Bhastrika Pranayama (Abdominal Breathing)

Namaskaram

Have any of you come to think about the importance of your breath. Every breath is life. Hence, in Yoga, pranayama is one of the essential practice. Pranayama means Life Source in Sanskrit. 
Our life source is not the heart beat, it is the breath. Every time you inhale a good amount of air, you are alive. 

Pranayama is believed to lengthen the life span and start preserving your body from the day you start practicing it. 

Yogis are convinced that everything is prana (energy). The breath links the physical and energetic universe. By applying the correct breathing technique you can open a gateway to unlimited energy. - Excerpts from http://www.ashtangayoga.info/ashtangayoga/basics/breathing-ujjayi/

They are many pranayama techniques, but there are some that are very frequently mentioned by Master Nava during pranayama sessions in classes. Ujjayi, Kapalabhati (Shining Skull), and Bhastrika.

RAIN - The forgotton miracle

Namaskaram

Wet moist water that spoils my dressing, gets in my shoes, this is what I thought of the rain before. Especially when I am all dressed up for work, parties, wedding or what so ever. Even when I am going out, I'd prefer it not to rain, because it just gives me this very uncomfortable feeling, that everything around me feels like moist and wet. All these changed, thanks to Yoga and Master Nava.

Have you all heard of the Panchabhootas? Yes the five elements according to yogic science. 

The Permanent Soul

Namaskaram

The is no such thing as me, myself and I. In fact the body is not permanent. The body is an identity of the soul in this world. It is only limited to this world and only this world. We practice asanas to sustain the body to reach its final days on this earth, but the meditation is the food for the soul to realize the real purpose of life and existence and travel far from earth and beyond.

Ego, Jealousy, Anger, Sadness, Fear, Trauma are mere illusions to distract the mind from its real cause. The source of such emotions being manifested in you is only bound to this world and is never permanent. Focus on the soul, and feed it with kindness, happiness, peace, harmony and spirituality. Always fill yourself with positive thoughts, do good, never carry a negativity with you, as it will be an unnecessary burden for your soul to carry on this lengthy journey. Let it all go, and have light life, clear thoughts, and embark on a journey of pure bliss.

Yoga helped me in reaching my path, now I know where i stand, and what i need and learn my purpose of existence in this earth. The answer is always inside of you, and you are the guide of your life.

Om

My Natural Soap

Namaskaram

Today I am going to share with you on some natural living styles. I have a very sensitive skin, hence the more chemical there is in a bath gel/facial foam the more breakouts I get. Not just that, my skin is dry after shower and an oily one after 6 hours. I have to rely on foundation and compact powder to give my skin the glow when I dress up for function or to work. So I choose my products very carefully, and purchase those that use more natural botanical extracts.

To be frank, I have a paranoia on products that we purchase in the store, simply because, they aren't permanent. Today they may sell something that fits to our needs and we buy them, 2 months down the road they are not on the shelf anymore simply because the sales were not that good. What happens to us, the minority? Doomed. The sustainability of these products is questionable. Nevertheless, what those chemicals do to our skin.

One of my closest choices of natural product that i hung on to for years before I started yoga was Skin Food from Korea. Their products are said to be at least 75% natural. I loved them, but they are expensive and more importantly, I still have my skin problem. If there was a way out of this problem once and for all... the universe heard my prayer and one fine day, after our usual yoga session, Master Nava gave us a talk on how to live on natural things. He said when you bathe, do not use soap. No Soap?? How about all the bacteria on our skin. He said we can use the natural grains and natural antibacterial as a replacement. But will that give us the squeaky clean skin that we get after using a bath gel / facial foam.

Our skin creates a layer of natural oil to protect germs and bacteria from entering our pores. By using bath gel and facial foam, yes, we get a squeaky clean skin, but it also washes of the natural oil exposing our pores for more damage. Hence the skin creates more natural oil to layer the epidermis, hence you have your oily skin :).  Make sense?

Trataka (Gazing of the flame)

Namaskaram

Today we look at the ancient practice of Trataka. This practice is very close to my heart because it has made me achieve a stable mind with clearer thoughts and the ability to make decisions without the influence of my bad past. It has made me a better person inside, so that I learn to love myself on the outside. We all have had bad times, bad arguments and created the hatred and unforgiving nature inside us. With this practice you will be able to let go of your bitter past, focus on what you really need in life, learn the purpose of your life and very importantly appreciate your present moment.

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)

Namaskaram

Image courtesy of yogawithsubhash.com

After doing a little bit of stretching starting from ankle joints up to the neck area, the Sun Salutation is the first set of asanas we practice before beginning of our Yoga session.

Surya Namaskaram is the first thing one should do before beginning of any other asanas. It helps to loosen up the joints and tone up the major muscles in your body before the start of your yoga practice, just so you do not end up with unnecessary sprains and cramps. Surya Namaskaram involves 12 asanas arranged in a series of steps that falls into place together to form a complete salutation. Sun is the main source of energy to our earth and the nature. There are nutrients and vitamins that you can absorb from the sun ray, especially the morning sun. So to speak, it is best for the salutation to be done in the morning during the sunrise (6.45 a.m. to 7.30 a.m., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Local time). 

About Me

Namaskaram

Yoga has been a pursuit for 1/2 of my life since I was a little girl. I used to watch little kids in the temple, learning yoga. Having my father whom is not a big fan of yoga I was not allowed to learn. I was made known that, to learn this beautiful knowledge of mind, body and inner self connection, one needs a good guru, yoga taught wrongly could even shorten the life span of a human. Instilled with such thought, I told myself that I will only learn it when I have met my guru that have known enough about to teach me this wonderful knowledge.

MAYI was made known to me by my maternal uncle that was very involved in yoga. He invited us for the launch of the their first website. I met Master Manisekaran there. After almost a decade of that encounter, I can still recall the feeling and the energy in the hall during his presence. It was just overwhelming and too few words to explain it.