Tag Archives: Krishna

Green Woods Beach Resort

“Any European who comes to India acquires patience
if he has none, but if he had some, he loses it”

Green Woods Beach Resort
Situated Ottaivadai Cross Street (See the Map)
Mahãbalipuram – 603 104 Tamil Nadu
Fax : 00 91 – 41 14 – 243 318
Mobile : 0091 98 40 29 71 52
Price: between 700 Rs and Rs 800 per day
Mail : greenwoods.resort@yahoo.com

It was here, in 1991 on the highest terrace of the hotel that I lead my first sessions of Ashtanga Yoga in Mahabalipuram, with a “tent” to shelter from the rain and the sun… What memories… There is always this magnificent Ganesh who welcomes you in the centre of the Court.

The Greenwoods Beach Resort is the perfect place to be in the centre of activity in Mahabalipuram, very close to the ocean (3′) and restaurants, but therefore a bit noisy. Unfortunately, only a few trees are left in the beautiful garden.

The 20 rooms of the hotel are divided into standard and executive (low-level). Cleanliness is Indian, which means very average…

Restaurant on the first floor, but without any real charm or flavour.

Friendly home

Rooms are air-conditioned or not, but a little dark.

Wi-Fi available

Down on the ground floor at the rear, is our friend Krishna and his team who give massages and Ayurveda quality treatments.

Thanjavur

Thanjavur (Tanjore) is a city in Tamil Nadu state located 400 km South of Chennai, on the South bank of the Cauvery. Thanjavur is famous for the relief style of painting that bears its name. The Thanjavur art works mainly depict the deities of Hindu mythology. Krishna is portrayed having white skin whereas it is traditionally dark blue. The lay out resembles that of Greek icons. The temple of Brihadesvara – a UNESCO World Heritage site – is also known as the temple of Rājarājeshvaram, It is built in the drāvidien style.

A large Nandi – Shiva’s famous bull – can be found after the entrance of the interior courtyard. It is 6m in long and 3m high, made entirely of black granite.

The granite and bronze sculptures of its museum are worth a visit. The same goes for the library and the Palace.

The region of Tanjore is rich in history: it is a land of temples of which a large number are rather ancient.

275km South of Mahābalipuram and 171km South of Pondicherry.

There are many interesting temples to visit around Tanjore such as in the towns of Gangaikondacholapuram, Kumbakonam, Darasuram and Swamimalai where one can also see the Bronze Museum and School of Arts as well as the famous bronze foundries in the so called style of “lost wax”.

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamarcharya, one of the greatest masters of yoga (1888 – 1988)

Sri T. Krishnamacharya, one of the greatest masters of yoga, the light of his knowledge has profoundly influenced the whole world.

He has never left anyone indifferent. In the course of a life that would easily fill several ordinary lives, he had many extraordinary encounters. A descendant of the great priests serving at the temple of the Lord of the Seven Hills, who in turn were descendants of Nâthamuni, Sri Venkateshvara of Tirumalai, this teacher had been promised an exceptional destiny at his birth. Nothing commonplace could happen to him.

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya was born on 18 November 1888, the eldest of six children (four boys and two girls).

His father, Sri Tirumalai Srinivasa Thathacharya, a great religious master teaching the knowledge of the holy books (the Vedas), takes charge of the child’s education with his wife Shrimati Ranganayakamma.

The young Krishnamacharya is gifted with great physical force, coupled with extraordinary temperament and intelligence. He also suffused with an intense ardour to know and… to know how.

Still an adolescent, Krishnamacharya sets off to discover his country, its sages, its scholars, its artists and its mystics.

An incredible journey is the life of this young man who will by and by discover, then master, the most varied disciplines, from close-quarters combat to astrology to Vedic rituals.

A well of sciences, fluent in seven languages, an eminent pundit, he will successively explore each of the classical viewpoints of Indian philosophical thought, obtaining the highest distinctions in the most celebrated traditional schools.

Benares, Varanasi, India in 1922

Varanasi

When he left for Benares for the first time, around the age of 18, he was fortunate to be instructed in certain secrets of Sanskrit grammar in the course of a single night by a sort of genius, Shivakumar Shâstri. Back in Mysore, he received an exhaustive three-year education in the philosophy of Vedânta by the director of Parakala Mutt, Brahmatantra Sri Krishna Brahmatantra Swâmi. Once again back to Benares, he found there a deeply enlightened tutor, Sri Vamacarana Bhattâchârya who, while teaching him philosophy, alsohelped him for years giving him advice on how to live his life.

The holy lake of Mânasarovar…

As advised by his tutor at the University of Patna, he then set off on foot for the Himalayas. By difficult paths and rope bridges over spanning torrents, he arrived at the foot of Kailash, the mythical mountain considered to be the abode of Shiva and the axis of the universe, and at the holy lake of Mânasarovar.

Yoga

He learns and practices intensively all the different aspects of yoga. Thus, in the second phase of his life, he will become one of the greatest (Maha) yogi (âcharya) of his time.

