I was inspired to write this post about yoga and gender issues after a fellow yoga teacher posted this photograph on Facebook earlier this week. 

This photograph raises so many thoughts and questions. Why has yoga been stereotyped as a female form of exercise in the west? Why do so many men resist it when a lot of the strength and balancing postures favor the male body? What can we learn about practicing and teaching yoga so that it is relevant and safe for both genders?

I’d like to start by introducing a little bit of yoga history that many people may not be aware of. While the traditional practice of yoga philosophy and meditation are thousands of years old, modern postural yoga asana as commonly seen in the west was developed at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. Prior to this, the practice of asana was subordinate and in some cases even rejected by traditional yoga teachers who put precedence on pranayama (breath technique) and meditation. One of the most influential figures in the development of modern yoga asana is T. Krishnamacharya, who was commissioned by the Maharaja of Mysore to create a dynamic physical practice for India’s youth. What resulted is yoga asana as we know today, which is a combination of hatha yoga, wrestling exercises, and modern Western gymnastics (for a more detailed account of yoga history, go to http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2610).

In the early years, the practice of yoga was developed by men, taught by men and practiced only by men. In fact, Indra Devi, who is also known as the “Mother of Western Yoga,” was refused instruction by Krishnamacharya on the basis that she was Western and a woman. It took the convincing of the Maharaja of Mysore and a lot of hard work for Indra Devi to finally be accepted and respected within the yoga community. So this begs the question, with a strong lineage of male founders, when and how did women become the main practitioners of yoga? It’s perhaps due to strong female figures like Indra Devi as well as more recent teachers who have transformed the practice of yoga from “the male-centered, rigid style with a distinctly feminine practice that honors intuition, family, flow, connection, community, activism, and the cyclical nature of women’s lives” (from the official website of the movie Yoga Woman). With the increased popularity of yoga in the 1960s, more and more women were drawn to the practice until today, over 70% of yoga practitioners are women.

Perhaps it is intimidating for a man to walk into a room full of women, as is common in most yoga studios. Perhaps, because men tend to be more athletic or drawn towards strength training, they’re also naturally tighter and less flexible, which can make a yoga practice incredibly painful, especially where hip and shoulder openers are concerned. Perhaps it has to do with ego, where men feel they have to do better than women. Whatever the reason, yoga has transformed. In an attempt to attract more men, many studios have started offering specialized classes, tailored specifically for the male body. Think of Broga®, Yoga for Men. The homepage of the Broga® website reads:

“Men think differently, and their bodies move differently than women’s. Shouldn’t there be a yoga class geared specifically for the bodies and minds of men? Actually, there is, and it’s called Broga® Yoga.”

The irony in this is while women comprise the majority of students, many of the basic yoga postures are still more male friendly. Take Chatarunga Dandasana, for example. It is a posture that is done over and over again in the Ashtanga and Vinyasa styles of yoga. Men tend to have much more upper body strength then women and can use the strength of their pectoral muscles to take them through the posture. If practiced incorrectly in the long term, this posture can be harmful on the shoulders and wrists, making women more susceptible to injury in this posture.

The distance between a man’s hips and his floating ribs is a fraction of the distance for a woman. Therefore, women can be much more “bendy,” but more susceptible again to injury, whereas men have the structural stability of the shorter hip to rib distance. Arm balances such as Bakasana and Eka Pada Koundiyasana present more challenges to women since a woman’s center of gravity is on average one inch lower and further back than a man's. She also carries more weight below the waist; around her hips, buttocks, and thighs.

The point of this blog is not to argue over who struggles more in yoga, and who has it easier, but to present the challenges faced by both genders. As practitioners it’s important to be aware of our own anatomical challenges so that we can practice in a way that is safe and sustainable. As teachers, it is critical to understand the anatomical differences between men and women so that we can teach in a way that is safe for everyone in the class, and so that we can be understanding and empathize with the struggles faced by the opposite gender.

Yoga’s a practice that will benefit all, no matter what size and shape you are. Traditionally, it was taught one-on-one from teacher to student. In today’s world of packed out yoga classes, the one-size fits all approach has left many (not just men) alienated to the practice. From a personal level, understanding your own body and your physical structure will help you to observe, accept and appreciate your yoga practice exactly where it is instead of worrying about where you think it should be.

