THE 8 LIMBS OF YOGA: 3. ASANA

"Do you do yoga?" "Yoga is too hard!"  "I hope doing yoga will help me lose weight."  "Yoga makes me sweat."  "Yoga is for girls."  Yoga is.... Yoga is.... Yoga is....

In the West most equate yoga with asana -- the poses.   Most see it as some form of twisty weird exercise, a means to a physical end -- to become stronger, tone muscle, be more flexible, lose weight, stretch tight muscles, etc.

In our study of the Yoga Sutras, the foundational texts describing yoga philosophy and practice, we discover that of the 196 Yoga Sutras, there are a grand total of THREE that address asana.  The poses with which we commonly define the practice of yoga are relegated to a mere mention.

Does this imply that we have it all wrong and doing all those poses is for naught?  Nope.  Asana is one of the co-equal 8 Limbs of Yoga which we are called to practice diligently.  An asana practice is essential to finding strength and ease with which to embrace all the other aspects of a yogic life.  And in fact it is an exercise of sorts in that it helps our bodies remain strong and balanced -- but that is not the totality of what it means to learn and practice the postures.

Practicing the poses passed down through generations of teachers in various traditions is meant to help us find both strength and ease in the body, or another way of saying this is to find steadiness and comfort.  When we are oblivious to our bodies, or do harm to them, hold tension and stress in our muscles, or fail to breathe deeply our mind becomes distracted from a state of calm attention and puts its awareness on our physical discomfort.

Asana practice allows us to focus on and strengthen our physical awareness and conditioning to find ease and comfort with stillness, movement, and breath.  When moving through the poses, we find the opportunity to link breath to movement, notice what is easeful and what is challenging, subtly adjust our posture to find a good balance between effort and ease, at times by challenging ourselves a bit, but never, ever to the point of pain or struggle.  As bodies become stronger, more flexible, and more balanced, our minds can find the same easeful rest in meditation -- and in life.

Asana practice prepares us for the more subtle aspects of yoga -- that of living a life of awareness in mind, body, and spirit, without distraction or attachment to that which is not the seat of our true self.

There are many lineages leading to many different styles of yoga asana practice.  You can Google and find descriptions of them.  The lineage in which I was trained dates back to Sri T. Krishnamacharaya in India.  He passed on his knowledge to others who used the basis of his teachings to inform their own now famous styles of yoga (Iyengar and Ashtanga), but most notably he passed his teachings on to his son, TKV Desikachar.  He went on to develop the Viniyoga style which seeks to develop a practice individualized to each student and has a therapeutic aspect as further refined by Gary Kraftsow in America.  Kraftsow taught Robin Rothenberg, who taught my teacher, Elizabeth Gray, who taught ME!  I claim no expertise, being a rank beginner teacher, but one who is nevertheless grateful for the knowledge and practice of this lineage.

The next time you find yourself in Downward Dog, remember to find stability and ease there, breathe with awareness, and know the pose is moving you toward a more calm and aware inner life, which is the whole goal of yoga -- not to twist into strange shapes, but to calm the fluctuations of the mind, leading to a life well lived for ourselves and in relationship with others. ©

Namaste, donnajurene

Photo Credit:  Seattle Yoga News
Resources: Yoga International; Tracy Weber: Whole Life Blog; Yoga Journal

THE 8 LIMBS OF YOGA: 2. THE NIYAMAS

Last time I wrote about the first limb of the eight limbs of Yoga -- the Yamas -- those ethical principles of the Yoga Sutras dealing with how we interact with others.  Look back at the previous post if you are interested in reviewing.  https://circlingthemat.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-great-vow.html

After having just spent 10 days on vacation with good friends, I had plenty of opportunity to practice the Yamas.  They could answer as to how successful I was, but I did try to keep these precepts in mind most of the time.

Home now, it's time to turn inward.  How do I manage my relationship with myself?  The Yogic Path helps us in this regard with the second limb of yoga -- the Niyamas.

