Cosmetic Yoga

This is an advertisement we saw in Bangkok prior to arriving in India. I've been thinking about its implications a lot lately and just what exactly is this "yoga" that we're doing.

Is it just a trendy fad that can be distilled down to a catch phrase like "Natural Bliss," and another means of selling anything from books and clothing to make-up, cars, and computers.

What do cosmetics have to do with yoga anyway? Or more pointedly, what does society's idea of "being beautiful" have to do with real yoga?

It seems to me that this picture actually highlights something quite profound about how yoga is being approached today. It seems that more and more people are merely practicing yoga for its "cosmetic value" and nothing more. To us, Yoga is not about getting a more beautiful body, tighter abs, or a sexier ass. It is not about creating some image of external beauty, or trying to "fit-in" with the latest trend. It is about seeing and experiencing your inner beauty, the reality within. It is a pertinent issue to ponder, in light of a recent article on “yoga masters” that came out in Vanity Fair Magazine. Are we really practicing and living the teachings of yoga in our daily lives, or are we just buying into another superficial image that is trying to sell us something else we don't really need?

Yoga means to 'yoke' or 'create union'. It can be described as both the process and the goal of becoming completely whole. It is a method for connecting all aspects of oneself and integrating them into a unified being. It is also the act of reaching out and creating union with other people, with the environment, and with the Oneness of all things.
The process of yoga starts to strengthen qualities of truth, sincerity, and integrity within the practitioner.
It is about getting Honest with yourself and living in Reality. It leads to a complete acceptance of oneself and others. Yoga is not about putting on more layers to cover-up who we really are. It is about peeling off all the layers that cover our True Self. It leads to the realization of how completely perfect and beautiful we all are - just as we are - AS IS.

Our Interview with Alex Medin

Alex is one of the few teachers in the world officially certified to teach Ashtanga Yoga by Pattabhi Jois and the AYRI (Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute) in Mysore. In 2004, he completed his post-graduate degree in Sanskrit and Indian religions and has since taught yoga all over the world. Currently, can be either be found practicing in Mysore, or teaching for Pure Yoga at one of their many studios in Asia. It was our honor and pleasure to answer a few questions for him and to be included in his blog for Pure Yoga.

If you are interested to see a current photo of us, and to read our interview with him, please see: Alex's Pure Yoga Blog.


Hope you enjoy!

Back In The Swing Of Things!

Well, it has been a while since we've last written anything. We've been all over the place this last month! Now we're back in the sleepy little city of Mysore taking classes with Sharath and Saraswathi in the big shala, while Guruji recovers.

Pagoda at Chennai Vipassana Center

Here are some photos of our adventures over the month of April. We took a couple of weeks and went to Chennai, where we sat a 10 day Vipassana course at the center there. It is a very beautiful center, and the intense 10 days of meditation were exactly what we needed to help to process all the changes that the occurred over the last couple months.

Dhamma Hall at Vipassana Center in Chennai

The Beach where the Tsunami hit in 2004

While we were in Chennai we visited the Vivekananda House (Swami Vivekananda is the most famous disciple of Ramakrishna and he introduced Yoga to the West in 1893).
The Vivekananda House is a place where Swami Vivekananda stayed for a short time, and it has been turned into a museum in honor of Vivekananda. It is located right on the beach that the Tsunami had covered in 2004. The house itself has a long and interesting history. It used to be called the "Ice House" because it was where the Indian people would store the Ice that they purchased from the English before they learned how to make ice themselves.

After visiting the Vivekananda House we went to see the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram.

Then we were taken on a little pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostle St. Thomas (doubting Thomas of the Bible). St. Thomas brought Christianity to India and was Martyred in a place just outside of Chennai.

A relic of St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus

After visiting the tomb of the Apostle Thomas we went to a cave where he lived and preached outside of for several years. There is a cross engraved on the cave, and it is said that he carved it with his own hands. Apparently the cross used to sweat blood every year on the anniversary of his death.

Jeff in the cave where St. Thomas used to live

We have also been to 2 huge pujas. Here is some pictures of the first one we went to in the house of our friend Dr. Shantala, who is a Doctor of Ayurveda.

Puja offerings being made

The opening of the Puja

We've also been teaching yoga every morning to the kids of our house keeper Rathna.
Here are some photos of the children learning some yoga in our house.

Rathna

Magna (age 4)

Radhikha & Kiran (age 12 & 14)

Ganesha Yoga Shala - Phuket, Thailand

A Big Thanks to Julie for hosting us in Phuket at her Ganesha Yoga Shala! We had a fabulous time at the end of March. Her students were so fantastic, and Phuket was so beautiful!
Here are some photos from our time there.

We definitely recommend a visit to Julie's Yoga Shala if you are traveling through Phuket area in Thailand.
You will love the energy there!


Thanks for the "scrumy yummy" time Julie!

Hugging Amma in Mysore India

On March 1st and 2nd we went for darshan (to see) with Amma
(Sri Mata Amritanadamayi Devi). Amma is also known as the "hugging saint". She has been known to give her loving hugs for up to 48 hours in a row without a single break (not even to pee). She has hugged millions of people worldwide.

Mid morning we entered the tent that was packed with the masses of people from both near and far, all awaiting her arrival, and their chance to receive one of her hugs. We joined in the archana which is an "offering in worship", where the names of a Deity are chanted 108, 300, or 1000 times in one sitting. In this case devotees were changing the Sri Lalita Sahasranama - the thousand names of the Divine Mother, and offering flowers for each name as a symbol of their devotion and surrender to the Divine.

When Amma enters the reception hall there is a noticeable shift in energy. Everyone rises in anticipation and an overwhelming sense of emotion takes over. Surrounded by a radiant aura of compassion and peace, she walks down the middle of the crowd and takes her seat on stage.

She preached a message to the crowd in Malayalam, which was then translated into Kannada--
and after a short period of meditation, she welcomes the devotees to come up and receive a hug. There are so many people who come to see her that numbered cards are given out so that some semblance of order is kept in who is coming up when.

We also went forward and received a hug from the Divine Mother. It is quite an affair. She hugs so fast, 1-2 seconds per hug, but always makes some extra time for those truly in need. Her helpers literally push you into her then pull you off of her, it is an amazing mayhem of grace. It is a great experience just to be in her presence and we can't wait to receive her blessing again. So we'll leave you with a few words from Amma.
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Let us pray and meditate together. That is the way to reach the shore of peace. When we meditate as a group, the life energy of all of us will harmoniously flow to a single stream spreading a divine fragrance soaked in the sweetness of love. This will create vibrations of peace and unity in the atmosphere. Attuning our minds with one Supreme Power and forgetting all thoughts of division, let us open our hearts and sincerely utter the following prayer:

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bavantu
Let all beings in this world and in all the other worlds be peaceful and happy.

Sri Mata Amritanadamayi Devi