At Yoga Bharati, we follow the particular principles of practice established by Sage Patanjali, a brilliant thinker and author who lived around 250 BCE, and Swami Vivekananda, a man of great magnetism who worked both in India and America during the late part of the 19th century.

Any form of relaxation can increase the rest-and-digest aspect of our physiology. Yoga provides a wakeful state of relaxation and hence increases parasympathetic response much more effectively than sleep and other passive forms of relaxation. Research has shown that wakeful state of relaxation  such as Cyclic Meditation practice significantly reduces oxygen consumption and energy expenditure .....

According to National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS) in 2020, half of people 12 and older, have used illicit drugs at least once. Drug overdose deaths in the US since 2000 are nearing one (1) million.

Yoga, particularly the philosophy, is centered on the core concept of mind and happiness. This makes yoga a perfect fit for treating people dependent on external substances for peace and happiness. Yoga offers physical, emotional, and psychological benefits that complement traditional addiction recovery methods, such as counseling, group therapy, and medication-assisted treatments.

We are all equally working towards a common goal. When managers consider their direct reports as equal to themselves, they stop being controlling and dictating and become compassionate. Many think compassion means being weak and susceptible to exploitation, but it works well when applied correctly. However, it is not easy to practice kindness. This calls for more people to walk the Yogic path to move beyond these disparities and start seeing people and all beings as equal, working towards a higher purpose in the universe.

I found myself thinking. Life hangs at gunpoint for all of us, metaphorically speaking. One accident, one huge natural calamity, or one virus or bacteria is what it takes to erase us. Our forefathers lived amidst constant danger to their lives. Life was not taken for granted when a caveman was hunting, like any other animal, for his and his family’s survival. Hunger and diseases were rampant. Death was part and parcel of every life at every age. Yet they were resilient. While mortal fear is part and parcel of our very being, relatively speaking, one becomes more prepared for risks in life. We have constructed many layers of protection and are relatively safer. But we also are much more fragile in our mental disposition. The fear we carry is immense. Life is totally taken for granted. This only moves us away from spiritual growth. If life is simply about extending our years on this planet, then it makes sense. But humans have such evolved faculty of thinking and contemplating that we are not satisfied being amortal and ageless. We want fulfillment, expression of our innate strengths, and exploration of life’s boundaries and beyond. That is spirituality, after all. 

With all the yoga I practiced, I was feeling that I had not stretched my boundaries. I have been too cozy and may even have a subtle ego of a fake sense of spiritual achievement.  The gunshot I took told me that there is more to life. I know one life is not enough to reach the unlimited scope of life. But now I think that one life is enough to touch different spheres of life, to expand our horizon, and cross our cozy cocoon. Most importantly, this gunshot helped me appreciate the beauty in mortality, which we prefer to fear than to see its beauty. 

Just a few decades ago, if one could visit an Indian village or in the countryside America, children seemed to have a slower and relaxed childhood and with that, they have an opportunity to practice patience and self-centeredness on their own. For example, children in rural areas of India can sit and wait for a bus or a train without doing much. They can sit for a pooja or a ritual without having a toy in their hand. But children in modern settings are not trained to do so.

We ask our children to focus and learn. We all grew up being told to focus in the same way. By just telling us to focus we cannot focus. One needs a culture and lifestyle of focusing. Our ancient societies had ways to bring this focus and mindfulness (slowness)  into our lives through religious worship and rituals in which every member of the family somehow got involved. When religion lost to rationalism, along with it, we also lost ways to calm our minds. 

Yoga Bharati's yoga students and yoga participants experienced an actual "retreat" on April 8 to 10, 2022 in Mount Madonna Center in the Bay Area where the popular Hanuman temple is located. This was a breath of fresh air after the onslaught of COVID and its lockdowns. The retreat was held at the serene Mount Madonna Center in Watsonville, California. Situated only an hour from the South Bay Area(Silicon Valley), Mount Madonna center is nestled amidst wondrous Redwood trees and houses the Sankat Mochan temple.

