Will the Real Guru Ji Please Stand Up

"What's the best kind of Yoga to learn?"
"Which Yoga studio/ashram/guru/type of yoga is the best?"
"Do you have to be a Hindu to do Yoga?"
"I am not flexible, how can I do yoga?"
"What is real yoga?"

These are questions people ask me a lot as an Indian and as a Yogi. Often times I am not equipped to answer them.

I just watched Kumare, and I totally felt Vikram Gandhi's strife - growing up in the USA, with Indian values. Wanting to break free from these ancient seemingly nonsensical stuff yet people of this western world- America- are moving towards it. The absurdity! So seriously I was enthralled by Buffy, Friends, and X-Files. I really wanted to be an FBI agent. And here there are people dreaming of becoming a Yogi, of enlightenment, happiness, peace and calmness.

As an Indian I was taught to value education, education, achievement, career, achievement, normalcy, and success. What does that mean? Well it means - get super educated, get a career that you can make the big bucks from, settle down, make a family, and then live in the luxury that pre-independence Indians could not dream of. This didn't make sense to me, because I wanted more than just that flow. I like a different sun salutation everyday. Why should I do the same one, when my body tells me to stretch this way! I became a rebel, death metal, the goth culture, etc. so alluring, especially cause it freaked "normal" people out. I matured and looked deeper, and like Vikram I studied religion, as well as psychology, cultural geography etc.

I began listening to the guru inside me, because I never could connect with an external guru, I did have people I connected with, empathized with, and listened to their advice or their words of wisdom. Worship never sat well with me. I think of all things I believe in the Universe, nature, and the powerful energy that runs through us all the most. Call it God? Ok! I don't have a name for it, and it has no rules for me, except I must be a good person, cause hurting others just don't feel good.

Yoga has always been a part of my life, cause 1- I'm Indian, and my mom's grandad taught her, and its a cultural thing for most of us. 2- My mom was really into it all her life 3- My mom made my sis and I go to the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Chennai back when we were itty bitty, against our will may I add... we had no idea what this "Yoga" was going to be. We liked it. We liked yoga cause we could become animals and hop around - a crow, a dog, a cat, a cow, a lion, a tree, a upside down person, a peacock... and then we made up our own animals.

Fast forward 23 years, I am finally working on my Yoga teacher certification, which I should have gotten years ago from the center, but as mentioned before, I wanted to be Buffy and not Yogi! I get to USA and everyone is Yogi, and I am Buffy! Ha! My journey through life, its pains, joys, taught me much, and the time was ready for this deeper learning of Yoga. It was still the ability to turn into other animals, however NOW it was something much deeper.

Through this learning of Yoga, I connect better with people, better myself and skills (slowly but surely, such a tough process and I often stumble), and understand the world, universe and life with a clarity previously unfound. Then again my boyfriend Ryan, is a Kumare, traveling his on path. It's amazing how people understand the same deep truth which is right in front of us through different journeys. Some of us need a mirror, some of search in other cultures, religions, practices, traveling, and others just see it as it is.

It's not about education, accomplishment or achievement... it's about putting all that aside and seeing the truth. It's harder to do than it seems to be. Something so simple yet so difficult for so many to achieve? It' kind of like Einstein's works, it makes so much sense, and so simple yet he put it all together.
Definitely watch Kumare if you haven't. It's on Netflix. Stop searching externally, and seek within... (he's not saying worship yourself and inflate your ego). Yoga helps introspect, as well as so many other benefits. Find your own path, read, definitely study the old Hindu scriptures, there is much wisdom and truth there.

Guru's are great for being guided, growing and taught, which not able to understand a process. Gurus are not made through certifications, PhDs etc. although some people think they are...  but anyway are / should be spiritual friends who help you wake up. We must share our paths to grow. I am so lucky to have an amazing set of gurujis!

I'm not great guru... I'm just me, Pree. I might not be right but these are things which I have learned and know. So here are my answers to the questions asked

What Yoga school is good/ real/ correct? It depends on what you are looking for! Google is a great tool to research yoga. However in the end Yoga is Yoga is Yoga. Just like which Christianity is the right/true/real Christianity?  Baptists? Protestants? Catholics? Lutherans? It just depends on if you want an asana focused practice, chanting focused practice, or service focused practice. Within the Asana focused practice there is so many different types of practice concerning asana... etc.


There are many awesome Yoga studios in Ohio! Go to different classes at different places and find out which yoga class suits you! I like slow restorative yoga to a good vinyasa flow.

One does not need to be flexible to do yoga. Everyone can do yoga. Only lazy people can not do yoga. You also don't have to be Hindu to do yoga. Also being Hindu doesn't mean worshiping multiple Gods... those who think so are dhakkans. Read!

What is yoga... real yoga? Well you have to learn to find out!




Breathe


and

Live.

An article about chanting in sanskrit

The Call of the East

Firstly back by heightened interest, need and more participants is the 5 minute meditation project blog!

