Yoga Journal Singapore December 15 2017 PDF

2018 HOT PRODUCT PICKS FOR YOGA LOVERS
SINGAPORE
12days to detox
ANCIENT
STANDUP
paddleboarding
BASICS
for water loving yogis
4
PRACTICES
for
TOTAL
WELLNESS POSES
to fix a
Bad
BACK
MEDITATE
SLEEP
to
better HOLIDAY
recipes
DEC 17/JAN 2018 #10 S$9.95

ISSN 2424-9246
9 772424 924002
YOGAJOURNAL.COM.SG
contents DEC 2017 / JAN 2o18
FEATURES
10 Joy Ride
Water-loving yogis play with balance,
focus, and core strength by taking their
practice to paddleboards.
By Lauren Ladoceour
50 Be the Change
MODEL: KAT FOWLER | PHOTO: PAUL MILLER | ART DIRECTOR: ANUJA BAGADE | WARDROBE & HAIR/MAKEUP: EMILY CHOI |
Learn the asana that works for every
chakra. Navigate transitions with more
calm, confidence, and joy.
By Kat Fowler, Cover Model
58 The Panchakarma
Prescription
yogajournal.com.sg
If you’ve never tried (or heard of!)

Panchakarma, this is a must-read. One
JUMPSUIT: TORY SPORT BY TORY BURCH | JEWELRY: TAYLOR WILKINSON DESIGNS
writer shares her transformative journey

via this ancient, 21-day Ayurvedic cleanse.
By Elizabeth Marglin
december 2017 / january 2018
cover credits Model: Kat Fowler | Photo: Paul Miller | Art Director: Anuja Bagade |
Wardrobe & Hair/Makeup: Emily Choi | Jumpsuit : Tory Sport by Tory Burch |
Our New York-based Cover Model Kat Fowler, who grew up around Eastern Jewelry : Taylor Wilkinson Designs
philosophy and spirituality, explains how to tap the powers of your chakras Page 50
2
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contents 9 LIVE WELL
DEC 2017/ JAN 2018 10 ESCAPE Get out of your comfort zone
and try something new in 2018—if you
14
haven’t yet done yoga on water, that is.
We’ll let you know when we organize an
SUP event soon.
16 PRODUCT GUIDE We bring you 12 great

products—one for each month gone by
—that caught our attention, and made us
believe that they belong in every yogi’s
home. This includes meditation pillows,
sweet art featuring birds doing yoga, a
power pack; and lots more.
19 PRACTICE WELL
20 ANATOMY Surprise! Your lower-back pain
19
might actually be an upper-back problem.
Here’s why, and how to feel better.
By Jill Miller.
25 HOME PRACTICE Ease chronic

pain with this sequence for building
strength and flexibility from
YogaWorks teacher Papo Caballero.
28 YOGAPEDIA Strengthen your back, arms,

and abs as you move from Shalabhasana
to Mayurasana with David Swenson,
a foremost Ashtanga Yoga instructor.
37 EAT WELL
46
38 EAT SMART, WASTE LESS Stop throwing
away perfectly good food—and money—
with these tips and recipes for bringing
new life to leftovers. By Liz Krieger
43 MAKE-AHEAD HOLIDAY MEAL Spend

less time sweating over a hot stove and
more quality time with your loved ones
with these prep-ahead recipes, all healthy
takes on holiday classics. By Jill Silverman
Hough
73 CONNECT
76 ASHTANGA SERIES The fifth in our
8-part series about Ashtanga, as defined
yogajournal.com.sg
by Patanjali, is Dharana or deep and
78
focused concentration. By
Sherriann Melwani
78 TEACHER SPOTLIGHT Amanda Koh,

is a known face in not only Singapore
but also yoga festivals around Asia.
She tells YJSG about her focus on
mindful mobility and strength.
79 IN FOCUS Pictures from our Staycation

retreat in Sentosa, held in early Dec
2017!
80 I’M A YOGI Meet Soma Temple, a

yogini and founder of Aum
Rudraksha from Bali, who spreads
the spiritual wisdom of healing beads
to the rest of the world.
4
EDITOR
Kavita Chandran
COPY EDITOR
Mingli Lin
ART DIRECTION TEAM

Anuja Bagade
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MARKETING DIRECTOR
Niloufer Jamal
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Yoga Journal Singapore is published six times a year

by Sankia Publishing Pte Ltd under license from
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JOURNAL is a registered trademark of Active Interest
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ACTIVE INTEREST MEDIA
without the written permission of the publisher.
Articles published in the magazine reflect the opinion CHAIRMAN Efrem Zimbalist III
of the authors and cannot necessarily be interpreted PRESIDENT & CE O Andrew W. Clurman
SNR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Patricia B. Fox

as those of the Publisher or the Editor of
Yoga Journal Singapore. @ CRUZ BAY PUBLISHING, INC.
ISSUE NUMBER 10, DEC 2017 / JAN 2018

Yoga Journal Singapore is owned by licensee Sankia Publishing Pte Ltd and has been issued a Newspaper Permit by
YOGA JOURNAL SINGAPORE the Media Development Authority of Singapore. The magazine is not responsible for advertising claims. Advice on
Sankia Publishing Pte Ltd exercise and wellness are not a substitute for medical counselling. The editorial content in Yoga Journal Singapore
ISSN # 24249246 should not be used as a substitute for professional healthcare. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure of certain exercises
Newspaper Permit MCI (P) 017/05/2017 mentioned in this magazine. The creators, producers, participants and distributors of Yoga Journal Singapore disclaim
6 any liability for loss or injury in connection with the exercises shown or instruction and advice expressed herein.
editor’s letter
Dear Readers,
Yet another year passes us by, and the unpredictability of events sets a reminder
to cherish what we have and not take for granted. Change and disruption were
witnessed throughout the year, kicking off with the inaugurations of new
Presidents in the U.S. and France; Brexit confusion in the UK; Rohingya crisis in
Myanmar; deadly shootings and terror attacks; and earthquakes in many parts.
In the yoga world too, one big company filed for an IPO (Yogaworks) while
another filed for bankruptcy (Bikram Yoga) after the hot yoga chain got burnt (pun
intended!) from a spate of legal troubles—an embarrassment with an absconding
founder accused of sexual assault. Come next year, yoga studios may just erase
the tarnished Bikram name from their class schedules, and revamp the Hot 26
sequence.
The likes of Bikram Choudhury are responsible for misrepresenting yoga and
spirituality by creating cults for monetary gains. Just as with many other ills
governing the world today, followers are blinded by misinterpretations and
misrepresentations, placing on pedestals those more deserving of a reprimand.
What we need is a regulatory body for the yoga world which should ensure that
the true spirit of the ancient tradition and wisdom are maintained, not floundered
by fake teachers who add beer, wine and sensuality (ugh!) on the mat. A true
yogi would steer clear of such idiosyncrasies, in my opinion.
Let’s hope 2018 brings more peace and sanity around the world. The power
of healing is what we need to advocate more, be it through social media or
yoga studios—just as they did in Mexico City in November when more than
200,000 people came together to meditate for peace. Now, that’s the kind of
ART DIRECTION : ANUJA BAGADE, PHOTO CREDIT : GARGI MAZUMDAR, ILLUSTRATION : DESIGNED BY FREEPIK
cult following the world needs. Let’s pray for more of that.
Enjoy the magazine!
Wishing you a very happy, peaceful and healthy new year!

yogajournal.com.sg
Kind Regards,
Kavita Chandran
Editor & Publisher
kavita.chandran@yogajournal.com.sg
8
live WELL
yogajournal.com.sg
pamper your tired self with

ROSES
Soak your body in a hot tub with rose petals around,

or elevate the traditional bouquet by washing your
face with homemade rose cleanser. How? Mix half
a tablespoon of rose water and whole milk. Gently
apply to your face, rinse with lukewarm water and pat
dry. Sleep well, filling your dreams with the fragrance.
9
JOYride
live well
ESCAPE
Water-loving yogis play with balance,

focus, and core strength by taking their
practice offshore.
It’s early in her morning practice when Gillian Gibree takes a familiar
asana: Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose). To start
waking up her arms and legs, she presses evenly through her hands and
feet. She lifts her sitting bones skyward as she relaxes her neck and finds
extension in her long spine. Her wispy blond hair falls about her face, but
ART CREDIT : STYLISTS: LYN HEINEKEN & TATIANA SAUNDERS; HAIR/MAKEUP: RENEE LOIZ/AUBRI BALK; TOP: LULULEMON ATHLETICA; SHORTS:
what comes into view when she looks back between her ankles is not
the wall of a yoga studio. Instead, it’s where the cool, blue ocean meets
the sky. Seagulls fly in the distance, and at any moment, a dolphin may
make an appearance. Her mat? An epoxy paddleboard that gently rocks
with the Pacific’s undulating waves. Gibree shifts her weight front to back
and side to side to steady her floating Down Dog. “It’s a totally different
experience than in the studio,” says Gibree, a vinyasa yoga teacher
HOTDROP; JEWELRY: DANI SCHMIDT/OCEAN LOVE DESIGN AND EDEN; BOARD: 404; PADDLE: KIALOA
and professional standup paddleboard racer who first began playing
with yoga poses on her board in 2009. “You’re out in the elements and
yogajournal.com.sg
have a total connection to nature. It’s so relaxing and meditative. It feels

amazing.”
10
BY LAUREN LADOCEOUR
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID MARTINEZ
yogajournal.com.sg
Professional paddleboarder Gillian Gibree in Baja, Mexico

11
live well
ESCAPE
The beginner-friendly sport

of standup paddleboarding was born in the compensates by using a wider stance and hands from Downward-Facing Dog to come
1940s when Waikiki surfers stood on boards rocking with the waves—and by letting go. into Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge) can sometimes
and navigated their way through the waves “The worst that can happen is that I fall in shift a board a few inches forward—even on
with a long paddle. Standup paddleboard yoga and get back up,” says Taylor, who notes that the calmest water. The key, says Gibree, is to
(or SUP yoga, as it’s known to its devotees) is not taking yourself too seriously is crucial to make micromovements, adjusting alignment
asana practiced on 10- to 12-foot-long boards making it fun. In that spirit, she and her SUP and weight distribution as needed and fixing
in the most serene of settings: an ocean bay, yoga students give each other snaps when your gaze on a point along the horizon, on the
a glassy lake, even a slow-moving river. In someone goes over. shore, or even on an outlying rock or tree.
recent years, water-loving yogis—some with
board sport experience, like Gibree, some Rock and Roll Your alignment may be different than on
without—have embraced SUP yoga as a dry land (for greater balance, Taylor turns her
practice that brings a sense of joyful freedom to In New England, where Karen Fraser teaches standing foot out in Tree Pose, for example),
an otherwise earth-bound yoga practice. SUP yoga, the rougher Atlantic waters can turn but that’s OK. It’s also fine (and even fun!) if
practice into a thrill ride. “The craziest day out you lose balance altogether and fall overboard,
“On the water, I have to let go of any was when the waves were chest high,” says says Katie Fitzgerald, a yoga teacher who leads
control or wanting to do everything perfectly Fraser. “I took a group of fellow instructors vinyasa classes on a lake marina in the resort
because at any moment, the current can out, and just doing Downward-Facing Dog was town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. “Falling is just
change everything, and I’ll be in the water,” challenging. It was like riding a bucking bull. We part of the experience,” she says, and there’s
says Jessica Taylor, a vinyasa teacher who had a lot of laughs.” freedom in fully embracing that. “You let go of
started her SUP yoga practice in Savanna, your expectations and judgment, which is what
Georgia, where many mornings she’d warm up It’s a fun practice but with some serious yoga is all about in the first place: getting out
by paddling against the current on Richardson benefits. Doing yoga on a surface that is of the mind and into the heart center. When
Creek near her home. Over the spring, she constantly in motion fires up your core I’m teaching, I love seeing the joy on students’
moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where she now muscles, says Gibree, and strengthens muscles faces when they fall in and get right back up
practices at Neptune Beach. “In a studio, I find that aren’t called on in everyday practice. “Even into a pose. That’s what we are all doing in life.
myself trying so hard to do everything perfectly Plank Pose is more challenging because your We fall, whether it’s physically, mentally, or
that I forget how fun yoga is. SUP yoga is a board is moving a little back and forth, and that emotionally, and we get back up and try again.”
reminder that it’s not so serious.” added tipsiness activates your core and arms,”
says Gibree. “You definitely feel these tiny At the end of Gibree’s SUP yoga practice,
Taylor begins her playful practice with a muscles that don’t activate on the ground.” she takes Savasana (Corpse Pose) on the board,
few grounding asanas like Cat-Cow Pose and where she says the perpetual motion translates
Balasana (Child’s Pose) to get her balance. The challenge is part of the attraction, and to a sense of ease. “I lie there, the ocean gently
Then she moves on to more challenging it isn’t just physical, Gibree says. SUP yoga rocking me, my hands resting in the water
standing poses such as Vrksasana (Tree Pose) requires a different quality of focus—and not while the sunshine warms my skin. You really
and Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), which just when you’re doing the poses but also can’t beat that feeling.”
can end in the water if her weight isn’t evenly when you’re transitioning between them. For
distributed front to back or side to side. She example, bringing your right foot between your
yogajournal.com.sg
12
SUP yoga instructor Gillian Gibree
modifies asanas for a floating practice
on the pages that follow.
In Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge),

Gibree keeps her back toes tucked
for better balance and sneaks in core
strengthening and a shoulder stretch
by very slowly bringing the paddle
overhead.
yogajournal.com.sg
13
live well
ESCAPE
>>> When the water is calm, seated poses such as Ardha
Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) are stable. If the
wind picks up and the water turns rocky, Gibree’s left hand
might grab the board’s back rail to get steady.
Even on land, Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) can be a balancing act.

But the beautiful setting offers Gibree even greater incentive to
rise up tall with an open chest. She uses drishti (gaze) as she
naturally rocks front to back with each inhalation and exhalation.
>>>
>>>
yogajournal.com.sg
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)

is perhaps one of the steadiest poses to take on a SUP
board. Gibree uses a slightly wider stance for more

stability as she rides light waves.
Coming into Ustrasana (Camel Pose) is all about

>>>
placement—that is, keeping the hips centered and over
the knees, which should land above the board’s most
balanced point, the handle.
14
Because of the rocking board, Gibree has to really
ground down through the feet to minimize swaying in
Tadasana (Mountain Pose). From up here, she gazes at
the horizon during a moment of sweet inspiration.
This article was written by Lauren Ladoceour,

a former editor at Yoga Journal U.S.
yogajournal.com.sg
15
product guide
2018 By YJSG Editors

As more and more people around the world embrace the mat, the business of yoga
has mushroomed—mat, apparel, fashion accessories, socks, blocks, organic snacks,
vegan food, spiritual decors, candles, bowls, incense, crystals and lots more—
HOT PICKS leaving yoga lovers confused and spoilt for choice. In 2016, the amount yogis spent
for such products and their yoga classes totaled $16.8 billion in the United States
for yoga lovers

alone. We scanned through e-commerce sites, spoke to vendors and customers
alike, and came up with a list of products, not just reasonably priced but also
meaningful and useful for the yoga loving community. While there are big brand
Here’s a list of products names out there, it’s often the dedicated smaller operations that give back through
1
that every Yogi will love. seva (service).
Gift it to your yoga-loving
friend, or simply pamper Below are our Hot Picks, in no particular order—
yourself in 2018.
TribeTats Any-Wear Yoga Collection
Abundance
Essential Oil 15ml
Get your skin bling on! These metallic body tattoos,
Young Living’s Abundance™ essential
with their intricate and elegant yogic designs, make
oil combines oils such as Orange and
self-adornment irresistible.
Ginger, which were used by ancient
US$25 for a 3 Sheet Variety Pack, www.tribetats.com cultures to attract prosperity and
magnify joy and peace. Diffuse in
your home, or wear on your wrists
and behind the ears as a perfume to
2
boost your confidence and to spread
positive energy to those around you!
S$82.24; https://www.youngliving.com/en_SG/products/
abundance-essential-oil
yogajournal.com.sg
Fringe Scarves from

four
Vietnam
Yummy Yogi 3Strands Shop provides job opportunities,

trade skills and sustainable income to
Board survivors of human trafficking and those
ART DIRECTION : ANUJA BAGADE
Bring a little Tree Pose to your table with at risk, teaching them to create handmade
the Yummi Yogi Yoga Cutting/Serving accessories. This lightweight, cotton-silk-
Board, made from ash wood and perfect for blend fringe scarf, made by artisans in
everything from chopping veggies to sharing Vietnam, is a perfectly light layer for crisp fall
your favorite finger foods. days and comes in an array of vivid hues.
US$5o, yummiyogi.com US$14–US$20, 3strandsshop.com
16
five JANET’S CORNER
The products below carry designs painted by Janet Lee, a young artist from Malaysia who was diagnosed with
epilepsy and delayed intellectual & developmental abilities. Janet has shown that with patience, determination and
product guide
hard work, everything is possible. She owns Janet’s Corner and holds a Diploma in Small Business Management,
and is also a designer with Vida (an online fashion house) in USA. Janet sends 10% of her proceeds to a home for
abused, abandoned and/or orphaned children to support those who supported her during her teenage years.
www.janetcorner.com; Facebook: JanetsCookiesArtCraftHouse; Instagram: janet.corner
Peacock Peacock Peacock

