Vini yoga is not so popular in the West, as the other two schools in the tradition of Sri Krishnamacharya. Within the UK and Ireland, training of Vini yoga is presented by the Yoga Studying Center, where Western teachers support students who have committed themselves to complete at least six-year courses, have been practicing for four years, and became an expert in the direction chosen. System of training at the Yoga Studying Center has being developed on the basis of approach of Deshikachara and his teacher Sri Krishnamacharya for nearly three decades of teaching. Center was originally founded in 1981 by Paul Harvey, who had been a pupil of Deshikachara since 1976, to develop the study of yoga techniques and methods of teaching. The purpose of the center is training of Vini yoga in the West, while maintaining the true spirit of this style.
Here yoga is offered as a tool to help maintain physical health, psychological stability and mental focus in daily life, including work and a variety of relationships in modern society. This means the application of yoga in accordance with the current situation, following the behest of Sri Krishnamacharya: "when we are attentive to our actions, we are no longer imprisoned by our habits." During training of appropriate methods of yoga some differences in age, gender, mental and physical health, cultural level, religious beliefs, occupation and interests are taken into account. All practitioners who wish to receive a diploma, should faithfully fulfill the annual training program. Qualified graduates offer to teach in small groups, conduct workshops and give private lessons. In the center, they try to preserve the very spirit and the key aspects of the Vini yoga.
Adaptation of all aspects of yoga to the needs and opportunities of human being includes movement, breath and mind for improvement of health and understanding of the practice itself. The transition from training complexes adapted to human limitations, and further - to the construction of sequences develops some latent abilities. The precise use of breath as a powerful tool of influence on human being in general includes into action the mind as well the physical body. The correct relationships between a teacher and a student during the learning process, their consent in understanding of practice essence are also very important.
Under the conditions of modern life Vini yoga is proposed to be used in different ways: estimation of relationship between body, breath and emotions, the development of attention, which promotes self-awareness and change habits, the therapeutic effect to improve health. As a therapy Vini Yoga helps to restore or maintain good health, which allows for necessary changes in lifestyle. The practice allows coping with excessive stress or anxiety, reducing dependence on tobacco, alcohol, drugs and overeating, preparing for childbirth and breastfeeding, restoring menstruation or bearing menopause easily, solving other problems for women, alleviating chronic diseases such as arthritis, asthma, hypertension, insomnia.
When the restoration of health is not important, Vini Yoga allows us to go to a higher level. In this case, a man is able to save energy and increase efficiency, improve the clarity of thinking and reaction speed, keep being in good form or attractive appearance, working with a large range of body movements, and go beyond it, develop his own ways to positively affect the body.
The «Yoga of Yoga» World Movement
In the dissemination of this style, there is an interesting experience, which can be called as "free" continuity, similar to emanation of tradition in space, without leading to its dispersal. Together Deshikachar and Kastub do not just pass their teachings of Krishnamachari to specific students, but make it open for mastering by all human beings as they consider it necessary. The external form they chose, got a philosophical title "Yoga of Yoga. This is quite clearly made out "trip" around the world to explore and test the teaching methods of Vini yoga. Originally conceived as a series of seminars, this movement started in July 2001, when Deshikachar and Kastub conducted workshops in France and Germany. In their speeches, they stressed the need to strive to understand the spirit of each action proposed in yoga, rather than focusing only on the methods. The mastery of yoga should not be measured by the ability to apply techniques, such as doing asanas and pranayama. It is important to understand how yoga affects the daily lives, improves human relations with the outside world and sharpens the acuteness of thinking.
In recent years Kastub seeks to convey the message of yoga to people around the world not only through seminars, but other media, including the Internet. Especially for this purpose a website was designed, that reflects the information and provides information services that help maintain the spirit of yoga in the modern world. For example, the interpretation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as "healing from the deep sleep of ignorance" is presented on its web pages. This is one of the experiences of yoga on-line, found on many sites already established in Scotland, Arkansas and other countries by the Vini yoga teachers, who received the yoga instructors diplomas directly in Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandir or its affiliates. This is an advanced search, which pays tribute to the priceless heritage of ancient masters, but also creates the preconditions for its development in the modern context, in order effective methods of yoga not to become mechanical ones.
