Yoga Therapy Course Inauguration

Diploma in Yoga Therapy Inauguration
by Guruji, Dr. H.R.Nagendra, Vice Chancellor, SVYASA University, Bangalore
Yoga Bharati Press Release Sep 01, 2010

[Diploma_2010_Inauguration] The evening of September 01, 2010 saw the gathering of very enthusiastic Yoga Bharati instructors from various batches. The goal of the evening was the Diploma Program inauguration and an alumnus meet.

It got off to a great start with Guruji sharing his experience of how he was able to overcome a situation where he had a slip disc. He went on to explain how when stuck in Canada, he was completely paralyzed by a slip disc. With excruciating pain, Guruji began applying all the techniques of Pranayama and relaxation to the area of injury down to the tissue level. After a rigorous practice of about 10 hours, he was able to completely sit up and walk around.

He quoted the above example as he explained how each of the teachers should utilize and experiment with the techniques themselves and how powerful these could be in really addressing the root of the common ailments we see in our everyday lives.

This was followed by an extended period of Q&A session, where each of the participants shared their own experiences, clarified their areas of confusion and sought advice on various problems faced by them both through personal practice and in a class setting.

Guruji also took the time to highlight the Diploma/Certification Program on Yoga Wellness. He congratulated all those that had made the decision to avail the benefits of the wonderful program. The highlights of the program were the flexibility and how each of the students could pace their learning to suit their individual life styles without compromising on the quality and their passion to achieve the knowledge they seek in the area. The course ensures that various modules are completed in time by conducting exams at various points along the way. This also helps the student to keep pace without losing sight of the end goal.

Various other subtle points of the course were patiently explained by both Guruji and Ashwini Surpur, who is heading the Therapy program of Yoga Bharati. The fact that the course was based on a credit system was very well received by the participating students and also students considering taking it.

The Diploma program was also formally inaugurated by the lighting of the lamp and MOU signing by Guruji Dr.H.R.Nagendra, the Vice Chancellor of SVYASA, Bengaluru and the President of Yoga Bharati Anil Surpur.

Ashwini Surpur, Director of Yoga Therapy Education announced another upcoming event – Intensive three days Yoga Workshop with Dr. Nagarathna beginning September 17th to 19th. This, she said will also be the beginning of the Diploma course. It was wonderful to know that people are encouraged to join just the workshop without registering for the entire course (Pre-requisite is YICC). 

As the evening drew to a close, it was very clear that the participants were very excited about the new Program being launched! Everyone felt that there was now an opportunity and an avenue for them to pursue their own Sadhana along with enhancing their knowledge on yoga and its applications.

Evidence Based Yoga for Health - Doctors Workshop

Workshop on Evidence Based Yoga for Medical Practice 

Yoga Bharati Press Release Sep 22nd, 2010

Yoga for Health Doctors Workshop

 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.

 

Swami Bodhananda 2010

The Yoga Bharati Family was very fortunate to be graced by the presence of Swami Bodhananda in the week of Nov 29 to December 11. These 2 weeks were an awakening for those who were fortunate to be able to attend the programs. It was as if Swamiji’s deep knowledge cut through the veil of ignorance that clouded us, and his will power and intellect pulled us out of our limited selves and helped us experience our expanded and capable selves. Many of us survived on the fuel of his presence, and for once our habits and other obstacles which impede even our daily practice seemed to fall away as if by divine intervention. Our energies flowed harmoniously and we were able to revel in the satsangh of like minded people and his presence.

The week began with meditation sessions on Nov 29th. There were 4 days of meditation sessions in this week. These set the tone and preparation of more advanced sadhana in the coming week.

This was then followed by a discourse on Patanjali Yoga Sutras for 2 days on the weekend. He expounded on the sutras and did not just explain the etymological meaning but helped us understand the practicality of the sutras as they applied to day to day life. His understanding of the richness and complexities of life mixed with his sharp wit really helped us absorb the meaning so as to be able to apply it on a moment to moment basis.