What amazes me, warms me, and makes me bubble up over flowing with love, is how i have come to find a mass of people who enjoy learning, living, loving the philosophies and teachings I grew up with (which I so rebelliously shunned as a teen)! I'm talking about yoga, meditation, chanting slokas, ॐ, Sanskrit (as a kid I thought - what is the use of this!), Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharatha (I watched the entire series in the 90s with my grandmom who fluctuates in and out dementia), etc. Being Indian, and growing up with the whole family, and mom sending me to Bhagavad Gita classes, Bengali classes, singing classes, made no sense then, and was a lot of learning, information (we thought the internet was full of information) overload! My mom always said, "you will thank me one day" with that all-knowing tone. I guess that day is today. I can pass on my knowledge which I acquired begrudgingly, but now cherish and nurture.

So recently I picked up (on kindle) Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik, which is a version of the Mahabharata, to refresh my memory on the story. I forgot how complex it was, getting lost in the Maya of life; story within story within story, that you forget where the original story began. Perhaps that's how the movie 'Inception' was conceived.... dream within a dream within a dream... basically Maya. Will write more on this as I get lost deeper in the maya of this book.

Then I also found the old Srimad Bhagavad Gita by Swami Tapasyananada (Ramakrishna Mission Publishing) I learned from. I was in 6th or 7th grade when the Bhagavad Gita classes started. Every Sunday afternoon after lunch, when a kid just wants to snooze, heavy mind boggling Gita philosophy and the heavy Sanskrit, deconstruction, and just taking it all in. Our teacher was and is a historian but also a Sanskrit scholar. He is very learned, and I still ask him when I have any doubts, questions, and need help refreshing my memory. After that class, we had chanting class, so more Sanskrit, understanding slokas and deep philosophy (as a teen this wasn't fun, we just wanted to go out and play or take a nap as we were taught as a child). That was the heavy stuff, which helped me stay on track, and also helped me identify the things I needed to rebel against as a teen (because that's what teens do to be cool), but later on in life, helped me stay true to myself, beliefs and remain a good person. Something did manage to sink in despite all the rebelling during teenage years.

I'm so glad that I can read Devnagiri, Bangla, Tamil (this one I am a little slow at), and can understand it because of the combined knowledge of all four. They are so interlinked, so culturally founded, and the fact my family is so bong (slang for Bengali), this knowledge is passed down - Gayatri Mantra, the gotrams, lineage, connection to the whole shenanigans of the Sapta Rishis (yes I said that!), the mantras, the yamas and niyamas, even the eightfold path... I guess it is all taught, when I took Buddhism classes at CSU, I was excited to tell my parents about three jewels in buddhism - Buddha Dharma Sangha, and of course my dad knew all about it and recited it in Sanskrit with his Bengali pronunciation Buddho, Dhormo, Shangho! Maybe he's an exception, because he was lucky to have been sent off to Sri Ramakrishna Mission in Puruliya, and maybe that where all this knowledge was bestowed onto him, but often times parents try to teach their kids, but kids partially take it in?!?!

My point is, there is this growing desire in the west to learn all the above, and I find it amazing, and heart warming. When I came back to the USA in 2001, I was enrolled in a Christian college where I was told my birth religion was wrong, so were all other faiths. I was told that Christ was the only way to heaven. My argument was as long as you are a good human why would you be denied heaven, especially if the religion taught you how to live as a good human? I was told that was just the way, and God wanted us to find him through Christ and Christianity only. My idea of an open, accepting and appreciating America, was shattered. This is why I am happy to learn so many people accepting teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, the Gita, Patanjali, the Upanishads, the Vedas, into their world. It restores my faith in mankind... To accept something so alien as Sanskrit into your life (it's a different script, and sounds like gibberish, hard to pronounce, thus alien), and recite the words with so much love and joy, its pretty amazing to me! Thank you all for inspiring me to appreciate the culture I come from. I see it with fresh eyes. I wish the rest of India would do the same... the beauty it came from has become twisted and dirty. If this group in Northeast Ohio can do it, everyone and anyone else can too!

Breathe!

Picture courtesy Piyali Banerjie

Picture courtesy Chris Soria

Picture courtesy Piyali Banerjie

Picture courtesy Chris Soria

Fitness Goals - Week 4

Doing Yoga on every weekday now! And I feel like my body is more sculpted, toned, but definitely more aware, and flexible. Also been eating lentils daily, wish really flushes me out (if you know what I mean!). It is great to be in tune with my body again. However I did sign up for a 'Yoga for Climbers' class which focuses on muscles, stretching, healing and building. It is a mixture of a flow, balancing, and relaxation.

We start off slow, and then go into Surya Namaskar (sun salutation). Then we do variations of warriors, twists and some of the balancing poses. Of course my favorite pose is Savasana, the lights go dim, soothing music playing in the background, and pass out! However this gives me the kick to get on with my weekly workouts. I want to see improvements in ME!

The weekly visits to the Chiropractor have been awesome, along with the yoga. Also I may soon be able to climb again! I am still on the elliptical however, but pushing the heart rate a little above 150. I also took a chance and began running on the treadmill for 5 minutes only, however my chiropractor advised me against it. :-P

Yoga is definitely great, and so is eating healthy. As apple a day, lentil soup, avoiding carbs and starch, and focusing on proteins. :-)

Breathe!

check out my blog on how to make healthy lentil soup.

Warrior poses in stick figures!

Warrior 1