From
Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtra
YAMA
Restraint ~
Precepts of how to live in the world
The first of the 8 limbs is called
yama, which concerns our behaviour and attitude towards things and people
outside ourselves. Within “Yama” there
are 5 behaviour patterns or disciplines.
Ahimsā
The first of these disciplines is
called Ahimsā, which can be translated as non-violence or non-harming in
thought, word or deed. It sounds simple
enough on a grand scale however when you start to investigate you may find
yourself being harmful in more ways than you had imagined. There are so many ways to look at Ahimsā; you
can think of being vegetarian; of not harming nature; of speaking with loving
kindness to everyone from your loved ones to the clerk at the grocery store; of
trying not to have negative thoughts towards others; of being kind to your body
during your yoga practice. The list is
endless. But don’t forget it also
includes practicing Ahimsā towards yourself.
Therefore, you start where you are.
With practice, time, patience you will eventually bring Ahimsa into more
areas of your life. For now, just be
aware; watch yourself and your dealings with others, your words or thoughts to
others and yourself. Then maybe you can
decide to eliminate a bit of “himsā” (the opposite of Ahimsā is violence,
harming) from your life. Maybe you’ll
decide to do your best to not say harmful words to your partner. Maybe you’ll decide that when dealing with
strangers you will treat them with more kindness. You could decide to become vegetarian or even
vegan. You could decide to no longer buy
packaged vegetables to eliminate the unneeded waste and harm to nature. Perhaps you’ll decide to take public
transport instead of your car to work.
Again the list could go on forever.
Just keep in mind, not to judge,
neither yourself nor others. Everyone
must start where they are and be thankful for the small improvements. It all counts!!
Satya
What is
truth?
The second yama that Patanjali
speaks of in the Yoga Sutras is Satya or truthfulness.
Truth seems obvious, either it is
the truth or it is not, right? Well,
while there is the obvious part: not telling lies, there is also the more
subtle truth: truth to yourself. I like
something that I once read from Judith Lasater about inner truth and the
difference between honesty and integrity.
As she says, “honesty is what we do when others are around and might
judge our actions or words. To have
integrity is to act in an honest manner when others are not around and will
never know about our actions.” I would
even take it a step further than that.
How often to do we try to console ourselves with false truths in order
to justify our actions, either towards ourselves or towards others? In short, being truthful means telling the truth
to both yourself and to others.
My truth
versus your truth
Another subtle level of satya is
remembering that something may only be “your” truth, not “the” truth. We all have seen that when more than one
person tells the story of the same event there are always discrepancies. Is it because one person is lying or is it
because that is “their” truth, the way they perceived the events based on their
personal way of looking at things? Who’s
to say their truth is wrong? The
practice of yoga normally helps us see clearer and with many years of
consistent practice and self-analyses we will come closer to seeing the truth
without our personal histories, prejudices and judgments blurring our vision.
Layering
Satya on to Ahimsā
The yamas are not to be practiced
independently of one another. They are
to be layered and melted together into one another. Therefore, part of satya and ahimsa is trying
not to speak harmful truths while also not lying. This can be complicated in some situations.
Each individual has to find their
way of interpreting the yamas within the context of their lives. Discovering what will make you feel
comfortable in your day to day interactions.
Take a simple example. Your mom asks you if you like her new outfit
(you think it’s horrible). What do you
say? You don’t want to hurt her, causing
“himsā”, by telling her it is horrible.
Although, you don’t want to lie to her just to make her feel good for
the moment. Each person will see the
situation from a different angle and has to find the solution they feel is most
appropriate and closest to their personal values.
This is an example which most likely
wouldn’t create too much “himsā” if you said the truth and if you decided to
say something to make her feel good it could be called a “little white lie” to
avoid hurting. Yet, how you deal with
this simple situation can be a reflection of how you deal with situations that
could cause you to stray into more hurtful miss-truths.
Thoughtfulness
Can you find ways to speak the truth
without using hurtful words or tones?
