Yoga Journal Singapore — December 15, 2017

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.