sayanee Archives - The Yoga Mandala http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/tag/sayanee/ Mon, 04 Nov 2024 03:33:01 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8 http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-logo-colored-32x32.png sayanee Archives - The Yoga Mandala http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/tag/sayanee/ 32 32 10 reasons why you should take YTT even if you don’t want to become a teacher. No. 3 will shock you! http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/10-reasons-why-you-should-take-ytt-even-if-you-dont-want-to-become-a-teacher-no-3-will-shock-you/ Sun, 14 Oct 2018 07:58:35 +0000 https://www.theyogamandala.com.sg/?p=11479 Confession time! I did not join a Yoga Teachers’ Training (YTT) to become a Yoga teacher. My acute desire to improve my fitness before hitting my 40s and stumbling upon breath-taking low-impact acrobatic Yoga poses on Instagram fueled me to search for a fun time. And I found The Yoga Mandala with Jessica Sinclair. With […]

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]]> Confession time! I did not join a Yoga Teachers’ Training (YTT) to become a Yoga teacher.

My acute desire to improve my fitness before hitting my 40s and stumbling upon breath-taking low-impact acrobatic Yoga poses on Instagram fueled me to search for a fun time. And I found The Yoga Mandala with Jessica Sinclair.

With barely a week more to go in my YTT, did I achieve that handstand? Nope, I did not, but I want to share what I did learn in the process of this YTT!

10. Body alignment

Body alignment is the first step towards a healthy body as we age. Whether we are standing, sitting down, bending down, or waking up, Yoga gave me an insight into lifestyle and mobility.

Try out:

  • Standing with Tadasana
  • Halfway lift with Ardha Uttanasana
  • Bed stretches with Ananda Balasana
  • Sitting on the floor with Sukhasana

I wrote more about body alignment in another article. Check it out!

9. Sequencing

I learned how to build class sequences for a 60-minute session. But hey! I said I don’t want to become a teacher. Well, guess where else my sequencing skill came into use? When my husband injured his wrist, I can up with a sequence of yoga poses that helped him work out without using any wrist. When I pulled my inner thigh muscles, I came up with a sequence that did not involve any inner thighs. The point is YTT helps you learn how to think and cater to your body depending on how it is feeling right at that moment.

Try out:

  • No wrists: Virabhadrasana 1, Malasana, Navasana, Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana
  • No inner thigh: Garudasana, Gomukhasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Halasana
  • Shoulders: Prasarita Padottanasana, Phalankasana, Ardha Pincha Mayurasana, Vasisthasana, Uttitha Shishosana
  • Twists: Pavritta Ardha Chandrasana, Pavrtta Malasana, Marichyasana, Charadvajasana, Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana, Pasasana
  • Balances: Virabhadrasana 3, Ardha Chandrasana, Garudasana, Tulasana, Vrksasana

8. Progressions and Regressions

Back to my handstands! Yes, I am not yet able to go into handstands yet, but a YTT teaches you how to go into regression, progression and even poses with props so that we can progress at our own pace injury-free. Our asana practice then becomes totally an internally-motivated patient journey towards what we truly want to achieve.

Try out:

  • To get into Crow pose or Bakasana: Supta Kapotasana, Skandasana, Phalankasana, Chaturanga,
  • To get into Middle Split or Upavistha Konasana: Malasana, Ananda Balasana, Trikonasana, Ardha Hanumanasana, Bandha Konasana
  • To get into Front Split or Hanumanasana: Utthan Pristhasana, Anjanasana, Ardha Parsvottanasana, Ardha Hanumanasana

7. Breathing

Pranayama, which also means the expansion of life force is an integrated part of fitness Yoga. I particularly loved the 5 types of breathing that I learned. These breathing techniques can be used to calm down ourselves, increase our metabolism or even take a good night rest!

Try out:

  • Ujjayi or ocean’s breath: can be done anytime or while holding an asana in position
  • Kapal Vathi or skull shining breath: can be done to increase our metabolism
  • Nadi Shodhna or alternate nostril breathing: can be done to have a calming after-effect.
  • Bhastrika or bellow’s breath: can be done to increase the metabolism
  • Brahmari or bee-like sound: can be done before a rest or sleep

6. Human body

Biology came to life during these Yoga theory periods where we went through the human anatomy. We went through the positions of major muscle groups, glands, and digestive organs. Knowing these positions can not only help us spot what we are working on in an Asana but also help us prevent injuries if a wrong muscle group or pain is observed where it is not supposed to be!

