Yoga Festival 2009 - Abstracts of the talks by members from ICYER

Posted December 25, 2008 · December 25, 2008

YOGA AND MEDITATION:CHRISTOPH EBERHARD, Belgium

Generally people associate Yoga with

Asanas and think of it as a physical practice that promotes health. Sometimes

there is also an awareness of Pranayma understood as "breathing exercices". But

if Asana and Pranayama are important aspects of Yoga, they are only two of the

eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga as exposed by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. They

are preceded by the ethical observances of Yama (the "don'ts") and Niyama (the

"dos") and they open the path for Pranayma (control of energy), Pratyahara

(sense withdrawal or sense conctrol), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana

(meditation) and Samadhi (cosmic consciousness).

So Meditation, Dhyana, is the

seventh limb of Ashtanga Yoga and the last before the final stage, Samadhi. If

Yoga is understood as a method enabling the Sadhaka to be able to practice

Dhyana that will eventually lead him to Samadhi, it becomes apparent that all

the preceding limbs of Yoga, including Asana and Pranayma, can only be really

understood in the light of what Dhyana, meditation is about. If Yoga is understood even more holistically

as "Union" or "Integration" and as a "Way of Life" leading to this "Union" or

"Integration", the question also becomes what meditation can teach us about

living our lives in a skilful way. As Swami Gitananda emphasized in his

teachings : Yoga is skill in action. This demands for action that, if it does

not spring directly from Samadhi, is at least carried out in a meditative state

– a state of AWARENESS.

YOGA OF THIRUMOOLAR: Yogacharya SRIKANT (Cedric Georges) -Canada

The Tirumantiram is often considered to be the base scripture of the

Saiva Siddhanda tradition from South India. Tirumular is the South Indian

equivalent and co-disciple to Patanjali (as they both had it is said that they

both had Lord Shiva as Guru) though the form of the Thirumanthiram differs

greatly from that of the clear, minimalistic in form (to the point 195 or 196

verses) Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. It is more explicit in certain ways and the

aspect of Devotion to Shiva gives it a different format, giving some very good

insight into the application and actualization of spiritual life within

society.

The dictum "Anbe Sivam" or God is Love is one of the core realities that

govern his teachings and has thus given a vector on which he builds his

generous 3000 verses given to human kind, though rooted in South India. Many

aspects are covered (i.e.: concept of the human body, Ashtanga Yoga, concept of

Guru, social concerns…) and I will cover some of these emphasizing a few key

verses and relating as to how, in modern Life, these apply and are eternal

truths.

YOGA FOR CHILDREN-MONIKA HRUBÁ, Czech Republic

Through the Six Month Intensive Course in Ananda Ashram I am detecting

to Amma Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani. During morning Hathayoga class she is doing

very funny and releasing things with us from time to time. We are moving our

body in incredible way together with incredible sounds most of the time. In

this moment we are free, fresh like small children. It is so beautiful!

Amma teaches us Yoga for children should be led in a playful form. We

should respect that the children need a lot of movements for releasing tension

and an accumulating energy inside. If we want to do some Asanas or Jattis with

children we should be aware what we want to achieve with this practise. There

is also very important an intention. Take a great care as huge as possible to

children is very important. It builds a now strong generation; they gain a

stabile basement for their life.

ASANAS FOR THE COMMON MAN- INGA ADOLFSSON , Sweden

In the intro section I will speak about the "common" man. Who is he/she

? That gravity works on everyone, and oldmans backs mostly are due to

attitude.Where, and when these simple asanas can be done.The asanas that will

be delt with physiologicly, spiritually and emotionally are. First part of the

Surya namaskara.Sama sthithi, namaskara, anjali, backbend, pada hastha,

namaskara and back to sama sthithi. My experience is that less is moore when

talking about "strange" things to the "common" man. That's why I've focused on

this rather short, but very important sekvens of movements. The asanas will be

detailly explained in a easy way to understand. The outro will be that it is

important to do one good thing to the spine and body in general every day,

cause multiplied with a life time it's pretty many times, anyway.

YOGA FOR (PREGNANT) LADIES: Yogacharini LEA , , Holland

Within the subject "Yoga and health",

I would gladly take the opportunity to speak about yoga for woman and a

specially 'yoga for pregnant woman'. Since modern world gives almost no time to

be pregnant in a conciseness way many woman in western countries have to deal

with lots of stress . I would like to tell how Yoga can become a tool for them.

To become conscious of body and mind so they know a way to release tension

during the months of pregnancy and with pranayama giving them handles to go

true the long hours of delivery .

YOGA A WAY OF LIFE: LOUISE HEALY, Australia

"Yoga as a Way of Life- Yoga is a Way of Life" where spiritual

principles are embedded in daily reality! Yoga is a way of thinking, of feeling, of

speaking, of acting, of eating, of breathing. Yoga is a science of

Right-Use-Ness (Righteousness), learning how to use everything in a right

manner. Yoga is a whole way of living, with awareness, simplicity, dignity,

discipline and joy. Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri taught that Yoga is

"conscious evolution". Yoga has a technology which can help one to perfect

one's body, one's mind, one's emotions, and eventually to understand one's own

life purpose, which

is Union with the Divine, or Cosmic Consciousness.

