Branislav Grujin (64) from Zrenjanin, is the first professor of physical education in the subject of yoga, who is engaged in the system of primary school education. By nature, someone who does not like to be exposed and does not like to brag about the epithets of a yoga teacher, which he considers to be given lightly today, says that he is a lecturer. He learned his “craft” from top teachers and doctors of science, such as: Dr. prof. Dragan Petrović, Shadow yoga teacher Sandor Remete, dr. Zarko Karisik, author of the book Yoga and Enlightenment.

Mr. Grujin will be a guest and lecturer of the event HARMONIZATION THROUGH YOGA, organized by Dance and the City of Events. Dance and the city uses segments of yoga for their training, as part of a related activity. To participate in the training that will be held on Saturday, May 15, from 14-15: 30h, at the address Resavska 28, registration is required by e-mail: kontakt@plesigrad.rs Promo price of the training is 500 rsd.

We talked to him about practicing yoga methods and we bring you part of the conversation, as an introduction to his training. You will be able to work with us in class on the practical part.

~ D&C: There is a lot of talk these days about the benefits of yoga. So tell us at the beginning something more about its benefits?

Grujin: In addition to the well-known physical benefits of yoga stretching and breathing exercises, yoga involves a comprehensive approach to the well-being of the body, actually the individual as a whole. It implies the integration of the physical and the spiritual, and at the same time the awakening of the latent potentials of our nature, such as peace, love, bliss.

~ D&C: Yoga is responsible for your vitality in those years. How and when did you start applying yoga in your daily life and how do you pass on your knowledge, physical and spiritual wealth to others?

Grujin: By practicing various sports during my life, which left a positive impact on my health, yoga at one point contributed to improving my quality of life. Also, with daily practice since I was 35, I realized more and more of my imperfections, which yoga surpasses with its methodology. By that fact, man, by changing himself, changes the world around him. Studying Dif and working with athletes, and implementing yoga methods, I got results in practice, as in the example of an athlete who improved her results after only two months of stretching methods.

~ D&C: Why is the concept of yoga misunderstood and anathematized in our society?

Grujin: First of all, ignorance about the topic is wrong, so it is arbitrarily placed in a bad context. Yoga is not a religion, it is a methodology. A way to reach ourselves and our essence. A cognitive process that has been proven for centuries and helps a person to center in his being.

~ D&C: How do we “save” energy through yoga?

Grujin: There are dominant “themes” in our brains that distract us from ourselves. To get back to ourselves, we need to concentrate on our breath. With harmonious yoga breathing, there is calm, we get inner calm. We often paralyze that energy. When we focus, the mind does not wander when breathing, does not give birth to desires and does not “distract” us from itself. With the inhale we stretch the body, with the exhale we relax the body and thus we release the tension that wastes our energy. To observe the mind neutrally, thus we enter ourselves.

~ D&C: Why do we do so little prevention, and only wake up when “water reaches the floor”? Where is that space for working on oneself and awareness of the importance of prevention?

Grujin: These days, there is a lot of talk about gaining immunity. We must first learn how our internal system works and how it provides a harmonious impulse to all other systems in the body. In addition to all the supplements they place on us, there is an inner potential in each of us to balance energy. This potential awakens latent forces in us and thus raises the level of the immune system. So, we need to work on ourselves constantly, so that, when the need increases, we know how to react.

~ D&C: How can we overcome the adversities of our daily lives through suggestive meditation, as an important part of yoga practice?

Grujin: There is a certain tension in us every day. If we manage to get rid of that tension, we will be able to solve easier everyday problems. When we meditate, we awaken divine qualities and basic peace. Only in this way do we attain love, blissful relationships, and the joy of living.

~ D&C: How does proper breathing affect our body, balance and daily mental activities?

Grujin: The connection between the air and our deep layers of being is reflected through the physiology itself, as well as the harmonization of energy flows, and the anxiety that occurs due to shallow breathing. The overstrain of the intercostal muscles does not allow the full capacity of the breath, creating unfavorable conditions for the penetration of living energy, a vital component for improving the quality of life.

~ D&C: Describe to us, what will the class you will hold for our participants on Saturday look like?

Grujin: The class will be adapted to those who have not encountered yoga so far. My assistant and I will start the class by warming up the body, then the combination of exercises that are the “entrance” to the inner light. After that, a combination of exercises greets the sun as well as exercises that start energy flows. All exercises are done by coordinating movements with breathing.

~ D&C: What can participants expect from the training?

Grujin: Certainly one training is not enough to master any skill, it is a continuous commitment. But, you will get instructions on how to apply them at home. You will start the energy levels in yourself, you will get ease of walking, unencumbered thoughts…

~ D&C: What does yoga mean to you, in two words?

Grujin: The path of self-knowledge.

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