Wednesday, November 14, 2007 From yoga,a sense of well-being By Jenara Regis Newman
YOGA according to Wikipedia: “. . . Is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India.” It has been defined as referring to “technologies of disciplines of ascetism and meditation, which are thought to lead to spiritual experience and profound understanding or insight into the very nature of existence.”
There are many branches of yoga, the major ones being Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga. In Hinduism, Raja Yoga is simply known as yoga, one of six schools of thought “established by Patanjali.” It is the basis of Ashtanga (or Astanga) yoga, which Kaye Luym got to know in Vancouver four years ago.
When she started, she found it difficult. She was in lot of pain, but she persisted until she could do the exercises daily on her own. It gave her a sense of well- being. Where her body used to be inflexible, she has become lithe and energized.
Before she left Vancouver, she did a workshop with David Svenson, the Ashtanga yoga guru there (sometimes spelled as Astanga). Kaye now teaches Ashtanga yoga twice a week—Monday, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and Thursday, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. —at the Citigym of Waterfront Cebu. This is on top of her PR work for the hotel.
Ashtanga yoga is otherwise known as the eight-limbed yoga, the eight limbs being:yama, which is social conduct and includes nonviolence (which is why Kaye no longer eats meat);
Niyama, which is individual conduct; asana, or posture; pranayama, which is breath control;
Pratyahara, which is sense withdrawal in order to concentrate on one’s thoughts; dharana, which is concentration, focusing on one point; dhyana, meditation; and samadhi or the superconscious state or self-realization, the ultimate point of being total freedom from ties of existence.
She calls her Ashtanga classes “flow yoga,” which also has elements of Hatha yoga, which is the basis of a lot of yoga. She says, “It has 72 poses and is very structural, very challenging. So every class is different. It’s called ‘flow’ because I focus on the fluidity of movement from one asana or posture to another; the transition being as important as the asana itself.”
She says the effect of this is: “It strengthens you. You can lift your body weight more. It makes your body more flexible; tones your muscles and builds up your endurance; and helps you to appreciate your body more. You do a lot of realignment in your body.” She adds that the exercise keeps your body straight and “it helps you have a calmer state of mind. It helps you appreciate your whole body and your mind has a beautiful sense of well-being.”
Yoga is basically the union of the body and the mind. In yoga, Kaye explains, “You focus on your breathing. When you inhale, you focus on how your health feels and when you exhale, you focus on the present moment, on the now. You use your breath to fuel your movements. Yoga is challenging, but not competitive. You do not fight to get into the pose. You actually surrender to the pose.” The whole process gives Kaye and her students an “I love the world feeling.”