In recent years Kastub seeks to convey the message of yoga to people around the world not only through seminars, but other media, including the Internet. Especially for this purpose a website was designed, that reflects the information and provides information services that help maintain the spirit of yoga in the modern world. For example, the interpretation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as "healing from the deep sleep of ignorance" is presented on its web pages. This is one of the experiences of yoga on-line, found on many sites already established in Scotland, Arkansas and other countries by the Vini yoga teachers, who received the yoga instructors diplomas directly in Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandir or its affiliates. This is an advanced search, which pays tribute to the priceless heritage of ancient masters, but also creates the preconditions for its development in the modern context, in order effective methods of yoga not to become mechanical ones.
Yoga as part of your life
Babies are born yogis. Once we were all able to pull our toes up by our ears and laugh about it. Then we aged, got injured, began carrying stress in our shoulders and back. In short, we lost our balance. Yoga is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit. It brings us balance.
We recommend practicing hatha yoga at least twice a week, but we consider yoga to be part of one's daily life because after awhile you no longer just practice yoga - you live it.
Your body grows stronger, more toned, and more flexible as you move from one asana-or pose-to the other. "Rather than building muscle, yoga builds muscle tone," says Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of the K.I.S.S. Guide to Yoga. "Because yoga helps maintain a balanced metabolism, it also helps to regulate weight. Additionally, yoga stretches muscles lengthwise, causing fat to be eliminated around the cells, thus reducing cellulite."
Yoga teaches you to focus on breathing while you hold the poses. This attention to breath is calming; it dissolves stress and anxiety. I use yogic breathing on the tennis courts, in the dentist's chair, when I'm stuck in traffic.
You should always leave a yoga practice feeling energized, not tired. If you feel tired after yoga, it means you spent the time "fighting" yourself, trying to force yourself into poses. In yoga, you "surrender" to the pose by letting go of the tension.
Yoga is practiced by people from all religions; it is nondenominational. Yoga teaches "right" living in how we deal with ourselves and others. As you work on a difficult pose, you learn patience, forgiveness, and the value of gentleness. Yoga advocates proper eating, but you don't have to be a vegetarian to practice yoga.
We recommend practicing hatha yoga at least twice a week, but we consider yoga to be part of one's daily life because after awhile you no longer just practice yoga - you live it.
Your body grows stronger, more toned, and more flexible as you move from one asana-or pose-to the other. "Rather than building muscle, yoga builds muscle tone," says Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of the K.I.S.S. Guide to Yoga. "Because yoga helps maintain a balanced metabolism, it also helps to regulate weight. Additionally, yoga stretches muscles lengthwise, causing fat to be eliminated around the cells, thus reducing cellulite."
Yoga teaches you to focus on breathing while you hold the poses. This attention to breath is calming; it dissolves stress and anxiety. I use yogic breathing on the tennis courts, in the dentist's chair, when I'm stuck in traffic.
You should always leave a yoga practice feeling energized, not tired. If you feel tired after yoga, it means you spent the time "fighting" yourself, trying to force yourself into poses. In yoga, you "surrender" to the pose by letting go of the tension.
Yoga is practiced by people from all religions; it is nondenominational. Yoga teaches "right" living in how we deal with ourselves and others. As you work on a difficult pose, you learn patience, forgiveness, and the value of gentleness. Yoga advocates proper eating, but you don't have to be a vegetarian to practice yoga.
The Yoga and The Athlete
One 40-year old athlete, a woman named Natali, had knees and lower back constantly ailing but of course, that didn't stop her "type A" personality from plugging along and doing what she loved most: swimming, biking and running. Striving to find the remedy to all her aches and pains, she went to see a battery of doctors which included Chiropractors (ART), Physical Therapists, Orthopedists, Acupuncturists, etc. She had tried it all and although she did see some results in relieving her ailments while under the care of all of these different types of doctors, she found that their techniques alone just gave her temporary relief. Once she started putting on the mileage again, the back spasms and the knee pains started to creep up again and again.
