Ayurveda Day in Austin

During the first week of October, a small group of people interested in Ayurveda got together to celebrate the first Ayurveda Day in Austin.

AAPNA (Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America) has declared that the first Monday of every October each year will be "Ayurveda Day". Ayurveda Day falls on the eve of the birth celebrations of Dhanwantari. Lord Dhanwantari is the creator of Ayurveda.

AAPNA started as a discussion amongst a group of Ayurvedic Professionals back in 2003 and officially incorporated in December of 2007 as a non-profit 501(c)(6) corporation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA.

Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest medical systems. Like Yoga, the origins are traced back to India. The maing goal of Ayurveda is to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit using hebs, massage and yoga.

Narender Pati organized the Ayurveda Day bringing a paned of experts in Ayurveda and Joytish (Indian Astrology) to discussed health in the US and how Ayurveda can become a support system to the US as complementary medicine.

Kerry Meath an Ayurveda practitioner and now a Master degree student of Public Health mentioned that 28% or Texas residents are obese and 30% overweight. Also 10% of the population in Texas has diabetes and only 45% of youth get regular physical exercise. In terms of cost to the society, the cost of obesity is 5.4 million dollars.

She thinks that Ayurveda principle of understanding the seasons and what to eat depending on each person's dosha (body's constitution) could help to iprove quality of life and health.

Renu Namjoshi a joytish practitioner mentioned that Ayurveda along with Indian astrology can help people recover from illnesses and keep their body in balance. She mentioned that in India, many of the important actitivies of a person are established after consulting the joytish astrologer.

Rocco Bruno mentioned simple tips to improve health like avoiding eating late, exercise frequently, the importance of fresh air and sun's exposure, and cultivation of love.

Though the attendance to this event was modest, they were deeply interested in the subject and eager to learn more about these two sciences that have endured thousands of years.

For more pictures from the event click here.

For more information about this and other Ayurveda events in the area contact Narender Pati at aumayurveda@yahoo.com or visit www.iwfusa.org

Yoga Sanga First Anniversary Celebration!

Hard to believe a year ago we started with the first Yoga Sanga Magazine issue! It has been a great experience to meet great yogis and yoginis commited to their practice and to share what Yoga is about in a deeper sense with the community.

To all those who have written for us, given us an interview or supported the magazine, we thank you so very much!

To celebrate our first anniversary we invited the community in Austin to share with us an evening on a Forum format with the main theme as Yoga & Consciousness.

The speakers gave very interesting and deep reflections related to the theme. We had great food, door giveaways and a very unique Kirtan led by our guest Sant Dharamananda from Wisconsin.

The event was possible because of the generosity of the speakers: Charles MacInerney, Keith Kachtick , Peggy Kelley, Craig Williams, and Sant Dharamananda who came from Wisconsin to celebrate with us. We were so blessed on counting of such great teachers that together have more than 100 years of yoga practice!

Here are some notes from the Forum.

Charles took us into a journey on how life had emerged on Earth and the 200,000 years humans have walked on this planet. He made a point on how technology affect consciousness and the YSF28. Yoga Sanga Magazineexponential rhythm of it that will change our future dramatically. He recommends being mindful and using meditation to accept all the aspects of reality.

Keith used the second sutra of Patanjali's fist book "Yogah cittavritti nirodhah" to make us realize that when we meditate is not much to quiet the mind but at first is the recognition of the mental mechanisms that the mind operates with, with time and practice the awareness will expand to understand Consciousness in a more expanding way.

Peggy used Patanjali's Yoga Sutras to remind us the goal of Yoga, that goes beyond the physical twists and turns of the Asanas. Those poses at the end will prepare the body to explore subtle areas of our being.

YSA17-150x150Craig Williams talked about the western civilization proclivity to commodify everything, including yoga. As an ayurvedic practitioner, he uses this ancient healing science and sister of yoga along with Vedic astrology to help the body open its recuperative healing qualities. All the spiritual practices help to bring our awareness back to what is internal and never dying, our spirit.He invited us to turn inside and to remember who we really are.

Sant Dharamananda talked about the Bhagavad Gita and how Hatha Yoga, Yoga of Knowledge, and Dhyana (meditation)are tools to recognize who we really are. He mentioned that we are spiritual beings trying to live a human life. When we realized that and act in accordance to life, we will ys Forum30become the butterfly we really are.

After enjoying some great food from Chola Indian Restaurant in Round Rock, we all enjoy a wonderful Kirtan led by Sant Dharamananda accompanied by Mark and Gloria Uridel.

Thank y'all for making this a wonderful evening!!!

Rocio Morales

Reassess and Proceed!

Why is spiritually important to understand the impermanence of life?

I have been thinking a lot about the word impermanence lately. Not only because of all the changes I see around me but the experiences that those close to me have gone through.

A dear student recently lost her husband from one minute to the next. An apparently heart problem took a seemingly healthy and active man by surprised, leaving my student and her teenage son trying to make sense of his passing and moving on with their lives.

Although we are aware of Life and Death, we spend little time reflecting on the Impermanence of life. In spite of the fact that we watch the seasons and the moon phases passed it is often hard to realize that Life is change and no matter what we do, frequently we find ourselves adapting to change with some degree of resistance. In itself changes are not bad, they can be uncomfortable, challenging, and a bit distressing but they Can be a great opportunity to grow, adapt and become stronger.

For Buddhists and yogis, impermanence is a cornerstone to understand the plane of existence we live in and how much mindfulness can help to adapt to circumstances.

In her book "Living like dying" Freda Naylor, a doctor who courageously kept a diary as she died of cancer. wrote:
"I have had experiences which I never would have had, for which I have to thank the cancer. Humility, coming to terms with my own mortality, knowledge of my inner strength, which continually surprises me, and more things about myself which I have discovered because I have had to stop in my tracks, reassess and proceed."

When we understand that life is change and no matter how much we resist those changes they will happen. We come to terms with life and its changing nature and we open our spirit to manifest its strength, ability to adapt and regardless of the situation find time to be happy and even grateful for the experiences.

When we listen to the difficult situations someone close to us is going through, besides tending a helping hand, listen to their struggle we can also offer a prayer or meditation to them so they can heal in a harmonious way.
Those experiences give us a great opportunity of putting issues into perspective and gain strength and maturity when the challenging situations know to our door.