Here they are:
Sauca -- cleanliness (of body, mind, and heart as well as our surroundings)
Santosa -- contentment
Tapas -- practice that causes positive change
Svadhyaya -- study by and of oneself
Isvara-pranidhana -- humility and faith


Sauca, cleanliness, is easy, right?  I shower regularly!  But Sauca is more.  The sutras tell us that our bodies, ever changing, can never be pure and that is OK.  This reminds us that the body is always in a state of impermanence and that the Light within is the only truly "clean" and unchanging force.  Cleanliness in our surroundings is important.  Physical clutter creates mental and psychic clutter.  Tidy surroundings encourage a peaceful space, yet not so great if tidiness becomes obsessive.  Keep a clear space in which to live and work and drive, but one that is also welcoming and comfortable and lends itself to creativity.  Cleanliness of mind and heart can be challenging, especially in this communication age when we are bombarded by words and images at dizzying speed.  Are we on information overload?  Do we take in too much "bad news"?  Are we drawn to "mature audiences only" media with resulting unsettled feelings?  Have we kept something from another, or kept feelings bottled up and need to "come clean"?  Sauca can take the form of truth telling, apologizing, even mourning as we cleanse ourselves of feelings of grief.

Santosa and gratitude go hand in hand.  Santosa leads us to happiness.  We become content with what we have and who we are.  Easy-breezy, right?  Not so much.  We are always comparing ourselves to others, which breeds discontent!  They have a new car, a bigger house, smarter kids, a slimmer build, a stronger body, a better job, and on and on.  It is easy to feel the stirrings of envy rather than gratitude. Practicing Santosa means stopping the negative, "not good enough" thoughts in their tracks and coming back to appreciating what you have and who you are in every moment.  Because again, all those "things" are impermanent. They are not YOU.  Letting go of expectations and being unattached to results allows us to live in the moment of "what is" with total contentment.

How do we put the change we want to make for ourselves into action?  By working on it.  Working creates friction between the old ways and the new.  This is Tapas, or heat.  We must feel the the heat of discomfort as we transform, breaking old habits and learning the new.  This takes discipline and effort.  Healthy change is needed if we are to grow in our practices.  In any endeavor for change we feel that discomfort -- eating more healthfully means dealing with the 'pain' of leaving sweet desserts behind; quitting smoking or alcohol or other addictions requires a great deal of emotional and physical effort.  Working through difficulties with others requires coming to a place of compassion and may change our attitude toward them over time.  Tapas is the effort we bring to our personal growth.

We must look inward, with honesty and curiosity to understand who we are now and who we are meant to be.  What motivates us?  Why do we act, react, and respond as we do? This self-reflection and self-study is Svadhyaya.  We become aware of strengths and weaknesses.  We become aware of patterns of  behavior that no longer serve us, that perhaps we've grown to repeat out of habit.  With awareness we can shift to more positive behaviors and outcomes that are healthy and clear.  We may notice that our short-temper with our spouse is misdirected and that we are still actually harboring frustration toward a co-worker, or even acting out in response to a childhood memory, long buried. With self-reflection comes clarity and the ability to change our words and actions.

There is only so much we can know from our own minds.  We are limited by our personal experiences, our unique intellect, our biases.  Turning to a higher power when we are lost in confusion is the path. We can find guidance in books, at lectures, through teachers or preachers that can inform a new way of seeing things and lead us forward.  Studies of scriptures and writings can help enlighten our way. Yet often all we can do is surrender, in the belief that this life is a spark of the Divine and that the never-ending, always present Light within, (that some call God, or Allah, or Krishna, or Goddess, or Universe) is the true seat of our soul.  This is Isvara-pranidhana.  It is the recognition that humility and surrender may be the only way forward.  We are not our Ego self.

The Niyamas are meant to provide a guide to self-knowledge, to contentment, and inner peace.  When combined with the Yamas, these two limbs of yoga provide us a way to live in harmony with ourselves and those around us.  It's not easy.  But it's important.  And it's worth practicing.©

Namaste, donnajurene
Photo Credit:  www.pixabay.com
Resource:  The Path of the Yoga Sutras - A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga by Nicolai Bachman.