Then one day, a friend of a friend suggested that she try yoga. Natali looked at her and thought she was nuts and that’s NOT for her, much too relaxing. She went on to say that the owner, Lorraine (head yogi) of the Yoga studio was also a Physical Therapist and that she could definitely help her. Lorraine’s knowledge of the anatomy and understanding injuries was what made Natali give it a shot. She went for a private consultation with a yoga teacher and found that her biggest problem was her weakened core and she told her that through the practice of Anusara Yoga which focuses on body alignment, she would be able strengthen all the weak areas in her body, specifically core, and lower back, as well as knees.
And so, with an open mind, Natali began the classes and much to her amazement, she discovered, in a one hour session the hidden secret to core strengthening, mega stretching, flexibility, range of motion, serious concentration and balance improvement! She also found that her knowledge of what she thought yoga was, "relaxing", was not entirely correct. It takes an enormous amount of strength to engage all the muscles isometrically, and hold a pose for 5 LONG breaths. Think of it as hugging all your muscles to the bone and isolating them while holding the pose and trying not to tip over. Not an easy task! However, over time, Natali discovered that the practice of yoga is striving to find a balance between effort and ease and isn’t that what all of the athletes strive for? She found the focusing aspect to be very similar to triathlon training and racing. As an athlete who has completed many thriathlon distances, including one Ironman, the amount of concentration and composure that one needs to maintain during training and especially on race day is tremendous! Also, the breath is very critical in yoga as it is in triathlon. In the midst of the challenge of achieving a pose, finding the ease in the breath is key. Similar to when you are out there doing all those open water swims trying to concentrate on the rhythm of your breath and not on what creatures are lurking below the dark waters! And maybe the most important aspect of yoga that Natali discovered, in addition to building strength, is the stretching. Let’s face it, most of us don’t take the time to stretch before or after our bike rides or runs and this can cause many problems down the road. In yoga, while you are engaging all those muscles, and focusing on not falling over, and breathing, you are also stretching your limbs in opposite directions….very challenging!
After 4 months of practicing Natali could see the difference in her body, especially in the core area and flexibility. She no longer lived with nagging lower back aches, muscle spasms or constant knee pain.
Then one day, a friend of a friend suggested that she try yoga. Natali looked at her and thought she was nuts and that’s NOT for her, much too relaxing. She went on to say that the owner, Lorraine (head yogi) of the Yoga studio was also a Physical Therapist and that she could definitely help her. Lorraine’s knowledge of the anatomy and understanding injuries was what made Natali give it a shot. She went for a private consultation with a yoga teacher and found that her biggest problem was her weakened core and she told her that through the practice of Anusara Yoga which focuses on body alignment, she would be able strengthen all the weak areas in her body, specifically core, and lower back, as well as knees.
And so, with an open mind, Natali began the classes and much to her amazement, she discovered, in a one hour session the hidden secret to core strengthening, mega stretching, flexibility, range of motion, serious concentration and balance improvement! She also found that her knowledge of what she thought yoga was, "relaxing", was not entirely correct. It takes an enormous amount of strength to engage all the muscles isometrically, and hold a pose for 5 LONG breaths. Think of it as hugging all your muscles to the bone and isolating them while holding the pose and trying not to tip over. Not an easy task! However, over time, Natali discovered that the practice of yoga is striving to find a balance between effort and ease and isn’t that what all of the athletes strive for? She found the focusing aspect to be very similar to triathlon training and racing. As an athlete who has completed many thriathlon distances, including one Ironman, the amount of concentration and composure that one needs to maintain during training and especially on race day is tremendous! Also, the breath is very critical in yoga as it is in triathlon. In the midst of the challenge of achieving a pose, finding the ease in the breath is key. Similar to when you are out there doing all those open water swims trying to concentrate on the rhythm of your breath and not on what creatures are lurking below the dark waters! And maybe the most important aspect of yoga that Natali discovered, in addition to building strength, is the stretching. Let’s face it, most of us don’t take the time to stretch before or after our bike rides or runs and this can cause many problems down the road. In yoga, while you are engaging all those muscles, and focusing on not falling over, and breathing, you are also stretching your limbs in opposite directions….very challenging!
After 4 months of practicing Natali could see the difference in her body, especially in the core area and flexibility. She no longer lived with nagging lower back aches, muscle spasms or constant knee pain.
