Aum Namah Shivaya

This last half of term I am focusing on the teaching and yoga style of BKS Iyengar, one of the great yogis of the latter half of the 20th C. Many people think of `Iyangar Yoga` as being purely physical and challenging, full of blocks and pulleys. Read and use Mr Iyengar`s `Light on Yoga` and you will realise it goes far beyond that to include the mental and the spiritual practices of yoga.

The ancient yogis were very wise in their intuitive following of laws of nature. There is a lot of discussion taking place at present about obesity and the threats it poses to both individual and society`s well being. Only the most bigoted can argue that there is no problem with gross obesity - rather like those who still claim that smoking tobacco poses no health risk. I know that even half a stone (7 pounds - 3 k) makes a diffrence to how I feel and operate. That extra weight is just enough to slow me down and make actions just that bit more of an effort. So imagine if I double my weight by adding more fat and not muscle.

Tapas offers us one way out. Tapas is bascially an austerity imposed by our guru or our self. Some may seem dubious; why wear only ashes from the creamtion grounds? Others may seem hard to start with but end up having a positive effect on our lives. A little self denial in the over eating field may seem hard at first but yields so many benefits. It`s worth it; give it a go.

I have just come back from The Welsh Festival of Yoga where I was honoured to be one of the tutors. It was a wonderful weekend meeting and relating to yogi(ni)s from all over Wales. I was talking about the concept of pilgrimage - external as with my pilgrimage to the source of the sacred river Ganges, and internally to fingd the inner Self. It is always fascinating to find what comes out of my mouth !!! I may have plans of what I want to say, but somehow God? just puts other words into my mouth.

I find on these occasions I learn more from the other attendees - students/yoga teachers/tutors than I am sure they learn from me. A God given experience. If you want to attend next year I suggest you get in touch with the British Wheel of Yoga - Wales.