Statement Bag Modal Scarf Yoga Capri Pants
The Peacock Statement Bag, This scarf made with soft, luxurious Original artwork embellishes our Model Bella Yusuf wears a hijab
featuring bold, vivid prints, eco-friendly fabric will add a bold, four-way stretch, mid-rise printed (head scarf) in JC peacock
complete with leather straps, modern statement to any wardrobe. capri pants designed to make you design.
leather base, and trims, is a coveted It is 100% Modal, a luxuriously stand out at the gym, yoga studio,
accessory because of the beautiful soft botanic silk fabric made out of or on the go. Each capri legging
colors. (US$95) European Beechwood. (US$40) is hand-cut and made to order in
California. (US$75)
Carlson
yogajournal.com.sg
7
Olive Meditation
Your Pillow
Heart
Upgrade your salad
dressing with an olive oil
infused with marine-

sourced, heart-healthy
omega-3s (no fishy taste,
promise!). It’s available in
Stay comfy sitting on this hemp-fabric cushion that’s
delicious flavors like basil, embroidered with an empowering message. It’s
garlic, and our favorite— handmade by tribeswomen in Northern Thailand (stuffed
lemon. with biodegradable fill from the tropical kapok tree),
US$20, oliveyourheart.com helping them earn a reliable income.
US$95, tushies.co
17
product guide
The Power Pack
eight By Pure Yoga
Plug in to give your life a boost. A perfect gift
for friends and family to kick start the New Year.
Inclusive of 1-month pass for all Pure Fitness and
Pure Yoga locations, $35 worth of nood food
vouchers, $35 worth of Pure Apparel vouchers and
two 7-day guest passes for your friends.
9
Available for public purchase at
http://powerpack-sg.pure-international.com/
Retail price- S$250
Gypsy Kit
Hectic holiday travel
plans? Keep calm and
carry this essential-oils
survival kit. The collection
of soothing, healing blends
in convenient roller bottles
will keep you well and
Lamare Mala, grounded on the go.
11
By Aum Rudraksha US$100,
This mala is made from the sacred seed of chopwoodcarrybaby.com
Rudraksha, Rose Quartz, Rodochrosite, Garnet
and Amethyst. Like its name which come from
the latin word Amare = love, these combinations
of Rudraksha and gemstones are intended for
Project: Om
someone who wants to be more open to love, Yogitoes®
compassion and romance.
Yoga Towel
twelve
US$126.16; www.aumrudraksha.com
-David Allen
Help fight breast cancer with
Manduka’s Project: Om Yogitoes mat
yogajournal.com.sg
towel featuring artwork from Chicago

“3 Birds in Warrior 2 Pose” tattoo artist David Allen, who is
Print renowned for his work tattooing over
mastectomy scars of breast cancer
survivors. All proceeds benefit the
Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Bold
Goal, which aims to cut the current
number of breast cancer deaths in half

by 2026 in the United States.
US$100, manduka.com
What began as a father- daughter art project is now a popular Etsy store. As yogi Chris
Counce and his daughter Finley sketched birds in yoga poses, Counce posted their collection on
Instagram—and #birdsdoingyoga took flight.
US$25–US$75, birdsdoingyoga.com
18
practice WELL
YOGA
& autism
Ashrams for Autism is a non-profit organization that teaches
people how to work with autistic kids and their caregivers. The
yogi founder, Sharron Manner, began by creating calming yoga
sequences for her autistic daughter, cooked a sattvic diet that
eliminated stimulating foods, and included regular acupressure
and Reiki—all aimed at helping her child get grounded and self-
regulate when overstimulation ultimately did occur.
(http://ashrams4autism.org/)
Jill Brenner (featured in the photo) joined Ashrams for Autism
because she had a family member on the autism spectrum.
“Teaching yoga to populations who really need it is beautiful,”
says Jill, who also helps them with public relations. “I hope
people see that you can use whatever skills you have to help
others.”
Parents with autistic children in Singapore can learn yoga from
Sarah Barguirdjian, who gives back to the community by
providing care to those who providecare. “I teach yoga and
meditation workshops about this, and the trickle down affect
for the kids and rest of the family is powerful,”says Sarah. “The
parents need care too”.
Write to Sarah at info@sarahbyoga.net
for more information; www.sarahbyoga.net
yogajournal.com.sg
PHOTO COURTESY: TONY FELGUEIRAS
19
practice well
ANATOMY
Get to know ...

Your thoracic spine
Here’s how to strengthen—and gain mobility in—your upper back.
By Jill Miller
GOT BACK PAIN? You’re in good

company: About 80 percent of
you may think. This is to protect
your lungs and heart: excess motion
A Yogic Self-Test
Americans experience back problems here could impact these key organs. for Range of Motion
at some point. Most people attribute What’s more, the vertebrae of the
back pain to their lower backs (lumbar thoracic spine interlock with one
spine) or necks (cervical spine), but another and act as a hard stop during
oftentimes issues in the thoracic back bends—again, to defend your
spine—the upper back—are actually internal organs.
to blame. These movement-inhibiting
Although the thoracic spine doesn’t mechanisms are important. However,
get much attention, it’s literally the if you lack the proper amount of
backbone for your lungs and heart, mobility in your thoracic spine, then
surrounded by your rib cage, which the most mobile junction of your
protects these vital organs. Of the spine—T12/L1, the lowest point of
spine’s 70 joints, 50 percent are in the thoracic spine and the highest
the thoracic spine. If you factor in the part of the lumbar spine—may
additional 20 specialty joints (called the become hypermobile to make up for
costotransverse joints) that help your it (particularly in backbends). Lack
ribs articulate and move, you’ll quickly of thoracic spine mobility can also
understand that your thoracic spine is create an excessively mobile cervical UDDIYANA BANDHA
a workhorse responsible for two-thirds spine. Upward Abdominal Lock
of the movement in your torso—so To help keep your cervical spine
This challenges your thoracic spine and rib
the odds of something going awry and lumbar spine pain free, you’ll
cage to use their full ranges of motion at the
are high. want to move the thoracic spine in
costovertebral joints. The motion takes the
Despite the thoracic spine’s potential smart, safe ways to maintain strength
ribs to their most elevated state, causing the
for movement, the unique design of and mobility and prevent it from
diaphragm to stretch laterally.
your upper back and rib cage does recruiting extra help. Here’s what you
not allow for as much movement as need to know. HOW TO Stand with your feet slightly apart,
eyes open. Inhale deeply through your nose,
yogajournal.com.sg
then exhale quickly and forcibly through your

nose. Fully contract your abdominal muscles,
THE THORACIC SPINE/BREATH pushing as much air as possible out of your
CONNECTION
PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; ILLUSTRATIONS: MICHELE GRAHAM
lungs; then relax your abdominals. Perform

what’s called a mock inhalation by expanding
your rib cage as if you were inhaling, but don’t
The hallmark of a healthy spine is that it can access all its inherent actually do so. This pulls the abdominal mus-
ranges of motion. Once you start leaving a motion out, the joints cles up into the rib cage and creates a concave
and tissues stiffen—and in the case of the upper back, this can shape resembling an umbrella within the rib
translate into breathing issues. An excessively immobile thoracic cage. Come into Jalandhara Bandha (Chin
spine can lead to a stiff rib cage, which can then restrict the capacIty Lock). Hold for 5–15 seconds, then slowly let
of your diaphragm and lungs. Because breath control gives us access your belly descend, inhaling normally. Note:
to our nervous system and emotional centers, the interplay between Perform this only on an empty stomach and
the upper back and breath are critical for permitting relaxation, only after an exhalation. If you’re pregnant, it’s
well-being, emotional attunement, and whole-body health. OK to practice Uddiyana Bandha if you did so
regularly before your pregnancy.
20
BODY OF KNOWLEDGE:
ANATOMY OF THE THORACIC SPINE
There are multiple muscles in your thoracic spine region,
most of which also run through your cervical spine or
lumbar spine regions (or both). Here, get to know the
deeper muscles that attach to your thoracic spine, as well as
SERRATUS those that share a soft-tissue relationship with the thoracic
POSTERIOR spine and rib cage.
SUPERIOR
TRANSVERSOSPINALIS
As a group, these muscles connect different portions of
each vertebra to adjacent or semi-adjacent vertebrae.
• ROTATORES
ROTATORES • MULTIFIDUS
SPINALIS
THORACIS • SEMISPINALIS (NOT SHOWN)
ERECTOR SPINAE MUSCLES
As a group, these muscles provide postural support for your
trunk and facilitate multiple motions of your torso.
LONGISSIMUS • SPINALIS THORACIS
THORACIS • LONGISSIMUS THORACIS
• ILIOCOSTALIS
INTERCOSTALS
SERRATUS POSTERIOR SUPERIOR
ILIOCOSTALIS This muscle connects your upper three thoracic vertebrae to
ribs 2–5. It helps elevate your ribs when you inhale.
RESPIRATORY DIAPHRAGM (NOT SHOWN)
LEVATORES This muscle attaches to the inside of your lower six ribs; you
COSTARUM
may notice it when it’s spasming with the hiccups.
INTERCOSTALS
These muscles are situated between each rib. They stabilize
your rib cage and assist in breathing.
MULTIFIDUS LEVATORES COSTARUM
These muscles connect the transverse processes of each
thoracic vertebra to the rib below and help you inhale.
A vertebra, dissected
SPINOUS PROCESS These are bony projections off yogajournal.com.sg
the back of each vertebra. Alongside each spinous process
is an arch-like structure called the lamina, which provides
SPINOUS
PROCESS a major point of attachment for your spine’s muscles and
ligaments.
INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS (NOT SHOWN) These
TRANSVERSE
PROCESS are the spine’s shock absorbers. Each disc forms a
fibrocartilaginous joint (a symphysis) to allow slight
movement of vertebrae and hold adjacent vertebrae
together.
VERTEBRAL
BODY TRANSVERSE PROCESS These bony projections off each
side of each vertebra are the attachment sites for your
spine’s muscles and ligaments.
VERTEBRAL BODY This thick oval segment of bone forms
the front of each vertebra. A protective layer of compact
bone encircles a cavity of spongy bone tissue. 21
practice well
ANATOMY
4 poses to increase thoracic spine mobility

Take your spine through its five different motions—spinal flexion, spinal extension, lateral
flexion and extension, and spinal rotation—with these poses.
For spinal
extension, try...
STANDING BACKBEND
This pose resembles the
PHOTOS: JEFF NELSON; MODEL: AMY IPPOLITI; STYLIST: JESSICA JEANNE EATON; HAIR/MAKEUP: ASHLEY SMITH; CLOTHING: PRANA
beginning of a drop-back into
Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose)
For spinal flexion, try...
without actually dropping back.
SASANGASANA It helps to stabilize the
Rabbit Pose thoracolumbar junction (where
This simple pose places T12 and L1 meet), which can
For lateral flexion and extension, try...
you into a static somersault be hypermobile if your
position, helping you thoracic spine lacks mobility. PARIGHASANA Gate Pose
experience spinal flexion HOW TO Stand in Tadasana (Mountain This traditional asana honors your body’s
(rolling forward), particularly Pose) and interlace your hands behind ability to laterally flex and extend. In other
in the thoracic spine. your head. Activate your abdominals words, it helps you side-bend.
HOW TO Come to Balasana and gluteals to posteriorly tilt (tuck) your HOW TO Place your right knee on the ground
(Child’s Pose), then grasp pelvis. Inhale, and feel your ribs expand; and plant your left foot 2–3 feet to the side.
your heels with your hands. exhale, and feel your lungs deflate. You Place your left hand on your left leg for
Activate your abdominals may feel like you’re falling backward, but support as you bend toward your left side
and round your spine, setting with support. Lengthen your spine up and with your arm overhead, laterally flexing
the top of your head on the away from your pelvis, and continue to your spine to the left. Keep your abdominals
ground while lifting your lean back: Resist the urge to backbend at braced, and pull 8–12 full breaths into your
butt away from your heels. the thoracolumbar junction by contracting ribs. Then, switch sides. Variation: Instead
Mindfully breathe into the your abs and transferring the burden of the of placing your left hand on your left leg,
back of your body, and backbend to your thoracic vertebrae. There place your left palm on your left rib cage
isometrically expand the is no rush to progress more deeply into and nudge your ribs skyward. This will
distances from your crown the pose. Instead, witness the effect each increase lateral extension on the right side
to your sacrum and between breath has on the relationship between and facilitate a major stretch in the intercostal
your shoulder blades. Stay your rib cage and thoracic spine. Stay here muscles on your right side, mobilizing your
here for 8–12 breaths. for 8–10 breaths. lateral-flexion capacity.
For spinal rotation, try...

yogajournal.com.sg
VRSCHIKASANA Scorpion Pose, variation

This pose improves rotation in the thoracic spine and can help reverse a slumped upper back.
HOW TO lie on your stomach with your arms outstretched on either side of you (in a T position).
Activate your abdominals to limit back bending at the thoracolumbar junction. Turn your neck to
look toward your left hand and roll onto your right hip. Keep your glutes active, posteriorly tilting
your pelvis and drifting your left hip and foot behind you while your left shoulder stays fixed on
the ground. You should feel this rotation only in your upper back. If your flexibility permits, touch
your left foot to the floor. Take 8–12 breaths, breathing deeply into your thoracic region, then
slowly switch sides.
OUR PRO writer Jill Miller is the creator of Yoga Tune Up and The Roll Model Method, and author of The Roll Model:
A Step-by-Step Guide to Erase Pain, Improve Mobility, and Live Better in Your Body. She has presented case studies at the Fascia
Research Congress and the International Association of Yoga Therapists Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research, and she
teaches at yoga conferences worldwide. Learn more at yogatuneup.com. Model Amy Ippoliti is a yoga teacher and faculty member
at 1440 Multiversity, Omega Institute, Esalen Institute, and the Kripalu Center.
22
PRAVASI
practice well
DEPARTMENT
BHARATIYA
DIVAS
JAN 6 & 7, 2018
MARINA BAY SANDS, SINGAPORE
Ancient Route,New Journey The Ayurveda conference will be followed by

a Panel Discussion about alternative healing
therapies, where panelists will discuss pros
An event for every Overseas Indian in ASEAN and cons of integrative medicines. Scientific
studies have revealed the effects of alternative
medicine in reducing pain and treating
psychological symptoms in patients across the
world. From Ayurveda and Acupuncture to
Reiki and Reflexology, more and more patients
are choosing various healing modalities - either
along with allopathy or as a single measure - to
fight ailments and diseases. But with so many
healing therapies around, how do you know
which one will work for you? Find out at the
panel discussion.

The day will end with a Fireside chat with
Rujuta Diwekar, India’s leading nutritionist, and
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated every year to mark the contribution of the author of five best-selling books. The Editor
Overseas Indians to their home and adopted countries. The two-day event will be held in of Yoga Journal in Singapore, Kavita Chandran,
Singapore on January 6 and 7, 2018, at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. will speak with Ms. Diwekar about her nutrition
beliefs and the influence and importance
A joint effort by India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the High Commission of India in Singapore,
of yoga in her life. In her talks, Ms. Diwekar
the event will celebrate 25 years of ASEAN-India Partnership, and will explore centuries-old
urges everyone to use common sense to un-
cultural, social, and human links. The theme of the PBD is “Ancient Route, New Journey: Diaspora
complicate the act of eating, and emphasizes
in the Dynamic ASEAN India Partnership” and is aimed at promoting closer ties between India &
on a blend of traditional food wisdom and
ASEAN and deepen the diaspora’s relations with India.
modern nutritional science for a healthy body
PHOTO CREDIT : TOP - INCREDIBLE INDIA, RIGHT -DABBOO RATNANI, ART DIRECTION : ANUJA BAGADE
and mind, best reflected through the mantra –

The event will cover a broad range of subjects linked to ASEAN countries and India, including
Eat local, think global.
business, innovation, culture, education, youth, history, people, along with economic and cultural
links with key States of India. To showcase the diverse Indian talent across various fields, there will For more information & to register, please
yogajournal.com.sg
be several competitions for the youth, cultural shows, cinema, literature, yoga, and a gala dinner visit www.pbdsingapore2018.org
for delegates.
WELLNESS DOSE AT PBD

Delegates will have free access to a Health and by Isha Foundation, Yoga therapy by Vyasa
Wellness zone, where they can relax and slow Yoga and Real Yoga, Meditation by Heartfulness
down their pace by exploring healing pods, Meditation, and lots more.
sitting by the meditation space, learning about
Ayurveda, and also practising some yoga. The The second day at the Health & Wellness
zone will open up at 9am on the first day for zone will begin with an Ayurveda Conference
those interested in kicking off the event with a held by the Ayurvedic Practitioners
yoga session, and through the next two days, Association of Singapore (APAS), a society
delegates will have access to several yoga and of qualified Ayurveda practitioners, students,
meditation workshops, conducted by studios manufacturers, distributors and suppliers who
in Singapore. Among other sessions, there will promote Ayurveda, the oldest healthcare in the
be Breathing Exercises by Art of Living, Yoga world, and regulate its practice in Singapore. Rujuta Diwekar 23
practice well
HOME PRACTICE
A sequence for
Healing and strength
By Papo Caballero
WHEN I FOUND YOGA

11 years ago, I had decades
of cycling and soccer playing
behind me. My body was
tense, perpetually sore, and
in some places, wrecked:
A bad cycling accident had
left me with a broken femur,
where it connects with the
hip socket. The physical
pain, even in recovery, was 1 UTTHITA PARSVAKONASANA 2 VIRABHADRASANA II
excruciating. And mentally, Extended Side Angle Pose, variation Warrior Pose II
I felt way off my game. I From Tadasana (Mountain Pose), reach Inhale to come up into Warrior II with your
turned to yoga to help repair your arms in opposite directions. Bring torso stacked over your hips, your arms
and rebalance my body and your feet beneath your palms. Turn your extending in opposite directions again.
mind. The practice delivered: left foot and leg outward 90 degrees, Make sure your left knee stays directly
I gained new flexibility lining up your left heel with your right above your left ankle. Continue to slightly
that helped correct the arch. On an exhalation, bend into your left draw your left hip up and back toward
asymmetry caused by knee, making sure it doesn’t move past your right hip, stacking your torso over the
my injury, and I was able your left ankle. Inhale to extend your right creases of your hips. Stay rooted through
to relieve my nagging arm toward the sky. Gaze up or straight your back foot. Gaze over your front hand,
chronic pain. ahead, and hold here for 3 breaths. and hold here for 3 breaths. Inhale to
The following sequence straighten your front leg and come out
is designed to foster greater of the pose.
resiliency and confidence
in your ability to walk, run,
cycle, or enjoy asana for
years to come.
PRACTICE TIPS
yogajournal.com.sg
1.Use your breath to build
heat and focus. Inhale,
PHOTOS: IAN SPANIER; MODEL: PAPO CABALLERO; STYLIST: MATTHEW PERIDIS;
visualizing your breath filling

your pelvis, low back, and
GROOMING: LAURA DEE SHELLEY; TOP: GAPFIT; BOTTOMS: VUORI
ribs; exhale, visualizing

your breath leaving your
ribs, low back, and pelvis.