This was followed by 5 days of meditation sessions where he further gave us suggestions to experience the deeper meaning of the Patanjali yoga sutras. The sessions beckoned us to imbibe and live the higher ideals of fearlessness, compassion, devotion. The series of sessions took us a step of ladders so that we can get a taste of our higher selves and experience supreme contentment. This was then followed by Brahma Sutras. The session began with prostrations to prepare us for the rich and deeper meaning of the Brahma Sutras. This was a session not to just be informed but to experience the transformation that these words intend to provide. As was highlighted by Swamiji the first step of attaining the higher knowledge was shravana then manana and nidhidyasana. We were fortunate to be able to listen to the master who could unlock these sutras for us. He prepared us for the knowledge and intends to expound on these sutras further when he visits us next year.

His vist was also marked by satasnghs in the evening for two weeks. These were hosted by devotees in their homes and each home was packed. People who came later had difficulty finding space. He took us through a birds eye view of all the shlokas in the Ishavasya Upanishad.

Swami Bodhananda Saraswati is highly respected in India and America as an accomplished teacher of Vedanta and Meditation. Swamiji is on the Board of Directors of Yoga Bharati. Presently, Swami Bodhananda is the Spiritual Founder and Director of 11 organizations and ashrams under the umbrella of the Sambodh Foundation, New Delhi, India; the Bodhananda Research Foundation for Management and Leadership Studies, Trivandrum, Kerala, India; and The Sambodh Society, Inc., his American organization. 
Swami Bodhananda is the author of several books: Meditation: The Awakening of Inner Powers, The Gita & Management, Self Unfoldment in An Interactive World, a monograph titled, "Rishi Vision", etc. Swamiji's recorded talks on Upanishads such as Taittiriya Upanishad, recorded in April 2001, during a spring-time Himalayan retreat in the Sattal region of Utteranchal, India (formerly part of Uttar Pradesh) are available. please visit: www.sambodh.com

 

Yoga Retreat 2009

Point Bonita San Fransisco Yoga Retreat  Report

Yoga Bharati conducted a three day Yoga Retreat from July 03 to July 05, 2009 in SF Bay Area.

The theme was Happiness and Spirituality. This retreat was also blessed to have both Swami Bodhananda Saraswati and Guruji Raghuramji –both stalwarts in their own right! The location was Point Bonita – a place very near San Francisco. The rolling hills, the greenery, and the low fog just made it seem like paradise itself!

People arrived from far and near on Friday afternoon, and after a brief round of introductions, everyone began settling down. There were unsaid expectations, apprehensions and questions. But, the enthusiasm and energy were palpable!

The program started as planned at 4:00 pm with the lighting of a lamp, ‘Ganesha Vandana’ the ‘Aashirvachana’ by both Swamiji and Raghuramji. They gave an apt, wonderful introduction to Happiness and every human being’s natural quest for it. It was a great start for all the seekers. A coffee break and Cyclic Meditation by Raghuramji followed this session thereafter. It was an exhilarating experience to practice the slow Asanas with subtle instructions regarding awareness about various aspects of human faculties – and those of body and mind.

Dinner that evening was welcomed warmly by the campers! This also served as a platform for more introductions /socialization. The day ended with a ‘Trataka’ session conducted by Ashwini. This was a wonderful rejuvenating experience as expressed by many campers. People were relaxed and were ready to go to bed, but the little ones were too excited to call it a day! Climbing the bunk beds, running from room to room, their giggling and laughing made the entire camp atmosphere feel like it was a house where a wedding was being performed – like they say in India, a ‘Shaadhi ka Ghar’.

On Saturday morning 5:00 AM the alarms went off, waking all the sleepy-heads! People jumped right out of their beds even though it was not their regular wake up time. Some went out to see the deer that were running around. And a few others took a little stroll out in the beautiful camp area. Everyone arrived at the ‘Patanjali’ hall for advanced ‘Pranayama’ session conducted by Ashwini. The dawn saw most of the campers immersed deep into their practice that began with a chanting of ‘Pratasmarami Hridi sam spuradatma tatvam’. The chanting itself was so melodious and peaceful that one could feel the ‘Satva’ flow in and around the whole place.