These are some things to keep in mind
while you go through your day. Remember
just observe yourself in your daily interactions, don’t judge. Find a couple of areas where you may feel
able to make some changes. But don’t
fret when you are unable to keep the standards you wish to. No one is perfect. Be kind to yourself!
Asteya
Non-stealing
This yama is pretty straight
forward: don’t take what does not belong to you. That means objects as well as the subtle
things such as not taking someone’s self-confidence, happiness, glory, reputation,
etc. Becoming aware how simply mocking
someone could steal a tiny piece of that person’s self-confidence or
criticizing someone could steal a tiny piece of happiness. Sometimes we can speak or act without
reflection on how a few quick words can take away something so sweet from
another; even happy memories can be stolen away by the harsh words of another.
Over
consumption
What about taking more of earth’s
resources than is needed? This is
stealing from others who don’t have enough because it is taking energy and
opportunity away from those who are underprivileged. Think twice every time you purchase something
(is it truly needed?) and every time you discard something (where is it going
to go?).
Intertwined Yamas
Once again, we see how linked the
yama are. It’s easy to see how “steya”
(opposite of Asteya is stealing) can lead to “himsā” or harmfulness.
Brahmacarya
Chastity ~
the voluntary control of the sex instinct.
This is one of the more difficult
yamas to understand because the intensity of the discipline has many ranges
depending on the teachers’ interpretation.
From total celibacy to how Desikachar describes it in “the Heart of
Yoga” as: “…brahmacarya suggests that we
should form relationships that foster our understanding of the highest
truths. If sensual pleasures are part of
those relationships, we must take care that we keep our direction and do not
get lost.” Desikachar's interpretation
can be aligned easier with the modern Western way of life.
“Simply understand and exercise our
instincts in their proper contexts.” -
Georg Feuerstein
Georg Feuerstein
Layering
with non-harming & truth
In combination with Ahimsā and
Satya, it means to not use your sexual energy in ways that could hurt or
mislead another. Avoiding sexual
obsessions, promiscuity, and mindless sex.
Simply
remaining faithful
If one is in a sexual relationship,
simply remaining faithful and honest within a monogamous relationship is
practicing Brahmacarya. Also, while
having sex, remaining in the present, appreciating the beauty and love of the
uniting of 2 spirits can be part of the practice.
Celibacy
For some, celibacy may feel like the
right choice for them, even if only for a certain period during their
life. They may feel that it is more
important for them to direct the energy used in sexual relations towards other
areas in their life; discovering or healing themselves, devotion to their yoga
or meditation practice, devotion to God.
It is all finding what is most
appropriate to you, at each stage in your life, while remaining open, aware,
non-judging, loving and kind. Not such
easy tasks, this is one of the reasons we practice Ashtanga Yoga asanas. Taking the time to care for ourselves to calm
and clear the mind, making it easier to stay open, aware, non-judging, loving
and kind throughout the day.
Aparigraha
The Fifth
Yama
The fifth and final yama is
Aparigraha which is commonly translated as “non-greed”. Not being greedy is to only take what is
truly necessary and no more.
In a world
full of stimulants
Everything around us tells us….buy
more, do more, eat more, take more! So
how do we know what is more than necessary?
We are trained by advertising and our culture to need the latest
gadgets, the coolest new trends, a larger home, a newer or faster car, which
all claim will make our lives more efficient, interesting, fun and happy. We tell ourselves “I will be happy when” my
desires are fulfilled. However on closer
inspection, we can see that the acquiring of one desire normally leads to a new
desire “which will bring me that long sought after happiness”.
When does
it end?
It ends when we are happy with what
we have now. That doesn’t mean we have
no more desires, it just means that we are satisfied with where we are now and
that we are aware of being content with only taking what is necessary. Bringing more awareness into our lives so
that we can see when we are being greedy or longing too strongly for something.
Not taking
advantage of a situation
Greediness does not only come in the
form of materialism, you can be greedy when taking advantage of a
situation. For example; that loving
friend who seems to be there for you non-stop.
Listening endlessly, giving always, unlimited understanding. Examine the relationship, are you taking too
much? It’s easy to take from generous
people and forget about “Aparigraha” because they are offering themselves.