In his book "The Tibetan book of Living and Dying" Sogyal Rinpoche comments on impermanence: "So each time the losses and deceptions of life teach us about impermanence, they bring us closer to the truth. When you fall from great height, there is only one possible place to land: on the ground, the ground of truth. And if you have the understanding that comes from spiritual practice, then falling is in no way a disaster but the discovery of an inner refuge. Difficulties and obstacles, if properly understood and used, can often turn out to be an unexpected source of strength."

What is really behind the Ogre in your dream?

What about transforming him into a prince?
By Rocio Morales

It is always exciting to read about scientists and researchers that have been working for many years trying to understand human dreams.
Even more so is to read their recommendations on how to deal with nightmares and its relation to ancient yogic practices.

It seems that we will be talking a lot about dreams because of the release of the new movie "Inception" where a thief is able to steal secrets from the subconscious and even produce a nightmare on the subjects he is stealing from.

In a recent article by Melinda Beck in The Wall Street Journal, she mentions about dreams that "Once thought to represent repressed sexual urges, or simply neurons firing randomly, dreams are now believed to be mash-ups created by the unconscious mind as it processes, sorts and stores emotions from the day"

In many yoga traditions specially in Kriya Yoga we learn to pay attention to our dreams as a way to decipher the symbols that come from the subconscious mind. We do this not only because they will show the emotions we have been dealing with and the unresolved issues in our awake state but also because learning the meaning of those symbols can have an impact in the near future.

Nowadays a small group of psychologist and psychiatrist like Shelby Freedman Harris, director of the Behavioural Sleep Medicine Program at Montefiore Medical Center in N.Y. uses Image Rehearsal Therapy to help people who have frequent nightmares and those with post traumatic stress disorder. The therapy consists in recalling the nightmare in detail and write a new script that they envision several times during the day. This technique gives the patient control over the symbols making them less threatening.

If you are a lucid dreamer, you know that dreams can have different qualities, some of them can definitely relate to our emotions and activities from the day and others have an almost prophetical quality.
How to know the difference? It is recommendable to have a dream journal, it will help to write the memory of the dream and to relate to those symbols 72 h after the dream. This can be a very useful technique to gain control over the symbol and to neutralize the situations that might come around.

Want to have lucidity in your dreams? Do what Yogis and Buddhists have known for centuries:

a) Go to sleep with the intention to remember your dreams
b) Prepare yourself to sleep, turn off the TV, the lights and any other noise around you in other words, slow down.
c) Have a dream journal at hand where you can write the dream symbols as soon as you wake up. On one side (usually the right, write the most important events in your day and on the left the dream symbols)
d) Check some days after the dream and analyze if any of the symbols can relate to that event.
e) If you have a nightmare, as soon as you wake up, go back to the dream (visualize it in your mind) and recreate another ending, make the Ogre a prince and the tarantula a bird.
f) Give your dreams a name
g) Watch for recurrent symbols and its relation to actual events in your life.
h) Most importantly have a sense of wonder and playfulness.

You might be surprised by the frequency and the lucidity of the dreams in a short period of time.

Above all, remember that symbols in your dreams are the language of your subconscious mind. Also it is normal to have periods in your life where you can't remember your dreams.Give yourself time and prepare to fly in your magic carpet!

Fun week of testosterone, soccer and more!

What an interesting week i has been! Besides having my home full of testosterone and soccer as we are hosting three teenagers visiting from Chicago plus my son and husband; I have met wonderful yogis and yoginis.

Having a full house when it is usually very quiet has been a joyful and noisy experience. All the kids are filming a short movie and I like the sound effects and how they direct each other, needless to say the creativity and fun are very high when the budget is very limited!

I went to a luncheon of yoga teachers from Round Rock, Sun City and Georgetown! The ladies work hard to teach yoga. Some of them teach yoga to pregnant ladies, others teach to seniors in closed communities, some teach at dance studios, gyms and park districts. Click on the pictures to meet other lovely yoga teachers in these cities!

I also attended an Astrology meeting from ASA (Astrological Society of Austin). The group meets every month and this week we had a well known yogi, Methab. He gave a presentation on Jotish (Vedic Astrology) and the chakras. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to go deeper into this interesting subject. Nevertheless Mehtab was great at giving us a reminder of the chakras, the difference among traditions and time and how each chakra is related to planetary forces.
His humor and great knowledge made a very interesting time. He is such a caring, approachable man!

As for today, Ruth Jansa invited me to one of her classes. We are working together to make a proposal for Yoga for MS. Her students are so welcoming and enjoy yoga very much, some of them are recovering from different ailments and it was amazing to see them doing traditional poses using support. The average age in that class was 60 years old but the spirit was remarkable jovial!. I learned so much from them today.


This week I invite you to listen to our latest interview with Sant Dharamananda, the preceptor of the Himalayan Education Center, this center hosts disadvantaged students. In this center residents practice hatha yoga, meditation, eat vegetarian food and attend the University of Stout in Wisconsin. Click here to go to page in our website to listen to the interview.

Yoga Sanga July issue is out!

Our July issue is out!!

Please take some time to visit the Yoga Sanga website and read what our writers have prepared for you.

We are pleased to offer an interview with Dr. Karen Mustian where she talks about her research with Yoga and Cancer survivors. Go to the article section to listen to the results from this study.
On this issue you will find: the best way to practice Vinyasa to avoid injuries by Kim Schwartz; an interesting look at Bramacharya by Aileen Hansen; if you are a yoga teacher, Cheryl Alexander wrote a very complete and clear article on health insurance for you; Meet Keith Kachtick, the founder of Dharma Yoga in our teacher's profile section; don't miss Liz Belile interview on how yoga can support fertility treatments.

We are giving the Yoga Sanga Karma Yoga award, to the Himalayan Education Center, a unique place for students to live in an Ashram like environment and attend college in Wisconsin; Kerry Meath will help you understand what Ayurveda is about and much more!

Looking for an event? check our calendar and you can also find a teacher in our directory.

Join our e-mail list and you will earn yoga stuff!


Enjoy the Summer and try something new as Leila Kalmbach suggests in her article for this issue!

Shanti,
Rocio Morales

Have you wondered what is going on in the sky? An eclipse is coming your way!

by Rocio Morales

Some Sundays have a better appealing than the others. For many of us it is a time to relax, and enjoy family and friends. It is also time to start thinking on Monday and all that is around the beginning of the week.

Last Sunday I was excited. After what seemed like a long time, I was ready to connect with my group on a Telesanga. It is the opportunity to listen to my Spiritual guide (Guru) Enoch Dasa Giri, the thought of what he was going to say was in my mind all day.

