"We stand on the shoulders of giants..."

Issac Newton used the phrase "we stand on the shoulders of giants" ironically about the work of scientists which preceded him, but it has great relevance to the guru/student tradition in Yoga. The wonderful 93 year-old Tao Porchon-Lynch (pictured above) is accredited as being the worlds' oldest Yoga teacher; she embodies the modest and enthusiastic attitude of the finest Yoga teachers. She was in turn a pupil of B.K.S. Iyengar who was one of the most influential Yoga teachers of the 20th Century. He trained alongside Patabis Jois (the founder of Ashtanga Yoga) with his guru Krishnamacharya. I have seen pictures of Krishnamacharya doing Yoga on his 100th birthday and they are amazing! This special lineage finds its origin in the 4000 year old tradition of forest gurus and their devotees which resulted in the Upanishads, sacred works in the Vedic culture embodying the wisdom of Yoga. My first Yoga teacher Ann is still an inspiration to me and a great support as I try to develop as a teacher.....
I leave the final comment to Tao Porchon-Lynch, something I can relate to myself :
“I love yoga, it brightens my day and makes everybody smile.”
Om Shanti

Yoga Diversity, freediving to new limits...

On the Yoga Sports Science (TM) course we are on the look out for trends in the use of Yoga in sport. For example, Yoga is credited with transforming the sport of freediving and has been key in the performances of world record holders in this discipline; not only does it allow them to hold their breath for longer periods but the whole meditative focus and physical discipline of Yoga have become integral to their lives and sporting goal achievement.
Yoga Journal did a feature on Francisco "Pipin" Ferreras, world freediving champion and yoga enthusiast..... "Ferreras, breaker of 50 world records for freediving, routinely plunges to depths of more than 100 meters and slows his heart to 10 beats a minute. Sitting still, he can hold his breath for an astonishing eight minutes."  Ferreras himself became switched onto Yoga when his first teacher held his breath for fourteen minutes when he decided to try it ! Sara Campbell came to freediving as a Kundalini Yoga teacher and within a year of starting broke world records in this discipline and is now a renowned teacher weaving in her Yogic knowledge to dive specific techniques. A similar story emerges of the Sivananda Yoga Acharya Brittany Trubridge giving the freediving coaching edge to husband William, a 15 times world record holder in different freediving disciplines.
Just to sound a note of caution though, the Yoga techniques used by top freedivers  are very advanced  and should not be undertaken without the guidance of a qualified Yoga teacher to ensure they are practised safely.   


More can be found on the freediving personalities quoted above at :
http://www.sarafreediver.com/
http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/320

http://www.brittanytrubridge.com






      














    

A balanced Yoga diet?

New Years resolutions abound ! Campaigns offering to let you drop two dress sizes compete with discount gym membership to lure you in ... Yoga itself doesn't offer anything quickly but can reveal amazing gifts with perseverance. Bringing the mind , body and spirit into a unified balance is one of the goals of Yoga, in a more general sense it's good to reflect at this time of year what it means for you. There are no "musts" and "got tos" with this but what is our current Yoga practice like?  If you like backbends, as I do, do they dominate your practice? Do you add in breathing practices regularly? What might you change to develop a more rounded Yoga practice in you life? Well, the mat beckons and along with the "wedge/bridge and coil" sequence I'll temper it with some forward bends.... easy does it though!