Maharaja of Mysore, painting

The maharajah of Mysore

In 1924, he is invited by the maharajah of Mysore who viened yoga as a help in treating his numerous physical ailments. He opened a yoga school in his palace in 1955.

He established himself in Mysore

He is already in his forties when he established himself in Mysore, in the South of India, there he marries the very young Srimati Namaginammal. She will give him six children, three boys and three girls.

Srimati Namaginammal wife of Krishnamacharya

Madras (Chennai)

When he established himself in Madras in the fifties, he once again had the opportunity to treat two men in very senior positions. Both suffered from paralysis: an eminent lawyer Sri T.R. Venkatarâma Shâstrî and Sir Alladi Krishnaswâmi Iyer, the celebrated jurist who had participated in the drafting of the Indian constitution. Both, causing him stay Madras, added themselves to the long list of crucial encounters that influenced the course of his life. (Extract of N° 24 of Viniyoga, dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of Sri T. Krishnamacharya).

The legend of Yoga-Rahasya

Of the Yoga-Rahasya, an important work on yoga that had been lost for several centuries, only a few excerpts were known. Krishnamacharya declared having received the whole of this original teaching in a dream from the mouth of Sri Nâthamuni, this Vishnu saint who lived in the 9^th century

It was not until 1965 that T. Krishnamacharya wrote the verses of Yoga Rahaysa down on paper.

The important concepts of this text are:

The importance of yoga for women
The yoga practices to follow during pregnancy
The adaptation of yoga to make it suitable for everyone in different stages of his life
Yoga is an essential therapeutic tool

It contains the main ideas of the teachings of Krishnamacharya on techniques such as āsana and Prāṇāyāma.

T.K.V. Deskachar & Shri Bhashyam

Two of their sons also became yoga instructors.

The elder one, T.K.V. Deskachar, lives in Madras, and manages an important yoga therapy centre – the Krisnamacharya Yoga Mandiram – officially recognized by the Health Ministry of Tamil Nadu.

Sri Bhashyam, his pupil, lives in Nice (France). He has married a Frenchwoman and teaches yoga mainly in France and Switzerland – Yogakshemam, a school teaching traditional Indian philosophy – Ayurveda and Yoga.

Dissemination…

Compared to the occident, the dissemination of the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya incurred a strange fate.

Indra Devi
Yvonne Millerand
K.V. Desikachar
K. Sribhashyam
Sri B.K.S. Iyengar
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

Mainly due to the engagement of his two sons and their pupils, it is firmly rooted in French speaking countries (France, Switzerland & Quebec).

In Anglo-Saxon countries, this teaching is better known through the interpretation provided by his brother-in-law and pupil, B.K.S. Iyengar with his worldwide reputation – as well as that of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, also known worldwide.

His death

He died on 28 February 1989 in Chennai in the South of India. He was nearly 101 years of age. The teacher Sri T. Krishnamacharya will for many remain an unmatched and irreplaceable master of yoga…

In accordance with tradition, he never left his native India in his life. Nevertheless, the light of his knowledge of yoga has profoundly influenced the whole world.

“Yoga is the greatest gift of India to the world.”

Sri T. Krishnamacharya

Sources:

The Yoga of the Yoga The legacy of T Krishnamacharya by Kausthud Desikachar – Edition: K. Y. M – Chennai – India
Shri T. Krishnamacharya 1888 – 1988 Cent ans de Béatitude
Notebook
Edition: K. Y. M – Chennai – India
La revue « Viniyoga » n° 24
Yoga Sutra de Patanjali – Translation and commentary by K.V. Desikachar – Edition du Rocher – 1986
Reflection on Yoga Sutra – s of Patanjali – By K.V. Desikachar
KYM – ISBN: 81.87847.20.4
The Heart of Yoga – Developing a Personal Practice – By K.V. Desikachar
KYM – ISBN: 0.89281.681.3

Breath Of The Gods

Film:

Breath of the Gods, A Journey to the Origins of Modern Yoga, by Jan Schmidt – Garre Film – Length 105 minutes

K.S. IYENGAR
PATTABHI JOIS
K. SRIBHASHYAM
KRISHNAMACHARYA

Very beautiful and moving testimony to the life of Sri T. Krishnamacharya as recalled by his students, his children…

Websites:

The popular or folkloric ethnic dances of India

We all know the many and wonderful classic sacred Indian dances related to Shiva, under his form of Naṭarāja Shiva, the king of dance.

As colourful as they are lively, a great number of popular dances from villages, as well as sacred dances, are also found throughout India up to the borders of Himalaya. According to specialists, there are as many different folk dances as there are languages in India – which means a lot.

I admired and sometimes took part to a few ones.

In Ladakh, the Tse Shu or Nagrang dance is a ritual through which oracles make predictions. Similarly, the Kabgyat Gustor Gangon Tsedup and the masked dances (Chams) can be admired in September in Leh.

In Sikkim, the « chaam » is a religious “lamaïst” dance practiced in the Gompas temples. The most famous is the « Tse Chi », which happens in July and expresses the life of Guru Rinpoche. Another chaam happens in the beginning of February, two days before the Tibetan New Year, and symbolises the fight between good and evil.