His message was clear, and as a good Guide he talked about events that are coming our way and how to prepare to face those challenges.

As you may know, Yoga and Astrology are very connected in some traditions more than in others. The reason? for the yogi and astrologer, life is cyclical.
In the same way seasons come and go, events that happened to you when you were for instance, 7, 12, or 28 can determine to some extend what you can expect in the future.
Yogis in their core are "spiritual scientists"; we observe, reflect and hopefully learn form he past to prepare for the future.

When I read a chart for a friend ( I am still pretty much a student on this area), it is always interesting to sense what is the best way to deliver the message found in the natal chart, transits and progressions. Some people just want to hear what pleases the ego and others want to hear it all!
There are few that though they want to know everything, they also feel powerless in the face of the challenges delineated on the chart and don't want to hear about negative events coming their way.
In my humble opinion, they miss to recognize that knowing the future will give us tools to change it, to prepare and to learn how to respond to those events.

Well, the message was about aspects that slow moving planets are forming in the sky right now. The effect depends on how each of our natal chart is delineating and the experiences we are going through.

Here are some of those aspects and a brief explanation to each of them.

* Not too long ago (January 26, 2008) the symbol of transformation (Pluto) went into a new sign (Capricorn); in a nutshell all the structures in your life will change, what doesn't work any more will be hard to maintain, what is weak will crumble opening a space to rebuild. It is the symbol of the Phoenix that sours from its own ashes. To do that a lot of subconscious forces will emerge. For some astrologer the strength of this planet will be seen when Pluto goes into the first decanate (10 degrees or more in Capricorn).

* In June 26, 2010 there will be a Lunar Eclipse, in the words of Linda Sprague's "On June 26 the Lunar Eclipse brings the Moon in Capricorn into a tight conjunction with intense/powerful Pluto. This Full Moon eclipse is forming a Grand Square with the Sun and others planets. Think of a square box. The Sun and Mercury (in Cancer) are one point on the box. Saturn (retrograde in late Pisces) is another point. Jupiter and Uranus (conjunct in Aries) the third point. The Moon exactly conjunct Pluto is the fourth point. We are sitting inside a big heavenly box with tons of pressure and it feels like we can’t get out of it. Fortunately Jupiter and Uranus moved into energetic Aries a few weeks ago. We can get out of this enclosure. The trick is to be innovative and to think out of the box."
Click here to go to NASA's website on information about this event.

* In July 22, 2010 the disciplinarian, hard teacher, builder of structures (Saturn) will move into Libra and stay there for 2 years or so. This will bring conflict between our desire to keep living the way we have and the new energy that will move us to clean up and rebuild.

* To make things interesting, the symbol of sudden changes, rebellion and creativity (Uranus) moved into Aries on May 28, 2010, marking a time of tension and inner search. Last time Pluto and Uranus formed a square was 40 years ago, when the 60s where ending. It will offer challenges to authorities that will find a lot of opposition releasing tremendous energy.

* Jupiter also moved into Aries on June 7, 2010. Bringing good energy to start new enterprises, innovations and new ideas to improve life.

* The last aspect will be Neptune moving into Pisces on February 4, 2012. Neptune is related with mysterious conditions, secret affairs, and the ocean. It is also related to deception/ self-deception and over-indulgence. It gives the opportunity to attune to higher vibrations.

Neptune stays in every sign around 13 years.; Jupiter 1year, Uranus 7 years; Saturn 2.5 years; and Pluto 20 years.

Interestingly all the slower moving planets will have a play in the following years.

What did the master advice?

a) Take a moment to review your own chart and see where those planets are and the interaction with them. If you have your exact birth time, date and place you can get it in many websites.

b) Regardless of what life brings to you, keep performing an spiritual practice. If you don't have one, learn a couple until you find the one that is right to you.

c) Build merit. Recognize that we are here not to be served but to served not only our fellow man, but all the beings that are living around us and Nature in general. What can you do within your means to improve the life of those around you? do it and find joy serving!

This is a great time to unfold, ask questions and find your spiritual path and place in the Universe, good luck!!

Three practices to heal the Earth in the Gulf of Mexico

Watching the pictures coming from the Gulf of Mexico are really heart breaking. I don't think we are aware of the impact in the following months and years that it will have on the Ecology of this body of water, shores and live in general.

As you might know there are things you can do to help with money, time and resources.

At an internal level, this week I would like to offer you three spiritual practices to help stop the gushing of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Please take a moment and join us on on an effort to heal the Earth.

*The first one is from Colin Ryane. Colin is a Dallas, Tx resident and has been studying, practicing, Instructing QiGong with Master Chunyi Lin of Spring Forest and he is also a long time meditator.
-Master Lin We love the earth, Chunyi, what can we do to help the oil leaking in the Gulf?
-
This huge oil gush in the Gulf is part of Mother Earth's body and could be compared to bleeding. Something we can all do together is to visualize the oil leak surrounded in green light with love and the message sent to Earth to stop the bleeding and be completely healed.
 There is power when many come together to send love and healing.

*The second practice was sent by Dr. Masaru Emoto in May on a letter written to the world after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Now let’s give energy of love and gratitude to all the living creatures in Mexico Gulf by praying like this:
I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, planktons, corals, algae and all living creatures.....I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you." Click here to read Dr. Emoto's letter.

*The third practice is an ancient Yoga practice and shared in many spiritual traditions. It is penance. Stop doing something you like for three or four days or avoid doing a negative habit like gossiping or being jealous for this time. Every time you think on what you are refraining from think that your effort, coming from the bottom of your heart will help fix the oil spill and allow the Earth to heal faster.

Hope you will join this crusade to heal the Earth internally and remembering that we all are connected and what happens to our beautiful planet affect all of us.

Shanti,
Rocio Morales

52 days and counting... Do you think greed is responsible for the BP mess?

What can you accomplished in 52 days? By the end of the second month of a baby's life he will have more control over his neck, he will be able to keep his head up when you hold him in a sitting position. His hands also start to unfold. At this time the baby will pack on as much as half a pound a week.
In 52 days the 2010 Soccer World Cup that is starting on June 11th will be a dream and many will go back to their routine and the yelling and excitement to the TV will be all gone.