Try out:

  • Digestive: Bharadvajasana, Malasana, Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, Pavanamuktasana
  • Lymphatic: Balasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Salamba Sirsasana, Garudasana, Halasana

5. Self-Awareness

“Know Thyself”, declared the Greek philosophers and echoed by many others in the Vedas or Tao Te Ching.

On the surface, Yoga gives a practical look at knowing thyself through our physical bodies. We come to know about our spine health, our alignment, and even our breath. Through meditation, we can even peek into the world of our own thoughts and emotions.

Try out:

  • Pranayama or breathing
  • Asana or Yoga Poses
  • Kriyas or cleaning methods

4. Public Speaking

As part of our assessment, we had to teach 3 community classes. It was super fun to invite our friends from non-Yoga communities and lead them into various poses.

Teaching Yoga or fitness, in general, is unlike teaching a theoretical sitting-down class. As my teacher, Jessica says, as a fitness teacher you need to be a little authoritative (to ensure safety) and a little sadist (to progress the class attendees). You also need to think on your feet and be prepared to make impromptu changes based on what you see the class attendees do!

Try out:

3. Fashion

I grew up seeing men in single cloth dhoti doing yoga. Fashion in Yoga has changed a lot in the past few decades. Whether you like it or not, the garments have become more practical as well as stylish.

Brands like Alo Yoga and Lululemon are not only making attires that work in studios but also outdoors. I admit I’m growing to like these yoga styled comfortable and light wearables. They are slightly expensive, but every one of my friends who has brought these garments says they are not only comfortable, breathable, stretchable for those workouts, but also convenient to wear them before and after a yoga session.

Try out:

Ok! Time to do some shopping!

2. Philosophy

We have to recognize that in a globalized world of Yoga today, we have various interpretations. Some of us choose to only practice the fitness side of Yoga, while others delve into the philosophical and spiritual side.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the words of Greek Philosophers, or ancient Chinese philosophy or even modern ones like Kant or Freud being echoed through the Yoga Sutras, Limbs of Yoga or Chakras. Thankfully, if we ever want to dig deeper, these texts are easily available in modern English translations.

Try out:

1. Friendship

YTT felt like back to school in some ways. As a working adult, we seldom go beyond our work and family social circles to meet new people. YTT was a fresh breath of air for me where I met like-minded fitness focused people from different areas of work and school.

To me, this was the most valuable part of YTT – people that I met. I’m so grateful to my teachers and the friends. They have taught me so much and made it all so fun to be part of this YTT throughout the last 3 months!

Namaste, Sayanee (YTT June – August 2018)

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]]> Yoga Philosophy: What Seneca, Steve Jobs and Patanjali have in common http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/yoga-philosophy-what-seneca-steve-jobs-and-patanjali-have-in-common/ Sat, 13 Oct 2018 12:04:35 +0000 https://www.theyogamandala.com.sg/?p=11553 After learning about the 8 limbs of Yoga, I can’t help but see some similarities in modern sport science, technology or even ancient Greek philosophy. These concepts helped me understand some of the terms better and I hope it does for you too! Ishvara Pranidhana: Greek philosophy and Stoicism Ishvara Pranidhana’s literal translation is surrendering […]

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]]> After learning about the 8 limbs of Yoga, I can’t help but see some similarities in modern sport science, technology or even ancient Greek philosophy. These concepts helped me understand some of the terms better and I hope it does for you too!

Ishvara Pranidhana: Greek philosophy and Stoicism

Ishvara Pranidhana’s literal translation is surrendering to God. However, other interpretations of “God” can also be true self, awareness, consciousness or unchanging reality. Hence, when we surrender ourselves to the reality, it also means we should have total acceptance of whatever life will throws at us and have the peace of mind to know that many things are simply not under our control.

While pondering upon Ishvara Pranidhana, I can’t help but think about what the ancient Greek philosophers like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus thought about Stoicism. In Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, he gives another glimpse of what it is to embrace Ishvara Pranidhana:

You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Aparigraha: Dieter Rams and functional minimalism

Aparigraha means non-hoarding of both thoughts and physical things. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the current wave of minimalism also has similar roots.