.....After 5 AM, the curtains closed for both Shiva and his consort. The priests were busy doing an elaborate alangaaram (ritualistic dressing) for the Lord. We waited patiently outside, all sleep gone, our only aim now to see the Shivalinga once the curtains open. The priests outside were still continuing the chants keeping the resonance going. Finally when the curtains were waved aside, the throng of devotees leapt forward. I gazed upon the wonderful decoration of the Shivalinga. The lights in the inner sanctum were switched off and the Lord could only be seen by the light of the dozens of lamps lit around him. 

I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and humility for having come thus far in the night - nothing could have been better! This feeling drenched me completely as I took Shiva’s blessings from the Deeparadhanai (worship with the lamp) before walking out of the temple with a supreme sense of bliss.

I recently lost a close relative to COVID. I little knew the person personally but knew well the ones who loved and cared for the person. Their loss was my loss - their grief was inconsolable and that grief was my grief too. The pain of separation due to death is a lot to comprehend even in non COVID times; this pain was magnified in COVID times all because of the ground reality of a lack of real funeral procedures - which are paramount, to come to terms with grief of losing a loved one. 

......A more profound thought took over me sometimes, wherein I felt the entire human consciousness was suffering. .....

Fear is a deep seated emotion, useful as well as debilitating. It is very natural to feel it and to the vast majority, uncontrollable. Fear can also make a mountain out of a molehill, just as it can wipe out sanity giving rise to hysteria and panic. In the COVID times, one thing more rampant than the virus is the fear of it. The sheer unpredictability of the virus is the primary cause. As a species, we humans have seen a few decades of immense rise in power due to our unchecked control over most of our external circumstances - any force of nature that challenges this control can obviously lead to this basic fear of survival.

Fear of death or fear of the unknown is a natural emotion and if allowed to take over, can cause untold and meaningless misery. Trying to stay the master of the self is no easy possibility but these possibilities open up with Yoga and/or meditation. I’m just a student starting out on this path and with all humility, bow down to the prospects that this knowledge brings. At the same time, I respect and bow to COVID, not in fear but in acceptance. I would like to end with the powerful Samskrit shloka, made more famous in the movie ‘Matrix’:

"Children are essentially spiritual. Spirituality is the central organizing principle of inner life in teenagers. It helps them to find meaning and purpose in life as they grow into adults. Awareness of spiritual development creates opportunities to prepare teens for their individuation, identity development, emotional resilience and healthy relationships. There are many peer-reviewed scientific articles that show spirituality is the key to wellness in the child’s life. Biologically, neurologically, and psychologically, spirituality is part of our nature and is foundational to thriving”. 

- Dr. Lisa Miller, Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University, Teachers College in her book Spiritual Child. 

Surya Namaskar (SN) or Sun Salutation is a series of 10 or 12 poses in a continuous flow, synchronizing breathing with body movement. If you practice only a little yoga each day, practice sun salutations. For people with limited time, sun salutations benefit most muscles and joints.

One of the best energization techniques, Sun Salutation (SN) is a practice of stimulation and relaxation that emphasizes breath and body awareness.

Yoga, mainly SN, brings about a balance within the stress and relaxation response of the human body (sympathetic/parasympathetic control).

Gandhiji’s Strength can be demonstrated in the words of Professor Gilbert Murray of Oxford who wrote in 1914 a tribute to Gandhi in Hibbert Journal: “Be careful in dealing with a man who cares nothing for sensual pleasures, nothing for comfort or praise or promotion, but is simply determined to do what he believes is right. He is a dangerous and uncomfortable enemy because his body which you can always conquer gives you so little purchase over his soul.”

In this life, there is a path for everyone. If we have true passion and eagerness in our endeavors, the universe conspires to take us toward the goal we deserve. Each day presents us with new lessons, and it's essential to internalize them. Let's approach this path slowly and strive to find balance in every action. Through dedication and perseverance, we can turn our lives into a lively celebration!

