Dear TSSundaram, I may not have been clear in my message, I am more positive as I grew to embrace all emotions; while previously I created a world excludes negatives. Books propagating positive attitudes, which made me felt guilty whenever I was in negative territory, had influenced me. This attitude created unnecessary stress as I need to exclude negatives in all situations, e.g. grief is negative thus should be excluded. Now I am more at ease with all emotions, and I learn to welcome and observe these emotions with less attachments and more equanimity. I wanted to share this important lesson I learn, and hope I explained. On another note, I admired you when you said on your eye-operation, that you just relax, let go and trust the eye-doctor do the job, and this is indeed good attitude! Namaste

 "Sixteen men on a deadman's chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!"

 ... rls

Dhanurasana, thanks for showing interest in the history of our tiny friendship clan. Judamom, thanks for filling in, I could not have done a better job! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rodney Yee for 12 months of guidance via the Yahoo Blog. His guidance not so much centered on Yoga asanas, but had carefully plan and covered various aspects of Yoga; though he did not participate in readers comments, he smartly included his reply in later topics. Rodney provided great insights and wisdom, and he is great motivator, under his leadership, there were easily 100 regular participants, the exchanges were great, and no risk of running out of topics and discussions. We were at a lost when the Blog ends; fortunately we found this site, which provided some space to carry on. On another note, please allow me to have a little fun, why not "pranayama your lung" till strong and powerful, you might not need a plunger, one strong exhalation may do the job! JNamaste

Hi Ellen, thanks for interest and support. Here is some pointers on our postings. We started in Ivengar Yoga Forum,

"Hi" thread on 2006/06/12 #55544, 286 postings

"Zzzuluwarrior & Friends" on 2006/08/26 #62876, 337 postings

"Continue the Journey" on 2006/11/08 #68990, 165 postings

"Friendship Continues.." on 2006/12/27 #72290, 50+ postings 

We posted >800 gentle(as you referred us) messages in the 6 months in Yoga.com

Kindly refer to thread "Re: Ivengar Forum Needed?" on 2007/01/02 #72682 to locate the differences in opinion, on whether we are in the wrong/right spot.

Namaste 

Sometimes you just need to watch the deer in the meadow. If you make noise, they will scatter, and the beautiful moment is broken. #73633 "Re:Ivengar Forum needed?"

Dear Jambo, thank you for enjoying our conversations; I hope you can feel the positive energies created by few friends genuinely care and encouraging each another. An example, TSSundaram, at his ripe age of 81, has a discipline of practicing Yoga for 2 hours a day! This must be due to good training and great influence of B.K.S. Ivengar, his teacher. (You can read about his daily life, his inspiring story on how/why he was one of Ivengar’s favorite student in our thread). TSSundaram has graciously but persistently encouraged us on pursue of Yoga, not just in asanas but the other aspects of Yoga as well. We have benefited a great deal from him, and we adore him. In my mind, he practices Yoga to it’s core. Again, thank you for appreciating us!

Dear Ellen, we need to figure out where/how we can best contribute, or should we adopt the suggestion of some, take our conversations private.

To you both, Namaste.

Dear Ravi, that is really really nice of you! It came into the right place and I love it! It would be nicer if this prayer can be listened to in audio. Can you please explain why when a whole if negated, it remains as a whole? Namaste

Friends, found this quote meaningful and would like to share with you. 

"True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation."- George Washington 

Judamom, friendships of 25 years certainly qualified as “True friendship”, congratulations and enjoy the coming union. 

I could not locate “friendship” been referred to in the Yoga Sutra, the spiritual path described seemed a lonely journey, focus on self & Self, except Self would have encompassed everything, friends and foes included. Anyone has insights to share?

