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Cairn India Ltd.
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My first experience of yogic practices started as part of the initiative from my organization's Wellness division. I had the opportunity to be a student of Shivachittam for the basic yoga classes and at that time my interest level was primarily towards better body and some measure to take care of today's food practices.
On my first day itself I realized that I am blessed to be part of ShivaChittam's class- room as there was more than the body focus. Understanding the basics of why we do certain yoga postures was an eye opener and did give more meaning to what was being practiced. That made me come to the class each day with renewed enthusiasm. Slowly and steadily I realized that I am able to do the postures better as time went by just following Guru's words. The Yoga Nidhra is definitely something that makes the entire day's stress released within 10 to 15 minutes - how ShivaChittan takes one through the Yoga Nidhra process is definitely to be experienced.
I sincerely think ShivaChittam is an excellent teacher in Yoga and I would be looking forward to be part of his next level of classroom session. I think by attending to his sessions one can get a new outlook towards life in general.
Anand Pillai
Senior Manager - IT Program
Cairn India Ltd.
Gurgaon
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Jhilmil Breckenridge
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I was a stressed out mother of three who used to go to the gym frequently. Mani introduced me to the gentle Bihar school of yoga. The difference in my life was amazing. I was much calmer, felt fitter and more in sync with everything. Yoga made my body more flexible and fit, and the meditations and pranayamas made me more energetic, yet calmer.
Into my third year of practicing, I became pregnant and continued with the yoga practice through my pregnancy to the end. The difference in this pregnancy and the earlier ones was quite drastic. I suffered none of the backaches and morning sickness that I had suffered with in my previous pregnancies. The baby, when born, was also much calmer and more settled than my previous ones. Yoga in pregnancy was a boon, and I strongly recommend it for all pregnant women!
Hariom!
Jhilmil Breckenridge
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Vedic Collection Pvt Ltd.
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My tryst with Bihar School of Yoga started way back in early 2005. I was suffering from acute lower back ache (caused by a slipped disc) which rendered me helplessly crippled. I had a huge problem to do simple daily activities like sitting down, standing, walking etc.The doctors had all given me bed rest & my fate was sealed because the diagnosis was that I was to remain like this for life. I was totally down in spirits when Shivachittam walked into my life & started making me do simple asanas for my back. At that time even to do these asanas was a mammoth task for me as I would screech out in pain. But his perseverance got the better of me & slowly but definitely there was a marked improvement.
Once the back started strengthening Shivachittam introduced me to various other asanas which at that time seemed impossible for me to perform with my physical state but now 3 years down the line I am doing all the forward bending asasnas and have never felt so better in my life. Yoga also helped in toning me down & I got rid of all my excess weight thus gaining in confidence & not shying away from the public eye.
I was also going through a bad patch emotionally but every time I performed my asanas, did my pranayams I was transformed into a different world. I had a lot of sleep disorders & nightmares & negative thoughts just kept plaguing my mind. I was introduced to Yoga Nidra & Antarmouna meditation where I could come to terms with my thoughts & also learned to eliminate these rather than hold on to them. Now I look forward to my practice with him every now and then because yoga has not only given me physical strength but mental & emotional abundance.
Divita Kanoria
Chief Wellness Officer
Vedic Collection Pvt Ltd. |
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IndianOil (Marketing Division)
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My heartfelt thanks and gratitude for mirroring the secrets and power of YOGA to me, during our 19th Cutting Edge program at IIPM, Gurgaon. I extend my thanks to IIPM for giving opportunity to attend a training program.
The program started on 4th Dec'08 with the practice of "Joint series". I was highly enthusiastic since day one, but I resolved to follow the YOGA practice schedule religiously everyday .My commitment was further juxtaposed by the incremental benefits that I experienced during the process and it made the whole experience a rejuvenation of my youth.
I came to IIPM with a weight of 90.2 kg. Today as on 31st Dec'08, I am at 77.8 kg, which I have reduced during this period of mere 25 days.
I had been suffering from nose blockage and my doctor had recommended for surgical treatment of the problem. You taught us NETI on 14th Dec'08and I am doing it daily since then. My nose blockage has disappeared and I feel very comfortable now.
Sir, the practice of kunjal and shankhaprakshalana were really helpful and the feeling of calmness which pervades after these practices is ecstatic.
Among the numerous other benefits bestowed by your graceful teachings are peacefulness of mind, sound and deep sleep, improved length of breath, better stamina etc.
The practice of yoganidra and meditation have been helpful in promoting a peculiar feeling of tranquility during the entire day.
Sir, I am really thankful to you, for the metamorphic changes affected in my life, through your teachings of yoga practice.
