic Medical As-
sociation’s annual conference helps
experienced and aspiring health
practitioners network with their peers
and catch up on news in the field
through panel discussions, prac-
ticums, and product and research
demonstrations. ■

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 15

 FROMOURKITCHEN

Delightful Dhokla
This tangy melt-in-your-mouth snack is packed with
protein and spiced perfectly for spring. By Jon Janaka

N eed a little spice in your

life? Try dhokla—a soft,
spongy, savory treat
from the west coast of
India. You can cook this golden
delicacy in about 40 minutes and
serve it as an appetizer, a teatime
The Batter
Yield: 8 servings

1 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon besan

(chickpea) flour
3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 cup hot water

snack, or a light but nourishing
meal. Some of the ingredients are
unusual, and it might take you a
few tries to master the recipe, but
trust me—it’s worth the effort.
You’ve never tasted anything like
dhokla before.
From an ayurvedic point of view,
dhokla is a kapha-pacifying dish that
can keep you warm and invigorated
on a rainy spring day. The mustard
oil and hot pungent spices stoke
agni (digestive fire), which tends to
dampen with the change of weather.
The besan flour and yogurt are ex-
cellent sources of protein, the latter
serving as a complete protein—im-
portant in any vegetarian’s diet.
Like other baked goods made
with yogurt, dhokla has a short
shelf life. Serve it warm or at room
temperature within a few hours of
cooking, and store leftovers in the
fridge for up to three days.
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 teaspoon baking soda
1 Set up a 5- to 6-quart pot for steaming
that will accommodate a 9-inch pie pan,
using a lid that allows a little steam to
escape. Add 3 to 4 cups of water, using
a trivet to elevate the pan above the wa-
terline (about 11/4 inches). Turn the
burner on high heat and prepare the
batter as the water comes to a boil.
2 Sift the besan flour into a large bowl.
3 In a medium bowl, combine the tur-
meric, salt, yogurt, and hot water. Stir.
4 Add the flour and whisk until thick
and well mixed.
5 Lightly oil the pie pan.
6 When the water in the steam pot is
boiling, add the baking soda to the bat-
ter and whisk until the mixture is
foamy and bubbly.
7 Pour the batter into the pie pan and
carefully lower it into the steamer. Steam
for about 20 minutes at medium heat.
Test it with a toothpick—if it comes out
clean, the dhokla is finished.
8 Remove the pan from the steamer.
Place a serving plate upside down over
the top of the dhokla; quickly invert the
pan and lift it so the dhokla falls onto
the plate. Cool for 10 minutes while
making the tangy sauce.

Jon Janaka has worked in the Himalayan

Institute kitchen for the past five years.

The cilantro garnish pacifies the

heating mustard seeds and oil.
Jagati

16 yoga+joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 The Sauce
1 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
3 tablespoons 100% pure mustard oil
18 fresh curry leaves
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

21/2 cups water

2 tablespoons sugar
21/2 teaspoons salt

1 In a small saucepan (with a tight-fitting lid nearby), heat

the mustard oil on high until it smokes for about 1 minute
and the color changes from golden to almost clear. Take the
pan off the heat and let it cool for 30 to 60 seconds. (Other-
wise, the hot oil will scorch the remaining ingredients, creat-
ing a bitter taste.)
2 Add the mustard seeds and quickly lid the pan while they
begin to pop. (Tip: If the oil has cooled too much for the seeds
to pop, remove the lid, turn the heat to medium, and wait
until the seeds turn gray—they’ll still release their flavor.)
3 When the seeds have settled down or turned gray, add
the curry leaves. There should be just enough heat left in
the pot to darken their color.
4 Add the lemon juice, water, salt, and sugar. Bring up the
heat and boil for 3 minutes, then set the pan aside.

Finishing Touches
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 Cut the dhokla into pie-style slices or small squares, and

pull the pieces apart slightly, so that the dhokla has room to
expand as it absorbs the sauce.
2 Pour the sauce in 1/4 cup measures over every inch of the
bread. Don’t worry if there is extra liquid at the base of the
plate; the dhokla will continue to soak it up.
3 Garnish with the red pepper and fresh cilantro leaves.

Variation
The traditional method of preparing dhokla involves a night
of fermentation to make the batter bubbly and light. We
speed up the process by using baking soda, as if it were a
quick bread. But if you want the “slow food” experience, omit
the baking soda and let your batter sit, covered, in a warm
spot overnight. ■

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 17

 POINTSOFPRACTICE
The Enlightened Ego
Yogic scriptures reveal that there’s infinitely more to us than body,
personality, and accumulated possessions. Meditation introduces us
to that which is beyond them all. By Rolf Sovik
A mysterious and powerful instru-
ment of awareness lies hidden
within us: the mind. Over
the past several issues, we’ve been ex-
ploring the nature of the mind in medita-
tion. It is said to have four principle func-
tions: manas, buddhi, chitta, and aham-
kara. For a brief recap of the first three,
see “A Yogic Map of the Mind” (page
21). Here we’ll explore the last function:
ahamkara—the individual self, or ego.
To begin, let’s examine what we mean
by self-identity, and then look closer at
how it is influenced by meditation.
Who Is the Self?
When we refer to ourselves we use words
such as “I,” “me,” and “mine.” These
DISTURBANCES AND FALSE IDENTITIES ARE GRADUALLY DISSOLVED
SO THAT THERE CAN BE A RESTORATION OF WHOLENESS.
words play a number of roles. They reg-
ister a sense of self-identity, mark the sep-
arateness of one person from another,
and signify our possession of things—
the effort to extend ourselves into the
surrounding world (this is “my car”).
The familiar sense of self supplied
by the mind at each moment is labeled
ahamkara in Sanskrit. It’s a term con-
structed from two words: aham (“I”)
and kara (“maker” or “doer”). The
mind, as ahamkara, is the maker of an
“I.” With every action, it proclaims: “I
am the doer” and “These actions are
mine.” Thus, when we use the word “I,”
we imply an identity constructed within
the mind itself. Your “I” is the identity
of a particular body, a particular person-
ality, particular patterns of thinking,
and a particular life.
Rarely do we inspect our own iden-
tities very closely. We simply are the
player of roles (parent, teacher, tennis
player) and the owner of qualities (at-
tractive, articulate). Thus, when we ask
ourselves the question “who am I?” with
sincerity, it can arouse curiosity and fur-
ther inquiry: “Is there some aspect of
myself that I have not considered? Am
I other than who I seem to be?”
The perception that one’s identity
is both something less and something
more than it seems is a paradox that’s
at the core of yoga philosophy. Con-
sider this passage from the Bhagavad
Gita (6.6), one of countless such scrip-
tural references to the nature of iden-
tity: “The Self is the friend of that self
by whose Self the very self is con-
quered.” Translators have attempted
to sort out the ambiguity around the
term “self” (or atman) by leaving refer-
ences to the individual self in lowercase
and capitalizing references to the Self
that represents transcendental reality.
On the lesser side, we cling to a limited
self—we grasp onto our ego and the
things with which it identifies. Yet each
of us is also a manifestation of some-
thing more enduring than we appear to
be. Just as a wave on the surface of the
ocean remains part of a vast underlying
joSon / Getty Images
Find more scriptural references to
the Self, and listen to these verses in
Sanskrit, at yogaplus.org/popsanskrit.
expanse of water, each of us is part
of a vast field of pure consciousness,
or Self.

The Nature of Identity

According to the Sankhya tradition, a
dualist school of classical Indian philos-
ophy, each person’s identity is an assem-
blage. You are the construct of a con-
scious Self (the subject or knower of
experience, purusha), and an uncon-
scious body/mind (which serves both as
an instrument of awareness and an ob-
ject of experience, prakriti). You have a
body, but your body is not the entirety
of you. You think, but your thoughts are
also not the whole of you. Within each
of us lies a pure inner witness—the
knower, or consciousness.
The mind, acting like a highly pol-
ished mirror, receives the light of con-
sciousness, reflects it in its innermost
surface, and takes on a likeness of con-
sciousness itself. According to the sage
Vyasa, we thus perceive our thoughts to
be “the same as consciousness” because
of their proximity to it. This process is
designated by the unique Sanskrit term
asmita, literally “I am-ness,” a semblance
of true awareness. The term implies a
false sense of identity, one that is mis-
taken. It is mistaken because, once re-
flected in the mind, consciousness no
longer knows itself in its pure nature.
What is otherwise unlimited, blissful,
and eternal, through the confusion of
asmita, gives the mind the appearance
of consciousness. Then, through the
agency of ahamkara, the mind supplies
us with a limited sense of “I.” Until we

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 19

 know ourselves deeply, we cling to the
finite identities created within the mind
by ahamkara.
Unfortunately, there is a great deal of
pain in this. Over the course of time, we
must learn to address the unpleasant re-
alities of life that result from identifying
with a body: health is unreliable, the ag-
ing process creeps steadily along, and
death is a certainty.
Does life offer an alternative to the
suffering that comes with false identifica-
tion? The answer to this question lies at
the heart of yoga. Despite our deeply in-
grained patterns of misidentification,
something in life calls to us, whispering
that there is more to be known. This is
the call of meditation.

The Self in Meditation

Meditation, say the sages, gradually dis-
pels the falseness of self-identity and re-
veals a deep and true Self. This requires
a process of purifying the ego.
Scriptures recommend two comple-
mentary strategies for refining ahamkara
during meditation: First, soften your
grip on the limited self by contemplating
such statements as “I am not merely a
body” or “I am not governed only by
mundane desires.” Second, rest your
mind in the presence of the Infinite by
focusing the mind on a mantra.
The Bhagavad Gita (6.25) says:
Slowly, slowly, one should turn away
(from desire), quieted by a steady dis-
cernment. Actively establishing the
mind in the Self, one should think of
nothing else.
The Yoga Vasishtha (5.59) similarly
affirms:
Abandon that which is knowable—
the object. What now remains is the
pure consciousness which is free
from doubt. I am the infinite Self, for
there is no limit to this Self. It is the
beauty in all, it is the light of all.
Through the implementation of
these two strategies, meditation can lead
you to an expanded self. Gradually, it di-

20 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 A Yogic Map of the Mind
Here’s a brief review of the first three aspects of the mind we examined in previous
issues, and the influence of meditation on each of them.

Manas, the everyday mind, is the coordinator of the senses and the mental screen
on which thoughts and images occur. In meditation, manas is calmed. Its ener-
gies are collected rather than allowed to shift about. Sense activities quiet, mean-
dering thoughts settle down, and attention becomes focused.
As manas is calmed, a more discerning dimension of the mind, the buddhi,
awakens. The buddhi assigns meaning and value to experience. Through the
practice of meditation, the buddhi witnesses mental activity, lending a sense of
dispassion to inner life. When it is purified, the buddhi provides a refined reflec-
tion of consciousness itself.
The chitta is the unconscious storehouse of past thoughts and experiences—
the bed of memory. It accumulates impressions and blends them with current
mental imagery to give understanding and richness to experience. Stored impres-
sions are propelled back onto manas in the form of
habitual behaviors or desires. In meditation this
can take the form of a fantasy, a distracting Ahamkara
thought, a simple desire, or a powerful emo- (self-identity)

tional urge. However, the process of medita- Buddhi

tion deposits impressions of peace and con- Manas
(silent
(everyday mental
centration in the chitta. These provide mind) witness)
support during future periods of meditation.
Chitta
+ To learn more about the four aspects
of the mind, go to yogaplus.org/mind.
(unconscious
mind)

minishes the notion that your “I” will
find permanent happiness in any of the
limited identities you have assumed, and
it allows you to trustfully abide in the
presence of pure consciousness.
But despite the encouragement of the
scriptures, a fear may persist. You might
wonder, “What will happen to me if I
truly relax in meditation? Will ‘I’ vanish?
Lose the self that I seem to be?”
In fact, meditation helps us realize
that our true identity simply cannot be
lost. Consciousness is the unperturbed
subject of awareness, not its fleeting ob-
ject. In meditation, the self senses the
fullness of Self. Disturbances and false
Rolf Sovik, PsyD, is the author of Moving Inward:
The Journey to Meditation. He is the president of
the Himalayan Institute, and serves as the co-director
of the Institute’s branch center in Buffalo, New York.
identities are gradually dissolved, so
that there can be a restoration of whole-
ness—not a loss, but a filling in of your
identity.
The essence of meditation, then, is
the expansion of self. It is a process in
which the narrow confines of limited
identity are gradually transcended in fa-
vor of what the Bhagavad Gita calls “the
boundless happiness” of Self. To medi-
tate is to dwell in that deep and joyful
nature. Then, manas, the lower mind,
rests in its focus; buddhi awakens to its
role as the inner observer; impressions
in chitta from previous meditations
come forward for inner support; and the
identities created by ahamkara increas-
ingly relax into a higher sense of Self.
This is the nature of meditation—a
mind coordinated in the effort to rest
in one’s own Being. ■

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 21

HEARTOFHATHA
Apana Vayu: The Anchoring Breath
Activate and direct downward-flowing energy for
confidence, strength, and a grounded sense of purpose.
By Sandra Anderson

A ll yoga practices ultimately engage the movement of prana—the innate

life force. In the last issue, we discussed prana vayu, the first of the five
vayus, or subdivisions of the life force. Now we turn our attention to apana vayu—
of equal importance in the practice of hatha yoga. While prana vayu governs
the intake functions, apana, which is most active in the pelvis and lower ab-
domen, governs the eliminative functions (excretion, urination, menstru-
ation) and the downward and outward flow of energy in the body.

On the subtle level, apana eliminates Apana Vayu in Asana

not only physical wastes but anything unde-
sirable or threatening to good health. It sup-
ports the immune system and helps keep the
mind free of destructive forces. When apana
is weak, the integrity of the mind-body com-
plex is also weakened, and we become sus-
ceptible to illness, fear, doubt, confusion,
insecurity, and loss of purpose; when it
is strong and balanced, apana roots and
grounds us, providing the foundation for a
healthy body and a flexible positive outlook
on life.
For most of us, however, the constant
downward drain of apana necessary for
proper eliminative functioning can also de-
plete us, leading us away from the inward
unity that is the goal of yoga. The prac-
tices of hatha yoga train apana to work effi-
ciently—they help us conserve and redirect
this energy so we can access deeper planes of
awareness. By repurposing apana, we build
a foundation from which we can awaken and
intensify our inner spiritual fire.
With a little practice and awareness, almost
all of the classical asanas can be done in a
way that provides access to apana vayu; in-
deed, mobilizing apana in the pelvis and then
redistributing it is one of the main goals of
asana work. This engagement of apana is
the intention behind mula bandha, the root
lock—a practice which is often misunder-
stood as a clenching of the sphincters of the
pelvic floor, but which, when properly acti-
vated, can awaken and enliven asana. Ini-
tially, you can in fact approach mula bandha
by contracting the muscles of the pelvic floor
between the pubis and the tailbone (includ-
ing both the urogenital and the anal sphinc-
ters). But in order to work with apana effec-
tively in asana, you will need to engage a
subtler, more complex aspect of mula
bandha. On the muscular level, this means
initiating and activating each pose from
deep within the lower belly; this way you
stabilize at the root without clenching, and
ease the flow of apana into the structure of

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 23

 + Learn more about the practice of
1 mula bandha: yogaplus.org/rootlock.
Download a podcast and read about
prana vayu at yogaplus.org/vayus.
the pose. (It is important to note that,
traditionally, mula bandha is discour-
aged during menstruation—if you suc-
ceed in catching hold of apana at that
time, you may inhibit or even stop the
flow of menses.)
The following selection of poses ex-
plores how apana vayu can be activated
2 across several classes of asana and vari-
ous pelvic alignments. Standing poses
use the activation in the legs to energeti-
cally integrate the pelvis with the torso
and the extremities, rooting us deeper
into the pose and directing apana into
the architecture of the asana. Sitting
postures, which are intrinsically stabil-
izing, provide an ideal opportunity to
strongly engage apana. In twists and for-
ward- and backward-bending poses, the
3 activation of apana anchors the body
and allows for a smooth flow of energy
from the root up through the spine.
In the poses below, focus on the posi-
tion of the pelvis, the engagement of the
lower belly, and the activation of the
legs. With even, full breathing and re-
laxed but conscious engagement, you
can harness the powerful force of apana
to effortlessly stabilize and energize your
postures.
1. Prasarita padottanasana (spread-
legged standing forward bend)
4 Notice how the pelvis is inverted here,
drawing attention to the lower belly and
pelvic floor. To start, step your feet wide
apart with the toes pointed inward
slightly (the feet should be close
enough to feel stable in the
pose). Keep your weight
5 evenly spread across the sole of
each foot and fold forward from
the hip creases. Use your feet to help
awaken the pelvic floor and apana vayu:
Ground the big toes, lift the arches, and
bend the knees slightly. Then press the
feet down and away from each other, as
24 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
if you were pulling the mat apart, or if
you ski, executing a snowplow. Lift the
sit bones and draw the pubic bones back
between the inner thighs; then lift the
pelvic floor and contract and hollow out
the lower belly. Allow this energetic acti-
vation to draw you deeper into the pose.
2. Vrikshasana (tree pose)
The legs and sacrum work together to
stabilize this pose and awaken and redi-
rect apana. Start with both feet parallel
under the hip joints and evenly pressed
into the floor. Rotate one thigh open
and bring the foot to the top of the groin
(or inner thigh if half lotus is hard on
your knees). Hold the pose in place by
staying engaged through the lower belly,
the muscles around the sacrum, and the
inner thigh of the standing leg. Draw up
through the standing foot, press the
bent knee back, and draw the tailbone
toward the floor. (If you have the foot to
the inner thigh, press the thigh against
the foot to lift up off the standing leg.)
Then draw up through the front of the
spine as well as the center of the chest,
throat, and head. Keep your focus on
the engagement in the lower belly and
Photography by Kathryn LeSoine; Model: Sandra Anderson; Wardrobe: Grace tank by Zobha; Lolita pant by Prana
refine the breath, softening in the lower
rib cage and the back of the waist. With
this engagement of apana, you’ll feel
taller and stiller in the pose.
3. Ardha padma janu shirshasana
(bound half lotus head-to-knee pose)
This seated forward bend combines ele-
ments of both the standing poses just
described. In the bound version, the
heel presses deep into the lower belly
as you fold forward. Start sitting up
straight with the legs directly in front of
you. Use a prop and/or bend the knees if
needed to bring the pelvis into a neutral
position. Rotate one thigh open, bring-
ing the foot to either the inner thigh or
the top of the groin. If your leg is in half
lotus position, wrap the arm on the
same side behind the waist and catch
the toes if they are available; otherwise
leave the hand on the floor beside the
thigh. Press the bent knee down, then

A Quick Look at the Five Prana Vayus
Our life force, prana, divides itself into five vayus, each governing different
functions and aspects of being.
Vayu Area of Body
Prana Chest, head
Apana Pelvis
Samana Navel
Udana Throat
Vyana Whole body
hinge the pelvis forward from the hip
joints and draw the pubic bones down
and back. To deepen the connection
with apana, exhale and engage the lower
belly and pelvic floor; inhale by expand-
ing the upper belly only. The contrac-
tion just above the pubic bone deep in
the abdomen provides a platform and
support for the breath. The flywheel of
the breath, in turn, generates energy in
the body and absorbs and contains this
energy at a deeper level.
4. Baddha konasana (bound angle pose)
The inner thighs, lower back, and pelvic
floor are intimately related to, and gov-
erned by, apana. Because bound angle
pose activates these regions, it is one of
the most powerful postures for awaken-
ing and directing apana. To begin, sit
with the pelvis in a neutral position; if
necessary, sit on the edge of a folded
blanket to maintain the natural curve in
the lower back. Then press the knees
down and feel the pelvic floor lift. Tilt
forward, reaching the pubic bones down
and back and lengthening the lumbar
spine. Continue drawing forward from
Yoga+ senior editor Sandra Anderson is co-author
of Yoga: Mastering the Basics and has taught
yoga and meditation for over 25 years.
Function
Governs intake, inspiration, propulsion,
forward momentum
Governs elimination, downward and
outward movement
Governs assimilation, discernment,
inner absorption, consolidation
Governs growth, speech, expression,
ascension, upward movement
Governs circulation on all levels,
expansiveness, pervasiveness
the lower belly; activate the inner thighs
to bring the thighs down and out away
from the pelvis. Then draw the shoulder
blades toward the waist and soften the
jaw and the eyes. Breathe easily without
releasing the action of the pose, and no-
tice the energetic connection between
the pelvic floor, the entire length of the
spine, and the crown of the head.
5. Shalabhasana (locust pose)
With strong energetic and muscular en-
gagement in the pelvis, shalabhasana
powerfully activates apana and strength-
ens the whole backside of the pelvis,
legs, and lumbar spine. You may need
to start with one leg at a time to build
strength; keep the pelvis on the floor in
the single-leg version. For full locust, po-
sition your arms straight on the floor un-
der the body so that you have maximum
leverage to lift the pelvis up off the floor:
interlace the fingers, or rest the upper
thighs or groin on the little-finger side of
your fists; if the elbows feel strained, try
a different hand position. Consciously
draw the pelvic floor in and up. Press
the arms and the chest down and lift the
legs and pelvis away from the floor.
Keep reaching the legs back and up,
and engage the inner thighs to secure
the femurs in the center of the hip sock-
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living
ets. After releasing the pose, rest with
your head to one side and notice the en-
ergy circulating from the pelvis through
the whole body.
Pranayama for Apana Vayu
Kapalabhati
Kapalabhati is a pranayama practice
as well as a shat kriya—one of the six
cleansing actions of hatha yoga. With its
emphasis on the exhalation, kapalabhati
enhances elimination of volatile meta-
bolic wastes and dispels sluggishness
and congestion, while engaging the seat
of apana in the lower belly.
The defining characteristic of kapal-
abhati is a sharp, forceful exhalation
from the abdomen, followed immedi-
ately by a passive, relaxed inhalation.
The inhalation and the exhalation are
asymmetrical—the exhalation feels like
a staccato note, and the inhalation is on
the rebound. Therefore, it’s important
to quickly and completely relax after the
exhalation.
A daily beginning practice consists of
one to three rounds of 7 to 11 breaths at
one breath every two seconds, resting
between rounds. Add 5 to 10 breaths
per round each week to increase your
capacity, and gradually pick up speed to
about one breath per second. Eventu-
ally you may practice for one to three
minutes at this speed. If you feel dizzy
or light-headed, feel a stitch in your side,
or lose the rhythm, rest with normal
breathing, and next time try fewer
breaths, or consult a teacher to refine
your technique.
Watch the author demonstrate this
pranayama at yogaplus.org/kapalabhati.
In the beginning, focus your attention
at the lower belly. Work to stabilize the
body while keeping your exhalations
deep and rhythmic. Then refine your
practice with a one-pointed inner mental
focus at the eyebrow center. The name
kapalabhati means “illuminated skull”—
promising a halo when the purification
of body and mind is complete! ■
25
Q
TOTALHEALTH

Natural Allergy Relief

A Holistic health expert Carrie Demers,

MD, answers your questions about the
causes—and prevention—of allergies.

I’ve come to dread spring because

of my hay fever. As soon as the sea-
son is in bloom, I start sneezing, my
eyes get red and watery, and I feel
fatigued for weeks—sometimes even
months. I’ve tried antihistamines but
they dehydrate me. Are there natural
treatments that can help?
Yes. Natural systems of medicine—
ayurveda, homeopathy, naturopathy,
and herbalism, to name a few—recom-
mend a variety of herbs, supplements,
and lifestyle adjustments that can not
only relieve your symptoms but begin to
address the root causes of allergies from
a holistic perspective. I can suggest easy
everyday strategies that will guide you
toward a sniffle-free spring. But first,
let’s look at how allergies begin.
Physiologically, an allergic reaction
occurs when your immune system over-
responds to a non-harmful substance
(such as pollen, dust, or dander) and at-
tacks it as if it were a dangerous invader.
Rather than protecting the body, this
faulty immune response creates a set of
symptoms that becomes a disease state.
You have many common allergic re-
sponses: congestion, sneezing, eye irrita-
tion, and fatigue. Other symptoms in-
clude coughing, wheezing, headache,
itching, and hives. Substances that pro-
voke these reactions are called allergens.
In the spring, the most common aller-
gens are pollens released from trees,
grasses, and other plants. Allergens trig-
ger the release of the compound hista-
mine which binds to histamine recep-
tors, stimulating the immune response
that leads to allergy symptoms. Most al-
lopathic treatments are anti-histamines
(such as Benadryl, Claritin, Allegra, and
Zyrtec) which block histamine from cre-
ating allergic reactions. These medica-
tions control symptoms but they often
come with side effects like drowsiness,
headache, dry mouth, loss of appetite,
dizziness, and fatigue—and they do not
heal the allergic state.
Addressing the Roots of the Problem
Agni, Ama, and Immunity
Several holistic systems of medicine ar-
gue that folks develop allergies due to
three factors: a compromised immune
system, a weak digestive system, and
toxic overload. As a result, natural treat-
ments generally focus on strengthening
these systems and clearing toxins. In
the parlance of ayurveda, our agni (di-
gestive fire) supports immunity. But
when agni is weak, our digestion is in-
Listen to a Q&A with Dr. Carrie
Demers at yogaplus.org/allergies.