Namaste

TSSundaram:- Welcome back! You have been greatly missed here. Namaste

The Chinese traditionally drink Chinese tea without sugar/milk. The Japanese drink their green tea without sugar/milk too. However, we add sugar/milk to Western or Ceylon tea. The Chinese believes tea is of "cooling" element and thus it is always drank warm/hot, and too much may affect the balance in the body; also, we discard tea that was made the previous day. Namaste

My favorite subject, HONEY!!!  I drink honey every single day in my Chai.  I use it for burns, I mix it with Tumeric Powder for wounds on all my animals and myself.  Honey is the pure food,

About Diabetics...that is the most overated and misdiagnosed disease in today's world.  I also think that if people did not eat processed food, have poor dietary habits, stressful environments, their diabeties would totally disappear.  Perhaps we should tell them about Yoga??!?

Dear Tssundaram,

Yes, you were right, I do not like garlic with my honey.

I have tried honey from India and Nepal.  The honey from India tasted just like Jaggery, whereas the honey from Nepal, tasted like Neem.  It was somewhat bitter tasting due to the flowers and trees that were blooming when this honey was made.

This is the reason I do my own beekeeping.  I want 'pure' honey, not sugar honey, and definitely not jaggery honey.  In China and some parts of India, they are have very poor beekeeping practices.  They also cheat when they add sugar to the colony, this is a very bad practice and it is SO UNHEALTHY for the bees.  In the future, they will loose all their bees because they will die from diseases and from bad apiary management.  They also treat these colonies with chemicals and antibiotics that are dangerous for the bees and for human consumption, in the long run.  In fact, recently, Honey from China was banned in the United States for this reason.  Bee careful.

Honey has some really interesting qualities.  In my experience and observations, there are many different types of trees and flowers that bees go for.  They also can be very selective and they pretty much do what bees do, they have a mind of their own when it comes to what type of nectar they choose.  In my region, we have a Sourwood tree that blooms in the Summer.  This honey is called Sourwood Honey.  It has a very warm and heating nature.  Then we have Tupelo Honey from Florida, which is also heating.  Then of course Orange Flour, heating.  These honey's are very light in color and are usually thicker, with the exception of Sourwood, which can usually vary, because it is the "white" honey.  Now, the other types of honey, such as here we have "Wildflower".  This honey is a very dark amber color, and is very cooling.  I consider this the spring honey, which should be eaten in the summer months to help cool the body down or when there is excessive heat in the body.  Then of course there is the Summer Sourwood and the Summer Honey (which could be Tupelo, Clover, Orange Blossom, Sage, etc).  These honey's are good for warming and in the wintertime.  It really depends on the individual person's consitution.  Then, we have Mesquite Honey which is made out West towards Arizona, Texas and Nevada.  This is very White Honey and is also good.  

As a beekeeper, I make notice of everything that is blooming, and I watch the bees to see which flowers they are taking in.  Then when I see they are finished, they cap the honey and then we are able to remove it from the hive and start again.  I always leave the late summer and fall harvest on the hive/colony, so they will have food for winter. 

Also, either way, honey is actually 'neutral' to the human body, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.  According to Ayurvedic, it is heating.  Honey that is raw is more heating than honey that has been cooked, according to TCM theory. Heated honey moistens dryness and treats dry or hoarse throat and dry cough.  In TCM, both honey's are considered and used medicinally, whereas, Ayurvedically, you should NEVER heat honey above 110 degrees, then it becomes toxic to the human body - which could produce constipation and other health problems.  I personally find that raw honey acts the same as cooked honey and do not accept the TCM method of heating honey.  I find that the various flowers and nectar have more of an inpact on the various medical uses of honey, due to the flowers having their own medicinal value.  Here in America, we don't have much information about the Sourwood, the Tupelo trees etc.  The Native Americans did rely on this, and it is a lost art unfortunately, with little if any documentation.  Hmm?? Perhaps I need to put on my science hat and start documenting huh??

Ya'll have a great day!

Actually, there are some tribal "natives" in Nepal, that live on Honey alone.  They claim that honey has everything they need to survive.  I have also heard of these kinds of people still in India today as well.