3 PRASARITA PADOTTANASANA 4 PARIVRTTA UTTHITA
Breathe through your nose, Wide-Legged Forward Bend, variation PARSVAKONASANA
eventually adding Ujjayi Revolved Extended Side Angle Pose, variation
Place your hands on your hips and bring
Pranayama (Victorious
your feet back to parallel. Interlace your Return to Warrior II. Come onto the ball of your
Breath).
hands behind your back. Exhale to fold right foot, squaring your hips forward. Exhale
2. Warm up with three forward, and stay in the fold for 4 breaths. and twist from your belly to bring your right
rounds of Surya Namaskar On your next inhalation, come up, hand to the inside of your left foot. Keep your
(Sun Salutation) A or B—to stopping halfway to release the bind and right hip lifted as you inhale and extend your
heat your body and focus bring your hands back to your hips. Then left arm toward the sky. Keep your left knee in
your mind. come all the way up. line with your left hip. Stay here for 3 breaths. 25
5 VASISTHASANA 6 UTTHITA PARSVAKON ASANA 7 UTTHITA TRIKONASANA
Side Plank Pose Extended Side Angle Pose, variation Extended Triangle Pose
From here, with your right hand firmly From Down Dog, step your left foot forward, From Warrior II, straighten your left
rooted into the floor and your core coming into Warrior II. Exhale and place leg without locking your knee. On an
engaged, exhale and lift your left foot, your left hand to the inside of your exhalation, lower your left hand to the
stacking your left leg on top of your right. left ankle, pushing your triceps against outside of your left foot, and externally
Flex both feet, lift your hips, and extend your inner thigh. Bring your right hand rotate and extend your right arm toward the
your left arm overhead for a deeper side behind your back. Try to bend your left sky. Root your feet firmly into the ground
stretch. Hold for 3 breaths. Release your arm and clasp your hands (not shown). with your left hand (or fingertips) beneath
left hand to the floor and push back to With or without the bind, roll your right your left shoulder. Inhale into your chest,
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing ribs and shoulder backward. Lengthen broadening through your collarbones and
Dog Pose). Stay here or in Balasana (Child’s from your right hip through your spine. gazing upward. Stay here for 5 breaths.
Pose), resting for several breaths—or take Gaze up and hold for 5 breaths. Exhale;
a vinyasa if you want to keep the heat release the bind. Inhale back to Warrior II.
flowing! Then repeat poses 1–5 on the
other side.
yogajournal.com.sg
8 ARDHA CHANDRASANA 9 UTTHAN PRISTHASANA 10 UTTHAN PRISTHASANA

Half Moon Pose Lizard Pose, variation Lizard Pose, variation
From Triangle Pose, exhale to bend your From Down Dog, inhale your left leg up, From your version of Lizard Pose: On an
left knee slightly, moving your bottom then exhale to bring your left foot to the exhalation, add a right quad stretch by
hand about 6 inches in front of your left outside of your left arm. Gently lower bending your right leg and kicking your
foot. Align your left shoulder over your your right knee to the floor. Square your heel toward your right glutes. Reach back
left hand and your hips over your left leg, hips forward. Stay here or lower both for your right ankle with your right hand.
firming and lifting your back leg to hip forearms to the floor. Feel free to let your Stay here for 5 breaths, then release your
height. Inhale to twist open, extending your left knee splay open, or shift more weight right foot and return to Lizard Pose.
right arm to the sky. Hold for 5 breaths. To to the outer edge of your left foot. If your
exit, inhale to Warrior II. Lower your hands forearms are down, curl your back toes
down to either side of your front foot, and under and lift your right knee to stretch the
move to Downward-Facing Dog—with or right hip flexor. Hold for 5 breaths.
26 without a vinyasa.
11 EKA PADA RAJAKAPOTASANA 12 BADDHA KONASANA 13 PASCHIMOTTANASANA
ONE-LEGGED KING PIGEON POSE BOUND ANGLE POSE SEATED FORWARD BEND
Bring your left knee behind your forearms From Downward-Facing Dog, make your Extend both legs in front of you. Inhale to
or hands, and slide your right leg backward. way to seated. Reach for your feet and lengthen your spine; exhale to fold over
With your hips squared forward, inhale bring your heels together, moving them your legs, reaching the crown of your head
to lengthen your spine, and exhale to toward your groin. Inhale to lengthen your toward your toes without rounding your
fold forward over your left leg. You can spine. Stay here, or exhale to fold forward back. Rest your hands on your shins or on
keep your head as a natural extension over your feet without rounding through the floor, or reach for your feet. Inhale to
of your spine, or release it to the floor your back. With each exhalation, let go of lengthen, and exhale to fold deeper. Stay in
or a block. Stay here for 5 breaths. Then, tension in your hips. Stay here for 5 breaths. the fold for 5 breaths. Release your feet, and
inhale to slowly come up, and push back to Release your feet, and if you are in a fold, inhale to come up.
Downward-Facing Dog. Repeat poses 6–11 inhale to come up.
on the other side.
yogajournal.com.sg
14 SUPINE TWIST 15 SAVASANA OUR PRO teacher and

Lie on your back with your legs Extend both legs on the floor and release model Papo Caballero is a
extended on the floor in front your hands by your sides, palms up. Take teacher at YogaWorks and
of you. Bring your left knee in tightly. time to get comfortable, relaxing your legs, Equinox in Los Angeles. His
On an exhalation, twist your torso and left arms, jaw, and face. Close your eyes, and challenging vinyasa flow
leg to the right. Rest your right hand on return to a natural breath. Lie in stillness for classes and meditation
your left knee, and extend your left arm at least 5 minutes. sessions are currently
on the floor away from you with your palm inspired by the teachings
up. Gaze toward your left hand. Stay here of YogaWorks teacher
for 5 breaths, twisting deeper with each trainer Patti Quintero.
exhalation. Inhale to come back to center You can learn more at
and switch sides. papoyoga.com.
27
practice well
YOGAPEDIA
How to move from
Shalabhasana
to Mayurasana
By David Swenson
Shalabhasana
Shalabha = locust . Asana = Pose
Locust Pose
BENEFITS Strengthens lower back muscles; Lift until you begin to feel a natural
tones abdominal muscles while stimulating resistance—you should feel activated from
organs; improves posture head to toe and without strain. Your breath
should be flowing easily. Now imagine that
INSTRUCTION
you’re drawing a line up the wall in front of DON’T raise your shoulders
1 Lie on your belly with your legs straight. you with the top of your head and one behind toward your ears, which can
Place your arms at your sides with palms up, you with your toes—all while maintaining an strain neck muscles.
your chin gently resting on the floor. elongation of your entire body.
2 Without lifting your legs or head, begin 4 Keep the backs of your hands rooted to the
reaching forward through the top of your
yogajournal.com.sg
earth with a gentle, downward pushing action

PHOTOS: CAVEMAN COLLECTIVE; MODEL: DAVID SWENSON; CLOTHING: MODEL’S OWN
head and back through your toes. As your as you extend your arms. Imagine that your
body lengthens, you’ll activate your major fingers are growing in length, reaching and
back muscles, including your erector spinae sliding along the floor toward the back of the
muscles—creating a stable base of support. mat while being pulled down to the earth. DON’T bend your knees,
3 Continue reaching forward with the top Hold for about 5 breaths (you can increase this which will compromise
of your head and backward with your toes, amount over time). the action of your legs and
slowly lifting your head, shoulders, and legs add pressure to your lower
5 To exit the pose, maintain elongation as you
off the ground. Pull your legs together. As back by distributing too
simultaneously lower your head, shoulders,
you gain height, you should feel elongation much weight to your lower
and legs to the floor.
and elevation—this will help strengthen your vertebrae.
back while keeping it safe and stable.
OUR PRO teacher and model David Swenson began teaching yoga in 1972 and today is recognized as one of the world’s foremost
instructors of Ashtanga Yoga. He is one of a handful of people worldwide who has learned the entire Ashtanga system as originally
taught by K. Pattabhi Jois. Swenson has produced eight Ashtanga Yoga DVDs and is the author of Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice
28 Manual, which has been translated into 14 languages.
practice well
YOGAPEDIA
Modify Shalabhasana as necessary to

find safe alignment in your body.
If you feel discomfort in your back, neck, or shoulders...
TRY raising your head and shoulders while keeping your TRY raising your legs with your chin and chest on the floor.
legs and feet on the floor. Lengthen through the top of This modification has similar benefits to the one at left: try
your head and reach back through your toes to elongate them both to see how they feel in your body. Keep your
your entire body. Slowly raise your head and shoulders chin gently connected to the floor, and elongate through
until you reach a height where your back muscles feel the top of your head and back through the tips of your toes.
active without pain or discomfort. Hold for 5 breaths. If you Begin raising your legs slowly without bending your knees.
feel any pain, back out of the posture until the sensation is Height is secondary to the lengthening of your legs. Keep
relieved, or exit the pose completely. your focus on activating your back muscles and abdominals.
Let your legs find a natural height where you feel like you’re
working but not straining. Hold for 5 breaths.
If you’re unable to lift both legs If you have abdominal pain or are pregnant...
without strain...
TRY moving to your hands and knees and lifting one leg TRY lifting one leg at a time with your chin and chest on
at a time. Place your hands below your shoulders, knees the floor. Raising both legs simultaneously requires a lot
under your hips. Keep the top of your right foot in gentle of strength, so use this variation to build strength and
contact with the floor and slide it back along your mat. confidence. Encourage length by reaching out through the
yogajournal.com.sg
As your leg extends, raise it up slowly, reaching and top of your head and back through your toes. Raise one
lengthening back through your toes. Imagine you are trying leg, keeping the front of your pelvis to the floor. Keeping
to touch a wall behind you with your toes but it’s just out your pelvis grounded isolates your leg and back muscles.
of reach. Square your hips. Maintain good control of your Hold for 2–5 breaths (or more as your strength increases).
abdominals in order to protect and strengthen your low To exit, lower your leg slowly and with control—don’t let it
back. Hold for 2–5 breaths. To exit, lower your leg and keep drop to the floor like a rock. Repeat the same actions with
extending back through your toes until they touch the floor. the other leg. Repeat 3 times on each side, alternating legs.
Repeat the same actions with the other leg. Repeat 3 times
on each side, alternating legs.
29
practice well
YOGAPEDIA
Strengthen your back and core and improve

balance with these prep poses for Mayurasana.
directly above your wrists: To find the correct hand

placement, put your hands on the floor near your hips, then
bend your elbows back, taking them to the floor so that
you’re leaning on your hands, forearms, and elbows. Now lift
both of your elbows by shifting your weight slightly forward
and pressing your hands down. Place the heels of your hands
where your elbows were resting, palms pressed firmly to the
PURVOTTANASANA Upward Plank Pose floor, fingers spread wide. Straighten your arms. Your hands
should be shoulder-width apart behind your hips. Press your
BENEFITS Strengthens your core, back, neck, and arms;
hips up until your shoulders are directly above your wrists.
increases flexibility in your shoulders and hips
Take your head back without letting it sag to the floor. Focus
INSTRUCTION Sit on your mat with your legs fully extended in on lengthening your neck and gently gaze at your nose. Press
front of you. Once in the pose, your shoulders should be the soles of your feet downward. Hold for 2–5 breaths.
yogajournal.com.sg
SASANGASANA Rabbit Pose Bakasana Crane Pose, variation

BENEFITS Encourages spinal elasticity; tones abdominals BENEFITS Strengthens your back, core, arms, wrists, and
fingers; enhances balance
INSTRUCTION Kneel with your feet touching, and sit on
your heels. Round your back, and take the top of your head INSTRUCTION Begin by squatting with your feet together,
toward the floor. Reach your hands back and clasp them knees to your chest. Put your hands on the floor, shoulder-
around your heels or the bottoms of your feet. Straighten width apart. Take your knees outside your arms. Raise
your arms, and with a firm grip of your hands, begin to your hips as high as you can with your legs bent and feet
round your back. Tuck your chin into your chest. Raise touching. Bend your elbows straight backward—not out to
your hips upward until they are in line with your knees. the sides, which can strain your wrists. Lower your knees or
Allow your back to bow out and upward. Keep your breath shins onto your upper arms, just above your elbows. Round
flowing. Stay here for 2–5 breaths. your back slightly. Shift your weight forward. Grip the floor
with your fingertips. As your weight comes off your feet,
point and raise them up until your lower legs are parallel to
the floor. Continue pulling your feet together, toes pointed,
to keep your lower legs in a position where balancing is
30 accessible. Hold for 2–5 breaths.
Build endurance as you move step by step
into Mayurasana.
Mayurasana
Mayura = peacock • Asana = pose
Peacock Pose
BENEFITS Strengthens your abdominals, back, wrists, and hands; improves

posture
INSTRUCTION
1 Kneel with your feet touching and your toes curled
under. Try to keep your ankles together. Separate your
knees until they’re about shoulder-width apart, keeping
your feet together. Deeply round your back, and tuck
your chin into your chest. Place your hands flat on the
floor between your knees with fingers spread wide,
pointing back toward your feet. Gently place the top of your
head on the floor.
2 Gaze back at your feet, which
will ensure that your head is in
the correct position. Walk your
feet back until your legs are straight.
Take your belly onto your elbows.
Keep your elbows as close to your
pubis as possible, which is crucial to
create the right fulcrum point when
it’s time to take your feet from the
floor. The closer your elbows
are to the center of your body,
the easier it will be to raise your
yogajournal.com.sg
legs and balance.
3 Lift your head off the floor,
allowing your gaze to move
from your toes, slowly tracking
forward until you are looking
straight down at the floor
(directly beneath your face).
Now, take your gaze a couple

of inches farther ahead.
Your gaze should be slightly ahead
of your face with your chin gently
lifted (do not crane your neck).
31
practice well
YOGAPEDIA
4 Begin to shift your weight forward onto Just as in Shalabhasana, elongate your
your hands by pushing gently and slowly body by reaching your head in front of you
with the balls of your feet and your toes. and extending your toes back behind you. STAY SAFE
As your feet begin to lift off the floor, If possible, keep your legs and torso on
As with most asanas, it takes
start raising your head and shoulders an even plane so that your entire body is
time to build endurance. Keep
slightly. When enough weight has shifted parallel to the earth. Use your lower arms
your elbows close together,
forward and your abdominals and your like the central support of a seesaw. Some
otherwise your torso will
back muscles are engaged, you’ll reach people like to take their legs high into the
slide onto the floor between
a tipping point where your feet will lift air when doing this asana. This is a valid
your forearms. Don’t hurry!
from the floor. As your weight transfers approach, but it creates a different dynamic.
It is fine to remain anywhere
onto your hands, keep your elbows close Keeping your body parallel to the floor
in the various stages of entry
together and tucked up under your body. requires a bit more control and strength,
and try again another day.
This is your balance point and the fulcrum and when you capture it just right, you’ll
Your breath is the greatest
of this asana. To avoid undue strain on your feel the integrity of opposing forces. Hold
indicator that you are safe in
wrists, shift your upper body forward—far for a couple of breaths, adding more as you
an asana. If you’re restricting,
enough that your elbows are slightly ahead progress. To exit, lower your feet to the
holding, or forcing your
of your wrists. Your feet should still be floor. Bend your knees and place them on
breath, it’s time to exit the
touching as you draw in your inner legs. the floor. Tuck your chin, round your back,
pose and try again later.
This drawing-in action will add sit up, and smile!
extra stability.
Promote prana
yogajournal.com.sg
The goal of yoga is not to perfectly perform asana. Instead, try to increase prana (life force) in
your body, and then take this positive energy out and make the world a better place. Prana is
our fuel. Prana is life. The practice of yoga increases this life force in our being through breath
and direction of energy. By controlling and consciously utilizing your breath, you feed every
cell in your body, relax your mind, and calm your nervous system. It is important to gain some
personal benefit from your yoga practice, but it is also important to share the good vibes,
energy, and positive effects—to exude some of that nice yoga glow by shining positive light on
the world. Keep it simple and keep it real.
32
practice well
MEDITATION
tired, but can’t sleep?