Natural Histamine Blockers

If you really feel like you need an antihistamine, try the all-natural bioflavonoid Quercitin. It is best used preventa-
tively (starting six to eight weeks before allergy season begins) but can also reduce existing allergy symptoms. Take 400 to
600 mg one to three times a day, adjusting your dose according to need.
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has been used as an anti-allergy herb for centuries. In one randomized placebo-controlled
study published in Planta Medica, the leading international journal in the field of medicinal plants, 60 percent of the par-
ticipants found nettles to be effective in reducing their allergy symptoms, and nearly half (48 percent) stated that nettles
were at least as effective as their allergy medications. The recommended dosage is 300 to 350 mg of freeze-dried extract in
capsule form one to three times a day. However, I’ve worked with patients who have reported marked improvement in
their symptoms from simply drinking two to three cups of nettle tea daily.
In addition, many scientific studies have shown that vitamin C reduces blood levels of histamine in the laboratory, and a
Kathryn LeSoine

few more studies have shown the same in humans. Recommended dosing is 1 to 3 grams two to four times a day during al-
lergy seasons (spring, summer, and fall); reduce dose if it causes loose stool.

26 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

complete, and the residue (or ama) of
that unfinished processing becomes toxic
waste in the body.
Yoga and ayurveda advise keeping
your solar plexus and abdominal mus-
cles strong to enkindle agni, reduce ama,
and boost immunity. I recommend prac-
ticing leg lifts, stomach crunches, and a
cleansing kriya yoga technique called
agni sara—a breathing practice that acti-
vates the deep abdominal muscles and
the pelvic floor. A beginner version of
agni sara is to contract the abdominal
wall, drawing the navel into the spine on
the exhale, and smoothly relax on the in-
hale. (You can watch an instructional
video at yogaplus.org/agnisara.)
You can also take cleansing and/or
immune-building supplements:
• Chyawanprash: This rejuvenative
ayurvedic preparation is made from
amla berry, which is cooked into a jam
with over 30 tonifying herbs and fruits.
It’s high in vitamin C and strengthens
agni and immunity. Take one teaspoon
once or twice a day with a warm drink
(milk or herbal tea) through the winter
months to support your immune system.
• Astragalus (Astragalus membrana-
ceous): This Chinese herb is best taken
for a month before allergy season to
strengthen immunity and fortify your
constitution. Take one teaspoon of pow-
dered root as a tea, or 500 mg in tablet
form, three times a day.
• Echinacea, goldenseal, burdock,
and/or red clover: Take these blood-
cleansing herbs two to three times a day
in tincture or capsule form, both before
and during allergy season. Follow the
dose on the package.
Excess Kapha
According to ayurveda, kapha, the ele-
mental energy of earth and water, rises
throughout winter and early spring. You
can see the cold, heavy, damp qualities of
kapha in the changing weather as the
snow melts, the rain begins to fall, and
the earth becomes heavy with moisture.
The kapha within us also begins to liq-
uefy, and we struggle with colds, aller-
6 Homeopathic Remediesine
You can also treat allergies with homeopathy, a natural system of medicine
that supports the body’s intrinsic healing capacity on a subtle level. It is in-
expensive, and when prescribed according to individual needs by a qualified
homeopath, it can be highly effective.
Homeopathy is based on the paradoxical theory that “like cures like.” A
substance (such as coffee) that causes a particular set of symptoms (such as
insomnia, restlessness, and irritability) in a large dose can relieve those
symptoms in an extremely diluted dose.
Below are common homeopathic remedies for allergies. Find the one that
describes your dominant symptoms, and take a low-potency dosage (be-
tween 6x and 30c) two to three times a day for two weeks. If you notice that
you’re feeling better, continue taking it through the allergy season or until
you are symptom-free. If not, work with a qualified homeopath to find the
right remedy.
Remedy | Symptoms
Allium cepa Nasal mucus irritates the nose or upper lip; eyes
are runny but the discharge is bland and non-irri-
tating. Worse from warm rooms, better in open air.
Arsenicum album Stuffiness and copious watery nasal discharge that
burns the lips; a burning sensation in the eyes, nose,
and/or throat (often right-sided); sneezing upon
waking, often with a tickle in the nose; anxiety and
restlessness; symptoms are better from warmth
(hot drinks, warm baths).
Euphrasia officinalis Symptoms are centered in the eyes: profuse tear-
ing that is acrid and burning in nature; bland, non-
irritating nasal discharge. Respiratory symptoms
(runny nose, cough) are worse on rising in the
morning; symptoms are better in open air and in
the dark.
Natrum muriaticum Watery or egg-white-like nasal discharge; parox-
ysms of sneezing; chapped lips and cracks at the
corners of the mouth; dark circles under the eyes;
headaches.
Sabadilla Itchy nose; violent, debilitating sneezing; runny
eyes that become worse in cold outdoor air and
from flower pollen; symptoms are better from
warm drinks and warm rooms.
Wyethia Extreme itching in the throat and palate that can
extend to the ears; sore throat with hoarseness.
Most health food stores carry homeopathic remedies, as well as combina-
tion remedies, which mix several remedies together into one “allergy relief”
tablet. Although the latter approach sacrifices the precision of individual-
ized prescribing, many allergy sufferers still find relief from their symptoms.
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 27
 gies, and bronchitis, along with other kapha-related issues such
as lethargy, weight gain, and depression. You can quell kapha
with ayurvedic treatments that are heating, drying, and invig-
orating to balance kapha’s cool, moist, heavy qualities.
• Exercise vigorously for 30 minutes a day until sweat
forms along your spine and under your arms.
• Treat yourself to a sauna.
• Eat a kapha-pacifying diet of light non-glutinous grains
like quinoa and millet, plenty of vegetables (except roots and
squashes), and warm, cooked, spicy, dry foods. You may also
benefit from avoiding heavy and/or oily foods like wheat and
dairy (especially ice cream).
• Learn a cleansing yoga practice called gaja karani (a ther-
apeutic vomiting technique also known as the “upper wash”).
It’s not the most popular anti-kapha remedy, but it’s highly
effective for treating allergies. The upper wash involves chug-
ging two quarts of mildly salty water when you wake up in
the morning, then promptly regurgitating it. (To learn the
practice, visit yogaplus.org/upperwash.) It rinses excess mu-
cus from the stomach and draws mucus from the nose and
bronchi, reducing congestion, building heat, and quelling ka-
pha. (This practice is contraindicated for people with hiatal
hernia, acid reflux, hypertension, and heart disease.)
• Practice vigorous pranayamas like kapalabhati to
strengthen your inner fire—melting excess kapha and,
hence, mucus. Kapalabhati is best done preventatively;

Minimize the Triggers

If you’re susceptible to hay fever, allergists rec-
ommend staying indoors with the windows closed
on dry windy days, washing your linens and clothing
often, and running air purifiers in your house to re-
move molecules of pollen. Use a neti pot to rinse your
nasal passages of dirt, germs, pollen, and excess mu-
cus with a soothing saline solution; for best results, re-
peat this nasal wash several times a day. (Learn more
about the practice at yogaplus.org/neti.)

don’t practice it if you have nasal and/or sinus congestion.

See page 25 to learn the technique.
I recommend doing these kapha-pacifying therapies
throughout the winter so that, when allergy season hits,
there is little accumulated kapha to create the familiar
symptoms. When you add some of the herbs, supplements,
and strategies for reducing ama and strengthening agni and
immunity, you can begin to eliminate the root causes of al-
lergies—and enjoy spring in all its glory. ■

Board-certified in internal medicine, Carrie Demers, MD, is the director of the

Himalayan Institute Total Health Center.

28 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 time to
This spring, take a leap into full expression of
who you are through experiential programs that
ignite your passions. You’ll return home

ready for whatever

the world brings.
Kim Eng • Kali Ray • David Swenson
Bo Forbes • Krishna Das • Rodney Yee
Elena Brower • Erich Schiffmann
Stephen Cope • Dharma Mittra
Bryan Kest • Amy Weintraub
Swami Nirmalananda Saraswati
Priti Robyn Ross • Aadil Palkhivala
Sylvia Boorstein • Snatam Kaur
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait • SARK
Julia Cameron • Alberto Villoldo
Tara Brach • Caroline Myss
Daniel J. Siegel • Emilie Conrad
John Demartini • Robert Thurman
Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
Sarah Powers • Noah Levine

SPECIAL EVENTS
2010 Yoga Therapy Intensive with
Gary Kraftsow, Bo Forbes,
Judith Hanson Lasater, and others
Yoga Fusion with
Claire Este-McDonald, Alicia Orr,
Mahan Kirn Kaur Khalsa, , and others

Stockbridge, Massachusetts 800.741.7353 kripalu.org

 Harness prana shakti—the inner divinity—with a potent tantric practice that will

Tantra ignites your innate

power to grow and blossom
in every aspect of your life.

30 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

charge your mind with vitality, insight, and the power to heal. By Pandit Rajmani Tigunait

Living Tantra
(PART 2)

Let’s begin by reminding ourselves of the distinctive nature of

tantra as encapsulated at the end of my last article:
For ages people have been fighting an unending war—the war of good and
bad, right and wrong, virtue and sin, heaven and hell, sacred and mundane,
freedom and bondage. Everyone caught in this war—monks and householders,
clergy and laymen, politicians and philosophers, men and women, poor and
rich, businessmen and those fully committed to inner life—are equally miser-
able. Tantra has a remedy for this misery. This remedy works because a tantric
seeks freedom in the world, not from the world. In tantra, the sacred and the
mundane are held together in harmonious balance. Worldly success and spiri-
tual development go hand in hand. This is a joy-driven path, a path of active
participation in life. It is not a path for those who seek salvation after death but
a path for those who seek health, wealth, peace, and happiness here and now. >>
 The events I shared with you in the last issue show that the range Inner Temple
of tantra is as vast as life itself. Within tantra there are numerous paths—each leading A tantric begins his spiritual quest by
to unique experiences. Some tantric practices are trivial and shallow. Others are pro- changing his worldview and his attitude
found and deeply meaningful. Some focus on the acquisition of worldly possessions toward his own body, mind, and senses.
and power. Others have spiritual enlightenment as their central goal. Some tantric For ages, people have been living with a
paths place exclusive emphasis on rituals and others employ yogic techniques to self-defeating philosophy that condemns
awaken the kundalini shakti and chakras in one’s own body. Some use yantras and the world and thereby promotes the idea
mandalas to awaken and gain mastery over the healing power. Other paths employ of finding freedom from it. According to
that philosophy, the body is the focal
unique internal visualizations and con- from the domain of afflictions.” Thus point of misery: pleasure is the doorway
centration techniques to awaken and tantra refers to the path of health and to hell; worldly objects are a burden to
acquire that same healing power. Some healing, science and spirituality, that the soul. In the view of tantra, this phi-
tantrics use herbs to accelerate their holds our full expansion and develop- losophy is deeply flawed.
practice and others use unique breath- ment as its main objective. It shows us According to tantra, the world is
ing techniques. Some go as far as to use how we can grow and blossom. It shows beautiful. Life in the world is beautiful.
drugs and sex while others abstain from us how to find purpose in life and how Our inability to see the beauty within
both. But all tantric paths and practices to weave the tapestry of life in the most and without is bondage for it forces us
have one common theme: the acquisi- meaningful manner, how to protect and to live in this world purposelessly. The
tion of power. nurture ourselves, and how to protect quest for freedom here and now begins
The power to be and the power to be- and nurture others. The principle of in- with understanding the sacred nature of
come, the power to grow and the power tegration lies at the core of tantric philos- our body, mind, and senses. According
to blossom, the power to explore limit- ophy and practice. This principle refers to tantra, the body is the living temple
less possibilities and the power to mate- to the integration of our worldly endeav- of divinity. The center of consciousness
rialize those possibilities—these are the ors with our spiritual pursuits, the inte- (soul, atman, jiva) is the highest divinity
hallmarks of tantric spirituality. Rising gration of personal empowerment with within us. A vast portion of the powers,
above our limitations and gaining access the empowerment of others and the em- potentials, and privileges of this divinity

TO A TANTRIC, LIFE IS NOT BONDAGE BUT THE GATEWAY TO FREEDOM.

TO BE BORN AS A HUMAN IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE OUR
ONENESS WITH ABSOLUTE CONSCIOUSNESS—OUR OWN INNER DIVINITY.
to the limitless domain of the power of
will, the power of knowledge, and the
power of action is the ultimate goal of
tantric wisdom and practice. The term
tantra itself tells how to gain access to
this boundless field of power.
Tantra is a compound of two verbs,
tan and tra. The verb tan has two sets
of meanings. The first is “to expand, to
grow, to expound, to give meaning.” Tan
also means “to weave, to intertwine, to
integrate, to connect, to breathe new-
ness into the old, to pull the present out
of the past and give it a meaningful fu-
ture.” The second verb in this com-
pound, tra, means “to protect, to free
from sorrow, to help one move away
+ Read Part 1 of “Living Tantra”
at yogaplus.org/livingtantra.
powerment of the natural world. Good
and evil, sacred and mundane, coexist
harmoniously in this tantric world of
integration. Following the principle of
integration, a tantric practitioner at-
tempts to find freedom while living in
the world and aspires to experience the
fullness of life.
To a tantric, life is not bondage but
the gateway to freedom. To be born as
a human is an opportunity to experience
our oneness with Absolute Conscious-
ness—our own inner divinity. God, Ab-
solute Consciousness, deposited Her
limitless power of creativity in each of
us. Gaining access to that limitless cre-
ativity fulfills the purpose of life. And dy-
ing without knowing and experiencing
that power defeats the purpose of hu-
man birth.
remain dormant. This dormant power is
called kundalini shakti. Only a fraction
of its potentials are available in their
awakened form. The power and poten-
tial of the soul that is awakened and ac-
tive in us is called prana. Prana, the force
that keeps us alive, is the intrinsic and
vibrant attribute of this inner divinity.
For all practical purposes, this prana
shakti is the highest god in us, for it is
this particular aspect of divine power
that helps us gain access to the infinite
dormant potentials within.
The forces that pervade and perme-
ate every nook and cranny of our body
are emanations of prana shakti, the inner
divinity; they constitute our core being.
These forces are gods and goddesses.
They live in the body. They heal and
nurture it. They maintain order in the

32 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 body, ensuring that every limb, organ,
and system function harmoniously.
They preside over our thoughts, speech,
and actions. The guiding intelligence of
these divine forces offers all the tools
and means we need to experience them
as integral to ourselves. This guiding
intelligence empowers us to know,
through our own direct experience, that
these divine forces are us and we are
them. That is why, according to tantra,
the human body is the most complete
yantra and mandala—and the finest of
all temples. Gaining access to the in-
nermost chamber and discovering the
inner divinity, the center of conscious-
ness, is the goal of tantra.
Concentrating the Life Force
Over millennia, tantra has discovered
countless techniques for entering the in-
This spread: Poppies: Gregor Schuster / Getty Images; Weaving on loom: Win Initiative / Getty Images; Uedatsmugi: Tohoku Color Agency / Getty Images
and mandalas in conjunction with
mantras and the visualization of de-
ities—follow their own unique rules
and laws. This approach is known as
samaya tantra. The tantric schools that
combine these two approaches are called
mishra tantra. However, the adepts be-
longing to all of these paths—kaula,
samaya, and mishra—share a common
understanding: no matter which path
you follow or which practice you under-
take, you must have a clear, calm, and
tranquil mind.
A disturbed, distracted, or stupefied
mind is not fit to follow any path. Culti-
vating a clear, calm, and tranquil mind
and infusing it with prana shakti, the ra-
diant, indomitable life force, is the first
and foremost practice of tantra. Infusing
the mind with prana shakti is the most
crucial of all tantric practices for it en-
generated by the practice, is charged
with vitality, stamina, and willpower.
In tantric terminology, first infusing the
mind with prana shakti and then infus-
ing a practice with this prana shakti is
known as prana dharana. To clarify why
this infusion of prana shakti is so crucial,
let us see what happens when a prac-
tice—non-tantric as well as tantric—is
undertaken without this infusion.
Let’s say you have learned the art of
creating a mandala. You drew it on silk
cloth, accurately and with faith. Before
you installed the mandala on your altar,
a holy man from India or Tibet blessed
it. For five years you have been making
daily ritual offerings and meditating fol-
lowing all the guidelines, but you see lit-
tle or no result. Why is your practice so
unsatisfactory? According to a tantric,
the main reason is that you have been

ner world and experiencing our oneness sures that the mind—which is at once meditating while facing a piece of silk
with the divinity within. Some of those the most important instrument of prac- cloth. The mandala you drew on that
techniques place greater emphasis on us- tice as well as the container of the energy cloth was not charged with prana shakti
ing external tools and means; others em-
phasize internal means. Those using
external tools are ritualistic and follow
a set of rules and laws that ensure the rit-
uals are effective and fruitful. This ap-
Previous spread: Fire: Gary S. Chapman / Getty Images; Young woman touching poppies: Lisa Stirling / Getty Images

proach is known as kaula tantra. Those

using internal tools—such as asanas and
pranayamas in conjunction with bandhas
and mudras, and meditation on chakras

Just as a loom weaves many

threads into one cloth, prana
dharana gathers diffused energy
into a concentrated space.
33
 By offering herbs to a
sacred flame—either
through external ritual or
internal visualization—
tantrics come to know
themselves as an integral
part of a greater whole.

and so it remains lifeless. Meditation on
it is also lifeless.
The same is true of an internal non-
ritualistic tantric practice, such as med-
itation on a particular chakra. For ex-
ample, you are trying to awaken the
healing force of the navel center. The
mantra you picked from a book is cor-
rect. It is an authentic mantra for awak-
ening the healing force. The image of fire
your mind has conceived is correct. The
technique and procedure you are using to
enter the navel center are also correct,
yet you have been trying to awaken your
navel center for years, without success.
Why? The answer is simple: the mantra
you picked from the book is lifeless and
you did not infuse it with prana shakti
before using it. The image of fire is also
devoid of the life force, and the navel
center has not been infused with living,
awakened, vibrant prana shakti. Thus
the whole practice is lifeless.
In a traditional tantric practice, you
go directly to the crux of the matter—in-
fusing your mind with the living, vibrant
energy of prana shakti. First unite your
mind with the prana shakti so it is fully
healed and nourished. This fully nour-
ished mind will reclaim its pristine char-
acteristics—clarity and insight, stability
and concentration. It will reclaim its
ability to receive and retain revelation. It
will reclaim its power of discernment. It
will learn to travel with the prana shakti
to wherever concentration, meditation,
and samadhi are needed—to yantras
and mandalas, to statues of gods and
goddesses, and to spiritual/religious em-
blems—and will witness the infusion of
the life force into those objects. There-
after, any form of practice—ritualistic or
non-ritualistic, external or internal—will
become fruitful. This whole process is
called prana dharana.
Prana dharana means “to concentrate
prana shakti (the life force); to make
prana shakti become concentrated; to
intensify the life force until it begins
to glow and breathe life into anything
falling within its field.” The life force is
everywhere in our body in a diffused
form. It is performing its function in a
diffused manner, which is just enough to
keep us alive. In order for this life force
to perform extraordinary feats, it must
be concentrated.
Concentration begins by collecting
the diffused energy and compressing it
in a well-defined space. In that confined
space, the energy begins to exhibit ex-
traordinary properties which were lying
dormant within it. These extraordinary
properties include infusing the mind
with the power to rise above distur-
bances, distractions, and stupefaction,
and become still and composed. With
the unfoldment of its extraordinary
properties, prana shakti is able to heal

THROUGH PROLONGED AND CONSISTENT PRACTICE, PRANA SHAKTI AND

THE MIND BEGIN TO GUIDE EACH OTHER. AS THIS HAPPENS, ANY QUEST—
WORLDLY OR SPIRITUAL—BECOMES EASY AND FULFILLING.

34 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 and nurture the body, mind, and senses.
It is able to infuse the mind with the
power to reach every nook and cranny in
the body as well as any destination in the
external world. Once it is concentrated,
the prana shakti is able to beam its heal-
ing and enlightening properties to any
point in time and space. Accompanied
and assisted by the concentrated pranic
force, the mind is able to awaken the
dormant energy of any of the chakras in
our body, as well as the energy dormant
in mantras, yantras, mandalas, herbs,
gems, or any object of meditation or rit-
ual worship. The tantric practice of
prana dharana is the means of concen-
trating the pranic force.
Bhastrika and Beyond
The systematic practice of prana dha-
rana begins with a tantric variation of the
well-known pranayama technique called
bhastrika. To practice bhastrika, sit with
Offerings: Crystal Ketterhagen; Flames: sandramo / iStockphoto.com; Weaver: Tom Stoddart Archive / Getty Images; Illustration: Patrick Lynch
your head, neck, and trunk in a straight
line. Close your eyes and relax your
shoulders. Restore your normal harmo-
nious breathing pattern. Then begin to
inhale and exhale forcefully through both
nostrils. Breathe with the active involve-
ment of your abdominal muscles while
keeping your chest region as relaxed as
possible. Each time you exhale, pull your
abdomen in; when you inhale, push it
out. How strongly and forcefully you
move your abdominal muscles in and out
and how fast and forcefully you inhale
and exhale depends on your current level
of strength, stamina, and experience with
the practice. Don’t go beyond your cur-
rent capacity. Be especially gentle and
mindful if you have had surgery in the ab-
dominal area, are pregnant, or have high
blood pressure.
In the regular hatha yoga style of
bhastrika, awareness of the movement
of the breath is concentrated at the open-
ing of the nostrils—air flows while
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, is the spiritual
head of the Himalayan Institute. A teacher, lec-
turer, Sanskrit scholar, and author, he has prac-
ticed yoga and tantra for more than 30 years.
brushing this opening. But in the tantric
tradition, a practitioner is led to become
aware of the movement of breath at dif-
ferent places in the throat and mouth
cavity. For example, while practicing the
tantric form of bhastrika pranayama,
you can maintain the awareness of the
movement of your breath at the hollow
of your throat. This balances the meta-
bolic process. If you are in the habit of
overeating, it will reduce your appetite.
If your appetite is devitalized, this prac-
tice will increase it. Awareness of the
breath at the tip of your nostrils, on the
other hand, will lead to an entirely differ-
ent result—the experience of an extraor-
dinary fragrance.
When you practice bhastrika as a
stepping-stone to the practice of prana
dharana, however, you focus the move-
ment of the breath as it brushes the soft
palate, at the back of the roof of the
mouth. The pituitary gland sits slightly
above the soft palate, at the base of the
brain. This is the region associated with
the ajna chakra, the eyebrow center.
When, with the help of your awareness,
you allow the exhalation and inhalation
to brush against your soft palate, it
creates a pulsation in the region of the
pituitary gland, and the energy residing
there becomes active. The pituitary
gland is a master gland that regulates
key organs in the endocrine system. The
pituitary gland’s role in the regulation of
our reproductive organs and, more pre-
cisely, the regulation of our moods and
emotions (which largely depend on hor-
monal changes), is well understood.
The pineal gland is located in the same
general region. The pineal gland not
only regulates the secretion of mela-
tonin, but also exerts its influence over
the process governing relaxation, re-
newal, and rejuvenation.
The newly emerging science of psy-
choneuroimmunology makes it easy to
understand why tantric adepts call the
energy field of this region ajna chakra,
the command center. The pituitary
gland receives hormonal secretions from
the hypothalamus. These hormones
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living
contain the information and instructions
that our endocrine system and the inter-
connected network of other organs need
in order to function harmoniously. The
master glands in this region thus receive
an ordinance (ajna) from the hypothala-
mus and pass this same ordinance on to
the organs involved in complex and mu-
tually dependent biophysical activities.
It is important to remember that we
are talking about the entire region and
not a particular organ or spot in that re-
gion. Vibration/pulsation in that region
will activate the energy of the ajna
chakra, the center of consciousness that
fills the space in the area known as the
“third eye.” This is the most suitable
center for the concentration of prana
Hypothalamus
Pituitary
Pineal Gland
Soft Palate
The tantric form of bhastrika
activates the ajna chakra’s energy
(shown in blue).
shakti. Awareness of that center during
the tantric version of bhastrika will at-
tract the pranic forces that are diffused
throughout the body. Complete the
bhastrika-style breathing by inhaling
deeply into the ajna chakra and retain
the breath to your comfortable capacity,
thus compressing the prana shakti and
containing it at the eyebrow center.
Then exhale and breathe normally, let-
ting your awareness rest in the vibrant
field of energy at the ajna chakra.
As the pranic forces become concen-
trated at the ajna chakra, awareness of
that center will intensify. The greater
the intensity, the (continues on page 68)
35
36 yoga + joyful living spring 2010
Industrialized food harms the earth and our bodies. Thankfully, there’s
a wave of passionate innovators who are growing a healthier food culture,
one radish at a time. By Jake Miller