In our
asana practice
Aparigraha can be applied, as well,
to our asana practice by being aware during our practice when we are greedily
forcing ourselves into a position, despite our body’s obvious reluctance. Or, desiring to have a practice “like so and
so”.
NIYAMA
Limb number two is called
Niyama. Contraire to the Yamas, which
concern our behavior and attitude towards things and people outside ourselves,
the niyamas are disciplines to be applied to our attitude towards
ourselves. Within the Niyamas, there are
five behavior patterns or disciplines that are designed to harmonize our inner
life.
Saucha
The first of these behavior patterns
which we can use to improve our daily life is called Saucha, commonly
translated as purification or cleanliness.
The concept is not only physical cleanliness…keeping the body clean,
inside and out, but also a cleaner, clearer, undisturbed mind and moral purity.
Inner &
Outer Purification
Keeping the external body clean is
pretty much a given practice in our society, however, how often do we neglect
the internal cleanliness of our bodies?
In our society of “efficiency” we tend to put less emphasis on the
quality and pureness of the foods we eat.
It’s incredible how many preservatives, additives and unneeded
additional salt and sugar are added to the food we eat. Make that a little practice; just have a look
at the ingredients listed in the things you buy. The first step to change is becoming aware.
An
Extension to Body Purification
Another aspect of Saucha that can be
considered is the cleanliness of your surroundings. Keeping your home clean and free of
clutter. Have you ever tried to practice
meditation or yoga in a place where you are surrounded by “stuff”? One-pointed focus comes much easier without
an array of distractions. Often
cluttered surroundings equal a cluttered mind.
Santosha
What is
Contentment?
The dictionary meaning is “to be in
a contented state” which is to be “satisfied/happy with what one has”.
Happiness
On becoming parents, this is
something we think of often. What is it
to be a parent? What do I want to give
to our children? The answer that comes
to mind each and every time is happiness.
Simple right? Every parent wants
to raise a happy, contented child. But
what is that? Does that mean doing
everything possible to give them all the material things they desire? Or, protecting them from the suffering and pain
of life? Or, hoping that they will be
attractive, talented and highly intelligent?
I don’t think it does. Happiness
comes from within, not from the external world.
Equanimity
True contentment comes through the
state of mind of being able to accept the flows of life as they arrive. That’s not to say you don’t have dreams and
goals, it’s just that your state of happiness is not attached to them. You enjoy the process, trusting the twists and
turns and the ups and downs of life.
That’s not to say, either, that you don’t feel sadness, sorrow or
pain. If anything, you sincerely feel
it. Feeling is part of living. But, once again, you are able to rest in a
state of equanimity.
Cultivating
Santosha in the Asana Practice
Sometimes we can lose sight of the
cultivation of contentment during our yoga practice. How easy it is to get caught up in the
grasping for more. Rather than enjoying
the practice; comparing your practice to
another person’s or getting lost in the desire to achieve a certain posture at
whatever cost to your body, breath and mind or being disappointed on no longer
being able to do a posture you could do before.
Try accepting your practice as it is today. Just enjoying and appreciating the sensations
as they arrive, now, not looking forward, not looking backwards and not looking
at your neighbour.
Some Nice
Quotes on Happiness
“An unhappy person and a happy one
will have different perceptions of the same circumstances. The difference lies not in the circumstances
but in the two states of mind.”
“Enjoying the journey is even better
than arriving at the destination.”
“Looking for lasting happiness
outside yourself is meaningless. It is
like expecting to become fit by watching other people exercise.”
“We either make ourselves miserable
or we make ourselves happy, the amount of work is the same.” By Carlos
Castaneda
Tapas
Austerity /
a burning desire in regards to a spiritual practice.
Any spiritual practice that
challenges the mind’s habit patterns. It
is a strong commitment to self-transformation.
Purifying
Heat
“To heat” can also imply heating the
body to purify it. Our asana and ujjayi
pranayama practice heats the body from within which aids in expelling the
toxins and impurities built up in our organs, muscles, tissues and blood. This is why it is good to sweat during
practice. Proper bandhas and ujjayi
breathing will make you sweat more than you would if you did the asanas just as
an exercise program. Why is that? . . .
When you narrow the passage in which the air enters the body, the air is warmed
which heats the body. Keeping the
bandhas ensures that the heat and energy is retained.
Not Adding
Impurities
So, our practice is continuously
cleansing our body of impurities, however another part of Tapas is to avoid
adding rubbish to our bodies. In other
words, being aware of what you put in so that the body doesn’t have to work so
hard to get rid of the “rubbish”. Do you
notice the difference in your sweat when you have been eating clean, healthy
food and when you’ve went on a junk food, drinking or smoking binge? If not, take note next time.
Svādhyāya
Study which
leads to knowledge of the self.
The fourth Niyama is Svādhyāya which
is translated as self examination. This
is a very important part of the yoga.
Without it we can go through our lives repeating the same unhealthy
patterns or blaming others for our unpleasant experiences over and over again.
Being Quiet
It’s difficult in this modern world,
full of distractions, to just sit and be quiet.
We especially know this with the new responsibilities and demands of
parenthood however, it is an immensely rewarding practice to take even 5 or 10
minutes a day to just sit, be quiet and reflect. Whether you add it to the end of your yoga practice
or some other time throughout the day, it is definitely needed!
Discovery
is Positive
Keep in mind that self examination
isn’t the same as self criticizing or judgment. There’s no need to be hard; just see, be kind
and try to understand. Learn -- “wow, that’s why I always respond in this way
to these types of situation”. “How could
I do it differently?” Being aware not to
blame either. Neither yourself nor
others. This develops compassion towards
yourself and perhaps to others as well.
Others who may not act in the manner that you expect.
Reflecting
Reflecting can help you to see from
another’s point of view. This can be
useful in figuring out why you find yourself in similar unwanted situations
time and time again. Or in understanding
a unique unwanted experience and letting it go.
It’s a
Magical Thing…
reflection, because often no effort
is needed to improve oneself. Just the
mere “awakening” of a certain behavior pattern (or the underlying reasons for
the behavior) will bring about change.
The simple self awareness, kindness and understanding will spontaneously
help you to act differently.
“We cannot perceive our own faults,
And continually examine the faults
of others instead.
How can we all be harmonious with
one another?”
~Milarepa
Ishvara Pranidhāna
Surrender
The last Niyama and probably the
most challenging; Ishvara Pranidhāna, which means surrender to God. If you practice a specific religion then it
can be applied to “your” God. If not,
then it can be interpreted as surrendering to the interconnectiveness of all or
nature. Realizing that the final outcome
of any given circumstance is ultimately out of your control and surrendering to
that.
Acceptance
Accepting everything as it is
whether “good” or “bad”. This isn’t the
same as giving in or being complacent.
Effort still needs to be made. It
takes effort to make changes; changes in yourself and changes in the world but
practicing Ishvara Pranidhana is letting go of the expectation of the
outcome. Surrendering to the
outcome. Making your best effort and
then being satisfied with the outcome while enjoying the process now.
Where Are
You Going?
It’s very challenging, in our goal
oriented society, to be able to enjoy the effort without being attached to the
expected outcome. In our society it
often isn’t important how you “get there” just “that you get there” (wherever
that “there” is). This makes it
difficult to enjoy where you are, instead it’s just about where you are
going. Then if you don’t get “there”
well, one can feel frustration, anger, sadness, jealousy, etc. Where as if we can learn to enjoy the effort
and follow the path and be satisfied with the outcome no matter what it is, we
would feel much better in ourselves, in the world, within the world!
Have
Faith...
That it will be ok. Have you ever found yourself in a situation
where it seems nothing is working out the way you wanted it to and then months,
or even years, later you realize it was for the best? Or, that if it hadn’t been that way some of
the magical things that happened would not have? Ishvara Pranidhana is having faith.
