Satyananda Yoga practices help in many ways:
Surya namaskara helps greatly. During the practice when I try and mentally run the awareness through the various chakras while trying to be aware of the count and the right posture, the ensuing 23-25 minutes are a journey of imagining the day that lies ahead, the mental preparation of responses to events that are not planned but do occur and re-energize the energy ecosystem. The practice helps to focus on what’s important, not get hassled by what’s not important and most importantly imagine and create scenarios that eventually unfold. When the scenarios occur, since I have encountered them in the morning, they do not come as a surprise and I mostly respond to them rather than react.
The effect of increasing counts of bhramari pranayama, along with yoga nidra, has been on the subconscious mind. The quality of sleep has improved, and nervous energy accrued during the day gets washed away again in the evening.
Arjun, Bangalore
Slow surya namaskara using a video where Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati paces the asanas gave a boost of energy and set the tone for the day at an energetic note. I also started the lower back asanas in the FFH app which took care of my lower back pain. This helped with my complaints of low energy, feeling bored and body pains. It made me feel capable internally because it re-established my routine.
Ashwasti Tripathi, Delhi
My sadhana has changed, I was putting more focus on the asanas, but now they became preparation for pranayama. I try to spend more time on my breathing and I like the short practices, that Swamiji shared with us, especially the ajapa japa. It is wonderful to send light with your inner self.
Jignasu Buddhi, Bulgaria
During the three months of isolation at home, I continued to practise, not so regularly, but when I needed. When I felt that I was accumulating tension or getting into a family conflict situation, I applied breathing techniques (yogic breathing and nadi shodhana breathing 11 times). I found that this reduces the tension and calms me down. After the conscious breathing I felt balanced, and because of this the conflicts around me suddenly disappeared.
After three months of regular yoga practice, the blood tests showed that the insulin levels had come to a normal level, given that I already stopped taking the medicines in December 2019. I believe that yoga helps me to be healthier, to love myself and to live in harmony with others without judging or becoming angry with them.
Stanislava Nikolova, Bulgaria
At the beginning of lockdown, I had intensified my sadhana, increased the number of rounds in asanas and pranayamas, and I used that opportunity to do practices more deeply, without rush. Later after a few months, I had a lot of struggle with motivation and regularity, and finally I came back to the normal everyday routine, with moderate number of rounds, and everyday meditation and yoga nidra. I have realized how asanas and pranayamas were important, and the days when I skipped them were full of heaviness and negativity.
Jignasu Devamitra, Serbia
When I do my sadhana I feel a great positive impact on my physical and mental functionality. The strongest impression is how my body moves better and easier, and my mental clarity and speed of thinking increase. I manage challenging situations which call for additional concentration much better. I make better decisions because I have a clearer picture of my goals and the direction I want to go.
Miljan Pelevic, Serbia
Do muscles have memory? Do they have consciousness, subconscious and unconscious memories like the mind? The answer is no. Muscles don’t have conscious, subconscious, unconscious memories. They are organic. The memory in muscles is the conditioning. It is not a smriti, it is a conditioning. When you walk around your home for years, you can walk there in total darkness for you know where the steps are, where the furniture is, where everything is. That is due to muscle memory and your own memory.
When you do surya namaskara and it happens with ease, without you thinking what comes next, that is muscle memory. When the body is tuned to do certain things without the participation of the planning conscious mind, then that is identified as muscle memory. It is an autonomic process. It is a conditioning that comes up. When children learn to climb steps for the first few days or weeks they find it difficult. Once they get used to it, they can simply climb and crawl up the steps. They don’t use memory or the intelligence to decide, the body is able to do it. That is muscle memory which happens without participation of the conscious planning mind.
17 October 2019, Progressive Yoga Vidya Training 1, Ganga Darshan, Munger