This was followed by Yogi Mahendraji’s laughter yoga session. Everyone laughed until they cried! This laughter session was followed by a very deep and sublime experience of Swamiji’s meditation session, which made us all reach our true selves and gain that wonderful inner quietude.

The food at all mealtimes was thoroughly enjoyed by all, given that it was all organic and fresh from the farms. It was also made with utmost care, hygiene and love by the chefs at YMCA. As an example, the chef took special effort to cook Indian meal for Saturday night and he took care to roast every single cauliflower piece separately so that we Indians will appreciate his Indian cooking and yet they were nervous until we ate it and we told them we liked it!! The dining hall was also aptly called “Annapoorna” – this seemed to be the hub of many interesting discussions on various topics when the sessions ended!

A hike to the beach helped everyone shake off any left over lethargy and also set the mood for a Deep Relaxation session in the afternoon.

Nearly forty people sat at the feet of the two Gurus – to receive the warm shower of spiritual wisdom. Topics were varied, ranging from “What is Happiness”, to the mundane questions about Parenting and Relationships. Madhavi and Reshma’s moderation of the session using skit and dialogues from their day-to-day experiences set the stage for some real life problems for the two Gurujis to tackle. There was also the wonderful topic discussed in-depth about Mahavakyas from the Upanishads – explained with the greatest simplicity by both Swamiji and Raghuramji. We were both touched and humbled as we sat there and tried to grasp every word that was said – it simply felt as if we were being drenched in showers of love, wisdom and of everything else that was so humane and so very beautiful.

While all of this happened, there were other things brewing in the “Krishna” hall that was dedicated to the little bundles of energy – the kids! In fact there were moments when you could see that they had too many choices on hand, and were switching one to the other in a haste to taste every activity. Coloring, DVDs, games that were organized by parent volunteers, dancing and the best of all even Mahendraji’s krida yoga that was completely tailor made for them! They were lovingly taken care by responsible parent volunteers while their own parents enjoyed the discourses nearby.

One could hear peels of laughter, jumping and giggling from the “Krishna” hall at all times. It was obvious that the kids felt as if it were one big extended family that constantly had multiple parents watching over each other’s kids throughout the event.

The evening was dedicated to cultural programs presented by the little ones and the adults. The participation was fantastic and especially the little ones were enthusiastic to be a part of everything! Songs, dances, skits and games – made it all very enjoyable. Some of the highlights of those high moments were melodious songs sung by Geetha, Supriya and Vidhya, games by Priyanka, a hilarious skit on Mahavakyas by the upcoming yogis who supposedly received enlightenment from Swamiji during the camp, a fusion yoga dance by the team of yogis with little yogi Ankita in the center and a final flag dance by the little kids and their moms for the song “Aao baccho tumhe dikhaye jhaaki Hindustanaki…”. The audience was thoroughly entertained.

The evening had yet another grand finale to it. The fireworks! All the campers had the privilege to watch the fireworks of both the cities of Oakland and San Francisco with the man made wonder – the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. The crowd was simply thrilled!

Day three and the last day of the camp began with advanced ‘Pranayama’ session (at 5:30 AM), laughter yoga by Mahendra-ji and meditation session by Guru Raghuramji. It was the repetition of the same wonderful experience we had on the previous day!

A hike and a closing ceremony wrapped up this great event in a wonderful way!

To summarize, the camp was very well organized with every activity/program starting on time and ending on time and well thought of in every way. Though everyone participated in many activities, they still had time for socialization, bonding with like-minded campers, to play volley ball, basket ball, hike, chat and argue about philosophy/ideologies, and most of all make new friends!

It would also be so very true if the campers claimed that they came back happier, wiser, and more relaxed! Don’t you wish you were there too? Next time…for sure!

Kudos to all the volunteers for making this great event happen.