I invite you to make any comments, arguments or even corrections to anything that I have written in this post. They reflect my own personal opinions and not those of Luang Prabang Yoga.

Blog post by Julie (juliehana.com)

Shiva is one of the three main Gods in the Hindu Pantheon; he is the God of destruction and transformation. Shiva is also the God of Yoga, as the goal of Yoga is transformation; transformation of our bodies into healthy, flexible, strong temples for our soul and mind, and transformation of our „monkey mind“ into a peaceful, stable, relaxed and joyful state, allowing us to perceive life as a beautiful, growing and flowing ride despite of all challenges and ongoing changes. So what can we do to achieve this? Of course, Practice Yoga... :-) But what does that mean?

Most commonly when we talk about Yoga, we think of practicing Asanas (Yoga postures) and maybe doing some breathing (Pranayama) along with it. And thats fine as a good Asana session can already leave us feeling more relaxed, more balanced and connected to ourself and others. But gaining this stability in ourself through the Asana practice is only one of the paths of Yoga. There are three additional paths to reach the same goal. Karma Yoga (selfless service), Jnana Yoga (studying of spiritual scriptures) and Bhakti Yoga (devotional service). Depending on our own personality or life circumstances one may work better for us than the other.

An important part of Bhakti Yoga is the repeating or chanting of „Mantras“. Loosely translated, Mantra means: „protection of the mind against negative thoughts/forces“.  Mostly we try to protect our house, our money, our children against negative influences, but what about our mind? Is our own mind sometimes not the most harmful and our worst enemy? Chanting a „Mantra“ can help us attain peace of heart and mind by cultivating the positive qualities represented by a specific Hindu deity.

As mentioned, Shiva is the God of destruction and transformation. By chanting his mantra OM NAMAH SHIVAYA we literally try to build and cultivate in ourself the power to destroy our negative thoughts like greed, anger, jealousy and to transform them into postive ones like tolerance, humility, compassion etc. which we then have to cultivate and carry in our heart in order to bring our inner light to shine. Only when we „destroy“ first, i.e. when we let go and make space, we have room to fill our cup again. Clarity of the mind opens our third eye, our eye of Intuition. NAMAH and also NAMAS means prostrating or bowing (the English word „name“ has its roots here). OM NAHMAH means „to bow in the presence of Om“, i.e. „in the presence of the primordial sound“; thus OM NAMAH SHIVAYA may loosely be translated as „in the presence of the primordial sound I bow to you Shiva“.

In the Yoga tradition using mantras or chanting is the royal path to transforming our mind as it works over emotions and thus touches the very essence of our being. So perhaps you may want to give it a try, see what a bit of meditation and listening to or even singing this mantra may do for you. Be open, be surprised.... J
check out the video below: 

blogpost by Kathrin 

I’ve been practicing yoga for about 10 years now. For the first 8 years, you can say that I was pretty much obsessed with the power Vinyasa style. More recently however, I’ve begun to dabble in various different styles of yoga including, but not limited to Iyengar, Sivananda Hatha Yoga, Jivamukti, Vini Yoga, Yin Yoga and Anusara. Some may say that being involved in the different styles and different philosophies waters down my commitment to each, but I disagree. Students come to my classes from different backgrounds and practices. I want to understand where they come from and what they practice. I love incorporating aspects of the different philosophies into my teachings because I believe there’s truth in all of them. That’s why, when Yuri approached me last week to ask whether he could teach a Kundalini Yoga class, I jumped at the opportunity to again expand my knowledge and understanding of yet another yoga perspective.

Of all the yoga styles and philosophies that I’ve encountered, Kundalini Yoga has always peaked my curiosity. It’s quite different from the Hatha and Ashtanga yoga lineage. I’ve also heard the claim that one Kundalini class is something like ten times more effective than other forms of yoga in stimulating change in a person’s life. So yesterday morning, I went to find out for myself.