Regards
Ripan Biswas, Cutting Edge-19
Dy.Manager (Information systems)
North East Integrated state office
Guwahati,IndianOil (Marketing Division)
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IndianOil (Head Office, Mumbai)
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Hari Om
I am continuing with the Asanas for my slip-disc/ lower back ache problems as was instructed by you and virtually there is no pain. I have also improved upon my sitting postures in the office thereby reducing the risk of future attacks. As you had asked me to inform you from time to time about the progress, I am able to confirm you now that it is 90% cured. I say it is 90% as there was a bit of irritation (not pain) one day while I was doing Kapal Bhati. I tried Surya Namaskar this Sunday and did not have much difficulty in doing it two rounds. Nevertheless, I will wait for your instructions to go ahead further the other Asanas other than those instructed by you. An added reward has been the curing of my routing cold (perhaps due to Mumbai Pollution) on account of doing the Jal Neti regularly. Regards
Indradip Paul, Cutting Edge-11
Manager (IS), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Head Office, Mumbai
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IndianOil (Retail Sales Division)
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Hari Om
I had really drawn lot of renewed energy when I talked to you today over phone. I would like to inform you once again that my life has changed completely after the last Threshold programme, the best part of which was more than one hour daily YOGA session under your able guidance. I acquired a lot of skills in practicing different yogasanas and pranayams. After returning from IIPM Gurgaon I have been regularly following yogasanas, pranayams and NETI. This has become part of my daily life now. I am thankful to God and you for giving me such a beautiful opportunity to learn Yoga under your able guidance for more than a month. You will be further happy to know that I have started teaching these yoga/pranayamas practice to my children too. They are also taking lots of interest. I would like to keep in touch with you regularly....... Hari Om
SKP Singh,Senior Divisional Retail Sales Manager
Indian Oil Corporation Limited,IBP Bhavan
Vibhutikhand Lucknow-226010
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Laburnum Yoga Group
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A group of us have been taking a yoga class with Shivachittam from thebeginning of the last year. For those of you looking for a true yoga experience with a master, Shivachittam is your answer! Through his guidance each individual learns at their own pace. The members of the current class have each been able to improve their flexibility, their strength, and their breathing through his teaching. Shivachittam is a very focused and patient teacher, encouraging all members of the class to achieve the physical postures and proper breathing techniques correctly and at their own pace.
Lynn Holdhusen & Catriona Macleod
Laburnum Yoga Group
Sushant Lok-I, Gurgaon
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Jeev Milkha Singh
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Shiv,
Learning from you has been an experience of a life time. Human beings forget in there busy life to mantain a balance which through Yoga can only be achieved . Peace , good health, mental strength and balance can only be achieved through Yoga. You have a excellent way to teach and understand every individual needs. Thanks for the 5 days and keep up the good work. God Bless.
Regards
Jeev Milkha Singh
Professional Golfer |
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Diabetes and High B.P.
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Weight creeps up on you slowly and stealthily like a thief is what everyone said. I always thought this happened to others and would never happen to me. And then, when I hit my forties, I realised that that is exactly where I stood. The demands of a satisfying but gruelling job, the pace of living in a metro, multitasking – all this and more- had manifested itself in the form of hypertension. Diabetes was threatening to enter my life. Every visit to the doctor ended with a grim reminder – “lose weight”
Then started the trips to the gym, experimenting with diet changes, battles between high protein and low carb fads. The scale turned into a yo-yo. On good days a kg was gone and on bad days two were back. All around me flew suggestions on what was the best way to manage weight. I needed to manage not just weight but health. The most frequently heard advice was “YOGA”. The turning point was a fellow gymmer who had been visiting the gym regularly and was an epitome of fitness. After she had been missing from the gym for a few months she showed up looking fitter, happier and healthier. She said “Yoga is a hundred times better than gym”. The penny dropped.
Then started the hunt for a yoga guru. There were horror stories about people who had developed back problems because of yoga, and many other stories. A friend who practiced yoga at Laburnum told me about Shivachittam. Fortunately he agreed to make time for personal classes and thus started my tryst with yoga.
When we started out, I felt like I would never be able to master the twists, the turns, the forward and the backward bends. The body was stiff and felt like a plank. Slowly but surely he started ironing out the kinks in the system. He built the practice brick by brick, according to the response of the body. I never felt tired or exhausted – the opposite – I felt rejuvenated after each session. However I never believed I would be able to practice it on my own. Shivachittam encouraged me to start practicing on my own and convinced me that I would be able to do it. Small diet changes were all he suggested – light food, avoid hard drinks, avoid very cold water - nothing that one couldn’t do.
One year down the road – I am 7 kgs lighter, the body is flexible, the joints have opened up. The breathlessness I experienced while speaking long sentences has disappeared. Blood pressure is normal – something that I have not experienced in 10 years. Blood sugar is under control. All clothes had to be altered – the inches, especially on the abdomen, have melted away. I am a convert. I practice yoga 5 days a week and it has become a way of life.
Sanjeev Agarwal
Managing Director
Helion Advisors Pvt.Ltd.
Gurgaon
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Bihar School of Yoga
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I have been practicing the Bihar School of Yoga for two years under the able guidance of Guru Shivachittam. I am 51 years old. I am a successful technocrat and am Chairman of Quest Group of Companies. I was following the typical urban lifestyle balancing the family, work and social life and was therefore having the typical symptoms of urban living having slightly elevated BP, stiff body, aches and pains, allergies, short temper, irritation, stress etc. I had practiced other schools of yoga before but not had much impact. However after following Shivachittam thrice a week for two years, I notice a significant charge for the better in all spheres of life.