STRESS MANAGEMENT AND YOGA: MAYA CLAIR, UK

Introduction for yoga and relationship to stress managent.

1. Concepts of stress management programmes

2. Stages of stress and stress disorders

3.Bahagavad gita and stress.

ROLE OF YOGA IN HEALTH CARE: HELEN NORTJE , New Zealand

In order to identify the role of Yoga in the Health Care setting, the

effectiveness of the modern day medical model and the concept of holistic

health care in relation to health prevention verses the current day curative

health care model will be examined, highlighted by some clinical examples.

Physical manifestations such as asthma and hypertension are psychosomatic

(caused or aggravated by a mental factors such as internal conflict or stress,

relating to the interaction of mind and body). A brief exploration of the "body

as a hologram of the mind" with regards to the effect of mental, emotional,

physical and psychic traumas causing imbalances or disharmony resulting in

disease or "Dis-ease" of the body. The body is a reflection of one's mental

wellbeing. The benefits of Yoga as a way of life, in particular the yoga asanas

and pranayama and its holistic benefits within the health care setting will be

investigated.

YOGA OF PATANJALI: MODERN APPLICATION: Denny Fiorino,

Italy

Patanjali codified and wrote down in a systematic

way the most important concepts of Yoga which were present at his time. This may

have been between 1000 B.C. and 600 B.C. He presented 196 sutras, or short,

concise lines of verse, in four chapters: Samadhi Pada (the chapter dealing

with Samadhi), Sadhana Pada (the chapter dealing with Yoga Sadhana), Vibhuthi

Pada (the chapter dealing the greatness of Yoga and qualities), Kaivalya Pada

(the chapter dealing with Liberation). Just from this essential approach to the

large Yoga tradiction of Vedic literature from which he must have been inspired,

we can accept the fact that Patanjali's way of communication was and is still

very modern. Nowadays don't

we use cell phone's SMS

and internet e-mail to send messages in a succinct way? Everybody must have

realized how difficult it is to find sometimes the right few words to explain

elaborate thoughts in a short sentence. At the same time I find the mind

process of de-codify the essence or the idea of those messages, very

interesting. So it is for the Yoga Sutra, but unfortunately Patanjali didn't spend any time sanding us kisses and hugs

in Sanskrit poetical form, even though they are like "gems strung on a thread",

instead he gives us a lot of information about the way to attain our spiritual

freedom or Kaivalya, by eight steps that forms the Ashtanga Yoga system. "The

Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali" by Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri will be the main point of reference and the focus will

be on the first four steps: Yama, Niyama, Asana and Pranayama. Patanjali's Yoga is a

working cosmology which can helps the modern man to find his right place in the

Universe, letting him enjoy the infinite Goodness of the Unity between inner

and outer world: the so called Samadhi. But rather then discussing too much on

this Vedantic philosophy Patanjali explains how to hold the mind in

concentration for attaining that Cosmic Consciousness: just by sheer

discipline. He apparently doesn't

give any techniques for Yoga practice but if examined attentively there are

many insights for Yoga Sadhana in the Sutras. Yet the modern man conceives Yoga

almost as an Asana practice. But infact Patanjali speaks only in a couple of

Sutras about Asanas. He emphasize more on the prerequisite for Yoga practices, which

are not for a chance the firsts two steps of Ashtanga Yoga: Yama and Niyama.

They can be reduced as the big No's and Yes's in our ethical and moral life.

Yama is saying no to the lower animal nature and Niyama is saying yes to all

that is Divine in man. But to understand properly the meaning of each Yama and Niyama

it requires a deep analysis, preferable with a guidance of a Guru or competent

teacher. Infact Patanjali did not develop a popular work in a popular style of

writing, but rather chose a style that in his time transmitted the teachings

authentically from teacher to student. Our problem of Yoga Sutra's modern application is to correlate those

ideas for nowadays minds and bodies which are alike those of Patanjali's time. Even the social system, religious and

political philosophy has changed. The problem can be even more complex if we

look at the ancient Indian culture from where this knowledge was born and the actual

worldwide Yoga expansion with the modernization of our daily living which

involves the West and the East in an intercultural exchange. For example we can

see the average modern Yogi how he is mostly involved in Asana and Pranayama dropping

the need for Yama and Niyama, the foundation for a Yoga life. And others may

take to "meditation Yoga" dropping all of the outer phases of Yoga and beginning

at Dhyana, or meditation, as though the other steps are not necessary for them!

That's

why Swami Gitananda Giri claimed that the Yoga of Patanjali is "No-Option Yoga",

where we do not have the right to drop some of it's branches because they don't suit our life style. Patanjali Yoga is a wholistic

path where all the aspects of our existence must find their balance in line

with the lows of the Universe, our ultimate goal: Union!

-- Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi BhavananiChairmanICYER and Yoganjali Natyalayam25, 2nd Cross, Iyyanar NagarPondicherry, South Indiawww.icyer.com

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