In fact, in technology and design, Apple and its founder Steve Jobs have been known to apply the principles of minimalism when designing its products. Possibly, in an increasingly complex life, bringing out awareness to simplicity is a way to find clarity. Steve Jobs was heavily inspired by Dieter Rams, the German designer behind the brand Braun. And this is what Dieter Rams has to say about “Aparigraha”:

Good design is as little as possible. Less, but better, because it concentrates on the essential aspects,
and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Swadhyaya: Erik Anderssen and deliberate practice

Swadhyaya means self-study and broadly it can also mean self-reflection, self-contemplation or studying oneself. It is easy to just practice the Asanas every day without much thought or analysis given to the process of doing it. But recent research on talent and creativity is also revealing that “Swadhyaya” is even more important than the very activity we want to improve upon.

Erik Anderssen, the author of Peak has delved into the psychology of how expertise is honed in any talent or the creative fields. He mentions “deliberate practice” as being the cornerstone. Notice how he talks about the mind and mental representations just like “Swadhyaya”:

Deliberate practice both produces and depends on effective mental representations. Improving performance goes hand in hand with improving mental representations; as one’s performance improves, the representations become more detailed and effective, in turn making it possible to improve even more.

Pratyahara: Csíkszentmihályi and the psychology of Flow

“Pratyahara” is known as the withdrawal of external senses in such a way that the consciousness of the individual is totally internalized. This probably happens when we are trying to hold and focus in a challenging balance posture.

I had a difficulty in explaining this phenomenon until I came across Csíkszentmihályi’s work in Flow state psychology. When people are in a Flow state, they are in some sort of a hyperfocus region. They might appear unfocused on external sense but totally immersed with the activity at hand.

The objective is to set the environment and the task at hand in such a way, that will be easy to get into “Pratyahara” or the Flow state. And the clue lies in these 3 conditions that the flow state has outlined:

  1. a clear set of goals and progress: a clear yoga sequence to do
  2. the task at hand must have clear and immediate feedback: can we get into the supposed posture?
  3. a good balance between the perceived challenges of the task at hand and their own perceived skills: regressions and progressions must be just right so that we are neither anxious nor bored

Conclusion

Just like the Yoga Sutras (or thread) that Patanjali summarized, there is a common thread or sutra running through many psychology studies, ancient philosophy or even modern ways of training and building technology. Yoga Sutras need not appear very foreign or unreachable. They are all around us! Just look around for their manifestations and apply them in our daily practice!

Namaste,
Sayanee (YTT June – August 2018)

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]]> Yoga and Geometry: Re-learning Maths with your body alignment http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/yoga-and-geometry-re-learning-maths-with-your-body-alignment/ Fri, 12 Oct 2018 05:33:15 +0000 https://www.theyogamandala.com.sg/?p=11463 Maths was my favorite subject in school and in Maths it was Geometry. How cool it was to use a pair of rulers and compass to construct shapes on paper to a high degree of accuracy. I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover Geometry through Yoga! And Geometry truly comes to life when we come into […]

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]]> Maths was my favorite subject in school and in Maths it was Geometry. How cool it was to use a pair of rulers and compass to construct shapes on paper to a high degree of accuracy. I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover Geometry through Yoga! And Geometry truly comes to life when we come into postures using simple geometrical principles.

We will start with only the simplest geometrical properties: straight lines, parallel lines, 90 degrees and triangles. These 4 geometrical principles become the fundamentals in realizing almost any yoga posture. It also keeps safety in check ensuring we practice Ahimsa, or non-harming principles while practicing Yoga injury-free.

Straight lines

Straight lines are the easiest to start with. To learn how to stand correctly and even bend forward correctly, we can think of straight lines instead of arched or rounded backs. In order to do so, we also have to engage the core or tuck in the rubs, scoop in the tailbone, squeeze your glutes and abdomen. Also known as Mula Bandha or the root lock.

90 degrees

90 degrees postures ensure safety. You can think of always keeping the pelvis directly above the heart, or keeping the wrist directly below the shoulders and the knees directly above the ankles. 90-degree positions ensure that our body weight is distributed along proper joints to prevent long-term repetitive injuries.