Daily yoga classes are helping to struggle against the job stress
Twenty minutes of yoga a day remove the feeling of stress by more than 10 percent and improves the quality of sleep, according to U.S. physicians. To minimize the impact of external stressors on the organism, the Ohio State University experts offer regular yoga practice for at least 20 minutes a day, but for best results - for an hour daily for at least eight weeks.
Researchers say that yoga can be practiced directly at work. Some volunteers took place in the experiment: every day they were doing yoga and meditation in the working environment during the lunch break. Doctors analyzed saliva samples for testing for the presence of the main stress hormone - cortisol. After six weeks, a significant decrease in the impact of stress on well-being of participants was observed. Also, it's reported that, through yoga, people went to sleep much easier.
Since it is proved that chronic stress is associated with the development of serious diseases, the experts are focused on reducing the impact of daily stressors on health. It was found that daily practiced yoga reduces levels of stress hormones, regulates sleep, prevents daytime fatigue, positively impacts on specific types of stress, is a good means of relaxation at work and monitors breathing. Also, yoga classes allow increasing focus on job responsibilities by 9,7% and reducing job stress by 11%. Clinicians of the Massachusetts University believe that yoga helps getting rid of the symptoms of depression, anxiety and chronic pain.
What is Global Mala Yoga for Peace?
Global Mala Yoga for Peace is an international project, whose idea is to unite yogis societies from all the continents, schools and styles in order to create “mala around the Earth", in other words, by using the collective practice enclose the circle of energies around the planet to support beneficent world action. Funds earned during this action will be passed to the hospitals, orphanages, etc. The participants are people practicing and interested in yoga, who are eager to reach harmony inside and all over the world, and who can not remain indifferent to children suffering from spinal curvatures. On this day, yogis all over the world will join together to realize the following actions:
108 Sun salutes
108 Om mantras
108 Meditation minutes
This will be 4 hours of practice, joint execution of Om mantras, a show, and trade exhibition of hand-made things! People who take part in this action will have a unique possibility to get acquainted with yogis from their country as well as with foreign ones, practice yoga under guidance of leading teachers and enjoy energy of movement.
The following countries took place in the Global Mala Yoga for Peace project during the previous years: the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Kenya, SAR, Tanzania, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Canada and others.
The practice is adapted to all levels! Be the sun-ray for those who need this most of all!
Why “Sun Salutes"?
The "Sun Salutes" set of exercises covers all the human physiology: mind, body and breath. It strengthens and stretches the main groups of muscles, anoints the joints, improves spine's condition and massages the internal. Blood starts flowing faster, circulating around the whole body. The circle consists of 12 light yoga postures, which are fulfilled in an accurate order one by one. Each movement should be synchronized with breathing. The perfectness of these exercises is explained by that fact that these are directed to improvement of the whole body's functionality.
What is "mala"?
Mala is a beads, usually consisting of 108 grains. Malas made of Tulasy wood or Runraksy seeds are most commonly used. Beads are different in size and arranged in the size descending order. Each bead is tied up with knots, so that even if the beads are torn, no one bead will be lost. Counting out starts from the largest bead and finishes with the smallest one.
The Global Mala Yoga for Peace project plans holding practices in the countries all over the world on the autumnal equinox day, where each country will present one part (grain) of the international mala. The main purpose of the project is to «plant» this grain of mutual understanding, love and empathy all around the world!
Indian Yoga in Mexico
The recently opened Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya hotel, which had already established itself as one of the best beach hotels of Mexico, in October will present a new option - courses of Indian yoga.
Hotel Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya is located on the Caribbean coast, close to the legendary cities of ancient Mayan civilization - Chichen-Itza, Coba and Tulum. Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya is a perfect luxury base to explore these mystical places.
And in October, here the courses of Indian Yoga - Wellness Yoga Retreat - will be open. Hotel guests will get the exclusive opportunity to renew their mind, body and soul with the help of an experienced Indian yoga instructor Rishi Baradvadzha from ancient dynasty of yogis. According to him, the proximity of the ancient magic Mayan civilization will help reinforce the positive effects of yoga, since at these locations a very strong atmosphere had been created, which in itself contributes to the spiritual and physical growth.
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