I eat honey every day because it is available to me.  I have never experienced problems with honey, in fact, I do believe that is what keeps me healthy.  I once read in one of my Ayurvedic manuals that persons that kept bees did not have cancer.  I believe that to be true since honey is anti-viral, aids in cell rejuvination inside and outside the human body, provides minerals that you cannot get from other outside sources, I could go on and on about this.  Although, you can eat too much of anything and have problems.

Ystan, are bees stinging you??? I have several different remedies for bee stings.  My first recommendation is to apply a wet paste of baking soda to draw out the poison and reduce the pain.  A poultice of coffee grounds is also good. (Coffee grounds help aid in bruising, that is if the bee hits you,   just kidding).  Juice compresses of Onion and/or raw onion packs are also good for drawing out the swelling and pain. Then Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is good too.  All of these things are great to have on hand.  Sometimes I may not have access to all of it.  If you're out in the wilderness, I pretty much stay in back country half of my time.  I keep a bottle of Chinese Herbs on hand as well.  Its a Scute formula that not only works internally and externally to resolve the toxins, but it removes pain.  This is my first choice...the others are secondary.  Once I was backpacking with my daughter and Doberman.  We once got stung over 30 times by yellow jackets, because Dog, was sniffing around the ground where he should not have been!  We took the Chinese Herbal Formula, due to our extreme condition.  I gave this to the dog too.  This saved our lives, because it neutralized the blood and reduced the pain almost instantly, and better than any Western medicine product on the market today.  We were no where near civilization.  My TCMD gave me this remedy.  The others are good and work too, especially for minor stings.  Most of the time, I do not treat bee stings, because I WANT bee stings..it helps build up your immunity to the bees.  Also, there are some people who like to do Apitherapy, this is where you use the bees to sting you in various places on your body.  Bee stings also aids your body in Arthritis conditions.  IF, you are highly allergic to bees, or think you might be, then you should carry around an Epi-pen.  I've known beekeepers who discovered this too late and they ended up in a hospital with severe swelling.  Anaphylactic shock is not something to play with. 

Sooo, that is my bee/honey post for today.  Yes, it is great fun being in nature.  Beekeeping is a wonderful hobby for me.  The first time I ever opened up the hive and saw what they did, I was amazed.  They are such unique little creatures.  There is nothing like being able to open up the hive and smell the bee pollen, the propolis, the wax and the honey.  Then to eat honey directly from the hive is like being in heaven.   I know how Pooh bear feels,

Thanks Cindy for the advice! The other tips I read on bees is if there is one bee circling me, I should stay very still so I don't agitate it, it will fly away after finding nothing sweet about me; and if there is a swarm of bees, cover my head & run for my life towards a dark place, as bees apparently can't see well in darkness, and if I can run fast for about 50m, I should outrun/outfly the bees...J  Namaste

Yashoda,

In Nepal, there are still "real" beekeepers.  I know this because of my husband being Nepalis, and I just received some Nepalis honey from my friend's Grandmother...who keeps bees in the countryside.  Another friend has bees in the walls of his house, which in their culture, they consider that to be very lucky.

Dear friends, this 80+ year-old sugar-honey-sir has more enthusiasm and energies than all of us put together!

Cindy the nature-lover beekeeper, how many bees are there in an average beehive? Also, does bees get sick? And, do they die in their hives?

Be sweet, Namaste

Hey Guys, The smoke and bees.  The smoke actually masks the pheromone alarm that bees produce when their hive is being disturbed.  Which in turn allows the beekeeper to go into the hive with greater ease, because this alarm is what sends the message to the bees to attack and destroy the predator.  Bees will not only sting you.  Sometimes I have to wear very thick gloves because the heat that the bees produce is very hot and is worse than the sting itself.  When predators get inside the colony, say a yellow jacket or sometimes small mice, they don't stand a chance. 

