Yoga & YOU

May Newsletter 2013.

To follow on from Jenni’s last news letter I’d like to discuss the eight limbs of astanga yoga.

The Astanga vinyasa system of Sri K Pattabhi Jois follows like most yoga the major text “Patanjali-yoga-sutra” written in 2nd century BC. Traditionally the sutras were passed down orally. Patanjali was the first sage to record the sutras making them accessible to people everywhere. The text explains the means to achieve yoga. It is a system that once followed can eventually lead the practitioner to a state of “Samadhi”, the ultimate state of meditative absorption. The text has no limitation of era. It is especially useful for us now with modern day society’s focus being so external. The sutras guide us to go internally and through following the astanga path we can learn to still the mind becoming a master of our life rather than a victim of it. The more we practise the subtler our consciousness becomes and our thoughts are transformed, free of projected desires.

The first limb is Yama. Life’s essential restraints, our attitudes towards our environment: having five parts-

1. Ahimsa (Non-violence) to all things in the world, including ourselves in thought, word and deed. When learning asana it requires patience and a student needs to respect the limits and capabilities of their own bodies. By developing awareness injury is prevented. A student of yoga acquires love and respect for themselves and can then in turn take it into the world for everyone and everything else. The very intention of non- violence will transmute to a collective consciousness. With ahimsa we shall have peace. “Although some harm is unavoidable in worldly life, our goal should be to minimize the harm we may cause to any living being. Purity of intention is the best measure of our progress. Stemming from non-harmfulness are the great virtues of charity and compassion” Krishnamacharya. (1)

2. Satya (truthfulness) in thought, word and deed. Satya teaches a student of yoga to be honest in their relationships with themselves and with others. In asana practise it is important to be honest with yourself and the teacher with where you are in your practise without expectation or ego. As a yoga practioner humbly knows our bodies are different from day to day. Truthfulness is also a discernment of whether to speak out or be silent with ahimsa being a prerequisite to satya it is important to be discriminating in whatever situation presents itself. The aim is to be mindful of others and encourage positive outcomes. We need to be discerning in our speech, should we be listening or talking? When we speak the quality of our message should have clarity and intention.

   “Speaking the truth, we free ourselves of the burden of falsehood. We reinforce our efforts towards conquering our ego and our desires, dislikes, and fears. Our ego drives us to boast. The desire to attain something can provoke us to lie. Dislike can lead us to exaggerate another’s faults. Caught in a predicament and fearing trouble, we sometimes resort to falsehood to escape. As ordinary humans, we have all, at times succumbed to these pulls. Occasionally telling a falsehood is unavoidable in worldly life, especially in modern times. Still if we follow truthfulness to the extent that we can, it will lead to peace of mind, freedom, and simplicity in relationships.” Krishnamacharya (2)

3. Asteya-not to steal, to abandon envy, manipulation and selfish gain. Yoga asana is a non competitive activity. Practioners are to look for inspiration in others and not to compare themselves. “Not only possessions can be stolen. Time can also be stolen. Do not gossip or indulge in idle conversation, there by wasting others time. Similarly do not allow others to steal your time.”(3)

4. Brahmacharya- The preservation of vital fluid (semen). Consideration of appropriate times for copulation. Eg. considering the dominance of ida and pingala nadi. Ida dominance can permit copulation. The menstrual cycle is also to be considered. Between days 4-16 of the cycle could be appropriate according to the scriptures. Establishing the mind in the supreme consciousness is true Brahmacharya. Preservation of strength of mind and control of sense organs effects the blood’s transformation. To produce vitality (amrita) the nectar of transformation takes 32 drops of blood. After 32 days of eating food we produce 1 single drop of blood, 32 days to become distilled, 32 Days of vitality maintained will produce 1 drop of amrita. When the mind is turned in to discover the nature of the self the strength of will increases, this strength should be regarded as Brahmacharya. The discipline of keeping ourselves nourished with sattvic (pure) diet gains vitality along with the transformation of blood .To retain sexual fluids will enhance a practioners vitality or Ojas as known in ayurvedic terms.

