Yoga Headlines

Ban on yoga for muslims?

Mr Harussani Zakaria, a controversial cleric from the northern Perak state, said the government-backed National Fatwa Council would soon release a decree, or 'fatwa', which would decide if Muslims were allowed to practise yoga.

'If it involves any faith or religious elements it is definitely not permissible but if it is just a form of exercise that is all right,' Mr Harussani said.

'Muslims cannot practice yoga in its original form because it involves another religion,' he said in response to a call to ban Muslims from engaging in yoga.

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, where more than 60 percent of the population of 27 million are Muslim Malays who practice a conservative brand of the religion.

There have been similar decries about Yoga from conservative Christian groups as well, all seem to think that somehow the Hindi elements will warp a person's beliefs. In my own practice, I've had many students talk about how Yoga strengthened their beliefs, because it brought their body, mind, and spirit together better and faster than hours of prayer and bible study.

Of course, that could be the real issue... Harussani is noted as a "controversial cleric," and many of the Christian ministers that warn against Yoga practice are, evangelical ministers who rely on keeping their flocks in sway so they'll continue to give money to the ministry... perhaps they're worried that if their congregations start thinking for themselves, they'll see just how full of it these ministers/clerics really are and they'll lose their power/money.

For me, I follow what I consider some good advice when it comes to mixing my spirituality with my religion:

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of teachers, elders, or wise men. Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all. Then accept it and live up to it."

-Buddha

But then, that may just me doing something blasphemous... thinking for myself.

Namaste.

Simhasana

A.K.A. Lion Pose

Inspired by a comment on my last posting.

Namaste!

These guys have got it right...

A lot of the time we practitioners of Yoga take it all waaaaaaay too seriously. And that's not hard to do when you're trying to stay in a meditative state and focus on your body. It's hard to have fun or find humor in your practice when you're trying to work through pain at the same time. I know when I focus on how much a body part hurts, or how much it sticks, it seems like the discomfort increases and time seems to stretch to infinity; much like when I'm watching the teapot boil. When an unexpected interruption comes, that doesn't make me break my pose of course, my thinking mind pulls the focus away and when I come back, that discomfort is not as bad.

I've seen a lot of press in recent months about "Laughter" Yoga, and I get a kick out of the reporters treating this like a new thing. Though, when I consider "gym" Yoga and many of the established schools, they do lend themselves to a high level of seriousness.

Bill, my Guru, was initiated into the Ananda Marga International Yoga Society. He told me his Guru had the philosophy of, "if you can't walk out of the house without a smile on your face, go back inside and get yourself right before you mess with the world's karma." Because of that, Bill has always interjected humor and fun into his course. And when I my certification path forced me to go to another teacher (who specialized in Inyegar) I was turned off by her style of teaching an Yoga because she tended to be very serious.

Of course, my teaching has always interjected humor, and encouraged laughter and outbursts one may not find in a more traditional, serious Yoga class. Naturally, this has made it harder for me to "reign everybody in" when it's time for meditation or Pranayama. Still, I wouldn't change my teaching style, because I feel the laughter is more beneficial.

Ultimately, I think these guys have it right: Yoga Monkies

I think adults should enroll in this course whether they have kids or not!

Namaste

Psychotic Episode Associated With Bikram Yoga -- Am J Psychiatry

This was a letter to the editor in the American Journal of Psychiatry that I came across:

We report a case of psychosis precipitated by Bikram yoga.
"Mr. B" was a 33-year-old man with a history of brief hallucinogen-induced psychosis, with full interval remission, 10 years before he became psychotic while participating in a Bikram yoga instructors' training seminar lasting several days. In the days leading up to the episode, he felt dehydrated, ate poorly, and slept only 2-3 hours per night. He then developed auditory and visual hallucinations (he reported seeing owls speaking to him, "cat-like slits" in people's eyes, and a cross on his own forehead), paranoia, and a disturbing sense that there was "a battle for control of [his] mind" and that he had "betrayed God." He endorsed racing thoughts, and after feeling increasingly agitated one day, he recited the Lord's Prayer loudly in class and became physically aggressive when confronted, which necessitated involuntary hospital admission. On examination, the patient displayed a flat affect, endorsed ideas of reference and delusional thinking, and was uncharacteristically preoccupied with religious ideation, but he was not manic. Laboratory testing revealed no electrolyte abnormalities, urine toxicology screening was negative, and an electroencephalogram and brain magnetic resonance imaging were normal. The patient was treated with aripiprazole 15 mg/day, with robust improvement in psychosis after 1 week and full resolution by 1 month. Aripiprazole was discontinued, and the patient continued to report feeling "normal" at the 4-month follow-up.

The letter then goes on to criticize the safety of Yoga practice, concluding with:

Clinicians should screen patients for alternative therapies, including yoga, caution patients who are prone to either mania or psychosis against stress and sleep deprivation, and consider the cultural contexts of yoga-induced psychosis in order to fully help their patients in healing.

