Solar Impulse has launched an aircraft called Solar
Impulse2, a solar powered plane with zero conventional fuel. Andre Borschberg
and Bertrand Piccard are the two pilots who control the single seater vehicle. It
is a mission to travel around the world for five months from 09th
March 2015. Yes. It is today!! You can track the progress of the course of the
flight live at Solar Impulse. While
it considered as an incredible technology but also it challenges the human
capacity.
Challenges: The pilots
are challenged to harsh physical environments as well as the psychological boundaries.
The pilot said, “It's minus 20 degrees Celsius, and you are at the height of
Mount Everest. In 12 hours, it will be plus 40 degrees and you will have
repressurised to below 3,000 metres, only to repeat this cycle for five days!
How do you survive?“
Also, the pilot is confined to a cockpit space to the size
of the telephone booth. Such is the physical freedom the pilot has inside the
aircraft.
Yoga: In order to
cope up with the external physical harsh environment and to balance the
psychological restrictions, the pilots have been trained yoga by yoga expert
Sanjeev Bhanot. Yoga specially designed to balance the central nervous system including
a special set of classical, static yoga postures, breathing techniques and
meditation practices. Yoga helps to neutralise the challenges during the flight
that come with very limited space for up to 5 days which include muscle atrophy,
loss of concentration and under functioning of all the body systems.
The breathing techniques, called pranayama help pilot dealing
with the respiratory challenges due to the extremes of temperature and
altitude: they are designed to reduce Andre's breathing frequencies to adapt
better to the lack of oxygen and keep his concentration and his emotional state
stable. Postures like Shoulder Bridge, spinal twist or knees to chest increase
the blood circulation in his vital organs, detox them, keep his endocrine
system in shape and maintain his joint movements and general flexibility. The
meditation supports the vital strength of his concentration and reduces his
need for sleep. The blindfold - through the lack of light hitting the eye -
creates an increase of melatonin, the main sleep hormone, which brings an
immediate release of stress. By working with the principle of highest efficiency
for the least effort, Antastha Yoga gives Andre the maximum therapeutical
effect of yoga - even 8,000 meters above the ground! – From source Yoga Life.
Andre powerfully integrates the practice of yoga not only in
his day today life but exploiting the benefits of yoga to its fullest extend
while flying high and that too in a harsh physical environment. Such is the
power when one makes yoga practice an integral part of his life. Please check Yoga info card the
physical, psychological, emotional & spiritual challenges during the
flight.
Knowing & Owning:
We come across much goodness in life and we know many such good things exist
everywhere around us and well within us. We can own the known only when we experience the good things which are
known to us. Experiential knowledge gives an opportunity to own the known
things. When the knowledge stays at a mere intellectual level, the good things
are just known but not owned by us.
Yoga is one such goodness in life. If you get an opportunity
to learn yoga then exceptionally work at a level to integrate yoga in your life.
Unlike the case of Andre where he needs to work at harsh physical environment,
we are entirely fortunate enough to work in the physical comfort of our home.
For us only the harsh environment exists in the internal world at the mental
& emotional levels. Let us free up a space in the mind and integrate yoga in
our life from moving away from the known intellectual level to an experiential level.
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