ĀSANA
Posture
This is the most familiar aspect of
yoga. When many people talk about yoga
they imagine a calm yogi meditating in lotus position or wrapping themselves
into a pretzel with their legs behind their head; making yoga seem out of touch
for those who are not naturally flexible.
However, when you delve deeper you see that anyone can practice
asana. No matter their age, size or
flexibility. As a matter of fact, I’ve
seen some of the most beautiful practices from very stiff students who are incredibly
calm, concentrated while staying within their body’s limitations.
What is an Āsana?
It is translated as “posture” or “to
sit”. Patanjali describes asana as
having two important qualities; sthira and sukha. Sthira is alertness and sukha is
relaxation. Therefore one’s asana
practice needs to have the dual qualities of an alert mind and a comfortable
body.
Alert &
Relaxed
We sometimes forget these qualities
during asana practice. How often are we
straining ourselves for the sake of getting into a posture? Pursing our lips, scrunching our foreheads,
tensing our shoulders to hold a position?
Next time you practice yoga try, each time you are in a posture, to scan
your body for tension. Is your body
strong and relaxed?
Effortless
Effort
The positions should not be painful. If they are you are at more of tearing a
muscle, pulling a ligament, slipping a disk, etc. Sometimes these injuries are not apparent for
months or even years after forcing the same muscle or ligament day in and day
out. Remember, yoga isn’t a competition,
neither with others nor with yourself.
The most dynamic postures don’t look it from the outside, it’s only you
who can judge how dynamic the position is from the inside. Do you feel strong, relaxed and…
Steadiness
of Mind
Do you feel totally aware in the
positions? Are you fully focused on the
dristi (focal points) and breathe without looking around the room or thinking
about what you have to do after your practice?
When you find this alertness and ease; that is when the power of this
practice will change your life!
Now Have
Fun!
Don’t forget to enjoy it, keep it
fun! If it’s fun and you don’t incur
injuries, you will return to your mat day after day!
PRĀNĀYĀMA
Breath
Control
Prānāyāma (regulating the breath) is
the fourth limb of the ashtanga yoga system.
There are endless exercises of breath control that are used to focus our
minds and direct the prana (life force) throughout the body and the mind.
In our ashtanga asana practice we do
Ujjayi pranayama; which translates as victorious breath. It’s a method that helps us control the
length of our in and out breaths and energizes and heats the body to aid in the
purification of the asana practice. It
heats the body by narrowing the passage in which the air is brought into the
body therefore, warming the air and heating the body from within. It energizes by using the full capacity of
the lungs therefore, bringing in large amounts of oxygen. The soft sound one creates aids in focusing
the mind by giving the hearing senses a sound to listen to; hopefully drowning
out the other distractions of the mind or surrounding sounds.
Synchronizing
Breath with Movement
Linking the breath and the body;
this is what makes our asana practice “yoga” rather than only a set of
exercises. The breath dictates the pace
of the movement. For example, when you
raise your arms over your head at the beginning of a sun salutation; the moment
you start your inhalation is the moment you begin to raise the arms and the
moment the inhalation is finished is the moment the hands touch over the
head. You then ideally continue on this
rhythm during the entire practice.
Lengthening
The idea is to keep each inhale and
each exhale the exact same length throughout the practice, whether holding a
posture or moving into or out of a posture.
Deep, smooth breathing calms the mind.
Quality of
Breath...
Is more important than the
complexity of an asana. Breathing should
never be laborious. The quality of the
breath tells you the quality of the asana.
If you are doing a fancy posture that looks beautiful but is restraining
the breath, then you are not doing yoga.
The breath will tell you when you are going too far. Listen to it!
Watch Your
Breath
Next class make it a project to
check your breath throughout the practice.
Are the inhales and the exhales the same length? Do they sound the same? Are you using the diaphragm? Are you straining the breath in order to get
into a position?
PRATYĀHĀRA
Sense
Withdrawal
The fifth limb of Ashtanga Yoga is
Pratyāhāra, which is commonly translated as “the withdrawal of the
senses”. It shouldn’t be taken
literally; it’s not that the senses cease to operate, but that one ceases to be
attracted, fascinated, entranced, preoccupied by or drawn into the external
world of the senses. In other words, you
are not controlled by your senses and your actions aren’t driven by the senses.
