Yoga Instructor Fit at 83 years

YOGA instructor Bette Calman may be 83, but she is still bending over backwards to spread the benefits of the ancient Indian system.

With 40 years of teaching under her belt, the Williamstown wonder is living proof that a lifetime's dedication to the healthy pursuit can keep you nimble.

While others her age complain about aches and pains, Mrs Calman focuses on getting tough manoeuvres right.

"I'm proof that if you keep at it, you'll get there. I can do more now than I could 50 years ago," Mrs Calman said.

So when will she give it up?

"You're never too old. The body is a remarkable instrument. It can stretch and stretch, and get better all the time. Forget age.

"Even a basic posture, or just going to a window and breathing deeply, can have big benefits."

It's that spirit that has made Mrs Calman a legend. The author of three yoga books was a pioneer of the regime in Australia in the 1950s, ran yoga centres interstate for 33 years and made regular TV appearances in the 70s.

She thought she would take it easy in Melbourne, but was drawn back to teaching as yoga interest grew.

"I came here to retire, but my daughter, Susie, who's also a teacher, kept being pestering for fill-in teachers at her health centre. That was eight years ago."

She teaches up to 11 classes a week with no sign of stopping.

"Never have I gone to a yoga class and wished I was somewhere else, because I know I'm going to come out feeling on the top of the world. There'll always be yoga."

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Aspen Yoga Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault

In a yoga class, an instructor may sometimes assist the students for proper alignment and adjusting for attaining a perfect pose.

In case you want to assist the student physically with the particular asana or correct a particular movement, take prior permission of the student. The student should be educated that they have an option to decline an assist. It is better to exercise caution than to face charges of sexual assault.

Make a written policy on the subject and educate the students accordingly. Explain why physical assist may be required and how you will be making adjustments before beginning of the class. What is the benefit for the students of such an alignment or adjustment?

Best option is to arrange for female yoga instructors for a women's yoga class.

Recently, an Aspen yoga instructor was charged on 02 March 09 with multiple felonies in connection with alleged sexual assaults that took place while he was working at a local studio.
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I Love Yoga, Says Kangana

Kangna Ranaut’s fab body is envied by many and her recent weight gain has worked to her advantage.

We asked her the secret behind her figure and she said, “I do yoga. I never miss out on pranayam and meditation. I do all these things because I sincerely believe a person should always be energetic. If your energy level is low, you tend to feel low and depressed. It’s not about controlling weight and inches to look good. Five kgs here and there is fine. Your body cannot handle low energy and then your work suffers.”

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Uma Thurman Doing Yoga On Flight

I know lot of celebrities do yoga to remain fit. But I have heard for the first time any celebrity body doing yoga abroad an aircraft. Maybe flight crew can take lessessons in yoga for long duration flights. I will write more about the yoga poses that can be practiced by the air crew or the passengers.

I want to share a story here. Uma Thurman stunned passengers by doing a yoga routine on a recent flight. The Hollywood star was traveling from New York's JFK Airport to Utah's Salt Lake City when she left her seat and began bending and stretching in front of shocked onlookers.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "Uma started doing yoga in the aisles. She used the flight-attendant station as a ballet barre, where she stretched and did plies for 20 minutes."

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Swami Vivekanand : Great Vedanta Scholar from India

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)

Swami Vivekananda was born in an affluent family in Kolkata on 12 January 1863 and named Narendra Nath Datta. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was a successful attorney with interests in a wide range of subjects, and his mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was endowed with deep devotion, strong character and other qualities.

From the very beginning Narendranath’s energy was diverted towards the search for God and the absolute truth. This quest brought him in contact with Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, Keshab Chandra Sen, and Shivnath Shastri of the Bramho Samaj. In 1882, he discovered Sri Ramakrishna as the man who had ‘seen’ God. He realised under his guidance the Absolute Truth in 1886. Before passing away on 16 August 1886, Sri Ramakrishna entrusted him with the responsibility of carrying on his work.

His Vision. His vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture as well as his deep spiritual insight, fervid eloquence, brilliant conversation, broad human sympathy, colourful personality, and handsome figure made an irresistible appeal to the many types of Americans who came in contact with him.

