Craft & Culture

WHEN SPORT AND SPIRIT BLEND

Yoga boasts a very long history. It predates religions in human history. Its introduction was estimated to be 3,000 years ago. This has been proved by archeological findings such as effigies showing various Yogic postures.

Dr. Somvir, founder of Bali International Yoga Festival (left), leads the Bali India Foundation, an organization which opens Yoga classes to the public as part of their activities. The foundation publishes a Yoga periodical and it organizes its second Bali International Yoga Festival this month. Photos courtesy Bali India Foundation.

 

Amidst a hectic world and in an age when time seems to fly much faster, us humans long for a moment of respite. Something that will keep us healthy in this era full of pollution. One option is general physical exercise, and another is Yoga. It is no wonder that Yoga classes have rapidly flourished recently.

To talk of balance between the body and mind, think back to the ancient Latin quotation "Mens sana in corpore sano," or literally, a sound mind is a sound body, and vice versa. Happiness is in the mind and a clear mind comes from a healthy body. So if one wants to be happy they need to heal the physique and mind. This happiness starts from a clear mind and a healthy body.

One way of achieving this balance is by doing yoga, a way that has gained much popularity in recent times.

Yoga boasts a very long history. It predates religions in human history. Its introduction was estimated to be 3,000 years ago, in Harappa and Mahenjo Daro, two ancient Indian cities near today's India, Nepal, and Pakistan. This has been proved by archeological findings such as effigies in showing various Yogic postures.

This region is known as where the oldest of religions, namely Hinduism, originated. Its existence then unified, thus coming to the conclusion by many that yoga is part of the religion.

Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit 'Yuj' that means 'to relate'. Hinduism itself has teachings are connected to Yoga, namely Catur Yoga or the four ways to connect oneself with the Divine. The ways include what is known as Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga. Bhakti Yoga is a way that implements the senses, applied in love and devotion and with profuse prayer.

Karma Yoga is a way by the use of labor. Doing something and giving sincerely without expecting returns. Many Balinese have chosen to implement this and the previous way in their daily lives. Their lives are profuse with prayers and offerings to connect with the Divine.

The third way, Jnana Yoga, is by offering knowledge to society and its emphasis is on logic. The fourth,

Raja Yoga, is through self-control and restraint. Followers of Raja Yoga are referred to as Yogin. In India the Yogin enter forests for seclusion and perform extraordinary physical feats. Through modern times, Raja Yoga came to be known merely as Yoga.

According to historical records, Raja Yoga or yoga as we know it was introduced by a Yogi by the name of Rsi Patanjali around the year 200-100 BC. He was known as a yoga reformist, due to his rendering of the physical exercise learned more systematically and structurally through his books Yoga Sutra and the Astangga Yoga system. Before the era of Rsi Patanjali, Yoga was taught verbally and handed down through the generations from teacher to disciple.

The Yogi, in executing their acrobatic-like moves, goes through various training to achieve amazing physical flexibility. They not only conduct physical exercises and spiritual training but also fast, avoiding pleasure, and seek places far from busy activities to help concentrate and deter them from worldly desires.

Yet to learn yoga nowadays you do not need the old ways. What becomes the emphasis on yoga today is to execute postures and control over breath and positions, as well as controlling the mind and focusing it towards peace.

Yoga as we know it now is movements and postures that put forth discipline in obtaining physical and mental health. Usually a movement will start off with a brief meditation, breath control, and then enter into the main movements, then is closed by breath control and meditation.

When factors such as space and time restrict muscle stretching and such, then one can try the simplest of forms, through pranayama or breath control.

Controlling inhalation and exhalation, as well as the prolonged retention of breath in the lungs eases in relaxation. It is scientifically explained that pranayama provides more oxygen to the bloodstream. It also aids the mind and senses as a cooling down effect.

The exercise has recently become very popular. It is not difficult to find places providing yoga classes. Now nearly all hotels provide wellness programs and yoga on their guest activities lists. They also provide yoga instructors from within Bali and even abroad.

Hotels package yoga into their attractive programs. The Sanur Beach Hotel for instance, provides yoga every morning for an hour at 9 a.m. If you miss the morning class, you can always catch the afternoon session. Participation is Rp. 100,000 per class. But frequent participants can enroll in the annual membership for Rp. 3.5 million.

Sri Asta Kesari, a yoga instructor at the Sanur Beach Hotel who is also the Guest Activity and Recreation Manager explains that guest enthusiasm over the activity is relatively high. This is shown from the high revenue generated from the programs.

Not many movements are taught. And this goes back to the saying that it is better to do 15 minutes a day and do it routinely rather than exercising an hour for several days and then stop.

Sri said that what is essential in exercising yoga is not the intricate acrobatic movements but those that suit the body and those which touch the spiritual aspect. It seems that this is greatly influenced by the religious aura of Bali. In Balinese culture, nearly all of it can be connected to spirituality.

Yoga is also done massively in Bali. Among those that have contributed to the development of yoga in Bali is the Bali India Foundation. They open yoga classes for all ages, regardless of religion and nationality, with several schedule options. In 2009 they held the Bali International Yoga Festival. This year they're doing it again for the second time.

Public enthusiasm for yoga has rapidly increased. Now nearly every hotel can be found to provide yoga classes. In Indonesia, yoga has recently become a part of the lifestyle adopted by the modern human, especially in Bali.

The Balinese in older times had also adopted yoga in their daily lives, not only from a philosophical standpoint, as a way to connect with the Divine, but also from a ritualistic standpoint.

Balinese Hindus have exercised yoga since early age. They attend temple prayers and sit in what is known as the asana posture. For the Balinese, asana is the crossed-legged posture for the men, and to sit with the knees bent and folded for the women. The second is pranayama, the control of breath between inhaling, holding and exhaling. This is followed by certain mantras that aid in concentration. Third is the cleansing of palms that also symbolize the cleansing of the body.

Prayers are executed in the asana position. Mantras are sounded eloquently by controlling the breath so even though prayers go on for several minutes, participants do not feel the slightest exhaustion. No rushing to get up after prayers can be seen, but they orderly wait for the blessing sprinkles of holy water.

Nevertheless, now we can find yoga in a more specific form. People don't say that they are 'conducting yoga' when they pray at a temple. Or, 'doing yoga' when they stretch their muscles before a jog. But they 'do yoga' when they sit on mats, in loose attire, in a cozy place, and start executing stretching to intricate postures. «»

 

Text and photos by Ni Luh Dian Purniawati