Niroga and Yoga Bharati

Yoga Bharati and Niroga Foundation – A Report

Yoga Bharati volunteers are working with Niroga to address problems associated with vulnerable youth. “Niroga” is an organization in SF bay area. whose goal is to bring Transformative Life Skills to students, vulnerable youth, cancer survivors, seniors and people battling addiction. They also educate and deploy yoga teachers from different schools in transforming the lives of vulnerable children, youth and students. The work of Niroga directly uplifts thousands of people every week in schools, juvenile halls, homeless shelters, cancer hospitals and rehab centers.

In this regard, Yoga Bharati arranged a talk by the founder and the executive director of Niroga institute, Dr. Bidyut Bose. This was attended by Yoga Bharati Teachers.

The talk by Bidyut Bose was awakening and stimulating. As his very name suggests, Bidyut is an electrifying personality with excellent oratory skills, deep knowledge of eastern values and western scientific bent of mind . His simplicity and down-to-earth nature was as inspiring as his passion to help the society.

A small video of a Niroga class was shown where we heard voices of young people as to how yoga was helping them. His talk reflected his years of experience as a leader in yoga therapy for the under-served population. He explained the problems associated with neglected and abused children and the cost added to the society and economy by a youth who turns to crime. Bidyut said that yoga offers a wonderful solution to this grave problem that is haunting America today due to drug abuse and violence that the youngsters are facing. The western society has only used yoga for fashionable exercises as per Bidyut. He said “As long as you get yoga abs and yoga butt everyone is happy”.

Bidyut gave a call to the yogi in each one of us to look within and see if we have what it takes to help in this task. Quoting him “A few classes will not cut it”. Only a sustained and continuous effort would bring any difference in the lives of the underserved. It meant that this was not a casual commitment but a dedicated commitment in terms of time and regularity and also in terms of anchoring ourselves in our own practices if we were to step forward to serve as an anchor in the life of people who have had none. Any undertaking would have to have built within it the infrastructure of 100% reliability. Niroga does it with this reliability.

Besides inspiring us that the selfless work was nothing but a step forward towards our own growth, he also brought forward the pragmatic aspects of teaching yoga to the under-served community and outlined the challenges that a teacher would face. One of the participants asked “it would be risky and scary to handle such youth who have committed murders and are very violent even in juvenile halls and jails”. Bidyut’s answer was to see the divinity in them. They have the same divinity that we all have and hence, he humbly asked us to love them with our whole heart. It was very inspiring to listen to the example he gave from his experience of handling such a violent youth. They brought a change in outlook of a violent jailed criminal youth in a matter of 3 days by helping her experience unconditional love and simple one on one yoga sessions.

The ways in which Yoga Bharati volunteers can help is by serving as teachers and also as ambassadors of Niroga to find contacts within DFCS (Dept of Family and Child Services), juvenile halls or low income school in the Santa Clara county. Bidyut outlined that the funds that Niroga needs will also have to come from the pockets of the common man and we can spread the word around to this cause too.  Read More on Niroga.

First Yoga Bharati Retreat 2002

First Yoga Retreat by Yoga Bharati

Set in the beautiful surroundings of the YMCA Camp at Camp Jones Gulch near La Honda in San Francisco Bay Area, the 2-day Yoga residential camp on “Yoga In Daily Life” conducted by Yoga Bharati from March 22-24, 2002 was truly a retreat and attracted close to sixty enthusiastic participants. The hallmark of the program was the integration of Yoga with the teachings of non-dualism as prescribed in the Upanishads. While there are many programs that have focused exclusively on spirituality or on the physical aspect of Yoga, this camp was unique in that it took a holistic view of Yoga in the context of spirituality. Spiritual knowledge and Yoga are highly interrelated because while one is the science, the other is the methodology. For a true holistic living, one needs to inculcate not only a physical discipline but also a discipline in mind, food and prANa (breath, i.e. Life Force).