The Good-Food
Revolution
Food is love. The first time I ever heard that was when I asked my friend
Jona what in the world he was thinking cooking for 100 hungry guests on his own wed-
ding night. Jona bought heirloom tomatoes from his neighborhood farmers’ market
and served a splash of rich golden squash soup in shot glasses hand-painted to match
the bridal flowers. The vegetarian menu wowed even the most committed carnivores
at the party, and each course served to tighten the bonds of our shared community.
It’s easy to believe that food is love when you’re play. The scenery is beautiful, but what’s even more
enjoying a special meal for family and friends, or when inspiring are the people working and living together,
you bite into a peach that’s still warm from the sun. growing healthy food and a strong community while
But how do those words apply to a society where peo- revitalizing the environment.
ple eat meals alone in their cars, or where whole com- Elsewhere in Mattapan—and throughout the city,
munities don’t have access to basic fresh produce, let the nation, and the world—the view is not always as
alone a sun-warmed peach? lovely, with epidemics of malnutrition and obesity
On a late summer afternoon last year, my two-and- striking within the same communities, sometimes par-
a-half-year-old son and I went to one of our favorite adoxically within the same person. Many experts say
spots, where a series of paths wind between woods that this growing crisis is due in large part to an indus-
and fields, around the old grounds of a defunct psy- trial food system that pollutes the environment while
chiatric hospital on the edge of Boston’s Mattapan propagating cheap, low-nutrition processed food. One
neighborhood. Nowadays it’s home to the Boston out of every three children born in 2000 could develop
Nature Center and the Clark Cooper Community diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control tells us, and
Gardens, where gardeners from all walks of life share obesity rates are rising. Today’s children may be the
tips and talk about the weather, while naturalists first generation of Americans to live shorter lives than
watch wild turkeys patrol the edges of the plots. My their parents.
gregarious son hails them all, saying hello to the At its best, food is love; at its worst, it can be
growers, the butterflies, the turkeys, and the vegeta- toxic—to our health, to the environment, and to our
bles ripening on the vine. It’s a little bit of magic to communities.
see this slice of the world through his eyes, where In response, a diverse food movement has arisen,
everything here belongs together and has a role to with farmers, public health activists, social justice

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 37

advocates, and people who love to eat
well, all collaborating to create alterna-
tives to the industrial food system. The
real beauty of this movement is that none
of its strands can exist in isolation. It’s a
healthy, vibrant ecosystem—a commu-
nity of innovators helping to grow a new
sustainable food culture.
Here are five key players who em-
body the diverse ideals and approaches
of this movement. They’re working in
cities and out in the countryside, on the
left and the right of the political spec-
trum, with gourmets and with commu-
nities that are struggling with hunger.
Some of them came to the movement
when they realized that food was a key
component of social justice; others came
to share their love of fresh healthy food
when they realized that too few people
had access to it. A sense of intention con-
nects them all—a commitment to build-
ing a food system that promotes not just
efficiency and profits, but health, com-
munity, environment, and ethics.
“WE ARE CREATING THE LANDSCAPE THAT OUR
CHILDREN WILL INHERIT, ONE BIT AT A TIME.”
Left to right: Frances Moore Lappé, Makani Themba-Nixon, Joel Salatin, Alice Waters, and
Will Allen use diverse methods to achieve the same goal—a sustainable food system.
Frances Moore Lappé
ENVISIONING ABUNDANCE
In 1971, Frances Moore Lappé found
herself poring over books and reports in
the agricultural library at the University
of California, Berkeley. She felt confused.
In study after study, evidence showed
there was more than enough food for the
world to eat, yet policy makers and pun-
dits were talking about famine and lack.
“I was this kid trying to figure out,
‘Why is there hunger in the world when
there’s enough food to make us all
chubby?’” she says.
She went on to write Diet for a Small
Planet (1971), a three-million copy best-
selling cookbook that provided delicious
recipes and showed how adopting a diet
based on grains and vegetables, and eat-
ing lower on the food chain, would allow
everyone on earth to have enough food.
It wasn’t the details of the diet that
were the key revelation, Lappé told me in
a recent interview: it was the simple real-
ization that scarcity is a state of mind.
“If we start with a sense of lack—lack
of stuff and lack of goodness—we’ve
bought this caricature of ourselves, this
shriveled sense of ourselves, that all we
can count on is greed,” Lappé says. But
in the real world, we’re all much more
than that. “Look at the behaviors and
traits that have been hardwired into us.
Cruelty? Selfishness? Yes, but also fair-
Previous spread: Cultura / Alamy; This spread: Kale: simonkr / fotolia.com; Portraits: Frances Moore Lappé: Deborah Kushma / Courtesy of Small Planet Institute; Makani Themba-Nixon: DobyPhoto.com; Joel Salatin:
ness, cooperation, and creativity.”
Breaking through this illusion of
scarcity—the idea that we don’t have
enough to eat or that we don’t have the
power to change the world—has been
the constant theme of her work (which
includes 16 books and co-founding the
Courtesy of Polyface, Inc., www.polyfacefarms.com; Alice Waters: Paul Sakuma / AP Photo; Will Allen: Darren Hauck / The New York Times; Community garden: Wildscape / Alamy
anti-hunger think tank Food First).
She’s as passionate about it as ever. In
her latest book, Getting a Grip: Clarity,
Creativity, and Courage in a World Gone
Mad (2007), she says that under the
wrong conditions—extreme concentra-
tions of power, cultures of anonymity,
and scapegoating—most of us will be-
have selfishly and cruelly.
The beauty of the food justice and
sustainable food movements, she says,
is that they create the opposite of these
conditions, which allow our better selves
to shine through. Social power is dis-
persed, anonymity is diminished by true
community, and everyone has to shoul-
der some of the responsibility for the
state of the world we live in. It’s easy to
see how when we eat and garden to-
gether, shop at a farmers’ market, or be-
come a member of a community-spon-
sored agricultural project, we don’t just
build a healthier food system, we build a
healthier democracy.

Since she started writing about food,
Lappé says, things have gotten a lot
worse, but also a lot better.
“We’re heading very rapidly in two
directions. The dominant direction is
horrific. We’ve turned food into a health
hazard,” she says. “At the same time,
much more than I ever could have imag-
ined when I began, people are reclaim-
ing their own food traditions, learning
more about soil ecology. A recent study
from the University of Michigan shows
that if the whole world went organic we
would increase food output and build a
healthier environment.
“My hope is in the evidence, and the
evidence is in,” says Lappé. “We have
the power to make a better world.”
Makani Themba-Nixon
SEEDS OF JUSTICE
“Food has always been at the heart of the
struggle for social justice,” says Makani
Themba-Nixon, a community health ad-
vocate. According to her, it’s all a ques-
tion of “Who has access to land, to food?”
Often the answer comes down to race
and wealth, Themba-Nixon says. That’s
part of the reason the epidemics of child-
hood obesity, diabetes, and heart disease
have hit communities of color particu-
Jake Miller is a freelance writer based in Boston,
Massachusetts. He has cultivated tomatoes in his
window, basil on his porch, and worm compost
under his desk.
Neighborhood gardens
build strong communities.
larly hard, and that’s why it’s crucial to
empower these communities to find ap-
propriate, integrated local solutions.
Themba-Nixon is the executive direc-
tor of Washington, DC–based Commu-
nities Creating Healthy Environments
(CCHE), a new nationwide initiative
to support innovative solutions to the
crisis. In its first round of funding in
2009, CCHE supported water activists
in the Southwest, youth programs in
Madison and New Orleans, and a pro-
gram to introduce community vegetable
gardens on a tribal nation’s ranch in
Montana. Think of it as an innovation
incubator, supporting creative strategies
that other communities can learn from
and build on.
As for childhood obesity, Themba-
Nixon says, we won’t solve the problem
without addressing the root causes—the
land-use policies, predatory marketing,
and underfunded public infrastructure
that make it difficult for kids and fami-
lies to make healthy choices in the first
place. It’s easy to blame personal choice
and individual character flaws for prob-
lems like obesity, which seem so private,
but it’s not enough to simply ask individ-
uals why they don’t take better care of
themselves. We also have to ask, as com-
munities and as a society, questions like,
Is anyone selling fresh fruit and vegeta-
bles nearby? Are the streets and parks in
the neighborhoods safe for children to
play in? Is the soil in the neighborhood
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living
Digital Digest
Learn more about these sustainable
food projects and how you can get
involved:
communitygarden.org/
rebeltomato
No yard? No community gardens
near you? No problem. Use this
Web-based tool to start your own.
edibleschoolyard.org
The digital home of the original
Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, CA,
with resources to help you start your
own school garden project.
ethicurean.com
The blog that pre-digests all the im-
portant food policy and sustainability
issues for you.
growingpower.org
Will Allen’s tips for growing worm
compost, establishing an aquaponics
greenhouse, or getting involved in the
movement for sustainable commu-
nity food systems.
localharvest.org/csa
Learn more about Community
Supported Agriculture, where con-
sumers buy a share in a local farm’s
production and get ultra-fresh food
while providing farmers with better
cash flow.
polyfacefarms.com
Get the lowdown on Joel Salatin’s
model of pasture-based permaculture.
slowfoodusa.org
The United States branch of the
international movement to support
good, clean, and fair food and to
preserve endangered culinary and
cultural institutions in the face of fast
food and fast life.
smallplanet.org
Tools and tips for skillful engagement
in democracy, including “food democ-
racy,” from Frances Moore Lappé and
daughter Anna Lappé.
39
 too contaminated for gardening? And
The Ethical Diet what’s for lunch at school?
Changing the way you eat is a good start, but real change comes when we build com- Part of Themba-Nixon’s inspiration
munities that can support viable alternatives. Here are eight steps to help you expand in the fight for social justice is a love for
the circle of good food in your life—beyond your plate and into your neighborhood: healthy food that started in her own
childhood.
• Start talking about food. Don’t stop. “I was very fortunate to be raised by
• Learn where the food you already eat comes from. a mom who was into organic and grow-
ing your own before it was cool,” she
• Ask at your local markets and restaurants if any of the food is locally or sustain- says. “She was always baking things and
ably sourced—let them know that this is something that their customers value. sprouting things. It gave me a great ap-
• Talk to producers at farmers’ markets to find out what the freshest and most preciation for food, not just as fuel but as
delicious local foods are at the moment. something sacred and alive.”
• Talk to your friends and family about your food traditions and values. An elabo-
rate potluck feast—or a trip to gather you-pick strawberries—is a perfect op-
portunity for meaningful conversation.
Joel Salatin
CARETAKER OF CREATION
• Grow something yourself and then eat it. You don’t need to launch a new com- Joel Salatin calls himself a Christian
munity garden project to feel the power of connecting directly to the food chain. conservative libertarian environmental-
Plant a pot of basil on your porch and make one perfect batch of pesto, or cap- ist and a “lunatic farmer.” He also calls
ture some wild yeast and make an über-local batch of sourdough bread. himself a “caretaker of creation,” believ-
ing that his role as a farmer is to make
• Make eye contact with the people around you when you’re eating. At a harried the cattle, chickens, turkeys, pigs, and,
family meal, this simple moment of connection can create a sense of calm. In a most important of all, the grasses on his
crowded café, it can help you build new friendships and expand your personal farm, happy, and then to stay as far out
community. of the way as possible while nature pro-
• Add meaning to your meals by saying grace. You can thank God or simply take duces abundant healthy food. He sells it
time to acknowledge the community of people, plants, and animals that worked all from his local food shed, to his neigh-
together to provide your food. Infusing food with intention is also a great way bors, and to nearby restaurants.
to encourage yourself to eat healthier. “Pasture-based livestock and local
food systems can feed the world and

An apprentice gathers pastured eggs at Polyface Farm; in the classroom and the garden, the
Edible Schoolyard program teaches kids about the relationship between plants and food.

THE SEEMINGLY SELFISH

ACT OF WANTING TO EAT
DELIGHTFUL FOOD IS
ACTUALLY ALL ABOUT
SHARING CONNECTIONS.
 heal the land,” Salatin says. “These are
not mutually exclusive.”
As proof, Salatin offers his own Poly-
face Farm, a family-owned, multi-gener-
ational 550-acre operation in Virginia’s
Shenandoah Valley. He’s been so suc-
cessful at proving his claim that he now
devotes several months a year to writing
and speaking about his message and
methods.
Salatin believes that we were put here
to nurture God’s creation, not to pillage
it for maximum profit in the short term.
The secret to the abundance of the farm
Eggplant: Valentyn Volkov / iStockphoto.com; Ben Blasiman gathering eggs: Courtesy of Polyface, Inc., www.polyfacefarms.com; Edible Schoolyard kitchen: Courtesy of the Edible Schoolyard;
is a carefully choreographed dance that
mimics and enhances the natural food
web of a grassland ecosystem. Salatin’s
pigs, turkeys, and rabbits, as well as the
farm’s 450 acres of woodland, all have
their own dances to perform. Sunlight
feeds a polyculture of grasses, cattle
graze on that pasture (encouraging the
grass to grow again), the cattle’s manure
feeds the insects that feed the poultry,
the chicken manure enriches the soil,
and so on.
If the answer is as simple as letting
nature work, why is our food system
such a mess?
“First of all, as a culture we have
been raised with a dominion mentality
not balanced with a nurturing mental-
ity,” Salatin says. “We have not had an
Fruit kabobs: Courtesy of ESYNOLA; Aquaculture: Courtesy of Growing Power, growingpower.org
environmental ethic, but rather an ex-
ploitation ethic. We ran through the en-
vironment much faster than we realized
it was not limitless. Second, as a West-
ern parts-oriented culture, we did not
practice holism like Eastern cultures.
While this made us technologically su-
perior, we sacrificed social and environ-
mental ethics.”
You don’t have to take his word for
it, either. Salatin is so convinced of the
virtue in his way of farming that his en-
tire operation is open to the public—
from the pigs aerating cow manure to
the chickens and turkeys foraging in their
mobile enclosures. And, as Salatin says,
they’re not only producing delicious
food for the local market, they’re healing
the land. Since his family bought the
Growing Power, a Milwaukee nursery, blends tried-and-true indoor agricultural methods
with innovative techniques like aquaponics.
farm in 1961, the Salatins have trans-
formed their Shenandoah Valley home
from an eroded shell of a farm into a
treasury of living abundance.
“Awareness of our connection to
our ecological umbilical brings decision-
making integrity to our daily lives,” says
Salatin. “And it allows us to participate
in a cause far bigger than ourselves, with
the joyful reality that we are creating the
landscape our children will inherit, one
bit at a time.”
Alice Waters
A DELICIOUS REVOLUTION
Every day, on her commute between
her home and her world-famous restau-
rant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Califor-
nia, Alice Waters drives past the Mar-
tin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
When she first began to notice the
school around 15 years ago, it looked
so poorly maintained—with raggedy
overgrown lawns and broken win-
dows—that she thought it might be
abandoned. In fact, she writes in her
recent book, Edible Schoolyard (2008),
more than 1,000 sixth, seventh, and
eighth graders were studying there.
Waters is known for revolutionizing
American cooking—bringing simple,
exquisite flavors to life with fresh, local,
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living
+ Visit yogaplus.org/food to learn
about other sustainable food visionar-
ies, print out tasty recipes, and more.
sustainably produced ingredients—and
helping to launch the Slow Food move-
ment in the United States. But before
she became a chef she had been a pre-
school teacher at a local Montessori
school and has always been a firm be-
liever in the value of public schools. The
sight of the King school on her daily
commute was a sobering reminder of the
harsh reality of public education for
many of our underserved children. She
decided to see if she could help change
that reality.
In her first visit to the school, Waters
outlined a wildly ambitious plan to com-
pletely overhaul the way the kids experi-
enced food—growing their own in a gar-
den, learning to cook it themselves, and
sharing it with their classmates. Today
the King school’s Edible Schoolyard is
a prototype for a new kind of holistic
healthy school lunch program. Kids
learn to grow and cook their own food—
and eat much healthier lunches, teachers
incorporate the garden into their sci-
ence, math, and humanities classes, and
parents and neighbors build new rela-
tionships that strengthen the school and
its community. (continues on page 72)
41
Through the practice of dispassion, we can loosen the knots that keep
us earthbound and soar to new spiritual heights. By Eknath Easwaran

Untying Our Wings

The Way of
Non-Attachment

TUMBLER PIGEONS HAVE BEEN POPULAR IN INDIA FOR CENTURIES.

They get their name from their breathtaking way of dropping suddenly
in free flight and doing somersaults as they fall, then spreading their wings
and soaring back into the sky. And they have tremendous endurance.
They can fly without rest for 8 to 12 hours, and in India—especially in the south, where I
grew up—the onset of the monsoon rains heralds marathon competitions to see whose pi-
geons can stay aloft the longest. It is easy to understand why raising these beautiful birds
has been a sport for maharajas since Akbar the Great.
This is one passion that rajas have in common with children, and when I was a boy,
a cousin and I decided to raise pet pigeons ourselves. Our ancestral home had wide court-
yards and second-story tiled roofs, rather like a Spanish hacienda, and every morning
these tumblers would come to sit on the red roof tiles and wait for rice or black gram to
be spread on the courtyard to dry in the sun. It was not easy to make friends with the
birds at first, but my cousin figured out a way that we could crawl up under the roof from
the inside, slowly remove one or two tiles, and then stretch our hands out gently with a
little black gram in our palms.
For days nothing happened. But after a while one pigeon decided that I was a friend
and my hand was a hospitable hand, and he came over and tentatively pecked at my palm.
If you do not like pigeons, I admit, that pecking can hurt. And once they start pecking
they pace around excitedly in circles and call “coo! coo!” to their fellows, so that quickly
you have quite a number of them pecking at the grain in your palm. It took some patience
to keep our hands still, but once they began to trust us, we could slowly get hold of the
bird we liked and it wouldn’t even struggle.
We didn’t know anything about pigeons when we started keeping them as pets. But
children have a lot of time for pigeons, and we took good care of them. We learned their
favorite cereals and kept a fresh supply of them in half a dozen small pots. My cousin
made little wooden homes which we upholstered with cotton from the fields. The result
was so comfortable that one of my friends exclaimed, “Wouldn’t I like to be a pigeon and
have a nice little home like that!”
Pigeons, of course, are used to flying freely. Until they became accustomed to By relaxing our grasp on
living with human beings, we had to tie their wings. Some of the girls in my fam- possessions, we begin to
ily were experts at this. They knew just how to hold the pigeon, spread its wings reclaim our freedom.
gently like a Japanese fan, and tie them loosely with a thread so that the bird

42 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 would not be able to fly away. For a few
days the bird stayed in the courtyard
while we made friends, pecking up the
food we tossed out for it and going in
and out of its little home. Then we
would untie the wings and release the
little creature into the air.
That was a thrilling moment. The pi-
geon would shoot straight up, and when
MOST OF US HAVE ACCUMULATED THINGS
THAT TIE US DOWN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER,
OFTEN BECAUSE WE THINK THEY ADD
TO OUR STATUS OR PRESTIGE.
it reached 100 feet or so it would start
doing somersaults while we children
cheered and waved below, marveling at
its speed and grace and the glint of the
sun on its neck. After seeing the little fel-
low land-bound for so long, puttering
around the courtyard as if it had never
had wings at all, it was exhilarating to
see it soar joyfully into the air.
Meant to Soar
Human beings are very much like these
pigeons. All of us have wings, though
we do not suspect it because they are so
tightly tied. We are not meant to stay on
the ground and peck at crumbs of per-
sonal pleasure and profit. We are meant
to soar—to give our time and love freely
to everyone around us. That is the es-
sence of spiritual growth, and the whole
purpose of meditation and other spiri-
tual practices is to free our wings and al-
low us to fly high.
In India’s mystical literature, the
ties that keep us earthbound are called
“knots that strangle the heart” because
they constrict our capacity to love.
There are millions of these ties, but per-
haps the easiest to see are what I call
personal attachments: possessions and
activities we cling to that claim our time
and attention at the expense of those
around us.
Many of these attachments are mate-
rial. Most of us have accumulated things
that tie us down one way or another,
often because we think they add to our
status or prestige. Other attachments
might be activities we enjoy that benefit
no one, including ourselves. Whatever it
is, we can’t imagine doing without it.
That is the hallmark of an attachment.
These ties might seem gossamer, but
 they add up. They can bind us so
tightly that we can scarcely move
beyond the limited circle of our
personal likes and dislikes. Imag-
ine if your favorite possessions
were actually attached to you.
How difficult it would be to drag
them around even for a day! Yet
the mental load we carry is no
less burdensome. Shedding even
a little of that load leaves us feel-
ing as light and free as if we really
did have wings.
We don’t have to own many
things to get attached to them.
I have known students whose
Previous spread: Vince Bevan / Alamy; This spread: Feathers: Stephen Mallon / Getty Images; Pigeon in flight: Adrian Muttitt / Alamy; Heart and strings: Jay Corbett / Getty Images
worldly goods fit into a dorm room, yet
were fiercely attached to a pair of faded
jeans with a story to tell. The issue is not
how much we have but how tightly we
hold on to it. While we are holding on to
something for ourselves, we are not free
to help others.
Attachments can come so easily!
Over the years I have come regretfully to
the conclusion that there is nothing on
earth in which the human being cannot
be caught. People can get tied to such a
variety of knickknacks. If they go for a
walk on the beach, they must pick up
some little shell or stone and take it
home. After a while these treasures ac-
cumulate into a collection that must be
dusted, cared for, and preserved. Soon
it is part of the household, to be passed
down eventually to some puzzled off-
spring when we discover that we could-
n’t take it with us after all.
Or it might be hairpins—hairpins
from around the world, hairpins down
the ages. You become an authority, ad-
mirers ask you to give lectures and offer
classes, and after a while you find it’s not
Spiritual teacher Eknath Easwaran founded the
Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in 1961. His
books include Passage Meditation and translations
of the Classics of Indian Spirituality.
WHEN WE FREE OURSELVES FROM ATTACHMENTS, WE COME TO FEEL
MORE AND MORE TENDERNESS AND CONCERN FOR OTHERS.
just your hair but your life that has be-
come bound up with pins.
It’s All in the Mind
Ironically, attachment can slowly stran-
gle even our enjoyment of the things
to which we are attached. They tend
to grow on us, consuming more and
more of our time and attention. After
a while, as Henry David Thoreau says,
we become not their owners but their
servants.
One of my high school English teach-
ers made this point in a way I have never
forgotten. He had written a sentence on
the board—“John owns a Ford car”—
and asked us to rewrite it in the passive
voice. Most of us got it right: “A Ford
car is owned by John.” But one of my
cousins wrote instead, “A Ford car owns
John.” We started to laugh, but our
teacher stopped us. “He may not know
about the passive voice,” he said sternly,
“but he knows about life. And that is
more important.”
There is nothing wrong with posses-
sions, even rather pointless ones. There
is nothing wrong with hobbies and activ-
ities that are not at the expense of life.
The problem is simply that when our
time and attention get caught like this,
that is time and attention we cannot give
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living
to those around us. We bind up
our own vitality this way, our ca-
pacity to live, to give, to love.
The Bhagavad Gita, which
Mahatma Gandhi called his
“spiritual reference book,”
throws light on what happens in
such cases in the mind. “When
you keep thinking about some-
thing,” it points out—car,
clothes, cats, computer—“at-
tachment comes.” It really is
that simple. To get attached to
something, nothing more is re-
quired than thinking about it
over and over and over until that
becomes a habit. Then our thinking gets
caught, and the more it is caught, the
less awareness we have for anything else.
In my village school, we children
used the English word “love” rather ca-
sually, making statements like “I love
this book!” Our teacher, who was partic-
ular about grammar and usage, would
always correct us: “People are to be
loved. Things are to be used.” Tragi-
cally, we have got it backwards today.
How to Untie a Knot
Here the Buddha offers a wonderfully
practical strategy. Just as a knot can be
untied by reversing the steps required to
tie it, he says, attachments can be loos-
ened by doing the opposite of what cre-
ated them. Whenever you find yourself
spending time and energy on something
you are attached to that doesn’t benefit
anybody—tinkering with your Honda,
cataloging your music, exploring malls
or catalogs to find more things to buy—
put your attention somewhere else in-
stead. Again, it’s that simple.
Of course, simple doesn’t mean easy.
But understanding brings motivation.
Once you see what your mind is doing
to you with these little habits and decide
you prefer the freedom of making choices
yourself instead, you will discover a
45
 The Art of Letting Go By Anna Dubrovsky thousand and one little ways to practice
untying these knots every day.
Whenever you find yourself spending
ON AUGUST 29, 2005, three pine trees crashed into the roof of the time in a way that seems out of propor-
Yoga School in Covington, Louisiana, about 40 miles north of New Orleans. tion, for example, or indulging in some
Owner Becky Gelatt considered herself lucky; Hurricane Katrina did far activity that you secretly admit to be a
worse that day. In its aftermath, Gelatt had a lot of work on her hands: deal- waste of time, disengage yourself and
ing with the roof, of course, but also with the profound grief that washed put your time somewhere more con-
over her close-knit yoga community. Katrina was a brutal reminder that structive instead. Pay more attention to
nothing is permanent—that everything material can be taken from us at any your family; do something necessary
moment. And it brought up a question: How do we prepare for loss? that you’ve been putting off. When you
For starters, we can apply the concept of self-discipline, or tapas, to our can do this, you are withdrawing love
daily lives. Giving up coffee or cashews or anything else to which we’re com- from that thing or activity so that you
pulsively attached is a form of tapas. The shedding of attachments gives us a can direct it freely.
fuller appreciation of our inner strength, culminating in a sense of freedom. I can give one small example of this
And it steels us for the inevitable. Choosing to let go of attachments trains us at my own expense. South India is full of
to loosen our grip when we have no choice. Hurricanes happen. Recessions cashew trees, and when I was a boy, the
happen. “The whole process of aging is a process of giving up—as profound path to school led through a cashew nut
a loss as having a house swept off the ground,” says Gelatt, 70. “Yoga orchard. Everyone likes cashew nuts,
teaches us to let go with grace.” and the tree in fruit is an artist’s de-
Whether we choose to give up something, or something is taken from us, a light—beautiful colors made to capti-
period of grief ensues, Gelatt has found. After Katrina, she helped many stu- vate the eye. So a cashew orchard is a
dents cope with grief and fear by teaching restorative poses such as child’s double temptation, and we boys, trans-
pose with a bolster beneath the torso and a blanket draped over the body. parently honest on other occasions, reg-
(See page 61 for more restorative poses). “When people feel comfortable ularly stopped to rob those particular
in a pose, they feel safe,” Gelatt says. “In feeling safe, they can relax a little trees on our way to school.
more.” She recommends long exhalations, which have a calming effect, along I must have done this throughout
with a mental recitation such as “As I let go of the breath, I let go to all.” my career in high school. Then, after In-
As the eye of the hurricane swept through Louisiana, Gelatt chanted a dia’s independence, all our cashews be-
traditional Sanskrit verse. Drawn from the Upanishads, it reminds us that gan to be exported to the United States
letting go is also a process of letting in. of America—a matter of foreign ex-
change—and those delicious nuts disap-
Asato ma sad gamaya Lead me from the unreal to the real. peared from my life. For the rest of my
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya Lead me from darkness to light. time in India, I got no nearer to a
Mrityor ma amritam gamaya Lead me from death to immortality. cashew than the factories where they
were processed.
When we give up attachments to things that are impermanent—unreal— I thought I had forgotten this child-
we become attuned to that which is unchanging and real. We move from hood passion until many years later, in
the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. “I could hear trees the U.S., when a hospitable friend with
creaking and cracking and falling, see parts of roofs flying by,” Gelatt re- whom I was staying discovered this
calls. “I never stopped chanting.” It took several weeks for electricity to be skeleton in my cupboard. She brought
restored to the Yoga School, but when the lights came on, Gelatt saw a new a big tin of cashew nuts and
direction. She shifted her focus from general classes to teacher training so left it on my table as
that more yoga teachers could serve the community. “That was a realiza- a surprise.
tion born of the storm—how many more qualified teachers we need,”
she says. “We don’t know why these losses occur. But they
could be a preparation for something better, something
higher, something mysterious.”