THE 8 LIMBS OF YOGA: 1. THE YAMAS -- THE GREAT VOW

I'm loving the Yoga Sutra class at Yoga Circle!  We studied the Sutras as part of our yoga teacher training, but a review and deepening of this study called to me.  It's the heart of yoga and I wanted to learn more.

A couple of weeks ago we visited the Sutras of the Yamas (one of the Eight Limbs of Yoga).  The Yamas are like the Moral Code of a yoga practice.  Yama means control or restraint or regulation.  We must restrain our worst impulses, our default ways of acting that do not contribute to the greater good of self and others.  The Yamas call us into ethical relationship with others.  How we treat others demonstrates in real time the effectiveness of our yoga practice by showing us the quality of our inner state of mind made manifest in the social order.

Here are the Yamas:

Ahimsa -- non-harming; non-violence
Satya -- truthfulness
Asteya -- non-stealing
Brahmacaraya -- energy conservation 
Aparigraha -- non-greed; non-hoarding

Practicing the Yamas is considered to be "The Great Vow" of yoga.  In my study of the Yamas we explored each of these and then during our Asana practice, we grounded each in a series of poses as we literally took "The Great Vow" together.  It was deeply meaningful to me.

The Yamas are to be taken seriously and a yogi/yogini will keep this vow uppermost in his/her mind as s/he goes about the day.  Challenges will arise and perfectly attending to each Yama may feel in conflict or even impossible.

How can that be?  Let's take a closer look:

Ahimsa seems like a no brainer.  Few of us would seek to harm another, right?  We don't go around picking fights or beating people up or even verbally abusing those with whom we come into contact.  But take a step back from the extreme of "harming" and see if you make snide comments, use sarcasm to express yourself, offer a hurtful opinion.  Do you post mean memes on Facebook?  Do you gossip about your officemate?  What if your actions and behaviors feel harmful to another, even if not to you?  Is it harmful to eat foods grown in toxic soils (you may be harming yourself) knowing that a farmworker was exposed to chemicals to give you cheaper lettuce?  Do you engage in negative self-talk, harming your psyche?  Some yogi/yoginis also interpret this Ahimsa as meaning non-harming toward any creature and turn to vegetarianism.  What ways do you think you might be causing harm?  How can you be more mindful in practicing Ahimsa?

Satya, or truthfulness, is another easy one, right?  You likely see yourself as a truthful person.  Yet...how many "white lies" do we tell to avoid hurting someone's feelings?  Friend: "I love my new red dress, don't you?"  You, thinking: "Hmmm....no, it's awful!" You saying, "Yes!  So cool!"  You've just told a lie to try not to harm (Ahimsa in conflict!)  Maybe you could have answered the question with a truth that wasn't a lie: "That is such a vibrant color on you!"  Or how many lies do we tell others (and ourselves) to justify our behaviors, to save face, to avoid consequences?   Satya is also connected to keeping our word -- to following through on commitments to ourselves and others. Truthfulness means taking a close look at our inner motivations and our personal integrity.  Have you caught yourself in a lie?  How can you be more mindful in practicing Satya?

Asteya means not taking from others anything not freely given through mutual agreement.  You are an honest person and would never think of robbing a bank.  You wouldn't go into a store to shoplift.  But do you point out when the waitstaff forgets to charge you for your dessert?  Do you constantly interrupt others, essentially stealing their ability to be heard?  Are you habitually late, "stealing" time from those waiting for you?  Have you ever taken credit for someone else's idea?  How many instances can you think of when you "stole" something that wasn't really yours to have?  How can you be more mindful in practicing Asteya?

Brahmacarya is concerned with keeping us in balance.  We need to conserve vital energy in order to move it in more productive directions.  The traditional interpretations of this Yama deal with sexual energy -- the idea of controlling those urges and cravings and adhering to fidelity and perhaps celibacy.  It is certainly true that sexual faithfulness would fall into this category.  In more modern interpretations we broaden the meaning of this Yama to also include finding balance in our lives; to practicing moderation.  Do you habitually overeat?  Indulge in too many beers?  Work at the office until after everyone else has gone home?  Watch TV until the wee hours?  Work out at the gym compulsively?  Meditate to the exclusion of interacting with others?  In what ways do you feel out of balance and how does this impact your relationships with others? How can you be more mindful in practicing Brahmacarya?