Triangles

Downward facing dog and Triangle poses are usually introduced for beginners in Yoga. And they might seem “easy” to do because the focus is almost always wrong the first time. Thinking in terms of the shape Triangles, really helped me to get into a better alignment.

In Downward Dog, we have to focus on extending the shoulders and the back instead of extending and straightening the legs. It is all fine to bend our knees in the Downward Dog position. Similarly, it is “easy” to touch our toes in the Triangle pose, but try doing it against a wall without a curved torso and engaging the core. In the triangle pose, there is truly no curved sides.

  • Uttitha Trikonasana or Triangle pose by Clare @clarejbyoga previously on Instagram
  • Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward facing dog by Martina Rando on Instagram

Parallel lines

During the course of my YTT, I came across another type of injury called the Repetitive strain injury (RSI). There are some poses like inversions which strong practitioners might be able to pull it off easily one-time or occasionally. But if their alignment is not correct, over time they will feel pain.

Parallel lines come to the rescue! Because the wrists are directly under the elbow, which is then directly under the shoulders, we have a strong foundation for inversions.

Here’s to more happy alignment with injury-free practice with Yoga and Geometry!

Cheers, Sayanee, YTT (June – August 2018)

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]]> Yoga 2.0: 6 ways of using modern tech to enhance our practice http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/yoga-2-0-6-ways-of-using-modern-tech-to-enhance-our-practice/ Thu, 16 Aug 2018 09:52:39 +0000 https://www.theyogamandala.com.sg/?p=11450 Last decade was the era of Web 2.0. Internet accessibility was growing exponentially throughout the planet, but so were people’s engagement in creating content that became easily accessible to millions of users. In 2006, even the TIME magazine Person of The Year was You, us, the generation of web users on smartphones. As Lev Grossman […]

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]]> Last decade was the era of Web 2.0. Internet accessibility was growing exponentially throughout the planet, but so were people’s engagement in creating content that became easily accessible to millions of users. In 2006, even the TIME magazine Person of The Year was You, us, the generation of web users on smartphones. As Lev Grossman shared:

It’s a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before.

In this trend, the Web 2.0 swept up many communities – the art community, the music community, the education community and even the Yoga community. Globalization of Yoga rode on the backs of Web 2.0. It inspired us with challenging photogenic poses on Instagram to global online shipping of Lululemon apparels to even free YouTube Yoga videos that anyone can simply follow along from the comfort of their homes.

I can’t help but think how much empowered we are today with just a smartphone in our hands. If you are thinking on how to take advantage of this technology in our hands, I present you 7 ways on how to do it!

1. Social Media: Instagram

Yoga has found its online community on Instagram. There are not only beautiful poses being showcased on Instagram, but I’m particularly drawn to the infographics and tiny video tutorials that some accounts share freely. They are really helpful and will many anyone think “I can do it” given enough practice too!

Some of my favorite accounts that share progression pose tutorials are:

Not to mention here are some accounts where I’m always awed and inspired by the poses they strike!

2. Videos: YouTube

YouTube used to be a place where videos were only provided for a few minutes of a sneak peak. But merely a few years back, scores of practitioners have uploaded 30 minutes to even 60 minutes of complete yoga classes. And they do it year after year. I have found them really helpful to not only see what various yoga postures for different purposes but also various teaching styles.

3. Music: Spotify playlists

Even with a free account, Spotify allows you to listen to searchable music, follow pre-built or shared playlists or even make one. While practicing Yoga, there is a variety of music that we can play in the background. Whether it is just a soothing Pranayama session or some heart-pounding HIIT Yoga, a Spotify Playlist from smartphone come to the aid.

Here are some Playlists that I follow:

  • Peace: Suitable for Pranayama, focussed on intense postures
  • Workout: Upbeat music can be used for HIIT Yoga or Vinyasa
  • Acoustic Calm: Instrumental, without words, can also be used for flow
  • Light & Easy: Chill out ambient music
  • Yoga for Geeks!: I made this playlist for a 60-minute session for my teaching assessment classes.
  • Yoga with Marti: Martina Sergi‘s personal yoga playlist that she shared

4. Smartphone

A smartphone can truly be our personal assistant during our practice. We can use various apps to keep time, record a video of our practice to review later or even follow along a workout projected on a bigger screen.