52 days of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the worst is not over. Time's magazine this week reported "by the end of May, according to the best estimates of the daily leakage rate, the well had poured at least 20 million gal of crude into the Gulf" On the same note The USA Today's headline on June 9th reads "Even the 'best' outcome won't be good."
On that newspaper they estimate that even with the cap in place over the leaking well, 10,000 barrels will still flow into the open water each day.

There is no doubt that this is an ecological catastrophe that no one knows for sure how much it will affect the Gulf ecosystem, from shoreline to deep sea. What the scientist forecast is disastrous.

The question remains, what really happened? was it avoidable if better technology and safety features might have been in place and working? what this the result of negligence?

If you are not a scientist, fishermen or even live in the coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico, should you care about this problem? I hope you do.
I hope you can stop for a moment and reflect on your livelihood and its relationship to the oil spill. Most people want a big house, a big truck (we even have the Texas Edition), an air conditioning unit blasting under 70 degrees on hot days and rarely we stop to think on our impact to the environment we live in; and the resources needed to have all the commodities of the modern life at our fingertips. How much is greed at fault of this environmental disaster?

In yoga we practice Aparigraha, one of the Yamas or abstentions. It means non-greed. Some teachers believe that this is one of the most important yamas and the key to control prana (life-force).

When a yogi practices Aparigraha, he lives within his means and gives back a portion of what he has to a nobler cause.
Sri Goswami Kriyananda on Aparigraha mentions "craving for pleasures... intensifies and activates beyond normalcy the organs of the senses, causing a person to commit violence, in one way or another, against others, and against his own self" 1

Aparigraha allows the yogi to look at the mind and watch its cravings and desires, the mind will never be satisfied and that is the nature of the mind. The yogi reflecting on this starts getting away from the identification with the mind and start becoming happier living a balanced, comfortable and creating a livelihood within his means.

The consequences of the oils spill will affect all of us, take some time and see what can you do to live within your means, protecting the environment you are in and giving back to those less fortunate than you.

Make this oil spill be a lesson for all of us from the oil companies to our children so we can learn to venerate the environment we are in and look for ways to diminish our impact on it.

Here is a link to the WWF where you will find information and how to help with the clean up and recovery of the Gulf of Mexico.



1 Sri Goswami Kriyananda (1976) The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga. Published by the Temple of Kriya Yoga. p16-19

Do you Satya?

The practice of Truthfulness
By Rocio Morales

If you are new to yoga, soon you will realize that Yoga is more than the poses you practice. It is a way of living and has 8 limbs to guide you to Enlightenment. Practicing those eight limbs will help the yoga practitioner to gain knowledge from the living experience and with time a deep understanding of the Reality.

The eight limbs of yoga are: Yama (abstentions), Niyama (Observances), Asan (postures), Pranayama (life-force control), Pratyahara (Sense-withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (Meditation) and Samadhi(Contemplation). As you can see these eight limbs cover not only the physical but also the mental and spiritual layers of who you are.

This week I would like to explore Satya (truthfulness). Satya is one the five Yamas (abstentions).
In almost any religion we find that telling the truth is positive not only at a moral but also at a psychological level. If someone lies, he needs to put so much energy to keep the lie going to the point that it becomes a big burden.

There is no doubt that we all know the value for being truthful, tough practicing it might be a challenge .
I recently received a call of a distress yogi who was fired from a studio who according to him has non-truthful practices. Allegedly the studio owner encourages teachers to post fake comments on the website and other places using fake names to promote the studio. At the same time if a teacher develops something (training manuals, videos, etc) for that studio, the name of that teacher won't appear credited by the studio.

Without taking any responsibility to the studio owner untruthful way of doing business I wonder, how come those issues became a problem after this yogi was fired.? At what extent a person is responsible for following untruthful actions.? I understand there is not an easy answer to this; the social pressure and the need for a job can be a big challenge.

Following the eight limbs in a society that is going in the opposite direction is not easy and I think that is the reason why the wise souls who came before us and practiced yoga said that yoga is a practice, it takes time and great awareness to live by them in this society but is doable. It all depends on our goals and the way of living that we are looking for. Yoga at the end is a set of techniques that should be done and practice consciously at all times.


At some point everyone should stand up for what we think is right and truthful and act in consequence, other times life give us the opportunity to calibrate and follow our principles. As for this yogi, I am happy to say he is finding other great ways to share his experience of yoga and support his family.
Want to practice Satya? Follow the recommendation of Sri Goswami Kriyananda as he writes his book "The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga, "you should examine all your words before speaking, and utter them only if they are useful and good. Complications arise when virtuous words lead to hurt"

Georg Feurstein in The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, mentions that in the Yoga -Bhashya, "Vyasa states that if one speaks at all, it should be for the communication of one's knowledge and as a service to others, and hence the communication should not be deceitful, erroneous, or barren."

Are you a fixer and a doer?

By Rocio Morales

I think in the modern world, most of us are. We live an a society where it is expected to come up with solutions or ways to fix things.
If a kid comes to you with a bruise, you will look for a way to clean the affected area and then put a band-aid to where the bruise is. If a friend tells another friend about her problem, you would hear the listener suggesting ways to solve the issue almost automatically.

We are use to do and fix, and when life challenges in some situations where regardless of the impulse to act, the effect is minimal; such experience becomes an an interesting one and a wonderful opportunity to grow.

Some years ago my grandmother passed away, she was without a doubt the link between all the family, her presence and kindness hold the family together. When she passed, all that connection changed and hasn't been the same since then. A result of her passing, my mother went into a severe depression and no matter what we tried to do or say she was going downfall. Watching her in this state made me realize the little control we have over those we love.
After trying different approaches (and spending time and resources trying to "fix her") my siblings, and myself realized that she needed time to break the cycle of depression and came out of it at her own time and terms. I am happy to report that she did.

There is an old Zen proverb that applies to this experience: "Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself"

Yoga allows you to experience this type of situations not only at a physical but also at a mental level and even spiritually. For instance if your hamstrings are tight, no matter what you do, they will take time to lengthen. Forcing those muscles to lengthen, will injure them and the healing process can be long. On the other hand if you have a good disposition, meaning you will allow your body to open and feel OK when some people can bend and touch the floor and you can't even pass you knees, the body little by little will open. At a physical level Yoga helps to remove the old habits and open an space in your body for those muscles to relax and lengthen.

At a mental level Yoga gives you the opportunity to watch your mind and all the stuff that is in there when you go into a pose, are you too competitive that every pose is a challenge to be master forcefully? or do you acknowledge the restrictions in your body and keep working with them without feeling embarrassed.?

