Dr Nagendra VYASA 2013 Report

Aug 28th, 2013

Yoga Bharati Bay Area Chapter was honored to host Guruji, Dr. H.R.Nagendra, the chancellor of SVYASA university, and Prof. Alex Hankey, the distinguished professor of Yoga and Physical Science, Bengaluru on April 26th and 27th. They met different institutions, groups and individuals for collaboration with VYASA regarding different yoga projects.

Prominent among them was Center for Spiritual Enlightenment where Rev O’Brian and group gave the campus tour to Guruji followed by a discussion session for a possible collaboration with VYASA through Yoga Bharati. Dr. Nagendra invited Rev.O’Brian and group for their upcoming INCOFYRA International Conference, this time on Diabetes and Yoga. Rev.O’Brian invited Dr. Nagendra to talk in their Yoga Hour radio show which is likely to happen some time Jan 2014. CSE is considering offering Yoga Teacher Training through Yoga Bharati/VYASA.

Dr. Nagendra also visited Mt.Madonna and met his holiness, Baba Haridas and his team. He invited the team to visit Prashanti and also expressed his interest in collaborating with them for their research center on yoga and Ayurveda.

Guruji Dr. Nagendra gave a public program on Monday, Aug 26th evening 7pm at Sunnyvale temple on Yoga for Common Ailments. He explained how yoga would help slow down the mind (manomaya kosha), which in turn calms down the pranic body (pranamaya kosha) and physical body (annamaya kosha). He demonstrated the effects of yoga on various ailments using the results of research done in VYASA on various applications of yoga. He also talked about different projects that SVYASA has undertaken, the courses such as BNYS (Bachelor of Yoga and Naturopathy), PGDYT (Diploma in Yoga Therapy), Bsc, MSc and PhD in yoga therapy among other courses. He also invited folks to come over to Arogyadhama, the health center of SVYASA where people can get yoga practice or yoga therapy in a residential retreat setting.

Prof. Alex Hankey talked about his research on Astrology – Jyotish. He demonstrated the research being done at SVYASA regarding the influence of different planets such as Guru (Julpiter), Shani (Saturn) and Rahu & Ketu (Nodes of the Moon) on the growth of virus and bacteria. They have been studying the effect in vaccinations of animals at different Muhurts (under the influence of different planets). While the research is yet to be concluded, the results are amazingly repeatable and predictable so far, giving hopes about astrology’s effectiveness in daily life and its applications in health sciences.

Dr. Nagendra and Prof Alex Hankey participated in a formal dinner event where community leaders of different organizations connected to Yoga Bharati met. Leaders of Center for Spiritual Enlightment, Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh, International Association of Yoga Therapists, India Community Center, and more than 40 of Yoga Bharati volunteers attended the meeting. Dr. Nagendra explained various upcoming projects of VYASA, the current and future research of SVYASA. His Stop Diabetes campaign in Gujarat was received with great amazement and admiration. Many Yoga Bharati volunteers were inspired to increase their commitment to support VYASA/Yoga Bharati in their joint mission to spread yoga – Dr. Nagendra’s dream of achieving the vision of Swami Vivekananda – combining the best of the East with the best of the West.

Dr. Nagendra also met different community leaders separately. Prominent among them were Prof. Shyam Raoji, the most revered Music Maestro and teacher in the Bay Area, Prof. Madhu Thangavelu of USC, Mr.B.V.Jagadeesh, a well known and distinguished entrepreneur and Philanthropist in the Bay Area.

Yoga Bharati offers its heart-felt thanks to Dr. Nagendra and Prof.Hankey for their visit. This further enhances Yoga Bharati agenda of spreading holistic yoga to the American society. Guruiji’s dream of spreading the best of East with the best of West needs particular mention on this day where we are celebrating 50 years of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. A little poem by Ashwini Surpur offered to VYASA and to Guruji, Didi, Raghuramji and his team at VYASA on this special occasion using the terms from King’s speech:

They have a dream
To fulfill a dream
The dream of great men and women
The dream of Christ and the Buddha
The dream of the Paramahamasa
The dream of the sages of the Vedanta
The dream dreamt 50 years ago
The vision seen 150 years ago
The dream of the human excellence with no ego
In Prashanti – the hallowed spot
The palace of justice and tranquility
They have a dream

We have come to cash a check
Of the architects of Vedanta
Who spoke magnificent words
The constitution of spiritual freedom
And the declaration of inner Independence
A Promissory note to every Human to fall Heir
All men – black or white, brown or blonde;
The bank of Vedic wisdom
That is ever full and never bankrupt;
The great vault of spiritual grandeur
That is ever open and never shut;
Free for all – let us cash this check
Let us have a dream

They have a dream
They are walking their dream
They cannot walk alone, not for long
May we dream their dream
And walk along and dream along
Of reaching majestic heights
On the high plane of dignity and discipline
Meeting physical force with soul force
Amidst trials and tribulations
Spreading the message of peace
From the sages of the East
To every hill and mountain
Unmindful of the mountain of despair
Changing it into a stone of hope
Until we are free at last – free of desires!
Jai Martin Luther King Jr!

