THE IYENGAR YOGA CENTRE OF HONG KONG Samasthiti Samasthiti – A Magazine from The Iyengar Yoga Centre of Hong Kong Issue No. 1 June 2013 A Beginning B.K.S. Iyengar’s Discover the Power of Blacons Intensive The Journey of George Dovas Birthday Practice Learning contemplates how Ursula Moser attended Every three months Lynn Holt shares how lessons gleaned from Guruji’s 93rd Birthday The Iyengar Yoga the Medical class at RIMYI, Pune, changed the practice of Yoga celebrations in Pune Centre of Hong Kong Amazing Anatomy her perspective, and shed light on the art of Page 22 conducts a series of five The amazing human her life compiling this consecutive early- body. Ever considered Page 14 inaugural edition of morning practice how simple daily tasks Reflections on a “Samasthiti” sessions – like carrying a summer intensive Page 3 for shoulder-bag – affect spent in picturesque students your entire body and rural France Page 23 wellbeing? Page 18 Page 23 Sages of yore divided the body, Skin to Self and Vice for the sake of convenience, into three tiers with five sheaths, to convey the depth of the abode of Versa the human. Of the three tiers, the first is the core of the body or Self, The human being is a triune of the second is the mental body, Health is of great body, mind and soul. The body is and the third is the gross or importance – whether the outer cover of the inner physical body. These three bodies you wish to follow the person and is called kshetra or are interwoven from the skin to field, while the inner being, the the Self and from the Self to the science of dharma or soul, dweller of the body, is skin through the thread of duty, artha or earning a known as kshetrajna. Body and intelligence, so they can soul are woven together with the interpenetrate as one single unit livelihood, kama or thread of buddhi or intelligence through citta or the needle of sense-enjoyment, or and the needle of consciousness. consciousness. moksha or liberation, The body is an essential vehicle By nature the body is inert, dull and sluggish; the mind is vibrant, says the Charaka for the individual to carry out his duty and follow a religious life. active and dynamic, and the Self "Dharmartha kama To unite mind with soul is the is luminous and illuminative. The universal religion of humankind. practice of yoga destroys moksham arogyam In order to unite mind with soul, sluggishness of the body and mulamuttama." the body, which is the foundation, builds it up to become equal to has to be kept healthy. the active and sensitive mind. B.K.S. Iyengar | Published in The Times of India, 2 February 2012 Then, both the body and mind are Samasthiti 1 SKIN TO SELF AND VICE VERSA Skin to Self and Vice Versa circumstances. Yoga starts from continued from page 1 the health of the body and makes one climb the Everest of spiritual made to transcend to the level of contentment, poise and peace. the illuminative Self, with perfect health in body, stability in mind, and clarity in intelligence. The hands signifying karma, head you face life as master signifying jnana, and heart of your circumstances signifying bhakti, are made to unite in a holistic way of life. If the mirror is clean, objects are We have been bestowed by the clearly reflected in it. Yoga Creator with one and only capital removes impurities of the body – the body – for a worthy and and causes the mind to reflect useful life. The body is our like the mirror, lighting the flame temple or kingdom. As it is the of wisdom which shines in body, essential duty of the dweller to mind and Self, so they move and keep the house clean and tidy, it work in unison. is the duty of every human being Health is generally understood as to keep the body healthy and freedom from illness, but it is clean. Ethics begins from here. actually a state of physical equilibrium along with a perfectly balanced disposition of B.K.S. Iyengar | Published in The Times of India, 2 February 2012 mind. Life is a combination of conscience, consciousness, intelligence, mind, senses of perception, and organs of action. Health involves a tremendous Health is communication, so that each cell generally communes with the other. This understood as cannot be purchased in a freedom from marketplace. It has to be earned with inspiration, sweat, and toil. illness, but it is Yoga does that. actually a state of Yoga not only works with the physical body, it also develops the equilibrium along intelligence for the sight of the with a perfectly Self. It connects the anatomical balanced and physiological bodies, as well as