SAVE SELF

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Sudha N. Desai

If our house catches fire – what do we do?  We leave everything else behind and run out of the hose, to save our lives. So also in the case of any natural calamity – our immediate response is to save ourselves.

For a student of Yoga the Vrittis of the mind (chitta) are these calamities. One following the yoga path tries to save himself from all kinds of such thoughts. For him the self is the Purusha or consciousness or Atman and not the physical body or mind. His priority is to his self, his consciousness, not his body or his belongings or his thoughts. His goal is to realize this self.

In our daily lives – we are conscious of things, but that is at a gross level. We are not in tune with the deeper layers, that is our true self. Pure consciousness is mixed up with our thoughts which do not let us see our true self. It is only when our mind can be kept thought-free for a prolonged period of time, can one see beyond the mundane to the subtler and become aware of our true self.

The technique that a sincere student of yoga, therefore adopts, is Abhyasa and Vairagya, or in other words – study and renunciation. He keeps up his practice while at the same time gradually tries losing interest in the material world. This helps in reducing thoughts and mental modifications. He does away with laziness, doubts, logic and reasoning – knowing well that these cause the thought processes to start. He strengthens his faith and strongly believes that is God looks after everything. His belief in the larger processes makes him realize that likes and dislikes have no meaning. He tries to avoid not only the negative but even good thoughts.

One can see the bottom of a lake only if there are no ripples on the surface. For the Yogi, the mind is like a lake and he does not throw a stone in the form of a thought in it. No thoughts – no ripples. Pure consciousness, which is beyond the mind, then shines forth.  


Published in the Sept 2010 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine.

REDISCOVERING MYSELF THROUGH YOGA

Ila Sanghani

There I was, a mental and physical wreck, a menopausal woman at 51, and it showed in everything I did. I needed a break and I finally took one from my mundane routine - a vacation trip to Goa with some close friends. It was a very good trip, a welcome break.  Sharing problems with friends helped but even then my depression and pain would not leave me. A very dear friend suggested the 7 Day Yoga Camp at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai.

I was in two minds, but then decided to join, figuring that if it was going to help, I had nothing to lose. At the camp, ours was a mixed group of some willing and some reluctant participants. I was the oldest. On the first day I could not sit on the floor and I also hated the food, to say the least. But as the week progressed, I started enjoying every bit.

Getting  up early, doing yoga exercises with Kavita Ma'am, a brisk walk, breakfast, followed by a  Karma yoga session -  it all involved a lot of learning but  with a lot of fun.

I looked forward to sessions with Hansaji. She would explain the complex things of life in such a simple and subtle way that I even shared my problems with her separately. I loved the sessions with Sujata Banerjee, with  young Ankita teaching us about Bhavas, Hansaji’s  video talks, Bhajans and games sessions, a session with my friend Ushma Shah,  Pranayama sessions, the evening yoga sessions with Daniel……they all imparted some really substantial lessons.

Yoga is very holistic. Apart from relieving my physical pain, it taught me the importance of loving myself. We are always taught to be giving and unselfish, but in the process many times we end up being unhealthy and negligent towards ourselves. At the camp I learnt how important it was to treat ourselves well. The calmness and stillness here helped me to love myself and learn that anger is destructive, first and foremost to the person who is angry. It became the start of a very healthy process.

It was one wonderful week that had come at a very important time in my life. I seemed like a new person. Despite this, I was apprehensive about whether I would be able to implement all this when I returned to my routine life. Little did I know exactly how much I would later apply all that I had learnt. After the camp was over, I returned home to Kolkata where some terrible problems occurred. Of course, I had left them behind for a vacation and could not expect them to magically disappear when I returned.

However, I was able to deal with them calmly and coolly. I could not believe I was the same person: the old me would have reacted negatively, crying and shouting, but I really feel that Savasana  helped me to remain composed and calmed me down a lot. My reactions were completely different; I was surprising myself by handling things so maturely.

 I continue practicing yoga exercises. I still feel depressed at times, but I am able to tackle it. I also re-discovered my passion for music and am now taking classical vocal music lessons. Now I tell people I meet to practice yoga to make their lives better. I thank everyone at the camp who helped me to re-discover the parts of myself I thought I had lost forever.

Published in the Jan 2011 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine.

Acceptance - The Way Ahead

Syamala Monie

I was a school teacher with a great passion for teaching. The fact that I started my career at the age of forty made it all the more challenging for me. Ten years into my job, I contracted paratyphoid, not once but twice. The medication left me with mild hearing impairment. As years went by it started getting worse. It was difficult to manage a class of sixty children and I had to leave the job. I went for an audiogram and it showed severe to profound neurological hearing loss in both ears. The doctor said there was no treatment for it. But I did not want people to know that I had a problem. In social gatherings I would try and lip read or anticipate the question in the given context and answer. Very often the answer would not even be relevant to the discussion. I started avoiding people or would sit quietly when among a group.

Around this time I attended a Parisamvada session by Dr. Jayadeva and Hansaji. I put forward the question. “If one has a physical handicap, what is the best method to tackle it?” Dr Jayadeva’s answer was short and sweet. “If it cannot be cured try and accept it. That is the way ahead.”

Those words gave me clarity. I realized I was wasting my energy by fighting the situation. Soon I got a pair of hearing aids. I would request people to talk a bit loudly. With acceptance life was much lighter. During one of the morning strolls with Hansaji I expressed my wish to do the teacher’s training. But I was still very apprehensive. She encouraged me to try it out and I felt really happy when I completed the training within the stipulated time. I enjoyed making lesson plans and giving lessons and talks. More than anything I have found a place in the great ‘Yoga family’ with so many friends and the list is still growing.

Published in the June 2011 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine.