Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Question
Breathing
Are breathing exercices any good for the brain ?
Yes. Breathing exercises have a very beneficial influence for the brain because an important supply of oxygen is provided, particularly during the retention of the breath. Moreover, some techniques such as the alternate nostril breathing allow to balance both brain hemispheres, hence optimizing the practitioner's mental faculties.
Kirtan
I can't sing. May I still practice kirtan?
Yes, absolutely. Kirtan is above all a devotional practice. Therefore, the most important factor is the inner attitude (bhava), and not necessarily a beautiful voice. To sing out of tune with an open heart full of compassion is far better than a chant executed in tune but coldly and with no heart in it. With practice, you'll see that the voice is getting more melodious and you will sing more and more in tune. This is the magic of kirtan.
Meditation
I can't sit with my legs crossed.
If sitting crossed legs is too uncomfortable, it is fine to sit on a chair or a meditation bench. The most important factor is to keep the back straight, to allow nerve impulses to freely circulate along the spine. A regular asana practice is a great help in that area because it progressively prepares the body (and the mind) to sit comfortably.
I keep on thinking when I meditate. What can I do?
The nature of the mind is motion. It is therefore absolutely normal to think when we begin to meditate. The intention is not to abruptly stop the activity of the mind. It would be like trying to stop a galloping horse in full speed. The idea is to gradually diminish the amount and strength of our thoughts, just like the rider inviting his horse to progressively slow down until it finally walks. The process is identical with meditation. By directing our attention towards a single object of concentration, such as the breath, a sensation, a sound, an image... senses are calming down and the brain naturally slows down its cognitive activity and reduces brain waves' frequency and intensity. It is essential to abstain from trying to control the mind only with cold will power. Even if it is sometimes a little confused and stubborn, it should be treated like a good friend, who just needs to be approached with patience, understanding and a soft perseverance.
Relaxation
I can't sleep well. Can yoga help me sleep better?
Yes. Yoga has a very positive impact on the quality of the sleep. The combination of breathing exercises, postures and relaxation produce a profound soothing effect on the nervous system and the entire organism. And one can already feel a clear improvement of the sleep experience after only a few sessions. Moreover, yoga postures also have an effect on the endocrine system. For example, inverted postures stimulate and balance the pituitary and pineal glands, which are responsible for the wake and sleep state cycles in the body. So a regular practice (at least twice a week) allows to progressively operate a full re-balancing of the organism and its various functions, including sleep.
I'm very stressed. Can yoga help me to relax and better manage my stress?
Yes. More and more people come to yoga specifically to better manage their stress. The combination of breath, postures and relaxation relaxes the nerves and muscles in depth, which allows to evacuate accumulated stress from the organism. And from the very first lesson, one can already feel a state of physical and mental relaxation which is rarely attained in daily life, even during sleep. With a regular practice, not only the effects of stress are eliminated during the session, but the nervous system becomes more resistant. So the practitioner gradually increases his level of tolerance to stressing agents and manage to stand back and deal with challenging situations with a lot more serenity.
I'm often overwhelmed by my emotions. Can yoga help me better manage my emotions?
Yes. Yoga has a very soothing effect on the nervous system, which gradually leads to a more serene relationship with one's emotions. Very simple exercises such as the abdominal breathing and the relaxation pose allow to relax the organism, especially the solar plexus where the emotions are based. During a full yoga session, with breathing exercises, postures and relaxation, the nervous system, muscles and organs are systematically stimulated and relaxed right after. This succession of contraction and relaxation progressively trains the nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic) to react in a more detached way when facing a challenging situation. With a regular practice (at least twice a week), body, emotions and mind are brought back to a state of healthy equilibrium in which the nerves become much more resistant to stress, permitting to face daily trials with inner strength and serenity.
Yoga classes
I am really stiff. Can I still practice Yoga?
Yes of course. The practice of Yoga does confer a certain flexibility with time but it is not a goal in itself. The objective of yoga postures is really about bringing balance to the various systems in our organism. This is done by putting the body in a certain position that will stimulate and harmonize specific groups of muscles and organs. Everyone is working at his own level, with eyes closed, and there is no spirit of competition or performance. To obtain the benefits of a posture, all is required is to place the body properly, to focus on the breath and relax. That's all. So everybody is receiving the same benefits out of a posture, regardless of the level of flexibility or strength. Someone more flexible will simply have to go further in the posture to get the benefits.
Is Yoga a religion?
Yoga is not a religion. The practice of Yoga does not require to subscribe to any particular belief or dogma as it is entireley based on direct experience. However, it is interesting to note that the words Yoga and religion share the same root : "Yug" in sanskrit and "religare" in latin both mean to join or to reunite. In Yoga, the ultimate goal is to reunite the individual soul, Atman, with the Universal Soul, Brahman. And all the yogic practices are actually a mean to achieve that goal. We can then find a few similarities between Yoga and religion, even though the methods employed are quite different in many ways.
I have back problems. Can yoga help me alleviate the pain?
Yes. Since yoga came to West, thousands of people can testify to the curing and preventive benefits of yoga for back problems. Most people are able to considerably aleviate or even completely get rid of their back pain, especially when they are due to stress. Yoga postures have a deep effect on all back muscles, including the deep layers, as well as on vertebral discs and nerves. A conscious and rythmical abdominal breath during the postures allows the entire nervous system to relax, which in turn will relax the muscles and nerves along the spine. Progressively, the spine regains its elasticity, tonicity and natural alignement. When yoga is practised on a regular basis (at least twice a week), problems like scoliosis and kyphosis can be partially or completely eliminated. At the age of 20, I had a rather serious double scoliosis and it completely disappeared after only one year of regular practise.
I can't sleep well. Can yoga help me sleep better?
Yes. Yoga has a very positive impact on the quality of the sleep. The combination of breathing exercises, postures and relaxation produce a profound soothing effect on the nervous system and the entire organism. And one can already feel a clear improvement of the sleep experience after only a few sessions. Moreover, yoga postures also have an effect on the endocrine system. For example, inverted postures stimulate and balance the pituitary and pineal glands, which are responsible for the wake and sleep state cycles in the body. So a regular practice (at least twice a week) allows to progressively operate a full re-balancing of the organism and its various functions, including sleep.
I have digestive problems. Can yoga help me have a better digestion?
Yes. Yoga has a very powerful effect on digestion and elimination systems. Many postures and techniques stimulate the digestive and hepatic functions as well as the intestinal transit. A regular practice of yoga allows to partially or completely solve many digestion or elimination disorders. Of course, the quality and the quantity of the food ingested also plays an important role at this level and it might be necessary to modify one's diet in order to reduce what tends to make the body heavy.
I'm very stressed. Can yoga help me to relax and better manage my stress?
Yes. More and more people come to yoga specifically to better manage their stress. The combination of breath, postures and relaxation relaxes the nerves and muscles in depth, which allows to evacuate accumulated stress from the organism. And from the very first lesson, one can already feel a state of physical and mental relaxation which is rarely attained in daily life, even during sleep. With a regular practice, not only the effects of stress are eliminated during the session, but the nervous system becomes more resistant. So the practitioner gradually increases his level of tolerance to stressing agents and manage to stand back and deal with challenging situations with a lot more serenity.
I'm often overwhelmed by my emotions. Can yoga help me better manage my emotions?
Yes. Yoga has a very soothing effect on the nervous system, which gradually leads to a more serene relationship with one's emotions. Very simple exercises such as the abdominal breathing and the relaxation pose allow to relax the organism, especially the solar plexus where the emotions are based. During a full yoga session, with breathing exercises, postures and relaxation, the nervous system, muscles and organs are systematically stimulated and relaxed right after. This succession of contraction and relaxation progressively trains the nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic) to react in a more detached way when facing a challenging situation. With a regular practice (at least twice a week), body, emotions and mind are brought back to a state of healthy equilibrium in which the nerves become much more resistant to stress, permitting to face daily trials with inner strength and serenity.
I have an addiction (tobacco, alcohol, drug...) but can't find the strength to stop. Can yoga help me?
Many people try to quit smoking, drinking... and fail to do so, most of the time because they have not prepared themselves sufficiently. To put an end to an addiction represents a real battle against oneself and, indeed, yoga can help in that sense. However, yoga will not do everything and it is essential to simultaneously undergo a process of comprehension of one's content. The first step consists in observing and understanding the mechanism which leads us to use a certain substance. Usually, it is simply a body and mind response to a form of anxiety. As soon as the nervous system feels some kind of painful inner state, an impulse is sent to trigger the consumption of the product which will bring a temporary relief by stimulating or anesthetizing the brain and the nerves. At this level, the dependence is essentially physiological. The second step consists in determining the psychological causes of this inner uneasiness, as in them lies the real reason of the dependence. The substance in itself is just a way to alleviate the pain and even if one manages to stop its consumption using will power, the problem is far from being solved as the symptoms that were triggering the take of the substance will still be here and will probably lead to a new form of dependence. Therefore, the real effort should be directed towards the discovery of the root causes of the pain, and that is where yoga can help. The deep state of peace and well-being experienced at a physical, emotional and mental level at the end of a yoga session is a true ray of hope for anyone trying to quit something as it shows that it is possible to ease the pain by other means than the substance they are addicted to. Moreover, as the nervous system is more relaxed and the mind clearer, it becomes easier to look within and reach a certain degree of understanding of our content. Also, meditation techniques based on a detached observation of one's body sensations, like Vipassana, produces remarkable results to overcome the coming off phase. It might also be useful to receive some psychological support, especially to understand the root causes that are responsible for the addiction.
I'd like to loose weight. Can yoga help me?
Definitely, yes. Since Yoga postures have an effect not only on muscles but also on digestion, elimination, hormones and nerves, it constitutes an excellent approach to loose weight durably. Postures work on deep muscles by holding positions where several muscular groups are being stimulated simultaneously. A regular practice allows to make the body firmer and thinner. Moreover, since digestive and elimination functions are enhanced more and more with practice, the body is able to better assimilate food and to eliminate waste a lot more efficiently. Finally, because of the soothing and regulating effect of postures on the nervous and hormonal systems, the practioner soon feels an inner well being that contributes to naturally deactivate certain compulsive behaviors of emotional compensation with food, hence acting directly at the root cause of the weight gain.
Yogic Diet
Are dairy products any good for health?
There is a belief widely spread according to which dairy products are providing a good source of calcium. That is just not true. Several studies have demonstrated that the calcium in milk is not assimilated correctly by a human organism. It has also been proved that the countries that were consuming the most dairy products had the highest rate of osteoporosis. Furthermore, the milk protein, casein, is very difficult to digest for our stomach and its ingestion provokes an overproduction of mucus. People who consume a lot of dairy products often have difficulties to breathe and easily get sick in winter suffering from chronic colds and angina. Milk also has been identified as a strong allergenic and has been associated as a possible cause for asthma. It is interesting to note that human is the only species on Earth that consume the milk from another species, especially after his growth phase is over. Stopping or strongly reducing the consumption of dairy products very quickly enhances one's overall health, especially at the level of breathing, digestion and elimination. Skin problems like acne tend to disappear completely in a short time and skin becomes more beautiful and luminous.
Where do vegans get their calcium from?
Contrary to the common belief, dairy products are not offering the most appropriate source of calcium for humans, in particular because of a too high presence of phosphorus, which tends to slow down the calcification process. Assimilation of calcium by our organism happens in synergy with other elements, such as magnesium, silicon, phosphorus, vitamins A, C and D, amino-acids... that should be in a balanced quantity to obtain a good calcification. Thus, if these elements are deficient, the body will not be able to assimilate calcium correctly, independently of the amount ingested. Generally, it is always preferable to look into the plants world to obtain the nutrients that the body needs. Here is a non-exhaustive list of vegetables and seeds offering an interesting source of calcium, easily assimilated by human beings: - Vegetables with green leaves: cabbage, parsley, spinach, broccoli, cress, dandelion, nettle, plantain... - Nuts and some dried fruits: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pistachio, dates, figs... - Sprouted seeds (especially alfalfa, fenugrec), sea weeds, wheat juice...