Next time before jumping to fixing and doing, resist the impulse and listen more, be open to possibilities and let go of the desire to control or to make everything perfect. To me that is one of the biggest gifts I have received from my yoga practice. Not everything is about doing and fixing, many times is better to let go, decide not to become a victim and open a space to heal and grow with the resources we have at hand at this moment, the present where we have more control over our life.

Sitting doing nothing Spring will come...

Ayurveda and Yoga itips for the Summer

In Texas we have been enjoying a fresh and wet Spring for the most part. Nevertheless some days you can feel the Summer coming closer and closer with temperatures above 90 degrees.
For that reason I decided to take an interesting workshop with Mandy Eubanks and Kerry Meath called "How to beat the Summer Heat with Ayurveda and Yoga".

Ayurveda is the sister system of Yoga and means the Science of life. Kerry mentioned "Interestingly the Caraka Samhita, the oldest Ayurvedic book ever found describes many of the ailments that we suffer today."
In Ayurveda everyone has a unique body type made of the interaction of five elements: Ether, Fire, Water, Air and Earth.

Kerry explained that in the Summer there is more heat, humidity and sunlight therefore the predominant elements are fire and water. The fire element is associated with the PittaDosha (Ayurveda mind and body type).
Some characteristics of the Pitta type are that people tend to have skin problems, quick temper and headaches. They are smart, curious and have drive. Too much heat produces allergic reactions, rashes, heavy sweating, heart burn, etc. Kerry recommends to cool down the body to avoid inflammation and liver problems.
Here are some tips:
Avoid hot, spicy or oily foods; avoid coffee and alcohol, sun exposure and rigorous exercise.
As for your yoga practice, Mandy and Kerry recommend:

a) Keep a relaxed hold
b) Instead of lifting your eyes in your practice, keep your gaze forward and soften it.
c) Use twits to help the body to eliminate better and release toxins.
d) Use Sitali breath to cool the body down as pranayama

During the Summer, try to sleep and wake up earlier.

In other words, refresh yourself frequently, specially if you have a pitta constitution to avoid overheating and inflammation.

I felt great after a gentle practice and with great ideas to abate my fiery disposition. Summer bring it on, I will be better prepared!

Kerry and Mandy have schedule classes like this one to go over every season. Check the Castle Hill Events calendar for more information at http://www.castlehillyoga.com/
To contact Kerry Meath go to http://www.timelesshealthsolutions.com/

Yoga Sanga May issue is out!

Hello everyone,

The Yoga Sanga team is pleased to present our May issue!

Please take time to visit our website and read the great and interesting articles we have prepared for you.

This issue we are giving a special recognition is to Rita Karydas a talented teacher who lives in San Marcos http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7538 and to The Art of Living Foundation specially the volunteers in the Austin chapter) for being the recipients of the Yoga Sanga Karma Yoga Recognition Award, take time to listen to the interview with Arvind Raghunatan to learn more about this organization and the visit of a Swami and healer from India to Texas in May. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7601

Can you guess what would be the yogic quality that would help you grow spiritually? Check your answer here http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7511

How did Ganesh loose his head? http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7595

Here you will find an article on the work force commission and its plan to regulate yoga teacher’s training programs as vocational schools. There is plenty of information to have an informed opinion. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7529

Have your heard of Spiritual Phytoessenceing? Find it here how aromatherapy has gone one step forward to bring your spirit in harmony. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7507

People associate Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with movement and exertion, we ask a long time practitioner, author and yoga teacher, Gregor Maehle about this yoga style http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7514

If you would like to deepen not only your practice but understanding of yoga, we have a list of committed teachers and programs in Texas (and some correspondence / online ones for those who need more flexibility) http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7541

May is a good month to appreciate mom, what about start showing appreciation more frequently for those closest to us? Read why here http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7534

If you couldn't make it to the Texas Yoga Conference in February in Houston, here is an overview of the conference. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7525

Can Homeopathy help those allergy sufferers during spring and summer? We ask a Homeopath and here are her answers. http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7497

As for yoga events in May, check our calendar at http://www.yogasanga.net/?page_id=10

I would love to hear your suggestions for articles, karma yoga recognition or just to say hello; just send a message to yogasangatx@gmail.com

Share the journey and live your yoga in and outside the mat!

Namaste,

Rocio Morales

Honoring the Earth, a yogic reflection

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle, 1855

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the words of Chief Seattle are reminder of our place and responsibility in this world.
As in any celebration this day is an opportunity to reflect on how we are treating our only home so far and hopefully realize that there are ways we can help to slow the deterioration of our planet. It is the occasion to be more responsible of what we buy, how we use it, and what are we leaving behind.
The practice of Yoga should open our minds and body to the Universe and to make us aware how connected we are to all that is alive. When we practice Asana we honor the Earth element when we include poses that will touch the Earth like child's pose, table pose, downward facing dog, plank, and of course Savasana where we can be supported by the Earth an allow the body to release the gripping and tension completely. Those poses should not only ground us, with time they will open the body and prepare it to be still on meditation when we can reunite the earth with the subtle air element.
At a more subtle level, in Astrology there are four elements: air, water, fire and earth. If your natal chart has a prevalence of the earth element, according to Sri Goswami Kriyananda in his book The Wisdom and Way of Astrology he mentions that "Earth symbolizes a force that is practical, down-to- earth and cautious... the signs that represent more of the Earth element are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn." This is just a general rule as when you look closely to any natal chart you could see that someone born under the Taurus sign can have a lot of the fire element on it. When the earth element is well balanced the person is dependable and practical, to extremes they are very rational and hard to get in touch with their feelings. The elements in the chart can also tell how compatible a person could be to another. If someone has a lot of the Earth element, anyone with a predominance of Air will "dry" that Earth quality; a fiery predominance will dried up it and water would refresh the Earth quality.
There is so much controversy on how we came to this planet, what is not a question is that so far it is the only one we have and the clear effects of the destructive nature of our greed and ambition.
Let's reconnect to the Earth at a deeper level and start caring for it with reverence not only for our own good but for the benefit of future generations.
For information and tips on green gardening, how to eat sustainably, start a compost pile and more go to http://earthday.nature.org/garden/
Read 8 steps to save the Earth at http://www.ehow.com/how_136632_save-earth.html
Recycle your mat http://www.recycleyourmat.com/
Recycle your mat in Austin, TX go to http://www.yogasanga.net/?p=7332

