Most yoga teachers recommend a strict discipline of nostril breathing. Some of us are chronic mouth breathers, which can result in a host of problems from a dry mouth to shortness of breath. Not only is the habit of breathing through the mouth damaging to the body, as air does not pass through the filtering mechanisms of the nose, the ancient Yoga texts say that it is harmful to the mind as well.

The more attention we give to a particular task, the more refined it becomes. It is a common affliction in our age to disconnect from our bodies and let habit take over. In an increasingly polluted world, a common habit is mouth breathing. If the respiratory system is functioning optimally, then nostril breathing should be automatic. Therefore, habitual mouth breathers should focus on the well-being of the nasal cavities in order to improve their respiratory health.

The traditional hatha yoga practice of “jala neti” is particularly useful for restoring the nostrils to the finest condition. It involves making a saline solution and cleaning the nostrils using a specially designed vessel called a neti pot. Once the vessel is filled with the saline liquid, the spout is pressed against the right nostril and the head is tipped to the side, allowing water to flow up the right nostril and out the left. The process is repeated on the left nostril as well.

This cleansing technique promotes sinus drainage and moistens the nasal cavities. The ancient yoga texts say that neti is one of the many practices that prepare the body for evolution. If that concept sounds too new age, we can think of it this way: Cleaner nostrils promote deeper breathing through the nose, which, in turn, can have a dramatic effect on respiratory health.

One more very useful practice is called “kapalbhati.” Different schools teach the method in various ways, but the common thread of the practice is the emphasis on the exhalation. First, take a comfortable seat and allow the belly to relax extend. Then begin to rhythmically contract the belly (the sensation is someone punching the stomach at regular intervals and forcing the air out of the nose). Keep a steady rhythm, with the eyes closed, and complete up to 100 rounds (50 for beginners). Worry not about the inhales, as they happen automatically with the pumping action of the tummy.

On a deeper level, both jala neti and kapalbhati teach us to be aware of what we are doing, even to the smallest detail such as the breath: After all, we do not shove food in our nose, so why should we shove air in our mouths?

So, on that note, I am dedicating this entry not to a specific yoga technique but rather on what the locals find funny. I hope you will understand more about the Thai’s unique sense of humor after you finish.

Every culture claims to have a passionate family structure with grandmas firmly in the kitchen cooking grand meal, aunties gossiping, and kids chasing each other around the dinner table. The Americans celebrate the family with holidays like Thanksgiving and many groups throughout the world have similar festivities, though drunken jokes around a turkey varies slightly in content depending on your location.

Thailand, too, is proud of its devotion to the family. It is a country that sees nothing wrong with grown men living with their parents, sometimes sleeping in the same room with them, until he is old enough to know better. Some stay home their whole lives, bringing a newly acquired wife into the house to share the space with mom and dad. With enough means and a large enough plot of land, some families can afford to build junior a smaller house right next to the folks, but not too far, as being physically close implies a greater care and devotion to the clan.

Perhaps it is this close quarters that give rise to Thai humor. As an American who’s lived in Thailand for almost a decade, here are my thoughts on what makes the Thais laugh.

First, things need to appear funny. So much of the humor is on how things look. The loudness of the joke, not the subtly of the message, is what the Thais find humorous. For example, the obsession with making fun of dark-skinned Thais is relentless on every level: From crude exchanges on the playground to more sophisticated cat fights on the evening soaps. Recently, a big-name ad agency got a lot of attention (but fascinatingly not in much trouble) for covering subway seats with stickers saying: “These seats are for light-skinned people only” onto subway seats. The product that they were trying to sell was a face lotion that promises to blanch the typically bronzed Thai complexion.

Most things that get recorded are from a privileged perspective. Letters surviving centuries to be studied in modern times are seldom those of peasants. So it is very useful to observe what rich people think now, because that’s what our descendants will think we all thought

In Thailand, early November is ‘katin’ season, with people rounding up cash donations and bringing the lot, along with food and basics supplies, to give as an offering to ordained monks who reside at various temples throughout the country. There are very fancy katins at very fancy temples, almost like society event, with big-haired ladies arriving in Mercedes Benzes where offering go well into the millions.