Before I get into the specifics of the practice, I’d like to clear up one minor detail – one that tends to confuse people. As the goal of all yoga practices is the union of the Shiva and Shakti aspects, representing consciousness and creation, which is triggered by the awakening of Kundalini energy, a dormant potential force that lies at the base of the spine, all yoga is essentially Kundalini yoga. However, in this case, I’m referring to the “Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan,” who brought the practice to the west in the late 1960s.

Now, to the practice. We began with a short meditation while repeating the mantra “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo” to open the heart and empower us through our practice. Then began a series of short repetitive movements accompanied by the “breath of fire,” which is a little bit like controlled hyperventilation. I found the movements to be similar to some of the Vini Yoga movements that I’ve practiced before, but much faster. A simple example of one of these movements is taking your fingers to the shoulders with the elbows lifted to shoulder height. Inhale as you turn the entire torso, head and neck to the left. Exhale as you turn to the right. Now repeat this fast while using the breath of fire for about a minute and a half. Try it. It’s a lot harder than it seems, but somewhere between the burning shoulders, the focus on the area of the third eye and the breath of fire, I felt energy being released inside my body.

Okay, maybe it was the light-headedness that resulted from the hyperventilation, but through the movements and breathing and focus, I experienced a complete release of all the tension that I’d been holding on to all week. I shrugged it out through my shoulders, chopped down my obstacles with an invisible sword, released my fears through my breath and let all the worries escape by focusing on the light between my eyes. When it was all done, I laid down in Savasana and let the emptiness sweep over me.

I won’t vouch that everyone who attended class yesterday morning felt like this, although I’ll bet there are at least a couple of sore shoulders out there. Do I think I’ll be enlightened ten times faster? I’m not sure, but I do know that this certainly will not be my last Kundalini Yoga class.  I’d like to thank Yuri for teaching such a great class!

Blog post by Julie (juliehana.com)

Jessica Magnin began her workshop last weekend by asking, “How many people made a new year’s resolution this year?” Out of a room full of 20 people, only four raised their hands. Then came the question, “For those who did not make one, why didn’t you?” The answer, for most, was simple. New year’s resolutions almost always fail. And there you have it, the word “FAIL” or “FAILURE.”

Jessica explained that more often than not, the resolutions that we make are coupled with the potential to fail. Furthermore, resolutions such as “I will quit smoking this year” or “I will go to the gym four times a week” are created as a result of what we think we “should” be doing. A dictionary defines “should” as “used to indicate obligation, duty or correctness, typically when criticizing someone’s actions.”  Thus in creating many of our resolutions, we’re engaging in a cycle of self-criticism, which leads to failure when the resolution is not fulfilled, which again leads to even more self-criticism.

What if we were to change the way we made our resolutions? According to Jessica, choosing the right words and the right intention is key. So let’s start at the top and instead of “creating a resolution” let’s call it “seeding our intentions.” Right there, we generate an image of new beginnings, of growth and of continuous change. We switch from what our brains think we “should” do to what our hearts feel we “want” to do.

In choosing the words of your intention or Sankalpa, keep to larger and more general concepts such as happiness, peace or health rather than specific material desires such as money, career or body weight. Write down a few words or phrases, and then perhaps even a sentence using these words and phrases. When writing the sentence, be sure to begin the sentence with “I have” or “I am” rather than “I want” or “I must” so it becomes something positive that you are already experiencing. 

It’s a simple process really, but the result is empowering. Repeat your Sankalpa to yourself three times and let it resonate from the depths of your heart. Feel it taking place already. Take this further by combining a yoga practice focused on back-bending to open the heart and the throat where anahata chakra and vishuddhi chakra are respectively located, manifesting thoughts and speech into reality.

With the creation of the proper intention, seeded from the right words and right purpose, feel the connection to your true self or the nature of goodness within yourself that is unaffected by outside factors. Add twisting postures to your practice to illuminate your spine and remember, “the light within you is the same light that illuminates the entire universe.”

Thank you Jessica for your teachings and thanks to all the participants who showed up to support the SMILE Project.


Blog post by Julie (juliehana.com)

In December 2012 Al Jazeera producer and Huffington Post journalist, Bhanu Bhatnagar, completed his yoga teacher training and taught his first yoga class at the practice space in Ban Aphai. In line with the yoga community’s commitment to Karma Yoga, or service, the class was held as a fundraiser for the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center (TAEC). Proceeds of the class that was held on December 10 went towards supporting TAEC’s mission of preserving cultural diversity in Laos.