5. Aparigraha- A good clean diet is essential to sustain the body. Food we consume must be pure (Sattvic) untainted (nirmala) and acquired through righteousness. Only taking enough food to sustain our bodies and not desiring things that have a negative effect on our health is aparigraha .If aparigraha is attained karmic cycles of past and present lives can be revealed.

   Awareness that every action has a consequence will determine our successes associated with yama.

Niyama-Ni means control, our attitudes towards ourselves, all to do with self cleansing: having five parts-

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2.

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Saucha-purification. Two types Bahir shaucha (external) and antar shaucha (internal). Bahir shaucha involves washing the outer part of the body while antar shaucha suggests that we see everyone as equal, a reminder to treat everyone as there friend. If we see everything and everyone as a reflection of the supreme consciousness we will realize we are all one and the same.

Santosha-contentment. It is normal for us to experience highs and lows from day to day. Contentment lies in the ability to stay in balance. We can try to be at peace in any given situation, not to get over excited or depressed. To be content with where we are and what we have without any regrets. To remain in contentment will gift a joyful nature.

Tapas-engaging willpower to discipline the body and sense organs. Control over the quantity and quality of food we eat is critical for a yoga practise. A student of yoga is to eat healthy food, to be conscious of what is right for their individual constitution and as Pattabhi Jois suggests to follow the rule of thumb 1/2 food in the stomach, 1⁄4

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for liquid and 1⁄4 for air to promote healthy digestion. A healthy body promotes a healthy mind; a healthy mind promotes a healthy body.

Swadhyaya- is the recital of Vedic verses and prayers. Correct pronunciation is important to maintain the meaning and deity of a mantra.

Ishwarapranidhana- Carrying out all our actions, spoken or unspoken without desiring the fruits of our actions. Devotion to the Divine.

Students of yoga gradually invoke the practises of yama and niyama over time. It is first recommended to begin with the third limb of yoga- Asana. Asana has the ability to bring the body and sense organs under control. It promotes good health and wards off disease. The primary series of astanga vinyasa is yoga chikitsa meaning therapy it is designed to align and purify the body. Patanjali’s yoga sutras first precept is to overcome disease in the body (yoga sutras 1:30) Asana comes from the Sanskrit word ass, meaning ‘to sit’ or ‘to be.’ The asana’s are designed to help the practioner of yoga to eventually be able to sit and meditate for a long period of time. The physical asana practises are traditionally known as hatha yoga. Ha refers to the sun channel in the body and tha refers to the moon channel within the body. The process of controlling the breath through these two channels is known as hatha yoga. The aim of yoga is to arrest the mind; it can be done through working the breath with control and awareness, the practise of pranayama which is the fourth limb of astanga yoga.

Pranayama is the control of prana. It means to lengthen or to control the breath. We become aware of the breath and then regulate it to become smooth and long. There are many forms of pranayama mentioned throughout different yoga text but the main aim is to regulate the breath and through advanced practise eventually suspend the breath. If your mind is controlled your breath will slow and eventually stop automatically. The true nature of yoga is to realize the Atman, the supreme self, all- pervading, self-illumined consciousness. In order to do this the mind must be still, free from external distractions and internal sense organs. The body and mind work together as one. If the body is out of balance the mind is out of balance and vice- versa. The body and sense organs are also linked and their dependence is determined by the strength of the mind. Concentration of the mind is detrimental. To achieve this body must be purified in order for the mind to become strong. This is why asana is a prerequisite to the fourth limb. The body has to be purified before the breath can become purified, freeing the body of disease. Pranayama is a very powerful practise and is not to be taken lightly. It is essential to learn and practise the techniques of pranayama under the guidance of an experienced guru. Pattabhai Jois would not teach pranayama to his students until they could competently practise the third series of astanga vinyasa. “As a lion, elephant, or tiger is tamed slowly, so should the breath be brought under control. Else it will kill the practitioner” Hatha Yoga Pradipika. In the vinyasa astanga system the first pranayama technique we come to learn is ujjayi breathing. Ujjayi means victorious breath, victorious in the sense that it has the ability to conquer the mind. It is this breath that initiates the movement in the vinyasa system, breath and movement flow as one. Ujjayi breathing is to be practised in conjunction with the three bandhas. Mula, uddiyana and jalandhara bandha are performed while practising asana to strengthen and purify the body. The breath promotes a steady mind and a strong foundation to build the next four limbs of yoga.