East Meets West - by Dr.H.R.Nagendra – a Report

Cupertino, CA July 31st, 2012

 On Sunday, July 29th, 2012, Yoga Bharati Bay Area Chapter hosted programs towards Pre-Conference Workshop with the theme – EAST MEETS WEST to highlight Swami Vivekananda’s upcoming 150th Birthday. Yoga Bharati’s International Conference Yoga Sangam is also organized to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s dream of East Meeting West.

Guruji Dr. H.R.Nagendra, the Vice Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation (VYASA) has worked in making Swami Vivekananda dream of spreading Yoga and its Philosophy to the world by bringing scientific research into yoga and making yoga therapy, an evidence based modality.

Guruji conducted a yoga workshop on Stress Management ((Stress Management for Excessive Tension) in Sunnyvale temple on Sunday July 29th at 7am. This workshop was attended by more than 50 people who were impressed and inspired by the depth of the yoga practice which was not just asanas, but a wholesome practice for the body, mind and soul.

Guruji also conducted a lecture and practice workshop on East Meeting West at India Community Center (ICC), Milpitas. He presented the work of VYASA, its 25 years of research on yoga and its applications in back pain, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, etc. More than 200 research papers are published in various scientific journals. Guruji had a great response to his program. More than 60 people including alumni of Indian Institute of Science (IISc, Bangalore) attended the program. Some people were so inspired that they decided to visit VYASA Bangalore and expressed their interest to dedicate their time volunteering for VYASA and Yoga Bharati.

Guruji also attended a Yoga Sangam Curtain Raiser Dinner with donors, supporters and Community Leaders on July 29th evening

KLOK’s Mahima Creations hosted a talk by Guruji Dr.H.R.Nagendra on their Altu Phaltu show, at the peak hour on the evening of June 29th. 

Yoga and Stress Management Dr Naveen and Raghuramji

 June 18th, 2011
Sunnyvale
Yoga Bharati conducted a workshop on Yoga and Stress Management where close to hundred people attended and enjoyed the event. The workshop was also attended by the doctors and medical researchers who were interested in the ongoing research in yoga and its therapeutic effects.
This workshop was presented by Shri N.V.Raghuram, the spiritual founder of Yoga Bharati and a faculty member at SVYASA (Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation), Bengaluru, India, and Dr.Naveen Vishweshwaraih of FAITHS (Foundation for Assessment and Integration of Traditional Health Systems). Both these institutions are working on bringing research papers on the therapeutic effects of yoga. SVYASA has published over 150 papers on yoga applications for various ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, backpain, autism, cancer and many more.
Shri Raghuram presented the concepts of yoga and its effect on Stress. He showed the example of Arjuna’s mental condition in Bhagavad Gita and explained that his sudden decision to withdraw from the inevitable war imposed on them, his trembling hands and legs and his hesitation to fight the war in the battlefield showed the signs of anxiety disorder. “Krishna explained him the concepts of yoga and counseled him to come out of his confusions to take his own battle decisions. Simple and profound yogic counseling of Krishna could relax Arjuna to get clarity of mind even in the battlefield” said Shri Raghuram. Raghuramji also explained how yoga can help us in handling our stress in day-to-day life and how we all can learn from the example of Arjuna.

Dr. Naveen presented the research side of yoga in the most elegant and amazing manner. He began with how yoga can help counter stress by giving examples from Patanjali Yoga Sutras and then quickly moved into the most exciting part of the program by showing us the graphs and charts on the effects of different asanas, pranayama and meditation on the psycho-physiology of our personalities. He presented the research on the ability to control involuntary systems of the body such as heart rate, body temperature by the yogis and also showed how the prefrontal cortex of a yogi looks like, using EEG and other clinical neurophysiology tools.. He also demonstrated the research data on heart rate variability of postures such a Shirshasana (head stand) and practices like Kapala Bhati, Nadi Shuddhi (alternate nostril breathing) and single nostril breathing like Surya anuloma viloma (right) and Chandra anuloma viloma (left) and their effects on psycophysiology parameters such as oxygen consumption, blood pressure, galvanic skin resistance, memory and grip strength, spatial memory, etc, using the bio-feedback tools. He then explained SVYASA’s Cyclic Meditation Technique and its effect on stress management and also the physiological effects of Cyclic Meditation such as respiration, peak amplitude, peak latency, memory scores, etc.