He preached the ideal of a strength-giving and man-making religion. Service to man as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special form of worship he advocated for the Indians, devoted as they were to the rituals and myths of their ancient faith. Many political leaders of India have publicly acknowledged their indebtedness to Swami Vivekananda.

The natural tendency of Vivekananda's mind, like that of his Master, Ramakrishna, was to soar above the world and forget itself in contemplation of the Absolute. But another part of his personality bled at the sight of human suffering in East and West alike. It might appear that his mind seldom found a point of rest in its oscillation between contemplation of God and service to man. Be that as it may, he chose, in obedience to a higher call, service to man as his mission on earth; and this choice has endeared him to people in the West, Americans in particular.

Swami Vivekananda undertook an all-India tour to get a first hand information of the degraded social, economic and spiritual condition of the motherland. While sitting on the Rock of India (now known as Vivekananda Rock at Kanyakumari) the idea dawned on him to enlighten not only the Indians but also the people overseas about the greatness of India, its age-old religion and civilisation. Swamiji's famous speech on universal ideas of Vedanta in the Parliament of Religions in Chicago was widely appreciated and made the people aware of India's greatness, which other movement could not do so far. He returned to India on 26 January 1897 and reached Calcutta on 20 February 1897 where he established the Ramakrishna Mission on 1 May 1897 and Belur math on 9 December 1898. He wrote a number of books, travelled far and wide, preached and set up a powerful and efficiently run organisation to carry forward the message of Sri Ramakrishna. Swami Vivekanand passed away on 4 July 1902 at Belur math.

In India, his birth anniversary is celebrated as ‘National Youth Day’.

Want to Know More about this Great Yogi. Teachings of Swami Vivekanda are universal in nature and can prove as source of inspiration for youths from any part of the world. His complete works are available online for study by any spiritual seeker.

You can read a brief life sketch of Swami Vivekananda here http://www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htm

For more information visit these sites.
http://www.ramakrishna.org/sv.htm
http://www.vivekananda.org
http://www.belurmath.org

You can spread the message of Swami Vivekananda by sending these greeting cards.

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Doctor, it is time to heal thyself, says Yoga expert

Confronted with the maladies of fast paced life, coupled with the impatience of their demanding patients, the time has come for physicians to heal themselves.

And the advent of various factors including super- specialty and a constant nagging to update professional knowledge has made doctors more stress-prone taking a toll on their physical and mental health resulting in psycho somatic and lifestyle disorders, says a city-based Yoga Physician Dr Vineeta Ketkar.

Dr Ketkar, an MBBS who has undergone a 14-year training in Yoga therapy, claims that her interaction with a large number of medical practitioners has prompted her to offer a holistic support for the members of her fraternity that could enable them to promote their own well being that would be ultimately passed on to the patients.

Doctors are now admitting that fierce competition - one comes across half a dozen clinics in a lane in urban India---less time for proper clinical examination, an ever-increasing list of investigations and growing impatience and mistrust of patients, was affecting quality of their life rendering them more susceptible to the ailments to are supposed to treat, Ketkar told PTI revealing findings of her survey.

Apart from the material aspect of the issue, a steady but perceptible erosion of ethical values that governed the medical professional in the past, too was proving to be an unsettling factor for many physicians, she said.

We, through our medium, want to make doctors better equipped physically, mentally and also spiritually to deal with the prevailing scenario. It is important to promote their self-belief that they can sustain themselves and also flourish by adhering to a principled practice, Dr Ketkar said.

She said the holistic approach that imparts basic Yoga training to doctors covers Yama, Niyam, Aasana, Pranayama, Pratyahar, Dharna, Dhyan and Samadhi, the eight basic tenets of the Ashtangyoga propounded by Patanjali.

The doctors can also be trained to pass on their knowledge gained to the patients by selectively prescribing and complementing specific Yoga therapy to suit their needs and thus help in early recovery, Dr Ketkar said.

A brief history of science of Yoga, Vedas and Upanishdas and study of the principles in Bhagadgita is part of the programme chalked out by her, which she says, was evoking an encouraging response from physicians.

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