Hear the above Sanskrit verse

at yogaplus.org/asatoma.

46 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 That evening I was reading
the Gita with deep concentration
when I suddenly discovered that
my right hand was missing. I set
the book aside and looked for it.
It was hidden in the cashew tin!
I was utterly astonished. My
mind and I are on fairly good
terms, so I said sternly, “You
can’t be doing what I think you
are doing! Nibbling without my
approval?” My mind looked
sheepish. “Boss, you don’t think
I would do that, do you? I was
only trying to find out what was
in the tin.”
Clearly, this was time to nip
a compulsive attachment in the
bud before it got out of hand.
I did not eat a single cashew
that day, though my mind was
craving for them. All those old,
fierce memories were aroused, Find ease in the world: the less you hold the more you can love.
but every time they clamored for
cashews, I went for a fast walk repeating
my mantram or gave my mind some-
little, it is freer everywhere. When we go
through the day catering to our own pri-
+ Read more articles by Eknath
Easwaran at yogaplus.org/easwaran.
thing spiritual to read instead. vate preoccupations and prepossessions,
The next day was the same, and the we are tying our wings till they become We do not have to grow wings to soar
next. For a few days, I read with my bound so tight that we don’t even be- to these heights; we are born with them.
book supported by both hands. lieve they are there. But each knot Nobody has bound them but ourselves,
Finally the craving went away. I for- untied means a little more freedom— and nobody but ourselves can set them
got about cashew nuts completely. That a little more freedom to love. free. This is a challenge for a lifetime,
day I told my mind, “Now you can take When you want nothing for yourself but as we learn to do this, we come to
a handful and enjoy.” alone, the whole world is yours to enjoy. feel more and more tenderness and con-
This is freedom. And, let me tell you, “To arrive at having everything,” John of cern for everybody.
cashew nuts eaten in freedom taste a the Cross says, “desire to have nothing.” Finally, when all the ties that bind
hundred times better than nuts eaten This is real joy, which no one has de- our wings are undone, the love released
Cashews: Mike Kemp / Getty Images; Girl running: Travis Rowan / Alamy

under the tyranny of a craving.
I would be the first to confess that
this isn’t easy. Not only that, it can be
unpleasant. After all, attachments are
things we say we love. But that is the
problem: love is caught in them. When
you want to love more, to expand your
love beyond its present circle, to untie
the knots that are strangling your heart,
you get the overriding motivation to go
against these conditioned habits. Then
you get an exhilarating taste of what
freedom means.
The marvel of this is that when we
free our attention anywhere, even a
scribed more ecstatically than the Eng-
lish poet and mystic Thomas Traherne:
You never enjoy the world aright,
till the Sea itself floweth in your
veins, till you are clothed with the
heavens, and crowned with the
stars: and perceive yourself to be
the sole heir of the whole world,
and more than so, because men are
in it who are every one sole heirs as
well as you. Till you can sing and
rejoice and delight in God, as mi-
sers do in gold, and kings in scep-
tres, you never enjoy the world.
is boundless. You can give an infinite
amount of it to your partner, children,
parents, and in-laws and still have a lim-
itless reserve for everyone else. This in-
creases the joy of living a million times.
If loving your close ones can bring such
joy, the mystics say, how much more joy
must come with loving all? ■
From “Untying Our Wings” by Eknath Easwaran
(Blue Mountain Journal, Spring 2006). Copy-
right 2006 by The Blue Mountain Center of Medi-
tation, P.O. Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971,
easwaran.org. Reprinted with permission.

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 47

YOGASUTRA Translation and Commentary by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait

Sutra 2.15

¥⁄¿®Ÿº™Ÿ¥–~—響ƋÅêÊí®@ Δ‡⁄%⁄Δ¿Ë∞Ÿôò
Æ‹:êºÂΔ –Δ@Ä ⁄ΔΔ‰⁄é≤:
pari®Ÿma-tŸpa-sa≥skŸra-duÅkhair-gu®a-v‡ttivirodhŸc-ca
duÅkham-eva sarva≥ vivekinaÅ

Because the effect of an action is accompanied by pain, because the action itself is
accompanied by the experience of pain, because the subtle impressions of action
contain pain, and because the forces that motivate us to perform an action mutually
contradict and oppose each other, to a person endowed with discernment, all is pain.
 Original Pain
Before diving deep into the contents of this sutra, it is important
to remind ourselves that the ideas expressed here have no meaning ei-
ther for those established in the full knowledge of reality or for those
totally blind to it. This sutra is for those who know that the domain of
bondage and freedom stretches beyond the world perceptible to our
senses, and who therefore know the difference between short-lived
pleasures and lasting happiness, yet are not strong enough to live and
act in the light of this knowledge. Such people are called viveki—those
with the power of discrimination to understand the difference between
good and bad, right and wrong, true happiness and mere pleasure. This
sutra is meaningful only to them.
The first point Patanjali makes in this sutra is that because the re-
sult of every action is accompanied by pain, all is pain to a person en-
dowed with discernment. Normally our actions are goal-driven. We set
a goal, develop a strategy to achieve it, and perform actions in an at-
tempt to accomplish our goal. This is what any sensible person does.
However, our wisdom fails us when we do not realize that the result of
our actions is based on several factors. Some of these factors are known
to us while others are not. Some are under our control while others are
not. For example, factors buried in the oblivion of the past walk into the
present and influence the outcome of our current action. And some fac-
tors may be related to the actions of others colliding with our actions
and influencing the result. Still other factors might be the effect of our
carelessness, which undermines the results of our actions.
Even though we know that this is the general dynamic of actions
and their outcome, we become attached to the fruits of our actions.
This attachment causes us to suffer from anxiety while we are perform-
ing our actions and from disappointment when we do not reap the an-
ticipated results. Actions accompanied by anxiety, and results accompa-
nied by frustration and disappointment, are painful. Our inability to
escape such actions and their results is painful. Our inability to stop
such actions and their results from creating an impression on our mind
is painful.
The second point Patanjali makes in this sutra is that because ac-
tion itself is accompanied by the experience of pain, all is pain to a per-
son endowed with discernment. To a significant extent the idea of pain
and pleasure is unique to each individual, but in general, pain comes
from dissatisfaction and pleasure from satisfaction. Satisfaction and
dissatisfaction are associated with the result of our action. Our experi-
ence tells us that the result is dependent on several factors in addition
to our current action. But our lack of knowledge regarding all the fac-
tors that lead to a successful outcome fills our mind with doubt. From
doubt comes fear. >>
jtimages / Alamy
Listen to the Yoga Sutra in Sanskrit at yogaplus.org/ys2.
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living
Sutra 2.15
pari®ŸmatŸpasa≥skŸraduÅkhair = pari®Ÿma
+ tŸpas + sa≥skŸra + duÅkhair
pari®Ÿma effect; result; evolving from a cause
tŸpas heat; fever; scorching; feeling of being
burnt
sa≥skŸra subtle impressions of actions;
residue of actions
duÅkhair instrumental case of duÅkha;
sorrow; grief; pain
The Sanskrit grammar rule known as samasa
dictates that duÅkha accompanies the three
preceding words. As a result pari®ŸmatŸpa-
sa≥skŸraduÅkhair means: the result of action
is full of pain, the action itself is full of pain, and
the residue of action is full of pain.
gu®av‡ttivirodhŸcca = gu®a + v‡tti + virodhŸt + ca
gu®a intrinsic attribute of primordial nature—
sattva, rajas, and tamas—the three fundamental
forces that motivate us to think, speak, and act;
the primordial force of matter and energy known
as sattva, rajas, and tamas; the forces of revela-
tion, pulsation, and inertia; according to yoga
philosophy, these three forces constitute the
body of primordial matter and energy and their
functions oppose each other
v‡tti function; modification; rotation
virodhŸt 5th case of virodha: opposition;
contradiction
ca and; also
gu®av‡ttivirodhŸcca because of the opposing
nature of the three primordial forces and the
thought constructs they engender
duÅkham pain; sorrow
eva definitely; invariably
sarva˜ everything; all
vivekinaÅ 6th case of vivekinaÅ: a person of right
understanding; a person of discernment
49
 Fear makes us nervous. Nervousness
compromises our inner stability. Our
breathing becomes erratic and irregular.
Simply by looking at us, an adept yogi
can see that we are trembling deep in
the realm of our senses and mind. Our
strong attachment to the result of our ac-
tion forces us to hate anything and any-
one who poses a threat. This hatred sets
a new series of actions in motion to assist
our original action. These new actions
IF WE PERFORM OUR ACTIONS WITHOUT
EITHER ATTACHMENT OR AVERSION WE CAN
ATTAIN FREEDOM FROM ALL MISERIES.
are accompanied by anger, greed, and an-
imosity, and not only produce their own
negative results but also contaminate the
result of the original action. Seen from
the vantage point of discernment, all of
this is painful.
Both the result of actions and the ac-
tions themselves, all accompanied by
pain, lead to Patanjali’s third point: Be-
cause the subtle impressions of actions
contain pain, all is pain to a person en-
dowed with discernment. Our actions
are goal-driven. If we are not careful,
both our actions as well as the results be-
come contaminated by attachment and
aversion. This inevitably leads to the
next level of contamination: anger, jeal-
ousy, greed, doubt, fear, and violence.
Yet we continue walking on the path
of action. In the process, we create im-
pressions in the mind filled with these
negativities. These impressions, called
samskaras, in turn motivate us to under-
take similar actions. Thus we get caught
in a vicious cycle: action to impression
and impression to action. These impres-
sions become more powerful as we rein-
force them. Eventually they become so
powerful that they begin to dictate how
we act. This is what yogis call karma
chakra, the wheel of karma rotating at a
seemingly unstoppable velocity. Our
abililty to comprehend how unhealthy
and destructive these subtle impres-
sions are, coupled with our inability
50 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
to do anything about it, is painful. find ourselves more spontaneously and
Patanjali’s final and most important effortlessly motivated to perform our ac-
point is that, because the forces that mo- tions correctly and reap the results of our
tivate us to perform actions mutually actions wisely. When we are already in
contradict and oppose each other, all is the firm grip of the subtle impressions of
pain to a person endowed with discern- our past actions, the starting point—nur-
ment. The fundamental force motivating turing sattvic forces—can be difficult.
us to perform our actions is known as However, if we remember the first three
guna. Guna means “quality, characteris- points that Patanjali makes in this sutra,
tic, attribute, defining factor.” In the con- the task becomes much easier. If we per-
text of spirituality in general and yoga in form our actions without either attach-
ment or aversion we can accomplish the
goal: freedom from all miseries.
A careful analysis of the first three
points tells us that attachment to the re-
sults of our actions and aversion to any-
thing that poses an obstacle to the results
particular, guna means “essence, essen- are the true sources of misery. To clarify
tial force, fundamental force, the most this key point, let me share an experience
primordial energy.” It is one, and yet, with you.
due to its threefold distinct functions, it The city of Kanpur in North India
is described as three: sattva, rajas, and had long been the base of the Himalayan
tamas. Sattva is the quality of illumina- Institute’s activities. My teacher and the
tion, revelation, clarity, transparency, Institute’s founder, Swami Rama, had
spiritual enlightenment. Rajas is move-
ment, pulsation, animation, the power of
changeability. Tamas is darkness, inertia,
heaviness, the property of the energy
that blocks revelation, the property of en-
ergy that blocks the view of the truth.
These threefold forces pervade every-
thing that exists, including our mind and
its functions and behaviors. Everything
in the universe is simultaneously sattvic,
rajasic, and tamasic. Each of us has a
mind filled with sattvic, rajasic, and
tamasic forces. These forces influence
the functions and behaviors of our mind.
When sattvic forces dominate our mind,
we gravitate toward sattvic thoughts.
When rajasic and tamasic forces domi-
nate, we become interested in attending
rajasic and tamasic thoughts. It is impor-
tant to remember, however, that when
one force dominates, the others are not
cancelled, for the law is that these forces
coexist and through their coexistence
play an unending game of supporting,
opposing, and negating each other. The
goal of yoga sadhana is to make an effort
to nurture and thereby strengthen the
function of the sattvic force so that we
many students there. One of them, Mrs.
Chittra, was generous, kind, well-read,
and a serious meditator. She had taken a
leading role in organizing Swamji’s lec-
tures in the city, transcribing them, and
getting them published. In time, another
student appeared. Dr. Sunanda Bai was
the principal of Kanpur Medical College
and one of the city’s best surgeons. Soon
after meeting Swamiji, Dr. Sunanda
Bai’s worldview and lifestyle changed
drastically. She became more disciplined,
more precise in her speech and action,
and even more diligent in her work—
both professional and spiritual. Despite
her busy medical practice, she dedicated
a great deal of time and energy to spiri-
tual pursuits. She was one of Swamiji’s
few students who had sat at the feet of
his master, Bengali Baba, and had stud-
ied directly with him. Soon, because
of her own presence and because of
Swamiji’s frequent visits, her house in
Kanpur turned into a shrine. I sought
every opportunity to visit Swamiji and
Dr. Sunanda Bai there.
At one point, Swamiji assigned me to
proofread manuscripts of his lectures be-
fore they were sent to the printer. Mrs.
Chittra was in charge of all publications
so this assignment allowed me to work
closely with her. I found her charming, in-
telligent, and efficient. She was admirable
in every respect but one: her attitude to-
ward Dr. Sunanda Bai. Mrs. Chittra did
not acknowledge Dr. Sunanda Bai’s exis-
tence, even in her own home. When Dr.
Sunanda Bai greeted Mrs. Chittra, Mrs.
Chittra avoided eye contact. I wondered
why the behavior of a loving, serious spiri-
tual seeker would change so dramatically
in the presence of another loving, spiritu-
ally elevated person.
When I expressed my curiosity about
this to Swamiji, he said, “Mrs. Chittra is
a perfect example of Patanjali’s Yoga Su-
tra,” pointing to sutra 2.15. “She is a
wonderful person. Most of her actions
are motivated by the forces of sattva in
her mindfield. But as soon as she sees
Dr. Sunanda Bai, the force of rajas domi-
nates. She forgets who she is and she for-
gets her goals. She gets pulled into jeal-
ousy, hatred, and other negative thoughts
arising from attachment and aversion.
The forces that motivate her to put her
virtues of love, kindness, compassion,
and forgiveness into practice are sub-
dued by opposite forces. The motivating
force in her mind is contradicted and op-
posed by another force, and she is caught
in these mutually contradicting and op-
posing forces filling her mindfield.”
When I asked Swamiji about the so-
lution to this seemingly unending prob-
lem, he replied, “That’s what the next
sutra is all about.” ■
Fluent in both Vedic and Classical Sanskrit,
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, is the author
of more than a dozen books on yoga philosophy
and spiritual practice.

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yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 51

 INPRACTICE

Easy on the Eyes

Tame wild thoughts and deepen your awareness with drishti,
a gazing technique for focusing the mind. By Jennifer Allen Logosso

H ow often do you find yourself “going through the motions” in yoga class while your eyes wander around the room—
glancing at the graceful student three mats down or the ticking clock—instead of tuning into your body and breath?
A technique called drishti (the method of gazing at a focal point in yoga practice) can help you draw your outward-
looking eyes—and mind—inward, so that your asana routine becomes a moving meditation. Through drishti you
can cultivate a deeper level of concentration, improve your alignment, and tune into the inner sensations of the
body in every pose, so that you’re practicing the way the ancient sages intended—with full awareness. As yoga expert David
Frawley writes in Inner Tantric Yoga, “Fixing the gaze…not only concentrates the mind but draws our energy inward along
with it, extending the action of pratyahara, or the yogic internalization of the prana and the senses.”
In asana classes, teachers often recommend drishti for maintaining
balance in one-legged standing postures like vrikshasana (tree pose),
but the technique can be applied to any posture to improve your focus.
+ Drishti is utilized in other yoga practices,
including trataka—a cleansing meditative
Let’s explore drishti in pashchimottanasana (seated forward bend pose) technique that involves gazing at a candle
by directing our eyes toward a natural focal point: the toes. flame. Learn more at yogaplus.org/trataka.

9 Drishtis
Wondering where to gaze when you’re practicing drishti? The Ashtanga
Yoga system (taught by Sri K.Pattabhi Jois) identifies nine directions
or focal points.
1. Nasagram drishti—tip of the nose
2. Ajna chakra or bhrumadhya drishti—between the eyebrows
3. Nabhi chakra drishti—navel
4. Hastagram drishti—hand
5. Padayoragram drishti—toes
6. Parshva drishti—far to the right
7. Parshva drishti—far to the left
8. Angushthamadhyam drishti—thumbs
9. Urdhva or antara drishti—up to the sky

To learn more about which drishti to employ in each asana, see

David Swenson’s book Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual. As a
general rule, think about casting your gaze in the direction of the
stretch—the proper point is the one that honors the energy of
the posture while maintaining safety in your body. For exam-
ple, in trikonasana (triangle pose), you might gaze up to-
ward the hand that is in the air, straight down at the
floor, or in line with the nose and sternum. Where to
look isn’t as important as how to look—the key is to
shift your focus toward your inner experience.

52 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 Step One • Assume a comfortable
seated posture with the legs outstretched.
If your hamstrings are tight, elevate your
hips by sitting on a folded blanket, or
bend the knees slightly and use a strap
around the feet—these modifications
will allow the body to safely release into
the pose. Spiral the thighs inward, point
the toes upward, and extend through
your heels.

Step Two • Gently cast your gaze to-

ward your toes (this form of drishti is
called padayoragram drishti). Then, in-
stead of pulling your torso forward with
your arms or a strap, soften your gaze so
that the lines between your toes and the
floor begin to blur (almost as if you’re
looking beyond or through the toes). By
gazing in the direction of the stretch,
your body will naturally move in that di-
rection. With each inhalation, allow the
spine to elongate in the direction of the
drishti.

Step Three • On each exhalation, al-

low the body to soften and surrender
into the stretch while maintaining an
open heart and keeping the gaze softly
fixed toward your toes. Notice how the
awareness of the body intensifies when
you steady your gaze and eliminate vi-
sual distractions.
Soon you’ll discover that there are
a variety of sensory impressions—the
quality of the stretch, the strength or
weakness of the muscles involved, the
quality of your postural alignment, the
sense of spaciousness within the body—
that you may not have otherwise noticed.
All of these sensations emerge as your
gaze becomes one-pointed. Gradually
Blend Images / fotosearch.com

you’ll begin to witness the dialogue of

your mind—simply watching distracting
thoughts as they come and go—as you
begin to settle into a peaceful meditative
version of the pose. Now that’s what you
came to class for, isn’t it? ■

Jennifer Allen Logosso is a yoga instructor,

teacher trainer, and owner of Sundari yoga
studio in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 53