The different schools in Yoga (Raja Yoga—by endurance, Karma Yoga—by action, Bhakti Yoga—by devotion and Jnaana Yoga- by spiritual knowledge) all have ultimately the same goal of controlling the mind and destroying the ego within the seeker. During the Camp, there was a little bit of each of these different streams of Yoga.

The program commenced on Friday, March 22nd with a brief introduction to Yoga by Sri. N V Raghuram, the main speaker of the Camp and the practice of “traaTak” (eye exercises) by the participants. Sri Raghuram, who directed he program, displayed that rare ability to explain highly profound and intricate topics at a simple and easily comprehensible level to the audience. One of the attendees commented with awe and admiration after one session, “He paints pictures in your mind when he tells a tale to illustrate a concept”.

Each morning began early at 6:00 am with the invocation of several Shanti mantras, followed by a discourse by Sri Raghuram on the role of Upanishads. The meaning of Shanti Mantras was elaborated in detail in subsequent lectures over the course of the Camp. The starting prayer for Isha Vaasu Upanishad (“Purnamadaha purnamidam” mantra) explains that we are complete in ourselves. We are all a creation from the same cosmic and divine source. Therefore, creation is not a curse; it is freedom. The manifest comes out of this complete source that never gets depleted despite creation—which is why we are all the same irrespective of our race, color or creed.

While the knowledge of the Upanishads is timeless, Sri Raghuram explained how the practices that are followed (“karmakhanDa”) have evolved over time. The Upanishads answer the most profound of questions that have haunted mankind since the very beginning—what is the true nature of our existence? But for us to understand the meaning of the Upanishads, the question in our mind should become an intense quest. Sri Raghuram gave the example of Ramana Maharishi’s intense search to understand “Who am I?” and Swami Vivekananda’s eagerness to answer the question that perplexed him, “Have you seen God?” Quite clearly, there are several methods of finding this inner peace even though there is unity in such diverse methods. What is worth remembering is that an object of desire is never a source of happiness; while these may provide transient comfort, they do not provide happiness. Fixating on an external object for happiness only limits our freedom. Rather, that source of happiness always lies within us and all that we need to do is to discover that source and understand the lens through which we look at life and ourselves.

On each morning, a 90-minute Yogabhyaasa (Yoga practice) session was conducted in the Camp by Sri. Udayakiran, a software engineer by profession and trained in Yoga at SYVASA. The asanas included “Yogic jogging”, suryanamaskaara (salutation to the Sun), several types of praaNayaama (conscious breathing) including vibhaaga praaNayama, sookta taaDasana, pavana muktaasana, ardhakaTi chakraasana, bhujangaasana, shalabhasaana, danDaasana, sarvaangasana, janu shirsaana and many more. During the practice, the approach was to become conscious of the specific body part after doing a corresponding pose. The session after dinner on each night of the Camp also included the practice of “traaTak” by the participants under the guidance of Sri Raghuram. traaTak is done with the assistance of a candlelight where the group sits around the flame, and focuses their gaze on the candle even as they focus their attention at the point between their eyes.

During the evening, there were keertans and bhajans that were recited by the participants to foster devotion (bhakti). Bhakti, as Sri Raghuram said, is finding God everywhere.

Are emotions bad? No. Rather, we do not know how to manage emotions, which is why it causes unhappiness. A much-abused word today is the word ‘love’. We all have experience of love but find it difficult to understand what true love is. In the state of love, we go to the object, to the outside but never try to understand what happens to us/within us. True love is unconditional. In contrast, when attached to any condition, the emotion begins to wear thin and could even turn violent if the condition ceased to exist. In true love, one gives and takes happiness. “Amrutaswaroopa anubhava” is the experience that one gets when (s)he views the world from this state of love. An excellent example that Sri Raghuram illustrated to drive home this point was the love that Radha had for Krishna. When Krishna had to leave Radha to fight Kamsa, Radha understood that Krishna was leaving for a greater cause and would not be coming back to marry her. She knew that Krishna would be with him, irrespective of where he would physically be present. What Radha had for Krishna was true love and not lust.