Bhanu recently wrote about his first teaching experience in the Huffington Post. The article is a reflection on an experience that most yoga teachers can appreciate. For students, this is a great insight into some of the challenges that your teachers face as they strive to deliver guidance, knowledge and compassion in their classes.

Read the Huffington Post article.

The following photographs were taken by Casey Conroy.

A close friend and recent guest teacher wrote an article in the Huffington Post’s Lifestyle section about the importance of a strong yoga community. This is a topic that resonates with me and one that I find close to my heart, as I often contemplate the growth of a yoga community here in Luang Prabang. Upon first setting foot on the peninsula in August 2011, I thought that surely such a spiritually inspiring and picturesque location would be host to a yoga community resembling those that I’ve encountered in Bali, Thailand and India. Alas, besides a small number of expatriates that gathered together several times a week to practice, there just wasn’t the same buzz about yoga in Luang Prabang as in other places. I’m talking about the kind of community that draws both teachers and students together from all over the world just to share the joy of yoga.

I’ve met many people here in Luang Prabang that practice on their own. I agree strongly with the Huffington Post article’s comment that while cultivating a personal practice is incredibly important, being part of a yoga community can help your practice transcend and take you places you never thought you’d end up. Within a strong yoga community, the open exchange of ideas, thoughts, personal struggles and challenges can leave you more open and accepting, not to mention the encouragement you receive from people who care. A safe community where teachers can learn from teachers, teachers can learn from students, and students can learn from each other encourages us to be nonjudgmental and helps us to let go of our ego and fear.

The Luang Prabang yoga community is gaining momentum, and it is important to mention that as communities get larger, so does the challenge to keep it unified. I believe the key to creating and preserving a close-knit community lies in our ability to uphold the principals of the practice of yoga and apply it not only on the mat, but also off the mat. As my friend reminded us in the Huffington Post, yoga means “union” of the body, mind and soul. This union furthermore applies to our relationships with each other and ultimately our relationship to the universe in which we live.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Click the following link to read the Huffington Post article:
A Stong Yoga Community Makes all the Difference to Your Practice, by Bhanu Bhatnagar

Blog post by Julie (juliehana.com)

On Tuesday November 27, guest teacher Joanna, who was traveling through Luang Prabang while on honeymoon, taught a morning class at Utopia. Here are the pictures from the class. 

Ashtanga Yoga Invocation

om

vande gurunam charanaravinde
sandarsita svatmasukhava bodhe
nihsreyase jangalikayamane
samsara halahala mohasantyai

abahu purusakaram
sankhacakrasi dharinam
sahasra sirasam svetam
pranamami patanjalim

om

Translation (1st verse)
I bow to the lotus feet of the guru
who awakens insight into the happiness of pure Being,
who is the final refuge, the jungle physician,
who eliminates the delusion caused by the poisonous
herb of samsara [conditioned existence].

Translation (2nd Verse)
Even though Sage Patanjali was human and not a mythical deity, in this chant he is depicted in the divine form of Vishnu. He has 4 arms, which are holding 3 objects: conch, discus and a sword. The conch (sankha, pronounced as “shankha”) represents the divine sound, which is capable of awakening us from the state of ignorance. Because Patanjali did a great job unifying the ancient yogic knowledge in his Sutras and the text has awakened many people, he is holding it in his hand. The discus (chakra) is the symbol of infinity and life that Vishnu sustains. As well, Vishnu uses his discus to fight negative spirits, which means that the discus is the weapon to fight the negative emotions that distract us from being enlightened. The sword (asi) represents the discriminative wisdom, for the sword can cut through illusion and dualism. Since mind is represented by snakes in the Hindu tradition, the thousand headed snake above Patanjalis’ head represents his mastering over the possessive mind. This means that reading and following the Sutras one can achieve the “citta vritti nirodhah”, cease the fluctuations of the mind and therefore reach the state of Yoga, the state of Union. You can call union with God, with your own Self, with the Universe.

