Posts Tagged ‘yoga’

Posted on July 20, 2010 - by Andrew

Yoga music can help cats relax

Sian Barr, a student veterinary nurse, has carried out research on sick cats being treated at a vet’s sugery. Miss Barr, a recent graduate with a first class honours, concluded that yoga medication music can help. Cats become less stressed when they listen to the music.

Sian told the Telegraph;

Stress in small doses can be a good thing, such as if a cat is under stress to eat, then it can perform better.
“But otherwise, it will have a negative effect, such as in a veterinary practice.

“This is because a cat is in a cage and isn’t able to do what it would like to do, so stress levels will increase and it will become wound up and angry.

“This is bad for not only its behaviour, becoming difficult for staff to handle, but also for its immune system and ability to heal.

Barr measured the ear and eye activity of the felines in order to determine how stressed they were as well as monitoring respiration levels. A control group was not exposed to the music. The other group was treated to the yoga relaxation music and Om Shanti tunes.

Sian says the effect was dramatic.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Have you seen your cat react or chill out to any of your music collection before?

Posted on July 10, 2009 - by Andrew

Indian yoga guru claims gay sex is a disease that yoga cures

A recent Indian court ruling which legalises gay sex has been challenged by Swami Baba Ramdev. The TV star and popular yoga expert claims that the Delhi courts have made a mistake in decriminalising – what he describes as – “unnatural sex acts”.

Writing to the Indian Supreme Court, Ramdev said, “It can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises) and other meditation techniques,”

The Indian legal system allows anyone to challenge a court’s decision by raising the matter to a higher court. Swami Ramdev is already on the record as describing homosexuality as “mental bankruptcy” and “against God and creation”.

Ramdev is not the only Indian guru to have filed against the petition. The famous astrologer Suresh Kumar Kaushal’s petition to the court suggests that if gay sex is legalised that, “tomorrow people might seek permission for having sex with animals”.

In Pure Spirit

What’s your view on this? Are you surprised a yoga guru is so homophobic? Do you think this will reflect badly on yoga? Perhaps you think it’ll reflect well on yoga?

Posted on February 23, 2009 - by Andrew

India attempts to patent some yoga poses

Will your yoga classes become illegal? Let’s take a look at what seems to be happening.

India has created a team of Hindu experts and scientists to identify all of the older asanas or yoga positions.

The goal is to stop other people from patenting the positions and stealing what Indian calls their traditional knowledge.

The country has had to battle attempts by American yoga teachers attempting to patent positions associated with their classes. Yoga is estimated to be a $225 billion industry.

The Telegraph reports that up to 600 asanas have already been added to the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library.

However, the American system has granded more than 130 patents, 150 copyrights and over 2,000 trademarks relating to yoga.

In fact, India’s attempts to patent yoga poses is most likely an attempt to keep the poses and asanas free and widely available to the public.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Has India made the right decision here? Should the country patent yoga positions before the American system grants patents to individual yoga teachers?

Posted on February 7, 2009 - by Andrew

Yoga in the Georgia Aquarium

The world’s largest aquarium contains 8 million gallons of water and is home to more than 80,000 animals.

In an attempt to keep visitors coming in despite the incredibly tough economic climate the aquarium has combined two remarkable things; beluga whales and yoga.

Weekly yoga sessions are now held in front of large aquarium windows through which the graceful, smooth and apparenetly slow moving whales can be seen. Todd DeLaune, who leads some of the yoga classes at the aquarium, told CNN that he believes the belugas react to the practise sessions too.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think of aquariums? Are they a force for good, for bad or does it depend on the aquarium?

Would you pay a little bit extra in order to practise your yoga in front of some smiling beluga whales?

Posted on January 25, 2009 - by Andrew

Muslins banned from yoga in Indonesia

Indonesia is the largest Muslin country in the world. Although officially secular some 90% of the 234 million population are Muslim.

The Council of Ulemas, 700 clerics and the country’s top Islamic body, explained that the use of yoga could erode the Muslim faith.  The ancient Indian practise is popular in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, but it contains ritualised elements of Hinduism.  The recital of Hindu rituals in yoga mantras is considered haram for Muslins.

The Council of Ulemas was formed in 1975 by then-President Suharto. The Council was initially founded to allow politics and religion to continue alongside one another in Indonesia without crossing paths. In recent years, though, the Council of Ulemas has become more involved in politics and the issuing of fatwas.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Is it a good idea to keep religion and politics separate? Is it possible?

Is it wrong of clerics to clearly spell out what is considered right or wrong according to their religious teachings?

Posted on December 19, 2008 - by Andrew

Poster: Yoga Poses

Yoga Poses

Another reason to get dressed in the morning.

In Pure Spirit

This photograph was published at Flickr under Creative Commons license by quatre mains.