In Penjab, the Bhangra, was originally a folkloric dance meant to celebrate the harvesting of the crops. It disappeared with the partition of the country in 1947. A new folkloric dance, the Bhangra, was then created in the years 1950. Very energetic, it is specifically practiced by men. Other dances from Penjab are Luddi, Jhummar, Dhamaal, and Gham Luddi.

In Rajasthan, there are many traditional dances such as the Kalbeliya dance, or « dance of the snake », and the « Chari dance » which involves pots full of fire. The pots that the dancers carry on their heads derive from of a ritual traditionally executed during marriages where they were used to spread light on the face of the bride.

Radha & Krishna dancing painting

In Gujarat, « Ghumna », which means « to turn », is a dance practiced by women using sticks. The « Teratali » dance, only interpreted by women, consists in a prayer addressed to the god Babaramdev (one the names of Krishna). Dancers carry small cymbals between each of their fingers and toes. « Terah » meaning thirteen, the dancer (who is seated) attaches thirteen cymbals on different parts of her body.

In Tamil Nadu, the Kalhaï kûtthu is more of an acrobatic show than a dance, offered by traveling artists groups who turn somersaults on poles or stilts. In the Kolâttam dance, a very old local practice, dancers choke sticks against each other following various rhythmic patterns. Finally, the Bagavatha nadanam is a religious dance, executed around a ritual oil lamp in the Madapam of temples, and practiced in honour of Krishna.

Mahābalipuram, during your stay to practice Ashtanga Yoga in winters, late December and during the month of January of each year you will have the opportunity to see in the first part of the show’s « Dance Festival », some one of these folk and colorful expressions.

See : The Classical dancing

Massage at Mahābalipuram

Seek peace of mind and well being of the body through the ancient knowledge of the Ayurveda. After an Ashtanga Yoga session, I would recommend an Ayurveda massage with Krishna. Ladies can also have beauty care with Jessy.

The benefits of massage…

Ayurveda means “ Life awareness ”. It is the traditional medicine of India, the most ancient therapeutic system in the world. The sources of Ayurveda are found in the Vedas, representing 5000 years of continuous history and knowledge. It is a holistic approach of the human being.

This science aims to re-establish the balance of the human organism at the level of the body, mind and soul through the therapeutic and curative action of oils, plants and minerals.

« The ultimate goal of the Ayurveda is spiritual fulfilment. »

The Ayurveda philosophy is based on giving a treatment in order to create a new homeostasis for the body using plants, nutrients, massage, yoga or meditation.

« Every illness is a step towards healing, all bad and all pains are harmonization with nature towards good, every death is an opening towards immortality. Why is it so? It is the secret of God that only the souls who are purified from selfishness can understand. »
Sri Aurobindo

Panchakarma or the five steps (of the cleaning process) :

Snehana : ingestion of ghī ( ghee, clarified butter).
Virechana : a light purge usually based on the use of Neem oil.
Swedhana : sweating in a similar way as in a hammam ( Soft steam bath, 40° warm)
Basti: a light colon enema
Abhyanga: several hot oil massages given by experienced physiotherapists.

Different massages for Vata, Pitta et Kapha

Abhyanga : full body oil massage
Udvartana: detoxing and slimming massage with chickpea flour.
Pinda svéda: with rice pudding or sand plant poaches, to heat the body and stimulate sweating in order to eliminate toxins.
Pichauli : hot oil massage by 4 hands.
Padaghat: deep massage given by the physiotherapist using his feet!
Pizzichili: massage given on a special table allowing a hot oil bath.
Shirodhara: a treatment that consists of letting herbal oil at mild temperature run smoothly over the forehead of the patient. Origins of the word: composed of two Sanskrit terms: Shira = forehead et Dhara = flow.
It is one of the steps of the panchakarma. The liquids that are used can include oil, milk, buttermilk, or coconut water. Shirodhara has a clarifying and calming effect on the mind and enhances cognitive functions. Shirodhara can help entering a state of profound relaxation.
And many others …

Duration: from 45 min to 2 hours according the type of massage
Duration of a treatment: from 3 days to 4 weeks depending on the treatment

Our Ayurveda partners at Mahābalipuram

For massage:

Krishna Kumar, he works at the Greenwoods Hotel, Othavadai Cross Street.
ayurkrishna2005@yahoo.com
Price: from 1000 rupees to 2000 rupees depending on the type of massage, packaging possibilities for therapy.

For an Ayurveda medicine consultation

Doctor Arathi in Ayurveda medicine, young and friendly lady. Sri Durga, 36 Othavadai Street (just by the Moonrakers Restaurant) first floor.
Price: Consultation 200 rupees

For the beauty care

Mrs Jessy Ravi (Ayurveda Beautician), The Mayuri ayuvedic Massage Beauty Parlour, 5, Othavadai Street.
Price: from 250 rupees to 2000 rupees depending on the type of care.

Ashtanga Yoga Institute #EN

610, Ch. Alsemberg – 1180 Brussels