 SKILLFULACTION
Confessions of a Meditator
In the calmness of meditation we get
glimpses of our best self…and our worst.
Here’s how one practitioner navigated
through her darkest hours. By Irene Petryszak
Daily practice cleanses
the unconscious mind of
impurities, even when it
seems to stir up trouble.
54 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
M
Meditation is easy, right? Just close
your eyes and slip into a still, calm, cen-
tered place within. Do it daily and your
life will become more balanced and har-
monious as you begin to feel a deeper
sense of peace, joy, and love. In no time
at all, you’ll be enlightened. That’s what
I believed some 30 years ago when I was
young and spiritually ambitious. Then
my teacher gave me a mantra practice
that knocked me to my knees.
Meditating with this new mantra
brought me face-to-face with old unre-
solved issues that flooded my conscious
awareness with painful images and feel-
ings of deep sadness, rage, and despair.
One day as an intense surge of grief
welled up, I wondered what would hap-
pen if I surrendered to it consciously,
riding the wave of emotion all the way
to its end: Would I go insane or become
enlightened? I was determined to sit
through it and find out. Instead, the
mind’s self-protective mechanism kicked
in and I fell asleep. Day after day I tried
but kept failing. In those days I slept a
lot. My teacher, Pandit Rajmani Tigu-
nait, used to joke, “If you could reach
enlightenment through sleeping, you
would be enlightened.” Instead I was
sleep-walking.
So why bother meditating? Isn’t it
saner, more pleasant, to simply stay on
life’s surface, rather than diving into the
muck of the unconscious? I ponder this
each time a strong negative feeling,
thought, or image circles like a vulture
when I go inward. That’s when I remem-
ber the beauty of meditation: It can be
done in stages, at our own pace. We can
be like spectators at a movie, watching
our life unfold on our inner screen. If
a memory or a feeling arises that is too
 painful to bear, we can simply stop the
film by ending our meditation for the
day—and go about our business until
next time, when we can again try to wit-
ness our thoughts and emotions without
getting so involved.
Drops in the Bucket
Unfortunately, I wasn’t always patient.
A friend of mine who had found himself
unprepared for the deeper stages of med-
itation cautioned me to take it slowly, to
fully assimilate any disturbing images
and feelings before intensifying my prac-
tice. Pointing to a bucket, he explained
the process of meditation to me in this
way: See the dirt at the bottom of this
bucket? What happens when I add clear
water to it? The water gets dirty. That’s
what happens when we meditate. The
clear water from our meditation mixes
with the unclear thoughts, emotions,
and desires in our mind, and for a while
we feel unsettled, wondering why we’re
meditating when it’s making us feel
worse instead of better. When the water
stops swirling, the dirt settles back to
MEDITATION HAS MADE ME STRONGER,
MORE BALANCED, AND KINDER TO BOTH
MYSELF AND OTHERS.
the bottom, and it seems like nothing
has changed. But on a subtle level, it
has. Now we know there is some dirt
we need to clear away—and hopefully
we feel a little calmer and more content
from our sitting practice.
Next time we meditate, he contin-
ued, the dirt swirls up again. If we can
handle being out of our comfort zone
and continue meditating every day, then
it is like adding more and more clear wa-
ter to the bucket. (If we can’t handle the
Laurence Mouton / Getty Images
intensity, all we have to do is slow down
To learn more about these
mantra practices go to yogaplus.org/
soham for audio instructions and
yogaplus.org/gayatri to download
a podcast.
for a while—perhaps sitting for shorter
periods of time, or doing less japa, or
mantra repetition.) The more fresh wa-
ter we add, the less dirty the water in the
bucket becomes, until finally the water
is pristine. How long that takes depends
on how much dirt there was at the bot-
tom of the bucket to begin with, and
how we behave between meditation ses-
sions. Do we spend the rest of our time
in a way that supports the clear water
being poured into the bucket, or in a
way that adds more dirt?
Sorting Mantras
Of course, there are layers upon layers of
dirt (or, in the parlance of yoga, impuri-
ties) that are obscuring our essential na-
ture, which is pure consciousness. The
more impurities we remove, the more
mental and emotional clarity, peace, and
joy we experience. Panditji often uses
the analogy of doing laundry to explain
how different mantras can be used to
wash away various types of impurities.
At first, he says, we have to rinse our
clothes in plain water, just to remove the
thickest layer of dirt. We do this by start-
ing with the universal mantra so’ham
(pronounced “so hum”), which is the
natural sound of the breath. Coordinate
the mantra with the breath by mentally
saying the word so on each inhalation,
and hum on each exhalation.
After doing this for a few weeks (or
even months) we may want to move to
the next stage: putting the clothes in the
washer with detergent. This is the role of
a guru mantra (given by a teacher for our
specific needs), which gives the mind a
more personal focus, allowing us to delve
deeper within. Then we begin to see the
stubborn stains that detergent alone can-
not remove. For these we need bleach or
stain remover—a practice of the gayatri
mantra, which begins cleansing the ten-
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 55
 dencies of our unconscious mind.
It was the gayatri mantra that had
brought me to my knees. Old repressed
memories began bubbling up during my
meditation on a daily basis: Suddenly I
was a child with immigrant parents who
were struggling to survive in a foreign
land and didn’t have the time or pa-
tience to help me with my problems.
Now, as I said my mantra I felt the emo-
tional pain all over again. I would have
alternating desires to scream and smash
windows or eat chocolate and cry—and,
of course, sleep a lot. But the next day I
would sit and say my mantra, because al-
though it brought my impurities to the
surface, it also gave me a glimmer of
higher awareness: one that is free of fear,
anger, and sadness—filled, instead, with
peace, love, and joy.
The Spiraling Mind
I find that the deeper I delve into medita-
tion, the more impurities I discover. At
the same time, I experience more con-
tentment as I become less of a partici-
pant and more of a witness—no longer
identifying with the thoughts and feel-
ings that arise from within, but simply
observing and letting them go. At times,
however, it seems unending and frustrat-
ing, and I find myself wondering: Will I
ever get to the bottom? Is there a bot-
tom? Am I making any progress or am I
like a hamster on a wheel, running end-
lessly in place?
One day I decided to read through
the journals I’ve kept over the past 30
years to see if I could find an answer. I
came to an entry where I had had a pro-
found realization—a definite break-
through. But then, imagine my surprise,
when, flipping through the next year, I
came to another entry with the very
same realization, as if it were the first
time I’d had it. And the year after that,
the same thing! That’s when it dawned
on me that I was experiencing this real-
ization at different levels. The first time
was only at a surface level of my mind
and heart; each time after, it was increas-
ingly deeper.
56 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
So, now, while I’m meditating, I see
the mind as an upward- and downward-
flowing spiral. When I climb the upward
spiral in meditation, it gives me the
strength—the clear water, the clear
mind—to dive downward with new
awareness, so that I can see my old unre-
solved issues in a new light. Sometimes,
I can finally make peace with something
that has been troubling me for a long
time, so it loses its power—it becomes
a faded image in the background of my
mind, with no substance, no bite. Other
times, when a deeply knotted, rooted
fear or memory shakes me to my core, I
have to take a break and try again.
Don’t Give Up
Meditation has made me stronger, more
balanced, and kinder to both myself and
others. I have found that no matter what
surfaces, I need to sit daily. Whatever is
lurking in the shadows will not go away
until it is brought to light, and if I lose
the fight one day, there is always the
next. And yes, I was finally able to con-
sciously ride those initial waves of anger
and sadness to the end, where I experi-
enced a great sense of peace, love, joy—
and finally, release. Until another wave
arose and I had to go through the pro-
cess all over again. It made me under-
stand that enlightenment can come in
bits and pieces.
Each of us needs to find our own way
inside. How long we sit and how much
practice we do depends on what we
want to accomplish. Meditation both
stirs things up and clears them out. But
if at any time in your practice it becomes
overwhelming, witness yourself reacting
and step back. Maybe journal about it or
self-dialogue. Or tend to your regular
business. Or go for a walk. Or eat some
chocolate. Or take a nap. Whatever
works for you. But next day, go back to
your meditation. Even if it’s only for five
minutes. Don’t give up. It is your path
to freedom and self-realization. ■
Senior editor Irene (Aradhana) Petryszak has
been teaching yoga philosophy for the last 20 years.
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yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 57

 ASANASOLUTIONS

Though chronic pain may

be difficult to diagnose
and treat, the suffering is
impossible to ignore.

Yoga for Chronic Pain

Unveil the truth about your pain and discover a
new world of hope and healing. By Kelly McGonigal

T here are few things more frustrating to a person with chronic pain than hearing someone say, “Your pain
is all in your mind.” But if you’re one of the estimated 50 to 75 million Americans living with chronic pain,
these words might actually be the key to relieving your suffering. Chronic pain is in the mind—but this
does not mean what you think it means. The experience of pain is real. Pain has a biological basis. It’s just
that the source of pain isn’t limited to where one feels it or thinks it is coming from.
For decades, scientists and doctors thought that pain could be caused only by damage to the structure of
the body. They looked for the source of chronic pain in bulging spinal discs, muscle injuries, and infections.
More recent research, however, points to a second source of chronic pain: the very real biology of your
thoughts, emotions, expectations, and memories. Most chronic pain has its roots in a physical injury or illness,
Tara Moore / Getty Images

but it is sustained by how that initial trauma changes not just the body but also the mind-body relationship.
The complexity of chronic pain is actually good news. It means that trying to fix the body with surgeries,
pain medications, or physical therapy is not your only hope. By first understanding chronic pain as a mind-body
experience and then using yoga’s toolbox of healing practices—including breathing exercises and restorative

58 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

poses—you can find true relief from pain
and begin to reclaim your life.
The Protective Pain Response
Understanding the difference between
acute pain and chronic pain will be criti-
cal to your ability to reduce and manage
your pain. Let’s begin by examining the
basic steps of the pain response: sensa-
tion, stress, and suffering.
The protective pain response begins
when the body experiences some physi-
cal threat, such as a cut, a burn, or an in-
flamed muscle. This threat is detected
by specialized nerves and sent through
the spinal cord and up to the brain
where, among other things, the threat
signals are transformed into pain sensa-
tions. Emotion-processing areas of the
brain also get the message, triggering
a wide range of reactions, from fear to
anger. Combined, your thoughts and
emotions about the physical sensations
of pain make up the suffering component
of the full pain experience.
To help you take action, the threat
signals have been simultaneously routed
to the areas of your brain that help the
body launch an emergency stress re-
sponse, coordinating the actions of the
nervous system, endocrine system, and
immune system. The emergency stress
response triggers a cascade of physiolog-
ical changes that give you the energy and
focus to protect yourself from life-threat-
ening danger.
Even after the threat is gone, the pain
response is not over. The mind and body
are very interested in making sure you
know how to protect yourself from this
threat in the future. So the nervous sys-
tem begins the process of learning from
this experience. Any kind of injury or ill-
ness, even one that is short-lived or ap-
pears to be fully healed, can change the
way the nervous system processes pain.
Understanding Chronic Pain
Chronic pain differs from acute pain in
three important ways. First, the body
can become more sensitive to threat,
sending threat signals to the brain even
when the threat is minor or non-exis-
tent. Second, the brain can become
more likely to interpret situations as
threatening and sensations as painful,
producing pain responses that are out of
proportion to any real danger. Finally,
with repeated pain experiences, the
boundaries between the many aspects of
the pain response—sensation, suffering,
and stress—get blurred. In most cases
of chronic pain, the mind and body have
learned all too well how to detect the
THE BEST WAY TO UNLEARN CHRONIC STRESS
AND PAIN RESPONSES IS TO GIVE THE MIND AND
BODY HEALTHIER RESPONSES TO PRACTICE.
slightest hint of a threat and mount a full
protective response in all its glory.
So the things that make pain so effec-
tive at helping us survive acute emergen-
cies and handling short-term pain are the
very things that make chronic pain so
complex and persistent. The pain you
feel may reflect a protective mind-body re-
sponse that has become overprotective.
Pain Again
Why does past pain make you more sen-
sitive to future pain? You can thank one
of the great wonders of our nervous sys-
tem: its ability to learn in response to ex-
perience. This ability is called neuroplas-
ticity. Through the repeated experience
of pain, the nervous system gets better
at detecting threat and producing the
protective pain response. So unfortu-
nately, in the case of chronic pain, learn-
ing from experience and getting “better”
at pain paradoxically means more pain,
not less.
Both modern science and yoga share
this idea: present pain and suffering have
their roots in past pain, trauma, stress,
loss, and illness. Modern science uses
words like neuroplasticity to describe
the process of learning from past expe-
riences; yoga uses the word samskara.
Samskaras are the memories of the body
and mind that influence how we experi-
ence the present moment. Samskaras
yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living
keep you stuck, feeling the same emo-
tions, thinking the same thoughts, and
even experiencing the same pain.
Samskaras do not always lead to
suffering—they also lead to positive
change. Just as trauma, illness, pain,
and stress leave traces on the body and
mind, so do positive experiences. What
you practice, you become.
Learning is lifelong, and none of
the changes you’ve learned have to be
permanent. Neuroplasticity can be
harnessed for healing. Your mind and
body have learned how to “do” chronic
pain, and your job is to teach it some-
thing new.
Unlearning Pain Through Relaxation
The best way to unlearn chronic stress
and pain responses is to give the mind
and body healthier responses to practice.
By helping you transform chronic
pain-and-stress responses into “chronic
healing” responses of mind and body,
yoga helps reduce your suffering of
chronic pain. Your mind and body have
built-in healing responses that are just
as powerful as their protective pain-and-
stress responses. Whether it’s a medita-
tion on gratitude, a relaxation pose that
puts the body and mind at ease, or a
breathing exercise that strengthens the
flow of energy in your body—they all
share the benefit of bringing you back
home to your natural sense of well-being.
Relaxation specifically has been
shown to be healing for chronic pain.
It turns off the stress response and di-
rects the body’s energy to growth, repair,
immune function, digestion, and other
self-nurturing processes. The relaxation
response unravels the mind-body sam-
skaras that contribute to pain and pro-
vides the foundation for healing habits.
Consistent relaxation practice teaches
the mind and body how to rest in a
59
 sense of safety rather than chronic emer-
gency. Below, we will look at a breath-
ing practice and several restorative
yoga poses that promote the relaxation
response.
that you can inhale and exhale through
different parts of your body—as if your
nostrils were moved to that part of the
body. Start with your feet. Imagine the
breath entering your body through the
skip it. There are several things you can
try that may make you feel more com-
fortable. First, stay with the visualization
and direct the breath right at the sensa-
tions of discomfort or pain. Imagine that

DIRECT THE BREATH RIGHT AT THE SENSATIONS OF DISCOMFORT.

IMAGINE THAT THE BREATH IS DISSOLVING THE TENSION AND PAIN.
Breathing the Whole Body
Breathing the body is a visualization
practice adapted from the traditional
practice of yoga nidra (yogic sleep) and
the body-scan practice taught in Jon Ka-
bat-Zinn’s mindfulness-based stress re-
duction program for people with chronic
pain. Start in any comfortable relaxation
pose such as shavasana (corpse pose).
Place your hands on your belly and feel
the movement of the breath. Notice the
belly rising and falling, and notice the
breath moving in and out of your body.
In this practice, you will imagine
soles of your feet, and exiting your body
through the soles of your feet. Notice
any sensations there. Feel, or imagine,
that flow of energy in the feet as you
breathe. Now repeat this visualization
for other parts of your body: Your lower
legs, knees, and upper legs. Your hips,
lower back, middle back, and upper
back. Your belly and chest. Your shoul-
ders, upper arms, elbows, lower arms,
hands. Your neck. Your forehead and
the crown of your head.
When you get to an area that feels
tense, uncomfortable, or painful, don’t
the breath is dissolving or massaging the
tension and pain. Imagine the solidity of
the tension or pain softening. Find the
space inside the pain. Second, try mov-
ing your attention back and forth be-
tween the uncomfortable area and a
more comfortable area. For a few breaths,
breathe into the painful area; for the next
few breaths, breathe into another area.
Switching back and forth like this can
teach the mind how to give the uncom-
fortable sensations less priority. You are
practicing a healthy kind of distraction:
intentionally shifting your focus while

60 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 + For more advice about yoga for chronic pain, go to yogaplus.org/pain.

still being present in your body. restorative yoga an active process of fo-
When you have worked your way cusing the mind on healing thoughts,
through the whole body, let yourself feel sensations, and emotions.

the breath enter the body through your
nose, mouth, and throat. Imagine the
sensation of breathing through your
whole body, as if the body were gently ex-
panding as you inhale and contracting as
you exhale. Feel, or imagine, the flow of
energy through your whole body.
Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga turns on the healing
relaxation response by combining gen-
tle yoga poses with con-
scious breathing. Be-
low you will learn four
restorative yoga poses
2
The order of poses presented here is
just one possible sequence. As you ex-
plore the poses, you may find that your
body prefers a different sequence or that
you would rather stay longer in one pose
than practice several poses for shorter
periods. You can also integrate restora-
tive poses into an active yoga session.
Supported Bound Angle Pose
This pose relaxes tension in the belly,
chest, and shoulders that otherwise can
restrict the breath. Lean a bolster on a
block or other support (such as tele-
phone books). Sit in front of the bolster
with your legs in a diamond shape. Place
a pillow or a rolled blanket under each
outer thigh and knee, making sure that
the legs are fully supported without a
deep stretch or strain in the knees, legs,
or hips. Lean back onto the bolster so

that may be practiced
on their own or in a
sequence.
There are several factors that make
restorative yoga so relaxing. First, each
pose is meant to be held for longer than
a few breaths. You can stay in a restora-
tive pose for 10 minutes or even longer.
The stillness allows the body to drop
even the deepest layers of tension. Sec-
ond, restorative poses use props to sup-
port your body. Props can include the
wall, a chair, a couch, pillows, blankets,
towels, or bolsters designed especially
for restorative yoga practice. The right
Restorative poses: Printed with permission by New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
1
that you are supported from the lower
back to the back of the head. Rest your
arms wherever is most comfortable.
Nesting Pose Nesting pose creates a Now notice the whole front of your
sense of security and nurturing. It may body relax and gently open as you in-
also be a position you are comfortable hale. Follow this sensation and feel the
sleeping in, making it an excellent pos- ease in the front of the body as you
ture to practice if you have insomnia or breathe.
other difficulty sleeping.
Lie on your side, legs bent and
drawn in toward your belly. Rest your
head on a pillow, and place a pillow or a
bolster between your knees. Rest your
arms in whatever position feels most
comfortable. If available, another bol-

support in a pose will make it feel effort- ster or pillow may be placed behind
less, so your body can fully let go. your back for an extra sense of support.
You shouldn’t feel strong sensations Rest in the natural rhythm of your

of stretch or strength the way you might
in a more active yoga pose. Stretching
and strengthening, although healthy, are
both forms of tension in the body. They
are a kind of good stress on the body,
asking the body to adapt to the chal-
lenges of a pose. But restorative yoga is
all about letting go of tension and stress.
Although these poses may look as
though you are doing nothing, this is far
from the truth. Restorative yoga rests
the body but engages the mind. The
breathing elements of each pose make
breath, observing each inhalation and
exhalation as it moves through the
body. Take comfort in the simplicity
and effortlessness of this action.
Kelly McGonigal is the editor in chief of the Inter-
national Journal of Yoga Therapy. Visit her at
kellymcgonigal.com.
Adapted with permission by New Harbinger Publi-
cations, Inc. from Yoga for Pain Relief by Kelly
McGonigal, PhD. ©2009 Kelly McGonigal.
(newharbinger.com)
3
Supported Backbend Pose
Supported backbend is a heart-opening
pose that reinforces your desire to em-
brace life and not let challenges—in-
cluding pain—separate you from life.
This pose also works magic to release
chronic tension in the back and shoul-
ders, undoing postural habits that come
from spending too much time at a desk,
at a computer, or driving. >>

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 61

 Sitting, place a bolster or
a stack of pillows or blankets
under slightly bent knees.
Place one folded pillow or
rolled blanket or towel behind
you; when you lie back, it
should support the upper rib
cage, not the lower back. If
you need extra support under-
neath the lower rib cage and lower back,
roll a small towel to support the natural
curve of the spine. Place a rolled towel
or a small blanket to support your head
and neck at whatever height is most
comfortable.
This pose improves the flow of the
breath in the upper chest, rib cage, and
belly. Allow yourself to feel this move-
ment as you inhale and exhale. Imag-
ine breathing in and out through your
heart center. Visualize the movement of
breath from your heart to your lungs as
you inhale, and from the lungs back out
through the heart center as you exhale.
62 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
4
Supported Forward Bend This pose
relaxes the hips and back, unraveling
the stress of daily activities on the
spine. Hugging a bolster and resting
your head on its support provides a nat-
ural sense of security and comfort.
Sit cross-legged on the floor. Lean for-
ward onto the support of a sofa, a chair,
or a stack of pillows, blankets, or cush-
ions. If you have a bolster, place one end
in your lap and the other end on the
sofa, the chair, or the stack of support.
Rest your head on whatever support is
available. If you are using the bolster,
you can hug it in any way that feels com-
fortable, turning your head to the side.
Be sure that whatever support you are
using is high enough and sturdy
enough to support you, without creat-
ing strain in the back or hips. If you feel
a strong stretch that is uncomfortable
to hold, you need more support.
In this pose, the belly, chest, and
back all expand and contract with each
breath. Feel the movement of the whole
torso as you inhale and exhale. Feel your
belly and chest gently press into the sup-
port of the bolster or pillows as you in-
hale. Let the sensation of your breath
deepen the sensation of being hugged.
———
These simple relaxation practices
will lead you on the path of ending your
suffering. Yoga can teach you how to
focus your mind to change your experi-
ence of physical pain. It can give you
back the sense of safety, control, and
courage that you need to move past your
experience of chronic pain. ■
 BOOKS +MEDIA
The best new reads, CDs, and films for springtime inspiration
Dancing the Flame of Life
Dona Holleman
Don’t be fooled by the flashy
title: this asana manual is a
detailed, engaging practice
book rooted in the principles
of “Centered Yoga”—a
hatha style focused on balanc-
ing the masculine and femi-
nine. Inspired by everything
from Taoism to the teachings
of B.K.S Iyengar, Holleman
encourages readers to find a
“state of peace in the body
that is neither indulgence nor
warfare.”
The core asana section
builds on her best-selling
Dancing the Body of Light and
deftly breaks down more
than 200 poses and varia-
tions, ranging from the basic
(tadasana) to the more ambi-
tious (yoganidrasana). The
supporting chapters clearly
explain anatomical principles
and offer astute tips for teach-
ers; a complementary audio
CD expounds on relevant
topics, such as proper breath-
ing. Dancing the Flame of Life
flawlessly weaves the gross
with the subtle.
—Kathryn Heagberg
64 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
True Food
Annie B. Bond, Melissa
Breyer, Wendy Gordon
Want to improve your health
and green your life but feel
overwhelmed by all the con-
tradictory advice in the info-
sphere? Here’s help: True
Food sifts through the eco-
lore to offer you eight simple,
well-researched, kitchen- and
market-ready steps. This es-
sential reference book pro-
vides not just the how-to-do
but the why-you-should, too.
Each chapter focuses on one
step, such as “Eating Local”
or “Aim for Organic”; inter-
spersed throughout are sea-
sonal recipes, nutritional tips,
and practical recommenda-
tions about shopping and
cleaning green. The authors
also provide convenient
charts, which elucidate every-
thing from mercury levels in
fish, to what organic labels
really mean. From the neo-
phyte to the veteran on the
path to greener health, True
Food’s accessible style aims to
please and inform all.
—Ruby Wells
Communication (NVC), a
technique used in education,
international mediation, and
interfaith dialogue. In What
We Say Matters they openly
share their struggles and suc-
cesses with NVC practices:
distinguishing between feel-
ings and needs, requesting
rather than demanding,
choosing connection over
conflict, and finding mutually
What We Say Matters satisfying solutions. Giving a
Judith Hanson Lasater and clear, basic explanation of
Ike K. Lasater NVC—punctuated by help-
The Lasaters, both long-term ful charts, exercises, and re-
students of yoga and Bud- sources—they show how
dhism, did not fully appreci- we can put satya and right
ate and understand the yoga speech into day-to-day prac-
principle of satya, or truth, tice with our partners, chil-
and the Buddhist precept dren, parents, friends, and
of right speech until they colleagues—at home, at
started practicing Marshall work, and in the world.
Rosenberg’s Nonviolent —Helen Hryndyk
Moving Melodies
Kundalini Meditation Music
Snatam Kaur, Mirabai Ceiba, and others
Melodic and heartfelt, this compilation explores
sacred sound. Each track dwells in a specific in-
tention—healing, prosperity, connecting with the divine femi-
nine—while the accompanying booklet provides instructions for
chanting and meditation.The otherworldly mantras, vocals, and
gongs are an invitation to deepen your practice. —R.W.
Higher & Higher
Neshama Carlebach and the Green Pasture
Baptist Church Choir
Neshama Carlebach, a star in the Jewish music
world, collaborates with a Baptist choir from the Bronx, NY,
singing songs mostly written by her late lauded father, Rabbi
Shlomo Carlebach. What lies at the intersection of Jewish
themes and Baptist Gospel? A musical portmanteau that is
uncommon, uplifting, and remarkably moving. —R.W. >>

The Mind Is Mightier
Than the Sword
Lama Surya Das
In an intelligent, down-to-
earth offering, Lama Surya
Das—one of America’s fore-
most Buddhist teachers—
mixes stories from pop cul-
ture with anecdotes from
long-gone Buddhist masters.
Das takes a 2,500-year-old
tradition and connects it to
the reader’s contemporary
life in a colloquial style that
reads like a captivating con-
versation. —Steven Coraor
The Complete
Tassajara Cookbook
Recipes, Techniques, and
Reflections from the Famed
Zen Kitchen
Edward Espe Brown
Replete with more than
just recipes, a seasoned Zen
chef’s insightful guide blends
35 years of work and food-
writing with well-explained
cooking techniques, odes to
66 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
vegetables, and bread-baking
basics. Get ready to discover
a new canvas: Brown doesn’t
just give instructions, he
aims to inspire by “acquaint-
ing your palate with your
palette.” —Jancy Langley
Great Yoga Retreats
Kristin Rübesamen;
Angelika Taschen (editor)
With a trove of alluring im-
ages and light descriptive
text for the travel-planner,
Taschen pinpoints the
world’s finest yoga holiday
destinations. From Bhutan
to Virginia, there are beauti-
ful photographs of well-ap-
pointed rooms, asana studios
overlooking the sea, and
limpid pools aplenty. —R.W.
Yoga: Immortality
and Freedom
(Princeton Classic Editions)
Mircea Eliade
A new edition of Eliade’s
groundbreaking and schol-
arly work on the history, phi-
losophy, and practice of yoga
offers readers another chance
to explore the now 50-year-
old classic—a beginning
point for much of Western
study on yoga. A fresh intro-
duction by scholar David
White offers insight into the
personal roots of Eliade’s in-
spiration. —Rolf Sovik
We can (still) do it!
With Women’s History Month (March) around the corner,
we’ve compiled a few picks to inform, inspire, and empower
Rosie the Riveter’s yoga-practicing, globally-conscious grand-
daughter. —J.L.
For the Body
The Woman’s Yoga Book
Asana and Pranayama for
All Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
Bobby Clennell
Featuring a foreword from Geeta Iyen-
gar (B.K.S.’s daughter) and her own il-
lustrations, Clennell offers readers straightforward practice
tips based on 30 years of personal experience in this 2007
congenial no-nonsense guide to life in the female body.
For the Spirit
Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Abigail E. Disney and Gini Reticker
In a powerful incisive film, Disney and
Reticker juxtapose wrenching footage of
Liberia’s blood-soaked 1990’s civil war
with an understated, inspiring, spiritually
laden narrative of the interfaith women’s
peace movement that helped end it.
For the Heart
Committed
A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage
Elizabeth Gilbert
Like a dear clever friend at Sunday
brunch, Gilbert relays easy enlighten-
ing insights on love, marriage, and the
baby(less) carriage. Supported by broad historical research
and couched in her own international Homeland Security-
beleaguered second marriage story, Eat, Pray, Love’s au-
thor delivers a witty and warm sophomore memoir.
For the Future
Half the Sky
Turning Oppression into Opportunity
for Women Worldwide
Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Two Pulitzer-winning New York Times
journalists find iron-willed women from
the brothels of Phnom Penh to the fistula hospitals of Ad-
dis Ababa. Before you reach the back cover you’ll yearn
and learn to lend a hand in empowering women abroad. ■
Self-Transformation Program
A four-week residential experience

Join a community of people devoted to personal growth,

selfless service, and the ongoing Himalayan Institute
projects that benefit humanity. For a brochure and
application e-mail Residential@HimalayanInstitute.org
or call 800-822-4547 (press 8) or visit us online.