Distinguished speaker and CEO of SelfCorp, Sri Prasad Kaipa explained in an inspired session how these abstract concepts could be used in management and in our career. The Gita is an excellent management manual for aspiring leaders because of the relevance of its context, since it is set in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. It shows how even the greatest warrior Arjuna faced a moment of quirkiness and almost felt his skills desert him at a crucial moment. This was a battle for which Arjuna had prepared and honed his skills as a warrior for a whole lifetime. In today’s competitive world, business leaders periodically face such an ‘acid test’ of their abilities and character. For a leader to become effective, (s)he only needs to take a leaf from the Gita: Maintain equanimity (stithapragnya) at all times, pay attention to one’s perspective in whatever (s)he does, choose actions consistent with this perspective at every point, identify the way in which one lives out these actions, understand the context in which (s)he currently operates and be persistent in each one of these endeavors. If one does all these, happiness (sukham) will naturally follow. Indeed, Sri Prasad Kaipa has co-founded his company, Self Corp (http://www.selfcorp.com) to help business leaders improve their effectiveness by doing the afore-mentioned steps.

Patanjali, the great saint who gave Yoga to the world was also one of the founding fathers of Sanskrit grammar. In addition, he laid the foundation for good health in the form of Ayurveda. The three fields are thus naturally inter-related. Noted Ayurvedic practioneer,. Pratichi Mathur explained the essence of Ayurveda and its relationship to Yoga. Ayurveda is about health and not just disease; indeed it is an encyclopedia of life! What marks out Ayurveda is that it takes a holistic view of the body and does not treat a symptom or a body organ in isolation. The result is that there is no camouflaging of symptoms or no side effects that develop in the process of healing. Naturally, Ayurveda is thus administered on a case-by-case basis since each person’s constitution is unique. Because the process of aging cannot be fought and the physical body (unlike the soul) is not eternal; Ayurveda attempts to help an individual develop his own immunity and his power of self-healing. Ayurveda thus has three goals—prevention, cure and development of the consciousness within the individual. An excellent example that Pratichi gave to distinguish between the Ayurvedic approach and conventional medicine is about food—conventional wisdom says that we are what we eat; in contrast, Ayurveda says that we are what we digest! Pratichi practices in the Bay area and provides healing services at the Ganesh Ayurveda Institute in Los Altos (http://www.healingmission.com). Pratichi’s background should in itself convert skeptics to admirers of Ayurveda. Pratichi, who was born with a genetic disability called ankylosing spondylitis and also grew up with asthma, has used the power of Ayurveda to not only avoid her dependence on drugs or even a wheelchair, but also to lead an extremely active lifestyle. It was little wonder therefore that her 75-minute talk was very interactive and evoked a tremendous amount of interest from the audience.

Samskrita Bharati sevak, Sri Vasuvaj gave a lively talk in Sanskrit on the importance of Sanskrit—although over 70% of his talk was in Sanskrit, nobody in the audience, including people of non-Indian origin, found it difficult to follow him. His energetic speech convinced the audience that “Samskritam kaTinam naasti” (Sanskrit is not difficult). It is a common misconception that Sanskrit is a language that is difficult to learn or is not “alive”. Yet, most people passively know Sanskrit when they know any Indian language, since Sanskrit is the root of most languages. Its structured syntax makes the language highly scalable and new words can be formed from the 4,000 dhaatu (root) words to keep pace with man’s new inventions and/or discoveries. Sanskrit’s application in the areas of natural language processing are already well documented, due to its context-independent structure that makes it easier to parse by computers. Sri Vasuvaj showed how Panini, who laid the foundation for Sanskrit grammar wrote such a concise text called “Ashtaadhyaayi” (“8 chapters”) containing all the rules of grammar in strotras (verses) that it could easily be printed in a small text of less than 75 pages!