Honor Earth day and recycle your mat

The Earth day will be on April 22, to celebrate and honor that day, Yoga Sanga and Austin Yoga Institute are joining efforts to help the community to recycle yoga mats. If you have an old mat or ready to buy an Eco-friendly one just drop off your clean mat at Austin Yoga Institute located at 1122-C South Lamar Blvd, 78704. In order to help with the expense of shipping and handling we ask you to contribute with $2.00 per mat.
Drop off dates are: Monday April 19- Monday April 26.
For every 5 mats that we send, the Recycle yourmat program will send one recycled wool blanket that we will give away among participants.
Recycle Your Mat is a program that provides socially responsible yoga mat recycling, up cycling and reuse services for yoga practitioners and yoga studios. The program supports US-based manufacturers by providing recycled materials for new product production.
For more information and to join this effort go to http://www.recycleyourmat.com/locations.html#send

Questions? send a message to yogasangatx@gmail.com

What to do with the memories that haunt us?

From the time we are born our brain stores so many memories. Some of those memories are positive and some others negative and even traumatic. The most traumatic experiences many times, change the way we interact with the events in our life many years after the event.
According to Cahil, Prins, Weber and McGaugh in a 1999 article on Nature “Emotional events tend to be recalled with more frequency and clarity than memories not associated with extreme emotions.”

In a world with people suffering so much after car accidents, combat, rape or even the loss of a family member, doctors are looking for ways to alter those memories and even work with some of the phobias that patients experience and limit their lives.

If you watched the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) you may get a little uneasy about the idea of replacing memories. We are far from that, today doctors are trying instead of erasing a traumatic memory, to follow a method to reduce or eliminate the fear that comes with that memory. No one really knows how we store our memories, nevertheless in a recent article on the matter on the Wall Street Journal, Shirley S. Wang mentions that “lately doctors think that memories are stored like individual files on a shelf, each time they are pulled down for viewing, they can be altered before being put back into storage.”

How do they do that? One of the simplest ways is to allow the patient to recall, modify and store the experience over and over again. Every time the patient recalls the incident (sometimes doctors use some drugs to relax the patient) there will be less emotionality coming from that memory. As you can see the memory is still there but the emotions will lessen to a point that people can start living a “normal” life.

For those of us that don’t suffer from phobias or those traumatic memories but would like to improve our sense of being and become less emotional, yoga offers meditation.
In the yoga tradition, meditation (Dhyana) is one of the 8 limbs of Yoga. In meditation we hold a space where not only we can see the mind and all its craziness but also after a while we can get to the point where the mind becomes quiet and the emotionality disappears. At that point in the words of Sri Goswami Kriyananda: “there is an expansion of awareness to an understanding of the totality of things”

Is it possible to alter our memories? Yes! When we practice meditation we have the opportunity to see our mind in an objective way and make the choice to change and respond less and less to events and situations that come to our life.

Here is a simple technique that you can do two or three times a day.
1) If you have an asana practice, after Savasana sit on your mat for 20-30 seconds with your back lengthen and without paying attention to your breath, be quiet and enjoy the after effects of your practice and the calmness of your mind.
2) During the day try to come to that feeling of peace and stillness. If you don’t practice asana daily, then as soon as you wake up, seat on your bead close, keep your back straight and close your eyes; allow the mind to be quiet for 20-30 seconds, open your eyes and get ready for your day.
3) Go back to that place in your mind throughout the day just for 20-30 seconds.
4) With time you will be able to extend the time you can keep the mind still without putting effort on it.

Whether you use meditation or the new doctor's procedures to recover from a traumatic episode, remember that is the practice and time that will make the practice fruitful. Little by little you are removing the emotionality that the event triggers and you will regain control over the responses of the mind.

Are you a fundamentalist yogi/yogini?

I hope not. I have met many yogis and yoginis and I have to say I haven't encountered many yoga fundamentalists.

A fundamentalist according to the dictionary is someone that "has rigid adherence to principles or points of view, and often by intolerance of others views." Like many things in Yoga, it is all about the balance and usually it seems like walking the razor's edge.
There is a difference when you are passionate about the style you practice and have the desire to share those wonderful benefits with others and pushing people to do what you do or criticize what they do or believe.

Yoga Sanga has given me the opportunity to meet fascinating yogis and yoginis and ask them questions to portrait who they are and their yoga experience. The maturity of the yoga community is amazing especially in those who have been practicing in and out the mat for a while.

Nevertheless, I once met a yogi that told me " It is so sad what is happening in the US related to Yoga... no one teaches the spiritual path any more and that is why our school is the best of all..." I respectfully disagree and told him that though not everyone is looking for the spiritual part that yoga offers, I have found many schools of yoga that train teachers and guide students to look beyond the asanas in order to have a better understanding of what yoga is about.

With all that, the question remains, what is the balance between your passion and disregarding other styles just because they are not for you?

Here are some points that I have been pondering on to answer that question:

a) It is OK to introduce yourself to a new group or in a job interview and explain what style of yoga do you practice and what is it that you find valuable in that style.
b) Your students and people around you don't need a label to sense if you live what you practice, your interaction with them will motivate them to go deeper into their practice or find another teacher that will offer a better understanding of yoga.
c)Usually the practice changes and evolves depending on the age, the life challenges that people face, etc. At some point students will find peace chasing those arm balances that might not become a reality into their bodies and decide to look deeper into meditation, pranayama and the others limbs of yoga.

At the end, what is really importance is to understand that the practice of yoga or any other spiritual path, should open our hearts to compassion, and to perceive the interconnectedness of life.
Unless you have really immerse yourself in a style of yoga, you shouldn't judge it.

Live your own style and understand that there might be something for everyone in those other different styles.

Tell us how have you handled a situation involving a fundamentalist.

Overcome the allergy symptoms with easy tips

Spring has finally arrived. And with the long-awaited beautiful weatherand the shades of green painting our landscape, come the fragrances ofspring and summer-flowers, tree blossoms, and cut grass, which can meanpuffy eyes, sneezing, coughing, and sinus pressure for millions ofAmericans.
* Take a whole food based Vitamin C. – Vitamin C acts as a naturalantihistamine. Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, NY found that taking vitaminC daily, significantly reduced blood histamine levels.

* Magnesium eases breathing – Some immunologists suggest taking 400milligrams of magnesium daily helps with nasal allergies and breathingproblems. If you want to supplement your diet with magnesium-rich foods, thebest sources are nuts, beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, andbananas.