HimalayanInstitute.org
090917

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 67

 Living Tantra (PART 2)
(continued from page 35)
more pranic force will be attracted to
that center. “Intensity of awareness” is
another way of referring to the concen-
tration of mental energy. Practically
speaking, therefore, the pranic force is
making the mind become concentrated,
and this concentration of mind is con-
centrating the pranic force even further.
Once this process has begun, it gathers
momentum spontaneously and the
prana shakti becomes more and more
concentrated. This pranic concentration
is seen through the eyes of the mind as a
Trikhanda mudra can serve as a vehicle
for transferring healing power to someone
or something outside of yourself.
radiant field of energy. Tantrics call it
bindu, an ocean of vibrant, radiant prana
shakti compressed in a dot—a point of
reference beyond our normal concepts
of time, space, and the law of causation.
Here, the pranic field is so intense, so
compact, that it is lit by its own efful-
gence. Its healing and nourishing power
is so intense, so awakened and active,
that anything—yantra, mantra, man-
dala, form, shape, or visual object—that
falls in this field instantly comes to life.
It is through this power that we can
breathe life into any practice—tantric
or non-tantric.
Advanced Prana Dharana
The tantric practice of prana dharana,
which is established on the firm ground
of the tantric version of bhastrika prana-
yama, is completed in several steps. The
first step has been described in some
68 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
detail above: awaken the prana shakti
at the ajna chakra with bhastrika-style
breathing, retain the last inhalation at
the ajna chakra, and rest your aware-
ness in the pranic field pulsating there.
Through regular practice, you make the
prana shakti become stable and com-
pact at the ajna chakra. Do not do this
practice for more than a few minutes a
day. If it is done accurately and method-
ically, a five-minute practice will gener-
ate more than enough shakti to recharge
your entire body and mind. You will
have enough shakti to command your
mind to attend to the object of your
choice. Not only will your mind return
from numberless corners of the world,
it will stay at the ajna chakra joyfully.
Through prolonged and consistent
practice, prana shakti and the mind be-
gin to embrace, nurture, guide, and sup-
port each other. As this happens, any
quest—worldly or spiritual—becomes
easy and fulfilling.
Practicing the next three steps of
prana dharana requires a deepening un-
derstanding of tantra, especially the se-
cret of tantric rituals and why they bring
dramatic results. The second step in-
volves selecting an object and bringing
it into the field of prana shakti concen-
trated at the ajna chakra. For example,
you could bring an image of sacred fire
into the intense pranic field at the ajna
chakra. When it falls into the awakened
and active pranic field, it automatically
comes to life. No longer an inert, mo-
tionless image, it will share the vibrant
pulsation of the prana shakti. Then you
could bring this living fire down to the
navel center, and with the power of
mantra, formally place it there. Tantric
adepts use unique mantras to further
feed and nurture the fire at the navel cen-
ter. An understanding of the dynamics
of fire in tantric cosmology forms the
basis for these practices.
The third step of prana dharana
Watch Pandit Tigunait demonstrate
bhastrika and the first step of prana dha-
rana at yogaplus.org/pranadharana.
involves the precise application of prana
shakti to accomplish a specific purpose.
For example, you wish to cultivate heal-
ing power—the power to heal yourself
and/or to heal others. Let’s say you wish
to boost your strength and stamina. You
wish to restore your vitality and youth-
fulness. In that case, you would medi-
tate on one of the most powerful healing
mantras—the maha mrityunjaya man-
tra—while keeping your focus at the
navel center, which is already filled with
intense, awakened, and active prana
shakti. This third step of the prana dha-
rana practice is for healing oneself. If you
wish to heal others, you would go on to
the next step.
The fourth step of prana dharana in-
volves undertaking and completing a
tantric practice called purascharana.
This practice consists of reciting a man-
tra a specific number of times while fo-
cusing at the navel center, then making
an offering with the same mantra into
the sacred fire at the navel center. You
would go into your navel center and,
with the exhalation, bring the fully
awakened, active healing force from the
navel center into your nostrils. From
there, you would transfer it into a special
hand mudra known as trikhanda mudra.
As you dissolve the trikhanda mudra,
you would transmit the healing power to
the person or precise aspect of the natu-
ral world you wish to heal.
The process of prana dharana as de-
scribed in this fourth step can also be
used to breathe life into a particular yan-
tra, mandala, or mantra. As tantrics
affirm, only an awakened mantra or
mandala can awaken our minds and
hearts. Only a ritual brought to life
through the power of prana shakti can
heal or nurture ourselves or others. The
practice of prana dharana is the means of
making our practices come to life. The
beauty of prana dharana is that we bene-
fit from it while we are practicing it.
Once charged with and guided by this
Andrea Killam
energy, we gain the competency to un-
dertake any practice, including the ones
forbidden to ordinary seekers. ■
 How can you help protect
the prairie and the penguin?

Simple. Visit www.earthshare.org and learn how the world’s

leading environmental groups are working together under one
name. And how easy it is for you to help protect the prairies and
the penguins and the planet.

www.earthshare.org

One environment. One simple way to care for it.

®
 HI BULLETIN News for Himalayan
Institute Members

Humanitarian Update
HI’s humanitarian projects span multiple objectives, cultures, and continents. Here are a few
of the ways your membership is helping our global community. —Amanda Masters

HI Cameroon Allahabad, India Tibetan Refugee

The HI Cameroon (HIC)
community center is in the
midst of the dry season—a six-
month period of little to no
rainfall. From November to
April, municipal water sources
are severely rationed; people
must haul water from pol-
luted overused streams; and
the incidence of waterborne
and dehydration-related dis-
eases greatly increases.
To address this problem,
HIC and the Buffalo Arts Stu-
dio, a nonprofit cultural cen-
Energy Farming, a core piece
of HI’s humanitarian pro-
gram, focuses on the sustain-
able cultivation of oilseed
crops, like castor and Ponga-
mia pinnata, to provide green
energy; increase crop diversifi-
cation; and promote organic
land-management techniques.
In 2006, the first EF plots
were planted on the 30-acre
campus of the Himalayan
Institute in Allahabad. This
original site has been a test-
ing ground for new meth-
Settlements
In September 2009, monsoon
rains drenched the Tibetan
Rabgyeling settlement in
South India—home to the
HI Energy Farming program,
where 20 acres of marginal
land have been planted with
Pongamia. These biofuel-yield-
ing trees are a source of both
environmental and economic
regeneration for the local com-
munity; but the extreme rain,
and the waist-high grass that
came with it, threatened to

Clean drinking water means
greater quality of life for the
villagers of Kishong.
ter in Buffalo, NY, installed a
30-foot well on HIC Energy
Farming land in the village of
Kishong. Now the well facili-
tates year-round cultivation of
medicinal and oilseed crops
and provides public water via a
roadside tap. In a place where
water is precious, a permanent
clean-water source will make a
powerful difference for villag-
ers’ health and quality of life.
+ Find more HI humanitarian updates
at hiprojects.wordpress.com.
ods—like intercropping and
advanced composting—and
new crops, like the medicinal
herbs turmeric and ginger,
found in many HI health
products.
This well-established EF
site now serves as both a train-
ing center for local farmers in
India as well as a model for
HI community centers
around the world.
Man at well: Chelsea Abella; Marc Demers: Andrea Killam; Hand: Andrea Killam
choke the young seedlings.
The four Tibetan HI staff
members recognized that
they’d need help, so they or-
ganized a “Public Contribu-
tion Day.” In a tremendous
show of support, dozens of lo-
cal Tibetans took to the fields,
clearing the grass by hand, or
with machetes. The staff soon
organized several more Pub-
lic Contribution Days with
over 150 volunteers in total.
Thanks to the community’s
dedication, the Pongamia proj-
ect can continue to take root.

2009 in Review Thanks to the ongoing support of our members and over 100 resident karma yogis,

January–March April–June

HI Cameroon opened
HI Press launched the The Energy Farming
the Energy Farming
first of 24 e-books. program was launched
Training Center and
at the Rabgyeling HH Dalai Lama
two Total Health Yoga+ became HI’s
Tibetan settlement. met privately with
Centers. membership magazine.
an HI delegation.
HI led a pilgrimage HI released the rejuvenative
to Kamakhya, India. herbal formula chyawanprash.

70 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org

 {HAPPENINGS}
Biofeedback to the Future
Thanks to portable, sophisticated equipment and a growing body
of supporting research, biofeedback has become more pre-
cise and popular than ever. But it was already a fascinating
science by the 1960s and ’70s: therapists tinkered with elec-
trodes and monitored subtle physiological activities such as
brain waves, muscle tension, and skin temperature, enabling
clients to observe and alter their own behavior.
Early leaders in biofeedback even collaborated with
advanced meditation and yoga practitioners, in-
cluding Swami Rama, HI’s founder.
Which is why, when the Northeast Re-
gional Biofeedback Society came to HI
A sensor on the fingertip
Honesdale, some practitioners felt like measures temperature changes,
they had come home. According to Dr. while electrodes on the palm monitor
Richard Soutar, a lecturer at the October activity in the sweat glands.
conference, “it’s strange and wonderful
to be back at Swami Rama’s place,
where things began.” —Jancy Langley

{BEHIND THE SCENES}

Taste the Tradition
In the early 1980s, Marc Demers was studying physical education in Alberta, Canada, when
he took a class that changed his life: yoga. That first course led him to the Himalayan Institute,
where he’s been refining his practice and studying vegetarian and ayurvedic cooking ever since.
These days, Marc heads up the HI kitchen, which produces three wholesome, balanced meals
a day, seven days a week, for 100 to 200 people.
Last October, Marc and his staff revitalized and expanded the menu with classic, well-tested
recipes. “We try to take something useful from everywhere we find it,” he says. The aromatic
results—from warm curried dahl to pesto-laced whole wheat pizza—have had the whole cam-
pus buzzing. What’s the secret ingredient? “In order for the food to be nourishing and nurtur- The man behind the
ing,” Marc says, “one should possess those qualities while cooking.” —Camilla Padaki ■ meals: Marc Demers

HI continues to be a leading organization in yoga, tantra, humanitarianism, and natural health.

July–September October–December

The first Organic Gar- HI India secured a 14-acre HI Mexico established

dening Apprenticeship
Program began at HI’s
Honesdale campus.
The Oprah Show
featured HI’s neti pot.
campus in Khajuraho, India. its first branch center.
HI released Vitamin C
and Neti Mist.
HI’s residential program
was featured in a New
York Times article.

yogaplus.org spring 2010 yoga + joyful living 71

 Good-Food Revolution
(continued from page 41)
Waters’ Chez Panisse Foundation
has also helped launch a sister program
in New Orleans, a sustainable food proj-
ect at Yale University, and a network
of school gardens and holistic culinary
projects sprouting across the country.
In September 2009, the Greensboro
Children’s Museum in North Carolina
broke ground on a new garden, becom-
ing the first children’s museum in the
country to join the movement.
Each garden is created by the chil-
dren to be a lovely place and to help
make their school more beautiful. This
isn’t a side effect of the project; it’s one
of the main principles. “Beauty is a lan-
guage,” Waters writes. “A beautifully
prepared environment, where deliberate
thought has gone into everything from
the garden paths to the plates on the ta-
bles, communicates to children that we
care about them.”
It’s all part of what Waters calls her
“delicious revolution.” The secret is
that the seemingly selfish act of wanting
to eat delightful food is actually based
on sharing and connecting: people cook
together, eat together, and work to-
gether with their local farmers to build
a healthy community.
Urban farmer Will Allen believes in the
power of worms and community.
72 yoga + joyful living spring 2010 yogaplus.org
Will Allen
TILLING THE INNER CITY
When Will Allen bought Growing
Power, a nursery in Milwaukee, Wiscon-
sin, his plan was to start a small urban
farm where he could grow produce for
sale to the local community. That mod-
est vision changed when a group of
neighborhood kids asked him to show
them how to grow their own food. What
was meant to be a small for-profit busi-
ness has grown into a nonprofit commu-
nity food center, offering not just pro-
duce but the know-how to grow, pro-
cess, market, and distribute sustainable
healthy food. It’s one of the most influ-
ential forces in urban farming in the na-
tion, if not the world.
Allen, a MacArthur Fellow and a for-
mer professional basketball player and
marketing executive, has developed inno-
vative holistic techniques for integrating
fish farming into his plant-growing opera-
tion. Growing Power produces astonish-
ing amounts of food and lush vermicom-
post in remarkably small spaces—25,000
plants, thousands of fish, plus laying
hens, goats, rabbits, and turkeys, all on
two acres of inner-city land. This oasis of
fresh nutritious food lies in the heart
of what Allen calls a “food desert,” but
Growing Power’s message and methods
are spreading far and wide, with spin-offs
and partner projects around the nation
and a new project launching through the
Clinton Global Initiative to share the
methodology in Africa.
Everything on the small city farm is
integrated: The aquaponics tank not
only grows fish, it also produces nutri-
ent-rich water for the tomatoes and salad
greens grown in the greenhouse. Allen’s
beloved worms, which he proudly counts
among his livestock, not only digest mil-
lions of pounds of food waste to produce
nutrient-rich compost, they generate
all the heat needed to keep the green-
houses warm and producing vegetables
throughout a harsh Midwestern winter.
But the soil and the food grown on the
property aren’t an end in themselves;
they’re the means—the groundwork
upon which strong communities can
come together to solve the profound
problems of our food system.
“A lot of times I’ve heard, ‘Let’s go
in—we have 200 vacant lots—bring
some compost in and throw it down,
and everyody’s going to run out of their
houses and start farming,” Allen told
a group of activists in Minneapolis ear-
lier this year. “If you’re not able to en-
gage the community, nothing else can
really be sustained.”
Allen is working to overcome the all-
too-common perception—especially
among urban youth—that farm work
must be cruel, grueling, or dirty. The
6'7" force of nature who appears year
round and all over the country in his
trademark sleeveless hooded sweatshirt,
has turned the gift for sales that he first
exhibited at corporations like Kentucky
Fried Chicken to promote something
much more precious than the secret
recipe of 11 herbs and spices: inspira-
tion for a community of citizens to
work together and take control of their
own food system.
“I don’t build gardens with fences.
Everybody’s talking about, ‘You gotta
Will Allen: Darren Hauck / The New York Times; Asparagus: Floortje / iStockphoto.com
put up a fence to protect the garden.’
No. You have to engage the commu-
nity,” Allen says.
He sees a future with 50 million new
growers—not just full-scale farmers
but families with rows of pots on their
porches, students turning soil in school-
yards, neighbors sharing plots in com-
munity gardens. If it works, they won’t
just be growing food. They’ll be grow-
ing stronger interdependent communi-
ties that rely on and nurture one another
as surely as the tilapia and lake perch
growing in Allen’s aquaponics tanks de-
pend on the composting worms and
floating watercress that complete their
cycle of life. ■
 HIMALAYAN INSTITUTE

programs
74 program calendar
spring/summer 2010

program highlights
76
yoga practice
78
yoga philosophy
80
meditation
82
ayurveda and health
83
total health center
85
residential programs
86
teacher training
87
meet our faculty
88
registration and
90 guest information

Welcome to the Himalayan Institute,

the premier center for yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holis-
tic health. Our vibrant community sits on a peaceful 400-acre
campus in the rolling hills and verdant forests of Pennsylvania’s
Pocono Mountains. The Institute provides the perfect setting for
seminars and retreats, residential programs, holistic health ser-
Andrea Killam; Model: John Daskovsky

vices, and outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and bird watch-
ing. Join students from all over the world in discovering the path
to a balanced, integrated, and fulfilling life.

Our diverse programs explore hatha yoga, meditation, ayurveda

and wellness, stress reduction, and yoga and tantra philosophy.
We also offer yoga teacher trainings, spiritual excursions, medi-
tation retreats, and self-transformation residential programs.
Himalayan Institute Program Guide

march
program
3–7 ■ Pancha Karma ..............................................83
4–30 ■ Self-Transformation Program........................86
5–7 ■ Dynamics of Meditation: The Inward Journey ....82
★ 12–14 ■ The Art of Self-Care: Discover the
Healing Power of Yoga .................................83
17–21 ■ Pancha Karma ..............................................83
19–21 ■ Loud, Soft, Silent: Exploring the Use of
Sound in Yoga ..............................................78
25–28 ■ Total Detox: Reclaim Your
Vital Energy and Focus .................................85
26–28 ■ The Lost Masters: Our Forgotten
Spiritual History with Linda Johnsen..............80
april
2–4 ■ Holiday Retreat: Rest, Reflect, & Renew .....82
7–11 ■ Pancha Karma .............................................83
8–5/4 ■ Self-Transformation Program........................86
9–11 ■ Dynamics of Meditation: The Inward Journey ....82
15–18 ■ Feed Your Fire: Stoke the Fire of Your Body
with Susan Taylor ..........................................84
16–18 ■ The Yoga Sutra: Your Guide to Asana and
Pranayama Practice.......................................78
21–25 ■ Pancha Karma ..............................................83
22–25 ■ Living Ayurveda: The Power of Cleansing.....83
23 – 5/2 ■ 500- HourYoga Teacher Certification
Program—Spring Segment ...........................87
30– 5/2 ■ Living Tantra Series: Tantric Tradition and
Techniques (Part 1 of 6)
with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait.........................80
30– 9/30 ■ Organic Gardening Apprenticeship Program .....86
★Tuition-FREE for Himalayan Institute Members
● Tuition-FREE for HI Members with yoga
teacher certification
may
5–9 ■ Pancha Karma ..............................................83
6–6/1 ■ Self-Transformation Program........................86
7–9 ■ Dynamics of Meditation: The Inward Journey ....82
7–9 ■ When to Practice What: An Exploration
of Hatha Yoga ..............................................79
14–16 ■ Live Your Yoga: Ten Principles
to Guide Your Life ........................................81
14–16 Perspectives on Kundalini: A Spring Conference
from the Kundalini Research Network ...........77
19–23 ■ Pancha Karma .............................................83
21– 23 ■ Swimming with the Current: A Viniyoga
Exploration of Breath, Movement, and Asana .78
21–30 Members’ Homecoming Program .................77
★ 28–30 ■ Chakras and Asanas: A Journey Inside ...............79
june
2–8 ■ Pancha Karma ..............................................83
3–29 ■ Self-Transformation Program........................86
4–6 ■ Dynamics of Meditation: The Inward Journey ....82
4–6 ■ Sacred Sequencing: A Prana Flow Weekend
with Maria Garre ...........................................79
10–13 ■ Feed Your Fire: Ignite the Fire of Your Mind
with Susan Taylor ..........................................84
10–13 ■ Total Detox: Reclaim Your
Vital Energy and Focus...................................... 85
● 11–13 ■ The Foundation of Yoga: A Study of
the Hatha Yoga Pradipika ..............................79
16–20 ■ Pancha Karma .............................................83
18–20 ■ Journey to OneSelf: The Five Dimensions of
Human Experience with Gary Kraftsow .........79
25–27 ■ Bhakti Yoga: A Taste of Love and
Surrender......................................................81
25–7/18 ■ 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Certification
Program .......................................................87

74 HimalayanInstitute.org
 calendar
■ Yoga Practice

july
■ Yoga Philosophy ■ Meditation ■ Ayurveda & Health ■ Residential ■ Teacher Training

1–27 ■ Self-Transformation Program........................86

2–4 ■ Dynamics of Meditation: The Inward Journey....82
2–12 ■ Special 10-Day Meditation Intensive .................77
7–11 ■ Pancha Karma .............................................83
9–11 ■ Mantra and the Art of Meditation .................82
12–15 ■ 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training:
Teaching Methods .......................................87
15–18 ■ 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training: Yoga
and Ayurveda ...............................................87
16–18 ■ Stress Busters: Practical Tips for a
Hectic Lifestyle .............................................84
21–25 ■ Pancha Karma .............................................83
23–25 ■ Living Tantra Series: Secret of Tantric Rituals
(Part 2 of 6) with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait .....81
26 Guru Purnima: Annual Celebration
in Honor of the Tradition..............................77

Sample Seminar Schedule

6:00 a.m. group meditation

6:30 a.m. hatha yoga
Andrea Killam; Model: Nema Nyar

8:00 a.m. breakfast

10:00 a.m. lecture/workshop
12:30 p.m. lunch
3:30 p.m. lecture/workshop
6:15 p.m. supper
7:30 p.m. lecture/workshop
9:30 p.m. group meditation
Himalayan Institute Program Guide

P R O G R A M H I G H L I G H T S

Living TM

TANTRA
with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait

Unlock the Complete Power of

Yoga, Ayurveda, and Meditation
Six-Part Series, April 2010–July 2011

Join the Living Tantra movement with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. What is tantra? Why is tantra
so important in the 21st century? How does tantra complement yoga, ayurveda, and other
forms of healing? Why are the promises made by the texts and teachers of these traditions not
fully coming true? And how can tantra help these promises become realized once again?

Starting this April, invest in your personal practice. Living Tantra offers the perfect balance
between intellectual and experiential learning. It will complete our study of yoga, ayurveda, and
other paradigms of health and healing, and empower us to put our knowledge to work in the
world around us. Study online or in person. By taking part in the experience you will:
■ Experience and learn to practice principles of tantra that will accelerate your personal
transformation and healing
■ Become proficient in tantric techniques for healing and nurturing your family, community,
and the natural world
■ Create an enlightened lifestyle where worldly achievement and spiritual fulfillment are not
in conflict
■ Significantly enhance your existing knowledge and experience of yoga, meditation,
spirituality, ayurveda, and holistic health

Part 1: Tantric Tradition and Techniques

Dallas • Miami • Honesdale • Buffalo • St. Louis • Milwaukee • Kripalu • Pittsburgh •
Lansing • Washington, DC • Denver • Phoenix • London • Los Angeles • Birmingham •
Sao Paulo, Brazil • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
For dates and more information see insert between pages 72 and 73.

Experience Living Tantra online or at any of the live events. Entire course recommended;
however, live events can be taken as independent seminars.
> Early registration price: Complete course – Online & Live: $2400 (special offer: $1,008)
Single sessions – Live: $400 (special offer: $300)
Andrea Killam

For complete information & registration: LivingTantra.com

Register now and receive a free Living Tantra T-shirt!*
* while supplies last; some restrictions apply
76 HimalayanInstitute.org
Special Events Upcoming Guest Teachers
Perspectives on Kundalini: Linda Johnsen is the author of eight
A Spring Conference from the Kundalini books on ancient wisdom traditions,
Research Network including Lost Masters: The Sages of Ancient
May 14–16 Greece and Daughters of the Goddess: The
Women Saints of India. See page 80 for full
With Lawrence Edwards, Judith Miller, Jyoti Prevatt,
program details.
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Barbara Harris Whitfield,
Charles L. Whitfield The Lost Masters:
Our Forgotten Spiritual History
This conference will offer participants and presenters the rare
March 26–28
opportunity to gather and discuss the powerful impact that
yoga and meditation practices, spiritual emergence, transcen-
dent experiences, and the transformative power of kundalini Maria Garre is a senior teacher and
have on individuals. Through keynote presentations and pan- director for Shiva Rea’s Samudra School
els of experts we will explore what the process of transforma- of Living Yoga offering Prana Flow Yoga.
tion and change looks like from clinical, research-based, and She is also the creative yoga director of
traditional spiritual and yogic perspectives. Ananda Shala in Frederick, MD. See
page 79 for full program details.
> Cost: $150; $125 if registered on or before March 15, 2010.
Sacred Sequencing:
Add 2 nights’ accommodations (see page 90 for rates).
A Prana Flow ® Weekend
June 4–6

Members’ Homecoming Program

Gary Kraftsow has been a pioneer in the
May 21–30
transmission of yoga for health, healing,
Deepen your yoga practice by tapping into the resources of our and personal transformation. He began his
spiritual community. Participants rise early for group meditation study of yoga in India with T.K.V. Desi-
and yoga, attend classes, and participate daily in five hours of sea- kachar in 1974. In 1999 he founded the
sonal tasks. This program includes the weekend seminars Swim- American Viniyoga Institute. See page 79
ming with the Current (May 21–23) and Chakras and Asanas for full program details.
(May 28–30). Open to Himalayan Institute members only.
Journey to OneSelf:
> Cost: Members $300, including 9 nights’ accommodations The Five Dimensions of
(based on double occupancy—see page 90 for rates). Human Experience
June 18–20

Guru Purnima:
Annual Celebration in Honor of the Tradition
July 26
On this special day, students traditionally come back to their
teachers to refresh and rejuvenate. Come and celebrate with
the members of your spiritual family! We invite you to join us
for the celebration from 7 to 10 p.m. at no charge.
Special 10-Day Meditation Intensive
Pay for Dynamics of Meditation and get
Mantra and the Art of Meditation free
July 2–12
Just pay $25 per night for accommodations Sunday to Thurs-
day! Participants rise early for group meditation and yoga,
attend classes, and participate daily in five hours of karma yoga
(selfless service). See page 82 for details on both seminars.