How do you
withdraw the senses?
By focusing the mind, it comes naturally. For example, when reading a very interesting
book that you are totally involved in, you may hear the noises around you
however, since you are focused on your reading, you are not distracted. Or, while practicing yoga, if you are
completely focused on the breathing and the drishtis, the senses will not be
attracted to the other practitioners, smells, noises, etc. in the room.
Practicing
Pratyahara
You can practice withdrawing the
senses by focusing the mind on something (a mantra, your breath, an image, for
example) and resisting the temptation of the senses to take you away from your
concentration. Normally it is easier to
practice this in a quiet room without many external stimulates to take away
your focus.
Sensory
Perception
You may also practice withdrawing
the senses in day to day life by just making an effort to be aware when your
senses are dictating your actions. Like
when the smell of delicious food, when you are not hungry. Or, the allure of beautiful items in
advertisements or store windows of which you have no use for. The senses are never satisfied. When one desire is filled, creating a limited
amount of happiness, a new desire emerges, causing frustration,
dissatisfaction, envy or anger. And,
there goes the cycle until willpower is developed and the mind take control of
the senses rather than the other way around.
DHĀRANĀ
Dividing
the External & the Internal
Patanjali makes a distinction
between the first five limbs and the final three; the first five are in part
two of the sutras and are external practices and starting with Dharana
(concentration) we enter part three which are internal practices.
Awareness is built in the beginning;
awareness on how you treat the world around you and how you treat yourself;
awareness of the workings and capabilities/limitations of your body; awareness
on the quality and how to change the quality of the breath and direct the prana;
and finally, awareness on the senses and how to bring them under the control of
the mind. This brings us to…
The Mind!
That careless, reckless
mind. It drives us crazy. Literally.
It is incredibly strong- strong headed and stubborn! Sometimes the mind says “no, I cannot do this asana,
I’m going to fall, it’ll hurt, I’ll die” so the body listens. Or, other times the mind says “yes, I can do
this position, I did it last week, I always do it, everyone else can do it”
therefore, the mind forces the body to do something harmful to itself. How does one find the balance? How does one know when the mind is not respecting
the body?
Awareness
Finding the balance comes from
experience, practice and discovery. Only
you can truly know if you have this awareness (and even then, only the true
you, the honest you). There are some
external indicators. For example the breathing,
unable to hold mula bandha, strain on the face, tension in the shoulders or
elsewhere, the feeling of pride or disappointment.
Dhāranā
The first five stages of yoga are
used to free the mind from distractions thus setting the stage for the sixth,
Dhāranā, which is translated as “concentration”. Now the mind can be directed towards a given
object or concept. Often we call this
meditating but, in fact, it is just preparing us for meditation. First we must learn to concentrate the mind
on one thing. This one thing can be your
chosen mantra, deity, your breath, a candle flame, a concept, or anything else
you find appropriate.
One-Pointed
Concentration
The practice is to focus the
attention of the mind on one object or concept instead of letting it go in all
directions. An example of how the mind
can go in different directions: Have you
ever been reading a book while thinking of something else? You reach the end of the page only to realize
you have no idea what you just read!
Use your
Yoga Practice
At the end of your practice sit,
find a point of focus and practice Dhāranā.
If you don’t have enough time, eliminate a couple of the last positions
of the series, in order to give your mind the opportunity to establish
one-pointed concentration. Or, hold the
seated finishing asanas longer and use the Ujjayi breathing as your point of
concentration. Maybe one day you will
enter meditation (extended periods of concentration naturally lead to
this). It’s difficult but don’t have
expectations and just try!
DHYĀNA
The 7th limb of Ashtanga
Yoga is Dhyāna, means meditation. As
mentioned earlier; what is often mistakenly called meditation is actually Dhāranā,
concentration. This is quite a feat in
its own right!
What’s the
Difference between Concentration & Meditation?