Recently, I went on a family trip to a katin that was far from fancy. The road in was not paved and they just built a new communal bathrooms with new, non-flushing, toilets. There’s a water reservoir next to the toilet; you scoop out the water and dump it down the basin to bury the evidence. Don’t ask about toilet paper and do bring your own sanitary wipes, please.

On this outing was my cousin G, who is very rich and has a driver and a servant following her around all the time. Anyway, she found a poor child and made her sing and dance. She didn’t even finish the song when G said enough, pulled out and equivalent of 3 dollars, and sent her on the way. Though G laughed liked hiccupping idiot the whole time, I guess that’s not really humor. If there’s something that Thais love, though, it’s a good show.

So relax. What the Thais find funny will likely offend most westerners, but that’s Thailand for you. May you always remember to laugh! Om Shanti Om.

I decided to recommend a posh hotel in the heart of downtown. After a quick cab ride, we were standing in front of the imposing sliver of a building, with jazz softly humming out of the lobby bar. After the staff informed us that although we were most welcomed to stay on the ground floor, the hotel offers two other lounges, with the champagne bar, the crown jewel of the establishment, glittering on the outdoor 25th floor deck.

“That sounds perfect,” purred a first-time visitor to Thailand. “When is the next time that I will be here, right? So, let’s treat ourselves.” So off we went, up the elevator crowded with what we agreed were Russian tourists, chatting to each other merrily. An attendant greeted us as we arrived at our destination. We still had to climb a few flights of stairs, through artfully lit hallways decorated with edgy, cryptic modern art (“The Entrails of My Wedding Dress, mixed media, 2009″ was my favorite). After a few more minutes, the eastern exposure of Bangkok was at our feet, and we were shown our table in the pleasantly cool and breezy evening.

I was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, as it had been so long since I’ve been out, and the company was so much fun! Through I was observing a rising feeling of intimidation and just a whiff of anxiety, as the venue seems outrageously expensive. I often think about yoga philosophy and I had a moment of illumination, as what I was experiencing are classic symptoms of the dance between raga and dvesha.

“Raga” can be understood as excessive attachment to pleasure, whereas the avoidance of pain is known as “dvesha.” These seemingly natural human characteristics can create quite an imbalance if one is unconsciously feeding such desires. Over time, the ego expands as we add to our long list of likes and dislikes, and we come to know ourselves not as a divine expression but rather as a reactive machine, constantly responding to external stimuli. It is raga at work when I felt the rush of admiration of the gorgeous setting; it is dvesha when I want to escape the seemingly unaffordable location. Raga can provide a platform for greed, lust and addiction, where fear, regret and hatred are the realms of dvesha.

So when I realized what was going on in my mind, I smiled at myself and decided to let the universe take its course. When a member of our party asked for water and the immaculate waiter presented us with a 450 THB (15 USD) bottle, the same woman who wanted to treat herself quickly suggested that we go back down to earth. So we took the elevator back down to reality and ordered a first bottle of red for slightly more than the price of water in heaven. Three more bottles later, I was grateful to be in the company of yogis who are always, consciously or not, practicing the art of balance (though not necessarily in moderation).

May you rise above the petty details of living and fully express yourself in life. Om Shanti Om.

In Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutras,” one of the most ancient and respected texts on the subject, the second verse is often translated as “Yoga is the Calming of the Fluctuation of the Mind.” What we have then, is a very tangible definition of what yoga is. Many modern practitioners have been influenced by later developments and interpretations of yoga, so the meaning has become a bit unclear, with definitions ranging from “union” to “postures.” In fact, there are so many variations in yoga that the essentials taught at certain institutions can be viewed as nonsense at others.

Yoga began in India thousands of years ago as a method of transcendence from ordinary, unconscious living. Through discipline, devotion and management of the mind, one can facilitate the process of evolution. However, our modern age tends to value the visible more than the subtle. As such, some physically demanding yoga studios will proudly proclaim: “Burn calories, not incense.” Classic schools stemming from a common linage are not immune to this need to differentiate. The Iyengar tradition promotes the usage of props (chairs, blocks, straps) in order to aid proper alignment, whereas the Ashtangis tend to view such objects as a hindrance to the flow of energy during the dynamic, fluid practice.

Contributing to the confusion is the common desire to be correct. Countless yoga texts emphasize the devotion to the guru (teacher) as one explores yoga. This often leads to a warped perception, with some schools declaring another’s method as harmful and irrelevant. The potential for yoga to unite is then destroyed with too much differentiation and too much thinking. Many religious people often say that the original message is pure and simple, but humans corrupt the essentials with too much thought and procedures. While yoga is not a religion, it is fascinating to see the current state of the practice after more than 2000 years of existence. Just as simple houses of worship gave way to grand, ornate churches, yoga is quickly transforming into a stylized regime, complete with organic rubber mats and expensive clothing.

An optimist might say that this progression is a sign that something is alive, for anything worthwhile must adapt to our changing world and attitudes. And they do have a point. If your life is easy and pleasant, then indulging in a cup of designer coffee before heading to yoga and then treating yourself to a massage might very well be a harmless way to spend a Saturday afternoon. However, for those whose lives have been affected by heavy drug usage, yoga, at its most basic, offers a chance for recovery through self-empowerment.

Recovering substance users will often say that they use drugs in order to satisfy physical and psychological needs. Yoga, then, gives an opportunity to regain balance of mind through the control of the body. Through learning the basics of how to stand on two feet, how to breathe deeply and how to make choices that contribute to healthy living, yoga can empower those who may feel that their lives are out of control. When life is on the table, priorities shift. To understand yoga is to understand the self: We begin by reconnecting with the basics of what the body can do in order to gain confidence in what is possible.

While stylized differentiations within the vast ocean of modern yoga can be entertaining for those looking for maintenance of their bodies and minds, the practice at its most basic can be quite potent, and truly lifesaving, when the one is in need of transformation. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

May all being everywhere forgive the past, live in the present and have faith in the future of infinite possibilities. Om Shanti Om.

The stress of working in Washington, DC for the military during the post-September 11 years drove me to yoga. One of the first retreats that I attended was a naked yoga retreat for men in a small town in upstate New York. The suggestion of what this could be was too tempting and I went expecting the world, yet fear seeped out of my pores.

The experience was so profound that I decided to give up my government job and move to New York. To do what I was not sure, but I knew that a door has been opened and I had no choice but to walk through it. There has been only a handful of times when such moments of clarity sparked in my life. Now, 10 years later, I find myself on Koh Phangan, a tiny tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand. The yoga that I teach on the beach is practiced without clothing. Raised eyebrows often demand that I defend myself: “What makes naked yoga relevant?” “Is this a sex thing?”

Nudity is often confused with sensuality and we tend to think that what makes us feel good must be bad. So better to hide, for it is safer under covers where no one can see: Who knows what might happen? Ten years ago, such fear-based expectations almost kept me from starting on the path to liberation. Yoga, naked or not, is about exposing the body to various disciplines in order to free the soul. In a culture obsessed with material wealth, reducing the body to its bare essentials can have quite a profound effect on the individual.

On the practical side, yoga is a science of energy management. While western thinking talks about the heart beating, yoga asks: What makes the heart beat? We go to the root of the cause. It not fair to abuse something until it breaks only to find disappointment when a fix quick is not an option. Modern medicine, surgery, and therapy are expensive treatments to ailments that might not occur if we care about the entire system.

Yoga, regardless of the method of delivery, should never lose sight of the big picture, of taking care of the entire system: A regularly watered plant will bear more fruit and a withered specimen. Right now, natural disasters are on everyone’s lips in Thailand, for the very congested, urban Bangkok is about to get a rinse from the massive flooding that’s affecting the central plains of the country. Plants that are firmly rooted, that have been watered for years, with withstand the deluge. Have you watered your plant lately?

To clarify, varisara dhauti is the practice of drinking a total of 16 glasses of warm salty water and evacuating it through the bowels. The first step is to drink 2 glasses, then perform an exact series of 5 specific asanas: tadasana, tiryakatadasana, kati chakrasana, tiryaka bhujangasana and udarakarshan asana.

The asanas should be practiced after every two glasses of water. Keep repeating until water starts flowing out of the anus. The practice should continue until the expelled water is completely clear, as this is an indication that the stomach and intestines are perfectly cleaned.

About an hour afterwards, the practitioner must consume a salt-free soup of cooked rice, dal of mungbeans, and ghee until the stomach is entirely full. The ancient texts say that there are very specific dietary guidelines following varisara dhauti and this practice should not be attempted alone, but under the watchful eyes of the guru.

How realistic is this practice to the average modern householder? You already know the answer to that. It is not about following an exact prescription. In fact, practically interpreting the method and adapting it to our current lifestyle will yield faster results.

I usually teach yoga to a group of busy urban professionals for 3 weeks out of the month. I am taking some time off for myself, not teaching, and have been exploring the less well-known practices of hatha yoga.

Here is my interpretation of varisara dhauti: A semi fast, asana and coffee enemas. The day begins with the coffee enemas. I hold it as long as possible while performing gentle sequence of asanas on all fours on the shower floor, for about twenty minutes. Then a 90-minute asana practice. Blended greens with fruit are the meals of the day.

Earlier on in my yoga practice, my mother frequently commented on my love of self-torture. Quite revealing. After all, no one knows your innate nature that the woman who nursed you during the initial years of your life. My horoscope readings also come up with a draw toward being the center of attention and of an impossible set of standards of which everyone is measured against.

So do I think that you are a bad person if you do not fast and consume only blended fresh vegetables? No, but what’s holding you back?

Central Thailand, including Bangkok and the surrounding suburbs, is in the middle of a massive flood. People have no food and water. Considering that my island studio resort is entirely unaffected, and in great gratitude to the universe, I am making frequent monetary donations and, just for a few days, seeing what it feels like to be hungry. The results after just a few days have been profound, as business earnings came out of nowhere (the money returns) and I have never felt lighter in my body.

May you always feel connection to everything on this Earth. Om Shanti Om.

According to ancient yoga texts, “trataka” is the practice of concentrating one’s gaze on a small, clear fixed object until the eyes tear. Some schools make a further distinction, with “bahiranga” meaning external concentration and “antaranga” denoting an internal concentration. For most of us, bahiranga is a much more approachable method, as we can pick an object at random and gaze upon it.

That being said, the text does insist that whatever the object, it should be small or subtle. The idea is to stare at it long enough until it leaves a momentary impression when the eyes close. As such, one should choose this object discriminately, as the point of the practice is to have this image serve as an anchor for the mind in the hopes of activating the inner potential.

While a myriad of objects such as a crystal ball, a full moon or the symbol OM can serve this purpose, the most popular object for trataka is a steady candle flame because light has a unique ability of leaving an impression for a long time after the eyes close. The phenomenon can be experienced when one enters a dark space after being out in bright, direct sunlight. Images in the daylight can leave an impression on the eyes as they adjust to the darker setting. As such, the candle flame in trataka begins as bahiranga and then transitions into antaranga.

The candle flame is also the ideal object of concentration because it is so neutral. The yoga texts warn of concentration on a symbol with too strong of an implied meaning, as the point of trataka is to leave the impression on the mind and have that impression stimulate specific energy centers. As such, concentrating on an image of disease and despair can lead to a rather depressing practice.

Here is how to approach trataka. First, find a dark, enclosed space without a breeze. Place a candle about 3 feet in front of the face, with the flame being exactly eye level. It is absolutely essential that the flame does not flicker and is perfectly still. Sit in a meditative potion and breathe steadily for a few moments to calm the body and close the eyes.

Open the eyes and gaze directly into the flame, just above the wick. Keep the eyes steady. Lower the eyelids if the eyes become sore or tired but do not blink. Stare as long as possible without blinking, up to 5 minutes or longer. When the eyes begin to tear, at a point where you can stand to look no longer, close the eyes and keep the mind empty.

Try to hold on to the image with the eyes closed as long as possible. If the image moves, bring it back to center and concentrate until the image disappears. Remain uninvolved in thoughts that arise. Practice for up to twenty minutes.

Trataka is most effective when done on an empty stomach. For a deeper examination of the min d, it should be practiced at night before going to sleep. The practice not only benefits the eyes, but is useful for alleviating the symptoms of depression, insomnia, anxiety and poor concentration as well. The yogis find great value in controlling the mind on one spot and believe that association and identification through the eyes and sight are major contributor to energy leakage. Complete absorption on an object induces a sense of withdrawal from the external world and encourages the mind to experience a state of transformation.

May you find a calm mind and a steady gaze to guide you on the journey of self-discovery. Om Shanti Om.