Physical
My body was extremely stiff like a wooden plank. I had problems even sitting with my feet stretched out in the front. I could barely lend forward and could bring my arms a little in front of my knees.
Today I can touch my feet! It is an accomplishment for me. My body is still stiff compared to others but I am able to do all my asanas. I used to have a lot of stiffness in my shoulders and neck muscles. Today they are relaxed. The constant aches and pains have disappeared. During the initial 6 months the manifestations of years of stress were appearing as painful symptoms around my feet. I had stretched tendens, could not walk etc from time to time but I kept up with the yoga classes. Today all these symptoms have disappeared.
My golf swing which was erratic has become much more relaxed and smoother. My body is able to turn from the waist. Hence my game has improved.
My B.P. has normalized. I had begun to develop prostate problems with frequent visits for urination. I had a dull pain in my lower abdomen for years which could not be diagnosed. The pain is now gone.
Mental
My mind was hyperactive. I was stressed out. In the yoga class I could not sit without fidgeting, I used to get up and walk out several time during the class.
To day my mind is relaxed. I am in control. I enjoy the complete yoga session of 1 hour and 15 minutes. Yoga Nidra has helped the mind and the thought process. Calmness is there which is not there before.
Emotional
Before I was irritated, I used to get upset at the slightest provocation and this did have an impact on my relationships with my wife, my children and my colleagues.
Today the anger has not completely disappeared but the out bursts are less frequent and not as serve. Emotionally I am a happier person and this has resulted in having more fun with my friends.
Spirituality
I have always been spirituality inclined yoga has helped my meditation sessions. The connections are longer and deeper spiritual progress is taking place.
I am indebted to Shivachittam from Bihar school of yoga. The regular practice of yoga has improved the quality of my life.
Ashutosh Rastogi
Chairman
Quest Group of Companies
Gurgaon
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Low Blood Pressure, Acidity and Migraine
Saturday, January 29 |
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With the hindsight of some four months of practicing yoga, I feel that I started yoga without understanding what it is about. An injured foot had prompted me to look for low impact exercises. And it was sheer chance that I found the Anandabodh website and met my teacher, Shivachittam. At that point of time, I looked upon yoga as a flexible but regular exercise routine. I had discussed with my teacher my migraine and acidity problems in passing. What I did not expect was that these problems will reduce significantly within a matter of weeks. I did follow a regular practice and dietary advice from Shivachittam. Nonetheless, the relief was miraculous and unexpected. It was after a few weeks of regular yoga, pranayam, mantras and occasional kriyas that I understood to some measure the way yoga understands my body and my self. And that is so deep and immense that no other form of exercise that I have done can even remotely come close to it. First, I never accepted the body-mind complex in its holistic entity. In fact, in day to day existence, most of the time that my mind fought the limits of my body and the perpetual conflict continued. However, yoga taught me to integrate what I treated individually. For instance, after a few regular sessions of yoga, I realized that I had to go to sleep when my brain signaled to my mind that it is switching off. I now get up at more regular hours and achieve the same work more productively what I would fight to finish sleepily earlier. The sense of regret of what I could not achieve because of the confines of my body is much less with a daily practice of all the aspects of yoga. Initially, I had some reservations about kunjal kriya. Shivachittam's assured guidance about this practice encouraged me to try it. A month down the line, my body itself signaled to me that it was time to cleanse it internally. This acceptance of my physical body, the claims that it lays on my mental faculties has been for me the first lesson of yoga. The second realization was that yoga contributes to specific attributes of my mind as well. It has slowed down the rate at which random thoughts come to my mind. There is a space for calm reflection now when I meditate. It has reduced my restlessness, though some of it is still there. Nonetheless, in four months I have become less excitable. The third realization was that yoga is a very hard task master. What yoga demands of the body and the mind is a relentlessly regular practice. It is a beautifully austere science, which yields results only with regular loyalty. My acidity problem went down initially, but resurged intermittently when my practice was not very regular. Given the relief and the freedom from all forms of medication that are both financially demanding and physically harmful, these demands of regularity are not much. More so if I document the other physical benefits that I have felt. It has raised to some extent my low blood pressure and reduced hairfall significantly! The last gift of yoga has been the realization of a spiritual self, which I am convinced all human beings possess. During the quiet moments of ajapa japa and even antar mouna, I have found myself connected with something which is beyond mortal words. It is a very individual realization, something that is to be experienced and not described. I must mention the systematic manner in which I was taught the set of all practices (hatha yoga, meditation, pranayam, kriyas and mantras). A regular practice of all of the above, I believe, have a significant contribution in the reduction of the regular irritants of migraine and acidity. To that extent, I am immensely thankful to Shivachittam in guiding me so well in a practice that I completely identify with now. Without it, I would have looked upon yoga as I understood it some four months earlier. As just another form of flexible low impact exercise. Debdatta Saha Senior Research Fellow, Indian Statistical Institute |
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