TRY THIS!
VIPARITA KARANI Legs-up-the-Wall Pose
Lie down as shown in the picture. Inhale first into the belly,
then the rib cage, then the collarbones, and then exhale
from the collarbones, then the rib cage, then the belly. Do
this for 1o–2o breaths, then allow all effort to fade away.
Feel the core of your body release as your body and mind
enter into deep relaxation and rest.
PHOTOS: KATRINE NALEID; MODEL: HATTIE BLUESTONE; STYLIST: DANIELLE GOLD; PROP STYLIST: PHILIPPINE SCALI; HAIR/MAKEUP: RACINE CHRISTENSEN;
CLOTHING: VICTORIA’S SECRET; BEDDING: YELLOW: WEST ELM; BLUE: IN BED WITH H. D. BUTTERCUP; MANDALA: SHUTTERSTOCK/OLGA OLSTYLE
yogajournal.com.sg
33
december 2017 / january 2018 yogajournal.com.sg
34
BY VIKAS MALKANI
your
sleep
better
way to
meditate

Unable to sleep even though you are very A deep restful sleep will ensure your body feels
rested and the mind refreshed. Sleeping too
tired? Endless nights of sleeplessness little or too much can be physically detrimental
and can also dull your mental abilities. Sleep
followed by days of lethargy and deprivation is today a common ailment in our
yogajournal.com.sg
sleepiness can sap your energy and leave fast paced lifestyles and constantly connected
society. Insomnia or sleeplessness can be caused
you feeling miserable. by many factors—stress, an over-stimulated mind,
too much activity and an absence of a winding
down routine, to name a few. Erratic mealtimes,
lack of exercise, worry and emotional turmoil,
Sleep is a way for our body and mind to along with an inability to let go, are some other
rest and rejuvenate. It is therefore essential reasons. So either your lifestyle is not supporting
a deep sleep, or you are mentally and emotionally
that we get our daily quota of sleep. stressed, which leads to restlessness, worry,
anxiety, galloping thoughts and an inability to
Different people can have different sleep relax physically.
requirements, and while some might Meditation can help address both possibilities, and
feel refreshed with just five hours, others lead to a restful, deep sleep that wakes you up
refreshed and rejuvenated for the day ahead.
might require more.
35
Here are four tips to ensure you have a restful sleep:
1
Learn to Meditate
Meditation is a powerful way to train your mind to focus on the moment. It brings our attention to the present moment and teaches us
to reduce the flurry of thoughts in our minds. Meditation and mindfulness have been scientifically proven to help with anxiety, stress
and worry. A technique as simple as focusing on your breath can help create an internal state of relaxation and wellbeing. It is also a
very powerful way to quiet the chatter of the mind, and be in better control of your emotions.
2
Have a bedtime routine
A routine takes your mind off the stresses of the day and helps you focus on the task on hand. Reading a book, writing a journal,
listening to some classical music or even taking a shower before bedtime are different ways of easing your mind and body into a
relaxed state.
3
Be grateful for the day gone by
Develop the habit of mentally offering gratitude for the day gone by. Think of the positive experiences of the day and offer gratitude for
these events. Gratitude helps the mind become peaceful, calm and happy. Developing this bedtime routine helps you make peace with
the events of the day and also helps you set the foundation for the next day.
4
Avoid stimulants
Avoid stimulants of all sorts before going to bed. This includes food based stimulants such as alcohol, coffee, tea, carbonated drinks,
sugar, and also digital stimulation such as laptops, phones and tablets. Electronic devices keep the mind stimulated and active. An
active mind finds it very difficult to unwind. Switch off all electronic devices at least an hour before you sleep.
Good Sleep Prescription: Step by Step Meditation Technique 1 - Ana Pana Sati
Eat a light dinner at least three hours before you Close your eyes as you lie on your bed, and relax yourself. Bring your attention to
wish to sleep. your breath and become aware of how your body is breathing.
Don’t drink too much alcohol, as it will keep your Allow the breath to be natural (do not regulate or control the breath in any way)
mind and body active. and simply allow your body to breathe naturally. Just focus on your inhalation
and exhalation and watch your breath as it comes in and goes out of your body.
Keep your bed room free of electronics (as much as
possible). Do not keep laptops, tablets or mobile If you can do this for three minutes, you will find that your muscles relax and you
phones near your bedside. Televisions should be become sleepy. Allow yourself to let go, and simply fall asleep with no thoughts.
outside the bedroom. Ideally you want as little
sensory stimulus in the bedroom as possible.
Meditation Technique 2 - 4-2-6 breathing
Take a shower or body wash before you come into This is a technique that I developed many years ago and it has many benefits for the
bed. Brush your teeth and ease your bladder. mind and the body.
Keep the room dark and airy. Silence is also Follow the process mentioned above for Ana Pana Sati, and as you watch your
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important, so if there is an excess of external light breath, also start to mentally (and silently) count in tandem with the breathing.
or noise, use a sleeping mask and ear plugs to get
you ready for sleep. As you breathe in, count to 4, hold to a count of 2, and release to a count of 6.
Inhale to 4, hold for 2, and release to a count of 6. 4-2-6-4-2-6-4-2-6 and so on.
Control the temperature of the room so that it is
comfortable for you. Gradually, you will find that your mind becomes calm, your muscles relax, your
body releases tension and you become peaceful and open. You will begin to feel
Finally, if you read before you sleep, get hold of sleepy. Allow yourself to simply fall asleep.
some inspirational or wisdom literature at this time.
Stay away from over-stimulating material and Meditation will help you sleep better, deeper and more restfully. Your sleep pattern
visuals. may also change to one that is most suited for your metabolism and lifestyle. Sleeping
hours can become longer or shorter, but with meditation, you will wake up feeling
If the above step-by-step guide still doesn’t work, here refreshed and ready to take on the world!
are two meditation techniques that will bring great
benefits to your sleeping patterns. Vikas Malkani is a leading teacher of meditation, a best-selling author, and the
founder of SoulCentre, Asia’s Premier Centre for Meditation, Mindfulness and Stress
36 Management. To read more and book a session with Vikas, visit www.soulcentre.org
eat WELL
eat smart
WASTE LESS
Still throwing away food despite
your best intentions? Chefs and
dietitians share their tips to help
you get closer to a zero-waste
kitchen and bring new life to those
FOOD STYLIST: ERIC LESKOVAR; PROP STYLIST: NICOLE DOMINIC
leftovers, food scraps, and stems.

Story by Liz Krieger
Photography by Jennifer Olson
eat well
NOURISH
T
THERE OUGHT TO BE a specific word
to describe the feeling of throwing out
perfectly good food that still has prana, or
We’re also up against modern food production
and marketing methods, which have moved
us unconsciously toward overbuying and
consciously and make good (and tasty) use
of things that would otherwise end up in
the trash or compost. “Food is precious,
life force—you know, the leftover rice from wasting, and away from the wise methods whether it’s been raised, grown, or
Indian takeout, the broccoli stalks your kid our grandmothers used for stretching a foraged—and part of living consciously is
won’t eat, those egg yolks when the recipe pantry—and a dollar. In fact, up to 40 percent using all of it,” says yogi chef Louisa Shafia,
only called for whites. It’s a combination of food in the US gets thrown away, and co-founder of Magpie Cookshop, a line of
of regret, guilt, and ultimately surrender, food waste is the single largest type of trash eco-friendly kitchen products. “There’s a
because really, what are you going to do with going into municipal landfills, according to feeling of deep satisfaction when you find a
a handful of veggie stems? the United States Department of Agriculture. way to make stray ingredients or leftovers
“We’ve gotten used to using only the Meanwhile, 49 million US households struggle into something delicious and nourishing.
‘best’ parts of our produce and meat, and with food insecurity. The dissonance that It’s a way of practicing ahimsa, or
tossing the ugly parts,” says New York comes from wasting sustenance is tragic. nonharming, toward the earth.” Read on for
City chef Eddie McNamara, author of the The good news: Implementing a few simple easy ways to preserve food and transform
vegetarian cookbook Toss Your Own Salad. strategies at home can help you eat more your scraps into delicious meals.
New life for leftovers

Got any of these things hanging around? Whip up a new dish with a few strategic additions
If you have Make this dish
Potato skins or carrot peels Drizzle with olive oil and salt, and roast at 400° until crispy, about 10 minutes, for healthy “fries”
Chop, toss with olive oil, sauté, and then purée with Parmesan and pine nuts for a pesto-like
Extra carrot or beet greens
topping for pasta
Add enough beaten eggs to cover the leftovers in a baking pan, then bake at 350° for 25–30
Leftover Chinese food
minutes for a Chinese-takeout frittata
Add 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed), 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp paprika, and
Leftover vegetables
cook over medium heat until heated through for veggie stew
Roll 2 cups berries in flour and combine with 21⁄2 cups oats, 2 cups water, 1 cup applesauce, 1 tbsp
Mushy blueberries vanilla extract, and honey to taste. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes for blueberry oatmeal muffins
yogajournal.com.sg
Combine 3 overripe bananas with 2 cups flour, 1⁄2 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking
Overripe bananas
soda, 1 stick butter, and 2 eggs; bake at 350° for 1 hour for quick banana bread
A bruised apple Purée with 1 banana, a handful of berries, and 1 cup almond milk in a blender for a berry smoothie
Dice and combine with 1 cup pumpkin purée, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can kidney beans, and 2
Leftover chicken
cups chicken broth; cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes for pumpkin-chicken chili
Leftover cooked rice Toss with fried eggs, salad greens, and chopped veggies for a hearty entrée salad
38
Vegetable kuku ½ tsp baking powder Grease a 9-inch baking dish with 1 tsp oil.
Add egg-and-vegetable kuku mixture to
with potato crispies ½ tsp cumin
dish, and use a spoon or potato masher
SERVES 6 ½ bunch Swiss chard with stems, diced
to flatten mixture so that a thin layer of
From chef Eddie McNamara, 1 broccoli stalk (hard outside layer egg rises to the top.
author of Toss Your Own Salad (removed), shredded
In another bowl, toss potato skins with
“Kuku is like the Persian version of 1 carrot, shredded remaining 1 tsp oil, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp
a frittata. Or maybe a frittata is the Italian 2 tsp olive oil, divided black pepper. Lay the potato skins in a
version of kuku? Either way, this is a single layer on a baking tray lined with
2 russet or Yukon Gold potato skins
delicious way to use produce bits that people parchment paper.
(If you haven’t already eaten the potatoes,
often throw away–potato skins, broccoli
place them in a bowl of water, refrigerate, Bake kuku and potato skins until eggs are
stalks, chard stems–and turn them into and cook within 24 hours) set and potatoes are as crispy as chips, 30
something special.”
Heat oven to 400°. minutes. Top kuku with potato crisps. Serve
6 eggs, beaten on its own, or inside a pita with hummus.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, 1 tsp
1 tbsp flour
salt, ½ tsp black pepper, baking powder, nutritional info 115 calories per serving,
1 1/8 tsp salt, divided and cumin. Add Swiss chard, broccoli stalk, 6 g fat (2 g saturated), 7 g carbs, 2 g fiber,
½ tsp black pepper, plus 1/8 tsp, divided and carrot; stir until evenly combined. 8 g protein, 577 mg sodiummg sodium
yogajournal.com.sg
39
eat well
NOURISH
Moroccan chicken-and- 1 small eggplant, diced Bring to a simmer and cook Moroccan
sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally,
vegetable stew 1 red onion, diced,
15 minutes.
SERVES 4 1 red bell pepper, diced
In a large saucepan over medium heat,
From chef Josh Tomson, executive chef (can also use frozen roasted peppers)
sauté eggplant, red onion, bell pepper,
at The Lodge at Woodloch, in Hawley, 1 zucchini, diced zucchini, yellow squash, carrot, and
Pennsylvania
1 yellow squash, diced garbanzo beans in remaining 2 tbsp
yogajournal.com.sg
This dish makes use of any leftover cooked 1 carrot, diced olive oil until vegetables are slightly
chicken, as well as a bumper crop of tender, 8–10 minutes. Add chicken to
1 cup of garbanzo beans,
vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and squash. mixture and stir to reheat, 2 minutes.
drained and rinsed
3 tbsp olive oil, divided Pour Moroccan sauce over chicken and
2 cups cooked boneless, skinless
veggies and stir; cover and simmer,
2 tbsp yellow onion, diced chicken breasts or thighs, shredded
stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Split
1 tsp garlic, chopped 1 tbsp shelled sunflower seeds, optional stew among 4 bowls and garnish with
october / november 2017
1 quart low-sodium tomato juice sunflower seeds if desired.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat,
1 cup frozen heirloom tomatoes, diced nutritional info 360 calories per serving,
sauté 1 tbsp olive oil, yellow onion, and garlic 19 g fat (3 g saturated), 45 g carbs, 14 g fiber,
1 tsp ras el hanout until onion is lightly browned, 2–3 minutes. 9 g protein, 641 mg sodium
(Moroccan spice blend) Remove pan from heat and slowly fold in
1 tsp harissa paste (Moroccan chile paste); tomato juice and frozen tomatoes. Return to
or gochujang paste or sriracha heat and add ras el hanout and harissa paste.
40
DO IT SMARTER
At the store
1 2
USE THE BULK AISLES SHOP SMALL Try to buy only for the week ahead,
says chef Eddie McNamara, which may mean eschewing a
AND SALAD BAR TO YOUR
larger portion that is on sale. Just because you can get
ADVANTAGE Be sure to read 10 bottles of salad dressing for the price of five doesn’t mean you
your recipes before you shop and
should. Odds are low that you’ll use it all before the expiration date.
make a detailed list to remove the
3
guesswork, says Sara Haas, RDN,
a culinary dietitian in Chicago. For
BUY PULSES FOR YOUR PANTRY
Keep lentils, chickpeas, and dry peas on hand to jazz up your
example, if a stew or soup recipe
leftovers. And try stashing a jar of minced garlic in the fridge
calls for a small amount of seeds
to add flavor to those legumes in a flash (it also cuts down
or grains, such as sunflower seeds
on food waste— how often have you bought a head of
or barley, use the bulk section to
garlic and just used one or two cloves?).
measure out only what’s needed
instead of just buying large
4
bags. Or, if you need five olives GIVE UGLY A CHANCE Sellers typically toss
for a recipe and no one in your “irregular” produce that’s perfectly fine but doesn’t
household devours them, don’t look ideal, assuming buyers want picture-perfect items.
buy an entire jar! A handful from Thankfully, some stores now have a special section for
the salad bar will do the trick, says ugly fruits and veggies that taste the same as the pretty
Amy Gorin, RDN, a dietitian in stuff and cost less too, says chef Josh Tomson, executive
Jersey City, New Jersey. chef at The Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, Pennsylvania.
In the kitchen
1
PREP VEGGIES FOR THE FREEZER
Late-summer bumper crops like tomatoes and bell peppers best retain flavor when
they are roasted before they are frozen. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and
roast at 400° until skin is charred, 30 minutes; then freeze. Zucchini keeps well
when it sliced into rounds, blanched in salty boiling water for 2 minutes, and then
shocked in ice water and dried before freezing. Green beans, snap peas, and wax
yogajournal.com.sg
beans do well when frozen raw; just remove the ends, snap in half, and freeze.
2 SAVE SCRAPS FOR SOUP

Freeze parts of food that are typically
trimmed and tossed, like mushroom stems
GROW YOUR
OWN HERBS 3
Create a little
or eggplant tops, in a zip-top freezer bag,
herb garden in a sunny
says Gorin. When you’ve collected quite a
windowsill for recipes that
bit, make a vegetable broth: simmer veggie
require only a sprig of favorites
scraps in a pot of water for 2 hours; remove
like basil or thyme, says New
and strain the liquid. If you’re not going to
York City chef Gabe Kennedy,
enjoy it right away, freeze the extra broth in
winner of ABC’s The Taste. It’s
ice cube trays, then pop the cubes into small
gorgeous, fragrant, and allows
freezer bags for storage.
you to trim only what you need.
41
Simmer uncovered until level of
Ravioli with carrot-top ¾ cup dry white wine
liquid has reduced by half and the
2 Parmesan rinds (about ½ pound)
pistou and Parmesan broth is flavorful, 45 minutes. Strain
24 large ravioli
broth through a fine-mesh strainer or sieve,
SERVES 4 (or 48 small ravioli; for Gabe Kennedy’s reserving liquid.
homemade carrot-ravioli recipe, go to
From chef Gabe Kennedy, winner yogajournal.com) Cook the ravioli according to package
yogajournal.com.sg
of ABC’s The Taste instructions.