800.822.4547 77
Himalayan Institute Program Guide
Y O G A P R A C T I C E
The Art of Self-Care: Discover
the Healing Power of Yoga
March 12–14
With Rolf Sovik
See page 83 for more program
information.
Loud, Soft, Silent: Exploring the
Use of Sound in Yoga
March 19–21
With Kathy Ornish
Sound can be external or internal; it can
be loud, soft, or silent. Come explore
practices that integrate sound, mantra,
and chanting with asana, pranayama, and
meditation. Learn how sound can connect
you deeper to the koshas—the five dimen-
sions of your being. Topics include:
■ Yoga practices that incorporate sound
and chanting
■ The panchamaya kosha model in
theory and practice
■ The cognitive, emotional, energetic,
and symbolic effects of sound
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
The Yoga Sutra: Your Guide to
Asana and Pranayama Practice
April 16 –18
With Sandra Anderson
The three verses of the Yoga Sutra
which address asana invite us to explore
stability and ease, surrender into effort-
lessness, and transcend the limitations
of physical awareness. This approach
to asana opens the door to awareness of
prana, and the expanded inner space of
the body. We’ll see and experience how
asana and pranayama are the foundation
for other practices described in the Yoga
Sutra. In this seminar we will:
■ Thoroughly investigate the spe-
cific sutras that address asana and
pranayama, and understand their
place in the Yoga Sutra
■ Explore the play of opposites in asana
as a means of creating inner space
■ Find your core alignment and
strength in standing and sitting pos-
tures, and learn how to apply that
stability and ease to other postures
■ Use pranayama to heighten aware-
ness of inner space, and draw the
mind to an inner resting place
> Suggested Reading: Yoga Sutra of
Patanjali (translation by Ravi Ravin-
dra recommended).
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Swimming with the Current:
A Viniyoga Exploration of Breath,
Movement, and Asana
May 21–23
With Kathy Ornish
Asana is commonly taught by empha-
sizing a precise external form which
might not be constructive for an indi-
vidual’s body. How can we improve the
use of movement in asana to support
our body’s individual needs and pro-
mote constructive change? Come learn
the Viniyoga technique of creating the
pose from the inside out. By integrating
the breath, movement, and awareness
of the spine, we can deepen our poses
while deepening our self-awareness.
Learn how to:
■ Use the primacy of the breath to
initiate movement in the spine
during asana
■ Use the breath to stabilize and mobi-
lize your structure in asana
■ Adapt the breath to amplify the struc-
tural and energetic effects of asana
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.

When to Practice What: An
Exploration of Hatha Yoga
May 7–9
With Karina Ayn Mirsky
This experiential seminar will explore
yoga asana and different hatha yoga
styles as means to optimize health and
well-being. You will:
■ Learn how different types of postures
support the systems of the body
■ Explore how different approaches of
hatha yoga, such as restorative, yin,
kundalini and vinyasa, affect your
somatic systems
■ Understand how different yoga
postures and hatha yoga styles affect
the doshas and subtle body, and how
these correlate to our quality of mind
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Tuition-Free for Members
Chakras and Asanas:
A Journey Inside
May 28–30
With Shari Friedrichsen
Yoga asanas and breath awareness
guide us to the more subtle aspects of
our bodies and minds. Exploring the
chakras through our asana practice can
open the door to a deeper well of experi-
ence that invokes our inherent sacred
nature. In this seminar, you will:
■ Practice asanas, bandhas, and breath
awareness to explore the chakras
Andrea Killam; Model: Kathryn Heagberg
■ Learn about the relationship between
the body, mind, and chakras
■ Practice asanas that help the body
stay grounded and the mind stay calm
> Cost: Tuition-free for members; non-
members $275. Add 2 nights’ accom-
modations.
For accommodation rates and registration details, see page 90.
Sacred Sequencing: A Prana
Flow® Weekend
June 4–6
With Maria Garre
Transform your personal yoga practice
into a living prayer—alive with inten-
tion and meaning. Through Prana
Flow, a transformational vinyasa-based
practice created by Shiva Rea, learn
how to infuse your personal practice
with the sacred each time you step onto
the mat. During this seminar you will:
■ Experience Prana Flow classes to
awaken dormant energetic patterns
and reconnect to the sacred within
■ Learn the Prana Flow wave theory of
sequencing
■ Create a personal Prana Flow
sequence
> Note: This program is appropriate
for experienced practitioners and yoga
teachers. Completion of this program is
applicable toward Shiva Rea’s 200/300
hour teacher-training certification pro-
gram and Yoga Alliance CEUs.
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Tuition-Free for Member Teachers
The Foundation of Yoga: A Study
of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
June 11–13
With Sandra Anderson
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is the most
comprehensive early text describing
hatha yoga and its practices. The focus
of the text, and of our study, is prana—
the innate vital force. We’ll discover the
subtle aspects of practice intended to
awaken the spiritual power buried deep
in the nervous system and mind. In
workshop format, we will explore:
■ The tantric origins of hatha yoga
■ The purpose and intention of hatha
yoga in spiritual practice
■ Purification of the body with three of
the six cleansing practices (shat kriyas)
■ Balancing and focusing the oscil-
lating positive and negative energy
poles through asanas, pranayamas,
and bandhas
> Suggested Reading: The Hatha
Yoga Pradipika by Svatmarama
(text by Swami Muktibodhananda,
Bihar School, recommended).
> Cost: Tuition-free for members hold-
ing yoga teacher certification; other
members $250; non-members $275.
Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Journey to OneSelf: The Five
Dimensions of Human Experience
June 18–20
With Gary Kraftsow
Journey to OneSelf is an exploration
of panchamaya, the five dimensions
of human experience, as described in
Vedic texts. The practices and experi-
ences of the workshop are intended to:
■ Nourish the physical
■ Energize the vital
■ Educate the intellect
■ Refine the personality
■ Fulfill the heart
Using the tools of asana, pranayama,
chanting, deep relaxation, meditation, and
personal ritual, we will explore the multi-
dimensionality of human experience and
infuse each dimension with awareness,
intention, peace, and commitment.
> Suggested Reading: Yoga for Well-
ness and Yoga for Transformation by
Gary Kraftsow.
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
800.822.4547 79
Himalayan Institute Program Guide
Y O G A P H I L O S O P H Y
The Lost Masters:
Our Forgotten Spiritual History
March 26–28
With Linda Johnsen
Yoga ashrams in Europe 2,600 years
ago? Famous Greek philosophers
studying in India? Jesus in Kashmir?
Meditation classes in ancient Rome?
Award-winning author Linda Johnsen
has uncovered historical evidence of
spiritual practices in the ancient West-
ern world paralleling the yoga tradition
of India. Review the latest findings on
the surprising historical links between
India and early Christianity, the Magi,
and the Druids. We will:
EXPLORE THE SACRED NATURE OF OUR
BODY AND THE WORLD AROUND US.
80 HimalayanInstitute.org
■ Explore teachings of karma and
reincarnation as they were taught
throughout the ancient Western
world
■ Learn why top scholars now acknowl-
edge that Druids and yogis were part
of the same tradition
■ Discover what Gnostic Christians
really believed
■ Practice the style of meditation
taught in Rome 2,000 years ago
> Suggested Reading: Lost Masters:
Sages of Ancient Greece by Linda
Johnsen.
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Living TantraTM Series (Part 1 of 6)
Tantric Tradition and Techniques
17-City Tour Starts April 16
Honesdale, PA (and via Web)
April 30–May 2
With Pandit Rajmani Tigunait
Tantra is the key to a life of fulfillment
and prosperity. This seminar is the
gateway to a comprehensive under-
standing of tantra and how the tantric
approach to health, healing, spiritual-
ity, and religion empowers us to excel
in every aspect of life. The underlying
theme is the awakening of kundalini
shakti at the navel center, the founda-
tion for all forms of tantric practice.
We’ll lay the groundwork for this
crucial awakening with the practice of
prana dharana. We’ll also explore the
difference between tantric and non-
tantric versions of yoga, meditation,
and religion, and discover how tantra
has shaped astrology and ayurveda
and influenced the art of India, Tibet,
China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
> Cost and Registration: For more
information see insert between pages
72 and 73.

Live Your Yoga: Ten Principles
to Guide Your Life
May 14–16
With Irene Petryszak and HI Faculty
Step off the mat and into the world.
Yoga is more than postures and breath-
ing practices; it’s about self-discovery
and exploration. Who are you really?
Why do you do the things you do? And
how can you change what you want to
change? This seminar focuses on the
yamas and niyamas, ten principles that
comprise the first two steps in the eight-
fold path of raja yoga, as described in
the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Come join
us in a combination of lecture, discus-
sion, and guided hatha and meditation
practice. You will learn:
■ How the yamas and niyamas can help
you with the many different stages
and trials of life
■ How to deal with your problems in a
conscious and compassionate way
■ How to apply your personal yoga in
daily life
> Suggested Reading: The Royal
Path: Practical Lessons on Yoga by
Swami Rama; Yoga: Mastering the
Basics by Sandra Anderson and Rolf
Sovik (pages 224–229).
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Tuition-FREE for Member Teachers
The Foundation of Yoga: A Study
of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
June 11–13
With Sandra Anderson
See page 79 for more details.
Andrea Killam
For accommodation rates and registration details, see page 90.
Transformation Through Love:
Bhakti Yoga
June 25–27
With Irene Petryszak and Mary Gail Sovik
Bhakti yoga, the path of the heart, is love
in its purest and highest form. This path
is our connection to the Divine, and it
offers a framework in which to transform
our worldly relationships—family,
friends, colleagues—into deeply
sustaining spiritual ones. By establish-
ing a relationship with that which is
eternal and unchanging within us, we
can experience true inner peace and joy.
In this seminar we will explore how
to open our hearts through asana,
chanting, meditation, stories of sages
and saints, and discussion about the
path of devotion as described in the
Bhagavad Gita and Narada’s Bhakti
Sutras—focusing on the principles of
love, forgiveness, gratitude, surrender,
and selfless service. The timeless path
of divine love is as alive and relevant
today as it was in the days of the
ancient sages. Come learn how you can
transform your everyday life from the
mundane to the sacred, from the trivial
to the profound.
> Suggested Reading: Narada’s Way of
Divine Love by Swami Prabhavananda;
The Perennial Psychology of the Bhaga-
vad Gita by Swami Rama (Chapter
Twelve).
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Living TantraTM Series (Part 2 of 6)
Secret of Tantric Rituals
Honesdale, PA (and via Web)
July 23–25
With Pandit Rajmani Tiguanit
This is an opportunity to explore the
sacred nature of our body and the world
around us so we can experience the joy
that is our birthright. We will examine
the scientific basis for tantric rituals and
how these rituals awaken subtle forces
of nature, ward off obstacles, and create
conditions favorable to both worldly
success and spiritual growth.
We will explore both the mystery of the
inner fire, which leads to inner awaken-
ing and personal empowerment, and
the mystery of the fire ceremony, which
leads to healing the natural world.
We’ll learn how to select and combine
ritual ingredients, build a sacred fire,
apply the appropriate mantras, and
infuse the entire practice with the inner
fire residing at the navel center. Major
topics include:
■ The science of fire: the formulas for
fire ceremonies, the techniques for
selecting ingredients, building the
fire, and making the offering
■ Why the first three chakras and their
physical counterparts are the most
afflicted areas in our body, and how
tantric rituals can repair this damage
■ Tantric rituals and herbal formulas
for creating a new reality and reshap-
ing our destiny
■ The power of collective conscious-
ness and the role of tantra in creating
a peaceful atmosphere in a troubled
world
> Cost and Registration: For more
information see insert between pages
72 and 73.
800.822.4547 81
Himalayan Institute Program Guide
M E D I T A T I O N
Dynamics of Meditation®:
The Inward Journey
March 5–7 , April 9–11, May 7–9,
June 4–6, July 2–4
With HI Faculty
Dynamics of Meditation is the Insti-
tute’s flagship seminar. Get in touch
with your physical vitality, free the
forces of your mind, sharpen your intel-
lect, and unfold your innate spiritual
self. Topics include:
■ How to sit, breathe, relax, and con-
centrate in preparation for meditation
■ How to assess your physical, mental,
and energetic capacities
■ How to curb the roaming tendencies
of the mind
■ How to meditate on the breath and
the primordial sound
> Suggested Reading: Meditation and
Its Practice by Swami Rama; Moving
Inward: The Journey to Meditation
by Rolf Sovik.
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Holiday Retreat: Rest, Reflect,
& Renew
April 2–4
Join us for the holidays! It’s a golden
opportunity—join other committed
seekers to reflect on the spiritual mean-
ing of this special season and to deepen
your practice. See Meditation Retreats
(right) for more details.
> Cost: Accommodations only.
Mantra and the Art of
Meditation
July 9–11
With Rolf Sovik
Yoga practitioners use a variety of man-
tras to protect and guide the mind in
meditation. These include the so’ham
mantra, mantras given for individual
practice, and powerful mantras from
ancient scriptures such as the Vedas.
But what sort of protection does the
mind need? And what sort of guidance
do various mantras offer? This weekend
seminar will explore the practice of man-
tra meditation in depth—with attention
both to the methods for using a mantra
and the meanings associated with par-
ticular mantras. You’ll learn:
■ The real nature of stilling the mind in
meditation
■ The role of trustful surrender in medi-
tation and daily life
■ The practical foundation leading to
mantra meditation
■ How to complete an extended mantra
practice
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Meditation Retreats
Come anytime and stay as long as you
wish! Enjoy our beautiful 400-acre
wooded campus, meditate in the pres-
ence of the sacred flame, and create a
program of renewal and spiritual prac-
tice that is right for you. We provide a
quiet room, meals, hatha yoga classes,
videotaped lectures, and suggestions
to make your program enjoyable. Book
a wellness service at the Total Health
Center for an additional fee. Weekend
seminars are not included.
> Cost: Accommodations only.
 A Y U R V E D A & H E A L T H
Pancha Karma
March 3–7, March 17–21,
April 7–11, April 21–25, May 5–9,
May 19–23, June 2–8, June 16–20,
July 7–11, July 21–25
Come enjoy ayurveda’s quintessential
cleansing and rejuvenation treatment.
Pancha karma promotes healing and
renewal by eliminating toxins and
restoring the free flow of energy in the
body. The four-day program includes:
■ Ayurvedic consultation with our
holistic physician
■ Daily ayurvedic massage, oil
treatments, and steam therapy
■ Daily hatha yoga and meditation
instruction
■ Biofeedback session
■ Light cleansing diet
■ Various cleansing techniques as
prescribed
■ Evening lectures on ayurveda,
cleansing, and meditation
■ Concluding physician consultation
with lifestyle recommendations
Relax in a chalet-style Guest House
surrounded by peaceful wooded
grounds. The program begins on
Wednesday afternoon and concludes
at noon on Sunday. Space is limited
to four participants, and fills quickly;
reserve in advance through the Hima-
Left: Jim Filipski / Guy Cali Assoc.; Model: Luke Ketterhagen
layan Institute Total Health Center,
570-647-1500.
> Cost: $1,250. Add $500 for 4 nights’
private accommodations. A $500
deposit is required at the time of
registration.
CLEANSING TECHNIQUES CAN REMOVE THE DEBRIS THAT CLOGS
US, AND FREE OUR VITAL ENERGY TO FLOW WITH EASE.
Tuition-FREE for Members
The Art of Self-Care: Discover
the Healing Power of Yoga
March 12–14
With Rolf Sovik
Modern medicine offers many helpful
tools to address symptoms of sickness
and injury. But we can supplement
medical care and guard against future
illness by cultivating healing strategies
of self-care. Yoga serves as an integral
practice for self-care, leading from
suffering to healing, and from healing
to self-fulfillment. Explore the theory
and techniques of personal health, and
develop a spirit of optimism that will
sustain you through any ailment. This
weekend retreat will include:
Asana and deep relaxation methods for:
■ Recognizing imbalances
■ Creating self-acceptance
■ Awakening inherent healing energy
■ Expanding the physical and mental
space for healing
Meditation methods for:
■ Seeing the positive potential of illness
■ Cultivating peace and health
■ Practicing healing mantras
■ Turning toward trustful surrender
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
Living Ayurveda: The Power
of Cleansing
April 22–25
With Carrie Demers, MD,
James Miles, and HI Faculty
In our fast-paced, over-consuming
world, we have lost sight of the impor-
tance of clearing toxins from our bodies
and minds. We imbibe food and all
sorts of sensory and mental impres-
sions that are then stored in our cells
and memories. This accumulation
burdens us, making us physically and
mentally run down, and can lead to ill-
ness. Cleansing techniques can remove
the debris that clogs us, freeing the
bodily fluids, vital energy, and the mind
to flow with ease. Come learn cleansing
tools to use throughout your life. Our
experienced staff will provide informa-
tion from a variety of sources, including
yoga, ayurveda, and eclectic herbalism.
Participants will be led through a juice
fast and an optional complete intestinal
cleanse. Topics that will be covered:
■ The effects of cleansing on
consciousness
■ The benefits of juicing
■ Herbs for cleansing the blood, liver,
and intestines
■ The yogic kriyas
■ A cleansing diet and the pros and
cons of fasting
■ The importance of intestinal cleansing
■ Types of enemas and their uses
> Note: This program begins on
Thursday evening and concludes
at noon on Sunday. Enrollment is
800.822.4547 83
Himalayan Institute Program Guide
A Y U R V E D A
limited. All participants will undergo
a brief health screening to determine
that these cleansing practices are safe
for them. This program is not suitable
for those who are pregnant or who
have gastritis, ulcers, or inflammatory
bowel disease.
> Cost: Members $360; non-members
$400. Add 3 nights’ accommodations.
Stress Busters: Practical Tips for
a Hectic Lifestyle
July 16–18
With HI Faculty
Take a weekend to invest in your own
well-being. In this day and age of mobile
phones, e-mail, and ever-shortening
deadlines, we all need a refresher course
on how to reduce stress in our busy lives.
Learn and practice simple asanas,
breathing and relaxation techniques,
and wellness tips selected specifically
for today’s yoga-minded corporate
types. Walk away from this weekend
feeling empowered to bring balance and
calm back to your daily life. Learn:
■ Stress buster exercises for home,
work, and even the car
■ Powerful breathing techniques to
relieve stress
■ Deep relaxation techniques
■ The art of joyful movement
■ How to replenish your immune system
■ Meditation in action
> Suggested reading: The Art of Joy-
ful Living by Swami Rama, Freedom
from Stress by Phil Nuernberger,
PhD, Science of Breath by Swami
Rama et al.
> Cost: Members $250; non-members
$275. Add 2 nights’ accommodations.
84 HimalayanInstitute.org
& H E A L T H
Upcoming Programs with Susan Taylor, PhD
Feed Your Fire™ Series
Eat, Breathe, Meditate for
Optimal Metabolism
Dr. Susan Taylor, a nutritional bio-
chemist who has trained in yoga sci-
ences for the past 30 years, has brought
East and West together to create the
Feed Your Fire system of healing, resto-
ration, and rejuvenation for women.
Stoke the Fire of Your Body
April 15–18
You’ll discover how to properly nourish
your body so that it fully rejuvenates
your brain and your mental energies. In
an invigorating teaching program that
combines diet, movement, breathing,
and meditation, you will:
■ Discover your unique energy pattern
■ Gain a new understanding of nutri-
tion and the brain
■ Learn how to ignite your metabolism,
balance your hormones, and maintain
your optimal weight
■ Create a Personal Vitality Planner
■ Enhance your internal and external
beauty
■ Learn restorative exercises designed
to infuse your body with vital energy
Ignite the Fire of Your Mind
June 10–13
To live intelligently means more than
simply cultivating your intellect. Equally
important is the ability to tap your intu-
ition and inner wisdom. This module of
the Feed Your Fire program will help
you discover:
■ The principle of creating a balanced
mind with diet, breath, and meditation
■ Nutrients and herbs that cultivate
and nurture an active, joyful, and
vital mind
■ The relationship between your
thought patterns and the foods you eat
■ Techniques for enhancing concentra-
tion and memory
■ Finding your creative outlet
■ Detoxifying your mind—getting rid
of mental clutter
To register for Susan Taylor’s
programs, call 978-255-1379 or visit
drsusantaylor.com. To reserve accom-
modations, call the Himalayan
he Himaalaaya IInstitute
y n In sttit
i ut
ue
at 800-822-4547.
 Total Detox:
Reclaim Your Vital Energy
and Focus
March 25–28, June 10 –13

With Carrie Demers, MD, Mary

Cardinal, Shari Friedrichsen, and
James Miles
Take advantage of this profound oppor-
tunity to gain firsthand experience of
the rejuvenating impact of a balanced,
systematic detoxification process. Learn
how to optimize the functions of five
major cleansing organs: the colon, kid-
neys, liver, lungs, and skin.
In this three-day experiential learning for-
mat, you will learn how to incorporate
the best ayurvedic and yogic cleansing
and renewal techniques into your daily Total Health Center
life, so that you can once again feel and Specializing in Ayurvedic and Yogic Techniques
perform at your best.
For over 35 years, the Total Health Center has combined Western medicine
The practical program format incor- with Eastern systems of healing in an integrated approach to holistic health.
porates carefully planned exercise, Our therapeutic treatments are designed for accelerated healing, preventive
relaxation, self-reflection, self-massage, care, and long-lasting vitality. Join us for a comprehensive ayurvedic health
juicing, and an herbal extract and dietary program such as Pancha Karma, Total Detox, or Ayurvedic Rejuvenation,
regime to facilitate total cleansing and or choose from a wide range of à la carte services, including:
detoxification.
■ Therapeutic massage and body treatments
> Added Bonus: All participants of the ■ Biofeedback
Total Detox Program will receive a ■ Holistic chiropractic care
free massage from our Total Health ■ Individualized yoga therapy
Center. ■ Consultation with an ayurvedic physician
> Note: Space is limited. This program
Ginger & jar: Andrea Killam; Massage: Yanik Chauvin / Fotolia.com

Ayurvedic health programs are supervised by Carrie Demers, MD,

is not open to participants in any of
medical director of the Total Health Center for the last 12 years. A holis-
the Himalayan Institute Residential
tic physician, board-certified in internal medicine, Dr. Demers integrates
Programs, including the Self-Trans-
modern and holistic approaches to health, including ayurveda, herbs,
formation Program.
homeopathy, yoga, nutrition, and lifestyle changes.
> Cost: Members $450; non-members
$500. Add 3 nights’ accommodations. Our combined approach to wellness will help you
re-establish your natural state of ease and wholeness,
and restore harmony between body and mind.
For a complete list of services, visit:
himalayaninstitute.org/totalhealthcenter.
Call ahead to book your appointment: 570-647-1500

800.822.4547 85
Himalayan Institute Program Guide
R E S I D E N T I A L
Immerse yourself
people devoted to personal growth, selfless service, and the ongoing humanitarian
projects of the Himalayan Institute.
Self-Transformation Program™
March 4–30, April 8–May 4, May
6–June 1, June 3–29, July 1–27
Learn and practice proven techniques
for transforming your habits and creat-
ing a healthier lifestyle in this power-
ful four-week residential program.
Attend the Institute’s popular weekend
seminars and participate in daily yoga
classes and progressive study sessions
on the body, breath, mind, and soul.
With four to five hours of karma yoga
(selfless service) a day, you become an
integral part of the community, while
learning to maintain your practice in
the midst of daily activities.
> Cost: Members $750; non-members
$825.
All residential programs are by application only. Cost includes accommodations
and vegetarian meals. To apply or learn more, call 570-253-5551 ext. 3018 or
e-mail residential@himalayaninstitute.org.
P R O G R A M S
in a community of
10-Day Residential Program
This program includes two weekend
seminars, five hours of karma yoga on
weekdays, and daily yoga classes and
practicums. Begin on any Friday and
stay through the following Sunday.
> Cost: Members $400; non-members
$440.
Residential Internship Program
If you wish to make a long-term com-
mitment to self-transformation and
service, join our vibrant community of
spiritual seekers. As a resident, you will
enjoy numerous educational opportuni-
ties, share in daily karma yoga, support
our humanitarian efforts, and practice
time-tested yoga disciplines. Begin with
a month-long Self-Transformation Pro-
gram, included in the cost.
> Cost: $3,000 for one year. Internships
of three to nine months are also avail-
able; cost is $300 per month after the
Self-Transformation Program.
Organic Gardening
Apprenticeship Program
April 30–September 30
Learn and practice the art of organic
gardening while participating in the
Himalayan Institute Residential Pro-
gram. This five-month apprenticeship
provides hands-on experience and train-
ing in organic gardening techniques,
as well as the full range of educational
programs and community activities
available to Institute residents. We will
focus on a variety of organic methods for
composting, mulching, seed propaga-
tion, greenhouse techniques, plant selec-
tion, crop planning, bed preparation,
soil types, planting calendars, pest and
pathogen control, seed saving, irrigation,
and cultivation. The program begins
with a month-long Self-Transformation
Program, included in the cost.
> Cost: $1,200 for five-month program.
Scholarships are available for quali-
fied students.
 T E A C H E R T R A I N I N G P R O G R A M S

D edicated to a tradition of excellence

in teaching for 35 years, the Himalayan
Institute offers yoga teachers compre-
hensive and systematic training in classi-
cal yoga. We teach yogic techniques for
body, breath, mind, and spirit in 200-
and 500-hour certification programs.
Our program topics include system-
atic meditation training, quality asana
instruction, training in pranayama
and relaxation techniques, therapeutic
yoga, yoga philosophy and psychology,
anatomy, diet, and lifestyle.
The Himalayan Institute is a registered
school with Yoga Alliance, meeting the
requirement for national registration at
both the 200- and 500-hour levels.