Aparigraha, or grasping, greed, and hoarding leads to separation.  Our Ego wants.  Our Ego identifies with using material objects to define us.  We become possessive.  We shout, "Mine!" like a two-year-old and grieve the loss of our "stuff" as if it had real meaning.  The classic example would be of a person who is a hoarder and cannot part with anything.  Or a miser who hoards money to feel important.  Some lord power over others.  Accumulation and "want" are created by advertising, causing us to feel unsatisfied with life unless we have the latest cool gadget.  Can you relate?   Or maybe you cling to an idea or a dogma and cannot abide an opposing view.  Not hoarding things and ideas can free us to realize all is temporary and will pass from us in time -- even our very lives.  Can you identify any ways in which you are grasping or greedy?  Can you let go?  How can you be more mindful in practicing Aparigraha?

There is so much to explore, learn, and internalize in our yoga practice.  I hope you've enjoyed this stroll through the Yamas and hope you'll also explore practicing these ethical guides.  You will not do it all perfectly and must use your powers of discernment to untangle conflicts, using your own integrity as your guide.  Yet even if done imperfectly, living in balance with generosity, truthfulness, compassion, and an awareness of the temporary nature of our human lives can ground and root us in the "now" while also providing a framework to live with increasing confidence, joy, and freedom.  It's a practice worth pursuing; will you take The Great Vow too?©

Namaste, donnajurene
Photo Credit:  www.pixabay.com
Resource:  The Path of the Yoga Sutras - A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga by Nicolai Bachman.

LET'S GET REAL

I've been blogging away lately about deep and sometimes confusing yogic philosophy.  I'll get back to that, but let's take a break today and get real about a real life, every day, normal, and relatable topic.  Underwear.

I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I have to confess that I'm not very well-informed about yoga underclothing so I'm diving in with my confusion.

At Yoga Teacher Training, we talked informally (it was not part of the curriculum) about what to wear under those form-fitting yoga pants.  We even had a show-and-tell about a certain thong-type garment that appealed to some and appalled the rest.  Do you care if you have visible panty lines?  Or do you take all reasonable measures to ensure you do not?  Do your undies ride up in all the wrong places or ride down under that little pooch of a gut about halfway through class?

I'll confess.  I strive for comfort over style:  I don't care if you can see my panty lines and my more than a little pooch of a gut sometimes captures the upper elastic on my undies and takes it hostage too far south of my waistline and I have to go in and readjust.  Maybe you've noticed.   I'm on a quest to lose the pooch rather than resort to another type of undergarment.  But that's just me being stubborn.

As for the upper regions of underneath, who out there can recommend a perfect yoga bra?  I have a bunch of "sports bras" that have that little removable padding in the cups.  Yesterday I didn't notice until half way through class that the padding on the left side had somehow migrated over itself, doubling the thickness on the upper half of the cup, creating a bulging "shelf" that bisected my breast.  I tried to ignore it.  I tried to tell myself something so insignificant didn't matter a bit to my practice -- not to how I did asana nor to the calming of the fluctuations of my mind.  But my mind was totally fluctuating over this wardrobe issue.

I was in the front row, facing the other side of class, absolutely convinced that everyone could see my abnormally lumpy left side and either be concerned or inwardly laughing.  I tried to surreptitiously slide my hand in there to readjust, but there was no easy fix.  I'd have to leave and get partially undressed to fix it, so I prioritized my practice and just let it be.  But the minute class was over I fixed it and vowed to do a better job of looking in the mirror next time before I dash out the door to class.

There must be a remedy for these errant undergarments.  There must be a perfect brand of yoga undie-clothes that can remove the obstacle of discomfort and disfigurement that can be such a distraction to performing the perfect Tree Pose. (I blame the bra for my lack of balance yesterday.)

If you have any tips, please share in comments for all of us.  I really need some help here.  My yoga bliss hinges on solving this problem.  ©

Namaste, donnajurene