Ystan,  How many bees in a colony??....THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS.  Last summer I had a swarm of bees in my bee yard. It's amazing to watch.  I'll post a picture below of a tree limb that is covered in bees so you can get an idea.  We think this was a swarm from another beekeeper down the road trying to find a way into my bee yard.  I was thinking about retreiving these bees from the tree, but it was over 60 feet high.  I don't like to climb that high. 

Yes, bees do get sick.  They can get dysentary, they can get Foulbrood, they can get trachael mites and varoa mites which will wipe out an entire colony if not monitored and treated properly.  They also are subjected to Small Hive Beetles which can take over weak colonies.  Yes, there is such a thing as a 'dead out', where the colony basically dies for whatever reason that is going on.  Sometimes the entire colony can leave the hive, or they can do small swarms which are natural for bees because this is how they manage their population.  For instance, if a beehive gets too many bees, they will make a virgin queen, then the old queen leaves with some bees leaving the virgin queen behind.  That is why being a beekeeper, it is important to manage your bees.  This is how you produce honey and maintain your hives.  It's not that difficult if you like bees and understand what needs to be done.  In the wild, it is very hard for bees to survive.  Their life span is much shorter.  Mostly due to environmental causes, from pesticide spraying and lack of areas to nest in, which is why honeybees find old homes or in the case of India/Nepal, in walls of homes.  That happens very frequently here in the states too.  That is a beekeepers dream,

(A Swarm of Bees #1.JPG)

A Swarm of Bees #1.JPG (72KB - 63 downloads)

Cindy, have I made you very busy counting the number of bees in the beehives?  Jokes aside, thank you very much for your firsthand information on beekeeping; while I am one where a bee is enough to disturb me, you live with Thousands of bees in peace and harmony (I bet you don't quarrell with the bees), and that is amazing . Namaste

Good Morning Ystan,

I lost track of the count after about 300....it's too much work cause everybody looks the same and unfortunately, I was probably counting double, maybe even triple,

No, never quarrell with the bees.  

One more thing about what to do around bees.  First of all, when bees are swarming, they will not sting you.  They have something different on their minds.  I tell people to just stand very still, do not move when they are being approached by a swarm of bees or happen to walk up in the midst of a swarm.  This is really the best way. NEVER swat at bees, any bee.  Don't drink you chai with honey while standing outside near beehives or bees' nests.  They will want some too, trust me  

Also, when in nature, don't wear nice perfume and/or essential oil blends, as that will always get their attention...they will think you are a flower with nectar in it.  Just remember that honey bees are very good for our environment, so please do not spray ugly pesticides, because they can carry it back to the hive and kill everyone.  If you see honeybees in your backyard pool or in your hummingbird feeder, don't worry they won't stay long, they just like your place and need a drink of water.

Dear Cindy, I had thought with 1 bee I stay still, but with a swarm of bees I should run for my life, and 50m is all I need to run, as bees cannot fly too far, they have little stamina!! Let's imagine a swarm of bees coming my way..and I stay still.. and one bee decides to "kiss" me.. and I  ...that would not be a nice picture!  On another thought, I can go into savasana, still and motionless, is this a better alternative?  Namaste

Good Afternoon Tssundaram,

Your asking me how to make Methi Tea???  I'm so surprised.  This is what I use at the very beginning of a cold/or flu (it will make you sweat when a fever is present) or when my joints are sore from doing too much Hot Bikram Yoga,   Methi is also good for dysentary and is good for women who are feeding babies breast milk, it purifies the milk and strengthens a woman after giving childbirth.

There are a couple of ways to do this. You can simply steep several Methi seeds in Boiling Water, then drink as a tea.  Or you can dry out the seeds and leaves, then make a powder, using a Mortar.  Then make tea out of the powder.  We use Methi in most of our cooking vegetable dishes, especially when cooking green leafy vegetables.

Another interesting aspect of Methi is that it is capable of repelling insects.  In your country it is fed to cows and horses.  I wonder if I can try it on my horse this summer if the flies get bad??