TRUE STORY OF A MIRACLE YOGI

A big team of researchers medical men and media personnel thronged to Malad near Bombay to witness Yogi L. N. Rao walk on water some years back.

Yogi Rao came out of the enclosure, waved to the gathering, put his right foot on the water surface which did not hold his foot; he put his left foot into the water and that too went into the water and lo and behold he sank into water.  His disciples dived into the water and salvaged the drowning man back to earth.

Yogi Rao smiled and said the mistake was he did not have his bowel movement in the morning and this is why he was drowning.  He was clever, the audience was aghast, the world press moved away and Yogi Rao quietly slipped out from the backdoor..

He met Yogendraji after many years and laughed and said he was just checking how many fools there existed cheating the world even today. He was amazed that there are still many fools left in the world capable of cheating the world!

Published in the October2010 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine

JET SET YOGINI

Jayashree Patil

Hansa Jayadeva dispels whatever archaic notions one might have about yoga teachers. She is vivacious, confident, articulate and very stylish!

She runs The Yoga Institute, Santacruz, jointly with her husband Dr. Jayadeva, whose father Shri Yogendraji founded it way back in 1918. This makes it one of the oldest international yoga foundations in India.
The Jaradevas are a study in contrast. She is the practical doer; he, the shy retiring thinker. In spite of an age difference of 19 years between them, the Jayadevas present a unique whole.

Dr. Jayadeva with a doctorate in philosophy and psychology, ideally suited to his retrospective self-effacing nature, has had a brilliant academic career. Hansa on the other hand has had more than her share of scholastic ups and downs.  She was forced to give up her cherished career in medicine, due to severe asthma.

Swallowing her disappointment, she enrolled back to college, completed her B.Sc. and studied law as well. She also pursued her interest in classical music by learning classical music by singing as well as the sitar.         

Throughout this period, the asthma was a constant factor in her life. When all remedies had failed, she finally joined The Yoga Institute. Here, her instructor was none other than Dr. Jayadeva.

Seeing her prowess in the most difficult asanas (which she had been practicing since childhood) he encouraged her to join the advanced teachers training course that the Institute had to offer. Here, for the first time Hansa was exposed to the theory behind each asana. She learnt the various elements that went into making yoga such a complete science and in the process of learning, her asthma vanished. Magically or so it seemed. It hasn’t recurred to date!

Her decision to marry Dr. Jayadeva was heavily opposed by her parents. He was so much her senior and did not come from an equally affluent background. And anyway wouldn’t  she be happier married to some green card holder?

But Hansa was adamant and the marriage took place. Now began progressive years for the institute, under the charismatic guidance of Hansa, ably supported by Dr. Jayadeva.

The first thing she did was to streamline the residential course, mostly frequented by foreigners. Till then the Institute had only offered them lodging, while they had to fend for themselves for their daily meals. Hansa changed all that. She installed a hygienic kitchen, where the students were assured of fresh, wholesome food. She also restructured the residential courses so that each day was meticulously organized and given to constructive activity.

She was instrumental in starting a yoga research department as well as setting up a library and a museum in the premises.

Her activity has not been confined to India alone. Since 1974, she, along with Dr.Jayadeva, has conducted Yoga workshops and seminars in various countries of the world, including Australia, Canada, Europe and the U.S.A., gaining support and admiration all the way.

Not being content with international acclaim, Hansa set her sight on popularizing yoga amongst Indians. To gain the vast audience she had in mind, there was only one medium – Doordarshan! Her program, ‘Yoga for Better Living’, was being telecast every Wednesday and Sunday mornings on the national network and had even received an extension due to popular demand.

In spite of the heavy demand on time, she is forever innovating and restructuring the various programs at the Institute as well as introducing  new courses, be it for working women or one specially crafted for cardiac patients. She still finds time to lecture advanced students and play table tennis. Certainly not a stereotype yoga teacher as we said earlier and we’re sure you agree too!

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

UNCONCERNED OBSERVATION

A woman is cursed to see but does nothing else. She enjoys sitting at the window.  Once she sees a charming prince who waves out to her.  She gets carried away, gets up from her chair, goes to meet him and dies.  She had stopped being just an observer.