Ekāgratā and ekātanatā. When concentrating there is ekāgratā, one
pointed attention. When meditating there
is ekātanatā, an uninterrupted flow of attentive awareness. In other words, when we are concentrating an
effort is made to keep the awareness, slowly the disruptions of the thoughts
decrease. In meditation there is a
relaxation of effort in keeping the disruptions away and there is uninterrupted
flow of awareness.
Moving
Meditation
Dhyāna can be achieved during an
asana practice. This is one of the
advantages of the Mysore style or self-practice of the ashtanga asana series
because Dhyāna cannot be achieved if you have to focus on the teacher leading
the class (not to say that those classes don’t have their benefits!). Have you ever felt during practice that you
are keenly aware without focus? In other
words, you move through the postures without thinking of them (or anything
else) and you feel a strong connection to the practice. You are connected to your breath and the
movement. This is Dhyāna, this is why
the Ashtanga asana system is often described as a moving meditation. You are completely aware of what you are
doing but without making an effort to focus.
Daily
Practice
It just comes from the daily practice
of Dhāranā on your breath; concentrating on your breath. Not letting the mind wander and using the
gaze towards the drishtis to aid in the concentration on the breath. It is difficult to do but if you achieve it
for even a fraction of your practice, you will feel great!
Eliminating
Distraction
Although to achieve this you will
have to have achieved a minimum degree of the previous six stages of yoga
described by Patanjali. Otherwise the
mind will be too distracted by the external world and the struggle with the
mind in trying too hard to attain perfection in the asanas or wanting to do
more asanas. Remember, ideally yoga is
to calm the mind, not to be a gymnast or do esthetically beautiful poses. The side effect of asana practice is a
strong, supple, healthy body which is useful in calming the mind. If the body is full of disease and aches and
pains, it makes meditation more difficult (not impossible, however). If your knee hurts in every posture, it will
be difficult to bring the mind away from the distraction of that pain.
Until you feel steady and
comfortable in a significant portion of your practice, you can at least work on
Dhāranā and eventually Dhyāna during part of your practice. That may even be only the last seating
positions.
SAMĀDHI
Bliss
The final stage of classical
ashtanga yoga is Samādhi, translated as “to merge” or “absorption”. What is it that is being merged? It’s the merging of the meditator with the
object of meditation. Wow, sounds very
complex! Yes and no. To be in a constant state of Samādhi is very
complex however, one can experience mini-samādhis.
Mini-Samādhis
Consider this: An artist is creating, is completely one,
merged with his art, he is creating without the thinking mind, without effort,
it is almost as if it is just happening however, he is completely aware of his
creation and there isn’t “an” artist and “the” art; they are one. This is a mini-samādhi. It may last a few seconds or a few minutes,
or more. If you are or have ever been an
artist you may recognize this event and know the difference between trying to
create and just creating.
Very Clear
Understanding
To be in a constant state of Samādhi
is one of the highest goals of yoga. The
meditator becomes completely aware of the interconnectedness between all living
things, being able to observe things accurately without the thinking mind
judging or analyzing everything; seeing that everything is perfect just as it
is. What a wonderful goal, to be able to
be at peace and happy with all as it is…yourself, others, the world!
No Practice
Samādhi cannot be practiced, one
cannot say “okay, now I’m going to sit down and try to be in Samādhi”. It just happens; although, you can use
certain techniques to help bring about a state of Samādhi. Āsana and prānāyāma are the first steps to
make the conditions right for Pratyāhāra, Dhāranā, Dhyāna and finally Samādhi.
Begin Where
You Are & Enjoy It
So continue your asana and prānāyāma
practice. Start where you are and be
thankful for the small improvements. It
all counts!
“The most important thing in life is to be happy and not
harm others, and moreover if you can help others that would be excellent. We
don't need to overcomplicate things with all sorts of wandering discursive
thoughts, superstitions, doubts and hesitations and over-thinking everything.
Be strong and straightforward within, have strong intention, and develop firm
faith, devotion and inner conviction; don't give up. “
~ His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa
~ His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa