Fjords Skyscrapers and Hindu Temples

June through August found this yoga teacher in a number of exciting places. My friend Michael Foley brought his exuberant group of gifted dancers to the Centre de Yoga du Marais in June for a week long yoga workshop as part of a creative experience abroad to nourish his University of South Florida dance students’choreographic and interpretive skills. Their month long stay in Paris culminated in a dance performance in the Marais inspired by all they learned read and wrote about while experiencing la vie française. Michael and I decided to make this yoga intensive an annual event and I am so looking forward to welcoming them back next June. The dancers and yogis are also looking forward to a summer yoga retreat to add to their experiences- a retreat I kicked off this year with the help of yoga friend and Centre de Yoga du Marais student, Joanna Mallin-Davies.

This summer’s yoga retreat was in a lovely little one postal box, one bus stop, one vegetable stand Danish village called Lundo on the picturesque Limmfjord. Joanna is actually Welsh but lives part-time in Denmark and was inspired to create a yoga retreat in this peaceful little village. No one from Paris took the plunge for a flight over but my dear friend and yoga enthusiast Susan flew all the way from New York to have a gal getaway with me and a roomful of enthusiastic and warm new Danish friends. Joanna tirelessly organized this retreat finding lovely rooms for students to stay in, providing bicycles so we could take in more of the landscape carved out by these beautiful fjords and even took Sue and I up to the North Sea past the geological sit of Morse Island a glacier turned inside out by the sea that unearthed ancient hidden fossils. It was also in this location that Hamlet avenged the death of his father in killing his uncle. The pictures you see of the yogis are in the village’s charming tea salon which became our yoga room. An added attraction to this arrangement was the perfume of fresh baked rolls accompanying our early morning practice and rewarding our efforts at the conclusion. The Danes liked a strong practice and one new student to yoga took the entire workshop and is hooked. The Danes, they were Great! And once again a big heartfelt thanks to Joanna.

Next stop New York. New York is one of the important places I refuel as a yoga teacher. It is here I started practicing, became a yoga teacher and it is here where inspiring teachers pass through quite spontaneously to give of themselves. Mark Whitwell who has authored a new book titled, Yoga of Heart, is one such teacher and I was happy to see him at my yoga home in New York at IYI on 13th street in the Village. Mark gave satsang and a class to yoga teachers and students on Yoga from the source, the breath. Body movement as breath movement. Asana to support pranayama, pranayama to support meditation, meditation to support your life. I highly recommend his book and have added it to a list of yoga resources I have culminated for this blog for you to look into. New York is also where so much of my heart is among my friends. Here you can see my friend Steve performing as the ghost in a send up of Hamlet called Green Eggs and Hamlet a creation by yet another old theatre friend, Lizzie. (I enjoy the serendipity in the threads that link my travels this summer, note the Danish flag.) My friends Lisa and Josue play acoustic guitar so sensitively at the Tibetan museum, Lisa and I also like long bike rides and practicing asana out in the fresh air in the parks surrounded by soaring skyscrapers. The massive space inside the new MOMA is another unique way to feel your heart soar in Manhattan as well. And my favorite thing to do? Loop Central Park on my bike. Thank you too, to my friends Amy, Steve and Stephanie for their hospitality every time I get to go “home”.

Preparation for another return home to India was brief. Since I travelled during the month of monsoons I planned my itinerary to take in the north, the state of Uttaranchal and to visit the Valley of Flowers made famous by explorer and writer Frank Smythe in the 1930’s when he accidentally stumbled across this beautiful valley unknown outside India when he descended one of the local peaks. The Valley, not far from Tibet, blooms from Spring through October but it is in full bloom with a diverse variety of flowers in July and August. Even if you have the briefest of time to spend in India it is a trip worth taking and is easily manageable from Delhi. I spent 3 weeks in India but if you even had only a 10- day vacation you could arrange a trip to Rishikesh to absorb the beauty and majesty of the Ganga and then move up the mountains closer to her source. From there it is a day’s bus ride to Govindghat which is the last place you will see cars and rickshaws. From there plan a 13k trek straight up a mountain past cascading waterfalls, roaring rivers, fill up your water bottle and drink this mountain water right from the streams, it hits you between the eyes, enjoy a great climb over boulders to get up to the base camp which is called Ghangaria. If you get there early enough you can continue 4 more kilometers to the Valley of Flowers but it is worth taking a rest and going at sunrise the next morning. A documentary film shows once a day in Ghangaria on the history of the Valley of Flowers. The park is a UNESCO protected biosphere, you traverse rain forests and a glacier to get there and when the Valley opens up in front of you it takes your breath away.

Before I went on my trek I stayed a week in Rishikesh, Yoga Capital of the World. There are so many ashrams and yoga organizations there, you cannot count them. The International Yoga Festival arranged by Uttaranchal Tourism in conjunction with Parmath Niketan Ashram is held annually in Feb/March. Yoga and meditation masters from around India converge on Rishikesh. There are packages and it is necessary to reserve in advance. Otherwise when it is not the annual Shiva mehla from the end of July until mid-August which was when I was there, I hear it is a quiet sleepy little place hugging the banks of the Ganga. The all night long ‘bumba bumba’ of the stream of orange- clad pilgrims mostly teen-age boys who have walked for miles and miles carrying their darshan-offering to the River so as not to touch the ground before it reaches Shiva’s temple in the hills of Rishikesh, can be in turns invigorating and exhausting. They clog traffic and their offerings colorful and beautiful as they are also clog up the Ganga when they throw them over the beautiful Shri Ram Jhoola Bridge before they leave. I loved the little ashram I had chosen purely by chance, Yoga Niketan, http://www.yoganiketanashram.org/ is next to the Omkarananda Ganga Sadan which offers week- long Iyengar courses from good teachers but they were not offering courses during the mehla. Still I checked out the rooms and they are clean and lovely with balconies overlooking the Ganga. Just next door is the Yoga Niketan Guest House which I chose to sleep in over the ashram up on the hill, due to its nicer accommodations. I was on the ground floor and my room had a back door like a bungalow with a beautiful garden full of flowers and butterflies and what’s more my own ghat! Direct access into the river which I took a dip in each morning, holding on tightly to the chains so as not to be swept downstream. I felt so happy there. For 500 rupees, less than 10 euros, the room includes two daily classes at the ashram and two meditation sessions. If you wish to eat at the ashram it is 100 rupees a day. But, I recommend skipping that and heading down to the beautiful Welcome Center a 10 minute walk in the direction of the Hotel Great Ganga and you are in an oasis away from the hustle and bustle. The owner, Karuna a sweet and knowledgeable chef will serve you wholesome and organic ayurvedic food in her sanctuary garden restaurant. She also has a few rooms to rent out. I think her place is Rishikesh’s best kept secret.

The yoga courses at the ashram were fun. Big white fluffy monkeys frolic about and want to look into your bags for treats. The whole staff was Indian which is not at all conventional for Rishikesh where popular resident teachers come from as far away as Korea Japan and Switzerland. Classes were simple and accessible to many levels of practice in the room but sneakily challenging. The young men were so strong and they expertly guided us through openings many of us had never gone to before. I love practicing at the source, yoga in India, it is pure. My body feels weightless, like I am doing asana on a cloud. The heat and humidity just open space in the body, insight in the mind. I love being a student. We had an ancient resident master who offered satsang each day but all of us including himself struggled to stay awake. He spent meditations fast asleep and tried to sneak in a nap between sentences when he spoke. Life must have gotten him very tired, but I found him comforting all the same.

Many students in the ashram opt to take a 10- day Pancha Karma Ayurvedic treatment along with their 10-day yoga stay. Here, I have another recommendation, the Arora Clinic aroraayurveda@rediffmail.com.
I had an ayurvedic consultation with Dr. Arora because I wasn’t staying long enough to take advantage of a full Pancha Karma treatment, but the students I talked to who come from all over the world to see him were enthusiastic and one student I met from Italy returns year after year. I like the doctor immensely, he is so kind and “gets you” right away. He is positive about his diagnosis and recommendations in treating your dosha balance, (students of Joyson at the Centre will know exactly what I am talking about) and Dr Arora’s analysis of my pita dosha was exactly the same as Joyson’s. Both Joyson and Dr. Arora even knew the same things about my history without me ever saying a word to them. The science of ayurveda fascinates me and I came home with more insight , more tools.

I also came home with more friends which is my favorite part of traveling. Here I have pictures of, Kamal a Bollywood actor from Mumbai on retreat in Rishikesh who took me over to the grand Parmath Ashram Temple to share sunset puja on the river in the company of the young vedic scholars who were just initiated into their life long studies of the Vedas. Here they had just shaved their heads. They recognized my new friend. And also, Edel an adventure seeker from Dublin, a school teacher on her way to Dharamsala. Making a Hindi friend is invaluable, you get to be on the inside, you are in the company of people who know the ins and outs and can help you, you can relax. I also hired a guide to help me get up to the Valley of Flowers because I was alone and it was a very good idea. But, my biggest appreciation goes to my new friend Sapna Dutt. She is a beautiful yoga teacher who runs her own yoga studio outside of Delhi in Gurgaon called Yoga with Sapna. If you are ever in the Delhi area and don’t know where to practice, see her. Thank you to her and her lovely family and staff who made me so comfortable in my transition periods after arriving and recovering from my landslide experience coming back down the mountain toward the end of my trip. That is another story! (Monsoons in August, something to think about before you go.) I hope I can return Sapna’s hospitality someday in Paris.

Namaste to you all who have made my summer so beautiful and eventful,
Michelle

Yoga retreat in Denmark

In July Michelle will lead a 3-day yoga retreat on the pristine waters of the Limfjord on the Lundø peninsula of Denmark. The peninsula is an ideal holiday destination as well if you wish to swim, hike or just enjoy nature and breathe air packed full of oxygen. On both sides of the peninsula is a 20m wide and 10km long beach of sand and small rocks. Our retreat is located at the top of the peninsula on the fjord called the Tarp The water is absolutley clear, shallow and depending on the winds favorable for surfing. Along the beach you can spot nesting birds and on occasion seals. Among small forests of pine you will see walking trails and more natural wildlife. But to really enjoy the region it is recommended to just relax, do nothing.


The 3-day retreat includes:

§ airport pickup at 16.20 Friday (or you can arrive by train which is 10-15 km away from Lundø);

§ a house will be provided with shared amenities, kitchen and bath

§ two full meals a day and a visit to the charming cafe adjoining the yoga room;

§ five vinyasa flow practices and yoga nidra;

§ sunrise meditation.


Workshop schedule:

Friday evening: Yoga Nidra 8.00-9.00 pm; check into our housing and enjoy the extended dusk.

Saturday & Sunday: Hatha Yoga vinyasa class 8-9.30. Breakfast. Your afternoon is free for a swim or a walk and we can lunch together at 1-2.30pm. You are free until 5pm. Hatha Yoga part II of the morning class 5-7.30pm; followed by dinner. Our meals will be vegetarian with or without fish if you prefer so we can sample the local specialties of the peninsula. (Sunday rise is at 7a for those wishing to participate in sunrise meditation).

§ Monday: rise and early class 7-8.30; departure 9am for the airport


Relax Restore and Renew on the lovely peninsula of Lundø in Denmark.
Vitalize your Hatha Yoga practice. Breathe pristine air.
Swim in the pure waters of the Limfjord.


Suggested airline and timetable.

Sterling Airlines provides a service from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Billund (BLL):

Fri 06/07 14.40 CDG
16.20 BLL

Mon 09/07 12.15 BLL
14.00 CDG

www.sterling.dk


Price.

§ Early registration reduction of 25,00€ if you register by June 1st.

§ The price for the retreat, 450,00€ includes the amenities above, but does not include airfare .

§ Last minute reservations are welcome. Last minute cancellations after July 2 will not be refunded, but you can apply the credit to a future retreat. If you cancel before July 1 you’ll be refunded in full less 50,00€ administration fees.


Please bring:

§ yoga mat, blanket and small cushion;

§ light sweater and jacket;

§ mosquito repellent and/or netting.

A Yogi's Guide to Strengthening the Immune System

A Yogi's Guide to Strengthening the Immune System

How to incorporate in your practice a sequence of immunity toward infections as well as a deepening of ease in your body and peace in your mind.

Since most of us are happiest when we are feeling healthy and free of "dis-ease" yoga has in its time-honored tradition incorporated several practices to maintain our health and strengthen us when we feel ill-at ease.

Important to this sequence is prana or vital/cosmic healing energy that calms and purifies the nervous system. Pranayama or regulation of breath improves resistance to infectious diseases and increases vitality.

Three practices include: Deergha Swaasam a deep three part breath which utilizes the full capacity of the lungs. Kapaalabhati a kriya cleansing practice and Nadi Suddhi alternate nostril breathing practice which balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Surya Namaskaaram, sun salutations serve as a general tonic for the entire system. They warm and limber the body and move the lymph.

The lymphatic system is the body's network of vessels and nodes that circulates lymph—a transparent fluid rich in white blood cells that forms an important part of the body's immune system and helps remove toxins. The system pumps fluid through the body several times a minute, with assistance from the muscles. "When the lymphatic system operates at its optimum, it's like a free-flowing river, running with no rocks or diversions.

Bhujangaasana cobra pose releases nervous energy up and down the spinal column and makes inner adjustments in the vertebrae.

Arddha Salabaasana half locust promotes elasticity of the lungs and tones abdominal and reproductive organs.

Dhanuraasana the bow removes stiffness in the shoulder joints and gives great strength to the hip flexors and large muscles of the abdomen.

Janusirsaasana head to knee pose calms the nervous system.

Paschimotanaasana forward bending pose tones abdominal organs and improves digestion.

Bhakaasana the crow, Bhada Konaasana and Upavistha Konaasana all stimulate liver and kidney function.

Arddha Matsyendraasana half spinal twist squeezes toxins from the intestines and releases pain and stiffness in the hip joint.

Inversions especially stimulate the body's healing mechanism activating the endocrine system. They include shoulderstand, forearm, head and handstand. Sarvangaasana, shoulderstand drains blood from the digestive organs and rests the heart. It centralizes and nourishes blood in the spinal column.

Matsyaasana the fish pose massages the thyroid and throat and promotes hormonal balance.

Savaasana the corpse pose allows the muscles to relax and the energy to flow freely and is important to incorporate at the end of any practice no longer how brief.

Finally an integrated practice doesn't stop here because meditation also reduces the incidence of infectious ailments by de-stressing the body and mind. Ample research has shown that just 20 minutes of meditation a day increases endorphins, decreases cortisol levels and promotes positive states of mind. An integrated practice continues in the movement of the practice into our lives. A little practice before work, extra practice on the weekends, take a retreat or a workshop here and there, add an element of service and kindness to your daily life and voila a whole and healthy being.

Taking it to the next level

ASANA TO MEDITATION

To live a peaceful and productive life you need a calm, clear, one-pointed and joyful mind. The practice of asana is an important step toward cultivating a calm and clear mind, in fact it is a prerequisite to meditation. Practicing asana to the exclusivity of meditation however, will not help you create any transformation in your mind, or help you deepen your asana practice. Yoga is not merely an athletic system, it is a scientific and spiritual system as well. The asanas are designed to affect the subtle body and mind for the purpose of spiritual transformation. Students enter the practice of yoga asana for physical fitness or health, or even because they have heard it is good for relaxation, but ultimately the purpose of yoga practice is spiritual development.