mind and soul. It provides disposition of even distribution of bio-energy or mind life force, and channels the mind to a state of calmness so that you face life as master of your Samasthiti 2 REFLECTIONS ON “PERFECTION” A Beginning Reflections on compiling the inaugural issue of Samasthiti –George Dovas The first issue of Samasthiti has By having the unrealistic goal hindrance to the wholeness of been a long time coming. of producing a perfect my life.” Compiling a magazine is no inaugural issue, I was Another roadblock in easy feat! unknowingly blocking myself compiling this magazine came from completing the task. It is especially difficult when as a result of the improper that magazine is intended to Prashant Iyengar, B.K.S. notion that this newsletter provide a window into the vast Iyengar’s son and a Yoga should “teach” the wisdom of and profound subject of Yoga teacher himself, reminds us not Yoga to the reader. In reality, and, more so, into the rich to expect “perfection” when it the written word can only give insights expounded by B.K.S. blocks us from learning. In the the reader a description of that Iyengar, a true Yoga master. context of practicing Yoga wisdom. The written word poses, whilst “perfection” is may give an account of the The regular practice of Yoga the ultimate goal, we should practice but it cannot give the helps one develop a more real not allow that goal to be a experience of Yoga. The written and truthful perspective into hinderance today – we should word may give some support one’s life and situations. not allow the idea of to the practice but it is not the Personally, I had to engage this “perfection” to stop us from way to learn Yoga or to taste truthful “perspective” when I embarking on the journey the wisdom of Yoga. found myself struggling to towards “perfection”. The complete this magazine almost When I was reminded of the analogy that Prashant offers is a year after I had decided to value of personal experience that of a baby learning to walk. produce it. through practice, I resolved In its initial steps the baby that this magazine is not a I now see that unrealistic stumbles, it takes the support vehicle to “teach” Yoga. And expectations were a significant of furniture, it falls, it tries this realisation made it easier roadblock stopping me from again. We do not demand that to complete the magazine. publishing the magazine.. the baby walks upright and unsupported during its first My own struggle in producing When first setting out to create attempts at walking. the first issue of this magazine the magazine, I wanted to reminds me of the struggle that produce something that would In a 2004 interview, published I experienced in developing a be “perfect”. in a recently released book personal home practice of Yoga titled Yoga - A Journey Within, But months into my efforts to many years ago. Faeq Biria says: create a “perfect” magazine, I realised that this first edition of “A yogic life requires great the magazine would not be discipline and I strive so that Continued on page 17 “perfect”. my quest for perfection is not a Samasthiti 3 SAMASTHITI S AMASTHITI “Samasthiti” is a sanskrit word. It is an alternative name for the pose more commonly known as समि$थ&त “Tadasana” (Mountain Pose). Samasthiti Samasthiti is made up of the terms “Sama” and “Sthiti”. “Sama” means equal, the same or level. “Sthiti” means standing still or steadiness. Therefore, Samasthiti implies to be standing still in a position of balance. It indicates an upright and steady state. It implies to be level, not only in body but in mind too. A steady state of mind is an essential aspect of this pose. As a pose, one learns to stand with equal, steady, and still attention. Elements of Samasthiti (Tadasana), are apparent in all other poses. It is a pose that all other standing poses start from and come back to. While it may appear simple to the novice, it becomes a challenging pose when one develops a deeper understanding of balance and alignment. It has been said (jokingly – or perhaps not?) that the reason for practicing all of the other Yoga poses is so that we can understand and master this very one pose. Samasthiti 4 GURUJI’S VISIT TO HONG KONG B.K.S. IYENGAR VISITS HONG KONG Hong Kong was honoured by Iyengar Yoga studio opened. Now Guruji’s visit there are four studios in the city. From a time when there were just Receiving the news that Guruji one or two teachers, there are now would be visiting Hong Kong en over 20 certified Iyengar teachers in route to China was exciting to say the city.