This is how we change Karma to Karma Yoga!

As an opening verse, the shanti mantra creates a safe space for a conversation (or an asana practice as in our case). We pray for protection. But protection isn't enough, because we are not sitting here in a safe room shivering in a corner. We are here for work of the highest order. And so, we must ask for more than just protection.

We also ask for nourishment. We are going to give our everything to the practice, and we need the energy to continue to flow into us. This nourishment fills our bodies, our breath, our minds and our spirit.

Through our work together, we will gain a better understanding of ourselves and what we study together. But it's not enough for us to understand it for our own personal selves. Our knowledge must shine. And not just shine as a reflective mirror or a polished surface. Our knowledge should have a light of it's own, that will bring light to everyone else who approaches us. This glow, this radiance is what others recognize from our face and our presence. No words need to be spoken in the presence of a master, because her presence itself is proof. Words are just accessories.

Spring is the time to cleanse your Body and Mind.  Suryanamaskars, a gift of Yoga by our ancient sages to the mankind. Kriya (cleansing) practice such as Neti (Nasal irrigation) helps greatly by cleansing the nasal passages.

Sun that shines externally is also the guiding principle and creative force that radiates inside the body. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) practice are proven to have a powerful influence on all the systems of the body: nervous, circulatory, respiratory, and digestive. The combination of all asanas (postures) performed as a set has many health benefits such as weight loss, vitalizing of the entire body, sharpening of the mind and to attain optimal health.

We are stardust. Recycled elements from new and old stars, some matter as old as the universe itself, and some from stars that lived and died billions of years ago. We are made of this universe, and each of us is a story 13.82 Billion years in the making.

We feel a separation from the world. When we look out from our eyes, we look at the world being "outside" us in some way. We're not sure where this separation begins, but we sure "feel" removed from the world. Does a bag of skin separate us from the world? Is it our thoughts, our name and story, or our spirit whatever it may be? We're not sure what separates us from the world, but we just know that we are separate, and this knowing makes us feel that we need to look out for ourselves. To protect and shield ourselves. And so we suffer. 

We don't have to move to Costa Rica to experience Pura Vida.  Pura Vida is a way of life, a way of thinking, a way of being. A commitment to authenticity, connection, simplicity and contentment.  It's truly the beginning of a yogic way of life.  I immediately felt healed and uplifted. It felt like Mother Nature was telling me 'You came to Costa Rica to receive my blessing but you also left a seed.'

It is hard to imagine doing Yoga during postpartum period with your little ones. But it is certainly possible in a group setting!

Supine leg raising (Ardha Uttanapadasana) is a great way to improve abdominal strength in the post partum phase. If the baby can sit, mom can make the baby sit on the tummy. Or she can lay the baby on her belly on the back as in the supine pose or on the baby’s tummy as in prone pose. While holding the baby, raise each leg at a time carefully with the other leg bent at the knee. Then slowly raising both the legs (Uttanapadasana). Smile and connect with the baby while practicing. This practice also helps strengthen the back and increases the flexibility of hamstrings.

Diabetes is on the rise. Over 25 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, and over 8% of the 25 million are Asian Americans (American Diabetes Association).

Yoga prescribes a combination of body, breath, mind, and intellect practices to address the imbalances in all aspects of the human system. Yoga is an effective complementary therapy for managing diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes. Yoga helps reduce stress, promotes weight management, improves cardiovascular health, and boosts mental well-being. Thus, diabetes patients can live a healthy and normal life with a quality of life if they practice Yoga regularly.

As people have become dissatisfied with many conventional methods of healing that seem to only cure the symptoms, they have increasingly sought the help of alternative systems of healing. Some of these methods are very respectable, and offer the patient a positive energetic change whilst in treatment, which lasts for some time.