Sukha Yoga

08/09/2022

The cause of ill-health is the ‘taḍāga’ or ‘pond.’ In a stagnant pond, dirt accumulates, and toxins increase. The abdomen is like the pond. If circulation and prāṇa flow are blocked in that region, it will cause ill-health.

Therefore, taḍāga-mudrā with pausing the breath after exhalation is particularly important. The idea is that the region of the lower abdomen (apāna region) will be drawn up on exhalation and come toward the agni (fire region) in the middle abdomen. The agni will be facilitated by the prāṇa (the inhalation component).

To help in this, external air should be inhaled with receptivity. Just like we take in food with the intention of digesting it, the function of prāṇa, which is to draw in the external air, should be encouraged, so that it helps increase the agni (fire, metabolism).

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05/06/2022

One day early in the development of my asana practice, I was practicing headstand in class. Krishnamacharya insisted on long, slow breathing while I held the headstand for, say, twenty-four breaths. As I was concentrating on my breathing, he said, “Your right leg is moving to one side. Be aware.”

He continued, “You are running about, doing various activities and riding a scooter. It seems you need to do more ardha-salabhasana [a modification of the prone backward bend known as the locust — lying face down on the ground and raising the trunk, one leg, and one arm off the floor on inhalation].”

He mentioned my scooter because he had observed that my scooter’s brake pedal was on the right and he knew that I was riding it for more than an hour a day. The gearshift and clutch were on the left handle, so my left leg was free. But I had to keep my right leg unmoving, with the ankle raised and resting slightly on the pedal. Krishnamacharya’s point was that correcting the imbalance was important for a better headstand, but to address the underlying imbalance that caused my right leg to deviate, I needed to do other asanas to balance the two sides of my body. So Krishnamacharya recommended ardha-salabhasana, which uses one arm and one leg at a time and thus also works more on one side of the back than the other.

He used to state, “Asana should not be an anga bhanga sadhana.” Anga means “limbs,” bhanga means “to disrupt,” and sadhana means “practice.” That is, asana should not be a practice that disrupts or creates imbalance in the parts of the body. Consequently, using asymmetric asanas to work on both sides of the body independently was important in his approach. - From Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings

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13/04/2022

Choose asanas relevant to the person and purpose, order them in an effective sequence, and then teach it with integration of movement and breathing. All this is part of creating a vinyasa krama for an individual. All yoga teachers and serious students should learn this to the extent they can. This is the foundation for a good asana practice. It is essential in yoga therapy.

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09/04/2022

You don’t have to leave your normal life to find peace and happiness. You can cultivate that in your everyday routine. Set aside a special place that reminds you to be calm and come to it every day. Develop simple practices that you can do in your regular life: mantra meditation, pranayama, steady asana practice. Connect to the inner feeling of calmness whenever you can. Peace and contentment are within you all the time. You will see that when you look inside for fulfilment rather than outside.

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04/04/2022

If the breath is disturbed, the body and mind will be disturbed. This connection works both ways. If the body and mind are disturbed, we can see that the breath also becomes disturbed.

By using the breath, we can support all the other practices of yoga. If we make the breath calm and steady, that influences the body and mind. They also become calm and steady.

Therefore, working with the breath is the foundation of a good yoga practice. Begin with a comfortable, longer breath in asana practice. Then you will be able to do pranayama with ease. Meditation will also come to you much more naturally when your breath is calm.

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02/04/2022

17/01/2022

Life will have ups and downs. We cannot avoid that. What we can do is to connect with our inner steadiness. That is the practice of yoga.

On each day, don’t spend all your time worrying about what happens outside. Spend some time developing your inner strength and calmness. That is the most important support in your life.

We should also teach this to our children from a young age. If they learn to find balance within themselves, they will be able to manage their life better.

Indra Mohan

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07/01/2022

19/12/2021

People now think that hatha yoga is doing asanas. In fact, they think it is yoga as exercise. That is how hatha yoga classes are marketed. But traditional hatha yoga is actually about controlling prana, our life force.

The practice of asanas should give us the ability to manage our prana. Then that asana practice can be called hatha yoga. This is not possible using physical movements alone. The key is to manage the breath.

Ancient hatha yoga texts like the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Yoga Yajnavalkya consider asana as a stepping stone to pranayama. Only when we do effective pranayama, we can call our practice hatha yoga. Otherwise, the asana practice is only exercise or stretching.

Therefore, all serious yoga practitioners should learn to breathe well in asanas and start practicing pranayama regularly as soon as they are able. The lifelong practice of pranayama is the key to hatha yoga and it will also lead us to manage our mind through raja yoga.

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09/12/2021

13/11/2020

Deepavali is the traditional celebration of the victory of light over darkness, a reminder of the beauty of goodness. Happy Deepavali from everyone at Svastha!

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29/10/2020

If you’re feeling unsettled at this time, this may help. Use your body and senses to help your mind feel safe and stable. It’s not difficult to add these to our daily life—these skills help us to be calm and clear through the day and make better decisions too.

Dr. Ganesh Mohan

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