The Yogi is an observer. He sees others carrying on, acting – reacting and suffering.  He just sees, unconcerned.  He is just an observer.  We can’t remain like that.  We enjoy the drama of actions – reactions. For us there is no sense just in experiencing peace.

This quality of being an observer, being aware and not getting involved is considered as the highest in Yoga.  Awareness about things is primary,    carrying out actions is secondary. We don’t catch the source, the presence, because, we are too involved in things emanating and actions. Involvement with material things has its disadvantages; we can get involved and get carried away from the source. Even a little involvement leads on and on.  Man happily living in a jungle is given a cow.  Looking after the cow, fear of wild animals keeps haunting him and he gets so busy that he loses his peace.  Even slightest involvement with the material things robs us of peace and quiet. When we suffer, we want to give up involvements and be interested in the spirit. But after a short while we again get busy.  That thorough understanding and detachment never comes.

The Yogi enjoys the experience of whatever we consider as the highest. We don’t attain it because we can’t remain neutral to whatever is happening around us.

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

A HANDFUL OF PATIENCE

It is said that Raja Bharathari happened to go into the forest where the famous Yogi Gorakhanatha was practicing yoga. Not recognizing him, Bharathari met one of the disciples instead and entered into arguments. The King said, “What do I care for Gorakhanatha? If he wishes to learn the ways of the Almighty, let him come and hear me.”Gorakhanatha who overheard this, announced himself and said: “I will readily become your disciple provided you give me a handful of patience.”   

Raja Bharathari took up the challenge and went in search of a handful of patience. He went to one god after another and finally to Vishnu who said, “I cannot supply you with patience. If you want to see patience in human form, go and see the great Yogi Gorakhanatha. The king, searching for Gorakhanatha, came back to the same place, when the great Yogi smiled at the king and accepted him as one of his disciples.

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

AWARENESS IS THE KEY

- Anil Peter

    Awareness is the ability, to stand back and watch one’s mental and physical activity.  So what’s unique about this phenomena?  Well, the fact of the matter is very few of us are aware.  Most of the time, we have so completely identified ourselves, with our body, mind, work, habits etc.  that we get lost in them.  And yet, this quality called awareness is unique to the human species.

    Plants have feelings, but no mobility, Animals have both feeling and mobility.  Man also has this but at the same time he has this extra attribute awareness.  Man has this extra and all important ability to be able to know his consciousness, and to allow it to manifest and blossom to its fullest potential.  This consciousness, the underlying life principle in every atom, is the same in all things, but its expression can be different.  In plants and bacteria, this consciousness is expressed at a very rudimentary level, while in man it is expressed at a far more complex level.

    So where does all this get us as far as our daily life is concerned?  If one looks at the nature of the mind, one can immediately see that its essential nature is movement.  By being aware, one watches this movement of the mind.  A very beautiful story would illustrate this point.

    There once lived a king, with a beautiful, but rampantly wild horse.  The king promised, that he would handsomely reward anyone, who could subdue his horse.  A contest was therefore arranged, where many tried mounting this horse, only to be thrown off it.  Finally, one rather weak looking individual volunteered.  He escorted the wild horse out, and returned a while later, seated astride on the horse, with the horse obeying his every instruction.  The king was amazed, and wanted to know how this man had succeeded, when so many others had failed.  To this the horse tamer replied, “Instead of fighting your stallion, I let him run freely to his hearts content, following his own impulses.  Eventually he became fatigued and submissive.  It was then no problem, to befriend your horse and gain command”.

    It is the same with the mind, if we fight and wrestle with the mind, we will never achieve mastery over it.  The method to adopt is similar to the wild horse tamer, let the mind follow its impulses and tendencies without restriction, until it becomes ready to accept your authority, give the mind free run.  Don’t suppress it, but merely watch and get to know it.

Through increased awareness, we start responding to situations instead of reacting to them.  That is, by watching the life process, the activities around  oneself as well as one’s mental activities, this divine intelligence in us, the consciousness, is better able to express itself.  As a result of which we become better communicators, salesmen, research scientists, family men etc. As one starts responding to the environment, one starts living in greater harmony with it.

Awareness is a quality that can quite easily be developed.  It is in fact a quality, we always have possessed, but have forgotten it, because of wrong thinking.  Awareness is in fact a process of letting go.  We let go of our dogmas, ideas, concepts, and try seeing things as they are.

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