May I first point out that:

1. We don't all practice Bikram Yoga; and
2. the patient had suffered from hallucinogen-induced psychosis prior to enrolling in the instructor course.

My conclusion from reading the article, and granted I'm not a licensed clinician, is that the patient would have likely undergone the same mental break in any highly-stressful environment where he may have suffered sleep deprivation and malnutrition as part of adjusting to the training. Armed service training, springs to mind, which is both intensely physical and psychological; often more than an unstable individual can withstand. Had the patient enlisted rather than enrolled, would this letter have warned us of the dangers of military practice?
Training to become a Bikram instructor is reportedly intense, but not so overly demanding that its instructors are all psychotic (though practicing in 105 degree rooms...). Reading this blog: Bikram's Teacher Training 2006, I can imagine insomnia and loss of appetite could occur for some individuals as they adjusted. That, plus the intensity of training reported in the aforementioned blog would probably lead me to hallucination (likely from heat-stroke). However, I can assure any reader that may worry about this, that the art of Yoga is not to blame.

Namasté

Are you a Yoga Snob?

I took this fun little quiz on YogaJournal.com. I had to leave a couple of the questions unanswered, like the one about the water bottle, since they didn't have an answer that really fit me (I have a wide array of water bottles that I fill up at home, or from the water fountain when I get to the studio... some are metal, some are plastic, none are designer bottles).

Anyway, here's my final result:

I'm a Balanced Yogi!

A Balanced Yogi You love your friends unconditionally and accept them for who they are no matter what their yoga style preference, religious beliefs, or spending habits. You focus on the good in people and would never try to change them. Almost everyone feels comfortable in your presence. You live your yoga. You are an inspiration to yoga students everywhere!

Take the Yoga Journal Yoga Snob Quiz!

Tai Chi and Yoga rated in the top 10 Complementary Medical Treatments from the Mayo Clinic

It's always fun to get medical validation...

There are two great neglected areas in the treatment and prevention of disease: lifestyle changes and so-called complementary medicine. Lifestyle changes involve using diet, exercise, stress control and the like to treat and prevent disease. Unfortunately, too many doctors are too busy prescribing drugs and surgeries when lifestyle changes might be even more effective and safer.

The other neglected area is sometimes called alternative medicine, but now the preferred term is complementary medicine: treatments used in addition to conventional medicine such as acupuncture and spinal manipulation. It is intended to complement conventional medicine rather than being an alternative.

As most of the health care delivery system is on the medication/surgery merry-go-round, some doctors neglect or ignore altogether lifestyle treatment and complementary medicine...

Click to read the rest of the article...

Dragon Studios offers instruction in 3 of the ten...

5. Meditation. Meditation focuses on breathing and on a word such as "peace," "love" or "life." The word, repeated with each breath, is called the mantra. Mayo has used meditation to treat anxiety and high blood pressure and to help people quit smoking without medication.
An analysis of 20 studies found that meditation helped patients cope with epilepsy, premenstrual syndrome, menopausal symptoms, autoimmune disease and anxiety during cancer treatment.

9. Tai chi. This is a gentle exercise that is derived from Chinese martial arts. It involves a series of postures and movements performed slowly and gracefully. It is recommended to improve balance in older people to prevent their falling.
A study conducted in the Netherlands found those who practiced tai chi had 50 percent fewer falls and fewer injury-causing falls than those who did not.

10. Yoga. This involves stretching and breathing exercises derived from India. It is said to help body and mind. It is especially effective for stress relief, lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, anxiety and depression.
A study out of New Delhi, India, found that 98 people with heart disease and diabetes who practiced yoga breathing techniques and postures had significant improvement in total cholesterol and blood sugar.

Sting drops in on Toronto yoga class

Yoga students attending a class in the city's trendy Queen West neighbourhood were thrilled to find themselves doing sun salutations and the flowering lotus a few feet from Sting earlier this week.

The Grammy-winning musician delighted yoga practitioners by attending a public class Monday, a few hours before one of two Toronto dates on The Police's reunion tour, their first in more than 20 years.

While he stood out in the class - it was Sting, after all - students quickly settled into the usual routine.

"Everyone was quiet for a minute when Sting walked in, and then it just calmed down," said Leigh Anne Dunn, who has practised yoga at the Downward Dog studio for five years. "It was really natural and nice."

Sting isn't the only celebrity who has stopped by the Downward Dog while visiting Toronto: actors Willem Defoe and Mariel Hemingway have frequented the studio, Dunn says.

Downward Dog co-owner Diane Bruni and Sting share a friend: world-renowned yoga teacher Danny Paradise, a Toronto native whose students have included Madonna, Paul Simon and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.

Bruni says Paradise, who taught Monday's class, first introduced Sting to yoga almost 20 years ago.

Hey, Sting, the next time you're in Salt Lake City...