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New Book! The Basis of Therapeutic Exercises

11/19/2020

Therapeutic exercises are simple movements of the body that take the major joints and muscles through their functional range of motion. They are not fancy or particularly beautiful to look at, but they are quite useful to keep the body strong, mobile and painless.

These exercises are the basis for the yoga method taught at Ghosh's Yoga College in Kolkata, India. They are central to the goal of building and sustaining health.

Because modern life is full of imbalances — lots of sitting, hunching and looking at screens — our bodies and minds get out of whack pretty often. We get tight hips, tight lower backs, achy necks, tight shoulders, etc. Most often, these tight achy areas are directly linked to an imbalance in a major joint. On the opposite side of the tightness is weakness.

We use these Therapeutic Exercises as precisely as we can to target the issues in the body. Some exercises are good for balancing the lower spine — like the Torso Lift and Leg Lift — while others are good for balancing the upper spine — like Cobra and Full Locust. Still other exercises are useful for balancing the hip — like Squatting and Hip Hinge — or the shoulders — like Butterfly or Chest Expansion.

After years of consideration and discussion with the Ghosh family, we are finally releasing a book that contains more than 40 Therapeutic Exercises. We try to explain the use of each exercise as precisely as possible, both what it does in the body and what imbalances it is good for.

At the end of the book are a handful of practice sequences. You may know that 'sequences' are unusual in therapeutic yoga, as each person is different and gets a unique prescription. But we have identified a few of the most common issues and imbalances and provided sets of exercises to target them.

We truly hope that this book will be useful to you, whether you are a beginning student, have an injury, are a yoga teacher, a yoga therapist or a historian of this method.

The book is available for preorder here. It will ship on December 7.

3rd Anniversary of 3 Books

8/27/2018

This week marks three years since the publication of 3 books: Buddha Bose's lost manuscript of 84 Yoga Asanas, the Beginning Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual and the Intermediate Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual.

BUDDHA BOSE
For anyone who doesn't already know, the manuscript for this book was created in 1938, containing more than 90 beautiful pictures of a young Buddha Bose. Bose was Bishnu Ghosh's first great yoga student in the 1930s. The manuscript contained instructions for 84 asanas and 10 mudras, but was never published for unknown reasons. Over many decades, it made its way to England and then the US, where Jerome Armstrong found it in a collection in Connecticut. We received permission to publish it and got funding support from hundreds of yogis on Kickstarter. The first edition is now sold out, and we are working on putting together a second edition that is smaller and easier to handle.

BEGINNING PRACTICE MANUAL
After teaching for a few years, it became clear that older people and beginners could use some simple instruction in accessible and beneficial postures. This book is a significant down-level from Bikram's class, intended for ages 60 and up, injured or true beginners. It includes some great therapeutic postures that build health and strength; ones taught by Bishnu Ghosh and Buddha Bose but overlooked in the past few decades. We are proud of this book, since it opens the practices to an underserved community.

INTERMEDIATE PRACTICE MANUAL
All of our book writing can trace itself back to this volume, the Intermediate Practice Manual. It is inspired by and draws heavily from our study with Tony Sanchez. It is meant for capable and comfortable yoga practitioners who are ready for some more complexity and depth in their practice. It has more than 50 postures, taking the yogi from a proficient beginner to the precipice of higher yogic practice.

We never imagined ourselves as authors or historians, but the path of life is strewn with unexpected obstacles and opportunities. In celebration of their anniversary, we are offering 20% off purchases of these three books (or their digital downloads) with the coupon code "3years".

Calcutta Yoga Excerpt: Chapter 3

6/4/2018

Calcutta Yoga is a new book about the history of yoga in Calcutta, covering 4 generations of the Ghosh and Bose families. Below is an excerpt from early in the book, about Buddha Bose's birth in 1912. It begins with his parents, Rajah and Emily. Learn more and purchase the book here.

Chapter 3

Colombo, Ceylon, Sept 20th, 1912

Rajah and Emily performed alongside the era’s top acts at all of the top venues, but the Spring of 1911 was climactic due to another pressing matter:

It came as no surprise when her mother and father of such high standing disowned her as she continued her relationship with Rajah, and inevitably fell in love. Sadly, her very slight figure was to bloom, as she had fallen pregnant.

An unpublished historical family novel tells of “a very dark secret in the family.” Emily’s relationship with Rajah “displeased her parents” and reached the point where “she ran away with him to India.”
When Emily became pregnant, there was no record of Rajah and Emily having a registration of marriage, nor did they share the same address. That April, the London census recorded Ripendra Bose, aged 26, living at 7 Manchester Street, Southampton with many foreign roommates who were also fledgling performers. Four months later, when Emily gave birth in August, the couple provided the address of 19 Danville Road.
Neither Rajah nor Emily were prepared for a child, nor did they understand how this would mark the end of their career on the British stage. The interracial mix in their show challenged cultural norms of the time, and their unwed relationship had scandalous implications. Rajah may have been removed from the magician’s guild to which he belonged and faced discrimination. With a child, Emily’s father of “high standing” made life difficult for both of them.
The following year Emily became pregnant with their second child and they decided to leave Britain for Calcutta, bringing their magic duo to the Bengal region of India. They traveled by ocean vessel. Then owned by North German Lloyd, the SS Derflinger was a passenger steamship made for voyages from Bremen to destinations in the Far East. Ocean passage, since the middle of the 19th Century, was a popular mode of travel between Britain and India.
After the SS Derflinger boarded passengers in Southampton, it headed south, then toward the Middle East, crossed the Suez Canal and set off across the Arabian Ocean. It then circled around Ceylon to reach the Indian Ocean.
On this particular voyage in 1912, before they reached Ceylon, Emily gave birth to her second child. The couple had left London while she was in her last trimester of pregnancy and, since the voyage to Calcutta by boat was quite long, Buddha Bose was born at sea with the given name Francis Joseph Chandra Bose. It was a Christian name given by his mother, paired with Chandra, a Bose family middle name selected by his father.
Even though his official birth certificate listed September 20th, the birth date Buddha would provide throughout his life was August 10th. He would later say he was “born on the deck” of the boat. It is possible he was born on the earlier date and then registered later at the Colombo port, or perhaps the date just got mixed up later on.

§

The research leads me to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), but just for one day. I check into the Galle Face Hotel, a colonial era hotel on the ocean shore. I go for a walk, passing the US embassy next door. After a month of pure sensory assault from street noise in Calcutta, the biggest pleasure of walking is noticing that the drivers in Colombo do not use their horns constantly. I pass by the embassy gates and inquire about the library, which is closed. I continue on, then turn right and walk down alittle alley to find a small local tea shop at the end of it. I purchase a tea biscuit and am handed black tea served in a clear glass. I cross over the railway tracks and sit down on a large rock. Above me it’s blue sky and white clouds, but a storm looks to be on the horizon. Looking out over the ocean toward the dark clouds in the distance, I can’t help but ponder many questions. This is like looking into a deep maze of family secrets, hidden, yet not so far gone as to be forgotten.

§

Over the final ten days of the voyage, they crossed the Indian ocean and the Bay of Bengal before entering the mouth of the Ganges river and arriving at the Port of Calcutta.

Toestand

1/6/2018

INTENTION
This posture continues the hip-opening of Tree Posture, increasing the focus on balance. Coming into balance on the toes requires significant strength in the foot and leg. Be sure to have the half-lotus foot high on the thigh before bending your standing leg. This way your half-lotus knee will be safer as you lower down.

Once you are all the way down, try to get your standing thigh parallel to the ground. Make the spine upright. This takes some adjustment in the center of gravity, finding the right combination of up-on-the-toes, leg down, and body back.

BREATH
Take easy, relaxed breaths in this pose.

BENEFITS
This posture builds great focus. It creates strength in the legs, feet and toes and openness in the hips.

NOTE
Come in and out slowly, avoiding any quick movements. If you feel tightness or pinching in the half-lotus knee when you bend forward or when bend your standing leg, don’t go further. Work on your Tree Pose.

Sit your opposite hip onto your heel (ex. left hip on right heel). If you try to hover with the strength of your standing leg you can easily strain the tendons in the front of the knee.

Excerpt from the Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual - Intermediate

Palmstand (Beginning)

12/30/2017

INTENTION
The purpose of this posture is to build strength in the arms, shoulders, abdomen, hips and thighs. It requires intense engagement of the body, perhaps the most of any posture.

The most important element is lifting the hips backward instead of forward. Push down strongly with the arms and pull the hips up and back.

This posture is quite simple in theory, though quite difficult in practice. It takes a lot of strength in the chest and shoulders to lift the body, and a lot of strength in the abdomen, hips and thighs to lift the legs. There are no magic tips to make this posture easier, just repetition and perseverence. Keep trying. You will get stronger.

BREATH
All of the breathing muscles are engaged in this posture, so breathing is difficult. The chest, back and torso muscles are engaged to lift the body; the abdomen is engaged to lift the pelvis and legs. Take short breaths, but breathe. Try to stay as relaxed as possible.

BENEFITS
This posture builds strength in the arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen and upper legs. It builds tremendous focus and determination.

Excerpt from the Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual - Beginning

Full Camel, Preparations 1 & 2

12/16/2017

INTENTION
These two positions begin to bridge the gap between Camel, a vital posture in beginning practice, and Full Camel, the most accessible of the Full Backbends.

Preparation 1, with the hands on the back of the thighs (pictured top), is a remedy to the most common problem with Camel Posture: Once we attain a certain level of ease, we are temped to push the hips forward beyond the knees. Instead, we should keep the hips over the knees and bend the spine more deeply, lowering the head and shoulders. We accomplish this by placing the hands on the back of the thighs instead of the heels (as in beginning Camel) and lowering the upper body.

Preparation 2, reaching one arm overhead with the other on the back of the thigh (pic- tured bottom), helps us to open our chest and shoulders. By reaching with only one arm, we can become comfortable with this intense sensation while still supported and safe.

BREATH
Breath will be short in any deep backbend. The lungs are stretched, and most of the muscles of breathing are paralyzed by the extension of the front side.

It is easy to panic when you feel the breath shorten. One of the vital elements of deepening your backbends is learning to stay relaxed even when your breath becomes quite short. If you sense rising panic, come out of the posture a little, and work where your breath can be calm.

BENEFITS
These positions allow you to gradually deepen your backbend while still supported, helping you to overcome the natural fear and disorientation that are the greatest obstactles to backward bending.

Excerpt from the Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual - Advanced 1

Wheel

12/9/2017

INTENTION
Wheel is a deep backward bend, made even deeper by the extension of the arms over- head, which stretches the shoulders and upper chest. Wheel expands on the frontside opening of Camel and counters the forward bend of Rabbit. Try to get your arms straight and your shoulders over your wrists. The hips lift up as high as possible.

BREATH
Lungs are very extended in this posture, and the muscles of the chest and torso are engaged, so breath will be about 50%. Keep the breath as slow and relaxed as possible. It is easy to let the intensity of this posture shorten the breath and lead to mental panic. Relax the breath and use it to cultivate ease in the body and calmness in the mind.

BENEFITS
This posture builds strength in the spine, hips, arms and legs. It stretches the belly, chest, throat and the front of the hips. It stretches and stimulates many of the nerve plexuses on the front side of the body, making it an intense experience but improving confidence and relaxation.

Excerpt from the Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual - Intermediate.

Toestand

12/2/2017

INTENTION
This posture, like the Tree pose, is about finding balance and stillness. In Toestand though, we are on our tip-toes with our knees deeply bent.

Stay balanced on the big toe and second toe. Don’t let the feet bow out toward your pinky toes.

Keep the knees and thighs pressed together with moderate strength. You don’t need to squeeze them forcefully, but use moderate strength. This engages the huge muscles on the insides of the thighs, stabilizing the legs and the entire posture.

Fix the gaze on one point and don’t move it. Find your balance and try to remain there with as little effort as possible. Inevitably you will have to make adjustments. There will be wobbly days. Above all, focus your gaze, feel your breath and be still.

BREATH
Take full, deep breaths in this posture.

BENEFITS
This posture builds focus and concentration. It stretches and strengthens the feet, legs, knees, hips, abdomen and lower back.

NOTE
Be careful with the knees here. When bent this deeply, it is possible to strain the fronts of the knees. If you feel uncomfortable or tense in the knees, don’t sit all the way down on the heels. Keep your hands on the floor and put a little weight on them.

Excerpt from the Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual - Beginning.

Tiger, Preparations 1 & 2

11/25/2017

INTENTION
Preparation 1 (pictured top) is commonly known as the Forearm Plank. This position begins to build strength in the chest, shoulders and arms with the body in a very supported position. Only about half of the body’s weight is in the arms, and we use the large pectoralis muscles of the chest. At this stage, it is of vital importance to setup your hand, arm and shoulder position well. This is the foundation that we will build upon.

Preparation 2 (pictured bottom) shifts the weight of the body forward and up, gradually moving us toward Tiger. The position of the shoulders is different from Preparation 1. Now the body is upward and the shoulders are flexed more. The muscles that get used will shift. Keep the arms, elbows and shoulders stable and engaged.

It is important in both of these exercises to move the shoulder blades away from the spine. The chest muscles engage to move the shoulders forward (toward the chest). As the shoulders flex, like in Preparation 2, the shoulder blades rotate and come onto the side of the ribcage like wings.

BREATH
In Preparation 1, the breath will be small. The muscles are tight, so breathing is nearly impossible. Stay calm, keep the body tight, and take small breaths. Don’t relax the body (especially the belly) to enable large breaths.

In Preparation 2, the body is not quite as engaged. The breath will still be short, but less than in Preparation 1.

Excerpt from the Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual - Advanced.

Standing Bow

11/18/2017

INTENTION
This posture is terrifically complex. It bends the spine backward and twists it, opening the chest and shoulders. The kicking leg moves toward the splits, all while balancing on one leg. Do your best to keep the kicking hip down. Even hips create a truer backbend in the spine and balanced engagement of the standing hip and leg. Keep the head and chest up while the belly button drops and faces the ground.

BREATH
Lungs are extended in this posture, breath should be about 70%. Use the breath to stretch the chest up and forward. Keep the breath relaxed, even as the back muscles engage and the heart rate rises.

BENEFITS
This posture builds balance, focus and determination. The backbend massages the adrenal glands, reducing stress. It stretches the chest, legs, hips and shoulders while building strength in the feet, legs, hips, back and shoulders. This posture truly challenges and benefits the whole body.

NOTE
Take great care not to hyperextend the standing knee in Standing Bow. Make sure that the standing knee is stacked directly over the ankle, not pushed behind it. Hyperextending the knee damages the ligaments of the knee and will eventually create issues in the hips, ankles and feet.

Excerpt from the Ghosh Yoga Practice Manual - Intermediate.