¾ cup carrot tops
In a food processor, pulse ½ clove
Finally, a way to enjoy carrots from root ½ cup basil
garlic, carrot tops, basil, and walnuts
to tip! After eating the carrot, save the
1/8 cup walnuts until chopped. Add grated Parmesan,
green tops for a delicious pesto that
¼ cup grated Parmesan lemon zest, lemon juice, and oil.
pairs well with ravioli and broth made
½ lemon, zest plus juice Pulse until the mixture is coarse
from leftover Parmesan rinds.
but cohesive. Season with salt and
¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp olive oil freshly ground black pepper to taste.
½ white onion, diced In a medium saucepan or Dutch oven over Divide ravioli among 4 bowls or
medium-high heat, sauté oil, onion, garlic, plates. Top with a ladle of broth and a
½ head garlic, skin on, plus ½ clove,
peppercorns, and thyme until onion and dollop of carrot-top pesto
peeled; divided
garlic browns, 3–5 minutes. Add white nutritional info 492 calories per serving,
1½ tsp whole black peppercorns wine and let alcohol cook off, 3 minutes. 26 g fat (6 g saturated), 39 g carbs, 2 g fiber,
4 sprigs thyme Add Parmesan rinds and 1 quart water. 16 g protein, 536 mg sodium
...continued on page 49
42
MAKE-AHEAD
holiday meal
Bring something new to the table with
FOOD STYLIST: CLAIRE STUBBS; PROP STYLIST: MADELEINE JOHARI
these fresh takes on holiday favorites.
Story by Jill Silverman Hough

Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
yogajournal.com.sg
PICTURED HERE
Apple-and-Pecan Crumbles
43
THE HOLIDAYS ARE PERFECT for catching up with friends and family over
delicious food, and meal planning and prep can be half the fun. To help you
serve up perfect dishes—and stay on a healthy-eating path—we asked our
sister publication Clean Eating to share some simple spins on classic holiday
staples. Each side, appetizer, and dessert is a cinch to put together and delivers
on flavor without leaving you overstuffed or sleepy. For the vegetarians in
your life, there’s ample protein and healthy fats—in case you were considering
skipping the bird this year. And because we don’t believe that you should
spend an entire dinner party in the kitchen if you’re hosting, each recipe
includes make-ahead tips to help you get started up to five days ahead of the
big day. Do the bulk of the work in advance to minimize stress and maximize
the meaningful time you spend with your loved ones.
Endive bites with goat cheese,

figs, and honey
SERVES 10
When you’re hosting, it’s helpful to have a

quick,no-cook appetizer on the menu. Fresh, crisp
endive leaves with creamy goat cheese and sweet
honey come together seamlessly, and they’re sure
to be a crowd pleaser.
MAKE AHEAD Prepare through Step 1 up to a day
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ahead. Cover the filled leaves with plastic wrap and

refrigerate. Remove from fridge about 30 minutes
before serving.
4 large heads white and/or red endive (about 30
leaves), trimmed and separated
2⁄3 cup soft goat cheese
5 unsweetened dried figs, each cut into 6 pieces

1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp raw honey
1 Fill the bottom end of each endive leaf with about

1 tsp cheese and a piece of fig. Arrange filled leaves
on a platter.
2 Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with honey.
NUTRITIONAL INFO 112 calories per serving (3 endive leaves with toppings),
44 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 12 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 7 g protein, 129 mg sodium
45
46
Sour cream & chive Wild-rice stuffing with
mashed potatoes whole-wheat dressing
SERVES 10 SERVES 10
Imagine a baked potato topped with velvety Wild rice adds depth of flavor to this veggie-
sour cream and fresh chives—infused into packed stuffing. To achieve the best texture,
family-style mashed potatoes. choose a bread with a thick, crunchy crust.
MAKE AHEAD Prepare ingredients up to MAKE AHEAD Prepare through Step 3 up to
a day ahead, storing perishables covered in 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Remove
the fridge (store the potatoes in a container from fridge 30–60 minutes before baking.
of water). Prep recipe within 1 hour of serving. Serve within 1 hour.
2 ½ lbs russet potatoes, peeled (optional), cut 1⁄3 cup wild rice
into 11⁄2-inch chunks 2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup sour cream, room temperature 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup whole milk, room temperature 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced diagonally
1⁄2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks or coarsely
1⁄4 cup fresh chives, chopped shredded
1 In a large saucepan, add potatoes and 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
cover by 1 inch with cold water; bring to 1⁄2 tsp ground black pepper
a boil. Continue to boil until potatoes are 12 oz whole-wheat bread, cut or torn into
very tender, 15–18 minutes. 3⁄4-inch pieces (about 12 cups)
2 Drain potatoes and return to pot. Add 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable or
sour cream, milk, and salt. Mash with a potato chicken broth
masher to desired consistency. If desired, Vegetable-oil cooking spray
stir in chives and additional salt.
1 In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups
NUTRITIONAL INFO 139 calories per serving, 4 g fat
(3 g saturated), 22 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein, 115 mg sodium water to a boil. Add rice; reduce to a simmer,
stirring occasionally until very tender, about
Lemon-cranberry sauce 50 minutes.
SERVES 10 2 Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Tart with a hint of sweetness and a twist of Add onion, stirring, 2 minutes. Add celery,
lemon, this homemade cranberry sauce can stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add carrot,
be made entirely in advance. stirring occasionally, until vegetables are
MAKE AHEAD Prepare up to 5 days ahead. very tender, 2–4 minutes. Transfer mixture
Garnish just before serving. to a bowl and add thyme and pepper. Stir in
bread, then add broth and gently stir to evenly
1 lemon
moisten. Remove about 1⁄3 of bread mixture
2 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries and transfer to another bowl.
3⁄4 cup whole cane sugar (such as Sucanat) 3 Coat a 2–to 2 ½–quart casserole dish with
yogajournal.com.sg
1⁄4 tsp sea salt cooking spray. Drain rice and stir into bowl
with remaining 2⁄3 bread mixture. Transfer to
1 Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest
the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly.
from half of lemon. (Remove yellow part
Top with reserved 1⁄3 bread mixture,
only, avoiding white pith.) Cut peel crosswise
spreading evenly.
into thin slices. Save remaining lemon for
4 Heat oven to 400°F. Cover with foil and bake
another use.
until heated through, 20–30 minutes. Uncover
2 Reserve 1⁄2 tsp lemon peel. In a saucepan
and bake until browned on top, 20–30 minutes.

over medium heat, combine remaining lemon
NUTRITIONAL INFO 193 calories per serving, 5 g fat (1 g
peel, cranberries, sugar, salt, and 3⁄4 cup water. saturated), 27 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 6 g protein, 440 mg sodium
Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, stirring
occasionally, until most cranberries burst,
about 10 minutes. Transfer to a resealable
container or serving dish to cool. Chill in the
refrigerator. Serve garnished with reserved
1⁄2 tsp lemon peel.
NUTRITIONAL INFO 73 calories per serving (3 tbsp),
0 g fat, 18 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 16 g protein, 57 mg sodium 47
Apple-and-pecan crumbles 3 In a another bowl, combine apples, lemon juice,
remaining 2 tbsp cane juice, and pinch of salt. Transfer
SERVES 10
fruit to ramekins.
These elegant, single-serve apple crumbles topped with
crème fraîche taste just as sweet as your standard slice 4 Heat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle crumble topping over
of apple pie. apples and bake until fruit is tender and topping is
golden brown, 60 minutes. Let cool, 10 minutes. Top each
MAKE AHEAD Prepare through Step 3 the morning of.
crumble with crème fraîche.
Cover and refrigerate ramekins (with fruit) and crumble
topping separately. Remove ramekins from refrigerator NUTRITIONAL INFO 180 calories per serving, 5 g fat (3 g saturated),
30–60 minutes before assembly. Leave crumble in the 32 g carbs, 11 g fiber, 2 g protein, 66 mg sodium
refrigerator until just before baking. Complete within
1 hour of serving.
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1⁄2 cup white whole-wheat flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 3 or 4 pieces
1⁄2 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp unsalted pecans, chopped
1⁄3 cup evaporated cane juice, plus 2 tbsp, divided
1⁄4 tsp sea salt, plus pinch, divided
2 ½ lbs sweet-tart apples (about 5 apples), peeled,
cored, and thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1⁄4 cup crème fraîche
1 Mist 10 half-cup ramekins with cooking spray and
arrange on a large, rimmed baking sheet.
2 Prepare crumble topping: In a medium bowl, combine
flour and butter, working butter into flour with a pastry
cutter, a fork, or your fingertips until mixture resembles a
coarse meal. Stir in oats, pecans, 1⁄3 cup cane juice,
and 1⁄4 tsp salt.
yogajournal.com.sg
48
continued from page 42...
Candied-fruit sundae In a medium saucepan bring 2½ cups

SERVES 12 cold water to just boiling, then add
From chef Gabe Kennedy, winner sugar and simmer fruit peels until
yogajournal.com.sg
of ABC’s The Taste translucent, about 1 hour. Remove
This dessert makes great use of the fruit peels peels and drain with a slotted spoon.
we usually throw away. The candied peels can (Store leftover simple syrup in the
garnish any sweet treat or be eaten alone. fridge for cocktails, tea, and other
desserts.) Place peels on a plate,
4 orange peels (or 5 lemon or
uncovered, and let dry overnight.
3 grapefruit peels), sliced into 1-inch
long strips Dust with additional 1 tbsp sugar and

store in an airtight container.
3 cups sugar, plus 1 tbsp for dusting
Top a scoop of vanilla ice cream with
1 ½ quarts vanilla ice cream or gelato
3–4 slices plum, 1 tbsp candied citrus
3 plums or peaches, sliced
peels, and 1/8 tsp ginger.
1 ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
Using a paring knife with its sharp edge facing nutritional info 380 calories per serving,
8 g fat (5 g saturated), 76 g carbs, 2 g fiber,
away from you, scrape along each citrus peel
4 g protein, 62 mg sodium
to remove most of the pith.
49
BE THE
Navigate transitions with more calm, confidence,

and joy by tapping the powers of your chakras.
TIMES OF CHANGE CAN BE totally exhilarating anxiety, exhaustion, regret, and other emotions
—and utterly terrifying. After all, along with that can make transitions trickier.
the promise of something new and different The key to harnessing the powers of your
yogajournal.com.sg
comes the reality that the outcome is unknown. chakras is to be honest with yourself and admit
Stepping into this tenuous space takes when you’re feeling off balance or out of sync—
courage, willpower, and a little faith in your and to do so without judgment (because it happens
chosen path. Luckily, turning to your yoga to the best of us). Then, try to identify how, and
practice—and working with the chakras—can where in your body, you’re feeling unbalanced,
help you sail through any type of transition or both physically and emotionally. Once you’ve
transformation. located the site of instability, you’ll have the
The chakras consist of seven key points in power and ability to consciously tune and heal the
the body—vortexes of energy that run through corresponding chakra(s) by stimulating the energy
the spine. When the energy in these centers center through yoga practice and mental attention.
is balanced and flowing freely, you feel ease, Be proactive, and you’ll pave the way for an
peace, and joy—all emotions that can help you internal shift that will not only help you handle
glide through times of change. But when energy change but also set you up to have a little fun
in a chakra becomes blocked, it can trigger fear, throughout the process.
50 Story and Sequence by Kat Fowler / Photography by Paul Miller

Muladhara Chakra (Root Chakra)
The root chakra is your energetic connection to your home: the
earth. It’s what connects your spirit to the planet and what grounds
you in the present moment. When muladhara is functioning prop-
erly, you feel centered, connected, and rooted to the earth—which
can result in limitless energy. If change has you feeling uproot-
ed—perhaps you’re moving to a new home, starting a new job,
yogajournal.com.sg
or traveling—it’s time to re-ground your energy and connect to
earth’s calming magnetic force.
PHOTOS: IAN SPANIER; MODEL: PAPO CABALLERO; STYLIST: MATTHEW PERIDIS;
THE POSE / TADASANA Mountain Pose

Practice this pose with conscious awareness, sending your energy
GROOMING: LAURA DEE SHELLEY; TOP: GAPFIT; BOTTOMS: VUORI
down through your feet—all the way into the earth’s core. Once
you’re concentrating on the connection between your foundation
and the earth below, take a moment to breathe deeply. Imagine ev-
ery breath you take is rooting your energy further and further into
the earth. Stay here, continuing this visual meditative breathing
practice until you feel calm and fully grounded.
HOW TO Stand with your feet together or hip-width apart. Connect

all four corners of your feet to the ground. Allow your palms to face
forward and your shoulders and forehead to soften as you find a
tall, elongated spine.
51
Svadhisthana Chakra THE POSE / UTKATA KONASANA Goddess Pose
This posture can stimulate the sacral chakra by activating strength in
(Sacral Chakra) your lower abdomen, hips, groin, and legs; the longer you hold this
The sacral chakra enhances your ability to feel in this pose, the more intense the heat in these areas will grow. (In fact, this
world; it’s also what houses your innate sexual energy. pose is sometimes called Fiery Angle Pose.) Practice Goddess Pose to
When it’s functioning optimally, you’ll experience invoke and reinvigorate the fiery energy that’s within all of us.
intense creative energy and feel connected to yourself HOW TO Step your legs a few feet apart, turning your feet out about
and your partner on an intimate level. 45 degrees. Bend your knees so they fall directly above your ankles,
If you’re dealing with emotional or sexual trauma— making sure they point in the same direction as your toes. As you
say, a breakup or some form of abuse—it’s possible hold this pose and it intensifies, feel your feet isometrically drawing
you may lose touch with, or partially shut down, this in toward one another. Draw in and up through your pelvic floor,
energy center. The result: feelings of guilt, shame, softly engaging your lower abdomen. Stay here for at least 5–10
distrust, or unworthiness around sharing or honoring slow, deep breaths.
your sexual energy.
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52
Manipura Chakra (Navel Chakra)
The solar plexus, located below your sternum but above your navel, is your
power center: The manipura chakra fuels your will to act. When manipura is
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balanced, you’ll act confidently and courageously in your decisions and feel
joyful and empowered. Sometimes in times of transition or change, we are taken
off course or forced to slow down (think injury, sickness, or job loss). When this
happens, manipura can get out of whack, taking a toll on confidence and
energy levels.
THE POSE / PARIPURNA NAVASANA Full Boat Pose

This pose brings energy and circulation to your navel and solar plexus, working to
boost circulation and help you recharge, and reconnect with, this energy center.
HOW TO Start in Dandasana (Staff Pose) with your knees bent, feet on the ground.
Engage your abdomen inward toward your spine. Lean back so your shin bones
lift upward, parallel to the floor. If this feels simple, straighten your legs. Keep
drawing your abdomen in, lifting your chest, and drawing your shoulder blades
together. Stay here for 5–8 slow, deep breaths, envisioning each exhale providing
strength and connection to your core.
53
Anahata Chakra (Heart Chakra)
Anahata fuels your ability to give and receive love. It serves as your main emotional
center, which magnetically feels, and responds accordingly to, your every thought.
When your heart chakra is open and balanced, you feel a deep sense of love,
gratitude, and connection to all beings, including yourself—and you are able to see
yogajournal.com.sg
each situation with love and compassion. When you are out of touch or closed off
to the energy in your heart center, you might feel sad, resentful, unloved, or unable
to give and receive love. This can happen after heartbreak, or when changes occur
within friends and family circles.
THE POSE / USTRASANA Camel Pose

If you’re suffering through grief or heartbreak, your inclination may be to protect
yourself and shield your heart from the world. This posture—and backbends in
general— can help you expand your chest area, gently re-opening your heart center
so that you’re able to express and feel love again.
HOW TO Stand on your knees, keeping them hip-width apart with your shins parallel
to one another. Press the tops of your feet down into the earth, and place your hands
on the backs of your hips with your fingers pointing down. Expand your chest by
lightly drawing your lower abdomen in and up and your shoulder blades toward one
another. Lift upward to lengthen your spine as you start to bend backward. You may
even grasp your heels with your hands, using the fixed grip to lift and open your
54 chest even more. Stay here for 5–8 slow, deep breaths.
Visuddha Chakra THE POSE / MATSYASANA Fish Pose
(Throat Chakra) This pose stretches and stimulates your neck and throat
muscles—and the glands that regulate metabolism and
Visuddha is the energy center of communication
hormonal levels. Physically stretching and lengthening
and expression. It allows you to connect with your
the front of your neck brings fresh circulation to throat
life’s purpose and express it to the world. It is how
tissues and allows energy to flow more freely within
you share your thoughts and feelings with others,
your throat chakra.
and how you speak your truth. When this center is
in balance, you speak effortlessly with wisdom and HOW TO Lie on your back with your legs together,
honesty. When it is blocked—which can happen when forearms close to your body. Begin lifting your rib cage
something shifts in your life, when you’re feeling and chest toward the sky while allowing your head
unsure, or when you don’t voice how you truly feel— to relax backward. Gently lift and place the crown of
your throat and neck might feel tight or strained, and your head on your mat, drawing your shoulder blades
you may (literally) have a hard time speaking up for together to expand and broaden your chest and throat.
yourself and expressing your beliefs. Stay here for 5–8 slow, deep breaths.
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55
Ajna Chakra (Third Eye Chakra)
The space between your eyebrows—a.k.a. the third eye—
is your center of intuition and insight. During times of change,
you may experience a lack of clarity or trust in yourself, result-
ing in disconnection from your third eye center. Excessive mind
chatter is a signal this center is out of balance.
THE POSE / PASCHIMOTTANASANA

Seated Forward Bend
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The practice of folding forward can help still your mind,

as folding into yourself is naturally introspective.
In Paschimottanasana, you can stimulate the third eye by
placing your forehead against your legs. If this is challenging,
bend your knees or rest your forehead on a block.
HOW TO Sit tall in Dandasana (Staff Pose) with your legs drawn
together, feet flexed. Shift your weight to the front of your
sitting bones so your pelvis tilts forward. Lengthen your spine

and gently fold forward over your legs, letting your head and
neck relax. Hold onto your feet to create length in your spine,
bending your knees as much as needed to get there. As you
begin to relax, bring your inner gaze to your third eye. Become
completely aware of each sensation that comes to the surface
as a result of the light pressure you’ve placed on your third eye.
Stay here for at least 10 slow, deep breaths.
56
Sahasrara Chakra (Crown Chakra)
This energy center helps you connect with the divine, enabling you to feel higher
states of consciousness. When sahasrara is balanced, you may experience a state of
blissful union with the universe; when imbalanced, you may feel closed off or cynical.
In the face of tough transitions and challenges—like going through a divorce or losing
a loved one—you may become energetically closed off from your crown chakra as
you shield yourself from the pain of the experience. When you’re able to remember
that all things are happening for you, not to you, you can remove some of your cynical
armor and allow yourself to energetically reconnect with the divine.
THE POSE / SALAMBA SIRSASANA Supported Headstand

Your crown chakra is located above your head but originates from the crown.
It can be stimulated through meditation and certain postures that create a light sense
of pressure in that region. Headstand nourishes your head with fresh oxygen and
blood to help stimulate, balance, and soothe this energy center.
HOW TO Bring your forearms to the ground with your elbows no wider than
shoulder width. Gently interlace your fingers and place the crown of your head on
the ground with your hands cradling the back of your head. Draw your shoulder
blades up your back to create a strong foundation and a long neck. Then, straighten
your legs and slowly begin to walk your feet in as close to your body as possible.
Stay here, or lift your legs one at a time to stack them above your torso. Breathe here
for at least 5 breaths. When you’re finished, rest in Balasana (Child’s Pose).
yogajournal.com.sg
OUR PRO Teacher and cover model

Kat Fowler is a yoga teacher in New York City,
a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider, and a yoga
educator and mentor with more than 1,500 hours of training.
Learn more at katfowleryoga.com.
57
58
THE
PRESCRIPTION
pancha
karma
Pancha-huh? If you’ve never “The process helps you release many of the impressions
and habits, called samskaras, that you are carrying in
heard of this ancient detox your system.”
method, be forewarned: Easier said than done, I think to myself as my insides
It’s no joke. One yogi takes us churn. It’s humbling to realize that I may be one of
those people who yoga teacher and Ayurvedic health
along on her transformative consultant Kimberly Rossi, director of spa and business
journey through the ultimate development, says “really wants to hold onto their crap.”
Eventually, I plead with Vaidya Lokesh, the Center’s
21-day Ayurvedic cleanse. Ayurvedic doctor, for some relief, which is how I found
myself doing these strange ablutions in the bathroom.
By Elizabeth Marglin
In that moment, I was in the toughest stretch of the
panchakarma, a cleanse that called into question every
I’M PERCHED ON A TOILET, holding my right aspect of my lifestyle and boiled it down to one central
ear with my right hand and moving my upper body question: How do my choices augment or interfere with
in circles. I’m at the Shankara Ayurveda Spa at the Art my well-being? While the answer was still unclear, one
of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina, and thing was certain: I was on a 21-day mission to find out.
PHOTO: RACHEL ADAMS; MODEL: ELIZABETH MARGLIN; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT
instead of relaxing in the sauna, I’m praying for poop.