  • iPhone camera with slow-mo: Useful for slowing down that lift to inversions
  • DailyBurn: Follow along workout with Apple Health integration
  • Hyperlapse: Record smooth-flowing, fast-paced asana practice videos to review practices that are longer in duration
  • Skitch: Annotation app for drawing lines on our own poses to ensure we are striking those 90 degrees and flatlines

5. Podcasts

Some of my commuting times are best spent on learning and catching up. Apart from occasional browsing on the mobile phone, I also fire up the Overcast app to subscribe and download podcasts.

Thankfully, the Yoga community online has already built some podcast lists to listen to!

6. eBooks

If we want to get a deeper understanding especially of the philosophy and theory behind Yoga, I highly recommend some books! Thanks to eBooks, they can once again read on our mobile devices.

Cheers,

Sayanee, YTT June – August 2018

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]]> What’s in the Sanskrit names? http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/whats-in-the-sanskrit-names/ Wed, 15 Aug 2018 05:57:39 +0000 https://www.theyogamandala.com.sg/?p=11439 Yoga poses are named in Sanskrit, the ancient Indo-European language which is derived from the Proto-Indo-European language. For someone exposed to these Asana names for the very first time, it can be truly daunting. But if you are already speaking in English or any European, South Asian or Persian languages, a little inspection into the […]

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]]> Yoga poses are named in Sanskrit, the ancient Indo-European language which is derived from the Proto-Indo-European language.

For someone exposed to these Asana names for the very first time, it can be truly daunting. But if you are already speaking in English or any European, South Asian or Persian languages, a little inspection into the root of the words will make it much more familiar with similar sounding names. After all, many European languages are derived from Romance and Latinate sources, which are also Indo-European language.

 

Here is a table of some common words found in the Asana names and some comparison with words from other modern and ancient languages!

For the rest of us who wants to just learn and have some fun with it, I also made online flash cards to go! Just open it and revise Yoga-related Sanskrit names wherever you are while remembering how all languages have some commonalities!

Cheers,

Sayanee, YTT June – August 2018

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]]> Which style of Yoga are you? http://theyogamandala.com.sg/cn/which-style-of-yoga-are-you/ Wed, 15 Aug 2018 04:00:03 +0000 https://www.theyogamandala.com.sg/?p=11431 I was exposed to Yoga very young because Yoga was everywhere in India. I saw the likes of my uncles and my father do it in the 1980s while I was growing up in Kolkata, India. And then I was sent to the Yoga school myself where I first learned 10 static Yoga postures, hold […]

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]]> I was exposed to Yoga very young because Yoga was everywhere in India. I saw the likes of my uncles and my father do it in the 1980s while I was growing up in Kolkata, India. And then I was sent to the Yoga school myself where I first learned 10 static Yoga postures, hold them each 10 breathes each before I did my favorite Asana, the Savasana. I now know this style of Yoga as the traditional style called the Hatha Yoga.

Little did I know, much later in life I will be exposed to a wider variety of Yoga. I grew up, migrated to Singapore with my parents as a kid, traveled around the world and made many friends from all corners of our planet. My views on fitness and lifestyle changed as I grew. And so did Yoga. It traveled around the world and became globalized. It also found many friends who iterated, innovated and formed different styles of Yoga such as Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Iyengar Yoga.

It is the 21st century, the year 2017. Social media is hot, fitness instructors share their tips and tricks freely on the Internet and anybody can begin to start taking control of their fitness by just looking at simple Instagram infographics or YouTube videos. Some of my friends are also looking towards Yoga not just for fitness, but for the spiritual side of things.

With so many styles, which one should we start with? Which ones should we try out? I have listed below a flow chart style Q&A to ask ourselves about what Yoga style we would like to try out. Feel free to start with any beginner Yoga class in your neighborhood, and then try out different styles. Eventually, you will gravitate to one or a few styles. Sometimes the style of Yoga might even depend on how you are feeling that day! No matter what, go with what you love, what suits you and have fun doing it!

Cheers!
Sayanee, YTT June – August 2018

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