Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras: 1.2

1.2 yogascittavrttinirodhah

Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively towards an object and sustain that direction without any distractions. (TKV Desikachar)

I chose Desikachar’s translation as I find that this translation ties most directly to the 8th petal of yoga - samadhi. Instead of leading the practitioner to the idea of silencing or stopping consciousness, he takes us back (by directing us for the first time) to the idea of samadhi, beyond concentration and beyond meditation, moving through the limbs of yoga.

I feel it is important to notice that this sutra states the goal. This goal is nirodhah (cessation) of thought - stopping the turnings of thought. In this sutra, yoga is a goal - not the practice. The practice is the working of the 8 limbs which bring us to this goal (in that the first 7 limbs lead us to success in reaching the 8th). So this sutra can be seen as the goal - not the practice.

One of my favorite concepts to consider is that one cannot still the mind. One can come to a quiet place to influence the mind, but cannot quiet it directly. That, comes from the practice of coming to a quiet place. We use the tools outlined in the sutras to move closer to nirodhah - there is no nirodhah switch to turn or try.

Miller says, “Insofar as the subtle mental processes are active, the subject or self is necessarily unstable and agitated. The goal of yoga is to stop the thought processes so that the spirit can be free, isolated from the turmoil of thought from which it mistakenly takes its identity.”

The above post is a self-unpacking of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am not a professional historian, I am only sharing my thoughts on the topic. The Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras postings came about as preparation for a weekly study group that I attend at Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts (www.karunayoga.com). Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras: 1.1

1.1 atta yoganusasanam

"And now, the teachings of yoga"

“the disciplines of integration are here expounded through experience and are given to humanity for the exploration and recognition of that hidden part of man which is beyond the awareness of the senses.”

• BKS Iyengar

Often this sutra is unpacked as an introduction - the announcement of the sutras. “hello, the teachings of yoga.” I have heard many emphasize the word “now,” as though the teachings need to take place in this moment - in the present. This view is not often agreed upon.

Atha does, however “in sanskrit literature, carry the connotation of a prayer both for an auspicious beginning and a successful conclusion to the work which follows.” (TKV Desikachar) For this reason, I do think that the first sutra is beyond an introduction, instead wishing the reader/practitioner success in exploration and recognition of that hidden part of themselves. The use of the word Atha makes the exploration of this the yoga sutras more of a spiritual quest than a topic for discussion - a life path, rather than a philosophy.


The above post is a self-unpacking of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am not a professional historian, I am only sharing my thoughts on the topic. The Thoughts on the Yoga Sutras postings came about as preparation for a weekly study group that I attend at Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts (www.karunayoga.com). Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Coming into Balance

As February (2015) draws near, I'm getting more and more excited about a balancing workshop that I'm offering In Northhampton. It's incredibly fun for me, because balancing poses are challenging, both in the way that they are taught as well as for the practitioner, for the student. These challenges are both physical as well as psychological.

In a physical sense, it's often hard to find balance because we are either too cautious or not cautious enough. We are too risky, or maybe afraid of taking a risk. It's strange, because this is often tied to the make up of what we believe and what we believe we are. We train our minds with our experience, creating patterns of practice to become pathways in our brains and our lives.

Because of these patterns, stepping outside of our comfort zone and into balance is scary, creating a fight or flight response, or fear. Fear of death or dying, Patanjali says, even affects the wise. Testing our boundaries and becoming fearful or scared. It is then no surprise that we cannot find balance in our own lives, or in the physical postures we attempt on our mat.

I make no secret that I consider our asana practice to be training for life. Just as we need to learn the opposite of our habits, risking, or protecting, we need to apply the same tools to our lives. This is something that I've begun to work more and more with as I balance my work life and my passion. It's a struggle I think most of us are trying to overcome. Finding work-life-balance, spending more time with our loved ones, or taking the opportunity to just enjoy our lives is often pushed to the back burner because were too afraid we won't make enough money, will disappoint others, or maybe disappoint ourselves. 

These fears become one more block to finding a true selves, and realizing our life's potential. In the spirit of self-study, I encourage you to look deeply into your own habits and see if there's a point to balance in your own life. Take the step and enjoy the risk or the safeguard, even if it is scary.

