Yoga Journal Singapore — December 15, 2017

(Grace) #1

I’M A YOGI


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YOGA JOURNAL SINGAPORE (ISSN #24249246) is an international licensed edition of Yoga Journal and is published by Sankia Publishing Pte Ltd. All contents in this magazine are
non-religious and not affiliated to any religious organization. The pictures have all been credited to photographers except in those cases where they were legally purchased or procured
from free online sites that allow commercial use.

Soma Temple


ART DIRECTION : ANUJA BAGADE, PHOTO CREDITS : BRUNA ROTUNNO

I have been practicing yoga for 45 years. I
started in 1972 when I was 18 years old, and my
teacher was an elderly Indian man in California.

Yoga keeps you flexible in body and
especially in your mind, and I highly
recommend it to everyone. True yoga is a
combination of asana, mantra and meditation.
In Bali, where I live, the locals refer to
meditation as yoga, and don’t just focus on
poses and asana practice. In the Balinese
culture, yoga means meditation. 

For me, the most important benefit of
yoga is that it quietens the mind. What we
need the mind for is to perform routine daily
activities, such as buying tickets, making
reservations, etc. We really do not need all
the mental chatter that goes on inside it, as it
is mostly about judging, analyzing, confusing
and questioning trivial things over which we
have no control. Most of that chatter actually
disturbs our peace of mind. I find that my
mind quietens after I stretch my body through

Soma Temple founded ‘Aum
Rudraksha Designs’ in 2003
in Bali, with the intention
of spreading the spiritual
wisdom of the holy bead—the
Rudraksha—to the western
world as apprised by her guru
in India. Here, the yogini tells
us about her product, her path
and her purpose.

From starting off as a hobby that weaved
the Rudrakshas into elegant jewelry, Aum
Rudraksha now supplies products to more
than 60 stores in five different continents.

Visit http://www.aumrudraksha.com and receive
15% off with Promo Code AUM108.

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december 2017 / january 2018

yogajournal.com.sg

asana, and sit quietly for a few mantras and
meditation. With a quiet mind, I am able to do
all my daily activities with far more grace and
ease.

My favorite pose is Padmasana (the lotus
pose) as it keeps the spine straight, allowing
the kundalini to rise. It is the pose for
meditation, which is what I love more and
more as I get older. It also keeps my knees
flexible and strong.

My guru told me, more than 20 years ago, that
my Dharma (purpose in life) was to spread the
Rudraksha to the West. Used for centuries by
the Hindus and the Buddhists, Papaji believed
that given the pure power of the Rudrakshas,
“the world would be at peace if everyone
was wearing them.” With that began my life
changing journey. My motivation is to radiate
peace and touch each individual that crosses
my path with love, helping them to discover
themselves.
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