It’s day six of my eight-day stay at the Center, where I’m
doing a traditional panchakarma cleanse. Today is all Prepping for the big release
about virechana—a.k.a. extreme bowel evacuation.
yogajournal.com.sg
My recalcitrant bowels may be proof of my habit of
Sure, panchakarma involves many lush body resistance, but when the opportunity to travel to the
treatments, and I’ve had my fair share over the past Art of Living Retreat Center for this intense detox first
week—with practitioners massaging me with warm oil, presented itself, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I knew
pounding every ounce of tension out of my muscles panchakarma wouldn’t be easy— I lived in India for
with sachets of healing herbs, and dripping warm oil most of my 20s and had seen many people go through
onto my third eye—all to reset my nervous system and it—yet I was aware of the physical and mental
rid my body of what it doesn’t need. Yet this intense
benefits most people experience after completing it.

cleanse also involves eating a Spartan diet and devoting The promise of the upsides outweighed the possible
an entire day to trying to, well, eliminate. “Virechana downsides. As it turns out, it was a good thing I started
isn’t just about cleansing the body, it’s also about panchakarma with such an eager attitude.
cleansing the mental and emotional self,” says Medha
“Panchakarma is not for the faint,” says Eric Grasser,
Garud, director of Ayurveda programs.
MD, an integrative doctor in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who
AT LEFT Writer Elizabeth Marglin experiences shirodhara, an combines functional medicine with Ayurveda. Even the
Ayurvedic treatment, during her panchakarma cleanse. ancient texts caution that panchakarma needs to be
59
Understanding the doshas
Ayurveda is based on the theory that treatment of disease depends on the dominant forces in a person’s
constitution. These forces, called doshas, are made up of the universal building blocks of all life, listed in
Ayurveda from subtle to gross: ether, air, fire, water, and earth. Air and space make up vata dosha; fire and
water combine to form pitta dosha, and water and earth make up kapha.
While everyone contains each dosha, keeping these three energies balanced is tricky. In fact, “imbalance
is inevitable,” says Grasser. “One translation of dosha is ‘that which can become disturbed.’”
According to the ancient Ayurvedic texts, many things can disturb the delicate equilibrium of these vital forces
within us: the weather, the environment, stress, diet, and lifestyle. Most people have a dominant dosha, and if this
“deranged” dosha tosses all three out of balance, it can lead to disease and other problems. “Doshic disharmony
will eventually manifest as illness,” says Grasser. “The goal of Ayurveda is to restore order among the doshas.”
undertaken by those in fairly good health. “For the very frail or Within a week of taking the sugar and caffeine out of my diet and
debilitated, panchakarma is simply too intense,” says Garud. eating bowl after bowl of gruel, I felt my irritation levels flatlining.
Part of panchakarma’s intensity can be attributed to the cumulative As a 45-year-old mother of two, my current phase of life can be
design: It’s a three-stage detoxification process that traditionally lasts distinguished by a line from a movie based on Nikos Kazantzakis’s
for three weeks. The first stage involves diet and lifestyle changes novel Zorba the Greek, in which marriage, house, and kids are
that prep you for the second, most intense stage of the cleanse; the referred to as “the full catastrophe.” By catastrophe, I don’t mean
third stage is all about transitioning out of that second stage and into disaster—rather the poignant enormity of one’s life experience.
a lifestyle that’s sustainable for the long haul. And every Ayurvedic In my case, the exalted spiritual quest of my 20s in India had
doctor I spoke with says each stage is crucial, helping to maximize given way to a more advanced testing ground: domestic life. I’d
panchakarma’s effectiveness, minimize potential complications, forgotten how to be in right relationship with my body, never mind
and provide a protective container for the profound inner release everything else. I’d spent so much of my time gauging whether my
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the cleanse is intended to bring. Fortunately, I’m healthy and was life measured up to some external ideal of success—with my career,
confident I could physically withstand the extreme overhaul. family, and most of all myself—I didn’t know what a headspace
Exactly one week before my stay at the Art of Living Retreat unobstructed by negativity felt like. I sweated the small stuff
Center, I was told to eliminate dairy, meat, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, (household division of labor, pet peeves too numerous to count)
and processed foods from my diet—all considered a burden for and squandered the big stuff (the fact that I was healthy and blessed
digestion. Even vegetables are a no-no, because their fiber unduly with a family). The sweet relief of knowing I had enough eluded me.
taxes detoxification, says Garud. I was also instructed to drink only I never stopped comparing, and I always came up short. But after a
hot water between meals in order to strengthen my digestive week of mindful eating and self-inquiry, I was starting to sense that
power and flush out toxins. panchakarma could give me the clarity I craved. I wanted to know
what my part was in my own stuckness, and how to cop to it.
Kitchari, a lightly spiced, one-pot meal of basmati rice and mung
dal, cooked with heaps of ghee, became my new culinary I’m no stranger to putting myself in the hot seat; self-inquiry
best friend; I consumed it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Why had practically been my day job during my eight-year stint in India,
so much ghee? It loosens the body’s impurities—a process called studying with a teacher whose central question was, Who am I?
oleation, says Grasser. “Most toxins are fat soluble, and the liver But such provocative inquiry had been put on the back burner,
makes them water soluble so they can be eliminated,” he says. despite a three-decade-long yoga practice. At the beginning of the
“Oleation works like a detergent, binding to the toxins and coaxing cleanse I didn’t grasp the drastic measures necessary to get me
60 them out of the body.” back on track, but I felt like I was off to a promising start.
Kitchari—basmati rice and
mung dai cooked with
spices and ghee—is a
panchakarma staple.
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Showing up for the experience saturated my skin and hair. The firm, vigorous strokes of
When I arrived at the Art of Living for the more intense, second abhyanga tenderized my skin and soothed sore muscles. During
phase of panchakarma, I was introduced to Lokesh, the Ayurvedic shirodhara, a copper vessel, oscillating back and forth like an
doctor, who took my pulse and determined my main dosha (pitta) ancient pendulum, drizzled a steady stream of warm oil onto my
and the one that’s most out of whack (vata), or “deranged” as forehead. And after each oil treatment, I was ushered to the steam
Ayurvedic practitioners say. Based on his assessment, Lokesh room to further open the srotas (channels of circulation).
assigned me a roster of specific oil-based treatments, such as Oleation, both internal and external, functioned as the antidote
abhyanga (oil massage), shirodhara (liquid forehead treatment), to my vata gone rogue.
and marma (Ayurvedic acupressure), all designed to help Throughout my stay, my diet looked exactly as it had during my
lubricate me from the outside in. The pampering is functional, yet prep phase, with kitchari served up three times a day. However,
undeniably luxurious. Dosha specific oils prepared with herbs the amount of ghee I was prescribed increased each day 61
Marglin practices a
variation of Bharadvajasana II
(Bharadvaja’s Twist II).
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PHOTO: RACHEL ADAMS; MODEL: ELIZABETH MARGLIN; PROP STYLIST: ALLIE LIEBGOTT
by one or two tablespoons per meal. I downed more the anointed contours of my body were made sacred; my
ghee than I imagined was humanly possible. I watched breath assumed generous volume; my heart spread wide
as the moat of ghee around my mound of kitchari within me. Everything felt softer. The brittle shell of my
widened to an alarming degree, yet I quickly learned coffee-slugging, hard-charging, strung-out self felt like it had
to love its over-the-top richness. My body took to it— been cracked in ways I hoped would never be put together
never has my digestion been so seamless—and all of again.

the other 10 panchakarma participants who traveled to I appreciate how panchakarma functions as a highly
the Art of Living for this detox said the same. choreographed intervention, albeit an ancient one. The
Between the yummy kitchari, the hours spent kind that tapers gently but has a ruthless persistence. The
unspooling on the treatment table, the daily yoga and rules made sense, yet could chafe all the same. In my group,
meditation, and a welcome break from technology many had good days that alternated with a healing crisis of
(I was urged to put away my cell phone and laptop some sort or another: diarrhea, headaches, sore throats,
the moment I checked in), I felt a sense of sattva tiredness, spontaneous grief. Again, experts say this is to
(purity) as a lived experience: my thoughts breached be expected: “Anytime you move something that may be
62 out from, and returned to, an unperturbable silence; stuck, it’s a flush. You’re bringing the doshas out from
I felt a sense of sattva (purity)
as a lived experience. My thoughts
breached out from, and returned to,
an unperturbable silence.
deeper tissues and you’re bringing emotions out from deeper I laid down in my room and an unexplainable sadness pressed
places where they’re not flowing. Then all of a sudden down on me as my stomach churned. It was familiar: my biggest
everything starts to flow,” says Grasser. Whatever we had on samskara is a tendency to hold on—to resentments, to being
lockdown was coming up for air—and there was no safer right, to being the victim—when letting go would better serve
place for it to happen. me. Still, to realize how this unyielding quality in myself could
Two weeks of kitchari, several pints of ghee, five marmas, physically affect me was a true humble-warrior moment. It was
four abyhangas, two shirodharas, and a handful of other the uncomfortable piece of truth I needed in order to see my life
soothing treatments later, virechana day dawned. Virechana more clearly.
is the crux of the panchakarma, which entails five gnarly As afternoon turned into evening, Lokesh and Garud consulted
sounding procedures typically listed in a top-down order: nasya about my predicament. They sent Mary Walker, a member of
(medicated oils applied through the nose), vamana (controlled the retreat staff, up to my room to give me a marma treatment,
vomiting), virechana (therapeutic purgation), basti (enema), and which involved very light touching of subtle energy points. They
rakta mokshana (bloodletting). Because of liability concerns hoped this would stimulate some kind of movement. Mary placed
and cultural mores, induced vomiting and bloodletting are her hands over my heart, and within seconds I felt a wave-like
rarely practiced in this country. At the Art of Living, virechana contraction push upward. I ran to the toilet just in time to vomit. At
was the preferred method of elimination. Basti was assigned as last, I felt a release, followed by a euphoric lightness. Mary tracked
homework for the week following my return home. it all without flinching. Her neutrality may have saved me: She
“Virechana is important because over the past two weeks, neither praised nor shamed. In that moment, I realized I needed
to learn how to pay that type of kindness forward—to others, but
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the internal ghee and external oil have moved all the toxins
out from your intestinal wall into your gut and deep into most of all to myself. It reminded me of something I had heard
your lymphatic system, but they still need to be flushed out often during my days in India: Another word for peace is allow.
through the bowels,” says Garud. “The Ayurvedic texts say
after virechana, the absorption capability of the stomach and Maintaining the afterglow
intestinal wall is increased by 90 percent.” If panchakarma is about breaking down toxins, the week after
Let me tell you firsthand: If panchakarma were a narrative, the cleanse is about building up everything from your digestive
virechana would function as the big reveal. Although actual powers to your new relationship with yourself, says Garud, adding
results were private, of course, bowel-movement talk in the that this is why it’s crucial to reintegrate slowly. She told us to keep
lounge was an open discussion. I tracked my compadres’ eating kitchari for a few days, and she suggested reintroducing
frequent excursions to the bathroom, wondering when my turn new foods gradually rather than all at once. The worst thing I
would come. How could I soften into the unexpected difficulty could have done, I learned, would have been to eat a hamburger
of this moment, instead of trying to resist it? If I was due for and fries after I left the retreat.
another bout of intense self-inquiry, here it was. Astride the Following the cleanse, I compared notes with one of my
toilet with nothing to show for it, I was having an epiphany on panchakarma friends, yoga teacher and Ayurvedic lifestyle
why the struggle felt not only so real, but so relentless. consultant Beth Sanchez, who has done more than 15
Earlier that day, after a lunch of thin rice porridge, panchakarma cleanses in her lifetime. 63
Panchakarma helped me see that the
perspective I yearned for could only
come from a body that’s fluid and balanced.
“What always wows me post-panchakarma is how enoughness rather than deficiency. It also taught
it empowers me to really choose, rather than be me that for cleansing to go deep, it has to be
pushed around by habit, craving, addiction, or done with benevolence, not self-denial. That was
convenience,” she told me. “You feel supported. the source of what Sanchez had referred to as
You actually crave things that are good for you. “support.” I always thought it was interesting that
This is what we call prajna. In yoga it’s translated the word sneha in Sanskrit can mean ‘oil,’ but it
as ‘wisdom,’ but in Ayurveda it means ‘cellular can also mean ‘love,’” Grasser told me. “There’s
intelligence.’” something extremely nourishing and loving about
At home, this almost feral intelligence lingered for oil.” For me, over the course of my panchakarma
me, despite launching back into the whirligig of kid and beyond, oil has come to represent all the ways
meltdowns, work deadlines, and ad-hoc meals. Now, I want to absorb and be absorbed into something
almost two months post-cleanse, I can see where vast and forgiving.
my prajna had been kinked. The comparisons, the These days, I’m less concerned with how
holding on for the wrong reasons, the way my sense I rank in the invisible hierarchical system that lives
of OKness was wrapped up in other people, had all in my head. I’m not in it to win it, but I am all in—
cut me off from my inner task: the care and feeding in my attention to the right things: how it feels to
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of my own soul. I had lost sight of what was genuine exhale without restrictions, how extending my rib
in me. The full catastrophe is what I’m facing, but cage up and over as I fold forward during my Sun
how can I allow for it—bless it, even—instead of Salutations can ripple through me like a prayer. It’s
resist? softening I’m after. All I need to do is start
Panchakarma helped me see that the generous with what’s real: a warm meal made with love,
perspective I yearned for could only come from the hard battles that are worth the fight, and the
wholeness, from a body that’s fluid and balanced domed spaciousness that wants to occupy my
and a mind that sees the world through the lens of body, if I let it.
64
Love in a
dumpling By Jaimal Yogis
A LOT OF PEOPLE FIND GOD IN PRAYER, religion, good religion.” But equating God I could see the beautiful momo-dough
meditation, asana, and service. Fair enough. with Buddha mind was new. I wanted to representations of these faiths, but they
I found God in dumplings. hear more, as one of the fundamental could also make me sick. I asked Sonam
I was 23 and studying abroad in India. tenets of Buddhism is that there is no why—if fundamental reality was love, and
I’d befriended a Buddhist monk, Sonam, creator. I asked Sonam for clarification on if religion was a doorway to this love—so
who was famous for two things: being his point and he patted a mound of momo many religious people seemed so full of
relentlessly upbeat and making perfect dough. hate?
momos, Tibetan dumplings. “Dis God,” he said. Sonam nodded. “I think some dumpling
Missing my carb-rich, American diet, Sonam then chopped God into squares no turn out good,” he said. “Inside, dis
momos had become my comfort food in with a butter knife. “These Christians, same stuff good dumpling.” He moved
India, and Sonam had agreed to teach me Hindus, wah wah wah,” he said—“wah wah my horrid dumplings to the same plate as
his recipe. We met to mix the rice-flour wah” apparently capturing the other few his pretty ones. “Dis good religion, good
dough on the roof of his monastery, using billion theists around the globe. The God teacher, show all people how find good
a sheet of plywood raised on cinder blocks that was left over—the stuff between the inside. Dis bad religion say people many
as a table. I watched as Sonam rolled out squares—Sonam gathered up, rolled into a many different. Then people many many
a thin sheet of dough, carved sand dollar– softball-size sphere, and tossed to me. fight.”
size noodles, and filled each with a pinch of I smiled. I had more questions, but part
“Dis love,” he said.
cabbage and cheese. Finally, as if swaddling of what made Sonam such a relief to be
a newborn, he folded each round noodle I had to hand it to Sonam. If there
with was his simplicity. So we moved on
carefully into a momo. was one thing I could imagine as all-
to a more pressing topic: how to make
encompassing love, it was momo dough.
“Now you,” Sonam said in his thickly Sonam’s dipping sauce. We chopped
accented broken English. I tried to copy Sonam looked proud as he rolled out a chili peppers and garlic, adding them to
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Sonam, but all my attempts ended in new blob, calling it “Buddha mind,” before vinegar, soy sauce, and honey. But once the
messy piles of dough, cheese, and cab- carving it into small circles. “Buddhists,” dumplings were cooked, Sonam couldn’t
bage that resembled cat vomit. “Berry he said. And again, the dough that had help pointing out that the circle dumplings
good, Ja-ma,” Sonam laughed. After several connected the circles, Sonam balled up. and square dumplings tasted “berry same
failed attempts, I found myself making “Com-pash-un,” he said, lobbing the ball same.” Sonam then tasted my ugly gnocchi
little dough balls I hoped would taste like to me. piles. “Ja-ma,” he said. “I think your momo
gnocchi. A silence passed until Sonam said, I caught the compassion blob and better next life.”
“I tink dis God. Buddha mind berry same squished it together with the love blob. “Mmmm-mmm,” I said, nodding with
same.” They were, of course, identical. “See!” my mouth full. But at this point, the words
“Really?” I said. Sonam beamed. “Berry same same.” weren’t registering. I was full of pure love—
It wasn’t that this was an uncommon I smiled. In theory, I agreed. But having the most delicious momos I’d ever eaten.
topic for Sonam. When we passed a spent months in India working as a
From the book All Our Waves Are Water: Stumbling
Catholic chapel in Bhagsunath, the tiny journalist—reporting on extremist Hindus
toward Enlightenment and the Perfect Ride by Jaimal
Himalayan town near Sonam’s monastery, and Muslims who were skewering each Yogis. © 2017 by Jaimal Yogis. Reprinted by permission
he would often say, “I tink dis Christian other on pitchforks in Gujarat— of Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
65
66
IN THE YOGA STUDIO
When powerful teachings,
charismatic instructors,
and receptive students
come together in a
spiritual community,
intimate relationships
have the potential to
bloom. Yet is it ever OK
for a student-teacher
relationship to turn romantic?
Yoga Journal investigates.
Story by Sarah Herrington
Illustrations by C.J. Burton
“HUNGRY GHOSTS REPRESENT the parts of us

that can never be satisfied,” I heard the meditation
instructor say from my back-row seat in the packed
contemplative center. I’d just returned to the United
States after teaching English for a year in Japan. I had
no job and was suffering the fallout from things ending
badly with my first love while I was abroad. In my
vulnerable state, I felt pulled toward a path that had long
interested me: Buddhism.
yogajournal.com.sg
“Keep coming to class,” the teacher told me as I
left that night. When he emailed three weeks later
asking if I’d like to meet for coffee, I was taken aback.
I looked him up online. His social media status had
recently changed from “in a relationship” to “single.” I
was curious. Within a few days, I was meeting him for
coffee, which turned into dinner. He was handsome and
charismatic. I was attracted to him, yet confused.

