SURYA NAMASKAR

Surya Namaskar, or the Sun Salute is not a formal part of traditional hatha yog, though it is composed of a series of twelve yog asans performed in sequence. However it is of so much value that it has now accepted as a part of Hatha Yog. In fact many people use it as a warm-up before the asan practice. If there is a shortage of time, some people just do Surya Namaskar in lieu of the actual asan practice and still derive substantial benefit.
It is typically performed in the open air, facing the sun, at sunrise.
Surya Namaskar is not just a physical exercise. For each of the postures, there is a particular breathing pattern to be followed inhalation for the backward bends and exhalation for the forward bends. Further the concentration has to be focussed on a particular chakra for each posture and a particular mantra- name of the sun has to be chanted for each pose, as per details below:
1. Pranamasan - (Namaste Pose)
Normal Breath -
Om Mitraaya Namaha (Salutations to the Friend of All)
Anahata Chakra
2. Hasta Uttanasana (Arch your back)
Inhale-
Om Ravaye Namaha (Salutations to the Shining One)
Vishuddhi Chakra
3. Pada Hastasana (Toe touch)
Exhale
Om Suryaaya Namaha (Salutations to he who induces activity )
Swadishtana Chakra
4. Ashwa-sanchalan-asan (Horse pose)
Inhale
Om Bhaanve Namaha (Salutations to he who illumines)
Ajna Chakra
5. Parvatasana- (Downward facing dog pose or Mountain pose)
Exhale
Om khagaaya Namaha - Salutations to one who moves through the sky
Vishuddhi Chakra
6. Ashtanga Namaskar (Push-up pose)
Hold breath -
Om Pooshney Namaha - Salutations to the giver of strength and nourishment
Manipura Chakra
7. Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
Inhale
Om Hiranayagarbhaaya Namah - Salutations to the Golden Cosmic Self
Swadishtana Chakra
8. Parvatasana
Exhale
Om Mareechibhyoh Namaha - Salutations to the Rays of the Sun
Vishuddhi Chakra
9. Ashwa-sanchalan-asan
Inhale-
Om Adityaaya Namaha - Salutations to Sun of Aditi (the Cosmic Mother)
Ajna Chakra
10. Pada Hastana
Exhale
Om Savitre Namaha - Salutations to the Stimulating power of the Sun
Swadishtana Chakra
11. Hasta Uttanasana
Inhale
Om Arkaaya Namaha - Salutations to he who is fit to be praised (arka= energy)
Vishuddhi Chakra
12. Pranamasana
Exhale
Om Bhaaskaraaya Namah - Salutations to the one who leads to enlightenment
Anahata Chakra
Surya Namaskar can be done slowly for spiritual benefits and quickly for physical benefits. If doing it quickly, you might find it easier to chant these "bija" or seed mantras for the first six poses
1. Om Hram
2. Om Hrim
3. Om Hroom
4. Om Hraim
5. Om Hraum
6. Om Hrah
And then repeat the six mantras again for the next six poses.
The full cycle of 12 poses leading with the left foot and 12 with the right foot, make one round. You can start with as many rounds as you can do, without getting out of breath. Try to work your way upto twelve rounds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P5PSqmnu88&feature=related

Yummm!! Gobi Manchurian:)My fav!

Hey ppl! Food food! food Everyone has their favourites when it cums to food..and here is mine..This is a perfect recipe which is tried and tested.It works out amazingly well.

RECIPE!
Reqd. stuff:)
->1 medium. cauliflower clean and broken into big florettes.
->1 small bunch spring onoin finely chopped
->2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
->1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
->1/4 cup plain flour
->3 tbsp. cornflour
->1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
->2 red chillies, dry
->3 tbsp. oil
->1 1/2 cups water
->1 tbsp. milk
METHOD:
->Boil the florettes for 3-4 minutes in plenty of water, to which a tbsp. of milk has been added.
->Drain and pat dry on a clean cloth.
->Make thin batter out of flour and 2 tbsp.cornflour, adding 1/4 tsp. each of ginger and garlic and red chilli powder and salt
to taste.
->Dip the florettes in the batter one by one and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside.
In the remaining oil, add remaining ginger, garlic and crushed red chilli and fry for a minute.
->Add the salt and spring onions.
->Stir fry for a minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.
->Add 1 tbsp. cornflour to 1/4 cup water and dissolve well.
->Gradually add to the gravy and stir continuously till it resumes boiling.
->Boil till the gravy becomes transparent. Add florettes and soya sauce.
->Boil for two more minutes and remove.
->Serve hot with noodles or rice.
Variations:
:)Dry manchurian can be made by omitting the gravy.
:)Make florettes as above and instead of adding water as above, add fried florettes, spring onions and soya ce at this stage.
:)Sprinkle 1 tsp. cornflour on the florettes and stirfry for 2 minutes.
:)Serve piping hot with toothpicks or miniforks and chilligarlic sauce or tomato sauce.
:)Same procedure for veg. manchurian (with gravy or dry), but instead of using only cauliflower, use finely chopped minced vegetables and bind with some cornflour or bread crumbs and make small lumps the size of a pingpong ball.
:)Fry as above and proceed as above.
Making time: 45 minutes
Makes for: 6
Shelf life: Best fresh

GATECH BUZZ:-)

This information gives an overview of apping situation/life at Georgia Tech University.

* Entry Criteria such as approx CGPA range:It depends on the program you are applying to. But its usually on the higher side because Gatech is rated in the top 10 schools for many departments.I would say > 8.5 CGPA would be ideal..* Research Experience at undergraduage level.It is not a MUST, but is helpful if one has research experience…Because at some point or the other, he would end up doing research (For eg: RA position).

* Typical Gre & Toefl scores range.. Usually GRE and TOEFL scores are just a cut-off for admission.If I remember right, it was 1250 / 1600 in GRE and 250 / 300 in TOEFL during my time.But nowadays it looks like the evaluation method has changed for both GRE & TOEFL.So I am guessing it will be some equivalent score now.

* Does the university require subject GRE?Yes. Gatech asked me for subject GRE

* What is the aid scenario?Only Phd students come with aid. Masters students very rarely get aid before starting. But it is possible to get aid in the first semester itself for masters students, if the prof you are interested in working with, has a research opening and you are lucky Most students work for 1 semester under the professor so that the prof gets to know them better and later get funded in the second sem.If not funded in the first sem, students usually work inside campus for hourly wages.Working off campus is illegal, unless approved.. Usually that comes without tuition waiver but it can help take care of living expenses.I must tell you here that it becomes pretty hectic in the first semester if you are working outside the department, because you have to take care of academics as well.

* How much money should one shell out for the entire course if it completely unfunded..I am assuming this question is for master’s program since phd is always funded.Atlanta is a moderately costly city and so living expenses per month would be ~500-600 bucks normally, assuming you take a shared room and cook at home regularly.Tuition fee per semester will be close to ~$12000 per semester (this information might be a little outdated. Please check on the college website for exact figure).That makes it ~$15000 per sem. You can estimate the total amount based on how many semesters you would take (3/4) and of course, the dollar-rupee conversion rate

* Career opportunities after the course?Excellent I should say, atleast for CS. Most people in my batch had more than 1 full-time job offer and in good companies.I had offers from Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Goldman Sachs. Since Gatech is a well known school, many companies come on-campus.

* Typical Money made during internships?Students typically make enough to manage tuition for one semester.

* How easy it is to switch departments?I know of very few people who have switched departments, but it is possible to switch departments if both the departments involved are okay with it.But it is always better to think about what you want to do rather than coming here and wanting to change.

* switch from Phd to MS?If you join the phd program and later find you are genuinely not interested, it is definitely possible to switch to MS.For this again, you need to get the concensus of the prof and the graduate program co-ordinator.Applying for Phd just for the sake of aid is not considered a good practice, and I would definitely discourage it Because it creates a bad impression with the profs, not just for people who do it, but for other people who come after them.

* Any other issues/ inputs which will be helpful.If you are planning to apply to gatech (or that matter any other university in the US), put in a lot of effort in preparing a good SOP because that matters a lot.Also, gatech has been admitting a lot of international students off-late and it just might be a good time to apply!

Reality Shows! Emerging Weed In The Society

In an interview with CNN-IBN, Hindi playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan was asked a question by someone in the audience.
“What is your opinion about the reality shows?”
“No opinion. I think there is hardly any reality in it.”

This is exactly the same case with "ALL" the reality shows telecasted on TV! Probably more of acting is needed in these reality shows!Reality shows are everywhere - every national and regional channel in India has it and it’s become a huge favorite among masses like the soap serials. These shows fit for a perfectly organized stage show with the “reality” tag attached to it.

But there has to be something which keeps the viewers glued to the tv!When it comes to reality shows, you can never fall short of options. There are celebrity shows, talent hunts, adventure games, comedy shows and much, much more. Since every channel has the formula to rake in money via TRP and SMS; churning out one show after another has become big business in the television industry. What’s more, producers never forget to garnish their shows with a lot of emotional drama. It’s easy to say whether all those tearful moments are natural or scripted, but one thing is for sure – they bring in more viewers.