Pratyahara- Sense control, detachment, withdrawal of the senses from their objects.

The senses like to eat things, to take in impressions from the outside world. Sense control can be established when the mind is calm and can stop cravings of sensory pleasures. Of our food it is important to consume sattvic (pure) foods. Intoxicating substances are also to be avoided. If a person’s intake is pure than the mind can become pure. For those who wish to be successful in their yoga practise moderation in regards to eating, sleeping, sexual intercourse and in talking is important. It is also wise to be discriminate to what we subject our minds to, keeping sattvic qualities in preference. During asana practise it is important to concentrate on the inner workings of the body and breath without allowing the mind to wander off on some tangent to do with the past or future. Steadiness is the key to focus a higher state of conscious awareness that can allow the practioner to feel and experience sensations in the body. Pratyahara permits thoughts to drift by without attachment. In vinyasa yoga sense withdrawal is practised through drishti- focal point and listening to the sound of the breath.

Once the mind is free from cravings it is established enough for the last three of the eight limbs of yoga the progressive stages of meditation dharana (concentration),dhyana(meditation) and Samadhi (perfect equilibrium of consciousness.)

Dharana (concentration)

Dhar means to hold or to maintain. Concentration can be achieved through binding together the different aspects of the practise. Using the tools of breath and drishti the mind reaches a single focus. “First dharana must become firm. For one who does not practise pratyahara and pranayama over a long time, dharana is impossible, like growing a flower in the sky” Yogavalli 1:44 (4)

Krishnamacharya states” When the mind is without any movement, maybe for a quarter of an hour, or even a quarter of a minute, you will realize that yoga is of the nature of infinite awareness, infinite knowing. There is no object there.” (5) He also recommends meditating on the region of the heart (the heart lotus) as a special focus to connect to the mind. To understand Dharana an exercise Krishnamacharya suggested “Keep your own photo in front of you, gaze at it, and then close your eyes to see if you can keep the image fixed in your mind. Renew it immediately every time it fades. If you can, then you are doing dharana. But remember this is not a practise; it is only an experiment to make you understand what dharana is.” (6)

Dhyana (meditation)

A deep state of meditation can be experience if the prerequisites of the last two limbs are established. In the astanga vinyasa if the student can maintain the flow of breath throughout the sequence of asana's from the beginning to the end with firm concentration it can be in effect a moving meditation.

Samadhi (contemplation)

To reach Samadhi is the highest goal of yoga. It is where we reach the ultimate state of divine consciousness, to be one with God.

“What is the difference between Samadhi and the waking state? In Samadhi, even though our eyes maybe closed, we perceive the object of meditation directly through the mind. When you are in Samadhi, you will not have awareness of the external world. Even if fire is

poured on your head, you will remain undisturbed.” Krishnamacharya (in a lecture on the yoga sutras) (7)

So what of the eight limbs of yoga? In conclusion you will see it is not a subjective matter that can be learnt through learning theoretically it is a devotional practise to be felt and experienced. “Devotion is an internal attitude of trust and love for the divine. All the other practises of yoga-example- asana, pranayama and control over the senses and wayward thoughts- are essential to bringing the mind under control.” “They support devotion and are supported by it. Yoga is the complete stillness of the mind. In such a state of mind there is no unhappiness, at all ever!”(8)

By looking at each of the eight limbs you are able to see the correlation between them and how they are to be built upon together, not one at a time. The state of yoga can be experienced if we follow the steps of the eight limbs. It is not for the weak. It takes discipline, commitment, determination, patience, willpower, passion, conscious effort, awareness, sensitivity and devotion. If yoga was realised for a world of love, happiness and peace then yoga is definitely worth practising and sharing with the ones you love.

References

· Krishnamacharya his life and teachings. A.G.Mohan (1) Pg 86-7

(2) Pg 88 (3) Pg 90 (4) Pg 113 (5) Pg 114 (6) Pg 115 (7) Pg 113 (8) Pg 104

·Yoga Mala Sri K Pattabhi Jois
·Astanga Yoga The essential step by step guide to dynamic yoga John Scott