He was my teacher. When he leaned in to kiss me,
I stopped him.
“It’s taken me forever to find a meditation group I
like,” I said. “I don’t want to mess it up.” Before I’d left for
Japan, I’d looked for a sangha, or community. The one
this man led, filled with young creative types, was the
first in which I felt at home.
67
68
But he persisted, and I said yes, and we quickly fell into a associated with spiritual practice can make for a
relationship. It was exciting to share love, community, and a complicated and potentially dangerous relationship—
spiritual practice. After four months together, he met me on especially for the student, says Judith Hanson Lasater, PhD,
a street corner with a bright flower. “I want you to move in veteran yoga teacher and author of Restore and Rebalance:
with me,” he said. Yoga for Deep Relaxation. “A breakup can mean losing
He could sense my hesitation. not only a helpful asana or meditation class, but also an
“I’m so sure it will work out,” he nudged. “And if emotional refuge,” she says. “Practices that were once
it doesn’t, I’ll give you the apartment. You’re safe.” healing and even life-saving for students can become
tainted with pain.”
But I wasn’t. Less than a year after moving in with
him, he grew distant. I began having panic attacks. I was Still, spiritual communities are human ones, and
devastated, but not surprised, when he told me, “We need attraction between teachers and students is inevitable.
to move out.” Of course, by “we” he meant me. Given that, is it ever OK to act on such an attraction? And if
so, how can people in yoga communities—especially those
Over the following weeks, I discovered I was one of
in leadership roles—address teacher-student relationships
several students he had pursued. I felt eviscerated. Part of
in a way that fosters awareness and protects those
the sadness was loss of love; a lot of it was loss of trust.
involved?
I hadn’t even packed my possessions before he started
seeing a woman he’d met in another one of his meditation
classes. When I confronted him about the danger of dating The chemistry of love
students, he told me that if I showed up to the meditation
group, he’d “shut it down.” I believed him. He was in the
and enlightenment
position to ostracize me, so I stayed away. Codes of conduct around teacher-student and manager-
subordinate relationships are explicitly spelled out in most
For a few years, my sense of safety in both relationships
university and industry settings, and often written into
and in the spiritual community—at least the Buddhist
employment contracts. By and large, romantic relationships
one—were ruined. I tried attending other classes but was
are forbidden, and violating this rule can have serious
struck each time with immovable anxiety. I roamed around
consequences. In fewer cases, such relationships are
feeling stuck in a personal bardo, the Buddhist term for
strongly discouraged and held to strict standards regarding
a space between one life and the next. To make matters
disclosure. For example, the American Counseling
worse, I felt ashamed that I couldn’t just “get over it,” and I
Association prohibits therapists from having intimate
was frustrated that the very activity I’d normally turn to for
relationships with clients, their romantic partners, or
healing—meditation—was now associated with pain.
their family members for a period of five years following
In the past several years, the yoga world has been rocked professional contact—and even then the relationship must
by ethically questionable behavior among powerful leaders. be reported to the Association.
It’s certainly not unheard of for a teacher and student to fall
in love after connecting in class—and some of those stories Yoga and meditation practices have therapeutic and
have happy endings. But whenever yoga or meditation educational characteristics, yet the teacher-student dynamic
teachers and their students become romantically involved, is even more fraught because of their spiritual nature, says
the power imbalance combined with the vulnerability Vatsal Thakkar, MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry
yogajournal.com.sg
“In high-emotion settings that elicit strong

physical responses, like a yoga or meditation
class, the sensations of relaxation and bliss can

be wrongly attributed to a specific person.”
69
because we had met under the umbrella of spirituality. And
at New York University’s School of Medicine. By definition,
when he broke up with me, it felt like Buddhism itself had
spirituality involves contemplating and communing with the
rejected me.
human spirit or soul—as opposed to material or physical
things, which are much more tangible and verifiable—and Unfortunately, the group where I met my ex had no
thus requires a certain openness, trust, and dropping of code of ethics or grievance council to provide guidance or
defenses. Plus, many students enter these spaces already help prevent these sorts of schisms. Yet the ancient texts
vulnerable, confronting physical, emotional, or mental themselves outline foundational codes of ethics, including
wounds. As a student receives solace from the practices advice for sex. The yoga path is built on the guidelines
shared by her teacher, a false sense of intimacy may crop up of the yamas and niyamas—yoga’s ethical and moral
and result in what experts call “misattribution of arousal,” codes—with brahmacharya yama often translated as wise
according to Thakkar. sexual moderation. “Practicing yoga depends on keeping
the ethical rules, or yamas, as a foundation, or else it really
“In high-emotion settings that elicit strong physical
isn’t yoga at all,” says Sri Dharma Mittra, founder of Dharma
responses, like a yoga or meditation class, the sensations of
Yoga Center in New York City. In Buddhism, the third
relaxation and bliss can be wrongly attributed to a specific
precept is about avoiding sexual misconduct.
person,” Thakkar explains. “Likewise, change of breath or
increased serotonin from exercise, like an asana practice, Yet these foundational principles are not always
can mimic the responses of romantic arousal. In fact, the well-known to new students, nor fully explored or
neurotransmitters associated with spirituality—dopamine contextualized in yoga and meditation as they’re often
and serotonin—are also associated with feelings of love taught and practiced today. “The number of yoga teachers
and lust. As a result, it is biologically challenging to sort who have completed a 200-hour training has exploded,”
out where your feelings are coming from when you fall for says Hala Khouri, creator of the teacher-student module in
someone in one of these settings.” the YogaWorks 300-hour training, and co-founder of the
nonprofit Off the Mat, Into the World. Indeed, for every
This explanation resonates with me. When I look back,
existing yoga teacher, there are two more in training—a
I realize how easy it was to associate deep meaning and
third of whom have been practicing for two years or less,
connection with my ex because I met him when he was
according to the 2016 Yoga in America Study by Yoga
leading meditation classes and giving powerful dharma
Journal and the Yoga Alliance. With an influx of teachers
talks. It was hard to tease out my attraction to him from the
newer to yogic traditions, there is a higher risk of abusing
one I felt for the spiritual path. Once we became involved,
—intentionally or unintentionally—the authority role,
our relationship seemed extra purposeful and intimate
says Khouri.
Some communities are taking steps to protect both
With an influx of students and teachers from damaging relationships by
establishing ethical guidelines and a system of checks
teachers newer to and balances. These help teachers sort out their feelings,
caution students against idolizing their teachers, and
yogic traditions,
yogajournal.com.sg
provide details on how to report transgressions, especially

in the case of outright abuse. For instance, the Iyengar
Yoga National Association of the United States (IYNAUS)
there is a higher has ethical guidelines based on the yamas and niyamas
that state teachers must “avoid intimate relationships with
risk of abusing the their students.” IYNAUS’s guidelines also ask teachers to
step up when a student-teacher relationship has been
authorithy role.
“compromised” and help the student find another Certified

Iyengar Yoga Teacher. Similar directives exist for Spirit Rock
70
Insight Meditation Center and Against the Stream Buddhist trainees that it’s not OK to casually date students. But if
Meditation Society, Theravada Buddhist communities, you meet someone and feel there’s potential for a real
which both call for students to cease study with a teacher at relationship, that’s different. People would prefer to think
least three months before becoming romantically involved. of the relationship between student and teacher as fixed,
“In our trainings, we bar teachers from dating students or absolute, but it flows on a continuum.”
and encourage teachers to report feelings of attraction to
senior community members or the teacher’s council,” says
Dave Smith, meditation teacher and founder of Against the So you’re in love. Now what?
Stream’s Nashville outpost. This holds teachers accountable Even though my intuition had warned me that dating my
and gives them a place to process feelings (beyond the meditation teacher was a bad idea, I fell for him—and felt
cushion or mat) before acting on them. “You cannot use the compelled to see it through. I didn’t recognize the ways
classroom as your dating pool,” says Smith. in which I was naive, conflating my attraction to him with
To be sure, all members of a community can be affected the teachings themselves. In hindsight, it’s clear that I
when teachers and students carry out visibly inappropriate didn’t know how to be my own advocate. I didn’t realize
relationships, says Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx that he could have—and should have—addressed the
and founder of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation power imbalance in our relationship.
Society. “Just witnessing a crossing of these boundaries While I no longer regret the journey our relationship
can make you feel unsafe and confused. You might wonder, sent me on, I do wish I’d had more information and advice
who’s next?” Levine says. As one meditation student in on this topic back then. If you find yourself attracted
Cambridge, Massachusetts, told me, “I didn’t get involved to someone taking or leading your class, it’s important
with my teacher, but I knew she dated her students—and to consider the situation in ways that offer respect and
that made me uneasy. The studio was supposed to be a protection for everyone involved—both inside the
sacred space. But I never said anything.” relationship and the yoga community in general. Here’s
It may seem logical to some that a yoga or meditation how.
studio is a prime place for meeting a partner who is of like Set boundaries. If I could talk to my younger self as
mind and spirit. Many insist that consciously entering into a she was falling for her meditation teacher, I’d tell her
relationship can work. “My husband was one of the senior to immediately find another meditation group. Lasater
teachers when I was training to become a yoga teacher says that would’ve been a good move. “When there are
myself,” says Sara Schwartz, a yoga instructor in Los feelings between teacher and student, it’s best the
Angeles. During her training, the studio reviewed a “do not
date your students” policy, but the two felt there was an
undeniable connection. So, they talked about the possibility
of a relationship. “We waited until training was over to get There’s opportunity
involved, and my husband spoke with the studio manager
for advice before asking me out. Yoga brought us together,” for the yoga community
yogajournal.com.sg
says Schwartz.
Minneapolis studio owner and veteran yoga teacher to have more candid
David Frenk met his partner, Megan, when she was his
mentee in an apprenticeship program nearly a decade ago.
Yet even though there was an initial spark, they waited six
conversations about
months to go out on their first date. “That six-month gap
between our relationship as mentor and mentee and our the intersection of
romantic partnership felt important,” says Frenk. “Now, we

have a family and co-own several studios. We teach our practice and love.
71
student move on to another class and ancient practice (such as the yamas and
keep clear boundaries,” she says. This niyamas) seem increasingly important,
enables you to maintain your own says Sri Dharma Mittra. It can also be
sacred space for spiritual work apart helpful to consider other philosophical
from a partner, even if the relationship concepts, such as viveka (discernment),
lasts, she says. If the relationship doesn’t when love and spirituality meet.
work out, you won’t lose a core group Talk about it. As a yoga community,
of friends and your place of practice. there’s an opportunity to take part in
In fact, you’ll have access to healing candid conversations about the ethics
support. and power dynamics of student-teacher
If finding another studio or space in relationships. Teacher trainings can
which to practice isn’t an option, most include discussing what to do when
agree that ending the teacher-student those relationships turn romantic, for
dynamic is important. instance. Students and teachers alike
can also talk about the intersection of
“The responsibility is on the teacher to
practice and love. “The worst happens
make this clear, since the teacher is the
when there’s secrecy and silence,”
one in power,” says Smith. This requires
says Smith.
a potentially awkward, but essential,
conversation. I believe the act of speaking is
essential. In my case, I didn’t fully
“I met my husband nine years ago in
think about teacher-student romantic
a yoga class that I was teaching,” says
relationships until I was already in
yoga teacher Claudia Fucigna, who is
one, and situations like mine weren’t
based in Los Angeles. “I spent all my
openly discussed. Once my romantic
time in the yoga studio; it would have
relationship with my meditation
been hard to meet anyone another
teacher ended, I disappeared from that
way. What allowed our relationship to
community—and stayed silent. Yet I
develop in a healthy way was a mutual
was haunted with questions.
agreement that he wouldn’t practice
in my class if we became a couple. He In finally speaking with others, I’m
found another teacher; I found the love stunned by how many have gone
of my life.” through similar (or much worse)
experiences and suffered pain in
Create a code of ethics—and
enforcements. In an effort to deter lineages otherwise meant to end or
abuse (and, frankly, lawsuits), studio ease suffering. Many of us have lived
owners and facilitators of teacher alone with questions, without the
trainings can design and implement support of community.
their own code of ethics, suggests Mike For me, the sheer act of discourse
Patton, cofounder of Yoga Vida in New has allowed me to feel less isolated
York. “We not only added a code of and more comfortable venturing into
conduct to our teacher-training manual, a Buddhism class again, and to teach
but we require all of our teachers and yoga and lead trainings with clearer
teachers-in-training to sign a contract ethics myself. As Khouri puts it,
that bans teacher-student romantic and “No matter what your opinion on this
sexual relationships.” conversation, it’s important you have
Lasater stresses, however, that codes one,” she says. “We can’t address what
alone aren’t enough. She believes they we don’t name.”
should be connected to consequences,
such as suspension, to prevent Sarah Herrington is the program
transgressions. Students also need a administrator for the graduate
place to report abuses, and teachers yoga studies program at Loyola
need a place to receive support if they Marymount University. She is the
repeatedly find themselves attracted to author of four books on yoga,
students, she says. and her work has appeared in
Get philosophical. As we continue to the New York Times.
modernize yoga, the foundations of this
connect
Acharya
Premayamananda
ANANDA MARGA YOGA SOCIETY, SINGAPORE
As a young man named Petracca Giuseppe, Dada (as Premayamananda is fondly