The Camp had many other activities too. On Saturday evening, a one-hour event, “Yogic games” was held by Sri Vasuvaj and other volunteers that was filled with games adapted from tales of Ramayana/Mahabharat and intended to develop a subtle awareness of Indian heritage in the process. During the evening, there were keertans and bhajans that were recited by the participants to foster devotion. The Camp was filled with very community-conscious participants, who served food in groups to all and even rested in groups during late evenings. For kids, there were special programs planned that included nature walks, hand painting, asanas (postures) for kids and many more. Each session was very interactive, with tremendous enthusiasm and participation from the audience that extended into discussions and personal consultations with the speakers during inter-session breaks. The Camp participants were immersed in these activities from 6:00 am-10:00 pm every day, making it was not only a ‘Yoga In Daily Life’ Camp but also a ‘Yoga In Every Moment’ Camp!

 

Yoga Instructor Course (YIC) 2002 Inauguration Report

Yoga Teacher Training YICC 2002 Inauguration

Event in Sunnyvale, hosted by Yoga Bharati (www.yogabharati.org)
For immediate release – Oct 11th 2002

The City of Sunnyvale played host to a special function on the evening of October 11th. There is a growing need for certified yoga instructors, who, equipped with the right knowledge can reach out to the community members and spread the importance of inculcating Yoga in ones’ daily life. To meet this immediate need, Yoga Bharati in association with Vivekananda Maha Vidyalaya (VYOMA), i.e. Vivekananda Yoga University, undertook the challenging task of conducting a Yoga Instructor Certified Course (YICC). Swami Vivekananda Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA), the research wing of VYOMA, developed this comprehensive curriculum, easy enough for even the beginners to gain expertise in Yoga.

The grand inauguration of the YICC course took place on evening of Oct 11th at the Ponderosa Park Community Hall, Sunnyvale. Prominent personalities involved in the field of Yoga Research and Applications like Dr. Naras Bhat M.D (Cardiology), Dr. Raji Ayyar M.D (Oncology), and Smt. Pratichi Mathur (Ayurvedic Practitioner) were invited to grace the occasion. Lamp lighting marked the auspicious beginning of the wonderful evening program.

Dr. Naras Bhat initiated the proceedings by presenting the effect of emotions on human physiology. He demonstrated the deep-rooted connection between our mind and body utilizing medical apparatus and software graphology. To enhance the presentation, Dr. Bhat involved members from the audience in the presentation. They were asked to think about contrasting emotions like anger, and loving-kindness while he continuously monitored their heart patterns. The second part of the demonstration sought to show the relationship between our breathing rate and our emotions. According to Dr. Bhat, since Yoga can calm the mind and regulate the breathing rate, it can be a valuable tool in the therapy as well as the prevention of ailments.

Dr. Raji Ayyar currently employed in Kaiser Permanente talked about the application of Yoga in her personal practice. It was worthy to note that she recommends Yoga as a beneficial ancillary to other treatments opted by her patients. Last but not least, Smt. Pratichi Mathur emphasized the enormous value of integrating Ayurveda with Yoga to one’s approach to achieve holistic living. “We are the food we consume” as quoted by her stressed the need to monitor one’s diet. Their talks were a lesson in humility and respect bestowed on the science of Yoga.

After this wonderful presentation on the “Need for Yoga”, Shri Udaya Kiran gave a short synopsis of the YICC course. YICC includes 40 hours of rigorous Practice, 40 hours of in-depth Theory and 48 hours of hands on Field Practice and has been recognized as the flagship course of SVYASA to train instructors in the holistic science of Yoga. The involvement of the audience and their wholesome enthusiasm enhanced the spirit of the occasion. Exceeding expectations, 23 participants signed up for this unique weekends-only Yoga Instructor Certificate Course(YICC) starting on Oct 12th and ending in March.

Yoga Bharati is a 100% non-profit organization, established in 2001 to promote Yoga and related activities in the USA. Yoga Bharati has been conducting Free Yoga daily classes and many enlightening talks in the Bay area. For more information, please visit http://www.yogabharati.org, send a mail to info@yogabharati.org.