Real transformation means that you are healthy not only in body, but also in mind, and in the end what good is any practice if it doesn't have a positive effect on our relationships with ourselves and others? Through meditation we come to know the body, breath, mind, thought patterns and deeper levels of awareness. When you know who you are and what you are made of, you begin to understand the dynamic forces that govern your thought processes. A clear understanding of yourself allows you to see the world as it is, your judgements and preoccupations fall away. Further, this self-understanding frees you from the opinions and judgements of others; inspiring self-reliance and confidence. As this self-understanding crystallizes further, you attain freedom from all doubts and fears. This freedom is the ultimate goal in meditation.

Does meditation mean simply focusing your mind on something?

Meditation is a more methodical and complete mental and spiritual discipline than we normally imagine. Patanjali, the father of yoga science and philosophy, devotes the Yoga Sutras to meditation. When you read the Sutras you realize that the practice of meditation involves more than simply concentrating on an object, it is also a complete science of understanding the mind and its relationship with the body, breath and soul on one hand, and our relationship with the external world on the other. Respiration is a good point to begin this journey. Breath is a tool with which to explore the truth about yourself because the nature of your breath is strongly connected to your mental state. As soon as any distraction moves the mind to the past or future, the breath becomes irregular, one starts breathing a little rapidly, heavily or perhaps the breath is even held. When the distraction passes away and one returns to the present , the breath becomes soft. By keeping the mind on a present reality, the breath, you are guided to remain in the present moment. The mind will always wander away, but if you patiently and without any tension accept the fact that it is an old habit pattern and you realize the mind has wandered, it will naturally and automatically return to respiration, to the present. This is just the beginning of the transformative power of sitting meditation.

Mantra

  Mantras

Un mantra est une subtile vibration du son, qui a été revelée aux anciens sages, à du moment très profond de la méditation. Ces syllabes de son sont habituellement chantées au debut d'une séance de yoga. Elles créent dans le corps et l'ésprit de chaque étudiant une vibration pacifique ainsi qu'une sensation intérieure de bien être. Cela donne lieu a une athmosphère et méditative durant la séance entière. On recommande de garder la neutralité de son propre ésprit pendant le chant, à fin de sentir la puissance de la vibration intérieure avec le son éternel.

Parmi les sons les plus connus :

Hari Om

Om Nama Shivaaya

Om Shanti

Ils réveillent une vibration puissante dans le système, et ils contribuent a purifier l'ésprit. En prononçant "ha", une énergie surgit du plexus solaire. Le son "ri" roule doucement en remontant tout au long de la gorge. Avec "om" l'energie remonte pour sortir de la tête.

Chants de paix.

Les chants de paix nous rappellent nos propres aspirations, et ils nous aident à évoquer des bonnes intentions a l'égard de tous les êtres.

Asato Maa Sat Gamaya              Conduis nous de l'irréel au réel.

Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya       Conduis nous de l'obscurité à la lumière.

Mrityor Maa Amritam Gamaya   Conduis nous de la peur de la mort jusqu'a la connaissance de    l'immortalité.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti            Om Paix, Paix, Paix.

Lokaa Samastaa Sukino Bhavantu

Puisse l'univers entier être rempli de paix, de joie, d'amour et de lumière.

Jai Sri Satguru Maharaj Ki Jai           Puisse la lumière de la verité triompher sur l'obscurité. 

OM Namah Shivaaya Gurave          Salutations au Guru qui est verité, connaissance et joie. Celui qui     Satchidananda Moortave

Nishprapanjanya                                                           est au dela des monds, indépendent et radieux.

Shaantaya

Niralambaaya Tejase

Mantra

Mantras

A mantra is a subtle sound vibration which has been revealed to ancient sages at the deepest level of meditation.  These syllables of sound are traditionally chanted at the beginning of a yoga class to create a peaceful vibration and an inner feeling of well-being in the body and mind of each student.  This results in a harmonious and meditative atmposphere for the entire class.  It is recommended that the mind be held withdrawn during the chanting so as to allow the inner vibration to be experienced along with the eternal sound.