* Wear sunglasses when going outside – Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever,creates a certain amount of photosensitivity. Wearing sunglasses helpsreduce your sensitivity to light and thus helps your eyes from excessivewatering.

* Drink a lot of cool water – It probably seems counterintuitive, torecommend drinking water with all of that liquid in your sinuses, nose andeyes. But re-hydrating is one of the best ways to eliminate toxins from yourbody. Besides, it cools you down and provides some symptom relief.* Check the local pollen count – If you have severe allergies, you mightconsider wearing a mask on days when the pollen count is unusually high.

* Stay away from dairy – I know, it is summer and that means ice cream.But if you have hay fever, eating dairy will produce even more phlegm andmake you feel worse.

* Use your bathroom exhaust fan when taking a shower – This will helpprevent to growth of mold in the shower. Cleaning your bathtub or showerliner is also important. Better yet, replace your liner every month or two,if you have mold sensitivities or asthma.* Keep your dryer vent clear – Build-up of lint in the dryer vent willcause an excess of dust in your house. Have your vents cleaned regularly toavoid aggravating your allergy symptoms.

* Use a vacuum with a HEPA Filter – HEPA filter vacuums do not recirculateback into the air the polluting particles that the vacuum has just pickedup. Make sure you have a true HEPA filter and not a HEPA-like filter. Youcan tell by looking at the manufacturer’s test results of their filter. Atrue HEPA filter will have test results stating that .3 microns are 99.97percent or above.

* Get rid of clutter – Allergy sufferers need to be especially carefulabout controlling dust in their homes. And clutter is a major source ofdust and dust mites. If you can’t see your floors or walls in closets andbasements, you have a clutter problem. Just as clutter clogs your house and obstructs the free flow of energy in your home, clutter also clogs your nose and obstructs the free flow of life-giving air into your body.

For more information, please visit http://www.chicagohealers.com/.

Why is Yoga so confusing?

I enjoy being and advisor for a Hatha Yoga Teacher’s Training; it allows me to review the material frequently and to support new teachers in their yogic learning experience.
I recently received a great question from one of my advisees: “One of my students asked me why if I take a class from any of the five teachers in this studio, I receive a different explanation or instruction for the same pose?” She said the question took her by surprise and did not know what to answer and wanted some feedback on that.
What a great question! There are some different explanations to this. The difference between the verbal instructions or emphasis might be based on the teacher’s experience and the training she had. Some people go to weekend training and they think they can teach yoga, others go trough a long and more demanding training.
The type of yoga they teach will also put the emphasis on the breath, on the movement, on the alignment or in all of them.
Yoga is a living and evolving Science of the mind and body, new styles are created quiet often and though most of the them resemble the original teacher they had, the teacher adapt the teachings to their own style and personality.
As far as we know there were six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Those schools from all the yoga styles we know today evolved from are Samkhya, Raja , Vedanta, Nyaya, Mimamsa, and Vaisheshika.
Yoga is like a big and old tree, full of branches from where other branches are evolving and adapting to the needs of the time and society they live in.
Is one yoga style better than the other? I don’t think so. It all depends on what the student or teacher are looking for. Is it strength, relaxation, the develop of a breathing technique, or more of an athletic goal?
It is up to the student to determine what they are looking for and if they feel safe in the class’ environment created by the teacher.
Here is just a cautionary guideline, if the teacher pushes the students without giving them permission to rest or to give preparatory poses, that might not be a safe environment to learn yoga. If you have a special condition, you need to make the teacher aware so he can decide if we can help you or not. Try different teachers, levels and styles until you found what you are looking for. All yoga styles when the teacher has been well trained will offer something important and special, the student needs to decide if that is what they are looking for.
After trying different styles, a serious student will choose a path and fully immerse herself on it until it is time to move on.
Maybe yoga is not confusing after all but a living tradition!

Namaste,
Rocio Morales

Ready to be manipulated by your hearing sense?

If the words, sounds and colors of ads on the media are not enough to make you want to buy "the car" or "the shoes", not to worry the next frontier when it comes to marketing is called neural advertising.

In an low economy, marketing is still generating $34 billion a year according Jeffrey Kluger on a recent Times article. If you are skipping the ads on your TV using DVR, wait what neuromarketing research is exploring. Martin Lindstrom in his book Buyology explains how people have gone under research to monitor brain activity, pupil dilation, an all physical responses to different stimuli.
These researchers have found that sound is as engaging as sight. Just try to remember your favorite jingle or how your stomach react to the sound of percolating coffee. Guess what is the most appealing sound of all for most people? it is not a kiss, or the ocean waves, it is a baby giggle!
How will marketers apply this results is very simple, you already have meaning to different sounds, so it is just a matter of play them in a specific place over an over to have a reaction on you. Don't be surprise to walk down the aisle in a supermarket and hear the sizzling sound of food, or a birdsong when you are looking for a vacation package, and even lapping water in the sportswear fragrance.
How we, regular mortals can avoid being manipulated? First thing is to recognize that our mind is very susceptible to manipulation, be aware of what you watch, for how long and the effects on you. For instance , what is it in an action/violent movie that attract people so much? If there are not explosions, gore or guns people get bored with the content easily.
It is also important to disengage from all the overload we receive. One of the yogic techniques and in many other spiritual paths is Mouna or silence. For one day a month, don't turn on the TV, radio, computer (hard), and don't talk (for many even harder). Just do your regular routine without talking. This will open not only a space for reflection but also an opportunity to watch your mind closely.
And if doing it by yourself is hard, look for a silent meditation retreat or day, it is quite of an experience!
We nee to practice disengage frequently otherwise let me tell you a secret revealed by Mr. Lindstrom's testing, "people respond to a sound better when it's subtler." If you don't do anything you won't even notice when they are moving you to act!

The positive side of the coin is that we can also use this information for positive means. As a yoga teacher I like to play very soft sounds and relaxing music to have a pleasant response on my students, uplifting phrases can also induce a behavior to mention along with a soft tone of voice. Self-hypnosis is another way to retrain the subconscious mind to respond different.

At the end of the day, even it is not getting easier it is up to us to respond or not to the environment.

Can yoga by donation really work?