For more information on my workshop, you can visit the Karuna Center for Yoga and Healing Arts website at www.karunayoga.com

Namaste!

Bringing Us Together

I recently watched a video of the amazing Mary Dunn teaching Pranayama. On the video she did the legendary thing that I have heard about her - she waited until everyone did exactly what she said before moving on - for Sukasana! She was the queen of sticklers. I have to admit that I was rooting for her. Every once in a while I have a student that does not sit exactly the way I ask, or do something the way I ask and I always question myself. How do I handle it?

The beauty of this exercise was how she handled it. She said that "these directions are what bring us together." How gorgeous is that! I always try to plan my instruction based on my experience. For this reason, I want others to share my experience. Why wouldn't I insist on everyone doing the same thing(safely)? Why shouldn't I be a stickler? Anyone who is teaching yoga from their experience has the right to share their experience. And every student should be open to sharing that experience. After all, they paid for that class, they chose that teacher. So, why not try to achieve the experience they are creating.

Moving forward, as a student, I will take a vow of compliance. I will do my best to share in the experience of the instructor(safely). And as a teacher I will trust in the validity of my experiences. These promises to ourselves and to our teachers will do exactly what Mary suggested - bring us all together. Feel the same experience (or at least try). Be open to the vulnerability of a new experience. Trust in each other in the safe zone of our communities.

namaste!

Yes, I am okay

I would like to thank everybody for reading my blog. I know a few of you have mentioned to me that with the posts I've been sharing, it may seem that I am in a bad place. I want you to know, that I am fine. I'm delving really deep into the idea of contentment. While I do this, I am trying to share as openly and honestly as I can. Who knows? Maybe this isn't the right forum for it, but I'm not one to stop something once I've started.

Part of yoga is delving deeply into oneself. I know this often is not related in a yoga class, but is a deeper part of the practice if you're willing to try. That is merely what I am attempting to do. I'm trying to dive a little deeper into the ethical principles and observances of yoga. I am generally a very contented person, but everyone has bad days or times of transition. Your concern moves me and I appreciate it very much. 

Thank you again for thinking of me, and for reading my blog. See you soon.

Interesting day

As I continue on my journey with Santosa, every day brings something new. Some days are great, some days are not. Part of me wonders if my magnifying glass on contentment makes things that way. Yesterday I found myself completely wrapped up in the negative. I let the things around me that were bothering me completely take over. All in all, a bad day.

So this morning I went right back to my current favorite book, the Yamas and Niyamas. I find that on my journey with contentment, it has been such a great tool. When I find myself really struggling with the idea of contentment it has some wonderful words of wisdom. Today I flipped right to the Santosha chapter and found some advice.

One section of the book talks about emotional disturbances. Basically this section discusses how we should not let out emotional disturbances take over our lives. For example, what other people say, how other people offend us, or how other things or situations offend us.

I found myself yesterday being bothered by the silliest things. Anything from a past conversation to the noise in my own home. It's so funny, once we find ourselves taken over by one emotional disturbance, they all come to the forefront. 

What really stuck out to me from the book was a Japanese proverb the author shared. "The noise does not disturb you, you disturb the noise." The way I took this is, when we fight against what life gives us, when we battle with what is, we are the ones disturbing life. What an interesting idea.

This is not to say that there are things in life we should avoid. This is also not to say that there are bad things in life we should just accept. This is saying that our emotional disturbances themselves are the brains reaction to what is going on. Sometimes we need to listen to that, and make the correct changes. Other times, we need to evaluate what the brain is actually making us feel. We waste too much time being upset, we waste too much time being offended by our situation. Sometimes we just need to move forward.

Mornings have Broken

So, I have tried to focus my efforts in beginning my day on a positive note. I have to say that it has created a marked visible change. I feel much more positive during the day. 

Here were my big morning issues:

1. I was waking up every morning later than my original intent. I wanted to get up earlier and practice, but I just could not commit myself to it. This left me feeling guilty and frustrated. My solution: make time to practice later in the day. My day is already long, making it longer was making me tired and groggy. Now I wake up without guilt, without being upset.

2. I was prepping myself for a bad day. The stuff that makes me upset during the day does not need to take over my morning. My morning is valuable me time, why not keep it that way. 

The change in morning attitude has been wonderful - now onto tackling the rest of the day.