Articles published in the Tico Times

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August 20, 1999
Scientific & Time-Tested
Until recently, few people have known what yoga is. It is often seen as extremely convoluted body postures or only as a mental control practice. People tend to dismiss it quickly as having no use in their own lives, unaware of its marvelous benefits for their body/mind.
Lately, however, yoga is entering the mainstream of the western world at an accelerated pace. Riding that wave, I hope to dispel misconceptions regarding the practice and to replace it with abasic knowledge of the true meaning of the word "yoga".
The following excerpt from the Kripalu Yoga Teacher manual offers a clear picture of what yoga is: " Yoga is a scientific, time-tested, 6,000-year old system of self-improvement. The heart of yogic teaching lies in the belief that a self-fulfilled person is a healthy person, free from disease caused by stress and improper living habits. The practice of yoga is designed to lead students to an ever-increasing knowledge of themselves and the needs of their bodies and minds in order to achieve and maintain good physical and mental health and spiritual harmony. Yoga, in short, is a science of self-improvement that deals with the whole human being."

Hatha Yoga, the yoga of physical well-being, usually begins the practice of this ancient science for Western students. Hatha Yoga comes from the root that also gives us our word "yoke". It is that part of yoga that seeks to unite our polarities and conflicts into a state of harmony. Through its related series of exercises for both body and mind, Hatha Yoga techniques are intended to rejuvenate and bring into proper balance all aspects of the body: endocrine, vascular, nervous and muscular systems.
Hathe Yoga postures are different from other forms of physical exercise. Unlike calisthenics and sports - which emphasize stamina and vigorous muscular activity -often to the point of exhaustion - Hatha Yoga encourages concentration, perseverance and steady progress. The postures can be practiced and enjoyed by males and females, young and old, healthy and unhealthy, strong and weak.

The beginning practice of yoga stresses gentle stretching exercises, rhythmic breathing and deep relaxation techniques along with instruction in nutrition and diet that promotes physical and mental health through positive living and attitudes.
Through continued practice of these techniques, the student of Hatha yoga quickly experiences the benefits of increased relaxation, normalized blood pressure, the relief of minor back problems, and a steadied metabolism.
When combined with deep breathing exercises and meditation techniques, these practices also bring the student a sense of emotional calmness and a feeling of mental peace.

In its largest sense, the word yoga refers to one aspiration to achieve union with Supreme, or Cosmic Consciousness. The following forms of yoga offer different paths for different personalities:
Jnana Yoga - union through knowledge and study
Bhakti Yoga - union through devotion and selfless love
Karma Yoga - union through service, work and action
Mantra Yoga - union through sound vibration and speech
Raja Yoga - union through control of the mind.

Thousand of years ago, the great yogis of India spontaneously experienced hatha yoga postures as a natural part of their spiritual practices. Arising from deep states of meditation, their postures flowed smoothly, without any conscious effort on their part. In their meditative states the yogis did not consciously perform the postures; the postures happened spontaneously and were an integral part of meditation.

This meditative approach of hatha yoga is the essence of Kripalu yoga. It is a meditation-in-motion, a prayer without words, and experience of the moment.

September 3, 1999
How Can Yoga Help? Let Us Count the Many Ways

After 15 years practicing yoga, I never stop marveling at the benefits it brings to the body-mind-soul connection. Yoga is a holistic discipline. No matter if our focus is initially on physical effects, such as lowering blood pressure, the healing is quickly felt at much deeper levels. The result is an increase of our knowledge of our body's energy system.
Deepak Chopra's first key to mastering our lives is listening to our body's wisdom. This is exactly what yoga teaches.
minor aches and pains, and bigger ones, can easily be relieved with a specific breathing exercise and/or yoga posture, if we will only listen. Unfortunately, we have forgotten that the source of healing is within, not without. It is only by modifying our belief system and trusting our body's wisdom that we can truly restore health at all levels of our being.
Yoga Desai says: "The practice of Kripalu Yoga takes place not just in your body, but in your mind as well...its benefits are not limited by how stiff or flexible you are, by what your body can or cannot do, or by how well you have mastered the techniques or perfected the postures. Kripalu Yoga is a way to transcend all limitations and disturbances which infiltrate and influence every aspect and activity, experience and expression of your life."
Everybody can do yoga. The yoga class and the yoga mat become the stage and the metaphors for how we live our life. we learn, in a safe space, to observe, connect and control our inner workings (respiration, circulation, digestion, emotions...) and see their reflection in our outside life and behavior.
The American Medical Association has reported that 80 percent of all diseases are stress-related. In 1984, the National Institute of Health recommended meditation over prescription drugs as the first treatment for mild hypertension.
Yoga, a meditation-in-motion, is a very simple, yet profound stress management technique. Instead of "fighting or fleeting" stress, we can learn to flow with it.
Stress is a result of living in the past or projecting into the future. Yoga emphasizes the importance of being present and aware in each moment.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of yoga and meditation on stress and anxiety alleviation, improved motor skills, relief from addictions, heightened visual and auditory perceptions, and enhanced metabolic and respiratory functions.
A partial list of some of the basic benefits yoga can bring on the physical level includes:
- corrects weight, figure and body alignment
- firms and tones muscles and internal organs
- awakens dormant muscles, opens and releases stiffness in the shoulders and the neck
- stimulates blood circulation, digestion and elimination
- limbers up joints and spine, keeping the body strong and supple
- rejuvenates the body
- delays aging
- purifies and tranquilizes the whole system
- balances endocrine and nervous systems
- decreases: deep tension, back pain, cholesterol, insulin requirement in people with diabetes, frequency of asthma attacks, coronary artery problems, chronic pain symptoms, lactic acid production
- improves: posture, circulatory and respiratory efficiency, blood glucose levels, thyroid function, chest expansion, functional mobility, flexibility, vital energy (prana)
And to name only a few benefits on other levels:
- develops inner strenght, self-confidence, more positive attitude to life
- cultivates self-knowledge, self-acceptance, self-esteem and trust
- calms the mind, clarifies thinking, boost concentration
- helps overcome fear of death and achieve a level of serenity
- provides dep relaxation
In short, yoga is designed to relax, release, invigorate, energize, stimulate bodies of all types. In doing so, it opens doors to new dimensions of ourselves, dissolves our stress, restores our spirit and improves our health from the inside out.
A few months ago, a student told me after class that she was going away for a month and would be missing us. And with a big smile added: "Your classes are the best thing that have happened to me in years."
My heart couldn't have felt fuller, my eyes brimmed with tears of joy. She was a living expression of yoga's fabulous power of transformation, and the reason I love teaching it.