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<strong>Namaskar</strong> • A Voice for Yoga in Asia<br />
Dristi Letting Go<br />
(pranayama), meditation and the physical asanas, pain need<br />
not be feared or ignored. “In learning how to breathe evenly<br />
and deeply, as well as acquiring the ability to control the<br />
mind, injuries in yoga can be avoided”, says Shah.<br />
Meditation is the mental exercise that prepares your mind<br />
and gives your body the energy for the work it is about to<br />
do. It provides the relaxation necessary to do the postures<br />
so again we aren’t succumbing to unnecessary injuries.<br />
Regardless of why pain happens in yoga, according to Shah,<br />
“it’s the individual’s responsibility to be aware of what<br />
signals the body gives and adapt their practice accordingly.<br />
Thus a big lesson yoga gives us is, with no other person to<br />
beat in your yoga practice, not even yourself, there’s no<br />
point in pushing past your limits. As Patanjali suggests in<br />
the Yoga Sutra, “ the only requirements for asana is that it<br />
be “steady and comfortable”. Whether or not you chose to<br />
ignore or learn from the information often determines if<br />
you’ll have a long and safe practice or one riddled with<br />
injuries. Pain is your body’s way of communicating. You just<br />
need to learn the language.<br />
Laura is freelance fitness writer currently living in<br />
Carmen with daughter Mala<br />
Hong Kong. Before she began her journey on the yoga<br />
path, ath, she was as a triathlete, , runner and adven<br />
entur<br />
ure e rac<br />
acer<br />
er.<br />
It was while pregnant four years ago, that she became<br />
enamoured ed with yoga and now w practic<br />
actices s regularly<br />
egularly.<br />
Book Review<br />
A New Earth,<br />
Awakening to Your<br />
Life’s Purpose, by<br />
Eckhart Tolle<br />
Tia Sinha<br />
The German spiritual<br />
master, Eckhart Tolle,<br />
author of The Power of<br />
Now, wrote A New Earth<br />
to help people awaken. Awaken to the<br />
realization that emotions, thoughts,<br />
mind, body and ego have been<br />
masquerading as us, when they are not<br />
us. Awaken to the purpose of our lives,<br />
discovering our true nature.<br />
Using simple English, Tolle avoids<br />
spiritual jargon and confusing<br />
philosophical debate. He offers<br />
practical tips to handle the everthinking<br />
mind, stormy emotions, the<br />
pain-body and the hard crust of ego<br />
around our hearts. Tolle identifies over<br />
a hundred ways to spot the ego as it<br />
arises in one’s behaviour and thoughts.<br />
He suggests watching the ego and painbody<br />
without judgment rather than<br />
fighting them. The technique of<br />
watching without judgment is a doubleedged<br />
sword. It enables us to accept<br />
ourselves as we are. At the same time,<br />
it gradually dissolves the ego and painbody,<br />
transforming our character,<br />
taking us towards a more natural way<br />
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