 After Dr. Naveen’s presentation, the audience enjoyed the practice of Cyclic Meditation by Shri N.V.Raghuram and at the end was Q&A session where the audience flooded Dr.Naveen with questions which were all answered effectively. The doctors present in the audience were excited over the research data presented and they expressed their interest in working on bringing yoga and its research to their patient community. Sri N.V.Raghuram is a professor at SVYASA University and the spiritual founder of Yoga Bharati. With more than 20 years of yoga experience, Sri Raghuram conducts workshops and yoga discourses during several retreats and conferences around the world. He has been instrumental in starting yoga therapy programs in many hospitals and medical research centers in US and Europe.
Dr. Naveen. Visweswaraiah is the Director, Foundation for Assessment and Integration of Traditional Health Systems [FAITHS], Bengaluru. He is also a Co-Principal Investigator at ICMR Center for Advanced Research in Yoga and Neurophysiology and Associate Professor at SVYASA.

Evidence Based Yoga for Health - Doctors Workshop

Workshop on Evidence Based Yoga for Medical Practice 

Yoga Bharati Press Release Sep 22nd, 2010

 Yoga Bharati organized a workshop for doctors and medical practitioners at India Community Center (ICC) Milpitas on Sunday, Sep 19th, 2010. The workshop was well attended by a group of over twenty five healthcare professionals. There were specialists in all fields of medicine such as cardiology, oncology, obstetrics, internal medicine and therapists. The workshop was arranged to generate awareness on yoga therapy and its benefits on the patients.

It was reiterated that yoga therapy basically works at removing the root cause of all ailments – Stress. Stress itself is defined as response to a situation. We cannot change the situation but we can only change *our* response to the situation – was a takeaway to the audience.

The sequence of events was a talk on “Yogic Concept of Health” by Dr.Nagarathna, practice of Cube Yoga (Cyclic Meditation) by Sri. N.V.Raghuram, followed by a panel discussion. On the Panel were – Sri.Raghuram, Dr.Nagarathna , Dr.Naras Bhat, Dr.Raji Iyer and Smt.Pratichi Mathur. Savita Joshi, Treasurer and yoga therapy teacher of Yoga Bharati introduced Dr. Nagarathna and other delegates to the audience.

Dr. Nagarathna also gave a brief idea about Prashanti, the wellness center in Bangalore and the yoga therapy and the associated research being conducted there. She talked about modern day medical problems such as heart attack, emotional instability, stress, etc – basically mind and body related issues because of urbanization and fast paced life. She elaborated on different yoga therapy techniques to cope with these problems such as different relaxation techniques that help us get mastery over our mind.

She shared information that SVYASA University has published more than 100 papers in various medical journals. The research papers include effects of yoga on ailments such as breast cancer, diabetes, back pain, etc as well as the study of yoga techniques and its effects on healthy individuals. A complete repository of published reports can be found at http://www.svyasa.org/research_papers/.

On the question of whether yoga can replace modern medicine, Dr Nagarathna opined that yoga therapy is meant to complement the existing modern system as opposed to replacing it. Pratichi Mathur, an Ayurveda practitioner and the founder of Vedika Global said that Ayurveda and yoga together form a holistic approach to health. Dr. Naras Bhat, cardiologist and professor at Berkeley University, demonstrated with his examples, on how his simple breathing techniques had their benefits on heart disease and other ailments.

Audience raised a concern about the cultural acceptance of yoga to which Dr. Raji Ayyar, oncologist at Kaiser, said that yoga is now universally accepted compared to 20 years ago, and that doing research in yoga and its benefits among the mainstream was not difficult. Also, Dr. Nagarathna said one could modify certain practices based on the nation and the culture in which yoga therapy is being introduced. SVYASA is collaborating with universities and hospitals in US and Europe and the results of the positive effects of yoga therapy were seen consistently across nations.

Sri. Raghuram, Chairman of Yoga Bharati and faculty at SVYASA talked on the philosophy of yoga and also conducted a short cyclic meditation session and a pranayama session to give the doctors and medical practitioners, an idea of how it helps to develop inner awareness. It was beautifully received by the audience.

Overall, it was a fact-filled and motivating session that empowered the audience with the needed research data to help them explore the path of Yoga Therapy.