KRIPAFOUNDATION KRIPAFOUNDATION IYENGAR YOGAIYENGAR YOGA®

Our Collaborative Centres across the World1. Zurich (Switzerland)2. Bergelingen (Germany)3. Coolmine - Dublin (Ireland)4. Kripa Poland (Poland)5. Kripa Mississauga (Canada)6. Kripa USA - Milwaukee (USA)

KRIPAFOUNDATION IYENGAR YOGA®REGD. OFFICE: MT. CARMEL CHURCH,

81/A, CHAPEL ROAD, BANDRA (WEST), MUMBAI 400 050. INDTEL: +91 (22) 26405411/ 26433027/ 26429158

EMAIL: kripabandra@gmail.comWWW.KRIPAFOUNDATION.ORG

A Global Healing Presence

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Hence when the self-help programme came to be the decisive answer in1935 with the founding of the Alcoholics Anonymous, the solution wassought to be a holistic one. However, all such teachings have been “left brain”in nature. St. Paul in the Bible says, “I know what is good and I know what isbad; I know good has to be done and evil avoided, yet, I end up by doing theevil which I hate”.[3]

The same person also speaks of grappling with what he calls “a thorn in the flesh”. [4]

It is supposed to have been some persistent disability that rendered his lifeunmanageable and an embarrassment .The same is true with all Addictions. People who are very talented and have held respectable positions become victims of Addiction much to their embarrassment andthat of their families.

Addiction is a kind of human disability that cannot be tackled only on the physical plane. As Guruji BKS Iyengar emphasises,” it has multiple dimensionssuch as physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual.”[5] Hence thetriple dimensions of the Eight Limbs of Yoga (Ashatanga Yoga) ideally suitthe recovery progamme in all the stages from “Detoxification” to the personbeing reintegrated into the society.

As it is well known, the person who seeks help for the treatment of SubstanceUse Disorders mostly comes into treatment with many physical ailments. Theprimary need here is the management of “withdrawal symptoms”. In the caseof underprivileged persons from lower socio-economic backgrounds, hospitalization is not an affordable option. Therefore, many such persons gothrough what is called a “cold turkey”, i.e. going through the painful processof withdrawing from the chemical without the aid of withdrawal pain management medication.

Often, there is an occurrence of death in the process of such withdrawals.Many affluent people who undergo hospitalization are provided with sophisticated medical interventions. The latter has often been counterproductive since after treating the body, the person becomes dependent on other substitutes and the person does not address the dimension of the Mind as well as the Soul. The fact that there is no Chemicalsolution for Chemical dependency[6] has made the one-dimensional MedicalModel obsolete. It is here that Iyengar Yoga responds to the whole personrecovery that the World Health Organization (WHO) speaks about.

PADMA VIBHUSHAN GURUJI BKS IYENGAR’S GIFT TO RECOVERING ADDICTS

Since 1981 Kripa Foundation is one of the largest NGOs affiliated with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. It primarily works in the field of Substance Use Disorders and Addiction relatedailments particularly, HIV AIDS. The Kripa Model of Treatment offers an intensive care program for people addicted to various mood altering substances.

However, since 1991, Kripa Foundation has also extended its services to people living with HIV AIDS. It is an extremely debilitating disease closely associated with Addiction. On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, GurujiBKS Iyengar gifted this work with his holistic approach to health. Kripa Foundation has now spread across 12 states in India through its 16 residentialfacilities and 77projects. It has been integrating Iyengar Yoga as part of itsholistic treatment model. This is now recognized as the third dimension ofthe Self Help Programme.

The twelve step programme of the Alcoholics Anonymous has both, the psycho-spiritual and the psycho-social dimension in it. However Guruji’s teaching has added the third dimension, called the Psycho-somatic. It integrates what Behavioural medicine calls the “Faith Factor”[1].

The practice of the postures (Asanas) is not restricted to the mere “exercise”of the Body, but is done with the original goal of the “Eight Limbs of Yoga”, (Ashtanga Yoga). It culminates in what is known as the spiritual pursuit (“Antar-atma Sadhana”). This is a journey from the periphery to the center,from the sympathetic nervous system to the central nervous system via the autonomous nervous system. In Iyengar Yoga we call it a journey from theouter body (Bahiranga) to the transpersonal (Antaratma) via the Inner body (Antaranga).

In India, like globally, the disease of Addiction has reached epidemic proportions. It has afflicted both the rich and poor. One-dimensional effortsto treat this illness, globally have failed since 1931. Men of Medicine and therenowned Psychologist, Dr. Carl Gustav Jung openly acknowledged theinadequacy of psychology alone to handle Addiction. Many a religious attempts also has proved counterproductive. Religion too does become“opium”[2] of the people.

The third asana is Viparita Karani (Inverted Lake Pose) a semi inversionpose that interfaces the cardio-respiratory system with the cardio-circulatory system. This posture canhelp as a diagnostic posture. If withina few minutes the patient has abreathing problem, one knows thatthe damage done by the drug and alcohol is severe. However if one canstay in this asana for over ten minutes,one experiences a great inner senseof “samatolatva” (inner balance). Withthe help of this asana, many havebeen able to even gradually discontinue the use of medicationsprescribed for “withdrawals” and inthe case of Alcohol dependents

particularly, it reduces the ‘Delirium tremens.’

Our final restorative asana for the detoxification phase is “Calves rested”Savasana (Corpse Pose). Our calves are the second heart and so with this posture, one comes into a “hypo-metabolic” condition and experiences theslowing down of the breath, heart rate and also the brain waves. The simplicity of this protocol has baffled many a person of Science. Thanks tothe openness to the wisdom of Guruji BKS Iyengar our medical team is work-ing on a pilot research. The other regular forms of detoxifications will be the‘control’ group.

THE DETOXIFICATION PROTOCOL

The first encounter with the person intending to seek help is always that of loveand acceptance. Here is the beginning of the common denominator of MotherTeresa and Guruji BKS Iyengar. It is “Compassion”; just as Mother Teresa has inspired me to reach out to the poorest of the poor, Guruji has helped me toreach out to the poorest of the poor in health. Most of the entrants even thoughthey may have not been on the street, have experienced rejection. Hence assoon as the person is admitted he is given the first asana that helps one to experience the invitation of the Master, “Come to me all who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest”.[7]

So the first restorative Asana is Savasana (Corpse Pose) with the bolster supporting the diaphragm. There is always a need to support the head as itserves as an introduction to the Jalandhara-Bandha (Chin-Lock). The very nextday the person is introduced to enhancing one’s cardio-respiratory area.

It is again a restorative posture that needs assistance to keep the deltoidspressed against the floor in order to feel the inhalation into all the three compartments of the diaphragm. It is the first introduction to what I term “thepsycho-somatics of the Prayer of the Heart”! With the belt on the femur and legsin a ‘Supta-Tadasana stretch’ (Supine Mountain Pose), the energy of the spine ismade to move towards the heart. It is a gentle sense of the Mula-Bandha (Root Lock)/ and the Uddiyana-Bandha (Abdominal lock).

The protocol begins with Adho-Mukha Virasana (Downward-facing heropose) to begin working on the three major systems of the body, the nervous,endocrinal and immune. One needs to get into the process of Centering +Meditation (Dharana-Dhyana) from the very first asana. Hence, the instructorboth assists to reach the correct posture as well as explains the progressivestages from the beginning (Arambhavastha) till the state of Perfection in(Nishpattiavastha).

The next posture helps the recovering person to spread ones awarenessthrough the Pancha-Tatva (five elements) in the Body. AdhomukhaSvanasana (Downward-facing dog stretch) gets the person to work on thePrithvi-Tatva (Element of the Earth) by working on the pressure on the limbs,both legs and arms. The withdrawing lower abdomen helps them to use thewater element (Aap tatva) along with the hip joints to align the entire spine.The Solar Plexus (Manipur area) helps to bring in the Tejas (light) into thebody. The breath (Vayu-tatva) receives a deep sense of amplifying effect. Finally the area of the throat (Vishuddhi) area and the Brain experiences theelement of Ether (Akasha-Tatva).

IN HOUSE RESIDENTIAL YOGA PROTOCOL

The optimal time for an in-house residential programme is three months. Henceone gets an opportunity to use the Body as the temple of God’s Spirit. Many patients do not like any reference to God. However, the self-help model of theAA, always refers to the Higher power as the God of one’s understanding[8]. Thisreference to a source of help other than one’s own Ego or self-will is experiencedby living in a community. There is also much teaching on the use of Psychologyand in particular REBT (Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy). Many other psychological tools both individual and group therapy are made available.

However all this requires the use of the “thinking brain” or the “left brain hemisphere”. As quoted by St. Paul, the addict knows “…what is good and …what is bad….good is to be done and evil avoided”, yet one does the very evilthat one hates.” The best of motivation brings one to say that “the Spirit is willingbut the flesh is weak”[9]. Hence within the spirituality of the twelve steps, thefounding fathers of the AA have made use of a word which helps us to link Iyengar Yoga with the recovery process.

The word in the eleventh step is ‘MEDITATION’: “Sought through prayer andmeditation to seek to improve one’s conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carrythat out”[10]. In Patanjali Yog sutras, Meditation is the seventh limb of Ashtanga(Eightfold Path) to wholeness and holiness. The practice of Iyengar yoga for sucha journey is what we term a “work in”. In the West unfortunately Yoga has beenmostly made into a “work out”.

The journey into wholeness, in Guruji’s oft repeated teaching is “from the periphery to the Centre ie. from the sympathetic nervous system to the centralnervous system. This happens via the autonomous nervous system.” Hence inKripafoundation Iyengar Yoga® the bias is that all yoga practice is done withthe aim of integrating the ‘Antar-atma’ (Transpersonal) dimension into the ‘Asana’practice using the ‘antarang’ (Inner Body) all the time. The latter emphasis onthe ‘breath’ makes the practice more “feminine” rather than “masculine”.

The word for the Spirit in the Bible is “Ruah” also meaning Breath[11]; and it isFeminine! Many of the yoga practitioners who have not respected this teachingof Guruji have ended up hurting themselves and getting many ailments owingto a “hypertensive” practice. As Guruji empatically said at his discourse on the25th anniversary of Kripa Foundation, “An asana that is meant to heal BloodPressure could invite BP!” [12]

We then have to address many emotional and stress related issues which areaddressed in a holistic way by working on the endocrinal system. Janu Sirsasana(Head-on-knee pose) and Paschimottanasana (Intense back stretch) with support to the head, help to address the Kidneys, liver, spleen and Pancreas.

The final stage of the Asanas for Addiction Recovery process is a preparation ofthe body for the Prayer of the heart. In a semi-restorative way one is brought toexperience the interfacing of the energy of life and the energy of intelligence.With the restorative Setubandha Sarvangasana (Bridge pose) one is made tosend the energy of the spine upwards towards the heart. In the process onelearns the role of the Mulabandha (Root lock) and the Uddiyana- Bandha (Abdominal Lock). While with the Jalandhara Bandha (Chin lock) brings downthe energy of the intelligence downwards to the heart. Both the energies meetat the heart, the Anahata area (the Cardiac Plexus). Many a mystic such as JohnCassian in the 4th century, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, speak of theprayer of the heart. It is Guruji who has helped the recovering addict to experience this centering in a psycho-somatic way. When the body experiencesthis on a cellular consciousness level, it is more authentic. The Body never tellslies. This is the peak experience for a recovering addict who can now understandthe essential of recovery, viz. CONVERSION. The Greek word is META-NOIA (beyond the mind). For a person in recovery, it is a shift in the locus of controlfrom the Ego to the Self. In Indian philosophy, the Self is the “Antar-Yamin” ( theInner Controller). For Christians it is the indwelling presence of the Risen Lord.

We work now on the cleansing process of remnant toxins. It is a three stage Uttanasana (Intense forward stretch), culminating in bring the brain with its fourlobes being kept parallel to one another and perpendicular to the floor.

Our next sequence helps to work on the spine and the brain. We activate thespine and calm the brain in the practice of Viparita Dandasana (Inverted StaffPose). This helps the person in recovery to work on the Nervous system and ad-dress many mental health issues such as Dual Disorder.

In conclusion, Kripa Foundation Iyengar Yoga has played a major role in the areaof Addiction Recovery. The greatest challenge to recovery is the “no-cure” dimension of Addiction. The relapse syndrome of the disease is on the rise withmore sophisticated drugs being available. Hence the message of Iyengar Yogais to address the Person and not the chemical.

All one-dimensional efforts to help addiction have admitted their limitation.Hence the answer is in a holistic response to this challenge, which is a combination of Science and Faith. While the self help model has psycho-spiri-tuality and psycho-social support components, the psycho-somatic dimensionbeing introduced through the eleventh step is providential indeed. With KripaFoundation Iyengar Yoga being used in all collaborative centers of Kripa Foundation, all over the world, the Iyengar Sadhaka (seeker) will have an opportunity to reach out to the suffering humanity. Long ago Dr. Walter Cannoncoined the phrase, “The Wisdom of the Body”; Guruji has helped countless recovering persons to experience this wisdom latent within and know the secretof Healing Addiction.

After the prayer of the heart posture we get into Brahmacharyasana/ Paschi-mottanasana (Intense back stretch). This is indeed the final purpose of addiction recovery. Literally the word means “to dwell or to walk in the presence of theLord”. To do this again on the cellular consciousness level is to reach the innermost core of one’s being called the Anandamaya cosha (the blissful body).The posture done from the height of the chair is to help those who have spinalstiffness and especially lumbar spine injuries.

Before the client is introduced to Pranayama (Prana is Energy/Breath and Ayamais the storing and distribution of that energy), it is necessary to have a short timeof Savasana (Corpse pose). Using the bolster behind the knees keeps the entirespine especially the lumbar area rested on the floor.

The use of Pranayama prepares the recovering person for the final stage of Antaratma Sadhana, the (Transpersonal Dimension) which is a sense of oneness, wholeness and holiness.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The work of Kripa Foundation which began in 1981 has now become aglobal healing presence. Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar and Mother Teresa havebeen the inspiration to create a very unique Method of healing Addiction.I wish to acknowledge their major contribution in the field of Addictionrecovery. This booklet is a glimpse of the ongoing research in Addictionand Iyengar Yoga. The blessing of Guruji on the celebration of the 25thAnniversary of Kripa Foundation was, "may this seed grow into a gigantictree, spreading hope and healing to the afflicted all over the world". Sofar this teaching has been used in America, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, Poland,Germany, Switzerland, Australia and soon to be presented at the YogaSummit in China July 2014.

Seeking Guruji's Blessings for the ongoing work of Kripa.

With deep respect and Pranam to him,

Fr. J o e Pe re i r a

Guruji BKS Iyengar with Fr. Joe Pereira in 196846 years of DiscipleshipGuru - Shishya relationship

REFERENCES:

1. Bernie S. Siegel, 1990, 'Love, Medicines and Miracles: Lessons learnedabout Self-Healing from a Surgeon's Experience with Exceptional Patients'.

2. Marx Karl, Preface to his 1843, 'Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right'.

3. Romans 7:15-20. The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica Inc.

4. II Corinthians 12:7-9. The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica Inc.

5. B.K.S. Iyengar: ‘Twenty Fifth Anniversary of Kripa’ 2006. Ranga Sharada,Mumbai.

6. Mitchel Dale, ‘Silkworth: The Little Doctor, Who Loved Drunks’. 2002,Hazelden Publishing.

7. Matthew 11:28. The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica Inc.

8. Alcoholics Anonymous (February 2002). Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Hazelden Publishing.

9. Matthew 26:40-43, The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica Inc.

10. Alcoholics Anonymous (February 2002). Hazelden Publishing.

11. Elwell, Walter A. "Entry for 'Spirit". Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 1997.

12. B.K.S. Iyengar: ‘Twenty Fifth Anniversary of Kripa’ 2006. RangaSharada, Mumbai.

CREDITS:

Photography by Tom Schroeter (Australia)Demonstrators - Karen Wilde, Mark Gibson and Fr. Joe PereiraPrinted by Ashutosh Mandelia at M/s. Rachna Images (India)

PUBLICATIONS, DVD’S, BOOKS & OTHER MEDIA

There are a few other books, and audio CD’s available at Kripa Foundation offices.

AWARDS

Receiving the Padma Sri in 2009 from President Smt. Pratibha Patil

Receiving the National Award in 2014 from President Shri. Pranab Mukherjee

After getting the prestigious Padma Sri award in 2009 and numerous other Nationaland International awards and accolades, Fr. Joe was awarded on the occasion of theInternational Anti Drug Abuse Day, 26th June 2014 the National Award for Outstanding

Individual Achievement by a professional in recognition of his outstanding and exemplary services in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse for the

last 32 years by the President of India. (Citation at the Presentation)

Yoga for the practice of Christian Meditation.Available in book and DVD.

Meditation & Addiction - The way through - 3.Book and online video available atwww.wccm.org.

Living with AIDS.A 2 part VHS tape produced with the guidanceof Guruji BKS Iyengar. An instructional video foranyone with compromised immune systems orchronic ailments, as well as individuals withHIV/AIDS.

Yoga Unveiled - DVDHarnessing the colorful commentary of themost prominent yoga scholars, teachers, andmedical experts, Yoga Unveiled reveals howyoga began, recounts the fascinating biographies of the foremost yoga masters, andexplores yoga's astonishing medical potential.