called by his followers) enjoyed his wine, cigarettes and tamasic food, along with
long discussions about communism and capitalism. Yoga and meditation made him
unexpectedly turn to his calling “of a total different plane”, and he became Acharya
of Ananda Marga. “My new lifestyle became so intense and pleasing that I never even
thought of going back to my old self,” he told Yoga Journal Singapore.
It was his regular training in Sweden, followed by his learnings in Varanasi, India, that
led him to become a yoga teacher in 1994. Since then, he has spent most of his time
in South East Asia, mostly Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia.
yogajournal.com.sg
You can learn yoga from Dada at Ananda Marga Yoga Society of Singapore at
No.18 Waringin Park, Sin Chuan Garden, Singapore 416331.
For details, http://anandamarga.org.sg/ 73
practice well
connect
DEPARTMENT
MY STORY, MY CALLING
While visiting my parents in New Delhi, I am inspired by the discipline and the sheer
stumbled (quite literally) upon a fitness chain courage that a daily, committed yoga practice
that offered power yoga classes all over the requires. Early mornings at the shala are
country. I signed up, and found myself at a about intense practice in silence (aside from
dynamic flow class one morning. I was an the sounds of varied breathing patterns in the
addict soon, doing classes thrice a day, and room). It is a test of stamina as well as an ego
needless to say, within months I found myself check as I collapse a countless times before
Writer Selina Sheth fitter, stronger and more flexible than I’d been savasana. Sometimes, just as a particular
at 20. forward bend feels like it’s getting easier,
chronicles her But this blissful phase came to a crashing
along comes a back-bending maneuver that
I know will take me months of hard work
ongoing journey end a couple of years later, when my trusted
trainer and friend became emotionally abusive
merely to figure out.
of yoga and shares towards me. Just when I thought I had entered
a purist sanctuary of wellness and positivity
Until recently, I was making the familiar
mistake of seeing yoga practice as an escape
how her practice —very different from the level of toxicity I had
seen in the real world—I found myself shaken,
from life, as a kind of alternate universe, as
an ideology of perfection that my type—A
continues to help betrayed and deceived. personality aspired for. If I ‘failed’ at an asana,
I would feel useless. If I smoked a cigarette
her reach for her For the next few months, I was lost and
depressed. I had achieved a level of physical
during a break at work, I’d feel guilty. If I
felt mistreated by someone, I would feel the
fitness, yes, but that I could have gained hypocritical pressure to smile and forgive. For
true self. even with other exercises, such as running or me, this proved self-defeating and unrealistic,
swimming. What yoga had given me was a like a forced separation of yoga from real living
high like never before, but now I suddenly felt when the two are one and the same thing. I
BY SELINA SHETH
like I had learnt nothing of real or lasting value. am slowly coming to understand that while
I’m a writer by profession and lately I’ve been What I saw around me was an urban yogic yoga is an empowering practice, it isn’t an
reading what is every storyteller’s bible for industry that rode on monetary gains, with instant ‘miracle cure’ for feelings of depression
structure and character development: Joseph childishly vain ‘instructors’ vying for clients or anger or sadness.
Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces. by floating pseudo-spiritual memes promising
The narrative is universal, and a monomyth love, light, peace and inner transformation. When I look back at the last couple of years, I
that is found in all the great epics from The see how I have gone through many different
Ramayana and The Mahabharata to The Iliad I was disillusioned, but I still loved yoga and emotions and phases through my practice.
and The Odyssey. There is a protagonist, didn’t want to give it up. I felt the need for the There is always the buzz of elation, but it
and through a series of trials and obstacles values that come with learning a traditional comes mixed with fear, anxiety, pain and
that often involves encountering tricksters, practice and the discipline, knowledge base resistance, depending on the kind of day
shadows, demons, guardians and mentors, and ethical foundation that the path of yoga I’m having. But even so, I’m learning to
this individual ultimately comes face to face promises. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long. relax more now, to go with the flow. Some
with true self and life’s purpose. In that sense, days I need the grit and detoxifying sweat
the hero or heroine’s trajectory is synonymous My Phase 2 began when I started my learning of a full practice; on other days, I prefer the
yogajournal.com.sg
with the experience of the Yogi, who starts of the ashtanga primary series at the Ashtanga calmness that comes from stretching and light
a practice and begins that unavoidable inner Nilaya shala in New Delhi in the summer pranayama.
journey towards self-discovery, taking in all the of 2015. For the first time, I was under the
freedom and discomfort that it has to offer. guidance of mature and dedicated teachers. This year, while on a one-month yoga practice
I was very nervous because I knew nothing trip at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga
Rewind to autumn of 2012. I was in my late about the ashtanga method except what I had Institute in Mysore, I read a book by Yogani
thirties, burnt out from a hectic career of heard from others—that it was “very, very called The Eight Limbs of Yoga, based on
writing films and TV shows in Mumbai, hard”. Patanjali’s yoga sutras. The book ends on a
exhausted from chasing unreliable producers simple note: The Guru Is In You. Your journey
for paychecks and cynical from too many With that, I signed up for the biggest challenge is unique, your standards are your own, your
‘conditional’ industry friendships. I wasn’t of my life—a challenge that hasn’t eased in battles are your own. You are the protagonist
: ANUJA BAGADE
in great health, physically or mentally. I also these past two and a half years! of your story, and only you can write it and
needed a personal time-out from the long live it.
relationship I’d been in with my partner. I The practice is relentless, and some of the
desperately craved a sabbatical to think about poses still seem impossible to me, an athletic I remind myself that yoga has come into
ART DIRECTION
CREDIT
the future, and a change in not only my woman of 45. But I believe sincerely in my life for a reason and that it has changed
lifestyle, but also my world view. “practice, practice, practice…all is coming”. I everything for me. I now know that any
74
practice
If you well
heard your
calling, weDEPARTMENT
would love
to hear your story.
Write to us at
practice rooted in time-tested knowledge and Selina Sheth is based in India and is a writer letters@yogajournal.com.sg
positive intention is the best thing you can do and content developer in film, television, print
for yourself. It teaches you not to give up, to and digital media. She is working on her debut
value the baby steps of real progress, to bond book, ‘Any Time, Some Time’, a collection of
with a community of fellow practitioners, to short fictional stories. www.selinasheth.com.
open yourself up to a deeper education and to
feel the desire for more and more learning.
As a writer, I am impulsive, anxious,

independent-minded, opinionated and
emotional. Through yoga, I have stopped
fighting these qualities, and accepted that they
make me who I am. I know I need to work on
myself, and yoga has its way of correcting one
from within. Constantly. Whether one likes it
or not.
And so today, emotionally, I’m somewhere

at the start of my Phase 3. I’m seeing yoga
as a liberating friend, as an ally, as a tool for
strengthening myself in the world I live in and
the world I have to negotiate, as a practice that
will allow me to use my creative talents and
personality to their best potential. It’s time to
finish writing my (first) book and to get it out
there, to find a balance between my career,
my relationships and other responsibilities, to
develop the hardcore will it takes to cut down
on smoking. It’s time to let go of situations
and people who do not value or understand
me, to not take for granted the ones who do.
It’s time to be kinder, less stubborn, more
empathetic.
Well, one day at a time.
yogajournal.com.sg
ART CREDIT
75
practice well
ASHTANGA
Ashtanga
}
ashta = eight · anga = limbs
BY SHERRIANN MELWANI
DHARANA
The Sixth Limb of Ashtanga
“Dharana is the binding of the mind to

one place, object or idea.”
Yoga Sutras 3:1
Have you ever been in such deep concentration that

you lose track of time? I recently started attending
a jewellery school, and when I am practicing a new
technique, my attention is so focused on the project
that I find hours have passed by and I have forgotten
lunch. In some ways, such intense concentration
provides a “break” from vrittis, the mental
disturbances.
Dharana is the practice of focusing the mind

towards ekagrata, or one-pointed focus. Dharana
leads the mind to rest and serves as a prelude
towards meditation.
Pratyahara is the withdrawal of energy from

the senses. When we realize we are beyond the
senses, we feel empowered and in control of our
life experiences. Dharana builds upon Pratyahara
MODEL : SHERRIANN MELWANI; ART DIRECTION : ANUJA BAGADE, PHOTO CREDIT : ESTHER TAY
as we work more specifically with the mind. The
yogajournal.com.sg
ability to direct and focus the mind on one point

for a period of time leads us to a meditative state of
concentration, or Dhyana—and then bliss, Samadhi,
follows.
76
Taming the Monkey Mind
The mind is in the habit of jumping around—like a monkey—always
gravitating towards drama and the desires of senses. Sounds, sights and
constant stimulation keep our nervous system on overdrive. When we get
used to this state of being, keeping ourselves still and focused becomes
very difficult.
However, through the complete practice of yoga, where each limb builds
upon the previous limb, we learn to train the body and mind to work
for us. When we focus attention solely on one thing, such as a project,
pose or object, it is almost impossible to get distracted by worries or
other stimuli. Of course there will be moments in our training where our
concentration shifts and we get distracted, but we can be gentle with
ourselves and keep trying. This is the practice of Dharana, where we are
attempting to direct the mind into that single-pointed focus that can lead
to self-mastery. We then realize that we are beyond the mind... because
“we” are the ones who control the mind.
Fight or Flight
The nature of the mind is to think and create. Our ego urges us to believe
that in order to be successful in life, we need to do a million things that
can be quantified and seen. As the ultimate multitaskers, we have too
much on our To-Do Lists, which leaves us overwhelmed and unable
to focus. It also leads to being in hyper drive most of the time, which
prompts the hypothalamus in the brain to activate the sympathetic
nervous system and adrenal-cortical system to switch on the ‘fight or
flight’ response. However, we can find relief from stress when we learn to
direct the mind and focus it using certain Dharana techniques.
Dharana through Asana

Some poses, especially the balancing poses, can give us a taste of
experiencing ekagrata. For this reason, we often feel an overall sense of
well-being after an asana class where poses are held for longer duration
Two simple ways to practice Dharana
of time.
1. Mantra & Kirtan: By repeating a word or phrase, we steer the
When I started a yoga class for patients at The Institute for Mental Health
mind into silence. You can easily find, listen and chant/sing along
in Singapore, I discovered that many minds were overwhelmed and
to many mantras and kirtans online these days.
enslaved by their thoughts, which had become the master and dictator
of their lives. Consequently, their quality of life had been diminished,
2. Candle Gazing: Light a candle in a dim or completely
and they, along with their families or communities, sought professional
darkened, still room. Begin to focus on the tip of the candle
assistance to lessen their suffering and balance their mind. I continue
flame without breaking concentration for about one or two
to work with these patients using non-invasive techniques, such as
yogajournal.com.sg
minutes. Allow your eyes to blink as they need, but don’t look
asana, pranayama and meditation, to stimulate their ability to practice
away from the flame. Be comfortable. Concentrate only on
Dharana—and I have witnessed a dramatic improvement.
the light. Nothing else. Set a timer if you need. If you’d like to
go further, after gazing at the flame for one to two minutes,
One of our favourite poses is the Tree Pose, Vrksasana. During this pose,
close the eyes softly and “see” how long you can maintain the
just as with other balancing poses, it is nearly impossible to think about
image of the flame behind closed eyelids. When you lose the
anything other than maintaining the pose. Such intense concentration
image, open the eyes again and gaze at the candle for another
provides a much needed break from other worries and fluctuations of the
minute or so, then close the eyes once more and try to “see” the
mind. It is evident how relaxed and satisfied they appear on completing
flame. This technique is an easier version of Trataka, the candle
the pose. They experience empowerment through these simple
meditation that focuses on drishti, or steady gaze, where you
techniques, and learn how accessible peace of mind can be once they fix
shouldn’t even blink while you stare at the candle flame.
their attention on something other than their mental suffering.
Thus, Dharana techniques teach us how to rely on our own inner light
and become self-reliant. When we can hold Dharana for a while, we
Sherriann Melwani is a yoga teacher who shuttles between Hong
merge into a state of Dhyana, or meditation, which is the seventh limb of
Kong, Bali and Singapore, and is a freelance writer for Yoga
yoga and will be discussed in the next issue.
Journal Singapore.
77
Shine a light on
connect your teacher!
TEACHER SPOTLIGHT Send nominations
AMANDA KOH
to letters@
yogajournal.com.sg
Amanda is a familiar face not only in Singapore but also overseas at large yoga events such as
Bali Spirit Festival and Murfest, among others, where her power sessions are packed with yoga
enthusiasts.
What made you start yoga? How has the Singapore yoga scene
I wanted a hobby to do on weekends and so I joined a gym that had
yoga classes I could attend. I decided I liked it enough to make it a changed in the last few years?
weekly, and then a daily routine (Singaporean lah, must make good I think the yoga community in Singapore is becoming more educated
use of membership fee.!) Along the way I realised I had a body that was about the practice, and becoming compassionate and open-minded.
advantageous to yoga and practising was something that never failed to
bring me satisfaction and joy.
What do you enjoy most about attending
What inspired you to become a yoga yoga festivals?
Yoga festivals allow me to meet teachers from all over the world and to
teacher? connect with the international yoga community. I am blessed to call many
I did my first teacher training with Dr. Venky’s Yoga in Singapore, awesome and accomplished teachers and musicians my personal friends.
and subsequently too many courses to list down. I am also certified Professionally, collaborations are always awesome, and personally, it’s
and actively teaching Pilates Matwork but my interest and passion good to know someone who is living the same life as you in their own
has always centered on Yoga. I was a school teacher prior to this, so communities. I love the amazing energy at festivals and to teach students
teaching yoga was a very natural transition for me. from all walks of life, and I am blessed to be able to represent Singapore
at international festivals.
What does your teaching focus on?
My teaching focuses on mindful mobility, stability, strength and You can reach Amanda Koh at amandakoh@gmail.com
presence. The students who practice with me are body-aware, strong, Instagram @amandakohkalariyoga
informed, focused and self-loving.
yogajournal.com.sg
in the
DETAILS Some of her favorite things...
ART DIRECTION : ANUJA BAGADE, PHOTO CREDIT : JANA YAR
Fav Pose Fav Meal Fav TV Show If you weren’t a What do you do when you’re not
I enjoy poses that activate I have an avid Kombucha I don’t have a yoga teacher, teaching yoga?
core stability and work with making hobby, and I TV at home! you’d be? What you see of me effortlessly walking
vinyasa flows that are non- like cranking out green Teaching Global into classes and teaching sessions requires
linear and organic. I like smoothies and green Politics and a lot of background work of logistics,
being precise and exact. I juices on my Vitamix Literature in Junior negotiations, planning, scheduling,
am naturally flexible so I and Hurom. I also like College. marketing, designing, music management
don’t get much challenge or all kinds of cheese. Yes, and administrative work that many people
satisfaction from flexibility- bring me cheese! aren’t aware of. The background work
related poses. I get bored sometimes takes up more time than
with practices that put too teaching yoga. This is a business and I
much emphasis on flexibility am my own brand and there is a lot of
or are sloppy in form and backroom work that goes on to be able to
78 alignment. relax and happily teach a class.
readers
in focus
Pics from Yoga & Beyond : Sentosa Retreat
YJ Singapore’s weekend retreat in Sentosa was a huge
success, thanks to the support from our partners, Pure
Yoga and Young Living Singapore. Sign up for our 2018
retreats – we are taking you to Bali in Feb (Valentine
Retreat for Couples!) and India in March (Spiritual retreat
to Rishikesh & Mysore!)
Visit www.yogajournal.com.sg for more information.
Stretching on chairs during the morning yoga session.

Pure Yoga teacher Bhanu Singh gets an unexpected visitor during
his Iyengar workshop.
yogajournal.com.sg
Calming Chakra Healing

Meditation in the night by YJSG
Editor Kavita Chandran.
october / november 2017
Health Coach Kai Tan talks about

Participants (and a Peahen) enjoy outdoor yoga focusing on

energy chakras and essential oils alignment and balance.
during a workshop hosted by Young
Living Singapore.
SEND US YOUR PICS To see yourself “In Focus”, submit a high resolution photo of you doing a yoga pose,
and send it to us at letters@yogajournal.com.sg
79
connect
I’M A YOGI
Soma Temple
Soma Temple founded ‘Aum
Rudraksha Designs’ in 2003
in Bali, with the intention
of spreading the spiritual
wisdom of the holy bead—the
Rudraksha—to the western
world as apprised by her guru
in India. Here, the yogini tells
us about her product, her path
and her purpose.
I have been practicing yoga for 45 years. I asana, and sit quietly for a few mantras and From starting off as a hobby that weaved
started in 1972 when I was 18 years old, and my meditation. With a quiet mind, I am able to do the Rudrakshas into elegant jewelry, Aum
teacher was an elderly Indian man in California. all my daily activities with far more grace and Rudraksha now supplies products to more
ease. than 60 stores in five different continents.
Yoga keeps you flexible in body and
especially in your mind, and I highly My favorite pose is Padmasana (the lotus
recommend it to everyone. True yoga is a pose) as it keeps the spine straight, allowing Visit www.aumrudraksha.com and receive
combination of asana, mantra and meditation. the kundalini to rise. It is the pose for 15% off with Promo Code AUM108.
In Bali, where I live, the locals refer to meditation, which is what I love more and
meditation as yoga, and don’t just focus on more as I get older. It also keeps my knees
poses and asana practice. In the Balinese flexible and strong.
yogajournal.com.sg
culture, yoga means meditation.

My guru told me, more than 20 years ago, that
For me, the most important benefit of my Dharma (purpose in life) was to spread the
ART DIRECTION : ANUJA BAGADE, PHOTO CREDITS : BRUNA ROTUNNO
yoga is that it quietens the mind. What we Rudraksha to the West. Used for centuries by
need the mind for is to perform routine daily the Hindus and the Buddhists, Papaji believed
activities, such as buying tickets, making that given the pure power of the Rudrakshas,
reservations, etc. We really do not need all “the world would be at peace if everyone
the mental chatter that goes on inside it, as it was wearing them.” With that began my life
is mostly about judging, analyzing, confusing changing journey. My motivation is to radiate
and questioning trivial things over which we peace and touch each individual that crosses
have no control. Most of that chatter actually my path with love, helping them to discover
disturbs our peace of mind. I find that my themselves.
mind quietens after I stretch my body through
YOGA JOURNAL SINGAPORE (ISSN #24249246) is an international licensed edition of Yoga Journal and is published by Sankia Publishing Pte Ltd. All contents in this magazine are
non-religious and not affiliated to any religious organization. The pictures have all been credited to photographers except in those cases where they were legally purchased or procured
80 from free online sites that allow commercial use.

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2018 HOT PRODUCT PICKS FOR YOGA LOVERS

DEC 17/JAN 2018 #10 S$9.95

If you’ve never tried (or heard of!)

writer shares her transformative journey

YES! I WOULD LIKE TO SUSCRIBE TO YOGA JOURNAL SINGAPORE

2 years 2 years Card Number:

16 PRODUCT GUIDE We bring you 12 great

25 HOME PRACTICE Ease chronic

28 YOGAPEDIA Strengthen your back, arms,

43 MAKE-AHEAD HOLIDAY MEAL Spend

by Patanjali, is Dharana or deep and

78 TEACHER SPOTLIGHT Amanda Koh,

mindful mobility and strength.

79 IN FOCUS Pictures from our Staycation

80 I’M A YOGI Meet Soma Temple, a

ART DIRECTION TEAM

Yoga Journal Singapore is published six times a year

© 2017 Active Interest Media. The trademark YOGA

SNR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Patricia B. Fox

ISSUE NUMBER 10, DEC 2017 / JAN 2018

Enjoy the magazine!

Wishing you a very happy, peaceful and healthy new year!

pamper your tired self with

Soak your body in a hot tub with rose petals around,

Water-loving yogis play with balance,

have a total connection to nature. It’s so relaxing and meditative. It feels

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID MARTINEZ

Professional paddleboarder Gillian Gibree in Baja, Mexico

The beginner-friendly sport

In Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge),

Even on land, Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) can be a balancing act.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)

board. Gibree uses a slightly wider stance for more

Coming into Ustrasana (Camel Pose) is all about

This article was written by Lauren Ladoceour,

2018 By YJSG Editors

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GOT BACK PAIN? You’re in good

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