Most common of these eternal sounds include:

Hari Om

Om Nama Shivaaya

Om Shanti

They awaken a powerful vibration in the system and help to purify the mind.  With the pronunciation of 'ha', energy rises from the solar plexus.  With 'ri' the sound rolls gently upward through the throat.  With'om', energy rises higher to the crown of the head and beyond.

Peace Chants

The peace chants remind us of our own higher aspirations and help us to evoke an attitude of goodwill toward all beings:

Asato Maa Sat Gamaya                                   Lead us from the unreal to real

Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya                            Lead us from darkness to the light

Mrityor Maa Amritam Gamaya                       Lead us from fear of death, to knowledge of immortality

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti                               Om Peace, Peace Peace

Lokaa Samastaa Sukino Bhvantu       May the entire universe be filled with peace and joy

                                                            Love and light

Jai Sri Satguru Maharaj Ki                  May the light of truth overcome all darkness

Jai                                                       Victory to that light

Opening Invocation

Om Namah Shivaaya Gurave          Salutations to the guru who is truth, 

Satchidananda  Moortaye                 Knowledge and bliss.

Nishprapanjaya Shaantayah             Who is beyond the worlds

Niralambaya Tejase                          Peaceful, independent and radiant 

 

Mantra

Mantras pour Paix

Sarvesham svastir bhavatu

Sarvesham shantir bhavatu

Sarvesham purnam bhavatu

Sarvesham mangalam bhavatu

Que le bonheur soit parmi vous

Que la paix soit parmi vous

Que la plénitude soit en vous

Que la prospérité soit parmi vous

Sarve bhavantu sukinaha

Sarve santu niramayah

Sarve bhadrani pashyantu

Maā kaschid dukha bhagbave

Puissiez vous tous être heureux

Puissiez vous être en bonne santé

Puissiez vous recevoir tout ce qui est bon

Puissiez vous ne pas avoir de peine

To unite with Source

Om united with the source

On which we yogis ever dwell

Grants desires and liberation

Salutations to the Om Karaam

Om Karaam bindu samyuktam

Nityaam dhyayanthi yoginah

Kamadaam mokshadam chaiva

Om karaya namoh namaha

The Gayatri Mantra

The Gayatri Mantra is one of the oldest prayers known to humanity dating back to 5000 years and passed down from teacher to student. It is as ancient as light and also the vital force itself. This prayer appeals to the highest wisdom; to the brilliance of the cosmos to illumine our true nature. The appeal requests us to be subtle and receptive to divine wisdom that pervades life and is the essence of our very Self.

Om Bhur, Bhurvah Svah, Tat Savitur,

Varenyam, Bhargo, Devasya,

Dhimahi Dhiyo Yonah, Prachodayat

Traduction : Je médite sur la lumière du Divin, rayonnante et fort vénérable, d'où jaillissent les trois mondes (bhuh, bhuvah et svah). Que la lumière Divine illumine et guide mon intelligence.
Traditionnellement ce mantra se dénomme 'La Mère des Védas'. La pratique de ce mantra a permis aux sages de recevoir la révélation de tous les autres mantras, parce que ce mantra calme les bruits mentaux, enlève les impuretés karmiques, purifie l'ego, affine l'intellect et illumine l'être intérieur avec la lumière qui coule directement de la Source. Ce mantra nous relie à notre maître intérieur et nous aide à recevoir des conseils et une inspirations intérieurs. Nous ne remarquerons peut-être pas de transformation instantanée mais l'effet de ce mantra est considérable et éternel. Le processus de purification provenant de cette pratique débute au plus profond de l'inconscient et se propage progressivement à travers tous les aspects de notre personnalité. Nous nous sentons revivre et entièrement transformés.

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