After having read the Yoga Sutras, when I chant these lines in an aware state, a feeling of appreciation and gratefulness arise inside me. I find the text very easy to understand, yet, each time I re-read it, there is always something else emerging to be learnt.

The above translation and comment of the Ashtanga Yoga Invocation were provided by Craig. To learn more about Ashtanga Yoga, join Craig at the Ban Aphai studio. 

“Jivamukti yoga is a freestyle vinyasa flow that is unapologetically spiritual, with a nice soundtrack to go with it.” These are the words that YuMee Chung, advanced certified Jivamukti yoga teacher, used to describe the practice which she and her husband Scott graciously introduced to a small group of yogis on a recent visit to Luang Prabang.

As we learnt, Jivamukti is always practiced to music, and to the delight of our group, we were to be treated to live music, courtesy of Scott and his guitar. Our practice began by singing a contemplative mantra, “So Hum”, which translates to “I am that.” And as YuMee explained, if “I am that,” then “I am not this.” “I am not the clothes that I wear, I am not the color of my skin, I am not the things that I own, I am not my emotions, and so on and so forth.” An invocation to Shiva, the Hindu deity known as “the destroyer” and “the transformer” further inspires the release of that which no longer serves us, encouraging positive transformation.

Vinyasa loosely translates to “an intelligent sequencing of postures.” We move from one asana, or yoga posture, to another in an unbroken and intuitive rhythm. In vinyasa flow, the transitions are just as important as the postures themselves. Off the mat, YuMee eloquently reminded us “not to hang out in the Kodak moments in life as the preparations before and the cleanup after are just as sacred.”

At certain points during the practice, my focus shifted momentarily to Scott, who flawlessly serenaded us with Bossa Nova, a tune by John Lennon and several other unique numbers that I couldn’t quite identify, but relished all the same. It was joyful and lighthearted. And with YuMee walking around and giving us gentle adjustments and massages with scented oils, I’m sure that I was not the only person melting happily into the Jivamukti experience.

To learn more about YuMee Chung and Jivamukti yoga, visit http://padmani.com/

Blog post by Julie (juliehana.com)

Recently, a small group of Luang Prabang residents have begun to gather together for a weekly meditation workshop held at the Amantaka Resort. Participants’ meditation experiences vary from never having meditated before to those with regular meditation practice.  The workshop aims to introduce participants to different meditation techniques as well as building the length of the practice. From the soft happy chatter and smiles at the end of the workshops, it is clear that the impact has been positive for both beginners and seasoned meditators.

There’s no doubt that meditation, whether practiced in private or as a group, has its benefits. Physiologically, the practice helps us to breathe more effectively, slowing down our heart rates, thus calming our nervous systems and bringing us at peace with the constant activity in our minds. On a spiritual level, we may feel more connected to nature or the universe. If these outcomes can be experienced by meditating alone, why then is it also important to meditate in a group?

The simplest explanation relates to motivation. Quite simply, most of us find it difficult to set aside time to meditate alone. Committing to get together with other people to meditate gives us just that little bit of motivation that we often lack. Furthermore, we also often lack concentration. How many times have we closed our eyes only to wonder how much time has gone by, taking a peek at the clock on the wall every now and then just to keep time? In a group meditation workshop, sometimes just knowing that someone else will inform us when time is up is enough to help us let go of time. Knowing that we are amongst our fellow meditators can also encourage us to relax.

Beyond these simple benefits, group meditation has also been thought to impact humanity on a global scale through the power of collective positive intent. Noted anthropologist, Margaret Mead was quoted as saying,

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation (TM) believed that 1% of the world practicing his technique would positively affect the quality of life of the entire population. This is known as the Maharishi Effect. Over time, research has supported the claim that group meditation does have a powerful impact on society regardless of the technique used.

Whether or not you are a believer of the power of meditation to effect global change, certainly you might have experienced this concept on a much more modest scale. Knowing that you are meditating in a room with people who are there to bring positive changes into their lives can help you connect to the goodness within those around you. And perhaps one day you will discover a powerful sense of connectedness simply through shared silence.

If you would like to join a meditation workshop, please contact LuangPrabangYoga@gmail.com

Blog post by Julie (juliehana.com)