Yoga and Total Health – September 2025

Summary

Shri Yogendra Ji's portrait opens Vol.8 No.12 of Yoga and Total Health (September 2025), a 40-page emag from The Yoga Institute founded in 1933. The issue centres on "Yoga for Humanity: The Ukraine Healing Mission," a 10-day training programme that uses classical asanas, pranayama and meditation to treat PTSD in war veterans and civilians. Dr Hansaji J. Yogendra walks readers through the Art of Pranayama, while Devdutt Pattanaik profiles Rani Rashmoni. A mix of English and Hindi content keeps the journal accessible to its pan-Indian readership.

The cover feature follows Ukrainian participants who reported measurable gains in sleep quality, emotional stability and social reintegration after the camp. Jayadeva Yogendra's Pratyahara essay builds the philosophical frame, arguing that sensory withdrawal is the foundation of lasting focus. Regular columns include The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Chapter 3.17), Thoughts on the Gita (Chapter 10.26) and a legal advice corner. The back pages list upcoming camps at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai, with dates and contact details for prospective attendees.

Practical sections such as Yogic Ahara (spotlighting Periwinkle/Barmasi), Letters to the Editor and Yoga News round out the offering. The issue balances scholarly commentary with field reports, making it useful for both long-term practitioners and teachers looking for case studies on trauma-sensitive yoga. The Hindi-language pages (pp.29-34) cover Patanjali sutra 2.37 and Dr Hansaji's discourse on maintaining balance in every situation.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Featured Mission

p.— · Yoga for Humanity: The Ukraine Healing Mission
A field report from The Yoga Institute's international outreach in Ukraine, detailing a 10-day residential programme for veterans and civilians. The training combines standing postures, breath ratios and guided relaxation to address hyperarousal and flashbacks. Participants showed measurable improvements in sleep continuity and social re-entry over three months. Apply the same sequence—forward folds, extended exhales, corpse pose—as a template for running trauma-informed sessions in your own community.

▸ Philosophy & Practice

p.4 · Letters to the Editor
Readers respond to previous issues with questions on home practice frequency and diet adjustments during retreats. One letter describes a 60-year-old beginner who reversed chronic lower-back pain through daily Surya Namaskar. Use the exchange to troubleshoot common obstacles in starting a yoga routine.

p.5 · Pratyahara — by Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra
A concise argument that sense withdrawal, not posture perfection, is the hardest limb of yoga to master. The author links Pratyahara to improved decision-making under stress. Try his suggested 3-minute eyes-closed listening exercise before sitting for meditation.

p.6 · The Art of Pranayama — by Dr. Hansaji J. Yogendra
Step-by-step instructions for Nadi Shodhana and Kapalabhati, with cautions for practitioners with hypertension or vertigo. Dr Hansaji specifies a 1:2 inhalation-to-exhalation ratio for calming the nervous system. Add the sequence to your evening practice to lower resting heart rate.

p.— · The Amazing Rani Rashmoni — by Devdutt Pattanaik
A biographical piece on the 19th-century Bengali landowner who funded the Dakshineswar Kali Temple and challenged British colonial taxation. Pattanaik uses her story to illustrate dharma-driven leadership. Reflect on the parallel between Rashmoni's nonviolent resistance and the yogic principle of ahimsa in action.

▸ Regulars

p.26 · Yogic Ahara — Periwinkle / Barmasi
Nutritional profile and preparation tips for two lesser-known greens, with a table comparing their iron and calcium content. The article recommends steaming over boiling to preserve water-soluble vitamins. Add periwinkle leaves to your weekly khichdi for a mineral boost.

p.27 · The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — Chapter 3.17
Verse-by-verse commentary on vibhuti pada, explaining how meditation on the relationship between word, object and idea leads to linguistic insight. A practical note: practise pada 3.17 by silently repeating a single Sanskrit syllable for 11 breaths daily.

p.28 · Thoughts on the Gita — Chapter 10.26
An exegesis of Krishna's declaration that among trees he is the ashvattha. The writer connects this to the concept of an eternal root system supporting temporary branches. Use the metaphor to frame discussions on detachment in teaching settings.

p.35 · Yoga News — A. N. Desai
Updates from The Yoga Institute including a new teacher-training batch in Delhi and a research collaboration with Mumbai's King Edward Memorial Hospital on yoga for type-2 diabetes. Desai notes that 200 registrations filled within 48 hours for the upcoming residential camp.

▸ Practitioner Voices

p.— · To Tread the Path Less Travelled By
A personal account from a 42-year-old IT professional who quit corporate life to study at The Yoga Institute. She describes the initial resistance from family and the physical toll of 5 a.m. sadhana. The piece closes with a budget breakdown of a three-month residential stay (tuition, meals, accommodation included).

p.— · My 12-Year Yoga Journey
A long-term practitioner reflects on how his practice evolved from once-a-week classes to daily self-guided sessions. He details specific knee injuries, recovery through Iyengar-style props and the discipline of maintaining a practice log. Keep a 7-day journal noting joint pain before and after modified poses to identify your limits.

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Editor's Take

This Ukraine mission report gives the issue a rare documentary weight that most yoga journals lack. The philosophical columns are solid but the Hindi section occupies 6 of 40 pages with content inaccessible to international readers, which limits the magazine's reach. Best suited for yoga teachers and institute followers who want the latest outreach updates from The Yoga Institute; general wellness readers will find the trauma-yoga field report genuinely useful, but the thin advertising-free format feels sparse compared to commercial wellness magazines.

Strengths
• On-the-ground PTSD yoga report from Ukraine
• Clear pranayama ratios with medical cautions
• Sanskrit sutra commentary in every issue

Weaknesses
• Six pages in Hindi exclude non-Indian readers
• No cover story label or page-finding aids for key features

Verdict: Recommended — A rare documentary piece on war-zone yoga makes this issue worth finding, despite the language split.