Last week was an interesting and exciting week of events.
I had a chance to meet with a group of teachers and students in a new yoga collective called Seva Yoga. Seva is a Sanskrit word that means, service a work that is offered to the Divine. Seva yoga is innovative because it is a complete donation based studio in Austin that wants to showcase all styles of yoga. Part of the proceeds go to a charity designated by the teacher. Here is the link to watch the interview they gave to Yoga Sanga Seva Yoga interview

There was also the Rise Event in Austin. Rise organized for third year a week of activities where they included more than 150 sessions where entrepreneurs share their experience all around Austin to other entrepreneurs. It was amazing to be with this people full of expectations, hard work and enthusiasm to make their ideas work. I took classes in building, dance studios, art studios and conference rooms. Rise is a free event for the participants.

As for events this week you will find:

Austin: If you practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, David Williams will be in town. There will be a workshop on how to balance the solar and lunar centers and how to recharge with Kundalini.

Dallas: There will a free Kriya Yoga introduction, a restorative yoga workshop and how to learn adjustments to help and support your partner. Also a workshop on yogabhyasa (persistent practice)

Houston: Shiva shakti book club, Meditation workshop and a Journey for peace.

San Antonio: Continues with Kundalini foundation series and iRest meditation.

New Baunfels: How to approach safely arm balance poses

Don't miss the multimedia section, every other week we are giving away books, DVDs and at the end of March 2 itunes-downloads for a 45 min. practice! Just enroll in our e-mail list for free. Your information won't be sold or share with anyone else.

Check our Calendar of events, and see how alive and committed is the Yoga Community in Texas!

Share the journey and Namaste!

Rocio Morales

Photo courtesy of Julia Land. Golden-cheeked Warbler. Click on the picture to see more pictures.

Yoga Sanga March issue

Yoga Sanga March issue is out visit us at www.yogasanga.net. I have met wonderful people in the area and in the country so more interviews are on its way! We will continue to give you updates on how the Texas Yoga Association is consolidating to meet the requirements of the law in our state and be an unified voice for the Yoga community.

Please take a moment to read about decluttering your life and mind, how your legs can lenghten your spine in Mr. Boustany's unique way, we also have some reflections about how to practice asana and pranayama. This issue our Karma Award goes to Ruth Jansa for her efforts to bring yoga to people with disabilities, don't miss to learn about a great yogini who not only leads the free day of yoga in Dallas but is also helping Bellur (where BKS was born)her name is Michelle Mock; and much more!

Don't miss the multimedia section, every other week we are giving away books, DVDs and at the end of March 2 itunes-downloads for a 45 min. practice! Just enroll in our e-mail list for free. Your information won't be sold or share with anyone else.

Check our Calendar of events, and see how alive and committed is the Yoga Community in Texas!

Visit us at www.yogasanga.net

What is Karma anyways?

Karma is a concept that you hear frequently among conversations but usually misunderstood.
There is no doubt that in Yoga and other Easter traditions, the concept is pivotal in the understanding of how the world works and the effect that our actions have on it.

Even for some traditions like Jainism, their understanding of the world is intrinsic to their understanding of Karma. In the words of Dr. Christopher Chappel, Professor of Indic and comparative Theology "In Jainism, karma is the basic principle within an overarching psycho-cosmology, in which human moral actions form the basis of the transmigration of the soul (jiva)—constrained within the temporal world (samsara)—until one achieves liberation (moksa) from this cycle, by following a path of purification."

With more than 30 years of studying Yoga, Swami Dasa came to Texas to gives us a more practical, modern and down to Earth understanding of this concept.
In his lecture, Swami Enoch Dasa Giri explained to the audience that the most important concept to understand about Karma is that it is not a law of punishment or retribution, it is not "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" it is simply the law of cause and effect. We need to understand that our actions have repercussions and we are the solely responsible of those actions.
Nevertheless the way we respond to life has a deep root on how we have responded to the events in the past. Swami Dasa said, "It really doesn't matter if you believe in reincarnation or not; if you grasp that who you are now is the result of how you reacted yesterday to events an people, and though some of those actions were valid at some point in the past you need to decide if they fit in your present, otherwise let them go..." "Yoga with the understanding of Karma allows the practitioner to regain control over their life, that to me is liberating."

Swami Dasa used the example of a dog coming into a room where two kids are playing. For one boy, a dog might be a good and fun animal, for the other the dog is a source of fear and threat. We rarely see the dog for what it is. We respond to life based on our experiences, prejudices and emotionality. At some point we need to understand at a deep level that not all dogs mean harm to us. That is the beginning of taking control over the emotional response of our mind and over our universe.

Karma is a mechanism to allow us to see how our mind responds, how we affect the world and how the world can affect us. Swami Dasa mentioned too that in terms of Karma our intent to do or think something will propel responses in our environment that we will have to deal with.

As yoga practitioners we can see the biases in our bodies and it is easier to work with them in hatha yoga. Nevertheless, he reminded us that we have too keep in mind that Asana practice is only 1/8th of the whole system of Yoga. The first two limbs are important practices to be mindful and aware of how we should live our lives. For that we need to understand the Yamas as restrains: Non-violence, Truthfulness, Non-stealing, Moderation and Non-greed)and the Niyamas as observances: Purity, Contentment, Austerity, Self-study, Surrender to the indwelling Reality.

Swami Dasa helped us to understand how the upper limbs like concentration and meditation, allow the mind to be quiet, to turn the consciousness inward to see clearly and without emotional responses what lies there and how to change it for the better.

In other words what get us into trouble in our daily lives is many time our emotional response to the events that come to us. Practicing the eight limbs of Yoga give us the opportunity to regain control over our life and therefore have a positive impact on the universe we exist within.

Yoga Sanga interview with Judith H. Lasater

We would like to share with you the interview that Judith Hanson Lasater gave to Yoga Sanga. In this interview she talks about how she found Yoga, her relation to BKS Iyengar and her new yoga book called "Yoga Body"

Click here to listen to the interview.

Judith Lasater has taught yoga since 1971. She holds a doctorate in East-West psychology and is a physical therapist. Judith is president of the California Yoga Teacher's Association.

Her yoga training includes study with B. K. S. Iyengar in India and the United States. She teaches ongoing yoga classes and trains yoga teachers in kinesiology, yoga therapeutics, and the Yoga Sutra in the San Francisco Bay Area. Judith also gives workshops throughout the United States, and has taught in Canada, England, France, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, and Russia.

Judith H. Lasater is also the author of 8 books. For more information about Mrs. Lasater go to her website at www.judithlasater.com