200-Hour Yoga Teacher 500-Hour Yoga Teacher Study in India: 200- and
Certification Program Certification Program 500-Hour Yoga Teacher
Three-Week Training Intensive Spring Segment: April 23–May 2 Certification Programs
June 25–July 18 Summer Segment: August 6–15 February 2011

With Rolf Sovik, Sandra Anderson,
Shari Friedrichsen, Carrie Demers, MD,
and HI Faculty
Includes theory and practice of all
aspects of yoga, teaching techniques,
introduction to Sanskrit, anatomy and
physiology, stress management, and
mantra meditation. Additional require-
Residents: Maureen Cassidy; Yoga class: Blend Images / Alamy
With Rolf Sovik, Sandra Anderson,
Shari Friedrichsen, and HI Faculty
Two 10-day segments (spring and sum-
mer) include all contact-hour require-
ments for advanced teacher training.
Students may begin their training with
either segment. See hita.org for more
information.
Immerse yourself in the spirit of yoga
and imbibe the wisdom of an unbroken
spiritual lineage in its homeland. Both
the 200-hour and the 500-hour training
programs will be offered at our garden
campus on the bank of the Ganga in Alla-
habad, India. These programs include
visits to shrines and sacred sites. For more
information visit hita.org.

ments include assigned reading, home

> Prerequisites: 200-hour certification
study, exams, meditation journal, and > Cost: Call 800-822-4547 for more
or equivalent and a regular practice.
a teaching evaluation. See hita.org for information.
Open to students of all traditions.
more information on course content.
Participation is by application only.
Participation is by application only.
> Cost: Tuition $1,500 per segment;
> Note: This training includes Teach-
application fee and HI membership
ing Methods (July 12–July15) and
(nonrefundable) $100; accommoda-
Yoga and Ayurveda (July 15–July 18) Registered Yoga School
tions $50/night.
> Cost: Tuition $2,400; application fee
and HI membership (nonrefundable) How to apply: To download an application, visit hita.org. For more information
$100; accommodations $50/night; and to reserve your accommodations, call 800-822-4547 (press 6).
books (approximate) $280.

800.822.4547 87
Himalayan Institute Program Guide
meet our
Sri Swami Rama
faculty
Founder
One of the greatest adepts,
teachers, writers, and human-
itarians of the 20th century,
Swami Rama is the founder
of the Himalayan Institute.
Although he left his body in
1996, his teachings live on in
his students and in his books.
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
Spiritual Head
Chairman and Spiritual Head
of the Himalayan Institute,
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait is
the successor to Sri Swami
Rama. Family tradition gave
him access to a vast range of
spiritual wisdom preserved
in both the written and the oral
traditions. As a young man, he lived and
studied with renowned adepts before
meeting his spiritual master, Swami
Rama of the Himalayas. Pandit Tigunait
is fluent in both Vedic and Classical
Sanskrit and has an encyclopedic
knowledge of the scriptures. He holds a
doctorate in Sanskrit from the University
of Allahabad, and another in Oriental
Studies from the University of Pennsyl-
vania. He has written 14 books and has
lectured and taught worldwide for more
than 30 years.
Sandra Anderson Greg Capitolo Mary Cardinal
Sandra Anderson
Co-author of the award-winning Yoga:
Mastering the Basics and a senior editor
for Yoga+, Sandra Anderson’s work
draws on her studies of traditional yoga
texts and her extensive visits to India,
where she conducts an annual yoga
teacher training program. Sandra holds
a degree in geology and began her stud-
ies in yoga while working in the environ-
mental protection field. Initiated into the
Himalayan tradition in 1988, she lives at
HI and teaches all aspects of yoga.
Greg Capitolo
Greg Capitolo began practicing hatha
yoga and meditation in 1994. He
studied with several experienced yoga
teachers while working in accounting,
finance, and IT. After completing
the Himalayan Institute’s teacher
training program in 2005, Greg began
teaching yoga classes at corporations
such as Oracle and Sybase. In 2006,
Greg took residence at HI, where he
currently serves as the Director of
Finance and Information.
Mary Cardinal
A yoga teacher and educator specializ-
ing in therapeutic yoga, Mary Cardinal
serves as the yoga therapy coordinator
for the Total Health Center at the
Himalayan Institute’s headquarters
Carrie Demers Shari Friedrichsen
in Honesdale, PA. She is the former
coordinator of the Himalayan Insti-
tute Teachers Association, and holds
degrees and certification in both tradi-
tional and Montessori education.
Carrie Demers, MD
Board-certified in internal medicine,
Carrie Demers, MD, is a holistic physi-
cian who blends modern medicine with
traditional approaches to health. After
receiving her medical degree from the
University of Cincinnati, Dr. Demers
went on to study massage, homeopathy,
nutrition, herbal medicine, yoga, and
ayurveda. She has been the Director of
the Himalayan Institute Total Health
Center for the last 12 years. Widely
recognized for her expertise in holistic
health, Dr. Demers has been inter-
viewed by numerous magazines and
newspapers. She lectures nationally on
holistic health and ayurveda.
Shari Friedrichsen
Shari Friedrichsen has been teaching
yoga for over three decades. She is a
key facilitator at the teacher training
programs at Santa Monica Yoga and the
Himalayan Institute. Shari has studied
asana and meditation with respected
teachers like Pandit Rajmani Tigunait,
Amma Sri Karunamayi, B.K.S. Iyengar,
and Judith Lasater. As a subtle anatomy
Sarah Goddard James (Slim) Miles
expert, her unique style integrates the
breath, proper alignment, and visualiza-
tions to draw the student deep into the
inner experience of each posture.
Sarah Goddard
Sarah Goddard earned a master’s degree
in materials engineering and completed
an eight-year career prior to joining the
Himalayan Institute in 2004. A student
of yoga for over 10 years, she has taught
yoga in corporate, clinical, and studio
settings. Sarah currently serves as the
Program Manager for HI.
James (Slim) Miles
An herbalist and natural health consul-
tant, Slim Miles has worked in the natu-
ral foods industry for almost 20 years.
He served as the Director of Production
and National Herbal Education at Gaia
Herbs before coming to the Himalayan
Institute in 1998, where he teaches herbal
medicine, ayurveda, homeopathy, aro-
matherapy, and cleansing for health. As
HI Head of Research and Development,
Slim customizes herbal supplements and
formulates Himalayan Institute products.
Karina Ayn Mirsky
A certified teacher of Rod Stryker’s
ParaYoga, Karina Ayn Mirsky is the
director of Sangha Yoga in Kalamazoo,
MI. She draws on her experiences as a
performance artist, massage therapist,
and cancer survivor to convey yoga as
a therapeutic science and catalyst for
personal transformation. Karina was
featured in the March 2008 issue of Yoga
Journal as one of 21 teachers under the
age of 40 who are shaping the future of
yoga in America.
James
Karina (Slim) Miles
Ayn Mirsky Karina(K.O.)
Kathy Ayn Mirsky
Ornish
Irene (Aradhana) Petryszak
Kathy (K.O.) Ornish
Kathy Ornish is a certified yoga thera-
pist and teacher through Gary Kraft-
sow’s American Viniyoga Institute
(AVI), a certified ParaYoga teacher,
and has studied in the Iyengar and
Himalayan Institute traditions. She is
a consultant at the Preventative Medi-
cine Research Institute in California
and is a program assistant in the Foun-
dations for Yoga Therapy program at
AVI. Kathy has a yoga therapy practice
and teaches group classes in East Lan-
sing, Michigan.
Irene (Aradhana) Petryszak
A senior editor of Yoga+, Irene Pet-
ryszak served as the Chairman of
the Himalayan Institute from 1996
to 2008. She holds a master’s degree
in Eastern studies, and has studied
and practiced yoga for 30 years in the
United States and India under the guid-
ance of Swami Rama and Pandit Raj-
mani Tigunait. She teaches meditation
and yoga philosophy at HI.
Rolf Sovik, PsyD
President and Spiritual Director of the
Himalayan Institute, and a clinical psy-
chologist in private practice, Rolf Sovik
has studied yoga in the United States,
India, and Nepal, and holds degrees
in philosophy, music, Eastern studies,
and clinical psychology. Co-director
of the Himalayan Institute of Buffalo,
he began his practice of yoga in 1972,
and was initiated as a pandit in the
Himalayan tradition in 1987. He is the
author of Moving Inward, co-author of
the award-winning Yoga: Mastering the
Basics, and a columnist for Yoga+.
Kathy Ornish
Irene (Aradhana) Petryszak
Mary Gail Sovik
Mary Gail Sovik
Co-director of the Himalayan Institute
in Buffalo, NY, Mary Gail Sovik has
studied yoga since 1973 under the
guidance of Swami Rama and Pandit
Rajmani Tigunait. She holds a master’s
degree from the University of Notre
Dame in guidance counseling. She
teaches meditation and guides women’s
spirituality groups in Buffalo.
Ishan Tigunait
Son of Pandit Rajmani Tigunait,
Ishan Tigunait received his first spiri-
tual lessons from Swami Rama. He
earned a degree in computer engineer-
ing and worked for IBM before return-
ing to the Institute to head the Energy
Farming initiative, which provides
sustainable rural empowerment for
communities in developing countries.
Ishan now serves as Director of Stra-
tegic Development for the Himalayan
Institute and spearheads the expan-
sion of the Institute’s humanitarian
projects around the world.
Deborah Willoughby
The founding editor of Yoga+, Deborah
Willoughby holds a master’s degree in
English literature from the University of
Virginia. After a career in Washington,
DC, as a writer and editor, she turned
her attention full-time to the study and
practice of yoga. She has studied with
Swami Rama and Pandit Rajmani
Tigunait in both the United States and
India, and served as President of the
Himalayan Institute from 1994 to 2008.
She currently teaches meditation, yoga
philosophy, and Vedanta at the
Honesdale campus.
800.822.4547 89
Rolf
Rolf Sovik
Sovik Ishan
Ishan Tigunait
Tigunait Deborah
Deborah Willoughby
Willoughby
Himalayan Institute Program Guide

registration
Register…
Online
and guest information
Room Descriptions
Dormitory: Separate dorms for men and
Plan your experience
Payment
women accommodate up to 18 guests; For the total cost of your stay, add the
HimalayanInstitute.org bunk beds only; shared hall bath. (We cost of accommodations to the program
cannot guarantee lower bunks. If you tuition (indicated at the end of each
By phone program description). Full payment
are unable to use an upper bunk, please
800-822-4547 select another type of accommodation.) is required at time of registration and
Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. EST can be made with VISA, MasterCard,
Standard Double: Double occupancy
AMEX or Discover.
room with two twin beds; sink in room;
By e-mail shared hall bath. There are a limited Cancellations/Refunds: All monies
seminars@himalayaninstitute.org number of rooms with a full bed; please will be refunded in full, less a $75 pro-
make reservations in advance. cessing fee, if you cancel 24 hours or
Accommodations more prior to your arrival date. If you
Accommodations include vegetarian meals, Standard Single: Private room with twin
cancel within 24 hours of your arrival
hatha yoga classes, and full use of guest bed(s); sink in room; shared hall bath.
date, all monies will be refunded, less
facilities. Please make your reservations at Deluxe with semi-private bath: Double a $250 processing fee. A refund is not
least two weeks in advance. occupancy; sink in room; shared bath. available if you cancel on the work-
Regular accommodations Deluxe with private bath: Full bed;
shop’s arrival day, if you do not show
(per person, per night) private bath. up, or if you leave an event early for
any reason. The Himalayan Institute
Pricing Member Non-Member Deluxe Suite: Full bed; private bath; reserves the right to substitute faculty
Dormitory $65 $75 sitting area with sleep sofa. for any event and to cancel any program
Standard Double $75 $95 Guest House: Chalet-style two-bed- at any time. Upon cancellation, you will
Standard Single $115 $150 room apartment with private bath; be given a complete refund.
small living room/sitting area with sleep Discounts: In addition to the 10%
Deluxe accommodations sofa; kitchenette with refrigerator (no membership discount, we offer an
(Single occupancy rate below; cooking facilities). optional student and senior (65+) dis-
$65 per additional guest*) count of 10% on most programs and
Solo travelers: If you are traveling
Pricing Member Non-Member alone and have reserved a shared room accommodations. Discounted group
(double), we will assign a roommate of rates are also available. Please call 800-
Deluxe with
semi-private bath $150 $180 the same gender. 822-4547 for more information.
Deluxe with Meals Financial Assistance: The Himalayan
private bath $180 $210 The Institute’s nutritionally balanced veg- Institute endeavors to make spiritual
Deluxe Suite etarian meals are always freshly prepared and educational programs available
with private bath $210 $240 by our kitchen staff and served with to everyone. We offer some financial
homemade bread. When possible, we assistance to students who would oth-
Guest House serve food grown in our organic garden. erwise be unable to attend a program.
(per night; up to 3 adults*) Scholarships are by application only;
Breakfast consists mainly of hot cereals deadlines apply. Call 800-822-4547 to
Pricing Member Non-Member (cooked grains), yogurt, and fresh fruit. request an application.
Guest House $240 $270 Lunch is the main meal of the day;
it typically includes rice, legumes
*Families with children: Please call for specifics on your
accommodation options and class attendance policies. (dahl), vegetables (subzi), and salad.
Children ages 6-13 pay half price for meals; children 5 and Supper is light, consisting of soup,
under stay for free.
a side dish, and fresh fruit.
90 HimalayanInstitute.org
Arrival and Departure
Weekend seminars generally begin on
Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. and conclude
Sunday at lunch, unless otherwise noted
in the seminar description.
Check-in time is after 2:00 p.m. on day
of arrival. If arriving after the front desk
closes, check-in instructions will be left
for you at the reception area. Supper is
served from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m; if you are
unable to arrive by 6:40 p.m., please
plan to have supper before arriving at
the Institute.
Check-out time is 2:00 p.m. on day
of departure.
What to Bring: The Institute provides
bed linens and towels. Please bring your
own toiletries, including soap, tooth-
paste, bathrobe, slippers, etc. You may
also wish to bring a flashlight, hatha
yoga mat, and umbrella.
Dress: Modest, casual, and comfortable
clothing is recommended.
Guest Facilities
With the exception of the Guest
House, rooms are located in the main
building, a former Catholic seminary.
In the tradition of retreat-style hous-
ing, our accommodations are modest,
without the interruptions of television,
telephone, or radio.
Wireless Internet: Access is available in
many public areas of the Institute.
Himalayan Institute Total Health
Center: A range of wellness treatments
and health services—including thera-
peutic massage, ayurvedic consultations,
biofeedback, and yoga therapy—are
available by appointment. Call ahead to
book your treatment: 570-647-1500.
Bookstore: Our well-stocked campus
bookstore carries an extensive collection
of books, DVDs, CDs, yoga attire and
accessories, products from our Total
Health line, and much more.
Humanitarian trAID Bazaar: At our
gallery-style bazaar, you can learn more
about our global humanitarian projects
and purchase gift items crafted by arti-
sans from around the world, including
Sacred Link Jewelry, wood carvings,
and original paintings.
Wellspring Homeopathic Pharmacy
specializes in natural health care prod-
ucts—homeopathic remedies, herbal
extracts, nutritional supplements,
flower essences, and personalized ser-
vices—to help heal the whole person.
Hiking Trails: Our peaceful campus is
surrounded by 400 acres of woods and
meadows. We recommend that you
bring sturdy footwear to explore the
natural beauty of our trails.
Getting Here
Driving
The Himalayan Institute is located
in northeast Pennsylvania at:
952 Bethany Turnpike
Honesdale, PA 18431
Enter the above destination in
Yahoo or Google maps or visit
himalayaninstitute.org/directions.
Global positioning coordinates (GPS)
North: 41.65250 West: 75.29916
Approximate driving times from major
nearby cities:
Scranton, PA 45 minutes
New York, NY 2 hours, 30 minutes
Philadelphia, PA 2 hours, 45 minutes
Boston, MA 5 hours
Washington, DC 5 hours
By Air and by Land
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International
Airport (AVP) is the nearest commercial
airport, approximately one hour’s drive
by car.
Other nearby airports include:
■ Newark Liberty International
Airport, NJ (EWR)
■ JFK International Airport, NY (JFK)
■ LaGuardia Airport, NY (LGA)
■ Philadelphia International
Airport, PA (PHL)
Buses run from New York City’s Port
Authority to downtown Honesdale via
Shortline Bus: coachusa.com/shortline;
800-631-8405.
Taxi via Maple City Transit from AVP
airport to the Institute is approximately
$80 one way, per person ($10 for each
additional person, up to 4 people) and
must be arranged in advance. Taxi from
the bus stop in Honesdale is about $16,
one way. Confirm rates when making
reservations (credit cards not accepted):
570-253-3944.
Car Rental: The Institute has arranged
special rates for our guests with Enter-
prise Rent-A-Car (reserve in advance
and mention the Himalayan Institute);
visit enterprise.com or call 570-253-3844
for details.
Himalayan Institute Branch Centers
offer programs, services, products, and
humanitarian projects around the globe.
In the US:
Honesdale, PA; Buffalo, NY;
Pittsburgh, PA
International:
India, Cameroon,
Great Britain, Curacao, Malaysia
Sacred Link Affiliates are like-minded
yoga studios and organizations offering a
variety of programs and services.
Visit himalayaninstitute.org for more
information on our Branch Centers
and Affiliates.
800.822.4547 91
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 FROMTHESAGES

¤ÀŸ ΔŸ–Òamidam –arvam æatki†ca jagatyŸº úagat |

tena tyaktena bhu†j¤thŸ mŸ g‡dhaÅ kasyasviddhanam ||

Whatever moves in this changing world is enveloped by Isha.

Enjoy it but claim nothing. Do not covet any man’s wealth.
—Isha Upanishad (verse 1)

T he 18 mantras of the Isha Upanishad contain the key to

all secret sciences and higher knowledge. Reflection on
the first mantra gives us an understanding of ideals and
aspirations that will enrich our lives.
The whole universe is immersed in Isha (God). We forget
that God is omnipresent, that everything belongs to God, and
that we have nothing of our own. Ignoring this truth, we be-
come so attached to the world of our creation that in the in-
evitable flux of change we suffer intense pain and anxiety at the
thought of separation from our imagined possessions. The ever-
blowing wind of change quickly transforms everything in this
world, yet a changeless power supports and nourishes all cre-
ation.
The objects of the world can be most enjoyed in an attitude
of perfect non-attachment. When pleasures are enjoyed merely
for their own sake, we become selfishly attached to them—this
demeans our character and sets us up for future suffering. But
Covetousness is a form of attachment. To overcome attach-
ment, understand that God is everywhere and cultivate detach-
ment by pondering the perishable nature of both the body and
the world. This mortal body and its transient enjoyments are
not the ultimate aim in life.
Finally, do not rob anyone of his property or rights. Due to
ignorance and lack of spiritual practice, people cast greedy eyes
on the property of others with the thought of having it for them-
selves. Greed and acquisitiveness cause unhappiness. Moreover,
the universe is immersed in God, and nothing really belongs to
us. Why then should anyone crave the possessions of others?
Who can claim wealth to be his permanent possession?
The ideals embodied in this first mantra of the Isha Upan-
ishad nourish our understanding and spiritual practice: see the
same God in all and everywhere, perform actions and enjoy the
world without attachment, and do not deprive others of their
rights. The highest good, for both individuals and society, flow

Tinyevilhog / Getty Images

when we enjoy the objects of the world in the spirit of detach- from these ideals. ■
ment, they become a means for higher achievement.
Translation and commentary by Swami Rama;
adapted from Book of Wisdom: Ishopanishad.

Listen to this verse in Sanskrit

at yogaplus.org/ishopanishad1.

96 yoga + joyful living

 Revised Edition Praise for Anatomy of Hatha Yoga

Anatomy of “The result of an obvious labor of love, Anatomy of Hatha Yoga explains hatha yoga in
demystified, scientific terms while at the same time honoring its traditions. It should

Hatha Yoga go a long way to helping yoga achieve the scientific recognition it deserves. Useful as
both a textbook and reference, this work is a book that all serious yoga teachers and
practitioners will want on their shelves. It will also be welcomed by sympathetic
physicians—and there are more of us all the time—as well as physical therapists and
A Manual for Students, Teachers, other health professionals.”
and Practitioners —Timothy McCall, M. D., author of Examining Your Doctor:
A Patient’s Guide to Avoiding Harmful Medical Care
Over 100,000 copies sold (from the foreword to Anatomy of Hatha Yoga)

“Anatomy of Hatha Yoga will be the bible for yoga instructors and practitioners who are seeking
in-depth knowledge explaining the anatomy and physiology of their discipline. It will be years, if
ever, before anything comes close to surpassing it.”
—Michael J. Alter, author of Science of Flexibility and Sports Stretch

“Anatomy of Hatha Yoga by Dr. David Coulter contains useful information not only
for yoga instructors, but for anyone working with the musculoskeletal system—
Winner of the physical therapists, bodywork therapists, chiropractors, personal trainers, and mas-
Benjamin Franklin Award sage therapists. I recommend it to everyone who does any kind of bodywork.”
for Health, Wellness, and
—Ohashi, author of Do-It-Yourself Shiatsu, Reading the Body, and The Ohashi
Nutrition
Bodywork Book

“. . . this ranks as one of the most impressive books to come our way in the last several years. . .
Advanced students and yoga teachers will want Anatomy of Hatha Yoga as a desk reference and
will find themselves consulting it repeatedly in the years ahead.”
—Phil Catalfo, Yoga Journal
Figure 10.4b. A dissection of
the peripheral nervous system “Coulter uses anatomy to illuminate the structure and execution of the poses and, at
(adapted from Sappey, 1889)
the same time, brings the anatomy alive through the poses and selected exercises. . .
if you are a Yoga therapist or teacher, or a student who enjoys breaking down the
poses and putting them back together again, then you will most definitely want a
copy of this book to refer to over and over again.”
—Richard Rosen, International Journal of Yoga Therapy
by
H. David Coulter “The book is certainly exhaustive and comprehensive in its scope and breadth, offer-
ing insights into such kriyas, and more subtle aspects of Yoga practice such as mudras and
With a Foreword by bandhas from a Yogic as well as from a Western scientific point of view.”
—Jane Sill, Yoga & Health (UK)
Timothy McCall, M.D.
“Every posture is analyzed exhaustively in terms of the muscle and joint actions
involved, and there are many tips and observations that will help the student to
Distributor: improve his/her yoga practice.”
Cardinal Publishers Group, 2402 N. Shadeland Ave., Suite A, Indianapolis, IN 46219 —Ruth StC Gilmore, Spectrum (UK)
toll free: (800) 296-0481 tel: (317) 352-8200 fax: (317) 352-8202 www.cardinalpub.com
“(Coulter) leads the reader through the intricacies of anatomy systematically, with a
Publisher: watchful eye on the goal: to understand yoga practice better. . . For example, three ways
Body and Breath Inc. to accomplish the sometimes awkward feat of isolating the rectus abdominis muscles in nauli
US $29.95 retail kriya are explained in a section on abdominopelvic exercises.”
—Rolf Sovik, Yoga International

Anatomy of Hatha Yoga is the first modern authoritative source

that correlates the study of hatha yoga with anatomy and physi-
ology. Yoga teachers, personal trainers, medical therapists, or any-
one who is curious or troubled about how the body responds to
stretching and exercise will find in this book a cornucopia—
partly new and partly old—of readable and reliable information.
It was written and edited to meet the needs of a general audience
largely unschooled in the biomedical sciences, and yet to attract and
challenge the interests of medical professionals.
—Body and Breath Inc.
“Coulter’s book is by far the most comprehensive and stands as a definitive statement on
the relationship between yogic practice and human anatomy, as anatomy is defined in terms
of Western biology and physiology.”
—J. S. Alter,
Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries
“(Anatomy of HathaYoga) is a premier book in the field. Every yoga teacher as well as any health
professional or layperson interested in exploring the anatomical and physiological
aspects of hatha yoga should own this unique publication.”
—Martha J Greenberg, Ph. D.,
Doody’s Reviews, reprinted in Choice